rey's ramblings

A crime caper musical

Plug-in: Seasons of Love - Rent Soundtrack
Read: Close Range: Brokeback Mountain and Other Stories - Annie E. Proulx

In what I think will (well it better be) be my last venture to the theatres before
the mid-years, I was invited for an invitation-only double-bill sneak preview in
The Grand Cathay at the newly-opened (or is it reopened?) The Cathay Cineplex,
along with serene and josh on friday night. The two movies were Rent, the adaptation
of the much beloved Broadway musical which I somehow managed to sneak in with luck,
and Inside Man, the latest effort by renowned radical director Spike Lee which opens
in the US this weekend but does not have a definite islandwide commercial release
in Singapore yet. The reopening of the old Cathay cinema signals the intensifying
competition for movie-going consumers in the downtown, with 4 major cinemas
now located along the orchard road belt alone and the opening of GV Harbourfront
later this year, a 15-hall multiplex which will be the largest yet in Singapore.

photos courtesy of serene

We caught Rent first after a mass purchase from the kacang puteh booth, the
only one to be found anywhere in cineplexes nowadays. Rent tells the story of
a group of bohemians living in New York that struggle to express themselves
artistically and measure their lives in love. They form an ethnically diverse and
unconventional community made up of impassioned and defiant individuals.
Through their day to day struggles with life such as enduring the obstacles of poverty
and illnesses like AIDS, they connect and bond, relying on each another for strength
and support, delivering a powerful message of hope and love.

The mesmerizing performances from the soundtrack at intervals along with the
great acting made the movie quite enjoyable. However, the film adaptation still
fails to live up to the reputation of its stage production predecessor. The cast lacked
true on-screen chemistry which is a quintessential component for a story like Rent.
Furthermore, the directing and pacing were rather shoddy which made it seem as if
the film had been cobbled together in a single day during post-production. On the
whole, the storyline does not work as effectively as it should have on the audience.
Perhaps Rent was best reserved for live theater rather than being transplanted
onto celluloid. The only thing that was noteworthy were the musical setpieces which
were mostly lifted from the musical play anyway.

Inside Man is the latest effort by Spike Lee, the critically renowned director famous
for his shocking and controversial works such as Do The Right Thing and Jungle Fever.
Featuring a star-studded cast that includes Oscar winners Denzel Washington & Jodie
Foster and Oscar-nominated Clive Owen among many others, it's premise is a simple
bank robbery crime thriller along Wall Street, as four people dressed in painters' outfits
march into the busy lobby of Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street branch of a
worldwide financial institution. Detective Keith Frazier (Washington) is dispatched to
the scene, confident of a successful hostage release negotiation. However, things do not
go according to plan and the hostage situation starts to spiral out of control sending New
Yorkers into an increasing state of panic and worry. What are the robbers, led by Dalton
Russell (Owen) really after? As the story develops, nothing is as it seems and Frazier
senses that the bank robbery turns out to be a guise for something else far more sinister,
his suspicions further justified with the entry of Madeline White (Foster), a wealthy New
York power player with shadowy objectives.

Surprisingly enough, Inside Man may be Lee's most accessible and crowd-pleasing
theatrical release yet, judging by audience responses from sneak previews. Besides just
having commercial appeal, Inside Man has also won over almost all major critics for Lee's
ability to transmute what would seem like your typical conventional drama/thriller into
something extraordinary: an intelligent, fast-paced urban heist flick with sharp-witted
screenplay and solid performances along with a well-balanced mixture of comedy, drama
& tension that is more concerned with actively engaging and entertaining the audience than
lecturing them. Although questions of race and class are still raised, Lee complements it well
by making astute observations about contemporary society in light of a post-9/11 mindset
without taking away the suspense and fun of the cat-and-mouse games. The New York
Times praises that "Spike Lee has once again managed to reinvent a genre that has waned
in popularity over the past couple of decades, lifting it up from the depths of its stuffy cliches
and over-predictability, creating a thrilling multi-layered experience that signals the return
of intelligent blockbusters, showing once again that he is at the top of his game ."

With the recent booting of the nasal-sounding Kevin Covais, American Idol 5 has finally
started to heat up and get serious. Whilst discussing the odds and likely outcomes of this
AI season with joseph wong, I noted the difference between this season and its predecessors.
The constant theme so far has been that of "soul", as can be evidenced by the top contenders
in the male category (taylor hicks with his hyperactive stage performances but amazingly
talented motown vocals reminiscent of ray charles and elliot yamin with his clever blending of
pop & soul) and female category (paris benett and mandisa, both amazingly talented true blue
R&B/Soul nu-divas). This season's competition has thus shaped up to become a unique one,
different from AI4 and AI2's prevalent respective country and pop themes, where technicality
of vocals such as perfect five-octave pitch no longer matter most. Instead, stage presence and
creativity, two factors prominent in the genre of R&B/Soul, are all the rage and are clearly
getting much more attention from the voting audience.

On a random note, my newly-formed 3 month old iTunes library (having dumped Windows
Media Player last November after getting a new computer due to the old one crashing to the
tune of a corrupted WMP) has reached its milestone 1000th song. iTunes just happens to be
so much more effective than the poorly organised WMP anyway, what with an enormous
Music Store and more stable programming than the crash-prone and virus-susceptible WMP.
Hopefully to a wider selection and more quality music in the future!

My name is Dalton Russell. Pay strict attention to what I say because I choose my words
carefully and I never repeat myself.
Recently I planned and set in motion events to execute the perfect bank robbery. Why?
Because I can.

I crossed the bridge at 12:37 AM

Sunday, March 19, 2006

V is not just for Vengeance, but for Viva la Revolution!

Plug-in: Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture in E Flat Major, Op. 49 - Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Read: Watchmen - Alan Moore

The holidays have been mostly uneventful. Had to go to school on tuesday
for a compulsory E Math class as our dear e math teacher claims we are
far behind in the syllabus although we are the only O level class to have
finished the topic of 'vectors'. Otherwise, I've been mostly catching up on
schoolwork and study preparation for the mid-years (oh yes i have),
sampling music & movies and going for afternoon breaks at starbucks
with joel and esther. Wish paul a speedy recovery for his leg injury
and any others who also fell sick or got injured over the holidays too.

Watched V for Vendetta earlier this evening at Cathay Causeway with
shawn and eunice. Riding on the recent wave of political thrillers, 'Vendetta'
caters more to the mainstream audience with its va-va vroom special
effects, elaborate action sequences and its blockbuster marketing and billing.
But that being said, it's also one of the best in the genre, being a highly accessible
sociopolitical commentary.

The original graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore was aimed towards the conservative Thatcherite rule of 1980s Britain. The film adaptation, however, redirects (or rather, hints) the socio-political tale at the current Bush administration for its obsession with control. The main story kicks off with Evey, played by Natalie Portman, who works at a government-controlled newscentre. One night, she is confronted and about to be raped/abused by the fascist police under the law that imposes a curfew restricting people to be outside after 10.

'V' (Hugo Weaving) saves her from the situation and consequently, from the blowing up of the Old Bailey to the tune of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, to the explosive climactic destruction of the Parliament House, 'Vendetta' goes through the backstory of 'V' and how Britain came under totalitarian rule due to the intense paranoia surrounding doomsday events around the world.

'Vendetta' comes across as being highly relevant without having to become way
too preachy or smug about it.'V's need for vengeance against those who have
made him the monster he is, combined with the necessity to fight against the
injustice and tyranny of life under Chancellor Sutler's totalitarian rule fuels
(and gives reason for) his vendetta to topple the fascist government. His
character is well-balanced, showing that although he is a terrorist, he still
shares the same humane aspects as any one of us. If any, Vendetta makes us
rethink about our preconceptions on the kind of a person a terrorist is and his
idiosyncracies. Hugo Weaving should be given the props for giving one of the
best performances behind a mask and being able to emote V's rage, passion
and tender bitterness.

VI VERI VENIVERSUM VIVUS VICI - Faust
Translation:
"By the power of Truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe" - V

Perhaps Vendetta's only major flaw is that the lead-up to the climax becomes
highly rushed and chaotic as the producers attempt to fill in the holes and throw
in as many politcal anecdotes as possible. This results in quite a convoluted mess,
for a good 20 mins or so of the movie. However, 'Vendetta' still stands out
for being different than most other action blockbusters with its clever
balance of action, subversive yet relevant political message and spectacular
non-rock/punk/metal band-influenced soundtrack. Less bombastic and
more realistic than The Matrix's similar dystopian tale, the Wachowskis
thankfully don't get bogged down by the metaphysical mumbo-jumbo that
made their previous sci-fi trilogy such a confusing mess.

remember, remember the 5th of november and what it stands for

I crossed the bridge at 9:41 PM

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Tsk, tsk, juicy gossip was so last year!

Plug-in: Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
Read: Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today
or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door - Lynne Truss

Lynne Truss is a heckuva fun author! No-holds-barred sniping, wisecracks,
nifty references here and there, and honest right-in-yer-face opinions
make for an entertaining subtle social commentary.

Sufjan Stevens is a literary musical genius, utilising his impressive melodic
gifts to blend seamlessly with well-controlled narratives. His recent effort
'Illinois' ranked as one of last year's best indie albums alongside Arcade Fire
and Death Cab for Cutie's respective releases 'Funeral' and 'Plans'. If he, as
promised, intends to continue with his album-length tributes to each and
every of the 50 American states (Illinois being his second), he is definitely
an artiste worth paying attention to for quite some time in the future.

Went for Joseph and Stuart's combined birthday party on Friday night,
which was a good way to destress and end the hectic first term. From the
faux karaoke singing to the other crazy party games which resulted in
sporadic antics such as nail painting and er... dress-up. Memorably enough,
a certain someone had to declare his love for ms rachel cheung on a placard
which was duly signed by everyone. The whole thing eventually ended late,
after the cutting of the cake, about close to 1am.

I guess a positive way to look at the one-week break is to think of it as 4
consecutive weekends. But then again, the opportunities to seize are solely
up to us anyway.

integrity works both ways

I crossed the bridge at 12:24 AM

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

A gate'Crash'ed Oscars

Plug-in: Travelin' Thru - Dolly Parton
Read: In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

I caught Moulin Rouge for like the hundredth time last night.
It's the kind of movie that never fails to mesmerize and
tug at all your emotional strings, each and every time you
watch it. Along with a powerful and spectacular soundtrack,
Baz Luhrmann's captivating MTV-esque style is beautifully
imposed all over without ever dampening the pace and mood
of the story. Although there are moments of campiness, Baz
always manages to complement it with both uplifting and sombre
19th-century bohemian-era comedy and drama. One truly
unforgettable musical romp.

This year's Oscars was one of the greatest upsets in its 78-year
run. Not saying that this is the first time that a widely expected
Best Picture contender lost out, especially after having won in the
Best Director category. For example, a few years back, Saving
Private Ryan lost out to Shakespeare In Love for the Best Picture
category after having won most of the other awards in what was
one of the biggest puzzling moments in the Academy's history. But
what makes this year stand out is that Crash, a racial drama, wasn't
even widely embraced in the first place. Released far too early
in May in the US to be considered as an Oscar contender, Crash
was somehow given a publicity and marketing boost when Oscar
season loomed and it is widely known that all members of the
Academy were given free copies of the DVD and other promo material.

To add fuel to the fire, most of the 6000-strong Academy's members hail from Los Angeles, the setting for 'Crash'. Many critics speculate that it's possible that the voters this year decided to go with something that they could more easily relate to, the topic of racism and racial tension in a multicultural LA rather than a more distanced epic love story which supposedly leans closer towards being fictitious. Note that the Academy is also made up of an older, more conservative generation, thus the higher probability of submitting to homophobic tendencies and shying away from Brokeback.

As many critics and audiences alike off the Net would comment about this year's Best Picture shocker, "the Academy ignored what was far more relevant and instead, got it completely wrong".

The soon-to-be-disappointed Lee Ang at the red carpet (Left)

In all honest opinion, the Academy has made a terribly bad mistake by
choosing Crash for its Best Picture. Firstly, Crash tries to be really serious
by tackling themes of racism but that's not the bad thing. What makes
that bad, is that it happens to be also terribly unbelievable. In fact, much
of Crash is actually laughable. Why? Because almost everybody in the film
actually verbalizes every single done-to-death, cliched racist phrase that
you can find on the Internet or in a bad jokebook. For just one of the many
examples, a white firearms store owner calls a Arab man straight in his face:
"Osama" and then proceeds to blame him for a the 9/11 bombings. It seems
that the screenwriter(s) of Crash do not understand the meaning of subtlety
and that most, if not all, racial conflicts do not simply come about by mindless,
direct accusations and exchanges but in truth, more of silent antagonism.

Secondly, although Crash's really huge (they got about a good one-quarter of
Hollywood's actors) ensemble cast did put in fairly decent performances, their
characters are nothing more than two-dimensional. What Crash gives us are
polarised characters: a racist white cop who abuses and humiliates a black
woman before risking his life to save her in a coincidental meeting, yet another
racist cop who voluntarily rescues an armed black man before shooting an
unarmed black man due to racial prejudice. Not only are these portrayals way
too far-fetched to be true, they are just merely made up of two absolute
opposite elements which absolutely do not make for convincing characterisation.

Lastly, Crash goes nowhere in helping racial tensions at all. Instead of helping
us to see around racial bias, it merely reinforces all our presumptions about
other races and all our racist inclinations by showing us in an extremely cliched
fashion, everything that could possibly go wrong and nothing else. So, what good
did it actually do?

How exactly can the above lend Crash any sense of realism or seriousness?
Simply put, Crash makes for a good subtle comedy but not a subtle thriller or
drama.

Brokeback Mountain is far less pretentious. As quoted by Lee Ang, "it was
not meant as a statement" but more of an allegory on the similarity of love
regardless of its type and origin. Its haunting tale of forbidden love would
have been a much more welcome addition to the Academy's list of Best
Pictures, so as to prove that the Academy does not judge by bias based
on themes but more on its quality and resonance. With an awesome and
moving soundtrack to boot (the score was applauded by both fans and
detractors of the movie), Brokeback should have claimed the pinnacle
of accolades but instead now joins the ranks of "mistakes" made by the
Academy in giving a miss, such as Saving Private Ryan, High Noon and
Sideways.

And now, Crash stands as yet another testimony to the power of strong
advertising, publicity and bidding towards winning a Best Picture after
1999's Shakespeare in Love upset.

Despite the disappointment, this year's
Oscars acting honours were given out more
deservingly with Hoffman and Witherspoon
respectively claiming Best Actor and Actress
for their well-deserved character roles. George
Clooney and Rachel Weisz claimed the supporting
trophies for their respective political thrillers Syriana
and Constant Gardener, giving some bite to the genre.

In relation to my point and for more in-depth comments on this year's Oscars,
please do spare some time to read through the interesting articles in the following
links:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11480804/
-MSNBC Oscar Commentary *
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4771586.stm
- BBC Oscar Report
http://home.muzi.com/news/ll/english/10004994.shtml?cc=29040
- Oscar's Crash Shocker: America keeps gay cowboys in the closet *
http://home.muzi.com/news/ll/english/10005072.shtml?cc=29040
- Conservative 'Red America' gets the blues over left-leaning Oscars *
http://home.muzi.com/news/ll/english/10005068.shtml?cc=29040
- Should have seen signs of Crash coming *
http://www.salon.com/ent/col/fix/2006/03/06/mon/index_np.html
- Salon

for love of the crash n' burn

I crossed the bridge at 1:40 AM

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Taking politics the wrong side up

Plug-in: Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
Read: Wicked - Gregory Maguire

In accordance with the topic of the last post, the big furore
over recent scandals doesn't show any sign of subsiding.
Perhaps scandals are fuelled by our constant innate desire
to find out more about other people and their situations.

Anyway, back to reality, got out on tuesday night to watch
The Constant Gardener with rebecca and joanne, two old
friends. We had really long conversations prior to and after
the show, lots of catching up to do!

It was not only my first time to be able to finally catch a
really good rated (by singapore standards) film, but also
the first time watching an indepedent production in theatres
too. Simply put, The Constant Gardener, an adaptation of a
John Le Carre novel of the same name, besides from being
a truly mesmerizing, gritty political thriller, is also a mystery
and convincing love story. Ralph Fiennes plays Justin Quayle,
a British diplomat who, as the metaphorical eponymous title
suggest, spends far too much time on gardening (which is a
symbol for his attention to detail) rather than worry about
complex world affairs.

During one of his talks, he meets Tessa (Rachel Weisz), an
idealistic trust-fund and human rights activist who romances
him before convincing him to marry her and bring her to Kenya.

Once there, she teams up with a local activist and discovers the
issue of the poor being exploited by drug companies as test
subjects for experimental TB medicine. Eventually, she is
mysteriously and brutally murdered along with fellow activists,
perhaps, as a result of digging too deep. Once Justin finds out
about her death, he searches as meticulously as he gardens, for
answers to her demise. Eventually, he learns about the rampant
corruption in large pharmaceutical companies and the means they
will take to silence those who discover their dirty secrets.

Fiennes and Weisz put in believable, wonderful, nomination-worthy
performances, the former portraying the anguish and political awakening
of his character and the latter, as a doggedly determined and passionate
activist. Fernando Meirelles, who directed the critically-acclaimed Brazilian
film City of God, reapplies his colorful, kinetic style with ease and thus
injects the subject matter with a vibrancy and cultural awareness that
elevates it from the usual dull monotony of a political thriller.

Whilst Gardener really does its best to come off as a bold and politically
aware thriller, it is also a love story at its heart. If you are left concerned
about the way drug corporations exploit Africans after the movie, that
would be nice. But its just about as likely that you'll be emotionally moved
by the extent of sacrifice to which Justin goes to give justice to Tessa.
And that's what gives Gardener depth and stands it apart from the usual
political thriller fare.

Now, the Oscars being just around the corner, here are my predictions:

Best Picture: Brokeback Mountain
Not only is it the critics darling, it is also the media and audience's
favourite to win. Its recent sweep of Bafta's and many other film critics
circle awards makes it this year's frontrunner and an almost sure sign of
a win here.
Dark Horse: There isn't really any, but Capote's a possibility.

Best Director: Lee Ang (Brokeback Mountain)
As again, a favourite to win. Recently picked up Directors Guild award
which is one of Hollywood's best barometers for the Academy Awards.
Only six times in the 57-year history of the Guild honors has the winner
failed to go on to win the directing Oscar.
Dark Horse: George Clooney could upset with Good Night, And Good Luck.

Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Playing the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Breakfast at Tiffany's,
Truman Capote, required Hoffman to undergo a huge character
transformation in order to capture the fey mannerisms and
awkward behaviour of the eponymous lead.
Dark Horse: Terrence Howard for Hustle & Flow could pull a Denzel Washington.

Best Actress: Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
Her groundbreaking role as a man undergoing surgery to
become a woman could prove to be this year's winner, granted
the Academy is liberal enough to pile on the votes.
Strong Contender: Reese Witherspoon in her utterly lovable and not-for-one-moment
unbelievable portrayal of the country music legend, June Carter Cash in Walk The Line.

Best Supporting Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)
Giving a strong yet vulnerable performance that required more than
just guts and determination to overcome homophobia, makes Gyllenhaal
a possible trophy-recipient.
Dark Horse: The Academy could want to give George Clooney his long overdue
credentials and Syriana seems a good reason to do so.

Best Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz (Constant Gardener)
With critics claiming that this is her best performance of her career yet,
Weisz convinces as a activist willing to put her life on the line for justice
towards manipulated Africans.
Dark Horse: Amy Adams in her comical and daring performance in Junebug.

My best guess for strong contenders in technical awards would be Memoirs
of a Geisha, especially for Costume and Art Direction and King Kong for the
Sound and Visual Effects trophies.

Until the 6th of March then...

Without gratitude, one turns to stone and sinks to all-time lows.

I crossed the bridge at 9:58 PM

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