Awakenings (1990)

Hey readers. Sorry it's been awhile since I last updated this blog. Been busy with my new blog, go check it out. It's about my experience of moving to a rural part of my country. Well that's enough plugging. Today I want to check out a movie which I had the good fortune of watching on one of those channel surfing sessions during a sleepless night. The movie is Awakenings, adapted from the memoirs of the renowned neurologist Dr Oliver Sacks (portrayed in this movie by Robin Williams, yes, THAT Robin Williams), detailing his discovery of the ability of a drug which was initially used to treat parkinson's disease patients to also revive catatonic patients who were in a long-term coma after succumbing to a pandemic in the 1920's. The movie details his subsequent experience with the revived patients and their readjustment to modern society; specifically his relationship with one difficult patient; played by the great Robert De Niro.

Right off the bat I want to talk about the performance of the two leads, the selling point of this movie. Robin Williams, in a then rare dramatic role for him, ditched and reined in his comedic talents for this movie to play a different game altogether, to portray a very down-to-earth scientific man who is also uneasy around people. He also played his role with a tinge of sadness that is befitting the role in the context of the movie. Admittedly, I don't know much about the real Oliver Sacks, but his character in the movie reflects the sadness that is felt by the revived patients, the knowledge that the world has changed and left them behind in a mental hospital, the sadness that their youth had been wasted lying on a bed. You feel sorry for the good doctor, even though he isn't one of the patients.

Robert De Niro's performance as one of the awakened patients; Leonard is equally great. Leonard is a diffcult person, and the frustration he feels at the restrictions placed by the hospital and researches on him is bordering on rage. And the 1990's De Niro is solid, and he gelled together with Robin WIlliams when they are in the same scene, never overshadowing one another and always complementing the other actor's performance.

So go catch this great movie and enjoy the performance. It makes you think about how precious life is and how much we take it for granted. And of course I've been holding out on the plot points so as not to spoil it for you.

The GOOD: Brilliant performance by the two leads

The BAD: Honestly I cant remember, not that there wasn't any, but it's been a long time since I last watched it so I dont remember the flaws of what is essentially a good movie

My VERDICT: this movie is a 7.5/10

TRIVIA: try and find a young Vin Diesel in this movie

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005)

Hi there my dear readers. I’m back today, and today I'm gonna be discussing about a small and little-known movie titled ‘The Three Burials of’. First of all, I find this movie interesting as it is directed by Tommy Lee Jones who also stars in it. Yes, THAT Tommy Lee Jones; of The Fugitive fame. I caught it around two years ago while browsing through the movie channels on Astro. I find it amusing that some of the best movies I’ve seen were discovered by browsing randomly through the TV channels while bored or insomniac. This movie was based on a stage play written by a Mexican playwright Guillermo Arriaga, which was based on the killing of a Mexican teenager by a group of US marines near the US – Mexico border in 1997.

The story begins when a border patrol officer Mike Norton (Barry Pepper); accidentally shoots and kills a Mexican immigrant Melquiades Estrada and quickly and discreetly buries him. Estrada’s good friend; rancher Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) finds out about the murder and the perpetrator; and proceeds to dig up his friend’s body and kidnap the patrol officer; with the objective of fulfilling Estrada’s request of being buried back in his hometown in Mexico upon his death. The surreal duo; Perkins and the hostage; then trek across the deserted and even more surreal landscape of the border to search for the deceased’s hometown; with the rapidly decomposing body of Melquiades Estrada in tow.

And the surreality of this movie is what I find endearing. The trio are put through several situations that border on the absurd; such as the one scene from ‘The Three Burials’ that is stuck in my mind until this very day; when Perkins and Norton come across a blind old man who lives alone in his house in the middle of the desert with only a transistor radio that is perpetually tuned in to Mexican radio stations to keep him company (“I like the way Spanish sounds, don’t you?”). After offering them a simple meal, the old man asks them to shoot him as he is old but does not want to commit sacrilege by killing himself. They refuse and leave. And when Perkins finds out that his friend’s account of his hometown might not be as straightforward as it sounded, the two of them start questioning the journey and the deceased themselves. The sparseness of the arid landscape further cements the theme to alienation felt by the characters; Perkins, Norton; and the various people in their lives and the journey such as the old man and Perkins’ wife (January Jones).

The performance in this movie is gripping; with Tommy Lee Jones channelling the determination of a friend to fulfil his promise; not quite obsessive; yet not really given to revenge in his harsh treatment of his bare-footed prisoner. And as the prisoner and the patrol officer who is resentful towards his life and his marriage to a too-beautiful-to-be-married-to-a-dumb-country-hick woman; Barry Pepper is simply stellar; whether he is playing at being tortured mentally or physically.

I have to commend my cable TV company; Astro for selecting such good movies for showcase; although they are often aired during non-peak hours. A few movies that I have reviewed so far were because I was simply flipping through the channels; which begs the question; what other worthy movies have I missed, since I don’t watch TV often? Please Astro, promote them better please? Not just the Oscar nominees and winners. Kthxbai.

The GOOD: 

- the movie is quirky in its subject matter, yet engaging in its sparingness

- stellar performance by Tommy Lee Jones, yet again. His directing is commendable, too.

The BAD: the minor mystery regarding Melquiades Estrada’s hometown is left a little too much to interpretation to my liking

My VERDICT: this movie is a 7.5/10

TRIVIA: up until today, this is the only theatrical movie that Tommy Lee Jones has ever directed. (Source: IMDb)

Seraphim Falls (2006)

Today we’re gonna take a look at a movie of a genre that I’ve never discussed before; western. I don’t know why, but despite its popularity, the western genre has never really caught on with me. I remember watching Clint Eastwood’s ‘Unforgiven’ after reading a lot of rave reviews for it, but I was left feeling unimpressed after the credit rolled. I have always chalked this failure to appreciate westerns down to cultural differences, since I’m not American.

However I’ve had the pleasure of watching this little-known western movie which I thoroughly enjoyed; ‘Seraphim Falls” on satellite TV. It stars two of the most solid male actors of their generation; Liam Neeson and former James Bond; Pierce Brosnan in a story about a former Confederate colonel (Neeson) who doggedly hunts and tracks down a Union general (Brosnan) after the end of the American Civil War to exact revenge. Brosnan and Neeson’s performance together is what drives this otherwise sparse and lonely movie. Now I say sparse and lonely in a good way, as their characters obsessively try to outsmart, evade and track down each other by slinking away into the farthest and darkest reaches of 19th century America.

The director of this movie; David von Ancken plies his trade mostly in the TV industry, having directed a number of ‘CSI:NY’ episodes, the David Duchovny vehicle ‘Californication’ and also ‘The Vampire Diaries’. It’s great that he shows adept skills in making the transition from the small screen to the silver screen. Plus it’s not everyday that you get to work with Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan for your first movie. The movie presents to the viewers the loneliness that is faced by someone who is obsessed about anything as he foregoes all logic and reason to pursue his purpose in life, as exemplified by Neeson’s character. This movie could be yet just another revenge movie, but for the untamed beauty of the movie’s setting and the cinematography work with which the director used to capture this beauty.

So if you can, do catch this movie. It’s not awfully remarkable or anything like that, but it delivers its promises and the acting is top notch.

The GOOD:
- The performance of the two leads is very good, feeding off and working from each other.
The BAD:
- The ending might be a little too open-ended for some. But pay attention to the lady who sells the snake oil and you’ll get it.
My VERDICT: I give ‘Seraphim Falls’ a 7.5/10
TRIVIA: Although the two lead characters are Americans, they are both played by non-Americans.

Let Me In (2010)

There are movies that are technically superior, that film students pore over and discuss countless times in lectures and among themselves, talking about how they hope to emulate the camera angles, editing, and pacing. And then there are movies that are not technically perfect by a long shot, but you can’t help but fall in love with nonetheless, watch repeatedly again and again and dwell on for weeks. The kind of movies that you show to your friends only for them to ridicule and balk at you for having such a childish and unhealthy obsession over, so you are forced to retreat to the dark recesses of the internet that are occupied by internet forums and their users, perusing poorly-written fan fictions, simply wasting away in your room and shunning the harsh sunshine, because GODDAMMIT YOU JUST CAN’T HELP IT.

Whew. I have had the fortune of watching such a movie a few weeks back. It’s called ‘Let Me in’. Now before any of you highbrow cinephiles tut-tut me for not knowing that it’s a remake of the Swedish movie ‘Let the Right One in’ and its source material; a novel with the same title, see, I’ve just proven that I know them and I’ve watched the original movie. It’s just that I watched LMI before I watched LTROI. Let’s just get that out of the way. No need to be so condescending, sheesh.

Anyway the movie tells about Owen, a lonely, neglected and bullied boy who strikes up a friendship with a girl; Abby (Chloe Moretz) who moves in next to his apartment with her father. Meanwhile, the residents of his town are getting murdered by what is thought to be a satanic cult by the local detective. After awhile, he senses that Abby might not be as innocent and vulnerable as she appears and all the murders might be connected to the reclusive father and daughter, despite their blossoming attraction to each other.

Coming back to my obsession with this movie. It’s funny how I only watched this movie because I couldn’t sleep one night and decided to go downstairs to watch TV, thinking that maybe a few minutes of mundane off-peak hours TV might put me to sleep. ‘Let Me in’ was just starting and before I knew it, I had watched it until the end, not feeling even a wee bit sleepy despite the movie’s slow pacing. At first I simply thought it was good and went straight to bed, but after awhile I found myself strangely wanting to watch it again and I did so repeatedly the following week. I simply lapped up every scene the two young leads are together in, and boy they are simply good together.

Kodi Smit-McPhee who plays Owen; gives a solid performance as the friendless latchkey twelve-year old who is shut in in his own world and occasionally engaging in casual voyeurism and eavesdropping. But the true star of ‘Let Me in’ is definitely Chloe Moretz; the child star of movies such as ‘500 Days of Summer’ and ‘Kick-Ass’. She was good in these two movies, but in LMI she’s simply brilliant, and her performance is something I’ve never seen in a child actor since the young Natalie Portman’s turn in Luc Besson’s ‘Leon’. She successfully toes the fine line between the role of the vulnerable, lonely pre-adolescent girl who finds love yet is cautious of it; and the ferocity of her character’s darker side (can’t tell too much. Go watch it!). She reminds you of that one girl when you were a kid, whom you were madly in love with it, the girl who might probably have simply ignored you depending on how you were as a child; and watching Chloe in LMI will make you think “This must be how it would’ve been if she had liked me back” Boo hoo. The supporting cast must also be commended for their refrained yet nuanced performances; especially those of Abby’s father and the local detective investigating the series of murders.

However this is not to say that the movie does not benefit from other aspects. It definitely benefits from its gloominess and isolation (one thing that separates it from the slightly brighter original version), thanks to the snowy setting and the scenes that mostly take place during the night, and the slow pacing definitely amplifies the isolation felt by the characters that you yourself can almost taste said loneliness. The director; Matt Reeves (‘Cloverfield’) deserves praises for adapting this movie well by sticking close to the original because it works. Some critics have stated their displeasure at his decision to almost copy scene-by-scene the original movie, but this non-professional critic disagrees. It’s better to come up with an accurate copy of a good piece of art than to modify the original work only for the remake to fall flat, don’t you think so? And to be fair, when you really watch it; you’ll find out that LMI is markedly different from LTROI; especially when it comes to Abby and Owen’s characters. It’s good to know that Reeves is equally adept at directing a slow, character-driven genre-bending movie, as he is making a loud summer blockbuster monster movie.

And finally from me, what also makes this movie truly good is that how little is provided to the audience in way of explanation of the characters’ back story and the ending. Yes, the ending. If you view it objectively, you’ll realise just how dreadful the fate that awaits Abby and Owen is, despite the tenderness with which the final scene is shot. This movie leaves a lot of room for discussions, or if you’re the type who keeps to yourself; you can fill in the gaps in the movie with your imagination.

That is all from me for now. I have an internet forum to descend back into. 

The GOOD:

1) Chloe Moretz’ performance specifically, and the acting in general. I hope she gets more mature roles in the future. The one to watch in the coming years

2) The mood of the movie as brought about by the sparse lighting, set design and the music. Instant melancholy

The BAD:

- May cause temporary yet intense melancholy, the desire to keep re-watching it and the unwillingness to exit your room and get stuff done

My VERDICT: it’s hard for me to be objective in rating this movie while I’m unhealthily obsessed with it at the moment. So what I’ll do for now is give it an 8/10 and come back in the future to revise this rating with a more objective eye. Fair enough?

TRIVIA:

1) The car-crash scene, despite playing out as a single shot in the movie, is actually composed of different shots that are then CGI-ed and seamlessly edited together. Source

2) Ariel Winter who plays Alex in the TV series Modern Family, also auditioned for the role of Abby. Source 

Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula (2009)

As a movie industry, the Malaysian film industry leaves a lot to be desired, quality-wise. Weak acting, implausible plot, exploitative issues and themes are among many issues that have failed to be addressed by those who call themselves the Malaysian filmmakers. However, it’s not my point in this blog to call attention to shoddily-made films; be it international, foreign or local films. I prefer to highlight movies that are made with the desire to set them apart from the rest of the movies, and with that purpose in mind, today we’re gonna look at a Malaysian-made animation film; ‘Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula’ (‘Geng: The Adventure Begins’) which features characters from the by-now immensely popular and ubiquitous TV animation series; ‘Upin & Ipin’.

I remember watching this movie when it came out in the cinemas. My younger siblings were hankering me to take them to watch it one weekend. ‘Upin & Ipin’ had been a staple of Malaysian TV for almost a year by that time, but despite the quality of the animation and the adorable voice acting, it was just a kiddy’s show to me. So I grudgingly relented to my siblings’ pleading, thinking that I wouldn’t enjoy ‘Geng’. After all, a number of Malaysian animation movies have been made in the last decade and each and every single one was disappointing.

However, was I surprised to find myself hysterically laughing only ten minutes into the movie! I was pleasantly amazed at the thought put into the writing; to make sure that the movie is enjoyable to the parents/adults as much as it is to their children. The production team of the studio Les Copaque proves that they weren’t just half-assing it for a quick buck by cashing in from the already popular ‘Upin & Ipin’. The jokes are sincerely funny, the conflict and mystery interesting, and all these on top of what has already made ‘Upin & Ipin’ popular in the region; the titular characters’ adorable shenanigans, charming animation and character design; and hilarious supporting characters. I was actually enjoying the movie!

Now before I get too carried away gushing, let me just tell you about the movie synopsis. When superstitious goings on disrupt the peace and tranquillity of the village of identical twins Upin and Ipin, they enlist the help of their village gang (hence the title), the grandson of their neighbour and his friend to investigate and uncover a sinister plan by a number of bumbling criminals and a portal to another dimension. If the synopsis doesn’t sound anything like a comedy, don’t be alarmed. It is for all intents and purposes a comedy movie, it just so happens that the plot is essentially a horror story happening to characters that are inherently funny.

As a side note, it is worth mentioning and commending the people who came up with the movie; the Shah Alam-based animation studio Les’ Copaque. With ‘Geng’ they proved that their success with ‘Upin & Ipin’ is no fluke and they are run with a pair of steady hands. I’ll definitely be watching out for their future productions. Hopefully they will take over the mantle as the premiere animation studio of this region, if not as its best movie studio.

The GOOD:

- The animation is fluid and the character design is eye-catching. Way ahead than your run-off-the-mill Malaysian animation. Les’ Copaque is no Pixar, sure, but they’ve shown that they have it in themselves to improve and come up with quality films

- It's sincerely funny to children and the adults alike, and not just in a 'kiddy-funny' way

The BAD:

- There’s this awkward musical number that seems to happen for no reason at the beginning. It feels contrived and forced. It’s a good thing it’s at the beginning where things are just about to pick up, so by the end I’ve more or less forgotten about this minor blight.

My VERDICT for ‘Geng’: 7.5/10

TRIVIA: Apparently, ‘Geng’ was in production long before ‘Upin & Ipin’ was made. They decided to come up with an easy-to-made and cheap TV series during a lull in the ‘Geng’ production period when they were securing and negotiating for funding for the film.

Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah (2010)

Wow, two posts on one day after almost a half-year hiatus! Can my name and the word 'industrious' finally be uttered in the same breath without the universe imploding unto itself? This time I'd like to review the sequel to a movie I've reviewed earlier, Zombi Kampung Pisang. And frankly speaking, it is a movie I've been waiting for quite sometime considering how much I adored the campiness and enjoyed the humour of its predecessor. If you are wondering what Zombi is about, go read my review of it first. But don't worry, you do not need to watch Zombi to follow the story of Kak Limah.

Kak Limah tells about the return of Husin (Awie) to Kg Pisang from working abroad. Upon his return, he realises that a lot have changed since his departure. Usop the former cultural-dancer is now a paraplegic after a very tragic yet of course very comical mishap and Usop's sweetheart has had her heart broken by him one too many times. Oh, there's also a small matter of him seemingly living next door to the ghost of his neighbour, Kak Limah who is intent on haunting the villagers. Just like their previous run with zombies, this time the villagers of Kg Pisang will have to unite again in facing a horror of comedic proportions in Mamat Khalid's latest film.

The GOOD:

- there’s this running gag that is really funny in its suddenness and abruptness. Mamat knows this and he milks it for all it’s worth

The BAD:

1) the film is essentially a one-trick pony. A lot of the jokes are only mildly funny at best and they seem to drag

2) The love song in the middle of the movie. Although it’s quite nice to see Awie channelling his early 90’s Sembilu persona (complete with the hog and all), the sequence is simply awkward and it does not serve the plot in any way

3) The lack of talents. Zombi benefited from being an ensemble movie, with the job of carrying the movie shared equally among the lead actors and the cameos alike (man, my stomach hurt so MUCH from laughing so HARD at the late Loloque’s cameo as part of a hair-metal band who lost their way on the way to performing at a fun-fair). Whereas the main action of Kak Limah is more focused on Awie’s Husin, the disturbances from Kak Limah which he faces and also the sub-plot of him trying to win back his ex’s heart which I totally do not care about. Awie is fine as an actor in my opinion, but as a comedic actor he still has a lot to learn. Maybe Que Haidar asked for too much money for the sequel

4) As an extension of the previous point, Kak Limah seems to also lack the communal spirit previously portrayed in Zombi. I know there are scenes with the villagers in this film (including scene-stealing smaller characters such as the mini-bus driver and the FPS-obsessed, shotgun wielding boy) these scenes are not as numerous and the characters are not as diverse. I don’t know why, but I’ve always thought that Malay movies benefit from portraying the whole community as opposed to just portraying individuals alone. Not because they promote moral values or things like that, but I’ve always been drawn towards the festiveness and the cacophony generated in such movies such as U-Wei Shaari’s Isteri, Perempuan dan… and the late P Ramlee’s many movies

5) The ending of the movie seems to undo the whole message of this movie. I can’t say it explicitly without spoiling it for those of you who haven’t watched it. It’s enough for me to just say that it’s like attending a speech on Malay supremacy and rights delivered by Nazi Par… I mean PERKASA’s Ibrahim Ali only to have him say as conclusion that everything in this world belongs to God and nobody really has exclusive rights to anything

So my VERDICT for this movie is 5/10. I’ve seen better from Mamat Khalid, and this is proven by the good to bad points ratio that I’ve listed above. I'm disappointed, considering how good the first one was.

TRIVIA: In an interview with The Star during the movie's launch, Mamat jokingly remarked that he only made the movie because he was running out of money. After watching the movie, I'm not quite sure that his remark was just a joke.

Valhalla Rising (2009)

Hello imaginary readers. It's been awhile since I posted in this blog. Have been busy. I got myself a job (because even movie reviewers need money to eat, they don't simply subsist on sarcasm and sass) and a lot of other stuff. Well let's get straight to the point. Fortunately in my hectic schedule I still found time to watch movies so here is my review of the movie 'Valhalla Rising' which came out in 2009. This movie was directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and features Mads Mikkelsen as the main character One Eye; a laconic Viking warrior who follows a group of Crusaders who are on their way to the Holy Land.

Well to be honest, I was expecting a typical Viking movie with the whole plunder and pillage and the works that usually come with with movies which include Vikings. But boy was I wrong. This movie is quite slow and pays equal importance to the dialogue. But when it happens, boy it is violence, glorious violence. You get disembowelment, decapitation, impaling, eye-gouging, you name it, it has it. Which sort of explains the need for the slow pacing. You're all bored and yawning for something to please happen already, and then the pace picks up in a crescendo and you know some guy is gonna get stabbed in the eye and you squirm in your seat, expecting the wonderfully dreadful. Oh boy!

But I have to admit that at times this movie escapes my comprehension. The dream sequences are huge wtf to me and it took me a while to realise a major plot point.

The GOOD:

1) The violence is sickening and unabashed in this movie

2) Mikkelsen did a solid job in portraying such an effectively ruthless character without speaking any line

The BAD:

1) I don't get the movie. What's with the rouge dream sequences?

2) The ending. So, uh, that's all there is?

Moi VERDICT: I'm giving it 6/10 because I simply DON'T GET IT.