.:memento:.

Aku Punya Oscar Picks '11

2011-02-27T17:24:00.003+08:00

Ini bukan nujum, tapi yang mana aku rasa patut menang dalam Oscar besok adalah....

Best Picture: The Social Network
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky
Best Original Screenplay: Inception (Christopher Nolan)
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin)
Best Cinematography: Black Swan (Matthew Libatique)
Best Editing: The Social Network
Best Original Score: Inception (Hans Zimmer)
Best Actor: Colin Firth
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman
Best Supp Actor: Christian Bale
Best Supp Actress: Hailee Steinfeld

UPDATE!!!!

2010-06-04T00:27:00.001+08:00

YES.

FINALLY.

Will write something soon. :P

Ne Me Quitte Pas

2009-07-27T18:01:00.002+08:00

Yasmin Ahmad (1958 - 2009)

Al-Fatihah...

Prebiu 2009

2009-03-01T10:20:00.016+08:00

Filem-filem yang aku mau tonton, dan kau patut tonton, tahun ini.

WATCHMEN
Even if it turns out to be only half as good as the graphic novel, I'll be satisfied. Even if the adaptation is shite, quality time can be spent on reveling at Silk Spectre and that 'fanboy-treating' of an outfit. Oh and to those who haven't read the graphic novel, you're really missing out. TIME's 100 Novels List can attest to its greatness.

TERMINATOR SALVATION

I admit I still store a sheer amount of skeptism on this movie. First, it's a Terminator movie without the terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger. Second, it's directed by "McG", the guy who brought us the movie Charlie's Angels . But if he managed to get Christian Bale and Jonathan Nolan on the boat, he must be doing something right. The snippets I saw are not-too-bad either.

FUNNY PEOPLE
As in my previous post. Could this be the second Adam Sandler flick that I love? Even the film's poster managed to make Adam Sandler look "likable" for once.

PUBLIC ENEMIES
Teh Bale. Johnny Depp. A Michael Mann movie. Ya can blow a load now.

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
A WWII Tarantino movie. I'm one of the few who loved Death Proof. Guess I still belong to the now dwindling, Quentin Tarantino fan club.

UP
It wouldn't be right to not have a Pixar film to look forward to every year.

AVATAR
It looks like James Cameron has finally ran out of all that money he got from Titanic. Thank goodness.

THE ROAD

This film should have been a 2008 release, but somehow got pushed to this year. Is that a bad sign? With the talents involved, I doubt it. The Road is a post-apocalyptic film adapted from Cormac McCarthy's novel, and directed by John Hillcoat who rose to fame with The Proposition.

500 DAYS OF SUMMER
Any film starring Indie favorite Joseph Gordon Levitt is worth anticipating. Seriously this guy should do something bigger that could attract some serious attention. "Big" in the sense of not in a blockbuster movie(*ehem* G.I. Joe), but more to something that those golden statuettes love.

SHUTTER ISLAND

Sorry..couldn't find a photo worth posting for this one.

It's safe to say that this would be a lock as one of the front-runners in the next Oscars. But if I'm not missing anything, with the exception of Public Enemies, this year there's no other film with big-name directors attached that could rival the juggernaut that is Martin Scorsese, so it has all the chance of coming out winning methinks.

FUNNY PEOPLE

2009-02-22T21:55:00.002+08:00

All of a sudden this becomes my most anticipated film of the year. Hah! I'd never thought I'd say that for a movie starring Adam Sandler. Tapi sebenarnya yang buatkan aku amat tertarik dengan filem ni adalah sebab pengarah/penulis Judd Apatow, yahudi totok yang dah jadi "the new Woody Allen".

THE FILMS OF 2008

2009-01-26T14:58:00.008+08:00

10 - Let The Right One In

If there's only one vampire cum romance flick that you would see, make it this one.

9 - In Bruges

A criminally underlooked British gangster flick, boasting Colin Farrel's best performance to date.

8 - Revolutionary Road
An acting showcase for Leo and Kate, back together again, albeit in a completely opposite end of the spectrum, in tone, than their previous collaboration.

7 - Doubt

You won't doubt the cast's acting abilities, that's for sure. Watch this if you want to see great actors chomp through the whole film.

6 - Slumdog Millionaire

This is the "Little Miss Sunshine" or "Juno" of the year. A crowd-pleasing indie film, that although may not be as mindblowing as the hype would suggest, but still nearly impossible to hate. Heck Danny Boyle can always make up to any shortcomings in a script.

5 - Wall-E

The first half of Wall-E is pure cinematic heaven. But when it gets "talky", it loses most of its magic. But nevertheless, it's still on par with some of Pixar's best.

4 - Happy-Go-Lucky

You'd know that a movie was great if it can make you smile for the rest of the day. The title fits perfectly.

3 - Chop Shop

Chop Shop is another unappreciated gem of a film, reminiscent of the old Italian neo-realists.

2 - The Wrestler

Honestly, this little flick damn near takes the top spot. Intimate, and as emotionally engaging as it gets. Mickey Rourke is back in a performance of a lifetime. and to those Aronofsky detractors who claimed he's more style over substance, The Wrestler pretty much could shut them all up.

1 - The Dark Knight

I'd bet you can see this a mile away. What more can I say? The Dark Knight is all kinds of awesome. Full stop. As the list shows, TDK is the best example for mainstream cinema, and The Wrestler, for the independent cinema.

Honorable Mentions: Susuk, Iron Man, Gran Torino, Budak Kelantan, Eden Lake, Man On Wire, Transsiberian, Speed Racer, Tropic Thunder, Time Crimes

Disappointments: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, Quantum Of Solace, Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, My Blueberry Nights

Most Unwatchable Film: Milk

Other Top 10 lists:
EddVedder
Roman Kodian

Familiar?

2009-01-12T08:20:00.001+08:00

Abomination

2008-12-06T16:01:00.006+08:00

Ok. This is officially the worst thing I've seen in a while ("movie-wise"). Be forewarned, watching this short clip may cause bleeding eyes and involuntary regurgitation due to its mind-blowing badness.

Bad music, bad acting, bad directing, bad everything all jam-packed in this 2-minute clip. Guess I don't have to watch the whole Twilight movie to know that it's a piece of crap.

Side note: I don't think it's even legal putting this up here. But heck, it's for a good cause.

MASIH HIDUP

2008-11-29T21:48:00.004+08:00

SUSUK (Amir Muhammad & Naeim Ghalili)

Wau penamatnya buat aku meremang. Terpaku aku sekejap. Bukan disebabkan takutkan 'hantunya', tapi seram secara psikologi yg datang bila aku imbau balik babak-babak awal dalam filem ini, yang pada mulanya aku sangka tak ada apa-apa signifikasi pada jalan cerita. Satu penamat yang betul-betul melengkapkan filem ini. Mengikat semua jaringan-jaringan plot, dan juga mengupas jiwa sebenar Susuk. Ia bukan filem 'seram' yang biasa. Filem Susuk ada naratif yang lebih kompleks dan mendalam daripada apa yang terang-terang dipaparkan. Jarang sekali kita dapat sebuah filem seram, tempatan ataupun mana-mana sekalipun, yang mempunyai jalan cerita yang kuat. Maksud aku, kebanyakan filem seram hanya nak menakutkan penonton saja tanpa apa-apa sokongan naratif yang merangsang otak. Jalan cerita hanya dijadikan 'alasan' untuk menyumbat seberapa banyak babak seram yang boleh, contohnya filem Jangan Pandang Belakang dan klon-klonnya. Tapi tidak Susuk. Cerita dan skrip diutamakan. Sebab ni aku dapat rasakan ramai orang yang tak suka Susuk. Babak-babak 'hantu' pun hanya diselit sedikit saja, mungkin hanya nak memuaskan hati penonton yang masuk panggung mengharap filem seram yang tradisional. Memang efek-efek hantunya tampak murahan, tapi itu bukan nadi utamanya. Ternyata, objektif utama Amir Muhammad adalah nak menyampaikan cerita. Cara plotnya dikupas yang melekatkan perhatian aku. Jadi aku tak kisah pasal isu seram tak seram tu. Tambahan lagi filem ni dibarisi pelakon-pelakon yang hebat. Paling mengejutkan adalah lakonan Diana Rafar, yang tampak bersahaja dan membuatkan perkembangan wataknya 'believable'. Yang menariknya aku juga dapat rasa ada sentuhan surrealisme David Lynch (watak utama yang naif dikelilingi kejadian-kejadian pelik/surreal yang akhirnya dia sendiri terjerumus ke dalamnya). Amir/Naeim berjaya mengangkat filem ini keluar daripada kepompong satu genre, menjadi hasil artistik yang aku berani katakan filem tempatan terbaik tahun ini.

Tapi sebenarnya, aku rasa peminat-peminat filem seram takkan ada masalah dengan Susuk. Yang aku maksudkan mereka yang betul-betul peminat sejati, yang sekurang-kurangnya sudah tonton filem-filem Dario Argento. Hah babak kegemaran aku dalam Susuk sudah pasti babak 'homage' Dario Argento tu! Stail! Selepas saja babak tu aku terus yakin yang pembikin filem ni tau apa yang mereka buat, dan akhirnya memang betul sangkaan aku.

4/5

PENSIL (M Subash)

Pada dasarnya filem Pensil sama saja dengan mana-mana filem/telefilem arahan Rashid Sibir. Cuma bezanya M Subash adalah pengarah filem yang lebih baik. Pensil lebih berkesan, lebih autentik dan kurang menjengkelkan dalam memancing air mata penonton. Aku sangat, sangat memuji M Subash sebab menonjolkan budaya melayu/Islam dengan lebih baik daripada kebanyakan pengarah filem melayu sendiri. Tengok saja posternya yang guna tulisan Jawi tu. Dan seperti mana-mana pengarah 'auteur', ada eksplorasi personal yang dibawanya; pertembungan bangsa Melayu dan India (watak Badrul kacukan melayu/india). Hubungan antara watak Badrul(M Subash) dan neneknya(Ruminah Sidek, lakonannya gila hebat!) adalah yang paling menarik bagi aku. Aku nantikan filem seterusnya daripada pengarah baru ni.

3.5/5

SEPI (Kabir Bhatia)

Filem ni ada potensi. Ada cebisan-cebisan tema 'kesepian' yang menarik dijelajahi. Tapi keseluruhannya dirosakkan dengan melodrama murahan dan situasi-situasi yang terlalu 'fantasi'. Maaf, aku tak dapat rasa emosi yang autentik dalamnya. Alah kau akan kata "Cerita jiwang memang macam tu! Kalau tak fantasi tak best!". Memang, filem Cinta juga ada penyakit 'fantasi keterlaluan' ini, tapi ia diseimbangkan dengan naratif dan karakter-karakter yang aku ada rasa empati. Ada connection. Sepi tak ada dua benda ni. Senang cerita, aku bosan dengan Sepi dan kesepian (haha).

2/5

TALENTIME

2008-10-21T14:23:00.003+08:00

Filem terbaru Yasmin Ahmad. Aku dah tonton. Cemburu tak? heheh

Terus terang sini aku katakan aku tak suka dengan filem Mualaf. Aku dah mula sangkakan yang Yasmin tak mampu buat filem bagus yang bukan separa autobiografi (Rabun, Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin). Tapi kekecewaan aku langsung terubat dengan Talentime, sebab inilah magnum opus filem Malaysia. Inilah masterpiece Yasmin Ahmad. Kesemua tema dan subteks dalam filem-filem sebelumnya ada dalam Talentime, dan disempurnakan lagi. It's a career-defining film. Bravo!

Aku tak mau tulis ulasan panjang lagi buat masa ni, tunggu sajalah tayangan komersialnya nanti.

Pra-tonton lain:
Fadz Tontonfilem

Mind. Body. Spirit.

2008-09-16T11:50:00.002+08:00

"And actually I should say, for me, Pi, Requiem and The Fountain were really a trilogy. I kind of call it like my mind, body, spirit trilogy. Pi - being mind, Requiem - being body and The Fountain - being spirit."
- Darren Aronofsky, Interview Link

Oh so true.

and oh so awesome.

YANG EKSOTIK

2008-09-11T19:04:00.005+08:00

Maaf kerana lambat mengemaskini blog ini. Sudah pasti "peminat-peminat" aku amat kepinginkan rebiu-rebiu baru (hahaha padahal hampir tiada trafik pun).

Filem-filem besar 'musim panas' sudah sampai penamat. Aku beri tepukan penutup tirai untuk abang Batman di bandar Gotham sana... sebab aku sudah tonton filemnya di pawagam sebanyak 5 kali. Ahhh kalaulah aku ni penganggur, mungkin lebih daripada itu. Jadi aku rasa sekarang dah sampai masa untuk apresiasi filem-filem yang lebih serius, artistik, eksotik dan, mungkin, erotik.

CHOP SHOP (Ramin Bahrani, 2008)

Filem neorealis yang menonjolkan kawasan miskin yang dipopulasi imigran. Aku seakan tak percaya ia bertempat di New York, yang selalu digambarkan dengan gah dan moden. Dalam Chop Shop, keadaan sosioekonomi di tebing bandar New York ni tidak ubah seperti di negara 'Dunia Ketiga'. Ramin Bahrani memang hebat dalam memberi gambaran suasana sesuatu 'tempat', dan penghuninya juga. Walaupun filem ini hanyalah filem kecil dengan pelakon-pelakon tak dikenali(tapi hebat), jauh sekalilah hendak memancing anugerah Oskar yang populis tu, tetapi kerana autensiti dan penangan emosinya, aku letakkan Chop Shop dalam carta filem wajib tonton tahun ini.

4.5/5

The Fall(Tarsem, 2008)

Fotografi The Fall memang cantik. Hasil imaginasi Tarsem memang aku kagumi (aku tak faham kenapa dia tak mau letak nama penuhnya: Tarsem Singh. Tak apalah, elok lagi daripada 'McG'.). Tapi kalau cantik luaran saja tak guna juga. Tak ada apa yang boleh aku korek dari ceritanya yang kosong dan agak meleret tu. Ia tak memberi aku 'rasa' apa-apa juga, sepertimana filem-filem Terrence Malick yang hampir tiada plot tu dapat lakukan pada aku. Nasib baik kemistri antara 2 pelakon utamanya, Catinca Untaru(terutamanya) dan Lee Pace sudah cukup untuk menangkap perhatian aku hingga penghabisan. Macam filem 300 arahan Zack Snyder, menonton 'trailer'-nya lebih mengujakan daripada produk keseluruhannya. Tapi disebabkan keaslian dan keunikan visualnya(aku menunggu format HD), aku tidak boleh tidak menghormatinya.

3/5

THE DARK KNIGHT

2008-07-22T22:20:00.004+08:00

**WARNING: This review may contain spoilers....and excessive hyperboles.**

"Madness.....is like gravity....all you need is a little PUSH!"

Chaos is the thematic centerpiece of Nolan's dark, grim, complex crime drama. Yes, to group The Dark Knight along with the other superhero/comic book movies is doing it a tremendous disservice. It holds out all on its own, away from the likes of the usual summer blockbuster fares, even away from its predecessor Batman Begins. So completely different and transcendental it is that it made Spiderman 2 or Iron Man feels like Saturday morning cartoons, dwarfing them almost to the point of irrelevancy; not saying that they're not good films in their own rights, bu they're just great escapisms, nary anything more than that. The Dark Knight not only managed to beat the apparently impossible odds of it meeting the insane hype, but also surpassed whatever preconceived expectations. What I expected of it was purely on the superficial, traditional level; for it to be at least as cool, smart and exhilirating as Batman Begins(which it is). But from the get-go TDK uncompromisingly broke those expectations to pieces and struck me over the head with its immense ambition and scope that I staggered out of the theater in an epipheny, struggling to collect myself to what I had just experienced. So many ideas and rays of brilliance are crammed into this 2 1/2 hour movie that I felt compelled to watch it again as soon as possible. Now that I've seen it a second time, all the 'puzzles' fit perfectly into place, revealing the hulking 'beast' hidden beneath the mask of 'pop entertainment'.

I will not talk much about the late Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker, as it has been universally praised already. And I share the enthusiasm very much but not to neglect the equally impressive Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart, who is less flashy but still pulsating with moments of intensity. The rest of the returning cast members; Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine are all better than before, thanks to the script that allows each of the characters their moments to shine instead of just stuck in the sidelines, particularly the role of Jim Gordon who is just as pivotal as Harvey Dent's. In fact, it is the dynamic relationships amongst the three of these "Gotham protectors"; Batman, Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon, that lended to one of the film's major strength.

Batman is looking for someone to take up his mantle to fight for Gotham, but one that could do it in broad daylight and without the theatrics, the White Knight to the Dark Knight that can give the right inspiration to the people of Gotham, and he sees that in Harvey Dent. Jim Gordon still struggles to curb the corruptions radiating within his own ranks, That forced him to turn to Batman, who is incorruptable; an 'immovable object'. And like Batman, Gordon too sees Harvey as Gotham's hope. To both of them, Harvey Dent *is* the personification of the 'hero' that Gotham really needs. He is a symbol of good and courage, of law and order in a 'world without rules'. We see the three of them work together to bring down Gotham's organized crime families. But there is a new force that they failed to truly comprehend, a force of chaos in the form of The Joker.

The Joker is a pretty much a one-dimensional character, generally that would be a problem in other movies. But here, he needs to be that way, enigmatic and as he puts it, an "agent of chaos" - ala Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men. There's no back story or motivations, other than to cause anarchy, and to show that underneath it all people are just as ugly as him. That when their lives is at stake, in moments of desperation, or the things that they perceived to be dear to them are threatened to be stripped away, when there is no law that binds them, at that point people will succumb to their true nature. Ultimately The Joker feels that he's better than them because he does not hide what he is. He is free, he's not bounded by rules; external or his own. He has nothing to lose, he does not even care if he lives or dies. As he said, he just do things, he has no plans. People are easily intimidated, easily broken because they cling too much to whatever their future plans are. Their hopes and dreams or whatever the general perception of a normal life is in a civilized society that they are desperately trying to protect. The Joker exploits this in his reign of chaos. He performs a series of 'social experiments', a test of seemingly impossible moral choices, to reveal how far civilized society can endure without falling apart, without breaking their 'moral code' or the domesticated law and order of civilization that they so depend on.

The standoffs and the dynamics between The Joker and Batman is what drive this film. The Joker is the pure opposite of Batman, the other side of the same coin. The Joker sees through what Batman could not. For without Batman, he wouldn't exist; there wouldn't be any purpose for him to exist. With the Joker seemingly in control for the bulkier part of the film's duration, most would probably fail to notice that Batman or Bruce Wayne is equally imperative to the film's narrative, in a more cerebral way. It's about how Batman is affecting the people around him and Gotham in general. How his existence has changed Gotham forever; for better or worse. He may be Gotham's protector or a hero, but at the same time he is the cause of the 'escalation'. That's the existential dilemma, or maybe one of the, that Bruce Wayne had to face throughout the film, even after the end of the film.

I couldn't talk enough of the film, as there's a lot of depth and thematic complexities laden in it that warrant extensive thoughts and repeated viewings. My rants just skim the film’s surface. There is definitely a lot to chew on: its relevancy to society, post-9/11 paranoia, and parallelism to the ‘War On Terror’, to name a few. Heck it's probably the most thematically complex blockbuster film ever made, the side of The Matrix Trilogy. Except The Dark Knight is actually a considerably more well-made picture, even Oscar-worthy(other than Heath Ledger's performance which is as far as I'm concerned is locked for a nomination, provided the Oscars intends to preserve what credibility it has left). Why not? It's certainly deeper, and better even than most Oscar winners. If The Departed or LOTR managed to win a chuck load of awards, why can't TDK? Impeccable directing, a supremely intelligent script, great acting, amazing technical virtuosities, and the list go on. Everything about the film is so intelligently conceived and well put together. It is hands down the best superhero film ever made, and a damn near perfect film on its own rights. I admit there are a few flaws; some choppy editing, sloppily-shot fight sequences (but still an improvement over Batman Begins), and a few overly-expository dialogues. But they're all just a few black spots in a beautiful, majestic tapestry and barely mar the more than 2 hours of awesomeness. Iron Man brought back the fun and smarts in superhero movies, but for me what The Dark Knight did to the genre equals to what 2001: A Space Odyssey did to the sci-fi genre. It completely breaks the genre’s known rules, reinvigorates it, and sets a new benchmark, proving that popular entertainment can be great cinematic art.

5/5

2008-07-19T02:16:00.002+08:00

Yep, I just got back from The Dark Knight.

And I was left in awe. I am at a lost for words. I need a second viewing for my full review. But as it stands, the hype is justified. This is one of those extremely rare occasions that a film met, and exceeded expectations. And I daresay, The Dark Knight is the best theatrical experience of my life to this date.

Full review coming soon.

WHY SO SERIOUS?

2008-07-04T20:15:00.002+08:00

Sorry, no new reviews yet as I'm going through my first week at Huawei Technologies. And it's darn nerve-wrecking, btw.

But 'cinema'-wise, I couldn't be more excited for The Dark Knight. Seriously, it looks like Chris Nolan and team has outdone themselves(especially the marketing team) and created a film that transcends the 'superhero' genre. I'm wetting my pants off in anticipation! Check out these glowing early reviews.

"Dark, grim, haunting and inventive, Dark Knight is nothing short of brilliant, representing Chris Nolan's most accomplished and mature work to date...." - Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.com

"Warner Bros. Pictures' THE DARK KNIGHT is not only the best film I have seen this year, but quite possibly the best superhero movie ever made." - Brad Miska, Bloody Disgusting

"The haunting and visionary Dark Knight soars on the wings of untamed imagination." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

"Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Michael Mann's Heat. Brian de Palma's The Untouchables. And now, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight can join the ranks as one of the best crime dramas in modern movie history." - Staci Layne Wilson, Horror.com

Track the "tomatometer"--->http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_dark_knight/

A LESSON ON FILMS

2008-06-09T12:21:00.007+08:00

KINEMA NO TENCHI (Yoji Yamada, 1986)

Aku tonton di FINAS. Filem daripada legenda Yoji Yamada, dan selepas tonton Kinema No Tenchi, memang patut pun dipanggil legenda walaupun taklah banyak karyanya yang aku dah tonton. Aku hanya pernah tonton Tasogare Seibei dan Bushi No Ichibun. Tapi kadang-kadang dengan satu filem saja pun dah cukup untuk mengesan kehebatan seorang pengarah, macam selepas aku tonton Ladri Di Biciclette oleh Vittorio De Sica. Apa yang aku boleh katakan, kalau semua pembikin filem Malaysia tonton filem ini, dan belajar daripada filem ini, aku yakin tak ada lagi filem-filem bodoh lagi sampah yang mencemar industri tempatan. Ia sudah pasti menjadi antara filem yang paling dekat di hati aku. Satu filem yang begitu sempurna untuk pencinta filem.

5/5

'It's Not The Years, It's The Mileage.'

2008-05-28T11:33:00.015+08:00

INDIANA JONES & THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (Steven Spielberg, 2008)

The iconic character is back with his whip and fedora, albeit a little too late. Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (KOTCS) marks the 4th Indy outing after 19 years since The Last Crusade, and the hype and anticipation built up by the fans (me included) was obviously extremely high to the point that it is, in fact, impossible for the film to meet the expectations. Personally, I feel that it is truly unfair to expect Spielberg and Lucas to successfully repeat the magic that was Raiders Of The Lost Ark, which is the epitome of action/adventure filmmaking, a yardstick to which subsequent films of its genre are measured. The previous three Indiana Jones releases have always belonged in their own 'class', although some, or maybe a lot might argue that Temple Of Doom was decidedly considered a 'mess' compared to its two counterparts. But it's still a 'fun mess'. Therefore, there is a definitive standard that audiences can and should be able to expect on an Indiana Jones film, especially for one that is almost two decades in the making. There should be more than enough qualified material to be put forth with that amount of time for creative brainstorming. However, after the travesty that was George Lucas' Star Wars prequels (at least to most fans), there is fear that he would destroy another of his franchise. But, fortunately, the only difference for Indy's case is that Steven Spielberg is on the director's chair. So it could not possibly be bad, could it? We are talking Steven Spielberg, the master of Summer blockbusters here, right? Well, maybe if he would have shot a different script. But then again the film is also by far not Spielberg at the top of his game.

The film opens roughly 20 years after Indy's last appearance, in the 1950s to be exact when the US are at 'war' with Communism; hence the villains being Russians rather than Nazis. Our hero is held captive by Russian troops led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett, in a hairdo much like Javier Bardem's in No Country For Old Men), in order to help them find an 'item' stored in a warehouse in Area 51. To be honest I couldn't help but feel giddy when Harrison Ford first appeared on screen, especially the first shot where only Indy's silhouette was visible. I smiled right up to my ears. For me it's because of the first time of seeing the character on the big screen, along with hearing the classic John Williams' theme, that broght the shivers in me. Yes, he's old but after 10 minutes I just didn't notice the age and even at some points he looked just like he did 20 years ago, which is darn amazing at 64. There's no denying that Harrison Ford is still Indiana Jones. And I can't help but feel nostalgic with the appearance of the Ark Of The Covenant (the 'McGuffin' in Raiders Of The Lost Ark); a clever inclusion in my opinion. The first act of the film in the warehouse seemed promising, I thought, though not exactly as awesome as I wanted to. Unfortunately however, the film descends into the ridiculous and dull after that. The latter being a word I did not expect to use to describe a Spielberg film.

The film has lost the wit and charm of the dialogues present in the previous Indiana Jones installments. To put it bluntly, they are terrible and totally uninspired. David Koepp's script is overladen with heavy expositions and dull banters between the characters, with several jokes plugged in that fall flat most of the time. After the rather exciting first act all the audience get is expositions, a chase sequence, and then more boring expositions pertaining the legend of the crystal skulls. Apparently Koepp missed the importance of 'visual storytelling', and the phrase 'show, don't tell'. Great character actors John Hurt and Ray Winstone are wastefully utilized, spurting one-dimensional lines and barely providing any weight to the overall film's plot. Even the reunion of Marion Ravenwood and Indy failed to bring back the chemistry again, because basically they didn't have any worthy exchanges to spark it up with. Surprisingly Shia LeBouf managed to hold his ground given the bad material, and certainly was not dwarfed even in the legend's presence. It doesn't help that the story itself equals the blandness of the script, with plot elements worth enough to only fill about 20 minutes of actual film.

According to IMDB, producer Frank Marshall is noted to have stated that the film uses CGI only when necessary. With all the CGI jungles and backgrounds, I doubt that there's much truth in that. Not to mention the CGI monkeys. The film seems to have lost a good part of the series' old-fashioned vibe by going digital. When it comes to visual effects, Spielberg always knows how and when to use them, but surprisingly not in this case. There's too much unnecessary CGI. It felt like George Lucas was looming over Spielberg throughout the shooting course, constantly bitching to use his visual effects toys whenever possible. It's either that, or Spielberg has started to show a dwindle in creativity. A sign he's already shown quite a bit in War Of The Worlds.

Another problem is that Indiana Jones never seemed to be in any real danger, a fault of CGI too I think. Chases after chases, in and out of waterfalls, it's not more than a scratch for Indy. This takes out the suspense and exhiliration of seeing the hero struggle his way out of obstacles. Yes, I know that it's impossible for him to die, but the previous installments still showed some vulnerabilities on the hero's behalf instead of depicting him as Superman. I think what started to kill the movie for me is the point where (spoiler alert!) Indy survives an atomic bomb explosion by hiding in a refrigerator, not to mention it being thrown off clear a few hundred feet by the said explosion, with him inside. And miraculously our 64-year-old titular character just came out of the refrigerator with only a few bruises. That's a serious "what the hell" moment for me. Hey, I can handle sequences that strain credulity to a degree, but not as over-the-top as "surviving a nuclear bomb in a damn refrigerator"! The scene doesn't even serve any real purpose other than to have another impossible situation for Indy to come out of. Yes the series is notorious for its over-the-top sequences, but they barely scrape the ones in KOTCS and plus they all have a fair share of genuine threats to balance out the goofy ones. KOTCS holds no reservation in going all out crazy. It has man-eating giant red ants that would climb on top of each other to have a reach at you, and not forgetting the candidate for most cringe-inducing scene of the year: the monkey-swinging. (spoiler ends)

To be fair there is some fun to be had amidst it all. It's not a complete disaster, but the film in overall gave off a feeling of a missed opportunity. I think if you can get past that nuclear bomb bit, you can get past everything else the film throws out; including the final resolution that is too ridiculous even for an Indiana Jones film. Apparently I can't.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Verdict: 2.5/5

I'M FINISHED

2008-05-23T20:32:00.003+08:00

grraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadddddddddddddd!!!! :)

The End.

Thus it's The Beginning.

Thank you all.

Thank you God.

COUNTING THE DAYS

2008-05-07T02:49:00.009+08:00

IRON MAN (Jon Favreau, 2008)

"Will that be all, Mr Stark?"
"Yes, that'll be all, Miss Potts."

The first superhero movie released in a year chock-full of superhero movies. Aside from The Dark Knight(which undoubtedly will be awesome!), I wasn't looking forward to any of the other releases. And considering the Iron Man's trailer looked a bit too much like 'Fantastic 4', I was indeed skeptical. But after seeing the movie, The Dark Knight certainly needs to be no less than amazing if it wants to be the crown jewel of this year's comic book movie, or any other year, for that matter.

Iron Man feels light and simple compared to other Marvel movie juggernauts such as Spiderman or X-Men. However, the lack of emotionally dramatic elements apparent in those films certainly does not degrade Favreau's own take on the superhero genre. It has its own spirit, lending more emphasis on pure classic blockbuster fun instead of indulging on teenage angst and pithy love conflicts that plagued the Spiderman series(worked for the first 2, but not for number 3). Clearly the filmmakers paid attention in reaching a larger demographic than comic book nerds. It's considerably more mature, taking on a more global issues into its storyline. We don't see Iron Man attending to bank robberies and petty criminals, instead he flew half across the globe (though geographically questionnable) to rescue Afghan villagers from warlords, blow up a tank, and play chase with fighter jets(in one of the film's highlight).

The action sequences are quite few and far between, and short to boot. But when it's there it's entirely exhilirating. The aerial chase alone is more engrossing than Transformer's 20 minutes final battle. And I particularly liked the dominant application of practical effects, animatronics and pyrokinetics over CGI. Truth be told I've already grown sick and indifferent towards CGI, no matter how good it looks (Yes I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again). Fake is still fake. Favreau, like Spielberg, apparently knows where and when to use CGI.

Robert Downey Jr is the heart and soul of Iron Man. He embodies Tony Stark, and just a pure delight to watch on screen. In my opinion Tony Stark is probably more entertaining to watch than his alter-ego. The rest of the cast is also great in their shoes and every character is put to good use, including the non-humans.

The only major gripe I have in an otherwise excellent movie is the rather anti-climactic and rushed final act. It does not feel up to par with the high standards the first half has established. Some viewers may be left wanting more, as the final battle with Iron Monger is pretty uninspired in comparison with the earlier action sequences.

Flaws aside, the movie is fun through and through. Iron Man is the blockbuster movie to beat and it has managed to give a great kickstart to the summer movie season. Witty script, perfect cast, and great action all add up to a wholesome, smart and just plain kick-ass movie that non-superhero lovers may also enjoy. At this rate, if this is any indication to a bigger, better sequel, it may surpass Spiderman as the best Marvel movie franchise;it's already better than the first Spiderman movie.

4/5

AKU SIBUK

2008-04-13T23:45:00.002+08:00

Ini aku. Tensyen dengan FYP.

[REC] (Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza, 2007)

Cloverfield boleh pegi mampus. Beginilah caranya buat filem hand-held camera ala-'Blair Witch Project'.

Aku akan paksa peminat-peminat filem horror untuk tengok filem ini. Aku jamin inilah filem yang korang tunggu-tunggu. Gila seram! Entah berapa kali aku terpaksa kutip balik jantung aku kat lantai.

4/5

Director Anthony Minghella Dies at 54

2008-03-19T14:51:00.004+08:00

FILMOGRAPHY:
Breaking And Entering (2006)
Cold Mountain (2003)
The Talented Mr Ripley (1999)
The English Patient (1996)
Mr Wonderful (1993)
Truly Madly Deeply (1990)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

2008-03-09T14:19:00.003+08:00

"...nampaknya rakyat Kelantan masih ingin masuk syurga."
- seorang ahli panel dalam Keputusan Pilihanraya, TV3

...agaknya betullah tu. :)

PILIHANRAYA

2008-03-06T18:27:00.005+08:00

Tapi.... aku sokong dari jauh saja. hehe

MURTABAKK!!!!

2008-02-29T01:28:00.003+08:00

For once, not a 'movie-related' post. Just wanna share this very funny video by comedycourt. Thanks to Det. :)

So "Who Wants To Be A Billionaire?"

And The Oscar Goes To....

2008-02-25T15:35:00.003+08:00

....NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. As expected.

I was rooting for There Will Be Blood, but when the Coens got the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, I knew right-off that they would win. Anyhow, TWBB getting the awards for actor(Daniel Day-Lewis) and cinematography(Robert Elswit) is enough for me. And hurrah for Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for Best Original Song!

Anyway, here's a parody clip of the famous "Milkshake" scene in There Will Be Blood. I dunno about you, but I thought this is pretty freakin hilarious.

Another one. A re-enactment of the scene by Brandon Hardesty.

SEMPENA OSCAR

2008-02-21T23:10:00.017+08:00

UPDATE NOTE: Forgot to insert No.5(Tropa De Elite) in the initial post.

The 80th Academy Awards is on 24th Feb. This is my list of the Top 10 Films of 2007.

10)NO END IN SIGHT by Charles Ferguson

If you want to see what the Bush Administration did to post-war Iraq, or if there's even a slight interest to what's going on over there, you owe it to yourself to see this eye-opening documentary film.

9)SUNSHINE by Danny Boyle

"At the end of time, a moment will come when just one man remains. Then the moment will pass. Man will be gone. There will be nothing to show that we were ever here... but stardust."

I'd say Sci-Fi is my favorite film genre. Not only does Sunshine revived the space sci-fi genre, it's also one of the most visually breathtaking films of the year. The Mercury scene alone made me hold my breath every time. A retread of such sci-fi classics as Alien and 2001:A Space Odyssey, raising philosophical questions as well as dishing out amazing action sequences. It's flawed, sure, but the images in the film stuck with me ever since I saw it. It has kind of grown on me with repeated viewings, to the point that the final 3rd of the movie doesn't bug me that much anymore.

8)NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN by Ethan & Joel Coen

"You can't stop what's coming."

Aaahh arguably America's favorite movie of 2007. For good reasons, too. It's a masterfully directed thriller/western, extremely tense and suspenseful from start to finish. Plus, it's aided with amazing performances by the cast, particularly Javier Bardem. This is the Coens' darkest, most violent and thought-provoking film yet.

7)ZODIAC by David Fincher

"Before I kill you, I'm going to throw your baby out the window."

Part serial killer movie, part police procedural. It could draw up comparison with Memories Of Murder, where the narrative is more on the 'obsession in finding the killer' than 'finding the killer' itself. But what Memories Of Murder don't have is David Fincher's distinct visual presentation. It's not the kind of serial killer movie that wants to bludgeon the audience with senseless violence and cheap scares. It's subtler, more intelligent and calculated than that. The 'chills' creep out from inside; psychologically. The murder at the lake scene is downright the scariest scene in any film of last year. All with nary an ounce of blood in sight. What a travesty that even Norbit got 1 nomination and Zodiac got none.

6) LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON/THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY by Julian Schnabel

"Other than my eye, two things aren't paralyzed, my imagination and my memory."

The movie that makes me feel very grateful to be ALIVE and well. A look of the world from the eyes of a 'dead' body, but a living soul.

5) TROPA DE ELITE/THE ELITE TROOP by Jose Padilha

The Brazillian film that won the Golden Bear for Best Film at the Berlin Film Festival 2008. Tropa De Elite repeats the success of Cidade De Deus, delving into the world of drug trafficking, crime and social crisis in Rio De Jeneiro. It's frenetically paced and the violence depicted makes Cidade De Deus rather tame in comparison. The film focuses on the corruption of the police force, and the BOPE elite troop's role in cleansing the slums of drug trafficking. The squad's methods are indeed questionable, but the situation is not as 'simple' as it seems. Jose Padilha does not strive for simple 'conclusion' towards the issue, and it's open for the audience's own interpretation and judgement. Even if the film's message and sociopolitical debate it conjures up doesn't interest you, it's still is a one heck of an engaging and entertaining film.

4)RATATOUILLE by Brad Bird

"I don't LIKE food, I LOVE it. If I don't LOVE it, I don't SWALLOW."

As simple as the dialogue line above may seems, it actually speaks volumes. A masterpiece from auteur Brad Bird(with the kind of films he's making, he deserves to be called an 'auteur'). A feast for the eyes, heart and soul. It's about a rat who loves to cook, but also an allegory to the filmmaking industry and art in general. In my opinion, Pixar's best outing to date.

3)ONCE by John Carney

"What's the Czech for "Do you love him"?"

Made with only $150,000(about RM500,000!), and grossed more than $9million in limited release in the US. Once is the surprise hit of the year, loved by both critics and audiences. This is the definitive example that you can make an excellent film without millions of dollars in budget. All you actually need is heart, honesty and talent. Malaysian filmmakers should take note! And what's more commendable is the central theme of its 'love story'. Which is 'love without physical contact'. I'd say it's even more 'sopan' than our own local romance films. Quoted from Steven Spielberg himself,"A little movie called Once gave me enough inspiration to last the rest of the year’.". Hear, hear!

2)THERE WILL BE BLOOD by Paul Thomas Anderson

"I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!!"

God how I've waited so long to watch this film. The very idea of Paul Thomas Anderson working together with the legendary Daniel Day Lewis is enough to make film buffs wet their pants. It's the 'dream team'. One is the best film director below 40 and the other is the very definition of an "actor". There Will Be Blood further cements Daniel Day Lewis' status as the greatest living actor. They should just hand over the Oscar to him. His amazing performance was only rivalled by Paul Thomas Anderson's cinematic genius. PTA is basically the "other star" of the movie and it would be great if he gets the coveted Best Director Oscar. This is one film for the ages, though I think it would divide viewers considering it's rather unconventional filmmaking. In basic term it's kinda weird. Film lovers would marvel at it for years to come, but regular movie-goers may end up scratching their heads trying to catch the subtle display of 'genius' inherent in it. Maybe it's too "smart" for its own good. Now I feel another viewing is in order to fully savor the awesomeness of There Will Be Blood.

1)THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD by Andrew Dominik

"Can't figure it out: do you want to be like me or do you want to BE me?"

I'm not really sure which one to choose, between this and There Will Be Blood. On a different day maybe I'll put There Will Be Blood. Nevertheless, both are fantastic films in their own rights. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is a profound cinematic experience. It's beautifully poetic, thought-provoking and emotionally investing. It excels in every aspect of filmmaking. Be it the acting, cinematography, direction, etc. It's a wonder that the film didn't get the recognition it deserves(in the Oscars). Also, the film boasts Brad Pitt's best performance to date. However, it is Casey Affleck that dominates the acting department. It's not only a wondrous achievement in the visual/technical sense, but also in its attention to character development. Robert Ford is both a detestful and a sympathetic persona. And Jesse James, as ruthless as he may seem, is enigmatic and hopelessly caught in an inner turmoil;that I 'feel' for him. And thus makes the inevitable outcome all the more saddening, for both party. This is truly one of the highlights for films of this decade, and one of the best 'Western' film ever made.

Honorable Mentions:
Haru Biru, Mukhsin, 4 Months 3 Weeks And 2 Days, Knocked Up, Juno, Michael Clayton, Darfur:The Devil Came On Horseback, Redacted, Hot Fuzz, Superbad, In The Valley Of Elah, 12:08 East Of Bucharest, The Bourne Ultimatum, Sicko, Gone Baby Gone, Rescue Dawn, Eastern Promises, I Don't Want To Sleep Alone, Bridge To Terabithia, Death Proof, The King Of Kong:A Fistful Of Quarters

Rather Lovely Thing

2008-01-28T21:41:00.000+08:00

THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik, 2007)

Aku malas nak tulis rebiu betul-betul. "Writer's block", orang kata. Tapi aku kena promo jugak filem ini. Sebab jarang sekali kita dapat satu filem yang 'sempurna', yang merempuh dinding keempat, dan pada akhirnya 'meletup' dengan hebat macam supernova. Kalau suka Terrence Malick, kau mesti akan suka gila filem ini. Malah, aku rasa Andrew Dominik telah hasilkan "filem Malick" yang lebih baik daripada Malick sendiri. Sangat mengagumkan memandangkan ini hanya filem ke-2 dia, tapi dah macam orang yang dah berpuluh tahun mengarah filem. Aku tak dapat jumpa apa-apa yang cacat dari perspektif yang objektif, dan secara subjektifnya memang jiwa filemi ni secocok dengan jiwa aku. Nah, markah sempurna aku bagi. Bravo!

5/5

HEATH LEDGER DEAD

2008-01-23T08:09:00.000+08:00

LINK------>http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/22/heath.ledger.dead/index.html

What a shocking tragedy. Perhaps his final role as THE JOKER in THE DARK KNIGHT was his best performance ever

'Honest To Blog'

2008-01-14T17:11:00.000+08:00

JUNO(Jason Reitman, 2007)

It's the 'indie movie of the year', like Little Miss Sunshine was in 2006. A hip, witty and smart comedy starring the very talented Ellen Page(Hard Candy, X-Men 3). Sometimes the script seems to try too hard to be 'zippy' and 'hip'(then again, so does Tarantino and Kevin Smith), but thanks to Ellen Page's delivery it all seems natural. Juno is a kind of movie that is so energetic and charming that you just hate to see it ends.

4.5/5

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN(Joel & Ethan Coen, 2007)

"What's he supposed to be? The ultimate bad-ass?"

Llewelyn Moss, regarding Anton Chigurh. Yes, that's the characters' names.

I couldn't help but hold my breath everytime Anton Chigurh, played by the great Javier Bardem, is on screen. Just to look at his emotionless, and merciless face is terrifying enough. He'll definitely go down in history as one of the greatest villain ever put on film. Up there with Hannibal Lecter.

It's pretty much already a fact that the Coen Brothers' latest offering is their best film since Fargo. Some may even claim it to be their best. It has everything that you would come to expect from the Coen Brothers, and more. Humor, suspense, and violence are so subtly meshed together without leaving out hints of 'humanity'. Personally I'd rather let it breathe a little bit. Wait about a year or so before claiming it a 'masterpiece'. But as it stands now, No Country For Old Men is close to it. A perfectly orchestrated thriller, that has a lot going on underneath. It wouldn't beat Once(that currently sits on the top of my soon-to-be Top 10 of 2007;after I see There Will Be Blood), but it'll probably be amongst my top 5.

4.5/5

NO END IN SIGHT(Charles Ferguson, 2007)

The best documentary film of 2007, and to me the most 'important' film of the year. No End In Sight chronicles the days after the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and reveals the ramifications caused by the incompetence and recklessness of the US policy that leads to Iraq's descent into anarchy. It's utterly jaw-dropping to see how much damage the American invasion has caused, and how such evil could even exist. The truth is, as has always been suspected, the Bush administration have no interest whatsoever to rebuild post-war Iraq. They couldn't care less. Add that with the on-going civil war in the region, there really seems to be no end in sight.

4.5/5

2007-12-28T10:18:00.000+08:00

ATONEMENT (Joe Wright, 2007)

Undeniably, Atonement is an excellent example of mature, intelligent filmmaking at its finest. Coupled with the fantastic and unique musical score(the sound of a typewriter as an 'instrument'), it's a transfixing combination of images and music. Keira Knightley further proves that she's one of the finest young actress working today, exhibiting a kind of elegance in speech and demeanor that is sorely lacking in other Hollywood actresses, particularly Americans. But it is James McAvoy that ultimately shines. It's funny how great actors & actresses now are found outside of America.

Another noteworthy scene is the 'tracking shot' at the beach. It's proof enough of the technical excellence of the film, and reason enough for Joe Wright to be nominated for Best Director.

However, the end result did not measure up to the technical bravura. And that is disappointing. I've never read the book it was based on(I rarely read any novels anyways), so maybe i have little right to judge the material. But a book is a book, a film is a film. I'll judge this for what it is, or how it is. The early 70% of the film is gold. It's entirely engrossing and emotionally wrenching. But sadly, it falls apart by the last act. I felt that the resolution was far less than satisfying, and missed the mark of the 'heartbreaking finale' it was probably going for. And yes, I do get the messages of 'the power of lies', 'the power of writing' and 'how do one atone for sins of the past'. But the resolution did not complement the events leading up to it. Simply put, it's just that I felt cheated by the end of it. It has left me wondering of the relevancy of an earlier scene, and I felt less than impressed by the manipulative method of that act.

///Possibility of minor spoilers!////

Maybe by looking at it another way, it would make a little more sense. But it's kind of far-fetched and it would seem ambitious to a fault. This paragraph may look a bit 'messy'(I'm no writer anyway), but here goes. The finale is just like what Briony did to Robbie and Cecilia. A lie. A betrayal. Both another form of betrayal by Briony to them, and a betrayal to the viewer. It basically jumps out and drags us into the same predicament as the characters. Whether we, could handle that 'lie'. Further stresses the themes I mentioned above, particularly on 'the power of writing'. The film itself 'is' Briony: manipulative. In retrospect, it questions our early 'expectations' of the fate of the characters. We are very much like Briony, we really hoped that both of them could be together by the end;a happy ending. But if it was not meant to be, would a lie suffice? Would a lie be better, just so that it would be of comfort, like the dying soldier in the ward. Ultimately the film juggles imagination and reality in itself, and in our minds.

Atonement works best as a romance film. Keira Knightley's and James McAvoy's performances provide a believable love story. The cinematography, the setting, art direction, the music, and directing are all top-notch. It would be amongst the truly great films of this year, if one could only overlook the 'trippy' finale. To me however, that is one sin the film could not atone for.

3.5/5

2007-12-24T13:35:00.000+08:00

I AM LEGEND (Francis Lawrence, 2007)

The movie that further cements Will Smith's status as the 'biggest box-office draw of this decade'. Credit is where credit is due, he *earns* that title in I Am Legend. Will Smith basically carried this movie, a pretty tough feat considering it's a one man show where he's in it 99% of the time. Like Tom Hanks was in Cast Away. Therefore, the success of the film rests solely on Will Smith's shoulder, whether or not he could pull off a one heck of a performance. And he did. Actually, he did more than was warranted or expected in an action blockbuster movie. He treats the premise and source material seriously, thus making his character believable along with the world around him.

As for the movie itself, that's another story. I'm pretty divided with it. On one hand the movie is very good when it indulges on Robert Neville's character; his psyche, how he survive and how he cope on being the 'last man' on Earth(as implied). Add it with Will Smith's intense acting that I would claim even Oscar-worthy, we have ourselves a well-qualified character study film. But when the sun goes down for the action to take center stage, and the 'creatures' come out, it's kinda terrible. Particularly the CGI of the creatures that is downright ugly and laughably cartoonish. It's as bad as the CGI in The Mummy Returns(remember The Scorpion King AS The Rock?). And there's also the typical "creature-feature" frights and jolts that belong in a B-movie. Thankfully the director Francis Lawrence restrains a bit on the action part, and shifts the focus more on the main character so that the 'plastic creatures' wouldn't take up too much screen time.

All in all I liked the movie to a certain extent. It's nothing spectacular, but still engrossing enough. I'll still be in line for Smith's next blockbuster flick.

3/5

10 Tahun Sebelum Merdeka

2007-12-09T23:50:00.000+08:00

Link: http://10tahun.blogspot.com/

Macam filem ni juga, aku tak mau bagitau kau apa yang kau patut fikir.

Tonton, dan fikir sendiri.

Bagi aku, ini antara filem tempatan terpenting dekad ini.

'Once', once more.

2007-12-09T12:35:00.000+08:00

ONCE (John Carney, 2007)

Pardon the cliche headline.

Once definitely did not live up to its title. Because i ended up watching it over and over again, every day since i first saw it. For such a 'small' movie, i never expected it to be so addictive.

I have or apparently, had, little interest towards 'musical' films in general. I never saw Singin' In The Rain(sue me), and I did not like Dreamgirls. I guess the idea of people suddenly burst out into a dance number in the middle of the road doesn't appeal to me that much. But Once is something else altogether. It's a landmark for the 'modern' musical films. Gone are the razzle-dazzle of traditional Hollywood musicals, elaborate choreographies and stagey set pieces. What we have here is more similar to a genuine, realistic 'indie' film;only it's driven by music to move the story.

There's no need for dialogues, for expositions, in order to understand the characters. The songs already gave a glimpse into their souls, into their hidden emotions. And the songs are indeed terrific. The leads are instantly lovable that I did not notice that the film never revealed their names, referring to them at the end credits only as 'Guy' (Glen Hansard) and 'Girl' (Marketa Irglova). And like Before Sunrise/Sunset, it's the chemistry of the leads that makes the film all the more compelling. Seeing that both of them are actually members of the band The Frames, so technically they're 'non-actors', but they can definitely act (better even than our own local "actors"). Maybe it's because of that fact that they're easy to root for. That they're not "stars", they’re just your average people, presenting their passion in music. Glen Hansard sings in the lead, with a the kind of voice that convey a flawed and broken character, and Marketa Irglova sings backup like a guardian angel. Watching over him.

I feel that there is no other film this year that is as heartfelt, and honest as Once. It's amazing how such a simple and sweet film like it could, in essence, lend so much depth about love and relationships. How two person can find harmony, and inspiration, with music. It's like the film transcends itself from its original ambition, from just a musical film, into a greater level. Into a work of art. I have run out of adjectives to express how much I love this gem of a movie. It's the best musical film I've seen, and one of the best romance film ever. I particularly loved the ending, which is pitch-perfect and defies Hollywood conventions. In truth, I think it's impossible for anyone not to like it, except the stone-hearted.

4.5/5

Here's a bit of a 'preview'. The song's entitled 'Falling Slowly'.

"SCULPTING IN TIME"

2007-11-18T17:05:00.000+08:00

Apparently I have too much time on my hands....

BEOWULF (Robert Zemeckis, 2007)

Robert Zemeckis' newest infatuation(CG motion capture animation film), and marks his 2nd 'experimental' film after The Polar Express. The visuals have improved, sure, but it still looks somewhat creepy. And they never did fully fix the 'dead-eye' look. Still, it was good fun at the theaters. More of a visual feast and a technical exercise. Nothing much for the heart. The abundance of naked/half-naked bodies and sturdy biceps call for comparisons with 300--but minus the homoeroticism. In fact, I think Zemeckis gave an intentional 'wink', referencing 300, by the humorous effect of the overenthusiastic "I....Am....Beowulf!!!!".

3/5

RESCUE DAWN (Werner Herzog, 2007)

Werner Herzog's first foray into Hollywood(also his first fiction film in a long time), and it should have come sooner. A wholesome survival tale of Dieter Dengler played by Christian Bale with another unbelievably dedicated performance, as do the filmmaking. Criminally underseen in the US which was probably due to the very limited number of theaters screening the movie and it being released around Summer time along with the 'Big Studio' movies. Personally, if taking into account the entertainment value only(without considering the obviously superior filmmaking aesthetics of the film), Rescue Dawn blows away Transformers or any of its competitors out of the water.

4/5

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (Paul Greengrass, 2007)

Then again, maybe Dieter Dengler doesnt blow away Jason Bourne. The Bourne Ultimatum is in my opinion, the best action movie for this year. Tremendously exciting from the get-go. Even though it's rather thin on plot compared to its predecessors, but the amazing, genre-defining action sequences more than makes up for it.

4/5

SUPERBAD (Greg Mottola, 2007)

"From the guys who brought you Knocked Up."

I think that's enough to describe Superbad. I am McLovin' it. It's another comedic gold from Judd Apatow(as producer) and Seth Rogen(as co-writer with Evan Goldberg). Superbad is laugh-out-loud funnier than Knocked up, but lacks the depth and thematic maturity of the latter. It's more in common with American Pie, while Knocked Up feels more like Woody Allen's.

4/5

AMERICAN GANGSTER (Ridley Scott, 2007)

A retread of the classic gangster films. If you've seen Scarface or any old gangster movies, you'll find American Gangster to be very predictable. But Ridley Scott's masterful filmmaking, and charismatic lead actors helped elevate it from mediocrity. Still, it never actually "takes off" to make it pass from "good" to "great". And that's a disappointment considering the amount of talents involved.

3/5

DOCTORS. You. NEED. To. SEE. This.

2007-10-28T23:09:00.000+08:00

SiCKO (Michael Moore, 2007)

...And I wanna be a doctor. In the UK.

...or live in France.

Please.

4/5

See Also: The Death Of Mr Lazarescu(Cristi Puiu, 2006)

RAYA

2007-10-11T00:09:00.000+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya.

Let's Forgive and Forget.

"Sometimes in order to help He makes us cry.
Happy the eye that sheds tears for His sake.
Fortunate the heart that burns for His sake.
Laughter always follows tears.
Blessed are those who understand.
Life blossoms wherever water flows.
Where tears are shed divine mercy is shown."

- Rumi

GRINDHOUSE

2007-10-01T22:37:00.000+08:00

A tribute to the now defunct grindhouse exploitation films. Supposedly it's 2 movies shown back-to-back (for the US theatrical release), but for international release, the two movies are released separately. Maybe it's not fair to rate it separately, seeing that both films are supposed to be seen as one, but what-the-hell lahh..

PLANET TERROR (Robert Rodriguez)

Zombies blowing up. A flood of blood. Severed limbs everywhere. Like that Peter Jackson movie Dead Alive. A direct reincarnation of the old-fashioned B-grade zombie movie. Rodriguez took a direct route, more faithful to the Grindhouse essence. For better or worse. It's fun while it lasts. But personally, the Machete faux trailer is better than the whole of Planet Terror.

Verdict: 3/5

DEATH PROOF (Quentin Tarantino)

I liked Tarantino's part better than Rodriguez's. Although it's flawed, there's enough entertainment value found here that could warrant multiple viewings. Unlike Planet Terror, Death Proof feels more like it could be a 'stand alone' film. And the Grindhouse 'references' are more subtle. Having said that, this IS a Tarantino film through and through. A lot, lot of Tarantino self-indulgent jibber-jabber. Entertaining, nonetheless. The first half of the film with the first batch of girls are excellent and very well constructed. However, it started to steadily go downhill when it got into the second batch of girls, with several lame dialogue lines that I couldnt believe were written by Tarantino. It's a highly uneven film, but also highly memorable thanks to Kurt Russel as Stuntman Mike. And I screamed like a little girl during the car crash sequence.

Verdict: 4/5

A Woman In Trouble

2007-09-20T17:14:00.000+08:00

INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch, 2007)

The movie's tagline says "A woman in trouble". Aahhh seems harmless enough, ain't it? Maybe it's just about a woman dealing with abuses or something. But no. A big fat NO. Not in a David Lynch movie it ain't. Hell, that tagline is probably the most plausible thing that can be related to the film itself.

Inland Empire cares nothing about making any sense or coherency. It's almost impossible to make heads or tails of it. Scenes after scenes of seemingly disjointed plot and surreal circumstances. The very definition of an all-out weird arthouse film. The sequences could very well be plucked out of somebody's nightmare. Then again, so does almost every other film made by the ever enigmatic David Lynch, the only American surrealist filmmaker. But never has he done something in this measure. A cinematic amalgam equivalent to the experience of jumping headfirst into the rabbit hole, but never coming out. And I love it.

I'm having a really hard time in describing the film, in putting it on paper. Still, it's one of the most unique cinematic experience(I do stress 'experience') I have or will ever encounter. Inland Empire is for David Lynch as 8 1/2 was for Federico Fellini. A summation of the artist's themes, style and passion. And check out the end credits, a "reunion" of sorts of Lynch's past films. From Blue Velvet to Mulholland Drive.

Verdict: 4.5/5

QUOTE OF THE DAY

2007-09-09T20:08:00.001+08:00

"I despise stories, as they mislead people into believing that something has happened. In fact, nothing really happens as we flee from one condition to another ... All that remains is time. This is probably the only thing that's still genuine -- time itself; the years, days, hours, minutes and seconds."

- Bela Tarr

An Excellent Dish

2007-08-20T21:46:00.000+08:00

RATATOUILLE (Brad Bird, 2007)

Brad Bird is a genius. The Iron Giant is my personal favorite animated film of all time. Like Hayao Miyazaki and Satoshi Kon, he is in a class of his own, and like his equals, shall be rightfully remembered as one of the highlights in the history of animated films. Underneath all those cute and cuddly cartoon characters, slapstick jokes, and simple storyline, lies therein a significant amount of depth, and most importantly, a large heart. That, should easily puts it high above its other competitors. Just when I thought that Pixar is starting to lose some of its magic with the somewhat disappointing Cars, they are now back on track. That said, Ratatouille is pure GOLD! Brad Bird and Pixar has proven to be an invincible combination.

Ratatouille is not just about a rat who loves to cook, as preposterous as that may sounds. It's not just about being funny and appealing for kids. It's a lot more than that. This is both a movie for adults and children alike. Children will marvel at the amazing animation, cute characters, and hilarious slapsticks. Adults, will notice its deep thematic undercurrent. It's a mature examination on the power of art. The arts and crafts of creating something. The true appreciation of any form art: culinary or otherwise(be it paintings, music, or yours truly: films). A great piece of art can even pierce through the dark recesses of the soul, and resurface the things that was once thought lost (as happens to Anton Ego: voiced by Peter O'Toole that quite possibly be the best voice acting ever). Indeed, at the same time Bird has crafted a loving abode to film, to filmmakers for pouring their heart and soul in their creation, and to film lovers who appreciate the greatness of that creation.

Like any exquisite dish, Ratatouille is a film that needs to be savored slowly. Let the flavors seep in, and by the end of it all, the film leaves a delightening aftertaste. An envelope of warmth and wholesomeness, that I came out smiling all the way home.

Verdict: 4.5/5

malas. dipresi.

2007-08-07T23:01:00.000+08:00

ZODIAC (David Fincher, 2007)

Zodiac marks the return to the serial-killer genre for David Fincher (Fight Club, Se7en) after a 5 year hiatus since Panic Room. And it's a welcome return indeed. Zodiac is a near masterpiece, and the best film I've seen this year so far. Fincher has proved that he is one of the greatest living American filmmaker. Although clocking at nearly 3-hours long, this epic film is so tightly paced and there's not a single wasted celluloid committed on-screen. The amount of detail in this film is staggering. Every little scene is necessary, and every scene is pitch-perfectly directed, to the point that I even think that it's a little shorter than I prefer it should be.

Verdict: 4.5/5

A TRAGIC WEEK

2007-08-01T02:34:00.000+08:00

Italian legendary filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni(L'Avventura, Blow-up, La Notte, L'Eclisse, The Passenger) dies at age 94.

Two of the most influential filmmaker who have ever lived died this week. Not exactly 'tragic' considering their age, but they would be sorely missed.

INGMAR BERGMAN IS DEAD

2007-07-30T18:24:00.000+08:00

One of the greatest, greatest filmmaker ever, Ingmar Bergman, has died at 89.

This is indeed a sad day.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070730/ap_on_en_mo/obit_bergman_1

"I have always admired him, and I wish I could be a equally good filmaker as he is, but it will never happen. His love for the cinema almost gives me a guilty conscience." - Steven Spielberg

HARDLY DYING

2007-07-15T20:49:00.000+08:00

DIE HARD 4.0 (Len Wiseman, 2007)

John McClane is back. With or without the 'F' word. Now this is what a pure, adrenaline-rush action movie *needs* to be. Superbly entertaining from start to finish. No excessive slo-mo, no corny melodrama, and no cameramen on seizures (*cough* *cough* Transformers). *This* is the action movie to beat this year.

Die Hard 4.0 gave *exactly* what it promised, and then some. The fantastic action sequences are amongst the best I've seen, and almost all of them are done with *actual stunts*. Meaning: no overbearing CGI effects. And that's just what I want considering the flood of cgi-laden fares recently. A very much welcome return to the traditional ways of action choreography and practical effects.

The character interactions are always humorous and engaging, even though the dialogues generally take a backseat allowing the car crashes and explosions to take the screen. And surprisingly Die Hard 4.0 *DO* have an *actual* plot, and an actual thematic significance (befitting the post 9/11 paranoia) to come along with those explosions. Man versus technology. John McClane is the very antithesis of our overreliance on computers and technology. Rather smart; considering the movie itself used very little computer effects.

Forget Transformers. Go do yourself a favor and watch Bruce Willis in top-form, kickin' ass and spouting one-liners instead. PG-13 or no PG-13, I had the best fun in the theaters this year as of yet. "Yippee-Kay-Yay, m----r!!"

Verdict: 4/5

Oh, and "Happy Birthday to me!" ngahaha

NOT MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

2007-07-04T02:59:00.000+08:00

TRANSFORMERS (Michael Bay, 2007)

Michael Bay is a hack. His talents are only and I do mean, only, limited to blowing stuff up and exhausting your senses. Seriously, with all the technological prowess of Industrial Light And Magic at hand, and Steven Spielberg as executive producer, it is a wonder that Bay still managed to screw it all up. And how could anyone(that have a slightest bit of talent) make a *dull* movie out of giant robots beating the crap out of each other?

First off, I don't really hate Michael Bay (at least before this). I really liked The Rock, and kinda-liked Armageddon. So any accusations about me being biased are arguably far from valid.

I'll start with the things I like before I go 'Megatron' all over the movie. Shia LeBouf basically carried the movie, giving an energetic performance. John Torturro embraced the movie's cartoon roots and took the corny, geeky material to very amusing result. And Megan Fox is *extremely* hot. To be fair, earlier on the movie was pretty exciting. And I particularly liked the humor and self-references(or self-parody?) scattered here and there.

Now the bad part. I won't complain about the script or the glaring plot holes, because I don't expect a Transformers movie to have a particularly engaging (or intelligent) story in the first place. If it has that, then it's a definite plus though. But the fact is it doesn't. So all I want to see is some fantastic action sequences that would blow me away. But sadly, it is in that same *department*, that the movie fails totally. The action sequences are virtually incomprehensible. The attention-deficit camera work, ultra-fast editing, and the constant zooming result to an ultimately dizzying, and sometimes excruciating experience. I didn't know who's fighting who, and what the hell is going on on-screen. The CGI team has put an amazing effort in bringing the robots to life, but all the fast cuts and bad camera detracts the overall "effect".

The horrible robot designs(more alien-like than anything) only made it worse. What made the cartoon series so appealing was because of the robot designs. They have *character*, each and everyone of them. Here they just looked like chunks of metal glued together. Bay applied his usual formula of "throwing *everything* on-screen and just blow them all up", with little to no attention on *creativity*. Okay, okay you can blow stuff up good, but you already did that in Bad Boys 2. Anymore tricks up your sleeve? Guess not. If you think about it, some of the action sequences are just a rehash from his previous movies (Even some of the scenes looked recycled!). To put it simply, they're just *dull*. No matter how much destruction committed on screen, nothing beats some genuine, imaginative "action choreography". The messy final fight sequence, pretty much sums it all up: headache-inducing, overblown, and surpisingly boring.

And I don't understand the need to shoot *every* scene like an action sequence, with shots that are barely more than 2 seconds long. This is common in Bay's previous movies, but in Transformers it was taken to the extreme. Any sense of pacing, tension, or a thrilling build-up can be thrown out the window. I thought that he would learn at least a thing or two from Spielberg, but any way you look at it this is still your typical Michael Bay movie: big, dumb, and loud. I hope this is the last of their collaboration, but that seems kinda far-fetched considering the money this movie would undoubtedly rake in.

Transformers worked better when it doesn't try to be serious. I really felt compelled to give the movie a total rotten rating, but Optimus Prime said that he'd melt my brain if I do. So there.

Verdict: 2.5/5

FYP MODE

2007-06-24T21:57:00.000+08:00

OCEAN'S 13 (Steven Soderbergh, 2007)

A return to the mainstream fimmaking for Steven Soderbergh, after the minimalistic indie film Bubble (2006). Ocean's 12 was horrendous imo, so I have pretty low expectations on this 3rd, and 'hopefully', final Ocean's outing.

The result: an entertaining popcorn movie. No more, no less. You'll enjoy it while it lasts, but there's nothing to write home about.

It's good to see Al Pacino, though.

Verdict: 3/5

BEHIND THE MASK: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (Scott Glosserman, 2007)

A satire of sorts on the horror/slasher classics; Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween (In this film, those infamous characters really existed.). We follow a group of grad students making a documentary on a would-be slasher, who are pursuing the same legacy as Freddy Krueger, Jason, and Myers did during their time.

It's a creative idea, really. Instead of following the would-be victims, the movie centers on the killer himself. From *his* perspective. Accompanied by the usual 'satirical' take on the genre's classic stereotypes. It *is* amusing, I'll give ya that. But I did expect some good blood and gore action to come with the humor. Disappointingly the movie didn't deliver on that regard.

Verdict: 2.5/5

FANTASTIC 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer (Tim Story, 2007)

Oh why do I even bother. I went in just, and I do mean *just* to see some kick-ass Silver Surfer action. Coz he definitely looked cool in the trailers.

Yeah. And what I got was *exactly* what I got from the trailers. There are only two action scenes involving the Silver Surfer (they *are* cool btw), and both are already shown in the movie's trailer. Talk about a waste of money. I won't bother pointing at the obvious from the other aspects of the movie. Simply put the movie sucks. It's 90 minutes long but it definitely felt like more than 2 hours.

By the way, I don't find Jessica Alba attractive.

Verdict: 1.5/5

It Shines

2007-06-12T20:38:00.000+08:00

SUNSHINE (Danny Boyle, 2007)

I kinda regret that I missed the movie's theatrical run, because as it stands, it's one of the best sci-fi film to come out in recent years. Sunshine tells a story about a space mission to reignite the dying sun, thus saving mankind from Earth's barren, frozen tundra. Yeah I know it sounds unbearably cliche, like we've seen it all before. But it is, after all, a film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland. The same team that basically *reinvented* the horror/zombie genre with 28 Days Later.

As 'traditional' as the premise may seem, there is enough talent involved that overcomes the film's 'predictability', whilst at the same time providing more than enough edge-of-your-seat thrills and the usual special effects bravado that comes in packages with the genre. Technical virtuosities aside, the characters also hold a strong spot in the film's backbone. The relationships between the crew, and the psychological impact the mission has brought on them as they juggle with the extreme burden of the fate of mankind. To the point that they question their own sanity. Cillian Murphy leads a great ensemble cast, with Chris Evans giving a surprisingly intense performance.

However, the third act didn't reach the height of the promising buildup. A mish-mash of perplexing philosophical(or even religious?) brouhahas emerged all of a sudden. Masquaraded into a somewhat generic chase/thriller sequences, that feels all too familiar and over-the-top to boot.

The movie's flawed, sure, but this is the kind of 'blockbuster movie' (should it reach blockbuster status.) that is worth the anticipation. Enough thrills, dazzles, and intelligence that is a breath of fresh air from this 'threequel'-laden year. So Danny ol' chap! Ya can chalk up another star for another nail in the genre.

Verdict: 4/5

See Also: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, Solyaris

2007-06-09T00:30:00.000+08:00

PAPRIKA (Satoshi Kon, 2007)

You can always count on Satoshi Kon to deliver an animated/anime film that transcends itself from mere, hand-drawn, animated cartoons. His films are always psychologically complex and thought-provoking, with realistic characters, that calling them 'anime' becomes an understatement. They're a work of art. Many regard Hayao Miyazaki as the 'godfather of anime', but personally I prefer Satoshi Kon. Even though their specialty is very much the same (their imagination knows no boundaries), but Satoshi Kon is the very contrast of Miyazaki. Where Miyazaki "creates" new imaginative beings, Satoshi Kon *skews*, or manipulate those visions that has embedded themselves in pop culture, into his films. Like David Lynch is to Hollywood stereotypes. The 'arthouse' of anime; more 'adult-oriented'. In short, his films are the most 'humanistic' compared to other animes, closer to a live-action film. Millenium Actress, remains my favorite anime film ever, and a masterpiece.

Although I feel that Paprika is a bit of a 'minor' work, but it still is his most 'mind-bending' film. Kon's trademark of blurring the lines between reality and dream, that constantly shifts-in and out, are ever-more evident here in Paprika. Viewers will find it hard to follow the film's narrative earlier on, due to its lack of blatant exposition. But it is the 'trust' that is put to the viewers' own intelligence, that raises my respect towards Satoshi Kon. Even more due to those brainless Hollywood blockbusters that are pouring all over this summer. Paprika did not forget to present not only visual sensations, but also plenty of food-for-thought too. It is pulsating with extraordinary imaginations that comes from the "inner-child", at the same time delving deep into the characters'(and our) psyche. As we would continually ask ourselves what is real and what is not.

Paprika didn't actually meet my rather *high* expectation(a fault of the rather underwhelming finale), but indeed, the 'headtrip' is definitely worth the experience.

Verdict: 3.5/5

See Also: Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, Paranoia Agent Series

MARATHON..... SORT OF..

2007-05-24T15:34:00.000+08:00

I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP ALONE (Tsai Ming Liang, 2007)

I missed his retrospective in Central Market some time ago. *sigh* Exams be damned!

The first Tsai Ming Liang film that was filmed back in his home-country. An examination of 'loneliness'(a recurring theme in his films) amidst the bustling, claustrophobic Kuala Lumpur. As to be expected; minimal dialogues, 'meditative' pacing and perfectly framed, long, static shots are inevitable in a Tsai Ming Liang film.

Tsai perfectly captures the sense of 'seclusion' of his protagonists. That is, their need for 'soulful' connection, far surpasses the need for verbal communications.

It's amazing, really, the level of detail that has been put in each scene, each frame. There is so much too look at, to marvel at, in the intricate details embedded in every long, static shots. It's almost like every movement was choreographed, but at the same time, feels naturalistic. It is filled so much with visual beauty, that my mouth was left gaped in awe most of the time. Indeed, under Tsai's unique flair, KL have never looked this beautiful. Even in those damp alleyways, squatterhouses and abandoned constructions. The last shot, in particular, is simply breathtaking.

Although after the first half the film kind of meanders on a bit and the novelty of the 'new locale'(Kuala Lumpur) starts to succumb to wear, the film's finale is more than enough to reward your patience. The film is truly a sumptuous cinematic experience, and must be fully appreciated on the big screen.

Verdict: 4/5

28 WEEKS LATER (Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, 2007)

The sequel to Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later. Although I still prefer the orignal, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo still managed to brew a worthy enough successor to one of the best horror films ever. Frenetically fast paced, with hardly any pauses for a breather, this is as gripping, and thrilling as you can get from any movie this summer (I'm doubtful of Pirates 3 and Transformers to reach this height in terms of entertainment value. But we'll see.).

Although it falters in terms of 'humanistic' elements that was prevalent in the original, 28 Weeks Later redeems itself with pure adrenaline rush. Frequent jolts, buckets of blood and gore, and inventive action set pieces elevate to a very commendable horror/action flick. It even managed to slip in a critical commentary on the US-army interference (More like a slap in the face for the American 'military power').

The movie left me exhausted. In a good way.

Verdict: 3.5/5

THE KILLING JOKE

2007-05-22T21:01:00.001+08:00

"I Believe In Harvey Dent."

...This is ALL kinds of COOL.

THE SPIDER SENSE IS TINGLING

2007-05-05T21:11:00.000+08:00

SPIDER-MAN 3 (Sam Raimi, 2007)

Spiderman 3 is without a DOUBT, an ENORMOUS DISAPPOINTMENT. Considering its predecessor Spiderman 2 has been often touted as the best superhero movie ever made (although personally I'd choose Batman Begins all the way!), maybe it's the considerable high standards that i've come to expect from this series, and from Raimi and co., that detracts the overall experience of the film. But as it stands, and being the most expensive movie ever made, it definitely should have been better, or at least provide a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy.

Judging by the trailers, I first thought that this entry would be a much 'darker' and 'violent' version (treading the path of Batman Begins). A black Spiderman, and the promise of Venom as one the villains, are enough to put fanboys in ecstacy.

Instead, Spiderman 3 is more or less similar in tone as the prequels. Only differing in terms of quality; it's messy, bloated and lacklustre in almost every regard. Raimi dished out too much of everything. Too many villains. Too many characters. Too many subplots. In this case, 'more' turns out to be 'less'. It is painfully obvious that no attention was paid towards the 'script', or much of the things that made the prequels great in the first place. Spiderman 2 explores Peter Parker's inner turmoil with sufficient depth and focus whereas Spidey 3 only skims the surface in terms of character developments. And Doc Ock is a more compelling villain than Sandman, Goblin, and Venom combined.

The sappy 'soap opera-ish' story didnt help either. Boring and ultimately unnecessary. The dialogues are dry and cringe-inducing; sorely lacking compared to its predecessor. Sandman is underused, and its 'tidy' tie-up to Peter's history felt 'tacked-on'. Like a lame reason just to introduce the character, and show off the CGI effects. And not forgetting the plainly corny "father-child" subplot, trying too hard to squeeze out the audience's sympathy on the character. The best villain in it would probably be Venom. But again, he appeared too late, and too short a time to make an impression. However, it was Harry Osborne that stands out above the rest. His inner demons and ongoing feud with Peter are compelling enough to garner attention, even when the script sinks into 'Opera' world (particularly towards the end).

Don't get me wrong, there ARE some good, if not great, parts in the movie. But alas, they are scattered all over, with the horrible parts sticking out like a sore thumb. The only thing this film excelled at, is in the action sequences department. At best, they are as exhilirating and imaginative as its predecessor. The special effects are just jaw-dropping. I think the movie would fare better if they would just shut it on the 'melodrama' part, and just get on with the action. Aaahh but let's not forget the Bruce Campbell cameo. Priceless! I'd even be so bold as to claim him as the best thing in the movie!

That said, Spiderman 3 turned out to be just a passable action movie, but a failure as an entry in the series, thus ending the trilogy on a sour note. It's no wonder that the movie's promotions are off the charts. Seems to me that the guys in Sony weren't all that 'convinced' on this entry in the first place. In the meantime, let's not hope this would mark the start of a 'Summer Movie Curse'.

Verdict: 2.5/5

2007-04-26T16:06:00.000+08:00

JANGAN PANDANG BELAKANG (Ahmad Idham, 2007)

"Apa ke he nye, yop?"

Memang aku skeptik dengan filem ni pada awalnya. Bukan sebab aku bias kpd Ahmad Idham atau Metrowealth (ataupun pada filem melayu keseluruhannya). Tapi sebab filem-filem genre horror ni memang susah nak dibikin elok sekarang ni, susah nak melompat keluar daripada klise-klise filem-filem seram yang lampau. Dan memang, susah nak bagi orang rasa takut. Lagi-lagi untuk peminat kuat filem-filem seram. Patutlah kebanyakan filem-filem horror dari Barat(British terutamanya) dah macam tak mau bikin filem seram yang 'tradisional' macam ni. Menyumbat unsur-unsur satira atau komedi untuk menutup lobang-lobang 'klise' tu.

Aku puji Jangan Pandang Belakang. Walaupun babak-babak melodrama awal yang agak lama dan menjengkelkan tu hampir-hampir merangsang aku untuk keluar dari panggung. Ditambah lagi dengan pelakon wanita utama ntah-sape-nama tu yang macam haram tak reti berlakon, kontrol cun je keje (Walaupun memang cun jugak sebenarnya). Tapi bila dah masuk part seramnya tu, dipendekkan cerita memang seram lah kan. Keras juga aku pegang kerusi.

Filem ni lebih kepada gaya 'episodic', menayangkan satu demi satu episod seram yang memang secara strukturnya, tak bawak apa-apa perkembangan pada jalan cerita. Tak kisahlah, asalkan 'episod-episod' tu dilaksanakan dengan baik dan berjaya buat jantung penonton gugur dari semasa ke semasa. Pembinaan tension, atmosphere, dan sound effect yang sangat boleh dipuji. Dan aku terperanjat juga dengan gaya arahan Ahmad Idham yang 'humble', yang secara keseluruhannya tak 'lebih-lebih' macam kebanyakan pengarah filem 'mainstream' lain. Tak ada dah pelakon-pelakon yang menjerit melolong mengalahkan penonton sendiri. 'Pacing' nya pun sabar, tak terburu-buru nak tayang hantu depan-depan (sekurang-kurangny pada awal filem). Banyak bermain dengan kuasa imaginasi penonton sendiri. Apa yang kita tak nampak itu lebih seram, macam masa babak-babak Opah berinteraksi dengan 'kawan' Darma.

Tapi aku rasa kejayaan filem ini adalah disebabkan Pierre Andre. Skrip dia yang bijak. Ada passion (bak kata Ogy - ya, aku tengok AF. Kenapa?). Memang dia buat homework. Buat kajian tentang kisah-kisah hantu yang biasa kita dengar(yang boleh kita kaitkan), dan sejarahnya juga. Sempat juga diselitkan elemen-elemen komentar dan humor secukup rasa.

Aku berani kata, ini filem Seram Melayu terbaik pernah aku tonton. Aku ulangi, yang PERNAH aku tonton ok.

Verdik: 3.5/5

SUMMER MERDEKA CUP 2007

2007-04-14T01:44:00.000+08:00

(Ini iklan tak berbayar)

Ya aku tau cam haram. tak ada special efek. tak ada pelakon hansem (hahaha). kamera goyang (sebab takde stand). blablabla

...tapi aku pedulik hape.

Special thanks to:

- Mamud merangkap produser.
- Miji. sebab kasi pinjam digicam. dan jadi watak 'extra'. haha
- Teng. dia watak utama. dia bajet kacak.
- Keli dan Sarap for additional music.

DEATH IS THE ROAD TO AWE

2007-04-04T11:25:00.000+08:00

THE FOUNTAIN (Darren Aronofsky, 2006)

God, how I've waited to watch Darren Aronofsky's(Pi, Requiem For A Dream) latest offering. And it doesn't disappoint. In fact, with the lukewarm 'critical receptions' this film has received, I was actually surprised that it's *this* good. That's putting it mildly. It's FANTASTIC. Like Malick's The New World, The Fountain definitely ranks up as one of the most underrated films of the new millennium.

In the same tradition as Kubrick's 2001: ASO or Tarkovsky's Solyaris, The Fountain is *more* than just "science-fiction". I couldn't call it anything, really. It's already respectable that Aronofsky was brave enough to take the risk of making this kind of film in the first place. Considering the box-office reception, sadly I doubt that he would ever make anything like this again.

Spanning over a thousand years, with three parallel stories. One during the Spanish insurgent, one in the present, and one 500 years from now. Each with a different "incarnation" of Tom(Hugh Jackman) and Izzy(Rachel Weisz). No doubt the unititiated would scratch their heads over trying to make heads or tails of the story. But underneath the mysterious and ambiguous surface, at its core, is an epic love story about everlasting love that crosses the boundary of death. Indeed, the center of the film is about death. That to me, made the film feels more like Tarkovsky than Kubrick in its philosophical approach.

This is the kind of film this generation *needs*. Literally. The kind of film that not only shows something that you've never seen before, but also takes you on a journey *with* it. An out-of-this world journey, a spiritual journey. Though I cant quite put my finger on the film, on what it's all about, but the sense of awe of just experiencing the film is what's important here. It can't be "talked" about, can't be put into words. One *must* experience it first-hand. Heavy in symbolisms, I had considerable trouble to grasp their meaning, most I would possibly never could fathom, but they're coupled with visuals that are so transfixing, so beautiful, that it doesn't matter. Aronofsky leaves much to the audiences interpretation, restraining from expositions, leaving clues here and there. The 'adventure' of just piecing together(or try to) the 'puzzle' is reason enough to watch the film over and over again.

However, I do admit that this film is definitely not for everyone. Most would probably dismiss it as utter rubbish. Call me pretentious or whatever, but a work this ambitious, this passionate, deserves the praises. The very definition of an auteur presenting his *own* artistic vision, his *own* "universe", in film. To make a film the way he wanted to. The best way to enjoy the movie? Leave your logic, open your mind, journey inwards, 'feel', and you'll be blown away.

oh, and by the way, Clint Mansell's music is just superb. It haunted me for weeks. Even before I saw the movie.

Verdict: 4.5/5

Ne Me Quitte Pas

2007-03-20T12:14:00.000+08:00

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!!!!

2007-03-17T02:54:00.000+08:00

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

2007-03-08T15:23:00.000+08:00

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

Oscar 2007

2007-02-26T14:48:00.000+08:00

Well, hurrah for The Departed! And finally Scorsese gets his due. Maybe it's not his strongest film, but it's still better than the others (aside from Letters, which I haven't seen yet).

The show as a whole sucked (Ellen was surprisingly unfunny). But I'll give credits to the Oscars for being rather *unpredictable*; for better or worse. And earlier on I thought Little Miss Sunshine was gonna give a surprise by winning Best Picture, seeing that it won for Best Original Screenplay.

There are certainly some disappointments, most notably Pan's Labyrinth and Emmanuel Lubezki losing. Other winners are satisfactory, I guess.

Here's hoping for a better host next year.

2007-02-22T11:31:00.000+08:00

SEVERANCE (Christopher Smith, 2006)

It's official. If you want a good horror dosage for your friday nights, leave it to the Brits. 28 Days Later, Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Shaun Of The Dead; the guys behind these actually *know* what they're doing. They actually love horror movies. AND, their ideas are *original* too boot. Not some "Asian remakes" or crappy imitators that Hollywood keeps dishing out over and over again. I'd say the last good Hollywood horror film was Slither. Even that was a "homage" of sorts to the B-horror flicks of yesteryears. Not that that was any fault if it was done competently. The same goes to this latest Brit horror/comedy flick Severance. Taking the typical horror movie premise and just spun it around for laughs. But, the difference is that Hollywood just can't beat British humour. I don't know why, just that they have a certain "penache" in their 'comedic approach'. They're more subtle, and witty.

The premise is easy enough, a bunch of people go for a vacation in a remote 'villa', and ended up getting their body parts hacked by a crazy-ass killer. In this case, the 'people' are co-workers of a weapons manufacturing company of sorts. Similarities with 'The Office' are glaring here. Only that you don't really care much about the characters. But then again, since when did we last *care* about a character in a horror movie? At least, this bunch is *colourful* enough.

Severance did what other movies of its genre did: it pokes fun at horror movie stereotypes. And whenever they do, it's hilarious. Most notably the scene where the "typical female protagonist" kills off the "slasher" (within seconds) with a shotgun, and uttered "I hate to be accused of not killing him when I had the chance.". If *that* doesn't beat you over the head with its sense of humour, then you just have no.....sense of humour. Or you've never watched a horror flick all your life. Then you're a loser. ha!

There's also a good amount of political satires thrown in. But I would call this a double-edged sword. It *is* brilliant at times, but also made the film itself wildly uneven (in tone). By the third act it degenerates into the ridiculous, with bursts of over-the-top political gags/references that seemed like I'm watching a different movie altogether. Like a late change of course by the filmmaker, aiming for a *higher* target than it should.

However, I really enjoyed the movie. Sure it's not scary (it's not meant to be). Just some gory stuff with a few cringe-inducing scene. But it *is* still a refreshing take on the genre; one that you could sit back, eat some junk, and laugh your ass off.

Verdict: 3.5/5

2007-02-11T18:20:00.000+08:00

The Painted Veil (John Curran, 2006)

Lagi satu versi filem yang diadaptasi daripada novel Somerset Maugham. Ini versi yang ke-3, jadi boleh ke kalau nak dipanggil filem ini filem 'remake'? Banyak betul Naomi Watts berlakon dalam filem2 remake (King Kong, The Ring). Aku sebenarnya tak berapa tertarik sangat dengan filem ini memandangkan stereotaip filem genre romantik+period piece = bosan. Tapi memandangkan penyandang2 utamanya Edward Norton dan Naomi Watts (keduanya pelakon feveret aku), aku pun bagi lah can kat The Painted Veil ni. Dan memang, seperti yang aku jangka, filem ni memberi lagi sebab kenapa diorang ni gilebab 'underrated'. Kalau kau tak rasa 'jatuh cinta' pd ceritanya sekalipun, kau pasti jatuh cinta pada dua watak utamanya ni.

Aku tak baca novelnya, dan aku tak tengok versi2 filem yang sebelum, jadi aku tak boleh komen lebih-lebih. Cuma aku boleh kata tema 'pertembungan budaya barat dan timur' filem ni agak 'ketinggalan zaman' bagi aku. Dan paparan orang putih sebagai 'penyelamat' orang Asia yang mundur agak menjelikkan sekali-sekala. Tapi tak apa, yang jadi kekuatan filem ini sudah tentunya kisah hubungan Walter dan Kitty. Juga sinematografi pemandangan yang menyejukkan mata.

Dan menarik juga tengok Anthony Wong cakap English. Mungkin jadi landasannya untuk ke Hollywood. Jangan jadi macam Gong Li sudah (apa dia buat dalam Hannibal Rising??).

Verdict: 3.5/5

Wordplay (Patrick Creadon, 2006)

Filem dokumentari yang sangat 'educational' dan sangat menghiburkan (mana nak carik tu?). Tak sangka tengok filem pasal crossword puzzle geeks ni boleh buat aku terhibur macam ni. Dulu aku tengok mak aku rajin buat, aku tak faham apa yang 'seronok' sangat.Baru la aku tau selok-belok pasal pembikin dan peminat crossword puzzles (diorang genius) ni dan kenapa sampai orang jadi obses. Sampai Bill Clinton pun obses sekali. Hebat. Teringin pulak aku nak mencuba.

Verdict: 4/5

2007-02-06T00:51:00.000+08:00

Ten Canoes (Rolf de Heer and Peter Djigiir, 2006)

Undoubtedly you won't find any other film from last year that is as bizarre as Ten Canoes, a story revolving a tribe of Australian aborigins many, many years ago. Bear in mind, this film is NOT what you would expect considering that somewhat 'misleading' short synopsis. This is no documentary nor another heavy 'socio-political conscious' drama about these aborigins. Instead it is a charmingly funny fable, told in a unique flair that not only made the film accessible, but also complements the 'quirkiness' of the film itself. These "gibberish"-speaking, naked aboriginals are very much identifiable, complete with their own distinct characteristics that are similar to your average individuals. Unlike Apocalypto which more or less depicts natives as some sort of savage "aliens", Ten Canoes *takes* the viewer into their world with a nostalgic atmosphere, also showing that time doesnt change human behaviors as much as we would expect. They exhibit the same feelings as ours(jealousy, anger, desire, happy, sad, etc), do things that are as common as our lifestyle now and even talk dirty to one another. Added with the constantly humorous narration, their world and their story turned out to be not so 'other-worldly' after all. Truly a one of a kind viewing experience.

Verdict: 4/5

Water (Deepa Mehta, 2005/2006)

One of the nominated films in the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and also a part of the "Elements Trilogy" (I havent seen the others). Deepa Mehta's controversial film is a social criticism on the Hindu customs in India that closet widows in holy ashrams, which basically alienating them from "higher" society. Controversies aside, for me Water is a refreshment over the standard typical 'Hindustan' film offerings; meaning no musical numbers and melodrama in sight. Deepa Mehta weaves the story with feminist sensitivity (befitting the issue it raises), and although clearly she intends to make a sociopolitical statement, she never forgets the importance of a good story told with art. The film is rich with lyrical imageries, and also boasts a great cast. Particularly the gorgeous Lisa Ray as Kalyani. The 'message' is overbearing at times, but it never really gets in the way of the story itself as the film slowly builds itself into an ultimately moving tragedy.

Verdict: 3.5/5

TOP 10 FILMS OF 2006

2007-01-27T14:31:00.000+08:00

10. Gubra (Yasmin Ahmad)
Honestly, I don't get all the hate towards this film. I honestly don't. When other local films are portraying devout muslims(berserban, berjubah, etc) as terrorists or extremists, nobody said a thing (I'm looking at youse Misi 1511, Perempuan Melayu Terakhir, Berlari Ke Langit, Syaitan, etc). When in come a Bilal whose *only* fault is petting a dog (And also according to many for befriending a prostitute), all hell breaks loose. And about the so-called "ideology"? "Get a grip on r.e.a.l.i.t.y.", that's all I'm saying. Anyway Gubra is far from a flawless film, but its merits are enough for me to put it on the list.

9. The Prestige (Christopher Nolan)
A terrifically entertaining movie, and substantially superior than its "competition" The Illusionist. The rather 'messy' third act doesn't detract from the overall excitement. And Nolan is a genius in conjuring up a movie about magic, that is a magic trick all on its own.

8. The Departed (Martin Scorsese)
Martin Scorsese's remake of Infernal Affairs really improved a lot on subsequent viewings. Now I really think that it's a little better than IA due to its details, depth and character-driven plot. And the script(dialogues) is the best 2006 has to offer(or even the best since a few years). Highly entertaining, and highly rewatchable. Scorsese's most accessable film to date.

7. United 93 (Paul Greengrass)
Contrary to pre-assumptions, for me United 93 is an unbiased, unjudgmental, and unsentimentalized account of the tragedy that befell flight 93 in 9/11. And I respect this kind of filmmaking, especially for a film that could easily be pro-American. If anything the movie criticizes the American government itself. Both the passengers and the terrorists are portrayed as "humans", not cut-and-dry heroes and villains. And I accept the film as a half-fact, half-fictional account of that day. It's possible that everything that transpires "inside" the plane are not accurate, but it's also a possibility that it is. Probably there are no 'terrorists' at all. These are all assumptions. And I accept this one as one of the possibilities. The movie's a thoroughly engrossing watch, and it deserves to be on the list for that final, heartwrenching crash sequence.

6. The Road To Guantanamo (Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross)
Easily one of, if not the most important film of the year. This docu-drama follows the experiences of three British Muslims who are mistakenly captured in Afghanistan, and transported to the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison. Michael Winterbottom is probably the most versatile filmmaker, with films of various genres under his belt.

5. The Proposition (John Hillcoat)
I never really liked the Western genre before this. Now I do. The Proposition is *far more* than just another take on the tired ol' genre. It's as brutal and unflinching as the best of Sam Peckinpah or Sergio Leone, but defies tradition and revitalizes the genre to new heights. Ironically this 'Western' film is not even set in the good ol' Texas, it's set in the Australian outback.

4. Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles)
The.Funniest.Shit.I.Have.Seen.In.Years.

As Borat Sagdyiev would say, "Very Niiice!"

3. Volver (Pedro Almodovar)
Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz, and Carmen Maura are back together again. And the result is quite obvious.

2. Pan's Labyrinth @ El Laberinto Del Fauno (Guillermo Del Toro)
One of the best fantasy films ever. Forget Harry Potter or even Lord Of The Rings. *This* is what "fantasy" is all about. Highly imaginative creations that you have *never* seen before. It's an adult-oriented film, but never forgets its 'childlike' roots.

1. Children Of Men (Alfonso Cuaron)
A resounding accomplishment in almost every regard. Maybe it's even the best film since 2 or 3 years ago, if I may be so bold. My jaw dropped from start to finish of sheer amazement. And I only watched the movie on my PC. Imagine if I were to watch it on the big screen. haihh

Honorable Mentions: Inside Man, Little Miss Sunshine, A Scanner Darkly, A Prairie Home Companion, Thank You For Smoking, Half Nelson, L'Enfant, Casino Royale, Brick, Three Times, Happy Feet, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, 13: Tzameti, Cinta

Most Disappointing Films (not worst): Miami Vice, Superman Returns, Babel, The Queen, Little Children, X-Men 3, Cars

Worst Films: Pirates Of The Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest, The Da Vinci Code, Dragon Tiger Gate, Flags Of Our Fathers, Nana Tanjung (yeah I DID watch it. About 15 minutes of it. Probably even the most painful experience of the year.)

Need To See: Letters From Iwo Jima, The Fountain, Inland Empire, Perfume, The Last King Of Scotland

Inconscientes

2007-01-17T23:28:00.000+08:00

APOCALYPTO (Mel Gibson, 2006)

Lemme get this off of my chest first: Mel Gibson is one sick, *sadistic* dude. There's something wrong with the guy. It's like with every subsequent movie(or even every scene!), he tries to top off the other with the ultimate ultraviolence. Constantly seemed to be trying to prove to himself how 'far' he would go, creating creative ways to kill off the characters in his film. And I do feel his 'enjoyment' in doing so. But I give credit to him where it's due: there's never a dull moment in Apocalypto. Yeah sure the story is almost non-evident, and it's basically an Action/Chase movie set during the Mayan Civilization, but what the hell if it's darn entertaining ain't it? That is, if you can stomach the insane amount of decapitations, impalements, torn limbs, and such. I know I do. Well, maybe there *is* something wrong with me too, after all.

Verdict: 3.5/5

BLOOD DIAMOND (Edward Zwick, 2006)

This is definitely Leo DiCaprio's year. Giving exceptional performance to both his movies, The Departed and Blood Diamond. His intensity in The Departed contribute greatly to what is already a very good film. But this is not the case for Blood Diamond. Sadly, the film failed *despite* the great acting. Zwick seems to be paying too much attention in preaching and history lessons than telling a worthwhile story. Don't get me wrong, I *do* care and sympathize for the sufferings in Africa. But seriously, half of the movie is spent on lectures on political-correctness, without giving me much motivation story-wise to keep paying attention. As far as this type of sociopolitical movie goes, there are definitely better ones out there. i.e The Constant Gardener and Hotel Rwanda. I can't commend much on the action part too, because they're nothing extraordinary. Just some stuff blown up real good and that's that. Only the performances of Dicaprio and Hounsou that are keeping me riveted. However, I'll be generous because even though it's a relatively bad film, it's done with the right intentions.

Verdict: 2.5/5

Volver Song

2007-01-14T12:11:00.001+08:00

I am frightened of the meeting
With the past that is returning
To confront my life all over.
I am frightened of the nighttimes
When my dreams are linked and fleeting
And old mem’ries come to stay.
And yet the trav’ler who’s fleeing
Sooner or later must stop on the way…
And though oblivion, which destroys all being,
Has killed my old hopes, ripping them apart,
Yet I keep hidden a humble hopeful glimmer
That is the only fortune there is in my heart.

Return… with my forehead all wrinkled,
My temples turned silver by time’s falling snow…
To feel… that one’s life is a twinkle,
Twenty years hardly reckon,
And two fevered eyes beckon,
In shadows forestall you
And seek you and call you.
To live… with the soul firmly clinging
To one sweet remembrance
That makes me weep so.

Waltz

2007-01-13T11:05:00.000+08:00

Just thought I'd share a scene from Richard Linklater's Before Sunset. One of my favorite movies ever. And this scene in particular, is also one of my favorite scenes ever.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2007-01-05T22:53:00.000+08:00

EL LABERINTO DEL FAUNO @ PAN'S LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toro, 2006)

Bagi aku filem ni adalah filem 'masterpiece' Guillermo Del Toro. Inilah filem yang betul-betul melonjakkan namanya dalam A-list pengarah filem. Cantuman elemen realiti dan 'dark fantasy' yang sangat baik, seangkatan dengan filem awalnya The Devil's Backbone. Walaupun aku anggap The Devil's Backbone hanya biasa-biasa saja, Pan's Labyrinth bertindak sebagai 'pelengkap' kepada tema filem itu(iaitu tentang kekejaman dunia dari perspektif seorang kanak-kanak), dan juga sebagai persembahan sempurna 'jiwa artistik' atau trademark Del Toro: Dengan ton filemnya yang gelap, ganas, serta imaginasi yang unik dan 'grotesque'. Tapi hasil imaginasi Del Toro tidaklah terasa 'superficial/cartoonish' macam imaginasi Tim Burton. Walaupun sang protagonis adalah kanak-kanak dan plot utamanya bercorak 'fairy tale', tapi memang, filem ini sesuai untuk orang dewasa sahaja. Kalau budak-budak tengok mungkin akan ada 'nightmare' malam-malam (terutamanya babak yang melibatkan 'child-eating monster' yang matanya kat tapak tangan). Aku boleh bayangkan kalau aku kecik-kecik tengok kompem tak boleh tidur.

Kesimpulannya filem ini aku gelar sebagai 'the definitive Del Toro movie'. Dari filem genre horror Cronos, kepada filem superhero Hellboy. Cebisan-cebisan elemen dari filem-filem terdahulunya direncahkan dengan sempurna dalam Pan's Labyrinth. Antara filem fantasi(atau separa fantasi?) terhebat pernah aku tonton.

Verdict: 4.5/5

P/S: ...baru saja aku rasa filem-filem tahun 2006 ni macam hampeh. Nampak gayanya tidak...heh

No children. No future. No hope

2006-12-20T18:56:00.000+08:00

CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuaron, 2006)

First, the trailer doesn't do justice to this one heck of a film.

Set in a dystopian future when no child has been born for 18 years for unknown reasons. Humankind are facing a risk of its own extinction, resulting to the crumbling of societies and nations falling into anarchy. The surviving populations are forced to migrate to fellow wealthy countries, in hope to seek refuge. In London, a woman bears the sole hope for the human survival.

Right off the bat, Children Of Men is an astounding technical virtuosity. From the detailed set pieces, cinematography to the expertly choreographed thriller scenes. It's just astonishing to look at. Combined with Alfonso Cuaron's (Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, Y Tu Mama Tambien) exceptional directorial skills, this sci-fi thriller is just gripping from start to end. The introduction scene explains it well enough already. And I'll be damned if anyone wasn't caught off guard with the 'surprise' in that scene. Cuaron captures the chaotic dystopian vision really well by sticking to a more 'realistic' and gritty feel; being not too 'futuristic'(flying cars, etc), with minimal CGI effects to accompany it. It's technically a marvel that I couldn't help but strike the question: "How did they do that?". The mood and atmosphere is all around depressing befitting the apocalyptic world, but Cuaron manages to insert little touches of dry humor in the film to balance it.

Amazingly, despite the film being set in the future, one would experience a sense of deja vu as the story progresses. The holocaust, dictatorship, revolusionists, terrorism, etc. Much of it is a depiction of the current state of the world. To an extent that some of the images could may well be taken off straight from the news. Conclusively the film acts as a metaphor to the consequences of our current actions, the destruction that we would bring to our future generation, our children. Where in this case, there would be no children at all. The Muslims and immigrants are discriminated, and kept in a prison-like refugee camp under the oppressive regime; much like the World War II holocaust. Revolutionist marches, terrorist attacks, bombings, and military raids add to the chaos that engulf this horrific, haunting end-of-the-world vision. It's ironic that despite facing extinction, human beings still continue to strive on violence and killing each other.

The reason for this 'infertility' phenomenon however, is never actually explained throughout the movie, but it didn't detract anything as far as the story and narrative themes are concerned. Instead of presenting a 'large scale' scope, Cuaron centers the film's plot; revolving around the main protagonist, Theo (Clive Owen), and his unexpected journey in helping the child-bearer to safety. Almost all the events that occur, the going-ons of this dystopian world, are kept in the background. Some would criticize this choice, that it results to underdevelopment. But to me, this is what makes the movie superior than most of its kind; particularly the recent V For Vendetta which has basically similar social commentary elements. Unlike the latter, Children Of Men doesn't resort to bludgeoning our heads with its liberalistic preachings. Instead, the 'realization', subtly but effectively builds up through visual means, making us learn and feel for ourselves the point that the film is getting across. The movie puts us right in the middle of it all, and the familiar events that transpire made it all the more relatable to us now. I was emotionally invested without the movie forcing us to. And the thought that this chaotic world would probably come close to happening considering the current predicament, is terrifying.

Performance-wise, there is nothing much to shout about, or anything to complain either. The stand-out performance would be Michael Caine as Jasper, an ageing hippie. I first thought that Clive Owen was 'droning' a little bit earlier on in the film, although that probably fits his character as a world-weary, cynical bureucrat. However, as the story progresses and his character is plunged into more complex circumstances, we'd get to see the different dimensions of the character: an everyman whose unwittingly burdened with the responsibilty of protecting humankind's only hope. This may be typical for some, but the strengths of the film is not much about characters (as do 2001: A Space Odyssey isn't about a character). It's the idea that is stunningly original, and the equally excellent execution that made this film as spectacular as it is.

With that said, I regard Children Of Men to be the best film of the year. It would be kinda hard for any other film to top it off. And it would feel right at home standing alongside such sci-fi/dystopian classics as A Clockwork Orange and Blade Runner.

My Verdict: 4.5/5

2006-12-13T14:08:00.000+08:00

BORAT: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Larry Charles, 2006)

This...is without a shred of doubt the FUNNIEST shit I've seen in years. And also amongst the sharpest 'satire' film I've ever seen(mainly poking fun on the U,S and A). Yes it's offensive, it's crude, but it got me rolling on the floor crying.

Want a little taste of Borat Sagdiyev?

"Jak sie masz? My name Borat. I like you. I like sex. Is nice!"

Enough said.

My Verdict: 4.5/5

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (Jonathan Dayton, 2006)

A funny, quirky and heartwarming road movie. A great film debut.

My Verdict: 4/5

Retread...

2006-12-12T15:50:00.000+08:00

CINTA (Kabir Bhatia, 2006)

Melodramatik, manipulatif, dan penuh dengan klise. Tapi, aneh, aku suka filem ini. That's no easy feat, sebab aku generally tak suka filem-filem 'tearjerker' macam ni. But in this case, ia berjaya buat aku hampir menangis. Filem 'Cinta' ni ada satu 'jiwa' yang tersendiri (itu yang jadi nadi pd satu2 filem), atau satu 'charm' yang mampu menutup prejudis aku terhadap elemen2 tipikal filem romantik macam ni. Ia buat aku lupa pada 'logik' dan lubang-lubang plot, lupa pada jalan cerita yang dah di'recycle' berbilang kali, and just enjoy the show. Ia lebih kepada 'guilty pleasure'. Ya mungkin ramai akan mengatakan filem ini ciplak filem-filem stail 'ensemble' Hollywood macam Crash dan terutamanya Love Actually. Tapi sekurang-kurangnya, filem Cinta dihasilkan dengan 'classy' sekali. Dengan skrip yang kuat, menjadikannya 'segar' dan ada identitinya sendiri. Aku tak malu mau rekemen filem ini kepada orang lain. Aku berbangga filem ini wujud. Walaupun sebuah filem komersial, ia masih tak meninggalkan elemen2 penting yang menjadikan filem ini satu hasil seni.

Aku rasa semua penonton tahu dan akui, sinematografi filem ini cantik. Memang cantik(walaupun tak membawa byk makna), dengan shot2 ala-iklan/MTV-style. Suntingan filem ini sangat baik, menjadikan pergerakan cerita dari satu segmen ke segmen lebih 'seamless' dan 'natural'. Background muzik yg mmg 'kena', walaupun ada setengah2 scene lebih baik kalau takde muzik. Aku juga puji sang direktor, yang pandai mencampurkan scene2 sedih dgn lawak2 yang 'sudden' dan bersahaja. Tapi klise2 yang dah sebati dalam filem romantik ini tetap ada. Iaitu 'over-dramatization'. Contoh: Bila part sedih, mesti hujan. Ada juga scene2 yang memanipulasi muzik 'mellow' untuk 'menyuruh' penonton rasa sedih. Dan banyak juga scene2 yg 'cringe-inducing'. Contoh: part dinner Eizlan dan Fasha. Yang dah tengok tau.

Bagi aku kisah yang terbaik, yang betul2 'mengangkat' filem ini, adalah kisah Rahim Razali dan Fatimah Abu Bakar. 'Chemistry' yang sangat kuat antara dua pelakon ini. Sesuatu yang susah nak jumpa dalam filem Malaysia. Dua pelakon ini yang paling, paling hebat antara semua. Aku tabik.

Pierre Andre Dan Amani. Pierre Andre memang pandai berlakon jadi dirinya sendiri. Syabas. Walaupun Amani taklah 'entirely believable' sebagai budak kampung (tengok pakaian/appearance dah tau), tapi sekurang-kurangnya dia bawa satu 'karakter' lain. And she's candy for the eyes.

Rashidi Ishak dan Rita Rudaini. Walaupun mungkin orang kata dia kayu, tapi Rashidi bawa watak yang memerlukan dia bergerak dengan 'seminima' mungkin(which equals to 'kayu'). Seorang yang sangat romantik, tapi 'restraint'. Tak menzahirkan perasaannya. Rita Rudaini pulak, yang uniknya, dia tak jadi satu watak 'jahat'. Biasanya dalam cerita2 Melayu watak2 isteri curang sebegini pasti akan diringkaskan sebagai 'jahat' oleh sang direktor. Tapi ini tidak, cara penyampaian sang direktor(dan juga sang pelakon) tak membuatkan kita rasa benci pada watak itu, sebab kita tau, dia juga terasa bersalah.

Nanu dan Que Haidar. Nanu memang pelakon yang berpotensi, sejak aku tengok dia dalam PHSM II lagi. Ada 'complexity' yg dia bawak pada wataknya. Dan speech 'kematian' tu memang kuat impaknya.

Yang paling lemah, kisah Eizlan dan Fasha. 'Fairy tale' yang tipikal. Fasha memang tak reti berlakon. Eizlan bawak watak yang biasa dia bawak. Nothing special. Kebanyakan scene2 yang 'menjelikkan' ada dlm segmen ni.

Boleh ke nak dikatakan filem Kabir Bahtia ini filem cinta Melayu moden(atau lebih tepat, Malaysia) yg terhebat setakat ni? A resounding 'yes'. Inilah filem cinta yang kita tunggu-tunggu. That's not saying much considering the competition. Tapi yang penting, ia telah memberi satu 'nafas' baru dalam filem Malaysia. Membuktikan yang filem komersial tak semestinya wajib ada Saiful Apek, ada sound effect bodoh, ada guling-guling dalam taman, dan tak semestinya murahan.

My Verdict: 4/5 ---- Untuk sebuah filem Malaysia 3.5/5 ---- Secara international

VOLVER (Pedro Almodovar, 2006)

One of my most anticipated films this year. Volver celebrates the return (Ironically the title itself means 'The Return') collaboration of director Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz, both at the peak of their powers. With Cruz giving her best performance to date worthy of an Oscar, Almodovar has made a fascinating tale which 'celebrates' women: their hardships, sufferings, sacrifices, and love. It appreciates the troubles that these women have endured whenever they have men in their lives. There is no other film director whose fascination towards women is as apparent as Almodovar.

But the 'soul' of Volver, that elevated the film into greater lengths, is Penelope Cruz herself. She's downright gorgeous, and has finally proven herself as a great actress after strings of Hollywood duds. She's just a pure joy to watch; and I *do* mean in terms of her performance. Plus, the scene were Raimunda singing (although obviously dubbed, but her expressions more than makes up for it), is one of the most affecting and heartwrenching scene in any film this year.

Although the film may be a little light offering from Almodovar, and most probably it's his most 'mainstream' type of film. But with his usual 'trademark' use of bright colours on every frame(particularly red) and layered storytelling, this is still an Almodovar film. And you'll know there is something extraordinary in an Almodovar film.

My Verdict: 4.5/5

New Blog

2006-12-12T15:42:00.000+08:00

Xanga sucks. So aku pindah ke sini.

kalau mau tengok blog lama...click

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