I've actually always wanted to watch "The Leap Years" ever since it came out in the theaters on 29th February 2008. However, I didn't managed to catch the screenings because..
1) I was working.
2) I wanted to watch it with my boyfriend (who was then still studying in London)
And so, when my COM101 project mates were brainstorming on a movie for our project, I took the opportunity given and suggested this particular movie for us to analyse and critic.
Despite not being chosen to present our findings on "The Leap Years", it is definitely one of the best locally produced films I've ever watched and have thus decided to mention it here. The entire story is based on a Catherine Lim (famous local author) story. And I find it interesting that the producers had cleverly injected a confluence of cultural and social concepts to emphasize and define an abstract concept such as love (as perceived by the female protoganist--and later on, by the audience).
An illustration of this point was when the local custom of Chinese fortune-telling was used at the start of the movies as the preferred method to convey Eastern idea of love and match-making. This was later met with quotes about love and affection from Western philosophers and writers such as Shakespeare. Therefore, this East meets West concept about the show really impressed me as it truly captured the integration of the many different cultures and social norms within the Singaporean society, thus showcasing our uniquely varied "identity".
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5 comments:
I remember this one,we lost in on toin coss.Whatever sentiments you have,i share with you.This was a brilliant movie and i go as far as to say that it is as good,if not better than any other the Hollywood love movies i have ever seen.(maybe only losing to the Notebook).Well,on an academic note,the show basically communicates to us the communication of love, both verbal and non-verbal. A few examples would be Kinesics at almost every scene between Wong Li Lin and Ananda Everingham (almost i stress).There is time, the house where Wong Li Lin stays when she was young was that of a shophouse giving a feelings of during the nineteen sixties. Then there is haptics (intimacy esp) and not forgetting proxemics (intimate distance) which happens in every love movie.In a nutshell, we could have analyze and critic this movie had we kept it.How unlucky life can be at times.
Hey widya. i managed to catch it on the 29 of feb! i think it was a really moving show. and if i wanted to talk about all that we learnt in comms class. there is indeed alot to talk about. the show was so amazing that i went to read the book.
anyway, i think that singapore as come very far in the movie scene and in time to come our videos may challenge hollywood? what say you?
Hi Jerome,
Like all industries (sports, arts, etc) Singapore wil definitely make her mark in the world.
Eric Khoo is a good example of Singaporean who is talented in film-making. A large number of his films have been featured at various film festivals around the world.
His latest film, " My Magic" is selected for the official Cannes Film Festival competition. It will make its debut at the prestigious film festival and be up in the running with nineteen other features for the Palme d’Or.
I think he is an inspiration to many aspiring young director/producer/writer. I'm sure with much support from Singaporeans, our local creative heads will be motivated to produce their best works!
In response to Jerome's comment, the newly developed arts scene is doing well and flourishing. For Singapore to have a couple of good renowned filmmakers already (Eric Khoo, Royston Tan, Jack Neo) that have already been recognized in film circles worldwide is a sign that hey, Singapore's actually not doing so bad after all, especially when you consider how young our nation is and how little time we have had to develop still compared to say the US or France. Give it time and I'm sure this industry will flourish too.
As far as the Leap Years movie goes, I haven't seen it but it looks enjoyable. I did note the cultural fusions throughout the video clip, and it's a uniquely Singaporean aspect that should be appreciated. Such a mish-mash of culture and diversity is something special to behold.
it is well worth noting that the arts, music and film can only develop and flourish in times peace, prosperity and wealth. hence, singapore has taken a step forward in the development of the local "scene" due to the presence of these ideals. it is hard to argue that without these 3 pillars of a nation's social wellbeing would there be a thriving era of culture and the arts. this is because people would be more worried about "worrying" for their survival on a day to day basis
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