Bedtime Chatter on Hearty Films from Civic-Life Part 3 of 4

Photo: Alvin Pang - civiclife.sg

Over the last few days, many people have been tuning into the Civic Life website by the British Council to check up on the Top 20 entries in the 'Home is where the Heart is' competition. SINdie could not resist 'playing God' a little with our review of the 20 films vying for the top prize. So here our 'critical analysis' of the films. We have also created a little rating system as well. So the films are rated in the following 5-point scales in this order:

Is it creative?
Does it engage you emotionally?
Impressive technicals?
The X-factor
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Here's part 3 of our review / dialogue.

When the day begins... from Prashant S on Vimeo.

Jeremy (J): So I am looking at the thumbnail of the karom board and pieces and thinking.... not another foreign worker story. (pause) I mean the the Karom was a giveaway... who plays Karom these days?

Alvin (A): Haha, that's sharp. I didn't figure it out till I read the synopsis.
J: But thankfully for that 90 secs of Little India, it's not too bad. It gives you a comfortable glimpse of the chaos in Little India. Strangely in the way it shot its subject and its choice of activity, Little India seemed more…pretty. How do you score this?
A: 3, 3.5, 3, 3.5
J: Pretty level. Any thoughts?
A: I particularly like the way it starts off at the day's end...because that's when they disappear from the construction sites and places you often see them, to a place where they feel a deeper sense of "home".
J: I agree. The night-day reversal had a good point.
A: Must say it does engage the emotions, perhaps because it brings out the little-seen daily routines of these almost-nocturnal group of people. (pause) How do you rate it?
J: For its eye on unexpected beauty, creativity gets a 3, for its lyrical portrayal of their daily routine, 3.5, technicality does not surface as a feature probably because it is fuss-free documentation, so that's a 2.5. Overall, it gets a 3.

A: I like how the filmmaker makes a conscious effort to make a tribute at the end - "For the migrant workers - who put their hearts into our homes" ...fleshes out the emotional and authenticity of the film.
J: To put it in a cliche, it is a whimsical look at migrant workers
A: I see it as more than that actually...the emotional elements reminds me a little of a film by the renowned Taiwanese director Tsai Ming Liang - 'I don't want to sleep alone'.

Mandarin Gardens 2010 from Eugene Soh on Vimeo.

J: Moving ahead, Mandarin Gardens is home-video made to look exquisite
A: Haha well put, got to agree with that assessment though. How do you rate it?
J: It's a 2, 2.5, 3.5, 2 for me.
A: Mine's is a 2, 2.5, 2, 2.5. (pause) That's a pretty high score for technicality.
J: High? I bet they have a mean camera ok. HD, telephoto lens, aperture/contrast control and all.
A: Personally I felt the unsteady cam served more of a distraction than its assumed intention to bring out the candour of the "home vid"
J: What do you think of the narrative or the content?
A: The dialogue felt scripted at times, though must add the candid shots were a nice touch to even that out...content felt a little shallow for me. How about you? How did it work on an emotional level for u?
J: There was something strange about the set up of the video. I think it's meant to be spontaneous, yet there was a palpable sense that the women were acting it up a bit. There is a strong middle-class corporate executive undertone to their delivery and sensibilities. (pause) For the warmth and wholesome goodness of home that I am supposed to feel, I felt it was a little bland.
A: (On the strong middle-class tones) Hmm well to be fair, Mandarin Gardens isn't what one would call Heartland-ish
J: Haha. Don't you think it's strange nobody wants to watch the middle class on screen. People like either people at the pits or the rich and vulgar. (pause) Eerrm.... actually I just answered my own question!
A: Haha!

Miniature Town : Potong Pasir from togusa chan on Vimeo.

J: Miniature Town Potong Pasir gets a 4, 2, 5, 3.5 from me.

A: This film's an interesting one.. it gets 4, 2, 4.5, 3 from me. Wow but we finally got our first 5!

J: Yes. Perfect execution of the dioramas here.
A: Impressive technicality and creativity, especially seeing the town in miniature models. But how do you think it came together overall?
J: It intrigues me! It works on so many layers. Visually, it compels your attention. It's certainly a labour of love. In fact, almost too good for the scale of this competition. I wish the film lives a long life.
A: I personally felt that besides the "technical showmanship" as it were, the film felt a little fragmented. For example, I didn't quite get/feel the accompanying Japanese soundtrack and thought it disengaged a little with the overall themes.
A: Why just 3.5 for X-Factor then? You sound like it impressed on a greater level.
J: I feel on visuals alone, it's marked out its turf clearly and it's a solid one. But I agree about its fragmented feel. And come to think of it, it does not really answer the brief. It is clear this one's all out to impress and I'm impressed! (pause) By the way, do you think there is any siginificance to it using a diorama?
A: I felt it was to tie in with its "a day in little Potong Pasir" theme... How did you see it?
J: In what way was it a tie in?
A: Perhaps in surfacing the fact (as stated in synopsis) that it's one of the smallest estates in Singapore?
J: Yeah, that's why I found it to be very creative. In fact, I wondered if there was any political reference intended in the way it made Potong Pasir into something anomalous
A: How so?
J: Well, given that Potong Pasir belongs to a different political party, the treatment of the film seemed to be to put it under a different set of lenses…zooming in on details and blurring out the rest of PAP-owned Singapore!

I am home - Jason Chan & Andrew Keegan from Jason Chan on Vimeo.

J: You know, I am really itching to you how you would score the next clip I am Home
I am usually a contrarian and I avoid siding popular opinion. But I give in this time
A: It's another add to my "favourites" shortlist.. 4, 4, 4.5, 5.

J: I have a 5 somewhere, can you guess?
A: I would say X-factor (?)
J: That’s just one. It's a 5, 4, 5, 5.

A: Talk about standing out from the crowd, 'I am home' is definitely one to remember from the 20 competition films…not just in execution and impressive technicals, but the humour element is such a refreshing touch... Curious, why the lower score for emotional aspects?
J: I feel there is always a trade off between poignancy and how scripted the film is. This is scripted to the frame. But executed with precision of course. Good thing they went with humour and not melancholy or nostalgia.
A: Thought so, I would say the script is well-written to flesh out the narrator's emotional journey... and I guess that added dimension - fact that it's not just a physical homecoming but an emotional one as well - really engages the viewer…Self-deprecating humour FTW!
J: You know the idea is almost seamless to me... I will challenge to pick out the flaws. What are they and how would you make it better if that's possible?
A: It would be nitpicking, but in a way you could say the script was over-sapping the homecoming journey...and you?
J: His presenter personality... he sounds too perfect. Using the same idea with an average Joe would resonate more with me

The Stone Table from yanqiu on Vimeo.

A: The Stone Table is one lesson in straining your ears... Mine is a 2, 2, 2.5, 2
A: The direction and treatment as well actually... but maybe not so much a strain as a cringe. Interesting choice of language used in the narration, in short felt it over-glorified the theme. What are your ratings?
J: It's a 2, 2, 2, 2. (pause) I personally felt it was over-intellectualising and the idea stood on wobbly ground. The most interesting thing in the film is a (probably) intended detail - the strewn plastic at the side.
A: Yeah I was wondering why that too
J: I surmise that it is probably deliberate because it remained there after the boys left the void deck, making a subtle statement
A; Yup, perhaps a slight touch to give the shot more authenticity
J: But was it there as an ode to ‘American Beauty’ or even worse, an oversight of the Art Department!
A: Haha, it wasn't swirling in the wind though...Perhaps more the latter then.

Read Part 1 and Part 2. Part 4 will be continued...

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Bedtime Chatter on Hearty Films from Civic-Life Part 2 of 4

Photo: Alvin Pang - civiclife.sg

Over the last few days, many people have been tuning into the Civic Life website by the British Council to check up on the Top 20 entries in the 'Home is where the Heart is' competition. SINdie could not resist 'playing God' a little with our review of the 20 films vying for the top prize. So here our 'critical analysis' of the films. We have also created a little rating system as well. So the films are rated in the following 5-point scales in this order:

Is it creative?
Does it engage you emotionally?
Impressive technicals?
The X-factor
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Here's part 2 of our review / dialogue.

Dancing on Waterloo Street from David Stewart on Vimeo.

Alvin (A): Dancing on Waterloo St gets a 2, 2, 3, 2.5
Jeremy (J): When do we see a 5?
A: Haha! (pause) Title feels like a bit of a misnomer as first half of the film was on anything but Waterloo Street.
J: I kinda like this one for its visuals really (pause) Why 3 for technicality?
A: Decent music accompaniment and nice shots and cinematography. Though have to say it barely adds much to the film.
J: Mine is a 4 for technicality. The telephoto, dolly and tracking shots are executed with such grace. So it’s 2, 3, 4, 3.5. (pause) For me, it’s a 3 for emotional quality because it marries a stirring score with epic-like visuals quite well.
A: Yup, though I felt there was little continuity from one place/scene to another. Generally felt a little too detached for my liking.
J: I agree that the content of the shots don't add up to a cohesive narrative.
A: That said, I liked how the ending was put together. Beautiful shots of normally-stoic faces come alive in dance. With the music accompaniment, it does stir the emotions like you said.
J: It seems like a hobbyist approach to making the film - David goes around with his expensive machine capturing random moments of beauty without a plot and strings them into visual sequence. (pause) Sometimes, it's hard to strike a balance between a organic approach like David's and single-mindedness of a scripted approach so you may miss out on accidental beauty, like the faces that came alive in dance. (long pause) What do you think of the shot when Quan Yifeng's face on the bus whizzed pas the trishaw rider? …….It happens to be my favourite shot.
A: Hmm, I didn't notice it much honestly. What do you think it added to the film?
J: It was a moment of transcendence. It was like Quan Yifeng, a feisty public figure known for her keen eye on social matters and inter-personal relationships was looking at the trishaw rider. (pause) But that's just my things with Quan Yifeng.

Civic Life - Paintings from David Gan on Vimeo.

J: Paintings happens to be my favourite clip title becaise of the pun and the metaphor, though the film then slipped into becoming very literal. (pause) My scores are 3.5, 2.5, 3, 3.
A: That's interesting. what do you think the pun/metaphor was? (pause) My scores are 3, 2, 2.5 and 3 by the way.
J: I think it is very clever and the use of the word suggests the idea of a veneer which really applies on a social, psychological and even political level. And I always saw HDB flats as a PAP political icon in their blocked, rigid shapes, so the concept of painting over a HDB flat bore an intellectual kick for me. (pause) What do you see in Paintings honestly?
A: I actually did a double-take in "creativity" because initially I didn't understand what the filmmaker was getting at. I noticed then perhaps there was a metaphorical element in the "renewal" of the block's facade, especially in shots contrasted against the "showy" commercial buildings in the distance. (pause) It's also worth noticing how the filmmaker makes meaning out of an otherwise seen as mundane activity. Perhaps it makes you see a block upgrading programme in new light.
J: But does it engage you or is it just a 'oh that's smart!' fleeting thought?
A: It didn't work much on a emotions level with me. Perhaps like you said, it drifting into the literal made it lose some of its lustre. (pause) What do you think? Did it engage you?
J: Only when the film opened and the titled was flashed.

Corridors from Isazaly Mohamed Isa in Vimeo

A: How did you find Corridors then?
J: Ingenious, inspiring and in a league of its own. (pause) Let my numbers talk : 4.5, 3.5, 4, 4.
A: Wow. (pause) Mine would be 4, 2.5, 3.5, 3.5. (pause) How did you find the narrative as a whole?
J: It was toying with the concept of using sound to redefine a banal everyday space. Not much narrative except for a certain sequence of different genres to the sounds that are stringed together. I thnk what I enjoyed about watching it was the fact that it was a very simple idea executed to precision and that simplicity triggers a mental off-shoot or escapade.
A: Must agree its impressive and original creative flair sets it apart from the competition. However it did leave a tingling feeling that it dragged on for more than it should have. And somehow drifted into what felt like a contrived attempt to end it. Nevertheless it's certainly the most well-executed film so far in the collection.
J: Well, it's a slow burn... forces you to observe and take in the details. (pause) If you preferred it not to drag on for that long, how would you have done it differently?
A: In a way the conceptualization of the corridor as simply a place of memories didn't come off that well for me, as it looked very much still a place with life. Thus maybe it might have left a better impression/memory with a more conceivable ending in light of the fact that it's still got life left in it...rather than the seemingly hopeless end it seemed to portray.
J: I didn't see the film as trying to pitch the corridor as a place of memories. It was quite a mixed bag of sounds, some even sounding like someone was watching Saving Private Ryan. So I saw it more as playing with sound and perceptions.

Swing Me Back from mihir desai on Vimeo.

J: You know, after watching Corridors, I felt I was not going to be impressed with 'Swing Me Back' form its thumbnail shot. It looked pretty standard. But I was wrong. It delivered good old nostalgia but with a little visual twist - the writing animation over the photos, giving it a very personal and sincere touch.
A: Besides good use of the said swing as a plot device, it felt a little bare. What’s your score?
J: 3, 4, 3, 3.5.
A: Mine’s 3, 2.5, 2.5, 3. No doubt that the visual touches made it feel like a walk through memory lane, but I must say I wasn't too emotionally-engaged by it. (paused) what were the emotional triggers for you?
J: It was simple portraits of family, which I found easy to identify with. And the photos really captured the family members were 'freezed' in honest and sometimes vulnerable moments. What do you not identify with?
A: Perhaps because of the film's centering on the inanimate swing and old photographs, it didn't quite engage in a way the raw candidness of the photos did for you.
J: But didn't you find anything special about the pictures?
A: Well, I thought the metaphorical use of the swing was well executed as it formed almost-the centerpiece of all the old photographs, in that forms the emotional attachment for me.
J: For me, it was special because it featured an Indian family captured in sepia tinged yesteryear images - something done to death with Chinese families in local films. So it present a different track of history and nostalgia peculiar to Indian families and seen through the eyes of an Indian.

家 from Esna Ong on Vimeo.

A: There is a close tie between Home and Corridors for my favourite film so far. One of few films which I felt had more to offer than pensive reflections of a bygone era. (pause) So, I am giving it a 3, 4, 3.5, 3.5.
J: I like it but it is a little low on creativity. Mine’s a 2.5, 4, 3.5, 3.5. (pause) I felt it answered the competition brief like how the model pupil in class would write a grade a composition….stuck by the rules... kept within parameters... safe... relevant….and conventional.
A: I must say some parts did feel a bit premeditated, especially the dialogue which didn't quite convince the point that the narrator had lived there so many years. And when I compare the narrator's delivery with that of 'Remember', I do see the contrast of emotional engagement between both.
J: Really? I felt the narration was quite sincere, even though the structure was very scripted. I still felt I was listening to a friend speak about her growing up experience. In fact, I felt the narration in 'Remember' though honest, but was a tad clumsy.
A: Is it due to the fact it's spoken in heartland mandarin?
J: No. I think the narrator is quite at ease with herself. Perhaps the tone of voice and choice of language made it more accessible than it might have been. (pause) I appreciate the personal touches like showing where she waited for the school bus though it could be a little less literal. I also found that she had a trained pair of hands in the cinematography, being able to emotionally heighten some moments like skirting around a pillar in the coffeeshop.
A: Good spots. Agree that it generally gave a sense of heartland authenticity, in part due to language used, in part due to the cinematography.
J: You said this is 'more than pensive', how so?
A: It felt more forward-looking, as if the past was just a conduit to where the narrator is now...ending off with a view to the future in the said place.

Read Part 1 here. Part 3 and 4 will be continued...

Bedtime Chatter on Hearty Films from Civic-Life Part 1 of 4

Over the last few days, many people have been tuning into the Civic Life website by the British Council to check up on the Top 20 entries in the 'Home is where the Heart is' competition. SINdie could not resist 'playing God' a little with our review of the 20 films vying for the top prize. So here our 'critical analysis' of the films. We have also created a little rating system as well. So the films are rated in the following 5-point scales in this order:

Is it creative?
Does it engage you emotionally?
Impressive technicals?
The X-factor
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


Small Paradise from Kimberly Ong on Vimeo.

Alvin (A): ‘Small Paradise’ gets a 2.5, 3, 2.5 and 3.
Jeremy (J): For me, it is a 2, 4, 3 and 2.5. (pause) By the way, all pretty dismal scores.
A: Perhaps because its intentionally simplistic nature (to capture elements of childhood) falls short of engaging too much emotion?
J: I on the other hand felt something warm and comforting in that simplicity - the shots of seaweed, water, sunshine.... all very unassuming, yet charming.. hence the title ‘Small Paradise’.
A: Well noted. I like how the title fits in with the film's concept as well.. i.e. small memories in small "paradise".
J: Exactly... but having said that. it is forgettable amongst the entire stable of 20 films cos it is about little everyday moments (which can be captivating) but the images were pretty cliché in this film.
A: Agreed. Perhaps its theme/angle is its Achilles heel then - a tad too whimsical to be etched in the mind.
J: Whimsy is ok... but bad for online competition... the Youtube audience loves to be entertained.

One by Christian Lee from Christian Lee on Vimeo.

A: Moving on, ‘One’ gets a 3, 4, 3, and 3.5.
J: For me, it is a 2, 2, 2, 2.
A: Wow, sounds like you don't fancy it much.
J: You read me... explain your scores.
A: I like how it starts out with the shot/description of the nondescript building and moves on to its deeper significance to the protagonist's life.
J: I agree ... nice progression. (pause) However, if you look at it critically, the idea is in their hobby, which technically is not part of the process of making the film.
A: Well, I still like it better than the first perhaps because it leaves a stronger sense of attachment, through the transition from the inanimate (building/lion head, dance) to a deeper emotional level that brings out the desire of the couple in them wanting to fulfill each other's dreams and desires. That sense of "sweetness" hooks me in.
J: You are so wanting to get married .... lol
A: In absolutely no rush at all. On your point about the hobby, I am not sure if it's their "hobby" or something they (or the husband/narrator in particular) had to go out of his way to do in order to fulfill his wife's unconventional wish. (pause) Perhaps also the fact that it's such an unconventional/peculiar request that makes the memory of this film stick out. I mean who would think of "marrying" (pardon the pun) lion dance and a wedding ceremony?
J: Well... whatever works to make you remember... but just does not hit the right emotional notes in me.
A; I thought it could have been better if the narrator (assumed protagonist) accent was expanded on. Sounds like he isn't local and would have brought an interesting dimension to the culturally-Chinese thing he's doing. Would it have made a difference for u?
J: I think the accent made the video very foreign to me. So yes, totally makes a difference for me.


Boxes and Lines by Reb Ling from Reb Ling on Vimeo.

A: My scores for Boxes and Lines are 3, 2, 2, and 3.
J: 4,1,2,2.5 for me. I gave creativity a 4 for its bold direction. (pause) It stands out from the rest for its strong grip on a visual metaphor. But it falters on all the other aspects. Most of all, they need a better narrator.
A: Agreed. I like how she parallels her sport passion with something probably more familiar to females - relationships. Just reading the synopsis, I was convinced it was something about relationships!
J: Yes... straights lines and circles and trajectories…says so much about relationships!
A: The choice of shots seemed a little myopic to me too. Football is as much a spectator sport (read: couch potato) as a physical sport but there wasn't any emphasis on that.
J: I like how you used the word myopic. (beat) In fact, the cinematic breadth is very limited and it constricts our view of her world. On another note, I also feel I don't have to explain the low score on technicals. The camera was shaking 80% of the time.
A: Bringing up your point on the narrator earlier, why do you think it could do with better?
J: She is expressing using a lot of heavy angsty words but her delivery sounds very level-headed and bland. So she needs to make those words come alive. (pause) I think the upbeat, synthetic-sounding music works against her content as well.
A: I'm just thinking whether it could be attributed to the fact it's a male-dominated sport and thus the composed, non-emotive bassy tones.
J: Yes..... I am picturing her with extremely short hair with an affinity for pants.

Remember from Tang Kang Sheng on Vimeo.

J: ’Remember’ gets a 2, 3.5, 3, 3. (pause) The thumbnail grabbed my attention because it featured something deeply personal. But I felt he could have done a lot more with the old photographic gems.
A: I assume that contributes to the 2 in creativity then.
J: I mean he could have done more with those old gems.
A: I give it a 2.5, 4, 3 and 3.5.
J: It affects you emotionally I see.
A: Yup. I think that's the key takeaway for me in ‘Remember’. (pause) I like how the narrative starts and ends, it divulges a little on the narrator and sounds like he's a bad state. Quote: "As you grow older, you tend to do things you......really regret". Though on the surface it seems so little what present choices/mistakes have to do with his past or with his grandparents, it somehow affects him enough to link it. I love how the narration ends as it started, a pensive look at his life and desire to set it right because of his past.
J: I like how the narration is very sincere. No, raw is a better word. (beat) It's a totally untrained voice that is speaking from the heart. The only pity is the speech rhythm and inflexions seems out of sync sometimes.
A: Yeah I agree on the fact his voice/tone was so raw and untrained. As if it were unscripted…and it was a plus to the authenticity for me.
J: But it's a double-edged sword. The rawness also makes the clip less punctuated…I remember fragments but I don't register a story.
A: That has a strange appeal to me in some way. The narrator brings out enough to imply there are undercurrents but makes one wonder what they are and how they tie in to his past. (pause) It's almost like the viewer is given fragments to piece the puzzle together, though obviously there are many missing pieces.
J: Well, strange is the word. It feels incomplete, raw, a little unsteady, clumsy but you know… perhaps its gaps reinforce the idea of a void.

The Tree from Mary Magdeline Pereira on Vimeo.

A: ‘The Tree’ gets a 2, 2, 2, 2.
J: Wow, that says a lot!
A: Haha, unfortunately the film doesn't.
J: I am going with 1, 2, 1, 2. (pause) It is strange it got into the top 20. The only thing of note (i.e. the narrative) was in short, the clip is overly poetic, scripted, and way overdone for my liking.
J: Poeticism-overkill.
A: Also there was little, if any congruence between the narrative and the shot. "Red berries...squirrel scambering.." But all one sees is a nondescript looming tree barely of note. (pause) At times it seemed the disoriented camera was confused of what to capture and I don't think you can expect the viewer to be any more enlightened.
J: Yes, it's a strange case of the words serving the visuals rather than the visuals serving the words. And the shots were very literal too, giving the impression of poet making a clumsy cross-disciplinary crossover.

To be continued with Part 2, 3 and 4...

(What do you think? Share your views with us below.)

Review: Haunted Changi

Haunted Changi tracks the journey of four local filmmakers as they set out to produce a documentary on the infamous Old Changi Hospital. According to urban legend, OCH is a haunted place; this can be traced back to the fact that it was originally the headquarters of the Japanese Military during World War 2, and many prisoners-of-war were executed around the Changi area.

Haunted Changi takes the documentary and narrative drama genres and meshes them up together, adopting the first person approach to its more sinister footage. The actual exploration of OCH is interspersed with footage of the four members of the crew engaged in discussion pertaining to the production.

Inevitable comparisons will arise with other groundbreaking films in the found footage horror genre, like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity. It is commendable that the director/crew has milked a much-maligned genre and produced a film heavily anchored in a local context, while drawing on the universality of certain horror conventions (e.g. sudden brief shots of a ghostly apparition before it disappears) to render the film palatable even to an international audience.

The production also boasts a robust and clever marketing campaign; billing itself as an interactive movie, audiences are able to go to the film's facebook group and communicate with the crew (or what is left of it). Besides drumming up the hype for the film, it also serves to intensify the sense of realism.

The film, however, has many faults. While OCH was probably chosen because of its reputation as a haunted place, having been constantly touted by Singaporeans as a place of common supernatural occurrences, anyone more familiar with the place (should they have visited it themselves before) will know that OCH is an extremely sterile place now. It looks almost too clean, and there are always people there at night. In fact, it is fast losing its reputation as a place to visit at night for kicks. For a film to so heavily hinge on its location (and the conceptions of it) to set up the atmosphere, the choice of location seems to backfire on the film. To be fair, the director did a good job in introducing the place to us and the exposition was clear and concise, setting up a frightening outlook of the place. Despite the increasingly popular sentiment that OCH is no longer the scary place folklore has made it out to be, the director has managed to salvage this by getting audiences to temporarily suspend their disbelief and take a leap of faith; the hazy black and white shots used in the expository segment came across as stark and imposing and helped the film reclaim OCH as an intimidating, almost sentient entity. (And then again, besides OCH, there aren't that many haunted places in Singapore that are suitable for filming, so this is something that is forgivable.)

What hurts the film more is really its genre-bending posturing. The documentary approach seemed counterproductive in evoking shock; the director tries to make a sense of pseudo-realism pervade the film with the crew's improvised dialogue and shaky camerawork, and yet their portrayal of OCH is extremely implausible, giving rise to skepticism towards the authenticity of the proceedings that will take place later on. (A glaring example of what decimates the credibility of its 'actual' footage: the crew running into people in the day at not at night? There are probably even more people there at night than in the day!) Is it then fact or fiction? Other definitive films of the found footage genre like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity were extremely convincing in its authenticity. The blurring of genre lines comes across as clumsiness on the part of the director rather than it being deliberate; the film seems like an unintentional mockumentary.

The film is not without its merits, and one thing that stood out was the crew's natural chemistry. The energy between the four during scenes when they were together served to bring out the film's lighter moments, and this was apparent in the first half of the film; when juxtaposed starkly with later scenes when they were separated and the team dynamic dissolved, this heightened the tension tangibly. The dialogue was for the most part rather authentic except for the director's constant spewing of hokkien in the first half of his sentence and then proceeding to complete it in English. Those lines came across as extremely contrived and desperately trying too hard to ramp up the realism factor. Regardless, the interaction between the crew was generally breezy, light and surprisingly natural.

The lensing was a mixed bag. Shaky camerawork is a standard in the found footage horror genre and this technique was prevalent throughout the film, which is needed to make the realism factor seem authentic. The use of night-vision shots is nothing new but still effective in conjuring mystery and spooks. What I found annoying was that for some reason there were a plethora of still shots of empty rooms that seemed to punctuate the second act of the film and throws off the film pacing, and those shots were self indulgent and pointless, since nothing was shown to happen in those shots. The constant and sudden focusing and defocusing of the camera which was obviously done (to try) to create authenticity for the film also got irritating quickly.

The major undoing in the film, besides its ambivalent genre nature, was its plot. There are only so many times an audience can be scared by the sudden appearance of a ghost before they grow numb to it; what truly frightens an audience is the presence of a threat. If a ghost poses no threat, there are no stakes, and there is little investment into the plot. The problem with the film is that while supernatural forces were shown to exist within the building, it never had the chance to present those forces as malevolent in any way, resulting in an acute lack of interest in the plot. Really, the ghost(s) in this film don't do much, for the most part, and they barely even appear throughout most of the film. Even towards the end I was thinking, so what if they run into the ghost(s)? Big whoop.

Those looking to be scared stiff will be disappointed watching this film, because for the most part, it isn't. There were brief moments in the first two acts of the film where you might squirm in your seat, but they were more important for purposes of building up to the climactic end. The ending was scary, fleeting and brief as it was, but sadly just not enough to save a film so devoid of tension throughout most of its course.

Royston Tan in Russian

Well, not exactly. But people in St Petersburg will get a chance to learn a few Hokkien swear words from a Royston Tan short film retrospective at the ISAFF OPEN CINEMA International Short & Animation Film Festival. The retrospective is curated by Objectifs Films. Check out the website here but don't expect to understand much unless you know Russian. :p

Ultimate National Day Video Wish List Part 3

Here is another batch filmmakers and creative voices on how they would make their own National Day Video.

Ultimate National Day Video Wish List Part 2

As we have launched the 1st installation of the video 3 days ago...

Let's move on to see what other filmmakers and creative writers have to say about their "dream" National Day Video!

If you like the video,Do share this video out to everyone and Anyone!!!

Enjoy!

Ris Low with SINdie behind the scenes

It all started when Grace mentioned that she had Ris Low's number through her Muay Thai contacts. Then we cheered her on to pick up the phone and the rest is history...

(from left) Melody, Jeremy, Ris, Grace and Audi go in front of the camera after a hard day's shoot.

We held our breaths as Ris turned up. She was very normal, unlike how the media has portrayed her to be.

She kinda dwarfed all of us because of these heels.

Yet another Ris Low moment for YouTube... a very un-Ris Low Ris Low indeed.

Cubik by Stefan Fanthome and Jason Brenizer

When betrayal rears its head in an inner circle, who do you trust?

Cubik sets forth its premise with this question as plot layers form to construe themes of loyalty, familial ties, and conflicts of one woman’s moral stand and independence.

In a botched attempt to retrieve the prototype for a new weapon, resulting in Shankar’s (Fish Chaar) early demise/exit, rookie Alex (Laura Kee) finds herself in a conundrum between uncovering an infiltration conspiracy and heeding her protective father/ head honcho’s (Laurence Pang) advice to stay out of matters. The unheeded call leads her to discover some truths that sit a little too close to home, in the form of the loyalties of her dad’s closest aides – Devlin (Bobby Tonelli) and Keegan (Victor Lin).

The gradual heightening suspense, layered with the internal struggles of Alex, is crafted to a fine tilt through the first half of the film, both with the plot’s pacing and the cinematography’s visual storytelling.

While the audience may have been grasping at straws in the film’s early stages, perhaps marked by a missing piece of Alex’s early relationship with her dad, the subsequent narrative makes it up as Fanthome and Brenizer do a fine job of subtly merging their lead’s moral and ethical dilemma as the audience readily empathize with Alex’s ideologies.

That has as much to say about lead actress Laura Kee’s deliverance as the directors’ aptitude. Having been a martial arts practitioner (as was revealed in a Q&A later), coupled with a gung-ho demeanour, Kee herself admitted to be in her element for the role of Alex. And the confluence of personas played out to admirable aplomb, seen not just in a fisticuffs scene (with a man, no less), but also in the mental pressures her character Alex faced in swimming against the tide, most in the face of her dad’s demands.

Laurence Pang, a veteran in the local film scene, cut the no-nonsense figure his role – Alex’s father, Master Fu demanded to convincing degree. The father-daughter chemistry the two actors shared worked to bring to surface the underlying themes of familial-ideologies conflict on top of its action/suspense elements. Little could be said though, in dialogue probably scripted to sound philosophical about themes of betrayal, on many a faux-poetic line he had to deliver. Looking more the role he carried – a stern father-figure steeped in Asian values - than affable wise sage, the composure demanded in the face of threats one minute seemed out of sync with the verbal duels he would have with Alex the next.

Devlin and Keegan (Bobby Tonelli and Victor Lin), the two trusted aides of Master Fu and prime suspects of the infiltration, turn in commendable Jekyll-and-Hyde performances as they keep the audience guessing on their true identities and motives. Both pursuing the love interest of the attractive Josie (Melissa Faith Yeo) and wanting more than their roles in the organization offer, their rivalry plays out in its subplot as one of them leaves traces to his exposé.

Despite the well paced and thought-out build up, one might be left tad disappointed and disoriented at the rather abrupt and hurried way the film’s penultimate and final scenes play out. However, to attribute to it anything other than a overlook would be harsh.

Perhaps seen as unimaginable not too long ago, a decent well-directed film noir in Cubik has been produced in the floodlit streets of Singapore. Though perhaps a pity the originally made-for-TV series didn’t quite make our home screens, the largely-positive reception on the silver screen received from its premiere should hopefully make the genre in more palatable to local audiences and filmmakers alike.

Read about the making of the film in 'Cubik' by Jason Brenizer and Stefan Fanthome - In Production

Suman Ranganathan Sexy And Hot Scene Photos

Suman Ranganathan Sexy And Hot Scene

Kashmira Shah Panties Show Photos

Kashmira Shah Panties Show Pictures

Amisha Patel Topless During PhotoShoot (Mobile Pic)

Amisha Patel Topless During PhotoShoot

Indian Actress Shusmita Sen Sexy Kiss With Hot Boy

Shusmita Sen Sexy Kiss With Hot Boy