"What is the time, Mister Wolf?"
Many of us, no doubt, have chanted that seemingly innocuous-sounding line at some point during our childhood, amongst games of goli and hopscotch. After watching The Orphanage (or El Orfanato), the game takes an entirely new meaning altogether.
The Orphanage is a horror film directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and produced by Guillermo del Toro (Mimic, Hellboy, Blade II). I'm not exactly sure if it's Bayona's first attempt at what looks like a large budget film (i.e., I was too lazy to plug his name into Wiki), but I have to say, it's awesome.
Firstly, I watched the film less than 24 hours after watching Be Kind Rewind, so I was already quite pleased with my cinematic experiences for the week. Not totally satisfied, but pleased nontheless. The Orphanage was the girlfriend's pick, and a big, big, big part of me (no, not that part) has to thank her for a great choice.
If any of you have watched the film Hide and Seek, starring Robert de Niro and Dakota "Big Eyes" Fanning, you'd have been introduced to the concept of a sinister imaginary friend in a household as a villian of sorts. Like Hide and Seek, "of sorts" is the key term here. I can't really reveal more without spoiling anything for those of you who I'd advise to catch it (i.e. most of you), so I'll leave it at that. That aside, it seems like every section of the story-telling process fits together almost perfectly, with elements of gore, horror, suspense, drama, comedy and feel-good factor woven together in a masterful manner.
Now, the closest thing I've seen to a Spanish film before this one would probably be The Mask of Zorro, and that had Catherine Zeta Jones almost nude and fancy fight scenes. No nudity or fight sequences in The Orphanage, but I have to say that it's one of the few horror films that doesn't depend on shock factor to wow audiences. There are segments of the film where I was genuinely holding my breath, on the edge of my seat, thinking to myself, "What the fuck, what the fuck, WHAT THE FUCK is that?!?!?" and trust me, there are at least two instances where you feel that the plot seems to be taking a turn towards idiocy, but is then saved by a brilliant twist.
Plot holes. None that I can see. Excellent. Soundtrack, also close to none, which serves its purpose at least as much as the amazing job that the lead actress Belen Rueda does portraying a mother looking for her son.
The ending had some in tears, though I half-predicted it after a certain scene between Rueda and her on-screen husband, but nevertheless, it has neither the weakness of I Am Legend or the ambiguity of Cloverfield, leaving most happy, yet sad. Yes, sad ending. Prepare for it, guys and gals.
In closing, I'll have to give The Orphanage a really high rating, possibly full marks. It definitely beats Be Kind Rewind, which in itself wasn't a bad movie by far, and got me laughing out loud more than any other film I've seen recently.
5/5? Perhaps.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 07, 2008
The Leap Years
If a man promises to meet you in four years time, but there is no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?
What the hell?
That's an actual excerpt from Mediacorp-Raintree's latest box office smash hit blockbuster, The Leap Years. And no, I haven't confused it with some philosophical Zen musing. But other than that totally misplaced bit of literary garbage, how was the film? Let's have a look...
Superficially, the movie is the hybrid spawn of Before Sunrise, The Holiday and Growing Up, with Wong Li-Lin leading the "stellar" ensemble as a 24-32 year old teacher/writer Li-Ann, maturing and falling for a stranger she meets, while at the same time fending off the advances of her best friend KS (and yes, we are never told his full name, more into this later). The movie follows a slightly confusing time-line, with much of it actually being flashbacks as an older Li-Ann(not played by Li-Lin) recalls the good and the bad while tearfully scribbling a note on a piece of paper. Careful observers would be able to guess much of the plot from what she writes/narrates in these first few scenes.
After Li-Ann/Lin falls for the afore-mentioned stranger, a few poblems arise, and startlingly similar to the whole catch of Before Sunrise, they agree to meet on the same date again in the future. Of course, because the date was Feb 29 (hence the title, SO CLEVER!), they are only to meet in four years time.
I won't spoil it any more for those of you who choose to watch it in theatres, but all in all, this is probably the best locally-produced film I've ever seen. And it's not even because of Wong Li-Lin parading around in skimpy clothes (if any) or the hilarious revelation regarding Vernetta Lopez' character.
Still, there are a few complaints that I can (and will) make.
Firstly, while I felt that Wong Li-Lin (and whoever played her mom) did a fan-fucking-tastic job, carrying the whole movie, really, some of the supporting cast didn't raise their game. The bloke playing KS, for example, sounds like Microsoft Bob, if he was Chinese. I might agree that his character is supposed to be "poor" and supposedly "uneducated", but he sounds like he just got off the junk from Beijing.
And his comical ramblings about regret and mistakes lead me to the first line of this entry. The idiotic dialogue that peppers an otherwise watchable film. I'm not a huge fan of love stories or romantic comedies, though I did enjoy things like Love, Actually. But some of the things said in The Leap Years sound like they were written by a pre-pubescent schoolgirl with little to no experience or knowledge of how people actually talk. Given that the film was heavily based on a "novella" by a Doctor Catherine Lim, the directors and producers are either totally ignorant (or stupid), or the book got switched for Mr Kiasu.
Some have complained of "plot holes" within the film. Avid, loyal, wonderful, intelligent, amazing readers of this glorious site would have picked up hints that I absolutely abhore plot holes in films; this one, however, didn't really have any major ones, or else I was just cringing from the speech of Qi Yu Wu as he slaughtered the English language with little else but his thin lips and floppy hair. The absence of plot holes aside, however, I particularly disliked the ending.
Many have mentioned that the film did a good job of bringing tears to their eyes, and as far as the ending goes, that fails in epic proportions. Lipstick and white furniture are the only things that stand out from the final scene, and if it had gone the other way, it would have been much more touching, I felt. Unless of course they were crying from the way a certain someone was shooting off words like he had a block of wood in his mouth. Or at the way Vernetta Lopez looked for most of the movie - about ready to report to work at McDonald's.
So, here I am, about done with my latest review. What's the verdict? The last time I remember Wong Li Lin was in Triple Nine with James Lye. Let's just say The Leap Years is no VR Man.
What the hell?
That's an actual excerpt from Mediacorp-Raintree's latest box office smash hit blockbuster, The Leap Years. And no, I haven't confused it with some philosophical Zen musing. But other than that totally misplaced bit of literary garbage, how was the film? Let's have a look...
Superficially, the movie is the hybrid spawn of Before Sunrise, The Holiday and Growing Up, with Wong Li-Lin leading the "stellar" ensemble as a 24-32 year old teacher/writer Li-Ann, maturing and falling for a stranger she meets, while at the same time fending off the advances of her best friend KS (and yes, we are never told his full name, more into this later). The movie follows a slightly confusing time-line, with much of it actually being flashbacks as an older Li-Ann(not played by Li-Lin) recalls the good and the bad while tearfully scribbling a note on a piece of paper. Careful observers would be able to guess much of the plot from what she writes/narrates in these first few scenes.
After Li-Ann/Lin falls for the afore-mentioned stranger, a few poblems arise, and startlingly similar to the whole catch of Before Sunrise, they agree to meet on the same date again in the future. Of course, because the date was Feb 29 (hence the title, SO CLEVER!), they are only to meet in four years time.
I won't spoil it any more for those of you who choose to watch it in theatres, but all in all, this is probably the best locally-produced film I've ever seen. And it's not even because of Wong Li-Lin parading around in skimpy clothes (if any) or the hilarious revelation regarding Vernetta Lopez' character.
Still, there are a few complaints that I can (and will) make.
Firstly, while I felt that Wong Li-Lin (and whoever played her mom) did a fan-fucking-tastic job, carrying the whole movie, really, some of the supporting cast didn't raise their game. The bloke playing KS, for example, sounds like Microsoft Bob, if he was Chinese. I might agree that his character is supposed to be "poor" and supposedly "uneducated", but he sounds like he just got off the junk from Beijing.
And his comical ramblings about regret and mistakes lead me to the first line of this entry. The idiotic dialogue that peppers an otherwise watchable film. I'm not a huge fan of love stories or romantic comedies, though I did enjoy things like Love, Actually. But some of the things said in The Leap Years sound like they were written by a pre-pubescent schoolgirl with little to no experience or knowledge of how people actually talk. Given that the film was heavily based on a "novella" by a Doctor Catherine Lim, the directors and producers are either totally ignorant (or stupid), or the book got switched for Mr Kiasu.
Some have complained of "plot holes" within the film. Avid, loyal, wonderful, intelligent, amazing readers of this glorious site would have picked up hints that I absolutely abhore plot holes in films; this one, however, didn't really have any major ones, or else I was just cringing from the speech of Qi Yu Wu as he slaughtered the English language with little else but his thin lips and floppy hair. The absence of plot holes aside, however, I particularly disliked the ending.
Many have mentioned that the film did a good job of bringing tears to their eyes, and as far as the ending goes, that fails in epic proportions. Lipstick and white furniture are the only things that stand out from the final scene, and if it had gone the other way, it would have been much more touching, I felt. Unless of course they were crying from the way a certain someone was shooting off words like he had a block of wood in his mouth. Or at the way Vernetta Lopez looked for most of the movie - about ready to report to work at McDonald's.
So, here I am, about done with my latest review. What's the verdict? The last time I remember Wong Li Lin was in Triple Nine with James Lye. Let's just say The Leap Years is no VR Man.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Better to Search or Find?
Big news. Terrorist escapes. Manhunt underway. The search is on.
By now, almost everyone reading would have been intimately familiar with the visage and name of a certain short Indonesian (not you, Kania) who walks with a limp. I personally only found out about it rather late, compared to most others. It was in school when someone rushed up to me and stammered "Naz did you hear about the terrorist? Oh my gawd!" and all I could do was to stare blankly and not appear irritated with my unmanageable hair.
Since then, I (like many others) have received curious "Wanted" messages (presumably) from the police amid the constant barrage of news reports on the radio and television, detailing that one Mas Selamat bin Kastari is "still in Singapore" and is "looking for food, money and shelter" despite the best efforts of our boys in blue. And in green.
Now... isn't it a bit, uh... stupid that a guy little bigger than a midget, with a limp, was able to single-handedly escape from a detention centre?
Come on.
Then again, alot of us, myself included, have been through time in the armed forces. Someone said that the guards were probably taking an impromptu canteen break while he was apparently relieving himself. Because, like, you know... it's not like he's going to escape, is he?
Because I'm such a helpful and patriotic guy, I'll even point out where he might actually be!
1. Siglap: The amount of construction sites and abandoned houses there are overwhelming.
2. The National Library: Because who really goes to a library where you aren't allowed to study?
3. A random S-League match: Who's going to see him?
4. Mediacorp Studios: More speicifically, the secret underground bunker where they keep the old tapes of VR Man.
5. Kembangan Plaza: WHo the hell goes there, except for, gasp, Indonesian maids and workers?
So he wanted to hijack a plane and crash it into the airport. One of our pride and joys. The big question is, however, which terminal? Terminal One is due for a makeover anyway... and Terminal Three seems to have been built wrong; it's more a shopping centre or a mall than an airport.
Of course, everyone has their own opinions and views on the incident, and how the search is going. There has been gossip, debate, discussion and dialogue from all corners, via every available medium. One person in particular mentioned that she wrote in to the Forum section of the Straits Times, and I was told it was a typical "Why are the things and people in Singapore so incompetant" spiel.
This person, criticizing the search, later went on to find something she was not supposed to find (yet).
Big news.
Big drama. Tears and tissues, grief and guile, laments and lies greeted us as we stepped into class yesterday amid the throng of curiously displaced students; half-heard whispers about a phone call and a petition bouncing about like a hyperactive Disney character.
It's hard to face someone when the tears are flowing.
But it's alot fucking easier when you just sat/stood through several minutes of them spouting their own deluded inventions of deceit and slander and betrayal and hurt. Why yes, it did put a rather ugly-looking dent in their CV, but calling us hypocrites when you remain guilty of the very same accusation, compounding it with every breath you take, is beyond unjust.
So there.
The incident also highlighted a few things that some of us may have been oblivious to.
It is said that in traumatic or stressful events, the true colours of those around you shine through. Let's just say that we found a few among us whose colours weren't that admirable. Self-preservation is one thing, but trying to weasel your way out of an issue one clearly has to take responsibility for is just pathetic.
Well, at least I'm mid-way through my mid-terms, eh? Yay?
Big news, big drama. Far from over, in either case, I feel.
By now, almost everyone reading would have been intimately familiar with the visage and name of a certain short Indonesian (not you, Kania) who walks with a limp. I personally only found out about it rather late, compared to most others. It was in school when someone rushed up to me and stammered "Naz did you hear about the terrorist? Oh my gawd!" and all I could do was to stare blankly and not appear irritated with my unmanageable hair.
Since then, I (like many others) have received curious "Wanted" messages (presumably) from the police amid the constant barrage of news reports on the radio and television, detailing that one Mas Selamat bin Kastari is "still in Singapore" and is "looking for food, money and shelter" despite the best efforts of our boys in blue. And in green.
Now... isn't it a bit, uh... stupid that a guy little bigger than a midget, with a limp, was able to single-handedly escape from a detention centre?
Come on.
Then again, alot of us, myself included, have been through time in the armed forces. Someone said that the guards were probably taking an impromptu canteen break while he was apparently relieving himself. Because, like, you know... it's not like he's going to escape, is he?
Because I'm such a helpful and patriotic guy, I'll even point out where he might actually be!
1. Siglap: The amount of construction sites and abandoned houses there are overwhelming.
2. The National Library: Because who really goes to a library where you aren't allowed to study?
3. A random S-League match: Who's going to see him?
4. Mediacorp Studios: More speicifically, the secret underground bunker where they keep the old tapes of VR Man.
5. Kembangan Plaza: WHo the hell goes there, except for, gasp, Indonesian maids and workers?
So he wanted to hijack a plane and crash it into the airport. One of our pride and joys. The big question is, however, which terminal? Terminal One is due for a makeover anyway... and Terminal Three seems to have been built wrong; it's more a shopping centre or a mall than an airport.
Of course, everyone has their own opinions and views on the incident, and how the search is going. There has been gossip, debate, discussion and dialogue from all corners, via every available medium. One person in particular mentioned that she wrote in to the Forum section of the Straits Times, and I was told it was a typical "Why are the things and people in Singapore so incompetant" spiel.
This person, criticizing the search, later went on to find something she was not supposed to find (yet).
Big news.
Big drama. Tears and tissues, grief and guile, laments and lies greeted us as we stepped into class yesterday amid the throng of curiously displaced students; half-heard whispers about a phone call and a petition bouncing about like a hyperactive Disney character.
It's hard to face someone when the tears are flowing.
But it's alot fucking easier when you just sat/stood through several minutes of them spouting their own deluded inventions of deceit and slander and betrayal and hurt. Why yes, it did put a rather ugly-looking dent in their CV, but calling us hypocrites when you remain guilty of the very same accusation, compounding it with every breath you take, is beyond unjust.
So there.
The incident also highlighted a few things that some of us may have been oblivious to.
It is said that in traumatic or stressful events, the true colours of those around you shine through. Let's just say that we found a few among us whose colours weren't that admirable. Self-preservation is one thing, but trying to weasel your way out of an issue one clearly has to take responsibility for is just pathetic.
Well, at least I'm mid-way through my mid-terms, eh? Yay?
Big news, big drama. Far from over, in either case, I feel.
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