Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Obsessed

Ali Larter, attempting to ramp up the heat with Idris Elba

One of the most anticipated movies this season, Obsessed is a psychological thriller starring Beyonce Knowles and Heroes TV star Ali Larter.

While neither are known for being movie stars (Knowles turn in Oscar-winning film Dreamgirls was totally eclisped by American Idol alum Jennifer Hudson), one’s an international superstar while the other is a member of one of the most popular and highly-watched TV shows in America and, as such, expectations do run high.

Alas, the movie far from meets those expectations.

Obsessive psycho takes on enraged wife

The movie starts off with a couple, Derek and Sharon, (played by Knowles and Idris Elba) moving into their new home with baby Kyle (played here by twins Nathan and Nicolas Myers). Derek has just received a huge promotion at work and life couldn’t seem any better.

The arrival of a new, beautiful temp at his workplace, Lisa (played by Larter) however, starts to turn things around for the first. While she seems to have the hots for Derek and puts some moves on him early in the film (only to be rejected time and again), this seeming infatuation soon turns into a delusional obsession where Lisa truly believes that Derek loves her and wants to leave his wife.

As she begins to stalk him everywhere, steal into his home (attracting both the ire of Derek and Sharon, who’s naturally suspicious of this whole affair) and even commit fake suicide in his hotel room, Derek’s marriage, and career, and even safety seem to be in jeopardy. All this leads to a final showdown between Sharon and Lisa in the newly-bought home, a bona fide catfight whose inclusion in the trailer no doubt attracted scores of young men to the cinema.

Could it get any slower?

While the story is a simple, unimaginative one that has been done several times before, what truly fails the movie is the execution of the plot. The dialogue is stilted, the flirting scenes (or rather, seducing scenes) where Lisa blatantly tries to tempt Derek are unbelievably awkward and painful to watch and the pacing is a horrifically glacial plod.

The movie never seems to end, several scenes are way too drawn out (or even totally redundant) and, while the last ten minutes featuring the more action-packed showdown between wife and “mistress” are definitely a big plus point, it sure doesn’t justify having to struggle through a hundred minutes of slow torture.

As a psychological thriller, too, the movie fails on both counts. There is not much psychological intrigue or even much mind-games-playing (beyond the usual soap opera hysterics of a psycho stalker) and the movie never reaches a state anywhere near thrilling neither.

All biology, no chemistry

The actors’ in the show are competent enough but, while there are several physically intimate scenes, the couples seem to lack any form of chemistry. Elba is definitely an adequate for the role and his scenes of frustration at bring suspected and anger at the crazed Lisa are fleshed out nicely but he seems to lack any form of real connection to either of his female co-stars who, similarly, try their best but are better acting on their own than in a couple.

While decent individual performances would usually suffice, in a movie about relationships and couples like this, the lack of any tangible spark between them is a serious dampener.

Overall, the movie is a disappointing watch, especially considering its roster and the high-octane trailer that seemed to promise so much more. And, to all warm-blooded guys who are thinking of catching it just for the catfight? Trust me, it’s a great scene but not worth having to watch the entire movie for.

BRIEF SYPNOSIS:
When a newly promoted executive meets a new beautiful temp working in his office, little does he know that she’s turn out to be a psychotic crazed stalker who’d make life hell for him and jeopardise his career and family life.

INFO BOX:
Director: Steve Shill
Writer: David Loughery
Starring: Idris Elba, Beyonce Knowles, Ali Larter
Opening Date in Singapore: 9th July 2009
Run-time: 108 minutes

Rating: 1.5 stars out of 5

Monday, June 22, 2009

Aroy-Dee Thai Food

Back in my poly days, I frequented Sunshine Plaza often, thanks to a printing shop there which I went to for all my projects. Still, despite my many visits, I’ve always known the place only for its printing shops, hobby shops and the store selling the most delectable wanton mee around.

So, when a friend recommended to a hidden little treasure of a Thai store there, I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of it. Still, it turned out to be a very pleasant surprise.

Located at a discreet corner of the building, Aroy-Dee Thai Food is a little cafe that serves up good food with good service at amazingly low prices.

Their menu consists of a set meal that has a main dish (in sizeable portions) as well as an accompanying drink, all for a dirt-cheap $4.90, which is something that can barely get you the cheapest dessert at all those franchised Thai food outlets in malls islandwide.

I ordered the basil chicken rice set. The chicken was cooked with basil leaves, long beans and a generous heaping of chilli slices and the dish was served with a fried egg and cucumber slices. While the chillies were a tad too spicy for a spicy-phobe like me, the chicken was tasty and the sheer amount of food on the plate made for a satisfying, filling meal.

I washed off the spiciness of the dish with a tall glass of lemongrass tea, which was sweet and refreshing, but not overall cloying. The drink seemed to be a popular one, as all the three tables of customers in the shop (which only houses about four tables), including all my friends, had the same tea.

My friends’ orders were all equally delicious. Their pad thai (a stir-fried rice noodles with various ingredients and spices) was packed with flavour thanks to the spices and was tasty without being oily; their beef kway teow soup was aromatic and the beef suitably chewy; and their green curry dish, served with rice, had all the flavour and intense taste of a curry dish but had none of the spiciness, which is a definite plus for me.

To top off the eating experience, the staff there were friendly and accomodating and were a delightly change from some of the grumpy waiters I’ve met in some other more famous eating outlets.

Good food, nice service and cheap prices for Thai food? Definitely a must-try for anyone in the area.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Sunday, June 14, 2009

ORD Loh!

On Friday, I finished off the last of my work, handed over the last bit of duties, got the last of my clearance signed and collected my NRIC, the most coveted piece of little pink cardboard amongst Singaporean men. Today, one year and 364 days after I first stepped onto the ferry that would take me across the water to Pulau Tekong island, I have become officially operationally ready and am ready to re-embrace the civilian world.

Looking back at what has happened over the past two years, it sure doesn’t feel like all that long ago that I traded over my IC and got the green 11B back in exchange. Sure, the actual day of enlistment does feel a distance away but I can still remember vividly everything that happened on that day - seated on the training shed floor waiting to be slotted into my company, collecting my duffel bag full of army apparel and equipment, lugging the bag up several floors to my first bunk. And, of course, the haircut (although for me it wasn’t all that bad since my hair has always been short anyways).

Since that faithful day, a lot has happened.

I took part in all the BMT trainings that any recruit in the PTP programme would undergo, made good friends (a handful of which I still keep in close contact with), inexplicably had fun amidst the culture shocks and regimentation, and then passed out, with a big bang, parade and all, for my first slightly long break, a break which I never thought I’d see, back in the first week when time seemed to pass horrifically slowly.

Then, I got posted to my unit in armour, the place where I would spend the rest of my NS career. Having heard the horror stories of the rigorous and harsh trainings that armoured personnel have to go through, I tried my best to prepare myself. Still, the trainings were tough, much tougher than in BMT and, while the trade course did provide a brief respite thanks to the fact that it was located in another camp, I was convinced that I was doomed to suffer for the next one-odd year.

Thanks to a twist of fate, though, I got posted to the battalion HQ company (whereas before, I was in a combat company) where, while I was still an armoured vehicle operator, I was also given the chance to use my better, non-soldier skills, in an additional admin vocation. I preferred the different lifestyle, too, in HQ company (although that is not to say we didn’t have our fair shares of tough trainings and regimentation). And that’s where I learnt that, contrary to most people’s perceptions, the work in HQ company isn’t any easier or lighter than in the combat companies, just different.

Still, while there were tough moments and the occasional outfield were eye-opening experiences, I had a pretty pleasant time in my company and branch. The personnel were friendly, I made quite a few friends and, despite the pre- or post-outfield admin, high stress periods where we went from bed straight to work and then straight to bed at the end of the day, I actually had fun.

After two years, I’d say the unthinkable (at least to me, all those months back when I first enlisted) - that, while I’m definitely happy to ORD and resume normal life, I’ll actually miss parts of NS life.

Still, as they say, life must go on. Coming up in the next few months? A short rest, some preparation and then it’s back to school I go. To repeat what several hundreds of my comrades (probably) and I myself said at 12am on the 12th of June: “ORD LOH!”

Saturday, June 06, 2009

Sakae Sushi Shabu-Shabu Buffet

I have to say, despite my love for Japanese food, I’ve never really appreciated or even fully experienced shabu-shabu, which is the Japanese version of hot pot or steamboat. Perhaps it’s just because I’m more fond of the more usually-available (in Singapore) sushis and sashimis, or perhaps just because I don’t really like hot pots and steamboats in general, I’ve never actually tried shabu-shabu in its entirety before.

Still, when I found out that the West Coast Plaza (the former Ginza Plaza located in Clementi, a little hidden gem of a mall with interesting shops and a cosy ambience but with an astounding, inexplicable lack of human traffic) outlet of Sakae Sushi was offering a shabu-shabu buffet, I decided to head down with my friends to try, secure in the knowledge that at least it was a restaurant we highly frequented (and thus were assured of the standard we were familiar with) and also that the buffet included tempuras and sushis, in case the steamboat wasn’t enough.

And, alas, it wasn’t.

The shabu-shabu’s list of ingredients, while not that lengthy, included most of the usual steamboat staples, notables amongst them being flower crabs, prawns, mussels, beef slices, golden mushrooms and the usual staples of udon, ramen and rice. The ingredients, while decently edible and in abundant supply, weren’t of that great a quality and lack any sort of gastronomical oomph. Still, it’s not dissimilar to the standards usually offered in steamboat restaurants across the island.

The flower crabs and beef slices (which were a bit thickly sliced for my liking), while having the correct textures, failed to deliver any sort of punch and were decidedly bland. The mussels, too, were slightly tasteless, although they were clean and sand-free (which is something I can’t vouch for in the afore-mentioned steamboat restaurants). To top it off, the condiments and sauces (which are among the main components of shabu-shabu) were decidedly lacking themselves and didn’t add much to any of the dishes.

Still, the golden mushrooms (which are usually pretty tasteless anyway) were pretty good, tangy and chewy but not tough.

While the steamboat part was lacking (although it is supposed to be the main section), the cooked food and sushi part of the menu more than made up for the quality and price.

The sushi that I tried (tamago and salmon sushi) were tasty and done at just the right temperature (my main complaint with Sakae Sushi normally is that their food, having rotated on the conveyor belt several times, turns out to be a bit cold, and not in the way it was intended to be), so good that I had several helpings.

The main surprises and stars of the meal, though, had to be the tempura dishes. Normally a sort of semi-delicacy at Sakae Sushi (due to its slightly higher cost), the ebi (prawn) tempuras that we had were fantastic, crispy yet light, deliciously sinful yet not overly greasy. Plus, the tempura sauce was a delightful touch and I think we all had more servings of tempura than any other part of the meal.

Oddly enough, we couldn’t order iced water for the buffet, which left us a bit dry-tongued since most of the dishes were condimented with some variant of salt or other.

At about S$20 per head (we arrived just in time for their special promotional 15% discount for those who come between 5.30pm and 6pm), the buffet might not be that worth it as a steamboat (although the cleanliness of the place sure beats some of those dingy restaurants out there that I’ve been to and the food is about the same standard) but, taking into account the rest of the food that was available (which tasted even better than usual), it was definitely value-for-money.

Rating (as steamboat buffet): 3 out of 5 stars
Rating (as Japanese food buffet): 4 out of 5 stars

Please note: the buffet, at the time of writing, is only available at the West Coast Plaza branch of Sakae Sushi.