In the old days, Hollywood tried to make thrillers that got under your skin — today it’s more about films that get you out of your skin.

In a sign of the times, this Friday the blood-splattered “Gamer” begins a wave of sci-fi films that take the concepts of second life and video games into dark corners of the digital age. “Gamer” presents a world where modern flesh-and-blood gladiators (among them Gerard Butler of “300” fame) and sex slaves are controlled by a paying public sitting in front of computer screens in the leering privacy of their own homes.

On Sept. 25, “Surrogates,” starring Bruce Willis, presents a different spin — a society where everyone essentially stays home but can live (and, it turns out, be killed) via the glamorous robot versions of themselves that create a mechanized second life. In December, director James Cameron takes the out-of-body experience off planet with “Avatar,” where lives are lost (and unexpected love found) when humans place their consciousnesses inside the giant blue bodies of alien hybrids on a planet with the oh-so-revealing name of Pandora.

There are other variations of plug-in tales coming. Next year’s “Tron Legacy” from Disney takes the download-your-mind dream back to an old-school brand name, and then there’s “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” a zany Edgar Wright project that presents Michael Cera in combat with his girlfriend’s past lovers while the film keeps score of his gaming-like odyssey. Then there’s Christopher Nolan’s “Inception,“ with star Leonardo DiCaprio; the plot is a closely guarded secret at this point but in a perception-bending teaser trailer there’s an intriguing tagline that states “your mind is the scene of the crime,” suggesting that the director of “The Dark Knight” is treading beyond our reality.

The visions are wildly different but all of the movies speak to the slippery nature of humanity in an era where millions and millions of people “live” an alternative existence in Second Life, build their own worlds in Sims or swing swords at strangers in World of Warcraft.

“One life isn’t enough for anyone anymore,” said Mark Neveldine, who co-directed ”Gamer” with Brian Taylor. “Part of it is people get heavily isolated today and then they also greedy, they want more than the life they have and what it can offer.”

Taylor and Neveldine, the same tandem behind “Crank,”  said they wanted to make a throwback sci-fi film that is high-energy but also laced with social commentary and, like some mash-up between “Natural Born Killers” and Sims, presents lurid bombast and of-the-moment digital-life textures. Butler portrays a death-row inmate who joins a combat game called Slayer that promises a chance of freedom for prisoners who let their brains be rewired to make them controllable characters in a real-life blood sport. (If some of that plot sounds familiar, the directors are aware of it; they noted that that there’s a fleeting homage to Arnold Schwarzenegger and “The Running Man” if viewers keep their eyes open.)

“Gamer” has Michael C. Hall (of “Dexter” and “Six Feet Under” fame, shown at right with Butler) as the real bad guy, the architect of Slayer and a sexed-up counterpart game called Society. Taylor said the media mogul was imagined as a cross between Bill Gates, Mark Cuban and University of Florida football coach Urban Meyer, of all people, but with a Dixie accent.”A disarming Southern gentleman,” as Taylor put it.

The film “Surrogates” has been trying to catch the eye of moviegoers with the billboard campaign of robots flashing come-hither looks. Director Jonathan Mostow, whose last film was 2003’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” said the flirtation with technology has been going on for years and that modern life is at the mercy of the wonderful machines we create.   

“We’re all essentially addicted to our e-mail, Blackberries, Facebook and Twitter,” Mostow said. “I’m not saying technology is evil, believe me, it’s great. I’m a major techno addict, I’m a first adopter, I get everything that’s new as quick as I can.”

The allure of technology is the framing tale in ”Surrogates,” based on the Top Shelf comic-book series by writer Robert Venditti and artist Brett Weldele, which presents a world where safety is assured because instead of leaving home, people merely dispatch a better-looking robot version of themselves. That arm’s-length approach to life changes, though, when murder is reintroduced to society and an FBI agent, played by Willis, finds that he will actually have to venture back out into the real world.  

Mostow said Willis and the actor’s “believability and credibility” give the detective tale a centered realism. “And you need that in stories such as this one.”

That noir sensibility of “Surrogates” is far removed from the tales coming in later seasons from the directors of the two highest-grossing films in American box office history. “Titanic” director Cameron has compared his “Avatar,” which stars Sam Worthington, to familiar clash-of-culture tales such as “Dances With Wolves” and “At Play in the Fields of the Lord“ while Nolan’s “Inception,” due in July 2010, seems to be channeling a stylish, less-techy version of “The Matrix.“

And after that? Mostow said to expect more films where humans face the ghosts in the machine and search for a human pulse amid the pixels. “The storytellers are telling tales about things happening in society and these are the things we’re all worried about … I think it’s all in reference to this generalized anxiety about technology and its role in our lives.”

– Geoff Boucher

I’ve only watched Surrogates and Gamer and I definitely enjoyed Surrogates more.  The meaning is deeper but the similarites between the 2 movies show how our life is turning more and more fake – virtual reality style.  How it is a mean of escapism to be what you are not or to be what you thought you really want to be.  It’s the easiest way to not face reality; just reboot and live a different character. 

However, this kind of life still retains the emotional aspect of life.  So is that really bad?  Is it not the same like how we live today?  You are told not to show how you really feel to everyone.  How you have to keep a straight face and not show any signs of depression when you’re in the tube? It’s much harder and more depressing to hide it.  But when you have your “second” life.  You can be whatever you want at home and be a fake like what the world expects you to be i.e. the perfect fine and dandy happy life with flawless skin and impeccable body.

Just my 2 cents!

So far so good – not yet connected to my work email and will perhaps do it next week

Loving it – the fact that I’ve never had a blackberry; the touch screen doesnt bother me.  It’s actually much better than the Iphone touch screen.  The Suretype screen does definitely make you “sure” of what you type and I type as fast if not faster than sms.

Now trying to look for some applications on blackberry storm – anyone please share:

1) GPS

2) Skype so that I can call my Sayang cheaply and my sayang can get me whenever he wants

I think that’s it for now until I find something else that I need.  And yes, what will the roaming charges be if we have the automatic push-email overseas; are you charged for that? I’m on Maxis.

Cheers – off to a great weekend!

http://www.ladydior.com/thefilm/

The Ugly Truth is an arch, contrived, entirely predictable romantic comedy assembled with sufficient audience-friendly elements to put it over as both a good girls’ night attraction and a date-night lure raunchy enough to leave couples in the right mood afterward. As such, and with the easy-to-watch Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler as cat and dog who initially hate each other so much that love is the only possible result, Sony should expect to reap some far-from-ugly midsummer B.O. returns from this commercially calculated cocktail, says Variety.

Definitely a feel good movie which doesn’t require you think at all.  But just to accept the script word for word. Very straightforward, nothing cryptic and you know that there’s going to be a happy ending at the end.  Perhaps what makes it funny is Butler’s bold usage of words on screen that makes people get a little wee excited.   Whilst it’s predictable, they are some interesting twists that somehow make you think; that it’s those small signs that we always forget and overlook. 

In short, this movie tells us that sometimes it’s better to be just plain dumb – after all we’re only human.  But the title of the movie will remain a fact.

It seems like I haven’t written a book review for a while now.  So I decide to put on a chick lit.. one of my favourite ones.  Apparently, someone said that I read too much “geeky” books which makes me an overanalytical, overthinking girl.  Oh well, perhaps this will tone down my collections.  I read this book when back when I was in high school.  It was the first book by Marian Keyes that I read and I have had all her books ever since.. but this remains her best.

Typically, this is a book about 3 women and their battle with relationships.  All sorts of woman and the irony of the relationships they are in.  Would you take whatever you can get when you don’t have anyone? And the other one who doesn’t really care but have a gorgeous, out-of-this-world, your prince charming in your fairy tales (with big bucks and big cars). Or someone just struggling with life and defined relationship as something more – not just between a girl and a boy but with herself, her friends and the world.

The linchpin of the story is someone being diagnosed with a life threatening illness, and using it as an excuse to force their friends to make changes in their lives so that they can be happy before the aforementioned sick person pops off this mortal coil.  Cues a lot of people saying that they really are very happy just the way they are, thank you very much.

I think this book really represents a woman at a different point in time of her life as you can somehow relate to each of the characters.  Or perhaps I am the one with the multiple personality disorder thinking that she’s living a 3-persons life.  But for sure it’s a goof

Got a Givenchy bag which originally cost RM8k at RM1,699! First quilted leather bag.  Chanel.. you’re going to be in my collection soon…

Got my mom a Coach bag – waiting for it to arrive from the States courtesy of my manager.  Another good bargain.. saved Rm1699!

So in total – I saved RM8,000 but spent RM2,699!  Am I better off or worse off? Economics my dear.. the theory of “Never Enough”.

Typical question that I get – why are you going HK? Because it’s cheap – yeay rite! Almost a grand just to get there and haven’t yet spend.  So this fasting month is all about saving and raya is all about splurging.  The same concept as when you stuff your face during Iftaar.  Thinking back Ramadhan is all about moderation.. So I will spend moderately.. and gradually increase it later .

p/s: proud of my dad who drafted the ISA amendment… of course my uncle get the front.  He does it out of sincerity and he deserves an applause.

Government Willing To Accept Proposals On Isa Amendment

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 1 (Bernama) — The government is willing to accept proposals on the amendment to the Internal Security Act (ISA) to ensure peace and security for the people and country.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the ministry was willing to accept proposals as long as there was a balance between security, national interests and civil rights.

He said any amendments to the ISA had to done with care as the Act was used to ensure national security for the sake of the people.

“The most important thing is to strike a balance because in implementing the Act, the security aspect must be given priority.

“There is a need for adequate provisions to ensure that threats which affect stability and peace can be crippled, what with the many challenges presently,” he told a press conference after accepting a memorandum on the amendment to the ISA by Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) at his office here today.

The Perkasa memorandum proposed that an Internal Security Council be formed to issue detention orders under Section 8(1) of the ISA.

As such, detention orders made by the minister or police would be considered invalid without the council’s approval.

“I will study the proposals. Perkasa must be commended for seeing me and giving realistic proposals without emotion, without making it a polemic and a nuisance to the public.

“The ministry is willing to accept proposals with an open heart. We welcome this method as it is done for the future of the nation and race,” he said.

On the amendment of the ISA scheduled the Dewan Rakyat session in October, Hishammuddin said it depended on the input and meetings with interested parties.

“I hope first reading can be done in October but it all depends on whether we can meet all the interested parties before going to parliament. This is because the Act must be ready for debate even during first reading,” he said.

Other than the Internal Security Council, Perkasa also proposed that the amendment includes expanding the ISA introduction to include Article 149 of the Federal Constitution.

It called for action against those questioning the position of Islam as the official religion of the federation, against those opposing the Yang Dipertuan Agong and against those questioning the position of Malay as the country’s official language.

Action should also be taken against those questioning the special rights of the Malays and peribumis of Sabah and Sarawak, those who incite racial sentiments to create chaos and rioting and those involved in corruption involving large amounts of money which could impact the national economy.

–BERNAMA

RIP DJ AM, MJ, Yasmin Ahmad, Farah Fawcett… and the list goes on…