Ayam Penyet Dubai : My First Attempt

the name ‘ayam penyet’ has always amused me, because the literal translation would be ‘smashed chicken’, or ‘flattened chicken’. whatever it is exactly, it’s a very popular chicken dish originating from indonesia. it’s usually eaten with hot steamed rice, soup and sambal – a spicy condiment made from chilli.

the other day i had actually tried to cook ayam penyet myself! teringin pulak! now, this trying-out-recipe is a big deal for me because i’m not THAT good a cook. i try, and just pray everything turns out alright!

 

 

a few things turned out wrong – i used tepung gandum instead of tepung beras (i didn’t have tepung beras) and the supposedly powdery-textured serdak on the chicken is supposed to be so halus, but mine turned out so big – but still crunchy! hihi.

also, some recipes stated that the rice is cooked like chicken rice, but i simply used plain steamed white rice instead. it went together just as perfect!

 

 

i found the ayam penyet recipe on the net, but forgive me i forgot the link. i apologize if tuan punya recognizes her/his recipe, and i thank you for sharing this so that someone in dubai was able to try out a new dish, and eat yummy indonesian dish in a foreign land. thanks!

AYAM PENYET

to make the ayam penyet itself, blend or tumbuk these ingredients to marinate the chicken later :

• biji ketumbar
• jintan kasar
• jintan halus (i only have something labeled 'jintan manis' so i used that instead – campak je lah! hihi)
• lada putih
• serbuk kari
• serbuk kunyit
• bawang besa
• garlic
• ginger
• sikit kiub ayam
  

marinate the chicken with the blended stuff, and set aside for a few hours before you plan to fry them. when you wanna fry the ayam, salut dengan tepung beras first (i forgot, but it turned out ok. also, i didn't have tepung beras anyway! if ade maybe ayam lagi rangup! hihi)

SERDAK

one of the yumness of ayam penyet is the serdak yang tabur atas ayam tu. how to make the serdak, and make it crunchy and small? first, mix these ingredients :

• sebiiji egg
• water
• tepung beras (but again, i dont have tepung beras so i used tepung gandum, sedap je rasanye tapi guna tepung beras lebih sedap dan authentic kot hihi)
• campur jugak rempah perap ayam tadi yg mula-mula tadi
• garam
  

make sure tak cair sangat :

• panaskan minyak banyak
• tebarkan bancuhan tu dlm pan
• cepat-cepat terus kacau to get the serdak-serdak jadi halus-halus (in my case tak jadi lansung halus-halus – tapi jadi gedabak! haha. tapi nasib baik crunchy!)
• biar sampai rangup
• angkat dan toskan

 

 

perfect to be eaten with sambal and hot chicken soup!

make the soup as you usually makes – tumis a blend of bawang merah, garlic and ginger; add chicken, water and chicken cube or sup bunjut – siap! sambal pulak, just make it whatever you like – tumbuk a lot of cili padi, or less. more red chilli or more bawang – in my case, i love tomatoes with my sambal so i cut-up tomatoes in little cubes to put in my sambal.

nasi pulak, some recipe buat nasi macam nasi ayam, but i prefer to eat my ayam penyet with simple hot steamed rice. yum.

i was glad it turned out delicious eventhough i didn’t put some ingredients or use different ones. most importantly, mr. khairul loved it too! mission accomplished!

selamat mencuba!

(click here to read my first experience eating ayam penyet at ayam penyet ria in sunway pyramid.)

Sharjah Light Festival : Al-Qasba

in malaysia, when i hear ‘festival of lights’, i think of deepavali. but here in sharjah uae, the ‘light festival’ is an annual event of colorful lights, laser show and music; running for 9 days, in 12 locations across sharjah. it runs from 7pm till midnight, FREE for all.

* sharjah is one of the 7 emirates (states) in UAE (united arab emirates). the other emirates are abu dhabi (capital), dubai, ajman, fujairah, ras al-khaimah and umm al-quwain.

 

the light show at al-qasba

 

last saturday we went to qanat al-qasba in sharjah, one of the 12 locations that hold the shows for this light festival.

qanat al-qasba is like the ‘venice of uae’ because of the man-made canal that runs through it, with rows of restaurants and cafe alongside it – dunkin donuts, thai restaurant lemongrass, japanese food sumo, nando’s and many more. you can enjoy your food with the view of the ‘river’, with occasional boats pasing by. a really nice place to hang out.

i’ve written about it here when we went with my in-laws on their visit here.

 

 

the show runs every 15 minutes – there’s a countdown on a building after each performance, so people can get ready once the countdown finishes. once the show starts, it runs for 9 minutes – 9 minutes of light play, music and laser show too. it’s like a kaleidoscope of colors which synchronized with the catchy beat that suspiciously sounded more hindustani than arab music!

very entertaining; something to be enjoyed on a lazy weekend, especially while enjoying your favorite meal, or just a cup of hot chocolate on this still-cool winter. the light show was really beautiful and my photographs DID NOT do justice to the wonderful sight and sound!

oh, and the light show is projected to both side of the building along the water canal so no matter where you’re sitting, you’d be enjoying the same show.

my boys loved it very much – khaleef even role-played that the lasers were lights from alien spaceship trying to catch them. so everytime the laser came up, he and kahfi would scream and duck behind their chair!

 

 

* * *

 

the seating area to enjoy the show

 

there are 12 locations that feature this light festival all around sharjah but in al-qasba, you get TWO shows – one inside facing the canal, (with the cafes and restaurant) and one at the outer part of the building facing the road. there’s even a stadium-like seating space for people to sit and enjoy the show like in a concert.

it’s great that when the show on the inside is over, the show on the outside starts. and that’s how it is over and over. so if you’re just walking around the al-qasba area, you can catch both shows at the same venue.

really beautiful play of lights and sounds!

 

the other 10 locations are al hisn fort, palm oasis front, cultural square, al majaz waterfront, al majaz mosque, the courthouse, the central souq, sharjah consultative council, kuwait square and sharjah international airport.

 

 

the one that we saw

 

* * *

 

 

we decided to have dinner at our favorite japanese restaurant sumo. luckily for us, sumo seemed to be the ‘less popular choice’, so it’s not as packed as nando’s and lemongrass. and when a restaurant is NOT packed, we can take our time, eat slowly, sit back and enjoy the show when it’s on.

like i mentioned, the light festival show runs every 15 minutes, for a duration of 9 minutes – so if the place is packed, and people are lining up to get seats, it’s difficult to lepak lama-lama once you’ve finished eating. also, you cannot eat slowly as you’re just being selfish hogging up the seats.

so again – we’re glad sumo was not that popular here! we just sat and sat until the show ends around midnight! it was so nice to sit around with the light show right in front of us.

 

nampak tak my nokia on the tall glass in front of him? haha

 

it was very dark, because, let’s face it – only in darkness we can truly enjoy a ‘light festival’, right? terang benderang kalu mane nak nampak kan!

but specky mr. khairul couldn’t fully enjoy his food in the dark, so i had to use my nokia’s ultra strong ‘torchlight’ to literally ‘light up’ the moment! hihi.

hmm honey where’s your BB? hihi nama je blackberry torch, tapi my 100dhs nokia jugak la yang berjasa malam tu! hihi. (mr. khairul wanted me to use his old samsung omnia, but no thanks – i’d rather use a really basic phone!)

 

as usual, i ordered my favorite chicken katsu with miso soup. yum. i’ve written a few reviews on our favorite japanese restaurant. click here for the branch in dubai media city and here for the one in jumeirah.

 

sharjah light festival will run until this coming friday, 17/2 so hurry-hurry! click here for gulfnews report on the sharjah light festival.

Dubai Pays Tribute to Whitney Houston

the irreplaceable whitney houston has died at the age of 48.

i absolutely LOVE her songs, especially the classics like ‘saving all my love’, ‘greatest love of all’, ‘i wanna dance with somebody’, ‘where do broken hearts go’, ‘one moment in time’ and of course the definitive hit, ‘i will always love you’. when she sings, it’s effortless, beautiful and awe-inspiring.

i also love her in the chick-flick ‘waiting to exhale’. the soundtrack was excellent too.

 

 

dubai did its own style in honoring the legend in pop – through the dancing dubai fountain in front of the world’s tallest building and the world’s largest mall. i’ve written about the fountain in this posting.

a beautiful clip; the fountain ‘danced’ and lights up along with whitney’s perennial hit, ‘i will always love you’. enjoy.

Turkish Ice-Cream : No Egg, No Cream

who doesn’t like ice-cream?

it’s winter so we don’t indulge ourselves too often with ice-cream. however we were hanging out at qanat al-qasba in sharjah when we came across this distinct turkish ice-cream kiosk, and was very tempted to try.

turkish ice-cream is called ‘dondurma’ which in turkey means ‘freezing’. also known as ‘maras ice-cream’.

turkish ice-cream doesn’t melt as easily as other ice-creams as they contain a thickening agent called 'salep' which is some kind of flour. this gives it a chewy stringy texture mcm melted cheese. it’s even referred to as ‘turkish GUM ice-cream’. even when we take a small scoop, a string of ice-cream will follow until we cut it out with the spoon.

 

we can see from the picture that the texture of the ice-cream differ from normal ice-cream

 

so many flavors, but my favorite has always been choc or pistachio!

• khaleef absolutely loves strawberry
• kahfi likes chocolate and strawberry
• mr. khairul will eat any flavor – though he prefer it not be boring or normal like choc, or vanilla. the more unique, the better!

 

 

what’s interesting about turkish ice-cream is the way it is ‘kneaded’ or ‘churned’ to create the elasticity texture.

ice-cream is put in containers. the mixture is then churned regularly with long-handled paddles to keep the texture. this dude would press and press and pull and press and pull and press.

 

 

other than the fetching turkish traditional uniform (the white t with embroidered vest), the staff at a turkish ice-cream kiosk is also famously known to ‘tease’ their customers with funny acts as entertainment.

sometimes they would serve the ice-cream in a cone ‘stuck’ to the long paddle, and when the customer tries to reach for it, they would turn the paddle around so that the cone is upside down, but would not fall off the stick! this is because of the structure of the ice-cream that is elastic and glue-like!

the impatient customer may get restless with this ‘cheeky’ act, but it surely would amuse others who are watching. click the youtube clip below to see a really funny presentation from the turkish ice-cream vendor, and the bewildered japanese customer. definitely will make you smile. or tensen. hihi.

 

 

we didn’t get any of the free-of-charge ‘entertainment’ – probably because i was buying the ice-cream in a cup instead of in a cone. *frust betul!* haha.

 

 

turkish ice-cream is said to be natural ice-cream - no eggs, no cream, no coloring. still taste so good, so creamy n so yummy!

i love the finishing touch on my 3-scoop ice-cream – a sprinkle of pounded pistachio on my pistachio-flavored ice-cream. i took the one in the waffle bowl, but unfortunately, the ‘bowls’ had been prepared for quite some time, so it was already quite lemau. not crunchy anymore.

it spoiled the whole experience, but the ice-cream itself was delicious, thank goodness.

 

Giraffe-Feeding @ Al-Ain Zoo

one sweet weekend, we went to al-ain zoo in abu dhabi, and feed the giraffes! what an amazing experience to go up-close (but not personal haha) with these magnificent creatures!

i’ve written about al-ain zoo here – one of the best zoos i’ve been to for sure, in terms of cleanliness, beauty and comfort. well, there we were, at al-ain zoo and we noticed an eye-catching giraffe-patches booth with the signage ‘giraffe feeding’. wow! this should be interesting!

 

 

refer to your zoo map as you look for this interesting activity, but the booth is hard to miss, with ‘giraffe’ patches all over its outer wall. besides, with them being the tallest living animal on earth, who could miss the awesome giraffes wandering in their enclosures?

we pay 25dhs (it’s about rm21 only) for 4 person, and we’re given 4 sticks of carrot in a cup, which ended up being 6. i think khaleef charmed his way into getting another 2 sticks of carrots with his loud ‘assalamualaikum’ and ‘maassalamah’ hihi.

(moral cerita : bersopan-santun lah anda walaupun anda di mana jua berada. hihi.)

 

there are a few water pipes right by the entrance, as the do’s and don’ts clearly state that we need to wash our hands before and after feeding the giraffes. other rules include :

1. don’t pet or startle the giraffes as this could make them aggressive
2. don’t feed them any other food than the one you get from the kiosk
3. don’t harass the giraffes with yells of whistles or throw anything at them

…and a few more about rubbish and smoking.

 

how tall are you standing next to a giraffe?

 

* * *

 

 

it was really a priceless experience. they were really close. we were reminded not to touch its head for any reason, but its head was VERY close as it bowed down to take our ‘offerings’. their fat green tongue waggling about to grab the carrot into its mouth! however, their tongue is not green, actually their tongue is covered with bristle like a brush – which helps them to digest food from thorny plants.

it was exhilarating! giraffes are really huge! their head is as long as a camel or horse but with that adorable antennae-like horns on their head!

do you know that those things on their head are really called ‘horns’, but looked ‘soft’ and covered with tufts of hair. these ‘horns’ are believed to be some sort of a cooling system for the giraffe’s or to protect their head from harm. whatever it’s for, it does give these giraffes a distinct appearance!

maybe they’re the real life version of the mythical one-horned unicorn!

 

 

my boys were SUPER EXCITED. enough said. even THAT is an understatement.

kahfi was screaming shrilly with a big amused grin as he felt the touch of the damp tongue on his tiny fingers when the giraffe eats his carrot. khaleef called one of the giraffes ‘melman’. urm, from madagascar? *wink*

when they’re older, i hope they appreciate this chance of seeing a giraffe so close like that! i don’t think they quite realized how incredible this is to see a wild animal LIVE right in front of your face. and not just ANY animal, but the tallest living animal on earth!

kahfi probably thinks it’s just like petting a cat or seeing a shaggy dog pass by!

 

 

as i stood there looking at them, i observe their calm face, and soft beady eyes. they’re so big and tall, yet they move gently and gracefully, slowly swinging their long necks as they move.

i run my eyes across their long slender body, admiring the lovely patches of their fur. the patches are really special, unique only to giraffes. really beautiful.

their fur is not long at all – it’s just a very soft covering on their skin. you can’t even call it fur, rather they’re just very short hair – so i imagine running my hands on their skin, it would feel soft and velvety rather than furry like when we touch a cat.

i looked at their very slim feet and clean hooves. imagine seeing them run! but right now, standing tall and majestic in front of me was enough to cause awe and amazement. mendongak tengok!

suddenly i was imagining tall dinosaurs…

 

let’s learn a thing or two about giraffes!

 

* * *

 

i won’t bore you with too many pictures of the animals we see – except for these two awesome creatures – the white tigers, and the cheetah.

the white tigers are the main attraction at al-ain zoo, and many come for a visit just to see these rare mammals in action. interestingly, white tigers ONLY exist in captivity, that means ONLY in zoos, wildlife park or preservation centers.

the white tiger is so beautiful, like a character in the magical land of narnia! it’s just a wonder to see!

 

 

mind you, these white tigers ARE NOT found in the wild. ONLY in captivity, under human care.

so then i was thinking : the normal orange-with-black-stripes tigers are now considered endangered because illegal poaching still continues and their habitat disturbed by human activities. well, what if a hundred years from now – our great-great-great grandkids will know the WHITE tiger as the original tigers because they see them often at the zoo (since white tigers ONLY live in zoos far from the harm of hunters), while the orange ones have become extinct – they became the rare one seen only in museums, old documentaries and history books!

long live the tigers!

 

 

* * *

 

 

…and then there’s the cheetah!

i love these shots because the cheetah was SO CLOSE to the boys – right smack in their face! without the glass, kazim would’ve mounted the cheetah and ran off somewhere hihi. or, instinct would suggest, the cheetah would gobble up the visitors for his meal…

but yeah – it was an exciting experience seeing a cheetah that close – even though it’s through a glass. observing them move that close just got me to one conclusion – they’re nothing but a big cat. with dots. and killer instinct!

 

amazing closeness. i SO wanna hug one! thank you for hanging around on that table long enough for me to take this shot. hihi

 

* * *

 

we took this chance to visit al-ain zoo because the weather is still cool and cozy.

you might notice my boys’ change of clothes. they first wore long-sleeved t’s because of the cool morning, but eventually got extremely sweaty as the day progressed, and after much running and jumping around excitedly at the zoo. so they changed to short-sleeved after that!

al-ain zoo is definitely one of the cleanest zoos i’ve been to and i’ve been to our national zoo, melaka zoo, taiping zoo, spore zoo and the ballarat wildlife park in aussie – al-ain is one of the top ones in terms of cleanliness of the animals’ enclosures (tak busuk!), beauty and comfort.

• there are ample sitting area, drinking fountain and food kiosk
• the walkway is very spacious
• and most importantly, the toilets are clean! (bab ni singapore pun menang jugak!)
• there are also zookeepers and guards everywhere we look to assist us, and ensuring the safety of visitors
• and there’s also a mosque inside the zoo (not just a surau!), and azan will berkumandang sepelusuk zoo bila masuk waktu.

the boys love looking at animals, and i enjoy al-ain zoo. this is definitely not the last time we gonna visit.

Best Fish Mandi Rice @ Al-Yahar, Abu Dhabi

i’m a mandi-addict. a big fan. but i’ve never liked mandi rice with fish because i don’t think they go well together. turns out that i just haven’t found the BEST fish that can go with mandi rice!

 

 

on our recent trip to abu dhabi, we had lunch at ‘al-yahar modern restaurant’ in abu dhabi, on the recommendation of a friend. we asked where is the best place to get mandi rice in abu dhabi and he guided us here.

it’s located near al-jahili fort – you’ll meet a roundabout, turning into a park, and then be on a lookout for al-yahar modern restaurant. i apologize but that’s as far as i can remember! if you ask the locals, they would probably be able to guide you there. just remember al-jahili fort as your landmark.

 

 

it’s a long 2-storey building, with blue signage – but coming from the fort you might see the back-door of this restaurant first. be on the lookout because at the back there is a signage too. when you see the back-door, just drive slowly on and you’ll find ample parking space at both side of the road.

 

the seating area for men

 

as customary of most arab and indian restaurants in dubai and abu dhabi, there would be separate eating area – for the men, and for women or family. i really appreciate this custom as it would be more comfortable for us without having to berasak-asak with the dudes!

for family area, we need to go up the stairs, to another spacious seating area and a few closed space with carpets for those who prefer eating sitting cross-legged on the floor.

 

the carpet had a distinct unpleasant smell that’s not too bad, but can be distracting as you wonder how long since they last clean the carpet…

 

the tents at my favorite mandi restaurant in dubai, al-tawasol still has the best, clean and most comfy ‘tents’, but this one at al-yahar tries to instill that ‘arab tent’ feel by putting up this stripey cloth on its ceiling. the stripey-patterned cloth is so typical of any arab restaurants around the country.

 

* * *

 

we ordered our usual favorites – chicken and lamb mandi rice. however, with strong recommendation from our informer-friend, we ordered the fish too. fish for mandi rice is usually grilled, but sometimes just fried. this one is grilled, and looked mighty tasty when the order came. and as you can see, the size of the fish is pretty large!

 

the chicken for the mandi rice was fine – plainly delicious like any chicken mandi rice would taste like. no disappointment there, yet no wow-factor either. janji kenyang!

meanwhile, mr. khairul as a lamb-mandi-fan reported that the lamb meat was not juicy, not as fresh as it should and was just a mediocre attempt.

 

mr. khairul’s appetite was saved by this delicious dish of grilled fish. the portion is huge, and looked so tantalizing with its juiciness and steam still coming out from its freshly grilled fish flesh. upon tasting the fish, we both concluded that this is THE best grilled fish ever, surpassing the famous ‘aden’ in sharjah, and even in ‘chalet’ jumeirah. (click on the link to read my reviews on both restaurant.)

it’s all in the marinade – it’s salted to perfection with a hint of some sort of spicy herb or powder that went really well with the taste of the fish. delicious! i don’t do this often (sebab aku mmg tak minat dan tak reti meratah lauk) but i actually ate the fish on its own – that’s how tasty and fresh it was!

 

as always, a dish of mandi rice is accompanied by this yummy condiment made of blended tomatoes and chillies. i’ve tried many, MANY mandi rice and this is by far the most spiciest of their ‘sambal’. usually it’s just slightly spicy with a lot of tomato taste. but al-yahar’s is really pedas!

 

also a familiar partner is a plate of veggie – leafy ulam, cut-up tomatoes and cucumber, plus sliced lemon to taste. fresh and in acceptable portion.

 

overall, it was a delicious lunch at al-yahar modern restaurant in abu dhabi, and surprisingly cheap too. the taste of the grilled fish is certainly memorable – too bad it’s too far away for us to eat it on regular basis! how far? 2 hours away! sometime soon, yummy grill fish!

War Horse, A Separation, Carnage & Dragon Tattoo

watched four great movies this past week. three of them are nominees for the upcoming academy awards; ‘war horse’ for best movie award, ‘the girl with the dragon tattoo’ for a couple of awards including best actress, and ‘a separation’ for best foreign film award.

the movie ‘carnage’ is NOT a nominee, but the powerful cast of four, are all academy award-nominees and winners.

 

* * *

 

 

this movie left me with such a good feeling, you have to watch it. it is one of the contenders for best movie award for the oscar, and when you know that stephen spielberg is behind this movie, the more reason you have to watch it. it reminds me of the book ‘black beauty’ by anna sewell, also a story about the ups and downs in the adventurous life of a horse.

this movie follows the life of a young man and his horse whom he painstakingly trained to work in his family’s farm. the horse named ‘joey’ was eventually sold off to be a horse for a high-ranking soldier who vowed to take care of the horse. and so began joey’s life as a ‘war horse’ – from working at a farm, to being strapped as a war horse, to being captured by the enemy, taken away by a couple of brothers, then adopted by a sweet village girl – the adventure seemed endless. and just when you think this is IT, the end will lead you to cheer and cry at the same time.

will joey be reunited with his original owner? well, forget that – watch out for the scene where joey is stuck in the barb wire in the middle of a war-zone. absolutely loved it!

like dolphins, i feel that horses are one magnificently beautiful animal. they’re mighty strong with pure muscle, but with so much grace in their movement. even if you’re not a fan of horses, the multiple storyline (which are all interesting) will keep you glued to know where joey will end up in.

the pace might be slow for some people (like mr. khairul!) but i promise you it will be a dramatic ending; so touching with happy and sadness all in one. a definite must-see.

 

 

* * *

 

 

‘a separation’ creates history as the first foreign film to ever be nominated for best screenplay at the oscar. it is also the nominee and a favorite to win the best foreign film award at the oscar. this iranian movie had already won numerous awards internationally, so it was hard to ignore the temptation to watch it to see what’s all the fuss about.

the synopsis is simple enough – wife wants to leave the country and take their only daughter, but husband wants to stay because he has a father suffering alzheimer. result – they decided to separate. at first i thought this was just another regular drama about conflicts in a family – divorce, custody battle, courtroom scenes – oh, boy was i wrong.

the movie is addictive. from the very first scene, the words, acting, camera-work and plot pace already got me glued to know what happens next. when the wife left the house, the husband hired a religious woman to take care of the household chores which includes taking care of his ill father – but on one fateful day, something happened that started a domino effect that will change everyone’s life…

this movie is NOT just about the separation but so much deeper than that. issue of religious practice is obvious; one is depicted to be modern, out-spoken, taking charge, while the other is seen to be demure, soft, living life according to the do’s and don’ts of Islam. and in the middle, the daughter, trying to make sense of things; weighing between the good, the bad, and loyalty to her father.

all the actors were fantastic in their role – the words spoken, the expressions and emotions. excellent. especially impressive was the character of the daughter, ‘termeh’ was played by the director’s own daughter! and she did really well. a highly recommended movie, if only to immerse yourself in the hiruk-pikuk justice system of iran.

 

 

* * *

 

 

what can i say? there are simply only FOUR reasons to watch this comedy movie : jodie foster as an uptight mom, christoph waltz as the annoying workaholic hp-dependent husband, kate winslet as the sensibly patient wife (or so she was at the beginning), and john c. reilly as the peace-keeper turned obnoxious husband – all award-winning actors.

yeap, this movie is JUST about these four characters rambling on and on and on and on in one location. two parents decided to meet up after one of the couples’ son beat the other couple’s son. and they talk. and talk and talk and talk and talk. with a few awkward moments. many funny lines. and a lot of wit.

this movie is based on a play, which explains the one-set location, with just 4 characters. i can imagine this work being staged successfully.

the word ‘carnage’ itself really means slaughtering of a bunch of people like in a battle, or a massacre – in the case of this movie, when the parents meet, they started off really prim, polite and proper – but by the end of the movie, their whole sense of propriety is ‘slaughtered’! no more politeness, no more small talk, no more jaga hati – everyone says what’s on their mind, couples argue publicly, no shame and no inhibitions!

i consider this comedy as a ‘holiday’ for kate winslet, jodie foster and christoph waltz who are all known as character actors for powerful films. so this very light comedy gives them a chance to just relax, and make fun of themselves. give it a try.

 

 

* * *

 

 

apart from the 18sx scenes, this is a pretty good movie. hey, i’m a sucker for romantic steamy scenes (haha) but in this case, i just think that the sex scenes are unnecessary (some unnecessary long), and distracting. disturbing even.

anyway, the storyline is interesting – a prominent journalist is hired to search for a missing woman, who is believed to be murdered. the journalist then hired another journalist (who is the girl with the dragon tattoo) with a knack for hacking computers to help him with the investigation. the investigative journey starts, with a lot of discovery and questions that needed answers as they searched through newspaper reports and old photographs.

the CSI-meets-criminal minds plot is riveting enough, and this very gothic character – the girl with the dragon tattoo played by rooney mara (nominated for best actress) is one to watch. her character is interesting, and what she does and capable of doing will be one of the high points of this movie.

oh, and someone please tell me why someone who is not really that good looking like daniel craig can be so HOT?? hihi.

 

 

* * *

 

i’m watching a norway movie next…