Let Me In

I hate it when Hollywood remakes good foreign films. For the uninitiated, Let Me In is a remake of Let The Right One In, a Swedish film based upon a Swedish novel. All I can say is that Matt Reeves does a fucking brilliant job at crafting a haunting vampire love story. Let Me In holds its on and is just as good, maybe better than the original.

In a nutshell: Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a frail 12 year old boy and generally an outcast who is constantly bullied by Kenny and his gang. One day, he spots an old man and a girl about his age move into the apartment unit next to his. The girl is Abby (Chloe Moretz) who to Owen looks to be a weird and mysterious girl. What he doesn't know is that Abby is a vampire who offers a new leap in Owen's life.

I've noticed that a lot of Malaysian's have complained about the film's lack of scare elements and contribute that the film is a bore and offers nothing in the horror genre. Horror doesn't have to be scary, it can mean a lot of other things as well. Let Me In had a thoroughly haunting presence, complimented by an awesome music score, subtle dialogue and the sleepy town itself.

Both Kodi and Chloe play their parts with absolute professionalism and bode a natural chemistry between the two on the screen. You can actually believe there is a bond between Owen and Abby because it is just that good. However, in comparision with the original Swedish version, Lina Leandersson beats Chloe's performance by a slim mile. Let Me In is more violent than the original, the feel of such is produced by Reeves method of making Abby more volatile when it came to making the kill as compared to Alfredson's style of making Eli more subtle in her kill.

My main complaint would be Reeves slight change in the storyline by eliminating the Lacke/Virginia subplot as I thought it made the confrontation between Eli and Lacke more profound and emotionally effective as compared with the unnamed Police Detective and Abby. I was also hopping for a more prevalent relationship connection between "The Father" and Abby in Let Me In but I can understand Reeve's decision to cut out those subplots in favour of concentrating more on Abby and Owen.

Props to make up for when Abby's in her vampire mode. Definately unsettling to see Chloe who is normally adorable in a shroud of true horror.

On a super plus side the vampire mythology is back to its basics with sunlight actually killing vampires as opposed to 'you know what'. This is how vampires are supposed to be. They're not emo and certainly not glamorous. They're tortured creatures of the night that beg to be released from their curse and true monsters that won't think twice about ripping out your throat.

Closing verdict: One of the best films of the year

9/10

Back From The Outer Limits

You must have thought to yourself, what happened to Haikal's awesome blog? I know as of now, most of my devoted readers have committed suicide due to the absence of their life essence but before more of you do, I am pleased to announced that this blog is far from dead. The tumour has since been removed and life goes on as the atheist god pleases.

I am back from my harrowing adventures of travelling the countryside searching for the meaning of forgetfulness. Fortunately I wrote it down and gave it to my PA to document within my company but she has since forgotten where she has placed it.

Memo to self: Fire PA

Don't go away, the blogs gonna get the rebirth it needs. Like a jab of microbes in the eyeball of a phoenix. That sounds so rock and roll.

To My Favourite Flower

My heart moves to the sound of your voice

There is nothing in the world that I'd rather hear

Than the love you give me through your choice

There is that notion, there is that fear

That I would one day stand alone atop that cliff

Watching down upon the waves that wash ashore

Remembering that face which captured my heart, wondering if

I would throw myself into the ocean's floor

Before that day comes, I want you to know

That I love you more than life, more than anything in the world

You are my life, you are my beau

You are the treasure I have found, an oyster's pearl

Not one day passes that I don't think of you

Of your smile, your laugh, your beauty

This is not a lie, as what I say is true

You are the everlasting angel that my arms will forever carry

You are my Yoshimi

Update: Dragon Age Poem

Haven't added anything new to the blog probably because of the lack of inspiration, motivation, writer's block and general laziness.. There was supposed to be five more parts to the Dragon Age: Origins epic poem but, my god.. so fucking lazy.

But in brief, this is what will happen. Sacred Ashes quest, defeat High Dragon guarding ashes, take ashes to Arl, heal him, proceed to completing all party members personal quests, kill that bitch from Orlais for Leliana, sex with Leliana, kill that old bitch Flemeth for Morrigan, find Sten's bitch sword, visit Alistair's long lost bitch sister in Denerim, get Ohgren together with bitch at Lake Calenhad, kill bitch assassins going after Zevran, give bitch Wynne closure, proceed to Landsmeet to confront Loghain, Anora crowned queen, Alistair leaves because I fucked up, have sex with Morrigan as perse of ritual, final battle with Archdemon at Denerim, kill that fucker, goddamn fucking hero of Ferelden. And then there would be the epilogue poem that ends everything.

However, I'm not gonna do it cause I'm lazy and shit so.. The End.

DRAGON AGE ORIGINS: As Told By A Blind Poet (Part Four)

Greeted by Zathrian, Keeper of the Dalish

The Warden offers the binding treaty

Only for Zathrian to propose a quest the Warden must finish
The threat to the Dalish lies towards the werewolves

Ferocious cursed beast who stand to destory Dalish livelihood

The Warden must seek Witherfang and take its heart

To cure Dalish infected, thus to kill the wolves brood

The dark Brecillian Forest awaits the Warden's steps

A werewolf who calls himself Swiftrunner shows

Calling the Warden to desist his quest or risk further zeolous traps

The Warden presses on, cutting through werewolves and darkspawn alike

As the Warden reaches the Southern Ancient Tombstone, Swiftrunner reappears

It is learned that the werewolves of the Brecilian Forest bear a deep grudge toward Zathrian

With questions unanswered, the only hint being the Lady's tears

The Warden travels deeper for answers

Entering the Elven Tombs, delving in history

They reach the Lair of the Werewolves, with bloodied armours

Swiftrunner meets the Warden and grants him an audience with the Lady

The curse is of Witherfang, a spirit who calls herself Lady of the Forest

The Lady reveals what Zathrian did not

The curse was called upon by the Keeper against those of evil purest

Hundreds of years before, men fouled the children of the Keeper

Zathrian in vengeance, summoned Witherfang and her curse

Hundreds has passed, those that are werewolves are now those innocent, filled with bitter

The Lady asks the Warden to bring Zathrian to her, to meet

The choice of whatever happens next falls to the Warden

Side with the beasts and kill the Dalish, side with the Dalish and kill the beasts

Or act as paragon, sacrificing Lady and Keeper for the sake of the children

Zathrian, in a ritual, takes his own life as well as the Lady's

The curse is lifted and all is well

Lanaya is Keeper and the beasts, curse uplifted return to their human duties

The Dalish elves honour the treaty and lend their hand to battle the Blight

The Warden sets out to complete an unfinished quest

To retrieve the Sacred Ashes for the Arl

The next clue to the journey bears the royal crest

Brother Genitivi holds the key, the key which lies in the capital of Ferelden, Denerim

DRAGON AGE ORIGINS: As Told By A Blind Poet (Part Three)

On the way to Orzammar does the Warden encounter
Antivian Crows set to ambush and assassinate
Brandishing their bows and daggers
The Warden slices through, breaking the attack
The leader of the assassins lays his sword in surrender
His name, Zevran, an elf
Pleads mercy for his allegiance to the Warden and no other

The Warden sheaths his sword to the dismay of Alistair
Who's trust for the assassin does not go far

Orzammar, the last of the Dwarven cities
Whose gates stand before the Warden
The treaty is prepped to behold towards the Dwarven King, behold towards his knees
Alas, the King has died leaving no heir
Political turmoil engulfs Orzammar with a house divided
Those supporting Lord Harrowmount, those supporting Prince Bhelen
Only the Assembly can decide who drinks the royal fluid

The votes are deadlocked and thus only the Warden can break them
He picks Harrowmount but must prove his allegiance to the Lord
To enter the Proving and become Harrowmount's gem
The Warden emerges champion and is given his next task
To gain the favour of the Assembly, to kill Jarvia and her gang
Through Dust Town they journey, questioning the casteless
Finding entrance to the hideout and into the wolf's fang

Fighting through legions of dwarfs proves no walk
Tis a hard earned road all the way
The Warden finally battles Jarvia herself, a hardened warlock
Ending with her blood feeding the grounds of Orzammar
The Warden returns to Harrowmount thinking the deed is done
Yet, the Lord provides another task to be completed to secure the throne
To search the Paragon Branka, within the ruins of the broken

Battlemaster Ohgren, husband of Branka joins the Warden's task
Determined to see his estranged wife once more
The search would take many dawns and many dusks
The trail leads the Warden through Caridian's Cross, Ortan Thaig and the Dead Trenches
Where thousands of darkspawn lurk within each and every wall
With no choice, and the fate of Ferelden in the Warden's hands
They press on towards each clues call

In the Dead Trenches, horror awaits
Of the discovery concerning the fates of Branka's House
In her mad obsession to obtain the Anvil and its ability to create
Branka had sacrificed her entire House to the hands of the darkspawn
The Warden comes across a creature most grotesque, The Broodmother
The battle lasts a sundown, blades, arrows and magic fly
It ends when the Warden rips out the creatures cancer

The journey serves to end at the Anvil Void
Where Branka shows her face and asks the Warden to help clear a path to the Anvil
The Warden abides and finds himself in a choice to have the Anvil preserved or destroyed
Caridin, the creator of the Anvil states the evils of using such a device
While Branka wants to use it, to bring glory back to the dwarves
The Warden sides with Caridin, earning the wrath of Branka
Upon defeating Branka, Caridin smiths a crown he himself carves

Caridin, knowing his creation is gone
Drops himself into the lava below
Finally resolved, he dies with his soul reaching the Makers warmth
The crown is presented to the new King of Orzammar, Harrowmount
And in turn, promises aid to end the Blight
Bhelen, in a fit of rage attacks the Warden, knowing who to blame for his defeat
The disgraced Bhelen dies in his spite

And for that, it ends but the story is far from over

For the next journey would take the Warden to the Dalish in the Brecillian outskirts

DRAGON AGE ORIGINS: As Told By A Blind Poet (Part Two)

In the tavern of Lothering does the Warden stumble upon a woman

Leliana, a woman of song and Chantry

A rogue and bard at heart, bow and dagger, as deadly as a falcon

Joins in on the Warden's quest to destroy the Archdemon

At the end of the vilage, the Warden discovers a qunari

Entrapped in a cage for a malificious crime

A built warrior with eyes robbed of glory

The Warden convinces the village to have him released

To have this qunari by the name of Sten serve Ferelden

The party leave Lothering, their next destination, Redcliffe

To seek the Arl and ask for his help against both Loghain and the Blight

As they arrive, the city reaked of the stench of death

Arl Eamon had grown sick from poison

And the castle taken over by Fade creatures of demon breath

The Warden saves the village outside the castle walls

And proceeds to vanquish the evil within

Inside, they find an imprisoned blood mage, Jowan who recalls

Of his past mistakes of poisoning the Arl on Logahin's orders

He explains, the culprit behind the Fade demons was a possessed Connor, son of Eamon

The Warden fights through onslaughts of creatures

Entering the throne room to ensure the evil's undone

There, the Warden finds Connor with mother Isolde

Upon defeating the minions of the demon, apostate Jowan presents two choices

Kill Connor and demon within or a sacrifice to confront the demon face to face,

The Warden chooses a sacrifice and Isolde boldly volunteers

Morrigan enters the Fade and battles the Desire Demon

Blood is drawn and the Witch kills the unloved

There will be no celebrations for Isolde lays down frozen

The Arl still sleeps in a poisonous slumber

With the only known cure being the Sacred Ashes of Andraste

To the Circle of Magi, the Warden leaps next, a tower cloaked in its magic banner

In order to seek the alliance of the mages

The ashes would have to wait, another time, another day

Adventure follows those that seek it

And so does trouble, without delay

The Circle of Magi is under siege from within

A fellow mage corrupted by his lust for a new world

Has opened the Fade, releasing Shades and Undead under evil's grin

As the Warden enters the tower, the Templars greet him proclaiming all is lost

But Grey Warden's fear no abominations nor darkness

The Warden leads the party for survivors and to save the Circle

The heroes rally their weapons for blood will befall the canvas

The Warden stumbles upon a few surviving mages lead by elder Wynne

They tell of Uldred who is behind the evil that inhabits the tower

Wynne joins the Warden to rescue First Enchanter Irving from Ulder's sins

A long and brutal campaign awaits along the path

The Sloth Demon stands in front of the blood stained road

Trapping the Warden and those among him into the realm of dreams

Alone, the Warden defeats all in the Fade, every trial mowed

As the Sloth Demon fell, the Warden proceeds on

Facing with Uldred who has lost his soul

The blood mage fights along his hell spawn

But the might of the Warden proves too much and Uldred falls

The Circle is saved but the Templars think otherwise

Fearing another incident as such, the Tempars give the Warden a choice

To lock up the remaining mages or release them as allies

The Warden sides with the Magi ending another chapter of the plot

The Warden then sets sights on Orzammar, city of the dwarves