Laskar Pelangi The Movie (2008)

tadinya gua mau menyudahi saja kebiasaan tulis-menulis blog. tapi setelah menonton Laskar Pelangi, rasanya gak bener banget kalo film macam itu gak dituangkan ke dalam sebuah tulisan review. karena itulah sekarang blog gua ini memiliki entry terbaru.

Laskar Pelangi diangkat dari sebuah novel best-seller karya Andrea Hirata, dan berkisah tentang perjuangan, kesempatan, dan pengalaman kesepuluh anak Belitong dalam perjalanan mereka menggapai cita-cita, dengan segala keterbatasan yang ada.

dalam versi film yang disutradarai Riri Riza ini, cerita lebih difokuskan pada ketiga anggota utama laskar, yakni Ikal, Lintang, dan Mahar, dengan peran penting Bu Mus dan Pak Harfan yang menaungi mereka.

secara keseluruhan, Laskar Pelangi merupakan sebuah film yang sangat indah dan memorable, oleh akting natural para aktor dan aktrisnya, scoring yang mendukung suasana, dan sinematografi yang apik dan sangat menonjolkan sisi keindahan pulau Belitong yang ironis bila dibandingkan dengan kualitas hidup penduduknya. tak jarang mata para penontonnya dibuat berkaca-kaca di beberapa bagian film, termasuk yang paling penting, pada saat film diselesaikan.

namun mata para penonton sepertinya tidak cukup hanya dimanjakan oleh segala keindahan yang ditawarkan. dari segi alur cerita, di pertengahan film terasa agak membosankan dengan lambatnya alur dan beberapa elemen yang sepertinya tidak perlu dimasukkan. sebagai contoh, adegan romansa tokoh Ikal dan Aling yang terlalu imajinatif dan berlebihan, sehingga sedikit mengganggu esensi keseluruhan film. juga kisah mengenai perdukunan yang tidak penting dan cenderung mengganggu kontinuitas cerita.

tak hanya itu, saking 'indah'nya film ini, menonton Laskar Pelangi terkadang terasa seperti menonton tayangan Discovery Channel atau National Geographic, dengan montage panorama indah pulau Belitung dari segala sisi yang terlalu dibombardir dan cenderung repetitif, sehingga beberapa gambar-gambar indah tersebut seakan hanya sebagai pelengkap belaka.

meskipun demikian, perlu dicatat bahwa Laskar Pelangi merupakan film yang paling 'penting', bila dibandingkan dengan para kompetitornya yang dirilis bersamaan pada saat libur Lebaran, dan merupakan salah satu film Indonesia yang "must-watch". salut terhadap perjuangan dan kerja keras duet Riri Riza - Mira Lesmana beserta segenap cast and crew.

sebagai penutup, Laskar pelangi mungkin bukanlah karya terbaik, spektakular, ataupun masterpiece Riri Riza. namun film ini telah berhasil menyampaikan pesannya dengan indah dan gemilang, dan bahkan secara tak langsung film ini turut mengangkat pulau Belitung menjadi sebuah destinasi wisata.

Pemain: Cut Mini, Ikranagara, Slamet Rahardjo, Tora Sudiro
Penulis: Salman Aristo, Riri Riza, Mira Lesmana
Sutradara: Riri Riza
Produksi: Miles Films & Mizan Production
Negara: Indonesia

read more...

A Part-Time Lover And A Full-Time Friend

I was quite pissed when 21 cineplex keep pending the release of this film. I almost bought the pirated DVD as I was running out of my patience. but after all, the long awaiting was all worth-it.

however, it's such a shame that this film is not appreciated much in Indonesia, as it was only played in several cinemas and the session times are very limited. thankfully I got a chance to see it.

this Oscar-winning comedy tells a story about a knocked-up teenage girl named Juno MacGuff in facing and overcoming her pregnancy and the situation around her, until she is managed to pick a decision in a mature and acceptable way.

probably the storyline sounds cheesy and we can find that kind of story in any Indonesian soap opera. however, the judgment should ends there when you see the actual film, because the treatment and the execution of this film is different than those tacky local products.

the first noticeable good thing about this film is the memorable character Juno MacGuff herself. two thumbs up for Ellen Page, who has played this character marvelously, until nominated into the Oscar for the best leading actress category. not only that, several other leads are also played pretty well by Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman.

after that, the script has successfully brought this film into winning an Oscar and several other prestigious awards. it proves the smart narration and the witty dialogs presented by the script worked very well.

also, don't forget the soundtrack that has wonderfully helped in setting up the tone and mood of this film. you should buy the album, and just by listening to the whole tracks, Juno will stick into your mind forever.

overall, this film is worth-watching several times, and obviously I'm going to do that. sorry for the bad presentation of this review, because I really don't know what else to describe. catchy and sweet. those are two simple words to describe this film and also to close this review.

Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Director: Jason Reitman
Writer: Diablo Cody
Country: USA
Runtime: 96 min.

read more...

Fiksi.

buat yang kangen sama Ladya Cheryl tapi gak sabar menunggu Babi Buta yang Ingin Terbang, ada "Fiksi" yang sepertinya akan dirilis terlebih dahulu, yakni 19 Juni 2008.

"Fiksi" berkisah tentang Alisha yang tidak kerasan tinggal di rumahnya dan merindukan dunia luar. impiannya itu seakan terwujud ketika mendengar siulan Bari. Alisha pun jatuh cinta, meskipun Bari telah memiliki kekasih. segala upaya pun dilakukan demi mendapatkan cinta tersebut, termasuk penipuan, jebakan, hingga pembunuhan!

dari sinopsis tersebut, sangat jelas terlihat bahwa genre yang diusung adalah drama thriller. menurut pengakuan Joko Anwar, sang penulis skenario, "Fiksi" terinspirasi oleh kisah klasik Alice in Wonderland, di mana dalam literatur klasik tersebut diceritakan tokoh Alice yang bermimpi ke dunia Wonderland, sementara dalam "Fiksi" tokoh Alisha bagaikan hidup di dunia mimpi yang terjebak di kehidupan nyata.

dengan disutradarai Mouly Surya, film yang berada di bawah bendera Cinesurya dan memakan 18 hari untuk proses syutingnya ini turut didukung oleh beberapa nama kawakan, seperti Donny Alamsyah (9 Naga, Selamanya) dan Kinaryosih (Mendadak Dangdut, Claudia/Jasmine).

bagi yang penasaran, bisa mengintip sedikit trailernya di sini.

Foto: dok. 21cineplex.com

read more...

ScreamFest & JiFFest

have something planned at the end of this year? better cancel those, because Jakarta has something more interesting for you to do, especially movie lovers. yes, for the first time, two big film events will be held continuously on the same month.

the first event is ScreamFest Indo. it is the first horror and animation film festival to be held in Indonesia. for the start, it will be held in two biggest movie theatres, Blitz Megaplex Bandung (23-25 November) and Jakarta (28 November - 2 December). be prepared for the tickets from 15 November, as it will be sold in membership system. for more information on the program and the list of the films, go to www.screamfestindo.com

after being served with some haunting and screaming, then comes Jakarta International Film Festival for you to chill out, starting from 7 December, until 16 December. different from above festival, this one has been held for 9 years so far, and it is considered as one of the most prestigious film festival in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta. currently not much information have been given in the website, but feel free to go to www.jiffest.org for future updates.

so, vacation? what vacation? it's time for you to hold your breath and fulfill your movie craving. see ya.

read more...

The Kingdom

honestly, the only thing that attracted me to this film when I first saw its promotional poster was the involvement of Jennifer Garner as one of the leads. I'm a fan of Jennifer Garner, especially with his role as agent Sydney Bristow in TV Series Alias, one of my favourites. however, after seeing it's long trailer, my impression to this film dropped down several levels, because I was not quite engaged by what I saw, especially after knowing that Garner has quite a little part in this film.

clearly, the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover" does explain a lot in every situation, including this one. watching this film is just like an unforgettable orgasmic experience. I first compared this as 2007's Blood Diamond, but looks like this one is quite a hit; both of them are good in different ways.

The Kingdom covers an investigation of the bombing in Riyadh by an FBI team, consisting of Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx), Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner), Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman), and Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper). The whole film itself is fictional, but it is actually based on the true even.

overall, I love how this film represents itself. I love how the ending completes the whole journey by its kickin-ass' quotes. I love how Peter Berg set and moderated all of his crews and casts for the realistic values of the film. however, probably the overusing of the active and dynamic hand-held camera is not quite a wise idea. it's good for gaining such tense, but most of all, during the movie I felt quite dizzy and sick because of the quick movements of the camera, and not even once in that film the shot is steady and calm.

bringing up terrorism and jihad as a theme, this film really shows us the ignorance of how humanity involves in our lives these days. ok, probably that sounds a bit cheesy, but at least that shows how I feel after seeing the film. Humanity can easily be erased by a lot of thing.

the various Islamic terms used in this film might be a problem in third world countries. society won't easily accept this film because of the sensitive issue. especially in my country, where most of the civilians are Moslem, a lot of censorship might occur, and various protest acts might also happen. fortunately, it seems impossible that this film is going to be banned in Indonesia, as the trailer has been shown in the cinemas across the nation.

Cast: Jamie Fox, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Directed by: Peter Berg
Written by: Matthew Michael Carnahan
Country: US
Runtime: 110 min.

read more...

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly

yes, I didn't make that up. that's the real title for an upcoming Indonesian film. weird, huh? but I'm sure it contains something to think about, something deep and meaningful, but I don't know what it is.

looking at the premise, this film will talk about Chinese generations in Indonesia. quite provocative and sensitive, i guess.

according to several sources, Blind Pig is about 8 characters in mosaics, connected to each other. all of them cover the same racial issue in Indonesia, regarding Chinese in several different backgrounds. probably this kind of style may be compared with the award-winning Babel and Crash for the satirical and nonlinear film.

apparently, this can be described as an innovation in Indonesian film industries; the uniqueness of the theme, the courage of the filmmaker to raise the sensitive issue (salute to Edwin), and the use of the unique title. however, I'm a bit worried that the government will have a reason to ban this film, because of the controversies that can be made out of it. yeah, a lot of bad things have happened in Indonesia and the people are too hypocrite to let them out of the cage.

looking at the cast, probably some of us have already known Ladya Cheryl, the chick from the old AADC school. recently, she was seen in one of Edwin's older project, an award-winning short film entitled Kara, Anak Sebatang Pohon. now, in this film, she is one of the main characters, together with several names, such as, Pong Hardjatmo, Carlo, Clairine Baharrizky, Lisa, Daren, Joko Anwar (yes, that kicking-ass filmmaker), Wicaksono, and Andhara Early (the lady in red in the first Indonesian Playboy cover).

for the location, after looking at the trailer, some of you will probably notice that this film takes place in several Chinese spots in Jakarta and Surabaya, including the old-and-famous Glodok, Pancoran, and Jembatan Merah Surabaya.

because of its tight budget, according to the source, the film needs to be entered to several international film festivals first, so that the filmmaker will be able to get the money to promote the film.

right now the film is still in its post-production, and by the end of the year, the filmmaker (and also me) hope the film is ready to be released. for more information about this film, just go to this site.

read more...

Selamanya (2007)

jangan kaget dengan nama production house yang menaungi film ini. gue sendiri sempet underestimate film ini karena melihat nama penulis skenarionya, Sekar Ayu Asmara yang melahirkan film sekelas Pesan Dari Neraka, dan juga produser film ini, Raam Punjabi, yang notabene adalah penjahat kelas nasional karena telah menghancurkan bangsa ini dengan memberikan tontonan televisi murahan dan tidak mendidik, di bawah bendera Multi Vision yang benar-benar tidak bervisi. namun setelah gue melihat reviewnya di website kebanggaan kita bersama, sinema-indonesia.com, yang dengan beraninya memberikan tiga bintang untuk rating film ini, gue jadi berpikiran lain lagi, oleh karena situs tersebut kebanyakan mencerca film-film indonesia, dan yang diberi bintang bisa dihitung dengan jari.

ternyata benar dugaan gue. bukan sekedar sugesti dari situs tersebut, film ini memang memberikan sesuatu yang lain, meskipun ceritanya cukup corny dan akting beberapa pemainnya betul-betul sinetron-ish dan tidak bisa dimaafkan begitu aja. lihat aja si Dimas Seto itu. bisa apa sih dia di film ini? sepertinya sinetron udah menjadi tempat yang terbaik buat dia.

kalau mau jujur, sebetulnya plot cerita Selamanya hanyalah sebuah perpaduan sempurna dari film ternista Heart, dan slogan "Jauhi Narkoba!" (di Cianjur, bahasa Inggris slogan ini adalah "Hide Drug!"). namun yang membuat film ini lain dan terangkat derajatnya adalah kualitas penggarapannya yang rapi dan catchy, serta akting Julie Estelle dan Masayu yang sangat mencuri perhatian dan patut diacungi jempol.

sejatinya, Selamanya bercerita tentang sepasang kekasih, Aristha dan Bara yang telah terpisah lama, dan kemudian dipertemukan kembali dalam keadaan masing-masing yang bertolak belakang. Aristha adalah pecandu narkoba akut yang sedang berjuang mempertahankan hidupnya, sementara Bara adalah mantan pecandu yang kini bekerja sebagai konsultan di salah satu panti rehabilitasi narkoba dan sedang mempersiapkan pernikahannya dengan kekasih barunya.

mungkin sebagian dari kita setelah membaca premise tersebut akan berpikir, film ini jadinya terkesan menggurui dan cengeng. jangan salah dulu, karena setelah menonton, pendapat gue justru berbeda 180 derajat; film ini memang menggurui dengan 'slogan'nya tersebut, dan cengeng dengan segala air mata dan teriak-teriak umpatan Aristha, namun semua itu dikemas dengan sangat menarik sehingga elemen-elemen tersebut dapat dilupakan. untuk ini, sang sutradara, Ody C. Harahap, beserta tim kreatifnya patut berbangga. sinematografi yang ciamik dan editing yang oke banget (namun sayangnya di beberapa bagian terlihat putus-sambung, kemungkinan karena tindakan pemotongan oleh badan sensor kurang ajar itu) menjadi titik terang film ini.

gak hanya itu, kualitas akting Julie Estelle pun betul-betul mengalami penigkatan drastis di film ini. teriakan-teriakan umpatannya terasa begitu nyata dan gak dibuat-buat. beda banget dengan teriakan "babi loe!" milik Luna Maya di Pesan Dari Surga. demikian halnya dengan Masayu, aksinya sebagai penari striptease dengan berbagai kostum merupakan hal yang langka dan tidak dapat kita simak melalui layar kaca.

namun sayangnya, di film ini masih terdapat beberapa hal yang cukup mengganjal dan terkesan gak mungkin banget, seperti bagaimana mungkin dengan pekerjaan Bara sebagai konsultan narkoba dan kakaknya yang penari, mereka berdua mampu membeli rumah mewah dengan kolam renang? (mungkin rumah itu peninggalan orang tua mereka? atau sang art director tidak mampu menemukan lokasi yang pas, selain stok alamat rumah yang diberikan Raam yang biasa dipakai di sinetron-sinetronnya?), dan juga mengapa Bara yang awalnya hanya pecandu malah dipenjara, sementara Aristha yang pengedar dan seharusnya mendapatkan hukuman lebih berat malah hanya melewatkan beberapa jam saja di kantor polisi? oh well, kesan sinetron memang masih gak bisa lepas juga dari film ini. damn you, Raam!

kesimpulannya, film ini memang bukan film Indonesia terbaik untuk tahun ini, namun sepertinya film ini lebih patut dilirik ketimbang Bukan Beha Biasa (atau kami menyebutnya Bella Bagusan Bugil), dan film-film menyedihkan lainnya. at least film ini masih patut untuk ditonton.

Pemain: Julie Estelle, Dimas Seto, Masayu Anastasia
Penulis: Sekar Ayu Asmara
Sutradara: Ody C. Harahap
Produksi: Multi Vision Pictures
Negara: Indonesia
Durasi: 90 menit

read more...

No One Wants to be Alone!

akhirnya niat gue selama ini buat nonton midnight di Jakarta kesampaian juga. gak tanggung-tanggung, film yang menjadi tontonan adalah film horror! tadinya gue bareng teman-teman gue berniat nonton double feature Alone + Shutter yang dihadiri dua orang sutradaranya dan bintang utama Alone. namun apa daya, teman-teman gue semuanya tipe last-minute, jadinya untuk double feature tersebut kehabisan tiket, dan kita hanya bisa mendapatkan sesi pemutaran kedua Alone malam itu, yakni pukul 10.45. cukup kecewa sih, mengingat pemutaran double feature dilakukan di auditorium terbesar Blitz, sementara sesi yang kita datangi hanya berada di auditorium regular.

Alone mengisahkan tentang sepasang saudara kembar siam, Pim dan Ploy yang memiliki sifat yang bertolak belakang. sayangnya kebersamaan mereka harus berakhir di atas meja operasi, lantaran salah satu dari mereka tidak selamat dari operasi pemisahan. bisa ditebak, selanjutnya teror-teror menghantui kembar satunya, seakan tidak rela mereka dipisahkan begitu saja.

jika ditilik dari keseluruhan plot, film ini sebetulnya cukup unik dan cenderung berani dalam memainkan alur cerita. twist yang disajikan pun sangatlah pintar. namun sayangnya, hal tersebut yang seharusnya menjadi kekuatan terbesar dalam film ini malah seakan menjadi kelemahan terbesar, lantaran sudah pasti ekspektasi sebagian penonton setelah menonton film ini akan menurun.

sudah pasti sebuah film horror belum afdol kalau gak ada momen-momen terkejutnya. begitu pula dalam film ini, tiga perempat awal film ini pun dipenuhi oleh berbagai shocking scenes, sampai-sampai seisi penonton gak henti-hentinya berteriak. namun sayangnya sebagian besar dari momen-momen tersebut seakan bisa ditebak, mengurangi ketegangan, namun masih bisa dimaafkan dengan pengaturan jump cuts dan musiknya. juga, kalau kita membuka mata kita lebar-lebar dalam menonton keseluruhan film ini tanpa sedetikpun mengedipkan mata atau bersembunyi ketakutan, sebetulnya plot twist yang disajikan di film ini bisa ditebak dengan mudahnya.

secara keseluruhan, untuk ukuran film horror film ini cukup mengecewakan oleh karena semua keterkejutan yang dihasilkan pada akhirnya menjadi tidak berkesan. belum lagi dengan cara penayangan Blitz yang seringkali mempermainkan penglihatan para penontonnya dengan menarik-narik film ke atas berulang kali untuk menayangkan teks bahasa Indonesianya , yang makin menambah kekecewaan kami para penonton. tapi jika dibandingkan dengan film-film horror cupu buatan dalam negeri, film ini jaaauhhh lebih nendang. lihat saja sendiri keseluruhan aspek film ini, mulai dari sinematografi yang apik, desain produksi yang rapi, permainan genre, hingga plot twist yang ditawarkan, semua itu sepertinya bisa dijadikan poin-poin kuat untuk memaafkan kedataran kata 'horror' di film ini.

kalimat "the most anticipated Thai horror movie of the year" yang terpampang di posternya mungkin terdengar agak klise dan rancu, namun film ini betul-betul layak ditonton sebagai bukti kepiawaian sineas film Thailand dan bahan pelajaran para sineas film Indonesia di masa mendatang.

Cast: Marsha Wattanapanich
Directed by: Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom
Country: Thailand
Runtime: 95 min.

read more...

The Photograph (2007)

setelah melalui penantian yang cukup lama dan diselingi oleh kekhawatiran akan terlewatnya film ini, akhirnya gue berhasil nonton film ini pas liburan kemarin gue balik ke Jakarta. kebetulan tanggal rilis film ini tepat beberapa hari setelah gue tiba di Jakarta. namun sayangnya kayaknya antusiasme para penikmat film Indonesia kurang begitu besar terhadap film ini. baru beberapa hari semenjak peluncurannya, film ini langsung turun layar di sebagian besar bioskop. beruntung gue masih sempat nonton di Blitz Megaplex.

pada dasarnya The Photograph bercerita tentang hubungan dua karakter teralienasi, antara seorang ibu muda bernama Sita yang merantau ke Jakarta dan bekerja sebagai wanita tuna susila untuk menghidupi keluarganya di desa, dengan seorang fotografer perantau dari China bernama Johan yang terus dihantui masa lalu kelamnya, dan sedang pusing mencari penerus usahanya lantaran masa hidupnya yang tinggal tersisa beberapa waktu lagi.

melalui film ini, bisa disimpulkan bahwa dari sesuatu yang sederhana dapat diciptakan sebuah mahakarya yang hampir sempurna. dari sebuah cerita yang sederhana dapat dikembangkan menjadi sebuah film dengan kualitas teknik yang patut diacungi jempol. sinematografi yang luar biasa menjadi tolok-ukur keberhasilan film ini, selain penampilan terbaik Shanty sebagai Sita, dan aktor Singapura Lim Kay Tong sebagai Johan.

namun sayangnya, terdapat beberapa aspek yang kurang berhasil dan seharusnya bisa dihindarkan, seperti adegan audisi pemilihan fotografer baru yang bermaksud lucu, tapi malah terkesan maksa. juga, chemistry antara Shanty dan Lim Kay Tong di film ini kurang begitu terasa. barangkali karena bahasa Indonesia Lim Kay Tong yang terbata-bata. namun secara individu hal itu malah memperkuat karakter Johan yang misterius, dan Lim Kay Tong adalah aktor watak yang sangat berbakat untuk itu.

secara keseluruhan, film yang didukung juga oleh Lukman Sardi dan duet Indy Barends - Indra Bekti ini pantas mendapatkan tempat di hati para pencinta film Indonesia, terlepas dari beberapa aspek yang kurang berhasil tadi. film ini memberikan kesan melankolis, namun tidak cengeng. bravo untuk Nan Achnas!

Pemain: Shanty, Lim Kay Tong, Lukman Sardi, Indy Barends
Penulis & Sutradara: Nan Achnas
Negara: Indonesia
Durasi: 95 menit

read more...

LA Lights IndieMovie

LA Lights IndieMovie is an event for soon-to-be filmmakers to gain some knowledges from the experts in Indonesian Film Industry, and also to express their fresh ideas. it covers from one-day workshop by some Indonesian famous filmmakers, to the competition and festival.

for more information, please go to www.lalightsindiefest.com/indiemovie

read more...

Too Perfect for a Labyrinth

usually fantasy films are something I should avoid. even the Lord of the Rings trilogy made me sleep during each screenings (no rotten eggs throwing on me please). however, this wonderfully crafted pieces of art is a different story. Pan's Labyrinth is simply beautiful, and I couldn't even get my eyes off my laptop screen during watching.

Pan's Labyrinth is a perfect combination of a dark fairy-tale with a realistic post-war event. it is well-supported with a nice cinematography all over the film, fantastic each character developments, great CGI effects, perfect production design, and even the soundtracks. simply said, the relationship between the mise-en-scene with the storyline is just too good to be true. no wonder this film has won plenty awards out there, including the high prestige Academy Awards for its cinematography, make-up, and art direction.

Pan's Labyrinth tells a story of a fairy-tale believer Ofelia, who travels with her pregnant mother to meet her stepfather. that dreaming about living in a fairy-tale world suddenly come true when she discovers that she is actually a princess called Moanna, and she has to do certain tasks before the full-moon to get her kingdom back. the whole story takes place in the event of 1944 post-civil war in Spain.

another spectacular aspect you wouldn't let it off your brain when you see it is the looks of the creatures; they are simply unforgettable. you must see the look of the faun, the fairies, and even the child-eating monster. they are different than any other creatures we have seen in films. special funny note for the child-eating monster, when I saw his eyes on his hands and he looked around by putting up his hands in front of his pale face, I just simply thought of that ridiculous 'peek-a-boo!' thingy that most mothers usually do to tease their young babies, and a used-to-be-child-singer cheap whore called Maissy did in her TV program, 'Ci-Luk-Ba!' (same meaning as peek-a-boo, but different sense if done by a tasteless tramp), produced by her rich dad in those sickening old days.

it's a shame that I missed the screening of this film during Jakarta International Film Festival last year, because this film is better watched on the big screen. however, looks like that 21 Cinema is going to screen it and I might watch it for the second time when I'm in Indonesia.

final words to finish this entry, kudos to Guillermo del Torro!

Cast: Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Sergi Lopez
Writer & Director: Guillermo del Torro
Country: Spain
Runtime: 112 min.

read more...

L for Lame

I don't know what the hype of Death Note is all about that I must follow my curiosity and watch the film at last, resulting in a big disappointment that I wish I could put my name onto the book myself and die. at least certain people that talk about this film at all times will be aware of their own lives, as watching this film may cause sudden death.

basically, this film follows the discovery of a book called "Death Note" by a high school student named Light Yagami. soon, he finds out that he can kill any people by writing their names onto the book. not only that, he can also create the scenarios for each deaths. immediately the number of sudden death cases in Japan increases and this attracts the International Police Organization and a mysterious detective called L (you'll be surprised when you see the appearance of this L. like I said, L is for 'Lame'). as usual, for the rest of the story, just google or wikipedia it, or even watch it yourself.

actually the theme of this film (or should I say manga for the source of the adaptation) is brilliant. I like it at the first place when I read the story; a boy making a pact with the devil, a book that can kill people, the competition between the two opposite sides, and don't forget the betrayal (warning for this!). however, the execution itself ruins the whole thing. the unstructured plot, the annoying jump-cuts, the comical hyperbolic characters, the not-so-cinematic views (yeah, the cinematography sucks!), and the appearance of the death god Ryuk complete the destruction. without the appearance of the death god this film might be better. that creature reduces the level of maturity of this film, and it sends me back into the era when Ultraman, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Black Masker Rider were my everyday must-sees.

some unreasonable aspects in this film also made me difficult to digest the whole concept. is it usual in Japan that we can find a mini-TV as a bonus inside a potato chips packaging? (of course I know that little prick put the TV himself. I'm saying this in a sarcastic way, you morons!) or even how come Light's father doesn't allow his own son to investigate the case, where he as one of the respectable police instructor put his trust to a weirdo, desserts-freak, so-called detective L(ame)?

even so, this film still has some unforgettable morals in it. we can see how worthless our lives can be; put a name into the book, that people dies suddenly, big shit! you don't have to be careful in your lives as you can die that easy (I think Indonesia needs the book more than Japan, and not only one, but hundreds exemplars!). or even another thing, you gotta find out what your lover's activities in every single details, so that he/she will not get any chance to have an affair and finally create a very neat plan to kill you.

final words, this film has the second part entitled Death Note the Last Name that I haven't watched (luckily it wasn't named Death Note: Nama Ditulis, Mati Lagi Satu, Polisi Nyari Pelakunya, Gak Ketemu! Tolol Deh Itu Polisi!). and if you freaks can't get enough of this film, there are the original manga you can read and a 37-episodes anime to watch. but frankly said, watching this film saves your lives more than watching any of Indonesian cults (Hidayah: Mayat Membusuk Di Kali, Anak Durhaka Mati Merana, etc).

Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Shido Nakamura.
Director: Shusuke Kaneko
Country: Japan
Runtime: 126 min.

read more...

In the Mood for Blueberry

I was just browsing around when I finally caught one name that I'm really fond of; Wong Kar Wai (In the Mood for Love, Chungking Express, 2046). although I've just seen two of his films so far, for me, he's already a great filmmaker with his own breaking-the-rules sense and style.

like I said before, I've only seen two of his films, and that includes Chungking Express and 2046. based on my observation through those films, I can see that he usually focus more on the cinematic and artistic elements during the development of each films, rather than follow the whole script. rumor has it that he has never had and used any single solid script for his films. so, it may as well be said that he loves to work more on his feelings during the process rather than on what's already been prepared before. in one simple statement, he hates plans (maybe. I'm not him by the way).

ok, I'm not gonna talk about him anymore, as this entry is not an essay reviewing him and his entire films. for more details about him and all his films, you can just go to this site. this posting is about his new upcoming film called My Blueberry Nights. for your information, this is his first English film, and it was the opening film for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

from the poster above, we can see the two faces that we all have known about, Rachel Weisz and Jude Law. however, they are not the only ones to be seen in this film. in fact, My Blueberry Nights focuses on the first journey of Elizabeth (Norah Jones) across America. during her journey, she meets with several other characters played by Rachel Weisz, Jude Law, and Natalie Portman. from those different characters, she finally finds the true meaning of loneliness and hollowness inside herself, and as her relationships with them develop, she explores more and more of herself, and of what she is really doing in America.

after seeing the trailer and several screen captures, I can say that this film is still with Wong Kar Wai's usual elements, in which he always play around with the color composition, framing, and other cinematography aspects. I just hope that this time he uses the stronger script because usually his previous films are lack of the story developments and I couldn't quite catch and enjoy the films because of that.

in this film, there are lots of aspects that can be put into a list of trivia, after the director's first English film as a start. here we can see the reunion of Jude Law and Natalie Portman that we probably last saw both of them together in Closer (2004). also, this film is Norah's debut in acting.

finally, all I can say is, I'm really looking forward to see this film no matter how hard it is gonna be. I want to see how the 'beauty' and the story mixed together, so that this film is not only Wong Kar Wai's first English film, but also the first, in terms of the solidity and subtlety.

read more...

The Long-Awaited Photograph

geez! a lot of promising Indonesian films to be released soon. after missing the screening of 3 Hari Untuk Selamanya, I'm not gonna skip this one and Quickie Express as well. but sadly, looks like that my days in Indonesia are gonna be filled with some Indonesian craps because usually a good Indonesian film need quite a long time after the announcement to be released. even some of them are brought into some international film festivals first before being screened in our dearest motherland.

according to its official website, The Photograph is about the relationship between a former prostitute called Sita (Shanty) with a traveling photographer called Johan (Lim Kay Tong). their whole story is developed through certain photographs taken by Johan. for more details about the synopsis, just click on the website.

the reasons I'm interested in this film are the concept of the story that I hope will focus more on the uniqueness of the main characters' relationships, and also the artistic elements. I have seen the still images of the various shots taken from this film and they are all good in terms of the composition and cinematic elements. the pictures in the website are displayed in flash format, so I can't save them and publish them here. once again, you can just click on the website for that, as in that website you can get the whole information about the film, including the trailer itself.

the people behind this film are quite engaging as well, looking at their names. Nan Achnas as the director is quite well-known by her award-winning films, such as Kuldesak and Pasir Berbisik. Shanty Harmayn as the producer, I know that name from our annual Jakarta International Film Festival. the rest of them, the casts, etc, are quite promising as well; we can see Shanty's marvellous acting in Berbagi Suami and Kala (and also her upcoming film 'Maaf Saya Menghamili Istri Anda') other than her devastating singing career, whereas Lukman Sardi and Indy Barends are just the catch. the only one that is a bit questionable is Lim Kay Tong, who plays Johan. I've never seen and heard of him before, and that makes me curious enough to see what he can do with his character.

I just hope that this film will be released just in time I get back to Jakarta, otherwise I'm gonna be so pissed off as I have to spend a month in Jakarta, watching the trailer of BBB The movie every time I turn on the TV, and also seeing the promotional posters on the billboards everywhere in the entire city.

read more...

Ready to Taste the Difference?

this entry is neither about a new pizza parlor in Indonesia, nor a new bubble tea kiosk imitating its former. this is about a new upcoming Indonesian film called Quickie Express. those of you who are already experts in sexual terms probably have known what 'quickie' means. I'm not gonna talk about the term, but the film itself.

Quickie Express is just another film by Kalyana Shira, with Nia Dinata as the producer, and Dimas Djayadiningrat as the director. for some of Indonesian Cinemas' followers, those two names are already everyday's in-and-out; Nia Dinata as the personage of her various award-winning films, such as Arisan and Berbagi Suami, whereas Dimas Djay as one of the famous music videos director.

from what I read in its official website, Quickie will focus on the life of Gigolos in Indonesia. the genre of this film will be dark comedy, as in the story, the gigolos use a pizza delivery called 'Quickie Express' as their cover-up.

this film uses some overused actors (I'm not gonna say talented) as the main casts, such as Tora Sudiro (Arisan, Naga Bonar 2, Extravaganza.. don't have enough energy to continue), Lukman Sardi (Gie, 9 Naga, Jakarta Undercover.. really, need to save my remaining energy to do another one), and Aming (he's the famous comedian from the overrated Extravaganza and cameos in almost all films). Other than that, you can get some other names in Kalyana Shira website.

for sure, this film sounds promising, as Kalyana Shira has the habit of arising some irregular issues, especially in sexuality. we can see what they have done in almost every of their films, such as Arisan (homosexuals), Berbagi Suami (polygamy, lesbian), etc. However, looking at the actors and the director, I'm starting to doubt the reputation of this film. imagining Aming himself as one of the gigolos has already made myself loosing my apetite, and in addition, does any of you have heard of Tusuk Jelangkung? yes that crappy horror movie is Dimas Djay's. oh, and one more thing, looking at the photo I attached, those poses are far from the words 'sexy' and 'masculine' as the representation of what a gigolo is about. in fact, they, especially Aming in the middle, are sexgusting!

after all, one element of this film that makes me more interested is the writer itself, Joko Anwar. he is the raising star in Indonesia, in terms of the filmmaking. some of his gorgeous works can be seen through the award-winning Janji Joni, the controversial Jakarta Undercover, and the most recent one, Kala.

about the title, I'm not really sure what the hell 'Quickie Express' stands for. I mean, I know what those words are about (I'm not a native speaker but I'm not that dumb either), but are all the gigolos in the film having some kind of impotency or premature ejaculation problems due to the very-often-sex as part of their profession? if so, then the title represents that very well.

well, apart from that, I'm definitely gonna see this film as I'm already a fan of Kalyana Shira and Nia Dinata. I consider her as one of the most creative and idealistic producer, other than those Indian monsters (I'm not gonna say producers) with their horror wastes and teen-flick shits.

so I'm gonna follow the development of this film, and in the end I will prove whether what my writing here is true or not through another entry as the review. time will tell, and we just have to wait and see.

read more...