SQ Movie Marathon

What do you do when you're strapped onto your seat for 8 hours with no mobile, no laptop, and no PDA? Watch movies, of course! As usual, KrisWorld has quite a good selection of regular Hollywood fare, art films, and a mix of HK/Korean/Japanese/Bollywood movies. I was feeling adventurous, so I went for Hollywood.

Madagascar
Liked the jokes and the banter, but this is not a movie you're likely to watch again. The animation is good enough, but nothing groundbreaking. The voice talents are great, except that they are so distinctive, I'm actually "seeing" Ben Stiller and Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett-Smith when their characters talk. The plot's a bit thin - makes you feel like it's really a half-hour TV episode peppered with jokes and situational comedy to make it a full-length film.

I especially liked the penguins. They still walk funny and flap their wings. Who would've thought they break out of zoos, know karate, commandeer ships, etc? And the lemurs dancing to "Move It" are so funny.

Hitch
Now this is the romantic comedy for me. Aside from the few interracial stereotypes and contrived ending, I quite liked the film.

Story is about this anonymous Date Doctor called Hitch who advises shy geeks on how to win the girl of their dreams. Hitch will be your personal trainer for the first three dates, where he'll teach you everything you need to know to make a good impression on your target. From then on, you're on your own. So Hitch gets this fat tax accountant called Albert as his client, who has his eyes on celebrity socialite Allegra Cole. It's almost certainly mission impossible, but Hitch probably feels it's a challenge. Hitch walks Albert through the tricks of the love trade - from playing hard-to-get to dancing to kissing. Everything's coming up roses, but little does Hitch know that his new love interest Sara, who's a gossip reporter for a tabloid, is on to him. In a way, she felt Hitch was playing "the game" with her, so she makes an expose - and all hell breaks lose. Now every woman in New York who has met her husband in highly coincidental ways wants to know if Hitch is somehow involved.

This being Hollywood, all loose ends are quickly and happily tied up. Taking a cue from Albert, Hitch makes a big fool of himself in front of Sara, and that's how he won her affections back.

Some choice quotes from the movie:

• You cannot use what you don't have. She wants the real you. It's your job not to mess it up. Listen to what she's saying and respond.
• 8 out of 10 women believe that the first kiss will tell them everything they need to know about a relationship.
• Life is not how many breaths you take, it's the moments that take your breath away.
• Never lie, steal, cheat, or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.
• Basic Principles - no matter what, no matter when, no matter who... any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet; he just needs the right broom.
• Relationships are for people who are waiting for something better to come along.
• Basic Principles - no woman wakes up saying "God, I hope I don't get swept off my feet today!" Now, she might say "This is a really bad time for me," or something like "I just need some space," or my personal favorite "I'm really into my career right now." You believe that? Neither does she. You know why? 'Cause she's lying to you, that's why. You understand me? Lying! It's not a bad time for her. She doesn't need any space. And she may be into her career, but what she's really saying is "Uh, get away from me now," or possibly "Try harder, stupid," but which one is it? 60% of all human communication is nonverbal, body language; 30% is your tone, so that means 90% of what you're saying ain't coming out of your mouth. Of course she's going to lie to you! She's a nice person! She doesn't want to hurt your feelings! What else she going to say? She doesn't even know you... yet. Luckily, the fact is that just like the rest of us, even a beautiful woman doesn't know what she wants until she sees it, and that's where I come in. My job is to open her eyes. Basic Principles - no matter what, no matter when, no matter who... any man has a chance to sweep any woman off her feet; he just needs the right broom.
• So how does it happen, great love? Nobody knows... but what I can tell you is that it happens in the blink of an eye. One moment you're enjoying your life, and the next you're wondering how you ever lived without them.

Gosh, it's movies like this that gives hope to ageing bachelors everywhere.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith
This movie is probably for people who'd like to see for themselves if there is really something going on between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Well, I've been a bit behind my gossip columns and women's magazines, so I decided to go for this one. Big mistake. That's another two hours wasted from my lifespan. This movie is just incredible. Not incredible as in "Wow! Great!", but incredible as in, "Who would even think of making this movie?!" What's even more incredible is that this movie made a killing at the box-office. Figure that out.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith spent the first part of the movie ignoring each other - exchanging pleasantries and enjoying home-cooked dinners over a very long table. You would've thought that two married people will be more interested in what their spouses are doing; especially when assassins are supposed to be inquisitive and paranoid by nature. I mean, living in the same house with your spouse for 5 (or was it 6) years, and not having any hint that he/she kills people for a living?! And that scene where Mr. Smith intentionally let a wine bottle slip, and Mrs. Smith caught it in mid-air without even looking. It's crystal clear to everyone then that their covers are blown, but noooo, Mrs. Smith simply dropped the bottle onto the carpet, and the two hypocrites rushed off to get the towel when in fact they were off to get their favorite weapon. Why the pretense when after that incident they spent a good part of the movie hunting each other down?

Ok, so later husband and wife join forces to take down their employers. (How's that for employee loyalty?) This is the part where their on-screen chemistry should start to kick in, but all we get is bickering, bickering, and more bickering. The car chase scene is quite good, but marred by their incessant chit-chat and one-upmanship. And that big showdown at the department store - Mr. and Mrs. Smith were being bombed at and shot at by scores and scores of professional killers, but they still managed to kill off everyone without getting hurt. Jeez, I guess love conquers all.

Spanglish
The flight's not long enough for me to finish this movie, but I like it. When I saw Adam Sandler in the cast, I went, "Oh no, not again." Surprisingly, Mr. Sandler toned down his OA antics. Acting by the Mexican housekeeper and her daughter is natural and made the film feel authentic. The chubby daughter in the movie is quite cute - especially when the breaks into her toothy smile complete with shiny braces.