Review for 'Qabil Khushry Qabil Igam' done.
Go here.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Qabil Khushry Qabil Igam (2007)
Terima kasih Nur Adila dari TV3 atas jemputan ini.
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"Bernafsu betul aku tengok si Karisma tu..."- Izi Yahya as Asrul, QKQI
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Awas. Beberapa spoilers yang tidak mengancam jiwa di hadapan.
'Tarikan Nafsu'
Acara Pratonton
Acara dimulakan jam 3 petang, agak tersasar dari dijadualkan di jemputan iaitu jam 2.15 petang, barangkali ada tetamu penting yang tidak dapat mencari ruang letak kereta di Midvalley ataupun hal-hal lain yang tak dapat dielakkan (biasalah, kalau ada acara pratonton filem yang mula pada masanya, aku akan bagi anugerah khas kepada produksi filem itu). Menarik sekali apabila majlis-majlis pratonton dimulakan dengan bacaan doa, yang antara lain isinya secara literal memohon agar penonton dapat menangkap apa mesej yang ingin disampaikan oleh filem ini serta ia akan mendapat sambutan. Sekali lagi Ally Iskandar menjadi emcee (di pratonton filem Cinta juga dia).
En. Mansor
Aku sempat berkenalan dan berbual dengan En. Mansor serta rakannya dari Creative Enterprise. Menurut En. Mansor beliau dah lima tahun tak menonton filem tempatan di pawagam kerana tidak puas hati dengan apa yang ditayangkan. Aku cuba yakinkan beliau bahawa lanskap filem tempatan kini sudah berubah lebih baik, sambil mengharap QKQI akan dapat menyokong pernyataan aku itu.
Yang Menjadi
Permulaan dengan kelahiran yang menggembirakan, diakhiri dengan kematian yang tragis. Cantik dari segi perjalanan filem di samping warna-warna yang cantik di mata dalam penggambaran filem ini (hey, berani kau kata Rusdi Ramli tak cantik pakai baju kurung warna oren?).
QKQI menjadi saksi hasil assignment selepas kajian bahawa antara formula-formula filem tempatan yang laku adalah elemen komedi (banyak kelucuan yang membuatkan satu panggung ketawa), melodrama (penonton sebelah aku siap menangis tersedu-sedan. Tapi Kursus Ted 101 : Kelebihan 'cheese' akan membuatkan Ted berkata "buwerk!" But this is personal preference.) dan cinta-kasih-sayang-pengorbanan. Secara berasingan, elemen-elemen itu agak berjaya. Muzik mendayu oleh Mohram melengkapkan resepi kajian ini.
Pelakon-pelakon seperti Rusdi Ramli, Erra Fazira dan Maimon Mutalib pula membuktikan bahawa harga pengalaman adalah mahal dan berbaloi. Special mention untuk Hans Isaac waktu aksi tarian lagu Bollywoodnya, you rock-lah bro.
Selain itu filem ini ada CGI! Dan CGInya juga sangat menjadi, sungguh real sampai tak perasan.
'Kecelaruan Genre'?
Ok, mari kita beranalogi:-
Itulah yang aku rasa dan mengapa aku nyatakan di atas 'secara berasingan'. QKQI dimulakan dengan cuitan-cuitan lelucon dan sedikit slapstick yang pada aku secara dasar tak ada salahnya. Seluruh panggung bergelak ketawa di saat Qabil Khushry (Hans) dan Qabil Igam (Rusdi) dilahirkan, di saat Karisma (Erra) kentut sembunyi-sembunyi dalam air dan waktu Rani (Ziana) tergedik-gedik memikat Khushry. Cuma aku agak rimas melihat rupa-rupa pelakon 30-an cuba meremajakan diri mereka, dari segi fizikal pun rimas (terutama yang lelaki), dari segi lakonan yang kadangkala over pun rimas. Aku rasa akan lebih meyakinkan jika diambil pelakon muda lain untuk watak-watak remaja ini.
Fast forward ke separuh kedua filem.
Elemen tragedi diperkenalkan. Uhh.. memang tragis, dan kesedihan-kesedihan mula bertimpa-timpa. Tapi tunggu! Tadi gelak hahahahaha. Sekarang kena sedih. Serius. Drama. Eh kelakar balik? Eh nak rasa sedih ke kelakar? Eh? Eh?
Faktor ini amat mengganggu aku di separuh kedua filem hinggakan ke tahap aku secara fizikal 'menggelupur' menunggu filem ini selesai. Pada pendapat aku seorang pengarah harus lebih teliti jika ingin membaurkan elemen-elemen yang bertentangan. Emosi penonton seakan 'dicuri ayam' apabila mood filem telah berubah, masih ada saki-baki lawak yang tidak habis. Aku fikir QKQI akan lebih padu dalam tambatan emosi jika selepas titik perubahan komedi-ke-tragedi, selitan-selitan dialog / babak lucu ditiadakan langsung jika formula bagi tahap komedi yang dipaparkan selepas titik perubahan dikhuatiri melebihi skala yang sepatutnya. Baru nak cuba ambik feel rasa sedih, sekali zassss dia bagi lawak - 'potong stim' kata orang. Kemudian diselitkan pula babak ala-ala iklan khidmat masyarakat yang seperti disuap-suap (rujuk Kursus Ted 101 : Ted pantang di'shovel' dengan idealisme apa sekalipun secara kaedah buku teks apabila menonton filem). Aku kira isu kecelaruan genre inilah yang menjadi the main falling disgrace bagi QKQI, di mana jika tidak mungkin aku masih dapat merasa lebih puas menontonnya.
Apabila Pengarah Iklan, Penulis Telemovie ke Layar Lebar
Aku mudah excited apabila ada pembikin hasil seni 'melompat' kelasnya (walau masih tak tukar major, tukar major adalah apabila dari penyanyi jadi penulis buku), lebih-lebih lagi jika dalam kelas lamanya beliau menghasilkan karya-karya yang bagus dan mendapat perhatian ramai. Walaupun aku tak pernah mendengar nama En Zaili Sulan, aku yakin pasti beliau ada 'sesuatu' di 'kelas lamanya' (iklan komersil dan video muzik) - menjadi pengarah bagi anugerah Muzik Video Terbaik di Anugerah Industri Muzik 2002 pasti 'sesuatu' kan. Dan 'sesuatu' inilah yang aku harapkan. Tapi aku hampa kerana 'sesuatu' itu masih belum dapat diterjemahkan dengan berjaya dalam pembikinan QKQI. Ada ketikanya juga aku terasa seperti mengadap latihan praktikal kursus Camerawork 203 : Multiple styles in film-shooting - celah-celah objek, zoom dekat, POV atas, POV bawah, seakan ada yang tak kena.
Bagaimanapun dialog-dialog garapan Azlina Pa'Wan konsisten dengan hasil beliau sebelum ini walaupun ada babak seperti mengingatkan kita kepada telemovie-telemovie bahagian akhir kisah-kisah anak derhaka di mana emak merajuk dan menangis di dalam hujan. Mungkin kerana jika nak dibandingkan tempoh tayangan telemovie dan filem tidak banyak bezanya serta antara telemovie/filem itu sendiri adalah kategori 'lompat kelas', bukanlah perubahan major maka penulis yang baik akan dapat merasa selesa menyelesaikan assignment ini. Cuma pembauran komedi-drama itu, kerja siapa, aduh, aduh, aduh.
Nak Tengok Ke?
Jika kau tegar menyokong filem tempatan, pergilah.
Jika kau suka pelakon-pelakon utama filem ini, pergilah.
Jika kau suka Bollywood dan hiburan adalah agenda ultimate kau, pergilah.
Jangan termakan bulat-bulat ulasan-ulasan penulis-penulis berbayar atau tidak berbayar di media cetak mahupun media alternatif kerana at the end of the day, anda sendiri yang paling tahu untuk menentukan citarasa sendiri.
En Mansor Pulang
Sayang, En. Mansor pulang dengan menyuarakan rasa yang agak kecewa dan aku tak fikir dia akan kembali untuk menonton filem tempatan di pawagam dalam tempoh lima tahun lagi.
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P.S. - Isu unsur Bollywood filem ini aku tak berapa sentuh kerana dah banyak ditulis oleh orang lain. Sila Google, kay.
Awas. Beberapa spoilers yang tidak mengancam jiwa di hadapan.
'Tarikan Nafsu'
Aku memenuhi undangan preview filem pertama terbitan Sonata Film ini setelah melihat nama penulis skrip Azlina Pa'Wan (antara rekod beliau adalah cereka tv Miftahul Jamilah dan drama bersiri Sephia di Samarenda) serta nama pengarah yang tak biasa aku dengar - Zaili Sulan - kerana aku pada ketika ini sangat-sangat suka melihat kelahiran penerbit dan pengarah-pengarah baru di persada perfileman tempatan. Dua perkara inilah yang membuatkan aku rasa sedikit bernafsu (haha) kerana jika sekadar berpandukan tajuk filem (iras sebuah filem Bollywood) dan poster (sangat mengingatkan kita dengan Maria Mariana, tsk), maaf, aku tak fikir aku akan senang-senang mengambil cuti setengah hari untuk melangkah ke panggung.
Acara Pratonton
Acara dimulakan jam 3 petang, agak tersasar dari dijadualkan di jemputan iaitu jam 2.15 petang, barangkali ada tetamu penting yang tidak dapat mencari ruang letak kereta di Midvalley ataupun hal-hal lain yang tak dapat dielakkan (biasalah, kalau ada acara pratonton filem yang mula pada masanya, aku akan bagi anugerah khas kepada produksi filem itu). Menarik sekali apabila majlis-majlis pratonton dimulakan dengan bacaan doa, yang antara lain isinya secara literal memohon agar penonton dapat menangkap apa mesej yang ingin disampaikan oleh filem ini serta ia akan mendapat sambutan. Sekali lagi Ally Iskandar menjadi emcee (di pratonton filem Cinta juga dia).
En. Mansor
Aku sempat berkenalan dan berbual dengan En. Mansor serta rakannya dari Creative Enterprise. Menurut En. Mansor beliau dah lima tahun tak menonton filem tempatan di pawagam kerana tidak puas hati dengan apa yang ditayangkan. Aku cuba yakinkan beliau bahawa lanskap filem tempatan kini sudah berubah lebih baik, sambil mengharap QKQI akan dapat menyokong pernyataan aku itu.
Yang Menjadi
Permulaan dengan kelahiran yang menggembirakan, diakhiri dengan kematian yang tragis. Cantik dari segi perjalanan filem di samping warna-warna yang cantik di mata dalam penggambaran filem ini (hey, berani kau kata Rusdi Ramli tak cantik pakai baju kurung warna oren?).
QKQI menjadi saksi hasil assignment selepas kajian bahawa antara formula-formula filem tempatan yang laku adalah elemen komedi (banyak kelucuan yang membuatkan satu panggung ketawa), melodrama (penonton sebelah aku siap menangis tersedu-sedan. Tapi Kursus Ted 101 : Kelebihan 'cheese' akan membuatkan Ted berkata "buwerk!" But this is personal preference.) dan cinta-kasih-sayang-pengorbanan. Secara berasingan, elemen-elemen itu agak berjaya. Muzik mendayu oleh Mohram melengkapkan resepi kajian ini.
Pelakon-pelakon seperti Rusdi Ramli, Erra Fazira dan Maimon Mutalib pula membuktikan bahawa harga pengalaman adalah mahal dan berbaloi. Special mention untuk Hans Isaac waktu aksi tarian lagu Bollywoodnya, you rock-lah bro.
Selain itu filem ini ada CGI! Dan CGInya juga sangat menjadi, sungguh real sampai tak perasan.
'Kecelaruan Genre'?
Ok, mari kita beranalogi:-
(aku guna analogi berasas makanan kerana aku sedang diet)Tetapi di sini premis logik tidak boleh dipakai jika cuba makan mi kari setengah pinggan, kemudian potong setengah cheesecake itu dan masukkan dalam mangkuk mi kari, gaul-gaul dan makan, dan akhir sekali baru habiskan setengah potong cheesecake yang masih berbaki. Macam mana rasanya? Berganda sedap kah kombinasi dua makanan yang sedap ini? Sendiri jawab haa.
1. Mi kari adalah makanan yang sedap.
2. Cheesecake juga adalah makanan yang sedap.
Itulah yang aku rasa dan mengapa aku nyatakan di atas 'secara berasingan'. QKQI dimulakan dengan cuitan-cuitan lelucon dan sedikit slapstick yang pada aku secara dasar tak ada salahnya. Seluruh panggung bergelak ketawa di saat Qabil Khushry (Hans) dan Qabil Igam (Rusdi) dilahirkan, di saat Karisma (Erra) kentut sembunyi-sembunyi dalam air dan waktu Rani (Ziana) tergedik-gedik memikat Khushry. Cuma aku agak rimas melihat rupa-rupa pelakon 30-an cuba meremajakan diri mereka, dari segi fizikal pun rimas (terutama yang lelaki), dari segi lakonan yang kadangkala over pun rimas. Aku rasa akan lebih meyakinkan jika diambil pelakon muda lain untuk watak-watak remaja ini.
Fast forward ke separuh kedua filem.
Elemen tragedi diperkenalkan. Uhh.. memang tragis, dan kesedihan-kesedihan mula bertimpa-timpa. Tapi tunggu! Tadi gelak hahahahaha. Sekarang kena sedih. Serius. Drama. Eh kelakar balik? Eh nak rasa sedih ke kelakar? Eh? Eh?
Faktor ini amat mengganggu aku di separuh kedua filem hinggakan ke tahap aku secara fizikal 'menggelupur' menunggu filem ini selesai. Pada pendapat aku seorang pengarah harus lebih teliti jika ingin membaurkan elemen-elemen yang bertentangan. Emosi penonton seakan 'dicuri ayam' apabila mood filem telah berubah, masih ada saki-baki lawak yang tidak habis. Aku fikir QKQI akan lebih padu dalam tambatan emosi jika selepas titik perubahan komedi-ke-tragedi, selitan-selitan dialog / babak lucu ditiadakan langsung jika formula bagi tahap komedi yang dipaparkan selepas titik perubahan dikhuatiri melebihi skala yang sepatutnya. Baru nak cuba ambik feel rasa sedih, sekali zassss dia bagi lawak - 'potong stim' kata orang. Kemudian diselitkan pula babak ala-ala iklan khidmat masyarakat yang seperti disuap-suap (rujuk Kursus Ted 101 : Ted pantang di'shovel' dengan idealisme apa sekalipun secara kaedah buku teks apabila menonton filem). Aku kira isu kecelaruan genre inilah yang menjadi the main falling disgrace bagi QKQI, di mana jika tidak mungkin aku masih dapat merasa lebih puas menontonnya.
Apabila Pengarah Iklan, Penulis Telemovie ke Layar Lebar
Aku mudah excited apabila ada pembikin hasil seni 'melompat' kelasnya (walau masih tak tukar major, tukar major adalah apabila dari penyanyi jadi penulis buku), lebih-lebih lagi jika dalam kelas lamanya beliau menghasilkan karya-karya yang bagus dan mendapat perhatian ramai. Walaupun aku tak pernah mendengar nama En Zaili Sulan, aku yakin pasti beliau ada 'sesuatu' di 'kelas lamanya' (iklan komersil dan video muzik) - menjadi pengarah bagi anugerah Muzik Video Terbaik di Anugerah Industri Muzik 2002 pasti 'sesuatu' kan. Dan 'sesuatu' inilah yang aku harapkan. Tapi aku hampa kerana 'sesuatu' itu masih belum dapat diterjemahkan dengan berjaya dalam pembikinan QKQI. Ada ketikanya juga aku terasa seperti mengadap latihan praktikal kursus Camerawork 203 : Multiple styles in film-shooting - celah-celah objek, zoom dekat, POV atas, POV bawah, seakan ada yang tak kena.
Bagaimanapun dialog-dialog garapan Azlina Pa'Wan konsisten dengan hasil beliau sebelum ini walaupun ada babak seperti mengingatkan kita kepada telemovie-telemovie bahagian akhir kisah-kisah anak derhaka di mana emak merajuk dan menangis di dalam hujan. Mungkin kerana jika nak dibandingkan tempoh tayangan telemovie dan filem tidak banyak bezanya serta antara telemovie/filem itu sendiri adalah kategori 'lompat kelas', bukanlah perubahan major maka penulis yang baik akan dapat merasa selesa menyelesaikan assignment ini. Cuma pembauran komedi-drama itu, kerja siapa, aduh, aduh, aduh.
Nak Tengok Ke?
Jika kau tegar menyokong filem tempatan, pergilah.
Jika kau suka pelakon-pelakon utama filem ini, pergilah.
Jika kau suka Bollywood dan hiburan adalah agenda ultimate kau, pergilah.
Jangan termakan bulat-bulat ulasan-ulasan penulis-penulis berbayar atau tidak berbayar di media cetak mahupun media alternatif kerana at the end of the day, anda sendiri yang paling tahu untuk menentukan citarasa sendiri.
En Mansor Pulang
Sayang, En. Mansor pulang dengan menyuarakan rasa yang agak kecewa dan aku tak fikir dia akan kembali untuk menonton filem tempatan di pawagam dalam tempoh lima tahun lagi.
----------------
P.S. - Isu unsur Bollywood filem ini aku tak berapa sentuh kerana dah banyak ditulis oleh orang lain. Sila Google, kay.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
(non) Progress update
Demmit. I knew it, I didn't actually lose anything last time.
This morning's weigh-in session revealed that I'm back to square one after six days - 60.1kg.
Every day I'll be sabotaging The Great Diet Plan with one yummy item or another - a karipap or four (this is my BIGGEST vice), a breakfast danish, a couple of cheese crossaints, the handfuls of dhal marukku, extra servings of ikan masak lemak, those irresistible multiple helpings of begedil, well, etcetera etcetera.
Must. Have. Stronger. Willpower.
(starts chant)
One karipap is enough.
One karipap is enough.
One karipap is enough.
One karipap is enough.
[image credit]
Monday, January 22, 2007
Ted's Fight Against The Fat!
1. The Announcement
Yeah, see the above ticker?
Ted is officially on a Diet!
2. The Facts
For a short person like Ted, 60kg is quite overweight as she's supposed to be around the 48kg vicinity. Please don't ask what her height is - that's classified information. Even Sheila Majid is taller than her, k. And if you've known Ted for quite sometime, you're gonna notice that she has gained significant kgs in the past three years.
(Now why am I writing in the third-person viewpoint nih?)
3. The Why?
1) Being overweight is plainly, NOT HEALTHY. Gaining 16kgs in 3 years is another point under the NOT HEALTHY files. Believe it or not, I was 44kg in 2003. Hehe gua sendiri pun macam tak percaya.
2) I have a whole cupboard section and drawer with all the cute tops, kebayas and jeans that I can't fit into anymore. Even my baju kurungs are ketat now, ya'know.
3. The Plan
Erm, well, anyhoo this ain't one of them strict high-protein-low-carb, three-hour-daily-fat-burning-cardio-regime, no-fat-high-fibre or whatever stuff. Mati la kalau aku kena buat macam tu. I'm gonna do it pretty low-key, like, with proper nutritions and actual meals. Chewah. Plus exercise, of course. (Now THAT's another part that's worth a whole post on its own.)
And I'm doing it all with the aid of - (drumroll please) - Herbalife.
How could I not? I've been reading about the wonders of this thing online for a couple of months and I've gone for it line, hook and sinker. I've succumbed to their sweet promises of delicious shakes, lose weight though you still eat quite normally, nutritionally complete meal replacements and the oh-so-wonderful testimonials.
Call me a sucker, heh. But we'll see lah how.
The product is kinda expensive, so that will motivate me, I hope. For RM365 I get a box (cutesynamed 'Start Now Pack') with 3 containers of whey protein powder, nutritionally-complete strawberry shake powder and a tea-mix. Don't forget the scoop and the shake-mixer!
5. The How
Actually, I've a suspicion that simply by controlling my makan and exercising three times a week, one really COULD lose weight just fine, but I don't have strong-enough willpower to work on that alone. Now that I've spent some cold, hard RM on this, supposedly it'll motivate me to tahan myself from reaching out for yet another of those yummy karipaps at the cafeteria. Man I'm real partial to ALL kinds of karipaps - be it beef, chicken, sardine or simply plain kentang.
So here's how it's supposed to work : I'll be replacing my breakfasts and dinners with a concoction of the shake and whey protein, while for lunches I'm supposed to have one as usual. That's what really hooked me in, since it's perhaps the first time I've heard of a losing-weight plan that actually ALLOWS you to have a meal AS USUAL. I looveeeee delicious food with a capital F, wait, no, make it caps all the way, FOOD, and there's no way I'm gonna forgo enjoying them daily. Yeay for Food, glorious Food!
Then on course there's that need to exercise. Which I must, MUST find time to do. I'll be hitting the treadmill hopefully at least 2 times a week, and there's that yoga video that Leed has conveniently put in together with the shake-stuff. Oh yeah, she's the one that sold me the Herbalife product. She's lost 9kg and showed me her before-and-after pictures.
6. The Progress
Anyways, here I am now 4 days into The Plan.
Day 1 (morning) : 60.1kg
Day 4 (morning) : 59.3kg
Well actually I'm not sure whether I've really lost some weight or it's simply water and, erm, ahh, you know, that thing that goes swoosh into the toilet. Tee-hee.
Let's see how we do later after a month. Or two. Hmmm.
In the meantime, see me psyching myself :
(I soooooo gotta lose some weight, malu la if not, iye-iye je dah announce kat sini)
Wish me luck!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Cak!
Hi, I'm Aqif, Aunty Ted's nephew.Apa khabar?
I've just gotten the hang of this walking thang.
Sure beats crawling all over the place on my knees.
Now, what have I got here?It's brown. It's dry. Crinkly.
Test sikit.Yum!
P.S. No nephew was harmed during the making of this post. Browndrycrinkly-thing was promptly fished out two ticks afterwards.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Mukhsin teaser trailer / mini review
Update : 'Scoop' Mukhsin Press Preview (27 Feb 2007)
Scheduled for national release in March (08/03/2007), Yasmin Ahmad's latest film, Mukhsin, has been selected by the 57th Berlin International Film Festival as well as nominated for Best Asian Film at the 19th Tokyo International Film Festival.
Not bad for a movie about two young kids befriending each other during a school holiday. Not bad at all, ma'am.
Having had the opportunity to watch the movie sometime ago courtesy of the director, for me Mukhsin feels a bit like a mix of the feelings that Yasmin's earlier works - Rabun and Sepet - a match of the lighter comedic notes and nostalgics of Rabun (although actually there's dark unpleasantness in it) peppered within the very much Malaysian-ness (for some quarters like though others beg to differ - it's a FREE country after all) feel of Sepet, compared to the darker Gubra with its more blatant and louder dish of ideologies (sufism, HIV-positive awareness and girl power feminism).
(very mild spoilers ahead)
Mukhsin revolves around the idea of a first love - bringing various firsts in a young person's life - first boyfriend / girlfriend, first moment of an adult voice, talks about first period and first bra, experiencing first death of the immediate family and first heartbreak. It's an interesting note that the actor who played Mukhsin's character, Syafie Naswip actually 'broke' his voice during the filming, and in one of the scenes you can detect it quite clearly ("You look ve-ry nice today!).
Sharifah Aryana is Orked this time (her big sister, Sharifah Amani played the teenager & adult Orked characters in Yasmin's earlier films Sepet and Gubra), and she totally rocked as the tomboy-ish gutsy girl who's being brought up differently from her counterparts and knows the fact very well. Adibah Noor reprises her role as Yam the orang-gaji-yang-tak-macam-orang-gaji while Sharifah Aleya (bigger sister of both S.Amani and S.Aryana) is Mak Inom. For those who have seen her previous movies, Yasmin Ahmad challenges the audience to recast the face-name relation of Pak Atan : in Rabun it was M. Rajoli; in Sepet and Gubra it was Harith Iskander; and this time around it's more 'unsettling' as the younger Pak Atan is Irwan Iskandar - the perasan and backdealing Yem character in Rabun. Other notable role-shuffles in Yasmin's films would involve Noorkhiriah (Orked in Rabun, Mas in Gubra, extra in Mukhsin) and Rozie Rashid (Cik Nor in Rabun, Temah in Gubra, Orked's neighbor in Mukhsin).
But fret not, Mukhsin is far from mind-boggles of any kind. The only time one might go 'HUhhh??' would probably be at a weird scene which is actually a dream, so it's okay since everyone is very much allowed to have weird dreams from time to time (or even all the time, come to think of it). As usual Yasmin Ahmad-style, Mukhsin may not answer all the questions that you'd have at the end and again it'll be up to the audience to lay down their interpretation or two themselves.
With Mukhsin's simple and ordinary subject matters of growing up, friendships and family ties, the general feeling throughout the movie is one of melancholy and nostalgia - 'ahem, we'll go inside ourselves, been there, done that'. The beautiful shots taken at a serene and idyllic rural location (Kuala Selangor) evokes a wistful yearning to be there. Mozart strains adorns a kite-flying scene, and Nina Simone's rendition of the French song Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me) is just so heart-wrenching that I dare say there's nobody who won't be touched by its respective scenes. I also loved the bonus footage after the end credits where Yasmin and the crew got together with the theme keroncong song, Hujan being sang by Yasmin's mother - it'll put a smile on your face.
And seeing the young stars - makes me want to be kids like them again. To have that innocence, that ignorance, to own a fresh canvas of perceptions that's still being painted and added on with new colors and patterns everyday. Sigh.
And to experience something like this again.
Not bad for a movie about two young kids befriending each other during a school holiday. Not bad at all, ma'am.
Having had the opportunity to watch the movie sometime ago courtesy of the director, for me Mukhsin feels a bit like a mix of the feelings that Yasmin's earlier works - Rabun and Sepet - a match of the lighter comedic notes and nostalgics of Rabun (although actually there's dark unpleasantness in it) peppered within the very much Malaysian-ness (for some quarters like though others beg to differ - it's a FREE country after all) feel of Sepet, compared to the darker Gubra with its more blatant and louder dish of ideologies (sufism, HIV-positive awareness and girl power feminism).
(very mild spoilers ahead)
Mukhsin revolves around the idea of a first love - bringing various firsts in a young person's life - first boyfriend / girlfriend, first moment of an adult voice, talks about first period and first bra, experiencing first death of the immediate family and first heartbreak. It's an interesting note that the actor who played Mukhsin's character, Syafie Naswip actually 'broke' his voice during the filming, and in one of the scenes you can detect it quite clearly ("You look ve-ry nice today!).
Sharifah Aryana is Orked this time (her big sister, Sharifah Amani played the teenager & adult Orked characters in Yasmin's earlier films Sepet and Gubra), and she totally rocked as the tomboy-ish gutsy girl who's being brought up differently from her counterparts and knows the fact very well. Adibah Noor reprises her role as Yam the orang-gaji-yang-tak-macam-orang-gaji while Sharifah Aleya (bigger sister of both S.Amani and S.Aryana) is Mak Inom. For those who have seen her previous movies, Yasmin Ahmad challenges the audience to recast the face-name relation of Pak Atan : in Rabun it was M. Rajoli; in Sepet and Gubra it was Harith Iskander; and this time around it's more 'unsettling' as the younger Pak Atan is Irwan Iskandar - the perasan and backdealing Yem character in Rabun. Other notable role-shuffles in Yasmin's films would involve Noorkhiriah (Orked in Rabun, Mas in Gubra, extra in Mukhsin) and Rozie Rashid (Cik Nor in Rabun, Temah in Gubra, Orked's neighbor in Mukhsin).
But fret not, Mukhsin is far from mind-boggles of any kind. The only time one might go 'HUhhh??' would probably be at a weird scene which is actually a dream, so it's okay since everyone is very much allowed to have weird dreams from time to time (or even all the time, come to think of it). As usual Yasmin Ahmad-style, Mukhsin may not answer all the questions that you'd have at the end and again it'll be up to the audience to lay down their interpretation or two themselves.
With Mukhsin's simple and ordinary subject matters of growing up, friendships and family ties, the general feeling throughout the movie is one of melancholy and nostalgia - 'ahem, we'll go inside ourselves, been there, done that'. The beautiful shots taken at a serene and idyllic rural location (Kuala Selangor) evokes a wistful yearning to be there. Mozart strains adorns a kite-flying scene, and Nina Simone's rendition of the French song Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me) is just so heart-wrenching that I dare say there's nobody who won't be touched by its respective scenes. I also loved the bonus footage after the end credits where Yasmin and the crew got together with the theme keroncong song, Hujan being sang by Yasmin's mother - it'll put a smile on your face.
And seeing the young stars - makes me want to be kids like them again. To have that innocence, that ignorance, to own a fresh canvas of perceptions that's still being painted and added on with new colors and patterns everyday. Sigh.
And to experience something like this again.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
what? it's already 2007?
man, time sure flies by when you're having so much *fun*.
it's new year by the roman calendar, but since our financial year starts in september, for me it's already one-third into the year.
meaning i have only about 8 months left to achieve all those KPIs. really need to get them EEs this year to get my promotion. my GM and also the the finance dept. GM both are firing me up to get promoted, coz I've been in the same place for quite some time now and it's about right for me to go somewhere else soon.
most important 2007 resolution - get them EEs!
it's new year by the roman calendar, but since our financial year starts in september, for me it's already one-third into the year.
meaning i have only about 8 months left to achieve all those KPIs. really need to get them EEs this year to get my promotion. my GM and also the the finance dept. GM both are firing me up to get promoted, coz I've been in the same place for quite some time now and it's about right for me to go somewhere else soon.
most important 2007 resolution - get them EEs!
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