RIFLE RANGE BOY

Pistol ( Disney +, miniseries; 2022) Director: Danny Boyle Thanks to my English language in Form 1, my friends and I were exposed to this British punk band. That, I think, is the role of a teacher - to expose the young minds to the real world, not just what is in the syllabus. Most teachers just wanted to finish their teaching plan and ensure that students were prepared for the public exams; KSG (Kiss Some Girls, he boasts) went that extra mile. He would tell us quickly excitable 13 and 14-year-old pubescents about the birds and bees. Somewhere along the way came the story of 'The Sex Pistols'. That was my first exposure to the Pistols, but only in name. The fact it was banned by the British Broadcasting Corporation made it even more fascinating. The jester of class JL used to croak out 'God save the Queen' with an obvious sexual connotation, much to the annoyance of KSG. At that juncture, I wonder if KSG thought that he should have stuck on to the syllabus. To this and...

Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) At the time when the movie was about to start production, many financiers pulled out. They feared that Christians worldwide would be offended as it makes a parody of the events around the birth, life and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Luckily for the filmmakers, George Harrison arranged for the finances. It is a true and true parody of the Saviour. It starts with three wise men going to the wrong manger in Bethlehem, only to greet by a ferocious sounding whiny mother. This child is Brian. The wise men soon realise their mistakes and proceed to the real Son of God.  Brian grows under the thumb of his domineering mother to become a timid adult. The rest of the story is made up of dry British humour, centred around Brian's involvement with a resistance group out to oust the Roman occupation of Judea, called 'People's Front of Judea'. Brian is mistaken as a Messiah; long story short, he is off the Calvary for the crucifixion. The movie ...

Roaring Thunder Revue (Netflix; 2019) A Bob Dylan Story (Directed by Martin Scorsese) In a way, it looks like a mockumentary. It captures a specific time during Bob Dylan's tour of Northern America. It was 1975 and Dylan did a hodgepodge   musical tour with no preset number of performers. Artistes of the era joined in as they landed in various towns. A diehard Dylon fan may know these people by hard, but to me, only Joni Mitchell rings a bell. This film puts forward the actual 16mm footage of this tour with present-day Dylan giving interviews. Over time, probably with the state of intoxication that the musicians were in, many of the information remains a blur. The real reason the title of the tour is one instance. One says it is an honour to a Native American chief, Rolling Thunder. Yet, one cites the weather at the start of the planning of the trip. Could it be that it was about the open secret North Vietnam carpet-bombing by the American Forces during the Vietnam War? After...

The BlacKkKlansman (2018) Director: Spike Lee About a year ago, I heard on a podcast called 'Snap Judgement' about a black undercover cop in the late 70s masquerading as a white guy wanting to join the KKK. The police wanted to investigate the involvement of the clan members in the defence ministry. The policeman, Ron Stallworth, was so convincing that he managed to become a card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan. Of course, he did most of the talking via the telephone and his colleague, whose identity is hidden for security reasons, was the one who appeared in person when the need arose.  With artistic licence in hand to spice up the suspense, the screenplay must have been rewritten to be set in the early seventies. The fictitious duel between the revolutionaries Black Panther and the KKK was created. The cop who appeared in person was chosen to be Jewish to further spruce sweet revenge. A black and a Jewish cop defeating the self-professed members of a su...

Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri (Tamil, Bhuvana is a question mark; 1977) The question mark in this movie, starred by two powerhouses of the Tamil cinema, is whether a lady should stay chaste to one man even though he had wronged her willingly? The title suggests that Bhuvana would play a pivotal role in the story, surprisingly she only appears in the second half of the show. Rajnikanth acts in one of his first roles in the positive light as before this, he was usually cast as a villain. Sivakumar, for a change, assumes a negative role. This film must have interested directors to put Rajni as their hero after this film. His unique mannerism and stylish stunts must have started here. Rajnikanth (Sambath) and Sivakumar (Nagaraj) are street pedlars selling garments. Even though they are close friends, there are like different like night and day. Nagaraj is a sweet-talking businessman who works hard with a strong ambition for the future. He is also a womaniser who lives for...

Sesudah Subuh (After Dawn, Malay; 1967) A gem from the Malay silver screen's bygone era where national integration was high on the agenda. The cast is a multi-ethnic one, and the spoken language include Cantonese, Tamil and English. Life is depicted as it is in real life, almost. Times were terrible for P Ramlee and the gang. Out of Singapore, in Kuala Lumpur, with few hit movie to brag about, fighting a losing battle with colourful movies from Hollywood and Bollywood, the going was tough. The coffers understandably were dry. 'Pop Yeah Yeah', and 'A-Go-Go' rave filled the air. These were bad times. Then came A.R. Tompel, his partner in crime with a story true to the times. Life in the city with western influence and how the dynamics of modern family changes. With a skeleton cast of mainly newbies and a couple of famous icons, Ramlee thought he could rekindle the audience's interest. Ms Vera Wee, 1964, Ms Singapore, who withdrew at the Ms Universe pageant, ...

21.5.2010 Aum…Shri…Sound…Music! In most cultures, music is synonymous with joy, celebration, victory and worship. In Indian folklore, I have heard of divine music healing the moribund and maybe raising the dead. Probably, only in the Indian (particularly South) subcontinent do you have songs sung to denote melancholy, tragedy and helplessness! No wedding, birthday celebration, church service, temple prayers, funfair, circus, street celebration or even sports event is complete without music accompaniment. Hence, one can say that the story of music is the story of the evolution of mankind itself. Now, have you heard of the Dark Forces using their subtle ways to pull us over to the Dark Side? From the turn of the 20th century, people have associated certain music with Satan's dark forces. Islamic fundamentalists like the Taliban also link music to evil, as it is addictive and hinders mankind from fulfilling their obligations to God. Hence, radio transmissions in Taliban Afg...