RIFLE RANGE BOY

Falling Down (1993) Thanks, Danny, for showing the existence of this film. We are constantly bombarded with the notion that we should follow the weather-beaten path, and everything will be alright. Do as I say, not as I do. Follow the dotted lines, and you will be taken care of. We are expected to act in a particular manner as it is how a civil society behaves. Keeping your emotions under check denotes maturity, and everybody will play their part. We do our share of our bargain diligently but then, we realise that we had been taken for a ride. The promise turned out to be an empty one—a dream not, but a nightmare. And we flip. The system to whom we had been loyal all these while turns around and say that we are the evil one. The significant others whom we saw as the scourge is now the protected one. Foster must have found himself in the same kind of predicament. Working diligently as a faithful servant in a defence facility, he realised one day that he had neither a job nor her family ...

Dukun (Witch Doctor, Malay; 2018) Director: Din Said In the early 1990s, the news of a gruesome murder appeared in the headlines of most Malaysian newspapers. The story of a politician chopped into pieces, of black magic, a small-time singer turned shaman with the elixir of immortality (she had claimed to be close to 100 years old), a smiling poser with something sensational to say during each court appearance was enough to excite the nation. Internet was restricted to the science fiction genre then. Hence, there was a dire need to whet the appetite of the general public who were looking for tabloid-like news to pass their time. The trial of Mona Fandey fitted the bill nicely. An up and coming politician wanted to go places. Mona Fandey, who was a rave among certain circles, promised him invincibility through the sciences of the occult. He paid a deposit but what he got back was a severed head, his own. Enjoying being in the limelight, Pandey savoured every exposure to the camera flash...