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

The Leap Years

Based on the novella by local Singaporean author, Catherine Lim, this is an English movie attempt by homegrown label, Mediacorp's movie arm - Raintree.

The Leap Years is about a hardworking studious girl, Li-Ann (the younger version played by Wong Li Lin; the elder lady by Joan Chen) whose birthday is on February 29. Being always teased by her friends, she finally fell in love with a stranger, Jeremy (Ananda Everingham) on one of her birthdays.

She is 'heartbroken' as the meet with Jeremy is only short as he had to fly home, and their next meet was 4 years next. This continues despite the fact that there are others interested in Li-Ann, and she even nearly got wed. However, her heart seems to have sealed with Jeremy.

At the same time the movie brings forward to the present on one day, which sees Li-Ann already married with Jeremy, and hoping for him to recover from the hospital.

Shot entirely in Singapore, and in the more hip areas, this movie showcase the modern & heritage part of the island-city (places like the Esplanade, central business district, CBD). Unlike most other Singapore films, this one clearly minus the HDB flats - giving the city the postcard views, just like what the tourism is promoting.

It does showcase a true part of the lifestyles of the middle-upper class Singporeans to one extend. The English used also sounds quite local - minus the slangs of 'lei' & 'lor' - the type of English you will hear when in business meetings. And Wong Li Lin has the looks to portray the typical career girl here - modern and successful. The only part that doesnt really reflect Singapore is the use of Cantonese in between, rather than the more popular Hokkien dialect. This is most likely done for 2 reasons - Cantonese is more marketable and secondly, to give the more 'atas'/ high class image.

This English movie attempt is worth the watch. And I was surprised the cinema was fully packed.

The only minus is that as the movie didn't managed to show how different the past & modern Singapore. Each 4 years still looked pretty similar, which is something not quite true in this fast changing city. And the movie does get a lil draggy at times as well.

Saying all these, this is one good step to more Singapore English movies to come, and hopefully like they say, will later bring them an acclaimed Oscar award.

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.