Money No Enough 2

Money No Enough 2



Remember the big blockbuster from Singapore - Money No Enough? Well, it's back!

Synopsis
Set in modern day Singapore, 3 adult brothers lead their lives in a cash driven society.

Eldest brother, Yang Bao Hui (Henry Thia) is the responsible, caring but not rich and 'blur'.

Second brother, Yang Bao Qiang (Jack Neo) is the successful businessman making monies from real estate. However, he is a big gambler in his business & take huge risks, plus he has a selfish wife.

Third brother, Yang Bao Huang (Mark Lee) is also a rather successful businessman, who has just started to taste some success. Problem is his business thrives on 'bad people' both from his suppliers & customers. And he doesn't treat his wife well.

The three brothers are united by their aging mother who loves her children very much.

As the title goes, its about money - from having it, to not, and overcoming it.

Why You Should Watch This Movie
Because it's down to earth and full of reality. Nearly everyone can 'feel' for the characters in the movie if you are from Singapore, or even if in Malaysia. Either you are in the situation or you know someone close in it.

You get to see the real life of Singaporeans - from living in HDB flats and even in big bungalows. It is really very Singaporean (and the reason why many 'heartlanders' love Jack Neo's movies).

For fans of Singapore's acclaimed director, Jack Neo, well this movie is close to his signature styles of very local content. And interestingly, it's good to see talented Mark Lee playing the slightly less Ah Beng here.

Why Not
This movie is too real, and to one big extend is too 'dark'. If you expect this to be a comedy where you are to laugh your hearts out, be warned for it's most likely to give you the opposite effects.

And the selfish needs of people are shown here, much to which is overdone, though not necessarily unreal.

Conclusion & Rating
If you can get the perception that this is not really a full comedy (but yet with some jokes & humour in between... and lots of sad depressing moments), then this movie can be worth watching.

Money No Enough 2 Trailer



3 stars.

*It opens in Malaysia 28.8.08

Ah Long Pte Ltd

This Singapore-Malaysia collaboration is Jack Neo's fiercest attempt to enter the similar Malaysian market. Featuring famous Singaporean leads - Fann Wong, Mark Lee (who has acted together with Jack in many other movies), Richard Low, and a huge Malaysian supporting casts - from KK, Daniel Tan, MY FM deejay Lam Tak Wing/ Jack Lim & Lai Ming.

This 'dark comedy' shows an attempt of the new Ah Long leader, Wang Li-Hua (Fann Wong) to transform & reform her triad to be more responsible, and use less violence, hoping to appeal more to the public. Not used to this new method and thinks that they are trying to take his 'territories', the other triad leader is angry. In the meantime, the cunning retired boss of Li-Hua is also angry of the 'weaker' style and wants to make a comeback.

Hence, there is the rush & running around of each triads, with quite a fair bit of violence in between. It shows some part of how the Ah Longs work - to get back their monies, their regular meetings between the heads, and their 'lavish' lifestyles.

One interesting scene is the durian football scene where durians were used to play rather than the usual ball. Another heart-stopping moment is also during the revenge by a group of youngsters who lost their parents because of the ah longs - violence begets violence.

This typical Singapore movies stick closely to the slapstick comedies the city-state was first introduced to back in the late 90s. Jack's usual subtle play on Malaysian politics is here as well - and one needs a fair bit of observation to see the connections. However, if mentioned, it does clearly shows.

To add to it, it's mainly shot in Malaysia - and that is one move from the usual HDB scenes seen in the Singapore films. There is also a mix of Cantonese to suite the language used in KL, and even the Mandarin is more Malaysian style!

Talented Mark Lee acts well here, playing as a soft sissy beside the gritty Fann Wong. This role suits her well with her fierce look as the triad leader.

If you are local Singaporean, then this is a decent movie to watch. It should do reasonably well in Malaysia for its topic and the fact it's a Malaysian-ised movie to one extent, and also because there's lots of funny moments in between.

Pleasure Factory

The star of the movie is not the actors or actresses, but mainly location Geylang - the glaring red-light district of city conscious Singapore.

I am ok with watching art movies, but this art movie seems too arty - and too lost, with many different characters in different settings, and many not contributing to the message. Even if it does, it takes too long for the message to get accross - you can actually close your eyes for a full 10 seconds and nothing has changed in that scene!

For an acclaimed director, with Chang & Eng and the blockbuster Beautiful Boxer, this seems a very big letdown. Pleasure Factory seems much more like a student's project or a first time director at most.


Unless you come from Singapore, or you are curious on Singapore's red-light district, this movie will not garner much interest except, maybe apart from its soft porn flicks. Minus Geylang, and this movie is just like any movie taken in any other red-light district in any country.


But, of course, if you think hard enough & endure the movie, you'll get Ekachai's message - the difference between love & sex. But to go through such length & 'torture', it's much better to simply visit the district itself.

Home Song Stories

This collaboration between Singapore - Australia is a true life story of writer Tony Ayres.

It shows his growing up years with his beautiful yet dramatic mother, Rose (Joan Chen) and sister May (Irene Chen). It shows her mother's life from her nightclub days in Hong Kong before they migrated to stay with Uncle Bill (Steven Vidler) in Melbourne, Australia for better hopes of a brighter future.

However, his mum's behaviour simply spoils whatever bright future they have, as she kept on with her flirtatious and opportunist lifestyle. On at Melbourne, she befriends an apprentice chef, Joe (Qi YuWu), who although helped her in certain times, but made more damage in the end, falling for her daughter May.

The stories 'ping pong' back & forth of dismay to hope and seems never to end til when Bill came back (again) to save them. However, that didn't seemed enough.

The story first seemed to come more from the mother's point of view, before shifting focus to Tom's perspective. The focus wasn't in depth on the boy's part, and was rather shallow with most times just touching the surface of his feelings, hence not being able to dwell into his thoughts fully. Though viewers can sympathise with the boy at times, but are not able to read & feel for the boy fully. However there is more attachement to his mum instead.

That is where the confusion is - is this movie about the mother or the boy?

And more confusing is the poster in Singapore whereby Joe & Rose were featured instead of the little boy, Tom.

The star of the movie no doubt is superb acting from all casts, especially Joel Lok who played the charming & cute character with wide eyes & full expressions of his faces.

Overall, a good start for a Singapore - Australian production, though with backing from Raintree, I expected this to be a Bigger movie.

Finally, one last note, this movie also goes to show how the Asians or Chinese are able to blend in well in Australia (or any Western country for that matter), speaking their language with their accent. And this showcase by the English movie makes it more thumbs up for Asia, a rare opportunity for Asians showcase.