I thought the new (or interim) Black Panther was underwhelming. I did not get the impression of strength or agility or resilience from the new Black Panther. The new protector of Wakanda was more pussycat than panther. An angry or vengeful pussycat, but still a pussycat.
Namor was also underwhelming. Killmonger was more menacing, and had more swagger. Namor was calm, reasonable, and civilised. There was no sense of dread or menace from him.
And the movie was too long.
<The Press Briefing. 9 Aug 1965. Lee Kuan Yew and his Cabinet faces the press. The journalists wait expectantly, respectfully quiet. Lee would be speaking. He is gathering his thoughts. There is no prepared statement. No carefully worded press release. No notes. Lee is speaking off the cuff. The silence is deafening. It's quiet enough to hear a clock ticking....>
LKY: "You see, the whole of my adult life, <pause> I had believed in Malaysia and Merger and the unity of these two territories. You know it's a people who... connected by geography, economics and ties of kinship <pause. tears up> <This segment could be the recorded TV footage. After the pause, Lee could speak>
"Would you mind if we stop for a while?"
<Time Stops. The ticking clock stops ticking.>
LKY: Where do we go from here?
Choo: <off stage/screen, sings echo-ey> "Where do we go from here." <Walks on stage.> So you're singing songs from Evita now? [Note: Evita was written in the late 70s, so this is an anachronism.]
LKY: I don't know what to do!
Choo: That has never stopped you. You may not know the exact next step, but you always know where you are heading.
LKY: And look where I have brought us: to disaster! I wanted Merger. I wanted a future with Malaysia. I wanted Singapore to be the shining gem in Malaysia... And now we will NEVER be!
Choo: We may never be a shining gem in Malaysia, but there's no reason we can't be a shining gem, anyway.
LKY: How do we even survive?
Choo: <sings "What do you see?">
There’s a jewel on the ocean,
a gem upon the sea
Where the future is an open book
A land of destiny
LKY <Sings> "What do you see? What do you see?"
Choo: <sings>
See the moon and the stars, look how far we have come
Look around at our faces, they shine brightly in the sun
With our hopes and dreams, imagine what tomorrow it may bring
What do you see?
LKY: <Sings> What do you see?
Choo: You wanted Singapore to be independent of British rule, of Japanese rule. And then you sought to put Singapore under Malaysian rule? Why would you think that that would be better? For almost two years, you and your colleagues tried to make it work, try to wring some benefit out of this Merger. But all you got was grief. They take from us, exploit us, tell us what we can and cannot do, and we never got the access to the common market we had wanted. All we got was blood for our sweat and tears. You call this your Moment of Anguish -- what are you anguished about? They gave us independence, not out of altruism or for our best interest. But to see us fail. To see your Moment of Anguish. And now you have given them that Moment of Anguish. They are laughing at you back in Kuala Lumpur, Harry. They are patting themselves on their backs for finally getting back at the redoubtable Harry Lee. They are gleefully recounting to each other your Moment of Anguish. Laughing at your tears. And now, they are waiting for you to fail. For Singapore to fail. For your silly idealistic "Malaysian Malaysia", meritocratic equality to fail spectacularly.
LKY: <pauses for a long while. reflects. tears. Then quietly defiant.> Tan Ku Ku.
Choo: I see your Hokkien lessons are bearing fruit.
LKY: What has happened, has happened. There is no use crying over spilt milk. The only way forward, is forward. I have to change... how I see things. As you say, we may not be a shining gem in Malaysia, but we can still be a shining gem... to the world.
Choo: <sings preface to "We are Singapore" second verse/second half of preface>
"If all that we are is what we believe "
LKY: <Sings> "Then I know I’ve got to be the change I want to see "
Choo: <sings> "How easy we forget that everything takes time "
LKY <Sings> "No, nothing's ever perfect, but it will still be fine."
Choo: Let Malaysia be Malay. We will be Singapore.
LKY: We won't be a Chinese nation, or a Malay nation, or an Indian Nation. We will be a shining example for unity in a diversity of language, religion, culture. Everyone will have a place here. Everyone will be equal under the law.
<Time resumes. The clock starts ticking again.>
LKY: <To the camera, to the journalists, after composing himself> To the People of Singapore. What has happened, has happened. Be firm. Be calm. We are going to have a multi-racial nation in Singapore. We will set the example. This is not a Malay nation. This is not a Chinese nation. This is not an Indian nation. Everybody will have his place. Equal. Language, Culture. Religion.
Cast: <sings to the tune of "One People, One Nation, One Singapore" (words slightly tweaked)>
We'll build a place for us with our hands
We're searching for a place in this land
Look how far we've had to roam, searching for our new homeLet's reach out for the future, join our hands forevermore
What do you see
The script/screenplay for Spiderman: No Way Home can be found here.
Here is the opening page of the 182 page script:
