[Local Movies Radar] Interesting Months Ahead

A summary post about the movies that are awaiting release over the next few months in our sunny little island - Men in White, Jack Neo's Untitled Movie Production Blog, 881, Gone Shopping the Movie and Solos.

Two movie genres tend to have box office success in Singapore - comedy, and horror. As far as the recent resurgence of local movie making goes, we've already had the money spinners from comedic movies thanks to writer-director-actor Jack Neo (who last did Just Follow Law), and a box office smash with Kelvin Tong's horror movie, The Maid. Now, Tong has upped the ante by combining both genres, making a horror-comedy called Men In White. Here's the official website. It's still under construction, but given its premiere in June, expect to see more from the site soon. If I would count my chickens before they hatch, I'd say this movie should do well at the local box office, given that it's already running its teaser trailers in the theatres (those reminders to switch off your mobile phones) to relatively positive feedback.

Speaking of Jack Neo, he's recently started a production blog of sorts for his next movie, currently untitled, about a loan shark wanting to turn over a new leaf. It will be filmed in Malaysia, and you can follow his filmmaking exploits here. Some posts are in Mandarin, and "Singapore English" (don't worry, it's still readable)!

Previously I had been involved in the interview of both Royston Tan and Kelvin Tong, and with Kelvin's new film coming up, Royston's not too far behind as well. With Kelvin's The Maid released over the Lunar Hungry Ghosts Festival, Royston's new movie 881 had recently wrapped, and it's also set, and expected to be released over the same period. It captures one of the cultural phenomenon of this part of the world come Hungry Ghosts Month, and that's the "Getai" (literally translated as "Song Stage"), performances to entertain audiences from both worlds (the other being from the nether realms of course). Compared to his 15 and 4:30, 881 (yet another numerically titled movie) breaks out of the melancholic mood, and into the colorful world of stage performances.

While the veterans have movies to showcase, the relative newcomers too have been keeping busy. Besides food, shopping is also our local obsession, and short filmmaker Wee Li Lin is making her debut feature film with Gone Shopping the Movie. Heading the cast list is one of the top local comperes/host Kym Ng, as well as Adrian Pang, current host of the local television franchise gameshow Deal or No Deal. Pang is no stranger to film, having starred in one of Singapore's early film efforts almost 10 years ago with Forever Fever (released in North America by Miramax Films, retitled That's The Way I Like It), and Jack Neo's I Do, I Do in 2005.

Last but not least, Kan Lume teams with co-director/writer Loo Zihan for Solos, a gay-themed movie which received an R21 rating with 3 cuts from the local censors in the recent 20th Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF). With SIFF's track record of not screening films that are cut, Solos was withdrawn from public screening during the festival, but was screened to the jury of the Silver Screen Awards. While awaiting word on its local release, the film will nonetheless be represented at this year's Cannes Film Market at the Singapore Film Office (Riveria F9), Esplanade Georges Pompidou. Those lucky few heading to Cannes could check the movie out.