Author Archives: misterjames

001 The Raid – Indonesian Exploitation Flick Goes International (NSFW)

By misterjames | Published: January 6, 2012
Be warned, this clip may be NSFW or even NSFL if you’re the sensitive type: If the clip is anything to go by, whatever plot this film contains is merely a flimsy excuse for a lengthy string of violent acts.  Although, as acts of violence go, they seem to be nicely choreographed.  The IMDb info is [...]
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001 Review – Nathaniel’s Nutmeg

By misterjames | Published: November 24, 2011
The full title of the book is: Nathaniel’s Nutmeg: How One Man’s Courage Changed the Course of History.  With such an apparently narrow focus, I deferred reading it until now.  In fact, the book describes the history of the spice trade from an English perspective. The Eastern Islands of what is now Indonesia [...]
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001 Dangdut Singing Contest

By misterjames | Published: June 17, 2011
Joko’s selection of four contestants in a recent Dangdut sing-off somewhere in East Java.  Our first clip is Derby Florentina, from Pare, singing Pacar Temanku. Our next contestant, #12, is Firda Asilvi, also from Pare.  Her song is ‘Keramat’. We aren’t told the name of contestant 28, but the song is ‘Emang Dasar Bajingan’. Our final contestant, [...]
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002 Jaka Sembung: Bull Fighting

By misterjames | Published: June 14, 2011
After making his escape, Jaka Sembung leads the resistance against the Dutch.  Unable to catch him, they post a 100 guider reward. This clip opens with Kobar arriving at the alun alun (town square) in style.  Jaka’s wife, played by Eva Arnaz, bumps into him as he takes a closer look at the ‘wanted’ poster.  Making [...]
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006 Dangdut: Reny Farida

By misterjames | Published: June 13, 2011
Reny has quite a following, this is one of the more popular dangdut clips I have posted so far.  She has a solid performance style, but it doesn’t strike me as being unique. Whether it’s the key to her popularity or not, having an unusual appearance can only help to make her stand out from [...]
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002 Police are People Too – Bollywood Lipsynch

By misterjames | Published: April 4, 2011
  Life at the station can be boring unless you make your own entertainment.  From the look on the face of the first policeman, he knows exactly what entertainment his colleague is bringing.  I wonder how many times a day he does this? The real surprise of this clip comes at the end – if you’re [...]
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001 Javanese Culture – The Wisdom of an Ancient People

By misterjames | Published: April 4, 2011
Every culture has its precepts. They are passed down the generations by simple to understand sayings which pass into the language to almost become cliches. Ana is a Javanese who has lived in Jakarta (far from the Javanese heartland of Central Java) for a few years. A few days ago, when she was reconnecting with [...]
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001 Jaka Sembung: Credits

By misterjames | Published: March 28, 2011
The credits of this film follow a lengthy prologue which introduces the situation and some of the main characters.  The setting is Java, some time during the Dutch Colonial period, though you would be excused for thinking it is somewhere in the Spanish wastelands.   Javanese hero Jaka Sembung (Barry Prima) is imprisoned along with a group of [...]
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005 Dangdut: Evi Puspitasari – Banyu Kali

By misterjames | Published: February 20, 2011
  We get to watch Evi (Evipus to her fans) collect an endless stream of cash from the audience as she sings.  I’ve often heard this song which while travelling in Java, so it must be popular, but I have no idea what it’s about.  Compare with this version by the husky voiced Vivi Rosalita:   This song should really be classified as campursari, [...]
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US Film Producers Threaten Boycott

By misterjames | Published: February 19, 2011
Bernama reports that MPA, which represents most of the US movie industry, is threatening to stop sending movies to Indonesia.  This is part of its negotiations over a proposed levy by the Indonesian government.  I can’t see how this will be of concern to Indonesian lawmakers, they already have a big local film industry to support [...]
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