Infamous

Harper Lee and Truman Capote

Coming up with many movies on the flavour of the day is nothing new. Robin Hood had one by Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurman going head to head with Kevin Costner's, we have the clash of the space asteroids with Deep Impact and Armageddon, and volcanic eruptions with Volcano and Dante's Peak. One inevitably is more memorable than the other, partly because of the timing of the release, as well as the stars attached to the project. The biopics of Truman Capote had seen Capote make its way here in 2006, while Infamous was being held back in its local release, until now.

It's inevitable to compare the two movies. Just to get it out of the way, Capote has a better Truman Capote performance in Philip Seymour Hoffman, but in my opinion Infamous triumphs over everything else because it kept itself tight. While essentially the same story, with regards to Capote's intricate research into a Kansas family killing for his book In Cold Blood, and befriending the murderers inside the prison cell, there are many moments in Infamous where you do think that you're revisiting key scenes again, and suspect that such scenes probably stem from translating from the same script.

But Infamous had crafted a more intimate look into Capote's life during this time, as well as examine his interactions with the people around him, in particular, that with Harper Lee (Sandra Bullock). The wining, dining, mingling with the who's who of society and the stars of yesteryear are featured here as well, as is a Truman Capote who is more shrewd, calculative and at times manipulative, subconsciously or otherwise, talking behind other's backs, and using them as tests subjects on the sly. What I also liked was that it devoted some time to the friendship between Capote and Harper Lee, which was glossed over in the other film (here it was alleged that Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird's Dill character, was based on Capote. Hmm).

Infamous has more star power, even though the stars appear in short scenes throughout. There's Gwyneth Paltrow showcasing her vocals and performing a song (which interpret it anyhow you want, I thought she could have been singing about her love loss with Brad Pitt), Sigourney Weaver, Isabella Rosellini, Daniel Craig as one of the murderers Perry Smith, and director Peter Bogdanovich who did Saint Jack. Perhaps what I thought was against the grain in terms of presentation, was the characters sans Capote, who were speaking to the camera at times in mock interviews, as they share their deepest thoughts on the enigmatic man.

Toby Jones put up a commendable performance as the effeminate man (the entire gay-feminine demeanour amplified in Infamous), but should you compare his Capote with Philip Seymour Hoffman's, then it'll just fall slightly short of the benchmark. And I was surprised that Toby Jones' filmography included Dobby the House Elf in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

If you've watched Capote, then you might consider giving Infamous one a skip because of the premise and storyline covered. However, if you felt that Hoffman's performance was the only saving grace in Capote, then you might want to watch this to see how much better that could have been, should this story based on the George Plimpton book be used instead.

Bridge to Terabithia

Last One to Terabithia's a Rotten Egg!

Based on a children's fantasy story written by Katherine Paterson, and produced by the same company that did the latest Chronicles of Narnia, I thought that the movie would probably be mediocre given my lukewarm response to films of similar genre like Pan's Labyrinth and The Last Mimzy. And how wrong was I. Bridge of Terabithia trumps over all the movies mentioned, basically because it had a good story to tell, and stuck to telling that story instead of being distracted by the bells and whistles of special effects.

It tells the story of a budding friendship struck between two kids, both lonely souls who found each other by virtue of being in the same class, and neighbours. Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson, last seen in RV) is the lone boy in a family of girls, and finds that his simply living in a world of his own, getting no attention from his parents or siblings. He finds solace in his drawings, while being target practice for the bullies in school. Newcomer to the neighbourhood Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb, last seen in The Reaping) shares the same loneliness, being new to town, and neglected by her parents when they go into their creative writing zone.

Tarabithia becomes the fantasy world the friends find themselves in, a forested area off their residence. There, they become who they want to be, and through their imaginative world, become fast playmates, and firm friends. And with new found confidence and strength, they become more nimble in navigating through the school's playground politics. Needless to say, despite their age, you'll be wondering if like Mukhsin, the friendship between the two will develop into something deeper, with all the feel good moments around.

What I liked about it is its positivity in the themes explored, despite a dark moment. It's about hope, love, the power of imagination when you open your mind and make believe. It has adult themes, and somewhat gives a feel like Pan's Labyrinth, minus the dark moody overtones. I can't help but guffaw at the discussion of religion too. For the most parts it has a breezy pace, until it sledgehammers certain emotions that will definitely bring on a tear or two from those who are soft hearted.

The leads too do a commendable job, and their chemistry just perfect. They fed off each other's enthusiasm well, and made Terabithia believable. The special effects didn't go over the top, or turned on unnecessarily, as they are quite small scale compared to the arsenal employed for other fantasy movies, therefore not stealing the thunder, or distract the audience from the story. Reigned in properly, the effects are just effects, and not the main deal.

The last act indeed takes the cake, and you'll more often than not feel for the characters, and wonder about selfishness. Unless you don't have a heart, you'll definitely feel sorry, and understand the blame inflicted. With supporting casts like Robert Patrick and Zooey Deschanel (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) who also lent her voice as the singing schoolteacher, don't miss Bridge to Terabithia! Oh, and bring a date along too!

Udon

Yummy!

Don't watch Udon on an empty stomach, or you'll be tempted to gorge on those Japanese noodles right after the screening. Despite its simple presentation, watching bowls after bowls of noodles in your face, and the characters slurping them down with gusto, somehow leaves you with an imagined flavour in your mouth as they smack their lips, while you smack at nothing.

The film is as simple as a bowl of udon noodles, with prime ingredients being the fat noodles, the broth, a sprinkle of spring onions, and an egg. Of course there are the fancy combinations of added condiments and ingredients to spice things up, but unfortunately for the film, it became a story of two distinct halves, with little character development between each half, and contained a little too many subplots that were necessary, bringing the runtime to a whopping 2 hours 15 minutes.

I thought the more interesting of the lot was in the first half, where the movie takes a look on fads. Similarly to Bubble Tea or the Luohan Fish fads, what turned out to be essentially fairly good products, boomed in popularity because it managed to latch on the novelty factor, and yet suffered when its 15 minutes of fame was up. Scores of bubble tea stores collapse from the oversupply and people generally being sick of the drink, and the Luohan fish went back to the longkangs. Good intentions sometimes bring about uncontrollable negative costs.

But Udon as "soul food", and the highlight of a magazine column, sparked off the rage of the noodle in all of Japan, as everyone descends to the small town of Sanuki where there are plenty of Udon eateries around tucked in obscure corners. The movie follows two protagonists - Kosuke Matsui (Yusuke Santamaria), a failed comedian who tried his luck at New York stand up comedy clubs, and returns to his hometown where his father runs a mean udon shop, and Kyoko Miyagawa (Manami Konishi), a blur like sotong girl who has zero sense of direction. Kosuke, in wanting to clear his debts, and not in good terms with Dad, turns out to work as a salesman of a local magazine, and becomes colleagues with Kyoko, before the entire editorial crew jumped upon the opportunity of scouting and reviewing various Udon shops, positioning themselves in time for the craze.

My eyes were on the bowls of noodle, as well as the cute looking Manami Konishi, who had a bit part in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Retribution, where she had pretty little to do. As the heroine in Udon, don't expect much too, but at least she plays the supportive friend, while being comic fodder in the first half. For those who prefer drama, the second half of Udon will be your cup of tea, as the movie shifts into lower gear to examine the love-hate ties between Kosuke and his dad, and would be chefs out there would want to pay attention here to pick up some secrets into preparing that perfect bowl of udon.

Coupled with a bit of comedy and a snazzy CGI-ed sequence played totally for its cheese, director Katsuyuki Motohiro and writer Masashi Todayama seemed to have piled on too much for Udon, unlike their earlier work on the Bayside Shakedown movies, which had a lot going, but managed to pull it off because it still boiled down to cops solving crime, in a rather daily operational look at the police force from different perspectives of those on the beat, and those on the ivory tower.

But similar to being spoilt for choice with udon being served and prepared in either hot in cold, hot in hot or just cold, Udon the movie couldn't decide what it wants to be - pseudo-documentary, comedy, family drama, romance, that while each serves its purpose, these ingredients don't manage to gel together to become a formidable dish. Watchable, but nothing too memorable. Oh, and stay tuned until after the end credits.

[EU Film Fest] Hot Fuzz

Stop in the Name of the Fuzz!

I will say it out clear and upfront - I love this movie, and without a doubt, a definite contender for my movie of the year. By the filmmakers of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz has everything that makes great entertainment, laced with wry Brit wit, and while it contains plenty of references from their earlier movie, it never bores, and for cinephiles, you're in for one heck of a time identifying the countless of movie references within. If anything, I can't wait to get my hands on their earlier efforts in order not to shortchange myself in missing out on the gems by director Edgar Wright and collaborating writer Simon Pegg.

Hot Fuzz follows a typical buddy-cop genre, except that these two are so much more diverse from each other than the conventional cop movies of late milking the obvious race and cultural differences, beaten to death by the Lethal Weapon and Rush Hour films. Here we have the city versus country policeman officers buddying up, each with work ethics belonging to opposite ends. Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is your no-nonsense, straight laced, focused, top supercop who aces everything in his field of work, apprehending felons who fail to follow the law. And with being the top police officer on the beat, the powers that be deem him to be a threat (in making them look inept), and got him posted from Metropolitan London to the countryside of Sandford.

And Sandford is your typical small lazy town, where nothing much happens, and everyone knows everyone else. If a missing swan is a great deal, then you'll know there's pretty nothing much to sustain our supercop's interest, especially so when the station he's assigned to have officers which are extremely laid back, which makes him get off on the wrong footing with partner PC Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). Danny's the anti-thesis of Nicholas, and spends much of his days daydreaming what a top city cop would be like, and lives out his dreams through his collection of DVD movies like Bad Boys II and Point Break. But the idyllic life of the country gets interrupted with a series of murders (frequently brushed aside as accidents) just as our friends are about to get chummy, and here's where the fun kicks in at top gear.

There are so many things to like about the movie. The violence is one, though I'm unsure if the commercial release here will keep scenes unscathed by the editing scissors. Featuring some of the most gruesome ways to die, it's a blood splattering fest worthy of any serial killer movie. The movie too rewards the attentive viewer, because while the filmmakers load the movie with plenty of easter eggs, minute details, red herrings and the likes, everything will count for something as they come together on the way to the finale, so keep your eyes wide open and your ears peeled. The dialogue is full of wit, with loads of movie references, direct and indirect, and its run up to the end is one of the most adrenaline pumping in recent times, you can't help but to cheer as you lap up the high octane action. Action fans will not be disappointed.

Some may not like its editing style, which is quick, sudden, loud, and at times repititive, but that's just a minor blip. There are enough positives here to satisfy almost everyone, and one that will definitely bring on a smile by the time the end credits roll. A definite must watch! Don't miss this when it screens commercially!

Solos

Open Up

If anyone thinks Singapore is a straight-laced country with a budding film scene afraid to push the envelope, perhaps you might want to revisit that thought again.

About one year ago, I chatted with director Kan Lume around the time when his debut feature film The Art of Flirting was being screened at the 19th Singapore International Film Festival, and learnt of his subsequent plans for the celluloid. One's an action movie, and the other an independent film made with European festivals in mind, with the subject matter dealing with the exploration of human sexuality.

The movies of late coming out from our local directors have usually been either comedies or horror meant at capturing a chunk of box office receipts, with Royston Tan's 4:30 being the blip of hope that we too can make "artistic" movies that resonate with audiences. I saw a rough cut of Solos sometime in July last year, without proper sound, and no doubt in my mind that the movie will ruffle some feathers here. It wasn't done for the sake of shock value or upsetting the local censorship board, and while it wasn't banned, which Kan Lume feared it would, the local censors passed Solos with an R21 (no admittance to those aged below 21) rating and 3 cuts, meaning its planned world premiere at this year's 20th Singapore International Film Festival was to be withdrawn from the organizer's programme, given the festival doesn't screen movies which are cut.

Having watched the final, theatrical version of Solos, I thought it was a worthy addition to our small but growing number of movies. It was an achievement in itself in getting the film made, and having seen what in my opinion was an improvement over the rough cut - being quicker in establishing the characters and premise, and being paced much faster. Solos tells of a story of love between 3 characters, a boy, his mum, and his lover the man, (yup, you read that right) and the internal tussle of emotions that each feel in their lives as they try to reach out from their pain and confusion.

It's interesting to note that Kan Lume's movies to date have rarely been mainstream, which is set to diversify and add to our repertoire of films aside from comedies, or films about the mundaneness of local society. His features have both been based on short films done (The Art of Flirting based on his award winning short "I,Promise", and the precursor of sorts to Solos was a short called Untitled), and are totally different in genre and presentation. With The Art of Flirting, it's extremely dialogue driven, and a voyeuristic approach used to capture scenes up close. In Solos, Kan and co-director Loo Zihan employed the minimalist approach with the still camera technique so often used in the works of auteurs like Tsai Ming-liang, and totally devoid of dialogue, instead relying on the visuals to tell the story and move the narrative along. It's not an easy film to follow given that an audience will probably have to work at while viewing it, yet simple enough to avoid alienation.

Perhaps having it devoid of dialogue helped to convey the mood of the characters, where everyone's on almost non-speaking terms. It's an abstract tale of insecurity and despair, with a young boy unsure and struggling with his being in love with an older man, an older man afraid that his young love will leave him, and a mother frustrated with herself for her son being different from societal norms. With strained colors contrasted strongly with surrealistic, colorful scenes conveying innermost thoughts, I thought the one for the boy, played by co-director and writer Loo Zihan himself, was the best amongst the three. The mother's played by newcomer Goh Guat Kian, who had to go through most of her scenes in a bandaged eye-patch, hinting that she refuses to see and accept what is, while the Man is played by local veteran stage and TV actor Lim Yu-beng, in possibly his most daring role to date, a character like ice, fearful of a definite change in state while hoping for a thawing of relations.

And what of the scenes which were requested to be cut? Singapore has shown gay-themed movies in local theatres with the R21 rating, and usually it's the sexually explicit scenes that are snipped. Should Solos be eventually screened commercially here, no doubt such scenes in Solos will be shortened, or at worse, eliminated, which will probably and unfortunately diminish the anguished feelings of the characters involved.

There's certainly a ready niched market here, deny it all if anyone would like, and like the tagline reminds, "open up".

[Local Movies Radar] Interesting Months Ahead

A summary post about the movies that are awaiting release over the next few months in our sunny little island - Men in White, Jack Neo's Untitled Movie Production Blog, 881, Gone Shopping the Movie and Solos.

Two movie genres tend to have box office success in Singapore - comedy, and horror. As far as the recent resurgence of local movie making goes, we've already had the money spinners from comedic movies thanks to writer-director-actor Jack Neo (who last did Just Follow Law), and a box office smash with Kelvin Tong's horror movie, The Maid. Now, Tong has upped the ante by combining both genres, making a horror-comedy called Men In White. Todd had beaten me to it by putting up the teaser trailers and full trailer for this movie, but here's the official website. It's still under construction, but given its premiere in June, expect to see more from the site soon. If I would count my chickens before they hatch, I'd say this movie should do well at the local box office, given that it's already running its teaser trailers in the theatres (those reminders to switch off your mobile phones) to relatively positive feedback.

Speaking of Jack Neo, he's recently started a production blog of sorts for his next movie, currently untitled, about a loan shark wanting to turn over a new leaf. It will be filmed in Malaysia, and you can follow his filmmaking exploits here. Some posts are in Mandarin, and "Singapore English" (don't worry, it's still readable)!

Previously I had been involved in the interview of both Royston Tan and Kelvin Tong, and with Kelvin's new film coming up, Royston's not too far behind as well. With Kelvin's The Maid released over the Lunar Hungry Ghosts Festival, Royston's new movie 881 had recently wrapped, and it's also set, and expected to be released over the same period. It captures one of the cultural phenomenon of this part of the world come Hungry Ghosts Month, and that's the "Getai" (literally translated as "Song Stage"), performances to entertain audiences from both worlds (the other being from the nether realms of course). Compared to his 15 and 4:30, 881 (yet another numerically titled movie) breaks out of the melancholic mood, and into the colorful world of stage performances.

While the veterans have movies to showcase, the relative newcomers too have been keeping busy. Besides food, shopping is also our local obsession, and short filmmaker Wee Li Lin is making her debut feature film with Gone Shopping the Movie. Heading the cast list is one of the top local comperes/host Kym Ng, as well as Adrian Pang, current host of the local television franchise gameshow Deal or No Deal. Pang is no stranger to film, having starred in one of Singapore's early film efforts almost 10 years ago with Forever Fever (released in North America by Miramax Films, retitled That's The Way I Like It), and Jack Neo's I Do, I Do in 2005.

Last but not least, Kan Lume teams with co-director/writer Loo Zihan for Solos, a gay-themed movie which received an R21 rating with 3 cuts from the local censors in the recent 20th Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF). With SIFF's track record of not screening films that are cut, Solos was withdrawn from public screening during the festival, but was screened to the jury of the Silver Screen Awards. While awaiting word on its local release, the film will nonetheless be represented at this year's Cannes Film Market at the Singapore Film Office (Riveria F9), Esplanade Georges Pompidou. Those lucky few heading to Cannes (hey Todd!) could check the movie out.

Men in White Teaser One (YouTube)
Men in White Teaser Two (YouTube)
Men in White Full Trailer (YouTube)
Men in White Official Website

Jack Neo's Blog

881 Trailer (YouTube, with English subs)

Gone Shopping the Movie Teaser One (YouTube)
Gone Shopping the Movie Teaser Two (YouTube)
Gone Shopping the Movie Teaser Three (YouTube)
Gone Shopping the Movie Official Website

Solos Official Website (with Embedded Flash Trailer)


Cross posted at Twitch.

[DVD] Waterboys (2001)

The Perks

I had enjoyed Japanese writer-director Shinobu Yaguchi's Swing Girls back in 2004, in a story of how a group of schoolgirls mobilized to form a big band jazz group, trained and finally perform in competition. It had a simple story made great by the excellent cast in endearing characters, as well as awesome jazz music to go along. In my attempt to revisit some of his earlier works, it had led me back to the Waterboys.

Waterboys almost follows the same formula, where a group of misfits get together, and against all odds and everyone's pessimism, manage to pull through and put up one heck of a performance. Along the way, they encounter seemingly implausible obstacles which stand to derail their plans and hopes, and sometimes watching them come through in comedic ways just puts a smile on you. It's one of those feel good movies without any real villains to snarl at, just being there to cheer them on as they try to give one of the best performances of their mundane lives.

A youthful looking Satoshi Tsumabuki (starred in this year's Nada Sou Sou) plays Suzuki, the only member of his school's swim team, who gets more members than he bargained for when a beautiful teacher, Mrs Sakuma (Kaori Manabe) becomes the swim coach of the all-boys school. But after a comedy of errors, we're left with 5 nerdy boys who must rough it out to be synchronized swimmers instead, bringing guffaws from their schoolmates and folks in their neighbourhood.

Not wanting to give up, they enlist the reluctant help of a dolphin trainer (Naoto Takenaka, who was also in Swing Girls at Sea World, who trains them through unorthodox methods, which brings on the laughter and allows space for the boys to exude charm during their weird routines. It's basically an underdog's story and their struggles to fulfill a promise, whether or not they look stupid or effeminate while doing it. And thrown into the mix is a budding romance between Suzuki, and Shizuko Kiuchi (Aya Hirayama), a female karate exponent from a neighbouring all-girls school.

And when they finally get their act going, you'll be left wanting more. That's how a bubblegum movie should be, in order to cover its breezy, simple plot. Thoroughly entertaining, and suitable for all ages.

The Code 3 DVD from Alliance Entertainment (as with most locally pressed DVDs) comes without any special features. Visuals are letterboxed, and the quality of transfer is decent. The audio comes in Dolby Digital Stereo, and subtitles are available in English or Chinese. Scene selection is available in 8 chapters.

[DVD] Zameen (2003)

Band of Brothers

Zameen doesn't restraint itself in its exploration of transnational terrorism, and doesn't mince its words in the inclusion of Pakistan in state sponsored terrorism by radical army elements, in their support of the mujahedeens battling in Pakistan Owned Kashmir. Being a fictional piece of work, the movie works on two fronts, that by the army in its fight to capture a wanted terrorist Baba Zaheer (Mukesh Tiwari), and on the home front, where 4 operatives enter India to do their dastardly deed.

Ajay Devgan stars as Colonel Ranvir Singh Ranawat, a soldier of vast experience in counter-terrorism operations, and his latest capture is of Baba of the Al Tahir terrorist group. The movie begins with a ra-ra patriotic song, before launching into full scale war. But the plot thickens when Baba's men plot to rescue Baba, and in the process bring disgrace to India. Not if supercop ACP Jai (Abhishek Bachchan) can help it, in his no-nonsense style of high octane action. Adding to the mix is Bipasha Basu's Nandini, wife of Jai, serving as an air stewardess, and as the complimentary love token who provides the cause for some songs, you'll more or less figure out what the terrorist plot will involve.

The action might look a little cartoony and staged, but it still brings about some element of fun for action fans. Having the two male leads from different uniformed groups also serve to highlight the difference in tactics employed, and eyebrows will surely be raised if you're an advocate of human rights. Torturing during interrogation is nothing new, and to see the way they do it, you'll be pretty surprised, though my personal opinion is that sometimes these tactics would have to work - no point fighting with one hand tied behind your back, and these guys are hiding behind civilians and going after innocent soft targets anyway.

And besides pointing fingers at Pakistan on state sponsored terrorism, the movie also points its fingers and pokes fun at the inept Indian politicians who have a total lack of integrity, and are the worst kind of humans around - selfish, full of hot airs and empty promises, and dumb. Also, it points out on the terrorists' hijacking of religion to further their cause in the name of "jihad", and such scenes are usually dramatic for effect, and at times infused with an action scene, like the fist battle between Ranvir and Baba, representing a country and the subversive elements it faces.

All in all, it plays for entertainment, while pounding its fist in the air with patriotism swelling. And hey, Abhishek Bachchan did attempt to sing a few lines from that Krabhi Krabhi song I last heard in Yasmin Ahmad's Gubra.

Code 9 DVD by Rainbow Films comes in anamorphic widescreen, but the visual transfer is mediocre, seemed to have been done from an old VHS-quality like source. The audio though is clear, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. There are only English subtitles available, and scene selection comes in 19 chapters. There are no other extras except for a section where you can zoom into each of the 4 songs in the movie - Title Song, Tere Sang, O Mitwa and Pyar Tera Dilli Ki.

Blades of Glory

What's That Smell?

I'm fast converting to a Will Ferrell Fan, given that I've laughed out loud at his silly antics, in particular, the recent effort in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. And now, joining forces with yet another up-coming comedian in Jon Heder (School of Scoundrels, The Benchwarmers), I had high hopes of watching Blades of Glory to chase the week's blues away.

However, expectation can be quite a bitch, and while Blades of Glory was funny, it wasn't laugh out loud funny from start to end. It had its moments, but only certain scenes to bring out those tears of nonsensical joy. For the most parts, it was pretty plain sailing - you know it's funny, just nothing to get that extra tickle out of you. And worse yet, the best moments were in the trailer, leaving you wondering if there were any more scenes left in the story to top those.

The story tells of two rival ice skaters who belong to opposite sides of the sport. The introduction plays out like Zoolander, where the profiles of each character are put through funny montages. Jim MacElroy (Heder) is your typical bred-for-excellence sportsman, with impeccable manners, demeanour and discipline, executing his moves by the book. Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) on the other hand, is your bad boy of the sport, a sex-addict who fuses sex into his moves, the master of improvisation whipping female fans everywhere into a frenzy each time he skates. They're like fire and ice, and in one of their typical bickering, bring disgrace to the sport and are banned from the men's competition for life.

Until a loophole is discovered, and they combine forces, unwillingly, to return to the sport under the pairs competition, irking reigning champions, Van Waldenberg siblings of Stranz (Will Arnett) and Fairchild (Amy Poehler). Threatened by the ludicrous return of Michael Michaels and MacElroy, with their pedigree pairing and stealing of limelight, the movie spends for the most last third of the movie on their unscrupulous tactics, and the cause-effect. Thrown into the fray is Jenna Fischer as Katie Van Waldenberg, who provides some uninspired romantic moments with Heder's Jim, and a faux pas sibling rivalry/woe in some emotional blackmail moments.

As I've mentioned, the movie is a mixed bag. I would have expected Farrell's alpha-comedic role and Heder's for-fodder-role to combine seamlessly and bring on great laughs, but the pairing seem to be diluted instead. The best bits naturally are when each of them start to skate, and then skating together during competition, with plenty of moments for physical jokes - the usual groin and gay no holds barred punches. If you'd ask me to choose who's the funnier of the two, my vote will go to Farrell, and he gets more screentime too. Boom! As compared to the whinier Heder who plays the usual roles quite repeatedly.

Fans of Bo Bice will want to sit through the end credits as he sings the theme Blades of Glory, and stay tuned during the credit roll for an additional (though not so funny) extra involving a deranged obsessive fan.

Next

I See Peaks

I was wondering the strange selection of Nicolas Cage movies to hit the big screens here. There was no love for his Weather Man or Lord of War, which seem on the surface to be probable successes, and I thought World Trade Center was a mediocre effort, no doubt hitting the big screens because of the subject matter, and helmed by Oliver Stone, who seem to be quite muted and didn't turn on the controversy tap. His latest, recent effort in Ghost Rider was fun, but unmemorable.

Philip K. Dick's science fiction stories too have their fair share of hits and misses when translated to the silver screen. There's the cult classic Blade Runner by Ridley Scott, the box-office success of Total Recall by Paul Verhoeven, the new-age photo-realistic animation A Scanner Darkly by Richard Linklater, Steven Spielberg's Minority Report credited with Colin Farrell's noticeable appearance, and John Woo's Paycheck which made Uma Thurman look ugly without the use of prosthetics. Big stars too get attached to these pictures, from Harrison Ford to Tom Cruise to Arnold Schwarzenegger, each featured in diverse stories that the author has on offer, and most from short stories too. But what about the combination of Lee Tamahori and Nicolas Cage?

Disaster. I've not read the short on which Next is based, but this movie failed Basic Storytelling 101. It sets up pre-determined rules, and goes ahead to break them all, while trying to be too smart about it, and they say pride comes before a fall - didn't any crew notice those huge warning signs? And it's not about the illogicality of time travel nor its associated paradoxes either. It's pure laziness in development, an obsessed focus in its mediocre action sequences, and without a clue in knowing how to end a story.

Nicolas Cage plays Cris Johnson with Tom Hank's haircut from The Da Vinci Code. Johnson is a Las Vegas illusionist who's successful in his job because of his curse in being able to see things before they happen. Well, just anything two minutes ahead, and only if it directly involves himself. The only time that this rule doesn't seem to hold, is that he frequently daydreams about Liz (Jessica Biel), with whom he thinks he shares a mysterious connection with. The FBI is unto some terrorists who have placed a nuclear device in California, and one of its agents Callie Ferris (Julianne Moore) is after Johnson to seek his abilities to help them, while the baddies are after everyone else, in one of lamest reasons ever - since the FBI wants Johnson, let's waste time finishing him off.

While there were tons of promise in the movie with a premise like that, you get frequently pissed when Tamahori playbacks scenes on repeat, pulling that sleight of hand that says, ok, that's what's happening in Johnson's mind, you'll following his 2-min peek into the future, and we go back again. But the 2 minutes seem to go onto 3, 4, 5 minutes, until the ultimate sleight of hand pulled and played too far back, it's plain ludicrous. It's fine and dandy for a while, until its self fulfilling prophecy. No doubt it tries to redeem itself by playing on a paradox - that things change when you look ahead (and alter a particular course of action), but as I've already mentioned, it's lazy.

And the special effects were lazy too, with nothing done that an audience have never seen before, and to make things worse, some looked horribly fake. There's also an action routine going to make its staple this year (the other one noted was in the Die Hard 4.0 trailer), and that's the "ducking from a mid-air flying car" routine. The rest looked like the Matrix's "bullet time / dodge while the bullets are flying at you / look mom I can split myself" effects, which wears on after a while.

Cage sleepwalks through the role, no doubt assisted by a world weary character, while Jessica Biel is totally wasted in a role that could have been played by any Playboy Playmate of the Year, and that's just to put her twin peaks forward onscreen. Julianne Moore seemed to have reminisce her time playing FBI agent Clarice Starling from Hannibal, and you would have expect Hannibal Lecter himself to make an appearance and start eating everyone else - now that would make a better movie.

Next has my vote as one of the worst movie of the year for pulling that kinda rug from underneath your feet. It's title says it all, don't waste your time on this. Next!

Priceless (Hors De Prix)

Don't Tempt Me, I'm Gay

Transportation S$3.00
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A Good Movie That Entertains? Priceless.

Directed by Pierre Salvadori, Pricess is one heck of a delightful gem. It is playful, cheeky, touching yet breezy, and boasts excellent chemistry between its leads, which is crucial to pull off a romantic comedy so dependent on their banter and interaction.

Audrey Tautou plays Irene, a high maintenance gold digging prostitute who flits from one elderly man to another, in the hopes of seducing and convincing them into marriage, while in the meantime milking all she could from their company. It's haute couture fashion label name dropping, living the high life in expensive hotel suites, for free. In an uncontrollable one night stand, she hooks up with waiter Jean (Gad Elmaleh), who while is totally out of her league, falls hard for her, and becomes a constant thorn in her side as she goes about her mission in life.

Not your usual romance movie where the bickering couple are expected to kiss, make up, and bicker some more, Priceless does two things in its narrative. One, in its reminder to the male suckers out there to be wary of high maintenance women - if you don't have what it takes (and that simply means a really fat bankroll), forget about it, as she'll drain your finances as simply as it takes to gulp down a glass of water. Two, perhaps it really does pay for those who are kept men and women, if they don't mind trading their bodies for material pleasures that a rich life can offer.

And from adversaries to partners in crime, Priceless sprinkles its narrative with scenes like from The Guru, where tips and tricks of the trade are shared, and played for laughs. And this is especially so with Jean's natural charms mixed with Mr Bean like demeanour. Kudos actually to actor Gad Elmaleh, who throws this constant innocent blank look, when he's hamming it up pretending to be loaded, or practising turning on his charms (consciously or otherwise). He brings to Jean a sense of helplessness in falling for the woman of his dreams much against his finances, and gives Jean that chivalrous character that will surely win many over.

Fans of Audrey Tautou will reminisce her portrayal as Irene to be similar to the quirky Amelie, only that this time round, she's the complete slut whom you pity for having such a materialistic nature. Her plunging necklines all the way down to the navel will no doubt raise temperatures, and while noticeably older, has brought about a sense of maturity from giggling girl to all woman.

Peppered with an excellent soundtrack, the best songs were kept for a party scene, and for as many party scenes featured in various movies, I'd rate this one as one of the most interesting, thanks to the key music, characters, and the scene that plays out just right. With so many elements working in its favour, I'd rate this as a contender for the top movies of this year. Don't let this movie slip pass you in this crowded blockbuster summer!

28 Weeks Later...

Boom!

Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo takes over from Englishman Danny Boyle in the followup movie to the latter's excellent 28 Days Later, and has come up with something worthy. Should a third movie be made and doesn't screw up the good work already done, it should make a pretty neat trilogy. I enjoy the legendary George A Romero's zombies in his movies, though I have to confess I prefer those in the 28-later series, as their constant running pace provides a shot of adrenaline when our helpless victims try in futile to escape, and somehow in that reckless speed, make them truly terrifying (ok, cos I can't run, and if caught in that kind of situation, I'll be dead meat).

But the movie doesn't hit the ground running. In fact, it plays like the memorable soundtrack composed by John Murphy who also did the predecessor movie, and allows for the calm to ring through, before the madness of a storm begins. The horrific opening scene would have to be one of the best in the movie, before we're fast forwarded to 28 weeks later, where Robert Carlyle's Don awaits his children Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) and Tammy (Imoen Poots, a dead ringer for Cate Blanchett!). We revisit the quiet streets of London again, like in 28 Days Later, with recognizable landmarks void of people, and the city having been ravaged, now undergoes repopulation by those who managed to leave the initial onslaught of the Rage virus.

Before you scream "Resident Evil!" because of the similarities, be rest assured that this movie beats those in the Milla Juvovich vehicle anytime. What I thought if I read too deep into it, is the showcase of the US military being yet the armed forces occupying a land that is not theirs, imposing a safe, and highly secured "green zone" for the incoming residents to reside in, while everything outside that zone is deemed the wild west, reeked with rotting bodies and the potential of a deadly virus rearing its ugly head, ready to spark a pandemic. Probably cuts a little close to the real world, but what the heck, leave those thoughts aside and enjoy the movie.

It's no surprise too that while it's nice to see a crisis plan kick in when things go awry, there are enough moments which make you think twice about collateral damage in the name of greater good, and how one thing leads to another, and finally to extermination. And self-sacrifice is often a common element in zombie movies, and I thought this was handled extremely well, especially in the Carlyle's character. It's one thing to pay lip service, and another when there's a call to action.

I've said it before, the running zombies are a sight to behold. They're stealthy and waste no time, with the tenacity of mad rabid dogs pouncing on you with their thick bloody drool. And what makes it horrific is if you were to put yourself running away from these folks, you'll wonder exactly how long you can outlast them before they finally get to you, from all directions. Making it more difficult this time round, is the escape from the weapons of mass destruction (sorry, couldn't resist that one) that the US forces unleash, and with the snazzy CG effects, these scenes become a sight to behold, without going over the top with the effects.

I like many scenes in the movie, which I will not describe lest to spoil them for you. But indeed, there is great potential towards developing a cult following. For those in need of geography lessons, yes, those are the white cliffs of Dover. If there's a gripe, it'll again be the local distributor's decision to release this movie censored for its gory scenes. I noted at least 2 jarring cuts during scenes of blood lust. But let not those minor irritations get to your enjoyment.

[DVD] I Do, I Do (爱 都 爱 都) (2005)

Metrosexuals

I first saw Adrian Pang on the big screen when I was still in the army, during one of our nights off where we managed to catch a Singapore movie (back then, Singapore movies were rare, and not to mention suffers from low attendances because of the misconception that locally made movies are bad), and I was tickled by his portrayal as the Ah Beng who aspires to be the king of disco in Forever Fever.

Fast forward to today, Adrian is based back in Singapore, and has been a regular on local television, from acting to hosting, and gaining a reputation as a funnyman in addition to Gurmit Singh. In between he has also managed cameos in movies like Spy Game, and it's no surprise that he was picked to star in another movie, this time by Jack Neo in I Do, I Do, opposite top compere and host at that time, Sharon Au.

I Do, I Do is a typical Jack Neo movie, tackling topical issues of the day, this time with the worrying trend of single Singaporeans taking too long to get hitched, and to repopulate our numbers. Falling into this category, I recall plenty of noise with regards to this, from the newspapers, to television, to even nagging parents, and it is no doubt that Jack, the commercial film director that he is, would have picked up the buzz and made a romantic comedy out of it. And in typical Jack Neo fashion, you'd come to expect the predictability of recycled criticisms of the government (which had a scene with Jack as an MP, good for only one thing) and social commentaries worked into the plot, which is more or less what you hear from coffeeshops.

Starting with a one-sided breakup of an infatuation, Liu Wenhui (Sharon Au) made it clear to Lee Ah Peng (Adrian Pang) that she sees no future in their relationship, given their difference in status and having no "Feelings" for him. The story then tracks Ah Peng's tactics into wooing his lady love back, and along the way, the main obstacle comes in the form of a new ABC colleague Chen Jianfeng (Allan Wu, current host of the Amazing Race Asia Edition). It's predictable stuff, clearly fluffly with implausible plot development, totally losing the plot towards the end, as it plays out as short comedic skits being glued together, some not being funny at all.

Typical in a Jack Neo film, you can count on a series of songs being composed for the movie, and used as montages for plot summarization. As always there are scenes set in coffee shops and hawker centers, and dialogue and cameo appearances played just for laughs, like the appearances of "Brother Hui" and Mark Lee, regulars in Neo's troupe, and the Lao Zar Bo also seen from Neo's latest 2007 movie Just Follow Law.

But for a lacklustre movie with its key message focused on not giving up the forest for a flower, it's compensated for its revelatory scene at the end, after you have to course through cliche after cliche in its storyline. The nifty special effects were a treat too, though it does also get cheesy at times when coupled with song and dance.

The Code 3 DVD from Scorpio East contains decent audio and visual transfers, which does not offer you any choice of formants or languages. You only have a scene selection from 8 chapters, as well as subtitles available in either English or Chinese. It's relatively bare bones, and I'm not sure why to date locally pressed DVDs still call standard fares like the inclusion of theatrical trailers and useless photo stills "Special Features". Just so you know, the trailer runs 2mins 10s, and the photo gallery contains 20 stills. Hardly what I call special.

[DVD] The Last King of Scotland (2006)

Listen Up!

I won't repeat myself with another review of The Last King of Scotland movie, which you can find here. Hence I will go straight into the DVD review proper.

Forest Whitaker's acclaimed performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin would have no doubt piqued your curiosity about the real man, and included in the Code 1 DVD from Fox are documentaries highlighting both the man himself as well as the actor who plays him. Presented in widescreen in 2.35:1 aspect ration, the visual transfer is crisp and clear. The English track comes in 5.1 Dolby Surround, which might be under-utilized given that it's not an out and out action kind of movie that will test your speakers, but seriously nobody's complaining. The other track is in Spanish, and comes with only 2.0 Dolby Surround. You can turn the director's commentary on during the movie, and Kevin MacDonald shares some interesting insights despite being without the other cast and crew members. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and French, and for those who would like to jump directly into certain scenes, scene selection is available in 28 chapters.

Included in the special features section is the theatrical trailer running at 2mins 20s, which is quite standard fare.

You have a total of 7 deleted scenes which included the original opening of the movie set in 1948, where we see Idi meting out solid blows as a boxer during his days with the British Army. The clips run a total of 11mins 43s, and you can activate the director's commentary to find out why these scenes were left on the cutting room floor. The longest scene was that of the press conference, which in the movie was truncated and cross-cut with a separate scene of James McAvoy looking for Kerry Washington. Here you can watch it as a whole.

Next is an exclusive documentary called Capturing Idi Amin, which runs the longest of the special features at 29 minutes. Included in this feature are extensive interviews with the actors, Ugandan citizens who lived through Amin's regime, friends in the British Army as well as his ex-ministers, and through these talking heads, you gain peculiar insights into a man who seemed so schizophrenic. Of particular note here are the archived footage of the real Amin, which includes selected interviews with him. Not to be missed.

Forest Whitaker himself has a featurette called Forest Whitaker Idi Amin, which has interviews with Forest obviously, as well as his co-star James McAvoy. This runs 6 minutes.

And if one featurette on the Oscar winner isn't enough, there's the other feature from the Fox Movie Channel called Casting Session - The Last King of Scotland, where the filmmakers highlighted how important it was to find the right actor for the enigmatic role, as the whole movie will naturally be borne on his shoulders. In 8 mins 30s through interviews, we learn exactly how Forest auditioned, won convincingly the role offered by the filmmakers, and as they say, the rest is history.

All in all, a very decent package. There could have been more extras packed in, but this package already is more than the bare minimum. Recommended for fans of the movie, as well as fans of Forest Whitaker in his multi-award winning role.

For thos interested, you can make a purchase of the DVD directly from FoxStore.com by clicking on the picture below:

[DVD] Dhoom (2004)

Dhoom Machale

Said to be loosely based on Taxi and Point Break, I thought Dhoom (Blast) seemed to be a whole lot more like the original Fast and the Furious, with a gang of robbers pulling of heists and escaping in their high octane machines charged with nitrous oxide gases, only this time, the sports cars are replaced with sports bikes. But unlike FnF which had its cop infiltrate the gang, we have a supercop hot on the heels of the gang with the help of the fastest rider in Mumbai, with shades from Taxi in a way.

Abhishek Bachchan plays ACP Jai Dixit the supercop, a proud man dead sure of his abilities to apprehend the crooks, though himself has no qualms about meting out violence to deal with violence. John Abraham's Kabir looks like Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt in M:I2 with his wavy hair flowing while riding a bike at top speed, and with his merry men from the Pizza Place, throws down the gauntlet at Jai. Rounding up the testosterone picture is Uday Chopra as the top biker and mechanic Ali Akbar Fateh Khan, who reluctantly joins forces with Jai Dixit, and gets embroiled against his wishes in this cops-and-robbers chase. He prefers to chase skirts, given his lack of appeal in the ladies department, and provides the complimentary comedic moments.

The female characters here, with Rimi Sen as Mrs Dixit and Esha Deol the singer, somehow become bit players, with not much room for their characters, given that it's understandably an action movie after all. And the action doesn't disappoint even if it's not exactly A-list jaw-dropping material. There's always that tinge of familiarity, but the stars pull them off with aplomb. If you were to think they're copying their counterparts in Hollywood with vehicle stunts, and that fight atop a moving trailer which looks suspiciously like Matrix Reloaded's, well, if imitation is a form of flattery, at least Dhoom managed to come off rather convincingly.

For a Bollywood movie, it clocks in at a surprisingly reasonable 129 minutes, and given its fast pace, there's rarely a moment where you'll get bored. I totally enjoyed Dhoom's soundtrack, and the song and dance numbers are fast ones which is an additional plus. I never cease to be amazed by the dance choreography, and my favourite one was where Dhoom Machale song being performed on stage, complete with pyrotechnics.

Dhoom lives up to its name, and it's easy to have a blast of a time on a lazy Sunday afternoon with his, even though the story's pretty straightforward and rehashed from elements seen frequently from Hollywood. For someone who enjoys song and dance routines, I think I'll be looking towards covering more Bollywood movies real soon.

***

The multi-region DVD Yash Raj Films comes with adequate features to make this a well presented package. Visuals come in a 16:9 presentation and 5.1 Dolby Digital Sound, which allows for the bikes and action sequences to ring sense-surround. The menus and navigation are lavishly designed, though some icons used can be confusing at first (like the switching on and off of the subtitles). Scene selection comes in 28 chapters of which the songs are marked to stand out, and English subtitles are available.

There is a separate section on Songs, where you'll get to zoom into the moments where the musical numbers begin. There are 5 in total, with subtitles so you'll understand what the lyrics mean - Shikdum, Dilbara, Dhoom Machale, Salaame, and Dhoom Dhoom (End Credits) which is performed by Thai singer Tata Young in English, and can also be found in the separate Special Features Section.

The Special Features contain an alternate ending, which actually serves as an epilogue, with the focus on the Ali character, lasting about a minute. Unfortunately this comes without English subtitles. Then there's the Tata Young Dhoom Dhoom OST Video in English (3 mins 27s), which you'll probably can't get enough of, with her sizzling the screen with her sultry moves with each of the male cast members Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra and John Abraham.

The largest feature is Dhoom: The Making, lasting 23mins 10s. It's in English, with cast and crew interviews, clips of the production process peeking into how they did those action scenes, the consideration taken into the styling of the characters, the songs featured and the dance steps that the cast have to learn, and of course the beautiful bikes, stunts, and the recounting of the dangerous moments when performing those stunts.

The Theatrical Trailor (sic) (1min 20s) doesn't seem to have gotten enough of the Dhoom Machale song, and included are also 4 TV promos presented in 4:3 aspect ratio containing the songs and clips for the movie, running a total of 2mins 50s.

Perhaps the weirdest feature included would be a trailer for a Forthcoming Attraction called Veer Zaara (2min 30s) starring Shah Rukh Khan, which seems to play automatically when the DVD is inserted into the player.

All in all, a quality DVD package which I'm surprised with, and I should be actively seeking out other blockbuster titles from the shelves of the Esplanade library soon.

Summer Palace (Yihe Yuan)

To Hump!

Continuing my weekend of R21 movies, given that almost every screen in Singapore is showing Spider-Man 3 at the moment, and gives a clear indication on how the other blockbusters in the next 2 months will be treated as well. The Passion was a disappointment, and Summer Palace, somehow didn't live up to its hype, probably drawing curious audiences by the banning of its director Lou Ye from making films in the Mainland for the next 5 years, because he had failed to obtain official permission before screening Summer Palace overseas.

In any case, the same old marketing gimmick was to hype that this as the most erotic movie from China, and naturally drew audiences in like bees to honey. I've long classified broadly that movies of the romance genre can usually be grouped into the romantic comedies which Hollywood does well enough, and the romantic tragedies which try to bring out those tears. I've forgotten one more group, so add this to the broad classification now - those that want to titillate. Summer Palace attempts to explore relationships from its leads against the historical backdrop of change in China, but falls flat and seemed to prefer to focus on humping.

And even that it degenerates itself into soft porn territory, but at least soft porns are being honest about it. The story is neither a tragedy, or comedy, just plain boring drama infused with plenty of sex, which becomes meaningless, and mechanical after a while with repeated actions that drills down to lack of skills in bed. Both the action and the characters lack the emotional core that grabs the attention of the audience and engage some cerebral on why they are doing what they're doing.

Yu Hong (Lei Hao) is a village girl staying near the border of China and North Korea, and qualified for Beijing University in the late 80s. Leaving behind her shopkeeper father and a postal service boyfriend who deflowered her in the middle of a road late one night, she goes to the big city, but inside is quite unhappy about it. You know, she's one of those girls with huge emotional baggage problems that nobody, including herself, understands why.

Friendship comes in the form of fellow hostel mate Li Ti (Ling Hu), who introduces her to Zhou Wei (Guo Xiaodong) at one of those jam and hop sessions, and thereafter they become sex partners trying to heat up the screen. It becomes love found, love lost, making love, love lost, love found, you get the idea. We have confused characters who do not know what to do with each other, and to make things worse, they're promiscuous too, making everything quite frivolous in their quest to satisfy their lust for sex. Even the direction and story became schizophrenic, and with the lack of skill, breezes through events like the Tiananmen Incident, and the fall of Communism with the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Gorbachev's resignation, Yeltsin's ascension to power, and the likes, with just archived images, and subtitles indicating the event and the year. It's cheap, lazy filmmaking. Before you know it, it's down to the last hour where the characters have grown up, and apart in different countries.

There's a general feeling of lost, and if that's the filmmakers' intent, they have succeeded. Perhaps the best part is the reunion, where I thought is the only time when it's realistic with the feeling of helplessness and being tongue tied when meeting up with a loved one after donkey years - things are never the same again, and could never be the same anymore, and do you wish to hold onto the past, or move on to your own future?

Despite the pretentious plot and characters, the movie does feature an excellent eclectic soundtrack, and there thankfully helped keep everyone awake. Otherwise it's as hokey as the inscription on the tombstone - unless it's a mega tombstone, I don't see how those words could have been inscribed on it without running out of space.

The Passion (Ammahit Phitsawat)

Show and Tell

"This Year's Most Controversial Sex Thriller" proclaims the blurb on the promotional poster. Whoever wrote that must either be out of their minds, or must have watched a different version which contained so many raunchy sequences they were left out for private consumption. But it worked though, as I theatre I went to had screenings which totally sold out.

To suckers easily believing the marketing department of course. And putting Bongkoj Khongmalai in a seductive pose on the poster worked wonders too. To put it in the correct context, this movie is not a sex thriller, and it actually brings back memories of those 80s Hong Kong B-grade flicks which go straight to video. The presentation is messy with its convoluted plot, and have characters in which all are extremely unlikable. While it tries to be a little smart in offering its twist ending, it's too little too late, and try as you might to understand the intended storyline, its slack delivery has already done too much damage to salvage anything.

Set in a multiplex cinema complex over the course of one night, Bongkoj Khongmalai (one of the Chai-Lai Angels, in case you find her familiar) stars as a lady seemingly obsessed with watching every movie in that new multiplex, buying one ticket for every screening, only to find the right moment with gathered courage to stab herself in an act of suicide. However, the lecherous security manager of the complex will have none of that, as he turns it into his obsession to rape her.

And that's almost the gist of the movie. Just to show how corrupt the security manager is, he deals drugs to employees on the side, and makes extra income (by the millions) in selling "porn" based on covert CCTV cameras which he has strategically placed in female washrooms and changing rooms. Basically the plot and premise doesn't have too much logic involved, and it definitely cannot be classified as a thriller as it just doesn't have the pizzazz to be one.

Added to the mix are a host of throwaway characters like a head goon from security who's infatuated with a spunky cleaner lady, who in turn is smitten with the cinema usher, who in turn owes loads of money to the security manager because of his drug addiction. After we're introduced to the characters, we're led to episode after episode of simple scheming to get rich, women trying to escape capture by fighting off security folks in really bad fight action sequences which throws in everything and almost involved the kitchen sing, and plot loopholes so big you can fly an aeroplane through.

Sex sells, but this movie definitely shortchanged everyone with bad story, acting, everything. Even the R21 rating for violence is laughable, as those scenes came off as amateurish and more comedic than horrific, fake blood, bad CGI and all.

Oh, for those who want to attempt at undressing Bongkol Khongmalai, you can play this flash based game from the official movie website. The only catch is you must be able to read Thai, and get a number of questions right. Have fun!

[DVD] Il Mare (Siworae) (2000)

Any Letter From Hollywood?

One of the earlier Korean hits in Singapore was Il Mare, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae, and last year it became the excuse of a remake by Hollywood to reunite Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock on the big screen. If anything good comes out these remakes, it is the acknowledgement that Asian stories are finding some legs to travel. There was no hesitation to obtain my copy of this movie when I saw the DVD, given that almost all the versions of the movie here was the VCD one

Just so you know where I'm coming from, I haven't seen the original, and had seen the Hollywood remake first. But if you were to ask me to decide right now which version is superior, I would say without hesitation, the original Korean one triumphs over the remake, simply because, as a romance, it sure knew how to present it the way it's supposed to be. The way the movies were made, is akin to the lake house featured in both movies - the Hollywood one is very grand, with plenty of bells and whistles, but the Korean one is simpler though by no means less effective, in its minimalist look and feel, puts the focus of the story squarely on our lovebirds separated by time.

The first thing that strikes you is how quiet this movie can be. There is less dialogue, and it allows the images do the talking. As the cliche goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Containing plenty of beautiful, idyllic soft focus shots which contribute to the overall romanticized feel, Il Mare is slowly and intricately paced, and less complicated with its relationships, and its supporting cast is few and not given anything substantial to steal thunder and limelight.

This, compared to the very Hollywood style of development every minor subplot into a major one, and having to explain everything to the audience - this I thought was sledge-hammered through in the remake very early on into the film, which after watching how it was dealt in the original, you'll agree at which version is more superior. There were many instances of "homage" shots, like the red coat, the paw prints, and the shots of the mailbox, as well as adapting plot elements like the train incident, and liberties were taken to bring to life some of its supporting casts, which were only mentioned in passing in Il Mare. If not for the inflation of run time because of the lack of skill in making a beautiful picture, then I don't know what is.

Il Mare allows the audience room to piece together clues and events, without stifling, and this enables a greater appreciation, as well as time to be absorbed totally into the lives of our protagonists, 2 lonely hearts finding each other through a temporal time warp via a mailbox at Il Mare, the name of the Lake House. One's an architect, and the other's a voice artistes, and both connect heart to heart during the winter season, leaving the question of, if we can click, why not meet up and get together?

Jun Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae play off each other really well, even though they share limited screen-time together. Coupled with the way each had their individual scenes shot, framed, and presented, I'd say again, you can't help but to feel for these 2, and root for them to transcend hell and high waters to come together. Watch this movie to find out if they do!!

Certainly one of the better romantic tales out there, done totally right. Forget about The Lake House, make it Il Mare instead!

***

The Code 3 EDKO Video Ltd is a letterboxed version that should have included some worthy extras to make up for its poor visual transfer, which at best is video quality with a purple hue running throughout on the left side of the frame. There's only the Korean audio track in Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS, which might seem to be an overkill for a nuanced film like this. Subtitles are available in English and Chinese, and watching this with the English subtitles turned on, all I can say is it probably didn't undergo quality control, with many typographical and grammatical errors, coupled with truncation at times when too much is squeezed onto the screen. For those who have particular scenes in the favourites list, the scene selection is spread over 12 chapters.

The special features bundled have little or no subtitles at all.

There are 3 theatrical trailers included, but don't expect top notch quality. You should note that they contain spoilers from key scenes, so it's best not to watch them until after the movie. The first two Korean trailers are companions, each running 1min 30s, the first one shown from the POV of a very weepy Jun Ji-hyun's Kim Eun-ju, while the other from the POV and narration of Lee Jung-jae's Han Sung-hyun. The other full version of the trailer seemed more like a quick summary of the whole movie in 9 minutes and 25s, and suffers from incoherent editing (yes, even for a trailer), and looked quite piecemeal in presentation, besides being spoiler-laden. Making it worse is that all 3 trailers have bad audio.

I'm not sure why a 30 second TV spot in Cantonese was included, and it's most likely because this is a Made in HK DVD. The other seemingly useless extra included is the cast and crew filmography, containing only a one pager for both leads, and the director

For those who loved the theme song, there is a Music Video of the Korean song "Must Say Good Bye" which consists of clips from the movie, running at 4 mins 57s. A word of caution again, this video contains spoilers, so don't view it until after you've seen the movie. And if you haven't had enough of the song, the photo gallery has an English version of the song running 3 mins 45s, accompanying the slideshow, though it comes with no controls.

[DVD] Grand Prix (1966)

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

In recent times, our shore was abuzz with concrete rumours of a Formula 1 street circuit being held in Singapore, and a night one at that. I was a Formula 1 spectator fan (from the television set of course) for some time, until Schumi came along, won almost everything with the Prancing Horse, and actually made it predictable, and boring for the most parts of each race circuit. Pole position, race day, 50 odd laps and podium finish.

While advancement in technology has made driving a car at 300kmph seem like an hour long arcade game, and safety standards have ensured that dangerous stunts and outcomes are reduced to a rare minimum, the sport somehow lacked that danger and edgy randomness in having things go wrong, and to see how drivers use their skill to react to them. Finding that balance between safety and spectacle, without unnecessary endangering the lives of the drivers, is a tough one. For many, watching the cars go through their paces round and round a circuit, may seem to be boring spectator sport, and just how a movie like this can engage, remains a challenge.

Clocking in close to 3 hours, it tells the story of 4 grand prix drivers, naturally of different nationalities - American Pete Aron (James Garner), French Jean-Pierre Sarti (Yves Montand), Brit Scott Stoddard (Brian Bedford) and Italian Nino Barlini (Antonio Sabato), with their allegiance sworn to the different manufacturers they drive for, which includes Ferrari. They come together on race day to outperform one another, and more often, the movie focuses on their love lives, with Sarti in a budding relationship with writer Louise (Eva Marie Saint), Scott having to deal with an accident caused by Pete, and facing the prospect of losing his model wife Pat (Jessica Walter) to that same man, and Nino just being the playboy he is with his latest squeeze Lisa (played by French singer Francoise Hardy). Rounding up the international cast is Toshiro Mifune, who plays the Japanese businessman whom Pete Aron drives for. When their love lives take a break from the screen, the story tries to explore why they do what they do, and what makes them tick during races, knowing well that it is a dangerous job.

But the length of the movie also is contributed by the extent in which the races are featured in the movie, from the various grand prix circuits. The thrill in watching this is not for the race scenes per se, but for a trip down memory lane on how F1 was done in the past. There are no paddle gears for shift changes, only those that comes with the stick, and plenty of mechanical parts compared to the computer on board for that "fly by wire" drive in today's cars. Engineering has come a long way, and this movie makes you appreciate that advancement. The tracks featured too are a sight to behold, with a mixture of existing and retired circuits seen.

And the strong technical aspect of the film is what makes it entertaining, with features like split screens (up to 6 at times), montages, and plenty of nifty camera angles that make you wonder how they did it back in the old days. The camera shifts perspective often enough, and my favourite would be the one that follows the road, like the Daytona game, sans dashboard.

Grand Prix might look dated in its treatment of the narrative, but it probably formed the basis and benchmark on how to film a racing spectator sport, for other race movies like Days of Thunder, Driven and even Pixar's Cars.

This Code 1 Two-Disc Special Edition DVD from Warner Brothers somehow had to split the close to 3 hour movie into 2 parts, each in one disc. The presentation comes with the standard scene selections to zoom into particular points of the movie, especially when you want to cut straight to the action. The visual transfer, considering it's a movie more than 40 years old, is great, and watching it on as wide a screen possible, gives you the grandeur spectacle it was meant to be. You're given 2 audio selections, in either English 5.1, or in French - you'll find your speakers maxed out to bring to you the roars of the F1 3 litre engine of those days. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.

Disc 1 only contains a 4 minute theatrical trailer, and Disc 2 contains all the other special features. They are:

Pushing the Limit: The Making of Grand Prix - 29 minutes
This is the Making Of of this monumental film, which come to think of it, I agree wholeheartedly that an F1 movie of this scale will probably never be made for an extremely long time, not because of the lack of skill, but rather the cost of it all will be exorbitant. TV rights alone cost obscene millions, and that's continued revenue for as long as audiences demand it. For a movie, it's like a one time golden goose to be slaughtered, and with the multitude of sponsors who probably want some money to be paid for their names to be on the marquee, well...

Anyway, the making of brings you some interesting insights into the entire production process, on how director John Frankenheimer's relentless pursuit (pardon the pun) for accuracy and realism. It's actually the actual 1966 grand prix being filmed, and had real actors in real cars shot before each actual race. The actors too had it tough, in having to go back to driving school to learn how to handle the F3 cars (made to look like F1s). You'll see how the cameras were rigged, in race cars, from helicopters etc, all to give the audience a feel of what it's like being inside one.

Containing recorded interviews with the late director about his thoughts of the film, as well as interviews both today and yesterday with cast and crew, the gems in this documentary was in an episode captured on how James Garner went ballistic with some shopkeepers who insisted on more money during the shoot, and you'll also learn first hand how the brand name synonymous with F1, Ferrari, came to be in the picture, and allowed access to their hallowed grounds, including the factory floor.

Certainly a special feature not to be missed.

Flat Out: Formula One in The Sixties - 17mins 25s
This is a walk down memory lane, retracing how the sport developed from the 1.5 litres to the 3 litres car. Containing a host of old photographs from those days, and interviews with historians, journalists and ex-drivers, they recount how dangerous the sport was back then. To the drivers, it was akin to sitting in a coffin surrounded by fuel bags, and how the sport is actually a test of endurance and the vehicle's sustainability. The development of safety measures after tragic accidents seem like a sad necessity, and brings to mind the consequences of random accidents and the short life span of drivers.

The Style and Sound of Speed - 11mins 40s
This feature is a tribute to visual consultant Saul Bass, who designed the trip-tech effects and the very graphic element of the opening credits, and sound recorder Gordon Daniel who recorded every minute of everything, down to the minute details of how the gear shifts sounded like, and the beautiful noise of the motor roaring at high speeds. In some ways it focussed more on Saul Bass's contribution to cover everything visually during racing, and how the split screens, montages were done, with the technical effort also put into featuring each grand prix circuit differently in the movie.

Brands Hatch: Behind the Checkered Flag - 10mins 35s
And speaking of circuits, this feature celebrates the British premier circuit at Brands Hatch. Containing interviews with drivers and former F1 champions, it's an appreciation of the circuit, broken down piece by piece, into the Paddock Hill Bend, Druids, Surtees, Hawthorn Bend, Westfield Bend and Clearways. It's much well liked by the drivers, and aesthetically, it sits in a bowl, is scenic, and the race can be seen for the most parts by spectators.

Grand Prix: Challenge of the Champions - 12min 45s
This is a vintage feature on the making of process, and it shows the coming of the stars of the movie, as well as the real stars of the F1 being involved in the production. Again you'll get a glimpse of how the movie was filmed with the Cinerama cameras from MGM, and the technical challenges in having to achieve a mix of actual race footage, which means no retakes given the one hour of filming time allowed prior to the commencement of the actual race, and then repeat for each grand prix location featured in the movie. If anything, this featurette containes too many dizzying quick cuts.

Lastly, Speed Channel is a 32 second advert advising to drive within speed limits.

Spider-Man 3

I'm Back

Spider-Man 3 ushers in this year's many sequels in what would be a crowded blockbuster summer, but the question on everyone's lips is, with so many villains he's up against, will our friendly neighbourhood arachnid prevail the movie sequel curse - that with many villains and being the third superhero movie in the franchise, it will most certainly be a dud and a victim of its own success? Sam Raimi will have none of that, and found a special x-factor from within his own Spidey movie franchise to ensure sustainability. And it worked great.

Superior sequels are a tough act to follow, and only a handful managed to survive the fatigue. It's not about putting in better effects, or introducing new and more powerful villains, but rather about the characters whom we have followed through from the previous movies. Here, we continue our journey with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire), Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) and Harry Osborn (James Franco), their love hate relationship with one another, and the will they or won't they situations. Having the creative team return (sans Danny Elfman for the score) and the principal cast intact ensured no continuity issues, which have casted a shadow on and doomed many other superhero productions like DC's Superman-Chris Reeves franchise, or the Batman one started by Tim Burton.

Instead of relying on fluffy showmanship on the latest progression of how Spidey swings through Manhattan, and the temptation to shift all its grandeur action pieces to top gear, Spider-Man 3 actually had its characters spend much of their time out of costumes. Which is great, except for those impatient to get things going. It allowed for plenty of space for character development, a continuation of the relationship between Peter and Mary Jane, which on the previous movie's final scene, seemed to have an ominous feeling hung overhead.

And yes, things are not going well for our couple. One's a public figure behind a mask, getting plenty of adulation from the common man on the street, while the other, still a struggling artiste in a cold unforgiving city. For Peter Parker, he's thrilled to have people celebrate his prowess, and allowed for success to get to his nerdy head. A nerd getting all the attention, certainly puts him a bit out of whack. He hardly listens, and the keyword here is listen (take note, important to sustain relationship lesson abound), to his partner, and becomes emotionally unavailable, especially when she most needs him. And with miscommunication or the lack thereof, jealousy comes in the form of hot blonde bombshell Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard), with whom Peter violates a special bond between him and Mary Jane at the heat of the moment (ok, all those who think it's being petty, might want to rethink that again).

As a reminder, this is not the comic's Spider-Man. If it is, then Peter won't have organic webshooters. So don't go all rile about Gwen's introduction at this stage of the franchise. It's her on screen, so celebrate that instead. Although she's a bit role, I thought Bryce Dallas Howard allowed fanboys to salivate at the prospect of having Gwen Stacy feature heavily in possible future movies. If Kirsten Dunst wish to bury her Mary Jane Watson aside, the franchise can definitely move on with Bryce stepping in with her Gwen, even though this time the comic timeline will totally go out of sync. But to be fair to Dunst, her Mary Jane almost always have nothing much to do when Spidey's in costume, unless she decides to challenge for scream queen honours. It's again the same old damsel in distress the character finds herself in for a fair bit, and there's certainly a number of times where you can be held hostage, before some smart alec will deduce the reason why.

And Peter Parker definitely needs to apply some webbing to that mask of his. I think this is one movie where he's in costume sans mask a lot, and it is no surprise that almost every villain will come to know of his identity, in fact, just as most superhero movies will have. Between the second movie and this, Spidey had learned how to make and fire web-balls, and overly used them here - hello special effects department, surely you can come up with something better? While the special effects were decent, and action sequences managed to explode with simultaneous everything else moving in the same frame, it's nothing that you've never seen before from the previous movies, only done faster and more elaborately. Venom fan boys, don't expect to see McFarlane-styled webbing, which I thought was a given, and that long twisting tongue is surprisingly missing too.

In any case, this is Raimi's vision of the character, and I admit I was one of those apprehensive about too many crooks spoiling the broth, as other franchises had. Worried that Venom will be like Batman and Robin's Bane, reduced to a side show goon, be rest assured that given the runtime to fit everyone in, his given appearance was probably the best possible in such a short timeframe. We've heard of Eddie Brock being mentioned in the earlier movies, and here Topher Grace plays him in the flesh. As a disgraced peer photographer, he becomes Venom, learning Peter's secret as part of the process of assimilation with the alien symbiote. If you think about it, it's difficult to sustain a villain throughout a feature length film, one knows too much about the identity of the hero without answering the obvious of whys in his modus operandi. So the Spidey movies had what they had, for Norman, Harry and Octavius, Supes had to cop out with that kiss, and Batman had Ras disappear for the most part.

This is as much a movie about Peter Parker, as it is about Harry Osborn, and James Franco's fans wouldn't mind having this movie called The New Goblin or Goblin Junior. His character is probably the most tragic amongst the trio, the lad whose dad prefers the brainier best friend, his girl running off again to his best friend, and an empty empire he's turning into a Goblin factory, with snazzy toys and equipment, with a faithful butler... wait, it does go dangerously close to becoming a Batman/Bruce Wayne clone, bent on revenge. But with his budding leading man status, there's automatic redemption for his Harry as he epitomizes the theme of friendship with Parker. If Eddie Brock/Venom is in this movie for a reason, then it's to provide the contrast to Harry Osborn/New Goblin, both sharing similarly deep hatred for Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but each choosing a different path of response.

Thomas Haden Church is a Sandman doppelganger, and him in that striped green shirt looked very much like that in the comics. True to form, Raimi gives his Flint Marko something to sympathize with, without the need to ram it down your throats. If the Goblin was too power crazy, and Doc Ock deranged because of the death of his wife, this soft spot continues with the Sandman robbing for money to save his ill-strickened daughter. You don't get to see Church much though, as while the special effects team again takes over for most of his appearances in impressive action sets, you can't help but to pity the guy as he's brought through some torturous moments no thanks to our Spidey gone obsessive himself.

Tobey Maguire brings out a different Peter Parker when under the influence of the alien symbiote, and similar to the third movie of the Superman franchise, here we see Peter battling himself, as he tries to suppress aggressive feelings when the alien takes over, pushing aside his passive nerdy behaviour, for something more vengeful, and hurts everyone he loves in the process. He hangs a little loose, but a nerd's still a nerd, even if his character changes for the worst. Balancing between creaming in his pants at the adulation he's got, and the angst from seeking revenge on his Uncle Ben's killer, and that aggression from wearing that black suit, this is perhaps Maguire's most complex Peter Parker to date, as he handles relationships with the rest of the characters.

And the supporting cast does not lack both new and recurring characters. James Cromwell was wasted as Police Captain Stacy, Dylan Baker returns as Dr. Curt Conners (when is he becoming The Lizard?), and Bill Nunn as Robbie Robertson. J.K, Simmons provides much of the laughs again as The Daily Bugle Editor James Jonah Jameson, while Elizabeth Banks was allowed to shine just a little bit more as the Bugle's Betty Brant. Bruce Campbell probably had the best of the supporting roles, as once again he goes up against Peter Parker in possibly the most hilarious scene in the movie, amongst such dire straits, you won't know if you want to laugh out loud, or feel sorry.

I thought I saw Willem Dafoe sitting in the background at the Jazz Bar, while Stan Lee had speaking lines (uttering a famous phrase) opposite arguably his best creation to date (I've mentioned before if the Marvel movie is expected to bomb, you won't see Lee cameo anywhere). From the opening credits which summed up the previous 2 movies (without the help of Alex Ross' artwork), to the finale no-holds barred slam-bang action sequence (again set at night, that makes it 3 movies in a row), this Spider-Man movie is a winner, despite having some expected plot loopholes during Brock's transformation, and with the deduction of Spidey's identity after the big fight. But it's comic-book world we're talking about, so logical liberties do have to be taken.

Will there be Spider-Man 4? The box office success for this movie is almost a given, and it all hinges on the fact whether the same cast and crew would want to return for another installment, without which it just wouldn't be the same. Fatigue could be an issue, and having a trilogy with an open end allows room for other creative talents to take over from here. But as they say, it's always better to leave on a high, as you'll never know how much more it takes to ensure another successful and worthy follow up. Will the studios listen in the face of millions of dollars of profits? If it's the same cast and crew, then I'm sold for another, given Spidey's rich rogues gallery, but I would prefer the classical villains please, maybe Electro, Rhino, or The Chameleon. And oh yes, if it happens, it's high time for The Lizard to show its tail too!