Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Laskar Pelangi (2008)

hidup ini, untuk memberi sebanyak-banyaknya, bukan untuk menerima sebanyak-banyaknya
Our film maker should really from our neighbours. Look at how Thai and Singaporean film makers make name for themselves with their movies around the world. We, Malaysian somehow or rather still caught in the P. Ramlee and Keris Movie era. Of course we have gems like Yasmin Ahmad and Osman Ali and maybe way before people like U-Wei Shaari and Shuhaimi Baba and of course a lot of independent movies director with the likes of Ho Yuhang, Tan Chui Mui, James Lee and lots more but the mass was left entertaining themselves with cheap slapstick movies that do not even contribute to the healthy laughter as tension release and do not even dream of wishing it to be of intellectual stimulation of the slightest bit.
And then recently I watched Laskar Pelangi, a very nice movie from Indonesia. The story is very simple, based on a best-selling novel, a part of a tetralogy (which the author found that the fame is too much and decided to quit writing after completing the tetralogy). Yeah.... I mean, what?
I strongly recommend the movie especially to those teachers and educators and of course to all the youngsters in the country, those of us who're lucky enough to have the chance to pursue education however bad ours is indeed.

The movie is so simple yet poignantly beautiful and the most precious part is that it will appeal to the mass (well, I think at least in Malaysia, it will appeal to our majority citizen with its simple, touching premise and not forgetting funny too!).

It drew some reference to some other movies such as Children of Heaven (Majid Majidi -Iran) and Not One Less (Zhang Yi Mou - China) but I guess it's not any fault of the film makers or the author as children's education is a universal theme.

Seriously, I hope Malaysian government will show the movie instead of showing tonnes of stupid local made slapsticks or join the trend vehicle (like the recent craze of horror movie.... what happen to the so-called syirik ban on the horror movies? again, censorship board should stop playing the ignorant hand by determining what to be watched and what not) or some pointless movie from Hollywood.
Seriously, watch if you have the chance.
Seriously! (OK, I'm watching Grey's Anatomy 4th Season now....that explains the repetitions of Seriously)

5 comments:

Cruel Angel said...

a Movie about Sodo-Mee sure boast Msia reputation as well as tourism!

gay!

Anonymous said...

What makes this movie special is not only because it talks abt children, education and idealism, but also because it is inspired by the true life story of the author.
Well, with some dramatization here and there. But the characters are real and most of them are still alive and well. For example, the one who acts as Akiong's father is the real Akiong himself.

Hope said...

Thanks CK. I've been longing to watch good movies and will definitely try to get my hands on this one.

I agree with you that Malaysians film makers are more worried about the money they would make rather than to come up with something more out of the box. Hence, the people's mentality would still be the same as we are fed with all these nonsense day in day out, and by just looking at our movies, people from outside could judge the kind of people we are. Sad.

CK said...

indie,
really? ah kiong's father is the real ah kiong? couldn't remember him though... but i remember ah ling's father haha.....

nina,
ntg wrong trying to make blockbuster movies but malaysian movies lack variety, tat's the prob.

Mat Salo said...

Bro'.. when's the movie playing in Malaysia? Any news?

Great blog, BTW. :)