Saturday, October 27, 2007

Rendition

There are some movies which, despite any negative reviews you might have read, you know you just have to watch because of certain members of the cast or some such reason. “Rendition” is one of them.

Boasting of a huge star-studded cast, including several of my favourites like Reese Witherspoon, Meryl Streep and Peter Sarsgaard, the movie held a tremendous draw to me despite less-than-favourable reviews in most of the magazines and papers I’ve read so far. Alas, after having watched the movie myself, I have to mirror the conclusion that sometimes, having the best actors around still cannot save a movie that doesn’t have much else to stand on.

Set across two different countries, the movie tells the story of a few different sets of characters who are all connected to a terrorist bombing in Egypt: Anwar El-Ibrahimi (played by Omar Metwally) is an Egyptian-born American chemist accused of providing vital information that led to the bombing and who has been subjected to the titular Rendition process (whereby those suspected of being involved in terrorist activities are taken to secret prisons for questioning without having to go through any red tape); Isabella, played by Reese Witherspoon ,his pregnant wife who goes to the airport to fetch her husband, only to find out that he apparently wasn’t on the plane and who proceeds to spend the movie fretting over his disappearance; Douglas Freeman (Jake Gyllenhaal), the agent sent to interrogate Anwar; and Khalid, an Islamic extremist in training in Egypt, who…well…you can watch this for yourself.

While the constant juxtaposition of the stories of the different characters does provide a different and interesting approach on paper, the execution leaves much to be desired. The pacing of the movie is unbelievably slow and feels much more of a drag than its actual show length would indicate, the characters and storyline not moving much even after an hour or so. The show also suffers from a distinct lack of focus, perhaps due to its segmented style of presentation, the script trying so hard to flesh out all its different stories that, ultimately, none of them have had adequate time to develop properly.

The acting is, as would be expected, solid. Witherspoon shows off her Oscar-winning chops well, bringing life (and sympathy) to the bewildered Isabella who just wants to know what happened to her husband. Metwally’s portrayal of the innocent Anwar evokes strong feeling of indignation in the audience, especially with the excruciating tortures he goes through. Streep and Sarsgaard, as the hard-hearted in-charge of the whole rendition operation and a senator’s assistant who tries to help Isabella, his ex flame, to find her husband, respectively, both put up strong performances, showing a subtle finesse and pizzazz that some of the younger stars lack.

Still, at the end of the day, great acting still cannot save a drowning plot and execution that sends the audience to sleep. Rendition is a thriller that, well, doesn’t thrill.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Mr Woodcock

As NSmen, I’m sure everyone knows (and appreciate) what little bookout time we have and, unless you have an 8 to 5 vocation (to which I’d say, never tell me about it. Ever.) that allows nightly bookouts, chances are you’d want to maximize the weekend time you have with your friends and family and make sure that you make the most out of it.

And, of course, being minimally paid defenders of the nation (in training), we’d want to make sure we get the most bang out of our buck, right? Especially with the prices of movie tickets (more specifically on Fridays and weekends) so astronomical these days, we want to make sure that every flick we catch is worth our money. Well, in that case, don’t watch Mr Woodcock.

While it’s not a terrible movie per se, it’s a terribly underwhelming and mediocre title that would leave you feeling rather unjustified after blowing almost two hours and $10 on it.

The movie, starring Seann William Scott, Billy Bob Thornton (more known to the younger crowd as the ex-Mr Angelina Jolie) and Susan Sarandon, is upon John Farley (played by Scott), a best selling inspirational book author who returns to his home town to find out his mum (Sarandon, who portrays the role with aplomb) is dating (and getting engaged) to his horrifying high school gym teacher, Mr Woodcock (Thornton), the one man he held responsible for a traumatizing childhood.

The rest of the show revolves around Farley, who has abandoned his cheesy, feel-good one-liners and the advice he dispenses in his own book, trying ways and means to break up the couple, usually with embarrassingly, awkward backfires.

While the show isn’t as lame or as slapstick as I thought it might be (judging from the lackluster trailer), the plot is predictable (the ending can be seen from a mile away), the scripting cheesy (and decidedly unfunny for a comedy of sorts) and the pacing utterly plodding.

The supporting cast is the best (and, actually, the only good) thing about the show. Sarandon, as mentioned above, pulls her role with particular finesse while Thornton would tug a spine-chillingly close chord to anyone who suffered under harsh, terrifying teachers (or commanders) and Amy Poehler (of Arrested Development fame) is the only funny thing about the show as the mercenary, quick-talking, sharp-tongued book agent for Farley.

Unfortunately, the list of solid performances is pulled down by the stilted, wooden delivery of lead Scott, who only seems to have a few expressions and provides perhaps the least amount of mother-son chemistry with Sarandon as I’ve ever seen on screen. 

So, unless you’re really strapped for movie choices (like I was, what with both my movie companions having watched most of the other movies this season), I’m sure you’d be much better off watching something else, even in this lull period in the cinemas.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Friday, October 12, 2007

Driving a whole new vehicle

So, I’ve passed my tank handling test and am now officially able to drive and handle it.

Having already procured a civilian driver’s license before enlisting in the army (although it’s only a class 3A one), I thought the limited experience I’ve garnered as a driver (albeit not a terribly good one) on the roads of Singapore would help me when driving the tank. Alas, it wasn’t really to be.

Handling the tank is so different from driving a civilian car. The technical aspects are different and, of course, there’s the fact that there’s no air-con or CD player in the driver’s compartment (although you do have the voice of your vehicle commander constantly in your ear).

Maintaining and servicing the vehicles is tough work, too. Having to go through three intensive checks every single day before, during and after operations, my little team and I have to check for all the billions of oil levels, check that all the important parts are in place and working and check that the tank is in a good enough condition to move out. Having to deal with all the grease, oil, dirt and checking work has given a new-found respect for vehicle mechanics, man.

The driving part itself is fun, if scary at times. I remember fondly the first few lessons when we, after several theory lectures, finally got to lay our butts in the driver’s seat for a few minutes each (too many people, too little tanks = very limited practice time). The thrill of commandeering the tank all by myself was quite exciting, although the controls took a little to get used to (plus, there was the fact that I was quite overwhelmed by the number of parts and controls we had to memorize). Each successful sharp turn or tough maneuver brought a measure of pride to my heart and each unsuccessful one was a learning point or mistake to work on.

Of course, as I mentioned, it can get quite scary at times. The sheer amount of things that can go wrong and the fact that, when we finally return to our companies as drivers we would be ferrying up to ten people in the tanks can be quite a daunting thought at times. Every time I had to cover a gully or scale a steep slope, my heart would race with fear and trepidation.

Still, driving has been quite an experience and something quite different from what I was expecting to do when I first enlisted (not that I had any much idea what I was going to do nor had much control over it, anyway). I guess every vocation has its pros and cons.

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Running The Physical Race

Since a young age I’ve always hated to run (not that I particularly enjoyed any other physical activity, being the indoor bookworm I was). My stamina was lousy, I never seem to get the technique correct and I always found it such a drag to do so. I remember the 2.4km runs in primary and secondary school being especially terrible because everyone else seemed to be able to effortlessly cruise to a decent timing while there I was, struggling just to pass.

As I grew older (well, just slightly), I finally realised the importance of running and the wonderful benefits it does to not only your leg muscles and stamina, but also your general fitness as well. Thus, I started forcing myself to run. Although I still wasn’t too keen on it as a pastime and I still didn’t really know how to run properly, I did feel the general effects it had on my health. Of course, being the type of person who doesn’t really push himself to the limit even during exercise, my health benefits weren’t that big but there was a definite feeling of well-being.

After spending four months in NS so far, my mindset has finally changed totally. Unlike last time, when I had to drag myself to put on my jogging shoes, I treat it as a hobby now, something I actually enjoy. Perhaps it’s due to the rather numerous running trainings that I have to go through with high frequency; perhaps it’s due to the fact that, in the army, they help you to push yourself to your physical limit; perhaps it’s due to the fact that I’ve finally found a way of running that fits my physical ability and body condition; or perhaps it’s just the fact that I have finally improved my speed, timing and stamina, but I totally dig running now, much more so than any other physical activity.

So, what’s the point of this entry, you might ask? Nothing much, I guess, just to say that being in NS does have its benefits. Constant training (whether I want it or not), increasing fitness catered to each own ability and a change in mindset. Definitely good news for any of you slothful pre-enlistees out there eh?