Partners in Crime?

The Honeymoon Killers (1969)

Director: Leonard Kastle

https://www.criterion.com/films/582-the-honeymoon-killers?
srsltid=AfmBOooBrXMILjkfWbYvLAPPpo9ZQUaj
ZxWi0VU1etpA94OFZeon-9jN

This film was originally intended to be directed by Martin Scorsese, but he was dismissed early in production. Another director, Donald Volkmann, was suddenly replaced after just two weeks of filming. Kastle, who wrote and developed the script, then took over as director. This obscure production is often praised for its realistic documentary-style filming and has gained cult status.

 

The story is based on a true crime from the late 1940s, famously known as the 'Lonely Heart Killers'. It focuses on Martha Beck, an overweight nursing sister who is also a single mother of two children (not shown in the film), each with a different father. Her friend recommends her to the local Lonely Hearts Club, where she meets a smooth-talking con man, Ray Fernandez.

 

Although Martha is a nurse, she seems to be emotionally quite immature. Ray, who is simply a con artist, was already married with children and expertly manipulates Martha. In the name of true love, he persuades her to pretend to be his sister while he continues his day job of deceiving lonely women for their money and jewellery under the guise of marriage. Martha becomes his accomplice and actively plans their robberies, which also involved murder.

 

It is believed they were responsible for up to 20 murders between 1947 and 1949, but three cases received significant news coverage. In the final murder, a neighbour reported disturbances at the house. However, in the film, it is implied that Martha herself called the police.

The couple was imprisoned at Sing Sing prison and executed by electrocution.

An intriguing black-and-white film set in a period when filmmakers did not rely on gore or technicolour to emphasise horror.

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Not funny

It was a local cycling event with the usual thrills and frills. It was a fun event. It was not a race. People came in dressed in masks and capes. There was a chap who wore a Viking helmet with cowhorn-like horns to give a fiesta feel to everyone around. 

Close to a thousand riders thronged the much-delayed, newly paved expressway that would bring people all the way from Ampang to Putrajaya and beyond.

For the bystanders, it must have been a sight to behold. Rows of cyclists in tight-fitting gears all going in a single file must have tickled the onlookers to the bones. 

So there were a group of cyclists in front of me who were boisterously rolling along the highway. Manning the traffic was a group of Bangladeshi foreign workers. They, too, were fascinated with the event of the day. They, too, whipped out their mobile devices to record the race.

One of the racers in front of me quipped, "hey, give a good pose. For all you know, you would be appearing on Bangla Youtube!" (closest translation)

https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Reproduction-
Viking-Warrior-Helmet/dp/B008E4DFYW

It was an uncalled-for conversation. Just like everyone else, a foreigner or a general worker also has their likes and dislikes. He, too, wants to capture a momentous moment or share a scene that he wants others to see. Just because he is from the working class and is from a country considered to be in the lower rung of socioeconomic status, his action is by no means a justification for mocking. 

Another thing, YouTube is universal. There is no such thing as a Bangla YouTube or a Myanmarese one, but the local language may be. Now, with subtitles and audio choices, the world is one. 

Unfortunately, most Malaysians are like this - condescending and feeling one-up against each other. We suffer from so much insecurity that we pin others down to convince ourselves that we are doing alright. It is a form of cognitive dissonance. 

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If old is gold...

Tradition must continue?

It is interesting to observe how much people want to preserve their cultures. This, coming from the same people whose cultural practices failed to prosper them in the land of their ancestors, is quite amusing. 

Their measure of prosperity is not material gains but intellectual progress and the fulfilment of spiritual debts. 

The one that takes the cake is when immigrants start condemning the host nation for their way of life and priorities in life. They insist that if they continue practising their traditional customs and rituals, they are the ones bringing salvation.

Nadaswaram,

quintessentially Tamil

On the other hand, someone who immerses themselves in the cultures of the host might be branded as having sold their soul to the devil. They could be called many nicknames, such as "coconut," "banana," and "whitewashed." Yet, when we examine these resentful core beliefs, we realise that they are primarily driven by jealousy of others who seem to be thriving and accepted by white people, while being ostracised and cursed to remain perpetual foreigners, confined within their ethnic enclaves.

It seems that it is alright for the native to ape the colonists, but the buck stops at a certain point after which it is not okay. One's own culture is superior. 

Traditions must be conserved?

Lamb to the slaughter?

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Flak about Flags!

https://www.poojn.in/post/20859/pandya-dynasty-symbols-insignia-a-
complete-guide#:~:text=The%20Fish%20Emblem:%20A%20Symbol,
its%20importance%20in%20Pandya%20culture.

The Pandya Dynasty of South India featured the emblem of a twin fish on its flag (Meen Kodi). Fish, it seemed, was its mascot. Historical artefacts, such as coins, literature, and architecture, provide evidence of this. The active maritime and fishing activities of the Pandya kingdom led to the association of the fish image with prosperity. The patron deity, Meenakshi, meaning 'fish-eyed', was believed to guard the capital, Madurai.

Lately, YouTubers have started associating the fish with the mythical 'Kumarikandam', which corresponds to sunken Lemuria in the Western psyche.

Advances in early Tamil Sangam Literature are said to have happened when the Pandya's two capitals before it submerged. Occupants from Kumarikandam journeyed across to the South of India and made Madurai their capital city.

The emblem of fish in the Pandya pantheon is so strong that one look at a fish would remind everyone of the splendour and grandeur of the Pandya Empire.

That is how it has been all through our civilisation. A powerful nation would exert its authority by placing its seal of sovereignty on a piece of land and becoming a rallying symbol during both peacetime and war. It served as a cultural identity and an umbrella to unite the subjects.

This piece of cloth, labelled a flag, may have been first sewn on Chinese silk.

Now, in independent Malaysia, the flag has become a tool for some people to gauge their citizens' loyalty. Every so often, somebody would find another person's flag hung upside down or with the wrong number of stripes and would immediately share it virally.

Politicians would jump onto the bandwagon and steamroll their ideologies all over the place to show how ‘patriotic’ they are.

The whole hysteria has reached such a feverish pitch that Malaysians have had it up to their necks. People are scared to place flags outside their houses to mark Independence Month. Fearful that some joker would find fault in his neighbour’s sincere hoisting of the Jalur Gemilang.

It is intriguing how a piece of cloth that is used to unite people is now sowing discontent and hatred. People’s businesses are shut down, and business owners are fined. All these smells evoke a dystopian future, reminiscent of 1984.

(P.S. Sometimes I wonder if the upside-down placement of the flag was done on purpose, to denote a nation under duress!)

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Converting and reverting!

https://topszotar.hu/angolmagyar/revert

Just the other day, I heard a person revered as knowledgeable by the people around me. What was said prompted me to enter a reflective mode, as I often do. 

His discovery is this. He had never heard of anyone converting to Hinduism. Most Hindus are born into the religion. Anyone outside the fold of Sanathana Dharma is cordially accepted into the Hindu's house of worship and cordially partakes in their festivities and rituals with open arms. There is nothing like a ritual to permit others to enter the fold. Unlike the modus operandi of Hotel California, everyone can check out or leave at any time. 

The learned man went on to say that if one were to accept the teachings of most Abrahamic religions, one would need to undergo a baptism of fire or water. They are required to be converted, i.e., from one faith to another. "So what does that mean?" he asked. By default, everyone is born a Hindu, the factory setting. Only when one wants to change the operating system does one need to make changes to the operations. Smart alec, I thought.

A few months later, while scrolling the reels on social media, as is the commonest pastime these days,  the infamous convert around town was giving an insider account of how to clandestinely convert underage students in schools. An interesting phrase that he used while referring to conversion was 'revert'. In his mind, people are merely returning to the fold of the one true religion after being misled for so long. When someone embraces Islam, they just revert to what they were supposed to be. We assume that babies are born pure, like a white sheet of cloth. Life taints them. By embracing Islam, one is given a clean slate, given the opportunity to revert to that pristine state of white fabric. Actually, coloured cloths can be clean too. (That is another story about the fixation of Man of the colour white!)

My question is, since there is no concept of rebirth in the Abrahamic faith, when was the setting made? Was the factory setting in error, necessitating reversion? 

Everybody is convinced that their own belief system is the one and only true faith, like they were a personalised audience with the Maker himself. The rest of us just grope in the dark and try to make sense of the silky texture here and the stony, hard surface there, to create a composite picture in our minds of what is actually happening around us and where we are heading.

The only instance I am aware of is when the bank replies to me that 'they would revert to me after perusing my documents' and when the blood biochemical and tumour markers return to normal. And conversion when there is seroconversion of IgM and IgG antibodies.

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Go, Take a Ride!

Wayward Bus (1957)

Director: Victor Vicas

Sometimes, they say that when you're upset with something or someone, just take a walk. Get away from the problematic situation and go for a stroll or a drive. When you come back, things will seem clearer. It is similar to saying, take a nap; things will often look better in the morning. The issue will still exist, but you'll be in a better frame of mind to deal with it.

This film is an adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel of the same name. It also attempts to present Jayne Mansfield as a serious actress, but unfortunately, it did little to shake her stereotype as a ditsy blonde. Rick Jason, known to 80s children as Lt. Henley in Combat! (1962-1967), plays one of the main roles. To be frank, there is no single central character in this film. Everyone is given significance.

Set in a rural US-Mexico border town, the story begins with a young couple. Chicory drives a battered bus, taking passengers across the border. His wife, a frustrated young woman, runs a small café with a B&B to accommodate the occasional traveller and passengers. She is openly suspicious of any young woman who appears there. She fears her husband might run off with one of them. Even the many young waitresses who have worked there as casual staff suffer from her mistrustful glances. She is also struggling to overcome her addiction to alcohol. 

Rick Jason (of 'Combat' fame) and Jayne Mansfield
are seen in the frame. Also appearing in the film is
Joan Collins of Dynasty fame.

Her latest waitress resigns and leaves for San Juan on the bus Chico is driving.

 

On the bus, there are several other intriguing characters. A cultured older couple with a rebellious adult daughter, a travelling salesman, a pretty blonde with a shady past, and an elderly man rushing to make his 4 pm appointment in San Juan. 

Everyone has their internal disagreements. The older, overprotective couple is unhappy with their daughter's choice of life partner. They hope the trip will make her see reason. A travelling salesman isn't taken seriously enough by any lady as a boyfriend. The blonde, Jayne Mansfield, is currently away from her life as an exotic dancer in LA for a stint in San Juan. The hurried old man, who, as he mentioned, has a life-or-death appointment, is actually meeting his beloved to propose in San Juan. Chico, the driver, is also annoyed with his money-minded and suspicious wife, who is also drinking excessively. Chico had left home after a quarrel and had promised never to return.

The journey, marred by heavy rain, landslides, and detours, proved to be a soul-searching endeavour that helped everyone on board gain better insight into how to handle the uncertainties that had befallen them.

Good storyline. Good acting. 7/10.

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Only for the diehard!

Coolie(Tamil; 2025)
Story & Direction: Lokesh Kanagaraj

https://www.tgv.com.my/movie/coolie

In 1983, the Hindi cinema went agape when, during the shooting of the movie 'Coolie', Amitabh Bachchan sustained a serious injury. One of his stunts went awry. He landed on the floor instead of the table and sustained life-threatening intra-abdominal injury. His condition was serious. His heart stopped once, and he had to undergo multiple surgeries and time in the ICU. While he was in the hospital, the whole nation was in tenterhooks. Daily prayers were held whilst radio stations gave daily updates on his condition. Close to a hundred thousand people turned up during the recommencement of shooting. The people's response to the turn of events was so eclectic that the moviemakers changed the ending of the movie. Bachchan's character was supposed to die, but it was decided that he should live. It smashed all box office returns at that time. Coincidentally, the protagonist was a Muslim donning the railway porter tag, which bore the number '786', which is a significant number to Indian Muslims culturally. It is linked to divine salutations 'Bismullah Rahmani Rahim'. His character helped to strengthen the fractured Muslim-Hindu relations then, as well-wishers of both faiths had numerous prayers during Amitabh's trying times. 

Do I see communist links?

Amitabh Bachchan was so pleased with how it all turned out with the national support and the subsequent box office returns that he was heard to have mentioned in an interview that there can never be another Coolie. Another Coolie did come eventually by an actor elevated to Bachchan's status in the Southern cinema, Rajnikanth. This time, the Coolie tag carried the number 1421, the director's father's tag number when he worked diligently as a bus conductor. 

As in most big cinema releases these days, a big buildup is created before its launch. First, they attack the social media spaces with announcements to rile the excitement. Then they will inaugurate the audio launch. It will give the impression as if everyone knows the song by heart and compel people to hum to the tune. After much hoopla, the movie would be launched with much pomp and splendour, like pouring barrels of milk over the actor's effigy. By that time, die-hard fans would be fighting tooth and nail trying to get tickets for the first day screening of the show. 

This culture, which was mainly confined to the state of Tamil Nadu before, has now permeated into Malaysia. 

Just the other day, a Malaysian social activist was relating her experience at a restaurant. It was about noon on a working day when she was having her meal. She noticed a young family of four, father, mother and two preteen children, engaged in a meal and deep conversation. She overheard them conversing about the first day, first show of Rajnikanth's 'Coolie' that they were about to watch. 

The social worker was dumbfounded by how Rajni's movie, in the parents' eyes, could take precedence over sending their children to school. Times have changed much since Amma chided that nobody would be asked about Tamil movies in a scholarship interview. 

Coolie is made to appease Rajnikanth's fans, period. It is like watching 'Kill Bill'. Nobody should ask who Bill is, and why we should kill Bill. Just Kill Bill, and it was so good that it needed a sequel.

Kudos to the story writers for being able to keep their audience engaged in this long movie, which actually had continuity. Nevertheless, there were some glaring faux pas, like an MPV cannot escape from a rickety motorcycle in a car chase and how the bad guys always have the opportunity to keep up with the good guys. Shhh! You are not supposed to ask questions. Kudos to his make-up team and CGI, Rajni, looks good for his part. The fighting scenes? Forget it. Ten, twenty, hundred, no problem. He does not have to move much. The baddies will go flying without inflicting even an abrasion. At the end of the movie, he goes away with a band-aid on his temple. That is all.

Coolie (1995)

His movie is about nostalgia. His age-old opening credit, 'Super Star Rajni' appearing in single letters, has appeared all the way from the 90s. To mark his 50th anniversary in Tamil films, snippets of old visuals are used to reminisce about his quirky mannerisms. All in all, they are banking on nostalgia. The story is masala, and Tamil cinema has much more to offer, but who cares? It's Rajni! The movie may be studded with megastars from the Sandalwood, Tollywood, Mollywood and even Bollywood, to make this a pan-Indian fare, but they all appear as pale shadows of whom they came to see... Rajnikanth!

(P.S. In 1995, there was a movie by the same name, Coolie, starring Mr Muscle Man and Mr Madras, Sarath Kumar and Meena.)

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