A film review: 'Sindiket' is an 80's/90's action film that was plunged into 2017!

[Originally posted for Movie Addict Malaysia] 

Origin: Malaysia, Indonesia · Language: Malay, Indonesian
Director & writer: Bade Hj. Azmi
Release: 6 April 2017 · Genres: Crime, action, drama

Casts: Sharnaaz Ahmad, Daphne Iking,
Liyana Jasmay, Sharifah Amani

Studio: Loyal Studios
Distributor: Empire Film Solutions

This is a SPOILER-FREE review, despite the fact that it's not my kind of movie.

So I saw Bade Hj. Azmi's name slapped on this project. Word on the street is he's a good filmmaker solely by reputation, as I never actually follow his works. Despite his more recent fare called Kanang Anak Langkau was released after this film chronologically,  he actually shot this film first. Other than Kanang and this abomination he called a "film", his other works that I've watched were called Gangster if I got it right and maybe parts of KL Menjerit and its prequel.

A film review: 'J-Revolusi' is a very cocky police picture about... something.

[Originally posted for Movie Addict Malaysia]

Origin: Malaysia · Languages: Malay, English
Director: Zulkarnain Azhar · Writer: Alfie Palermo
Genre: Action · Release: March 2, 2017

Casts: Zul Ariffin, Izara Aisyah, Farid Kamil,
Azad Jasmin, Nur Fazura

More info: IMDb

You can't deny it; we always strive to be something, be it for better or worse. And the year is 2017. Grand Brilliance is trying to show us its brilliance by producing a competition to another film of its kind (read: Polis Evo) called J-Revolusi, a police-themed action film that I didn't seem to anticipate. However, unlike its title, this flick is not quite the revolution our local action film actually deserved, but it's a rather futile attempt for even trying... to try their hardest.

Oh yeah. It's a SPOILER-FREE review.

Sebuah reviu filem: Rasa macam kena penye-'Pak Pong' ada.

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah & penulis: Fauzi Nawawi
Genre: Fantasi · Rilis: 23 Februari 2017

Pelakon: Hairul Azreen, Bard, Siti Saleha,
Marsha Milan, Fauzi Nawawi, Kaza, Eizlan Yusuf,
Syawal (AF), Rahim (R2), Izreen Azminda,
Zulkifli Ismail

Studio: 9 Country Creativity

Oh, tajuk entriku kali ini.

Dalam minggu sebelum minggu terakhir Februari ni, dah dua filem aku pra-tonton (ehsan Movie Addict) dan kedua-duanya merupakan debut sutradaranya. Filem pertama ialah Adiwiraku iaitu arahan dan tulisan bersama Eric Ong yang ditayangkan pada 9 Mac dan filem yang aku nak ulas sekarang ni, Pak Pong pulak arahan, tulisan, serta lakonan Fauzi Nawawi yang keluar pada 23 Februari. Walaupun aku tengok Adiwiraku dulu pada 20 Februari dan ada sedikit reviu pada dasarnya, Pak Pong yang keluar dulu. Maka ulasan penuh nilah yang korang akan baca dulu. Sumpah aku tak tergerak hati nak tengok pun filem ni; yang ada cuma rasa nak tergelak ja tengok poster dan trelernya. Mujurlah tiket dapat percuma! Yah-hoi!

Macam mana aku nak mula, ek? Baiklah. Katanya filem ni 6 tahun dalam pembikinan (penulisan skrip dalam setahun, pembikinan termasuk pra-produksi, produksi dan pasca-produksi dalam 5 tahun). Sebelum ni, depa ada rilis footage yang telah memberikan penonton feel yang ada dalam filem ni. Para pembikin seperti nak kata depa nak jadikan Avatar arahan James Cameron sebagai inspirasi dunia fantasinya, manakala Lord of the Rings pulak sebagai konsep bagi babak perlawanannya dan rangka bagi sekuel-sekuel yang nak dirancang (KAH!). Satu tu pun takde feel yang dipetik tu. Sebenarnya nampak mengarah kepada Game of Thrones dalam pengaruh dadah (maksud aku dari segi kecelaruannya yang terlalu mudah tapi bapak trigger-happy pengarahnya bila dok shooting filem ni). 6 tahun, ya? Hm. Oh ya, reviu ni TAKDE SPOILER. Kalau dah bosan sangat, meh baca apa aku fikir pasal Pak Pong ni.

Sebuah reviu filem: Sumpah aku terlepas pandang identifier komedi suspens 'Bo-Peng'!

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah & penulis: Helmi Yusof
Genre: Komedi, thriller, jenayah · Rilis: 22 Disember 2016

Pelakon: Johan As'ari, Nabil Ahmad, Zulin Aziz,
Soffi Jikan, Fauzi Nawawi, Wanna Ali, Juzzthin,
Elie Suryati

Studio & pengedar: Pencil Pictures & Records

Selamat datang, 2017! Aku harap streak filem-filem berkualiti tahun 2016 akan berterusan ke tahun ni! Mari aku mulakan reviu aku dengan... filem tahun lepas yang dah lama ada dalam otak aku tapi tepu amat nak tulis! Filem yang aku tak kisah langsung tapi secara tak sengaja seronok ditonton! Akhirnya kerajinan muncul walaupun 2016 dah habis! Bahahaha! 😂😂😂

Aku sebenarnya cari nahas bila menggatal nak menangkan tiket untuk pratonton filem ni 6 Disember tahun lepas anjuran Movie Addict. Aku tak jangka apa-apa pun. Tunggu pun tidak. Memang tup-tup, aku ternampak poster filem ni serta tajuknya yang agak under-whelming, aku terus hakimi filem ni. Aku ingat ala-ala komedi Prof Razak atau MiG yang pointless. Aku salah.

Sumpah aku terlepas pandang identifier "Sebuah Filem Komedi Suspen" filem ni. Mungkin memang tak ada sebab apa yang aku nampak hanyalah poster yang aku gunakan sebagai thumbnail ni dan langsung tak kisah pasal papan-papan, banner dan bunting filem ni yang berlegar-legar kat luar hall MM Cineplex masa tu. Terus aku rasa filem ni adalah jugak sedikit kepandaiannya dan kemisteriannya!

Walaupun filem ni dah lama keluar dan tak ramai pun aku rasa nak bagi peluang, aku masih TAK AKAN BAGITAU SPOILER.

Sebuah reviu filem: Kalau 'Munafik' lebih matang dan bukan seram, jadilah 'Desolasi.'

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu, Inggeris
Pengarah & penulis: Syafiq Yusof
Genre: Thriller, fiksyen sains · Rilis: 8 Disember 2016

Pelakon: Syamsul Yusof,  Bella Dally, Pekin Ibrahim,
Jalaludin Hassan

Info lanjut: IMDb

Nepotisme itu indah kalau tak ada orang buat hal. Mula-mula bapak jadi pelakon, sekarang dia produser. Lepas tu, anak-anak pulak rajin ikut jejak langkah bapak depa. Syamsul Yusof mulakan langkah sebagai pelakon, lepas tu jadi pengarah dan penulis skrip dengan Evolusi KL Drift dan seterusnya. Sekarang, tiba-tiba masa S.A.M. keluar, aku tau yang Syamsul ada adik, namanya Syafiq. Selepas beberapa filem dia bikin pasca-S.A.M., pada satu masa tu aku terbaca satu artikel pasal filem terbarunya yang kembali kepada visinya yang agak segar lepas dia bikin filem yang kita dah biasa macam filem aksi komedi (Abang Long Fadil, spin-off kepada KL Gangster) dan seram found footage (Villa Nabila, berdasarkan urban legend yang tengah hot masa filem tu diumumkan). Terimalah Desolasi, sebuah lagi filem arahan dan tulisan Syafiq yang dibintangi abangnya sendiri, Syamsul Yusof. Bertuah budak ni jadi anak Yusof Haslam. Kehkeh.

Pada 25 November 2016, aku telah dijemput mewakili Movie Addict untuk pratayang filem Desolasi bagi geng media. Memang betullah Syafiq ni. Lagi satu filem berkonsep yang lari daripada cliche filem Melayu. Walaupun masih mengekalkan konsep dalam S.A.M. yang buat satu eksplorasi pasal masalah mental protagonisnya, dalam Desolasi ni, itu dijadikan subplot je. Apa yang dia buat kali ni dari segi falsafahnya lebih dekat dengan filem Life of Pi iaitu tentang persoalan tentang hidup dan pegangan seseorang yang lost dan sentiasa mencari jawapan. Tapi, berbeza dengan Life of Pi yang lebih fantastikal, abstrak dan puitis dari segi penceritaan dan falsafah yang dibawa, Desolasi ni pulak lebih in-your-face bak kata orang putih. Life of Pi agak terbuka dan deep, tapi Desolasi ni pulak terlalu mencuba menjadi accessible dan sedikit sempit. Sungguh pun begitu, ini masih percubaan yang berani pada era di mana ramai golongan butthurt dan Ustaz/Ulama’ Media Sosial acah-acah baik mudah sentap terhadap benda yang sikit pun tak goyangkan akidah depa.

Oh ya, reviu ni confirm TAK ADA SPOILER. Jadi, bacalah dengan aman ya semua? Semoga poin-poin aku kemukakan ni akan buat korang rasa nak tengok atau tak filem Desolasi ni.

Sebuah reviu dua filem: 'Hanyut' & 'Interchange'

"Tengok aku buat apa? Tengoklah filem aku!"

Selamat, selamat, selamat! Sebenarnya aku ada reviu filem lain, iaitu Desolasi, tengah tunggu nak keluar, tapi tak boleh nak post lagi sebabnya dah ada buat perjanjian. Masalahnya, aku gian bebenau nak post reviu tu! Nasib baiklah ada tarikh 4 Disember, aku sanggup merempit ke MidValley bersama adik tercinta untuk menonton filem yang tajuknya sungguh ironi, Hanyut arahan U-Wei Haji Saari (sebabnya sini ja yang tinggal tayangan filem ni yang paling dekat area aku; tu pun MASIH jauh) dan Interchange arahan Dain Said. Dapatlah jugak lepaskan gian nak mengulas filem-filem tempatan kita yang semakin berani kedepankan idea yang berlainan.

"We're the cool clique. Dain Said ain't nuttin' ta eff wit'!"

Ya. Filem-filem ni memang lain macam dalam liga masing-masing. Nak buat perbandingan memang langsung tak adil, sebabnya kedua-dua filem ni ada visinya yang tersendiri. Aku cuba untuk TAK BAGI SPOILER LANGSUNG dalam reviu ni, sebab nanti korang dah tau, korang tak mau tengok.

KKKorean Kombo film reviews: 'Train to Busan,' The Wailing,' & 'The Housemaid (1960)'

Yo, my peeps. How's it going?

"Yeah. You best believe that I'll bust the hell out of yo' infected ass, rotten biatches!"

I really wanted to do this for a while, but now that I finally have a (hopefully) stable job, I am not as eager to write reviews as before... or maybe I was too eager, that I forgot I was so damn tired. Now that it's the weekend, it's time to blow off some steam! In the nearest periods of time, I managed to watch a few South Korean films on the big screen, all of which are horrific in their own ways.

"Oh yeah? Try and check out what we're seeing, and you'll feel bad about acting all badass and shit!"

The first two, you could say are both recent releases (well, not the most recent), while the latest one, which was watched last Friday during the good old Wayang@Budiman screenings, was an opening of a new slot which will showcase the best classic black-and-white films from around the globe, two of which I get why it was critically acclaimed while the last one... I don't quite get why. So why the heck not fit all three of those reviews in one post, right?  Let's get it on, as these reviews are totally SPOILER-FREE!

"Pfft. Sissies."

Sebuah reviu filem: 'Aliff Dalam 7 Dimensi'

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah: Faisal Ishak
Penulis: Anwari Ashraf Hashim, Ashraf Zain
Genre: Aksi, fantasi · Rilis: 8 September 2016

Pelakon: Izzue Islam, Alif Satar, Juliana Evans,
Man Kadir, Kaka Azraff

Info lanjut: IMDb

Seperti biasa, filem ni buat aku tertarik sebab? Poster. Tapi, bukan poster biasa; pre-teaser poster dia. Dan pada pre-teaser poster tu tajuk asal filem ni 7 Dimensi Alif.

Bila nampak teaser-nya macam ni, aku dah bayangkan visual yang sangat menarik dengan rekaan makhluk-makhluk fantasi yang juga menarik, ditambah dengan protagonis yang acah-acah langsi dan penuh misteri tapi power gila. Itulah apa yang aku nampak dan dapat pada filemnya. Aku tak berpeluang nak baca komik filem ni yang merupakan prekuel, tapi dari segi kronologi, komik tu timeline dia masa Aliff  baru je mewarisi saka tu semasa dia di asrama. Nampaknya konsep dari poster pre-teaser ni berjaya jugak diterapkan dalam filem akhir, dan apa aku boleh cakap, ini eksperimen yang baik daripada team produksi AD7D ni dan yang best, apa yang aku harapkan dari poster tu pun ada jugak pada watak utamanya dan keseluruhan penceritaannya... kecuali skema warna hijau tu, sebab filem ni lebih kebiruan. Lepas tu, Faisal Ishak, pengarah trilogi filem Juvana serta siri drama TV-nya pulak yang bertanggungjawab mengarah filem ni.

Filem ni jauh dari yang terbaik, tapi ideanya sangat segar bagi industri kita. Oh, reviu ni ada SEDIKIT SPOILER, tapi aku rasa takkan ganggu pengalaman korang yang belum tengok kot.

An experience of sorts: Japanese Film Festival 2016 opening ceremony & 'After the Storm' thoughts

Hello, there! This time around, I'm giving a throwback of me saying things about what happened that I think matters to me: writing a long-ass post about it! And also, why not throw in a new banner for my blog, right? Oh yeah, those are totally characters from The Boy and the Beast, one of the films that will be screened at Japanese Film Festival Malaysia 2016, and I'm keeping it! It's not just a promotional thing! NARNIA is long gone!

Fret not though. I know this is supposed to be a blog dedicated to reviewing films (and other things). It's here because a film was indeed screened after the opening ceremony attended by PRESS members for this year's edition of Japanese Film Festival organised by Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur in association with Golden Screen Cinemas. A brief review of that film, titled After the Storm, will follow suit.

My gut-feeling as one of the few guests of honour

Which begs me to this question; how the HELL did this wild invitation appear in my inbox while I was doing my job? And why, oh why, did it have to clash with the screening for a free movie which I won tickets to thanks to Movie Addict? World is cruel.

The mysterious email in question. That person in the screenshot of this screenshot is Kiki Kilin, one of the actors for the film I watched that night, and she is KILIN' it with her role! More on that later. And sorry not sorry for the lame pun.

How the heck did he get my email? And how am I a press member now? What kind of credibility do I have? Is it because of THIS article?

My review is the third one. Not lying mah!

Yeah. One of my reviews got featured at The Daily Seni - AGAIN! This time around, it's sandwiched between THE Fadli al-Akiti (a renowned film critic and owner of TontonFilem) and New Straits Times' review excerpts, and it's for a film currently showing in local cinemas right now, Pekak. And yes, this is totally a legit article.

Whatever the case is, since I already went to a few screenings with the awesome group, I decided to give up my tickets and pass it to my siblings instead, so I can take up this invitation, to see where things would go from here. The unfortunate thing was, I was stuck in traffic when the press conference was commencing. It was then I would have the chance to maybe get closer to the aforementioned veteran actress whom I think was indeed very likeable both on-screen and off-screen judging from a video tribute played before her speech during the festival's opening ceremony and the speech itself, through the way she conveyed her message.

Here she is, straight from the red carpets draped under her feet just outside the theater hall. I was too hungry munching on the finger foods to even care about her, 'cause a brother's gotta eat. Gomenasai!

Photo by Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur.

While it was awkward and all, with me being just an ordinary guy being thrown into a world of press screenings (with this one being the totally official one), I guess it was a pleasant one, even if I talked to only very few of them, introducing myself like the amateur that I am (and I rue the day that I didn't get the chance to drop my non-existent contact card!). This occurrence might seem normal to some people, but for a socially awkward human like myself who just happens to write film reviews for fun, this is a huge deal. It gives people like me, the low self-esteem guy, a high purpose. Which means people still need guidance on what is or what is not a good film, and I am stamped as that kind of guy who does just that. And me getting recognised as an ACTUAL member of the press by being invited to this kind of event was kind of something. Ookay. Not much else I can say about the event. On with the film review.

Sebuah reviu filem: Korang jangan buat 'Pekak' ye! Debik kang!

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah & penulis: Mohd Khairul Azri Md Noor
Genre: Drama · Rilis: 1 September 2016

Pelakon: Zahiril Adzim, Sharifah Amani, Zaidi Omar,
Sharifah Sakinah, Amerul Affendi, Iedil Putra, Joe Flizzow

Info lanjut: IMDb

Jujur cakap, aku tak tau dari mana aku dengar pasal filem ni. Pendek kata, aku pekakkan telinga aku pasal kewujudannya. Tapi, tetiba ramai pula yang melobi aku untuk tonton filem ni sebagaimana Joe Flizzow melobi dirinya selama ni untuk menjadi seorang ahli 'kartel' sepanjang karier solonya. Sekali, ambik kau dia jadi pengedar dadah dalam filem ni! Kartello, hello! Okay, mukadimah yang merapu, tapi ada sebabnya kenapa aku sentuh pasal ni. Jauh sikit dalam reviu ni aku habaq na?

Nak ditakdirkan, aku dua kali dijemput untuk tonton filem ni sebelum dikeluarkan untuk orang ramai 1 September depan (yang juga hari pertama aku makan gaji tetap bulan-bulan!); kali pertama sebagai sesi soal jawab bersama dua orang pelakon dan pengarahnya dan kali kedua pula sebagai tayangan perdana atau nama poyonya 'Malam Gala.' Yang kedua aku dapat pergi, dan semua pelakon dan para tunjang belakang filem ni datang mai (kecuali Zaidi Omar). Aku bersyukur sebab dapat berkenalan dengan pencinta filem ni sampai dapat mingle secara kasual dengan para pemain industri like nobody's business. Sungguh. Sepertimana aku juga jatuh cinta pada filem yang fokusnya sepelik terbitan Tengku Iesta sebelum ni pasal orang nak bunuh diri: filem Pekak  ni pasal orang pekak yang terpaksa menjual dadah. Lolwut?

Baiklah. Memandangkan filem ni masih lagi tengah chill sebelum bertemu penonton, aku cuba kasi ulasan TANPA SPOILER, di mana tujuan ulasan ni semata-mata untuk suruh korang pergi sokong satu lagi filem berkualiti bikinan anak watan kita. Ayuh! Iqra'!

Film reviews: Wayang@Budiman presents Classic Wuxia - 'Come Drink with Me' & 'Dragon Inn'

"Shall we dance to you bitches' death?"

Ooh, wee. Look here. Another overdue ones. Good golly. Let's do a double review for yet another slot at Wayang@Budiman on February. What's wuxia you ask? A literary genre from China in which the characters wield swords to beat the crap out of each other. While both films are from the same director, the same genre, and the same starting point (both films' plot actually takes off from an inn), these films are not exactly related to each other. From what I have dug out, it seems that these films are said to be the best of all time for its genre and also one of the earliest ones made by a very influential wuxia director, where the latter had two remakes and a tribute. 

"Look ma, no balls!"

Maybe I have seen one or two wuxia films before I even knew what wuxia really is (I think I passingly watched Storm Riders and A Man Called Hero that one time) or even knew about a wuxia comic (it's the Malay translation Storm Riders' source material... but I didn't go into the details like the characters and the sword names and what not), so I was never like a follower of the genre or anything. Watching these pioneers was indeed quite the experience for me.

A film review: 'Her Own Address'

Original title: সুতপা’র ঠিকানা (Sutopar Thikana)
Origin: Bangladesh · Language: Bengali
Director & writer: Proshoon Rahman

Genre: Drama
Release: May 8, 2015 (Bangladesh) / March 3, 2016 (Malaysia)
 
Cast: Aporna Ghosh, Shahadat Hossain, Jayanto Chattopadhyay

Studio: Imation Creator
Distributor: GSC Movies (Malaysia)

 Eh. No lame opening sentence for this review, sorry.

FYI, this is the second time I got mixed into a press screening of a film, with the first one being Steven Spielberg's Lincoln in 2012... but that one was a rather mainstream affair despite its niche biographical film market here. For this one, it's from Bangladesh, and it's not a biopic. I am sorry for my ignorance, but I am once again in shock about how the Bangladeshi film industry is in fact a very flourished one in its homeland, with only select few that ever got international attention. This film is such example. I would have never heard of this film if it wasn't for an announcement that was made on the Facebook group Movie Addict.

So, I can't definitely say that this is the first Bangladeshi film AND the first one to get global recognition. But I can bet your ass that this is the first film I have ever watched coming from the said country and I gotta say that it's... not bad. Not my cup of tea, but not bad at all. It's a very empowering female-centric drama film if this is shown at the right audience, but a flawed one. And what do I mean by that about this film that will be available for a limited time to the general public in early March at select Golden Screen Cinemas outlets? Let's find out. And don't worry: this is a SPOILER-FREE REVIEW (honestly, there's not much to spoil).

Sebuah reviu filem: 'Ola Bola!' Apa khabar?

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu, Mandarin, Tamil, Inggeris

Pengarah: Chiu · Penulis: Chan Yoke Keng, Tan Pik Yee

Genre: Sukan, drama · Rilis: 28 Januari 2016

Pelakon: J.C. Chee, Luqman Hafidz, Sarankumar Manokaran, 

Marianne Tan, Katrina Ho, Daphne Low, Bront Palarae, 

Frankie Lee

Lebih info: IMDb

Hai. Selamat datang ke reviu filem yang dirilis pada tahun 2016 yang pertama sekali aku tonton!

Mempersembahkan sebuah reviu pasif-agresif aku tentang antara filem yang atas sebab tertentu dinanti-nantikan oleh rakyat Malaysia tapi bukan aku. Aku pernahlah jugak dengar samar-samar pasal filem ni dan jugak pasal pengarahnya yang sebelum ni mengarah filem Mandarin sleeper hit di box office Malaysia satu masa dulu, The Journey yang aku masih belum berpeluang nak tonton. Lepas tu, tiba-tiba trailer filem ni dirilis. Aku pun tengoklah, sebab trailer dan posternya sekali lagi menarik perhatian aku.

Sekali lagi, Astro Shaw ni jenis tak lokek keluarkan bajet yang sewajarnya untuk aspek promosi dan marketing filem sukan bola sepak yang kedua selepas Jejak Warriors yang juga aku tak tengok lagi tu sebab aku bukannya jenis tengok bola sepak mahupun dengan khusyuknya menelaah perkembangan terkini arena bola sepak tempatan mahupun luar negara. Ini apa aku suka:

• Cara trailer Ola Bola mempromosikan filem ni sangat cerdik; semua babak-babak mendebarkan yang sebenarnya borderline spoiler bagi aku, cepat je dia fade-kan. Lepas tu diadun pulak dengan muzik piano dramatik yang wajib ada pada trailer-trailer Hollywood (yang walaupun dah lama fenomena ni berlaku, tapi entah kenapa baru orang nak pecah kepala pasal hal ni bila The Force Awakens yang buat macam tu). 
• Posternya pula sekali lagi, macam Polis Evo, telah menceritakan segala isi filem secara sepintas lalu dan tak mementingkan sangat star-power; biarpun Bront Palarae yang sekarang ni boleh aku anggap sebagai Johnny Depp Malaysia jugak memegang watak dalam filem ni, depa tak jual langsung kewujudan dia (di dalam poster DAN trailernya).

Ok. Cukup dah kot pasal marketing dan promonya. Sekarang, mari aku ulas pasal filem ini sendiri yang aku rasa... indah rupa dari khabar, tapi takdelah menjengkelkan mahupun membosankan. Mungkin aku terlalu berharap tinggi sangat kot.

Sebuah reviu filem: 'Anita - Dunia Ajaib' sangat... meta!

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah, penerbit, penulis: Omar Haji Md. Said
Rilis: 1981
Genre: Fiksyen sains (kot?), misteri (kot?),
drama (kot?), romantik (kot?)

Pelakon: Hail Amir, Asmah Hamid,
Aznah Hamid, Dollah Dagang

Studio: Ohms Film Company

Hai, semua! Kali ni, aku cuba untuk kurang melalut dalam reviu kali ni. Kalau tak, aku akan terikut gaya filem pembukaan untuk sesi Wayang@Budiman 2016 bagi slot Fiksyen Pulpa Malaysia. Tapi... filem ni sendiri melalut jugak secara tak sengaja. Lantaklah! Jadi, untuk itu, aku akan menggunakan semangat yang dibawa oleh filem ni dekat reviu ni! Baiklah. Mari ke mukadimah yang lebih elok.

Menurut pamplet PKAF untuk slot tayangan depa sepanjang 2016, ini dah masuk tahun kedua penganjuran sesi Wayang@Budiman. Aku tak pasti kecenderungan aku ni apa (jangan risau, orientasi seksual aku masih lagi di jalan yang lurus; aku cakap pasal kecenderungan filem tau), jadi aku cuba-cubalah benda baru macam tayangan filem sebegini sejak aku jadi pelajar di sekolah filem (bolehlah semangat filem dia) pada tahun 2009 setelah aku sedar ada filem lagi menarik selain filem arus perdana.

PKAF ni pun kebetulan serupa aku jugak; sentiasa cuba macam-macam dan tengok apa jadi lepas tu (celah kecenderungan filem jelah, sebab secara zahirnya, haram jadahnya aku nak cuba sangat benda baru). Dan bagi slot Fiksyen Pulpa Malaysia sepanjang Januari 2016, depa berjaya memfizikalkan keinginan zahir aku melalui filem pertama slot ni bertajuk Anita: Dunia Ajaib, sebuah filem yang sangat ajaib dari sudut idea dalam filem ni sendiri, di sebalik tabir filem ni, dan keadaan sekeliling filem ni di dalam filem dan di dunia sebenar, dan kewujudan filem ni! Pihak penganjur pernah cakap slot Januari ni terdiri daripada filem-filem yang dianggap gila babi teruk dalam sejarah filem Malaysia pada masa dulu; tapi yang ni aku lebih faham kenapa jadi macam apa yang terjadi dalam filem ni (tapi sebaliknya untuk filem Malaysia sekarang); kira perasaannya lebih kurang macam masa aku tergerak hati nak mengeraskan telur aku untuk pergi tonton Jaka Sembung tahun lepas ehsan KSFM. Cumanya, Jaka Sembung lagi power. Filem ni pulak... HAHAHAHAHAHA! Comel! Terima kasih sebab namakan slot ni secara tak sengaja sempena antara filem Quentin Tarantino yang disukai ramai dan poster buatan sendiri yang terlalu well-made untuk filem yang... mengelirukan ni!

A film review: The swagger of 'Tokyo Tribe' is second to none!

Origin: Japan · Language: Japanese, English
Director & writer: Sono Sion
Release: August 30, 2014 · Genres: Musical, crime, comedy

Casts: YOUNG DAIS, Ryohei Suzuki, Nana Seino,
Riki Takeuchi, Shota Sometani

More info: IMDb

Happy new year, my fellow readers (if there are any)!

Um, yes. That's about it. I know I'm draggy when I type things, but I don't know how to cheese it up. It's amazing how people are able to pull off that shit. Really!

Okay, moving on to my very first review of the year.

I first heard of Tokyo Tribe / TT from a local entertainment/comics magazine, at a time where I think everything hyped in that magazine is a must-catch; however, that was a very, very long time ago when only its manga existed. So far, they were right about Kill Bill being awesome (and as I am writing right now about that magazine that introduced me to Kill Bill, I just realised that this film actually references the movie... er, I mean... references Kill Bill's reference!). But somehow, I never bothered to read the manga, since I was put off by the manga-ka's drawing style and the seriousness of the plot that just doesn't add up after a glimpse of it. Its front cover managed to fool me, alright.

Then, I previewed the first episode of its anime series. It looks nothing like the manga at all; the art style is way better, and borrow heavy cues from the hip-hop culture. Reminds me of good old Samurai Champloo a bit, but the hip-hop influence made more sense in TT's anime series.

Enter 2014. Outta nowhere, some dude named Sono Sion, the director of that 4-hour long film Love Exposure (which I have yet to watch, but is in my list nonetheless) decided to adapt the manganime to a live-action film format. But instead of a straight gangster approach like its source materials, Sono-san instead fully embraced all things hip-hop by making this a feature-length, literal rap battle between the conflicting tribes. You read that right; it's a musical gangster film! Take that, Tim Burton and your musical horror! Sono-san right here is the REAL DJ! Hit it!

A film review: 'Jagat'

Origin: Malaysia · Language: Tamil
Director & writer: Shanjhey Kumar Perumal
Release: December 17, 2015 · Genres: Crime, drama

Casts: Harvind Raj, Jibrail Rajhula, Kuben Mahadevan,
Tinesh Sarathi Krishnan, Senthil Kumaran Muniandhy,
Aahmuu Thirunyanam, Marup Mustapah, Perakas Rajaram

More info: IMDb

Sorry not sorry for not being affected by the Force Fever. Honestly, I'm one of those who only know Star Wars through OTHER than its films. Enough of that. Let's talk about Jagat now.

Despite my flair to sometimes delve into the weird, edgy, and epic cinematic experience, I also prefer to see films which reflects the messed up reality of a certain society sometimes, ESPECIALLY in a Malaysian context. I thought I would NEVER see such films to ever come to fruition, now that Namewee's Banglasia, a film that has such criteria, is now struggling to get local audiences to see it for free on the Internet due to the freaking Censorship Boards' twisted, confusing, and highly vague censorship guidelines which banned the said film... until this film popped up outta nowhere and was released to the masses totally untouched (read: no cuts whatsoever, except maybe for some cuss words; but it doesn't bother my viewing experience really). Thank God! Also, this is my first ever experience in watching a feature length Tamil movie from start to finish (since Tamil films are not really my muse, maybe because I haven't found the right film to watch and the ones on TV are just... ergh...?), let alone on a big screen! I guess it's because of its realism approach and not the mainstream musical shit? Maybe.

Wow. This year's films seems to highly challenge my review code, and this film is no exception. This is a local film, but is made primarily for Malaysian Indian audiences; hence, its language and primary setting being a Malaysian 1990's Indian community. I'm not definitely sure whether the actors of this film are a big thing or are entirely newbies both in the Malaysian mainstream or the Malaysian Indian entertainment sector. Pfft. Screw that. In this film, story is king, feels are strong, and visuals are dandy candy. Also, the race card is totally irrelevant; despite being set in the Indian community, the issues depicted are actually faced by most Malaysians during the time in my opinion, thanks in part to its focus on the side effects of globalisation toward the poorer sections of the country, spearheaded by Tun Dr. M, that forces them to do despicable things.

I can tell ya that this is another (possibly) limited edition gem dug by local film fans who know their stuff! And this is the director's first feature film effort after so many short films and documentaries.

Okay, then. I hope this review can convince you skeptics over local productions which fight really hard to become fully awesome these days, as this is the most grounded gangster film ever produced so far, EVER, that feels and presented more as a slice of life film than anything else!

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Sebuah reviu filem: 'Yasmine' memang mintak aku sorak cliché dia! ;)

Asal: Brunei · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah: Siti Kamaluddin · Penulis: Salman Aristo
Rilis: 21 Ogos 2014 (Brunei) · Genre: Drama, aksi

Pelakon: Liyana Yus, Nadiah Wahid, Arifin Putra,
Aryl Falak, Reza Rahadian, Carmen Soo,
Dian P. Ramlee, Nabila Huda, Roy Sungkono,
Agus Kuncoro, Mentari De Marelle, M. Nasir,
Jazz Hayat, Lim Ching Miau, Soo Wincci, Maharasyi

Pengedar: Media Aktiva Nusantara Visual

Info lanjut: IMDb

Pada 10 Disember 2015, berakhirlah hari acara FiTA Gravity anjuran Fakulti Filem, Teater, dan Animasi, UiTM (kenapalah tak kekalkan satu nama ja; acara lebih kurang je setiap tahun!) dengan tayangan filem dari Brunei, sebuah lagi negara nusantara yang kecik selepas Singapura. Menurut pengetahuan dan pencarian aku, filem ni merupakan filem KETIGA yang produksi Brunei pernah hasilkan... like EVER!

Dan ini merupakan tayangan perdana filem ni di Malaysia dan kami tak diminta untuk bayar satu sen pun (bukan macam filem kena bayar RM10 yang diragui tu). Ehem.

Baiklah. Meh sini aku nak reviu filem dari Brunei ni.

AMARAN: ADA SEDIKIT SPOILER!

A film review: 'Jaka Sembung' is a fucking Warrior!

International title: The Warrior · Origin: Indonesia

Languages: Indonesian, Dutch (Original) / English (Mondo Macabro)

Director: Sisworo Gautama Putra · Writer: Darto Juned

Genres: Action, martial arts, fantasy

Release: July 1981 (Indonesia), 2008 (Mondo Macabro)

Casts: Barry Prima, Eva Arnaz, W.D. Mochtar, Dicky Zulkarnaen,

Dana Christina, H.I.M. Damsyik, S. Parya

More info: IMDb

According to the curator of this particular screening, Diffan Norman (director of the Sundance-selected Kekasih short film), who is also part of Kelab Seni Filem Malaysia / Malaysian Film Appreciation Club (KSFM), the body that organizes their recently revived on-indefinite-hiatus weekly screenings now on its second week, this print by Mondo Macabro (the distributor of the film's DVD release in the United States) is the only copy with the highest quality that wouldn't look awkward when screened using a huge-ass 4K projector (at least, that's how I understood it).

Alright. Let's get to it. To explain to you things I just didn't have the chance to say during the film's Q&A/opinion session, which is my first ever experience in watching an English dub of a full-length Indonesian film provided by Mondo Macabro. I have huge doubts about dubs in general, since it's always awkward to watch anything on screen, be it TV series or films, to have spoken in languages not native to their original ones. And I already had the idea of how horrible would The Raid: Redemption's English dub would sound like in my head, so I avoided it altogether. For this film however, once I had the mind set that this is an old-school film (judging from a snippet of this that was shown in the first week of KSFM's screening, and also after Diffan Norman said it) and deduce that this could be one corny ride, I decided to say "Screw it, let's dance!" and ditch an exclusive screening back at wayang@Budiman on the same day and around the same time but at different venues. Sorry, Dr. Norman Yusoff (who is, ironically, also a member of KSFM).

Okay then. Let's kick it with the (sort of) badass Parmin a.k.a. Jaka Sembung (Barry Prima)!  

WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Film reviews/opinion pieces: Wayang@Budiman Presents 'Sinema Selera'

Official flyer for 'Sinema Selera.'

Good day ol' chaps! As you can see, I am NOT good at constantly updating my blog. Life happens, and laziness happens. And this shitty intro happens. 

Anway, this will be a collective review, short or long, of a handful of films that filled the 'Sinema Selera' slot (literally translates as Delicious Cinema or Cinema of Taste) which is held throughout September and October at Wayang@Budiman, a screening session organised by Pusat Kajian dan Apresiasi Filem (Centre of Film Research and Appreciation). More info on these screenings, I already blabbed about it on the intro in the first review of the first film in this slot, so go ahead and click that. It's right after the posters.

I got to say... I haven't really thought about food the way these filmmakers do. From Japan to Mexico, each of these countries sees food very differently, and maybe these functions would/wouldn't be discussed in each of the film's review/opinion. So let's get it on!

Posters for the films screened at Sinema Selera.

Sebuah reviu filem: 'Polis EVO' kata depa yang gatai ketuk pintu!

Asal: Malaysia
Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah: Ghaz Abu Bakar
Penerbit: Joel Soh
Penulis: Joel Soh, Kyle Goonting, Anwari Ashraf, Adib Zaini
Pelakon: Shaheizy Sam, Zizan Razak, Nora Danish, Eyka Farhana, Wan Hanafi Su, Pablo Amirul,
Harun Salim Bachik, Ayie Hushairi, Mimie Ernida, Amerul Affendi
Genre: Aksi
Rilis: 17 September 2015
Studio: Tayangan Unggul
Pengedar: Astro Shaw

Tahukan anda apakah itu awkward moment? Awkward moment itu ialah di mana anda nak sangat tonton filem Kapsul, tapi end up terus tak selera nak tengok biarpun ada cameo lejen. Lepas tu tiba-tiba tak ada angin, tak ada ribut, tertarik dengan poster filem dalam entri ni. Tiba-tiba aku terus rasa nak tengok filem ni pulak. Tak tahulah macam mana boleh rasa tertarik. 

Mungkinkah kerana posternya? Nak kata minimalis, taklah kot. Banyak jugak layer dan effects diletakkan pada poster; finishing touch dekat kulit depa ni ala poster filem Hollywood jugak. Kiraan pelakon dalam posterkah? Ada juga beberapa nama besar lain dalam filem ni; heck, siap ada si comel Nora Danish pun. Tapi filem ni bukanlah sepenuhnya pasal SEMUA watak dalam filem ni! Filem ni pasal perbezaan dua kepala warga polis yang sangat berbeza; yakni si dua ekor dalam poster ni sahaja! Straight to the point!

Mungkinkah kerana trailernya? Ye kot. Aku dah tonton dua trailer filem yang pada asalnya telah diberikan suntikan semangat yang padu untuk aku sokong, yakni Kapsul dan Bravo V. Lepas tu baru aku sedar... yang dua-dua trailer tu nampak sakai gila dibuat disebabkan oleh footage filem yang digunakan tak nampak kualiti sinematiknya. Bila aku bandingkan dengan trailer Polis EVO pulak? Apa yang depa tease, itulah yang aku dapat dan lebih lagi! Footage yang ditunjukkan bagi trailer filem ni lebih rasa pawagam daripada trailer Bravo V dan Kapsul, maaf kata. Jadi, baik aku bet kat Polis EVO instead. Tiket bukannya murah oi!

Mungkinkah kerana teraju-teraju utamanya? Boleh kata jugak. Bagi aku, Songlap dah cukup untuk meyakinkan aku bahawa Shaheizy Sam ni seorang bakat tempatan yang tak boleh dilepas pandang. Zizan Razak pulak? Lepas kali terakhir aku tengok dia dalam KL Gangster 2 yang aku baru sedar terlalu mencuba dari segenap sudut yang termasuk humor dalam dialog dan perwatakan karakter Fadil, aku perlu tengok kebolehan dia bila digabungkan dengan Shaheizy Sam pulak. Ternyata rasa ingin tahu aku tu berjaya dijawab. Ini akan disentuh kot nanti.

Baik. Sekarang aku nak mula reviu. Oh ya. Reviu ni mungkin ada SEDIKIT SPOILER. Mungkinlah. Jadi, berhati-hati ya? Jangan kejut harimau, tau!