The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Finally, more signs of life in Malaysian cinema this year Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:33 PM PDT SEPT 8 — As much as I love films and writing about them, especially Malaysian films, this year has been a particularly painful one in the search of even halfway decent local films. The law of averages would normally dictate that the higher number of Malaysian films being released in cinemas this year should also yield a higher number of quality (or just not plain bad) films compared to last year, and maybe even more box-office hits. We're still not doing so badly in terms of box office this year, because there are still films that people flock to see like "Mael Lambong", but the higher number of films released this year also means that there will be also be a higher number of box-office flops, with some films (which shall remain unnamed, but you can check this year's figures on FINAS's website) failing to even pocket RM100,000 in the cinemas this year. We're now in September already, and I still find it very hard to single out many films from this year's faceless pack, and this from a guy who tries his hardest to catch every single Malaysian film released in the cinemas. The obvious standout is definitely "Bunohan", which did fairly well at the box office, considering the smaller amount of prints it had for distribution. Other than that, there's only "Relationship Status", "Chow Kit" and "Hoore Hoore" that deserve special mention. A bit lower on the scale, I'd give props to "3 Temujanji" for being more than a halfway decent movie, successfully doing what it wants to do, which is telling a romantic story and making Yana Samsudin look unbelievably attractive. Other than that, it's been either one unmitigated disaster after another (I'm looking at you "Jiwa Taiko" and especially "Leftwings", a disaster worthy of last year's "Datin Ghairah") or interesting failures like "Hantu Gangster" and "Sumpahan Puaka", a punishingly routine horror short story idea stretched to feature film length and embellished with director M. Subash's by now trademark fetish with slums and ghettos. It took a while, it really did, but finally more signs of life came during the Raya holidays with the release of "SAM", the debut film by 19-year-old Syafiq Yusof (son of Datuk Yusof Haslam and younger brother of RM20 million man Syamsul Yusof). In terms of storyline and content, the film is really no great shakes, because if you've seen any number of Hollywood doppelganger/schizophrenia narratives like "Fight Club" then you can already telegraph where the film's going from the get go. The true signs of life in this film can actually be found in young Syafiq's grasp of film language, especially in terms of eye-catching visuals. The film indeed feels like the work of a first-timer totally excited to be working in a medium that he loves, with the result that he almost throws everything but the kitchen sink into it as he can barely contain his excitement. The tone of the film is all over the place and there are far too many unnecessary musical montages (set to some quite awful mainstream pop songs) that last for far too long crammed in, presumably to please the mainstream crowd. But for a first film by a 19-year-old, it's already far more interesting than most other mainstream Malay films released this year, and I can't wait to see what he does next. But I think the biggest surprise might simply be the latest film from KRU Studios, "29 Februari". Anyone who knows me will know that I've yet to be impressed by a single one of their films, not the Festival Filem Malaysia (FFM) winners "Magika" nor "Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa", let alone their other films like "Karak" or the "Cicakman" films. A sort of cross between "Forrest Gump" and "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button", the film moves on the premise that the hero, Budi, who was born on February 29 is blessed (or cursed?) with ageing only on his birthday, which means that he ages one year every four years. So there's a lot of those gimmicky "Forrest Gump"-type "hero in history" moments in the movie, which is of course its main hook, but what I find particularly touching is its central inter-racial love story between Budi and a Chinese girl named Lily. I've heard reports of local audiences chortling at the sight of the still young Budi tending to the now very old Lily, but I don't think it's the fault of the film-makers at all, as I think they handled the romance beautifully, with Remy Ishak and Jojo Goh outstanding in their portrayal of Budi and Lily. The only parts that might be jarring to a normal audience would probably be the musical bits, as this is not exactly your usual jolly musical. It's a sad, tragic film and it can sometimes seem strange to see characters bursting into song (albeit a sad one) during moments of sadness. But no matter how resistant you may be to the idea of this being a sad musical, the electrifyingly orchestrated ending, which I can only describe as a showstopping setpiece, will melt even the coldest of hearts. If even the average "Magika" and "Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa" can sweep all and sundry at the FFM in the past, then what's to stop this film, comfortably the best thing that KRU Studios has produced yet, to do the same? And for once I won't find much to complain about if it does so, even if I think there are better films out there in "Songlap" and "Bunohan", to name just two. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
| EXCLUSIVE! Ronaldo’s sadness explained Posted: 07 Sep 2012 04:22 PM PDT SEPT 8 — Poor old Cristiano Ronaldo. CR7, the media-shy, modest and self-effacing Real Madrid striker, has declared that he is "sad". The bombshell was dropped after last weekend's 3-0 win over Granada, which saw Ronaldo score two goals but fail to celebrate them due to his self-declared sadness. The fact that he refused to elaborate on his sorry state of mind — other than mysteriously noting that "the people in the club know why" — has led to a week-long barrage of speculation about the potential sources of his anguish. Possible explanations include disappointment over his failure to win UEFA's best player in Europe award (which went instead to Andres Iniesta), rifts with other Madrid players, a breakdown in his relationship with Jose Mourinho and a desire for a financially improved contract. However, for the very first time, it is my pleasure to exclusively reveal the shocking truth: Ronaldo spent the summer reading the complete works of Friedrich Nietzsche and is now suffering from a bout of severe existential angst. The full story? Well, it all began with his intense disappointment at Portugal's semi-final exit from this summer's European Championships. Realising that the tournament represented his best chance of winning a major international trophy, the loss against Spain sent Ronaldo spinning into a deep depression. At first he considered seeking solace in the bacchanalist Tony Adams approach — the former Arsenal defender, you may recall, went on an enormous drinking binge after England's Euro 96 semi-final defeat against Germany. But Cristiano has never been a heavy drinker, having been left mentally scarred by an unnerving session of cards-and-clothes-based drinking games with Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs and Ruud van Nistelrooy shortly after joining Manchester United (let's just say he still cannot bring himself to look at a thong). So when a few small measures of vintage cognac brought back those bad memories all too vividly, he decided to decline the path of alcohol and instead throw himself into philosophy. A brief circuit through the introductory works of Descartes, Plato, Heraclitus and Mill (he particularly enjoyed excerpts of On Liberty, which vindicated his view of footballers as modern-day slaves) eventually led the new convert to Nietzsche — and the decisive moment in his plunge towards his current "sadness". The breakthrough came one tear-sodden evening in his luxurious Madrid apartment. Whilst being fed a continual supply of peeled red grapes and sun-dried tomatoes by his devoted entourage of cheerfully compliant staff, Ronaldo read the entirety of Beyond Good And Evil in one exhausting sitting, pausing only occasionally to update his Facebook status and swap a series of amusingly titillating text messages with Joao Moutinho about the relationship between Gerard Pique and Shakira. Once he had been introduced to Nietzsche, an infatuated Cristiano could not be satiated. Within a week, Ronaldo had read every word published by the 19th-century German nihilist; within two weeks, he had re-read them and moved on to Hobbes, Spinoza and Heidegger. And when he wasn't reading, he was conversing with fellow philosophy junkies; he spent many long evenings on Skype, deep in animated discussion with Joey Barton and Eric Cantona, whose devotion to the teachings of Karl Marx struck him as unrealistic in a world inhabited by competitive beings. But rather than soothe his post-Euros blues, Ronaldo's philosophical wanderings just made him feel worse. Everything he had taken for granted was shattered. If God is Dead, as Nietzsche stated, and every human life is an irrelevant speck in the greater workings of the universe, then what's the point of spending hours on the training ground, practising free-kicks and pouting? Suddenly, Ronaldo found himself engulfed by a hollow emptiness that he just couldn't shake off. True, he was no longer so concerned about Portugal's failure in the European Championships, but that was only because he could no longer rouse himself to care about anything at all. Towards the end of July, Ronaldo had to return to normal life with pre-season training at Real Madrid. He spoke to a few of his teammates about his deep personal concerns, but was soon dissuaded from entering into dressing room debates when Karim Benzema left shaving foam in one of his Nike swoosh trainers after a fierce argument about the merits of Baudelaire. Jose Mourinho — a secret devotee of Sigmund Freud — was initially sympathetic, but then infuriated Ronaldo by postulating that the ultimate cause of the striker's discontent was an unconscious envy of his father's relationship with his mother. Undeterred, Ronaldo consulted Florentino Perez, Madrid's no-nonsense president, with the idea of building a "philosophy room" at the club's training ground; a quiet space next to the press conference area for players to read and contemplate life. But the idea was immediately rejected by a baffled Perez, who cited a "lack of the necessary funds or physical space" and told Ronaldo to get back into the gym. Spurned by Perez, angered by Mourinho and left with a slippery sock by Benzema, Ronaldo could see no way forward. A re-reading of Beyond Good And Evil last weekend only deepened the gloom, resulting in his refusal to celebrate his goals against Malaga and his enigmatic post-match rant. So now, finally, I can tell the truth to the world. The source of Ronaldo's discontent is not money; it's not Messi; it's not Mourinho: it's Nietzsche. However, fear not: there is salvation! During his summer splurge, Ronaldo inexplicably omitted to read one of Nietzsche's greatest works: Also Sprach Zarathustra. He discovered his oversight on Monday (prompted by a tweet from Sergio Ramos), and has punctuated this week's training sessions with Portugal's national squad by getting to grips with the book, leading to an increasingly certain conviction that Nietzsche was taking a glimpse into the future and predicting the life of Cristiano Ronaldo. Yes, indeed. Delusional as it may be, Also Sprach Zarathustra has allowed Ronaldo to rediscover his purpose in life as the embodiment of Nietzsche's Superman. As the great man wrote: "I teach you the Superman. Man is something that should be overcome." With that one line, Cristiano's sadness has been lifted, his mojo has been restored and Superman is poised to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting world. Defenders beware! You shall be overcome! (Footnote: Not everything stated above is strictly true.) * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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