Personal Selection - Favourite Malay Comedies / Musical (Films / Coloured)

1. Mekanik (Othman Hafsham) – Azmil Mustapha, Julie Faridah, Yusoff Haslam, Susan Lankaster & Ahmad Termimi Siregar.

- During the 80's, the local cinemas were filled with many typically slapstick comedies starring AR Badul, Hamid Gurkha, Yahya Sulong, R. Jaafar and the likes. The introduction of "Mekanik" came like a breath of fresh air - fast-paced, extremely intelligent, full of wits, and a very spot-on social satire. Othman Hafsham was well-known for his debut comedy "Adik Manja" a few years earlier. With "Mekanik", he made a star out of Azmil Mustapha and Susan Lancaster. The beautifully sketched plots were so smartly entertwined with comedic bits, and it was endearingly supported by a host of great actors and cameo appearances i.e. Yusoff Haslam (as the Mafia Head, complete with an Italian slang), Ahmad Termimi Siregar, Yasmin Yusoff, Omar Abdullah, and a special appearance by the great Mokhtar Dahari. The movie was also remembered for the many 'double entendres' that kept on running all throughout e.g. the scene where Azmil and Julie Faridah singing and dancing (in the rain) to the tune of "Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai" ended with a remark "... saya dah basah"... which could have easily been interpreted 'in a different manner'. Hafsham continued to produce comedies hereafter, but none came close to the success he had with "Mekanik" - a gem of a comedy.

2. Ali Setan (Jins Shamsuddin) – Azmil Mustapha, Ogy Ahmad Daud, Ebby Saiful, Shah Rezza & Izi Yahya.
3. Adik Manja (Othman Hafsham) – Dharma Harun Al-Rashid, Noorkumalasari, Shasha, Adibah Amin & Noraini Hashim.
4. Buli (Afdlin Shauki) – Afdlin Shauki, Nasya Aziz, Hans Isaac, Sharifah Shahira & Patrick Teoh.
5. XX Ray (Aziz M. Osman) – Aziz M. Osman, Faizal Hussein, Vianney Anastasia Lee, Sharmaine Farouk & Edika Yusoff.
6. Kolej 56 (Ahmad Fauzee) – Ahmad Fauzee, Salwa Abdul Rahman, Ariff S. Shamsuddin, Shah Rezza & Zee Muzakkee.
7. Marah-marah Sayang (Johan Ibrahim) – Isma Aliff, Ebby Saiful, Shah Rezza, Suhaina Yahya, Norlida Ahmad & Liza Abdullah.
8. Cinta & Lagu (Jamil Sulong) – Hail Amir, Noor Azizah, Yusoff Haslam, Nozie Nani & Jamil Sulong.
9. Baik Punya Cilok (Afdlin Shauki) – Afdlin Shauki, AC Mizal, Hans Isaac, Awie & Harun Salim Bachik.
10. Puteri Impian (Aziz M. Osman) – Amy Mastura, Cico, Nur Aliyah Lee, Hairie Othman & Sofea Ibrahim.

Personal Selection - Favourite Black & White Malay Comedies (Films)

1. Pendekar Bujang Lapok (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Aziz Satar, S. Shamsuddin. Roseyatimah & Wak Mustarjo.

- During the era of Black & White, as far as I could remember, only P. Ramlee produced great comedies. And his comedies lasted for decades... No other directors during these era came close to personifying what P. Ramlee had ventured within the lines of comedy. Among his films, the "Bujang Lapok Series" may well be the best remembered. Although all 4 of the "Bujang Lapok" movies are listed here, the best of all would be "Pendekar Bujang Lapok". A few reasons why: -

a. Great songs - "Malam Bulan Di Pagar Bintang" (P. Ramlee & Saloma), "Pok Pok Bujang Lapok" (P. Ramlee, Aziz Sattar & S. Shamsuddin), "Maafkan Kami" (P. Ramlee, Aziz Sattar & S. Shamsuddin).
b. Great one-liners - The most popular is "Cobaan", "Hai, mambang tanah, mambang air, mambang api, mambang angin...", "Ernie, angkat kain jemuran, hujan dah turun...", "Berapa besar lubang hidung, dah? Macam serombong kapal"... and many more.
c. The 'Belajar Mengaji' scene, and the trio's own definition of Jawi Letters. This scene never failed to create huge laughters.
d. The 'Waking Up In The Middle of The Night to Creep Into The Next Room' scene, replete with various croaking sounds of sleep. Another hilarious scene.
e. A memorable baddy i.e. Allahyarham Ahmad Nesfu. Always a great actor with a great range of theatrics. Played the over-protective father in "Antara Dua Darjat" with great elan, and the supportive father-in-law in "Madu Tiga". Always comfortable in both Drama and Comedy.
f. And of course, not forgetting, one of the most beautiful leading ladies of the Golden Era, Roseyatimah. She may have a rather limited range of acting, but she was indeed a sight for sore eyes.

2. Bujang Lapok (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Aziz Satar, S. Shamsuddin, Normadiah, Zaiton, Dayang Sofea & Siti Tanjung Perak.
3. Tiga Abdul (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, S. Kadarisman, Haji Mahadi, Sarimah, Mariani, Dayang Sofea & Ahmad Nesfu.
4. Labu & Labi (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, M. Zain, Mariani, Rahimah Alias & Udo Omar.
5. Ali Baba Bujang Lapok (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Aziz Satar, S. Shamsuddin, Sarimah, Normadiah & Ibrahim Pendek.
6. Seniman Bujang Lapok (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Aziz Satar, S. Shamsuddin, Saloma & Ahmad Nesfu.
7. Madu Tiga (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Sarimah, Jah Mahadi, Zaharah Agus, M. Rafie & Ahmad Nesfu.
8. Nujum Pak Belalang (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Hashimah Yon, Ahmad Nesfu, Shariff Dol & Bat Latiff.
9. Musang Berjanggut (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Saadiah, Ahmad Nesfu, Malek Sutan Muda, Udo Omar & Wak Mustarjo.
10. Ahmad Albab (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, A.R. Tompel, Saloma, Karim Latiff & Mariani.

Personal Selection - Favourite Malay Dramas (Films / Coloured)

1. Layar Lara (Shuhaimi Baba) – Ida Nerina, Sidi Oraza, Azean Irdawaty, Man Bai & Shazleen Shahbi.

- Shuhaimi Baba has always been a bold and inventive filmmaker. Her TV Movie, "Maria", captured my attention years before she ventured onto the Big Screen. Her first official Film was "Selubung", but she topped herself with "Layar Lara". And personally, she never quite managed to capture such form ever since. The storyline and the acting were superb. One of those rare Malay Movies, at that point in time, to use the Direct Sound Recording method. Great performances from Azean Irdawaty (as always), Ida Nerina (always dependable to deliver over-the-top performances) and the rest of the supporting casts, especially Man Bai, Shazleen Shahbi, and the group of Veteran Actors. But I will always remember this movie for two reasons - one is the "gedik" act by Ida Nerina, singing over the phone while talking to Maman... and the other involves Sidi Oraza lashing out his anger towards the indisciplined Ena Manjalara (Ida Nerina). Sidi Oraza had a wonderfully controlled emotion that erupted at the very right moment. Sidi is a brilliant actor who had earlier won the Best Actor accolade in the Festival Film Malaysia (FFM) for his portrayal of a mental patient in "Sayang Salmah". He won his 2nd Best Actor award for his portrayal of the Director in this movie. Unfortunately, his career was rather short-lived. If you are given a choice of only watching 3 - 5 Malay Movies that could give you a glimpse of what Malay Movies are all about, than this should definitely be one of those.

2. Sepet (Yasmin Ahmad) – Sharifah Amani, Ng Chen Seong, Ida Nerina, Harith Iskander & Adibah Noor.
3. Abang (Rahim Razali) – Rahim Razali, Ahmad Yatim, Noorkumalasari, Ahmad Termimi Siregar & Ogy Ahmad Daud.
4. Leftenan Adnan (Aziz M. Osman) – Hairie Othman, Umie Aida, Shaharuddin Thamby, Farid Amirul Hisham & Rusdi Ramli.
5. Fenomena (Aziz M. Osman) – Ramona Rahman, M. Nasir, Amy Search, Abu Bakar Omar & Afida Es.
6. Sepi (Kabir Bhatia) - Afdlin Shauki, Vaneeda Imran, Tony Eusoff, Eja, Baizura Kahar, Pierre Andre & Nasya Aziz.
7. Bukit Kepong (Jins Shamsuddin) – Jins Shamsuddin, Hussein Abu Hassan, Yusoff Haslam, A. Rahim & Suhaina Yahya.
8. Perempuan Melayu Terakhir (Erma Fatima) – Eizlan Yusoff, Vaneeda Imran, Azri Iskandar, Nanu Baharuddin & Ahmad Yatim.
9. Selubung (Shuhaimi Baba) – Deanna Yusoff, M. Nasir, Liza Othman, Ida Nerina & Hattan.
10. Hati Bukan Kristal (Raja Ahmad Alauddin) – Erma Fatima, Ridzuan Hashim, Julia Rais, Zaiton Sameon & A. Rahim.

Personal Selection - Favourite Black & White Malay Dramas (Films)

1. Antara Dua Darjat (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Saadiah, Ahmad Nesfu, S. Kadarisman & S. Shamsuddin.

- "Antara Dua Darjat" boasts perhaps one of the best lists of original songs in any Malay Movies, e.g. "Getaran Jiwa", "Alunan Biola", "Selamat Panjang Umur". P. Ramlee and Saadiah gave one of their best performances ever as Ghazali and Engku Zaleha. P. Ramlee displayed true gentlemanship during the earlier parts of the movie, and later wonderfully displayed a distressed and an emotionally disturbed man with a masterstroke. But the thespian who captured the most attention has got to be S. Kadarisman, whose portrayal as the sinister and egoistic Engku Mukhri led to one of the best confrontations towards the end of the movie. The quote from the film, "Irama dan lagu, tak dapat dipisahkan", became immortal hereafter...

2. Ibu Mertuaku (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Sarimah, Zaiton, Ahmad Mahmud & Mak Dara.
3. Semerah Padi (P. Ramlee) – Nordin Ahmad, Saadiah, P. Ramlee, Daeng Idris & Salleh Kamil.
4. Sarjan Hassan (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Saadiah, Jins Shamsuddin, Salleh Kamil & Omar Rojik.
5. Anakku Sazali (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Zaiton, Tony Costello, Hashimah Yon & Ibrahim Pendek.
6. Lela Manja (Jamil Sulong) – Jins Shamsuddin, Aziz Jaafar, Zaiton, Ahmad Mahmud & Rosnani.
7. Hang Jebat (Hussein Haniff) – Nordin Ahmad, Latifah Omar, M. Amin, Abdullah Sani & Mahmud June.
8. Batu Durhaka (Omar Rojik) – Jins Shamsuddin, Aziz Jaafar, Sarimah, Saamah & S. Kadarisman.
9. Isi Neraka (Jamil Sulong) – Ahmad Mahmud, Saadiah, Salleh Kamil, S. Kadarisman & Haji Mahadi.
10. Penarik Beca (P. Ramlee) – P. Ramlee, Saadiah, Saamah, Udo Omar & Salleh Kamil.

In Retrospect: 2007 - Best Performances (in Hindi Movies)

1. Shahrukh Khan as Kabir Khan (Chak De! India)
2. Abhishek Bachchan as Gurukant K. Desai (Guru)
3. Darsheel Safary as Ishaan Awasthi (Taare Zameen Par)
4. Tabu as Nina Verma (Cheeni Kum)
5. Irrfan Khan as Monty (Life In A Metro)
6. Konkona Sen Sharma as Shruti Ghosh (Life In A Metro)
7. Kareena Kapoor as Geet Dhillon (Jab We Met)
8. Deepika Padukone as Shantipriya (Om Shanti Om)
9. Aamir Khan as Ram Shankar Nikumbh (Taare Zameen Par)
10. Aishwarya Rai as Sujata (Guru) / Shreyas Talpade as Pappu Master (Om Shanti Om)

In Retrospect: 2007 - Best Hindi Movies

1. Taare Zameen Par (Aamir Khan)
2. Chak De! India (Shimit Amin)
3. Om Shanti Om (Farah Khan)
4. Life In A Metro (Anurag Basu)
5. Guru (Mani Ratnam)
6. Jab We Met (Imtiaz Ali)
7. Welcome (Anees Bazmee)
8. Apne (Anil Sharma)
9. Dhamaal (Indra Kumar)
10. Saawariya (Sanjay Leela Bhansali)

2008 - Best Performances (in a Malay Movie)

1. Rosyam Nor (Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang)
2. Afdlin Shauki (Sepi)
3. Zul Huzaimy Marzuki (Wayang)
4. Ruminah Sidek (Pensil)
5. Adlin Aman Ramlie (Susuk)
6. Eman Manan (Wayang)
7. M. Subash Abdullah (Pensil)
8. Baizura Kahar (Sepi)
9. Ida Nerina (Anak)
10. Liyana Jasmay (Histeria)

2008 - Best Malay Movies

1. Sepi (Kabir Bhatia)
2. Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang (Mamat Khalid)
3. Wayang (Hatta Azad Khan)
4. Cuci (Haans Isaac)
5. Susuk (Amir Muhammad)
6. Pensil (M. Subash Abdullah)
7. Kami: The Movie (Effende Mazlan & Fariza Azlina Isahak)
8. Histeria (James Lee)
9. Congkak (Ahmad Idham)
10. Budak Kelantan (Wan Azli)

2008 - Best Animation

1. Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)
2. Kungfu Panda (Mark Osborne & John Stevenson)
3. Waltz With Bashir (Ari Folman)
4. Bolt (Byron Howard & Chris Williams)
5. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath)

2008 - Best Comedies

1. Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller)
2. Vicky Christina Barcelona (Woody Allen)
3. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Nicholas Stoller)
4. Burn After Reading (Joel & Ethan Coen)
5. Yes Man (Peyton Reed)
6. Zack and Miri Make A Porno (Kevin Smith)
7. Happy Go Lucky (Mike Leigh)
8. Be Kind Rewind (Michael Gondry)
9. Semi Pro (Kent Alterman)
10. You Don't Mess With The Zohan (Dennis Dugan)

2008 - Best Action-Oriented Movies

1. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
2. Iron Man (Jon Favreau)
3. Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov)
4. Quantum of Solace (Marc Forster)
5. The Incredible Hulk (Louis Letterier)
6. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (Guillermo del Toro)
7. Speed Racer (Andy & Larry Wachowski)
8. Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull (Steven Spielberg)
9. Hancock (Peter Berg)
10. Cloverfield (Matt Reeves)

2008 - Best Performances (by an Actress)

1. Kate Winslet as Hanna Schmitz (The Reader)
2. Viola Davis as Mrs. Muller (Doubt)
3. Cate Blanchett as Daisy (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
4. Penelope Cruz as Maria Elena (Vicky Christina Barcelona)
5. Dakota Fanning as Lily Owens (The Secret Life of Bees)
6. Anne Hathaway as Kym (Rachel Getting Married)
7. Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Doubt)
8. Marisa Tomei as Cassidy (The Wrestler)
9. Angelina Jolie as Fox (Wanted)
10. Amy Adams as Sister James (Doubt)

2008 - Best Performances (by an Actor)

1. Heath Ledger as the Joker(The Dark Knight)
2. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus (Tropic Thunder)
3. Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski (Gran Torino)
4. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman (Tropic Thunder)
5. Mickey Rourke as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson (The Wrestler)
6. Sean Penn as Harvey Milk (Milk)
7. Frank Langella as Richard Nixon (Frost / Nixon)
8. Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
9. Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Father Brendan Flynn (Doubt)
10. Dustin Hoffman as Harvey Shine (Last Chance Harvey)

2008 - Best Movies of the Year

1. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan)
2. Iron Man (Jon Favreau)
3. Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller)
4. Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)
5. Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle)
6. Vicky Christina Barcelona (Woody Allen)
7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher)
8. The Reader (Stephen Daldry)
9. Doubt (John Patrick Shanley)
10. Wanted (Timur Bekmambetov)

I'm back...

After a considerably long hiatus of almost a year... I'm back.

And this time, I promise to provide more insights to the movies, being a huge fan of them since birth...

I will start with the standard "LISTS" of favourites - movies, actors, actresses, & all those stuff...

Cheerios...