IP Man 4 Movie Review

IP Man 4 is your good old Kung Fu Porn. Story is built around some major fights which you can see from afar.

The storytelling method is very simple staightforward, following the death of Ip Man's wife, and Ip Man's son was not doing so well in school. The progression of the story was rather cliche, but the use of powerful moments of the little bits of information you get along the way is very well done.

So you end up with moments like this scene in previous Ip Man


Pacing of the story was quite well done. There are some story progression followed by fights every few minutes. I would say that many of these fights are not really that necessary, but as Kung Fu porn, hell, keep it coming...

From the trailers, you can already expect the various fights which you have seen. There are 2 major boss fights, one with the Karate Guy and the other with Scott Adkins. The build up of the fights and the choreography is well done, making the fight scenes very exciting.

The underlying theme seems very apt for today's climate -- racism. Well, there is little progress, but perhaps racism has became slightly better before Trump?

Well, overall, the movie has a very simple plot and action scenes are well done. Pacing is good and the fights are definitely worth the ticket price.

Plot and characters are pretty simply. You can tell the bad guy when you see them.

Just go watch it... ok?

-- Robin Low

Joker Movie Review

Joker is your standard villian in the DC universe, often seen battling Batman, and in this movie, it is a reboot of the villian in a different way. We use to see Joker as the man who fell into a vat of acid in the comics, but this movie adds a new twist.


And I like it.

"Joker" is set in Gotham, in an era, kinda like 1980's New York. Arthur Fleck, the main character in the movie is a disturbed man with a series of unfortunate incidents happening to him, transforming him into the Joker.

He starts off as a part-time clown, and gets beaten up to show the grim world where life is hard, unemployment is high and the city has no budgets for services. Yet there are Billionaires like the Wayne family living a a very different world.

The title Joker does not prepare you enough on how dark the movie is going to be. The whole movie has no humor and it is kinda depressing to watch Arthur getting into these situations.

Although this is a different story altogether, you still get to see Bruce Wayne and the death of his parents, which is pretty much expected. The twist of the movie blends in well with the problems we face today -- income inequality, and portrays it in a slightly manner.

It is indeed a bold movie, highlighting the plight of the villian as he becomes the joker, and a justification exercise on why the Joker ended up that way.

The pace of the movie was good. It did not feel preachy and there was not too much gore and violence. I did not feel that there was a high enough body count, but as most of the movie, it was just Arthur and not the Joker, it was ok.

I really enjoyed the movie, but I have to warn you. This movie is really depressing. It just gets worse. This is more like the beginnings of the Heath Ledger, and an interesting take indeed. 

If you are a batman fan, this movie is highly recommended.

-- Robin Low

Midvalley Southkey -- Does not invite motorcycle riders to go.

I tried going to this new mall for 3 times so far from the expressway off the causeway. There is a dedicated exit which has a nice ramp off the highway directly towards the mall, but the basement carpark does not allow motorcycles in, and there is a motorcycle parking area, but the barrier is closed and following the crumbling walls with water damage in this new building, it brings you out to the expressway again.

Yes, this is a new Megamall, and after a few tries, I decided to drive there, and managed to get parking easily. It cost RM$2 for the first 3 hours (even though it is very empty) and you can get a parking space if you drive. (For weekday afternoons. Expect evenings and weekends to be packed)

For motorcycles, sorry, you are not invited. Please avoid.

I was expecting this big mall to be interesting, however, it is more of the same. If you have been to KSL, City Square, this is more of the same... kind of new, with all the same stores.

This mall is however much bigger, filled with a lot of same stores you find in other malls and even when it is new, some of the sinks in the bathroom are not working.

Everything here feels expensive. If you are Singaporean, other than food, most of the things found here can be found in Singapore as well, no real reason to go. Yes, there is a Sogo, but I feel that Aeon is much cheaper and I'd rather go Bukit Indah or Terbrau.

Opened in April, this mall is still not fully occupied. Don't expect entertainment like Cinema...

If you are coming from CIQ by bus, just stay at City Square, you are not missing much. No point spending time and money to come to a similar mall, probably more crowded too, with empty shops.

Midvalley in KL on the other hand is much better, this Southkey seems to be sad looking for a new mall with rundown walls, water damage and not all the shops are opened despite being opened for 5 months?

Management seemed strict as I found several cars with clamps on. So do take note when you park.

So this mall, perhaps good for food selection (cheaper than Singapore) but everything else you can find in other malls in JB.

If you are riding a motorcycle, sorry, you can't park there.

-- Robin Low

Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic - exhibition at the MFA #Boston

Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic Exhibition going on at the MFA is FANTASTIC!

First published in 1926, Winnie the Pooh is one of the most famous children’s book characters of all time. This exhibition displays the original drawings, letters, photographs, and early editions, along with whimsical ephemera, take visitors on a journey exploring how the stories of Pooh and his friends Eeyore, Kanga and Roo, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, and Christopher Robin.

It has also opened my eyes on the author's (A. A. Milne) thoughts and ideas behind the character and how he had created characters that we can identify with. If you are a writer and want inspirations, this is an exhibition not to be missed.

It is still at MFA till Jan 6.

Don't miss it.

-- Robin Low