Gossip Movies: The Forbidden Kingdom

The Forbidden Kingdom features the first ever on screen pairing of cinema’s two greatest living martial arts legends: Jet Li and Jackie Chan. That alone makes this movie a must see for anyone and everyone. Screenwriter John Fusco and director Rob Minkoff have crafted a magical film using both Chan and Li’s legendary reputations as the lynchpins in telling an entertaining, crowd-pleasing, action-fantasy story.

Initially the film pours itself into the mold of The Neverending Story, only this time the kid in question isn’t obsessed with old books, but with Kung Fu movies. Like Neverending’s Bastian, Jason is a social outcast accosted by almost cartoonish bullies. He finds comfort hanging out in a Chinatown store browsing for forgotten martial arts films and chatting with its elderly, somewhat cranky owner. Forbidden Kingdom isn’t copying The Neverending Story, it’s just tapping into those same, primal geek-energies by taking its character to a place every awkward, put-upon kid can understand. And like the Neverending Story, it uses that energy to form an instant, sympathetic connection with its audience for Jason, before launching him into a fantastical adventure.

At the back of the store, Jason finds an antique bowstaff which, when trouble starts, magically propels him back through time to an ancient, forgotten China ruled by an evil overlord. Lost and out of his element, Jason meets two legendary Kung Fu masters who take him under their wing and guide him down a path which will not only free China, but send him home. The masters in question are played by Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but they aren’t just played by them, they are them. Forbidden Kingdom gives them different names of course. Chan is a drunken Kung Fu master named Lu Yan, and Li is a pious monk named Lan Cai He. But the characters are written to be avatars composed of both Chan and Li’s greatest on screen moments, and the film takes advantage of the mystique and power of our past perception of these two actors to make them seem doubly heroic.

Because of the way it uses it’s stars, The Forbidden Kingdom delivers on every level, both as an fun, fantasy film and as a the long awaited, team-up tribute to the genre’s two greatest stars. Maybe it’s ten years too late, after all Chan and Li are now long past their prime, and Jackie in particular has been noticeably slipping in his most recent previous films. Years of insane stuntwork have taken a toll on both master’s bodies. It doesn’t matter. Whatever either of these men had left in the tank, they use it all up here. You’ll thrill as the film has them revisit and pay tribute to some of their greatest martial arts fight choreography, and then lets every fan live out every fantasy he’s had by making them use it on each other. And that’s just in the first thirty minutes.

The rest of the cast is just as good. Minkoff could have gotten away with casting blocks of wood and the audience probably still would’ve been happy, as long as Jackie and Jet go at it, but Michael Angarano is capable as the film’s lead. Minkoff uses him as a stand in for us, as a way for an audience of Jackie and Jet’s fans to put themselves in the movie and be transported to a world where they get to do Kung Fu with the artform’s greatest heroes.

Some of the villains are over the top, the effects are formidable, and fight scenes frequently disobey the laws of physics, but it’s all part of the fun. The Forbidden Kingdom is an unabashedly innocent, wide-eyed movie selling the ultimate in martial arts fantasy. It delivers beautifully, on every level with fight sequences that pop, breathtaking landscapes, and classic good guys versus bad guys family-friendly drama. Forget Batman vs. Superman. Jackie and Jet are bigger, better, and they’re together for the first, and almost certainly last time in a film that’s unbelievably worthy of playing host to their formidable reputations.

It cannot get any bigger than this! What will happen when Jackie Chan collides with Jet Li! Jackie Chan famous for his unique comic action in hits like Rush Hour and Shanghai Knight while Jet Li the master of Kung Fu who is no stranger to the big screen like The Expendables. Now, for the first time these two most famous Kung Fu actors fight in one movie, a dream comes true for many martial arts fans!

Watch this great movie in MP4 format.

Language: English

Running Time: 1 hour 44 minutes

To download this fantastic and entertaining film, click here.

Gossip Penang: Being Sidelines Once Again

The 11th Malaysia Plan recognizes the critical role played by cities in the overall national economy that a new city competitiveness master plan has been introduced. The four cities that will benefit from this plan are KL, JB, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. 

 

I hear you whispering:"Is this right? Is there a mistake? Did you forget to mention certain city? Did you accidentally miss out Penang?" The sad truth is I did not make a mistake, Penang was not included in the city competitiveness master plan.

DAP's Zairil Khir Johari described Penang's exclusion from the master plan as "nothing short of a travesty," accusing that its exclusion could only be attributed to BN's "petty and narrow-minded politics."

 

Zairil's protest was echoed by his rival counterpart, Gerakan Youth Chief Tan Keng Liang who described Penang's exclusion as defying logic. He went on to tweet: "I also want to finish off DAP in Penang...but please do it properly. Excluding Penang as growth catalyst cities under RMK11 going to backfire!"

 

The four cities which were chosen based on their population size, GDP contribution, existing infrastructure, concentration of higher learning institutions and geographical advantage. People who read this criteria would certainly scratch their head now and ask - Penang doesn't have all these-meh?!! 

 

To be sidelined in terms of federal funding is nothing new to Penang. Penang's greatest assets are its people, culture and geography. Penang is already a very competitive city with unique characteristics that cannot be find elsewhere in Malaysia. Our food, colourful festivals and architecture are irreplaceable. Penang will come out stronger despite being placed in such a disadvantage position. 

 

 

Gossip Malaysia: Mahathir Accused Najib Of Lying

There were consistent criticisms from former Malaysia's strong man Tun Dr. Mahathir against current Prime Minister Najib lately that kept the entire nation fixated on its latest development. In his strongest criticism yet, Dr. Mahathir has reiterated his stand from his latest blog posting that Najib has lied on serious matters. Mahathir said: "In the case of the monies which 1MDB said was brought back from the Cayman Islands and kept at BSI Singapore, the first written answer provided by Najib in Parliament was not true at all and neither was his second answer." He even went on to suggest that there is clearly something not right and that's the reason why it has been kept secret thus far.

Mahathir further elaborated his accusation that the first lie was when it became obvious that no cash was transferred back from the Cayman Islands and the second lie was when no cash was deposited with BSI Singapore. Mahathir added that BSI had reported to the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) that no monies belonging to 1MDB were with it.

Mahathir is apparently alarmed that monies belonging to a government-owned company (referring to 1MDB) amounting to RM7 billion cannot be traced until today. He concluded that attempts are being mad to cover up and mislead the Parliament from the truth.

Mahathir is obviously very upset and direct in his latest attacks on Najib. One may question his rationale in relentlessly attacks on the Prime Minister, whether his actions will have negative impact to UMNO and even Barisan Nasional in a broader picture. Whether he did it for personal interest or he indeed cares so much about the nation that he feels that he can't keep quiet no more; all these remain as question marks for now as the entire nation pays full attention to this development that may surprise everyone in the end. 

Questions in most Malaysian's mind today after Mahathir's accusations are:

• Will Najib eventually step down given that those handpicked by Mahathir as target have all fallen from their highest position in politics including Malaysia's founding father Tunku Abdul Rahman?
• If Najib does step down in the end, who is capable enough to take over the rein given that there are so many negative factors that are currently affecting the nation?
• What if Najib survives against all odds? What will then happen to Tun Dr. Mahathir?

No one would have solid answers to those questions right now for Malaysian politics are full of suspense not unlike a Hollywood thriller movie.