Chaw (차우)

The Fellowship of the Boar

The last time I've seen a real wild boar, is when I was wearing green in Pulau Tekong. An endless route march brought us to some forsaken part of the island, where one little boar bolted when a group of sweaty army boys started to invade its abode. It'll be something if it's a man eating boar like the one in Chaw, some two meters long, and weighing almost half a ton, with an appetite for human organs!

Taking place in a small village which boasts itself as crime free, the film's highlight turned out not to be the set action pieces, which is the usual formulaic thrills and spills, but rather the myriad of characters that pepper the narrative, mostly for comedic reasons. Sure it has its fair share of gory moments, complete with numbing sound effects of becoming quite the enjoyable meal for the boar, but nothing beats its little moments given that breathed life into the characters. Furthermore, that throwback at Hot Fuzz with its quirky town, and a complacent attitude that just about nothing occurs in it, is something ripe for a horror-comedy such as this one.

The finale might use some trimming though, but it probably allowed for some nifty boar-charging scenes which were only a tease earlier. Some CG effects were still too cheesy but I suppose for a B-movie, one shouldn't complaint. There's a coda midway through the end-credits, so don't leave the theatre just yet when it starts to roll.

You can read my review of Chaw at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.

Avatar 3D

I Need to Sit Down

Yesterday, an irate friend IM-ed me and demanded to read my review of Avatar, or more to gloat over the fact that I've taken this long. He knows how anal I usually am in wanting to be the first one off the blocks, though I have to also admit I was jaded by the 15 minute preview, as well as the countless fan-fare hype surrounding the film. I saw a select cast and crew in Tokyo, and Sam Worthington either looked jet-lagged, or uninterested. Zoe Saldana on the other hand was quite the eager beaver, and Sigourney Weaver had this regal presence of being there and done that. They were there for yet another 15 minute preview for the Japanese audience, the lucky few chosen through a ballot.

This time round I had turned down friends' invitation to watch this together when the film hit our shores in a simultaneous worldwide release, and also been turned down as well because many (though I did find 2 good men) thought I was nuts to journey that far to watch this film. My screening venue of choice is at Singapore Discovery Centre's iWERKS theatre, boasting a screen that's 5 storeys high and a good sound system. Sure, many theatre chains have now added more halls for what is possibly the 3D movie event of the year, with GV converting a hall in all its cinemas, but I am still stubbornly adamant in wanting to watch this at the SDC. If it's an immersive experience James Cameron wanted audiences to feel, then I'm not going to make compromises. The icing on the cake: iWERKS only costs about half the ticket price anywhere else, with no tiered timing nonsense. It's 7 bucks flat, though it has only 2 screenings in a day at 215pm and 615pm.

So was the experience worth it? You bet, save for the end credits being unceremoniously cut off toward the end because of another screening. James Cameron is indeed no stranger to science fiction and the creation of new worlds, having been there and done that, even when there are quarters which point to plot similarities. He had continued Ridley Scott's Alien and made the sequel just as, if not even more memorable, having a Titanic film that stood out amongst those created before his technological marvel, gave spy films a good run with his True Lies, and even upping the ante of his own Terminator film with its sequel (which those that followed struggling hard to fill those shoes he left behind).

To say Cameron is a technology junkie is quite the understatement. For each film that he made, there's something new added with a Wow factor, and I still remember to this day the liquid T1000 rising from a patterned floor, making the ugly Harrier jet look sexy, and made us gawk at the recreation of the ill fated ocean liner. Between that film and this one, he had made another 3D documentary exploring the wreckage of the Titanic, and I've watched that on 3D IMAX, which sadly such a hall no longer exists in Singapore. The 3D experience now with Avatar is nothing short of mind-blowing, for the first few minutes at least, and it subconsciously just melts into the background as you continue to enjoy the visuals of the film, hardly noticing the effort that had gone in creating that depth of field or the photo-realism of the fantasy realm of beautiful alien flora and floating mountains, as if you're now watching something real that's unfolding as if you're staring out with your very own eyes, witnessing a perfect blend of live action and computer generated wizardry.

He's created a new world with Avatar, which may have jolly well been Dances with Science Fiction Wolves, or any parallels with other films cutting so close that it's easy to scream plagiarism, but like the title of the film, it's only a vessel in which to tell the story of what's probably a major mind-set shift of how a science fiction 3D film should be like, and exploited for the modern audience. The story has been told countless of times in many different forms, about the prophetic messiah who would come from outside the community, to lead them against adversary. And although the idea has been reported mooted at least a decade back, one cannot but feel how close the concept of Nature Vs Man being all the more relevant now, with that constant reminder that Nature will fight back one day, and Man will be on the losing end should we be up against a concerted force.

Sam Worthington continues his charge as leading man material, even though he's covered in blue and in gangly animated form for more than half the time He's the perennial flawed hero (and I think come complete with touched up limbs) who sees his initial mission as a chance to reclaim what was, only to find that the grass is greener on the other side, due to what else, but love. That pits him against his master, and his dilemma to regain the trust of a community that he had chosen to betray and regret. I can't help but to compare his Marine Jack Sully to Kevin Costner's John Dunbar, with his time spent living amongst the natives (here it's 3 months worth) and to learn their ways, so much so that he's more of them than he is from his own, despite the need to report back, and knowing that they will be the eventual enemy when push comes to shove regarding land and minerals.

And the great good versus evil divide comes from Colonel Miles, played to wicked perfection by Stephen Lang as the war mongering officer who just can't wait to lock and load and pick a fight given any opportunity, and the diplomatic scientist Dr. Grace (Sigourney Weaver) and her crew, who are all for mutual co-existence and the sharing of cultures in a bid to understand what makes the native Na'vi tick, not to mention the countless of secrets that lie hidden in their eco-system, besides some valuable mineral to mine, the largest deposit which is sitting directly under the Na'vi's million year old giant tree.

In the Na'vis, Cameron has created quite the indigenous alien beings complete with a pigtail, which can be used to plug into nature, from binding and controlling just about every living creature (there was a mating scene, though I didn't get to see if this was put to good use), and to plug themselves into a spiritual realm as well. I suppose this provides for plenty of empathy, and I liked the part where Zoe Saldana's Neytiri chides Jake for thanking her when she fatally dispatches the more aggressive beings which in a way, were provoked to action. Action too is something not short of in the film, though one must be patient for that full scale, all out war that was done quite in the mold of Battle For Terra, leaving you without a doubt who to root for.

I don't suppose this film will make as much at the box office as Cameron's last even though it shared that similar romantic angle behind events that are of a higher magnitude. Instant classic this is not, but Avatar has its moments, primed for a sequel or even for an expanded television series, that could continue on its ecological message, its technical wizardry, or just plain old narrative familiarity that could put the spotlight on the other hastily added clans that made up the final stretch.

Singapore Launch of Amir Muhammad's Book Yasmin Ahmad's Films

Amir Muhammad @ Books Actually
The weather in Singapore of late hasn't been too kind, although I welcome the rain for the cool breeze it brings along. Tucked along the shophouses at Club Street near Telok Ayer, Books Actually, a quaint, independent book store, played host to Amir Muhammad and the Singapore Launch of his book Yasmin Ahmad's Films this afternoon in a cozy and intimate setup.

If you haven't been to Books Actually, the first-timer myself will urge you to get on down and have a look - you'll be amazed by its sheer collection squeezed into all three floors, a section with antique books, as well as countless of knick-knacks that fill the staircases and shelves. Your wandering eye will be kept extremely busy with the artifacts and decor, and that unmistakable smell of fresh books just waiting to be picked up.

I apologize to be slow on the trigger and had missed Amir's introduction to the session (and much of the talk about Rabun too!), but everything else is intact. Enjoy!


Part 1 of 3


Part 2 of 3


Part 3 of 3

My first impressions after reading half the book (I had to put the book down for dinner and to do up this entry while waiting for the videos above to load up in YouTube), is that it certainly has something for everyone, for fans of Yasmin's films, the virgins to her films (erm, what are you waiting for?!), and probably to researchers who need to sieve out some film details or behind-the-scenes bits that are perhaps less widely known unless you're a close friend or a keen observer from up close.

Amir's style in the book is extremely casual and conversational, and has plenty of personal anecdotes and nuggets of trivia on each of Yasmin's films told at times through wit and humour. It's also loaded with cultural explanations if you will, for those not familiar with life in this part of the world (or specifically Malaysia), to bring you up to speed with what one would probably not catch or realize. The importance and impact of Yasmin Ahmad's filmic contributions also get discussed as Amir presents them as they get highlighted through scenes from the film, so for those who have not seen any Yasmin's films, do watch them first, and come back to what Amir has discussed for that bit of enlightenment!

So excuse me while I continue to plough through the remaining half of this very enjoyable read that every Yasmin Ahmad film fan should get!

Other Related Links
Malaysian Launch of Yasmin Ahmad's Films
Amir Muhammad's blog
Yasmin Ahmad's Storyteller Blog
Yasmin Ahmad's Filmmaker Blog
and to friends from abroad, you can purchase the book from Amazon!

All the writer's royalties from the first edition will be donated to the MERCY - Yasmin Ahmad Fund for Children.

P.S. Local film buffs take note. Books Actually will also be the venue of the launch of the second edition of Latent Images: Film in Singapore by Professor Jan Uhde and Yvonne Ng Uhde. This will happen on 28 Dec at 730pm, so mark your calendars now!

Gomorrah

Kapow

A Cannes prize winner, the film weaves a complex look at the activities of the Camorra, a crime syndicate that had the book author Roberto Saviano put under police protective custody for his expose on their activities, which range from drugs to dealing in toxic wastes, and their extensive money laundering activities which the closing credits stated their involvement in financing the new World Trade Centre in New York.

It's a gritty, unflinching look at the crime activities a modern day Italian crime family undertakes day to day, and the community that it both supports, and taps from. From the get go we're thrust into an environment where the gun is the leveller in settling disputes, and disputes which we do not have much detail of, only that scores of hitmen get engaged to permanently dispatch enemies. The introductory scene in the artificial tanning room will make you sit up for its mindless violence.

Presented in an episodic form with the focus on a myriad of one-function characters, such as a boy making his rounds to delivery groceries to family members of those incarcerated. But amongst the characters, the ones to stand out, in my opinion, happen to be from the point of view of two teenagers (who adorn the posters), for that sheer attitude that they consider themselves a cut above the world, like frogs in the well thinking that the world is not limitless, and being youths, think they have plenty of opportunity ahead of time, and hence with a lot of time to waste. They mock at the crime lords, not knowing what's in it for them, with false bravado fueled only by the cache of arms which they stumble upon.

It's somewhat hilarious as well, given that they are fans of Scarface, and can recite lines and mimic Al Pacino's mannerisms from that movie, thinking that it is all there is to it should they want to survive in the underworld, coupled with the usual wounded pride and ego in wanting to challenge the established crime family. They do seem extremely clueless of the kind of trouble they're getting themselves into, especially when trouble comes looking for them at a time when they're most vulnerable. Caught with their pants down literally, and while comical, it just goes to show that patience is all that it takes in order to strike effectively.

Gamorrah is a very bleak film, devoid of much hope, and there are some scenes especially toward the end which could be quite disturbing and unsettling. But I guess violence begets more violence, and it's difficult to try and break out of the circle when you're essentially entrenched into the system.

Bodyguards and Assassins (Shi Yue Wei Cheng / 十月围城)

Friend or Foe?

I can't remember the last time I watched a film which dealt with a Dr Sun Yat-sen character, or one that was set on the verge of a major Manchu Qing Dynasty and the Revolutionary's clash of ideology and politics, with a fictionalized account of an historical milestone, with real life characters being thrust into a make-believe fantasy world of martial arts. Perhaps Tsui Hark's Once Upon a Time in China II came close, where Jet Li's Wong Fei Hong got involved with a proxy for Dr Sun, and went up against the evil Manchus led by Donnie Yen, who incidentally, is in this film as well as a mercenary.

In that film, emphasis was placed on the pocketwatch, and the significance of time, where it was a race to keep a secret ledger out of the Manchu's hands, which registers all the identities of the Revolutionaries in waiting. Here, the same motif gets played out again, with the time piece being the emphasis once more as the highlight is the second act of the film, which plays out in almost real time, an entire hour where a rag tag team of hastily assembled exponents have to protect Dr Sun, whom none of them have any inkling of his significance and the ideological plans that he has brought to Hong Kong, from a group of Manchu martial arts experts led by Chinese actor Hu Jun, who has of late been playing villainous roles.

And that 60 minute action extravaganza is one of the most exhilerating fight-fest that you're going to see coming from a Chinese film this year, where every individual battle sequence is uniquely crafted, with the multi-million dollar set production providing that extra dimension of a real brawl on open streets, from rooftop melees and trishaws as both an offensive and defensive weapon, to crowded five foot way parkour, right down to suave swordsman like moves as executed from an unrecognizable Leon Lai. It's only a pity though that to cater to a broad audience over here, some of the more violent bits had to be unceremoniously snipped. The trade off for this is well, there's some Cantonese that was able to make it through, although the Pan-Chinese production meant that Chinese was to be predominantly spoken (Simon Yam was dubbed throughout).

Minor complaints aside, it's 16 Blocks meets Seven Samurai, where Dr Sun's trishaw entourage scuttles through the streets of Hong Kong, playing it out like a video game where the Manchu assassins go up against boss after boss of different skills at various pit stops, with each exponent providing ample stand-off time for Dr Sun to make his escape, or to buy time for certain meetings to happen. It's a sacrificial of self for the greater good of the community at large, knowing the dangers involved, with the hopes of a new future pinned to the survival of one charismatic man.

This sense of danger gets wonderfully epitomized by Tony Leung's Revolutionary, and The Tycoon played by Wang Xueqi, who are the mastermind and one of the main sources of funding respectively, as they go about recruiting men for their cause. In fact, Wang Xueqi almost single-handedly made the first act watchable thanks to his gravitas and screen presence. His tycoon undergoes a period of awakening where inaction, or the thought of action through the simple, relatively pain-free means of finance, has to give way to some form of concrete action, and the father-son arc here remains one of the strongest amongst the narrative.

Interesting subplots get bandied around the first act, which provided ample time to allow some degree of characterization amongst the ensemble cast, such as Leon Lai's Beggar who is pining after a lost love in 2046 style (with Michelle Reis in that Maggie Cheung equivalent cameo), Nicholas Tse as the affable, simple-minded Richshaw Man who pledges loyalty to the Tycoon as his son (Wang Bo-Chien) and Donnie Yen as the mercenary Gambler whose ex-wife (Fan Bingbing) has moved on to become the concubine of the Tycoon, yet being thrown a request to protect the latter.

Speaking of Donnie Yen, his fight with Cung Le (Vietnam's world class fighter and martial artist) provided one of the major set action piece which unfortunately have all the best bits included in the trailer. To my untrained eye, Yen's fighting style here was quite MMA, and given the large cast and premise, didn't allow the spotlight to shine on him for too long, as the other best action sequence was kept under wraps and followed on after Yen's, which I shall not mention lest I ruin the surprise.

Part of the fun here is to identify the myriad of recognizable faces in bit roles, from Jacky Cheung to Eric Tsang being the toothless Chief of Police, and it goes to show that Chinese films continue to have that potential to spin an interesting yarn starring some of the best in the business now, while remaining both entertainment at its best, and somewhat thought provoking with its bravado talk on revolution (well, this is China, remember) to bring about sweeping change against corruption and oppression through democracy, with a fine balance struck between all-out action and heartfelt drama. A classic in the making most definitely!

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

Looking Back

Similar to Evening, this film examines the life and times of Pippa Lee, played by Robin Wright Penn in her current, older age, happily married to Herb (Alan Arkin) and spending their twilight years in a retirement village, where everything seems perfect with friends and family, but with a series of events that threaten to tear at the fabric of their relationship, one fearful of dying, while the other discovering that her sleepwalking may prove to actually be the least of her worries.

I suppose when one's retire, one will look back and reflect on the life that has so far past by, assessing if it was a life well led, or if there's any last ditch attempt to rectify and address issues before the time is up. For about half the film, the narrative takes a walk down memory lane, and as we know how a woman's heart holds plenty of secrets, so does Pippa's, now played by Blake Lively, watching her lead a life that's aimless, and how she finally found an avenue of attachment to someone older, who provided her with that rudder in life.

The film also touches for the large part on the role of mothers, with Pippa's tumultuous relationship with her mother, a woman reliant on a cocktail of drugs to get through life, and presented an entire series of bewildering emotions and mood swings through which Pippa grew up under. Maria Bello aces this role as the mother, who one minute can be laughing out loud, and the next could be crying her heart out. You can imagine the kind of negative influence she has on the impressionable Pippa, who ultimately in desperation, does what her mother does, only to find herself wanting out, and from there spiraling her life out of control. In the current narrative, it shifts from Pippa's relationship with her own children, how they brought her peace, though still not without the reconciliation that she seeks with her daughter (Zoe Kazan).

Written and directed by Rebecca Miller, part of the draw here is the ensemble casting, from the leads in Alan Arkin (again given some of the best lines here, with hair too to boot), and the bit roles played by Julianne Moore, Monica Bellucci, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves, a thirty-something ex-priest in the making now turned divorcee and working in a convenience store, with whom Pippa forms a strong, inexplicable bond with. While they may be bit roles, each play an important part in the formation of the Pippa character, especially Monica Bellucci as Herb's ex-wife, in a sequence that's quite shocking and unexpected, contributing to the key guilt factor that Pippa finds herself shouldering. Fans of Robin Wright Penn will undoubtedly applaud her turn in this dramatic role.

Then there's the mantra of how we think we know somebody, only for that someone to turn out to be not the person we thought they were. This proved to be a mold that's easily applied to each and every character here, where somewhat negative experiences transforms into one becoming jaded, or be filled with mistrust with people who we think are our friends, only to have betrayal stare right back in our faces.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee turned out to be less than the chick flick I thought it would be, and was quite the powerful drama it was, although I felt that it had room to flesh out more of Pippa's past, which seem to be rather quickly glossed over since it's a steep decline into a drug infused lifestyle. Still it's a decent dramatic film, so while awaiting the loud action blockbusters to reach our shores later this week, you might just want to bask in the calmness of this film instead.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Rebound Sucker

I have to admit that I was quite entertained with the first Twilight film, despite it being steeped in teenage puppy love, and breaking plenty of established rules about vampires, such as sunshine giving them a funky glow rather than turning them to ashes, or them being without fangs, so it's a good thing though that their thirst for blood was left intact. And well, being the completist that I am, I just have to continue with the franchise, and New Moon suffers from the usual middle-movie syndrome, inheriting and choosing to dwell on what its predecessor did without adding any significant meat, and yet not being the second last movie to have increased its pace and intrigue, if any to begin with.

Instead, New Moon are for Twilight fans who support the other hairy side, where hot boys run around half naked almost all the time to show off their toned bodies, driving female members in the audience into a gasping frenzy each time a shirt is taken off. Yes, Mr Metrosexual Vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) really pales in comparison (pardon the intentional pun) in the buffed body campaign, so thank goodness there wasn't much of a pissing competition between him and werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner, who was very close to being dropped).

Otherwise we''re where we left off, with the initial scenes recapping some of the issues the lovers Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward face with her being the tempting meat hanging around a pack of reformed vampires, and her incessant whining about wanting to belong to the immortals, because of her innate fear that Edward will leave her once she turns old and wrinkled. In a sudden about turn, Edward and family decide to leave her for her own good and protection, given the events from the first movie, they think it's for the best so that they do not implicate her, or rather, wanting to risk their own lives and limbs to save her from other vampires out for easy meat.

So yes, Edward dumps her in the most unceremonious of ways, and is quite the liar for continuing to appear to provide sound advice to stop her from taking risks, and basically from having a good time. Talk about selfishness. His retribution? Being as stupid as Romeo from Shakespeare's classic, a character whom he loathes, and frankly the third act of the film based on the same level of stupidity, having to fulfill his own suicidal tendency. Once dumped, our girl then spends the rest of the movie moping, whining, and being depressed, that she inadvertently leads Jake on, and quite timely too as he was on the verge of finding the other strutting half-naked boys too attractive to resist. The wolf got let out of the bag, and Bella learns of the secret of her best friend, along with plenty of rules and regulations governing the truce between vampires and werewolves.

If compared to the earlier film, New Moon is quite the bore, with the never ending indecisiveness of Bella. It's not that she doesn't know who she wants to end up with (no prizes for guessing she wants to remain youthful forever), but then the short term appeal of a hot bod bad boy may prove to be too hard (heh) to resist. Furthermore, on one hand you have a vampire who's such a new age metrosexual with a penchant for heavy foundation and lipstick, but on the other the tremendous power and rage of an angry were-man would potentially leave one physically scarred in any moment of insanity. So if you're a rational person, the choice is rather obvious, despite wolf-boy always wanting to hang around to play hero, being sworn to protect the human race from evil vampires. With great powers come great responsibility, we understand.

Set action sequences were severely limited in this installment, although they were designed for the wolves to spring into action. And these wolves are really huge, almost Ultraman sized as they hunt for their vampire prey in fast moving packs. Transformation from Man to Wolf is effortlessly done and happens in a blink of the eye with shirts and pants ripping into nothing, though you don't get to actually see the reverse happen, because this is a family friendly movie, and the filmmakers chose not to give young teenage girls too quick a start into the anatomy of our hairy friends. The vampire battle sequences here were also nothing to shout about, preferring to overuse slow motion because, well, they move fast.

In any case, this film is review-proof. Immediately when the end credits start to roll, I heard a few female voices around me proclaiming to want to watch this again. God knows this is their umpteenth time already! It ends with a cliffhanger, since the next film was shot back-to-back, and what a wonderful way to make you anticipate its release. I only hope for more sensible action given the introduction of Michael Sheen and Dakota Fanning's oh-so-powerful Volturi council characters reliant on tourism to bring in the bacon, rather than another ai-mai-ai-mai (want-don't want) tussle on the affairs of the heart. Make a decision people, like means like, so stick to it.

Don't Look Back (Ne Te Retourne Pas)

Who Am I?

Selected for competition in Cannes this year and the closing film at Singapore's French Film Festival, Don't Look Back is a rather straight-forward psychological drama starring two European actresses who would need no introduction in Monica Bellucci and Sophie Marceau playing the same role of Jeanne, or so it seems.

We're introduced to Sophie's version first, where she's attempting to write a novel after a series of successful non-fiction works, for the sole reason of revisiting her much forgotten, and likely repressed past. Despite her publisher's persuasion to abandon the idea because it's only to dig up some skeletons best left hidden, she forges forward and bit by bit discovers that she's starting to lose her mind, where furniture starts to be in places she no longer remembers, and family members start to look physically different, which of course is enough for anyone to freak out. And the icing of the cake, she morphs from French looking Sophie Marceau, to the Italian babe Monica Bellucci. Which is not a bad thing of course, considering one can morph into somebody less attractive or endowed even.

In the meantime, we're left to wonder if Jeanne (in whichever version) is starting to lose it, whether it could be an extreme and early onset of the Alzheimer's, as roads become unrecognizable, husbands become someone else, and scars disappear and reappear. It's an extreme case of severe identity crisis where one is thankful that it doesn't take the cop-out route and make everyone wake up from a bad nightmare.

It's an extremely well made psychological piece which explores the fear that comes with losing the things that we hold dear, and also the uncomfortable sense of being outside an established comfort zone, journeying into the big unknown, deducing what actually is happening, despite not knowing where to start, and the developing suspicion that everyone is in on the joke, except for yourself.

It's tough to compare who was the better Jeanne, because Sophie disappears for the most part from the second act onwards. Screen time shared by both actresses in the same frame is extremely limited as well, so we'd only get to savour one sold performance after another, turn-based. There's a proper explanation to everything that's happening, though one has to be patient in order to allow the narrative to reveal itself in due course. So meanwhile, accept what's presented, and try to piece together the jigsaw yourself.

The Princess and the Frog

Pucker Up!

The Princess and the Frog may have gotten off the wrong foot with certain quarters who decide to see this through a tainted, racial prism, but what this film actually did, was to reaffirm that old school animation still has its place amongst CG and 3D offerings, bolstered by an impressive storyline, which is always important if to entertain children and the kids who accompany them.

And Disney surely knows what it needed to do given its years of established experience to know what works, and what don't. Like most of its classics, it takes on a well known tell, and gives it its own Disney spin complete with a Happily Ever After. It's the same excellent spin applied on the frog prince who wants to be human again, and only so if kissed by a princess. The joke of course, is to have the princess turned into a frog, though no fault of her own because that's just what's needed to turn the classic on its head. We've had Disney-fied versions of tales from the little mermaid under the sea, to the Chinese Hua Mulan, and now, an ambitious African-American girl Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose) determined to fulfill her father's dream of opening her own restaurant.

Ron Clements who came up with this version of the story, deserves that pat on the back for its really wacky humour that got put into this tale, and the design of one of the most determined heroines in Disney's fold. Set in New Orleans, the first 20 minutes set the stage with its neat introduction and the back stories of every key character all spelled out, before mixing them up altogether to present that amphibious problem to solve, no thanks to a dash of black magic by Dr Facilier (Keith David) to turn a visiting Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos) into a frog, although still keeping his glib tongue intact.

And what is a Disney flick if it doesn't come with the requisite talking animals, and plenty of song and dance numbers? You'll be hard pressed not to like the firefly Ray (Jim Cummings) who pines after his Evangeline (a star by the way), or the Jazz crazy crocodile in Louis (Michael-Leon Wooley), whose only dream is to play with the humans, in front of a crowd, without scaring everyone away. But the one who steals the show each time she comes on, is that dumb blonde Charlotte (Jennifer Cody), the childhood friend of Tiana who grew up with that silver spoon in her mouth, where her demands no matter how ridiculous, will always get met. You cannot help but laugh at her naivety, and I suspect she just might get her own direct-to-dvd film soon enough.

The message of the story's quite clear too, for everyone to clearly distinguish between a need and a want, which for the characters, and ourselves in real life, sometimes struggle to identify. It's feel good, although I was quite surprised with certain darker elements in the characters' battle against the chief villain, which while violence is shown off screen, the effect it has on kids still reverberate quite strongly. Then again, it wrapped itself up very neatly and clearly, one of the better animated films out there this year, standing proud that it's done in classical 2D, Disney style, through and through.

Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year

Rush to Sell!

When I started to look at Bollywood films more seriously, it was at the time when Saarwariya was released, starring the rookie Ranbir Kapoor in the lead role as a man pining, and scheming to get the girl of his dreams. Then came films like Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008, and the acclaimed and successful Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani this year, propelling him to become one of the promising young actors who could take over the reins from the reigning, ageing Khans of Bollywood. And his latest film Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year, just cements his position as a front runner of emerging stars.

One cannot talk about the movie without first raving about his delivery of the role, where he disappears behind the heavy beard and turban, and plays not a romantic superhero, or an unbelievable all singing all dancing lead, but an everyday, average joe in Harpreet Singh Bedi whose mediocre grades (pass with grace marks, as the trailer puts it) spells out his destiny of hard work, supported only by an old, doting grandfather who has no qualms that his grandson can become a somebody in the world.

As with any graduate, Harpreet enters the work force full of idealism, if only to see that being shattered early on, together with his wide-eyed amazement of how the world actually works, with the greasing of palms to get appointments, insider information, and even the closing of deals. His foray into Sales, which once he would have thought was his calling with his slick ways of persuasion and negotiation, was to turn into a nightmare given his uncompromising stance on integrity and principles.

I suppose in the world of business, you can either make your millions through corrupt means, or with solid work ethics. In some ways the film, written by Jaideep Sahni, serves as a critique that old and corrupt ways of current (Indian) society can be changed, and everyone will likely be in a better position through fair competition and an even playing field. Business ethics based on sound values of customer service, and non-exploitative profits could be working business models, as opposed to one with deeply seeped corruption across all levels.

There's also the focus on the ethics of the workforce, where rookies are belittled, and those who make mistakes ostracized without remorse. The first half of the film, with Harpreet Singh joining the firm "At Your Service", a computer assembly company, sees a myriad of caricatures in a typical office environment which piles on the laughter. Rocket Singh is not a one man show, and the ensemble here, though at times cardboard, do present enough avenues for laughs, with the emphasis on teaming and the leverage of one another's strengths to achieve results. After all, there is unity and diversity in strength, where people count and shouldn't be just treated as digits.

And on Harpreet's side are carefully recruited partners from within the AYS firm to form a renegade competitor Rocket Sales Corporation from right under the nose of AYS Managing Director, Mr Puri. Rounding up the supporting cast are Mukest Bhatt as the tea-man Chotelal Mishra, Gauhar Khan as the multi-tasking and under-appreciated receptionist, Naveen Kaushik as the slimy sales manager Nithin, and D. Santosh as Giri the computer genius with a penchant for scantily-clad pictures of women on the internet, and almost steals every scene with some of the most hilarious lines and antics.

The film has an effective, delicate balance between comedy, drama and being a social critique from within the confines of the office eco-system, and there's always that sense of immense danger once Harpreet's plans kick starts itself into action, given that there's an angle of fraud and the abuse of company resources in going about doing his own thing, and not to mention being in direct competition with the company and the director he loathes. You know two wrongs don't make one right, and each slip up they make comes with it the threat of being found out, especially when business for RSC starts to boom.

Rocket Singh also departs from the usual Bollywood masala formula, and there's no musical song-and-dance interludes to detract you from its very pacey narrative that makes this quite the definitive film for those in the sales line. One will probably chuckle at how sales folks tend to over-promise and under-deliver (or at least it's left to the service folks to fulfill), and contains many real world elements and treatment that you'll come to expect from the profession. Definitely one of the best I've seen this year, and it's no doubt highly recommended!

Planet 51

Follow My Footsteps

The trailer was funny enough, with an astronaut so full of himself thinking that his planetary visit was an open and shut case, only to discover that it's inhabited and he's the alien in the truest sense of the word, like a fish out of water trying to make his way home lest he becomes an experimental subject.

And the aliens, well, are just like us, with plot conveniences such as having the same mixture of atmospheric gases like Earth's, and hey, the green things with four fingers on each hand speak English too! They're city folks with a penchant for 50s musical oldies (that pepper the soundtrack), with a whole host of modern day, earth-like references all over the place in a desperate attempt at being recognized for being smarty-pants. Unfortunately though it tries too hard to be funny at every turn, and it only brought about the occasional mirth.

It's about time that filmmakers realize that pumping a film with too many references for its own good, is something of a tired formula. You'd wonder when such references will seize, to allow a good story to shine. Planet 51 suffers from too much wink-wink moments, complete with blatant rip offs that bring too much attention to themselves. One look at the pet named Ripley and resembling like a Xeroxed replica of an Alien complete with acidic pee, you're likely to roll your eyes. Or how about that robot probe that functions and looks like R2D2/WallE and comes without dialogues but plenty of whirrs and beeps while going about doing cutesy stuff?

Despite a relatively A-list voice cast with the likes of Dwayne Johnson (who doesn't sound like the real deal if you ask me), Justin Long, Gary Oldman, John Cleese, Jessica Biel and Seann William Scott, Planet 51 felt like a Frankenstein monster, stitched together from ideas of other films, and plastered together forcefully to try and make the narrative work. Characters too are a little boring and one-dimensional, with little heart.

Bottom line is, CG graphics and copycat characters don't make an animated film entertaining. A sincere story does and this one is found lacking, and too talky too for kids to enjoy, in my opinion.

A Perfect Getaway

Duck!

This is one of those films which the trailer tells too much, so much so that I was quite certain who the mystery killer couple was amongst the three featured, and proven right. I think I'll steer clear of trailers for a while, since the better ones will keep your interest piqued, but the poorly made ones tend to spell everything out.

A Perfect Getaway proved to be quite a well made whodunnit thriller, where we follow a couple, Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Milla Jovovich) on their honeymoon to Hawaii, only to learn that there's a serial killer couple on the loose where they are. Bumping into other couples Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez), and the creepy hippies Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton) only provides that extra element of guesswork as to just who amongst them could coincidentally be those on the police wanted list, and sadly the way the trailer was constructed, laid it all out transparently.

So I'll just talk about the couples instead. Written and directed by David Twohy, Zahn and Jovovich behave like your common newlyweds who are up for just about any adventure, and despite bumping into nasties, almost always try to make the best out of their situation. Having Zahn's Cliff as a scriptwriter also allowed the film to have its fair share of movie references, which would appeal to any film fan especially when Timothy Olyphant's Nick starts chatting up and contributing story ideas, the most telling and ironic being the discussion on red herrings.

But it is the characters of Nick and Gina that are the most fleshed out and the most interesting of the lot, the former being an ex-clandestine operative whose cool looks could just kill, and Twohy's story has enough moments to showcase just how deadly this Man can be, especially when there are continuous praises by girlfriend Gina on just how indestructible he actually is. Gina herself is no pushover, being a butcher skilled at carving meat out for dinners.

And when so much focus is placed on these two couples, unfortunately Kale and Cleo got somewhat relegated to support roles only. Much as I would hope they had enough screen time to balance things up and to become ample suspects as well, somehow Twohy probably ran out of steam to fill these two characters up with as much back story as the others.

It's these relationship dynamics, of secrets and details shared between themselves, and between couples, that set things up for the big reveal, and thereafter some excellently crafted action sequence set on primal survival instincts, with enough gory moments that don't go over the top or done for the sake of. Watching with perfect hindsight, the secrets here were beautifully masked, with suggestions made at ample time so that the keen eyed viewer would at once know that there's more to things than meets the eye. Frankly if one was as situationally aware as the Nick character, you'll see through the charades soon enough.

Recommended.

The Storm Warriors (Fung Wan II / 風雲Ⅱ)

Poseurs

It has been a long wait, but better late than never. When the first Storm Rider film was released I remembered it caused a stir, for its relatively seamless combination of special effects and martial arts, and for its departure from the established mythos by creator Ma Wing-Shing. Then there is the casting, with popular idols Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng in the leading roles, overshadowed by the magnificently charismatic Sonny Chiba! That was some 11 years ago, and given its box office success, a sequel was thought to be expected and imminent, with big name stars like Andy Lau even thrown into the hat at one time as Nameless, but alas the project got stuck in development hell.

It was during an interview session for movieXclusive.com that my friends and I had the opportunity to meet up with Ekin Cheng, and toward the end of the interview he had revealed to us quite candidly that the next Feng Yun film would be made soon, which was why he's keeping his locks after a bald turn in the television serial Huo Yuanjia. We thought he was kidding, or we had heard it wrong, but here we are now, with the Pang Brothers taking over the helm from Andrew Lau, and no, there's no Andy Lau, but long-time-no-see Kenny Ho taking over the role of a pugilist master.

While the Pang Brothers are famous for their horror-suspense-thrillers, they had brought with them those sensibilities honed over the years and tweaked them for this sequel. Gone are colours from the first film, and in comes grittier shades, complete with plenty of metallic clang courtesy of heavy armors, and cloudy shadows possessing powers of sword energy. The story here is pretty straight-forward and had dove straight into the thick of things, with the first film having established the background of the key duo already, and here we see a more mature take probably taking place years where the earlier film had left off.

To get there though, we have to read a lengthy prologue, where Lord Godless (Simon Yam) and son (Nicholas Tse) had invaded China and are seeking the fabled Dragon Spinal Cord (or at least it looked like one to me). They magically managed to capture most of China's top pugilists including Nameless and Cloud, and basically presented a scene to demonstrate just how badass the Godless father and son team can be, which translates to an opportunity to showcase how advanced the special effects have evolved in the Chinese martial arts arena.

Danny and Oxide Pang managed to retain signature key elements from the first film, such as the CG generated, fantastical backdrops in which our heroes do battle in, and little things like the animated opening credits scene. The fights though was a mixed bag, some brilliantly executed though falling for the slow-motion fad, while others succumbed to too quick a cut and too close an angle to make out what's going on between the sparring partners.

Those familiar with the mythos would welcome both Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng back into their roles of Cloud and Wind respectively, and frankly I couldn't fathom how anyone else could have stepped into these roles. Simon Yam as Lord Godless unfortunately didn't bring to the table the kind of charisma that Sonny Chiba had, and struggled to fill those shoes, made worst by a very poor characterisation of what's ultimately a weak villain, though one would expect that the combination of Wind and Cloud would render all their enemies powerless against their sheer combined destructive force.

The story here took a chunk out of the fact that Wind turned evil at one point, and thus that actually became the crux of the story, although I felt this was more of a Cloud story than a Wind one because the scenes in which one had over the other, was rather obvious, with screen time significantly devoted to training montages, and rescue missions, versus Wind turning into an incredible hulk through an immersion in evil waters (yes, seriously, he just stepped into a wading pool, and voila!)

So story aside, watch this for some of the mind-boggling action sequences between Wind and Cloud which the trailers had included, and had almost the last 30 minutes solely focusing on some massive action sequences that didn't seem to want to end. One of my favourites was the Battle of the Minds sequence, where no self-respecting martial arts film can find itself shying away from using tonnes of water, though Storm Warriors had a legitimate reason to (with rain the aftermath of a wind-cloud combination). If there's a fight scene that stood out, this was it, other than Nameless Vs Lord Godless which left you wanting for more right from the start.

Alas this film is but half a movie, ending with a literal cliffhanger. But if all bodes well, we should see the next Feng Yun film hit the screens sooner than the 11 year wait that we have been subjected to. It's true about the limited dialogue here (some of which were quite hilariously nonsensical, such as the naming of sword strokes), but hey, one comes with the expectation of a flashy, style over substance sequel, and it duly delivered.

Couples Retreat

I'll Give You Private Lessons For Free

I would have expected a riot of a time given what's in the trailers, but what turned out was plenty of bore, with a story that went way off its potential, having mediocrity stamped all over the film no thanks to the lacklustre narrative written by Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn and Dana Fox, who all seemed more eager to insert smarty one liners whenever they can, rather than to focus on the predicament of the four couples featured in a paradise island.

It's irritating to find that in comedies especially, narratives sometimes get pretty much chopped up due to ad-libbing, NGs, or just for the plain insertion of a funny line that became too difficult to replicate for another shot. Here, this disconnect gets very much pronounced because of how little it tells of one couple's backstory, relying on the audience's memory of what was shown in the trailer to fill in the gap. Call it lazy or slip shoddy presentation, but it was a sign of bad things to come.

The couple in question here is Jon Favreau's horny Joey and Kristin Davis' sexually charged Lucy, who have the hots for everyone else but each other, sticking together for the sake of their daughter until she's old enough to move out, then they can separate to support their respective gallivanting ways. Then there's heavyweight Shane (Faizon Love), a divorcee who recently got hooked up with 20 year old Trudy (Kali Hawk). Vince Vaughn's Dave and Malin Akerman's Ronnie seem like the perfect wedded couple with their nice little family, and being the informal leader of the group of friends, and to round things up, Jason Bateman's control freak Jason and wife Cynthia (Kristen Bell) who are on the verge of a breakup due to their inability to conceive, until a foursome package was signed up to bring everyone to Eden West, a paradise island for adult couple therapy.

But to get to the island, we got to get through, like the therapy sessions in the film, the boring bits to establish each and every character and key relationships, before a hokey powerpoint presentation and some arm twisting managed to finally shift gears and get the characters to where they should be. Unfortunately though, it only got worse, as the laughs dried up very fast, giving way to some very tedious moments of relationship theories being forced down your throat. I suppose couples whose relationships are on the rocks may benefit from some of the ideas bounced about, but to everyone else, we, like the characters, want to get to the fun parts, fast.

Which didn't materialize, and ended up becoming like a series of disparate scenes and incidents being stitched together in a day to day itinerary. One would suspect that plenty of material got saved for a DVD deleted scenes or ultimate uncut version, which makes this theatrical release not so cool, not to mention the final act being totally predictable, and very draggy in getting each couple to their expected resolutions. One also wonders how Jean Reno got himself involved with a dud like this, playing Marcel the founder of the radical therapy programme, if only to build up his resume for not too funny comedic films such as the Pink Panther series.

The only truly funniest moment would be the entire yoga sequence with Carlos Ponce as the instructor Salvadore, who comes with chiseled body and a very large package. Filled completely with full on physical sexual innuendos, it's vulgar and crude, yet extremely funny to watch how disgusted and intrigued the different characters felt as his touchy-feely approach. Nothing else stood out, nd Faizon Love faded out for the most of the film once they've reached the resort, leaving the focus firmly on the other three characters. What more, A.R. Rahman was credited to providing the movie music here, but try as hard as I can, I didn't catch anything that was remotely memorable in the soundtrack.

Couples Retreat comes with the standard messages of treasuring your loved ones, not taking them for granted and to always continue finding that romantic spark to spice up the relationship, but other than that, it's a tired comedy that has to be injected with cleverer ideas other than the usual frat boy sex jokes.

Zombieland

Picking Me Some Zombies

Note to self: Lose weight and start working on that cardio program!

Should recent apocalyptic films be believed, one of these days we're going to be hit with a virus out of the blue, either engineered or a force sent by Nature, that we're going to turn into angry blood-lusting zombies eager to munch on our fellow man, and woman. And should that day arrive, like in 28 Days/Weeks Later, the Resident Evil franchise, and now Zombieland, working out will become too late too soon, since these new aged zombies sprint with full force compared to George A. Romero's lumbering undead.

In fact, Zombieland could spawn a franchise of its own too, since it has solid back stories established for each of its main characters - the geeky Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), redneck ace zombie killer Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), and con-sisters Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) who together just seem to be always one step ahead of the boys, thanks to the advantage of gender and some major trust issues, which in any zombie flick you'll know come into play since one can be expected to off a close one in the event that they turn, for self-preservation reasons naturally.

Narrated by Columbus, do remember to look for this film from the video store (or your home video library which I will urge you to get) should things outside start to suggest the onset of something ugly. Things like when your wildest fantasy, or Columbus' with that hot chick neighbour from apartment number 406 (Amber Heard, whom all the boys love) start knocking at your door from out of the blue. Contained within this film are 32 rules - OK, so most didn't make it to the final cut but the important ones definitely did - to surviving a zombie onslaught, #1 of which is Cardio (note to self again).

Director Ruben Fleischer plays it fast and loose, with plenty of sight gags to boot, especially when reminding us all, like an instructional video, on all the positive examples from Columbus' rulebook, complete with an animated take of the rules themselves. And the relatively short runtime of coming under 90 minutes just makes you beg, yeah beg, for more, which of course is a good thing.

The casting here's something to die for as well, with Woody Harrelson heading up the motley crew as the cool as a cucumber zombie executioner with a sensitive heart, continuing his comedic turn in recent years and from his last big budgeted action film 2012. Jeese Eisenberg's relatively new, but plays the formula geek down to a subtle pat. I haven't really seen Emma Stone as a tough-as-nails cookie, so here's one for the road, and Abigail Breslin might just have taken on her first action-movie role aside from her usual dramatic ones.

It's been a long time since I experienced that much fun from a film, so I'll go ahead and rate this as highly recommended and a firm contender for one of the top films of this year. Last I heard a sequel's coming up too!

[In Flight] Where the Truth Lies (Itaewon Salinsageon / 이태원 살인사건)

Suspect

Based on the true story of a murder that took place at a fast food outlet in Itaewon, Seoul back in the year 1997, Where The Truth Lies follows in the footsteps of Korean crime thrillers like The Chaser and Memories of Murder, both excellent true-crime films in their own right, and anchors itself as a contemporary peer comparable to the edginess that both films brought to the table, and holding its own against others that the likes of David Fincher can turn out, such as Zodiac.

Presenting itself at times like a documentary, the film also serves, like the others mentioned, as a critique on the state of justice in the country, the challenges and inadequacies faced not from the cops this time round, but from the office of the public prosecutor Park (Jeong Jin-yeong), surrounded by staff who are none too competent, and always very eager to take the short cut in closing the case soonest possible. In an investigation I'd gather it's always prudent to check everything, and not just lap up what's being presented on the silver platter if it comes on one.

Director Hong Ki-seon gives us the Rashomon treatment, in having the prime suspects to the gruesome, senseless crime, pit themselves against each other, leaving little room as well for the Prosecutor to manuver. We have Pearson (Jang Geun-seok), whose ownership of the murder weapon puts him as a suspect, but then his finger is firmly pointed on buddy Alex (Shin Seung-hwan), whose finger is correspondingly pointed in the opposite direction back at Pearson. In presenting both sides of the argument, anyone who has done investigations will know that one man's words against the other is extremely difficult to break down, especially when both seem to be seasoned liars, and are too smart to say anything more that would incriminate the other or themselves. The lack of any other evidence also compounds the difficulties, especially when eyewitnesses are friends of the accused who don't bat an eyelid to change their statements in the courtroom.

The frustration of constantly hitting the brick wall, for Prosecutor Park as well as the audience, will prove to be what makes this film all the more riveting. On one hand you're led to believe one over the other, but on the other hand, the arguments on the other side seem all the more appealing. It's extremely difficult trying to figure out who's guilty and who's not, and the acting by both Jang Geun-seok and Shin Seung-hwan as the accused were superbly delivered to present this exact dilemma. To throw in my two cents worth, I do have my theories, but they remain just that, in the light of further accounts that were probabl, and deliberately, not made known in the narrative.

Fans of true crime stories will definitely not want to miss this, and the outcome is something quite heart-wrenching, especially when you realize that the system is out there to be manipulated by those able to, either with money, or a very determined lawyer.

[In Flight] Quick Gun Murugun

Mind It!

His name is Quick Gun Murugun, mind it! And I think the passengers around me would have thought I was mad enough to watch an Indian film, and an Indian cowboy one at that, laughing out loud in almost every scene which I can't help to because it's just so funny.

I mean, face it, here's probably the only Indian vegetarian Cowboy hero whose main objective in life is to take care of the cows (well, at least that's what cowboys do he believes), as well as being the guardian of the sacred animal of course. Armed with no more than two 6-shooters and a fancy gunplay technique, Quick Gun Murugun (Dr Rajandra Prasad) protects the meek from meat-eating gangsters such as Rice Plate Reddy (Nasser) who has megalomaniac plans to rid the world of vegetarianism!

Sounds dastardly, but not if our hero can help it, while juggling with his relationship woes with Locket Lover (Anu Menon) who resides in, well, his locket! For all the garish colours in his outfit of choice, the villains he goes up against is just as colourful, with names such as Gun Powder (Shanmughraja) and Rowdy MBA (Raju Sundaram), each with their own comical quirks that fans of Indian cinema would come to appreciate, and chuckle at. And despite our hero possessing some great skill with his pistols (head shots only, no less), he comes with an inherent weakness, and that's the number of bullets his pistols can store, before getting soundly beaten.

It's actually two films in one, with a time travelling and supernatural elements brought in for good measure, and more laughter. In present day Mumbai, he continues to seek out his arch enemy Rice Plate, who has gone on to start McDosa, a fast food chain bent on making Dosa from meat thanks to the recipe of Dr Django (Ashwin Mushran). And while waiting for more gunslinging action, there's another romantic subplot thrown in which involved Rice Plate's current moll Mango Dolly (Rambha), and how Quick Gun's now a fish out of water,

If you find the plot quite ridiculous, it actually is! And everything is just so hammed up, from the saturated colours, acting and dialogue, that it's actually incredibly smart in knowing when to hit the right notes, making you do double takes at just about every scene. Sight gags are galore too, and I reckon with every re-watch you'll find something new to laugh at, either from signages in some corner, or by the dialogue which come in healthy doses of Inglish.

If you're game for some irreverent comedy and one that has plenty of gags, then watch Quick Gun Murugun, which I endorse, I say!

5th Asian Festival of 1st Films - Results

Double Happiness for Looking For Anne, as it scores a first for Japan at the AFFF with dual awards for Best Film and Best Director (Takako Miyahira).

For Real (India) bags 4 awards for Best Screenplay (Sona Jain) which Land Gold Woman (Avantika Hari, Vivek Agrawal) also shared, Best Producer (Sona Jain), Best Actor (Sriharsh Sharma Churai) and Best Actress (Zoya S. Hasan).

Documentary, Superman of Malegaon (India) sweeps Best Documentary, Best Director for Documentary (Faiza Ahmad Khan) and Best Cinematographer/Editor (Shweta Venkat).

Happy Holidays

Friends

Santa is making his list…are you? Independent film lovers are unwrapping the thoughtful and timely movie entitled HAPPY HOLIDAYS, and director/producer James Ferguson hopes that his cinematic gift ends up on your list of holiday viewing recommendations as well.

After entertaining audiences at the 2007 Woods Hole Film Festival, the 2007 SNOB Film Festival and the 2008 All American Film Festival, HAPPY HOLIDAYS is now available in home theaters worldwide. When the weather outside is frightful (or sunny and 72 degrees Fahrenheit, for that matter) HAPPY HOLIDAYS can be downloaded directly from happyholidaysthemovie.com as well as the web services run by iTunes, IndiePix and EyeSoda. The film can also be viewed via DVD purchases from happyholidaysthemovie.com, Indieflix, IndiePix, or via DVD rental from CinemaNow.

You can read my review of Happy Holidays here.

[DVD Release] Paper Heart

PAPER HEART, starring Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up) and Michael Cera (Juno, Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, and Superbad), will available on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, December 1st 2009, which is today.

A story about love that takes on a life of its own, PAPER HEART is directed by Nicholas Jasenovec and co-written by Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi, who won the 2009 Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival. SRP is $29.98 for the DVD and $39.98 for the Blu-ray edition.

The PAPER HEART DVD and Blu-ray™ bonus features include Paper Heart Uncut; “The Making of Paper Heart”; live musical performances by Charlyne Yi; “Heaven” music video by Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera; love interviews with the comedians; and deleted scenes.