Police Story

In a game of Cop & Thief, the Thief must and have to be lucky all the time if they want to live another day. But the Cop would only have to be lucky once to caught the Thief, or to wait for the Thief to made a single mistake.

I considered myself as a careful rider. Of course, when you're talking about careful rider in Jakarta, you ought to put a winking quote in the word 'careful' because had you asked any driver in Jakarta about what they had thought of us, motorcyclist, the first and foremost responses are guaranteed to be negative. Anyway, i'm not saying that i'm the genuine holy man or that i'm right and everybody else's wrong, but, on a normal daily routine, i had my own strict rules when it comes to riding. When riding, again only on a normal day i had tried to NOT do anything that i DON'T LIKE to see from others. This includes, stopping at a every red-light, and only moved when the traffic-light really turns green, stick to the left side of the road, and never went faster than 50 miles per hour. I was also ever wary when i see cops. When they rides their huge Yamaha patroling the Rasuna Said and Gatot Subroto, i made a considerable distance behind them, riding comfortably. That's my rule. But of course, since i'm a Thief, and they're the Cops, one mistake was all it took for me to get comprehended by the authority.

Yesterday evening, around 4.30 pm, i was riding comfortably in Rasuna Said. So calm and confident i was that i hadn't noticed two unit of traffic cops patroling ahead of me. I passed them in a normal allowed speed. Mind you, i was riding comfortably, just straight ahead following rules just like any other motorcyclist. But, in front of Setiabudi Building, one of these traffic cop stopped me. I, who has been riding for at least four or five months without any license (i had a driving license, but i was misplaced it. I don't even remember when the last time i saw it. One day, my dad asking me about wether i still had the driving license and ID card, and that's when i look into my wallet, and realized that i can't find my driving license) know immediately that i'm in trouble.

This cop, approaches me and asked me wether i know what was went wrong. I said, almost with a mocking humor, "I was wrong because i had riding safely and peacefully?". But stopped right away because i don't see any smile on his face. He told me that i shouldn't fold my license plate. I thought, WTF?! Hm, now that's new. Anyway, the reason i fold my license plate was to prevent it from being tampered. The details were a bit technical, but i had a reason. And then he asks me for my driving license, which is of course i don't have. I could easily imagine his face smiling in satisfaction. Afterward, he recites words that i'm sure he has repeated over and over again until he doesn't really cared wether his words is true or not. I wouldnt've known anyway. He said that i'm violating the law number something about driving without license and therefore he has to confiscate my motorcycle and i had to face a trial at the February 12th, bla bla bla. I waited patiently, almost yawning, once rolled my eyes upward, and desperately fighting the urge to pick my nose. You who has ever deal with traffic cops in Jakarta would know where this incident leads to.

When he finishes his recital, and it was my turn to say something, i said, in a tone not very much unlike that of a call-center receptionist on his/her 8th hour shift, receiving one more call, "But, sir, February 12th is Wednesday - truth is, February 12th is Tuesday, but i don't care. Apparently, neither did he - i had to go to work. Could we settle it now?". And then, the infamous response. "The cost for a trial is 150,000 rupiahs, how many would you give me?". I said, that i've only got 50,000 rupiahs in my wallet at the moment. He took it without further argument, and even went as far as bid me farewell and a 'good afternoon'. All the while, no smile upon his face. For him, it's just a routine anyway. For me, yup, it's just another standard procedure when a traffic cop stopped you. Pretending that you had all important stuff to do thus made you inelligible to attend the trial at whatever date he's mentioned, and just shake him off with your hard-earned money. Have you seen any traffic cop in Jakarta that really sent you to trial no matter how much you're willing to bribe him? Now, that's a rare treat. Alas, once is enough. Yesterday was, by the way, my third deal with traffic cops for three years i've been riding on the street of Jakarta.

So, As an Afterthought, 80th Annual Academy Awards

It's probably had something to do with the shocking news about Heath Ledger - some had said that it was yet another marketing stint from Warner Bros. Maybe, just maybe, when the red-carpet for the premiere of The Dark Knight rolled, we see him walking casually down the aisle, smiling wildly, and said, "Why so serious?". Don't see it happen though, that was a very bold marketing stint, if it had. In other word, i believed that the death clause was genuine, and Mr.Ledger would stay dead - that the 80th Annual Academy Awards nominations announcement went mostly un-noticed by me. But i'd like to think that with the fiasco that is Golden Globe, writer strike and all, AND chiefly, that personally, i thought that the year 2007 is a very good year in film - again, this is probably due to my even easier access of late to films that found me less and less depended on the schedule of our local cineplexes (if there's anything that goes progressively worse over the year is our local cineplexes' screening selections. That, and a great slew of terrible Indonesian films that had its theme shifted from 'teenage-horror' to 'adolescence-sex-comedy'. Yup, we're back in 1970's where Warkop DKI ruled our cinema. So much for progress. Anyway, that was another post to this self-important blog later. Geez, i made a footnote INSIDE a footnote!), and more and more eye-ing the film festivals and DVD releases - that i could, although incorrectly, put the word "i could put a blindfold and pick any film released in 2007, and loved it" into a good use. And due to that, i'd like to think that subconsciously, i had blatantly ignored the Awards thingies, because i KNOW what i liked, had a pretty firm and justified opinion on that, and thus, when some Academy shoved names and titles that THEY thought was best in 2007, i found myself comfortable and unshaken with my choices. But still, Awards still had its certain fun. For one, i could mock and poke (which exactly what i'm about going to do) their selection.

Anyway, the nominees for the 2007 80th Annual Academy Awards is up (read for it yourself somewhere, perhaps at imdb.com).

No Country for Old Men (still my number one film in 2007) and There Will Be Blood (when was the DVD is going to be released, anyway?) leads the nominations, taking eight nods each including Best Picture and Best Director. My favorite man, Daniel Day-Lewis also taking a nod for Best Actor (about time he wins one, if you asked me). I had a notable brief argument with a friend in Best Actor category. Immediately after i saw American Gangster last Saturday, a friend of mine said that Denzel Washington should win, or at least, nominated for Best Actor. I was immediately disagreed. I said, no, way! Denzel is just being Denzel in American Gangster. He just did what he did best, and if you asked me, nothing special. Granted, Denzel Washington is a better than average actor, thus, his being average acting would 'wows' many casual audience. But see more of his films, understands them, and you'd spot the difference. So, based on that fact, i was sceptical that Denzel Washington would get his noms via American Gangster. And do you know the exhilarating feeling of being right? Do you enjoy it? I know i enjoyed it, and i just love being right.

Ellen Page got nominated for Best Actress. As much as i loved her, well, actually because i loved her, i don't want her to win. The film in which she got her nods from was also nominated for a Best Picture, and has been 'a little film that has become everyone's little darling' not unlike that of the 2006's Little Miss Sunshine. However, despite its luke-warm and sweet character, i was rather disappointed with the overall of the film's direction, and i was failed to see something special from Ellen Page. Oh, she could act, all right, better than average, but as Juno MacGuff she was straight like an arrow from start to finish. Unlike in Hard Candy, where in my opinion, she was totally overlooked, there's no recognizable gritted grip that made me emotionally involved to the character not merely bemused.

George Clooney enjoyed another year of nominations as his latest film (not one he is directing, though, which as you have guessed correctly, gave ABSOLUTELY NO SIGN WHATSOEVER of when was it's going to made an appearance), Michael Clayton had a nod for Best Picture and another nod for Best Actor to himself.

Further, adding insult to injury, the exclusion of Lust, Caution and 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (which by the way, won the Grand Jury prize at the Cannes. THE Cannes Film Festival) two of my most favorite film in the year 2007 from the Best Film in Foreign Language nomination, further discredited Academy in my eyes worse than ever.

Heath Ledger Dies

News from MSNBC:

NEW YORK - Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday at a downtown Manhattan residence in a possible drug-related death, police said. He was 28.

According to WNBC, Ledger was found with pills strewn all around him.

NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Manhattan apartment believed to be his home. The housekeeper, who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there, found him unconscious at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET, according to the New York Times. After receiving no response from the actor after shaking him, they called authorities.

The Australian-born actor has a two-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose, with former fiancee Michelle Williams. Ledger was set to play the Joker in the upcoming Batman film "The Dark Knight." He received an Academy Award nomination for his work in "Brokeback Mountain."

Just 28, once engaged to beautiful Michelle Williams (they had a child), anticipated by comic-geeks worldwide for his portrayal as the Joker in the next Batman installment, he's one of a good young actor, too bad that it would seems he can't shake-off his drug addiction.

Image courtesy of Cinematical

Juno (2007)

Juno. Film review. In the Western culture - from what i learnt from books and films - where it really doesn't that much of a thing when you're pregnant before any marriage, the main question aroused when you're sixteen and pregnant was how you'd going to raise the baby after it has been born. Totally unlike here when the first and only question asked when you're pregnant and not married was how to conceal the fact as long as possible. Probably, dug up a hole somewhere and buried yourself is often the feasible solution. So much for the cultural-difference.

Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) is a girl unlike any other. Had i known her in a real life, i would fall head over heels on her. How often have you met a girl, sixteen, played guitar in a band to a point where she could identified a Gibson Les Paul guitar from a distance, influenced by names such as Sid Vicious, and Patti Smith and casually mentioned Dario Argento and Suspiria while watching The Wizard of Gore? In my case, never. The film begins with a chair (as Juno herself said). She was sixteen, still a senior in a highschool, and she's pregnant. Had it happened here, of course, it would be the end of the world for her. But as i said, Juno is a girl unlike any other, in an environment where it's socially acceptable if you had sex before marriage as long as it's safe.

Juno has been everywhere. Decorating various critics' page as one of the best film in 2007, mentioned in almost every message boards, carrying baggage such as the 2007 equivalent of Little Miss Sunshine. In short, i've been hearing nothing but a good thing about this film. Unless for one. I've read, probably the first and only cautious review on this film at Cinematical. It said that Juno has received a quite dangerous status of a 'cool-film' that redefines 'cool'. That is, you're not cool if you haven't seen it. The article urges people to stop giving a false-publicity to the film as the film may not be able to sustain its own famous status.

I've seen the film, and i was disappointed.

I loved Juno as a character, but only as far as my adolescence goes which is doesn't goes that far. I think that my interest in this film was quickly deteroriates when Juno breaks up the news of her pregnancy to her parents and decides that she's going to give-up her baby for an adoption to a foster parent which she personally chooses (played by Jennifer Garner who better than her average, and Jason Bateman who merely come and goes) which happened fairly early in the film. After that scene, there was nothing more for me to the film but merely to finish what i had started.

It probably had something to do with Juno's choice in the matter of her pregnancy. I've seen two significant film about pregnancy in 2007. Knocked Up and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. At both of this film, the women who pregnant dealt with the consequences about un-planned pregnancy. In this film, Juno seems to take the matter lightly. She doesn't concerns about being pregnant, her parents supports her, her best-friend still there, and if she's socially disturbed with her school-mates about her pregnancy, she doesn't show it safe by a simple sentence through a phone. Well, i guess i had expecting too much, and i had expecting that the film would going the 'right' way by unravel and elaborate the hardships of being pregnant, which clearly, Juno has a minimum dose of such hardships to face against.

American Gangster (2007)

American Gangster. Film Review. Based on what i've seen through this film, in 1960s, the U.S of A was down in its gutter. Vietnam was a losing cause, and the way i see it, it still worse than Iraq. Meanwhile, at its own shore, drugs were at their busiest time taking their tolls left and right. And, a reminiscence to my own country's condition now, forty years afterward - which suggest that we still had a long road ahead to catch up -, the law department was plagued with corruption that if you happened to be one that 'did the right thing', you'd be the only one, you had no friends in department, people talk behind your back, your wife left you, and you'd virtually had no career up ahead.

Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) has lived and served under Bumpy Johson, a black man whose claw was deep into Harlem, NY for fifteen years. When Bumpy dies, Frank step up the plate, and by strictly obeying rules he made and learnt from Bumpy, he did what the Italian mafia couldn't do in 100 years, he brought up a nearly pure heroin, the highest quality in the market with reduced price, thus virtually eliminating his competitors, and brought him a wealth that even his late boss, Bumpy could only dream of. The only mistake he made was when he violates his own rule, a violation that proved the trueness of an ancient adage that 'behind every fall of a man, is a woman'. On the opposite of the coin, Richie Roberts (the ever versatile Russell Crowe) is a New Jersey Police Dept. probably the only honest cop in the department. He found a million dollars in cash, unmarked, in a trunk of a car belong to a Mafia bookie. But instead of using it for his own merit, he handed the money to the Departement, every dollar. This renowned him, but as i've said in the earlier paragraph, he had no friends, people talked behind him back, his wife left him, and he had virtually no career up ahead all that because he did the right thing. Until one day, that is, when his renowned reputation land him a job to lead a special anti-drug unit. With this unit, that consists of men of his choice, Richie's path and Frank's would eventually collide. Mixed in the play was Detective Trupo (Josh Brolin) of a NY Special Investigation Unit, a totally corrupt detective who ask for a monthly stipend from every mafia, redistribute the confiscated drug in a much lesser quality, and everything imaginable, right or wrong (mostly wrong) to made him even more wealthy.

The film kept remind me of Heat. In Heat, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were for a greater part of the film weren't on a same scene until the famous coffee shop scene that still rob my heart-beat even now. In this film, the first scene where Russel Crowe and Denzel Washington first appear together on a single scene is also one of the most breath-taking moment in this film. I would like to call the scene as an "Amazing Grace" scene that should the film ended in that scene, i would love it even more than i'm already is. I loved the film by the way, one of the best film in 2007, but not nearly at the top. Further, since his appearance in No Country for Old Men (still my best film in 2007), i've been keeping an eye on Josh Brolin. He had the quality that reminds me to Jeff Bridges, an actor that time and again i would mentioned as the most underrated working actors which is of course, a good thing. Denzel Washington is at his usual game, nothing much to expect from him, as well as Russell Crowe. Playing a socially inept honest cop doesn't require much from him. But of course, the greater portion of this film lies on Denzel Washington's shoulder. And he doesn't disappoint. Much.

I'd like to think that the true stars of this film is Josh Brolin. I was disturbed with the film during the Thanksgiving scenes. Frank Lucas is a family man, he loves his family, he loves being together in a single dining table during Thanksgiving. But, the fact remains that he fed his family with drug money. A various scenes show that lots and lots of family loses one (or all) of its member and its sanity with drugs. All juxtaposed with a scene where Frank Lucas had his lavish thanksgiving dinner. I feel that i should hate Frank, all with his indifference to lives of others aside from that of his own family. However, the one i really hate the most in this film was the crooked detective character represented by Josh Brolin. Disturbing, because really, all he does is took the money from the bad guy. He was never shown taking an innocent human live during the film. Yet, ironically, his death and not Frank's is one that i'm really looking forward to. If i hadn't known any better, Josh Brolin is the scene-stealer in this film.

The film ran long, almost three hours but the story was greatly told that three hours just flies. However, there's this teenager beside me who at the last third of the film kept turning on his handphone to see the time. Ah, probably he has a curfew and has to get home before midnight.

No Country For Old Men

No Country for Old Men. Book review. First thing that immediately came to mind about this book was its excessive usage of the word 'and'. Never before had i read so many ands in a sentence in a book. For example, i took these words verbatimly from page number 140 in the book. 'The man unlocked a drawer in the desk and took out a steel of box and unlocked that and took out a card and closed the box and locked it and put it away again'. That's six ands in a single sentence. Second, as a non-English speaker, i felt that Texan-accented English is a single hardest accent for me to hear. And i considered myself pretty good at hearing English. However, i had never thought before that reading them was not an easy feat as well. Most people in this book used the accent and i found myself sometime, reading them out-loud so i could understand them. And third, but probably it's just the version i got, there's no punctuation in this book. It's a minor prob though, but there's a time when i had no idea who did the talking and had to trace back the conversation to restore the understanding. Well, maybe it's just me and my ultra-short attention span.

Aside from that, as i've seen the film first, there's not that much differences between the film and the book. For the most part, it's almost scene-per-scene. However, as with most film adapted from the book, small details are definitely bond to varied. I counted at least two additional significant characters existed only in the book, as well as at least two significant scenes involving these characters. There also some separate scenes in the book that in the film were merged into a single or a reduced scene. One such important scene is where Sheriff Ed Tom Bell narrates his meeting with Moss' father, and another that in a timeline, had happened after the film had ended.

Further, in my opinion, where as the film seemingly had the conflict between Lleweyn Moss, an old good boy, a Vietnam veteran who happened to pick a case full of money from a drug-deal gone bad with Anton Chigurh, a representation of evil who wishes to retrieve the case as its main course, the book definitely had the old Sheriff Ed Tom Bell as its main course. He narrates the book, providing a personal insight of what old men such as him, and other in his generation thought about the country in which they had lived and served, and of the changes the country had seen with the shifting of time, and how, in the end, that there was simply 'No Country for Old Men'. And in this respect, the film and the book was different, as each had simply gone to their own direction. And therefore, in my opinion, it is best to judge the book and the film separately. If you liked the film, doesn't really means that you're going to liked the book as well, and vice versa. I myself, loved the film, because of the character Anton Chigurh, probably - though there's no way i can be sure of it - just like the Coen Brothers had intended in a first place. And i loved the book because of the character Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. The character Anton Chigurh was to my surprise, i found as a simple backdrop in the book, almost insignificant if compared to the character Sheriff Ed Tom Bell. Whereas the film provides a character to deliver its message, the book provides the message to deliver its character. And if i seen it from this point of view, the book gave a truer meaning to its title, 'No Country for Old Men' than the film. Therefore, i held the book in a slight superior quality than the film.

Kevin Keegan Returns

I may not look like it, but i was also quite a fan of a soccer game. But i often refuse to affiliate myself with any teams as i saw the overworked fanaticism with loathe and disgust. However, there's a team that its related news were something that i read firstly before others. Newcastle United. Been a fan of the Newcastle ever since Andy Cole and Kevin Keegan on the team (that was what? ten? eleven years ago?) and nothing saddens me than seeing them struggle at the middle-bottom of the Barclay's Premier League (a 6-0 defeat to Man.U last Saturday). But now, Kevin Keegan back on the team! And his comeback lifted the spirit of the team as they beat Stoke at the FA Cup third round with a convincing 4-1 victory. Well, Stoke was a minnows so, there's actually nothing to be proud of the 4-1 victory. But hey, it's a start.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Well. So much for the hype. The Sarah Connor Chronicles turns out to be a yet another mediocre TV series invaded our tube which existence merely for the amusement of coach-potatoes, and someone like me. In short, this serie is a Terminator film all over again that instead runs for a two hours, runs an entire season. That, and the (so far, i hope) absence of Mr. Governator and Robert Patrick.

The series timeline begins in 1999. A several years after the events in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Familiar setting, Sarah and John Connor are on the run again for an umpteenth time, chased by a yet another killer cyborg sent from the future. And just like its film, there's another cyborg sent from the future with sole purpose to protect John from the killer cyborg. At the end of the first episode however, all three (Sarah, John, and the bodyguard cyborg) time-traveling to a year 2007. You know, Skynet, must stop the robot wars, all that sort of reasonings. In itself, if you'd seen Terminator 3, would ruin the timeline, so my best guess is that there'd be another time-traveling stuffs before the season finale. My opinion prevailed though, the first episode was an okay one, it promises of things yet to come. Had it happened in the film, the film would be worth it to sit through. However, a whole season? Well, my interest was greatly reduced by the end of the first episode.

I'm sure you'd be able to guess what was the girl in the poster's role for this serie. If not, go rent yourself Terminator films.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Yeah! Despite the writer strike, the new TV series from Fox, Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles has premiered. I had the first two episodes of the brand-new season, gonna watch 'em tonight, and hopefully post an after-thought first impression first thing tomorrow morning. Actually, i'm not really dig Terminator. Sure, Terminator 2 was a terrific action film (that, and the fact that i've seen it when i was still a boy running around with shorts) but more? Not quite so. However, ever since the Terminator spin-off TV series rumors surfaced, and then materialized in form of promotional posters, that's when they had me intrigued. All of the posters were cool. Just check out the one i put in this post. You CANNOT NOT LOVE her!

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma. Film review. It's probably one of my earliest notable experience in film that later made me had a certain soft spot for Western. As a child, i was dumbstruck, smitten in awe with Billy the Kid and co. through Young Guns. From there on, it was a gun-trotting, fast-drawing, a sheriff star, and a ten-gallon hat love. But not until years later when i had a chance to broaden my horizon and could virtually pick most films i yearned for, had i stumbled upon the masterpieces in the genre such as those from Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood and Akira Kurosawa (which was of course, not exactly a Western, but the Western feel of Westernized Samurai with swords rather than guns was easily observed).

2007 saw at least two major release films which could be said revamped the Western genre which has gone hiatus for a quite some time. Both of this film features my favorite actor, none - as far as i know of - showed at our local cinemas, and one of them (this film) had seen an official DVD release. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford which features Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, and this film, 3:10 to Yuma features Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.

3:10 to Yuma follows a familiar Western in general. There's two prominent characters each with a considerable introduction time. These characters weren't necessarily stood in the opposite side of good and evil, but their roles, who's the protagonist and who's the antagonist were clearly and immediately identifiable. These two characters would crosses path and eventually led to a showdown, a gun-fight to an end.

Unlike most Westerns however, Dan Evans (Christian Bale) the protagonist in this film doesn't possess a notified ability in gun drawing. A complete opposite is Ben Wade (Russell Crowe), the leader of a ruthless bandit with terrifying fast drawing and a frightening smile. Dan is just a rancher on a brim of bankruptcy with debts and a threat to the land he owns and family he loved from a railroad developer who at that time in the West has beginning to expand and opening opportunities across the country. His only concern was his family. Although of course, any casual viewers would have guessed that Dan had some kind of a past he wishes to conceal with being a family man. Ben meanwhile is a character spesifically made up for the purpose of moving pictures. Too unique and too weird to be real. But he's the one who made this film interesting. He led a group of men and had made at least twenty-two armed robberies. He was known and feared. A character you wouldn't want to messed up with. The capture of Ben Wade led Dan who in need for a cash volunteered as one among the group that would escort Ben Wade to a train station where he'll board the 3:10 to Yuma. Meanwhile, Ben's men led by the vicious Charlie Prince (Ben Foster) - whose ever presence amused me almost to a point where i'd crowned him as the scene-stealer though given the competition with Crowe and Bale, it's understandable that his screen absence wasn't missed THAT much just yet - vowed that they would release Ben and made sure the men escorted them had a most terrible death.

In the end, this film doesn't tried to pit the good vs the evil to settled whatever the score was between them in a single location where only one of them left standing. It is more about the nudging between principles among them. Dan with his good natured farmer principle that put his family, wife and son as his pride before anything else, and Ben with his principle on money (actually there's more than money. But to put what his principle was on words wouldn't do any justice and surely would ruin your experience if you hadn't seen the film yet) who was amused with Dan's insistence on doing what anyone else had been refused to do and his refusal upon Ben's bribe to release him. In the end, Dan and Bill understands and silently respected each other in a subtle way that goes beyond words.

For my own taste, it is not yet become the best of the genre but it is more than enough to quench my thirst for a good Western. Russell Crowe was in his usual self. He was a confident man, and he has already proved himself as a versatile actor. Though he is the bad guy in this film, it is almost impossible to not like him. He was simply doing what he does best as a working actor. Christian Bale is well, i had always admired him as a hard-working actor. He was already known to put himself to a strict diet for a role, only to shape up several months later to another role that required tremendeous physical strength, and then, eating a plate full of live worms and maggots in a yet another role. However, there's this facial attribute on him that almost gave him away every time, no matter how his outer appearance looked like. Not to a point where it's annoying (as for example, these ladies had a facial attribute that annoys me every time i look at them) but yeah, for me, it's a Bale's grin. And i should liked him even more had he doesn't have such uniqueness. However, his role was the key to this film. Everything revolves around Dan, and Dan is one character that doesn't change in this film from start to finish. And Bale's grin or no Bale's grin, he did a very good job delivering Dan Evans. All in all, even though the action part in this film wasn't really that much (however, it must be noted that the last thirty minutes of the film is awesomely breath-taking), this film is a joy ride wether you liked Western or not. Though it certainly helps a lot had you liked Western.

The World's Thinnest Notebook

The curtain un-veiled, and lo! and behold! A new celebrity is on town for once again the guys at the Apple Inc. has pushed the world of technology and design up a notch with the release of the new MacBook Air. Weighted for only 1.3 kg, the beast had physical size-reduced Intel Core 2 Duo processor (you might want to call it a mini processor), an optional Solid State hard drive (think of it as a gargantuan Flash USB Drive), a single port USB 2.0, an Audio Out, and a Micro DVI port. A claimed 5 hours running-time battery. Trackpad now support multi-touch gestures just like ones in the iPhone. The only catch was the price, i think. The new MacBook offers two kind of pricing, a USD 1800 and a holy-mother-of-shit USD 3100!. Now, if you'd excuse me, i wish to see more of this beauty. You might want to check the product by yourself. Heads up to Apple, read the report on El Jobso's keynote on Engadget, read more about the features of this MacBook Air via Tuaw.

Random Shorts (3)

Earlier this year, Warner Bros has announced that they would shortly went to Blu-Ray exclusive later this year. Many believed that this would be the death sentence of HD-DVD thus ending the so-called Format war. Yesterday, Toshiba (as one of the remaining supporter of HD-DVD) retaliate by cutting the prices of the HD-DVD hardwares it owned. Amazon also slices off 50% of the HD-DVD titles on their shelf. I believed that HD-DVD will go down, but apparently it won't go down without a fight. If Apple loads its newest MacBook (Pro) and MacPro line with Blu-Ray, then that would be the nail in the coffin for HD-DVD. Why does it matter, you say? Well, i wanted to buy one of those next-gen media player for quite some time but with the war ever raging on, it is wiser for me to wait at the sideline and see which side came out as a winner. Since apparently Blu-Ray will win the war, i've been eye-ing the price tags on the Blu-Ray player. And oh, Sony PlayStation 3 as well. Blu-Ray format was suggested by Sony, incorporated in its PlayStation 3, whilst HD-DVD format was suggested by Microsoft, incorporated in its XBox 360.

Earlier this year, there's an interesting article on MarketWatch about the inevitable death of printed media swept in a swift of broadband internet. It's sad but it's truer than true that we could easily get faster, better, and more reliable news from the Internet rather than from weekly or monthly printed issue of a magazine. The fact was also mocked at the latest The Simpsons episode (season 19 episode 9 or 10, i forgot which). And yesterday, a saddening report came from England where it's reported that "The Sun", for the first time in 33 years had its lowest circulation in a history with only less than 3 million copies a day. This report indicates that it was indeed inevitable that the printed news (magazines, newspapers, and stuffs) would bow down for an exit anytime soon. I believed that unless the magazine relies more on a photoshoots and pictures rather than newest update around the globe, such as that of National Geographic or Playboy, the death of a printed magazine was indeed inevitable.

And finally, I've been prepping for reviews to these following films:
- 3:10 to Yuma (2007)
- Platoon (1986) - It gets better every time
- Raising Arizona (1987)
- Superbad (2007)
- The Evil Dead (1981)