Catchup

So I look over at my blog and I realize I haven't posted anything in close to a month. Lots has been going on, though, so I thought I'd best get through writing about movies, especially those I saw way back in July, then I can get on with putting pictures and shit up on everything else.

So yeah, these were going to be two separate, themed posts ("Animation" and "Local Movies"), but in the interests of playing catchup, I'm just slapping them together.

Surf's Up
I know what you're gonna say: "Not another fucking animated movie about fucking penguins". But at least this has a semi-clever attempt at playing with the genre, in making it a mockumentary, with all the bad shots and random background action that that entails. Also, it is rather entertaining, and a nice enough distraction. Definitely a rental though. Right. Moving on.



パプリカ (Paprika)
It's not clever. It's fucking mind-blowing, is what it is. The visuals are overwhelmingly insane, especially when the dreaming world gets mixed up with the real world, and reality begins to get really fucking warped. Plot-wise, it's really rather straightforward, once you get past the mindfuckery of the images. It's a real blast. Buy it.



The Simpsons Movie
The laughs come hard and fast in the first act, then it kind of goes into typical Simpsons territory, which is still far better than most. I might not love it as most people over here seem to do, but I still like it quite a bit. I guess I'll buy it eventually.






阿嬤 (Ah Ma) (Grandma)
This was the first Singapore film to be in the official competition of the Cannes Film Festival, where it won a Short Film Special Distinction this year. It's basically a portrait (well, since it's a short it's more like a sketch) of the family members who gather at the deathbed of an old lady in a hospital or hospice. Yes, it's tender and heartfelt without going into mush territory. But I can't help but look at it and hate what my life as a filmmaker has become, especially since the director just won a fully paid scholarship from the MDA to get a Master's degree in the UK, bypassing the traditional Bachelor's degree (which I am in bondage for). My bitterness at my slavemasters shouldn't deter you from trying to see this though.

Invisible City
Not as audience-friendly as Singapore Gaga, but it's well-made, with evident love for its subjects. I suppose one could describe it as a documentary about history, but it's more about the documenting of places, events and people than about history per se. That aside, one of the most moving segments is of an old British woman, Marjorie Doggette, who spent all her best years here photographing old buildings that were to be torn down. She has a photo book to show for all her efforts, which is probably out of print. But apart from that, not much else - she's now alone, decrepit and dying. She always thought she'd return to England one day, but time passed and when she suddenly realized how long it'd been, she was too old and weak to make the journey. And "Singapore is not a place to grow old in," she states matter-of-factly, her even tone barely hiding her regret.

Gone Shopping
TV host and extra-large personality Kym Ng reins it all in to remarkably moving effect in this indie flick that interweaves three stories set in and around shopping centers and involving Singapore's favorite pastime - shopping (what else). While not all the stories are strong, the lovingly-crafted frames that transform our weekend stomping grounds and a few very good performances (particularly from Kym and a little Indian girl) anchor the film and lift it above your typical moody indie. I couldn't imagine feeling moved by a scene set in the 24-hour madness that is Mustafa Shopping Center, but it happened.