The February Films (review)

Cowboy Bebop is a "space-western" set in the year 2071 . Humans have colonized the solar system, terraforming Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. Enforcing the law in the vastness of space is impossible, so it falls to "space cowboys" (bounty hunters) to track down criminals and turn them in to claim their reward. The Bebop is a ship owned by ex-policeman-turned-cowboy Jet Black, who travels the galaxy with his partner, the charismatic ex-mobster Spike Spiegal. Early in the series they pick up Faye Valentine, a selfish and cynical woman who regularly makes off with their earnings; Ed, a young hacker who has a very odd take on life; and Ein, a corgi with human-like intelligence. Unlike other series there is barely a "main" plotline. The 26 "sessions" of Cowboy Bebop revolve around the individual agendas and histories of the crew. It's the deep character development that makes this show memorable, coupled with the enchanting film noir style. House MD is doubtless one of the most engaging drama series ever shown on TV. Dr. Gregory House suffers chronic pain due to a misdiagnosed thigh infarction that also left him a cripple - and very miserable. He's eccentric, cynical, misanthropic; but also brilliant. Modelled after the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, House and his team of diagnosticians take on difficult cases which have stumped everyone else. House's take on life is what keeps you coming back every episode. The show may be formulaic, and House always abusive, but you can never manage to predict what he says.

House: You have a parasite. Woman: Can you do anything about it? House: Only for about a month or so. After that it becomes illegal to remove — except in a couple of states. Woman: Illegal? House: Don't worry. Many women learn to embrace this parasite.

Oh yes, he does have a heart of gold beneath all that, but he's not going to let you know. The show itself addresses many ethical issues (all medical dramas do), particularly on the tendency of people to lie - "Everybody lies" being House's catchphrase. But it does bring out the shades of gray in many issues and makes you think. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy could have been a great movie. It's based on a series of sci-fi comedy books of the same name. It starts off with dolphins heralding the end of the world with the song So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish! Then we have Arthur Dent, a geeky Englishman who finds out his friend Ford Prefect is actually an alien. Ford saves him from sharing the fate of Earth, which is vapourized by the Vogons to make way for a hyperspace interstate. "There's no point acting all surprised about it, the plans and demolition orders have been on display at your local planning office in Alpha Centauri for 50 Earth years." Ford is also in the process of writing a handbook of the galaxy, hilarious excerpts of which are occasionally read out. They meet Trillian, the only other surviving Earthling; Zaphod, part-time President of the Galaxy; and Marvin, a manically-depressed robot. It turns out that long ago the ultimate computer, Deep Thought, was built to answer the the meaning of life, the universe and everything. When the Ultimate Answer was returned: "42", it was realised that its creators had neglected to define the Ultimate Question. Oh it could have been so much fun. But in a dastardly demonstration of Hollywoodism we are treated instead to Arthur's infatuation with Trillian and the story devolves into a cliched romance. Although admittedly, being an endangered species might alter one's priorities in life...

The Muhamamd Cartoons (again)

The Sarawak Tribune, a 60-year old newspaper, was suspended indefinitely on February 9 and its top officials forced to resign for republishing the cartoons earlier this month. It is ironic that it was headlined "Cartoon No Big Issue Here" since it was the very thing making it into a big issue! Then Guangming Daily was suspended for two weeks starting Feb 16 for printing a picture of someone looking at the caricatures in the paper. The Malaysian press and politicians universally lambasted them and accused them of ignoring Muslim sensitivities. The latest development is The New Straits Times - which had joined in the crucifixition of these two papers - running the syndicated Non-Sequitir cartoon in its comic section on February 20, which commented on the issue. The cartoon showed a street cartoonist, presumably an Arab Muslim, sitting down with a sign next to him saying "Caricatures of Muhammad while you wait". Initially the NST displayed a show of righteous indignance, first at being pointed at in the first place, then for being issued a show-cause letter by the Government. Today, an unreserved apology is published and the NST submissively "will willingly accept any action deemed fit by the Government". The media witch-hunt is far from over, though. Closer to home, a thread was started at my university forums discussing the issue. It went fairly smoothly at first. Indeed, I always thought it admirable that people could take part in (relatively) level-headed discussion there about sensitive topics. One moderate Muslim in particular managed to win over an irate student with his calm views. Sadly it all spiralled downhill after fundamentalist students spammed the threads and instant-messaged their friends online to join in. Someone alerted Student Affairs, and immediately a letter was dispatched to the Student Publication Board (which runs the forums) ordering them to delete all topics which touched on religious, political, or race issues. So now we have a "Rule 14" on the forums prohibiting discussion on these topics on fear of being banned. Living in Malaysia is like living on a bed of eggshells.

The Inspired Cabinet

PM Abdullah Badawi has finally received the inspiration he needed to form a new Cabinet. And what a disappointing one it is! Out of 72 ministers and deputy ministers a total of four were dropped (including Higher Education Minister Dr Shafie Salleh), with the rest of the appointments akin to a game of musical chairs. Noh Omar, the ex-Deputy Home Affairs Minister infamous for his "kalau you tak suka you keluar dari Malaysia" remark, became the new Deputy Education Minister. The other "appointments" saw ministers being reassigned within the Cabinet. Rafidah Aziz was retained, surviving the Approved Permits (AP) controversy, immediately claiming God's mandate and declaring she is still in charge of APs (or isn't she?). Joceline Tan of The Star delivered the requisite fawning analysis with the following whopper:

Those trying to understand the Prime Minister’s rationale behind the changes must remember that his decisions are not solely based on qualifications, ability and performance. Party politics is about compromise and consensus and he has to accommodate the interests not only of his own party but that of the component parties who worked together to bring him the biggest mandate ever won by a prime minister in the general election.

These are astonishing insights indeed, considering that Abdullah also announced a new committee to monitor his Cabinet's performance (has he lost faith in them already?). Naturally, this panel is anonymous and its findings are unlikely to be made public. Abdullah's huge mandate in the previous polls was based on his promises of reform. So far he has not delivered. Now his next chance is the impending Ninth Malaysia Plan. Keep your fingers crossed people!

The Mugging

One of my most memorable expriences was being mugged in Pudu bus station in KL in my first year in university. I was there in the wee hours of the morning on the way to an interview for a scholarship. I was groggy from the journey but still distractedly going over what to say in the interview when two Chinese men sat down next to me and started murmuring something - in Mandarin. That's right, I was being mugged but unaware of it! After getting fed up with my blank stares one of them pointed a small knife at me and patted my wallet. Light dawned. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared stiff, but after the initial shock some measure of rationality came back to me - although no one seemed to notice, I was still in a fairly public place. I remember asking them to leave me with ten dollars - in Hokkien - so I could still take the taxi to the interview. They asked for my handphone, I pretended to turn out my pockets to show them I didn't have one (I did). Before leaving they took a close look at my watch and decided it wasn't worth stealing...oh well.

The Night of Celebration

This has been a very busy week for me. Night of Celebration IV was held yesterday in the MMU Main Hall. As with every year it was packed with some people standing at the back or sitting on the floor the whole show - due in part because the play had free admission, but also because of the reputation the show has received over the years. The consensus of the audience was that the play was good, but not on par with previous years. I expected this really - we had to shift from a Christmas theme to a "normal" play due to MMU's shuffle of the academic timetable. The script was also a little weak. All appreciated the amount of work put into the play though. The start of the play was hilarious: the VIP was late as usual, but Mark Choo the resident photography/video expert had things all planned. We had a Powerpoint telling the audience to clap and cheer to warm up for the show, then we replayed some trailers and adverts done by him. The audience who were unaware that we were trying to kill time probably thought we were very full of ourselves... Every year after doing the Flash for the play I tell myself "Damn I'm good!!". The following year I look back at what I did the previous year and I say to myself... "My goodness I really sucked." Well this year all I have to say is - Damn, I'm good!

The Introduction Proper

I initially skipped making an introductory post but I think I'm ready to do one now. My mother tells me my blog is too serious; my father cautions me regularly about anything controversial I write about; my sister complains I am too strict about blogging. Blogging can be many things. Some people use their blogs as diaries, some use theirs to promote a product, some use their blogs to inform. While the concept and popularity of blogging may be relatively new, the reason behind it is simple: to communicate. Ours is an age of communication and expression where anyone can have their say, if anyone wants to listen. Writing is the most effective means of communicating and expressing ourselves. You have all the time in the world to write and what you write can be recorded for the future. But writing for the sake of writing is meaningless, writing by its nature must have a purpose. Writing for yourself is no doubt satisfying. It is a chance to put on paper (or screen) what you are thinking, to reflect or to keep for yourself to look back on. Before anyone attempts to understand others one must first understand yourself. Writing for others is the next step, and it is also more fulfilling. What is more meaningful - and more powerful - than the ability to inform and change the perceptions of others? Writing for others also holds you accountable for what you write and challenges you to prove the validity of what you say and think. Both sides gain. And that's why I write.

The Muhammad Cartoons

The controversy, and the picture that says it all. [Edit] It seems the link to the picture was taken down - now THAT really says it all!

The January Films (review)

Saved! (2004) is a satirical teenage comedy revolving around the students of a Christian high school. Jena Malone plays Mary, who is devastated when her boyfriend tells her that he's gay. In her misguided quest to redeem him she ends up pregnant, which leads to a crisis of faith and sets the pace for the movie. Mandy Moore, who mentioned in an interview that doing Saved! was like "scratching an itch" for her, again proves she can act as well as sing (unlike some other people*cough* Britney *cough* Carey *cough* Lindsay *cough* Hillary ). She plays Hilary Faye, the leader of the Christian clique at school who takes it upon herself to take Mary out of her doubts. Her constant recital of Christian catchphrases, exaggerated piety and superiority complex is a jab at the Pentecostal anti-intellectual stereotype. Macaulay Culkin and Eva Amurri round up the supporting cast with excellent performances as Roland and Cassandra. Roland is Hilary's wheelchair-bound brother who wears everyone out with his cynicism and is the only atheist in the movie. Cassandra is a Jew, the antisocial goth outcast of the school who resists Hilary's approaches to convert her. There are many things good about Saved!. It is genuinely funny at times (Hilary directs her clique to kidnap Mary in an attempt to exorcise her out of doubt) and piercing in others (the school headmaster tells Mary's divorced mother that their love for each other is the cause of the problems in the school). And in a reversal of roles it is Roland and Cass, the least religious of the group, who accept and support Mary in her dilemma. It is a thousand times better than the horrific Pamela's Prayer at least... Ghost in the Shell (1995) is a sci-fi anime set in a future where cybernetic implants are common and biotechnology has advanced to a level where the entire human body can be artificially replaced. Major Motoko Kusanagi is one such person, possessing a wholly cybernetic body with the exception of her brain and a small part of her spine. A member of Section 9 of the Internal Bureau of Investigations, which owns her cybernetic body, she and her team are tasked to investigate the emergence of the Puppet Master, a criminal who has the ability to hack into the minds of his victims. A major theme in the movie is the self-entity. In a world where every feature of the body can be artificially duplicated and enhanced save for one's soul (the ghost), the question is what determines who you are. In the haunting opening a man discovers that his entire life was a lie, a product of memories implanted by the Puppet Master. Kusanagi states to her partner that if Section 9 had already duplicated her brain, she might not be aware of it. The Wachowski brothers mentioned in interviews that Ghost in the Shell was an inspiration for the Matrix movies, evident in the similar themes of duality and the ability of the characters to project their "ghost" into computer systems. Ghost in the Shell was ahead of its time both in graphics quality and plot, and is a classic even for people unfamiliar with anime. Fearless (2006) is Jet Li's last movie with a martial arts story (he clarified that it would not be his last action film however). Unfortunately as with all of his other martial arts films the plot is predictable and cliched. A young child fights his way to becoming the greatest fighter in his district, and in his journey becomes arrogant and selfish, culminating in the death of his greatest opponent. In revenge his mother and daughter are killed, which begins a journey of soul-searching. I think I tuned out of the movie at this point. On this journey he stumbles upon a peasant family and helps them work the paddy fields, developing a connection with a girl who is not only blind (cooks well though) but also plays the flute! The film may have a bigger budget than his old films - very obvious from the numerous macro shots - but whatever the amount of icing you use there is only so much cliche you can stomach. The action is no doubt amazing though. Jet Li is as perfect as always and the choreography is spot-on. The fights between the American wrestler and Japanese were sheer pleasure. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) is a beautiful movie that paints an engrossing picture of a geisha's life. My only major complaint is the language used, for much of the movie it was hard to adjust to Chinese actors playing Japanese who speak English! But that was probably the only way to get American audiences to watch it. It's worth noting that Michelle Yeoh is actually quite good in the movie, something you wouldn't know from her latest films. Gong Li is convincing as Hatsumomo, the aging, upstaged geisha who shared the same dreams as Chiyo (Zhang Ziyi) a long time ago but went unfulfilled.