Congkak

The trio, Ahmad Idham (Director), Pierre Andre (Script Writer) and Producer David Teo are back with their second installment of the new generation local horror movie triumph. After their success releasing Jangan Pandang Belakang which practically collected millions from Malaysian and SEA audiences, the creative trio came back with an improved all new horror flick.

KN and I was at KLCC TGV on the first day of Congkak screening on April 17. After months not going to the cinema, we were looking forward to another cerita hantu to scare the wits out of us. Knowing KN yang sungguh penakut will definitly have both hands covering the face throughout the movie.

Well I think the plot is somewhat like the classic Poltergiest (but defnitely not as scary). The female lead Nanu Baharuddin and the two children actresses were superb but there was something wrong with Riezman's acting. Rieazman I think was a bit unnatural, perhaps because this was his first movie as a lead actor - I dunno, I just think him being around his family, the way he talks and the way he acts is unnatural.

The movie was okay overall, there are improvements from the previous Jangan Pandang Belakang but I think the effects are simply overdone. Especially the ending part where the earth was broken in two and I especialy do not favor the part when the house supposedly collapsed. I think with the RM7+ million these trio collected from JPB, they could afford to at least make the house really collapse, like those in Western movies.

Another thing is I hope in Pierre's next horror movie, Jangan Tegur, Ruminah Sidek wont become a ghost or a freak old lady anymore. Get what I mean? Too much of the same person will be boooorrriiinng. Don't do the same Dato' Yusof Haslam and Abdul Razak Mohaideen's (yucks I don't watch his films - crappy to the max) mistake of hiring the same actors and actresses in most of their movies... balik-balik muka tu je until you can't differentiate one movie from another. I guess this is a norm in Malaysian movies ever since the late Tan Sri P.Ramlee's days to Ogy and Ebby Saiful era, Awie and Erra era and so on and so forth... There are many talented people in Malaysia (Kal El for example hehehe) who is waiting to be discovered.

Here's the plot in summary (as taken from Wikipedia)
Kazman is a dedicated husband who, despite his wife Sufiah's protests, decided to buy a bungalow for their family near a lake as a family getaway. Anxious in the new house, Sufiah feels as if someone is watching her. Her daughter Lisa, who would always go downstairs at night to play congkak with someone whom she could only see, compounds her uneasiness. Sufiah throws the congkak in the lake, but is awakened the next night by the sound of the congkak being played again and upon investigation, she sees an old lady playing it. When her daughter disappears, the oldest resident in that area, Pak Tua, comes to the family's rescue and helps in locating the missing family members.