Shadows of the Past

Directed by Zinyaw Mg Mg, ‘Shadows in the Past’ is the most anticipated movie of the year as most of the filming was made in Switzerland. Paired with famous actress Eaindra Kyaw Zin, the film offers Aung Thuya as a fresh new face as the lead actor. He is also the producer and writer of the movie, willing to invest 200 million kyats while most producers in Myanmar aren’t willing to invest even 100 million kyats.

I went to see the film at Thamada Cinema last Sunday with my sister. I haven’t watched Myanmar movies at the theater for years and I’ve only been watching foreign films at Naypyidaw Cinema. I noticed that prices are a bit cheaper at Thamada. I’ve suffered several annoyances while watching foreign films, but in this movie, the audience behaved well. Their laughter didn’t get on my nerves as I was also laughing with them. The only thing that really got on my nerve is that the lack of respect people gives to our national flag. In Myanmar, one has to stand in front of the seats, while the national flag is shown on the screen and the national anthem is being played. However, some people didn’t even get up at all including those teenagers sitting in seats in front of me. Some people only stood for a few seconds and sat down during the middle of the anthem. Only a very few people, including me and my sister, were standing till the anthem ended.

In the movie, Kyaw Moe Naing (Aung Thuya) has been living in Switzerland for 20 years ever since the death of his lover, Hnin (Eaindra Kyaw Zin). One day, he met a girl who not only looks exactly like her, but also has similar names. Her name is Hnin Phyu and she is in Switzerland to take German classes. Kyaw Moe Naing came to believe that Hnin Phyu is reincarnated from Hnin and he fell in love with her. During their free times, he took Hnin sightseeing around Switzerland, from ski resorts to waterfalls.

His relationship with Hnin Phyu is vague for me as they don’t look like they have developed their relationship into the next step, but he’s always showering her with gifts, going shopping with her, and even transferred money in her bank account as a birthday present for her. Khine Hnin Wai (I forgot her character’s name) suspected Hnin Phyu and warned Kyaw Moe Naing to be cautious. But, instead, he mistrusted her after being deceived by Hnin Phyu.

One day, he found a picture of him with his ex-lover, Hnin and a letter inside a magazine in Hnin Phyu’s house. He started to suspect her and found a bottle of poison in the toilet’s tube (why place in the tube, I have no idea). Meanwhile, Hnin Phyu received a call from someone to poison Kyaw Moe Naing and empty his deposits…….

The film is supposed to be a drama, but instead it turned out to be a comedy since the audience was laughing all the times although no jokes or punch lines were said. They were mostly laughing at the actor’s accent and his awkward acting. I have never thought I would enjoy a movie through weak plot and bad acting.

Let me give you an example. In one of the scenes, he and Oo Wae (Eaindra Kyaw Zin’s nickname) were walking down a dark alley where they were attacked by some men. One of the men snatched her necklace and all of them ran away, while forgetting to take her bag. She cried out that they had taken her necklace and he tried to comfort her by saying that he’ll buy a new one. But she was obstinate and she wanted only that necklace. So he said that her desires will be filled. The audience assumed that he would try to get back the necklace from the thugs, but instead he said, “Next time, we won’t travel down this street,” and led her away. You can obviously see why the audience was laughing.

But the actor has a nice attitude. He met with fans personally such as in Bogyoke Market and asked them to come and see his film. It is a nice way for him to get acquainted with his fans. I like to see some of the overrated actors/actresses do that here also, but that’s a wishful thinking of course.

Both Oo Wae and Khine Hnin Wai dressed stylishly, but Oo Wae has more scenes so she got to show off her clothes more. I am amazed that she had several winter jackets to change while even I, who had lived in the States for several years, kept wearing the same winter jacket until I outgrew out of it. Khine Hnin Wai changed her makeup style so her face is darker than seen in other films and videos. Some girls were gossiping that her face looks dark, but I like the change as it made her a different person.

I saw many loopholes in the movie such as how Hnin Phyu was being asked to deposit money from Kyaw Moe Naing’s bank account without knowing his password. Also, he’s being too nice and too forgiving like those charming 2nd lead actors in Korean dramas. I also don’t like Hnin Phyu’s attitude. I understand that she has been sent to kill Kyaw Moe Naing, but has she got no pride? After all, she and Kyaw Moe Naing have only known each other for a few days. She should at least have pretended to be reluctant before accepting the diamond necklace.

I’ll get short to the point since I am getting bored just typing these in English. I made the mistake of writing in Myanmar version first so I lost interest to write in both languages.

The background music is great. You can actually tell the difference between the background music used in most Myanmar films and those that has been edited in a foreign studio. The songs are also nice except for the traditional Myanmar song, which doesn’t seem to match with the sightseeing in Switzerland. I read in a journal that Lay Phyu’s song is based on an Irish music, but it is done with permission. It is a nice improvement to see people actually respecting international copyrights.

So, overall, the movie wasn’t the best movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s not also the worst. I can actually tolerate through the bad acting and weak plot because I’ve seen much worse films. I’m planning to watch this again when it comes out in VCD.

Check out the website at the url below.
http://shadows.thura.ch

The above has been taken from Shadows of the Past

For the Kids – Tablo & MYK

I am quite addicted to this song. You can download it from Zing at the link below.
For the Kids – Table & MYK

Lyrics

Lyrics by Tablo & MYK life is a mystery in all shapes, sizes and angles
from crop circles to Bermuda triangles
the fate of the world is shaky like bike handles
in the final hour, even some demons die angels
what’s true is true isn’t what you think it is
when the real world is a bad dream like incubus
triple X, triple Z, it’s the same damn thing
you get f***ed if your eyes are closed when the alarm rings

sing, passin’ the mic back and forth, forth and back
broke emcees, choke emcees who can’t afford to rap
or choose to stay hungry, imma stay hungry
free-fall, bounce back like it was a bungee
I snap back like a slingshot
bring hotness, yes, no stress cleanin’ up this mess
in this hiphop-ness I found my niche
let that b**ch breathe

remember rap when it used to be fun as hell?
remember rap like it was with Big Pun and L?

who cares about East or West or the dirty South
when you’ve got no diamonds in your dirty mouth?
it’s a burning house, hip hop goin’ poof
no wonder everybody wants to raise the roof
I see proof everyday that seekin’ heaven is bleak
I see proof everyday like Eminem in his sleep
the devil is deep water, kid, and nobody is stoppin’ ya
slip a toe in, in you go like slavia

silly rap sessions, thoughtless wordplay
hip hop nerds stay poem sketchin’
a coloring book for the philosophers
I lost a verse, and this is its half-assed rendition
I spit rhymes just to pass the time
and if life is just a brainstorm, then I’m a mastermind
always last in line, cause I don’t care enough
but when my time comes, best believe that I tear shit up

this is for you kids who don’t wanna be a businessman
this is for you kids who don’t have a damn business plan

let me see two in the sky, guy, one for the living
stay fly, high, one for the music in ‘I’
two for the good life
keep the champagne sittin’ in the freezer on the block of that cool ice
stay nice, eskimo cool flow
I say why you gotta be testin’ a dude yo?
stop guessin’ at clues, you’ll be destined to lose
yeah we fresh when we move and we blessed in the booth

Source: http://www.channelapa.com/2009/12/for-kids-by-tablo-x-myk.html

Anti-Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a celebration that has been adopted from the western culture. It is believed to be a day celebrated to honor Saint Valentine, but there is more than one Saint Valentine in history. According to Microsoft Encarta,

The holiday is believed to be derived from the ancient Roman feast of of Lupercalis (February 15), also called the Lupercalia. In an annual rite of fertility, eligible young men and women would be paired as couples through a town lottery. Briefly clad or naked men would then run through the town carrying the skins of newly sacrificed goats dipped in blood. The women of the town would present themselves to be gently slapped by the strips and marked by the blood to improve their chances of conceiving in the coming year.

If you consider that above history, it’s not so romantic, is it? What can be romantic about being slapped by goat skins and getting marked by the blood?

I heard from my friends that Valentine’s Day wasn’t popular in Myanmar until after 1997 due to the release of couple love songs dedicated to Valentine’s Day. Now, everywhere you go, you see those stupid Valentine’s Day special..blah blah blah.

I was first introduced to Valentine’s Day when I studied in the States. My teacher gave us some construction papers and we have to cut out pictures and paste them on the papers. I gave some to my friend and hang them around the living room. Some of my classmates gave me those small valentine cards with cartoon characters which said lines like “Be My Valentine.” Since that person was a girl, I was confused by why she wanted me to become her valentine, but since I was a kid, I just thought that it was a tradition like Christmas to give around cards. So I too bought some cards the next years and gave them to my friend. (I still have some of the cards with Sailor Moon characters since I collected anything related to Sailor Moon).

I never gave much thought to Valentine’s Day when I was younger. I only started becoming an anti after reading a post in Bagan Net forum which stated that valentine was nothing but a commercialized celebration. He really got me there and I started disliking valentine ever since.

Why do I hate valentine? It’s obvious, isn’t it? It’s a time when all those floral shops, greeting cards companies, gift shops, etc restart their scheme to rip money off from innocent lovers by brainwashing them to think that they need to buy/get roses, gifts, and chocolate on this day like it’s just won’t be Valentine’s Day without having to spend unnecessary money.

Is it really necessary to spend your money on this very day? What makes it so special from other ordinary day? Do you consider it a special day only because society made it so?

I came across some pretty interesting article concerned with a debate about whether Valentine’s Day is a commercial hype or romantic opportunity. If you are interested, you can click on the link here. If you disagree with ranting, you might want to read the opposite side’s version.