MORGAN AWYONG

MON MON MON MONSTERS (FILM REVIEW)

Right off the bat, acclaimed director Giddens Ko makes his statement – this is not like his 2011 hit You Are The Apple of My Eye. Mon Mon Mon Monsters may be set in a high-school, but bears nothing of the previous work’s whimsy or sentimentality. Instead, it asks the classic question – what makes…

WONDER BOY (FILM REVIEW)

Behind every song, there is an untold story – the liner of Wonder Boy promises. The inspired biopic film of our homegrown singer-composer Dick Lee sounded like a good idea during inception, but sadly ends up off-key. Benjamin Kheng is the 16-year-old Dick Lee, an outcasted musically-inclined boy who has a thing for composing his…

USING THE CANON EOS M5 FOR INSTAGRAM: HERWIN JOHARI

We think we know Singapore, but scrolling through Herwin Johari’s feed, one realises there’s so much on the island that we miss out on, during our daily rush to get things done. Founder of the aptly-named Explore Singapore feed as well, we speak to Herwin about using the EOS M5 for his social media. Herwin…

TU-TALLY SINGAPOREAN

If Singapore had a national dish, many would contend for a spot. But as with many origin stories, other countries might beg to differ. Try as we might, it’s difficult to clarify who exactly invented a dish. While the rest might be a little shady, one snack has been quietly steaming in the background, secure…

Wish Upon (Film Review)

It seems like horror films these days come more with cred tags than an actual tagline. You know, the sort that goes “by the makers/producers/director of Insidious/Conjuring/Annabelle”? Wish Upon is the latest entry, opting to put the combination of Director and Annabelle together to achieve that repute. The cursed wish box film certainly holds some…

A Quick Look Into Birding And Nature: Howard Yap

Howard Yap’s feed on Instagram features some amazing landscape, but what he is now known for are his stunning, detailed shots of regal birds in their natural habitat. We speak to him about his love for birding. Howard Yap Scrolling through your social feed, it’s clear that you have an affinity for animals, in particular,…

Spiderman: Homecoming (Film Review)

Coming after the box office titan that is Wonder Woman, one can only imagine the pressure faced by the execs at Marvel and Sony. Especially after a string of reboots that were tepid at best. They have nothing to worry about with Spiderman: Homecoming. It is amazing. Just when superhero franchise fatigue is setting in,…

Wu Kong (Film Review)

Also known as Wu Kong Zhuan, this newest adaptation of the Monkey King’s adventure stems from the writings of an internet sensation by the name of Jin Hezai. The budding internet novelist burst into fame in 2000 with a version that layered modern-day ideas into the classic, in a more consumable tone. Think Young Adult…

IRAN – WHAT I WAS AFRAID OF WHEN I WAS IN IRAN

I admit. Iran was supposed to be a trophy destination. I wanted to be that admired intrepid traveler that could pepper my Instagram with hashtags like #liveauthentic, #yolo and #survivor. People whispered: Desert villages, religious fundamentalists, oppressed citizens, broken buildings, terrorist groups and hardworking camels. It’s a war-torn country, right? The truth is – I…

The Wall (Film Review)

There’s two sides to every story. And The Wall tries to paint that by pitting an American Ranger against an Iraqi sniper in a tense 90-minute standoff in the desert, with titled wall between them. It’s 2007 and the Iraqi war has ended. Sergeants Shane Matthews (John Cena) and Allan Isaac (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) are a…

10 Popular Spots In South East Asia For Photos

One of the best things about living in Singapore is how central it is to many beautiful travel destinations. Just in the South East Asia list alone are countries that offer such diversity and beauty, it’s no wonder they become a photographer’s playground. We take a look at 10 of the most popular spots where…

Canon EOS Professional Spotlight – Stanley Cheah

While many like to capture motion, Stanley Cheah has made a point of doing speed photography in sports and events, to capture frozen stills with plenty of energy and story. We speak to him about his work. Sport Photographer: Stanley Cheah Camera: Canon 1DX MK II Lens: EF 400mm f/2.8 MK II You capture many…

This Is ReaLee Not About That House

For all the years the Opposition have tried to justify their accusations of nepotism and corruption of the ruling party, none have delivered a blow like the recent allegations from PM Lee Hsien Loong’s own siblings, Mr Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling. Singaporeans are understandably, up to this day, divided. This is…

The Next Instagram Trend: Lens Flare (And How to Capture It)

Straight on the heels of the Bokeh comes the next Instagram photography trend: The Lens Flare. Blame it on J.J.Abrams and his obsessive use of them in popular movies, or the insatiable appetite of Singaporeans for pretty light effects, this trending effect is flipping the table on traditional photography rules and ruling shots on social…

Giving Cause For Hope

On December 21, 2012, he didn’t expect the new Mayan calendar to bring about a new era for him. But Linus Lin, founder of Global Village for Hope, attributed an encounter during his descent at Mount Kyaiktiyo in Burma, also known as Myanmar, to be his trigger for his current philanthropic entity. As the 37-year-old…

The Mummy (Film Review)

Do you remember that game we played when we were young? The one where someone would start writing a paragraph of a story and pass it on to the next person to continue, but only letting them see the last line from that paragraph? After the last person finishes, the final tale that unfolds will…

Colossal (Film Review)

Gloria (Anne Hathaway) has fallen and can’t get up. The spunky online writer with a blunt haircut lost her job in New York and can’t muster enough self-worth to pursue another one. She proceeds to lose boyfriend and home, forcing her to escape to her parents’ unrented vacant house in her small hometown. This girl…

A Deeper Shade Of Blue

Earth is also known as The Blue Planet. And for good reason. The skies and the seas are the canvas upon where we rest our lands, the perfect hue that tells a different story, when paired with a different shade. The colour is in abundance, but the tones are tricky to get right, as light…

HOUSE OF THE DISAPPEARED (FILM REVIEW)

This might be the first time I’ve seen more ladies than men at a horror screening. I think the strapping Ok Taec Yeon had something to do with this. In House of the Disappeared, Mi-hee (Kim Yunjin) returns to house arrest after a 25-year jail-term sentence for murdering her husband and, presumably, her missing son….

Capturing The Face Of Malaria In Asia

Malaria victims in Asia are usually poor, isolated and voiceless. It’s as if these people don’t truly exist. However, the situation there is steadily improving, with the help of Singaporean photographer Pearl Gan. As part of her effort to raise awareness and educate people about the dangers of malaria, Pearl has teamed up with professor…

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (Film Review)

King Arthur is a name that launches a thousand myths. Excalibur. Camelot. Merlin. The knights of the round table. Avalon. The symbols that have been spun around a very real British leader in the 5th-6th century became one of England’s most beloved legend. In steps 21st-century director Guy Ritchie. The gutsy talent’s search for a…

Alien: Covenant (Film Review)

I never considered myself a purist. But Ridley Scott might make one of me yet. Director Scott’s Prometheus began a journey into an origin story, effectively transforming the word universe from noun to concept. Although panned by some fans wanting their high-thrill monsters and less rhetoric, the first prequel was not only a box-office success,…

SIAM SQUARE (FILM REVIEW)

What is busiest during the day, usually morphs into the creepiest at night. And so with Siam Square, Phairat Khumwan conjures an urban legend of a missing girl who haunts the grounds at night, forever searching for her way out. I’m sure there’s a big life lesson here, ending with a big, “moral of the…

EOS Professional: Nick Soo of OtterWatch

As a regular contributor to OtterWatch, Singapore’s leading project platform for consolidating otter images, full-time IT engineer Nick Soo has turned hobby into cause, with spirited and eye-catching documentations of the playful creatures. How did your journey in photography begin and how did it lead you to OtterWatch? I started my photography journey as a…

29 + 1 (Film Review)

Age milestones, like the annual New Year event, have a profound effect on human beings. Somewhere along the way, they have warped from celebrations to stressful introspective checkpoints. “What have I done with my life so far?” one asks of themselves. No one is feeling this more keenly than Christy Lam (Chrissie Chau), a high-flying…

Perfecting Those Snaps On The Road

Travelling is awesome. It takes us away from our daily routine to explore the world we live in and gain new perspective. Taking photos during our travels have taken on in a big way with digital and advanced mobile technology, but with it comes the problem of over-taking. We’ve all suffered through your friend’s fifty…

Going In Style (Film Review)

You’ve got Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Arkin – something’s gotta work, we say. Unfortunately, even this trio of legends fall flat in Zach Braff’s Going In Style, going through the entire film like a dress rehearsal. It’s like that itch which you can’t really get to, or that sneeze that never came –…

Fabricated City (Film Review)

“If it wasn’t something new, I had no reason to come back,” proclaims Director Park Kwang-hyung on his latest film, Fabricated City. And admittedly, the classic story of a scapegoat turning tables on his offenders is getting a little predictable. After a decade-long break, Park injects enough ingenuity into his latest work to keep the…

Welcome to my April

They say kings are born in April. Power I have little of – at least over a nation; But Iran is currently ruling my heart and state of being. I must have a magpie as a totem animal because I like collecting receipt stubs, local plants, odd packets and (as a mermaid once said) thingamabobs…

7 Key Things to Remember For That Perfect Valentine’s Day Shot

Flowers wither. Chocolates get eaten. But memories stay forever. Yet capturing those Valentine’s Day moments is easily one of the most overlooked aspects for the day. With all the buzz around the activity and gifts, snapshots become an afterthought – a shame given the many iconic moments that can happen. This Valentine’s, try moving photography…