Onibaba

The story is about how an old woman and her daughter-in-law survived in a war-torn 14th century Japan. The dynamics of their relationship changed when the old woman's son's friend returned from the front line.

The harsh environment that the protagonists lived in reminded me of "Woman in the Dunes" with the gigantic sand dunes replaced by tall bladed grass. Liked the portrayal of lust between the daughter-in-law and her husband's friend! Pitied the old woman though as she seemed to be punished for no reason at all!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Mirror

The story is about a young girl finding her way home from school when her mother did not turn up to fetch her.

Liked the scenes of ordinary Iranian life seen through the eyes of the little girl and the twist in the middle of the film! It was interesting to see how the microphone doubled as a tracking device! The energy and the resourcefulness of the little girl impressed me too!

Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link

Dry Summer

The story is about how a dispute in the neighborhood started when a middle aged man tried to hoard water by building a dam to stop it from flowing to other people's land. He is an evil man who betrays his brother and lusts after his pretty sister-in-law.

Interesting story! The elder brother looked really evil with his moustache and the sister-in-law looked very pretty! Was a little bit shocked at the cow scene and I thought the snake-bite scene was beautifully shot!

Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Link

Up

The story is about how an old man flew his house to a far away land using lots of balloons where he had an adventure with a little kid, a bad guy and a few other animals.

Liked the montage sequence as it was touching and very effective in telling the old man's story prior to flying his house! The film reminds me a little bit of Gran Torino that is also about the relationships among an old man, his dog and a little kid.

Internet Movie Database Link

Partly Cloudy

This short film shows how difficult the task of the stork delivering babies can be. One particular stork gets especially difficult assignments!

Nice story! Liked the determination of the stork to do a good job!

Internet Movie Database Link

Buy A Suit

This film is specially screened before the upcoming Japanese Film Festival to commemorate the death of the director, Jun Ichikawa. The story is about a girl looking for her long lost brother who has chosen not to work. He survives by staying in a make shift shelter near a bridge and getting food from the garbage.

Liked the scenes that showed the ordinary people walking about in Tokyo! Didn't really like the lighting for the classmate reunion scene though as it was either too dark or too bright. The theme of the movie reminded me of the works by Wim Wenders such as "Alice in the Cities" and "Tokyo Ga".

Internet Movie Database Link

Best of Ottawa 2008

This consists of 10 animation short films. It is shown at Substation to publicize for the upcoming Animation Nation 2009 in October.

Liked "Chainsaw" and "The Control Master" the best as they were creative and funny! The personal stories told in "It's Always the Same Story", "I Slept With Cookie Monster" and "A Letter To Colleen" were interesting too! Didn't like "OIAF 08 Signal Film", "Cattle Call", "The Comic That Frenches Your Mind", "The Mixy Tapes" and "Último 'Spong Ice'" as they were too abstract.

Saint Jack

This is based on a book by Paul Theroux of the same title about an American pimp, Jack Flowers, living in Singapore during the early 70s near the end of the Vietnam War.

Interesting to see how Singapore looked like during the late 70s! Didn't really find the story very exciting though.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Ascent

The story is about what happened when two Russian soldiers went on a mission to get food for their platoon.

Liked the beautiful snow scenery and the excellent script that explained how difficult it was for people to choose their actions under very difficult circumstances! I also thought the muted cries of the two protagonists were pretty effective in delivering the message!

Internet Movie Database Link

Scrabble Nationals 2009 (Day Two)

Game 5: vs Ismail

Had a 0-3 record against Ismail, so wasn't feeling very confident about the game. Led comfortably after two bingos but my opponent slowly narrowed the gap as he had power tiles like the J, Q and Z. Luckily, it was not enough for him to win the game!

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: ETESIAn(71) ENCLOSEd(74) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: STURD*
My High Moves: MAIN(31), JEW(40) Opp High Moves: DOZY(55), QI(34), JAG(37)
W 396-362, +34. 3W 2L (Accum spread +63).

Game 6: vs Aloysius

Had very good tiles and could have played two more bingos if I had been more sure of the words. The potential bingo racks are BCDEHIR and AEEHRSS rack.[5]

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: WIRiNGS(82), JOLTIER(76) Opp Bingos: OTARIES(69)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: TIM*, GEF*
My High Moves: ZAP(34), EXO(53) Opp High Moves: -
W 493-269, +224. 4W 2L (Accum spread +287).

Game 7: vs Ruby

Had terrible racks this time round and even changed twice but didn't really benefit from the changes.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: WEEPERS(69)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: CMY*
My High Moves: AXE(40), REBOIL(33), FLAG(31) Opp High Moves: DUCKS(31), UNTAME(35), BUSIER(36)
L 310-410, -100. 4W 3L (Accum spread +187).

Game 8: vs Albert

Lots of phoneys from my opponent but he played many high scoring moves too, so they sort of balanced up!

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: UNITERS(75) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: DEOXIDE*, JOWER*, JUNES*
My High Moves: DITZ(33), OBI(37) Opp High Moves: DOZED(36), LIKES(35), MOWER(45), HEH(31), JUN(32), wEB(31), XIS(54), FONT(31)
L 352-410, -58. 4W 4L (Accum spread +129).

Game 9: vs Winston

Had terrible tiles in this game and phonied twice while trying to make a bingo. Could see that my opponent was fishing to make a bingo too but he had more success doing it!

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: DENOTES(78), FIDELITY(92)
My Phoneys: PANTRIED*, MONITER* Opp Phoneys: ENTILED*
My High Moves: CADS(35), RAX(35), KOI(31) Opp High Moves: ZA(37)
L 299-445, -146. 4W 5L (Accum spread -17).

Game 10: vs Bee Tiang

Quite a close game! Not sure if I could have won if I had played differently though.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: DIVErTS(72) Opp Bingos: SALUTES(69)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: KHI(31), HOW(31), LEFT(35) Opp High Moves: QUEAN(33), WISE(33), COZE(34)
L 360-387, -27. 4W 6L (Accum spread -44).

Game 11: vs Jeffrey

My second time playing with Jeffrey and he said he wanted revenge! Didn't give him the chance but I did learn a new word OVOID from him!

New words learnt: OVOID
My Bingos: VINERIES(74) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: OVIDE*
My High Moves: RAX(32), ZA(57), MED(34) Opp High Moves: OVOID(43), CHUTES(33)
W 462-281, +181. 5W 6L (Accum spread +137).

Game 12: vs Khamis

Finally, the last game of the day! Pulled ahead after my opponent phonied twice and I found a bingo! Managed to hold on to my lead until the end of the game!

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: rAFTERS(88) Opp Bingos: DEcLINE(71)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: OUKED*, PREET*
My High Moves: QUA(39), ZEST(35), SWIRL(38) Opp High Moves: YEH(33), AXE(39)
W 439-337, +102. 6W 6L (Accum spread +239).

Won 10th position out of 24 players with 6 wins out of 12 games and +239 spread in the end, my best showing at the Nationals so far since 2005! I also had fun talking to old friends and making new friends! The only regret is that I didn't have the chance to play with Victor. Think I should be back for next year's Nationals!

Quiz answers (Highlight to see clearly):

[5]: BIRCHED, HEARSES

Wings

This is the first film in the Larisa Sheptiko's Eclipse boxset. The story is about an ex-pilot who became the head mistress of a school but still longed for her carefree days as a pilot because of her boring job.

Liked the interesting character study of a Russian woman in the late sixties! Her daughter looked quite pretty! I also liked the Russian doll performance!

Internet Movie Database Link

Scrabble Nationals 2009 (Day One)

This year's Nationals is held at Bishan CC which is a new venue for me! Took a bus to Toa Payoh where I visited the National Day roadshow at HDB Hub and had a quick lunch before travelling to Bishan by MRT and walking the rest of the way to reach my destination!

Three players from the Temasek Polytechnic Scrabble team and two from the Ngee Ann Poly Scrabble team were taking part in division B. Think they are really training hard for this year's PSTAR games!

Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.

Game 1: vs Ganapathy

At one time, I was holding a AEIORS? rack with a floating T on the right center of the board and tried hard to think of a bingo that either started or ended with a T. Chickened out of TOASTIER and put OARIESt at a very bad position instead. My opponent immediately replied with JANE(57)! Realized that there were 2 front hooks for OARIEST after the game.[1] Had an EEMNRT? rack a few turns later with a floating E on the bottom center of the board and played cEMENTER(67) earning a challenge. Can you think of a bingo that starts with E with an EEEMNRT? rack?[2]

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: OARIESt (71), cEMENTER(67) Opp Bingos: RANTING(76)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: BAW*, BRAIT*
My High Moves: HEAD(32), SCORN(39) Opp High Moves: BOATER(34), QAT(30), JANE(57), FY(35)
L 377-420, -43. 0W 1L (Accum spread -43).

Game 2: vs Chua Geok Kian

Think my problem is that I tend to fish for tiles whenever I have a bingo prone rack but my vocabulary is so weak that I fail to see the valid anagram when I finally have a playable bingo! Had an CDEINRU rack and played two phoneys in succession: INCURED* and UNCRIED*, front hooking the E to an existing MO on the board. Gave up thinking of another bingo possibility the third time round as I thought that there may not be a playable bingo after all. Turned out that there is indeed a fairly common valid anagram![3]

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: REUNITe(62)
My Phoneys: JANTE*, INCURED*, UNCRIED* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: VANG(36), ZA(35), JILTs(38), CURED(36) Opp High Moves: CHILD(34), FEEDS(30)
L 313-396, -83. 0W 2L (Accum spread -126).

Game 3: vs Jeffrey Seah

Sank to the second last table after two losses. Thought I could finally have an easy time but it was not to be! After playing ABO just below the triple score lane by front hooking an existing LOUSE on the board, my opponent played PIC(25) on the right side and led by 24 points. My tile was AGINOSY and I had to think of a five letter word whose last letter could front hook the A with only five minutes left on the clock. Kept thinking of words that ended with S like AYINS, AGIOS, YAGIS etc. that wouldn't work but finally saw one possibility after almost four minutes of agony! Two common words that would fit the bill, do you know what they are?[4]

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: INKETH*, HOIL*
My High Moves: FIZ(34), AGONY(35) Opp High Moves: FIX(36), QUAI(33)
W 332-306, +26. 1W 2L (Accum spread -100).

Game 4: vs Cecilia Koh

My opponent requested to have a quick game as she had to go home earlier. Was a little bit stressed by this request but was able to play pretty quickly as I had very good tiles! Had 2 bingos early in the game and basically led from start to finish.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: REAMING(85), REVERTED(78) Opp Bingos: BLISTERS(80)
My Phoneys: ASIaN* Opp Phoneys: GAILS*
My High Moves: FEZ(34), KY(62) Opp High Moves: QUAY(44)
W 457-328, +129. 2W 2L (Accum spread +29).

Finished day 1 with 2 wins, 2 losses and a +29 spread. Not too good considering I have not met the top players in the division like Winston and Victor yet. Hope I will play well enough on the second day to have the chance of playing with them!

Quiz answers (Highlight to see clearly):

[1] ROARIEST, HOARIEST
[2] EMERGENT
[3] INDUCER
[4] AGONY, NOISY

Burma VJ

The story is about the undercover video journalists working for the "Democratic Voice for Burma" in Burma focusing on the events that led to the uprising in 2007.

Liked the re-enactments, the nice bell-like sound effect that reminded me of the gadget used by monks in the temple and the voice over narration by the protagonist that served to explain the overall situation in Burma!

Internet Movie Database Link

Eagle Eye

The story is about how a small group of individuals were forced by a mysterious voice that came from the mobile phone to perform a series of tasks leading to a frightening objective.

Liked the opening scene that highlighted the importance of the image analyst and the signal analyst in the military! Great action sequences but I thought what the mysterious voice said and how she sounded was a dead give away on who she actually was!

Internet Movie Database Link

Intentions of Murder

This DVD is the final part of the "Pigs, Pimps and Prostitutes" boxset by Shohei Imamura. The story is about how a woman dealt with a rapist who kept pestering her after she kept mum about the rape incident to her family. She was a former maid who became the unofficial wife after bearing a boy for the family.

Liked the flashbacks, the voice over and the beautiful snow scenery towards the end! The twists and turns of events also made me watch in anticipation of what would happen next! Great performance by the lead actress!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Insect Woman

This DVD is the second part of the "Pigs, Pimps and Prostitutes" boxset by Shohei Imamura. The story is about how a woman struggled to survive. The film showed her life from 1918 up to 1962, showcasing the major national events in Japan during that period.

Liked how well the protagonist adapted to her changing circumstances! The freeze frames were pretty interesting too! Learnt a bit about the history of Japan too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Clueless

This is a modern adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" with the setting changed to the Beverly High School in America during the mid 90s.

Liked the voice over narration, the witty sense of humor and how the film encouraged people to do good deeds! Excellent performance by Alicia Silverstone! She acted really well especially the scenes when she felt discouraged after failing her driving test!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Weeping Meadow

This is the first part of a trilogy about the history of modern Greece that covers the period of 1919 to 1949 seen through the eyes of an orphan girl who fell in love with her foster brother.

Liked the beautiful scenery by the river and the lively Greek music! Very slow paced but the pace picked up towards the end after the guy went to America.

Internet Movie Database Link

Here

The story is about the life of a mental patient in a hospital that has very innovative ways of treating the patients.

I wondered how a documentary about real mental patients would differ from this film? Did they also go trekking, fold plastic bags and have nurses personally check if they had taken their prescriptions like in the film? Felt that the director might have been influenced by the Japanese film "After Life". I also thought that the protagonist had pretty good handwriting!

Internet Movie Database Link

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The story is about how two groups of robots fought against each other on earth. One group wanted to take over earth while the other group were friends with the humans.

Preferred the first episode as it described the background story better. It also showed how Sam and Bumblebee developed their friendship. The humor in this episode didn't work very well and I found it hard to differentiate the two groups of robots. Thought the part where Sam and his girlfriend had to run a very long distance to Optimus Prime was a little bit too long winded.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Housemaid

Watched this online for free at the auteurs website! The story is about how a housemaid in Korea during the sixties gradually caused a family to break up after the husband had an affair with her.

A scary domestic thriller! It was interesting to see the reactions of both the housemaid and the wife to the rat in the cupboard! I was undecided whether to pity the housemaid or to fear her throughout the film. Her actions could be partly due to her social status but she was also psychotic at the same time. Nice social critique of Korean society at that time!

Internet Movie Database Link
Auteurs Online Movie Link

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

The story is about how a girl, Otilia, helped her room mate, Gabita, to get an abortion illegally in 1987 Romania. This film won the Palme D'Or in the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Interesting look at life in Romania during the Communist era under dictator Ceausescu's rule where there is little trust among people! Liked the negotiation scene with the abortionist and the dinner scene with Otilia's boyfriend's family as they explained the situation in Romania pretty well!

Internet Movie Database Link

Haikara Girl

The story is about how a rich man's daughter fell in love with her driver whom they knew each other since young. The setting is in the Taisho era (early 18th century) when Japanese society is rapidly modernizing.

Liked how the film explained how the daughter and the driver bonded with each other! They spent time chatting under a giant tree and experimented with her father's latest gadgets together. Felt quite sad for the driver when he had to drive the daughter and her rich snobbish suitor around. Thought the scene where the three people confronted each other in the forbidden room was very nicely executed!

Link

Pigs and Battleships

Quite happy that Criterion is coming up with more and more Japanese titles! This DVD is the first part of the "Pigs, Pimps and Prostitutes" boxset by Shohei Imamura. The story is about a Japanese couple living near the port. The guy is a gangster who is in charged of raising pigs while American battleships were docked nearby.

Learnt about the structure of the yakuza and the living conditions in postwar Japan. A little bit confused with the many characters but I liked the interesting plot, the black and white cinematography and the fluid movement of the camera!

Internet Movie Database Link

Long Live the Wife

The story is about how a wife manages her relationship with her family. Her husband borrowed money from her dad to start a business and had an affair. Her brother fell in love with her sister-in-law and her mother-in-law likes to nag at the servant.

There were several funny moments and I was impressed by how capable the wife was! Didn't realize that the writer, Eileen Chang, got divorced the same year that she wrote the script for the film until much later. I think it helped to explain how she chose to end the film.

Internet Movie Database Link

Alice in the Cities

The story is about how a German journalist who is writing an article about American life traveled back from United States to Germany with a little girl to search for her grandmother.

Great performance by the little girl! I also liked the scenery and the interesting dialog during their road trip!

Internet Movie Database Link

Young Cinema: Programme B

Watched the following short films as part of the Young Cinema Programme organised by the National Museum.

The Riddle in a Bottle
Liked the songs and the scenes with the wild animals!
Link

Arretes
Nicely drawn but not very well received by the audience that consisted mostly of little kids.
Link

Once Upon a Tide
The little girl looked quite cute! Nice story!
Link

Young Cinema: Programme A

Watched the following short films as part of the Young Cinema Programme organised by the National Museum.

The Animal Save the Planet
Very nice stop motion film in the style of Wallace and Gromit! The ideas were well thought out!
Link

The Story of Stuff
Too wordy and need to concentrate to get the message! Saw most of the kids got restless for this segment. Maybe it would help if subtitles were displayed?
Link

Garbage Angels
Nice abstract piece about simulated wild animals made of garbage!
Link

Papiroflexia
Nice abstract piece about the beauty of nature and paper folding!
Link

Goldfish
Really funny film about the unexpected side effects of watching too much "Finding Nemo"!
Link

Star Trek

The story is about how a group of cadets worked together on a space ship and saved Earth from being destroyed by aliens. It is based on the popular TV series of the same name.

Liked the chemistry among the characters and the catchy dialog! The dynamics between James and Spock is especially interesting!

Internet Movie Database Link

Kabei: Our Mother

The story is about the life of a Japanese mother narrated by her daughter. Her husband was thrown into jail for his left wing ideas during the early 1940s and she had to fend for her two daughters by herself.

The eldest daughter was quite cute with her two pony tails and the uncle was a lovable character in his own way! Great acting by the two daughters! Thought the director could have shortened the ending. A reasonably good film but I was a little disappointed as it didn't move me as much as "Twenty Four Eyes" and "Burmese Harp", both were Japanese anti-war films made in the 1950s.

Internet Movie Database Link

Umberto D

The story is about an old man and his dog. The old man owes the landlady money and is gradually being kicked out of his apartment.

Nice story and the maid looked quite pretty! Was quite impressed by the tricks that the dog could do too but I felt a little depressed for the old man towards the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

Sell Out!

The story is about the lives of the employees of "FONY", a fictitious Malaysian company whose focus is on making money at all costs. The main characters are an Arts show host intent on climbing the social ladder and an idealistic product manager.

Liked the songs and the black humor! I also liked the scenes where they showed the ordinary people in the streets!

Internet Movie Database Link

Milk

The story is about a milkman who stays with his mother and aspires to be a poet.

Very interesting opening sequence that showed how a snake crawled out of a woman's mouth who was hung upside down with a mysterious boiling pot of potion below! Don't quite understand what it all means though. Thought the scene where the son caught the fish and her mother plucking feathers off a bird was beautifully shot too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Sex is No Laughing Matter

The story is about the love between a teacher, Yuri, and her student, Mirume. Mirume had two close friends, En-Chan and Domoto. En-Chan liked Mirume secretly while Domoto liked En-Chan secretly.

Interesting exploration on how feelings between teacher and student could develop and their consequences! Both leading actresses looked quite pretty!

Internet Movie Database Link

Still Walking

The story is about a Japanese family reunion. The son and daughter of the family brought their spouses and children to pay their parents a visit and to mourn for their brother who died in an accident.

Liked the warm family spirit evoked through the interactions among the individual family members! The daughter-in-law looked quite pretty too!

Internet Movie Database Link

US$9.99

The story is about the lives of a group of people staying in a Sydney apartment. The title refers to the price of the "Meaning of Life" book that a young unemployed guy bought.

Liked the subplot about the small boy and his piggy bank as well as the old man and the angel the best! Thought the love between the re-possessor and the super model was quite scary. The telemarketer sounded quite sweet!

Internet Movie Database Link

Wendy and Lucy

The story is about how Wendy, a woman with very little money, spent a few days in a small town on the way to Alaska when she found that her dog, Lucy, was missing.

Great acting by the lead actress and I liked the well written script! Her encounters with the many ordinary people during her stay were interesting! These include a kind hearted security guard, an overzealous supermarket employee and a technically savvy car mechanic among others.

Internet Movie Database Link

Fish Eyes

The story is about life in a small town during the China Olympics period.

Liked the nice desert scenery and the simple life that the father led! Thought the three-way relationship of the father, the son and the mysterious girl was quite interesting!

Internet Movie Database Link

A Big Road

The story is about the lives of three women in Shanghai.

Liked the jumbled up fragmented shots that required the audience to piece the story together themselves! Thought the daughter who was treated like a servant by her step mother looked the prettiest!

Internet Movie Database Link

Dada's Dance

The story is about a girl's search for her biological mother together with her neighbor. The girl's name was Dada and her neighbor had peeked at her when she was performing a little dance at home one day.

Great acting by the two leads who also took part in the script writing process! Personally, I thought that Dada's friend Coco and the lady at the inn looked slightly prettier than her.

Internet Movie Database Link

Agrarian Utopia

The story is about two farmers working on their friend's land as they were heavily in debt.

Interesting look at a typical farmer's life! The children had fun playing in the field but worked hard as part of a team when it was harvest time! Liked how the seasonal and weather changes were depicted in the film!

Disengagement

The story is about how the death of a woman's father led her to embark on a journey to search for her daughter who was living in the Gaza strip. Israel was carrying out a disengagement plan to evict all Israelis living in the region then.

Had not heard of the Israeli disengagement plan before and I wanted to find out what it entailed! The police had to literally evacuate the place, carrying people away when they did not cooperate and destroying the vacated buildings!

Internet Movie Database Link

Promised Land

The story is about how a group of East European women were sold to Israel to become prostitutes.

Didn't quite like the style of the film that simply showed what happened to the women within the span of a few days. Would have preferred either the documentary approach that explained the background information on the history of human trafficking or the more personal approach adopted by feature films that described the stories of the women in more detail.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Beetle

This is a documentary about the history of a man's vintage Volkswagon and how he travelled to Jordan to restore it even though his wife was about to deliver.

Liked the interview clips with all the previous owners and the arguments between the protagonist and his wife on whether to dump the car! Was quite happy for them that everything turned out pretty well in the end!

Yuri's Day

The story is about an opera diva's journey back to her hometown. Her son who was traveling with her suddenly disappeared and she had to cope with the stress.

Interesting look at the small town life and very nice choral music! Thought the opera diva found her true calling by staying back and contributing back to her hometown!

Internet Movie Database Link

18 Grams of Love

The story is about what happened when the husbands of two couples became suspicious of their wives and started to write love letters to each other's wives to test them.

Thought the script was excellent! It was funny and yet meaningful at the same time! Liked how the director incorporated martial arts, literature and Chinese orchestra music into the film! I would have bought the DVD on the spot if Sinema had sold it in its shop!

Internet Movie Database Link

The Story of Mr Sorry

The story is about the life of a ear-wax cleaner who became world famous after being shrunk by his boss as he was able to get inside people's ear and do a more thorough job. He was also able to see his customer's subconscious mind and in the process, he found out what happened to his missing sister.

Liked the interesting storyline and the psychological build up towards the end! I thought the images inside the customer's subconscious were very nicely depicted! They may not have been as nicely drawn as the dreams in "Paprika" by Kon Satoshi but the raw emotions were conveyed more clearly! This is my number one animation of the year so far!

Birdsong

The story is about the journey of three wise men to find Jesus and to present gifts to him who was still a baby at that time.

Liked the use of natural light and the sense of time progression with the long takes! Thought the underwater scenes of the men pulling the boat along and their conversations were interesting! The angel looked quite pretty too!

Internet Movie Database Link

My Only Sunshine

The story is about a girl growing up into a woman and how it affects the people around her.

Liked the nice cinematography that showcased the sea and the countryside as well as the black humor! The pace was a little bit slow and I felt bored at times though. The painted faces that appeared towards the end reminded me of "Pierrot le Fou" by Godard.

Internet Movie Database Link

Sincerely Yours

The story is about the life of illegal foreign workers in Taiwan seen through the eyes of an Indonesian girl and a Thai guy who are a couple.

The leading actress looked quite pretty! Liked how the director focused on the small little things that the two protagonists did and how he introduced various Taiwanese customs to the audience!

Love Your Neighbor

The story is about how a married couple learned how to get along with their next door neighbor after they moved to a new place.

Liked how the two couples tried to see things through the other's perspective and learned more about themselves in the process! The ending is nicely executed too!

Link

Gran Torino

The story is about how an old Korean War veteran got to know his Vietnamese neighbors better after the son tried to steal his car, a 1972 Gran Torino.

Liked the nice storyline and how Clint Eastwood's relationship with his neighbors evolved! He was initially prejudiced against them but became their friends after gaining a better understanding of their culture!

Internet Movie Database Link

Scrabble Quiz

This is modified from an actual game during the 2009 Lim Boon Heng Cup.

Your score is 348 with a ABEEFGY rack.
Opponent score is 357 with a AEKORRU rack.

It is your turn next. Can you overcome the 9 points deficit for a win?

Lim Boon Heng Cup 2009

Had a choice to play in either division B or C but decided on C as the potential returns on investment would be higher and I would have the chance to play with new upcoming talents!

When I arrived at Jurong Green CC on Sunday, I realised that almost 50% of the players in division C were regular PSTAR players like Ruby(MOE), Bee Tiang(?), How Fatt(CPF), Hozario(PA) and Karen(CAAS).

Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.

Game 1: vs Stifen
My first game was against an NTU inter-hall player from Indonesia. Heard that his hall won last year's inter-hall games and he was part of the winning team!

I pulled ahead when I bingoed with INSTEAD(76) and stretched my lead when I scored well with QUAD(37) and FIXED(48). Missed a bingo towards the end when I phoneyed with WiLTERS* on a ELRSTW? rack to front hook the S to an existing COG on the board. If I had announced the blank as another letter, I would have formed a valid word. What would this word be?[1]

New words learnt: COOF
My Bingos: INSTEAD(76) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: WiLTERS* Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: QUAD(37), FIXED(48), LINY(33), BE(30) Opp High Moves: BURP(35), WE(35), KA(33)
W 455-289, +166. 1W 0L (Accum spread +166).

Game 2: vs Lai How Fatt
My second game was against an experienced player from CPF whom I never had a chance to play with in an actual competition.

I bingoed first with RENTIER(76) and he caught up with INSURES(71) a few moves later but I bingoed again with TWISTER(82), maintaining my lead until the end of the game.

New words learnt:
My Bingos: RENTIER(76), TWISTER(82) Opp Bingos: INSURES(71)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: AKEEING*
My High Moves: COMET(35), AIDING(30) Opp High Moves: FIX(38)
W 403-310, +93. 2W 0L (Accum spread +259).

Game 3: vs Janet Tay
My third game was against a lady who had a hearing disability. This is my first time using hand signals to announce my score.

I phonied twice in this game. First I tried to back hook BRR with an S that was immediately challenged off by her. Then, I tried to back hook PLY with an S. It was challenged off again! Realised later that it was DRY and PRY that took an S back hook.

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: STAGERS(72) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: BRRS*, PLYS* Opp Phoneys: BIR*
My High Moves: QUILT(31) Opp High Moves: -
W 379-263, +116. 3W 0L (Accum spread +375).

Game 4: vs Ruby Sim
My fourth game was against a lady from MOE who was a regular player. Had a warm up game in the morning with her and lost as she bingoed out with PREEVING.

I bingoed first with TRAINED(70) but she was not far behind as she scored consistently. She pulled ahead when she scored with TUX(40) but I leveled up again with QUA(47). Our scores were only one or two points apart towards the end of the game but I managed to edge her out for a close win!

New words learnt: -
My Bingos: TRAINED(70) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: -
My High Moves: QUA(47) Opp High Moves: SEZ(38), MOP(33), TUX(40), DEAL(32), QUAIL(31)
W 395-383, +12. 4W 0L (Accum spread +387).

Game 5: vs Low Bee Tiang
My fourth game was against a regular scrabble player who also played in the PSTAR games. Had a 6-4 record against him, so I knew it would be a close fight!

Lots of mistakes from both of us in this bingoless game. I phonied with JORAN* when JORAM was valid and later with LUNER* when I tried to open up. He also phonied several times and allowed me to catch up. I scored again when I front hooked his HOW with DUNE across the triple score lane and maintained my lead after that. I had a EILNNSU tile at one time and considered playing LUNNIEST* using an existing T on the board but decided against it. Do you know what the anagram for LUNNIEST* is?[2]

New words learnt:
My Bingos: - Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: JORAN*, LUNER* Opp Phoneys: FEX*, VOLTER*
My High Moves: FEZ(30), PYA(30), SHADE(47), QUIN(33) Opp High Moves: VOX(43), VOTER(31), HOW(35)
W 382-337, +45. 5W 0L (Accum spread +432).

Game 6: vs Stifen
Last two games were King-of-the-Hill and I had a rematch with Stifen.

This time round, he bingoed twice with BuLLETS(68) and SINGERS(76) while I only had one bingo with DENIALS(75). I was still leading on my second last move but he played an excellent end game to finish all his tiles and pulled ahead for a close win! I had challenged him twice unsuccessfully but it wouldn't have made any difference to the result of the game if I hadn't done so.

New words learnt: GABY
My Bingos: DENIALS(75) Opp Bingos: BuLLETS(68), SINGErs(76)
My Phoneys: - Opp Phoneys: TIPE*
My High Moves: QI(35), ZIN(32), AW(31) Opp High Moves: VIDS(33)
L 384-395, -11. 5W 1L (Accum spread +421).

Game 7: vs Stifen
Another rematch with Stifen.

Led comfortably after I bingoed with PASsING(78) and scored well with DUNK(40) and REX(33). He had a chance to nail my Q towards the end but I managed to escape with QiS, front hooking the S to an existing EGO on the board. Lucky guess for me as I was totally unsure of the word!

New words learnt: SEGO
My Bingos: PASsING(78) Opp Bingos: -
My Phoneys: ZITES* Opp Phoneys: CLEAK*
My High Moves: DUNK(40), REX(33) Opp High Moves: THEY(41), PLACER(32), FIZ(36)
W 386-285, +101. 6W 1L (Accum spread +522).

A little disappointed that I did not get to play with some of the younger new faces in the division as I ended up playing many of the regular players but overall it was still a very good Scrabble experience!

Quiz answers (Highlight to see clearly):

[1] WeLTERS
[2] UNSILENT

Nipples

The story is about how a beer commercial model ended up marrying her fan who still supported her after her topless photos leaked out in a magazine. Her husband had viewed her as his idol and had a fear of seeing her nipples as it contradicted his idea of a perfect woman.

Interesting look at the problems that a fan-idol couple could face! The film also gave an insight into how the model agency worked. Liked the cute motorcycle ridden by the protagonist as it was made more personable with a voice control speed limit warning system!

Link

Dragonball Evolution

The story is adapted from a Japanese comic of the same title. Goku, a kungfu expert, is on a quest for a set of dragon balls that will enable a dragon to grant him a wish to stop a powerful alien from destroying the earth. He met several colorful characters along the way.

Thought the actress who played Chi Chi looked quite cute! The alien's female personal assistant looked scary! A little disappointed that they toned down Master Roshi's character by quite a bit!

Internet Movie Database Link

Le Bonheur

The story is about the consequences after a married man had an affair with a girl who worked at the post office. The title means happiness and the film examines what this means.

Liked the nice classical music by Mozart and the simple but well told story! The lines were witty and I liked how the social issues were brought out in a satiric way! Thought it would be even more appropriate if this was shown during International Women's Day instead.

Internet Movie Database Link

Watchmen

The story is about how a group of retired masked superheroes got in touch with each other again after one of them, the Comedian, died mysteriously. Dr Manhattan, Ozymandias and Silk Spectre II worked for the US military to create a new energy source. They were informed of the Comedian's death by Rorschach who also contacted Moloch and Nite Owl II.

Liked the series of flashbacks that introduced both the Comedian and Dr Manhattan! The special effects and fight sequences were well choreographed too! Felt that the story could have been condensed further though. The ending caught me by surprise and I was a little bit confused as to who exactly was the bad guy.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Exterminating Angel

The story is about what happened when a group of rich people were mysteriously trapped in a house for a few days after a dinner reception.

Great ensemble piece! Liked the dynamics of the human interaction both inside and outside the house! Nice special effect for the dream sequences! The bear looked quite cute but I pity the group of sheep!

Internet Movie Database Link

Departures

The story is about how a young married cellist returned to his hometown with his family when he became unemployed and trained to be a funeral professional.

Nice interesting story that is both funny and sad at the same time! Liked the beautiful cello music and the pretty Ryoko Hirosue! Great performance by Masahiro Motoki who looked convincing as both a cellist and a funeral professional!

Internet Movie Database Link

He's Just Not That Into You

The story is about the misconceptions about dating and the subtle differences between men and women in terms of attitude and behavior.

Pretty interesting although I wished I haven't seen the trailer prior to this! Some scenes were not as funny the second time round. Liked the semi-documentary style where they interviewed people on the streets about their opinions on dating and marriage in general.

Internet Movie Database Link

Shadows

The story is about how three black siblings in United States during the late fifties faced discrimination and how they tried to blend in with the crowd.

Thought the ending scene of "Simon of the Desert" is pretty similar to the opening scene of this film! Liked the scenes that featured the sudden realizations of Leila and Tony at different junctures of the film!

Internet Movie Database Link

Simon of the Desert

The story is about how a religious man spent his life on top of a column praying and giving advice to people while dealing with the devil's temptation at the same time.

Realized that I watched the film on the director's birth anniversary after I watched the accompanying documentary. Liked the director's funny sense of humor and the various incarnation of the devil! Think she looked the nicest as the little girl in sailor's costume! A pity that there wasn't a proper ending due to a lack of budget.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Wrestler

The story is about the life of a well regarded middle aged wrestler, Randy the Ram, who was famous twenty years ago. As his physical condition deteriorates, he tried to find fulfillment in other aspects of his life like doing a regular job, finding a partner and mending ties with his daughter.

Went to see the film as I loved "PI" and "Requiem for a Dream" by the same director! Great performance by Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei! Liked the unlikely friendship between them and the peek behind-the-scenes on how the wrestling community worked! Felt quite sad for Randy who tried hard to gain acceptance but somehow seemed to bang his head against the wall.

Internet Movie Database Link

What On Earth Have I Done Wrong?

The story is about the process of making a mockumentary about the Taiwanese current affairs and how the director manages his personal life at the same time.

Liked the family drama on the relationship between the director and his partner as well as between him and his mother! The interviews on the topic of happiness were interesting and the ending was well crafted!

Internet Movie Database Link

Loto Sex

The story is about how a wife helped her husband cure his compulsion to gambling on lotto tickets through very unorthodox ways. She invented a domestic version of the game where the husband can only get intimate with her only when he won a prize!

Liked the interesting idea and the depiction of the couple's relationship! They grew from ignorant newly weds to become a more matured and understanding couple in the end! Realised that there is a whole series of similarly themed films by FullMotion label similar to what Balzac did in "La Comedie humaine". Would love to catch other films in the series if I have the chance!

Link

The Reader

The story is about how an encounter with a German woman, Hanna, affected a young man's life. He read to her story books and had an affair with her for one summer. They lost contact after that and the young man discovered Hanna's dark secret years later.

Great acting by Kate Winslet who acted as Hanna and I thought young Julia looked very cute in her two ponytails!

Internet Movie Database Link

Rachel Getting Married

The story is about how a woman called Rachel organized her own wedding day with the help of her family members. Her sister, Kym, took a few days off from the rehabilitation center to attend her wedding.

Liked the simple storyline and the dynamics of the family relationships! Loved the exciting dishwasher competition and the explosive face off between mother and daughter towards the end! Have only seen the lead actress, Anne Hathaway, in "Brokeback Mountain" as well as this film and I thought she is a pretty good actress!

Internet Movie Database Link

This Land Is Mine

This is a propaganda film made during World War II by a French director about life in a small town governed by German soldiers. One person started a small resistance movement and it had a great impact on a timid middle-aged school teacher.

Interesting story and I was quite impressed with the middle-aged school teacher's speech in court! The two female leads looked quite pretty too!

Internet Movie Database Link

Milk

This is a biography of Harvey Milk, a businessman-turned-politician who started the gay movement in the 70s.

Liked the old news clips that were informative! Thought it would be interesting if Milk had a one-to-one battle with his nemesis, Anita Bryant, instead of the other guy! Didn't really understand the politics portion of the show especially the character of Dan White.

Internet Movie Database Link

Women of the Night

This is about how women became prostitutes in post-war Japan told through the stories of a widow, her sister and her friend.

Interesting plot! Thought this might be a pre-cursor to "Life of Oharu" filmed four years later with the same lead actress, Tanaka Kinuyo, with a similar theme. Didn't really understand why she did not choose to stay in the women's home as it offered food and shelter with a lot of pros and very little cons.

Internet Movie Database Link

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea

This is a kids adaptation of the mermaid fairytale about how a small fish with magical powers fell in love with a five year old boy and wanted to become human after he scooped her up from the sea.

Liked the nice storyline, the cute fish/girl and the catchy soundtrack at the end of the film!

Internet Movie Database Link

Osaka Elegy

The story is about Ayako's fall in society when she accepted her boss's indecent proposal in order to raise money to save her father.

This film is part of the Criterion Eclipse Series 13 boxset also named as Kenji Mizoguchi's "Fallen Women". The other titles are "Sisters of the Gion", "Women of the Night" and "Streets of Shame".

Liked the nice storyline that explained Ayako's actions due to her circumstances! Thought she celebrated a little bit too soon towards the end though.

Internet Movie Database Link

Hearts and Minds

This is a documentary about how the Americans got involved in the Vietnam War and its impact on both countries.

Liked the interviews with the people from the different sides and the newsreel clips! Gained a better understanding of this historic event after watching the film.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Elephant and the Sea

The film is about how a young man and middle aged man lived their lives after a mysterious disease struck their fishing village.

Liked the nice country side scenery and how the theme of emotional paralysis was elaborated through the performances of the two protagonists! Learnt a bit more about the film after the director revealed his influences by Hong Sang Soo during the Q&A. Realized that the prostitute scene with the middle aged man could have been adapted from a similar scene in "The Day a Pig Fell into the Well" while the young man's behavior could have been taken from "Turning Gate". The young man's friend's sister looked quite pretty in the pink dress!

Internet Movie Database Link

Story of a Prostitute

This is a love story between a prostitute serving the Japanese Army during the Second World War and a corporal.

Thought this film had a similar anti-war theme as the director's two other works: "Fighting Elegy" and "Gate of Flesh". Liked the manga visual style of the film, especially the surreal imagined scenes and the slow motion static shots! Nice story and great performance by the lead actress!

Internet Movie Database Link

For Every Minute I Live, I'll Enjoy Sixty Seconds

This is a documentary about how a retrenched middle aged man living in a small county town in Hunan spends his time.

Initially it was interesting to follow the protagonist around but got boring after a while as we realised how monotonous his life was! Reminds me of "Lim Poh Huat", a Singapore short film that describes how a Singaporean security guard working as a part time extra went about his day.

The Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge

This is a sequel to "The Nibelungen: Siegfried's Death". Following her husband's death, Kriemhild wanted to seek revenge on her husband's murder and plotted to do so after King Attila proposed to her.

King Attila had a very cool image and Kriemhild looked very scary with her vengeful eyes! Quite sad how the thought of revenge could destroy families and wreck havoc on entire nations. Liked how the contrast between the loyalty among the Nibelungens and the cold blooded actions of Kriemhild slowly built towards a grand finale in the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

Cape No. 7

The story is about how the people living in a small town near the seaside formed their own band to perform at a beach party. Cape No. 7 is the address of an undelivered package that fell into the hands of one band member who is a postman.

Interesting to see the lives of the ordinary people in the small town! Liked the quirky old ex-postman and the enthusiastic drummer! The music was nice too! Didn't like the two main leads and the subplot about the story of the undelivered package.

Internet Movie Database Link

The Nibelungen: Siegfried's Death

The story is about how the dragon slayer, Siegfried, helped his future brother-in-law win his bride through unfair means and suffered in the end because of this.

Liked the plot where it explained how Siegfried got his super powers, the special effects for the cute lethargic dragon and the great looking outdoor sets! Quite scary to think what could happen when two women quarrel!

Internet Movie Database Link

Port of Call

The story is about how a girl from a broken family and with a secret past fell in love with a sailor.

Thought the girl looked a little bit like Reese Witherspoon! Interesting storyline and I liked how the relationship of the couple evolved with time!

Internet Movie Database Link

Quantum of Solace

The story is about how a British spy called James Bond tracked down a mysterious organisation and helped a beautiful lady in the process.

Liked the big touch screen monitor at the headquarters as well as the cool Sony Ericsson phone! It was hard to follow the plot as it was a little bit convoluted but enjoyed the action sequences! Disappointed that there was little interaction between James Bond and Camille.

Internet Movie Database Link

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

The story is about how a lion, a giraffe, a zebra and a hippopotamus originally from the New York Zoo escaped from Madagascar where they were trapped in the first episode to land in Africa when their plane crashed.

Liked the slick moves performed by the lion, the funny dialogue and the interesting storyline!

Internet Movie Database Link

Days and Nights in the Forest

The story is about four young men from the city spending their holiday in a chalet in the forest and how they met two beautiful ladies staying nearby.

Liked the funny moments, the nice tribal music in the background and the psychological tension towards the end!

Internet Movie Database Link

Singapore Shorts Vol 2

This is a collection of 9 Singapore Shorts. Each of them has a family related theme.

Among the shorts in the DVD collection, I had seen "Match Made" at last year's Singapore International Film Festival, "Absence" at a Singapore shorts screening at National Museum, a large part of "Gourmet Baby" on television and "Yesterday’s Play" at Kinokuniya's DVD launch prior to this. I had also heard of "Imelda Goes to Singapore" at Biennale 2006. The other films are: "Labour of Love - The Housewife", "A Family Portrait", "Autopsy" and "Wet Season".

Liked the well crafted documentary in "Match Made", the music in "Imelda Goes to Singapore", the story of "Gourmet Baby" and "A Family Portrait" as well as the interesting use of animation in "Wet Season"! The two nieces in "Gourmet Baby" looked quite cute and the food looked delicious!

It was interesting to see how both "Yesterday’s Play" and "Autopsy" explore the mother and son relationship in their own ways! The former is shot as a single scene with monologues from both son and mother while the latter is shot as a series of flashback scenes coupled with a Q&A session between mother and son in the background.

Didn't really like the strange story in "Absence". I also felt that "Labour of Love - The Housewife" was stretched too long and tried too hard to drum its message to the audience.

Asian Film Archive Link

Yamamura Showcase

This showcase consists of the following short animations:

Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor (2007, 21 min)
A Child's Metaphysics (2007, 5 min)
Fig (2006, 6 min)
The Old Crocodile (2005, 13 min)
Pieces (2003, 3 min)
Mt. Head (2002, 10 min)
Your Choice! (1999, 10 min)
Bavel's Book (1996, 6 min)
Kid's Castle (1995, 5 min)
Kipling Jr. (1995, 15 min)
A House (1993, 5 min)
The Sandwiches (1993, 5 min)
Imagination (1993, 5 min)
Perspektivenbox (1989, 4 min)
Japanese-English Pictionary (1989, 12 min)
Aquatic (1987, 5 min)

Was most impressed with "Mt. Head" by its interesting storyline and powerful narration! Felt quite sad when I watched "The Old Crocodile" and I thought "Franz Kafka's A Country Doctor" looked innovative! The series involving two birds: "A House", "The Sandwiches" and "Imagination" was quite cute too!

Freedom Project

The story is about how people fled earth to live on the moon because of an ecological disaster, how survivors from earth made contact many years later and how these two groups reconciled their differences.

Liked the exciting music from Utada Hikaru and the interesting characters! Nice storyline that is well paced!

Internet Movie Database Link

Sing to the Dawn

The story is about how the life of a group of Thai villagers changed with the construction of a casino.

Liked the nice songs and the strong storyline! Didn't really like the 3D animation as I thought the characters looked quite stiff. Might have enjoyed it better if they were done in the traditional 2D style.

Internet Movie Database Link

Piano Forest

The story is about how two guys became good friends through playing the piano. One was rich with his own practice room while the other had to play on an abandoned piano in the forest.

Liked the nice piano pieces and the friendship between the two guys who have quite different personalities!

Internet Movie Database Link

International Shorts Showcase 1

There are altogether seven shorts: "Yellow Sticky Notes", "Procrastination", "Fantasmagorie 2008", "Bloom", "Irresistible Smile", "Death By Scrabble" and "Mesh"

"Yellow Sticky Notes" shows the to-do lists of an animator from when he was still a student until he graduated and started working. "Procrastination" describes what it means to procrastinate. "Fantasmagorie 2008" is about the interaction between old and new digital animation. "Bloom" is based on an Indian folktale. "Irresistible Smile" describes a day's work of a flight attendant. "Death By Scrabble" describes the strange happenings when a couple played scrabble. "Mesh" is a mathematical video on the impact of geometry on science and how digitisation is used in computers.

Liked "Yellow Sticky Notes" as it was a personal account from an animator's perspective and "Mesh" as it was very informative!

Tokyo!

The film is made up of three short stories about life in Tokyo. "Interior Design" describes the small Tokyo apartments through a just-married couple, "Merde" describes the xenophobic Japanese through a dirty old foreign-looking man who created havoc in the streets. "Shaking Tokyo" describes how an extreme introvert who avoided eye contact with people and stayed indoors all the time changed after an earthquake struck.

Liked the innovative "Interior Design" and "Shaking Tokyo"! The twist towards the end of "Interior Design" was interesting and the pizza delivery girl in "Shaking Tokyo" looked quite cute! Thought the poster showed her in a hair salon but realised that it was her helmet! Didn't like "Merde" as I thought it was a little bit boring. The news anchor and the Japanese translator were the only saving grace of this segment of the film.

Internet Movie Database Link

Thirst

The story is about the thirst for love told through a ballet dancer's relationships with her two lovers and the encounters of her recently widowed friend.

It was a little bit hard to follow the plot as there were many flashbacks and flashforwards. Thought some of the lines spoken were pretty well constructed and made a lot of sense!

Internet Movie Database Link

Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure

This is a Western about how a super hero called Lucky Luke helped a group of pioneers to travel from New York to California within 80 days while battling an evil salesman, the Daltons brothers who were bank robbers travelling with them under lock and chains as well as unfriendly Indians.

Thought the battle of wits between the bad guys and the good guys was interesting but some of the gags got a bit too repetitive at times! Nice exciting finale!

Internet Movie Database Link

Between dogs and wolves

This is a compilation of 8 short animations that are either about dogs or wolves.

"Three Little Pigs" made use of wire coils to create the shape of the animals and the narration was funny! "The White Wolf" was about how a pair of brothers made friends with a wolf in the jungle and it was interesting but certain scenes were a little bit sad. "AP 2000" was exciting as it described how the fleas on a dog fought against the latest anti-flea micro-robots in computer-game style!

Fell asleep during "Last Howl" and "Marvelously Grey", so not really sure what the stories were about. "Ponpon the Dog" was very nicely done as it described the flashbacks of a dog just before it was about to be hit by a truck! "Raining Dogs" was too abstract for me and I wasn't sure what was going on. "Dog Days" had a very innovative script about how a baby girl and a male baby dog accidentally switched families one day and their life stories years later!

Vampyr

The story is about a young man's encounter with vampires in a small town.

Liked the eerie atmosphere and the great special effects! The old vampire looked very scary!

Internet Movie Database Link

ISBG Scrabble Games 2008

The ISBG Scrabble games is held every two years, for statutory boards to take part in a friendly game of Scrabble. It was held at the PUB Recreation Center on 27th September 2008 from 9am to 5pm. 15 statutory boards are divided into four groups where round robin matches are played to select the top two teams from each group. This is then followed by a series of elimination rounds to decide the top 4 positions.

Here's my match report, with quizzes marked with [number] and the answers given at the end of the report.

Our first game was against NParks.

Game 1: NParks
Had a bye for my first game so I had a good walk around to see how the other players were doing. Noticed that the IRAS team was quite bored as they were in group A where there were only 3 teams and they had a bye in the first round. HDB and CPF had excess players and they were having practice matches against themselves. I also saw Adeline's end game where she tried AZOS* and ZOAS* in succession and they were challenged off by her opponent! Do you know what is the only back hook for AZO?[1]

My team won the match 4-1!

Our second game was against LTA.

Game 2: LTA
My opponent was a jovial man with a loud voice. Saw him previously at the final game of this year's PSTAR tournament as he was sitting diagonally across me. Had ADEIMT? at one time but gave up thinking of a bingo out of it. There are 10 anagrams for it out of which two are common words![2]. I overtook him when I bingoed with RADIAnS(70) but he was not far behind as he scored steadily. Had a lot of vowels subsequently and I exchanged several times while allowing my opponent to score heavily with EX(36) and SUQ(47). Thought I had a chance when I challenged off his TEB* in the final few moves but he scored with BrUISE(28) along the TWS lane on his next move and I lost.

Lost my second game with 357 vs 378. Our team also lost the match 2-3.

Our third game was against NUS.

Game 3: NUS
Had a relatively easier time when I surged ahead after my opponent played OB just next to the TWS lane and I bingoed with TAPERED(103). I scored steadily while keeping the board close. He had a bingo later with LAYINGs(77) but it was a bit too late. Adeline did very well against Karthik who was one of the most experienced masters player from NUS! She was trailing until she bingoed with a EHIKOOS rack[3] just above the TWS lane and scored big again with MATH underneath. It was a close match and she managed to win by just a few points.

Won my third game with 454 vs 314. Our team also won the match 3-2.

It was an interesting situation after the end of all the small group matches as NUS, LTA and DSTA all have 2 wins and 1 loss. NUS beat LTA 3-2, lost to DSTA 2-3 and won NParks 5-0. LTA lost to NUS 2-3, won DSTA 3-2 and won NParks 5-0. DSTA beat NUS 3-2, lost to LTA 2-3 and won NParks 4-1.

First step to unravel the dead-knot was to look at the matches involving just the 3 teams. All 3 teams had a 1-1 match record and 5-5 games record. Next step was to look at the matches involving all 4 teams. It was here where we lost out. All 3 teams had a 2-1 match record but both NUS and LTA had a 10-5 record while DSTA only had a 9-6 record. NUS was named group champion as they beat LTA in their head-to-head match.

I wonder what would happen if we also beat NParks by 5-0. The rules did not spell out how they would differentiate the sub-group rankings in this case. Hmm, maybe it should have been more comprehensive to cover all possible scenarios.

Packet lunch in the form of seafood fried rice was provided by the organisers. It was not very good! After lunch, some of us went back home while Jiang Pern and Adeline stayed back to play a few more informal games. Learnt later that LTA won 1st place, NUS 2nd, HDB 3rd and CAAS 4th.

Quiz answers (Highlight to see clearly):

[1] AZON
[2] DAyTIME. MEDIATe (Other angagrams: DIAsTEM, IDEATuM, MEDIAnT, MIcATED, MIsDATE, rEADMIT, TAEDIuM, TAMmIED)
[3] HOOKIES

Please Vote for Me

This is a documentary about the class monitor elections in one of the primary schools in China. Three primary 3 students have been shortlisted and they have one week to convince their classmates why they should be class monitor.

A very funny film that touches on the lives of the students and their parents! It was interesting to see how people react in different situations!

Internet Movie Database Link

Though I am Gone

This is a documentary about an old man recollecting what happened to her wife during the Cultural Revolution.

A very depressing movie as we learnt about the atrocities performed by the students in the name of ideology! Would be interesting if the director could interview one of the Red Guards but there was no "the-other-side-of-the-story" to be heard. Learnt about the existence of a Cultural Revolution Museum from the protagonist. Would like to visit it if I have the chance!

Patriotism

The story is about how a Japanese soldier decided to commit seppuku (the act of killing oneself by slitting one's belly open) and his wife's reaction to it. This is an adaptation of the director's own short story.

Liked the silent film look and feel, the minimalistic noh theater setup as well as the great acting by the actor and actress!

Internet Movie Database Link

Fitzcarraldo

The story is about how a young man dreamed of building an Opera house in the jungles of Peru. He encountered many difficulties and even had to drag a streamboat across a mountain in the process!

Had a pleasant surprise initially when I saw that Claudia Cardinale was the lead actress but realised that it had been almost twenty years since she acted in Fellini's "8 1/2" and Visconti's "The Leopard". She still looked beautiful but not as young as before. Liked the nice jungle adventure and the great acting by Klaus Kinski!

Internet Movie Database Link