watching manchester united win the champions league trophy last thursday morning brought back some memories for me. it had been 50 years since the munich air distance and 9 years since the last european cup triumph. for one i remember vividly watching them beat bayern munich in 1999 at home.while not as dramatic as the final of 1999, this final was just as exciting.
when a football match has goals, yellow cards, balls hitting the woodwork, fantastic saves, clearances off the line and yellow and red cards, you know you have a gem. add penalty kicks into the mix, 1 missed kick and 2 saves and you have a classic. while liverpool fans may argue that the final of 2005 against ac milan is THE true champions league final classic, 1999 and 2008 will also be special in our hearts.
i mean seriously, when ronaldo missed, how many people thought john terry would miss too? my friends and i were watching the match at our old haunt of simpang and when we saw mr chelsea step up to take the kick, we were fearing the worst. of course, the fear gave way to jubilation when he missed the kick and the jubilation gave way to chair-waving jubilation when van dar sar saved anelka’s penalty. the random chelsea fans seated among the mostly red supporting crowd at simpang bedok left silently, as the rest of the fans sang glory glory man united into the morning light.
-
indiana jones and the kingdom of the crystal skull was released on the 22 of may 2008 amidst high expectations. after all, it had been 19 years since the last indy movie. i myself am a huge indy fan. i always remember as a young boy having the classic scene from the lost ark etched into my memory; the giant boulder chasing after indy. with a bullwhip and fedora hat, you can’t say no to indy.
for one i was slightly disappointed with the crystal skull. sure, ford is back. as well as karen allen who portrayed marion ravenwood in the lost ark. i was a bit let down when i heard that john rhys-davis who plays sallah, indy’s digger friend in lost ark and last crusade would not be returning; i always loved his character.
ok enough digressing. what i loved about crystal skull? well, some of the old jokes. indy’s fear of snakes, his ability to get out of ANY situation and his deadpan attitude to life threatening situations. what i didn’t like about it? there seems to have been a certain amount of magic lost. cate blanchett, an australian playing a russian villian, doesn’t seem a strong enough adversary for indy. indy also seems to have lost the knack to solve puzzles himself, unlike the 1st and 3rd film.
well, it is indiana jones. so if you are a fan of the series, i would recommend watching it just for indy. it does not fully capture the magic from 19 years ago, but you will appreciate it nonetheless.
–
why does it have to be snakes?
