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Why being a film fan in singapore kinda sucks...

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I’ve been living in Singapore since 2008 and it’s a great place. The public transport and infrastructure are really good. The people for the most part are great, the streets are clean and safe and life here is pretty great; however, it kinda sucks if you’re a film fan in Singapore. One reason why it sucks to be a film fan here is due to the IMDA a.k.a. Info-communications Media Development Authority. The IMDA decide what films are released here and they basically decide who can see it. This means tons of great films don’t get a release here, get released really late in cinemas, only get released on video on demand or they get little to no distribution and get slapped with an R21 rating for no reason.

For example the heist thriller American Animals got released in June of last year two weeks after the American wide release. It was released in three cinemas in Singapore at irregular timings and was given the age rating of M18 for the stupidest of reasons - “Coarse Language”. Yeah, you heard correctly, a film was given the age rating of M18 because of swear words. In England, this film is a 15+ in Australia it's a 13+. This means 13 year olds are allowed to see a film in New Zealand that a 17 year old in Singapore can’t. Let that sink in for a second. Films such as The Favourite (15+ in England), Love Simon (pg-13 everywhere but Singapore) and many more have been given an R21 age rating due to LGBT characters showing up in the films. This is frustrating as there are some great films I missed due to this very dated age rating system.

Furthermore Love Simon, a rom-com that got a PG-13 pretty much everywhere but over here in Singapore, is R21, rated higher than The Shape of Water, Overlord , both Deadpool films, The House That Jack Built, Hereditary... I could literally go on forever. Films like Love Simon and The Favourite have the same age rating as the new Suspira remake, Gaspar Noe’s Climax, Antichrist and A Clockwork Orange. In Singapore if you are a permanent resident or a citizen you must join the army at 18. This means you can fire a gun, drive tanks, literally learn to kill and potentially fight a war before you can see The Favourite in cinemas. In addition to this, tons of great films are M18 for no reason even though they are NC16 in other places, films like Widows, A Private War, Deadpool and such. The reason this in particular infuriates me is because I turned 16 in May of 2018 and was very excited as that meant I could see tons more films in cinemas but sadly not because most of the films that are actually good are 18. In addition to this, it's very rare we get a small indie film or an art house film or movie that tackles somewhat tough topics released in cinemas. It's even rarer that it’s released in a big chain cinema like Golden Village or Shaw Cinemas and it's even rarer if that film is not an 18 and even rarer still if it’s released on time. For example Blackkklansman was released in the US August 14, it came out in Singapore October 18th, with an NC16 rating in one cinema (The Projector) being shown at a bunch of odd timings. 2 weeks before its itunes release. Yep.

Most big film fans enjoy collecting films via iTunes and buying blu-rays and dvds. Sadly, this is pretty difficult here. The iTunes selection here is very limited and films come out almost five months after the cinema release which is three months later than the American iTunes store. If you want to own a physical copy - well that's gonna cost you. In Singapore, the average Blu-ray in store will cost you twice as much as buying it the US. The average price of a blu-ray in America is $20 here it's around $40. A 4K blu ray is $40 in america but would cost you around $60 her in good old Singapore. To add some more pain to the punch there is only one shop that sells blu-Rays, a chain brand called Poh-Kim Videos. Who not only get their products late, but also charge high prices and order the extra pricy versions of films to make sure they milk every single dollar out of their already struggling customers.

So in conclusion being a film fan in Singapore kinda sucks because even though we have plenty of cinemas, the awful age rating system and a lack of interest in smaller films from the general public as well as government restriction makes it hard to keep accessing the very best of film that is out there.

​

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  • Home
  • About Us
  • Literature
    • Book Reviews >
      • Stolen Away
      • Hunger Games
      • A Tale of Magic
      • The Red Pyramid
      • Keeper of the Lost Cities
  • Entertainment
    • Why Funny Girl Should Be The Movie Of This Generation
    • TikTok
    • Among Us Tips & Tricks
    • Among Us
    • LOONA’s 12:00 album review
    • Behind the Scenes
    • Boycott Mulan
    • Were the F.R.I.E.N.D.S really friends?
    • Halloween Myths
    • Dune Review
    • Top 3 Musicals for Teens
    • That's What You Missed On Glee
    • IPL
    • Champions League 2021
    • Colour Out Of Space Film Review
    • Uncut Gems Film Review
    • Little Women Review
    • Why Amber is the unsung hero of Sofia the First
    • The Two Popes Film Review: A Cinematic Sleeping Pill
    • Why I’m Not Watching Trailers Anymore
    • The Last Black Man In San Francisco: The Best Film Of 2019 That Nobody Is Talking About
  • Current Affairs
    • POLITICS >
      • Wake up, Boris Johnson
      • First Presidential Debate
      • Brexit: The Political Decision We Can’t Ignore
      • President-Elect Biden
      • US Elections 2020: When will we actually know the results of the election?
      • The US Election
      • Donald Trump's COVID-19 Diagnosis
      • Who Will Replace RBG?
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    • Vintage Shopping In Singapore
    • Get Your Golf Fix
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    • Drones. Why I love the world from above.
  • Editorial
    • Covid-19 Vaccine
    • Samsung Digital Cockpit
    • Riot or Protest?
    • Robot Baristas
    • Feminism and Men’s Rights
    • Why Don't We Speak About Our Mental Health
    • Anastasia Pagonis
    • Penicillin: The Discovery that Changed the World of Medicine
    • Do Video Games Cause Violence
    • Stairs: Would we be better off without them?
    • Women Who Shaped The World >
      • Bethany Hamilton
      • Harriet Tubman
      • Susan B. Anthony
      • Uncovered >
        • McJobs: Uncovered
        • CoVID-19
        • Chinese New Year
        • Poverty
        • Laziness
        • Inequality
    • Apple TV 4K
    • Contortion: An Introduction
    • Lessons From Covid
    • The Animal Hair Cut Craze
    • Know Your French Fries
    • Why 'OK, Boomer' Is Not The 'N-Word of Ageism'
  • Environment
    • The 6th Mass Extinction
    • Climate Countdown
    • I'm Dreaming Of A Green Christmas
    • What Busy People Need To Know About >
      • Flights to Nowhere
      • Australian Bushfires
      • Hurricane Dorian
      • Greta Thunberg
      • Melting Ice
  • Creative
    • Creative Writing >
      • One Last Breath
      • The Remote's Escape
      • The Remote's Back
      • The Clock: Part 2
      • The Secret Life of Potatoes (Part 2)
    • Comics - Seniors >
      • Seniors: Issue 1
      • Seniors: Issue 2
      • Seniors: Issue 3
      • Seniors: Issue 4
    • Comics - The Cherry Twins >
      • The Cherry Twins: Issue 1
      • The Cherry Twins: Issue 2
    • Comics - Miss Understood >
      • Miss Understood: Issue 1
    • Comics - Masquerade Ball >
      • Masquerade Ball: Issue 1
    • Art In Words >
      • I Can See the Light...
      • Above The Clouds
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      • Chanel's Fashion Revolution Reaches For The Stars
      • Caption Competiton
      • Funhome: Chloe Choo
      • Future World: Where Art Meets Science
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    • Fun With Flags
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  • Archive
    • Creative Archive >
      • The Clock: Part 1
      • The Man In the Bank
      • Adventurous Story Of A TV Remote - Part 1
      • Yishun: The Devil's Ring
      • A World With No Borders
      • An Interview With The Divers At The Heart Of The Thai Cave Rescue
      • The Mountains
      • The Day I Woke Up In Troy
      • In Japan
      • Pertinus the Tenacious
    • Current Affairs Archive >
      • Riot vs. Protest
      • #BLM What You Need To Know
      • A World Of Performative Activism
      • Entrepreneurship: The Key To Go From Zero To Hero
      • Why The U.S-Iran Conflict Is Sure To Escalate
      • Why India’s Citizenship Bill And Its Effects Are More Serious Than We Originally Thought
      • The Rise Of Bitcoin In 2019
      • Hurricane Delta
      • Why Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Murder Is More Significant Than We Originally Thought
      • Why Do Many Technology Startups Fail?
      • What Is The Trump-Ukraine Crisis And What Are Its Effects?
      • Ending The Hong Kong Protests - A Guide For Dummies
      • Why Brexit is Going Nowhere
      • Ending the Yemen War: A Guide for Dummies
      • India-Pakistan Conflict: A Dummies Guide
    • Editorial Archive >
      • Singapore's Latest Nuisance: Electric Scooters
      • Why Artificial Intelligence is the Future of Humanity
      • Self Driving Cars, The Future of The Automotive Industry
      • Should We Really Be Afraid Of Artificial Intelligence?
      • Something Is Rotten In The Heart of Tanglin's Head Team
      • Boeing 737 Max 8: A Question of Safety
      • A World in the Dark
      • The Day That Siri Died
      • Does Brandy Melville Fit into the Future of Fashion?
      • #NOFILTERPOETRY
      • World Cup Conspiracies
      • Is Money Really That Great?
      • Why I Hate Valentine's Day
      • How We Became Enslaved To The Social Media Overlords
      • The Projector VS Golden Village
      • A Little Red Dot
    • Entertainment Archive >
      • The Diary of Taylor Swift's Cats
      • Champions League Comebacks
      • It's Bruno, Possibly The Weirdest Show On Netflix?
      • Why Being a Film Fan in Singapore Kinda Sucks...
      • Fortnite Vs Apex: Let Battle Commence
      • The Dying Art Of One Direction Fanfiction
      • Taylor Swift Cancels Concert At The Melbourne Cup
      • Haji Lane
      • To All The Boys I've Loved Before
      • Thor Ragnarok film review
      • The Ring of Fury - Why Now?
      • The Films You Missed in 2018
      • Kingsman: The Golden Circle
  • Category