Jangan Pandang Belakang

A man investigates the mysterious death of his fiancee and discover more than he bargained for.

Rose commit suicide and her boyfriend Darma as well as her twin sister Seri never believe for one second that Rose will take the easy way out. After tracing back what actually happened to Rose, they find evidences that suggest supernatural intervention.

I think I am not the only one who is sick with horror movies from the west. It is either a slasher flick or some mystery that cheats the audience in the end. Asians have loads of creepy tales that send chills down the spine, just verbally. Can you imagine how scary it can be with visual aids?

After reading mixed reviews of this movie, I guess it was worth to check it out even though I can almost immediately expect the worse. I was not wrong

This movie is way overrated, way too much. It's bad in many ways. The sequence is bad; some scenes were simply redundant or non coherent; storyline is pretty much loose and non-contiguous; bad acting. I can go on. To its credit, there are two scenes which I feel were genuinely scary. But when compiled as a whole, even that cannot save the movie.

I understand that it is not easy especially for our Malay film industry to embark on a new genre like this. With pretty much minimal expertise in the area iof special effects, it is even harder. But like I said earlier, if ghost stories from this region can scare the crap out of you just verbally, why the need for elaborate visual effects?

I feel that there are many ways this movie can be improved.

First of all, better actors please.

Next, clean up the storyline. If it is meant to be simple, then make it as it should be. Why the need for the security guard to have so many lines and giving impression of importance when in the end he was not even necessary. Why have cartoonish characters like the bus driver?

Camera angle in my opinion can and should be exploited further particularly for horror films. The thing about ghost is the fact that it scares us with thoughts of how it looks like. When shown too much of it, especially with poor makeup, it then become an object of amusement rather than one that instills fear. With the right camera angle, viewers know it's there but with just glimpse of it, the rest is left to our wild imagination.

My dissapointment stems not only from viewers who can't tell horror from comedy and gave unrealistic ratings, but more from the fact that older Malay movies were of much better quality than this. Take for example Rahsia starring Noor Kumalasari. It a freaky show and it's stamped in my mind that I can still remember it till today, even after 20 years. Then there's Pengabdi Setan and Arwah Penasaran, both Indonesian films. Those two scared the crap out of me way back then.

If it can't beat those 3 films I mentioned, especially in this day of age, with more technology at movie makers' disposal, than Jangan Pandang Belakang don't a deserve a mention, other than it was released with smart promotions.

Horror movie lovers should just forget about this movie. Like the title suggest, jangan pandang belakang. There is nothing to regret about missing it.

The Pick of Destiny

Can't believe it that of all the movies, I missed this one!

The Pick of Destiny is a musical comedy starring Tenacious D, a duo made up of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, two lovers of rock music who can play and sing really well with just acoustics.

Well the main attraction for me is of course the rock songs but this also officially becomes the first musical that I can actual watch and love!

Below is the first part. The rest can be found on YouTube. Watch out for Dio!

I'm out to the store to get the DVD

The Majestic

A man in a state of amnesia is wrongly mistaken for a dead soldier.

Peter Appleton (Jim Carrey) is a Hollywood movie writer wrongly accused as a communist sympathiser. With his career probably to be short lived by ending up in a blacklist, he got drunk and met with an accident while driving. With his head receiving the blow, he landed in a small town of Lawson, unable to remember where he came from or who he is. Add to that, he resembles a local, a soldier who died 9 years ago in the war. Unable to shake his 'father's' conviction that he is who he say he is, he 'continues' his life as Luke Trimble, a son of a man who owns the town's theater he no longer operates, the Majestic. At the same time, he is wanted by the FBI as he was assumed to be taking flight from authorities

Will he get his memory back? And what happens when the FBI finally finds him?

The Majestic brings us back to the era where the investigation of communist infiltration into Hollywood took center stage. We were brought along to examine the life of a fictitious character whose life is affected by this dark era. It tries to show that no matter who a person is, he can be who he wants to be, even someone we want him to be. As a feel-good movie, the effect of seeing peoples' life turning for the better after a certain event can easily be felt. Luke's return revived the town again after its spirit died when many of its young men were lost in the war.

While there is nothing bad about this movie, there is nothing I find that holds me dear. Unlike Forrest Gump, where we can treat it as a fantasy we like to see happen, Majestic beckons the question - is it that simple in real life? Can we simply pick up from where we left and move on?

While the addition of a political plot in this movie gives its share of diversity, it somehow pollute the main story of a man who finally finds himself. As with any movie within this genre, a love story is a must. With it having not much of attention, none of it's sub genre is that effective. Probably the only reason I find this movie somewhat appealing is Carrey. As in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Carrey played his role of a man who is reluctant to accept who he is, effectively.

I'll probably watch it again, but maybe just once more. Watch this when you are feeling down. You'll feel good after that

Birth

If someone you do not know claims to be your beloved, able to prove it, how would you react?

Anna (Nicole Kidman) lost her husband Sean and was about to put all her past behind by getting engaged to Joseph (Danny Huston). On their engagement party, this kid (Cameron Bright) shows up and claims that he is Sean, a reincarnation of Anna's late husband. Is he or is he lying? If he's really Sean, what will Anna, who is clearly not over her dead husband yet, do about her recent engagement? If he's lying, then how did he come to know of Anna's personal details.

Intriguing as it is, which is only reason I believe why most people would want to watch this movie other than Kidman (I would watch her in any movie, any day), that is also the weak point of this movie.

The downfall of Birth is that you'll get your answer sooner than you expected. With such a thin plot, you can't help but expect other elements to ensure that it remains engaging. Great acting? Sure, it's Kidman we're talking about, but sadly, it is just simply not enough to save this movie. Instead of exploring other areas, like elaborating on the strained relationship between Anna and Joseph or how the boy's parents cope with their child insisting he is Sean, the movie prefers to cheat by trying to be arty, stretching some scenes unnecessarily. Look out for that scene in the theater. If that is not lame, I do not know what is. That was not the only instance I might add. Glazer thinks that is such a great idea, he used it on another scene!

The bathtub scene with Anna and Sean together gave this movie the exposure it did not deserve. While I find it not offensive at all (especially after finding out how they shot that scene), although suggestive, I really think that it is absolutely not necessary. Another example of how Glazer cheats the audience.

I love movies that makes you think long after the show is over and that is the only saving grace of this movie. It makes us question ourselves, what if that happens to us? How will we react?

If this was made-for-TV, it would be great, but it's not. Two stars is all it deserves

Payback

Would you risk your life for 70k?

Porter nearly got killed by his wife, a doing of his friend who wanted to screw him off his 70K share of a heist, by showing a photo of him with a hooker. A jealous wife can do anything, remember that. Badly injured, he sets himself to get back the money he rightfully earned, so to speak, and along the way, he meets all sorts of thugs, corrupted cops, all those people a guy like him would normally avoid.

This is a simple mindless action/revenge/violent movie so don't expect an award winning storyline. So is it worth watching then? Trust me, it is

Acting, surprisingly, is good, really. Porter bleeds, limps, slurs and everything a beaten-up man would, making it realistic and not like he is some superman. While this is a mafia kind of movie with all the violence in its glory, humor is planted everywhere, which makes it, sadistically, a fun movie. All the camera angles, slow motion scenes as well as the cinematography are just perfect for a movie like this. From a film-making perspective, there is nothing bad about this movie at all, other than the plot. Although trying to get oneself seriously hurt and courting death for 70K may sound a little too stupid, that is exactly what makes it fun to watch, with Porter repeating countlessly that he IS asking for only his 70K back and nothing more.

While this is not a movie to stimulate the mind, I would not mind popping it into my DVD player and enjoy watching it again.

Machinist

What if you really lack sleep? Can you still stay focused or would you most probably turn delusional?

Trevor Reznik (Christian Bale) is a machinist (no surprise here) who has not slept for a year, causing him to continuously lose weight by the day, practically turning him to bones. His inability to sleep leads him to two women, Stevie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) a prostitute and Marie (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón), a waitress he visits every night at the airport cafe.

Most of his co-workers were sceptical when he denies he is on drugs. They tried to get him to seek help but he refuse to admit his deteriorating condition. One day at work, blamed for his inability to stay focused, he caused an accident involving his co-worker Miller (Michael Ironside). Attributing his lost of attention to Ivan (John Sharian), a new co-worker that no one knew existed, everyone around him turned into a nervous lot, treating him as a liability. When he is caught in a situation where he almost got himself injured, he accused his co-workers of conspiring to purge him out, using Ivan to torment him. Not only that, even his most trusted, Stevie and Maria, seems to be part it as well. Hell, even his landlord was not spared, as he suspected her of placing mysterious stick-up notes in his apartment. Is he really starting to turn delusional, or are the people around him turning him crazy?

Christian Bale lost a lot of weight just for this role that you practically see his skeletal frame. It gets really excruciating at times seeing him in that state. Some people think it was a sick attempt to attract movie goers. Whatever the reason Bale decided to do it for, it made no difference to me. His acting was top notch regardless. Bale play Trevor, a man full of dark secrets that he keeps to himself, perfectly. If the Oscars is not political, he would have won easily.

This movie delve in the realm of what is real and what is not. Many questions were laid on the table. Why can't he sleep, who places the notes in his apartment, who is Ivan? Pace is slow at times but it was quite intended as it is not an action movie. The tension builds up as it reach the peak where all answers are answered. Most importantly, the revelation don't make you feel cheated, unlike most movies of the same genre

This movie is definitely not for those with short attention span. Even if you are not, watch this only when you are in the mood for a real drama.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind

If all of us can have part of our memory erased, would we want to forget all the bad ones? Most would say yes but maybe not after watching this movie. That is what this movie tries to drive at and it hits home real hard for those who had been through failed relationships before.

Clementine (Winslet) broke up with Joel (Carrey) and it was a pretty bad breakup . Shortly after, Clementine underwent a procedure to have all of her memories of Joel removed, and that means everything and everyone related to Joel, as that is the only way to totally forget about someone. (Now, forget about technicality for the sake of this movie. Erasing memory through surgery surely makes no sense and science fiction is not what this movie is about.) Joel was not supposed to find out about it but did so in the end. He was infuriated and decides to have it done as well, mainly to get even. However, as the procedure starts erasing the newer memories first and then goes backwards, it brings Joel back to the time when their relationship was still sweet. That was when he realised that it is worthwhile to keep them, even if he cannot choose which ones. Therefore while in the middle of the 'operation', he had second thoughts, hence the race to beat the 'eraser' in his subconscious mind.

From the storyline point of view, the idea of how sometimes things happened because they were meant to be really will leave you thinking long after the movie ended. Sometimes, no matter what you do, you cannot escape from your destiny. From a technical point of view, the thing that makes this movie so wonderfully enjoyable is the way it was arranged. It may be confusing to some (so if you are going to the movies for no brain activity, this is not for you) but it is not really that difficult to follow because continuity did not suffer at all despite it going back and forth.

Although the movie is mainly about the two of them, the other characters played by Dunts, Woods and Ruffalo, are just as important even though they seems to have a minor role. As the movie progresses, everyone falls in place nicely. You get that when a movie is paced appropriately.

This is no comedy, although they are some comedic moments that will crack you up real good. The promo for this picture was a gimmick, which I really do not understand why the need to do that in the first place. Just because Carrey was in it?

Acting is top notch. Pick a character to relate to and you can easily feel for them, their happiness, sadness and disappointments. You will find the dialogs worth paying attention to.

The movie can be slow at times and with the picture quality intended as it is, it may be tiring but it was worth it.

Stranger Than Fiction

If you know how, when and why you are dying, would you simply accept it as your fate or would you find ways to cheat your death? There are two parts in this movie alternated back and forth and they are related.

Harold Crick (Ferrell) is a lonely single IRS agent who goes about his life in the most systematic way you could imagine. He wakes up on time and catches the right bus to work every morning, thanks to his cool wrist watch. He is also all about numbers, from how many stroke of the toothbrush right to how many steps to the bus stop. Ask him a mathematical sum and he'll give you the answer within seconds.

One day he heard a woman's voice, narrating what he is actually doing. He tried to brush it off as his imagination but as the narration was totally spot on in accurately describing his life, he knew it was more than that. When he heard a line mentioning his imminent death, he simply could not leave it to chance and seeks the assistance of Professor Jules Hilbert (Hoffman), a professor in literature. Meanwhile, Harold also met and fell for Ana Pascal (Gyllenhaal) during a case he was auditing. From the narration, he also knew that Ana actually do have a heart for him too. As his life turned for the better with a new found love, he refuse to submit to his so called 'fate' and decides to find a way to cheat his own death.

In the other part of the story, we were introduced to Kay Eiffel (Thompson), an author who is having a writer's block and her new assistant, Penny Escher (Latifah). Penny was sent by the publisher to help Eiffel finish her new book. Eiffel was having problem finishing the last part of her book and that is on how to kill off the main character, as with all her previous books.

In between, we were shown the life of a boy with a new bicycle and a woman who found a new job. We were left clueless as to who they were or how this two character fit in this already weird movie.

Ferrell in my opinion, although not bad overall, was not the best actor for the character of Harold. I don't find myself feeling sorry for him. Hoffman was wacky, as he was in most of his other movies that you get tired of. Latifah was practically not important at all. Gyllenhaal was charming as Ana, a girl anyone would fall for. The star of the show however definitely has to be Thompson, who played a writer driven crazy, just like anyone under pressure.

I personally love this movie because this is the kind of movie that an aspiring movie maker can attempt without a huge Hollywood budget. The idea itself is intriguing enough to come out with a storyline that can fit a standard movie length time. I also love how everyone is finally related somehow or another with many clues scattered throughout the movie, if you bother to look out for it. Finally, it is just unique, fresh and pretty weird. Forget about reality for once and delve yourself into the whatifs. Won't life be boring if no one ever what give a thought to 'What if...?'. Creativity would be dead.

Having said that, I actually do not like the ending. I can only guess that it is because this is Hollywood. I still recommend it though.