Ne Me Quitte Pas

MUKHSIN (Yasmin Ahmad, 2007)


Sesiapa yang tak suka filem ini, memang kau tak ada perasaan.

Mukhsin adalah filem nostalgia. Kalau tak semua, pasti ada cebisan2 yang akan mengenangkan balik zaman kanak2 dulu. Mungkin filem ni ada 'charm' yang tak henti2 buat aku tersenyum, ada jiwa yang lekat dengan jiwa aku, dan disebalik 'naivity' kisah Orked dgn Mukhsin ini ada 'kematangan' yang mengangkatnya lebih daripada sekadar filem tentang cinta monyet budak-budak. Betul-betul, satu filem yang cantik, rohani dan jasmani (if that makes any sense).

Macam Yasmin katakan, filem ni bukan saja tentang watak2nya, pemandangannya jugak adalah karakter. Sawah padi, pokok-pokok yang Mukhsin panjat, dan intricate details dalam filem ini ada 'peranan'-nya. Ada kesinambungannya terhadap development watak-watak. Dan juga membawa aku ke dunia Mukhsin yang seakan-akan sama dengan dunia yang pernah aku lalui dulu.

Mohd Syafie Naswip memang memikul tanggungjawab sebagai 'title character' dengan sangat baik. Dialah nadi filem ini. Casting yang sempurna. Syarifah Aryana aku rasa agak 'janggal' sedikit sebagai Orked, macam tak berapa 'selari' dengan Orked yang Amani lakonkan (macam lebih matang daripada her adult-counterpart). Tapi Aryana ada kualiti tersendiri, 'understated' dan bersahaja. Lakonan yang matang. Amat layak dipuji, lebih-lebih lagi sebab dia masih budak. 'Scene-stealer' sudah pasti Pak Atan dan Ayu (Pak Atan muda ini lebih best daripada Pak Atan tua). Tak payah aku cakap lebih pun korang boleh tau sendiri.

Yang uniknya, 'mood' atau 'theme' (i dunno the right word) ketiga-tiga filem Sepet, Gubra, dan Mukhsin ini masing2 berbeza. Ada personaliti sendiri. Mukhsin lebih 'mainstream', lebih 'colorful', juga lebih simple daripada yang lain-lain. Tapi ini bukan satu kekurangan. Ada juga falsafahnya. Falsafah 'rahmat' (macam Fadz cakap); seiring dengan lagu tema 'Hujan', simbolik dengan kali pertama Orked nampak Mukhsin. Dalam kereta. Ketika hujan. Mukhsin itu adalah rahmat. Begitu juga semua makhluk ciptaan Tuhan. Menarik juga memandangkan kebanyakan filem-filem lain menggambarkan hujan ni hanya melambangkan 'kesedihan', 'tragedi' dan apa-apa lain yang klise. Mukhsin jelas kontra dan mem'positif'kan 'hujan' tu.

Orang tertanya-tanya dengan kemunculan Orked dan Jason (both adult counterparts). Bagi aku, cerita Mukhsin ini adalah 'diceritakan' oleh Orked. Memori dia tentang Mukhsin, tentang hari-hari dia dengan Mukhsin. Apa yang dia ingat (atau apa yang dia mau gambarkan). Dan memandangkan ini cerita daripada hati Orked, sebahagian daripada hatinya turut masuk. Apa yang benar-benar dia mahukan. Maka muncullah 'dream life' dia dengan Jason, yang 'happily ever after'.

Lagi yang aku perasan, suasana di kampung Orked, tak terasa macam 'ketinggalan zaman' dibandingkan babak-babak dalam bandar yang jelas nampak perbezaan zamannya (Pondok telefon kuning, etc). Ada sense of 'isolation'. Terasa 'immortality' suasana kampung tu, betapa maju pun dunia, kampung itu tetap sama. Kehidupan yang sama.

Ini yang aku nampaklah.

Bagi aku, Mukhsin adalah entry yang paling entertaining. Walaupun tidak 'mencabar' macam Gubra (pilihan aku), tidak se'segar' Sepet, tapi Mukhsin adalah pelengkap kepada 'sekuel2'nya tu. Menontonnya dalam panggung, dengan lagu 'Hujan' dan 'Ne Me Quitte Pas' yang masyuk, memang bagaikan satu 'rahmat'.

Verdict: 4/5

THIS. IS. SPARTAAAAAA!!!!

300 (Zack Snyder, 2007) aka 300 Pahlawan Berani Mati(??)


<I'd probably get flamed for this.>

The first box-office extravaganza of the year. A testosterone-ridden gorefest. Coupled with a fantastic trailer earlier on, how hard can it be for the movie to just kick-ass or at least, be entertaining enough for 10 bucks' worth? But disappointingly, 300 worked better, a lot better, as a trailer than a feature length film.

Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300 takes a spin on the legendary tale of the ancient Battle Of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartan warriors fought to the death against millions of the Persian army under the emperor Xerxes. The film stars Gerard Butler (Dear Frankie) as the Spartan king, Leonidas. Like Sin City, the visuals are indeed the main course. So does the perfectly built, steroid-overdose, six-packed Spartans that should very well *appeal* to not only females, but males as well. Straight or gay take your pick, but I'll put my money on the latter to literally go ballistics over Leonidas physical prowess (and *especially* the captain's son, too) long after the movie's over.

As unique and 'cool' as the visuals are, the novelty wears off pretty fast. A fault that is mainly due to the overbundence of 'slo-mo', to the point of exhausting. Imagine every scene (battle scenes or no) there would be a slow motion moment, presumably to parade the stylistic voyeur of the visuals or to give some screen time for the characters to strike the 'coolest', manliest battle poses. Don't get me wrong, there are some truly stirring shots. But I can't shake off the feeling that those scenes just work best as illustrations (the movie just basically lifts off the panels of the graphic novel), not in a motion picture.

Worst of all are the dialogues. Other than the ready-made quotes like "Tonight we dine in hell!!!" and "THIS. IS. SPARTAAAA!!", they're just equal to the standard of a video game. Not to say that those lines are any better, they just have the privelege of being *shorter*. I just wished the characters would just shut up on blabbering endlessly about "honor", "valor", "freedom" (who the hell cares, anyway??) and just get on with the bloodshed. And in that deparment, the film succeeds, if only mildly. The action pieces are definitely well-choreographed, with decapitations and torn limbs abound. But the lack of genuine "thrills" is disheartening. Again, it's the slow-motion's fault. Where's the sense of 'excitement' if the movie took like 10 seconds just to show Leonidas swing his sword. Another 10 seconds to show the head departs from the body. And another 10 for a 'cool pose'. Yeah yeah maybe I'm exaggerating but you get the picture.

The plot is just an excuse for the action to take stage. No surprise there. Very much similar to a video game where the hero move on from level to level, fighting off hordes of enemies with increasing difficulties. And dont get me started on the 'homoerotic' undercurrent. Maybe it's just me, but some of the scenes looked *more* than just "brotherly love". *shudders*

Simply put, this is just another mindless action flick offering. All style and no substance whatsoever. Honestly, I really *do* want to like this movie. I really want to, just to start off a good year for movies. But there's only enough for one can bear.

Verdict: 2/5

Fast Food Nation (Richard Linklater, 2006)

Richard Linklater is my favorite "new-generation" film director, and obviously, at the tops of my favorite film directors ever. Dazed And Confused, Before Sunset, and Waking Life; these are masterpieces of modern filmmaking. The ones that I won't get bored watching over and over again. And respectably, his other "lesser" films are still worthy of his reputation; maybe with the exception of The Newton Boys. But for his 2nd film of 2006 (after the very good A Scanner Darkly), Fast Food Nation landed as a disappointing endeavor from the auteur. Ambitious, no doubt, but ultimately unsatisfying.

The film boasts a large ensemble cast: Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Bruce Willis, and even Avril Lavigne. Based on the book by Eric Schlosser, who's also in the writing credits, the film tackles the fast food industry. Or *attacks* it, to be precise. Everything from the food itself and the corporate malfeasance, to its effects towards society as a whole.

The "slacker" flow that has been Linklater's directorial 'stamp' is most probably the film's downfall. It worked great in Slacker(obviously), SuBurBia, and pretty much most of his other films. But here, tackling an important, socially-conscious issue that is the fast food industry, needs *energy* and resonance. Which Fast Food Nation failed considerably. Bland characters come and go, bringing very little dramatic tension too if I might add, and the story of each of them felt disconnected somehow. It tried to convey too many messages. Instead, little did they translate effectively. For a lack of a better word, it's "unfocused". Although there *are* some memorable scenes and performances (particularly by Bruce Willis and Paul Dano), but by the end of it I felt a kind of 'emptiness'. The film does raise some thought-provoking issues though, particularly the scene where the characters tried to free the cows but they won't budge. More of a metaphor to the society, too comfortable in their current condition or too scared to change. They (or we) are as helpless as the cows.

Not to say that I hated this film, that would be overly harsh. But it is, as I said, unsatisfying and quite forgettable(then again, maybe not for the cow slaughtering scene). It didn't resonate as much as it should. Maybe it should have stayed in the novel.

Verdict: 2.5/5