Movie Review: Me…Myself

“Omgneatfreak.”

Nothing can ever be too predictable with a Thai production – horror flicks like Shutter and Alone are proof of that. Me…Myself is a romance drama that sticks around in your head plainly because unlike the greater portion of romantic dramas, this doesn’t feature an all-too-familiar plot or a script that takes itself too seriously. No, Me…Myself brings you into a world of amnesia and transvesite cabarets that can only be summarized in one word: whoa.

And at the helm of it all is Ananda Everingham, who plays amnesia-suffering Tan. A gay dancer for a transvesite cabaret, he is one day robbed while making a phone call. To complicate matters, he is knocked down by a car almost immediately after, only to gain consciousness in the hospital and in the care of the guilty driver, Oom (Chayanan Manomaisantiphap). Thanks to the robbery and his failed memory, he is conveniently left without a clue to his past, and so gets to live with Oom until…something significant enough happens, which as you can imagine in a drama, does.

Although the two share almost the same amount of screentime, Chayana, despite her good looks, fails to hold a candle to Everingham, who, together with a charming character to play, great acting talent and good looks, easily takes the prize for “most attention-grabbing”. Perhaps the reason why Chayana fares so poorly besides her more experienced co-actor is her short resume in the business, Me…Myself being the first.

But what is so likable about the movie itself? Aside from Everingham who gives Tan a great boost at being endearingly, pinchably cute, kind and really, everything a woman will want in her man, the film doesn’t try overly hard on wrenching the tear gates. There is a generous amount of humour supplied by the writers, but having said that, the film isn’t a laugh-out-loud comedy, either. A good balance of wit, emotion and plot, the appropriate pacing only forces its audience to surrender to its gentle but memorable storytelling.

Movie Review: Idiocracy

“World’s largest bling bling.”

Idiocracy is proof that one doesn’t need a completely sensible opinion to be heard. It only takes a logical presentation to get the point across, like the film’s bizarre forecast of the human race in the future.

Using evidence from current population trends, it’s a wonder why the plot point of Idiocracy hasn’t been pondered upon earlier: with intellectual geniuses married to their various courses of study, the human race is doomed with lazy, uneducated beings whoring around and reproducing more than they should. The outcome? A very bleak future that sees the human species littered with undesirable and really stupid gene pools.

One of the more brilliant comedies around, Idiocracy may well be a twisted warning courtesy of the filmmakers. The film stars Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph, two volunteers for a time-travel experiment in which things go awry, leaving both stranded in a future further than planned. Instead of typical futuristic sights like flying cars and huge advances in technology, the two bear witness to a deteriorated society where sexual gratification is priority and in abundance, from the new Starbucks whoring heaven to just about every disease-carrying stranger loitering on the street. In fact, the two leads soon discover that they are the cleverest people alive, and are pressured into fixing the very horrors of the city!

The film doesn’t stop at the outrageousness of watering plants with Brawndo. No, it goes as far as over-the-top, bling-bling wearing ministers, presidents, and even a three-way tank battle resembling olden day arena battles – only the vehicles are too big to actually enter the arena.

Packed with an unforgiving amount of insanity and silliness, Idiocracy does succeed at turning heads with its bold impressions and “what if”s of the human future.

Movie Review: The Detective

“Nude corpse? Be right there!”

Aaron Kwok stars in this suspense thriller as improvised private detective Tam, bent on solving a series of what seem to be suicides. The investigation begins when he is approached by a man nicknamed Fatty, who claims he is followed by Sum, a lady with a vengeance out for his blood. With only a photo of Sum as a clue and a tempting offer from Fatty, Tam sets out to solve the mystery with determination and building curiosity. At first, the case looks fairly simple and isolated, but as bodies pile and clues accumulate, Tam’s suspicion of murder may be correct after all.

The Detective has every characteristic of a Pang Brothers production – from the familiar dark and dirty cinematic style and a play on shadows to the building of tense and loud sound effects of potentially gripping scenes, this is one crime film that scares as much as intrigues. With a reputation for twist endings in their films, The Detective isn’t much different from other entries on the Pang Brothers resume.

As the lead character with sole responsibility to determine the film’s success, Aaron Kwok gives an outstanding performance as not very successful C+ detective Tam. Convincing is quite an understatement as he sneaks in and out of crime scenes with a mix of determination, wit, curiosity and dare I say, comic relief. What’s so likable about the character is his humanity and proneness to both luck and error. With only help and support from a police constable friend, Tam flits through scenes with the charm of an independent hero, much like popular detective Nancy Drew. Quick on his feet in thoughts as well as actions, Tam no doubt helps move the plot along, contributing to the agreeable quick pacing of the film.

While the plot may run out of a little gas towards the ending, the stylish presentation will see the film through its final scene. A crime film with a touch of supernatural, The Detective is worth a shot at the cinema.

(First published at InCinemas)

Movie Review: Voice Of A Murderer

“Simple Simon says…”

What comes to mind with a title like Voice Of A Murderer is a psychological thriller that takes you into the head of a killer and how he reacts after taking the life of his victim. It’s only a matter of time before the title of this film becomes questionable when one realises it’s based on a real-life kidnapping case, instead of a…well, murder.

Based on an unsolved abduction in South Korea in 1991, the film very straightforwardly takes its audience through the rollercoaster ride of hope and despair of the boy’s distraught parents as they try in vain to negotiate with the kidnapper, only to have to come to terms with their son’s death 44 days after his disappearance.

The kind of film that begs to be fast-paced to engage, Voice Of A Murderer instead relies heavily on its emotional appeal. What starts off heartwarming to watch becomes an annoyance as the film drags on. Perhaps fidgeting is the intended reaction of the filmmakers to help audiences identify with the frustration of famous news anchor Han Kyung-bae (Seoul Gyeong-gu) and his wife (Kim Nam-ju), though that is possibly also the poorest way to get viewers to connect with the on-screen characters.

Just like the filmmakers who can’t seem to tell the difference between a murder and a kidnapping, the incompetency of the South Korean police department is just as painful to watch, not to mention their inappropriate attempts at providing comedic relief.

Certainly not one of the best movies made of a kidnapping case, Voice Of A Murderer is best left alone, if not just warranting a DVD rental.

(First published at InCinemas)