The Tall Man (2012)

Jessica Biel can actually act a bit. Who wouldda thunk?

Samantha Ferris plays a mum
whose boyfriend beds her daughter too.

At a glance:

The Tall Man (2012) was written and directed by the same fella behind Martyrs (2008), so that made me put it on the watch list. This Pascal Laugier guy must be like the classier French version of M. Night Shyamalan, considerin how much he likes to do movies with one big central twist. Now unlike movies like The Village (2004) or The Sixth Sense (1999), the enjoyment of Laugier's films do not pivot on the incredulity of the twist. Dissociatin this story from Slender Man mythos, Laugier introduces us to several characters in a rundown white trash town blighted by missin children, firin up what appears to be a standard slasher horror, only for it to simmer down into some sort of philosophical parentin, socioeconomic dilemma. It's in no danger of goin down as ground-breakin material but it does feature Jessica Biel in what must be her most demandin dramatic role since the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) days when all she needed to do was walk around in a sweaty, see-through top.

Bad news on the doorstep:

Thankfully avoidin the alien invasion route (e.g. The Tommyknockers, 1993 or Dreamcatcher, 2003) which would've been very predictable and annoyin, this story is well-paced and crafted to play with your expectations. Variety's Geoff Berkshire summarised well: "Welcome echoes of the work of Stephen King and TV's The X-Files increase suspicion that something supernatural is afoot, and Laugier keeps teasing that possibility until the very end" but concludes that horror fans lookin for some old-fashioned scares are likely to feel cheated from the movie. The French - trust them to screw it up! Ha.

Perennial wonderment:

If you've decided you've read too much already and don't wanna bother with the movie, just click on this link to a Ben Affleck movie and the twist will dawn upon you...

Reminds me of:

The Village (2004) but that's not the twist, don't worry.

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

All is not lost. This can make a good date movie and delightful conversation fodder later. You're likely to find this only on DVD or VOD now, since it only had a token theatrical release.★★

Bonus material:

William B. Davis, the Cancer Man on TV's X-Files, has a small role in The Tall Man (2012).

Precious: Based On The Novel "Push" By Sapphire (2012)

Not the most motivational of movie stills, I reckon.

At a glance:

I had just seen Gabourey Sidibe's brief role in Seven Psychopaths (2012) and I thought I'd rehash this old review, on account of renewin my seethin dislike for the movie upon the very sight of her. Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) is quite a mouthful for a movie title, so it's a small relief that this decorated Oscar fave does have somethin substantial to say. However, like the makers conceded and thanked production ally Oprah Winfrey at the 2009 Awards ("because you touched it, so everyone saw it"), we really have to wonder if this greatly divisive film isn't just another well-marketed product of white guilt internalisation.

Bad news on the doorstep:

Paula Patton lends her well-to-do looks for contrast.

Yes, the artistic merit of this drama does come into question, as the eponymous main character Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is an overweight, illiterate, impoverished and abused teenager who just happens to be surrounded by some of the nastiest people and also go through some of the worst experiences one possibly can growing up in black Harlem. It's the kind of character arc that invites empathy at first but then descends into a credibility problem. Not that we're contendin the nature of a grossly underprivileged life in the late 80s, but there is a difference between tellin a story about the black underclass and tellin a story about how the black underclass view themselves. This Lee Daniels picture is a clear case of the latter but instead of offerin any insight into the psyche of any one person who comes from such a background, it is evident by the final reels that Precious is an unreflective sob story that strives for some redeeming value that it cannot attain.

Perennial wonderment:

Mo'Nique, the monster of a mum. Figuratively and physically.

For a movie that has been called "con job of the year" to one that goes to the extent of "demeaning the idea of black American life", emotions run strong, especially since we can't call the filmmakers racist because they're black. Perhaps it's an instance of reverse racism that the horrendous story of Precious becomes such a celebrated film that has picked up close to 100 awards across film festivals and such. In any case, there is no denying that Mo'Nique's performance as an criminally-abusive mother is a powerful turn that deserves every award it gets, includin the most prized one - Best Supporting at the 82nd Academy Awards. The movie as whole features some compelling actin (Gabriel Sidibe, Paula Patton, Sherri Shepherd and even Mariah Carey), and that lends urgency and strength to the proceedings whatever you might feel about the story.

Reminds me of:

Don't know. Can't relate to much in this movie.

I can't remember if I cried:

When I saw the frazzled Mariah Carey role. It's a suitable role for her, admittedly. It's just that this isn't the woman I remember from the Christmas music videos and that depresses me, as if the story isn't movin along bad enough.

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Emotionally manipulative in a way I don't care for. As a movie experience, you will have to watch Precious - but only if you want to discuss it with your friends, and not because you look forward to enjoying it. ★★

Chow Kit (2012)

Lana Nordin: "Kemaruk dengan tetek aku ni ada lah..."
Airis Yasmin: "Susah cakap dengan perempuan macam kamu ni lah."

What about the rest of the cast?

At a glance:

Remember Chloë Sevigny bein HIV-fucked on a livin room couch in Larry Clark's seminal Kids (1995)? A lot of dispute as to the creative origins behind this piecemeal Primeworks film, so you'd think this was a movie to really boast about. Immediately recallin the urban grime from the awesome Songlap (2011), I thought Chow Kit (2012) would be a respectable addition to the canon of new crime films from Malaysia - you know, those featurin cash-strapped anti-heroes who are poised to die sad, unpopular endings. On that count, Chow Kit succeeds twice - it's actually two flimsily related stories, bridged only by a disconnected token character or two. The first half, a second directorial run-out for Hooperz (2010) helmer Rosihan Zain a.k.a Dhojee, is about a group of Malay kids whose parents are either drug addicts or prostitutes. The second half, by Brando Lee, is about a strugglin Chinese ex-con whose newfound girlfriend's virginity is about to be auctioned off to the highest bidder by her uneducated ex-whore mum.

Bad news on the doorstep:

Malaysia's answer to Larry Clark's Kids (1995)?

Remember Sudirman's Chow Kit Road lyrics:
"Ada yang cuti mata..."

The concept's coherence really is superficial and the two-part idea comes off more like a desperate damage control manouevre, written in to save both movies rather than a layered crime drama that was intentionally halved. Although this isn't the case, the final product is dodgy at best. Nevertheless, the Malay first half had more goin for it than the Chinese second, simply because the children were easier to root for, despite both halves havin their fair share of bad actors with lousy lines, not to mention puzzlin character arcs. Truth be told, besides the erroneous approach in coachin them, the kids are unfortunately poor actors, even pack leader Izzam Syafiq who tried the hardest. Superfluous roles in Chow Kit include Yasmin Hani as a seller of krim pengetat faraj and various cure-all batin medicine, Beto Qusyairy as a pointless sidekick gangster, Hairie Othman as an unexplained, pencil-pushin welfare officer and Dira Abu Zahar as a sympathetic retired whore far too removed from the main story. Too many loose ends, too little real emotion. There were plenty of chances in the movie to make a strong connection between the characters and the interestin, nasty, slummy things they do but none were taken. Perhaps, only Namron, playin a druggie dad who gets his kids to steal shoes from the mosque, made a difference with his role. For the Chinese story, it's simply too generic to be memorable, although lead actor Mers Sia managed some presence.

Chen Puie Heng & Dira Abu Zahar

Perennial wonderment:

How many Malaysians today actually know that Chow Kit - Kuala Lumpur's seediest spot in bygone days - is named after the tin miner and municipality councillor Loke Chow Kit? T'was a stampin ground where the characters played by Razib Salimin and Chen Puie Heng (the only credible ones next to Namron) could believably call home.

Lana Nordin downblouse. Thank you, Sarawak.

Reminds me of:

When I see aimless Malay kids who aren't the menacin type, I always think of the kid with Sudirman in Kami (1982).

Watch out for:

Lana Nordin's monster tits. When I first heard about her bein cast in Chow Kit, I tweeted about how they should put them to good cinematic use. How odd to watch this movie a few years later, and to see the filmmakers obligin, with a full downblouse close-up on beads of sweat drippin down the sweet, swollen breasts of the endowed Kuching-born actress often dubbed Malaysia's Pamela Anderson. For the record, she actually acted well. Her most compellin, self-affirmin line was: "Kau ingat kita tinggal di mana? Taman Melawati? Taman Tun? Kalau dia tak tengok tetek saya, dia tengok tetek betina lain." Real classy. Catch her next in Ponti V Omi and Lagenda Budak Setan 2.

Mers Sia & Beto Qusyairy

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Like thatmoviebloggerfella, I too commend Chow Kit (2012) for havin its "heart in the right place", despite an abundance of bum notes that contributed to the ignominy of it postin less than half a million ringgit across 71 screens. How can a movie with two rape scenes be so underhit? I'm certainly not among the kindly few who call it better than Anak Halal (2008), let alone Malaysia's own City Of God (2002). A definitive Malaysian streets movie remains unmade.★★
Bonus material:

Yasmin Hani pretends she doesn't use bedroom boosters in Chow Kit (2012).

China Heavyweight (2012) @ 千錘百煉

Float like a butterfly and sting like a PRC

At a glance:

Pugilism in the PRC gets some international attention in China Heavyweight @ 千錘百煉 (translated as "to be tried and tested a thousand times"). See, Chairman Mao banned boxin in China back in 1959 for bein "too violent" and "too American" as this film will tell you, only for the ban to be lifted some 30 years later, givin rise to people like coach Qi Mo Xiang (pic), the movie's star and apparently the Republic's first pro boxer. This technically accomplished Chinese-Canadian production by filmmaker Chang Yung is a mesmerisin sports doc that doubles as a social commentary, offerin a privileged glimpse into the lives of three people; the said coach and his two embattled protégés - Miao Yun Fei and He Zong Li.

Bad news on the doorstep:

Don't train hard and you'll be back home farming.
Then you'll be no one but your mum's kid.

While obviously a useful addition to the canon of cinéma vérité (as proudly expounded by the helmer), you'd have to pardon the pun when I say this lacks the finishin punch when it comes to dramatic urgency, though possibly intentionally so. Torontonian reviewer Justin Li calls it "the boxing equivalent of Steve James’ basketball documentary, Hoop Dreams (1994)" and that it is "rife with dialectical feelings of both desperation and aspiration... an essential social document on the hardships and lack of opportunity in the industrialised ‘New’ China" but one would've fancied seein more strife in the choices of the characters. Perhaps extra characters could've added more compellin viewpoints to further highlight the gravitas of their personal struggles. One odd omission from this otherwise wonderful film would be the existence of weight categories, somethin one would feel deserves to get some passin mention in a film about boxin.
Perennial wonderment:
Would you rather be a piss poor never-been boxer or a medium-income excavator operator?

Reminds me of:

Coach Xi is a doppelganger for a chunky street punk who used to run the local snooker joint in my old neighbourhood in Malaysia. He's a hard man and comes across likeable in the film, so we'll forgive him for bein decked in Manchester United gear all the time and also lionisin Mike Tyson. 

I can't remember if I cried:

When I heard the coach tell The Globe And Mail film critic Liam Lacey last night about the fate of one of the boys from the movie. I saw this at Cineplex Odeon Sheppard Cinemas as part of the annual Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, where the night's proceedings was simulcast across select cinemas across Canada. Coach Xi was flown in for the show.

The knockout facilities available in Huili, Liangshan, Sichuan.

Most memorable line:

"If you make the provincial team, you'll be China's official athletes. You'll be the country's people. Don't train hard and you'll be back home farming. Then you'll be no one but your mum's kid."

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Expresses the anxieties of these people but doesn't seem to really answer the questions it raises. Still, it's a rare look-in. What I love about documentaries like these is that they usually have sad endings. As Torontonian sportswriter Alex Wong writes: "Maybe the most depressing thought is this: without ruining the outcome of his comeback fight, does it really matter whether he wins or not? How much can life change, and how many of these students can actually improve their lives through boxing." Chang's next project Eggplant, about a Chinese weddin photographer, will be his first feature. ★★★ 1/2


Trailer for the curious:

Attack The Block (2011)

Jodie Whittaker in a fun role.

At a glance:

While the rest of the wakin world have turned up in droves to put even more money into Spielberg and Bay pockets, might we suggest a different but equally enjoyable intergalactic battle at the cinemas this season – Attack The Block! Doin precisely what it says on the tin, Attack The Block: Gangsters vs. Aliens is Gremlins-meet-Goonies as we follow a gang of rowdy South London teens whose ordinary rowdy lives are changed overnight with an outrageous alien attack on their council flats, followin what they thought was a meteor shower on Guy Fawkes Day.
Bad news on the doorstep:

Run!!!

Well, maybe not bad news for you - but I caught this on a midnight show on account of the fledglin distributor Platinum Pictures, who ain't quite figured out how to do press previews yet. Well, I'm happy enough they took a risk with this movie. I don't remember if they made a profit off this late release.

Perennial wonderment:

Aside from the committed, largely teenage cast, the real stars of the show - impossibly black, wolf-like critters (it's“even blacker than my cousin Femi” says one of the characters) – manage to hit that editin ambiguity where the creatures appear believably menacin without expensive SFX work. How often does that happen, eh?

Reminds me of:

Kabluey (2007), Skyline (2010), The Goonies (1985) and Gremlins (1984).

Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?

Just another day in the hood.

What really elevates this from a pet project to an impressive, well-thought debut feature from frequent Edgar Wright collaborator Joe Cornish (the duo are behind the screenplay for Spielberg’s upcoming Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn) is the prevalent humour in the movie and how the audience can find it easy to relate to the simple and identifiable characters, save maybe their difficult London accents that may alienate the untrained ear of audiences in this region (or even maybe American viewers, as evident in some reports recently about worried U.S. distributors). Nevertheless, Attack The Block: Gangsters vs. Aliens is a refreshin and welcome addition to the saturated monster movies we have come to expect from the market out there.

Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moments (2008) @ Maria Larssons Eviga Ögonblick

At a glance:
Sweden's proud submission for Best Foreign Language Pic at this year's Academy Awards, Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moments really do seem to last forever, clockin a 131-minute runtime filled with socialist sentiments, early photography techniques and a whole lot of 1900s alcoholism, infidelity and domestic violence. Not to be confused as the biopic of a current Swedish politician, the oft-reviewed period drama is a semi-rewardin foray into the true story of a laundry woman livin in those times who won a camera in a lottery and pursued the art of masterin the curious contraption as a hobby, despite her surroundin poverty and matrimonial problems.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Perhaps due to it being an adaptation from research and interviews conducted between the director's wife and the daughter of the 19th century woman, a story as real as Maria Larsson's will give rise to uneven attention bein paid to a whole volume of events, especially without an expert touch. Director Jan Troell's product is a subtle drama without much darkness or humour, resultin in an insightful but ultimately mediocre experience in terms of full-epic impact.
Reminds me of:
Angela's Ashes (1999) with Robert Carlyle.
Watch out for:

Director Jan Troell

The titular lead played by Maria Heiskanen is half the strength of the film, a character which other reviewers have described as bein afforded an Imelda Staunton-like portrayal with equal ease in carryin angst and tenderness. However a much more visually-arrestin character is her drunkard wife-beater of a husband Sigfried, played by a faultless Mikael Persbrandt (pic). You know a good actor when you fail to hate his character despite him doin some truly horrendous things. The other prominent part is photo shop enthusiast Sebastian Pedersen (Jesper Christensen), who plays a kind man fuellin Maria's love for the lens and ends up fallin for her.
Most memorable line:
This is what I mean by the lack of epic strength. Can't think of one.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Perhaps this is an eye-opener to study his other works such as The Emigrants, Here's Your Life, Hamsun and The New Land. For now this is a two and a half star effort.
Trailer for the curious:

Bonus material:

Maria Heiskanen says... smile!!!

City Of Men (2007) @ Cidade Dos Homens

At a glance:

To the first question of whether this 2007 favela flick is a sequel to Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s 2002 oft-reviewed City Of God, the answer is no. It's in fact a spinoff from a 2002 TV series of the same name, Cidade Dos Homens (City Of Men), which ran four seasons in Brazil. In addition to that, if you’re wonderin will the movie make sense without watchin the TV series, the prevailin opinion is that knowin the series will benefit the movie experience, since you’ll need to get familiar with the two main characters, Acerola (Douglas Silva) and Laranjinha (Darlan Cunha). There are flashbacks in the movie to scenes from the TV series. So for the uninitiated, the movie City Of Men is confusingly similar to City Of God, both bein comin-of-age crime dramas about two boys growin up in the Brazilian slums surrounded by machine guns, drugs and promiscuous sex.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Themes of friendship, abandonment and even family plannin are explored amidst the gritty day-to-day events that bind these boys. A soap-like backstory about their biological fathers also serve the final story well. However, despite tightly edited, City Of Men suffers the same drawbacks in City Of God - they simply have too much ground to cover. A sincere and earnest attempt to better tell the TV story is hampered by rushed endings and the tumultuous balance between emotional downtime and shootin chases. We can't possibly be allowed to savour the Rio slum details against such an epic drama with so many significant events happenin in quick succession.
Reminds me of:
The other favela flicks I know: City Of God, Lower City, Carandiru, Man Of The Year.
Watch out for:
Jonathan Haagensen gets the nod for the best performance, as gang head Midnight.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?Probably a better TV series than a movie. Two and a half stars.

The Grapes Of Wrath (1940)

Sure don't look none too prosperous.

At a glance:
Decidedly didactic socialist film starrin Henry Ford (pic), based on a book that won a Pulitzer and a Nobel Prize for Literature. Of course I'm too young to know but I guess it really was the most talked about movie and novel in the day. Within 15mins into the show, you'd soon understand why - it has some very unambiguous things to say about poverty (and even feminism), presented in the most politically dangerous way. This means it's easy to believe the shit. No wonder it's a historically important film.
I can't remember if I cried:
When I read that the book had this bit (not included in the movie) where Rosasharn gives birth to a stillborn and then offers her milk-filled breasts to a starvin man who was dyin in a barn. Wouldda made quite a heartbreakin scene.
Watch out for:
The bit where the old man refused to go. All to familiar to me. Also, John Carradine as the creepy ex-priest Casy is particularly hauntin.
Most memorable line:
Tom Joad: Sure don't look none too prosperous.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Thoroughly entertainin movie that really has somethin to say. Wish non-American kids could have this as part of their curriculum too, so that they could grow up knowin Depression is an economic term and not just an emotional one.★★★★

Menace II Society (1993)

At a glance:
Perennially referenced textbook thug movie set in So-Cal LA, with the highest f-word-per-minute dialogue at the time apparently. Movie starts with the brother shootin dead a Korean shop owner and his wife. From there, we just get sucked into a hard knock life so to speak.
Reminds me of:
A coupla brothers I used to know.
Watch out for:
A young Jada Pinkett Smith, who plays Ronnie, the woman with a kid in hand and a man in prison with no parole.
Most memorable line:
Caine (on bein told the bitch he boinked was pregnant): "Stop lying, alright? Besides, I had the jimmy on extra tight."
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?Not often you get a look-in like this.★★★1/2

This Longing (2008) @ Punggok Rindukan Bulan

At a glance:
In director Azharr Rudin's own words, the word is symbiosis – the relationship between a people and the place they live in. Theme could hardly find a more claustrophobic settin than the now-demolished Bukit Chagar flats in Johore near the Causeway, where most of this offbeat art movie was shot. It was, I understand, the city's most famous eyesore, a low-cost housin development built in the 80s. In the brilliantly written production notes, you can read that it is within those narrow corridors and walls that the world of a boy and his father would grow too vast and vacuous when they are abandoned by the lady of the house.
Watch out for:
Brief cameo by Maya Karin. A few clever sequences too but special mention goes to non-pro Salehuddin Abu Bakar, particularly impressive in his small role as Lelaki Kurang Kemas.
Reminds me of:
Time Of The Wolf (2003), Tokyo Tower (2007) and Lilja 4-Ever (2002).
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
So damn contained. Like in Gaspar Noe's Irreversible (2002), there could scarcely be a better endin to Punggok for the purposes of deliverin the message that time destroys everythin. ★★★★
Trailer for the curious:

Update:
Now available for viewing absolutely free on Vimeo. Enjoy and share!