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If you haven't read Death Note manga yet, I'd recommend you start by watching the movie instead. The film has only just been released here in Singapore and I have to say that this its very close to the manga itself. What sucks is that this film is only the first of two parts. So you'll be left hanging. But fret not, because the second part will be coming out later this year.

The story is a game of one upmanship between Light Yagami and a guy called "L". Light picks up the Death Note, a book which will kill anyone whose name is written in it. Light goes on to kill criminals using the book and this results in the public creating this idea of some executioner character whom they name Kira. Some believe Kira to be a saviour sent to cleanse the world, whilst others feel he is no worse than the criminals he kills. Eventually, a mysterious person called "L" starts to take charge of the investigation about the mystery murders.

Gasps were audible throughout the screening. People who'd obviously never read the manga were bemused by the twists and intricacy of how Light manages to skip past "L" and how "L" closes in on Light slowly but surely. Even though I read the manga till its final ending, I still found myself intrigued by the film itself, which has slight plot changes to drive the film forward faster.

Tatsuya Fujiwara of Battle Royale fame stars as the protagonist/villain Light whilst Kenichi Matsuyama is the antagonist/sweet obsessed monkey "L". Can't wait for the second part! Check out the trailer on Youtube.

I know this ad has hit cinemas long ago but having seen it again on tv, I was much enamoured to write about it. Featuring Gary Oldman and the city of New York, its a real delight to watch, which is rare for ads. Its one ad i could actually watch again and again. Primarily because the focus isn't on trying to deliver some mood or idea for a product. Rather the ad is shot much like a very, very short film with a superb actor in Oldman helming it and a brilliant concept.

The scene above shows an old lady asking Oldman how to get to Carnegie Hall, to which he replies, "You gotta practise lady, you gotta practise.", my favourite bit in the ad.

You just have to love Gary Oldman, who's appeared in films as diverse as Leon (The Professional), The 5th Element and Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban. You wish he played the bad guy in every single film. In this ad, he's clearly the driving force behind it all and his charm comes through very naturally. Even at the end, when he references the Nokia phone, he does it superbly.

If you can't actually catch the entire ad on tv or in the cinema, there's always the low res version on Youtube or a slightly better one at Nokia itself which you can download as well.

Proust and Nietzsche collide as the Hoover family travels to California so little Olive can take part in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Crossing states in a beat up yellow VW camper, all manner of shit happens and the previously disjointed family suddenly becomes close and each character realises their own self worth.

Prettily shot and filled with atypical characters, this film uses a lot of contrasts to highlight all the main points and there's a sense of attachment to the incredibly bizarre story. Most people would probably call the family dysfunctional, but you're probably going to leave thinking "What's normal then?" instead. Here normal becomes strange and absurd and you realise there is no such thing as normality, only what you accept of yourself and each other. That's why the family unit makes so much sense, because they care about you regardless of what you may or may not be.

The father Richard is a none too motivational motivational speaker played by Greg Kinnear, who manages to come across as obstinately irritating. The matriarch Sheryl is played by Toni Collette, who holds the whole family together. Alan Arkin plays the grandfather, who forms this strange guiding presence over every character and I feel epitomises the spirit of the movie. Steve Carell plays Frank, whose failed suicide starts off the show. Paul Dano is Dwayne, the indie kid with a mop for hair, nihilist tastes and a vow of silence. Abigail Breslin is Olive, the subject of the show, the person you think for and hope for and though she may not fall into the usual category of pageant girls, she attracts in another way entirely.

Great film to watch and certainly something to think over, especially in this day and age, where "talent" shows form a large part of our television diet, models strut like skeletons and Ben Affleck is an actor.

I've recently been informed by the Kazakhstani diplomat to Singapore that a movie about their greatest television personality has been made. Yes friends, you will soon get to see Borat himself in the cinema. Like much of his other work, this film sees Borat travel to exotic America, the greatest country in the world. There, he gets to experience first hand what its like in the US where the concepts of sexual equality amongst other taboo subjects pique Borat's curiousity.

I'm told the cultural value of this film is unlike any other. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazahkstan is set to open soon at a cinema near you.

In tandem with their re-release of the adicolor collection, Adidas has completed the release of 7 new short films. Each is after a color, with the web address in the specific RGB code.

White is by Tronic and features Jenna Jameson having a go at those arcade machines with the pop up animals where you pound on them with a hammer.

Roman Coppola and Andy Bruntel joined forces to produce Red, a documentary about the color itself, with illustrations by Cayce Cole.

Blue plays out like a music video with a rap track about how the color is misunderstood, as Psyop puts it.

What appears to be a trailer for a futuristic action movie is really Yellow, directed by Neill Blomkamp.

Green revolves around a neighbourly getogether, set sometime in the future, which results in green paintballs blowing up everwhere in a strange ritual. Directed by Happy.

Charlie White's Pink has this girl transforming into the epitome of girly materialism as pink diamonds as her pink teddy watches.

Black is a noirish (how apt) piece about a panda soft toy. Saiman Chow is the man responsible.

Dorm or Dek Hor is the title of this Thai ghost story that had me on the edge of my seat and not because it was horrifying. That's largely because it's more a coming of age story than a ghost story.

I hate horror movies. On the one hand, I make silly noises and embarrass myself and get freaked out to no end. I jumped along with many members of the audience at one point in the show, yelling AIYO~! at a scene most horror buffs would laugh at. Then, there's also the fact that there's not much worth viewing in horror movies in the first place. Just lots of gore or sudden camera twirls to a ghoulish face, a hand grabbing you from out of nowhere blah blah blah. The Ring (Jap version) was the first big hit that broke the mould and was actually a decent movie.

In any case, Dorm isn't your run of the mill scare fest at all. Its really a retelling of the director's childhood spent in a boarding school with the added dimension/twist of a ghost story. The reason for the ghost story is twofold. One, to draw audiences and two, to relate to the lead character's loneliness. It's a pretty touching story about friendships and a very complete ending where you really feel everything worked out. Easy to watch for those non-horror types like me. It mixes a good amount of humour in with the scary and emotional bits. Actually, there aren't any scary bits.

Here's a link to the lead actor's website where you can check out some pictures and more info about this kid. Be warned. Endless howling on the Dorm page.

Check out these Akira Kurosawa Poster Cards. Its really a link to a Toshiro Mifune fansite. Anyway, for those who don't know the two names I've mentioned, (GASP!) Kurosawa is THE fabled Japanese director, who's probably best known for works like The Seven Samurai and Ran, which are films I rewatched again recently.

Less known is how one of his films heavily influenced George Lucas' Star Wars. Kurosawa's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress had a story revolving around a general rescuing a princess. Read Obi-wan Kenobi and Princess Leia in the Death Star. There were also two bickering soldiers that are said to resemble C3PO and R2D2. When you consider how the main heroes in Star Wars are Jedi wearing robes in a sci-fi flick, its not to hard to see how Lucas exoticised the Japanese culture, manipulating it to create something new.

Shown above is the poster card for Ran or 乱.

Link robbed off we make money not art.

Jean Reno starred with Ryoko Hirosue in the 2001 flick, Wasabi. Written by Luc Besson and directed by Gerard Krawcyzk, Wasabi first appears to be a remake of The Professional set in Japan. The film itself is beautifully shot, with some really wonderfully colored scenes that give the film a very contemporary look. I actually didn't know it was from 2001 until I googled it. Check this review.

Wasabi takes on Japanese wildstyle coloring and there's some beautiful scenes and shots all over. The street shots, shots in the arcade, airport etc are all beautiful. Colors running all over with transparent hot pinks overlapping blues and reds. Its bright and loud, like a stereotypical imagination of what Tokyo might look like.

The story itself is somewhat similar to The Professional. Hirosue plays the special little girl that Reno has to take care of. He in turn, blasting baddies and knocking their lights out calmly while she spins around shopping. I liked the flow of the film. How it portrayed Reno's character as a workaholic cop whose only thing is golf on Sundays. It then rapidly spins into a murder mystery / action movie.

The tagline goes "Possibly the greatest French language, English subtitled, Japanese action-comedy of all time. I think that's about right, since its also the only film in that category. It deserves better. Not the best Besson related piece I've seen but certainly a great ride. Pacy and hard hitting, gentle and pretty.