Rhythm of love.
16 September 2008 @ 16:51 ; 0 CommentsSingapore dreaming.
Sundays on television, particularly on our free-to-air channels, mean that there won't be any interesting shows to catch. It's either reruns, programs you have never heard of or barely got their titles of the shows themselves, or movies that are constantly selected to be telecast year after year. So I was pretty much looking forward to the airing of Sense Of Home, a four-part anthology series about Singaporeans living abroad and what "home" truly means to them.
While watching the show (yes I am that dense, apparently), it suddenly became somewhat obvious- is this show subliminal propaganda at its best, or just blatant extolling the virtues of calling Singapore home at its worst? Throughout the first episode that's the sinking feeling that coursed through my mind. And, with the recent discussions about the number of Singaporeans abandoning this country to migrate and live overseas, it really begs the question- is Sense Of Home a convenient excuse to drill into our minds what the government basically wants to achieve? Or, in fact, deter most of us from doing? It would hardly be surprising if it were true.
And from the trailers that were constantly played the recent week, it is safe to say that each episode will center on one of the leads, who initially is against the idea of being back "home" for some reason whatsoever, only to have some calamity befall him and set his mind back to returning "home". And that, meaning you know where. It's a recurring nightmare that Mediacorp enjoys utilizing in their stories that it has become hackneyed and does nothing for the viewers anymore.
The first episode alone had the two previous points highlighted, on top of a third debate that has been the talking point recently as well- that of the baby bonus scheme. The three topics were the plot points engineered the first episode, set against the backdrop of China. In essence, I must say they started off the series with a rather weak episode, with a sub-par script. The only saving grace for it were the actors, who were competent enough to alleviate the episode into something that's at least watchable, even if barely. I was particularly impressed with Alaric Tay. It showcased his acting chops, on top of his comedic timing.
I am also now more inclined to believe that Fiona Xie should just ditch Channel 8 and work on English productions, because she's not so irritating here as she was when she acts in Chinese shows. At least on Channel 5 her roles have variety and they didn't typecast her as much.
Speaking of Chinese, I don't understand this- why China, and not Hong Kong? It was confusing why they decided to go with the former. Is it because of China now being bigger than it was previously, with its booming economy and trade? But isn't Hong Kong part of China too? And I am more in the school of thought that Hong Kong has the far greater business capacity, and that would be more applicable towards Fiona Xie's character's profession.
Oh, and also despite the fact that the cinematography was something to take note of (obviously, since the entire series was shot in HD), the filmmakers did not manage to make full use of the entire overseas surroundings. I mean, come on. For someone who has, for so long never stepped into another country safe for KL (and that was only last year, mind you), it would have been commendable if they had at least spend a bit more resources of beautiful shots of the country.
I believe, if the project was handed to Arts Central, they would have handled it in a better manner. Overall, it's not bad an effort, even if there are not-so-subtle hints dropped throughout the show. And I am not the only one who thinks it- netizens from various online forums are having a field day talking about it and denouncing the manner that it was presenting. On that note, superyan says- watch this show at your own discretion. With a
As for me- yes, I will practice what I preach, moreso for Rui En's episode. It's the third one in the series, airing on the 28th. Now watch that one! You can miss the rest but not that. Heh.
