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calvinh1985
Reviews
Kejar Amerika (2004)
Weird, Wild and Enjoyable Trip
My girlfriend is Indonesian and she brought the VCD back with her from Indonesia this summer. But she heard that the DVD version was better (true) so we got it from Amazon. (The VCD also doesn't have English subtitles.)
First, this is definitely not a conventional film, sort of like "Run Lola Run." But in the end, it all hangs together. It's even hard to describe the story without giving anything away, so I'll just say it starts when two Indonesian guys win a contest and arrive in San Francisco. From there, the weirdness starts.
The photography is a mix of DV and 35mm, and it's almost the best DV I've seen. Excellent color and virtually no artifacts. The 35mm shots look great, of course. There's some great split-screen work, and some ironic visual gags at the end, like a Homeland Security alert color of "Burnt Umber."
On the downside, the acting is uneven. By far the best is Richard Chang, who also appeared in the indie "Windhorse." The worst is the guy who plays "Bayu," one of the characters from Indonesia. His performance is wooden and flat and it seems like he stutters half his lines.
But luckily there are many other characters who carry the story along. It's also pretty funny to listen to the director's commentary track. He says if you want to learn how to make films, make a film using the money you would have spent on film school. (I'm in my second semester at NYU and I'm starting to understand what he means.)
Anyway, that's my opinion. Peace.
Ada Apa dengan Cinta? (2002)
Sweet Story
A nice, romantic, well-shot story about teenage love. Nothing really unique about it, except that it comes from Indonesia.
The lead actress, Dian Sastro, is beautiful and her acting ability seems top notch (hard to tell since I don't speak the language).
I saw the VCD (not sure if there is a DVD), with my Indonesian girlfriend translating.
It was shot a few years ago, but it holds up fine. The only criticism my girlfriend had was that it didn't really portray Jakarta the way it really is. In the film everything is clean and modern with people driving nice cars. Not reality.
But still the story keeps your interest.
Peace.