The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
- Keira Knightley details her hysteria in 'Dangerous Method'
- Recognition and respect for Syamsul Yusof
- Sister: Yasmin made movies to cheer parents up
| Keira Knightley details her hysteria in 'Dangerous Method' Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:19 AM PST NEW YORK: In director David Cronenberg's new film about Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud and the birth of psychoanalysis, "A Dangerous Method", Keira Knightley plays Jung's formerly hysterical patient and lover Sabina Spielrein. The movie debuts in U.S. theaters on Wednesday, and Knightley told Reuters back in September at the Toronto film festival that she initially turned down the role due to its spanking sex scenes opposite actor Michael Fassbender, who portrays Jung. But the 26-year-old British actress said the promise of such a dream role and working with Cronenberg, Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen (who portrays Freud) was too enticing to walk away. It also helped that Cronenberg promised the spanking scenes would be clinical, not "sexy." Q. Before the movie, what did you know of psychoanalysis? A. "Absolutely nothing. I mean I had obviously heard of Freud and Jung, and I knew vaguely that it was all meant to be based on sexuality and that your parents came into it somewhere. But apart from that, I really didn't know anything. So it was a question of starting from scratch." Q. You've said you read "a stack of books." A: "A Jung biography. And then 'Memories, Dreams, Reflections' and the letters between Freud and Jung. It was Nietzsche, a little bit of papers by Freud, papers by Jung and then I found a book called 'Sabina Spielrein: A Forgotten Pioneer of Psychoanalysis.' That was Jung's notes on Sabina and then her dissertations and several papers, essays about her and then diary entries. So it was quite a stack." Q. Did you ever think about studying psychology? A. "No ... there are a lot of parallels in acting. You are trying to understand the world from a different point of view without judging it. Looking at it from a psychological point of view is something you do naturally as an actor anyway." Q. Your depiction of hysteria in the film has drawn mixed criticism. How did you come up with say, your jaw movement? A. "That's the tricky thing, when you are reading a script that says, 'has a hysterical fit, ravished by tics'. And you go, 'OK, what does that mean? And what do you mean a tic?' So really, a lot of the reading was based on trying to get descriptions of tics and trying to understand what that was. "I wanted it to be shocking, because what was going on internally (for Sabina) was shocking. I just thought, I wanted to reflect that externally as much as possible, so I literally sat in my bathroom pulling faces at myself until I came up with this jaw thing. And I thought, 'Well that looks vaguely demonic,' and then I got on Skype with David (Cronenberg) and I had about two or three ideas and he went, 'That one.' Q. Is this your most difficult character yet? A. "As far as a role, every actor wants a role like this. It sounds perverse to say it's fun, but it's so interesting. Trying to understand that, to get into that point of view. Particularly if it's a filmmaker like David Cronenberg. I would have had serious reservations playing an hysteric with a director whose work I didn't admire as much has him." Q. Every actor says sex scenes can be difficult. These seemed particularly so. Would you agree? A. "They are always difficult and they are always exposed. This one was, sort of, something quite different...There were these two scenes, and I didn't know that I could do those two scenes. In the age of Internet and all the rest of it, I didn't know that that is what I want particularly to be out there. "I phoned him up initially to turn it down because I thought they were incredibly important for the piece. So it wasn't a question of trying to negotiate them out of the film because I thought they were very necessary for the film. But I just thought, 'I don't think I can do that.' "So, I phoned up David and said, 'I love you, I love your work, but I really don't think that I want to do this.' And he said, 'Well it would be a tragedy if you turned the role down because of that, so if necessary we can take them out.' And I said, 'No, because I understand why they are there'. He said, 'Well look, I don't want it to be sexy, and I don't want it to be voyeuristic. I want it to be clinical.' "We talked for quite a long time about exactly what it was and trying to understand it psychologically. Once we discussed, I said 'Alright, fine, as long as it is not sexy. That brutal horrible aspect is kept, and it isn't a sexy spanking scene.'" Q. Do you ever look back to learn from any performances? A. "I don't watch any of them. I haven't seen 'Bend It Like Beckham' in nine years. It's all a learning curve. There are going to be good performances and there are going to be bad performances. There are going to be experiences where you click with people and experiences where you don't. There are performances that I know just from having been there where I haven't done well, just because I couldn't, for one reason or another. And then there are performances that I know on the day, actually that was pretty good." Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Recognition and respect for Syamsul Yusof Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:48 PM PST The 24th Malaysian Film Festival saw filmmaker Syamsul Yusof coming into his own with major accolades. Syamsul Yusof's film KL Gangster garnered a total of five awards at the 24th Malaysian Film Festival, including Best Director and Best Screenplay. But the son of legendary actor/director Yusof Haslam was most touched when his father hugged him and said five little words before Syamsul stepped onto the stage at Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC) in Putrajaya last Sunday to receive the coveted Best Director award. "My dad is the No.1 critic of my work. And that is why I need to keep pushing myself, to better myself and be the best. That's his way of showing he is proud – by challenging me. Tonight, he finally said to me 'I am proud of you.' Thank God I am not crying again, I don't think I have any tears left," said Syamsul at a post-party, while holding on tightly to his trophies (he shares another with Hisham Jupri in the Best Film Editing category). KL Gangster revolves around two brothers – one is trying to put his violent ways aside to be a good man only to have society judging him and the other still enamoured with the life of a gangster. The film, which also stars Ridzuan Hashim and Shofi Jikan, was certified as the biggest box office film of the year with RM11.6mil in takings. It was shown at 81 cinemas nationwide. "I am thankful the film's theme struck a chord with the audience and the jury. I believe you shouldn't judge a film just because it talks about gangsters. (In Hollywood), films that explore subjects like the Mafia in The Godfather or homosexuality in Brokeback Mountain have won many awards. If anything, I hope tonight's win will open people's mind on this topic," added Syamsul, who won the Best Director award at last year's film festival for Evolusi KL Drift 2. Shofi, who plays a gangster in the film, received the Best Supporting Actor award for his role. Shofi, son of a soldier, also knows a thing or two about the rough life on the streets. With a smile, he explained: "I lived this life growing up in Kampung Kayu Ara (in Selangor) where fights and violence are the norm. So research was basically reflecting on my past life." His performance was especially lauded because of the energy he lent his character. "For me, being active in sports is something that comes first, even before acting. For every new role – no matter how small or boring – I owe it to myself to make it challenging and exciting." The other big winner of the night was the epic Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, which also received five awards out of the 14 main categories, including Best Film. Prior to the Sunday night event – dubbed as the Gemilang Perdana night – Mahawangsa garnered three wins at the pre-awards Gemilang Cipta night held on Nov 16, which brings a total of eight awards for the film directed by Yusry Abdul Halim and produced by KRU Studios. Most of the wins for Mahawangsa came from the technical side of filmmaking – Best Visual Effects, Best Costume Design, Best Music (song) and Best Poster and Best Cinematography. Norman Abdul Halim, the producer of the film, said: "The wins tonight will only spur us to do better in the future in the other categories like acting." The night had its heavyweight touch when the legendary Tan Sri Dr Jins Shamsudin became the first recipient of the newly created award, Lifelong Achievement Award. In a video clip before the veteran went on stage to receive the award, the actor revealed he went into acting all those years ago after his friend challenged him. One of his first roles was in the film Sarjan Hassan back in 1955. In the 1960s, he brought to life the Malaysian version of James Bond with the super agent Jefri Zain with three hit films. He continued to be successful taking on the role of a director, having made classics like Esok Masih Ada, Bukit Kepong and Ali Setan, and is one of the few people to have directed Tan Sri P. Ramlee (Bukan Salah Ibu Mengandong). The 76-year-old remains active in the film industry – although he has tapered down acting gigs – he recently served as the president for Finas (National Film Development Corporation Malaysia). It is unfortunate, however, that the organiser didn't see fit for the legend to say a word or two when he was given the award on stage. The festival also awarded Datuk Michelle Yeoh with the Excellent Achievement Award. She is currently busy promoting the film The Lady, which sees her portraying Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate. Although unable to attend the event, Yeoh said thank you via a recorded audio message from Paris, France, where she is based. She said, "I have been to many film festivals but Malaysia is the best for me because it's where I was born and raised." She ended the message by promising to return to Malaysia next year. Meanwhile, Shaheizy Sam received the Best Actor award for his role in the comedy Kongsi. Last year, he won Best Supporting Actor for Evolusi KL Drift 2. "I take winning awards as a bonus because I give my all in every role I play," said the 29-year-old who has been acting since age 12. As for the Best Actress award, it went to Siti Shahreza or better known as Eja. This is the second win for Eja this year for her role in the film Janin – she received the Best Actress title in the Anugerah Skrin 2011. This also puts her in the same league as other actresses who have won two consecutive awards including Erra Fazira and Umie Aida. The soft-spoken actress who was obviously ecstatic with the win said: "All my hard work and patience over the years have been worth it. I've always believed in myself, and have poured my heart and soul into every role I play." Winner's list for the 24th Malaysian Film Festival Best Film: Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa |
| Sister: Yasmin made movies to cheer parents up Posted: 19 Nov 2011 06:42 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR: The late Yasmin Ahmad made films to make her parents happy, her sister said. "She made Rabun to cheer our dad when he had acute diabetes in 2002. "Later, when mum had to undergo surgery to treat her enlarged heart, Yasmin made Sepet to make her happy," said Datin Orked Ahmad, when accepting an award for the film Muallaf on behalf of her late sister at the 1Malaysia Cultural Award at the KL Convention Centre here yesterday. It was the filmmaker's last movie to be screened before she died from brain haemorrhage in 2009. She was 51. A tearful Orked added: "Our parents were supposed to come today, but this morning mum broke down and couldn't bring herself to attend the ceremony." Organisers of the MCA-initiated awards, the first of its kind to recognise Malaysian artistes in promoting racial unity through their works, received 28 entries for the Chinese category and five entries under the non-Chinese category. Music professor Prof Shen Ping Kwang took home the top award for his musical ensemble Proudly We Sing Our Songs - I Love Malaysia in the Chinese category. The 91-year-old from Sabah thanked his conductor for sending in his work to compete for the award. The winners received RM50,000 each while two nominees from each category, chosen by a panel of nine judges, received RM1,000 and a certificate each. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek presented the awards. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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