A few days ago, a French teenager seriously injured two people in an apparent attempt to imitate the movie Scream 3 . The 16-year-old had put on a black-and-white ghost mask similar to the one used in the Wes Craven horror franchise before stabbing his father and step-mother. He was reported to have seen Scream 3 the day before the stabbing.

This is not the first time that a movie could have been used as a blueprint for extreme behaviour. The film version of Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange was banned in Britain by its director Stanley Kubrick himself after a gang styled itself after the loutish, anti-social rapists depicted therein. Other examples are Natural Born Killers and Child's Play 2 , both of which were mentioned in high-profile murder cases.

This highly disturbing trend isn't confined only to violent movies. Even Superman isn't safe: Remember the kid who tied a towel around his neck and then jumped from his bedroom window in an attempt to go faster than a speeding bullet? Needless to say, the young idiot did not live long enough to catch Superman 2 .

The sources of this copycat phenomenon are varied and complex, but I will make things easier for you by blaming Westerners. The trouble with Scream 3 , Natural Born Killers , Child's Play 2 and Superman is that they were made by Westerners. This is why the copycat incidents highlighted in the media are so hair-raisingly vile, aberrant and plain not nice.

Life will be a lot more pleasant if people would just imitate Malaysian movies instead. Let's take [#1]Mimpi Moon[/#] as a random example.

Since its opening on April 6, Shuhaimi Baba's romantic comedy has inspired people to troop to the cinemas but it has sadly, as far as I know, not inspired any copycat incidents. This is a shame because there are so many positive things in the movie, which has not a single stabbing scene, that should be imitated.

As this movie has apparently been tapped for international distribution, there is still hope left. If Malaysians don't have enough imagination to copy Mimpi Moon , it is hoped that audiences in other countries can be more forthcoming. I will list down just seven of these positive things:

1. Doctors can all walk out of the cinema and deliver spirited live singing performances, just as the doctor played by Ning Baizura does in the movie. What a talented gal!

2. Boyfriends can all be understanding as Iskandar Najmuddin, who lets go of Kavita Sidhu with nary a sulk or a whimper, let alone a full-scale punching session, when she says she'd rather stay in Langkawi than go back with him to London. What a sweet guy!

3. Mothers will all be inspired to look as youthful as Asha Gill, who could pass for her daughter Kavita's classmate. What an amazing woman!

4. Maimed Cambodian refugees can all be as plucky as the maimed Cambodian refugee played by Afdlin Shauki, who's so energetic that he acts like he's auditioning to be the host of a zany talk show. What a life-affirming guy!

5. Singers can all be like the singer played by Jit Murad, who can confirm the vocal arrangements for his new song in a matter of seconds before dashing off to a Bangsar cafe. What an efficient guy!

6. Villagers can all be like the villagers of Batu Suara Langkawi, who function as silent, decorative props through which the young, swinging cast can wantonly weave in and out while pursuing romance and comedy. What an accommodating bunch!

7. Goats can all be like the goat in the movie. What does the goat do? To find out, watch Mimpi Moon yourself.