Fast and Furious 5: Fast Five

Just came back from the screening of Fast and Furious 5, that is one week ahead of the release date.. woot o.0 and thank Nuffnang, ChurpChurp, and not forgetting P1 for making it happen.

Fast Five is an installment on the Fast and Furious chronology if you don't know yet, and the story pick up right where Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift ended aiding Dominic to escape from a bus transporting him to prison. This is where the fun begin.

Fast Five is set in Rio, Brazil this time round . Beside the beauty of what Rio can offer, point have to be given when it collaborate ex member into the installment, you might / need not know them if you didn't watch the chronology but heck, you don't need to, you will just pick up along.

Beside the original member, new character (or cast) was introduced too and it is none other than the almighty Rocky

When a badass is set as the main character in a movie, there are 4 things you can be assure with:-
1) Money
2) Cars
3) Girls
4) Killing weapon
Oh ya make it 5, cause there will be none stop action too from almost every part of the movie.

After watching Fast Five, it makes me so into the mood to step it hard on my pedal and drift it right on a U turn, yea I really did. Like its successor, Fast Five is installed with tons of good humor. However I personally felt that the previous installment had more jaw dropping stunt as compare to this, but heck fan or not fan, it is a must watch movie.

Rate: 4/5

Thor 3D

Went to special screening of Thor 3D in TGV KLCC, thank to Everyone Connect for making this happen and thank Daniel Tai to collect the pass on behalf of me. Not forgetting that the screening comes with popcorn and softdrink each.

Superman, Spiderman, Ironman, Hulk, these are a few that I would recognise who they are and their strength. Thor on the other hand was someone I heard off but don't really know much about it. Therefore I'm watching the movie without knowing much about Thor

Thor was casted out of Asgard by his father Odin to planet earth after he declared war on the Frost Giant who had a unpleasant past with them. With Thor being sent to earth, his brother Loki tend and try to take over the entire realm of Asgard as the King and started to spread lies in order to make himself hero.

There weren't much battle to be honest, but you will witness a whole new world of Asgard with nicely visual and imaginary scene. The 3D effect of the movie wasn't really the typical 'pop out' type and but rather to further enhance the audience experience on Asgard world.

As tough as it seems, there are however never ending humor installed in the movie Thor. Despite the not too bad CG and thousand of highly recommended rating, I felt that the reason Thor wasn't as famous as your other daily superhero is simply because it is lack of certain element like battle on earth.

Rate: 3/5

Love and Other Drugs

Had a movie marathon last night, and although I've watched most of them, am still having viewing it again as they're worth the time :) But anyway this blogpost will be on the movie Love and Other Drugs

Love and Other Drus stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway, and the movie was all about unconditional love and not forgetting steamy hot 'action' from Prince Jake and Anne

Maggie (Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

Rate: 2/5

BKO - Bangkok Knockout

Thank to Cari Malaysia for the special preview passes to the screening of BKO (Bangkok Knockout). Not only it is a premier screening, it was also my first movie at MBO Viva Home, KL

Some brief intro on the place Viva Home and the newly open cinema MBO here. Viva Home officially started its operation on 15 April 2011. Viva home is located along Loke Yew stretch and it was formerly the UE3 building. Viva Home as the name suggested, cater for home living needs. Beside that, it has a hypermaket (Giant) and Cinema (MBO) and not forgetting countless foodcourt / cafe for you to enjoy too. This was my first time catching a movie in MBO and I must say that this cinema here at Viva Home is quite classy. However the seat are kinda slanted and pretty much you have to sit straight and by straight I do mean 90 degree up.

Back to BKO, as the title suggested, this seems to be a fight till the end type of movie, and although the introduction was kinda bored and lame, it does fight all the way till end. Honestly speaking, not only the plot / concept ain't new, the storyline / excuses used for the movie for things to happen is kinda lame and stupid to me. Even though the movie was from Tony Jaa, the Thailand version of Jackie Chan, it is still lack of something in the end, it is lack of actual skill and actual 'flying' scene without rope.

A good fighting movie is not just about who have the best skill or who won the battle, but also where the fight took place. BKO did however introduced few new fight scene, that might look impress on photo / trailer, but when in production, it seems that there are very limited space for creativity.

I don't know if I would recommend this to anyone who ask me to suggest a watchable movie or not but although they may be as good a Tony, it does involves plenty of risk while filming such genre of movie. I think if they have a better plot it would be totally a different story. Not forgetting that there were too many warriors so you don't literary have a spotlight to shine on one particular hero.

Rate: 2/5

The Roommate

Nuffnang was having a premier screening for its loyal member and unfortunately I couldn't score any invite and watch the movie with the awesome gang, but heck I still manage to source ticket elsewhere :) Question is, is Roommate worth all the effort?

College student Sara finds that her new roommate Rebecca has an obsession with her, which quickly turns violent.

Now how violent is violent? Don't get me wrong I don't enjoy seeing / watching others suffer, but for a movie, the more cruel it gets, the more I enjoy. I'm not psycho as mentioned ok..

 Apparently The Roommate is a big disappointment. Let's forget about the censored part, but the movie itself is lack of thrill and suspension. There were however way too draggy introduction and character development which was a big turn off for those who are in for a big thrill.

Just when you thought "Oh here come the part where I should shut my eye now", you will instead be installed with this expression o.0 that comes with WTF =.=" While many more frightening and sickening stuff could happen in such given title, the director failed to put in more thrill for the audience. If you ask me I would say is a movie to avoid so that it doesn't make you think that you've wasted 2 hour of your life. After all life is short, choose wisely.

Rate: 1.5/5

LG Optimus 2X

The LG Optimus 2X had obviously make itself into the history by introducing first ever phone that runs on a dual core processor. If still wanna find out more about the phone's specification, you can check my earlier post

Before you go yelling who on earth need such feature, do read on. You see, phone nowadays is not just a phone and not just a device that keep you connected to the Internet, it is more than that.

You phone today can be your pager, your phone (of course), your alarm, your camera, your entertainment, your mp3 player, your remote controller, your pride, your handheld gaming, your newspaper, your bank assistant, your..... the list goes on.. So you get the idea right, why it is called smartphone.. Beside the features and functionality, the phone can also carry your memories, your work document, your business with you on the go. This is how far your phone can go now.

With the double speed processing power, not only you get faster surfing, youtubing, and performance, you get smooth gameplay/video playback experience too. Gone were the days where you have to wait and bear with the laggy experience with your limited space and processing power.

And here's a sample of the gameplay.

Once you're amazed with the LG Optimus 2X, comes the question, where can I get it and how much it is. Well look no further!

Celcom is one telco that always offers the latest phones with the best deals. The latest unbelievable deal is a chance to be the 1st few to enjoy the world’s 1st dual-core Android smartphone, the powerful LG Optimus 2X (LG P990) – DUAL CORE DEFINES THE THRILL OF SPEED – the fast and hyper performance smartphone with dual core processor.

The LG Optimus 2X comes packed with cutting-edge features for a complete mobile experience. It’s a phone that you will be proud to own. The world’s 1st dual-core smartphone is equipped with the most powerful mobile processor available, the NVIDIA® Tegra™ 2. The dual core CPU excels at multi-tasking between applications and boosts web browsing performance – say goodbye to sluggish response times with rapid application start-up! Plus, enjoy content on larger displays via HDMI mirroring!

In conjunction with the release of the fastest smartphone, Celcom is having a limited time only promotion and all you have to do is to sign up for any selected Celcom packages, not only you can get the phone for as low as RM978, you also get a free HDMI cable to enjoy video / photo captured on your supersize LCD TV at home.

Incase you looking for calculator and old brochures to compare, don't because here's the chart for you to judge

	Telco M	CELCOM	Telco D
New Model launch vs. cheapest package price	Samsung Nexus  S – RM1499 (24 mths) Sony Ericsson Arc – RM1499 (24 mths)	LG Optimus 2X – RM978 (18 mths contract)	HTC Incredible S – RM1199 (24 mths contract)
Monthly Commitment (lowest package)	RM108	RM88	RM68 (data ONLY plan)
Contract	12, 18 and 24 mths	12 and18 mths	12 and 24 mths
Key USP	Contract up to 24 mths 1GHz Scorpion processor	Lowest Commitment Minimal Contract 1st Dual Core – Fastest Processor FREE HDMI cable *First 2000 units	Contract up to 24 mths 1 GHz processor

Notice that there is a limited of 2000 units only, so grab one now before everyone else. Oh ya here's the plan for your reference

	Celcom Exec 50 + mBasic 38	Celcom Exec 50 + mAdvance68	Celcom Exec 250
Monthly Commitment	RM88	RM118	RM250
Data FUP	1GB	3GB	5GB
Upfront payment	RM300	RM300	RM600
12 mths contract	RM1,428	RM1,388	RM1,278
18 mths contract	RM1,378	RM1,308	RM978

* 12 & 18 months contract apply *RM500 penalty will be imposed in the event of early termination *RM300 upfront payment apply for customers that sign up for 88 & 118 package plan (upfront rebate RM25 x 12) *RM600 upfront payment apply for customers that sign up for 250 package plan (upfront rebate RM50 x 12) *Customers with credit card are encouraged to sign-up for auto billing and enjoy 5% discount on monthly bill every month. *Other Celcom Exec T&C apply

Personally I do think that the LG Optimus 2X worth even if it cost you RM1.8K, but who doesn't like rebate right? For those who are about to swap from ordinary call-and-text-only phone to smartphone, this would be your widest choice. For those who are hardcore user who loves to tweak and customize their phone, LG Optimus 2X which runs on Android suits your needs best. For those looking for a change, this is no doubt should be in your consideration list .

Unboxing LG Optimus 2X / P990

LG Optimus 2X is one heck of a smartphone, not only it is powered by Google's Android OS, but also the first smartphone that is embedded with dual-core Tegra 2 processing power. I happen to have a set on hand, and it all thank to Nuffnang

 

One the first glance upon sliding the phone out from the box, everything look sleek and awesome, just can't wait till I get my hand on the 2x speed.

 Alright group photo before we begin, and here's the original package. Come in standard, we have the phone, data cable, charger, earphone, manual, battery, and one happy person (if you happen to owe hold one :D)

 So this is what you will see, a reflective HUGE screen where it is design to cater to your finger's hunger. So spacious and so much to be display on it

 On the bottom of the phone we have a stereo speaker and a mini USB port where you can transfer data and/or charge your phone.

 On the right side of the phone, you will see the volume control button.

 While on the top of the phone, you get Power button, HDMI port, and a jack for your earphone. A HDMI is where you will go crazy and drool all about.

 Love the sleek and shinny design.

 Oh ya, the LG Optimus 2X comes with a 8 mega pixel back camera and a 1.3 mega pixel front facing camera.

 The phone support microSDHC & microSD

 Booting up the new toy :)

  

Now that you've seen enough of the photo let's take a look at the specification of the phone, shall we?

General

• Phone type - Candy bar
• Operating system - Android
• Expansion slot(s) - microSDHC, microSD
• Dimensions (H x W x D) - 123.9 x 63.2 x 10.9 mm
• Weight - 139g
• Built-in memory - 8 MB

Connectivity

• GSM frequency bands - Quadband
• Connectivity options - 3G, A-GPS, GPS, EDGE, GPRS, HSDPA, microUSB, Bluetooth, A2DP, DLNA, HDMI

Display and Text Input

• Display type - TFT
• Touchscreen - Yes
• Display resolution - WVGA
• Display size - 4-inch screen

Multimedia

• Imaging features - Onboard flash, Autofocus, LED
• Sound features - MP3 playback, Stereo sound, FM radio, Built-in speakers
• Audio jack type - 3.5mm
• Additional multimedia features - 1080p video recording; secondary 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
• Maximum camera resolution - 8 megapixels

Performance

• Max. talktime (in hours) - 7.8 hours talktime
• Max. standby time (in hours) - 400 hours
• Main processor speed - 1,000 MHz
• Battery capacity - 1500 mAh
• RAM - 512 MB

Stay tune on my next post on more about LG Optimus 2X..

Scr4m

Watched Scre4m last night at GSC 1Utama and thank Nuffnang and Churp Churp for the invitation.

First of all if you find any info here is incorrect feel free to correct me as I'm not literally a Scream fans, nor did I watch the previous episode neither. The ghostly face I remember seeing if not mistaken is from a mimic movie named scary movie.

But anyway since it is a sequel, the story is kinda linked. It is about a survival who have to survive yet another what should be a spooky murder. The movie was directed by Wes Craven and I saw some similar pattern in his movie. Things happen during a 'festival' where teens actually celebrate historical cruel killing event. Similar pattern could be found in the movie "My Soul to Take" too.

The beginning of the movie kinda make me feel like I'm watching scary movie with some really lame joke =.=" Things were kinda predictable and they try to cover up by getting the cast to comment on the commonness of a typical horror movie.

The movie is kinda old school and if I have to add, kinda lame too.. Sorry if there is any Craven / Scream fans..

Rate: 2/5

Limitless

Limitless is a story on a new kind of drug where it lets you to have access to every single column of cell in your brain, which normal people only have 20% access to it, and thus making you to have the ability to know everything you saw, read, heard before.

Manage to score myself 2 premier passes 2 days before it release, Limitless starring Bradley Cooper, who is better known as FACE in A-Team back in 2010. Who would forget this charming guy with beautiful eye. Psst I'm not gay but I really envy bout this

Back to movie, I personally find the plot interesting probably it is something we don't see often and something new maybe? In the beginning, the movie was kinda laggy and draggy with all the character introduction, personality, and bla bla bla..

Things become interesting when the main actor venture into the remaining 80% of his mind, this scene came in just in time to save the audience from falling asleep at the hall. From there onward, audience will be brought along the storyline and would be staying up and awake on what's actually happen and what's gonna happen.

There were some minor chase-and-run, and killing scene which spice things up just a little bit more. The turn down of Limitless is that there were some gray area where no further explanation on how, what, where, and when. Nevertheless Limitless still has something interesting that you might wanna catch at your local cinema.

Rate: 3/5

Source Code

Just came back from the preview screening of Source Code in GSC Mid Valley and damn I'm speechless again

Source Code tells a story of a well developed, technology beyond our imagination (at this point of time) where it allow one to cross into others body for as long as 8 minute. A soldier wake up in an unknown body in a train that exploded soon just to find out after that explosion that he is actually on a Source Code where his mission is to find the bomber.

What happen here is that you can repeat the same scene here again and again if given the permission but the catch is, you cannot alter what happened.

To me source code is actually what some people called it 'mind fuck' like Inception. Mind fuck pretty much means the movie is playing with your mind with questions that your brain keep popping up and you trying very hard to understand what's happening.

In simpler word Source Code is as good as Inception (if not better) and those who love Inception should give this a try even though the depth of the difficulties to understanding is not near to Inception.

Rate: 4/5

RIO

Rio is an animated movie set in, of course Rio, Brazil and things happen during a carnival, which is a huge celebration here in Rio.

The movie Rio is from the creator of Ice Age and I would say that you have certain level of assurance toward the movie.

Blu, a domesticated macaw from small-town is being too pampered by his owner Linda was also last of its kind. Coincidentally, they found a femal macaw species in Brazil and decided to mate em both to prevent it from extinction. When Blu  meets the fiercely independent Jewel, he takes off on an adventure to Rio de Janeiro with this bird of his dreams.

 The question is, will Blu ever get to fly and what gone into their way during their adventure? Better go check it out this Thursday when it is officially release in Malaysia

Rate: 3/5