My Anthem

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

DPP tells off spinners of fantsay to face REALITY

Especially in REALPOLITIK when Malaysia is at the crossroads of toppling BN-UMNO whose record of 54 years is for all to see -- corruption going from bad to worse with each passing year. Remember Sharizat Jalil's famous/infamous quote: " You think I'm the only UMNO minister with such a problem" when commenting on her family's cowgate RM250million NFC scandal that refuses to go away? This and endless other scandals running into billions which are the the core factors centring around CORRUPTION accounting for PM Najib Razak in delaying the 13th General Elections -- may even see the 12th Parliament go its full term to March/April 2013.

So all fellow Malaysians, face REALITY and do away with the ilks of MCLM's fantasy of 20 men of integfrity to be selected by demi-gods RPK and Haris Ibrahim? -- when they can't even decide which vehicle they are riding on -- Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia? People's Parliament? MCLM? Now you wanna hijack ABU? -- but yet seem to sing BN/UMNO's praises when it suits them. Giving exclusive interviews to MSM like TV3, The Star, New Starits Times and Utusan when they are supposed to have launched a "Boycott MSM" campaign? GOblok-lah!

Here cometh donPLAYpucks who means business!:)

29/02/2012

HERE AND NOW, BLOGGERS, HERE AND NOW!

or 'OUR BEST SHOT' by Donplaypuks® at http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com

by luther vanplato, Donplaypuks® intrepid correspondent for united opposition affairs

Here And Now by Luther Vandross
video

Here and now is what matters. The future in unpredictable and the past, unalterable.

Here and now, let me state without reservation that my fight is not with RPK or Haris. They are not the enemy. Quite the opposite. Ther are comrade in arms.

Let me state for the record and acknowledge that both these individuals have made substantial and concrete contributions in the awakening of a nation to the indisputable fact that corruption, racism and religious bigotry must be confronted, challenged and destroyed. Corrupt, racist and bigoted administrations, politicians and government must be replaced and their successors made answerable to the Rakyat.

They have also proven that the pen is, indeed, mightier than the sword. They have walked the talk.

Their rights to free speech and their own opinions are unquestioned by me. All I ask is that they be true to themselves, consistent and focus on the primary task at hand.

And if we are not talking about a Tahrir Square response, but Rome and the ballot box (as per RPK), then our options have self-imposed limits. For there would have been no Rome without a Caesar who was undone by perceptions of having unbridled dictatorial ambitions.

But what happened on the morning after the revolution? What happened to the backstabbing Brutus and Cassius or their counterparts in the 1789 French Revolution, Robespierre, Danton and Marat? - exterminated and consigned to the foootnotes of history, that's what. You can't lead or rule a nation of 30 million on a wing and a prayer or by mere consensus, common sense and disparate committees.

But lately, Haris and RPK have been walking a peculiar line.

And that's where we have a problem.

Here and now we do not have the perfect situation in the Opposition as a combined entity. We do not have 100% pure, pristine and wholesome candidates to field for GE 13. Would that we had, but we have to make do with the tools we have.

Nor do we have a fully awakened, educated and aware Rakyat who can unseat BUMNO/BN all by themselves by fusion and chain reaction. The time is too short.

And as much as Haris and his supporters are lobbying for it, none of PKR, PAS or DAP are going to let backline NGO's or prominent individuals determine which candidates they should field or agree to a 1:1 challenge against BUMNO/BN. These NGO's do not have the weight of history behind them, and in the end, who determines who has objective views and who, subjective ones?

Sure we have admirable candidates like Malik Sarwar and some doctors and lawyers, all pretty much untested. If elections are called in a few months time, do we have the bag of winners?

So, what's the first step? It must be to identify our goals.

Politics, as defined by Plato, is about achieving the ideal form of social organization and structure. Leadership and power are cornerstones of it. Without it, nothing concrete or lasting can be achieved. Integrity is another. Ideally, we would like to have perhaps a dozen Mandela's in our midst. But that's wishful thinking. Lasting leadership at the top has always been about the Power of One.

Here and now:
  1. What is our Principal Objective? To unseat the EVIL BUMNO/BN hegemony and consign them to a minority party in Parliament. Is that too difficult to fathom?
  2. What is out strategy? To unite the opposition to BUMNO/BN under one banner to fight at GE13.
  3. Having identified the Leader of Pakatan for GE 13, what should we do? Back him up 100%, of course
  4. Do we have a precedence on it that we can hang our hats on? Damn right we do. GE 2008.
  5. In victory, be magnanimous (you don't have to be generous) to the vanquished. Equally, the murderers, thieves and looters now camping in Putrajaya, MB's offices and the Economic Plundering Unit, ALL must be brought to book. Do remember that the evil is not BUMNO,MCA,MIC,PPP or Gerakan per se; it's in their leadership. Remove that layer permanently and you'll have a bright, new and glorious dawn.
Here and now, who can do it? Well, the candidates are not difficult to identify at all:
  1. Anwar Ibrahim of PKR
  2. Nik Aziz of PAS
  3. Lim Kit Siang of DAP
Given that it was AI who achieved the improbable at GE 12, I don't think we need look further for the Leader of Pakatan for GE 13. I am certain neither Nik Aziz nor LKS can make a fist of it. Anyway, why try and reinvent the wheel? (As an aside, it's interesting that some claim Daim Zainuddin had predicted the outcome of GE 12. I don't remember hearing a peep from Diam Diam, but of course, a million armchair "pundits" all forecast these things with the benefit of hindsight!).

Here and now, this is where we have another problem.

Having identified the logical steps we should take in achieving our objectives, some who profess they fully support these aims, seem to be doing everything to undermine it. In any planning, be it corporate or government, there are short, medium and long-term objectives and strategies. And when you don't have pure, pristine candidates, then you pursue what game theory advocates - minimax/maximin strategy.

Simply put, you drop the obvious losers, shirkers, non-performers, thieves and crooks and go with the rest. Then you co-opt in the new faces strictly on merit and all of whom are already known in the public domain. There is no 100% guarantee, but the Leader has to go with gut feel and we have to back his judgement to the hilt.

This is not some treatise on political strategy, I don't have that kind of knowledge or practical experience. But it sounds simple and often simplicity is a good basis for tackling complicated issues.

We don't need Tai Chee or Sun Tzu and his 'Art of War'. With the Rakyat, talking straight from the shoulders is always the best strategy.

Here and now, what we don't need is:
  1. RPK to tell us that there is/has to be a future without Anwar Ibrahim. We all, and all our uncle Bob's too, know that. But here and now, what's the alternative? No one is indispensable, and we can see clearly that AI and PKR have already in place a succession plan supported by much younger, but seasoned veterans to guide Nurul along. And if RPK is 90% sure AI is "morally unfit" to become PM, I can tell you 100%, he is.
  2. As soon as some political scandal with sexual undertones erupts, all these slimy guys coming out of the woodwork and saying "Yeah, I knew Anwar in MCKK...used to hang out in the showers and gym with the boys (what else did you expect in an all-male boarding school?)....yeah, I knew about it but kept quiet for 30 years....." kind of BS. I once put that question to the late Captain Yusuff aka blogger Ancient Mariner who exposed the $12.5 billion PKFZ scandal. The Captain, who also schooled at MCKK, replied," That's 100% pure, unadulterated BS." That's good enough for me from a gem of a man who had no enemies and no political axe to grind.
  3. Haris and especially RPK, taking all sorts of potshots at AI and making all sorts of demands and innuendos backed up by unverifiable hearsay on really, here and now irrelevant issues. Bros, if you have a viable and workable alternative, state it and justify it. Convince us you have the know-how, savvy, experience and can deliver. Then we may well go with you. We, the Rakyat together with you, are the 3rd Force. We have to trust each other.
We don't have much time and the situation is not ideal or perfect. The system is stacked against us. Why do you think that despite Big Wig's huge unpopularity for over 20 years, no one could unseat him from Malaysian Indian Circus? His stooges were eased into power at every level, and with virtually unlimited money, they could stop anyone from mounting a successful challenge to their dictatorship. Thus, it took the Power of One, the great and heroic Dr. Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj of Socialist Party, to slay The Beast of Sg. Siput, in an epic David vs Goliath contest.

So, we are looking at taking our best shot, under the most challenging and trying of circumstances, to putting the known OGRE, BUMNO/BN, out of its misery and voting in PAKATAN! BUMNO/BN is too far gone down the line of corruption and wants, is begging, to be consigned to political oblivion for a while. But because of FACE and FALSE PRIDE they can't ask openly for it. So, the Rakyat has to take the initiative.

What's the known track record now of Pakatan?
  1. The new MB's in the Pakatan-controlled states are all known to be clean and not condone or perpetuate corruption. Isn't that a great start and achievement in 4 years vs 32 years of absolute political and financial mayhem and looting under BUMNO/BN?
  2. The Pakatan-controlled states are all running budget surpluses, holding cash reserves for re-investments and topping the destinations for FDI's. Isn't that another great start? BUMNO/ BN Federal Ministers are all falling over themselves claiming they contributed to it. But hang on, why did it NOT occur before this? Hmmm?
  3. Penang was the 1st state to reward its citizens with cash bonus. BUMNO/BN stirred the faeces pot by playing the racist and bigoted religious card by saying some of this money could have come from tax on 'haram' businesses and asked Muslims to return it. Barely a heartbeat later Dr.Imelda Birkin Rosemajib launches his $500 low income earners bonus scheme. What happened to all that "haram tax money" doubts?
Once we have won, then we can tinker and tweak the system and strive for perfection. But how are we to get there if there are any number of strategies, any number of opinions and any number of "do-gooders" (many of whom are "wolves in sheep's clothing") with any number of agendas?

Here and now, more than anything, we need a WINNABLE LEADERSHIP. Get that in the bag and it we'll coast to victory.

Or else, what's your proposal, Haris or RPK? What's your short-term strategy for assured victory?

Know and play your role. If you are an out-and-out blogger only, slaughter with the pen. If you are a blogger with political aspirations, then enter the arena. I do not doubt for one second that if Haris stands in the right constituency, it will be slam dunk. The only way to be sure is to take the risk and "turun gelanggang". If it were possible for RPK to return, then he too should "turun gelanggang" because that's the only way to slay the beast.

Yes, you can write and blog, but only so much. The last mile solution lies in uniting the voters behind you and engaging the enemy, face to face, at the polling stations and booths.

Do you have even a half winnable plan or not? Teetering and tottering from People's Parliament to Anak Bangsa Malaysia to 3rd Force and MCLM and Kita and ABU shows utter lack of focus.

Otherwise, here and now, stop griping, sniping and sabotaging (unless of course, your real intention is to back BUMNO/BN). Unite under one banner and back Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan. All we need to know and be assured of are, if more than anyone else, does Anwar have the character, qualifications and track-record to lead us to victory, and guide us thereafter.

Let's not fall for this Mahathir, Najib and BUMNO red herring that Anwar is ambitious to become Prime Minister??!! You mean Mahathir and Najib entered politics beacuse they had no ambitions to become PM but aspired to retire as Chief Mandore to the Deputy Speaker or some such post? Sheesh, what pathetic hypocrites and creeps these BUMNO promoters are.

We only need assurance that Anwar is for Rome first, and Caesar, second.

So PEOPLE, here and now, let us take our best shot and vote for the damn bloody obvious choice - PAKATAN!

Out with BUMNO/BN!

Donplaypuks® with our day in the sun, man!

Monday, February 27, 2012

DPP's satyre wit' fire on MM nd TR

(GUESS WHO?)

From MChronicle:)~~~

Sunday, 26 February 2012 00:47

Maha Firaun and TR (GUESS WHO), you owe us plenty: We're comin after yo a@@, baby!

Written by donplaypuks
Rate this item
(10 votes)

We made too many wrong mistakes

> I never said most of the things I said.

> Half the lies they tell about me aren't true.

> I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question.

> If you ask me anything I don't know, I'm not going to answer.

No, these are not famous quotes from the man dubbed 'Great Pharoah' or 'Maha Firaun'. They are priceless strings of malapropism and murder of the english language by that lovable, legendary and highly successful New York Yankees player and manager, Yogi Berra. For more Yogi Berra quotes, CLICK HERE

But they could well be. And in dismissing the still rankling (with the Rakyat) financial gangsterism by which Diam Diam and Maha Firaun bailed out Mana Ada System Airlines at the height of the Asian financial crisis, we have all the classic Mahathirisms laid bare for us to dissect and see.

To him, there's nothing wrong

It has still not sunk into the psyche of Maha Firaun that it was a crime of the highest order to bailout MASA with some $2 billion of Taxpayers' money at $8 a share, when the KLSE quoted market price was $3.68!! Some ten years later, MASA's share price hovers at below $1.50!!?? And this, after repeated government bailouts of MASA over the years that has cost the Taxpayer between $10-$15 billion. There's no use BUMNO bloggers (as usual) pretending that because the figures are not reflected in MASA's balance sheet, that in never happened. It's there in the government's balance sheet for sure.

Only now has it dawned upon Khazanah that MASA's problems have always been with top management, the failed Bumiputra-only policy and championing of cronyism and non-meritocracy. Hopefully, the management talent from Air Asia will help turnaround MASA.

Maha Firaun's behaviour and words following the highly unacceptable "settlement" of Danaharta's $589 million loan recovery suit against one, TR, are instructive of what Maha Firaunism stands for. It would appear Danaharta wrote off the entire $589 million, allowing TR to get away scot free. We have also this unbelievable situation where there are several police reports by top ex-MASA management staff cataloguing alleged massive fraud by TR when in charge of MASA. Yet, Minister for Foot in Mouth, Nazi, issued a highly illegal directive to all Government Losing Concerns to withdraw all suits against TR, with the laughable excuse that TR's $13 billion counter suits could cost the Taxpayer plenty.

There is poker, bluff, counter bluff and false bravado. The government holds ALL the trump cards which clearly tells us that Nazi's pathetic cop out is nothing more an extension of Maha Firaunism. It's, "FU, I dare you to do anything about it," in the face of the Rakyat! He's daring us to challenge him, thinking we are helpless.

Culture of deceit, fraud, corruption and utter dishonesty

And what is this aspect of Maha Firaunism that I speak of?

It is the promulgation of a culture of deceit, fraud, corruption and utter dishonesty at top government level. It makes Bernie Madhoff look a rank amateur. It has become the culture of BUMNO/BN. This is why BUMNO/BN is disintegrating at the seams and why they will be wiped out at GE 13. It did not happen overnight. It started the day Maha Firaun became PM of this country.

Let us just list a few of the losses the Taxpayer incurred under Maha Firaun:

$30 billion forex losses in Bank Negara in the early '90's. Bank Negara Malaysia governor Jaafar Hussein resigned. Chief forex Trader Nor Mohd Yakcop who was asked to leave BNM is now Minister in Prime Minister's Department as head of Economic Plundering Unit!!

MASA various bailouts - $10-$15 billion.

London Tin Council losses - $6 billion.

Bailouts of Renong/UEM - $3 billion.

Crooked Bridge - $750 million.

Perkapalan (owned by Maha Fiarun's son) by Petronas - $2 billion.

Proton rescue by Petronas - $1 billion.

6 patrol boats contract awarded to Amin Shah Omar Shah/PSC Dockyard - $ 5 billion.

If only he had been born in the USA!

It is fortunate that Maha Firaun was a big fish in a small pond. Had he been born in USA, he would have easily surpassed Bush and Poulsen's $700 billion fraudulent bailout of Wall Street, the $3 Trillion budget deficit and bakrupted the whole world in the process. Of that, there can be little doubt. We should be grateful to God for small mercies.

And look at what his response is when challenged about the MASA bailout and Danaharta's surrender to crony TR. He asks why we pick on him. He fumes and points at ex-PM Abdullah Badawi and accuses him of losing $7 billion when he cancelled Maha Firaun's proposed NS double-tracking railway project.

Huh? That cancellation cost us $7 billion? Anyone heard of it? That's typical Maha Firaun misdirection. Under Maha Firaun, that project started off at $42 billion, was reduced to $28 billion and finally awarded to Sime Darby for $18 billion. Just when it was thought it was game over, Syed Mokhtar Bukhary pitched in with an offer of $14 billion while it was rumoured in the market that he was looking to close a deal for sub-contracting it out at $9 billion!!?? Wtf? Good Lord, how many and how much fraud can there be in one project?

"I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?"

That's classic Yogi Berra again, and again it could well be classic Maha Firaunism It's never his fault when we lose big. It's always to his credit when we win - Twin Towers, KL Tower, KLIA.

Now, hear this...

WE THE PEOPLE need to send a clear and strong message to Mahathir, Abdullah Badawi and Najib Tun Razak. In the real world we hold all professionals responsible for their actions. We call this fiduciary duty or duty of care. We hold doctors, lawyers, accountants, investment bankers and advisers, teachers and others responsible for their negligent actions taken in the course of executing their duties to paying customers. This is also happening in USA and Europe in the corporate sector. Main Street has had enough of this kind of fraud. No longer can top CEO's profit and walk away with $ millions in compensation while leaving a sunken ship behind and consigning to bankrupcy and oblivion the lives of thousand of workers.

In the same vein, we should mount multiple class action suits against Maha Firaun and wayward politicians for their utter negligence in gambling wantonly with billions of dollars of the Rakyat's Reserves. We need to do this not only to bring Maha Firaun to book, but also to warn Najib Tun Razak that it cannot continue his regime. There is strong suspicion that this kind of massive economic gangsterism, corruption, stealing, theft and fraud is continuing right now. The $7 billion Banting-Taiping Toll Highway, $2.2 billion Kidex Toll Highway awarded to companies owned by BUMNO/BN lawyers and the wife of an ex-CJ, $250 million Cowgate Project, $53 billion MRT project etc. all seem to have elements of being tainted. We must prevent this Maha Firaun sick culture from continuing to thrive.

Too many contract worth again, billion of dollars, are being awarded behind closed doors in an atmosphere of secrecy, non-transparency and unaccountability. Crony politics, economics and business continue to thrive. The national debt, excluding contingency liabilities and guarantees, stands at a record 54% of GDP. No doubt, 96% of this is local debt as opposed to foreign debt, but it still has to be paid and should not become a millstone around the necks of future generations.

We have to slay the beast, lance the boil, squeeze out the pus...

Yogi Berra - "It's like deja-vu, all over again." Isn't it, though? Maha Firaunism continues to haunt us.

Yogi Berra - "It ain't over till it's over."

Yes, it ain't over. Pakatan leaders and lawyers take note. This is the way out. Slay the beast. File your multiple class action legal suits tomorrow. Hold all these sons of a bitches accountable for their gross and criminal negligence of their duty of care. Give them no peace.

Pakatan, let all these Firauns and their adherents, including all the fraudtrepreneurs created under the NEP, Bumiputra or not, know that you will come after them with an RCI when you form the Government. There is no forgiving or forgetting. Justice must be seen to be done,and prevail. Then, we'll talk about peace and reconciliation.

Yes, Maha Firaun and your ilk. It ain't over till its over. We're comin after yo ass, baby!

Donplaypuks® with us, firaunism man!

CLICK HERE IF YOU WANT TO READ MORE http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com/

Sunday, February 26, 2012

I just watched Fong Fei Fei commemorative concert over

over Channel Astro AEC 301 Saturday night going onto Sunday morn -- so this is just penning some notes mainly AS A PERSONAL RECORD. As it brought back nostalgia of the sweet&sad sort. I do belatedly "miss" her because I only learnt her songs very late in the day/night via K ra OK with some "Chinoseri"-type -- defined those who are versatile in Mandarin, yet could befriend people like Desi through the universal medium of music and song.

For an update, here's

From taipeitimes.com:~~

GIO to celebrate Fong Fei-fei

TAIWANESE STAR:A collection of Fong Fei-fei memorabilia, including hats, costumes, photographs and album covers, is set to go on display in her home town this weekend

Staff Writer, with CNA

Pop diva Fong Fei-fei is shown in an undated photo.

Photo: Chang Yi-ling, Taipei Times

The government will pay posthumous tribute to pop diva Fong Fei-fei (鳳飛飛) in recognition of her career achievements and her effort to preserve the traditional Taiwanese ballad, Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Philip Yang (楊永明) said on Thursday.

“The Cabinet passed the proposal to honor the late singer at its weekly meeting held earlier in the day and would ask President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to issue a posthumous citation in her honor soon,” Yang announced at a news conference.

The GIO would also help organize a concert in memory of Fong Fei-fei, one of Taiwan’s most popular singing sensations in the 1970s and 1980s, who died from lung cancer on Jan. 3 in Hong Kong at the age of 58.

“The GIO has discussed the concert plan with the top major pop culture associations and has tentatively decided to hold the memorial concert in the first half of May,” Yang said.

He further revealed that Dada Entertainment Co, which arranged four concerts for Fong Fei-fei between 2003 and 2010 and was known to have had an -amiable working relationship with the singer, would organize the planned concert.

As to whether Fong Fei-fei would be conferred a lifetime achievement Golden Melody Award, Yang said the government did not have the authority to select winners at the annual event.

“However, we will convey our view to the panel of judges,” Yang said, adding that officials would encourage jurors to recognize the diva’s contribution to the local pop music industry.

Moreover, Yang added that a special program to be held in honor of Fong Fei-fei would be included at this year’s Golden Melody Awards presentation ceremony, scheduled for June.

The singer, born Lin Chiu-luan (林秋鸞) in Dasi (大溪) Township, Taoyuan County, released more than 80 albums and held numerous sold-out concerts both at home and abroad during an illustrious career that spanned decades. At the peak of her popularity, Fong also starred in films and hosted TV variety shows.

The Taipei City Government said earlier this week that it would help clear the way for a Fong Fei-fei memorial concert to be held at the Taipei Arena, one of the city’s best live performance venues, in April or May.

Meanwhile, a unique collection of about 100 pieces of Fong Fei-fei memorabilia, including hats, costumes, photographs and album covers is scheduled to go on display at Wuteh Hall in her home town this weekend.

The Taoyuan County government has collaborated with Fong Fei-fei’s family and Dada Entertainment Co in organizing the exhibition to commemorate the life of the singer who was popularly known as the “Queen of Hats,” because of her habit of wearing a different hat for each performance.

Fong Fei-fei made her last public appearance in May last year to announce the cancellation of a Taipei concert that had been scheduled for the following month. She said at the time that she needed to recover from a raspy voice.

A representative from Dada Entertainment said the repertoire of songs the pop diva had planned to perform at the canceled -concert would be displayed at the exhibition. Because Wuteh Hall, a 77-year-old Japanese-style kendo studio, has a limited space of about 165m2, the county government will limit the total number of visitors allowed inside the building at any one time.

A humble and low-key person, the singer asked her lawyer not to announce her death until after the Lunar New Year to avoid saddening her fans ahead of the festival. Her ashes have been placed in a Buddhist temple in her hometown.



DESIDERATA: will try to post up the concert's finale number -- fantastic lyrics, grinds your heart every two lines, and the crescendo to wrap up an two-hour evening bitter-sweet.

She influenced some two generations of singers in the Mandarin medium worldwide, and assocaited with her numbers which were also featured in several movies, are some "anthems"; below is one.


A memorable "anthem" is APPLAUSE:

1986 - Zhang Sheng Xiang Qi (掌声响起) -- A Singer's Applause

Zhang Sheng Xiang Qi (掌声响起) - A Singer's Applause, Lyrics by Chen Guifen (陈桂芬), Music by Chen Jinxing (陈进兴), Produced in 1986.

1986 - Zhang Sheng Xiang Qi (掌声响起) - A Singer's Applause

Year: 1986
Title: Zhang Sheng Xiang Qi (掌声响起) - A Singer's Applause
Lyrics: Chen Guifen (陈桂芬)
Music: Chen Jinxing (陈进兴)
Original Performer: Feng Feifei (凤飞飞)
Genre: Folk Song
Rating: 7/10

Lyrics:

孤独站在这舞台
听到掌声响起来
我的心中有无限感慨
多少青春不在
多少情怀已更改
我还拥有你的爱
好像初次的舞台
听到第一声喝采
我的眼泪忍不住掉下来
经过多少失败
经过多少等待
告诉自己要忍耐
掌声响起来我心更明白
你的爱将与我同在
掌声响起来我心更明白
歌声交会你我的爱


To be continued, at a time to suit my coming&going, but finally it's InsyaAllah, yes, Man proposes, God disposes.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

ATONEMENT

I just watched last night on DIVA MOVIE the movie "ATONEMENT -- it's a second time, as I enjoyed it when it was in the cinema circuit on first release a few years ago.


There was a voice within my head that my recent blog journey has "encounters" well depicted by the core premise of the movie storyline -- a piece of literary work by Ian McEwan which Desi would have been proud to claim just soul kinship if I could.

I can see the novel in McEwan's head could have had been Malaysia-influenced except it's Malaysia in the future, like the future is now.


I hope the many Malaysians committing this sin of SLANDER/FITNAH would get a DC copy of said movie, and share with Desi's view that there is some chord being struck within us after watching the fantastic movie.

I've learnt from some Muslim friends that MENFITNAH/SLANDERING another human is a crime worse than murder. I stand corrected if some raeders among you are well or better informed to "put me on the right track" should I be wrong to hold that viewpoint.


The slanderers are now more easily identified because the "sinners" just can't resist putting their words to Internet for all their beloved fans to see.

If you want Desi to name some NAMA, please-lah, I am not brave soul and I want my life quite serene and placid. Remember opening lines of DESIDERATA?


"GO placidly amid the noise and the haste
And remember what peace there may be in silence..."


Okay, I am googling "atonement, ian mcewan atonement", and here are some extracts which are good eye-openers to make you want to catch the movie. THEN PONDER.......

********************************



VIA link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783233/

Atonement Poster
MOVIEmeter
Top 500
Up 94 this week

Atonement (2007)

7.8
Your rating:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X
Ratings: 7.8/10 from 101,384 users Metascore: 85/100
Reviews: 532 user | 291 critic | 36 from Metacritic.com

Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. Based on the British romance novel by Ian McEwan.

Director:

Joe Wright

Writers:

Ian McEwan (novel), Christopher Hampton (screenplay)
Watch Trailer
Loading Watchlist
Check In

Watch it

Buy it from Amazon »

Related Lists

image of title
a list of 1,649 titles by Nithin Palal created 1 month ago
image of title
a list of 461 titles by Dr-Faustus created 9 months ago
image of title
a list of 39 titles by casper_urfriendliestghos created 1 month ago
image of title
a list of 1,135 titles by JLucasRJ created 6 months ago
image of title
a list of 100 titles by may_ouest created 25 Jan 2011

Connect with IMDb


Won Oscar. Another 25 wins & 77 nominations See more awards »

Related Videos

Atonement -- Atonement trailer Atonement -- Clip: Cecilia & Robbie's kiss goodbye" Atonement -- Interview: Keira Knightley "On the relationship between Cecilia & Briony"
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Saoirse Ronan Saoirse Ronan ...
Ailidh Mackay Ailidh Mackay ...
Singing Housemaid
Brenda Blethyn Brenda Blethyn ...
Julia West Julia West ...
Betty
James McAvoy James McAvoy ...
Harriet Walter Harriet Walter ...
Emily Tallis
Keira Knightley Keira Knightley ...
Juno Temple Juno Temple ...
Felix von Simson Felix von Simson ...
Pierrot Quincey
Charlie von Simson Charlie von Simson ...
Jackson Quincey
Alfie Allen Alfie Allen ...
Danny Hardman
Patrick Kennedy Patrick Kennedy ...
Leon Tallis
Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Cumberbatch ...
Paul Marshall
Peter Wight Peter Wight ...
Leander Deeny Leander Deeny ...
Police Constable
Edit

Storyline

When Briony Tallis, 13 years old and an aspiring writer, sees her older sister Cecilia and Robbie Turner at the fountain in front of the family estate she misinterprets what is happening thus setting into motion a series of misunderstandings and a childish pique that will have lasting repercussions for all of them. Robbie is the son of a family servant toward whom the family has always been kind. They paid for his time at Cambridge and now he plans on going to medical school. After the fountain incident, Briony reads a letter intended for Cecilia and concludes that Robbie is a deviant. When her cousin Lola is raped, she tells the police that it was Robbie she saw committing the deed. Written by garykmcd

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

***********************************

People who liked this also liked...

Chocolat (2000)
TV_MA Drama | Romance
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X
A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.
Director: Lasse Hallström
Stars: Juliette Binoche and Judi Dench
Recommended because of your interest in Atonement.

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Suite Britianna
10 December 2007 | by David H. Schleicher (New Jersey, USA) – See all my reviews

A budding young writer named Briony witnesses an innocent act she doesn't fully understand between her older sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and long-time family servant Robbie (James McAvoy) one restless summer day on her family's lavish country estate in 1935 England that leads to scandal in Joe Wright's dreadfully sumptuous adaptation of Ian McEwan's international best-selling novel, "Atonement." Four years later, all three characters try to find their own personal sense of peace or redemption during WWII.

This brief synopsis does nothing to explain the intricate complexities of the plot and actions that take place. Although Keira Knightley's performance is slightly off-putting due to the fact she appears like she just escaped from a concentration camp (surely young British socialites did not look like this in the 1930's), the stunning cast shows full range here racing through curious emotions: spite, lust, recklessness, and selfish wanton abandon. The facial expressions, especially from the children in the early scenes on the estate, are priceless. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic as they are often vain, self-absorbed, and quite silly in their drama, but they are fascinating to watch. The first third of the film is played like a "Masterpiece Theater" production of "The Great Gatsby" as seen through the eyes of Nancy Drew.

However, what makes "Atonement" soar is the impeccable direction of Joe Wright. He makes the most audacious coming-of-age as an auteur since Anthony Minghella delivered "The English Patient" back in 1996. Wright displays a near Kubrickian mastery of sound effects (notice the strikes of the typewriter keys) that transition from scene to scene and often bleed into the amazing score from Dario Marianelli. Wright also crafts a finely textured mise-en-scene that visually translates McEwan's richly composed story onto the screen with near note perfect fashion. Nothing can really prepare you for how well directed this film is until you see it, and the scene of the three soldiers arriving on the beach at the Dunkirk evacuation is one of the greatest stand alone unedited panning long shots ever captured on film. It left me gasping.

That scene leads to the heart of the film. The often clichéd romance at the core is trumped by Wright's depiction of Robbie, a single man forlorn and obsessed, his dizzying inner turmoil reflected against the grand canvas of a chaotic world at war. Likewise, Briony's redemption comes not in the too-clever conclusion at the end of the film, but in the intimate and symbolic confessional at the bedside of a dying French soldier. These moments leave lasting impressions, and left me imagining that if Joe Wright were to ever adapt Irene Nemiorovsky's "Suite Francaise" onto the silver screen, he would knock it so far out of the park it would leave "Gone With Wind" spinning in its gilded Hollywood grave.