-ChIcLiCiOuS-

NEXT

So mind twisting... (the advertisement a 'lil bit annoying though.. kebanyakan sponsor!)

Story begun with Cris Johnson "Frank Cadillac" that has the ability to see 2 minutes (just 2 minutes!) into his own future. He works a low-level magic act in Las Vegas with this secret ability and also makes money gambling. However, an FBI Agent sees his uncanny ability to foresee the immediate future and tries to get him to foil a terrorist plot.

The basic plot outline above isn't wholly exciting. And seeing that it is in the hands of Hollywood in the form of big budget action vehicle it will definitely turn many viewers off. The recent highly contrived sci-fi action movie "Deja Vu" is also another potential unfair strike against this movie. But, be clear of doubt, this film is actually good and it succeeds in being intriguing and not cheesy at the same time - completely unlike the "Deja Vu." "Next" leaves a lot to the audience's imagination and certain things are there just for you to accept on the basis that this is a movie - no lengthy pseudo-science speeches here. The movie also makes very good use of computer effects - there aren't many and the few that there are. Johnson's clairvoyance is shown in a clever way and the story takes several nice turns. There is the stock Hollywood romantic angle here, but cheesiness is mercifully spared as it is not over done, but actually played out humorously in certain scenes.

Then the kicker is the ending, which I dare not give away, and it is a real breath of fresh air. It leaves you a lot to think about and that ultimately ends this film with, not a bang which many people might expect from a big-budget action-fest. No, definitely not a bang, but a hum. That hum will stay with you for a while after you finish watching as you think about what happened and what may still happen.

Well, there's some scenes still annoying my mind then.. =D
First, If Johnson could see what may be happen in the next two minutes only, why he can set up the way he met Liz (and the fact that he can foresee that he will met Liz a week ahead) so he could speak with her. While on the other scene, there's a plot when Johnson tried to explain Liz about his capability he said that "it (his capability-red) isn't about set up, but it's about what will happens next".
Second, the scene that show Johnson splitting off into multiple 'versions' of himself, with each version representing a different route during the same two minutes when he and the FBI team tried to save Liz from the terrorist (that scene was so weird remembering that Johnson just can see what will happens in the next two minutes! kenapa juga harus ada adegan itu... huh! Serasa nonton Heroes gue, soalnya jadi keingetan sama Peter Petrelli!).
Third, if it takes Johnson two minutes to view what happens in the future, won't the two minutes have arrived by the time he's viewed it?
and Fourth, why suddenly these terrorist tried to get Johnson also?? There's no connection explained (in this movie) between Johnson and the terrorist, and how did the terrorist have known that Johnson would stop them from bombing US?

And finally, yes, I too wish I knew who the heck these terrorists were and what the heck they were trying to accomplish with their nefarious plot. But I guess that's the brave new world we live in. We just don't get to hear the bad guys' dialogue, their reasons for doing the things they do. In that way Next is giving us another insight, not dropping us cold as others have complained. The only legitimate beef I agree with is the entirely unnecessary and just plain goofy Nicholas Cage business during the final pursuit. It looks like it must have been an idea of somebody too high up among the moguls to deny, but it is a definite distraction causing "Huh? What?" moments when the action is at its most intense.

I think this movie could be happening if it release in 1995, not in 2007!!! =P

My favorite line in this movie was comes out in the end of the movie when Johnson said "There's something about the future... Every time we see the future, it'll change, just because we saw it... and it will changes everything else".

An Inconvenient Truth

Yes, I saw the movie. Did I like it? Yes… I liked it. Did I love it? Not so much. I think it’s because for me, Gore was preaching to the converted. A lot of it I had heard and seen before. The evidence isn't new for those of us already in the thick of it. I'm a lawyer, not an atmospheric scientist. I'm just interested in science and lends to scientific study. The movie was powerful because it SHOWED people what is happening while keeping the actual science jargon to a minimum. I think that aspect of it was amazing. What I felt the movie lacked was direction. Okay Gore…yeah…there's all these problems; now suggest to me what the hell I'm supposed to do. Turning off a few lights is not the answer. When the movie finished I found myself kinda feeling like, "hmmm… interesting and amazing… so what are some 'action items' I can take away from that film". The movie could have provided a platform for change rather than a mechanism of promoting fear (but …on a positive note… awareness is there).

I'm happy I saw it and I do think it is something that everyone should see. It does make you think. But how many people have already watched this movie…and two weeks later have forgotten about it? Action and long-term messaging… it was missing it, who’s going to pick up the slack?

PS : I still looking for these Al Gore's book. Can anyone help me find those book here???

DÉJÀ VU

(Salah satu tulisan yang pada akhirnya gue selesaikan juga….)

If you think it’s just a feeling, go back… and look again...

That’s closing words I’ve got from Déjà vu trailer movie (directed by Tony Scott… one of my favorite director.. fufu… :-P) I saw last month when my Apple send me an email about that movie.

and,

If you thought it was just a trick of the mind, prepare yourself for the truth..

That’s the tagline of that movie stated on the poster.

Are both of those sentences disturbing you?? Honestly, I am! That the reason why I saw that movie in the theater a week ago. Not because of Denzel Washington, not because of the trailer or the poster I saw (except of Tony Scott, that’s my guilty pleasure by the way.. hehehe *grin*)… but because of those two sentences!!!

The movie are about Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) is an ATF agent who is called in to recover evidence in the investigation of a New Orleans ferry bombing. After finding evidence that shows it was terrorism, Doug finds the body of Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton), staged to look as if she too died in the bombing. Investigating the possible lead, Doug heads to her house to gather evidence. While there, he discovers bloody gauze and towels, a message on her refrigerator saying "U CAN SAVE HER," and that, for whatever reason, she called his office shortly before the bombing. Confused, he helps the FBI with the ferry investigation and finds out his partner was also killed in the bombing. FBI Agent Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) recruits him to participate in a special task force, in the process revealing a futuristic device that allows one to observe anywhere four days and six hours in the past. According to the investigative team's explanation, the device (which is supposedly a composite of satellite images and other surveillance) cannot be fast-forwarded or rewound due to the immense volumes of data being streamed. In other words, the team has a single opportunity to look into the past before the data is lost. Pryzwarra's team asks Doug to show them where to look in order to catch the culprit responsible for the ferry bombing. As they wait for the four days to happen so they can see the ferry bombing, Doug has them watch Claire and discovers how she came to be involved; the bomber wanted to buy her car to use for the bombing. Doug grows suspicious of the device when the observed Claire begins to exhibit paranoia and notes that she feels as if "someone is watching" her. Suspecting that the device is more than a surveillance tool, he shines a laser pointer into the screen. Claire notices the beam just before the entire device crashes and is forced to reboot. Doug confronts the team, and demands an explanation for the machine, which he has realized is far more than a computer composite. The team admits that the machine is actually a tool capable of bending or folding time and space. In essence, they direct the flow of time back upon itself, enabling them to view past events through a wormhole. Doug immediately begins to question the possibility of them affecting the past either through a direct transportation, or through the communication of some sort of note or message. The team is initially skeptical but it quickly becomes apparent that there is no concrete theory on how they might influence the past or what they are capable of achieving. Doug persuades them to send a note through the device to the past version of himself, hoping that the 'anonymous tip' will lead his previous self to prevent the bombing. Unfortunately, the note reaches his partner in the past (who had been thought killed in the ferry bombing). The team proceeds to watch the chilling scene of the partner attempting to apprehend the suspect, but instead being killed in the process. An argument erupts over whether tampering with the past has just killed a federal agent, but cooler heads argue that he was already pre-destined to die on the ferry. Nonetheless, the evidence the team gathers eventually allows them to identify and catch the bomber. Doug questions the bomber in order to get a taped confession, engaging in lengthy dialog that delves into the bomber's philosophy and mindset.

Naaaaahh… I won’t tell you the ending… U better watch that yourself fellas, coz I recommended it. Kind of my favorite movie since I can’t guess the ending till the movie’s finish, and successfully make me comment “aaaaah.. that’s the answer..."

Thanks to Della who company me to watch this movie…

Oke, lets talk about déjà vu… in recent years, déjà vu has been subjected to serious psychological and neurophysiological research. The most likely explanation of déjà vu is that it is not an act of "precognition" or "prophecy", but rather an anomaly of memory; it is the impression, that an experience is "being recalled", this is false. This explanation is substantiated by the fact that the sense of "recollection" at the time is strong in most cases, but that the circumstances of the "previous" experience (when, where and how the earlier experience occurred) are quite uncertain. Likewise, as time passes, subjects can exhibit a strong recollection of having the "unsettling" experience of déjà vu itself, but little to no recollection of the specifics of the event(s) or circumstance(s) they were "remembering" when they had the déjà vu experience. In particular, this may result from an overlap between the neurological systems responsible for short-term memory (events which are perceived as being in the present) and those responsible for long-term memory (events which are perceived as being in the past). Many theorists believe that the memory anomaly occurs when one's conscious mind has a slight delay in receiving perceptive input. In other words, the unconscious mind perceives current surroundings before the conscious mind does. This causes one's conscious self to perceive something that is already in one's memory, even though it was in one's memory only a split second before it was perceived.

So, do u believe in déjà vu guys…?? Or do you ever believe in déjà vu??
I think it’s quite nice to let an unanswered question still left unanswered, then let our heart and our voice within guide our way to seek the truth…

My favorite line in this movie :
:: “What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they'd never believe you?”
:: “I'd try.”

My favorite scene :
When Doug Carlin trying to catch Carroll Oerstadt with the Hummer H1. That was so cooooool….!!


 

 

...ini loooh adegan yang keren banget itu...

And still disturbing me : can we really change our past???? (hehehehehehehehe…)

…When U Were Here…

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed . They have come to assist you through a physically, emotionally or espiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at, an incovinient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.

Sometimes they die, sometimes they walk away, sometimes! As they act up and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a season, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn. They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it, it is real, but only for a season!

Lifetime relationships teach you lifetime lessons, things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life. It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

Thank you for being a part of my life, whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.

(inspired by Pride & Prejudice….. I really love Kierra Knigtley in this movie….)

EVERY LIFE HAS A PURPOSE

Gara-gara hari minggu kemaren ditantangin nonton film “Lady in The Water” ma si Della, gue jadi dapet kata-kata yang gue pake buat judul di atas. Film yang akhirnya bikin gue merasa tertipu ma thriller (and ga bakal percaya lagi ma yang namanya thriller!!!) huahahahaha.. gue pikir film horor!!! Coba kalo yang buat bukan si M. Night Shyamalan, gue ogah kali nontonnya (karena gue emang ogah banget nonton film horor… huhuhuhu). Berhubung gue udah jadi salah satu pengemar Shyamalan sejak Sixth Sense-nya yang cool banget itu, ya gue terima deh tantangan si Della buat nonton. Hehehehehe…

Anyway, gue bukan mau ngomongin tuch film sekarang (tapi gue recommend kalian semua buat nonton film itu… :-p). Yang gue mau share sekarang adalah soal judul yang gue posting di atas. Kata-kata yang gue dapet dari dialog nya the narf named “Story” dengan Mr. Cleveland Heep, waktu Mr. Heep lagi rembukan ma temen-temennya di apartemen soal rencana untuk nolong Story. Waktu mereka lagi bingung nyari siapa di antara mereka yang adalah “The Interpreter”, which is orang yang bisa baca tanda-tanda alam dan mencari petunjuk dari hal tersebut, si Story tiba-tiba bilang “Every life has a purpose, you just have to listen to your voice within”.

That words like stuck in my head since then. That’s the reason I write this blog. Soalnya gue jadi inget sama salah satu buku favorit gue “The Alchemist” nya Paulo Coelho, yang udah berhasil menghancurleburkan keegosian gue dan membuat gue mengubah semua cara pandang gue soal menyikapi hidup gue.  That book also emboldening me to stay true to my dreams and always to listen to the voice within my heart, karena itu lah suara yang paling jujur.

"My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." (The Alchemist)

Teori emang paling gampang ya… Prakteknya… susah soooob…

Berusaha yakin ma suara hati itu susah banget, lebih gampang denial and hope everything will be ok. Padahal, kalo denial, batin jadi tersiksa, and semuanya jadi salah. Kalo dipikir-pikir apa sih susahnya denger kata hati. Tapi ya itu tadi, kayak kata si Santiago di The Alchemist, apa yang suara kan oleh kata hati itu kadang-kadang bukan apa yang kita mau. Apa yang kita mau itu ada dipikiran kita, bukan di hati. Makanya suara hati suka kalah ma ambisi… hehehehe

Katanya suara hati itu yang nolong kita dalam perjalanan hidup mencapai tujuan. Tiap hidup kan pasti punya tujuan, kalo ngga ngapain juga kita hidup. Masalahnya adalah gimana cara mencapai tujuan itu tadi. But again, every life has a purpose... so that’s why life is in the journey, not the destination. Seperti juga perjalanan Santiago nyari “pot of gold” nya atau perjalanan Story untuk pulang lagi ke “blue world”, what you search for is usually RIGHT THERE all along, and that the journey you take to find it is about learning lessons and growing as a person. Coelho and Shyamalan speaks of how doing good deeds for others is eventually rewarded and though we don't know what our treasure will be, or where and how we will receive it, if we follow our heart, we will find it.

Lagi belajar dengerin suara hati nih buat ngambil keputusan. Kayak di salah satu blog yang pernah gue tulis, life is so simple… So, life does not need to be complicated, like Santiago set off to find his "pot of gold," and after a long journey during which he grew mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, he finally discovers the location of the treasure. He follows the directions and find it RIGHT WHERE HE STARTED! The point is, You have what you need inside of you all of the time. You don't need to search outside yourself- you need to look within.

Bisa ga ya jadi kayak Santiago… biar ga stuck in reverse lagi neh... :-)

"Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you'll find your treasure." (The Alchemist) 

BRUCE ALMIGHTY (Everything happens for a reason....)

“Kita harus bersyukur untuk setiap hal yang ada dan tetap menikmati hidup kita. Apapun yang terjadi, pasti Tuhan melakukan yang terbaik untuk kita”.

Kata-kata di atas itu keluar dari mulut seorang sahabat waktu gue dinner bareng ma dia di PS beberapa hari yang lalu. Waktu itu seh kalimat itu kedengeran basi, sampe semalem gue nonton (lagi...) film BRUCE ALMIGHTY yang dimainin ma Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston. Dulu waktu pertama gue tonton, tuch film ya cuma sekedar lucu. Gue sama sekali ga nangkep pesan di balik film itu.

Ceritanya seh simple.. Cuma cerita tentang seorang news presenter & reporter untuk sebuah statiun TV, Bruce Nolan, yang kayak kebanyakan dari kita sering kali berharap hidupnya lebih baik, menyalahkan Tuhan atas kesialan dan hari buruk yang dia alamin. Suatu hari, Tuhan berniat ngasih Bruce pelajaran dengan turun ke bumi dalam wujud sebagai black people, and memberikan kepada Bruce semua tugas n kekuasaan-Nya. At the beginning seh Bruce seneng banget. Punya kekuatan Tuhan gitu loch... Dia pake lah buat bersenang-senang, kayak narik bulan biar lebih dekat dengan bumi buat sang pacar, bebas dari kemacetan di jalan jadi ga telat sampe kantor, sampe ngerjain rekan kerja sekaligus rival beratnya di kantor. Tapi ternyata, as a ALMIGHTY, Bruce punya tugas yang lebih berat ketimbang cuma having fun doang. Waktu Bruce sadar akan hal itu, dia mulai ngerasa kewalahan n frustasi. Bruce akhirnya mutusin untuk berdamai dengan Sang Pencipta and ngakuin segala kesalahan-kesalahannya. Dia bahkan bener-bener berserah kepada Tuhan untuk segala keinginan-keinginan dan hidupnya. And at the end of the story, Bruce bisa ngeraih sukses dalam hidupnya karena dia dapat menjadi seseorang dengan pribadi yang lebih baik dan lebih dekat dengan Tuhan.

You know what,...for the first time in my life gue nonton film komedi sambil berkaca-kaca. Film itu rasanya kena banget ke gue. Bagian yang paling gue suka dari film itu adalah pada saat Bruce ketabrak dan rohnya melayang menemui Tuhan. Disaat itu lah dia bener-bener nyerahin hidupnya pada Tuhan.

Gue ngerasa Bruce Nolan itu kayak ngewakilin gue, yang some time ago pernah sempat protes and marah ma Tuhan karena gue ngerasa Tuhan ga adil ma gue, ga pernah ngewujudin keinginan-keinginan gue, and atas semua yang terjadi pada hidup gue waktu itu. Sampe akhirnya gue sadar, kalo apapun yang terjadi dalam hidup gue itu bukan berarti Tuhan ga sayang ma gue,... tapi justru karena Tuhan sayang banget ma gue and hal-hal yang terjadi dalam hidup gue itulah yang terbaik buat gue. Gue cuma harus sabar and berusaha dengan maksimal.

Pernah denger kata-kata “Everything Happens For A Reason...”? Ntah good or worse setiap hal yang terjadi dalam hidup kita pasti ada alasannya. Beberapa waktu belakang ini, gue belajar untuk percaya hal tersebut. Kadang-kadang susah juga seh... apalagi.. well... I’m a human being. Kecewa, marah, n ngerasa ga puas dan ga terima ma kejadian yang menimpa gue, sering kali gue alamin. Udah merasa berserah pasrah ma Tuhan, tapi masih sengsara juga. Mau marah ga seh... hehehehehe... Suatu kali gue berpikir, kenapa sich gue cuma pengen Tuhan ngelakuin apa gue mau, tapi kenapa ga mulai dari ngelakuin apa yang Tuhan mau dari gue... Ternyata efeknya dasyat,... and sejak saat itu sebisa mungkin gue ga ninggalin kewajiban-kewajiban gue yang udah ditetapkan ma Tuhan. Makin deket gue ma Tuhan, makin yakin gue kalo all I have to do is do my best, the rest is God business.

Sekarang gue percaya kalo everything happens for a reason,... and with GOD, everything happens for a GOOD reason...

That’a a wrap!!!