Life As We Know It

Say What?

The talk about town for this film revolves around a similar fiasco about how we in Singapore are so straight laced that we have to substitute "Shagged" with "Shioked" and now with this film, the poster which I thought was hilarious involving both Josh Duhamel and the kid in their respective diapers and bottles being chased after by Katherine Heigl, got removed and in place a rather creative shot from a first person baby's perspective of the two adults fussing over her, but well, you get the point. An adult in his underwear cannot make it to a movie poster. Got it.

Anyway Life as We Know It talks about how having a child is usually a planned affair, where a couple consciously knows about the trade off involving the loss of freedom, and a collective effort required by two (or probably more, depending on the help rendered from an extended family if any) to raise another human being to provide love and care and to instill good values and principles. Even if baby comes along unplanned, well, it's one's own flesh and blood. But to dump a baby onto someone else's lap is something irresponsible, but for reasons explained in the film, becomes the basic premise here.

With the demise of their respective best friends, Holly Berenson (Ketherine Heigl) and Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel) become saddled with joint guardianship of their less than one year old Sophie (played by triplets Alexis, Brynn and Brooke Clagett) together with a house that has its mortgage paid for by itself. But Holly and Messer (as he prefers to be called) are anywhere near chummy, which leads to the various episodic trials and tribulations that come their way since they are totally unprepared with parenthood, and have their respective careers to take care of which inevitably get turned upside down. However this is a typical Hollywood romantic comedy which is in reverse, where the inevitable melting of hearts amongst the opposites happen to provide that little dramatic complication.

This is a pro-family film that shows how a child can bring two hearts together or reinforce positive emotions, and tells of the virtue and importance of proper child support provided during the formative toddler years. While the premise may seem to be a little far-fetched, it does contain enough convenience in the story to ensure the child gets to where she's supposed to, with all the legal wrangling quickly passed over, and how other family members get logically and comically weeded out.

Katherine Heigl continues to rake up a series of handsome co-stars in her string of romantic comedies (wonder if that's in her contract), with the likes of Ashton Kutcher in Killers, Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth, and James Marsden in 27 Dresses, and continues with her usual fine comic timing and stereotypical neurotic, control freak female character portrayals. Romantic comedies work only if the leads are charming, and somehow Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson's story make no qualms about explicitly mentioning how hot Josh Duhamel's Messer is, and he literally drips machismo.

But the scene stealer here hands down are young girls Alexis, Brynn and Brooke Clagett who rotate in their Sophie portrayal. I've not seen an ugly baby movie (who would want to make that?) and kudos to the filmmakers as they capture the trio in the best light and right moments that will just make your heart go "Aww...". One can imagine the kind of patience and reshoots required with children on the set, and full marks go to effort in making these scenes a success, because if the child doesn't tug at anyone's heartstrings, it'll become a stretch for the two hotties in the film to want to give up their lives for her rather than to opt for easier alternatives.

Predictable fare filled with caricatures are what make Hollywood romantic comedies tick, and this one is no different. For dates and those contemplating bringing another human being to the world, just to roughly know what you'll be in for. I'll certainly try singing Radiohead's Creep as a lullaby to the next baby I encounter, just to see if it works as touted! Parents beware!

Aakrosh

I'd Kill You With My Looks

Besides the usual disclaimer that precedes a film that all incidents, characters and similarities portrayed within are coincidental at best, Priyadarshan's Aakrish takes one extra step to reinforce this point, as it wants to tackle the real world issue of "honour killing" on film, cobbling together a series of faux pas newspaper articles and stamping them as "Fact", before hammering a full size "Fiction" inter-title across the screen prior to the commencement of the film proper. And up until the last frame did it dawn upon me that the narrative also took issue, besides caste, with that of corrupt cops and politicians who exploit an inherently weak justice system.

The story is sufficient to make you seethe with rage as we follow the investigations into the disappearance of three students, whose final moments will get enacted in due course, but only as we gain a certain foothold and breakthrough as experienced by the police officers Sidhant Chaturvedi (Akshaye Khanna) and Pratap Kumar (Ajay Devgan off the success of his recent Once Upn a TIme in Mumbai). Arriving from Delhi under the orders of the central government under pressure by a demonstrating student group seeking answers, the two protagonist have to quickly learn and get comfortable with each other's working style to maintain a certain degree of sanity as they tackle an environment that is most hostile, and alien to Sidhant, whose by-the-book methods are in danger of collapsing anytime.

This especially so when faced with an uncooperative local police force who cooks up possibly every reason available not to do work, and through their blatant obstruction of justice, may seem to suggest some involvement in the primary case as well. While on one hand providing unintentional comedy, I feel the investigating officers' pain when they hit a brick wall from within their own support group who more often than not seem to be on the other side of the fence.

It's the culture of silence that is most deafening, and for the first hour before the interval, Aakrosh is quite frustrating to sit through not because of its relatively slow pace, but how we see how helpless our heroes can be given their operating within red tape, and letting others rip them apart because processes rightfully bound them from hitting out. Those who have information are also cowered by threats and an innate fear that it's best to keep one's mouth shut, otherwise punishment will come in the form of bodily harm, and even death as dished out by the masked militia of men who call themselves Shool's Army, intolerant individuals bandied together to bully others into submitting to their bigoted beliefs.

For those not versed in the caste system, this film may give you an idea what it's about as it laments about the state of current affairs, and how there's so much room for improvement in terms of people's attitudes. Director Priyadarshan, whom I associate with comedies like Billu Barber and De Dana Dan, goes all serious and doesn't mince his words in Aakrosh's epilogue, as he crafts a somewhat bleak film with an ending that will raise some eyebrows, suggesting at times that you got to play fire with fire, and some of the techniques employed by the cops here may highlight certain (il)legal framework that many may not be familiar with for us outside India, but so long as it works (and a brilliant plan and execution I must add).

The film works because of the great chemistry between the pairing of Aakshaye Khanna and Ajay Devgan as cops who have the potential to be the best of buddies, yet operating on different investigative philosophies that put them at loggerheads as well. They share some explosive charisma on screen that just chews up all the surrounding scenery, with magnetic qualities that help to tide through the less happening stages of the film, one of which I felt was overly long and probably unnecessary was the entire backstory song/dance routine for Ajay's Pratap and his one time lady love Geetha (a glam-less Bipasha Basu), their relationship being a victim of caste hypocrisy.

Despite being passed with an Adults only rating in India and suffering 2 cuts from a reported 30 planned by the censor board there, Aakrosh is still a hard hitting investigative thriller. While the trailer may suggest high octane action, these sequences are fairly limited in the film, with nothing that especially stands out to wow. There's a rooftop chase sequence with a fair bit of parkour, but it's more reminiscent of Hollywood's Bourne series which delivered the action scenes with a bit more of a refined flair, with this being a bit rough off the edges. However a ballsy story without mincing its themes make Aakrosh the winner here.

Perfect Wedding (抱抱俏佳人)

So That's The Secret

Hong Kong romantic comedies are a mixed bag, but I'm really surprised by this effort which touches on the intricacies of a modern day romance that's beset with the good old issues that's set to derail a budding couple's path to a relationship, which began quite off the cuff in one drunken night that led to a one night stand, where both Yan (Miriam Yeung) and Fung (Raymond Lam) thought they will no longer see each other again, unless of course filmic Fate would have decided otherwise. In what would seem like The Wedding Planner in the first half, the second is where the film really picked up and brought on nicely crafted romantic moments that will set hearts fluttering, and for audiences to root that the duo put aside their egos and differences for a probable better life together.

I've not been much of a Miriam Yeung fan, but so far I've seen three of her movies in a row - Hooked On You, Love in a Puff, and now this - that I'm quite convinced she's in her element when playing the ditzy romantic female lead. Her pair up with television star Raymond Lam in his second film outing proved to be charmingly successful, leaving some room for the fleeting exploration of the issue of a younger man falling for an older woman.

My only qualm is of course that this is dubbed in Mandarin, where I'm quite certain some of the jokes got lost in translation or didn't serve up as big an impact as they should, and I like this film enough to want to watch the original Cantonese version. And before I forget, I think Chrissie Chau has what it takes to fit into the big void Amy Yip had left behind. Watch this film to find out what I mean.

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

Haunted Changi Heads North

I Need a Map and a Navigator!

The film that is, not the actual location, which has since been sealed off, making Haunted Changi perhaps the last film to have documented the location from within.

The film's theatrical run may have ended in Singapore, with one last hurrah at Sinema Old School due for the Halloween period with whatever's left of the crew in attendance (making the announcement of the contest winner too), but it's heading to the Malaysian market next month for a theatrical release. Watch for it, friends in Malaysia, and witness for yourselves what audiences here have been ranting and raving about!


Related Links
Production Blog - http://hauntedchangi.blogspot.com
Official Film Website - http://hauntedchangi.com
Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/hauntedchangi
My discovery of the film - http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2010/02/coming-soon-haunted-changi.html
My Review of the film here
Production Talk @ SINdie - http://sindieonly.blogspot.com/2010/05/production-talk-haunted-changi-by.html

[DVD] Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Mirror Buddies

Where the WIld Things Are gave the local distributors here a hard time deciding whether to let it loose on the big screen, or not. The trailer was played for some time, and the posters went up, but slowly but surely the release date got perpetually pushed back, until everything got yanked off the screen. This is probably the first film here that had a Facebook group (now quite defunct) set up for movie fans to clamour for its hopefully eventual screening which didn't materialize, but got a sizable following that went on to organize a DVD collective purchase of sorts.

At first I thought, it's quite the no brainer to market it because it's adapted from a popular kid's story written by Maurice Sendak, so the target audience would naturally be the kids, right? Not quite, as after watching the film, director Spike Jonze had weaved quite the mature tale here, sans any semblance of a cutesy nature that could be squarely targeted at its supposedly intended niche audience. Besides, Jonze is not quite the known entity around here, and a culmination of such factors made the distributors have cold feet. So it was what it was, and all we got was a local DVD release.

Which is a pity of course, as I would have relished the opportunity to see the gigantic Wild Things here on the big screen. But I digress. This is probably a film meant for and speaking out to the spoilt brats out there, be they young or old. We follow Max (Max Records) the protagonist of the story as he gets his snow igloo broken by friends of his sister Claire (Pepita Emmerichs) before going on a whirlwind destruction of her room. That's a typical sign of trouble to come, but oh-so-identifiable with children as they hit out where they can, especially with his sister's absence. We learn that he's not quite the quiet boy he may seem to be on the exterior, and surely he throws a tantrum when he doesn't get the attention he needs from his mom (Catherine Keener) when she brings home a boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo) whom she has to entertain.

Running away in frustration and anger (and possibly a childlike pettiness as well), here's where the story gets interesting as he goes into a fantastical world where Things inhabit, making friends with a bunch of them large monsters voiced by the likes of James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara, Michael Berry Jr, Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose and Forest Whitaker even. They crown Max king of their land based on the lies cooked up by him about his magical abilities, in the hopes that he'll bring happiness to the group. Alas for all his ideas with his new playmates, he soon finds out that if one of them is emotionally difficult, and probably his best friend and favourite amongst the group, everyone does not get better off and any marked improvements they had made took two steps back. In some ways this parallels his own life and provides him that mirror, before gaining maturity in knowing what needs to be done best.

The amazing fusion of live action and live sized puppetry combined with CG is what stands out in the film, especially when The Wild Things come out, moving and emoting as if they were truly real creatures. The fantastical landscapes made up of large deserts and beaches also makes the film quite the visually arresting piece that leaves you wide-eyed and marvelling and how seamless all elements seem to come together in presentation. While the story's quite the given that it's a literary classic quite familiar with many, Jonze has this adult like treatment in what may seem like a children's story on the surface, which probably made risk-averse distributors think twice about their bottom line, which is indeed a pity.

But there's always the alternative DVD route to take to watch the film, and I'm glad I did. Don't let this slip you by, and perhaps one day we may see more market ambiguous films take to the cinemas here, given a strong and growing niche audience who can be counted on to support well made films that contain the whole works from competent acting to a story that moves.

The Region 1 DVD from Warner Home Video presents the feature film in an anamorphic widescreen presentation with language and subtitles available in English, Spanish and French. Scene selection is over 18 chapters, and the DVD autoplays with a series of trailers and adverts (9:26) featuring Imax Under the Sea, Where the Wild Things Are videogame, Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove, The Blind Side, Lord of the Rings - Aragorn's Quest game and Scooby Doo: Abracadabra Doo.

The Special Features however are quite scant and forgettable, so for those who are looking for more in depth stuff, you'll be sorely disappointed with what seems to be a series of behind the scenes look at cast and crew having fun. The Absurd Difficulty of Filming a Dog Running and Barking at the Same Time (5:31) is really just that, with the film crew really exasperated with trying to coax the designated dog to either bark, or run properly, or both. A reminder how difficult it can be when working with animals. The Big Prank (3:23) is like a punk'd moment for director Spike Jonze which involves a vespa scooter, Vampire Attack (0:53) is an extremely short film again showcasing the amount of fun going around the set, and The Kids Take Over the Picture (4:57) is a look at who the crew's kids are who hung around the set, learning and having fun at the same time.

Film Festivals Local and Abroad

While Korean films are still somewhat a staple in our film calendar, it's usually the horror films that make it to the screens here because of our local audience's voracious appetite for it. So anything outside that genre is touch and go, which provides an opportunity for a festival to be organized to showcase the best that Korea cinema has to offer. The highlight for me this year will definitely be the remake of The Housemaid by Lim Sang-soo, which had done its Cannes round earlier in May. Other films that pique by fancy include sports film Take-Off and fantasy film Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard, with action drama Righteous Ties and comedy Antique rounding off the selection.

Unlike the Spanish Film Festival some weeks back which had most of the screenings in DVD format, the films selected in this festival are in 35mm format, so even if you have the DVD of the selection, nothing beats watching them on the big screen in the intended format. Tickets cost S$10 per show, and GV Movie Club members get a S$1 discount.

The Korean Film Festival 2010 will run from 21 to 24 October at GV VivoCity.


For those who associate the Tribeca Film Festival with New York, you may not know that there's a Doha Tribeca Film Festival, which is the cultural companion film festival to the one in New York. Into its second edition, this year's DTFF will run from 26-30 October in Doha, Qatar, and features quite the lineup of feature and short films from around the world. French-Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb's Outside The Law will open the festival, and it closes with Justin Chadwick’s The First Grader.

Films will be categorized into the Arab Film Competition, World Panorama, Special Screenings and the Arab Short Film Competition, and notable films and filmmakers include Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy, Matt Reeves' Let Me In, Stephen Frears' Tamara Drewe, Davis Guggenheim's Waiting for "Superman", and a co-production film between China and US titled Little Sister, an Asian version of the Cinderella story shot in China's Yunnan Province.

Don't worry if you can't head towards Dohar for this, as you can get to follow proceedings from the multimedia official festival website soon!

Finally, December's not going to be unhappening any more. This year's Animation Nation takes place from 1-8 Dec, and while the lineup isn't announced yet, seeing the Facebook page go live is something to get excited over, since traditionally the festival takes place in October, which has been really crowded this year, leaving one wondering if it's still on. Go ahead and like that Facebook page, you know you want to.

So that page is now the first positive sign that the festival, one of my favourites on the local film festival calendar, is not shelved away, but will happen pretty soon. December can't come soon enough!

See you at the movies!

Buried

Hello?

One actor and one set. I can't recall how many films in the last few years had attempted something as daring and audacious as Buried, but writer Chris Sparling and director Rodrigo Cortes pulled this thriller off wonderfully, aided by the performance of Ryan Reynolds, who single handedly demonstrates his acting range that continues to cement him as one of my favourite character actors (from films like Waiting... to Definitely, Maybe) and before he takes flight in next year's expected effects extravaganza in The Green Lantern, he first gets his wings clipped and finds himself grounded, a few feet under.

Reynolds stars as Paul Conroy, a truck driver working for a conglomerate who gets sent by his company to Iraq to work. En route to his convoy's delivery of supplies in rebuilding efforts, the group gets jumped by terrorists/insurgents/criminals, and he finds himself buried in a box underground, which is where we find him when the film opens, unaware of where he is, and anxious to get out. With him are a few items which to reveal will spoil the fun, but suffice to say there's a Blackberry included in the package.

This is no Kill Bill where The Bride can hammer her way out of a boxed coffin through the use of martial arts taught by Bai Mei. Here it's as real as it can get, with the bad guys giving you enough so as to control you to do their bidding, yet with the same tools serving as a double edged sword, especially when efforts to reach help are concerned. The story engages at a very personal level since it's a one man tour de force with little external distractions, and I suppose anyone caught in the same situation will probably employ some of the same techniques here when desperately seeking help to escape.

Writer Chris Sparling and director Rodrigo Cortes crafts a simple yet effective story that will put you on the edge together with his protagonist, allowing you to experience almost everything he does, from frustrations when interacting with external parties in scenarios which we are all too familiar with, yet understanding and grasping the impact that such issues bring forth if we're in the same shoes. It's very gutsy of him to set it all in a singular location that is sans any beautiful images, and employing inventive techniques to keep the visuals fresh, yet providing enough to share that sense of claustrophobia and confinement within the small physical dimensions. The story also throws up scenarios that will pump that adrenaline so that there's never a dull moment.

Ryan Reynolds deserves all the kudos for a fine performance delivered. You can imagine how audiences can get turned off if they don't share the same emotions experienced along the way, and this spans a spectrum from exasperation to that resignation of fate. He screams, he cries, and he relies on his wit to stay alive, and I thought Buried was that perfect opportunity presented for him to show he's quite the actor ready to take on bigger, leading roles, without the need to don a costume to serve as a masked avenger. The supporting cast providing those faceless voices at the other end of the line also deserve some credit in logically expanding the universe of this film, without which it'll literally be one man talking to himself.

I believe local audiences here need to grow up. It doesn't mean that when the screen goes blank the projectionist is at fault. Stop the silly giggles and comments, and open your eyes and ears for the first signs the show is indeed in progress. Stay until after the end credits for a quick shot of the coffin interior panning to a "Mark White" inscription. Needless to say, this film is highly recommended for its bold vision and fine execution, which I suspect may start a trend of similar films soon, like how first-person type films have become popular.

Eat Pray Love

... and Read

I wonder just how many will feel inspired to just drop everything and go on a similar one year sabbatical to eat, pray and love, basically following writer Elizabeth Gilbert's autobiographical footsteps to discover oneself once more, and in the process rediscover life's little wonders away from the hustle and bustle of mediocrity and expectations, to cop out in a certain way and escape from it all, hopefully to emerge stronger than before. The premise is undoubtedly sexy, since if one person can do so and write about it, surely more can follow for that rare experience to be gained?

Julia Roberts plays yet another real life person in a bio-pic, where her Liz Gilbert reels from a broken, frustrated marriage, and is drained from rote and routine. She falls into the inevitable rebound, from breaking the heart of her estranged husband (Billy Crudup) and into the arms of an aspiring actor many years younger (James Franco), before deciding to go on a quest of self-healing, picking three countries almost at random to do what she wants to do, and that's Italy for pizza to reclaim her appetite, India to visit the guru whose teachings she had adopted, and then finally to Indonesia's Bali to revisit a medicine man called Ketut (Hadi Subiyanto) whom we meet at the start of the film, and bookends the story.

In effect, this film warns against obsession, and preaches that in life it's the natural balance that we seek. In essence it's a reminder to enjoy life's simple pleasures and not overindulge, because that will just make one sick of something, be it food or even from the person we love. It's almost metaphorical in the way how the title comes together, where we follow her Italian food binging from the margarita pizzas and the pastas, to being almost fanatical in her spiritual quest in India being amongst like-minded folks, before Love takes over to throw everything out the window, because that's what Love, being irrational that it is, does best.

Eat Pray Love becomes a travelogue of sorts unfortunately with how the exotic locales got shot for the film. I haven't been in India yet, but whatever transpired in Italy I can attest to the same, especially with the wonderful gastronomical delights, the comical way the language gets perceived, and especially how even when armed with a map, it's easy to get lost because the roads both major and minor aren't that easy to follow with that distinct lack of directional road signs. But that's all part of the fun I guess, when one is looking out for adventure into the unexpected. Bali is wonderful as well with its beaches and culture, and I sure would like to stay where Liz stayed in a resort-like, idyllic environment, kicking back and taking things easy.

Think of this film as three shorts being put together where Liz encounters people who will go on to shaper her perception of life and to give advice. This naturally mirrors how we go through life as well, where people hopefully with good intent walk in and provide us that glimpse of a facade we never knew we had it in us, or to bring out some of the best that we possess, or even being able to stop us in our tracks for self-reflection. These are peppered throughout the narrative and as you navigate through the story, which I have to admit does become long drawn out at some points quite unnecessarily. Fortunately we have the photogenic Julia Roberts as company, and we follow her through her character's moment of glum to happiness, with plenty of girly emotions thrown in to mix things up as well.

Especially when the topic of Love comes rolling along, in the form of Brazilian Felipe (played by Spanish actor Javier Bardem), where it dwells with Fear, where earlier in the film we learn of one character's fear in losing someone, but here it becomes a stumbling block to regain confidence and trust to get into another new relationship and to learn to love someone else back again. It's never easy of course, if you share similar experience, and it takes courage to take that leap of faith. Yes, this is that kind of film where picturesque locations are abound, and balanced with some chick flick sensibilities that just leaps out at you.

Going by the response in the theatres, I'm pretty sure Julia Roberts still has that box office clout to pull in the crowds, and I'm already wondering how the countries featured in the film will gain from a probable increase in tourist numbers from this side of the world. Now where should I go to get my batteries recharged in the same manner?

Dinner for Schmucks

Hard to Laugh at

Based upon the film Le Diner de Cons, Dinner for Schmucks is the Hollywood remake directed by Jay Roach, who is better known for being at the helm of films such as the Austin Powers trilogy, and Meet the Parents/Fockers, all of which are some of my favourite comedies. Dinner for Schmucks however isn't that laugh a minute forgettable flick, but rather is a more sombre tale to remind us of the little guy that's always around, easy to tread on and bullied by the high and mighty.

Paul Rudd stars as Tim, an analyst who is dreaming of moving upwards in his company's corporate ladder. He gets the attention of CEO Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood) through a rather brash stand out moment during a meeting, and is given that 5 minute elevator pitch to join the firm's head honchos in a dinner where he would be welcomed into the fold if he can meet their expectations - that is to bring along an idiot as his dinner guest, and they were all to laugh at him. The objective is secret of course, and everyone will bring someone in a competition of sorts. It's unorthodox and reeks of elitism, but desperate to get that cushy job, he goes against the wishes of his girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) and fate allows him to bump into Barry (Steve Carell), a simpleton taxidermist who works on mice.

As you can predict, much of the comedy comes at the expense of Barry, who speaks funny, behaves oddly, and most of the time you wonder if you're guilty of the same if you were to laugh at him and his antics. It's evil that we get to laugh at someone who's most unfortunate and naive, but that's how David Guion and Michael Handelman's story sets it out to be, with Barry being the fall guy at the receiving end of the butt of the jokes, while Tim slowly undergoes a painful lesson the ill intentions go through a karmic circle as we see his life turn upside down where misfortunes become lucky escapes which in turn sets itself up for a bigger fall.

Steve Carell is a great comedian, and like his Maxwell Smart in Get Smart, his Barry here is loony with a capital L, who lives life in his own cocoon which I suspect had snapped when his wife cheated on him with his boss Therman (Zach Galifianakis), who claims to possess the power to read minds since he works in the tax bureau and can see through guys hiding something. The major scene played in the office is nothing but insane and frankly, idiotic, but sets itself up nicely for the big mano a mano in the last act, which unfortunately came across as a little stretched. Thanks to Carell's presence, he brings to life a comedy of disastrous situations though it's still a little bit unnerving to consciously know you're laughing at someone's misfortune.

With the strong underlying message of what friendship means and how we learn to accept the drawbacks of our friends, Paul Rudd stars in his second bromance after I Love You, Man to explore just that, but it's Jemaine Clement (of Flight of the Conchords fame) who steals the show as Kieran the artist who's so full of himself and pretentious. Now that is something I can wholeheartedly laugh at!

From The Red Eagle OST - ในคืนนี้

ในคืนนี้ played during the opening credits of Red Eagle, and there was that ring of Bond-esque quality to the rhythm and presentation - sensual, mysterious, inviting you to discover more.

And this was done right after an ultra-violent introduction where Insee Daeng dispatches a gang of drug traffickers, setting the tone that this is quite the departure from the 60s franchise starring Mitr Chaibancha in the titular role as the masked avenger. Watch the video to catch some glimpses of deleted scenes, which the film for sure didn't feature Ananda Everingham's Rom Rittikral shaving that block of ice into his signature avian, complete with flowing ebbs of blood (we only saw the end product on screen). I'm also curious as to how the quality of the clips from the film were a little rough around the edges with the SFX yet to be completely in place, and especially brightened up as well which provided a little more detail to the scenes.

Red Eagle premieres in Bangkok today, and also makes its international premiere at the Pusan International Film Festival with 5 screenings starting from 10th October.

Related Posts
Review of the Film Red Eagle / Insee Daeng
Red Eagle Unmasked! A Chat with Ananda Everingham
Official Movie Website

Insee Daeng Trailer
Insee Daeng Teaser
From The Red Eagle OST - ศัตรูที่รัก

WiseKwai's Wilhelm Screaming Input

Bestseller (Beseuteu Serreo / 베스트셀러)

Writer's Block

Any writer can attest to the problems faced by successful novelist Baek Hee-Soo (Eom Jeong-Hwa), at one point plagued by accusations of plagiarism, and another when faced with an extreme writer's block that doesn't seem to go away no matter how hard she tries to look for inspiration. At her publisher's advise, Baek travels to a quaint town with her young daughter and puts up at an old cabin, where her daughter befriends an imaginary friend who starts to whisper stories to her. Desperate, she regurgitates the story into a new book, only to be slammed by plagiarism charges again. Talk about being unlucky the second time round.

But I digress. Bestseller plays along the lines of a horror film, setting it all up in very similar terms poised to give audiences a good scare. There's a testy relationship between an obsessed mother and her cute daughter, an inexplicable elderly woman who hangs around the house, and having a young girl communicate with her invisible friend are all ingredients that are staple in horror flicks, and not to mention a group of townsfolk who seem to be hiding something behind that ultra-friendly facade toward the famous writer.

Written and directed by debutant Lee Jeong-Ho, it's a curious film of two almost distinct parts. The first dwells heavily with the dilemma of Baek and her frustrations in having to come up with a novel to debunk her critics on her perceived plagiarism, and we journey into this desperation with her. Eom Jeong-Hwa brings forth a really crazed performance, with flip-flopping mood swings each time her young daughter rubs her the wrong way. You're constantly guessing whether did she or didn't see, although the outcome of this will be spelt out in the film and not left ambiguous for the audience to decide, and I was indeed quite surprised when it was done so in the middle, which means there's something else to show for in what's to follow.

The second half takes on a curiouser turn, where Baek, from being the protagonist moving the story forward, becomes a mere spectator in her own tale, where she returns to the cabin to try and unearth who exactly has been feeding her daughter the story that she adopted. With the first half revealing what the twist in the story is, the latter half becomes quite pedestrian, and to say anything more would be to spoil the film in its entirety. Suffice to say it involves a lot more people than an almost one woman show in the first half, and the entire mystery somehow lacked the eerie feeling already set up earlier, and opted to go down a more conventional thriller with an obligatory revelation you could've seen a mile away.

Like Baek, I suspect Lee Jeong-Ho may have lost the plot halfway, and decided to ramp up the film into a noisy crescendo with more characters, such as a burly man who on the surface seems to be good natured, and his father the town's one time sheriff who is intricate to the quick subplot added. Other subplots include the expansion of the role for Baek's estranged husband Yeong-Joon (Ryoo Seung-Yong), and a set of neat coincidences and lucky factors that allowed the film to end how it did in a big round-about fashion.

I suppose when in doubt, set out to do a lot in the hopes that some aspects of the story will hit their mark. Unfortunately it boiled down to a largely promising potential that was let down by a shortage of ideas to carry it through the full feature. Instead you get two stories for the price of one, and it's a pity that both parts stood out distinct from each other and lacked the gel to pull them together, which would have been awesome.


Bestseller opens in Singapore on 14 Oct 2010.

[Bangkok, World Premiere] Red Eagle (อินทรีเเดง / Insee Daeng)

Bangkok's Protector

The 60s seem like a groovy time for superheroes to flourish on television and film, where in the West brings to mind the William Dozier Batman and the Green Hornet series, while in Thailand came a hero called Red Eagle, a masked avenger with a crimson mask in the shape of an eagle. We know how Batman got a reboot recently under the hands of Christopher Nolan, and Michel Gondry's version of the Green Hornet will be due in some months after the 3D conversion process. In Thailand, the time is now for the release of Red Eagle, a reboot of the popular Thai hero based on the novels by Sake Dusit, where the film franchise of the 60s ended in tragedy when leading man Mitr Chaibancha fell tragically from a helicopter stunt gone wrong on the last day of shooting of Golden Eagle.

This is possibly writer-director Wisit Sasanatieng's most ambitious project yet, in terms of its blunt critique on corrupt politics and politicians, wide ranging action sequences that shocked and awed, and a sprawling narrative that couldn't be contained in a single film. This of course paves way for subsequent stories to be told by filmmakers not necessarily himself – he had announced that he's quitting commercial filmmaking for more indie fare - but I just can't see how anyone can take his place in the hot seat with the road map for the character put in place, especially when it comprises of an iconic homage to the original character and actor Mitr Chaibancha. I felt it could have ended before going into explicit cliffhanger mode, and audiences can read the final shot either as yes, a homage being paid after a tribute to Mitr Chaibancha came out, or it's the proverbial dangle of the carrot on what to expect in the next film, which may seem like letting audiences on thinking the scene was actually contained in the narrative proper, and not supposed to be a stand alone teaser. This may bring about some talking points when the lights come on at the end.

Like the reboots of superheroes of late, thrown out the window is the thick campy flavour, and filling the vacuum is a story that's very serious in tone, with heroes that are adequately flawed. Wisit's Red Eagle is a pained hero, betrayed by his country while as a member of an elite tactical force, before taking up arms as the titular masked vigilante to systematically bring down corrupt officials in office. When watching the film, you can't help but to draw parallels that he's both Batman and the Joker combined, the former in his mission and cause, the latter in execution that uncannily follows the Joker's early modus operandi, dishing out death threats to instill fear, and then delivering the kill.

And here's where things go into overdrive loud. Wisit's films have been know thus far to be beautifully musical, but in Red Eagle it's the theme tune that takes precedence over everything else, blaring through the speakers each time the hero comes on in almost every action sequence, and played ad nauseam throughout the film, which is quite unfortunate if you're looking forward to an aural variety. From the get go Wisit signals the brutality of the Red Eagle which puts him on par with that seen in Punisher: War Zone – guns and an extendable sword are his weapon of choice, and inflicting punishment is part and parcel in dispatching opponents, with plenty of graphic, unflinching decapitations and dismemberment of limbs in the clear.

Being an origin film, the narrative contains the necessary back-stories to establish the character of Rom Rittikral (Ananda Everingham), which has departed from being the suave playboy to almost a recluse, being more of his alter ego Red Eagle / Insee Daeng rather than his drunken persona, suffering periodically from massive headaches from a bullet in the head and becoming a morphine addict. Ananda drops his inherently suave persona to play a man hell bent in bringing his brand of justice to the city. It's also pretty amazing how Wisit wrote this back-story and incorporated Ananda's physical facial features with his mole under the right eye to tie in with the story, cementing him to the role of Rom and Insee Daeng, who loses more than scoring decisive wins in the film, protected from harm by his inner, bulletproof vest when he in turn becomes the Dark Knight equivalent (sans Alfred) protecting Bangkok, going after evil politicians and gangster chiefs.

Matulee, a secret organization made up of supposedly powerful society types, all decked out in masks to maintain anonymity during meetings, decide to engage the services of the expert assassin Black Devil, armed with a wicked looking sickle-blade and looking very much like the Grim Reaper, to hunt down and kill our hero, and he becomes the primary nemesis in this film other than a hint at who helms Matulee. Their clash leads to two top notch action sequences, the first being an intricately crafted extended battle atop building roofs to gigantic billboards before duking it out in a supermarket followed by a lift-shaft tussle. It is this sequence that will keep you at the edge of your seat with pauses for comic relief provided by the rather bumbling Detective Chart (Wannasingha Prasertkul) who's tasked to bring down Insee Daeng as well. However, there were moments where tight camera angles, close ups and quick cuts didn't manage to do justice to the fight design, and you'd wish things could've been improved. It may highlight the dexterity of the Red Eagle, but thankfully this aspect improved as the film wore on. Watch out for those mean swordfighting moves executed by both exponents out for each other's throats!

Although written and developed for many years by Wisit Sasanatieng, one cannot escape from drawing parallels between the political arena in the film, and that in real life. Set in the year 2013 with the Liberal Party in power, Prime Minister Direk (Pornwut Sarasin) got elected on an anti-nuclear platform, but is more comfortable in negating his promises made to the electorate and supporters of an NGO led by Yasana (Yarinda Boonnak) his ex-fiancee who has a hand in rescuing Insee Daeng at one point, and sets up an unrealized love triangle. At every opportunity the film demonstrates or comments how politicians promise the world but deliver nothing or go back on promises, where corrupt rich men pull their connections and networks against those who are on the lower rungs of society. It doesn't necessarily have to be a critique of politics or how a police force seem to be at the beck and call of those in power in Red Eagle's country of origin, but could be applicable anywhere in the world since it's a flaw in human nature on how power corrupts.

For fans of the 60s Mitr Chaibancha version of the film, Red Eagle will almost definitely be a must-watch to see how one of the most inventive filmmakers in Thailand today works in a treatment to reboot the film franchise. Wisit Sasanatieng followers will be in for a surprise at how he tackles a commercial action film based on a masked crusader, which seems to be in complete departure from his earlier works. Not without flaws, but I'm still going to put this on my recommended list, and personally I'm hoping this film does well enough to warrant a follow up, which should provide the proper closure to the mission that Red Eagle had set out to achieve.

Red Eagle Unmasked! A Chat with Ananda Everingham

Today marks the Gala Premiere of Wisit Sasanatieng's Red Eagle in Bangkok's Central World, and I suppose given the writer-director's past films that I've enjoyed, I made it a point to travel to Bangkok to catch this, and the kind folks at Five Star Production provided me an opportunity to attend the gala. I've also managed to get a quick interview session with Ananda Everingham, who plays Rom Ritthikrai aka Red Eagle in this reboot of the 60s film franchise which starred the legendary Thai actor Mitr Chaibancha, just before the festivities for the gala began.

Stefan: You have starred in two Singapore films – The Leap Years and Pleasure Factory, one a romantic film and the other exploring the seedier side of Singapore. What's your impression of our country?
Ananda: Well if you've seen the two films, they're very different, and I think I like that about Singapore. It's got that kind of sanitized facade about it but at the same time there's also the culture and the tradition and the richness of Asian culture is also there, because sometimes if you just skim the surface it comes off as very... it's hard to define... like a character trait of the people of Singapore. So it's nice to make both films. I've got to see more of the real Singapore with Pleasure Factory. But I actually thought at one point I wouldn't mind working out of Singapore, because sometimes it's nice to be away from the chaos in Bangkok.

Stefan: Can you share how you got the role of Red Eagle, and did you watch the original Red Eagle films starring the late Mitr Chaibancha to prepare yourself for this role.
Ananda: Mitr Chaibancha is from a generation of filmmakers and film stars that I know nothing about. If you've seen the work of Wisit Sasanatieng he's got that nostalgic element in all his works, so he's a big fan of films from that era. All I knew about the character was there was this legendary Thai actor who fell from the helicopter. And everybody knows this story of Mitr Chaibancha, and I actually remember the footage. I must have been like six or seven years old when I saw the footage. I think everybody knows that story, but they might not know of the actors or the characters of that generation. So I knew about the Red Eagle, tragically, from the way he died and then once I was approached to play the Red Eagle, Wisit got me to watch some of Mitr Chaibancha's older films, which was good. It gave me perspective what the films were about that generation and what it meant to be a megastar in that generation.

Stefan: So how big is Red Eagle to Thai filmgoers?
Ananda: Well, think of it this way. Back when Mitr Chaibancha was in his prime, he was such a wanted actor that film crews would actually set up outside his doorstep and wait for him to come out and gave him a costume and say like “Can you act out or do this one scene before you go off to your set?” People would actually stop him like halfway to a set and set up right here, right beside the road and say “we'll need you for just one line!” That doesn't exist anymore, you don't have these megastars anymore. We're in a whole new generation. This generation's more of like the tabloid generation. Mitr Chaibancha was in a generation where there was such a thing as a superstar.

Stefan: You mentioned you've watched a couple of Red Eagle movies. Any favourites?
Ananda: I don't remember the names, but they're all quite campy. I like them all. I like old films anyway. I like that old styled acting, like the suave, handsome playboy character that he plays. I always get a kick out of that. I mean this one's completely different. It's not a sequel but I love that about The Red Eagle then, the playboy, charming, because that's Mitr Chaibancha's character, that's how he was in real life as well.

Stefan: How different is your and Wisit's interpretation of Rom Ritthikrai from Mitr's version?
Ananda: Completely. I mean the characters have the same name. I think the only character that would resemble anything from the character of the past films would be Chart (played by Wannasingha Prasertkul), not like the Red Eagle's nemesis, but there's always going to be that one policeman trying to catch Red Eagle and that character's played quite similar to the films of the past. The big objective of the character was to be sort of like a comic relief for the film. We still have that, but other than that everything's different. It's like the rated R version of the Red Eagle with a lot more violence and not as charming as that old character.

Stefan: You were injured in a serious motorcycle accident...
Ananda: About two years ago.
Stefan: ... which was just weeks before film was due to start. Did that affect or change any planned action sequence that you were supposed to carry out?
Ananda: Well, it made the film crew very cautious when we were doing the stunts and all that, but no it didn't change much. The Red Eagle doesn't have powers, he can't do things like ten backflips or stuff like that. I mean he can do two backflips, but that's about the extent of the stunts. Most of it's straightforward, martial arts, but after the accident I actually told Wisit that I'd be OK if he wanted to move on shooting and cast somebody else in my role. And he came up to Chiang Mai to see me and had a chat, and spoke to the doctors, and to find out how I would recover, and how my mobility would be for the next six months or so. So he decided he wanted to take a chance and waited for six months for me to heal. And I still have injuries that affect me now but it's lucky enough for me, with therapy and all that, nothing serious had happened. We got through it pretty OK. It wasn't the easiest film to make but we just made it through. I'll be the first one to admit that this is the toughest film I've ever made. The most taxing, the most demanding.

Stefan: Is it because of the action sequences?
Ananda: It was everything. It was such an ambitious film, and with Wisit at the helm, if you know him, he's a perfectionist. He wants every single shot – he storyboarded it and he wants the exact shot. A lot of these shots, on the storyboard they look great, like the guy does a double back flip, but to actually shoot that kind of thing, it's harder than it looks than on the storyboard. So to get all of his vision that he storyboarded onto film wasn't easy. I remembered doing shifts like 45 hours shifts, non-stop. I mean if there's a sequel to this I really have to consider it before taking on the role. It was on the verge of being painful.

Stefan: What's your favourite scene from the film?
Ananda: If you've seen the trailer, my favourite shot and Wisit knows this story really well. You see the first shot and it's shot from behind the Red Eagle, and he puts on the mask...
Stefan: Will this be the first time that the audience will see Red Eagle?
Ananda: I'm not sure how it's cut in the film, but I remember shooting that one, and we came back to look at the monitor and that one gave me goosebumps. Just made me feel like, wow, we're actually making a superhero film. I know you need those kind of shots, and after watching that, yeah, this should be quite a good film.

Stefan: What's your next project, besides another Red Eagle film if it comes out?
Ananda: Well I have a film I've produced myself and it's complete now. It gets premiered in Pusan as well, called High Society, but it's abbreviated, so it's Hi-So. It's like a nickname for the rich kids in Thailand. So after I come back from Pusan I go straight to Tibet making a road movie called Shambala. It's like a Tibetian utopia, about this guy who's done a lot of negative things with his life, and caused a lot of hurt for other people. He ends up on this road trip with his younger brother who's a travel photographer, and I tag along because I want to find a new place to get drunk or something, and he finds redemption through his travels in Tibet. It'd be a fun film. Influences from the film will be Y Tu Mama Tambien, along those lines as well, about two crazy kids travelling across Tibet.



Photo Credit: Richard Lim Jr

Cross-published on Twitch

Eternity (Chua Fah Din Salai)

Forever and Ever

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. So when in Thailand, what else but to watch a Thai film? While I'm in Bangkok to attend the gala screening of Wisit Sasanatieng's The Red Eagle, I thought it was quite uncanny for leading man Ananda Everingham to have another film already in the cinemas, so why not check that out first before we see him donning the mask of Thailand's avenger? Also a period piece and a remake of an old film, based on a renowned Thai folklore, Eternity bears the hallmarks that are quintessential to any romantic melodrama, with lush sets and cinematography forming the background on which a couple falls in love in.

But it's not that simple, nor a happily ever after. It takes the concept of Eternity very literally, or at least one of the main characters do in etching out his punishment, and the love story here is fairly complicated, where rich land owner Pabo, an influential elderly man, takes the young woman Yupadee (Laila Boonyasak) he met at a glitzy high society function as his latest bride, bringing the uptown girl back to his sprawling rural kingdom only for his favourite nephew Sangmong (Ananda Everingham) and probable heir to his business to fall for her, and vice versa. After all, she's probably in it for the money, but in terms of looks, physique, personality and the issues on which to emotionally click, Sangmong is it.

Blame it on Pabo himself though, who provides ample opportunity for his bride and nephew to gallivant together through his estate, as well as suggesting that Sangmong should love his aunt as well as he loved him the uncle. Sangmong takes those words in the literal sense, allowing himself to get romantically involved with Yupadee, and his character, for all his education and learned demeanour, does come across as quite the coward when we eventually dwell deeper, always preferring to push the fault and blame onto another, just as he warned Yupadee that it will be her fault if they get caught in their illicit relations, and retorting back to Pabo that he's not to be blamed for misunderstanding his uncle's words. Sneaky fella, this chap.

Narrated by the trusted manservant of Pabo who presents things as they are from a third person perspective, the second half is when director M.L. Punddevanop Dhewakul's film become more interesting, once it got past the honeymoon period, and into what it means by Eternity in a relationship... that of suffering if a couple came together under such amorous circumstances. Peeled away are all the romanticism, with reality settling in fast, revealing the incompatibility, and the forced circumstances where they have to face each other 24x7. Ask any couple if they can do that, and the answer will probably be a resounding no, unless they want to torpedo their relationship.

It's an innovative punishment metted out by Pabo against his wife and nephew, who think of him as the fool for such a childish act of chaining them both together (as any keen eyed observer would have spotted on one of the movie posters), and for others, thinking that he is Benevolence personified in allowing the adulterous couple to live, but it's quite a cunningly deceptive move, in making the couple punish each other instead. If wedding vows are for better or for worst, it couldn't be more litmus a test when two persons have to undergo something similar, and we witness how a relationship irrevocably deteriorates as the film plods its way to the finale.

You'll get two stories for the price of one, and Ananda Everingham fans will likely lap this up as the film shoots him in dreamy lens and sets up some steep romanticism amongst the lush greenery in rural Thailand, before developing into its brilliant second act that is something rather stark and void of romanticism when the thrill of an illicit relationship settles. I suppose that's how most relationships initiate, and then die off when there's either a lack of effort to maintain it, or if you have to face a nagging partner, isn't it?

From The Red Eagle OST - ศัตรูที่รัก

Anjaana Anjaani

Suicide Lovers

All lovers start off as strangers first, before an affirmation as friends, then the bridge to be crossed to become lovers, and if the speedbumps along the way prove too much for the couple to handle, then that relationship will get relegated to friendship, before time takes over for memories to fade and they become strangers again. Director Siddharth Anand's Anjaana Anjaani takes on this cyclic tale as far as modern romances go, and while the premise is as sexy as its two leads, unfortunately it's the meandering, average storyline that ultimately trips up the film, no matter the powerhouse performances by Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.

It started off promising though, as the narrative takes its time to set up the backgrounds and stories behind how Ranbir's Akash and Priyanka's Kiara met on a bridge while both are contemplating suicide, with the former being a hotshot investor whose bad call at the markets translated to bankruptcy for him and his partners, while the latter in a drunken stupor, had hers kept under wraps and told in flashbacks as the story wore on. For an audience, you get set up to feel that you too have partaken in this getting-to-know-you phase by director Siddharth Anand, and get acquainted with the leads just as their characters begin on a journey, and an incredible one at that since they've moved in together, and set a date on which to execute themselves, but not before spending time crossing out an impromptu bucket list.

For instance, the first half dwells specifically on the adventures of these two doing quite the incredible for comedy, with most times leaving you wonder just how they get the cash to do what they do. But this is a fantasy film, so anything goes with nary a worry, which for two persons hell bent on killing themselves, splurging cash shouldn't be an issue at all since they can't bring their savings bank along to their graves. For Akash, his dream is to get laid, well sort of, since he's that romantic dreamer whose career had meant little chance and time to chase skirts. This of course sets off some alarm bells with audiences when there's Ms Kiara standing in front of him to pursue, but it's this slow burning discovery that true love may be in front of him after all, that forms the theme after the interval.

Meanwhile, Kiara's bucket list consists of swimming in the middle of the Atlantic. How they get there is one thing, but they do, and this episode sowed the seeds of a budding romance leading well into the second half of the film, where the story falls back on the tried and tested formula of a romantic comedy, with the couple not knowing what to do since they've made a pact to end their lives, yet see within each other a rainbow at the end of their personal stormy issues. You can almost sleepwalk through the entire film after the break, as it breaks out the formula to turn whatever's refreshing, and like a genie decided to put it all back in the bottle.

Watching two former Miss Worlds in separate movies from two of the largest film industries in India, can somewhat be distracting as well as surreal. But Priyanka Chopra came out tops in this tussle, in my opinion, since Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's role in Endhiran was somewhat whiny in behaviour to my liking. Chopra on the other hand turned out to be quite the livewire in this film even though her Kiara has the most baggage to bear amongst the two lovers in Anjaana Anjaani. Infusing her role with so much sass, one cannot help but to highlight that this is one of her most memorable performance to date after 2008's Fashion and What's Your Rashee, which saw her take on 12 different roles. Ranbir Kapoor feeds off Chopra's bubbling energy really well, and the two share some excellent screen chemistry together in their first pair up, that I'm wishing there will be more films in future to exploit this.

If only the story was more gutsy to match both actor's stellar performances, without which Anjaana Anjaani turned out to be nothing more than an above average romantic film that gets churned out by the dozens each year.

Endhiran

Robot Dance

I've been missing out on some great Tamil films because for some reason the prints here rarely contain English subtitles, unlike the Hindi film releases. The hype surrounding Endhiran the Robot was just too huge to ignore, being arguably the most expensive Indian movie to date, the coming together of two of the Indian Subcontinent's mega stars in Superstar Rajnikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, world class computer generated effects, the Mozart of Madras A.R. Rahman providing the score, reports that it had already made a profit before a single reel was screened for the public, a release worldwide on more than 2000 screens simultaneously, and the crazy queues you'll have to join to secure a ticket. I was prepared to watch this as is, but thankfully this Tamil film, which was also released overseas in the Hindi and Telugu dubbed formats, came with English subtitles, so it's no more an excuse not to check out the reopened Rex Cinemas downtown.

I have to admit that I haven't seen much of Superstar Rajnikanth's films in their entirety, other than the wonderful Annamalai many, many years back, and it firmly remains one of my favourites, so you can imagine the thrill of watching the Superstar on the big screen cementing his status as one of Kollywood's greatest again. He plays two roles here in a biblical take on creation, being the scientific creator Dr. Vaseegaran who's latest achievement after 10 years, is to develop a robot (christened Chetti by the Dr's mom) with an advanced neural networks, which is also played by the Superstar himself devoid of emotions, because feelings is something every computer scientist knows we're not quite there yet since programming more than not involves codes of logic, the rational and things explainable through maths, rather than the irrational based on emotion.

But being human is to have feelings and to express them, and that primarily separates machines from humans. In essence the story, besides being a romance, is an examination into the difference between man and machine, and the caution that should one day we get to such an advanced state of artificial intelligence that Isaac Asimov's laws of robotics have to be seriously looked into, and if one can truly program irrationality, then bear in mind that it comes with the negative traits associated with being human, Vaseegaran finds out that playing god and the proud acknowledgement of that ability comes with a degree of responsibility outside of hugging his creation each time it sings his praises, before the narrative turns in the second half into something darker, with betrayal and the severance of ties between Vaseegaran and Chetti.

And all this because of a woman too. The story before the interval dwells more on the romance or lack thereof between Vaseegaran and Sana (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), and takes on a rather playful nature in between the creation of the titular robot, and that of his abilities in assisting Sana through her studies, whipping up gastronomical meals, beating up thugs who disturb the peace, and provided for an entertaining fight sequence onboard a train involving the systematic destruction of the train cabin as thugs get slammed left, right and center by Chetti, which I'm sure in a packed house will have audiences applauding with approval. Bit by bit we see what Chetti is capable of, and highlights Vaseegaran's claim that it can dish out efficiencies and strengths of 100 men, before it starts to take on a new challenge in understanding feelings and emoting them, and with Love being as irrational as it is, proves to be a handful for a robot's comprehension as he starts to get romantically obsessed with Sana.

But Chetti, in disappointing terms, is created none other than as a weapon for the army, which I thought geared very much to the real world where anything that can be weaponized will, running contrary to the fantastical take of the narrative thus far, which provided a talking point for the filmmakers to preach about the virtues of love over war, and why man cannot for once abandon that thought for love, which we are equally capable of. Embarrassed by his creation, Vaseegaran destroys Chetti only for his rival (Danny Denzongpa) to pick up the pieces and provide his own little code to transform Chetti into a killing machine, which provided for almost all the action sequences in the second half of the film to the point of excessiveness, an opportunity to see the Superstar in hundreds of numbers creating an army of itself and a fortress in which to house the kidnapped Sana. And trust me when I say the final act of the film involves some very loud battles between robots and soldiers that made it seem like you're watching a disaster flick with Transformers.

Clocking in at 170 minutes, there were a few redundant scenes here that could have been done away as it didn't move the narrative forward, like the scene involving Chetti communicating with mosquitoes (yes you read that right). The action sequences in the film are unlike what I've seen in any Indian film to date, and puts them on par with what Hollywood does in terms of designing and executing them flawlessly between live action and computer animation, though at times it's easy to detect where the money shots were placed. A.R. Rahman's music provided the right touches in the film although I would think the song and dance numbers were a little long – especially those that came in to justify the love between Vaseegaran and Sana – that were made bearable only by the excellent dance choreography, which both Superstar and Aishwarya seem very comfortable in performing.

Like a typical Indian masala film, this one has the right mix of everything – song, dance, action, romance, and plenty of effects thrown in to make it look ahead of its time. for being an entertaining broad crowd pleaser. Superstar Rajnikanth is at his element here playing 3 different roles - the professor, the good Chetti and evil Chetti, and anyone who suspects Aishwarya's dance ability should be convinced without a doubt she has all the right moves here, because that's what actually shines through given her rather muted role as the medical undergraduate at awe with her boyfriend's ability to build a walking, talking and feeling robot protector. All in, Endhiran is a case in point in the maturing of the Indian film industry in terms of their technical knowhow, just like how the advanced Chetti got created as a labour of love.

Reign of Assassins (剑雨 / Jian Yu)

My Swift Swordplay

Reign of Assassins has all the elements that form the basic trappings of a solid martial arts film, with plenty of swordplay, characters with hidden motivations, and an object of everyone's desire be it a martial arts manual, an awesome weapon, or just good old treasure. In this film which Su Chao-Bin wrote and directed, with co-directing and producing credits going to John Woo as well, everyone's after the mummified remains of a formidable Indian monk, where rumours and word of the power of the remains made every swordsman crave to possess it.

As the story goes, a group of assassins called Dark Stone, led by Wheel King (Wang Xueqi) has come into possession of half those remains, but Kelly Lin's Drizzle took flight with that and plenty of gold to become a fugitive of her own group – Leon Dai as The Magician, Shawn Yue as Lei Bin and new rookie Zhang Qing (Barbie Tsu) who had joined the team. In a Face/Off turn, she goes under the knife and now has the face of Michelle Yeoh (whoa!), living in disguise in the city, flying below the radar and effectively living the simple, ordinary life she yearns for, with absolutely no need for picking up the sword, though always kept handy at home just in case trouble comes knocking.

The pan-Asia A-list cast is something that will draw attention to the film, coming from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Korea. It's been some time since I last saw a wuxia film that featured a female swordsman as the lead, and being the anti-heroine at that as well. Starting off as a killer, Michelle Yeoh's Zeng Jing is unfortunately dubbed over, though I suspect for a valid reason that we'll have to live with in this film. In fact, more than one more character has voice issues that I cannot elaborate, and when revealed you'd start to wonder whether martial arts films can ever distance itself from that kind of villain from the courts, which is rather cliched. Yeoh will undoubtedly bring comparisons with her other famous martial arts role from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, although here Barbie Hsu's no Zhang Ziyi to steal that thunder or limelight, being cast as a psychotic nymphomaniac with a penchant to shed her clothes in the hope of climbing the power ladder (sorry guys, no nudity involved).

What shines in this film is the rich characterization beyond the usual one-dimensional characters in most martial arts flick, which gives the viewer a richer experience as we get emotionally invested in the plight of the characters. Everyone seems to want a way out of their usual kill or be killed drudgery, though it's one thing leaving the Jiang Hu altogether and retire, and another if you actually belong to a gang of bandits and assassins where your ex-buddies just won't leave you alone. The story allowed for any available screen time to pause for a while to present the other, ordinary side of the characters where we see their hopes and dreams, whether be it settling down, gaining some worldly possession.

I had initially wondered why Wang Xueqi was cast since he's an incredible actor but had little to do in the first half of the film other than to look mean and nasty, but then realized that you need an actor of gravitas to pull off what he did in the latter half of the film, which in the hands of a lesser actor could have been really comical. Instead he brought that sense of an obsessed man whose desperate for what's almost an impossible change or dream, which form the crux of all misery. The other actor to be admired here is Korean actor Jung Woo-sung who plays a courier and falls in love with Zeng Jing. Spending time to ensure he learns his Mandarin dialogue as accurately as possible so that when dubbed over it will look convincing, I will have to agree that he pulled it off, and his good looks fit right into this period piece with some surprises up the sleeve.

Action fans will have something to look forward to in the film, as it spends time crafting kinetically charged sword-fighting scenes which at times I felt the quick cuts didn't do those choreographed moves much justice. However everyone pretty much battles everyone else, which accentuates the good old wuxia adage of it being perfectly normal if self-preservation happens to be the order of the day. Throw in motivations of revenge, lust (though very subtle) and jealousy especially with two women characters sharing the same scene, we know we're in for a good time, especially when the story's kept tight and compact. Some wonderful set action pieces like the one in the bank and the disturbance at home all make for good entertainment, and clearly with John Woo absent from giving his two cents worth in these scenes (no slow motions if you get what I mean), though not always necessarily for the better as the quick cuts sometimes get in the way of appreciating the hard work gone behind the designing of such battles, which are wire-enhanced.

At its core Reign of Assassins is a romantic tale steeped in tragic irony, with martial arts film fans likely to lap up an out and out fantastical wuxia film. Almost all the characters have a past they want to cease remembering, and are harbouring plans for a new life sans violence. Love of course plays a part in the determination of this second chance, but this calls for sacrifice that we see once enemies now lovers have got to embrace as they decide to come clean with their feelings, alongside twists that get revealed especially in the final act.

Compared to Detective Dee this may not seem as epic nor groundbreaking in terms of offering something new to an audience, but it is essentially its sublime essence in knowing what's critical in a wuxia film and doing that well, at times giving you that feeling of having watched a classic martial arts film of old now remade with a stellar cast and knowing how best to appeal to a modern audience. Highly recommended and it powers its way into my shortlist at the end of the year as well.

Excerpts From Reign of Assassins Talk With Su Chao-Bin and John Woo

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Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (狄仁杰 / Di Ren Jie)

Chinese Sherlock

It's simply an interest week of big budgeted film releases in Singapore, from India's Endhiran starring Superstar Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, to the Asian martial arts film such as the John Woo produced Reign of Assassins, which is getting a special screening today before its release next week. Also, Tsui Hark joins the fray with his latest film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, and if you like me, have wondered why Hark has made some astonishing lacklustre films of late, fret not folks, as this film marks the director's return to true class. Like the adage goes, form is temporary while class is permanent, and Detective Dee sounds that trumpet that he's back at his very best with this action adventure.

The scale of the film within its first ten minutes will win you over with its grandeur and ambition, and it sustained its stellar delivery at all fronts right up to the finale, keeping the mystery humming at the background, while constantly topping its action fight sequences from the previous. Set in the Tang Dynasty just before the coronation of Chinese history's legendary Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau), the mystery involves the self-immolation of court officials with whispers that the supernatural might be involved. All these strange happenings seem to point to a greater conspiracy that to skeptics go back to the Empress in waiting having a hand in them.

To show the masses that there is transparency in her governance, she releases on the advice of a wise sage, the Chinese Sherlock Holmes of her time, Detective Dee (Andy Lau) who she had imprisoned for challenging her rule to the throne some eight years ago. Reinstating his stature, she sets him about investigating these deaths, which spells an investigative adventure in a race against time to nab the culprits as well as to discover all hidden agendas that will go against the crowning of the very first female Emperor in China.

Tsui Hark, responsible for classics such as Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain in the 80s, the Once Upon a Time in China series in the 90s, have yet to convince me that he had kept up with the times and I was afraid that he may have lost a lot of his clout with the naysayers abhorring his previous offerings like All About Women (seriously) and Missing. Detective Dee will now shut these fellas up (and I will admit, myself included), as we celebrate the helmer's vision and offering for a new audience to acquaint themselves with. The engaging and fantastical storyline by Chen Kuo-fu (also responsible for The Message) got brought to live by a number of Korean special effects teams, that your jaw will literally be wide open when marvelling at the intricate details from miniatures employed, to the money special effects shots.

Even then, there's no mistaking that it's also loaded with enough fight action to entertain, thanks to the action direction of Sammo Hung, of late hugely responsible for many action/martial arts flicks that bear his signature, creating unique fighting styles and stances for the characters, utilizing weapons seldom seen in Chinese cinema of late such as the whip, a throwable war-axe and Dee's mace, which comes with a tuning fork of a device that can exploit weakness in metal and lead to the demolition of opposition weapons. You'll have to see it to believe, and that iconic mace forms a sort of Truth object as well, one of the tools Dee utilizes that actually strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.

Even with big sets and awesome choreography, the cast was an eclectic mix of veterans and up and coming actors. Carina Lau marks that rare appearance as the ruthless and cold Empress Wu, while Andy Lau shows commanding his presence is thanks to that charisma of his as the titular detective, and you'll probably welcome the small cameo appearances by Teddy Robin and Richard Ng. Deng Chao shines in his role as the pale faced investigator Pei Donglai who starts off a really nasty cop with a nasty attitude, while Li Bingbing's Shangguan Jing'er is that loyal, dutiful servant of the Empress assigned to keep an eye on and report on Dee's investigations, and together they sort of form the Watsons to Dee's Sherlock, even though the trust levels between them aren't chummy, and takes quite a while for rapport to be built.

Sure it doesn't take rocket science to figure out who the chief culprit is in the story, but it's never always about the destination, but the experience in getting there. Detective Dee scores at all fronts with its excellent production values that you'd only experience in a Hollywood production, but Tsui Hark has through this one film demonstrated that Asian filmmakers can reach the same heights, or even surpass it, in terms of storyline, character development, and to top it all off with some eye popping and astoundingly detailed special effects used to create worlds that are of a bygone era. Highly recommended, and a contender to go into my shortlist of the best this year!