Chile (Part 1): Arriving at the Santiago International Film Festival, meeting Leonor Varela!

With Chilean actress Leonor Varela, of Blade 2 and Arrested Development fame

(Originally written: 16th of August, 2007)

I am currently a film producer in the production company, GREENLIGHT PICTURES. I was invited to the Santiago International Film Festival (SANFIC) nearly two months ago, as the producer of the local film 'THE ELEPHANT AND THE SEA' directed by Woo Ming Jin. THE ELEPHANT AND THE SEA is going to compete under the International Competition against eight other films from different countries.

RUSH HOUR 3 is not the best film in the series

This is what my sister had to say about RUSH HOUR 3 after we saw it yesterday morning:

"That's it? The climax didn't even feel like a climax at all!"

'Vertical Distance' Screening at Malaysian Shorts (August 2007 Edition). I can't attend :(

a screenshot from Vertical Distance

Hi folks, got this email from Amir Muhammad at the Malaysian Cinema mailing list

'Vertical Distance' Screened at Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2007

the Cast and Crew of Vertical Distance + Justin, May 2006

My short film, VERTICAL DISTANCE, was just shown at the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2007, under their 'LIGHT OF ASIA' programme. The festival was held at Yogyakarta from the 29th of July to the 2nd of August, and my short film was screened on the 30th of July and 1st of August.

Have to say that I'm tremendously honoured to be part of this new and exciting film festival. VERTICAL DISTANCE is the first of the two short films I made last year (the other being GIRL DISCONNECTED) and was my first attempt in filmmaking WITH A CREW (it was an all-female crew, I felt like Bill Murray in Charlie's Angels) It was also the first short film I've written by myself.

The film, to me, is important in a sense that it helped me discover my own filmmaking voice, I guess, which helped me embark upon something much more ambitious like GIRL DISCONNECTED (a film that would never have existed without VERTICAL DISTANCE).

VERTICAL DISTANCE can be viewed here.

Tags: vertical distance, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2007, short film, youtube, video, filmmaker, edmund yeo

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE

I actually saw this more than a week ago, but haven't had a chance to review it due to this TV movie production I'm involved in.

Flash Point 导火线

I didn't have high hopes for Flash Point when I first saw its trailer months ago (when I went to see the French rom-com, Hors de Prix). The lady friend I was with was more excited about it than I was.

R.I.P. Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni

Legendary filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni had just passed away on the same day. Ingmar was 89, Antonioni was 94.

Oh! Mikey

Oh! Mikey is the best thing to come out of Japanese comedy in years. Check this one:




It's SO much funnier if you've actually been to a hostess bar/kyabakura and know what they're talking about.

Invisible Target 男兒本色

Director Benny Chan Muk-Sing is sort of like the Michael Bay of Hong Kong cinema. I don't mean this as an insult, but he's really the go-to guy for big-budget HK actioners with explosions and crazy stunts. Most of the time, when it comes to action scenes, he seldom disappoints.

Nice article about my dad on The Star newspaper

Two days ago, just like every other mornings, I was having breakfast with my parents. As usual, I was flipping through The Star while eating. My daily newspaper reading routine is like the following:

1) Start with The Star. Begin from the Sports section, then to the international news section, before checking out the headlines, and then finally reading Section 2, which would usually cover the entertainment articles.

2) Throw The Star aside, pick up the entertainment section of Sin Chew Daily, a Chinese paper to read the latest celebrity gossip.

3) Put that entertainment section of Sin Chew Daily aside, and check out the entertainment section in China Press, another Chinese paper for things left out by Sin Chew.

But anyway, I was reading through the entertainment sections of The Star before something caught my eye. My dad's name. And also, a hideous photo of his that was taken probably during the late 80s or early 90s.

Serious Literary Fiction about Idols

I need help.

I am writing a serious literary work about idols and wota.

Someone please tell me suggestions for things they want to see in this.

This is not a joke, I am a published author.

The Kind Old Man At The Train Station

(Photo by Nighthawk Photoworks)

Two nights ago, after finishing a shoot, I went to a KTM train station to take a train home.

It was nine thirty and the ticket counter was closed, so I could only buy my tickets through either one of the two ticket vending machines.

Ridiculous 'Soaring' Photo of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

Taken outside Kichijoji Station.

Here's what he usually looks like:

Traffic Accidents Are Morbid.

It is currently 3:14AM. There will be a TV movie shoot tomorrow. I'm involved as production manager/ assistant director... hence the lack of updates.

Right now, I am cutting newspaper articles of ghastly traffic accidents. It's for a prop. This is very morbid.

Chomu

Chomu.

Quentin S. Crisp and I have started a new writing magazine. It's writing what we like, when we want. Other contributors are coming soon.

There is a new short story from me up, so go read it.

And tell your friends and family.

Here is a picture of Shinohara Ryouko sitting on the toilet:

Michelangelo Antonioni Blows Up The World

Antonioni proves himself one of the greatest filmmakers of all time with 'Zabriskie Point'. Like the best movies, no explanation is necessary. This literally destroys shittier films, like 99% of everything released now.

Tags: michelangelo antonioni, zabriskie point, youtube, video

[OPEN THREAD] Why Suanie Is AWESOME!

This post is dedicated to my most favourite person in the world (for the day) Suanie. Selflessly sacrificing her time to help me translate a script from English to Malay for a TV movie audition/ casting session tonight, Suanie has proved beyond a doubt that, she's awesome in many different levels.

Red Bean Soup - An Abandoned Short Film Project

I have made several mentions as early as April that I was trying to make a follow-up to GIRL DISCONNECTED (that's my last short film). It was planned to be a Jun-Ai (Pure Love) short film. By Pure Love, I meant a wholesome romantic tearjerker which would involve terminal illness, self-sacrifice, tragic separations, doing everything for love, the all-conquering power of love, shy holding of hands, subtly poetic declarations of love etc. Its tentative title was RED BEAN SOUP, which was really a code name, I was planning to really call the film WINTER IN KL. But since I'm used to referring to it as RED BEAN SOUP, I'll refer it as RED BEAN SOUP throughout this entry.

Powermasters Optimus Prime!

WIRED's collection of best Transformers Fan Photos inspired me to dig out an old friend of mine that I hadn't touched in years. (yes, an article did this, NOT the film itself... probably because Megan Fox overshadowed everything else)

My Optimus Prime toy.

Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS

I enjoyed Transformers. I think it's the best Michael Bay film in a long time. For better or worse, Michael Bay has stamped his signature on the film, the slow-mo, the herky jerky editing, 360-degree panning cam (which I couldn't help but smile at, since it was parodied by HOT FUZZ as well, which I saw last week) the hyper-kinetic cinematography. Yeap, riddled with Bay-isms, film looks like a music video and a commercial, and ultimately, Transformers is really a Michael Bay film that happens to have... Transformers in it.

Many people I know, many blogs I've read have raved about the film. I'm not surprised, it's an entertaining popcorn film, a joyride for the masses. It's funny, it's action-packed, it's good eye-candy (besides the robots, MEGAN FOX provided the rest of the visual candy)

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (or DIE HARD 4.0 outside North America) is surprisingly awesome!!!!!

Hooked On You 每当变幻事

HOOKED ON YOU is the second Milkyway Image production I saw in two weeks (the first one was the entertaining EYE IN THE SKY). This Miriam Yeung - Eason Chan starrer is produced by Johnnie To and directed by Lau Wing-Cheong (who did the surprisingly good 2 BECOME 1 last year,the one about Miriam Yeung with breast cancer), the poster made the film look like a generic romantic comedy. But having seen the trailer before few weeks ago, I knew the film would be larger in scope, and definitely more serious.

Dark City: Death Row (TV Review)

DEATH ROW, the Tony Pietra-directed episode of the Dark City TV series is a prison drama/thriller set in a fictional Southeast Asian country where everyone speaks Malay, but peppered with a bit of English whenever someone ones to make a point.

Speedlinking: Dark City TV Series Controversy?

I plugged the local Malay-language TV series DARK CITY aired every Wednesday night in my previous post two days ago, but also mused whether Xeus, mastermind behind the anthology horror book of the same title had anything to do with it as she was approached months ago by a production company asking for a collaboration (of sorts), which she declined. She never mentioned anything about it since then.

I got the answer to my question yesterday. Xeus had nothing to do with this TV series at all, and was upset that the title was used without her knowledge. The following links are some reactions to this whole deal.

Check out the DARK CITY TV Series

Received an email from filmmaker Tony Pietra few days ago regarding a new local BM-language TV series called Dark City (no relation to THAT other movie), which he was involved in making with other indie filmmakers like Khai Bahar, Virginia Kennedy and Johan John.

Viewership's been low due to the lack of marketing and promotion. In order to ensure the survival of this show, I'll help increase some awareness of this series.

Friends of mine have always accused local indie filmmakers for being much too self-indulgent and inaccessible, making inaccessible arthouse films aimed more for festivals and awards than actual viewing. Stereotyping? Or truth?

For this series, many of these filmmakers will be trying to reach out for a wider audience. I'm not sure whether it'll be good or not, but I don't think it'll hurt to give them all a chance.

Caroline Lufkin Live In Kuala Lumpur

I angsted about the fact that I had to go to Caroline Lufkin's live performance at KLPac all by myself on my previous entry. Since then, I tried calling numerous friends, offering to even buy them their tickets for them as long as they can go with me, but my efforts were in vain.

(There were some who said yes at first, but circumstances forced them to say no moments later. It was VERY frustrating for me.)

Humanity smacked me in the face. Hard.

Don't worry, Wota gang, I brought my little sister along instead.

Caroline Lufkin coming to KL

(Updated 25/6/2007: Go read my recap of Caroline's performance at KLPac)



Caroline Lufkin is performing at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) tomorrow night. (yes, she's the younger sister of Nana's Olivia Lufkin)

No one wants to go with me.



I am disappointed with humanity.



Maybe I'll go alone.

Justin would've gone with me if he were here :(

(pictures from Caroline's Myspace page)

Tags: myspace, caroline lufkin, olivia lufkin, nana, music, singer, klpac, japanese, american, electronica

Eye In The Sky 跟踪 by Yau Hoi Nam

It has been a bad year for Hong Kong films (or Chinese cinema, for the matter). The last decent HK film I saw was PROTEGE, way back in February. Since then, all we got were clunker forgettable romantic comedies and silly star vehicles for talentless idols. And then, there's also the repulsively pretentious MING MING.

Hopes were high for EYE IN THE SKY, a Milkyway Image film produced but not directed by my hero Johnnie To. This film is the directorial debut of Yau Hoi Nam, longtime Milkyway Image screenwriter and Johnnie To collaborator. He was the one who wrote (or co-wrote) the smash hit romantic comedy NEEDING YOU... (2000), badass crime dramas like HERO NEVER DIES (1998) and THE MISSION (1999), award-winners like RUNNING ON KARMA (2003), PTU (2003) and the two ELECTION films (2005 and 2006).

The two reviews I read about this film, one at LoveHKfilm and one by Yvonne are pretty positive, obviously this will not reach the dizzying heights of Johnnie To's films, but I know it's going to be a solid film.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

I actually looked forward to seeing FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (I'll refer to it as FANTASTIC FOUR 2 here), solely because the teaser that featured a (relatively) thrilling chase scene between the Human Torch (Chris Evans) and Silver Surfer (Doug Jones, but voiced by Laurence Fishburne)

Why it's good to attend short films screening events

I've attended three local short film screenings since February that screened my short films: Filmmakers Anonymous 2 (check out my video diary), Malaysian Shorts (check out my video diary) and the most recent Cinejam that was held last Friday.

Much unlike the massive Sony Tropfest in Australia, which is held every end of February at a huge open space with food stalls and people bringing their own food, picnic cloths and resting chairs (click the link and see the photos I've taken), the local ones are relatively small events that are more often attended by others of the film industry than a regular joe, perhaps because films screened there may not appeal completely to the masses like the short films at Sony Tropfest.

Nevertheless, I find these screenings beneficial because of a few things:

Community service message: Fight Sexual Harassment on Public Transport!

Too long! For too long we have lived in fear of sexual harassers when we take public transport! TOO LONG!

(No, Swifty, I am not talking about your member's size, don't look at me like that. Justin, on the other hand ... *whistles*)

Anyway, back to sexual harassment. I just need a little help from you guys. Do you think you can visit this blog and leave a comment? I'm very worried that a potential sexual harasser will chance upon that blog, look at the pathetic amount of support there and think to himself, 'Muahahaha no one supports such campaigns I shall go harass more people.' Though I doubt sexual harassers can talk in such coherent sentences. They are usually sick idiots.

On another note, Swifty! Talk about Heroes! I know you don't usually review TV series, but Heroes is the most awesomest TV series ever (this, coming from an avid fan of Desperate Housewives)! Surely there's an exception for that? Or maybe not. Just ignore my pointless ramblings.

Here's my two cents for the Kuala Lumpur thing (yes, I am superior and so I don't have to post in the comment box =P No lar, I'm just lazy)
1. Traffic (yeah, made me thirty minutes late for my own birthday party once)
2. Weird-looking, weirdly dressed people! (they are found in abundance in KL. At least in Klang, where I am staying, the condition is not that severe because it's a tiny town. In KL! Oh my God! Total eyesore! Really gaudy hair colors and horrible tattoos. The girls wear skimpy and shoddy miniskirts or damn short tubes. No glamor at all.)
3. Cab drivers try to cheat your money!!! (or so I've heard)
4. Oh we're only supposed to give three? But my three reasons are so mediocre! =( Okay nvm.

Surf's Up, animated film done in mockumentary format. Audacious!

The press screening of SURF'S UP last Saturday was a horrible experience.

28 WEEKS LATER

I saw 28 WEEKS LATER nearly 28 days ago. (note: I originally started writing this review back on the 6th, but put it aside and was too lazy to complete it until now)

Cinejam screening of my two short films "Girl Disconnected", "Vertical Distance"

I'm going to CINEJAM tomorrow night (14th of June) at KL JAM ASIA. Not one, but TWO of my short films, GIRL DISCONNECTED (watch previews here and here) and my earlier work, VERTICAL DISTANCE, will be screening there, along with a few others. This marks the FIRST public screening of VERTICAL DISTANCE.

I'll be sticking around for the Q & A session, so see you there.

(In case you can't see the poster above)

CINEJAM
Thursday, June 14, 2007. 9:30pm.

at

KL JAM ASIA
No. 19-1, Jalan 22A/70A
Plaza Crystalville
Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Tags: edmund yeo, filmmaker, filmmaking, short film, kl jam asia, cinejam, malaysia, malaysian, plaza crystalville, video, youtube

Amber Chia at 'Fine Dining' TV Shoot

Shot the last episode of 'FINE DINING' today in Bollywood Restaurant at Tengkat Tong Shin (near Sungei Wang and Low Yat Plaza) in Kuala Lumpur.

It's a very interesting-looking Indian restaurant designed by the owner himself, Taj.

NAANA NEEYA Soundtrack Album Launching Ceremony

'Fine Dining' shoot postponed to tomorrow, so I went to the Naana Neeya soundtrack album launching ceremony at Mid Valley with my dad today instead. Naana Neeya is a Malaysian Tamil-language comedy produced and directed by vocalist Dharmavathi.

YE CHINE RESTAURANT: Photos From 'Fine Dining' TV Production Shoot

There was another 'Fine Dining' TV production shoot today, this time at a Chinese restaurant. This Chinese restaurant is called Ye Chine (pronounced like 'Yi Shin') and is situated right next to yesterday's Mezza Notte Italian restaurant (in fact, both restaurants have the same owners). Both restaurants are opposite Sheraton Hotel, KL.

Unlike the two segments yesterday, there aren't any guests for the show, the focus is placed solely on the head chew, Chew Kia Sek.

Great Photo of Mishima

Incredible photo showing his style, along with the current mayor of Tokyo.

Also check this:



His English is unfortunately camp, but look at his smile while he talks and notice the massive contempt and disgust for everything showing through. Beautiful.

Photos From The 'Fine Dining' TV Production Shoot. Babes Galore!

I received a phone call two nights ago from Kannan (director of the TV movie I worked on), asking whether I could fill in for him at the production shoot of the upcoming TV dining show 'Fine Dining'. It was a pretty simple job, so I went.

The director of the show is Woo Ming Jin, whom I know through Kannan (we went to see Mukhsin together). We had to do two segments yesterday (meaning, two different locations), here are some photos I've taken.

Ming Ming 明明

While watching MING MING, which stars Zhou Xun and Daniel Wu, I was initially impressed by first-time director Susan Au's MTV-influenced style. The rapid-fire cuts, freeze frames and disjointed editing are delivered with flair, it reminded me of Wong Kar Wai works like CHUNGKING EXPRESS and FALLEN ANGELS, and also a bit of Japanese anime.

R. I. P. Loga of Alleycats

Loganathan Arumugam, vocalist of the legendary Malaysian band, ALLEYCATS, has passed away this morning at the age of 54. He was diagnosed with lung cancer.

SHREK THE THIRD

There was one brief scene in Shrek The Third (I'll just call it Shrek 3 here, it's easier for me) that moved me a little. It's when a one-eyed villainous minion who is in the midst of tying Shrek up reveals that it's Bring Your Child To Work day, and calls out his shy little young daughter (also one-eyed) for a loving hug.

"How did a monster like me deserve someone like her?" The villainous one-eyed minion asks as his daughter laughs in his arms, bringing shame to the fatherhood-shunning Shrek.

Is this why we can't do film noirs in Malaysia?

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep, a classic film noir

This is something I heard from an industry insider few days ago:

Ever wonder why we haven't seen that many (or any?) Malaysian films featuring private detectives, femme fatales, or anything that's like a film noir*?

[French Film Festival Malaysia 2007] Hors De Prix (Priceless)

Hors De Prix is the second film I saw from the GSC French Film Festival, after the heart-wrenching La Mome (La Vie en Rose). I've always wanted to catch this film since reading Sebastian's rave review on his blog last month, besides, it's already not much of a secret that I'm a sucker for romantic comedies anyway. So, after getting Sebastian's confirmation that it's a good date movie (as long as the female companion does not feel insecure and tiny about the fact that the pretty Audrey Tautou's boobs are always threatening to pop out from the fashionable dresses she's wearing in the film), I invited a lovely lady friend to see the movie with me.

R. I. P. Izumi Sakai (Zard)

Updated (September 2, 2012): Zard is a pop group. And Izumi Sakai was its lead vocalist and leader. I always referred to her as Zard because to me, she WAS Zard. But I decide to revise this blog post so that I can try to separate the Sakai the person, from the group.

I was pretty shocked when I read about singer-songwriter Izumi Sakai's death on today's newspapers.

[French Film Festival Malaysia 2007] La Mome' (or La Vie en Rose)

Just came back from seeing LA MOME (LA VIE EN ROSE is the US title) with my dad at the French Film Festival in GSC 1-Utama.

(I'll refer this film as LA MOME in this entry.)

In Defense Of Film Critics...?

"Filmmakers need an audience, that's for certain. but do filmmakers need film critics? hmmm... i wonder. One thing for sure, filmmakers have absolutely no use for self-proclaimed film experts or film pontificators."

The above quote is a post by filmmaker Yasmin Ahmad (Sepet, Gubra, Mukhsin) two days ago at the Malaysian Cinema mailing list, during a discussion (it's ironic that the whole thing was sparked by a short film of a new member I introduced the mailing list to) two days ago. Which started to make me... think.

A NIGHTMARISH Acting Audition... Method Acting is bad?

Alfred Hitchcock hates method acting

I'm currently helping out with a short film.

(There are also other job offers I'm still pondering, my Sin Chew Daily interview seems to have its benefits :D)

The director and I had an audition yesterday trying to find the right actors and actresses for the four primary roles of his film, and we were meant to meet up with two actresses and an actor.

(For the sake of protecting everyone's identities, I'm not going to divulge real names)

It was a nightmare.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World’s End

Just came back from the My.fm-organized preview of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (I'll refer it as POTC3 in this review) with my dad.

Rum of Heartsdales. Hot!

"I ride boys like a motorcycle."
-Rum

There's an interview about her and her sister here.

Blue Gate Crossing 藍色大門, Beautiful Taiwanese Film!

"Maybe someday, a year later, or maybe three, if you start liking boys, you must tell me. Don't laugh, I'm serious."

Maids for hire

Nude Fun

Do note here that I will charge an iniquitous sum of RM800 per hour and if you fail to abide, my mop will be going up a part of your body.

I will dress in ANYTHING except a chicken costume because I am there to look provocative and sexy, not like I recently knocked my head.

You will not get a refund if you find the aforementioned maid lacking in the breast department.

You will keep that dissatisfaction to yourself.

If you want to place an order, contact me at 012-of-course-this-is-a-joke-do-you-take-me-for-an-idiot or e-mail Swifty (he is my pimp! Oops. Did I say that out loud?) for further details.

Note: Hey Swifty, how come when I post photos, it is clickable but when you post it is not? Teach me how to do that!

VIDEO: Celebrating Mother's Day 2007

I'm a week late, but here's a video of my family celebrating Mother's Day last Sunday at this awesome seafood restaurant.

Had two guests with us that day: Auntie Tai, a family friend, who had to celebrate with us cos' her kids were in UK, and my cousin Fung Ming, who had to celebrate with us cos' her parents were in her hometown Ipoh.


Swifty's family, celebrating Mother's Day 2007

So, how did you guys celebrate Mother's Day?

Related links:
My Top 10 Great Mother-Child Movies

VIDEO: Weekend In Ipoh Part 1: Day And Night In Ipoh
(note: the cousin Hing Yip in this video is cousin Fung Ming's younger brother)

VIDEO: Weekend In Ipoh Part 2: Unlocking My Mother's Past

Tags: happy mother's day, mother, youtube, video, diary, vlog

I LOVE Asobi Seksu!

One album I've been listening to a lot in the past week is Asobi Seksu's CITRUS. Asobi Seksu's a shoegazing rock band based in New York, their lead vocalist is Yuki Chikudate, who said in an interview with Pitchfork that one of the creepiest fan experiences for her was when she was surrounded by a bunch of hardcore otaku who called her Asobi and talked to her about anime. The band name, Asobi Seksu meant 'play sex' 'fun sex' 'playful sex' or something like that in Japanese.

What a coincidence that both Justin and I have been getting pretty into female Japanese singers named Yuki these days, just that his Yuki is in Japan while mine's in US.

Nada So So 涙そうそう is really a tearjerker (with a great ending song)

Updated (18/5/2007): Added music video of the 'Nada So So' song's Chinese version by Joi Chua.

NADA SO SO (TEARS FOR YOU) is directed by Nobuhiro Doi, whose previous film is the highly popular IMA AI NI YUKIMASU. Like that film (which, to me, really isn't as good as its vastly superior TV dorama series), NADA SO SO belongs to the 'Pure/ Innocent Love' (Jun-ai) genre, but different in a sense that it focuses more on sibling love than romantic love. Though obviously, it's still as much as a weepy tearjerker as the other films of this genre.

Just look at the poster above. Can something like that NOT be emo?

Melbourne Portable Film Festival + The Most Discouraging Post Office Worker Ever.

I received an email last Wednesday from the Portable Film Festival in Melbourne, Australia, inviting me to submit my short film, GIRL DISCONNECTED to the festival for competition. Needless to say, I was absolutely elated.

After all, this happened just one day after my Sin Chew Daily newspaper interview was published, and that this was also the very time I've ever been invited to submit my works to a foreign film festival. It was stated in the email that a member of their (the Portable Film Fest) research team found GIRL DISCONNECTED (I wonder how, the member's Malaysian? My film wasn't shown anywhere in Australia outside my own uni... very mysterious) and that's why they wanted me to submit it to the fest.

So, immediately I burnt a copy of GD and put it into an envelope, deadline's on the 30th of May, I couldn't afford to miss it. I headed to the post-office to send my stuff to Melbourne.

And had the misfortune to meet the most discouraging and pessimistic post office employee ever.

Mother's Day Special: Top 10 Great Mother - Child Films

In order to celebrate Mother's Day, I'm listing out my personal top 10 films about mother-child relationships that I like.

(Compiling a list of good films about mother and child relationships just seem so much harder than those about father and son...)

Cinema Paradiso. Original vs New Version

**Mild spoiler warning for both versions of Cinema Paradiso**

Was watching the director's cut version of Cinema Paradiso (called the 'New Version') on DVD with my dad a few nights ago. Now already regarded as a classic, I've definitely heard of this 1988 Italian film (made in 1988, released internationally in 1990... I think) for a really long time, but never really had the opportunity to find either the chance, or the mood to watch it even though my dad has the DVD of the original for years.

Dad managed to borrow the Cinema Paradiso: New Version DVD from his friend, which he hadn't seen, so we watched it together. Father and son watching a nice coming-of-age story of a boy and his friendship with a father figure, awesome.

To the uninitiated, film's about a famous film director who returns home to a Sicilian village for the first time after almost 30 years to attend a funeral of Alfredo, an old friend. He reminisces about his childhood at the Cinema Paradiso where Alfredo, the projectionist, first brought about his love of films. He is also reminded of his lost teenage love, Elena, whom he had to leave before he left for Rome.

A discussion on the most beautiful languages in the world (...and the ugliest)

A MSN conversation:

What Tsai Ming-Liang Said To Me

I met Tsai Ming-Liang at the Sin Chew Daily headquarters last night. Born and raised in Kuching, Malaysia, he is one of the most celebrated 'Second New Wave' directors of Taiwanese cinema, his films are often compared with the works of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Francois Truffaut, Robert Bresson and Michaelangelo Antonioni.

”我要努力实现导演梦“ (I will work hard to fulfill my dreams of directing) - Interview On Sin Chew Daily

My interview with Sin Chew Daily, Malaysia's leading Chinese newspaper, just came out today. I was truly surprised, and amazed to see that I was on the cover of the Sin Chew Plus section, I'm truly amazed, and humbled, by this.

The interview focused mostly on my determination to chase my dreams, my filmmaking misadventures, and a bit about my short film, GIRL DISCONNECTED.

Check out my interview on Sin Chew Daily's website. It's in Chinese though.

I'll just translate some quotes from myself.

Two Teaser Clips From GIRL DISCONNECTED

Working with me is NOT a privilege.

It's more like a punishment to most. Justin himself can tell you how many takes I would go for just to get a simple shot right. A production shoot with me can be really tedious and frustrating since I'm, er, a perfectionist.

But also, for the sake of reassuring everyone that I'm REALLY a filmmaker and not just some shallow lecherous hack who was only capitalizing on some opportunity to ogle at babes in an event which MIGHT enforce the objectification of women (initially, I was named as the judge without receiving a personal mail from the organizer) like some people do ;-), I shall share with you extended scenes from my last film, GIRL DISCONNECTED, just for a glimpse of, well, my filmmaking style. Enjoy.

James Lee's 'Things We Do When We Fall In Love 当我们同在一起'

This happened last week when I was at the press screening of THINGS WE DO WHEN WE FALL IN LOVE:

VIDEO: Filmmakers Anonymous 3

Filmmakers Anonymous 3

On the 27th of April, I went to FILMMAKERS ANONYMOUS 3 with Chewxy, just hours after attending the James Lee press conference (check out my vlog entry of the press conference if you haven't already).

2 months have passed since the previous session of FILMMAKERS ANONYMOUS, in which my short, GIRL DISCONNECTED, had its Malaysian premiere, (check out my videoblog entry of FA2 if you haven't already as well) I was absolutely eager to check out the list of short films available this time.

The following were the list of short films screened on that night (taken from Filmmakers Anonymous's official site)

HIKARU GENJI 光ゲンジ

HIKARU GENJI

Spider-Man 3 is not that bad (if viewed with irony)

Like most people, this is my most-anticipated film of the year, so I was absolutely excited when it turned out that I've gotten tickets to Hitz.fm's sneak preview of Spider-Man 3 just a day before its nationwide release (Spidey 3 is premiering in Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and numerous other Asian countries on the 1st of May whilst people of USA can only catch the film on the 4th of May, YESSSSSS!!!).

I've long placed SPIDER-MAN 2 high up the pedestal as my favourite superhero movie of all time, because everything about it appealed to me, the humour, the action, the character drama, the romance, everything clicked so well that there was nothing I could complain about the film at all.

SPIDER-MAN 2 had pushed the bar so high that, since then, every single big-budget superhero movie that came out, with the exception of BATMAN BEGINS, seemed just like kiddie movies. Mindless popcorn entertainment that may satisfy only hardcore comic book fans. X-MEN 3 was entertaining for its major explosions (but nothing much), SUPERMAN RETURNS was so overwhelming in its sheer seriousness (and its attempt to make Supes suffer from girl problems like Spidey) that it left a bad taste in my mouth some time after I saw it, GHOST RIDER was rubbish, FANTASTIC FOUR was amusing sometimes (but only because I was in a good mood when watching it, and Jessica Alba convinced me that the film ain't that bad).

SPIDER-MAN 2 is near perfection, and represents, to me, commercial filmmaking at its best, when the artsy fartsy poser types start speaking haughtily about their disdain for Hollywood films, I point at SPIDER-MAN 2, I said that a film like that impresses me much more as some self-indulgent incoherent rubbish that packages itself as 'high art'.

And because of that, I never expected SPIDER-MAN 3 to surpass its predecessor, I'd be happy enough if the drop of standard isn't dramatic, and that it can still be nearly as good as SPIDER-MAN 2. Hearing that there would be three villains in the film had worried me initially, making me fear that the film would end up becoming something like BATMAN AND ROBIN, crushing under the weight of the numerous characters and subplots it needed to juggle.

James Lee's meditative 'Before We Fall In Love Again 念 你 如 昔'

Before We Fall In Love Again is the first film of Malaysian indie director James Lee's planned 'Love trilogy' (a series of three standalone films that share the same central theme and recurring cast members, something like Korean director Park Chan Wook's 'Revenge trilogy', but without the sex and violence, and with a much lower budget). The film is about two men and the woman they both love.

VIDEO: James Lee's BEFORE WE FALL IN LOVE AGAIN and THINGS WE DO WHEN WE FALL IN LOVE Press Conference

On the 26th and 27th of April, GSC Mid Valley held press screenings of two films by the Malaysian indie director James Lee, BEFORE WE FALL IN LOVE AGAIN and THINGS WE DO WHEN WE FALL IN LOVE, both part of his LOVE trilogy, followed by a press conference that featured him and three cast members of both films, Amy Len, Loh Bok Lai and Chye Chee Keong.

'Mr. Bean's Holiday' might be the best Mr. Bean film ever

I was amazed by the popularity of this movie, judging from the fact that it's still showing in the cinemas after more than a month, and still having difficulties trying to get a ticket even though the movie's been in cinemas for that long. (Attempted to see it with family during opening weekend, but to no avail)

I can't call myself a Mr. Bean fan. To me, he can be both repulsive and funny, and I sometimes had problems trying to decide whether I liked him, or hated him. Despite thus, like most people here, I did grow up watching his TV show, so, naturally, watching this new film, Mr. Bean's Holiday, is like a reunion with someone from your past whom you don't really like and haven't met for quite a while (it's been exactly ten years since the first film, BEAN).

10 Things To Do After A Break-Up (PS I Hate You list)

(Edmund: In case you cannot read the name of the author at the bottom of this blog post properly, I would like to point out that this blog post, despite remaining as one of the most popular blog posts of all time here, is written not by me but by the self-published author May Zhee)

Don’t you just hate it when you find yourself still itching to go back to the daily life with your partner even after The Breakup? This especially pertains to those close-knit couples, who will go crazy and pull out their hair or something if they are away from each other.

Why would such a great couple break up in the first place I wouldn’t know. Maybe they grew bored. Maybe their parents got in the way. Maybe I stole their boyfriends. Etc etc.

Since the book PS I Love You tells about the list a girl followed to free herself from the cage of all things lugubrious due to her husband’s death, my list PS I Hate You will tell about what you can do to keep yourself from running back to your ex just minutes after The Breakup.

Apart from building a wall out of potatoes in front of your house, I mean.

Actually, I think that goes into the list too.

How I Survived Writer's Block When Writing My New Screenplay.

Thanks, Dawn.

The first two thirds of Danny Boyle's 'Sunshine' are quite great. Last third, hmm.

Sunshine, the newest film by Danny Boyle (director of Trainspotting, The Beach, 28 Days Later etc.) and written by Alex Garland, is a sci-fi film unlike most others you usually see in cinemas. Belonging more to the 'hard' sci-fi subgenre (2001, Solaris etc.) than Cyberpunk (Blade Runner, Minority Report, Matrix, DEMOLITION MAN!) or Space Opera (Star Wars, Star Trek, The Fifth Element), this film, while visually spectacular, relies more on character development and slow-burning tension than cheap explosions.

The Videoblogger Speaketh! - Interview With SURF! Magazine

SURF! Magazine had just published an interview with me about videoblogging, conducted via e-mail on February by fellow filmmaker Zan Azlee during my vacation at India.

My Thoughts On The 26th Annual Hong Kong Film Awards. YEAH! Lau Ching Wan!!!

I'll get into my thoughts about the results later, for now, some thoughts about the show itself.

Film Students Spoofing David O' Russell's 'I HEART HUCKABEES' Flip Out

3 weeks ago, a video (below) of David O' Russell flipping out on Lily Tomlin at the set of I HEART HUCKABEES was leaked out and posted on Youtube:

Eimi Yamada

The above is a picture of Eimi Yamada.

Defending Fanfiction. Was It Worth It?

JUSTIN:
More than a year ago, I posted an entry called 'In Defense of Fanfiction'. Earlier on the day it was written, Swifty sent me a link to an article by fantasy writer Robin Hobb - someone I knew of but had never read, my interest in American fantasy-genre fiction being comparatively low. The Hobb essay, which attacked fanfiction and its writers on principle, seemed distinctly petty, childish, and reactionary - in need of a good thrashing, in other words. Although I didn't hold any particular interest in fanfiction at the time, neither reading nor writing it, the Hobb essay seemed to be opposed to not only fanfiction but, more broadly, creativity in general. So without even really thinking I tore through a rebuttal, easily demolishing the numerous straw-men and outright fallacies Hobb had put forth. I posted it and then proceeded to think nothing more of it: seeing as it was written in less than fifteen minutes and our readership at the time was probably less than a hundred people, I expected it to be quickly forgotten.

'TMNT' made me remember the days when I dressed up as a Ninja Turtle

Back when I was 8, there was this costume performance event in my primary school where participants are supposed to dress up in costumes of their choices and perform for the Standard 6 students during their Graduation Ceremony. The numerous preliminary rounds leading up to that event remain my most vivid memories of my primary school days.

I remembered a girl dressed up as a pop star. (she had some pretty mad dancing moves)

I remembered some performing a Malay dance.

Then some performing an Indian dance (naturally, it was a huge hit).

And then, a few girls dressed in kimono, performing some traditional Japanese dance.

There was also a Korean dance, but I might have mixed it up with the Japanese dance.

And then, there was me, who dressed up as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

My Short Film, Girl Disconnected, Screening At KL Jam Asia Tonight!

Yes, after being screened at FILMMAKERS ANONYMOUS 2 (videoblog here, watch me babble non-stop about my film, includes snippets of the film itself) on February and MALAYSIAN SHORTS on March (videoblog here, watch me babble less about my film, and watch famed Msian filmmaker Amir Muhammad presenting the films), my short film, GIRL DISCONNECTED, is going to be screened at KL JAM ASIA this month (... er, wow), which, I believe, is a special REPEAT SCREENING of FILMMAKERS ANONYMOUS 2. (FILMMAKER ANONYMOUS and CINEJAM are sister events/ close allies/ best friends etc.) tonight (12th of April), at 9:30pm.

This MALAY MAIL article features screenshots of GIRL DISCONNECTED.

It's unlikely for me to attend the actual screening since I'm having dinner with some family friends (where I will seize the opportunity to convince this friend of mine to be the main guy in my upcoming short film), but I'll see whether I can make it to the Q & A session after the screenings.

(of course, even with my absence, enthusiastic viewers eager to know the secrets behind the romanticism and poetry of my last short film can always leave their questions here)

I will now copy and paste the line-up from CINEJAM's site:

Back From TV Movie Production Shoot. Working On New Short Film!

Yup, I'm back after a week in Port Dickson for my assistant director gig.

The poisoned and mortal wound of the civilised world

Manic Street Preachers knew it.

"You're obliged to pretend respect for people and institutions you think absurd. You live attached in a cowardly fashion to moral and social conventions you despise, condemn, and know lack all foundation. It is that permanent contradiction between your ideas and desires and all the dead formalities and vain pretences of your civilization, which makes you sad, troubled and unbalanced. In that intolerable conflict you lose all joy of life and all feeling of personality, because at every moment they suppress and restrain and check the free play of your powers. That's the poisoned and mortal wound of the civilised world."
- Octave Mirbeau

Defending THE DEPARTED makes me a mindless Hollywood drone?

**Warning: This post contains spoilers for THE DEPARTED and INFERNAL AFFAIRS**

My recent involvement in a new production, coupled with my month-long addiction to Final Fantasy 12 made me too busy to actually post much here. I know some occasional film reviews and a once-in-a-blue-moon videoblog entry, peppered with one or two of Justin's 'too bored to blog' posts in the past month hadn't really make this blog that interesting. So I intend to write something I've been feeling rather strongly about in the past week.

The kind of hate THE DEPARTED had generated from hardcore INFERNAL AFFAIRS fans since its victory at last month's Academy Awards had started to irk me. But then, their reactions towards THE DEPARTED ever since Brad Pitt bought the remake rights years ago hadn't been exactly exemplary. And I've always believed that everyone's been waiting for a chance to rip the movie apart, to nitpick at the smallest things, to throw rationality and objectivity in the wind and condemn those ignorant gwailos for defiling our much-beloved yellow culture.