Cloud Atlas

Watched  Cloud Atlasyesterday, which is directed by Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski siblings (matrix trilogy), and I would highly recommend it. I rarely comment about the movies I have watched even though I do it (or is forced to) on a regular basis. Its a very balanced movie, without really any faults I can pinpoint, which is a feat considering they inter-weaved 6 stories into one movie (and we all know that gives the potential for confusion). At the start I had to concentrate a little to remember all the different characters, but after 30 mins into the movie everything just flows quite naturally which is easy to understand and will not alienate anyone. In fact, I think the cuts to each different stories, which are in different time periods, helps keep the movie pace interesting without any lull period. This makes for a wonderful composition, much like the movie title track the Cloud Atlas Sextet, where six instruments, six stories interplay and ends with a touching and heart-rendering but simple crescendo at the end. The movie has a very ethereal, dream-like feel (listen to the soundtrack!), yet the issues and themes it covers e.g. racism, slavery, imprisonment, showing courage for the right cause are very real. I really enjoyed the landscapes, and though the concept of using the same actor/actress for multiple roles is not new, I think it was executed here with alot of finesse where an actor/actress was almost unrecognizable (by me at least) as sometimes they play a different gender, race, species (good makeup!). It was fun to try and spot them all. X)

Heres' a short description of the storyline from imdb:
Everything is connected: an 1849 diary of an ocean voyage across the Pacific; letters from a composer to his friend; a thriller about a murder at a nuclear power plant; a farce about a publisher in a nursing home; a rebellious clone in futuristic Korea; and the tale of a tribe living in post-apocalyptic Hawaii, far in the future. 
Watch and enjoy!

Keeping sane during a fortnight of bitter hibernation

Well, today marks 2 weeks till start of my exams and with the advent of a (finally) colder climate here of around freezing, the beginning of  the peak of my sedentary lifestyle is here. Other than grappling with the consequences of revision procrastination, my teeth also decided they want attention and is gingerly hurting with occasional flares brought on by less cautious chewing and whatnots. My hair and skin is also frizzing and cracking somewhat. 

On the brightside, all my recent online shopping orders came through (saw so many mailmen) including bodyshop tolietries, the usual bag and clothes and more significantly, a yellow pikachu  nintendo 3dsxl console! 

(Yes I gave in against better judgement). 

Got the cartridges for pokemon white 2 and a free e-download professor layton & the miracle mask, and waiting for "The world ends with you" to arrive.

Some thoughts on the console itself:
-The design is average, it could be cuter with a full bodied pikachu instead but no complaints here. it is limited edition and so far released only in Japan and Europe so I'm happy it will be a rare species in Singapore (for the moment at least).
-Screen resolution is like the reviews said, not as clear as it can be. Even my samsung ace phone has better screen, but is a bummer I guess cause it is the one thing I think could have made this console perfect. The selling point is its 3D capability which nintendo tried to maximise with things like augmented reality etc, but if the resolution is poor, it highlights the fact that you are still seeing it on a screen instead of helping the imagination that it is more like a hologram.
-Nintendo's interface is cutesy vs sony etc (Japan. figures) which is definitely appealing to girls. :)
-Its a little heavy, but feels sturdy and durable.
-There is a browser for internet but its not as friendly to use as your handy smartphones.

Overall I think it is (definitely) a tad overpriced, since the games are all so expensive 20-30+pds per game?!? (keeping in mind i traditionally do not fork out money for all the games i have played, this is too much for my poor wallet.) And the blasphemy is that some games like pokemon black and white only allows one save file so your friend/family member can't even share a cartridge. :(

But well, price gripes aside, its a cute little nifty gaming console to keep in your bag and open up at will to play it. I especially like leaving it on sleep mode and flipping it open to see the game loaded on the screen immediately. Thats something a PC can't do!

x Back to studying!