Movie Review: Johnny English: Reborn

It's been a while since an entry. It's an even longer while since a review. But somehow I feel obligated to write a review for this movie, since our country had the privilege to see the movie well over a month before the US audience.

Heck, we get to see it 3 weeks before it's even released on its home turf!
(P/s: Malaysian release date of the movie is 15th Sep 2011, just like Singapore)

Here be the review of Johnny English: Reborn.

Look at that funny face that leave people in stitches. In this movie; literally.

Before I begin, let me start with a bit of history. This movie is a sequel to the original Johnny English that is about a clumsy and hopeless secret agent of the British Intelligence named MI7. The original movie was released way back in 2003. The movie was very mediocre and received an average score of 5.8 on IMDb.

The main draw of the movie then and even now is the Rowan Atkinson, or better known throughout the world as the incompetent Mr. Bean. In the real world he's a highly educated professor who has a great understanding of people. He is also a motorhead to certain extent, which explains the presence of a sweet Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe with a V16. The only kind in the world. On related news, he was also involved in a motor accident recently with a freaking McLaren F1. Oh it's just a small little car that only is one of the most exotic car...... in the world (read in Jeremy Clarkson's style).

This is very hard to watch... At least he survives. So he can buy another one.

On to the actual movie review. After his failure of maintaining the security of the Prime Minister of Mozambique that was assassinated earlier when it was under his eyes, his knighthood was revoked together with his status as a secret agent. After a rehabilitation with the Chinese monk in the Himalayas, he was reassigned as a secret agent for another critical job. The second movie follows the (mis)adventure of secret agent Johnny English through his mission to foil the plan to assassinate the Prime Minister of China.

I thought they were supposed to be bald

The usual incompetency of the character is present and it's back in full force. He is now paired with an assistant named Agent Tucker played by Daniel Kaluuya. Personally I think he played his part brilliantly and is a very suitable pair to be with Johnny English. Through further investigation, English found out that the plot of the murder was backed by a criminal organization called Vortex.

o_o

The rest of the movie is riddled with the usual elements of an action flick. You have the on-foot chase scene, vehicle chase scene, dramatic fight scene, so on and so forth. Of course sprinkled with comedy throughout of the speech and slapstick variation.


Now, the first way to look at the movie is to compare it to the first movie, naturally. Personally, I think it is a huge step up from it. The movie seemed to be far better directed with significant increase in production quality as compared to the 2003 prequel. The plot, although still not very believable, is stronger and more acceptable against the predecessor. The action scenes are better, the dialogues are better, the cinematography is better; an overall improvement.

Check out my kicks! Literally and figuratively!

That being said, the first movie didn't set a high bar itself. It's the kind of movie that does not take itself seriously. What can we expect anyway? Although imperfect, it has a good amount of both action and comedy for you to keep on watching until the end of the movie.

There was a running gag of a killer cleaning lady that was funny the first couple of times but gets tiring and too unrealistic that pulls me back from the movie a bit. It might be entertaining for the little kids though.

I think the movie is being safe. It does not take any risk from any angle and provides the audience with more of the same Johnny English. Not an entirely bad thing to begin with. It's a good movie to watch and have a laugh or two but it's forgettable and doesn't have much to it. Except if you're a motorhead then the V16 Phantom Coupe is sure going to make you wipe your mouth afterwards. I take it for what it is, but it is NOT a perfect god-send movie that some people might take it as.

Well, not much to be said for a movie that does not bring much new to the plate to begin with. By no means however, that it is a bad movie.

Good laugh. Especially with good friends. Go see it. I give it a 7/10.

Image source: IMDb.com

From P license to C license in Malaysia

Prior to writing this entry, I have realized that there was no official instruction, or at least not one that can be found easily, within the JPJ website about upgrading your PDL (Probation Driving License) or better known as "Lesen P" to CDL (Competent Driving License) alias "Lesen Penuh".

Hopefully this entry will help with that.

What you need

1. For the probation period of the PDL to be over.
2. Your original P license
3. Your Identification Card (I/C)
4. 1 License size photo*
5. RM 30 for each year of CDL (maximum of 5 years at once)

*Be aware that the license size and passport size photo is different. License size photo is much smaller. If you have accidentally brought a passport sized photo however, do not worry as they have a cutter that will crop and cut your photo to license size. But now your new license will have your whole round face on it. I learned this the hard way.

Where you can upgrade

There is a lot of JPJ offices all around the nation but I will only list the ones around the capital.

Setapak

Lot 14264
53300Setapak
Telephone: 03 40241200
Faks: 03-40236599

Maju Junction

Level 2 Maju Junction Mall
50250Wilayah Persekutuan
Telephone: 03-26989572
Faks: 03 26989470

Cheras

No 1, Jalan Permaisuri 8,
5600Cheras
Telephone: 0391727461
Faks: 0391727343

You can look for other JPJ offices around the nation here.

How to upgrade and how long it would take

Depending on the day and branch that you went, the number of people varies.
I suggest that you go on a weekday and avoid weekends and public holidays if possible.
I went and did mine on a weekday and the whole process took about 15 minutes.

1. Get a number, wait for your number to be called.
2. Go to counter, meet and greet nicely.
3. If counter attendant is awek cun, turn on your suave. Bonus points if you manage to get phone number. If you are a lady, skip to step 4.
4. Tell the counter attendant that you want to upgrade your PDL to CDL.
5. Present your PDL to the counter attendant. I/C as well if required.
6. Pay respective amount according to the requested CDL validity period.
7. Your new CDL will be issued on the spot.
8. Congratulations! You are now a CDL certified road user!
9. Cry alone in a corner because you don't have your own car.

The whole process is really easy and could be done in a single afternoon. The problem is only that it does not have clear instructions. Hope my experience may help many.

Kahwin Cara Melayu Stereotaip

(Nukilan asal oleh: Syahmi Yem)

Perbualan antara dua orang makcik;

"Wah, hensem la anak Kak Limah tu kan? Lama tak nampak dier."

"Uish, tu la. Nak je aku jodohkan dengan anak aku si Aishah tu."

"Keje ape budak tu? Nampak macam pandai je."

"Haa tu la ko tak tau Enon oi, budak tu dulu belajar kat Amerika ko tau."

"Amboi, jauhnye. Mesti gaji besar tu."

"Tu lah aku cakap, kalau Aishah tu kahwin dengan budak tu, cerah la mase depan."

"Aku dengar adik beradik dier semua pandai-pandai, kak Siti bagi makan ape la agaknye budak-budak tu."

Sebulan selepas itu,

"Eh, Nab, aku dengar anak Kak Siti yang baru balik oversea tu datang rumah kau merisik si Aishah. Betul ke?"

"Haa ye lah tu. Lega aku dapat menantu pangkat besar."

"Habis tu Aishah terima ke tak?"

"Alah kau ni, Aishah tu dengar je gaji besar, seronok sangat la dier."

"Ha'ah yek. Untung kau Eton. Dapat menantu orang kaya."

Hari berbincang pasal urusan perkahwinan,

"Haa macam ni lah Sudin. Makcik nak sangat korang kahwin kat hotel. Buat besar-besar sikit. Makcik tumpang gembira je."

"Oh, tak ada masalah makcik, tapi saya tak berapa setuju nak berbelanja banyak untuk urusan kahwin ni. Membazir."

"Eh, membazir apa pulak. Sekali seumur hidup je ni."

"Nantilah saya fikirkan macam mana. Jadi, makcik, pakcik dah berapa mas kahwinnya?"

"Oh, pasal tu. Kami dah bincang. Makcik letak RM15000 je. Sudin okey je kan?"

"Amboi, mahalnya makcik. Mana nak cari duit banyak tu."

"Eh, Sudin kau kan dah ada jawatan tinggi, gaji besar. Takkan la tak mampu."

"Saya baru je habis belajar la makcik. Bukan dah berbelas tahun kerja."

"Eh, takkan la tak ada simpanan langsung, Sudin. Ni sekali seumur hidup je ni."

"Simpanan saya, saya dah beli rumah sendiri, beli kereta. Habis."

"Alah, Sudin. Tak kan la kau taknak Aishah tu."

Kahwin.

Ape lah kahwin sebab duit. Susah nak cari orang Melayu yang tak pandang harta. Yang sederhana, nak hidup senang. Yang dah sedia kaya, nak tambah harta. 

Time aku nak cari calon nanti, jangan harap aku nak cakap aku ni belajar oversea. Jangan harap nak cakap aku kerja apa. Jangan sampai kahwin sebab harta.

Heh. Bajet aku ni kaya la nanti. Ceh. Berangan kuat.

Tapi tu lah. Stereotaip Melayu buat majlis kahwin. Apa salahnya bersederhana.

Balik Malaysia bulan depan nak kahwin lah. jk

Okey babai.

Salam alaik~

=)

(Sumber: http://www.syahmiyem.com/2011/05/kahwin-cara-melayu-stereotaip.html)

Wrestling with reason

This is an opinion entry and should not be taken for granted.

Reasoning is a skill. It is not something you are born with. It's something that is accumulated with time. As an example, we all believe that decisions we make today are better than the decisions we made many years ago since we believe that we have accumulated more reasoning skill. Reasoning is also a process that needs to be done when dealing with an issue. It has to be paired with rational as well.The further I think, the more I think reasoning can be broken down into.

At school, we are not told to reason any further than the sections of the religious studies (if any) and science subject inferences and hypothesis. We were told why these issues are reasoned with certain ways but that is that and it is not expanded. The expansion of reason is only there if the person took the initiative. Otherwise the reason pretty much arrived due to suggestions by teachers and books.

For me though, reasoning always needs to be expanded, cognitive and critical.

Good reasoning should:

1. Understandable
What good is any reason if whatever is said could not be understood even. Misunderstanding of a reason also falls under a weak reasoning system. Miscommunication is most prevalent when the information is conveyed through text in which intonation is absent. Punctuation helps to accent the reason but may still be misunderstood through the order of the words that are arranged together that might have ambiguous and unclear target, which brings me to the next point;
 
2. Order
A good reasoning should be broken down in order, of either incremental or decremental. An incremental reasoning is where you state the specific reason while working your way up to why you arrive at such conclusion. A decremental reasoning is where you cover up all the basics of your idea which brings you to the said conclusion. Without order, the reason may fail to to be made at all. 

3. Source inclusionThis is a big hassle. I agree, it is hard to look for sources to every single thing that needs to be said but for saying something like, "Hey I saw the Wall Street Journal state that...." or something in the vein of it in the beginning of the reasoning is considered as citation still. In this day and age, well actually since ever, there's no way to definitely say that the source is correct, but it definitely helps with getting to a more solid point of reason that could be backed up. This brings me to a sub-component:
   i. Good source citation
      In order to cite, it is also important for you to know what kind of place you are citing from, believable source of information. Don't go citing Wikipedia all the time. Although some of the information is relevant and usable, that site is a free to edit site in which anyone can add information. Cite from interview, research papers, books written and produced by credible people, good websites, educated personnels and other of the same quality. Don't cite from quotes, as they for the most are just words arranged in a poetic manner. Don't cite from your own website too.

4. Be fair
Be fair when reasoning. Don't arrive to a reason just because you used to take sides. Take it as this, after the reasons has been shown and whether it's wrong of right has been proven, accept it. If it's wrong, it's wrong. If it's right, it's right. Don't defend what is wrong and don't bash what is right because you take sides. For example, you are a fan of even number. When I have proved to you why 2 + 3 = 5, just because you don't like 5, don't go around saying I'm biased in making decisions. The reason has been made and it's been shown. Don't defend it anymore. Before making any reasons, don't put attributes to neutral things, sentences, etc. Take it neutrally and reason fairly. Sometimes the reason may fall under the grey area, where its neither completely wrong or right, then take it as that as well. Take it neutrally. For example when I say don't go right, doesn't mean I want you to go left. It might just mean I want to go straight. A lot of things stay in the grey. The Muslim prophet Muhammad (PBH) once said, "Moderation is perfection". What was said was based on the truth that anything in an excessive amount is bad.

Here's an ironic truth:

Other than numbers, everything is not absolute although "everything" is absolute in itself.


5. Avoid emotions
Emotions is like fire. They are friendly when controlled. When initiating reason, don't include emotion. Use logic. Emotion leads to reasons of which only the reasoner understand. This in turn is advocating the usage of rationality. Nobody looks up to people who make reasons with emotions alone. Emotion leads to impulsiveness and outbursts. When reasoning it is important that we keep calm and make sure not to lose our heads. Think before saying anything. Think of what and who it may affect. It is much easier to say things that you feel since its urging but for the most part it will only benefit you in a short term (emotional outburst is satisfying, no?) but harm you in a long way. Also, when reasoning with someone you have bones with, avoid being emotional. Although hard, it is the optimal path.

6. Think terms
If possible, when reasoning, include short, medium and long term goals. State why this is your reason in all of the term goals. This will help the people listening to your reason understand the intuitiveness of your reasoning structure. These goals might require additional reasoning that needs to be stated as well.

7. Explain in a way that even your grandma understands
When reasoning, don't expect people to quickly understand it. Their mind may work differently than yours. To make sure that your reasoning is idiot proof, imagine you are the dumbest person in the world and try to make that dumbest person understand. If you explain it in the way that you expect that to understand, and then they don't, there's nobody else but yourself to blame. Also check that your reasoning is understandable by anyone of any race, religion and cultural difference. If you look at your reason and see that it can only be understandable by a certain kind of race and a certain kind of religion, then your reasoning is a failure. Don't blame them for not understanding, blame yourself for having a one track mind by excluding diversity of thought.

8. People have different opinions
Other people have other ideas. Respect them still. Just because they don't agree with yours, don't dis them. The bigger thing to do is to accept them and think why they have such different opinions. Respect the fact that they have different point of views that you might even learn to see from; benefit from someday. Don't hate people that don't agree with you. It is unfair to let something as innocent as a relationship between humans to be affected by this.

There should be more actually. I don;t really have them in my head now. At the time of writing, I'm also a bit under the weather, which explains to dumb sentence structure and for that I am sorry. Might fix this entry in the future.

As a final word, I wish that reasoning among us all will rise in quality. This will allow everyone to learn more about everything all the time.

Timeless love

Masa ni la bilik aku nak berhabuk kan. Ish kene sapu nih. Mana penyapu aku letak...

Update

It's been over a month since I posted anything. Got a few drafts but never got the chance to finish them since I've been thinking about ways to portray my opinions without actually offending anyone. Further thinking has lead me to believe that no matter what I write, somebody, somewhere will be offended. Whether because the inability to accept different perspectives or things are too radical that their mind rejects without analyzing further first. Like for example, the last sentence I wrote will definitely prove my point anyway. Got a few drafts on some social issues I'd like to address but it's not easy to come with neutral stuff.

Yes. Neutral is actually difficult.

Also I need suggestions on stuff to write. These days I've got ideas, but not the effort to come up with sentences.


Here's an unrelated picture:

LOL

“I am very happy as I have never won anything before and the prizes are really cool.”


Stupidest answer ever. Haha.

The Genius of Mamat Khalid

Before treading any further, know that this is an opinion blog. I am entitled to my own opinion and so does all of you.

To me and some of my peers, the Malaysian film industry isn't too terribly interesting. I don't call gossip interesting. There's nothing to look forward to much. Lots of the stuff churned out are all of the same thing for quite some time. Fresh ideas are something that don't come along the industry much. As we can see much of the films are love story, senseless comedy, films with messages, ghost stories and pure drama; maybe a mix of more than one element. But that's it. Many of the movies in one genre is typically the same with little variation on character, time settings and storyline. The turns and twists of most movies are so tried and exhaustive that, really, it's not surprising nor entertaining anymore. Everything is so predictable its funny. In fact, all of the movies in any genre can become so predictable that all movies are pretty much a comedy in my book. Some saving grace may come from good acting from a few select actors but rarely that ever happens. Having said all of the former, there are a few directors that are well known in the industry. Albeit, name is fame. By no means popularity measures the ability and creativity of a director. All these mundane movies makes me sick and I don't really go to the movies to watch Malaysian movies. I mostly wait until its officially out on DVD and borrow from friends.

The Malaysian movie industry however, have a few gems of its own. Enter; Mamat Khalid.

Award winning Malaysian film director

Commercial name: Mamat Khalid

Real name: Mohamad bin Mohamad Khalid
Date of Birth: 6 April 1963

Place of Birth: Ipoh, Perak

A confession, I have only seen 3 of his movies, namely Man Laksa, Zombi Kampung Pisang and Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah. That said, I have heard good things about his other works. Although I have only seen 3 of his work, it was enough for me to leave an impression to him. Quickly, name me just one other director that would some how and some when at any point think of making a movie about zombies? In Malaysia? Exactly. It was completely uncalled for.

Mixing up tried formulas with fresh ideas 

Where other Malaysian movies is busy milking the safe and uninspired formula of movies in Malaysia, he took the risk and went out of the way to create something completely new and unproven. He risks of being alienated with ideas so radical and somewhat weird; something that Malaysia audience might not be ready for within the local scene. He also did something else; not underestimate the Malaysian audience. Where other directors only did safe work to guarantee a controlled amount of profit, he puts aside profit for love of the art. He did such movies because he wants to, not because he wants the maximum amount of guaranteed income. To the typical audience that are not ready for such insane idea, they shun it. Calling it a piece of crap. Calling it  bonkers and illogical. But hey, for me you go to the cinema to get entertained, not to nitpick about how unrealistic stuff becomes in movies. I watch movies to escape from my daily mundane life. For as long as I had fun with the movie, it's a good movie for me. It does not necessarily need to make sense. And Mamat Khalid's movie did just so. Owh and let me get into his kind of humor because it ain't run of the mill.

Who would've thought we would have our own zombie movie one day?

When we talk about comedy there's a few kinds of them. There's the slapstick comedy where the humor comes from ridiculous physical acts. This is the kind of comedy that is done by the 3 Stooges. There's also the word comedy where hilarity ensues from the stuff that is said and implied. Another is the situational comedy, where the condition that the characters are placed sums up to something funny. Mamat Khalid however, is different. He may have the other types of comedy in his movie but he also have one other comedy that I don't see all that often; cultural comedy. That said, it might be lost in translation if the movie is viewed by foreigners or even Malaysian that are not well devised in their own culture. Frankly, I'm not big on local culture myself but I know enough for me to still call myself a Malay. Enough for me to understand and appreciate the cultural humor in his movies. A kind of humor where not many director has guts doing probably due to their mindset of underestimating the audience and mostly just to play it safe. Where many local movie stray away from cultural values of Malaysia to maximize marketability, Mamat Khalid celebrates it. He even dare to incorporate Malaysian cultural values to what seemed to be a western idea. This is apparent in his movie Rock, where even though it is about a bunch of guys trying to chase their dreams being a rockstar, which is typically only portrayed in the west. This movie tells a story of being a rockstar from a Malaysian point of view and is not ashamed to do so. Zombies came from the west. It was popularized by George A. Romero and even Resident Evil video game. It came here to our shores in the form of our movie and was lovingly crafted with our own culture for us to call our own movie. The common value of togetherness among Malay people is portrayed well in this movie, where the local villagers are seen to be gathered together at a community center for safety in numbers. This element is largely played in his movie Man Laksa. This movie does not shy away from celebrating the Malay culture of togetherness by throwing a carnival in order to raise funds for someone from the village hit with an unfortunate luck. The movie successfully portrays how Malaysians improvise with the many hurdles along the carnival. Some of the improvisation technically is not funny, but when we watch it, we laugh at ourselves because of how much it reflects our moderate people. I may not be a kampung boy that are much familiar with such local mindsets, but I appreciate them always. 

Showcasing the spirit of togetherness in rural Malaysia

I hail from the city. I like electronica and house music. I surround myself with gadget and technology. Honestly I don't go to the cinema to watch Malaysian movies. I think it's a waste of money because there's nothing much to be look forward to. Compared to western movies, you are bound to see something cool due to their high budget. Big stars fill the name and movies entertain us with modern-ness and current trends. That said however, Mamat Khalid's movies brings out the Malaysian in me. I am humbled by my origins. I learn to love it. I look at it from a different perspective. Appreciate how unique and even beautiful my country is. His movies speak to me in a way no movie does. His movie does not pull away stuff that it think I might not be familiar with, but rather asks me to give it a chance. Try to see why its done as such. Try to understand the mindset of these characters with given limitation as a rural citizen in his works. His movies asks me to appreciate and be grateful with all that I have. His movies are the kind of movies that brings identity. He's not trying to copy anyone. His movie is being itself. His movies portray Malaysia in a way few movies has ever succeeded. His movies make me, a city boy, actually appreciate -- even love my own culture.

To director Mamat Khalid, I don't think you'll ever come across this insignificant entry of mine, but if you do, I want you to know that I love your work. You actually make me feel like the local film scene actually have something going for itself. Keep doing what you do best, and to you sir, I salute. 

Sincerely,A fan.

All images property of their rightful owner. 

Sounding off

Life has been ok. Nothing too interesting. Although recently I have been developing a new interest. I'm in love with trying to blow my speakers with bass heavy songs. Actually its more of a lame excuse for me to give to myself to get a new set of speakers. Hah. About time I guess. My current speaker is an old Sonic Gear Evo III. Bought it for around RM90 about 2 years ago. It still works and with the right settings it can still sound pretty if the volume is kept under 40%. Though since I've developed an interest of blowing them to bits, naturally I put them over the optimal limit and it sounds flat. Struggling like an animal being chocked to death. Morbid I know. I also notice with songs that are heavy with the bass, the sound is just muffled and doesn't sound like bass anymore. It just sounds like its all made of one low note even though they were actually many. Since I also game, a good speaker can be essential in having the most immersive gaming experience. This is most apparent in Dead Space. All of the ambient and necromorphs that come outta no where has to be heard in order for me to be able to react to them accordingly. Also a good pair of speakers just increases the possibility for me to shat my pants as the developer intends to.

Daaaaamn yooouu Dead Space!!!!!

I have also developed an interest towards Electronica and House music. The beats of it, the bass of it, the combination of all of them, shake 'em all good and you got yourself some sweet tunes. I'm particularly in love with deadmau5. Their music has to be heard to be believed. Listen to some of their singles in Flac with a good pair of speakers (or headphones, whatever floats your boat), and you're in for a treat. These kind of music just begs to be turned on loudly. That'll shake the foundation of your building real good. But hey as much as I like loud music, I don't turn 'em on loudly when there's people around. I just cannot go a day without listening to deadmau5. My favorites particularly are Raise Your Weapon, Ghosts 'n' Stuff, Sofi Needs A Ladder, I Remember, just to name a few. You know it, why don't you go and have a listen to their song yourselves. You might even like it. Make sure you have a good pair of sound devices to properly enjoy their music.

Best mouse ever since Mickey

In order to cater to my new hobbies, I have taken the plunge to actually get myself a good pair of 2.1 speakers. I'm not really into the 5.1 bandwagon since I live in a small room and I don't really have the space to accommodate all of those speakers. After extensive research and a reasonable budget, I got the Logitech Z-2300 THX certified speakers. Yeap, this baby can actually produce sound the quality of George Lucas' standards. The subs on this thing is 7 inches and it resonates at the power of 200w on average. A typical PC speaker is usually <10w average. Imagine the power. Not exactly over 9000 but say, enough to shake up the rooms of the whole building. I realize these are actually older speakers. The successor to it is actually the Z623 but personal research has shown that the successor is actually just half as powerful as the older brethren. I paid good money for this, I ain't gonna sit around being skimped for the money I forked out. Got a hold of these (limited) units. Haven't actually unboxed it yet. Going to do so after the CNY holidays since I'm going to Penang. Can't wait.

Shake it!!!

P/s: Attention neighbors who like to max out your cheap speakers, get ready for some serious firepower.

Run

And run and run. As far as I can.