Dinner with Wife – $18.50

Caramel Popcorn – $5.00

Movie tickets for two – $12.00

Holding a handkerchief to your face for the entire movie because of bad breath from the guy next to you – Priceless

A movie about a girl and her dog.  Well, not really, the story was much more deeper than that.  If you have thought that this movie is about a girl and her dog, then you will have to watch it.  This story is about commitment, and what matters to us most.  There were a few key take away from the story for me.  The first was the father.  Realizing that he is single parenting because the wife died, the makes the well being of the daughter his priority.  He immediately quits his job when he has to disappoint his daughter because of his overzealous boss requested him back to perform a surgery that any of the other doctors could do.  He was requested just because he was the best.  Now, giving up a high level position doing what he loves most is an ultimate sacrifice.  Maybe sacrifice was not the right word.  Giving up fits better.  Giving up his dream job so that he could give his best attention to his daughter who is growing up without a mother.  Selflessness, and another perspective could be unconditional love.  On the same theme, pets often gives us the same unconditional love, but it is us human beings who just can’t shake away from placing conditions into everything, even love. 

The dog never failed to pull the family together, nor stop helping the family and friends out.  But Akari, the lead character who have had the dog for so many years, that she started to feel the burden of her commitment as she outgrew her teenage years going into adulthood.  Even then, the dog never fusses her and keep being her friend until the day the dog died, just in time for Akari to realize her 10 promises to the dog and what’s really important in life. 

In one of her promise to the dog, is to cherish the time they spent together as the dog’s life is shorter than the human life.  Not just the dog’s life, we humans always forget that our life has an expiry date in it, and sometimes this expiration date comes much earlier.  If we don’t cherish our times together now, it might be too late when we finally realize it. 

The movie was slow in pace to begin, but once the story picks up, I find myself glued to the screen.  The climax comes towards the end, where everything plays out, and we realize the essence of the move.  5 star rating from me and I recommend to watch even if it bores you in the beginning. 

I for one love musicals, and when Mamma Mia comes to the silver screen, I had to see it.  It was just formidable.  Me and my wife had so much fun that we could not stop talking about it on the way home.  The movie had ended, but the characters and songs were still playing in our mind.  It was a Fun and feel good movie, and with Abba timeless songs, it was just amazing.  The guy 3 rows to my right, sang almost to every song, I know he had a great time.  Me on the other hand was moving and swaying and I pity the girl on my right.  On her left, she has a guy that sings during the movie, and on her left (mua), she has a guy that dance, it must have been dreadful for her.. but I see she still enjoys the movie.  

During the movie, there were moments that I felt free, to let go all the woes and rekindle me with my younger days of less worries and carefree.  This is what a great movie does, stirring up emotions unexpectedly and shows you how life can be different by just change your mind or the way you think.  This was a fun movie, the actors were visibly seen having a ball of their time.  The location were also lovely, especially towards the end, where the wedding were about to take place, a little chapel up on the hill, with lanterns grazing the entire pathway, it just bring awe to the entire audience.  Luckily I am already married, so my wife just say “when you want to bring me to a Greek Island” rather than, “I want a wedding like this”.  Oh, maybe the latter was cheaper.. haha, Reality of marriages where the guys wants a cheaper wedding so that the money can be spent on the honeymoon, the girl on the other hand, wants it to be a day of remembrance for the rest of her life, ie. grandeur. 

I saw 5xMom Lilian there, and I dont recognize any of the other Penang Bloggers.  The girl behind me brought her teacher (I suspected), and the guys was hilarious.  He smuggle food into the cinema, and keep saying that this was smuggled food, also he was saying that this was a ploy by the government to capture all bloggers into ISA.  I thought he was a funny chap. 

Its a must watch movie, something light, fun, and feel good to take you away from the current political and economical issues.  It will make you dance, sing, and talk about funny scenes after the movie.  If it does not do all that for you, then there is always Eagle Eye, which is coming soon.  Thanks to Nuffnang for the tickets.  Now, where is my old Abba CD?