As I Sit Here...3

As I sit here, in my room, late in the night, I start to think about the recent happenings going around me. A couple of people close and dear to me are sad at the moment and it breaks my heart to see them go through a difficult time in their relationships.

Human relationships are never easy. It's because humans are so complex with different brain waves, numerous emotions and unexpected behaviours. We are filled with stubbornness, egos and strong-headed-ness. We are so focused on our own emotions and our own selfs that it blinds us from other matters. If we were to take all those things away, it would, perhaps, make relationships so much more smoother, so much more clearer. And yet, if we take all those things away, it wouldn't make us human anymore.

I have went through many relationships, some I am not proud of. I remember the few times when I threw my self-respect away and begged for my ex to work things out with me, to give our relationship another chance. But.....it turned out to be a bad idea.

What I'm about to say next may seem harsh. It may seem stupid and egotistical to some people. It might make sense to others and it might offend the rest. But this is what I learnt from experience.

Communication is one of the main keys in sustaining a relationship. If one party, or both, do not open up, how will the relationship move forward? Many times, relationships break down because of failure to communicate. Failure to express how you feel, what's going on, what you like and dislike. You might think keeping it to yourself will help matters, but let's face it, you know deep down in your heart, you keep it to yourself because you're afraid. It could be you're afraid of confrontations, afraid to let your real self show, afraid that your partner will not love you anymore, afraid that you will argue more. It's fear.

But then, if you do communicate, it's pointless to shout, throw tantrums or go off in a huff after you made your points. Communication is talking things over with a clear and logical mind. If you start shouting, you won't hear what the other person is trying to say. Both parties have something valid to say, their own opinions, their own perceptions. Also, there's no point communicating when the only things to come out from your mouth are hurtful, illogical and sarcastic remarks. We have countless brain cells, let's use them to our best advantage.

I strongly believe that if my partner doesn't want me anymore, there's no reason for me to stay. It's just like how my former boss didn't appreciate me and treated me like some worthless person, so I packed up and left. My life is too short to stay with someone who doesn't want me around. Yeah, you might feel that you were used and that leaving the person will give him satisfaction.

But think of it this way.

It's stronger of you to leave than to stay because leaving something safe and venturing into the unknown future is harder and riskier. You might want revenge over him/her because of the way he/she treated you but the best revenge is to have a happy life of your own. Let God take care of those who hurt you because what He has in store for them is worse than anything you can possibly do to hurt them. I have seen this happen many times and that is why I strongly believe in karma.

I believe that some things are blessings in disguise. I believe that things do happen for a reason. And I believe that, no matter how unfair life is, no matter how much you disagree and hate what happens, God put you through this for a reason. It could be that it would make you stronger or it could be that He thinks there are better things in store for you. But no matter what He puts in your path, remember what Kelly Clarkson said, "God will never give you anything you can't handle, so don't stress."

To my loved ones, your family and friends will be there for you through this hard time so don't hide yourself in a corner or a locked room. We will get through this together. With lots of hugs, kisses and love. :heart:

Movie Review: Angels & Demons

* Where there are movie reviews, there will be movie spoilers.

A hushed battle, hidden from the public, has been going on under our eyes and nose for centuries. A battle almost as old as light versus dark, a battle which involves many great figures, it bears its head once more from slumber to seek vengeance for the slained, for beliefs. It is a battle between faith and science, a battle between the Catholic church and the Illuminati.

No matter the different opinions the world has had over Dan Brown's famous, or infamous, books, 'The Da Vinci Code' and its sequel 'Angels & Demons', you must give credit to his ability to tie religion, art, and history together. No doubt that a lot of research must have been made to ensure that the plot remained believable to the point of being factual and true, as I understood alot of people took it to be.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="217" caption="Angels & Demons (from thecinemasource.com)"][/caption]

Following the success, or rather the major love-hate publicity received, of 'The Da Vinci Code', the filmmakers continued Robert Langdon's educational journey of understanding the church and the many secrets surrounding it. From helping to uncover the secret left by Leonardo Da Vinci and safeguarding the last descendant of Jesus Christ, Robert Langdon (still played by Tom Hanks) now finds himself rushing against time to prevent the slaughter of 4 Preferitis due to become the next Pope and saving the lifes of the people in Vatican City. As per the plot in the previous movie, Robert Langdon and his team follow a series of age-old clues around the city.

It took me a while to get into the mood of the film. I find myself more adaptable to 'The Da Vinci Code' than to its sequel and I had to struggle a few times to get my head out of the whole 'Jesus Christ's biggest secret' and into 'the secret brotherhood of the Illuminati'. Be warned, at the beginnings of the film, you'll be wondering whether you stumbled into the wrong movie theater as it starts off like a spy-cum-scientific film and is spoken mainly in a foreign language.

I think the biggest flaw of this whole film was the foreign language spoken (was it French or Latin, I wonder) in numerous scenes throughout the movie. While those reading the Chinese and Malay subtitles (like me) would understand the dialogue, those who don't will find themselves lost at sea. They really must put the English translation during those scenes, even though some people overseas might understand the language. Think of the entire world, people! :curse:

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="322" caption="Some of the stars in action (from guardian.co.uk)"][/caption]

The plot is, in my opinion, somewhat a bit over the top. I mean, come on, one singular man plotting revenge against a whole city? Killing a renowned scientist, inflitrating a top secret research lab, stealing a scientific matter capable of bombing a whole city, kidnapping four grown men and overpowering the police and Swiss Guard? A bit tad much, don't you think? Even a whole group of masterminds will take days to execute all that and this lone guy does it within a day? :shock: We need more men like this in the army, police force and CSI.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="350" caption="Vittoria Vetra & Robert Langdon searching through a church (from z.about.com)"][/caption]

The movie is kind of like a documentary of the churches in Vatican City. Robert Langdon went to at least five of them in the course of the movie and we even get to see a library of sorts under the city where past books and treasures are kept in well-preserved rooms. There's a scene in this library that is filled with tension and ends with a sort of dark humour. I enjoyed that scene tremendously. :-D

The filmmakers did a mistake!! Well, perhaps it was intentional and perhaps it might escape the viewers' notice but it was soooo obvious to me. The real prepetrator actually revealed himself in one sentence that just sounded odd when he said it. Seriously, the filmmakers need to edit that or rewrite that dialogue. It was a total give-away and instantly aroused my suspicions and I was right!! :victory:

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna (from hollywood.com)"][/caption]

Aside from that maybe intentional,goof, IMDB (the Internet Movie DataBase) website has not reported any additional goofs. Either the filmmakers did too good a job or IMDB does not want to get involved in the battle that seems to be going on off and on the Net regarding the movie's 'blasphemy' of the church and take on the Illuminati

If you're observant, you can note the difference between the extras and the real people. There was a scene where you can clearly see people gawking at Tom Hanks and the film crew as well as some barriers erected to prevent non-casts coming onto the set.

Personally, I like 'The Da Vinci Code' better but my boyfriend prefers 'Angels & Demons'. He says it's easier to understand.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="288" caption="Conferencing on the next step (from filmofilia.com)"][/caption]

This controversial movie is perhaps a mind-bender for a lot of people but I admire how they are able to put the plot and the movie together even with all the filming restraints against them. Filled with action, tension, beautiful scenes of Vatican City and informative dialogue on religion and history, this film is a must-watch for those who are open-minded enough. You'll be surprised at the ending as the complicated plot becomes even more so, and what you may have thought or deduce throughout the movie will shatter with new unforeseen revelations.

P.S: I'm kind of glad that my religion does not allow statues. Some of the statues and artworks shown in the movie are quite scary to me, no offense.

Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca (a.k.a Patrick McKenna in the film): Open the doors, and tell the world the truth.

As I Sit Here...2

As I sit here, in my car, driving along the LPD, I can't help but wonder.....WHY DON'T MALAYSIANS USE THEIR BLOODY SIGNAL INDICATORS??!!

I simply don't get it. Is it that hard to move your hand to the indicator? Is it that far? Will the indicator shock you with a thousand volts of electricity? Will your car starts to transform into a dragon?

It seems that Malaysians are now telephatic, able to read the minds of their fellow drivers that they're going to swerve into the next lane or drive abruptly into a turning. Malaysians are now able to read people's car language just like how some people are able to read a person's body language. This is the discovery of a lifetime!! :-/

You know, since Malaysians don't use the indicators that much, or at all, why not just do away with them altogether? My boyfriend and I were talking about this very same topic a few days ago. Maybe the government should allow car buyers the choice of whether they want the indicators. They can save, what, maybe RM30 per indicator and our local car producers can save money on having to wire the signal lights. :silly:

And you know what's the most stupid thing? Most of the people who don't signal and drive like they own the roads are usually the ones who complain about other people's driving skills and road behaviour. :razzmad:

Ugh, look, people, it's really simple. When you need to change lanes or are turning into another road, pleaseeeeee, for God's sake, just click that indicator. It doesn't take any major amount of energy and the indicators are positioned to be within easy grasp. :struggle:

Food Review: Homst Restaurant

Sometimes we find ourselves going back to a place we used to love but had forgotten over the busy years filled with work, friends, family and events. For me, Homst Restaurant is one of these places.

As I stepped onto the blue tiles, a flood of memories washed the cobwebs in my brain away and I remembered the many occasions my dad, my brother and I had eaten here. Perhaps, one of the reasons I stopped coming to Homst was due to my now-estranged father but re-visiting the place made me remember why I liked eating there in the first place; the food!!

[caption id="attachment_1533" align="alignleft" width="253" caption="The first and original Homst Restaurant"][/caption]

A Chinese Muslim restaurant, Homst is not much for the eyes but the menu is a whole lot for the stomach. Located at 48, Persiaran Za'aba, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur (my area, woohoo!!!), it is one of the few restaurants that had withstood the many changes TTDI has seen over the years.

They serve Chinese-style food, not unlike the menu at Muhibbah (another well-established restaurant in TTDI) and is, as my dear companion for the day said, "Not bad, although I think the taste is slightly different because of some missing ingredients which I don't they can use since it's a Muslim shop."

[caption id="attachment_1539" align="alignright" width="224" caption="Wet Buttered Chicken"][/caption]

I have to admit that I didn't exactly knew what I wanted to order since I haven't been there in ages so I decided to go with what my cousin always ordered when she eats there; Wet Buttered Chicken (around RM12 for a small size, which is more than enough for two people). The sauce is amazing, although some people might get 'muak' (fed up) with the buttery taste. Just like my cousin, I highly recommend this dish but don't order it all the time unless you want to gain weight. It's sinfully delicious. ;-)

[caption id="attachment_1546" align="alignleft" width="238" caption="Kung Po Chicken"][/caption]

My companion ordered the Kung Po Chicken with rice (which is, I think, around RM10). You can really taste the chilli in the dark sauce, giving it a combination of salty soy sauce and slight spicyness. Amazingly, it offsets the buttery gravy of the Wet Buttered Chicken so I think we made some good selections. I like the fact that both the chicken dishes didn't have bones in them, except for very small pieces. I hate biting into a piece of chicken and cracking my teeth on a stray bone. :razzmad:

[caption id="attachment_1549" align="alignright" width="238" caption="Kangkong Belacan in Oyster Sauce"][/caption]

Of course, whenever I eat rice, I must have veggies. So I ordered one of my favourites, Kangkong Belacan in Oyster Sauce (less than RM10 for a small size). My companion really loved this dish. I was surprised because to me, it was just one of the most common dishes ever but I guess the taste must have really struck his core.

There are other dishes that you can try such as the Sharkfin Soup (if you're okay with eating an endangered species) which is mixed with crab meat or chicken (these dishes are expensive though, with the smallest size priced at RM22) and any of the fish dishes. One of my absolute favourite, which I can't find elsewhere, is the Yam Basket. It used to be on Homst menu but they took it out years ago, saying that the item wasn't popular at all. However, my cousin told me that they still have it. I guess we have to special order it.

Let's move on to service and environment. The service is not bad. The moment you sit down, someone will attend to you, handing over the menu and taking your drink orders. The food is served quite fast too, unless there's a crowd or you order way too much for the cooks to handle.

[caption id="attachment_1557" align="alignleft" width="270" caption="Inside Homst"][/caption]

Don't expect too much for the interior though. Like every other mamak and local middle-class restaurants, the furniture and fittings are common and normal. If they really do up the restaurant, I doubt the menu would be as affordable as it is now (it costs the two of us RM30.50 for 3 main dishes, 3 rice and 2 drinks). But to me, as long as it's clean and I don't find insects in my food or crawling around my table and chair, I'm fine with it. The restaurant is open-spaced though so do expect the next table to start puffing on their cigarettes.

Apparently, you can call them up at 03-7728 0760 and order some dishes for take-away. However, some people said that Homst is opened daily until 11pm but is closed from 3pm to 6pm so maybe it's best to use the number to check on their opening times.

If you can't come all the way to TTDI to taste their food, you can try their second branch at Dataran Sunway, Kota Damansara. They have the same menu there but there are some additional stalls inside it so you have other food choices to fulfill your tastebud's needs. Enjoy!!

Movie Review: Star Trek

* Do I still have to put a warning that there may be spoilers in this post?

"Space...The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise. Her on-going mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life-forms and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!"

It seems to be a year for origin movies, what with the X-Men Origins: Wolverine just out last month, now we get to see the origins of the crew for one of the  most famous spaceships in all-time history; the Starship Entreprise.

When I first heard that Star Trek was out, I thought, "Oh, it's just another continuation of the TV series or something." I never got a hint on the movie synopsis or the movie trailer. Frankly, I simply wasn't interested in watching it. But..... I'm glad I did. :-))

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="184" caption="Star Trek (from filmofilia.com)"][/caption]

Take the original Star Trek and mix that with some handy-dandy CGI, futuristic vehicles and gadgets plus a dash of modern youngster attitudes and you have yourself a worthy science fiction movie to watch over and over again. For a very mild Trekkie like myself who knew the characters only so-so, it was an eye-opener. How Captain Kirk meet Spock? How did the 'Beam me up, Scotty' phrase came about? Everything you need to know about the team of Captain Kirk is all answered in Star Trek.

It's not serious and full of aliens like I had thought. Well, there are aliens and there are seriousness but the dosage is just right.

Chris Pine, who plays James T. Kirk, captures the arrogance of this trekkie newbie quite well, although I hardly remember Captain Kirk being that much of a windbag, but well, adolescence does make one spiral out of control. Being the hero and all, you get to encounter every scene imaginable, from being isolated on a somewhat deserted planet to puffing up like a toad while trying to sneak onboard the Enterprise and all the way to having to deal with both the present and future Spock (played by Zachary Quinto), who is actually his nemesis.

Yep, you read that right; Spock and Kirk actually started off on very, VERY, bad terms. You simply must watch the movie to grasp the situation.

For those who have watched Harold & Kumar, you must watch John Cho in his role as Hikaru Sulu. His first scene was hilarious!! :rotfl: Another laugh-till-you-cry scene is the 'mispronunciation' of a command issued by poor Pavel Chekov (Anton Yelchin) whose Russian slang was simply too much for the starship to interpret. There are many other funny scenes as the movie plays itself out (my favourite being the sudden appearance of Scotty, played by Simon Pegg) so you'll definitely be entertained.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="322" caption="Some of the crew for the Enterprise"][/caption]

I have to admit that the casting people did a great job in searching the perfect actors/actresses to play the characters. Not a single person was less than admirable in their assigned role.

Though the goofs are numerous, I personally think that the quality of Star Trek in its story-telling, CGI and overall factor is a step higher than X-Men Origins: Wolverine (my deepest apologies, Hugh Jackman). So if you love the Wolverine movie and you're a Trekkie, you'll love Star Trek. :-D

Scotty: I like this ship! It's exciting!

Food Review: Mango Mania

I believe not many people outside the Bangsar area knows of this little delight. I didn't know about it either until my friend keep harping on the place every single time we see him. So this week, let us go totally psycho on Mango Mania!!

[caption id="attachment_1491" align="alignleft" width="294" caption="Mango Mania"][/caption]

It's easy yet kind of hard to miss this eatery. When you drive on Jalan Maarof (between the shoplots and the housing areas), you can't really see the shop unless you know what you're looking for. But when you're walking/driving down Jalan Telawi, the bright mango colour of the shop just pulls your attention to it. However, right now, Eon Bank's current branch advertisement (which is just opposite Mango Mania) is all fruits and orange-coloured too, so don't get the two shops mixed up. I doubt Eon Bank's personnel would serve you mango drinks and desserts. :-))

[caption id="attachment_1504" align="alignright" width="287" caption="Mango Mania Menu"][/caption]

I'm telling you, about 95% of the food served here has mango in it. No, I'm not kidding. And no, they're not a fruit seller that only emphasizes in mango, and no, they don't just have sweet things on the menu.

Alongside the treats, they have savouries like pasta, spaghetti and even a mango burger (yep, mango burger :shock: ). With the exception of a few dishes, most of the main course meals have their own unique mango addition. Their fish and chips are even served with mango tartar sauce. That is how manic they are about mango.

For my first visit, I limited myself to the sinfully yummy desserts and as per my friend's suggestion, I taste-tried one of their specialties, the Yo Froz, which is a 98% fat-free frozen yogurt.  You can ask for a taste and they'll hand you a teeny scoop of it. The mango taste is not overpowering but blends nicely with the yogurt taste.

[caption id="attachment_1496" align="alignright" width="132" caption="Chocolate Fantasy (around RM12.90)"][/caption]

For my second visit, I decided to go a step higher and ordered something called the Chocolate Fantasy. A peak of vanilla frozen yogurt is drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with a stick of chocolate Pokky and a lone strawberry. A moat of Coco Crunch and cubes of mango surrounds the bottom, adding crunchiness and juiciness for a unique refreshing taste.

[caption id="attachment_1500" align="alignleft" width="176" caption="Sean & Yo Mango Mania (around RM11.90)"][/caption]

My friend's all-time favourite is the Yo Mango Mania smoothie, which he described as "...a smoothie that does not use artificial mango flavourings or puree, but real mango as evident in the taste. It's not too sweet and its consistency is not like an ice-blended but rather silky and smooth." It's his, and I quote, "favourite mango-based product from Mango Mania!" I had the chance to taste one of the other smoothie but personally, I didn't really like it. I forgot which smoothie I chose but the mango taste didn't completely come through. There are also other flavours available but most will have that oh-so-crucial fruit, mango.

[caption id="attachment_1509" align="alignright" width="294" caption="Mango Mania Interior"][/caption]

I like the interior of the shop. You can sit and relax with a few free-to-read magazines and chit-chat with your friends on the long-joint white couch. However, there are not that many seatings so I guess on a busy day, people will just have to content with take-aways or wait for a free seat. There are a few paintings, which I think are for sale but I never did take a look at them. One side of the shop is pretty interesting too as the wall is totally covered in pictures.

As for service, well, there only seem to be two employees at each time, so they're kind of slow because they are the ones who take the order and prepare the food, but I didn't mind it much.

At the time of this post, Mother's Day is coming up and Mango Mania is having a promotion to celebrate this event for the whole month. 20%  off whole cakes, 20% discount on hot kitchen items when you dine in with your mom, and more. So get your tastebuds down to 36, Jalan Telawi Bangsar Baru!! Enjoy!!

As I Sit Here...

As I sit here, in Starbucks of One Utama, I can't help but notice that there's a woman and man discussing some sort of design business a few tables away from me. It's hard not to hear what they're saying because the woman is actually speaking in quite a loud voice, and it makes me wonder.....why?

Is it because she's excited? Is it because she's trying to call attention to herself? They have been here way before I came by to waste some time as I wait for my nephew, and I did notice that the volume of conversation was considerably lower earlier than it is now.

I tend to note that certain people have a tendency to talk in loud voices. My mom is one of them. There were times when she literally yelled into her handphone while having a conversation with me and I often have to tell her to lower her voice. But she's a special case because her hearing is actually troubled so to her, it sounds like she's speaking softly. But what about those younger women?

Having to sit at Starbucks (no, I don't support Starbucks, I actually HATE it, but it's the only cafe where I can sit and use a stable Internet connection for hours without being disturbed) for a few days each week, I have also seen and heard groups of women chatting away in loud voices, which are not neccessary because they are only a few inches away from each other. I never did understand that.

There are also those youngsters that we encounter everywhere who always seem to talk in this hyperactive, super-volume tones (I am one of them :-D ). I came across many of them as I went about my days around the city. A few of them are just plain normal teenagers pumped with hormones but some are the ones we saw, and despise, back in school; those I'm-too-cool-for-you girls who MUST speak in a higher tone to seek the attention they so truly deserve. :silly:

Funny how few men have this habit. ?:-)

Well, about this woman currently? She's talking loudly because apparently she's excited.....because she's about to get a design job.  :-)  I'm such a busybody. ;-)

Inspiration-less

You know how some writers face the dreaded writer's block, right? Well, thank God for me, I rarely face writer's block these days because there are always something to write about. No, what I face these days is, in my opinion, worse than writer's block; it's laziness and lack of motivation.

Yep, lazy lazy lazy. I went to Singapore for a two-day trip recently and the days before and after the trip were just pure laziness. I was too lazy to write, too lazy to even bother checking my traffic stats, too lazy to even reply anyone's messages on Facebook!! What's happening to meeee?? :hypnotized:

I need to get off my lazy bum and start writing again. Oh, wait, if I get off my bum then I'll be writing while standing. ?:-) Whatever!! I need to get motivated again, get more inspiration.

But....

It's kinda hard to be wanting to write when the one important thing I need to write right now is my Master's thesis. Wahhhhh!!! :cry:

Movie Review: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

* Yoda warns, here might movie spoilers be, yes.

"Wow. Koo-koo-ka-choo got screwed," Logan smirked teasingly.

"Kuekuatsheu," the lovely brunette corrected. "Means the Wolverine."

From the brief glance I got as I was scanning the Web for that particular line from the movie, I gathered that many were unsatisfied with the latest movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Well, personally, I thought it was just nice, not too much, not too little.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="249" caption="Wolverine's new claws (from wearemoviegeeks.com)"][/caption]

Being around X-Men fans in my earlier days, I do know most of the storylines for the main characters but I never did read about the beginning of Wolverine, so I thought the filmmakers did quite well in explaining and compiling what made Logan turn into Wolverine. I left the cinema content in having all my questions answered. 1) Why is Wolverine so suspicious of people? - Answered. 2) How come Wolverine can't remember anything from his earlier life? - Answered. 3) How did William Stryker cross path with Wolverine? - Answered. 4) How did Logan come up with the name Wolverine? - Answered. If I were to list every single question I had on Wolverine, my post would just be a major Q&A. 8-)

But...I do realize that I'm not exactly gushing over the movie like I did with the movie Australia. Perhaps it is a movie that is nice to watch but not exactly memorable.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="This is how Gambit is supposed to look like (from comicmix.com)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1461" align="alignright" width="182" caption="But this is the Gambit that I got instead"][/caption]

There was one thing I was looking forward to but got extremely disappointed; Gambit a.k.a Remy LeBeau. Gambit is my all-time favourite among the X-Men. It's not just his playboy and cocky behaviour, it's the way he looks, the way he carries himself about, the way he talks with that slang of his. Well, you can kind of guess that I expected ALOT from whoever is playing Gambit, and sad to say, Taylor Kitsch is getting the short end of my stick. Taylor simply wasn't...Gambit enough. I felt he did the role half-heartedly, like he didn't study how Gambit moves and talks in the comics and in the cartoon version. In short, he was maybe, mmmm, 35% Gambit-like, not enough for a hardcore fan like me. And the first scene he appeared in, that hair of his combined with that silky purple shirt reminded me of Johnny Depp in Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. Not exactly the first impression I wanted from my hero. :-(

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="164" caption="Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth (from daemonsmovies.com)"][/caption]

Back to the main character. You cannot deny that Hugh Jackman took the role of Wolverine to heart. Bad-tempered, foul-mouthed and always gearing for a fight, it is hard to imagine anyone else playing that role. He brought every emotion to life, from pure rage to sad acceptance, but still maintained that toughness that is uniquely Wolverine. Oooh, of course, who can forget the second-best actor in the movie, Liev Schreiber who played Sabretooth. I know most people expected a huge monster-like man but I think Liev carried the role quite splendidly.

You'll see some other X-Men villains and heroes in this movie, but if you don't know who they are, well, prepared to be flabbergasted with thoughts of "Who's that? Who's this?" The Blob, Bolt, Deadpool, Silver Fox, Emma Frost and even a young Scott Summers a.k.a Cyclops all made an appearance along with many others who we just can't recognize because their screen time was too short. Keep an eye out too for Professor Xavier. ;-)

Perhaps because the movie is new, or maybe the filmmakers did too good a job, there are not that many goofs. However, there is a goof in a scene where Wolverine was battling Agent Zero and a few army vehicles. When his adamantium claws come out, you can only see the bottom half of it, where else the sharpened part are totally gone, as though the motion graphic department and the script people weren't in sync with each other.

Another goof is the long-anticipated fight between Logan and Sabretooth. Just as the fight was getting good, Gambit came flying into the scene with his ever-ready long stick, creating quite a blast. The thing is...Gambit was punched out of commission by Logan before the fight and he was slumped in the same alley where the fight was. So how come Gambit came flying into the fight from the top of a nearby roof? ?:-)

So, is it a movie worth watching? Yes, definitely, go watch it in the cinema, even if it's just to satisfy your curiosity about one of the most popular X-Men characters. Maybe because I'm not one of those hardcore X-Men comic fans, I find the movie acceptable and within the high standards set by the first 3 X-Men movies,  but my brother and cousin, the extreme X-Men maniacs, might disagree.

William Stryker: You were sentenced to death for decapitating a Senior Officer. Your sentence was carried out by a firing squad at ten hundred hours. How'd that go?
Logan: It tickled.