tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54038186187308858162012-01-01T17:31:32.219+08:00A blog dedicated to the film events happening in Singapore.Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.comBlogger711100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-18926207775708123372010-12-11T13:03:00.001+08:002010-12-11T13:03:37.118+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-76231955026037158422010-12-08T09:55:00.001+08:002010-12-08T09:56:54.944+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-7051474806416956792010-12-01T16:18:00.000+08:002010-12-01T16:19:07.841+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-68289177930702018762010-12-01T10:27:00.000+08:002010-12-01T10:28:04.754+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-18437689105368027292010-12-01T09:56:00.000+08:002010-12-01T09:57:19.120+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-19390508640888371212010-11-30T12:02:00.001+08:002010-11-30T12:04:17.430+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-44696576094501391582010-11-26T22:46:00.004+08:002010-11-27T10:20:37.119+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-107255585702663702010-11-26T11:46:00.001+08:002010-11-26T11:47:41.948+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-16104430266655094222010-11-26T09:38:00.004+08:002010-11-26T09:41:23.508+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-57177173571914396412010-11-25T14:55:00.003+08:002010-11-25T14:58:49.128+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-3231281638422733282010-11-22T18:38:00.003+08:002010-11-22T18:40:15.962+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-89876460549305588832010-11-18T07:07:00.002+08:002010-11-18T07:15:32.399+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-21620475440731590422010-11-16T12:55:00.001+08:002010-11-16T12:56:34.790+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-82505050373034394642010-11-03T09:17:00.001+08:002010-11-03T09:17:36.104+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-17192680922092194302010-11-02T17:19:00.008+08:002010-11-03T10:29:19.962+08:00

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-81416760182426405042008-04-16T10:08:00.002+08:002008-04-16T10:13:24.990+08:00

The National Museum Cinematheque continues its popular "Under The Banyan Tree" series of outdoor screenings:Fri 25 April - The Wizard of OzSat 26 April - Singin' in the RainIt's free! Turn up early to get good seats on the lawn :)

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-32531026319802565722008-04-15T15:08:00.006+08:002008-04-15T15:34:43.900+08:00

Movie-ed out after SIFF? Hope not :)The Singapore Film Society is screening the documentary Manufactured Landscapes, based on the stunning work of photographer Edward Burtynsky.MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPESSat 26 AprThe Picturehouse12:30pm Screening2:00pm Post Screening DiscussionMANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES is a feature length documentary on the world and work of renowned artist Edward Burtynsky. Burtynsky

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-41402123776835026482008-04-14T17:50:00.003+08:002008-04-14T17:58:00.794+08:00

Leaving the cinema after the end credits for Milky Way Liberation Front rolled, that was the end of SIFF 2008 for me. I was already tired when we sat down to watch that movie. It was a good way to end the festival. Milky Way Liberation Front was fun, a long string of gags that gently poke fun at indie filmmaking, film festivals and the people who participate in them.-----Like his first short

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-72317444667007309102008-04-13T23:46:00.001+08:002008-04-14T18:03:23.402+08:00

Got a short film you'd like to show?Call For Entries - International Federation of Film Societies (IFFS) - Film Exchange ProgramThe Singapore Film Society in association with the International Federation of Film Societies (IFFS) is proud to promote the IFFS Film Exchange.This film exchange is a non—profit initiative to drive the appreciation and understanding of cultural and creative works across

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-28852985599228498412008-04-10T10:03:00.005+08:002008-04-10T10:32:35.304+08:00

Jan Uhde and Yvonne Ng Uhde, authors of Latent Images: Film in Singapore, included a comprehensive history of the Singapore Film Society in their book (later CD-ROM).They've generously consented to let us reproduce that section on our homepage.However, records from the 1960s and 1970s suggest the Film Society might have been active even before 1958. A January 1961 Sunday Times article noted that

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-8477542423785322372008-04-09T11:40:00.005+08:002008-04-10T10:18:34.867+08:00

Yep, got a lot to catch up on. I'll be working backwards from my most recent viewings. Hopefully I can get to the Perspectives Film Festival (31 Mar - 4 Apr 2008) before too long.(Darn it Stefan, don't you sleep? :D )VividSingapore / 2007 / 30 minsdir. Sam LohAnother example of a short film based on an idea rather than a story, the idea here being two strangers connecting with each other via

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-86008527047511777042008-04-09T10:36:00.010+08:002008-04-09T10:53:31.275+08:00

The SFS together with MDA, Mediaction and *scape, present a free screening of winning animation shorts from last year's Digicon 6.Venue: *scape Lab113 Somerset RoadSingapore 2381652pm – 3.30 pm: DigiCon 6+3 screening3.30 pm – 4.30 pm: Animated Short Film Initiative presentationScreenings include Grand Prize winner, Toshiaki Hanzaki's Birthday, and Outstanding Performance winners: Ryu Kato's

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-28412242275350230222008-04-01T16:33:00.006+08:002008-04-01T16:54:35.729+08:00

At last year's Japanese Film Festival, we screened the documentary Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story. , about a 13 year-old girl kidnapped by North Koreans in 1977.Now there's a 25 min anime version of the story (though not, it seems, based on the documentary)No need to wait for a film festival this time -- it's available for free downloading off the Japanese government's Headquarters for the

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-47852235306217807352008-03-28T01:13:00.002+08:002008-03-28T01:17:11.280+08:00

Managed to get tickets to Tisch Asia's exclusive screening of Happiness and Q&A with director Todd Solondz. Solondz was here for a week to mentor the Tisch students. Naturally his work was shown (at the Tisch Open House we saw a little stand outside their screening theatre advertising Welcome to the Dollhouse), and Tisch kept Happiness for the final screening at The Picturehouse.Solondz really

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-21383659457994122292008-03-11T22:11:00.004+08:002008-03-11T22:33:47.031+08:00

Watching A Flower In Hell reminded me of another movie I saw: Gate of Flesh. Maybe, they are not quite the same. After all Gate of Flesh is supposed to be an 'adult release' and is more lurid with scenes of torture, but both take places after a war. The mise en scene are dilapidated makeshift houses against what seems to be a bombed out landscape (ok, that's a little exaggerated, but you get the

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-66359205070912852202008-02-27T01:02:00.000+08:002008-02-27T01:03:53.828+08:00

By Victric Thng

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-24659440850541328342008-02-25T18:06:00.006+08:002008-02-25T18:50:44.891+08:00

Here's the list of winners. It's, for lack of a better word, all too predictable, so much so that I can't even be bothered to have an opinion about it.What is far more interesting is the future. As the business goes online and the audience begins to interact with films rather than being passive observers, will the whole idea of the auteur finally implode? If today's indies compete with industry

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-16286386911611233572008-02-23T19:12:00.003+08:002008-02-23T19:21:02.799+08:00

Sometimes they say art transcends truth which reminds me that I must read Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolano in which he explores how "literature is an unnervingly protean, amoral force with uncanny powers of self-invention, self-justification and self-mythification."Here's the back story of The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. Basically, it comes down to this: the film does not

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-82540961954971108252008-02-21T21:37:00.003+08:002008-02-21T21:40:45.524+08:00

Juno It's not exactly, you know, epic! But how can one hate Juno, it's like hating Friends: makes everyone think you're mean. Although, the impression I get from the film is Wes Anderson making a light-hearted sitcom. Juno's father reminds me of Wilson from Home Improvement, Tim Allen's neighbour who we never see, who gives such penetrating, cheesy advice. It's just inevitable that I have

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-9843876021940632652008-02-19T15:00:00.003+08:002008-02-19T15:17:19.770+08:00

Persepolis (PG, 95 minutes)One of the surprise nominees for this year's Best Animated Film is the adaptation of Marjane Satrapi's graphic novels, Persepolis. This French animation, done mostly in black and white, is the coming-of-age story of a young girl in Iran who is sent to Europe to escape the rising wave of Islamic fundamentalism that swallows the country. However, she returns home to Iran

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-37219241778659454682008-02-18T13:05:00.003+08:002008-02-18T13:12:49.600+08:00

How wonderful that they finally made up. Now, we can get back to schmoozing and partying. Meanwhile, have we grown any wiser? Beyond the hype and the hate, is there any meaning to all the hoopla? I think the answer to that is that it's all about the hoopla. Always has been, always will be.

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-49283014114191757582008-02-17T18:48:00.002+08:002008-02-17T18:52:39.525+08:00

The NUS Arts Festival has already started, but screenings go on until 22 Mar. Click here for the program.There are several Israeli, Spanish, Finnish and Dutch films showing. There's also the rest of the festival.

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-46380402301923413362008-02-17T17:33:00.003+08:002008-02-17T18:17:57.603+08:00

I really like this gripping gritty film in the bleached scrubby open country of West Texas based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy. Seldom do you see a film that does not succumb to the need to assuage our sense of uneasiness with a pre-determined moral universe. Here, the implacable and inexplicable evil is Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem, who descends upon his victims like the scourge, meting

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-40604724214195006472008-02-13T16:02:00.002+08:002008-02-13T16:07:55.237+08:00

Stephen Chow's CJ7 took away the gold over CNY, raking in US$2 million during the long weekend. Jack Neo isn't too sad, however, as there was plenty of money to go around as Ah Long Pte Ltd took in about S$1.47 million, despite mostly scathing reviews. Even Jay Chou didn't fare too shabbily, as his Kung Fu Dunk took in just a little less than Ah Long did with S$1.4 million. Seems like

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-75762044408859566712008-02-12T21:08:00.000+08:002008-02-12T21:40:05.958+08:00

What should you make of a film called Diary of the Dead, which follows Night of The Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead and Land of the Dead? If the director was George Romero who reinvented the zombie, you pay attention. It would certainly be a relief from the tired cannibalizations of old horror titles into what George Romero calls 'torture porn films' or the army of wronged restless Asian females

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-32797234494250020002008-02-12T11:39:00.000+08:002008-02-12T11:55:25.566+08:00

NUS Assoc Prof Dr Kenneth Paul Tan has a new book on Singapore cinema (well, and TV too) out in mid-Mar 2008:CINEMA AND TELEVISION IN SINGAPORE: Resistance in One DimensionBy Kenneth Paul TanSeries: Social Sciences in Asia, 16ISBN-13: 978 90 04 16643 1ISSN: 1567-2794Through close readings of contemporary made-in-Singapore films (by Jack Neo, Eric Khoo, and Royston Tan) and television programs (

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-48615188676040963162008-02-08T16:55:00.000+08:002008-02-08T17:19:04.482+08:00

Despite being critically acclaimed (as many films are nowadays) and bagging several awards, notably two Golden Globes, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly has failed to attract local audiences who are too distracted by a cute Chinese alien and a slam-dunking pop star. It does not help that the film is being shown in the remote regions of Vivo Europa, psychologically remote of course.It is an

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-54464584907040240562008-02-01T16:32:00.000+08:002008-02-01T16:37:48.877+08:00

Big opener this week is Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd, which is rated M18. The non-mainstream fare includes Away from Her and the film adaptation of The Kite Runner, which has run into plenty of controversy. It all sets the stage for the Lunar new year showdown between CJ7, Kung Fu Dunk and Ah Long Pte Ltd, which all open next Wednesday. Our money is on Stephen Chow to be the big winner, though Kung

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-53273640851791523342008-01-30T10:50:00.000+08:002008-02-04T10:46:22.305+08:00

SFS is showing 4 movies in February. In addition to our Core Screenings at GV Marina on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday:SFS Talkies @ The Picturehouse returns this Saturday, 2 Feb, with Errol Morris's acclaimed 1988 documentary The Thin Blue Line. (read more here) (earlier post)(btw, Werner Herzog had promised Morris he would eat his shoe if Morris completed his first feature Gates of Heaven (1980).

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-5099736894274939362008-01-30T08:30:00.000+08:002008-01-30T08:33:46.606+08:00

So besides rising taxi fares and property prices, now it's the turn of cinema ticket prices to head upwards. Cathay Cineplexes announced that they'll be raising the prices of their tickets by 50 cents to $10.50, with an additional $0.50 for blockbusters. Will other cinema operators follow suit? We think it's likely, given how the local taxi operators did the same.

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-43004538274935786942008-01-29T15:05:00.000+08:002008-01-29T15:19:59.422+08:00

Looks like Cathay has finally decided to put This Film Is Not Yet Rated on general release. They've had the print since 2006, when this documentary was first shown - once - as part of The Picturehouse's 1st Anniversary celebrations.In what looks like a tie-in event, Cathay is organising "a panel of industry players" who will talk about their censorship experiences here. They're coy about the

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-80326846305657006332008-01-27T23:24:00.000+08:002008-01-27T23:43:00.782+08:00

Singaporean directors tackleleth the 10 Commandments, and their fruits shalt be gathered into a feature film - DystopiaCulturepush has an interview with Nicholas Chu, one of the prime movers behind Dystopia:Dystopia is about a distant future, a very grim future that we are heading towards and in which people have forgotten about the very first moral imperatives known to men. This reflects on the

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-42631972209873657652008-01-27T13:15:00.000+08:002008-01-27T13:51:51.669+08:00

Film buffs on our little island are really spoilt for choice these days. Cathay and GV bring in non-Hollywood fare regularly now, the National Museum has monthly screenings, and what you can't find there, at SIFF or at SFS screenings, you can get via the Internet (legally or otherwise).But once upon a time, all these weren't available. Film buffs had to rent VHS tapes (gee, remember those?) . And

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-67325322358002066632008-01-25T16:43:00.000+08:002008-01-27T13:53:06.513+08:00

3:10 to Yuma, USA, Director: James Mangold, Cast: Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Peter FondaWesterns have undergone a small revival of late, particularly after Clint Eastwood's splendid Unforgiven. 3:10 to Yuma doesn't take the revisionist track, and tells a tautly plotted character study about rancher Dan Evans (played by Christian Bale) and a bandit Ben Wade (played by Russell Crowe). Trying to

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-7161614445988174002008-01-25T16:37:00.000+08:002008-01-27T13:50:38.178+08:00

The Singapore Film Society will be screening Errol Morris' acclaimed documentary The Thin Blue Line on February 2nd, and there's a wealth of info about the film and the murder case discussed on Morris' website. One of the funniest items is Harvey Weinstein's letter to Errol, telling him how badly his interview went. Harvey even goes so far as to say he would hire an actor to play Errol Morris,

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-53961856844243855072008-01-22T22:35:00.000+08:002008-01-27T13:53:42.844+08:00

The Singaporean anthology film Lucky 7 gets a website over at Wordpress. It's premiering at the Rotterdam Film Fest, and has been rated R21 without cuts and will be premiering at SIFF. Check their blog for more updates!

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-30664751934174595812008-01-22T22:20:00.000+08:002008-01-22T22:35:24.860+08:00

According to ST, the top ten films of 2007 were:1. Spider-Man 32. Transformers3. Harry Potter And the Order of the Phoenix4. Pirates of the Caribbean 35. Ratatouille6. Mr Bean's Holiday7. Fantastic Four 28. Rush Hour 39. Shrek 310. 881Considering the number of sequels in the list (7 including Mr Bean's Holiday), it shows why followups are popular amongst the Singaporean audience. Kudos to 881 for

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-15171059522399488392008-01-22T20:48:00.000+08:002008-01-23T07:07:31.212+08:00

The end of the writers' strike is nowhere in sight and the nominations for the Oscars are out. It is a safe year with no surprise nominations.

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-54204276082538560642008-01-21T13:57:00.000+08:002008-01-27T14:00:33.932+08:00

Just some basic info for now, but we're hoping this year's selection will be good. Head on over to http://www.filmfest.org.sg/

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-65425501765777238452008-01-20T23:21:00.000+08:002008-01-20T23:26:31.148+08:00

Top opener this week is the much-hyped monster flick Cloverfield, and hardly anything else. Film aficionados might want to catch The Savages, 3:10 to Yuma or Andrew Lau's debut Hollywood feature The Flock. Shockingly, the #1 film last weekend was the remake of Miike's One Missed Call, which just shows you Singaporean's insatiable appetite for horror, even if it's bad horror. More information here.

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-75108233863902234042008-01-18T21:12:00.000+08:002008-01-18T21:24:03.431+08:00

In an industry that trades on glamour, the desire to shower ever more self-congratulatory stardust is irresistible. Soon even an obscure town in Estonia will have their own film awards in a desperate to boost artistic credentials or rather tourist dollars. Here's the list for the SECOND Asian Film Awards. The Hong Kong Film Festival will run from 17 March to 6 April if you can't wait for

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-37323006095945117602008-01-18T10:47:00.000+08:002008-01-18T11:06:16.822+08:00

Cloverfield (PG, 83 minutes, Director: Matt Reeves)Perhaps it was a slow year, but the hype machine has been working on overdrive for this monster movie, produced by JJ Abrams. A farewell party is disrupted by the arrival of an unwanted guest; a skyscraper-sized beastie with more than a bad case of fleas. Shot from the point of view of a hand-held cam, the movie is thankfully less jerky than that

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-39266640274971445652008-01-17T07:49:00.000+08:002008-01-17T07:56:59.094+08:00

With glamour squeezed out by gritty reality, the BAFTAs (on 10 Feb) has found itself in the limelight. The nominations are not surprising and probably indicates the way for the Oscars (The Golden Globes and BAFTA are really like Iowa and New Hampshire, no?) On the other hand, the reason why they are held earlier is most likely that if they were held after the Oscars, they would be irrelevant.

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-64025473728422826772008-01-16T15:30:00.000+08:002008-01-16T15:37:48.061+08:00

Hot on the heels of the Sanjuro remake is the reworking of The Hidden Fortress (website), the movie that influenced Star Wars. Why is there a crowd of Kurosawa remakes now? I just finished Samurai 7, the anime 'reimagining' of Kurosawa's classic tale, and found it lacked the spirit and dynamism of the original. Maybe it was due to the skyscraper-sized Manga bandits that the Samurais were fighting

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-34453515323241165332008-01-14T11:33:00.000+08:002008-01-14T15:17:29.937+08:00

Steven Spielberg won the Cecil B. DeMille Award.Best Picture - Drama : AtonementBest Actress - Drama : Julie Christie (Away From Her)Best Actor - Drama : Daniel-Day Lewis (There'll Be Blood)Best Musical or Comedy : Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetBest Actress - Musical/Comedy : Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)Best Actor - Musical/Comedy: Ryan Gosling (Lars and The Real Girl)Best

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-8648125551214316492008-01-14T02:31:00.000+08:002008-01-14T02:57:19.275+08:00

It's not the first GLBT film festival here (that honour goes to Short Circuit, founded by homegrown gay activist and sharp essayist Alex Au in 2006), but Golden Village's Love and Pride Film Festival is the first gay-and-lesbian-themed feature film festival in Singapore.Yes yes, it's an attempt to make money off old film reels GV already probably owns, but this is Singapore, remember? GV's shown

Readymadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00636031917981754285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-76920876293433988652008-01-12T18:22:00.000+08:002008-01-14T02:52:22.392+08:00

What will we watch this year or even next year? Part of the answer will be revealed on 17 Jan when Sundance kicks off in Park City, Utah for 10 days. Although several cinephiles have deplored the increasing commercialization of Sundance (heresy to the defenders of the spirit of Indie), it has become such a permanent feature of the international film circuit, no one with a stake in the film

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-30962531406845638492008-01-11T16:59:00.000+08:002008-01-11T17:06:25.662+08:00

A list of movies opening this week and continuing has been posted here. Those looking for something a bit off the mainstream might want to check out Johnnie To's romance Linger or the adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera. In an interesting trend box-office figures are now listed for movies, which gives you an idea of how well they've been doing. Last week's number 1

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-31548369505552268272008-01-10T18:15:00.000+08:002008-01-10T19:02:35.645+08:00

Although it is possible these days for jaded travelers to visit North Korea and revel in its Orwellian delights (Tip: Don't throw a magazine with Dear Leader's image on the cover into the dustbin), there is now the alternative of watching it on film, The Schoolgirl's Diary. It was first discovered in the 2006 Pyongyang Film Festival but of course, distributors had formidable red tape to overcome.

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-77226684446124212122008-01-10T15:32:00.000+08:002008-01-10T15:52:33.945+08:00

American Gangster (M18), US, 157 minutes, Director: Ridley Scott, Cast: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Josh BrolinAmerican Gangster, despite its title, isn't just a story about the criminal Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington), who fueled the heroin boom in the 70s. It is also about the honest cop Richie Roberts, played by Russell Crowe, who is finding the source behind the drug boom. In a twisted

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-23452771435354080052008-01-08T15:03:00.000+08:002008-01-08T15:12:57.863+08:00

Aliens vs Predators 2 (NC-16), 2007, US, Director: Greg Strause, Colin Strause, Cast: John Ortiz, Steven Pasquale, Johnny LewisI admit while I didn't like most of Aliens vs Predators, I did like the final tussle between the two set in a whaling station at the end of the first movie. Not that it made it a great movie, but at least it gave the movie some atmosphere. So now Warner Brothers has given

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-87556567262706097882008-01-08T14:58:00.000+08:002008-01-08T15:03:13.734+08:00

If you have nostalgia for old theaters, rather than the faceless multiplexes of today, you might want to check out Malaysian artist Ming Wong's exhibition Filem-Filem-Filem from January 16th to 27th. More information here. Personally, I wish the Majestic in Singapore had not been transformed into a faceless mall, stripped of all its character. One still wonders about the fate of Capitol theater,

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-83382196419509588242008-01-08T11:34:00.000+08:002008-01-08T11:42:50.426+08:00

I Am Legend (PG), 2007, US, Director: Francis Lawrence, Cast: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash MihokWill Smith might be the Last Man on Earth, battling against vampires and loneliness as he tries to find if there's anyone else out there. Based on Richard Matheson's classic short story, the ending is substantially changed, and the ending seems a bit hurried after the first half, which is full of

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-15419346410139826942008-01-08T11:18:00.000+08:002008-01-08T11:34:22.647+08:00

Breath (M-18), 2007, Korea, 84 mins, Director: Kim Ki-Duk, Starring: Chang Chen, Zia, Ha Jung-wooKim Ki-Duk's latest effort revisits elements from his previous films, as we follow the strange friendship between Jeung Jin (Chang Chen), a prisoner on death row, and Yeon, whose husband has been having an affair. There are moments in the film which appear to have remixed elements from Kim Ki-Duk's

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-51754518709132783102008-01-08T06:31:00.000+08:002008-01-08T06:32:59.218+08:00

Director David Lynch tells the world what he thinks of watching movies on a phone. (NSFW)

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-83091794604628806852008-01-07T20:56:00.000+08:002008-01-07T21:15:36.867+08:00

The Oscars this year might turn out to be interesting. Certainly, you could dismiss that yearly razzmatazz as frivolous, unrepresentative and populist, but tell that to the statuette with the Midas touch. There's more than stardust in the eyes of the nominees.The nominations will be out on 22 Jan which gives the Academy about a month to clear the pickets.

kokocrushhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05253362970366696164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-64703417911112272812008-01-06T23:03:00.000+08:002008-01-08T06:35:35.629+08:00

Time magazine has an article/review about the docu Nanking, screening at Cinema Europa now. Definitely well-worth a watch.

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-5517307322479567482008-01-06T22:26:00.000+08:002008-01-06T22:45:13.526+08:00

It's always hard to sum up the best thing I've seen in the past year. Honestly, I don't remember that much. A lot was good, some were great, but nothing really stuck in the head. Still, the best thing I saw last year was actually released in 2003; the 6 hour long The Best of Youth. This is an astounding film chronicling the life of two Carati brothers, as it follows them from their carefree youth

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-61651212775645366702008-01-06T21:17:00.000+08:002008-01-06T22:21:52.844+08:00

Across the Universe2007, US, 131 mins, Director: Julie Taymor Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Jim SturgessPutting together 37 Beatles tracks to fit into a movie is a tall order, but not for Lion King/Titus director Julie Taymor. Her movies have always been filled with cinematic artifice and overpowering stage direction. Across the Universe is her latest offering, and though the film takes some

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-4156211194533760412008-01-06T07:27:00.000+08:002008-01-06T07:45:28.036+08:00

One of the most controversial movies last year was Ang Lee's Lust, Caution. After much hoo-ha when a PG-version was released, the distributors released a R21 version, which I'm sure has done extremely well. I saw both versions and have to say the latter is far superior, as the sex scenes are an integral part of the story, as it shows how Tony Leung's character comes to trust Mrs Mark/Wong Chia

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403818618730885816.post-14390388330714715872008-01-06T07:25:00.000+08:002008-01-06T07:27:30.756+08:00

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! This looks like yet another great year for movies. Here are some of the titles we're looking forward to this year.Atonement - This drama, based on Booker Prize winner Ian McEwan's novel, has been winning awards ever since its release. Starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, the movie is set in 1930s and 40s Britain, the story revolves around a rash,

Davesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05902059390874045707noreply@blogger.com0