New York, I Love You

New York, I Love You (2009)

Typical is one thing New York, I Love You is not. Released in 2009, New York, I Love You captures the diversity in defining love throughout the city that never sleeps. This movie is a part of a series of sequels called the Cities of Love, founded and launched by the same producer Emmanuel Benbihy who is known in feature-length film producing. In general, the authenticity of this franchise is that each movie consists of a number of directors' work from around the globe compiling their idea of the theme and incorporating it into a movie. Thus, this movie should be interesting and new for viewers to experience.

Natalie Portman as Rifka Malone

Personally, I think Mira Nair's contribution to the movie has to be highlighted. The segment she directed featuring Natalie Portman and Irrfan Khan truly captured my attention as a viewer and a reviewer. I was utterly in awe as I felt entertained justifying Rifka Malone's (Natalie Portman) relationship with Mansuhk-bai, (Irrfan Khan) an Indian diamond merchant. In addition, Nair's idea of forging intercultural relationships in her segment was bold, mainly because the two cultures highlighted was not a typical match in the silver screen.

Shekhar Kapur's segment also got my attention out of the many short films in New York, I Love You. Kapur's segment portrayed a deeper definition to love. Featuring Julie Christie, Shia LeBouf and John Hurt, this part of the movie was moving and truly, properly artistic. Kapur's segment accentuates on how viewers perceive and label the kind of love portrayed.

One of Shekhar Kapur's memorable scenes featuring Julie Christie and Shia LeBouf

Watching New York, I Love You felt like a bargain in its own nature. First off, the cast. I can not remember the last time names such as Bradley Cooper, Andy Garcia, Shia LeBouf, Natalie Portman and many other talents assembled in a single movie. Seeing these names together would excite any movie go-er as the final product was expected to 'wow' viewers. Next, the fact that this movie was put together with ten short films, each one directed by different directors. In frank, it can get really confusing halfway through the movie as the segments only have the theme in common. Moreover, viewers might also experience a hint of dullness as some bits in the movie are unnecessarily draggy. All in all, New York, I Love You was an achievement that could be polished and should not be under-rated.

The Overture (Hom Rong)

The Overture (Hom Rong)

It is always a good experience to deal with the immense feeling of satisfaction, knowing you have watched something truly spectacular. The Overture managed to stir some of those emotions through its brilliance as a a great story. Directed by Ittisontorn Vichajlak, The Overture (Hom Rong in Thai) fictionalizes the life-story of a Thai palace musician Luang Pradit Phairoh in the late 19th century.

The story starts out with the elder Sorn (played by Adul Dulyarat) in bed recalling his childhood-fond moments. Sorn was from a family of musicians. From a young age Sorn has always been intrigued by the Ranad-ek. His father however forbids Sorn to play the instrument as he fears his family's dark history would repeat. Sorn's older brother was a skilled and gifted Ranad-ek player. His talent however caused him his life as he stirred some dissatisfaction and rivalry among other musicians. Despite this dark past, Sorn was determined to play the instrument and retreats himself to an abandoned temple in the jungle to familiarize himself with the Ranad-ek.

As time passes, Sorn's father lets him play after being consulted by a monk who advised that it is Sorn's right to play the Ranad_ek. Sorn (now played by a younger actor, Anuchyd Sapanphong) as a student of the art excelled tremendously to a point where he became the topic of talk for other bands. Sorn then starts to miss practice and becomes somewhat arrogant which lead him to be stunned by another mysterious matured Ranad-ek player. Post experiencing defeat, Sorn struggled to come to terms with himself but eventually he was fortunate enough to be offered a position in the palace's royal music entourage. Under the guidance of Master Tian, Sorn was able to learn and master various Thai classical instruments. Granted with astonishing musical skills, Sorn surprised many, including the King in the kingdom's musical competition. He dueled once again with the mysterious Ranad-ek player, only this time, Sorn triumphed.

Sorn performing in the kingdom's competition.

In all honesty, I would not have known that this is a movie with minimal budget. I appreciate the fact that the actor playing Sorn actually learnt how to play the Ranad-ek which reflects how realistic they want to make this movie. I also like how this movie flourish with genuine classical elements; the music, the wardrobe, the culture. All in all, The Overture has been a pleasure to watch as it lets viewers learn and be absorbed into a foreign culture.

Brave Enough (Amir Putra)

Merida and Queen Loraine arguing

10 minutes into the movie and something hit me. This is not a typical princess movie, this is not just for little girls. Brave is for everyone. Brave takes us deep into a different world filled with magic, enchantment and adventure. Different from most princesses, Merida (voice of Kelly MacDonald), is a 16 year, skilled archer, with a ridiculous horse riding ability; you can say that she is a bit of a tom boy. Her mother, Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson) was keen on keeping with their traditions as she fears if something bad were to happen to their kingdom. A game was organized to see who of the four families of Lords will be fit to marry the Princess. Being young and naive, Merida views her life in a more different and particular way, different than what her mother had plan for her. 

Frustrated with her mother's orders, Merida fled into the woods and find herself making a deal with an odd lady who happens to be a witch. Soon after returning to her castle, the queen transformed into a bear and stirred havoc and panic in the Dun Broch castle. The queen is now in danger as she was misunderstood as their enemy. Merida's father, King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly)was outraged and initiated asearch and kill as he thought the bear killed the queen upon finding her shredded clothes. Merida and Queen Loraine went through an epic journey and discovers a long lost bond between themselves, as mother and daughter. 

Disney and PIXAR's Brave

Brave is entertaining because it is a non-typical princess movie. I appreciate the fact that it strays away from all the cliche princess-ness and creating a heroic figure. Brave also has an amazing moral value as an asset that may touch hearts. In essence, the CGI was very detailed and meticulous which made watching it sublime for the audience. All in all, Brave is an entertaining piece by Pixar who time and time again bring us great animations.

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa takes viewers back to ancient civilization where East meets West under extraordinary circumstances. A Roman fleet lead by Marcus Carpenius (Gavin Stenhouse), was sent on a journey to Langkasuka (now known as Kedah) to establish a relationship with the Chinese Empire through a diplomatic marriage with the princess of Han dynasty in hopes of broadening both their empire. Along the way, the Roman fleet was caught in a heavy storm which caused the fleet to gain massive losses. This incident resulted them to drop anchor in Goa. There, the Roman prince met Merong Mahawangsa (Stephen Rahman Hughes) and seek for his help and knowledge of the sea to aid the Romans to reach Langkasuka. As they continued their journey which was then accompanied by Merong who claimed to be a descendant of Alexander The Great, a notorious pirate tribe called Garuda attacked the fleet and kidnapped Meng Li Hua (Jing Lusi), the Chinese princess of Han dynasty. The Roman and Chinese troops were defeated along with Merong though they have fought valiantly as they were outnumbered by the vicious pirates. 

Merong treated after battle.

Upon his recovery from the battle, Merong decided that he must avenge Marcus' whom he thought was dead and save the princess. To do so, he united the people of Langkasuka and planned an assault on the home of the pirates which was filled with danger and challenges.

Even before this movie was launched, it was talked about and waited by the local movie viewers. It was stated that the budget for this movie was RM 8 million which, in a growing movie scene like Malaysia, is an abundant amount. It shows that the industry is growing in support of movies such as this. In my opinion, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa sets a new standard for the Malaysian film scene. As a viewer, I can easily say hand on heart that this movie though not perfect, is entertaining and well produced. It is heavy with drama and the right elements for a movie such as this. Though the mastering of the CGI is not up to par as other international films, I have to give credits to KRU for daring themselves to risk their millions into something new to the industry.

Kamawas played by Khir Rahman

In Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, I was amazed at the list of actors that KRU has put together and Khir Rahman's performance as Kamawas was fantastic in my opinion. He successfully portrayed Kamawas as a vicious head of the pirates, a true antagonist. I noticed that he used body language to project the characters badass-ness which I think is effective in his character as the villain. I have always admired Khir Rahman's acting as he carries most of his characters well in the big screen.

All in all, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa is a giant, positive leap for Malaysia's film industry as I'm sure that local film producers and directors would try to achieve something as good or even better than this movie. Yes, the movie is flawed in some areas but nevertheless, I was entertained and appreciate the level of authenticity in Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa.