Jack Parrow, Katie, Mmê Emily and The Help

In a recent post about Afrikaans rap and Hip-Hop music I mentioned how I'm not a big fan of the Afrikaans rapper Jack Parrow. But let me not be a spoil sport for others that enjoy him. Someone just now showed me the video below of a help (maid) in South Afrika, most likely working for a white family, and listening to the Afrikaans rapper on television. Watching her do her work with that amount of enjoyment she derives from Afrikaans rap will bring a smile to anyone's face and is possibly the best marketing for popular alternative Afrikaans music I can imagine.



It also made me think of Koos Kombuis' Afrikaans song "Katie", in memory of the maid that worked for his family and helped raise him. In the lyrics of the song he proclaims that their maid "was not merely a maid / but also a mother" [my translation] to him. In the video below Christo Wolfaardt does a rendition of the song "Katie".



This song by Kombuis is one of his most famous, probably because it resonates with so many white South Africans that grew up with an "Ousie" (Afrikaans word derived from "ou suster", meaning older sister, and used to describe a maid or house help). For many white South Africans of around my generation "the maid" was more than just another worker; for many of us, our Ousie was a second mother.

Me and my "mother" Emily.

Mine, was definitely a second mother. She worked for our family for 27 years. Her name is Emily but I often called her "Mmê Emily". Mmê is Sesotho for mother. She is actually ethnically Zulu, but the area we lived in was predominately Sotho, so she spoke Sesotho to me. The name I use and which all my family and friends use is a Sesotho name and was actually given to me by Mmê Emily.

She is retired now and currently lives in the Sebokeng-area, Vaal Triangle. The last time I visited her was in 2008. I hope to go visit her again next month, God-willing, when I visit South Africa.

Recently I watched the film The Help (2011), based on the 2009 début novel by Kathryn Stockett. The Internet Movie Database gives the following synopsis: "An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis," and gives it a rating of 8 out of 10. The American Film Institute listed the film as one of the ten films of the year. For people like myself, coming from a white family, who grew up with a nanny who is a person-of-colour, the film was particularly touching. Although the set-up in America and in South Africa worked differently, the similarities are enough for South Africans to also appreciate The Help, and appreciate our helps, as I appreciate my Mmê Emily.

"Across the Universe" and Other Cravings

I've been in the mood again for one of my favourite movies, Across the Universe, lately. I wrote about it before. The video below is a scene from the movie in which Evan Rachel Wood covers the beautiful Beatles' song "Blackbird".



Whenever I crave for something, be it food, or music, or visual stimuli, I always wonder what is the cause for the craving. You see, our cravings are signs that our being has a lack of something. As you probably know, I'm mostly a flexible vegetarian so I almost never eat meat, and don't enjoy red meat and if I were to eat it, it has to be cooked very well done. However, on occasion, once a year maybe, I may suddenly crave medium done red meat. What this tells me is that my body is lacking iron. Usually when I take an iron supplement or just eat some spinach the craving disappears. The same principle applies to other cravings in our life. What I'm wondering is, what is it in or about Across the Universe, that my soul has a need for?

Rain Cast as Buddha

On Sunday I went to the concert venue for Rain's performance. Unfortunately I came down with a bad cold / flu a few days before and while waiting there for the concert to start I just felt increasingly awful. Eventually the prospect of all that loud noise and bright lights and many people got the better of me. These are not things you want to experience while feeling under the weather. In the end I decided to go back home. A friend of mine did go and she said it was a great concert; it's a pity that I missed it.

Now what's this about Rain and the Buddha, you may ask?

Have you noticed how much Rain looks like depictions of the Buddha? The same serene smile, the pleasant narrow eyes, the slight pudgy nose, even similar big ears. Rain has really big ears! I'm of course referring to the younger slimmer (Indian) Buddha, not the older fat (Chinese) Buddha. 

It's not that far fetched an idea that a Korean entertainer should depict the Buddha. After all, the Buddha have been depicted in many films before, including a Korean film from 1964 on the Seokgamoni Buddha (the Buddha at the moment of enlightenment).

Seokgamoni 석가모니 (1964)

Let us not forget that even Keanu Reeves played the Buddha once. In the 1993 film Little Buddha, directed by Bernardo Bertulucci, Reeves was casted as Siddhārtha Gautama, who became the Buddha -- the "Enlightened One".  

Keanu Reeves in "Little Buddha",
in the role of Gautama Buddha.

Surely an Asian actor would look more like the Buddha than an Hawaiian, albeit racially mixed, actor like Reeves.

If you had to put Reeves and Rain next to each other and compare their characteristics, including acting abilities, they would probably come to a tie. They have even both acted in Wachowski Brothers' movies: Reeves in The Matrix films and Rain in Ninja Assassin. However, Rain will definitely get bonus points for being Asian, his bigger ears, and more serene Buddha-like smile.

If ever I had the opportunity to make a film about the Buddha, I'd cast Rain in the leading role. 

Some Movies and Series

Since being back in Korea (just over a month now), I've watched some nice films and series.

The Fighter (2010)

A film with absolutely excellent acting. You need not be a fan of boxing to enjoy this based-on-true-events drama, starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale. I'm not really familiar with director David O. Russell's other work, except for the war drama Three Kings (1999) also starring Wahlberg. The Fighter has some of the best performances you'll see in a long time. Don't miss it.

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

It is seldom that I watch a romantic film that affects me as this action-romance did. The Adjustment Bureau stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt and their characters have to fight fate and providence to ensure their love for each other. The film touched me on two levels. Firstly, this is the type of story I wish I had written because it is a topic -- "free will" -- that I am so passionate about. It's a great story that considers a big philosophical / theological issue. (Read Greg Boyd's discussion of the issue in this film here.) Secondly, I completely fell in love with Emily Blunt's character. This has happened only once before where I could feel myself falling in love with leading actress in a film. The other time was with Claire Forlani in Boys and Girls (2000). Judging from these two characters, I can clearly see a pattern to what personality type would make me fall head-over-heels in love.

Black Swan (2010)

Okay, technically I saw this while still in South Africa, but I thought it deserves mentioning as it is one of the best cinematographically appealing films I have seen in a very long time. A psychological drama that will definitely be enjoyed by any one that enjoys this genre, and anyone with a love for fine cinema. Director Darren Aronofsky also directed two of my other favourite films: Requiem for a Dream (2000) and The Wrestler (2008). Natalie Portman does an excellent job.

Tangled (2010)

I saw this on the plane on my way back to Korea. Tangled is Disney's version of the Rapunzel fairy tale. Not the best Disney film ever, but not bad.

The Way Back (2010)

The Way Back is very loosely based on possible events. This is very unfortunate, for if it was firmly based on actual events it would have been one of the most inspiring films I have ever seen. Peter Weir, the director, is known for such films as Dead Poet's Society (1989), Green Card (1990), and The Truman Show (1998).

I Am Number Four (2010)

I heard it compared to the Twilight series, but this is a ridiculous comparison. I Am Number Four does not piggyback on a vampire or other Gothic premise (and perverts the whole genre in the process as the Twilight series does). Instead it is a sci-fi in the likes of X-Men or Superman. Yes, the chief audience probably still teenagers; nevertheless, I found it to be a quite enjoyable film with enough action and well crafted special effects to make up for the teen-romance and new-kid-in-school stereotypes.

Hua Mulan (2009)

I watched this Chinese war drama on DVD in two sittings last night and the night before. It is the story of Mulan, the woman who pretended to be a man so that she could enlist in the army in the place of her ailing father, and then continues to become one of China's legendary warriors. Generally a good story.

Chuno (aka The Slave Hunter) (2010)

I started watching this Korean series set in the Joseon Dynasty (I think) about the slave trade and star-crossed lovers last year, but only finished it recently. Apart from its (stereo-) typical overflow of "han", the Korean emotion of despair, I enjoyed Chuno for it's moments of martial art scenes and interesting cultural exposure of the time. Unfortunately, like most Korean action-dramas, the "han" gets too much for me. There is not a single episode in which a number of characters are not crying. It becomes to irritating to bear at times.

The Adventures of Merlin -- Season Three

BBC's Merlin series is getting better with each season. There is something quirky about the series, in an almost Doctor Who silliness. Season three ended quite suspenseful. I'm rather looking forward to season four.

South Africa So Far

I arrived in South Africa on Tuesday morning. Not mutch occupied my time on the first day. I went shopping (bought some food to contribute to my host -- my brother) and got some credit for my cellphone card here in South Africa. I planned to go to the Taekwon-Do club in town but it turns out that it is still closed. Classes only resume next week, after the long holiday season.

On Wednesday I also stayed at home -- jet-lag getting the better of me.

Yesterday (Thursday) was much better. I worked a couple of hours on preparing for one of the classes I'm teaching this coming semester and basically finished the syllabus. I still have another module or two to prepare for.

Last night we (two of my brothers and I) went to watch the Afrikaans musical Liefling currently doing the South Africa cinema circuit. "Liefling" is not on my list of favourite films. I'm appreciative of the concept. They used many Afrikaans folk songs and weaved it all into an ellaborate romance. Unfortunately it all felt a bit forced. The characters were also by and large pretty shallow, even for a musical. Bobby van Jaarsveld, the Afrikaans pop-star, is the leading actor. Surprisingly, he was quite efficient, but even his performance could not save the movie. Again, its been decades since the last South African musical film, so things can only get better from here on.

Today was much busier. I went to the bank to get some stuff done, had to buy some clothes for tomorrow (I brought very little clothing with me), quickly visited with a friend, went to a cellphone shop to find out about using my Galaxy Tab in South Africa, was send to a service centre, went to an Internet shop, went back to the cell phone service centre, and am sitting now in a coffee shop waiting for my lift back to my brother's home. There, I will have to try and fix his computer. A virus caused havoc on it, so I was forced to format it last night and install a new Windows platform. The bad thing is that my brother does not have the install discs and drivers for his computer. I'm not quite sure how to remedy the situation.

Tomorrow I'm off to Potchefstroom for the weekend and then back to my brother's for a day or two before I start my journey northward -- final destination Tzaneen.

I'm thankful that I can actually use my phone now to access the Internet which will dramatically improve my stay in South Africa if I don't have to plan frequent visits to Internet cafes. The uncertain thing is how much it will cost. South African cellphone and Internet services are still ridiculously expensive.

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Movies in 2010

I'm sure this is not a complete list of all the films I've seen in 2010, but these are all I can think of at the moment. Some of the films date from 2009 (indicated in parenthesis), but I only got to see them in Korea during 2010. The sad thing about this list, which is in no particular order, is that most of these films are nothing to write home about.  The films that really stand out to me as noteworthy films are printed in bold.

Daybreakers
The Bounty Hunter
Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009)
District 13: Ultimatum

Crazy Heart (2009)
Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief
The Crazies
Invictus
Solomon Kane (2009)
Alice in Wonderland
Green Zone
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
How to Train Your Dragon
Clash of the Titans
Raging Phoenix (2009)
Kick Ass
The Good, The Bad, The Weird
Iron Man 2
Robin Hood
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
The Karate Kid
Toy Story 3
Julie & Julia (2009)
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The Last Airbender
Predators
Inception
The Soloist (2009)
Salt
Step Up 3D
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Eat Pray Love
Centurion
Resident Evil 4: Afterlife
Legends of the Guardians
Warrior's Way
Let the Right One In
The Social Network
Ip Man 2
Red
Unstoppable
Skyline
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Tron Legacy
The Man from Nowhere (아저씨) 
Planet 51
The Ghost Writer
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame
The Road (2009)
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
The Expendables
Bodyguards and Assassins (2009)

35 Movies in 2 Minutes

Do recognise them all?


35mm from Pascal Monaco on Vimeo.

See other people's lists here.

Andy Lau and Detective Dee

Last night I watched the highly entertaining detective / kung fu / fantasy film Detective Dee again. "An exiled detective is recruited to solve a series of mysterious deaths that threaten to delay the inauguration of Empress Wu" -- IMDB. Detective Dí Rénjié is played by famed Cantonese Pop singer and actor Andy Lau.

After watching his performance in this film again I was anew impressed by this veteran entertainer. The first time I saw him was in the kung fu-romance film House of Flying Daggers (2004) and then in Battle of Wits (2006), one of my favourite Asian films. Apart from acting (he has acted in almost 150 films), Andy Lau is also a producer and has produced 16 films including Crazy Stone (2006), which I plan to see soon, for which he was awarded Asian Filmmaker of the Year at the 2006 Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) in Korea. PIFF is the biggest film festival in Asia.

He is also a celebrated CantoPop singer and labelled one of Hong Kong's Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop, alongside Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwon and Leon Lai. Andy Lau released his first album in 1985 and is currently doing his Andy Lau: Unforgettable Concert 2010 tour. While I appreciate him as an entertainer, it is his films, rather than his music that I enjoy, mostly because I'm not much into pop music.

Looking at his picture above, would you believe that Andy Lau is almost 50 years old?! Like many Asians, he looks much younger than his actual age. I hope to have that body twenty years from now too. I guess I'll need to cut down on the ice cream. (I had some Häagen-Dazs ice cream again today.)

Spud: The Movie

I mentioned the novel Spud in a post around this time last year. Well, in the meantime the movie has started doing the circuit recently in South Africa. The movie features a well established South African cast, with some English surprises, like John Cleese.



I'm very much looking forward to seeing Spud: The Movie and can only hope that it will still be showing in theatres when I get there in January.

Ek sal miskien ook Bakgat 2 kyk indien ek in Suid-Afrika is. Nie omdat ek dink dis noodwendig op dieselfde vlak as Spud nie, maar bloot omdat alle Suid-Afrikaanse films ondersteun moet word. Vernaam nie-Engelse Suid-Afrikaanse films.

Let Me In vs Let the Right One In

Last night I went to see Let Me In, the Hollywood remake by Matt Reeves of the Swedish film Let the Right One In, based on the novel with the same title by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

To be honest, I was disappointed. I've read the novel and thought that the script for the Swedish film was actually brilliantly streamlined, leaving behind a riveting story. I've written about the Swedish film before. The Hollywood version just did not have the same "innocent intimacy" that the Swedish film has. It is a little more bloody and the vampire-girl is actually scarier at times.



Unfortunately the Hollywood version lacks the fluidity that its predecessor has. Nonetheless, Let Me In is still generally a better vampire film than those disappointing Twilight-flicks, like New Moon.

Back to the Future Trilogy

Saturday night I went to a midnight screening of the the three Back to the Future movies starring Michael J. Fox. Do you remember them? If not, I'm assuming that you are were born in the late 80s or 90s. I think that my younger brother who was born in the late 80s probably missed out on them--quite unfortunate.


Watching these three Steven Spielberg movies back to back on the big screen with a full theatre of other people that enjoy their quirky humour and fantastical (but wonderfully crafted) plots was one of the greatest fun I had in a long time. The audience would spontaneously applaud at key points in the storyline, laugh and cheer.

Part of the enjoyment was that I haven't seen these movies in probably 15 years, which means that I had forgot big chunks from each, so it was nearly as if watching them for the first time again, but at the same time getting a whiff of reminiscence. I highly recommend it.

The screening was part of an international sci-fi festival currently happening in Seoul. I went there with some members from my sci-fi writers crit group. The first movie started just after midnight and the last one finished around 7am Sunday morning. I left for the showing at 9pm the previous night and arrived back home at 9am the next morning and did not have an opportunity to sleep during Sunday. Although I got a good night's rest last night, I can feel my body not being to happy today. Maybe attempt a siesta after lunch. 

Eddie Vedder's Beautiful Song on the Soundtrack of Eat, Pray, Love

This song by Eddie Vedder (lead singer of Pearl Jam) is just exquisite. I especially love how elegantly the accordion matches his voice. The song is on the soundtrack of Eat, Pray, Love -- an enchantingly uplifting movie with Julia Roberts in the lead.

"Fallen"

Fallen from Sascha Geddert on Vimeo.

Enlightenment often comes during moments of crisis. A really beautiful little movie.

Top 10 Action Heroes

A recent poll narrowed down the Top 10 Action Film Heroes, with Sylvester Stallone at the top. Here's the list:

#10: Jason Statham
#9: Will Smith
#8: Chuck Norris
#7: Angelina Jolie
#6: Stevel Seagal
#5: Jean Claude Van Damme
#4: Bruce Lee
#3: Bruce Willis
#2: Arnold Schwarzenegger
#1: Sylvester Stallone

If I have time later I'll see if I can come up with a list of my own, which would have looked somewhat different and would have included Keanu Reeves -- not merely for his Matrix films, but also his other action movies like Johnny Mnemonic, Speed, Point Break and Constantine. Who would you consider an important inclusion on your list?

Film Review: The Road

I just finished watching a great, but absolutely harrowing film. The Road is directed by John Hillcoat. It is based on the Pulitzer prize winning novel with the same title by Cormac McCarthy and recounts a period of a couple of months in the lives of a father and his young son trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic environment. It is a bleak film, in a bleak world – a world missing a proper biosphere. Most of the life on the planet has been destroyed. Food is so scarce that many of the surviving people have turned to cannibalism. The father and son is frequently on the run from cannibalistic gangs as they slowly head south while always scavenging for food. It depicts to what extend people will go for love; and also to what morally bankruptcy a society can sink when people are desperate for food. It’s a story of constant heartache.

I could not watch it in one sitting. My emotional reservoir would not allow me. So I watched it in three parts. I cried. This film is now also on my list of great films, like Dancer in the Dark and Requiem for a Dream, that I don’t want to watch again – my heart cannot handle it.

Beautiful cinematography. Splendid acting. Thoroughly upsetting. 

Three Short Film Reviews

Some movies I've seen recently.

Prince of Persia (2010)

Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time is a must see for any Parkour enthusiast. Apart from this niche audience, it seems that main audience for this film is teenage boys. It’s an action adventure with nice special effects and a princess with a full bosom. The acting is bearable, although the serious discrepancy in accents (all three the brothers have different accents?!) gets irritating at times. Nonetheless, a fun film if you don’t expect theatrical brilliance. The director, Mike Newell, also directed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), one of the better Harry Potter films in my opinion, Donnie Brasco (1997) and the classic romantic-comedy Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994). Playing the “Prince of Persia” is none other than a buffed up Jake Gyllenhaal, who acted as Heath Ledger’s bottom in Brokeback Mountain. The damsel in distress—or rather the bitchy princess—is played by Gemma Arterton, who also played in Clash of the Titans opposite Sam Worthington. I think I liked her better in Clash of the Titans. Apart from the Parkour scenes which I thoroughly enjoyed, it was also nice to see this computer game come to life. I remember playing Prince of Persia on my old XP PC, probably 20 or so years ago.

The Ghost Writer (2010)

I seldom watch thrillers but was curious about The Ghost Writer. A ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is hired to turn the memoires of a former prime minister (Pierce Brosnan) into a best-selling autobiography. He soon finds out that he is to replace the previous ghostwriter who “accidently” drowned. Before long he finds himself entangled in more than he bargained for. The film does not rely on unbelievable twists to sell it like so many Hollywood films do. Rather, the mystery unfolds slowly, but with enough intrigue to keep the viewer engaged up until the very end. The director, Roman Polanski, is responsible for such classics as The Pianist (2002), Chinatown (1974) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968). In recent years he has become better known for a sexual abuse case in which he allegedly drugged a thirteen year old girl. As far as I know, Pollanski is supposed to be under house arrest, so I’m not sure how he was able to direct this film. I think it may have been shot "on location"; meaning at Pollanski's own home. (Watch PajamaTV discuss Hollywood's "Free Pollanski" movement.)

Sword of the Stranger (2007)

A Japanese animation about a young boy and his dog being hunted by warriors from the Ming Dynasty. A reluctant sword fighter becomes involved and promise to help the boy to get to a certain Buddhist temple were he’ll be safe. The journey is a perilous one with lots of blood and violence. An enjoyable anime worth seeing by anime fans.

Film Reviews: Two Korean Movies

I recently watched two Korean films. The first a fun fantasy comedy and the other an intriguing drama that considers the prejudice against foreigners in Korea.

Jeon Woo Chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009)

Jeon Woo Chi is a delightful fantasy comedy about a young and rebellious wizard who misuses his magical gifts. Soon he finds himself in the middle of a fierce battle against demons looking for a magical flute. Three demi-gods decide to punish Woo Chi for his unruly behaviour and imprison him in a painting. Five hundred years later the demi-gods are in need of his help and summons him back, but now it is present day Korea. The main role is played by the charming Kang Dong-Won opposite Lim Soo-Jeong who acted in one of my favourite Korean movies: I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Okay (with Rain). Jeon Woo Chi is director Choi Dong-Hun’s third film. The others were Tazza (2006) and The Big Swindle (2004). Jeon Woo Chi is the only one of Choi Dong-Hun’s movie’s I’ve seen. While I’m not necessarily one for comedies, Jeon Woo Chi was an enchanting (sorry for the pun) joyride.




Bandhobi 반두비 (2009)

The story of a 17 year old Korean girl, Min-Seo, and a 29 year old migrant worker, Karim, whom is from Bangladesh, and there awkward relationship. The movie centres around the prejudice that Koreans typically have of foreigners and does a pretty good job to highlight racial issues in Korea. The film is completely devoid of a soundtrack – the scenes are often long, quiet, and uncomfortable, emphasizing the uncomfortable vibes foreigners sometimes. Even though Karim is fluent in Korean he is still an outsider and is looked down upon by Koreans; even Min-Seo, many years his junior speaks down to him. It is one of the more interesting Korean films I’ve seen. The film does reinforce the idea that all white male English teachers are perverts, but it is a stereotype required for the success of the story so I can overlook it. Although only 107 minutes in leghth, it did feel excruciatingly long at times. I think director Shin Dong-Il did an excellent job at capturing the emotional essence of prejudice against foreigners in Korea.