881

Since I caught "881" with my mom and sister some 3 weeks back, I've been itching to catch some getai action. Sadly, I didn't manage to and the Seventh Lunar Month has since ended.

The movie brought back good memories though. It made me recall the days when my grandpa would bring me downstairs his Kallang flat, my hand in his, to watch Teochew opera and puppet shows. Every seventh month of the chinese calendar without fail, which is also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, a stage platform would be erected at a wide open space near the flat and uncles and aunties would flock there with children in tow to watch the performances every night. Pavements would be lined with jossticks, red candles and food offerings and there would be circular patches of charred grass leftover by the burning of paper money. These offerings were for the spirits of the dead whom the Chinese believe are released from the gates of Hell for a one month visit to earth. The getai performances are supposed to provide entertainment for these wandering souls and the first rows of plastic chairs are usually left empty for them.

My dad would bring our whole family to watch getais too and I remember it was back in the 90s when evergreen singers wearing colourful outfits belting out classic Hokkien and Chinese songs started to eclipse the painted expressive faces of Teochew Opera and the erhu and cymbals accompanied hand puppet shows.

The getai world along with those florid memories soon slipped into the recesses of my mind. My dad and grandfather left us and the world moved along at breakneck pace. The getais have evolved into flamboyant song and dance performances with multi-talented fast-talking comperes, rambuctious Hokkien techno numbers and lithe dancers scantily clad in sequinned pieces. Even the stages have gone from simple wooden plank and poles setup to sophisticated surround sound system, shiny disco-light balls and fanciful themed backdrops.

This is well-portrayed in "881".

If you haven't caught Roystan Tan's latest film, I suggest you dash to the nearest theatre before the film run ends. This coming from a person who usually shuns local film productions and isn't a particularly patriotic person. There is a reason why it has grossed over 3 million dollars in cinema receipts, outdoing Jack Neo's Just Follow Law and has been selected as our country's official entry in the Best Foreign Film Oscar race. Although I do not believe it'll be among the finalists, the film is truly one of the rare products that has quality and national pride stamped all over it.

"881" is a musical comedy which revolves around two aspiring getai singers and their struggles to make it big on stage. Other than the director's obsession with numbers (Roystan's previous movies include "15" and "430"), 881 also significantly refers to the main characters, the Papaya Sisters, two friends who become sworn sisters after being brought together by their passion for getais. Big Papaya and Small Papaya (played by Yeo Yann Yann and Mindy Ong respectively) are taken under the wing of Auntie Ling (Liu Ling Ling) who becomes their manager as well as a motherly figure to them. The story unfolds through the eyes of Guan Yin (Qi Yuwu), who is the adopted son of Auntie Ling. Although Guan Yin's narration can be heard in some scenes, he has no actual dialogue with the other characters because he is mute. Aside from playing with his pet rooster in his free time and nursing a crush on one (or both) of the sisters, he is also the chauffeur, photographer and caretaker.

Funny moments are aplenty when veteran getai performancers Wang Lei and Karen Tan turned up to banter with Liu Ling Ling's auntie Ling in pure explosive (minus the vulgarities) Hokkien. Their chemistry is evident and even kids were laughing along in the cinema I was in.Then for reasons unknown, there is a cheesy part about Auntie Ling's twin (also Liu Ling Ling), a diety living in a temple who grants the Papaya sisters their wish to be successful getai singers if they abide by her rules. Rules are meant to be broken so the journey for the sisters is fraught with obstacles. Oh and be mentally prepared for the special effects during the battle between the sisters and their main rivals, the Durian sisters (played by MTV VJs May and Choy) and the latter's mangled english.

Still, credit must be given to Roystan for being able to inject serious and heartrending moments into a movie that is mainly steered by music, humour and a dose of craziness. Characters ala Moulin Rouge break out into song and dance numbers to express their emotions on top of the excellent synchronized performance of the Papaya sisters on stage. I reckon a significant amount of the movie's 1 million budget must have been lavished on the outrageous but lovely costumes. The sisters and their rivals went through so many costume changes, I lost count of them. The unbridled showcase of singing and dancing is also equivalent to a trip to getais that are usually found in heartland areas.

I believe a good story reaches its aim when the audience is able to relate to it and the plot achieves this with its strong relationship themes. There are the exceptionally poignant scenes (spoiler!) that deals with Small Papaya's struggles with cancer and the eternity of sisterhood. Whether its the love between the sisters or their fiery passion for getai, you can tell that the film struck a chord with the audience with the unbashful shedding of tears and generous applause.

881, thanks for bringing back the memories.For a traditional culture that may soon be lost with the passing of generations and tweaking from modernization. For the people whom I'll never forget.

Broken English

To be honest, the first and main reason that made me want to watch this movie is Parker Posey. The gorgeous, irresistably charming actress whose forte is appearing in indie, conversational pieces and winning praises from even the staunchest film critics. Occasionally, she pops up in mainstream fare and when she does, the roles are highly memorable. She obviously had heaps of fun portraying an evil, campy vampire in Blade:Trinity and a sexy, fiesty fashion designer seeking a divorce in Laws Of Attraction.

Known more for her comedic and madcap performances, Parker turns in a more calibrated and contemplative performance in Broken English. As a single, thirty something woman working as a guest relations executive in a boutique hotel, Nora Wilder seems to have it all, on the surface. She is beautiful, intelligent and always dressed to kill. Her job allows her to meet the rich and the famous and becomes a topic of enthusiastic discussion amongst her mother's friends. She attends the hippiest parties and her bestest friend provides yoga company, shopping advice and emotional support. Not to mention, she has a cozy, sleek apartment to herself.

This sounds like a single woman's dream. Just that well, Nora is single, lonely and desperate for love. Ironically, she is cynical about finding it and has her heart well-fenced up. She tries her luck at love, meets handsome promising men but they are all wrong for her. After a couple of disasterous dates, she sinks into a deep funk. In a rather poignant scene, Nora breaks down in a restaurant after confessing to her mother about how lonely she is. Although her mother (Gena Rowlands) oftens reminds Nora how she "gave away" a good man to her best friend by introducing them, she shows support by telling Nora to "to go everywhere even if you don't feel like it." Nora's best friend Audrey (a wonderful chirpy Drea de Matteo) is also a reliable buddy cum cheerleader who keeps her company when she is down.

In her depressed state, Nora decides not to celebrate the Fourth of July but after drinking wine by herself and staring at the four corners of her quiet apartment, she makes an eleventh hour attempt to quell her restlessness and emptiness by going to her colleague's party. There, she feels even more out of place until she meets a dashing, charismatic Frenchman Julien (Melvil Poupaud) with a fedora hat and plenty of patience and persuasion. Julien's genuine interest in Nora and his ignorance of her pent-up frustrations, is the perfect antidote to Nora's jadedness and skepticism. They spend a beautiful weekend together but his steadfastness causes her to have an anxiety attack in public as she grapples with the relationship that is unfolding. When Nora realizes that his feelings might be true, Julien has to return to his country and she is faced with a dilemma. To stay in her safe but stagnant environment or to go with him to France, and give herself and love a chance?

Although the synopsis of the story seems to be about finding love, I think it is essentially about a typical educated, independant woman living in a fast-paced, modern society, dealing with her neuroses. The director's own compassion for women, together with the magnificent acting from Posey, manages to capture the excruciating struggles of loneliness and overwhelming insecurities of modern women. I love how the slow-moving pace and the unfanciful everyday dialogue contributed to the realism of the film and the melancholy which stayed long after the film has ended, made me think...

Its wierd that I'm not even at that stage of my life and I can totally identify with Nora. Its not about finding love. Its about feeling lost, empty and lonely. I think its about finding ourselves.

King Lear @ The Esplanade - 21st July 2007

The moment I found out Sir Ian McKellen was coming, I knew I had to see him. I really liked the thespian for his roles in reel life (Gandalf in LOTR and Magneto in X-men) and he seem like an awful nice guy in real life. Also, it so happened that one of the plays he would be acting in was King Lear, which was one of the books I had to read in junior college.

I was so psyched up for the event, I finished reading the book in less than 3 hours and even dutifully researched some of the textual meanings. I mean I've NEVER been so zealous back when I was supposed to be studying Lear because Shakespeare was like all together another language and quite hard to grasp. It was fun though and I would certainly prefer any of the Bard's work than 20th century novels (Joseph Andrews...shudders).

As Jo had made a booking few days after the dates of the play were confirmed, we managed to get seats along the third circle balcony. Our position though was rather uncomfortable as we had to lean towards the railing to get a good view of the stage, but the whole experience was optimized because we had binoculars!! With them, we could see the expressions on the actors' faces and more importantly, I had a close-up view of McKellen. So I was really happy about that. I have attended musical performances at the esplanade theatre before but boy this was the first time I've seen it so packed. Most people in the sold out crowd were definately there to watch Mckellen in the flesh but I've no doubt that the popular Shakespeare play and the solid reputation of the Royal Shakespeare Company who had collaborated with The Singapore Repertory Theatre and the Esplanade to bring the play to our shores were intrinsic influences as well.

A synopsis of the story goes like this. Lear is a powerful but self-absorbed king who wants to abdicate the throne and divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters. He tries to assess how much each daughter should be rewarded by asking each of them to profess their love for him. The two elder evil daughters Goneril and Regan pepper their speeches with fulsome rhetoric but the youngest Cordelia, who truely loves her father, refuses to take part in any of the nonsense. In a moment of folly that changes everything, Cordelia is married off to the King of France without recieving anything. Lear's loyal servant Kent is banished while trying to intercede. The evil daughters achieve their evil intentions and begin to turn against their father. Lear goes mad after realizing their betrayal and his mistake but it is during this tumultuous journey that he regains his senses. There is another sub-plot involving the Earl of Gloucester, who also serves the king, being betrayed by his illegitimate son Edmond while turning away his real son Edgar, who remains faithful to him throughout.

King Lear is known as a tragedy because even though the bad recieves their rightful punishment in the end, the good does not live out a happy ending. I read that some of Shakespeare's early audiences didn't like the sad ending so they actually changed it to a happy one but I do think it is a realistic allusion to reality. Evil is constantly lurking in men's hearts while the good doesn't always have good things happen to them.

Anyway, trying to absorb and decipher the Shakespearean text is one matter but being able to see the play brought to life by a well-trained cast makes understanding the story easier. Mckellen has recieved garlands of praise for his portrayal of the titular character and indeed he did not disappoint. His wealth of experience in acting and theatre showed through in scenes where he had to convey strong emotions as to allow the audience to relate to the character. Ian's Lear was naturally funny, furious and demanding at times and helpless and desolate when he was abandoned. His emotional soliloquies were particularly impressive because he managed to inject the right amount of feelings without overacting. The much talked about nude scene didn't happened due to our country's censorship barriers but well, Ian's commanding performance of a king stripped down to his humility and forced to face the bare reality was metaphoric enough. Quite obviously, he was comfortable in the shoes of Lear and pretty damn convincing.

But what is a play without a good supporting cast? Monica Dolan stole some of the thunder as a conniving, slightly psychotic and wine-loving Regan. Frances Barber's Goneril on the other hand was believable albeit a tad too stiff. The weakest link was probably Cordelia who was played by young actress Romolo Garai, whom I recognized as the hot dancer in Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights. She makes a good Cordelia with her ethereal and innocent beauty but lacks the acting skills and good chemistry with her father. Mckellen saves the relationship by being humble and sincere in seeking forgiveness from his wronged daughter. His howling at the last scene due to Cordelia's death was a haunting display of grief which echoed throughout the theatre and ate into the hearts of the audience. Philip Winchester with his winning good looks and candid confessions of deviance made his villain Edmond alot less repulsive and in fact decievingly charming. Just so you know, both married sisters Goneril and Regan falls in love with Edmond and later fights for his affection.

I love the endearing moments which Lear shares on stage with his loyal companion The Fool (Sylvester McCoy). From the time they are dressed in courtly flamboyant clothes to the time when they are soaked in the pouring thunderstorm in their barest and plainest of clothes, the bond between them was well-established. Just on a side note, with our binoculars, we could actually see a slight drizzle but oddly, the stage was not wet. The Fool is essentially the conscience of the King as his comic and witty speeches provides incisive perspective to the latter's misdirections.

Director Trevor Nunn added an unexpected scene with the Fool being hanged by the traitors' henchmen which was not in the text (though his premature death was hinted at) and the whole feeling I get is that he wanted to make everything as clear as possible. William Gaunt (Earl of Gloucester), Jonathan Hyde (Kent) and Ben Meyjes (Edgar) round off the rest of the main cast.

The most amazing thing about the whole experience was the actor and actresses' ability to master and remember every single line! I mean I'm not expecting them to read from cue cards but hearing them utter Shakespeare lines like the ones below was incredible.

"A man may see how this world goes with no eyes. Look with thine ears: see how yond justice rails upon yond simple thief. Hark, in thine ear: change places; and, handy-dandy, which is the justice, which is the thief?" (Act 4 Scene 6)

So with the outstanding acting and everything else included, a rousing standing ovation wasn't all that surprising. They deserve it, from the sound engineers, set designer, organizers and of course, an unconscious tribute to the man who gave us the play.

Engraving The World: A Selection From The Chacography Collection of The Lourve Musuem

Last friday, June and I went to check out an exhibition at The Singapore Art Museum called Engraving the World: A Selection from the Chalcography Collection of the Louvre Museum. I've been wanting to visit the exhibition since I read about it and I'm glad I finally did before it ended on July 22nd. It so happened that our visit coincided with a guided tour so we learnt more about the artworks than we possibly could on our own. Oh and we got in for free because admission is free on friday nights :)

On display were a selection of 138 etchings produced by the Louvre's chalcography department, chronicling the development of copper engraving in France over a period of a few centuries. Chalcography, which sounds like it has to do with charcoal drawing, is actually the art of engraving on copper. Subsequently, prints could be duplicated from the original copper plate using specially mixed ink and the appropriate paper. This tedious but dedicated form of printing was used way before modern techniques of photography and photocopying were developed and played a significant role in history.

We learnt that chalcography was first initiated by Louis XIV in 1663 as a form of art, propaganda and to facilitate communication between France and other countries like China. Much of the works we see in the galleries depict the glory of French monarchy like the Tuileries Palace which offered the French commoners a glimpse of how life was like inside. The King also ordered prints to be sent to the Chinese emperor so they could share and discuss knowledge on plants, science and other discoveries and developments. Among some of the more famous etchings we saw were Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Jean-Baptiste Nolin after Arnould de Vuez Coronelli’s Celestial Globe and Gérard Audran's The Dome of Val de Grace: The Holy Trinity and its Principal Mysteries.

We really impressed by the intricacy and precision of the strokes and lines of the works. Even though the colours were monochrome and dull, closer inspection would allow you to see the tiniest details that add up to such realistic portrait on the whole. It got til a point whereby we were peering intently at the prints, pointing out people standing on bridges and ladders who are less than 0.1cm tall! and being totally amused by the the standard of definitude. Can you imagine the effort poured into these artwork to document events and images during that era as compared to now where photos can just be taken with a click of a button?

I won't profess to know much about art but I've always had some moderate inclination towards it. I believe that being exposed to different sorts of things does make life more enriching.

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Event Dates: 4th May 2007 to 22nd Jul 2007
Opening Hours: Mon-Sun: 10am - 7pm Fri: 10am - 9pm
Venue: Singapore Art Museum
Category: Exhibition

Jet - The Shine On Tour 2007

Before I start this review, I have a confession to make. Unlike the previous Franz Ferdinand, Hoobastank, No Doubt/Cranberries and Linkin Park gigs that I have attended, I wasn't all that familiar about Jet when I was at their gig last tuesday. All I knew were a couple of lines from some of their songs and that their music is hard to resist. The loud hard ones are really catchy and boisterous enough to make you want to nod your head to while their ballads are mellow and heartfelt without being overly sappy.

I recieved their debut album "Get Born" as a birthday present when it was released in 2004 and took an immediate liking to their brand of rock and roll. I heard "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" and "Look What You Have Done" before they became way overplayed everywhere. But that meant exposure for the band which is a good thing. "AYGBMG" was featured in an Ipod advertisement on telly while "LWYD" was typical background music for teenage drama series (The OC anyone?). Anyway, their first album also consists of other rock gems and their music was a good enough reason to catch them live.

19th of June 2007.

Our tickets indicated that the concert was supposed to start at 8pm. As we made our way on foot from SMU to Fort Canning Park after dinner at TCC, we could hear strains of thumping music emanating from the hill above. We were worried. Surely, Jet couldn't be that punctual. Rockstars are well known for being exceptionally late and keeping their fans waiting in anticipation. The thought of missing any bit of Jet in action was unsettling. Upon reaching our destination, we realized that our fears were unfounded. The loud bass beats were courtesy of the opening acts.

We had to queue to get in but the line moved pretty fast. Once inside the gate, we saw that splotches of concert-goers had already made themselves comfortable on the slopey green grass patch in front of the stage. Not surprisingly, quite a significant percentage were non locals. There were three side tents selling the band's merchandise, booze and Botak Jones grub respectively. Botak Jones by the way is a very successful American food franchise that is reknown for its cheap restaurant quality grub in heartland areas. I bought myself a black Jet concert Tee, Jo got some nifty badges while Yv took home with her the band's poster and "Shine On" cd.

We found ourselves a good spot like 3 metres away from the stage and joined the crowd in hollering out for Jet. At 9pm sharp, frontman Nic Cester strutted out on stage followed in casual rhythm by the rest of the band. The first thing you notice is how sharply these dudes are dressed. Nic was at his modern bohemian best - long white flowing shirt, paired with a black blazer, pastel scarf and sandals. Somehow, he reminded me of a clean shaven John Lennon. In my head, I was just wondering how long he could last in that power outfit. The band didn't last long. Soon after, Nic uttered "Oh the humidity!" and did away with his thick jacket. His brother drummer Chris Cester was already shirtless but he looked really cool with his black police cap and white pants. "Did I just hear some guy say take it off??" he muses to the crowd. Sure enough, this Aussie guy just inches away from me was enthusiastically chanting "Rip it off! Rip it off!!!", making Jo and I collapse into fits of laughter.

Throughout the 90mins set, the band entertained the audience with songs from both albums, effortlessly alternating between adrenaline stompers like "That's All Lies", "Stand Up" and "Cold Hard Bitch" and acoustic slow numbers like "Move On", "Radio Song" and "King's Horses" but it was their two hit anthems which catapulated them to fame worldwide that really got the crowd moving. Kids as young as 7 and adults alike were all jumping to "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" while the band seemed pleased that the audience knew all the lyrics to "Look What You've Done". Some people even took out their lighters and started waving them in synchronized manner.

It was clear where the band got their influences (both in music and style) from. Their music were sometimes reminiscent of The Who, Rolling Stones and even Oasis. Guitarist Cameron Muncey was staggering stylishly around stage often with a cigarette sticking from his mouth while drummer Chris was in languid Iggy Pop mode everytime he rested from his drum duties. Lead singer Nic made an impression with his flexible vocals as he managed to sound good screaming/shrieking during some of the fast numbers and then incredibly poignant during his solo rendition of "Shine On". He mentioned that this song was really special to him and I later learnt that it was written in memory of the boys' father who had died of cancer. "Shine On" was part of the encore set that also included "Eleanor" and "Rollover DJ". I was rather disappointed that they didn't play "Sgt. Major" which is one of my favourites but the concert was nevetheless amazing.

One of the band's best moments came, not when they were belting out those famous radio friendly rock anthems but when the Cester brothers were singing in harmony to Eleanor, each armed only with a guitar and tambourine respectively. It was so earnest, tender and beautiful, it simply took my breath away. Just like this concert did.