Cannes Film Festival 2005

The 58th Cannes Film Festival will run from May 11 to May 22.
;)

http://www.festival-cannes.fr/default4.php

If I am correct, the list of films will be announced on Wednesday Apr 20!

Watch for it ...

*The official line-ups will be unvieled in Paris today at 9:30 (GMT).

*Singaporean director Eric Khoo's Be With Me will open the "Directors' Fortnight."

*Expect these to be in the main program somewhere:

Lars Von Trier's Manderlay; Gus Van Sant's Last Days; Wim Wenders' Don't Come Knockin'; David Cronenberg's A History of Violence; Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers; Michael Haneke's Hidden; Patrice Chereau's Gabrielle; Seijun Suzuki's Raccoon Princess; Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's Sin City; Atom Egoyan's Where The Truth Lies; Danis Tanovic's Hell; Kim Ki-duk's The Bow; and last but certainly not least, the latest from the Dardenne's called The Child.

OFFICIAL LINE-UP

Bashing - Japan / Masahiro Kobayashi

Battle in the Sky - Mexico / Carlos Reygadas

The Best of our Times - Taiwan-Japan / Hou Hsiao-Hsien

Broken Flowers - France-U.S. / Jim Jarmusch

Cache - France-Austria-Germany-Italy / Michael Haneke

Don’t Come Knockin’ - Germany-France / Wim Wenders

Election - Hong Kong / Johnny To

L’Enfant - Belgium / Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

Free Zone - Israel-Belgium / Amos Gitai

A History of Violence - U.S.-Canada / David Cronenberg

Kilometre Zero - Iraq / Hiner Saleem

Last Days - U.S. / Gus Van Sant

Lemming - France / Dominik Moll

Manderlay - Denmark-Sweden-Netherland / Lars Von Trier

Quando Sei Nato Non Puoi Piu Nasconderti - Italy / Marco Tullio Giordana

Peindre ou Faire L’Amour - France / Arnaud and Jean-Marie Larrieu

Shanghai Dreams - China / Wang Xiaoshuai

Sin City - U.S. / Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada - U.S. / Tommy Lee Jones

Where the Truth Lies - Canada / Atom Egoyan

OUT OF COMPETITION

“Chromophobia,” France-U.S.-U.K., Martha Fiennes

“Joyeux Noel,” France-Germany-UK-Belgium, Christian Carion

“Match Point,” UK, Woody Allen

“Star Wars – Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” U.S., George Lucas

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

“A Bittersweet Life,” South Korea, Kim Jee-woon

“Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang,” U.S., Shane Black

“Land of the Dead,” U.S., George Romero

“Midnight Movies,” Stuart Samuels

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

“The Artistes of the Burnt Theater,” Cambodia-France, Rithy Panh

“C’est Pas Tout a Fait la Vie Dont J’avais Reve,” France, Michel Piccoli

“Crossing the Bridge,” Germany, Fatih Akin

“Nekam Achat Mishtey Eynay,” Israel, Avi Mograbi

“The Power of Nightmares,” U.K., Adam Curtis

“Princess Raccoon,” Japan, Seijun Suzuki

Sangre, dir :Amat Escalante (Mexico)

Cinema, Aspirinas E Urubus, dir: Marcelo Gomes (Brazil)

Schlafer, dir Benjamin Heisenberg (Austria)

Falscher Bekenner, dir: Christoph Hochhausler (Germany)

Down In The Valley, dir: David Jacobson (US)

Tawa Dura Yanna, dir: Vimukthi Jayasundara (Sri Lanka)

Voksne Mennesker, dir: Dagur Kari (Denmark)

Yek Shab, dir: Niki Karimi (Iran)

Hwal, dir: Kim Ki-duk (South Korea)

Jewboy, dir: Tony Kravitz (Australia)

Cidade Baixa, dir: Sergio Machado (Brazil)

The King, dir: James Marsh (US)

Johanna, dir: Kornel Mundruzco (Hungary)

Umoregi, dir: Kohei Oguri (Japan)

Moartea Domnului Lazarescu, dir: Cristi Puiu (Romania)

Yellow Fella, dir: Ivan Sen (Australia)

Nordeste, dir : Juan Solanas (Argentina)

Delwende, dir : S. Pierre Yameogo (Ger)

Le Temps Qui Reste, dir : Francois Ozon (France)

Le Filmeur, dir : Alain Cavalier (France)

Zim And Co., dir: Pierre Jolivet (France)

Director: Johnnie To
-- Election (English title)
-- Hei She Hui (Chinese title) (loosely translated to "Gangs/Triads" )

The movie poster ...
http://weblogs.variety.com/.shared/i...d/election.jpg

The words in the poster read:
-- Three hundred years ago, they were known as "chivalry" (or "loyalists")

** The exact Chinese translation for "chivalry" has a slightly different essence/nuance ... Many would like to believe that in the past, "gangs" are formed to help one another and are known to be loyal. They may have more principles too ... As for nowadays ... things have changed ...

Synopsis of the movie:
-- It narrates the events that occur during the election for the new head of a gang. Although fictitious, it seems to reminisce about the rise and fall of gangs/triads in Hong Kong in the early days.

The cast:
-- Louis Koo
-- Tony Leung Ka Fai
-- Simon Yam
-- Nick Cheung
-- Andy On
etc

Gallery of the cast
http://ent.sina.com.cn/v/2004-11-12/1022563343.html

Trivia:
** This is actually a 4 hour movie. So, I am not sure if the Cannes release is Part I of the movie and Part II is pending another release ... or is this simply an edited version of the full movie. I think it is the Part I.

Regardless of any award, I will watch the movie when it is released ...
;)

Director: Wang Xiaoshuai
-- Shanghai Dreams (English title)
-- Qing Hong (Chinese title) (loosely translated to "Green Red", i.e., named after the female protagonist)

Trivia: The original working title was originally "I am 19". The director has changed it so that the audience will not keep harping on the fact that the actress is not 19 or does not look 19 ...
;)

There is the movie page, with a number of articles (but in Chinese) ... Hmmm ... I am skipping a lot of them -- cos I do not want to read spoilers ... :(
http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/f/qinghong/index.html

The gallery is here ...
http://ent.sina.com.cn/download/photo/qinghong.html

Synopsis:
-- Will the youth of next generation ever understand their parental generation? They do not know about their past, yet they have to like this land that breeds them ... The old generation do not want the youth to make the same mistakes by repeating history (or suffer again) ... so, the conflict between two generations begins ...

** sorry, I could have been more detailed but I usually do NOT like to read nor write synopsis ... why? they often contain spoilers, however minor ...

Cast:
-- Gao Yuan Yuan
-- Li Bin

Director: Hou Hsiao-Hsien
-- The Best of Our Times (English title)
-- Zui Hao De Shi Guang (Chinese title)

Synopsis:
-- It revolves around 3 sets of relationship, in 1911, in 1960s and present ...

Cast:
-- Chang Chen
-- Shu Qi (taking 3 roles)

In-Competition

"A Stranger of Mine" by Uchida Kenji (Japan)

"Grain in Ear" by Zhang Lu (China/Korea)

"L'Orizzonte Degli Eventi" (The Horizon of Events) by Daniele Vicari

"Me and You and Everyone We Know" by Miranda July (USA)

"Orlando Vargas" by Juan Pittaluga (Uruguay/France)

"La Petite Jerusalem" (Little Jerusalem) by Karin Albou (France)

"The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael" by Thomas Clay (UK)


Special Screenings

Opening film: "Les Invisibles" (The Invisibles) by Thierry Jousse (France)

Closing film: "Junebug" by Phil Morrison (USA)

Midnight screening: "L'Imposture" (The Fraud) by Patrick Bouchitey (France)

FIPRESCI revelation of the year: "Vento di Terra" (Earth Wind) by Vincenzo Marra (Italy)

Patron's day: "Giorgobistve" (Falling Leaves) by Otar Iosseliani (USSR)

50 years of African cinema: "Drum" by Zola Maseko (South Africa)

Documentary: "Los Heroes y el Tiempo" (Heroes and Time) by Arturo Ripstein (Mexico)

The jury for the main competition has been announced and I’m pleased that the line-up, which looks awfully strong on paper, will be judged by these individuals:

Emir KUSTURICA, President (Director - Serbia-Montenegro)

Toni MORRISON (Writer -United States)
Nandita DAS (Actress - India)
Salma HAYEK (Actress - Mexico)
Agnès VARDA (Director - France)
John WOO (Director - China)
Fatih AKIN (Director - Germany)
Javier BARDEM (Actor - Spain)
Benoît JACQUOT (Director - France)

Overall, there are stronger personalities here, so hopefully there won't be a repeat of last year where flavor-of-the-month politics and Tarantino's unbridled love for sub-par Asian films ruined the day.

"Flavor-of-the-Month Politics"?

Moore's film won for the Filmmaking- QT and the jury made clear the film was being awarded for being the best FILM at Cannes, not for the politics. Or did you not hear him at that press conference?

Moore crafted an incendiary work of film genius. Op-ed genius.
He's a multiple-award winning filmmaker: Oscar, People's Choice, Cannes. The man's conquered 'em all.
Time to start giving the man his props.
Can't wait for Sicko.

And that political "flavor" is still on my tongue. It'll never go away now. We live in evil, corrupt, despot times.

The Cannes Jury is very impressive this year.
With these pedigrees, they will award the proper films.

Yeah, I heard him; but I wasn't naïve enough to think that politics didn't play a part in the decision made by the jury. I love the man and I liked his doc, but let's face it, Moore ultimately failed!

But even with politics aside, now that I've seen the likes of Clean and The Holy Girl, films that played in-competition last year, I have a much better idea about which films were the BEST.

Politics may have played a part, but do you think they would have given the Palm D'or to a film JUST because it bashed Bush?

Moore only failed in getting Bush out of office. It wasn't for trying.
Hard. He was practically campaigning himself in the months up to D-Day.

And then the hammer fell. Bang! Slam! Bend over! Seig Heil!

Ahem.


Looking forward to more news on the festival...

Quote:

---

Originally posted by arsaib4
The jury for the main competition has been announced and I’m pleased that the line-up, which looks awfully strong on paper, will be judged by these individuals:

Emir KUSTURICA, President (Director - Serbia-Montenegro)

Toni MORRISON (Writer -United States)
Nandita DAS (Actress - India)
Salma HAYEK (Actress - Mexico)
Agnès VARDA (Director - France)
John WOO (Director - China)
Fatih AKIN (Director - Germany)
Javier BARDEM (Actor - Spain)
Benoît JACQUOT (Director - France)

---

the complete jury ...

http://www.festival-cannes.fr/index....gue=6002#jurys

THE JURYS

FEATURE FILMS JURY
Emir KUSTURICA, President (Director - Serbia-Montenegro)
Toni MORRISON (Writer -United States)
Nandita DAS (Actress - India)
Salma HAYEK (Actress - Mexico)
Agnès VARDA (Director - France)
John WOO (Director - China)
Fatih AKIN (Director - Germany)
Javier BARDEM (Actor - Spain)
Benoît JACQUOT (Director - France)

JURY CINÉFONDATION AND SHORT FILMS
Edward YANG, Président (Director - Taiwan)
Chantal AKERMAN (Director- Belgium)
Sylvie TESTUD (Actress - France)
Yousry NASRALLAH (Director - Egypt)
Colin MACCABE (Critic and Writer - United Kingdom - Ireland)

UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY
Alexander PAYNE, President, (Director and Screen Writer- United States)
Betsy BLAIR, (Actress - United States)
Sandra DEN HAMER (Manager of the Rotterdam Film Festival - Netherlands)
Katia CHAPOUTIER (Journalist - Canada)
Geneviève WELCOMME (Journalist -France)
Gilles MARCHAND (Director and Screen Writer - France)
Eduardo ANTIN (Quintin) (Critic and Writer - Argentina)

THE CAMÉRA D'OR JURY
Abbas KIAROSTAMI, President (Director - Iran)
Patrick CHAMOISEAU (Writer - France)
Malik CHIBANE (Director - France)
Romain WINDING (Director of photography - France)
Scott FOUNDAS (Critic - United States)
Roberto TURIGLIATTO (Turin Film Festival - Italy)
Luc POURRINET (Technician - France)
Yves ALLION (Critic - France)
Laura MEYER (Film enthusiast - France)

Thanks, hengcs. Good to see LA WEEKLY's young contributor Scott Foundas in there. He's a good writer but a better critic and that's why I like him. He's got a great future ahead of him.

___________


Here we go, here we go...MANDERLAY.

Alice (Portugal) - MARTINS Marco

Be With Me (Singapore) - KHOO Eric

Cache cache (France) - CAUMON Yves

Cronaca familiare (Italy) - ZURLINI Valerio

Crying Fist (S. Korea) - SEUNG-WAN Ryoo

Douches froides (France) - CORDIER Antony

Factotum (Germany) - HAMER Bent

Geminis (Argentina) - CARRI Albertina

Guernsey (Netherlands) - LEOPOLD Nanouk

Jazireh Ahani (Iran) - RASOULOF Mohammad

Keane (U.S.) - KERRIGAN Lodge

La Moustache (France) - CARRèRE Emmanuel

Odete (Portugal) - RODRIGUES João Pedro

Ride The High Country (U.S. [1962]) - PECKINPAH Sam

Room (U.S.) - HENRY Kyle

Seven Invisible Men (Lithuania) - BARTAS Sharunas

Sisters In Law (U.K.) - LONGINOTTO Kim/AYISI Florence

Tbilisi-Tbilisi (Georgia) - ZAKAREISHVILI Levan

The Buried Forest (Japan) - OGURI Kohei

The President’s Last Bang (S. Korea) - SANG-SOO Im

Travaux, on sait quand ça commence... (France) - ROüAN Brigitte

Who’s Camus Anyway ? (Japan) - YANAGIMACHI Mitsuo

Wolf creek (Australia) - MCLEAN Greg

Anybody attending? I have a number of friends going and starting to hear all about the politics surrounding the divying of passes. Apparentally there are about 10 different kinds each with its own level of access/attitude...

P

Sweet Jesus, what a trailer. Epic. Epic darling, Epic.

Nicole you should have committed to Lars.

He's the God of Cinema at the moment.
many thanks arsaib4. This is the kind of film I LIVE for.

Absolutely, Johann. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long for it.

I'm sure you're ecstatic that Sin City is there.;)

Some info on Wender's Don't Come Knockin'.

hengcs: Do you know anything about Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo and his film Be With Me which is playing in the Directors' Fortnight?

Sin City? Hmm, never heard of it.
Must be about vegas or something..


:)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by arsaib4
hengcs: Do you know anything about Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo and his film Be With Me which is playing in the Directors' Fortnight?

---

Hey,

I know the film maker ... and have watched his past films.

I will post something about his old and new films when I catch the time ... maybe way past midnight today or tomorrow ...

;)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by hengcs



Hey,

I know the film maker ... and have watched his past films.

I will post something about his old and new films when I catch the time ... maybe way past midnight today or tomorrow ...

;)

---

I hope this won't keep you way past your bedtime.;) Looking forward to your report.

Sorry for not posting yet ...

I am already not sleeping much ...
But I guess the timing is quite bad this year ...
I will explain later ...

As I will be busy this week, I will post all my reviews and Q&A about 1 week from now ...

Hope you all do not mind ...
;)

Quote:

---

Originally posted by hengcs
Sorry for not posting yet ...

I am already not sleeping much ...
But I guess the timing is quite bad this year ...
I will explain later ...

As I will be busy this week, I will post all my reviews and Q&A about 1 week from now ...

Hope you all do not mind ...
;)

---

Take your time, there's no hurry. Enjoy yourself at the festival.

Carlos Reygadas, the director of Japón (an award winner at Cannes in 2002), is back with Batalla en el Cielo (Battle in Heaven). The film is in competition. Info

Amos Gitai, a Canner regular also has a film in-competition. The film is called Free Zone and it stars Natalie Portman, in her first Israeli film. Info. Of course, Portman is also in another little film called Star Wars: The Last Payment on Lucasfilm Ltd. which is playing out-of-competition.

Fatih Akin, the director of the powerful Head-On, is a member of the competition jury this year. He has a documentary playing out-of-competition as a "Special Screening." It's called Crossing the Bridge - The Sound of Istanbul. Trailer here. Info

Thanks for this information. I'll be watching for a chance to see the new Reygadas film.

Competition:

Tale of cinema (Keuk Jang Jeon ) - Hong Sangsoo / S. Korea


Un Certain Regard:

Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachtani? - Shinji Aoyama / Japan

Marock - Laïla Marrakchi / Morocco


Special Screenings:

Darshan – l'Etreinte - Jan Kounen / France

Morceaux choisis des Histoire(s) du cinéma - Jean-Luc Godard / France

Pelé Eterno (Pelé Forever) - Anibal Massaini Neto / Brazil

Quote:

---

Originally posted by arsaib4
hengcs: Do you know anything about Singaporean filmmaker Eric Khoo and his film Be With Me which is playing in the Directors' Fortnight?

---

Overall comments:
Often than not, Eric Khoo’s movies cater to the taste of critics (and film festivals) rather than mainstream audience …
-- The pacing is usually very slow, with minimal dialogues
-- The budget is usually little by industry standards (so do not expect commercial visual effects)
-- It often contains some social and political agenda (i.e., belying the simple plot, if any).
Note: While some people may agree with the “political” agenda, some may not. Regardless of one’s stand, it does probe one to think.

Now, let’s talk about his 3 movies that are more well known …


(1) Be With Me (2005)

-- It is the opening film for Cannes Film Festival 2005, Quinzaine des Realisateurs (Directors' Fortnight).
-- Synopsis: It tells the story and life of a few people of different ages, but with a unified theme of love, lost, inspiration and destiny. Much of the story is left to interpretation.

Some facts:
-- It is filmed in about 2 weeks, with a budget of S$200K (or US$122K).
-- It is filmed with a digital camera.
-- The film is inspired by Theresa Chan, a 62-year-old who has lost her sight and hearing since young. She also has a role in the movie.
-- The film also features Eric Khoo's former English tutor.

-- See the “official” website and trailer here …
http://www.zhaowei.com/bewithme.html

Forgive me, but I think the trailer is not very well made …
Hopefully, the movie is much better!
;)

Being a Singaporean, I will watch the movie.
;)


(2) Mee Pok Man (1995)
(Note: “mee pok” is a cheap but popular hawker center dish sold in Singapore)

-- The movie is Eric Khoo’s debut film.

-- Synopsis: It tells the story and relationship of a slightly slow-witted mee pok seller (without a name) and disillusioned Bunny (a prostitute). While he fantasizes about her, she fantasizes about marrying a foreigner. (Well, there was such a time in mid 1990s where there was quite substantial media talk about Singaporean women who preferred to marry foreigners).

-- My 1 cent worth: Well, this movie probes at love and obsession … repression and loneliness … the irony of control and helplessness … The director does attempt to be philosophical. To some people, it works; but to others, it does not. In general, most mainstream audience will find the movie too slow or lack of plot … and to some, the ending scene might be disturbing …

On a higher level, the move seeks to portray a different and darker slice of Singapore society (i.e., from a non tourists’ perspective -- about a repressive Singapore, about social misfits, etc.). This is apparent as the movie is often injected with “tourists’ like” scenery of Singapore to provide a contrast.

-- For more info, see the “official” website and soundtrack here …
http://www.zhaowei.com/meepokman.htm


(3) 12 Storeys (1997)
(Note: Well, if one has been to Singapore, one will realize that most residents are dwelling in 12-storey high rise “flats”/apartment).

-- This movie was featured in Cannes Film Festival 1997, Un Certain Regard category,

-- Synopsis: It relates the events on one Sunday, comprising 3 stories that are not exactly connected, except for its theme and the fact that the protagonists all lived in the same block. Behind the closed doors of the neighbors, every family has their stories and secrets …
(1) The first story is about a man who marries a bride from China (Note: a common phenomenon in Singapore during mid 1990s) (I like this story the best, albeit the “stereotyping” of brides from China may or may not be fair.)
(2) The second story is about a woman and her contention with her mother.
(3) The third story is about an elder brother who has to look after his younger siblings. (Note: On a higher level, it also hints at the government assuming what is best for its citizens and trying to protect them from harm).

-- My 1 cent worth: I actually feel that this movie is much better than Mee Pok Man, albeit the 3 stories are not exactly connected or coherent. Nonetheless, a universal theme binds them -- it is about “dreams” and “freedom”, it is about “love” and “control”, it is about “communication” and the failure to do so … The movie excels in its “dark humor” that does contain social and political agenda.

On a higher level, it seeks to question the friendly or haven image of neighborhoods advocated strongly by the government. After all, most residents who live in the same block are supposed to know and care for one another … but do they?

-- See the “official” website and soundtrack here …
http://www.zhaowei.com/12storeys.htm


that’s all
;)

Now that's what I call information! Great stuff, hengcs.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by hengcs
Overall comments:
Often than not, Eric Khoo’s movies cater to the taste of critics (and film festivals) rather than mainstream audience …
-- The pacing is usually very slow, with minimal dialogues
-- The budget is usually little by industry standards (so do not expect commercial visual effects)
-- It often contains some social and political agenda (i.e., belying the simple plot, if any).
Note: While some people may agree with the “political” agenda, some may not. Regardless of one’s stand, it does probe one to think.

---

Sounds like he's someone I'll like.

(1) Be With Me (2005)

Being a Singaporean, I will watch the movie.
;)

I'm not a Singaporean, but I'll also watch it when it becomes available. :)


(2) Mee Pok Man (1995)
(Note: “mee pok” is a cheap but popular hawker center dish sold in Singapore)

-- The movie is Eric Khoo’s debut film.)

I was surprised to find out that this film is available on DVD in the U.S. (it looks like it went straight-to-DVD in 2001). Some good reviews as you can tell by the image.

(3) 12 Storeys (1997)
(Note: Well, if one has been to Singapore, one will realize that most residents are dwelling in 12-storey high rise “flats”/apartment).

-- This movie was featured in Cannes Film Festival 1997, Un Certain Regard category.

Sounds good. Is this available anywhere with subs?


*BTW, Eric Khoo is the producer of the recently released 15. This Singaporean film is directed by Royston Tan who is a good friend of Khoo. It opened in the U.S. to mixed reviews but has gotten some decent mentions from international critics.

"15 is a harrowing picture by the rebellious young Royston Tan about the nihilistic lives of five teenagers in his native Singapore."
Philip French, THE OBSERVER

"Extremely gripping. Lush and vibrant!"
Rich Cline, SHADOWS ON THE WALL

"Tan is one of Asia's most promising talents..."
Derek Malcolm, The Guardian

...and yes, the self-proclaimed expert has also chimed in:

"In many ways stonger and more disturbing than Larry Clark's equivalent portraits of US teen skateboarder."
Tony Rayns


No word yet regarding its U.S. DVD release, but the film is now available in the U.K.

p.s. see, I also know a thing or two about the Singaporean film industry. ;)

"Meanwhile, I went to my first screening at the Directors Fortnight, one of the two unofficial programs here. Despite the near-lack of air conditioning, the ringing cell phones and the two biddies in front of me who pawed through their plastic bags throughout the screening (I kicked one of their chairs a couple of times, but apparently not hard enough), I fell for the Fortnight's opening film, "Be With Me." It's from a Singaporean, Eric Khoo, and interweaves the true story of a deaf-mute woman with tales of thwarted love. I didn't have any idea what was going on for the first half hour, but was in tears by the end, which is fairly rare (big surprise)."

NY Times.

Quote:

---

Originally posted by arsaib4

(2) Mee Pok Man (1995)
... Some good reviews as you can tell by the ...

(3) 12 Storeys (1997)
... Sounds good. Is this available anywhere with subs?

*BTW, Eric Khoo is the producer of the recently released 15.

... p.s. see, I also know a thing or two about the Singaporean film industry. ;)

---

hee hee ...
I am glad that you have interest in watching movies from Singapore ...
;)

well, I do not guarantee that Mee Pok Man or 12 Storeys will suit your taste ... but no harm trying ... hee hee
;PPP

noteworthy, the hints at socio political issues may or may not be very obvious ...

Anway, 12 storeys used to be on DVD
... but is now OUT OF STOCK ...
http://www.dvdasian.com/cgi-bin/dvda...ml?id=RvdeB8sT

But do NOT worry, with the hype at Cannes, distributors might start distributing these old films again (something like the case for Kim Ki Duk).

With regards to the movie 15, see my next post ...

Quote:

---

Originally posted by arsaib4
*BTW, Eric Khoo is the producer of the recently released 15. This Singaporean film is directed by Royston Tan who is a good friend of Khoo. It opened in the U.S. to mixed reviews but has gotten some decent mentions from international critics.

(edited)

No word yet regarding its U.S. DVD release, but the film is now available in the U.K.

---

I have watched the ORIGINAL short film version of 15 (I think it was about 25 minutes). Some people actually call it the "Ah Beng movie".

I have also watched the full length feature of 15 (i.e., 94 minutes).
-- in Singapore, and
-- in San Francisco International Film Festival 2004.

I am not sure how much credit should go to the producer, Eric instead of the director, Royston .... I would prefer to suggest the latter ... why?

Mentioned earlier, this movie actually began as a short film and had garnered several awards (e.g., the Special Achievement Award at the Singapore International Film Festival 2002). Because of that, Eric urged Royston to make a full length feature.

Instead of rewriting the script with more details in between, he simply added two more stories, with two additional cast (because two of the original cast were missing/ or had been captured by the authority).

In other words, the original shorter version was actually the first story in the full length feature PLUS the ending song on the MRT (i.e., the subway) ...

** It is interesting to note that I (and probably most of my Singaporean friends) like the first story better, and feel that the movie should have remained as a short film. The two additonal stories kind of make the movie slightly draggy and less compact.

** However, it seems like most foreigners prefer the second story and third story better. Why?

I believe most Singaporeans would prefer the first story or original short film because it has a good mix of humor and sadness that many can relate to. However, due to localization, most foreigners will fail to grasp the jokes ...
e.g., the distortion of the national anthem
e.g., the education system and society we are in
e.g., the landmarks the protagonists visit when they are scouting for a building to jump
e.g., the lingo they used (a lot is really lost in translation!!!)
e.g., the last song on the train (which is rather meaningful in the original short film, but I recall it not being very well translated).
etc

I believe most foreigners tend to like the second and third stories better because they can relate to
e.g., drugs
e.g., tattoos
e.g., antagonism between two rival groups (in this case, the gangs who spoke either chinese/dialects or english)
etc

Noteworthy, the movie has caused quite some stir and controversy because
-- the original sountrack depict actual secret societies' chants (their mottos, locations, etc)
-- a frontal scene
-- ** Also, the movie has sparked some debate because some mutilation scenes were real and NOT enacted. Basically, the director passed the camera to these kids and requested they filmed their daily life or he simply asked them to speak and live as they normally would (i.e., without scripting) ... consequently, some scenes were indeed disturbing ...


In summary,
... I think the original short film version is worth watching because it is more compact and more powerful
... in order to better understand the humor, you may like to watch it with some Singaporeans ...
;)


PS: I "think" in United States, PictureThis! is the distributor.

Tartan U.S.A has won the rights to the Reygadas film. They also released Japón (Carlos Reygadas' debut feature) late last year on DVD in the U.S.

"Last Days, an official festival entry here at Cannes, is a film I admire enormously while wondering if anyone will want to see it. The more you know about filmmaking the more you will appreciate it; the more you know about Kurt Cobain, the less. Van Sant refuses to romanticize the material or analyze the personality or motivation of his subject, named Blake (Michael Pitt). He doesn’t even show him using drugs. Sometimes he doesn’t even show him at all." More here.

A.O. Scott apparently has lukewarm feelings for Last Days, while Dargas's response is more positive. Scott says his reaction to this film is similar to what he felt about Elephant, a film I really admired, so I'm still really looking forward to seeing Van Sant's latest.

Here's a new link for Wenders' Don't Come Knocking.
http://www.dontcomeknocking.com/
Another writing collaboration with Sam Shepard...will it be similar in tone and subject matter to Paris, Texas?

Most of all, I'm looking foward to seeing Bill Murray in Jarmusch's Broken Flowers. His scene in Coffee and Cigarettes stole the show; these two guys both have unique tongue-in-cheek senses of humor that should mesh well in this film. At the least it'll be entertaining...I expect it to be much more...

Yeah, I read their entries on the film. However, Scott slyly left the door open for future analysis.

If there's anyone who needs a hit, it's Wim Wenders. I haven't seen the film he released last year, Land of Plenty, but it's been quite a while for this talented filmmaker.

I'm also looking forward to Broken Flowers. I believe the release date is August 5th for the states. I didn't mind Coffee and Cigarettes, but it was a stop-gap for him and for many of his fans. Storywise, I'm worried about one thing: Bill Murray discovering that he has a son sounds awfully familiar.

Quote:

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Originally posted by arsaib4
Storywise, I'm worried about one thing: Bill Murray discovering that he has a son sounds awfully familiar.

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Funny, I didn't think of that. As long as his name's not "Ned" I think we'll be OK...

sorry I missed all of this

Hopefully some more of these films will make their way to the US. Cronenberg and Von Trier's new films seem to be the most intriguing to me, but then again Cronenberg's last film was somewhat disappointing.

Quote:

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Originally posted by wpqx
sorry I missed all of this

Hopefully some more of these films will make their way to the US. Cronenberg and Von Trier's new films seem to be the most intriguing to me, but then again Cronenberg's last film was somewhat disappointing.

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Hold on a minute...you're not talking about Spider, are you?