31st Hong Kong International Film Festival

If you're wondering why the unusual lack of updates here, well, my friends and I will be attending the event above and have been busy with preparations. What's more, we'll be departing Singapore for Hong Kong on 17th March at 0640hrs - Man, that's early!

The Hong Kong International Film Festival runs from 20th of March to 11th of April. The HKIFF this year spans 3 weeks instead of the usual 2. Unfortunately, Team movieXclusive.com will be flying back on the 1st of April (no, that's not an April Fool's Joke) because of budgetary reasons. But fret not! We'll be bringing you the updates from almost every (if not all) press conference, loads of movie reviews, pictures from the red carpets and cool videos. Perhaps an interview or two, and the latest on the Asian Film Awards if we're lucky too!

Stay tuned to this page or the one above for more exclusive scoops, so bookmark it right now! Experience the HKIFF with movieXclusive.com!

P.S. If you're somewhere in Hong Kong, give me a shout out ok?

Cages

Listen

I've heard about the Cages project for some time, having read about its travels to festivals abroad, earning commendable reviews, and it's not difficult to understand why.

With Cages, the definition of a "Singapore film" struck me a little - how do you classify or qualify one? Does it have to be directed by a local, or so long as it gets set in Singapore? Does an international cast help in boosting recognition, or must it be strictly acted by local talents? In fact, I thought it doesn't really matter. Cages is written and directed by American Graham Streeter, and features a mixed cast of local and prominent faces from abroad. Perhaps it is this mix that allowed for unique ideas to be blended, like One Last Dance earlier this year, resulting in that special mix incorporated into a truly international "local" movie. And perhaps, these served as its strengths.

One of the first things about the movie that you'll inevitably agree upon, is that the cinematography by Mark Lapwood is brilliant. It brought about a romanticized look to our sunny little island, similar to another local movie from last year - Gloria Chee's Smell of Rain. Be it indoor, or outdoor shots, the dim insides of a shophouse or the congregation of bird lovers in purpose built parks, it's quite surreal and strikingly beautiful to look at, causing you to do a double take wondering where in Singapore it's shot at, though at times the narrative did make it seem like one of those snazzy tourism board commercials.

Cages tells the story of a single mother, Ali (Tan Kheng Hua) and her blind son Jonah (newcomer Dickson Tan). Having unable to hold down relationships, theirs is a frequent shifting of accommodation, depending on Ali's lover of the moment, and circumstances led her to her father's place, going there much against her wishes, but without any other choice. We then begin to enter the lives of the three. Tan, the father, played by the late Makoto Iwamatsu, seemed to have let Ali and her mother down, having walked out when she was young. Ali, reluctant to reconcile and unable to forgive. And Jonah, sheltered because of his inability, and now given the opportunity to come out of his shell, and to possibly heal long suffering rifts.

To some, it might be difficult to sit through the story as the pace is deliberately measured. It had a distinct feel of an American indie movie about dysfunctional families, and felt obligated at times to include cursory characters to highlight Singapore's multi-racial society. Nonetheless, in weaving its tale of hope and forgiveness, it did so against an interesting backdrop, taken from a rarely seen and fading subculture of bird rearing, and bird song-singing appreciation. A popular pastime amongst the older generation, this film earns its "local stripes" of merit for capturing this aspect of society, in its buildup to the fictitious Ang Mo Kio Songbird Championship, before it's soon to be forgotten.

The performance of the cast is nothing short of excellent, though there are some momentary lapses into over dramatising their characters. Makoto Iwamatsu was perhaps the best performer amongst the cast, layering his Tan with more than meets the eye, from caring, pained parent, to a man with skeletons hidden firmly in his closet. Tan Kheng Hua, more familiar with local audiences in her Margaret role in one of Singapore's longest running sitcom Phua Chu Kang, allows the same audience not familiar with her stage work, to be exposed to the more dramatic aspects of her craft, through this movie. Newcomer Dickson Tan makes his debut similar to Theresa Chan's role Eric Khoo's in Be With Me, being the narrator, as well as the catalyst who bridges the gap between broken people, disability notwithstanding.

But to those who are apprehensive about watching a serious dramatic movie, Zelda Rubinstein is at hand as a supporting role as Liz, who provides ample and well timed comic relief, though leaning towards dark humour, and relying plenty on her wit. If there should be any complaint of sorts, it'll be the moment of revelation, which came across as a little too contrived, and because local audiences would, I believe, be distracted by the sudden changes in locale and backgrounds, making the shouting match much less impactful.

Cages opens next Thursday at the theatres. Visually stunning, with a subculture brought to life as a backdrop to a story on hope, healing and forgiveness.

[DVD] United 93 (2006)

There have been movies about that dark day in history that will always be remembered for the almost movie-like feel to the tragedy that unfolded in the eyes of many, through the news channels on their television sets. One of the earliest films set around the events of Sept 11 2001 was Spike Lee's 25th Hour, though it had nothing directly involving the events, but I remembered it having one scene in which Edward Norton's character was looking down at the WTC site from inside a room. Last year had 2 movies directly depicting the events, one from Oliver Stone with his World Trade Center, and the other, United 93 which didn't make it to the local screens.

Much of what actually transpired were based on the Commission report, and from what happened that day in the various control centers, as well as calls made to family members. It's played out as it is, never to finger point any particular one group in the blame game of who could have done something, or not. You'd come to appreciate that certain things which happened, like the military exercise, was just as it is, and whether it could have helped prevented or done something to the unfortunate, will always remain unanswered. And with the numerous agencies, hierarchies and levels that exist in problem escalation, it is indeed a fight with time to ascertain facts and to dispel hearsay and rumours. Especially during crises where information getting through the noise is difficult, and decisions need to be made on clear, concise facts. What's more, everyone's dealing with an unprecedented event with no reference of any kind to rely on.

Casting virtually unknowns, director Paul Greengrass has crafted a tale which he says is a believable truth. Nobody knows for sure what had happened during United 93's final flight, and the events that led to the crash in Pennsylvania. But one thing's for sure, the passengers and crew fought back, and in doing so, self-sacrificed heroic to save many more lives down on the ground, should the plane hit another monument, or went down in a populated city area.

If anything, United 93 is a salute to the brave men and women onboard the flight, It doesn't glamourise and neither is it quick to condemn, It played out the event as best as it could using whatever information can be gleaned from public domain as well as private details from family, and it ends where it should, without being overtly sentimental, or sounding the patriotic bugle.

This is a movie that one should watch, and watch with the director's commentary turned on as Greengrass offered more than just a scene by scene description, discussing everything from pre-production preparation work, details on why certain scenes were shot the way they were, and plenty of nuggets of information from both the events of the day, as well as the production details.

The menus of the Code 3 DVD from Universal are quite nicely designed, drawing inspiration from a typical radar screen for the menu's fonts and background. Visual transfer is crisp, and you can choose between a 2.0 or 5.1 surround sound in various languages supported - English, Japanese and Thai. You have a host of subtitles available besides those already mentioned, in Korean, Indonesian and Mandarin. Perhaps one of the irritants on the disc is the Anti-Piracy campaign ad, which you cannot skip or fast forward, as it plays at the beginning after you make your language of choice selection.

Besides the scene selection capability, the other extras put here include a 60 minute documentary titled United 93: The Families and The Film, as well as a series of Memorial Pages of the 40 passengers and crew on board the flight. Containing their biographies, it is an intense read into their lives, spanning multiple pages, but the navigation could have been improved to allow the user to go back to the sub-menu, or to continue on to the next biography, rather than having the user click all the way back, or to return to the main menu.

The only documentary included, United 93: The Families and The Film is moving and touching, as you get introduced to the families of the victims of that flight, and how the actors playing their respective family members got to meet them, and find out more about how the actual persons were like, from their family, relatives and friends. It's not easy to obtain the permission from all the direct families, and to see them come together for a special screening, it was a kind of closure for them, in certain sense. This documentary runs almost 60 minutes.

Man of the Year

I'm Jefferson!

Imagine the likes of popular talk show hosts becoming the most powerful man on Earth. What do you think of the Lettermans and the Renos taking over the Oval Office? Will their humour and mass appeal pull in the votes, and give them enough to win? Or will they be in the mix solely for entertainment value, unable to put on the table serious issues that the fate of the country depends on?

There was a line used in the movie, which I thought was so true. The "perception of legitimacy is more important than legitimacy itself". Like giving hope when you know things are rigged (which in my opinion, every lottery is), that statement forms the crux in the story, and brings to mind whistle blowing events in recent history, and the effort taken to silence critics and detractors. Nothing reeks more than dirty politics, where it seems like the only way to play the game, and having no place for an honest man.

Written and directed by Barry Levinson, the story is layered somewhat with some exploration into dirty corporations and ethics, or the lack thereof, and looks at the current political system in the US (though the thoughts shared could be modified for almost every democratic election campaign), that candidates chalk up huge campaign funds, and where does the money come from? The supporters of course, those who can contribute, and the unsaid word being some expected favours should be returned when the horse they back crosses the finishing line in first place.

I'm a fan of Robin Williams, so Man of the Year was a no-brainer must watch for me. However, Williams did seem to be quite restrained in the introduction, where as political talk show host Tom Dobbs, he entertains the masses through his television show, produced by a very capable team behind him, led by manager Jack Menken (Christopher Walken, in a role that fit him to a T). He jumps into the campaign trial by announcing his candidacy during one of his shows, and unlike his screen persona, he led the charge with a stoic nature, bringing up (boring) bread and butter issues as his agenda, repeating his mantra that he doesn't serve special interest groups like the others, but serves the common folk.

But of course, don't expect Williams to be gagged for too long. As the strategy isn't working, he had to adopt his persona to engage audiences, and that's when the fun starts, with his poking fun at himself, the political system, and the process. There were genuinely funny bits, spread throughout the movie, though most seemed to have been centered within his awakened election strategy, and sadly too, only in a montage of sorts. And yes, do expect some parts to be censored as he crosses lines deemed to sensitive by the censors here.

Accompanied by a great soundtrack (you have to pay attention!), it was the attempt to actually layer the story that seemed to dragged much of the pace. Without going into details, it had to do with the concerns for electronic voting, as well as a romance bit with Laura Linney's Eleanor Green, the system developer, that wasn't convincing enough, and sagged, as it can't decide if it wanted to be a romance, or a conspiracy action thriller, well you get the drift. Jeff Goldblum plays a supporting role here as a corrupt legal advisor, again in a stereotypical role that condemns company lawyers as conniving, sneaky and dishonourable.

All in all, it's still an enjoyable movie not without its flaws, but for a rainy evening, something good enough to sit through while you wait out the rain.

Hearty Paws

The Dog in My Life

Prepare your tissues as you journey into an Oliver Twist like story with plenty of cute doggie moments, as well as scenes that will tug at your heartstrings. I'm pretty sure it'll appeal to dog lovers, and for kids out there, you might want to be cautious about their request to own one after watching this movie. Makes a good date movie as well.

To read my review of Hearty Paws at movieXclusive.com, click on the logo below:

The Messengers

Nobody Believes Me

The Messengers is widely publicized as Oxide and Danny Pang's first foray into Hollywood, having courted the siblings over after a slew of their relatively high profiled Asian horror movies like The Eye franchise, and obviously to milk all association with their movies, for audiences to expect the duo's signature style into a resurgence of Tinseltown's own horror genre. It's a gamble, as most of their movies are mediocre at best, though I enjoyed their debut with Bangkok Dangerous.

Those expecting something special from the brothers, especially with a Hollywood sized budget at their disposal, will be disappointed. Perhaps the first sign that despite the touting of the movie as a Pang Brother's project, unlike their movies, Danny and Oxide did not have writing credentials for The Messengers. Not that it will definitely make a difference, but more likely to be more creative in its premise. It's written by relative newbies Todd Farmer (Story) and Mark Wheaton (screenplay), which explains its rather cliched setting and set pieces of things that go bump. You have a dilapidated haunted house out in the country with sprawling fields complete with plenty of crows, and revisits the some old cellar which houses deep dark secrets. In what seemed to be paying homage to Asian horror, the story had incorporated rather lazily, elements like child spirits and inexplainable presence of stains.

Cinematic spirits usually are haunting people for the reason of unfinished business, revenge, or just wanting the occupants to get the hell out. Here, it just makes no sense as they do not make any statement, nor do they go all out and scare. I mean, they can wait for one entire season of harvest before remembering that they've got a job to do. Looks like ghouls too need a vacation. Most of the time, they're floating around aimlessly, teasing at times, and then disappearing, for purposes only the scriptwriters will know.

The moral of the story will be to never buy real estate from the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B Davis) because it'll come with black gooey oil. Ok, so I jest. The Soloman family gets relocated into what seemed like a bargain property in North Dakota, and they come with plenty of emotional baggage - father Roy (Dylan McDermott) lost his job and now turns to farming as a last resort, and Penelope Ann Miller as mom Denise who seems to favour toddler son Ben (twins Evan and Theodore Turner, child labour laws and rights you see). The key player here is Jess the daughter (Kristen Stewart, Jodie Foster's daughter in Panic Room, now all grown up), who seems out of favour with her parents, which spices things up when she becomes the first to get spooked, and nobody else believes her.

The pitch about kids who are yet able to speak, being the ones most susceptible to paranormal presence, and warning adults, is a red herring in itself. The movie failed to explore this adequately, and instead, you get the usual teenage angle where distrust permeates all around. The story empowers the audience from the start by seeding the thought that the house is haunted, and for those who fail to believe Jess, they're in for some tough ride, though that happens only in the last 20 minutes.

For the most parts, the movie stumbles along, as though some invisible hand was directing the less than dramatic bits, leaving the Pang Brothers to do what they do best, and that is to present the movie's horrific moments with a very Asian flavour, with focus on mood and atmosphere, providing decent scares with sound sound editing, controlled brief flashes, right down to stop motion ghosts that crawl everywhere. Other than that, the Pang Brothers should have had a hand coming up with the story, as it would indeed be a true indication what they can do with a larger budget.

But to be fair, the explanation given for the presence of spirits was plausible, though nothing new, special nor groundbreaking. For horror fans who have seen plenty from the genre of late, you can smell the revelation from midway through the movie. All you had to do was to endure the cheap thrills to the finale. For those new to the genre, like the squealing schoolgirls seated in front of me, this movie will probably haunt you for some time to come (for being so bad, there ought to be better!).

Blood and Chocolate

AhhhhhhWoooooooooooooo

From the producers of Underworld, this movie looks like a cheap cousin to the popular wolves versus vampires movie starring Kate Beckinsale. Based on a book by Annette Curtis Klause, and directed by Katja von Garnier, it's difficult not to draw comparisons because of the subject material and similar themes, this time though doing without the vampires, and sets the spotlight firmly on a group of hunted werewolves called the Loups-Garoux. Sexy sounding, but essentially a useless name for useless beings.

The group of Loups-Garoux proudly stands by their tradition of being able to transform into wolves at will (and that is their only power mind you), and because of their abilities and lust for blood, they are hunted down by Men with their guns and silver bullets (who and what else). In order to survive persecution, they go underground and keep their identities secret, only to come out during the night for frequent partying at rave clubs (and to pick up chicks), as well as attending strange rituals such as gathering in the woods to partake in hunter-prey chases with wounded men as victims.

In essence, they're a bunch of self-preserving cowards who hunt in packs, believing whole-heartedly that unity is strength. As mentioned, they got unimpressive abilities which probably forces them to do so, not by choice - only remarkable agility and the preference to scale walls and run along rooftops. Led by an uninspiring, cowardly leader Gabriel (Kylie Minogue's ex Olivier Martinez), he holds on to the unexplained hokey prophecy as well as the tradition of the leader of the pack to handpick a wolf-maiden to bed every 7 years. No wonder he's holding onto power without the necessity to do much to further their cause (which is?), and sets his sights on marrying Vivian (Agnes Bruckner).

Vivian however, being the headstrong ingenue, falls for a plain human, graphic novelist Aiden (Hugh Dancy), and this is where references to Underworld come into full swing. The reluctance in the formation of a forbidden relationship from the girl with secrets, the revenge killings and the hunting down of Aiden, and with Vivian protecting her love, all reeks with familiarity. While Underworld had a rich backstory created for its characters and beings, Blood and Chocolate failed to have anything interesting in either wolf or man to engage the audience.

And the execution here is painfully boring. No special effects, not even the baring of fangs, save for coloured contact lenses. It's relatively low-budgeted, and the transformation of man to beast, is so cheap, even a 10 year old kid with a no-frills video editing software will be able to achieve. Fights are confined to chases between wolves and man, and the usual scruffy fisticuffs. Don't forget the loopholes galore too after transformation, which is seldom seen onscreen as it'll pose more questions.

The only redeeming grace however, is the on-location filming in the streets of Bucharest, a beautiful romantic place, totally ideal for a romanticized tale of man-beasts. The soundtrack too had a tinge of hindi(?!) music influences, which I totally enjoyed, but too bad, the film had been intrinsically destroyed by a lack of a strong storyline, plagued with non charismatic and weak villains with zero diabolical plans, with preference to hang around and do nothing, save for showing off their pitiful skills (which I suspect is because of the lack of budget).

With a strange title, Blood and Chocolate correctly named itself - a weird and silly mix which doesn't go down well at all. Only watch it on disc if you've got time to spare.

Stomp the Yard

Remember to Catch Me

I wasn't the least surprised with the full house turnout at the preview of Stomp the Yard. Having held the number one spot at the American box office earlier this year for 2 weeks, and with dance competition programmes having ample screen time on local television, it's probably a no brainer for this movie to open here this week, in time for the school holidays, targeting its teenage audience who will more than likely turn up in droves to catch the latest dance movie offering.

As with the previous dance movies Step Up and Take the Lead, our lead dancer comes with plenty of emotional baggage, and a criminal record to boot. In essence, it's like an amalgamation of teen movies Step Up (for the dance genre) and a huge leaf out taken from the structure of Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - just replace the race cars with provocative street dance moves, and you have Stomp the Yard.

If you're not convinced, DJ (Columbus Short) got his life messed up after his brother's death, and him being charged with assault. He moves away from home to stay with relatives, and enrols himself in a local college. There, he exposes himself to the stomp dance which the frat boys practice, hold competitions and get bragging rights to by being the champion. He falls in love with April (Meagan Good), the main squeeze of a prominent member of the opposite camp, bringing about plenty of issues as they square off on the dance floor.

Clocking close to 2 hours, you'll probably find it amusing as you sit through deja vu moments identified from the movies mentioned, and you'll be able to stay one step ahead of formula every step of the way. There are a number of characters in the story, but while most of them are fringe players, it was toward the end where they start to have personal histories intertwined does it start to get a little ridiculous, too conveniently established to move the story forward.

The romance portion between DJ and April also seem unconvincing, and the actors emote little chemistry with each other. Again, these romantic tangles have been told time and again, and you're more than likely to roll your eyes at the romantic moments which bog down the pace. Rather, you'll be rooting for DJ to do his thing, to show off some of those moves he has - the fluidity and free styled motions as compared to and in stark contrast with the strict rigidity of the stompers' routine. But who says genres can't be meshed together, as Step Up proved to great success.

Being a dance movie, expectations of the dance routine will be high, after all, this is what makes the movie, given the usual cardboard characters that populate the story. It has a couple of impressive ghetto street moves, and the stomp movements that will leave you glued to the steps on screen. However, the finale was a bit of a letdown, given no big face off, but rather a series of repetitive small ones which we've seen earlier in the movie, and a "killer move" which comes anticipated a mile away, bringing to mind The Karate Kid's cheesy one trick pony technique.

I've become a fan of the dance genre because of the earlier movies, but this one seemed to have taken my enthusiasm two steps backwards. Nonetheless it still makes an adequately entertaining movie for the most part, and the dances pretty standard free-styling affair, which should appeal to its intended audience.

The History Boys

See What See?

The History Boys is a highly successful and multi-award winning play from London's West End, and it's probably a no brainer in adapting it for the silver screen to reach out to even more people out there. But instead of being just another adaptation, what probably is rare is that the original cast of the production gets recruited for this effort, together with Alan Bennett as scribe for the screenplay, ensuring legitimacy and authenticity.

We follow a group of 8 male students immediately after their A-Level results release, as they get selected to undergo one more special semester of tutoring for their entrance exams to the prestigious universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The charm here lies in the very diverse nature of all the boys, though a common attribute they all have is they're extremely intelligent, with a wicked sense of bawdy humour and wit to boot. In short, your unexpected rascals who know their stuff. But not all 8 get equal screentime though, with more dedicated to alpha-male Dakin (Dominic Cooper), the effeminate Posner (Samuel Barnett) and thuggish Rudge (Russell Tovey).

They share a special affinity for their General Studies teacher Hector (Richard Griffiths), whose laissez-faire style is thoroughly enjoyed by the boys, and is the kind of teaching class you'll probably come to enjoy too if you're in it. And in a warped way, their cemented ties is one dark secret which if revealed, would enforce certain changes in the class.

Enter Irwin (Stephen Campbell Moore), a history graduate whose maverick techniques the boys have to get used to, in order to ace the exams. I find it quite peculiar the way his advice turns out, a stark reminder that hard facts that everyone else knows is never enough. You got to spice it up, be controversial even, if the need calls for it. In short, be something like a spin doctor, spice up reports, essays, interviews, the works. Packaging is key, and that I thought was quite true in how we deal in real life at times.

And the styles and techniques of the two teachers come to a clash of sorts, but never too confrontational. It's something like Dead Poet's Society without the carpe diem moments, but presents the kind of admiration and respect that the students have for their teachers, and vice versa, coupled with plenty of witty dialogue and as the story develops, moments of heartfelt situations as well.

Peppered with an eclectic soundtrack, the story at times felt loaded with lead. And for one who have never seen the play or read much about it, the last act came as a surprise, and with brilliant editing in transition, it struck me as something quite different, and wrapped up the movie quite perfectly, albeit the unexpected happening. The closing credits too were well done, and I thought I actually surprised myself by remembering these technical details rather than the story.

Inspirational? Perhaps. Witty? Sure. But somehow it lacked the oomph to propel it to greatness in my books.

Happily N'ever After

Happily Ever After, NOT!

Happily N'ever After is a play on the usual and expected ending of all fairy tales, where the guy will get the girl, defeat the evil queen/king, and ride off into the sunset. What happens after that, frankly, nobody cares, as it's as perfect an ending as it can possibly be.

The storyline here takes a peek into what can actually go wrong, if "happily ever after" gets traded for "happily never after". Fate as it seems, in Fairy Tale Land, is managed in a castle top by a caretaker wizard (George Carlin) and his two bumbling helpers Mambo (Andy Dick) and Monk (Wallace Shawn). In their lair, there's the book of fairy tales which dictates the lives of everyone in the land, a remote controlled looking glass for that big-brother peep into their lives, and a set of scales, which can be tipped into Good or Bad directions to influence the proceedings of the fairytale.

Central to the plot, despite a host of other familiar and identifiable tales like Sleeping Beauty and Little Red Riding Hood, is that of Cinderella's. Ella (as she is known here, voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar) as usual is being bullied by her wicked stepmother (aren't they always), voiced by Sigourney Weaver, and ugly stepsisters (Kath Soucie and Jill Talley), and we encounter the same scenario about going to the Prince's (Patrick Warburton) ball, fairy godmother, pumpkin coach, glass slippers and all. Only that this time, the spotlight is put on the Prince's kitchen helper Rick (Freddie Prinze Jr), the chief protagonist and narrator of the story.

Rick secretly loves Ella, and cannot fathom why the entire kingdom is smitten with the buffoon of a prince charming - Prince Humperdink. It seems to copy the formula set out by Shrek, that if you have a prince, making him a less than perfect specimen character-wise, to draw out the laughs. In the presence of his incompetence, Rick and Ella gotta combine forces to save their land and restore order when Ella's stepmother gains control over the wizard's staff and lair. That about sums up the plot.

Delivery wise, the animation looked rather uninspiring. 3D animated movies have reached a certain threshold, and no longer commands the wows. It's not that it isn't gorgeous, just not fantastically so. The voice talents are relatively unknowns, except for the leads, and seemed to have gone the opposite direction to the mantra of filling the movie with as many recognizable stars as possible, in order to put attention to the story and dialogue. Sadly, the story's rather plain, with an expected ending, and the dialogue, lacking in wit and spunk. There are scenes which try to be funny, but just fall flat.

In an animated movie where fairy tale characters run amok, the movie coasts along without much madness infused. But definitely easy enough for its intended target audience - the children - to understand and enjoy.

The Kallang Wave

Kallang Roar!

Singapore football on the big screen, in a documentary helmed by first time feature directors. The only local film in The Picturehouse's Happy First Anniversary Film Festival, it summarizes the problems with the local state of football affairs, puts the spotlight on the fans, media, officials and players to air their grievances, as well as an insight into the Singapore psyche through the development of local football. Contains one gem of a scene which will open your eyes to how sugar coating in the local media paint rosy pictures.

To read my review of The Kallang Wave at movieXclusive.com, click on the logo below:

PoP! Goes My Heart

Like I mentioned in my review of Music and Lyrics, the opening credits music video from the fictional pop group PoP is a blast, embodying everything that's so 80ish with the music videos back then.

Don't believe? Take a look, and head to the cinemas for a jolly good time!



No regrets one I tell you, and better yet, wait till you see Haley Bennett's Buddha's Delight... oohlala!

Buddha's Delight- Haley Bennett

La la la
La la la
I'm starting to believe boy, that this is meant to be boy
Cuz I believe in karma, boy do you believe in karma?
So forget about your past life, cuz this could be our last life
We're gonna reach nirvana, boy we're gonna reach nirvana
Each time you put your lips to mine, its like a taste of Buddha's delight
I see the gates of paradise, you're a taste of Buddha's delight
Tell me all your fantasies tonight, and I will make them happen
Cuz I'm not satisfied if I don't get my Buddha's delight
Oh shanti shanti
Oh shanti shanti
Like sutta meditation, you give me elevation
Can you take me higher? Wonder can you take me higher?
I want a revelation, and sweet salvation
And the eternal fire, show me the eternal fire
Each time you put your lips to mine, it's like a taste of Buddha's delight
I see the gates of paradise, you're a taste of Buddha's delight
Tell me all your fantasies tonight, and I will make them happen
Cuz I'm not satisfied if I don't get my Buddha's delight
Oh shanti shanti
Oh shanti shanti
I've got to have my Buddha's delight (oh shanti shanti)
I've got to have my Buddha's delight (oh shanti shanti)
Ahhhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhhh ahhhhhhhhh......
Each time you put your lips to mine, it's like a taste of Buddha's delight
I see the gates of paradise, you're a taste of Buddha's delight
Tell me all your fantasies tonight, and I will make them happen
Cuz I'm not satisfied if I don't get my Buddha's delight
La la la

Sexual innuendos all round, much like all your singing starlets' songs these days.

Let the clash of the music begin, pop-ballad-trash, whatever floats your boat! Think I'm gonna get the soundtrack LOL

Breaking and Entering

I Can't Make Up My Mind

Would you believe the press preview for this movie was back back on 18th Jan this year, and the movie only released later this month. Why? Beats me.

We like to judge others based on our own moral compass, and by the time you inch towards the end of this movie, written and directed by Anthony Minghella, you'll come to realise how fast we do so, and how wrong we can be at times.

To read my review of Breaking and Entering at movieXclusive.com, click on the logo below:

Volver

You Mean I Won?

I met Penelope Cruz when she was in Singapore way back in 2001, for the local premiere of Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky, but too bad for me I don't speak any Spanish, so I can't communicate anything beyond a smile and a request for an autograph from the beauty, amid hordes of folks who paid no attention to her and Crowe, just waiting for Tom Cruise to make his way down the red carpet and bask in his megawatt smile.

I can't say I've been following much of her movies since Vanilla Sky, save for that action flick Sahara. But she reunites with Spanish writer-director Pedro Almodovar in Volver, and surely, this is one movie that shouldn't be missed, for the simple reason that it has a superior story to tell, stemmed from Mother's love.

In a tale spanning three generations of a family, at first glance this is a pro-woman movie, where most of the men portrayed are cads. However, in its relative simplicity, this movie is extremely well crafted, with a great storyline to boot. You may find yourself wondering how mundane scenes are linked together in an interesting narrative that doesn't seem to want to end, and with so many subplots thrown in along the way, you're waiting for it to collapse on its own weight, which in lesser hands, it just might.

But it doesn't. Instead, it lifts itself through wonderful performances, as well as many a quick wit inserted every now and then to liven things up, in spite of its dark humour and dark themes, like spirits who return because they have unfinished business, or a killing that seems to want to expose itself at any time, or that deep dark mystery and skeleton in the closet which spanned more than a generation, seeking answers.

It's about communication, or the lack thereof, that we examine in the three generations, giving us results in the difference in parenting styles. It's true that a parent would want their offspring not to have to experience the negativeness of their growing up, and in the movie, while being teased by the red herrings, you'd come to understand, and perhaps even pre-empt if you're keen, at its revelation, touching on the sins of our, in this case, mothers (strange, isn't it?).

I can break the story down for you, but no, you have to experience it for yourself. For the price of a ticket, you'll get to hear Penelope Cruz sing, and the movie really did milk at lengths, plenty of cleavage shots for one reason or another. Highly recommended (for the story but of course!), and it's almost a guarantee you'll leave the theatre with a bittersweet feeling, with a tinge of positivity. But do hurry, as a slew of lesser movies releasing over the next week will see this film disappear from the local screens soon enough.

300

Take From Them, Everything!

The trailers which have whetted the cinematic appetites of fanboys everywhere have now given way to the premiere of the movie. Fanboys, the wait is over! 300 hits our shores this week, and to action buffs, this is the moment that we're waiting for! Pure, unadulterated, violent action, true to the visuals of Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name, based on an imaginative retelling of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, where King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 of his Spartan warriors defended their land against the invading Persian army, led by the self proclaimed god-king Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).

One of the appealing factors of this classic tale is that size does not matter, so long as you've got the right techniques. It's a classic David versus Goliath, only that David is better trained, and has more grit, honour, courage to stand up for what he believes in, and to defend all that he loves. It's akin to telling the bullies not to go too far, or face the wrath and fury of those pushed to a corner. The Spartans embody the positive traits of men who are proud warriors, led by someone whom you'll always prefer to go to war with, a leader who leads, rather than a leader like Xerxes who directs.

In recent times, ever since Peter Jackson unleashed his epic battles from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, we've a number of movies that hopped on the bandwagon, from Troy to Alexander, all wanting to revisit the clashing of the swords amongst gladiators. But instead of something that rings familiar (just how many fights can you sit through before they look all the same?), director Zack Snyder managed to craft very distinct looking fights, and the action choreography is something to behold, exclaiming the point that when the Spartans fight as one keen unit, they are a force to be reckoned with. You can't wait for the Spartans to use their shield-spear-sword combo, and you're rewarded soon enough. Each frame in the fights are so deftly designed, you don't have "background nobodies" jumping around while waiting for their turn of action. It's messy, it's crowded, it's controlled chaos. Take your eye off the foreground action and into the background battle, you'll still see something stunning. Kudos of course to the stunt team and fight choreographers in designing different battle set pieces for each incoming wave of the Persian army, and I like the bit with the oriental looking Invincibles.

It's not all pure action, dismembered body parts and CGI splattering of blood. The action does take a breather once in a while to content with the usual rotting of Greek politics with Lena Headey's Queen Gorgo trying to drum up support for more Spartan warriors to join her husband in the defence of the land. As usual, the expected back stabbing, dirty politicking strokes rear its ugly head, and there are scenes that probably will get you seething. Somehow, the wise councillors always get portrayed as old buffoons, and this one is no different, especially in a scene where they act like dumb sheep.

However, given that this is a well known tale, the inevitable is just waiting to happen, and somehow, I felt that it tapered off towards the end, in a rather anti-climatic manner, after raising your adrenaline each time with successive battles that seem to top the previous. I thought at certain points you could draw upon references from other contemporary movies. Certain plot points and shots somehow reminded me of Zhang Yimou's Hero, with its rousing army war cries and the liberal use of arrows. Not only that, Lord of the Rings was tapped upon again, in giving us a Gollum-looking like "creature" used in a similar mould. And Braveheart too comes to mind.

But those aside, I would say this has all the ingredients for box office success. Sex and violence sells, and I'm pleased that this movie survived the censors unscathed, with an M18 rating. If the Oracle brings to mind the jolly matronly like lady in the Matrix movies, this movie will attempt to shake off that memory with a writhing nymph like seer.

I do not know how anyone can boo at this movie, unless of course you're not an action movie lover. Sit back, relax and watch the spectacle unfold up close as if you're battling side by side with the Spartans. It doesn't get any better than that.

For those interested, click on this link to learn more about the Battle of Thermopylae.

OR for an alternative look at the movie, The Seventh Art explains the demerits of 300.

Death Is the Road to Awe

This is one winning that's definitely for keeps, and it's something that's going straight into my vault and not leaving my grasp.

For those who've enjoyed Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain, there's a companion hardcover book released, and is available from Amazon. Having enjoyed the movie and wanting to purchase its soundtrack soon as it's available at the shelves here, it was pleasant surprise that I won a copy of the book, which included beautiful images from the movie, as well as some illustrations depicting key events. And no, it isn't a graphic novel per se as some have claimed, although the images do run in order of the narrative.



And what more, it includes the complete screenplay in a separate booklet set into the main book...



But this takes the cake: did I say it bears Aronofsky's autograph?



Definitely one of my valued movie mementos! :-)

Music and Lyrics

Think You Can Handle It?

I will unabashedly say I thoroughly enjoyed this formulaic romantic comedy, given the trailer already revealed everything there is to the story. What really cracked me up was the opening credits, which blended in a cheesy pop music video of fictional group PoP, with the frequent soft focus, bad hair, loud costumes, cheesy lovey-dovey lyrics, synchronized dances, all totally spot on, bringing back the nostalgic 80s which I grew up in, with bubblegum groups that came and went, and from which PoP the band was moulded from - acts like Duran Duran, Tears for Fears, and in being a Wham! clone too, with the songs featured and that obvious reference to the George Michael-Andrew Ridgeley split.

Hugh Grant hams it up as Alex Fletcher, the Ridgely of PoP, now a has-been who's touring the small time attractions circuit to do little jigs, living in past glories and seeking that opportunity for a decent comeback. As luck would have it, the current teenage pop sensation Cora Corman (Haley Bennett, totally hot) was a fan of PoP, and has now invited him to write a song for her, which she would use in her debut world tour, as well as to be included in her CD album.

As you would have it, Fletcher can whip up melodies, but totally suck at writing lyrics, especially when he's out of the scene without new material for so long. Enter Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore), a has-been aspiring writer who does the occasional slogan writing, and by chance, the two of them develop romantic bonds as they struggle through to finish a new song, while battling past emotional baggage as well as the challenges which come together with new relationships. The usual boy meets, loves, loses, tries his best to win her, all over again.

But the formula worked because the journey to that predictable destination worked, and fused with wit, comedy, song and dance, complete with a cliche though likable supporting cast which includes Kristen Johnston (from television series 3rd Rock From the Sun). I've only watched a handful of Hugh Grant movies, and from what I've seen so far, he definitely has a certain old school boyish charm in addition to his perfect comic timing. Drew Barrymore is an old hand at rom-coms, and as usual, her effervescence bubbled through without her breaking a sweat. Between the two, Barrymore was pretty much a clone of her other roles, but Grant stole the show in almost every scene with his antics as Fletcher, and who can forget those tight pants, cheesy lines, "motorcycle handlebar" dance steps, and that shaking of the booty.


And speaking of shaking of the booty, newbie Haley Bennett does her fair share as Cora Corman the sexy teenage pop star. With that angelic face, va-va-voom bod and those uber sexy moves, expect male hearts to be racing. An amalgamation of Britney, Shakira and Christina, she has the moves, she has the vocals and she's clad in outfits that will challenge all three of them. In the movie though, Cora Corman is a rather aloof and spoilt star, loud when she's performing, and soft-spoken when she's not. One who preaches zen and buddhism in her music and video sets, but yet oozes tons of sexual energy to put religion to shame. That scene in which she adds her two cents worth, is just jaw dropping. She's the real deal here, although Grant and Barrymore don't shirk when it comes to the microphone.

There are plenty of beautiful (albeit cheesy) love songs in Music and Lyrics, and I'm tempted to get the soundtrack. Yes really. And I'll shamelessly recommend this movie should you need that romantic-comedy fix, or are pondering over a date movie this week.

Just some trivia - Haley Bennett is up and coming, and hasn't signed with any record labels yet, though she has already signed a 3 picture deal with Warner Bros, so we should expect to see more of her on the big screen. For those who are on MySpace, why not add her as a friend?

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (Saibogujiman Kwenchana)

I'm Covered Up

I think one of the easiest ways to make a movie, would be to make one about mad people in a mental institution. Anything and everything can happen, you don't have to explain every minute detail, and the bottomline is, you can interpret it in whatever way you want. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK runs along similar lines, having its two lead characters patients of a psychiatric ward, but therein lies some structure of a story about love, reaching out, and in making sense of life (not to mention the movie as well).

Directed by Park Chan-wook who gave us his famous Vengeance trilogy (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), it's a very big leap from that trilogy, into something more fantastical, light hearted, bright, and may I say, at times nonsensical as well. But there were some lapses into teasing audiences familiar with his more violent trilogy, incorporating signature scenes which were a blast as I thought they were inserted at appropriate moments when you just want to lash out at everything else happening in the story.

The introductory scene reminded me of Wisit Sasanatieng's Citizen Dog (in fact, the general look and feel of the presentation resembled it, minus the voice over narration), where we see Young-goon (an extremely appropriate subtitled name, played by Im Soo-jung) degenerate into madness and gets herself warded into an asylum. She starts to think of herself as a cyborg, and develops special affection with florescent lamps and vending machines, while refusing to eat, as it will mess with her internal machinery. And we meet Il-soon (Rain), who develops feelings for her, and embarks on a quest to convince and get her to eat, while sharing with her tender moments as they make sense of their worlds within the confines of an institution.

The big draw to the movie for local audiences will no doubt be Rain. In his debut feature film, fans will no doubt be flocking to the cinemas to catch their latest idol in action, with the only snag that those below 16 cannot gain admission (rated NC-16). Female fans will be thrilled that he sings a little in the movie, and yes, bares that famous chest of his. We're talking about the man who has held a concert here with the highest ticket prices (the most expensive being S$888), though the preview I was in, was surprisingly, less than 20 persons in attendance.

For starters, I do not know of his appeal, nor do I listen to his music, but I thought he performed reasonably as Il Soon, a thieving man who believes he can absorb the abilities of others, and does so to comedic effect. Actually, what turned out appealing to me, was centered onto the background madcap people, the supporting cast playing all sorts of crazy characters. Some with dialogue, others just preoccupied in their own little worlds, doing their own little repetitive actions, most of which just draws out chuckles.

It's a love story within plenty of fantastical sequences. Just don't try to make sense of things that don't seem to make sense, and you'll be able to breeze it. And on that note, I'm a Cyborg, but That's OK may not be everyone's cup of tea, in the traditional romantic comedy sense.

[DVD] Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Poster

I've never been a really huge fan of Japanese animation, but Satoshi Kon's Paprika, shown here in last year's Animation Nation festival, is a different story, and opened up my eyes altogether. It was richly animated with plenty of striking details, an eclectic soundtrack, and a story which cuts at many levels. It's adult, not filled with cutesy pictures for the sake of luring kids in, but yet filled with a childlike appeal in its entire work. And I've taken the first step into watching more of his works.

Tokyo Godfathers retains much of the very sharp, detailed animation, and certainly some scenes looked photo quality. While Paprika was rooted with more science-fictional elements and dream sequences, Tokyo Godfathers has a relatively more down to earth premise, taking a hard look at the lives of the homeless in shiny Tokyo. Set in the Christmas period, it's full of dark elements in the holiday season, yet filled with plenty of hope and goodwill as we see the characters develop and the plot unfold.

The story centers around three homeless folks - Gin (Toru Emori) the middle aged drunk gambler bum, Hana (Yoshiaki Umegaki) the transvestite, and Miyuki (Aya Okamoto), the youngest of the lot, a girl who ran away from home. One day during their usual bickering, they discovered an abandoned female infant, whom they named Kiyoko, in a garbage dump. Reluctantly, they endeavoour to track down the infant's parents to return the baby, as well as to give them a stern reprimand for doing their dastardly deed over the season of goodwill. And thus their road trip in and around Tokyo begins.

What holds your attention, is the way our trio encounters mini episodes of adventure in their quest, ranging from meeting up with a real Godfather, to slowly unravelling their back stories, which I find both touching and believable, and more so for an animated picture. The craft in the narrative is superb, which you can enjoy at face value, or if you bother, to dig below the surface and discover such joys in its detailed story. It doesn't have to explain everything, and allows you to draw your own conclusions at certain points.

And I can't stress enough at the attention to details. Be it conversational dialogue, an object, a supporting character, or the backgrounds, you can't imagine at how they all blend together effortlessly to elicit such joy when you realize that you've uncovered something of some significance, or was put there just for laughs. With such care put into the movie, I can't help but to recommend this, and for myself to continue my own quest in tracking down and watching the rest of Satoshi Kon's animated movies.

Code 1 DVD contains minimal extras. There are plenty of preview trailers though, for movies such as Astro Boy, Cowboy Bebop The Movie, Cyborg 009, Memories, Metropolis, Returner, Steamboy, and even one for Tokyo Godfathers itself.

The only other extra is a 22 minute making of featurette, which included shots from its New York premiere, as well as interviews with Satoshi Kon, and the principle cast sharing their experience in lending their voices to an animated movie. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese for the movie and the making of featurette, but the French subtitles are available for the movie only.

Rocky Balboa

Who's Your Daddy Now, Punk?!

"Rocky! Rocky! Rocky! Rocky!"

I actually had an opportunity to be part of that faceless crowd, probably chanting Rocky "The Italian Stallion" Balboa's name as he goes to the ring, and knocks around Mason "The Line" Dixon, in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada. I was in Vegas one entire week of December 2004, and on a cold morning I was watching the tail end of the Las Vegas Marathon (there were a couple of major events in Vegas that weekend, including a rodeo), when the news made an announcement they were looking for hundreds of movie extras for a crowd scene for Rocky Balboa, All you needed to do was to head on down to Mandalay Bay. I thought it would involve plenty of time wasted mulling around, and Sly Stallone would likely not be there, so decided against going there (I was staying at the Flamingo's, so getting to Mandalay Bay by walking there as the roads were slowly opening up, wasn't my idea of fun). Boy, did I regret it now.

I enjoyed Rocky Balboa tremendously, even though it was formulaic and probably a carbon copy of the original in terms of telling an underdog's tale. Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, this is very much his comeback movie as it is for his character Rocky Balboa, when the fifth installment of the franchise was considered the weakest of the lot, and a let down to its predecessors. When the movie was announced, many people sniggered and wrote it off outright, as being nothing new to offer on the table, of letting dead dogs lie, that Stallone was out of ideas and needed to revisit past glories to try and get his career back on track.

However, Rocky Balboa, although it goes full circle and back to the original, is one that is plenty of heart as it parallels loosely the challenges of an ex-star trying to make a return. Of having to address that fire in the belly, of, like Rocky says, clearing stuff in the basement. In this movie, it's been many years since Rocky last fought in the ring, and now into semi-retirement with his laid back style of running an Italian restaurant (with Mexican cooks) named Adrian's (after his wife), sharing ring action stories with his diners, and pining for his deceased wife.

A computerized mock fight between Rocky and the current World Heavyweight Champ Mason The Line Dixon (Antonio Tarver) sparked that feeling of wanting to enter the ring inside Rocky, and what I found intriguing was Mason Dixon actually, and the state of the affairs he represents - those without heart, no passion, in it for the money, and competitors who give up easily when the going gets tough. It's not easy being the champion when you have weak competition, and the publicity machinery go into overdrive in setting up a win-win situation between the two fighters.

Don't expect much interaction between Rocky and Dixon, as they leave most of their combined screen time to the ring. And for those who thinks that this movie is all about slugging it out, are you so wrong. I tip my hat to Stallone for actually writing a movie with adequate sensitivity, in further developing the Rocky character in his twilight years, and that examination of family life, of developing passion in the things that you do. Rocky Jr (now played by Milo Ventimiglia) forms the main emphasis of this examination, of having to grow up in his father's huge shadow, of being the offspring of someone famous, and the tendency of blaming everyone but himself for his being miserable. That dialogue between father and son, I thought was almost what every father and son relationship would have grappled with at one point or another, and it rings home the message, even as you feel that lump in the throat forming.

I felt the much touted bout between Rocky and Dixon was actually quite plain, with fast forwarding used as well as freeze frames, but somehow, the intensity, power, aggression still rang through. In fact, I was almost at the edge of my seat as Rocky and Dixon slugged it out in brutal fashion - gladiator against gladiator, the experienced against the fleet footed, the old school of hard knocks versus the emptiness of current glamour.

And there were the classic iconic moments which get repeated, like that run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in that grey tracksuit, that all too familiar musical theme blaring in the background, and the training montage which all but sends goosebumps. The coming together of familiar faces, of old friends, and family, make this very much an ensemble piece orchestrated to an incredible crescendo when it mattered.

Rocky Balboa is a fitting finale to the franchise, a worthy tribute and a fitting farewell to a legendary, enduring screen hero who's finally decided to hang up his gloves. I won't be surprised that this movie will actually win over some new fans to the original movies, and one thing's for sure, I'm sold, and I'm recommending this.

For anyone wanting a quick summary of all the preceeding movies, you can click on this Wikipedia link.