Sunday, September 17, 2006

Hi all, I want to apologies for not updating since A Nation in Concert ended last Saturday. Once again it had been a very humbling experience working with,m on the one hand, some of the most talented actors around; and on the other hand, normal folks with disabilities, but no less talented, performers. I am reminded constantly: a. folks with disabilities are not as helpless as you think they are; b. given the right script, right direction, and most importantly, right attitudes, you can still put up a great performance; c. we must always be grateful with what we have, and never take them for granted, because there are those who are not so fortunate. Anyway, the two shows suffered minor glitches, but most of the audience were forgiving, grateful and visibly moved. There might not be another ANIC next year, so we can only hope that the same spirits can be resurrected again in 2008.

I was able to catch two performances under the SPARKS incubation programme. Wilson Goh's performance was indeed really very specialized, which was why the audience turnout was pretty ... selective. Given credit, there was quite a lot of thought put in to make the presentation of the short programme more interesting. However, since layman like me would not be able to understand much of what he sang, what was left was to enjoy the ... mise en scene ... Wan Wen's lighting showcase was a little more ... focused, more accomplished. I guessed what it did for the audience, as well as for me, I guess, was to appreciate the beauty and grace of the actor's interaction with lighting, what kind of mood and feeling it can evoke with the actor, and thus the audience. Granted it was not easy to remain focus on such an intense, and silent performance, but I think we were greatly rewarded in the end. Well, I wish both of them great luck in proceeding to the next round of selection.

Barnyard was a fairly enjoyable but ultimately average animation. I thought Monster House was a better animation, engaging and had a few scares too. Barnyard was evidently targetted to a younger audience, from the "looks" of it, but it really lacked ... "bite", to be a really decent and enjoyable film. Well, looking forward to Flush Away then.

♥ 12:22 pm