Film Review: Parasite

To me, Parasite’s best quality is that it doesn’t try, as many other films do self-consciously and ostentatiously, to be an art film. It doesn’t try to be too clever, but still ends up being perfectly brilliant all the same. It just has an effortless feel about it, as if all it aspires to be is a great story. And it is one. You won’t be able to stop thinking about it for a few days after watching it. 

All the characters are flawed yet likeable in their own way, from the highly-strung, self-involved Mrs. Park who is incompetent and clueless in the way only the very rich are, to the scheming and ambitious Ki-Woo with his Gatsbyish resolve to transform his dreams into reality. And all of them are victims in their own way, like Shakespeare’s characters who are more sinned against than sinning. The isolated and detached yet inoffensive Parks with their nannied, tutored, and indulged children are as much victims of capitalism as anyone else. Incapable of handling routine tasks and the vicissitudes of parenting without outsourcing the work to hired help, incapable of being forthright with the hired help out of fear of ‘losing face’, and doomed to always evaluate hired help according to whether the latter is discreet enough not to “cross the line” into familiarity and presumptuousness, the wealthy too are imprisoned by their wealth and social status. The poor who have to deal with the ignominy of urinating drunks and overflowing toilets and flooded subterranean homes are the obvious victims of capitalism, and in this category we find the close-knit Kim family whose only sin is to have the hubris not to obey and stay within their social station. 

Cursed with a scholar’s rock they could neither eat nor have a use for, tainted by the smell of radishes and poverty, stoically leaving socks hung up to dry before a window through which very little sunlight or hope enters, the Kim family's desire for upward mobility eats away at them, consuming them from within like an insatiable parasite. As the movie progresses, the viewer cannot help but question who the real parasites and bottom-feeders of society are. Yet this is a movie without clearly defined heroes or villains. One of the underlying themes of the movie is the idea of ‘fitting in’, and whether the impoverished Kim family that has ingratiated its way into employment in the wealthy Park home fits into its role and the social strata its members found themselves in. 

One of the factors that made this movie such a success (apart from the brilliant screenwriting and directing, I mean) is the way all the thespians fit into their characters and played their roles so credibly and convincingly. That ‘Parasite’ swept virtually all the awards at Palme D’Or, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Oscars is definitely fitting. 5 stars out of 5! Catch ‘Parasite’ while you still can!

Spring Equinox Weekend

So I hear it is spring in many parts of the world right now. Nope, no change here in my neck of the woods. Hot, humid and hazy as usual. With intermittent rain that leaves dusty streaks all over one's car.
 

The Spring Equinox / Easter weekend had been a rather busy one, even by my standards.

 

'Superman vs Batman: Dawn of Justice' opened in cinemas that week, and I caught the midnight screening on the 23rd and agreed to go again with Angela and Rudhra on the 25th.

 

I am clearly taking sides and making no apology about it.

 

While waiting to enter the cinema, we wandered around the shopping mall late at night after all the shops have closed. Rudhra and I decided to play on the Spun chairs until the kindly security guard came to ask us to leave politely.

 

I watched 'Dawn of Justice' twice only because of Jeremy Irons and Gal Gadot.

Jeremy Irons, oh my.

Cavill is rather attractive and Affleck is charmingly broody, but I would rather have Mr. Classical Actor with the Crisp Manly Voice anytime.

Funnel ferry bubble bath, funnel ferry bubble bath.

If I am ever in a relationship again, I want my partner to whisper that to me. The dialogue was otherwise cringeworthy and the plot illogical and full of gaps. I love Batman but he delivered some of the worst lines to ever come out on the big screen. "That is the smell of fear. You are not brave. Men are brave". What in damnation? Did they get someone's 9-year-old nephew drunk  on Mountain Dew and set him out to write the script with a crayon? Batman, you're just being an asshole. Superman wasn't being a coward, he was dying. Suffocating is not the same thing as chickening out.

Still, watching Gal Gadot make her dramatic entrance made it worth the ticket price. Of both tickets.
 

 

Saturday was spent at the SPCA animal shelter, bathing and tickwashing dogs and Frontlining cats as usual. Here are two of the puppies we had at the shelter that particular weekend, Porsche and Mercedes, both female. They have since been adopted together by a loving and deserving family.

 

After tidying up at the shelter and showering, I barrelled over to KLCC to meet up with Angela and Rudhra for dinner. 

I have always loved KLCC Park especially at sundown, when the lights are switched on but the sky is not completely dark yet. The musical rainbow fountains may be kitschy but I still find them rather captivating.

 

The actual reason we went to KLCC that night was to check out the giant indoor slide for adults at Avenue K, because I had read about it on TimeOutKL and wanted to have a go on it before it was dismantled. Angela declined to have a go, but Rudhra and I went to town on it.

 

Of course I had to do a 'Superman' on it like the big nerd that I am.

 

I should not have stayed out so late on Saturday night knowing that I had a race to participate in on Sunday morning. I had registered for a charity challenge run to benefit the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia. The event could have been better managed. There was insufficient information on the run. I didn't even know the distance, the 'challenges' involved, whether it was a proper competition or whether there would be race kits and finisher's medals until I was at the starting line. I did it to support and advance the cause of the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia, of which I am a life member and volunteer, and that was all that was important to me.

 

I signed up alone but made friends with the other participants standing to my left and right during the warm-up session. The organisers had run out of race shirts by then but I didn't mind as I didn't really need another shirt. I have given all my race shirts to the homeless through Kedai Jalanan, our pop-up street store, anyway.

 

Well, the participants were split into two groups due to the narrowness of the starting point, so there was no way of getting a fair or accurate assessment of the runners' speed. Good thing the organisers didn't plan on giving out prizes to participants who crossed the finish line first, or they would have started a riot. The event also entailed running up and down the steep speedbumps and hillocks on the mountain bike trail, through a web of old rubber tyres and through a pond made by filling up the bowl at the skate park with water.

 

I crossed the finish line with my 'turtle egg' intact and claimed both my finisher's medal and 'mystery prize' (a keychain) and went to the Turtle Conservation Society booth to chat with my friend, the co-founder, Pelf, and her amiable and supportive mother, who seems to be the most regular volunteer for her daughter's cause.

 

With Pelf and her Mum at the Turtle Conservation Society of Malaysia booth. And yes, I ran in jeans and the previous night's clothes because that's how I roll. Of course the cuffs of my Bermuda jeans got wet while I was wading through the skate-bowl-pond, but it wasn't dirty or uncomfortable to sit in or anything.

 

Went home to do an Easter Egg Hunt for the Rowdies since it was Easter Sunday after all, and my niece is still too little to hunt for eggs.

 

I managed to get flat-bottomed plastic eggs from 7-Eleven to make it easier for the eggs to stand on one end. Then I filled each egg with Greenies and other cat treats and put the lids on loosely so that my cats could still smell the treats within. I shook the treat-filled eggs to get their attention and then hid the eggs all over the house.

 

It was a great success. Classic animal enrichment activity. The Rowdies loved hunting down and opening up their Easter eggs.

These two. Up to no good as usual.

 

What a pawsome Easter for my pawsome little family.

 

"Big Dreams, Little Bears" at the KLEFF

Over the last decade, there has been a rise in documentary film-making, especially those with an environmental or social justice theme, including by Malaysians. The common objective of such films would naturally be to raise awareness on environmental and social issues and hopefully engender a spirit of activism.

EcoKnights, the same lovely organisation behind the Anugerah Hijau awards, has been conducting the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival since 2008 to make these documentaries accessible to the public.

You would think that someone with my pedigree in environmental activism would have attended the film festival before, especially since Yasmin of EcoKnights did such a glowing write-up on me in their newsletter. Well, I haven't, partly because almost all my after-work hours are filled with other volunteer and social commitments, and partly because I feel that watching a documentary and familiarising oneself with environmental issues almost never translates into hands-on action. Very few of the hipster yuppies and fad-following college sophomores who throng these green festivals end up walking the talk, although I would never discourage anyone from wanting to learn more by attending these film festivals.

My (genteel and largely silent) objection to such film festivals is chiefly due to the fact that: (a) At least half the people attending these documentary screenings would have driven there in private vehicles; and (b) they're preaching only to the choir -- those with high-consuming, high-waste lifestyles are not going to attend green film festivals. Half the population of the Klang Valley would still be shopping and dining out and yakking on their phones as they do every weekend, while a negligible minority who are actually interested in the documentaries would have driven out so they could catch the film festival.

The reason I haven't attended any of the documentary screenings in any of the installments of the Eco Film Festival is also that there isn't much the documentaries could tell me that I haven't already read or learned about. After all, if I have watched most of the documentaries on my computer or during volunteering stints, it doesn't make any sense to drive out on a particular weekend just to show my support at a "green" event.

 This year, I made an exception for "Big Dreams, Little Bears", a documentary on Malayan Sun Bears and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, a wildlife sanctuary and non-governmental organisation founded and managed by my friend, Wong Siew Te.

Directed by Howard Jackson and presented by Dr. Audrey Low, "Big Dreams" introduces the viewer to challenges faced by the Malayan Sun Bear population, including those resulting from deforestation, habitat destruction and forest clearing for agriculture. Thus began Wong's 10-year struggle to save the little-known sun bears.

When the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre was first set up, few people outside of conservation circles knew of it, or were even aware that these little bears are natives of Sabah. Few people have any encounters with sun bears apart from glimpses of the two forlorn sun bears in their barren enclosure in Zoo Negara (now improved and with enrichment activities). Many did not even realise that the BSBCC was independently funded, and had assumed that they received funding from the State government or WWF.
 

Aravind and I dropped by Universiti Malaya on Sunday after volunteering at the SPCA animal shelter as usual to catch the film and to catch up with old friends. Here are a few clips from the documentary:

Wong and team observe the sun bears, mostly rescued from private zoos, private owners and the cooking pot, shortly after the rescue centre was set up.

Two of the biggest male bears had a fight and they were given medical treatment under anaesthesia. Here is the foot of one of the bears. Isn't it adorable, even with blue wound spray on? The hairs in between his toes help him have a better grip while climbing. The bears may be small but they are very strong. Their claws and teeth could rip through a young coconut the way we crunch through peanut shells.

Wong, Wai Pak and the BSBCC team put up electric fencing to keep rogue macaques out and the sun bears in.

"Hello, I may be cute, but I am a wild animal and am unsuitable as a pet".

Wai Pak decided to try to lure Om the male bear out.

Om decided to go back into his enclosure and roll around in the leaves and branches that he pulled back into his enclosure.

Suria accepted Wai Pak's invitation to come out and play.

Suria chased Wai Pak around the compound for over 20 minutes. It looked like so much fun! I told Aravind that when we go to volunteer at BSBCC, I would like to be chased by a sun bear too. Aravind asked me to consider what would happen if a sun bear manages to catch me with his or her coconut-shredding claws. (Photo credits: TimeOut KL)

The film cast and crew: Dr. Audrey, Wai Pak, Wong Siew Te and Howard. (Photo credits: Siew Te's blog)
 

Siew Te has made many sacrifices in order to save these bears. This was a photo he posted on his New Year's Eve celebrations, when all of us were posting from wherever we were partying. What we wouldn't do to be in his place instead! He is doing such a great job. May we all continue to do our best to save the sun bears and their habitat.


What YOU can do to help sun bears:

1. Educate yourself on this little-known species.
2. Raise awareness on the plight of sun bears via blog and social media.
3. Support BSBCC's fundraising efforts.
4. Volunteer both at the BSBCC rescue centre and for their fundraising and awareness events.
5. Offer your skills and services -- whether as an editor, photographer, copywriter or graphic designer.
6. Be a smart consumer -- Read your labels. Buy only certified sustainable oil palm and timber products.
7. Do not support the wildlife trade. Report any incidences of sun bears being kept in captivity. Even in licensed facilities, sun bears may be ill-treated or not provided with adequate nutrition and enrichment. Keep your eyes open for such incidences of poor treatment.
8. Report wildlife crimes (including poaching, hunting, sale and consumption) to the Wildlife Crime Hotline at 019 356 4194 / report@malayantiger.net.



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  This Week's Photodump:

The baby bird CovertDad and CovertMum rescued from the drain 3 weeks ago, getting a sponge bath from CovertMum.

CovertMum feeding the baby bird. I think it's a Eurasian Tree Sparrow.

Post-bath treats for the dogs at the SPCA.

My latest foster cats, who were rescued from our office canteen on 11th October. They have since been given a flea bath and been spayed and dewormed. The adult cat is Cantina. Her kittens are named Boris and Clyde. All of them are up for adoption.

My friend Jennifer is providing temporary food and shelter for this handsome, friendly and approachable young male dog. We believe he was a former pet and has been abandoned. Dingo has already been bathed, Frontlined, vaccinated and neutered. As we have spent quite a significant amount on vet fees, we request a kind donation of RM100 as adoption fee. You will only have to attend to the second vaccination and the dog licence application. Please contact me if you would like to adopt our Dashing Dingo!

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A Thor-oughly Good Time

Film Review: Thor

Superhero movies generally follow one of several tried-and-tested formulas. The initial part of the movie normally revolves around one of three plots, namely:
(i) The superhero is of extraterrestrial or mutant origins and is imbued with superhuman powers from the start, and later decides to use this power to the benefit of the human race, unworthy souls though we may be. (Superman, Hellboy, Thor)
(ii) The superhero acquires special powers through some accident, extraterrestrial encounter, exposure to radiation or scientific experiment gone awry, and spends a significant amount of time getting used to these powers before he is able to use these powers to his advantage. (Spiderman, Hellblazer, The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine).
(iii) The superhero is a mortal with no super powers and is equipped with nothing more than a superior intellect and the resources to build fantastic gadgets. He normally also possesses crime-fighting skills befitting SAS commandos and martial arts grandmasters. These superheroes are usually also playboys and heirs to untold wealth. (Batman, Iron Man, Green Lantern).

The later part of the movie usually revolves around the superhero’s efforts to incapacitate the evil machinations of a super villain or to stop a chain of events with particularly dire consequences on Planet Earth or the human race. There is usually also a romantic subplot involving the superhero’s efforts to conceal his alter ego from a mortal love interest, which is usually successful, proving that a mask, a pair of glasses or a different hairstyle is often all you need as disguise in the fantasy world.

Often linked to this subplot is another subplot revolving around the superhero’s weakness, be it the love interest, who is susceptible to being kidnapped, or an external object or resource capable of compromising the superhero’s powers (e.g. Kryptonite).

“Thor” doesn’t deviate from the standard superhero movie formula. What makes it worth watching, then, apart from the fact that it has breathtaking special effects, and a physically appealing protagonist?

“Thor”, to me, is more than a movie about using one’s special powers for the greater good. To me, it isn’t even a movie extolling the virtues of humility and grace. It isn’t a movie about the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery and self-realisation. It is a movie about the triumph of friendship and loyalty over treaties bound by lesser ties. It is a movie not just about loss and sacrifice, but also about teamwork, responsibility and leadership. Most importantly, to me it carries a strong message about the necessity of circumventing bad laws, and the courage to defy weak, corrupt and oppressive leaders. The God of Thunder isn’t the only hero in this comic book adaptation. To be honoured and applauded are Heimdall the valorous gatekeeper, and Thor’s stout-hearted companions, Volstagg, Fandral, Hogun and Sif. And this is what makes the alliance of warriors in “Thor” heroes after my own heart.

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Weekly Roundup With Photos:

The past week has been a family-oriented one, partly to make up for the fact that I spend so much time on work and volunteer commitments. I had spent the last two Saturdays at the SPCA as usual -- bathing and tickwashing dogs, cleaning the catteries and kennels, drafting press releases, training new volunteers, and counselling potential adopters and people who wished to surrender their animals. There has been many reports on animal abuse and cruelty cases in the media lately, and so we have our work cut out both trying to engage the authorities and trying to placate the outraged and emotional public. Seems to me like no one else knows how to draft something that sounds neutral and rational and which offers solutions. Everyone else seems to think that being dramatic, emotional and accusatory is the order of the day. I have been driven to the point of exasperation on many occasions.

With only 3 weeks to go until the Malaysian Nature Society Open Day, there are also volunteers to be recruited, official approval to be obtained, equipment to prepare and prizes to source.

I had spent Mothers’ Day cleaning the parental home and treating Covert Mum to a facial session. I had later taken the parents out to a nearby cafe for dinner to avoid the crowds in downtown restaurants. I took Friday off to take the parents to watch “Thor” and to have lunch at one of their favourite restaurants before going back to the office in the evening to clear a few files and complete some research. My canine and feline children, including the Project Second Chance rescues, are doing well. For these small blessings, I consider my life fortunate beyond measure.



Oscar had a bad case of mange when he first came to me. After undergoing 3 courses of Ivermectin, he is now a handsome little heartbreaker.



Oscar has been vaccinated, dewormed and given 2 flea baths. He should be ready for neutering in a month. I hope we are able to find him a loving home.



Hopscotch was very sick with worms and fleas when I first found him behind the air-conditioning unit in my office. I had him vaccinated and I treated him for fleas and worms myself. The worst is over, and Hopscotch will survive, although he remains extremely thin.



Hopscotch eats 2 bowls of wet food and kitten milk replacer a day, and has consumed his weight in Nutrigel, Liv .52 and pet vitamins, yet he looks positively skeletal. I will need to deworm him again soon. I hope he will gain sufficient weight and strength in a month when I put him up for adoption.



The SPCA shelter dogs observing the visitors observing them.



The SPCA shelter dogs find a quiet corner to rest in after their bath.



Here’s lookin’ at you, kid.



A belated birthday celebration for my buddy Nicole at Marco’s Pizza last night. Nicole attempts food photography after we had started on the penne.



Our yummy thin-crust vegetarian pizza.



The velvety, rich and absolutely decadent tiramisu, which our birthday girl enjoyed.


Covert Operations, Out.

Black Swan, Angry Birds and Weekly Roundup

(Promotional movie poster reproduced without permission but in accordance with the principles of fair use.)

When we internalise our insecurities, do they remain merely as unspoken fears, or do they grow, evolve and develop lives of their own? Can our anxieties take on physical forms and become something menacing, sinister and destructive?

Enter the competitive and neuroses-inducing world of professional ballet.

Natalie Portman is exquisite in her role as Nina Sayers, the overprotected, highly-strung, fragile ballet dancer who “just wants to be perfect”. As the innocent, fearful, conflicted White Swan, Portman is consummate; but it is her portrayal of the sensual, fiendish Black Swan that makes one realise her depth as an actress.

Nina Sayers’ descent into insanity is revealed to us not in the form of subtle clues, but in flashing red lights and sirens that scream “Nutjob!”, “Mental Case!” and “Fruitcake!” From her bulimia, displays of obsessive-compulsive behaviour, kleptomania and nervous habits of scratching herself and biting her nails, to the fact that she is unable to grow up and move out of her oppressively pink bedroom, we understand, with a good dose of dramatic irony, that Nina is a far more troubled young person than the people around her realise. The “sweet girl”, under pressure to be compliant and technically precise on the one hand and to let her emotions out on the other, is just a tragedy waiting to happen.

What makes Black Swan such an effective and compelling psychological thriller is also the characterisation of the other supporting players in this drama. Barbara Hershey is both exasperating, creepy and, at the same time, pitiable, as the hovering single mother obsessed with her daughter’s career and personal life. Mila Kunis is charming and believable as the reckless, confident, forthcoming and seductive Lily, embodying everything that Nina is not. Winona Ryder is unrecognisable as the bitter, rejected erstwhile Swan Queen. But it is Vincent Cassel’s assumption of the role of the passionate, masterly and hot-blooded artistic director, Thomas Leroy, that delighted me the most. With Cassel, you simply cannot dismiss the liberties he takes with his female protégées as sexual harassment or old-fashioned sleaze. Instead, you think, “He’s French! He’s an artist! He’s brilliant!”

Ultimately, this is what makes Black Swan such a winner – all the characters come together to deliver a Kafkaesque fantasy that titillates, provokes, horrifies and discomposes.

Weekly Roundup In Prose and Pictures:

And so, being on schedule at work, I took Friday afternoon off to take the parents out to a movie and dinner. We enjoyed Black Swan so much that we discussed it all through tea.

“Don’t see why her mother had to overreact and threaten to dump the whole cake in the trash”, averred Covert Mum, referring to a scene in the movie. “She could have just cut it up and put it in Tupperware and given some to the neighbours, the cleaning lady, the gardener and the postman.”

“That’s because she’s not Asian and pragmatic like you, Mum”, I pointed out. “Moral of the story is that if you do too much ballet, you turn into an Angry Bird”.



This is a sly dig at the fact that I had to endure 2 months of ballet lessons when I was 8. From what I could recall of my childhood, I had declined when my parents asked me if I wanted to take up piano, because lessons were expensive, we couldn’t afford a piano for me to practice on, and it just sounded like too much hard work. However, for some strange reason, I was talked into trying out ballet because someone had outgrown her outfit and was willing to give it to me, the lessons were inexpensive and I had a few other friends in ballet class. I was so hopeless at it that it was a relief to everyone when I decided to quit, a decision that was wholeheartedly supported by my parents. For the record, I didn’t manage to do a split until I took up taekwondo at 13, so ballet couldn’t have made any lasting impact on my flexibility or agility.

“No, the moral of the story is that one should never strive for perfection,” advised Covert Mum. “You do understand that, don’t you?” Covert Dad queried. I looked up from my French toast in surprise. “Don’t you think you push yourself too hard all the time?” Covert Dad wanted to know. It was like being interrogated by the LTTE, where only one answer is acceptable to your inquisitors. Why would my parents think that their trash-talking, tone-deaf, clumsy, free-spirited ragamuffin of a daughter strives to be perfect? “Disagree,” I asserted, reaching for more butter and syrup. “I would be happy to be reasonably competent and even-tempered. Not perfect.” How little my parents understand me, if they think that my happy bustle of activities and achievements is an attempt at perfection, if they think that my packed schedule is a substitute for some other void in my life!

Moseyed around the shops and department stores a bit before I saw the parents off. It was a rainy Friday evening, and the weekend has just begun. Life is good, it really is.


Mobile Uploads:



My canine sibling, Amber, now lives with me at the bachelor pad because she and Chocky no longer get along. She is thrilled that she gets to go on walks with me twice a day. I am pleased to receive the news from Anthony that Bravo is now a loved family member. Now all I have to do is to collect Bravo’s vaccination and neutering records from the vet so that Anthony can apply for a dog licence for Bravo.



Saturday was a busy day at the SPCA shelter, as our Jumble Sale was to take place in the shelter premises the following morning. I was kept busy all afternoon with animal care work, briefing the new volunteers and cleaning the shelter. Rose and I managed to bathe and tickwash all the dogs in Maternity Kennels 1 & 2 and the Pound. Here I am, on my way to transfer two rescued puppies into a kennel with 2 other recent arrivals.



A closer look at the two puppies. The panda one is the more robust of the two. I pray that they find good homes soon. If the vets are of the opinion that they should be fostered for another week or two, I would be happy to take them in to improve their chances of survival and rehoming. Amber will just have to learn to share me with other animals.



Adoption rates have been stable, and Saturday was an extraordinarily good day for adoption, as 15 cats and dogs found homes. Some adopters have sensibly decided to adopt two of a set of siblings so that the animals can keep each other company. A young couple adopted this cheeky feline pair, and I helped them ensure that the kittens remained inside the box until they got to their car, as they had forgotten to bring their pet carrier with them.



The animals go home two-by-two, hurrah, hurrah. A senior couple turned a personal tragedy into an opportunity to do a good deed by adopting this otherwise-forgotten pair of dogs from Kennels A. Their own dog went missing shortly before the Chinese New Year holidays, and they had come to the SPCA to put up Missing Dog flyers. They decided to adopt two adult dogs from the shelter, and so this pair of siblings was given a chance to live a better life with the kind couple. “And if your missing dog returns?” I asked them. “If she returns, we would of course welcome her home with open arms,” they declared. The couple was kind enough to grant me permission to say goodbye to the two doggies and to take a photo of them through the car window. Goodbye and good luck, sweeties!