In pictures

Judged by any reasonable measure of consumption, Julie and I are cinephiles of the "frequent and vigorous" variety. Our regular routine in a more abiding abode would typically involve a weekly trip to an art house or one of our favorite second-run cinemas. Enter the trip.

To our pleasant surprise, cinema has also been appreciated in our destinations to date. Whether spending time with Tony at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, screening Up! in 3D, or visiting the WETA Workshop in New Zealand, we've been able to keep the cinematic flame alive and aloft. But who knew that Ubud, Bali would offer so many memorable movie-going experiences?

It began with a chance encounter on an evening walk up Monkey Forest Road, past a sign hawking what we could only take to be a joke:



Lord of the Rings 4?! What Halloween-costumed, Ren-fest-inspired, lilt-uttering massacre of all things Tolkien could this be? Natch, we had to go. (The short answer: a fan film, yes, but one with surprisingly high production values. If only their scripted dialogue hadn't tried so, so hard to sound like the original trilogy, it might have been quite engrossing. Note for future fan-film makers: your target audience already knows the original scripts too well to let you get away with reusing existing dialogue in new contexts, without killing the buzz.)

Later that evening, we passed one of Ubud's many DVD chop shops, huge storefronts packed to the gills with dubiously-obtained video, amazed to discover films available on DVD for US $1.50 that have not yet even reached the cinema! From the little I actually saw of it, Where the Wild Things Are appears to be a pretty incredible film. Do you suppose the sudden appearance of a tiny silhouetted figure on the lower bounds of the screen, walking toward stage left, is some inexplicable easter egg added by director Spike Jonze or co-screenwriter Dave Eggers? Or could it just be someone exiting the theater? I admire their daring choice to include audio of real children watching the film, particularly the high-pitched urgent query right at the end, asking Mama "Is it over now?"

Ha. While this is not the only bootlegged movie I've seen, it was easily the worst made. So, naturally, how could we pass up an opportunity to see 2012 the day before its US premiere?



Thankfully, this is a visual movie, so the absence of audible dialog did not detract from the expected apocalyptic images. There were some muddled but satisfying low-end reverberations that made it through the speakers whenever something large was being destroyed by something even larger, which was enough to reinforce the idea that "this can't be good." Besides, there's only so much dramatic tension John Cusack's love interests can really sustain for me. I decided if Cusack's character had motto, it should be: "Unlucky in love, lucky in class-C driving." But you judge for yourself.

Our cinematic highlight to date of the trip -- for me, anyway -- was attending the fabulous Ubud "flim" [sic] club, a group of Indonesian and expat cinephiles who gather weekly at the home of their gregarious host, Artur, a Polish Swede who with his wife and their two kids have made movie nights an important part of their extended stays in Bali. Artur found me on CouchSurfing, invited me to screen my own cinematic pride-and-joy, Friction, and generally made it an irresistible and unforgettable night. The company of smart, interesting fellow travelers and an... intoxicating, home-brewed concoction known as the Magic Coconut were potent icing on the cake. With some help from said company, I even managed to procure the ingredients for my signature caliente popcorn, but alas, the kernels would not pop! We screened the hilarious and chaotic Black Cat, White Cat as our main feature, followed with Friction and closed the night with trailers of the films to be screened at flim clubs to come. It was a joyful and light-hearted movie club experience, something I've missed having in my life for several years. I only wish we'd been in Ubud more than just the one week!

We are in Singapore now -- the time has flown with so many diverting scenic and culinary experiences -- and we have learned that we have more movie fun ahead in Kuala Lumpur, where purchasing movie tickets seems as complex as a tax form, with prices varying based on the time of day, day of week, size of seat, location and, naturally, availability of restrooms. It should prove memorable!