Let's face it. Twitter is seriously overrated here. I might be a bias source but no matter what marketing ploy twitter uses or how about publicity they get, I don't see people around me using it.

It's been proven quite a while back that teens don't tweet. (Refer to readings here) But that survey was more or less targeted at US. What I want to state here is that we asian (or maybe just Singaporeans) don't do it either.

As of now, I know more adults (people aged 25 and older) using facebook that using twitter. Most of us probably only knew of twitter or only created a twitter account because it was very hyped in magazines and newspapers in that period of time. But really, it's like overhyped, and more like a play of reverse psychology where they try to rouse the public into thinking that twitter is very popular instead of it being popular among the public first. Just ask around, how many people do you know actively uses twitter? I logged in to my twitter account just now (Yes I do have one, but I don't use it), I can safely tell you that I can only find two active twitter accounts, in which one of them is created only after TIME's oh-wow-its-the-next-big-thing article is published. After probing around a bit, I found at least two more who admitted that they only created their account only because of the article.

Another thing is that I don't see why people will choose twitter over facebook as stipulated in some articles. Twitter has limited functionality and can only provide news feed. These are stuffs that facebook can already do and facebook provides higher interactivity compared to twitter. In my opinion, facebook remains a superior alternative to twitter in about every aspect.

Despite all these, there are still people deluded into thinking that twitter is the next 'in' thing and that corporations should embrace it without fail. These claims are quite unsubstantiated and without a decent percentage of Singaporeans active on that social networking site, these firms are just going to incur losses through this medium of advertising.

My take is that twitter is just a US thing, just like how the MySpace fad didn't get to Singapore. Who knows, maybe it's just a matter of time that people start using it but without a substantial improvement I doubt that will happen. Without your friends on a social networking site, it's not going to become popular (unless everybody wants to follow the celebrities to know what they are doing).

Labels: Review, Twitter

Title: The Dark Knight Genre: Action, Thriller Length: 2.5 hours

"This city deserves a better class of criminals."

the Joker

Definitely a must catch of this season. Christopher Nolan and his team did an excellent job in writing the screenplay and directing this movie. It is impactful and everything fits together very nicely. The cast must be applauded for their (major) contributions too. Christian Bale (Batman), Heath Ledger (Joker), Aaron Eckhart(Harvey Dent), Gary Oldman (James Jordan), Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth) and Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) fit their roles almost too well. And of course, not forgetting the special mention to Heath Ledger for his hideous portrayal of Joker, combining high pitched laughter, dodgy eyes, stiff movements, lip licking, and maniacal behavior all into one character. Joker is undoubtedly one of the most loved and hated character for seasons to come.

So, what makes the Dark Knight really good? The first thing is its script and screenplay. The opening scene left a deep impression on the viewers about what kind of character Joker is -- an intellectual homicidal sociopath who has no regards for his underlings (or no fixed underlings). Even that description might be an understatement, considering what he has been doing throughout. His character can somewhat be exemplified by his appearance, which makes him a unique villian as well as a frightening one. I digress, so pertaining to the original point, besides the grand opening by joker, the plot proceeded off smoothly, with each successive arc more interesting than the last.

Why did I say that each arc is more interesting than the last? Well, I am sure most will agree that the real action starts after joker begins killing people on a daily basis. However, that still isn't the peak. Things do seem like they will conclude after joker got caught, but the viewers are brought on another roller coaster ride as the life of rachel dawes and harvey dent are endangered and Joker ingeniously escape from the prison. And then there's Joker's "social experiment", aimed at exposing the ugly side of humanity, which Joker claims is the true face of humans that they reveal when their own life is at stake. The whole plot just builds up and keep you glued to the big screen.

I still have some issues with the plot, however. Joker just mysteriously disappeared from the Harvey Dent fundraising party when Batman jumped down the building to save rachel dawes without killing Harvey, and batman didn't try to track him down either. Everything just proceeded on to the next morning, which I find a bit unsettling. And, why did they have a security guy inside the interrogation room, and Joker left untied inside anyway? The security is a bit dumb there in my opinion, or is it that these corrupted officers actually intended to let Joker escape? (But Joker blasted all of them up anyway)

And when we talk about this movie, there's definitely one character that must be covered. It's not batman, he's just the standard superhero with cool weaponaries (and I want that Batmobile and bat-pod). I don't find anything that special with Batman, maybe except for his persistent principle of not killing anyone (not even Joker). And you probably know which character it is. Afterall, the hot topic now is on Joker. A really one-of-a-kind villian. He's not like Jigsaw Killer from Saw, though I see similarity in their fetish for mutilation and torture. Joker is more extreme, and is very actively involved in the stunts he pull, which really puts him in the limelight for he executes his plans almost personally. Joker is permanantly delirious and has really warped thoughts. Kudos to Heath Ledger for the excellent acting, but unfortunately we won't be seeing more of his films anymore. If you still don't know, he has died from an accidental drug overdose in January. Nonetheless, his acting is superb. Okay, to lighten the tone here, let's bring up a few of joker's quote here, starting with his epic "Why so serious?". And then, there is one "Madness is like gravity, all it takes is a little push." I commend joker for all his well executed plans, from robbing the bank to planning the arrest and escape from prison as though these are his playthings.

Anyway, here's a short video from the movie.


Notice that at about 5s into this short clip, the truck says "Laughter - The Best Medicine" with a red S drawn before laughter. What does that spell? Slaughter, you got it. It reminded me of this inspirational poster, featuring Shion from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Overall, this is one of the best action films I've watched so far and The Dark Knight has transformed from a kid's superhero to a movie this deep and dark, and no longer suitable for the younger audiences. It deals with themes such as the meaning behind power, politics and the true face of humanity.
My rating: 10/10 Must Watch!

"He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. He's ... The Dark Knight"

Labels: Movie, Review