Archive for February 2012

You must have seen one of these people walking in your midst. Those who, well, what do we call them – weirdos? In this confusing day and age, it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine what constitutes normal behaviour. What about filmmakers who tell stories about people who do not fit in snugly into the crowd? Are they, err, normal? Through Viknesh Kobinathan’s Edmund (2011) and Wendy Chee’s Mandy’s 8 Theories of Sleep (2010), we get an insight on what goes on in the minds of two, hmm, weird individuals, and are left to interpret whether the filmmakers are as odd as their subjects.

Kobinathan, a self-proclaimed full time bum, has chosen a lanky and rather likeable lad as the protagonist of his film. Edmund (we can’t decipher his nationality though) likes walking around with his Longman dictionary, and everything in his life can be described word for word, thanks to the definitions in his non-living companion. The six-minute film shows how this peculiar behaviour can actually lead to the discovery of true love.

It is evident from the production values of this film that Kobinathan is a student filmmaker. While it doesn’t help that this reviewer was from the same school he studies at (all the locations in the film are familiar spots this reviewer used to shoot his productions), the film could have benefited from stronger performances from the cast members. The protagonist’s delivery of an awkward character is acceptably average, but the same can’t be said about the supporting roles.

There is a potentially affecting story in here. Who isn’t a fan of an underdog overcoming all odds and living happily ever after with his true love? Kobinathan has managed to paint a personality which is quirkily adorable [Marc Webb’s romantic comedy (500) Days of Summer comes to mind], and with better production values (read: higher budget), we are sure his next piece of work will be one worth looking forward to.

And if there is one thing that will never go wrong in film production, it is the use of cute kids. Chee knows this rule well, and has chosen two very endearing children to star in her film. As the title suggests, the protagonist Mandy is a girl who enjoys sleeping. She has the task of convincing her friend (a boy, of course) that sleeping is the best thing that can happen to him.

The 18-minute production is a delight to watch, not just because of the natural performances of its lead characters, but also its charming art direction. The story allows the filmmaker to stretch her imagination and conjure sets which will leave its viewers smiling. The dream-like sequences will remind you of the wondrous adventures you had (in your mind) when you were a kid. Watch out for a hilarious scene where the kids encounter Z monsters.

Chee’s film is proof that with the right amount of creativity and storytelling skills, anything is possible. Trust us, even the end credits are a joy to watch.

The 3rd Singapore Short Film Awards (SSFA) takes place at The Substation Theatre from 5-11 March. For more information, click here

Watch this space for other short films reviews from the SSFA!

Written by SINdie

I went into the screening of Dance Dance Dragon right after having watched We Not Naughty, so you could say that my mood upon entering the cinema was more than a little foul, annoyed at forking out money to catch the latter (to write my review), which was the cinematic equivalent of being bludgeoned to death by a club. So it came as a surprise that I actually quite enjoyed Dance Dance Dragon. It had occasional clever touches, though it was also sporadically annoying – especially at the parts when Aunty Lucy (Dennis Chew) does his spasmodic head movements.

Like We Not Naughty, Dance Dance Dragon is also a Chinese New Year offering, which, in the local context, seems to necessitate a rigidly formulaic approach to filmmaking. In this genre, characters always go through some sort of pseudo conflict before inevitably receiving an inauthentic epiphany about the Great, Unquestionable, Importance of Family. Family members inevitably receive reconciliation at the end; and in the Chinese New Year subgenre of movies, the family is god – no obstacle can stop members of the protagonists’ family from coming together and living happily ever after. Fun, laughter, and happy endings – all these revolving around relationships within families - are the name of the game in such a genre.

If such mawkishness is totally objectionable to you, then watching a Chinese New Year offering (also called a ‘He Sui Pian’) will almost always be a painful affair. I am myself not the biggest fan of such puerile sentimentality and persistent simple-mindedness, but I’ve come to accept the limitations of a Chinese New Year film - if Chinese New Year is a time for relatives to come together, then isn’t it only expected for a Chinese New Year film to exalt and celebrate the family? Having such a singular sensibility is the constraint of the Chinese New Year film, and if you are willing to make peace with it, then you may actually wind up liking Dance Dance Dragon. The key is in the execution, not the plot; if you already know what’s going to happen in the end (i.e. the family reconciles, all obstacles are overcome), the journey towards it better be one helluva ride. And at parts, Dance Dance Dragon does show genuine imagination and spunk.

Since it’s the year of the Dragon, the most auspicious year in the Chinese Zodiac, it makes perfect commercial sense to cash in on Chinese superstition by centering the film’s plot around a dragon baby. A flashback opens the film, with Mother Loong (Lai Ming) - the matriarch of a family who owns a lion dance troupe - in labour, giving birth to her third child, and only son, whom she was intending to deliver during the dragon year , but alas, misses the mark by a couple of hours. (Children born during the year of the Dragon are supposed to be blessed, according to Chinese superstition.) Never losing the desire for a dragon baby to take over the family’s lion dance business, she pins her hopes on her three children to bear her one. Her optimism flags as the years go by, with her two daughters, Lucy (Dennis Chew in drag, reprising his popular TV character) and Ah Bee (Kym Ng) having little luck in their romantic lives. Lucy got dumped by her Indian boyfriend for her frumpiness; Ah Bee can’t score a date because of her intimidating and hard-edged demeanour.

Her youngest son, Ah Long (Melvin Sia), seems to be her only ray of hope, seeing as he is married, and while on the way back from Malaysia (where he is residing) to visit his family, he buys a basket of fruit. Unbeknownst to him, cosmic intervention has taken place, and the Powers that Be have magically placed a dragon baby in the basket he was carrying. Lucy, Ah Bee and Ah Long were all stunned upon the discovery of the baby, but decide to dupe their mom into thinking that is Ah Long’s real son – their family’s long awaited dragon baby – for the sake of appeasing her.

You’re not going to get anything new by way of character here. Every character is but a caricature; none of them are fully-formed or go through any worthwhile struggle or self discovery. Aunty Lucy is particularly grating, and including him in the film likely stems from a mercenary impulse – being a popular and familiar household figure, he would boost the film’s box office prospects. The gags are mostly hit-or-miss; some delight, while some are downright banal and uninspired. The film also veers into racist territory by including a stock Indian character as Lucy’s ex-boyfriend (an implausible pairing, considering how different both of them are), who appears in one scene just to play up every single Indian stereotype in the book.

The actors put in decent performances to their one-dimensional characters, and the comic chemistry between the cast buoys the film a little. Adrian Pang in particular is the right balance of hammy and serious as a Westernized chef with a gambling problem. The cast’s comedic background is evident as they deliver the occasionally snappy dialogue with much punch. A pity then, that the screenplay gives them little work with.

And yet, the film still remains a joyous and exuberant celebration of tradition, while simultaneously espousing the importance of newness and change. The dragon baby that was magically conferred by the gods (played by a bunch of kids, perhaps to increase the cutesy quotient) is the central metaphor in the movie. He represents the new (being a new life), and yet his worth is tied to superstition and traditional beliefs; he is valuable insofar as he is a symbol of good fortune, being born in the year of the Dragon. The film concerns itself with the tension between the contemporary and the traditional. The film acknowledges the importance of modernity and change, but stresses that such change must not come at the expense of heritage, and this theme runs throughout it.

One example of this is in the film’s ostensibly manga-inspired visual interludes, mostly during showdowns featuring the two rival lion dance troupes. They are spirited attempts by director Kat Goh to liven up the proceedings, and they tap into the popularity of the manga in what is Goh’s effort to create a more punkish aesthetic to appeal to younger people. At the same time, those images steep themselves in Chinese mythology and iconography; they are at once contemporary and reverent of tradition. But attempts to modernize by compromising on tradition are punished in the film. Teck’s (Bryan Wong) lion dance troupe, that has substituted standard Chinese musical instruments for sleek audio equipment, is made a mockery of at the end. Eric, who started off the film as a chef who could only serve up Western cuisine and not delicacies belonging to his own culture, is shown to be a washed-up, pathetic, gambling addict; as he progresses along in the film, he clears up his act, and by the end of the film he cooks up reunion dinner for a huge gathering. Aunty Lucy, who in her enduring ambition to be a dancer, joins a young dance group, and discards her traditional garments for a more in-the-times outfit for a dance competition; she gets humiliated as a result.

The film may not be a groundbreaking local work, but it is funny and enjoyable at times. It also articulates its points quite smartly, and unlike We Not Naughty, doesn’t browbeat you into buying into some lofty moral. Which, I think, is enough to make it a decent ‘He Sui Pian’ for the family to enjoy.

Written by Raymond Tan

Written by SINdie

'It's time to introduce the current team of very talented volunteer writers behind SINdie again. There are altogether 6 of us with the occasional contributed article from other writers. Our backgrounds range from actual professional movie writing to filmmaking to being spin-doctors (public relations to be exact). I want to say a big thank you to all of them plus my ex-writers for having kept SINdie alive over the last 4 years. Can't wait to be 5!' Jeremy, founder and editor of SINdie

Can't fly to London for a photo, so just throw on some fleece collars and stand beside a colonial-styled lamp post

Yang Vicki is a freelance writer, and supposedly an actor too, for both stage and screen (or will be at some point). Her biggest screen credit was a shot of her back, as a meandering extra in an art gallery. In the meantime, there have been temporary stints as a car park booth attendant, arcade token counter bitch, and most uselessly, a useful production intern. She obviously likes film very much, but also engages her attention in the field of zoology, art, literature, science, and chinese wuxia. She pays off her tuition loans by writing non-fiction articles, and scripts.

With his overseas adventures, no flood in Singapore will ruin his day

John Li, instead of trying to get a proper desk-bound job which would bring home the moolah, chooses to dream about spending his days at coffee shops with friends discoursing about life. While he is dabbles in video production and writing (in both English and Mandarin!), he continues yearing for a day when he can pluck up the courage to become a movie projectionist so that he can watch all the films he wants.

Raymond actually has good table manners, notice he finished his food before texting

Raymond Tan is a freelance writer (or rather, starving writer) who mainly does film writing. He contributes film and game reviews as well as special features to the local entertainment magazine F*** Movie Magazine, and has written reviews for online portals such as funkygrad and incinemas.sg. He graduated from the National University of Singapore, during which time he mostly spent holed up in the library's multimedia room watching films. Losing his academic rigour halfway through, and tired of writing film essays drenched in theoretical jargon, he turned to reviewing films for his faculty newsletter, which sparked his interest in film journalism. An ardent supporter of local films both good and bad, he has been reviewing features and shorts for SINdie since early 2010.

Beautifully annoying holiday photo

Yiz's mother used to put her in front of the TV to get her to shut up. Since then, she has been devouring films like there is no tomorrow. After learning that sentences can be constructed to deliver meanings and opinions, she likes to write her thoughts on whatever she's watched as well. Besides, watching films, she does have a life. She currently splits her time up serving the regular 8 hour shift as a corporate rat, watching movies, hanging out with friends, attending creative writing classes, traveling, among other stuff....

Operating in the dark has been a big part of his training as a cinematographer

Amarendra is a 23 year-old dedicated student of cinematography and currently pursuing a degree at The Puttnam School of Film in Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore. He hails from Mumbai City where he has worked in bollywood for T.V, commercials, music videos and feature films. However, Singapore has a strange attraction for him despite the colourful movie industry in India. He is a cinematographer by practice and his philosophy in cinematography is "Ignore Key-Light, Shoot Shadows." (actually its Fuck Key-light and shoot shadows). To add another feather to his cap, he also composes and performs his own music.

Running a voluntary blog site has it challenges but it helps to have big picture thinking

Jeremy Sing's started in a sparsely occupied cinema with his mother watching ‘Days of Being Wild’ by Wong Kar Wai (though he did not eventually become a fan of Wong Kar Wai) Though still with a full time office job, he found his way into the industry by attending night classes, being a production assistant in several films and making his own short films. From 2005, he has made 5 short films that have both been screened locally and at overseas film festivals and competitions. Jeremy founded SINdie in 2008 and is proud to be cuddling this 4 year old baby girl.

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