The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Malaysian cinema in 2013: First-quarter report Posted: 05 Apr 2013 04:55 PM PDT APRIL 6 — March 2013 has ended and I almost didn't realise that the year's first quarter is already over. Unlike 2012, which I'd call the year of oversaturation of (bad) Malay films and which resulted in so many box-office failures, the first quarter of this year is looking quite encouraging in terms of box-office takings. Out of 18 films that went through the Skim Wajib Tayang from January to March, we already have one hit that almost touched the RM6 million mark ("Husin, Mon & Jin Pakai Toncit" aka "Hantu Kak Limah 2") and three other hits that grossed more than RM4 million, two of which are Chinese-language films that almost reached RM5 million each ("The Wedding Diary 2" and "Once Upon A Time") and the recent "Rock Oo." In addition to that, two films passed the RM2 million mark, with one of the better local films this year, "Juvana", almost reaching RM3 million with its box-office taking of RM2.87 million, a rare instance of quality actually reaching out to the masses. And there's actual variety to the 18 films already shown, with no prevailing trends to annoy the average moviegoer yet. True, the gangster film trend from 2011 and 2012 can still be felt in "Gangster Celop" and to a certain extent "Kerat 14", but that's only one or two films out of 18, so at least that's a relief. Horror is of course an ever present genre anytime and anywhere in the world, so the success of "Minyak Dagu" shouldn't come as a surprise. In fact there's an actual pattern in that the first or second horror film released every year usually does pretty good box office, even when it's not that good a horror movie. Rempit movies, horror comedies and dumb comedies are also showing signs of slowing down, and if there's a trend that seems to be on the up then it is in the form of romantic movies like "Pada Suatu Cinta Dahulu" and "Cerita Kita", both courtesy of MIG Pictures Sdn Bhd, who've been pushing such movies since late last year, probably as a reaction to Malaysia's current craze with everything Korean, especially K-Pop and their soaps. Again, that's only two out of 18 movies, so the lack of prevailing trends so far this year is quite refreshing and probably contributes to the surprising box-office success of quite a few films, especially compared to last year's very dispiriting first quarter of the year. But even though in terms of box-office takings things have looked surprisingly more promising and encouraging, quality-wise things are more or less the same as last year, except that we don't have anything approaching the quality of "Bunohan", which opened in March last year. To be truly honest, only two films have stood out so far this year — the aforementioned "Juvana" and "Rock Oo." As I've written in this column before in January, "Juvana" is a continuation of a popular TV series about juvenile delinquents which probably took everyone by surprise. Mixing up the conventions of a prison movie with the "ex-con trying to go straight" story line, it's a mainstream movie that doesn't treat its viewers with contempt, and the fact that it collected almost RM3 million at the box office is probably proof that local audiences are not as stupid as a lot of local film producers think. It's a long-held belief in the local film industry that local audiences lack the ability to handle films that are not "light" or dumbed down, which explains why dumb comedies have always been the default setting for most local films. With "Songlap" and now "Juvana" showing that it's possible to make films that are a little bit heavier and more adult yet still pull in good at the box office, let's hope that more producers will be willing to change their mindset in the near future. Talking of dumb comedies, it's probably serendipity that in a space of just a few weeks, director Mamat Khalid has managed to demonstrate to everyone how not to do a dumb comedy ("Husin, Mon & Jin Pakai Toncit") and how exactly it should be done ("Rock Oo"). While both films were box-office hits, the dreadful "Husin, Mon" probably became one courtesy of being a sequel to the 2010 smash "Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah" because if you actually do watch the sequel you'd struggle to find even a few laughs in it. I've nothing against dumb comedies, but to me the rule for comedy is a very simple one — it just has to be funny (no matter how dumb or intelligent the joke is). And "Husin, Mon" was quite simply not funny and painful to sit through. But "Rock Oo", now that is something else. If there's something that Mamat Khalid has proven to be very good at, then it's making hilariously silly comedies with more than a touch of the surreal and non-sequiturs sprinkled all over the jokes. His early TV movies like "Rombongan Cik Kiah Ke Sukan Komanwel" and "Pukul 2 Petang" continue to be remembered fondly by everyone who's seen them. That playful mood can also be seen in "Hantu Kak Limah" and especially his crowning glory, "Man Laksa", which still holds the record for the most hilariously out-there ending in Malaysian movie history, which has a flying Datuk M. Daud Kilau firing laser rays using his hands (Ultraman style) at the bad guys. I'd like to see anyone try and top that! And I won't hesitate to say that "Rock Oo" now belongs to that same magical bunch of silly comedies, which is a fact that almost makes me happier than I should be with this first quarter. Roll on the second quarter! * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Getafe poised to escape obscurity Posted: 05 Apr 2013 04:47 PM PDT
APRIL 6 — Hands up if you know much about Getafe? I don't see many hands... and I have to admit mine isn't exactly shooting up into the air either. Getafe, I'm afraid to say, are probably the most anonymous, ignorable, low-profile of all Spain's Primera Division clubs. I could happily spend a good few minutes talking to you about any of the other 19 teams in the Spanish top flight. Even lower lights such as Real Valladolid, whose mediocre season has been enlivened by the presence of outstanding German winger Patrick Ebert. Even perennial relegation candidates Granada, who made some interesting signings in the January transfer window and had an entertaining (for the outsider) dispute with the city council about their stadium earlier in the season. Even fellow Madrileños Rayo Vallecano, whose vociferous supporters, all-action brand of football and hot prospects such as Leo Baptistao have managed to attract more than a fair amount of attention despite being forced to live in the considerable shadow of Real and Atletico Madrid. But Getafe? Well... they're from a small city near Madrid. They wear blue. They don't have many fans. They're not that bad; not that good. After that, though, there's not much to say. A nice illustration of Getafe's obscurity is the fact that their stadium — the inappropriately titled "Coliseum" — is named after Alfonso Perez, a local boy made good who represented Spain during the 1990s... but never actually played for Getafe. They are so hard up for celebrity connections that they had to name their stadium in honour of somebody who didn't even play for them. This is not, in short, a very well-known or well-followed football club. That could change this weekend, though, because another victory for in-form Getafe over local neighbours Atletico in the Madrid derby (well, not the Madrid derby, but you know what I mean) would propel them firmly into the race for La Liga's fourth Champions League qualification spot. That's right: next season's Champions League could well feature Getafe, a club that has "boasted" the lowest attendance in the Spanish top flight in each of the last two seasons (a guesswork figure of just 5,000 people was estimated to have watched their 1-1 draw with Sevilla in January) and struggles to command much attention from media or fans in its own locale, never mind the rest of the continent. As they prepare to welcome Atletico Madrid to the Coliseum on Sunday night (kick off 1am, Monday morning Malaysia time), Getafe are in eighth position, just five points behind Real Sociedad in the race for the all-important fourth place. They are unbeaten in their last six games and haven't conceded a single goal in their last four — if they can keep up that form for the next two months, their Champions League dream will turn into reality. And Getafe's fate rests entirely in their own hands because their nine remaining games include home meetings with fellow top four contenders Sociedad and Valencia. If they do succeed in prolonging their golden run and marching into Europe's elite club competition, it would be a huge surprise because nobody — not even Getafe — really expected much more than mid-table comfort, a position they've become accustomed to since climbing into the top flight in 2004. Their campaign got off to a good start with a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid in their first home game, launching the early-season derailment of Jose Mourinho's team that resulted in the prompt dissolution of the reigning champions' title challenge. A batch of typically unobtrusive results followed: a few wins, a few draws and a few defeats. For the first half of the season they were the epitome of mid-table obscurity, never winning more than three in a row but never losing more than twice on the trot. But then 2013 came along and brought with it a sudden upturn in form. Aside from expected losses away at Real Madrid and Barcelona, Getafe are now unbeaten in nine games, mainly thanks to a defence that has only conceded six goals during those nine contests. Getafe's defence will have to stay strong because they certainly aren't an explosive team going forward. They are the lowest scorers out of the European contenders (Lionel Messi on his own has registered five more league goals than their team tally of 38) and their top scorer, experienced midfielder Diego Castro, has only got seven goals... four of which were penalties. They have no star names and none of their players have been linked with moves to bigger clubs, with the exception of Moroccan international midfielder Abdel Barrada who has reportedly attracted the attention of a host of English Premier League teams, including Southampton and Manchester City. Their task this weekend against Atletico will not be easy. Diego Simeone's team are a tough, competitive unit and at the moment they're particularly motivated by the opportunity of finishing above deadly local rivals Real Madrid in the battle for second place, with just one point currently separating the teams. But Getafe have plenty of their own motivation. For a small club that has never won a major honour, securing a maiden adventure in the Champions League would be a remarkable achievement. Victory on Sunday night could allow Getafe to cast aside their cloak of anonymity — perhaps it's time for the rest of us to watch and learn. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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