Please, God, Not Yet… – Yasmin Ahmad

“Eeeeuuwwww! I would never want to do that!”

Saturday afternoon (or was it Thursday?), Sfunz Theatre, Pusan. We had just finished watching Yasmin Ahmad’s world premiere of ‘Muallaf’. The screening went well; the halls were full, and there were a number of intelligent questions querying the director after the screening. After all that was done, all the Malaysians took the fine opportunity to take pictures together. It was sizeable; Amir Muhammad and Azharr Rudin, representing ‘Punggok Rindukan Bulan’ (another world premiere), were there, as was Wong Tuck Cheong.

“If you do that, then it will stay with you forever. I don’t want to have that on my CV.”

Rain is Coming…Soon! – Ninja Assassin

When I first heard about this film, I had a good chuckle. “They just had to make his first film a martial arts one,” I thought to myself. “So typical of Hollywood.”

The ‘he’ I am talking about is Jeong Ji-hun (정지훈) a.k.a Rain (비). He is of course, the big-ass Korean supernova sensation who has often been compared to Justin Timberlake. With sweeps of fans across world who would gladly plonk down their hard-earned money for a chance to fix their gaze on him on the big screen, the movie will certain make back the production budget within a few weeks, I should think.

Hence, I had dismissed it as nothing than a movie that doesn’t seem very interesting.

Until now.

Feverish – Tony Manero

From one end of the world to another. Korea to Chile. That must be some flight to get there. My Brazilian friend, who returned home recently, had to make a couple of connecting flights in Japan and parts of America. But then again, she was stopping at a couple of festivals showing off her film. These festivals are in league with those folks at IMDB, so by default, you can check her out here.

But I digress. Chile. Why am I talking about Chile? That’s where this film, ‘Tony Manero’, hails from. You might think that since it is named after John Travolta’s character in Saturday Night Fever, it might be set in the same country, somewhat. But if that is indeed what you think, you’d be wrong.

Oh, so wrong.

Short and Sweet – The ESP Couple

To kick start the whole shebang that is the Jeonju Film Festival, I deliberately picked a crowd pleasing, popcorn-selling comedy. It had already been previously released, and had gathered a fair number of good reviews, though it didn’t really make that big a dent in the box-office. Nevertheless, it has a fairly interesting premise, which was the main reason why I decided to go along for it.

At the same time, there are certain movies that transmits itself (telepathically, ho hum) about its true nature. I know that as the festival goes on, I would have my fair share of dark, brooding, character pieces that explores issues of sexuality, identity and nationality, so I’d best get my chops in before someone turns off the lights.

Welcome to Malaysia! – 10 Canonised Contemporary Malaysian Movies for Foreigners

Some time ago, someone left a comment on one of the posts here, asking me to give a few recommendations of films to watch for those unfamiliar with Malaysian cinema. I spent some time thinking about it, and eventually did get back to the person personally, but I figured since I spent a fair amount of time on it, it might be fun to share with you what I wrote.

Basically, it’s a matter of considering the I’ve been thinking about this for a while, wondering not only who to recommend in terms of Malaysian films and filmmakers who are worth watching out for, but also how those outside of the country would be able to get their hands on them (legally). There is still the matter of subtitles, should less legal means be turned to; it’ll be pointless for me to put in a good word for ‘Sepet’ without others understanding a word (or three) of it.

Then I thought, “Shut up, Fikri, just write.” And so I will.

Understanding Michael Bay – The Man Behind ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’

Disclaimer: If you hate Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to bits, then please approach this article with care, because I may be referring to you as a ‘complete buffoon’.

Now, where the hell do I start with ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ (affectionately known as ‘ROTF’)? There are just way too many things to say about the film, Michael Bay and popcorn flicks in general that I am afraid this will explore more than just the movie itself.

Again, where to start?