There's something about Malay flicks that just makes you shake your head in wonder. The slapstick jokes, the toilet humour, the over-the-top acting. Only Heaven knows how lawak bodohs and shambolic acting have become the hallmark of local box office hits. It's just unfathomable. Are people out there really devoid of even the tiniest shred of cinematic intelligence that they happily part with RM10 and watch sub-par entertainment? It would seem so, judging by the list of movies deemed 'successful' over the past years. There's an obvious gulf between mainstream and indie fares. And the way things are, the former rakes in the money, the latter fights an arduous battle to enhance Malaysian cinema.
But back to my visits to the idiot box during Raya. I was compelled to watch (what with Silverpark not having Astro) Nana Tanjung and Man Laksa back-to-back, and I barely survived. Well, I shouldn't really use 'I', as the three of us did. By the end of it, we were busy tying to stem the loss of the grey matter that was slowing oozing out of the scalp pores during the movies. Utter rubbish. When one considers the country at one time produced cinema greats like P. Ramlee, Jins Shamsuddin and Saloma, what was shown on TV was pure heresy. The worst part is these half-witted movies have garnered millions of ringgit for the leading actors, who will not get free publicity on this blog. But yeah, thank goodness we managed to miss Otai.
And the local industry wonders why Indonesian movies are so popular. I was watching the trailer for Ayat Ayat Cinta, and it had me hooked. Yes, I'm aware the Indos tend to get carried away with the word 'cinta' - Love is Cinta being an example, which was followed closely by Ada Apa dengan Cinta. Yes, they're love stories. But that's where the similarities to local sappy ones end . Indo movies tend to be more character focused, involving plenty of emotions and drama. Local love movies tend to favour wooden acting, cliched scenes and laughter more suited to public toilets.
On saying that, one has to give credit where credit is due. There are local motion pictures which are of high standards; in fact, we tend to get at least a couple each year. The recent ones that come to mind are Sepet, Gubra, Mohsin (all directed by YA), as do Perempuan Isteri dan..., Cinta, Embun, Paloh and Remp-It (oddly enough). Oh, and special mention for Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang. A time machine that'll take you right back to the good ol' B&W days of Madu Tiga and Bujang Lapok, to name a few. It took me some time before I finally had the chance to catch it, and it was highly entertaining. The plot went chaotic after a while, which highlights the naivety of the writer and director. But the acting is solidly passable and the lines engaging. The setting, however, is fabulous. A blast from the past, or rather, to the past. Note that I haven't included any horror flicks on the roster; that'll take up an entire post, with more flops than flips.
And no, Gerak Khas and Mami Jarum are not silver screen classics.
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