The next Yao Ming?
SLAM
By Grace Kee
Director: Jonathan Lim
Starring: Andrew Chou (aka: Machi Di Di), Lin Shao Fan, Zhang Yi Shan and Zhao Wen Qi
Official website: http://www.slamthemovie.com
With sports being one of the most popular activity in the world, sports movies always seem to find themselves opening to large audience. When presented in a way that specifically caters to the prime demographic of teenagers, it's almost certain that it will be a hit. With the onslaught of basketball movies coming out this year, it's our bet that SLAM is going to be the one that people will be talking about in 2008.
The message in SLAM doesn't just apply to the sport of basketball. One doesn't need to love basketball to be able to tell the difference between a point-guard and appreciate what writer/director Jonathan Lim has managed to do with China's obsession with basketball dreams.
The visual style of the film is fast, with lots of zooms and quick jump edits. Some may find this irritating or disturbing, but the choice of this visual style does help to bring out and emphasize the emotion of the characters.
With a solid story line and great cinematography, SLAM is undeniably one of the best sports movies made this year. The film does a good job of showing the competitive nature of not just the kids but their parents, the pressure put on teenagers to perform, and the high price to be paid for wanting to excel at all costs. It also manages to show how playing team sports in high school can help teenagers bond, build discipline and teamwork, impart life lessons; while still have fun at the same time.
With a universal appeal, SLAM is definitely a classic underdog story that we never grow tired of watching.
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