Movie Marathons

'Tis the season for multiple movie marathons! Well, for all you movie lovers out there, don't you just love the fact that it's nearing the end of the year? 

For the rest of you..."Huh?" I hear you ask. Well, FYI, end of the year = lots of movies you've been dying to see since you get wind that they are making the movie.

Anyway, regardless if you're in high school or college, the end of the year means you'd be free from academic blues (at least until the beginning of next year). So what better way to spend your semester break than going to the movies and doing a one-day movie marathon?

That said, here is a list of the more interesting upcoming movies to round up the year!

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The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn - Fans of the The Adventures of Tintin comic books would know that the upcoming movie is a combination of three stories - The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure. The film depicts Tintin's first encounter with Captain Haddock as they unravel the secrets of the Unicorn, a ship that once belonged to Haddock's ancestor in the 17th century. Joining in the merry search for hidden treasures and baffling riddles are criminals who would stop at nothing to get what they want.

Date of release - 10th November 2011.

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Puss in Boots - The sword fighting cat's finally got his personal screen time! The movie tells of Puss's adventures in his pre-Shrek days. Voiced by Antonio Banderas, this time around the suave and furry feline hero teams up with mastermind Humpty Dumpty and the street-wise Kitty (voiced by Salma Hayek) to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

Date of release - 24th November 2011.

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Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - Just when you thought the franchise ended with the third installment of Mission: Impossible, Tom Cruise surprises everybody again. This time around, the Kremlin has being bombed and the blame has fallen unto the IMF. Consequentially, the President initiates Ghost Protocol and accuses Ethan Hunt (Cruise) alongside his team of planting the bomb in order to initiate a global nuclear war. To clear IMF of the terrorism charges, Hunt and his gang must use every high-tech trick in the book, and what's more, they are on their own.

Date of release - 15th December 2011.

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Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - There is a new criminal mastermind at large, and it is up to the famous detective Holmes and his formidable colleague Dr. Watson to take him down. Professor Moriarty is not only Holmes' intellectual equal, but it seems that his capacity for evil, alongside his utter lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. The Crown Prince of Austria is found murdered, and soon Holmes and Watson realize that the murder is only a small part of a bigger puzzle designed by Moriarty that has the potential to change the course of history.

Release date - 15th December 2011.

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Wanderlust - I could never resist any movies featuring Paul Rudd, no matter how stupid they turn out to be. Wanderlust tells of a Manhattan couple (George and Linda, played by Rudd and Jennifer Aniston, respectively) who are buckling under the stress of living in the city. When George loses his job, they decide to move to Atlanta to live with George's brother until they could get back on their feet. Along the way, they find themselves venturing into Elysium, a small, free-spirited community that is an antithesis of what the city is. Will George and Linda stay in Elysium, or will the call of the city eventually lure them back to civilization?

Release date - 29th December 2011.

Note: There's a bit of prejudice going on here - I do acknowledge Twilight: Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 as one of the upcoming movies.  I just choose not to write about it because hotness factor aside, I don't like my vampires all sparkly and fangless.

We Come Bearing Good News! Hint: REAL STEEL

Good morning, MYC! Fans!

We come bearing good news for the 10 Winners who have won themselves a pair of exclusive invites to the movie screening of 'Real Steel'! Question is, Are YOU Ready?

Each Winner:
- Wins ONE (1) pair of exclusive movie invites.
- Are to EMAIL his/her contact details (Name, Contact number) to: denise@myc.com.my [Latest by TODAY: Monday Oct 10 2011 - 5.00pm!]


The 10 Awesome Winners are:
1. YoonJun
2. Nuyu
3. Song
4. Linda
5. Rubandren
6. Psylancer
7. Wei Liam
8. Nicol.A.D.N.
9. Telry
10. MoMo

Congrats, guys!

To those who did not win this time, fret not! We have plenty more goodies to give-away so be sure to stay-tuned to our Blog, and Facebook page!

Have a great week ahead, peeps!

MYC! Movies! Awesome!

MYC! fans take note!

We are giving away TEN (10) pairs of awesome tickets to an exclusive screening of 'REAL STEEL' featuring Hugh Jackman, and ROBOTS. Lots of them! 

The movie will take place on the 11th of October - that's next week! 

All you have to do is tell us, "Why Do You Want To Watch This Movie?" in the comments section below, and the best/most creative/funny/sarcastic answers will WIN! 

The contest will run till next Monday 10th, 10am. So get cracking! 

Remember, keep your comments clean and family-safe! 

Animal Day

Be it a stray cat, a disowned dog or a runaway hamster, there is no doubt of the impact that animals have in our lives. And I'm not only talking about pets/domestic animals, but also those you see behind the bars at zoos - the malnourished sun bear, the three-legged Bengal tiger, the chained baby elephant.

Why, you wonder, am I talking about animals? Well, yesterday (4th October) was World Animal Day, which came and went, I believe, without much impact or hype. Every day you see videos/pictures of sharks being hunted for their fins, cats being locked in cages and burned, puppies being set on fire, hung on nooses, beaten up and thrown against the wall. We could only shake our heads and express our disgust whenever things like that surface on Facebook or Youtube. Waves of protest and outrage usually ensue, followed by petitions and letters advocating for harsher laws and penalties. But sadly, none of these cases ever made it to court.

Photo taken from here

Photo taken from here

So the next time you witness the man next door beating his dog whenever the dog chews undies into tatters or digs a hole in the backyard, or a neighbour's child putting a kitten into a box and kicking it around, think about it: what can you do?

Ordinary Superheroes

When you mention 'superheroes', DC-Comics-slash-Marvel-related superheroes automatically pop into mind. But let me tell you something, young 'uns: there's so much more to superheroes than those found in comics and graphic novels (and for the love of Unicorns, superheroes do not necessarily need to have super-powers!) So, forget about the man in the weird-looking bat-suit or the jolly angry green giant or even the man who has an 'S' sewn to his costume and who wears his undies funny. Think more along the lines of...

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David Dunn (from Unbreakable) - When we first meet David, he is a security guard whose marriage is crumbling and is the sole survivor of a train wreck...who comes out of it unscathed. Along with the protagonist (played by Bruce Willis), we later learn that David has amazing resilience to physical injuries, has extraordinary strength, heightened instincts and ESP. How's that for a security guard, huh?

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Alejandro Murrieta (from The Mask of Zorro & The Legend of Zorro) - A common thief whom the original Zorro had taken under his wings to train as his protege, Alejandro lives in the era of Mexican peasants and commoners in Las Californias. Zorro is easily recognizable in his all-black attire with his face hidden by a black bandanna or eye mask and is often accompanied by his arsenal of swords, pistols and whip.

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Mindy Macready (from Kick Ass) - Known to the world as Hit Girl, the eleven-year-old Mindy whose alter ego is a trash-talking, potty-mouthed pre-teen killing machine decked out in a purple wig, mask and kilt. Raised by her father to become a fully-trained assassin, she also slices and dices the baddies with ease and glee and leaves a trail of bullet casings and body parts wherever she goes.

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Dr. Peyton Westlake (from Darkman) - Peyton is a scientist who is developing a new kind of synthetic designed to aid burn victims. An explosion at the lab caused severe injuries on his face and when he is taken to the hospital, he is given radical treatment that resulted in his losing of tactile sensation and the ability to feel pain. The treatment also gave him enhanced strength and made him a wee bit cuckoo.

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Cliff Secord (from The Rocketeer) - Cliff is a stunt pilot who accidentally comes into the possession of a rocket-propelled backpack much coveted by the Nazis that enables him to be a high-flying masked hero. With the aid of his mechanic friend he gets it up and running, but his heroic escapades attracts the attention of the FBI as well as a gang of Nazi spies who intend to get their hands on the backpack.

So you see, be it security guard, Spanish-thief-turned-Mexican-hero, foul-mouthed, purple-haired girl, cuckoo masked scientist or macho stunt pilot from pre-WW2, the world loves them all the same  (:

How to Survive a Deserted Island Holiday

What do you bring to a deserted island?

This question came up in a conversation last week and I found my mind wrapped around it. Most people, I think, would include cigarettes, food, tanning oil, television and a bathing suit in their lists (in no particular order). That's OK for a short term stay, but let's say you're stranded in a deserted island where nobody knows you but the cloud and the sand for months, or perhaps, like ol' Robinson Crusoe, years. You'd need more planning than that now, don't you? Let's see...

• Knives - Yes, as in, plural. Seriously, what use is ONE knife? These would be your main tools for getting food, construction, etc. Would also be good for killing and skinning animals for shelter, clothing and also for slicing fruit. No kidding - having knives would make such activities so much easier than using your bare hands.

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• Fishing hooks - To be on the safe side, purchasing fishing hooks by the bulk. For fishing purposes, I'd usually advise a spear, but I can't really see myself (or anyone else for that matter) having much success with catching dinner with a spear. Besides, lots of those would be thrown at you by cannibals, so why bother bring your own?
• Plastic containers - You're being silly if you're thinking that every deserted island has coconut trees (or something similar) and that its shells could be used to carry water. For the purpose of collecting and storing fresh water, non-degradable containers should last you for quite some time.

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• Rope - This should be one of the things you must have in your handbag should you anticipate being marooned in a deserted island. Rope would be your main medium for the construction of shelter and it beats hammer and nails. And not to mention, rope is useful for tying up wild goats and hostile natives and can double as clothing line.
• Ax - One word: firewood! You're not expecting firewood-ready-to-burn like you see in the movies, are you? (You know...the type that's conveniently the right size/shape for firewood that you pick from the ground?) So of course you need an ax! Furthermore, an ax is the perfect do-not-mess-with-me item to have and it would be useful for self-defense against unfriendly natives. Note: also useful for canoe-building. 
• Lighter - Again, many lighters. You would want to build a fire to ward off the chills at night as well as to keep the animals and the unfriendly natives away. A small fire would be great to grill your wild goat, and a huge bonfire would be good for SOS.

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• Bug spray - Seems shallow, I know, but you'd want to keep all those mozzies away, no? But come to think of it, mosquitoes are the least of your worries - think about those mutant insects whose only reason for existence is to suck. you. dry. Anyway, on a more serious note, a topical bug spray would send the normal bugs running for their lives.
• Tin plate - I would say 'paper plates' but then I thought wait a minute...we are at sea. Nobody likes soggy paper plates. It's not the movies, but having a tin plate or something similar would provide an excellent platform for your bush potato salad, wild goat steak and rat-on-a-sticks.
• Shovel - Good for cultivating vegetables, burying enemies, digging trenches to redirect water supply...and the list goes on and on. Doing these with your hands are possible but not at all necessary. As time goes by and you slowly make the island your personal paradise, you'd need the shovel even more.

So, yah, how would you survive a deserted island? Do tell!

For October

Are you rejoicing the fact that it's finally October? Are you glad to see September dead and gone?
If the answer to both questions is a resounding HELL YEAH, then I would assume, of course, that your September was as bad as mine, plagued with terrible misfortunes and many, many WTF-moments.

Since October is the month where paranoia, superstition and myth come to life (and the only month you could dress up all goth-y without looking like Marilyn Manson's long-lost sibling), it is only apt that I kick off the month with a cheery note on...wait for it...superstitions and bad luck omens.

OK *rubs hands with glee*
What is 'superstition', I hear you ask. Well, in caveman's term, a superstition is any belief that is inconsistent with what is considered true and rational, especially such a belief in the supernatural. And among the more prominent ones are of course:

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• Broken mirrors - "SEVEN YEARS OF BAD LUCK!" That's what my mom would scream each time I break a mirror (and believe me, I've had my share of broken mirrors). According to superstition, the image in a mirror is our actual soul. A broken mirror thus corrupts your soul and seeing your reflection in the fragmented pieces of mirror calls for misfortune. To break the spell of misfortune, you must wait seven hours (one for each year of bad luck) before picking up the broken pieces and then bury them outside in the moonlight.
• Ladders - Before there was lethal injection or gallows, there was the ladder. Criminals were hung at the top rung of the ladder and it is said that their souls linger underneath and hence, bad karma will come to those who walk under the ladder. But seriously, common sense would tell you to NOT walk under the ladder in the first place, right? Seriously, you do NOT need anybody to tell you that *rolls eyes* First off, walking under the ladder when someone is ON the ladder might endanger either person. People can also be injured by things dropping from overhead.

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• Black cats - Believe it or not, black cats have  long been believed to be a supernatural omen since the commencement of the witch hunts in the middle ages and can be traced all the way up to the Salem Witch Hunts in the 1600s. Back then, black cats were widely associated with evil and even these days, it is considered bad luck if a black cat crosses your path. But hey, did you know that modern Japan considers black cats lucky creatures?
• The Number 13 - did you know that the fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia? If you'd realized, many buildings do not have a 13th floor - houses, streets and even rooms at hotels do not have the number 13. Some associate the number 13 with the devil, some with the cycle of the moon, some even trace it back to the time of Jesus and the Last Supper. People generally avoid the number 13 like plague, for some odd/dodgy reason.

OK, enough about bad luck for now, ay? But yes, for those poor (unlucky) people out there, here's a solution to all your blues:

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That's right, mates, salt! Besides having the potential to cause high blood pressure or cause hair loss, it is said that in order to ward of bad luck, take a pinch of salt and toss it over your shoulder and all would be well. Good luck with that!