Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Movie Review - RED 2

RED2

Releasing on 1 Aug 2013, this American action comedy film is the sequel to the 2010 film RED.

Retired and Extremely Dangerous (RED), was inspired by the limited comic book series of the same name, created by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, and published by the DC Comics imprint Homage. The film stars Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Byung Hun Lee, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren.

Watch the official trailer.

RED 2

Plot Summary
In "RED 2," the high-octane action-comedy sequel to the worldwide sleeper hit, retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device. To succeed, they'll need to survive an army of relentless assassins, ruthless terrorists and power-crazed government officials, all eager to get their hands on the next-generation weapon. The mission takes Frank and his motley crew to Paris, London and Moscow. Outgunned and outmanned, they have only their cunning wits, their old-school skills, and each other to rely on as they try to save the world-and stay alive in the process.

My Review
I didn’t watch RED in 2010, so without the prior expectation of this movie, I really liked RED 2. Sad to say that one of my favourite actors, Morgan Freeman did not return for this sequel, but the additions of Oscar winners like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Anthony Hopkins did make a perfect replacement.

Basically this is an action movie with bullets, explosions and car chases. Bruce Willis returns as Frank Moses. I like his character but it does seems to be a tad similar to his previous movies. His interaction with Mary-Louise Parker (Sarah) was quite comical at times, with the civilian girlfriend messing up with the operations at times.

Byung Hun Lee played the hired assassin and has easily the coolest moves in this movie. Probably more known for his role as Storm Shadow in G.I. Joe, Byung Hun has really made a name for himself to be not only a good-looking Korean actor but also an actor that probably deserve himself a main cast movie. Not forgetting that body to die for.

But out of the entire cast, the person who stole the show is John Malkovich who plays Marvin, the ex-spy buddy of Frank. He definitely won my vote for being the main contributor for the comedy portion of RED 2. Not only just the humour, but he was truly the heart and soul of the movie, making the film not a disaster.

The rest of the cast is Catherine Zeta-Jones as a Russian agent and former lover of Frank. Helen Mirren as a retired English secret agent, Victoria. For her age, Helen definitely looks great. Neal McDonough as an American agent who will torture anyone to justify his means. And finally Anthony Hopkins, I will leave his part out for some suspense when you watch the movie.

Overall, RED 2 is not a bad show, can’t be too bad with so many mega stars in one show. It would be a good show for a group of friends to watch together, because it combines just the right amount of romance, comedy and action, suitable for everyone.

Popcorn Popcorn Popcorn

Runtime: 115 min
Rating: TBC
Director: Dean Parisot
Cast: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker with Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Byung Hun Lee, Brian Cox, Neal McDonough
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Adaptation, Sequel, Thriller
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Official Site:
http://red-themovie.com/

Friday, July 26, 2013

Nickelodeon Slime Cup @ Downtown East

Sponsored by SingTel Mio TV, Nickelodeon announced the launch of their first Nickelodeon Slime Cup in Singapore and Southeast Asia, bringing their unique brand of fun for kids and families to promote family life.

Slime Cup

We were invited to join in the fun but sadly, we only managed to attend the event on the second day and missed out on certain highlights. But still the girls were more than happy to be involved in some actions. Goodie bags are always a winner with kids, especially those with their favourite TV cartoon characters.

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The event was held over two days last weekend at D’Marquee @ Downtown East. This family event featured some sports-oriented games booths like, football, baseball & basketball, all weaved into simple but yet fun elements for the children.

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I think Jayne can do well in football, can you see her well developed calves in the photos? Her poise was also good.

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Joey  & Jayne took a swing at the baseball game booth. This is the first time I see a baseball game booth for the kids, and I have to say I am very impressed with the design of the booth. The slanting slope to enable the balls to row back and towards the middle. The air blowing out from a vent to hold up the ball for the kids to swing. Ingenious!

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Jayne was slightly short for the bouncy basketball booth. She just climbed up on the side and tried to slam dunk. Cheeky but clever =)

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Next up was the mini-obstacle course, Jayne gave up on trying, probably a wise decision too. But Joey zipped through the tyres’ obstacles so fast, I was only able to catch a photo of her right at the end of the course. Amazing!

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The main highlight for both the girls was to meet their ‘idol’ in person. Both of them were so attentive to the instructions given on how to welcome the ‘guests’.

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And they were duly rewarded when Spongebob and Patrick came out to meet their fans for a photo session. Even Kless was also dragged up to meet the cute characters from Bikini Bottoms.

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There was a friendly 5-a-side futsal match for the inaugural Nickelodeon Slime Cup trophy (which we missed).

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Photo credit: Viacom International Media Networks

Futsal 1

Special performances.

Futsal 2

And the familiar characters from Nickelodeon showcasing their futsal skills.

Cartoon

Cartoon 1 Cartoon 2

It was another fun day out for the girls. Though it was tiring, both girls slept soundly on the way home, as a father, all is worth it when you can see a smile on your child’s face and a simple ‘thank you’ after an event like this.

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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Bank Bar & Bristo

Looking for a quiet place for breakfast or brunch? Recommend a perfect place in Shenton Way that serves excellent food and without the crowd over the weekends.

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Starting in July 2013, The Bank is offering their weekend special from 11am – 6pm, for every paying adult (have to order a main course), one child (under 12 years old) gets to eat for free from the kids’ menu.

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An additional incentive for parents to bring their kids is the children room specially prepared to cater for them. You can either in the comfort of the restaurant or try out the alfresco style dining experience while looking into the children’s room.

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The bar is well stocked up with all kinds of drinks for the casual drinkers or the serious ones too.

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But we were there not for the drinks (maybe next time without the kids). The main deal was the weekend Succulent Roast & Hearty Breakfast.

The Succulent Roast includes either the Roast Chicken set or the Sirloin Steak Set, both accompanied with dessert, in this case the Homemade Vanilla Cheesecake.

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I chose from the Hearty Breakfast menu, The Bank Breakfast set. It was really a hearty meal filled with bacon, cheese sausage, ham, hash brown, pan-fried potatoes & mushrooms, omelette and 2 slides of bread.

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The girls chose their favourite bolognaise pasta with apple juice.

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Since we were there to try out the breakfast menu, it has to be the super fluffy pancake/ waffles. I will definitely recommend this dish. It is just a happy thought to have pancakes for breakfast.

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No meals with the girls will be complete without ice-creams.

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There you go, another nice quiet place for a undisturbed brunch. Give it a try.

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The Bank
One Shenton, #01-01, 1 Shenton Way, S(068803)
Sat-Thu: 11am - 12am
Fri: 11am - 1am

Monday, July 22, 2013

NDP Theme Songs - 1984 to 2013

One of the annual hype of NDP is the NDP Theme Song. This year marks our Nation’s 48th birthday and the theme is “Many Stories… One Singapore”. The theme is selected to show the unity of all Singaporeans to celebrate what makes us Singapore.

ndp2013

With the theme in mind, this year’s NDP Theme Song, “One Singapore” brings us through some of the hopes and dreams of different Singaporeans, and showcases the dynamic and distinct natures of our people. This is reflective of the Sing A Nation choir, which is made up of ordinary Singaporeans from diverse backgrounds with different dreams.

One Singapore

NDP 2013 Theme Song - One Singapore
Music by: Elaine Chan
Lyrics by: Selena Tan
Performed by: Sing A Nation Choir
Directed by: Jason Joseph

First impression of the song: Not a very catchy tune, in fact personally I think it is very high school musical style (maybe my girls will love it). Some of my friends even commented that it was slightly childish. I think the important thing is to continue to encourage local musicians, song-writers, composers to do what they are doing and give them due credit. It will never be possible to write a song that pleases everyone, even a small nation like ours.

Having said all, IMHO, the older NDP songs are more heartfelt and easier to remember. Maybe I am getting too old for this year’s song.

For comparison sake, I have pasted the previous years’ NDP theme songs for your viewing pleasure.

NDP 2012 Theme Song - Love At First Light
Music by: Iskandar Ismail
Lyrics by: Paul Tan
Performed by: Olivia Ong, Natanya Tan
Directed by: Aaron Tan Mien Shawn

Love At First Light

NDP 2011 Theme Song - In A Heartbeat
Music by: Goh Kheng Long
Lyrics by: Haresh Sharma
Performed by: Sylvia Ratonel
Directed by: Brian Gothong Tan

In A Heartbeat

NDP 2010 Theme Song – Song For Singapore
Performed by: Corrinne May

Song For Singapore

NDP 2009 Theme Song – What Do You See
Performed by: Electrico

What Do You See

国庆庆典 2009 主题歌 - 就在这里
演唱者:陈伟联

就在这里

NDP 2008 Theme Song – Shine For Singapore
Performed by: Hady Mirza

Shine For Singapore

 

国庆庆典 2008 主题歌 - 晴空万里
演唱者:蔡淳佳

晴空万里

First time in NDP history, there are two official theme songs instead of one in the year 2007.

NDP 2007 Theme Song – There’s No Place I’d Rather Be
Performed by: Kit Chan

There’s No Place I’d Rather Be

NDP 2007 Theme Song – Will You
Performed by: Janani Sridhar, Asha Edmund, Emma Yong, Lily Anna Rahmat, Jai Wahab, Shabir Mohammaed, Sebastian Tan and Gani Karim

Will You

NDP 2006 Theme Song – My Island Home
Performed by: Kaira Gong

My Island Home

国庆庆典 2006 主题歌 - 幸福的图形
演唱者:龚诗嘉

幸福的图形

NDP 2005 Theme Song – Reach Out For The Skies
Performed by: Rui En and Taufik

Reach Out For The Skies

国庆庆典 2005 主题歌 - 勇敢向前飞
演唱者:瑞恩

勇敢向前飞

NDP 2004 Theme Song – Home
Performed by: Young Voices

Home

国庆庆典 2004 主题歌 - 家
演唱者:陈洁仪、林俊杰

NDP 2003 Theme Song – One United People
Performed by: Stefanie Sun

One United People

国庆庆典 2003 主题歌 - 全心全意
演唱者:孙燕姿

全心全意

NDP 2002 Theme Song – We Will Get There
Performed by: Stefanie Sun

We Will Get There

国庆庆典 2002 主题歌 - 一起走到
演唱者:孙燕姿

一起走到

NDP 2001 Theme Song – Where I Belong
Performed by: Tanya Chua

Where I Belong

国庆庆典 2001 主题歌 - 属于
演唱者:蔡健雅

属于

NDP 2000 Theme Song – Shine On Me
Performed by: Jai Wahab and Mavis Hee

Shine On Me

国庆庆典 2000 主题歌 - 星月
演唱者:许美静

星月

NDP 1999 Theme Song – Together
Performed by: Evelyn Tan and Dreamz FM

Together

国庆庆典 1999 主题歌 - 心连心
演唱者:陈毓云、梦飞船

心连心

NDP 1998 Theme Song – Home
Performed by: Kit Chan

Home

国庆庆典 1998 主题歌 - 家
演唱者:陈洁仪

This is the classic era, where everyone, young or old will know these songs.

NDP 1990 Theme Song – One People, One Nation, One Singapore

One People, One Nation, One Singapore

NDP 1987 & 1988 Theme Song – We Are Singapore
Performed by: onathan Tan, Roslinda Baharudin, Anne Weerapass and Robert Fernando

We Are Singapore

NDP 1986 Theme Song – Count On Me Singapore
Performed by: Clement Chow

Count On Me Singapore

NDP 1984 & 1985 Theme Song – Stand Up For Singapore

Stand Up For Singapore

Hope you enjoyed all the NDP songs! Happy Birthday Singapore!