Omnibus films appears to be one of the latest in things in world cinema. By omnibus, I mean a collection of films, however short or long, patched together into one package and released all together at once as one product. It can make for an interesting bit of collaboration, as can be witnessed by the popular incarnations of the Love omnibus series, like ‘Paris, je t’aime’ and the upcoming ‘New York, I Love You’. Coming a little closer to home, we’ve seen the likes of ‘15 Malaysia’ doing its bit, while Japan has the triumvirate of Bong Joon-ho, Michel Gondry and taking over the reins for the Tokyo omnibus project called…err, ‘Tokyo!’. Not to be outdone, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and his buddies got together, and decided to say hello to ‘Sawasdee, Bangkok’.

Not that it’s the only trend around, of course. Much like Philippino films being in demand pretty much in film festivals across the world (not unlike the Romanians a few years back), I think it won’t be too long before it passes over sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, it does present an exciting alternative.

In a way, you get to see how people adapt to the challenge, if you are familiar enough with their works. Put it this way; in some ways, telling a story in feature films is much easier compared to short films, because of the time afforded to you. You’d get an average running time of over an hour, versus the more standard twenty-minutes-or-less format that floats around in the short film genre. Some, of course, go beyond this, and the final definition has never been truly decided. Nevertheless, telling what is essentially an exciting story in twenty minutes is a challenge all on its own, and one I am still trying to get my head around.

Designers made new Goth coats with the swine flu in mind.

In the case of ‘KILL’, however, it must be said that I am not entirely familiar with the director’s working on the four films. The director of photography for the films, however, is a Korean, Kim Sung-bok (he has done films like ‘Public Enemy’, ‘My Sassy Girl’ and the rather interesting ‘Silmido’). Watching those films, you know that he is a capable cinematographer, but any thoughts of him bringing over the styles or elements of styles from those films to this omnibus project is wild and off the mark.

Perhaps off the mark we should get. Basically, the one element that ties the films together is a sword. This project is a collection of short films made by four directors. They’re led by Mamoru Oshii, a renowned animation director in his own right, who linked all the films together by way of its “sword” theme. In the first film, ‘Kiliko’, directed by Takanori Tsujimoto, tells the story of Kiliko (Ayako Morita) seeking revenge for her sister’s kidnapping. She finds her way into the lair of the evil-doers, and starts to fight her way through with her sword. It plays itself out almost like a video game, as she scythes down the mini-goons before having the chance to take on the big bad boss himself (played by Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi).

It’s followed up by Kenta Fukasaku’s ‘Kodomo Samurai’, which follows almost a classic form of narration, but with…kids. Ryutaro (Takuya Mizoguchi), had a father who was a samurai. He taught him the way of the samurai, but warned him that no matter what, he is not to draw the sword left to him. Agreeing with such pacifist values, it is the stance he adopts until he himself is transferred to a new school. Making new friends, he witnesses the unjustices meted out by the bullies of the school, and slowly, but sure, the drama builds up into a “will he? Won’t he” dilemma of taking the sword and fighting for what’s good. See what I mean by classic? The fact that it’s played out with kids adds a little twist to the format, which already stands out by itself due to the director’s choice, helped along by the silent film and benshi (live narrator of silent films in Japan).

The 2009 Sword Exhibition was a one-man show.

Straying slightly off the course of swords is Minoru Tahara’s ‘Zan-Gun’, which takes the action genre and applies it to a story about a military force haunted by a sword. We start with a late 19th century soldier (Kazuki Tsugimoto) who comes across a pair of swords in the middle of the forest. He somehow merged his rifle with the longer of the pair…and becomes super evil as a result. Fast forward to the present time, a similar situation occurs, with a Special Assault Team searching for a serial killer. One of the assault team members (Yuma Ishigaki) comes across the shorter of the sword, and becomes the good of the two. The two of them (the assault team member and the old, immortal soldier who turns out to be the serial killer) finally meets and duels with one another.

Finishing up with the same theme of good and evil once again, Mamoru Oshii visualises the same concept not with the weapons, but with two different angels. It’s called ‘Assault Girl 2′, because apparent he did another short film called ‘Assault Girl’ in another omnibus film somewhere. Laced with Biblical undertones (angels with wings, anyone?), the music video-like product sees a white angel (Yoko Fujita) sitting and chilling amongst the tall grass in the fields. She flicks her eyes up, and works her way towards the dark angel (Rinko Kikuchi, in the first turn I’ve seen her in since ‘Babel’). Out of all of the films here, this is one that really takes the cake: character development? What character? There’s practically no narrative here, but what we do get is a very, very, very cool fight scene between the two.

That, of course, was the extreme of the four films on offer. The first three at least bore some resemblance of trying to explain the motivations of the character, to create some sort of narrative that can be followed easily. Thus, there was a lot of reliance, I noticed, on the staples of the respective genres. Nowhere was this more obvious than in ‘Kodomo Samurai’, which mixed both the staples of children and samurai films. Funnily enough, the director appears to be trying to lull us into a false sense of security, because, with my guards down (“Oh, look, the kids are so cute!”) some adult aspects were tackled in rather adult ways. I lay this more with the fighting part; for some reason, images of kids messing around with swords is not a comfortable one for me. It reminds me of the child soldiers in ‘Blood Diamond’ or even the ‘24: Redemption’ movie. But lull me it did, and it might do the same for you as well. from the flowery period dialogue to the headlong action scenes.

The Japanese version of 24 took things to the next level.

A similar take can be made of the first film, ‘Kiliko’. Helped along by the attractive girl swinging her big, phallic sword around, there’s a sense that the film itself is somewhat incomplete, like it’s a scene taken right from the middle of a film somewhere. Watching the first segment, then, it makes you feel like you want to watch the whole of that film, because with a little bit more care and nourishment, it would stand well on its own two feet as a film. A B-grade film, with cheesy effects, but, with ‘I Sell The Dead’ relatively fresh in my mind, I find myself wanting to watch more and more cheesy films these days. I am not sure why; maybe it’s just that time of the month for me. As a result, such cheesiness and lays down well with my stomach. Top marks must also be given to the editing, as well as the cinematography, because it really added so much energy to the final product. It was clearly digital, which distracted me, somewhat (low resolution TV-like digital films doesn’t do well with me on big screens in big cinemas).

Energetic could also be described for the third film, ‘Zan-gun’. Quite frankly, it’s probably the most ridiculous of the lot. I mean…swords…and guns? Reading the synopsis before the screening, I was metaphorically scratching my head. But it works well, somehow. The sword and the gun merged together into one singular weapon of choice, it allows for the two characters to fight each pretty much from an arm’s length to somewhere from across the room. They’d cut their rifles across like swords, which would then fire the bullets. They’d cancel the bullets with their own shots, and, as Brian McKnight used to croon, started back at one. That was basically the whole show. Cool shots, cool angles, rinse and repeat over and over again, as the climax becomes a matter of not finding out who lives, but which one of the two is the coolest at flinging their rifles about. It’s all rather brilliant, actually.

The fight for the last sushi was intense.

Brilliance could also be applied to the final film, ‘Assault Girl 2′. See what I wrote for the previous three films? See what I said earlier about the lack of even the most rudimentary of basic plot? Oshii clearly wants to play with the themes, rather than the details of the stories that usually serve as the context. Take all that out. Get two angels together, and let them fight to the end. The shortest of the lot, it is also the most intriguing of them all as well. I find myself filling the holes with my own references. Where did they come from? How did they get here? What is their wants, needs, purposes and desires? You might get that from the first ‘Assault Girl’ film, but you won’t get it here. However, I find myself subconsciously thinking about that as I watched the cool, cool action on the screen. That’s the one thing that we can’t argue about the Japanese: they know how to fling their swords.

All of this leads to a rather pointless collection of films. When I say pointless, I mean that there is little purpose in creating something that the audience that have an affinity with. It’s not about logically winning them over, but, as I realised, about trying to create as cool a product as possible. It really is very cool, and I have to say, that it may well be that time of the month for me.

But pointless films that have excellent editing, energy, and visual attraction makes it all worthwhile. If ever you feel like sitting back, looking up, and just going, “Fuyoh! Best giler!”, then ‘KILL’ is the best way to ‘kill’ some time.

Who needs love when you can have pretty girls cutting up World War I tanks with their sword?

Fikri used to make Cybercop blasters from shoe boxes when he was younger. Ah, my childhood, how I miss you…

Manila newspaper headlines over-enthusiastically screamed that a Filipino director had won the Cannes film festival this year, beating Quentin Tarantino in the process. Actually the Palme d’Or went elsewhere, but Cannes jury president Isabelle Huppert is understood to have fought a massive, though ultimately unsuccessful, campaign to give the top prize to ‘Kinatay’ (‘Butchered’). Instead, its filmmaker, Brillante “Dante” Mendoza, took home the prize for best director and, in the process, stirred up a publicity frenzy for Filipino cinema that refuses to die down.

The thriller, which was shot in near real time on hand-held cameras, was too much to stomach for many commentators. But other critics who ignored his previous Cannes competition film ‘Serbis’ heralded the film a piece of stylish, gritty cinema verite and hailed Mendoza as a major new talent in world cinema. Mendoza, a youthful 48, was quickly feted as a juror at Locarno and had his next movie ‘Lola’ pulled out of the hat as a surprise film at Venice. Fast, furious and in your face seems to be the way for Mendoza, but his is far from being a lone voice. The Philippines is currently a hotbed of talent.

The three stooges figures out what to do next...

Presented in the Orrizonti section, 22-year old Pepe Diokno last month picked up the Luidi di Laurentiis award for best first film in Venice for his ‘Engkwentro’ (‘Clash’), about two brothers who find themselves on opposite sides of a gang war. Elsewhere, the veteran Filipino helmer Lav Diaz won awards in the same section for the past two years with ‘Melancholia’ in 2008 and ‘Death in the Land of Encantos’ in 2007.

“While Filipino films had almost disappeared from the festival scene for 20 years and now have made a strong come back with prolific directors like Mendoza or Raya Martin, there is a danger of only focusing attention on a few names,” says Jeremy Segar, selector for Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight section. “But thanks to different initiatives, the low cost of digital filmmaking and a strong alternative distribution network, such as screenings in universities and community centers, new and young talents are being given opportunities to make (digital) films.”

Selamat Hari Raya, Martin.

Other directors, including Raya Martin, Adolfo Alix Jr., Auraeus Solito, Yam Laranas, Joyce Bernal and Eric Matti are now getting the kind of attention that is putting The Philippines back on the international movie map after a gap of some 20 years. Indeed, Pusan has picked an apt moment to turn the spotlight on Filipino cinema.

For several years the Filipino industry has been simmering in a strange isolation born of poverty and a post-colonial hangover. Once a colony of the U.S. And before that Spain, the Phillipines is the world’s 13th most populous nation, but one of its poorest. It is also Asia’s most Catholic country and is wide open to escapist Holluwood fare. Boxoffice has been largely flat, with Hollywood action tent-poles – ‘Spiderman’ and ‘Iron Man’ enjoyed top honors in the past two years and ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ is on top in 2009 – taking a dominant share. Last year ticket sales dropped by 7% to 42.8 million admissions (for a lowly 0.5 cinema visits per person per year), but rising ticket prices more than offset the decline and lifted overall gross by 3% to PHP4.78 trillion ($101 million).

Local movies have generally split between sappy romances and melodramas produced by he big studios, notably that of TV giant ABS-CBN and its Star Cinema studio, and an impoverished independent sector, which for a long time was characterized by shanty-town poverty picures. But changes are now being felt.

Light can now be found in the middle of the tunnel as well.

“Digital cameras and Final Cut Pro are enabling a lot of directors who are capable of working outside studios to the tell their own stories,” says Yam Laranas, who previously directed ‘Sigaw’, its U.S. remake ‘The Echo’, and is now getting heat for his upcoming horror outing, ‘Patient X’. “These include a load of wannabes who pretend to be making art films, but are little better than soft porn or violence. But there are others with real stories making films on a budget now.”

Independent cinema is taking on more ‘middle class’ themes, settings and characters In Christ Martinez’s ‘100′, a young woman dying of cancer sets out to complete her ‘bucket list’ of 100 things to do before she dies. Mike Sanderjas’s recent Toronto entry ‘Dinig Sana Kita’ (‘If I Knew What You Said’) features a rebellious teenager from a comfortable family who learns about the other side of life when she is put in rehab with a deaf mute boy.

Should we go after them ala Indonesia for using Malaysia's old name?

Technology aside, much of the credit for the current boom is due to the Cinemalaya festival, which is now five years old. Uniquely, the festival each year provides seed money of some $10,000 t ten feature projects from both the commercial and art-house spectrum and helps to introduce newcomers to potential producers. It screens the finished results in its annual competition in July and has given rise to several pictures that have later become hits on the international festival circuit. These include ‘The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros’ (Sundance and Berlin), ‘Tribu’ (Pusan competition and Berlin), ‘Jay’ (Venice Orrizonte 2008), as well as Diokno’s ‘Engkwentro’.

Another major influence has been ABS-CBN’s Cinema One movie cable channel which shows Filipino classics and other commercial from the past (an important resource in a country with no real film archive). Under executive producer Ronald Arguelles, Cinema One also operates a 10 film commissioning system which has helped emerging filmmakers, including Sherad Anthony Sanchez (‘Woven Stories of the Other’ and ‘Imburnal’) with regional themes, and assisted Richard Somes’ hit horror film ‘Yanggaw’.

Fascinating, too, is the awakening of a cluster of film-makers who were born in the 1960s who previously found foreign financing and international festival success for their early experimental films and, according to San Francisco-based producer and Filipino film expert Roger Garcia, are “now reaching creative and commercial maturity.”

Red in black and white.

These include Mendoza, Martin, Diaz, Bernal, Solito and Raymond Red, who had a major impact on independent Filipino cinema through his pioneering shorts in the 1980s and his historical features ‘Bayani’ and ‘Sakay’ in the 1990s. He has finally delivered his next feature ‘Himpapawid’ (‘Manila Skies’) which will play later this month in competition in Tokyo.

‘Filipino indie cinema is re-emerging from a long dark tunnel,” says Garcia. “The engine that pulled that train through that tunnel was the memory of (local filmmaking legend) Lino Brocka, and the filmmaking of Raymond Red. ‘Manila Skies’ is a reflection on that tunnel – filmmaker’s leap of faith when he embarks on an examination of his soul. Film fads come and go – Filipino indies are trendy at the moment – but ‘Manila Skies’ like Raymond, will stand be standing long after the parade’s gone by.”

Written by Patrick Frater, and first published in the fifth edition of The Daily Pusan by The Hollywood Reporter on 12 October 2009.

Here’s the next installment of Fazil’s Top 100 Must Watch Movies of the Decade, following on from the previous ten from 100 to 91.

90) G.I. JOE: RISE OF COBRA

Why is it on the list?
Haha! You can’t expect me to leave this one out, can you? This made it on the list because it’s the best mindless action-packed popcorn flick of the decade. It doesn’t get any better than this. It’s a nice little blend of cheesiness and fun, with a little sprinkle of hotness, courtesy of Rachel Nichols and Sienna Miller. What you get is the perfect recipe for a perfect summer flick. As i have stated in my review, its a cheesy film based on a cheesy 80s cartoon, so you cant complain much. This is one of those movies that will make you feel like you’re 7 years old again. So if you’re a fan of the cartoon or was a kid before, this film can be nostalgic as you will be blasted back to the past.

Favorite scene
Difficult. I love the intro bit where the convoy carrying the nanomites were hijacked by Cobra and then the Joes came to the rescue. I say this is my favorite scene because its an introduction to the sick and cool world of G.I. Joe. I had a little glee on my face when the Joes came jumping down one by one and I was saying their names out loud. That was the scene that made me felt most like a kid.

Favorite line
General Hawk: Technically, we don’t exist. We answer to no one. And when all else fails, we don’t.

89) HOT FUZZ

Why is it on the list?
In a way, this movie is a spoof of cop-related action movies, but a smart one. That is to say its not ‘Epic Movie’ or ‘Disaster Movie’ or ‘Date Movie’. It has its own storyline but at the same time it pays homage to the great cop films of the last 3 decades. Perfect chemistry between actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Not to mention the interesting characters that they play. Pegg’s Sgt. Nicholas Angel is a sort of supercop from London, but when he was transferred to the little town of Sanford, where the crime rate is so low, we find him doing petty things such as capturing a swan and arresting under age drinkers. Frost’s Danny Butterman on the other hand is a little village cop who doesn’t get to see much action but is obsessed with cop films such as ‘Bad Boys 2′ and ‘Point Break’. He is inspired to be like the characters in those films, and thus, having Sgt. Angel around means that he gets to work with one of his heroes. Watch it if you have not!

Favorite scene
The scene where Nicholas asked Danny if he has taken a shortcut before, and proceeded to flip over the fences. Then Danny, instead of performing sommersaults, just crashed into the fence. Not only was the scene itself funny, but was even funnier because its a nod to the head of a similar scene from ‘Shaun of the Dead’, also starring the duo.

Favorite line
Danny Butterman: Where’s the trolley boy?
Nicholas Angel: In the freezer.
Danny Butterman: Did you say “cool off”?

88) THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT and FAST AND FURIOUS

Why is it on the list?
I have decided that this entry is not for the first film, but for the quadrilogy (is this a word?). The first film was great as it introduced us to the genre of racing-action movies. It certainly introduced me to drag racing, which I was oblivious to before. The movie was a phenomenon, spawning 3 other sequels. Then ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’ came out, without Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto. That sucks, but the movie was still considered ok with its fast cars and awesome races. We were then introduced to the world of drifting in ‘Tokyo Drift’. Many hated this film but not me. Just like how the first film introduced me to drag racing, this film introduced me to drifting, which is something i have only played on ‘Need for Speed: Underground’. I didnt know that they could actually do that until i saw the movie. Not being a car person, i thought the drifting was done pretty well in the movie. Then ‘Fast and Furious’ came with “New Models, but Original Parts”. This movie is a shift from the previous films as its focuses more on the action aspect rather than the cars or racing aspect. And it was good. Basically, I love the whole series and i love the pair of Dominic and Brian and it deserves to be on this list.

Favorite scene
The intro to ‘Fast and Furious’, where Dominic and his chronies are hijacking a petroleum tanker vehicle and was later trapped with a burning tanker flipping towards them. Although I have seen 70% of the scene in the trailer, it did not fail to thrill me in the cinema. I have watched it over and over again on blu-ray, knowing full well what is going to happen, but it gets suspenseful every time.

Another scene that was another favorite of mine is the parking lot drift race in ‘Tokyo Drift’. That was when I got my drift-cherry popped and I was very impressed. Again, some of my friends have seen ‘Initial D’ and hence did not get excited over that scene. As for me, that was the first time seeing for real, what I have thought is only doable in video games.

Favorite line

Dominic Toretto: I live my life a quarter mile at a time. Nothing else matters: not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their bullshit. For those ten seconds or less, I’m free.

87) STAR TREK

Why is it on the list?
I was never a trekkie, or the correct term being trekker. I am more of a Star Wars guy but when the trailers for J.J. Abrams’ ‘Star Trek’ were released, I find it somewhat different than what I have always thought Trek was all about. I have only seen ‘The Wrath of Khan’ and though I love the movie, I find ‘Star Trek’ to be a bore because most of the action takes place within the starships and in space. We hardly get to explore the vast world that these characters live in. Again, I could be wrong because I wouldn’t know what happened in later movies but based on observation, and also on the TV series, I find it dull. However, Abrams gave ‘Star Trek’ a complete makeover. I love the young cast and the fact that they’re starting from a young age gives us audience a chance to experience Star Trek from the beginning. And everything doesn’t take place in the USS Enterprise only but we were able to explore the world that I so dearly wanted to witness. The movie doesn’t disappoint and I can say that I will be looking forward for more adventures aboard the USS Enterprise.

Favorite scene
When Kirk and Sulu went out for their little sky-diving excursion and the fight that ensued on top of that thingy. Man, that was fun and at the same time thrilling to watch, though I can’t exactly remember why they did that. They were supposed to fix something, right?

Favorite line
Christopher Pike: Your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother’s and yours. I dare you to do better.

86) WANTED

Why is it on the list?
If nobody ever told you that bullets fly straight…you would probably enjoy this movie. Much criticism came from this film due to the illogical concept of bending bullets and instructions coming from a Loom of Fate. Do they make sense? No? Was it fun to watch? Freaking yes! I know things do not make sense here as it is after all based on a comic book but I do believe that it all comes down to the explanation. As far as the Loom goes, it was rather interesting to see how the names were being selected, as nonsensical as it was. As far as bending bullet goes, I didn’t quite understand that bit about slowing down your pulse and all that but its curving bullets! You don’t need to understand how it works to enjoy the awesome spectacle. Yeah, yeah some people are meticulous over these things but not me. Not when I am enjoying every single minute of the film due to James McAvoy superb performance, well-crafted action scenes and Danny Elfman’s beautiful score. We have seen many good realistic action films. Personally, I don’t think there’s any harm when a film comes in every once in while and crosses the boundaries of realism, to deliver us fantastic gun-fights and terrific action sequences. This is certainly one of the best action films of the decade for me.

Favorite scene (s)
Can I please say two? There’s actually more than two but I am going to narrow it down to just two. First scene is when McAvoy’s Wesley Gibson was telling his fat boss Janice to go fuck herself, and then he walks off from his little cubicle, pulling away his ergonomic keyboard and then approach his best friend Barry and slapped the keyboard across his face and his tooth came off, spelling the words ‘fuck you’. And right after that, the best part, “jeng je reng, jeng je reng, jeng je re re re re re jeng je reng, have you heard the news, bad things come in twos, but I never knew, ‘bout The Little Things”

The other best part was in the final action sequence at the Fraternity, when Wesley just blew up half of the place with the peanut-buttered rats. And then he storms in and starts dancing gracefully with his two guns and bullets were flying everywhere hitting multiple enemy targets. That was a well-choreographed scene. It reminds of that film Equilibrium.

Favorite line
Sloan: Shoot the wings off the flies

85) RUSH HOUR 2

Why is it on the list?
I remember when I first saw this. It was funny as hell. It makes me crave more of Chris Tucker. Of course, I have ended up watching the film many times after that but I wouldn’t forget the first viewing. It’s one of those comedies that hurt your stomach and the jokes are some of the more memorable ones I’ve heard. As far as the plot goes, well, this is an action-comedy and there is apparently a plot but not something you’ll commit to memory. The pulling factor here is the on-screen team of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. One a martial artist and the other one a comedian. A combination that I dare say worked. It puts a balance to the film that is when you’re not laughing, you’re overwhelmed by the action scenes. Director Brett Ratner aka The Rat was born to direct this sort of film, and not ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’.

Favorite scene
When the duo walked into the Versace store at Ceasar’s Palace and were attended to by this gay salesman. The dialog was just hilarious and the Versace salesman was such a joy to watch and listen to. And after a few years, I was watching Jeremy Piven on Entourage and my brother pointed out to me that he was the Versace Salesman in ‘Rush Hour 2′. I was like “that was him?!?” Nobody knew who he was back then, I think.

Favorite line

James Carter: You just jealous, Lee, ’cause women like me. I’m tall, dark and handsome and you third world ugly.

84) ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY

Why is it on the list?
I love Will Ferrell. Nobody acts stupid like he does. Its freaking hilarious how he actually makes you think that his character is really that dumb. ‘Anchorman’ is one of the funnier Will Ferrell comedies, besides ‘Elf’. Here, his jokes are at an acceptable level and Ron Burgundy is an interesting character indeed and the story flows wonderfully, despite it being a Will Ferrell comedy. Its starts off with a man at the height of his career, who then met a woman, fell in love, and then she screws him over and he reaches rock bottom. As a conclusion, this movie gives a very important lesson in life; do not eat where you shit.

Favorite scene
The battle between the four TV stations, led by Will Ferrell, Tim Robbins, Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller. Stiller of course stole the show appearing as an anchorman for a Spanish News Channel, screaming ‘Policia! Policia!’. The scene was a nice mixture of comedy and ridiculous violence.

Favorite line
Ron Burgundy: Go fuck yourself San Diego.

83) PEARL HARBOR

Why is it on the list?
Hollywood’s version of Bollywood 1964 classic, ‘Sangam’. A man disappeared during war and his good friend moved in on his girlfriend. Then one day, the man presumed to be dead, returns, only to find his best friend screwing his girlfriend. In this movie, Ben Affleck is Sundar, Josh Hartnett is Gopal and Kate Beckinsale is Radha. But enough of that. Though love is an important plot here, with Michael Bay being Michael Bay, the more important part of the story, which somehow seems secondary in this film, is the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese and the consequences it had on the Americans, which led to their subsequent attack on Japan. Why I like this movie so much is because I have visited Pearl Harbor when I was 14. I was there and I felt what the attack was like when I was there, being told of the attack by Vets who survived the attack and visiting the war memorial. Thus, when I initially heard they were making this movie, I was highly anticipating it because I will finally get to see how it all went down. I wasn’t disappointed. Perhaps only the ‘Sangam’ bit, though I wouldn’t mind seeing Ben Affleck perched on a tree with a bagpipe, singing Bol Radha Bol.

Favorite scene
This is a no-brainer. The best part of the whole film is obviously the attack on Pearl Harbor and nothing else. Michael Bay, despite his disastrous action sequences in ‘Transformers’, did a good job here. Its a very intense sequence, from the moment the civilians started noticing the Japanese flying over the island of Oahu. It captured the fear of the American people very well. The choreography of the Japanese fighter planes in action were done almost spectacularly. Not to mention Michael Bay’s trademark explosions are at its best here. The scene is beyond awesome.

Favorite line

Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle: You know at Pearl they hit us with a sledgehammer. This raid, even if it makes it through, it’ll only be a pinprick… but it’ll be straight through their hearts.

82) FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL

Why is it on the list?
Obviously this is a comedy, but unlike the mindless comedies that we are so accustomed to, this movie has a beautiful story to it. Its like the funny bits are secondary to the interesting plot. Basically, why I say this movie is beautiful is mainly due to two beautiful characters; Mila Kunis as Rachel Jansen and Russell Brand as Aldous Snow. Surprisingly, those are not the two main stars. Rachel is the hotel receptionist in Hawaii, where Jason Segel’s Peter Bretter escaped to after his break-up with Kristen Bell’s Sarah Marshall. It also happens to be the very same hotel that Sarah and her new boyfriend Aldous are honeymooning. Rachel took pity in Peter and assisted him in any way that she could to get him over it. It’s not only the things that she did that made me love her character, but also the fact that she is a super cool chick that any guy out there would want as a girlfriend. Not to mention she’s a cutie. I totally fell in love with her, though I bought the DVD initially due to my crush on Kristen Bell. Now, I heart Mila. And then there was Aldous Snow. A super cool guy. In fact, he is the coolest character I have seen in many years. Of course, he could be every girl’s nightmare, but his chilled attitude towards life and everything around it makes it hard for anyone to hate him, especially Peter. Seeing that he is the new guy going out with his ex-girlfriend, Peter is supposed to hate him on principle but its difficult to hate a guy like Aldous. There was also that fat f*ck Jonah Hill, whom I love, playing a minor role as a hotel employee but had its moments. If you look at the poster above, it says ‘from the ones who brought you ‘Knocked Up’ and ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’. I think that this movie is far more superior than those two to have that line on its poster. Just my opinion.

Favorite scene
And if I see Van Helsing, I swear to the Lord I will slay him…..Ah-ha-ha-ha
He’d take you from me, but I swear, I won’t let it be so…..Ah-ha-ha-ha
Blood will run down his face when he is decapitated…..Ah
His head on my mantle is how I will let this world know, how much I love you
Die, die, die
I can’t…
Dracula’s Lament by Peter Bretter

Favorite line

Aldous Snow: I would rather have my testicles spread out like a wafer and then have them covered in a layer of honey and then have wasps come and sting me and then have them covered in another layer of vinegar and then have it worn as a swimming cap by a Nazi. I’d rather have that than spend another second with her.

81) V FOR VENDETTA

Why is it on the list?
A movie that thought people to stand up against their government. I am not a political person. I am never into politics. The only politics I know of are what I see in movies. For me, this is one of the best political movies I’ve seen. The totalitarian government portrayed in this film reminds us all of the Nazi regime, and one cant help but compare the striking resemblance between John Hurt’s Chancellor Sutler and Adolf Hitler himself. Then, in the midst of all this tyranny, there is Natalie Portman’s Evey Hammond, who befriended Hugo Weaving’s V, a vigilante trying to topple the government. An unaccomplished deed set out centuries ago by his hero, Guy Fawkes. A rather odd relationship blossomed between Evey and V due to their mutual goal in overthrowing the despot, Sutler. It was not love, but stronger. These are two people who love and care for each other but are simply not meant to be with each other. Sad, but their love for Britain proves to be even stronger, as each made their own sacrifices for the good of the country.

Favorite scene
The fight scene in the alley between V and the bad guys, the Fingersmiths. Not only was the action well done but the fact that the movie was following more of a drama approach earlier and then suddenly, a brilliant action sequence was drop on us, catching us unaware. The scene will make you shift on your seat slightly. And V’s only using knives!

Favorite line
Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

Fazil got so into this, he’s reworking the list as you read this right now. You can read the first part of the movies ranked 100 to 91 here. Stay tuned for the next episode of…

For the ‘Midnight Screening’ session, the director himself, Glenn McQuaid, made a somewhat surprising appearance. Director’s appearances are not uncommon at festivals, but this being the nocturnal gathering of film lovers rather than a premiere slot for film screening, it was somewhat unexpected. What was certainly unexpected was the director’s reaction and enthusiasm for the crowd. He appeared on stage, a handheld camera tacked to his right hand, and he waved back to the crowd as he was being introduced by the Korean translator (invariably ladies, as it turns out. Makes you think, doesn’t it? No? Moving on…). “I’m recording this for all the people back home,” he said, addressing the crowd through his camera. “So on the count of three, everyone wave to this camera, OK? Right! One, two…THREE!” Everyone, already enjoying being at the center of attention for the camera, wave enthusiastically.

Why did I write so lovingly of the above exchange? Simple. It’s very nice to see a director being enthusiastic about his own work. Not to promote, to sell, but to simply let it be and enjoy the moment. A nice lesson worth reminding.

Thanks to TNB, Muarians had to turn to primitive methods.

It helps when the film put on reflects the fun the director himself seems to exude. We follow the tale of an 18th century grave robber named Arthur Blake (Dominic Monaghan), who is about to be executed for his ‘work’ over the past fifteen years or so. A visiting clergyman, Father Duffy (Ron Perlman), is tasked with making him repent, or to at least serve as a listening ear to a dying man. This he does, as he manages to coax out of Blake of his escapades with Willie Grimes (Larry Fessenden). Not like most grave hunters, they especially look for the bodies who are not quite dead, and are able to be revived. Things get a little trickier when they come across a rival group of grave robbers, the Murphy gang. As their battle escalates, they decide to try to steal zombies from the Murphy gang.

Yes, I said zombie. Stealing a zombie. How weird is that? I mean, who steals zombies? No, let’s not stop there, let’s go further to include…vampires. I did mention that this film is a comedy, right? For the vampire, the vampire they found is actually dead…with a stake stuck in its chest. Of course, not knowing what the function of the stake is, they pulled it out, and its comes to live, before they stuck it back in again. In and out, in and out. For about a moment, you’d get scared out of your wits, thinking, “Oh shit, it’s going to get them!” After the next half minute or so, you’d be laughing not just at their antics, but also at your own reactions. There are also other familiar creatures to be uncovered in this film, which you’ll discover soon enough if you even pay the most cursory of attentions to film reviews and the film’s own wikipedia page, which totally gave every single thing away. No fun at all.

"Yeah, I wish I had lived longer in 'Wolverine' too."

The fun is important, and the fun lay in the discovery, because without the slow revelations of the film, then a film is nothing more than a magic show with a magician standing naked, stripped, exposed in front of the audience. This is one film whose turns and twists are not particularly special, I have to admit, but whose turns and twists are a big part of the fun of watching the film. The film doesn’t really have much beyond that, though I think the makers revelled in that.

Oh, it does have the actors, though. Two of the most recognisable ones would be Monaghan and Perlman. They both seem to enjoy their roles as well (that word again). Monaghan probably enjoyed the break from all the effects-heavy stuff he had been doing, and just enjoy doing a small little film that pokes fun both at itself and the genre that it is poking fun at. Perlman, on the other hand, probably enjoyed not having to do very much, since most of his scenes appeared to be of the ‘doable within a few days’ type. Of course, being set in Victorian Ireland, they all speak with typically bad Irish accents…which add to the fun even more.

The economic cutbacks also affected the makeup department.

Enjoy. Fun. Not exactly the sort of words you might attach to such a film, but I can’t deny that I had a lot of fun watching this film. It’s cheap, it’s low on quality…in fact, the whole thing seems like it’s a little B-movie for me. The blood actually looks like syrup! The temerity! To do that for such a feature film! But it’s been so long that I’ve seen and come across such a film with such a big heart (impaled on a stake, of course) that it’s just…fun. Neither is it particularly long, clocking in at less than 90 minutes, so it doesn’t over-extend upon the simplicity. Short, simple, sweet (not unlike this review itself).

And fun.

How many recent movies you’ve seen can you say is actually fun and enjoyable?

Fikri thinks maybe it’s time he tries his hand at comedy…

Timing, as ever, is almost everything. I say almost, because of course there are many other factors that should be considered. Nevertheless, sometimes it is just something that the powers that be have determined. Thus, this year, I will have to give the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) a rather big miss, because it conflicted with the schedule that has been given to me for my graduation film shoot.

Nevertheless, that does not mean that I won’t be there in spirit, even if my spirit should actually be on location with me in Toechon rather than Pusan. Nevertheless, here’s a quick look at the films that I definitely would have been watching had I the chance and opportunity to do so.

The Force is not with him now...

Following that would be a film by one of the filmmakers who participated in the ‘15Malaysia’ project. Ho Yuhang’s involvement in that came at a time when it was announced that he had won the NETPAC Best Asian Film award in Locarno. The award is given for ‘At the End of Daybreak’, a film that explores the complexities of relationships, sexual or otherwise. Tuk Chi and Ying, having met online, embarked on a relationship, but it is one that is frowned upon when Ying’s parent’s discovered what was going on. A co-production between Malaysia, Korea and Hong Kong (money-wise, at least), even if it wasn’t actually shot in Korea. Probably. There’s only one way to find out.

Business is slow on Sundays.

One film that’s definitely not shot in Korea is ‘Karaoke’ by Chris Chong. It blazed a trail of publicity sometime earlier in the year, as it was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. I managed to catch the director’s short film, ‘Block B’, and found it to be an incredible piece of work. There were only two shots through the whole film, but it was incredibly simple and imaginative both at the same time. I doubt whether he would use the same technique for this one; after all, the story of a man who comes back home to run a karaoke bar in a small village may seem simple enough, but I reckon there’s more here than meets the eye.

Another film that doesn’t stray too far from on-screen singing is ‘Talentime’, the late Yasmin Ahmad’s final feature film before her untimely passing. Set within the school environment, it tells the love story of Mahesh and Melur, the finalists of a school singing competition. It was released earlier in the year to much aplomb, and even garnered her a couple of gongs at the Malaysian Film Festival award ceremony. I haven’t seen it, but I do not expect it to stray too far away from the styles of her previous works like ‘Muallaf’ , so don’t miss it if you’re into that.

The band reunited after ten years apart.

Something that I almost did miss is ‘The Blue Mansion’, a film officially classified as a Singaporean/Malaysian co-production. It is directed by Glen Goei, who I have to admit to never having heard of before. Perhaps I should have; his biography on the Pusan website seemed impressive enough. I don’t know how Malaysian the film is, but it attracts enough attention based on its story alone: a tycoon who died came back as a ghost as he tries to find out about the secret of his death. It says here that the ghost “witnesses his own funeral wake,” which is always fun to watch, I think.

If that one man is looking for vengeance and truth, then in the following movie we have a ‘Woman On Fire Looks For Water’. No, that’s no joke, that’s the actual title. The latest from Woo Ming-jin, the film is partly supported by the Pusan Film Festival, which is why its having its official world premiere in Korean. It tells of the story of Ah Fei, who is in love with Lily. Unfortunately, she already has a boyfriend. Topping it all off, his father is dying, but he attempts to reconnect with his old lover, Ai Ling. I don’t know who the woman on fire actually is (perhaps its a way of saying that Lily is very hot?), but I did know that Ming Jin wanted to call it ‘Man on Fire Looks For Water’ instead. At least, that’s what he told me. “But cannot, because of that Denzel Washington film, dammit.” Or something to that effect. Anyways, I think it will definitely be the best film of the whole festival.*

She considers telling her daughter about strangers with candy.

From man to woman to ‘My Daughter’. Helmed by Charlotte Lim, it is her debut feature film, and tells the story of a young girl and her mother living together in Malacca. Fighting back love-hate emotions towards her own mother, only one of the two will emerge from the gulf of perplexed emotions, while the other will be consumed. That sentence there, I didn’t make up; it was there on the page itself. I don’t know what the style, ending and vision is going to be like, but judging on that one alone, it seems like someone is going to hell sooner rather than later. This isn’t Charlotte’s first time in Pusan, though…at least, it wasn’t the first time her film got in. ‘Escape’ was shown last year, and I enjoyed it enough to think that this would be one I’d like to watch, too.

Finally, we get to the Malaysian box-office superstar that is Upin and Ipin! ‘Geng: Penggambaran Bermula’ steamed the box office earlier this year, collecting around RM6 million. As it stands, it is still in the top ten films of the year, behind only the heavyweights of Hollywood…and took in almost double the box office of Star Trek, as it turns out. Billed as the first 3-D animated feature film from Malaysia, it is a family movie that follows the tales of the twins as they embark on new adventures. I don’t know how well it would translate overseas, since it was based on a local TV series, which probably accounted for its huge success. However, given that such topics are generally cross-cultural to begin with, I think it may find a good audience in Pusan.

'The' Loh Ming Kwang? How many others could there be?

And now that we’re done with the features, let’s get on with the shor…no, wait, what’s that? There are no Malaysian short films this year? With the exception of ‘15Malaysia’, I find that somewhat odd at first, since Malaysians, in terms of independent films, at least, always have a relatively healthy production of short films. Then I realised that all of the filmmakers who had made their name with short films have pretty much graduated to feature filmmaking (as is the case with at least four of the filmmakers above). That’s not to say that there won’t be any more Malaysians in Pusan. Yeo Joon Han, who made last year’s ‘Sell Out!’, will be taking part in the Pusan Promotion Plan with ‘The Family Photograph’, which awards production money to two out of the thirty productions selected to take part. Tan Chui Mui will also be there…at least she should be, if she wants to be in the running with ‘The Year Without A Summer’. I seem to remember reading that her next film is ‘Waiting For Snow in Kuantan’, and find myself wondering whether she changed the titles. Finally, representing Malaysia in the Asian Film Academy programme is Loh Ming Kwang, who may or may not be the Brendan Loh Ming Kwang of ‘Conversation with a Mad Man’, an award winner at the BMW Shorties some months ago.

As an aside, and partly because I met an eye-catching Singaporean yesterday, my friend Kirsten’s film, ‘Cold Noodles’, will also be shown in Pusan. Knowing Kirsten the way I do, it’ll probably be another weird, mind-bending comedy.

Good luck, guys. Do us proud.

Fikri is surprised that James Lee’s ‘Call If You Need Me’ isn’t in the running here. You can check out Fikri’s review of the Malaysian films in Pusan last year.

*This has nothing to do with the fact that Ming Jin bought Fikri Baskin Robbins ice-cream. Though I have to admit that it’s not difficult to get into my good books…

It is an interesting title, I thought. ‘Some Day In The Future’, to me, suggests a wistful sort of existence, one that hints at the hope for a better future. As in, “We’re in a tough situation now, but some day in the future, things will be OK.” You can, of course, flip it the other way around (“We’re OK now, but some day in the future, things will be tough”), but this feels somewhat unnatural, somewhat lacking in a poetic sense. After watching the film, I can surmise that somehow, the director, Dharmasena Pathiraja, is a person who hopes for things to be better in the future.

A part of this is to do with the stylings of the film. The film itself has a certain graininess, a certain scratch here and there that made me think it was a film made in the 80s, early 90s if you really want to push it. You know how a film looks when you watch it years after it was made? An old film shown on TV or in the cinema betrays its age, and you get a sense of watching something that was kept exclusively in a vault for long years before being brought out again for a screening.

It was like that, for me. The colour, the setting, the locations in the film, the clothes…it seemed like the director had jumped into a time machine and made his film back in the 80s or early 90s. Imagine my surprise, then, when I looked it up in the festival catalogue and saw (2001) inscribed next to the title. I figured that Sri Lanka may not have as established a film industry as some of the other, more prominent film countries, so maybe the film conservation or the film stock available wasn’t as good or something more mundane like that, but I realise that perhaps there was an artistic decision that lay behind all of this.

They didn't realise Agent Zero's death was filmed behind them...

However, first things first, for I am getting more than a little ahead of myself. The story in ‘Someday in the Future’ follows two men, Dhammika (Saumya Liyanage) and Lionel (Vasantha Moragoda). At the very start of the film, it seems like they are a bunch of misfits, just a couple of guys who have a tendency to joke and fool around as much as possible. However, soon enough, we realise that they can be cold and ruthless killers just as easily. Hired to assassinate a politician, though the objective was achieved, it became a bit of a messed up job. Forced to go into hiding, they stayed under the radar for a while, waiting for things to smooth over, at the behest of their (mob) boss. Left to their own devices in the boss’s, they soon get up to their mischief and lie, cheat and steal their way into dreaming of immigration to Italy.

I find it necessary to comment on ideals and notions of the two characters first, describing them as somewhat mischievous, because it is this notion of innocence that I find ironic. Ironic, because this is a film that is filled with things that you wouldn’t normally accept on a daily basis; Lionel, for example, is just as wont to go and dominate scenes with his cheerful and playful personality as he is to force himself unto women. His is a somewhat complex character, an underling who I think would relish being in the spotlight. He knows his place when his boss is around, but feels little compulsion at forcing his boss’s servant to cook for him. For his part, Dhammika seems to be the more docile of the two, and it is this somewhat-adventurous nature of the two characters (however big or small) that I find somewhat appealing.

Also ironic is the somewhat ridiculous notion of intended migration to Italy. They had just killed two guys and now they want to run off to Europe? It struck me as an innocent little ideal that is best left to dreams in the middle of the night, but the two of them has a strong belief in that particular ideal. Thus, within the two characters, I find myself wondering whether the director, Dharmasena, is trying to make a social statement about Sri Lanka itself: that while such dreams exists at the heart of its residents, they are often extinguished within the flames of harsh reality.

Rebel with a cause.

Not that it would be surprising. After having watched the film, I did a little research on the director and Sri Lankan cinema in general. I’ll admit to not knowing too much about the films of Sri Lanka, but I find myself being impressed by the director’s ideals and general direction throughout his career. Here is a man who is interested in change, but not the sort of change that one might associate with the normal use of the word in terms of social cinema: “One should not think of the artist as a rebel who is going to bring about objective change,” said the man often described as a ‘rebel with a cause.’ “The rebel is within you…This rebellion has to come from within one by way of confronting familiar truths.”

Change, however, cannot be analysed without looking at what was already there to begin with. Therefore, within the context of ‘Some Day in the Future’, what is the kind of change that Dharmasena hopes to inspire? Coming back to the stylings of the film, in that the film looked old, the setting of the film itself is set at the turn of the millennium. This is one (artistic) direction that particularly struck me, because there is a certain timelessness that Dharmasena appears to be saying: things may look old, but the story remains the same. Sri Lanka has a long history of violence, and it is a part of the history that is reflected here. However, the truth remains that it is also as big a part of the present. Thus, the idea of Lionel and Dhammika killing people while being somewhat likeable in a way is somehow frightening.

For me, however, the most interesting parts was when they pretended to be friends with the son of a family. This occurred as they were in hiding; they ran off to another part and pretended to have known the son of a rather cosmopolitan family. Quickly befriending them, the family had no idea of their actual identities, and welcomed them with open arms. As this happened, I find myself waiting for the moment in which their house of cards would fall down. I detected a sense of envy as they looked at the house, and the somewhat idyllic existence the family leads. In one, fell swoop, Dharmasena once again reflected upon the dreams and wants of a society, of wanting to escape and raise above the level and platform that they find themselves marooned in. For a moment, you’d feel that, as they slowly integrate themselves into the family, they might, just might, achieve that dream of somehow, someway, getting to Italy.

'Stricly Come Dancing' was popular in Colombo.

There is some danger to watching films in such a way. I had watched it with open eyes (duh) and an open mind (even if I was sneezing my ass off throughout the screening). I know not of the director or his previous works, but armed with some knowledge of Sri Lanka, I find that it is an interesting film that attempts to address the situation as it is. Reality for reality’s sake. After reading up on the film, the director and his other works, I realise ‘Some Day in the Future’ stands as a film that attempts not only to document, but also to inspire, as the director himself says, a force of change within.

The film itself cannot be taken as the message, somehow. The storyline and its ending is not particularly positive: the characters themselves want change, but what transpired was something that they did not quite expect. Yet expect it they should have, for they were the actors in a vicious circle of violence that they had helped to perpetrate, even if their roles in it were at the low levels. They, their ideals, and their dreams may be theirs to own, but it is not theirs to keep on having, no matter how much lying, cheating, or stealing they do. Perhaps the idea of Italy as a destination seemed ridiculous because it is ridiculous to have such dreams to begin with.

A little depressing, don’t you think?

The storyline also reminds Fikri of ‘In Bruges’.

Welcome to Fazil’s 100 Must Watch Movies of the Decade. You see, I came across a lot of this sort of listing all over the Internet from time to time. Thing is, I never liked them because it always has really old movies that I have not seen; new movies, particularly from the action genre, are always omitted. So I say screw them and let me come up with my own list.

I have chosen movies of the last decade, i.e. released from the year 2000 till now, because prior to 2000, I wasn’t a movie buff and I have not seen that many films (though I am slowly catching up on them now!). Thus, I wouldn’t be the best person to provide you guys with such a listing if that be the case. Also, you will notice omissions of truly great movies released this decade as well, such as ‘Moulin Rouge!’, ‘Catch Me If You Can’, ‘Traffic’, ‘Blow’, ‘Million Dollar Baby’, ‘Chicago’ and ‘Mystic River’ just to name a few. Believe it or not, I have not actually seen these movies!

100) SAW

Why is it on the list?
I am sure you are now sick of hearing about the ‘Saw’ franchise. How many are there now anyway? 6? Honestly, I have given up after the second one, or was it the third one? I can’t remember but the first was indeed a classic. It was the movie that started it all and was rather fresh at the time. The bathroom scene, the bear trap scene etc. It made me bought the DVD of the second film, but obviously I got tired of it after a while. And not to mention the little doll on the tricycle was rather freaky at first but then one of the ‘Scary Movie’ series destroyed that rather frightening image.

Favorite scene
The scene in the toilet where Dr. Phil sawed off his wrong foot. That was bloody hilarious. Oh wait, was that in ‘Scary Movie 4′?

Favorite line
Adam: I went to bed in my shithole apartment and I woke up in an actual shithole.

99) THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST

Why is it on the list?
Because its in freaking Aramaic, that’s why! Who the hell is crazy enough to make a film spoken completely in an arcane language that nobody understands, but is the correct language spoken at the time? Obviously, its not Roland Emmerich (of ‘10,000 BC’). Yup, Mel Gibson. Sadly, this movie didn’t receive much praise due to its anti-semitic nature. I say screw the Jews. Why prevent a story from being told if that’s the truth. God knows how many holocaust-related movies we have to sit through and feel sympathy for the Jews. This is a story that has to be told, about the life and time of Jesus of Nazareth and Gibson is the only person with balls big enough to do it, even though the critics (obviously Jews) slammed him until he’s being shuddered by Hollywood. For that Mel, you definitely get a place on my list. And it’s about Jesus freaking Christ! Jesus!

Favorite scene
The crucifixion scene. Jim Caviezel performance was so good here that he managed to channel the pain his character is feeling to us. Brilliant performance, Jim. I do wonder how Daniel Day-Lewis would have pulled off that scene because he is, after all, Mel’s first choice.

Favorite line
Jesus: You have heard it said you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. For if you love only those who love you, what reward is there in that?

98) CLOSER

Why is it on the list?
A simple movie, yet very good. If you look at the credits, there’s only Jude Law, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, a taxi driver and a customs officer. Who needs a hundred actors to make a film work? Mike Nichols did a wonderful job here focusing on the domestic lives of four individuals whose lives were somehow intertwined. And I am a sucker for films where lives are intertwined. And there are scandals as well, which is always good. And the whole love at first sight bit. I am so into that kinda shit, especially the initial meeting between Jude and Natalie. That was so freaking sweet. But the outstanding performance by the four cast members is what truly made this movie great.

Favorite scene
Natalie Portman’s little dance sequence. Man, I didn’t even know she’s that hot. And the way she’s toying around with Clive Owen. That’s what you call a tease, baby! Also, Clive Owen did a good job in that scene playing a horny bugger. It’s as if he’s being natural and not acting.

Favorite line
Larry: Depressives don’t want to be happy. They want to be unhappy to confirm they’re depressed. If they were happy they couldn’t be depressed anymore. They’d have to go out into the world and live. Which can be depressing.

97) LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Why is it on the list?
This movie is the only indie film that I actually liked. I mean, I hate independent films. But this film, which is about a dysfunctional family, works for me. Probably because my own family is as crazy as it can be and somehow, I was able to relate to this story. Each character here is so deranged and unique in a way that you are curious to see how they’re able co-exist and venture out on a journey together, in a van, to help achieve the little girl’s dream. And boy, did they go through a lot on that little adventure. A truly great independent film

Favorite scene
When Abigail Breslin’s Olive performed at the pageant. I have been wondering what sort of routine she’s been secretly working out with her Grandpa. Honestly, it caught me by surprise. And the reaction from the pedophiles. God, that was priceless.

Favorite line
Grandpa: Jesus, I’m tired. I’m so fucking tired. You know how tired I am? If a girl came up to me and begged me to fuck her, I couldn’t do it. That’s how tired I am.

96) LORD OF WAR

Why is it on the list?
A movie about dealing in firearms. We have seen a lot of movies about drug-dealing but never on illegal arms-dealing, especially on the scale depicted here. And also how efficient these people are and how they believe it is their goal that everyone should be equipped with a Kalashnikov. It’s on the list because it opens our eyes on a trade that we shall never witness in our dull little lives and its brutal consequences to those whose lives depend on this trade. A terrific eye-opener.

Favorite scene
The opening credits, that is the life and death of a single bullet. Like, how often can you say that your favorite scene from a movie is the opening credits, right? (Fikri: ‘Wolverine’?) There’s something about that scene. About how initially you’re all curious to see how a bullet is being made and then at the end, it suddenly hits you when that bullet penetrated the chest of the young African boy.

Favorite line
Yuri: There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That’s one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is: How do we arm the other 11?

95) KING KONG

Why is it on the list?
I know, this a draggy movie but I was too occupied with the visuals to notice it. I have never seen the previous King Kong films, the one with Fay Wray and the other one with Jessica Lange. Thus, I have nothing good to compare this movie to and for me, I liked it. I mean, it’s certainly better that ‘Mighty Joe Young’. And its not only Kong, but there are other creatures at play here as well (although you have seen most of them in ‘Jurassic Park’), but still, its nice to see them again. However, I have to say that I hate that scene at the Central Park, the whole ice skating bit. That was just laughable. But the real star for me is Naomi Watts as Ann Darrow. She’s just too adorable and to act in a 3 hour long movie when most of the time, you’re acting with a non-existent animal, it’s not that easy. So big up to Naomi.

Favorite scene
When Kong fought with the V-Rexes. I have nothing to say here besides that it was rather thrilling. Also, the stampede scene with the Brachiosauruses. I remembered that my heart was thumping madly during that scene.

Favorite line
Carl Denham: Monsters belong in B movies.

94) THE 40-YEAR-OLD-VIRGIN

Why is it on the list?
I didn’t like it at first, but it grew on me. The thing about Judd Apatow is that you can really relate to his jokes on a personal level. There were many times during this movie when I went, “Hey, that is so true!” It’s a movie written by an average Joe. This movie certainly is much better than ‘Knocked Up’ because Seth Rogen is much better playing support than lead and we get none of that annoying bitch, Katherine Heigl. Although I am not the biggest fan of Steve Carell, but here, he pulled off the titular role compellingly.

Favorite scene
When Steve Carell’s Andy was about to get it on with Elizabeth Bank’s Beth. That was hot. In that scene, you really hope that he would lose his virginity then and there but part of you also hoped that he will end up with Catharine Keener’s Trish indeed. And the best part is when Seth Rogen’s Cal came to finish it off.

Favorite line
David: You know how I know you’re gay?
Cal: How?
David: You like Coldplay.

93) MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD

Why is it on the list?
The movie about Captain Jack. No, not Sparrow, but Aubrey. I have to say this movie is not for everyone. Think ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, but without the fun and mystical elements. Its seafaring on a more serious note and no it’s not about pirates. Taken place during the Napoleonic Wars, the ship follows a British Royal Navy vessel, the HMS Surprise, as they pursue Little Nappy’s Acheron, which is a much larger French warship. This is Russell Crowe’s second best performance after ‘Gladiator’ and the rest of the cast, especially Paul Bettany, did a wonderful job as well. Again, the movie is slow but for those who know how to appreciate good-filmmaking, this is a masterpiece. It makes you see what everyday life aboard a naval vessel is like in those days and you’re never bored, thanks to Peter Weir’s brilliant direction.

Favorite scene
I actually love watching the dinner scenes and the violin sessions that followed. Its feels like the movie is taking a break by showing the lives of these sailors when their thoughts are not occupied with war.

Favorite line
Capt. Jack Aubrey: Do you want to see a guillotine in Piccadilly?
Crew: No!
Capt. Jack Aubrey: Want to call that raggedy-ass Napoleon your king?
Crew: No!
Capt. Jack Aubrey: You want your children to sing the “La Marseillaise?”
Crew: NO!

92) GOSFORD PARK

Why is it on the list?
This feels weird. ‘Gosford Park’ in ‘my’ top 100? I know I tend to use the word ‘brilliant’ a lot when describing a movie, but this is the brilliant movie, further proven by its Oscar win for Original Screenplay. The movie showcases the lives of those living upstairs and those living downstairs, i.e. the masters and their servants, at a 4-day hunting party at an English country mansion. The great thing about this movie is how systematic the upstairs/downstairs system was depicted and the attention to detail given to things such as the arrangement of cutleries on a dinner table. Then of course there was the murder and how it was viewed upon by those living upstairs as well as those living downstairs. Basically, its a freaking weird movie and its so weird that its so freaking great.  A highly recommended watch.

Favorite scene
When the servants were walking into the house for the first time and Helen Mirren’s Mrs. Wilson was naming them based on their master’s name. The servants lost their identities then and it was rather sad, seeing how their masters define who they are. And their loyalty reminds me of house-elves.

Favorite line
Lord Stockbridge: When a man’s as short as you are, it must be difficult to gauge the height of the birds.

91) KUNG FU PANDA

Why is it on the list?
The most entertaining cartoon I have seen. Yea, yea, Pixar’s great you know but at the end of the day, Pixar’s not really a cartoon but more like a lesson in life. This movie literally kicks-ass. Its action sequences are the best I have seen in an animated movie. And it’s not all action but there’s heart as well with some important lessons being told, the best of which is stated under my favorite line below. Certainly the most awesome animated movie released by Dreamworks to date.

Favorite scene
Tai-Lung’s prison escape sequence. Who would’ve thought that an animated action sequence can be that cool? Plus, its our first look at how incredible Tai-Lung is. We’ve heard how terrifying he is before and thus, when the prison scene was shown, you get all the more curious to see what he is capable of and he doesn’t bloody disappoint. Picking a lock with a feather? A feather!

Favorite line
Oogway: Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.

Fazil’s determination to do this made Fikri wish that he had thought of this idea first…

One of these days, I may well have a mind to go down the Japanese embassy and charge its filmmakers for pedophilia; following ‘Yoshino’s Barber Shop’ after watching ‘School Days with a Pig’, I am convinced that the Japanese have an innate tendency to rely on cute kids in order to make the audience go, “Aww…” That is, of course, in place of having an actual story, a compelling issue, an intelligent script, and competent editing and directing to go along with the kids so cute you wouldn’t want to stop pinching their cheeks even after they start screaming for their mothers. The Japanese have latched on to something here, and I have decided to latch on to what it is that they have latched on.

Of course, that isn’t quite the case here in ‘School Days’. The things I said earlier about the story, script, and what not? Well, they are all present here in spades of pig poo.

The pig farm they visited didn't know they're missing a little piglet...

The story follows a young teacher named Mr Hoshi (Satoshi Tsumabuki). He is new and inexperienced, and deciding to make his mark in his new school, proposed a radical experiment: in order to teach his sixth-grade students about the value of life, they would raise a pig together during the school year. The idea is to explore “the real connection between life and food”. There is, however, one catch: that the pig will be eaten by the year’s end. Of course, all of the children, having already been enamoured by the little piggy, had little trouble saying yes. They’re not exactly in the mood of mind to be thinking of how sacrificing the life of an animal is required in order to keep the circle of life going; no, it’s just that little P-Chan is so damn cute!

Yes, the piggy’s name is P-Chan. I find it interesting that right from the off, some of the students have already expressed their reservations about even naming the pig. It adds a personality, they say, it makes it more human, and therefore more difficult for it to be killed at the end of the year. It is not without merit, that comment, and right from that early point of the film, I got the sense that this is a film that relies a lot on intelligence. Not only ours, but also that of the characters. I’m always up for an intelligent sort of film.

There is heaven for piggies, after all...

That doesn’t mean that everyone was up for the little experiment that Mr Hoshi had put in place. He faced opposition from almost everyone, including the parents of the school kids, and even some from within his own academic circles. And it is difficult to take care of a pig: P-Chan became difficult to control, he has a tendency to accidentally knock over some of the smaller kids during football, and…well, taking care of a pig is not exactly the nicest-smelling job in the world, is it? In the fact of such difficulties, Mr Hoshi does find some support from Principal Takahara (Mieko Harada), and it is this support that would prove to be crucial to the continued experiment of P-Chan. Of course, over time, past Christmas, and into the end of the school year, things grew and grew to an almost impossible climax. Impossible, because the film just about exhausted the possibilities for a clean and conclusive end.

Let me explain. Throughout the film, ours is a very objective point of view. We do not know of the changes within the characters by ourselves, but are told that it is so. When one of the students became more encouraged to come out of his shell, his father was filled with gratitude that he personally thanked Mr Hoshi. I felt that I was made to view all of this from a more objective point of view; the story wasn’t specifically told through the viewpoint of the teacher, the students or those around them (one of their parents is a pork butcher. Imagine the complications the sons faced). Rather, there is an almost documentary-like feel of omnipresence that I get, that we as the audience are supposed to be slightly detached.

The pig-wrestling competition was popular at lunch time.

We do get attached, however, to the little elements I mentioned earlier. The kids are cute, yes, but it also has something to do with their intelligence. All 28 students played their role to perfection, and it really helped to address the issue at hand: how do you reconcile with the fact that life can only go one with the death of some? We already made a pact to kill P-Chan, and we should honour that pact. But P-Chan is so cute, we have taken good care of it, why can’t we keep on doing that? If we do that, when will it stop? The animal will have to be sacrificed anyway, and what makes it more different from the other animals that are being sacrificed every single day. Eventually, as the film wears on, each character in the piece develops his or her own stand. It is a strain of individuality that made up a more convincing whole, all of which came out in an explosive classroom debate towards the end, when it is clear that the decision to keep P-Chan alive or to kill him became more difficult to make.

I find it interesting to note that the film was inspired by real-life events that happened in Osaka, Japan, and wondered whether the real life teacher faced the same dilemma the exact same way that Mr Hoshi in the film did. I’m sure he did, because I find myself thinking deeply enough afterwards for this film to remain clearly in my mind. That is the main attraction of the film, like I said: the intelligence of it.

They say you are what you eat...

Perhaps, however, there was too much intelligence. One wonders whether the director, Tetsu Maeda, or the scriptwriter, Hirotoshi Kobayashi, had somehow backed themselves into a corner with the ethical arguments raised both within and without the film. The children all debated extremely competently, making their stands clear on what is already a difficult case to begin with. I mean, how exactly do one reconcile with the hypocrisy of raising animals to be killed? I suspect that each of us have our own answers, and that it probably won’t definitively changed merely because of this fine film, but I do think that there will certainly be plenty of food for thought (no pun intended). As such, I can imagine even the director agonising over some of the scenes in the film, as it could very, very easily have gone either way. In the end, there is still a very objective stand, I feel, that was made throughout the film. It is by then that I realise that the objectivity that I felt was a deliberate attempt by the filmmaker to make me feel and think for myself. There is a feeling, then, that the ending was the way it was because in this film, in any film, there has to be an ending. I believe that one must not confuse a film with its makers, and in this case, I feel that the ending chosen by the directors need not necessarily reflect his own stand on the issue. I believe his only aim to be to take this issue out of the sty and on the pedestal in the spotlight.

The film does not lose sight of the fact that it is a children’s film. While there is no one single actor who stood out, I felt that it was nevertheless a clever attempt by the director to take a very complicated issue and put it on the table where it belonged.

Food for thought indeed.

Fikri still does not have swine flu, thank you very much.

It was a innocuous, innocent and not-so-interesting night some time ago on Facebook. I find myself getting into it a lot more, enjoying the reactions and interactions, as it were, with my family (even my dad is on Facebook…which is nice ). Anyways, it seems as if other people’s moms and dads were also on, given the uninteresting nature of the night. I would define it as interesting if it were updated frequently, and if the statuses themselves were rather interesting to read. Funny, this: not a long time ago I hated Facebook. I hated how it seems to transplant all other modes of communications. Now, however, having tried it extensively, I realise I could make it work for me without going the way of others.

Another reason why I should thank Facebook, though, is ‘RAW’. “What on Earth is ‘RAW’?” I thought to myself as it constantly and almost-annoyingly popped up on Juliane Block’s status update. She had added me on Facebook after we had interviewed her and did a review for her film, ‘Emperor’, but communication has been at a minimum. I suppose we all have friends like that. For that past few days, though, almost everything was about ‘RAW’, and if her idea was to get my (and other people’s) attention…well, it worked.

Perhaps she just had herself a Ramly Ayam Double Special...

“Is ‘RAW’ short for something?” I fired off a message to her. Being the wrestling fan that I am/was/in-the-process-of-transitioning-between-am-and-was, I find myself thinking back to the WWE programme, ‘Monday Night RAW’. “Yes! ‘Ramly At War’,” was the reply.

And now I’m thinking burgers.

Ramly Burgers, in Malaysia, are the premiere brand of burgers being made and sold by the roadside in Malaysia. You can find them almost everywhere; in a way, it is a kind of McDonald’s without the incessant promotion, but with a similar presence. It’s cheap, available even into the early hours of the morning, and far more importantly…absolutely delicious.

And so it is to these burgers that I find myself jumping to (and now, with Ramadhan in full swing, missing greatly). “’Ramly At War’,” I mused. Two warring stalls fighting it out over territorial supremacy? People food-fighting with Ramly burgers? Or is it the whole Ramly burger company pulling itself together for an all-out war against the new kid on the block, Otai?

"That was fine, but I need you to kick more ass."

Whatever it was, my interest was jacked. Jacked as in ‘Snakes on A Plane’ jacked. Or like ‘Chaw’, a recent Korean film about a killer pig/boar (though criminally, I didn’t manage to see it). Somehow, the title has that quality on me, and I told her so.

What I should have asked her is what the story is. It’s an action short film made by Jblockbuster and Low Angle Productions, but even after all the pictures, trailers and action teasers, I still am not entirely sure what it’s all about. Low Angle Productions even have a post on their blog entitled ‘What is Ramly At War?’, but again, little is revealed. In short (and I do mean short), the blurb on Youtube gives the best one-line synopsis: Quan, a loyal gang member has to choose between completing his mission and breaking the rules to save his brother’s ass. The trailer does not reveal all that much with regards to the storyline. What it will reveal, though, is the slickness:

It seems that the crew has prepared long and hard for the action sequences, and they have paid off rather well (check out the move around the 1:00 mark. Looks like something out of a video game ). In fact, they look a lot more realistic than many of the Malaysian films who aspired to employ similar martial arts moves up on the screen (having said that, I have not seen ‘Kinta 1881′). Not that it should be that surprising. Low Angle Productions have martial arts oozing through their veins. “We hope to aspire more martial artists to expand their skills and creativity into action screen fighting.” On that part, they seem to have taken a big step forwards. Thus, it doesn’t really matter if the story is unclear at this stage. It is, after, a means to an end. “We wanna use it for the festival circuit,” wrote Juliane, “and to find funding for a feature.”

Which is probably where the most important action of the film will be: I was disappointed with the lack of burger eating scenes in the trailer. “The burger eating scene is reserved for the movie ” wrote Juliane.

Don’t let me down, guys. Good luck.

‘Ramly At War Begins’ is an upcoming short film from JBlockbuster and Low Angle Productions. It will be premiered at KLPac Indiecine on Thursday 17th September 2009. Tickets are available for free, but to be served first, you must come first. There are many pictures online, with this Facebook album appearing to be the most comprehensive.

“Pete, what are you going to do next year?”

People asking Pete Teo what project he would do after the Malaysian Artists For Unity project.

****

As the country makes its celebrations for Independence Day on Monday, I decided that there’s no better time to write about this nice little project than then. Well, there is: I could have written it on the date of its launch, which happened to be some time in the middle of August. For some reason, a combination of brain fade, constipation, and a lack of time, as well as the fact that…

…well, no, I just didn’t get round to doing it before now.

The ‘15Malaysia’ project is one that has been given a fair amount of spin within Malaysia itself. I don’t even need to be in the country to know that. Articles have been written, Facebook statuses updated, Twitters…err, Twittered to its user’s satisfaction as slowly, but surely, the ‘15Malaysia’ makes itself known.

Chocolate: her last complete work?

In short, ‘15Malaysia’ is a collection of 15 short films made by some of the most renowned filmmakers in the country, as well as a fair number of up-and-coming stars in their own right (i.e. Some people I’ve never heard of before). The stories, then, predictably looks at various aspects of Malaysian society, as it emulates ‘Paris, Je T’aime’ in form, if not content. In terms of quantity and form, it beat out its ‘’sequel’, ‘New York, I Love You’ by four.In terms of substance, though, it does not have a common thread running through all of the films like ‘Paris’ or ‘New York’. Well, actually, I lied; that one common thing all the films have is that it’s all about Malaysia (as stated in the above). What’s not stated in the above is what a complex country Malaysia is, and that view becomes ever more complex when looked at from a variety of spectrums. We can see this in the films released up until now (September 5th). For example, Amir Muhammad’s ‘The Tree’ takes a particularly Muslim slant on things. ‘House’ by Linus Chung is timely, given the recent troubles and hardship at Kampung Buah Pala in Penang. ‘One Future’ is scary in how current it is, even though it claims to be of the science fiction genre, while the late Yasmin Ahmad subtly grabs the racial bull by its horn once again (as an aside, I believe that ‘Chocolate’ may well be her last complete work). In that regard, ‘15Malaysia’ could also be a nice little introduction to what Malaysia is all about.

Its release has been coordinated to attune itself with the nationalistic fervour that is to hit its peak during the months of August and September. At first, I wondered why the schedule didn’t blow out on the 31st of August, which is the Malaysian Independence Day. Then I quickly realised/remembered that Malaysia, being the very complex country that it is, has not one but two ‘national’ days. Independence Day marks the day that Malaysia broke free from British rule, while Malaysia Day, celebrated on 16th September, marks the date when Malaya metamorphosed into the country we now know as Malaysia. This is somewhat confirmed by a quick look at the final film’s release date, 16th September 2009.

"Me Locarno winner!"

The plan is such that every two to three days, a new short film would be available for viewing or download (for free, I hasten to add) from the main website. The event kickstarted on the 17th of August with ‘Potong Saga’, a short film by Ho Yuhang, and is due to end on the 16th of September with the very Malaysian-sounding ‘Rojak!’, a project by Jordan and Mussadique Suleiman. Yuhang just garnered himself an award at the Locarno International Film Festival, while I’ve never even heard of the Suleiman brothers, who appear to be of some prominence in the animation and music video fields.

Here is one of the aspects that I like the most about this particular project. A lot of the names are very familiar, and to be honest with you, as I scrolled through the list the first time around, I found myself thinking, “I’m sure there’s got to be more filmmakers in Malaysia that these guys.” I’d say that more than half of them were the same faces over and over again, the names who would crop up at any random indie screenings in the Klang Valley area. Thus, though I do await their films with great anticipation, I find myself being more drawn towards the seemingly-left field choices of the project. Benji Lim & Bahir Yeusuff, of Perantauan Pictures, have a cool sounding ‘5.13′ in the pipeline, which I will write about soon enough. I haven’t seen Khairil Bahar’s ‘Ciplak’, but I laughed out loud at the trailer a lot, and enjoy dropping by his blog whenever the moon sees fit to turn itself blue. Desmond Ng apparently has made a lot of commercials, but who the hell is Kamal Sabran? I’m very interested to see what they all have to offer, probably more than the James Lees and Tan Chui Muis.

That said, my favourite thus far is ‘Potong Saga’.

Really brings back the memories of my childhood, haha.

That question could also be turned around and be directed at you. The site also encourages people to make and upload their own videos about what Malaysia and being independent means to them. “Your film can be about the pothole outside your house, the dirty drain next to your school, the favorite Malaysian food and so on,” it says here on the blurb. “Whatever it is, it must be about Malaysia.” The coolest thing about this segment is that people are encouraged to upload their videos on Youtube, and then the powers-that-be will embed them into the official site, and retitle the page according to the number of videos made (as it stands, the page is called ‘78Malaysia’.)

He could play the role of a Godfather, you think?

We haven’t gotten started on the actors yet. ‘15Malaysia’, as a whole, features some of the most intriguing appearances in a short film ever. Like the choices of directors above, it appears to be split into a Who’s Who and Who? Approach, except that the latter who should be changed to “Who? What? Really? Tok Guru?!” There are some fine stalwarts like Sharifah Amani and Ida Nerina lighting up the (computer) screens. However, the ones who truly caught my attention were the non-actors. Namewee, a Malaysian who was involved in some controversy some years ago when he reinterpreted the national anthem, acts in one of the short films. There are also some political figures making their bow here. Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat himself, one of the main political figures of the Opposition in Malaysia pops up here, as do Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, PKR’s Tian Chua and Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, and my health minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai. You’d think that much like real life, they might have taken the opportunity to espouse some of their…err, strong-held political beliefs. Not quite the case, apparently, with only scheduling the main stumbling block their participation. “They were really supportive from both sides of the political aisle,” said Pete Teo, one of the producers of the project. “At the end of the day the need to combat racism is much bigger than party politics.” Now if only that element get transplanted all the way to parliament, we might have less people name-calling each other various members of the primate species.

That leads me to another point (Pete, that is). The main man behind the project is Mr Teo himself, a man who is no stranger to pulling cables to get these things of the ground. He was the very public face behind the Malaysian Artistes For Unity last year, who, as a group, released a song and music video for free. Not unlike the current 15Malaysia model, that project also pursued the ideal of racial unity, and the song had an added advantage of being rather catchy and pleasant on the 10 million pairs of Malaysian ears that heard it. As an aside, he has some currency here in Korea, too; I spotted a couple of his CDs on sale at COEX some months ago, and I heard some rumblings that the whole project may well make its appearance at the upcoming Pusan film festival. I wouldn’t necessarily be surprised; many of the directors of the projects are already regulars here, and the MAFU music video was also shown at last year’s festival.

Gaya. Mutu. Keunggulan.

The other producer of the project is Packet One Networks, who evidently want to show off their wireless broadband capabilities, as well as gain some currency for supporting the local arts industry. “There’s no culture without [the] arts,” said their CEO Michael Lai. “I think that’s No 1. That’s why we are supporting [the] arts. The second thing: without creativity, there’s no innovation. I think that’s fundamental to why we are embarking on this project.” Pete himself concurs with this: “Film and the arts have the power to rally forces within society who want that change. It reaffirms values within a society.” If hits on their sites are what they want, that is certainly what they got: the official 15Malaysia site had 15,000 visits soon after it was launched. Not that Pete is particularly satisfied. “We’ve got 27 million voices in the country, and so far only 15 are heard,” he admitted. “My job is to make this platform even bigger.”

Kudos and credit, however late, are still kudos and credit nonetheless. And for his efforts to bring peace, unity, and understanding, Pete and Packet One deserve all the credit that comes their way.

So Pete…’what are you going to do next year?

Next year, Fikri wants to go on a road trip throughout Malaysia.