MORGAN AWYONG

HOW TO EXPERIMENT WITH PERSPECTIVES

Amongst the many ways to achieve a great shot, composition is probably the most talked about. From the rule of thirds to leading lines, the possibilities are endless. That said, perspective should be every shutterbug’s priority; it usually means the difference between an average shot and a great one, and aligns with the other principles…

KEYS TO THE HEART (FILM REVIEW)

Lee Byung-Hun has carved a name for himself inhabiting steely characters with tortured pasts. In Keys to the Heart, he reprises this formula as a down-and-out boxer, who rediscovers family relations with his estranged mum and autistic brother. South Korea’s heartwarming version of Rain Man takes the same cues from the iconic classic, featuring tropes…

SURVIVAL FAMILY (FILM REVIEW)

Yoshiyuki Suzuki (Fumiyo Kohinata) returns home after a day’s work at the office. His wife Mitsue (Eri Fukatsu) struggles to fillet a fish, while teenage daughter Yui (Wakan Aoi) princesses about the “gross” produce from her grandfather Shigeomi Sasaki (Akira Emoto). His son Kenji (Yuki Izumisawa) returns home and heads straight to the room, ignoring…

RED SPARROW (FILM REVIEW)

Ah, Jennifer “I’ve-got-range” Lawrence. Hers is the name that launches a thousand roles, but maybe that brand is starting to slip with over-exposure. Forbes’ highest paid actress in 2015 and 2016 lost her place last year to Emma Stone – a sign that maybe the starlet’s reign is over? So Red Sparrow would be like…

MARROWBONE (FILM REVIEW)

In a crumbling old house, at the top of the stairs, a mother (Nicola Harrison) draws a line in the dusty floor and announces, “our story starts here”. As her four children step over the boundary, the audience also gets pulled into a narrative that’s inventive and original, but also bewildering and occasionally frustrating. Former…

A BEAUTIFUL MOMENT (FILM REVIEW)

For those who don’t know, he sui (festive) films are celebratory movies which pop up during the lunar new year period. They have become a precursor staple to augur the holidays, much like the clanging songs, red packets and mountains of tangerines, but have noticeably waned over the years in popularity. In a way, these…

WINCHESTER (FILM REVIEW)

This show is proof that no actor is infallible, no matter how great their acting chops might be. Winchester is the story of why the eccentric Sarah Winchester built one of the America’s most famous houses. Helen Mirren plays the grieving widow and purported mentally-unsound heiress to the Winchester firearm empire. Eager to unseat her…

EOS WORLD SPOTLIGHT: ONG HAO XU

You wouldn’t be able to tell, but this quiet physiotherapy student has a popular Instagram profile that features a stunning mix of modern architecture, moving street scenes and intimate portraiture. We speak to him on his creative process when away from his studies. Hao Xu is often drawn to architectural symmetry and lines in his…

I, TONYA (FILM REVIEW)

It’s true. Our society is hardly forgiving towards those who makes mistakes. And quick to condemn at that. Tonya Harding was an Olympic figure skater, who in a 1991 competition, did a triple axel on the ice. Not was she the first American to ever do so, even after a quarter of a century, only…

EOS WORLD SPOTLIGHT: ISAAC TEO

When not studying, Isaac fills his Instagram with an impressive aesthetic feed. He manages to string architectural buildings lines with saturated street scenes and portraits for a lush feed. Find out how he collates his visuals. Could you tell us a little about yourself, and what you do? I’m 21, currently a full-time student at…

SUPERSIZE YOUR SUPERMOON SHOTS

Get ready for a special treat this 2018! On 31st January, the moon will do what it hasn’t done in more than 150 years. On that day, an astronomical event known as the super blue full moon eclipse will happen. Not sure what to do during this once in a blue moon event (pun intended)?…

YOUTH (FILM REVIEW)

By placing Youth in the timeline of the Cultural Revolution, it’s inevitable some pundits will expect a form of commentary or advocacy from the film, especially when it’s from a Mainland Chinese director. From the cushy seat of a critic, one should think nothing of asking a native director to turn entertainment into mouthpiece against…

EOS WORLD SPOTLIGHT: JIMMY CHAN

Exploring is in Jimmy’s DNA. He loves to scout out new subjects, and evolve his photography skills through his trials. Read about what he has discovered so far, and what his dreams are. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself? I started being serious about photography just 6 to 7 months ago. Apart…

THAT UNEXPECTED CHILL

Because of the weather, I had a rare chance to see a different side to Singapore. People smilingly scrunched up in jackets; hot coffee passing me by, smelling like it’s from another dimension; an odd sapped-out palette that makes everything look like a timeless print from an old newspaper. Amidst that, I enjoyed my evening…

ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE TWO WORLDS

This movie will make you want to be a better person. And entertain you while it’s at it. Most religious tenets include one of judgment in the afterlife. Along with the Gods brings a noble firefighter Kim Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun) into Korean purgatory, having died on duty while saving a girl. For having led an…

EOS PROFESSIONAL: TRISTON YEO

Never one to stick to a formula, Triston Yeo adapts and evolves his skills through personal experimentation. This has served him well in photography, for both work and self. Find out what makes him tick. Could you tell me a little about yourself, as well as what made you pick up photography and motivated you…

SATAN’S SLAVES (FILM REVIEW)

The 70s and 80s is having a great run in entertainment these days. From Stranger Things and Dark, to Ouija and It, the period serves itself well in the horror genre, most notably because there’s no mobile phones to the rescue. Satan’s Slave is a remake of Sisworo Gautama Putra’s 1980 film of the same…

OMG I WON

The message came in during a media movie preview session. After seeing the notification when I was exiting the cinema, I was confused. Why was this Indonesian guy on Instagram telling me that I won a Uniqlo contest? So I went over to the Uniqlo Wherever contest site and turns out, I won! My hand…

LEGEND OF THE DEMON CAT (FILM REVIEW)

When you have the venerable Chen Kaige at the helm, you can expect lush visuals that are hard to ignore. Colours, textures, movement, all come together in an airy dance that is pure foreplay to the eyes. CGI fever has overtaken many modern films in China, no doubt due to the rising younger audience who…

RING IN CHRISTMAS WITH RED AND GREEN

While red usually warns of danger, excitement and power, and green promises nature and nurture, when the two colours collide, they are a complementary duo that represents the best of Christmas. Here’s what you need to know before you get snappin’ these hues this festive season. Turn on the lights. It’s Christmas! Photo credit: Kevin Dooley…

GIFTS THAT REALLY SLEIGH – YOUR GUIDE FOR THE CANON FAN (ADVANCED)

With the list of features longer than your own gift list, buying professional equipment for the Canon fan can be a daunting task. The jargon itself can easily overwhelm, especially when you don’t have the expertise and there’s no context. Because professionals likely use cameras as tools of their trade, it’s always good to check…

PITCH PERFECT 3 (FILM REVIEW)

Last call Pitches. This reviewer says: we can hope. In the latest installment, the girls may have left their textbooks, but the scriptwriters seemed to have returned to theirs. Pitch Perfect 3 sees the harmonising group Bella take on the biggest stage ever – real life. Things after college is note-acibly not as glamorous, and…

GIFTS THAT STILL SLEIGH – YOUR GUIDE FOR THE CANON FAN (INTERMEDIATE)

You know Christmas is coming, and your special recipient can already rattle off their aperture settings and talk about the perfect ISO for the Orchard Road light-up. They sound almost professional – almost. But what they’re lacking in is some equipment upgrade to further their skills. The intermediate photographer is a tricky person to buy…

GIFTS THAT SLEIGH – YOUR GUIDE FOR THE CANON FAN (ENTRY-LEVEL)

Every year it’s the same story. One blink and you’re catapulted to December. Next thing you know, bells are jingling and brows are furrowing – mainly over what to buy for loved ones. Because even though it’s the thought that counts, the gift still matters! We can’t speak to other products but we’d like to…

HONG KONG, CHINA – PLAYING WITH SPACE (HOTEL REVIEW)

When it comes to capsule hotels, you belong either to the can or can’t group. Luckily for me, I’m with the former, feeling more cosy than claustrophobic when it comes to small spaces. Coming across L’etoile de Mer was a big relief for me, given how expensive accommodation in Hong Kong can get. And flying…

TIPS FOR LONG EXPOSURE PHOTOGRAPHY

City scenes with traffic trails. Landscape scenes with wispy clouds. Your name literally written in light. There’s no doubt that long exposure photography is one of the most visually stunning, yet easily achievable effects that a photographer can attempt. And it’s not just for experts. Experimentation is part of the fun, and it’s easy to…

THE SACRED RIANA WINS ASIA’S GOT TALENT 2

Twitching her way into the finals with her spooky illusion acts, The Sacred Riana (aka Marie Antoinette Riana Graharani), has won Asia’s Got Talent Season 2 on AXN. With over 70 millions views on Facebook and YouTube, it may not have come as a surprise to some, but it was still a nail-biting results show…

THE THOUSAND FACES OF DUNJIA (FILM REVIEW)

There are a few stalwarts in the Hong Kong movie industry, and two of them are in this film. Tsui Hark’s hand in creating commercial cinema during the “Golden Age” is legendary. Both entertaining and original, his classics such as A Better Tomorrow, A Chinese Ghost Story and Green Snake have all been milestones of…

ASIA’S GOT TALENT: GRAND FINALS (REVIEW)

If viral videos are any indication of a show’s success, then Asia’s Got Talent Season 2 has got it down pat. From the creepy The Sacred Riana to the joint-popping ADEM Dance Crew, audiences have shared this season’s acts widely, garnering international attention. So it’s no wonder with such talent, that tonight’s 9 finalists turned…

A TAXI DRIVER (FILM REVIEW)

Other than in South Korea, and for people in that region during May 1980, not many may have known about the Gwangju Uprising, where hundreds, and some witnesses suggest thousands, of civilians were massacred during demonstrations against a military coup. This state secret back then would have gone undocumented, if not for Jürgen Hinzpeter, a…