Father Geek here with Darius25 and the rest of the Asia-AICN crew for this the 31st of their regular Thursday morning columns on the cinema of Asia. In addition to the regular reports this week I am pleased to include a review of a film from a country not often represented on our pages. The lovely Elaine sent in this detailed look at "Clouds in May" (Mayis sikintisi) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan of Turkey. So at this point Father Geek will turn you over to Elaine...

Since you seem to be interested in Iranian cinema, I thought you might be interested in a review of this little-known Turkish film, made on the cheap by a Kiarostami fan. Worth checking out if you can find it...

Imagine you're a down-at-heels film maker. You want to make a documentary about the making of your last film, but you can't afford to hire real actors. What do you? You could wait until you've made a blockbuster and finance your pet project with the profits. Or alternatively, you could raise a hundred thousand dollars, move to the village where your parents live in order to minimise hotel expenses, hire a befriended actor to play yourself, and invite your parents, friends and relatives to play all the other parts. To make up for the lack of professional actors, you could zoom in on a picturesque oak leaf every once in a while, and make sure you caught one impossibly romantic rural sunrise, rendered all the more impressive by the canned sounds of birds that don't even live on your continent. With a bit of luck, the final result would not only strengthen the bond between yourself and your relatives, but actually break even at the box office.

Sound like an unlikely story? It did to me, too. But it's the literal truth for Nuri Bilge Ceylan, whose "Clouds in May" (Mayis sikintisi) is the film described above. And not only did it improve the writer-director-cinematographer's relationship with his parents, but it also took all the major awards at this year's Istanbul film festival, proving a huge popular success into the bargain.

"Clouds in May" is an Iranian-style slice of life without a clear moral or conclusion. A cross between a film and a documentary, like many Iranian films, it's as minimalistic and uneventful as the average Abbas Kiarostami flick. To reinforce the similarities with Kiarostami's works, the pace of the film is symbolised by a tortoise, an animal that also pops up in "The Wind Will Carry Us." And if that isn't enough to convince you that you're looking at a film inspired by Iranian cinema, it features a child in a leading role. Things don't get much more Iranian than that.

Contrary to what the above might suggest, though, "Clouds of May" is not derivative. To be sure, the film owes a fair bit to Kiarostami, whom Ceylan admits to admiring "a lot." At the same time, it is open about things which no Iranian director would address directly, such as a government policy that stipulates land can be appropriated if the owner doesn't cut down the trees on it. Because of this political outspokenness, the film could never be mistaken for an Iranian production. In Iranian films, societal criticism is either veiled in literary allusions or expressed through the eyes of a child, to whose innocent observations no censor can take exception; in "Clouds in May," the government is criticised about once every fifteen minutes, while the little boy whose antics occupy a third of the film is less centre of consciousness than a running gag inserted to provide an otherwise serious film with some light moments. It works, too - the viewer gets a sense both of the director's anger at the government and his wish to lighten things up with a bit of humour, and relishes both.

The story told in "Clouds in May" is roughly as follows. A film director named Muzaffer (played by Muzaffer Ozdemir, the only professional actor in the ensemble) from cosmopolitan Istanbul returns to his Anatolian hometown to shoot a film about life in the countryside. Rather than using professional actors, he wants his friends and relatives to play parts, and sets out to give them screen tests. Most of his relatives resign themselves to his insistence that they become actors without ever fancying themselves as stars-to-be, but one, despairing of his future in the village, sees it as an opportunity to build up a life in the city. Needless to say, a confrontation between city values and countryside traditions ensues, with sympathy for the rural lifestyle ultimately prevailing. Meanwhile, life in the village goes on. Inbetween screen tests, Muzaffer's nature-loving father is busy trying to protect his oaks from being felled, seemingly without success. He's getting increasingly depressed by the oppressive May weather, to which the title of the film is a reference. For her part, Muzaffer's mother is worried about how she will look on screen, wondering if "it is the camera that gives me such wrinkles," or whether she really looks that old. And connecting the lot of them is Muzaffer's nephew Ali, who has accepted a bet that he can't keep an egg in his pocket for forty days without breaking it. His prize, if he wins, is a watch that plays music, proving that not even Anatolian kids are immune to the influences of modern life.

"Clouds in May" is first and foremost a family document. Director Ceylan claims he grew closer to his parents while shooting the film, which is discernible in the increasingly tender tone of the film. However, it could just as easily be described as a pastoral symphony, with a finale that will make even the staunchest city slicker consider moving to the countryside. And finally, it is of course a film about the making of a film, featuring self-referential jokes that the geeky AICN readership will be sure to appreciate.

The film has its flaws. It's slow, and because it was made on such a tight budget the cinematography is rather more Dogme95-like than the subject matter deserved. Furthermore, because of the slice-of-life nature of the film, there is little character development, although two of the protagonists (the director and his nephew) do eventually come to a few new insights. At the same time, however, there is plenty to make up for the shortcomings. For starters, the acting is surprisingly convincing, given that most of the cast were villagers who'd never seen a cinema from the inside until they were invited to attend the premiere of their own film. It's deliciously bad when it's intended to be bad (during the screen tests), and amazingly natural when it's supposed to be natural (in the documentary-like between-takes parts of the story). Furthermore, the film has something pleasantly relaxed about it, like the country atmosphere it is meant to extol. Although the script was, according to the director, closely adhered to, "Clouds in May" exudes a casualness and improvisation that are quite wondrous to behold. Finally, it's obvious that a lot of love went into the filming. No matter how unglamorously Ceylan depicts his parents (check out the close-ups of his father wearing a bulging vest, shorts and galoshes), he never loses his respect or sympathy for them, thus ensuring that the audience doesn't, either. "Clouds in May" is proof that a film featuring only people bordering on the ugly can be interesting - or even entertaining.

"Clouds in May" is not a masterpiece. I can think of a dozen family dramas that are more intense than this one, and another half dozen that deal with the making of a film more powerfully. However, I know few films which combine the two genres as charmingly as "Clouds of May," and none at all that made me yearn to spend a night in the woods so badly. For these reasons, I recommend you watch it when it reaches a screen near you. You may find it somewhat long and slow, but once the wonderful closing minute kicks in, you'll find it was worth all that preceded it. And if you happen to be a fan of Iranian cinema, you'll be carried away by the film long before its grand finale.

"Clouds in May" is currently being released in several continental European countries, and may well find its way to American audiences later. There may not be a North American release date for it on the IMDb, but according to the director, the film has been sold to "a good many countries." So keep an eye out for it. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Elaine

Father Geek back again to introduce our editor Darius25's part of our column this time out... Check out all those great photos our guys have lined up for you this week...

Asia-AICN #31

Hey all. Hope you've all had a good week. We have an "average" sized column for you today. Unfortunately, Pigmon was unable to report in this week, but he has seen Takeshi Kitano's "Battle Royal" and will report in on that film (and other news) next week. Now here's the latest from Asia.

INDIA

- Actress Shilpa Shetty will replace Karisma Kapoor in a film called Badhai Ho Badhai (Congratulations). Karisma had to leave the film due to date problems. Badhai Ho Badhai stars Anil Kapoor, and is being directed by Satish Kaushik.

- Director Kalpana Lajmi's next film will be Lalloo, based on the infamous politician Lalloo Prasad Yaadav. Yaadav will be played by Govinda, who is notorious in butchering Yaadav's Bihari (a dialect from the state of Bihar) accent in many of his films. It will be interesting to see if the comedian can really get under the skin of the constantly mocked politician, known mostly for immoral and illegal activities, particularly on many charges of bribery and corruption.

- Salman Khan will play a negative role in director E. Nivas' next film. The film, which does not yet have a title, is being produced by Salman's younger brother, director Sohail Khan. It will start shooting sometime next summer.

- Tonnes of new release dates have been released. Champion and Farz (Duty), both starring Sunny Deol, have been postponed till December. They were originally supposed to release last week. Akshay Kumar's latest "Khiladi" (Player) flick, Khiladi 420 (Player 420) will be released on December 22, along with the director duo Abbas-Mustan's - Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (Quiet Secrets). The film stars Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, and Preity Zinta (the same cast from this summer's Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega - Every Heart That Loves). Rajkumar Santoshi's Lajja (Ashamed) will now be releasing in January, along with producer K.C. Bokadia's Hum Aapke Hain Sanam (I am Yours) with Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

Here is a still from Champion, with Sunny Deol:

- More release dates - on December 29, we will see the release of two hotly anticipated films, Raju Chacha (Uncle Raju) with Rishi Kapoor, Ajay Devgan and Kajor, and director Shyam Benegal's Zubeida, with Karisma Kapoor in the titular role. The film also stars Manoj Bajpai, Amrish Puri, and Rekha. Finally, this Friday (tomorrow), we will see the release of Kahin Pyar Na Ho Jaaye (Hope There isn't Love) with Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Jackie Shroff and Mohnish Behl.

- Further details have been released on director Subhash Ghai's latest, Yaadein (Memories). The film will star Hrithik Roshan, as brother with three sisters (one of whom is missing), who falls in love with Kareena Kapoor's character. Jackie Shroff stars as Kareena's father, who may have something to do with the sister's disappearance. The film is currently in the shooting stage and is expected to be released in July.

- Last week's new release was Kurukshetra (Battlefield), directed by Mahesh Manjrekar. In this film, he is reunited with the star of Vaastav (The Reality), Sanjay Dutt. Mahima Choudhary, Mukesh Rishi, and Om Puri also star. Like Vaastav, Kurukshetra is another film dealing with the crime and corruption in Bombay, but this time it's from the view of the right side of law. Dutt plays Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Prithviraj Singh, who battles crime on both sides of the law. Newly transferred to Bombay, he already becomes a pain for the major gangsters. Things take a turn for the worse when he arrests the son of a local politician (Om Puri). The politician makes Singh's life a living hell. Eventually, Singh takes the law in his own hands in the name of justice, aided only by a local gangster (Mukesh Rishi) and a police constable. I must add a warning about the film - this is NOT an action film. There are some action scenes but they are not really that violent. This an out and out crime drama, where the emphasis is on the corruption in the police department rather than shootouts and fisticuffs. Manjrekar pulled the same trick in Vaastav , where instead of focusing on Dutt's gang rivalry, he focused more on his drug addiction. The film is still entertaining, but again, we've seen this a thousand times before. What is really the need to see any of these films if we've already seen "Serpico". But anyway, it is a solid film, with no real weaknesses. After Mission Kashmir, Dutt gives another solid performance as the police officer. While he doesn't have a formidable opponent this time around, he still manages to make his presence felt. Om Puri and Mukesh Rishi also give good performances, particularly Rishi whose transition from a bad guy to a noble sidekick is shown with class and is not just shown as a sudden change of heart. The rest of the cast is average. Mahima Choudhary does best with the little role she has, while Manjrekar regular Sivaji Satham is ok. All in all, if you want to see some good acting, or if you've seen everything else, you will not be disappointed with Kurukshetra.

Here's a picture from the film (with Sanjay Dutt (left) and Mukesh Rishi):

Also, here's a rather HOT picture of Mahima Choudhary:

- Another film titled Beti No. 1 (Daughter No. 1) was released this week. This film was much delayed from its original release in April, until the producers finally decided to dump it in theatres this week in order to make anything from the returns. There are basically no expectations from the film as it stars mainly a bunch of has-beens (such as Rambha, Prem Chopra, Laxmicant Berde, etc.), and Govinda, who hasn't had a hit since God knows when. The film is yet another one of Govinda's screwball comedies, this time placing him as the youngest brother in a family ruled by a Hitler-like mother. The mother (played by Aroona Irani), wants one of her sons to give birth to a boy so her family could live on (no comments, hehe). Unfortunately for her, the sons keep on giving birth to daughters. Govinda also gives birth to a daughter, but he decides to "borrow" his friends' baby boy in order to make his mother happy. A bunch of comedic situations follow until the end where the mother finally learns her lesson. The story, as you can probably tell, is not very good. This is the type of films that was made in the 70s and 80s and were actually thought to be entertaining (most of them were pretty good). But today, the film just feels stale and empty - all the fuss is actually over nothing. The acting in the film is also below par. Govinda is again too loud and obnoxious for most of the film, while Aroona Irani simply acts like if she's in another movie. The only decent laughs come from Johnny Lever, who plays the friend who lets Govinda borrow his son. Overall, I wouldn't really recommend this film to anyone unless you're extremely bored and have seen everything else in the video store. Otherwise, just go see another movie.

- This week's recommendation is Caravan (1971), directed by Nasir Hussain. The film stars Asha Parekh as a woman being hunted by her husband, who wants to kill her for her father's inheritance. She hides out in a caravan and gets the help of one of the entertainers (Jeetendra) in order to defeat the bad guys. The film is most famous for the cabaret number "Piya Tu Abtu Aaja" (picturised on the voluptuous actress Helen, who has become a cultural icon in India). The song has been spoofed in numerous movies, most recently in Mohabbatein (Love Affairs). Even though the story isn't THAT great nor is the acting very good, the film is just plain fun - sometimes thrilling, sometimes suspenseful, sometimes funny - but overall entertaining. I don't know why, but this film actually reminds me of Hitchcock's "North by Northwest". Both movies have completely different stories, but provide the same sense of adventure and entertainment. Caravan's not a bad way to go if you're looking for a fun ride.

CHINA/HK

The following was reported by "The Accidental Spy", who now prefers to be called "Accspy" J

- TVB network's first film project since the 80's, "Chaos of Comics (lit. title)", has started shooting last week. Starring Eason Chan and Chilam Cheung, the movie tells the story of two famous HK comic-book writers' legendary careers. On the set, the chief of TVB's film department, Ng Yu, also announced that they will re-release about 670 titles of the old Shaw Brothers films on VCD and cable TV in year 2002, which including any SB's classic martial-arts films theatrical released in the 60's & 70's. The film will be released next February. Here's a photo from the set of "Chaos of Comics" with Chilam Cheung (left) and Eason Chan:

- Director Johnny To's "Chung Mo-Yim (lit. title)" also started shooting last week and is set to release next February. It is based on a famous ancient tale about a king and his two concubines, saintly Chung Mo-Yim & evil Ha Yan-Chung. The story has been filmed quite a few times in the last century, but in this updated version, Anita Mui will play the king, who Mui described as "hornier than ever"; Sammi Cheng's version of Chung Mo-Yim is now martial arts heroine, while Cecilia Chueng's devilish Ha Yan-Chung is now a powerful sorceress. Here's a pic of Sammi Cheng (from left), Anita Mui and Cecilia Cheung from the press con.:

- Shu Qi just announced that she will take a year off for studying and traveling starting next February. Qi is currently shooting "Ultimate Love Thief (lit.title)" and director Mabel Cheung's "Beijing Love Story" with Daniel Wu.

- You now know already that Chow Yun-fat has joked about teaming up with Wong Kar-Wai at the Tokyo Film Festival. Chow confessed working with Wong may be a good idea, but at this time he cannot think of any particular kind of film they could do together. Here's a pic of Mr. Chow when he recently attended a function in HK:

- "The Exorcist" continued to dominate the HK box office last weekend, grossing an estimated $9 million HKD in 10 days. Yet another slasher thriller, the Australian production "Cut" landed at no.2. Two cop actioners, HK film "Marooned" and Samuel L. Jackson's "Shaft", debuted at third and fourth places, respectively. Last week's no.2 film, "Clear my Name, Mr. Coroner!" fell to the fifth place. Maggie Cheung's 2nd French film, "Augustin, King of Kung Fu", was also released in a few theatres last week and debuted at tenth place.

"Marooned" stars Gigi Leung, Andy Hui and Edmond Leung and is produced by Jingle Ma (the director of "Tokyo Raiders" and "Summer Holiday"). It's about a Manchu cop (Andy Hui) and his girlfriend, a casino dealer(Gigi Leung), who are blackmailed to find a bag containing $2 million HKD for a triad boss. Here's a still with Gigi Leung and Andy Hui:

PHILLIPPINES

"AznFob55" is still on vacation but he managed to send in this tidbit:

Here is a pic from a film called "Arayyy!" (Ouch!) and it is a new racy movie that has been getting some serious attention. This is no typical semi-porn film. It has some serious weight and a spectacular crew behind it (notably, award-winning Jose Javier Reyes). Anna Capri, Rodel Velayo and Leonardo Litton star in this movie. "Arayyy" has been getting mixed reviews, with some saying that its made for mere entertainment while some saying that it carries a positive buzz. Here's the picture:

That's about it for this week. Remember, if you have information regarding any movie industry in Asia, please contact our Asia-AICN offices . See you all next week.

- Darius25