Movie Review: Outcast (2014)

Movie Review: Outcast (2014)

(For summarized review, please visit: http://www.wljack.com/2014/09/movie-review-outcast-2014.html)

Introduction:

A Moorish town is about to fall during the Crusades. Gallain, one of the Crusaders and mentor of the commander Jacob says that he is tired of war and killing the innocents. He wants to go to East and he tells Jacob that the soldies will not spare the people who are innocent. Jacob disagrees with him and eventually he realizes he’s wrong. He feels that he should have listened to Gallain’s advice.

The story proceeds to the setting in China. There’s a change of power whereby Prince Shing has killed his father in order to become the emperor. He’s hunting down his younger brother, Prince Zhao who has taken the imperial seal. His younger brother is the real chosen heir. Prince Zhao and his sister, Princess Lian are trying to run away from Prince Shing’s forces. They have teamed up with Jacob who appears in China. They have also get help from a mysterious person known as the “White Ghost”!

Why is Jacob in China?

Who is the “White Ghost”?

Will Prince Zhao be able to retrieve back the empire to his hands?

Let’s find out the nearest cinema now!

Review:

Directed by Nick Powell, the movie “Outcast” takes place mainly in China with westernized elements. It has featured casts such as Hayden Christensen, Nicolas Cage, Liu Yifei, Andy On and etc.

The plot of the movie is very straight forward involving the villain trying to take over the throne of the empire. Those who always watch ancient China movies will feel the familiarity with this theme.

However, Outcast has added in some twist to the movie with westernized elements into it. Thus, this creates something fresh to the scenes in ancient china. It is something different of course but if you are someone who is very particular with history, it could appear a little bit absurd.

In fact, you can’t even recognize the era on which the film is set in. Since when do you see western people, Indians, Negro and etc in an ancient China? Most cheesy part is, all of the people in the ancient china of this film could actually understand and converse well in English. But of course, if you view the movie in a more fiction way than the historian way, you can get away from all these uneasiness and can enjoy the movie more!

The pacing of the movie on the other hand is quite balanced. There are some slowdown moments which involve flashbacks and conversations though but they are very brief and function decently enough as the transitions between the more engaging scenes.

As for the acting aspect, Hayden Christensen is actually not bad in depicting the character who changes from a very proud person into someone who is in guilt for his mistakes. In my opinion, he has delivered his role very well. Nicholas Cage on the other hand has very minimal amount of screenplay time. In fact, his appearance in the movie felt more like a cameo appearance to me. But of course, he is definitely good in acting and has played convincing enough as the mentor for Hayden Christensen’s character. Besides these two, most of the other cast members’ performances are so-so and some of them even have woody expressions that no one could comprehend.

As for the scripts, it can be a ridiculous and lackluster at times. Sometimes, the characters can speak something in a very cool manner but all of the words they speak are actually not as brilliant as they appear to be.

The movie might has its own flaws but it has its good points too. Personally, I love the sceneries shot in the movie. Some of these are really visually stunning. Besides this, the movie also has quite a number of action scenes. I think the action choreograph is good enough to entertain the audiences. I wish there are more scenes involving Andy On in action though because he usually does many cool stunts in his previous films.  As for the background music, it matches well with the scenes although there are not much instrumental emphasis on the ancient China setting. Either way, I enjoy the scores in this film.

What I like about the movie:

1. Balanced pacing with brief slowdown moments
2. Great acting by Hayden Christensen & Nicholas Cage.
3. Beautiful sceneries.
4. Decent amount of actions.
5. Good background scores.

What I dislike about the movie:

1. Excessive twist of ancient china setting.
2. Familiar plot.
3.  Poor acting by most of the other casts.
4. Not-so brilliant scripts.

Verdict:
This movie deserves a 6.0/10.0!

“If you can accept the twisted and westernized ancient China, you will enjoy the movie better! Besides, the film has some good action sequences and breathtaking sceneries!” –WLJack

“It will be more logical if the chinese can speak mandarin in the film, I don’t mind watching the movie with English subtitles.” – Fellow reviewer, Brian Chong Yi Yong

Recommended for those who don’t have much experience in watching ancient China movie and curious to see how it would look like if ancient China is being westernized!

However, for those who are very particular with history and logical plot, this is definitely not a movie for you!

Million thanks to RAM Entertainment for the invitation to the premiere screening of “Outcast”!

For summarized review, please visit:
http://www.wljack.com/2014/09/movie-review-outcast-2014.html

Published by WLJack.

[Contest] Black Bull Rodeo Championship “黑牛骑士挑战赛” 2014

[Contest] Black Bull Rodeo Championship “黑牛骑士挑战赛” 2014

Kuala Lumpur, September 2014 – Organized by Black Bull, Avenue K as the venue sponsor,  [ Black Bull Rodeo Championship 2014 ]  is here and will be giving away total prizes as much as RM 10,000 starting from 19^th September 2014 onwards!

The championship will start from this month 19^th September 2014 till 18^th October 2014 for three weeks. The last day (18^th October 2014) will be the grand final for the championship and it will be held at Avenue K, 3^rd floor.

Date: 19^th September 2014 – 18^th October 2014

Venue: Avenue K, 3^rd floor

Black Bull Rodeo Championship “黑牛骑士挑战赛” 2014 Schedule:

19  – 23 Sept  ( Week 1 )

29  – 05 Oct  ( Week 2 )

06  – 12 Oct ( Week 3)

18  Oct 2014  （Grand Final）

Black Bull Rodeo Championship aims to allow Malaysians know more regarding bullfighting. Bullfighting is a traditional sport which involves men and bulls. Through this event, Malaysians can try to become Black Bull Bull Fighter by taking part in this championship.

Black Bull has a bull statue which possesses similarity with this event. Both are symbol of strength, determination, power as well as energy! This championship can push the participants beyond their limits in their endurance and perseverance.  

Male group & female group who broke the daily record will receive a prize. The top 3 male and female groups every week will also receive prizes. The top 9 groups from all these weeks will be chosen for the grand final and the best Bull Rider will be crowned then!

For more info, please visit:

www.facebook.com/BlackBull.MY or contact hotline: 03-2166 6666.

Published by WLJack. (Based on official press release issue to wljack.com & loong-updates.blogspot.com)

Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant 2014 《Astro国际华裔小姐竞选2014》 Top 15 Announced!

Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant 2014 《Astro国际华裔小姐竞选2014》 Top 15 Announced!

Kuala Lumpur, September 2014 – This is the first time for Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant《Astro国际华裔小姐竞选2014》 to carry out online audition and it has received more than 100 of candidate registration. 45 of the candidate has been chosen for a closed audition whereby top 15 of the contestants have been chosen. These 15 participants are now one step closer to their dreams!

Top 15 of Miss Astro Chinese Pageant 2014 include:

Jocelyn余晓薇（24 years old，Perak）、Cherlynn廖紫君（22 years old，Pahang）、Suevy许楚瑜（25 years old，Pahang）、Elise朱荟茗（23 years old，Penang）、Carmen张嘉文（25 years old，Negeri Sembilan）、Whitney刘晓蓓（23 years old、Sarawak）、Grace钟欣燕（23 years old, Selangor）、Trisha郭秀文（22 years old, Selangor）、Teng Teng朱婉婷（24 years old，Negeri Sembilan）、Jeena 黄润媚（24 years old，Kedah）、Mei 吴为媚（25 years old，Penang）、Maggy黄思嘉（22 years old，Kuala Lumpur）、Anjoe 许愫恩（24 years old，Kedah）、Aki陈玤妤（25 years old，Selangor）& Wang Qie王淇（21 years old，Kuala Lumpur）.

Organized by Astro本地圈, Adonis as main sponsor, MY FM as official radio station, Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant《Astro国际华裔小姐竞选2014》 have had their closed audition which invited Astro Radio中文电台节目总监李志成, Astro艺人管理部经理Sha Sha张雪霞, Adonis 爱美雅集团总裁Ann Lee, international model Amber Chia & Asia famous fashion designer Eric Chong & William Ooi as the judge panels. They have tested the contestants on their eloquence and wittiness to choose the best 15 finalists.

Top 15 has high qualification! Judges felt that all of them have equal potentials!

Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant this year has attracted many contestants with high qualification. Among the candidate, some of them are law students, engineers and even medical students or graduates. Among the top 15, medical student 郭秀文possesses marvelous eloquence and fluency in speaking. Her confidence has received many positive remarks from the judges. During the audition, she admitted that she used to be in hesitation during her participation in Miss Universe Malaysia 2013 to balance between her studies and the pageant. However, she has decided to take a break from her study for one year to chase her dream in Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant.

Besides, one of the other top 15 finalists, 黄思嘉 currently is a local English radio station host. She has received English education since young but she hopes to take the pageant contest as an opportunity to improve her Mandarin. Although she possesses a pretty complexion with big eyes, she was criticized by the judges for her body figure. In regard with that, she explained that there were some family issues lately which caused her to eat a lot to reduce her pressure. In order to take part in the competition, she has been trying hard to reduce her body weights in order to regain a better body figure.

Worth mentioning is, another candidate from Top 15, 余晓薇, with a very soft and pretty appearance is a dance tutor who has taken part in many international dance performance before. She is the candidate who has the most international-levels involvement and achievement ever for Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant!

The youngest among the top 15 contestant, 王淇 also has a lot of potentials. She was a model for many international fashion advertisement before. During the audition, her straight-forward personality has gained a lot of affection from the judges.

After 6 hours of closed audition, the judges agreed that the contestants this year have a very balanced quality and potential. They hope that these candidates can be “levelled-up” through the training, make-over and stylizing in this competition so that they can shine on stage next time!

When asked about the major mistakes done by the candidates during audition, the judges stated the major mistakes is that many contestants chose not to wear high heels during the audition. Eric mentioned that high heels is very essential in helping the candidate to present their best appearance. Although some candidates explained that they didn’t wear high heels because they wanted to present the natural side of them while some explained that high heels are not suitable for their talent performance, the judges felt that they should bring along a pair of high heels for their audition.

In addition，in order to make the pageant even more interesting, the champions from past 3 seasons of Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant Lenna林家冰, Denise陈楚寰 & Zhiny黄之豫 have also taken part in the production of the show and will also become the tutors for the competition this year. They will be leading the candidate in their challenges and training. Their efforts in guiding the juniors have received many compliments from the other crews.

Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant 2014 《Astro国际华裔小姐竞选2014》 will  be uploading 2 minutes of 《一三五美丽本色》 short video every Monday, Wednesday and Friday via official facebook page: www.facebook.com/astro.macip

The complete version of 10-minutes《十分美丽本色》 will be aired on Saturday, 10.30pm via Astro华丽台（第311频道）& Astro至尊HD（第310频道）.

For more info, please visit: macip.astro.com.my

Published by WLJack. (Based on official press release issued to wljack.com & loong-updates.blogspot.com)

Yuan Carnival 《圆游会》 2014 @ OneCity, USJ25, Selangor (4-5 October 2014)

Yuan Carnival 《圆游会》 2014 @ OneCity, USJ25, Selangor (4-5 October 2014)

Under the same roof of Media Prima, there will be a collaboration between radio station one FM, ntv7 & 8tv八度空间 in bringing you Yuan Carnival! This time around, Yuan Carnival will be featuring even greater line-ups than ever to present to you one of the biggest Carnival in 2014 over the weekends of 4^th October 2014 & 5^th October 2014 at OneCity @ USJ25, Selangor!

Event Details: Yuan Carnival 2014

Date: 4^th October 2014 & 5^th October 2014

Venue: OneCity @ USJ25, Selangor

Time: 3pm-11pm

Yuan Carnival main aim is to gather all media companies under Media Prima including One FM, ntv7, 8tv as well as public community to enjoy the carnival together. Yuan Carnival this year will be bringing along many interesting activities. Plus, there will also be LED screen which will display social media Hashtags, LIVE messages, TV program trailer preview and etc. You can also share your memorable moments at Yuan Carnival by uploading photos to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag of #yuancarnival.

There will be over 50 local & oversea artistes who will be there at the carnival. For more info, please visit:

http://www.wljack.com/2014/09/upcoming-event-yuan-carnival-2014.html

Yuan Carnival is an event not to be missed!

Published by WLJack. (Based on official press release issued to wljack.com & loong-updates.blogspot.com)

HI-5 HOUSE HITS 2014 LIVE IN MALAYSIA! @ Klpac, Pentas One (10 – 14 December 2014)

HI-5 HOUSE HITS 2014 LIVE IN MALAYSIA! @ Klpac, Pentas One (10 – 14 December 2014)

TICKET LAUNCH ON THIS WEEKEND!

Kuala Lumpur, 26^th September 2014 – Hey all, Hi-5 fans, they are coming back to Malaysia again, for a spectacular new show - Hi-5 House Hits 2014 - on 10 to 14 December 2014 in The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac) and there will be a total of 9 shows. The children’s musical group guarantees to bring an amazing sing-and-dance performance that can be enjoyed by children and parents alike.

Event Name : Hi-5 House Hits 2014

Date   : 10th to 14th December 2014 (Wednesday to Sunday)

Venue: klpac, Pentas One

Time   :

10 Dec– 6pm

11&12 Dec – 2:30pm, 6pm

13& 14 Dec – 11:00am, 2:30pm

Tickets:

Category 1- RM 283 (Moss Pitt)

Category 2 - RM 203 (Numbered Seats)

Category 3 - RM 113 (Numbered Seats)

Ticketing Hotline: +603 4047 9000 (klpac) or +603 78807999 (Ticketpro)

*The prices listed above includes RM3 Ticket Pro handling fees.

Press Conference: Shila Amzah & N.D Lala’s Clarification On The Controversial Issue Post-Concert In Malaysia!

Press Conference: Shila Amzah & N.D Lala’s Clarification On The Controversial Issue Post-Concert In Malaysia!

(For full written coverage, please visit: http://www.wljack.com/2014/09/press-conference-shila-amzah-nd-lalas.html)

Kuala Lumpur, September 2014 – Still remember my coverage on the concert of Shila Amzah? It was a really great concert with top-notch performances by Shila Amzah.

Read here: http://www.wljack.com/2014/08/coverage-shila-amzah-live-in-malaysia.html

Post-concert, it has received many different remarks based on different perspective of views.

After the event, an Instagram account of Shila Amzah’s fans has come out with a questions that has ignited the heat amongst certain media members. Since then, certain media members have put the focus onto that issue and started flaming Shila Amzah in many ways, many aspects and many articles.

Video Coverage:

The press conference began with N.D. Lala giving a powerpoint presentation of how everything started.

Shila Amzah has also appeared during the press conference in Mega Music World to respond to the media members personally. She was obviously upset by the issues that have started over the course of 9 days.

For full written coverage, please visit:
http://www.wljack.com/2014/09/press-conference-shila-amzah-nd-lalas.html

Published by WLJack.

Contest: The Search For The “Malaysian Jay Chou”!

Contest: The Search For The “Malaysian Jay Chou”!

Kuala Lumpur, September 2014- The launch of the contest to search for “Malaysian Jay Chou” was held a few days ago at Lakeville Residence Sales Gallery at Taman Wahyu. In conjunction with the Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou’s Opus 2 Jay 2014 World Tour this November 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Mah Sing Group Berhad is bringing you a contest which enables you to catch your favourite idol’s performance LIVE! Lyanna Tew, General Manager of Corporate Communications Mah Sing has officiated the launch.

Being the main presenter for Opus 2 Jay 2014 World Tour in Kuala Lumpur, Mah Sing’s sponsorship is in conjunction with the Group’s 20^th anniversary celebration which aims to provide Malaysians with the golden opportunity to enjoy the concert, by giving away complimentary tickets worth thousands of ringgit.

“Jay Chou has a huge fan-base in Malaysia and his concert in 2013 was voted as one of the most popular concerts in the country. We are extremely pleased for the opportunity to collaborate with Speedy Entertainment to present Jay Chou in Malaysia. As part of our 20^th Anniversary Celebration, we wanted to create opportunities to win Jay Chou Concert Tickets and therefore, we conceived this contest and activities. We are searching for Malaysia’s biggest Jay Chou fans by making them prove their determination to win the tickets and exclusive VIP experience.” Says Lyanna Tew.

The Malaysian Jay Chou Search!

Jay Chou lookalikes, fans and singing enthusiasts of both sexes can participate by submitting their Jay Chou Look-alike photo into the Mah Sing Facebook. The participants must aspire to capture the cool look of Jay Chou in their pictures to gain more votes. They must show their commitment to win the tickets by encouraging their friends to vote for them. The top 20 finalists with the highest number of votes will be selected with the approval of the Mah Sing’s management team. Public voting ends on 18^th October 2014.

The final stage requires a dash of creativity and tech savviness to out-beat the contestants to win the title. The 20 selected finalists will move on to prepare a convincing video on why they deserve to win the VIP experience and best seats in Jay Chou concert. The public will vote for their favourite videos. Based on the public votes and creativity, Mah Sing’s Management will select the most unique and exciting video as the winner. Closing date for the video submission is on 31^st October 2014. Announcement of the winner will be held on the first week of November.

The “Malaysian Jay Chou” will win away a pair of tickets, which are the best seats worth RM 1,776, in Jay Chou’s “Opus 2 Jay World Concert” in November. In addition, the winner will be pampered with a limo ride to the concert and be rewarded with cash bonus of RM  2,000.

More Jay Chou Concert Tickets Giveaway!

In addition, Mah Sing provides other opportunities for Jay Chou fans and concertgoers to the much anticipated Jay Chou concert. Those who attended selected Mah Sing property events stand a chance to win Jay Chou tickets in their lucky draw. Look out for details in the Mah Sing Facebook.

Register at www.MahSing.com.my/jaychou to learn more about how you can win Jay Chou Tickets through participation in “Malaysian Jay Chou” contest or at the property events!

About Mah Sing

Mah Sing Group Berhad, incorporated since 1991 and listed on the Main  Board of Bursa Malaysia, is one of Malaysia’s most diversified developer with 48 residential, commercial and industrial properties in Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley, Penang, Johro and Sabah.

Mah Sing has won over 100 domestic and global awards for company performance, corporate governance, product design, concept, innovation and quality, namely Euromoney Award, Best Brand in Malaysian Property Award and Malaysia’s Best Overall Company for Corporate Governance by Asiamoney.

Published by WLJack. (based on official press release issued to wljack.com & loong-updates.blogspot.com)