Film Study: In the Mood for Love

                                                      

  In the Mood for Love is a 2000 Hong Kong romantic drama film. Wong Kar-wai as the writer, producer and also the director of this film. This film release at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival on 20 May. It is frequently listed as one of the greatest films of all time and in 2016 was voted the second best film of the 21st century. The story is about Mr Chow (played by Tony Leung) and a Mrs Chan (Maggie Cheung) slowly have a feeling for each other. 

  In the story, the concept of French Expressionist Cinema was applied. What is French Expressionist Cinema? It will allow the audiences to feel the emotion of the character without the narration between the characters. It can show the emotion of the character by using some of the techniques like camera angles, editing and others. 

                                   

  The French Impressionism film actually focuses on the psychological of the characters, which is the feeling, emotion, mood or others. In the story, it doesn't give the message to the audiences directly， it tries to present the message through by some indirect ways. The audiences will start to guess the story and understand the feeling or thinking of the character.  For example, the scene that after Mr. Chow smoking in his office, and the smoke is clouded and very gloomy, it can suggest that the emotion of Mr. Chow is very confused, unclear and the thinking is stuck. The props like the wall, door, windows and others also can create the effect of the feeling between the characters. For example, we can notice that there has a bookshelf between the place of  Mr. Chow stand and Mrs. Chow working place. It shows that there have something between them, which is they have the gap between each other, they don't have more closely with each other anymore. The other of the example is showing the facial expression of the characters through by the mirror, it is the mirror narrative. This technique is using for showing the emotion of the character, make the space of the stage become bigger, and also show the reality of the character which is the personality or the emotion in the different perspective. One of the scenes in the movie is the mirror reflects nearby Mr Chow show the Mrs Chan facial expression is very shy and sit on the bed. Actually, it shows the true emotion of the character. The other way to show the emotion or behaviour of the character is the acting of the character. There has one scene in the movie which is Mr. Chow was sick and Mrs. Chan feels hesitant to visit him or not. She goes up the stair and goes down, and the action repeat many times. It shows the feeling of hesitating of Mrs. Chan.

  The lighting also the technique that can affect the emotion of the character. There have many of the contrast colour that we can found out in this movie, for example, when Mr Chow is smoking alone in the office, the value of the background very low and there has the light on Mr Chow, it shows the contrast of the colour between Mr Chow and the background. It suggests the feeling of sadness or depression. 

    The story is started in an exiled Shanghainese community in Hong Kong in 1962. Mr Chow and Mrs. Chan move to the same apartment on the same day. They become the next-door neighbours and their spouse always busy at work and leaves them alone. Mr Chow and Mrs Chan notice that others are always staying alone in their own room. Due to them have them have similar to the situation, they slowly close up with each other. They nurse suspicions about their partner fidelity. The conclusion is their spouses have been seeing each other, Mr Chow and Mrs Chan start to think about the situation that should happen of their spouses. Mr Chow invites Mr Chan to help him write a martial arts serial for the papers. Their neighbour notice that Mr Chow and Mrs Chan always together, the friendships between men and woman bear scrutiny on that day(1960s). As time goes by, they notice that they are fall in love with each other. However, their love doesn't have a good result at the end of the story.

  In conclusion, this film has presented the emotion or feeling of the character through by French Expressionist Cinema that without any of the dialogue. This kind of movie is my first time to watch, I feel very interesting that the ways of present the emotion of the character especially the ending of the movie, I think there would have some interaction in the ending, however, it just show Mr. Chow rely on the wall and doesn't show the facial expression. 

Film Study: Monster House

                                      

  The movie that we want to study is Monster House, which is the 3D computer-animated supernatural horror and comedy film. The human character was used in the live-action motion capture technique. This movie was directed by Gil Kenan and the release date was July 21 in 2006.

 About the genre of this film, this film had multiple genres like horror, comedy, action and adventure. These genres had using some of the film technique to achieve and match the genre like the sound, lighting and others of the elements.  Firstly, we discuss the horror genre. Same as the previous of the report (The Six Sense), the objective of horror genre movie is making the audience scary and the feeling of frighten. So, the main purpose of is making the scary of the audience. For the example, we can notice that when the Horace Nebbercracker come out from his house, the colour of his room is the black colour, which is dark, and the face is slowly come out from the door. It makes a strong contrast between the colour and the facial expression of him is very dynamic that makes the audience feels he is very scary. About the colour, we also can notice that the colour of the Horace Nebbercracker’s house and also the surrounding of the house is dark and cool colour. This make the audience become uncomfortable and also as the portent that will happen something.

  

  The next genre is about the comedy, which of the genre that wants to make the audiences laugh is the main purpose. Comedy is a sub-genre in this film, and it archives it task by some film techniques. For the example in the Monster House, the character who named Chowder, the archetype of character is a joker. The role of this archetype is making the fun for the character around him. The interaction with D.J. Walters makes the personality of him become obvious. He is acting very funny like do some stupid things and in front of girl will change the truth of his character. There also some of the comedy elements hiding in the film. The comedy as the sub-genre can make the film become more excited and interesting, while the plot of the story is boring.

  Thirdly, the action also as a sub-genre of this movie. Actually, the action film has some of the scenes of the fighting, escaping ad others scene that can attract the attention of the audiences and make the audiences become excited and enjoy the film. In the Monster House, there have two of the part that the audience can feel the action genre, which is the main character and his friends escape from the Monster House. On the way of escaping, the acting of them is very dynamic and also catch the attention of the viewers. The other scene is they escaping and fighting with the Monster House. D.J. Walters receives the dynamic from Horace Nebbercracker to destroy the Monster House. By the way, he wants to climb up to the high place to throw the dynamic because it only has one chance. When D.J Walters prepare to throw the dynamic, he faces the crisis that he almost fell down. About the camera angle of the action film, the audiences can notice that some of the event or action will have more than two shot from a different angle. For example, the famous artist Jakie Chan escape from an explosion, there will have different angle shot like high-angle shot, low-angle shot or bird’s-eye view. In the Monster House, when the dynamic explosion there have some of the camera angles, to show the area of explosion or the people who involve in the explosion.

  The last of the sub-genre is adventure. The adventure type of movie is related to the main character that wants to achieve or research something. When in the process, they will face some crisis or challenge. Same as the Monster House, while the main characters want to destroy the heart of Monster House, they almost got eaten by the Monster House. They find out some things that in the underground of the house and the green colour in this place make us feel that the mystery of the place.

  About the story, the little boy named D.J. Walters, who was spying his neighbour Mr. Horace Nebbercracker because of the cruel action. One day, D.J. Walters and his friend Chowder go into the lawn of Mr. Horace because want to pick up the ball. Mr. Horace comes out from his house and feels very angry, he catches up D.J. Walter. Suddenly, Mr. Horace was suffering a heart attack and taken away by the ambulance. They pick up the key that drops from Mr. Horace pocket. After Mr. Horace left, the house becomes a monster house that would eat the people near to it. They save the girl who named Jenny Bennett from the Monster House and decides to destroy the heart of the house. However, they fail to destroy the heart and escape. Mr. Horace comes back to the house and tells them the fact of the house. Mr. Horace decides to destroy the monster house and give the dynamic to D.J. Walters. Finally, they succeeded in destroying the house.

  In conclusion, Monster House was created by some of the genres, the main of the genre is horror and the sub-genre is action, comedy and also an adventure. The combination of the genres makes the movie become interesting and make the audience focus on the scene. I think this is a successful movie because it used lots of film techniques.

Film Study: The Sixth Sense

   

  

  The Sixth Sense is an American movie supernatural horror film which directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It released by Hollywood Pictures on August 6 in 1999 and received well in the review of the movie which the acting performance, atmosphere and twist conclusion in the movie. In 1999, as the second-highest-grossing film, it earns about $293 million in the United State and $379 million in other markets. It became the highest-grossing horror film until 2017.

  This movie used lots of film techniques to categorized as a horror film. First of all, what is a horror film? The horror film is a genre of movie that makes the audiences elicit fear. In order to achieve this effect, the film director will use the place that familiar for the audience like washroom, bedroom, elevator and others as the space that to cut in some film techniques that related to the horror genre. For example, in The Sixth Sense, Cole sees the ghost passing and talking to him in the corridor of the house. It will make some of the audience links this sense to their daily life, which has a similar place in their house. As the horror movie, the most famous technique will be used in horror movie is jump scare, which is the technique that to scared or catch the attention of the audience by surprising them with an abrupt change in image or event, usually it will be accompanied by a loud and frightening sound. In The Sixth Sense, there have some of the scenes that used this technique. For example, when Crowe stayed with her wife for observing the broken window in their house, the shadow of the shadow of the figure passing the room suddenly. It had successfully for scaring and catch the attention of the audiences. In addition, the lighting of the scape also as important in the horror film. The audience can notice that the horror scene will only appear in the dark and gloomy place compare to other scenes. It will help to increase the feeling of scary. Due to the other scene, for example, the harmony scene is lighter and clear. The audience can feel very comfortable. The dark and gloomy of the space will give the audience a feeling of cool and forlorn. Next is about the background music. Background music has been the importance element until nowadays. The right use of background music(BGM) will make the audience have a sense about the ambience. It let the audiences involved in the scene in the movie.

  This movie was talking about the child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe who helped lots of children to help Cole Sear, who able to see and talk to the dead people. At the beginning of the story, the teenager appears in the room of Crowe and started to accuse Crowe of failing him. The teenager is one of his previous patients, Vincent Grey. Vincent shot Crowe and killing himself. The next fall, Crowe start to work with other patients, who is the main character of the story, Cole Sear. Crowe doubted himself that didn't have the ability to help Cole. However, he tried to help Cole, and he got Cole trust. Cole told his secret to Crowe, which was he can see the dead people, mean ghost. Cole decides to face the problem and start to learn live with the ghosts. He also begins to fit in his school compare to early of the story and become the main character in the school play. At the end of the story, Cole was resolved all of the problems, and Crowe noticed that he was already dead, caused by the shooting of Vincent, he wasn't ignored by his wife, the fact was his wife can't saw him.

  In my observation, the film techniques used in this movie is very well. About the first things talking about in the second paragraph, the use of the space is base on the internal thinking of the audience. What of the places can relate to daily life? What of the space that audiences usually stay off?  So that why 10 of the horror movie, 8 of them the ghost or the scary scene will appear in the washroom. About the next technique is jump scare. In this movie, the director hadn't used this technique from time to time. So it created the best of the effect, catch the attention of the audience on time. If a movie uses this technique from time to time, the audiences will get bored because they have already numbness for the scene. Background music, which is BGM used in this film also very nice, the BGM is suitable in all of the scene, the scary scene, warming scene and others. If the wrong use of BGM will create a weird effect, what will happen if the scary scene with action BGM? It will be very weird and not suitable.

  In conclusion, it is a very nice and interesting movie. What surprised me the most is about the ending which is the ending of Dr Malcolm Crowe. Although it is a horror movie, it has some of the subgenres apply in this movie. This makes the movie become more interesting and have a good storyline compare to some of the movies, it does not only focus on the scary scene in the movie.

Book Launch and Public Lecture: “Values to Bind and Build: A Reflection”

 

  

At 25 January 2019, there was a seminar held in University Tunku Abdul Rahman(UTAR), Sungai Long campus, KB-105 in block B and start by 10am. The title of the seminar also the launch of the book named “Value to Bind and Build: A Reflection”.

  The author of the book, YBhg. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Tan Chong Tin, was invited to give a speech to the audience about his book. This book is about the ethnic relation in Malaysia, there is need for intellectuals of different communities to build common ground as a foundation to ethnic harmony and nation building. About the ethnic relationship in Malaysia, they have been analyzed from different perspectives, like culture, law, political and history.

  Dato’ Dr. Tan Chong Tin said that one of the solutions is the paradigm shift to focus on needs for recognition and dignity. The key to grasping the psychological drive to ethnic harmony was to respect the role of “identity”, “collective self-esteem” and “dignity”. About his own personal appreciation of the collective identity and dignity is the field of epilepsy, where patients with epilepsy suffer far more from stigma, rather than the direct effect of epileptic convulsion. This was similar to understand the modern history nowadays, people need to appreciate the enormous in influenced by identity, collective self-esteem or ethnic and national dignity which would lead to the development of nationalism.

  “New Economic Policy” (NEP), is the most important national policy to achieve ethnic harmony since the 1969’s racial riots in Malaysia. NEP is built on the foundation that correct of national harmony cannot be achieved without ethnic equality. There is enormous growth of the Bumiputera professionals and middle class in the last fifty years, the ethnic tension has worsened.

  Secondly, Dr Tan also said that the dignity based on being recognized as competent. The neglected value was included the quality of education and English competency. The strong work ethic to be similarly as successful economically. All of the ethnic groups must develop and nature good work ethic, as ultimately work ethics determines economic productivity. The second is openness, the best example is China. The history of decline and rise of China has demonstrated the importance of openness as another key to economic competitiveness. A comprehensive approach to openness should include open-mindedness, the receptiveness to better ideas and willingness to adopt the best which is a meritocracy. The third neglected value is freedom, which is essential for nurturing of competence, creativity and maturity. One of the example that lack of freedom would result in loss of creativity is reflected in the low number of publication in the Arab world today. Pakistan American N Quereshi on authority: “Islamic cultures tend to establish people of high status as authorities, whereas the authority in Western culture is reason itself. When authority is derived from the position rather than reason, the act of questioning leadership is dangerous...”.

  The next was about the dignity of being recognized as good. Dr. Tan want to develop the theme that the core of a man’s self-esteem is ultimately moral. In Maslow’s hierarchy of human need, there has three level which the lowest level is physiological, the next is psychological and the highest level is about moral, such as truth, justice, goodness, perfection and meaningful. Dr. Tan give two example that was a fundamental issue in Malaysian life which include affirmative action policy and also the public space. Affirmative action policy is formerly a policy that to achieve social harmony. The underlying reasoning is that to have long term peace, a society should be the same or minimize the inequality of society. About the public space, the difference racial would have different faith share, it would be of help to emphasize for learning how to differentiate.

  Lastly was the needs of our individual differences or identities to be respected. It was about enhancing competence and goodness to strengthen ethnic self-esteem and dignity. In Malaysia, which is the country that multi-ethnic and multi-culture, whilst the historical Malay polity should be recognized, it is essential to accept and respect the identities of the minorities, including the language and culture. The identity of Chinese is rooted in a long history of civilization, preserved and transmitted by an idiographic script. The insistence of the Malaysian Chinese community on its vernacular schools is based on the need to learn the complicated language.

  In conclusion, people should have a paradigm shift to how we work at achieving ethnic harmony and change the perspective that looks at each other. No matter who you are, we are all people driven by emotions. The needs of emotional are the first to be recognized as competent and good, capable and want to contribute equally to the common goods, and our identities to be respected. This is the foundation of ethnic dignity that is the point to ethnic harmony.

  

Movie Review: Train To Busan

  

  Train to Busan is a South Korean film that releases at 2016. This movie is about the zombie attack and the main character want to arrive to Busan by train. The audiences can receive a lot of the value and also thought themselves while watching this movie.

                       

  The movie has reacted the humanity, for example when the people attacked by the zombie, the people will become selfish and abandon others people. The example that can find in the film is one of the survivors who named Yong-suk, he does a lot of hateful behaviour in the film. For example, when the party of Seok-woo want to come into the safe zone of the train, he doesn’t let them come in and instigate others survivor to block them open the door. As the result, he intermittently killed Sang-hwa and In-gil. Other of it, when Yong-suk and one of the train attendant hiding in the toilet, he escapes by sacrificing the train attendant and also on the way of his escapes, he sacrificing Jin-hee by pulling her and become the target of the zombie. All of this kind of behaviour is inhumanity, however at the last of the movie audiences can know that the action he does like this is worry about her mother, but his approach is wrong. In my own perspective, I can’t say that Yong-suk is wrong, because he is just present about the nature of humanity, the human being is selfish creatures.

  We also can find out the value of the friendship. For example, when Seok-woo, Sang-hwa and Yong-guk want to cross to the front of the train where the hiding place of Su-an, Seong-kyeong, In-gil and the homeless man, they meet Yong-guk friends, who already infected. Yong-guk hesitates to hurt them. No matter his friend has already infected, they also as the friend, teammate before it happens, so he can't bear to hurt them. After Jin-hee bite by the zombie, Yong-guk did not leave her and feel very despair and sadness, he chooses to accompany with her until the last of life. To explain the action of Yong-guk, we know that friends are also as one of the characters that accompanied us to grow up, some of the friend also can be like your family members, even they had been infected, but they are friends of Yong-guk before it happens, it is a fact that cannot be changed.

  The next is about the courage, in the movie audiences can see that there are few of the survivor will help others without any reasons. The best character to be the example is Sang-hwa. In the movie, I personally think that he is the most impressive character. He always the first who come to help others, all of the people scare about the zombie, sure he also fear for it, so he behaviour in the movie will tell the audience, he is a brave man. At the last of his life, he wants to protect and gain the time to lets his party members open the door, he bite by the zombie unluckily. In the end, At the last, because of not enough of stamina, he sacrifice himself to force open the door. I can assert that in this world, there are very few of such people. Human being is selfish, much of us will think for ourself first and make the situation become benefit for ourself.

  The movie also presents the changes of character in this movie. The journey can make the people change their attitude by through by a journey. The main character Seok-woo is a very cool and selfish person at the beginning of the story. As the story progresses, he started to change his attitude become a kind and helpful person. The turning point of his change is at the Daejeon station, he tried to conceal others to take Su-an to the safe place. Sure it failed and he was fell in danger, but Sang-hwa and the survivor from baseball team still waiting for him, they did not abandon him. The other example is about the relationship between Seok-woo and his daughter Su-an. At the beginning of the movie, their relationship is not really good, because Seok-woo always busy at his work and cause they are lack of communication. However in the train that attack by the zombie, their relationship become better and better. At the last of the movie, Su-an feels very sad because her father has been a bite and want to leave her alone for safety. Su-an never has a chance to interactive with her father, and also don’t have the chance in the future anymore. In our life, we also will have a change thought by the ways that we grow up, it may call the journey in our life. Everyone has changed their attitude when happening something, it is also a part of grow.

  In conclusion, Train to Busan is not only a horror movie, but it is also a movie that let people to think deeply themselves and about humanity. As an audience, this movie is also present about the power of relationship, whether is a family, friend and also the lover. It is undeniable that people will become selfish when facing an emergency. However, the people that who have a relationship with us will more important than our own self if you cherish his or her very much.