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Reviews
Kejar Amerika (2004)
Overall an excellent tale
Hello all--for what it's worth, I'm in a doctoral program on Indonesian politics and returned this semester after about a year's fieldwork, most of it in Jakarta.
I'm a big movie fan generally, so I went out as often as I could, and bought tons of local VCDs while I was there. Ironically, it wasn't until yesterday that I saw THIS one. Although I had bought the VCD in Jakarta, I never had time to watch it. Well, it turns out that one of the characters is played by a professor where I'm in school, who speaks Indonesian and who taught the director (a Canadian, I think), to speak Indonesian several years ago.
Anyway, a group of us whose fields relate to Indonesia in one way or another borrowed the DVD from him to watch it, and it was such a good experience that I decided to see what I could find on the web to tell me more about it. One link led to another and I found IMDb, so I figured I may as well comment on all of the Indonesian films I've seen over the last year.
Back to this one--it's not the best (see "Ada Apa Dengan Cinta" for the best)--but overall it's a unique blend of humor and drama and comedy (definitely watch until the very, very end).
I've read the other comments here and it seems that you either love or hate this one. I don't understand that. It doesn't seem to me that the film is pretending to be anything other than what it is--a low budget, mass market flick. Even so, there are some great touches of humor that probably only an American would understand, which may explain the somewhat confused comment by the Indonesian student that appears here.
It also looks like there's a debate about the actor who plays "Bayu," one of the main characters. Unfortunately, I have to agree with the plain fact that the guy can't act his way out of a "tas kertas" (paper bag). That's why I rated this a 9 rather than a 10. With all the other acting so good--especially Richard Chang, as others have pointed out--you have to wonder how the Bayu actor got cast. Luckily, although he's a main character, there are many sequences where his role is minimized, and the plot is so wacky that you don't have to dwell on him to enjoy the rest of the film.
The music track is also pretty good, especially for such a low-budget flick.
There's a sequence in the desert that has an haunting vocal accompaniment that's fantastic.
Bintang Jatuh (2000)
Decent effort, but...
Hello all--for what it's worth, I'm in a doctoral program on Indonesian politics and returned this semester after about a year's fieldwork, most of it in Jakarta.
I'm a big movie fan generally, so I went out as often as I could, and bought tons of local VCDs while I was there. This film was shot on video in 1999, and, as one of that early series of DV-shot films it looks pretty bad. In fact, it's hard to find any kind words for the cinematography. The sound is also pretty rough with some distortion. It's often impossible to hear the dialogue.
However, its saving grace is the actress Dian Sastro. This was apparently her first big role, and she's just so beautiful to watch that I found myself getting past the technical problems...almost. Luckily, the same director and actress teamed up again for "Ada Apa Dengan Cinta," a much better film shot on 35mm.
Overall, unless you're curious to see Dian at a somewhat younger period in her life after you see "Ada.." I'd give this one a pass.
The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
Early Mel was the best
Hello all--for what it's worth, I'm in a doctoral program on Indonesian politics and returned this semester after about a year's fieldwork, most of it in Jakarta.
I'm a big movie fan generally, so I went out as often as I could, and bought tons of local VCDs while I was there. This film is one of the things that got me interested in Indonesia to begin with. I saw it at an art house when I was in high school and it had a huge impact.
As far as I know, to this day it's never been released in Indonesia, even though the politics in the story are hardly radical. Maybe now that Indonesia has just elected a new, possibly more liberal president, the DVD will show up.
The young Mel Gibson is great to watch, as is Sigourney Weaver. The pace is sometimes a little slow, but then things take-off again. Overall: 10
Jelangkung (2001)
Complete waste of two hours
Hello all--for what it's worth, I'm in a doctoral program on Indonesian politics and returned this semester after about a year's fieldwork, most of it in Jakarta.
I'm a big movie fan generally, so I went out as often as I could, and bought tons of local VCDs while I was there. This one was by far, without question, the absolute worst of the lot.
Confusing plot, amateur cinematography and sound, dreadful video shooting, and "actors" that seemed to have been plucked from the street five minutes before shooting.
However, the film was a huge hit in Indonesia when it was released because (drum-roll), it was rumored that the audience could see a real ghost in one of the shots. Unbelievable.
You have been warned!
Arisan! (2003)
Why was this made?
Hello all--for what it's worth, I'm in a doctoral program on Indonesian politics and returned this semester after about a year's fieldwork, most of it in Jakarta.
I'm a big movie fan generally, so I went out as often as I could, and bought tons of local VCDs while I was there. This one I saw in the theater, since it opened while I was there, and, thankfully, closed soon after.
Who was the intended audience for this film? The spoiled wives and daughters of the Indonesian super-elite whose antics are weakly and ineffectively parodied? The vast majority of Indonesians who could never afford even a single dish, let alone a full meal, in the film's central restaurant location? Or gay Indonesian males, whose dilemma in the country's Muslim-dominated society is reduced to absurdly simplistic, how-to-respect-yourself preaching.
If all this wasn't bad enough, the soundtrack was either recorded or mixed so ineptly that even native-speaking Indonesians couldn't hear many of the lines.
In brief, if you're looking for a cutting-edge gay-themed film from a region of the world that seems among the least likely to produce such an animal, forget it. "Westler" from the early '80s, or "My Beautiful Laundrette," from the same era, succeed far better in putting a happier face on dealing with homophobia, and do so by showing not telling through incessant, wordy scenes.
Overall, an unfortunate waste of money in a country that still can't educate all of its children nor keep them healthy.
Ada Apa dengan Cinta? (2002)
The start of Indonesia's comeback
Hello all--for what it's worth, I'm in a doctoral program on Indonesian politics and returned this semester after about a year's fieldwork, most of it in Jakarta.
I'm a big movie fan generally, so I went out as often as I could, and bought tons of local VCDs while I was there. This film was clearly the best of the lot, even though it's a few years old. The story is clear, the acting is excellent, and it stars an incredibly beautiful actress named Dian Sastro. She should be working in western movies, since, unfortunately, virtually every other new film I saw could not measure up to this one, and no actress is as good.
Since this is supposed to be a comment, not a review, I won't bore you with a plot summary. Suffice it to say that if you find this online, buy it. Even though it's a VCD, the transfer quality is good.