Sunday, November 20, 2005

Shameless advertising.

refer to my previous post, "Julius Caesar" for my 1st shameless advertising effort.

and you may refer to "just a story" for a tremendously veiled attempt at shameless advertising. if you bothered to read the long ass entry (which is actually a short story - you'd realise that the setting is actually a rip off from Julius Caesar - and the story of Jin is just my own reading into the character that i'll be playing in the play).

if you are in the country, go buy a ticket. watch this play! it's been adapted and i daresay - that it has been adapted quite well. so much so that people from Shakespeare enthusiasts to non Shakespeare enthusiasts would genuinely enjoy the play!

*Tickets cannot be reserved in advance but can be purchased over the telephone (and eventually online) using credit cards. Please call KLPac Box Office on (03) 4047 9000 or The Actors Studio @ BSC on (03) 2094 9400. (or go to www.klpac.com)
X


JULIUS CAESAR
Executive Producer: Dato' Faridah Merican
Director: Joe Hasham
Cast: Ari Ratos, Patrick Teoh, Gavin Yap, Kennie Dowle, Clare Dedic, Samantha Schubert, Kurt Crocker, Colin Kirton, Pavanjeet Singh, Roshan Narayan, Calvyn Wong, Michael Chen and Amsalan Doraisingam

Synopsis:
Julius Caesar is a tale of conspiracy, power, death and destruction.

When Caesar returns victorious to Rome, he is offered the crown by the populace and unwillingly he rejects it, three times. Cassius, wary of Caesar's foibles and ambitions conspires to have Caesar assassinated; but for his conspiracy to be accepted by the populace he must, and does, win the noble Brutus over to his side.

The pre-determined day for the assassination, the Ides of March (15th March), is prophesised by a soothsayer. On that day, Caesar is mercilessly stabbed to death on his way to the Senate House. One by one the conspirators, in the form of a ritualistic sacrifice, thrust their daggers into Caesar's body. The final thrust is delivered by Caesar's beloved Brutus... 'Et tu Brute'.

What follows is a disastrous series of events, culminating in the double suicides of Cassius and Brutus.
Status : Active
Category : Play
Duration : 2 December - 11 December 2005
Venue : Pentas 1 KLPac Price : RM60 & RM40 (inclusive of RM2 ticket handling charge) 50% discount for students below 18 (Not applicable on promotional nights).
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!
Presenter : KLPac
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
X
rehearsals for this play has been amazing. most of the cast have been in the theater scene for quite a while and watching the creation process night after night has been a real experience. i feel like i'm getting better just by being around them!
obviously, there's some serious acting involved in this play and with all the dying happening in the end ... my character being very closely connected with Brutus ... in the last few rehearsals - my final scene with Brutus ( in which my character is the last person with whom Brutus speaks with - and my character who is very close to Brutus...knowing that he is about to kill himself and can do nothing about it ... ) - well, it's quite an emotional scene lah.
so with each passing rehearsal i work on creating the proper emotions for the scene - building up to it and this is one of the toughest things for me. i am after all still a real freshie when it comes to acting. however, in the last few rehearsals, i've found that i not only can work up the emotions inside but actual tears form and i begin to cry - and i feel *genuinely sad!
i'm not just acting it anymore. i'm genuinely sad! i know ... it doesn't sound too exciting reading it here ... but it means a lot to me. in the past year and half - i've improved as an actor...and i'm loving it. *Grin.
hopefully - by the time i'm done with my damn Law course next year in July - i'll get more acting gigs. i can't even imagine what it'd be like having to work on plays and act without having to worry about studying for exams, etc... *sighs wistfully.
anyway, below are postcards they made to publicise the play...
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
Image hosted by Photobucket.com
alrights. thats it for now. laters.

Friday, November 11, 2005

just a story ...

*warning

: 'the setting' you will read below is a complete rip-off from a project i am currently involved in. this i am sure you would be immediately aware of from the get go if you have been paying attention - but the bit after 'the setting' is my own spin-off from the rip-off.

imagine if you will the story of this character i shall name Jin.

the setting
:
this story happens in a fictional kingdom i shall call Gawdsland. Gawdsland is but a small portion of this huge Continent and is country ruled by one King - whom i shall refer to very simply as - King.

on this continent, there are many other kingdoms run by several monarch families. the continent is plagued by great wars among kingdoms for such a long time that people have lost track of how long the wars have been going for. King himself remembers his Great Grandfather telling him stories of wars that were told to him as his own Great Grandfather himself was a child. the continent has been at war for so long that its people have forgotten what it was they were fighting for.

it is King's dream to unite all of them in order to create ONE great kingdom. King then joined the army at a young age. he proved himself to be a great soldier and was promoted up the ranks very quickly and became one of the youngest and greatest generals Gawdsland has ever had.

King was a celebrated hero in Gawdsland and was eventually appointed to ascend the throne when the previous ruler King himself served passed on. he made it his personal goal to conquer the whole continent as King before he dies. his dream was swallowed whole by all the people of Gawdsland, which was now a very strong kingdom because of all the wars that King himself has won.

but King was not alone in this endeavour. he had with him 2 men whom he held close to his heart.

one of them, named Ny'tad - who is King's childhood friend. Ny'tad was a good man, a humble man who was loyal to King and believed in King's dream of uniting the whole continent. Ny'tad was a fierce warrior and was well respected as a general as well. however, Ny'tad was nevertheless a simple man who would have led a happy life even if he was just a mere farmer. after all the years of fighting, Ny'tad was glad that the whole of the continent is now finally won - and he can now finally live a peaceful life in the dream of a united continent - made into one true Gawdsland.

the 2nd, named Rafael. he is much like King. a younger version. bold, courageous and headstrong - he too believed in King's dream and fought like a lion to make the dream a reality. he would follow King to his own death. his loyalty is boundless.

Jin is a young man. he has been a servant to Ny'tad for the past 10 years. he is actually an orphan - for in one of the battles that took place near a village, Jin's entire family was killed. he was merely a child of 10 years of age at the time. it was a battle in which Ny'tad won. as Ny'tad's army passed through the devastated village - he saw Jin - a 10 year old boy on his knees crying in front of the remains of his family and his ruined home. Ny'tad took Jin in. and although Jin was taken initially as a servant - Jin formed a bond with Ny'tad and Ny'tad's beloved wife, Karena (who could not bear children). Jin is loyal to his masters whom he regarded as his own parents. Jin grew up to be a serious young man. and although he regards both Ny'tad and Karena as his parents, being a part of a society that held 'status' to be an important norm - Jin drew a line in which he never crossed. his love for them was clear but he could not demonstrate shows of love as a normal child would to his or her parents for after all was said and done, Jin knew his place - as a servant.

upon conquering the final kingdom that stood against the mighty Gawdsland - King returned to the Capital with both Ny'tad and Rafael. the dream was now real. the deed has been done. however, new threats from neighbouring continents were beginning to rise. and King wanted to quash these threats as well before they became a bigger problem.

this led to his downfall for the other leaders of Gawdsland had grew weary of war. a faction was formed and they conspired to assasinate King. the faction managed to convince Ny'tad (whom they knew was war weary as well - and did not want to see Gawdsland go through more wars). the faction preyed on the fact that King would always go to war for there would always be threats. upon getting Ny'tad to join them, the faction could carry out the assasination plans for next to King, there was only one other man most of the people of Gawdsland would die for - and he was Ny'tad.

however, the faction underestimated the influence of Rafael - and how the people loved him too for he was a great warrior and leader - much like King himself. Rafael turned the people against Ny'tad and the faction.

and this is where the story of Jin begins...

"Jin! Come to me!" Karena sounded distraught. She had just received word that the angry mobs were now combing the streets looking for members of the Faction and were working their way up to Ny'tad himself. They were leaving him for the last.

Just moments before that Ny'tad told Karena that he needed to go see someone, 'a member of the Faction' I thought to myself.

"Yes my Lady?" I can see the fear Karena felt. But I realised the fear was not for her own life but it was for Ny'tad.

"I want you to seek Ny'tad! I know not who he went to see ... but I have just received word that the mobs are nearly upon us..." She paused and looked to me, her eyes welling up with tears, her face and skin pale - sick with worry, "...You must find Ny'tad and bring him back here. We must escape while we still have a chance..."

There was something about the way she spoke that made me think that she did not really believe that we could escape. But she was clinging on to the notion by a very, very thin piece of string and she was not about to let it go.

"I will be back shortly my Lady." Before I could turn to leave, Karena reached out for me and hugged me. This was the first time in a long time since she had done this. I could feel her body tremble. As she held me, not wanting to let me go - I had to pull myself away by uttering these words, "...My Lady, you are the mother I never had and Lord Ny'tad is my father. I will be back..." At that, she let me go and I ran out into the streets of Gawdsland looking for Ny'tad.

The mobs were working their way up the Faction killing by rank - from the lowest to the highest. I know not how long I was out on the streets but by the time I found Ny'tad - it was already midnight dark. He was at the docks with one of the remaining members of the Faction who had a ship. Clearly, he was trying to arrange for us to escape. However, it was difficult simply because they could not find a crew that would still serve any member of the Faction.

I walked into a room to find Ny'tad in mid-conversation with Lord Sretin, the owner of the ship Ny'tad intended to escape with. I saw Lord Sretin on his knee in front of Ny'tad.

"Yes it's true Sir. My servant has just returned from your home. He saw her himself", said Lord Sretin.

"...I...I cannot believe it...God...no..." and it was at that Ny'tad turned to me. And he rushed at me with his sword drawn, grabbed my shoulder and pushed me against the wall with the sword's edge dangerously close to my neck, "WHERE WERE YOU BOY?! WHY WERE YOU NOT BY KARENA'S SIDE?!!!" his voice quivering with anger. No...not just anger - but a sadness and unparalled pain.

"Si...Sir...I was sent to seek you out by Lady Karena. She arranged with her Uncle for horses and a carriage to take us away into hiding. She believed that it was the only way for us to escape." As I finished, Ny'tad lowered his sword and he released his grip on me. He closed his eyes and looked to me again ...

"Come boy. You have found me. Let us go home..."

"But my Lord, ..." I tried to stop myself but couldn't - knowing full well what the answer was to the question in my mind, I asked anyway, "...Is she dead?" Ny'tad did not answer me as he walked out of the room and I immediately followed suit.

We took an alternative route to avoid the angry mobs that were making their way to our home. From what I could gather, Karena was so sick with worry - and heard rumours that Ny'tad was already murdered by the angry mobs. Overcome with anguish, she swallowed poison in the absence of all attendants who had fled - in fear of the impending mobs.

Ny'tad assured me that it was not my fault - knowing that I would never have left her side had he himself been there. Ny'tad blamed himself.

And I listened to him but blamed myself as well. I should have known that Ny'tad would be at the docks. I should have found him earlier. I should have checked on Karena to let her know not to believe the rumours.

I blamed myself for her death. I should have been there. I lost the only mother I've known - for the second time.

Upon arriving at our doorstep. We walked into the master bedroom where we found Lady Karena sprawled, motionless on the bed. The bottle of poison which was now empty, there by her side. Ny'tad moved to hold her close and cried silent tears. I wanted to hold her too but I stopped myself - knowing my place. However, inside was a pain so sharp I could barely bring myself to breathe. There in the room we remained for a very long time. Me, standing by the door and Lord Ny'tad holding his beloved Karena on the bed - stuck in a moment.

The moment was broken when we could hear the chants of the angry mob getting closer. If there was a time to escape. This was it.

Lord Ny'tad looked to me, "It is time. Jin - escape. Go. You have served myself and Lady Karena well. We have lived out our lives and it is time for our fires to burn out. You are young and your fire is still strong. You are no longer my servant. You are a free man. Go."

I knew for a fact that there was no way he was going to allow himself to be taken by the angry mobs. He was far too proud for that. He knew that if the mobs caught hold of him and Karena, they would hack their bodies up and leave them for the vultures to devour. I knew he was not going to let that happen. I knew what he was about to do.

I was going to lose both my Mother in Lady Karena and my Father in Lord Ny'tad - in a single night.

And all I could say was, "Yes my Lord." And I ran out. As I made my way into the forest behind my home for the last 10 years of my life, I turned to find a fierce fire consuming it. The source of the fire was from the master bedroom where it burnt strongest as the fire made its way to the rest of the house. I saw the angry mobs just standing outside the burning gates chanting Rafael's name - to be their new ruler.

I uttered my final prayer for Lord Ny'tad and Lady Karena. And then I turned away and walked on - alone with absolutely nobody left to call family nor any place I can call my home.

X
and that's it. hope you liked it. i enjoyed writing it.
take care.
signing off, the commonjack.

Sunday, November 06, 2005

food for thought...

ok...so what you'll read below is probably rather cheesy...but i like it.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

this 1st one is taken from the movie Second Hand Lions. this is a conversation between the character Walter (played by Haley Joel Osment - far left of pic above) and his Great Uncle Hub (played by Robert Duvall - far right in pic above). and for those of you who give a damn, Michael Caine is Walter's other Great Uncle Garth (in the middle).

X

Great Unlce Hub: If you want to believe in something,then believe in it. Just because something isn't true,that's no reason you can't believe it.

Walter: Alright.

Great Uncle Hub: There's a long speech I give to young men, sounds like you need to hear a piece of it. Just a piece.
Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things that a man needs to believe in the most.
That people are basically good; that honour... courage and virtue mean everything; that power and money mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies.
You remember that, boy. You remember that.
Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because... those are the things worth believing in.
Got that?

Walter: That was a good speech.


X

if you want to read more of the Second Hand Lions Script ... (click here).


X

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Riddick (played by Vin Diesel in pic above)

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Imam (played by Keith David in pic above)

2nd thought is from the movie Pitch Black. (click on movie title for a relatively cool website on the movie.)

the thought that is addressed is - Riddick is supposed to be this bad ass mofo who kills without hesitation - cold blooded - mean as hell - grew up in touch neighbourhoods - had a hard life being a baddie...etc...one would think he wouldn't be the kind of person to believe in God innit? but check out this exchange between Riddick and Imam.

Riddick: What are you doing?

Imam: Blessing you like the others. It's painless.

Riddick: And pointless.

Imam: (beat) I see. Well, even if you don't believe in God. That doesn't mean HE won't be ...

Riddick: You don't see. 'Cause you don't spend half your life in lock-down with a horse bit in your mouth and not believe. And you surely don't start out in a liquor store trash bin with an umbilical cord wrapped around your neck and not believe. Oh absolutely, I believe in God. And I absolutely hate the f**ker.

Imam: HE will be with us nonetheless.

Riddick: Give my blessing to the girl...she'll need the spare.

X

i would say that a guy who's been through shit like a character such as Riddick went through and still believes - shows that he truly believes. now that there's faith. some would say that he should then be thankful and that saying something like, '...absolutely hate...' is well, for the lack of a better word, inappropriate. but then again, think about it, he didn't say he wasn't thankful.

forget about Riddick. think about a person who has had life hard. i mean really, really hard. and he still believes. the fact that he is still alive (and hopefully well) and still believes despite going through 'hell on earth' for most of his life shows that he is in actual fact, thankful. his thanks is shown through conduct - ie the fact that he still believes.

that there is what i call, "real".

oh well, that's it for now.

signing off, the commonjack.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

Japanese Story.

Image hosted by Photobucket.com

i just watched this movie today. miss parts here and there but caught most of it. and even though i missed bits and pieces, i still found the movie ultimately captivating. this is 'lost in translation-esque', and is therefore utterly unconventional. this of course, for me, makes it damn cool already.

this quote (below) is a very good description of the movie. (click on it to read the review.)

"It's a poignant, unsettling motion picture that will baffle those who have become used to Hollywood's compact, tidy endings."

it's a 2003 movie, and i've only just watched it. so i'm a little late on the bandwagon. but hey, better late than never. to find out other miscellaneous info (like trailers and actors and such) - click here.

X

the movie is basically about an Aussie gal played by the magnificent Toni Collette falling in love with a Japanese dude (played by Gotaro Tsunashima) who seems a little stereotyped in the sense that he is described as 'only being used to docile women' & 'imperialistic' with the Australian Pilbara Desert as the background setting. sounds like an excellent romantic little hollywood outing right? however, as described above, it far from the conventional hollywood treatment type of movie. in a nutshell, i'd say, "It's quite deep lah." lol

2 trains of thought basically stuck on me after watching the movie, besides the fact that i think it's a bloody good movie...

1. Promote and show M'sia to the world! : movies are an excellent way to introduce something to the world at large. remember the hype that people were going on about when Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones came to M'sia all those years ago for the movie Entrapment?

in the context of the the movie, Japanese Story, i googled Pilbara Desert and the movie came out instantly. i knew the Australian deserts can be quite harsh and beautiful but to be absolutely honest (because i'm shite with Geography) - i didn't know of Pilbara Desert per se...but after watching this movie, now i do.

if we were to use this formula in Japanese Story, lets get some international star who is not *that famous yet - so that he/she wouldn't cost a bomb to hire and have that star act alongside a true blue local actor. the reason i say 'true blue' is that this person playing the local has to be identifiable with the general demographic of what is M'sia. that being said, the dude doesn't have to be a Malay - he could be Chinese or Indian. in fact, it shouldn't matter. he could even be a mixture of anything - as long as he's lived in M'sia for most of his life. as long as he loves going to the 'mamak', familiar with what it's like in Petaling Street (our very own Chinatown), semi familiar(at the very least) with all the cultures of all the races in M'sia besides his own, appreciates M'sian forests, our food!... etc.

i'd hate to see some actor or actress who's lived most of their lives overseas who speaks with an 'ang moh' accent try and play a 'true blue' local. it just wouldn't work as well.

if the movie is good - hopefully, that means no Hollywood type treatment, it'd be excellent publicity for the country.

oh well, it's a thought...

2. crying / pain : as we grow up, i believe we grow a healthy respect (or fear) for pain. i'm referring to the emotional distress type of pain, not the pain you get from a 'cut' or a 'bruise'. i'm talking about those emotional scars you never really totally shake off.

i'm talking about that pain you feel when it hurts to even cry. when you bawl your eyes out and you're sobbing inconsolably and your mouth is open (but no sound comes out) because you're crying so hard, you can't even breathe. it's those tears that you can't stop and you're sniffing your damn nose off and you struggle to breathe but the tears won't stop and your body convulses even when you try to stop yourself from crying.

the first time this type of pain hits you - you grow to fear it. you begin to protect yourself by not allowing yourself to open up so easily for this kind of hurt to come in again. you build walls. you become more afraid. no longer the wide eyed child who feared little - life becomes a rather dangerous entity to be approached timorously rather than with intense anticipation and excitement. you grow up.

the pain Toni Collette's character felt in this movie reminded me of this pain. it reminded me that the experience that caused the pain caused that much *pain to begin with because it was worth something. an experience that causes that kinda pain is an experience that *meant something, it was real and it would last a lifetime.

would you rather have something that probably wouldn't hurt you at all but you would probably forget about, the week after it ended?

that would just be a waste of time innit? oh well. i guess i'm just a sucker for punishment. *grin.

signing off, the commonjack.