Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! Didn't celebrate this year, because I'm going to China trip soon, but I got a Christmas song to share!

Review: Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

 
I have doubted this movie at first, my mind keep thinking, "Mission Impossible, again?!?!". It is the fourth installment of the spy film series, at this point most movies will get bland and boring. After watching the trailer and learnt the fact that the director is Brad Bird (from Ratatouille and The Incredibles) and produced by J.J. Abrams (Super 8 and Star Trek), I decided to give it a shot. Me and my friends watched it directly after our last STPM paper, and we were amazed.

This prove that movie series can be fresh after four movies, and Brad Bird is a very good director. I didn't watch the first two before, but Mission Impossible -Ghost Protocol is miles and way better than the third one.

The story might not be amazing, it is just normal and predictable. What the movie is so amazing is that the action set pieces are exciting and action moves along without much conversation to keep the audience excited, the movie action sequences are balanced with some pretty routine tasks done by the IMF and some really "What the F***?!?!" moments. The highlight of the movie is when Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) climbing up the Burj Khalifa Tower. Besides, when a plot really needs explanation, the pacing slows at the right time.

Tom Cruise regained his action star status as Ethan Hunt, which he almost destroyed his star status with that awful Knight and Day. Personally, my favourite character is Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), who is a IT guy and ridiculously funny. The problem with the characters Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and especially William Brandt (Jeremy Renner) are underdeveloped.

Mission Impossible -Ghost Protocol might not be an amazing movie in terms of characters and storytelling, but it is a damn good movie for popcorn entertainment. Recommended.

VERDICT: 4/5

It's over!!!

Finally, my STPM exam is over. Now I can relax with no worries, following the "Hakuna Matata" motto for now.

PS3 HDD Swap

My PS3 comes with a 120 GB hard disk for game storage, save files, media files and etc. Eventually, my 120 filled up almost full (I'm looking at you Gran Turismo 5), so it's time for some hard disk operation on my PS3.

For the hard disk swap, I bought a 500 GB Western Digital Scorpio Blue 2.5' SATA Disk, which is basically a laptop drive, and an USB thumb drive that can hold up to minimum memory of 200MB. Before you do the swapping, make sure your vital data on your PS3 are backed up on a portable HDD and your trophies synched to the PlayStation Network. When You do, let's go!

Make sure you have all these stuffs, including the scissors.

First up, unscrew the bottom of the PS3 with a screwdriver obviously.

Then, slide out the tray cover and the hard disk compartment should be exposed like the one below.

Pull out the hard disk tray, the cooler the PS3, the easier the task.

After that, use your screwdriver again to remove the four screw attached to the tray to remove the old hard disk.

Then remove the hard disk, as simple as that. Pic below shows the old hard disk from the PS3.

Put a new one back and put in the into the PS3 again...

Boot up the PS3. Plug your controller and USB Thumb Drive with the OS data which should be kept in /PS3/UPDATE/

The PS3 will ask the hard disk to be formatted

Then install the OS from the thumb drive.

After OS installed, the PS3 should be good to go.

Then restore the data from your backup HDD from your PS3. System Settings>Backup Utility>Restore

Make sure you do it at night or have time to leave it for hours, because the more data you have the longer the time takes. 110 GB took me a night.

New layout!!!

I've been away for far too long, I mean really long!!! Can't imagine I haven't blog for months!!! And just in time, I changed my blog to a new template...

So lucky to get it

Did I tell you about the cheapest 3-D ticket I ever bought? I did.

I was with a couple of my friends decided to watch Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 3-D, cuz that is the version you must go for. I prepared 2 RM50 notes (1 ticket is RM18) to buy 4 tickets.

The cashier then clicked 4 seats and proceed for check out, she told me to pay RM48, I paid it without hesistation. Then, my friend Kah Wai shaked me up and asked me.

KW: Why it is so cheap? Confirm 3-D?
Me: Ya hor, something wrong leh.
KW: Ask her
Me: Okay.

Then I asked the cashier to confirm if it is Transformers 3-D or not, she said yes. I asked about twice, because both of us can't believe what we're paying!!! And we certainly jumped!!!

I later tell Chong Hong and Yong Qin about it, they can't believe it as well, Chong Hong even said I "boom" him about the ticket. He then take the tickets and ask the branch manager about it. The manager looked at it, she paused and lingered for quite a while before answered his question, she then proceed to ask the office about it and they are unsure whether the system has gone wrong or not.

She told us 3-D was not normally this cheap, and since we already paid and the receipt was out, she can't charge us again.

RM12!!!!

Review: Dark Side of the Moon

I have low expectations for Transformers: Dark of the Moon to be honest, because its predecessor, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was such a dud. But the trailers of Dark of the Moon are such fun to watch, so the hype was kinda rebuilt. So yesterday, me and my buddies decided to watch it on Queensbay Mall (Btw, it's the cheapest 3-D tickets we have ever bought, will tell that later) and I am happy the movie is entertaining and fun to watch.

When Michael Bay promised moviegoers that Dark of the Moon, I was kinda skeptical with it, since many of his movies are light on plot (Revenge of the Fallen, I'm looking at you). But surprisingly, the plot is kinda good, not great, but just good, you can sense that this time the robots are gonna attack for real and the world is gonna end, the characters have more connections and feelings this time around. I gotta give kudos to Steven Spielberg especially for making Bumblebee with voice problem throughout the series, because the connection between Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) and Bumblebee are really close even through Bumblebee's radio voice and his expression. Rosie Huntington-Whitely is a good replacement as Sam's new girlfriend, but due to the no history behind the movie, the pair's story is unexplored.

The pinnacle of Transformers movies is gonna be the visual effects and the action sequences. Dark of the Moon offers the best visual effects I've seen and it set the bar for CGI quality, the CGI is seamlessly drawn into the image and at most of the time feels incredibly detailed and realistic. Remember my last topic about 3-D, I was spot on about it. The 3-D effects are also spectacular in many many ways, it rarely offers rarely effects but it really does offer an extra dimension and focus on the image Michael Bay wants you to focus. I am only doing this for the third time, that is you must Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 3-D. The action sequences stay true to Michael Bay's fashion, loud, exciting and explosive. Optimus Prime is more badass, the sequences and robots are definitely much better to distinguish than the last film.

The audio is also on the level of reference quality, the new 7.1 audio system is always on the maximum and offers the clarity. If you watched the past film and you'll know what I meant.

The jokes and comedy has finally toned down and made more sense, but in some part still very inappropriate and unnecessary. For example, the perverted Autobot Wheelie and his new sidekick, still make some jokes, but the perverted look at Carly's ass is just a waste of time, why robots like humans' asses at the first place. The start of second act is a bit shaky with too much weird jokes and old references. The addition of John Malkovich as Sam's boss is too much and Patrick Dempsey's character is just retarded, I've never seen anyone this stupid. John Turturro's return as Agent Simmons is a welcome one.

My opinion: Transformers: Dark of the Moon is still a much watch, it redeemed what its predecessor done in many ways, but some of it's old past remains. The combination of a better story, action sequences, 3-D, visual and audio effects is going to entertain many people.

Pros: Better story, jokes starting to makes more sense, action sequences, visual effects, audio effects, Optimus Prime is a badass warrior, Dino is sexy, Megan Fox is gone.

Cons: Story can be improved further, perverted jokes are weird, shadow of Revenge of the Fallen remains.

The Ugliness: You'll come out of the cinema and wonder why the character Patrick Dempsey portrayed is so dumb.

Verdict: 4/5

Transformers might be the Saviour of 3-D

Let's be honest here, 3-D is getting stale, the technology is nothing more than a gimmick as of late. It is not 3-D is not amazing, but film companies and crews don't know how to utilise the technology. In many film we have seen 3-D effects nothing more than a pop out visuals and nothing else.

We've seen many films using 3-D effects at its best, when it does work, it is truly amazing and breathtaking. For instance, Avatar, which in my opinion is not a great film, but the 3-D of the movie is the best in the business. Director James Cameron utilised the technology well. he used 3-D to focus on the objects he wanted you to focus on while creating depth to other objects which is spectacular, no pop-out, in-your-face kinda gimmick and it worked! Another movie to use well to the technology is last year's Disney sci-fi action movie Tron: Legacy, not as good as Avatar but used the same method and technology of Avatar and it worked as well. The depth and pop-out effects are more balanced than other movies.

Other than these two, do I still have movie which I think that used the 3-D very well? The answer is no, absolutely no. Most of other films are just pure gimmick just to suck up viewers' wallet. Kung Fu Panda 2? Nice but not good enough. The Green Hornet? Nope, conversion 3-D is the worst offender. And the worst is? Clash of the Titans!!! Which my friends complained to me the 3-D is less than 50% of the movie.

The reason of these failures is that all the filmmakers rush their decision to put 3-D effects in their movies, and the results usually backfire. Due to success of Avatar, which is currently the only film that look spectacular and better in 3-D than in 2-D, filmmakers started rushing their movies into conversion mode, which made the images look pasted in to feel "more 3-D".

Why I said the latest Transformers will save 3-D? Because James Cameron, not because he directed it, he actually shared his 3-D technology and crews to Michael Bay, the director of Transformers. When you've seen the 3-D of Avatar, you'll know why I'm so eager to watch Dark of the Moon in 3-D. It is whether to be seen that Michael Bay can actually put the 3-D magic into Transformers, but since I have enjoyed quite a number of his films, I have hopes for that.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Blu-Ray review

Holy shit! That would sums up what I think about this Blu-Ray release. This is probably the best Blu-Ray I own in my collection (just about the disc, not the movie)

This disc showcased what the Blu-ray and HD is capable of, it is pristine in every single way. My sisters complained it looks fake, the problem with my two sisters is that whenever they watch Blu-ray, they always watched and look for flaws, even though is minor. Back to the topic, every scratches and dents on the Transformers are meticulously detailed and I even saw a pigeon landed on the pyramid. God, that is so detailed.

My BD version is the IMAX version, the con is that the IMAX scene is only at the jungle battle scene and Devastator transforming scene. But oh boy, IMAX is unbelievably clear and made the scene larger than life.

What is so good about this BD is the audio, the audio is the best so far in my collection. The DTS-HD Master Audio found in the disc will put your sound system to the test. The surround is clear and loud, typical for an action movie, the dialogue found in the audio is so immersive!!!

The best BD yet!
Verdict: 5/5

Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

The first Kung Fu Panda is a blast, watching one cute fatty panda working his way to the top of Kung Fu is very satisfying and some very nice Chinese reference as well. Due to the success of the movie, Dreamworks decided to make another one, and guess what, it's another brilliant entry for Kung Fu Panda.

In this sequel, Po, with the Furious Five, go on a quest to destroy Lord Shen, who wants to conquer China. Along the way, Po's past is the theme of this movie. The story might be familiar to the first movie, but is sure is fun to watch. The jokes are again, referring to Chinese culture and over the top, it is super duper funny, I laughed non-stop at the cinema, trust me.

Kung Fu Panda 2 made great use of it's 3-D effect. At first I doubt it, but 3-D is the way to go, it added so much depth to the movie. With the addition of the visual effects, Kung Fu set pieces and animations, Kung Fu Panda 2 is set to entertain your eyes.

Kung Fu Panda 2 might be a repetitive sequel to the brilliant first movie, but in this case, repetition is underrated.

Rating: 4/5

Review: Fast Five, Furiously Hit the Strides

The Fast and Furious series has been one of the big movie franchises out there, the series is all about cop chases, racing sequences, hot babes and brainless fun. In Fast Five, directed by Taiwanese Justin Lin (also directed the third and fourth movies), taking the formula to the new level.

While the movie still retain the basic old formula of the series, but the plot is significantly better than the other films as it has its purpose, other than just fast cars and sexy females. While it won't win any Oscars or good opinion for its story, atleast you see the objective of the movie and the cast. I'm surprised that despite all the esemble casts, the movie does not feel like it is too cramped or too compressed to make one movie.

The main attraction of the movie is of course the action and driving scenes, characters driving ridiculously dangerous and ridiculously fast around the streets of Rio is brilliant and fun to watch. Although I missed the racing scene, it has been moved as a side story rather than primary, which is a bit sad.

Overall, Fast Five is what a summer blockbuster should be. All fun, exciting and entertaining...

Verdict: 4.5/5 (WATCH!)

United State of Pop 2010

This guy is a genius! How did he mashed 25 songs into one? AGAIN!!!

Top 5: PlayStation 3 Videogame (No, GT 5 is not No. 1)

I got PS3 over a year back, got a couple of games to play with, including games from my cousin. PS3 is a great system, it got gaming, Blu-ray, internet and much more to play with. Worth every penny.

But PS3 is still primarily for games, so here is my list for the best 5 games I played on my PS3:

5) Killzone 2

Many First Person Shooter don't play well using consoles, but this flagship game design by Sony played well on PS3. And oh boy, it was gorgeous!!! It has exciting combat, intelligent AI and and stunning visuals. But the story and the heaviness of the controls slows it down from more than No. 5.







 

4) Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony
It is not a full game, but this expansion pack feels like it is. The game can be played more than 12 hours, without counting the side missions. It is a GTA formula: fun, violence and inappropriate for children (I played since 10). This is a game to own when you have a PS3.

3) Assassin's Creed 2

One of the best game in recent years. Assassin's Creed 2 fills you in an Assassin's shoes from the Italian Renaissance era, it based on historical figure and Da Vinci's era. Walk around the beautifully rendered Italy wearing hoodie is very cool, even da jie said the settings is very interesting. What is pulling back from the game is the inconsistency of the graphics frame issues.

2) Gran Turismo 5

Must be a surprise because this game didn't get No. 1 position you guys expected, since I love this game so much. It was one of the best game, but not good enough to get the No. 1. Let's focus why this game is in the list shall we? It is all about car loving, and car enthusiasts like me love it, it has over 1,000 cars, and 200+ models have been rendered beautifully and look more beautiful than in real life (no, seriously). The physics is brilliant, but not as detailed as other games. The graphics are almost photorealistic and sometimes look better than real life. The downside? The game graphics is a bit uneven when look closely, the other cars are not as pretty as others, and the loading and user interface is clunky.

1) Uncharted 2

Yep, this game triumph over Gran Turismo for the No. 1 spot, and it is better, I mean serious. Uncharted 2 is a adventure game, exploring Marco Polo's journals and the quest to find Shangri-La. The story might have been influenced by Indiana Jones, but it is better than Steven Spielberg's and George Lucas' fourth installment of Indiana Jones. The game have very good sequences and brilliant set piece, make it feel like you're watching playing a Hollywood movie.The graphics is like OMG, so lifelike and believable, from tropical forest in Borneo to the icy mountain in Tibet, the game never ceased to amaze. This is a must have for PS3 owners and gamers. With the sequel on the way, this game is a highly recommended.

Blu-Ray

My house living room go fully High-Definition earlier this year (well visually at least), HDTV and a Blu-ray player complete the set-up.

I use my PlayStation 3 as a Blu-ray player, since everyone on the internet said that PlayStation is the best Blu-ray player out there. Then we bought a LED High-Definition television, capable of outputting crystal clear 1080P full HD image.

If few of you don't HD means (living in the cave maybe?), HD means your image is displayed at horizontally 1080 pixels, a hell lot more than than SD, which just displayed at 480 pixels horizontally.

I don't know the full capabilities of Blu-ray before the house new TV was purchased. When I first put Transformers disc into my PS3, I was blown away. It just left DVD in the dust, although Blu-ray loading times are much slower. But when you have time for a 2 hour movie, you just don't care.

Optimus Prime never look this handsome beautfiul

A short description of what I saw when I watched Transformers BD:
Everything, dents on Bumblebee's Car, scratches on Megatron's body, Optimus Prime's teeth, sweat and blood on soldiers faces, are displayed in crystal clear, meticulous detail. You will never see anything close to this quality.

Nokia & Microsoft join forces, Brilliant or Utterly Stupidity?

Remember those days when everyone around you has a Nokia phone? Those were the days, now the future of Nokia is could be worse.

Last week, Nokia and Microsoft announced partnership on their mobile platform, which quickly drew mixed reactions from the mobile tech world. Some said it was a good decision, but most said it is stupid. Even some said that Microsoft had sent a trojan horse, current Nokia CEO Stephen Elop (former Microsoft director) to sabotage and buy Nokia.

Although Nokia is still the best seller of 2010, it is quickly caught up by Apple's iPhone and Google's Android phones, so all Nokia did was pact up with Microsoft, using Windows Phone 7 and dump their popular Symbian completely.

For me, it is Goodbye for Nokia right now. Here's why:

• Windows Phone 7 is a limited and flawed platform

Windows Phone 7, which is technically a big step forward from Microsoft's previous effort, the Windows Mobile. But the OS is still severed by "several" drawbacks (or limitation):

No system-wide file manager

No Bluetooth file transfers

No USB mass storage mode

Limited third-party apps availability

No Flash (nor Silverlight) support in the browser

Too dependent on Zune software for file management and syncing

No video calls

New ringtones available only through the Marketplace

Music player lacks equalizer presets

No multitasking

No copy/paste

No DivX/XviD video support (automatic transcoding provided by Zune software)

No sign of free Bing maps Navigation so far

No internet tethering support

No handwriting recognition support

This has put Nokia is a very bad situation, WP7 is untested and severely limited platform.

• Symbian is great but only flawed

Symbian is a very good OS, used by Nokia since the early 2000s, it is still one of the most popular and friendly OS in the market. But Symbian hasn't aged quite well, the Symbian on Nokia touchscreen phones are horrid. It is outdated that makes Symbian less competitive to Android and iOS, not poor platform at all. If Nokia put in more effort redevelop the Symbian, it could be a powerhouse yet again in the smartphone market.

What do they do now? Shove Symbian completely and adopt WP7 as their primary platform. This makes Nokia no longer the vertically integrated supplier, building hardware, software, and online services, to just another handset builder, like HTC, Samsung or others.

• Nokia phones still have the "unappealing to the public" design

Nokia phones generally have the same looks over the years, square-ish, blocky, sometimes even ugly. Some are striking, yes, but most of them are just really meh or yucks! For example, my Nokia 5730 Xpressmusic, the one with slide out QWERTY keyboard, is very unique when putting between my friends' phones, but oh my gawd!! Boy, it's ugly!!! It looks like a big black brick! If Nokia needs to change, change the looks too!!!

• Lack of marketing hurts!

Nokia still think they are back in the 90s or early 2000s, back when they were a dominant company, with little marketing, the company can be successful. Forward to the world of today, the market has changed, now we have Apple, HTC, Samsung, LG, Acer, Motorola (they are back), Sony Ericsson and more. The landscape has changed, consumer nowadays have even more choices than before. With Apple and Google quickly becoming the "it" in the mobile market, Nokia must ramp up their marketing...


Life is tough ahead for Nokia, with the market share and stock tumbling. Nokia is no longer the best of the bunch, more should be done rather than switching to Windows Phone 7 and losing identity in the process...

The Mini Darth Vader

Long time didn't blog... Because I'm running out of creativity to write my blog (Damn you, Facebook)...

But found out this funny advert on YouTube, and I love it...