Ip Man (葉問)

The Man

If you look at the last 5 movies in Donnie Yen's filmography, I feel that his better works had resulted from his collaboration with director Wilson Yip. In Painted Skin and An Empress and The Warriors, he was relegated to supporting roles, with the former being ineffectively cast against type, and the latter playing second fiddle to the leads Kelly Chen and Leon Lai. With Yip, he's the able star of the show, and in each of the movies, was put to do what he does best – numbing arse kicking action, with SPL sparring with Sammo Hung and Wu Jing, Dragon Tiger Gate having to lead Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue battling bad hair days, and introducing some wildly kinetic Mixed Martial Arts action in Flash Point. So how does his latest collaboration with Wilson Yip fare?

They do no wrong. I shall now proclaim unabashedly that I absolutely love this movie! It's been some time since we last saw a biopic on one of the Chinese's martial arts folk heroes, with Jet Li's Fearless being the last memorable one to hit the big screen. While Li lays claim to three of such roles in the iconic Wong Fei Hung (in the Tsui Hark movies), Fong Sai Yuk and Huo Yuan Jia in Fearless, after which he felt he had to hang up his martial arts roles because he thought that he had communicated all that he wanted about martial arts through these films. And thank goodness for Donnie Yen still being around to pick up from where the genre left off, and presenting a memorable role which he truly owned, with Ip Man being the first cinematic rendition of the Wing Chun martial arts grandmaster.

In this bio-pic, Ip Man, one of the earliest Wing Chun martial arts exponents credited to have propagated its popularity, gets portrayed as the best of the best in 1930s Fo Shan, China, where the bustling city has its own Martial Arts Street where countless of martial arts schools have set up shop to fuel the craze of kung fu training. With each new school, the master will pay their respects to Ip Man and to challenge him to a duel. Ip Man, an aristocrat who spends most of his quality time developing and perfecting his brand of martial arts, will take them on behind closed doors, so as not to damage his opponents' reputation nor embarrass them in public. His humility is his virtue, and his style is never violent or aggressive, which often gets assumed and mistaken for being effeminate, since Wing Chun after all was founded by a woman.

The bulk of the story gets set in the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war, and it's not all fight and no story. Witth this historical setting, at times it does seem that there is an air of familiarity with the type of stories told, with how the Japanese Imperial Army had made life really miserable for the Chinese, and how the Chinese being fragmented in spirit, fail to unite during dire straits. More often than note, martial arts become a unifying force, and this aspect of the narrative might seem to be a walk in the usual territory.

But with its array of charismatic supporting cast with the likes of Simon Yam as Ip Man's best friend and industrialist Quan, and Lam Ka Tung as a cop turned translator, there are little nicely put sub plots which seek to expand the air of respect that Ip Man commands amongst his community. The story by Edmond Wong did not demonize all the villains, often adding a dash of empathy and sympathy to the likes of the Japanese General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), a highly skilled exponent from the North called Zhao (Fan Siu Wong) as well as Lam's translator character who is deemed as a traitor for being in the service of the Japanese. Ip Man the family man also gets put under the spotlight, where his passion could sometimes leave him neglecting his wife and kid, and through the course of the story this focus often leaves one quite exasperated for his family's safety as he puts his countrymen above self and family when going up against the oppressive Japanese forces.

So what's the verdict on the action? Action junkies won't have to wait too long before watching Ip Man in action, and to Sammo Hung and Tony Leung Siu Hung's credit, they have intricately designed some of the most varied martial arts sequences in the movie, such as private fights in his home, a factory melee, a Japanese dojo battle as seen in the trailer, (which I know has actually sent some positive vibes amongst moviegoers, mouth agape at that incredible scene of Yen continuously beating down a karateka) being somewhat of a throwback and reminscent of Bruce Lee in Fists of Fury, and a ringside duel amongst others. And it's not just Ip Man who gets in on the action, but specialized martial arts moves designed for the various practitioners as well. It's so difficult to name any particular one as a personal favourite, though I must add that you definitely won't feel short changed by the time the inevitable final battle comes rolling along and gets delivered with aplomb.

I'm no Wing Chun practitioner, but Donnie Yen has this marvelous calm and zen like approach with his Ip Man taking out his opponents quite effectively with the minimal of moves. Like Huo Yuan Jia, he doesn't deliver the killing blows to friendly opponents, but rather simulates the various hit points, which actually calls for some astonishing control of strength and precision. This approach will change of course as the opponents become anything but friendly. And unlike the usual martial arts stance of crouching low, here we see him standing tall and striking with such precision and efficiency, it's like poetry in motion with some astounding closed quarter combat utilizing plenty of upper limb strength.

With Wong Kar-wai at one point also declaring interest in making a Ip Man movie, I thought that this effort will be hard to beat, just like how Tsui Hark has crafted some of the more definitive movies in modern times about Wong Fei Hung and Jet Li benefiting from a major career boost, I'd say Ip Man just about cements Yen's reputation as a martial arts leading man, which I guess the cinematic world these days severely lacks. This has to go down in my books as one of my favourite movies of the year, and I'm already setting some money aside to get the best available edition of the DVD when it gets released. Highly recommended, so make a beeline for the box office now!

Yes Man

Life Knows No Barriers

It's been a while since Jim Carrey hit the screens, going back to his comedic roots after the rather lacklustre dramatic turn in the thriller The Number 23. But it's a somewhat muted Carrey we get, as gone out the window are the over the top antics and rubbery face, and in comes a fine balance between getting the laughs, as well as having some dramatic flair in crafting a believable working class character who is jaded with work and life in general, opting instead to coast through life almost like a recluse.

And when a friend told me that this character was somewhat familiar, I understand his point. I suppose most of us could probably identify with the very routine lives that we're leading, juggling work and whatever effort we can muster to have a semblance of balance, either with family, friends, or spending some quality time investing in oneself. But this means regressing into the tried, tested and safe, losing that spark that comes with the randomness of living, and the gaining of experience that would have been gained. In fact, it brought back some memories that I was once a Yes Man myself, and I won't deny that somewhere along the way I've taken a detour, though it was a conscious decision at that.

Jim Carrey plays Carl Allen, a junior loans officer at a bank who spends his time at work, and his personal life, in saying no to everyone and to opportunities, ignoring calls and well meaning efforts from friends to bring him out of his shell. But a life changing seminar (I've been to something similar, even though it was just a preview) with pop music, enthusiastic energizer-bunny type attendees, and an enigmatic speaker, would convince him to take the plunge into make a covenant to say yes to every opportunity that comes by. Not that he has any choice since the self-help guru is played by Terence Stamp, and nobody has the audacity to say no to General Zod. (Curiously, Terence Stamp has been in plenty of supporting roles of late).

So begins a series of situational comedies, most of which would already have been captured in the trailer. Carl begins to live life as he wanted to, taking lessons, meeting people, and what I found to be most appealing, would be to convert from a person of negative thoughts, to a positive thinking fellow. His new attitude opens doors, and almost instantly he reaps the benefits of this new found approach, the best of course is the encounter with hot chick Allison (Zooey Deschanel).

Besides the philosophy behind the movie, Yes Man is also a romance, with two random people who are totally opposites, coming together because of their spontaneity, and how strongly and positively different a relationship which isn't routine would provide for a couple. I suppose to a certain degree I tasted some form of success at this going where the wind brings approach, though that of course was a long time back. Naturally they fall heads over heels with each other, but like all romances, there's no such thing as smooth sailing, even though this takes place in the last act and rides to the finale fairly quickly.

I more than welcome Zooey Deschanel as the leading lady in Yes Man (I would say yes too *ahem*), because in my opinion she hasn't made a lot of films, and still has that refreshing appeal. If truth be told her Allison would be someone whom I'd sit up and take notice, because of her zest for life, and hey, here's someone multi-talented (ok, that might be debatable), coupled with some of her really unorthodox activities that look like fun, and miles from what I am doing anyway. I thought Jim Carrey had a field day acting opposite her, and that chemistry probably rubbed off and made them look like a cute couple who are up to totally crazy antics when they're out on their dates.

Based on the book by Danny Wallace, the turning point in the film, which tied up all the random elements pretty neatly for that push toward the final act, was well done and I couldn't help but to guffaw, that if I was in those shoes, I might be connecting the dots in the same manner and asking pointed questions as well. Along with a whole host of supporting cast ranging from Bradley Cooper as Carl's best friend Peter, Molly Sims as his ex-wife Stephanie and Rhys Darby in a hilarious role as his manager (and major geek) Norman, the soundtrack too serves as another highlight in the film, with songs mostly by Eels, and Zooey Deschanel herself lending her vocal chords to a number of songs here, where the lyrics are totally insane (she has part writing credit for those) which left me laughing out loud for the most parts.

So while I see the cinematic ways as to how saying Yes could change one's life but only with the intervention of fated coincidences, I guess there's no harm trying and giving the same philosophy a shot, right? So go ahead and say Yes together with me, but of course with some intelligence and common sense, and I'd expect all of us could hope to be in for some surprising change to our personal lives. And please say Yes too to sitting through the end credits - that little skate man idea looks totally awesome!

[China Film Festival] The Longest Night in Shanghai (夜·上海)

You Owe Me Cab Fare

I won't deny that the draw toward this movie was its star billing with Zhao Wei in the leading role, playing a blue collar taxi driver in the city of Shanghai. But of course again to my surprise in not reading the fine print, I had to muster my limited abilities to read the subtitles of the movie, because this Japanese-Chinese co-production, came only with Chinese subtitles for its Japanese dialogue.

But still, I managed to enjoy every moment of this incredibly romantic movie, though from the onset it might not look like one to begin with. There were some shades of Lost in Translation I guess, except that there's a persistent language barrier between the couple but that added to the charm because they had to rely on non-verbal communication to get their message through.

Motoki Masahiro plays Japanese stylist extrordinaire Mizushima who comes to Shanghai for an exposition, but is clearly unhappy and indifferent during the trip. As it turned out he's facing some serious love triangle issues, and is re-examining his current relationship with his assistant, before deciding to take off to the streets on his own, getting lost in the process. Zhao Wei's Lin Xi is quite the reckless driver who has seen all kinds of action that happen at her cab's backseat, and is deliberately reckless in order to report back to the workshop to have an opportunity to talk to her Dylan Kuo's Dong Dong, the mechanic she admires, who is extremely skilled in really fast repairs.

And of course a fated moment where she accidentally knocks Mizushima down, began an unforgettable night for both as they begin to hang out, at first with her sharing the sights and sounds of Shanghai, before his lack of cash led to abandonment, and slowly the building of a night of friendship amongst two strangers who each have issues of the heart to face up to, and from each other finding a pillar of strength. Zhao Wei definitely gave one of her more memorable performances here as a girl who couldn't find courage to express her feelings, only for her to suffer in silence in what could possibly be the last day to do so, while juggling with her brother's insistence to sell their house to put her on the wrong emotion. You'll probably feel as gutted as she did when she learns of Dong Dong's marriage, and finds every opportunity to get a glimpse of him from afar.

Playing opposite her, Motoki Masahiro had an uphill battle to climb because his role is typical of a foreigner left on strange soils, and spends most of the time being exasperated by Li Xin's antics at trying to shake him off initially. Between the two, I still felt Li Xin's story being the stronger one, although both share some fantastic chemistry despite not being able to understand each other directly. Supporting characters come in the form of a mixture of Japanese and Chinese casts, from Sam Lee as a translator to Naoto Takenaka of Waterboys/Swing Girls fame, and even a two scene cameo by Kitty Zhang!

If there's one thing I attest to in this film, is how Chinese words are still applicable in the Japanese context. While the pronunciation is different, some words retain similar meaning, and this would prove useful for the two to form some communication when sharing their love lives with each other. And with this spending of quality time at random with each other, filled with spontaneity, naturally becomes the catalyst for what could be, and you'll soon find yourself rooting for these two to realize that they could have something good going for them in this one long night they spend together.

This was one of the more enjoyable festivals that I've attended this year, given that I've actually enjoyed every one of the selection, and that's something quite rare. For the romantics, this comes recommended for its premise, its dreamy eye candy cast, and especially its soundtrack and songs used in the film (my favourite is Frally Hines' Breathe). There are a number of iconic romantic moments which will probably move you, and it left you wanting more, especially with that last statement uttered at the end of the movie. I heart this one, really.

[China Film Festival] Li Shuangliang (愚公移山)

Based on the synopsis, I had absolutely no idea what the movie would be about, but it's based on an historical incident which ties in with an environmental theme, and following the previous movies, it's links with the Olympics comes in the form of a reference to the Paralympics instead, where an injured and paralyzed worker was encouraged to shoot for greater heights, that he should not let his disability hinder him from dreaming big and striving to be faster and stronger.

Li Shuangliang is the title for the main protagonist, which is played by two actors, Wang Qingxiang as the older man, and Guo Xiaodong as the man in his youth. It's the story of a successful man who has made a name for himself when he sees a problem to be solved, and goes about devoting his time and effort to ensure that it is done, along the way creating jobs for others and raising everyone's standard of living through the enormous returns from sheer hard work. Not only in monetary terms of course, but indirectly addressing health concerns, and to remove an eyesore in their community.

Working for the last 40 years at a steel mill, Li retires but instead of resting on his laurels, he explores a solution to remove a mountain high slag waste dump, which spans approximately 5 Tiananmen Squares and weighs thousand of tons, and that is to engage farmers as labourers to chip away at the slag bit by bit, separating iron for sale, and selling the waste product as well. It's supposed to be one massive 7 year project by the sheer man hours for it to be completed, and this movie spanned 20 years charting this post-retirement career of his which came by accident, and grew beyond everyone's wildest imagination into a self-sustaining corporation in itself.

Huo Jianqi, who directed A Time To Love in 2005 starring Zhao Wei and Lu Yi, had this pass off in almost documentary-like terms, since after all it's recounting the true life story of this man who has some really relevant people management skills and values to impart. For the most parts it played out like Management 101, with him tackling various work related problems like unscrupulous supervisors, workplace injuries and worker compensation and renumeration. But should these topics not appeal to you, then this is also a story about a successful man from extremely humble beginnings, his love life and family, peering into the man behind that Corporate CEO image that others see him as, and looks at his personal values, morals and decency as well. I think that episode about how he handled a multi-million dollar payout, is a shining example of the dilemma that one faces, in wanting to do the right thing.

The account of his earlier life story might have been a little bit rushed, especially that of his romantic relationship with his wife which occupies the only a bit of the last act and told in flashbacks, but it nevertheless provided quite a well-rounded narrative encompassing many facets of this man's life. The ending too might seem a little abrupt to have ended with a cutting to the present day site, which is now a beautiful garden, but I guess for its Management 101 episodes, this is quite compelling a movie to watch.

[China Film Festival] The One Man Olympics (一个人的奥林匹克)

For China

I have an affinity for sports bio-pics because they usually celebrate qualities such as hard work, perserverence, and sometimes sheer luck for an athlete to overcome the incredible odds facing them, and to come up on top. Naturally winning is all that matters, because nobody remembers the losers (unfortunately), and it's always inspiring to witness how others overcome their challenges which sometimes surpass that of which an individual could handle.

If an equivalent of a sports bio-pic is to be done in the Singapore context in relation to the Olympics, it could perhaps be our pioneering medalist, weightlifter Tang Howe Liang, to relate how he went quite on his own without the current support structure in place for our athletes of today, to win glory for our nation. Similarly, Liu Changchun (Li Zhaolin) goes down in China's history books as the first athlete to represent China in the 1930s 10th Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, USA.

And naturally the road to the Olympics is not paved in gold, especially when you look at the tumultuous period he belonged to in China's history, where they were on the brink of the Sino-Japanese war, and the country in turmoil with priorities other than to consider expending budget in sending an athlete overseas to compete. It's an incredible pressure and one can only imagine the immense anxiety he has with the burden to shoulder the hopes of millions of people, in epitiomizing all of them with the indomitable spirit to compete at the highest level, and to shake off the “Sick Man of Asia” tag given the Japanese invasion. Representing the hopes of a nation, especially for a pioneer, can be nerve wrecking, but for the support from this father and understanding wife, he begins on the arduous journey to get himself represented, which this movie spent a lot of time focusing on the difficulties from war to crippling bureaucracy.

Those moments were told in flashbacks, and we chart his trip to the USA from the start on sea, where he's travelling with only his coach Professor Song (Shi Liang) as they try to squeeze in some minimal training. And with inexperience comes the bickering with his coach, with one wanting to train continuously, against the coach's recommendation to cater for some adequate rest time. And as we know, sometimes lessons are learnt the hard way, which requires some eating of the humble pie to root one back to reality after a series of overconfidence.

The movie boasted very high production values, with no efforts spared in having nifty special effects recreating countless of moments, from sets to backgrounds used to capture and recreate the era and the Games back then. The narrative also took a leaf out of Forrest Gump in having juxtapose the current actors into those black and white archival footage, and did so very competently and convincingly. Director Hou Yong also filmed the sprints under very exciting terms, with slow motion (otherwise everything would be over in mere seconds) and tight angles to frame all the action, which probably required multiple takes given the multiple angles shown, and to imagine the attention to details and accuracy to have the actors all come in at the right moments as cast in historical stone.

If there is a gripe, I thought they should have filmed the all the races that he took part in, rather than not do so, with the narrative ra-ra about determination and the likes set the expectation that he's on a winning streak. Li Zhaolin was very believable as an Olympic competitor given his very chiselled features and well toned body befitting an athlete. Notable cameos include David Wu and Hu Jun as a general/headmaster. And yes, Singapore also had a contribution here with Sun Yanzi being part of the singing ensemble for the team song, along with the likes of Jackie Chan and Wang Lee Hom.

I had the chance to watch this as inflight entertainment but sleep overrode that opportunity. And I am thankful to have watched this, as it drops automatically into my recommended list of films to watch in relation to the Olympic theme this festival seems to be taking.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Yes I Can Bend It Like Beckham

I guess Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is the female equivalent of the teenage male sex comedies, without the sex or gratuitous nudity that is, because this is firmly in chick lit territory and based upon two books written by Louise Rennison - Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God. If you may, this aligns itself more toward Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole series, where we get a glimpse of the titular character's daily life and anxieties through episodes of growing pains.

Directed by Gurinder Chadha who brought us Bride & Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham, this movie centres upon 14 year old Georgia Nicholson (Georgia Groome) and her three girly pals whom Jas (Eleanor Tomlinson) is her best pal of the lot. Both have major infatuations with new boys in school Robbie (Aaron Johnson) and Tom (Sean Bourke), and naturally jealousy ensues when Jas manages to hook up with Tom, but for Georgia, she's stuck with having to battle for Robbie's affections with rival Wet Lindsay (Kimberley Nixon, last seen in Wild Child which to a certain degree might seem like an American equivalent for a movie like this), who's the school's flower with cover girl looks.

And while "boylingual issues" occupy the bulk of Georgia's time, she also has major freak-outs with trying to figure how to throw the most memorable birthday party ever, as well as trying to save her own family from disintegrating, with Dad (Alan Davies) being sent to New Zealand because of a major promotion at work, and Mom (Karen Taylor) seems to be having a flirty good time with their home interior decorator.

It's quite a ditzy film and I guess for all the girls out there, the events as they unfold in the movie will probably be easily identifiable, and I guess the boys too will have a field day with some of the situational humour which came by the bucketloads. And what I thought to be really quite accurate, is the way how everyone second guesses each other when it comes to the affairs of the hearts, and sometimes dwell onto stuff a little too much to the extreme, incessantly finding meaning in something as simple as a word or phrase. This naturally brings out the ugliness that stem from desperation, and we observe how Georgia slowly degenerates from nice girl next door, to uber Ms Insensitive.

It's a fairly light and breezy chick flick that is peppered by some insane characters, such as Georgia's sister who thinks that she's a cat, and probably who I thought to be one of the most innovative fellas out there who would outplay, outlast and outwit the likes of Stifler and McLovin, is Peter Dyer (Liam Hess), the self-professed expert who offers lessons and opportunity in allowing girls to experiment in achieving the perfect snog. Talk about being sly!

Ultimately, this is a feel good movie which has all its loose threads tied up very conveniently, which you could see coming from a mile away. But it doesn't dwell on its problems for too long, because there's always a solution that springs up for Georgia and gang to tap on. Peppered by some good music in the soundtrack, and generally likable characters who remind all of us of some dreaded issues when growing up, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a surprisingly well designed teenage comedy that doesn't have to rely on cheap gimmicks like incessant foul language, sex and nudity to draw the crowds.

And for that quality, this is somewhat refreshing for comedies targeted at that demographics. I might go one step further and say I won't mind ploughing through the books as well!

[China Film Festival] Maimaiti's 2008 (买买提的2008)

Number Off

If there's a common theme that I noticed in this year's China Film Festival thus far, is how the story has some connection to the Beijing Olympic Games held earlier this year, either thematically, or through some passing camera shots. In this one, a makeshift football coach promises his young charges that should they win the district football tournament, they would all be eligible to travel to Beijing and participate in the Games in some capacity.

Of course this was nothing but a lie, but this lie becomes the catalyst for changing attitudes and mindsets of the villagers who have lost their sparkle, drive and confidence in confronting adversary, and are faced with the dire consequences of having to leave their land because of the lack of irrigation stemming from a fast drying river, which is their main support system.

The titular Maimaiti is a high wire walker, but because of his driving away of a female football coach assigned to the village of Shawei, he gets sent there instead in her place to assemble a team and yield results, otherwise he can forget about returning home. In exile, he thought that the task will be a piece of cake even though he has a distinct lack of knowledge of the game, because the entire village are football fanatics, and their children have individual skill and flair, thanks to their satellite televisions beaming the world's best leagues into their televisions.

But as we all know in team games, it's never always about the individual but a collective group, and this is the uphill task facing him to try and gel the team together, especially after they were severely humiliated in their opening game because of internal bickering, and each trying to be the hero. Swallowing humble pie, Maimaiti begs the return of the original coach, and together, have to figure out a way to inspire the children to greatness, to fulfill their potential, to work on all their strengths, and more importantly, to impart the values of discipline, teamwork and cooperation.

I felt it was a treat to have seen this feel good movie despite its flaws (you can start with figuring out who's playing for the Shawei village in the final game, which will drive you nuts), because it's not always that one visits the smaller towns and villages on screen, especially that of the Uygur ethnic group which I believe is predominantly Muslim (since there was mention of the celebration of Hari Raya). But what I deemed as a pity was that the film was dubbed in Chinese, otherwise we could all hear the original language it was shot in. Otherwise technically this was a film competently shot, and characterization while one dimensional, made it easier to follow given the dizzying names of all the characters.

The little boys proved to be rather skillful on the ball with some nifty tricks captured on screen during their competitive games. And being football fanatics, they each have their respective nicknames according to their idols and in the positions they play. For instance, there are the midfield maestros Zidane and Maradona, and others named after the likes of Roberto Carlos, David Beckham, Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini etc. And for fun's sake, even Zidane's infamous head butt got re-enacted here.

But it's not all about footballing nuggets to thrill football fans here. The strength of the script resided in how it was able to parallel this young football team with the state of the village and the shifting mindsets of the villagers. As mentioned, the team served as inspiration for the villagers to get together, and with the lessons in teamwork rubbing off, you'd find that winning the championship to get to Beijing to participate in the Gaames, which was the overriding factor in getting permission to have the team assembled, became secondary.

Then there's still the issue of that being a lie, as well as major problems in having the team's star players transferred out for monetary gains, which remains for you to find out what exactly happened when you get first opportunity to watch this. It's recommended for its charm, as well as a family-friendly story with good values to impart.

[China Film Festival] Love, Come Back (爱在他乡)

Love, Come Back consists of two story arcs in what would be a modern day Chinese tale of the Prince and the Pauper. Initially one might have thought that it was a documentary given the way it was presented with street interviews asking pedestrians what their take is on the current state of education and the system of learning in China, and while it was one of the themes it was examining, it soon paved way for the narrative elements to take over.

The story centers on two individuals, one a bored and bumming rich city kid who doesn't care, and spends his days in front of the television playing console games. Mao Mao lives the life of affluence and negatively carefree. On the other hand, Butre is your village kid in Inner Mongolia who has topped his district's exams, and as a reward (and of course a scheme), Mao Mao's father decides to swap their kids around, given his contacts with Butre's folks, and soon, Mao Mao gets sent packing to live in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, and Butre comes over to Beijing.

It then becomes a classic case of culture shock for both parties, and I thought Mao Mao received the shorter end of the stick, which was the intention for him to learn personal responsibility, and some proper life skills rather than to sit in front of the television all day. And here's a character who is instantly unlikeable, given the airs he puts on as an ungracious guest and for the most parts behaves like an arrogant city dweller who sniffs his nose at everything, especially the cuisine. His hosts soon get exasperated at his constant spurning of their hospitality, and to think that his ignorance also led to a preventable accident which naturally served as a turning point in his attitude.

Butre however got to enjoy the sights and sounds of the big city, and lapped it all up like a kid in a candy store. I wonder really whether the village kid in the city would be overwhelmed by all the technological sights and sounds, but as the story seemed to suggest, the cramped living style as opposed to the freedom one has when out in the open, does take as much to get used to. While Butre finds it easier to adapt because of his innate sunny disposition, he does seem unhappy from time to time given his constant "lockup" at the home of his hosts.

Which this movie by Chen Jun suggests, that sometimes it's never just the kids' fault, because their getting into trouble would serve as a sign that they're seeking attention that the parents don't devote, and that parental upbringing is just as important as the quality of that upbringing. It's not sufficient just to throw money at the kid, and while one's career is important, spending quality time with the children should take precedence as well. For Mao Mao's parents, they learn this lesson slowly through their interaction with Butre. Well, in fact all characters in the movie took away some important lessons.

Love, Come Back contains some amazing scenery of the vast grasslands which was courtesy of having half of it set in Inner Mongolia. And while it has some important messages contained within, it doesn't force its way through and have the narrative adopt a preachy tone. It ends when it's supposed to without resorting to saccharine sweet techniques, and kept things enjoyably succinct. Definitely recommended.

Wild Child

I'm An Angel... Not!

I guess Emma Roberts' more memorable role was taking on the iconic Nancy Drew character, but now she exchanges those sleuthing skills and good manners for spoilt brat antics. Swinging from one end of the spectrum of an ideal kid to a spoilt and bratty one, her Poppy Moore character in Wild Child is a rich kid who has issues with discipline because she thinks she could get her way with her devil may care attitude and wads of cash. With her relationship with her father going to the doldrums, she gets shipped off to an English boarding school in an effort to be schooled in the prim and proper, and thus sets up plenty of room for your typical fish out of water story.

Naturally as the loner who stands out because of her rather uncouth behaviour and fashion sense, this was somewhat a throw back to The House Bunny, where the protagonist is clearly out of place, and remains to be seen if it is herself who would be assimilated into the norm, or if she could be the trendsetter and begin a serious case of behavioural osmosis.

For starters, this is clearly chick flick territory, with all characters being girls (it's set in an all girls boarding school) and the only male supporting characters happened to be her dad (Aidan Quinn), the school principal's son Freddie (Alex Pettyfer) for romantic purposes, and Nick Frost who cameos as a small town hairstylist. So you can imagine the amount of bitching that would go around in the film, where Poppy offends the head student on her first day on multiple fronts, thereby starting off some serious personal vendetta issues. Or how Poppy is initially unwelcome by everyone in her dormitory because her stubbornness got them all detention, before they decide to assist her in a win-win situation - getting her expelled so that she could return home.

Wild Child is surprisingly entertaining with a good story to tell, even though it's the usual about having friends for life versus the superficial ones that one tend to meet from time to time. I guess for parents this could be one of those child-safe movies to bring their kids to, and hopefully to have some of its positive messages like responsibility and discipline rub off on their kids. Written by Lucy Dahl, daughter of the renowned Roald Dahl, that credit alone provided some interest in this movie, despite the story and plot development being nothing unusual and being very predictable.

But I guess predictability could still work if the ensemble cast delivered their roles convincingly, which they do, and with any movie that deals with friendship and one targetted at children, this is as plain sailing a movie as it can get - nobody dies, everyone becomes friends, tense situations get diffused amicably, and there's plenty of BFF-love to go around.

Twilight

Drink From Me and Live Forever

Some friends balked at my preference of watching this movie first in place of other releases this week. I have to admit my interest was piqued at how it performed at the box office amongst the recent slew of less than stellar results by novel to film adaptations. Moreover, there was plenty of talk about how difficult a process it was to find the right cast for the lead roles, and the immense popularity of Stephenie Meyer's novels which had a re-imagining of the vampire/werewolf genre, especially amongst the girls?

Make no mistake, at its core Twilight is nothing but a romance through and through, which explains its fanbase. Set in a high school, it's the usual beautiful, aloof and new girl in town falling for literally the coolest dude on campus who's equally stand offish, but for reasons of course. While Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is fair and has her long brown locks in contrast with her skin colour, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) looked as if he has plenty of foundation applied to his face and neck, with a dash of lipstick to add colour to his look. Oh, and his eyes change colours too, how cool is that?

So while the two hit it off on the wrong foot, a dashing and suave saving of the damsel who was like a deer caught in headlights, provided the catalyst for an intense romance that the two will develop. They consummate their passion in wild forests and atop treetops, and I tell you it's likely any girl would likely be charmed off her socks should a guy pull these stunts off. Standing in the way of the romance are the difficulties that Edward has to face continuously, in not succumbing to temptation to sink his teeth and suck her blood. Being together and hanging out means constantly keeping that vampire base instinct in check, while she becomes the unwitting temptress who has to distract his thoughts if his willpower becomes weak.

There were a couple of departures from the usual vampire characters, and in this case, sunlight no longer is the bane of their existence, only that their skin will sparkle ala having a natural sheen of stardust. Purists of the genre will find this hard to swallow, as with their individual abilities, such as the ability to predict the future, and for Edward, the ability to read other people's minds, except for Bella's, which intrigues him and yet provide for a sense of fear, that everyone in general, fear what we don't understand (Carmine Falcone said this in Batman Begins, which is so apt here).

The movie was destined to succeed thanks to the chemistry of the leads and their sheer charisma. Kristen Stewart had a certain spunk and fearlessness in her when having to deal with her romantic emotions with possibly the best hunter on Earth, while at the same time has a tenderness that we always see whenever she's with family - her dad, her long distance calls with mom, and of course, the love of her life. Robert Pattinson brings about some really jealous protective stance to his object of desire, and if looks could kill, he would have floored their common enemy in a "normal" (because the Cullens only kill animals) vampire in James (Cam Gigandet), who thrives on the thrill of the hunt, and sets his sights on Edward's Bella. There was some clinically brutal finishing off of enemies in this film which the camera flinched from, if only to decide not to mar the sweet romance underlying the story.

Special effects wise by Industrial Light and Magic was nothing intrusive to have stole the thunder from the story or the acting, and there were some pretty nifty moments which were impressive, and I particularly liked the entire baseball game sequence which had a right mix of effects, and tension built into the story, which marked an increase pace of urgency thereafter. The score by Carter Burwell was hauntingly beautiful, as were the carefully chosen songs to make up the soundtrack.

I thought Catherine Hardwicke did a commendable job in making this film, and the word on the street is that she'll be replaced for the sequel which already is green lit. And it's not easy for such sequels to be approved given the lacklustre performance of novel adaptations such as The Dark is Rising, The Golden Compass and Eragon all getting canned after dismal performances in the box office. Unless of course this franchise of only four books want to follow in the footsteps of the successful Harry Potter movie franchise in having different directors at the helm, I feel that Hardwicke should be asked to return.

Twilight took me by surprise, perhaps because I went in with low expectations and not having read the book (though Wikipedia provided some spoiler filled synopsis which I deliberately looked out for), and thus the final result was nothing less than a refreshing take on a different universe of vampires that we're used to seeing on the big screen, as well as the charismatic leads which I felt was the clincher. Perfect as a date movie, and I guess even more so if you're out looking for eye candies. Set up for a sequel (obviously) with some nice placeholders to develop from, you can count me in for another ride when it comes rolling along.

Cicakman 2 - Planet Hitam

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Lizard

I had some mindless fun watching the first Cicakman years ago, which was billed as Malaysia's first superhero movie, that I thought I'd give the sequel a go too. And if Sharifah Amani's in this one, it can't be all that bad, can it? Almost all the main cast return for this sequel, albeit some in cameo roles such as Yusry Kru as Danny and the Ginger Boys duo AC Mizal and Adlim Aman Ramlie in reduced roles as flying fireballs, and as with all sequels, new villains are created but the story's nothing to shout about, being rooted to the usual formula that belongs to kids cartoons.

Saiful Apek returns as the titular hero Hairi, who is now finding it tough to hold down a regular job given his tendencies to dash off to rescue the day. Living under the grace of the late Danny's family, in which we are introduced to his blind sister Iman (Amani), she adds a dash of innocent trouble for him because of her heightened sense of presence as well as sense of scent, which brings about some close shaves to unwittingly bust our hero's identity a few times.

While the first movie had taken a huge leaf from the Spidey mythos, that continues into Cicakman 2 as our hero faces some serious Peter Parker-ish tendencies of self doubt and second guessing of himself, while also juggling his lack of confidence in confessing his feelings for the woman he loves. Saiful Apek had to balance this emotional struggle as well as his more gung-ho persona when in costume, but alas the slapstick moments tend to mar any sense of emotional depth, and you can't help but to associate cheap comedy with this superhero, who now has a jazzed up, sleeker costume than his first outing.

The returning cast seemed to all have taken a step back from the earlier movie as well. Tania (Fasha Sandha) gets reduced to a flower vase role as a ditzy rookie broadcast journalist with zero personality and remains pretty much clueless in her quest to uncover Cicakman's true identity (which she was led to believe to be Danny). Aznil Nawawi's Professor Klon returns as the sequel's chief villain, and still continues to be over the top with his punctuating every spoken line with hysterical laughter. And he's a fan of Tony Stark too I guess, as he goes about designing a pirated version of his own Iron Man suit. His diabolical plot this time round? To pollute the world's water supply by pumping blank ink first into Metrofulus' reservoirs, then the world's oceans (cue diabolical laughter).

Aiding him is a new character, a hired assassin named Rrama (Tamara Bleszynski) who's modelled after the Catwoman, though here she adopts a busty butterfly motif complete with butt-kicking action and an arsenal to rival that of Batman's. She has a strange fetish for recording her kills, with Cicakman in her sights and billed as a personal challenge to defeat him in battle. I must admit though that the finale battle between these two animals was quite well done in plain wire-work kung fu terms, but the motorcycle tangle was overly long, and very cheaply shot and designed despite framing it against a green screen for the most parts.

Ah yes, the green screen also provided for the return of the Metrofulus futuristic landscape, but this time the results were somewhat of a mixed bag. The inhabitants (and therefore cast) were decked out in winter clothing most of the time to be in sync with the environment, but rather than being impressed with the backdrop, it seemed a little cheap this time round and not refined. Even the images of Cicakman swinging around the rooftops with his incredibly long tongue was rendered clearly, and came across as a blur, with some cringeworthy moments of posing beneath a Malaysian flag - if Spidey can do one for his country, so can it.

While the first Cicakman might be a novelty for some, the sequel has actually taken a step back with weaker characterization. There were some attempts in the first movie to mirror some real world commentary into the film, and I felt this continued here especially with Klon's attempt in overthrowing the politicians in power through charismatic mass rallies to convince the general public of his ability to clean up the mess created by the incumbent. But alas there were more slapstick comedy moments here to root this firmly back to children's territory, so unless you have kids to bring to the movies, you might find yourself squirming in your seat each time you see familiar elements coming on screen, with predictable outcomes.

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Yup, I Picked A Great Looking Human

Tis the season to be jolly, and because of the success of Will Smith's I Am Legend remake last year, I suspect tis the season for Hollywood to look at some of its past science fiction classics and set its gunsights on potential storylines to be redone, or "reimagined" on time for the holiday season, though the structure for this seemed to mirror quite closely to that of the original, save for the message to be preached.

But as the saying goes, if it ain't broke, please don't fix it. While I still buy into the notion that us human beings will likely to wake up our ideas if we know for sure that we're not the only civilization in the universe out there, that bickering amongst ourselves would be just plain silly in the face of potentially hostile creatures from outer space, the way Scott Derrickson presented this film, seemed more like a rehash of plenty of sci-fi elements from the likes of Independence Day (alien ships hovering around the globe), Third Encounters of the Third Kind, Armageddon (seriously, I was half expecting Bruce Willis to board a space shuttle with his crew and enormous drillbit), and even that obvious shade of the Matrix with Keanu's shaven fetal state in goo. And could someone tell filmmakers that shots of empty streets of New York's Times Square is already passe?

In this troubled time of ours, I thought the anti-war message is still quite relevant in today's context of world conflict, where hatred seem to be the emotion running very high. The original's message of peace doesn't ring any truer now, though this remake preferred to take on the more environmentally green message that if we don't take care of the Earth, the Earth will die and so will we, along with it naturally. But we Earthlings (or rather, the Americans) are a stubborn bunch, and toward all alien beings visiting our planet, they will dish out all available military hardware to obliterate anything that moves.

Sure, like the original film, there will be some who will balk at the messiah like character of Klaatu, with his sudden appearance, of being born again in human form and performing miracles such as resurrections and healing. Some might also balk at Keanu Reeves' tendency to play such messiah like characters, though a different camp would argue that he excels in roles such as these given his lack of acting range. And true enough, there isn't much for him to emote except to be in awe and to adjust in his new homo-sapien form.

The cast were all truly wasted, as Jennifer Connelly seemed to remake her Helen Benson from her Hulk's Betty Ross, while Jaden Smith didn't do much as the skeptical stepson Jacob Benson. Kathy Bates became a caricature as the Secretary of Defense, and John Cleese too was a flower vase as Professor Barnhardt. Yes, a male flower vase. If there's any level of difficulty here in anyone's acting, I'd give credit to Keanu Reeves for his dare to converse in Mandarin, which I thought was quite alright (probably even better than mine!)

What was truly a letdown, was the pace at the final third of the film. The movie plods to the finishing line, and what do we get at the end of it? Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. The obvious parallels here to end the movie makes it look darn lazy, as you can substitute you know who for Galactus (a gaseous ball of mass) and for the Surfer himself. It's anti-climatic and very lacklustre, and I for one would have applauded if it went along the lines of the original to shove down its message verbatim to the audience, rather than to provide such a hokey ending that made it all a joke and threw whatever impact of its good-natured message out the window.

And not since Jack Neo do I see product placement coming in so intrusively, like MacDonald's, and the one that took the cake, was that huge Microsoft Windows logo sitting pretty atop a glass table top for image manipulation. I was waiting for a blue screen of death to occur, which would fit into the story proper since a lot of electronic gizmos went poof. Those who would want to give this a go for its special effects, would like to know that all the extravagant money shots have already been included in the trailer, so you might want to save your money, and go rent the original instead, which is a classic in itself, rather than to sit through something that's very bland and generic. Disappointing stuff.

Igor

Who Me?

With a barrage of ultra cute characters ruling animated worlds these days, one wonders if macabre characters would appeal if not coming from the creatively dark mind of Tim Burton. With wonderful animation flicks like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride being tentpoles for animation touching on darker themes and realms (as with festival darlings such as Fear(s) of the Dark), Igor would find itself in good company, and it lives up in certain terms to belong.

Voiced by the excellent John Cusack, Igor is a typical hunchback and because of his physical disability and rights (or lack thereof) in the land of Malaria, Igors in general have a single career path, and that is slave to the scientists of the land. Yearning to be one of the greatest scientists one day despite societal perception and prejudice, opportunity arises when his master kicks the bucket, and he seizes the opportunity to do what the scientific community cannot do - create life.

Of course in order to clinch the yearly accolade of scientist of the year, the creation must have a mean killing/horrific streak, but Igor's creation of Eva (Molly Shannon) is actually that of a kind soul with an addiction for the theatre and the arts. Not very suited to scaring and beating up opponents. So in a tussle between the actual being and her intended role comes an unlikely romantic story that somehow managed to touch the hearts, resembling how in relationships one tend to change the other subconsciously (or consciously for some), and vice versa.

Adversary comes in the form of scam scientist Dr Schadenfreude (Eddie Lizard) and his chameleon wife Jacklyn (Jennifer Coolidge) who scheme to steal Eva away from Igor and fulfill her intended evil purpose, and it's up to Igor and his crazy creations and sidekicks Scamper (Steve Buscemi) and Brian/Brain (Sean Hayes) to save the day. Some of the best lines were reserved for the banter between Scamper and Brain, and I thought these two characters actually lift the movie when it fell prey to the tried and tested story formula, providing some genuinely funny moments when you least expected.

The animation here really challenged the notion of having everything aesthetically pleasing. Here, the filmmakers went for god-awful ugly, but yet having the magical effect of making it appealing. As a reminder not to judge a book by its cover, one can often feel repulsed by the lack of proportions in Eve's build, but what she lacks for on the outside, gets immensely compensated by the good on the inside. And it is this cheery disposition in spite of a gruff exterior, that exudes throughout the movie as well.

With a surprisingly star-studded supporting voice cast with the likes of Christian Slater, Jay Leno, John Cleese and even Arsenio Hall, Igor may not have scaled new heights in animation techniques nor with its fairy-tale story, but for what it lacked it made it up for with plenty of heart. And I guess for an animated story, that will always be premium and will always matter.

4th Asian Festival of 1st Films Index Page

Reviews
Attitude (態度)
Bullets and Butterflies
Emperor
Firaaq
Little Zizou (Opening Film)
Miss Gold Digger (Yonguijudo Miss Shin)
My Magic (Reviewed Outside of Festival)
Sex My Life (Khastegi)
Svetlana About Svetlana
Wade in the Water

Others
Award Winners
The Magic of Bosco Francis (Interview Conducted Outside of Festival)

[Asian Festival of 1st Films] Award Winners

It seems like the Jury agreed with me too in awarding Firaaq 3 awards this evening for Best Film, Best Screenplay/Script and clinching the Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award for Best Film at this year's 4th Asian Festival of First Films.

Taken from the press release,

Firaaq, from award-winning actress Nandita Das has dazzled the Jury at this year’s Festival and takes home an outstanding three awards for Best Film, Best Screenplay and the Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award for Best Film. Nandita successfully takes the theme of sectarian violence, something which is so apparent in today’s society, and looks at the impact it has on ordinary people a month after the riots in Gujarat, India in 2002.

Bosco Francis takes the award for Best Actor due to his outstanding performance in Singaporean director Eric Khoo’s exceptional film My Magic, which explores how a drunken father turns to magic in order to redeem himself and win his son’s love. Bosco embraced his passion of magic in the role of the father, performing many of the ‘painful’ acts and illusions himself.

Dante Nico Garcia, recognized for his outstanding directorial skills, was awarded Best Director. Dante successfully creates an extraordinary love story filled with local flavour in his film ‘Ploning’.

The summary of awards presented at the ceremony is as follows:

Best Film
Firaaq, Nandita Das (India)


Best Producer
Joint winners:
A Decade of Love, William Ho-Hon Tam & Angel Hon (China), and Little Zizou, Dinaz Stafford, Sooni Taraporevala & Vandana Malik (India)
Special citation:
Khastegi (Sex My Life), Esmaeil Mirzaei Ghomi & Bahman Motamedian (Iran)

Best Director
Ploning, Dante Nico Garcia (Philippines)

Best Cinematographer / Editor
Khuda Ke Liye (In the name of God), Ali Mohammad (Pakistan)

Best Male Actor
My Magic, Bosco Francis (Singapore)


Best Female Actor
The Mountain and the Song, Jia Xuhua (China)

Best Screenplay / Script
Firaaq, Nandita Das (India)

Best Documentary
Attitude, Blackie Chen (Taiwan)

Best Director of Documentary
Peeking Through Chungking Mansions, Bill Yip (Hong Kong)

Best Short Film
The Great Identity Swindle, Nikesh Shukla (UK)

Foreign Correspondents Association Purple Orchid Award for Best Film
Firaaq, Nandita Das (India)

Happy Holidays

Friends

The one thing I like about watching an indie film, is for that whiff of refreshing ideas and story that one yearns after a series of what can be considered rather bland mainstream offerings. I suppose with a relatively modest budget, one gets forced to become innovative in crafting a tale, especially one for an increasingly sophisticated audience, and for all the Christmas-y movies running up to the new year, Happy Holidays was nothing but an absolute delight to sit through.

Written and directed by James Ferguson, Happy Holidays tells of three friends who get together through circumstances around the holiday period where all should be fine and dandy with merry making. However each brings along his own baggage of problems – some become very vocal about their issues, while others pent it all up inside, and we examine and follow how they re-connect with each other after a long absence, and how at the end of it all, their lives would be dramatically altered.

Central to the story is Patrick (Paul Hungerford), who feels that his current relationship with his gay partner is somewhat strained, given his reservations and feeling all worked up for the littlest of details that he deemed to be significant, but not having the will to see those stuff through. And not to mention parental objection as well, as he reveals to Alden (John Crye) who gatecrashes Patrick’s plans to spend the holiday season with his lover. Alden brings with him the problems stemming from a break up, as well as the issues with a conversion of religion, while mutual friend Kirby (Thomas Rhoads) whom they chance upon in a diner one day, has to get over the recent death of his father, and surprise to them all, yet still having the composure to being quite the Casanova, cheating behind his wife’s back.

But don’t be expecting any big bang, in your face tale where feel-good, moral messages get shoveled forcefully down your throat just because it’s a season to be jolly. Ferguson crafts a very sensitive tale through a very deft hand of crafty wit in its screenplay, and excellent dialogue amongst characters that feel genuine and as real as you can get with your own get-together with friends. It’s a comedy about friendship, family and faith, with some really touching themes about coming to terms, acceptance and reconciliation.

I guess with friends whom we haven’t met for a long time, it’s always fairly easy to pick up from where we left off, as if it was just yesterday. The bonding returns, the reminiscent of the good old days and for the trio, it also involves the search for a time capsule they buried when they were back in school. But the film very smartly weaves in some real world concerns, and I’m sure most of us would have experienced at some point, where during the festive season of good tidings and goodwill, that the latter gets exploited and taken advantaged of, and even amongst the best of friends, the fine line between being accommodating and on the receiving end of someone’s subconsciously obnoxious behaviour, can be crossed.

What I particularly enjoyed about the film, is that it succeeded in its reliance of razor sharp dialogue to become a talkie film that doesn’t annoy. You know how crafted dialogue may sound rather artificial, but in Happy Holidays, the dialogue comes across as music to the ears, aided by the excellent delivery by its cast. It has some of the best conversational set pieces occurring in the diner involving a hard of hearing elderly woman, a departmental store, and a bar which involves Kirby’s plans for a hot night out going awry.

Happy Holidays turned out to be a quality production with a very good story to tell, surpassing my expectations that it would be a simple, ordinary festive season movie. It has all the necessary ingredients to be feel-good, yet layered with enough pathos and moving moments to touch your heart, particularly in its final act, where it rang home the notion that we sometimes second-guess ourselves a lot more than necessary, rather than to seek out honest and open communications, which is a key to forging basic and deeper understanding. It’s currently having a limited run in the USA, so if you know of it playing at a cinema near you, do check it out!

Related Links
Official Website
MySpace Page

[Asian Festival of 1st Films] Firaaq

It's All Part of the Plan

If I were given a chance to give out an award during this festival, then Firaaq by Nandita Das would be my choice for the best film I've seen during the festival. And it's quite amazing in itself being a first film of the accomplished Indian actress, that it's laced with sensitivity while at the same time tackling some hard issues head on that deals with the deep rooted negative human condition of hate and violence.

Set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots between the Hindu and Muslim communities in Gujarat, India, it's an ensemble film with a myriad of characters in multiple story threads which involves a muslim family who returns to their home only to find it burnt by rioters, of a mixed marriage couple who has to deal with their fears and decision to leave Gujarat for Delhi, of a woman who gets haunted by the ghosts of the incident, and punishes herself for her inaction, of a group of Muslim men all flustered and planning for revenge, of a young orphan wandering the streets, and the list goes on.

In each of the threads, which for the most parts are independent of one another, Nandita Das weaves very moving stories and crafts very interesting characters to function within each story, either serving as a mouthpiece for keen observations, or highlighting very deep rooted fears. The film doesn't flinch from making harsh criticisms or statements through dialogues and interactions between characters, and Das manages to paint characters on both sides of the equation, some exhibiting bad behaviour even when confronting their prejudices or when confronted by their fears. If I could draw a parallel to an established film that Firaaq gets close to in examine similar themes on the human condition, then it will be Paul Haggis' Oscar winner Crash.

One can imagine the human rights violations committed during the tense period, and it's quite natural to see how the outcome of such violations through the mob mentality, affect the common man even after the tumultuous period had passed over, because deep inside, we all know that some prejudice are hard to eradicate. I thought the story of Sameer and Anu was one of the most striking of the lot, and most enduring as well, though with each protection dished out by the wife, the husband feels more insecure about his manhood. Some of the most direct and pointed conversations happen when they are on screen, especially how one's inherent self-preservation mechanism kicks in and would go through anything as extreme as a name change to avoid another extreme such as being stripped to verify identities.

The final act was actually quite chilling, and I felt it could cut either way, depending on your outlook. One, that it is of hope, that with the next generation lies opportunity to bury the past and forge a new future ahead filled with better understanding, and the appreciation that such violence should never occur again. On the other hand, it reminds of how impressionable a young mind is, and through the wandering within a camp, taking in the sights of the aftermath of atrocities committed, that the seeds of revenge could have been innately planted, and being ready for improper indoctrination for further atrocities to be committed, some time in the future. It's extremely difficult, but not impossible, to break the stranglehold that violence begets more violence.

For a rookie director, I feel that Nandita Das has demonstrated that she has what it takes to join the illustrious ranks of female Indian directors in telling very mature stories through assured technique. Firaaq is a shining example, and I hope to see more of her directorial work again soon. Definitely a highly recommended movie in these troubled times of ours, to hold a mirror up against oneself, for some serious self-examination within.

***

Writer-director Nandita Das was in attendance today at the only screening of Firaaq at the Asian Festival of First Films, and shared with the audience that this film took some 3 years to work on the script and crafted through numerous interaction with people. It's scheduled for wide release in India on Jan 23, and it is her hope that the film will help to make people empathize and understand one another more. Anger is the easy way out she explains, and we all can choose how we respond to acts of violence committed. As a first time filmmaker, she relished the challenge in being able to

In her own words, this film is about human relationships, and about how different people choose to react, and the fears that run across the different classes. It's an ensemble film with veteran actors as well as fresh faces, and she recounted that the most difficult casting was that for the young boy, whom she eventually settled on despite his penchant for smiling! When asked what was the reason the film had casted a more sympathetic eye on the Muslim victims, she explained that it's because that's the context that she took for the film, because they were the victims during the incident that the film had set its historical backdrop on.

The Sky Crawlers Land In New York

For the New Yorkers who are regular readers here (you know who you are), Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers will be having its premiere at the Big Apple's Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center this Friday 12 Dec. What's more, you get a special video introduction by the director himself.

Need more details? Then click on the image above!

The Sky Crawlers is reviewed by yours truly here

Don't You Just Want To Own One of These Babies?

[Asian Festival of 1st Films] Svetlana About Svetlana

I could sum this documentary up in a nutshell - it tells of filmmaker Lana Parshina's relentless pursuit of Svetlana Alliluyeva, the youngest child of Josef Stalin, whom she discovered to be living in the USA, and tracked her down with dogged determination to interview her.

For the short first act at least, Lana tells of her following a lead to finally lead her to her subject, only to have Svetlana reject her request. But given that it's her namesake after all who's knocking at her door, she finally relents, and for the most parts of the documentary comes the gem of having that exclusive interview granted, where she recounts her life during her childhood days in Russia, the loves of her life, and finally, how she defected in India and came to stay in the United States.

So for anyone interested to know more about the Stalin era, and to hear it being told from none other than a family member, then this documentary is a must-watch. There's no fancy techniques here employed to shift its focus away from the subject, so essentially it's pretty much talking heads, interspersed with old photographs from family albums and video clips from archives. Definitely for historical buffs, since Alliluyeva is as elusive as it can get in not granting requests such as this one.

[Asian Festival of 1st Films] Wade in the Water

This is a small documentary where the filmmaker, in being a part of a choir, decided to make a documentary about the group, and along the way, captured the dynamics of the individual members within the group on its way to a national singing competition.

It tells of the tale of the community gospel choir known as South of the River, and goes behind the scenes at their preparation for the competition. We get introduced to only some of the individuals and it became more of a talking heads styled documentary and sadly without much in depth discussion, save for the focus on Debi the founder, and her battle with cancer. It tried to link her battle and recovery with the healing power of song, but somehow they didn't come through well.

But the real pity here was that the audience was primed for some showdown of sorts at the grand event, which turned out not to be featured at all because the camera was not allowed inside the performing hall. So for all the rehearsals where we do get to see the choir group in action, that's about as far as you can see and hear them, without that finale with oomph! Wonderful toe-tapping music though, but alas no chance to watch them possibly at their very best.

Director Linette Etheredge was present to share some of the details about the filmmaking process, that it took almost 12 months to log and transcribe the tapes, after covering some 5 weeks of rehearsals and performances. She mentioned that they were up against some serious competition, and were quite surprised that they came in third, out of 45 competitive groups. And to give us an idea of how "competitive" they were, she said that almost everyone in her group smokes! So they were really amazed at how far they managed to go in the contest, given that they just wanted to give their best, and not succumb to any undue pressure at winning anything.