[DVD] Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story (2003)

Get Out of My Way

Not all biographical films on politicians are made equal. Some try to tell a sprawling tale of someone's political life, such as Oliver Stone with his Nixon and W., while others capture a momentous slice of an historical event, such as Roger Donaldson's Thirteen Days which was gripping from start to end. Then there are those like Rudy, which tries to do both, but don't really get there, undoubtedly having the story mooted since Rudy Giuliani (James Woods) was the mayor of New York during the fateful event of September 11 2011, and having this film weave a glimpse of his political career culminating in that horrendous disaster.

Granted this had a limited budget, and in many ways that showed in the film, having some scenes crafted in sparse studios, although looking like a million dollars when Robert Dornhel, whose experience and filmography point to a lot of made for television films which this one also belonged to, had deliberately opted for the documentary look and feel for the event of September 11. Everything else looked indoors and not on location, removing that sense of authenticity of filming it all in the Big Apple.

There's also very little on his political and professional career before Mayorship, and what I thought was a very interesting bit in his life during his Attorney General days as he locked horns with the mafia, was grossly glossed over, which was a pity because there's so much narrative potential there to be explored, but I guess writer Stanley Weiser, who based this film on the book by Wayne Barrett, didn't find it interesting enough for a big screen treatment. Much instead is preferred to focus on the man's incredibly bad temper behind closed doors, demonstrating that Giuliani is a man who doesn't mince his words, and shoots very fast from the hip without due care whether it'll hurt anyone at all with his pointed, loud barbs.

With 9/11 stock footage mixed with its own documentary presentation, the story unfolds in flashbacks, as we glimpse into Rudy's marriage to newscaster Donna Hanover (Penelope Ann Miller) who had once interviewed him and begun a whirlwind romance, before his suspected infidelities and indiscretion led to breakdowns in both his marriage and almost always threatening his political career, isolating him from strong, key advisers who don't quite see eye to eye with his blind trust of his communications director Cristyne Lategano (Michelle Nolden). I suppose Robert Dornhelm prefers to tell the age old story of how the strong almost always fall prey to the advances of the fairer sex, and in some ways become the seeds to their downfall, in more ways than one.

James Woods puts in a riveting performance as the go-getter in the titular character, but ultimately got let down by the weak narrative that didn't get to dig deeper into what made the man, skimming only on the surface and focused on his anger management issues. Though you have to admit he's quite at his element when he's Rudy the warrior battling his detractors and those who would oppose him or his ideals. Supporting cast didn't outshine Woods in his role, and that may be attributed to the more caricature like treatment the supporting characters had to deal with since a biopic that's about 90 minutes long doesn't leave a lot of room for the spotlight to be shared with others.

For a man who was to provide a leadership beacon in what would be one of the most tragic terrorist attacks in human history, Rudy had all the potential to paint a more complex, detailed picture of just who the man was, someone whom most had seen on their television screens in the aftermath of that attack, but you're likely to come out from this just a wee bit more knowledgeable about the man himself, if at all, no thanks to its summarizing of key milestones in the man's life, and the indecision to just want to focus on an episode, or be a little bit more ambitious to cover a whole lot of ground.

The Code 3 DVD by Innoform Media is a bare bones presentation of the film in an anamorphic widescreen transfer with audio in its original English track in Dolby Digital 5.1 or stereo. Subtitles are available in Mandarin only. Scene selection is over 10 chapters, and there are no extras.

[Short] The Red Thread (Fil Rouge) and Izak’s Choice (Les Mains)

Fil Rouge / The Red Thread (2008)

I'm not much of a wine drinker, but to the connoisseurs, they can define a vintage right down to the vineyard and year it was created just from the smells, taste and swirl. Amazing stuff that never fail to impress me, but personally I'd still prefer to chug down a beer and get all rowdy compared to the classier alcohol of choice.

In any case Luc Plissonneau had written and directed a short film that revolves around wine and two connoisseurs, father and daughter Archilles Lambert (Bernard Gadrat) and Roxane (Anne Cazenave), the latter who had prepared four bottles in a blind taste testing session for her father, who is into the final days of his life, each carefully prepared to mark a milestone in Archilles life. This of course gives Plissonneau an opportunity to dive back into the 40s to the 70s to expand on the story and add some complexity into the production, which he does with aplomb through carefully crafted scenes in sepia and black and white.

The non-linear narrative is filled with the ups and downs of a man's life, from moments of shameful guilt brought about by the impetuousness of youth, to that of pride with the celebration of his first born in Roxanne, about memories and ultimately family, with the final scene reserved for that powerful, moving emotional bond between father and daughter that's set in a vineyard, imparting an important reminder and lesson on life, and how to live life.

You can view the film here:

Fil Rouge - "The Red Thread" (2008, 17 min) Short Film by Luc Plissonneau from Luc Plissonneau on Vimeo.

Les Mains / Izak's Choice (2011)

Writer director Luc Plissonneau latest short film Izak's Choice tells the story of a down and out pianist Izak (Ivan Illic), who for the longest time was living without passion or soul, giving lessons to just about anyone only to fuel his paltry existence. That is until one day, Lucie (Sarah Perroud) enters his life as his student, and naturally a bond and a relationship builds between the two. You'll usually hear stories about how Love can cause a change in someone deep from within, and Plissonneau's story does exactly that for its characters, especially Izak, in his ability to finally impress a panel of audition judges to give him a shot at a renowned recital.

But what's life without its tragedies? If there's a message to be brought out from this impressive short film, it is how we choose to deal and address our disabilities and our treatment of loved ones, when it's always so easy to walk out on them. The surprise that's shown 8 months later in the film proves that a disability should not just simply stop someone at their tracks, and to address that head on is something just as beautiful, even if it may shock others at the forefront, but later on impress upon that the magic doesn't just disappear. Plissonneau's film shows exactly just that through its moving musical pieces, especially the one chosen for the finale.

In a way this film served like a companion piece of The Red Thread in its emotional themes, and in the way the narrative got presented with its non-linear timeline, except that this one showed more variance in the way Plissonneau demonstrated his knack for more creative camera angles, yet keeping the story very rooted to a strong emotional core. Production values are kept high even for a short, and if Luc Plissonneau is using these films as a showreel for what he's capable of, then he's on the right track in his ambition to finally make a feature film. Recommended!

Here's the trailer:

[BR] Star Trek: The Captains' Summit (2009)

The Round Table

There may be some who knows the inner limited Trek geek in me, but I have to admit after picking up the Star Trek Original Motion Picture Collection in Blu Ray that reviewing everything in one sitting is still quite daunting. So as usual I would be taking my time, but why not start things off with the special disc included which recorded the rare time when William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes all sat down for a round table session moderated by Whoopi Goldberg, to share their views on their respective characters, thoughts on the series, its impact and the likes.

Granted this is like a peek into the Captain and their respective First Officer's minds from the series, to the movies, to how lives have been changed, their own and the people and fans they inspire, and it's completely anecdotal, which is what is so valuable in this presentation. There are moments when Goldberg did great at asking some pointed questions and getting answers on record, but I suppose the mood was nothing less than a jovial one, so answers, while candid, were kept civil, despite the heated arguments and rivalry at times that you read from various sources, especially between Shatner and Nimoy, and Shatner's revelation on what he thought of the Next Generation series.

Split into three parts with a play all function available, it runs no more than 70 odd minutes, which is a genuine pity because each of them definitely have much more to share and tell about, and having a combined session only meant shorter answers in order to bring everyone into and have a go at the discussion, spanning many, many topics that Trekkies everywhere, or just fans of the movies or even the casual movie-goer, would come to enjoy since all of them haven't quite graced the screen, in costume or otherwise. altogether at the same time.

I wonder if there will be another version which will involve the rest of the surviving members of the crew as well, from both the original and the Next Generation series. Surely such a thought would have crossed some executive's mind at Paramount.

The Blu Ray disc from Paramount Home Entertainment is found as part of the Star Trek Original Motion Picture Collection consisting of 7 discs, one each for the feature film starring the original crew led by Captain James T, Kirk played by William Shatner, and the last being The Captains' Summit. Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Three's a Crowd

The world's greatest detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle returns to the big screen once again after the successful boot up through director Guy Ritchie's vision back in 2009. Ritchie returns to the director's chair, along with main leads Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law as Holmes and Watson respectively, going in to what would be the duo's toughest challenge yet with arch rival Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) whose intelligence rivals that of Holmes and is the equivalent of the greatest criminal mind out there, adopting loosely from Doyle's short The Final Problem, and following on from the seeds that were cunningly placed in the earlier film.

We return to Victorian England which sets the stage for Holmes to continue where he last left off, tailing ex-lover and thief Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams in a bit role only, which I suspect is for continuity purposes) who unwittingly becomes a part of an assassination attempt. With Holmes spoiling Moriarty's plot, we soon get to see the vilain himself in the flesh, given that he only existed in shadows in the earlier film, and learn of his dastardly plans to catalyze a European theatre of war at least from which he would make money from shrewd investments carefully positioned in commodities and supplies. Yes if you did not already know, war is actually profitable business.

But it's not that clear from the start, and one of the quibbles I have from this installment is how we constantly get led by the nose from one episode to another, journeying with both Holmes and Watson, the latter having his wedding and honeymoon to Mary (Kelly Reilly) rudely interrupted, outside of 221B Baker Street, London and England in general, to go on a whirlwind European tour of a few countries as they chase the villain and his many henchmen to throw a spanner in their works. With mystery films there are clues and red herrings left behind in which the detective will break or revisit them in due course, but many times in this film the cheat mode got set, leaving room for plenty of convenience to happen and for the narrative to skew events to whichever direction it so desires.

While Professor Moriarty may be the strongest villain in Holmes' Rogues Gallery, the character here proves to be anything but. He's ambitious in his plans and shows no mercy in its execution, but he's somehow lacking that inherent menace that villains possess. His demeanour played by Jared Harris may throw anyone off guard that this academician has a brilliant criminal mind, and holds his own in fisticuffs against Holmes since they share similar strengths in analytics. It's not that Harris didn't play the role to expectations but I felt he got hampered by the limited screen time and to have plenty of his actual dirty work committed by others, makes him a brainy villain instead, that didn't get translated too well for the big screen.

So thank goodness that the Downey Jr and Law pairing still contain as much chemistry and fun as seen from the first film, and this camaraderie worked up advantages for the buddy relationship between Holmes and Watson that carried the film through as they go country hopping and crime busting. Again filled with plenty of innuendos and double entendre in their dialogues, the bromance here continues to be solidly strong, that a new ally in gypsy Madam Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace) stood out like a sore thumb, unable to blend in with the duo naturally, and in some ways made her feel like an unwelcome female entrant into an all boys club.

As with almost all Guy Ritchie films, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is technically strong, with the look and feel of the film, consistent from that of the first, being one of the winning elements in my books. Incredibly detailed and intricately crafted, the sets, costumes, CG and production values are all top notch in transporting us back to an era that once was. The multiple flashback scenes that showcase how we get to where we are at the point of the narrative, and those events that play out in Holmes' mind, were all done with precision as we cue in to his thought process, and one of the plus points is that of Moriarty's input at times when it got boiled down to an intense battle of minds. And not forgetting Hans Zimmer's powerful score that's a natural companion piece from the first film.

I don't recall any other December period with that many blockbusters making their bow in Singapore, and this installment of Sherlock Holmes proves to be up there amongst the greats, but in some way lacked a certain X-factor to be truly memorable. Hinting at another film adventure, I hope the next one if it does get made, has what it takes to make the trilogy a definitive modern interpretation.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked

Help!

For as long as the Chipmunks can be milked to draw in the holiday crowds, the sequels will never stop. After all, the digital templates are there and done up to be recycled countless of times, and the live action characters just jolly well need not be there for things to work. Pop hits between the films serve as the highlights for getting the munked treatment, and while they do sound cute initially, eventually this novelty will soon wear off. Director Mike Mitchell, who sounded the death knell for Shrek with his Shrek Forever After, happened to do the same for Alvin and the Chipmunks in coming up with something so uninspired and clearly going through the motion.

The first film as expected is the origin film, followed by the sequel which is more or less a mirror image of the first, except with the trio from the opposite sex known as the Chippettes. In the third film, with everyone - Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), Theodore (Jesse McCartney), Brittany (Christina Applegate), Jeanette (Anna Faris) and Eleanor (Amy Poehler) - all living under the same roof as Dave (Jason Lee) their surrogate dad/manager, you'd expect that perhaps things can get a wee bit more cerebral, but alas all we're getting is a rehash of characterization not already seen in the films, and done countless of times in their animated series.

Alvin is still being Alvin, Simon needs to chill and Theodore just needs to be cute. So goes for the Chippettes with vain Brittany, introverted Jeanette and Eleanor just makes a lot of clothes and costumes in this one, since they're all stuck in an unnamed island (in Hawaii on location so it seems). What was to be a family cruise vacation turned out to be an abandoned island adventure, with Ian (David Cross) the chipmunks' ex-manager and one time music executive on board as well as the nasty opposition (too weak to be called a villain or the antagonist), and Zoe (Jenny Slate), a woman stuck in the island for close to a decade, and exhibiting the very same signs of loneliness that Tom Hanks' Chuck Noland did in Cast Away, except that she has more friends other than Wilson.

Centering around the chipmunks' fight for survival amongst themselves and with Zoe, as well as Simon and Alvin's temporal transformation in character - one being French (don't ask) and more carefree while the other getting all serious and responsible, the story plays out like an extended cartoon episode, with Dave and Ian on a quest to try and rescue their cash cows before something untoward get to happen to them, which in the story, is zilch given a low threat situation, most of the time. Nothing spectacular gets to happen in the film, and it runs like on a plateau without any highs or lows, and soon you'll feel you may be better off looking at caged animals in a zoo.

Which is a bit frustrating because the story's written by both Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who were also responsible for what I felt were some of the more intelligent animated films in recent years with their Kung Fu Panda and its sequel, having the right elements balanced in terms of story, characters, comedy, action and entertainment for both the kids and accompanying adults alike, but this effort seemed to be written without much heart put into it to cater for the lowest common denominator, and it shows. Granted they also did stinkers like Monsters Vs Aliens, but when you set the bar higher, that's where you'll be benchmarked against, and that's where this proved to be a total Chip-Wreck.

Subsequent movies if they ever get made seemed to be destined for going straight to video. Skip this unless you have a fetish for chipmunk voices.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Scaling New Heights

Does Brad Bird, whose resume reads The Iron Giant, The Incredibles and Ratatouille have what it takes to deliver a Mission: Impossible film, especially after what J.J. Abrams had done with the third installment? You bet your last dollar Bird pulled it off with aplomb, giving us the flavours that makes M:I distinct and unique, while shaking things up a bit to prevent us from lulling into plot complacency. It's a worthy addition to the M:I cinematic mythos, and may I say the best M:I film yet, and coming off the trail left by Abrams, John Woo and Brian De Palma, does say something about the quality Bird brings to the table.

From the get go you know Bird had it down to a pat and all done right, mixing stylish, elaborate action sequences with a dash of deep drama, leaving room for characterization, as well as entertaining with comedy stemming from laughing at the impossible at times. Credit must go to scribes Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec for what I felt was a large combination of the right ingredients from the first two films - with the threat on a global scale (MI:2 on a pandemic, and here it's nuclear annihilation), while having the IMF agents very much crippled without a support network, although they do remember this time round that it's team effort, compared to M:I where Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt was very much a one man He-Man.

And hey, we have new agents too, such as Paula Patton's hard kicking Jane who has to battle her own personal urges to avenge her partner and lover's death at the hands of an assassin (Lea Seydoux), and the shady Brandt (Jeremy Renner in one of many franchise roles - M:I, Avengers, Bourne) who comes off as a bookish analyst but harbours a deep dark secret that I thought played out really well when the pace had to take a logical pause in the eye of the storm before having the characters getting all bruised and battered again. And Simon Pegg returns as the affable tech whiz Benji, here given an expanded role since obtaining the go-ahead to operate as a field agent, and showing his rookie jitters.

There were many elements here that went right and aced it in the hole. There's the characters who were all properly built up in ways far better than the previous installments, and a real sense of camaraderie emerges amongst the players, having to emphasize on the importance of the team rather than the individual. And when it did have to do so since Cruise's Hunt brings about a certain degree of undisputed star power and character experience (after having to save the IMF/World thrice already), it did so in such perfect terms that it rolled into the narratively so subtly, that amped anticipation, and grows on you why Hunt is considered the best of the lot. That scene alone at Burj Khalifa was well worth the price of an admission ticket, leaving you breathless with that real sense of danger since it's widely publicized Cruise did the stuntwork himself, while yet also toning down on Hunt's super-human ability. I'd bet you won't see a particular moment coming, although it did leave one wondering if Hunt has bones made of adamantium.

And that's not all, from an action junkie perspective, Hunt and team have to battle natural phenomenon in sandstorms, explosions, car chases and stunts (oh Santa, I want that BMW), more chases on foot (you'll know by now Ethan Hunt runs, a lot, in the missions he chooses to accept), fisticuffs in some of the most amazing landscapes and structures, and plenty more death defying stunts in each of the exotic locales the team have to travel to. What made it more interesting rather than to rely on the same old formula, is that this mission left our operatives fairly on their own, with limited resources to work with. While the earlier missions may have them almost always on a tactical advantage, this time round they're more reactive than proactive, severely testing their street smarts and abilities to see the mission through, though at each milestone you may think they would have lost more than gained, with plans having to get altered on the fly.

Which suits the story just fine. There's no complacency here, with everything being fair game. If there's a gripe, it'll be how unremarkable the villain, a rogue Russian physicist Hendricks (Michael Nygvist) seemed to be after Philip Seymour Hoffman's excellent turn in M:I:III that it's a hard act to follow, but the trade off is of course having the focus put on the evocation of Ghost Protocol and how that would severely challenge the limits of Hunt's IMF team, with everyone else being disavowed. Anil Kapoor had a bit role here as a rich Mumbai playboy which was more comical than threatening, and Tom Wilkinson takes over the mantle as IMF chief from the likes of Laurence Fishburne and Anthony Hopkins in previous installments.

Signs will point to another Mission: Impossible, and whether or not Jeremy Renner will take over the helm from Tom Cruise will remain to be seen, especially since Cruise has yet again stamped his mark on this film and will be a tough act to follow. With each installment we see a different side of Hunt, and here is for once only with the slightest of a romantic subplot in the film, with emphasis on the team's race against time in one grippingly paced action adventure. Brad Bird brought about that sense of scale and danger fitting as a Mission: Impossible, and without a doubt the best in the franchise so far. A definite must watch!

Get Vegucated for a New You in the New Year

After a successful North American screening tour, director Marisa Miller Wolfson’s award-winning documentary film Vegucated will be released to DVD on Monday, January 9, 2012 (Retail price $20). A laugh-out-loud funny, entertaining, and eye-opening look at the vegan lifestyle, Vegucated takes viewers on a revealing journey far beyond a few tofu food substitutions as three daring individuals share one common adventure and ultimately discover their own paths in creating a kinder, cleaner, greener world, one bite at a time.

Vegucated tells the timely story of Ellen, Brian, and Tesla, three meat and cheese lovers from different backgrounds who accept a challenge to dump all animal products for six weeks in an effort to lose weight, look good, and feel healthy. They are surprised to discover that so much more than steak is at stake and that the fate of the world may fall on their plates. As they begin to uncover the hidden sides of animal agriculture, they soon start to wonder whether solutions offered in films like Food, Inc. go far enough. Before long, they find themselves risking everything to expose an industry they supported just weeks before.

The DVD release is scheduled on a Monday in honor of “Meatless Monday,” a growing global campaign to encourage people to cut meat from their diet for one day a week to benefit human health and the environment. As this and other pro-plant food campaigns gain traction in the mainstream, Miller Wolfson hopes the DVD release will reach a wider audience.

“We are thrilled to have had such a fantastic response to the film at screenings this fall,” said director Marisa Miller Wolfson. “Now we could not be more excited to launch the DVD. As a former meat lover who made the switch to veganism in my own life and experienced the benefits first hand, I am so thrilled to be able to share this life-changing information with more people around the country and help turn this movie into a movement.”

Awarded the Best Documentary award at the Toronto Independent Film Festival 2011, Vegucated has gone on to win awards throughout the country all while educating crowds from coast to coast. The DVD is currently available for pre-order at the Vegucated website (www.getvegucated.com/store/) and will be released on January 9th.

For more information on Vegucated, visit the film’s website at www.getvegucated.com, in addition to http://facebook.com/pages/Vegucated/146947672024544 and www.twitter.com/vegucated.

“Imagination on a budget” Workshop with Eric Khoo

Imagination-based entertainment channel Syfy has launched Syfy Shorts, a competition calling aspiring film makers in South East Asia to submit their short films for a chance in getting their works aired on prime time television.

In conjunction with the short film competition, Syfy will be hosting a workshop for local aspiring film makers to gain insights to film-making from established industry personalities.

The panel of judges for Syfy Shorts comprises of, Singaporean film maker and director Eric Khoo; Managing Director of award-winning visual effects and animation studio Infinite Frameworks, Mike Wiluan; and Syfy’s VP of SEA Channels, David Gunson.

Eric Khoo joined with others from the panel of judges, will be discussing topics under the theme “Imagination on a budget”. Workshop attendees will gain insights from the perspectives of a film maker and a production company, on how it is possible to produce good films within a tight budget.

I will probably live-tweet from the event before consolidating it all in this blog post, so do keep your eyes peeled at the Twitter app located on the right panel of this page for live updates from the workshop!

[Short] The Palace (2011)

Written, directed and produced by Anthony Maras, The Palace is a short film inspired by true events, set against the backdrop of Cyprus in 1974 with the Turkish invasion, and a family's desperate flight for survival, taking refuge in an abandoned Ottoman empire era palace. Taking its roots from a confession of an actor who had detailed on live television the atrocities committed as a young conscript soldier obeying orders, Maras' film captures the harrowing intensity and fear of everyone involved in armed conflict, both soldiers and unarmed civilians alike.

Beginning with a family of five including three children, one of whom is an infant in the arms of mom Stella (Daphne Alexander), the first few minutes of The Palace is spent dodging the pandemonium and chaos coming from an invading force with whizzing and ricocheting bullets all round, before finally finding refuge in the titular palace, which the production had used the House of Hadjigeorkakis Kornessios for its interiors. But for the Cypriots already hiding inside, they do not take comfort that Stella's wailing baby, which she is trying her desperate best to keep quiet, will give them all away.

Attention soon shifts from the civilians to the invasion troops, with three of them, Sergeant Karem Akalan (Kevork Malikyan) and his men Omer (Erol Afsin) and Mehmet (Tamer Arslan), with their initial awe at the ostentatious surroundings soon giving way to opportunities to plunder. Maras does it best here with tension building when the soldiers go from cupboard to cupboard, each time threatening to reveal the civilians who are hiding from them. The director deftly handles the claustrophobia and fear especially with women and children get into the picture, with Daphne Alexander shining in her role sans dialogue, personifying the fearful emotions any mother would have in protecting her children and keeping them safe from harm, with very little options made available save for the gaining of an unexpected ally.

But the highlight will be Erol Afsin's performance as the boy with that bit of humanity left in him, put in a dilemma of listening to his murderous superiors, or listening to his conscience in not wanting to harm innocent civilians, where we can see his internal struggles at trying to make sense out of a senseless situation that circumstances had thrust him into. With superb production values invested into this short film, Anthony Maras has crafted a powerful narrative that shows permanent scars and wounds that leave their mark each time humanity reveals its worst side.

[DVD] The Joneses (2009)

Happy Fake Family

Consumerism cannot get anymore subtle than this, and its unique premise is what made The Joneses stand out. Written and directed by Derrick Borte based upon the story by Randy T. Dinzler, The Joneses tells of the titular family of Steve (David Duchovny) and Kate (Demi Moore) together with their children Jenn (Amber Heard) and Mick (Ben Hollingsworth) living it up in suburban America, and being influencers in their respective peers in the way they consume goods and services. Hidden behind the scenes is the truth that this family isn't related by blood, and are banded together for one purpose only - sales.

A debut feature film by Borte, The Joneses boasts of a strong story that touches upon the greed and envy of humanity, where we are always trying to keep up with the neighbours, and the weakest amongst us will inevitably fall prey to debt. It takes us all on a powerful journey of telling deliberate lies for self-preservation and the essentiality of cheating one's fellow man to achieve targets at all costs, and at the betrayal of one's conscience. One of my most memorable films of last year, you can read my review of the film here.

The Region 3 DVD by Innoform Media presents the film in an anamorphic widescreen transfer that's free of obvious blemishes, with audio available in its original English soundtrack presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, not that it'll really max out your speakers and subwoofers in a film like this one. Subtitles are available in English and Mandarin, with scene selection over 16 chapters. It's quite unfortunate that this version is a bare bones edition, as I was looking forward to some extras included, which sadly there is none.

[Short] Sailcloth (2011)

Man with a Plan

Written, produced and directed by Elfar Adalsteins, Sailcloth is one of those rare gems of a short film that is totally void of the spoken word, allowing the beauty of its imagery, strength of its casting and soulful music to guide one through what would be the determined plan of a man longing for the embrace of his wife long gone. It packs an emotional punch devoid of any loose ends, wrapping the narrative around a very powerful core with a technical package boasting of excellent production values.

One of the best actors of his generation, John Hurt plays an elderly man spending his twilight years in a nursing home, but determined to get out looking his Sunday best, closely shaven and decked smartly, to set sail into the vast ocean and reunite with happier memories from his life. And to that he had crafted an intricate plan that cinematographer Karl Oskarsson captured most beautifully, filling the landscape with vivid details from his bedroom, to the restroom in which he would catalyze his escape, right down to the claustrophobic little sailboat that he would use to launch into the vast ocean. Eflar Adalsteins' film may be without any dialogue, but John Hurt single-handedly carried all the emotions most excellently, from slight smiles to the heartfelt pain of missing someone dear. Perhaps the film would not be half of what it was if not for Hurt's presence of gravitas that lent the character plenty of gumption and lots of heart.

And the music by Rchard Cottle helped with the provision of an emotional dimension in cueing the audience in the feeling of the man's initial release and freedom into the open, springing a sense of adventure before knowingly and painfully accepting the man's final decision to do what he had to do. Handsomely photographing the picturesque coastal village of St Mawes Cornwall in this elegant effort, Sailcloth shows Adalsteins' potential in weaving something strong and powerful sans anything spoken, and it'll be interesting to see what heights the director is capable of scaling after this film.

Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl

Designing the Ultimate Con

After three films under the Yash Raj banner, Anushka Sharma returns to the fold with her fifth film to date, reuniting with director Maneesh Sharma and co-star Ranveer Singh in what would be his second outing after their successful pairing and collaboration in Band Baaja Baaraat which turned out to be a sleeper hit last year, scoring nominations and awards for the filmmaker and his cast alike. Seeking to repeat that success, it unfortunately repeated what Hollywood had done with John Tucker Must Die with a trio of ladies plotting revenge over a guy, but over here it's not to get even because their hearts got broken, but more to get even because of the money he had swindled from them.

And to do so, they band together to hire a glib tongue who can out-con the con man himself, which is where Anushka Sharma sashays her way into the film only at the hour mark, being that perfect brains and beauty combination to exact revenge for her employers against someone who is falling dangerously for her, and vice versa, compromising the situation at hand especially when such risky undertakings involving money, deals and counter-deals may jolly well tempt one against one's original intent, and loyalty. Anushka played her role of a salesgirl turned fake hotel heiress as bait to perfection, this being her second con game role after the stint in Badmaa$h Company, calling for that level of confidence and vulnerability, and sharing that believable chemistry with Ranveer Singh once again, and if gossip rags are right up your alley then it's of little surprise this happens to be so. Ranveer on the other hand has a number of avatars to live up to as the titular suave conman who cheats on women as a game,

The first half is where the story patiently built itself up, giving ample time for Ranveer's other co-stars to show what they can do. Priyanka Chopra's cousin Parineeti Chopra makes her debut here as a student whose blind loyalty to and puppy love for her fitness trainer boyfriend Sunny Singh (Ranveer) made her the youngest and the easiest of targets. Dipannita Sharma as Raina is that ruthless businesswoman who strives to succeed at all costs, and her pride being punctured when art dealer Deven Shah (Ranveer again) sold her a renowned fake painting, and widower Saira (Aditi Sharma) got duped into believing the shy Iqbal Khan (Ranveer once more) comes with an honest heart in wanting trade in textiles with her family. To each of the girl scorned and to battle for their honour and money, they find each other by chance and plot to get their money back. And that's where Anuhka's Ishika Desai comes in.

Did I mention this film requires a stretch of believability, because there's always that ample opportunity for a more thorough research being done by the characters involving background checks and legal documentation since the con they get themselves engaged in hinges very much on contracts and valuation, unless one can blame inexperience, and going up against one of the most successful conmen meant some facts can possibly be glossed over. That aside, the narrative unfortunately sagged in the second half when a spanner gets thrown in the works, and while Anushka and Ranveer may look good together on screen, it's the journey of getting there where you'd expect their characters to fall in love coming too abruptly as if in a rush for time.

Still, the themes are still top notch for a romantic film, touching on regret and that one shouldn't see lonely women as marks to get into a seduction game, that the price of being conned of cash is one aspect of being hurt, but the emotional scars left behind are something else possibly more potent altogether. That, and the value of trust and one's word, how easily that can be broken way easily than to build up on. There's also a subtle jab at all things branded, when they can be easily replicated with a little bit of skill and help, having humbler items pass off as the real thing, in a way making a statement against all things ostentatious. The songs are all contemporary and catchy, but largely forgettable once you step out of the hall, while costumes and dresses just show why Anushka Sharma is quite the clotheshorse.

Yash Raj Films may be looking to strike gold again with the direction and pairing of Anushka and Ranveer, but the truth is an equally compelling script is paramount to exploit their natural chemistry to the fullest. Ladies vs Ricky Bahl was quite the roller coaster ride narratively, and it's really thanks to the leading actors' chemistry that saved the film from becoming a downer, keeping it afloat and coasting along without surpassing expectations. But it's a must for fans of Band Baaja Baaraat hungry to see both Anushka and Ranveer on screen together again.

Magic to Win (開心魔法 / Kai Xin Mo Fa)

The New Happy Ghost

I have seriously no idea what the title Magic to Win wants to conjure. It doesn't make sense and all it does is to imply the film doesn't either, which is just about right. However the clues may come from its Chinese title which suggests some links to the once-upon-a-time Happy Ghost series, which was produced and starred Raymond Wong, who gets another leading role here. It's about, in certain ways, spirits, magic, school girls and the competitive games they get themselves involved in, and that's it.

While Happy Ghost may have made Raymond Wong and Loletta Lee (before she became a sex siren) household names, perhaps that's what Magic to Win is trying to achieve as well, although this time to put Wong back into the limelight with his recent interest to reignite the box office resurrecting franchises like Happy Ghost and the All's Well Ends Well series into modern updates, but so far the effort pales in comparison to the originals. Those were simpler days with simpler expectations which only for reasons of nostalgia can stand up to a viewing today, and efforts to reboot those series with the same spirit, somehow doesn't cut it anymore.

It's troubling when the story adopts from various sci-fi fantasy films and stories, and the most recent being The Last Airbender, where magicians have powers that befit the various elementals they align to. Here, this is somewhat hazy, as the powers inherited don't necessary have to belong to the elements, and came across as generic bolts of energy able to do just about anything like a Green Lantern power ring. The story's basically driven by Wu Jing's Fire magician (another cliche, it's always the one wielding fire powers that are evil) wanting to steal the powers of the other magicians for reasons unknown, probably world domination, until the final act when the reason's unveiled, which you will go "so he went through all that trouble just for that? Why couldn't he just, ask nicely?".

This pursuit of the other magicians open up cameo appearances for the likes of Louis Koo and real life magician Tonny Jan, otherwise the film is essentially belonging to the triage of Raymond Wong as a Professor, Wu Chun as Ling Fung whose pendant enabled his spirit to be detached from his imprisoned bodily vessel and becomes the "Happy Ghost" so to speak, and that of newcomer Karena Ng as Meisi the volleyball player who inadvertently absorbs the Professor's Water elemental powers. Ling Fung looks toward Meisi for help because she's the only one who can see him, while Meisi and her childish peers are only interested to profit from her newfound powers. Very weak comedy ensues that seemed to be recycled from various Happy Ghost episodes, or may appeal to anyone under the age of 10. Chinese actress Yan Ni rounds up the cast as the volleyball team coach who frankly has nothing no primary reason to be here other than because Meisi and her throwaway cardboard friends are volleyball players.

Granted, the film boasts very impressive special and visual effects for a Hong Kong / China production, but still it's not something not already seen before, and ultimately it's the lack of a strong story that became its downfall. Stuffing the film with stars such as Louis Koo isn't helping much if he's only given a role that could be done without, and very clearly Magic to Win is only going to appeal to the Chinese market for its very obvious, direct feel good and overly preachy positive messages that will find its place in any moral education school textbook. This is something that's ringing alarm bells all over in recent films to come out of the Hong Kong market, granted that film production is a costly affair and that the money's coming out of the mainland, but films like these are just going to hurt themselves in the longer run if it continues to pander to whoever's funding it.

New Year's Eve

Whipping Up a Storm

I'm speculating that one of the reasons why New Year's Eve got pushed up so early in the month is because come that time of the season everyone will be out there merry making rather than to head to the cinemas and probably revel in whatever festivities the welcoming of the new year will bring, instead of watching something that failed to capture the mood and spirit of leaving behind the old and being hopeful for what the new year would hold. Yes, for all its celebratory mood seen in the trailer, the actual product is nothing more than a really boring affair culminating in the New York Times Square ball drop at the stroke of midnight.

Garry Marshall continues from his festival theme film Valentine's Day with yet another ensemble that rounds up some of the hottest folks in Hollywood, playing caricatures in 8 short stories that you know will link up one way or another, either through characters or through events. There's Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer) the mousy secretary of a music executive (John Lithgow) who quit her job to fulfill her New Year's resolution with the help of a courier boy (Zac Efron). Then we have Robert De Niro as a patient on his death bed persuading his doctor (Cary Elwes) and his nurse (Halle Berry) to let him see the countdown from the rooftop of the hospital. Jessica Biel and Seth Meyers play a couple who are expecting their child, and are in competition with another couple played by Sarah Paulson and Til Schweiger to produce the first New Year's baby to walk away with 25 thousand, engaging the help of Carla Gugino's spiritual doctor.

Leaving the hospital and into the hottest party in town, there's food caterer Laura (Katherine Heigl) who has to contend with rock star Jensen (Jon Bon Jovi) who is trying his utmost to win her back after walking out on her a year ago, with tired comedy contributed by her chefs played by Sofia Vergara and Russell Peters. Jensen's backup singer Elise (Lea Michele) finds herself stuck in a lift with the indifferent Randy (Ashton Kutcher) while en route to the performance. Sarah Jessica Parker and Abigail Breslin play a protective mother and daughter pair where the latter is trying to seek permission to spend the night out with her friends. Hillary Swank plays the executive of the ball drop event which has hit a snag, with Ludacris as her police confidante, and rounding it all up is Josh Duhamel as a music mogul apprehensive whether he'll meet the woman of his dreams once more.

And throw in a couple more big names from Ryan Seacrest to cameos like Matthew Broderick and even Michael Bloomberg himself against the backdrop of Times Square, and the stage's all set for one heck of a party, not. Most of the stories here, written by Katherine Fugate, seemed more like an exercise to pack as many characters as possible without digging deeper in to the emotions on why such a day on the calendar is such a big deal. While Valentine's Day may have it easier since any romantic tale will fit the bill, how do you do one for New Year's, and to do so successfully, and convincingly? If not for the bevy of stars, this film would have fallen flat on its face because there's nothing absolutely compelling in the stories that you'd root for anyone to succeed in fulfilling their objectives before the new year kicks in.

It's dull and uninspiring, with no real emotion on display despite the wealth of talent at its disposal. The one I really wanted to laugh out loud at, is that of the Josh Duhamel arc involving a guy pining for a woman whom he had described a magical meeting that got etched permanently in his mind. This served as the hook to engage until the end, but what an anti-climatic let down when the identity got revealed, because throughout the film every other female character was of a lot more positive in attitude that the final chosen one, and worse, seemed to be forced into it because her character arc was simply the most atrocious of the lot. I never understood her appeal, and when she appeared in the end to close the loop, I'd swear I'd rather shoot myself if that was something that can happen in real life.

New Year's Eve was a tad too long in dragging out its scenes so that each arc has about an equal amount of time without one upstaging another, but all in all this film has one purpose and one purpose only - to serve as product placement, in almost every shot you'd see a brand name sticking out. You'd get a lot more cheer in actually getting outside and making merry with strangers, than to be stuck in a cinema hall watching this depressingly bad film. Pick something else instead if you crave for ensemble films.

[Rendezvous With French Cinema] Q&A with Stéphane Rybojad

Co-writer-director Stephane Rybojad was present at the screening today for a post-screening Q&A session. He was in an extremely chatty mood, so much so that the session was almost 40 minutes long and ran into overtime, that all of us had to leave abruptly as the crowd for the next screening waiting outside the foyer was growing impatient. The lack of a proper spotlight in the hall means you won't see much of Stephane in the video, but the audio's OK for listening. In French with translation in English.


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[Rendezvous With French Cinema] Special Forces (Forces Spéciales)

Ensemble

The French Film Festival in Singapore, and I suppose worldwide as well, has rebranded itself under the "Rendezvous with French Cinema" banner, and this inaugural year demonstrated no pulling of punches based on the number of filmmakers and guests in attendance throughout the 7-day festival, where 21 films are shown at 2-3 venues concurrently amongst The Cathay, Lido, Vivocity and Alliance Francaise, guaranteeing no lack of something that will appeal to any movie goer. For starters, I have to feed that action junkie in me starved for some plain old good versus evil combat, and Special Forces was pitch perfect in its offering.

Co-written and directed by Stephane Rybojad, this debut feature is impressive and remarkable considering the sheer logistics involved in having it filmed in Tajikistan passing off as Afghanistan and its tribal borders where the film was primarily set. Rybojad cut his teeth with countless of documentaries, some of which involved the French special forces, so to say that he brings a degree of realism to the film is an understatement, having first hand knowledge about the weapons and tactics, despite having to weave a fictional tale around it that will appeal to a broad audience.

With a host of rifle weaponry, high-tech equipment and decked to the nines by smaller arms to larger ones like the Super Puma choppers (amongst others) and boasting even an aircraft carrier, some may be quick to claim that the film is nothing but propaganda for the French armed forces. But that can be so far from the truth, because what Rybojad had done is to provide a tale about humanity both good and evil, and the dilemma that anyone entrusted with a life and death situation to deal with almost on a constant basis. With just gun battles alone one may be better off with a computer game, but the story here, no matter how standard and cliche at times it may seem, worked without attempting to do more than it's capable of, knowing its limits and sticking very much to its strengths, despite having its final act a little bit clunky and a pivotal scene that turned out to be quite unbelievable in terms of geography, but with narrative films there's always the element of chance and coincidence otherwise nothing would actually happen.

While it's not everyday that we get to see a French action film, and one based on a uniformed group at that (the last being the GIGN in the film The Assault, which is based on a factual, historical incident), and this one in some ways reminded me of the Hollywood film Tears of the Sun by Antoine Fuqua. Both films feature a group of special forces troopers being tasked with an extraction mission, only to come face to face with a numerically superior opposition, having to battle the enemy while protecting their mark, and having the latter female and strong willed and at times at loggerheads with the mission objective, influencing how the troopers will function as a unit and having to constantly review whether they should just follow orders, or go about on a wider humanitarian mission that doesn't betray the conscience.

There's no Bruce Willis here, but Djimon Hounsou takes the charge as the leader of a group of six men in total tasked with a reconnaissance mission at first to uncover the whereabouts of the kidnapped journalist Elsa (Diane Kruger), before having their mission immediately turned to one of extraction. It may seem like an open and shut, routine mission with highly skilled, trained and equipped men balancing the odds of being numerically disadvantage, if not for Michael Cooper and Stephane Rybojad's story throwing a spanner in the works by taking out all their communications equipment very early on, rendering a change in their LZ impossible, and being left to their own devices to escape from Elsa's Taliban captors who are fast closing in on them. The structure here may seem similar to Tears, but it doesn't come with any requisite twists and turns. In fact the enemy may well be the harsh terrain and sub zero temperatures the group has to battle against, and for those pampered by things blowing up in the first half of the film, this portion on may seem like an anti-climax, especially when the story seemed to lose its tight grip on the plot, and made concessions to allow for closure.

The introduction was what set the stage with a glimpse of how tight the Special Forces work, flying in with their choppers on a mission to capture a war criminal, and a number of set action pieces to whet the appetites of the action junkie from the actual rescue of Elsa and the protection of tribal villagers who had shown them hospitality. But ultimately the story never allows you to forget about each of the characters, giving each some very strong identifiers that you'll feel for them especially since Cooper and Rybojad shows no mercy if any were to slip up and be complacent, never in their intention to build supermen or a super team, even if early skirmishes may seem to suggest something like that. It is this avoidance of caricatures that makes you feel for the safety of everyone each time a shot rings out, and as weapons and ammunition become light, fuses a real sense of danger and fear. The villains however are plainly one-dimensional, even for the chief terrorist Zaief (Raz Degan), who has no lack of scenes to show why he's pure evil and is one to be gotten rid of.

Still, Special Forces ranks up there with the many films from around the world about specially trained men and women in uniform being called upon to put their lives at the forefront in the protection and well being of others, and you can either view this as a purely action flick, or a tribute to the spirit of the such groups, with a stark comment as explained by a character, that it's better to go in a blaze of glory, than to live a life of anonymity.

[DVD] The Unseeable (Pen Choo Kab Pee / เป็นชู้กับผี) (2006)

Ghostly Seduction

Wisit Sasanatieng may have struggled in the making of a mainstream superhero action film in Red Eagle, and up until now I'm still tempted to give it another viewing since there's the Taiwanese DVD release that comes with English subtitles. Given its relatively more adult content it's unlikely a DVD release will be made here, so I suppose that version may have to do. Until then, I had also gotten my hands on possibly the only English friendly DVD release of Wisit's The Unseeable, a horror film that managed to deliver where it mattered, and marking Wisit's collaboration with writer Kongkiat Khomsiri, where both will switch directing and writing roles for the serial killer film Slice in 2010.

You can read my review of The Unseeable here.

The Region Free DVD by InnoForm Media presents the film in an anamorphic widescreen format that is free of blemish, with audio in its original Thai soundtrack selectable in either Dolby Digital Stereo, or 5.1. Scene selection is available over 8 chapters, and subtitles are available in English and Mandarin. Unfortunately there isn't any substantial Special Features, with only 2 letterbox format Trailers (2:17 and 2:11) and 18 Photo Stills.

[DVD] Beck (2010)

Mongolian Chop Squad

One of my favourite films of the year, the Japanese DVD editions have this specially packaged with tons of extras, but alas there is that distinct lack of English subtitles. So I guess it's a trade off between extras for that subtitled film, until such time I can pick up the language. Which will take forever.

You can read my review of the film here.

The Region 3 (although it can be played when tested on a Region 1 locked player) DVD by Innoform Media presents the film in an anamorphic widescreen format, although at times the picture quality was lacking in crispness, though without the pops, cackles and hiss. Audio is in its original Japanese language track presented in Dolby Digital 2.0, although I would have preferred the 5.1 option to really put you smack into the middle of a rock concert each time Beck and other groups perform, especially for the finale playoff, but that was not to be. Subtitles are available in English and Mandarin, with scene selection over 16 chapters.

For fans of the film, do note that there's a woeful lack of extras in this edition, although the only consolation here is an English subtitled film that you can watch repeatedly if you can't understand the Japanese language. As Special Features there's only a Trailer (1:55) presented in letterbox format, and a Photo Gallery of 11 stills. And perhaps just for the fanboys, if you take a closer look at the spine of the DVD sleeve, you'll see the anime version of the band members right there.

Hong Kong Ghost Stories (猛鬼愛情故事 / Meng Gui Ai Qing Gu Shi)

What's That Behind Me?

If this is indeed the state of affairs of Hong Kong horror films, then let the alarm bells start to sound. While the crime thriller genre had seen a revival in recent years through a number of filmmakers like Dante Lam rising through to join the veteran ranks of luminaries such as Johnnie To, the horror film had seen a dearth of output if not for the Pang Brothers, which in all honesty is hit-and-mostly-miss. Wong Jing and Patrick Kong helm a medium length film each put together to form this offering, but in essence offer nothing much other than to have a bevy of good looking female leads star in each of their respective filmlets.

In Classroom, Wong Jing provides the story and direction about a teacher Miss Yip (Jennifer Tse) providing relief services in a high school, and naturally given the most notorious cohort to manage. From minor teenage misdemeanour issues to that involving the flesh trade highlighting the trade off high school students engage in without batting an eyelid for money and material goods, the film gets off to a steady start, before a series of cliches start to do it in. As a subplot we learn that Ms Yip is an abused woman in a violent relationship and had recently left her abusive boyfriend (Pakho Chau) who has been harassing her of late seeking forgiveness, and builds up a mystery involving Ms Yip realizing that the class she's actually teaching, does not exist anymore.

While Wong Jing had largely steered clear of his trademark bawdy jokes here, although he still cannot give up the opportunity to put young starlets in PT attire with micro shorts and skirts, the story is in fact nothing new, and horror junkies will guess how everything will get played out by the mid-way mark. If it's any consolation to make this film trip worthwhile, it'll be Jennifer Tse starring in her very first role in a Hong Kong film, and from what's been seen so far, I suppose she has what it takes from her acting dynasty family to further a career in showbusiness. Nothing quite horrific done by Wong Jing here, except for some gory makeup and instances where it veered toward gory territory.

Similarly, Patrick Kong's Travel also doesn't boast anything that will make you jump at your seat. Starring Chrissy Chau as a character whose opening shot is a photograph of her during her funeral, the film flits back and forth through flashbacks to build the story of how Bobo (Chau) meets a group of four friends during their tour to Thailand (and modest production budget means Hong Kong doubling up as Thailand, and seen in rather slip-shoddy ways in which the same landscape gets used twice to pass off as different countries, tsk), all horny women out for some sexual escapade. Soon we learn that there's more than meets the eye to Bobo as she bickers with her boyfriend Karl (Him Law) over the phone, and slowly but surely everything will be revealed that Bobo may not be as innocent or icy cool as she looked.

This filmlet plays off more like a murder mystery, where the souls of those who are wronged, and filled with unfinished business, fail to leave our world, lingering around for justice to be done. The first few minutes provided plenty of loose ends which the narrative will plug as it goes along, and frankly Patrick's story served to engage a little bit more than Wong's film does, although it does rely plenty of conveniences in the plot in the way the mystery unravells itself. The ensemble cast here doesn't offer much in terms of acting or scares, and Chau herself was kept under wraps almost all of the time, wanting to be taken seriously as an actress I suppose, but definitely not in a film like this one that offered nothing in her character that she could have used as a showcase of acting chops.

The two films will hardly elicit a squeal from what had been put in the film, with the filmmakers conspicuously trying their best to not dip into the usual bag of tricks to rely on jump cut edits or lingering shots to provide that instant release of pent up fear, nor did it do much to build any anticipation prior to delivery its payload. This is probably one of the tamest horror film, if one can label it as that, and the only horrific element here, is how a project like this is able to take off and claiming to be definitive in its representation of Hong Kong horror films through its English title, while doing everything wrong in with its crystal clear absence of notable chills and thrills.

The Dirty Picture (द डर्टी पिक्चर)

Let's Come Together

I suppose it's not easy trying to make a bio-pic about a controversial actress that calls for some parading of skin due to various states of undress. In Singapore, the Rose Chan project has been stalled from its initial announcement, with one of the close contenders for the role dropping out and to date leaving the project quite in limbo. In what would is a generally conservative society, you can imagine the challenges faced by director Milan Luthria (of Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai fame) in making The Dirty Picture, a largely fictionalized biography film about one of the sex sirens of Indian Cinema known as Silk Smitha, who had made a staggering 450 films over a career spanning 17 years before her untimely demise at age 35.

The Dirty Picture chronicles the life and times of Silk Smitha (played by Vidya Balan) as seen through the eyes of her one time enemy and arthouse film director Abraham (Emraan Hashmi), her less than successful love life with directors and screenwriters, and in her desperation, willing to do just about anything for that shot at stardom, in an industry where fame is reserved only for a few, and chauvinistic too. In this version of her life written by Rajat Arora, Silk Smitha adopts her namesake thanks to a producer who sees the opportunity to set box office alight when he chanced upon the unused item number in Abraham's film, and from sultry dance numbers one after another, her role in films begin to expand, and so does her notoriety amongst the gossip rags, playing up her sex siren role to stratastrophic heights. I suppose you know when you're a star when audiences pay full ticket prices only to enter the hall to watch your item number, and leave soon after it ends.

My interest got piqued not only that this is a story of the rise and fall of a sex siren in a film industry, or the controversial scandals that go on behind the scenes, but truly stem from getting another chance to peek into how the industry might have worked previously in the 80s, in South Indian cinema. Om Shanti Om provided that glimpse into the 60s era, though this one offered a look at both mainstream and the adult based industry, although the latter was a little too short to make an impact in this film. The star system is obviously in full swing here where everything a superstar does get praised and sucked up to, and the reverse where junior artistes get the flak for everything else is the norm. Favours are exchanged for opportunities, and soon Silk becomes the mistress of megastar Suryakant (Naseeruddin Shah) who carries out their affair on set behind the back of his wife.

Director Milan Luthria crafted a very charming film that doesn't border on the exploitative, even though the film's main subject matter is precisely that, presenting just how cutthroat the film industry is, where enemies can become friends and vice versa, and just how fame is such a fleeting issue one can get forgotten fairly easily and fade away just as fast as one enters the scene with a big bang. There's an excellent balance in drama, comedy and of course the need to highlight just how far Silk dares to go against industry norms and shock and awe audiences and crew with her boldness, and the pace is kept to a breeze, forgoing most of Silk's earlier, non-acting life to kickstart where it started to matter.

And clearly the star of the show is the heroine, Vidya Balan, as she takes on what would be her most challenging role to date, making herself believable as a sex siren with no qualms in dressing to the nines in figure hugging outfits, piling on the kilos to look the part of the South Indian actress, and spouting lines of dialogue filled with endless sexual innuendoes, not to forget constantly giving that come hither look. In some way Luthria managed to steer clear of being vulgar, and his Silk came across as more sensual and seductive, rather than downright crass, giving you reason to believe just why hundreds of thousands worship the new female film idol who's taking the industry by storm. Balan deserves every single accolade that will come due to this role, as she provides both that steely exterior that defies the odds, and that vulnerable interior self who is out of luck when it comes to matters of the heart, making you sympathize with Silk every step of the way.

Naseeruddin Shah also excelled as the prima-donna superstar actor Suryakant, a Casanova of the industry who soon establishes an affair with the actress, and is every much the cad he is made out to be. Having co-starred with Balan in an earlier film last year in the acclaimed Ishqiya, they continue to share that chemistry on screen here, with Shah in top form as he hams it up in his role as the pampered acting star able to call on every whim and fancy. Tusshar Kapoor stars as his screenwriting brother Ramukant who takes over the romantic male lead midway when he romances Silk, and Emraan Hashmi's uncompromising arthouse director Abraham assumes the role of the enemy of the heroine inevitably turned friend and eventual lover, whose story arc resonates the constant struggle between a director's vision, to that of the producer's in wanting to guarantee box office returns.

With superb acting, magical musical numbers, a strong narrative storyline and a look into the exploitative films of the 80s era, The Dirty Picture plays on its much preached about mantra of entertainment, entertainment and entertainment, delivering what it had promised, and at the same time making it thought provocative, teasing you to find out a lot more of the real Silk Smitha and the films and era that she had crafted in her heyday. Definitely highly recommended!