The Blind Side

Do What You Do Best

Much of the hype in this film comes from Sandra Bullock's fine performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy, a God fearing rich woman who had chosen to adopt a kid off the street out of plain human compassion, offer him a home, school, even introduced him to football, and essentially turned his life around without ever wanting anything back in return. Incredible as it may sound, it's actually based on the true story of Michael Oher's life given a new lease to stay off the streets, and the opportunities extended to him as part of the Tuohy family, to turn him into the pro-footballer he is today.

And this heartwarming story reminds us that while it's easy to pay lip service to charitable organizations, or at times feel overwhelmed with the myriad of societal issues that need fixing, all it takes is that small step forward to spark a massive change for the better, especially when help comes from within and from an honest and sincere heart. We cannot change the world and cure it of all its ills, but it's the little things that we do within our capacity that will make the most difference and impact.

The story may not be something new, and you've probably watched countless of films with similar themes and the fusion of inspiration and sports. Moreover, some may feel that the rich characters here have within their means to extend help, but pay no heed to that, because just how many out there would find it compelling to do something like what the Tuohys did? And I kid you not when I say the marketing of the film tried to pass this off like a cliche rags to riches film where a character finds his true calling in American football or learn about values such as teamwork and group above self and so on. It's not exactly a sports or football movie, but one about compassion, change and the belief that with effort comes result for a fellow human being who had been tossed an unfair circumstance to cope with.

Sandra Bullock's come a long way from the days of driving a bus in Speed, to various average romantic flicks, and finally settling in a role that calls for plenty of gravitas, which she pulled off wonderfully. In Erin Brockovich style complete with blonde hair, Southern drawl and Maximizer bra, she plays Leigh Anne as the tough cookie who gets her way and never takes no for an answer, which explains how what may seem like a whim, turn and become something of a crusade in genuinely fighting a prejudiced system to get others to open up to Big Mike / Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) and get to engage with the quiet boy in more meaningful ways through out of the box techniques. I have never seen Sandra Bullock come close to playing any character like Leigh Anne, and this is indeed busting any preconceived glass ceiling that dramas are not her forte.

Quinton Aaron also provided that perfect pairing opposite Bullock as the lumbering giant with a heart of gold, knowing that his strength is not in the physical sense (not that he doesn't have that in abundance), but in his innate ability for ball games and protective intuition. He may be slow in learning, but he's not stupid, contrary to many especially his teachers who seem resigned to the fact that he cannot be taught subjects through the proper schooling channel. Aaron plays this role with plenty of sentimentalism and sensitivity, that it's extremely hard not to empathize, nor to feel for him when the chips are down or to cheer and root for him even when good things happen.

And the rest of the cast, especially Tim McGraw, Jae Head and Lily Collins all add a little sparkle as members of the Tuohy family (who owns a chain of fast food franchises) who because of Leigh Anne, all learn to accept and embrace Michael as one of their own. Kathy Bates round off the wonderful cast when she enters the picture in the final act as Miss Sue, Michael's personal tutor engaged to ensure he passes high school with a decent GPA needed to further his studies as well as the sport of choice.

The Blind Side will open up your eyes to a worthwhile "true life" story that you should be aware of, and be inspired from, and I'd say Sandra Bullock should be quite the shoo-in for the Golden Globe, and way overdue for an Oscar as well. Highly recommended as her performance alone is well worth the ticket price!

Jump (跳出去 / Tiao Chu Qu)

Dog at Lamp Post Stance

Kitty Zhang is a star in the making, and Jump reaffirms that she's more than capable in handling drama, madcap comedy, and in this dance flick, passes off convincingly as a dancer with innate talent. Her role as Phoenix the country bumpkin who seeks a new dancing adventure in the big city of Shanghai, resembles very much a role that Stephen Chow would play in his heydays. Now producing and coming up with the story, one can see tremendous influences from Chow's personal past works from his filmography, so much so that the film would work if Chow had cast himself in the lead role, rather than the gender reversal and getting his CJ7 muse to marquee it.

For a dance flick, this film unfortunately only had a limited number of dance sequences, opting instead for multiple training montages, and a self-respecting dance-off finale done hip hop free style. Romance takes up a huge chunk of the narrative though, and co-star Leon Jay Williams didn't have much to do or emote no thanks to a very deadpan, inexperienced performance as a rich playboy who finds romantic enlightenment from hanging out with the penniless Phoenix, who have to work two jobs in order to survive and secretly learn dance.

Pretty much everything breezes by, with subplots (like adversaries in the dance school, or the instructor) being super-compressed, or having a number of side show characters just show up for their one-dimensional function (such as the dance agent/tout). But the best parts here are the comedy, which can strike you from the blind side, and allow you to reminisce about the time when Chow was resident expert in making such mo-lei-tau comedies that were the rage in those days. While one can deem this film as making fun of the country folks or amplifying a number of our misconceptions, it is precisely this guilty pleasure that brought out much of the enjoyment of our ignorance for the simpler, and perhaps happier lifestyle,

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

My One and Only

Will You Be Mine?

You can read my review of My One and Only at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.

New York, I Love You

Stalking Some More

New York, I Love You finally makes it to our shores, but its 10 short stories on love somehow didn't find reason enough to be released over Valentine's, probably due to the fact that this year's festival also falls on Lunar New Year, and with that comes the usual LNY blockbuster films from the likes of Jackie Chan (no, not The Spy Next Door) and local filmmaker Jack Neo who has traditionally released his latest film over that period to resounding success. So why fix a formula that hasn't been broken?

Continuing in concept where Paris, Je T'aime had begun in spawning the Cities of Love Franchise (Shanghai will be next, so says the end of the closing credits here), the buzz here is definitely about the intertwining stories set in one of the cities of the world to allow for various interpretations from filmmakers all over to come up with stories based on love as a theme, although someone probably forgot to tell Scarlett Johansson some of the finer points in the sandbox ground rules, and her short was unceremoniously dropped from the theatrical edition for being unable to fit into everything else (well, it was shot in black and white), but here's hoping that it would make it to the DVD at least.

Structurally, this series is less compartmentalized compared to its predecessor, which if memory serves me right had individual stories set within its own confines and never really breaking out of its artificial borders created. Here a little more leeway is given, where characters from various stories interact in short filler segments used to bridge scenes together, and not just solely reliant on pick up shots made up of buildings and landscapes, in hopes of making things look a little bit more serendipitous with the idea of chance encounters amongst strangers, though one story craftily adopted this mindset for its own narrative to deliver a surprise, though already seen in Paris.

One of the top draws for sitting through a film like this one, is definitely the creative forces behind the stories, from writers, directors and cinematographers from various geographies and backgrounds mirroring the makeup of the cosmopolitan city, coming together for a concept film. And what more the star-studded cast too, with big names amongst the lesser known ones all upping the ante through picture perfect performances, be it for the entire length of the short, or as a support to build upon. You can't deny the initial star-gazing in recognizing the notables, from Irrfan Khan to Natalie Portman (who also had writing and directing duties), Rachel Bilson (looking quite like Bardot) to Spielberg's blue eye boy Shia LaBeouf, who surprisingly can act, and shows off more in his few minutes here than his entire filmography to date.

Story wise, like any anthology, you'll find some which will automatically appeal to you, and with others that don't. Some are straightforward in nature, while others have to come up with gimmicky twists that thankfully worked. But these 10 stories plus 1 (because Randall Balsmeyer was given duties to integrate everything together for a more organic feel instead of just plain pick up shots of lesser known areas and established landmarks) somehow lacked the more “anything goes” spirit from its predecessor, with stories more rooted in reality, compared to some fantastical elements in the previous film (Elijah Wood's dalliance with a vampire anyone?), or even less adventurous with its narrative style (Christopher Doyle's, and Tom Tykwer's starring Natalie Portman). Here it seemed that the filmmakers opted very much for safe, with none venturing into that spirit of adventure and experiment.

Minor quibbles aside, I still enjoyed almost all the shorts here, contrary to what many others have felt about it. The short film format is still very much alive, and having them strung together into a feature under the Cities of Love banner works fine, and left me wondering which other cities are or have been included in its lineup. I am hoping that perhaps the franchise will catch on and spread its influence here. We surely have enough prolific filmmakers to be stringing together a Singapore, I Love You, so here's crossing my fingers that maybe something will materialize down the road. Otherwise there's always the Sawasdee Bangkok route of just making it without any attachments to franchise house rules.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

So What Have You Learned?

Hollywood's latching upon its own vampire fad, where every story that has the blood-lusting creatures would just about be green lit for production without batting an eyelid. Then there's this obsessive quest in searching for that juggernaut fantasy film to step into the shoes of The Lord of the Rings, or to fill the void soon to be left by the Harry Potter franchise and after that the Twilight series, like it or not the latter does have some inexplicable box office draw despite being the weakest of them all in terms of story. Many adaptations were experimented with, from The Golden Compass to The Dark is Rising, and almost all have fallen with sequels canned, or spluttering ahead like The Chronicles of Narnia.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, falls into the excellent casting but bad adaptation category, which is sad given its potential to have been great. This is one narrative that sped things up so much that everything became half-baked, from plot to characterization in its failure to draw upon the best parts from the books. Instead it opted for cameos upon cameos from its recognizable stars to stir up some attention, breeze through its complex setup in lieu of long drawn battle sequences which I have to say is cool on one hand, and the other giving it the thumbs down for being shot so badly you can't actually see much other than the collateral damage they bring.

Flashy effects don't make a movie, and if you're an effects junkie then this film has plenty designed for you to wow over, from the introduction of the Cirque which most of it you'd have seen in the trailers already, to the fantastically designed “flash” type moves. One can't tell the powers of this breed of vampires (super-spit, really?) as you get none, as is the background so haphazardly explained, that suffice to know it's all about a prophecy as always, where two best friends will fall out and herald an era of vampire-war. The most powerful vampire you'll see in the film is played by John C. Reilly, who turned out to have some of the better lines in the film, since Ken Watanabe's diction was still something left to be desired.

JC Reilly's wisecracks can tide you through the film at sporadic moments, but it's really difficult to not thumb your nose up at a backstory that didn't bring you up to speed with what's the feud between opposing freak camps. I mean there's plenty of potential built on how the falling out of two good friends would be the catalyst for a prophesied war to spark off, and it took the film great pains to finally get down to doing so, in between trying to show how Darren (Chris Massoglia) learns to get the hang out of being a vampire because he's got good blood, compared to his best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson) whose lifelong dream is to become an immortal bloodsucker, but too bad that his blood was less tasty and so the seeds of jealousy are sown.

And the acting department is something that's quite the joke in itself. The stars of the show were just hamming it up most of the time, and if you think Robert Pattinson in Twilight was deadpan, you really don't know the meaning of the word until you seen Chris Massoglia in the titular role, which is so bad that you'd tolerate nails on chalkboard a million times than to watch him put through his non-charismatic paces. And if it's the stars that are compelling you to spend time and money on this, with the likes of Ray Stevenson, Ken Watanabe, Salma Hayek, Orlando Jones, Willem Dafoe and Jane Krakowski all making an appearance, well don't just hold your breaths for them to reappear if the scene's out of the cirque. Even Salma Hayek's CG beard can only illicit a tired chuckle after a while.

I would be interested to see how the story further develops from here, but chances are one has to go back to the source material because the movie's bad enough not to warrant a cinematic follow up. Watch this at your own peril as the best bits can be found in the trailer already.

Motherhood

Hello, Need Help!

The Bride now becomes the Mom and that somehow didn't translate quite well for local audiences, given the limited release which so far hasn't gained much traction if going by the looks of the session I attended. Hopefully this should still find a niche market amongst the mothers here for the issues raised that would strike a chord, which is about just what Motherhood means, unless of course like Uma Thurman's Eliza, the real moms out there are too bogged down by their tasks to find time to take in a movie.

Written and directed by Katherine Dieckmann and set in Manhattan, New York, there might be a few topics and incidents raised that are location specific, but these offer a kind of slice of life peek into urban living in the big apple, and the challenges faced with raising kids in the city. For instance, I cannot fathom how parking could be that much of an issue and hassle, despite experiencing parking woes here as well in a different capacity. And being a film in NY, it has its rudimentary quirks pointing back at film that we rarely take into consideration, such as the inconveniences posed by film crews to the residents when doing location shoots, or hilarious put, the “mama”-razzis who naturally point and shoot with their cameras when a celebrity mom pass their way (look out for Jodie Foster's cameo!)

But those aside, Motherhood unfolds over a single day, following Eliza as she packs in a hectic schedule from the time she wakes up, until the time she goes to bed. It's the same for all moms I suppose, with the natural maternal instincts kicking in and their family obligations and responsibility go into overdrive to take care of, and provide. Through a single day, the story examines what Motherhood essentially means, and the multi-facets involved that just demands excellent multi-tasking skills, with each assignment for the day requiring extreme focus, from grocery shopping to picking up the kids, and worse for Eliza, having to organize a birthday party for her 6 year old Clara (Daisy Tahan).

Which is surprising that she still finds the time to blog, but that serves as therapy, and a plot device to tell all that she still can't get the writer out of her, and through an advertised contest, has taken upon herself to submit a piece on Motherhood in order to secure a regular writing column that pays well. After all, their household requires additional income to augment that of her husband's (Anthony Edwards) who seem to disappear and not lend a hand around the house – the opening montage would make some feel quite guilty – and one wonders just how much patience mothers actually have in tolerating non-assistance, or when they will actually cry out for help should they snap.

One often forget that parenting is a full time job, full of repetitive, and often menial tasks that calls for plenty of endurance, skill, and Love, a key essential ingredient without which everything else would seem quite impossible. Besides exalting the virtues of Motherhood, the film also reminds that it doesn't mean one has to give up one's dreams to take care of the family, though sacrifices are called for from time to time in parenting. Uma Thurman plays the frenzied Eliza perfectly, looking quite geeky with her spectacles, and her messy hairdo, and with that level of edginess that threatens to explode at any unsuspecting victim who unwittingly crosses her path.

But what took the cake is the hypocrisy that Eliza sometimes lapses into, which makes her all the more human and believable, and I wonder just how many of us are guilty as charged where we tend to take care of our own by expecting values out of others, yet be able to turn around and violate the same without much thought. Live and let live goes the mantra.

While not perfect and with scenes that curiously stick out, such as the extended episode with the delivery guy (Arjun Gupta) that seemed to want to suggest something of a subplot that needed to head a certain direction, then backed out, this film still has pretty much what it takes to talk about its main theme, but perhaps something more fun will be to learn about or trade stories and experiences with real moms. And save on the ticket cost, unless you're a fan of Uma Thurman of course.

It's Complicated

Your Place or Mine?

While having dinner with a friend the other night, I had unwittingly eavesdropped (well the tables were so close) on the table of two girls beside ours, talking about how their friend's fiance failed to get a ring to propose that was worth 3 months of his salary. Who makes these rules anyway? And it is these crazy social (if I may call it that) rules that you'll hear more of in the film, that makes it quite the chuckle on one hand, and also bewildering on the other, that writer-director Nancy Myers takes massages into the narrative . It's Complicated, indeed.

This is not about proposals or costs of rings, but about social stigma and expectations that creep up on couples no matter how young or old they are. The story gets set years after a couple's divorce, stemming primarily from the husband's infidelity, though all of the stakeholders can still get on in quite civil terms. You know the classic tale where husband leaves wife for a hotter, younger, better proportioned woman that gets complicated (that has to be to self-fulfil its title) when the new wife runs off, gets pregnant with someone else's child, and comes back to the man again. And the man now harbours thoughts about getting back together again with his ex-wife because his current one is driving him nuts no thanks to that generation gap, and the constant pressure for him to perform, sexually that is.

Yes don't be a prude, because some of the best lines and scenes stem from the sexually charged ones, that may raise plenty of eyebrows at how daringly comical it can actually become. I think it's one of the first chick flick films that I watched with a full house of women of all ages, and there was actual clapping and lap slapping during moments of hilarity. Much of the credit goes to the strength of Nancy Meyer's story, which just sprawls and yet her direction managed to keep a tight rein on the narrative pace, though there were a number of disposable characters introduced whom you think might last the distance but conveniently dropped in the first act after they tell the audience how to react, that having an affair with your ex-husband is not that wrong a wrong, especially sweet when you have a chance to get back at the woman who used to be the third party.

Meryl Streep continues in her reel occupation as a chef, and as an elderly woman whose children have all grown up, she finds herself lonely despite being successful in her career. This meant an opportunity to re-enter the dating scene especially with a potential Mr Available in Architect Adam (Steve Martin in an unfunny, serious role where laughter only comes when he's puffing a joint), only to find herself falling back, albeit physically, in good terms with her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin who really has piled on the kilos). It feels a little bit wrong where a divorce and breakup doesn't seem all that permanent, and worse of all having to find oneself rediscovering all the positive points during the times where things were still rosy. I particularly liked a point of discussion with a very interesting school of thought that all of an ex-couple's differences might be gone over time like a push of the delete button, that the relationship will be relegated to just ordinary friends, and like friends, can pick up from where you last left off, paving the way for a reconciliation.

In some ways, this senior citizen love story ponders upon the What Ifs about the ones whom we had unwittingly allowed to go, and it's quite pro-family as well with its scenes of a wonderful family if it had chosen to stick together, to regret forsaking everything for a moment of folly that one has to live with. In fact, Nancy Meyers succeeds in her well thought-through story in making you want to root for Streep's Jane and Jake to put aside their differences and get together, despite knowing what each did to the other through their reminiscence of the past. Both actors also bring plenty to the table with their excellent performances, and always never too shy to play up on the physical effects of aging too (check out Streep's left eyebrow!)

Nonetheless it's chick flick territory through and through, but weaved with agreeable, enlightening even, concepts that could be grasped by anyone who are currently in, have been or will be in a relationship. Just lighten up on those illogical, unwritten rules, that would really make things too complicated, for nothing.

It's Not Me, I Swear! (C'est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure!)

The Menace

Unless you're a saint, I'm sure you would have lied at one point in time when you're a kid, gotten away with it, and just became reaffirmed that hey, it's not so bad that you're not going to Hell immediately, and one could just come up with stories to spice things up, get others into trouble, or just get things done your way without paying heed to consequences that can be explained away. I never had such luck. Honest.

It's Not Me, I Swear! conjures up plenty in its tale of the neighbourhood rascal who terrorizes the residents in a quaint little town in 60s Montreal, and with his striped jersey that we see early on in the film, one cannot help but to associate him with another boy rascal in Dennis the Menace. But this is Leon (Antoine L'Ecuyer), a boy with a vivid imagination and a fearless heart, that when we first see him, he had unwittingly hung himself on a tree swing, needing his brother Jerome (Gabriel Maille) and mom Madeleine (Suzanne Clement) to bail him out of serious trouble.

And when all seemed under control, we slowly learn that this boy isn't quite always the helpless chap he is, but a real troublemaker who doesn't hesitate to show others his middle finger, whose impish grin betrays the scheming thoughts he has, to do things he wants to do his way, nevermind if it means stepping onto others complete with unbelievable anti-social behaviour (which adds to the fun of course), and you'd wonder how he manages to get away with it all. Then you realize that it's because of upbringing. Teach a child that lying is bad, but lying badly is worse. Tell a child that when one has to lie, one has to keep the story consistent. Leon's mom coaches him on such mantra, shows the same degree of disdain and disgust for her neighbours, and it's little wonder who his chief influence is. Parents out there, you have been warned.

It's the story of this street smart boy whose brain is fast to cook up stories, and whose misplaced courage allows him to fearlessly inflict bodily pain or inconvenience onto himself if the situation or his lies call for it. It's both comical and wince-inducing with situations you can both laugh and cry at the same time, and you'll feel for Leon even more when his family starts to crack and deepens in their dysfunctional behaviour, with the last straw being their mom walking out on the family. Chief influence and protector gone, Leon retreats further into himself (in some ways pining in a manner similarly seen in Danny Boyle's Millions), and his stunts become a lot more daring, until the narrative shifts gear to the other woman in his life, that of his neighbour Lea (Catherine Faucher), a peer whom we are not given much background on, other than a slew of suggestions and clues that she may be an abused kid.

Based upon the novel by Bruno Hebert, the film works because Antoine L'Ecuyer successfully carries the entire film on his shoulders, and makes it believable that he's such the rascal that he is, where on one hand he can look angelic to both his mom and his first love Lea, while on the other the devil as he leaves a trail of destruction as he goes about prodding into other's homes armed with a screwdriver, amongst other shenanigans. Curiously though, director Philippe Falardeau allowed Leon to break the fourth wall at least twice to engage the audience directly, and while you may have missed the first instance should you not pay attention, the second one felt like a bit of a cop out to achieve what we see in the finale, in what I felt had taken away the shine from an excellent build up of suspense and danger, which will guarantee that you grip your seat.

Winner at last year's Berlin International Film Festival, walking away with the Crystal Bear for Beat Feature Film (General Kplus category) and the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix, this is one film you should not miss during its limited run at Cinema Europa. Catch it before it goes away, and it waltzes early into my shortlist for one of the better films to be released this year so far. A definite recommendation!

Pyaar Impossible

Beauty and the Geek

I guess it all started with the resounding success of Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, with King Khan taking on the starring role as the uber geek seeking love, that reaffirmed that all Bollywood films need not rely on having all its lead male characters being alpha-male types. And then the revenge of the nerd stories probably picked up, although Ranbir Kapoor's turn as Rocket Singh the Salesman of the Year, a film which I had thoroughly enjoyed, failed to meet expectations at the box office. Then the filmmakers of Pyaar Impossible got all jittery, besides reportedly pushing back its release to early this year, had to play down the Geek factor, and ramp up Priyanka Chopra's hot mama (really) character to draw in the crowds.

But these fears don't go unfounded, not because of some similarities in having the issues of geeks being brought on screen, but rather in the way the structure of the non-romantic portion of the story here being a little close to that of Rocket Singh's, with the absence of a large, big-bang type of finale (again the complaints ringing out on how the Salesman of the Year won by giving Speech of the Year), and also the morally ambiguous ways geeks have to resort to in order to regain their upperhand and seek justice when no legal eagle can offer any assistance to their problems which had stemmed from their own naivety.

There are many reasons why I had opted to watch this film. First off, it's Uday Chopra, an actor whom I confess only having watch his comical sidekick roles in the Dhoom movies, so I was curious whether he can carry a film off on his own as a leading man. The answer is of course yes, as he plays the geek Abhay right down to the pat, a man who had been infatuated with the hottest girl in school for seven years, always afraid to open his mouth and talk to her, given an opportunity to do so when in pursuit of a software thief, he travels to Singapore and serendipity dictates he will bump into his infatuation, and even more incredibly get to work as her precocious, feisty daughter's nanny. Not to mention too that this story and dialogues are credited under Uday himself, so one wonders where he had drawn his inspiration from, whether he had actually pined for someone like his character did in the film.

Second, the other lead in actress Priyanka Chopra. There are plenty of naysayers to her credibility as an actress, but from what I watched last year from Fashion right down to Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Rashee (missed Kaminey!), she had shown her versatility and wide range, which the brickbrats would still like to point out in the latter film, was nothing more than a change of clothes and hairstyles, which I totally disagree. Her performance here as Alisha, the single, divorced mother and Abhay's girl of his dreams, would once again become a showcase of her ability, despite yet again looking great in the various outfits which would raise an eyebrow whether it's appropriate corporate office attire (and overheard from another audience member too that her outfits wouldn't pass). That aside, I would think that this “mum” role is probably her first (unless someone can point out to me that I'm wrong please?)

And one of the key reasons, is how Singapore gets portrayed in another Bollywood film, after the comedy De Dana Dan last year, which didn't really move around much other than for one of the song sequences and being stuck mostly within the confines of the Pan Pacific Hotel. Then there was Krrish which also starred Priyanka Chopra, making this at least her 2nd film foray to our sunny island. In this film, Singapore's good enough to become that substitute for California's beaches thanks to Sentosa, and I always get a good laugh out of how our cabbies get unwittingly portrayed as dishonest cheats who take tourists for a ride around expressways and the city area no thanks to the juxtaposition of scenes involving recognizable roads and landmarks. Or that this travel scene would become one of those sponsored tourism campaign videos.

While identification of landmarks use adds to the fun, such as the UOB skyscraper doubling up as the HQ of Pinnacle Software, and various shots in Challenger, Clarke and Robertson Quay areas, what I found more interesting is how, so far, there's rarely a depiction of HDB apartments in movies shot here by Bollywood. Everyone's pretty loaded in their ability to afford a swanky condo (at the Kallang Bay area, given the view out of their windows) in Krrish's case, or landed property in this one, that cost a few million dollars at the very least. So while local films tend to depict the accommodation here using what some 80% of the locals live in, films from abroad may, perhaps due to non-familiarity, opt to go by the more conventional (sometimes unrealistic) route of the "house" concept.

In any case, Pyaar Impossible is about the improbable love between a beauty and a geek, and Uday Chopra's story is rather straightforward, revenge of the nerd type, which somehow works fine as a magical fantasy romantic story that's kept simple and effective, without much fuss. There are essentially three story arcs, one which is the unattainable love that Abhay seeks, the second being Abhay as The Nanny / Butler / Confidant to Alisha's household, and the third giving cause for Abhay to visit Singapore, in search of the swindler Sidhu/Varun (Dino Morea).

With its catchy tunes and song and dance routine, it hit the nail on the head when the theme song succinctly dealt with the notion of how superficial it actually is when we talk about attraction, but always fail to admit so. In that respect, Pyaar Impossible laid its cards out on the table honestly even though it had to succumb to formula, and I'd pick this romantic comedy over any Hollywood one any day.

Daybreakers

So Where's The Paintball Field?

One cannot deny the proliferation of vampire flicks that seem to have begun to move away from traditional action adventures and horror, to gasp, teenage romantic angst with the likes of the Twilight films. And here comes a rather excellent concept with Daybreakers turning things around with an amalgamation of the scenario of a pretty much cliché formula with an unknown virus turning everyone into blood sucking vampires rather than mindless, flesh eating zombies, and the often science fiction idea of harnessing humans not for electrical brain pulses, but harvested for that limited blood supply, marketed and canned as default vampire food.

But alas an excellent concept that had been translated into a rather choppy film, struggling to find balance between its philosophy, drama and action moments. It's not to say that it's a bad film, but it lacked the touch of, say a mentor, to guide the writer-director duo of the Spierig Brothers, Michael and Peter. I felt it had potential just like District 9's take on the science fiction genre, with an experienced producer lurking around to prod and guide the relatively new filmmakers into pushing all the right buttons for the good of the story and film. Daybreaker misses out on this kind of influential touch to have translated its concept to fruition better.

It's the year 2019, and ten years ago our world as we know had slowly transformed all humans into vampires no thanks to a mysterious bat bite which started it all, with the entire premise told through a graphical opening credits full of little nuggets of informative back story all over the place. Humans either get turned into vampires so that they can achieve immortality at a price of not being able to bask out in the sun anymore, or get turned into a limited blood supply kept alive by plasma harnessing machines, in a factory managed by an evil industrialist Charles Bromley (Sam Neill). All's fine and dandy, but without a steady stream of juicy humans, the vampires themselves face extinction from a badly managed food supply chain, and a mutation stemmed from malnutrition which will turn them into mindless bat-monsters to show off what the special effects and makeup crew can do for a film like this.

So the vampires commission Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) to come up with artificial plasma substitutes that can ensure continued vampire lifestyles (of buzzing nightlife) except that Edward has that soft spot for humankind given that he was turned into a vampire much against his wishes. His desire to help humans comes for real when he chances upon a rare group of escaping human refugees, with whom he bands together in a search for a cure to vampirism.

In essence, I felt the narrative contained a veiled commentary of the health-care industry, which questions whether simple cures for diseases are possible, but with conspiracy theories speculating that they are usually shelved for more complex solutions in the name of revenue for profit maximizing companies, whose leaders are with low ethical morals so much so that they will sell out their own family if it means achieving their selfish aims.

But of course this is an action packed science fiction film about vampires versus humans with a dash of horror elements thrown in, so let's not read too much into it, but to open your eyes to the wonderfully designed production which has a no holds barred depiction on how that hypothetical, sun-less lifestyle would have forced changes between light and dark scenarios, and I thought this was the second Ethan Hawke film (after Gatacca) to have a refreshing creation of a futuristic world, this one complicated yet made fresh by its premise, with horrific moments that worked despite dipping into the same bag of horror tricks.

The special effects here were aptly applied to enhance moments in the film, together with some nicely done make up which did not overshadow the plot and make it into yet another brainless flick. And typical of all B-movies, this one also had an over the top heroic character, played with a straight face by Willem Defoe who lived out his larger than life persona, ever reliant on saving the day.. It's too little too late though, with potential written all over the film but its failure to deliver consistently makes this an unfulfilled classic in the making. Which is a pity, but don't let that discourage you from examining this for yourself to see how differently you would have done it, given the same concept.

Hear Me (聽說 / Ting Shuo)

Language of Love

The gimmick in the film that allows it to transcend the usual teenybopper puppy love stories filled with an eye-candy cast, is undoubtedly the use of the non-verbal medium of sign language in a film. I don't recall watching any recent contemporary film where the lead characters engage in sign for the most parts of the story, leaving us the audience relying very much on the subtitles (both English and Mandarin with subtle differences) to tide us through. It's a novelty factor, though one that works, and hopefully can help to garner interest such that it shouldn't been seen as a “language” of exclusivity because of impairment, but one which is actually very beautiful with its fluid motion, and as the film suggests, with a certain degree of creative improvisation (hey, so long as you're understood, right?)

For Eddie Pang's Tian Kuo the delivery boy for his parent's restaurant, going from place to place to bring their delicious rice sets to hungry masses is part of his daily routine, until a destination at a swimming pool would begin to set his heart fluttering when he falls for Yang Yang (Ivy Chen), the sister of his customer Xiao Peng (Michelle Chen) the Paralympic Deaflympics swimmer. So begins the usual scenarios he puts himself into just to be able to reach out and befriend Yang Yang, with the usual dating pursuit complexities that plague any (if I may use the word) normal, budding relationships in the modern world, where telecommunication devices such as Messaging, Email and SMS prove to be essential when communicating non-verbally.

The rest of the story is pretty straight-forward with toeing along a formula, though it's kept extremely engaging by the light hearted story and its extremely good looking casts who obviously had put in a lot of work to be natural, believable sign-linguists. Though some may cringe at the more melodramatic moments, the sentimental old me somehow saw it as being able to bring something extra to the table, with the relationship between two sisters so reliant on each other, that it makes you appreciate the nature of that innate love between siblings, and that between family with Tian-Kuo's parents playing key roles here that accentuates the sensitivity (and at times irritability) of how parents can sometimes fuss over their only child. Not to mention too that they almost always steal the show because of their quirkiness and comic timing each time they come on screen, in addition to some slapstick humour that director Cheng Fen-fen slips in from time to time.

Running almost two hours long, the story may be a little bit stretched or at times required the suspension of disbelief, for instance that a missionary father could just bear to up and go preach in Africa leaving two lovely children to fend for themselves. The finale too seemed a little too long and suffered from the usual syndrome that it didn't know exactly when to end and stop at a nice crescendo, but chose to finish things off in predictable, expected fashion. For sharp eyed viewers you'll probably would have prepped yourself for that big surprise reveal even right from the start, but that will not alter the enjoyment of witnessing how things will develop, especially when their first real date really tanked with that unavoidable adversary, and with themes like how one should live our own lives instead of living out someone else's.

I can't help but to raise another plus point in the film. There's a bit of the use of Hokkien and Cantonese in the film, and lo and behold they were left intact, though one can argue that the duration of use wasn't significant. To me it was, because it's that continued one small step forward before eventually making that giant leap. It's easy to have dubbed the languages over using Mandarin, but it wasn't, so I'll interpret this positively. And since we're on the topic of languages, I've already mentioned that sign language is beautiful, and after watching this film you're likely more inclined to be a bit more aware of how emotions can be expressed exactly through delicate or more hard-pounding motions.

Hear Me reminds us no matter what medium is used to express love, so long as it comes straight from the heart honestly and sincerely, that emotion will be heard loud and clear. Highly recommended, and works perfectly as a date movie.

[DVD] Following (1998)

Looking Around

Given Christopher Nolan's string of successful films, it's a no brainer for me to want to check out his filmography watch his debut feature, which is shot in black and white back in England, running less than 70 minutes long, done with little budget, but containing all the hallmarks that has made him a master filmmaker and storyteller.

Though short, the film is no less gripping with its meandering plot that will leave you guessing, because the premise doesn't even scratch the surface of this tale, which is pretty amazing considering the depth in the narrative's structure and characterization. As told, we follow a writer wannabe called Bill (Jeremy Theobald) who starts a habitual obsession with following random people he fancies on the streets in a voyeuristic manner, which at first could be conceived as research, before he starts to make up his own rules, and break them.

He meets up with charismatic Cobb (Alex Haw) who turns out to be a robber with peculiar sensibilities and modus operandi, and soon finds himself hooked with hanging out with him as they go about breaking and entering and speculating about their victim's livelihood, as does the pursuit of a femme fatale blond (Lucy Russell), a mobster's moll who rejects his every advance.

Told in a non-linear fashion which comes with scenes that don't quite add up in the beginning, this sets the film up for multiple viewings as you study just how Nolan sustains that suspense and intrigue with you as the audience expecting and wanting more, which gets duly delivered. There are enough twists here which spins the film into a dizzying crescendo, where loose ends begin to come together, and the brilliance of the stellar story start to shine through.

It's also amazing how, as a first feature shot on the cheap, that something that clever and sophisticated can be conceived from his own experience in being burgled, with Nolan involved in every stage of production, from writing to shooting, producing and directing, having worked on the project for a year since shoots can only happen on weekends. I guess here's an example of a successful filmmaker's humble roots, which should serve as inspiration and spur new filmmakers out there. Now I'll patiently wait for Christopher Nolan's Inception due out later this year, whose trailer is already such a tease.

The Code 1 DVD by Columbia Tri Star Home Entertainment comes presented in a full-screen version and in black-and-white. Only its original language track in English is available, with subtitles in Spanish and English (close-captioned). Scene selection is available over 14 Chapters.

For a film that's about 70 minutes long, it does come with a load of extras for the DVD release. Special Features contains a film school with a Director's Commentary which is designed for the no/low budget filmmaker in mind, explaining in detail the filmmaking process, and a Shooting Script Alternate Angle that contains the entire script which you can alternate between the actual scenes shot and the written word. My only complaint for this feature is how you can't see both in parallel through a split screen of sorts. Restructure Following allows you to watch the film in chronological order, though this will take away the suspense of the film, so do this only after you've watched the feature first, and you can appreciate just how the juxtaposition of scenes will bring about a different emotional outcome altogether.

The rest of the extras are standard stuff, with Trailers for Following (1:20) and Nolan's next film Memento (2:11), a cast and crew text based Bios, and DVD Credits.

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

A Misfire

Marc Lawrence makes it a triple whammy in romantic comedies with actor Hugh Grant, but while Two Weeks Notice and Music and Lyrics which I unabashedly enjoyed, Did You Hear About the Morgans is too contrived and too formulaic for it to work wonders, and in some ways mirror the recent The Proposal about a neurotic woman who finds herself like a fish out of water once relocated away from the big city and into a small town, this time in Ray, Wyoming as part of a witness protection programme.

I still can't quite fathom the appeal of Sarah Jessica Parker that she's really not cut out for anything remotely romantic out of her highly successful Sex and the City series, and minor plastic surgery aside, one does get tired with the often neurotic and whiny roles that she plays. Hello, it's not adorable, just plain irritating, and her pairing up with Hugh Grant the puppy dog lover is a very big misfire as they seem to want to perform a leg up over the other, and really come across as adversaries rather than a couple looking toward reconciliation.

This lack of chemistry tanks what is so essential in a romance. Comedy wise, there are a few one liners which are funny enough, but those belong to Sam Elliot, whose small town sheriff easily steals the show from Hugh Grant, who plays a man quite similar to his real life escapades, cheating on his companion and then finding himself working ten times harder to get back to her good books. His Paul Morgan is a highly successful lawyer trying to woo back his estranged wife Meryl (SJ Parker), an equally successful real estate agent, except that their busy schedules do not permit much of an interaction.

Then there's this needless subplot about the romantic entanglements of their personal assistants, which is more of a side show phony probably thrown in to extend the runtime. The rest of the film follows a wash-rinse-repeat cycle, with the Morgans trying to reconnect in a farmhouse out of nowhere, while interacting with the residents of the town who seem to keep double and triple jobs, and enlightening the couple out of their materialistic ways. And then they bicker some more, reconcile a little, and really, it'll come to a point that you will be rooting for the assassin to succeed in putting one of them out to end your misery.

It's such a lacklustre affair that you don't really want to hear about the Morgans, or want to care at all. Marc Lawrence really needs to break out of Hugh's shadow and believe that he can make movies without him, or come up with a better pairing since his brand of formula has seen better days with Sandra Bullock and Drew Barrymore, who bring much more to the table than Sarah Jessica Parker. Enough of the whining already!

Invictus

For Country

In his last 2 films, Clint Eastwood addressed the challenges one person faced against a corrupt, established system in the Changeling, and in Gran Torino, took on racism head on with himself starring in the lead role. With Invictus, I felt that it combined his last two films into one, with another veteran actor Morgan Freeman stepping into an historical role as Nelson Mandela, at a time just after being elected and faced with a deeply divided society across racial lines. This is not your usual run-of-the-mill biopic, and you can trust the award winning filmmaker to weave yet another wonderful, engaging film.

Set in a time just after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, and elected President of a post-apartheid South Africa still fresh from its racial, divisive wounds, the story based upon John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game that Changed a Nation, traces the parallels in the challenges that Mandela had in governing a new country whose citizens still harbour deep, resentful mistrust against those of a different skin colour, with that against South Africa's national rugby team, known as the Springboks, in their uphill quest for World Cup glory, having initially been written off as no-hopers in the tournament.

We all know how sports can bring people of all races, class and all strata of society together, galvanized behind a winning team and celebrating victories as a nation. In fact, we've seen it for ourselves in our early days of nationhood, with Kallang being the battleground in which folks come together to cheer our football team on, regardless of race, language and religion. The same can be said here, where Mandela, with so much on his plate, chose to put some focus on the Springboks in their World Cup journey, knowing that his plan, trivial though crazy as it may seem at first, had all the foresight in knowing that reconciliation as a nation is within reach. All that's needed is for team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) to believe he and his team can deliver.

Part of what contributed to this masterpiece is that the lead actors Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon both disappear into their roles. I've said enough thus far that Morgan Freeman remains one of my favourite character actors, though his role as this historical political figure, takes the cake. He took great pains to study the mannerisms of the man he's portraying and the result is magnificent, with what I've garnered from news reels on even his speech patterns gotten right down to a pat. As a man who walks the talk, we see this through the appointment of his security detail, as well as how he engages his back office team to look beyond skin colour, and to focus on ability instead, to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. This cinematic Mandela is as great an orator as the current US President, though at times when Eastwood tries a little too hard to force the messages of peace and forgiveness through, the speeches, monologues or dialogues do seem a tad heavy handed.

Audiences would likely be more familiar with Matt Damon's action role as Jason Bourne, though he has proven his acting chops through the Ocean Eleven/Twelve/Thirteen series, and his weight gain to play The Informant!. Here he converts those fats into muscle mass to play rugby player Pienaar, though he had to rely on camera tricks and angles to make him look a lot bigger than he actually is. With his hair dyed blonde and new found bulk, he does look believable as he is charismatic in trying to also walk what Mandela has talked to him about, with responsibilities on the pitch to galvanize a team into believing they've got a shot at the largest trophy of their sport.

For all the economical minimalist that Clint Eastwood is reputedly touted for in his films, when it comes to the crunch he too does demonstrate that he's up to the mark in delivering epics based on history, such as his WWII magnum opus seen from both warring perspectives. A remarkable thing here about the film is that there's not a single, actual archived footage that was used (as far as I can tell), save some static photos in the end credits. Everything got recreated, right down to the exhilarating rugby games against the English, West Samoans, French and the famed New Zealand All Blacks (Check out that Jonah Lomu lookalike, and that Haka!) and the way Rugby got shot here will leave a fine impression on you, if not turn you into a fan of the game in the shortest time possible.

But what was real, was a powerful scene which was set in the actual cell that Mandela was incarcerated for years, where if I were to be put inside that same cell, I'd probably go insane given its bareness, as well as not being able to gaze outside and smell fresh air, unless to perform hard labour. It's an emotional sequence and one that will allow you to appreciate just how magnanimous Mandela was when he got released, versus the very human trait of wanting to seek revenge for injustice done against oneself.

Language wise, it may be a little difficult to listen to the South African accented English at times, but don't let that turn you off. It's another World Cup this year, football's that is, which will be held in South Africa, but before that swings by in Summer, make time for Invictus, and you'll be rewarded with yet another fine film from a director whose craft ages like fine wine, with masterful performances and an engaging storyline. Highly recommended!

[DVD] The Fountain (2006)

Discovery of New Things

The Fountain was one of my favourite films back in 2007 when it was screened here, and having watched it again on DVD, it provided an opportunity to do so this time round with a separate director's commentary running concurrently as well, which was previously available for download at Darren Aronofsky's website because he had unsuccessfully lobbied for one to be included in the film's DVD release.

In any case a second viewing provided a richer experience, and perhaps due to the additional observations made which provided that extra factor of enjoyment, and a much fuller appreciation of the themes of life and death a lot more. This time round the pain and suffering felt between the two lead characters being a lot more acute with a sense of closure when one comes to terms with inevitable Death that looms. How every segment ties in with one another at different points, and the many references made, will allow new things to be taken away with each viewing.

You can read my earlier review of the film here, and oh yeah, Clint Mansell's score rocks!

Code 1 DVD by Warner Bros autoplays with 3 trailers presented in letterbox format - The Painted Veil, Pan's Labyrinth and The Science of Sleep, which never made it here. The feature film is presented in anamorphic widescreen which accentuates the light and shadow play in the film very well, and audio is in Dolby Digital 5.1 English or French. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish, and Scene Selection is available over 23 Chapters.

Unfortunately the Special Features department is quite scant, only having one major making-of documentary titled Inside The Fountain: Death and Rebirth presented in letterbox format, and you have the option of watching it in 6 parts, or to utilize the play-all function. The 6 parts presents a look at the entire filmmaking process from behind the scenes, interviews, rehearsals and such, and it begins with the segment on Australia (7:39), which gives a look at the pre-production stage of the original concept idea back in 2002, how the project came together, and a glimpse at the major production set of the Mayan temple before the project was canned. Thank you Brad Pitt in a way for all the effort wasted at this stage.

The 21st Century (10:19) begins when the project was green lit again with a smaller budget, and looks at the production work in Montreal, Canada, where "the present" was filmed. The segments that follow, such as Spain - 16th Century (13:31) and New Spain (9:58), take a look at the production work behind the look and feel of the atmospheric re-creation of the Spanish Inquisition, and the battle scenes at the Maryan temple. The Endless Field (7:09) as the name suggests, examines the staging of a key scene in the film with regards to the Tree of Life, and you'd get to see rehearsal footage of Huge Jackman, and discover just what went into the making of the creamy tree sap together with movie magic behind the sprouting of vegetables.

The segment ends with The Future (15:12) which tells all about the scenes in the year 2050, where macro photography of chemical reactions in petri dish was used to create the look of the nebula. And plenty of behind the scenes look at how

The Special Features end on a whimper with the inclusion of the Theatrical Trailer (2:21).

2010 Singapore Movies

Feature Films

Cowboys in Paradise - Amit Virmani, Feb / Nov

Click here to read my review.
Click here to read my interview with the director.

Being Human / 做人 - Jack Neo, Mar
Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


Happy Go Lucky / 福星到 - Harry Yap, Mar

Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


Trailer (With Hokkien):


Kidnapper - Kelvin Tong, Mar

Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


Red Dragonflies - Liao Jiekai, Mar (World Premiere - Hong Kong International Film Festival), Singapore Premiere - April 2011 Southeast Asian Film Festival, 5th May 2011 - Singapore Commercial Run

Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


Gurushetram – 24 Hours of Anger - T T Dhavamanni

Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


Roulette City - Thomas Lim, Apr (SIFF)

Click here to read my review.

Trailer


In The House of Straw - Chris Yeo Siew Hua (Bangkok International Film Festival 2009, World Premiere), SIFF Apr


Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


Memories of a Burning Tree - Sherman Ong, Apr (SIFF)

Click here to read my review.

Old Cow vs Tender Grass 《老牛与嫩草》 - Fok Chi Kai, Jul

Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


PCK The Movie - Boris Boo

Click here to read my review.

No Mobile Phone Teaser:


Singapore Trailer


Malaysia Trailer


Like Sunshine After Rain - Jeffrey Chiang, Aug (World Premiere, Sinema Fictional Fridays)

Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


Sandcastle - Boo Junfeng, Cannes’ Critics Week Sidebar (May), Local Premiere (Aug)


Click here to read my review.

Click here for the film blog.

Trailer:


Haunted Changi - Tony Kern, Sep
Production Blog
Facebook
Click here to read my review.
Click here for the Cast and Crew Q&A.

Trailer:


Love Cuts (割爱) - Gerald Lee, Sep

Click here to read my review.

Trailer:


When Hainan Meets Teochew - Han Yew Kwang, Dec

Click here to read my review.
Click here to read the DVD review.

Trailer:


Teaser 1:


Teaser 2:


Teaser 3:


The Ghosts Must Be Crazy / 鬼也笑 - Boris Boo, Mark Lee, Dec 2010 Sneaks, Jan 2011

Click here to read my review.

Trailer:

Telemovie

The Birdsong Trilogy - Royston Tan, Mar
Click here to view the trailer.

Old Places / 老地方 - Royston Tan, Victric Thng, Eva Tang, Aug @ Okto Channel
Click here to read my review.

Trailer 1:


Trailer 2:


Trailer 3:


Love in a Cab / 等一等爱情 - Han Yew Kwang, Dec @ Channel U

Click here to read my review.

Top 10 of 2009

It's time for that annual ritual of putting out the best-of lists, and a pattern can be spotted each year with the films that make it to mine. This year though it's the rather unfortunate predominance of Death as a theme or a backdrop, and it's no wonder though that it had somewhat lent its invisible hand in the shortlist and eventual whittling down a list of at least 50 to the top 10. Here goes...

10. The Blue Mansion
Glen Goei's return to the cinema, The Blue Mansion is probably the most expensive local film ever made to date, only to be shot predominantly up north in Penang's UNESCO heritage site, the Cheong Fatt Sze Mansion. But that doesn't delineate the film from its Singapore roots, given its parallels that can be seen from characters, moods and the issues brought up. It's a Singapore film at its best, with veteran thespians from both sides of the Causeway showcasing their acting talents boosted by top class production values. More from Glen Goei, please.

9. Up
If the first 10 minutes doesn't move you to tears, then you have a certified heart of stone. I cannot recall a film that sucker punches you at an emotional level, like how Up managed to. A reminder that we should live life to its fullest and to continuously create our own adventures. It takes a lot of guts to have a senior citizen anchor a children's film, but Up has proven that it has appeal for all ages.

8. 3 Idiots
To learn and acquire knowledge, not just for the sake of passing exams. This Bollywood film starring one of the Khans, Aamir Khan, tells the story of a group of varsity friends who get influenced by the live-wire of the trio, with all the ingredients that make that perfect masala movie. Containing deep themes of friendship and learning balanced with crowd pleasing entertainment that only a Bollywood film can offer, Aal Izz Well for this film.

7. Talentime
Yasmin Ahmad's final feature film, it has all the hallmarks of the sentimental director in tackling race and religious issues without shoveling them down your throat. With a mixture of fresh faces and the usual suspects in its casting, Talentime will make you laugh and cry at the same time, where the multi-racial school serves as an analogy for the society that we live in, that tolerance and appreciation of our differences were always meant to be celebrated, never scorned at or looked down upon.

6. City of Life and Death (南京! 南京!)
There are a number of Nanking themed films out there, but Lu Chuan's version provides that comprehensive look at the atrocities that were reportedly committed, and provided a stark unflinching portrayal of those horrors, having in place an iconic scene involving a baby that will definitely shock you to the core. The excellent capturing of Fear through mood and countless of facial close-ups make this compelling viewing.

5. The Hurt Locker
A war film like none other, Kathryn Bigelow dispenses with the usual routine red-blue wire bomb nonsense, and crafts a film that deals with the addiction of war amongst its combatants. It's edge-of-your-seat stuff gripping from the get go, with ace performances and chemistry shared between leads Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty. joined by a host of notable cameos.

4. District 9
Science fiction has a new classic, and it took a rookie feature filmmaker to breathe freshness into the genre with a tale that entertains and puts you deep in thought about the negativity in humanity's flaws, tackling larger issues such as discrimination. But that doesn't mean that it lacked some eye-popping action sequences when the narrative called for it, with some of the most inventive battles ever seen in a life-action film involving humans, aliens, and mechas too!

3. Departures (Okuribito)
The Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, this film is achingly beautiful, about a man finally finding his calling in life, only to be shunned by his wife for being in a taboo profession. Wonderful characterization, and a fantastic insight into a rarely seen ritual that honours the dearly departed.

2. Sell Out!
Multi-talented Malaysian filmmaker Yeo Joon Han wore plenty of hats here in order to make his debut feature film, a musical comedy that has one of the most rip-roaring opening sequences I've experienced in a long time. Its brand of humour is broad, from slapstick "mo-lei-tau" to witty dialogue, and there's never a dull moment in this film that has so much going for it that it begs for multiple viewings to catch all the visual gags and easter eggs contained within. A definite delight

1. (500) Days of Summer
It's still quite a painful film to sit through, for me at least, not that it was badly made, but because it cut extremely close to the heart. A love story that wasn't, and one that had its chance whittle away long before it even began. One simple line was all it took about the inability to feel for someone the same way every morning, to hit the nail squarely on the head with its brutal, honest take on relationships that don't work out.

I can only select 10 to highlight, but there are definitely a lot more from the more than 250 films theatrically screened this year that deserves an honourable mention, in alphabetical order and no other particular order:

9
An Education
Bandslam
Billu
Blood Ties (還魂)
Climber's High (Kuraimâzu Hai)
The Cove
Crank: High Voltage
I Love You, Man
If You Are The One (非诚勿扰)
Kabei Our Mother (Kaabee)
Luck By Chance
Nobody to Watch Over Me (Dare Mo Mamotte Kurenai)
Overheard (竊聽風雲)
Personal Effects
Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year
Star Trek
State of Play
Taken
Zombieland