ALANGKAH LUCUNYA (NEGERI INI)

Directed by: Deddy Mizwar
Run time: 90 min

What is so typical about movies from Deddy Mizwar? Apart that he starred in it too, it has a down to earth stories, regular cast and funny dialogue with sharp jabs at Indonesia's current social political and economic condition. No CGI, foul language or cheap thrills from him, just a nice family drama with realistic visualization.

Check Nagabonar Jadi 2 (2007) for instance. The sequel of the successful Nagabonar (1987) managed to attracts millions of movie goers because it can mix good acting, drama, story and a moral message everyone here can understand.

Movie goers are very familiar with Dedy Mizwar's work, from his movies such as Nagabonar, Kiamat Sudah Dekat (which is made as a successful TV series aired during the fasting month of Ramadan) and Ketika to Para Pencari Tuhan, another hit TV series also aired during Ramadan too.

His recent outing with Alangkah Lucunya (negeri ini) which roughly translated in English as 'This country is so funny' has proven that Dedy Mizwar hasn't lose his edge. He still manage to deliver a story that can be preachy and boring by some mediocre director, to be something fresh and original in his hand.

As for me, I have no idea what this movie is all about and have slight suspicion that it will be filled with preachy dialogue that can make people yawn. But I was wrong since even though some of the dialogue are a bit preachy but it is necessary for the story itself. So what is it all about?

Muluk (Reza Rahadian), is a university graduate majoring in management. Since two years after he graduated, he still cannot find a job. Until one time he catches a kid pickpocketing at the market. Muluk follows the pickpocket and scowl him, telling that it is not good to steal money from hard working people.

This event led Muluk to encounter the community of pickpockets (also street kids with no parents or go to school at all) led by Jarot (Tio Pakusadewo). Muluk offers his service to 'manage' the money resulted from pickpocketing. At first the pickpockets hated the idea of some strangers tell them what to do. But as Muluk, with his 10% commision, promise that he can manage the money better and can convince Jarot, the kids agreed to Muluk's plot.

Meanwhile Muluk's father is a small scale tailor, Makbul (Dedy Mizwar) who is very supportive of his son, argue with a wealthy father, Haji Sarbini (Jaja Miharja) whose daughter Muluk is dating, that Muluk is not an unemployed person but 'still trying to find a job'.

Muluk's project work so well, he even lied to his father that he worked at some company in Human Resource Department. Actually Muluk has a grand idea, he would like to train those kids to have an education, and hopes that they will leave their illegal affairs once his project is done.

But as Makbul, Haji Sarbini and Haji Rahmat (Slamet Rahardjo), the father of Pipit (Tika Bravani), who helps Muluk run the unofficial school with Muluk's best friend, Syamsul (Asrul Dahlan) found out about the project, how would they react? Things turned unexpectedly from here.

Until this point I thought that the film will ended in an utopia which all the kids realize that pickpocketing is a wrong way of earning a living and they will all be successful.

But I was wrong again, with an open ending which is unusual for many Indonesian film, this film manages to jab so many things, from the corruption that is very rampant in Indonesia, to poverty issues and education in general without being overly preachy plus giving some hope that there is something good in this life worth fighting for. One thing is cliche here, like quoting the constitution in the ending credits. I know this film aims big, but it is not necessary to quote one verse of the constitution in the ending credits.

So in the end some of the kids chose to be a street seller (asongan) and some still wanted to pick pockets. So is life where most of the times education can change people and it also doesn't change some. I like the ending, it is realistic and believable.

Seeing that most of the cast are kids (and most of them are regulars in Dedy Mizwar's movies and TV series universe), one can compare this to Laskar Pelangi or Sang Pemimpi. But the difference is that this film wasn't based on any best selling book so it has an edge on originality thus if it become a hit (I just watched it on the first week so I have no idea whether this one is selling fast or not, it is just the cinema I am in is packed with people, I hope that it is a good sign that people will chose good films over bad ones) then it will be like Avatar, (not in a sense that it is a CGI hyped movie) a hit movie without relying their success on a pre-sold ideas.

In general, this is a good film worth every rupiah and time you spent. A breath of fresh air for those who wanted quality and entertainment in one package.

The cinematography itself is also rewarding, with gritty and 'as it is' look, manage to keep this film as down to earth as possible, therefore could relate to many people who seek for good entertainment and realism.

DAS WEISSE BAND - EINE DEUTSCHE KINDERGESCHICHTE

Directed by: Michael Haneke
Run time: 144 min

In a feudal northern German village set before World War I, tragedy is happening. This looks like an ideal village with the Baron (Ulrich Tukur), the town’s principal employer and landowner; the doctor, a widower with two children and an interesting relationship with the midwife (Susanne Lothar); the steward (Josef Bierbichler); a tenant farmer (Branko Samarovski); and, perhaps most important, the pastor (Burghart Klaussner).

It all begins when the village doctor (Rainer Bock) is thrown after his horse runs into a trip wire set on the road to his home, then the farmer's wife is killed in a saw mill, the Baron's son is beaten, an infant catches a fever after the window in the house is being opened and one children with down syndrome got beaten harshly, and on it goes.

There are no suspects (or even evidence) but there are few clues, like some children who suspiciously groups together and visit people who were injured and saying that they are just visiting or the farmer's son who secretly blame Baron for the death of her mother in the sawmill or the repressed doctor's lover (a.k.a the midwife) who has to endure the verbal abuse the doctor gave her.

But it is not who did it that matters (is it no one? or everyone?), but why they did it. Michael Haneke shows that cruel and cold upbringing could plant seed for aggression in their kids. What is being shown is the doors to the houses of the village inhabitants; the denial in one house, female and child abuse and indifference.

One thing is sure, the village parents are harsh to their kids, from just a cold look with grammatically correct sentences they deliver in the dinner table to the cruel beating they had. It seems that corporal punishment and humiliation is a part of parenting there. Why were they being punished? Not because they are terrorist or something, but because they are late for dinner and other minor mistakes which doesn't deserve to be humiliated or punished at all.

Could it be that the repressed children stage some tragedy in the village? Or is there anyone else who did it? Will these so called 'repressed' children will pass this behavior to the next generation? Is that the social order that is present in this film has vanished from the earth?

The viewers will be left with no answer for this (and they have to seek it for them self, a good thing to do), and that what makes this film is good since it explore the psychological, educational and religious roots in the small village as a sample for a whole nation at that time.

Not only the stunning black and white cinematography reminding you of Ingmar Bergman's movies or some good old photos, but the acting is superb. The absence of marquee name makes the character looks natural. The story itself was narrated from the teacher's point of view (Ernst Jacobi). In the film we see his young version (Christian Friedel) as a mild and soft teacher, perhaps one character that looks normal than the whole village.

What is The White Ribbon? The priest makes his oldest son (Leonard Proxauf) and daughter (Maria-Victoria Dragus) wear white ribbons as symbol of innocence and shame at the same time.

However if you are looking for a silver lining, there is this one scene where the priest's son is giving his father a new bird so his father will not be sad. Trying to compose himself so he doesn't cry, the priest felt touched by that simple act of kindness posed by his own son whom he rarely hug or kissed.

PS: This film won Golden Palm, FIPRESCI Prize and Cinema Prize of the French National Education System at 2009 Cannes Film Festival, beating Un prophète. It also won 2010 ASC Award for Christian Berger in Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases.

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Directed by: Louis Leterrier

Run time: 106 min

Is it redundant to start this review by stating that I am not a big fan of Greek mythology? I think it is but heck, I still write it down anyway.

Some of my friends who are big fans of Greek mythology felt disappointed with this film. As for me, this is just a movie, they can make Perseus the son of Kraken and Hades if they wanted to (and I think it is cool to have a pregnant Hades bitching around about daily minutiae in Olympus).

So after listening to some bad reviews from my friend about this particular movie, I embrace myself to watch it, not in 3 D since everybody call the convert is suck, but in glourious 2 D.

Since I have low expectation (I kinda hope that this is the expensive version of Hercules the Legendary Journeys TV Series with Kevin Sorbo), I actually enjoy Clash and I can say that it is not as bad as most people told me and certainly not as bad as New Moon and 2012. It is entertaining although the plot is wafer thin and Sam Worthington is the only Greek with no beard or long hair, which makes things a bit strange.

No need to tell the plot since it is easy to guess from the poster that Perseus is on a mission to kill Kraken or the city of Argos destroyed to dust by the anger of Zeus. Oh and Hades is in it too, trying to milk the situation in order for greater power. To think that this whole shebang started because humans are fed up with Gods is also nice, it seems that Zeus need people to worship him. What lack is the love story. Louis Letterier seems to discard any sort of romance from this film.

The effects and cinematography is beyond average and you will enjoy the sight of Perseus flying with pegasus to save Argos from destruction while trying to kill Kraken.

As for the acting, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes is giving their best while Sam Worthington is the weakest of all, acted flat and have near zero emotion which makes you wonder that this guy is very lucky to have landed roles in expensive movies.

There is also a problem with the script, it seems there is lack of causality or motives for Perseus to pursue a journey to kill Kraken and some of the dialogs are corny.

Contrary to most remakes I have reviewed or seen, I have seen the 1981 version and I think in terms of visual enjoyment (not in terms of story and acting), this one is a huge improvement.

So for those who are not a big fan of Greek mythology, this one is a sweet candy that will make you happy. And for those who is a big fan of Greek mythology, this film is an atrocity at it's best.

Hey at least the phrase 'Release the Kraken' has now replaced 'This is Sparta' as one of the corniest phrase being duplicated in popular culture.

HACHIKO: A DOG'S STORY

Directed by: Lasse Hallström
Run time: 104 min.

I'm not a dog or cat person, I don't even have pets at all but from my non-pet-owner perspective, this film is touching. It teaches us that dog can be more loyal than human.

Based on the 1987 Japanese film Hachikō Monogatari which is based on a real story in Japan, at first I thought this movie will be just one of generic Hallmark matinee movies. But it wasn't since there is Richard Gere in it, hey at least anything with an A-list movie star cannot be a standard Hallmark matinee movies right?

As a remake, I expect the film to be fully 'Americanized', but this film has the sensibility to ensure that Hachiko remains Japanese, only for it to be accidentally transported from a Japanese monastery, and thanks to a botch up in cargo handling, Hachiko ended up in Bedridge train station, USA.

Fate brings the cute and small Hachiko with Professor Parker Wilson (Richard Gere). At first his wife doesn't like a dog in their house. But as time goes by, there's a bond built slowly between Hachiko and Wilson, a bond that transcend worldly affairs and teaches us the meaning of dedication and loyalty.

This is the type of movie that, even if you already know the whole plot, you can still enjoy it. One cannot deny that Akita dogs are extremely cute and cuddly and one should pay attention to the credit title that to own Akita dogs, you need to be a professional dog owner, not just having it because you just simply want it.

I haven't seen the Japanese original movie, but I will see it and I think it is better than the American version (which is also good too) since it can maintain the original 'feeling'.

The real Hachiko was born in Japan in 1923. When his master, Dr Eisaburo Ueno, a professor at the Tokyo University, died in May, 1925, Hachi returned to the Shibuya train station the next day, and for the next nine years, to wait. Hachiko died in March, 1935. Today, a bronze statue of Hachiko sits in his waiting spot outside the Shibuya railroad station.

It is indeed an amazing story that inspires us all that despite all the indecencies we saw on night news, there is still something good in this life worth fighting for.

UN PROPHÈTE

Directed by: Jacques Audiard
Run time: 149 min

This movie is the reason why I like films; the story is solid and unforgiving. This is not your usual Hollywood mayhem movie glorifying mafia and crime, and although the story itself centered in a prison, it is not about surviving or escaping, it is about 'An education' in the truest sense of the word.

A Prophet (the English title) serves up crime as a metaphor for life and power. Just like last year's Gomorrah, this is surely 2010 best film not to be missed. The (anti)hero Malik (Tahar Rahim), is a rootless man. From his Mediterranian look people can mistake him for an Arab, French, even Corsican. Malik has no family or friends, he doesn't feel to belong to any social group. Why he is in prison is not clear and like any inmates he say that he is innocent.

As Malik enter the prison to serve his six years sentence, he is an loner newbie, being beaten by other inmates. But opportunities arose as the Corsican mobsters that rule the prison led by Cesar Luciani (Niels Arestrup), orders him to kill another inmates named Teyeb (Hichem Yacoubi) or he will be killed.

Malik kill Reyeb clumsy, messy and brutal, by hiding a razor in his mouth and use it to slit Reyeb's throat. The murder itself is gore at its best, it will make you squirm. As time goes by, Malik is trusted by Cesar to do his errand, in other words, prison opened opportunities to Malik he would never had in real life. As Malik learns a lot of things (learn to read, speak Corsican, managing to be a small drug dealer), he rose from a newbie to a self-made, self-taught mafia boss and it is too late for Cesar to learn, that his pupil already outsmart him. Malik has undergone a twisted transformation from a nobody to become a somebody.

There is one scene that is very strong and subtle. As Malik is ordered by Cesar to go to Marseille on his leave day (it is really weird that in French prison, prisoner with good behaviour can leave prison for 12 hours and then return to the prison. This chance is used by Cesar to order Malik to do things outside the prison), he passes the metal detector gate at the airport and as the security man check him, Malik all the sudden open is mouth and show his tongue to be checked although he was not asked to.

In prison Malik used to be searched by opening his mouth, so that certain mentality has been imprinted in him no matter where he is. It means that you can take the man out of prison, but not the prison mentality. That one scene itself explain everything about Malik's nature.

Director Jacques Audiard is a talented director. I have seen The Beat that My heart skipped (2005) and I can say that Jacques could be the equivalent of Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Copolla in Europe.

This film is different than Goodfellas or The Godfather since it use neo-realistic approach by never try to make any scene look beautiful, but real and gritty. It is epic without having need to use wide lenses and good without any marquee name.

If you wonder why you like movies, this one will surely brings you the reason why. A Prophet swept all major categories this year's Cesar Awards, the French Oscars. It won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival and I can say that all the awards is well deserved.

SHUTTER ISLAND

Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Run time: 138 min

In the 50s, a woman is missing from Shutter Island, a remote island off Boston, where a Civil War-era fort has been changed into an institution for the criminally insane. The noir Arkham Asylum based on the novel fof the same title from Dennis Lehane, brought to the screen by the one and only, Martin Scorsese.

To this island travel U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo). They are assigned to investigate the missing woman. How come she is gone from her locked cell and why do the institution looks spooky with people who seem to withheld secret information? What is actually going on in Shutter Island? Is there a secret experiment going on? Or is there something more?

Teddy is a clueless character, coming to the island with heavy baggage, the death if his wife in the fire and his memory of liberating Dachau concentration camp in the World War II where he see inhumane things happened.

Soon, like peeling onion layers, mysteries resolved and everyone is treated to a twist that will makes them scratch their head because this film will not just give you the easy answer because they have to fit the unfit puzzle.

Uncertainty is the key to understand this film. Martin Scorsese has successfully tease viewer's sense and take it to the endless maze. Bits by bits the viewers know more about the mysteries surrounding Shutter Island, the lines between sanity and insanity, reality and delusion began to merge.

It doesn't mean bad, since by leaving things uncertain, the director best known for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, has proven he still has an edge in making good movies. The lensing is powerful and the editing is tight, leave no wasted time and space at all, thus make the story not draggy.

As for those who doesn't like to think, this film is confusing and not interesting at all but for those who wanted to see top notch directing and acting with twisted plots in the spirit of The Machinist, Mulholland Drive and Memento, this one is a must see this year.

If you think this film is mind boggling, wait until you see Triangle, an underrated film from 2009 which will left you dumbfounded for days and has more twist than this one.

PRECIOUS

Directed by: Lee Daniels
Run time: 109 min

Overweight, child out of wedlock, incest. Whoa, that is more than enough to make you depressed. However Precious is not an outstanding movie at all but not bad at all, in fact I think it stands in between, it is actually interesting and not boring. It feels as depressing as Revolutionary Road but also entertaining. What is the word for that anyway? It is the feeling of sympathy mixed with entertainment.

Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) has inferiority complex, she is overweight, illiterate, her father raped her twice and she has been pregnant (again) by his father. To makes things worse, her mother is very abusive, hurling not only verbal assault to her, but physical as well. In this cruel world, Precious must fight so she can be precious again.

In the hand of a generic director this film will be the generic kitchen sink drama where viewers will cry at given cues. But this film stand beyond that, it will not make you cry wildly nor sobbing, but it will make you sympathize with the plight of the poor and abused person.

If there are things that redeem the landscape of despair this film offers, is the two women who want life to be better for Precious. They are Mrs. Weiss (Mariah Carey) the social worker and Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), her teacher who consistently wanted to make the life of their students better.

Gabourey is shining in this film and Mariah Carey is just stunning, you hardly recognize her here. Mo'Nique is also shining, playing the abusive chain smoker mother, she deserved the Oscar.

CRAZY HEART

The harder the life, the sweeter the song.

Directed by: Scott Cooper
Run time: 112 min

I have no expectation whatsoever for this film so as I watched it, it came as a surprise that Colin Farrell is here and he sings country song.

Actually the reason I watch this because Jeff Bridges already won Best Actor at the Oscars, so I kind of expect Daniel Day Lewis's performance in There Will Be Blood sort of thing. My expectations were too high since Jeff Bridges is just okay in this film.

Sure he played a burn out country singer who try to find his redemption and love in his old age. That itself is an Oscar material, but the story itself is not that satisfying. It is not as good as The Wrestler.

So why did Jeff Bridges won an Oscar? Because he has been nominated four times (speaking of most nomination with no winning Peter O'Toole is the master of this category) and the same reason why Martin Scorsese won Best Director for The Departed not for Taxi Driver or Raging Bull: because it is their turn this time and there might be no next time at all so better give it now or history will be harsh to the Academy.

Kinda cruel? I don't think so since I think that sometimes some awards given by the Oscar were given because it it their 'turn', although still deserved, not because the film has risen beyond horizon.

Check Gran Torino for instance. Why hasn't it won Oscar for Best Picture? Because Clint Eastwood already won Oscar from Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, it's time to give it to someone else (Paul Thomas Anderson anyone?).

Honestly I don't like the 'it's my turn' principle. I think Gran Torino and There Will Be Blood should won many Oscars instead of that generic Slumdog Millionaire regardless whether Clint has won Oscar for his previous movies or not.

To think that Slumdog won as many Oscars as Amadeus is an atrocity, (Amadeus is superb while Slumdog is just okay) not that I hate Slumdog, but I think There Will Be Blood is more deserved.

Back to the movie, the story is not that bad, it is just okay. What makes it stand out is the performance of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell. Sure Jeff gives all his talents by making Bad Blake (his character) a sympathetic and broken down alcoholic loser without too much self pity, but seeing other best actor nomination this year, he won easily. It's not like he is up against Sam Rockwell in Moon anyway. Wait the minute, even the academy fail to pay attention to the superbly made Moon. Crazy Heart? I am not so crazy about it.

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

Directors: Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders

Following the template of most animation movies (a misfit try to fit in the world, finds something new and then find that he is unique and doesn't have to change a bit), at first I thought this will be another generic Dreamworks animation with too much pop culture reference. But this film is beyond my expectation, there is no annoying pop culture reference and anyone can enjoy this film.

Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) is a weak Viking teenager who doesn't fit in with his tribe's tradition of slaying dragons. This makes his father, Stoick (Gerard Butler), the tribal leader, disappointed since in Viking tradition every young man must stand up and fight dragons.

But after Hiccup accidentally capture one dragon he named as Toothless, he discovers a new way of making friends with dragon, instead of slaying them. There he is caught between his affection for Toothless and the world he lives in, which despise dragons.

As Toothless take Hiccup through a fantastic ride, it makes you wish that the seat you were sitting could also sway to the left and right with water sprayed on your face (to make it a 4 D experience). The animation itself is flawless, the flying scene itself almost as breath taking as Neytiri and Jake Sully takes banshee to roam the sky of Pandora.

Not only that, you can see that the viking youth were trained to kill dragons and Hiccup find a way to control how Toothless fly in a way that looks like he is riding a bike. Toothless itself is adorable, with his eyes, he communicate. I like it that the dragons cannot talk at all since if dragons can talk than this film will be as crappy as Transformers (talking robots? WTF?).

Judging from the story alone, with a simple twist at the end, Dreamworks has reached Pixar's level of telling a heart warming story about tolerance and understanding.

This is what 3 D animated movies are supposed to be, not only use 3 D as a gimmick but as a tool to enhance your visual experience by not sacrificing the story.

THE COVE

Directed by: Louie Psihoyos
Run Time: 92 min

As always documentary has the power to shock and make people realize things they never knew at all. Take this fact for instance, that 23.000 dolphin was killed in one year in Japan alone and how sonar in dolphin is more sophisticated than what human have made.

The fact unearthed by this film is shocking, on how the fisherman in a small but beautiful town of Taiji, Japan kill dolphin in a bloody way. Taiji itself is number one dolphin exporter to sea world theme park all over the world and seeing on how the city seem to honor dolphin, it is shocking to see the previously unknown to the rest of the world, scenes of dolphin slaughtered in cold blood by the fisherman in the cove, the hidden location where the fisherman trap dolphins to be slaughtered.

Not just that, renown dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has managed to get the horror scene by conducting a spy operation worthy of a James Bond style. You will be treated to some heart pounding acts by Ric friends who try to elude cops and the fisherman in order to get the harrowing scenes. By planting high tech cameras at strategic place, including the one that can record sound underwater, the viewers can see the cruelty more vividly than ever.

Why are the crew doing that? Because the townspeople of Taiji doesn't want anyone to film their 'secret' activity. The Cove also tells about the dangers of eating dolphin's meat and japan's political stance in whaling policy.

There are many documentaries angry about the human destruction of the earth and let's not forget Avatar, a science fiction movie set in Pandora with imperialism and natural destruction at it's theme which is the highest grossing film of all time, remind us how we, humans are the one that destroy nature but also the one who can save it.