Saturday, August 18

Bourne Ultimatum - Movie Review



In the midst of what was a armrest gripping, teeth clenching, extreme excitement finale to the Bourne trilogy, I had a headache.

It was that darn handheld camera technique, which is what Director Paul Greengrass was selected for anyway. It broke every rule that film students were taught never to break - change in direction in the midst of continuity, extreme close up followed by extreme closeup, short edits, over-the-shoulder shots that were tight to the point of you wanting to physically move the person away so you can see Jason Bourne's tormented face.

And he looked like he had a headache too. All the amnesia, loss of love, injuries and paranoia really got to the man and he didn't crack a smile once in this movie, his forehead permanently crinkled.

And it was brillant, that juxtaposition of character and camera action. It really helped me relate to the character and all his confusion. So maybe all the problems that the movie had with continuity and jump shots were deliberate as well. (I won't get into them, but you can read them here.)

But what a ride, eh? All the globe trotting, car chasing, rooftop chase moments were in true represetation of Ludlum's genius of tension in the midst of action. And I love the fact that the women in this movie, Nikke Parson and Pamela Landy were portrayed as honest,loyal and righteous women who were neither femme fatale nor the weaker sex stereotype that generally women in this genre tend to carry, like so much baggage.

Worth every cent and definitely an apt ending to a wonderful story. I couldn't have cared more about what happens to Jason Bourne if I tried. And when your audience cares of the characters, that, my friends, is good cinematic story telling.

Tuesday, August 7

Early? But it's past 7!

It really bothers me that people equate working late to working hard.

Yesterday evening, I decided I had it. My eyes hurt, my brain was drained and not a single thought was running through my head. I didn't see the point in continuing to stare at my computer, so I started packing my things to leave.

"You are leaving? So early?"

I looked the the time. It was 7:40pm. I get off work (technically) at 6.

"It's not early. Its 7:40. What do you mean by early?"

Without waiting for a reply, I walked out of the office.

This morning, I was the first one in. And Mr So-early strolls in at 9:30 and says, "You know the rest of us were here till 9 yesterday."

I was tempted to say, if you spent less time chit chatting at the secretary's desk and taking coffee breaks, maybe you can finish your work quicker and go home "early" too.

But I will bide my time. Does anyone else have this problem with going home "early"?

Saturday, August 4

Yes, its been a while...

Hi everyone, yes I know I have been missing for a while, but since I just started this job and all, I haven't really have had time to get online long enough to write something.

But today is Saturday and it's fairly quiet, so I thought I would take the opportunity to do a quick update.

I have been here 4 weeks now, and considering the amount of work I am doing, it feels like I have been here forever. They work like crazy here, the MarCom department and my boss is a stickler for perfection, so not only is there a lot of work to do, there is a high quality to do.

Just to make things more exciting, I have also joined for the half of the year where there are the most things happening, National Day, AGM, the groundbreaking for a new building, Christmas, New Year's , and the list goes on.

As with any large organisation, half the problems here are based on human error, especially communication errors. So I have to step quite carefully, especially when it comes to handling the members. Not that I am a particularly badly behaved individual, but Club etiquette is a whole other ball game.
People who come here are used to giving orders and treated like VIPS and somehow they feel justified to do it here as well.

I am sure I will have stories on this as time goes by :)

My only grouse with working here right now is the crazy hours. My boss practically lives here, going home only to shower and sleep. Everyone else is around at least till 9pm. I feel a little guilty leaving at 7 (!). But I think they will get used to it, especially if I still deliver. At least I hope so.

I realise this has been more a letter than a post, but hey, you didn't have to read it all.

See you all in a bit.