[Japanese Film Festival] Ginza Cosmetics (Ginza Gesho)

The opening shots of this movie firmly puts it in the Ginza district of Tokyo back in 1951, with its distinct landmark of the Clock Tower, and serves kind of like a documentary snapshot of the district with following the kid Haruo in and around the area, before finally we get to meet his mom Yukiko (Kinuyo Tanaka), a bar hostess struggling to make ends meet.

Directed by Mikio Naruse, this movie doesn’t have any big moments, and feels like a capture of the relatively mundane life of Yukiko, in her luckless meeting with various men who seem always to disappoint, and her taking care of her only son. These are acute observations that represent that slice of life, and doesn’t over-dramatize or wallow in melodrama and the theatrics, which is quite commendable, given the usual tendency for movies of the genre to lapse into. Things happen as a matter of fact, right up until the tense and anxious moments of looking for a runaway kid.

Kinuyo Tanaka brings forth a quiet, stoic demeanour in her Yukiko, being unable to change her fate of being a single mother, and she could make you wring your heart as we experience together with Yukiko a potential moment of probably romance with a young man flit away, despite initial reluctance to get acquainted and help out in his stay in Tokyo. I thought it was quite magnanimous of her to do what she did, and felt that it was really sad for one to resign to her fate without any inclination to challenge it with the hope that things might be for the better.

If you prefer your movies quiet, with the dignified presence of a star actress at her element, then perhaps Ginza Cosmetics would be a launchpad for anyone interested in following the filmography of director Mikio Naruse, and of his many film collaborations with Kinuyo Tanaka.

[Japanese Film Festival] Sansho The Bailiff (Sanshô Dayû)

Freedom!

Sansho The Bailiff, Japanese film director Kenji Mizoguchi's movie that won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, opens this season's Japanese Film Festival, and while the titular character happens to be one of the villains in the story, and not even that of a lead character, it's no surprise why this movie was chosen as the opener as it fit the theme of this year's festival to a tee, that of the power of women and femininity. Also, since Kinuyo Tanaka is the actress/director-in-focus as well, this is but one of the movies in her illustrious career that she had worked with all the masters of Japanese Cinema.

But to me, it served as an introduction to both the work of director Kenji Mizoguchi, as well as actress Kinuyo Tanaka, and watching the movie as is without in depth knowledge of the socio-political background that this movie is based, I found it rather hard to appreciate the grandeur of this highly acclaimed epic, but nonetheless it served as a good start to want me to revisit the filmography of Mizoguchi, and perhaps learn from scratch and see his evolving into a cinematic master.

Telling the story of a family ruined and separated by river pirates when the head of a household, a governor no less, gets sent into exile, the movie follows two threads, one with the wife Tamaki (Kinuyo Tanaka) being sold to prostitution, while the children, Zushio (first played by Masahiko Kato, and then by Yoshiaki Hanayagi) and Anju (Keiko Enami, and Kyoko Kagawa) get sent off to live as slaves in a household run by the titular character (Eitaro Shindo). We get first hand glimpse of the hardship of the lives of the children, where escapees from their confinement get branded permanently with a mark to their foreheads. Although clinging onto their father's wise teachings on humanity, the children, growing up in such a harsh environment, slowly get jaded, and before you know it, Zushio doesn't bat an eyelid when he gets to met punishment amongst fellow slaves.

This is a tale about one man's redemption, turnaround and exacting sweet vengeance, but not before learning the mistakes of his ways, and suffering terrible loss along the way serving as a wake up call. It's akin to the likes of other classics such as Ben-Hur, and I thought Zushio's tale can be split into 4 parts - as a kid from a good family stature being stripped of everything leaving a very thin sliver of humanity from which to cling from, followed by his awakening from his tragic loss of kin - which was the much talked about haunting scene in the movie - and then his rise to power through a series of positive coincidences, before ending again with his personal sacrifice to look for his long lost mother, whose song in the town she resided in served as clues as to her whereabouts.

While I have no qualms that this movie is indeed assuredly shot, I think long-time readers would likely guess by now that I'm not really a fan of long shots and extended takes. It took its time to tell its story and there are a few moments which looked really comical, even when it's not supposed to, like the behaviour of the mob which fit the intended mentality.

That said, I might give Sansho the Bailiff another go, since it has been given the Criterion treatment, and hopefully on a DVD I would have cultivated enough patience to appreciate the movie a lot more than this first viewing on the big screen.

Kallang Roar the Movie

We've Got To Show We're Not Pussies!

"Untuk Bangsa Dan Negara! MAJULAH!!!"

That was the war cry that Uncle Choo Seng Quee (Lim Kay Siu), Singapore's, and possibly the region's most well known footballing coach extraordinaire, instilled in his handpicked charges, as he led the quest to win for Singapore the Malaysia Cup and to lift Singapore football from dire straits through the process. And it's no surprise why writer-director Cheng Ding An wanted to release this movie this month, as it has heart thumping patriotism written all over it.

What came before the feature was the short film, and the subject of having a Singapore football movie though is nothing new, with the documentary The Kallang Wave being released last year, which looks at how football gelled a nation together, truly sans race, language and religion. And in fact, the 70s football team at a time where they wore blue instead of the distinct red of today, brought football magic to the masses and weaved the fabric of a nation together, as almost everyone cheered our local heroes on in their, and our quest for football glory, even though it might just have been a tournament with our immediate neighbours and their state teams. This was the era that captured the imagination of a budding nation mere years after Separation, and I think even today, with no due disrespect to the current team, that fervent support can't seem to be replicated of late.

I recall my own fervent support for our Singapore Lions back in the late 80s and 90s, and under the stalwartness of the late Uncle Choo, here's how the Kallang Roar got started, and the reputation of the 55,000 seater National Stadium becoming the lions' den where opposition gets cowed into submission not only through superior footballing skills and tactics, but also through the support of the live wire crowd, who spare no hesitation to let everyone, from players to the referee, know their thoughts.

And I'd bet the filmmakers went through a lot of pain to get the casting done right. While Kay Siu might have been a shoo-in for the role of Uncle Choo, and with wife Neo Swee Lin playing his reel wife Auntie Choo as well, the challenge which I thought was fully met, was the relentless search and discovery of rookie and experienced acting talent to fill the huge shoes of the idols of the past. We have Anwar Hadi Bin Ramli as Gelek King Dollah Kassim who also played out like the joker of the team, the real son of Quah Kim Song - Leon Quah - playing the role of his dad (I really wonder the tremendous amount of stress that he'll probably be under!), Bhaskar Subramanian as S Rajagopal the banana-kick specialist, Melvinder Kanth as Samad Allapitchay the defensive rock and team captain, Rei Poh as goalie Edmund Wee, and Randall Tan as Mohammad Noh, whose romance with singer Rahimah Rahim was also featured in the movie (yup, you read Randall's role right).

Needless to say, the actors have to go through some boot-camp to really live up to the skills of the football legends they are playing. Some would have expected a lot more football action, with the likes of Goal! setting the benchmark as far as fusing CG-ed football actors and real life stars together in the same scene. However, those coming with this mindset will be a tad disappointed, and I can't actually deny that fact. It's already quite rare to be able to watch our local heroes of yesteryears charm with their skills on the pitch, as television newsreels do not make for anything beyond the small screen. Here, scenes have to be carefully crafted to resemble those from memory and history, so unfortunately, most of the games only got featured through inter-titles designed as newspapers, and what mouth-watering games those could have been if recreated on the big screen! What we get though, are only those precious few minutes in the the 1977 Malaysia Cup semi-final against Selangor, and the final against Penang, as brought to us by commentator Brian Richmond, shot very tightly, and thumbs up definitely to be given in trying to enact it kick for kick (though I thought I saw an out of play situation being awarded a corner kick).

Outside of football, the individual characters have their respective back stories to fill up the 88 minutes run time, however, it is these stories that came across as rather bland and weak, with depth and gravitas absent for the most parts. A football team consists of 11 regular first team players, and more than half were reduced to faceless caricatures wearing blue. Of course attention has to be paid to the handpicked stars of Uncle Choo's squad, and each of them do have little challenges to fight against, such as the rocky love life of Noh, the threats of bookies on Samad, Kim Song's lack of confidence and Rajagopal's struggle with the bottle. The constant nagging that football has no future rings loudly through in the movie, until of course our merry bunch of trailblazers can demonstrate that with victory comes glory, and indeed, a viable future in the sport.

But this movie is really about Uncle Choo, and plays out like a homage to him. He comes across as a shrewd tactician like Arsene Wenger, while coming with pedigree background and equipped with dishing out his own firebrand hair-dryer effect on his players ala Sir Alex Ferguson. Offering his services even for free, and waiting patiently for 10 years to finally be called up and appointed by FAS Chairman Nadesan Ganesan (Santhanaram Jayaram), he has to do battle on many fronts - the personal with his relationship with his wife and his diabetic condition, the professional with his passion and dedication to his Lions, and handling all the boardroom battle with the suits in the FAS, who were made to look quite silly with plenty of yes-men sitting around a large table. That I felt was quite a not so subtle swipe at the authorities, whose pettiness and inability to take criticisms see that our sports get stagnated due to petty infighting and disagreements. You also can't help but to chuckle at the insistence of paper qualifications, as Ganesan rightly put, since when do you need a degree to kick a football?

All in all, as a debut feature film, Cheng Ding An did an adequate job to capture the spirit of the 70s here, and this film serve as an important snapshot of our early sporting heroes in their heydays, charting their progress under a master motivator and inspirational coach, just as how any self-respecting sports bio-pic will do. And our football history has enough fuel for a sequel to be made too, given a more colourful, and eventful 80s and 90s, as can be seen here. The final shot of the movie too also left doors open, so it's no prizes guessing if a sequel would be made, should this installment prove successful.

Relive the days of Singapore's glorious football past through The Kallang Roar movie. Sir Matt Busby has his Busby boys, and Singapore's own Uncle Choo Seng Quee has his Singapore Lions! Majulah!

Majulah!

[DVD] Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)

Johnny Rico's back! But unfortunately, this straight to DVD release is just that, where its lower budget shone through, and had this amazingly overwhelming religious overtones on display toward the second half of the movie. Don't expect the explicit blood and gore of the original as the bugs got toned down due to lack of funds to render a lot of em nasties, though gratuitous nudity is still the order of the day. Don't expect too much from this flick, especially when the finale involved the titular armoury programmed in God-mode.

You can read my DVD review of Starship Troopers 3: Marauder at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.

Death Race

Easy Peasy

As a fan of Jason Statham, you cannot deny this man's charisma, even if he has to star in a movie that doesn't make much sense. Death Race, as an updated version of the 1975 original produced by Roger Corman, gets the Paul W.S. Andersen treatment (*alarm bells ringing*) and while I can't deny Statham's charismatic presence in the movie, what's totally baffling was Joan Allen's involvement in the movie as the prison warden and founder of the Death Race series of high-octane car sprints around the circuit of the isolated penitentiary. She has some unbelievably and unintentionally laughable lines, and the script just looks at getting the poised Allen to swear for novelty's sake.


The Original Death Race 2000 Trailer

For action junkies, there's nothing truly ground breaking or eye-popping here, as bullets get fired ad infinitum, and you'll probably yawn at the umpteenth car crash. It's like Speed Racer, but without the special effects, nor the cool toys. Supporting characters for sure you know are gonna get popped, and getting to see Robin Shou in a minor role here, really makes you wonder that so long as you're no longer flavour of the moment, you're gonna have to be prepared for some serious cameos spouting bad lines and trying to get away with it.

And just like how Transformers managed to get the fan boys all hot with temperatures rising, not over the transforming robots but over the sultry presence of Megan Fox, Death Race too had its own femme fatale, and I won't be a wee bit surprised if the only instructions issued by director Andersen to Natalie Martinez, is to "just act hot". She should be eye candy enough, fitting into skin tight cleavage baring clothing, to get the word of mouth going amongst the targeted demographics.

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

Space Chimps

What Does This Button Do?

I'm going to admit that I've enjoyed Space Chimps. No, I've not gone bananas, but there's something beautiful about this goofy animated comedy that appealed, perhaps in its simplicity and its not attempting to try and be more than it cannot be.

Ham III (voiced by Andy Samberg). a circus monkey whose the key to the "monkey cannonball" act, happens to be the descendent of its decorated ancestor Ham I, the first monkey to have entered outer space. As NASA does send animals early in their history of missions to perform certain tests, and more so as guinea pigs, their current space programme is under threat of being axed, unless of course the scientists can all prove their worth. Just so happens that a space probe gets send to the opposite side of a wormhole, that it presents an opportunity to send a crack team of animals to the other side as well to test waters, hence the assembly of our merry animals.

You have Ham III, the reluctant astronaut put into the team for some PR purpose, who joins the usual caricatures of team captain and beefcake Titan, as well as beautiful Luna, who provides the brains for the mission and cursory love interest for our protagonist chimp. On the ground, besides the wacky human scientists who always deny their nerd status, you have Comet and Houston, fellow chimps who provide ground expertise to our crew's mission in space. Truth is, and a departure in animated movies of late, this one is sans big name stars or voice talent, and doesn't detract you away from the story, nor have one talent steal the thunder from the rest. Like a well oiled space mission, Space Chimps is and plays out like a consolidated team effort.

The adversary they face are a group of silly aliens under the control of Zartog, who consolidated his power no thanks to the human space probe by hitting the manual override button, as well as various environmental challenges reminiscent of the latest Journey to the Center of the Earth, and provides ample opportunity for some pretty wacky characters, with set action pieces like swinging from vine to vine, making more sense here when compared to that in The Crystal Skull.

The graphics here are kept simple and uncomplicated. It's easy to find fault with so many things in this movie, given the likes of Pixar which has set the benchmark, but as I've said, I'm not looking for too much, and the simplicity of it all in Space Chimps makes it a refreshing breath of fresh air. The story at times might find itself hard pressed to throw in some wisecracks on pop culture, but there are indeed moments to have it in the movie so subtly, you'll probably blink and you miss it. If you're willing to leave your 1% intellect at the door, perhaps you may just enjoy this movie about primates that exhibit similar emotions and attributes to our own.

Fate / Destiny (Sookmyeong)

I Believe I Can Fly

I've become wary should any Korean movie call or tout itself as the largest action movie for the year. Remember the woeful debacle of Typhoon? Well, it seems that Fate belongs to the same mould, with the assembly of the best looking men the country has to offer, and put them in roles against each other, topped with plenty of angst, misunderstanding and failure from which they find it hard to crawl out from, and you have what hopefully could bring the crowds in.

And not to forget too, the poster with the half-naked men laughing while showing off their sculpted abs, which had adorned our train stations for weeks before the movie's debut (and in which a cigarette had been photo-shopped out to appease local authorities it seems). Song Seung Heon plays Woo-Min, a hotheaded man whose charisma and tenacity makes him the de-facto leader in his gang of four. His plan with his brotherhood of merry men, as we see in a thrilling opening, was to break into a casino's vault, and make off with the loot.

They succeed of course, thanks to sheer brutality and prowess in fisticuffs and metal pipe wielding, but with betrayal in the form of Kwon Sang Woo's Cheol-Jung, they get caught up, and disbanded. Fast forward to two years later, Cheol-Jung continues as a hoodlum with a higher rank, while Woo-Min gets released from prison, bitter towards the former for his lack of loyalty. While the story might fit into a typical John Woo movie, it lacked any further set action pieces to make you sit up. What you get, in terms of action, are metal pipes upon metal pipes swinging wildly around, and that too being few and far between. Worse, it decided to dwell a lot on the typical melodrama of troubled relationships with each of their loved ones, with Woo-Min being unable to forget his ex, and taking it upon himself to lift his friends from their respective doldrums, and Cheol-Jung having a field day with an uncouth mouth, as he battles it out with his workers on strike on a failed construction project.

For the most parts, these two loggerheads steered clear of each other, and the story lacked efforts in wanting to build up on their disgust for the other. It attempted instead for the audience to try and sympathize with their individual predicaments, and that they have circumstances in which they are driven to make their choices, but even so, there's a lack of connection between the two men, and the audience is denied any satisfying climax of a settlement. While the characters in general are all unlikable - going to show that it's what inside that matters - instead it brought to mind of the vultures that circle around, waiting for opportunity to pounce when the chips are all down.

For that bit, I'd have to give it some credit. Otherwise it was really painful to just watch the macho men getting around trying to solve their respective wimpy issues, or just using violence as a means to an end, since after all, they're just gangsters with little soul, and you really couldn't care much about how their characters develop, and only wish for the film to quickly get to the finale of its 120 minute run time.

Murder of the Inugami Clan / The Inugamis (Inugamike no Ichizoku)

Got Will, Got Relatives

The closing film of the Tokyo International Film Festival back in 2006, this movie is a remake by the late Kon Ichikawa of one of his own, whose original film based on the same novel by Seishi Yokomizo, was made some 30 years ago. Anyway this is nothing new or surprising, given that filmmakers do revisit some of their earlier works (Funny Games anyone?). I haven't seen the original so I don't have a basis for comparison, so take it from me that I'm watching this for the very first time, even though some of the principal cast members return to take up their same roles in this remake, such as Koji Ishizaka as the private eye Kosuke Kindaichi and Takeshi Kato as Chief Todoroki.

Murder of the Inugami Clan is extremely old school, in the classic sense of the word. One shouldn't expect some snazzy updating on the look and feel to it what with special effects, or worse, over the top acting. Everything is still extremely measured, capped by genuinely good performances all round, and in a whodunnit, has plenty of red herrings to keep you busy, while never wasting any time in moving the narrative forward. It sustains its mystery with the dead showing up frequently, teasing you with possibilities and options, in a race against time for the detective Kosuke and the relatively inept police to figure out the crime.

And the crime is committed over a struggle for property and riches. The pariah of the Inugami has passed away, and in his wake is revealed a will that is safekept by the family lawyer. The conditions of the will can only be made known when all members of the family, and its extended links, congregate in the family home in Nagano, and the terms and conditions of inheritance is nothing short of mind-boggling, especially when a seemingly distant outsider in Tamayo (Nanako Matshushima) has to decide who amongst the scions of the family she has to marry, in order to gain control over a large chunk of family fortune.

So the whodunnit begins, when dead bodies appear with family members getting bumped off in some really grotesque fashion. In fact, having the presence of a masked Sukekiyo, due to injuries sustained in WWII, is chilling enough, as we only see the eyes of a man whose identity is suspect by everyone, since he has something obvious to hide. Kon Ichikawa sticks to ketchup blood, but even then, the imagery of the grizzly crime still sticks vividly to your mind, especially when these are enacted for the audience to see from Kosuke's perspective.

As much as the movie takes its time to set things up, it also takes as much time to decompress all the events for you, which I thought on one hand was rather enjoyable to be taken through, but on the other wondered about the necessity of having to show everything again in verbatim terms. There are enough twists and turns in the movie, though at times you might feel that you are one step ahead, because I suppose for a more cynical audience in today's context, you would find it rather easy to cut through the smoke and mirrors, and get to the point.

Still, it makes for excellent viewing since I can't resist a good detective story, which seems to be quite scarce these days.

Meet Dave

I'm Dave Ming Chang!

One wonders if Eddie Murphy has lost it. I still remember his early days in action comedy back in Beverly Hills Cop, flashing his pearlies and making wisecracks, being the rather unorthodox cop that he probably would be toying with continuing the franchise to revive flagging fortunes, just like how Stallone went about adding to his Rocky and Rambo mythos. We all know the comedic streak in Eddie, and he does a fine job in voicing animated characters. But while he seemed to have exhausted playing multiple characters in The Nutty Professor and Norbit, he now has to play himself in, well, himself.

As a spaceship that is. In true Star Trek design and style, Eddie Murphy plays the Captain of a group of tiny humanoid aliens, who have built a spacecraft in the likeness of the Captain, and sent on a mission to extract all of Earth's salt to save their own back home, through an orb like object which is currently in the hands of a human child (Austyn Myers) he coincidentally befriends when his mom (Elizabeth Banks) hits him in vehicle accident. So begins an adventure on Earth where the unfeeling alien beings slowly find themselves affected by all that is life, from music to emotions like love and friendship.

Director Brian Robbins, who helmed Murphy's previous movie Norbit, somehow didn't deliver this movie to its potential given its scattered focus, unable to decide to go all out in becoming a comedy, or a drama with its cliched believe in yourself values and message. While Norbit was deliciously wicked in its political incorrectness and went totally riot with it, Meet Dave seemed to have tote the line of being boring without even trying. It didn't have any inkling of attempting to elicit genuine laughter, and all its potential had already been shown their hand in the trailer. Yes, the best bits were there, and left nothing new to the audience when sitting through the rest of the 90 minute movie.

Granted that there were some pretty nifty special effects in the film, those doesn't save Meet Dave from itself. It has an interesting premise, and had enough poking fun at conventional pop culture and icons such as Apple, but these come too few and far between, and seemed rather hurried to get everything loop closed so that they can move on and end the movie. With impatience like that build in the script to have everything wrapped in 48 hours, it's no wonder should the film had dropped plenty of its intended depth (if any) and chose to make itself fast and loose, and somehow along the way, unfunny. I'd sure like to Meet Dave properly, and not have to suffer a quick hi and then bye.

Japanese Film Festival 2008

Having attended the last two editions faithfully, I dare say that this is one of the many festivals here that I look forward too fervently, because of the programming which is based on a theme, as well as having almost half of the selection FREE for the public, which digs into the archives to screen some gems already seldom seen, or not available through DVD, and for fans who wish to interact with the filmmakers, there will also be a director/actor/actress in focus, whose movies will be screened, and they will be in attendance as well for some Q&A sessions.

Shifted to late August from the traditionally September period, this year's festival explores Jyo-yuu, on women. The festival will also pay homage to the works of director NARUSE Mikio and actress-director TANAKA Kinuyo, as well as having in attendance directors KAWASE Naomi, MATSUOKA Naomi and MATSUE Tetsuaki.

Waste no time and visit the Official Festival Website for details of the lineup of films, which include Sakuran (I've waited for more than a year to finally be able to watch this) and The Mourning Forest, which won the Grand Prix in the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

All screenings will take place at The National Museum of Singapore's Gallery Theatre from August 22nd to 31st. See you there!

[e’Tzaintes] + A Wicked Tale: Double Screening

If you need an example of how a local filmmaker's works have garnered international acclaim but yet to be screened theatrically in Singapore, then look no further than the movies from Tzang Merwyn Tong. While travelling the film festival circuits to critical praise, audiences here only had the DVD (which I heard has gone out of print, given only 1000 copies made) on which to watch his movies, that is, until now.

Screening at Sinema Old School as a limited release "Grindhouse" double bill in a salute to pink, goth and rock, I'd say to take the opportunity to watch Merwyn's movies on a decent big screen, though of course being somewhat experimental, his movies will push your boundaries, but more so, you'd start to realize that we have talented filmmakers in our midst who do not allow themselves to be constraint to what is socially acceptable or sticking to a formula, and willing to go the extra mile in tantalizing an audience with their own brand of storytelling technique.

A Wicked Tale
I guess there are at least two sides to a fairy tale. On the surface, it's for the children to fantasize in the realm of the make believe, with magical creatures and powers that appeal to impart good morals and values. On a more mature level, there are layers where adults get to enact their own fantasies, and from seemingly innocent texts, there comes the darker themes that show their true colours, depending on how unconventional one's thoughts are when re-interpreting the same story. Stories like Alice in Wonderland will be a whole field day excursion, as would The Little Red Riding Hood.

The Brothers Grimm's Little Red Riding Hood gets an updated treatment in Tzang Merwyn Tong's A Wicked Tale, and this was already done back in 2005, before the likes of Hard Candy coming into the picture, in an exploration of power play. The girl here gets dressed in virginal white to represent her innocence, while yet doesn't do without the quintessential red hood, which hints of something more powerful and sinister perhaps in her discovery and experimentation, as suggested by her dalliance with Death through her proxy fish pets.

If Beth (Evelyn Maria Ng) is the riding hood object of lust, then the hunter comes in the form of Louis Le Bon (Johan Ydstrand), a charming long haired man spotting a gruff sexy voice who prey on innocence, and has a mind of perverse thoughts in marking his conquests, never mincing his deep dark intent as he explicit describes in innuendos his every move and desire. Added supporting roles include Catherine Sng as GrandMama, who added some spunk Into her character, rather than the meek, ailing senior citizen that was canon, and Wolf Danker as Uncle Charlie, the necessary woodcutter, who's also given a new spin.

Tzang gets to play with plenty of different techniques in this 45 minute film, from puppetry in the opening credit sequence, to recreation of the look and feel of the silent film era through skipped frames and intertitles replacing dialogue, and colours or the lack thereof. In presenting the story, Tzang pushes some boundaries into the blood and gore (which has been superceded by the likes of Kelvin Sng's Kichiro), infusing some cheesy B-grade horror and exploitative elements on purpose, thus giving a very raw and edgy feel to the entire film.

It's filled with enough sexual perversion and at times, religious references, as it pushed boundaries of asking the perennial question, in the games people play where the mark and the player gets interchanged and blurred, as do the line between the hunter and its prey. But as a cautionary tale like Hard Candy, it again reminds everyone to be prepared for the unexpected when deciding to play with fire, which Is a good servant (oohlala) and a bad master (then you'll get to face the music), that there's almost always something more than meets the eye.

I suppose with each viewing you'll see something new in A Wicked Tale, and with each iteration, depending on the mood and viewpoint you want to adopt, the textured story clearly cements this as a cult classic to be and can be enjoyed by a larger audience.

[e'Tzaintes]
Running slightly longer than A Wicked Tale, e'Tzaintes is an experimental debut video where the rawness of the creative team shows on the sleeve, but that doesn't detract the team from forging ahead and making something of a cult hit out of this film as well.

It's your classic college school life where students do everything else but study, along the same veins like Crow's Zero, with different clichéd cliques rule sections of the turf in the school known as Faeryville College. We follow the life of Wynn, a newcomer (as they always are) and he serves as the proxy to introduce to us things like the glamour pusses and the #1 gang in school known as the Backside Boyz, whose dance routine is just as bad as their attitudes and tempers.

Inspired by the sayings of Faeke, an enigmatic Bohemian-styled slacker, lamer and wanker, he soon gets roped into a gang of misfits who call themselves the Tzaintes, as they etch towards securing a foothold of their own within school, but of course not without ruffling the feathers of the Boyz. It's guys, girls and guns, where experimentation by the filmmakers is the order of the house. The story might not be something to be wowed by, but there's a certain cultish like philosophy that Faeke preaches that may make you go hmmmm….

Being a first film, this movie does have its shortcomings such as the non-existent acting skills by a large number of the cast, but as a platform to experiment, then this would provide perfect opportunity to test out waters, which of course led to the more pointed A Wicked Tale.


After the screening, directors of A Wicked Tale Tzang Merwyn Tong and Selvam Dass, and producer Armen Rizal Rahman had a short Q&A session with the audience, where they shared about the influence of the visual atmosphere, which is inspired by dream like images, and that the story had been intriguing because of the moral behind the Little Red Riding hood syndrome which they wanted to explore. Selvam also recounted that they had to try analyze the different layers in the story, and Tzang wanted to explore the question of seduction in a game of manipulation. He also added that he liked the style of silent movies, and the intertitles employed helped to allow an audience to pause and think a bit. He tried not to rationalize the styles used, but uses what he feels natural to present the story in that particular way.

And for fans of Faeke who wanted to know if he's based on a real life person, the filmmakers chuckled and explained that the name probably answered the question!


The double bill screenings will continue to screen at Sinema Old School at the following showtimes. Check the website to confirm screening schedules:

August 16, 2008 - 7:45 pm, 9:15 pm
August 22, 2008 - 7:00 pm
August 23, 2008 - 7:45 pm
August 24, 2008 - 2:30 pm

4bia / Phobia (สี่แพร่ง)

4bia finally makes its Singapore debut today, hot off winning the Bronze Award at Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. It's a collection of 4 horror shorts by upcoming (or should I already say established) talents in the Thai horror genre, with each short helmed by a different director, having their individual flair and skill thrown in to provide the audience with a mixture of flavours, injecting action, comedy, and classic ghouls and spirits coupled with special effects, to keep each short distinct from one another, yet working so well to entertain as a whole.

Sometimes with an anthology, there are bound to be some portions which would let down the rest, but with 4bia, I guess everyone managed to up their ante, especially when you have in your stable, the likes of Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoon of Shutter and Alone fame, though for this project, we see them work individually instead of the usual collaborative effort. It's pretty amazing that in every story, it still managed to take its time to gradually build everything up into a crescendo, delivering its payload toward the end in very satisfying climaxes, then bowing out for the next short to take over.

I guess the more conventional way, is to reflect upon the merits of each short on its own. For non-Thai speakers/readers, it might be prudent to know that there are unifying moments within each short which ties it in with the rest, however, these were lost in translation, so do pay close attention to things like news reports, ticker scrollers across television sets, and dialogue where clues are mentioned quite casually.

Happiness - Youngyooth Thongkonthun
Better known for his comedies like Iron Ladies and Metrosexual, Youngyooth's film is sans spoken dialogue. It plays out almost like a silent film, save for an alarming pounding on the door, and how effectively creepy a mobile phone on silent, vibrating mode can be. The score's top notch here, following a pulsating heartbeat that goes in tandem with the character's emotion.

Pin (Maneerat Kham-uan) is a lonely girl who's leg in a cast disallows her to join her friends on vacation. Being left at home, she surfs the internet looking for jobs, until a mysterious SMS message begins a flurry of exchanges which unravels a mystery and wraps itself up nicely to set the benchmark for the other shorts to meet.

It's basically Maneerat's solo act in holding the attention of an audience, and I have to admit that while it starts off real slowly with plenty of repetitiveness in her communicating using SMS, things really start to pick up the pace once you'd start to expect things to go Boo. If you think One Missed Call's ringtone is the call of death aknocking, wait till you experience a phone on vibrating mode, which probably brought on more chills to tingle your spine.

Tit For Tat - Paween Purikitpanya
Those who have watched Paween's Body #19 will now see him tackle Thai black magic. Tit For Tat adapts from a story that's based on a Thai comic book, and the story is fairly standard with a group of delinquents taking it out on a helpless boy whom they thought ratted them out to their teacher for possession of weed. Things naturally go out of hand during their ragging, and you'd bet your last dollar that the victim will turn to none other than black magic to settle the score.

The visuals here adopts the shaky-cam technique and quick cut editing, so for those who get queasy easily, then you might find it difficult to sit through this one. There are plenty of falling from heights as well, and this is the one short that didn't scrimp on visual effects, showing how one can effectively blend special effects together with rather explicit blood and gore to achieve the desired results. The short with the most cast members in it, to of course up the body count.

In The Middle - Banjong Pisanthanakun
Film fans will find no qualms about this short, by one half of the filmmakers of Shutter and Alone, as he cheekily makes references to and spoils a couple of films by having the characters talk about the movie's ending, even his own! I suppose non-film fans, or those who have chalked up a backlog, will raise their arms in protest, so I'd suggest you'd start working on your backlog in order to fully enjoy the inside jokes made.

4 friends go on a camping trip, and as usual, it's staple to swap ghost stories, until one of them foolishly swears that if he were to die, he'll come to haunt whosoever sleeps in the middle of the three remaining. We all know Murphy, and In The Middle became the perfect blend of comedy and horror, making me both laugh and having my hair stand on ends at the same time. It plays on plenty of fears, while not taking itself too seriously when it launches into comedic periods, especially when the happy campers seem to be bumbling their way through to avoid one of their own whom they reckon is actually not alive.

Plenty of fun in this piece with the top notch camaraderie amongst all 4 actors involved, and excellent make up too.

Last Fright - Parkpoom Wongpoon
The title could either play on the mispronunciation of "flight" (since it takes place on an airplane) as "fright", or as a signal that this is going to be the final short of the lot, so if you haven't been scared stiff yet, then this will be your final chance. It's like Red Eye, only that all the action takes place on board a special chartered flight of Golden Star airlines, where a Royal Family princess coming out of a bad relationship, requests to have the same cabin crew team serve her.

Pim (Laila Boonyasak) finds herself the sole inflight attendant to be serving the princess, except that of course there's a reason to everything, as always. But that's not the crux of the story, but when the Princess kicks the bucket and the airlines have to fly her back, then in an empty plane save for the pilots, the body of your enemy and yourself, then expect a whole lot to happen, making it indeed a flight from hell. This particular installment served as a roller coaster of sorts, bringing you to new highs of thrills, and dips at the right moment for you to catch your breath, only to chug on at full speed to reach its plateau during the climax. And this is probably one of the best designed ghouls here with a revolting image that will stick to you even after the credits roll, and it's no help that we're still in the midst of the lunar seventh month!


All in all, 4bia comes highly recommended by me if you enjoy a horror film which has elements of its sub-genres all combined into one, and definitely one of the better horror films (bah, remakes!) to have come out in this part of the world. These 4 directors have definitely shown they are a collaborative force to be reckoned with in the horror genre, and I look forward to more from them, either individually, or as a group!

*****
From LtoR: Actress Maneerat Kham-uan, Director Paween Purikitpanya (Tit For Tat), Director Parkpoom Wongpoon (Last Fright), Actor Kantapat Permpoonpatcharasuk, Director Banjong Pisanthanakun (In The Middle) and Director Youngyooth Thongkonthun (Happiness)
The following discussion is Spoiler-filled so if you haven't seen the movie, you might want to consider coming back here once you do. You have been warned...

As Youngyooth Thongkonthun had opened the Q&A session this evening, today marked the 1st time the movie is screened in Singapore (the gala was at another hall, sans this interactive session we had in this Blog Aloud sesssion). The concept started from Parkpoom Wongpoon, who has a flight attendant friend who had recounted to him that should a member of the Royal Family pass away, the body has got to be carried back in the cabin, and seated on a passenger seat, rather than to be transported in the cargo hold. This sparked an idea when he was flying back from the Singapore premiere of Alone, but realized it could only be a short film idea. He then put all the filmmakers together, and it took them less than one day to all agree on the concept.

The 4 shorts have elements which link them to one another, and these include the breaking news in a television programme which talks about the mysterious deaths of vocational students, and a mention of the Princess's death in a news bulletin. There are plenty more of such references, but I guess unless you speak/read Thai, most will be lost in translation, or you would probably need to re-watch the movie again, and pay close attention!

Q: Why do you think so many horror films come out of Thailand, is it culturally, or determined by the market?
Banjong: Locally, the Thai film industry makes a lot of comedies, romance, action and of course horror movies, but horror seems to be able to travel well, so it gets to be seen more internationally.

Youngyooth also explained that every country has its own myths and urban legends, and it is not strange if one is to be afraid of the dark, or afraid of ghosts. Paween Purikitpanya paid tribute to J-horror, which helped to open the doors for Asian horror to introduce itself to the world and the international markets and festivals, such as the Fantasia International Film Festival.


Q: Were you afraid during filming, or was filming so fun that it became tough to keep a straight face?
Maneerat: It did feel a little spooky during filming, and the role actually stayed with me two weeks after the shoot was completed!

Q: Were there any strange incidents that happened during production?
Parkpoom: There was nothing supernatural in incidents, except when the producer showed up on set without first telling us! *laughs*
Youngyooth: We did have a set in an abandoned hospital, but nothing happened. Sorry to disappoint with the lack of such incidents to tell you! *laughs*

Q: You had directed M.A.I.D and Metrosexual, which were comedies. Why didn't your segment have comedy in it?
Youngyooth: That's because I joined the team late, and Banjong's segment already had comedy first! We wanted to provide a good mix, so that's why you have action-horror, classic horror, and comedy-horror.

Q: Would you be interested to work outside of Thailand, and in another language, or even remake your own Thai films?
Banjong: Sure I would be interested if there are offers. Both Parkpoom and myself have been offered projects but we wold prefer to want to work on something we are really interested in, and we don't mind if it's in other languages.

Q: Will we see future collaborations like this one in time to come?
Youngyooth: I served as a producer in Body #19 and Alone, so that's some form of collaboration before. I'm not sure of opportunities in the future, but for sure if we have the chance.
Paween: Or maybe if everyone likes the film, we can make 4bia 2!

The Days Website Goes Live!

Kuah Simi?!
Boi Kwong's directorial debut feature film The Days will hit our screens in September, and the official website is now online!

Click here for a whole host of goodies such as downloadable wallpapers and film stills, story synopsis, cast and crew biographies, and three embedded trailers, packaged in a snazzy flash enabled website!

Teaser:


Trailer:


Related Links
Blog Site
Site at Ning.com
Official Web Site

[World Cinema Series] Sandakan No. 8 (Sandakan Hachiban Shokan: Bohkyo / サンダカン八番娼館 望郷)

Pay Close Attention

The beginning of the National Museum Cinematheque's World Cinema Series was about a year ago with the screening of a Japanese movie called The Profound Desire of the Gods, and was the prelude to the upcoming Japanese Film Festival then, since director Shohei Imamura was the director in focus last year. This year the World Cinema Series for the month continues in that tradition in having Kumai Kei's Sandakan No. 8 serve as the prelude to the Japanese Film Festival happening from August 22 to 31, where actress turned director Tanaka Kinuyo is the actress/director in focus for the festival this year.

Sandakan No. 8 is set in Borneo, East Malaysia in the 1970s, where a writer arrives in the hopes of doing research on the karayuki-san (juvenile prostitute) who thrive in the Japanese colonies in Southeast Asia in the early twentieth century. She finds her mark in aged Osaki, and like most documentarians, spend significant time trying to gain and win over trust using sincerity, and the audience have to bear with about a quarter of the movie dwelling on that building of the trust factor, before we can get transported back to the 1900s, following the life of Osaki as it gets recounted in a series of flashbacks.

I suppose the nature of the subject of the Karayuki-san makes it both controversial and sensitive, and not something to be proud of. In fact, human trafficking to fuel the sex trade is nothing new (and being made into movies such as Your Name is Justine, or Lilya 4-ever are nothing new too), but perhaps a shameful blip on the Japanese history to have done that to their own. Based on a non-fiction book by author Yamazaki Tomoko and an interview with a former Karayuki-san, you cannot help but see some parallels between some aspects of the story here, and that in Memoirs of a Geisha, though of course this movie came first since it was done in the 70s, and that one happened overseas, while the latter chronicles the life of a fictional geisha in Japan itself.

A common thread would be that they all stemmed from a very pathetic family decision for survival, to have the young daughters sold away first as child labourers, before the passage of time makes them suitable to be pimped in order to repay quickly a lifetime of debt in which their families only get a fraction of. You can't help but be moved by Osaki's inability to better her lot, and you'll find yourself hard pressed not to be sympathetic towards her when she has to resign to her fate, being caught faraway from home, and doing things which are against her wishes. Then of course comes the cursory romance of her "true love" which naturally comes to naught, especially after performing some national service to visiting compatriots of the military. You'll feel for Osaki especially when she disregards good advice, and heads home to Japan only to be faced with discrimination from her own kin, the same ones whom she was sold away to help.

The title referred to the brothel where Osaki was based in, with Sandakan being one of the towns in Borneo at the time, and the Japanese brothels were easily labelled from One to Ten. The film captures a snapshot of history of Borneo in the 70s, where the earlier Sandakan days seemed to have been recreated from man made sets. The movie might seem dated in its presentation and style, with little going on in the present day it is set with attempts to verify the facts that Osaki recounted, but the flashback scenes are nothing short of riveting even though the story might have already been told a couple of times in other forms. But in truth, the payload comes toward the end where the two lead characters finally connect at an emotional level, and at the very last scene, which was extremely poignant in its revelation.

12 LOTUS (十二莲花)

Happy Family

For detractors who view 12 Lotus with the preconceived notion that the follow up to Royston Tan's highly successful 881 is nothing but having another go at the same formula to repeat its success, you're in for a big surprise. No doubt that this movie also revolves in part around the Getai like 881, but 12 Lotus made 881 look like a walk in the park, having its emotions come more strongly across, being a darker film than the previous which in comparison was much fluffy with the bitchy rivalry between the Papaya and the Durian sisters taking centerstage.

If amongst the montage of song and dance in 881 were I to pick a favourite, it will be "12 Lotus", though it was sung to a relatively upbeat tune. Here, 12 Lotus the song became the backbone in which the story unfolded upon, having its chapters make interludes in between scenes, though not always in consistent terms. Telling the story of Ah Hua the Pitiful Lotus (played by both Mindee Ong and Liu Ling Ling for the different eras in a twenty year gap), it's a tragedy of sizable proportions about the hard life and times of a Getai singer, whose men in her life were all temporal, just like that in Jasmine Women, leaving her to fend for herself with her favorite comfort food in cream crackers, and a Goddess of Mercy statue as a security blanket. Incidentally, lead actor Qi Yu Wu was himself named Guan Yin in 881, and his security blanket was a live chicken he carried around.

There were a couple of plus points in this movie that benefited from its larger budget. Production values were clearly ramped up, and while 881 managed to get away with its knowingly non-existent crowds in its busy Getai scenes, here we have plenty of extras to jam the sessions. Costumes were less glitzy this time around, but nonetheless more gaudy. Songs too seemed to have extra oomph in them, and one performance had the screening hall's bass throbbing and pulsating non-stop. But you don't really get a host of songs featured here, which would really have been like a repeat of 881, although this time there were newer faces from the Getai scene who were given supporting roles, and a cinematic platform to showcase what they can do to a new audience.

Undoubtedly, Liu Ling Ling's fan base and profile grew with her debut cinematic outing in Royston Tan's earlier movie, but while essentially playing a larger than life version of herself in 881, here she gets to challenge herself in a more dramatic role. In fact, I would say that this movie opened a lot of doors for the cast involved, and had everyone get out of their comfort zones. For starters, Liu's enigmatic presence throughout 881 lifted many portions of that movie, and I thought 12 Lotus was missing her charismatic screen presence for the 1st half, so fans have to patiently wait for her appearance to continue the story of Ah Hua. And even then, it's to continue the drudgery of a fallen idol, which can get heavy on the emotions, in total opposites to her Getai persona, as well as her previous roles.

But that's not to say that Mindee Ong was a pushover in the earlier scenes. Given its split structure with a tragic pivot, I thought it was rather wry that there was a scene which the trailer included that involved a splashing of paint onto her during a performance, which of course brought back memories of an actual sabotage attack on her during the promotional tour of 881 last year. But Mindee again proved to have that spark and spunk to pull off Ah Hua's role, one who is willing to sacrifice a lot for the men in her life, but unfortunately, I think one mountain can't have two tigers, so she got to anchor the role in the first half, before Liu Ling Ling's taking over in the second.

While Liu had two roles to play in 881, and Qi Yu Wu didn't even get a speaking line then, it looks like payback time when Royston had Qi take on two relatively different roles here, and coupled it with song, dance, action and enough scenes to emote and show his acting chops - everything that he had missed out on. Qi can already be considered a veteran actor in the feature films already, having a number of starring roles under his belt with that in The Leap Years, 881 and The Home Song Stories, with no signs of stopping as he will soon add Painted Skin to his filmography.

In jest, i had even thought 12 Lotus could have been a proper Money No Enough 2, given almost every character here seemed to have money problems, or because of money being the perennial root of all evil, being a pretext of a lot of trouble to come. There's even a hilarious song and dance sequence which includes some very light jabbing at the policies of the authorities, but don't have me mistaken, this film is not a comedy, and even its laughable moments have a tinge of background melancholy and sadness to it, given the predicament of its characters.

Supporting and guest roles would probably be crowd favourites. Huang Yiliang whom we have seen take on a cinematic role in Jack Neo's I Not Stupid 2, lends a hand here as the compulsive gambling dad of Ah Hua, dispensing advice that was befallen on deaf years. Fans of 881 will also be glad to know that Yeo Yann Yann does return for an extremely small role here, just to complete the casting loop, while songstress Stefanie Sun gets a nice movie debut, and even David Gan seemed game to go back to basics. Hao Hao gets to play the grown up Astroboy, trusted friend of Ah Hua, but it did seem that majority of his dialogue seemed to have been dubbed over in Mandarin to avoid the risk of having the movie not clear the censors for its predominantly Hokkien dialect dialogue.

Royston Tan's 12 Lotus is probably his more mature film to date, being able to balance both sensitive drama with formula and material to engage the general local movie-going audience. Sure, 881 was more fun on the whole, but 12 Lotus had a lot more pathos going for it, and that's exactly where this movie shines, learning from 881 and not indulging and allowing the melodramatic moments to go overboard.

*****
LtoR: Qi Yu Wu, Eric Ng and Royston Tan

Since this is a GV Blog Aloud session, Qi Yu Wu, Eric Ng and Royston Tan were on hand to garner audience reception as well as to take on some questions fielded by the full house. Needless to say, some of the comments here are spoilers so please steer clear if you're adverse to them, and come back once you've seen the movie.

Qi Yu Wu opened by stating that he felt Royston had matured with 12 Lotus, even for himself as an actor, and thanked Royston for giving him strange and different roles for an opportunity to unravel his potential. Here, the challenge is to play two different characters in the same film, in two different eras.

Royston and Yu Wu also recounted the number of fight scenes in the movie, most of which had Yu Wu without any form of protection. Yu Wu even explained that the fight with Liu Ling Ling at the end of the movie was somewhat of a real fight, which was shot the whole night. Eric also shared that while he had 3 weeks to finish the soundtrack for 881, for 12 Lotus he only had 3 days! Royston also lent his vocals too, which superceded that of Yu Wu's in the balladic "1 Million Dollars" song.

As for the inspiration of the story, Royston revealed that 12 Lotus is a sad song, and the character was somewhat loosely based on the relative of a friend, who exhibited symptoms like what we see in Ling Ling's take on the character. Even the note pasted at the back of the main door beginning with "Dear Mr Policeman" was also based on something real, as were the episodes with the Goddess of Mercy statue. Royston hoped that through this tragic story, audiences will still be able to see her strength and her own ability to find a path to pave in the road of life ahead. He also added that 12 Lotus also provided him with an avenue to do the things he didn't manage to do in 881.

Eric went on to share the inspiration for one of the songs in 12 Lotus, where he was in Thailand in February when he was amazed by Thai Hip-Hop, which he introduced to Royston, who also became hooked. So he decided to do something along the same lines, but in Hokkien.

True to his "bad boy of Singapore cinema" persona, Royston responded to a question whether there was any issues with the censor board this time around. There is a 60% quota for dialect to be included in a film, and 12 Lotus had actually crossed that limit. So for the longest time the movie was waiting for a rating, and they had to do some adjustments. Despite having big name cameos like David Gan and Stefanie Sun in his movie, Royston had nothing but praises for them in their professionalism and their lack of egos, making them easy to work with in a happy environment, and thanked them for their support to him and to local films.

One question asked about the significance of the Dragonfly pendant. Royston did research and discovered that the dragonfly is an insect that can bring messages from the dead. It was also a strong creature, and he had thought about using a butterfly, a bee etc before settling on the resilient Dragonfly. When asked to recount his most difficult challenge in making the movie. Royston said that it was in the writing of the script, which is a lonely process, and one which he had done in France and Holland in the hotel room in between attending film festivals.

Yu Wu also joked that his roles in 12 Lotus enabled him to release all that hidden tension he had accumulated in 881 in not being able to sing and dance, or even speak in the earlier movie. Despite playing two "villainous" roles, there were subtle differences between the two, and compounding the problem was that the movie was not shot in chronological order, so he had to often check with Royston if his portrayal of those subtleties was spot on. There was a small scene where his character calls his mom back home, and needless to say, he did manage to tap on his personal experience for that scene. Royston also revealed that that scene was included so as to provide additional volume into the background of Yu Wu's character Ah Long II.

When asked if he would complete a trilogy of Getai-related movies, Royston stated that this would probably be the last Getai film, and that he wished to move on and explore different stories, though he did enjoy the technique that a musical platform provided in using one song to explain everything. But he assured that he doesn't like to get too comfortable, and would like to do something else. His next film is already something very different.

There was a tribute at the end of the credits to an "Auntie Huay", and Royston shared that she was the coffee lady at Frameworks (the post-production company), whose premises he had used to do post-production work as early as during his short film days. Over there, he got to know the coffee lady but never got to know her name. She had recently passed away, but not before mentioning that she had wanted to see 12 Lotus. Hence the tribute to her in the film.

The Midnight Meat Train

I'm Waiting For You

Given that this month's the Lunar Seventh Month where the Chinese believe that spirits roam our world as their month long vacation from purgatory, my friend has so far kept this running joke about my unfortunate bumping into them given I spend my journey home on late night buses and trains. The Midnight Meat Train, as the title suggests, tells of the last train in the system where passengers inexplicably disappears, and I thought that Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura managed to put a somewhat refreshing spin to the entire slasher and torture porn genre.

Based on a short story by horror Meister Clive Barker, the story in parts looked like horror thrillers with recognizable moments like those in The Terminator, Shutter, and of course, Jeepers Creepers. If I were to have to take the last train, I definitely wouldn't want to bump into Vinny's sharp dressed Mahogany, a character who is almost like any other Vinny Jones character of being the muscleman. Here, he's a butcher with a penchant of waiting for the last train, and armed with nothing more than knives, meat hooks and his personal favourite, a meat tenderizer, he proceeds to chop up unsuspecting victims as the train seem to speed off into the unknown.

And there's where the story becomes intriguing, as it poses a lot of questions and doesn't provide you with any clear answers, until much later. You have to endure a slow buildup of Leon the photographer (Bradley Cooper) who in his quest to take the perfect picture for an exhibition, chances upon Mahogany and follows him for that Kodak moment. His girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb) and best friend Jurgis (Roger Bart) also get into the fray, and soon life for all three will be irrevocably changed. The payload for the movie comes at the back, and my, it's as satisfying a wrap as it can be, though again for those already familiar with some of the mentioned films, you'll more or less expect things to be done the way they did.

As mentioned earlier, what was a refreshing spin, was how direct and to the point the acts of violence got, without dragging the scenes out with needless, extended cries of mercy or lingering on gratuitous scenes of gore and blood, which torture porn flicks seem to continuous bog their movies with, that it becomes boring (Yes, I think you can sense that I'm already de-sensitized to such scenes). Rather than trying to craft creative ways to die in order to go one up against other movies that came before it, The Midnight Meat Train really went back to basics and simplicity, where killing blows are delivered swiftly, before proceeding with dismemberment.

While it is disturbing in itself, the distributors decided to shield local audiences from such violence and gore, and hence we got a censored M18 rated version, instead of full regalia under the R21 rating. The cuts were jarring enough, but in all fairness the quality of the movie cannot be judged by just how those scenes were removed with a butcher's knife. Going by detailed descriptions of the level of graphic violence contained in the movie, it seemed that we suffered from having a lot cut off.

The movie also boasted some really effective scenes of tension, and the anticipation of ill will especially with Vinny Jones looming nearby. The last time I remembered watching a major action sequence involving trains was in Batman Begins, and given that it has to live up to titular expectations, audiences were treated to some incredible all-out action scenes set in and around the train, with some really energetic camera movement and angles to complement the action on screen.

But technicalities aside, what really worked and will possibly elevate this film to cult status, will be portrayal and fleshing out the character of Mahogany as the no-nonsense and swift executioner, adding to the list of memorable villains to have graced the screen amongst the likes of the Freddies, Jasons and the Michael Myers of the cinematic world.

Pathology

Who Are We Killing Today?

From the West with the latest Saw installment or the indie Unrest, to the Asian counterpart in Body #19, dead bodies/cadavers continue to be milked for cinematic horror, not that you'd expect them to turn into zombies and start craving for human flesh, but for the amount of gore that an autopsy can provide when it's shown in your face, with skin and fat pulled back using tools of the trade, coupled with internal organs on display to challenge your stomach.

Pathology provides a narrative reason, using forensic science in allowing bodies to be piled on screen for the working pleasure of pathologists in training to hone their craft in determining causes of death. Milo Ventimiglia stars as Ted Grey, the best of the best amongst his cohort, joining a new fraternity with his glowing credentials, only for the local boys and girls to feel threatened with his arrival, and setting up a keen rivalry. Besides involving some one-upmanship amongst themselves in proving their worth in class, something also seemed to be brewing beyond the confines of the classroom, and geek pride coupled with loneliness away from fiancee Gwen Williamson (Alyssa Milano) makes Ted vulnerable to the seduction of power play from chief rival Jake (Michael Weston) and from the opposite sex courtesy of Juliette Bath (Lauren Lee Smith of Lie With Me fame).

Now from the onset, I thought this would be your usual frat-boy falling into the doldrums and then crawling his way back up again kind of story. Surprisingly, Pathology offered a little more, and was close enough to achieve greatness, if not for some very glaring suspension of disbelief required on the part of the audience. The students had to perform the perfect murder in round robin fashion, and then allow for their peers to determine from the bodies, evidence to support their theories on how the crime was committed. All this while, the cops have no idea what's going on, but that's only because of the lack of a cast member playing characters upholding the law.

It was interesting though to follow Ted's fall from grace and succumbing into the world of sex, drugs, and the thrill of putting their medical knowledge to use in becoming murderers. Yes, it's that kind of a movie with loads of moral ambiguity, especially when the character of Jake got seduced into crossing the line of no return, becoming, in their own words, a serial killer of sorts. Stakes of course get raised as the movie went along, and the finale brought on things quite unexpected, relying on the perennial twist to provide sweet satisfaction, with mixed results.

But don't approach this expecting loads of intelligence being lavished upon the story. It works for a while but doesn't hold up much under scrutiny. The great looking casts help too in roping in its target audience, and I thought Ventimiglia resembled Tobey Maguire enough to wrestle the mantle of the spider should the latter decide not to continue the lucrative franchise.

Mad About English!

I Not Lazy, So I Will Success!

By the time you read this, the Beijing Olympics 2008 is already in full swing, and the news leading up to it have been the concerns about the pollution levels affecting athletes' performances, as well as how the authorities have taken measures to ensure that all visitors get to enjoy an experience they'll never forget. Local documentarians have found the run up to the Olympic event monumental enough to craft documentaries around it, and earlier this year we have seen Tan Siok Siok's Boomtown Beijing, which provided some insights into how the Games had impacted and inpsired the ordinary folks. Lian Pek's Mad About English too get set during this period of preparation in Beijing.

As mean as we can get, we usually poke fun at other people's language (dis)ability, and if I may be politically-incorrect, usually the mistakes pointed out are genuinely funny. But when others poke fun at ours, we get up in arms protesting and finger pointing back. Take for example when a Taiwanese variety show made fun of our English language ability, we hit back with a tit-for-tat. But if you think Mad About English is about poking fun at others' expense, then you are in for a great surprise, and probably at the end of the, emerge a little afraid.

You see, this film is not about the Chinese people's inability to deal with the English language, or to show you signboards with grammar and spelling mistakes, or about having a field day with mispronunciations and unclear diction. This film shows you how relentless they are in spirit to ensure that as a community, they are working in tandem in their own little way to ensure that they be able to communicate with the influx of millions of visitors to the city and country. It's about national pride, to be able to host the Games, and to allow visitors to leave with a memorable experience. And what more than to shore up the obvious gap in communications. Realistically they couldn't expect that everyone coming will be proficient in Mandarin, but as sure as hell the Beijing-ers are pulling out all the stops to ensure they work every day at getting themselves fluent.

It's inspiring to see how age is not a barrier or excuse. From a young girl enrolled in a boot camp, to a retiree playing an active role in the community and volunteering his services, everyone seems to be in a doggedly persistent pursuit to ensure they improve their language skills everyday. Even professionals like the cab driver and the physician, understand the value of being able to hold a conversation, and although they make mistakes, it never deterred them from humbly understanding and correcting themselves. The policeman fluent in many languages, is no doubt a crowd favourite (especially when he puts on his New York accent), and the documentary also follows a self-styled English coach along the likes of Anthony Robbin's self-help seminars. And it's not just the locals getting into the act. Foreigners too like the self-appointed Grammar Crusader also lend their time and effort in weeding out bad language from signboards and menus, whose concern, and a valid one, is to remove possibilities of misunderstanding when foreigners should come and chuckle when they come across bad English, and be misconstrued as being disrespectful by the locals, to have made fun of their culture.

It's pretty amazing to see how a lot can be achieved through collective will, encouragement and spirit, and at a macro level, serves as a reminder to every one of us of the adage that we are probably weak when alone, but together, we are strong. Learning is indeed a lifelong journey, and it served as a reminder that nothing is difficult and cannot be learnt, as long as you put your heart into it. Forget about losing face, as one instructor had made mentioned, and the best way is to first lose your face and practise, and before you know it, you'll earn that back in no time.

Pek Lian's documentary is stylishly executed, and one which I didn't want it to end, at least not as soon as it did.The camera had a very keen eye at capturing snapshots without getting too intrusive into the personal lives of its chosen subjects, who were individually all very interesting people, and covered an excellent spectrum of professionals young and old, from students to instructors, to volunteers and those in the service industry. I'd tip my hat toward the successful run of the Games, and to everyone featured in the documentary that they should now be confident in playing hosts to their guests during this Olympic period, and pass with flying colours in their daily conversations, of being able to understand, and be understood.

Mad About English is highly recommended, and goes into my books as contender to be amongst the best of this year's theatrical releases.

Trailer:

Talkback at Sinema Old School

You might know by now that Sinema Old School has been playing numerous local features and shorts at its venue, drawing the curious, the fan boys (and girls), and of course, the supporters of local cinema into its screening room. Given that August is the National Day Month, the number of screenings have been ramped up, and you can take a look at the schedule for this month here.

Today I had the pleasure and opportunity to help moderate the Talkback session for Unarmed Combat, written-directed-acted by Han Yew Kwang, and produced by Lau Chee Nien. Both were on hand to field questions from the audience after the screening, and they were at their element in sharing snippets behind the scenes, and providing candid comments. Fans of their 18 Grams of Love will definitely not want to see how they started off!

Given that the movie is available on VCD at all good shops out there, why not catch it instead on the big screen? Having watched the movie in another big-screen outing provided yet another chance of picking up after things I've missed, and I still discover new stuff each time I sit through it. And yes, the tune still stuck to my head!

Sinema Old School showtimes for Unarmed Combat as follows:

August 2, 2008 - 2:30 pm
August 3, 2008 - 6:00 pm
August 10, 2008 - 7:30 pm
August 16, 2008 - 2:30 pm
August 20, 2008 - 6:30 pm
August 23, 2008 - 6:00 pm

Trailer:


And as for tomorrow's Talkback session, join director Tony Kern and producer Genevieve Woo as they present their debut feature film A Month Of Hungry Ghosts, a documentary of our current lunar new year month.

Opening at Sinema Old School and other commercial theatres concurrently, wouldn't you want to make the trip to Mount Sophia instead, since the filmmakers will be present for an interactive Q&A after the screening?

You can read my review of the movie here.

Trailer:


Click here to visit the movie's Official Website!

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

We Shouldn't Have Come to China

A friend was curious why I wanted to give this show a chance. The answer is simple, and I will not deny that I sort of enjoyed the free-wheeling, breezy summer action-adventure-comedy with a generous dose of special effects thrown in, which the Mummy and The Mummy Returns offered, together with the great chemistry between Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah. But this installment of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, came hot on the heels of the Hollywood bandwagon of raiding their own franchises in order to rake in millions around the world, and therefore fell short on many counts.

The main creative force behind the Mummy franchise (discounting the spin off of The Scorpion King) is writer-director Stephen Sommers, and this time round, he's handed over the reins to Rob Cohen, who of course is no stranger to action flicks like this, but you know what? He's never done a follow up movie before. He starts franchises, like The Fast and the Furious, and xXx, but never taking it over from someone else. Therefore, whatever original essence and flavour that the earlier movies possessed, became lost in the change at the helm. Even the jokes, usually having John Hannah delivering the bulk of them, seemed contrived, tired and just jarring - oh we need a joke now, cut to John, say something, and cut back to the action.

Then, the change in lead actress would have signalled that something was amiss. While this isn't anything new (just ask Christopher Nolan when he replaced Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal), it does tell you something that Rachel Weisz had a good reason not to reprise her role, and good for you, girl! Maria Bello was a poor replacement who lacks the great chemistry that Weisz shared with Fraser, and worse, was let down by the storyline. In fact, you can even take out her Eve O'Connell, and you won't miss a thing, not to mention that she now has to share the limelight with 2 other actresses in Michelle Yeoh, and contend with a younger upstart in Isabella Leong.

There were plenty other missteps along the way, more noticeably in the Asian casting. While Jet Li got star billing, he had only limited screentime, while his digital double had chosen to do battle with The Dark Knight in a bout of who's having the gruff voice of the year. Michelle Yeoh as a witch with magical powers might just stretch it a little, though she does get some justice here when she got to go one on one against Jet, after having her role unceremoniously dumped in their earlier collaboration Fearless. While Isabella Leong primarily fulfilled her flower vase role successfully, Russell Wong given a cameo and even Wu Jing managed to appear for 5 seconds, Anthony Wong recycled his uniform in The Painted Veil for an appearance here, and also recycled his performance in being the quintessential baddie. Yes the role probably had a lot more Asian faces than your usual Hollywood blockbuster, but these are roles that are nothing to shout about, and being so only because the movie is set in Post WWII China.

And don't get me started on the story. This marks the 2nd consecutive time that Jet's character got cast in stone, the previous being in The Forbidden Kingdom, and unless he wants to make this a habit, I'd say he better screen his next script properly. His role here is similar to that of The Rock's in The Mummy Returns, so you'll probably be bored by the sense of deja vu, especially when the story develops in familiar ground, like high speed chases through the city at night, and set action pieces in preventing mummy dearest from achieving full power. It took a leaf out of Return of the King, and had CGI armies pitting themselves against each other in one messy lump. Arrows are cool, and the show reminded us again. The effects, while nicely rendered, still felt too tired from its paying homage to whatever had already gone before.

If you're a fan of Brendan Fraser, I'd recommend you to go watch him Journey to the Center of the Earth because he disappears into the background here no thanks to the insipid story. Even the 2D print showing here would beat The Mummy hands down in the entertainment department. Unless of course you prefer having to watch something of the same-old, which had woefully lost the magic its predecessors possessed. I guess some Mummies do not deserved to be resurrected.