On movies

I recently watched a movie on a whim due to a recommendation from two friends a long time ago. In the middle of watching the movie, I was doing a lot of other stuff. My mind just would not sit and go through the entire length in one sitting. When I finished, I was baffled. It wasn't good at all, in fact, it was so, so bad. Why did my friends even recommend the movie (it's When In Rome, by the way)?

That got me thinking. Several years ago (I say several years because I cannot quantify the time when I started to think differently), I probably would've thought the movie is okay. You know how the movie review websites always have ratings that reviewers and audiences give and how sometimes both of them doesn't match at all? I thought that it would be a case like that but I find myself siding with the reviewers most of the time. Have my taste in movies change or have my ability to observe and judge a movie change? The latter is probably an indication that the rate of enjoyment I take from watching movies is less now as I don't lose myself simply just having a good time being entertained.

Of course the second reason could be because I did not watch the movie in a cinema, very rarely would my focus waver if everything around me is dark. When watching movies in the confines of your room or house there are things that distract you, or things that cross your mind that you are afraid that you will forget if you don't do it right then and there.

Regardless, as they say, movies appreciation is a personal thing, but hey, without a consensus, things won't get done anyway right? Rotten tomatoes exists to inform, educate, and maybe occasionally berate most movies it carries.

Juno

So I saw "Juno". What a great movie! Good story, great acting, funny lines, and amazing soundtrack. In fact, during the opening sequence, as soon as I heard the soundtrack, I knew this is going to be a good movie. And it didn't disappoint. At the end of it, I feel the world is sweet and I am optimistic towards life. Okay, so it's a feel-good movie.

What made a great song is most of the part, great lyrics. Here are two of the featured songs and my favorites: the actors Michael Cera and Ellen Page's version of "Anyone Else But You" (lyrics here) and Kimya Dawson's "Loose Lips" (lyrics here).

So if you wanna burn yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
And if you wanna cut yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
And if you wanna kill yourself
Remember that I LOVE YOU
Call me up before you're dead
We can make some plans instead
Send me an IM, I'll be your friend

I Not Stupid Too

I don't exactly remember the first story, I Not Stupid, only that it's a good one. The sequel bears the same hallmark of Jack Neo's movies minus the political satire that marks the first film: a contemporary view of Singaporean education, parent-children relationships, and the strict 'follow the law' credo that was playfully portrayed in his latest offering, Just Follow Law.

You'll laugh and you'll cry. Jack's brilliance lies in his ability to bring a story that 'connects' with us, the audience. You can easily identify with the scenes at school, the constant nagging and lectures from parents and how their actions are always right, the modern lingo that kids use. Oh, and plenty of the ever-present product placement (in this movie alone, there are at least 4 or 5 brands that starred along with the actors, including Motorola, Apple, New Moon Abalone).

The story's narrator is 8-year-old Jerry (Ashley Leong), who during the introduction talks about how his parents, grandmother launches a tirade of words that flow endlessly from their mouths and out his and his brother Tom's ears.

The main plot involves Tom and his best friend Chengchai (Joshua Ang), who rebel against teachers and finally got into serious trouble in the second half of the movie. The movie offers plenty of moral stories. Lack of communication is also one of the many problems that plague our society and the movie constantly highlight this point throughout. In more than a few scenes, parents may be reminded of the immense responsibility that comes with parenthood. Being a good role model and all that moral stuff. The same may be said for teachers, the movie also teaches us to be generous with compliments and encouragement, to focus on people's virtues, not their flaws.. as showing appreciation is much lacking in our society these days.

And it is here I realize the Ministry of Education has laws that allow principle to order a public caning of 'stray' students. I didn't verify the truth, but I would suppose it's true. Interesting. If it is true, maybe they should consider abolishing it.

Overall, it fared pretty well. I have to say, I always enjoy Jack Neo's movies since the Liang Po Po era. Although this movie may speak a little louder to Singaporeans or those who have lived in Singapore (plenty of local lingo abound), the message is universal and audience of all ages will find it enjoyable.

Eternal Summer 盛夏光年

This is a story of eternal love, youthful turmoil, friendship, and a process of growth. It transports you back to your high school days, brings back all those sweet memories of youthful exuberance (okay, I'm speaking like a 80-year-old granny), when you can throw every caution to the wind and get away with anything. Did I mention, it was a story of gay love?

Jonathan (Bryant Chang) was a class monitor; circumstances led him to be beckoned by the teacher to be friends with troublemaker Shane (Joseph Chang) . Ten years later, Shane grew up to be a handsome young basketball player, and Jonathan into the best friend who watch his plays quietly from the side of the court but unbeknownst to Shane, who is secretly in love with him too.

Everything changed with the arrival of Carrie (Kate Yeung), the Taiwan-born Hong Kong transfer student. What follows is a tangled web of events that built up to the climatic mid point, and ended with a "???". I'm giving too much away.

The actors gave a solid performance as an ensemble, but retained an individuality on each of their character that you can't help but care. Kate Yeung possesses such an unconventional beauty that gets you noticed the moment she walked into a scene. Bryant Chang was fragile and torn at the same time, conveying such emotional aggravation of one-sided love that the audience can feel in the pit of their stomach. He won the Best New Performer title at the Golden Horse Award last year for this role, and deservedly so. Joseph Chang is shaky at best in the beginning. He made it up to the audience into the second part of the movie with his performance as a torn young college undergraduate who has to choose between the affections of his girlfriend or his best friend.

This movie is so much better compared to another movie, Formula 17, of the same genre that came out around the same time. The end leaves a lot to be desired. Yet it was still well worth the ticket price to see the performances of these young stars. I can imagine myself seeing more of their future movies in the cinema. Taiwanese films are making waves yet again.