Pleasure Factory
Film-maker Ekachai Uekrongtham has more than sex on his mind in this exploration of the Geylang red-light district.
He is interested in the connections forged between the pleasure seekers and the pleasure providers but it would have helped to have stronger characters anchoring the story in the first place.
We are presented with three interwoven stories dealing with different facets of the world’s oldest profession – prostitution.
The first sees a national serviceman (Loo Zihan) seeking to lose his virginity. He gets his more experienced buddy along to help him navigate the back alleys of Geylang but finds the girl (Xu Er) he wants on his own.
The second story has Taiwanese actress Yang Kuei-mei playing a jaded prostitute who initiates her daughter into the trade.
The third is about an encounter between a young flesh peddler and a tattooed busker.
The problem with having multiple stories is that they often feel underdeveloped. The last is the weakest and barely leaves an impression. There seems to be a danger of this story-telling device being overused with Eric Khoo’s Be With Me (2005) and Wee Li Lin’s Gone Shopping (2007) both taking a similar approach.
It’s difficult to empathise or care for Factory’s characters when you know little about them and the problem is compounded when you have so many different characters.
The second story at least has a sense of intrigue about it – who exactly is the character played by Thai-born heart-throb Ananda Everingham, and why is he following the daughter around?
It also has Yang, whose emotionally wrought performance would have benefited from some context of the mother-daughter relationship.
As it is, her grief feels abstract and distant.
The first story arc is the strongest, and Ekachai imbues what could have been a bawdy ritual with an unexpected sweetness.
Much hinges upon the performances of Loo and Xu as they communicate and connect prior to, and through, sex.
While the performances are a little raw, both actors handle the bedroom scene admirably and convey the awkwardness and touching tenderness of a sexual encounter.
Unfortunately though, the film as a whole just doesn’t quite measure up.
(ST)
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Black Eyed Peas - Black, Blue & You Tour
Singapore Indoor Stadium
How does a band dispel those pesky break-up rumours? Simple. Just deliver a stomping good show.
That was exactly what The Black Eyed Peas did at their gig on Monday night.
The concert started with the well-known opening theme for 20th Century Fox movies as searchlights swept dramatically across the excited capacity crowd of 8,000.
And then the guys pranced onstage, strutting, rapping, singing and playing off one another on hits such as My Humps and Shut Up.
Boasting an easy, infectious energy, they struck up a quick rapport with the crowd. Shout-outs of “Singapore” were met with thunderous response.
They also had fun filching some classic guitar riffs, including Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine and The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army.
This goofy playfulness lies at the heart of their appeal. And it extends to newly minted pop star Fergie’s sexiness – which is PG rather than R21-rated, and explains the throngs of children and teenage fans at the show.
She did her solo numbers, such as Glamorous and Big Girls Don’t Cry, wearing a tiara and a cheeky cheerleader costume. “I put on my little girlie outfit for you,” she teased.
It’s precisely her solo-career success that has fuelled rumours that the hip-hop collective is headed for a break-up, though all the members have embarked on their separate projects.
will.i.am turned the endless speculation into a joke, attempting the question “Are the Black Eyed Peas splitting up?” in a variety of mock accents.
The answer was a definite “The Black Eyed Peas is never gonna break up”.
To prove that individual successes were no threat to the group, will.i.am performed I Got It From My Mama from his new album, Songs About Girls.
Taboo and apl.de.ap had their solo turns as well, and everyone had a chance to shine.
The satisfying encore featured three classic Peas anthems – Pump It, their breakthrough hit Where Is The Love? and Let’s Get It Started.
As the crowd danced away and sang along enthusiastically, it was clear that the Peas had ignited a party in the stadium.
(ST)
Singapore Indoor Stadium
How does a band dispel those pesky break-up rumours? Simple. Just deliver a stomping good show.
That was exactly what The Black Eyed Peas did at their gig on Monday night.
The concert started with the well-known opening theme for 20th Century Fox movies as searchlights swept dramatically across the excited capacity crowd of 8,000.
And then the guys pranced onstage, strutting, rapping, singing and playing off one another on hits such as My Humps and Shut Up.
Boasting an easy, infectious energy, they struck up a quick rapport with the crowd. Shout-outs of “Singapore” were met with thunderous response.
They also had fun filching some classic guitar riffs, including Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child O’ Mine and The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army.
This goofy playfulness lies at the heart of their appeal. And it extends to newly minted pop star Fergie’s sexiness – which is PG rather than R21-rated, and explains the throngs of children and teenage fans at the show.
She did her solo numbers, such as Glamorous and Big Girls Don’t Cry, wearing a tiara and a cheeky cheerleader costume. “I put on my little girlie outfit for you,” she teased.
It’s precisely her solo-career success that has fuelled rumours that the hip-hop collective is headed for a break-up, though all the members have embarked on their separate projects.
will.i.am turned the endless speculation into a joke, attempting the question “Are the Black Eyed Peas splitting up?” in a variety of mock accents.
The answer was a definite “The Black Eyed Peas is never gonna break up”.
To prove that individual successes were no threat to the group, will.i.am performed I Got It From My Mama from his new album, Songs About Girls.
Taboo and apl.de.ap had their solo turns as well, and everyone had a chance to shine.
The satisfying encore featured three classic Peas anthems – Pump It, their breakthrough hit Where Is The Love? and Let’s Get It Started.
As the crowd danced away and sang along enthusiastically, it was clear that the Peas had ignited a party in the stadium.
(ST)
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Sammi 2007 Show Mi World Tour
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Sammi Cheng is ready for her close-up again.
The Hong Kong entertainer had taken a two-year hiatus from showbiz and in that time rumours raged that she was ill. In front of a capacity crowd of 7,500 last Saturday, the 35-year-old proved that she was more than well. She showed her mettle with an energetic concert that lasted a little over two hours, including two fast-paced medleys that saw her dancing her heart out.
She declared to her adoring fans who were mostly in their 20s and 30s: “I’ve crossed the road, and from tonight, I’m going to make a fresh comeback.”
She was clearly in her element.
The flair for the dramatic was there, particularly in the opening Cantonese number Only You Cannot Be Replaced, her version of on-again-off-again beau Andy Hui’s hit.
She crooned it blindfolded and clad in an elaborate concoction of black and silver, and whipped off the short bob wig and the blindfold at the end of the number.
In between songs, she shared the importance of her family to her and revealed that they have a habit of writing letters to one another. It was her father she wrote to when she came to a crossroads in her life and who first learnt of her decision to take a break when she “didn’t know what to do”.
It was her way of connecting with the audience though it sometimes came across as choreographed patter, complete with accompanying music.
Unscripted, she was playful and funny and had the crowd eating out of her hand. She invited two fans to go up on stage to sing along to her songs and joked that she would pick only the plump girls so as to make herself look thinner.
Her special guest, Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun, was also teased for being “bamboo- stick” thin. Cheng had made a rare appearance at Sun’s concert in Hong Kong last year.
Apart from singing two duets with Sun on Mandarin songs Meeting and Green Light, Cheng kept largely to a repertoire of Cantonese songs, with crowd-pleasing hits such as Can’t Let Go, Beware Of Women and Beautiful For Life.
She also went through several hair and costume changes, including blonde-streaked red long hair and a cropped metallic harlequin jacket.
But it was the simple elegant numbers, a black dress and an all-white pantsuit, which made the greatest impression.
While her voice was a little ragged on some of the faster numbers, her smooth alto shone on the ballads.
She fed off the crowd’s energy and owned the stage as if she had never been away. No wonder the audience was impressed and cheered her on with their screams and enthusiastic waving of light sticks.
This was one worthy comeback.
(ST)
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Sammi Cheng is ready for her close-up again.
The Hong Kong entertainer had taken a two-year hiatus from showbiz and in that time rumours raged that she was ill. In front of a capacity crowd of 7,500 last Saturday, the 35-year-old proved that she was more than well. She showed her mettle with an energetic concert that lasted a little over two hours, including two fast-paced medleys that saw her dancing her heart out.
She declared to her adoring fans who were mostly in their 20s and 30s: “I’ve crossed the road, and from tonight, I’m going to make a fresh comeback.”
She was clearly in her element.
The flair for the dramatic was there, particularly in the opening Cantonese number Only You Cannot Be Replaced, her version of on-again-off-again beau Andy Hui’s hit.
She crooned it blindfolded and clad in an elaborate concoction of black and silver, and whipped off the short bob wig and the blindfold at the end of the number.
In between songs, she shared the importance of her family to her and revealed that they have a habit of writing letters to one another. It was her father she wrote to when she came to a crossroads in her life and who first learnt of her decision to take a break when she “didn’t know what to do”.
It was her way of connecting with the audience though it sometimes came across as choreographed patter, complete with accompanying music.
Unscripted, she was playful and funny and had the crowd eating out of her hand. She invited two fans to go up on stage to sing along to her songs and joked that she would pick only the plump girls so as to make herself look thinner.
Her special guest, Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun, was also teased for being “bamboo- stick” thin. Cheng had made a rare appearance at Sun’s concert in Hong Kong last year.
Apart from singing two duets with Sun on Mandarin songs Meeting and Green Light, Cheng kept largely to a repertoire of Cantonese songs, with crowd-pleasing hits such as Can’t Let Go, Beware Of Women and Beautiful For Life.
She also went through several hair and costume changes, including blonde-streaked red long hair and a cropped metallic harlequin jacket.
But it was the simple elegant numbers, a black dress and an all-white pantsuit, which made the greatest impression.
While her voice was a little ragged on some of the faster numbers, her smooth alto shone on the ballads.
She fed off the crowd’s energy and owned the stage as if she had never been away. No wonder the audience was impressed and cheered her on with their screams and enthusiastic waving of light sticks.
This was one worthy comeback.
(ST)
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The Post-birthday World
Lionel Shriver
This is a literary equivalent of Sliding Doors, Peter Howitt’s 1998 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow as a character whose fate hinges on whether she catches or misses a train.
In Shriver’s book, the pivotal event is a birthday celebration.
Illustrator Irina McGovern, who is in a long-term relationship with research analyst Lawrence Trainer, goes down one of two paths. In one, she kisses Ramsey Acton, snooker star and ex-husband of a former friend at the party.
In the other, she resists the impulse.
So is this a moralistic tale of how she ought to have stuck by her man or a tale of female empowerment and emancipation from a stifling relationship?
Both actually. In the last third of the book, the writer spells out what she’s gunning for. “The idea is that you don’t have only one destiny. ... But whichever direction you go, there are going to be upsides and downsides.”
What you get is an exhaustive and sometimes exhausting excavation of the emotional minutiae of Irina’s relationships with the two men.
The novel’s structure sets up lots of interesting parallel situations where the same event is viewed differently by Irina because it is coloured by her different actions in the two worlds.
Still, the idea that all destinies are equal rings false. After all, the writer has chosen two very specific scenarios to present to readers but there can be only one ending.
If you like this, read: Time’s Arrow by Martin Amis
Amis uses the concept of time travelling backwards to evoke the horrors of the Holocaust anew.
(ST)
Lionel Shriver
This is a literary equivalent of Sliding Doors, Peter Howitt’s 1998 film starring Gwyneth Paltrow as a character whose fate hinges on whether she catches or misses a train.
In Shriver’s book, the pivotal event is a birthday celebration.
Illustrator Irina McGovern, who is in a long-term relationship with research analyst Lawrence Trainer, goes down one of two paths. In one, she kisses Ramsey Acton, snooker star and ex-husband of a former friend at the party.
In the other, she resists the impulse.
So is this a moralistic tale of how she ought to have stuck by her man or a tale of female empowerment and emancipation from a stifling relationship?
Both actually. In the last third of the book, the writer spells out what she’s gunning for. “The idea is that you don’t have only one destiny. ... But whichever direction you go, there are going to be upsides and downsides.”
What you get is an exhaustive and sometimes exhausting excavation of the emotional minutiae of Irina’s relationships with the two men.
The novel’s structure sets up lots of interesting parallel situations where the same event is viewed differently by Irina because it is coloured by her different actions in the two worlds.
Still, the idea that all destinies are equal rings false. After all, the writer has chosen two very specific scenarios to present to readers but there can be only one ending.
If you like this, read: Time’s Arrow by Martin Amis
Amis uses the concept of time travelling backwards to evoke the horrors of the Holocaust anew.
(ST)
Saturday, October 06, 2007
The Eric Moo Singapore Concert 2007
Max Pavilion, Singapore Expo
In his third concert here in five years, Malaysia-born, Singapore-bred singer Eric Moo came up with a nifty way to sum up his performances here.
Speaking to the crowd of about 6,000, the 44-year-old singer said: “I don’t hold a personal concert. Rather, it’s an unspoken pact of meeting every two years and you are the true masters of this concert.”
Indeed, the audience, made up of people in their 30s and older, had grown up listening to Moo since his debut in 1983. Some of the nostalgia-seekers even had their kids in tow.
The straight-talking singer, who is now based in Beijing, added: “Every time I come back to hold a concert, I’m asked if it’s the same as last time. Is there dancing? A moving platform? Fireworks? No, because you are not here to see that. I know you are here for me.”
The crowd responded with cheers and he made good on his promise of delivering “good music, good songs and good memories”.
Dressed in a black suit over a white shirt and sporting a shock of blond hair, he delivered the goods.
His powerful voice could still thrill and he seemed less prone to oversinging now. Age and maturity have taken the place of youthful brashness, and this made hits such as Too Foolish and the Hokkien track, Call My Name, more moving.
He also had an acoustic segment featuring his xinyao (Chinese folk-pop songs) pieces.When his fans sang along, he quipped: “The fact that everyone can sing these songs means that you’re not young either.”
Still, he did a great job in turning back the clock. He was aided by the multi-coloured lighting, so reminiscent of variety shows of the 1980s, and retro stage effects including the use of a bubble machine.
His guest stars were Fang Wen-lin and Chiu Hai-cheng, his 1980s label-mates who sang in the group Fei Ying. The three shared an easy rapport as they reminisced about their salad days.
But the night belonged to Moo. He raised his arm in triumph at the end of the show and made a pact with the audience to see them again in two years, declaring: “It’s a great thing for friends to meet up.”
The crowd couldn’t agree with him more.
(ST)
Max Pavilion, Singapore Expo
In his third concert here in five years, Malaysia-born, Singapore-bred singer Eric Moo came up with a nifty way to sum up his performances here.
Speaking to the crowd of about 6,000, the 44-year-old singer said: “I don’t hold a personal concert. Rather, it’s an unspoken pact of meeting every two years and you are the true masters of this concert.”
Indeed, the audience, made up of people in their 30s and older, had grown up listening to Moo since his debut in 1983. Some of the nostalgia-seekers even had their kids in tow.
The straight-talking singer, who is now based in Beijing, added: “Every time I come back to hold a concert, I’m asked if it’s the same as last time. Is there dancing? A moving platform? Fireworks? No, because you are not here to see that. I know you are here for me.”
The crowd responded with cheers and he made good on his promise of delivering “good music, good songs and good memories”.
Dressed in a black suit over a white shirt and sporting a shock of blond hair, he delivered the goods.
His powerful voice could still thrill and he seemed less prone to oversinging now. Age and maturity have taken the place of youthful brashness, and this made hits such as Too Foolish and the Hokkien track, Call My Name, more moving.
He also had an acoustic segment featuring his xinyao (Chinese folk-pop songs) pieces.When his fans sang along, he quipped: “The fact that everyone can sing these songs means that you’re not young either.”
Still, he did a great job in turning back the clock. He was aided by the multi-coloured lighting, so reminiscent of variety shows of the 1980s, and retro stage effects including the use of a bubble machine.
His guest stars were Fang Wen-lin and Chiu Hai-cheng, his 1980s label-mates who sang in the group Fei Ying. The three shared an easy rapport as they reminisced about their salad days.
But the night belonged to Moo. He raised his arm in triumph at the end of the show and made a pact with the audience to see them again in two years, declaring: “It’s a great thing for friends to meet up.”
The crowd couldn’t agree with him more.
(ST)
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