Movie Review : U Want Me 2 Kill Him?, Fruitvale Station, The Railway Man & Blood Ties

I’m reviewing movies based on true stories – deceit and trust; hate, love, wrongfulness and forgiveness; death and living life. represented on silver screen.

‘uwantme2killhim?’ a true story about how a harmless cyber chat can turn ugly; ‘fruitvale station’ tells the true story of the merciless shooting of a black youth by a white cop captured in camera phone; ‘the railway man’ is a true account of a former brit soldier and the tortures he endured by the japanese circa 1940-s. finally ‘blood ties’ a movie which basically reminds me of the countless plot of hindustan movies.

 

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an intriguing true story of how a harmless cyber chat can result into unexpected consequences; even deadly one. a well-made movie, helmed by the two young actors who dominate the storyline.

plus they are both SO adorable!

plot : 16 year old mark; cute, popular, happy family – starts chatting with a random girl named rachel and found out she’s in some mysterious witness protection program with her abusive boyfriend. she asks him to take care of her lil bro john, an outcast in his school. and so begins a friendship between the two – which gets more complicated as the truth comes out…

jamie blackley as mark is so adorable I can’t believe I haven’t seen him in any other movie. if I were a teenage girl, I’d have his poster on my wall! haha. he’s like a very young ‘man of steel’s henry cavill. he’s charismatic in this one; very believable in all the emotions he has shown. I hope for bigger break for this young lad!

the story of ‘u want me 2 kill him?’ seems outrageously unbelievable to be a true story, but it’s more common than we care to admit. watch it and you’ll understand. a shocking ending to a well-told true story.

 

 

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we know how the movie is gonna end. the hero dies. the story is about the brief life of oscar grant, a young african-american; redeeming himself from his crimes, starting new, loving father, playful son – he’s the hero we wanna root for, despite his troubled past.

the movie made us like him a lot, with that touching scene with saving the dog and his lovely relationship with his mom – and then slapped us with the truth we all know – that he died in vain. shot (allegedly accidental) by a white cop in the middle of a busy metro station, on new year’s eve.

writer-director ryan coogler and michael b. jordan who played oscar grant are both in their 20-s and as african-american youths themselves, always feel like oscar grant could’ve been them; it could’ve easily happen to them. the whole cast presented a very natural kind of acting; almost like watching an interesting documentary or a reality tv show. wonderful assemble of cast, especially octavia spencer as the mother.

but of course, michael b. jordan steals the show; a brilliant performance that made us care for the character so much that the final scene became very painful to watch.

no matter how dark your past is, no one – NO ONE deserves to die the way he did.

 

 

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colin firth as ‘eric lomax’ and nicole kidman are both academy-award winners, so there’s no doubt of their acting ability. so I would just like to move your attention to jeremy irvine, the actor who played young eric. he captured the mannerism and speech of colin firth down to his footsteps and the way he stands. incredible!

an interestingly enough, it was colin firth himself who suggested that jeremy irvine played him as a young man!

based on an autobiography of eric lomax (the main character in the movie) a british army officer who experienced extreme torture by the japanese soldiers at a POW camp during the construction of thai-burma railway during WW2 just for building a radio. it was so traumatizing that he was still haunted by it till the present day.

colin firth is believable as the soldier with psychological trauma – the fear, the hate – all encompassed in his expressions and voice. a true great actor.

what if you were brit soldier eric lomax, and years after, found out that the japanese soldier who tortured you is still alive? would you confront him? will revenge be first in your mind? and what would be the response of that japanese soldier? unchanged? remorse? indifference?

I dislike war movies, for obvious reasons, but this is a must-see for fans of colin firth. “sometimes, the hate has to stop.” ~eric lomax.

 

 

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oh, this is one movie from my list today that is NOT based on true story. it’s practically citer hindustan actually. brothers. one a cop, one an ex-con. the rest, is pretty predictable.

of course the brother has a troubled past; drug-abusing wife and kids he left for prison. of course cop-brother’s work is compromised when his criminal bro gets out of prison. and of course they have a sweet dad who’s dying of something. and don’t forget to throw in a love interest with an abusive husband to make it more dramatic!

dah kata dah, hindustan!

but I won’t say that the movie is bad. it’s okay. and I’m giving it more stars than it deserves simply because of the A-list cast – billy crudup as the cop-bro, macho clive owen as the ex-con-bro and zoey zaldana as the cop’s ‘colored’ girlfriend.

watch it if you’re into this sort of family drama. for me, the actors make it worth the watch. and the ending is not bad too. really wraps up the whole drama; but at that point I dont even care if anyone is supposed to get what they deserve.

 

Mandi Rice With Fries @ Madinat Zayed Al-Sha’bi Restaurant, Liwa

mandi rice served with with fries?

we were in madinat zayed, liwa – the largest town in al-gharbia – in the western region of abu dhabi, near rub al khali desert hangin out at a desert hotel ‘tilal liwa’. (click here for my post on ‘tilal liwa hotel’) we’re desperate for rice (orang malaysia musti mau makan nasi! haha) so we left the hotel and did some cruising around town.

it would seem like madinat zayed is a small town, but then we saw the big ‘city mall’ and stumbled upon this restaurant nearby. when you take risk like stopping in the middle of somewhere for lunch, you’d just hope and pray that the food is edible, if not good.

but the food at madinat zayed al-sha’bi restaurant is not only good – it’s mighty delicious! served with fries!

 

 

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maidinat zayed al-sha’bi restaurant is very near ‘city mall’ at madinat zayed city. just drive around the area and you definitely will not miss this peach-colored building at one corner.

 

very spacious, clean and comfy. the seating area is very homely too.

 

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we finally found mandi rice in liwa! the moment the big plate came we were salivating. looks GOOD! also, it’s unusual to see mandi rice served with potato fries and mixed veggie together so we were very curious too. interesting, and it works, because I love fries!

 

the grilled chicken is absolutely delicious. well marinated and grilled to perfection – leaving the chicken still tender and juicy on the inside.

 

one of mr. khairul’s favorite meat style is madfoon – which is cooked in layers of aluminum foil to hold all the delicious juices. once its unwrapped, you can bet its aroma hits you right up the nose and into your grumbling tummy! tantalizing!

 

delicious meat madfoon unwrapped~

 

served with fattoush salad~

 

mandi rice is served with a plate of veggie. some mandi restaurant offers plate of just cucumber and rocket leaf; some has cut-up cabbages and carrots or lettuce.

now THIS is the best complimentary veggie ever because it’s my favorite fattoush salad – arabic salad made up of cut-up cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and cabbage mixed with ‘sumac’ powder to give it the yummy sour taste. there’s usually toasted pieces of pita bread which is the ‘fattoush’ itself. though this fattoush salad is incomplete, it’s still in my top 5!

 

 

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next time you’re in LIWA, western region of abu dhabi, try getting lost at madinat zayed and see if you stumble upon the madinat zayed al-sha’bi restaurant!

Holiday @ Tilal Liwa : A Hotel in the Desert

we’ve been to hotels by the beach (well, we’re currently LIVING by the beach but oh well) hotels attached to the mall, hotel near a theme park – but never smack in the middle of the desert! so off we go to get this new experience!

we went to madinat zayed city in the western region of abu dhabi to liwa desert – to stay the weekend at ‘tilal liwa hotel’. this resort is said to be the ‘jewel in the desert’ because of its location and the privacy it provides as a retreat from the busy city life of dubai and abu dhabi.

 

the surrounding desert area is called ‘rub al khali desert’.

 

this was my first time travelling to the western region of abu dhabi. nothing but sand and sky. gorgeous nothingness. macam twilight zone!

 

and from all that sand and sky, we can see from afar, slowly emerging from the distance – the ‘tilal liwa hotel’ surrounded by ‘rub al khali’ desert. yes, that building behind khaleef!

 

I am lovin the ceiling lights at the reception area!

 

 

the tilal liwa hotel is beautiful with a touch of arabic décor and designs here and there. there are only 2 floors so exclusivity is apparent here. the whole place is cozy and clean.

hospitality was the best – I can’t remember a time when I bumped into ANY hotel staff and not be greeted. always a greeting, always a smile. they say hi hello good morning, or even asked if I needed anything or how my stay have been. excellent! I have only ONE complaint and I will elaborate when we get to the pool!

 

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a quiet romantic getaway at tilal liwa hotel that turned into a fun-filled family holiday!

funny story is, mr. khairul had long booked this place even before his family came for a holiday to dubai. the plan was to go on a romantic getaway la konon without the kids, so his mom and sis can take care of the boys while we’re gone. but we can’t seem to find the right time – so we postponed it till now; and ended up bringing the boys along. haha. sebok je!

however, the hotel still presented us with that ‘romantic’ package, and we came to the room welcomin us like this :

 

beautiful set-up on the bed; towels folded into kissing swans and petals on the white sheet. lovely! it was a romantic minute just before it was cut off by me screaming to the boys when they ruin the bed! haha.

 

compliments from the hotel, we also got this cute heart-shaped chocolate cake (again, in the romantic package! haha), to be washed down with this delicious sparkling date drink. loved it! (but at first we got an alcoholic drink in our tub. I called the reception and they gladly changed it to this date drink. so my muslim readers better check ya!)

 

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this gorgeous set-up of a mock beduoin camp right behind the hotel. an oasis in the middle of the ‘rub al khali’ desert.

 

the desert landscape is beautiful, but I must say – too flat, like just some sandy clearing. I’ve seen a more spectacular desert dune with different shades of color as the sun hits the waves of dunes. for tourists who had never been to a desert area before, this might be quite a sight. for residents of UAE – you have been warned! haha.

 

the view of the desert from one of the walkway

 

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discovering table tennis! as usual, one boy was not interested in any sort of sport. haha.

 

camel riding in ‘rub al khali’ desert~ the sun was shining gloriously but it was not too hot. quite windy!

 

mr. khairul on a camel~

 

riding bicycle by the desert! bapak, adik & abang

 

the tilal liwa hotel up front

 

desert rub al khali – as far as the eye can see!

 

lounging on a hammock. our room is somewhere on the 2nd floor facing the pool. tak patah ke hammock tu. haha

 

boing boing!

 

there’s a kids’ corner in tilal liwa resort, filled with fun activities for kids. the room is cozy and colorful, equipped with a TV playing cartoon. there’s one staff watching over the kids. however, most of the items are more suitable for kids age 1-5, as khaleef was kinda bored after few minutes. I suggest adding puzzles or game boards for the older kids!

 

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and now we come to the pool. well, it’s a pretty lookin pool as it’s after all an infinity pool, looking over the desert.

my ONE complaint is – there is no kids’ pool! outrageous! they really cater for couples yeah? a place this nice with excellent service and NO kids’ pool. I was quite disappointed as I can’t swim so most of the time I would just love to lepak at kids’ pool dipping my toes in while I watch the kids swim.

 

 

it was just one big adult pool. which is deep. even on the sides. I mean, you know lah kan how some adult pool walaupun for adult there will be a gradual depth so that the sides are not that deep kan? ini takde pun. just these steps, and even then it’s too deep. kahfi and kazim had to be content with staying at the very edge up the steps.

 

khaleef the swimmer had absolute fun though haha.

 

the infinity pool at tilal liwa resort, overlooking the desert. however, it would definitely be a much better sight if they had removed the quad bikes and parked them somewhere else. a sore sight for someone wanting the complete unobstructed view of the desert while they take a dip in the pool.

 

my 2nd boy kahfi hitching a ride on bapak’s back. a perfect shot – almost – had it not been for those darn quad bikes!

 

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food, good. what else can I say? spoilt for choice, delicious buffet spread and breakfast plus service was excellent!

 

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the boys goofing around on the balcony that overlooks the pool.

 

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this little arab corner at the reception area where we finally took a complete family photo! haha.

 

like I said, ‘tilal liwa resort’ in all its purpose is a lovely getaway for tourist to UAE coming to experience holiday in the desert. you would enjoy the excellent service, beautiful décor and that lovely infinity pool. oh, and of course the lovely view of the desert.

however, for residents of UAE you might as well go CAMPING somewhere in kalba or sweihan if you really want to experience sleeping in the desert. gorgeous, breathtaking dunes over there!

 

tilal liwa hotel at a distance, and my boys doing what they love best – playing in the sand. spot all three. tee-he-he.