This week has been pretty hectic, due to circumstances I am not allowed to reveal.
Incidentally, a sergeant has been subjected to SOL (stoppage of leave) for posting classified information on his blog. Apparently my blog had been monitored by mindef personnel as well, so you know how powderful our gahmen is already. I wouldn't be surprisef if they have set up an entire department just to monitor blogs and internet postings. Censorship? Paranoia? Big Brother mentality? I have no idea, but I believe most people should be sensible enough not to reveal information that will jeopardise national security.
Anyway, went to see the specialist at the National Skin Centre again yesterday and he (finally) recommended that I be excused from black shoe polish, aka Kiwi, to which I am allergic. I wonder what the MO would say when he sees the memo. Maybe I'll become the first person in the history of SAF to get the "excuse shoe polish" status eh!
Watched Eragon with the gang and it was decent but nothing spectacular. Most critics snubbed the movie for having a derivative plot, and being an unsuccessful LOTR/HP wanna-be. Whatever the case, I think the movie is still worth the price of a ticket if all you are after is brainless popcorn entertainment.
Seriously, I think the critics should give Christopher Paolini some credit since he was only 16 when he wrote the book. I reckon most of them are just jealous (jealousy never dies, innit) that despite his "inferior" literary capabilities, he's more famous, and set to earn much more than them through book sales and royalties from the movie. No doubt, his books should be judged on their literary merit, but I just feel they have been far too critical.
Back to the movie. In short, the plot has little depth, characterisation is poor, the score is
uninspiring, and the acting is mediocre at best despite the casting of several thespians.Jeremy Irons (as Brom) was the only one who delivered, though Ed Speleers (as Eragon) did put in an earnest performance considering that this is his debut, and Saphira (his dragon) was only CGI-ed in later. He's not extremely handsome, but his looks did grow on me after a while. Sienna Guillory (as Arya) is just eye candy, and it's shocking to realise that she's 31, more than a decade older than Speleers, who's 18. The others, like John Malkovich, are not even worth mentioning.
The saving grace might be the dragon thrill rides, and final battle sequence between Eragon and the shade, which are pretty well executed. Unfortunately, the siege scenes and most of the sets are awful in comparison to LOTR, or even Troy.
"Eragon" should do well enough in the box office to warrant the theatrical release of Eldest, the second book in Paolini's "Inheritance" Trilogy, given the weak competition in theatres this holiday season. However, I won't be looking forward to it as much as I did for the LOTR sequels, unless they find a more competent director and screenwriter.
