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Reviews
Pearl Harbor (2001)
I slept
Oh my God, there are actually people who LIKED this movie?
People, forget the critiques that PH is historically inaccurate. Plain and simple, it's a lousy movie. Its entertainment value is confined to the 45-minute blitzkrieg on Pearl Harbour. THAT was a SFX tour-de-force.
The rest of the movie SUCKED:- the love story SUCKED, the dialogue SUCKED, the ending SUCKED, the acting SUCKED. There was one incident of comic relief that had me chortling - where this guy put some ointment under his eyes to look dewy-eyed for a girl. Other than that, attempts at levity SUCKED.
And mind you, I was determined at all costs to be entertained, having paid 50 Ringgit to see a charity screening (that's a lot considering the normal ticket price is 9 Ringgit). After the attack sequence, I slept during the anti-climactic Doolittle raids. Somebody tell me the ending, 'coz I sure as heck ain't watching this movie again.
Semerah padi (1956)
A heady tale of friendship, love, sex, violence and religion...
...in other words, one of the truly avant-garde Malay films!
I love this film - it is noir-ish and has a positively European feel to it. Shot almost entirely on an indoor set, the atmospherics are dark and claustrophobic, effectively conveying the sombre tale of Aduka, Taruna and Dara.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
Aduka and Taruna, played by P. Ramlee and Nordin Ahmad respectively, are two warriors who are the best of friends in the village of Semerah Padi. Dara (played by Saadiah), the daughter of the village chief, and Aduka are secretly in love. Unbeknownst to the lovers, Taruna also has feelings for Dara and asks the village head for his daughter's hand in marriage!! As daddy approves, the two are soon engaged.
Aduka and Dara are devastated. While taking shelter from a raging storm one day, their passions overcome them and they make love. Aduka is unable to bear the guilt of betraying Taruna and his religion. He confesses the tryst, and both he and Dara are each punished with 100 strokes of the cane for committing pre-marital sex.
But the cloud shadowing Aduka and Dara has a silver lining. Being the bigger man, Taruna cancels his engagement to Dara to allow Aduka to step in. "If you loved her so much, you only had to say the word! I would have gladly stepped aside for you, my brother!"
The underlying moral of the film is faithfulness to Islam. As it was shot in the 1950s, however, we are spared from any extremist preachings. In fact, the only aspect of Islam highlighted in the film is sexual offences and their punishment. Early in the film, a village woman and her lover are caught in the act of adultery and are executed by "sula" i.e. the insertion of a spear through the anus to the heart (Note: I know that Islam prescribes stoning for some offences, but I'm not sure that "sula" is in the books).
All in all, a film that had me riveted from beginning to end.
Hang Tuah (1956)
First Malay film entirely in colour
P. Ramlee's masterpiece made history for being the first Malay film shot in colour.
The film attempts to present the life of Hang Tuah, a legendary 15th/16th century warrior, from his childhood up to his killing of Hang Jebat, his faithful but treasonous comrade.
A great accomplishment for its time, Hang Tuah still entertains to this day.
Ibu mertuaku (1962)
"My Mother-in-law" is P. Ramlee at his melodramatic best
P. Ramlee plays Kassim Selamat, a saxophonist whose love affair and subsequent marriage to the wealthy Sabariah meet with strong objections from the latter's mother. Her cruelty and deceit result in tragic consequences.
This is a classic Malay film which deserves to be in the top 10 Malay films of all time. A bit melodramatic, but then most Malay films are.
A View to a Kill (1985)
A stinker
AVTAK tops my list of worst Bond films ever. Every Bond movie has had memorable scenes for me, but this is the only one where they come back to haunt me in my nightmares. These are:-
1. Bond bedding May Day
2. Every time Stacey Sutton screams "Oh James, hayyelp, hayyelp lil ol me!"
3. The firetruck chase sequence
Besides, Moore is much too old to be playing bond. The only saving grace is the title track performed by Duran-Duran.
The Godfather Part III (1990)
zzzzzz
This film came out about the same time as Goodfellas, and pales in comparison with the Martin Scorsese effort. I know the two shouldn't be compared, but the fact that they are both gangster films begs some sort of comparison.
Does Godfather III "complete" Coppola's Godfather series? Only in the sense that we see what happens to Michael when he is an old man. In my opinion, we didn't really need to know that. To me, the Godfather films ended with Michael Corleone as a shell of a man after losing his wife and murdering his brother.
Besides, I'm of the view that the best American films of the 20th century were made in the 1970s.
The Green Mile (1999)
Not so hot
Ironically, although the 3-hour length of this film flew by for me (inclusive of time taken to change discs), I didn't really enjoy it that much. None of the characters were really outstanding, and the plot seemed like a long X-files episode. This film did not tackle the anguish of death row that well - "Dead Man Walking" (of which we are reminded early on in the scene when Percy is walking John to his cell) did a much better job of it. Neither is it a showcase the triumph of the human spirit over adversity - "The Shawshank Redemption", another Frank Darabont film has that honour. I'd conclude that it's a watchable film, but not deserving of 3 hours of one's time. I'm glad I only spent 10 Ringgit for the video CD.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Am I the only one who saw the ending coming?
First, this is a great film. Wasn't expecting the ghosts (fortunately, I did not see the trailer), so they really scared the pants off of me. In fact, I had to come to the office alone the day after I saw the film (a Sunday), and I really got the heebie-jeebies. And it's not easy to get a 30-year old man creeped out, I tell you.
However, I didn't find the twist THAT unexpected. I was told there was a twist, and if you're a movie freak like me, your mind goes into overdrive while the movie progresses trying to figure it out. Anyway, I figured it out and the ending had less of an impact on me, but nothing can take away the fact that it was a great movie overall.
"Planet of the Apes" and "The Game" - now those were movies that really caught me in the end (I figured out "Usual Suspects"'s ending too).
The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)
What do you expect? It wasn't a cinematic release, it was a Thanksgiving special for heaven's sake!
I saw this in the US the night it was broadcast, when I was 8. Three years later, it was shown when I was back home in Malaysia, and I taped it. As a feature, I'll admit it was bad. So bad, in fact, that I erased the tape to record something else (if I had known then how scarce tapes of this 'special' would be, I wouldn't have.). Let's give George Lucas a break. This was never meant to be a movie in the traditional sense. It was just a Thanksgiving television special, plain and simple. The story was just there to link the various guest stars and their segments, so don't expect too much from it. The segments (except for Bea Arthur's number and the holographic rhythmic gymnastics) were pretty OK, especially the Boba Fett cartoon. And where else can you find the lyrics to John Williams' score? (Carrie Fisher's closing song.)
Lucas (1986)
Before they were famous!
Just saw the film last night on satellite, had never heard of it before.
Sure brought back a lot of memories from the '80s. It's great to watch '80s nostalgia flicks like The Wedding Singer and Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, but to actually watch a new (to me) '80s movie was something else. And the stars - Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith, Corey Haim, Winona Ryder - were a real joy to watch. To think that Charlie Sheen went on to make Platoon later that same year. And Winona - what a cute geek.
Wonderful film. May not be a classic, but great to watch.