A tribute to the “New Undergraduate Experience” in NTU. Every morning, the doors of Lee Wee Nam library open punctually at 8.30am, with maybe a handful of students making their way into the largest study area on campus. Yet, in the month of November, a strange phenomenon occurs. Yes, this short 45 second video is not faked, but very, very real.

…somebody to… LUUUURRRVVVVE.

One of my many favourite Queen songs has made its way to the big screen thanks to the animated film Happy Feet, which is an excellently animated flick that unfortunately suffers from poor pacing and cheap laughs.

The 1976 hit tune is sung by talented penguin diva Gloria (voiced by Brittany Murphy) as her “heart song”, part of an elaborate mating ritual among Emperor penguins. Any penguin that can successfully complement her “heart song” with one of their own will become her mate. Her childhood friend Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood) is one such suitor, but unfortunately has no singing ability to speak of. What he does have, instead, is a gift for dancing that is unfortunately frowned upon by the Elders (a group of senior Emperor penguins). Mumble and his dancing are blamed for the famine that has befallen the penguins and is exiled. Undaunted, Mumble realises that he has to rescue his people and get to the bottom of the famine, accompanied by his newfound friends, a quintet of adelie penguins led by the irrepressable Ramon (voiced by Robin Williams).

As I mentioned earlier, the animation in this movie is top-notch, its rich visual effects complemented by a wonderful score by John Powell and a brilliant supporting cast. Hugo Weaving, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman are called in to perform their patriotic duty by the films Australian producers Village Roadshow and simply own their roles as Noah the Elder, Memphis and Norma Jean respectively. I think it says something when the land of Oz is able to call on its own homegrown A-listers for their movies to match their US counterparts to make a truly star-studded cast.

My discovery of Brittany Murphy was a pleasant surprise. I had originally pigeon-holed the actress as the stereotypical airheaded blonde based on the roles that she’s played in films like Clueless, Uptown Girls, Sin City and Just Married - not to mention that she used to date co-star Ashton Kutcher (the less said the better). But her voice acting in this film is nothing short of brilliant. It turns out that she’s quite the singer too, with a voice so soulful I almost thought it was a younger version of the late, great Ella Fitzgerald. As I said earlier, she also covered one of my favourite Queen songs, and is the reason I’m probably going to buy the soundtrack.

Unfortunately, all this couldn’t help lift the film from its plot mediocrity - the pacing is so bad that its environmental themes seem frivolous as a result of the children’s show treatment. You know, believing one shouldn’t harp too long on a theme due to their shorter attention span, but instead reiterate the theme ad nauseum - essentially replacing quality with quantity.

The other thing I didn’t quite like was its slightly more subtle attack on organised religion, or at least an anti-clerical message. The Elders are portrayed as overbearing, opposed to change and condemning of those who would be different, by choice or otherwise. Their seeming authority is due to their rather illogical faith in a mythological creature known as the “Great Guin” who is subsequently dismantled by the actions of Mumble Happy Feet. Maybe it’s just me being a little too sensitive about even the subtlest reference to the Catholic Church, but I thought it was unneccessary to create a ‘religious elite’ to further complicate the story of the outcast who eventually returns as the saviour of the community who rejected him.

When it comes down to the crunch, Happy Feet is an enjoyable film, but hardly ranks among the top English-language animated films of all time. I give it 3.5 out of 5 Hammers.

How wonderful it is to be alive today, where comic book characters from the previous century come to life in strange, new ways, through film and video games. I’ve just completed the PC version of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and I can’t begin to describe the absolute joy it has been to just take control of a team of superheroes whose adventures I have been faithfully following for the past decade.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance gives you the opportunity to play around with up to 25 of Marvel Comics’ most loved creations. Controlling Captain America (and later on changing his costume to that of the USAgent’s) is like a dream come true, although as the story progressed, it became clear to me that Iron Man is the more useful character. Nothing beats his plasma discs, not even Cap’s shield throw. It was a blast to also use the various different costumes and to see all the additional powers associated with each outfit, such as the original Ghost Rider being able to resurrect allies.

Despite the hero roster missing some classic Marvel heroes like the Hulk, one is otherwise spoilt for choice between Avengers like Thor and Black Panther, and New Avengers like Luke Cage and Spider-Woman, the Fantastic Four and other solo heroes like Daredevil and Elektra.

Finally, while most of the dialogue between the heroes and villians was often tired, cheesy material, there were flashes of brilliance with gratituous dollops of humour when using witty characters like Spider-Man and Deadpool.

The only thing I wasn’t particularly happy with was the over-reliance on the Ultimate Marvel universe, even though the story itself is based in neither continuity. Costumes and characters seemed to contradict the current Marvel Universe - Captain America, for example, seems to lack any leadership ability whatsoever, relying on Nick Fury’s charisma instead. But other than this personal gripe, the cut-scenes are beautifully animated and the voice-acting is top notch.

Score one for comic books! Soon they’ll be so mainstream I can imagine a module on Superheroes for just about every subject from Physics to Literature.

I think the best singers are the ones with a sense of showmanship. In NTU, I know a couple of Jam Bands who boast amazingly talented vocalists, but lack that sense of performance presence. To me, that’s just wasting your God-given ability because the audience cannot make any sort of emotional connection during the whole gig.

Now vocal ensembles (aka a capella groups) are a much more delicate beast because you have anything from three to six vocalists and every member must perform at the same level, or risk having a ‘frontman’ who is the only link to the audience, so to speak. Fortunately for us, and the hundreds of fans who turned out at the Esplanade Concert Hall last night, Rockapella delivered a heartfelt, emotionally-charged yet professional performance that left all their fans demanding more.

Which is why it’s ironic that the night began with the realisation that organiser Century Events simply did not put any hype into Rockapella’s first trip to Singapore. We’d already known that the Concert Hall was far from sold out, but to actually see all the empty seats really made my heart sink. This was arguably the best a capella group to hit our shores, and a couple of mentions in the papers plus a few posters in the Esplanade was the only promotion they got. Nonetheless, Rockapella didn’t seem fazed by the slightly over half-filled Hall and by the end of the concert seemed genuinely humbled by the standing ovation they got from the audience.

But I get ahead of myself. Rockapella, as we know it today, is led by the absolutely charismatic Scott Leonard, one of Rockapella’s mainstays, who composes and arranges most, if not all, of Rockapella’s repertoire. Kakita was totally enamoured with Leonard’s pants, which seemed to have a life of its own as Leonard jived and grooved all over the stage. Not one to hog all the limelight, though, Leonard made sure he gave props to the rest of the group, especially vocal percussionist extraordinaire Jeff Thacher, another Rockapella mainstay. Thacher was arguably the most popular member of the ensemble, with the audience showing loads of appreciation for his vocal acrobatics and seamless transition between percussion instruments.

Another member who truly endeared himself to the audience was super-bass George Baldi. Cutting a huge figure in comparison with the rest of Rockapella, Baldi hit all the low notes with superb precision, then just blew us away when he showed the amazing range of his falsetto as he hit the chorus of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” without faltering. The fact that he could command the stage with an ability most basses (myself included) could only envy, made him a truly enjoyable performer to watch.

Tenors Kevin Wright and John Brown, whom Baldi jokingly referred to as “the girls” because of their relatively higher range, demonstrated that they could melt hearts just as well with their solos.

All in all, a truly entertaining night and a steal with tickets at $56.

From the creators of the New Adventures of Bobbin, here’s The Story of Slimderella! Check it out!

Click here to play a puzzle game!
Click here to try another puzzle game!

Puzzles provided by www.flash-gear.com

Don’t worry, they’re perfectly safe… I think. =P

Went to watch The Prestige yesterday with a handful of YC-ers. It’s a good show and Hugh Jackman proves that he can excel in just about any genre (to date including action/adventure, romantic comedies and now thriller dramas). I was just thinking to myself that you can’t say the same about James Marsden, his co-star in the X-Men franchise, who can’t seem to catch a break.

The Prestige is an excellent movie, with sufficient twists and turns and moral quandries to make you feel like you got your money’s worth. It’s not quite an instant classic yet, but nonetheless, it boasts a top-notch cast, a brilliant director and a wonderful plot, though not without its fair share of plot holes.

In other news, it’s 10 days to the exams. Argh.

From Hei’s blog:


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