[DVD] Gone Shopping (2007)

Tis The Season

Better late than never! It was last August that I got the DVD for Gone Shopping, and in 2007 that the film was screened theatrically in Singapore. It was a different cut, and the film had gone through a revision, with the Director's Cut travelling to festivals and competing overseas, and also the version that's presented in this DVD. I had highly recommended this film in my original review, and having to watch it on the big screen and host a Talkback session at Sinema Old School late last year, as well as watching it again now on DVD, I still highly recommend this film for its really fine storytelling, and compelling characters.

Coincidentally, Gone Shopping is also theatrically released in Malaysia currently, and it's the first theatrical release outside Singapore. So for all you readers who are in KL, you can head to 3 exclusive GSC cinema venues that are now screening the film, at Mid Valley KL, 1 Utama (New Wing) and Pavilion KL. You can read my review of the movie here, and there's not too much difference from that version then, and the director's cut now, save for some new scenes, and a major change to one of the security guard characters' true motivation. I had enjoyed the version tremendously then, and rewatching this cut twice, I still feel that both have their respective merits.

I still feel that Gone Shopping remains one of the gems amongst local films, and it's a wonder that this is writer-director Wee Li Lin's first feature film (after a series of award winning shorts), but this film has a very assured and mature direction as if being done by a seasoned veteran. Watch out for that buggy scene and one involving 3 gossipy salesgirls, they are crowd favourites, and would likely be your favourites too!

The Region Free DVD by Innoform Media comes presented in pristine anamorphic widescreen format! Despite its rather tacky looking and cluttered cover art, it is presented as is to be experienced (and being shot in HD helps I suppose), and not in the compromised 4x3 letterbox format that plagues a lot of DVDs for local films. Audio is in Dolby Digital Stereo in its original language track of Mandarin, English and Tamil, and subtitles are available in English and Mandarin. An 8 chapter scene selection is available as well to zoom into sections of the story.

Special Features wise, given it's a DVD-5, comes limited unfortunately. If this DVD was made overseas, I can see a two-disc edition already, with one disc the original theatrical release, and the other disc containing the director's cut. But no matter. The first section of features contain Teasers and Trailers which are all presented in letterbox format and with subtitles. Teaser 1 (0:40) features Clara, Teaser 2 (0:40) is that Aaron in the carpark scene in tribute to Highlander and Teaser 3 (1:00) is that kiss outside Tanglin Mall. There are three trailers included which spotlights each of the main characters, Clara (1:10), Aaron (1:00) and Renu (1:08).

There are only 3 Deleted Scenes included and presented in letterbox format. However, no commentary was available to understand why these scenes were omitted. They also come without subtitles, so non Mandarin and Tamil speakers, you can only guess what the characters could be talking about. Running a total of 4:43, the first scene is set in the flower department of Mustafa, where Clara and Renu are in conversation, the second in Mandarin involving Aaron bumping into his mother at a food centre, and the third is in Tamil where Renu talks to the security supervisor at Mustafa. A Photo Gallery containing 22 photo features both a behind the scenes look at the production, as well as some movie stills and cast and crew group photographs.

But the highlight of the features is the availability of the Director and Kym Ng's Commentary. It's predominantly in English unless Kym decides to use Mandarin to better express herself, or some local terms got made mentioned without explanation. This shouldn't detract you from the main meat, where both director Li Lin and Kym recounted their experience when making the film, sharing some interesting trivia and nuggets of behind the scenes information to the listener. You'll get to know the exact venues where the shots took place, as well as how each mall served as a convenient place to shop for both cast and crew alike during each day of filming! Despite some moments of silence from time to time, don't let this commentary pass you by, as you hear about which lines in the film had to be muted (!) and just how Li Lin got some of her cast, supporting cast and cameos assembled too! If you have gotten your hands on the DVD, listening to this track is a requisite after watching the movie proper.

In case you missed the earlier link on my review of the film, you can proceed to it by clicking on this link and here's the event coverage for the DVD Launch.

Dragonball Evolution

Look Ma No Hands!

Hollywood plundering Japanese pop culture isn't something new. From "Americanizing" television series for the kids from Power Rangers to Ultraman, and adapting famed characters from Japanese film, games and manga to frequent disastrous effect, it still wouldn't stop the studios from going after one property after another. This time round it's the well-loved Dragonball series, because the assumption is that the built-in fan base would translate to instant dollars at the box office. Not.

You have to give the filmmakers a little bit of credit though, being either foolhardy, or just plain ballsy. It's a given that they cannot condense and distill the rich content into a surprisingly less than 90 minute movie, and live in the hopes of producing a sequel, or to generate a franchise (i.e. don't leave the cinema hall when the end credits start to roll). But what they successfully do, is to super-summarize the entire mythos by throwing out everything except the main gist of the entire manga, making it extremely simplistic in poor lazy-man standards in adaptation.

For the uninitiated, the film would serve as a quick launchpad to the original manga. For those with a wee bit of knowledge of what it's about (like myself), the film just treads along the same lines and doesn't offer you new information. For the fanboys, I guess you'll only get some kicks at seeing some of your favourite characters come alive, only that they look more Caucasian, and have a head full of hair when they're not supposed to (someone forgot to insist that in the contract?) That's all you're gonna get. Period.

As far as filmmaking and story-telling techniques go, you can see cliche after cliche being thrown at you, with the poorly and cheaply rendered special effects offering no consolation. Justin Chatwin's Goku is your typical teenager who possesses innate potential yet to be realized, and in his frustration he gets treated by peers as a loser geek. He lives with his grandpa Gohan (Randall Duk Kim in stereotypical know-it-all like in Kung Fu Panda), and develops a crush on school hottie Chi Chi (Jamie Chung). Goku's calling in life is to prevent an apocalypse from happening with the return of chief cardboard baddie Lord Piccolo (an instant shoo-in as one of the worst cinematic villains, ever!) and his temporary sidekick Mai (Eriko Tamura) who attempt to collect 7 dragonballs to fulfill an ancient myth. And of course Goku needs a Fellowship, in the form of irritating tech-wizard Bulma (Emmy Rossum last seen in the sinker Poseidon), mercenary Yum Cha (Joon Park who probably copied Rain's uninspiring cinematic turn in Speed Racer to a T) and Chow Yun-Fat the biggest name of them all here trying his darnest best to act cute as Master Roshi, who imparts skills in double quick time to Goku.

Speaking of time, or the lack thereof, everything is compressed. From two weeks to two days and the day of the blood moon shielding the yellow sun (OK so I made that up), everything moves at so fast a pace, that all you get are cheesy lines of dialogue, and an excuse to paste some action sequences together. And James Wong certainly can't direct action (despite being at the helm of Jet Li's The One, which was of course bland and bad), opting to pay homage to Zack Snyder's slow-mo technique, and midway changing the style to having the camera being too close to the action, in the dark, coupled with quick MTV cuts that you don't get to see a thing.

And the rush job just doesn't stop at the narrative or the action. Special effects wise, they look really cheap, and I wonder whether Producer Stephen Chow would roll his eyes at what would be extremely pale when put side by side with his Kung Fu Hustle done many years ago. Ayumi Hamasaki's contribution of the theme song Rule sounded really bad as well (I may get flak from her fans), and I guess having some Asian participation doesn't legitimize what is essentially a poorly done movie. Not even Chow Yun-Fat's star status could save this, and you wonder what figured when this is the movie that he gave up Red Cliff for.

This is basically a movie that only children below the age of 5 will enjoy tremendously, despite having to see 6 half-balls, contributed courtesy of the 3 lead female characters, being continuously flashed on screen, thanks to some neck plunging wardrobe (where's that malfunction when you need one?) Totally bland and really uninteresting, I would suggest sticking to the manga instead.

[DVD] Lady in the Water (2006)

Drenched Ladies

I still can't fathom why so many have dissed this film. From M Night Shyamalan's vivid imagination comes a fantasy bedtime story, and I must say having to rewatch this on DVD, I continue to find it quite entertaining and fascinating, how Shyamalan can conjure and conceive something of this scale, with a whole ensemble of colourful characters coming together for a common cause.

You might say that his early success in the thriller genre might have set up some unfair expectations of the writer-director, but I continue to look forward to his next production, which could be completed for a release in 2010, a film titled The Last Airbender, starring Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire fame.

You can read my earlier review of the film here.

The Code 3 DVD from Warner Home Video Asia comes presented in anamorphic widescreen format with Dolby Digital 5.1 English audio. Menus are either in English or Mandarin, and trailers for A Scanner Darkly (which never got to screen here, and the DVD never making it to the shelves as well... banned?) and The Reaping autostarts, and are presented in letterbox format, running a total of 3:42. Lady in the Water is split over 28 chapters, and subtitles are available in English and Mandarin.

Unfortunately, M Night Shyamalan doesn't get a lot of love these days, and unlike his films before this one, the DVDs then (and also because of the affiliation with Disney's Buena Vista) got released under the Vista series banner. Here, Lady in the Water only got a 1 disc treatment, but nonetheless still managed to pack some decent extras into its Special Features.

For starters, the featurette Lady in the Water: A Bedtime Story (5:00) is presented in letterbox format with subtitles. Here we catch a glimpse of the story book version of the book, with M Night himself narrating certain portions, and the illustrations by Crash McCreery also gets previewed. You get to hear from the horse's mouth on the beginnings of the story, as well as some talk about the creation of the illustrated book.

Reflections of Lady in the Water is the making of documentary, which is split into various chapters, each presented in anamorphic widescreen format with subtitles. It's the standard behind the scenes look at the making of the film, and comes with the Play All option. There are spoilers galore in this feature of course, so it's only meant for those who have not seen the film, lest you choose to be spoilt. The sections are Intro and the Script (3:37), The Characters (11:43) where each of the actors explain their roles and character motivation, The Look (4:55) dwells on storyboarding and the eccentricity of Christopher Doyle the Director of Photography, The Location (3:!1) tells us how the apartment complex, which is a character on its own, was actually conceived and built, with the look of every apartment unit based on the characters who inhabit it... some really detailed art direction there, The Creatures showcases the animatronics designed for the film, and ending off with a look at the post production process together with James Newton Howard's magnificent score in Post and Closing (7:37).

Auditions (2:11) and the Gag Reel (3:15) sections were nothing more than fillers, presented in letterbox format with subtitles. The Deleted Scenes unfortunately doesn't come with any descriptions or tags, nor reasons why they were removed. A total of 6 scenes with a combined runtime of 5 minutes get thrown in with little clue as to where they are supposed to fit, and is presented in a very raw, unpolished transfer. Rounding up the special features are the standard Teaser Trailer (1:45) and the Theatrical Trailer (1:33), both of which are presented in anamorphic widescreen format.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Coming Through!

Sure the jokes may be offensive to those watching their weight, and the action here definitely firmly rooted in the family friendly zone, but there's a certain innocent charm to this story about a security officer stuck at the wrong place at the wrong time, and being called upon to go beyond the call of duty. Not that he has any choice of course, given that the bad guys have taken over the mall he works in, and has as hostage his child and the woman that he has a massive crush on.

It's Die Hard meets Home Alone in the kind of antics that Kevin James' Paul Blart pull off, and thanks to the actor's charismatic on screen presence, you'd still find room for a chuckle or two even though you are fully aware that the story's none too intelligent and quite cliche, but one can definitely take a leaf out of the mall cop's dedication to his job, even as those around him succumb to the stereotypical view of complacency and laziness that plagued the profession everywhere.

And yes, Kevin James sure is agile on that Segway Personal Transporter! I want one too!

You can read my review of Paul Blart: Mall Cop at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.

[VCD] The Rocker (2008)

Smokin'!

Like Music and Lyrics, this film is about the comeback of a has-been who had been unceremoniously dumped from his fledging rock band, and had to wait 20 years for his next big break, even if it means getting his big break through a band half his age. Similarly, the film contains some wonderful rock tunes that would float your boat, together with some insane slapstick comedy moments (puke in pockets anyone?) and one which just brings on the laughs, involving some post-performance sweaty shirts.

A pity that this film never really had a chance to hit the big screens here, so if you're in the mood for some comedy and rock, you have to make a beeline for your nearest neighbourhood video store to get your hands on the discs.

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

Dhoondte Reh Jaoge

50-50

I could actually sum up this review in one title and wrap this up, seriously. As you would already know, Bollywood has its fair share of adaptations, and this one is a carbon copy of the musical The Producers, minus the many song and dance moments (surprise!) and retold in context with an India setting of course. The trailer would have given it all away, though I found it a novelty that it had coined the term (and perhaps I'm wrong here but it's the first time I'm hearing it) Flopbuster.

You can see the similarities with The Producers from the onset, with a has-been film producer under pressure to make some dough because of mounting debts. Raj Chopra (Paresh Rawal) is at his wits end and contemplates faking his own death just to shake off his creditors. Having made a string of 10 flops, he becomes box office poison, and to make ends meet he has to rely on his cunning to con everyday folks like cab drivers and store salespeople. Chartered accountant Anand Pawar (Kunal Kemmu) is an honest guy and gets fired from his job just because he refuses to turn a blind eye or to cook the books for his customers. Finding it a hard time to continue wooing his lady love, stage actress Neha (Soha Ali Khan), he gets to know Raj under unfriendly circumstances, though they both know they need each other if they were to execute their get rich quick scheme.

Which is of course to seek a busload of independent financiers for a new movie, with the conditions such that they cannot allow anyone else to know they are financing the film, and only get a return if the film makes money. In other words, get millions to produce a film on a pittance, and pocket the rest of dough. And to guarantee the film's failure from the onset, they hire the worst in every department, just to make sure the film sucks. Like casting a diva-ish hero who has seen better times, Aryan Kapoor (Sonu Sood), writer Parvez Asharraf (Johnny Lever in a spoof of ex-Pakistan president Parvez Musharraf) who is pro-Pakistan with a story of Sholay-Lagaan proportions literally, and placing the film rookie Neha as the heroine.

Things of course don't go according to plan, and this provides ample avenue for comedy. We have Aryan continuing his tantrums, Neha being star-struck, directors coming and going, the use of body doubles, and a whole host of improvisation and cheapened production values. As I mentioned earlier, the film is almost devoid of song-and-dance, save for 2 scenes which bring the cast to Malaysia (why I'm not sure, but you can recognize the landmarks and plenty of flag waving). Like a typical Masala movie, Dhoondte Reh Jaoge because of it length, allowed for the insertion of the pseudo-movie they had shot, which to me looked like a hilarious spaghetti movie, and if the movie's depiction of a participative audience is accurate, then that's something that I would like to experience for myself!

I would have preferred a darker ending, but this is Bollywood that we're talking about. If you're a fan of The Producers you would find this a little bit blasphemous and daring. Otherwise if you have no idea what to expect, then this film would give you an idea. It's not as hilarious as the trailer made it out to be, but the cast, especially Sonu Sood, all hammed it up perfectly to make this a tad bearable.

Coming Soon

Watch Carefully

No time is wasted to market an association of this film with that of two recent horror blockbusters to have come out of Thailand - Shutter and Alone. Granted that writer-director Sopon Sukdapisit was co-writer for the two mentioned films, Coming Soon unfortunately doesn't reach the dizzying and scary heights of those horror movies, but managed to hold its own with Sukdapisit digging into the usual bag of frightening bits.

Featuring a film within a film for those who want more bang for your buck, if for lack of intent I would have thought that this story served almost like a curse amongst those who pirate movies for a profit, since the film pirates along the entire supply chain get served their just desserts. The pace in the later half of the film was hastened, and everything in the horror guide book got thrown at the audience, leaving you catching your breath.

It's not an instant classic, but would be entertaining enough for anyone looking forward to a horror movie for the lack thereof in the cinemas right now. Just remember that it's only a movie, and for best effect, watch this during the last screening for the night, and exit the cinemas after the end credit roll, just to ensure that you're pretty much alone for your imagination to go into overdrive.

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

Push

Peeking Around Corners

Push is one of those movies that gives you the deja-vu feeling that it's a quick hack job, because from the trailer alone, images of X-men as well as Star Wars come racing through your mind, what with talk about being born with special powers akin to being a mutant wanted by government agents, as well as in execution of those abilities as fluidly like a Jedi Knight would, with mind-tricks, Force Push and a prophecy to fulfil.

It takes place in today's world, where some folks get to be born with powers that The Division (aka the Dark Side) classifies into broad terms like Pushers, Movers, Watchers, Sniffs, Shadows, Shifters, Wipers and Bleeders. Naturally there are good and bad guys within those classes, and The Division are a select few who have government backing to operate like Nazis and conduct experiments to make them all stronger, for weaponization (yes, the DNA of the USA is to weaponize everything). The good guys though are not organized and are forever on the run from The Division, until a few of them decide to band together and fight for their rights.

At least that would be a tad more interesting. Instead, we get a grouping of half-past-six heroes who have idled their potential and not honed it to perfection. Chris Evans' Nick Gant is a drifter who spends his time trying to hone his powers to win in illegal street gambling. He's a mover, and one day gets found out by Dakota Fanning's Watcher just because she sees him in her hallucinatory state from the impressionistic pictures she constantly draws on a sketch pad. A lotus prophecy (it's set in Hong Kong you see) tells this second-generation power couple to band together in their common quest to find Kira Hudson (Camilla Belle), a one time ex-flame of Nick's, and a mysterious briefcase, where by their powers and artifacts combine, they can bring down The Division, kinda like a solo shot in the dark to blow up the Death Star.

Only that the promise doesn't actually get delivered because Push decided to dwell a lot on the bickering and planning stage, while leaving the intended finale either forgotten conveniently, or set aside for a straight to DVD sequel. So what makes this interesting? Apparently I got my kicks out of watching the characters here struggle with their Cantonese. And as an action movie, it sure does have its moments, especially with that street-fighter enhanced fistfight between Nick Gant and what could possibly be The Division's most powerful Mover/Grunt Victor (Neil Jackson).

Djimon Hounsou plays the meanest badass in the movie with Push powers, able to command the weakest of minds (read: supporting characters) to do his bidding. His Henry Carver came across as a poor man's Samuel L. Jackson, and only SLJ can do what SLJ does best - be a mofo. Camilla Belle got wasted here as a damsel in distress, exhibiting some surprise moves once in a while (and even that had implanted doubts), but generally nothing more than a flower vase.

Dakota Fanning isn't new to the action movie genre since she had her firm grounding learning from Tom Cruise on how to run with fear (thanks to War of the Worlds). I admire the now teenager in trying to put into good use her acting chops here, but the filmmakers decided to make her Cassie Holmes suffer a bad hair day throughout. Also, this film had exposed one of her flaws - while she's a good actress and all, she cannot play intoxicated (teenage drinking to boost powers, hooray). Her drunkenness was one of the most unconvincing I've seen put on screen, and she too nearly wanted to break into laughter at her inability.

Filmed entirely in Hong Kong, I caught glimpse from the end credits that Johnnie To and Milkyway got credited for the production. I guess if you want to film Hong Kong in a certain style, there's only the current Hot Property to turn to for consultation. Also, DOP Peter Sova had some very obvious use of the fish-eye lens that seem to mimic that of Christopher Doyle's in Fallen Angels. Most of the Chinese characters here are pretty weak, and not to mention unintentionally hilarious as well, with their shout-down powers of Pop Boy 1 (Chi Kwan Fung) and 2 (Jacky Heung) and a far superior Watcher (Lu Lu) trying to gain a one up against The Division through triad-styled turf wars.

The plot might seem a little muddled as it tried hard to sound intelligent, and there are some illogical moments with characters popping up and about, coupled with some really tired and uninspiring lines and unclear character motivation. Not that it was not entertaining, it actually is. However, it's a movie purely for escapism purposes, this might just be a quick fix to your X-men addiction, if you look too much into it that you see the glaring loopholes that is.

[For Free] Sita Sings The Blues

Featured in last year's edition of Animation Nation, I missed Sita Sings The Blues because I was away for TIFF. Not knowing when I could have a chance to experience what Roger Ebert has described as "astonishingly original", given that there were some issues with the music license that would prevent a commercial distribution, I was quite surprised when the film is now offered for FREE.

Here's what writer-director Nina Paley states on the film's official website

I hereby give Sita Sings the Blues to you. Like all culture, it belongs to you already, but I am making it explicit with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License. Please distribute, copy, share, archive, and show Sita Sings the Blues. From the shared culture it came, and back into the shared culture it goes.

You don't need my permission to copy, share, publish, archive, show, sell, broadcast, or remix Sita Sings the Blues. Conventional wisdom urges me to demand payment for every use of the film, but then how would people without money get to see it? How widely would the film be disseminated if it were limited by permission and fees? Control offers a false sense of security. The only real security I have is trusting you, trusting culture, and trusting freedom.

For more details, head on down to the official website.

Watch Sita Sings The Blues for free via:
Streaming: http://www.thirteen.org/sites/reel13/blog/watch-sita-sings-the-blues-online/347/
Download: http://www.archive.org/details/Sita_Sings_the_Blues

and of course a donation to the filmmaker would never hurt!

Departures (Okuribito)

With Dignity

By now almost everyone would have heard of this Japanese film Okuribito (Departures), given its win in the recent Academy Awards, clinching the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, beating the likes of crowd favourite Waltzing With Bashir, and the Palme D'or winner The Class. And now after watching it, it's no surprise really, because if I were to go tongue in cheek, it's the novelty factor, given that the Academy would never have conceived upon the notion that a film coming from Asia and filled with death, corpses and coffins, would be anything but a horror film. Seriously though, Departures have Awards written all over it, with fine acting complementing a strong story to tell.

I suppose the equivalent of a “casketer” in local context, would be the embalmer. And it's without a doubt a profession most misunderstood, and shunned because of our innate fear of death. We choose to avoid death where it had gone, and being an embalmer would unlikely be on any kid's wish list of professions. Despite the stereotypical negative connotations, it is a profession that is quite dignified, because the professional is entrusted with the responsibility of helping the loved ones of the deceased cope with the passing on, and to help ease the pain in bringing some colour before the final journey to either the burial ground, or crematorium.

Departures demystifies this profession in the Japanese context. And like all things Japanese, the process comes with an elaborate ritual of preparation, cleansing and presentation, all done with great precision, skilful grace and utmost respect for both the deceased, and the family members. The profession depicted here in the film, is one of the highest order, where we see exactly how the casketers go about their job, and the separation of duties with the undertaker.

Masahiro Motoki (last seen in The Longest Night in Shanghai) stars as the lead protagonist Daigo Kobayashi, a cellist in an orchestra who dreams of going places around the world with his wife Mika (Ryoko Hirosue) in tow. Unfortunately for him, his orchestra folds and he is forced to sell his expensive white elephant since he doubts he could make his passion into a successful career. Dejected, he convinces his wife to retreat back into the small town he came from, living in the house his late mother had left behind, in order to start a new life. Little did he know when responding to a job classifieds that a typo had given him the impression he would be in a career that involves travel. The boss of the shop Ikuei Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki) hires him on instinct, and as the saying goes, the rest is history.

For the curious, the film is an excellent medium to showcase the profession and to do so in good light. We come to learn the craft behind the job, and the necessity of it all, be it dealing with grieving family members, or taking care of bodies that are bound for autopsies. Departures paints through Daigo's experience, the varying spectrum of emotions that one as a service provider would have to face, as we journey with him from novice level. All's not doom and gloom of course, as director Yujiro Takita paced the film with well meaning humour – again never slapstick or disrespectful – throughout the narrative.

The story by Kundo Koyama also excellently portrayed Daigo's relationships with his wife and with his mentor, where the former was like a rubber band waiting to snap because of Daigo's deliberate attempts to not tell his lovely wife what he's up to for a career in order to shield her from the taboo. With the latter from whom he picks up the tools of the trade from, there's a surrogate father figure which he never had while growing up, resulting in some pent up hatred toward his dad who walked out on the family when he was young.

It's an extremely moving piece of drama that doesn't get bogged down by melodrama, and I thoroughly enjoyed its themes of reconciliation, forgiveness and best of all, being a professional and serving with pride. It's a fantastically crafted film with an excellent cast all round, and shatters all taboos that come with the profession of a “casketer”. I know it's cliché to say this, but Departures will be a strong contender when I compile my list of top films for the year. It's been some time already where I'm equally entertained and moved by a film, and without a doubt, do not let this depart from our local cinemas before you get a chance to watch it on the big screen. Highly recommended!

Watchmen

Alternate 80s Heroes

I suppose everyone would have known by now how Alan Moore really distanced himself from the cinematic version of his highly acclaimed graphic novel. And in all honesty, it's all about control, given that you've written one of your career's best, only for some other guy to roll along, and to interpret it in another medium. It's akin to acceding and handing over your pet project to someone else whom you have no inkling of whether they can do a good job out of it, and it's really a risk put out there since it’s a mass medium, different from where Moore insists Watchmen should belong to – in print.

Yes, the opening credits has Alan Moore's name starkly omitted (only with Dave Gibbons credited as co-creator), though he could somehow be rest assured that if anything, Zack Snyder's film is going to convert even more fans and encourage them to pick up the source material. I for sure, would do so, because there is only so much that a 163 minute movie could do, versus the rich storyline which we already see a glimpse of, that ultimately addresses the tagline of Who Watches the Watchmen - Those in and with power get to call the shots, but at what cost? Who gets to set the agenda, and ensures that it's carried out in a just fashion, with or without morality in the equation, using whatever means necessary to justify the ends?

There have been a number of movies since the release of the Watchmen graphic novel that deals with similar morally ambiguous themes, and I have always enjoyed stories that thrust that black and white question to you, for which there is and never will be any easy and clear answers to. There’s always this moral dilemma that one finds oneself in from time to time, and if action means involving some collateral, it’s never going to be a simple decision to make without repercussions. Here, the story’s set in an alternate USA in the 80s, and it’s a very different USA with Richard Nixon still at the helm for 5 consecutive terms, and the USA and USSR are on the brink of nuclear war, some 5 minutes to midnight, which spells disaster for humanity.

One of the highlights here is the throwback to the era, and in this different world, do keep your eyes peeled for a whole host of visual candy, and larger than life versions of the likes of Fidel Castro, Henry Kissinger and David Bowie even. The opening credit montage is probably one of the most effective I’ve seen, and it seems to go on forever, within which the alternate era from post WWII to the 80s get to be put on screen like a quick-fix history lesson, together with the downfall and dismantling of the costumed heroes back then known as the Minutemen. I suppose you’ll need to read the graphic novel to understand more of the stories behind the images shown, though you do get clued in through newspaper cuttings. Like a brainwashing time machine, you’re primed for the meat after this.

It begins with the murder of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a superhero once engaged by the government for its missions, and one of two which is sanctioned by the government. As part of the Minutemen, and then later the Watchmen group, we learn of The Comedian’s backstory through a series of flashbacks with the members of his team, and we learn he isn’t exactly the usual friendly neighbourhood type nor Mr Popular. He comes complete with plenty of skeletons in the closet, and with an extremely damaged persona made worse from the ghosts of war. He continues to do what he does because he can, which will make any human rights activist seethe with rage.

Investigating the murder because he is certain that it leads to a bigger conspiracy of a hired killer engaged to bump off ex-superheroes, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) takes it upon himself to work outside the system as an outlawed masked vigilante, and this narrative arc runs like an old-fashioned detective crime noir. Running around warning his ex-team members, we soon get introduced to all the other characters, like Dan Dreiberg the Night Owl II (Patrick Wilson), Adrian Veidt’s Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), touted as one of the greatest brains and now turned into a successful businessman, who’s in pursuit of renewable energy which he deems will turn back the doomsday clock because of his belief that man goes to war over finite resources, Silk Spectre II (Malin Akerman) whose mother was part of the Minutemen with The Comedian, and the only super-powered being Dr Manhattan (Billy Crudup), whose allegiance with the USA staved off any potential pre-emptive aggression by the USSR. Quite a list of actors here and it’s a smart move in casting a relatively none-too-A-list cast so that none would chew up the screen at the expense of another character or the plot.

Like the graphic novel, a reasonable bulk of the film got dedicated to telling the rich backstories of all the characters, and they’re not quite your merry bunch either. Each of them has got such human flaws, that the yardstick we use to put the heroes upon the pedestal get busted early on. The most powerful being on the planet is losing his touch with his humanity and becoming a god, a genius who thinks he’s above all mortals, an investigator with a sociopath nature, a woman who can no longer assert her sexuality on the man she loves and decides to get it going with another lover, and the timid, cowardly nature of man without the crutch of a mask.

To credit any enjoyment of the film, I feel that acknowledgements have to go to the right parties first. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons were the chief creative duo in crafting the solid story, as well as coming up with the images and design of the source. Told in episodic format with plenty of material in each character’s backstory told in flashbacks, we have many sub plots and narrative threads running at the same time, with the socio-commentary of the 80s, the adventure type stories from the past, and an investigative detective noir on the murder in the present. Moore and Gibbons designed and utilized much forgotten characters, and spun real depth into them through allow some identification with some of the more popular peers (Night Owl II as a cheap knock-off of Batman, anyone?)

Snyder knows how to play up his strengths, since the movie's intelligence gets handed to him on a silver platter. What was once deem "unfilmmable" by directors who entered and left the project like through revolving doors, it's no surprise that the studios had turned to the man who faithfully adapted in visual terms, Frank Miller's graphic novel 300. I suppose it's a bit of a no-brainer here to again try and visually adapt a graphic novel, and an Alan Moore masterpiece at that, by sticking true to its form from the comic panels. This of course would garner Snyder plenty of flak for doing what he does best again, leaving some unimpressed by reasoning it doesn’t take a genius to do just that, but seriously, who has the balls to stamp their own mark on the story and characters, other than to put in some minor tweaks for the modern audience? However Snyders shortcomings come in the form of the lengthy narratives found in the graphic novel, especially toward the second half of the film, and that between Dr Manhattan and Silk Spectre II, which he failed in bringing out the dramatic qualities in character realization and affirmation, and the only response to being like a deer caught in the headlights, Is to throw in more CG unfortunately.

Action wise, the film medium allows for Snyder to connect the dots and interpret what happens between comic book panels. Granted the action sequences are few and far between, but Watchmen is never about superheroes busting balls. But when they do, it’s no holds barred, and although the trailer seem to suggest plenty of slow-motion, the actual film is anything but. Some of the best set action pieces involve both Night Owl II and Silk Spectre II when they team up to reminisce the days of old. The action sequences here are well filmed, without those quick cut edits or too close a quarter that everything mixes together in a dizzy spin and you can’t see anything. In a cinema hall with great sound system, you get to feel every whack and punch the character throws, with the bass reverberating right through to your heart.

Now for the gripes. Unless you're really paying attention and can lip read, some of the dialogue may just fly past you so quickly, that you'll go "huh?". And that lengthy chit-chat that Dr. Manhattan has with the Silk Spectre II would test your patience a little, despite some graphical effects being overdone in attempting to distract you for a bit from the bore. I suppose that's one of the difficulties faced, in trying to summarize lengthy text from the book into a visual medium - how do you do so without putting your audience to sleep, and yet crucial enough to have to be included somehow? I guess Snyder had yet to find that perfect balance there. Also, while it was a careful selection of songs from the 80s era for the soundtrack, Snyder shows he’s no Tarantino in having a ear for great music, and some of the tunes did feel a little out of place. I did like the insertion of Simon and Garfunkel’s Sounds of Silence though during a funeral scene. It worked perfectly and gave a very surreal feel to it all.

Watch the Watchmen if you'd like a quick peek and introduction to the complexity and sheer genius of an Alan Moore story, coupled with visuals that pop right out of the graphic novel. With a little tweaks made to the story, purists may cry foul at such a blasphemous attempt. But if you take a look at the bigger picture, and the sacrifices for the objectives that can be achieved (just like how it plays out in the story) it just might win new fans over, and to pick up the source graphic novel. To that, I'd say this comes in recommended, though no thanks to additional edits made in order to cater to the teenage crowd here whom I suspect would be restless if approaching this film equating Snyder to 300.

P.S. The local distributors had decided to submit an edited version of the film for release here, so instead of the actual R21 version, we get the watered down version of M18. However, every lesbian kiss, male genitalia, sex and bloody gory violence all seemed to be intact - I was waiting to spot any butchering – unless of course entire scenes was totally removed.

[DVD] Marigold (2007)

Like a Wilted Flower

This is one of those Hollywood meets Bollywood type of films that has all the wrong masala ingredients, in that it starts off in quite an unappealing manner, with Ali Larter's titular character being a mouthpiece of insult and bad attitude, for what could pass off as being generally racist. I'm quite surprised that Salman Khan had decided to star in this, given his pedigree, but I suppose one has an off day once in a while. The songs here were quite uninspiring, and Larter cannot dance to save herself, coming across as very wooden and stiff.

It's about a B-grade actress meeting the love of her life in the most unexpected of places, which somehow got passed off as a gold-digging opportunity given her lover's insanely rich and blue-blooded background. My advice is to pass this, and you'll be better off with any of the Bollywood DVDs I have featured on this site from time to time.

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

[DVD] Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead (2008)

Formula For Trouble

You know something's headed straight for the video market when you can barely recognize the cast. But no matter, a slasher flick is a slasher flick, albeit this one comes in small doses in the body count department. Again it's a group of young adults up against an evil destructive force who always seem to be one step ahead, and this time having collateral in order to get the prey to dance to his tune. Rusty Nail isn't going to go down as an instant classic like Freddy, Jason or Jigsaw, and even if a few more movies of such nature continue to get made in a franchise, I do not see any success in the immortality of the character.

Forget acting, and forget any thrills and new surprises, because everything goes according to formula here, with nothing breaking the genre and expectations. The only thing it reinforces is that the empty vessels continue making the most noise, and you'll probably not root for the resident punk to stay alive. Some carefully crafted gory moments, but that's about it.

You can read my DVD review of Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

That's Me

At the risk of sounding stupid, while I knew that this was based on a book by John Boyne, not having read it meant I had initially thought that it would be one of those childhood based film on fantasy. And I guess so did many parents in bringing their little tykes in what they thought would be a weekend filler in between activities. Little did I and they know of course that it packed such a powerful emotional punch in not wanting to be just another movie set in WWII Germany and the Holocaust, showcasing the horror of that era seen through the eyes of a little boy who couldn't understand the gravity of the dire situation he's plunged into, making it all the more painful to bear witness to.

I was glad that director Mark Herman didn't dumb it down for the audience in masking the horror of the atrocities committed, as are the cover ups and the matter of fact manner in which the Nazis went about conducting their persecution of the Jews in concentration camps. Asa Butterfield stars as Bruno, an eight year old boy from whose eyes we witness the chain of events unfold. Having the family uprooted from Berlin to the countryside in order to follow the father (played by David Thewlis), an officer in Hitler's army, we soon realize the true nature of this assignment, and that's to oversee the activity of building horrendous gas chambers and managing a concentration camp that's just a stone's throw away from their family mansion.

To Bruno, being in a new environment means a severe lack of friends his age, and from his room he spies a farm where farmers mill around in their pyjamas. We see the world through the eyes of an impressionable, innocent boy who has yet to be exposed to the evil of the world, and this presents itself a number of avenues for the corruption of his mind, starting with the family home tutor indoctrinating Bruno and his sister Gretel (Amber Beattie) in lies against humanity. However, Bruno's sense for exploration and adventure sees him sneak out of his house and toward the "farm", where he finds a boy his age Shmeul (Jack Scanlon) across the other side of the fence whom he befriends.

This sets up some major conflict within Bruno especially when what he's being taught, told and observed within the household, being in direct conflict with his first hand experience with Scmuel, and becomes totally confused, though still afraid of speaking up for obvious reasons. This theme of standing up for what's right (or the lack thereof) and betrayal of the highest order has been explored in similar vein in films such as The Kite Runner and The Reader, but it doesn't mean that this film had its thunder well taken away from it. It still resonates thanks to the excellent portrayals by the kids in roles where their innocence has no place in their world gone mad, having rationale folks like the Mother (Vera Farmiga) shouted down and out.

James Horner gives this film a wonderful score, and became a character on its own highlighting the various dangers lurking beneath the seemingly happier notes. Such as a scene where a screening of what goes on inside the camps was made, but totally for propaganda purposes, in stark contrast to what we know would and had happened, but here fabricated for the mass public. To Bruno, it seemed like his dad is a national hero, though there's this sense of karmic retribution permeating and waiting on the wings to pounce. We also see how double standards can be applied within family, and a general culture of fear being bred no thanks to the Oath that each officer had to undertake.

Despite the dark content, the film is beautifully lensed, and I haven't read any qualm about the actors here all having to adopt an English accent (in contrast with the stark complaints with Valkyrie, which is much ado about nothing). The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is an extremely moving piece and I had to admit I was quite affected by it, especially when the final reel came rolling. The last time I was this affected and moved by a "children's" movie was The Bridge to Terabithia. This film firmly joins it in that list of surprises, and a natural contender in my shortlist for the top movies of the year. Highly recommended!

If You Are The One (Fei Cheng Wu Rao / 非诚勿扰)

Are You The One

I'm a keen admirer of versatile Chinese director Feng Xiaogang and am a fan of his films, which covers quite a vast range from War (Assembly), Period martial arts (The Banquet), and a good old thriller in A World Without Thieves, amongst others in his filmography. I've yet to watch something that had disappointed, and his latest romantic drama If You Are The One starring long time collaborator Ge You and Shu Qi, proves to be yet another understated film that deserves a larger audience, if not for the limited number of screens (two only) in Singapore.

Ge You plays Qin Fen, whom we are introduced as a one-time inventor of a product called the Conflict Resolution Tool, which got sold to a venture capitalist for millions. With his new found wealth, he decided to focus on settling down, and follows the recent trend of finding a suitable companion over the internet. Here's where the humour comes in, not in slapstick fashion, but through the earnest ways he presents himself with honesty, starting from his online profile which lists a number of his ordinary points quite upfront. Ge You is again at his element here, and he continues to surprise how he internalizes his roles, be it the grandeur of an emperor, or a straight-talking neighbour next door.

Needless to say the best bits were in the first half, where like The 40 Year Old Virgin he goes on a schedule of blind dates after more blind dates, meeting countless of women with plenty of side agendas except settling down. His surprise comes in the form of Shu Qi's Xiaoxiao, because nobody would seriously expect a babe to hook up with someone through online means, given no lack of suitors already queuing up in the real world. I can trust a story written by Feng Xiaogang in that he crafts his characters with believability, and here he captures perfectly the essence of the dilemma of a middle aged man looking for a love partner. Knowing a below average Joe would never be able to hold onto a relationship with a princess, given lack of funds, looks and power, Qin Fen passes up the chance quite honestly, but forms a firm friendship with Xiaoxiao.

I guess Shu Qi's almost automatic first choice for a female lead role in a romantic film, having been seen very recently opposite Andy Lau in Look For A Star. While that role is a little more vivacious, her character here is a little more subdued, though no less glamourous as a stewardess with Hainan Air. Again she convinces with a credible performance of a woman who has this tremendous emotional baggage of being in love with a married man, who for obvious reasons cannot commit to her, nor wanting to let her go. She epitomizes Selfishness to the maximum, especially when deciding to trade and negotiate a relationship while knowingly still having a place in her heart for someone else, although credit given that she's upfront about it.

What I particularly enjoyed about the film is its examination into seeking love through online means, where one has got to go through arduous ego-inflating profiles trying to seek out somebody for a blind date, which can turn out to be a tad disappointing when real life doesn't meet expectations set, no matter how small that is. The story excels, and is one of the key strengths of the film is in highlighting this disappointment. One can be magnanimous and make the best of the situation, or try to pull the plug as early as you can so as not to lead the other person on, or to waste everyone's time. It's all about having a little chance and taking risk at every possible opportunity presenting itself, and disappointments being just part and parcel of the process, especially when you have little brought to the table.

Blessed with rich cinematography thanks to great locales in both China and in Hokkaido, Japan, look out too for plenty of cameos especially the blind dates that Qin Feng meets, the best (to me) was the short appearance of Vivian Hsu, who highlights once again some of the prejudices that any male would probably subscribe to as well. If there was a gripe, that will be the last scene which was quite unnecessary and too tacky, even though it was trying to make a not too subtle reference and statement to the real world financial crisis now, and the confidence to have in the Chinese financial system.

I would only say to try not to miss this film despite the limited screens and timings, because this is certainly one movie that is worth its weight in gold. For those who cannot make it to the cinemas, the DVD is already out now, so you might just want to own it instead. Highly recommended, and goes into my shortlist of contenders for that end of year top movies list!

Kung Fu Chefs (Gong Fu Chu Shen / 功夫厨神)

I guess it's only Chinese that we can include everything that moves into our gastronomical cuisine, and for films, everything can be kung-fu-ed. From card sharks to period dramas and even basketball, hip-hop and mah-jong, you can slap some characters who are versed in the martial arts of wire-fu into a story, and conjure some bland cinematic magic with it. To boost attendance numbers, throw in a singer / teen idol in it, and you probably won't go too wrong. Kung Fu Chefs follow this tired formula. While there are some limited worthy moments in the film (to be explained), it's below mediocre throughout with uncharismatic leads, weak characters, and having a story which smelt like another.

If Hong Kong movies are running out of steam in coming out with original tales, then this one would be testament that there's some thumbing through of some South Korean screenplays, given some resemblance here to the K-movie of last year - Le Grand Chef, and how that film had some influence over this one. You have a disgraced master in Sammo Hung's Master Wong, a culinary expert and village chief, who fell from grace given a village-wide food poisoning incident. Then there's some unresolved family rivalry, where his nephew (played by Fan Siu-Wong, last seen in Ip Man as a villain as well) accuses Wong of usurping his father's pride as well as a legendary chopper which is quite nicely designed with its dragon-motif handle.

The best bits of the film were actually food related, with some insights, which I hope are real, into the careful planning and preparation of some wonderful Chinese cuisine, from the humble Chinese cabbage, to the renowned Buddha Jumps Over The Wall. I took some delight in the display of skill during the preparation stage, and drooled over the final products ready for the table. Which means of course you should not be watching this (if you've already thought hard and long about it) on an empty stomach. The Best of Chefs competition also harked back to Le Grand Chef, only less grand, and a limited budget meant less screen participants and dishes.

I've watched Sammo Hung in some great Hong Kong action movies in the past, especially those that he did in collaboration with his buddies like Jackie Chan and Yuen Biao. Of late the movies he got involved in were hits and misses, from starring roles such as SPL (hit, except for the ending which I disliked) and Fatal Move, which was a terrible miss. Behind the scenes he's also involved in some action choreography like the forgettable Once Upon a Time in China and America, and the last one being the excellently choreographed action in Ip Man.

Here his role as Master Wong Bing-Yi is extremely plain, maintaining a stoic outlook throughout, whether betrayed, elated or angry, it's just one look to rule them all. While I had admired his agility (for his size), age has already caught up with the big guy, and there are plenty of noticeable scenes where you can clearly tell a stuntman's clearly taking over some of the rough and tumble behind those action sequences.

Vanness Wu as the Japanese wire-fu and culinary graduate student Ken-ichi, is painful to watch no thanks to the act-cute antics, and seemed more interested in flexing some new found muscles in his buffed body. Moreover, his arrogant screen attitude also was somewhat difficult to bear, if not for the about turn in character during the crucial competition. But his cute antics was bowled over by yet another worse actress Kago Ai, who shows one emotion throughout - the saccharine sweet. It seems like a running competition amongst everyone here to best all the rest through a single expression. The other actress given top billing here, Cherrie Ying, is actually quite pedestrian.

I was quite surprised when past the 70 minute mark the film had started to opt for jarring narrative edits in order to fast forward plot development, not that it had anything cerebral to begin with. And seriously, what's up with that tacky opening credit scene too? I'd swear there was a baby in the theatre who started crying the minute that scene came out. Unless you're a fan of Hung and Wu (you can hear those fan girl giggles ringing in surround sound in the cinema), you should give this a miss unless you're in just to watch how food of the elite nature get prepared. See only, cannot eat, so why torture yourself?

My Bloody Valentine 3D

Who Do You Think It Is?

Possibly one of the first 3D horror flicks ever, I just couldn't pass this up, and neither could many others, judging by the enthusiastic response and anticipation in the theatre hall just because of the novelty factor, with oohs and ahhs being echoed each time something seem to fling itself from the screen toward the audience. And I'm only talking about the trailer there. I guess it will take a while for the novelty to wear off, though until then, with the selection of 3D films thus far screened at an affordable price, it might just be one of the pull factors to draw in the crowds and put bums on seats.

Like any horror-slasher flick with potential to become a franchise, My Bloody Valentine started off with a bang, and if not for some sporadic body counts in between to lift the narrative sag, it would have been sunk way before the long-drawn finale. To horror buffs, the clues as to the identity of the killer miner would be so obvious, that you'd just be crossing your fingers in the hope that you're wrong. It begins with a brief history of The Miner Harry Warden (Richard John Walters) who goes on a killing rampage, and in quite exciting terms of torn limbs and dismembered insides. Friends like Sarah (Jaime King), Axel (Kerr Smith) and Tom (Jensen Ackles) come face to face with the killer on night in a party in the mines, only for the police to intervene and save the town of Harmony.

Fast forward 10 years later, and we see Sarah and Axel married, with Tom dropping by after his disappearance that night to rekindle some old flame. But his return also heralds the beginning of brutal killings in the modus operandi of The Miner, and it is only natural that suspicion will fall upon the prodigal son's return, if not for the picture of other characters being painted in unsavoury terms to provide a whole host of suspects.

It's the usual pursuit of a killer who's always one step ahead, and in between we have some attempted drama between love lost, and Valentine's Day being in the the festival of choice (hence the title) to set this story against. But this aspect of a love triangle fell flatly on its face, and seriously, we're not here for the strength of the plot, but by the variety of ways the body count gets chalked up. To that, there's no shortfall of bloody gore, as you can imagine how creative one can be with the weapon of choice – a pick axe – being in the hands of a psychotic killer.

For instance, there's impalement by the masses through different body parts as entry points. You name it, you get it, from the eye to the top of the head, from midsections cut wide open to what I thought was the best use of a shovel thus seen in a slasher flick. Being in 3D also meant the gore factor got cranked up a notch, since copious amounts of blood come splashing onto you, and you just might duck when the pick axe got swung in your direction. Some may comment that I'm being a sadist, but I suppose films designed in such nature are for those who expect exactly that, for entertainment and fun escapism, not meant to win awards.

No new ground was broken as a horror movie because it too relied too much on the usual loud banging noises, sudden appearances and quick edits. It makes no qualms to appeal to the lowest denominator and doesn't even attempt to build up any atmosphere. It does take a while to get to the fun bits, and when it does you'll probably find yourself enjoying every sick part of it. The only obstacle standing in its way of become a franchise spawning many sequels, is the stark lack of motivation of the killer, other than of course being plain psychotic, which is the requisite, and demonstrated so in quite haphazard terms with dots left unconnected.

Should you decide to watch this, do yourself a big favour and do so only on the 3D format. And stay right through to the end after the credits roll for that one final swing.

Marley & Me

Heel

Based upon the book by John Grogan, Marley & Me doesn't offer any new surprises in what's expected of from a story about Man's best friend, and having been just that to John Grogan (played by Owen Wilson) and his family, the story's very much a personal tale of the Grogans', though John's especially, relationship with their pet dog who had been a major part of their married and family life from the onset.

While the trailer may have made this out to be a comedy through and through, this film's quite a typical dog-drama, where you have the antics of how one dog could turn one's life topsy-turvy especially when it's not properly trained. Picked out from a clearance sale by John and wife Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston), they soon find out that Marley's in contention in being the world's worst dog, and his behaviour just reinforces that – peeing indiscriminately, chewing everything, drinking from the toilet bowl, running everywhere and knocking into things. How the couple could endure and let it get away with his indiscipline, tells you how much they love that labrador named after Bob Marley.

But the film's more about family, or the creation of one. It actually follows the progression of how a newly married couple adapt to their new life, with some real world concerns like the next paycheck, and the issue with raising kids. Some things in life can be planned for while others come without warning, and the dog just ushered in a new phase of their lives with mutual responsibility over something else. Not to mention of course that it provides ample fuel for John's popular and growing column, despite his personal ambition in being a reporter rather than a columnist, like his buddy who gets to lead the life he could only dream of, in being where the action is.

It's about priorities in life, where we have different goals and objectives that we want to achieve, which could run contrary to your partner's. It's about how we give certain issues precedence, and others having to take the back seat. It's about the sacrifices that we have to make from time to time, and therefore missing out on opportunities. It's about seizing opportunities that may seem like road-blocks only because they aren't very clear at the present time until manifestation at a later date. I was quite surprised indeed that these everyday life issues get succinctly masked from within the narrative of a “dog-movie”.

Running almost two hours long, the narrative does seem to fast forward itself in the second half because I thought it felt its first hour build up was taking a tad too long. Like real life when babies and kids come into your world, the focus you have on your individual pursuits get diminished. And in a mirror situation, the film becomes faced with an expanded cast of characters to deal with in the second half, resulting in a mixed balance of focus somewhat. Alan Arkin's role was totally hilarious as the editor of the Sun-Sentinel, and some of the more uplifting moments were where he graced the screen and lit it up with his character's wry humour. Owen is being plain ol' Owen, while Aniston successfully portrayed a (glamourous) housewife whose worries are all over the place.

I had initially thought that Marley & Me had tried to emulate some success formulas from Japanese shows of similar canine nature. Fortunately it did have its own story to tell, thanks to the blueprint spelt out in the real John Grogan book (which got worked into the story here as well). It's a fairly good family drama that I felt could be stronger if it had placed equal emphasis in its second half as it did in the first.

Last Chance Harvey

New Friend, New Love

I'll say it upfront: This is one of the best movies I've seen this year to date. It's heartwarming, well acted, and has a bagful of charm that lifts your spirits through an old-fashioned romantic tale filled with hope. In these depressing times where one gets bombarded with negative news left, right and centre, nothing beats having real escapism in a darkened theatre, in following two individuals finding strength in each other in facing their adversary squarely in the face.

It's been some time since we last saw Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson on the big screen, and Last Chance Harvey unites them in a somewhat talkie movie ala Before Sunrise, but only after spending considerable time in building up their backgrounds. Wee see how Hoffman's Harvey Shine is having the worst day of his life, from losing his job to learning that his daughter is getting her step-dad to give her hand away in marriage. He ends up at a bar where he meets Thompson's Kate, and together they spend an incredible 24 hours together.

It's a reminder to seize the day and any positive opportunity that comes along, and finding oneself falling in love when you least expect to. And observing how this couple are having the time of their life, with good natured humour injected to smile at challenges, Last Chance Harvey is a surprising gem that you should opt for in this crowded week of cinematic releases. Trust me, the charisma of both actors playing off each other, is well worth the ticket price already.

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

Singapore International Film Festival 2009

Having attended other film festivals which I have thoroughly enjoyed, the SIFF still holds a special place for me because hey, it's homegrown, it's with local flavour, and it costs only a bus/train/cab fare to get to the venues. As per any festival, part of the fun comes from the hair-tearing moments to decide just what to watch given all the clashes, and having to sometimes leave it to chance to pick one out of the many screened during the same time at different venues all around town.

Once that's done then depending if you qualify for those early bird discounts, you'll have to cross your fingers that the shows you have on your list, are not all sold out by the time general sales begin. Of course there may be a chance that those that are sold out will have another screening, but that's just another spanner thrown into your nicely planned schedule, isn't it?

Click Here for the festival schedule, and ticketing details!

Gripes aside, the Singapore Panorama feature films seemed to have shrunk this year, from the bumper crop of 13 last year. In this edition, we're going to get to watch Brother No.2 (Jason Lai), Female Games (Kan Lume, making it 4 films in a row in SIFF, trailer can be found here), Invisible Children (Brian Gothong Tan, Excerpt 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The film was screened at last year's BKIFF and Wise Kwai has a review), This Too Shall Pass (Ang Aik Heng), and White Days (Looi Wan Pin). Alec Tok's A Big Road is in Competition for the Silver Screen Awards - Asia Feature Film Competition though, so it doesn't fall under this section.

While Sinema Old School was the one-stop venue of choice for the Singapore Panorama, this edition unfortunately relegates the most of the section to the Substation. Curiously, with most being world premiere, I thought there should be some confidence that a larger venue would sell out, unless of course more screenings are planned and the schedule isn't finalized. Speaking of which, imagine all single and only screenings of Female Games, A Big Road and one of the Invisible Children screenings all having to fall on the same day at the same time slot at different venues. So take your pick, Singapore. :(

Sinema Old School now becomes the venue of choice for re-runs from last year. Granted these films are now in competition of sorts for the inaugural Singapore Film Awards. For the first time we have a film awards dedicated to the celebration of local films in the various categories mentioned. Previously the local films would have to compete with the rest in competition for the Silver Screen Awards if they're deemed worthy, but here's a special category for them all to slug it out. Films at least 60 minutes in length, and completed and screened in the previous calendar year are eligible for nomination, and all films will be screened again during the festival (I wonder if Rule #1 has a fat chance to be screened in Cantonese?) Here are the nominees, and having watched them all already, I shall stick my neck out to root for the one which I think is worthy of triumphing over the rest.

Nominees for Best Film
• 12 LOTUS
• 18 GRAMS OF LOVE
• KALLANG ROAR THE MOVIE
• LUCKY7
• A MONTH OF HUNGRY GHOSTS
• RULE #1
A Nutshell Prediction: 18 Grams of Love. My review should already explain why.

Nominees for Best Director
• 12 LOTUS: Royston Tan
• 18 GRAMS OF LOVE: Han Yew Kwang
• MONEY NO ENOUGH 2: Jack Neo
• RULE #1: Kelvin Tong
A Nutshell Prediction: Han Yew Kwang. Again, I heart the film, and it's time for someone to break the stranglehold on the household names already, given the merits of 18 Grams.

Nominees for Best Screenplay
• 18 GRAMS OF LOVE: Han Yew Kwang
• HASHI: Sherman Ong
• RULE #1: Kelvin Tong
A Nutshell Prediction: Han Yew Kwang. Rule #1 had shades of other films like Fallen and Suicide Club, and I guess 18 Grams will face a tough fight with Hashi. But my choice will be for Han's story - watch the films, and you'll know feel why it should walk away with the prize.

Nominees for Best Performance
• 12 LOTUS: Liu Ling Ling
• 12 LOTUS: Qi Yu Wu
• KALLANG ROAR THE MOVIE: Lim Kay Siu
• THE LEAP YEARS: Wong Li Lin
• LUCKY7: Sunny Pang
• MONEY NO ENOUGH 2: Mark Lee
A Nutshell Prediction: Sunny Pang. C'mon, surely you have to award Sunny for taking on no less than 7 different roles according to the whims and fancies of each director in that exquisite-corpse film Lucky 7.

Nominees for Best Cinematography
• 12 LOTUS: Alan Yap
• THE DAYS: John Lim Beng Huat
• LUCKY7: Roszali Samad, Brian Gothong Tan, Sharon Loh, Jaye Neo, Cain Chui, Andrew Mark Sobrielo, Chris Yeo Siew Hua, Adrian Lo
A Nutshell Prediction: The Days. Unless it's about the size of the participants, I still feel that it's gonna be a fight between 12 Lotus and The Days. It's tough, but I feel the latter has an edge because the former was a shade of 881.

The above might seem slanted toward 18 Grams of Love, but hey, that's my personal opinion from what I've watched, and my gut feel, unless of course like the Venice Lion, no film can win in more than One category, then I'll be off the mark.

Back to planning what to watch! What's your choice?

Related Links
- Singapore International Film Festival Official Website
- Wise Kwai provides an excellent writeup on Thai Film offerings in this year's SIFF!