This is a documentary of a Chinese literature scholar, Ms Yeh Chia-ying who taught in universities around the world.
Not really a fan of Chinese poetry but the film gave me a peek on the minds of literature scholars! I think writing poetry probably helps to exercise the brain as the protagonist looked very sharp despite her old age.
The story is about how a family coped with the father's terminal illness of liver cancer.
Liked how the film was told from the perspectives of the mother, the son and the father! Gave me a better understanding of what everybody was thinking about.
This is a documentary about the life of a Vietnamese woman who married a Taiwanese man to help her family escape poverty.
Liked how the film gave a balanced view of what everyone thought of the situation: the mother-in-law, the husband, the wife and the wife's family.
The story revolves around the wife, the daughters and the mistress of a man who died early in the film.
Liked how the film slowly revealed what happened in the past through flashbacks and casual conversations!
The story is about the lives of four middle aged men who were good friends since high school. They are in different jobs: a director, an insurance agent, a paper house maker and a temp worker.
Liked the voice over narration that gave the film a distinctive Taiwanese flavour through its language. Was a little bit surprised by the ending.
The short film showcase consisted of three films from Hong Kong: "The Bridge", "busydoingnothing" and "Eternal Sunshine". "The Bridge" is about a family who lives in different places such as Hong Kong, Hainan Island and Shenzhen but gathered for an ancestral ceremony. "busydoing nothing" is about a young woman working at a thrift shop. "Eternal Sunshine" is about how an old woman looked after his autistic son.
Liked the relaxed lifestyle at the countryside in "The Bridge", the interesting encounters at the shop in "busydoing nothing" and the heartwarming mother and son relationship in "Eternal Sunshine". Gained a glimpse on what are on the minds of Hong Kong people from these short films.
The story is about how a movie company transitioned from silent films to sound films.
Learned about this film from the MIT Open Courseware, The Film Experience Course. Liked the nice songs and exciting dance choreography! The plot was interesting too! Didn't know there were so many technical challenges involved!
MIT OCW The Film Experience Lecture 12: The Musical (continued)
The story is about how three sisters from a small village longed to live in the city by becoming nannies to rich people's children.
Quite slow moving but I liked the nice mountain scenery and the love among the sisters! The husband turned out to be smarter than I had expected!
The story is about a rich girl falling in love with a young man while running away from home.
Learned about this film from the MIT Open Courseware, The Film Experience Course. Liked the intense verbal exchanges between the couple and the adventures that they went through! Thought the director did a good job in creating an ending without the presence of the female lead!
MIT OCW The Film Experience Lecture 8: The Work of Movies; Capra & Hawks
The story is about a family touring Taiwan under unique circumstances. The grandmother is in a tour group while the couple and their child followed her around in a cab.
Liked how the film tried to explain how mainland Chinese, Hongkongers and Taiwanese have different ways of thinking due to their background! Didn't realise it was partly inspired by the director's own story until I checked out the reviews!
The story is about a train called "The General" that was stolen during the American civil war.
Learned about this film from the MIT Open Courseware, The Film Experience Course. Liked the nice storyline and the exciting stunts performed by Keaton! Was really surprised when he stuffed his girlfriend in the sack and got her to remove the carriage pin while in the sack! She was not just a beautiful vase as I had imagined!
This is an anthology of seven short films by seven different directors to celebrate SG50.
Liked the scary monster in "Cinema", the mischevious kids in "That Girl", the tense family relationship in "The Flame", the friendly neighbour in "Bunga Sayang", the quest to find out about one's past in "Pineapple Town", the nice voice over narration in "Parting" and the historical pictures of Singapore in "GPS".
The story is about the hopes and dreams of a group of young people who loved Xinyao.
Liked the nice music that went along with story very well! The plot on the other hand didn't really make sense towards the end but I thought it was still a good effort by the director who brought us back to Singapore in the 90s!
The story is about a family that consists of father, mother, a big brother and a baby sister. The big brother does not really like his little sister as his parents pay more attention to her now.
Liked the fantasy sequences involving different characters from the past and future! The ending was really well done as it joins all the dots to form the overall picture!
Internet Movie Database LinkThe story is about a woman's journey back to her hometown with her best friend.
Liked the theme of family love and rediscovering one's purpose in life!
The story is about the lives of people from different races in Malaysia. Some of them are participants of a Talentime show in school.
Liked the nice songs and how the director showed that it was possible to live harmoniously with each other although some could still be prejudiced against others!
This is a documentary about people with mental illness.
Gained an understanding of the clinic's daily operations and what the patients were going through! Most of them are just normal human beings like the rest of us. I especially liked the poetry by one of the patients towards the end!
The story is about a man who dreams of building a movie theatre together with a girl he met. He stole money from an influential guy and had to hide from him and his gang.
Liked how the film was divided into chapters with a paper drawing of what we might expect! It probably has some reference to the film "Le Samourai" so would want to check it out if I have the chance to see the similarities.
Wanted to watch some short films during the Singapore International Film Festival, so I picked the following 10 films as a bundle.
Liked the great acting by the female lead in "New Born", the dramatic twist in "Here is Not There", the little boy's efforts to bring the family together in "Rocketship" and the nice songs in "Nursery Rhymes".
Both "Sexy Sushi" and "Water Melon Please" were a little abstract and touched on some existential issues.
Learnt about the history of Uzbek films in "Her Five Lives" and appreciated Hou Hsiao Hsien's films better with "Casting a Spell to Alter Reality".
Liked the special effect to make the father figure fuzzy in "Judy Free" and the chit chat in "Sunrise in My Mind".
This is a story about a documentary director who covers scandals and what happens when she is about to be involved in one herself.
Liked the moral dilemmas presented in the film! Is it better to tell the truth and risk getting shamed by society or be burdened with having to tell lies the rest of your life and potentially harming others? Not really sure if the lead actress made the right choice in the end.
