All's Well, Ends Well 2010 (花田囍事2010 / Fa Tin Hei Si 2010)

Gong Hei Fatt Choy!

With the franchise given new lease of life last year, with even Raymond Wong and Sandra Ng making their way to Singapore on a whirlwind tour to promote the slated for Lunar New Year comedy, it comes up against the other CNY offering of 72 Tenants of Prosperity from Shaw Brothers and TVB, pitting both head on except for local distributors who decide to keep them a week apart from cannibalizing on each other. Both feature an ensemble cast, but comparing the two, 72 Tenants have got my vote as the better one should you need to watch a Chinese comedy this holiday season.

AWEW2010 reunites the principal cast of Raymond Wong, Sandra Ng, Louis Koo, Raymond Cheng, Lee Heung Kam and Ha Chun-Chau from the reinvigorated predecessor, and they are joined by relative new faces Angela Baby, Lynn Hung, Kristal Tin and Pan Yueming taking up madcap roles in this feel good movie which follows the formula of desperados seeking love through extreme comedy measures, and by the end of it round it all up with a mass marriage. This is the formula from the start of the franchise more than a decade ago, and I suppose is signature of the series to warrant any changes.

The story's kept pretty simple to follow, set in the fictional kingdom of Hua Tien, where Louis Koo's Emperor Ocean holds court, being a kung-fu fanatic who tries to master fantastical martial arts made famous in Louis Cha's novels. Awaiting the arrival of his sister Princess Wai Chu (Angela Baby) who's under the protection of lover and General Bing (Raymond Cheng), the Princess got lost in an ambush, only to be rescued by Million Wong (Raymond Wong), who decided that the amnesiac Wai Chu pose as his own missing daughter Ying (Lynn Hung) to be married off to the Ng scion (played by Pan Yueming), whose aunt is a stereotypical role that Sandra Ng excels in and can play with her eyes closed.

It's a mix up of identities something like the Prince and the Pauper, only this time to involve 2 girls and their respective 2 suitors, with peripheral characters complicating all the relationship matters here through the concealing of intentions for personal material gain. Being a light hearted romp, don't go about expecting any depth to the characters, who can flip flop like the wind as the situation calls for it, in order to bring in the laughs. Spoofs also do not go unnoticed, and the biggest one here happen to be that of Ip Man again, though this time around (after 72 Tenants) it doesn't seem to be funny anymore.

Which is unfortunate because the entire movie doesn't have too many genuinely funny moments. Yes it can be ridiculous, but it doesn't even come across as mo-lei-tau funny at all. Granted that this is the Mandarin version and some jokes could have been lost in translation, frankly this is one time that I don't find that this is the case. The jokes fell flat most of the time, and really tried so hard that each scene came across in a very contrived manner. Some instances of Cantonese were left intact, mostly the song and dance sequence. For those who are still standing on the “Keep Hong Kong Movies in Mandarin” side of the fence, tell me with a straight face that you can sit through the ending song that was dubbed and sung so horrendously, it makes my bathroom singing all the more melodic.

I'm not sure if this film has the legs to carry on for another episode next year, but if it does then let's hope that the cast can be reunited under a more coherent, wittier script in order to bring about fun and laughter like it was supposed to.

True Legend (苏乞儿 / Su Qi-Er)

Fists of Poison

Fans of the martial arts genre would likely first notice Vincent Zhao's burst into the scene opposite Jet Li no less, when the latter was at his prime in a series of films, meeting a formidable exponent in Zhao since both are prized martial arts winners from China, in a memorable duel under a stage in Fong Sai Yuk, bent low and executing lightning quick moves. While Zhao's entrance was a villainous one, his career somehow never stepped up, and seemed a little bit like Donnie Yen's, destined to find relative success toward the later part of his career.

No offense meant, but save for the rarely seen and broodingly dark Blade, directed by Tsui Hark, Zhao has somehow languished as a backup. Everyone knows how well he can carry off a martial arts duel, and wooden acting shouldn't be a barrier to making a kung fu movie, but somehow the opportunities only came when he had to step in (for Jet Li) as Wong Fei Hung when Li reportedly fell out with Tsui Hark, and step in again in iconic roles such as Storm Warrior's Cloud (complete with ridiculous hair since we associate Zhao with a balder Manchu pate), when obviously the television series of the film couldn't rope in Aaron Kwok and Ekin Chen when the budget ensured Sonny Chiba came onboard. Film roles became few and far between, and his career seemed stuck in television. Until now when this Yuen Woo Ping directed film decided to cast him in the lead role as the legendary Su Chan, or Beggar Su, founder of the Drunken Fist technique.

Chinese martial arts films have no lack of material to adapt, with folk heroes and legendary characters making that leap from history to film, with the latest being Ip Man, and we all know how well that turned out for Donnie Yen. In fact, I'd like to think True Legend provided the perfect opportunity for Vincent Zhao to shine, especially since his Su Chan does battle using a vast array of weapons (some real, some CG-ed), and his Beggar Su, well, executing his famous technique. From the get go the film is action packed almost all the way, battling it out on some amazingly created landscapes such as dark underground dungeons, a deep well, atop some mean looking mountainous statues, and in a gladiatorial arena.

As this version of the story goes, it's about the downfall of Su Chan and his transformation of Beggar Su. As one of the Imperial Guards, Su Chan gains favour with the Prince for his many successful exploits, the most recent being a rescue mission, but he has a higher calling in life, deciding to dedicate his life to his family, the opening of a martial arts school, and the seeking of a higher form of martial arts. However his sworn brother Yuan Lie (Andy On) decides to exact revenge because of the sins of their fathers, and soundly defeats Su Chan because of his mastery of a deadly black arts called the Five Venom Palm, which comes complete with an extreme creation of a hand-sewn armour into his body.

In any case, True Legend is actually two stories in one. The first story tells the portion of Su Chan's transformation to Beggar Chan, which is split into 3 acts, the first which is the obligatory background story, then followed by his recovery and training, ending off with revenge which provided a full load of action upon action. The second part however turned out to be a rehash of Fearless and whichever film that had been set in the Chinese era of the onslaught of foreign powers, and an arena is used to settle differences. The narrative though still came through as choppy with scenes that seemed a little out of place based on some questionably straightforward editing to splice scenes together, but the one that takes the cake happens to be the irritating edits to the more brutal scenes in the second half of the film. Fearless was rated NC16 and the fights, especially killing blows, were left intact. With a PG rating for this, expect plenty of little bits to be snipped off, which was really disturbing as edits were made every few bloody seconds, no thanks to Beggar Su having to settle a Royal Rumble type of battle. So you have now been warned.

There are however some positives to be taken away from the film, and that comes from the array of stars who got attached to the project. Zhou Xun is a fine actress, and her presence here provided that well needed contrast of acting ability compensating for the lack thereof in Zhao's, starring as Su Chan's wife Ying, the pillar of strength, confidence and hope. Andy On played Yuan Lie with enough creepiness and ruthlessness that he may be one of the more memorable martial arts villains amongst recent kung fu films, adding to that his treading the extremely thin line of incest as well with Ying, in wanting to be together forever with her.

But it's the supporting cast of a notable who's who in the Chinese martial arts arena, that had me excited. Imagine having the likes of Gordon Liu (as Old Sage), the late David Carradine and Michelle Yeoh (as Physician Yu) all in one film, and more exasperatingly, none of them had anything remotely “kung fu” to do, save for floating atop grasslands, and Yeoh even being cast as a healer. Each of them, being in martial arts or related films for a significant time in their respective careers, don't get to do what they're famed for. Instead, a lot of martial arts fighting went to Jay Chou (as God of Martial Arts!!), which I suppose could have served as training ground prior to this Kato role in The Green Hornet. To give him credit, Chou still has what it takes to deliver his martial arts moves quite convincingly, and that's basically all that he does, though bound to elicit a chuckle or two for his ridiculous get up.

Something that is a little more strange, is how acclaimed director Feng Xiaogang got his name in the acting credits as a pickpocket, but a character which didn't appear in the movie proper at all, opting instead to have a scene being featured for a few seconds during the end credit role, which seemed more like a deleted scene meant for the DVD. Only time will tell on this aspect, and made it seem that To Chi-long's screenplay contained dispensable elements, as do a few missteps that made its way on screen.

It's been a long while since Yuen Woo Ping helmed a film as a director, and here he applied plenty of wire-fu liberally to craft a film that provided for some fantastical elements in its martial arts. Despite the hard hitting action, ultimately it was let down by a less than coherent storyline, and the distributors here who opted for a lower rating to entice the holiday crowd, butchering the only saving grace of the film which are the fight sequences.

Crazy Heart

Smittened

You'll never quite treasure something until you lost it, and then you'll inevitably appreciate its value when you had it.

That perhaps summed up my feelings after watching Crazy Heart, where Jeff Bridges played this down and out has been country musician Bad Blake, who had squandered away his success by way of bottle and women in non-lasting relationships. Relegated to small time performing gigs across the country, he finds inspiration through Maggie Gyllenhaal's Jean, only to find himself unable to keep to his promises and still continuing with his vices.

Jeff Bridges provides possibly the best performance of his career to date, and is a one man force as Bad Blake as he performs and sings on stage, nursing a bad attitude and a long time grudge against his protege Tommy, played by Colin Farrell. I thought this inexplicable grudge he has had more bite to the story than his romantic side, since we're geared more to wondering just what his problem is, with Tommy being ever ready to acknowledge his mentor's guiding hand publicly. Both men though had to sing for real in the show, and their performances are convincing, more so when they have to perform together on the same stage.

And the songs are something which you'll remember his film for as well, and this coming from a non-country music fan. I must say I'm fairly impressed by the quality and how feet-tapping the tunes are, so no prizes for guessing which nominee for the Oscar's Best Original Song that I'll be rooting for.

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

The Wolfman

You Wouldn't Like Me When The Full Moon Is Up

A remake of the 1941 werewolf classic, The Wolfman stars Benecio Del Toro in the titular role of a man who's unlucky enough to be bitten by a wolf like creature, and come full moon, will turn into a howling half man half wolf, with powers so strong he can only be put down by silver bullets. And this updated version comes complete with an Incredible Hulk like transformation from man to beast, making painstaking details on how that's done thanks to advancement in CG effects and hairy facial makeup with mean looking fangs put to good use, especially when it conforms to contemporary horror / torture porn territory in the bloodier and gorier, the better. Prepare for bloodbaths and spilled innards when the werewolf goes on a rampage in the film's limited, but well designed set action sequences.

With thespians like Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving, one would have thought that they'd bring some gravitas to their roles. Unfortunately the storyline's pretty lightweight, and more so for Weaving's Scotland Yard inspector character hell bent on tracking down the mystery of the beast. Don't expect Hopkin's role to be that memorable, though he shared some of the best dramatic scenes in the film opposite Del Toro. Much cannot be said of Emily Blunt's romantic interest role, which had far too little to do to make it believable that her character and the Wolfman had fallen for each other. In fact, the romance between King Kong and Ann Darrow emote more feelings than this beast-human one.

Still, this glossy remake is highly atmospheric and with Danny Elfman's dark score, makes it enjoyable as a B-film homage, but don't expect this to become anything definitive. It comes close, but not quite.

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

Little Big Soldier (大兵小将 / Da Bing Xiao Jiang)

He Ain't Heavy

Little Big Soldier continues to reinforce a point, that while one can afford to forgo Jackie Chan's rather dismal outing in any Hollywood flicks of late, his Asian films are a totally different story altogether. JC was said to have this story brewing for some two decades now, and initially his plan was to play the Big General himself, but good advice and probably with more confidence in his dramatic acting ability meant he takes on the Little Soldier role, and went with Wang Leehom for the other.

Maybe I'm crediting him too much since he came up with the story, but here's a film that would probably not work without JC taking on one of the characters, with the Little Soldier seem tailor made for him at this stage of his career, no longer needing to be the hero, but ever willing to be part of the underdogs, which Hollywood still frowns upon (hey, he's JC, he has to be a top notch cop/spy/secret agent/etc), as compared to everyday working man roles like that in Shinjuku Incident, Rob-B-Hood, and as a cowardly soldier whose self preservation instinct kicks into overdrive all the time.

Set prior to the unification of China by the Qin dynasty, the film opens with what seemed like a total annihilation in the battlefield between Wei and Liang troops, only to find Liang's Little Soldier being able to capture Wei's super Big General (Leehom) only because the latter is severely injured. With the promise of plenty of land for the live capture of an enemy general, Little Soldier makes it a point to cart Big General back to his country at all costs, so that he can settle down with new found wealth, coupled with an exemption from having to serve in the army. But of course Big General comes with a lot of baggage in knowing that his kindred had betrayed him and his elite troops in a battle, and are after him to ensure that he stays dead.

So lies the gist of the story, which to say anymore would be to spoil the fun and the depth of the story's development. Suffice to say JC's story contains enough to make you feel for the two lead characters, where their natural adversary would pave the way to inevitable friendship being forged by way of encountering and overcoming painful obstacles and challenges posed along the way, as the adage goes, two is better than one. JC too plays his character so well that you can't help but to endear to his multiple gimmicky toys he employs to survive in battles, plus the sheer luck and street smarts he has to rely on to get out of sticky situations. I'm not much of a Leehom fan, but he managed to pull of his role as the stoic general with aplomb, and shares some fine chemistry with JC, believable that these guys would be friends should they not be from different lands.

But the strength of the film comes from how the two characters contrast with, and how they rub off their respective ideals on each other. The Little Soldier aspires to lead a simple life of farming, to go back to his roots of a simple life, reminiscing upon his father's wise words, where rich means a plot of land to farm, two cows and a wife. Fighting in battles is not his cup of tea, and he'll do anything just to ensure that he comes out unscathed, even if it means being branded as a cowardly deserter. On the other hand, Big General aspires to conquer lands and if inevitable, to die gloriously in battle. Soon enough, he learns how having small but fulfilling, meaningful aspirations would be miles better than material wealth, of the joys that a simple, peaceful life can bring compared to one of constant fights. For the Small Soldier, lessons in the virtues of honour and courage get imparted, which leads to an especially touching and poignant finale.

Serving as action director. JC keeps all the fight sequences here fresh. You know how it is with action flicks when one battle scene doesn't offer anything new from the one that preceded it, JC had done something right in the fight choreography department. There are enough moments here to showcase straight forward fighting sequences, and those of his signature acrobatic buffoonery to suit the role of his Little Soldier to a T. Watch out too for his hilarious gimmicks employed, which will surely bring out a chuckle or two, which only JC can deliver in a true blue JC film.

It's been some time since JC had a major project rolled out every Lunar New Year, and this one comes just in time to perhaps continue in that tradition. If it's anything to go by, this film has surpassed expectations set low thanks to a lacklustre trailer, and thankfully the end product is confirmed to be miles better. He may be slower these days, but Little Big Soldier demonstrates that JC still has what it takes to deliver a Chinese blockbuster. As with almost all JC movies, sit back during the end credits roll to enjoy the many outtakes included.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

What's That?

I guess you know the drill already. With the Lord of the Rings making Hollywood studios go into a frenzy in adapting the many fantasy books out there, not everything Tinseltown touched turned to box office gold, and more often than not, save for that famous boy wizard, what could have been pilots of franchises, became no more than false starts. I suppose it goes to show that a solid story is still fundamental, other than making yet another special effects extravaganza to try and wow a growingly jaded audience.

So the verdict for Percy Jackson & the Olympians? I dare say I was impressed by how engaging it was, so much so that 2 hours just flew by, but that doesn't mean that it didn't have its fair share of plot loopholes for you to ridicule, or cliches that make you chuckle that these are still utilized in this day and age. Simply put, if the Greek gods and goddesses were all powerful, especially that of Zeus, well the first few minutes as played by Sean Bean, made him out to be a clueless weakling who had his all powerful lightning bolt being stolen from under his nose, like taking candy from a kid, and now the kid's throwing a bad tantrum, threatening the fate of the world and that of Olympus (erm, the Empire State Building in New York, anyone?) unless his accused, the titular thief and demigod son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) coughs out his favourite toy.

But that is only if Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is guilty in the first place, given that he actually doesn't know his half-god lineage no thanks to Poseidon being horny enough (as do the other gods in their frequent visits to the human earth) to impregnate Sally Jackson (Catherine Keener), and then Sally deciding to keep Percy safe from jealous harm from other godly beings, because being the son of Zeus, Poseidon and Hades (Steve Coogan) is a big thing actually, the three being big daddies and sworn brothers in this mythology.

But of course in one fell swoop, all hell breaks loose, Percy discovers that a Pen can indeed be a powerful weapon, and allies himself with a Satyr Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) his good friend and protector, the cute demigod Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario) - note the necessary trio of heroes in the vein of Harry Potter here given that they're demigods, but still need to go to a Hogwarts equivalent to hone their special abilities, amongst other Greek god offsprings numbering in the hundreds (told you they were horny), in the middle of a nowhere forest, demarcated by a sign board and a force field to keep out muggles, I mean, humans.

Being an introductory film to the world of the Olympians, we learn facts like why Percy's such a big deal (no he didn't repel the biggest foe in the franchise), and the little do's and don'ts they have to learn from the likes of the centaur Chiron (Pierce Brosnan). But kids being kids, and wanting to save his mom from the clutches of Hell, Percy and his friends embark on an American cross country road trip, and in the meantime try to decipher just who could that Thief be, having 14 days as the deadline to meet, which forms the basis of incidents and episodes that the trio come face to face with in exhibiting their powers (well, actually only Percy's).

Part of the fun is to see how other notable names in the casting list get to play up their gods and demon status. Uma Thurman stars as Medusa, spruced up by special effects snakes adorned on her head, which at certain points looked quite CG-ed for its own good. Or having Rosario Dawson star as Persephone in quite fed-up manner, and the lists goes on. Suffice to say that many of the appearances here are quite self contained in the scene they appear in, that they rarely re-appear again until the sequel (already announced for next year). Joe Pantoliano hams it up as Percy's muggle, I mean human step dad, and I was somewhat impressed by the extremely mean looking CG design of Hades, which can really strike fear with his appearance. The one that came out in the bonfire, that is.

With Clash of the Titans coming just round the corner, one wonders whether it may suffer from an audience jaded with this version's interpretation of Greek mythology, plus the uncanny use of the same villainous types that would prove detrimental by the time Titans come around. I guess that remains to be seen. Meanwhile, stay tuned when the end credits start rolling, as there's a scene that'll come on as soon as the cast list rolls off. And I certainly have no clue why "The Olympians" were dropped from the title of its release here.

[DVD] The Damned United (2009)

There's Only One Damn United

I'm an Arsenal fan just so you know, and besides Fever Pitch, that cameo in Ocean's Twelve, and that Nike football advertisement directed by Guy Ritchie (Take It To the Next Level), The Damned United also featured an historical archived footage with the 70s Arsenal playing. But this is more or less a Leeds United film which set in its heydays, but more so a fictionalized dramatization of an England Manager who wasn't, Brian Howard Clough, whom you know to date as won back to back European Cup championships with Nottingham Forest, a feat not repeated since.

But this is not about Forest, but goes a little back to his beginnings as a club manager, and looks at the time where he's managing Derby County, before his limited 44 day run at Leeds as manager. Michael Sheen brings out the role of Clough perfectly, and is the centerpiece of two main storylines here, one about his obsessive rivalry with ex-Leeds and now England manager Don Revie (Colm Meany) almost along the lines of The Prestige, and that of his professional successful partnership with assistant manager Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall). Balancing football action with extremely insightful characterization, The Damned United boasts some beautiful art direction, and an awesome soundtrack to bring to life a football era that is long gone, now seduced more by tremendous amounts of money being thrown at it.

This is a damn fine film packed into a damn fine 1-disc DVD chock full of extras, that any English football fan cannot afford to miss. If Goal is a film that captured action on the pitch perfectly through the point of view of a fictional character, then this one is that perfect film that examines the capturing of the back room activities from the point of view of a real life manager. Armchair football gamers, put your game down for a while, and watch this film. You'll be doing yourself a favour!

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

[PSYCH! - SMU Film Festival] Afghan Star

Call Now To Vote

I was unable to make it for the one-off screening last year at the National Museum because of a good friend's wedding lunch, so I was thrilled to be able to catch it during SMU's Psych! Film Festival, which had this as the closing film, as well as director Havana Marking to be in attendance for a post screening Q&A session. Unfortunately I didn't bring the tools of the trade so I was unable to share with you the Q&A session as it was presented.

In any case, Afghan Star belongs to one of those films that I, and you should too, absolutely must see. Our perception and views of the war-torn country are just those images that are fed to us through the news channels, what with gun-totting terrorists and suicide bombers who don't second guess themselves before inflicting mass casualties, against a landscape and backdrop that always feature the ubiquitous coalition soldier and their heavy machinery. Our views of Afghanistan itself belongs to the Taliban era, with women in veils, and everyone living up to some extremely strict regulations and closed door society.

Which is now quite the surprise to see what I thought was some semblance of a normal life, with cities buzzing, and communities opening up and partaking in activities that were frowned upon years back. Central to this documentary is the reality TV show Pop Idol in Afghanistan, where once reality television would mean its infamous stadium where public executions would take place. Instead, it's now fairly modern with television sets abound, and everyone, like the rest of the world, stay glued to their sets for the latest installment to find the best singing sensation that the country can offer. What more, they get to vote too, in quite the democratic, consumer-capitalism process.

Of course I find this astonishing, because I'm never a firm believer of such a frivolous activity of entertaining oneself through the mass votes of anyone, which easily translates to an abuse of power and a skew of advantage toward the haves versus the have nots. But here as a society, this novelty of a somewhat democratic process has taken over in a very short span of time. After all, this form of reality TV has become quite the force to be reckoned with in television programming.

But the bigger value to be obtained from this film, from its narrative flow of following the Pop Idol contestants from auditions to the crowning of their Idol, are from the scenes which go behind and dig deeper into the contestants and their backgrounds, listening to their hopes and dreams, and observing first hand the accolades and the threats from the brickbats that they receive, especially the female contestants who still have to battle conservative minds dead set against their newly found freedom.

Such is the power of this film, bringing us close to sights unseen from the ground level, with incredible landscapes and environments to feast your eyes on things that are seldom seen, yet revealing that deep down we're actually sharing similar ideals, feelings, hopes and dreams, inevitably influenced through the powers of capitalism and consumerism, for better and hopefully not for worse.

I Hate Valentine's Day

Clueless

I haven't seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding from start to end, but from what I gathered from scenes, Nia Vardalos is quite the force to be reckoned with, although it took her quite a while to come up with yet another cinematic romantic comedy, and wearing triple hats of responsibility in writing, directing and starring as the lead in I Hate Valentine's Day, a title which I thought was quite the misnomer for a film about a would be couple who has to learn that the games people play have to be thrown out of the window should they find that perfect chemistry between themselves, but felt constraint by artificial, social rules that worse of all, got made by and illogically adhered to themselves.

Vardalos stars as Genevieve, the chirpy proprietor of a flower shop, who to her friends is the go-to person for advice on their relationships, be it from the male or female perspective because she's quite proud of the fact that she's got it all figured out. Her secret to her happiness, is to suck the life out a man made 5 dates worth of happiness with any person of the opposite sex. You know, when you first get attracted to and fall for someone, everything that started off will be perfect, where bad dinners taste delicious, everything gets forgiven, and it's pure bliss any direction you turn to. It is exactly this first feeling of romance that Genevieve feeds on, and develops her rules to prevent her heart from being broken by a bad relationship, or one that stagnates, with exact mission objectives that each dating session should accomplish. Talk about being a control freak, in an extremely nice way, and twisted as it may sound, it could be quite feasible, really.

But of course this is a definite cover up of deeper emotions of emptiness that she has to open her eyes and heart to, and this comes in the form of neighbouring restaurant owner Greg (John Corbett), who is game enough to play the game on her terms, and to his surprise, actually works. Then you know the drill of the plot already since the trailer gave much away, with both wanting a lot more than 5 dates, and find that both are willing if they'd only decide to swallow pride and ego. It's like Hitch dishing out advice, only to find that eating his own cooking is something of a different story altogether.

I have to admit that both Vardalos and Corbett make quite the cute couple together sharing some excellent screen chemistry that you'll find yourself rooting for them to stay together and get to their senses to continue beyond 5 dates. And that's also because the film somehow lost its sparkle when things go awry, and the two find themselves lost at what to do next, which led to the narrative being dragged out in its final third toward an expected, inevitable finale. Some may also find it hard to accept how artificial Genevieve looks with her all-smiles all the time, though I felt that Vardalos may have made this deliberate because it's a smile that's only skin deep to hide the hurt inside that she's feeling, in being afraid to forgive her estranged father (when her mom already did), as well as the fear of commitment in case of a heartbreak.

But as the adage goes, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs. In the real world I'm still figuring out a number of issues which get broached in the film as well, in particular the inexplicable games we find ourselves playing without an end in sight, getting caught up in the never ending waiting game. If there's an answer here, it'll have to be to swallow that pride and to do something stupid, which looking back I had attempted before, so much so that it's almost like a tragic comedy if I were to reenact it.

There's an ensemble cast of caricatures here to fulfill their sole functions, which will be telling in the last scene. They never upstage the two main leads and remain perfectly at the background serving as dialogue partners, or to provide plenty of comic relief, with humour coming out of nowhere, sometimes hitting the mark, and others you'll scratch your head at when nobody else laughs along with you. In any case don't let the title fool you into believing that this film is anti-Valentine's, as it is as much a romantic comedy as the other jazzed up Hollywood ensemble film coming out next week to celebrate the day that is a bane to all the boyfriends out there.

The Tournament

Feel The Pain!

It's Mortal Kombat meets Battle Royale meets The Condemned, and just about any other film that has its premise put together a bunch of strangers who have to kill one another, or die. Fueled by high net worth individuals who have too much time on their hands and lusting after a blood sport spectacle, they pool their money together in a huge gamble, while paying off ten million dollars to the victor amongst assassins who enter The Tournament, a death match Royal Rumble of a competition where it's all man (or woman) for themselves, each assigned a random weapon to take to the streets of a chosen city of battle.

The Tournament tried hard to make its premise plausible, insinuating that all the terror attacks, disasters and massacres in the real world are nothing but a cover up for this clandestine game to happen. To add spice to this edition's event, the Powers (that be, played by Liam Cunningham) introduces a countdown death clock of 24 hours where a winner must emerge, or face death when their tracking implant explodes with maximum damage, which of course sounds very Battle Royale. Competitors are assigned random weapons, and the streets of Middlesborough in the UK provides adequate CCTV camera coverage to be tapped into and beamed to a board room of whales to observe what they're here for – high stakes in a high risk game.

So we have 30 elite assassins from around the world gathering in a city to take each other out, assisted by a GPS locater that points out foe from innocent bystanders. However, we don't see all 30 characters, and most of the time they are faceless assassins who provide that headcount number for the likes of Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu, Ian Somerhalder, Sebastien Foucan to finish off. Then there's Robert Carlyle's priest Father Joseph MacAvoy, who got unwittingly caught in the crossfire and thought to be a competitor, only for Hu's hitwoman with a heart of gold Lai Lai Zhen to save his skin time and again and keep him safe from harm.

The draw of a film like this is the violence, which is unadulterated with enough gore to please those who like their on screen violence dished out without flinching (thanks too to a higher rating), and full of blood with exploding body parts strewn everywhere. I have to agree though that all the fights are incredibly well filmed and choreographed, from close quarter kung-fu and fisticuffs, to parkour, and noisy shootouts and obligatory car chases. Having its characters hail from different parts of the world allowed for some variation when the gladiators do battle, and when down to using guns, you get a range from sniper rifles, pistols and shotguns. It is this variety in the battle scenes that keep things relatively fresh over the course of 90 minutes.

Attempts at providing character motivation, development and depth couldn't be expected from an all out action film like this one, so attempts to have Father MacAvoy's involvement in reasoning things out often fall flat very quickly. Plot development and twists can be seen from five miles out, which does its minimum to allow its fight sequences to be strung together. This has B written all over it and doesn't try anything to disown that fact. Loopholes are abound, but heck, if you don't buy into its premise, then you shouldn't be watching this in the first place, right? For action fans though, you will be in for quite a treat.

Cowboys in Paradise

Relac, Brudder!

While we await some commercial Singapore film offerings from established filmmakers like Jack Neo and Kelvin Tong to hit our screens early this year, here comes along a documentary gem which is made by a Singapore-based filmmaker. I've a personal affinity for documentaries because they offer that keen insight and perspective through the filmmaker's lens on their pet subject and in Singapore, we're witnessing a growing number of quality documentarians who are operating from within the country, or based overseas, tackling topical subjects about our country or subjects of a more global nature.

Think Tan Pin Pin, James Leong and Lynn Lee, Tan Siok Siok and Pek Siok Lian, Singapore filmmakers tackling documentaries from both within the country and abroad, with current projects ranging from Twitter to African cyclists attempting to conquer the cycling circuit. Then there's Amit Virmani, a filmmaker who has set up his base in Singapore (amongst others such as The Insomniac’s Madhav Mathur), and had recently completed a documentary film about the beach boys of Bali. Personally, I interesting now to see how our population, with its influx of foreign talent, would unearth additional filmmakers who would find it both interesting and worthwhile to pursue film from within our shores, adding to the mix of tales told from an expectedly different perspective about topics from within, or abroad.

Making its Asian Premiere overseas at the DMZ Korean International Documentary Festival, and was in the running for 3 awards at last year's Asian Festival of First Films, Virmani's Cowboys in Paradise may seem on the surface as a film about the sex tourism industry in Bali. Mention sex industry and your imagination would probably run wild with images of dirty old men running lustily after or exploiting nubile women, but this film by Virmani examines the reverse, that of women seeking out the companionship of local Balinese men, given the latter’s charismatic appeal, in the sandy beaches of the idyllic Kuta beach, where it’s sun, sand, surf and party, some quarters being ever ready to frown upon the decadent, immoral lifestyle.

It's not hard too understand why the Kuta Cowboys, as they're known, are so well liked and popular. First of all, they're always all smiles, with physically buffed and bronzed bodies thanks to days spent under the sun surfing the waves, half naked except for gravity defying bermudas, hilariously mentioned in the film, protecting their modesty. They speak a smattering of languages in genuine attempts to engage in conversation, are funny, fun loving, and sweet with their tongue too in more ways than one.

Sure there may be similar happenings in other parts of the world, but as a documentarian, Virmani has demonstrated that despite being a first time feature filmmaker (since he has not done anything more than 10 minutes long before), he’s got that knack for both visuals to engage, and depth in examining a lot more beneath what’s brewing at the surface. It’s not about the sex or the gigolo-type (and this is contentious and made perfectly clear in the film) of service these guys may seem to offer, but slowly but surely, it’s about mindsets of different cultures and attitudes that seem yet all the same from folks around the world, as we learn through the course of the film, engaged by animated personalities on both sides of the fence, from expert opinions to personal first hand experiences, especially those who had found courage to justify their obsession, and passion.

It’s not about money or love, though that’s a start of what I thought was always a transaction, which may seem to bring up the sad, cynical adage about men providing love for sex, and women providing sex for love, or in this case some temporary romance. Virmani’s film reserves judgement on these cowboys and their female friends, and goes behind the scenes to look at the cowboys' lifestyles and family even, to understand them a lot better, and the social and economic dynamics that these guys bring to and the effect on their community. In fact it starts off quite cheerfully in true beach-bumming relaxed fashion, where we’re introduced to the players (pardon the pun), and they candidly share their tactics, objectives and motivation, which has sprung into a cottage industry of sorts, with older players fading away, and new ones eager to take over something that doesn’t even look like a job, but pays well, is enjoyable (to them that is) with good returns if they play their cards and work on their sums on returns of investment right.

Virmani managed to capture some priceless moments with his subjects, some even involving very private accounts of reminiscence of a long gone friendship and companionship, and the downside of human emotions plagued by differing expectations. While one can always be cool about it all being without feeling, that it’s all business and laughter, we’re human after all, and there are times where the expressions of exasperation, suspicion, and fear got betrayed beneath the Colgate smiles that cannot go unnoticed or denied. Comedy also got introduced at the right places, sometimes unwittingly thanks to mannerisms and things said, and yet balanced with the barbed-wire real world dangers that we get reminded of, punctuated by Virmani coverage of a wide spectrum of issues in this documentary, with some chapters leading to shocking revelations.

It’s been a long time since I last set foot on Bali (some twenty years perhaps), and if I do anytime soon, you can bet I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for these guys, and probably observing them from afar to see just how they operate with my own eyes, and ponder about the issues as brought out in this documentary. Heck I may even seek some lessons from them, surfing lessons that is! A commercial screening may be in the works soon, so do keep a lookout for it!


Related Links
Official Website (with embedded trailer)
Facebook Page
YouTube Channel for Trailer and Clips

72 Tenants of Prosperity (72家租客)

Y'all Better Pay Rent!

You know there's magic in the air when Shaw and TVB come together to create comical mayhem to usher in the Lunar New Year through cinema, and the opening shot would put any Hong Kong cinephile to cloud nine with its extremely nostalgic take on one of Hong Kong's most successful comedy film, House of 72 Tenants, from which this updated version took its titular moniker from.

It's quite the rarity these days to see the Shaw Bros logo in full screen glory, and then unveiling before your very eyes the look and feel of the 70s film it pays homage to, right down to familiar characters such as the Shanghainese lady now played by the late Lydia Sum's daughter. Then there's the deliberate colour strains that gave a throwback to an era of film now gone, coupled with some really gorgeous sets and costumes now adorned on contemporary TVB stars such as Lum Ka Tung and Charmaine Sheh who plays the mean landlady out to exploit her tenants through unscrupulous rising rentals.

This fantastic opening piece sets the stage from which the film fast forwards its narrative, and best kept under wraps as its plot development in the last act, and finale ties everything up rather nicely in an non fussy manner. Simply put, its core revolves around the trio of good friends Pinky (Fala Chen, then Anita Yuen as the older version of the same character), Ha Kung (Justin Lo, then Eric Tsang who also co-directed) and Shek Kin (Raymond Lam, then Jacky Cheung), the latter who loses in a bet, thereby paving the way for the other two to get married.

Fast forward some 30 years, and the rivals now are battling each other on the economic front, with each of their mobile phone shops opened opposite of the other's, and war is on the streets of Mongkok to get customers to buy through a slew of comical marketing gimmicks. The feud also extends to the next generation, who inevitably finds it difficult not to fall in love, paving the way for some Romeo and Juliet complications with the objections of their fathers.

Comedy wise, expect laughter to rip from the appearance of the multitude of characters who make up the titular 72 characters, most of whom are now shopkeepers in the Mongkok district against land property developers who are raising rent by three times to force them out from the area. Then there are the mo-lei-tau (nonsensical) jokes, coupled with song and dance, word play, spoofs of popular films (Ip Man takes the cake here since two movies this season has that iconic battle scene made fun of), and a number of self-deprecating jokes which broke the 4th wall.

Topical issues also get incorporated into the narrative, such as the unsolved acid throwing incidents in Mongkok (which got weaved quite nicely into the story), and what I thought was a boot-licking attempt at the Chinese authorities in painting an obvious Chinese businessman in extremely good light as saviour of sorts to the tenants. But the icing on the cake, turned out to be the casting of Eric Tsang himself, Jacky Cheung and Anita Yuen in leading roles, all three of whom had been sorely missed on the big screen save for Tsang's occasional cameos in other recent films. They still show they got what it takes to lead a group of relative newbies in an ensemble film of such scale.

My only gripe about the film, again is how the Mandarin dubbing had fallen way short of the cheeky jokes, and can never take the place of the rich language that is Cantonese. With Hong Kong comedies, there's always a certain significant degree of word play and puns that get lost in translation, made worse by English subtitles which just couldn't keep up (look out for that atrocious street-interviews scene). I think readers will know I'm a proponent for the original language track to be used in whatever movies, and this is one more example of how a comedy can have its jokes torpedoed on its own face from a language constraint over here.

No doubt some Cantonese was allowed to slip through, and for one of the tongue in cheek songs too, but one can imagine the genuine rip-roaring fun that everyone in the audience can enjoy, as demonstrated by the very keen response each time the characters sing or engage in repertoire in their native tongue. Sigh.

Nonetheless this is still an enjoyable film to usher in the Lunar New Year, and probably one great for the family too, with its tremendous star power fit for just plonking oneself on a seat and counting the number of cameo appearances both young and old that come on screen.

Paintball

No Paint in Bullets

I'm still waiting for the day that I'll break my duck and participate in a paintball game, especially if going back for in-camp training every year isn't enough that I'll want to wield a rifle with paint ammunition, and go around fragging peers or strangers in the opposite team. Best played with a big group of friends (or against people you dislike), this sport is picking up momentum, and specialized shops selling paintball gear have been sprouting up, giving indication of its popularity.

If only the cost of the game would go down, or if the terrain could be a little more challenging, like this one in the film Paintball, set in a fictional Redball Woods, touted as Europe's largest renegade paintball field, which would give infantry junkies a run for their money in terrain topology, with plenty of space for section movement and the application of section movement in order to organize and take out the enemy. But that's a dream playground, and as its advertisement touts, you have the power to choose whether to live or die.

The horror here, besides the fact that it's a film that failed to exploit its potential and chances, is of course for someone to have a weird sense of humour, and decided to substitute their paint ammunition, for real rounds meant to kill. Imagine the odds when all you have is a weapon firing paint, and the other party having a weapon meant to kill. Then there's this mysterious, savage player who doesn't seem to play for either side, from whom we adopt the POV from, and behind his thermal mask we see the bloody atrocities that he gets himself into when dispatching innocent players.

The story is pretty much standard, introducing us to the group of strangers who have signed up to participate in the game, and have to work together with great difficulty when they know that they're in for deep, deep trouble. It's like an amalgamation of Battle Royale and Hostel, where rich dudes sign up for something, only to find the tables turned and it's a fight for survival, with every man for himself. Their mission is to go from checkpoint to checkpoint and pick up stuff that they could use, such as bullet proof vests and a real machete, together with constant bickering as to who gets to use what.

You can't help but to apply horror film sensibilities in wondering which caricature gets to be killed how, and in what order. In fact, with their lack of unison, this is something of a given, and with characters who don't appeal, you'll just switch off automatically. The other drawback is of course the story by Mario Schoendorff being really lacklustre, with director Daniel Benmayor not being able to bring out any sense of tension or thrills, having everyting played out in a rather flat manner, despite the slight revelation toward the end which was a little to late to make any impact, coming across more like a sick joke played by Redball Woods.

The only redeeming grace that stood out from the bad acting, caricatures and weak story, is the occasional flashes of brilliance in its initial long tracking shot of pandemonium. And that had given the film a lot of promise, only to be let down right after. I was impressed by how much was going on with people running, firing, taking cover, paint ammunition flying, with the entire mayhem played out for a constantly moving camera without breaking into a cut. I had expected more, but as the body count rose, the brilliance unfortunately diminished. The money shot was at the front, and was just about the best thing in the entire film.

And the final nail that sealed the coffin shut, was the inexplicable final scene. I have no idea what gives, and it could have ended one scene before, though conventional but at least it provides the film a proper closure rather than the hokey open ended finish that just made it look plain silly. I suppose with more experience under their belts, the filmmakers would know how to bring out the best of a story, and know when to pull the plug when things go awry, rather than to prolong the misery. Strictly for paintball fans, but even then you'd rather prefer to be playing the game, than to watch a horrible horror film about it.

Kisses

I Think I'm Falling

Written and directed by Lance Daly, Kisses is one of those little enjoyable gems that had its main leads breathe life to a fairly simple plot of a road movie of sorts, set around Christmas in the streets of Dublin, following the adventures of two children Dylan (Shane Curry) and Kylie (Kelly O'Neill), neighbours who decide to run away from their dreadful family members, and spiteful peers with whom they cannot clique.

Told in three main acts and bookended by black and white cinematography used to highlight the bleakness of their family lives full of constant bickering, violence, and an unspeakable act which will be revealed, these two loner kids find some common ground to want to escape together to the big unknown, with nary a clue and only a wad of cash which they bust on material goods.

Like a typical road movie, the people they meet become episodic scenes in which the film got made up of, some extended, like the friendly boat man they meet early in their adventures, right down to the seedy kidnappers who take a fancy at Kylie, either for personal pleasure or for some money making scheme, and some fleeting, such as the surreal chancing of a Bob Dylan lookalike (played by Stephen Rea). It's a spectrum of the nice and the nasties, and the duo have only each other to help look out for, while trying to search for Dylan's long longs brother with whom they hope will take them in.

It's a somewhat short feature film that becomes something like a travelogue where we get to see both the glitzier side of Dublin, and the stark nakedness of its grit, from unsavoury back alleys, to sub-urban neighbourhoods as we follow the kids in their attempt to survive on their own. Being short in run time, it managed to hold your attention throughout thanks to the wonderfully charismatic performances by the child actors Shane Curry and Kelly O'Neill, especially the latter as the vulnerable yet spunky Kylie who's more street smart than the dazed Dylan, and its indeed a wonder how she can actually fall for him.

One of my personal favourite scenes would be the ending, with its surreal like moments in slow motion, and the wry smile that both of them exchange, in acknowledging their relationship is now at a different plane, coupled with that tinge of mischief that they've had quite an adventure and had a good run. While being very foul mouthed, I thought the parting shot was oh-so-sweet, that it made you want more, just like how Kisses in the film got explained as something to be given or taken, with that desire and craving to go at it all over again.

Don't be put off by the thick Irish accent, as the film comes with English subtitles so that you can follow the humour, and adventures of two kids on the run from weariness, for that adventure of a lifetime. Recommended!

Be Involved! Save Our Film: A Charity Campaign For Our Local Film Memories

February 2010 sees the launch of Singapore's first charity campaign to collect and save our local film memories, the 'Save Our Film' campaign is initiated by a group of final year NTU WKW SCI students working together with the Asian Film Archive. Through a series of guerilla publicity tactics such as movie posters and DVDs in cinemas and shops islandwide, as well as public video projection that spread our message that local films are our memories, the campaign hopes to motivate Singaporeans into saving our films and film experiences to promote greater cultural growth.

Singaporeans can support the 'Save Our Film' campaign by participating in the pioneer Call for Memories. Supporters can record a video of themselves or their loved ones and friends as they share their favourite local film memories and experiences. They can upload this video onto the AFA Youtube channel and their video stands a chance of being shortlisted for a screening of the best video clips at our closing event - a public conversation engagement session as they rove down Orchard Road with a television screening.

The series of campaign events in detail are:

1. 'Save Our Film' posters have been put up at Shaw, Filmgarde and Cathay cineplexes, the Substation and Sinema Old School until the end of February when the campaign ends. Also, 'Save Our Film' DVDs have been placed on the shelves of HMV, select Popular CD-Rama and Gramophone outlets and Sinema Old School. These posters and DVDs promote five early Singapore film titles, with the twist that these films are lost. The public can share information they have on these and other missing films on the campaign website's Singapore Lost Films Wiki.

2. From 6 to 27 February, flash mob style 10-minute video projections will be screened at mystery locations every Saturday. The video features interviews with prominent community members who share their best film memories. Each week's screening location will be announced beforehand on their website (soon), the Official Online Media Youth.SG website and other media channels.

3. Singaporeans are invited to share their film memories in the first-ever public Call for Memories. This can be done by recording a video of themselves or others sharing their memorable local film experiences and uploading the video on the AFA Youtube channel. This Call is open for the length of the campaign from 1st to 28th February 2010. The first ten best uploaded video clips stand a chance to win a free DVD of Singapore Shorts Vol. 2 as well. More details on the Call for Memories can be found on website soon.

4. The closing event of the ‘Save Our Film’ campaign will screen the best video clips from the Call for Memories on a roving television travelling down the length of Orchard Road and ending at The Cathay. At the same time, we will take this opportunity to engage the public in conversation with us to share the joys of watching local films.

More information on the 'Save Our Film' campaign and events will be released at its Official Website at http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/5th in February 2010.

Details on what you can do to get involved can be found on the Campaign's Facebook page!

[DVD] Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman (2006)

It's almost difficult to find someone who hasn't heard of Superman, who has endured some 60 plus years already in pop culture, being one of the earliest costumed superheroes who is surviving the test of time, and can be found in various mediums from its original comic books, to radio, to television, and film. Actors came and went in playing the iconic character, and stories in comics have been rebooted time and again, and had given way to gimmicks from romance to marriage to even death in order to find new fans and shore up sales over the years.

This film traces the character's history across all medium, and provides that one-stop shop to almost everything Superman. An extremely effective documentary which draws upon interviews from comic book writers to filmmakers and actors, this is something that fans would appreciate for being chock full of trivia and information, and for the uninitiated non-fan to pick up on the character's rich, content filled history and probably be able to appreciate why this character has been enduring. Rare footages from things like unaired pilot episodes also make this a must-watch and an invaluable archive on what had come and gone, and evolved.

The Code 1 DVD is part of the 14 Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition of the Superman movies, and comes presented in an anamorphic widescreen format in an English Dobly 5.1 audio. Subtitles are only in French, and comes with a 33 chapter scene selection. The DVD autoplays in a letter box format with trailers for Firewall, Lady in the Water, Poseidon and Superman Returns.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Who Am I?

If you're well aware of Terry Gilliam's movies, then you'd know what to expect from his own Imaginarium of stories that get translated to film, stopping short of saying that they're fairy tale fantasies for adults. No doubt the main draw of the film would be that it's Heath Ledger's last working film before he passed away, and with a clever rewrite of portions coupled with Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell all stepping up to the plate to take over (and bring along their own legion of fans), I'd dare say this film had benefited from its own near death of being shut down, and probably exposed writer-director Gilliam to a wider audience.

As the story goes, Dr Parnassus runs a sort of circus troupe with his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), and together with Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Percy (Verne Troyer aka Mini-Me), their selling act is the Imaginarium which is a portal that will allow those who enter it, a glimpse into and to live out their dream life, for a short while at least, before emerging with that orgasmic satisfaction. That's the plan at least, because they only attract the wrong crowd of troublemakers and have difficulty in making ends meet. Not to mention of course having the devil Mr Nick (Tom Waits) always around the corner waiting for Lily's 16th birthday to whisk her away, as the prize to an agreement with Parnassus.

A new wager got bet between the devil and Parnassus, and as if told through Fate, Parnassuss and his team would rescue a man found hanging from a bridge (Ledger), who would turn out to be their saviour as he joins their troupe while trying to figure out his own identity, and things start to look up for them all as the new teammate seems to relish in working the crowd and yielding an audience for their act.

In some ways I can't help but to chuckle at the character of Tony, being the shady hero here with the coming up of a scheme to help Dr Parnassus, drawing on his own personal background as a charity fund raiser. This of course ties in very well to the local context, where there has been a fair number of smooze scammers or wayward individuals who had started off with good intentions ony to find themselves faltering, and in many ways Tony reminds us of them. His plan to help Parnassus involved the jazzing up of their troupe, the telling of white lies, and then selling them through charisma and sideshow acts in order to draw in the funds, and souls of course as the ultimate objective to prevent the devil from exacting the agreement.

Despite having three other actors covering for him, there is still a lot of Ledger in the film, having each of the others helm just but a segment of the Imaginarium sequence when the character Tony steps through the magic mirror. Which of course worked wonders since each segment touches on a different aspect and facet of the character, with only good looks being the constant here. I couldn't have imagined how Ledger would have carried the role in its entirety, though it does give good reason that this was something of a perfect follow up to his Joker role, something which was balanced between comedy, drama, and the high jinks.

Those who like their fantasy films full of colour, and fantasy drawn from pure imagination, would find them bountiful in this movie. Terry Gilliam scores a fantastic winner here, and despite not thoroughly liking his earlier films, I found this one thoroughly enjoyable, and am looking forward to future tales that come from his imaginary worlds.

Everybody's Fine

Are You?

Based upon the 1990 Italian film Stanno Tutti Bene, Kirk Jones' Everybody's Fine follows up the very fine contemporary films that had gone past which dealt with the aged and their families, such as Last Chance Harvey starring Dustin Hoffman, and Away from Her starring Gordon Pinsent. Everybody's Fine would work fine as a Thanksgiving or Christmas movie given its theme on the family, but I suppose having a release right about now would be apt as well given the upcoming festive period of the Lunar New Year which has the reunion dinner component, to take stock once again of the ties that bind.

There are many aspects to this film that I enjoyed, first and foremost that this is a road movie. I've somehow an affinity toward road movies, in accompanying the character in his journey spanning a finite distant in whatever quest that he embarks on, on whichever decision that he'll make, and the many random encounters with people, some good and bad, which at the end of it all will shape his outlook for the better or worse. While it didn't deliberately pause and turn into a scenic, touristy ride, which I am thankful for and in the hands of lesser directors it will almost be a pimping of the locations, it did enough to flavour the cities that our protagonist journeys to, from New York to Chicago to Denver and all the way West toward Las Vegas.

I wonder how many of us out there have dads like Frank, played by Robert De Niro. As the film develops I'm pretty sure his father role falls into the mould of how dads are generally perceived, hence his decision to want to reconnect back directly with his children, who Nature has determined that they connect to him through a proxy, and now that his wife has recently passed away. With dads, they set the expectations that we try to live up to, and the story journeys with Frank to see whether his surprise visit to each of his children, would tally up with what he should or already know. The main worry is of course that the siblings aren't that connected to one another given their individual successful lives, which he will learn about the secrets and the bad things properly shielded from him as well.

To some, there will be scenes and techniques here that may seem a little bit contrived, but which I felt rammed home their intended point. For instance, there's always this point of view when Frank meets his children that they'll always remain as his children, not the adults that they already are. It emphasizes how we always remain a child in our parent's eye, no matter how old we become. Then there's the rather amusing scenes where Frank turns photographer with his film camera, and how people nowadays then to be a little less forgiving and irritated each time someone decides to take a picture in an inevitably crowded location, rather than to be gracious about it and allow the photographer to quickly do his own thing. For the curious, there's the end credits where the photo stills got put up, which I thought was a nice touch.

At its core the film is about basic communications, where the advent of technology allows us to stay connected, yet apart as well because its pervasiveness and ease of use somehow dumbs down the value of that extra bit of an emotional connection, and as you would have experienced yourself, nothing ever beats face to face meetings, because it's not only about hearing the other party's voice, or seeing them through a computerized web camera, but always about the non-verbal channels the entire communication suite brings about when you talk to someone in their presence.

Then there's the top notch casting. We're familiar with how Robert De Niro had gone from wicked gangsters to slapstick comedy without a hitch, and now to add family drama to that list of genres as well. It's practically a one man tour de force as we follow his Frank's journey from start to end, holding up the film together thanks to his wonderful pitch perfect performance. But that's not to discount his co-stars as well, since we have three familiar names playing his children, with the likes of Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and of course, Sam Rockwell, whom we appreciate what he can do given films like Moon. While they all don't always share the same scene together since Frank's on a road trip to visit all his children, each of them bring something special to the table and portray their characters with sensitivity, each with something to hide to avoid disappointing Dad, who through paternal perception would be able to figure things out as well. You can feel general emotions all around as each child slowly reconnects with their dad, while hiding from him an important fact which they all share.

Everybody's Fine is a fine movie indeed, with heartfelt performances, an excellent story filled with superb family drama that you can almost always identify with. It's incredibly moving to the point that you'll be emotionless if you didn't shed a tear in its last act, and yet doesn't go overboard with its melodrama, balancing it perfectly with its themes, and making you reflect upon your own relationships with family, especially with dad. Highly recommended, and also another noteworthy, early addition to the shortlist of the best presented here this year.

The Box

Deal or No Deal?

The trailer goes nowhere near and only scratches the surface of the film and rightly so too, not because it has that obligation to keep its real narrative under wraps, but because what actually transpires, will provoke entirely different lines of questioning, some of which are frustratingly not answered in the film, leaving you to your own devices to interpret the series of events. Which of course means plenty of material for an after-show discussion.

Metaphorically, the box refers to how us humans tend to subconsciously hole ourselves into situations or things in everyday life, and how our enclosed thoughts tend to see things from a certain perspective, seldom out of the box. There's a speech made near the end by one of the characters that will leave you pondering over this fact, which governs the basis of the entire film, and even threading on existentialism, where our bodies are mere vessels for the soul, and from cradle to the grave we put ourselves in more boxes in a way of life fashion.

What I disliked about the film, is how it tried to sound intelligent through the frequent name dropping of covert government agencies like the CIA and NSA, as though there's something overtly clandestine about these agencies that we should be aware of. They serve little purpose other than to put every action and every person under scrutiny, that nobody can be trusted, wrecking havoc in a sense to both the characters and the audience as we try to keep up with trust issues to aid in the interpretation of the narrative. Having it set in 1976, against a NASA backdrop of manned space missions, and in Richmond, Virginia, also provided that heightened sense of wary that will sap your energies as you sit through it patiently.

Based upon the short story Button, Button written by Richard Matheson and made into an episode of the Twilight Zone, the story follows the Lewis family, where husband Arthur (James Marsden) works at NASA and develops a prosthetic foot for his teacher wife Norma (Cameron Diaz), and you'd think it's all happy family with their son Walter (Sam Oz Stone), until one day a mysterious man called Arlington Steward (Frank Langella in a Two-Face inspired facial effect) whom we are preempted of in the opening, comes knocking and giving them a Deal or No Deal button in a box. Plunge the button and they'll get a million bucks (we're talking in dollar terms of the 70s here) although a stranger out there will die. If they don't, well the deal's got an expiry date.

The story would dictate a deal be made, which of course sparks off a mysterious sequence of events that unfold, with even more shady characters (who nosebleed) appearing, some whom are inexplicably zombie like, apparently all under the influence, or employment, or Arlington Steward. Whether or not Steward is Death, a clandestine government employee, a messenger from God or a representative of Aliens after an anal probe, remains unanswered, so whichever way you look at it, it's as if he's delivering something expected, just begging that mankind will shake off its innate greed so that his work can be cut short and to return to wherever he came from.

If you need a little distraction from the disparate scenes which make up the narrative, the production sets and art direction are gorgeous in recreating the 70s look, as you try to figure out the mystery of the consequences that stem from a result of not fully understanding the fine print. It's full circle this examination of human nature, of our greed for immediate gratification, manifesting its result in longer term pain, confusion and further choices that we'll make based on real sacrifices. Nifty special effects come into play as well, though it just leaves more room open as to the genre of the film.

So is it horror, science fiction, or a mystery thriller? It's everything rolled into one actually, together with a sprinkling of the philosophical. Just don't go expecting a straight narrative film with clean and easy answers at the end – this is like an X-Files episode on steroids.

Rann

Media Power

The media is also known as the fourth estate in certain democracies, where politicians and their policies go through intense scrutiny by those wielding the pen or the camera, going behind the scenes to dig, probe and investigate, to expose misdemeanors and wrongdoings, to act as the non partisan check and balance. Of course it can also be manipulated to the advantage of certain quarters, and just where our own lies, well we all should already know.

Politicians, industrialists, and media moguls all make strange bedfellows. Each have their own interests to pursue which may run contrary to the other, so when all of them come together, you can bet your last dollar just what is being planned, and who the outcome would benefit. For the politician, the mass media remains one of the best ways to pimp their popularity, with a non flattering expose always threatening the outcome of their attempts to get into office. For the industrialists, favours to corrupt politicians would mean corners expected to be cut to pursue their profit making objective. And to a non-independent media, whoever's in control would be painting somebody or something in better light than they are.

Ram Gopal Sharma's Rann examines the corruption of the media and how it can be manipulated or seduced by either party into compromising or even forgoing their ethical obligations, in the name of favours, and money. And in some respect, the issues presented here aren't far fetched, and from incidents time and again, we see how the media can be used to gain an unfair upper hand, and the power that it wields to bring down positions of power when investigative journalism gets into gear. And of course, having the evergreen Amitabh Bachchan star in a leading role as Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, an ethical, no-nonsense media mogul who runs his own news channel called India 24/7, is one of the major draws of Rann.

As the moral compass of the country, Vijay's editorial news programme sets the agenda, but unfortunately in the face of stiff channel competition and falling ratings, his son Jai (Sudeep) wants to take the channel into a new level through the injection of external funds. Cautious that the source of such funds would mean an erosion of ethics that his channel is renowned for, Vijay decides to allow Jai to proceed with his plans, but little does anyone know that under their noses, India 24/7's COO Nanlini (Suchitra Krishnamoorthi) is a mole in their corporation, feeding chief rivals H24, run by Amrish Kakkar (Mohnish Bahl) all the information on India 24/7's strategy, thereby letting the competition always stay a step ahead.

The story by Rohit G. Banawlikar is fantastically multi-layered, with ample development given to the this industrial espionage, and how it draws Jai to the dark side of shady deal-making, which ultimately culminates in the assistance of his industrialist brother-in-law Naveen (Rajat Kapoor), and his friend, the dubious politician Mohan Pandey (Paresh Rawal), with the ambition of taking over the prime ministership of the country, through a carefully crafted scheme which draws upon threats, murder, terrorism as well as a fake undercover expose recording, delivered unknowingly and none other than Vijay himself.

It is also the story of a greenhorn investigative journalist Purab (Ritesh Deshmukh), who idolizes Vijay and his pursuit of journalism excellence, and whose honor and ethics Purab wants to emulate, so much so that he decides to join India 24/7. A part of the story has Purab caught in the entire web of deceit, and the moral dilemma he faces with acknowledging the probable stain in his boss's reputation and career, an act of betrayal, the realization that his inexperience had caused a lot more damage than it should, before deciding to gamble it all in doing the right thing. There are ups and downs as we follow Purab in his journey, making him one of the more well developed characters in the film that we both root for, and be exasperated with.

It's not all doom and gloom though, with well timed comic relief introduced (without going overboard) through Anand Prakash Trivedi (Rajpal Yadav), a presenter who just tries too hard, with an interview scene being one of the funniest delivered in the film. But the more memorable scene here has to be the stinging monologue that Amitabh Bachchan delivers with gravitas, a rebuke on the role of the media, and how it is so easy for those in powerful positions to collude for self interests and money, that everything, including the progress of a nation, can be sacrificed. There's no big bang finale action, but a talkie finale which hammers it in with heartfelt emotion, one that I wish our own powers that be could have a chance to listen in, and perhaps remind themselves of their back to basics responsibilities.

The film quietly builds itself into a fire-cracker finale, having to witness how deep the rabbit hole goes, and just when you thought it had hit rock bottom, more events unfold to dig us further into the consequences of the conspiracy which not only impacts the individuals on a personal level, but you shudder at the thought of how the impact would be on a national scale. When it it bottoms out into an inevitable conclusion, on one hand you'd expect difficult sacrifices and decisions to be made as a resolution to the problem posed, while on the other feel sorry for those innocent caught up in the crossfire, and shrewd as RGV is, there's room for a sequel to be made as well.

Should there be any gripe, those who cannot stand shaky camera movement will find it disturbing to view the film through a camera lens not mounted on a tripod, which in a way provided a sense of a documentary feel to the entire proceedings with its fair share of twists and turns. Female characters too are tokens in the film, mostly relegated to wives and girlfriends who repeatedly looked quite sorry at being bewildered at their man's problems. There was a little bit of a brushing of a couple's differences in religious backgrounds (something sensitive with the older female generation perhaps?) that despite it being mentioned and played out briefly, didn't serve up any depth in the issue, probably side-skirted and being an abandoned sub plot.

If anyone would think that Bollywood makes Masala type films only, then obviously their horizons need to be broadened. Rann is an excellent political thriller that's kept tight and pacey from the get go, coupled with a charismatic cast whose delivery will keep you at the edge of your seat as the narrative unfolds. Definitely recommended stuff, and it goes into my books as an early contender for the top films of this year.