LIFE [TV][NBC]

Written by Funn Lim



"I investigate things to complete my knowledge, my complete knowledge makes my thoughts sincere, my thoughts being sincere, my heart is pure"







SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

First broadcast in
2007

Produced by
NBC, USA

Language
English as in American English

Seasons released
Season 1 with 11 episodes. Season 2 is filming and will premiere in October 2008.

Cast-Character
The following are recurring characters.

Damian Lewis ... Charlie Crews
Sarah Shahi ... Dani Reese
Adam Arkin ... Ted Earley
Robin Weigert ... Lt. Karen Davis
Brooke Langton ... Constance Griffiths
Brent Sexton ... Robert Stark
Jennifer Siebel ... Jennifer Conover
Victor Rivers ... Jack Reese
Roger Aaron Brown ... Det. Carl Ames Ret.

Summary
Taken from Global TV

Offbeat Detective Charlie Crews is given a second chance when he returns to the force after 12 years in prison. Thanks to close friend and attorney, Constance Griffiths, Crews comes back from serving time for a crime he didn't commit with a decidedly different philosophy on life, not to mention unique insights into crime solving and a love of fruit. As he re-enters a world that's moved on without him, Crews must walk through the painful cobwebs of his past.

For more info
Check out IMDB and either of these 2 Damian Lewis fansite, Damian-Lewis.com or The Bakery, both as excellent as Damian Lewis resource center.

Comments
Not since Band Of Brothers have I written a review of an American TV series. Technically Band Of Brothers is a 10 part mini-series, so my review has a beginning, a middle and an end. Life is a TV series by NBC and although Season 1 just ended on ASTRO (to be more precise abruptly ended due to the writers' strike some time ago), news is Season 2 has been picked up by NBC and is filming right at this moment, premiering in October 2008. A long and agonising wait for fans of this series, and a longer and more agonising wait for fans in Malaysia since ASTRO isn't exactly practising "now premiere now broadcast" policy. Look how long it took for Season 1 to reach us. From what I read Season 1 ended after only half of the 1st season shown but there was an end, with some more questions of course to tempt the fans to tune in on Season 2. Why I am writing about this series is because although it is a cop series, it is nevertheless refreshingly unlike any cop series. The performances count of course, which is in fact the main reason to tune in anyway. A pity I read when it was first broadcast it wasn't that popular, but picked up fans when it was repeated and shown globally and come Season 2, the time slot has been changed to the rather unpopular Friday nights. For me in Malaysia that is not a problem since there are repeats and even if on Friday, I still tape or watch it. But apparently in America on Fridays nobody is at home I suppose so that is a dead slot. I think it would be worse if this series goes against other more established series like the nonsensical CSI (if it is not on the same network-I know House MD and Law & Order are both NBC productions, so thank God for that) & such. So when that time slot however dead, if there is nothing to watch, believe me, people will tune in. The fear is NBC may choose to cancel a perfectly good series, which is why I am writing a bit about Life, because I feel more publicity by fans would generate more favourable reaction that the executives at NBC may be bothered to at least take notice of. I think that was what happened to the series Friday Night Lights, which I have never seen by the way.

So what makes Life so different?

On the surface not much. You may say the structure is formulaic; one guy cop, ever the believer and one female cop, ever the cynic. Doesn't that sound like X-Files to you? Then there's one new crime to solve in each episode (and solve they will so no worries about cliffhanger) with the real cliffhanger in the form of the mystery sorrounding Charlie Crews' incarceration for 12 years as the main backdrop. The questions like who, why, how, all are still unanswered at the point of writing this review. It may never be solved until the series ends or in my humble opinion, it should be solved as it goes along because this series has the potential to be a standalone cop series without the mystery of Charlie Crews' incarceration as a backdrop. His incarceration will prove to be the uniqueness of this series which makes him different but the story of his incarceration should not be the main focus because at some point, I am sure the fans will be quite frustrated by the never ending story.

Why then is Charlie Crews incarceration so unique? Well in most usual circumstances a man incarcerated for 12 years for a crime he didn't commit, in the process losing the trust of his colleagues, his wife and also his ability to trust who is true to him can be pretty good viewing don't you think? More so when usually such character may be portrayed as someone angry, someone hurt and someone vengeful. Now that is why Crews depart from the usual norm. On the surface he was in fact very calm and like he himself may approve of, very zen-like. He gained a different perspective to solving crimes and understanding why criminals do crime since he was in jail for so long. He could look at the other side instead of just being one sided whilst looking for the truth and giving closure to each case with its own unique bland of justice. Not those vigilante types but in the end justice is served satisfyingly. He connects with the criminals and yet could show empathy for the victims and their families. More importantly each case is like a window to his soul, there's a little bit of Crews in each case and we know more and more about him and yet not much. In later episodes in Season 1, this character became even more human by showing him having flashes of anger, of rage, of violent behaviour, just flashes but enough to show the whole zen like thing takes effort, a whole lot of effort. What is interesting is that Crews choose to be calm and cool and zen-ish, it is a concious choice as he investigates his own crime and more than once he asked himself what would he do if he found out the truth? To seek revenge is of course conceivable for a man being incarcerated for a crime he did not commit, to seek justice is of course the norm in such cases, more so those murdered were his friends and the murderers may be amongst his so called colleagues and to seek redress for his own emotional turmoil is in fact what every human being would do. It is either go head on or retreat from the face of adversity. He was often discouraged to investigate further but he plowed on because innately he has this question, and that question may have rage and hatred attached to it. Crews is not just zen, he chose to be zen but there is anger somewhere in that zen and he uses zen to control this anger. This makes for a very interesting character and also makes Crews a character that is very difficult to understand. This is why this series is unique. It is not a series about an angry vengeful cop. It is a cop who is angry but has a question he wants answer to. Whether revenge is in his agenda is not clear. It is not a series about a happy zen like cop with some irritating quirky characteristics like Monk (I can't stand Monk, tried watching it but within 10 minutes had to switch to another channel because I find him more annoying than House). His zen is his way to calm himself, his way of giving a reason why he had suffered what he suffered and also a cover for his inner rage that he conciously wants to control. It is not a series about cool cop, bad cop, good cop, corrupt cop like NYPD Blue. Nothing is what it seems. There were many suspects, but as the series went on, somehow these people don't seem so bad and Crews could see it for himself. What is certain is Crews as his partner, Dani Reese remarked pointedly in one episode, is a good man. A good cop too but essentially a good man who is trying to find his way to the right path that he was pushed away from. Anyway whilst the series is serious, it does have its lighthearted moments earlier on, like how Crews had to deal with technologies he didn't know, like camera phone, instant messaging and how to talk the net lingo.

The entire series seems to be about Crews alone but it is not House MD. It is not his alone and he meets his match and perhaps a friend in his partner, the more complicated Dani Reese who herself has issues. She has addiction problems, she seems to have been through a tough period of time and whilst she is a compassionate cop who cares about the cases she investigates and she also is loyal eventhough she hardly knew Crews when she first worked with him, thus relying solely on her instinct, she is also dependent on Crews as Crews is dependent on her. They work well together, each supporting one another even if she behaved like she didn't want to. And in most episodes, Crews seem to be the better interagator, because he sees things differently, he solves crimes because he thinks like a criminal I suppose instead of like a cop. Reese is a good cop, competent, tough and compassionate even if she has issues but somehow I get this feeling she can be quite rigid at times in the way she investigates things and so with Crews she gains new perspective as well as Crews gain a partner he could trust. After all his old partner arrested him so trust may be an issue here.

Then there were other characters. Like Ted Earley, Crews' former prison mate (frankly I am not sure they were in same prison cell or just simply same prison) and now his housemate who lives above the garage and handles his compensation money given by the states to the tune of millions. Basically Crews is very very rich and at one point Reese asked why he bothered to come back to the force if he had so much money. To Reese to deal with the incarceration is to go away and move on but for Crews the way to move on is to be back in the force and search for an answer. How he got the documents I am not sure, but one episode showed a young personnel in the force handing him a confidential file and she kissed him. Sex is a good way. Having been incarcerated for so long, this series shows Crews having an empty beautiful mansion, frequent one night stands as well as threesomes, never quite in a settled relationship. The empty house is an indication to his restlessness perhaps, his fear of being in prison again. Some scenes shows how the prison has affected him, that even if there were no bars and locks, sometimes one can be in prison even in mind. You sense his fear of going back there and when the cops arrived at his mansion to check his house after the murder of Ames, the retired detective who investigated his death, he ran back, afraid they will discover this secret room where he would post the connections of the triple murder and his arrest on the wall, so called conspiracy wall. He panicked and yet he still wanted to investigate. His overwhelming desire to know the answer to his question, whatever it may be clearly outweighs his fear. Perhaps this is what is so zen about him. His quest for knowledge of the root of his incarceration will in the end free him from his emotional turmoil caused by his mental prison. Alas the wall was missing since then. Kinda missed it.

There is also his attorney in the form of a very beautiful Constance Griffiths who unfortunately is probably the main irritating character in this series because

1. she doesn't look like an attorney that can get a man incarcerated for 12 years out of a prison

2. all those sexual or whatever tension between Crews and this woman is just so asexual in effect

3. I am pretty bored with her flirting with him even when discussing their case

4. I am even more bored with Crews avoiding her flirtation and yet you know, want to flirt with her; and

5. I am simply tired of all the flirtation.

I thought she disappeared for good in the middle of Season 1 when she supposedly moved to NY only to return a few episodes later as a DA! WHAT?! But I suspect she becomes a DA for Crews. To assist him perhaps. Not sure and don't care.

Back to Ted. A former high powered really rich businessman who got himself involved in a white collar crime that he and his partner committed (or was it his partner alone?) but he got caught. No one would employ him, except Crews and Ted proved to be a loyal sidekick, a term Ted despises. Frankly so far Ted had little to do than to provide some light hearted moments and of course as Crews' assistant, listening to Crews' theory, as a friend. I find Ted funny, earnest, a bit shifty eyes but nevertheless a good guy, thus far. And nothing to do. He should have more stuff to do in Season 2. Maybe he is a special guest star perhaps?

There was also Crews' ex wife whose name I can't remember. Why all the women look alike in this series? Even if she ias blonde, she looks like the lawyer who looks like his partner. Anyway his ex-wife left him, divorced him whilst he was in prison, didn't believe his innocence and married another. Interesting. What convinced her that he was guilty? Early in the series it was suggested Crews was a by the book young cop. Maybe a 9 to 5 cop? What concinved her he was capable of a triple murder? What convinced her of his propensity and ability for violence? I am confused and hopefully Season 2 will shed some light. Maybe, just maybe life in prison is too much for a young pretty wife to wait out so she looked for and found the best excuse; that she didn't believe his innocence. Maybe out of convenience.

That being said, Crews isn't always nice. He seems very petty when it comes to his ex-wife's husband, continously harrassing them but yet in one episode being rather romantic at a rather inappropriate time, he gave his wife a white horse. The fact that his ex-wife remembered his promise to give her a white horse 12 years before is perhaps a testament that his ex-wife still loves him? Certainly earlier on when he forced a passionate kiss on his ex-wife, she did reciprocated. All very complex isn't it? This series plays on your emotion and makes you wonder, wonder, wonder.

There are other characters. Crews' former partner, Robert Stark who betrayed him by arresting him. I think as the series went along, we discovered that his former partner became too friendly with Crews, not because of some hanky panky stuff but because he was trying to compensate for what he didn't do; stand by his partner. In fact sometimes he seems to overcompensate for his mistake. His ex-partner suffered too for this betrayal because cops are close group of people and partners look out for one another. When Crews was arrested by him, his ex-partner too was being shown the cold shoulder by other cops, as the wife of the partner revealed earlier on in the series. So Crews tend to feel for his ex-partner rather than simply target him for blame. In fact what is refreshing is Crews didn't seem to put blame on anyone at all. Oh so very zen like.

Yes, zen. I have been using that term far too often and so too this series. The catch line I suppose is Zen cop in an unzen world?

There was also Crews' super tough superior, Lt. Karen Davis, a woman by the way. I suspect she was once same level as he was, but over 12 years she got the promotion and he got incarcerated. Makes me wonder if he had not been in prison, would he have been where she is now or would he have been a mediocre cop? Hypothetical but still interesting stuff.

This series seems to have an overdose of women in power. The attorney for one, as much as I dislike her, assumption is she must be one hell of a lawyer to get him off and handed him such high compensation. That's power to me. Then there's Dani, technically higher ranked than Crews. Tough also, can take care of herself. There is obviously the female superior, Lt. Karen Davis who looks and sounds tough. In fact this is one series where women are higher ranked than the main protaganist but is somehow stumped as to how to deal with him. Who could when Crews seem to take a criticism as a compliment and a compliment a blessing?

One character that showed from the way he walked and looked was so SWAT team leader-ish was Dani's father, Jack Reese. Looks powerful, walks with a macho stride and could see how intimidated Dani was when she was with him. Even Dani said she wasn't sure if her father was a good guy or the bad guy.

As for the episodic cases themselves, I didn't quite find them as interesting or memorable as the story of Crews and the gang but one episode that I find was well done was the one where a teenager discovered his father was actually a stranger who kidnapped him when he was a child. The interaction between Crews and the boy at the end was very touching and they seem to have this kinship. Crews sees himself as the boy, having been "kidnapped" from his life for 12 years. But I must note that the writing as in the script is top notch although some cases may seem rather illogical.

Performance wise, simply top notch.

I never quite like Adam Arkin who seems to pout and talk lazily in his other series but in this series he showed a comedic spark that I enjoyed watching. Probably because he wasn't in most of the scenes.

Sarah Shahi was the surprise in this series. Never knew of her existence and she is a very petite but beautiful woman. Mixed I believe. What I love about her character is that her shirts are always buttoned up. But I am ready and prepared for the inevitable in Season 2, the top 2 buttons will come off and by Season 3, she will be wearing a camisole inside her jacket instead of a shirt. She has the goods to show of course but I'd rather she's covered up. She looks like a real cop. Remember CSI:NY? That lady cop with the curly hair who had the same look? By season 2 for ratings sake, she was wearing low cut spaggethi strapped body hugging top, often without the jacket. She looked traumatised in the 1st episode of Season 2, and I feel traumatised. I don't want that. The same thing happened to Criminal Minds and especially Without A Trace. I pray please not to Life. Sarah Shahi showed she can still be sexy covered up sensibly rather than showing in your face cleavage. Cops don't dress like that. Dani seems real, her wardrobe seems authentic although bit bland but has her own distictive style of a tough cop. What I don't like though is her messy hair but what I do like is her minimal make up. And even then she looked very beautiful. Anyway sensible clothing = credibility. Let's not traumatise us by shaking up the wardrobe so to speak.

Robin Weigert as Lt. Karen Davis was also very good too. She talks with a very deep tone, hence giving an impression a very macho woman. Very tough and she seems believable as the chief, as the leader also shady enough to have her own agenda. A fine performance indeed.

I don't really like the rest of the women, because of the character and also because of the actresses who portray them.

The real star of this series has to be Damian Lewis. I almost forgot about him but after watching a few episodes of Life, I watched Band Of Brothers again, perhaps his most famous work and again, became his fan all over again. I read he got offered this role without any auditon. Great taste! First of all, I am not an American so I don't know much about American accents and such but to me he seems pretty authentic. In his usual voice, his voice is higher pitched and he talks like a typical Englishmen educated at Eton and would probably have gone to Oxford if he had chosen that path. Yes, very English English, not Daniel Craig working class English but those upper class English which gives an impression he is snotty but somehow I believe that he is a friendly guy. He does sign autograph and at least he smiles at the cameras. His hair colour is his uniqueness, very very very red, as in bright red, almost as if he coloured it but in actual truth his real colour, very small lips, long face, tall and oh dear, so very pale. He looks good in red hair of course, but I also like auburn and brown type of colour because in Band Of Brothers, because of the dirt, his hair looked a darker shade of red or dark brown. He has a face you can remember even if you can't remember his name which is impossible since there aren't many Damians in Hollywood and he looks like a Damian by the way. When he gives a good performance it is usually excellent. He can play a very tensed person to a very relaxed person, this progression itself you can see in Life but he has also the rare quality of being able to play an honourable man, like Kong Wah. He has played soldiers many times and when he is dressed like one, he does look like a soldier. I mean I believe he can run up the hill and back. His face is not easily categorised. You can't say modern because he looks believable in period dramas, like Forstye Saga, but maybe not Shakespearean time I suppose. No man looks good in puffy short trousers with puffy sleeves. You can't say classical because in modern series he looks... well... believably of this time. So I suppose it speaks of his versatility in his ability to be believable in any period. And even if he plays a soldier, he looks like a brave honourable soldier who is the leader. Say for example Christian Bale; he seems like a manic suicidal soldier you know what I mean? Even as Batman he looks quite manic in some scenes. Anyway back to Life, Damian Lewis proved his versatility again. I am not sure if he can be a comedien actor but he can play comedic moments, such as in The Baker. In Life, his character is layered, complex. You see the fun side, you see the angry side. You see many many sides of him and I believe Life gives him an opportunity to display his acting chops but one that many of his fans would be familiar with is his ability to portray a moment of quiet dignity. The way he stares at someone, the way he tilts his head one side, the way his face seems to determined due to his small mouth that gives an impression of a perpetually pursed lips. Just the way he stands there, hands by the side, intently looking at someone, that moment of quiet peace, that questioning eyes and the sheer commanding presence by simply.. how should I put it.. standing there? I suppose I still and will always remember him as Winters from Band Of Brothers where he hardly showed much emotion as in overacting but yet you know, you feel and you sense his inner turmoil inside him. Is that a hallmark of a great actor? In fact is he a great actor? I am not sure I can give a straight answer to that but he certainly has the qualities of a very charismatic actor. I do think he is handsome in his own way, like I do think Daniel Craig is handsome in his craggy kind of way. I suppose my taste in men is a man who looks like he has a personality and who has character etched on his entire being. Being good looking in the pretty boy way is of course a bonus but for me, if you're Damian Lewis, that is enough.

Most Favourite Quote
Where Crews quoted Confucius where he said "I investigate things to complete my knowledge, my complete knowledge makes my thoughts sincere, my thoughts being sincere, my heart is pure." After that 2 women under one roof thing, I am not sure Confucius said this. Sounds like he did.

Most Favourite Episode
Episode 9, about the teenager kidnapped since he was a child. A very emotional episode and shows the tender sides of Crews, Reese and even Lt. Karen Davis.

Most Favourite Moment
Any banter between Crews and Reese (as in Dani Reese). Funny, teasing, lighthearted and sometimes very serious.

Most Favourite Character
Who else?

Least Favourite Character
A close fight between the attorney and the ex-wife. Because I am tired of the flirtation, I would say the attorney.

Cheated by a TV series
When Crews said war in chinese is 2 women under one roof. I was intrigued only to be told by net friend Kidd that it ain't true. Check out the real truth about this 2 women under one roof issue HERE.

Life is way better than ...
If you're looking at human drama and cop drama, I would say Criminal Minds and all the trashy CSI series combined. Much better than Without A Trace but admittedly Without A Trace has more drama in the cases.

But Life is not much better than ...
Law & Order, the original series. But then the focus is different. Law & Order hardly talks about the main characters' personal lives whilst Life is about the personal lives of the main characters.

A summary why you must watch Life
Because it is about life, the good, the bad, the ugly and everything else.

Verdict
The Season 1 DVD is coming out but I bet your TV will repeat or show this sooner or later. When it does, do catch Life from Episode 1 onwards. Missing an episode may cause you missing clues or missing out on the delicious Sarah Shahi, if you prefer girls or Damian Lewis, if you prefer guys. If you love Damian Lewis in Band Of Brothers, although this series had little similarity to Band Of Brothers, you will somehow love Life too. Make Life a regular show on TV because a memorable good cop drama series is so rare these days. Especially one where the female lead dresses like a detective actually would.

Overall by end of Season 1, there is still no answer to the question. What is the question is up to interpretation.

Zen huh?

An Addition-A Comment On The Last Episode Of Season 1
The above review was written before I saw the last episode of Season 1 entitled Fill It Up. Last night (17.06.2008) saw the last episode and I am having a serious problem; I miss this series already. Whilst last episode seems rather rushed, ok, make it very very rushed, but I suppose that is because of the writers' strike earlier this year and the producers wanted to give the viewers an answer, just in case the series, which wasn't that majorly popular when it was broadcast, got cancelled. I think that is a smart move because Season 2 can concentrate more on detective work and partnership, rather than Crews' incarceration. I love to see more of Crews AND Reese, rather than Crews against everybody else.

Anyway the last episode summed up the whole conspiracy plot, like why the murders, who did them and how. But the question who framed Crews and more importantly why him is still hanging. I want to know too why him? Convenient? At the right place at the wrong time? But this episode did show the sinister side of Reese's father, Jack Reese. He may not have been the mastermind but he certainly did a major part in the cover up and the stolen money from the Bank of Los Angeles robbery. There is a conflict in Crews when it comes to Jack Reese because he is by now very fond of Dani who has become his trusted partner, even if reluctantly. The question why Crews' former partner did nothing to help Crews when he was arrested was answered also and in a way I pity that guy. He was stuck, he was a coward but he was stuck. I also like the scenes where Crews became very angry that he wanted nothing but revenge. It was so overwhelming that at one point he went around town trying to piece together the years he have lost by killing, threatening to kill, got involed in an accident, saved an injured girl who predictably turned out to be the long lost young girl who witnessed the murder, ran away from the cops, became a fugitive of some sort and still manages to solve his own case at the end of the day. Reese and gang did mininal work but was more supportive than one would give her credit for in this episode. I love how Crews was actually hiding his years of anger and bitterness that I mentioned in the review above behind all these zen stuff but in the end, he dug a hole, in what I thought an attempt to intimidate the killer whom he had aducted but actually was his way of diverting his anger and then in the end he filled up the hole again. The entire thing was an eye opener. The music suited the story. However one scene where Crews was driving, the background was obviously fake.

And what is it with detectives and sunglasses? I just pray this does not turn into CSI:Miami eventhough this episode, the colourtone is like CSI:Miami, a bit too warm and orange/yellow for my taste.

Performances side, it is a pity Adam Arkin is to underused throughout but he was effective. Everybody was great but this episode clearly belongs to Damian Lewis who displayed both zen like calmness and mad chilling violence in some scenes, sometimes right after the other. He handled both sides of extreme emotions well and it is very clear that Crews, ever if such person exists, tries very hard to keep himself in check but that is why I love this series. Whilst most cop series shows cops having anger issue that somehow they fail to control or rather did nothing much to control, this series shows a cop having every reason to be angry but not just tries very hard to control it, but to be above his anger. That behind that cute benign all knowing friendly smile and the mouth that spurts out wisdom of the zen way of life is actually a very very angry man. But in that very very angry man is a desire to see past his own hurt and anger and to view everyday as an opportunity to experience life that was taken from him for awhile. And yet his house remains empty, probably of fear that this feeling of freedom is not permanent and that could be literally or I shall venture to theorise, figuratively because in his mind, despite the freedom he is still in prison and he sometimes views himself as one of the other side of the coin, and not a cop. And yet he is not evil. He is a good person but the prison has toughened him to the point that he is capable of being bad. This episode says it all. That is inspiring in some sense and Damian Lewis certainly deserves an Emmy for this performance because it is rare to see a multi faceted character with such turmoil and still be lighthearted at times and witty as well. This character is kinda like a movie character. I can even see this character on the big screen solving a big crime. Like some serialised movie version of Life.

Sarah Shahi is just fantastic in here although she had little to do. This episode requires her to be less serious, since usually she is the serious one. The case in this last episode was about a snake that swallowed a gun and she went hunting for the snake in an apartment full of the plant, not sure what it is called but those Marijuana? Cannabis? I am not a drug person so please excuse my inadequate knowledge. Anyway she was quite funny in here.

Brent Sexton the partner who failed Crews was good too, balancing funny with serious, showing his character being a bit of a show off and yet has this inner turmoil and guilt too that he had failed to protect his partner and therefore failed as a friend and as a person.

Whilst I didn't like the ending where the people in the department clapping at Crews for solving his own crime (well they were merely props, no personality at all and that is perhaps the biggest problem with this series), since they were never supportive in the first place,they even doubted his innocence. I wouldn't know they believed him or not since I see a lot of other detectives but they don't interact with one another.

All in all, the story (whilst it wraps up the whole controversy with some questions hanging) is not exactly flawless, but the performances made this episode engaging.

Like I said, I already miss Life. To think I have to wait probably 6 months to a year before I can watch Season 2 is torture but at least it is being renewed. With all those trashy junks out there, I am just glad Life got a second shot. It would be dumb to cancel a good show, more so one with such potential.

Favourite Scene
Definitely the one where Crews kidnapped the killer, threw him into the boot of the car, and then drove him around, and at one point angrily but with a chilling smile (or maybe Damian Lewis looks like he has a perpetual smile etched on his face) explained what happened to him in prison, from the 1st 6 months to the next and the next and the next. Fantastic acting,great script and scary as well because Crews looked like he was for a while quite mad.

Most Peculiar Scene
The one where he meets his ex wife, now I know her name as Jennifer and asked for her forgiveness as he was all these time angry at the wrong person. It is a scene of closure, which is good because I don't ever want to see that woman in this series again and it may pave the way for him to fall for the DA in Season 2, which I hope not because he needs another woman, not these 2. But it was also a very strange scene, to me because he said he was angry at her when he should have understood why she had to leave him, since he was supposed to be in prison for life. What should a young woman do? But I felt his understanding of her although with good intentions, was an unnecessary scene. First of all, it was all off. Is he acknowledging she left because she couldn't stand to wait for him even for life? That she didn't love him as much as he thinks she did??

But the truth was as repeated throughout this series in interviews with some documentary maker that she left because she didn't believe his innocence. That is worst that leaving him because of his prison sentence. She simply didn't believe him and like I mentioned in my review above, she actually believed he was capable of killing his friend and the family. So why should he seek her forgiveness? I thought a better scene would be after he was cleared of the charges, she should come to him and seek HIS forgiveness for not believing him but HE could now move on rather than be angry with her for the reasons he stated since 12 years have passed, whatever has happened has happened. That he was angry at her NOT for leaving him per se but for not trusting him and abandoning him when he needed her most. I thought that would be far more appropriate. Which is why now I hate the wife more than the DA because I thought giving her that affirmation of what she did was ok was simply to me not ok. And I don't think seeking her forgiveness is his way of absolution. I would think his absolution is when he didn't push that killer into the grave he dug or push Jack Reese off the building because he has risen above his anger and see enlightment. Yeah, zen eh?

Most missed prop
That conspiracy wall. Now that the conpiracy is 90% solved, the wall wouldn't be in Season 2 unless Crews creates a new wall for those unanswered question. I blame it on the writers' strike because I am sure the writers wanted to give this story the treatment it deserves, mystery an all but was cut short by at least 5 episodes so they couldn't do it. They may have even intended to extend the mystery to Season 2.

Most often used word
Zen. What is zen anyway?

Taken from :-

The key to Buddhahood in Zen is simply self-knowledge. The way to gain self-knowledge is through meditation (which is what the word "zen" means).

Interesting. Self-knowledge which perhaps leads to calmness and enlightenment of being?

Overall verdict
See Verdict. Feeling still the same. I can feel the withdrawal symptoms now. Must watch Band Of Brothers, again. And the go to youtube and find clips of Life. Then maybe get the DVD in September. Then watch the new episodes somewhere, somehow. Why? Why cut short Life when I was beginning to feel ... life?

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THE BAKER [Mov]

Written by Funn Lim



"Somehow the entire movie comes across as half-baked"



SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Released In
2007

Written & Directed By
Gareth Lewis (yes Damian Lewis' brother)

Cast-Character
Damian Lewis ... Milo
Kate Ashfield ... Rhiannon
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ... Bjorn
Michael Gambon ... Leo
Annette Badland ... Martha
Aimee Cowen ... Checkout Girl
Gwenno Dafydd ... Mrs. Edwards
Dyfan Dwyfor ... Eggs
David Garfield ... Griff
Michael Geary ... Dai
Brian Hibbard ... Bob
Philip Howe ... Gareth Llewellyn
Margaret John ... Anne Jones
Rhodri Meilir ... Owain
Anthony O'Donnell ... Rhys
Robert Page ... Stan
Laurence Richardson ... Businessman
Nicholas Rowe ... Businessman
Boris the Sheep ... Himself
Steve Speirs ... Bryn
Dorien Thomas ... Old Williams
Dyfed Thomas ... Huw Edwards
William Thomas ... Alun
Valerie Vaughan-Williams ... Mrs. Thomas
Simon Winkler ... Bodyguard
Gareth Wyn Griffith ... Fish & Chip Man

Summary
From imdb.com

"A hit man has second thoughts about his career and seeks refuge from his boss by finding work as a baker in a rural Welsh village."

Not really accurate. More like "A disillusioned professional hitman named Milo could no longer kill and was therefore on the run from his organisation. He sought refuge in a small Welsh village arranged by his mentor/friend, Leo and after he was mistakenly identified as the new baker in town he opened a bakery in disguise and realised he loved baking despite being not very good at it and whilst there found love with a local vet, Rhiannon, met quirky villages who have their own personal agendas whilst avoiding an assasination attempt by fellow hitman Bjorn who harbours a deep feeling for Milo."

And that is the entire movie's synopsis actually.

Comments
My fascination with this movie is simply a result of my fascination with Damian Lewis, an actor whom I have always liked but has never really seen his other works other than Band Of Brothers, Dreamcatcher, Much Ado About Nothing and the TV series, Life which I shall credit for reigniting my interest in this actor. Not that I was ever not interested in him. It just that between Dreamcatcher (a movie that I really liked eventhough I really shouldn't since it wasn't that great), Much Ado About Nothing (which I really loved) and Life, I missed out on a lot of his recent works and news on his personal life. He is now a father of 2, married to an even more respected fellow British actress who seems to share a similar background as him but certainly not as famous worldwide and has acted in TV movies, stage and of course some movies that frankly I can't name since I am oblivious to how much has occured since... well since Much Ado About Nothing. Like Daniel Craig, I don't know much about Damian Lewis, I didn't even know his real voice/accent (Much Ado About Nothing notwithstanding) prior to some digging at youtube. What I found in Youtube both amazed and shocked me. His posh upper English accent, his voice somewhat different from his acting voice and his shocking red hair. I know he has red hair but it still shocks me how red it actually is. I found clips of him playing golf, reciting poems for BBC's Essential Poems and of course hosting a comedy/political satarical show Have I Got News For You where he was basically hammered by a regular on the show which was very funny to watch. And through all these clips I realised why I like him so; he is not exceedingly handsome, with a mouth that is too small, a face that is too long, hair that is too red and yet his face grows on me probably because the camera loves him. He has a photogenic and classical look, those that belong to the old glamourous Hollywood of the 1940s. He has in fact a very distinguished look that even when he played villains, you will somehow empathise with his villain. And he is charismatic. You just somehow have to look at him.

So when I found out about The Baker, a highly acclaimed movie written and directed by his own brother and won some awards that I am not very familiar with, I went hunting for it and couldn't find it. But it is popular enough to be ripped and uploaded as a torrent so I suppose there are torrent uploaders who like the odd less popular movies out there. Downloaded it and took a few days to actually sit down in front of my computer and actually watch it. How was it?

You can call it quirky. In fact it aims to be quirky, like those oddball quirky small British films, not unlike The Full Monty regrettably without the full monty if you know what I mean. It is far far away from those big Hollywood blockbuster or even comedies, so if you ask me to describe it, I can only say quirky. I can't find another word for it because even the soundtrack, with background music playing at the right time just makes it feel, sound, look and spell quirky. What is quirky? "Strikingly unconventional" as defined by the online thesaurus. Quite apt.

I didn't know any of the actors in this movie except for the obvious and Michael Gambon but the actress who played Rhiannon was very familiar and some digging tells me she is the lead actress in one of my most favourite movies of all time, Shaun Of The Dead. The way she talked with that perpetual frown on her face tipped me off so yes, I know 3 and the rest I am not familiar with although I won't be surprised if I have seen them somewhere before since the British film industry is very small.

Back to the movie. How was it you may ask?

Frankly, in all honesty and with a heavy heart I have to say it is not as good as you may think it is but am quite pleased to say it is not as bad as some online reviews said. Basically it is mediocre, with a possibility that it could have been so so so so much better but somehow falls flat. If you watch it with high expectations you will be very much disappointed but if you watch it without much expectations you might actually enjoy it. I watched it for Damian Lewis and in that respect I enjoyed it. But since I can dissect a movie into several parts that can be assessed seperately without having to look at the other parts, which is something I am pretty good at, I have to say overall the movie falls flat on expectations because there are more bad than good.

For example, the story itself.

It starts off with Milo, a professional hitman who has had it with being a professional hitman. He wants an ordinary life, he wants love, a family, friends, a permanent place in this world. So he botches a hit job and had to make a run for it. His organisation sends Bjorn, a fellow hitman after him. With the help of his friend Leo who is supposedly in retirement (I suppose he was a former hitman himself with the same organisation) he went to hide in a small Welsh village. He was mistaken as the new baker because someone saw him walking out of the closed bakery but one young man, Eggs saw him burying a suitcase full of guns so Eggs knew and Eggs told everyone else who in turn tried to hire Milo to kill off someone by a cryptic order of chocolate cake which Milo genuinely thought it was an order for chocolate cake when an old henpecked husband who runs a fish shop ordered chocolate cake (a cryptic order to kill his nagging wife) and his wife died in an explosion through no help from Milo. Mistaken identity kinda storyline.

Pause here for a moment. There is no background for Milo. I don't know him and in the end I still do not know him. I suppose some storyline are not meant to be detailed and one can assume that Milo had no family since he is such a lonely guy seeking love. But there is actually no background whatsoever for Milo. This movie opens with the assumption that the viewers will assume all the assumptions. It is built on assuming certain facts so a little suspend of your logical deductions here. I have no problem with assumptions since decades of watching TVB series with its illogical plots especially with detective dramas has built in my mind an ability to make assumptions and believe in them. So whenever a movie opens with a character that has no past, I have no problem with it. Moreover Damian Lewis' performance had me believe in my own assumptions; Milo is probably an orphan, Milo is probably very good at his job but is fed up with the loneliness, the secrecy, Milo probably has had a few relationships before but probably all failed because of the confidentiality clause, Milo now is very stressed because he feels he is burning out and he is having a career and personal crisis.

My problem with the story begins when he reaches the village. There is the present and there is no need for assumptions anymore since the character begins the journey as the story begins. Here the movie tries to capitalise on its quirkiness by introducing various characters that just either spell weird or quirky. Since hiring someone to kill your wife/neighbour/competitor is not really that quirky, I suppose weird is more like it. The problem with the quirky/weird characters is that none of them are endearing. I find them all a bit of a loser, those who simply failed in life. Even the henpecked husband who wants his wife dead. I don't find his wife annoying enough, in fact I find the husband more annoying than the wife. There's the Shakespeare quoting guy who well is the Shakespeare quoting guy. Many other characters but none has more screentime than the young man,Eggs who was the first to know of Milo's true identity and admired him for it. Again an assumption; this boy has no parents or maybe good influence from a parent so he look to Milo as his big brother, admiring him and hoping to emulate him. The problem is I find this boy annoying as well. Towards the end there is supposed to be a comraderie between Milo and Eggs, an unspoken bond between brothers I suppose but I don't feel that. In fact towards the end the villagers actually banded together to save Milo, after a speech by I think Eggs who questioned why the villagers forsaken their loyalty for one another and became such strangers. But never had at any point in this movie had the villagers ever been friendly or brotherly like with one another. From the get go we see a neighbour destroying the garden of the other neighbour so that speech questioning theor brotherly love for one another is misplaced. This is a village where everybody is pretending to be nice to the other. Anyway, maybe it shouldn't have been that case or maybe the director was trying to show a change in attitude thanks to Milo. And that is what makes it fall flat. It all just feel underdeveloped, like more could have been done but yet so little was actually achieved.

But none is worse than the forced romance between Rhiannon and Milo. From how they met to her very inquisitive mind, asking him all sorts of questions. Is inquisitive the new cute? She is supposed to be cute right? I suppose that is supposed to spark Milo's interest in this woman seemingly so interested in him. Frankly I didn't even know her name until towards the end. And it is not difficult for Milo to fall for her, since she is like the only young available pretty female in the village. The rest are old white men with old white women. I am not bringing in the race issue but it is merely to describe, not really to criticise. Anyway with one pretty young female in the village, it is not hard to conclude "yep, she's the one". And between knowing one another and asking her out on a date, in between not enough is done to show the attraction. I just find them like 2 strangers suddenly agreed to go on a date and on the 1st date, they had wild messy sex in the kitchen of the bakery with Eggs, drunk after wrongly assuming he assassinated a villager. And even the sex scene seems forced with eggs, butter, jam and flour involved with the act of sex of course. I just find the scene un-sexy when it should have been. I don't feel the romance, I don't feel the attraction and frankly I find Rhiannon a very boring annoying character. If inquisitive beautiful women are attractive, yes I get it. But she lacks one thing that makes a pretty inquisitive woman attractive; personality. The actress, Kate Ashfield is perpetually frowning. It didn't help her face registered the emotive range in the negatives. She could stand there and I still wouldn't notice her. Same in Shaun Of The Dead, same here. Worse here actually since her role is very badly written and really underdeveloped.

Even Michael Gambon is underused here. His character again is built on assumptions and in the end he could be played by anyone who has 10 minutes to spare. Who is Leo? I don't know and I don't care.

The character of Bjorn is interesting because he is possibly the funniest in here. He has little screentime but whenever he appeared, there are subtexts; from his gentle stroking of Milo's face on the screen to his preference of sausages which lingers in his mouth before he takes a bite, to his often referred location, Amsterdam, under the bridge had me in stiches. Milo had to keep reminding him what he was thinking of was impossible. Although the movie never really said it loud and clear, it is obvious Bjorn harbours a feeling deeper than that of a fellow colleague for Milo and Milo knows it. What happened in Amsterdam? No one knows so I suppose Bjorn waited for Milo under the bridge in Amsterdam or somewhere near a bridge but Milo never showed up, thus breaking his heart. Quite touching actually.

One character that is most developed in this movie and still feels underdeveloped is of course Milo. Like I said, many assumptions have to be made and if you push aside your doubts, Milo is a pretty interesting character. A hitman who wants to be a baker? How far removed from his old job is that? Trading guns for a spatula? Machine guns for a blender? Bullets for chocolate chips? That in itself makes the entire premise quirky. A pity not much of actual development of the character is put into the script itself.

The story and Kate Ashfield aside, the performances in this movie is what make this movie enjoyable.

Leading the pack is of course Damian Lewis, probably the reason why this movie was made successfully in the first place. Damian Lewis can be funny, he can be witty, he can even look so boyishly charming in a very earnest way which is why I can't help but like Milo. Well there is nothing not to like about Milo actually. Damian has this likeability factor in him and everytime he is on screen, he takes up the entire screen. His presence is all consuming, that sometimes a pity to his co-stars standing next to him because probably no one will notice them. His performance is top notch and is only hampered by the underdeveloped script and his underdeveloped character.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Bjorn is very effective in this role. His Bjorn comes across as a lovelorn jilted lover who can be quite manic sometimes. Very little screentime but is probably the best character in this movie other than Milo.

The rest are competent and effective in their respective roles despite the fact that all are not very well written. Seen in a good way you can call them underdeveloped characters. But honestly speaking I feel they're more badly written than underdeveloped.

Frankly I do not know what is wrong with this movie. For a comedy, it is not that funny. It is long, as in the standard length for a movie and yet so much wastage, so much underdeveloped characters eventhough so little plot. It is like a movie with bad time management and whilst the potential is there, perhaps something went wrong in the editing room. Somehow the entire movie comes across as half-baked (pun is intended).

The one fully baked part is of course the background music that gives this movie a personality that it badly needs and which helps to define it as quirky. I like the music, comes during the right moment and ends at the right moment albeit a bit too loud sometimes.

A pity the movie itself doesn't have that perfect timing, comic, drama or otherwise.

Verdict
Good for a boring rainy Sunday and of course Damian Lewis' fans if you can ignore all the question marks.

Interesting Site
For more pictures and screencaps, try this website, The Bakery. Look for Gallery > Movies > The Baker. Check out the other high resolution candid and photoshoots too! Excellent website, lacking only in nice wallpapers.

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SHUTTER [Mov] [Thai]

Written by Funn Lim



"What I love about Shutter is the ending. For once a horror movie with an ending that justifies the existence of the spirit and all the evil that befall the lead character."

SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

IMPORTANT NOTICE
This is a review of the original Thai version, not the American remake of the same title released in 2008 with I was told basically the same story but somehow poorer version. I have to admit though the poster for the remake version is creepy and very well done.

This review is meant for those who has seen the movie. If you haven't please do not read this review because it will spoil the fun!

Released In
2004

Genre
Horror/Mystery

Origin
Thailand

Language
Thai with English subtitles

Cast-Character
Ananda Everingham ... Tun
Natthaweeranuch Thongmee ... Jane
Achita Sikamana ... Natre
Unnop Chanpaibool ... Tonn
Chachchaya Chalemphol ... Tonn's Wife
Samruay Jaratjaroonpong ... Man 1
Abhijati 'Meuk' Jusakul ... Magazine Editor
Binn Kitchacho ... Asst. Magazine Editor
Jitlada Korsangwichai ... Nurse 1
Panitan Mavichak ... Nuch
Sivagorn Muttamara ... Meng
Saifon Nanthawanchal ... Bride
Kachormsak Naruepatr ... Tee
Panu Puntoomsinchal ... Groom
Duangporn Sontikhan ... Nurse 2
Titikarn Tongprasearth ... Jim
Achita Wuthinounsurasit ... Netre

Thank God for IMDB, if not I will never be able to spell pass through the first half of the first name!

Summary
From IMDB.com

A young photographer and his girlfriend discover mysterious shadows in their photographs after a tragic accident. They soon learn that you can not escape your past.

The plot
It is very difficult to write about the plot without revealing major spoilers. Even the summary from imdb.com has revealed too much details so be forewarned, my comments will contain probably complete spoilers. Can't help it. First thing first, some major confusions.

All the names in this movie sounds the same to me. From Tun to Tonn to whatever the same sounding name, so most of the time I got really confused about who is talking about who. In the end it doesn't really matter. Luckily though there are only 2 major characters, 4 side characters and 1 really angry ghost. Everybody else is ke-le-fe.

The story started simple enough. It was present day in 2004 or around that (which is the date of release of this movie), 3 best friends were celebrating their best friend, Tonn's wedding. I did not catch the name of the other 2 guys but the lead character in here for the purpose of this movie is Tun the photographer who came with his girlfriend, Jane. Having had a good night reminiscing about the past, Jane was driving Tun back home and they were busy talking when suddenly Jane's car hit a long haired woman in white shirt. Her car hit a billboard post as the lifeless body of the girl laid on the middle of the road. Jane wanted to check if she was alright but Tun, in a moment of panic urged Jane to just drive off when he saw an oncoming lorry. Jane reluctantly drove away. Life went back to normal for Tun as he went about his work in his photo studio but Jane could not forgive herself for what happened. She questioned Tun's ability to move on so quickly which caused a strain in their relationship. But eventually even Jane went back to her usual routine although she had nightmares of the victim haunting her.

Tun processed some photos he took of a graduating class from his old college and to his surprise most of the photos seemed to be exposed to light as a blinding white light washed over the face of one of the people in the picture. The negatives revealed the same over exposure. However one picture was very strange. It was the gathering of the entire graduating class and in between two graduates was what Tun saw as the side of a mysterious face. He looked closer and closer and suddenly the side face in the picture turned and it was a long haired pale female figure! Tun panicked and even Jane suspected something was not right as both of them had sleepless nights of being haunted by a female ghost. It became more apparent when Tun did some investigation and found out no accident was reported on that night except for a damaged billboard post.

Tun especially felt the effect of a strained shoulder although the doctors could not find anything wrong with his physically except for his sudden weight gain despite looking the same slim self. The ghost became more and more daring and Tun began to feel a rising panic as he was haunted again and again. They became so frightened that they had to seek an answer and Jane with Tun went to see the editor of a magazine that publishes spooky photos. The encounter enlightened Jane. The editor admitted some photos, the majority of them are faked but sometimes, especially those taken from a polaroid which shows some mysterious figures can't be faked. Jane asked "Why do these apparitions appear?" and the editor's answer was "Maybe sometimes the dead can't bear to leave their loved ones behind, they missed them, so they stuck around, or sometimes something bad must have happened to them that their souls could not rest in peace". Jane was troubled by this answer and she investigated further and noticed the graduation photos when seen together in succession revealed the blinding light flying up to a certain window behind the figures. She checked and realised it was the science department. Thinking perhaps the ghost may have something to tell her, she took a polaroid camera and began to take pictures at various empty spaces in the lab, to no results until she snapped a photo of the table with a wall of picture and in the polaroid there stood a blurry female figure. Jane was petrified and began to run but something was pulling her towards the wall of pictures and a single photo fell from the wall. In that picture stood a young pretty girl with long hair and in a white shirt and the date was 10 years ago.

Jane began to suspect Tun wasn't being very honest with her. Somehow her instinct told her this ghost was haunting them for a reason and she confronted Tun and finally Tun admitted, that the girl in the picture that fell from the wall was Natre, a girl he once dated out of pity 10 years before. Natre was a quiet girl and often teased by his other 3 friends but he felt drawn to her and dated her for some time. They slept with each other, she even presented him with his first camera and during their happier times, it was filled with intimacy, small talks and piggy ride with Natre on Tun's shoulder. But it was a secret affair that no one knew and Tun refused to acknowledge her when he was with his other 3 friends who bullied her in front of him. Feeling much burdened by her, he left her and she became emotionally unstable and tried to kill herself. He didn't know what to do and so he left her screaming. Then one day she left school and never returned. Jane asked Tun what happened to her and Tun could only say that he confessed to his 3 friends of his problems breaking up with an emotional Natre and they promised him they will take care of his problem. What they did and why she left school and where she is now, he did not know. Jane was angry with Tun but can't helpt but feel perhaps the girl haunting them was Natre who was vengeful because she was dumped.

The haunting and mystery continues until suddenly one day Tonn, the newly married friend came to him, looking very distressed and kept saying "Tun, the pictures, where are the pictures! Tun where are the pictures!! The pictures!!" and Tun didn't know what he was talking about. Tonn left.Tun followed Tonn back to Tonn's place which was a mess and he witnessed Tonn jumping off the balcony to his death.

At the hospital,Tun met with Tonn's grieving wife who asked what was wrong with them. Tun did not understand and she revealed that all 3 friends jumped off the balcony. Tun and Jane were shocked and Tun knew for whatever reason he was being haunted, he was next. So Tun and Jane decided to pay Natre's hometown a visit which was way outside of Bangkok and on the way they met a monk and a young novice monk who looked at Tun curiously.

They met with Natre's mother. Natre's mother was very pleased to see them and asked them what was the purpose of their visit and they claimed to be Natre's friends and suddenly the mother dropped a bombshell, "Oh, Natre is asleep upstairs. Please wait whilst I wake her up". Jane and Tun were shocked by this revelation and whilst the mother was away they went upstairs and found Natre's room impeccably kept. On the bed was a long haired figure and Tun turned the figure and it was a dried up corpse of Natre! The mother was shocked by their rudeness and Jane asked why wasn't she given the last rites and given a proper cremation and burial. Natre's mother cried and asked "What happened to my daughter? Why did she suddenly leave Bangkok and when she returned she was a different person?". Jane wondered too and urged the mother to cremate the daughter or she will never rest in peace and the mother agreed.

At the first day of the rites being performed an elderly person explained what happened to Natre. He said "She came home suddenly and was very quiet. We tried to ask her what happened but she refused to say anything and kept to herself. She tried to kill herself but her mother found her in time and took her to the hospital. In the hospital she went to the roof and jumped. Her mother became too distraught that she took the body home and never did anything about it".

That night as they slept in bed, Jane asked Tun "Did you love her?" and Tun frankly answered "Perhaps I pitied her more than I loved her. I tried but I realised I couldn't and now she is after me. I am next" and Jane tried to cheer him up. At 3 am, Tun woke up and couldn't sleep. But he felt a presence and in front of him was Natre, all pale and bloody and climbing onto his bed. In a moment of panic he ran out and however much he ran he was always on 4th floor. Then Jane suddenly ran out and asked "Where were you? I was so worried" and Tun relaxed and suddenly Jane said in a different voice "You lying bastard! You lying bastard!!!" and he ran again and climbed down the emergency stairs outside the building. It was wet and slippery as it was raining and up he saw Natre climbing down fast (ala The Ring) and out of shock he fell.

He didn't die but he was injured. Jane was very worried but she said "She will be cremated today". They attended the cremation and felt relieved that the haunting was over. They went for a holiday.

Jane went to the photo studio to take back the pictures processed and as she was looking through it she noticed there was another batch of photo that she didn't remember taking. At Tun's home, she rearranged the photos. They were taken during the time at the height of the haunting where Tun and Jane were sleeping on the sofa. She knew the ghost must have taken these photos and was trying to tell her something as the shadows in the pictures seemed to move. Seen in succession, the shadow of a female figure were crawling towards the bookshelves. She searched the bookshelves and found an old envelope behind the shelves, probably laid forgotten through time. She looked at its contents and were horrified to see picturs of Natre being raped by Tun's 3 friends. Tun came back and Jane confronted him because she knew only one person not in the picture would be the one taking the pictures. Tun confessed; his friends were drunk and they went to the lab where Natre were working hard one night. They teased her and she tried to run away and in the process hurt Tonn who took it as an insult. They pushed her down to the floor and Tonn was raping her when Tun came into the lab carrying a camera, looking shocked. Natre pleaded with Tun to save her as Tonn raped her but Tonn said "Take her pictures! So that she would not tell! Hurry Tun, we are your best friends!!" and Natre saw with her own eyes Tun taking her pictures although he didn't seem to enjoy it. Jane was very disappointed with Tun and she left him as Tun explained he was naive, he was stupid and he had always felt guilty. Jane no longer believed him and tearfully went away.

Tun was now very frustrated and took a polaroid and started to take pictures of empty spaced, looking for Natre. He scolded "You said you loved me, you said you still loved me, is this how you love me? Isn't it till death do us part?" and yet there was no sign of her. The camera fell and a picture of taken of him. He took the picture and his eyes widened with shock as he looked into the mirror before him. Natre was sitting on his shoulder and flashbacks were shown of his constant complain about his tired sprained shoulder, the sudden weight gain despite looking the same and the curious stare of the young novice monk who saw Natre on his shoulder. In shocked he trashed around with Natre closing his eyes and he fell off the balcony.

He didn't die. Jane visited him and he was now in a mental asylum, his head suffered major trauma and he was sitting on the bed slouching and very quiet. Jane couldn't help but cry and she opened the door and walked towards him when in the mirror of the door, we see Natre still sitting on his shoulder with an impassive look.

The end.

Comments
Of all the ghost and horror movies, only the Thais and the Chinese could make a decent horror movie. Let me explain this.

I have seen the original versions of The Ring, The Grudge, Dark Water (from Japan), The Phone (from Korea), The Eye (from HK) and now this. In between many others and also their poor remakes. Most of the time, especially the horror movies from Japan tends to create a ghostly character that is really majorly pissed about no one in particular. Perhaps their deaths were pitiful but the eventual spirit became vengeful at everybody, and at no particular character that they lose sense of justice, proportion and of course sense. The Japan's ghosts were often senseless, going on a killing spree like some masacre with no intended victim and they could physically drag a person and kill them. Of course most of the time the victims' would have died of fright first but that is beside the point. The ghost could kill with their bear hands apart from staring the victims' to death. The Grudge was scary no doubt but in the end ridiculously senseless to the point that I didn't feel any pity for that crawling bloody vengeful spirit. Even The Ring whose spirit died a pitiful death which evolved into this crawling young spirit in the end became very irritating. I didn't feel that emotional connection with the ghost and after a while all these horror films, save for The Eye seems more interested in frightening people than telling a story. Most of the time the spirits seem more like vengeful bitches rather than there being a reason why they became as such. The Grudge or Ju-On is a prime example.

And then there was Shutter. It took me so long to finally watch this movie because I wanted to prepare myself eventually when I do watch the remake. I always believed the originals were better, especially all these horror films and I believe Shutter is the same too. The Americans are so lazy these days they don't even bother changing the title. How original.

What I love about Shutter is the ending. For once a horror movie with an ending that justifies the existence of the spirit and all the evil that befall the lead character. I felt a certain gladness that that bastard shall have to carry the burden, here manifests as the spirit Natre on his shoulder quite literally for the rest of his life. Frankly when the movie began it was slow. It picked up when Jane hit the mysterious figure and I thought well a hit and run movie, they deserve to be haunted. But twists after twists came with some genuinely scary and spooky moments intrigued me and I kinda suspected towards the middle his friends must have done something terrible to her. I didn't doubt it wasn't murder but I suspected as much. I also suspected Tun's involvement. What I didn't suspect was the explosive revelation as Tun looked into the mirror. Now that was spooky and after that, everytime I feel and ache on my shoulder, I wonder... oh please let me banish that thought! What wrong have I done? What indeed!

The ending made perfect sense and I pitied Natre. Maybe she was emotional and all but after the ending I wondered, how much of what was said by Tun was true? He seems like a good guy but never forget, when Jane wanted to see if the girl on the road was alive, he urged her to drive away. He saw his friends raping Natre and yet he did nothing. He took pictures, even if he said he was reluctant, he took the pictures. He didn't tell Jane the whole truth. And in the end it made me wonder, how much was the whole story about Natre trying to slash her wrists when he tried to leave her was true? I believe he even tried to cover up for his friends when he said they promised to do something about Natre and he didn't know what they did. Of course he knew but were his friends trying to help him? Did they even know he was dating Natre at that time? I don't think so. The flashback showed they were drunk, and Natre seemed to be their favourite past time when it comes to bullying and Tonn raped her in a moment of ego bruised. I don't think they knew Tun was dating her at all and I doubt Tun told them about him trying to break off with Natre since like he said, being seen with Natre the weird girl was uncool. So how much he said to Jane was true?

Interestingly the forums at imdb.com never quite discussed this point. Rather they discussed on the point why Natre was sitting on his shoulder. Was it because of love? Was it hate? She looked rather peaceful, so maybe she enjoyed the view? The referred back to what the editor said, that sometimes those who died can't bear to leave their loved ones. Of course the editor also said sometimes something horrible happened, the spirits could not rest in peace and began haunting them.

For me the answer was pretty clear. She wanted to haunt him for the rest of his life. She didn't even allow him to die in the end, and made sure he lived so that she could continue to haunt him. Her sitting on his shoulder is the manisfestation of his sin and the burden he must bear. He wasn't even feeling guilty and Natre was there to remind him of what he did or rather didn't do and how he must pay. I think this is in line with the Thais and Asians beliefs of "bo-ying" in Cantonese and in English loosely translated as "paying for your sins". I don't think it had anything to do with love. She hated him and it was this hate that made her stick around with the living.

Many questioned how come the novice monk could see her? Well because children have a different perception from us adults and a pure mind could see things. Which is why you will hear of many stories of children speaking to an empty space near the altar (that ancestors' worship place). The children will explain they were speaking to some old man who may be their grandfather. I often hear these kind of stories. Many asked how come the monk never told Tun what he saw? Well he is a child, so maybe he simply didn't know how to tell? Maybe he too was in shock?

Then there was the question about the rape and the pictures. Why should Natre kill herself when she has evidence of the rape? Whether you like it or not, in any culture rape is still a very emotionally devastating thing. Whilst more are urged to come forward and reveal the culprit or report to the police, many are still reluctant because of the shame attached to it. More so for a shy quiet young Natre. Those photos to her are not the evidence of a crime but the evidence of shame. Look at it this way; if there are still women writing to some columns asking advice on how to tell their husbands that they're not virgins anymore during their honeymoon or whatever, more so when it comes to such a devastating moment in a young girl's life. My only question is how come the pictures are still there? Doesn't it show that Tun really had no conscience over what happened to Natre because how can one simply forget about such pictures?

Whatever the question, whatever the reasonings, you can enjoy this movie for various reasons.

First and foremost, it actually has a storyline unlike Ju-On.

Then there was the issue about a ghost or spirit that you felt very frightened of and yet can't help but pity. Injustice was done to her and the ending was justifiable when in the end I felt Tun was a pig.

The scary moments, from the truly all out frigtening (woman with bloody face and long hair walking upside down on the ceiling is simply against nature and for that fact alone it is scary, spirit on the shoulder), seen it all but still scary (that crawling on bed, crawling on ladder, etc) and best of all subtle scary (such as strange figure in a picture, taking pictures of an empty space and there was a figure in it!). However my vote for super freaky moment was when Tun was alone in the dark room developing pictures and suddenly a girl stood next to him whom he assumed was Jane and then the phone rang and he ran out and took the phone and it was Jane saying she would be late, so who was that in the dark room?!?!??!).

The ending, the mother of all endings in a horror movie in recent years.

However it had its cheap and bad moments. The same sounding names, the overlong not very scary moment when in the studio in complete darkness Tun went beserk and the nasal sounding actress. In fact someone told me, and I am trying not to sound too offensive that the Thais can't really speak with a sultry husky voice because of the language. I agree.

And of course the awful acting by the lead actor, Ananda Everingham. Looks handsome far far away, up close too many moles on his face. Looks mixed, name seems to suggest he is mixed but by god, his acting was awful. Luckily he only had to look frightened. If it had been a better actor, maybe there could be a tiny hint that perhaps Tun is really a pig instead of looking handsome and frighetened. If there was a Tun, I believe he to be a man of questionable character from his conduct without even looking at his past.

But other than that, the movie is in fine form and one of those rare horror movies which is truly scary with a story and highly entertaining and more importantly with a ghost that one could find themselves cheering on with the haunting and all. Look, Tun and his friends deserved it. And the ultimate best is Jane was left alone. She was more like the messenger.

My question that remains unanswered is why Natre took 10 years to exact revenge? What tipped her? Or was she always there?

Verdict
A must watch movie and be prepared to be spooked! As for the remake, read the story, seems like an exact copy except for a change her and there. The choice is yours but do watch originals please!

Fact
The photos in the movies were real. Whether the ghosts were real is not the question but they were submitted by real people. Somehow I tend to believe them since how come at a wedding there is a huge space between two people eh? Scary. I am afraid to take polaroids of my room now.

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MAIDEN'S VOW [TVB][E][INCOMPLETE]

Written by Funn Lim


SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Click the link below to go to the Episodic Thoughts of this series (incomplete, up until episode 7). There is no full review available for this series.

>>EPISODIC THOUGHTS <<

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CJ7 [Mov] [Chi]

Written by Funn Lim


"My conclusion is whatever Stephen Chow offers, I will accept."







SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Released In
2008 (1st day of CNY!!)

Version
The following is a review of the Cantonese version. I always prefer to watch Stephen Chow un-dubbed.

Origin
Hong Kong I suppose.

Director
Stephen Chow

Writers
Stephen Chow (writer)
Chi Keung Fung (writer)

Cast List
Stephen Chow ... Ti
Min Hun Fung ... P. E. Teacher
Chi Chung Lam ... The Boss
Shing-Cheung Lee ... Mr. Cao
Jiao Xu ... Dicky
Kitty Zhang Yuqi ... Miss Yuen

Interestingly the other children were not listed in IMDB.com.

Summary
A poor Chinese laborer learns important lessons after his son gets a strange new toy.

Not accurate at all. It is a son of a poor Chinese labourer learns the value of love and sacrifice when his poor Chinese labourer father brought home what was seemingly a junk toy which turns out to be an alien dog left behind by a spaceship where the boy nicknaked the alien dog, Cheung Gong 7, thus the title CJ7 (as in Chang Jiang Chi Hau - mandarin version).

More info
Imdb.com where I submitted a similar shorter review. See if you find my review.

An Observation
The trailer(s) and even the TMO revealed very very little about the contents of the movie. In fact the focus was really on the alien dog but very little on everyone or everything else. I thought the TMO was boring but the trailer brilliant because I am sick of those hollywood trailers that basically shows all the best clips, the entire story in the space of 3 minutes or so. Stephen Chow kept the trailer to the minimum and his name alone to attract viewers. May not work in foreign countries but who cares. In China despite the snow storm this movie opened the biggest for a very long time so that speaks volumes. I seriously think the box office in Asia alone is enough for this movie. I am sick of those nitwits complaining about the trailer, the lack of humour, the lack of Stephen Chow's screen time, the lack of this, the lack of that. Look! Name me another Hk movie worth your time and I shall predict that movie is either an adaptation of some Japanese manga, triad movie or some silly boring love story starring singers who can't act and actors who can't act. Enough said.

Comments
This movie was one of my most eagerly anticipated movie of the year and it opened in Malaysia on the 1st day of Chinese New Year. My entire family went, the cinema was packed with not just Chinese but Indians and Malays since slapstick humour is universal in its appeal and then the movie began. I don't know what happened to Stephen Chow but ever since he made King Of Comedy, every film after had his deeply personal touch, like almost a clue into the man himself. He has yet to make a bad film since, the good of the film is of course the variable in the equation. Truth is I am a big fan of his. I followed his career since the 1st day and since I was a child. I grew up watching his TV series, movies, appearances and to see him transforming from a very good dramatic actor to great comedian to a very good storyteller and a great director was indeed a privilege. With money, studio backing and age he seems to settle down to making movies he wants to make and yet the movies he wants to make is also highly entertaining.

CJ7 is a highly entertaining movie. Many compared it to ET. I find it has no similarity to ET except for the obvious nod to the idea of ET, cute alien and cute children in the story. Personally I never liked ET. The central theme in CJ7 to me is more like Lilo & Stitch, an alien dog befriending a young child and in the process teaches the child the value of family and sacrifice. The story I do not think I need to repeat. It is a simple premise that all parents, especially Asian parents would be able to identify; single poor father working hard to ensure a better future for his only child who was humiliated in school simply because of his clothes, his finances. Some reviewers complained the story about the bullying at school was too simplistic, I in turn find them very real. In Asian school system where everyone wears the same uniform, how one arrives at the school is very telling. This movie began with mercedes benz arriving at the school and the status issue is further emphasised with clothes, school bags and even the latest toys. If adults could sneer at another who does not have the latest I-phone or cars, more so children.

However what is wonderful about the process of this movie lies beyond just the superficial. It shows children although mean at first are capable of recognising a friend and an equal. I love the scenes of tenderness between father and son. Without much money and no TV, their source of entertainment was killing cockroaches. Scary but apparently derived from Stephen Chow's own childhood. In fact like King Of Comedy, I believe this may be Stephen Chow's most personal movie yet. It shows.

The winning element of this movie is of course not just the special effects (totally awesome by the way and only Stephen Chow could blend live action, CGI and all the special effects without overwhelming the audience and the CGI is used to enhance the story and not the other way around) but the acting themselves. So the ladies had little time, less and less in each of his new movie but more and more prettier if I may add, it was the little girl who played a boy that was perhaps the very reason why this movie is so good. I watched the Cantonese version which meant it was dubbed but it was very well dubbed actually. Xu Jiao was not just cute, but also handsome in a boyish way, tall for her age but looks believably skinny as a poor malnourished boy and her actions were boyishly charming. She plays a good son who became wayward for a short while when he thought CJ7 could help him achieve what he wants without much effort. She was in almost every single scene and yet she was totally mesmerizing. Towards the end in that one single scene when he was told of a news that no child should ever hear, her performance reaches the zenith with almost perfection. If this kid is not nominated for the Golden Horse or what not, I don't think anyone should. She is of course ably supported by other child actors, one of whom plays the snotty rich boy to hilarious result and a huge girl with a tiny girlish voice. I find the focus on the children were very welcomed. The adults did just as well although very few scenes.

Now the star is of course the alien dog, CJ7. I can't find the plush toy version, disappointingly and I hope it will be released soon because that alien is just so cute. Yes it looks a little bit like Chicken Little but more pet-ish. No dialogue but very expressive and there was even a spoof scene of King Of Comedy by that cute alien dog. The technology may not be the greatest but for a film from Asia, I find CJ7 very well designed and of course very lifelike.

To those who feels this movie is catered for children, well that may be true. But there were moments of intense drama and frankly I think this movie is also catered for adults who once had that kind of childhood. This movie shows positive values, that no matter how poor, integrity is first and foremost and I think that makes this movie beyond the understanding of a child but it is for an adult to appreciate and to explain to the child the significance of what the father told the son repeatedly.

It is not Stephen Chow's best film, that is King Of Comedy nor is it as fancy as Kung Fu Hustle which in itself is an excellent movie. But it is better than most of the competition out there because it is cute, it is fun, it is funny and more importantly it is personal. It is like a small window to Stephen Chow's soul and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My conclusion is whatever Stephen Chow offers, I will accept. My compliments to Mr Chow too for being an excellent casting director. He has yet to make a bad casting call thus far and my respect too for his ability to step aside to let the lesser known to shine. He was never one to grab the limelight and eventhough in this movie his role is significantly smaller than his all other movies combine, he is still a star with screen presence. And that I admire him more because being such a huge star he could still step aside and let a little girl, a little alien dog and a bunch of children and adults alike to dominate the screen instead of himself so as to allow the story to flow smoothly. That what makes him a great director.

A must watch for all fans of a good movie worthy of the price of a ticket.

Verdict
Go now! Go! And get me that CJ7 plush toy NOW!

Trivia
Interestingly Xu Jiao is actually a girl playing a boy. I was wondering why, no boys can play boys? Well I am convinced. She is a very cute boy, handsome as well. She cried when she was told she had to cut her long hair but she still do it because even as a 9 year old she knew opportunity like this is rare to come by. Stephen Chow famous for his hot temper on the set actually mellowed because he was dealing with children. He was also famous for not liking children since his debut work was as a children show's host and he was rather rude to them. But he ages I suppose he mellowed down although he is still not a father. He likes Xu Jiao so much she is now his god daughter! You must admire him; he knows talent when he sees one.

And by the way I read in the net that the rich boy and the bully henchboy of the rich boy are both girls!! And the big girl with the tiny voice is actually a boy!! What a gender bender film!! But they were all excellent.

I saw the TMO, the scenes with the kids were filmed in Mandarin whilst his scenes alone or with HK actors were filmed in Cantonese. So I am sure there is a Mandarin and a Cantonese version. In the Cantonese version, the girl's voice was dubbed but excellently dubbed whilst in Mandarin version, Stephen's voice was dubbed, but poorly dubbed. So I definitely recommend Cantonese version because only some lines can be delievered in Stephen's own voice.

Most Favourite Line from The Movie
"We children don't need to let the adults know everything". It was a very witty line poorly reproduced here. But most favourite was towards the end when something not very good happened to CJ7, the boy asked the father what to do and the father exclaimed "Hah? Ran out of battery??". Very funny.

SPOILERS ALERT. The ending is...
Please left click your mouse, drag it from ** to ** to read the contents below.

** Huh? was my first reaction. I really didn't get the ending but seeing the possibility of so many variants of CJ7 in plush toys just got me really excited. Anyway what's the ending? CJ7's soul went back to his mothership and he survived there although he left a doll like shell? Huh? But I was very moved by CJ7's sacrifice to revive the father who was killed at the construction site because even an alien knows a child can't live without his parent. He can't be an orphan because he would be all alone. That scene where Dicky cried and cried to sleep when he heard of his father's death was so sad I think almost everyone in the cinema was very quiet and some were quietly sobbing. Anyway that thing about the ending for the alien is the only bad spot of this movie. Someone care to explain their theories? **

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