Beast Stalker (證人)

Who's The Monster?

Fans of Nicholas Tse would definitely not want to miss his first theatrical outing since that infamous Edison scandal, which also took another victim in Beast Stalker director Dante Lam's Sniper movie. Tse gives one of his better performances that called for more drama than brawn, and he brings the pain of his character out well, as a guilt-ridden cop who is looking for an opportunity to redeem himself and seek forgiveness from Zhang Jing Chu's top legal eagle role, but still a flower vase one nonetheless.

Veteran Liu Kai-Chi supports Tse very well here and makes the latter look good with some assured performance, and almost steals the thunder from Tse. But Nick Cheung equals Tse in bringing some gravitas to his role as a sympathetic hit-man dealt with a lousy hand from Fate. You'll probably grow to like his character rather than Tse's, as he's stuck with treading the thin grey line between good and evil, having to do what he does in order to look after his bedridden wife, and himself not in the best of health.

While it has many elements similar to that of Connected, given that they both come from the same producers, have the mobile phone so intricately tied to the plot, and having to deal with a kidnapping, Beast Stalker suffered from some overly long dramatic moments, which prevented it from becoming a tight crime-thriller that it probably aspired to be. Nonetheless it's still a commendable addition to that Hong Kong genre, and could have become great if it had shorn off some fat from its runtime.

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

Hell's Highway: KM31 aka KM 31: Kilometro 31

Look Carefully

A Mexican-Spanish production, if the characters speak Japanese, you might file this under J-horror for its plenty of now cliched elements that it borrows from the genre. From plenty of water to a demonic kid running around, this seemed to have itself bogged down with trying to pay homage, or pushing to see how much from the genre it can fuse together into one film, nevermind its under-developed and haphazardly put together storyline.

There was plenty of potential from some of its sub plots thought up, especially the notion of falling for a twin just because, but like its other half baked thread on the mystery surrounding the death of the protagonist's mom, you'd start to realize that there are scenes or sequences put into this film without much thought as to how everything would gel together at the end. So instead of the usual verbatim tell-all that Hollywood remakes adopt, this one tells nothing, and falls short.

Technically, it's still an above average production, given its modest production values, and some pretty nifty make up designs and special effects. This would have done 3D proud should some sequences get presented in that format. But alas, despite technical achievements, it's always boil down to the strength of the story, which unfortunately repeatedly fell flat and lacklustre throughout.

You can read my review of KM31 at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.

The Sky Crawlers (Sukai Kurora)

Ace In The Sky

The Sky Crawlers seem to live up to its name, that it really took its time to tell a story, but in doing so, allowed for the narrative to sink in. After all, it's brought to us by Mamoru Oshii, and as far as his filmography goes, this Japanese maestro's works is often deep, and have more than enough room for multiple viewings, each time allowing you to take away something different, or unnoticed from the previous time round.

Adapted by Chihiro Itou from Hiroshi Mori's story, you could see the themes that this movie had that would interest Oshii to be at the helm. They are nothing relatively new, as fans would see some similarities in the characters' struggle about their own existentialism, and what I enjoyed most, the connected thread between war and peace. It's like the notion of having to prepare for war that you get to enjoy some peace, and I guess every National Serviceman would have heard that at one point or another during their tour of duty.

While one can find some distinct parallels from Americanized films that pay homage or blatantly ripping off Oshii's earlier works, what I thought could have been toned down, was how toward the end, subtlety wasn't the rule of thumb, and almost every theory got explained verbatim. There were enough unanswered questions along the way to tickle your brain, leaving you guessing and drawing your own conclusions, but there were at least two crystal clear moments that decided to tell all and show all, taking away most of the fun. So in a way, you have less room to maneuver your thoughts during that after-movie discussion with friends.

I could imagine and understand any kid sitting inside a theatre hall having absolutely no patience for this masterpiece. Except for the opening sequence which had packed in the action at Top Gun pace, one's notion that this was going to be a war-action movie gets thrown out the window within 10 minutes. Naturally it has the potential to go in that direction by playing up and extending the aerial dogfights, but to do so would be to dumb this film down a lot of notches.

Granted its characters are pilots, and kid pilots at that, "Kildren" (I would like to think of it as Killer-Children) who don't seem to grow up, get careers in Corporations that seem to be waging war on behalf of nations, and pilot propeller-powered warplanes to engage their enemy in attacking and defending routines. Heck, there's even a Red Baron equivalent as the resident bogeyman too! They smoke, they kill (up in the air) and they make love, with nary an adult batting an eyelid, that you would deem them all turning a blind eye to their kids' shenanigans (of course there's a reason for this). Imagine the adults being quite nonchalant, and some even supportive, of kids fighting wars while they go about their daily lives, being quite unaffected other than being a feature in news bulletins.

So we follow the adventures, and mysteries weaved amongst the characters of Kannami Yuichi (voiced by Ryo Kase), base commander Kusanagi (Rinko Kikuchi of Babel fame, who had also collaborated in Oshii's omnibus movie Kill under the segment Assault Girl 2). The remaining supporting characters serve out their primary purpose, such as Tokino (Shosuke Tanihara) as the wingman/buddy, and Mitsuya (Chiaki Kruiyama, Kill Bill's Gogo Yubari) as the tell-all mouthpiece, which I thought that even without, the coda after the end credits roll would have summed it all up nicely.

This is Japanese anime, so its quality is excellent, with some really photo-realistic moments, and aerial dogfights that look as real as if they really built those planes and shot them in mid air. John Woo would also be proud at how balletic the shoot-em-ups can get, pulling back its punches as well to avoid any explicitness in its violence. The main theme of the soundtrack is extremely hypnotic and would linger on you for some time after the end credits roll. After all, it's by Kenji Kawai.

This is not an action movie, period. If that's the kind of movie you're expecting, then my advice would be to save your ticket money. If you're looking toward something that's more contemplative, and dealing with themes that would make you think along the way (until the two mentioned moments where the hints get more obvious), and maybe even appreciate life a little more, then march up to the box office when this opens next week. Highly recommended, and definitely a contender when I compile the top ten list for the year!

[DVD] Asian Film Archive Collection: Singapore Shorts Vol.2 (2008)

It was in 2005 that the Asian Film Archive issued the first DVD collection from its archives entitled Singapore Shorts Volume 1, and given its title, you'd come to expect more from this particular anthology series to emerge. It's been a long three year anticipation for Volume 2 to materialize, which was recently launched at Kinokuniya @ Ngee Ann City last week, but as the adage goes, all good things come to those who wait.

Between these 3 years, the Singapore short and feature film landscape has changed dramatically, with increasing output on both the commercial and independent fronts. Carefully curated from its ever expanding archives, this collection features some of the most exciting lineup of creative works from established filmmakers, as well as the up and coming rising stars that one should start to take note of.

Why? Well, we've seen how the filmmakers from Volume 1 have continued to develop their craft and proceeded to the feature film front - Royston Tan now has a few well-travelled features under his belt - 4:30, 881, 12 Lotus - as does Tan Pin Pin with her acclaimed documentaries Singapore GaGa and Invisible City. While his short The Call Home was dramatic material, Han Yew Kwang has begun to establish his brand of comedy with Unarmed Combat and 18 Grams of Love (watch out Jack Neo!) which will make its theatrical debut at Sinema Old School come December. Wee Li Lin had Gone Shopping and Sun Koh dabbled as producer-director of the exquisite-corpse film Lucky 7 which made its world premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival early this year.

If the Archive's collection is an inkling of things to come from the filmmakers featured, then it shouldn’t be too long before we see them become more prolific. Already Loo Zihan and Brian Gothong Tan had made their feature films, with the former having co-directed Solos with Kan Lume, which was nominated for the running at the 20th Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) Silver Screen Awards, and the latter making his feature film debut with Invisible Children, which had its world premiere at the Bangkok International Film Festival last month. Boo Junfeng is another star in the making to look out for, having gone full circle to bag yet another SIFF Best Short Film award for Keluar Baris this year, his earlier win in the same category being included in this Vol 2 collection.

But that’s not to say that only those who have gone on or going to be making features are given that extra credit. From this collection alone, one can safely attest that we’re not short (pardon the pun) of varied talent in our filmmaking space, from documentaries to even stop motion animation. Nicely packaged with excellent extras incorporated, an informative insert as well as commentaries by those involved in the production (more on that later), one can see that no effort was spared in ensuring a quality DVD befitting a release from an Archive, and this time with a feather in the cap with a restored audio version of Rajendra Gour's 70s film Labour of Love - The Housewife.

Curated based on the theme of Family, it’s a collection of shorts made from the 70s to today, shot in-country and even abroad, and some seldom seen outside of film festivals here and overseas. Now they’re all packed into one nifty collection that you can own, and also perhaps take a glimpse into how the notion of Family has evolved for our young nation still grappling with finding a national identity in her relatively short history.

As mentioned earlier, Boo Junfeng’s A Family Portrait garnered him a win for Best Short Film and Special Achievement Award in 2005 at the 18th SIFF, and he has come full circle this year with another Best Short Film award for Keluar Baris at the 21st SIFF, which also bagged him Best Director, and a Best Cinematographer award for Sharon Loh, who also collaborated with him and lensed this film. Shot overseas in Barcelona, Spain, and in the Spanish language, this short’s excellent production values betray the fact that it was actually a student project, as it tells of the story of Sergio the photographer being questioned by his sister about sex, and it tangents into Sergio’s own discovery of the meaning of it which left him somewhat traumatized. It comes with a nice little twist at the end that we sometimes reel unnecessarily from the unwarranted complexities of honest questions.

Also shot overseas was Mirabelle Ang’s Match Made (the longest short film in this collection), which is based on a Singaporean man's search for a Vietnamese bride, and begins in thick of the action in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Filmed in 2004, Mirabelle covers the spectrum of the process, from engaging the matchmaking agency, to the introduction of a host of possible candidates in a selection process held in a hotel room, the initial fleeting discussions through an interpreter, the marriage, where you get to witness first hand a Vietnamese wedding ceremony and the customary lunch/dinner, as well as a visit to the bride's farming village.

To date I still cannot fathom how anyone can choose someone to spend one's life with through an unsettling selection process such as a “buffet train”, akin to a flesh parade, and how with methodical, clinical, business-like demeanour, everything gets settled in less than 4 days, including the marriage itself, the meeting of the in-laws etc. The documentary did ask certain probing questions to the matchmakers - the agency as well as their local agents, in trying to find out more about the shortlist process, but while the answers are forthcoming, you do feel a sense that there is more than meets the eye. The ending though felt quite rushed, especially in the interview back in Singapore - the audience just gets a few cursory responses from the interviewee, and nothing else. Perhaps it is the nature of privacy, that the ending, wrapped up in inter-titles, tells of a lot more pain behind the scenes that the subjects did not wish to be further interviewed on camera?

One can only speculate. However, Match Made had done its fair share in demystifying the machinery behind these matches made in foreign lands, and becomes an interesting revelatory documentary that manages to garner your undivided attention, despite its flaws.

Speaking of documentaries, Loo Zihan’s Autopsy was made after his feature film Solos, and contained some snippets of his time at the Pusan International Film Festival where it was played. Also as part of a school project on a topic about Mom, this is one courageous documentary where the filmmaker opened himself up, as well as his family and mother to audiences around, in an interview session primarily with his mother and her feelings toward her son's homosexuality. It's no holds barred, and reveals a lot about her hopes and anxieties, as we see her clips of her in her work environment and at home, where the film was shot in. Consisting of old and new photos of the family, Zihan had probably captured through his short, a mother's honest feelings and the dealing with acceptance, though still with resignation, but a mother's love for her child will always be steadfast and true, regardless of circumstances.

And the mother figure continues to be featured in two more shorts in the collection. In Ryan Tan's Yesterday's Play, it consists of a scene that is all too familiar, especially for those with nagging moms, whom you wish for them to shut up at times and leave you alone for some peace and quiet. A boy who's been lambasted by his mom for being a good for nothing, seem to have his patience tested time and again. The nagging grows incessantly irritating, and the boy reflects his displeasure physically. But what I liked about it, is how short it is, to the point, and addresses the issue succinctly, given that you're primed for an explosive showdown - blood is thicker than water, and there's no shame in asking for forgiveness, nor to show much needed appreciation.

For those who prefer a little nostalgia in the films, then look no further than Rajendra Gour's Labour of Love – The Housewife. Shot in the 70s, Rajendra had a keen eye on issues that were raised in his film, issues which still ring true to this day. The short is as the title says, as we follow a housewife's routine, the daily, menial tasks of taking care of the home, as well as the children. While highlighting challenges faced, it also had a very heartwarming observation on the children of the household, with many earnest scenes on interaction, and you can really feel the love permeating through.

There were also a couple of scenes that set the era - the trishaw, and the outdoor wet market, but one thing's for sure, the issues of the housewife faced in those days, are almost similar to the ones faced today. Time and again you do have the spotlight set on discussing how can one quantify, in monetary terms, the value that housewives contribute to society and economy, and perhaps, this short allowed for the reminder that they are important in "shaping the future generation", and that "her work must be appreciated".

The collection doesn't forget about Dads of course. When the narration came on for Michael Tay's Wet Season, I thought it was going to be an arty flick treading on longing and loss. A man narrates his missing of someone, and drones on the drudgery of life without that somebody. I could've sworn it was his partner, as it definitely could have swung that way, but it turned out to be a stunning tribute to the director's own father, and with the Chinese title as such, I was indeed taken aback by a funny yet almost near impossible scene of that happening with most fathers and sons, I think. But what I really enjoyed and appreciated is the stop-motion animation treatment. You don't get to see much of this in local films, so it's indeed a visual treat, not forgetting the effort it takes to make films with this level of technical sophistication.

K Rajagopal's Absence explores how a mother and son cope with the loss of their husband/dad. While one mopes, the other chooses to clam up and channel his feelings into art - be it sketching navels, or in paintings. It's beautifully shot - I liked the rain/dance sequence, and it ends off with one heck of a surprise which throws what your perception is of certain characters out of the window.

The paternal figure also gets prominently featured in Sandi Tan's Gourmet Baby, containing some gastronomical delights that will water your palate with the plenty of fine cuisine on display. It tells of an Uncle's delight in taking his niece to his favourite eating haunts every Friday, and deals with the themes of coming of age, growing pains, loneliness and change in relationships all rolled into one. Excellent performances by Lim Kay Ton and Carla Dunareanu and Cheyenne Allenspach who play the older and younger version of the niece respectively.

Last but not least, Imelda Goes To Singapore by Brian Gothong Tan, was originally conceived for the Singapore Biennale in 2006. Starring Nora Samosir in the titular role, this is a satirical musical which despite its relatively scarce run time, packed in plenty of pathos and commentary about the plight of Filipinos working as domestic helpers overseas. After watching this short, you'll probably not see the NTUC plastic bags in the same light again!

The Region-Free DVD is presented in varying formats depending on the formats that the individual short films were shot in. From anamorphic widescreen 16x9 to full screen 4x3, visual quality on the films was excellent, except for Gour's A Labour of Love, which is clearly in need, as the appeal from the Archive, of restoration. Proceeds from the sale of the DVD go toward the Archive's fundraising effort to support the preservation and cultural mission of the Archive. And this is an important mission since our local films made in the 70s, such as Rajendra's short, and films like Ring of Fury, are in dire straits and in need of proper preservation and restoration, lest they become just a faded memory to our future generations.

Standard extras are provided in each sub-menu consisting of the selected short, a text based synopsis of the film, a photo stills gallery and text based director's notes section, except for Absence, Autopsy and Gourmet Baby. Subtitles are available for all the shorts not in the English language, and they are removable for Imelda Goes To Singapore, Autopsy, Match Made and Wet Season.

The other valuable extra in each sub-menu is the provision of a commentary track, usually with the director, or with cast and crew. The standard for each commentary differs though, and I guess it depends on how articulate each filmmaker was. Sandi Tan was unfortunately absent to comment on her short, but lead actor Lim Kay Tong proved to be a capable stand-in as he described the myriad of restaurants the film was shot at. Actress Nora Samosir also had an additional commentary track in Imelda Goes To Singapore, besides one provided by director Brian Gothong Tan about the inspiration for his short, and granted that with the relatively shorter running time of their films, inspiration, rationale and background were also shared by Michael Tay and Ryan Tan in their respective commentaries.

Loo Zihan seemed to be having a runny nose, but his commentary served as an extension to his documentary film with plenty of nuggets contained within, as does Rajendra Gour's as he shared many insights to life during the 70s era, and information on the making of his film, especially that about his wife and kids during production. K Rajagopal was brutally honest about the flaws and gaffes in his movie, and I thought the chemistry that Boo Junfeng, Sharon Loh and Cleo Clara (producer) of A Family Portrait shone through in their lively recollection about how their film was made, and the difficulties faced. I guess there's certain advantages with a group commentary given anyone could join in anytime to share their thoughts, as opposed to Mirabelle Ang, who had to struggle to provide additional insights to her film, and unfortunately remained largely silent and descriptive, and doesn't further explain her apprehensions as voiced out in the commentary. One saving grace of course is her sharing of her email address for viewers to get in touch in the event that one decides to contact her for further discussions.

With a stellar selection of films contained within, the Asian Film Archive's Singapore Shorts Volume 2 makes itself a must-have for any film aficionado with a thirst for Singapore films. Will we see Vol 3 hit the shelves? You bet, and I personally hope it will be soon!

The DVD can be purchased now at all good DVD shops and bookshops, and those who are not in Singapore can get your copy of the DVD online at the Asian Film Archive's Online Shop.

More information about the DVD can be found here at the Official DVD Website.

Mark Your Calendars!

2009 Edition runs from 14 to 25 April 2009

Dostana

BFF

Dostana scores a number of firsts. One being set entirely in Miami, with the glorious shots of golden beaches and opportunities for the cast to show off their toned bodies (for the first few minutes, John Abraham seemed too eager to get rid of his singlet every few minutes). And the other first scored was that this is the first Bollywood film to have a focus on a gay relationship, albeit a faked one, between its two leading men. For an industry that's still sans on-screen sex, where kisses still bring upon rage, and nudity a no-no, is it any wonder why this premise, together with its A-list stars, will draw in the crowds without a doubt?

Some 4 years ago, Abhishek Bachchan was busy chasing John Abraham as hero and villain in the action-adventure Dhoom. In between they only shared credits in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, and it is not until now that the two alpha-males get put together in the same film, share plenty of screen time together, and the joke's clearly on their effeminate behaviour and gay relationship. Imagine two muscular jocks having to turn girly at a wink of an eye, and that itself sets up a tsunami of laughs in plenty of situational gags that will leave you genuinely in stitches.

I shudder to imagine how real gays would, or would not take offense at the portrayal here, given that most of the time, gayness is equated with being hip and in with modern culture, which I think some would clearly dispute. Nonetheless it is the attempts at debunking the myths and prejudice that surrounds the condition that warrants some merits at least, even though it's still an outright comedy, and I guess all could be forgiven since there are two eye-candy male leads to serve up some compensation.

At first one would imagine a plot that would be similar to I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, given two obviously straight men having to pose as a gay couple to further their own objectives, which of course runs contrary to any romantic notions they have for the opposite sex. Here, Sameer (Bachchan) and Kunal (Abraham) start off as two strangers in Miami who bump into each other after their individual one night stands (with opposite members of the sex of course), but thereafter find themselves eyeing the same piece of affordable swanky rental apartment, which comes with a crucial string attached - no guys, because the occupant is a lady (Chopra) whose aunt refuses to let tongues wag should her housemates be two hunks.

So you know the drill, faced with time constraints and the prospect of staying with Neha the hot chick, both guys pretend they are gays, thus setting in motion plenty of comedy as they have to maintain their cover 24x7, and to make matters worse, have to cement their relationship legally as a means to keep Kunal from being deported. And if that's not all, each of them still harbours the thought of hooking up with Neha, which of course poses a challenge given their known "status". One of the best scenes in the movie involves almost everyone, from mothers to bosses to even an immigration officer who converge in their apartment in a free for all, where bluff goes against bluff, and the two chaps have to be at their best to satisfy the law, as well as to stave off a very interested magazine editor. I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard and loud.

But of course things slow down a little in the second half of the film when Neha's new boss (Bobby Deol) comes into the picture to woo Neha, which Sameer and Kunal try to fend off with their wits in what would be co-opetition at its very best. Scheming and conniving all the way, you'd come to expect lies becoming bigger lies, with questionable methods being put into use in order to drive the new competition away. Which brings it quite nicely to an ending that I guess is a fair outcome.

Dostana speaks of friendship, and sometimes, relations are best left at that given the numerous enjoyable moments everyone shares, without complicating matters. Dostana, despite its theme, still plays out to be an enjoyable, entertaining movie brought to life by its excellent casting. Songs and dances were pretty much standard fare, save for that convergent scene which I mentioned was the highlight of the film. Do look out too for the very cheeky wordings on the T-shirts that both Bachchan and Abraham don.

The Good, the Bad and the Weird (Joheunnom Nabbeunnom Isanghannom / 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 )

It's My Map

It's not difficult to see why The Good, The Bad, The Weird is number 1 at the Korean box office this year, given that the titular roles are handed over to some of the heartthrobs such as Lee Byung-hun and Jung Woo-sung. But the real scene stealer here is Song Kang-ho as The Weird Yoon Tae-goo, with some of the best lines and given the moral ambiguity of his character, rather than being the Good Park Do-won (Jung) and the Bad Park Chang-i (Lee) which is cast in stone, simply endears himself to the audience, and not to mention the extended screentime devoted to him too.

But those aside, this film trounces plenty, and I mean plenty of bland, generic action adventure types cooked up by Hollywood in recent times, and having a Korean flavour in what would essentially be a Western, it adds plenty of spice to a genre that most wouldn't want to touch with a ten foot pole. The storyline's pretty straightforward, with everyone (the titular characters, the Japanese army, the Korean freedom fighters, and plenty of rival Manchurian gangsters) after a treasure map that points to some age old Chinese dynasty goodies buried deep within some desert land in Manchuria, and having the map stolen and in the possession of The Weird, this makes it one hell of a chase movie from start to finish, offering plenty of set action sequences from massive chases, to awe-inspiring gun play.

The references and inspiration from Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is undeniable, but this is its own movie. Making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, director Kim Ji-woon crafts a tale that is full of rip-roaring fun, finding some good balance between comedy and stylized action. It tries though to plant many elements and characters into the story, but these are rather forgettable as the spotlight falls firmly upon our titular three. Positive elements of the movie include the excellent cinematography and camera work, which packages the action scenes like a video game, offering the audience a close up third person perspective following through the characters in their execution of maneuvers and moves, while the eclectic soundtrack is just plain music to the ears.

Jung Woo-sung (Daisy) perhaps got the shortest straw of the trio, with his limited screen time devoted to looking good and cool with his double barrel shotgun. As The Good bounty hunter, he's requested by the group of Korean freedom fighters to assist them in the retrieval of the map, which also gives him an opportunity to apprehend The Bad. His character doesn't say much or do much other than to dispatch the bad guys, and frankly speaking, he falls squarely into the strong and silent mold for the movie.

Lee Byung-hun on the other hand, in reuniting with the director since their A Bittersweet Life days, brings forth quite convincingly his role as the chief baddie. Ruthless and highly skilled, he doesn't flinch an eyelid when dishing out punishment, and has through this role, told the world that he can be equally adept at being the bad guy. Kudos go to the makeup artist in trying to make him look really nasty, with plenty of facial scars that try to disguise his naturally good looks. Female fans in the audience looking for eye candy would be gleefully happy to note that he was sans shirt in one scene, and I thought it'd put to shame plenty of guys out there when they see Lee's rock-hard six-pack (time to hit the gym, guys!)

But in all honesty, this film firmly belongs to pudgy looking Song Kang-ho for his charismatic role as The Weird. The first Korean film that I ever watched in the cinemas was Shiri, and Song had a memorable supporting role to play there. From then on I've become a fan of his, and followed Song through his roles in Park Chan-wook's Joint Security Area, Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder and The Host, and Lee Chang-dong's Secret Sunshine. Having seen him backstage last year when he won Best Actor for his role in The Host at the inaugural Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong, was nothing but a thrill. Here, he single-handedly stole the show from the other two pretty boys with his sheer presence, and I felt that he'd probably had a field day with this free spirited role.

With well designed action designed to exhilarate, and being cheeky without qualms, The Good The Bad The Wierd deserves to be highly recommended with its fusion of gun play, knife play and comedy in large doses, despite some forgivable inconsistencies. The last act did seem quite indulgent in trying to achieve spectacle that it might have become a little repetitive, but the finale face off more than makes up for this minor disturbance to a very enjoyable movie.

Body of Lies

You Lying Bastard

If you'd believe the angle the trailers adopted for this movie, I guess you're more than likely to deem it an adversarial duel between DiCaprio and Crowe, with the latter being some armchair smarty-pants willing to risk it all to "save civilization" by betraying the former. Well thankfully, the story is a lot more than that, and being a clash of ideals, personality and tactics, while still working on and for the same side, makes this a much more gripping thriller to sit through.

We have Bourne, Bond and the occasional Spy Vs Spy type of movie, but Ridley Scott, in an adaptation of David Ignatius' novel of the same name, puts a very realistic spin on this, perhaps even too close in its unflinching take on the topical events on Terrorism, as is its treatment of the intelligence warfare game that that part of the world could be engaged in right now, where the truth is an invaluable commodity that can be traded, and half truths often passing off as facts, with lies just clouding and muddling everything up. While it does make the CIA look inept in the portrayal here, and puts the Jordanian intelligence service in much more competent light, you'd start to realize that anti-terrorism efforts do boil down to basic level human to human trust, cooperation and competence.

Russell Crowe stars as Ed Hoffman, the head honcho of a very high tech counter-terrorism department with plenty of fanciful monitors to view events unfold thousands of miles away, and with advanced weaponry to call upon at his disposal, with a penchant for running many simultaneous side operations privately. But of course being far away from the action, he very much relies on his best field agent Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio), young, energetic, smart and with the linguistic ability of Arabic, to feed him much needed intelligence from which to formulate his strategies. So we have an experienced, cunning management strategist, and a go-getter operations guy in what would be a dream-team pairing, if not for their fairly constant arguments because they each subscribe to different philosophies and approaches to the same problem. Which is to nab one highly wanted fictional terrorist who has faded off everyone's radar, because of the low-tech way how these terrorists operate.

Sitting through this well paced film, you do come to appreciate how different tactics work at different times, with the US style of blowing up everything without remorse or much deliberate thought, versus the Arab's way of measured sowing of seeds of infiltration. One you get instant results, but not much to follow up from, and the other the results come far later, but providing constant intelligence feed, and moles everywhere definitely helps. On one hand, we get Ed Hoffman who pretty much bulldozes everything in his path, while on the other as Ferris would have preferred, to have trust in their Arab counterparts for the convenient cultivation of allies, which Hoffman clearly frowns upon given his preference for dispatching staffers who are no longer useful.

With a number of similar genre films as The Kingdom, Syriana, Rendition and the likes, think of Body of Lies as all their good bits rolled into one, where the terrorists are indeed one ingenious bunch who think of simple tactics to thwart technology which they lack. You'll be left guessing and second guessing the intent of everyone in the film, and this amounts to putting yourself in the character's shoes, and allows you to play along as you decide whom you'd like to trust. However, there is a romance subplot thrown in which while crucial, I thought it distracted us a little from the main storyline of mole against mole and the devising and execution of a radical strategy, and of course for a movie to wrap everything up just after two hours, the ending might just be a little tad too convenient, and perhaps wishful thinking of everyone in the real world of course, to have problems solved with that little effort.

While Ridley Scott has collaborated with Russell Crowe for a number of films already – Gladiator, A Good Year, American Gangster and the upcoming Nottingham, here Crowe clearly takes a back seat, as hinted by the marquee on the poster which puts DiCaprio's name first. His character of Hoffman flits in and out of the film, being the unlikable strategist pulling strings over satellite pictures from Langley. Most times we see him as a family man trying to set things "right" over the phone, while being an inept father. But when it comes down to walking the talk, he's definitely a force to be reckoned with, and his vast experience in great contrast to DiCaprio's young upstart character of Ferris.

I thought DiCaprio is consciously moving away from his pretty boy romantic image by picking on more mature roles which require him to flex more of his acting chops, as seen with the likes of his roles in The Departed, The Aviator and even Blood Diamond. He clearly carries the film here on his shoulders, being given some of the best lines about the current situation in the movie, and some fine balance with action sequences. If anyone's growing from strength to strength from movie to movie, my vote will go to DiCaprio, hands down.

With an all round story which resonates viz-a-viz the real world, and commendable leads and supporting cast to pull this through, Ridley Scott delivers yet again a riveting tale that could rank high on my list as the top movies of the year. Highly recommended!

[Singapore Biennale] Banjir Kemarau (Flooding in the Time of Drought)

This film is in response by writer-director Sherman Ong to this year's Singapore Biennale theme of "Wonder", where the filmmaker decided to ponder over two hypothetical scenarios in Singapore which concerns water on opposite ends of the spectrum - a drought, and a case of too much of it. In two separate parts with different run times (the first being slightly over half that of the second), the fictional backgrounds are just that, a space in which the real crux of the film is being played out

For a made in Singapore film, this consists of little stories and topical issues from everyday slices of life here on our island, as keenly observed and translated to screen by the filmmaker. What more, there's a distinct lack of local voices, and instead, this is probably one of the first films that primarily address the concerns of foreigners or migrant workers who are here, and their response to the what-ifs as painted by Ong, but as mentioned, serving only as a background. Technically, there were some rather ingenious moments employed to paint the background picture, such as subtle character actions of wiping themselves down with cloth and towels to illustrate water rationing in effect, or the use of water based motifs like fish tanks, taps, pools, bottles and the sound of rain to illustrate abundance of water in the second part of the film. Naturally you can't expect big budgeted special effects to prepare the settings, so subtle ones like these work to great effect in keeping probable science fiction elements at bay.

For an island so dependent on water, what if there's a severe and prolonged Drought? For those who have direct ties and easy access to their home of origin, the temptation to flee and quit the island never felt stronger. The story of Italian Giovanni and wife Faridah and three kids, examines this in some detail. The husband very much desires to stay in his new home, but the wife persistently requests that he looks at the reality of their situation, and thoroughly consider going back. It's interesting because it somehow portrays locals as seeing the quicker way out to a solution, with no qualms about leaving behind Singapore, to escape to possibly greener pastures when the going gets tough.

We also have a group of Indonesians who talk about one of their mom's upcoming visit to the island, as well as a proposition about a possible kidney transplant, touching upon the issue of the selling of organs, though the reward comes indirectly through support in terms of tertiary instituition expenses, with an easter egg thrown in as Ong's debut feature film Hashi gets projected on the wall, again underlying the well to do background of the characters here given that snazzy home theatre system setup.

This is in contrast to what I thought to be the most powerful and touching of the stories, dealing with an Indian couple's predicament of being looked down upon because of their caste, and their need of money which led them to rent out part of their home to a stranger. The struggles of Sanjay and Gayatri go far beyond the current ecological / environmental disaster, as they deal with deep-rooted prejudice stemming from man himself. The option they spend considerable time contemplating is that of seeking a new life abroad in Delhi to avoid unhappy in-laws, and class (naive to think so?) issues, together with other frustrations such as the mouthpiece on the usage of English. Despite their troubles, I thought that their knowing of their steadfast companionship with each other was a highlight of the film, as seen in their tender moments shared in the bedroom and the kitchen, which elevated the finale of this particular segment of the film to poignancy.

Besides the extremely short story about a German couple talking about food, cooking and a banquet, the other segments such as the introduction involving a lady hanging out clothes to dry, were all shot indoors within the private confines of personal homes, and with dialogue spoken in their mother tongue. This made the stories come across quite naturally and unforced, given also that the cast here are relative unknowns and non-actors, but Ong managed to coax some real performances, similar to what he managed to do for his earlier film Hashi.

Flood continues filming from within similar interior spaces of homes, and rarely does it venture beyond. I felt that this portion of the story dealt with relationships or the lack thereof, again filled with non-local characters who are seeking a way out of their respective predicaments. The opening segment and storyline had some built in complication about identity, because everyone seems to be bilingual, involving a Japanese-Korean speaking lady and her friend, who's a Chinese-Japanese speaking man looking for marriage prospects, with his friend certainly under consideration and in the running. I thought only a particular scene involving a three-way conversation was worth a merit.

The shortest piece here was probably the segments dealing with a Chinese family's problems with loan sharks, and a segment on a cross dresser which is sans dialogue, but unravelling itself to my personal enjoyment were two others which of course had more screen time to flesh out the narrative in richer terms. The first involves China girls, one who's already established herself and settled in Singapore, while the other, younger and sprightlier girl is looking for a job, but has some reservations in wanting to make at least a monthly salary of S$2500.

It touches upon the issue of Singapore being a stepping stone for some, and needless to say, we see this in countless of examples everywhere amongst our foreign talent scheme, where our country provides an ideal platform for those who choose to springboard themselves to the next best, and possibly more permanent residence in countries they aspire to go to, such as the USA. Our red passport becomes their ticket to the world because of the convenience of generally visa and question-free travel, and here, Ong weaves in all these issues succinctly into this singular segment of observation, including touching on opportunities for crime to happen with the collaboration into a sham arranged marriage.

The other story which was enjoyable, was one dealing with Thai men here being inflicted with inexplicable disease at one point in our recent history, where they drop dead, like flies. This particular story about Lai Tai might be slow and seemingly going nowhere, with his implementing an advice to wear women's pyjamas to bed to ward off bad karma (seems like there is plenty of aspects in Thai culture to deal with this, sort of like The Coffin), and we see a maid inching her way into his life by becoming his nurse and then his girlfriend. But the payload of course comes right at the end, and I felt its sleight of hand was quite unique and unexpected, though clues were dropped way back in the initial scene of the story.

Like Hashi, reading about the process of making this film is nothing short of being organically evolving until its final product. Even so, there might be tweaks as Sherman has made mention, depending on where the film plays, so if you want to watch the Singapore Biennale version, then head down to the Old City Hall, which is one of the main venues of this year's Biennale, and catch this in a screening room. Tickets for admission to the venue apply - the cost of a weekend ticket anyway, and it also gives you access to the other exhibits and venues. The film plays in a loop, so just be sure you begin at the right jump-in points at 11am, 130pm, 4pm and 630pm which runs until the closing time of 8pm.

Related Links

An article by Adele Tan for ARTicle, The Singapore Biennale Companion
http://shermanong.blogspot.com/2008/10/flooding-in-time-of-drought.html

An interview by Loo Zihan on the process of making the work
http://www.singaporebiennale.org/blog/?p=514

The Carrot Cake Conversations

100 Dollars 1 Hour

Perhaps the only way to enjoy this particular variant of the carrot cake dish is to imagine a fantasy Singapore of sorts, one where prostitutes look like an ex-Miss Malaysia, where people are generally unhappy with their present lot (ok this might be true after all), and all seem to have lack of avenues to vent their frustrations and angst, keeping it all pent up inside.

It's quite daring for writer-director Michael Wang to dive right into his feature film debut with a talkie piece. Then again, with the market conditions over here, you don't really expect one to try and make anything other than compelling drama or comedy to stamp your mark in the industry. While the attempt is bold and courageous, unfortunately the story isn't compelling enough to carry the whole movie through, instead relying a lot on veteran actors Adrian Pang and Alaric Tay to deliver their roles as two of the four protagonists in the story, both of whom seem to be the strong and mostly silent type, who hold their own in banter only when in the mood.

The female leads turn out to be fresh faces on film, with Danielle O'Malley and Andrea Fonseka being the ladies who meet both men over the course of one night, discovering for themselves (and unravelling for an audience) that local men can be quite... troubled. Well in fact every single one of them has a load of emotional baggage that they hope to work through, and unknowingly through the conversations with one another, some demons get exorcised, and new courage found to take the bull by the horns, or to stop and smell the roses.

Told over one night of the eve of Christmas eve (that's the 23rd of December for the slow ones out there), we follow a quartet through the next 12 hours where they meet by chance and spark off some chit-chat over late night supper of, you guessed it, the titular delicacy, in Newton and Geylang. However, for a conversational piece, there were a number of moments of silence, where characters sit and ponder, given the immense weight of their troubles, but for the most part, they all seem somewhat distant and hard to connect with. It's difficult to sympathize or empathize with these characters (perfect spoken English language doesn't help of course, except for the movie to travel overseas), and hence this alienates the audience, so much so that, to quote a character, do you mind talking so that I don't doze off again? (Not that I did of course)

I felt the actors did their best, and delivered where it mattered for their roles, but were somewhat let down by the script. There were flashes of brilliance in some of the conversational pieces, but unfortunately it was generally dull, serving at times as a mouthpiece for the director on his observations of local life, that you're likely finding yourself questioning if it's really the case. But I thought the real question came more than midway through the movie, where you're challenged point blank, as were the characters, on what you actually want in life. It's not something easy to answer, and the movie doesn't try to offer you any solutions, but what it does is to spark off some soul-searching to the million dollar question, which some spend a lifetime to discover.

And what about the much talked about gripe on Andrea Fonseka's character Ruth? Perhaps the most unreal character crafted here, a woman who decides to sell her body to make enough to see through her dream of becoming Singapore's first Blues singer. She's chatty with her clients, and is full of spunk, and speaks proper English as to boot. Naturally there are quarters who find this quite a fantasy figure to begin with (and at that price?!) but Andrea did her best in fleshing out this character, flying expletives, (ok just one), and cheekiness in the same package. So did O'Malley too with her performance as Kate, the free-spirited girl who left California and is in transit in Singapore en route to New Zealand to set up her cafe. For someone who's escaping her life to start another, I thought she was the pluckiest, in her ability to inspire those (men) she comes into contact with, despite having zero material wealth and nary a clue on what to do next.

Make no mistake this is clearly a film that would appeal to a very niche audience, but for those who are willing to give locally flavoured movies a go, The Carrot Cake Conversations offers something that's quite different from the usual set menus and local diet of comedy and horror. It might not have the most interesting conversations in a film, but it sure does have one of the better ensemble performances around.

***
LtoR: Alaric Tay, Andrea Fonseka, Michael Wang
Despite the official programme stating that director Michael Wang and cast member Andrea Fonseka would be around for the Blog Aloud Q&A Session this evening, it came with the bonus of having another cast member Alaric Tay in attendance too! So without further ado, here's a series of videos on what transpired during this evening's session. Enjoy!


Director Michael Wang on His Feelings of Singaporeans


Advice on Dating By Michael Wang


Andrea and Alaric Talk About Their Roles


Stereo Sound Only


So You Prefer Ruth To Speak Liddat Ah?


Andrea Fonseka Researching Ruth

Pulau Hantu

We Got Mobilized

While this might have been marketed as a horror film, the end result is nothing but, given its distinct lack of scares. I suppose local horror movies with military flavour (such as 1942) tend to be focusing on the military aspects of the story and even on the relationships between soldiers of a platoon, rather than on the supernatural elements. Pulau Hantu did try to stick to some formula with attempts at cheap scary shots, which because of the amateurish technique, failed to raise goosebumps or elicit worthwhile screams. Maybe that's why this also didn't opt for a commercial distribution?

Besides Army Daze, I think this is the only other local feature film that doesn't seem to quite put the Singapore Armed Forces in good light. With the former, it's understood that the characters were designed for comedic effect, and the setting being the first three months of conscription, does provide for some natural opportunities for humour. With the platoon in Pulau Hantu, these are reservists who form the backbone, but alas they seem to be more like complaining schoolboys (minus the girl of course, who's a career soldier here), which to a certain degree, does seem to be quite a close fit to real life.

And putting the horror element aside, it dwells a bit on the dynamics within the platoon however, with a white horse LTA Heng (Carl Ng) leading the team, much against his own wishes for coming back to serve out his obligation to the country, and is assisted by a female MSG June Fong (Pamelyn Chee). Rounding up their group are a number of CPLs Alvin (Shane Mardjuki), Rajah (Vijay Madhavan), Hadi (Sani Hussein) who seemed the only one aware of the deep trouble they're going into, and the Hokkien soldier PTE (yeah) Frankie Low, played by John Cheng, providing plenty of comic relief in the first 20 minutes of the show. As mentioned, the "white horse" element got quite a bit of attention and comparison here, as do other little gripes about wearing green.


The film opens in quite standard terms with establishing the source of the supernatural, with a village bomoh (witch doctor) raping a woman he fancies, and the product of that event was a child. Soon both mother and child get buried alive, and sets up the background for the spirits that haunt the island. We then see Adrian Pang cameo as MAJ Damian Lee at the Detention Barracks, interrogating an unseen somebody to recount the events that are about to unfold, for investigations, and thus sets up a little bit of mystery just who this person might just be. So it's a story about a platoon being recalled to serve their reservist by looking for 3 AWOL soldiers on the island of Pulau Hantu, before realizing that their enemy might be of the unseen variety.

The premise had plenty of potential to make this one mean horror flick, with its veins reminiscent of Singapore's cinematic heydays with the likes of horror films such as Pontianak. Witch doctors, victimized damsels, and nicely set up twists to surprise the audience, but alas, its execution came through as a little bit clumsy, and unfortunately, seemed caught up at wanting to play at soldiers rather than to serve up something that could even be remotely spooky. Granted that this is PG rated and funded by MDA so there might be certain territory that the film can't venture too much into, but this could serve as a stifling point in reining back something that could have gone to greater heights.

For instance, this much be one of the most polite bunch of soldiers I've come across in a while, and does Singapore proud by speaking good English even at the face of adversity. And while tactical route march is the order of the day, certainly we can cut down on the number of instances where soldiers walking around in high port pattern, since, well, nothing exactly happens. Lighting is also an issue, though I understand that it could be digitally enhanced to spruce up the darkened skies and the likes, but this in effect negated a number of scary moments where the audience frankly couldn't see a thing, when it should have mattered and raised some goose bumps. Also, certain scenes came across quite jarringly due to poor editing (the sudden immolation scene anyone?), though credit is to be given for working around a tight budget, such as the creative thought into dealing with grenades that cannot be exploded.

It tried to be a Guard Post, but of course minus the blood and gore (it's not a slasher flick), but could have incorporated many basic techniques to serve us some serious scares that audiences would still be left shaken even when the lights come on. We have no lack of ghost stories, as mentioned sarcastically in the movie, that is set in the army, such as a stuck in development-hell production called Charlie Company, but what needs to be really improved, is the way those stories get told and transferred to celluloid. For once I say let rip those cheap scare tactics to see how far one can go in getting audiences spooked.

[Weapons of Mass Desire] Yasukuni

To The Sword

I guess topics which are taboo, or films that have their bans lifted, will more than likely have its audience base automatically built from the curiosity arising from its background, wondering on what grounds and rationale that such a film got made or banned in the first place. The Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo had its fair share of publicity coming from ex Japanese prime minister Koizumi's high profile visits to the shrine for worship, much to the disgust of neighbours China and Korea, because enshrined within those grounds, are some of the tried war criminals of WWII, whom to most in Asia, are not deemed to be martyrs, having started a campaign on aggression in the region.

Depending on which camp you're standing in, there are two sides of the coin even from within a homogeneous society like Japan itself – those who find it no big deal for their prime minister to visit the shrine at his own personal capacity, and those who find it wrong to do so. On a macro level, while it is easy to condemn those who partook in the war, from personal stories just like that in any society, there will always be those who have to do it against their will, and even some touching stories coming from the surviving siblings that their brothers get sent away, being quite clear that they'll never come back ever again.

As a documentary, there is no lack of an educational value in it. There were plenty of nuggets of information for the military history buffs, and some of the things I learnt, was how Yasukuni itself has so much importance and relevance to Imperial Japan. For starters, I learnt that swords have an indelible connection to the army and to the shrine, given that sword forgers from the shrine made their swords on those very grounds, and officers at the frontline are bestowed one each. This equates to quality swords running in the thousands being made. Of course, these swords are infamous for being tools used to behead countless of victims, and some of these atrocities get publicized as bravery contests amongst officers.

And the significance of the sword is so important, that within the shrine, the object of worship is none other than one Yasukuni sword which is used to represent the more than 2 million souls who were lost in the war, fighting for the Emperor, which of course amongst that figure, things are not all that clear, with various groups lobbying for things such as removal of names and enshrining of their ancestors, because they were either forced to conscript, or some aren't even Japanese to begin with. It's hard to imagine – 2 millions souls – captured into one single sword, and if this was a martial arts world we live in, that would be one heck of a powerful sword.

But as a movie, there were a lot more to be desired. Granted when dealing with topics of controversy, answers during interviews are not bound to be forthcoming, given the director's attempt to elicit some candid remarks from the sole remaining Yasukuni sword forger who's already into his 90s. Interviews with his subjects also seem to be more from the man on the street, and thus dilutes some of the expected quality in the answers, which some might allude to talk that you'll hear from coffeeshops, some of which might be entertaining for its point blank accusations, such as the British National Museum being a storage space for goods plundered all over the world. I chuckled at this comment because this is not the first time I'm hearing it, as I've heard it before from a Brit on a tour telling all tourists that same thing as well (he's a tour guide by the way).

Most of the time, the camera lingers in and around the grounds of the shrine on August 15, since it's the day designated as a remembrance, and you have various military groups coming on site to pay their respects, as will other civil groups and protestors as well, thus making it fertile grounds for opposing members of the groups to come into blows, verbally or physically, in trying to force their viewpoints on the other. One thing's for sure though, that groups are passionate in their beliefs, and no words get minced in their shout-outs.

However, the film doesn't go beyond what's shown on the surface. It seems quite contented in capturing events of the day, like a newsreel, but without any further input on how and why such events, shots and the inclusion of such scenes mattered. There was an extended scene involving an American who was flag waving (the stars and stripes) on the grounds to mixed reactions from the Japanese people, as well as dwelling on incidents such as the Taiwanese indigenous groups wanting to reclaim the souls of their ancestors. But alas further interviews to pick the minds of these folks were not done – maybe the request to interview them was unsuccessful?

So while it had some ingredients to make it more than worthwhile to sit through 2 hours of a film revolving around the Yasukuni shrine and movement, its presentation could have been a lot stronger. The narrative got quite messy and all over the place, never having a primary focus, but flitted around as and when it found convenience. I felt the ending was rather week because of its reliance on commonly seen archival stock images and videos, but on the whole, an impressive effort and courage to explore something controversial and touchy even until today.

Talk To Me

Work Your Magic

Don Cheadle's star is probably burning a little bit brighter now since the blockbuster hit of this summer's Iron Man had announced that he will take over Terrence Howard's role as Jim Rhodes given the latter being unable to agree on contractual terms with the studios. While Cheadle might be more familiar to audiences here as one of Ocean's 11 to 13, it was in Hotel Rwanda that made me sit up and take notice, playing a man caught in a genocide, having to protect his family, his friends, and his job all at once.

In Talk To Me, Cheadle disappears into the role of real life Washington DC's finest on the radio, Petey Greene, who tells it like it is, without mincing his words, and in doing so, garners a huge following in the city, with this film directed by Kasi Lemmons spanning the 60s to the 80s. Cheadle gives a solid performance as the DJ, an ex-convict whose common man background strikes a chord with his listeners, and this film chronicles his rise to stardom and eventual fade out from the limelight.

Sharing the limelight is Chiwetel Ejiofor as partner Dewey Hughes (quite hard to imagine that Ejiofor was once Lola in Kinky Boots), credited for giving Petey his big break into radio outside of the prison walls because of his needing a fresh voice and perspective to be at the helm of his radio station's morning show, which is suffering from plummeting listenership. And as they say, the rest is history. The bulk of the film centers on the friendship between these two personalities, with Hughes at the mid point, in seeing the potential to be milked from Greene to ascend far beyond the airwaves, convincing Greene to allow him to manage his career, therefore bringing about new opportunities from stage to screen.

Set against the tumultuous backdrop of that era's US history, the primary theme in the movie though, was on something that you'd probably be able to identify with yourself. It is important to do things that you enjoy doing, rather than be forced to do something that you're unwilling, or unhappy about, despite reaping the rewards gained, be it for fame or money. As the movie goes along and as Greene's fame gets more widespread, there is something in his eye and response that he's not all too comfortable in being put under the spotlight all the time, and Cheadle brings out this subtleness with great excellence. I think some of us from time to time might have experienced how while you're good at something and are comfortable to remain in your own turf, that others who recognize your talent, might want to push you out of your comfort zone. If you think of it positively, it's opportunity to be gained, especially when you swim. If you sink however, then your confidence might be taken a hit, and it depends on your strength in character to be able to bounce back from defeat.

Fans of soul music will have plenty to cheer as the soundtrack is nothing short of amazing given that it's set in a radio station for the most part. Wonderful performances all round and having a compelling story to tell, Talk To Me certainly is one of the gems this year that shouldn't be missed.

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

We're Moving It!

Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith are back in their animated animal roles which 3 years ago saw their zoo animals being transported to Madagascar in a typical fish out of water tale, where they had to rely on their street smarts and friendship to survive in an environment they do not fully understand. While it's the usual pop-culture jokes and witty one liners that plague recent animated films, there were some gems in that movie, the ones which stuck suck as the crowd favourite penguins stealing the whole show, as well as the madcap rave party tune Move It!

Beginning directly where we last saw Alex the Lion (Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Rock), Melman the Giraffe (Schwimmer) and Gloria the Hippo (Smith), the penguins have finally built a plane that ought to bring our merry crew back to New York, together with Julien the lemur (Sacha Baron Cohen) and his sidekick (Cedric the Entertainer), but of course should that happen, there'll be no sequel to begin with. So we have the crew crash land into the continent Africa, thereby guaranteeing yet another tale of being from the outside, but now having a habitat that's much closer to their natural environment, one which sees the animal types in question grouped together into one reserve for storytelling convenience.

Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, who also provided the voice of Skipper the head penguin, the storyline might seem like a poor man's cousin to Disney's The Lion King, what with exiles and alpha-lions battling it out to be king of the habitat. The filmmakers had taken the opportunity to craft the backstory for Alex a little more, so that the main plot of his return to his home could be dwelled upon, with sub plots for the others to fall into place. You have Alex's return and reunion with his parents, with adversary coming from an earlier generation, there's Marty who discovers that he's no longer unique but the same as every other hundredth zebra out there, Glora looking for love with other hippos now that there's no lack of suitors, and Melman fighting his own cowardice to reveal his feelings for Gloria, as well as being appointed the witch doctor for the land.

And if you think that the primary voice cast is already A-list, the film piles on to that list with the likes of the late Bernie Mac voicing Zuba the alpha-lion, Alec Baldwin again in a villanous role as his rival Makunga, and Will.i.am of Black Eyed Peas in a hilarious role of hippo-casanova Moto Moto (the name's so good you have to say it twice!) The songs department falls up a bit short this time round, though thankfully “Move It!” wasn't conveniently and lazily played ad-nauseam. Given the army of illustrators working on the project, you can't expect quality to drop from its predecessor, though there's nothing new to be injected into a mature presentation.

Despite the plundering of the same old family values / theme / storyline and the importance of establishing strong friendships, this new Madagascar managed to deliver on multiple fronts, joining the ranks of the few whose sequels are superior than the original. The comedy which got piled up here managed to work through the punchlines, leading to a number of characters like the monkeys and even the tough-cookie granny to steal some limelight from the lovable penguins. If you liked the original, then you'e likely to fall in love with this one.

[DVD] 1942 (2005)

There Is No Such Thing As Ghosts

1942 was made back in 2004/5, and unfortunately it didn't manage to hit the theatres here, opting instead for the straight to DVD route. Directed by Kelvin Tong, who with this effort had more or less cemented his reputation in having Horror as one of his favourite and more successful genres - think The Maid and Rule #1 to a certain degree, or even the disastrous horror-comedy Men in White.

While I have been putting off watching this DVD, the only reason to do so now with some sense of urgency, is because of an upcoming screening of yet another horror movie involving soldiers (though in different eras) in Pulau Hantu, directed by Esan Sivalingam. Needless to say at first glance, there seemed to be some similarities in terms of the spook factor - it's always the jungle, and it's always a long haired woman with a child. I guess there are some elements that you just have to incorporate, given after all the Pontianak is very much entrenched in our horror folklore.

But after sitting through 1942, you can throw "horror" out of its vocabulary. There's nothing scary about the film, as it doesn't even try, which I felt was somewhat refreshing, to include cheap scare tactics into the storyline. There are suggestive moments to try and make your hair stand on end, with appearance-disappearance of the said female in white, and some really effective use of sleight-of-hand techniques with a movie camera one of the character uses, but otherwise, if you're expecting to be getting a good scare out of this, you might want to look elsewhere.

The story starts off very promisingly, with Kelvin Tong making his first Japanese language film in this one, with Japanese actors taking up roles as soldiers during WWII who are separated from their division, and are on their own in trying to trek and regroup with the main forces deep in the jungles of Malaya. There is Sgt Yasuo Fujii from the Martial Public Relations Department, who's tagging along the 6th Division to film their crossing of a river, a nervous Corporal Yoshio Suzuki who seemed to be a chao keng with his shifty eyes and theatrics, a simple man with radioman PFC Jiro Goto, Sergeant Takeshi Sato who's a rambo-like, all-action leader, and a severely injured Captain Hiroshi Tanaka, whose wound provides for some plastic looking intestines and maggots to warrant an NC16 rating.

While it's not so much of a horror movie as mentioned, it's very much an examination into the men's fears and distrust they have from time to time of one another. We explore their hopes of going back to Japan rather than being in some unknown jungle, and Kelvin has injected a number of scenes where characters sit around, and just talk. I thought he'd probably taken a leaf from Saving Private Ryan by having the fearless leader in the team, come from a school-teaching background, though the breezy 84 minute movie had prevented any room for a deeper story to develop here.

The only moments where attempts at spooking you out come from a hauntingly disturbing song that's sung by a female in the forest, the appearance of a mysterious women who the men brush aside as a native, and having enemy soldiers flit in and out of the screen as well. But halfway through the film, you're more than likely to guess the outcome of the movie and the fate of everyone, given that the clues thrown up so far would lead to the perfect piecing together of the entire plot right up to the end, leaving little room for any other surprise.

Technically, this is still an aesthetically gorgeous movie with some rather interesting angles and imagery designed for a local movie, and has a nice aural score to boot. So if you can excuse the relatively ordinary and straightforward plot, 1942 might just be able to entertain you, though not exactly providing you a howling good time. Not one of Kelvin Tong's best, but definitely not the worst either.

The Code 3 DVD by Innoform Media is presented in letterbox format, and the visual transfer is pristine. Audio track is in Japanese, with subtitles in English and Chinese. Scene selection is available in 8 chapters, and the only special features here are the trailer for Eating Air (2:26), which is also by Kelvin Tong, which autoplays when you pop the DVD into the player, and trailers and teasers for 1942.

[DVD Launch] Asian Film Archive Collection: Singapore Shorts Vol.2 DVD

Date: 8 November 2008
Time: 2:30pm - 4:00pm
Venue: Kinokuniya, Takashimaya
Address: 391 Orchard Road Ngee Ann City, #03-10/15, Takashimaya Shopping Centre, Singapore 238872
Nearest MRT Station: Orchard

It's been a few years since the Asian Film Archive launched a collection of Singapore short films with its Singapore Shorts Vol. 1 DVD, leaving you wondering if there'll ever be a Vol 2.

Well folks, the wait is finally over! The Asian Film Archive will be launching the much-awaited Singapore Shorts Vol.2 DVD - the second anthology of acclaimed Singapore short films to raise funds for its preservation and cultural mission. Curated on a theme of the Family, the DVD features nine short films made from 1974 to 2007 by local filmmakers such as Boo Junfeng, Brian Gothong Tan, K. Rajagopal, Loo Zihan, Mirabelle Ang, Michael Tay, Rajendra Gour, Ryan Tan and Sandi Tan. Released on DVD for the first time, the short films comes with audio commentaries by the crew and cast and includes bonus material such as directors’ biographies and notes.

Do join and participate in the DVD launch at Kinokuniya (Takashimaya) on 8 November 2008 from 2:30pm to 4:00pm to meet the filmmakers to hear them talk about their films, as well as for a Q&A session and of course, to get your hands on this perfect gift for any film-lover!

The films in this DVD are:
A Family Portrait / Un Retrato De Familia (2004) by Boo Junfeng
Absence (1997) by K. Rajagopal
Autopsy (2007) by Loo Zihan
Gourmet Baby (2001) by Sandi Tan
Imelda Goes to Singapore (2006) by Brian Gothong Tan
Labour of Love – The Housewife (1978) by Rajendra Gour
Match Made (2006) by Mirabelle Ang
Wet Season (2007) by Michael Tay
Yesterday’s Play (2005) by Ryan Tan

Format: DVD PAL, All regions DVD PAL, All regions
ISBN: 978-981-08-1557-8
Audio: English, Mandarin, Tamil, Malayalam, Spanish Teochew, Vietnamese, Tagalog.
Subtitles: English
In Colour and Black & White
Running Time: 133 minutes.
Bonus features:
1. Audio commentaries by Boo Junfeng, Brian Gothong Tan, Cleo Clara, K. Rajagopal, Lim Kay Tong, Loo Zihan, Michael Tay, Mirabelle Ang, Nora Samosir, Rajendra Gour, Ryan Tan, Sharon Loh
2. Restored audio of Labour of Love - The Housewife by Rajendra Gour using tools to improve the sound-to-noise ratio and to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle
3. Directors' notes
4. Gallery of film stills


The DVD can be purchased online at the AFA's Online Shop (free delivery for local orders after 14 Nov) or at Kinokuniya during and after the launch.

More information about the DVD can be found here at the Official DVD Website.

Do You Dare Venture Onto PULAU HANTU?

Pulau Hantu (PG)
Director: Esan Sivalingam
2008 | Horror | English & Malay with English subtitles | 90mins | $8
Cast: Carl Ng, Pamelyn Chee, Sani Hussin, Shane Mardjuki, John Cheng, Vijay M, Nurulaini, Nur Batrisyia and Adrian Pang

Synopsis:

Pulau Hantu (lit. translation: Ghost Island) tells the tale of a group of ragtag soldiers who, whilst searching for an AWOL section, inadvertently disturb an unholy grave site.

Day turns to night and the mildly forested area becomes a thick, dense jungle. Ill-equipped and without an inkling as to why these supernatural events have cursed them, they race against time within the cursed island in their fight for survival – uncovering past mysteries and hidden secrets - while being terrorized by the revenge-seeking spirits of a native woman and her child who were victimized and murdered by a witch doctor over a century ago.

Not to be confused with an Indonesian movie which shares the same title, this is a local horror film made by Esan Sivalingam, his first feature film since the comedy City Sharks made some 5 years ago. Shot in HD, it actually made its premiere on the new television channel Okto, and now finds its proper place in the cinema with regular screenings, and under a digital projection to boot at Sinema Old School.


You can click here for details on the screening schedule, with one this Sunday evening. See you there!

P.S. I'm actually quite amused by the reactions of netizens over at the HardwareZone forums, given that some of them were lucky to have caught the film on television, and have on the whole, relatively good things to say about it. Don't click on the link unless you have strong tolerance for spoilers.

What's On at the National Museum?

YASUKUNI Encore Screening

Some time last month on 12 October, the National Museum had as part of its Weapons of Mass Desire exhibition, screened a rather controversial film by Chinese director Li Ying called Yasukuni, to a full house. For those (like myself) who had missed that screening, fret not, as there will be an encore screening this Sunday 9 Nov 08 at two separate timeslots of 2pm and 5pm at the National Museum Gallery Theatre

The 123-minute film explores the history of Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, where more than 2 million of Japan's war dead are enshrined, including over 1,000 war criminals convicted during the 1946-1948 Tokyo tribunal. The film shows not only the well-reported political incidents associated with the shrine, but also takes an in-depth look at the shrine's sword-making tradition. Yasukuni is a sprawling portrait of a clash between two versions of history that offers no easy answers to the uncomfortable questions it raises about reconciling the past with the present. The film raised a fair bit of controversy when traditional Japanese Nationalists caused 4 cinemas to drop the movie in its initial premiere in Japan in 2007.

You can read more about the movie here, and visit the Official Website (in Japanese) for more details. I would say this is a documentary not to be missed! Tickets are priced at S$8 / S$6.40 (Concession)


WORLD CINEMA SERIES
A Programme of the National Museum Cinémathèque
Co-presented with the Singapore Film Society


Days and Nights In The Forest / Aranyer Din Ratri
Director: Satyajit Ray
1969 / India / 115 mins / 35mm / Ratings to be advised
In Bangali with English subtitles

Date: Tuesday 11 November 2008
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Gallery Theatre, Basement, National Museum of Singapore, 93 Stamford Road, Singapore 178897

S$8 for public/ S$6.40 concession price for students, seniors aged 60 and above NSF, and National Museum Members and Volunteers / Free admission for Singapore Film Society members

Enquiries: 6332 3659 / 6332 5642
Website: www.nationalmuseum.sg
Nearest MRT Station: Dhoby Ghaut

Widely regarded as one of Satyajit Ray's most magnificent films, Days and Nights in the Forest is a beautiful and touching story about four young middleclass men who leave Calcutta to spend some time in an empty bungalow in the forests of Palmau.

Putting the city and the countryside on a spectacular collision course, Ray's screenplay delights in subtly undercutting his Calcutta heroes, whose youthful arrogance gets them into a series of disastrous (but often hilarious) adventures as they interact with the locals. But what's really captivating is the remarkably literary quality of the film, as it produces a wonderful sense of the unspoken inner feelings that propel these characters towards their various destinies as they discover the complexities of love affairs, the unfulfilling nature of sexual pleasure, and the joys of true love.

Influenced by French cinema, in particular the work of Jean Renoir (whom Ray had firsthand experience of working with), the film's pacing and narrative gradually builds towards its climax, taking in along the way its most famous sequence ñ a delightful picnic scene.

By turns funny, sad and romantic, it's a work that confirms Ray's formidable reputation as a world film maker of the highest order.