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Filmsi - A not so serious look at films and film reviews

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Filmsi - December 2008

Not so surprising 9 September

The film with surprisingly little relevance to the date 9th September

The film titled 9 September is a romantic comedy with no difference. Tomboy girl meets nice guy, tomboy girl bullies nice guy, things happen, she leaves the country, then finally comes back and makes a discovery that changes her forever.

Yet, it did get a tear or two out of me.

So, what made it work?

The acting is only moderate. Lead actor Pierre Andre, who played the lead – Kogi, could have been better. I know because I’ve seen him bring characters to life. It didn’t cut it for me here because he has the kind of look that gives the impression that he’s no pushover. So when he gives in time and again, it just didn’t seem convincing enough. Don’t get me wrong – the acting wasn’t bad. He made the character seem sweet enough. It’s just that deep down inside, you don’t think he’s someone who’d realistically let someone else push him around and make decisions for him. This is all the more clear in the scene when he was lecturing – strong poise, decisive voice and knowledgeable conversation.

Fasha Sandha played the female lead, Nia. In what seems to be a never old concept, she starts the film all rough, tough and tomboyish. The thing I find unnerving about this role is that just because a girl wears Bermudas, that makes her a tomboy. And just because she favours sports shoes over a pair of high heels, she’s suddenly all gruff as well – because you know, ladies in skirts are dainty and soft and all that.

As you’d have it, the pretty looking Fasha really struggles to pull off the bully part. For one, you find yourself asking, ‘How could one so good looking be so rough?’ For another, tomboys don’t usually walk around in thick make-up.

chemistry between the leads?

I suppose because it’s a comedy that you’re not supposed to take it seriously. Which is why I shouldn’t have noticed things like her punches looked unreal enough to not be able to cause black eyes.

So, the chemistry between the leads maybe lacking in the beginning. But it picks up pretty quickly. Mainly because Kogi has a way of dealing with Nia’s offbeat temper.

It’s surprising also that the audience learns very little of the main characters. They’re so busy arguing about anything and everything that you don’t really know Nia’s personal details. For one, I have no idea what she does or what her character background is. And it was only late into the film that you learn what Kogi does for a living and see another side of him (that knowledgeable and serious lecturer side of him).

And then, there’s the what’s suppose to be exciting part of Nia’s ex-boyfriend coming back into the picture and her consequent departure to (of all places) Tokyo for (of all durations) a whole year.

If I was Kogi, I’d probably not be bothered with Nia anymore. But people do strange things and so does Nia, who continues to break all the rules in the final act.

As the film closes, you find that you’ve already been drawn in by the simplicity of it all. The rendering of the theme song and its related lyrics – in perfect synonym with the objective of the movie nails the finale.

9 September has a predictable plot with predictable characters. But I didn’t predict that I’d be moved by it.

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December 14th 2008 @ 08:42

Posted By: Cass - Category: No Category

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Since when did horror films become shock films?

BOO!

Once upon a time, a long time ago, horror films were actually spooky. They gave you chills down your spine.

Now, we have shock films. Where you total the number of gore and multiply it by the number of screams and you get the shock factor of a film. Of course, this doesn’t pertain to films that are meant to be shock films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but films that were supposed to be scary only they turn out to be shock films.

Japan, Thailand and Korea are well known for their horror films. These films are thoroughly eerie and often explore new concepts. The only thing is, they’ve practically exhausted all avenues.

Let’s see; there’s One Missed Call for films on calls from beyond and how that missed call isn’t all that it seems.

Then, there’s the video spectre, the wig, the photograph/camera, the internet - practically any new phenomenon that hits mankind has been haunted. Good hauntings are such as The Skeleton Key which doesn’t come across as a conventional horror film but is chilly to the bone.

Awful films on the other hand, resorts to the usual shows and mirrors trick. But hey, we’ve seen this, heard about that and bought the video. As an audience, we’re starving for something new.

I guess that’s hard to come by considering every known horror trick is overused.

Which brings us to a few tricks that made audiences gasps when it first came out.

1) The Exorcist
Realism in events
The rumours that circulated after the film was released (?)

2) The Prince of Darkness
The eerie black crow came to signify bad things
The disgusting way the noodles turned to worms

3) A Nightmare on Elm Street
Kids. Anyone who watched while a kid remembers Freddy.
And besides - how hard it can be to get out of a dream is something that even adults relate to.

4) Dark Water (The original version)
The scene when the child holds the mother’s hand in the elevator.
And that other scene in the elevator.

5) The Blair Witch Project
Relied completely on rumours – and that worked perfectly. The film succeeded in creating anticipation all throughout the film – though the ending didn’t cut it for me.

6) What Lies Beneath
Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford are two veterans actors but they pull it off in this tale of marital unbliss. The similarity between Michelle Pfeiffer and that other girl nailed it.

7) The Skeleton Key
Good storyline, good pacing and brilliant actress.
When the ghost(s) appears – the audience is captured (at exactly the time and in the same way Kate Hudson’s character is caught in the web). Brilliant screenwriting.

That’s just some memorable scenes. Now, where did the good scary times go? Or did shock suddenly overtook all sense of horror?

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December 8th 2008 @ 02:56

Posted By: Cass - Category: No Category

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The first film of war is Platoon

Monumental moment in film

The film Platoon absolutely deserves its Oscar award for Best Picture in 1986.

But you either already know that or was born into the generation that was ignorant the film was a hit.

Like me.

I only watched it because Johnny Depp featured in it. But then, what do I know about the iconic scene when Elias raises his hands to the skies?

Clearly, this is one film even a non war movie fan would love. The stage is set in Vietnam, where Charlie Sheen plays a young officer sent to where else(?) to fight the Viet Cong. Only, as he so aptly puts it, the soldiers aren’t only fighting a war, they’re fighting amongst themselves, and they’re fighting with themselves – with their own fears and realities.

The film begins strongly, from an autobiographical viewpoint as it was written by Oliver Stone based on his true experiences. Not surprisingly, the film changed the landscape of war films and how the war in Vietnam was viewed. But more on that later.

An autobiographical viewpoint written by Oliver Stone

The little plot consists of Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) finding two leaders to look up to and discovering himself and friends amongst his platoon members. But that’s just the gist of it. To feel the horrors of war, is to watch first hand how Stone sets his story amidst a backdrop of conflict and angst – yet throws in enough human drama to keep it real.

Not once will you find yourself flinching from the screen. No doubt, for someone who can’t stand gore like me, I’m not a fan of realistic war films. But worry not, for this is not your average ‘scare them and horrify them with blood war movie’. Nay! It’s a tale of human relations and how war can stick its grasp into your soul and pull out the real you!

What helped made the film the phenomenon it became must of course be also due to the superb casting of Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, William Dafoe, John C. McGinley, Richard Edson, Kevin Dillon, Reggie Johnson, Keith David, Forest Whitaker, Francesco Quinn and Johnny Depp. Together, the chemistry was real. But what was stronger was that they each brought the emotion of being in a war zone to the screen, as attested to by war veterans who saw the film.

Sgt. Barnes and his facial scar

And why not? Considering director Oliver Stone sent them for boot camp in the Philippines where the film was shot. Yet, it was only a harrowing but short two weeks of boot camp. Clearly then, they’re a certain pedigree of actors you don’t come across every day`.

Then, there is the superb art direction (Rodell Cruz and Sherman Williams) and cinematography (Robert Richardson). No doubt, when someone makes a film about bloody limbs without nauseating his audiences then you have what we call ‘class’. Incidentally, the film also won for ‘sound’ and editing’ (Claire Simpson). Well, think of the number of times you can listen to a machine gun firing off rounds of bullets before it starts to sound like nails scratching on a blackboard. And understand that this never happens in this film and you can see why the film was showered with the Oscar gong.

Fire in Nam

Then, there's George Delerue and his timeless score.

At the press of the stop button, it’s what the Washington Post say it is, “A triumph! A staggering study of war’.

That’s because the film isn’t all happy-happy tales of brotherhood neither is it a shock genre film. Instead, it focuses on the issues that take place during a war.

People tend to lose their sense of self when face with the brutality that a war offers. People get hurt and afraid when their life is at stake. They are emotional and their worst fears keep coming to the surface. But when so many lives are lost, one gets angry too. Very, very angry.

And it is this exploration of the things that really took place when no one is watching you deep in the forest that captures the attention and changes the way people viewed wars. Gone is the happy patriotism and dying for country and fellow countrymen. These guys got enlisted for a mandatory one year and are waiting to get the hell out of there.

We want out!

It is so befitting that Oliver Stone receive an award for Best Director for this film (Watch out for his cameo in Alpha Company). It takes real guts to tell his story. And to tell it so well.