I watched Ice Kacang Puppy Love last Wednesday. It's probably my first time ever watching a locally produced movie in the cinema. And honestly it didn't do badly at all.When I first heard of the movie, it was the cast that caught my attention. The cast was sorta made up of the Who's Who of Malaysian Chinese Entertainment Royalty. If you are familiar with them, we have Lee Sinje (famous actress for The Eye horror film), Victor Wong (one half of the once oh-so-famous Michael&Victor duo), Fish Leong (Taiwan-based Malaysian singer famous for her love songs), Gary Chaw Ge (also a Taiwan-based Malaysian singer who had an infamous brawl with Justin, a HK singer), Nicholas Teo (another Taiwan-based M'sia singer) and Penny Tai (yes, yet another Taiwan-based M'sia singer) [We sure do have a lot of talents based overseas huh] Not to mention the movie was a directorial debut for Ah Niu, a M'sia singer-songwriter. I was intrigued that he managed to bring together so many artistes for the film, what more when most of them are actually noted for their singing not their acting. And when the film began showing in cinemas, I started hearing whispers of how good the movie was. That was when I decided to give it a go :)
The sypnosis:-
“Ice Kacang Puppy Love” is loosely based on Malaysian Ah Niu's own growing up in Penang. In this directorial debut, he also stars as the boy who is a little shy. It’s love at first sight when a girl moves to his forsaken village and he grows up with her through primary and secondary school. However, she’s a bit of a tomboy who can fight off bullies while he’s so timid that he can’t even make coffee at his father’s shop.
Set in the late 80s-early 90s where there are no such things as mobile phones, computers, PSPs, or high-tech electronic gadgets. Where children run around in the villages, playing guli (marble), challenging each other with their pet fighting fishes, and where villagers spend their mornings/afternoons/evenings at the main coffee shop chit-chatting and gossiping away. It does rekindles the childhood memories especially for those who grew up exactly in such a setting (I was one of them!)
And seeing those scenes kinda gives you a feel-good feeling. The Indian bread seller on his motorcycle, retro fans, radio-cassette player, the Indian barber that mothers usually take their little boys to to shave their heads, the pre-war shophouses, the traditional way of making coffee, and a kid drinking coffee from the saucer.... Ahh it breathes a certain air of peacefulness and nostalgia. The film even brings us to Penang specifically to the Chew Jetty; even closer to home :)
I like the overall plot and had quite a many good laughs watching some of the antics. Certain scenes were pretty touching while the ending manages to hit a point on the reality when it comes to love. I love how they captured some of the scenes and translated them into paintings. Nice. Not to forget also the score and theme song of the movie. It's a lovely remake of an 80s song by Ah Niu. I prefer the new version for its slower tempo and rhythm. And the lyrics are meaningful too. It talks about a cherished memory of a puppy love that once was...
Listen to it while enjoying a bowl of ice kacang (no kacang for me) and you might just love it *winks
My Rating:
