viddily so, perhaps

i suppose i ought to be grateful the power went out the night before, and that when the lights returned to the void, the wireless was found to have died a premature death, with nary a whimper, just a dreadeddullclick and the worldwideweb remained a vaccumedvoid, spasmic fingers in death-throes clickclickclickityclack... i suppose i ought to be grateful becoz i'd turn to ye old dvd for solace and entertainment and entertained i was, for i'd finally had the chance to partake of Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange, where before i could not bare to even sit thru even 15 minutes of unease (and mind you, i believed i'd have the staunch stomach for anything *burp*), as painful to watch as it was before, it was now a sheer delight from beginning til credits' end. old Ludwig Van had never sounded so triumphant and majestic and MacDowell is unto celluloid godhood, even if it was for those paltry xxx hours. invigorating i was. viddily so, even. /// READ MORE

unsure to react appropriately, i type these words haphazardly, in a desperate attempt to capture thy escaping mindscaped moments, but alas i am left with dismal words and jumbled thoughts, swishing around in the rapids of thy mind, a mind emptied as the credits rolled and immediately filled up once more, like sewage gushing into the dank darkened tunnels leading to thy brain, invigorated i was. i didn't even notice the smell.

with half-opened eyes and stank leftover cigarette breaths, i exhale and the words filling up the page may perhaps be indecipherable the morning afters, but i reckon it couldn't be avoided... it needed to be expunged and quick, for a nightmare filled night awaits me, brimmed with tainted violence and scarlet blood and orchestrated sex and bare breasts heaving in languid motion, perhaps? ... or perhaps i may yet slumber like a wee kitty, or a wee dogget, obliviously filling the space with rhythmic snores, a twisted symphony, a top-ten elevator-hit .. or perhaps it may only be a sillied smile on my face? i certainly hope so.

and thy morrow doesn't seem to matter now (not as much as it was yesterday) just the inescapable thoughts which i fear may still be swishing in the mindmuck within, afloat on a piece of crumble, veering down the tunnel of infinite imagination, dulled like a butchers' knife unto molten rock, cleaving thru the membrane of sanity disguised as a sweet smelling rose, a tulip perhaps (but not an orchid, for orchids are but a vile product of thy country's commercialization), or just a dewdrop on a single fragile leafygreen, cascading lonelily down the ash-soaked waterfall at the edge of the tunnel (yes that same tunnel, do forgive the smell luv) gushing unto the collective wastes of humanity, stacked up unto the clouds, sunshine peering thru the skeletal remains of forgotten cultures and fossilized traditions, cradled amidst blackened soot that rises up from the train of thy thoughts, careening down the tracks where the bolts have been loosened ... aaahh but what a ride it would have / will be, viddily so, my readers, viddily so.

altho i hope i don't have to pay the train-conductor, for my pockets are filled with nothing but dreams i've yet to dream, and unspoken promises of a better morrow, when today is as important as yesterdays ... but i'd forgotten what i dreamt the night before ... or perhaps i didn't dream at all ... and Ludwig Van is on self-repeat on the dvd and i realize that mayhap i already am asleep and i am sleep-typing, for i've heard it has happened in some parts of the dreamworld, perhaps so, perhaps so ... but i have no pockets in my pants. and if they are, they be sewn tight as a whistle, a steam of air escaping into the subconscious of the traffic outside the window, oblivious to my typing. my mind spilleth forth but the silence is utterly deafening, can't you smell the sewage?

Reactions to Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange - circa November 2nd 2007

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Citizen Dog

from the moment Pod walks out of his house with the gorgeous mural, to him losing his finger in a canned sardine, to him finding his lost tapping-index-finger, to the enigma that is Jin (who buries her face in a book she cannot understand), to the streets filled with maid-uniforms, to the smoking teddy bear and the little grownup girl, to the licking-man, and the bus-squeezing couple, to the mountain of recyclable plastic bottles, to the reincarnated grandma, to the zombie motorcycle-taxi-rider, CITIZEN DOG had me thoroughly enthralled from opening singing sequence to the last.

TRAILER (In Thai with Eng-subs):

with a production design so vivid and subtly dynamic, the art direction immaculate, right down to the costumes (gotta be diggin' the tees Pod rawks), it puts my heart to solemn tears, equalled-mixed emotions of inner joy and abject sadness ... a script with a simple message that fills every nook and cranny of the screen with an abundance of quirkiness and charm, that it threatens the message itself with it's own irreverence. a meltingpot of cliched-goodness and a heap tinge of originality, it charms still. /// CLICK HERE TO READ MORE



admittedly, a small part of me wished i hadn't watched this movie, as tis a production which i've longed to be a part of; to design for, to feel for, is slapped down hard by the current reality of it probably never being able to be realized in this lifetime for me ... but a huge part of me is grateful for the opportunity to see this movie, to feel and bathe in it's visual-splendour, and somehow (however minute) instill in me a wee bit of "hope", if not for my own lamented and forgone passion for a continued-career in films, at the very least in the fact that a film such as this flawed-gem, simply exists.

i have become an unashamed commercial-movie-lurvin'whore ... my mistress; art films losing my favour as of late (too many caught up in their own artsyness to be reverent by any token), indie-flicks my concubine still ... but with this, i thee wed, and happily so (altho not necessarily in script-sickness and in box-office-health).



now, im not going to begrudge that Citizen Dog was a 2004 Thai-movie but we've only gotten on our local screens in end-2007, im just grateful it did. currently showing @ The Picturehouse, tis a movie i would heartily and sincerely recommend to anyone with a penchant for fairytale-tomfoolery and to say it is "quirky" is to belittle it's immense "heart" (on the same token, tis like asking if Tom Cruise is short, so...), and yes, tis "off-the-beaten-track", as opposed to the commerciality that confounds (and entertains, no doubt) the current crop of celluloid-offerings on Singapore-screens. and don't try to unravel the intent nor logic (or lack thereof), just go along for the ride and hopefully you'd be able to find yourself smiling throughout, as did i :)



if you've watched and loved Tears Of The Black Tiger (for which Wisit Sasanatieng is the director for both), you would enjoy this immensely - atlho make no mistake, as polished an effort as it is compared to Tears, it too has it's fair share of cliches, some not quite making the mark, but thankfully most do (but of coz im glossed over and blinded by the visuals to be totally non-biased, im sorry LOL) ... moving away from the inanity of the pseudo-Thai-cowboy outback to the modern bustling streets of bangkok, where people grow tails and the tone and mood is drenched in kitschy-retro-goodness.

SYNOPSIS [via wiki]:
Mah Nakorn (English title: Citizen Dog) is a 2004 Thai romance film, directed by Wisit Sasanatieng and based on a story by Wisit's wife, Koynuch (Siriphan Techajindawong), which was illustrated by him. The second film by the director of Tears of the Black Tiger, it is a colorfully surrealistic story set in contemporary Bangkok, where a boy (Pod) without a goal in life falls in love with a girl (Jin) who lives for her dreams. The movie is frequently compared with the French movie Amélie. One of the main themes of the movie is that people will only find something from the moment when they stopped looking for it.

i'd mentioned to my movie-date (and bless her for choosing this movie) that this was the sort of movie that i'd miss from earlier Japanese flicks, and somehow the notion remains still, altho i cannot quantify it enough to be written/typed down ... and yes, Amelie comes very close to a comparison (with Delicatessen coming up real close, IMHO)

PLOT:
Pod is a country boy who moves to Bangkok, despite his grandmother's warning that he'll grow a tail. He finds a small house to live in and takes a job in a sardine cannery, getting rides to work on the back of a motorcycle taxi, the rider of which has been made a zombie after one day it rained motorcycle helmets and he wasn't wearing one.
One hot day the assembly line at the cannery malfunctions. In the confusion, Pod chops his index finger off and it ends up in a can that is trucked away to a local grocery store. He searches everyday, buying can after can of sardines. Eventually he sees a can jumping around and opens it to find a finger. He attaches it simply by pressing it into place.

Wisit has been attached to a local (Singaporean) project: ARMFUL (to be produced by One Ton Cinema) but unfortunately has been put on (indefinite) hold, awaiting further funding (read more here - under "Projects in development"), to which i have to add: "give them the money so we could all revel in more of his story-telling!"

the movie has been released on DVD and i can't wait for the opportunity to track it down :)

OPENING MUSIC SEQUENCE:


CREDITS ROLL MUSIC SEQUENCE (performed by Modern Dog):

which has become my fav movie-song of the year ~ *heh*

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Casino Royale

have you ever felt the exquisite discomfort of needing to pee very badly in the middle of watching a movie (onwards), but couldn't tear yourself away, even tho you're bladder's like a yangtze-river-flood waiting to burst forth, crushing the damn-dam, becoz the movie was just too exciting and filled with non-stop surprises?

well, i suffered and suffered gladly, and i have Casino Royale to blame for my bladder-issues. Bond was an arrogant and egotistical dick. Bond pouts every opportunity he gets. Bond just got updated in this prequel set in the year 2006, when he had just gotten conferred double-O status = ie. this is not your father's/grandfather's or even your old Bond, this is a new updated fearless action-man and full of raw-animal kills and alpha-male oozing out of it's celluloid-pores. /// IS IT REALLY SHAKEN & NOT STIRRED?

dude doesn't even have much lines/dialogue, does he? and mayhap that's good in a way, coz "James Bond" the character has become such a cliche - altho an icon, the kitschness+cheeziness he possessed needed a change (altho longtime fans might disagree) and Daniel Craig is the result. a good looker he is not and inastead of oozing with charm, he's but pumped full of action and silent gruff, i don't really care much myself, IMHO. altho we might be seeing a My-Fair-Spy-Lady-transformation in the obvious sequels to come? ...anyways, just gimme the Bond Babes ...

in a nutshell, if you haven't deduced that Eva's the Bondgirl that (broke Bond's heart) and her attempts at intelligence were pausible if not coerced ... Eva Green looks gorgeous without makeup on (hotel bathroom scene), while the regular overkill eye-shadow and gorgeous glamourous gowns make her look like a starving vampire about town hankering for a suck'o'blood, IMHO.

Martin Campbell (director) worked it and worked it well, with loads of cheeky Bond-references flung about and some sensible and unpredictable Bond-action/reaction-pieces, bolstered in tremendous form by the decent to fabulous/lush cinematography = pushes Bond to the forefront of modern-cinema excess = makes for great eye-candy, yeh?

other than that, i'd give away not the plot and would recommend you go watch it and form your own opinions instead. personally, as bland as the characters provided me, it was still quite an enjoyable movie-exprience, IMHO ... and seriously im just thankful they didn't go cast a young actor to re-start the franchise, innit? plus someone should consider using this movie to brand the upcoming casinos Intergrated Resorts in Singapore, innit? *heh* :p

[first reviewed circa 17.11.06]

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Ultraviolet VCD

the only other reason to watch Ultraviolet is for Milla Jovovich. 'nuff said,

/// CLICK TO READ FULL POST
i'd missed the movie on the big screen and had resisted getting the DVD (waiting for price to go down :p) but was compelled to get the VCD (pre-loved) and unfortunately, i did not like what i saw (except for Milla, of coz).


mayhap my expectation was too high? at the very least i expected to be entertained. the plot / premise was a unique combination of my pet favs: vampirism and the (apocalyptical) future in bright shiny lights. and Milla Jovovich as a vampire? too delish to believe! ... and in the end, all i got was "bright" and "shiny". gawd, the colors were so bright, my eyes and senses were blinded so ...


/the plot - simple but unsatisfying.
/the directing - director Kurt Wimmer had a winner (it rhymes!) in Equilibrium. (and i enjoyed The Recruit quite) Ultraviolet was a futile exercise in excess. this is a prime example of: "trying too hard"
/the acting - lacklustre. loadsa passion but no craft. the Vietnamese-speaking segment got at least a chuckle and a raised eyebrow from me (like, WTH?) tis like a fan-film, but with loadsa budget.
/the visuals - everything felt a tad "european", in terms of treatment and flavor, and hence dialogue felt as if dubbed for some reason ... the colors become a huge wad of a deformed rainbow. quite painful to watch actually (but then again, i watched it on VCD, innit?)
/the design - competently executed (altho there is a somewhat retro-80's neon-thing going on for a bit which confused me) and i haveta give kudos to the costume and styling-team (purple hair notwithstanding) = they made Milla HAWT. real HAWT.

so hawt that she needn't take her clothes off to be sexy. and that's saying a lot.


and that's all i haveta say about the glam-sham that was under-delivered-promise of Ultraviolet. thank you for reading this far.

(review circa 27.08.06)

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Dragon Tiger Gate

i really wanted to like this movie. i really did. the behind the scenes were encouraging and the anticipation of an Asian/HK comicbook adaptation is too delish to ignore.

Dragon Tiger Gate (Lung Fu Mun) is really an individual creature unto itself and should be "judged" and enjoyed for what it is (and not what i hopes to be), IMHO

/// CLICK TO READ MORE

the good bits:
01. sound design gets top honors, for me. you feel each and every punch. every power-up. every bone crunch. and that for me lifts this flick above the rest.

02. inspired costuming (styling consultation by William Chang!) and art direction (tho at times contrived) ~ which provided a parallel universe (to ours) in which the characters live and fight. (altho i haveta say i hated the singapore-movie poster ~refer insert~ wtf have them posing within the concrete skyscrapers?) appreciating the efforts to create said universe. and yes, even the hair.

03. Donnie Yen (Dragon Wong), Nicholas Tse (Tiger Wong) and Shawn Yue (Turbo Shek) equip themselves with the neccessary skills to kick, punch and pose tough throughout the flick ~ well , mayhap just Nic and Shawn lah ~ Donnie's the "action director/fight choreographer" and the dude "naturally" pumps his pecs hard here.

04. the moves and fight scenes are top-notch slick and hard and are what makes the movie and definitely worth watching on the big screen. 'nuff said.

the not-so-good-bits:
01. why must the villain wear that stupid-mask? dude looks like a vagabond dey. hard to respect an opponent who doesn't groom himself, is all ima sayin' ...

02. attempts were made to layer the motivations and actions of the characters, via tacky flashbacks and probably comic-styled dialogue and sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. always the tricky-bit when crossing comics and movies ...

03. as much as they try to infuse emotional depth within the storyline, with exception Donnie's and his assassin-lover's ~ it comes off slightly contrived and forced and all i could do was shudder in my shoes. other than that, the themes of "revenge" and "redemption" were what drove the movie forward, which is not that bad a thing really ...

with alla that said, technically, this film is as brill as it can/could get, in this genre ... but sadly the "soul" is lacking ~ but hey, this a comic-adapted movie, innit? and with that in mind, it really was an enjoyable watch for me and yes, it is recommended for the big screen, for it's epic scope and grandeur. and personally, it even is worth the weekend price of the ticket :)

linkies:
detailed feature on loveasianfilm (contains plot spoilers)

(review circa 10.08.06)

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CLICK

what i've always liked about Adam Sandler-flicks are that they are what i call "non-commital-movies" ~ ie: no investment of emotions or attachments are neccessary to enjoy/watch them. with that in mind, i've always liked (most) of Sandler's movies (which is ironic, becoz i expect to be "entertained") /// CLICK HERE TO READ IN FULL

the basic premise of Click intrigued me so, with what promises to be unrestrained (sort of for a general PG-rating anyways) fun-flick, lasted all of the first half of the movie, whereby the second half uppped and pulled a "fast one" on me/us.

the humor is trademark-Sandler, IMHO. Sandler is Michael Newman. Newman has an uber-hawt wife and this appalling fiction could only happen in a hollywood-flick Newman is the "everyguy". the everyguy trying to do good. the everyguy who isn't perfect (but tries to be and fails). the everyguy who loves his wife and kids and even his job. the everyguy who tries to get by (something we could somehow all relate to, yeh?). the everyguy gets a miraculous mechanism which allows him to be in control of everything around him. of the environment and most importantly, time ~ and he rewinds, pauses and fast forwards thru his life (now, i would llllluuuuurrrvvvve to have that remote, i promise i will use it well, i would) ... and of coz throughout the whole proceedings, he screws up but eventually makes good. the everyguy learns from his mistakes and triumphs upon himself at the end of the day. this unmistakable Sandler-movie-formula never disappoints and it does not here ... but things are not they seem ...

from frat-boy humor to a deeper exploration of basic human core and emotions, centered around love ~ and suddenly, Click has an emotional depth ~ which chugs along quite sluggishly (becoz you'd never expect a A.Sandler movie to go this direction) initially, but gets you up along with the ride and makes you look within yourself and ask that basic question: "have you told your loved ones you loved them, recently?" (and then Sandler pulls the finger unto his ex's new husband *bwahahahaha*)

from not wanting to invest any emotions in this movie, to actually "feeling" more than just plain ol' laughter ~ Click succeeds (if this ever was the plan) in more than entertaining me, it actually made me feel for the movie and to heed it's voice and i reckon that's a pretty cool surprise. (not that i'd ever be expecting more from Sandler from this point in, mind :p)

i watched this in the new Cathay Cineleisure, in the beautiful big hall, second row from the screen (*urghz*) and the hall was full. it was a friday night (i think?). and as much as my gut tells me "it wasn't worth the price of near-weekend admission and still watchable on small screens" ~ my heart head tells me it was money decently spent for a enjoyable one and a half-hours ~ you decide ~

(review circa 10.08.06)

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Napolean Dynamite VCD

watched Napolean Dynamite for the first time just, with a crooked brow for the entire duration (but of coz i exaggerate), one hand on me tummy (from the laugher) and the other hand on me forehead (wondering "WTF is going on here?") ~ with a constant wonderment about this obvious non-movie which has become a cult-MTV fav and cultural reference, and of how brilliantly it's all been planned and played out. /// CLICK TO READ IN FULL


the only obvious "production value" of this entire flick was in the opening title sequence, whereas the on-going day-to-day life of N.D. is chronicled as mundane and as visually "realistic" (meaning: no high fashion ~ altho i dig his tees alot) as this feature could afford. nothing seems glamorized (but of coz my interpretation of USA is via teevee, films and music videoes, 'natch) and a "dear-diary" approach, as far as the vignettes guide the narrative and a semblence of a "plot". peppered with quasi-retardeddysfunctional folks in what is a thinly disguised celebration of nerdhood. a shout-out to geekdom and really, after a while - becomes a tad tedious and bordering on irritation, if not being hilarious at the same time. this weird parallel universe-conundrum is giving me a headache *ouchie*

cue hero in brown suit, the friend-in-need with his smooth dance grooves. and Pedro becomes president. cue gangsta homies in tricked-out ride. cue brother in bling-bling, lickin' it with La Fawnduh. cue retro-80's muzak.

watch it and be not left out in the geekery-movement that has been made hip for the new millennium, and of the manipulation of middle-american folks by the media ... all i can say is: "thank gawd i bought this VCD @ $7.95"

(review circa 10.08.06)

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