"On The Edge" Review

Hong Kong police movies have been pretty rampant throughout the industry over the past half century. With the release of the blockbuster “Infernal Affairs” in 2002, Hong Kong police movies have been smarting up in terms of storytelling and plot twists.

Cinematographer cum Director Herman Yau is at the reigns of Hong Kong’s latest police drama which stars Nick Cheung (“Election”), Francis Ng (“Infernal Affairs 2”, “Gen X Cops”), Rain Li (“Goodbye Mr. Cool”) and Anthony Wong (“Initial D”, “Infernal Affairs”). It tells the story of young cop Harry (Cheung) who was assigned to go undercover for the triads for the past 8 years (which is his entire career) where he is to gain confidence of the mob and gather evidence against the head honcho Don Dark (Ng). The movie explores the human element, which sees the emotional side of a person that lives a lie and actually becomes one of the bad guys who he is trying to bring down.

The film is told in a series of flashbacks, but this is done nicely. It begins with Harry finally taking in his ‘boss’ Don Dark after sticking with the triad for four years. Needless to say, after the initial arrest, Don Dark’s boys are all in a ruckus over the mole that they put their trust in. However, things are not so rosy on Harry’s side as well, as he feels unaccepted by the police force and is constantly being tailgated by the IIO (Internal Investigations Organisation) and is left out of police briefings. Being with the triad for so long, Harry feels ‘in-between’ and confused on where he belongs.

The acting skills of Nick Cheung here is what makes the movie excel in its own right. His portrayal as the lost and brooding cop Harry is believable and credible. Veterans Anthony Wong and Francis Ng were also great in their respective roles, although Wong seemed to be a little misplaced but worked his magic as an arrogant field officer (we usually see him as a Superintendent). Rain Li plays Harry’s love interest that works in karaoke lounges and is the eye candy of the film.

Running at about 90 minutes, this film would actually fare better if it were at least thirty minutes longer. Reminiscent of “Infernal Affairs”, the film has the potential to cover a lot more ground on its characters and story.

If you like crime stories that are story driven and gripping, then by all means watch “On The Edge”. You won’t be disappointed.

Grade: B+

The Gold Coast - Day 5 & 6

Day 5 was a 'free and easy' day as we chose not to go for the optional tour...which was boring shite.

The morning started differently as we didnt have the hotel buffet breakfast (which were the same food everyday) but zipped off to the nearest Hungry Jacks for breakfast.


James found the way for us to head to Pacific Fair. A pretty big ass shopping complex just a few kms down the road. We took a bus and headed on for our final day in Queensland.

Target, Myer, K-Mart. These were the big 'marts/Parkson-like' stores found there. Half of the place was an 'open-air' concept, which was very nice.

Went up to Toys R Us, and I found myself buying my most expensive purchase there.. :P
My WWE Cruiserweight and Tag Team Title belts. Didn't have much $$ left so I couldnt get the underwear for Geri, Veron, and Maria from Target (which was about 9-12 bucks). Sigh. Couldnt get much chocs and candy for myself either. Oh well. The b elts were worth it. Tee hee.

Here are some other etc pics.

Bry (By) the Pacific Ocean

@ Hard Rock Cafe, Surfers Paradise


This outdoor public toilet talks to you

This parking machine accepts credit card transactions!

Despite the bad press, the KFC here tastes just as good!


The New York Pizza place has awesome pizza slices!

Never leave home without your dose of protein

Goodbye Brisbane, Hello Singapore!....SINGAPORE!?!


And that was the end of the holiday.

***

The plane ride home was so much better since it was in the day. managed to catch 2 movies this time. First up was Korea's 'The Art Of Seduction' and France's 'The Valet'. I give both 3 1/2 stars. :)

The Gold Coast - Day 4

MOVIE WORLD!

Woohoooo! Hollywood on the Gold Coast! Spent the entire day there! Didn't go on any rides like the 'Superman Escape' and such, but hey, that's not my kinda thing.


Got to take many pics of people in costumes like Batman & Robin, Austin Powers (who looks like a bloody double of Mike Myers), Catwoman, and more. Had lunch at the themed 'Gotham City Cafe', which was located next to Gotham City Hall =P.

Here are a few random shots.

Bang Bang!

Me kicking the sh*t out of a 'Lethal Weapon' prop. Damn, the lighting's good

=)

***

The Gold Coast - Day 3

SEA WORLD!

What a fun place! The shows were fantastic, and the place is so clean and nice. Got to see pandas, sharks, dolphins, seals, and much more!

Why Tom & Jerry are at Sea World? I have no idea

Splish splash I'm takin a bath

Do not feed the sharks


FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!

The Gold Coast - Day 1 & 2

*Sigh* Everything's all hot and clammy again. I must say, the weather at the Gold Coast was near perfect. Everyone was uber polite, and it makes me wonder if Malaysia, being located at the Equator (comparing weather) is why so many of us are stressed out and 'not so' polite. Another reason could also be that they don't overwork in Australia... unlike here.

The family trip was outstanding and surpassed all my negative expectations =). Here's a breakdown on what happened day by day.

DAY 1 & 2
Day 1 was quite a scam as the plane left KLIA at 9pm that night, and we actually only left for Australia FROM Singapore slightly after 12am which made that 'Day 2' already. *Sigh*

However, the anticipation of getting on a plane and jetting off was simply nail biting (I haven't been on a plane for 15 years). *grin* Plane takeoffs and landings are fun.. but the wait in between is slightly dull, not counting the constant walkbys from the flight attendants and food trays. Also, the SIA entertainment console was cool. Played some old skool Nintendo games and watched 'Over The Hedge' on the way there. Leg room was almost non-existant which made it hell to sleep.

As we touched down Brisbane airport at around 9++ in the morning (we travelled 2 hours into the future!) we headed on to some Sunday market downtown by the river. Trinkets and stuff galore, but nothing caught my fancy.

After an hour or so, we went off to our first appointment of the day. 'Paradise Farm'(cant recall the full name...egad!), where we got to see sheep shearing, boomerang throwing, horse riding, kangaroos & koalas, the usual tourist fare. Although it sounds lame, it was actually pretty fun. Thanks to the weather and the very professional staff they had there.

Howdy partner!

"Mmmm..food" said the Kangaroo

After the farm, we shot to our hotel, the Watermark Hotel in Surfers Paradise. It was a nice place, with a small pool, a gym, and even a sauna.

For dinner with the tur group that night, we ate at....

A BLOODY MALAYSIAN CHINESE RESTAURANT

argh.

After dinner, it was free and easy as we walked all around Surfers Paradise. And a paradise it was...to a certain extent. Surfers Paradise is like an uptown Port Dickson, as in, its just a small town area.

End of Day 1 & 2

***

More coming soon...

bREAK iT dOWN!

*Sigh*

Looks like all my time spent after hours at work was time wasted indeed. Although I thought I had improved over the past couple of weeks, I got it wrong.

The time has almost come for this chapter to end. I just hope that HBK will be able to cope with HHH's departure.

*Amazing grace, how sweet the sound*

Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah (Today In History)

Today (14 Aug), two years ago, I started working full time after my college studies for the first time. At age 23 1/2, everything looked so bright and shimmery. "Wow, finally I have a job! I'm making my own money!". Sure, initially, the money wasn't great, but working was a new experience to me. Everything looked great. Life was good.

My first day (The Village Special Screening; with Nigel)

Fast forward two years, and here I am writing this. Gone are the bright, shimmery lights of life. Sigh. What exactly happened? I really don't know. Something has definitely changed, inside and out (Yes, yes, I may have shed 20 kilos but thats not what I'm talking about).

July 2K6 was definitely a rough patch for me. Shit happened. And the shit hit the fan. But it's not July anymore.

Sigh. Just last week I thought things were looking up. An almost flawless week of work. or so I thought. It's funny how 1 mistake can bring it all crashing down again.

Blossoms After A Decade! / Hannah Tan TNL

The Gin Blossoms release their 4th album after a decade of silence (can't wait to get it off mininova *grin*)!

After escorting Meisu back home after tonight's Hannah Tan on "TNL" show, the trusty TRAXX FM played their latest single 'Learning The Hard Way'. Even though I was parked home, I waited til the song ended. Needless to say, Gin Blossoms pwn. The last time I stayed in the car (or someplace else) til a song ended was probably to M2M's 'Everything or The Moffatts 'Bang Bang Boom'.

Oh, the Hannah Tan "TNL" thing?
12 of us (Ian, Adele, Yew Jin, Veronica, Daniel, Nicholas, James, Debbie, Maria, Jimmy, Meisu, and myself) headed to NTV7 in Glenmarie to be part of the audience for "Thursday night Live with Harith Iskander" whose guests tonight were Hannah Tan (who invited me *wink*) and Ruffedge. It was a pretty good experience I'd say, it brought everyone together as well. That was nice.


Finally, I got to get my two girls in d' same photo =P - [T for "T'we Be Bry's Gurls"]


And here's me and Hannah doing a DX tribute

Ok, its not a DX tribute, its this 'T' gimmick that their coming up with for Hannah..Hmmm..

=)

T'was a good night.

Work beckons tomorrow. Gotta watch a Hindi flick in the morning that will last 3 hours +. Well, that's work for ya. :)

Semi-good Weekend

Haih.. Just not used to posting sh*t on this blogspot. It isn't the same no more. I miss typing in HTML codes and all that. Haihz..

Been a semi-good weekend, watched "A Moment To Remember", which I recommend to everyone. 4 1/2 stars.

Got into my first car accident. Super minor one (my mom's Corolla's Toyota symbol fell off), but the Honda's bumper in front needed to be replaced (i guess). Cost me RM200 to kautim. Oh well. No biggie. Although the odds of me spending that RM200 would be 1000-1, it gets me thinking on whether I should go out and buy some expensive stuff for myself (or someone) every once in a while. Hmm..

I need to borrow an MP3 player for a week. Anyone kind enough to pinjam?