THE TEENAGE TEXTBOOK MOVIE

A Singaporean movie portraying the challenges and struggles of a teenager coping with love, lust, school and life from protagonist Mui Ee's point of view. A romantic by nature, Mui Ee learns to decide for herself whether a prince charming who'll sweep her off her feet takes the form of an a heart-pounder Adonis or a bland boy-next-door. Just like Can't Hardly Wait, the punchlines of the wacky supporting cast glows and steals the show. Unlike Can't Hardly Wait, Teenage falls flat in most of its misdirected and cliche jokes.

Based on a local book published about a decade ago, the theme of bgr (boy-girl-relationships) proves transient but the film's execution of such issues is stale and lacks originality and fun, much too often taken for granted in teen-flicks today. The saving grace comes perhaps in the form of a good blend of local traits and humour, and a well edited and thus well paced picture. A far cry from the previous Singaporean production Forever Fever but a credible piece nonetheless.

TAXI

A reckless dare-devil ex-pizza-delivery-boy-turn-taxi-driver helps a struggling policeman capture a gang of German robbers in exchange his driving liciense back. This French action comedy pic is most entertaining, even to the French-illiterates. Gorgeous French babes, high-power speed chases, German bad-guys, cool dudes and crisp humour blends into a highly digestible 90 minute French tour.

The short subtitles seemingly disappears after the first 15 minutes as one seemingly adopts and understands the language, forgetting altogether that they are reading the dialogues off the screen. This high energy film, typical of acclaimed director Luc Besson, scores and soars, leaving no one remotely disappointed or having much to complain about.

Probably the only factor keeping the movie from an A grade is the lack of a complex plot, thereby explaining its short length. Despite that, this fun pic should be well received by most and should serve just fine as a weekend hour and a half getaway? Mai Oui.

AMERICAN HISTORY X

This is such a masterpiece it's undoubtedly one of if not the best film this year. Oscar nominee Edward Norton (Primal Fear) and Edward Furlong (Terminator 2) plays 2 neo-nazis suffering from bigotry in America. Revealing any more about the plot will probably diminish your viewing experience so I shall stop at just that. Judging from it, American should be gaining huge Academy nods at the Oscars which is just a few months away. This intense and dramatic picture is loaded with sensitive content illustrated in an unprecedentedly daring style. Director Tony Scott did an exquisite job in handling the issues of racism and facism - shocking with such a powerful sense of realism it literally sends shivers down your spine. A bold and clever screenplay, interwoving elements of twists and violence amidst the uninhibited illustration of such touchy themes.

This contraversial film is scaringly real. Interjections of black and white scenes of the protagonist's recollection sheds a documentary feel, enhancing the realism all the more. Norton is perfect as usual, convincingly evil and believingly angelic when the role demands. With Kate Winslet being raved as the best female actor of her generation, Norton should grace the honour as The male actor effortlessly. Acting talents, masterful direction and a damn good script, no movie-goer should give this a miss. This powerful movie experience promises to be one of a kind.

ENEMY OF THE STATE

Striking gold when he cruised with ID4 in 1996, breaking box-office charts 2nd year in a row with MIB last year, Will Smith teams up with veteran actor Gene Hackman in a high-tech fast-paced 150-minute action movie this fall. He plays Dean, an innocent attorney who becomes the target of a corrupted party in the government after unknowingly possessing a digital tape with the full visual recordings of the murder of a congressman. Gene, who plays a Harvard PHd recepient and an ex-agent of the NSA (National Security Agency) who has gone 'underground' in hiding for years, emerges only after halfway through the show to find himself unwillingly involved in Dean's mess.

Seemingly a movie to show off US's state of the art technology, Enemy is packed with high-tech surveillance equipment, unbelievingly mind-blowing hints of NSA's capabilities and loads of big-talk. Satellites in space tracking the whereabouts of just about anyone, anytime down to the exact spot of their location within seconds, literally. At one juncture, Gene's character, an expert in intelligence, enlightens Dean about classifed government information concerning its leap in technology. 2 decades ago, the government has already been capable of bugging civilians' phones with a program that sends a 'red flag' every time any of a hundred or so keywords are heard (eg. bomb, goverment etc.)... ... a video recorder surveillance camera in a lingerie boutique, 3D images providing information of depth, exact shape, shadow change can be derived from seemingly any desired target in view.

Although a little far-fetched, this Jerry Bruckheimer thrills and maintains a fast pace right through. Will does an amazing job in a well-taylored role as does Jon Voight who plays the sinister mastermind behind the corruption. Probably a tad-bit too unrealistic despite its interesting 'concepts' of government security capabilities, Enemy fails to scare or invoke any form of paranoia. Familiar faces such as the 'sniper guy' from Saving Pte Ryan, Jamie Kennedy from Scream (who apparently has the same wardrobe for all his films) compliments the star-studded cast. So, just where do we draw the line between the private and the public, the distinction between who is to be surveillanced and who not? Constitutional rights or national security? A timely release considering the proximity to the embarking of a new millenium.

ANTZ

A host of celebrities voiced this animated feature about the world's busiest insect : ants. Why a 'z' in Antz? The lead ant (reknown director of Everyone Says I Love You and the upcoming Celebrities Woody Allen), an individualistic worker turn accidental hero is called 'Z'. He falls head over heels for the princess (Sharon Stone) after meeting her at a bar. Together, they try to stop the evil general (Gene Hackman) from wiping out the weaker race of ants (ie. the worker ants) and the queen herself (Anne Bancroft from Great Expectations).

These lip and teeth bearing insects brings colour and character to the otherwise irritating food-crawlers. Perhaps the most interesting role for Stallone to date, Sly (Rambo) plays Z's beefy buddy who, as usual, saves the day. A typically short animated film with minimal plot depth but nonetheless a tasteful script. The adult jokes (Z complaining to a shrink about his anonymity being the middle child of a parent with 2 million offsprings) makes the movie as enjoyable an experience for the grown-ups as it will be for the kids. Not a hint of disappointment in the visual department with sets based mostly in an ant-hill. With quite a bit to offer, Antz is not a poor choice for a family-outing.

TIGER'S WHIP

'A man who loses his banana and finds nirvana.' Singaporean comedian Victor Khoo's film about a struggling American actor (David Calig) playing a struggling American actor from Hollywood suffering from a syndrome known as 'Koro' after being bitten by a cobra at his genitals . He comes to Singapore (the single place where Koro has been reported) to look for a cure, seeking medical advice from Chinese physicians, Indian Temples etc... the rumoured remedy being none other than a tiger's penis.

This flick is such a lame excuse for a movie production it tempts you to walk out of it right from the beginning to the end. B-rate soundtrack and horrible lighting, a literally heart-wrenching performance by the lead and a ludicrous plot. Possession of the protagonist's lover by the spirit of a tiger causing her to snip off his manliness... castrating a wild tiger armed only with a small pair of scissors... it gets worse.