I have to say that the past few years I have watch a few really good local movies. Of course there are also a fair share of the not so good and also the really bad ones. But this article is dedicated to some of the good ones that I have watched the past few years. I have to say that they have adapted quite well in terms of story line, direction and of course acting. Some of the lines are very original and its really good to see we move into that direction!
First stop is a Khabir Bhatia film, Setem. Its by far one of the funniest local movie I've seen recently. In funny I mean smart funny and not slapstick funny. The whole story line is very very similiar to Guy Ritchie's Snatch but with a good dash of local flavor in it. Its no surprise that the director is a huge fan of Guy Ritchies work,. hence the creation of the script and added with good acting and a good cast, makes the movie a well worth trip to the cinema.
I was on the edge of my seat most of the movie as it takes us a journey of a typical Malaysian lifestyle and culture and the jokes are really good and original. The flow of the story is done in a way that there was never a boring moment. At times I was laughing my ass off along with my other friends. Funny thing is that most of the other viewers did not get the joke. I actually watched it 3-4 times with different people and I still find it funny! a definite keeper! great stuffs!
Next stop is Belukar. This show was introduced to me by my colleague. At first, when I looked at the poster, I really thought it was some horror movie or some thriller added with the title. I really thought it was some pontianak that was hiding a bush movie. Then when I read about it properly, it is actually an indie movie set in Sabah. So bear with it, the language might be slightly hard to understand.
It revolves about how a massive insurance conmen (or women!) Eve, where she have raked in more than 100 million ringgit from insurance companies and she was being investigated by Nik which.... falls for her and found out who she really is. The twist is not too bad and the style that was made was interesting. A lil' twist here and there. The movie was made even better as the beautiful Daphne Iking was the lead cast.
Next up is the epic movie, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa or as it is marketed overseas, The Malay Chronicles : Bloodlines. I was quite skeptical when I was the whole thing about the production cost and being the most successful movie ever made. I was still wondering what happened to the late P. Ramlee movies. I dont think they should even compare as last time not everyone can afford to go to the cinemas to watch a movie! That was what I thought before I watched it.
Well, the first thing I noticed is that most of the main cast are not even locally based. Not too bad! Ok so the story is about Merong Mahawangsa, a Malay legend and supposedly the founder of Langkasuka empire which then turned into day Thailand and Kedah. After watching it then glimpses of my old memory of Sejarah lesson came flashing by.
Well, the mood of the movie had some Pirates of the Caribbean feel to it. But I have to say its quite amazed with the production in this movie. The story is not too bad but the fight scene was slightly Bollywood where there was no contact or not hard enough contact to make people fly that far. But the story was interesting! not so accurate history lesson anybody? Not too bad graphics in the movie too.
Overall I have to say its not too bad of a movie and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie!
Then most recent one was Nasi Lemak 2.0, done by the famous / infamous Namewee. He is no stranger to controvesy but its all because he believed in what he believe in! Being a Malaysian! The show has an all star cast. Although the story and scripting could be stronger but I have to say its a really really impressive and awesome job for a first time director.
The whole message and element of being a Malaysian was successfully brought across to the audience. The message was direct yet very meaningful. There was several spoofs and lots of elements of Namewee in it especially from his previous music videos which makes his movie even more interesting in terms of pushing the limit.
This movie definitely open a whole new door for movie making style in our country! Job well done! I really enjoyed this movie even there were one or two characters that were really annoying!
Its really good to see that our movie industry have evolved and improved, so I am calling all Malaysians to give our local movies the support that they thoroughly deserve. Support the local scene and lets hope this will open more opportunities and more quality movies to come!
A few more old movies that I have to give recognition is the evergreen P Ramlee's movies which is so difficult to get nowadays, Puteri Gunung Ledang and XX Ray 1 and 2. Awesome stuffs!
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