The Write Stuff: Benjamin McKay

Benjamin McKay is a prominent film writer/reviewer in Malaysia, regularly contributing to the likes of Criticine and Kakiseni, amongst others. And when I say prominent, I mean “You met Tan Chui Mui? Ah yes, I had dinner with her” prominent (OK, so that’s not an exact quote, but you get the idea ).

He’s also an academician, currently lecturing in film studies at our alma mater, Monash University (ancora imparo, everyone!). Not that he always planned it that way. Here he talks about his early ambitions to be an actor, teaching films, and why Malaysians like to watch horror movies…

Audience vs Filmmakers: Who is the King?

It was the setting up of this site that brought me to this issue.

WordPress promoted the post on the Sneakerboxx site, one wrote a post on the alternate ending of ‘I Am Legend’. Despite having seen the film, and reading up on the issues behind it, I wasn’t aware that an alternate ending to the film was shot, let alone released on the net (not that it was meant to, but that’s another story).

Of course, this is nothing new. Many movies and even TV shows have shot multiple and alternate courses, ensuring that when push comes to show, they will have more cards to play with. Usually, the film is screen tested, gauging the audience’s reaction before the product’s final release. If it scored unfavourably, re-shoots are often scheduled, minimising the financial and critical damage when it opens later at the box office.

However, it does make me wonder about one thing: who is really in charge here? The audience or the filmmakers?

A Decent Fit – 27 Dresses

Katie Heigl and I go way back. All the way back to the mid 90s. I remember those sweet, sweet nights, when I would turn on Sky Movies and watch ‘Under Siege 2′ for the umpteenth time. They’re quite fond of playing back the same movies over and over, and Steven Seagal’s face do get a bit boring at times (honestly, is that man capable of emoting more than one emotion? Have a look at his face, and tell me). Thankfully, she was there for me, playing the role of Seagal’s daughter. A short moment of fame, before falling off the radar for a fair number of years (cameo roles notwithstanding), but my memory of her good looks did not fail me.

Malaysiana 2008 – 10 Local Films To Look Forward To

Having had a look at the Hollywood summer blockbusters, it’s now fair play to cast the same eye on the Malaysian scene. Fair play it may be, but to compare and contrast between the two, to some there is no contest. One is a money-making machine, with the aim of making more money. The other aims to show as many slices of Malaysian life as possible on screen, playing around with themes like religion and identity to spark further debate and discussion. One has CGI-heavy superheroes flying against aeroplanes, the other relies on Zul Huzaimy and Afdlin Shauki to sell tickets.

This list, then, looks at the movies that I would be interested in, that I would consider lining up for at Midvalley and One Utama (the Cineleisure lines tend to be too long for my liking).

A Perfect Nation? – No Country For Old Men

Some say that ‘No Country for Old Men’ is the best movie of 2007. Some even went as far as saying the movie is flawless. With 4 Oscars under its belt (Best Film, Best Directors and Adapted Screenplay for the Coen Brothers, and Javier Bardem scooping up the Best Actor in a Supporting Role award), these statements wouldn’t be untrue. For me, its certainly one of the best movies I have seen and it’s undeniably in my top 3 of 2007, but I won’t go as far as saying that it’s a perfect movie. However, given the poor standards of movies that came out last year, I have to say that ‘No Country’ truly is the most deserving film to walk away with the top honors at this year’s Oscars. Come to think of it, all the 5 nominated films were equally good (with the exception, perhaps, of that little indie film about a pregnant 16 year old girl). If I have to pick one extra edge that this movie has over the rest, it’s probably due to the powerhouse performances by its actors, most notably some Spanish dude that goes by the name of Javier Bardem.

Twice The Death – A look at ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’

It was just made official last week that the final film of the Potter franchise, confusingly titled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be made into 2 separate movies. It will simply be known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. The former will be released in November 2010 and the latter in May 2011.

Now, is this good, or is it a disaster in the making?

2+2=9s – The Nines

How do you hype a movie that has no advertising budget to speak of? More specifically, how do you tell other people that there is this movie that you made, and that you want people to watch it? It is the problem of almost every independent filmmaker that I’ve encountered. When I say independent here, I mean those who work truly outside of the studio system, and those who work with the smallest of budgets. And when I say hype, I mean something more than just a passing resemblance of a trailer that you cut together from the film footage, coupled with a relatively exciting track, and post up to youtube (before spamming the entire Malaysian Cinema mail list about it). Hype, in this context, means getting people truly excited about it, and really grabbing the attention of your target audience.

Thank God for the Internet, then. To be more precise, thank God for the creation of blogs.

14,000 Years In The Making – Man From Earth

Ah, piracy. A role glorified by Johnny and his turn as Captain Sparrow on the big screen. Such swashbuckling adventures, he had, with the fair lady Keira and second mate Orlando in tow…

What, what’s that…? Oh…..piracy. As in, video piracy. Film piracy, within the context of this article. The bane of every filmmaker everywhere, who spend a lot of hard work trying to put their vision on the big screen, only for the unscrupulous and not-exactly-thin Chinese dude selling it right next to Murni in SS2. All the while enjoying a ‘mee utara’, too. And his probably arrived within the hour.

Bastard.

2 Steps Behind – Step Up 2 The Streets

I have to admit, ‘Step Up 2 The Streets’ is not exactly the sort of movie that I’d frequent. Not that I don’t admire the dancing and the good looking cast that always accompanies such movies. It’s the banality of the plot that is unbearable. At times, I wished I haven’t spent money on such movies. Luckily, I didn’t pay for ‘Stomp the Yard’ when I reviewed it for THINK, and I wasn’t about to pay for this either.

But if a friend treats you to the movie, then all the rules go out the window. That’s a different story altogether. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for ‘Step Up 2′

Thank You, Summer Summer – A Look At The Blockbusters

Every year, the summer season promises much. School would be out, the rain would be warm, and barbeques would go on for longer (of course, one could say that every night in Malaysia is a summer night, but no matter).

To movie fans, it is also the time of big budget epics. A time of boy wizards and their wands, of mutants fighting each other, and of course…big effing robots. This year, a new slate of superheroes, icons, and not-so-big-robots vie for the affection of your heart and the money of your wallet.