Fun Time at the Easter Parade

In DVD

Let us walk back to 1948 to watch the production of Easter Parade.

Original Poster

This movie that fielded Fred Astaire and Judy Garland featured the songs of Irving Berlin and provides us a flash-back of what a super tap dancer Fred Astaire was.

At The Easter Parade Walk

The plot line has Don(Astaire) and Nadine (Ann Miller) a song and dance pair breaking up and Don got a new girl, Hannah Brown played by Judy Garland to be Nadine's replacement.

Ragtime  Violin 

While the story is highly predictable and with an innocent looking Judy pouting in many scenes, this movie has its appeal through the likes of Judy, Astaire and Peter Lawford

The Garland Mystique

The memorable songs from this movie are "It Only Happens when I Dance with You, Stepping out with My Baby, The Ragtime Violin and When the Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves for Alabam"

Judy's Cherubic Appeal

Great trip down memory lane with the soulful Judy Garland.

Martin Luther King's Brave New Words

I think there are many that seeks evil by being purposefully ignorant!

A Zen for Truth

Believably true!

What an Identity Yarn!

Thief of Time!

This B Grader called Identity Thief  is only suitable for those who adore silliness and have the staying power to tolerate this yarn. If you are out to see value here, forget it.

Exotic Amanda 

The actors are in here just for the fun too!

Melissa and  Bath Champagne

Jason Bateman who goes by a unisex name called Sandy Patterson was made of victim of a credit card forger by a lady called Diana who took on his identity and his bank account running atrocious bills that he had no choice but to accost her and take her back to Denver to prove his innocence.

Genesis Magic

The amorous Genesis Rodrigues, petite Amanda Peet, an overweight Melissa McCarthy and John Cho co-starred.

Hired gun?

Most apt description for this tale is tomfoolery!

All foolishness!

Eye Candy

All silliness!

Beginners, Aren't We All?

All Beginning....Anew

Watching the movie, Beginners, can sometimes make you ask that dreadful question, "What is there to life really?"

And so we have the plot-line of this melodramatic movie.

A Sight to Behold!

The protagonist is a designer for cards which can best be reflective of what life can mean to the people in various circumstances. His name is Olivier. He keeps to himself and have occasional relationships. His doting mother has died and his father played by Christopher Plummer, about to die from cancer, has come out from the closet to declare he is gay and dating a younger man.

All for Arthur

Olivier's man preoccupation away from the drawing studio is taking care of his father's Jack Terrier, Arthur. This has become his pre-occupation and has stifled his movements somewhat and reduce his socialization. In comes Anna, a free spirit in the form of a French film actress, in between films, and staying in hotels.

A New Beginning?

Expect them to meet,fell in love and explore new beginnings just like Olivier's father who then dies.

Charmer!

Slow moving and if you like clever dialogue, there isn't too much of it here.

A Gay Beginning too

The only thing worth looking at is Melanie Laurent and her changing moods.

The Failing Malaysian IPO Scene in 2012-2013

Hardly Making IT

These last two years has not been kind to IPO subscribers.

Made It

Gone are the days when hitting an IPO share issue is likened to a little lottery win.

Non-Starter

I have gone through some unfortunate issues and so did many.

Nose Above Water

Let us reflect with the background of the sudden deferment of the listing of Ranhill Energy and Resources Berhad (Ranhill) on 29 July 2013.

Sad Development-Aborted Listing

For me, I had the misfortune of getting some IPO shares.

Bonanza for Subscribers

I recalled how excited I was when I got Eversendai, Eita Resorucrces, Astro Malaysia Holdings and UOA Development Berhad UOA). Sadly they all faltered and most were not in the money, so to say. I lost badly in some, particularly when UOA free-fell to about RM 1.20 and below! Imagine the IPO price of RM 2.52! Ananda Krishnan's Astro suckered many, felling as long as RM 2.70 when the IPO price was RM 3.00. Today it has recovered to RM 3.00; but you would still take a loss at this price after paying overhead trading charges.

From Hand to Mouth

Eversendai has never recovered from its IPO price losses. Even today, you still lose 7 sen at RM 1.63.  Recently listed Leon Fatt, a steel product trader listed at RM 0.60 sen but today, at 63 sen, you are down by 7 sen. The last to be listed were AAX and ABM Fujiya (Fujiya)-a battery manufacturer from Sarawak. AAX is still supported by a stabilizing mechanism  at its offer price of RM 1.25. Fujiya is  trading at the 59-60 sen level;shy of its IPO price by about 1 sen.

Going Nowhere

Eita Resources at an IPO price of 76 sen  is still at its IPO level today. What a let-down for an elevator manufacturing company that cannot ascend!

Shareholders Can't Fly Yet

The biggest debacle might just be Ranhill which had to defer its allotment and listing because of  a revocation by Petronas of the licence of its subsidiary because of non-disclosure of critical information.

Lethargy

The only bright sparks of the lot are MPHB Capital which has gone up by 53% of its IPO price to shareholders. It is currently trading at RM 1.53 sen; giving a bonanza to the MPHB shareholders who bought into the subscription exercise. FGV which listed at an IPO price of RM 4.45 had breached the RM 5 level but today its sulking at a dim price of RM 4.49 level, with a big fat zero gain after deducting for trading overheads. Tune Insurance with an IPO price of RM 1.35, however, is doing pretty well just above RM 2.00 level. Will it gain traction and move forward?

So, what do you now think of Sona Petroleum ? Will this SPV get premium prices from a dull Bursa with massive selling of bluechips by foreign funds except for government held securities such as Maybank, Sime Darby and Tenaga?

Winner or Loser?

Would be interesting to see what Sona will fetch on July 30th.

Sonia opened with a 20 sen gain on its warrants and mother share.

As for Ranhill, it has aborted its listing.

The Jazz Singer

Tradition and the Jazz Singer

This 1927 production is that so-called transitional silent movie that transcends the silent movie era into talkies.

Here, for the first time Al Johnson sang 6 songs in a "silent" movie.

Today, The Jazz Singer is considered one of the best movies to have come out from the American film studios.

Roughly based on a fictional story of a Jewish family called Rabbanowich who upholds tenaciously the songs of the Sabbath Jack, played by Al Jolson,was caught in two difficult places-to pursue his dream to be a famous Broadway jazz singer or to stick to the tradition of the Jews to sing only in the synagogues.

Good editing for a movie from yesteryear!