Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close tells the story of a little boy, Oskar Schell, desperate attempt to reconnect with his departed father a year after the 9-11 tragic.  

He found a key hidden inside a vase in his closet and set out on a journey to contact everyone in New York City with the name Black.  One by one he visits each of them, checking if they do know his father while listening to their stories and recording them in his scrapbook.   


He eventually finds the owner of the lock but comes no closer to his father.  Slowly he lets go of the pain with the help of his grandfather and starts to open himself to his mother.   


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 fairy clouds.  The story slowly unravels with Oskar's journey.  It is very touching to learn that his mother visited everyone whom Oksar would visit and prepare them  of his visit.  
 

The Lady

I enjoy watching the recently series of biographical films that paid tribute to some of the reputable women who had fight fiercely for a cause which they deeply believed in.

The Lady shares the story of 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her fight for democracy and peace for Burma. Her return to Rangoon (name of Burma then) in 1988 marks the turning point of her life as her filial piety duty morphs into a political career where she has been placed under house arrest for 15 out of those 21 years.

Today, the 65 years old Daw Suu is still continuing the relentless fight for democracy and human rights. I deeply salute Daw Suu for her staunch belief in helping her people.

Rating: 5 out of 5 fairy clouds. The movie is deeply mesmerizing and yet perturbing. While I believe Daw Suu is a compassionate, traditional and reserved woman, I also believe she is strong, visionary and persistent.

The Iron Lady

The Iron Lady shares the story of Lady Margaret Thatcher and how she made changes through the stifling social classes and male-dominated environment to come into power through determination and hard work to become the only female prime minister.

It skims through all the tough time where difficult decisions had to be made to create a better nation. At times when a political decision needs to be made, it is always about managing conflicts and compromises. Life is after all never straight forward or drawn with a define line between right and wrong.

Ratings: 3 out of 5 fairy clouds. The movie has overly simplified the challenge of overcoming the age-old stereotype that a woman should stay at home, to be specific, in the kitchen. For those who do not know much of Mrs Thatcher, the movie has painted a rather skewed memoir of the events.

Beginners

It is never easy being a beginner. The same is true for Oliver a 38 year old graphic artist and his deceased father Hal. Oliver grew up watching a distant yet cordial relationship between his free-spirited Jewish Mother and an indifference father.

Five years before his father's death, Hal reveals to Oliver that he is gay and wishes to come out of the closet. This is a secret which he has hidden since the age of fifteen. He pursues his happiness and starts a relationship with a younger man, Andy.

On the other hand, Oliver fears commitment and has never maintained any relationship for any prolong period of time. After Hal's death, he meets Anna, a French actress and slowly realizes how he can have a loving relationship; one that is different from his parents.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. The storyline is quite interesting but unfortunately forgettable. It stirs your emotions superficially and then it is soon forgotten. It lacks impact and impressive for such a film genre.

Kumar's Amazing Race

Our pride and drag queen icon Kumar was back with 5 shows at the Esplanade with Kumar's Amazing Race in February 2012. It was great to see him, oops! I meant her performing on stage.

Kumar shared many anecdotal stories of Indians in Singapore from their famous inventions, making a big thing by doing nothing (i.e. yoga, mediation, etc), local festivities and the infamous colloquial "ah-bu-neh-neh". It was a hilarious evening with our beloved stand up comedian.



Rating: 4.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. Don't miss out on any Kumar's performance. It is usually quite fun and entertaining. But remember not to watch it too often as she does repeat some of the jokes.

Yu Sheng Lo Hei (鱼生捞起) Auspcious Wishes

My family has Yu Sheng every year and somehow we forget some of the auspicious wishes. Here is the mini SOP for reference:

When the Yu Sheng is served to the table, welcome it with "恭喜发财！万事如意！“

And the auspcious wishes as each of the ingredient is added:

Raw Fish - 年年有余

Abalone - 年年包有余

Pomelo, lime/lemon juice - 大吉大利

Pepper - 招财进宝

Five-spiced powder - 五福临门

Sesame oil - 一本万利、财源广进

Sweet plum sauce - 甜甜蜜蜜

Red carrots - 鸿运当头

Green radish, ginger, lettuce, etc - 青春永在

White radish, ginger, etc - 风山水起

Peanuts - 生意兴隆

Sesame seeds - 财源滚滚

Crispy fried pillows - 金银满屋、满地黄金

And when everyone is ready to toss in the good fortune, you will say "捞起！ 捞起！ 老到凤山水起！“

iChestnuts 15

I finally got to watch the longest running parody comedy, iChestnuts 15 at the Jubilee Hall.

Literally everything is spoofed in this comedy from local television shows to Broadway musicals, Hollywood blockbusters and even Walt Disney characters! If you are looking for a night to laugh your heart out, iChestnut 15 may be the show you like to watch.

I particularly love the snippets of mini Quentin Tarantino series of Kill Belle to Kill Bella and the Ivory Low Ai Kiu's promotion of the new app, SisRis. For those who understand Hokkien, you may want the 882 sisters Hokkien-nised version of Umbrella and Singing in the Rain or perhaps the strong local flavour of The MerLion King.

The comedy is a little unglam, a little crude and a little trivial about certain matters but it has its very own charm and definitely followers. Either way, I had a couple of good laugh this evening. Kudos to Judee Tan for the excellent portray of Ivory!

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds. It is a decent comedy. I won't cry if I had missed it. Not perfectly my cup of tea but good enough.