Liar Game: The Final Stage

Liar Game: The Final Stage
This movie is based on the Japanese TV series, Liar Game. Liar Game is a fictional game which involves the art of deception. In the game, participants tried to cheat their way to earning millions, and those failing to do so (aka got cheated), will have a debt equivalent to their losses, which they must pay, without failure, to the LGT (organisers of the game). Season 1 of the TV series shows participants competing in Round 1 to Round 3 of the game. Season 2, Round 4 and semifinal. The movie, final stage as the name suggests. Watching the first 2 seasons of Liar Game before watching the movie will certainly help you understand some little details, but it is not necessary to understand the movie. In fact, the movie is exactly like how the TV episodes are filmed- like a 2 hour special. Since the movie is just like another TV episode, I'd comment on Liar Game as a whole.

I thought there was way too much hype over it then it deserved. Liar Game is all about mind games and a foolish girl's dream for "world peace", or Utopia, whatever, a place where everybody can live happily ever after, no lies, no cheating, faith and trust. What I like about LG is that some of the tricks they used in the games are pretty cool and sometimes fun. What I did not like, is that the tricks are kind of predictable, sometimes too obvious to the point where I feel like they are constantly dropping hints. If I made the effort to think about those hints, it wouldn't be hard to pull off an Akiyama. What I really really hate, is Kanzaki Nao's pure stupidity. Seriously, she should wake up her idea. If not for "heavenly intervention" (aka scriptwriters), she would have lost long ago, carrying the burden of everyone's debt. Yet now suddenly she's like an angel who came down from heaven to save mankind. Kanzaki Nao annoys me. I wish this character is killed off. Just like Tweety Bird.

3 stars

Aftershock

Aftershock
This movie is based on the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. The event is real but the story is fictional. During the earthquake, a young girl and her twin brother were trapped under a huge concrete slab. Rescue workers told their mother that she can only choose to save one, as lifting the slab on one side would crush the other. The mother chose to save the boy and this conversation was overheard by the girl. Miraculously, the girl survived but suffers from the painful memory of her mother's decision. She left Tangshan to be under the care of her foster parents, who thought she was orphaned. 32 years later, Tangshan was met with another earthquake and the girl went back to help the rescue workers. Coincidentally, her twin brother was also there and she overheard his conversation about how their mother had suffered emotionally all these years from having to make that decision. She finds forgiveness in her mother and was reunited with her family.

I thought this movie was very touching and the performance by the leads was praise-worthy. However, I thought it lacked a certain oomph factor to be deserving of a 4 stars.

3.5 stars  

Salt

Salt
One word: Huh? Yep. My reaction at the end of the movie. Although I didn't pay for the movie ticket, I feel like I've been robbed of 8 bucks. First of all, what is with the mysterious "Who Is Salt" tagline? It was pretty clear to me who she was from the start so I don't get the hoo-ha about that. Secondly, 100 mins for an action movie? Are you kidding me? Salt has a storyline that is generally acceptable for most people. But the action scenes are really fake. Unless she's spiderwoman or is wearing some suction pads, I don't think anyone can really scale a wall 15 storeys above ground without having anything to hold on to. Lastly, the movie ended so abruptly, I'm like, what, it's over already? Having said that, Angelina Jolie played her role brilliantly. I couldn't think of anyone else who can pull it off like she did.  

3 stars

China Open Jaw Flight Tickets Booked!

I was having a hard time deciding how I want to do my China trip. As it is, single trip tickets to China cost almost as much as round trip tickets. We are going to several destinations so flying by either single trip or round trip seems rather impractical. 

I was trying to come up with a most cost-effective way to fly, then I came across something called "Open Jaw" flights. How it works is that you book a ticket from home to your starting destination, and another from your ending destination to home. It's great for backpackers, and travellers who intend to visit multiple destinations in a single trip. That way you get to make your own arrangements in the middle.

A typical round trip ticket from Singapore to Shanghai/Beijing would cost $500+.  

A typical single trip ticket from Singapore to Shanghai/Beijing would cost $400+ ~ $500+.  

With an open jaw flight, I booked 2 "single trip" tickets for $566.65. Last week, when I checked it was $586. I'm not sure if the price will drop any further, but I know I don't wanna miss this. 

So there. I've booked the flights- hassle free from Zuji. Also applied for 11 days leave-and got it approved by my bosses- for our 17 days trip. 

Exactly 4 more months to go. 

Beijing. Shanghai. Suzhou. Hangzhou. Xian. Tianjin

♥ White Christmas ♥

Letters to God

Letters to God
This is based on a true story about 8-year old Tyler who was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, Tyler looks at life positively, believing that God sent him to be a spiritual warrior. Everyday, he writes a letter to God as a prayer for himself and for the people around him. These letters soon reached out to the people he wrote about. Word spread, and thousands of people came to know about Tyler and his letters to God. Tyler taught everyone that, in whatever circumstances you may find yourself in, you can always find strength and hope in God.  

This is a truly inspiring story. I must admit a shed quite a bit of tears watching this, and there hasn't a movie which made me cry the way I did in a long while. Tyler makes me want to write a letter to God too!

5 stars