Movies I Watched In 2016

1. Moon
2. Room
3. Everest
4. The Visit
5. Spotlight
6. Sinister 2 
7. Deadpool
8. Lights Out
9. Black Mass
10. Interchange
11. Meadowland
12. The Big Heat
13. The Big Short
14. Daddy's Home
15. The Revenant
16. Doctor Strange
17. The Hateful Eight
18. X-Men: Apocalypse
19. Insidious: Chapter 3
20. Where To Invade Next
21. The Magnificent Seven
22. Straight Outta Compton 
23. A Hologram For The King
24. Captain America: Civil War
25. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
26. H.G. Well's The Time Machine
27. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
28. Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice
29. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension

Movies I Watched In 2015

1. '71
2. Wild
3. Frank
4. Selma
5. Sicario
6. The Gift
7. Ant-Man
8. Big Eyes
9. Boyhood
10. Whiplash
11. Polis Evo
12. Good Kill 
13. Big Game
14. The DUFF
15. It Follows
16. Black Sea
17. Still Alice
18. 99 Homes
19. John Wick
20. True Story
21. Slow West
22. Inside Out
23. Margin Call
24. Ex Machina
25. Foxcatcher
26. The Voices
27. The Infidel
28. Unfriended
29. Pacific Rim
30. Unexpected
31. The Martian
32. Begin Again
33. Ruby Sparks
34. Night Moves
35. The F Word
36. San Andreas
37. Life Partners
38. Run All Night
39. Inherent Vice
40. Into The Wild
41. Love & Mercy
42. Fantastic Four
43. Blue Valentine
44. Predestination
45. Pitch Perfect 2
46. Life After Beth
47. The Big Combo
48. Bridge Of Spies
49. Into The Woods
50. The Loved Ones
51. Out Of The Past
52. American Sniper
53. Horrible Bosses 2
54. Mientras Duermes
55. The Normal Heart
56. While We're Young
57. Terbaik Dari Langit
58. A Most Violent Year
59. Deux Jour, Une Nuit
60. The Imitation Game
61. Mad Max: Fury Road
62. Devil In A Blue Dress
63. They Came Together
64. Nymph()maniac Vol 1
65. Nymph()maniac Vol 2
66. Escape From Tomorrow
67. Magic In The Moonlight
68. Avengers: Age Of Ultron
69. The Lady From Shanghai
70. La Môme (La Vie en Rose) 
71. The Theory Of Everything
72. Big Trouble In Little China
73. To Write Love On Her Arms
74. Star Wars: A Force Awakens
75. Kingsman: The Secret Service
76. The Stanford Prison Experiment
77. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
78. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
79. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Onward 2014!

1. 42
2. Her
3. 300
4. Filth
5. Chef
6. RIPD
7. Cuak
8. Easy A
9. Oculus
10. Lincoln
11. Pompeii
12. Godzilla 
13. Don Jon
14. RoboCop
15. Palo Alto
16. Monsters
17. Gone Girl
18. Draft Day 
19. Annabelle
20. Battleship 
21. Neighbors
22. Maleficent
23. Interstellar
24. Disconnect 
25. You're Next
26. Nightcrawler
27. Blue Jasmine
28. Willow Creek
29. The Equalizer
30. The Interview
31. Obvious Child
32. The Babadook
33. 22 Jump Street
34. The Lego Movie
35. American Hustle
36. The Book Of Life
37. Saving Mr Banks
38. The Maze Runner
39. Million Dollar Arm
40. Dallas Buyers Club
41. Wolf Of Wall Street
42. Beautiful Creatures
43. The Purge: Anarchy
44. Habitacion en Roma 
45. Frankenstein's Army
46. The Raid 2: Berandal
47. Lee Daniels' The Butler  
48. 300: Rise Of An Empire
49. Penguins Of Madagascar 
50. Guardians Of The Galaxy
51. The Grand Budapest Hotel 
52. X-Men: Days Of Future Past
53. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For
54. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 
55. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
56. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1   

2013 Movies List Starts Now!

Hello 2013. New year, new fiancé and by end of the third quarter, new wife. But that won't stop me from watching movies now, would it?

1. KIL
2. Mud
3. Argo
4. Bully
5. Dredd
6. Flight
7. Shame
8. Trance
9. Skyfall
10. Gravity
11. Elysium
12. Sinister
13. Lawless
14. Haywire
15. The Bay
16. The Mist
17. Kolumpo
18. Smashed
19. Killer Joe
20. Hitchcock
21. The Purge
22. Manhunter
23. Iron Man 3
24. Possession
25. The Master
26. The Hunter
27. About Time
28. Trolljegeren
29. Side Effects
30. The Dictator
31. Pitch Perfect
32. World War Z
33. Man Of Steel
34. The Sessions
35. Warm Bodies
36. The American
37. The Conjuring
38. Puss In Boots
39. The Wolverine 
40. The Campaign
41. The Internship 
42. It's A Disaster
43. Les Misérables
44. Spring Breakers
45. This Is The End
46. The World's End
47. Drag Me To Hell
48. Zero Dark Thirty
49. The Deer Hunter
50. Drinking Buddies
51. Now You See Me
52. We're The Millers
53. Django Unchained
54. Killing Them Softly
55. Sound Of My Voice
56. Seven Psychopaths
57. Return To Paradise
58. G.I. Joe: Retaliation
59. Glengarry Glen Ross
60. A Place At The Table
61. Thor: The Dark World 
62. Silver Linings Playbook
63. Star Trek Into Darkness
64. Celeste & Jesse Forever
65. The Man With The Iron Fists
66. The Perks of Being A Wallflower
67. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
68. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 

The 2012 Heck-I'm-Already-Working Movie Marathon

Well, I think this blog spot should be renamed as Heck-I'm-Gonna-Get-Engaged Movie Marathon but we'll just keep it at that. Well, let me sign-off the year with this list of movies I've watched so let's keep 2013 rollin'!

1. Ted
2. Looper
3. Chow Kit
4. Inside Job
5. Young Adult
6. Prometheus
7. Bridesmaids
8. Up In The Air
9. Pitch Perfect
10. Batman Begins
11. The Blind Side
12. 21 Jump Street
13. Sleeping Beauty
14. Friends With Kids
15. God Bless America
16. The Expendables 2
17. The Whistleblower
18. The Dark Knight Rises
19. Marvel's The Avengers
20. The Raid: Redemption
21. Safety Not Guaranteed
22. Take Me Home Tonight
23. Aku, Dia & Tong Sampah 
24. The Five-Year Engagement 
25. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

1Malaysia

I'm 1/2 Malay, 1/4 Chinese and 1/4 Mamak.

That makes me lazy, greedy and a liar.

Back In Malaysia Movie Marathon

Phew-wee! It's been close to a year now since I've graduated from Penn State & from June 2011 right up until now, I've watched 50 movies now. If you'd notice, I also watched a number of local films with the latest being Dain Said's "Bunohan" which is an art house flick filled with family values. I guess the next time I blog, it'll be another list of movies I've watched (I hope not). Enjoy!

1. Paul
2. Exam
3. 50/50
4. Drive
5. Bunohan
6. Insidious
7. Win Win
8. The Thing
9. Moneyball
10. Contagion
11. Parit Jawa
12. Hard Candy
13. KL Gangster
14. Fright Night
15. Falling Down  
16. Source Code
17. Garden State
18. Cedar Rapids
19. Ombak Rindu
20. Wag The Dog
21. Hunger Games
22. The Salton Sea
23. Sini Ada Hantu!
24. Horrible Bosses
25. This Means War
26. Anu Dalam Botol
27. Midnight In Paris  
28. Attack The Block  
29. X-Men: First Class
30. Cowboys & Aliens
31. The Ides Of March 
32. High Plains Drifter
33. Final Destination 5
34. Rabbit-Proof Fence
35. Everything Must Go
36. Crazy, Stupid, Love  
37. The Kids Are Alright
38. A Dangerous Method 
    
39. Paranormal Activity 3
40. The Adjustment Bureau
41. She's Out Of My League
42. Underworld: Awakening
43. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
44. Martha Marcy May Marlene 
45. The Manchurian Candidate
46. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon
47. Captain America: The First Avenger
48. Taqwacore - The Birth Of Punk Islam
49. The Myth of The American Sleepover
50. POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold 

Spring '11 Movie List Part Deux

The final stretch. Here are the movies that I've watched before ending my almost three-year stint in the United States & heading back to home. It's a genre mish-mash of very old, quite old and new movies; looks like IMDB's Top 250 can't cut it for me already. Need to venture to pastures new. Time to dive into indie/experimental/surrealist movies, then?

1. Thor
2. Super
3. Carrie
4. Scream
5. Gasland
6. Mad Max
7. Sunshine
8. Insidious
9. Scream 2
10. True Grit
11. The Killers
12. Videodrome
13. Funny People
14. Man Push Cart
15. Raising Arizona
16. Blue Moon Rising
17. Good Will Hunting
18. Hobo With A Shotgun
19. The Manchurian Candidate
20. Exit Through The Gift Shop
21. The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2)
22. Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari
23. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome(Mad Max 3)

Five Things To Look Forward To In Malaysia

So here I am. Just a few days away from ending my stint here at the United States of America. Before I start babbling about the things that I'm gonna miss here, I'd like to preview the things that I really look forward to once my MH 0095 touches down at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on May 30. I'm not gonna mention food because we all know Malaysia has the best foods ever (except the Philly cheesesteak & Primanti sandwiches, of course)! 

1. The Call For Prayers / Azan - one thing that really strikes me here is that I was living in a nation where Muslims are the minorities' minority. Other than major cities, finding a mosque is pretty difficult more so hearing the call for prayers. Malaysia, being a predominantly Muslim country, has plentiful of mosques & surau such that the azan can be heard five times a day everyday. What I love about the azan is how it separates the day into different time frames & how Malay-Muslims would shape their day based on these segments. Lunchtime is usually set around zohor, evening activities set after asar & the end of these activities set when maghrib begins. You would definitely have heard or used phrases such as "Let's play football with the gang after asar" or "I have to be back home by maghrib," no?
2. Tropicalia - I have to admit: I have the warm tropical blood in me. The blood that thrives on the abundance of heat, humidity & sunlight. Some of my fellow brethren complain about the excessive heat nature sometimes put upon us but I'd rather take that than going through a dark, cold & unforgiving winter. Yes, I do get SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder or what you mortals call "winter depression" & yes, I do realize that I was not built for that climate. As much as I love the changing of the four seasons, I prefer mine to be hot, sticky & bright all year long.
3. Rainstorms & Monsoons - But at the same time, I do enjoy the annual monsoon season back at my hometown of Kuantan. Usually reserved as an end-of-the-year event, those gloomy clouds literally pour their hearts out sometimes a week without end but mostly days before the sun peeks out to check on how everyone is doing only to be shooed away by more gloomy clouds. The incessant barrage of water makes it a perfect mood to be melancholic as you sit down at your verandah sipping a cup of tea enjoying the grateful croaking of frogs while the noisy rain eventually turns out to be soothing, later becoming a background to the wet days ahead.
4. Barclays Premier League & 24-Hour Mamak Culture - what's the cheapest best thing for a Malaysian male to do on Saturday night?  Watch English footy at your local mamak shop, of course. Yes, there are "high-end" places for one to watch football but that's only reserved for rich poser snobs. Everyone knows that it is totally acceptable for anyone, from any race, religion or social class, to watch a game at a mamak shop. The food & fan fare cannot be missed especially when a big game comes around as you can witness a bunch of Asians, who most have never set foot in their teams' stadium let alone set foot in England, celebrating a goal scored by a team halfway around the world. Globalization, eh? Oh, and about these mamak shops open for 24 hours: well yeah, it's good that late night junkies can get food at odd hours but it also contributes to us Malaysians having an unhealthy diet of oily foods & sugary drinks. But isn't that other countries' problems too? Globalization, eh?
5. Hey Little Girl, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend - Out of all the things that I'm looking forward to when I come back, this must be the most exciting for me. I'm venturing into the uncharted territories of being in a relationship ever since I asked her to be my partner (which she comically accepted) on new year's day (talk about an easy anniversary date). Why uncharted territories, you ask? In my 23 years of existence, she's the first. I will now finally be able to see whether I can fully cherish another person other than my family, meet that green-eyed monster called jealousy & explore a previously undiscovered side of me. The realist in me knows that good times and bad times are ahead but here's to the future with you, Ayumi!

Kuman & Gajah

Aku cukup tak puas hati apabila kawan aku tetiba mintak aku belanja dia. Tanpa apa-apa sebab. Kalau ada sebab pun mesti alasan merepek macam "Ala, ko kan kaya" atau "Ko kan dah lama tak belanja aku." Yang aku peliknya, sejak bila orang macam ni ada hak nak MINTAK orang lain belanja dia sewenang-wenangnya? Yang lagi dahsyat bila orang tu mintak dengan muka penuh keyakinan tanpa segan-silu seolah-olah kawan dia tu mesin ATM. Bagi aku, tak salah nak belanja orang tapi biarlah kawan ko tu belanja ko atas dasar keikhlasan hati dia nak melihat kawan dia gembira melapah sepinggan timbunan nasi kandar. Ni tak, tetiba je "Weh, belanja aku makan." Inikan angin tak bertiup, tetiba je ko DISURUH untuk mengeluarkan duit ko yang ko simpan lama nak beli kasut baru supaya orang lain kenyang. Orang boleh debat, kasi kawan makan ni sedekah. Aku boleh cakap: hidup kawan aku ni bukan kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang. Kalau diorang betul-betul susah atau miskin, simpati tu ada & aku akan belanja makan. Tapi kalau nak 1) dengan tak malunya mintak orang belanja & 2) mintak tanpa sebab yang kukuh, minta maaf lah "kawan."

*****

Masa aku balik Malaysia bulan Disember lepas, aku ada berbincang dengan ayah aku pasal kenapa orang Malaysia lebih tahu pasal isu-isu sedunia berbanding orang Amerika Syarikat yang dijadikan bahan jenaka kerana kebanyakan daripada mereka buta geografi dan tak peka kepada berita antarabangsa. Lepas dua tahun lebih aku tinggal kat sini aku nampak memang ada kebenaran kepada tesis ayah aku tetapi apa yang rakyat Amerika kurang dalam hal-hal seantero mereka sangat peka dan ghairah terhadap isu negara, terutamanya dalam skop negeri dan komuniti setempat. Sebaliknya berlaku kat Malaysia: kita tahu lebih kurang semua aspek dalam kebangkitan rakyat Mesir terhadap Hosni Mubarak tetapi berapa ramai yang tahu pasal pembinaan loji pemprosesan tanah jarang yang membawa kesan radioaktif di Kuantan? Satu lagi contoh yang aku perasan adalah kat Facebook, rata-rata ramai rakan dan kenalan aku letak "politik sux!" atau "aku benci politik" kat ruangan fahaman politik di bahagian maklumat. Nak atau tidak, korang tak boleh "benci" politik sebab perkara ini secara langsung akan mempengaruhi masa depan korang lebih-lebih lagi dari sudut ekonomi sebab para politikus ni lah yang akan mentadbir dan menguruskan negara (aku lebih memihak kepada ideologi Plato dalam buku The Republic di mana dia impikan cendekiawan yang menerajui negara; seorang Penganalisis Kewangan dilantak sebagai Menteri Kewangan tak masuk akal ke?). Bak kata pepatah: kuman seberang laut nampak, gajah depan mata tak nampak. Dan bak kata Si Tanpa Nama: lu fikirlah sendiri.

*****

Aku tak pakai telefon pintar. Aku masih tetap setia dengan Nokia 5310 Xpress Music yang mempunyai papan kekunci "klasik" mengikut standard sekarang. Aku mengharap satu masa nanti telefon-telefon pintar ni semua rosak & hanya telefon-telefon "old school" yang masih berfungsi & orang-orang "old school" ni lah yang akan menyelamatkan keadaan. Macam John McClane dalam Die Hard 4.0: bila orang jahat guna segala teknologi canggih untuk menimbulkan kekacauan, En. McClane menggunakan taktik dan helah 90-an dia untuk menumbangkan musuh yang serba canggih ni. Analogi merepek kan?