We Caught Fire

We had the boys' regular Ustazah coming over to tutor the boys yesterday for a quick revision before their tajwid exam the next day. So what did myself and Anita do? We went out for a movie. We went to Catch Fire.

Catching Fire was the second instalment to the Hunger Games trilogy. All the familiar characters were back, plus some new ones. Since I read the books, I spent the hour before explaining the background to Anita, as I was sure the film wouldn't be able to do justice to the story. And I was glad that I did.

The main elements of the book were incorporated and the storyline stayed faithful to the book. Similar to the first film, the main strength of the film was the atmosphere. It really captured the doom and gloom of the oppression, while injecting elements of humanity. Too serious for my children actually. I don't think it was suitable for them yet.

The casting was near perfect, and the acting was just right. More subdued than what was described in the book despite some over-the-top scenes featuring the excellent Stanley Tucci.

The storyline flowed, and the two-and-a-half hour just flew by. There were a lot more which could be included but the story would be too long. Anita left the theatre with more questions and she couldn't wait for the final chapter. I heard that the last book would be split into two movies. They might just as well ...

I would definitely recommend the movie but it was best to observe the PG13 rating. It wasn't the scenes that were disturbing, but the actual story could be too bleak to stomach. Some parts of the story was just too depressing. Certainly the last part was a cliffhanger.

Enders Again

I don't normally have get the time for movies but this week alone I went to the venoms movies twice. Worst still, it was for the same movie, Ender's Game.

I went with Anita on Thursday after work, but we felt that the boys would enjoy it. So, I booked the tickets this morning before work and as soon as I reached home, we set off for Gardens.

The boys really got into it. A few gasps from Idlan as some of the twists in the plot were revealed. Then came the barrage of questions from the boys on the drive home. Sufficed to say that the decision to watch it again was a good one ....

Paging Mr Ender

The boys and some of their classmates spent the day at Kidzania today. They got back home late afternoon, and Idlan was so exhausted that he actually had a nap as soon as he arrived home.

As for the evening, it was Anita's and my turn to go out. We went out for dinner, and then watched a movie. Anita wanted to watch Diana but the timing was off. We ended up watching Ender's Game. It turned out to be better than we expected. And we wished that the boys came along to watch as well.

The movie was an adaptation of a 1985 novel be the same name, written by one of the film's producer Orson Scott Card. We thought it was fantasy fiction before we set down at the cinema. It turned out to be science fiction instead.

The story narrative was interesting and the main protagonist was a young boy. I was sure that my children would have been excited to watch this.

The story was about a gifted child, hand picked to lead the Earth Force against a swarm of aloe species following a failed invasion 50 years prior.

Humans decided to make a pre-emptive strike near the alien's home planet utilising the gift of this child, called Ender. It started off with his training, and through series of simulation built up into the final confrontation with the alien species.

There were twists and turns of course before the end, and it was pretty clear that it had sequels written all over. A quick check on Wikipedia showed there were plenty of books to come in the series. Anita wanted to watch the movie again, this time along with the boys. Highly recommended.

Kneelllll!!!!!

The boys wanted to watch Thor. Anita wanted to watch Thor. But I wanted to watch Loki. It was as simple as that. Loki is the man, and at the rate he was going, I might be heading for a mancrush here!

So, I bought the ticket for the movie - which was selling like hot cakes - online last night. Got some nice seats and right after lunch, settled down for the movie.

It was actually a spectacular show, with enough depth in the storyline to keep the adult hooked, while simple enough for my children to appreciate. The two hours went like a breeze, with a right sting in the end. Enough of a pull to make us wait for the next instalment of the Avenger series.

It was movie money well spent. I would definitely recommend it, although it was not exactly ideal for small children. A bit of violent, and a rather heavy storyline might make them lose interest.

Searching for Sugar Man

I learned about this documentary just before this year's Oscars. It was about a musician who despite such a profound music, did not hit the big time and folded into the unknown.

But such was the power of his music, he gained fame in the repressed Apartheid era of South Africa. The youth of the day picked the music up without knowing much about the musician behind it, and it took the effort of a couple of music writers to trace him up using the powers of early internet.

So, Sixto Rodriquez was rediscovered from the unknown and he became an overnight sensation, at least in South Africa. And this sweet journey was documented with such passion into this wonderful short movie by a couple of Swedish documentary maker, Searching for Sugar Man.

An insight into this fascinating man, who even today remained through and humble, undeterred by this overdue-found fame. I caught this movie last night on the Sundance Channel. It was an independent documentary movie at its best, and fully deserved its Oscar and Bafta awards which they won. Highly recommended. And I've surely found my Sugar Man.