Pao ba hai zi

Wonderful performances by children, good family messages and some truly funny laugh-out-loud moments ("one, two, three, kick!").

The Singapore vs. Malaysia water politics were completely missed by me, and it was only after my Singaporean friends explained it to me that I understood the controversy. Anyone not from the region will simply not even notice it.

At the same time, the water politics give the movie an interesting aspect, and probably bring light to an issue that most people outside the region would never have heard of previously. So, regardless on your stance on the issue, it can't hurt to bring more attention to the issue.

Definitely see this film with your kids!

Sorry, the title I wrote is just a joke, now let's cut to the chase.

This Singapore film, again by Jack Neo, very touched, about a boy and a girl called Chew Seow Fang and Chew Kiat Kun, both poor and optimistic, when Chew Kiat Kun accidentally lost his sister's shoes, he knew he had to do something, but, to be honest, Chew Seow Fang's feet looked quite good, I know it's not right, but I had to say that.

I guess I saw a very touched scene that I came to my tears, Chew Kiat Kun tried to convince his parents and headmaster to let him join the race to win the shoe prize, and he did his best and won it, I can help myself no more, and I was deeply touched.

Remarkable film, competed to the I Not Stupid Too (2006). I ranted 10/10.

i have incidentally watched this film from a television channel..and to my surprise i was really so so touched by this film. i was crying the whole time while watching the film. i love the simplicity of the story. it really depicts real life situations as well as emotions. i was so touched how the big brother cared so much for his sister..how the two kids struggled just because they can't replace the lost pair of shoes..whew!the most touching scene was when the two kids would exchange footwear every after class just to get to school with shoes on... a true tearjerker! the film relays many lessons and insights! it teaches about humility, passion, love, care and mostly, HOPE! Every scene is full of emotions. i was able to feel the message that was being sent to viewers like me. i also love the theme song as the film is coming to its climax! everything about the film just amazed me! i can't stop loving it! GREAT! GREAT! GREAT!

Having Homerun shown on television tonight was an opportunity to compare the masterpiece of the original Children of Heaven, and the local remake done by Jack Neo. To his credit, taking on such a film and remaking for the local audience is a feat of courage, and given that the young rookie Megan Zheng had actually won a Golden Horse award for her performance, I thought it would something at least. Sad to say, the movie is really quite devoid of a soul and lacks the innocent charm of the original. If you really want to watch this, then make sure you haven't seen Children of Heaven, or you'll be disappointed.

First of all, it's an adaptation, so key scenes are replicated in Homerun. While not shot-for- shot, it still has elements that are instantly recognizable, and in attempts to deviate slightly from the original, some scenes were played out in verbatim, or found a needless desire to be explained in every minute detail. Jack Neo did try to infuse some environmental changes with Homerun, and had the setting and premise in 1965 Singapore, where we still had villages, and the production values allowed a Singapore of yesteryear to be recreated. However, in trying to carve out something still unique for Homerun, he put in what he knows best - I Not Stupid. While acting talent is scarce here, putting familiar faces into the movie, and again with the school setting, draws too much similarities and can't shake off the ghost of the I Not Stupid series.

What created a slight ruckus at the time, was the incorporating of the spat between Singapore and our neighbour, in not-too-subtle scenes that on one hand tried to draw some laughter, and on the other trying to add some much needed depth to a bland copy of Majid Majidi's classic. In doing so, what was essentially achieved was to divert attention from the main story, and introduced some scenes of football, petty school spats (you just got to love hating those small sized boys with big mouths) and the issue on water, all of which only achieved one undesired objective, and that's to extend the runtime. Homerun was anything but a homerun in the making, and could have actually cut down such unwanted scenes to tighten the pace.

While Megan Zheng might have won the Golden Horse award, she's no Bahare Seddiqi. The former's expression relied on plenty of tears, and a perpetual scowl she puts on her face. While Seddiqi endears, Zheng can't do any of that. Her screen sibling Ah Kun, played by Shawn Lee, is no better than Amir Farrokh Hashemian too. Ah Kun turned out to be lacking the street smarts, and was quite dependent on his friends to pull him out of his predicaments. So if you're looking at Homerun on the basis of the leads alone, they can't hold a candle to the original casted siblings.

Honestly, Homerun is a decent production, but when compared to the original, it pales by plenty of miles. Understandably Jack is no Majid, but one thing that really irked me, is how Jack consistently shovels sympathy down your throat by replaying scene after scene of reminders of how pitiful the children are, now that they have to share a shoe, and reminders of how the shoe's disintegrating, and included a scene involving broken glass bottles, which is ridiculous and only there to milk some more sympathy points (which backfired of course). Come on, we're not stupid, and too much of something done in such an obvious manner, will only cause the rolling of eyes.

Children of Heaven, this is definitely not. Stick to the original, and nothing less.

I have watched this movie a few times before in Chinese class. I never really got to truly appreciate and understand this movie until now.

"Homerun" is about two poor siblings who have to share shoes after the brother accidentally loses his sisters' pair of shoes. The plot is simple, but amazingly, the movie managed to get deep and emotional. It's truly a wonder.

This is really an inspiring film. At first, I thought the plot was too over the top and too unrealistic, but after watching the whole film, I realized: How would I know? Myself, like Beng Soon, was born into a fortunate family and (as he put it:) I don't understand what it's like to live without shoes. I have never been in a situation like that, so I don't have any right to decide whether something like this is unrealistic or whatnot.

I love family films and this one, although foreign, is no exception. I really liked the bond that the siblings shared. Even if things would not go the way they wanted it to, they never gave up and always found ways to work through them together. That was inspiring.

The one thing I did not like in this film was the humor that seemed to be trying too hard. There were so many scenes in the movie that could have just been cut and made the film better. The so-called funny scenes with Kun's classmates were unnecessary. The bad humor played a big part in my low score for this movie. Aside from that, I think that the cast could have been improved. The movie would do well without some of the students. The lead actor seemed to be lacking in something. However, the actress who played the sister and the actor who played the rival, did terrific jobs.

Viewed on: June 17, 2011