Clueless is a romantic teen comedy and a sweet satire of the lives of the Beverly Hills teens. It is a comedy that does not take itself seriously, that does not pretend to be anything or send any message to the youth of the world, or be over the top, but it does get its parody of the rich and famous through without being insulting or pretentious. It is loosely based on Jane Austen's Emma.
Clueless has a terrific script, great dialogues, and memorable characters despite the stereotypes. Most importantly, there are many funny, cheeky, sweet and naughty moments, so if you don't laugh or enjoy it, you are the problem.
All the cast members are lovable and adorable in their respective roles. Paul Rudd is very charming as the sweet hard worker Josh. Alicia Silverstone has the role of a lifetime playing Cher Horowitz, and is extremely funny, as well as the almost unrecognisable Brittany Murphy as Tai; she still was herself and not a Hollywood minced product. Stacey Dash and Donald Faison are also terrific in their roles of the couple Dionne & Murray. Also very good is Elisa Donovan as Amber.
Despite being filmed in 1995 the movie is still fresh, funny and very enjoyable, and only the fashion is a bit aged, but just a bit.
A classic teen movie that is still fresh and funny. If you watch it for what it is, you'll have a blast.
Sucker Punch is the story of a group of problematic teen girls (Baby Doll, Sweet Pea, Rocket, Blondie and Amber) trying to escape a mental institution for girls where they are abused and exploited by its director Blue Jones.
The start of the movie is very promising. It tells the story of how Baby Doll, the leading character, gets to the mental institution. It has a good narrative and terrific music, and, in fact, looks very much like a well-made video-clip.
This being a Fantasy film, you expect the unexpected and you are already open to unbelievable things to happen; however, to swallow the lot, the story needs to have an internal logic that makes it organic, and you rarely find that here beyond the opening sequence and the thin line connecting the different day-dreams. The day-dreaming scenes are very entertaining, because, well, they are supposed to be day-dreams in which anything is possible. However, once again, the whole seems like an extended video-clip pastiche that moves to a different one.
The movie has a great concept and succeeds at creating an unique an bizarre Universe that mixes themes and aesthetics in vogue in modern pop culture (a mix of early medieval, Gothic, traditional Japanese, the 1920s and 1950s aesthetics). The special effects are great, and the action scenes are terrifically filmed, and always powered by a terrific music. However, the script is so thin, the characters so superficially drawn, the nonsense so obvious, and the pretentiousness of some scenes (the end for example) so patronising that you cannot ignore them.
The acting was good on the part of the always convincing Oscar Isaac as Blue Jones, John Glenn as the Wise Man, Jena Malone as Rocket, and Amy Cormish as her sister Sweet Pea. The rest of the cast is OK: Emily Browing as melancholic Baby Doll, Vanessa Hudgengs as Blondie, Jamy Chung as Amber, and Carla Gugino as Dr. Vera Gorski. The rest of the cast seems to be more a group of extras passing by, despite the cameo of Jon Hamn.
I loved the soundtrack, but there is barely a rest from it. Although the lyrics of the songs are directly related to the story, the intensity of the music is overwhelming and numbing. This is a movie and you expect the music to be at the service of the story, not the opposite!
The fleshy flesh wasn't necessary in the story, to be honest, and it is a bit of a perverted old man's fantasy. Sorry Snyder! I found unnecessary the characters being dressed in sluttish dresses the whole time. They could have carried on the story with the girls wearing jeans and t-shirts outside their dancing areas. Insulting are those moments in which the focus of the camera goes on some of the girls' bottoms!
At the end of the movie I felt that the great imagination, potential and actors have been wasted by a poor direction and that Snyder is your man if you want to get a super-duper video-clip not a movie.
The DVD has a bonus of 4 animated short films directed by Ben Hibon (Feudal Warriors, The Trenches, Dragon and Distant Planet), which complement the day-dreaming scenes. They are good visually, full of potential, but too hurriedly done, and with paper-thin plots provided by the same director, not by the animator. You can have wonderful animation, but if you have a poor story, the rest is a waste of time, money and talent. If you cannot do something well, don't do it at all.
An action packed film full of fantasy, big fights, silly stories, and girls in sluttish dresses. A movie mostly for teenagers.
Address: 1A Jalan Mathies, Sarawak
93100 Kuching, Malaysia
Tel. (+60)82/222888
Fax. (+60)82/222999
Email: H6332@accor.com
Website: http://www.pullmankuching.com/
GOOD THINGS
+ Centrally located to visit all the sights. Close to the riverside, nice restaurants and the heart of the city.
+ Great room. Huge in size, very welcoming and well layered out. Very comfortable and homey. The bathroom was divine.
+ The hotel is above a recently-opened shopping mall (Star Hill), where different affordable Asian restaurants and coffee shops can be found.
+ Good set of toilet amenities.
+ Checking out at 12pm is also great
+ Free newspaper every morning
+ One hour free Internet in the room. It is fast, and enough for checking emails and uploading a few files. No speed or giga upload limit.
+ The Malaysian staff were especially friendly and welcoming, especially Sanusi. The cleaners and housekeepers were delightful as well as the girls at the coffee shop and the special events desk
BAD THINGS
+ Crowded insufficient plugs in the room!
+ No free Internet in the rooms. So the last century. Three star hotels are doing so already!. Moreover, they have stupid Internet policies, and blocking sites like Multiply that is less dangerous than Facebook. Reason given: it is a sharing place. Senseless! As a result I had to stop posting in my blog and sharing my photos. Thanks Accor...
+ Lobby looks and feels like an airport corridor: too big, you might need a skate to move around the lobby, too shiny, too pretentious, too impersonal and unwelcoming. They should refurbish it and divide the space differently, so it feels more welcoming to the customer.
+ A bit chaotic reception desk with some misinformed and unwelcoming staff.
+ Unwelcoming guy at the Tour office. Some people should practice smiling every day and say thank you to customers, too! It seemed that he was annoyed because I was trying to book some tours. Ridiculous!
+ The coffee at the lobby cafeteria is not good and overpriced.
+ Mostly a business hotel.
Room Tip: If you are visiting during New Year or Chinese New Year, ask for a room that does not face the pool...
See more room tips
Stayed January 2012
2 George Wiencke Dr
Perth Airport Western Australia 6105
(08) 9478 8888
http://www.perthairport.com.au
Call me sentimental, but I find Perth Airport charming. Not only that, I think represents well what Perth is: a big place with the soul of a little town, a city that is welcoming, relaxed and human-sized.
The Airport certainly needs to improve, but there are many good things about Perth Airport. Things that people won't appreciate until we get one of those standard humongous airports that feel built for giants, and whose floors are so shiny that you have to wear your sunnies not to get blinded by their glare.
I find especially pleasant that I don't need fifteen minutes of fast walking to move between departure gates -something important if your flight changes gate at the last moment- or to move around in general.
Most of the staff are pleasant, helpful and approachable, not the nosey type you find at other places. Even at Customs, where things can be annoying and slow, most of the staff will great you with a smiley good-day, and treat you with humanity and friendliness while they tripe out your whole suitcase and reveal your oh-not-so-sexy underwear to the world.
Cues at the checking-in counters move always fast. The transport to/from the airport, re taxis, shuttle and public transport is good, although car users have it a bit tricky.
The three things I hate the most are: 1/ The number of chairs in the waiting areas is limited and not very comfortable for long waits. 2/ The coffee and food area is populated by mediocre fast-food chains shops. 3/ The Duty Free area (Duty Free?) has been out of fashion and too expensive since ever.
The airport needs to improve and to grow to attend to the increasing number of flights and of international and domestic visitors. However, I hope that, when that happens, it doesn't lose the cosiness and charm that it has at present, and that feeling I get just after landing, that the Perth Airport is, indeed, an extension of my own place.
(Tourism Australia, I am all yours!)
Art Gallery of Western Australia
James St Mall
Perth Cultural Centre
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9228 3100
http://www.caffissimo.com.au/
The coffee is bland, although I have noticed differences between the dine-in and take-away coffee. Some days is OK. Not sure why!
The staff are nice and respectful, fast at the cashing machine and take-away, but very s-l-o-w if you decide to dine in.
The place is spacious, comfortable and contemporary in style, and well located, so it is perfect to catch up with friends, family and for work meetings in the heart of the city, in a nice quiet spot. Not too noisy, not to quiet.
The food is not good, especially for a cafe attached to an Art Gallery. I was there this week and I ordered the "pasta of the day". I got a bowl of overcooked tasteless ugly-looking pasta. If you cook some pasta at home with jar pesto and Parmesan, it will definitely taste better than the 18-dollar pasta I got. However, if you like that sort of mushy thing go to any food hall, where it will cost you half the price, or head towards Aroma Cafe at the State Library, where the pasta is definitely better. If you want a fast service and something decent at Caffissimo order pre-cooked stuff (pies, tarts and quiches with their salad); you can get the same sort of pre-cooked thing for a trifle of the price at the Trackside Bakery, 200 metres away. I tried their sandwiches years ago, but I cannot recall anything, and, to be bluntly yours, I don't know if I will have the strength to return and try them, because, every time I visit Caffissimo, I leave with the after-taste of having wasted my money and time.
The place is always full and the only sensible reason I find for that is the location.Humans are a strange species sometimes - they gather like seagulls around places that are not always worth the bites they get. Take me back to Pluto, please!
Piccolo Hotel
101 Jalan Bukit Bintang,
Kuala Lumpur 55100, Malaysia
Tel : 603 - 2146 5000
Fax : 603 - 2146 5001
Email: reservation@piccolohotel.com.my
http://www.thepiccolohotel.com/
http://www.piccolohotel.com.my/Home.html?page=index
Piccolo Hotel is pretty and trendy hotel located in the heart of the posh shopping area of KL that defines itself as eco-friendly. I found it very comfortable for the days I stayed. They have free fast Internet, a cozy spacious room, great design and lighting, original open concept bathroom, good plasma TV and entertainment program, and free newspaper every morning.
The toilet amenities are good quality but very limited. No hair conditioner (if you are a lady with long hair you need it), no toothbrush, no cotton buds, no rubbish bin in the toilet!, no robe. These details are unimportant, still expected in a hotel that pretends to be trendy, especially when average hotels in KL have the above mentioned things.
The level of noise in my room was dreadful! There is a nearby open disco that goes bombastic from 10pm until 3am or so. Moreover, the walls between rooms are paper-thin and you can hear the shower/sewage of the next-door room! The corridors can be be noisy, and if they are, you will hear everything as the rooms are not sound proofed. The music at the shopping mall public areas starts at about 7am.
The concierge and tour people were really friendly and helpful, but the people at the reception desk were helpful but unwelcoming and not warm at all. They are at the bottom list of the many hotels I have visited in Malaysia so far. Smile!!! Make people welcome! Is that so difficult?
I truly recommend the Morino Kaze Fish Spa experience, for the fish spa which I found to be an amazing experience!
The heritage food trail is at one minute from the hotel; a fantastic food hall to savour different Asian delicacies. However, you can find any western, Asian or Middle Eastern food restaurant at 5 minutes from the hotel, as well as bars and shopping malls. There are two restaurants at the lobby, but they are always empty...
A great hotel for young and modern-minded people looking for a great location to move around the best shopping area in KL.
Room Tip: If you are a slight sleeper ask for a room facing the lateral alleys.
Visited January 2012
Shop H14, Carillon City Arcade
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9322 3173
http://www.passchendales.com.au/
Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sat 10:00 - 17:00
Fri 10:00 - 19:00
Sun 12:00 - 17:00
Passchendales is an eclectic shop that sells a mix of races, bridal and special occasion accessories.
I have always liked the display of hats they have at the entrance and shop-window, and the openness of the shop, that initially invites you to enter. However, the place is very small and crowded with things, so you also get visually overwhelmed and feel like not entering. Then you enter and the space is so narrow that you feel like controlling your body not to put anything out their place. This might be the reason why the shop is rarely crowded or with many clients in general, but it is certainly worth a visit.
The hat section is really great, beautiful, classy, innovative, varied, and the star of the shop. Some of the pieces are really WOW. They have fascinators, head pins, head bands and proper hats. They have a made-to-order millinery service available just for your royal head to go crazy, something you don't expect from a tiny shop like this.
The amount and variety of evening bags is also considerable from the very simple to the Oscar-like and within a huge range of prices. On the contrary, most wallets on display were too chunky and not very elegant. There is a nice selection of pashmina scarves at 39 dollars - a great price as you pay the same for plain cotton scarves at David Jones and Myer at present. The jewellery is like any other you find in similar shops, even in the Carillon Complex.
The new shop-assistant was a bit unwelcoming and model-ish. I asked for her help and she gave it to me, but did so as she was making me a favour. and I was a member of the plebs disturbing the empress. However, she genuinely smiled after I showed my appreciation for the wrapping of my purchase. She might have been having a bad day, or two..., but I expect a shop-attendant to be welcoming and friendly, otherwise I go elsewhere or shop online. The other shop-assistant (the owner?) was very welcoming, smiley and invited you to enter if you were browsing at the door. I want her back.
Their wrapping and little details you get are beautiful.
Mind your heads, girls, they don't give refunds or exchange items if you change your mind, unless the genre is faulty. You will even get a decorative note saying that in a wordy elegant manner. Ouch!
The shop is worth a visit for the hats and the pashminas. You can find many of the other things they sell elsewhere. If I was the owner I would clean a bit the shop and leave the hats, clutches and pashminas, and get rid of everything else so the shop becomes more spacious and inviting.
Visit their website as they have great competitions and offers:
http://www.passchendales.com.au/customer-service/competitions/
