brought 3 packs of tissue, used half pack only. OK lah.
Well, I learned not to have high hope to go to any movies that are adapted from books. Like Harry Potter, like many others, lots of should-be-in-the-scenes stories are not included in the movie.
Nonetheless it is a nice one, especially for those who don't read books or yet to read the book.
I was brought to tears in 2 scenes. 2 scenes only. I expect more but... nah. Partly also I don't want the other cinema goers saw my pig face so I actually held myself together during some scenes that reminds me of some sad or touching descriptions in the book. And funnily, when it is supposed to dig into that deeper feeling or some further details in the book, the movie stopped right there and switched to something else. Which made my tear held half way and kena telan balik LOL. Now that's funny^^
I would say the first half of the movie is very well-executed although not all details from the book are included. The second half.... erm, like, I don't know how to put this: too fast? skipping too many things? I don't mind if they will make this a 3-hour movie, I rather watch this for 3-hour and get back-ache rather than the 3-hour King Kong that really gave me not only a back-ache but also headache -_-"
Some interesting facts on the actors: http://www.licunxin.com/film.htm They are all related to Li Cunxin himself in real life! I love the cast and the actors :)
I like the review written by Jim from The Age. I agree with him on almost all points :)
I've just finished watching the finalist of BMW Short Film Competition. I Love to watch the finalists and so far I've watched ASTRO Kirana Short Film Award and London's Bob Award's participating films, all in 2009. I guess I am only able to be so active watching short film now because Malaysian internet connection sucks. Period.
Anyway, I enjoy watching short films by the finalists and I vote for them :)
In BMW Shorties there are 9 finalists, and I will comment according to the order presented in the website here.
The director use the first person's view to film the whole story. At first I was not fascinated by this technique due to the shortcoming of using such way to film the story. But as the story proceeds, it starts to get interesting and I have to say I love it.
I vote for this :)
At first the loud and noisy opening of Ma Chai irritated me, but as it proceeds it is so funny and interesting to watch, that it became one of my top favourites :)
I can't stop laughing watching it and it's sooo Malaysian^^ (with heavy Indian style of course).
Seriously, I am very sure and certain that Afiq Deen's short films are better than this one (sorry Chow!).
Make sure you manage to enter the next BMW Shorties Afiq :)
I kinda expected what is the end of the story when Tok Imam talked to the troubled guy. And little bit of Final Destination feeling. Hmmm, makes me wonder about some values and thinking related to Islam but I'm not going to talk about them here.
This director has a funny nickname "Katak Chua". Though the story is soooo ordinary that it would touch everyone's heart, somehow there is something missing. What is missing I don't know, you have to watch it yourself.
But I have to say out of the 9 films, this one gives the strongest impression on BMW car XD
I have to say the plot surprised me a little bit. I thought this would be like Yasmin Ahmad's "Chocolate" where the parent's face would not be shown throughout the film, only at the end the audience realied why it is the case. The actors speak Hakka, reminds me of my next door neighbour in my hometown :)
The second strongest impression on BMW----> the car key XD
I am very much annoyed by this film. May be I just dislike loud speeches, that's all. Er, may be it is also because I don't like Cantonese, remind some of the lousy Hong Kong TV shows. In my opinion, though dogs pay attention to their breeders but it does not mean they would focus on their owner's face for THAT long. If you ever tried to talk to a dog (of yours), you would know what I mean :p
By the title of the film I thought there would be a conversation between the two (either people to people or people to animal, it does not matter), but from what I see it is only one-sided story-telling. Misleading betulpunya title lah Mr. Bernard Loh.
I am surprised that a short animation is included. I have no faith in Malaysian 3D or CG animation making but I would say this one is not bad. The Boutique's owner reminds me of the old man in Pixar's "Up".
A very french-themed animation. Guess the production unit loves French culture very much. I would suggest the title be changed to "Les Mannequins". There are 2 mannequins there people. LOL.
*Mannequin is pronounced as mah-ni-kan (short n) in French*
Finally, a short film about suicide message. I have many dissatisfaction regarding this film. Minus the personal fact that I dislike the narrator's low-tone voice, I would like to question that would you read a boring creepy suicide notes falls out of no where until the end of the letter and just threw it on the street (no civil responsibility as well)? And many more regarding the points made in the suicide note and the method of suicide but I need to rest LOL.
Just checked the news about the winners from NST. And I become a fan of Parakash's Flashes on Facebook.
Hmmmm, seems like my predictions are not much differ from the outcomes but I am very surprised about the Conversation with the Mad Man :(
This is so sad. I've been looking forward to its release and I am not disappointed. It sounds irony because this short film shows the disappointing picture of Malaysia. I teared watching it. Hmph.
I just watched the second installment of 15 Malaysia short film project, "Chocolate" by Yasmin Ahmad. Unlike "Potong Saga", the first installment starred by NameWee which is very hilarious, "Chocolate" leaves something deep in the viewer's heart.
剛剛看了雅斯敏的 "巧克力"。之前看了黃明志主演的 "Potong Saga" 超搞笑。再加上聽聞 15 Malaysia 有許多喜劇, 原以為這也是個輕鬆的短片, 沒想到竟是個深沉傷心的片子。
My 2 cents:
It's 2 minutes and 16 seconds, but leaving us wonders more than a 2-hour movie, as one reviewers quipped.
Tan Mei Ling is a good "supporting actor" of this short film, though we didn't see her face at all (but you can see her in "The Making of"), the way she talked (or shouted?) to her "son" Howard Hon is done in a very typical Malaysian-Chinese-mother way.
I always remember a Confucian buddhism teaching that I learnt when I was younger: the louder you shout, the more distant the hearts are. I think you can find this in one of those forwarded mails too, LOL. It took me 15 years to truely understand this and I am still trying to improve myself, on not to shout.
I don't understand why this boy does not want to further his study on full scholarship. OK lah, you are worried your mom will be cheated by the useless boyfriend of hers. But since she threw you a "I don't mind being cheated, how's that?" message, I would love to fly away to study in a foreign land and left a don't-cry-to-me-or-ask-for-help-if-you-are-cheated-in-the-end message before I left.
I saw in "the making" Howard Hon is still wearing a singlet. Why does he has to be shirtless when filming? LOL
I read lots of comments on why the boy wouldn't sell the chocolate for 15 cents which is priced at 20cents. Well, watch THIS to have a deeper understanding on Chinese businessmen^^ Though it's kinda stereotyping but the truth is not so far away from it^^
OK, I am just joking on the last point. This boy in the film apparently has a very bad temper that he would not care less to jaga his image in front of a girl which he is fond of----but would hand out a wrong item to the girl to show that he is head over heels for her? Or at least pretend that he forgot what she requested and ask the girl again what she wants before hand her the AA batteries lah.
Some opine that the boy intended to hand the chocolate to the Malay girl after she left but he left the candy on the counter after his mother is calling him over to continue the lecture.... I would prefer if he would at least get out of the counter and paused at the exist (or in front of the counter) and thought for a while before put the chocolate down and head toward his mother. I don't know if it is only me but the speed of him rushing towards his mum is way too fast that I don't even notice he is actually intended to chase the girl and give her the chocolate. I only thought of it as the girl left he needed to put the chocolate back into the bottle but was unable to because his mom called him. Oh well, people can decipher the meaning of the miliseconds of the action in anyway they want to :)
我的想法:
就如其中一個評論者所言, 這2分鐘16秒的短片給觀眾留下比兩個小時電影還要深刻的印像。
Tan Mei Ling (陳美玲?) 意外地被列為配角, 對我來說她像是個主角, 從片初到片末都是她的聲音。我得說她的謾罵聲像極了我的嬸嬸 (sshhhhh)。她把馬來西亞華人母親的神韻捉得很準確, 雖然片中從頭到尾連她的影子都沒看到。
I especially like the reviews written by Rui Wen, Lum Chih Feng, and clockworkcat. (All in mandarin, sadly have not found any review in Malay or English---only one mention in Malay language HERE in regards to Yasmin Ahmad's passing and her "Chocolate")
Yasmin Ahmad and Sharifah Amani. – Picture by LIM SOK LIN
Not to be missed is the making of "Chocolate", very touching. Sharifah Amani is so lovely and cute that she can still act as a secondary school student :) I miss Yasmin Ahmad...
