SYNOPSIS: As a rookie member of an elite special-forces team, Rama (Iko Uwais) is instructed to hang back during a covert mission involving the extraction of a brutal crime lord from a rundown fifteen-story apartment block. But when a spotter blows their cover, boss Tama (Ray Sahetaphy) offers lifelong sanctuary to every killer, gangster and thief in the building in exchange for their heads. Now Rama must stand in for the team's fallen leader Jaka (Joe Taslim) and use every bit of his fighting strength - winding through every floor and room to complete the mission and escape with his life.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Some filmmakers make stark improvement as the years passed while others simply remain stagnant in their position and ended up worse than before. I’m glad to say director Gareth Evans belonged to the former category. I for one never watched his debut feature “Footstep”, his sophomore effort “Merantau Warrior” was simply an amateur martial-arts flick that starred an unknown but promising Iko Uwais.
Now this partnership finally pays off in this action marathon, “The Raid: Redemption” which really took many by surprise.
The story by Evans himself is a simple one and just by reading it, you wonder how this Welsh born filmmaker is going to pull it off. An elite SWAT team must barge into a 15-storey building infested by a crime lord, his accomplices and a whole bunch of crooks. That’s it. Revealing more of the plot will kill your viewing experience but the hint is there’s much more behind the cop leading the mission and Rama (Iko Uwais), one of the rookie SWAT members.
Even though Evans is armed with a tight budget, he managed to assemble everything to its advantages. The location and sets are minimized (with the clever use of visual effects at times) yet the 101 minutes movie never looks repetitive in terms of visuals. The same goes for the numerous action pieces, which utilized probably every weaponry found in contemporary action movies. There are incredible displays of carnage, strong firepower that will make John Woo proud and breathtaking stuntwork that reminds us of the olden days where Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung went on endless, daredevil rampages in their action flicks.
Comparing “The Raid” to “Merantau Warrior”, the former is far fluid and the editing almost flawlessly executed in conjunction with the fast-paced action sequences. Uwais who also served as choreographer is far more confident in front of the camera this time round and his maniac sparring opposite endless opponents and Yayan Ruhian (also another fight choreographer) who played the crime lord’s right hand man, Mad Dog serves as the movie’s highlight. The action is brutal, relentless and also heart stopping particularly a scene involving Rama hiding in a secret compartment from a group of thugs.
Obviously, if you are looking for something deeper or satisfying storytelling then this is not the right door you are knocking at. The premise here is simple and the floor-by-floor whopping is definitely badass. It’s a wet dream came true for fanboys and for lovers of action cinema, “The Raid: Redemption” is right on top of the list.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Images are mostly drabbed in shades of grey and black and this DVD does nothing to enhance it. The Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack expectedly lacks the intensity of a 5.1 channel but for those viewers who are less particular should be pleasant with the pumping score by Shinoda and loud gunfires.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: The troopers of two starships have joined forces to terminate a massive bug attack at a Federation outpost. Before the mission can be completed and the survivors evacuated, one ship abruptly departs and goes inexplicably dark. The remaining battle-hardened troopers race to the rescue only to discover that the threat from the bugs is about to hit home.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Like those disgusting gigantic alien bugs in the movie, the “Starship Troopers” franchise just wouldn’t die. After two lackluster direct-to-video sequels, the mayhem continues this time round in CG form.
Produced by a Japanese studio, Sola Digital Arts and directed by Shinji Aramaki, “Starship Troopers: Invasion” is a straight-out action flick that will please the fanbase and nothing more. For the rest of us, it’s just another disappointing outing that will never outshine the 1997 original. The plotting for a start is wafer-thin. A Federation troop of soldiers is being dispatched to locate a missing ship which carries Dr Carl Jenkins, Head of Paranormal Warfare on a classified mission. It turns out that everyone onboard is killed and the ship is infested with bugs including the insect Queen residing in it.
Edward Neumeier, writer of all the Starship Troopers movies return to scribe this instalment. Unfortunately, Neumeier filled the entire movie with stock characters, obligatory nudity bits, a humourless premise and even with three returning characters, it reeks heavily of been-there-seen-that. Maybe it isn’t refreshing anymore to see repetitive scenes of soldiers firing at attacking bugs or maybe age has caught up with this reviewer that he prefers to see a movie that doesn’t play like an extended videogame. Neumeier probably has run out of new ideas over the years that he introduces a Chinese soldier, Chow who ends up kungfu-fighting an alien bug. How ridiculous is that?
The only saving grace is having Shinji Aramaki onboard. Shinji who has worked as director and designer on movies such as “Appleseed Ex Machina” and yes, the highly popular classic toy line, “MASK” introduce nicely rendered mechanical power suits for General Johnny Rico for the climax, solid spacecrafts and backgrounds largely improving the stale visual seen in the previous DVD titles. However, the zombie-like human characters is still a nagging problem and seriously I had a hard time differentiating the various troopers. Their movement is stiff, sluggish and seriously the animation works better when they are dressed in their armour, getting ready to fight the insects.
Surprisingly, the tone of “Starship Troopers: Invasion” is much tamer than the Paul Verhoeven’s version. Much of the violence happened off-camera and as mentioned earlier, it’s purely an action flick (very little downtime in fact) with serviceable voice performances for this fourth outing. Are we expecting another Starship Troopers? I guess from the end credits, there should be more. You see, alien bugs reproduce fast and they don’t die easily. On a side note, Casper Van Dien who appears as Johnny Rico in the original only acts as the executive producer here instead of supplying the voice for the character.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Filmmaker Commentary has Director Shinji Aramaki and Sony Pictures Japan VP Ishizuka talking about the various aspects of the production process including the design, technical aspects and ties-in to the original novel. More for fans of the series.
There’s a minute worth of Deleted Scenes and a three minutes of Gag Reel which mentioned the word “cock” a couple of times.
More impressive is an 11 Part Making-of Documentary which ran over an hour. It covers the cast and crew talking about the source material with Producer and original star Casper Van Dien popping in at some point for Genesis. Other self-explanatory chapters includeArchive, Character Design, Motion Capture, Powersuits, Bugs, Ships, Animation, Backgrounds, Compositing,and Music.Highly recommended for aspiring digital artistes.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There are sufficient gunfires, loud pitch from the alien bugs for the surround sound effects and dialogue is generally clear. All in all, it’s a serviceable soundtrack for an animation feature. Certain scenes appear too bright and others appear too washed out. One wonders if this is intentional but comparing to other major animation features, the visual of “Starship Troopers: Invasion” is disappointing.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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BOOK REVIEW #5: "GARRY MARSHALL'S MY HAPPY DAYS IN HOLLYWOOD: A MEMOIR"Posted on 10 Sep 2012 |
SYNOPSIS: Ping Xiao, a two time "Most Popular DJ" award recipient feels he has been robbed of his potential next award when a younger DJ Pauline steals limelight and his successful morning show slot. Desperate to get it back, he battles recurring memories of his deceased horror novelist girlfriend, to bring to his listeners the sensational "Ghost on Air" horror stories radio program. The show is a hit, and with each painful memory he remembers, his stairway back to stardom is slowly rebuilt, though strange and unexplainable occurrences begin to happen to him in the radio studio. However, as he is just a few steps away from collecting his ultimate prize, he learns a dark secret --- The ghost stories he told were all true, and he could be part of the next one.
MOVIE REVIEW:
The horror genre has been something of a haven for local filmmakers, who have flocked to it for the surest bet at a box office hit. “23:59” was the latest proof of that, and while the producers of that movie try to replicate their success with “Inside the Urn” and the yet untitled sequel to “23:59”, writer/ director Cheng Ding An’s ‘Ghost on Air’ attempts to fill that void with a promising premise for an unusual horror thriller.
This is the story of a popular radio DJ Ping Xiao, who grief-stricken after the sudden death of his girlfriend, is transferred to the midnight slot of his station’s programming. What does he do to hook in more listeners? Tell ghost stories of course. It's made even more convenient by the fact that his girlfriend used to be a novelist who wrote horror stories in the past – though a particular story he reads, that of a young schoolgirl who hung herself in an old Ang Mo Kio shophouse, suddenly has its ramifications when he begins to see said girl in his nightmares.
It’s an interesting premise no doubt, made even more tantalising by the fact that it stars 93.3 FM DJ Dennis Chew as Ping Xiao – he of ‘Auntie Lucy’ fame playing a familiar role in a different kind of movie from the comedies he ‘drags’ in (pun intended). Nonetheless, what seems promising on paper turns out anything but when the movie plays out, and let’s just say that though the movie runs at just under 80 mins, it isn’t nearly short enough.
Chief among its many flaws is the lazy storytelling, which is appallingly inept at moving the story from Point A to Point B. The narrative may seem straightforward enough, but Cheng doesn’t have a clue how to tell the story engagingly. Things happen, scenes go by, and we are left baffling how they link to one another. Worse still, Cheng likes to think that holding a scene for longer equates to generating suspense, but that unfortunately only works when there is atmosphere in the first place – something which sadly escapes this movie.
To share in the audience’s confusion is the cast, whose one note acting seems to say as much what the story means to them. We’re sorry to disappoint his fans, but Dennis is not leading actor material – and the fact that he is thrust with carrying the movie for pretty much the entire duration only makes that painfully clear. The supporting cast also have to grapple with poorly defined roles, and we’re not quite sure what attracted Eunice Olsen, Samuel Chong and Malaysian actress Gan Mei Yan to star in the movie.
It gives us little pleasure in saying this but ‘Ghost on Air’ easily qualifies as one of the worst theatrical releases we’ve seen this year. Poorly told, badly constructed, and filled with hammy acting, this is an outright embarrassment for everyone involved. And coming after the flawed but promising debut that was ‘Kallang Roar’, Cheng Ding An will have to prove himself even harder the next time round if he is to regain any credibility.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Not a 'making of' per se, but simply a collection of behind the scenes snippets clearly meant as promotional material for the movie. Key cast and director Cheng Ding An get to talk briefly about the movie, but there's little here of interest.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio barely cuts it for a horror movie. Visuals are clear enough especially for the dimly lit scenes.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: A 400-year old national treasure painting will be exhibited for the first time in Taipei. Jay, the hot-shot security officer in charge of the painting’s safety, is busy preparing for the event, when his life is turned upside down by a bumbling tourist from Beijing – Ocean. He is the only witness to the theft of the antique painting by Z, an International crime boss. Jay forces Ocean to join him on the quest to retrieve the painting. While on the road, the two guys are constantly at each others’ throats… However, the duo eventually learnt to put aside their differences and work together as a team.
MOVIE REVIEW:
It’s never easy being the offspring of a famous celebrity or actor and when you happen to be the only son of action star Jackie Chan, chances are your entire existence will be heavily scrutinized by the whole world. Making his debut as a singer, Jackie’s junior, Jaycee Chan to be honest didn’t exactly has a flourishing career as a crooner but Jaycee’s dabbling in acting at least got him better paychecks and a resume that includes Jiang Wen’s “The Sun Also Rises” and indie rom-coms, “2 Young” and “Break Up Club”.
Now Jaycee has risen to the ranks of being an action star though to set the record straight, “Double Trouble” is not his first attempt, Benny Chan’s action flick, “Invisible Target” saw him pulling punches and kicks. And in the grand tradition of his dad’s “Rush Hour” franchise, “Double Trouble” sees him pairing up with Mainland actor, Xia Yu to retrieve a priceless, 400- year-old scroll in this buddy-action comedy. Jaycee is Jay, a Taiwanese museum security guard who is being wrongly accused of stealing the scroll and with him is a reluctant tourist, Ocean from the Mainland who ends up being his partner as they went all around Taiwan to try retrieving it from a villain called Z.
No matter how you criticized Bratt Ratner’s Rush Hour, he at least got the two basic elements right. Director David Chiang who serves as second unit director on movies such as “Secret” and “Love In Disguise” shows he can’t do action and comedy. The continuous bantering between Jay and Ocean is more irritating than humorous. Together with Taiwanese comedian Chen Han Tien who plays a high-strung tour guide and celebrity host Chang Fei as Gangster Wu, the comedic elements simply is a mess. Take for example, a scene which features a pair of mother-and-daughter selling betel nuts along a road. It’s overall meant to be a slapstick sequence however the whole execution and timing is all over the place that you will cringe in pain than giggle at the scenario.
Despite having Nicky Li (ex-choreographer for Jackie Chan’s stuntman team) at the helm, the action sequences are disappointing at best and there isn’t much to speak of anyway. The supposedly highlight of the movie is a highway chase followed by a fight on top of a tour bus is enhanced by awful greenscreen effect and wiring. Another fight sequence that took place in a darkened container plays more for laugh and the finale which sees the duo sparring with the main villain is outright boring. Mr Jolin Tsai aka Vivian Dawson plays Z with the assistance of his two deadly female fighters (Jessica C and Shoko). The half Singaporean unfortunately has nothing to showcase for his feature debut except his buffed body.
“Double Trouble” isn’t going to be Jaycee Chan’s breakthrough movie for sure. In fact, it qualifies more of a painful watching experience for many expecting a lightweight action comedy. Give me Jackie Chan’s classic hits anytime and that includes “Rush Hour”.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The DVD comes with only a Photo Gallery and Trailer.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
We have nothing to complain about the visual which is spruce and defects-free. The Dolby Digital 2.0 is sufficient enough for a movie that has the onscreen characters shouting at the top of their voice for the whole time instead of exhilarating action.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Jackson Rathbone, Elizabeth Reaser, Dakota Fanning, Anna Kendrick, Michael Sheen, Billy Burke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Mackenzie Foy, Casey LaBo
RunTime: 1 hr 56 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com/
Opening Day: 22 November 2012
Synopsis: In the highly anticipated next chapter of the blockbuster The Twilight Saga, the newfound married bliss of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is cut short when a series of betrayals and misfortunes threatens to destroy their world. After their wedding, Bella and Edward travel to Rio de Janeiro for their honeymoon, where they finally give in to their passions. Bella soon discovers she is pregnant, and during a nearly fatal childbirth, Edward finally fulfills her wish to become immortal. But the arrival of their remarkable daughter, Renesmee, sets in motion a perilous chain of events that pits the Cullens and their allies against the Volturi, the fearsome council of vampire leaders, setting the stage for an all-out battle. The suspenseful and deeply romantic Breaking Dawn continues the epic tale of supernatural fantasy and passionate love that has made The Twilight Saga a worldwide phenomenon.
Movie Review:
At this point in the franchise, you either get the appeal of the ‘Twilight’ phenomenon or you don’t – so if you’ve found yourself being a Twi-hater instead of a Twi-lover, then there is little in this concluding chapter that will change your mind. That is despite the fact that director Bill Condon’s finale surpasses his previous instalment for the honour of being the very best of the series – and contrary to what many reviewers may say, that really isn’t a low bar to clear.
We’ll start by unabashedly admitting that we loved every moment of Bella and Edward’s union in marriage from ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 1”; not only did it mark the culmination of their love for each other, but it also gave sweet closure to Jacob’s love for Bella. And with a high-note ending of Bella’s childbirth and concomitant transformation from human to vampire, this second-parter would not only have to top the romantic climax of its immediate predecessor, but also equal its emotional intensity.
But screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg (who has adapted every one of the books for the big screen) shrewdly adopts a different tack – here, instead of emulating the same emotional beats as part one, she injects a newfound urgency into the movie by centreing it on the protection of one’s loved one, the latter being Edward and Bella’s daughter Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). It isn’t just Edward and Bella’s fight however; that struggle is also Jacob’s, who at Renesmee’s birth had imprinted on the half-human and half-vampire being and is therefore destined to be her soulmate when she grows up.
That threat to Renesmee's survival comes from the Volturi - the powerful coven of aristocrats that enforce the laws of the vampire world – whose leader, Aro (Michael Sheen), believes that the Cullens have violated an ancient covenant by giving birth to an “immortal child”, a born vampire lacking in self-control and therefore posing a threat to the carefully hidden race. Truth is, Renesmee is not – so the Cullens assemble both friends and distant relatives to testify to the Volturi that the child is in fact mortal, or fight them if necessary.
Never has there been so much momentum in the storytelling even before the climax unfolds, but when that much-touted battle between the Cullens and the Volturi begins on a snowy open field, the unexpectedly fierce clash of fangs and fur is a truly unexpected exhilaration in itself. Without a doubt, that sequence sure to set your heart racing is alone worth the price of admission, easily the most adrenaline-pumping vampires versus werewolves confrontation that the entire series has ever put on display.
But it’s not just about seeing the fantastic albeit bloodless decapitations; rather, one feels acutely the anxiety of Edward and Bella over Renesmee’s survival as much as the camaraderie among the Cullens, their vampire allies and their wolf friends, accentuating how viscerally exciting it is to watch the epic and exceptionally staged showdown. Without giving anything else away however, we’d warn you of the twist ending that might seem like a cop-out at first but becomes all the more logical once you have more time to think about it.
It isn’t just the action that invigorates the movie; right from the get-go, Condon demonstrates how self-aware he is that the material skirts so close to parody. Guess what? He plays right along. Want to see Taylor Lautner shirtless? Well, there’s a scene where he strips down to his knickers in front of Bella’s dad to show the latter his true nature. Want to see the vampire couple making love? There’s a tightly shot sequence of closeups that ends with Bella uttering cheekily to Edward, “You really were holding back before”.
At least before the movie turns gravely serious to address the conflict between the Cullens and the Volturi, it knows how to just have fun. There is more humour in general and less of Bella’s mopey voiceover that was an easy target for critics of the previous movies. Even Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are quite possibly at their most confident and assured in their respective roles, radiating an easy-going chemistry with each other - in particular during the first half-hour of the movie where Edward helps Bella to learn the tricks of being a vampire.
Ironically, it seems that the prospect of playing these characters for the last time has given both Stewart and Pattinson reason to take it easy – and with that is gone the affectedness which the acclaimed teenage stars were accused of. Through both ‘Breaking Dawn’ instalments, Condon elicits organic performances from his teenage cast (including Lautner) instead of confining them too strictly to the mould cast from the Stephenie Meyer books. Yet the most unhinged of performances still belongs to the veteran British actor Sheen, who brings gleeful malevolence to his returning role as Aro next to the puzzlingly unremarkable Dakota Fanning.
And when the snow eventually settles for our beloved protagonists to get their happily ever after (of which there was never any doubt), Condon offers a nice recap of the most memorable moments throughout the five movies. Stripped of excesses, that best-of romantic sequence set to Christina Perri’s ‘A Thousand Years (Part 2)’ is certain to melt the hearts of Twi-hards. It’s a reminder of the kind of love that existed between Edward and Bella, the same reason why fans were so enchanted with the ‘Twilight Saga’ in the first place.
In closing, Condon uses a lengthy roll call to singularly name each and every one of the actors who have played any sort of significant role in the series, complete with an onscreen metaphor of the turning of the page. As this chapter closes, we’re glad to say that ‘Breaking Dawn – Part 2” caps an unprecedentedly successful series at a winning high – and in between this and the inevitable reboot some years down the road, what’s clear is that love in its purest, in its most passionate, and in its most devoted - the same love reflected in ‘Twilight’ and the very raison d'etre of its success - is still the love we seek forever and always.
Movie Rating:
(Capping the phenomenally successful franchise on a winning high, this second-parter of the concluding ‘Twilight’ book is the best-acted, most entertaining, and most exhilarating that any of the films have ever been)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson form "a comic dream team" (Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview) in this smart, funny comedy from the director of The Devil Wears Prada and Marley & Me. Looking to shake up their routine lives, three amateur bird watchers compete to become the ultimate "birder" by spotting the greatest number of species within a single calendar year. But the friendly rivalry soon turns into a hilariously complicated cross-country adventure as each man begins to realize that the quest for success comes at a price - and that's not chicken feed!
MOVIE REVIEW:
Despite the presence of three finest comedians of all time, “The Big Year” is definitely not a low-brow or slapstick comedy. It’s simply a drama based on a book written by a guy called Mark Obmascik and directed by David Frankel who did “The Devil Loves Prada” and “Marley & Me”.
I guess it’s far easier to do a movie about pandas than birds since more people are receptive to the furry creatures which originated from Sichuan. Then again, pandas can’t fly and they only come in black and white. For the uninitiated and according to Wikipedia, a big year is an informal competition among birders to see who can spot or hear the largest species of birds within a calendar year. Owen Wilson plays Kenny Bostick, a current big year record holder who is not ready to retire. Jack Black is Brad Harris, a cash-strap, newly divorced computer programmer who is embarking on his first big year and Steve Martin plays a rich CEO who is deciding whether or not to do his big year. Will birding lead this unlikely trio to finally search for what they want? Most importantly, who will win the big year in the end?
While this is a movie about birding, it is not exactly a crude, ridiculous look into the competitive environment in fact if you are a follower of director David Frankel’s movies, you know he is not into Prada or the fashion world in “The Devil Wears Prada” or simply raising a dog called Marley in “Marley & Me”, he surrounds his movies with believable characters and motives and right here he has a story to tell in the form of three men facing their mid-life crisis. Just that, he puts them in a seldom seen subject- birding, for a change.
Even if you are not a birding enthusiast or nature, it’s not that hard to follow the trio in their competition. The digital stills and real birds do keep things interesting. But it’s the humans we care about, Brad Harris who struggles to keep up with his birding trips with the help from an understanding mother. Stu Preissler who learnt that money isn’t everything and lastly, the ever competitive, kiasu Kenny Bostick who end up loses more than he won. Simple life lessons are conveyed to us in such enjoyable, saccharin ways that you will find it hard to resist the charms of these guys despite not being their usual goofy selves.
In addition, Frankel surrounds his movies with cameos from talented people like Anjelica Huston who plays a no-nonsense boater and a short scene with Wilson’s character reminds us of their usual collaboration with Wes Anderson. Other familiar faces include Rosamund Pike who plays Bostick’s long-suffering second wife for the record. Jim Parsons from “The Big Bang Theory” appears as a birding blogger, Rashida Jones (The Muppets) plays Brad’s love interest, Anthony Anderson (Transformers) as Brad’s boss and Tim Blake Nelson as a fellow birder. Oh and British comedian John Cleese lends his voice as the narrator.
“The Big Year” is a wonderful charming movie that doesn’t deserve the cold shoulder it got when it was dumped quietly into theaters last year. Perhaps the combination of three big names, Wilson, Martin and Black makes a small movie into a big one even the nature of it is not.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There’s 5 minutes of Gag Reel not particularly funny but at least the cast seems to be having a good time.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There’s nothing much to shout about regarding the audio and visual aspect of “The Big Year”. Colour tones are natural though images are not as sharp as it ought to be. The inclusion of some strong ambient effects together with a perfunctory music score makes a pleasant listening experience.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Fast-talking Jack McCall (Eddie Murphy) says whatever it takes to close a deal. But after stretching the truth with a spiritual guru, he suddenly finds his life depending on a magical tree with 1,000 leaves…one for every word he has left. Now Jack’s got to stop talking and conjure up some outrageous ways to communicate or he’s a goner.
MOVIE REVIEW:
When was the last time you find Eddie Murphy funny? Beverly Hills Cop. Seriously, that long? The Nutty Professor. That was in 1996 by the way. The once hugely successful funnyman has hit a career-low in recent years with his family-oriented comedies and with the dismal performance of “A Thousand Words”, Murphy’s career path looks seriously ill at this point of time sad to say.
Frozen in carbonite for four years and belonging to the last release title of the now defunct DreamWorks/Paramount distribution deal, Murphy plays a motor-mouthed literary agent, Jack McCall in “A Thousand Words” whose extravagant life suddenly have to depend on a magical tree that sprout out of his garden one night after he promised a spiritual guru, Dr Sinja (Cliff Curtis) that he will publish his new book. For every word Jack utters (including written), a leaf will instantly fall off and when the tree is deprived of all leaves, the tree will die along with Jack. Will Jack succumb to his fate or the guru has other things planned for the man?
In some ways, “A Thousand Words” functions a lot like Jim Carrey’s classic hit “Liar Liar”. Carrey’s character can no longer lie to save his life and career in the latter while Jack McCall can no longer utter anymore words to salvage his once successful career and family. And both movies depend heavily on their leading man to make things work. Murphy of course is known for his verbal, motor-mouthed skills, take that away and all you have is a string of charades and physical comedy which somehow fails to work in some of the gags. Of course, Murphy lacks Carrey’s rubberface attribute and that takes the shine off a little.
Yet, the movie isn’t as bad as Murphy and director Brian Robbins’ earlier low-brow collaborations, “Norbit” and “Meet Dave”. It is certainly not a horrible movie as what the general critics are saying, it’s simply an uneven one scripted by Steve Koren (Jack & Jill, Bruce Almighty). Take for example; Clarke Duke (Sex Drive) who plays McCall’s assistant, Wisenberger becomes the movie’s obvious victim when his character is filled with insipid one-liners and banal jokes that you wish he is the one being cursed instead.
The last act turns everything into a poignant, heartwarming journey which is glaringly a stark contrast to the initial setup especially a touching moment with McCall’s dementia mother (Ruby Dee) and coming to terms with his late estranged father. Despite the encouraging message of self-redemption, the entire watching experience seems like two movies being stuffed into one and probably will be better conceptualized if it went through a couple more rewrites. Pity.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
6 Deleted Scenes are included on the DVD including a far more spectacular car crash sequence.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
“A Thousand Words” looks fantastic on DVD, pictures are sharp and colours natural. Dialog is crisp and the ambient effects active and immersive.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Concert
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: TBA
Released By: Encore Films & Filmgarde
Official Website: http://sonyclassics.com/celesteandjesseforever/
Opening Day: 27 September 2012
Synopsis: A 3D movie featuring K-pop international star Rain’s mega concert. “Rain The Best Show” was Rain’s last concert before his military enlistment last October. The concert was filmed in September 2011 at Seoul Olympic Park’s Gymnastics Stadium. The 1 hour and 35 minutes 3D movie features the highlights of the 2 hour 30 minute concert. The movie will feature Rain’s energy-packed performances including some of his most famous songs like “How to Avoid the Sun,” “Rainism,” and “Bad Guy.” The 3D effects heighten the intensity of the concert.
Movie Review:
Rain is possibly one of the most sensational stars that shot to fame during the first wave of the Hallyu culture. Even after debuting for more than 9 years, his level of popularity does not seem to cease; he is still getting a lot of endorsements deals, drama/movie roles, as well as international exposure. This concert film was recorded last year, before he made got enlisted for army. It is definitely great news for fans here as you can reminisce the star’s glistering moments even as he is inactive for the time being.
Please brace yourself for what you are getting into before you get the movie tickets. This is really just a concert movie, with no storyline, no plot, just the star and his dancers. In the 95 minutes, there was just a lot of singing, dancing and fan service. By fan service, you get to even see him change!!! *insert loud and high-pitched squeals* You may be expecting some sort of a climax, but it is rather non-existent in this movie…
Not trying being skeptical and discounting what this dazzling star can do, but it was really not that impressive after all. Firstly, the camera angles were boring. You could probably count how many different shots there were. Also, as much as 3D technology can give an added dimension to the otherwise less than exciting 2D, it could also magnify mistakes. It works as a double-edged sword. Undoubtedly there were scenes that take your breath away, but they are not enough to keep your adrenaline high.
Rain is very good with his dance. He was very charming, doing his thing on stage. However it gets a little boring during the MC parts (with no BGM at all!) and ballots. There was nothing much to look forward to in those segments and the background graphics were did not value-add as well (they were either just parts from his past performances or a close-up of him).
It’s great that he’s got great support from his dancers, which make his dance segments particularly strong. That being said, if you don’t dig into dances that goes with Korean pop tunes, it’d be a zero attraction for you. The stage set-up was nothing spectacular. It’s a simple 工-shaped stage, with a rising platform behind. The effects were not very special too. In fact, there was a segment where he was drenched in fake rain, which was quite absurd and cheesy. Still, it was comforting to see him dance to some of his famous songs like Rainism and It’s Raining.
Don’t say that you’re not warned, that the acoustics at the cinemas is not that good after all, so you do not get that concert-like feeling at the end. This is possibly a major drawback of watching a concert at the cinema. Well but to say the least, it is better than watching this on a 13-inch laptop or even a 42-inch television.
Movie Rating:
(Too much hip thrusting and crotch scratching kill the pheromones)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
SYNOPSIS: MS One is an experimental prison in space where the 500 most dangerous criminals on planet Earth are kept in an artificial sleep. Leading a humanitarian misson, the daughter of the US president, Emilie Warnock arrives on board the station just as an unprecedentedly violent mutiny breaks out. Emilie and the crew of MS One are taken hostage by the inmates. President Warnock decides to send Agent Snow to MS One with the sole mission of saving Emilie and nobody else...
MOVIE REVIEW:
Watching a Europa production is like having fast food. You don’t get all the nutrients but at least you get to fill your stomach. Following “Colombiana” and “From Paris With Love”, The Luc Besson’s outfit once again churned out another digestible gun-toting, action flick though the location is set in a futuristic New York this time round.
In a plotting that doesn’t require much brain racking, Guy Pearce portrays Snow, a secret agent who has been accused of murdering his fellow colleague. But before he is being sent to prison, he is tasked to rescue the President’s daughter, Emilie (Maggie Grace from “Taken”) out of a maximum prison facility in space called MS One. The most dangerous criminals and psychopaths are let loose by an escapee and the only person Emilie can rely on before she is taken hostage is none other than Snow.
Ignoring an awful CGI motorcycle chase in the beginning of the movie, “Lockout” as expected is one chase following another with breakneck pacing. In fact, there’s very little action to speak of, most of the time it’s just Snow and Emilie running from one location of the ship to another with some very crazy inmates chasing after them. The two directors, James Mather and Stephen St Leger who co-wrote the script with Besson borrows too much from other superior sci-fi movies and the trio’s imagination seems to confine to scribing some rather funny, witty one-liners for the character of Snow to deliver.
You can always count on Australian actor Guy Pearce who shot to stardom in Christopher Nolan’s “Momento” to deliver the goods even though the rest of the movie sucks. Pearce is more than adept in channeling his version of John McClane. He is tough, wisecracking and he gets to rescue the President’s little princess. “Taken” star Maggie Grace seems to be in a déjà vu situation, remember she did hid under a bed in the movie but ended up as a captive and yes she gets to hide under a computer console here and not revealing anything further you know what happen to her in the end. The little known English actor Joseph Gilgun is scary as a psychotic criminal, Hydell and he nails it perfectly.
Shot in Eastern Europe and on a shoestring budget, “Lockout” is yet another silly caper from the mind of Luc Besson. If you need to order takeout on a boring Saturday night, this movie is the perfect complement.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The DVD transfer is decent on the whole for a picture that took place mostly in darkened places though the 2.0 soundtrack is a bit letdown when it comes to handling gunshots and explosions.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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