Wow, have tons of sex to be super smart n energetic!

*this was front page material. omg, iznt ur sex life something private, why give all the details and share it with the world. i think he aint telling the whole truth..

Award-winning teacher’s secret – reading and sex

By R.S.N.MURALI

KUALA TERENGGANU: Reading and having sex nightly. That, says Tokoh Nilam award winner Alias Ismail, is the secret to his seemingly boundless energy during the day.
Even his colleagues have been left wondering how the teacher manages to remain energetic enough to conduct additional co-curriculum activities until the late evening.

Alias Ismail

“They always ask me whether I consume jamu (traditional herbs) to keep me going,” said the 41-year-old yesterday.
“Often, they are astonished when I tell them that it’s actually an active sex life and reading that makes one healthy, wealthy and wise.”
Alias is the inaugural recipient of the state-initiated award to honour a teacher who has managed outstanding achievements in education.
He received the award from Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said at Dewan Al-Muktafi Billah Shah, Universiti Darul Iman Malaysia here.
Alias also received a sponsored package to perform the haj.
The father of four said he made it a point to have sex daily before he and his wife retired for the night and felt it made him more agile and active.
“A good and legitimate sexual relationship is a kind of energy booster for me and my wife that has not only kept our marriage ties cordial but also made our bodies and brains functioning remarkably,” he added.
Alias, who teaches Bahasa Malaysia at SMK Menerong in Hulu Terengganu, said he was able to concentrate on his work after a “blissful” night with his wife.
He added that it was also a nightly ritual for both him and his wife, Rosmahwati Abdullah, 41, to read a few pages of a book and have an intellectual conversation before moving on to other “activities”.
The couple have been doing this since their marriage 25 years ago and they have a collection of 1,000 books, including romance novels.
He has also shared his secret with his eldest son, now 23

can parents be so poor as to allow their children eat sand and stones?

*news a day before said they were also eating sand in the compound due to hunger. my advice- DONT have kids if ur so freakin poor!

Tuesday June 1, 2010

It tasted like chocolate, says girl who ate stones

By EMBUN MAJID

SUNGAI PETANI: “It tasted like chocolate, that was why I ate them,” said Year Four I. Yogeswary who was admitted to the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital here with her two younger sisters and a cousin for eating stones.
The girls were hospitalised after they vomited and suffered stomach pains for eating stones collected from the compound of their house in Kampung Padang Lembu, some 20km from here.
Yogeswary, 10, her sisters Nageswari, eight, and Ganggadevi, six, and their cousin N. Vikneswary, nine, were admitted to the hospital after one of them revealed their condition to Jerai MIC division chairman R. Supramaniam on Friday.

 
Not for eating: Sarojini with one of her daughters while her only son, I. Sentilativan, five, is holding up a handful of stones found in the compound of her home in Kedah yesterday.

They were admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit here but on Sunday have since have been moved to the observation ward.
Accompanying them at the hospital was their 61-year-old grandmother N. Bathumalai.
A visit to the ward yesterday showed that Yogeswary, Nageswari and Vikneswary’s condition had improved while Ganggadevi was still weak.
Yogeswary said she had been eating stones since last year, adding that it was very crunchy and tasted like chocolate.
Admitting that she was the one who had introduced the stones to the three girls, the schoolgirl from SJK (T) Kalaivani in Kampung Padang Lembu said they secretly ate the stones behind their parents’ back.
“I collected the stones and hid them in my schoolbag and would eat them in my room. One day, Nageswari saw me eating the stones and joined in while the others did so later.
“My sisters, cousin and I are never full after eating food prepared by my mother. We will only feel full after eating the stones.
“My father had caught me eating the stones a few months back and punished me but I was soon back to the habit,” she said.
Her mother V. Sarojini, 27, when met at home, said the girls were admitted to the hospital after her husband, R. Inderan, 43, searched their room and found plastic packages containing stones hidden in their schoolbags and closet.
“I had warned them numerous times about it but they denied doing it. Ganggadevi and Nageswari were admitted to the hospital for the same problem last June and in January this year.
“My husband may earn a small salary working as a labourer but we are never out of food. I am unable to visit my daughters and niece as I have two other daughters and a son to take care of at home,” she said.
Inderan said he and his wife had been branded as unfit parents by his neighbours after the media highlighted the matter, adding that the accusations were unjust as they had done their best for the children.

Murder and mayhem and malfunctioning zombies...oh my!

Death Warmed Up (1985)
Starring: Michael Hurst, Margaret Umbers, William Upjohn, Gary Day, and Norelle Scott
Director: David Blyth
Rating: Three of Ten Stars

Evil Dr. Howell (Day) brainwashes young Michael (Hurst) to murder his parents, because they annoy him. Michael then spends several years in a mental institution, while Howell goes onto turning most of the residents of a small island into brain-surgically altered zombies that are controlled by sound waves (or, at the very least, beeper signals)... that is, when they're not malfunctioning and going on violent murder and rape sprees. Michael is eventually released from the loonie bin, and brings three friends to Howell's island, hoping to gain revenge. Mayhem, motorcycle chases in underground tunnels, zombie rampages, and the violent deaths of innocent friends ensue.


This movie makes absolutely no sense. I've had dreams that were more coherent than "Death Warmed Up".

In this movie, we have a mad doctor doing experiments on a massive scale, yet there's no indication where his funding is coming from, or why the authorities haven't taken notice. He's got an army of zombies with some sort of brain implants that malfunction every now and then... sometimes the malfunctioning zombies are killed, sometimes they're put in a storage locker (where disgruntled employees can release them when the plot calls for it). We've got zombies driving motorcycles in the tunnels near the mad doctor's sprawling facility, because that is a GREAT way to keep out intruders, I imagine.

And then we have our heroes. I'm not even going to start attempting to explain their actions (and lack thereof). I will wonder, though, why, if Michael came to the island in search of Dr. Howell, why did he drag three friends (two of them wholly ignorant about Michael's past) along... and why does he spend time romping on the beach with them?

The film is watchable if you approach it like a really stupid logic puzzle... or if you're throwing a Bad Movie Party and looking for something to round out the lineup. Otherwise, you're better off ignoring "Death Warmed Up."

Sandra the fairytale detective!!

Today after going to the market i sat down and switched on cartoon network and to my suprise the show was called: SANDRA THE FAIRYTALE DETECTIVE!!!

WOAH!! my name!! its me on a cartoon! finally my name is recognized as a superhero who solves fairytale cases!

i couldnt stop laughing and critising at the lameness in the show, (the horrible witch has remote control to lock her dungeon castle- it goes click click like the car lock!)

the horrible 2D drawings and the irritating green elf sidekick is a wuss!! seriously scared to bits about everything

Sandra (the cartoon one) is kinda kayu herself and is permantly dressed in this ugly grey pajamas all the time!

i bet even a 3 year old would say- oh gosh it sucks! change channels mommy!

Here's an excerpt from an article at Animation Insider, explaining the premise:

Sandra: The Fairytale Detective is... about a little girl, Sandra, who is the lone descendent from a line of fairytale detectives -- a perilous but necessary occupation. Although very few, if any people are aware of The Land of Once Upon a Time (where all of the fairytale characters live), even fewer are aware of the fairytale detective (who solves all sorts of mysteries therein). Roughly targeted toward children aged four through eight-years-old, Sandra: The Fairytale Detective uses a clever and inspiring color palette combined with a klutzy sense of humor to bring young viewers into the familiar realm of fantasy, but with a detective twist.

Like many kids her age, Sandra gets into arguments with her classmates, doesn't clean her room very often, and enjoys taking on a good challenge. But when her assistant and friend Fo, a 500-year-old elf with the guise and spirit of a child, arrives to say that there's a problem over in The Land of Once Upon a Time, the girl dons her overcoat and jumps into action. Maybe the adorable puppet-boy Pinocchio is kidnapped, or maybe Cinderella loses her glass slipper… for real, or maybe Snow White's evil stepmother's mirror mysteriously goes missing. Sandra is on the case; the kid detective lives for the challenge of the mystery, often using some convenient and humorous blend of magic and deductive reasoning to solve each riddle.

AMONG THE TITLES USED ARE SIMPLY NUTTY, they dont make much sense but enough to make u laugh at the title itself:

BAD WOLFE - Three Little Pigs.
BUBBLES - The Little Mermaid.
THE GOLDEN KEY - Hansel & Gretel.
A PRODIGIOUS NOSE - Pinocchio.
THE MISSING SLIPPER - Cinderella.
PESKY RODENTS - Pied Piper.
INVENCIBLE DRAGON - Saint George´s Legend.
FRUITS OF THE FOREST - Little Red Riding Hood.
THE OUTLAWED CAT - Puss In Boots.
THE CURSED APPLE - Snow White.
THE ROYAL EGG - Ugly Duckling.
KING OF MORTADELA - Pinocchio Case 2.
EVEN MORE DIFFICULT - Beauty And The Beast.
A QUESTION OF SMELL - Jack And The Beanstalk.
ASSAF THE SORCERER - Aladdin.
THE WILD PARTY - Tom Thumb.
THE MISTERIOUS CRYSTAL BALL - The Princess And The Pea.
FROGS - Frog Prince
SHOW US YOUR PAWS - The Wolf And The 7 Little Kids.
FOREST WITHOUT MAGIC - Rapunzel.
THE THREE ANCHORS - Cinderella Case 2.
THE WATER OF LIFE - The Shoemaker And The Elves.
TOY ROOM - The Steadfast Tin Soldier.
DIE LAUGHING - Emperor´s New Clothes.
THE 22.30 EXPRESS - Little Red Riding Hood Case 2.
HONEY SHAMPOO - Goldilocks & 3 Little Bears.
ACORNS - Little Red Riding Hood Case 3.
GREEN MONKEY - The One Thousand And One Nights
AVALON ISLAND - King Arthur.
THE REPEATING GHOST - Fearless John.
THE FAT WORM - Thumbelina.
THE RIDDLE CHAMPION - Rumpelstiltskin.
MAKILAKISKI - Makilakiski.
THE GUIDE´S SERVANT - Ali Baba.
THE SECRET BOOK - Sleeping Beauty Case 2.
THE MAGIC FACTORY - Hansel & Gretel Case 2.
THE GREAT MANDFREDI - The Bremen Town Musicians.
THE FORBIDDEN ROOM - Bluebeard.
THE PRINCE OF THE POOL - The Frog Prince Case 2.
SIMPLETON - The Queen Bee.
GIANT LOVE - The Brave Little Tailor.
CAPTAIN BLACKBEARD - The Little Mermaid Case 2.
THE SUPREME LAW - Sinbad.
THE CUP FINAL - The Snow Queen.
BROTHER OGRE - Puss In Boots Case 2.
SCHOOL FOR PRINCESSES - Snow White Case 2.
THE PRINCESS OF THE LAKE - Swan Lake.
AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY - Three Little Pigs Case 2.
THE MAGIC HARP - The 12 Dancing Princesses.
SCOLYMUS - The Sorcerer´s Apprentice.
PETUNIAS - Snow White Case 3.

in case ur really curious/ interested and want to watch a lil of the show, here you go!! 

(you have been warned) dont blame me if ur IQ levels start dropping drastically!

FLASHER alert!

spotted at some shopping complex.

it says FLASH for savings.

imagine if some maniac took it literally! hahaha!

A letter to him

Hi A,

i wonder how your doing down south

its been 7 years since we last met face to face.

you and i have gone our different paths since then.

i know u still resent me to the core until today for what i did many years ago but i'm so sorry and i wish i could turn time and make everything better.

i thought i had forgotten u after so much happening in my life ; uni and family and frens

but its weird when i'm back home and all alone i have time to reminisce about the past.

i dont know its a good thing or bad but recently you've been reappearing in my dreams talking/ saying something i can never seem to understand.

sometimes i look back at the letters you wrote or rethink the adventures we had and i sigh to myself, why think about the past if its gonna make me all emo mushy messy?

the worst thing is that i admired u from afar for 6 good years before i had the guts to tell you how i feel..

it started in standard 3 i guess and i watched you grow from a chubby stubby boy into a handsome lanky lass.

the day u told me you liked me back was the day i tot a fairytale had started

i never expected that after so many years of longing and heartache from afar

thank you for the 2 years of happiness and tears when i was 15 and 16.

its such a waste it all had to end.

time has not been kind unto us i guess

we changed into different people with different directions.

it was good when we were younger and knew less and doubted less and loved more.

i do miss you.
the smell of your breath, your distinctive scent, warm arms and the sense of security when i'm with u..

i dont know whether its right to miss u since i'm in a relationship with someone else.

its so confusing just like in high school but i've past that stage. why am i still behaving like this?

recently i went home to clean up the old house, i opened my room and so naturally the flashback came, so vividly like it was only yesterday

the one memory i will never forget is the night we fought and i was crying and you did something really silly and sweet

you climbed up from the neighbour's kitchen and balanced ur life on some unstable wood to climb to my window on the 2nd floor!

i also knew that the next day u had a test in school or somesort, u stayed until i slept on my bed and u kept on talking.

there were plenty of mosquitoes and the coldness was uncomfortable but u didnt complain. u stood there for hours holding my hand and saying sweet nothings.

for a 15 year old that was a fairytale...

i know it would be a long long time before u would want to see me or forgive me,

thank you for allowing me to grow up and be a better person,

thank you for all the letters, cycling trips, secret calls, after sch bus rides, funny jokes, and how u saved so hard to take us to the movies.

it was all wonderful, it was estacy being young and in love.
 you were wonderful but you stole a piece of my heart and never gave it back..
and i'm left with this dull ache like an amputated limb, its no longer there but the pain is.

u gave me reason to wake up and go to school, to get past the hardest rebellion emo teenage years..
(i'm getting teary while writing like an idiot i dunno why)

i wish you all happiness in your current & future life and i really hope to patch up that hole in my heart soon...

'House of 9' is fairly unremarkable

House of 9 (2006)
Starring: Dennis Hopper and Kelly Brook
Director: Steven R. Monroe
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

Nine strangers wake up in a house with no exits and an automatic feeding system. A voice announces over a speaker that only one of them may leave the house alive, but that person will "win" 5 million dollars. Will these prisoners work together to escape, or will they turn on each other?


"House of 9" is a little bit of "Cube", a little bit of "Saw", and a whole lot of "Big Brother." It goes light on the "torture porn" aspect of the film, and it's spends a little more time developing the captured characters as believable human beings--both of which help it score a few extra points with me--but while it held my attention, but it didn't do much more than that.

There was nothing in particular that makes me want to condemn the film (although the annoying jump cuts that got used to show a character's mind snapping, and the slipping accent of Hopper almost rose to the level of bothersome) but there's also nothing that makes me want to stand up and cheer. The film moves along at a decent pace, the tension stays high, and the ending ellicits sadistic chuckles. There weren't any real surprises, though.

I think "House of 9" is an average, fairly unoriginal film. It's not bad, but it's not good. If you're a fan of this particular horror subgenre--or huge a fan of Kelly Brook or Dennis Hopper--you might put it somewhere low on your priority list, but otherwise, skip it for the day it shows up on TV and there's nothing else to watch.

hi Goat!

When the goat says "HI" to u, iznt it polite to say "Hi" back?

now start waving at the computer screen and smile like an idiot!!

HAHAHHAHAAHA!

(*spotted at some malay jamu shop. its actually a powder milk to make ur bones strong and healthy! yeah rite, i already got Milo and Enfagrow in my system to make me sihat dan kuat!)

Saturday Scream Queen: Robin Sydney

Robin Sydney got her start as a professional actress by appearing on the short-lived "Andy Dick Show" in 2001 (which was probably a horror tale in-and-of-itself" and since then has been dividing her time between horror and comedy. She is best known as one of Full Moon's leading ladies during the past decade (with starring turns in both "Evil Bong" films and last year's "Skull Heads," but she has also appeared on "CSI" and in well over a dozen other films and television series.

To read reviews of her films for Full Moon Features, click here to visit The Charles Band Collection.

It's not just immodest women who make the earth move.

Tremors (1989)
Starring: Fred Ward, Kevin Bacon, Finn Carter, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire
Director: Ron Underwood
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Two handymen (Ward and Bacon) and a geologist (Carter) discover that giant worm-like creatures are killing people in the area around tiny Perfection, Nevada... just in time for the creatures to start attacking the town itself.


"Tremors" is a perfect mix of humor and horror, and it should rate as one of the all-time classic monster movies. The isolation of the tiny desert town cut off from the rest of the world as it is beseiged by bizarre, monstrous creatures, and the suspense of never knowing when the burrowing beasts will claim their next victim give this movie an atmosphere that puts in on par with other great monster movies. The absurdist comedy elements (which were surprising and unusual when the film was first released) give it a unique feel all its own. And the hlarious, heavily armed survivalists/militia-members played by Gross and McEntire almost make this movie worth seeing just by themselves.

This is a classic monster movie that is a must-see for horror fans.

aging issue

all women hate it when u ask them their age after they pass a certain mark which they aint so proud about..

today's topic is about age and apperance.

i respect old woman who grow old gracefully and i myself admit i have a mature face and ppl always mistake my age but thats something i cant change lar.

its a wonder how some of my uni frens still look like they are in high school and can still wear kawaii clothing and pass off cute. 

i on the other hand look like Tweedledee and Tweedledum if i ever try to put some cute earings, colourful dress or make up.

my story begins here:

i took my bro after sch to jusco to treat him to belated birthday luncheon and gave him his FIRST starbucks experience. lucky guy considering i only got to taste starbucks when i was 21 years old! haha

anyways, after that we went to Popular bookstore to curi curi read free gossip magazines like Hot and People.

Suddenly from the back i see my bro talking to another student and i walked over to him.

his fren- chinese spectacle boy kinda short turned around with eyes wide open, smiled and innocently said : HELLO AUNTY!! HOW DO U DO?

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!
did i hear that blasted word i detest so much?

i dont know why but my instant reflex was to smack him on the back and said: "hey, who r u calling aunty? i'm jie jie lah!"

u should see the boy's face- he was so shocked that i actually smacked him and secondly he mistaken me for my bro's MOTHER?

haha..i had the cheek to say: u blind ah, ur specs need to upgrade power"

the boy didnt laugh he just stood there bewildered...

ahhahaa..kesian he didnt know what hit him..

my own bro was kinda embarassed so he said lets go and we left.

later i found out that my bro couldnt remember his name, he was from a diff sch and he only met him at some camp long ago..

so, end of the day i was pretty pissed ...

it brought back memories of when i fetched my bro from tadika and his fren also said: hey samuel ur mom is here!

DO I LOOK SO OLD?

DO I LOOK LIKE A FRIGGIN MOTHER TO A 15 YEAR OLD TEENAGER?

wats wrong with ppl these days?

College kids don't summon smarts in 'Seance'

Seance (2006)
Starring: Kandis Erickson, Tori White, Chauntal Lewis, A.J. Lamas, Joel Giest. Adrian Paul, Bridget Shergalis and Jack Hunter
Director: Mark L. Smith
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

When a group of bored college students (Erickson, Lewis, Lamas and White) hold a seance to contact the ghost of a little girl that is haunting their dorm (Shergalis), they end up rasing the spirit of the man who murdered her (Paul). Naturally, he picks up where he left off, and the hapless students are at the top of his target list.


"Seance" is a straight-forward ghost movie with a script that's better than I've come to expect given the lack of effort that goes into writing horror movies these days. Not only do the characters behave fairly intelligently--allowing for the fact they're not very bright to begin with--but the overall story is solid and even stays away from the non-surprising suprise twist ending that so many writers employ in vain attempts to spruce up their badly done scripts.

All other apsects of the film are competent if unremarkable, including the quality of the effects, the acting and the use of sound and lighting throughout the picture. All-in-all, if you enjoy a well-done chiller featuring murderous spirits, you should find this film worth your time.

9 most hated ppl on FB

i have the clearer version on my FB profile. 

i came across this series of cartoons while surfing and i tot it was super true and super hilarious!

personally, i'm most afraid of the 9th one that tags like a stupid idiot who cares not if u look like shit as long as him/her looks good. aiyoyo...

Offical World Cup Africa Waka Waka & The Rose song..

i still think lee ann rhyms sings soulfully better ( the 1st song)- some say love/ The rose

and shakira's powerful voice suits the Africa setting to the max!

its totally contrasting, one being soft, sentimental and calming while the next exciting beats and invigorating! 

currently these are my 2 most fav songs!

cant wait for world cup to come-
i've got ALL THE energy and loudness to SHOUT AND CHEER!! wohoo!!

Hairy issue?

hello my pepz!

i'm sorry i'm so delayed in my blogging. holidaying is a busier time than studying! so much to see and do and money to spend! haha

the kuching pics are still processing so please be patient. today's post i dedicate to my grandson-Rayner Heng who reminded that my blog was getting moldy and soon nobody would read it no more! haha

i have a hairy issue indeed. since i have so much time i need opinions on which hairstyle suits me best. over the years i tried a few, some totally ugly some weird some boring i dunno?

pic1- short and cropped like schoolgirl with fringe.

pic2. short and cropped also but with blonde streak

pic3. no more blonde no more fringe but still short

pic 4-sparse fringe with tight curls

pic5. sholder length with a rebel streak of red which turns blonde in the end

pic 6- longer shoulder hair not straighten but with hairband in the middle

pic 7- straightened hair tied in the middle with small puff

pic8- hair let down without any styling or combing even! haha

pic 9- hair all tied up but without the fridge makes me look kinda balding

pic10- occasional curls done with hot tongs. this makes hair shorter n my age skyrocket another 10 years.

pic 11- lastest done to combat baby hair sprouting poking my face n balding, i cut fringe which makes me look spasticly retarded at some angles.

please advice ppl!! =) drop a comment when ur free!!

'Dead Again': Mystery meets reincarnation

Dead Again (1991)
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Andy Garcia and Robin Williams
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A private detective (Branagh) trying to uncover the identity of a victim of amnesia (Thompson) discovers that she may be a reincarnated murder victim... and that someone is still stalking her.


"Dead Again" is a thriller with fantasy/horror overtones as it revolves around the notion that people are reincarnated to share life after life. It makes good use of the fantasy elements, weaving them into the mystery plot and using them as part misdirection and ultimately making them central to a couple of well-executed third-act twists.

While this a well-acted and often engrossing film with a well-written script, it drags a little during the flashbacks to the 1940s to the point where it might be tempting to turn it off. If you stick with it, your patience will be rewarded, although you will still wish they had trimmed a bit of those sections.

Saturday Scream Queen: Veronica Carlson

Blonde and beautiful Veronica Carlson graced several of the best gothic horror flicks during the late 1960s, being victimized by such classic movie villains as Christopher Lee's Dracula and Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein. In fact, never has Cushing's Frankenstein been so loathsome as when he raped Carlson's character in "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" (1969).

Carlson married in 1974, and she retired from acting to raise her family and pursue a career as a painter.

Click here to read reviews of the films where Carlson starred opposite the great Peter Cushing at The Peter Cushing Collection.

You just can't keep a bad vampire down....

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968)
Starring: Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, Christopher Lee, Ewan Hooper, and Barry Andrews
Director: Freddie Francis
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

After a craven, cowardly priest (Hooper) accidentally revives Dracula (Lee) from an icy grave in a shadowy crevice of a Transylvanian mountain, the vampire lord discovers his castle has been sealed with blessings and cruxifixes. Swearing revenge, he pursues the Monsignor who made his home inaccessible to him (Davies).


Although it's a direct sequel to "Dracula: Prince of Darkness", "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" pays little attention to continuity. (Castle Dracula is a fortress in this movie, where it was more of a chateau in the two previous films.)

That aside, however, the film presents a Dracula who is far more evil than he's been portrayed before, cramming more nasty needs into the limited amount of time he is afforded into the story into this one movie than in the previous two. The opening of the film where a murdered girl is found stuffed inside a church's bell is one of the more shocking openers to any of Hammer's horror films. Dracula's pursuit of Monsignor Mueller and his family--particularly of the lovely Maria (Veronica Carlson) also gives rise to a number of chilling moments.

The movie also features some fine acting, gorgeous sets and great camerawork... not to mention the gorgeous cleavages of Carlson and Barbara Ewing! In other words, it's got all the elements we expect to find in a Hammer vampire flick from the 1950s and 1960s.

Unfortunately, the film suffers from the lack of a strong antagonist to combat Dracula. Rupert Davies is okay, but he's no Peter Cushing (Van Helsing in "Horror of Dracula") or Andrew Keir (Father Sandor in "Dracula: Prince of Darkness"). It also doesn't help the film that the good guys triumph in the end here because of a deus ex machina finale. (And I think that plot device has rarely been so literally on display as it is in this film.)

If you're a fan of Hammer's vampire movies, I think you'll enjoy "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave". It's not quite as good as "Horror of Dracula" or "Dracula: Prince of Darkness", but it's a nice chiller.

'Wishmaster' is lots of gory fun

Wishmaster (1997)
Starring: Tammy Lauren, Robert Englund, Andrew Divoff, Reggie Bannister, Kane Hodder
Director: Robert Kurtzman
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

In "Wishmaster," an evil demonic spirit, a djinn (Divoff), that has been trapped inside an enchanted gem since Babylon was young, is accidentially unleashed onto the unsuspecting modern world. He requires his unknowing liberator (Lauren) to make three wishes so that he may call forth hoards of his kind and create Hell on Earth. While tracking down his liberator so he can grant her three wishes, he wanders the streets of a big city in human form and grants wishes to whoever he comes across--and he always twists them into the nastiest, most violent interpertations.


The story in this movie is, basically, a weak retelling of the classic short-story "The Monkey's Paw", and it spins around the same "be careful what you wish for" moral. Aside from a shakey storyline, the film is hampered by a weak performance by its star, Tammy Lauren. However, the outrageously gory ways the djinn kills his victims and the evil glee with which Andrew Divoff portrays him, by themselves earned the film four of the stars I'm giving it. (Watch particularly for the scene where the djinn has to deal with the rent-a-cop, played by Kane Hodder, at the office where Lauren's character works. It's a doozy, and one of Divoff's best moments in the film.)

The film is also elevated by a stronger ending than what I've grown to expect from second-tier horror flicks like this one. It's not exactly unpredicatble, but it is very well handled.

'Practical Magic' is chick flick all can enjoy

Practical Magic (1998)
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Stockard Channing, Diane Wiest, Goran Visnjic and Aidan Quinn
Director: Griffin Dunne
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Two very different sisters (Bullock and Kidman) who descend from a long line of witches, come together for the first time since their lonely childhood to cover up a murder and to break a long-standing family curse.


"Practical Magic" is a textbook definition of a "chick flick", but it has enough humor and suspense, along with just a touch of supernatural horror, that guys will be able to sit through it without complaining and even have a good time. It's a well acted movie that rests upon a solid, well-written script that's driven by a very literal interpretation of the notion of "Girl Power". There are a couple of continuity hiccups--such as the moon apparently going from full to a sliver in three days--but otherwise you'll have to do some real nitpicking to find fault with the film.

Sandra Bullock puts on her usual fine performance, once again playing her standard rumpled, slightly nerdy Girl Next Door character. Nicole Kidman, as wild and slutty sister, even puts on a good performance, something I don't think I've said about her since "Dead Calm". (Her put-on American accent slips on more than one occcasion, but she does a decent job otherwise.) They are supported admirably by the rest of the cast, with Goran Visnjic standing out as a particuarly creepy Bad Boyfriend.

So, guys, next time it's her time to chose for a Movie Night, and if she has a habit of picking historical dramas or tear-jearkers or pure chick flicks, see if you can steer her to "Practical Magic". You'll thank me for it.

How awful that Allan is haunted or insane

How Awful About Allan (1970s)
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Julie Harris, and Joan Hackett
Director: Curtis Harrington
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Allan (Perkins), who has been suffering from hysterical blindness since the burning death of his father, is released from an asylum and into the care of his sister (Harris). But mysterious events start occuring around Allan, events that fill his blurry world with terror. Is he being haunted by the ghost of his dead father, is his sister trying to drive him insane, or is it all in his mind?


"How Awful About Allan" is a well-staged and perfectly paced modern-day gothic thriller. With a great cast--among which we see Anthony Perkins giving what might have been the best performance of his career--who were working with an intelligent and well-written script, and a director who knows how to deploy his entire arsenal of set design, cinematography, lighting, sound effects, and music to envoke a sense of mystery and dread.

Despite its humble (and sometimes obvious) television origins, this is a film worth seeking out by anyone who is a fan of gothic tales. ("How Awful About Allan" stands as one of the great achievements of the late Aaron Spelling.)

Robert Pattinson diz que está namorando Kristen Stewart

Para quem tinha alguma duvida restante, Robert falou durante um programa de televisão dos EUA que ele e Kristen estão juntos

Nessa semana um dos programas de televisão, Oprah,  mais famosos dos EUA, recebeu o elenco inteiro de “Eclipse” para a divulgação do filme.

Segundo o site Eonlie, a apresentadora do programa, Oprah, perguntou se eles estavam namorando antes do programa começar e eles negaram. Então ela disse que se eles contassem a verdade, ela não perguntaria sobre o assunto no ar. Foi quando Robert disse que sim, eles estavam namorando!

Depois dos boatos de que Robert estivesse saíndo com a Leigthon Meester, essa afirmação dele prova que se rolou algo entre ele e a atriz de "Gossip Girl" , é passado.

Agora é torcer para que eles apareçam lindo e juntos publicamente para matar nossa curiosidade.

Saturday Scream Queen: Shawnee Smith

Shawnee Smith was the only attractive thing about the very ugly first three installments of the "torture porn" series "Saw", and she came back for one more bite at that apple in 2009's "Saw VI."

She was also the host of "Scream Queens," a 2008 reality/game show where ten aspiring actresses competed for a part in "Saw VI". I guess I'll have to check that film out, just to see if the winner was any good.

(Trivia: Desptite all the movie reviews I write, I have not watched television on a regular basis since 1995, and I haven't had cable TV since even before that. I didn't even know there WAS a "Scream Queens" TV show until this afternoon.)