RIFLE RANGE BOY

Meet the Night Runners (BBC documentary; 2019) There is an East African tale amongst the Luo people of spirits who wonder at night to disturb households. These 'night runners' throw sand and stones on their roofs, make rattling sounds on their zinc roofs and make eerie sounds in the deadpan of the night. The BBC African crew did an exposé recently of this phenomenon.  These 'night runners' are just people who like to create mischief and get a thrill out of scaring the hell of their victims. They do not steal peoples' properties but sometimes get caught and get beaten up for it. Because it is humiliating to be labelled a 'night runners' at the risk of being chased out of the village, they end up in debts trying to pay off their captors.  The 'night runners' allege it is a first within their families as they had seen their fathers, mothers and grandparents do the same. At one point, it looks more like an addiction that is difficult to break....

Saw two snippets this week about the greatness of ancestors of two lands of which, in the present world need to show a lot to prove themselves. One giant had just awoken from a long slumber after yoke of colonialism and another which was prophesying philosophy to the world at a time when the world was inhabited by savages. Firstly, I found out about the engineering marvels of India in 1500 BCE when they could build a 35km bridge, Ram Sethu, between the southernmost peak of India and tip of Ceylon. In that age and time, they built a bridge with trees and flat stones that stood the test of time. The rise in sea-levels and priorities in other things in life made it a relic of the past. Now all that marvel is lost in the annals of time and its subjects live at the mercy of the international world for survival. Of course, there are tonnes of know-how too unevenly distributed around the country for comfort. Epicurus Next, turn to Greece. Now they seem the pariah who seems to be depe...

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Director:Stanley Kubrik Phew! That is what I told myself. This film is the perfect example how a good quality film just blows your mind. It is not difficult to understand why such an offering with so much of silence, dearth of dialogue and good old Johann Strauss II's Blue Danube orchestral music goes a long way to have an impact to its audience than all the marvel of pyrotechnics and nonsensical exhibition of flesh can do. This 1968 offering has a cult like following and conspiracy theorist have targeted Kubrik (the director and co-screenplay writer with Arthur C Clark) of having a hand to staging the televised screening of the moon landing that never happened! This flick is indeed a classic with its cinematography far ahead of its time. The story is divided into 4 parts and for a good part of it is left to our imagination. This epic has been the precursor for many sci-fi movies to come after that, eg. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star War...

GIANT MARILYN MONROE 50th ANNIVERSARY STATUE UNVEILED IN CHICAGO.   LIFELIKE "SEVEN YEAR ITCH" ICONIC POSE CAPTURED BY DESIGNER SEWARD JOHNSON... THE PROJECT WAS KEPT IN GREAT SECRECY TILL RECENTLY PROVIDING SHELTER under RAIN & SNOW.  NAIL POLISHING over THE SIMULATED SUBWAY STATION GRATING TO REPRESENT THE ONE IN THE MOVIE.  THE DESIGNER APPLYING THE SPRAY COLOR? FINISHING TOUCHES.  AMAZING ATTENTION TO DETAILS, AND REALISTIC FLESH TONES APPLYING THE FINISHING TOUCHES.  WONDERING HOW THE STATUE IS ABLE TO STAND ON ITS OWN WITHOUT SUPPORT?  BRIDE AND BRIDESMAIDS, FIND SHADE UNDER THE STATUE  STANDING IN THE MIDST OF CHICAGO SKYLINE WOULD HAVE MADE MARILYN VERY PROUD INDEED .  WHAT A FITTING TRIBUTE TO MARILYN IN THE WINDY CITY OF CHICAGO!  EVEN THE YOUTH ARE CURIOUS.

The friendly neighbourhood illegal DVD pedlar who converses with difficulty in disjointed conversational Malay is an honest film critique and reviewer. Although all his recommendations may not be your cup of tea, (you can give a go to his suggestions of movies related to wrestling, aimless pyrotechnic display type of action drama and gruesome blood splashing type of teen Friday 13th horror), his knowledge on relatively unknown title from independent production houses are worth a gamble. The service also comes with a replacement if there were any defect in print, not up to the viewer's liking. Two of his recommendations that captured my heart were 'Gran Torino' and 'Everybody's Fine'. Unlike their counterparts in India where thespians of yesteryears refuse to age but don primary roles with liberal help from make-up artists and well fitting toupee, these two legends who graced the above two movies wore roles befitting their age. In 'Gran Torino', Clin...