Review Of Sky Captain & The World Of Tomorrow

Boy it was good! :)




**spoilers ahead***

My companion for the show indicated that reviews in the US have been less than favourable, but we both ended up enjoying it nonetheless. The question of how far I trust Life! reporter Ong Sor Fern's opinions came up, to which I replied: Quite a lot. Turned out to be right. :)

3 words best epitomize this amazing piece of work: Dare to dream.

Kerry Conran, the film's extremely talented writer and director, has created a universe that is -- to put it simply -- astounding. Blending live actors with eye-popping CGI effects, the movie's numerous dreamscapes of New York City and Nepal left me gaping in awe.

Doused in a perpetual golden shade, the "sets" couple 1920's noir with an almost comic-book-ish look, such that even the human players resemble cartoon characters. Add some potent intrigue, classic couple banter and massive ( I mean, MASSIVE ) battles, and you've got a great way of spending 2 precious hours of your life. :D

The first action sequence -- where Sky Captain expertly manoeuvres his way around a legion of giant marching robots -- immediately brought back memories of my childhood / teenage years. Back then, I spent quite a bit of my time sequestered in the video games room of a golf club ( while my parents were off doing something else ), playing everything from The Battle Of Midway to a whole slew of spaceship-blasting arcade offerings. ( At 20 cents a pop, I became quite the expert. :)) Watching this film got me pretty excited. Guess I never really grew up. :P

Ong Sor Fern mentioned a few non-specific "insider references". Well, I have no idea what she meant exactly, but from my standpoint, this movie shared similarities with Romancing The Stone ( the stranded-in-some-jungle-chopping-through-the-brush-while-bickering scene ), Indiana Jones ( scattered action shots ), Star Wars ( the epic battles rock! ), and The Lord Of The Rings ( looked a lot like Rivendell, if you ask me ).

Now we get to the cast. And what a cast it is: Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie make up a dream team if there ever was one. All fine actors in their own right. Absolutely gorgeous. And great on-screen chemistry.

Law and Paltrow last starred together in The Talented Mr. Ripley. While he sported a tan and a perpetually white wardrobe in that movie, as Sky Captain ( what a name! ), Law wears his bomber jacket and aviator's cap with dashing aplomb, complete with boyish gung-ho attitude and just that little bit of insecurity ( ie. when he keeps hounding Paltrow's character about whether she rigged his engine -- watch in order to find out the whole story :)).

Paltrow, who plays the equally gung-ho reporter, Polly Perkins, has never looked more beautiful. A modern-day Grace Kelly, she oozes class and spunk, combining droll humour ( whenever she sarcastically utters witty one-liners in response to Law's harried remarks ) with sweet wistfulness ( that scene where she keeps staring at Law with half-closed eyes as they pore over a map has more charge than any of the usual bed romps ).

Jolie, on the other hand, was a pleasant surprise as Lieutenant Franky ( short for Francesca, go figure ) Cook, a courageous pilot who proves instrumental in Sky's mission and love life.

The script, in my opinion, was terrific. Never mind the main plot ( a little over-the-top at some points ). No, the real magic lies in Sky and Polly's tenuous relationship, and the undeniable attraction and affection therein. They fight, they parry, but at the end of the day, Sky did paint Polly's name on his beloved plane ( although you can't see it unless you spot its reflection -- upside down -- in a body of water ), and Polly still gets jealous in spite of herself.

Considering the last movie I saw in a cinema was Spiderman 2 in June, Sky Captain is a wonderful return to one of my favourite activities. Money well-spent. Go see it!


Singapore Idol

Unfortunately, Sly didn't do well this week. Disco isn't his strong point -- obviously -- and he slaughtered "Let's Groove". Not his fault, of course. I'm still gonna vote for him. :)

Watch out for Olinda and Taufik though. These two are proving themselves in the versatility category. The latter has the advantage of good looks and smooth vocals, but Olinda consistently outshines him with her powerful voice and bubbly personality. Only thing is, she isn't pretty enough, which could limit her fanbase.

Oh well, good luck to the 3 of them. Everyone else sucks. Pleeeeeaaaaase, get rid of Christopher! :/


The Apprentice

Now I can say it: Bill Rancic won, woohoo! All thanks to Carolyn, one of Trump's close advisors, who fought tooth and nail for the guy, and managed to sway The Donald her way. Really gotta admire that.

On a related note, I recently found out that my posting appraisal ( at a previous rotation ) was rather unfair. I already suspected someone else got the higher grade ( I got the 2nd highest ), but finding out who this "someone else" is really got to me. I never argued over the grade I received, because I reckoned whoever got the best result must've deserved it ( there were a couple of other MOs who worked really, really hard ). But knowing this other person -- who, in my opinion, didn't work as hard as some of the other MOs, but had the "advantage" of being extremely chatty and ingratiating towards his seniors -- deprived another MO of the top grade just because the department found him more likeable... grrrrrrr.

Never going back there again.

Okay, moving on.


James Galway Is Coming!

Just parted with a couple of hundred bucks for this. *sniff*

But it's worth it. Birthday present for my mom, who loves his music. And a treat for myself, who grew up listening to him.


Night shift later. It's been absolute hell lately. Not looking forward to it.