By Deborah Goldman
Issue 92 - March 2010

Welcome to On The Couch, a round-up of reviews and readers’ opinions about TV and film.

Have your say by emailing us at contribute@expatlivingsingapore.com.

TV
The Hullabaloo
about Waybuloo

We’re big fans of TeleTubbies and In The Night Garden here at Expat Living – so are our children, for that matter. Hence our anticipation about the latest preschool offering on CBeebies, a new show called Waybuloo.

Waybuloo, say the show’s producers, incorporates “uplifting themes of happiness and harmony brought vividly to life through a combination of live action and cutting-edge CGI animation”.

There’s some terminology you don’t often see in the same sentence: “happiness and harmony” and “cutting-edge CGI animation”.
Specifically, the show revolves around four animated characters called Piplings who explore themes such as friendship, co-operation and citizenship. In each episode, six children (“Cheebies”) visit the world of the Piplings to encounter different situations and the emotions that come from them.

And here’s a little bonus: the Piplings practise something called “yogo”, which is a gentle form of stretching similar to yoga. This means that both children and parents can get a bit of exercise while they watch the box.

The Characters

• Yojojo - The monkey-like Pipling, representing happiness. He is funny, clumsy, cheeky and the youngest of
                 the group.
• Lau Lau - The rabbit-like Pipling, representing imagination. She is generous, calm and insightful.
• Nok Tok - The bear-like Pipling, representing wisdom. He loves to solve problems and always comes up with
                    creative and inventive solutions.
• De Li - The kitten-like Pipling, representing love. She is warm, fuzzy and affectionate.

Catch Waybuloo on CBeebies exclusively for SingTel mioTV Channel 28, daily at 6.30am, 10.30am, 4.30pm and 6.30pm.

Movie Tickets via Television
A new service for StarHub customers let you buy Golden Village movie tickets on your TV. All StarHub TV customers using the HubStation and HubStation HD will be able to book and purchase movie tickets from Golden Village with just a few clicks of the remote control. A user-friendly interface lets you select the movie, the cinema and the screening time. There’s also real-time information on seating availability; it’s like booking a ticket online. You pay the going rate for the particular tickets, plus a $1 transaction fee. There are nine Golden Village multiplexes in Singapore, with a total of 73 screens.
www.gv.com.sg
www.starhub.com

Film
Hachiko: A Dog’s Story

Richard Gere has long been associated with small furry animals, but this time it’s completely kosher. If you love dogs, go and see this film. If you don’t, then watch it anyway because this American remake of the 1987 Japanese movie is an astounding tale of love, loyalty and devotion based on real life events that took place in 1920s Japan.

Hachiko is just a puppy when Professor Parker (Gere) finds him abandoned at the train station, and the bond between them is instantaneous. Every day Hachi accompanies Parker to the station before work, and then greets him upon his return. After Parker suffers a fatal heart attack, Hachi continues to wait for him at the same time every day for nine long years, and his resolute devotion touches many who come into contact with him.

This is a film of two halves: the first is heart-warming and comical; the second, heart-wrenching and tragic. Seen through the eyes of both human and hound it conveys the powerful emotion of love that exists between a man and his dog.

The real Hachiko died in 1935, but he is immortalised in bronze at the very spot where he waited all those years, and visitors to Tokyo can still see him outside Shibuya Station today.
Bring tissues. Lots of tissues!