A Nutshell Review
Originally Posted On: 4 Dec 2003
a sharp sting was felt at my stomach. Before I knew it, blood splurted forcefully outwards, and I slumped to the ground... but of course I lived to post this article, obviously.
Welcome to MovieWorld 2003 Singapore, at Suntec City Hall 601.
Eric and myself were all set and ready to have a good time, but sadly, we were a bit disappointed by the setup of the exhibition.
Perhaps it's because we visited it on a weekday. Perhaps it's because there wasn't a lot of exhibitors. Perhaps it's because it was in the morning. Perhaps it was a lack of publicity. Probably a combination of all the above.
The exhibition hall was decked out with fibreglass models of Blues Brothers, Marilyn Monroe (in Seven Year Itch, complete with fan and the base to blow up the dress), Frankenstein, Dracula, Wyatt Earp, etc. You get the idea.
The lack of exhibitors (relevant ones... I mean, what's an intelligent building/room contractor doing there?) meant that we completed visiting each and every booth in less than 25 minutes.
We overheard an Indonesian telling some exhibitors, "I saw the ad in the local papers, was interested, flew here, and... and... that's it?"
However, the real fun kicked in when the Stunt Show started at noon. Guns, Stunts, Wire-Work Kung-fu Ninjas, the works. Various guns were fired (not at the audience), Fights with bottles smashed on heads, people being thrown around the floor and tables broken with glee, and throw in a cameo car crash for good measure. It was wicked fun watching all the stunt people performing in this show, save for that pesky bawling kid who can't stand violence. Grow up.
As Eric knew one of the stunt people, we were given an up close and personal look at how the entire show was rigged, from the explosives to the props used. The audience was also invited to have the (obviously prop) bottle smashed on themselves, or smash it against the stuntperson, and to have a go at the wire-work. (Eh Eric, they had like what, 10 persons to hoist you up? :P)
You can also volunteer yourself to be strapped to a small blood pack, and being shot at from 5 metres out. The guns are real, mind you, except that blanks, good timing and acting are used to bring out the movie magic of someone being shot. I volunteered for this one, and a small blood pack was strapped beneath the souvenir (freebie!) T-Shirt, at my chosen spot for it to spurt.
Some last words were said, and was told by the rigger (yeah, i was wired up, did I mention there was a small explosive in the blood pack too?) that if I wanna act and fall, to fall to the side. (I couldn't fall backwards as the "denotator" was placed above my butt, and falling forward will mean lotsa blood splashing all over my shirt). It was over in a flash, but the slight sting was still felt where the blood pack exploded (*ow?*)
Other "performances" included a mock-up film studio and a behind-the-scenes look at how a film scene is done, with audience participation. Animatronics (we missed this one) was also showcased, so is Animation, and movie make-up.
All in all, it was decent fun. If you would like to go, here are the details:
Movieworld 2003
Suntec City Hall 601
10am to 8pm daily (First set of perfomances will start from noon to about 2pm, the next set from 3pm onwards, so time your visit as the exhibition viewing will take you no more than 1 hour)
$6 will get you in (valid for the whole day)
Stefan
Still admiring my bullet hole blood soaked T-shirt
