THE ONG BAK OF SUMO

The ONG BAK of sumo wrestling. That's how Malaysian director Afdlin Shauki describes his new movie, SUMO-LAH, which is in production. His last movie, BAIK PUNYA CILOK opened in December and is a break-out hit in Malaysia, and his next movie, BULI BALIK, will be released on January 23 in Malaysia.

BAIK PUNYA CILOK is about 4 friends who break into a pawnshop to recover a family heirloom but things, as they do, go awry and hilarity ensues. Afdlin Shauki also acts in the film. BULI BALIK is a sequel to his 2003 movie, BULI. But what you want to know about is SUMO-LAH.

There are sushi restaurants in Kuala Lumpur, and these restaurants belong to a shadowy underground sumo network that stages an annual, secret sumo tournament. That's the plot in a nutshell and it does have a lot of charm. Will it be a break-out hit in the West? It's hard to say, but consider Shauki's description of his crew's sumo training: "heehee it was a funny sight. All these wet, sweaty male bodies pushing up against each other..."

All those sweaty male bodies pushing up against each other. Isn't that a fair description of pretty much every action movie ever made, once you get down to it?

(Thanks to Wisekwai for this one)