I’ve always been a movie goer and thus when a good film comes by, I can vouch for its 5-star rating.
The movie I’m going to review is Brave Story, yes I know it sounds cheesy and all. But please, don’t be fooled by its simple title.

Brave Story is about a protagonist named Wataru with everything that an 11-year old needs in life, until it all comes crashing down. Left alone in the world with a father who abandoned his family, followed by a mother who is lying in bed fighting for her life.

Presented to him is an opportunity of a lifetime – Go through a magical gateway to the world “Vision”, collect 5 gems to grant him a wish — to save his mother and get back his father.

But the movie is way more than that, on the quest to seek the 5 gems in the world of “Vision”, a world set in the era of an estimated AD200, where humanoid-animals and humans are the norm. Wataru’s kind heartedness and humility found him in the comfort of many friends like Kee-Keema the lizard, Meena the human-like cat, the pet baby dragon, and The Highlanders.

On the other hand, the antagonist of “Brave Story” is Mitsuru, an 11-year old boy like Wataru, who went into “Vision” to change his undeniable destiny that tore him apart. But Mitsuru is nothing like Wataru in his conquest for the 5 gems which would grant him a wish. Mitsuru, being a magician in “Vision” would unscrupulously abuse his powers to destroy anyone or anything that stands in his way to get those gems.

“Brave Story” is a movie which undeniably shows strong friendship bonds and also trust in each and every individual; and that behind every bad act, there’s always a good reason for it. For example, Wataru makes the wish of restoring back the world of “Vision” and to rid it of all the released demons — instead of making the wish to get his family back.

To top it off, what makes this movie even more touching was it’s theme song; it reflects the very film itself by providing an atmosphere of “Love and Hope” which is what most of us are looking for in life. I believe that many who have caught the movie would most likely have googled for it’s theme song – Ketsu no asa ni.
Ever since, I’ve always replied with the answer “Brave Story” when someone asks what my favourite movie is.

To sum it all, this movie is not just your typical heart warmer which ends nicely but one that teaches you on values in life like selflessness, and to accept new changes when it comes along your way.

Lee Zhen Cheng

Simplicity is beauty. Hayao Miyazaki must have had that in mind when he produced the animation My Neighbor Totoro. Unlike most of Studio Ghibli’s earlier films, it is less action packed. However, My Neighbor Totoro makes up for that by telling a story that is simple, comfortably paced and relates to the audience on a personal level.

The film evokes both the wonders and terrors one experiences as a child. When a child becomes an adult, things would never be the same. My Neighbor Totoro invokes nostalgia in its audience about the days when they were children.

Two sisters, Satsuki and May, move to the countryside when their mother is hospitalized due to an unspecified illness. In this strange new environment, they discover a magical wonderland filled with an adorable trio of furry, woodland guardians that only children could see.

Totoro itself, who looks like a combination between a kitten, rabbit and bear, is probably the most memorable character in the film.

May, the younger sister, stumbles into it’s dwelling which happens to be underneath the biggest, tallest tree in the forest. Locals call it the Camphor tree.

Totoro, the forest guardian, was slightly annoyed when May woke it up from its afternoon nap. But it soon warmed up to her, letting her sleep on its enormous furry belly.

Satsuki met Totoro too when she waited for her dad on a rainy day at a bus stop. Totoro was pleased when she offered it an umbrella and even more delighted with the sound of the rain falling on it. Happy with the gift, Totoro gave Satsuki a couple of acorn seeds.

Satsuki and May planted the seeds in their backyard when they got home. That night, Totoro paid them a visit and helped the little seeds grow into a gigantic Camphor tree. He then took them on a breath-taking flight around the countryside on his magic spinning top.

The creation of this entire amazing new world open only to the eyes of children must have needed a lot of creativity and hard work. The design of Totoro was unique, and it sticks in the mind of the audience. The other characters were beautifully designed and animated too. The animation has bright, cheerful and colorful visuals, creating a positive mood for the entire story.

May and Satsuki had their own individual qualities that were clearly shown as the film went along. May was naïve and charmingly innocent as she was very young. The older sister, Satsuki, is more mature and prone to negative thinking but she cares for her younger sister very much. When May went missing after Satsuki lost her temper, she searched high and low for her all over the countryside.

The music composed by Joe Hisaishi complemented the film with great effect. “Path Of The Wind” was a perfect accompaniment to the scene where Totoro makes the seeds grow into the Camphor tree. The music begins softy then gradually becomes louder and louder, just like a tree growing taller and taller!

This animation is a definite must watch. In fact, I would recommend all animations from Studio Ghibli to you. They have a penchant of producing great animations like Spirited Away that won an Oscar for best-animated feature.

Theon Leong

Alexander Mackendrick is one of the most distinguished (if frequently overlooked) directors ever to emerge from the British film industry. He was one of the finest and least typical directors at Ealing Studios. Perhaps best known for the four comedies, Whiskey Galore! (1949) and The Ladykillers (1955), satire, with The Man in the White Suit (1951), romance, with Saraband for Dead Lovers (1948). He made there, he nonetheless created films of a rare blackness, marked by a pessimistic – albeit witty – vision of human cruelty, corruptibility, and self-obsession.

Watch the Great-Interview-With-Most-Popular-Stars-In-The-Movie-Business-Show-Young-And-Old with Pamela Soh.

Watch the podcast by Dhuha Isa about Krzysztof Kieslowski.

He is famed for stringing together disjointed stories in which everything was semi-coherent until the very end, where a crucial piece of information was given to help make sense of the story. He has a foreboding sense of atmosphere that is still influencing the directors of today, and his original approach to editing resulted in some of the most groundbreaking sequences in film.

Discover Nicolas Roeg and watch the podcast by Charissa Khor.

Facing the Giants is a film directed by Alex Kendrick whom also acted as the main character in the film, Grant Taylor. The film was released on September 29 2006, with the genre of Drama, Religion and Sports.

It is also rated PG as it contains football violence and topics like infertility and depression.

Find out more about the movie and watch the podcast by Amanda Loh.

28 Days Later is a 2002 British post-apocalyptic film starring Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Christopher Eccleston, and is directed by Danny Boyle. Yes. Danny Boyle – the man who also directed the award winning Slumdog Millionaire. 1Now, returning to 28 Days Later. The story opens with a group of animal rights activists breaking into a primate research facility to free the caged chimps. Unfortunately to them, the chimps are infected with a virus, known as RAGE. Of course, the virus spreads around and all hell breaks loose.

Listen to the podcast made by Gan Jia Yi.

“Children of Men” is a British science fiction film based loosely on the novel, of the exact same name, by Phyllis Dorothy James. Co-written and directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, the film includes several acting heavy weights like Clive Owen, Michael Caine, and Julianne Moore.

Set in the year 2027, in a world of chaos, women of the world have mysteriously gone infertile and there hasn’t been a single childbirth for 18 years. A former activist, Theo Faron, played by Clive Owen, agrees to escort a miraculously pregnant refugee to the scientists of a mysterious organization called the Human Project.The birth of the child may help the scientists find a cure to humanity’s inability to procreate, and possibly save humans from extinction.

Ryan Wong analyzes the cinematography, mise-en-scene and editing of the film.

Children of Men

The Orphanage is definitely one of the best Spanish films I’ve watched. And the funny thing, I’m actually not much of a fan of the horror genre. But in my eyes, The Orphanage is art. It mixes horror with heart.

The story revolves around a former orphanage. Laura, together with her husband, Carlos, and her adopted son, Simon, moves in to that orphanage where she was brought up. Laura, together with her husband, decides to re-open the orphanage to six new orphans around the location. Simon, who is HIV positive, then claims that he has invisible friends, but Laura thinks it is just his wild imagination. At the opening party, Simon asks Laura to see the house of his “friend”, Tomas. Laura refuses, and Simon is upset. Simon disappears during the party, and Laura comes to the deduction that his ghost friends have taken him away. Laura then makes a police report, and also consults a parapsychologist. Drama continues…

This is the first time the director, Juan Antonio Bayona, is directing a full feature film. And I must say, it’s a pretty impressive debut. Bayona has chosen to shoot the film in an eerie way, and has chosen to let our imaginations take over.
The film starts off with a simple scene of kids playing in a garden. We then see a caretaker picking up a phone, and her walking out to the garden to call out a girl Laura, as a family has decided to adopt her. We then hear the soundtrack getting creepier and creepier, and as Laura shouts, “ I got you”, it turns to a black screen. It is a fantastic way to start the film, giving the audience a little discomfort. Simple yet effective.
The opening credit sequence was brilliantly designed, having old wallpapers ripped off by orphans’ hands. And along with the soundtrack, it establishes the mood and theme of the whole film. I’m not sure if it’s just me, but the credits gave me the creeps. The soundtrack of The Orphanage is outstanding, giving discomfort to the whole film. There is this particular scene when Laura finds an old woman at her house with a digging spade in the middle of the night. With the use of high pitch music, it made the scene much more scarier. It reminds me of the famous Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho scene.

The film maintains its tension throughout the film, with shots of creepy empty hallways, with the aid of its soundtrack. Bayona has chosen to let our minds do the imagination rather than to show it to us. There is this scene in the cave where Simon is talking to someone, and is shining his torchlight against the rocks. We see nothing at the rocks, but, we know, there is something out there. All the empty hallways, the metal sounds in the house, we know the ghosts are out there, but we don’t see them.

Unlike most B grade horror films, which have weak plots and thrive on cheap scares, The Orphanage is an old-fashioned horror film with heart. It accumulates tension from the first minute to the end of the film, with burst of tension at some parts. We can feel the sorrow of the film, the story about a mom doing everything she can to find her adopted son. One of the reasons why she is doing that is because of the fact that she was an orphan herself. I love the twist of the story, and it just makes the viewers shudder with sympathy for the mother. Belén Rueda’s (Laura) acting was so convincing that it made me feel for her. Laura relentless pursuit to find her son touched me.

I’d say the best scene of the whole film was a long take for about a minute. Laura is playing a game with the ghosts, where she says,” one, two, three, touch on the wall”, and when she turns around, the ghosts around her approaching must freeze. We see the young Laura playing that in the first sequence too. This long take is held in a dark room, and every time Laura turns, we see ghosts of orphans closing in on Laura. In our mind, we are wondering when the ghosts will finally reach her. This scene is fantastic, and is definitely the scene to look out for.

The Orphanage is a genuine horror film, disturbing, powerful, yet has its soft and tender moments. It’s one of the few complete horror films out there, and it’s definitely worth watching. At least twice.

- Foong Yan Qiu

Set in the streets of Dublin, this film is shot in a way that replaces elegance with efficiency. It does not look, sound or feel like your usual movie-musical such as Dreamgirls, Hairspray or even the critically acclaimed Moulin Rouge. It lacks flashy effects and splashy grandeur that is evident in such films. Once is more toned down and opposes the usual stereotypes of movie-musicals. It’s a gorgeous and straightforward film that endows itself in a lovable charm that films such as Moulin Rouge could never achieve.  Once’s formula for success is simple: two people, a guitar, a piano and a whole lotta awesome, sincerely performed songs.

The opening of the film dumps the viewers right into the middle of the streets of Dublin. It is straightforward that Guy (Glen Hansard), is a busker. There is no fancy introduction or street full of dancers to dance to his music, it’s just him, his guitar and a small comedic misunderstanding between him and a drug addict. The next scene shows him still singing in the night. This marks the beginning of the showcase of his songwriting talent in the film. He stands there and sings Say It To Me Now. As he reaches the chorus, the camera dollies in shakily to him. Many people would pick on the poor camera work here as the dolly is a little bit shaky, but I would rather concentrate on the essence of this film, its music. When he hits the chorus, he sings extremely loud in the middle of the street, as if letting out a shout of despair. The despair in his voice coupled with the lyrics gave me chills. That’s the actual beauty of this movie. It doesn’t force feed us with the emotions the characters are feeling. But rather it makes us accurately infer it through the voice of the actors, the music and the lyrics. Moreover, the way it introduces the female character, Girl (Markéta Irglová) is rather straightforward too. After the dolly in, it dollies out slightly and reveals her listening to his singing. This starts the whole series of events that happen in the movie.

Apart from the story and the music, the actors were really convincing in their acting. They did what they were suppose to do and didn’t over dramatize their characters. Both Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová have no prior acting experience. However, both of them had worked with each other through Glen Hansard’s band, The Frames and penned most of the songs in the film together. And the song Falling Slowly won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The soundtrack also got nominated for two Grammys.

The simplicity of the film has easily made it one of the best low-budget indie films in the last 25 years. Its blend of comedy and romance is hard to forget. It’s a film that can be watched repeatedly and not get sick of it.

- Fong Chan Teng