Friday, September 3, 2010

Why then?

                I just watched one of Anthony Robbins' 'motivational videos'. He didn't call himself as motivational. Why so? Funny, I thought. But then, he said, "I'm a 'why' person!"


                Exactly what he meant, I wasn't sure at first. Obviously, when i thought about it for a while, I just knew he was right. Simply because, we need to know why, more than how, what, when, or which. That was his point. People expect him to motivate, but instead get something better, they are given a purpose.


                Okay, this all sounds too advertisement-like. Okay, back to why. We should all realize that we always think of why. Why I did this or that or whatever! It is without a doubt a question of why.


               He also mentioned something that had to do with emotions. Surely you've heard this one before. But for those of you who hadn't, well, for your information,  emotions affect our decisions, which affect our lives. That sounds far-fetched, but rest assured, you will realize this soon enough.


              Why then do I bring this up? Why oh why? That's for you to find out. But do give a try, find a way to ask, "WHY?" Mark my words, there's always a point, a goal, or an aim for us to pose that question. As we do that, we feel those little emotions, that we thought would never affect us.


              It's not in our nature where we feel that emotions are rendered useless. We need them, and they need us. (Yes, this sounds stupid.) But give it a try. Ask why, and think of your emotions, for they would decide why.



The writer feels this may be rubbish talk, but try. Email me at adler_ng@hotmail.com, or just leave a something in the shoutbox.

Review of The Week!

Movie : The Avengers (2012)

Awe-inducing, funny and action-packed, this could be the superhero movie of the year (not that there are many).



It is unusual for directors to modify the genre of superhero movies. To be precise, if we are looking for some popcorn entertainment, Joss Whedon could have easily turned this into a full-blown alien-versus-superhero affair (that actually would not be too bad). Interestingly to note however, he does not. With an affinity to blend action scenes with tongue-in-cheek humor, he balances the tone of the movie to be both rewarding and most definitely, superhero-themed.

There are plenty of noteworthy things you can brag about this movie. The cinematography, the script, the visuals, the cast, the production design. Surely though, there would be one or two flaws, but they are not really meant to be called 'flaws' per se. Bending the laws of physics, 'saving the world' is saving the US and how Hulk manages to comply to orders are just some of the minor 'flaws'. These are probably things that you would just like to ignore for the sake of giving the director the benefit of the doubt.

It is quite evident that Whedon has made this film his own. He incorporates humor into almost every scene, as if things are not to be taken too seriously in the world of The Avengers. And it should be like that. Again, the emphasis on superhero movies usually lie on destruction, life-saving and personalization of characters. But here, there is some of that, but not completely. No chessy lines. No rushed pacing. No cliche-ridden narrative. (Just Loki speaking in a not-so-sharp English accent.)

The movie can also be likened to last year's Deathly Hallows (Part 2); a lot of hype, and duly delivered. At least we could expect how the last Harry Potter movie was meant to be : an emotional, epic battle. The Avengers did deliver but there is something different to the whole theme that somehow manages to change our view on how superhero movies should be in the future. Is it Robert Downey Junior's Shakespearean jab at Thor? Or is the excellent cinematography of sticking to single shots instead of quick-fire editing? Heck, it could even be Scarlett Johansson's semi-obscene display of bust. Anyhow the movie is a success, most definitely.


Unprecedented, now that is one word to decribe Joss Whedon's take on a superhero movie.


Personally*... Stay in your seats till the end; there are rumors that an extra scene is added to the US version of The Avengers, for compensation of the late release.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/894039/reviews/

Spark of inspiration?