Burung Pipit

Beside the busy plot with so many characters and loud pyro-technic from its action scenes, “X-men, The Final Stand” striked me as a Love Story on steroid. Dr Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), the heroin in the first two installments has a split personality called “Phoenix”. Dr. Jean Grey, now Phoenix in this film is out to kill anyone who stands in her way and annihilate all life on earth. Wolverine (Jack Hughman) who ‘tan leun” (secretly in love with) Jean, have to kill Phoenix in order to save earth and release Jean from her evil twin sister.Jack Hughman, is fantastic here as a tortured soul with an unrequited love for a colleague, Jean. Of course, don’t ask me how Jack can hide his feeling from a colleague who can read mind! How I wish the love scene with Jean in the lab could be better developed. If you had followed Famke since her Goldeneyes’ days, you know what I mean. I missed Famke in her Goldeneyes’ days. Her death-lock love-making scene with James Bond (Pierre Brosnan) was tantalizing, to say the least. Famke’s “Xenia Zaragevna Onatopp’ was visually stunning and that impression had remained.

X-men 3 is an accidental love movie that I like. Like Ali McGraw and Ryan O’Neal original Love Story in 1970, the tagline (Love means you don’t have to say “Sorry”) applies equally well here. In the final showdown, when Wolverine stabbed Phoenix and killing her, Jean schizoid twin, I could almost hear Jean telling Wolverine “love means you don’t have to say “Sorry”. Despite the loud and crowded actions in the final scene, i was surprised the message "Forgiveness and letting go…the greatest sacrifice of love" reached out and touches me.

I can’t believe this is the last installment. There is no closure and a lot of questions remained unanswered. Is Cyclop, the original love of Jean gone for good? How Jack is going to spend his loveless life since he had accomplished his two missions…the mutant school was already in the good hands of Storm and the world had rid itself of Magneto, what is next? Will there be an X-Men 4…I would not rule it out.

If I were in Ipoh and crave the famous Ipoh Hor Fun, I would not be too please if the seller offers me a souped up version of their famous dish. Tom Yam Ipoh Hor Fun, anyone? No, thanks… just the Ipoh Hor Fun. This famous dish derives its fame from the rich soup base, smooth hor fun and the chicken breast meat topping. You don’t go for IHF to savour the taste of tom yam…absurd & ridiculous!! Of course if you just wanna fill a hungry stomach, it really doesn’t matter, does it?

Mission Impossible III is the type of gah yim gah cho (add salt add vinegar) Tom Yam Ipoh Hor Fun dished out by the commercial chef “Tom Yam” Cruise.

The original Mission Impossible TV series chronicled the adventures of the Impossible Mission Taskforce (IMF), a team of government spies and specialists who were assigned "impossible missions" by the unseen "Secretary". The team consists of the Team Leader, the Techno-Wizard, The Strongman, The Master of Disguise, and The Femme Fatale.

Its opening mission assignment (conducted by a pre-recorded tape), the theme composed by Lalo Schifrin, the leader's selection of mission agents from a dossier, the opening briefing, the intricate use of disguises and a typical "mask pulloff" scene near the end of most episodes….were the definition and character of any show that carries the MI logo.

MI3 is totally action and suffers from a severe lack of character. Director JJ Abrahm “interrogation” opening scene will never measured up to John Woo stylishly choreographed “self destruct in 5 second” exploding sunglasses and motor chase scene in Mi2. For his lack of idea, JJ filled the void in his Mi3 with a lot of firework that numb the senses after a while. Look like Tom has lost the plot and JJ was brought in to provide the pyrotechnic firework that made this Mi3 a very ordinary action film.

There are too much adrenalin pumping scenes that do not fit into the MI mould. For me, the scene that really does justice to the MI franchise is the Vatican Ball plot to capture the baddy played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Planning, deception, disguise, high tech wizardry and masterful execution…they are all here. That’s MI pure and simple.

Cruise’s pandering to a 1.2 billion Chinese market is so shameless and obvious. How can you hide an ang moh in China and of all places, in a river village? River villages are so backward; they had not been touched by development for the last 30 years. You can’t even hide a Shanghainese there without attracting a visit from the local police. I can tell you if Cruise were to produce the “The Last Supper” I would not be surprised if he cast a Chinese as one of Jesus disciples. Maggie Q is no ass kicker but a sad token wall flower. Q couldn't even deliver her cantonese lines fluently…i rest my case.

Instead of team work, we have too much of Tom Yam Cruise. Tom Yam rescued colleague, Tom Yam shot down drone plane, Tom Yam stole the rabbit claw, Tom Yam rescued wife….. Maybe because he takes a cut of the film revenue, he tried to do more. Slowly but steadily Tom is turning the Mission Impossible into “Tom & his Impossible Missions”.

The action maybe hot, but who is kidding who… this is one action movie that is ripping off the good will of the Mission Impossible legacy. Tom Yam is turning the MI into a bland popcorn franchise…niamah!! ACTION has not been this dreadful!