RIFLE RANGE BOY

El Conde (The Count, Chilean; 2023) Director: Pablo Larraín The first thing the viewers notice at the movie's start is the ‘ fraktur ’ fonts used in the opening credits. As we know, this font is linked to the Neo-Nazi movement, Germanness and possibly Hitler himself.  This movie can be classified as a cruel comedy depicting past Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, not only in a bad light but one with no redeemable features. He is portrayed as a true-blooded 250-year-old vampire from the 18th century. He is said to have been born French as a foot soldier to King Louis XIV. Escaping from the hullaballoo surrounding the French Revolution, he scoots off with Marie Antionette's guillotined head. He ends up in Chile in the 1930s after much gallivanting.  Now, in the present time, after all the looting, killing and his trial, Pinochet wants to die, but he cannot as he is a vampire. He summons his wife and five children to a secluded island to plan his death. He, however, has an elabor...

Horror Stories (2014) Tunku Halim Malaysians have a soft spot for things involving the other world, the unknown one lurking on the other side. Again and again this is evident form their penchant in seeking entertainment involving the supernatural, invoking them to help out out in helping out in their worldly duties and even turning up in droves to view exhibits allegedly used by practitioners of black magic. The reception was too hot and intimidating that the powers that be had to close the exhibition in the National Gallery prematurely a few years ago. The publishers of the book, unashamedly, admit that they print books to make money, not for literary excellence. What better way to strike the pot of gold than to write about ghosts and its avatars. The easy to read book is a collection of 20 horrors stories which characters of which many Malaysians are familiar with - toyol, pontianak, cemetery, bomoh, etceteras. A love struck lowly clerk desperately tries to woo a sophis...