10th

Movies, opinions and reasons

(For the record, those aren't my DVDs. But this is the right picture to use, since X-Men & Fellowship of the Ring, two of my favourites are in that pile)


If you asked me when was the exact moment I fell in love with films, I can't quite tell you. My earliest memory of watching a film in a cinema was Ghostbusters, which was back in 1984. I was seven years old at the time. I recall being scared of seeing those ghosts on screen, even though the film is basically a comedy, and a good one at that.

I can also recall being in secondary school at the time blockbuster films like Jurassic Park and Speed first came out. I was living in my hometown for the second time in my life. Jurassic Park is an awesome film which was groundbreaking back in the day, and I still love it even now. I think it was at this point when I started to pay more attention to movies and what they stood for.

Six years ago, I started Familiar Fantasy, the film review blog where I would give my opinion on the latest films showing at the cinemas. The best thing about my blog is that it's strictly reviews only. No film news, no celebrity updates, no trailer postings etc. Just reviews, which makes the blog's purpose singular and unbiased as much as possible. And unlike most people who have blogs like mine, I write for the sake of getting my opinion out there, and that's it. Most people would have these stupid ads all over the place, earning money and whatnot. Me, I don't care about that.

For quite some time now, I realised that my posts back in the day were not as good as I had hoped. Deep down I felt like I wasn't being as honest as I wanted to be, but now I'm getting better at writing honestly and being as concise as possible. It's hard actually, because I'm not much of a writer, so giving an opinion on something you love still requires inspiration of some kind.

These days I find myself challenged by other reviewers who have their own FFs. I've looked at a few of them, and they seem large, occasionally unkempt sites but quite ambitious too. They all have their own views, which I strongly disagree with at times, because frustratingly they seem more interested in panning a film rather than judging it fairly. And they're all Malaysians, which I find fascinating. But I leave it to them to say what they want, since they're just like me.

Films hold a special place in my heart. I love watching a story unfold the same way a bookworm loves reading a novel. Whether the story is familiar, original, mysterious, unpredictable, funny, dark, bloody, sad or tragic, I'd be there to see it happen, as long as it's entertaining. At times I wonder if there's anyone out there who gets the same feeling I do when sitting in a dark hall, that moment when the lights go out and the projector comes on, and the story comes alive. When it begins, I'm along for the ride till the end. I do my darndest not to be distracted by anything else, be it other noises, fidgety patrons or the cold atmosphere. I use the word 'wonder' because people these days only care about their cellphones. When I think about it, it saddens me. It's tragic knowing that the art of watching movies has been ruined by technology that 90% of the world can't do without. Cellphones are a disease, and you can't deny it when you see how people won't let go of them even when they're driving. If only there was some way to disable cellphones as soon as someone walks into a cinema hall....gosh I wish someone would invent something like that.

I truly wish I had more time for my movies. I must admit with great shame that there are tons of DVDs in my room just waiting to be played. Time is my greatest enemy, it always makes me choose to stay away from what I love. Perhaps I have myself to blame too, for occasionally fooling myself into believing I will make the time for them someday. But I haven't given up yet.

Let it be known that if you want to spend quality time with a loved one, you can't go wrong with a film you both can agree on. Likewise, if there's a girl out there who wants to impress me, she just needs to find the right film. And unlike most film lovers, I'm not so fussy.

RIP Tony Scott

I was pretty shocked when I learned that Tony Scott, the younger brother of Ridley, died today at the age of 68. He committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. As of right now, there are no details as to why he did it. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this.

Tony, like his brother, is a film director. While Ridley was more well known for making critically acclaimed films like Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and this year's Prometheus, Tony was more of an action film director. He has worked with people like Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington just to name a few. He's made 16 films throughout his career, and I've seen about nine of them.

I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of his work, but I respect his accomplishments, even though he's always been in his brother's shadow. His films always bring out the best performances from his lead actors, even when the story he was telling wasn't necessarily compelling or groundbreaking.

Here are some of his best films which I remember the most:

1. Top Gun
This was one of, if not the main film that made Tom Cruise's career. He plays Maverick, a hotshot air force pilot. The film follows his training as a pilot and how he deals with the many challenges while in the air and on the ground.

2. Crimson Tide
Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman play first officer and captain respectively, of an American nuclear submarine. The two clash over whether or not they should attack an enemy submarine as they wait for their orders from home base. As the tension rises in their sub, the crew take sides and things reach a boiling point.

3. Enemy Of The State
Will Smith is a lawyer who inadvertently comes into possession of evidence of a senator's murder. The man behind the murder (Jon Voight) is a member of the NSA, and uses his resources to smear Will's name and turn his life upside down. Will's only hope is Gene Hackman, a former NSA agent who can help him turn the tables.

4. Man On Fire
Denzel Washington (again) is John Creasy, a former Marine and CIA operative who has lost the will to live after all the things he has done for his superiors. He is then hired by a wealthy couple in Mexico to be a bodyguard to their young daughter (Dakota Fanning). When a brutal assault results in the girl's kidnap, Creasy goes all out to punish those responsible. (This was the first film from Tony where he used quick cuts to film his action sequences. It gave me a headache when I first saw this. But the story here is solid, and Denzel is awesome.)

5. Unstoppable
This was his last film, released two years ago. Denzel is a train engineer who teams up with a young conductor (Chris Pine) to stop a runaway train carrying hazardous materials from crashing into a nearby town.



Sixteen films is a good number, but for someone his age, there should have been more. He's left the world too soon, that's for certain.

So long, Tony.

Listen To This: Extreme Ways

I watched The Bourne Legacy this afternoon. Great movie. As with the previous instalments, Moby's Extreme Ways was used during the closing credits. It's an awesome song that perfectly compliments the film. Take a listen.