Barbi3 (2008)

At a glance:
Ngapain sih lu? Nggak ngapa-ngapain kok. Just watchin a stupid movie every now and then to keep it real. Didn't know I'd really hit it though. This is Monty Tiwa's idea of an Indon answer to Mean Girls, where Titi Kamal (centre), Poppy Sovia (left) and Francine Roosenda (right) play the most irritatin wannabe American highschool girls ever.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Titi O Titi, you ain't got much time left. Wonder how her restaurant's doin. Borin, overdone teen plot. Fluff.
Watch out for:
Cathy Sharon as Helen. Like Liv Tyler took Teri Hatcher's lips and turned Indon.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Some decent music, the Melly Goeslaw title track sang by Rossa especially. Unexpected depth in dialogue every now and then. If you buy the VCD, there's a 15-minute featurette at the end to console you. ★★

Mendadak Dangdut (2007)

At a glance:
All you need to make a movie is a gun and a girl - that's what Godard said. Mendadak Dangdut is embarrassingly rudimentary and yet resoundingly satisfyin. While it's guilty of every boo-boo common in those under-financed indie productions, it's amazin to discover that a good story, a handheld camera and some decent actors are all you need to make a movie really.
Watch out for:
My favourite contemporary Indon actress Titi Kamal (pic) and her sidekick Kinaryosih completely ownin the screen in this disarmin little adventure about a spoilt MTV pop-rock starlet and her overworked PR manager sister who get arrested for a crime they didn't commit. On the run, Petris (Titi) disguises herself as a lowly dangdut singer to make some quick money and Yulia (Kinaryosih) helps her through the ordeal. Takin on the stage name Is Maduma (masuk, duduk, mabuk! ) given by the organ player who takes them in (Dwi Sasono), Petris learns the hard way what friendship and family is all about - but not before shakin some good dangdut ass and takin the village by storm.
Most memorable line:
Dwi Sasono said somethin funny about cuttin off knobs.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Four stars, defyin all ratin logic! Hell the Jablai song alone is worth the ticket price. Read that it was the most downloaded ringtone in Indon at some point.