MovieChat Forums > 15: The Movie (2003) Discussion > terrible

terrible

posted 18 years ago by RenaudM
16 replies | jump to latest

i want the $5 i payed to rent this back.

what a horrible movie.

i watched the trailer and thought it looked incredible, but basically, the whole movie, is just one long trailer. It's just random events, that are supposed to be controversial, strung together with no plot and terrible acting. The contrast on everything is turned way up to make the whole thing in a vain attempt stylish, after 10 minutes my head started hurting.

We've all seen this type of movie before, the youth of the world are aimless and have no reason to live these days blah blah. But really, it's been done way better, time and time again.

urgh, i miss my $5

[–] qwertzy 18 years ago

my sentiments

[–] tamaniac60 18 years ago

While I can understand where this is coming from, I do have some differing opinions to make...

I do think that the movie makes a greater impact on Singaporeans than anyone else. Because, well, 15 was really the first movie to actually show the shady and real side to Singapore. While numerous films from other countries have delt with the same theme, Singaporeans never really had one to call their own.

Again, one has to live in Singapore to fully appreciate the significance (Not quality) of this movie.

If either of you ARE Singaporeans, than I guess its just a case of differing taste.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] chrishalf 18 years ago

ok hold up let me give you guys a the low down on singapore.

15 is NOT a good representation of singapore and the singaporean lifestyle.

one main reason, singapore has 4 main races which constitute the population.

this movie, is focused on the chinese. oh and another thing. royston tan ONLY(seems to) makes his movies in chinese. when singapore's main language is ENGLISH.why's that?is it cos he can't express himself in english? or he can't relate to the english speaking world? alright alright. just venting. cos in singapore, where 75% of the population speaks mainly in chinese, one can get pretty darn sick of the language, and a subject of their racism(yes i have been a victim).

ok back to the point, being, the other races are severely misrepresented. so please dont judge singapore based on this whack movie because it hardly does singaporeans justice.

15 was crap. sure, it was a landmark in singapore's movie scene as the first, (somewhat) original R rated movie about some young punk gangsters, but it was over stylised, convoluted, and overall just plain amatuer.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] h8nsomet88n 18 years ago

I feel for you chrishalf. But I think as a result of your 'experience' from Chinese racists you have become racist against Chinese people yourself. Reading your post one can only feel those exact same sentiments against you.

Royston Tan is a Chinese guy, hence he is more comfortable making films in his mother tongue. People have done that for years - Almodovar makes purely spanish films; Luc Besson makes french films (mostly) etc. etc. Hating the film because you hate the race and the language it portrays is silly and immature.

I agree that 15 may not be a good representation of Singapore and the Singapore lifestyle AS A WHOLE. But the intention of Tan was merely to showcase a side of Singapore many of us have not seen, and as a person from that particular facet of the society (teenage hooliganism, gang fights etc.) I have seen the lot. And personally this film is the most authentic films ever made about this side of Singapore society. Eric Khoo and other Singapore filmmakers have chosen to showcase other sides of the Singapore society, so why can't Tan?

I disagree that the other races are severely misrepresented. There was NO mention at all of the other races in Singapore - so how can they be 'severely misrepresented' in the first place? Is this a case of you, Chrishalf, trying to relate a personal encounter in such a contrived manner to give you grounds to hate the film? If you have been a victim of Chinese hooligans in Singapore then wouldn't this film resonate even more strongly with you?

Hating the film because of its origins or subject matter is wrong and is exactly why we have a disharmonious global society. People hated it when Theo van Gogh made a film called 'Submission' about oppressed Muslim women and was subsequently assassinated by Muslims. As you can see, this kind of thinking is senseless and illogical. And this is precisely the same kind of behaviour you are displaying in this forum thread.

Finally, I must say that 15 was not merely 'good' because of the ruckus it produced in our country Singapore. It displayed excellent technical handling and cinematography. When I watched 15 (the feature and the short - I watched both) I was reminded very strongly of the Dogme 95 manifesto of filmmaking in some shots (i.e gangster crying on the bus; gangster swallowing condom of drugs) and the surrealism (i.e revolving ball and smoke around the heads of gangsters) during a transitional scene. Even in the short you see overhead camera shots of the playground scene pushed back and forth and back and forth over and over again. Tan has a flair for the true MTV-style of filmmaking, and it is not something disrespectful anyway. He doesn't just slap it in - he does it well. In my opinion Royston Tan really is one of the underdog Singaporean filmmakers to look out for, his fresh and gritty insights on the sides of Singapore - whom comfortable citizens like Chrishalf do not believe is happening or real.

Movies reflect society, and 15 does a good job at reflecting the seedier side of Singaporean society. It's as simple as that, chrishalf.

-vincent-

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] connoljy 18 years ago

i saw this while living in Singapore and it was like a breath of fresh air. My wife and brother-in-law were not even aware thet such people existed in their tiny little nation state. So much propoganda and dictatorial control just creates an atmosphere that does not even allow such notions a gangsters to materialize.

Now, that being said....the tough guys in Singapore are not all that tough, but that does not mean that they are not alienated and disenchanted. It is like living in Disneyland your whole life and then seeing a movie where Micky Mouse is a pedophile who feeds off the blood of grandmothers. I ordered this movie for my wife who didn't get to see its short release in S'pore. As a movie it is just ok...but if you have spent any signifigant time in singapore, i think it is a movie worth watching. It is worth at least $5.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Aulic Exclusiva 17 years ago

This is a wonderful experimental movie about teen-age suicide that, about two-thirds of the way through, turns into an intensely moving love story.

I LOVED it and cried at the end, when Shawn sucks the blood from Erick's piercing.

"If we are to be brothers, let us be brothers for life, and die together."

[–] gardenofgraves 16 years ago

the acting was bad because most of the characters were real. as in they found real boys from the streets and simply filmed them as they lived their lives, with a bit of direction from the director. being untrained actors naturally they would screw up sometimes, especially when there's a camera in their faces all the time. i think the only real actor that was simply playing a character was the one that wanted to kill himself. the rest were playing themselves.

[–] pinokiyo 16 years ago

I heard the guy who wanted to kill himself, cutting his wrist, was actually cutting his wrist. And the other guy actually swallowing the condoms.

[–] yurgenburgen 16 years ago

Yeah, although from what it looked like, he was really slashing further up his arm rather than his wrist. And the condom scene was real as well.

To anyone who says the acting in 15 is bad; yeah, these were untrained teenagers who had never acted before. It's not hard to imagine that they wouldn't be amazing actors but having said that, I felt more moved by their performances than by anything that's come out of Hollywood in recent years.

[–] BrandtSponseller 16 years ago

I also agree that it was pretty bad overall . . although I don't want the money I spent on it back, as it was my decision to get it--no one forced me, and I do not believe that films come with implicit guarantees that I'm going to like them.

It's just random events, that are supposed to be controversial, strung together

I agree with that part.

I don't agree that it amounts to no plot (as a plot is just a sequence of actions and events), but it sure wasn't a plot that I found very interesting.

I also didn't think the acting was horrible--I thought the odd mumbling worked well in the beginning, but the acting overall wasn't good enough to overcome the other problems with the film.

I have to say that it wasn't a total loss for me--the first 20 minutes or so were actually pretty promising to me; I enjoyed the manic energy and wackiness of the quickly changing scenes, the bizarreness--including the songs, etc. . . . the problem was that it just didn't go anywhere, and towards the end, it gets more and more like a pointless experimental film. I like "experimental"; I don't like "pointless". I would agree that 15 does actually have a point, by the way, which is why I use "like a"--it has the feel of a pointless experimental film towards the end. And the point was paper thin.

Given the promise that 15 had, I would definitely see another Royston Tan film. He's got interesting ideas and impressive technical skills. I just wish he could figure out a better way to employ them.

[–] Boudhabuzz 16 years ago

I've watched this movie last night on Art TV (french canadian art channel). It was in madarin and french subtitle, I was blown away. Some scene were mesmerizing, other painful to watch, funny or dramatic. I guess it's just an other movie that you like or not, unlike undeniable classic.

[–] AlphabetsAndNumerals 16 years ago

i'm sorry but i believe that for this movie to really be appreaciated in all its details and nuances, it has to be seen by someone who grew up around the singapore system and fully understands what its like to be a part of it

yes definitely, we've all seen this type of movie before and i wholeheartedly agree that there are better ones out there, but for daring to be so real, for even daring to scratch at singapore's shiny exterior, i give kudos to it

and ouh, a recommendation, the gem of singapore cinema imho: Eric Khoo's Be With Me