Conversation on John Carney's 'ONCE' with Sebastian

A MSN conversation I had with Sebastian:

Shilin Night Market and Pirated DVDs

Photos I took of the Taipei Train Station during the day, along with the buildings nearby:

Taipei 101, The Tallest Building In The World (... for now)

Visited Taipei 101, the tallest COMPLETED building in the world today.

Trying understand Tsui Hark's career arc

Dad had finally finished his conference, so he could finally join us (that's me + mom + Uncle Beau) on our Taipei exploration.

First place of the day we went to was the Guanghua Market, which is Taipei's equivalent of Low Yat Plaza or the Digital Mall (or Japan's Akihabara)

KURUS Production Diary - Photos from Semenyih

Four photos I took with my mobile phone when I was location hunting with Ming Jin the Mentor at Semenyih for our upcoming production KURUS (I posted about the problems I faced with casting the main role few days ago). It was the day before I flew off to Taiwan.

Half-day Taipei City Tour

The middle building is the hotel I'm staying at.

Taipei Film House, Ding Tai Feng and street vendors of Taipei

I tried out the Tonkatsu Burger in McDonald's for lunch for one reason:

It's pork.

We don't have pork burgers in Malaysia.

Raohe Street Night Market

I'm in Taipei right now. Arrived just a few hours earlier. Came with my parents. Dad was supposedly going to have a meeting regarding some music publishing stuff, so he has two of his colleagues with him, so mom decided to tag along, and since mom tagged along, I decided to tag along as well, and since I tagged along, my uncle (mom's cousin) decided to tag along too, so now we have six people going to Taipei together.

Reached Taipei around seven in the evening, wasn't too impressed by the airport as it didn't look that different from the last time I visited... 11 years ago (I've never actually been to the country, but had stopped by at the airport during several occasions for transit). After checking in at the Donghwa Hotel, we decided to go for food. One of the receptionists (who bore a slight resemblance to Elva Hsiao) recommended the Raohe Street night Market just a few blocks away from the hotel, and that's where we went.

The place looks really beautiful at night, and reminds me of Petaling Street (which is also one of those places which looks much better at night compared to the day).

Film adaptation of STARDUST, my favourite Neil Gaiman book

I saw Stardust in Perth last month and had long wanted to review it, but never had the time. While I like some of Gaiman's works, Justin and I had been rather outspoken about our problem with Neil Gaiman. I never understood the fuss about AMERICAN GODS, I found it underwhelming and paled in comparison with his earlier works, STARDUST and NEVERWHERE and even the short stories he wrote in SMOKES AND MIRRORS (won't be bringing the graphic novels into the fray).

KURUS Production Diary - The Quest To Find A Skinny Malay Boy

The next production I'm going to get involved in will be another telemovie for NTV7 called KURUS. Borrowed the DA HUANG office last Friday to organize an audition. Was casting the three main roles, the skinny protagonist (the title character, a Malay boy), his plump comic relief sidekick (can be a boy of any races) and a Hermione Granger-like girl (can be a girl of any races).

Many turned up for the audition, the youngest was 12, the oldest was 22, half of them accompanied by parents, and almost all of them were girls (in fact, only two were males but neither skinny nor plump nor look the age of 15). So, while we had a pool of actresses to choose from, the other two main male roles remained a problem.

Fueled by desperation (and the lack of time, I'm flying off to Taiwan tomorrow), I decided to ask people I know whether they know any skinny 15-year-old Malay kids that we can cast for the protagonist last night. The first person I asked was my cousin, who had just finished his PMR (and bears an uncanny resemblance to me, albeit more rotund, look at photo below!)

Brothers 兄弟 starring Eason Chan, Andy Lau, Michael Miu Kiu Wai

The generically-titled 'BROTHERS' is a reunion for four of TVB Five Tigers (five of the most popular TV actors in Hong Kong during the 80s): Andy Lau, Michael Miu Kiu Wai, Felix Wong Yat Wah and Kent Tong Chun-Yip

Produced by Andy Lau's Focus Pictures (same one who brought us Ho Yuhang's Rain Dogs), BROTHERS is a triad film about brotherhood and honour, which is just like the hundreds of other Hong Kong triad films out there, it doesn't help that director Derek Chiu takes a laidback, craftsman-like manner to make this film, taking a seat back and relying solely on the charisma of the actors.

Triangle 铁三角 by Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To

TRIANGLE is a wet dream come true for HK film purists. Three iconic Hong Kong directors, Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam and Johnnie To, working together on a film. They have known each other since their TVB days 30 years ago, and the idea of a story being handed to a director to develop and film separately came from Tsui Hark.

Liew Seng Tat's 'Flower In The Pocket' Won 2 Awards At Pusan International Film Festival

(Blog post no. 999. Look out for the next one, I'm announcing a contest.)



I'm a couple of days late, but gonna post this:

'Dear Frankie' made me weep like a little girl.

Pardon my lack of updates these days, been busy setting up casting sessions for an upcoming film, while working on submitting mentor Woo Ming Jin's film, The Elephant and The Sea to the local censorship board (some re-editing for the film had also been done, coupled with some new background music composed by yours truly), and I also had this new addiction for ENTOURAGE (watched the first two seasons) and HEROES (watched the first 8 episodes). Ah well, just your usual producer stuff.

Anyway, I watched 'Dear Frankie' on DVD yesterday. It's about a 9-year-old deaf boy, Frankie (Jack McElhone), who writes letters to his absent father all the time, but the letters he received from the father are actually make-believe letters written by his mother Lizzie (Emily Mortimer), telling the boy his adventures as a sailor in exotic lands on the ship HMS ACCRA (a name invented by Lizzie).

Conversation on 'Brave Story ブレイブ・ストーリー' with DMJ

It's rare to have a Japanese animated film shown in local theaters, not a single Ghibli film had ever gotten theatrical distribution in Malaysia, yet this year, I was surprised to see not one, but TWO anime films screened in theaters, the first one being a Doraemon movie (Nobita's Dinosaur 2007 or something like that) and BRAVE STORY.

I'm reviewing this film with DMJ because she's an anime specialist. I said specialist, because she is self-aware, cynical, witty and intellectual enough NOT to be a mere constantly squealing anime otaku fangirl.

HOWEVER, our exchange contains MAJOR SPOILERS and is better read if you have already seen the film and is interested to jump into a discussion with us.

Otherwise, if you want more conventional, spoiler-less reviews, you should check out A Nutshell Review's... review, Saffron Star's review or SHTUFF: Anime Blogage's review

All I can say is that it's a visually amazing animated film that sucks you right into its fantasy world, but is plagued with a weak storyline and underdeveloped characters and subplots. Enjoyable, but not mindblowing.

RESIDENT EVIL 3: EXTINCTION

The one semi-cool scene in Resident Evil 3, where Milla Jovovich was burning infected crows and shit

The Resident Evil films are an important part of video game adaptation history. It is the first and only trilogy of live-action films based on video games (disregarding spin-offs and straight-to-DVD sequels) so far. We haven't had a Tomb Raider 3, yet we have the privilege to endure a third Resident Evil film.

Goodbye old laptop. Hello new laptop.

My old laptop died early last month. It happened in an afternoon without warning. Just the sounds of clicking and whirring from the insides, and everything froze, the LCD screen went black.

I never understood what happened. The motherboard got fried, along with other things inside. Repairing it would cost nearly as much as buying a new laptop, so I made a painful decision. She was put down.

The Detective C+侦探 by the Pang brothers

When I saw 'THE DETECTIVE' (Chinese title of the film translates as C+ Detective, a Cantonese wordplay for 'Private Detective') the newest film from the Pang Brothers two nights ago, my immediate thought was that Chewxy would have benefited a lot from watching it if this film had came out before he did his debut short film.

Returning to the filmmakers' roots, THE DETECTIVE is set entirely in Thailand, and the film begins with a Thai song. The story is simple, like an old-fashioned film noir, a nearsighted private detective Tam (Aaron Kwok) is visited by an acquaintance, Fat Dragon, one morning, who seeks his help in finding a woman named Sum (Fat Dragon claims that the woman is trying to kill him). So Tam takes this seemingly innocuous case that becomes increasingly complex as it goes on, especially when each lead he gets will bring him to a dead body.

Happy Birthday to ME

First off thanks to everyone who wished me Happy Birthday in the last post from Swifty. It was truly an amazing night involving handcuffs, baked goods, and far too much liquor. I am now officially an old man of 23.

The Sarah Connor Chronicles Pilot! Me luv Terminators!

Terminator 2 is one of my favourite action films of all-time, until this day, I don't think it had aged. The film IS. A. TIMELESS. CLASSIC!

The first Terminator, due to its low-budget, understandably didn't age very well, but it still has some good parts. But man, Terminator 2! So many awesome action set pieces balanced with great character moments that blockbusters these days are incapable of doing. Hell, I have to say that for me, Terminator 2 is THE ultimate James Cameron movie! (... you weren't expecting me to pick TITANIC, were you?)

I enjoyed Terminator 3 too, it knows that it'll never top Terminator 2, so it became a bit more self-referential and comedic, and seeing Arnold getting his butt whupped by a skinny chick in a toilet was just too funny. However, one thing that made Terminator 3 good was its nice 'twist' ending, where wimpy John Connor will finally assume his destined role as the leader of humanity after failing to stop the nuclear war. Without the redemptive ending, the movie would've sucked a lot!!!

One thing that bothered me was Sarah Connor's death in Terminator 3 (it happened before the events of the film). The idea of having the heroic Sarah Connor lose the fight against leukemia despite being able to survive and invincible cyborg like T-1000 is kinda sad. WHY????? (true story is that Linda Hamilton doesn't want to do T3 cos' she thought the script sucked)

When a Terminator series called The Sarah Connor Chronicles was announced last year, I felt a mixture of excitement and worry. Excitement because I'm a Terminator fan, worry because I fear the TV series would belong to the land of suckness, and it's just another stupid attempt to cash in on a venerable franchise.

My 'LUST, CAUTION' review quoted on Taipei Times!

Didn't know anything about this until Sebastian left me a comment at my 'LUST, CAUTION' review. Wow, my review got quoted by Taipei Times.

Say Happy (Belated) Birthday To Justin!

I shall start this with two videos of our birthday boy Justin.

Mogwai - Hunted by a Freak

In this Mogwai video, CGI-animated animals are thrown off a building and die. That's all. I find it strangely satisfying and beautiful. It would have been rubbish with a different song, one that tried to 'play it up', but the somber music contrasts well with the visual style. Every time I watch a 3D animated film I usually imagine the annoying pseudo-cartoons dying in some way, so this was a huge relief. This is how they should all be killed: dispassionately, dropped from a great height, soundtracked by Mogwai. There's a great moment where it looks like a turtle is going to be saved, only to be immediately run over by a car. And another one where two animals try unsuccessfully to embrace in midair.

'Nana 2' needed Aoi Miyazaki

Watched NANA 2 during my flight home from Perth last week. I liked the first NANA a lot, the 2005 Japanese box-office champ was consistently entertaining and featured a powerhouse performance from Nakashima Mika (til this day, I tell everyone that I prophesized her superstardom when I first heard her 'HELPLESS RAIN' in 2001) as the gothic punk rocker Nana. And there was good chemistry between her and 'the other Nana' (Hachi) played by Miyazaki Aoi, so despite the film seemingly not resolving anything much (it was obviously leaving lots of room for a sequel) and I could never really buy into Nana's romance with Ren (Ren's too bland and boring for Nana), the first Nana film still managed to make me feel satisfied.

Satisfied enough to not ask for a sequel because it had a good enough open-ended ending.

I should have treated Nana 2 as some straight-to-DVD Disney sequels and disregard its existence, because, with the overhaul of cast members (three major characters are played by new cast members... including Hachi), I figured that the cast change thing will feel more like SPEED 2 and not DARK KNIGHT. Miyazaki Aoi had made Hachi her role, infusing the characer with such (sickeningly irresistible?) cuteness that replacing Miyazaki Aoi with Yui Ichikawa is like replacing Keanu Reeves with Jason Patric, it's not going to make the fans cheer like replacing Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal in the upcoming Batman film!

Despite knowing that the film's been both a commercial and critical disappointment, curiosity got the better of me, and I chose to watch the film.

'Lust, Caution 色，戒' (The heavily censored version)

Lust, Caution is Ang Lee's first Chinese-language film since 2000's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Some locations of the film were shot at Penang and Ipoh in Malaysia. The film's gotten quite a bit of attention over here ever since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month, where it won the Golden Lion. Of course, the attention wasn't on it winning one of the film industry's most prestigious awards, but on the graphic sex scenes, a fact that Ang Lee himself hadn't been really happy about.

While adamant not to make any cuts for the film's US release (it will be rated NC-17). Longtime Ang Lee collaborator and Focus CEO James Schamus, who co-wrote the screenplay, said he is accepting the rating "without protest". "When we screened the final cut of this film, we knew we weren't going to change a frame," he said. "Every moment up on that screen works and is an integral part of the emotional arc of the characters. The MPAA has screened the film now and made its decision, and we're comfortable with that."

HIDDEN SUMMER IN MY HEART 陌生人

I was very interested in watching the local film HIDDEN SUMMER IN MY HEART when it was at the theaters last month. I was intrigued by its trailer, and I was curious to see what these new filmmakers Felix Tan (the director) and co. could come up with. The film is from Lim Kok Wing University's newly set-up Film and Television Academy.

Conversation on 'The King Of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters' with Justin

MSN conversation between Justin and I about the documentary, The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.

Royston Tan's '881: The Papaya Sisters 881: 木瓜姐妹'

881: The Papaya Sisters, directed by Royston Tan, is the first Singaporean film I've actually paid to see in the theaters! (I watched most of Jack Neo's stuff at home)

Conversation on 'Bourne Ultimatum' With Erna

My guest reviewer for Bourne Ultimatum is Erna Mahyuni, actress, theater practitioner and editor-in-chief of the best-selling PC.com magazine. You can check out her Bourne Ultimatum review too if you want.

Judd Apatow's KNOCKED UP

I loved 40-Year-Old Virgin, so when I found out about director Judd Apatow's follow-up, Knocked Up, all those months ago, I was already stoked.

Then the positive reviews started coming in, and the film became one of the best-reviewed wide releases of the year.

Even more anticipation from me.

Chillin' in Perth

I'm currently in Perth. Just had my graduation ceremony three nights ago (on the 17th). It's my second graduation ceremony, so it wasn't as exciting as my first one (held last March), on the other hand, I am rather looking forward to have two photos of me in robes hanging on my bedroom wall, and two have two certificates as well.

Seen quite a number of movies that I haven't had the chance to review because my laptop got fried two weeks ago. So I'll just list them all out as a reminder for films I've seen but haven't had the chance to review:

• Knocked Up


• 881: The Papaya Sisters


• Away From Her


• ... a Hong Kong film starring Alex Fong Lik Sun which title I cannot remember (will find out later)


• Bourne Ultimatum


• Hairspray

Might go and see Superbad or Stardust later tonight.

It's My Little Sister's Birthday. Say Happy Birthday To Her!

My sister, Sandra Yeo, is 18 today.

Everything that needs to be said about her is in this post. (I posted that for my little sister during her birthday last year, even Dawn Yang left a comment)

My li'l sis looked like this when she was a bit more than 2 weeks old.

KL Rhythm (A Love Letter To Kuala Lumpur) - An Abandoned Short Film Project

Photo by Stuck in Customs
Two months ago, I posted about RED BEAN SOUP, an abandoned short film project of mine. And from the ashes of the discarded idea, I pieced together another story called KL RHYTHM.

KL Rhythm, as you can see from its title, was another urban story. I wanted to romanticize the city of Kuala Lumpur like Woody Allen did with New York City, yet infuse it with colourful MTV-style hyper-realism like one would see from the works of Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run and the short film, True).

It was definitely a notch above the melodramatic silly weepie RED BEAN SOUP, but still not the follow-up for GIRL DISCONNECTED I had in mind. Since the chances of me actually making this short film will be rather low, I'm posting the treatment of KL Rhythm here instead.

(note: The film is meant to be in Mandarin)

Conversation on 'Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版：序' with Justin

A MSN conversation between Justin and I about Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, the first of the new tetralogy of Evangelion films called The Rebuild of Evangelion.

Chile (Part 9): Visiting Pablo Neruda's Last House - Isla Negra

Photo by Bracani.....Antonio
Note: It's better for you to read

• Swifty in Chile (Part 1)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 2)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 3)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 4)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 5): Visiting Pablo Neruda's House - La Chascona And Learning Spanish
• Swifty in Chile (Part 6): "Tu belleza me ha cautivado"
• Swifty In Chile (Part 6.5): Rediscovering Santiago And The Meaning of Film Festivals
• Swifty In Chile (Part 7): Seafood Scam and Glamourous Awards Ceremony
  
• Swifty In Chile (Part 8): Visiting Pablo Neruda's Second House - La Sebastiana In Valparaiso

before you start reading this entry:

---

'The heavy rain of the south falls over Isla Negra'

The heavy rain of the south falls over Isla Negra
like a solitary drop transparent and weighty:
the sea opens its cool leaves to receive it:
the earth learns the wet fate of the glass.

My soul, grant me in your kisses the briny
water of these months, the honey of the region,
the fragrance moistened by the sky’s thousand lips,
the sacred patience of the sea in winter.

Something calls us: all the doors open by themselves,
the water tells a great story to the window-panes,
the sky extends down to touch the roots,

and like this the day weaves and unweaves its celestial net
with time, salt, murmurs, growth, pathways,
a woman, a man, and winter on the Earth.
- Pablo Neruda

22nd of August, 2007. Day 9. One more night left in Chile.

After visiting Pablo Neruda's house, La Sebastiana, at the beautiful city of Valparaiso the day before, I found out that there was still one more Neruda house that I haven't visited.

Isla Negra. (read Isla Negra's history)

His favourite house.

The place where he and his wife, Mathilde Urrutia, were buried.

Short film I produced, 'Blue Roof', world premiering at 12th Pusan International Film Festival

This is rather funny.

I was at the TWITCH last night reading about the Pusan International Film Festival's special focus on the New Malaysian Cinema. This special program, called Three Colours Of New Malaysian Cinema, will feature 6 feature films and 3 short films.

Looking through the list of films in the line-up, I paused when I saw the title of one short film, BLUE ROOF. I was surprised by the short film's inclusion in the list and wondered whether it was a mistake. I went to sleep with lots of questions floating in my mind.

I got a phone call from Ming Jin the following afternoon, confirming with me what had happened.

Well, folks, it seems that BLUE ROOF a short film I had a hand in producing and editing with Greenlight Pictues before I went to Chile will be having its world premiere at the 12th Pusan International Film Festival in Korea!

You see, this film was submitted to the Pusan International Film Fest by Ming Jin while I was in Chile, hence my confusion. Amusing that I would find out about all these in another website!

Malaysia Boleh, baby!

Synopsis of the film:

Albert's unique pleasure in his routine as a security guard is to enjoy the view of the world on the blue roof of the apartment. But one day, a burglar slips away and he gets fired.

Nice looking film, no?

Guey Lun Mei elevated Jay Chou's 'Secret 不能说的秘密'

My feelings for Jay Chou had often been rather weird. Back in 2005, in a post which was really meant to diss Taiwanese pop singer Jolin Chai, I lamented the state of Chinese pop and took some swipes at Jay's tendency to mumble through his songs.

Yet I have always been rather kind towards his film endeavours. I conceded that he 'did not suck' at Initial D and was a good enough sport to let others make fun of his image. I even admitted that he was decent in Curse of the Golden Flowers and that I would take his acting over F4's anytime.

So when his directorial debut, SECRET, was announced, he definitely did not earn any contemptuous sneer or eyeball-rolling from me like I normally would do when I hear news of a singer turned actor attempting to direct a film. In fact, I was a little excited, when I heard that the film's female lead is Guey Lun Mei.

Ratatouille is a great Pixar film

Ratatouille is about a rat, Remy, from the French countryside who wants to be a chef. He goes to a French restaurant opened by his cooking hero, Auguste Gusteau, only to realize that the place is in shambles after the chef's death. His successor, Skinner, is more interested in making a quick profit by selling mass-produced microwave food under Gusteau's name.

Top Posts of August 2007

Here are the top 10 most-viewed posts in August, 2007.

Chile (Part 8): Visiting Pablo Neruda's Second House - La Sebastiana In Valparaiso

Photo by OMGEsteban

Note: It's better for you to read

• Swifty in Chile (Part 1)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 2)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 3)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 4)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 5): Visiting Pablo Neruda's House - La Chascona And Learning Spanish
• Swifty In Chile (Part 6): Rediscovering Santiago And The Meaning of Film Festivals
• Swifty In Chile (Part 7): Seafood Scam and Glamourous Awards Ceremony

before you start reading this entry:

---

21st of August, 2007, Day 8.

The Santiago International Film Festival (SANFIC) had ended the night before.

One by one, the guests left. Hu Shu, and Marina (the Argentinean producer who went to Neruda's house with me days earlier), taking the same bus to the airport.

And then, the Canadian filmmaker, Scott, who philosophized with me the meaning of filmmaking and film festivals under the starry sky. He left too.

I bade them all adieu.

Hu Shu had warned me that one would be lonely if he remained after the end of a film festival, he had to say goodbye to all, and then find something to do by himself. That was the fate I ended up with after extending my stay in Chile.

Two days earlier, Hu Shu had gone off to the fabled Valparaiso, Chile's most important seaport and 'Cultural Capital', the place Pablo Neruda called the 'Ocean's Sweetheart'. So beautiful and steeped with cultural and historical importance that the city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. He came back at night and told me that I had to go there no matter what. He also added that one of Pablo Neruda's houses was there too.

To go to Valparaiso, one would have to take a 2-hour bus ride. I was initially reluctant to do that. Traveling so far in a foreign place? What happens if I cannot return to Santiago in time? Do I have to incur more expenses by spending a night in Valparaiso?

Liked the 'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' film more than book

I often find myself defending Harry Potter movies... from fans of Harry Potter books.

Chile (Part 7): Seafood Scam and Glamourous Awards Ceremony

Note: It's better for you to read

• Swifty in Chile (Part 1)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 2)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 3)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 4)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 5): Visiting Pablo Neruda's House - La Chascona And Learning Spanish
• Swifty In Chile (Part 6): Rediscovering Santiago And The Meaning of Film Festivals

before you start reading this entry:

---

20th of August, 2007. Last day of the Santiago International Film Festival.

After days of working on extending my stay in Chile, things were finally finalized, and I would leave on the 23rd instead. Of course, all these didn't happen that easily, there were still some frustration involved, like the Grand Hyatt Hotel sending me off to another wild goose's chase at the LAN CHILE office, only to have them, tell me again, with visible annoyances in their faces, that they couldn't do anything for me, and that I should be speaking to the Malaysian Airlines office (I would later find out from these people that there was actually a Malaysian Airlines office in Santiago!!!!)

But with that out of the way, I decided to go do some sightseeing and shopping with Hu Shu (that's the Chinese director of I WANT TO DANCE, my first meeting with him chronicled in Swifty in Chile (Part 3)) since I missed out some places the day before, and Hu Shu was about to leave Chile the following day.

First place we went to was the La Moneda Presidential Palace, a place recommended by my Spanish tutors.

NO RESERVATIONS starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart

If, prior to my trip to Chile (still being chronicled in my ongoing series of very poetic blog posts), you tell me that the film I would see during my last day in the country is NO RESERVATIONS, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart and Abigail Breslin, I would have laughed. Hard.

Why would I watch a Hollywood rom-com? When I could've gone for something that would never be shown in Malaysia? Like a Latin American movie?

Well, that's because the (mostly) Spanish-language Latin American films shown in the multiplexes in Santiago do NOT have English subtitles. Not only that, but numerous Hollywood films have been dubbed to Spanish as well, notably those that I wanted to see.

Shocked by these revelations, I asked the nice ticket-selling lady whether there were ANY Hollywood movie in theaters that is in English. She marked a couple of films, one was Transformers, one was Die Hard 4, and the last one was No Reservations, since I have already seen the other two films, I had no choice but to see No Reservations.

Chile (Part 6): Rediscovering Santiago And The Meaning of Film Festivals

Note: It's better for you to read

• Swifty in Chile (Part 1)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 2)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 3)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 4)
• Swifty in Chile (Part 5): Visiting Pablo Neruda's House - La Chascona And Learning Spanish

before you start reading this entry:

---

19th of August. It was still Day 6.

A moment stretched to infinity ended with a postcard written in two Spanish lines. And then a line in Chinese, its meaning forever a mystery to its recipient, in contrary to the layers of meaning intended by the writer himself.

A smile of surprise and gratitude, a swift peck in the cheek, a warm embrace, traces of those left me as I left the hotel and embarked upon a solo tour to PLAZA DE ARMAS, the main square of Santiago. If I had only a day left in the city, I thought I would see as many sights of the city as I could, drinking its images, framing them into memory, just so I could lessen the remorse I would return with.

After a twenty minute ride in the commuter train, I emerged from the metro station of Plaza De Armas, confronted by the sight of a massive structure.

An ancient cathedral which I would know later as the Santiago Metropolitan Cathedral.

Immediately, I snapped photos.

Chile (Part 5): Visiting Pablo Neruda's House - La Chascona And Learning Spanish

Note: It's better for you to read
Swifty in Chile (Part 1)
Swifty in Chile (Part 2)
Swifty in Chile (Part 3)
Swifty in Chile (Part 4)
before you start reading this entry:

Day 5. 18th of August, 2007.

A photo I took from my hotel room when I woke up early in the morning:

Chile (Part 4): THE ELEPHANT AND THE SEA screening at SANFIC

Note: It's better for you to read
Swifty in Chile (Part 1)
Swifty in Chile (Part 2)
Swifty in Chile (Part 3)
before you start reading this entry:

---

Day 4. 17th of August, 2007.

2 hours away from the screening of 'The Elephant and The Sea'.

I sat in the Guest Office, surfing the Net. Finally got the chance to update my blog with two consecutive posts about my first two days in Chile. It was 2pm (2am in Malaysia), some people on my MSN list were online.

I wasn't nervous, just excited. So excited that I needed to vent, needed to come in terms with the act that I was representing Malaysian cinema like an ambassador of sorts, to be present when many of the Latin American audiences will be watching a Malaysian film for the very first time in their lives.

Me, of all people, speaking to audiences half a world away about Malaysian cinema and filmmaking?

Felt like a dream.

Sifow - Love Spell

Sifow.

Second album.

Love Spell.

It was released about a week ago; I just went to Shibuya and bought it.

I know I said I'd given up reviewing music, but what the hell.

Chile (Part 3): Hu Shu goes missing before his I WANT TO DANCE screening

(Go to Swifty in Chile (Part 1) or Swifty in Chile (Part 2))

16th of August, 2007.

A van came at 11:45am and brought me to the Hoyts La Reina multiplex were the WORK IN PROGRESS event was held. I saw the New Yorker director Jay Frisk and his wife, Veronica (whom I mentioned in the first entry) waiting outside the cineplex, I approached them and they looked sympathetic, the news of my screening's cancellation the night before had spread to even the festival invitees.

Chile (Part 2): THE ELEPHANT AND THE SEA screening got canceled!

(Originally written: 17th of August, 2007)

Go read Swifty in Chile (Part 1) if you haven't.

'The Elephant and the Sea', the film I represent as producer, was to be screened at 8:30pm, during my second day in Santiago, Chile. The strange sense of loneliness described at the end of the previous entry was decimated by absolutely delicious breakfast.

I needed to go online before that. And the only way to do so was to bring my laptop to the SANFIC Guest Office.

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.)