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INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR STEPHEN FUNG FOR TAI CHI ZERO

Posted on 03 Oct 2012

When producer Chen Kuo-Fu came to Stephen Fung with a movie about tai-chi, the latter was puzzled. ‘Why me?’ was the first thought in his head, he said. It was only after reading the treatment, that incidentally was also written by Kuo-Fu, that Stephen realised what his producer wanted to accomplish with ‘Tai Chi Zero’, the first of two films shot back-to-back in wh ...

Genre: Comedy/Crime
Director: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Colin Farrell, Christopher Walken, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, Tom Waits, Olga Kurylenko, Zeljko Ivanek
RunTime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: http://www.sevenpsychopaths.com/

Opening Day: 10 January 2013

Synopsis: Written and Directed by Oscar-winner Martin McDonagh , the comedy "Seven Psychopaths" follows a struggling screenwriter (Colin Farrell) who inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends (Christopher Walken and Sam Rockwell) kidnap a gangster's (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu.

Movie Review:

There is a difference between trying to be clever and being clever – ‘Seven Psychopaths’, writer-director Martin McDonagh’s sophomore feature after his breakout hit ‘In Bruges’, unfortunately falls in the former category while very conscientiously trying to be the latter. Working somewhat in the vein of Quentin Tarantino, McDonagh riffs on the stereotypes of the crime thriller while trying to deliver its genre satisfactions – almost like having his cake and eating it – but the self-aware meta-exercise is only sporadically successful.

The scattershot screenplay seems to suggest that the lead protagonist, a struggling Irish writer named Martin Freeman (Colin Farrell) – is no less than McDonagh‘s alter ego, both of whom none the wiser just where their movie should go. Indeed, faced with a case of writer’s block, Martin is at the start stuck at the title of his next screenplay – “Seven Psychopaths” – and in desperation steals ideas from real-life incidents he reads about in the papers as well as stories told by his good friend Billy Bickle (Sam Rockwell).

He gets his first psychopath in the form of a masked hitman, who shoots two other assassins (Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Stuhlbarg and Michael Pitt) at point blank range while the latter stand in wait for their target at Lake Hollywood. The rest soon fall into place, including his best buddy Billy, the L.A. gangster Charlie Costello (Woody Harrelson) whom Billy crosses by stealing his beloved Shih Tzu, and Billy’s fellow dog-napping associate Hans (Christopher Walken).

Rather than a straightforward tale of payback, the narrative digresses time and again into vignettes of some psychopath or another who may or may not end up in Martin’s screenplay. There’s a Quaker (Harry Dean Stanton) on a patient pursuit of revenge against his daughter’s killer; a vengeful Vietnamese monk (Long Nyugen) looking to avenge his people against the wrongdoings of the Americans during the Vietnam War; and a serial killer named Zachariah (Tom Waits) with a broken heart who specialises in killing other psycho killers.

While they are meant as droll segments to make the overall tale more colourful, these unrelated snippets unfortunately aren’t nearly as darkly witty as they need to be in order to be captivating; instead, they merely suggest McDonagh padding out the runtime for an otherwise simplistic story that culminates without much fanfare in an unexciting shootout in the middle of the desert. Granted that there is plenty of splattering scalp here, but the violence seems more exploitative than artistic, and included simply for the sake of fulfilling a genre hallmark.

Therein lies the tension of McDonagh’s smarter-than-thou script. On one hand, it tries to be better than movies of its ilk by suggesting where others would have gone and deliberately subverting these expectations – e.g. instead of turning up with a cavalry, Charlie goes to meet both Martin and Billy alone and empty-handed as instructed. Then, on the other, it acknowledges the shortcomings of the genre and then proceeds to reaffirm them by doing just the same. Most prominent here is the misogyny of such flicks that Hans acknowledges, where the females either do nothing or wait to be killed off – but the exact same flaw is repeated in the film as it sidelines its female characters including Marty’s girlfriend Kaya (Abbie Cornish), Hans’ wife (Linda Bright Clay) and Charlie’s girlfriend Angela (Olga Kurylenko). To be fair, McDonagh’s penchant for dark comedy remains intact with the occasional witty banter; but the self-indulgence is too hard to ignore, and McDonagh’s insistence on pumping up the meta aspects of the story gets ingratiating eventually.

If the whole affair remains bearable, it is thanks to a reliably kooky cast made up of some of Hollywood’s most idiosyncratic characters. Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken are the best things the film has going for it, the former’s over-the-top performance complementing the latter’s deadpan delivery even as they play off each other’s eccentricities. In contrast, Farrell is much more subdued here, but he is a reliably watchable centre to balance the oddities of his fellow actors. And despite a limited screen time, Harrelson’s surprisingly grounded villainous turn as a brutal mob boss with an undeniable soft spot for his pooch is a delight.

Yet even the engaging acting cannot quite redeem a movie that is much less clever than it wants itself to be. Wise enough to be aware of genre expectations but not quite intelligent enough to pull off something that goes beyond them, McDonagh tries – but ultimately fails – in emulating Tarantino’s inimitable blend of hyper-violence and hip self-awareness. There are amusing bits to be found, but the sum of these uneven parts makes for a less than coherent and satisfying whole – and that’s something not even seven psychopaths can put right.

Movie Rating:

(Too self-aware for its own good, this meta-film is not nearly clever enough to subvert genre expectations while delivering the obligatory satisfactions)

Review by Gabriel Chong

INTERVIEW WITH TONY LEUNG AND YUAN XIAOCHAO

Posted on 03 Oct 2012

Even after thirty years in the Hong Kong movie industry, there are still some roles that have eluded Tony Leung Kar-Fai, often regarded as ‘not the Tony Leung who stars in Wong Kar Wai movies’. In ‘Tai Chi Zero’, the veteran actor gets to play a gongfu master – or to be more precise, a ‘tai chi master’ – and Tony says that he is extremely gla ...

SYNOPSIS: In early Republican China, rumors were going around about the treasure in Wudang Mountain. An American conspirator (Vincent Zhao) took his well-trained kung fu daughter (Josie Xu) to Wudang by sponsoring a martial arts competition, to steal the treasure. Out of expectation, a disciple (Fan Sui Wong) represented Wudang to compete with other martial arts masters for the championship. During the competition, resentment incurred against different parties, the relationship became complicated, the American conspirator fell in love with the woman (Mini Yang) who is the key to the treasure. The secret of the treasure had been revealed. The treasure is the key of the magnetic field of Wudang, if it’s stolen, Wudang would be devastated. To protect Wudang, a group of young heroes rallied around to defeat grant masters. It’s the time the long-lost Wudang martial arts returned…

MOVIE REVIEW:

Director Patrick Leung has three martial-arts stars namely Vincent Zhao, Fan Siu Wong and Dennis To at his disposal for “Wu Dang” unfortunately the end product is a mediocre action flick touted as the first Wu Dang kung fu movie. But Leung is not solely to be blame, there’s also action choreographer Corey Yuen and screenwriter Chan Khan to share the responsibilities.

Chan Khan’s story is a mix of Indiana Jones meets martial arts with a touch of romance and fantasy. Sounds good on paper but Chan has problems concocting the various elements into one exciting movie. For a start, Vincent Zhao plays Prof Tang Yunlong who travels to Mt Wu Dang with his daughter, Ning (Xu Jiao from “CJ7”) in search of seven priceless treasures at the pretext of sponsoring a Wudang tournament. There isn’t much explanation to Tang’s background or motive, if you have seen enough movies, you can safely assume Tang is sort of an Oriental Indiana Jones who possess the wit and skills against baddies who are also after the treasures. Most importantly, he is a good guy. But why is he after the treasures?

Anyway, Tang meets a mysterious skilful young lady, Tianxin (Mini Yang from “Painted Skin II”) who is also after one of the hidden treasures which conveniently happened to be her family’s heirloom. The duo agrees to collaborate not knowing there’s a bigger conspiracy waiting for them. In the meantime, Ning meets a kind-hearted Wudang disciple Shui (Fan Siu Wong) and a blossoming romance awaits them. Wait a minute, romance? Fan is old enough to be Xu Jiao’s father and the casting director or whoever decides they should be a couple here. It’s the turn of the century but doesn’t mean it’s legally acceptable.

If the action is any good, at least you can forget about the creepy romance however Corey Yuen who worked with Zhao on the ridiculously good “Fong Sai Yuk” seems to be going through the motion with his constant use of wire-fu and repetitive kung fu moves. The action lacks the aggressiveness of Yuen’s past works and serviceable at best. Fan’s skill is wasted as he is given limited screentime to shine while Dennis To (“Ip Man: A Legend Is Born”) gets to work with some lacklustre visual effects opposite his fight against Tang in the finale. The fantasy element comes to play when Chan Khan throws in a laughable plot twist which explains when the seven treasures come together; it turns a mortal into a powerful holy spirit. On the other hand, Mini Yang impresses with her slick moves and agility together with Xu Jiao.

“Wu Dang” is an ambitious movie that tries to bring audience back to the heydays of Hong Kong martial-arts movies. Sadly, with the exception of breath-taking cinematography by Tony Cheung, there’s little to redeem in this flimsy material. It’s a stark reminder why movies such as “Tai Chi Master” and “Fong Sai Yuk” remain as classic.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Corey Yuen talks about the action choreography in the 4 minutes Making Of. There’s also a Trailer and Photo Gallery.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Detail is wonderful and the panoramic views of Mt Wudang are beautifully captured. With a choice of Mandarin or Cantonese soundtrack, the Dolby Digital 2.0 is clear and concise.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: According to the demon lore, it takes hundreds of years to attain human form. Even then, lacking a human heart, a demon cannot experience the true pains and passions of existence. However, there is a legend that if a pure human heart is offered willingly by a human to a demon, the demon can become a mortal and experience true life. Xiaowei, a fox spirit, has been imprisoned for centuries under a frozen lake for violating the laws of the demon world. Her sheer will to survive attracted the bird spirit, Que’r, who broke through the ice and revived her. Xiaowei saw two choices: experience true death or become truly human… She soon regains her strength, and youth, by consuming the heart of a stranger, transforming herself into a beautiful seductress… Unknown to her, the stranger is the Prince of Tian Lang Kingdom.

MOVIE REVIEW:

A sequel is inevitable given the tremendous success of “Painted Skin”, a fantasy flick based on the classic short story by Pu Songling. “Painted Skin: The Resurrection” on the other hand took on an entirely new direction thus for those who are not familiar with the folklore can follow the adventures of a once exiled fox demon, Xiaowei (Zhou Xun) in a whole new story written by at least five credited writers.

Original cast members Zhou Xun, Zhao Wei and Chen Kun returns in this tragic tale of a fox demon, Xiaowei who desires to become a human being. The only way for her to do so is to receive a human’s heart from a willing mortal. Xiaowei finally found a donor in the form of Princess Jing (Zhao Wei). Jing is a disfigured princess who longs for the heart of a Royal Guard, Huo Xin (Chen Kun). Assuming Xin to be wary of Jing’s looks, Xiaowei offers her beauty in exchange for Jing’s beating heart. The two swopped their skins but realized that there are severe consequences to their actions.

Ultimately, the sequel is a tragic love story in the making. Discarding the confusing love triangle affair in the first, “Resurrection” focuses on the recurring theme of lost love and Xiaowei’s longing for a mortal’s pain and joy in real world. Despite the existence of a fumbling demon hunter played by Feng Shaofeng and Xiaowei’s partner, a bird demon played by Mimi Yang, the fantasy element is surprisingly downplayed. A subplot involving a scary Tian Lang (Wolf) Tribe showcases American Chinese crooner Fei Xiang’s debut as he brings his baritone Broadway voice to the role of a sorcerer. Director Wuershan replacing Hong Kong Gordon Chan spent much of the time creating the emotional struggles of both Xiaowei and Jing giving the two top actresses sufficient screentime to develop their characters. Zhou Xun and Zhao Wei of course didn’t disappoint given their dynamic performance except Chen Kun who remains as dull as dishwater.

Wuershan whose only feature credit is the comedic martial-arts flick, “The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman” bestowed the movie with picturesque looking shots; lush sets and costume design though mostly letdown by videogame style CG effects. The supposedly impressive action sequences choreographed by Tong Wei is also marred by Wuershan’s combination of slow-mo and frenetic editing. Still, his efforts are noticeable given his taste for visual is outstanding.

The supernatural theme of demon and humans trading skins looks set to continue as “Painted Skin: The Resurrection” is the highest box-office hit in the Mainland after “Let The Bullets Fly”. If you don’t mind the sluggish pacing, the touching love angle and strong performances of the leads might make this a worthwhile trip to the White City.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Zhou Xun, Zhao Wei, Chen Kun together with Director Wuershan, Producers Chen Kuo Fu and Pang Hong discuss the evolution of the sequel and the characters in Making Of. The DVD also comes with Trailers and a Photo Gallery.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Images are sharp and colours are noticeably vibrant in this DVD transfer. Dialogue is clear but it’s a shame that we didn’t get a 5.1 channel track to boast the action sequences.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Xiao Muo (Chen Bo-Lin) is a young man who is brought up in an old Taipei neighborhood. One day, a beautiful young girl May (Tong Yao) subsequently appears in Xiao Muo’s neighborhood. Suffering from a voice problem and desperate to hide herself, she seeks help from Xiao Muo, who offers her a place to stay, finds her a job at a local diner, and even takes her to a Chinese doctor for treatment. His kindness seems to touch her heart, but does not help to lift her melancholic mood. Like Xiao Muo, others in the neighborhood are kind to her and never ask where she is from. Xiao Muo finds himself falling in love with May as her voice is recovering. Her heart, however, belongs somewhere else. He finally understands that one disappears in order to be found.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Visually stunning is all I can muster to describe “Snowfall In Taipei” in an otherwise hollow Mainland funded, shot in Taiwan production.

Zhang Ziyi-lookalike Tong Yao plays May, an up-and-coming singer who disappears into the rural countryside of Taiwan after losing her voice. In the quaint little town, she met a kind-hearted young man Xiao Mo (Chen Bo-lin) who serves as the town’s delivery man. Thus while May’s record executive and a reporter, Jack (Morning Mo Zi Yi) are busy searching for her whereabouts, Xiao Mo and May begins to slowly develop feelings for each other during their time together.

If you are a fan of Japanese rom-coms then “Snowfall In Taipei” might be your cup of tea since “Taipei” is mould after them. Well who can blame the filmmakers since the original material is from a Japanese novella. Many of the onscreen characters are wafer-thin liked May’s ultra-cool, long-haired music producer, Ray (Tony Yang) who could be the sole reason why May chooses to leave his side. Unrequited love maybe but the script doesn’t allow much description or character developments. Throw in an overly-enthusiastic reporter Jack into the picture and it seems that everyone is clamoring for May. But why May again? What makes her so special? Her once magnetic voice or beautiful looks that contribute to it? No one apparently seems to care and the compact 99 minutes runtime plays like eternity with other uninvolving subplots that include a tortured Xiao Mo who is abandoned for no reason by his mother when he was young.

Fortunately, the postcard views of Ching Tung slowly become the main starring character. The lush cinematography of the idyllic location is nothing short of amazing and the inclusion of an unwritten clause that Made-in-Taiwan movies should come with scenes of the magnificent soaring sky lanterns adds to the incredible visuals. Director Huo Jianqi who makes his mark making indie dramas might not have much magic touch on the romantic genre but he certainly has the talent to make his cast members look as attractive as possible under the intended rainy skies of Ching Tung. Huo even extends a clumsy unnecessary scene of conveying the theme of snowfall in Taipei towards the end.

Shot like a picturesque extended MV (including indie singer Cheer Chen’s repertoire of songs and a Meng Tingwei’s classic to go with it) that has an easy-on-the-eye cast, “Snowfall In Taipei” is unfortunately a forgettable romantic flick that is never heartfelt and fares more of a forceful affair between two unlikely duos.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD comes with a Photo Gallery and Trailer.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The incredible visual is captured beautifully on this DVD and the 2.0 soundtrack is sufficient for this title.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner star in this powerful and romantic journey based on the novel by best-selling author Nicholas Sparks. After three tours of duty in Iraq, U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault travels to North Carolina to search for the unknown woman whose photo he believes was his good luck charm during the war.

MOVIE REVIEW:

There’s got to be someone who has to die in a typical Nicolas Sparks’ adaptation. It could be the leading man or a supporting character. The trick is someone simply has to go cos it’s one of Sparks’ sappy trademark plot twist that his hordes of fans love.

The suave Zac Efron plays an U.S. marine, Logan Thibault who decides to walk to North Carolina to look for a woman in a photo he found while on his tour of duty. He believes the unknown woman is his good luck charm as he manages to escape unscathed after suffering two major attacks. Well, he did manage to find the woman, Beth (Taylor Schilling) who runs a dog kennel business with her grandma and son, Ben. Beth assumes Logan to be applying a job before Logan could open his mouth to tell her the truth. And as the story goes, the two falls in love not without an overzealous ex-husband, Keith getting in their way.

In real life, you probably have a higher chance of winning the lottery than finding a woman in a country as big as the States. You probably have an allergic to dogs too. However, in Sparks’ world, everything seems to work out perfectly fine except a threatening ex-husband who has an anger management problem. I’m not sure what qualifies him to be the local Sheriff, could be his high-influence dad in which there’s hardly any details on that. But fret not, if you are a Marine just like Beth’s brother who was killed in action, knows how to repair a broken sailboat, plays the piano, has a Grandma (a charming Blythe Banner) who adores you and has a natural way with kids then you will sweep up your leading lady in no time.

There’s hardly any emotion to tug your heartstrings and everything comes sweeter than a fairy tale. The love story is strictly escapism and the chemistry between Efron and Schilling is one factor that keeps the movie together. Efron seems to transit well from High School Musical to more of a dramatic actor though he needs a meatier script next time. Director Scott Hicks offers no surprises here except some tastefully done PG13 sex scenes and a series of mesmerizing landscape shots.

Unless you are a born diehard romantic who will sure fancy this lucky chap, “The Lucky One” lacks the sophistication of “The Notebook” and joins the rest of Sparks’ mediocre adaptations such as “Dear John” and “The Last Song”. Rest assured, I'm not going to reveal who died in this one.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

A short featurette called Zac and Taylor’s Amazing Chemistry has the main cast members and director talks about the harmonious working relationship with one another.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

“The Lucky One” looks gorgeous on this DVD with detailed imaging and brimming colours. Dialogue is crystal clear though there isn’t much to talk about regarding the surround track.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: A rambunctious group of five college friends steal away for a weekend of debauchery in an isolated country cabin only to be attacked by horrific supernatural creatures in a night of terror and bloodshed. Sound familiar? Just wait. As the teens begin to exhibit standard horror movie behavior, a group of technicians in a control room are scrutinizing and sometimes even controlling every move the terrified kids make! With their efforts continually thwarted by the all powerful eye in the sky, do they have any chance of escape?

MOVIE REVIEW:

A lot of critics call “A Cabin In The Woods” to be a smart homage to horror movies. I honestly can’t agree more. Written by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard and helmed by the latter, the movie is probably one of the most unconventional horror flicks that this reviewer has even seen. As a gentle reminder, you may wish to stop reading at this point if you are sensitive to spoilers.

What is the link between two technicians (played by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford) in a lab environment and 5 college students who are about to embark on a short vacation over the weekend? You might find yourself asking this question shortly after the movie opens. Like a typical slasher horror flick, we are introduced to the athlete, Curt (Chris Hemsworth), her dumb blond girlfriend, Jules (Anna Hutchinson), the stoner, Marty (Fran Kranz), the supposedly innocent virgin, Dana (Kristen Connolly) and a scholar, Holden (Jesse Williams) embarking on a RV to a cabin in the woods belonging to Curt’s cousin for a getaway. Yes you might think the stock characters are going to get themselves kill and rape by some monster or sickos just like any other torture porn flicks then you are only half right. How are you going to explain the two lab workers who are behind dozens of monitor screens, a whole chunk of control panel and an eagle who unfortunately got zapped by an invisible forcefield?

Whedon and Goddard kept things (mostly wrapped) interesting and unravel more stuff as the movie moves at a lightning pace. It’s a roller coaster ride for the whole 95 minutes. I can’t describe to you specifically what the hell is going on but it’s like a satire to all the famous horror movies, books ever made and written. It’s sort of an ultimate tribute to the genre without the usual stupidity and predictability. Still, you can expect the usual grotesque killings and a blood splattering finale that will make “Kill Bill” looks like a wimp. Yet the duo never fails to include some wicked humour in the proceedings liked how a group of Japanese school girls in Kyoto manage to subdue a ghostly spirit. A surprise cameo might makes you fall off your chair as well.

Despite some rough edges in the visual effects department, the movie which was made in 2009 but failed to get a theatrical release after MGM filed for bankruptcy is a wholly original dark horror comic that will take you places you never imagine will venture. And most likely, you won’t see a unicorn in the same light again.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Intentional or not, “The Cabin In The Woods” is basked in murky, dark colours making it hard to see at times. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is loud and dynamic especially when it comes to the movie’s finale.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: From the wonderfully warped imagination of Tim Burton comes the story of Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), a dashing aristocrat who is turned into a vampire by a jilted lover and entombed for two centuries. Emerging from his coffin into the world of 1972, he returns to his once-majestic home, only to the few dysfunctional descendants of the Collins family who remain. Determined to return his family name to its former glory, Barnabas is thwarted at every turn by his former lover - the seductive witch Angelique (Eva Green).

MOVIE REVIEW:

“Dark Shadows” marks the eight collaboration between Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton. The good news is the makeup on Depp is flawless but I can’t say the same for the storywise.

Not to be confused with the equally quirky “The Addams Family”, the source material is based on a gothic soap opera shown in the sixties but I bet most of the contemporary movie-goers have absolutely no idea about it. Depp plays Barnabas (not Bananas) Collins in “Dark Shadows”, a man who is cursed by his jealous ex-lover, Angelique (Eva Green) to become a vampire. After 200 years being locked in a buried coffin, Barnabas is freed by a construction accident and to his dismay; the once flourishing Collins Empire has become a pale shadow of its former self. Inhabited by his remaining dysfunctional family members including the family matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn (Chloë Grace Moretz); Elizabeth's no-good brother Roger (Jonny Lee Miller) and his son David (Gulliver McGrath) together with Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), David's psychiatrist; Willie Loomis (Jackie Earle Haley), the caretaker and Victoria Winters (Bella Heathcote), the newly-hired governess, Barnabas must help regain his family's past glory and rid the town’s evil witch, Angelique as well.

“Dark Shadows” is the perfect material, a walk-in-the-park perhaps for both Burton and Depp consider they have worked on some of the best gothic fantasies such as “Edward Scissorhands”, “Sleepy Hollow” and “Sweeney Todd”. Unfortunately, this movie is filled with awkward moments that do not matter, jokes that fall flat and a love story that fails to impress. The pacing is patchy at best and Burton for once seems to be at a loss with all his numerous characters on hand. Burton and screenwriter Seth Grahame-Smith (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) fails to breathe life to much of the colourful characters seen on screen and instead relied heavily on their charisma of their leading man. However, Depp can only do so much for a 113 minutes long movie.

The movie is a strange combination of comedy, romance, horror and the last act turns out to be sort of a fantasy action epic. It’s hard to captivate the audience’s attention with all the missteps and the rich spooky spectacular production design by Rick Heinrichs is probably one of the saving graces in this rather expensive production. Michelle Pfeiffer is still a magnet after so many years since her sexy turn as Catwoman in Burton’s “Batman Returns” while Eva Green turns in a startlingly seductive performance as the vengeful, spurned witch out to get Barnabas. Bella Heathcote and Chloë Grace Moretz on the other hand are both wasted in roles that could potentially grant them more attention rather than mere fill-ins.

Burton’s known visual flair does not disappoint, it’s mainly the clumsy storytelling that requires some work. And one thing that really serves as the movie’s highlight is a campy, PG-sex scene between Barnabas and Angelique. The freakish mind of Burton left us with this memorable sparkle from an otherwise average tale.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Collinses: Every Family Has Its Demons - A brief 6 minutes feature which showcases the different cast members and their onscreen characters.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

“Dark Shadows” is lensed intentionally with a dull, grim palette fortunately there isn’t any significant artifacts. Details remain sharp and together with an engaging surround track that boast significant ambient effects and clear dialogue track, the audio and visual is a plus.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee