Bernado Bertolucci's The Dreamers = People drinking, smoking crack and having sex. Those were the highlights, in any case. Going to wait till I have more brain juice before attempting to write more about the film. For sure though, its an immersive piece, with richly and opulently textured sets, and what I can say, more than your fair share of opulent, nude female figures.

One week to my departure for Japan, clammy hands, nausea, pre-nihon anxiety seeping in. To add to that, there's been little worth catching it at the cinemas, not to mention my having to miss Hellboy.

I pray Bertolucci's Dreamers will at least salve some of the pain before I take off.

Some pictures of my rented place in Meguro, Toyko, where I'll be staying. Big thanks to Mr Takeshi, my landlord of sorts. I like the big windows just next to bed.

Also, the Singapore International Filmfest website is up, is it just me or there are so few films this year ?

With a plot device so slow its almost guaranteed to elicit loud bahs or snores from the average moviegoer, Peter Webber's Girl With A Pearl Earring will no doubt, however, be highly appreciated by fine arts students or anyone who is fairly familiar with Vermeer's artwork. While it is a common affair in films to have allusions to famous art pieces, ( DaVinci's Last Supper, Hopper's Night Hawks and David's Death of Marat, just to name a few ) GWAPE ups the ante with staging of Vermeer's works so pervasively it runs from the first scene of the film until the last, an unabashly esoteric piece of film art. Certainly, a good knowledge of the artist's work is not a prerequisite in appreciating the beauty of this film, but having one puts you on quite a different dimension. DOP Eduardo Serra ( whose much earlier work The King's Trial was also based on Vermeer's paintings ), reconstructs each shot with amazing detail and clarity, especially the artist's working studio.



A painful reminder of my arts theory classes in Victoria school, where more often than not, I opted for an afternoon at the games arcade rather than listening to my lecturer rant on about aloof artists and their movements Romanticism, Neo-classicism, what have you.

Giving a short speech at the Takashimaya NAC scholarship inception award. That's the last time you'll catch me in a suit for quite a while.

For the full press release, click here.

Had dinner with 3 of my senbei ( seniors ), folks who have studied in Japan on the same scholarship program. Some quick excerpts :

Cool : I have been checking out this film school in Toyko called Toho Gakuen College, and coincidentally one of my senbei had graduated from there. She told me they had industry/internship links with NHK and Toei, and many students who graduated from there have gone on to become film directors and DPs. Nice.

Not so Cool : Also from the same senbei, movie tickets in Japan cost 1500 yen, STUDENT RATE, ( which comes to about 24 sing dollars ). Now that is just so great, yeah.

Listening now to the OST of exalted Korean film Memories of Murder ( see film review in earlier post below ), scored by Japanese musician Taro Ishiwaro ( he also wrote the music for The Inanimate World ), hauntingly mezmerising. I exhort all to watch this fantastic and disturbing film.

Thailand director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang's Last Life in the Universe, an austere and beautifully shot film ( no small thanks to HKSC Christopher Doyle's brilliant photography ) is at its very heart, the simple story of two hopeless souls meeting in tragic serendipity and learning to have hope in their lives again, albeit clumsily. Maximizing the creative cinematographic prowess of Doyle, as well as a refined, minimalistic script, ( both protaganists, especially Kenji, played with relish by Tadanobu Asano , barely speak more than a few lines in every conversation ), Pen-Ek blends the nuanced performances from the 2 actors with the richly designed and detailed production incidentals ( sets, notably Noi's ramshackle home, in all its ransacked glory, music, supporting roles ) with great effect. The result is a highly accomplished film low on flashy visual spectacles ( cept perhaps for the moments when Kenji's Yakuza past is revealed, with much applaud ), high on emotional impact, and very good filmmaking.



On an interesting sidenote, as the credits rolled several loud "huhs" could be heard, a mixture of disdain and bewilderment. Last life, lacking a definite and clearcut ending ( ie Kenji and Noi driving their VW into the sunset ), greatly disturbs the hollywooders.

Sometimes, the journey is indeed the destination.

In an early scene from Sofia Coppola's off-beat romantic comedy Lost in Translation, Charlotte ( Scarlett Johansson ) posts herself at her high-rise hotel window, peering over Tokyo's featureless urban landscape like an angel keeping watch, forever invisible and at once detached from her distant subjects. Later on in the show, she visits a shrine in the old imperial capital of Kyoto and witnesses a traditional Japanese wedding. Sheltering beneath a huge red parasol and garbed in picturesque costume, the two newlyweds link hands. Charlotte looks on quietly. In both instances, no words or maudlin narration were needed to convey the poignant sense of quiet, luscious melancoly so intended, yet the intensity of the final mood expressed was multiplied manifold without. It is exactly with such a cinematic framework of toned down, unobtrusive visual style and quiet narrative treatment that the movie Lost in Translation is built on, something so rarely seen in Hollywood productions and which wholeheartedly won me over.



In light of my approaching journey ( I am set for a 3 year film study course in Tokyo come March, courtesy of the National Arts Council ), watching this film is like a harbinger of solitude, heralding my days of impending loneliness and loss.

Surely this is a film I will not easily forget in my days to come.

*For a more poetic and expressive review of the film, check out the comments box.

Just a quick reminder on current films to catch.

House of Sand and Fog
Lost In Translation
21 Grams
Last Life In The Universe
Gothika
Dogville
Irreversible
A Good Lawyer's Wife
Torque ( just to enjoy the taosiao stunts, i'm no motor-siao )

D-mystifying the DVD

I wrote this blog in response to an article in today's Life section titled : "Disc Overdrive" , which attempted to cover some information regarding DVD pricing, censorship and quality in Singapore, but instead dished out some laughable hogwash and a gamut of loud, verbal responses from me. Herein subject notwithstanding it is noteworthy to mention here that this article is an excellent example of a coverage in a trusted print media providing false information and inaccuracies in reports because the interviewed party stood to gain from what they would be quoted on, as well as the reporting party's lack of knowledge in the field, which then makes one wonder : How much of what you hear or see on the news is actually accurate ?

Anyway. I quote " And there are hardcore buyers who BELIEVE there is a difference in quality between the different regions ". Well surprise surprse - there certainly is, and its not a matter of belief for sure. Let's quote point to point and try to do some damage control.

Quote : " While distributors say there is no variation in quality between DVDs of different regions... "
Fact : No difference my foot. These guys must be watching with their eyes closed. The local code 3 version of Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood For Love had cropped titles, oversaturated and crushed colours, the altogether feeling of everything blending into everything else. In short, think VCD. Folks who are familiar with photoshop can liken it to a jpeg file saved over a thousand times and getting all details mixed up and "dirty". In comparison, the Criterion Edition of the same title, code 1, had crisp clean images, correct colours, and for once I could see the whole title in full frame. Bliss. The same problems reprise itself for Amenabar's The Others, as well as MIB. Then again, if the distributors had said there was a difference in quality, it wouldn't sound too good for sales would it ?

Question : Ok, so all code 3 dvds have crap quality.
Answer : No no no. REGION CODING OF DVDS IS NOT AND NEVER AN INDICATION OF QUALITY. Rinse and repeat please. However, because local code 3 releases have so conscientiously churned out crap material that we have come to associate code 3 dvds with inferior quality. Korean dvds, all on code 3, have beautiful, outstanding visuals most of the time. On the contrary, a code 2 Japanese version ( Japanese dvds are the world's most expensive ) of Tsui Hark's Blade sucks, but that's because they started out with a bad print. THE MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA IN DETERMINING QUALITY OF ANY DVD IS THE ORIGINAL COPY ( on beta format , I believe ) BY WHICH IT IS MASTERED FROM, AND BY ITS MASTERING TECHNIQUES AND CARE TAKEN TO IT.

Question : So Why ? Why is it that Singaporean dvd makers can't get a good print ?
Answer : Oh, because we chip chip Singaporeans want the same thing, i mean pseudo-same thing at 10-15 dollars cheaper ! Any discerning buyer should smell a rat when supposedly identical items on sale have a marked difference in price of as much as 30-40%. Something must be missing, for there is no free lunch when it comes to buying dvds. You can get good deals once in a while, but not all the time on all titles.

Question : You're just a nitpicker, that's what you are. A small difference in quality for a big difference in price, why not ?
Fact : I am really particular when it comes to quality for my dvds. And the difference in price is definitely enticing. But the insiduous factor here is the small difference in quality. If you were to take a look at the code 1 version of MIB, then the code 3, you'll be able to tell : code 1, crisp images, code 3, almost crisp images. It is this ALMOST that is very important, because its like an image on screen that focuses and blurs on and off, and an entire movie of this will make your viewing experience very very frustrating. You're spending more for a quality product that you'll be enjoying for the rest of your life, so why compromise ? I certainly wouldn't, but hey, I'm a nitpicker.

Quote : "...it is a fact that dvds cannot be censored after they are produced "
Fact : As far as I know this is quite right, unless they have some unknown encoding device that can burn out the parts to be censored. However, Singapore makes it even easier by not importing the titles that need censoring, so you get to watch nothing at all ! Nadda. Most RA films you get to watch in theatres here are almost guaranteed never to be found in dvd format here, titles like Schindler's List, Ryan, Fight Club, Se7en. Even seemingly decent PG titles are mysteriously absent here, stuff like Great Expectations, Road to Perdition and Minority Report. Wierd huh ?

Question : Ok, after all this banter, so where would be the best place to get dvds ?
Answer : You don't really have to ask do you ? For chip chip code 3 dvds, everywhere. For your good quality code 1 releases not found here, Amazon would be your best bet, and for Korean/Asian and Japanese films, yesasia.com and cdjapan.co.jp respectively.

January 22, DJ Paul Van Dyk at the powerhouse. Music was good, and the laser strobing lights feeding me with the illusion that I can dance really well, with every girl looking real pretty as I groove to the heart pounding beats.

Head hurts now. Off to bed.

Mona Lisa Smile - beautiful photography, laudable performances, but somehow, *yawnz*.

For a film that advocated "free thinking", original thought, fighting tradition and being yourself, its production methods were anything but. This is your Hollywood vehicle at its most archetypal.

Films Retrospective 2003 / Top 10 Favourite films poll ( not in any order of merit )

For complete list of films watched, please click on the comments box.

1)The Pianist ( Roman Polanski )
2)Tasogarei Seibei ( Yoji Yamada )
3)Lord Of The Rings The Return of the King ( Peter Jackson )
4)Matchstick Men ( Ridley Scott )
5)Tale of 2 Sisters ( Kim Ji-Wun )
6)Hero ( Zhang Yimou )
7)City of God ( Fernando Meirelles )
8)The Hulk ( Lee Ang )
9)Finding Nemo ( Andrew Stanton )
x)Swimming Pool / Bon Voyage ( Francoiz Ozon/Jean Paul Rappaneau )

A bountiful year for the cinema, having watched about a hundred films altogether, give or take a few that I've missed the ticket stubs. This year especially we saw the closure of 3 trilogies, Hollywood behemoths The Matrix series, Lord of the Rings and our asian Infernal Affairs, some more palatable than others, but all highly anticipated. The Singapore Film Festival still proves a valuable event for catching good foreign films, although often with clashes in schedules.

Notable misses include Chen Kaige's Together, and a few films from the recent German Film Festival, but I believe we still have a chance to catch Goodbye Lenin. With outstanding films like Korea's Memories of Murder failing to show up in theatres ( hitherto at least ), it proves more so that outsourcing non hollywood fare on magazines and websites are imperative if we want to catch them, on dvd at least. ( David Cronenberg's Spider, Shunji Iwai's All About Lili Chou Chou, Intacto, just to name a few. )The rest of the local population at least, will never know what they are missing.

An evening train ride home after a friend's wedding dinner ( yes, yet another single bits the dust. ) had me standing within audible conversational range of a young couple, JC students. The routine courtship manoeuvres ensue, hushed voices, attempt at witty jokes, and happy holding of hands. What was etched deeply in my mind and that reawakens distant, lost memories were those moves and actions that I had seen happen on myself many many years ago, when all that mattered, all the wonderful bliss in the world was contained in the sparkling eyes of that person looking straight back at you.

That indescribable feeling of love had long since abandoned me.

It is my policy to never purchase dvds of films that I've not seen at the theatres online, a rather bizzare and perhaps antiquated school of thought seeing the cinematic experience as a rite of passage, a self imposed vetting process before the film can be canonized, elevated to dvd-worthy status. However, because of inherent market forces at work that favours the mainstream blockbusters releases rather than your occasional arthouse film, a considerable number of excellent foreign films ( read non hollywood ) slips past our theatres without ever been noticed, save for some limited screenings at our annual Singapore Film Festival packed into 2 short, hectic weeks.

Now this is when the exception to the rule appears. Sometimes the obssessed film purist, having done some homework and research, will take the plung, calculated risks to import contraband, films that have yet gone through artistic apotheosis. So far there's been a fair share of hits and misses, with films like I.G's lacklustre anime Blood, and highly accomplished Korean film Take Care of My Cat, which I had missed at the film festival.

This time round, I struck cinematic gold.

Between the years of 1986 and 1991, a small village in Korea's Gyeonggi Province was witness to the rape and murder of 10 women, all in the same groteque and brutal manner. Korea had never before experienced serial murders of this kind, and an intense media frenzy and police investigation followed. As the murders continued to take place over the years, investigators grew more desperate, at one point even consulting a shaman who advised them to move the gate of the police station to a more favorable location (which they did, to no avail). Ultimately all their efforts would be in vain, and to this day nobody knows who the murderer was or whether he is still alive.

In 1996, the poignant memories of this incident were reshaped into a successful stage play directed by Kim Kwang-rim. The dramatic intensity of the story attracted the interest of several filmmakers who wished to make a film of the material, but ultimately it would be Bong Joon-ho, the talented director who debuted in 2000 with Barking Dogs Never Bite, who would be charged with the task. Bong took the stage play and, consulting historical documents, wrote a screenplay focusing on two of the police investigators. Bong's primary addition to the material was to highlight the era in which the murders took place -- a time in which the Korean populace was struggling to shake off its authoritarian and militaristic past.





The end result is perhaps Korea's biggest event film since Joint Security Area, a masterfully directed, superbly acted film which is at turns blackly humorous, thought-provoking, and horrifying. The film stars top actor Song Kang-ho (JSA) and Kim Sang-kyung (Turning Gate) as two investigators, the former a local policeman and the latter a detective who comes from Seoul to assist in the case. The first part of the film focuses on the two men's characters and the rivalry that builds between them. As time passes, however, the narrative becomes more complex, as our leads begin to transform under pressure and as we see references to the social situation in Korea at the time, when the government was too busy suppressing its own citizens to put resources into a proper investigation.

Although this movie features one of the best performances ever from Song Kang-ho, one of Korea's most talented actors, the film's amazing ensemble cast almost succeeds in stealing his spotlight. Minor characters such as the old police chief (played by Byun Hee-bong), the slightly retarded Baek Kwang-ho (played by theatre actor Park No-shik, who now has his own fan club), violent investigator Yong-gu (Kim Rae-ha, in his most prominent role to date), Song Kang-ho's girlfriend Sul-young (played by Jeon Mi-seon, who was Han Suk-kyu's old flame in Christmas in August) and the new police chief (Song Jae-ho, also in Double Agent) are only a few of the memorable characters created by this skilled cast. Park Hae-il from Jealousy Is My Middle Name also takes a role towards the end of the film that is sure to stay in the memory of viewers.

Another impressive aspect of this film are its visuals. The production set a record for using the most locations in any Korean film to date, in an effort to recreate the underdeveloped rural landscape of the mid-80s. Director of photography Kim Hyung-gu (who also shot Musa, One Fine Spring Day and Chen Kaige's Together) creates striking images out of ordinary objects, with earthy browns and yellows painting an unforgettable portrait of small town life.

Recently, many critics have begun saying that Korean audiences no longer appreciate good films, that they prefer instead the light comedies that have dominated the box-office over the past couple years. The smashing popular success of Memories of Murder now acts as a counterweight to that argument, signalling that ambitious, serious, well-made productions in Korea still have potential if they can capture the imaginations of ordinary viewers. ( Review by Darcy Parquet, english subtitler for Memories of Murder )

Point in note : Music for this film was written by Taro Ishiwaro, a prolific composer who has done other outstanding music for films by Shohei Imamura, as well as the more familiar Japanese serial The Inanimate World, starring Nanako Matsuhimoto.

Easily one of the best movies I've seen this year, though sadly not in a theatre, where the emotional impact would have been exponential.

Film review for Jane Campion's ( The Piano ) latest film, In the Cut, from British Film Institute's (BFI) publishing Sight and Sound Magazine, December Issue :

In verbatim : ( Final paragraph )

As finely wrought as In The Cut is, one could argue that it fails as a genre exercise. Experienced thriller fans will guess the killer quicker than it takes to recit and Emily Dickenson poem. But once the mystery's burned away, what's left is a minutely etched study in mood and female pyschology.

To read the full review ( highly recommended, but only after watching the film to avoid revealing plot points ), just click on the Comment's Box for this log entry.

Blaue Reiter : Now this is a film review. ( compare previous blog entry below ) Its not too difficult to surmise that the person or persons who contributed to the review below couldn't understand, hadn't the foggiest idea what the film was about after watching it, but decided to play it cool anyway and give it the "nude, very nude", "well, she strikes again" treatment, an unfortunate occurrence sad to say, ubiquitious in Asia's Premier movie magazine.

Film review for Jane Campion's ( The Piano ) latest film, In the Cut, from local film magazine FIRST - ASIA'S PREMIER MOVIE MAGAZINE, December issue :

In verbatim :

"The first thing you probably want to know is : How nude does Meg Ryan get In the Cut ? In answer you your question, we'd like to say : Very, very nude. This is the one thing everyone is talking about when it comes to In the Cut, and we guarantee you this is the only thing anyone will remember. Ryan's body may be shapely, but the rest of the flick is a formless mess. We hate the murky colours. We hate the male lead. We hate the stupid and sluggish serial killer plot. Director Jane Campion caused a sensation by showing Harvey Keitel's privates in the Piano. Well, she strikes again. "

WHO THE FUCK IS WRITING ALL THESE REVIEWS ???!!!

To Editors/writers of FIRST - ASIA'S PREMIER MOVIE MAGAZINE : For the love of film, please, go grab a copy of BFI's Sight and Sound magazine.

Over the last weekend right up till Monday morning I was involved in a 16mm short film production, my boss, having been the DOP of the shoot, have had me taking up the post of 1st camera assistant. Although I was rarely, if ever behind the viewfinder I must still say it has been an enriching experience learning the ins and outs of a film production, where my job scope was a multitude of varied tasks including prepping the SteadiCam for my boss, checking zoom and focus distance, as well as the dolly operator ( well, the guy that pulls the trolley lah ). Man I tell you that is tough. You have to be sure to keep a constant speed at all times to achieve a smooth dolly, something which the very experienced bunch of gaffers and grips have told me, requires a considerable amount of "feeling". Just pushing a goddamned trolley right, what's so hard ? My foot. I make it a point to be more appreciative of all the steadiCam and dolly shots in future films that I watch.

Watch out for the screening of the short film on Arts Central soon.

Watching 2 ultra violent films back to back was not the easiest way to spend a peaceful, idyllic Sunday, but they were films that I had already planned to watch beforehand. Descriptive words like "empty", "void" and physical, frenzied parodying of the "human blood fountains" were attributed to the movie Kill Bill by one of my friends. ( whose taste in film happens to be slightly different from mine ), However, he remained solemn and relatively quiet after the Japanese film Brother, whose stark and realistic portrayal of bloodied gunfights and Yakuza honour, as well as pathos ending the night with an air of eerie stillness. Violence can see so many different forms.

First day of work, Wizards of Light. Its a photography studio covering commercial photo work, running the gamut from product to fashion shoots. Today the term desk bound job ceases meaning for me ( yes, I still have a desk, albeit spending less than five minutes at it for the entire day ), with 2 fashion shoots packed back to back, in between buying Milo "bing" and Marlboro Menthol Light for my lead photographer and the clients, I must say its quite a change for a job.

Not that I'm complaining though, learned quite a few things today, tons more to pickup, but we'll see if this photographic passion of mine will stand the test of time.

Watching Len Wiseman's UnderWorld, then Yoji Yamada's Twilight Samurai in one evening was a jarring, cinematic dichotomic trip. These are the last 2 films that anyone should be comparing by virtue of their vastly different, intrinsic genres but it was interesting to note.

1) UnderWorld is Len Wiseman's directorial debut, uninspiring start; Twilight Samurai auteur filmmaker Yoji Yamada's no 77th ( I'm not sure if I've even watched 77 Japanese films hitherto ) film, a masterful piece.

2) Where the latter was a film graced by its use of quiet, cinematic sublety ( in a scene where a simple holding of hands was sufficent to create an intense carthasis and emotional emancipation ), the former is sucked void of any, ( a supposed romantic kiss exchanged between the 2 protaganists had about the same blandness if one were swallowing chalk. )

In this respect as least, less is certainly more. Glad I watched it in the right order, or it would've been a bad evening all the way.

Never rains but pours. For a while there were hardly any decent films to watch at the theatres but now they're tumbling down in a flurry. Just a checklist to be sure I don't miss any. ( left out most of the mainstream releases )

Magdalene Sisters
Brother ( kitano )
Dirty Pretty Things
Matchstick Man ( Ridley Scott )
Swimming Pool ( Francoiz Ozon )
Infernal Affairs II
Underworld
No Where In Africa
Twilight Samurai ( Yoji Yamada )
Millenium Actress

Quite a number on non commercial films, good breathers in between your standard Hollywood fare. I'm hoping the cinemas here would bring a few highly acclaimed Korean titles like Memories of Murder ( shot by DP Kim Hyung-gu, who also did One Fine Spring Day )and Wonderful Days ( heavy tanker in Korea ), but we'll see.

Korean director Kim Ji-Wun's beautifully shot horror film A Tale of 2 Sisters is a compelling, albeit somewhat confusing tale of a dysfunctional family dealing with the return of 2 sisters upon recovering from a rare and unknown illness. The presence of any supernatural forces is quickly played down here, rather employing more implicit methods of intimidation that are by far the more scary and effective.

Whilst we seldom associate beauty with horror, the latter preferring subjects of grotesqueness and fear as bedfellas, A Tale of 2 Sisters succeeds in the cinematic marriage of the 2 with its elegantly staged camera work; often indulging in long, aptly paced shots of the largely vacant household interior as it takes relish in plunging the viewer headlong into the suffocating reek of the morbid tension, until the silence finally claws and screams for a release. The informed colour palette adds further strength to the mood and visual style with saturation jacked up to almost superfluous levels; blacks in the film are graded so intense they threaten to suck you into an endless, horrifying void, whilst the reds and ochre so vivid you can almost lean forward and smell the coppery reek of blood. At the end, the images will leave you fairly disturbed, but its intrinsic beauty will beckon for your attention more.

Certainly one of the more classy and calculated horror flicks I've watched of late, once again vindicating Korea as a filmmaking powerhouse.

The Medallion Sucks.

I haven't seen such hogwash in a long long time. Now there was this HK movie couple years back starring Leon Lai called Bullets of Love that came close, but The Medallion sets a whole new record for traumatic cinematic experience.

This is so bad, its not funny.