RIP Brittany Murphy

I won't say I'm exactly a huge fan of hers but have seen quite a couple of her movies, or at least most of what that was shown here in Singapore. The most recent one was that Ramien Girl flick, something that I did not strike a liking with at first impression but was surprise to see the good ratings given by local critiques.

This was also the same perky, spirited girl who is also seen in Girl Interrupted (which she plays a lesbian), slasher flick Cherry Falls, Riding in the car with Boys, 8 Mile (that Eminem movie), Just Married, Uptown Girls and Don't Say A Word among many others, some funny, some inspiring, some thought provoking while some are just easily forgettable.

And yes, she can sing too. She is a member of band, Blessed Souls, in the 90's and has also perform for the opening of 2002 MTV Movie awards. Talented, young, beautiful, like many other Hollywood celebrities, and surrounded by her fair share of rumours and gossip, in particularly concerning her failed relationships/enagagements before she got married to script writer, Simon Monjock.

What makes me remember most about her was her personality, her screen presence and her smile. She is like both a woman and a girl on screen, switching effortlessly from different roles, troubled teenager, glamourous upper class lady, free spirited lesbian, career woman, temptress or just somebody's wife.

Her career may not be all smooth sailing, with reports of a decline in doing higher profile movies and going into smaller projects. Still, this is the girl who has been there, done that and accomplish quite alot in just a short span of time and she could easily come back with another quirky and impressionable character to dominate our screen again. From the number of post and in-production projects that are listed on her IMDB profile, it pretty much confirms that the girl still has much work to accomplish in her acting career. However, God has decided to call her back home at this point of time. She died of a Cardiac arrest (heart attack) on Sunday. She was only 32.

As much as this sounds clique, I really have to say it, life is unpredictable and extremely fragile. Health is not something to be taken for granted. Hollywood has its share of notable deaths in the recent years, including Heath Ledger, Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze, Farrah Fawcett (from the early Charlie Angels), Natasha Richardson and now the addition of Brittany Murphy. The causes of death range from illness, drug overdose (more common), long battle with terminal sicknesses, inccidents and so on. A career in the limelight is not a bed of roses, there are much hardwork and stress that a person has to take on the road to fame, and unfortunately, it took its toll on some people that they either embark on the one way route to drugs or became ill progessively.

Sometimes, you can wonder, how much more money can you make? How many more albums can you cut? How many more movies are you going to make? How many more before its enough? I guess nobody really knows, the journey in stardom could be a deep bottomless pit where you will either sink, goodness knows to where, or you may hit the solid hard ground that calls to an end. It is a one-way journey, and nobody is suppose to look back. Some make it, some didnt' and some are brutally destroyed, health, body and soul.

Guess if God really meant to take a person back, it is hard to prevent it but still, there is no reason not to do our best and take good care of our healths, not to neglect our bodies and to give it sufficient rest whenever we can.

May the Lord blessed Brittany's soul in heaven, rest in peace girl... you will be remember for your movies and wonderful screen presence :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRQZehNbHjw

There are just so much I wish I can review down here but so little time to focus lately. Have been busy in office, with new software upgrade and what-nots, also going back to learning piano alreay (finally!). But of course, I shall not neglect one of the loves of my life, which is none other than writing reviews. This was actually watched over a month ago and meant to review it earlier but seriously couldn't find the time to do so *sheepish smile*

Phobia 2, a non-related sequel to the first 4bia (aka. Phobia) is directed by not just 1 but 5 whooping directors, each with equally impressive credits uptodate, including Shutter, Body #19, Coming Soon, The Dorm, Alone and many more. Easily the most anticipated horror film for this year, it give fans of the first one an extra dose of horror treat, adding in one more story to the original number of 4, making it a total of 5 scary stories to make you cling to the edge of your theatre seat.

Phobia 2, can also be known as 5Bia, or 4Bia 2, in  Thai, it's called Haa Phrang

Directed by :  Paween Purijitpanya, Visute Poolvoralaks, Songyos Sugmakanan, Parkpoom Wongpoom and Banjong Pisanthanakun

Starring: Jirayu La-ongmanee, Ray MacDonald, Dan Worrawech, Charlie Trairat, Nicole Theriault, Marsha Wattanapanich, Wiwat Kongrasri, Pongsatorn Jongwilas, Nattapong Chartpong, Kantapat Permpoonpatcharasuk

Story #1: Novice by 4bia returnee director Paween Purijitpanya

Pey (Jirayu La-ongmanee) was a rebellious teenager who has committed a crime. His mother send him into the temple deep in the woods to avoid the police and also to atone for his sins. With his head shaved and dorn in monk robes, Pey cringes at the prospect of entering into monkhood and abiding by it's rules and regulations. His kindly elders tried to mentor him but the troubled boy just would not listen to anyone. However, he is soon to learn the error of his ways and face up to the ghosts of his past deeds. There is indeed no running away from karma.

The story begins off well enough and builds up steady momentum,establishing good emotional connection, which UNFORTUNATELY totally breaks off in the middle and spirals off withot control into a rather bad direction that leaves audience scratching their heads and wondering 'HUH? Is that it?' Acting is fine but story needs plenty of polishing.

Story #2: Ward by Visute Poolvoralaks, Co-scripted by Sophon Sakdaphisit and Parkpoom Wongpoom (co-writers of the GTH horror hits Shutter and Alone)

A young man (singer-actor Dan Worrawech) injures his legs in a motorbike inccident and was warded into a private room at the hospital. Okay, private room almost except for the old man who lies in camotose at the other side in some kinda' brain dead state and to be unplugged from the life machine soon (once the family gives the go-ahead).

However, brain dead he is, very much alive is the old chap in spirit and he is about to give our protoganist a very, very nasty stay that he will never forget.

After story #1, I was expected to be entertain better here but to be honest, Ward did not make up any better for what Novice is lacking in either. The tension was well built up but once again, everything falls apart and wraps up hastily in the end. Nothing orignal.

Story #3: Backpackers, directed by: Songyos Sugmakanan
*SPOILERS*

Alright, this is quite rare to expect of a Thai genre film. Why? This segment has zombies in it!!! Okay, you heard me right, it's ZOMBIES! Well, plenty of Zombie films we have, this is still quite rare material to be seen in a Thai horror film. Still, I would say, good try and it doesn't copies shamelessly off it's western predecessors and end up becoming a cheesy horror-gore low-graded flick.

A pair of Japanese teenagers (one boy and girl) backpacking in Thailand hitches a ride on a mysterious truck helmed by a burly driver and his young companian (played by Charlie Traira). Things doesn't seem to be going so badly until violent bangs start coming from the back of the truck.

The vehicle pulls to an abrupt halt and the driver & Charlie went off to investigate, only to reveal a truckload of dead bodies, every single one of them seemingly poisoned to death. Our frightened backpackers could only watch on as the pair proceed to "discharge" of the bodies, which will gradually involve them (to prevent them from going to the police). However, this will be the least of the their troubles when the real horror begins and the bodies starts getting up, one by one, hungry for flesh and blood ...

Again, I did not enjoy the ending but well, this was something different for a change from contemporary Thai horror and could be worthy material to be explore further in future films.

Story #4 Salvage, directed by Parkpoom

Nuch (singer-actress Nicole Theriault) runs a car lot selling 2nd hand cars. She specialize in acquiring badly damaged vehicles from car accidents and restoring them back to their original shiny appearances without even batting an eyelid to their horrifying history, many of which victims had died in terrible and grisly manners. As Nuch wraps her business for the night, she realize that her son has gone missing after losing track of him on the security cameras. However, the serarch for him soon turns into an encounter of sheer terror as she comes face to face with the dead occupants of her used cars who are about to remind her how they actually died ...

I would give a thumbs up for both acting and deliverance of story. Plot was relatively simple and uncomplicated, something that is alot more "digestble" in comparison to the 1st 3 I guessed.

Story #5 In the End, by (by Shutter and Alone co-director Banjong Pisanthanakun)

Now, this is the highlight of the whole movie that we are all waiting for. It feature Marsha Wattanapanich (from Alone) playing herself, an actress and also the return of our happy campers from the first 4Bia movie (The Middleman segment).

Our happy-go-lucky guys are working on a movie production team this team, filming Alone 2, sequel to original alone. Marsha returns to play the same character from Alone (despite the fact that everyone dies in the fist movie). Filming is almost complete but an actress who was suppose to play the menace of the movie aka. ghost collapse from illness suddely and has to be rush to the hospital.

Just when they are about to proceed on a new ending, said actress returns and insist on completing her role. Now there is one problem, something is not quite right with said actress and she is hell bent on finishing the movie no matter dead or alive ...

Once again, its the usual comedy gag on who is dead or alive and tons of hilarity ensues throughout the movie. But you have to be warned, this is a ghost story that is NOT a ghost story...still, its pretty enjoyable and has Marsha as great eye candy ...

Songs for the lonely and deep in thought .... sometimes I feel that Mavis Hee style is very much alike to Faye ... perhaps a more localized and Singaporean version of Faye Wong ... the nostalgic and melancholy feel of their songs ... with lyrics that seems to be singing out to a particular someone... or maybe not again

Mavis Hee, one of our most popular singer in the 1990's, was well known for her songs such as Moonlight In The City aka. Tofu Street's theme song, Chen Li De Yu Guang and Tie Chaun (Metal Window) ... faded out in the late 90's and re-surface lately with news of her mental breakdown and creating a scene in the hotel... 

There are much speculation behind her breakdown, depression, love life problems, a singing career gone down...  it was sad that such a wonderful singer comeback to publicity would have to be this way ... sometimes, it's hard for people to remember, celebrities are human too and they also have feelings, that perhaps are even more vulnerable than you and me ... remember them for their music, not for their flaws... here's sharing two of my favourite Mavis songs ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAZu8fXGXo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1lgOzbNLnA

Video:

Quote ... "It must be hard loving a child that is not your own..."

The Orphan

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Starring: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman

This was easily one of the creepiest films I have seen this year. For very good reasons too. Nope, there are no ghosts, demonic manifestions or any form of supernatural element involved. It has something far more powerful than any of these... a little girl named Esther. Who is Esther? Nope, she is not Sadako from The Ring who will crawl out fro your TV. Neither is she the young Linda Blair from The Exorcist who will vomit slime all over you and turn her head 360 degrees round. She is a far bigger nightmare to handle than any girl terror on film history and is on parallel with even that evil little boy from The Omen.

Esther, played by relatively new comer, Isabelle Fuhrman (Hounddog), is a litle girl adopted by a couple, Kate and John (Vera and Peter) who has recently lost a baby (Kate miscarried). Trying to get over their pain and also in the midst of keeping a marriage that is going downhill, they decided that adopting a child might help to improve the situation.

At first sight, Esther is a sweet and pleasing child who adapts easily to the family, warming especially fast to the couple's 5 year old deaf daughter, Max. Everyone adores her, except for elder son, Daniel, who dislikes Esther at first sight. For a start, things appears to be going well but as a series of alarming events begin to unfold in the family after the girl's arrival, Kate grows suspicious of Esther, who, beyond her initially sweet facade, might not be as innocent as she seems. After making some startling discoveries, Kate is about to realize that Esthe's true intentions for staying with the family would be anything but honorable. However, her feeable attempts to convince her husband and everyone else that Esther could be a danger falls on deaf ears and by the time the truth gets out, things have already spiral disturbingly out of  control ...

This is obviously no Disney movie despite the fact that it has kids in it. The element of suspense is very well played out and treaded throuhout the film as we were kept to the very edge of the seat, guessing and  speculating the fate of it's seemingly hapless characters trapped in a situation headed for doom. Special credit has to be given for 12 year old Isabelle's acting as the psychologically deranged Esther who is also, at the same time, a tragic personlity in her own right, to some's opinion, that will leaves much to be pitied even way after her fated demise. Vera's powerful performance as Kate is also another highlight of the film worthy of a mention. She has brought out the sheer haplessness of her character so well at certain point of the film that you just feel like reaching out to comfort her by giving her a hug or a pat on the back and telling her that good will eventually triump over evil (or not?)

Seventh month might be coming and before you would want to catch that ghost movie you have been waiting for, see The Orphan first. Let it be the first scare to open your journey of scare feasts as more horror movies start hitting your cinemas this month ...

Many people believe that when a person dies, the spirit will return home on the 7th night. After Shun was brutally murdered, his spirit returned to possess his 13 year old sister to exact his revenge. On the 7th night, blood will flow and just deserts will be served.
Blood Ties The Movie is Singapore's most anticipated supernatural thriller to premiere in 2009. Supported with strong performances from newcomer Joey Leong, veterans such as Cheng Pei Pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Kenneth Tsang (Memoirs of a Geisha), as well local artistes like David Leong (Painted Skin) and Vincent Tee (Pleasure Factory)

Blood Ties opens nationwide 10 September 2009.

故事大綱
據說人死了之後，會在第七日還魂。這第七日，也是所謂的頭七。順是一名被私會党慘殺的 警察。他的愛妻也不幸被姦殺。順在頭七還魂上了他十三歲妹妹小琴的身，將謀害他的人趕 盡殺絕。

《還魂》是新加坡本年度最精彩的靈幻驚悚片。演員陣容包括新人梁祖儀，鄭佩佩（臥虎藏 龍），曾江（艺伎回忆录），梁凱迪（畫皮）以及池素寶。

《還魂》九月十日全島獻映！

Sorry, this is actually lifted directly from the website as I haven't watch the movie yet. Sounds like we are in quite a scare feast from what's written in the description. Will review it here in my own words when I have seen it :)