Alangkah Lucunya (Negeri Ini) (ALNI)- Indonesia

It is quite sometimes that I watched any parody film like this. But to tell you the truth, it has been written well and superb cast by Deddy Mizwar, Rahaedjo Slamet and 3 other young actors and actress.

It is a story of Muluk, well educated young man. Graduate with master in management, but failed to find any job that suit to his qualification and ability in management. Accidentally meet with a young boy that work as pickpocket. This boy then brings Muluk to his headquarters and introduce to his boss and colleagues. Surprisingly, Muluk offer the outlaw society a management service to manage their activities, income and education. He also promises the boys one day, they will be able to upgrade their profession from pickpocket to entrepreneurs. As a return, Muluk will be pay with 10% of their income. So this strange mutual relationship begins.

Muluk invite his jobless friend Shamsul (Master in Education) to teach the boys basic things in education such as write and read, and on top of that, the importance of education. Muluk also invites jobless Pipit as a religion teacher to teach them right and wrong in life, so that they will become a better person.

This three young man and women work side by side for one objective, so that the outlaw boys will one day stop from pickpocket and earn pure (halal) money.

There are a lot of ironies being portray, at the same time still fun and funny to watch. Critics to politician, corruption, unequal distribution of wealth, education, management system, unemployment graduates, the future of young generation that has been left behind and too many to list, make this film worth to critics.

This film is parody because it will let the audience to question, will common values that been uphold by society still relevant, or we need new definition? Or there is nothing wrong with the values, only the government and society too blind to see that made bad things look good, and vice versa.

Will, its a mix feeling. But overall, ALNI is worth watching. You will enjoy with the movie and at the same time, being educate.

Fantasy Couple (Oppsss! I did it again)

Well don’t blame me. It is all of my friend bad behavior that made me caught with this addiction again. Yes, again it is Korean drama (I thought I might known some of Korean words know, Sarang Hae, Kurae, Anya, Jjangmyun, Kummawa, Chuwwa, Pollita, Othocajo, Kimchi, Ahjussi, Ahjumma, Unni, OMG I’m I that addicted?). But this time around when I’m attached with Fantasy Couple drama it really makes me looks and sound really pathetic. Now that I know that, even I wanted so much not to have any relation with Korean drama, past or present, this drama really shows that I know every catch of Korean drama. Seriously, I never thought about this before (that’s really make me not so cool anymore – yeah assuming that I’m super heavy material person that read, eat, sleep, watch, learn philosophy – yet soaked with Korean drama – how pathetic).


Before that, it is a really a rally. Beginning with You’re Beautiful, Boys over Flower (with F4 in it) and the last one Fantasy Couple (will you believe me this will be the last one?). I’ve told my friend already to keep away all the soft copy of Korean everything, I mean really everything, but she is not listening. So I’m actually wanted just to be nice to her right, keep her company to watch everything that filming on screen. Yet at the end, I’m the first person who will spare the best spot with spectacles (can you believe I’m actually wearing it to watch!) just to make sure that I’m reading every single subtitle on the tiny screen (should we change now to LED 42”).



Yeah, again it is still a cliché Korean drama ever. I even watched the Hollywood version of the same theme. This is a story of one rich lady losing her mind and then lost in a village which is totally 180o from her own life. This lady formerly known as Jo Anna then become Shang Shil need to adapt to her new life which so unfamiliar (even she don’t has any memory about it at all) and has to taste the life of mediocre. She was found by Jang Chul Soo (stingy man that concern about money, money and money), a villager small time contractor which lives with his three nephews. Shang Shil and Chul Soo caught in this situation because they are a real enemy. So this is the time for Chul Soo to win a big revenge to Shang Shil, ordering her around and practically made her as housemaid.

Have I told you that Shang Shil (Jo Anna) is multimillionaire? Just watch it, you will love the fun having someone who never knows how to do house chores and take care of 3 kids. But even so, Shang Shil is really in unfortunate state when her own family abandoned her. Never issue any missing people report, yet alone advertisement. Even she really have huge amount of saving. Yeah, this drama really can change emotion so quickly; at one time you will hate Jo Anna so much. When she really lost her mind, you will feel great about that. It is a payback time for Chul Soo. When she is Shang Shil, she change a lot, but still not a lot. Until then we know why she is so selfish before.

The real deal of this movie is how the script writer and the director consistently promoting traditional Korean food to audience, Jjangmyun and rice wine. Well to me, Jjangmyun don’t look tasty but yet it served a very important impact both on literal aspect of the drama, and to reach larger meaning of it. I mean why you’re looking for imported items (foods, cloths) which come from very unfamiliar culture but yet you have the best in your own culture as well.

Jjangmyun in this movie serve as the message to grip to your own tradition because that is what is close to you. That what actually suit to your taste, something that has been rooted inside you. The thing that you will not forget even you’re to faraway. This drama makes me reflect to Ratatouille movie (in term of traditional food) and make me wanted to learn how to make all of the Malay kuih (cookies – sorry I don’t find any English word for kuih) (kuih bakar, karipap, dodol, kaswi). Which make me wanted to promote Malay kuih in all my writings (I’ve done one in my new short story, please pray it will be published soon, and guys sorry it is only in Malay version).

Jjangmyun also acted as important item that bind both Chul Soo and Shang Shil together. The other message that we see now as not significant like before, in the world of fast food and you can by food anywhere. The time is when food served for physical need and at the same time as soul food as well. That why for those who brought up with the food cooked by their mom, will eventually still coming home. Mom will cook for you sincerely, with all of her heart, love and prayer. She hopes that you will grow up and be fine. That why it is call soul food. Same Jjangmyun served for Chul Soo and Shang Shil. The bind that grows bigger with food.

Oh, I’m not intended to make things confused, especially to all of you; it is not a story about food. It is actually a story that when you’re lost, the greatest thing that can happen is to be found again. It is obviously we hope that people that we knew, people that we believe are our family that holds on you, the one which will find you again. But this drama makes it even momentous, the most magical is when a person that loves you as you’re, with all the trades, for better or worse, find you. That will be the happiest moment ever. That will be the point, even the sky is the not the limit. The love that evolves will be the purest. Even you die; you will not die in vain.

But the thing is, my friend copy this drama incomplete. She actually store only 15 episodes. We actually believe the drama ended at that point. That episode turns to be as the most dreadful, intense emotion, that make me choke while crying (owh no, now you know how pathetic I’m when it is come to Korean drama). We believe the drama ended that way. The day when we actually finished episode 15 and believe that is the end of it, that is the day that make my day sooo gloomy. I even can’t sleep properly. Wake up early before dawn with my eyes wet, even the sky is grey, seriously. Is the sky celebrating my feeling? And yet I told my friend, the film should not end this way. There is no way Korean movie will be ended this way. Not the Korean drama I know and she should know that I’m really coherent (even I’m strongly wanted not to have any relation with Korean drama whether in the past or present).

She actually believed. So she search again and again inside her hard disk drive and external drive some more, but still not a sign. So we believe the fate of Chul Soo and Jo Anna is like that. Can you believe that? I was left with heartache for days. But somehow I knew that Korean drama is ever cliché, I knew that by heart. Without my friend knowing, I’m doing my own search at YouTube. The fireworks are now exploding in my head. There is episode 16 and that make my day. I can smile now, really, I’m smiling and I’m smiling at you.

Well, I’m not doing this to trap you in this addiction. It is actually bad, really! And make me not cool at all. So don’t, I mean really don’t ever, I tell you once again, don’t touch this genre. Even it is ever cliché, Korean dramas still have the grip. Once it grip you, it is hard to loosen it. Haven’t I warned you?

p/s: Not to make me so un'cool', I’m actually reading The Mysterious of Omar Khayyam 's Rubaiyyat (by Amin Maalouf) and On the Origin of Human Society (Malik Ben Nabi) simultaneously with what ever screening. Fair? Yup, enough for me.

Guys enjoy the movie.

You're Beautiful (Korea): Fall for The Star

I’ve long stopped watching Korean drama for ONE big reason, addiction. However, on the day I’ve lost all the data in my 8G pen drive, my friend cheer me up with Korean drama called You’re Beautiful. And that save me for the day. I even think that I might get sick for the misfortune that happens to me.

Well I never think that I will lost in that world again, as I have made my conclusion that Korean drama is ever cliché. So does this drama. But even so, only Korean can give me satisfaction of emotion and the grip till the end.

You’re Beautiful is a story about a commoner that live surrounded with pop stars, I mean superstars. This is a story about a girl (Go Mi Nyu) that has to replace his twin brother as a new member of AN JELL. Well AN JELL is definitely hit the list of Korean billboard and most famous group cast with Hwang Tae Kyung, Kan Shin Woo and Jeremy. The problem is Mi Nyu is a girl, she need to change all to become Go Mi Nam. To add for worst case scenario, she lives in a convent before and soon to become nun. In order to search for their long lost mother, Mi Nyu has to do it as Mi Nam fall sick at the time he been accepted to become a group member of AN JELL. That the beginning. So you can always imagine conflict that can emerge in such circumstances.

Surrounded with young, handsome, rich pop stars, what else can happen? Yes, Mi Nyu falls for this one bright star, Hwang Tae Kyung. To add for the bitterness of this, Tae Kyung is ever ego centric man that one can ever meet. And worst, both Mi Nyu and Tae Kyung parents have had a blast history which can caused them to separate forever.

Well, I’m fall for this story. I thought I will never affected again with this kind of addiction, but once I’ve step in the land of stars, my eyes never stop thinking and missing them every day. Othocajo? (What should I do?)

For all of the time I’m thinking of Mi Nyu. It is very hard to love somebody which is too far away to be reached. But yet he/she is the only one that shines which give you all the light you need to see. Otherwise even you have perfect eyes you won’t be able to have vision. But you still need to know where you are, realising that you are not match for his/her brightness. Even the stars blinking straight at you, smiling with their ever sincere smile, will you dare to have faith they are really watch you? No, you will not. You just a commoner with limited abilities to walk with them, talk casually without once caught being stupid and silly, look straight to their eyes, hear their words of wisdom admirably, feel warm with their appearance, being guided all the times, you just can’t do it. As they stand outstandingly on stage, you will think with all your heart, what it takes to reach ‘em? At the end, you will realise that you’re completely helpless. Fullstop.

It might be hard. I knew that for all my heart. When others advise to stop dreaming the impossible, you can only smile. You know the fact so well, even nobody tell you that, but once again, othocajo? (what will I do?)

Yes, what will you do, if The Star, the only one, that can make you, really see?

p/s: I’m ever blessed, I again see my North Star this week (it quit a long time, in fact a very long time), and it blinking straight at me. I’m waiting if faith once again can bring me close to my Orion Stars (constellation to be precise), so that I’ll be forever guided to the straight path of truth. To all of stars searchers, keep looking high at the night sky, one day you will realise that even you can be with them at where they are, the truth is, they are always be with you. Watching and smiling, keep you warm, guide you, and pray for you as you always pray for them. One day when you pass them in any circumstances, they’ll recognize you. That is enough, and that is truly a blessing.

You're beautiful, my rating 4 stars :)