Shafie Apdal, Zahida Rafik, Shuib Lazim – Karma?

Apparently, minister Shafie has been having an affair with the Anak Mami actress and he has been giving her pocket money amounting to something like 1.5 million units of the Malaysian currency.

It started with the actress accusing her driver of stealing 200k from her. The driver then lodged a police report to counter her allegations and the juicy stories started coming out.

Mak Datok! AC Mizal? Eizlan Yusof?

Holy Cow!

AC Mizal and Eizlan Yusof are now Dato's! And not surprisingly, like most entertainers, they got a Pahang Dato'ship. 

Don't call me sour grapes but I don't think they deserve the award. I've written about this before [here] and I'll say it again - please keep the royal award prestigious and to a certain extent, desirable.

My view on the higher royal award (Dato' and Dato' Seri/Paduka/Wira etc) is that they should only be given to those who has brought glory to the state or country. It should be a reward for success, loyalty, service, achievement. No doubt, both AC and Eizlan have achieved some sort of success, done some sort of service and have achieved a lot in their fields but is it enough to warrant a high royal award. Won't an AMP suffice? 

I have no problems with Ahmad Nawab, Jins Shamsuddin, P Ramlee, Sudirman, David Arumugam, Aziz Sattar, Rahim Razali and M Nasir getting royal awards. They have contributed much to the industry and more importantly they got their awards after showing their mettle over and over again. They did not get their reward halfway through their career, they got it as a recognition of their continuous success over many years. 

More Quotes

While I’m still in the movie quotes mood, here’s some more I found:

There's three ways to do things, the right way, the wrong way and the way that I do it.

Robert De Niro in Casino

Close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream. That's how I get by.

 Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: To World's End

Sometimes I wish that I had never met you, so I could go to sleep at night not knowing there was someone like you out there.

Good Will Hunting

"Some people can't believe in themselves until someone else believes in them first."

Good Will Hunting

"Don't forget. I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy...asking him to love her."

Julia Roberts in Notting Hill

You can't live your life for other people. You've got to do what's right for you, even if it hurts some people you love.

The Notebook

I'd rather fight with you than make love with anyone else

Dermot Mulroney in Wedding Date

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But, you can either run from it or, learn from it."

Rafiki, from The Lion King

You can't lose someone you never had

Kate Hudson in How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days

Dorothy:  I love him! I love him for the man he wants to be. And I love him for the man he almost is.

Jerry Maguire: I love you. You... you complete me. And I just...

Dorothy: Shut up, just shut up. You had me at "hello".

Jerry Maguire: Show me the money!

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends."

Dumbledore, Harry Potter

Do, or do not. There is no 'try'.

Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back

Sometimes it's easier to be mad at the people you trust because you know that they'll always love you no matter what you say.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

"And we are going to last, and you want to know how I know? Because I still wake up every morning and the first thing I want to do is see your face."

P.S. I Love You

I know I have a heart because I feel it breaking.

Wizard of Oz

You're a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.

Buzz Lightyear to Woody in Toy Story

Quoting The Godfather

The Godfather trilogy is officially my favourite movie of all time, with Pulp fiction a very close second (fourth?). I list below some of the memorable dialouges from all three Godfather movies. Dialouge from Pulp Fiction if reproduced might turn this blog into an X rated website, so I'll just list the few decent ones.  

The Godfather
"I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them, as you can see. They talk when they should be listening."

Don Corleone to Sollozzo referring to Sonny


"Some day, and that day may never come, I will call upon you to do a service for me. But uh, until that day, accept this justice as a gift on my daughter's wedding day."

Don Corleone to Bonasera


"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

Don Corleone to Johnny Fontane about Woltz


"Never tell anybody outside the family what you're thinking again."

Don Corleone to Sonny


"Fredo, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever."

Michael to Fredo




The Godfather: Part 2

Michael Corleone: There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.


Michael Corleone: I don't feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies.

 The Godfather: Part 3 
"Times change. These days, we learn from the philanthropists like the Rockefellers. First you rob everybody, then you give to the poor."

Michael to B.J. Harrison


"When they come, they'll come at what you love."

Michael to Vincent


"Don't overestimate the power of forgiveness."

Michael to the Archbishop


"Never hate your enemies -- it effects your judgement."

Michael to Vincent


"Politics and crime -- they're the same thing."

Michael to Tommasino


"The richest man is the one with the most powerful friends."

Altobello to Vincent


"Nephew, from this moment forward, call yourself Vincent Corleone."

Michael transferring his power to Vincent


Don Lucchesi: Finance is a gun. Politics is knowing when to pull the trigger.


Mary Corleone: I'll always love you.

Vincent Mancini-Corleone: Love somebody else.

Real power can't be given. It must be taken.

Pulp Fiction
Mia: That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.


Jules: If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.


Fabienne: Whose motorcycle is this?

Butch: It's a chopper, baby.

Fabienne: Whose chopper is this?

Butch: It's Zed's.

Fabienne: Who's Zed?

Butch: Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead

Dear Diary

No, I do not plan to turn this blog into a "tell everyone what I did today" page. I will however, just this once, write about my day.

11 December 2011 was a bad day. Sad day. Stressful even.

Hanging out with Kenneth, Lorna and Laila didn't help. Four people in a sombre mood is not good company.

It almost got worse.

The old boys had a friendly football game against the Cochrane old boys. The turnout was good, the spectators were in a carnival and picnic mood, sitting on mats on the running track next to the field, some enjoying chicken from Kentucky and the kids running around. Their daddies on the other hand, were pretending to run around ...

The game started well, yours truly starting up front. Yours truly however missed three sitters in the opening 5 minutes and the day and the game almost got worse. By the second third (we veterans played three thirds of 25 minutes each), we were two nil down. The 'fighting spirit' of the boys with the Bull on their crest managed to level the score at two all before the end of the second period. It was not long before the team with the Tiger on ther badge scored their third. The third third however was all Bulls (no shit!) and the game ended five to three in our favour. My day is not so bad anymore.

In fact it got better.

Before the game, I got an invite to go see a concert featuring Hattan and Man Kidal. Yes Man Kidal. I grew up listening to Search, Lethanded and Wings. I was a teenage 'mat rock'. I still am, not a teenager but a mat rock. X used to call me 'mat rock' and apparently that Wings' song "Sejati"  used to remind her of me. I still listen to Phantom of the Opera almost every week. Not that long running West End play but the classic Iron Maiden song.

Back to my concert. It was magnificent! Man Kidal's guitar work is unrivalled in Malaysia. Hattan presented a wonderful mix of rock, ethnic and jazz-blues. Yes jazz-blues. You have to listen to it to know. His rendition of 'Gerhana' is excellent, only M. Nasir can do better.

And it got even better.

11 December is Hattan's birthday. After the show, the crew had a little birthday celebration for the man and I was invited. Yes, I was invited to Hattan's little birthday get together. My previous claim to fame was saying hello to papa rock Ramli Sarip in Midvalley and he said hello back. Tonight I'm eating roti jala with Man Kidal and smoking a cigarette with Hattan. For a mat rock like me, this is as good as it gets.

My first concert was Search when I was 16. My next concert was Kenny G three years later followed by Shiela Majid and Zainal the following year. I went to a few small indie Jazz concerts during my time in the UK but nothing major, no Glastonbury for me. I saw M.Nasir in 95 and Alanis Morisstte in 96.

11 December 2010 is my first major concert since Ms Morissette fourteen years ago!

I'm not the type who indulges in URTV or Mangga. In fact, I ban those things from my house. I don't watch the full of nonsense show called Melodi. Generally, I'm not into celebrities. But today is different. Hattan and Man Kidal are not just any "I'm good looking so I want to be a singer" type. These guys have real talent. The lasted more than two decades, that says a lot about their ability. And they are good. I was impressed with what I saw and I don't mind seeing them again.

Treasure Hunt-2

I participated in my first treasure hunt under duress. It was a bank organised hunt and my head of department wanted to send two teams. That's eight people which amounts to one third of the head count in IBD. My immediate boss was a regular and avid hunter but unfortunately he had two reluctant hunters in his car. To be fair to myself, I did participate and contribute and had fun in the process.

My second hunt was nothing like the first. I was all excited and raring to go. Who wouldn't when you have two beautiful and intelligent ladies as hunt mates! I even woke up at 5am and was at the starting venue before Subuh! We did extremely well considering the other three didn't have any prior experience treasure hunting. In fact, we lost to the champions on countback.

My third hunt was as exciting as the second but faced with experienced hunters, we only managed to finish, I'm guessing somewhere in the middle, maybe 15-16th place. The two ladies from the first hunt was replaced by a solitary young lady ... which a certain Ms Shaliza attributes to our dismal performance. 

I'm now hunting for my next hunt.

Treasure hunting is not an easy sport. Not even with two beautiful, intelligent ladies in the car. Some hunts have three parts; the part where the hunter have to find the answers based on the clues given. The answers are mostly on the signboards, visible from the vehicle without having to get out from the car. For a 7-8 hour hunt, there's usually 30-35 of such items to find.

The second part is called the treasure where the hunters must perform or purchase or make something based on the clues given.  There are typically 3-5 treasures to find/make/buy and must be presented to the COC at the finish line. This is much tougher than the first especially if legwork and creativity is involved.

Some hunts do have them but most might not. It is called the picture hunt where hunters are given tiny portions of a large picture and they must find out what 'big' picture it is. This is basically bonus points for the really hopeless hunters, that's how easy it is.

Solving the clues requires some IQ, at least three digits. Maybe that explains why I did so badly ... It also requires a lot of general knowledge and an extensive vocab in at least two languages. The clues a fairly standard; 'inside' or 'middle' or 'within' means we have to find a word inside a word; 'at the back' means read backwards; XI means 11; C is 100; Monkey is Ape or Baboon or Kera; 'in front' means first letter and a popular clue is anagrams. There are more clues and most are not really straight forward. Like I said, it is a game for people with reasonable amounts of IQ and who knows more than 30 words. 

Apparently, the seasoned hunters hardly leave their cars during a hunt. The pro hunters also know what to look for, they are able to put the clues together before even getting to the stations and when they get there, all they have to do is look for the answers. Amateur hunters like me however, look at every single signboard and guess if it fits the answer.  

Treasure hunts starts before sunrise and winners are usually announced after dinner. It's a whole day affair, tiring and draining but after the hunt, you'll never look at a signboard the same way again ...

LFC The Movie?

Apparently Mike Myers and Samuel L Jackson are Liverpool FC fans and apparently they plan to make a movie about LFC. That is if you believe The Daily Mail. 

I did some googling and found some interesting LFC derived movie names. For the benefit of the less informed, I've included some background/explanation.

Dudek Where's My Car

Jerzy Dudek was the European Cup final hero in 2005 when Liverpool beat AC Milan on penalties.

Dude Where's My Car is a film starring Ashton Kucher and Jennifer Garner.

Anfield of Dreams

LFC's home stadium is Anfield Rd Stadium

Field of Dreams is a Kevin Costner film about dead baseball players.

The Kuyt Runner

Dirk Kuyt is the Liverpool striker from Holland

The Kite Runner is a movie about an Afghanistan boy, good movie.

Beverly Hills Kop

The Kop is name of the stands behind the goal at Anfield. it's named after 'Spion Kop', it's some Boer War thing where Liverpool born soldiers fought. Or something like that.

Eddy Murphy. No need to elaborate la kan? 

Rush Hour

Ian Rush is probably the greatest ever Liverpool striker. 

Rush Hour is a that cop movie starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.

Reina Man

Pepe Reina is the current Liverpool number 1 shot stopper. He wears number 25 though.

Rain Man is an 80s movie. Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman are the only two names I recognise from the film.

ShawShanks Redemption

Bill Shankly is LFC's legendary manager. His nickname is Shanks

Shawshank Redemption is a movie about prisoners and prison and how to dig a hole.  

Making Grown Men Cry

Real men cry. I cry. That means I'm a real man. Yeah right.

I will however admit that a few movies have made me cry. Not the sobbing uncontrollably cry but there were quite a number of movies that brought tears to my eyes. No, Titanic wasn't one of them. In fact, twelve and a half years after watching the movie, I still wonder why so many cried watching it.

The movies that made me tear doesn't seem to tally with the list one will find if one were to Google for movies that made men cry. Maybe I haven't watched enough movies or maybe I'm just plain weird. Most people who know me tend to agree with the latter assumption.

The first movie that made me tear was Terminator 2. Imagine trying to hold back the tears while watching the final scene where Arnie slowly disappeared into the molten lead acid (or whatever it is).

Another movie that made me cry is also best remembered for its catchy dialogues. "Show me the money" didn't make me cry but "you had me at hello" did. It made the whole room cry. That Liv Tyler - Bruce Willis - Ben Afflect scene in Armegeddon ... don't tell me you didn't cry because I sure did.

I recently watched 3 Idiots and teared. When it comes to making people cry, nobody does it better than Bollywood. Remember Kuch Kuch Hota Hai? 

The new Karate Kid is another movie that brought tears to my eyes. So did Transformers 2. And Toy Story 3. Jumanji had that tear effect on me too. Yes, JUMANJI! Told you I'm weird.

Call Me Encik

Imagine being at a cocktail party, filled with who's who, (who are mostly "who" TF is that guy?), and while talking cock tales with a corporate "bigwig" (because he's an assistant manager at the finance department who wears a hairpiece), the waiter, a young engineer from Bangladesh comes up to you and says "more prawn cocktail Dato?" You look at him with disdain, your face turning red with anger, clenching your fist you tell him, "Please call me Encik!"

Well, given the number of Datuks around, that scenario is quite likely. Everyone assumes everyone is one. Every Timbalan KSU or Deputy DG expects one, all SACs and Brigadears are one, DOs are Datuks, CEOs, regardless of the size of the company is almost certainly a Dato'. Professors are a new addition to the fraternity and now, celebrities and sportsmen. Dato' Siti, Dato' Kathy, Dato' David (Arumugam), Dato' Jalal, Datuk Yusof Haslam, Dato' CW Lee, Dato Misbun, Dato Nicol and even Dato' Shah Rukh! Sultan Kahlil of Melaka justified SRK's award, saying he promoted Melaka to the world through his movies. I pray we won't see a Dato' Awie, ever!

Back in the 1980s, our DPM and Finance Minister were mere Enciks, even the Education Minister back then was just a 'saudara' ...

What is a Dato'ship? My take on the title is that it should serve as a reward for an achievement. I have no problems with government servants or corporate bigwigs or singers or even politicians getting awarded but I feel it should be given to the most deserving, upon retirement, i.e. those who has served the country/state (as opposed to just about to serve, i.e. first term assemblymen or newly appointed KSU), or those who has served the royal family or those who have achieved something out of the ordinary.

Yes, Nicol David deserves the title but couldn't they wait at least until she retires? That Azhar guy who sailed around the world got a Datoship but those two (Malaysian of Indian descent) who reached the top of Everest didn't. Why the double standards? What about the guy who swam across the English Channel? He did it faster than the earlier guy but the earlier guy got a Dato'ship.

And by the way, I met Sean and Catherine the other night at a cocktail party, they are asking when is their Datoship coming? After all, they did promote Malaysia through their movie Entrapment.

Battle of the Bans

What’s with this country? First PAS Youth called for concerts to be banned then came Hassan Ali with his liquor sale ban, Zulkifli Nordin wants condom sales to be banned and now Puteri UMNO wants horror movies to be banned. It’s like they are engaged in some kind of “Battle of the Bans”.

We are living in a multiracial, multicultural, multi-religion country where everyone has different ideas on different things. Some enjoy watching horror movies, some belief that pre-marital sex is fine, some feel its okay to waste “duit rakyat”, some belief enjoying a bit of alcohol is harmless, heck some even feel it’s their right to get drunk every night. So everyone has to be tolerant to each others’ preference and respect each other choices.

Like I said in my previous posting, if we don’t agree with liquor sales, don’t patronise shops that sell alcoholic beverages. If we disagree with condom use, don’t stand in the way of others who want to use condoms. If we disagree with horror movies, don’t watch and if we don’t agree with concerts, don’t listen to music.

But we should not impose our dislikes on others.

Having said that, the Islamic religious authorities have the responsibility of ensuring Muslims stay on the right track. I have no qualms with that but I feel they should revise their modus operandi. Instead of raids why can’t they take the “educating” and public relations approach? Continuously educate and remind the Muslims of their responsibilities using kind, persuasive means. No threats. Increase religious classes at school, start educating them from a young age. Parents too must play their part and show a good example.

Moral policing doesn’t work, not even in a Fascist state.

She’s Not Coming

“The postponement is solely the decision of the Artiste and has nothing to do with other external reasons” according to the organisers.
Beyonce Knowles may not be coming to Malaysia, the second time (the first was in 2007) her concert is derailed due to pressure from Islamist groups (read - PAS Youth). Their main contention was her choice of attire, which apparently does not cover very much of her body.

View 1 – We do not need moral policing; it is her right to wear whatever she likes, wherever she wants. People are not going to go raping every girl they see just because they went to Beyonce’s concert. Some KL girls dress even more scantily in public places, so why pick on Beyonce? In any case, the public is already exposed to such culture via the television and the web so it’s not totally alien. Freedom of choice, it’s a basic human right.

View 2 – Her dressing is indecent. It is a bad example for the young women. Would we allow our wives, sisters or daughters (or mothers, aunties, grandmothers) to dress like that? So, why do we condone her dressing? Is it because as long as she’s not our wives, sisters or daughters (or mothers, aunties, grandmothers), she can dress however she wants, even if it’s indecent? So, it’s okay for men to ogle at Beyonce’s curves but not okay for the same men to ogle at a sexy pretty young lass sitting across the room, especially if that sexy pretty young lass is our wives, sisters or daughters? Why the double standards?

My view – Just let the concert go on; if you disagree, don’t go, don’t allow your family to go. Don’t look at the posters or advertisements. If you’re a Muslim, ask yourself if you’re fine with dancing around while your eyes are transfixed on Beyonce’s curvy lines. If the thought does not affect your conscience, by all means go and have a blast.

It’s the same with the beer issue in Selangor, Hassan Ali (and Zulkifli Nordin) should not call for a ban in their sales. Just remind the Muslims – thou shall not consume alcohol, in any quantity, if you do, thou shall face the wrath of Allah. If they still want to be a beer consumer, that’s their problem, you have done your job of educating them. All is left for you to do is pray that God will lead us on the right path.

Asterix is 50!

The cunning Asterix and his jovial friend Obelix was introduced to the world by Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo on Oct 29, 1959 in the French comic strip magazine Pilote.

Two years later, the first hardback volume of their adventures was published, with an initial print run of 6,000 copies and since then, a total of 325 million copies of 33 Asterix books in 107 languages, have been sold around the world, making the co-creators France’s bestselling authors abroad.

Goscinny, who wrote the texts, died suddenly in 1977 and Uderzo, who did the drawings, continued the series alone.

I’m a big fan of Asterix. I have a collection of their comics and I’ve read some of their stories many times, laughing every time. I particulary like how the characters are named, like Unhygenix the fishmonger, Getafix (get-a-fix, geddit?) the druid and some of the Roman names are hilarious. Sadly, it’s quite difficult to find the comics in KL bookstores nowadays, (maybe Kinokuniya has them) and the price is quite prohibitive.

http://www.asterix.com

So, A Muslim is Not Allowed to Have Fun?

Contrary to popular belief, Islam is a religion of moderation.

"Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold a just balance between those extremes….." (Al-Furqan 25: 67)

"O you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things which Allah has made lawful for you, but Commit no excess: for Allah loves not those given to excess." (Al-Maidah 5: 87)

Also, contrary to popular belief, Islam does allow entertainment. Entertainment means relaxing, having fun, having a good time but has to be done in moderation.

Entertainment is not about jumping around and wasting yourself with alcohol and drugs. Entertainment is not about partying from dusk till dawn. Having fun doesn’t mean you have to get up the next afternoon with a bad hangover or worse waking up naked next to a stranger or even worse waking up naked next to a stranger of the same gender (who is also naked). Having fun should not lead alcohol influenced bar brawls or drunk driving. Puking by the roadside is not fun.

What does Islam mean by moderation in entertainment? It means have fun but don’t go overboard, don’t forget your prayers, don’t forget your responsibilities as a person. Have fun but at the same time have respect for others, respect others by not endangering them with your DUI and drunken behaviour. Respect yourself by not abusing your liver, lungs and heart.

Concerts are okay but getting drunk at concerts and making a nuisance of yourself is not okay.

Concerts are okay but a screaming Will.I.Am or Jascha Richter within earshot of a muezzin performing the azan is not respectful is it?

Let’s have concerts but let’s keep it moderate.

Poems on the Underground

Two poems from the collection titled Poems on the Underground* caught my attention. Being of relatively unsound mind and body, my choices may be questionable but these two really struck me as being reflective of my current state of being; or maybe they are the only two poems that made any sense to me ...

After the Lunch by Wendy Cope

On Waterloo Bridge, where we said our goodbyes,

The weather conditions brings tears to my eyes.

I wipe them away with a black woolly glove

And try not to notice I've fallen in love.


On Waterloo Bridge I am trying to think:

This is nothing. You're high on the charm and the drink.

But the juke-box inside me is playing a song

That says something different. And when was it wrong?


On Waterloo Bridge with the wind in my hair

I am tempted to skip. You're a fool. I don't care.

The head does its best but the heart is the boss -

I admit it before I am halfway across

Celia Celia by Adrian Mitchell

When I am sad and weary

When I think all hope is gone

When I walk along High Holborn

I think of you with nothing on

*Edited by Gerard Benson, Judith Chernaik, Cicely Herbert (2009)

Published by Poems on the Underground

Some of the Must Watch Movies from 2008

According to James Christopher, Kevin Maher, Cosmo Landesman et al from The Times (UK)


Gomorrah
"Matteo Garrone’s startling film about the criminal underworld in Naples is one of these rare movies that can alter our perception of life. It's brave to the point of foolhardy"


Man on Wire
"The American director James Marsh has created one of the greatest heist films of all times. Two things make his gripping docudrama so different: it’s all true, and the only thing stolen is air. It isn’t about art, it’s about us"


There Will Be Blood
"Paul Thomas Anderson's movie about the scramble for oil is a masterclass in how the West was truly sold. It's a marvellously entertaining soap: a sort of Dickens does Dallas, without the sex or swimming pools"

Bigga than Ben
"Two Russian immigrants come to London hoping to make an easy fortune, but turn to a life of crime: dark, funny, charming, fast, immoral, decadent and delightful"

The Changeling "This mature and thoughtful film is a many-layered triumph for Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie"

Donkey Punch
"This neat British horror-thriller stood head and shoulders above almost all of the fare on offer in Sundance this year"

The Edge of Heaven
"Isn't homage to anything other than the unassuming genius of its German-born Turkish writer-director Fatih Akin"

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
"This hilarious account of the fall and rise of an English hack in New York is about what happens when you lose your principles and become alienated from your better self"

Kenny "This low-budget Australian mockumentary is one of the funniest, warmest films of the year, and Jacobson’s performance is so real that at times it feels unscripted"

Mad Detective
"This brilliant, funny Hong Kong thriller puts Hollywood to shame. A rookie cop enlists the aid of the former homicide detective to solve a murder case involving a missing policeman and his stolen gun"

RocknRolla
"You can sneer at Guy Ritchie's mockney heritage. But you cannot deny that as a full-throttle film-maker he is hard to beat for sheer energy"

The Strangers
"Supposedly based on a true story, this is the terrifying tale of what happened one night in 2005, when a couple was paid a visit by strangers at four in the morning"

Under the Bombs
"Not the usual look at the Middle East: a love story, a road movie and an important piece of reportage that is angry, funny and deeply moving"

Vicky Cristina Barcelona "Woody Allen’s latest comedy is a subtle spoof on the Don Juan myth and the funniest of the four films that he has assembled in Europe"

You, the Living
"The slapstick sequences are every bit as hilarious as the best of Tati, Keaton or Chaplin, and you end up willing the rest of the movie to sustain that level of euphoria"