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His Majesty the Sultan’s titan at the 10th Legislative Council this morning. Taken from The Brunei Times’ website. Check out tomorrow for more in-depth coverage of the #LegCo

The race pack collection starts tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday

 

Below are some of the pictures being shared among my peers on the recent National Day celebration outside Brunei. So far, I have a few photos from different countries and it’s kinda cool to have a compilation of pictures and post them online so we can feel the patriotism among our people. The love for the monarch and the country have always been on a high. Home is where the heart is. Unfortunately I missed the big event at the National Stadium as I was outstation then.

So a big thank you to those who contributed on the photos and do mind me for the late post. Better late than never.

Celebration in Kuala Lumpur

Celebration in Singapore

Celebration in Canberra

Celebration in Phnom Penh

Celebration in Bangkok

Eva Green playing Artemisia stole the show. Click image to listen our podcast review.

Review of 300: Rise of An Empire. This is an visually awesome movie to begin with. Yes, we are given with a familiar theme and cinematography from its predecessor. The battle scenes were worth the watch but nothing that really stood out for me. It was just enough to satisfy that 6 year wait for a sequel. There are a few flaws that I would like to point out despite it being entertaining. So do bear with me on this one.

Flaw number one: the protagonist Themistokles played by Sullivan Stapleton, a Greek general, didn’t really stand out as a charismatic, dominant leader as compared to Gerald Butler’s portrayal of Leonadis in 300. He did an OK job or more like playing safe or perhaps it was the direction of Noam Murro that forced Themistokles to play a less convincing hero. I certainly didn’t buy him as a charismatic leader. Leonadis, why did you have to die too soon? 🙁

Flaw number two: The film editing might need some fine retuning. I was slightly lost in the first quarter or maybe I didn’t put my full concentration on the plot. My co-host of The Popcorn Panel, @delgoh, managed to grasp the storytelling though he thought it wasn’t a sharp delivery. It took me a while to understand the construction and the setting of the story line and for those who missed the first movie (300), you might be slightly confused. One suggestion could be short snippets of flashbacks to refresh the memories and also for the benefit of first viewers. The idea was there and clever but executed mediocrely.

Enough of the flaws. I still had fun out of the sequel. One of the biggest draw is Eva Green who played Artemisia, the commander of the Persian Navy. I haven’t seen such a dominant female lead especially as a villain in a long time. Every time when she was on screen, I was in awe. She, I thought, was a saviour for this sequel. She’s worth of a ticket admission.

There was a lot of carnage and violence so I doubt this is suitable for children. I did appreciate the stylish slo-mos which can be repetitive and familiar but there were some scenes that were nicely executed. Entertainment value is definitely there and for me, it was enough to keep me satisfied.

On average, my peers enjoyed 300: Rise of An Empire, but majority still preferred the first movie. It’s a notch down for me as compared to the first but still a crowd pleaser. I shall watch this again in Singapore in a few weeks’ time. Eva Green in IMAX 3D is worth a second visit *lol* Verdict: 7/10 @delgoh 7 @swee_ann 8 Rottentomatoes 65%

You can catch our in-depth review in The Popcorn Panel and stand a chance to win a PS4 console when you answer a quiz post on my instagram handle @ranoadidas (refer to image of 300: Rise on An Empire) to be posted today.

Friends enjoying the sequel of 300 at The Mall Cineplex

Sarina needed to watch South Park after *lol*

All smiles before the movie

Hui Chiet trying to eat off the supposedly drumstick from Xerxes :p

If only Brunei has IMAX 3D but it will be a huge investment to have one