war horse film review

War Horse is a heartfelt movie based on the best-selling novel by Michael Morpurgo that tells the story about how hope is never absent, no matter how horrid the situation is. Directed by the talented Steven Spielberg who did a marvelous job with E.T., Saving Private Ryan, and lots more, he recreated the story with the help of Albert, a young lad, and Joey, his hardworking horse. 

Placed in the alluring town of Devon, the story begins when Albert, the son of a drunken farmer, sees the birth of Joey and is intrigued by the origin of life in front of him. As Ted Narracott— Albert's father —takes home the wrong breed of horse, his family experiences an economic collapse. A thoroughbred clearly wouldn't plough land, would it? How was he supposed to pay rent if he can't even use the land he's paying for? Nevertheless, Albert trains him and makes the impossible happen. When Captain Nicholls who was going to war, buys Joey from the Narracotts, the two were split apart leaving Albert devastated. 

Through endless struggles and amazing breakthroughs, the separation of the two has touched a million hearts all over the world. This film reveals the talented yet unpolished acting of a young Albert Narracott who was played by Jeremy Irvine, a Chopard Trophy winner, and has successfully reflected genuine emotions as if it is real. Not forgetting the fact that Joanna Johnston's costumes were precise and the shocking truth that it was all hand sewn down to the very last detail. All the hard work certainly paid off with the construction of an actual windmill and the naturalistic sets throughout the movie. The combination of these factors has definitely brought the movie to life! 

Follow Albert and Joey through an adventure beyond expectation and wonder. You'd want to see the moral values hidden behind every action of this movie, the small little snippets of happiness that was eventually taken by the war. This movie of faith, loyalty, courage and the never-ending friendship between two individuals who worked very hard to get to where they are. Fans of historical fiction will be thrilled by this extraordinary movie, don't miss it!

war horse

What good would a thoroughbred be to the Narracotts? A family of three who's been struggling for a peaceful living, paying for land that can't even be used. When Albert – the only son of the family – saw a foal's birth when he was a kid, a bond was formed between the two parties. Ted Narracottt bought it  at the auction and Albert raised him ever since, giving him the name Joey.

One day, the struggle to pay their rent was harder than ever before, counting the fact that their land needs to be ploughed in order for them to be able to plant crops. Albert though, the hard working lad he is, trained Joey. Taught him to be able to respond to calls and to be obedient. But when the day came for Ted to pay the rent and they had nothing, Ted was forced to auction Joey off to a wonderful man called Captain Nicholls.

While Joey was going to be rode on in the surprise attack the British had planned on the Germans, it was a shock to all of them when the British lost due to the machine guns the Germans had hidden near the borders of the forest.

Joey and Topthorn, a black horse that was in the war too, was taken and was cared for by many people. First they were taken by Michael and Gunther, the German brothers that defected the war, then Emilie and her grandfather who were French and lived in the midst of the war. The horses were taken again by  the German private Heiglemann and were told to drag heavy artillery for the war which caused the death of Topthorn.

Joey who was left alone, overcame his fear of leaping when the tank threatened to kill him. He ran to No Man's Land and miraculously survived with the help of Peter from Edinsburg and Colin from Britain. When Colin brought Joey back to the British Camp Base, he was almost killed. Luckily, Albert who was there realized it was Joey and he was tended to.

When the war ended at 11:00, because Joey wasn't a captain's horse, he had to be auctioned off. All of Albert's friends helped him gather the money even though he lost Joey to Emilie's grandfather who gave Joey back to Albert because he knew it was the right thing to do.

In the end, Albert came home from war safe and sound, getting Joey back in the process too.

who is responsible

On the 9^th of September 2013, a thirteen-year-old driver took the life of six people in a high-speed accident where he crashed into a road divider at the toll road hitting oncoming cars. Dhani, the father and the legal guardian of the underage child, should be held accountable for this devastating mishap.

It has been argued that Dul was responsible for he was the one driving the car, although his father should have been aware that his own son drives sometimes and that his personal driver was on holiday. He fully understood that Dul was a minor and was not emotionally stable yet (according to Standford studies) in which it was stated that “As people age, they’re more emotionally balanced and are better in the ability of solving highly emotional problems in limited time.” There is a reason why the legal driving age is in fact seventeen-years-old. The act of driving requires unbreakable concentration and fast reflexes, you should be aware of your own surroundings and at that moment, you’re responsible for the lives of people around you.

The opposing side has also dumped the blame on the toll driver because he/she was in charge of the gate that Dul went through and he/she didn’t do anything about it when it’s not actually his/her fault. Half the teenagers in Indonesia does look older than their actual age and it wasn’t his/her responsibility to look out for driving minors, he probably didn’t even know who Dul was! He was just doing his job. The father, however should have stopped Dul and his brothers because it was believed that Dul followed the example of his two brothers who were also underage and who the dad also bought cars they drove.

It was also a problem that Dhani was solely responsible in restricting his children and prevent bad influences from society, their way of life and that was all because his divorce with former wife did not end well. Apparently, his three children, Al, El, Dul, all had experiences with smoking and drugs and it was believed to be some sort of affected behavior from the divorce.

Dhani was wholly responsible for letting a minor drive a car that he purchased for his underage children. He should’ve been aware that his actions reflect to his sons behavior that was caused by the unmoral society he raised them 

the volupides mystery

To the chief of police,

When we arrived at the scene of crime at the private estate of the Volupides family located on the 4^th Avenue at 02:00 on the 24^th of August 1970, we were greeted by a body that was later identified as Arthur Volupides lying on his back, face up on the foot of the stairs with legs hanging on the third stair and Queenie, his wife, beside the body. A glass was still gripped in his hand and the stove was on. Arthur was dressed in formal and was wearing a robe on top.

Queenie said that, “Something terrible happened. Arthur slipped and fell on the stairs. He was coming down for another drink–he still had the glass in his hand–and I think he’s dead. Oh, my God–what shall I do? ”

The autopsy result of Arthur Volupides confirmed that Arthur had died from a wound and stated that he had been drunk.

We have concluded that Queenie’s story does not match the evidence that we have found.

First of all, the glass in his possession was not broken. When a person falls down, the object they’re holding usually breaks or the other possible outcome is that you usually let go of that object as a protective reflex. The second evidence we got was that the object on the wall was not misplaced. The rule is that when someone falls down they would usually try to grab hold of something nearby to prevent theirselves from falling. The staircase carpet was not messed up which was illogical because when someone falls down carpet covered stairs; the carpet usually would be rumpled because of the friction. The biggest lead we’ve got is that victim was found lying on the floor, face up, while usually when someone falls downstairs, they would fall face first and the paramedics that would usually be called when someone experiences an accident, were not present.

After seeing all of the evidence, we can say that Queenie’s was lying and she will need to be interrogated for further investigation. If she’s proved to be guilty we will continue investigating and bring it to court.

uniforms?

Have you ever wondered how it feels not to wear a school uniform to school? I know some are lucky not to use them, that’s for sure. But as an Indonesian, it's a very complex topic that's easily debatable.

I for one am against the use of uniform in schools. Why, you ask? Well, for one, you can express your identity when you use your own clothing. You’d certainly be more comfortable and people can really see who you really are. Sure, appearances don’t matter much but everyone has their own styles that would be reflected when they can use whatever they want. Appropriate, of course.

Not many would disagree on the statement that schools can easily increase the uniform prices and we wouldn’t know why. Wearing your own wardrobe would certainly result in less cost and people who can’t afford to go to school can look at school kids not wearing uniform and feel equality. Because in some cases, these kids that can’t go to school sees us in uniforms and may feel really depressed because they don’t have enough to be able to go to school, let alone buy a uniform.

We’d increase the school’s artistic side by indulging in our creativity and being colorful in what we wear. Clothes can reflect your feelings, like when you’re feeling down, most would wear black. When you’re feeling happy most would wear energetic, bright colors like pink or yellow, etc. This is not constant though, some people are happier with comfortable clothes like baggy pants and sweatshirts for no psychological reason and who are we to judge, right?

Parents would be concerned with the level of appropriateness of the child’s clothing as they are entitled to but if we wanted not to wear a uniform, we certainly would have created a policy segment that discusses the dress code rules on its own inside the student handbook everyone receives and should definitely follow.

“I want students to wear school uniforms because not wearing them results in no school identity!” Shouts one person.

Well I can’t really agree with you on that one, bud. Your uniform should not define you, you define your school uniform. Your behavior, your attitude, your respect. That defines your school. In addition to that, if you can conclude that no uniform means no school identity that means you’re insulting universities and colleges for no incoherent reason.

Look at them, for example. Even though they don't have uniforms, they’re united. And that's the whole point. Besides, if you’re worried that on trips you’d get separated with the group, a few schools has applied a wonderful strategy of making official school jackets, shirts, ribbons, bracelets, caps, it can be anything.

The wealthy and poor case that everyone takes intense notice of can also be avoided because most schools in Indonesia have economic standards that has to be fulfilled to be able to enroll to said school and that basically decreases the wealthy and poor range for we’re not that far of from each other. Almost equal.

The former statement can also explain the lack of jealousy that would occur in the certain school and the bullying levels would not be high, maybe not at all.

Based on the opinions and facts above, I don't see any problem with not using a uniform. I’d say that the advantages are worth more than the disadvantages that could easily be wriggled out of.

But everyone’s entitled to their own opinions. Tell me what you think!:)

social pressure

Sometimes life gets too overwhelming to endure. Sometimes it all feels pointless. Sometimes you just feel like crying and you end up drowning in your sorrows. Sometimes people make fun of you because of how you dress, how you look like, how you talk, maybe even physically. I know I'd be a hypocrite to say I've never done it before, but I've just realised how it would feel to be the significant other that's being insulted.

There's a saying, "Sticks and Stones may break my bones but Words will never hurt me." 

I disagree.

So you're saying you won't cry if someone calls you ugly? 

I certainly would. 

For some reason, people make jokes out of these things. How can you find any of this funny? Have you ever been on the other side of the equation? How do you think the other person would feel?

Maybe you'd say, "But they found it funny too!" Are you seriously going to say that? Never heard of faking a smile? 

Do you live under a rock? 

Smiles and laughters are easy to fake, you won't know which are real and which aren't. Sure, people forget about most things but they'll always remember the fact that they were made fun of something they didn't even voluntarily choose and the worst part? They'll end up hating themselves because. They end up believing that these things said about them are true.

Society seems to think that if you're not skinny, smart, striking, tall and talented, you're not worth anything.

What is with these point of views? 

If you're too skinny, you're anorexic. If you're too smart, you're a nerd. If you're too striking, you've probably had plastic surgery. If you're too tall, you're a freak. If you're too talented, you're a show off.

If you're fat, you eat too much. If you're stupid, you're a loser. If you're ugly, you're an eyesore. If you're short, you're a midget. If you're talentless, you're a waste of time.

It can never be pleased. 

The only question I'm going to put up there is this:

Did we choose to be like this?

No. We didn't. All the mockery and hate you've poured was for something I did not choose voluntarily. This is me. Take it or leave it, your choice.

Love yourself, forget about fitting in. I'd rather be alone and happy then surrounded by friends who isn't even genuine about it.

Song of the day:

Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself) – Ne-Yo 

what i have learnt

I know most people would think that blogging outcomes to nothing. That it provides nothing, means nothing. Well I for one would like to prove you wrong. Sometimes, all you need is just to let it all out. Let the feelings flow. Maybe it would be useful, maybe it would be a motivation, maybe it would be inspirational. Who knows?

I have encountered plenty of research based assignments and sometimes, blogs get all the credit. I'd explain by it's uses and applications in daily life such as it's practicality to provide information for people around us. e.g. Usually in our Humanities class, no official websites provide details or facts on the subject we need as it is all related to Indonesia and it's inside stories. Our main research sources were blogs that people create for their university subject or just for the fun of it that surprisingly provides us with detailed information regarding the topic.

Blogs provide us with information on personal stories about places, things, movies, everything really. These posts are filled with thoughts and opinions, individual feelings that is expressed to other people for all sorts of reason.

It's viewed as a virtual Journal that's visible to anyone around the globe which means safety precautions are required as well. Blogs are rendered interesting because of the –sometimes– unusual posts of people sharing their stories regarding their daily life e.g. I tripped on an old man today because he was crouching in the middle of the street.

They're usually interesting and eye-catching to get the attention of readers with fancy decors or themes and music players. The creativity on the blog itself often reflects the personality of the writer, the way they think, the way they feel, that's why just without posting anything blogs actually expresses who you are.

People also comment on posts to connect themselves to the story or matter at hand. Compliments are handed out, additional information are being informed to one another and on rare chances they make friends out of the ongoing conversations and friendly banter.

Blogs are useful for a lot of different reasons and your thoughts are considered to be information in a different perspective. Stop thinking that your feelings are useless and mind-blowingly stupid, it's not. They're useful. Every single bit of information regarding anything. Anything. Is useful. People have their own opinions, they're allowed to like or dislike whatever they want without being called out on. Blogs are a way to express those likes or dislikes in stories and experiences and sure, arguments will occur but new ideas will be poured out from it, you'd brainstorm for things as a comeback and that's why blogging is so special.

It teaches you to think by teaching you to express what you think to teach others.

anime festival asia

Yesterday, I went to AFA (Anime Festival Asia) in JCC, Senayan. It ranges from popular shows to not so known shows with two main options, exhibition and stage. I only ended up purchasing the exhibition ticket because for the most part, I went there to buy lots of cute handmade goods.

When I arrived in JCC, I couldn't find Dinda or Lia who I was supposed to be with at the festival. Naturally, I panicked and rather than waiting outside not knowing anyone, I went in. Alone. And it was very, very, crowded.

For approximately 2 hours I wandered off alone with no apparent aim while looking at merchandises and buying loads of them. I bought stickers to decorate my laptop, a bag for... Uh.... Just because it was cute and badges because why not, right? 

No-face from Spirited Away

After I successfully finished emptying out my wallet, I finally met them near the elevator and from then on we strolled around together. I took lots of pictures of the people doing cosplay (costume play), I met Darth Vader, characters from Spirited Away (a movie), Thor, Kagamine Rin and Kagamine Len (vocaloids), hoards of characters from Attack on Titan (an anime), and much more.

We ate shaved ice, takoyaki (Japanese octopus balls), dorayaki (Japanese snack), nitrogen ice-cream, and Dinda got Japanese hotdogs.

The handmade merchandises were very good and it was really cool to see how they were made. There was an amazing DJ that remixed and made medleys about a bunch of songs creating a surrounding mob. To put it simply, it was awesome. No regrets. 

sometimes words are enough

So I have this hobby of collecting words, its definition, its application. I don't exactly know why, but I find them interesting. That the smallest of things can be defined in a number of letters and sometimes, people don't notice them. We don't give them enough credit although they take part in explaining objects, describing situations/feelings, etc. 

I have been stuck on this one word for ages and for some reason I can't explain why. It just... Gets me. I understand more each time I read it. It symbolises. It gives meaning. That even the smallest of actions are that meaningful. The things we don't do on purpose, like making eye-contact with a stranger on the street. Who knows what that outcomes to? The gestures we do to understand another person's feelings, the things we think does not have meaning, who knows that there's a word, a feeling to explain it with?          

It just...... Blows your mind. Like, who would have thought? I certainly wouldn't if I didn't come across it. I love this word. It just explains all the unexplainable. In four letters. Imagine. In four letters. I mean, how are words even capable of this? That's what makes them special. Xeno. As simple as that, xeno. It's not even in the dictionary!

xeno-th.tumblr.com

cream and cheese

I have always wanted a dog. When I get one I'd probably call it cream. Or cheese. Or cream-cheese. I can't really decide. What I want is not a huge dog that chases you around every minute they see you, those scare me. But cute little puppies that practically does nothing but eat and poop – blegh – and sleep, of course. 

Yet the contradiction is that even though I like puppies for their cuteness – mostly – they still scare me when they get too hyper. 

The thing is, when I was about 6, my neighbour brought home this cute fluffy puppy that looked innocent. Very innocent. And did I mention cute? So that began my coos of adorableness from afar, just watching it jump around playing with my friend. 

One day, my friend caught me watching and invited me to come play with her and her puppy who apparently was called Bingo. It barked up and wagged it's tail and was giving me the puppy dog face evidently every puppy masters. I gave in and said yes, played roller skates with my neighbour while the puppy chased us around. 

The day got dark and eventually we returned home. I said goodbye and while I was doing so, Bingo jumped up and bit my bandana, yanking my hair along with it. I screamed like the little girl I was and cried.

Unti this day, even though I still desperately want one, I find it hard to cope with it's hyperactive personality because of that traumatic accident. Or is it just me? Meh.