By Neshmeen Faatimah
There was very little expectation from this movie and sadly it fails to change the status quo. Sequel to 2010's Clash of the Titans, the movie once again follows the life and adventures of the legendary Greek hero Perseus as he, once again, ventures to save the world. Yeah, no surprise there!
The plot picks up a decade after Perseus defeated the mighty Kraken and instead of living with his father in Mount Olympus as a demigod, he lives as a mere fisherman (accommodations are kind of lame compared to Hall of the Gods) with his son. Since mankind has forsaken worshipping the Gods, the Gods' powers are fading fast resulting in the weakening of the walls of Tartarus (the prison used to hold the Titans). Now Kronos (the Titan leader) is on his way to escape his prison. The rest of it, as you can guess, is Perseus and the Gods vs Kronos and his cronies.
In a word, the movie is disappointing. When someone is using a story with such a rich background as the Greek Mythology, you expect more than this and the writers failed to exploit the story to its fullest. The new characters introduced in this movie seem all bottled up; unable to express themselves and Agenor, who we are guessing was brought in for some light humour failed miserably. But the most unsatisfactory part was when Zeus and Hades teamed up to fight a common enemy (which is a rare sight indeed); despite their diminished powers, you expect more than just some beasts being thrown around when the two main Greek Gods go on a rampage.
While most of the movie is mechanical, some of the actors do a decent job. Both Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson proved their mettle in their respective roles as Perseus and Zeus respectively. Edgar Ramirez also does okay as the proud and ruthless God of War Ares (although nowhere close to Kratos even after Ramirez bludgeons Zeus a couple of times).
Without doubt, the highlights of the movie are the special effects. We liked how the fiery Kronos was portrayed and the special effects team did a good job with the agile Chimeras and the double torso undead soldiers. But the Black Pegasus is the best which only made us want a black flying horse more (even more when you think about the traffic in Dhaka).
Overall, the movie will not be leaving a long lasting impression on you and watching the movie is mostly like watching a trailer. So, we will be putting this under the “watch for passing time” rather than the “must watch” category.
Other not so disappointing movies that we recommend:
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010): Revolves around a teenager Percy, whose normal life becomes extra-ordinary once he learns that he is the son of Poseidon, the God of the Seas and Percy is being wrongly accused of stealing Zeus's thunderbolt.
Troy (2004): Based on the battle of Troy starred by heavyset actors like Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean and so on.
MUST WATCH TV
Junior MasterChef Australia
A must watch for Foodies
By Tashfia R. Anika
Do you love food? How much do you love food? Do you love it so much that merely the sight of good food makes you feel happy? Do you love it so much that you'd justify substituting good food for any other pleasure in the world? Do you love it so, so, so much that you fail to restrain yourself from watching delicious cooking shows on television and not try those delightfully intricate recipes at your inferior kitchen in your house even though you obviously do not have all the major ingredients, but you know in your heart that you need to try them out even if it means replacing rosemary for dhonia pata?
If you are, then we have good news for you - MasterChef is back and I don't mean the American or the Indian one. To add a little extra bit of exhilarating touch to the already delectably, heart-warming show - it's all about little kids this time. 50 beautiful kids, ranging from ages 8-12 from diverse backgrounds in Australia have been chosen from thousands of other children to take part in Junior MasterChef Australia season 1. They'd be competing in a series of interestingly entertaining food competitions to become the first ever “Junior MasterChef.”
Compared to the adult MasterChef, the judges do not highlight the drawbacks of the contestant's dishes as much on this version; plus the contestants are provided with small, friendly gestures when required (like opening a stubborn jar or fixing an unexpectedly disastrous turnout of a dish, etc.). This lights up the whole competition and makes it an amiable show to match the “junior” aspect of it.
One big, notable difference from the adult version is that all the kid's parents sit as spectators on the side and watch their kids cook off to stardom. We must warn you though, that the frequently touchy moments when a parent smiles and the mom/dad's eyes turn heavy from tears of joy, one might find it hard to keep from crying and wonder why she's doing so 'cause really, it's just a reality cooking show.
I don't know if it's an Aussie thing, but this show has too much goodness in it - while the original, adult version was filled with goody-two-shoes and rainbows-and-butterflies, imagine the cumulative effect of the two in the junior version. It's like watching Barney, but definitely better - with all the tomato based salsas and gooey chocolate desserts and sweet and sour salads and much more.
We might be a little behind compared to the rest of the world (currently, our Star World is broadcasting season 1 while season 2 has been out in October 2011), but nevertheless, it's a whole new show to us and food never looked this appetisingly seducing. So, stop whining about your unsatisfied desires to eat that one cheesy, tomato-ey Pizza (like my colleague Jawad) and get your lazy buttocks to the kitchen; mess around with whatever the fridge has to offer; slice and dice; stir and fry; make a huge mess and give your mom a harmless little heart attack - altogether experience an unique adventure.
Plus, you can always feed it to Rising Star's Peeing Dog, if your dish tastes like really awful dog food that is.
YOUTUBE
MICHELLE PHAN'S
MAKEUP TUTORIAL
By Tasnima Haque
So you have finally realised that you are a girl, or a boy who likes makeup (no judgement at RS). Whoever you are, being a teenager presumably you are too poor to afford a stylist and need to do your own hair and makeup. Trying not to appear like a makeup noob or just trying out Lady Gaga looks, you need someone who can teach you the ways of the hair and the makeup. This is where Michelle Phan comes in.
'Internet Sensation' is an understatement as Michelle Phan is one of the most watched females on the web. Her YouTube channel has 2 million subscribers and her videos have been viewed by half a billion people. Vietnamese American, Phan is a trained makeup artist and her videos range from pretty basic (How to wear eyeliners, Hair curling with no heat) to crazy (Vampire, Tinkerbell or Geisha look). Although she primarily focuses on makeup, there are videos about skincare, facial masks and hairstyles as well. Simple, straightforward and nicely scripted, her videos become strangely addictive even though you know you'd never try an Avatar-inspired look.
People could argue that you put a pretty girl in a video and you are bound to get a few YouTube hits. That might be true, but that does not earn 30 million hits in a single video tutorial. One good thing about her tutorials is that rather than blatantly advertising products like they do in other videos, she actually talks about the best products for the purpose. Her videos also have high production value; none of them look clumsily homemade.
Give Michelle Phan a shot and you will not be disappointed, she does go overboard with her ideas sometimes, but her tutorials are fun to watch as well as informative.
SIMILAR CHANNELS:
JENNISSEMAKEUP: MOSTLY DOES EYE MAKEUP, NAIL TUTORIALS AND REVIEWS PRODUCTS.
MAKEUPGEEK TV: REVIEWS LATEST TRENDS, MAKE UP TUTORIALS ABOUT EMULATING POPULAR CELEBRITY LOOKS.
ALBUM REVIEW
By Ibrahim
Ever since Slash tested the waters of solo performances with his namesake album, fans all over the world were waiting with baited breath for his next production. One of the perks (if you can call it that) of solo work is the chance to collaborate with various artists and genres, so you can imagine the surprise when he announced that all his works were to be fronted by Myles Kennedy (of Alterbridge fame) and The Conspirators.
This really turned the excitement up a notch because Myles and Slash did seem to have their chemistry going the first time around. And when the album finally released on May 22nd, Apocalyptic Love lived up to its hype. The album is chock-full of the bluesy-rock feel that is synonymous to Slash and also contains the contemporary 'heavy' sounds. It's a real crowd pleaser.
The album has 13 tracks with a total run time of around 55 minutes and it is a real trip down memory lane as many of the songs contain the mind-blowing riffs that led to Slash's popularity during his time at Guns N' Roses. Indeed, some cynics may even criticise it to be a poor man's Appetite For Destruction, but that is where Kennedy comes in and getting him full-time was a real coup because he is one of the few who can match Slash note for note while not taking away the limelight entirely.
The first track is the album's namesake and is very heavy with 'that 90's feel'. As we progress down the tracks, we get to the good stuff. It starts with the early released 'You're a Lie', which is a treat to the ears and builds up to climax at 'Anastasia', probably the best piece in the album with awesome picking and one of Slash's best solos ever. There's even one for the crooning fans in 'Far and Away' which contains another great solo.
Apocalyptic Love is more a collaboration with Myles Kennedy than anything and it's also one of the better things Slash has produced in a long time. Sure, it's derivative sometimes and is a throwback to the old times, but you can't help but be awed when listening to this genius at work. For Slash fans, this album is a must buy and even if you're not, then check out some of the tracks on YouTube. Definitely worth a listen.
