The Great Buddha Plus

SFS film screening
Leading up to Chinese Film Fest

Starts with a funeral and a Chinese band playing Auld Lang Syn. The lead character Belly Button was kicked and bullied because he didn't play to the beat. His band mates did not help him. He is a security guard for a philanthropist, Kevin, a rich boy schooled overseas in NYC and now makes Buddha statues and drives a Merc Benz.

Pickles the vagrant make a living picking and selling trash. He has one friend, Sugar Apple, another vagrant who appeared about 3 years ago and lives in a tower by the sea. They call it Seaside Villa. 

They have one other friend, Peanut, who takes care of a shop Savon, beside Seven Eleven. It's an arcade which also sells nick knacks.

Every other night, Pickles goes to the security shed of Belly Button. One night, Pickles instigates BB to look at the web cam of his boss's Merc. They find recordings of tryst with Cindy a student trying to earn some money for further studies, Miss Peh his ex-flame in her forties and Gucci, his secretary and current toy. They gave surveillance of Miss Peh waiting for Kevin. While Kevin and Gucci were having sex, Miss Peh called and asked to meet at the usual. 

One night, they discover footage of Miss Peh threatening Kevin and recounted the scene that night. Abortion, Kevin not leaving his wife, allowing Kevin to do anything with her, Kevin bringing home a man for sex, Miss Peh goating him to compare sex between both genders, followed by a loud bang. Next we see the Merc being driven to the factory and Kevin knocking Miss Peh unconscious before dumping the body into this gigantic Buddha statue for the Dharma Assembly.

Pickles and BB sit in silence for many days. They seek help from useless mediums, Peanut helped them by seeking out his useless scam uncle of the Li Kai-Shing temple and Sugar Apple knew they were in trouble from a dream. Pickles ate his last meal from auntie at a shed which cooks for prisoners upon requests from family members. It was a sumptuous hot rice meal, fresh with vegetables and chicken wing. It's like aunty, somewhat his mother figure, knew his fate.

He was found dead in a ditch with alcohol in his blood. He doesn't drink but was killed drunk. Most likely by Kevin. BB is afraid he'll be next. His boss already warned him not to say anything by testing if he knew of his wig. That was a really tense moment.

Kevin asks BB to bring his mom to the upscale hospital. They couldn't find anything wrong with the Mother and puts her on drip, just like the first scene in a community hospital. But in that BB has to beg for the drip cos it's past 5pm. He drives mom with the drip home on a motorbike then. In this upscale hospital with all expenses paid for, BB feels trapped because his boss's bribing him. He opens the window for release and for a moment there I thought he was going to jump. His mom pleas with him through her eyes not to. 

I bet the boss has CCTV in the security room and already knew what they were doing a long time ago. Kevin was brought in for a chat by a plainclothes police officer. Another high ranking person demanded for his release. 

The day of Pickles funeral is also the day the Great Buddha is moved to the assembly Hall. Belly Button plays the drums, Peanut holds the picture, Sugar Apple holds this spirit lantern. They don't even have the picture of Pickles. Peanut did a screenshot of Pickles when he was arrested for picking trash by a policeman. The police wanted to confiscate his bike, his only means of livelihood, and Pickles refused so they fought. This was caught on National TV and that's where Peanut captured the screenshot. It is very sad how as friends they knew little of each other. It also portrays police as bullies abusing their power. And the villains escape punishment.

The gang realises how little they know of Pickles when he was alive. They never even visited his home. The first time they visited his home, it was nothing like a vagrant's home. Cosy with many knick knacks. And a UFO spaceship as a bed. Filled with toys he won from those vending machines. Which he plays cos it's therapeutic. 

The one liner that struck me: how Man has conquered great distances and walked the Moon but the greatest distance is that of the heart.

Belly Button is alive but at what price? Pickles is dead, so what?

In the end during the Dharma Assembly all the faithful gather to chat scriptures. Suddenly Buddha silences the chants and casts a disproving gaze on the faithful. Someone had betrayed me. 

Ready Player One

Directed by Steven Spielberg

It is the year 2045 and the world is on the brink of collapse. It is in this ghetto world that Wade Wyatts (Parzival) is born. An orphan sent to live with his aunt and her useless bf, he escapes reality by gaming in Oasis, where he can be cool, handsome, full of superpowers, smart etc. When James Halliday, the creator of Oasis died, he left 3 keys and an Easter egg for gamers to find. The prize money is control of Oasis.

He meets Samantha Evelyn Cool (Art3mis) and falls in love with her. Just like him, she knows everything about James Halliday and can complete all these sentences the creative mentioned. 

Parzival finds the Cooper key by driving backwards to the finishing line, which resembles a Michael Jackson Neverland gate and driveway. Art3mis finds it next. As the first on the scoreboard, IO1 is alerted to kill him.

IO1 the evil corporation, hires thousands of games, scientists to crack codes to be the first to win and rule Oasis. They also incarcerate people who owe them real money in the real world to power up this virtual world.

Sorrento from IO1 offers Wade a job which he turns down of course. IO1 bombs his place and killed his aunt and bf. Art3mis saves him and brought him to their hideout.

They constantly go to the Halliday Journals or digital library where the curator shows virtual records. Second key was found by Art3mis in The Shining. They enter room 237 where scary zombies kill them and crazy father with axe chops them up. Eventually only Art3mis reaches Halliday's gf and only love by stepping on those zombies and got the Silver key. 

Before that Parzival and Art3mis go on a dance date in this club where people dance by skydiving. 

The bad guys catch up and incarcerate Art3mis. The hi 5 team is formed with Shoto, Acheh. They go to the virtual land, where Sorrento has cast a protective spell over where the third key is hidden. Parzival gets help from all gamers who came in the throngs. The Iron Giant helps them fight to the gates where Parzival and Art3mis witness how Adventure is played, but he still lost. The key is to wonder in the dark and find a box to bring to the other side. Parzival did it by sacrificing Art3mis so she can escape IO1. He found the Crystal key, meets James Halliday, got the golden Easter egg but didn't sign his life away. They got all the rights to Oasis, made it such that no one can monetize this, and close on Tues and Thursday because the real world is just if not even more important.

Ramen Teh

Screened by SFS

With post screening dialogue with Scriptwriter and Director Eric Khoo

Japanese Chinese boy works in Ramen stall in Japan with dad and uncle. Dad is totally uncaring about son. He passed away suddenly one fine morning. He prepared breakfast for son, ate his share and left for the shop. Son and uncle find him dead.

Son leaves for Singapore in search of his roots. His Chinese mother always feeds him bak kut teh and bee hoon. He pines for them. His uncle is a bak kut teh owner where his mom worked. She met her husband, a Japanese man much older than her, who often goes BKT hunting on his off days. She brings him ard Singapore to try other delicious food like chilli crab, dim sum. Hokkien mee, chicken rice, sambal prawns... He makes sushi for her. However, turns out her father was killed by Japanese soldiers during JO. Her mom objects this union and disowns her. She goes to Japan with husband and son of ten years old and dies there due to an illness. Dad is heartbroken and since withdrawn. 

Son finds out about this through mom's diary entry and goes to Singapore to search for uncle and grandmother. Uncle played by Mark Lee, teaches him BKT. Son was angry at grandmother because his mom is not at fault and mom died of a broken heart. To make up for telling at her, he cooked the best BKT ramen for her. She loves it and teaches son the mom's receipes. They eat a meal together thinking of the mother and grandmother seeks forgiveness from mother through son. Son opened up Ramen Teh shop in Singapore and when the shop is closed, his parents enjoy tea in the shop, before he meets his new gf, a Japanese food blogger and divorcee, who lured him to Singapore with all that Singaporean spices.