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COLDPLAY LIVE 2012 - EXCLUSIVE AT SHAW THEATRES LIDO ON 13 NOVEMBER ONLYPosted on 01 Nov 2012 |
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Tommy Wirkola
Cast: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen, Peter Stormare, Thomas Mann, Zoe Bell, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Derek Mears, Judy Norton, Christian Rubeck
RunTime: 1 hr 28 mins
Released By: UIP
Rating: NC-16 (Violence)
Official Website: http://www.hanselandgretelmovie.com/
Opening Day: 24 January 2013
Synopsis: After getting a taste for blood as children, Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have become the ultimate vigilantes, hell bent on retribution. Now, unbeknownst to them, Hansel and Gretel have become the hunted, and must face an evil far greater than witches...their past.
Movie Review:
In case you have grown a little too old to remember the fairy tale, here’s how it goes. There once was a pair of siblings named Hansel and Gretel who lived in the woods. One night, their parents decided to leave them in the forest to fend for themselves, where they would chance upon a large cottage made up of candy and confectionery. Little did they know that it was in fact a trap laid by a wicked witch to lure young children like themselves into her house where she would cook and eat them. But Gretel proved too smart for the witch, so before the witch made her move, Gretel shoved her into the oven and burned her alive.
Did we just reveal the whole story? Not even close. What you may or may not remember about the Brothers Grimm’ story is over and done with in the first ten minutes of writer-director Tommy Wirkola’s revisionist treatment of the classic tale, which basically imagines what happens after the happily ever after. And so Wirkola fast-forwards the story many years later, where he would like us to believe that Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have found their calling as witch hunters, travelling around from village to village killing the evil ones who kidnap children and rescuing their abductees in the process.
One particular such mission brings them to the town of Augsburg, where a beautiful blonde-haired woman named Mina (Pihla Viitala) is due to be drowned in front of an angry crowd by the shifty Sheriff Berringer (Peter Stormare). The Mayor (Rainer Bock) is not so fast to pronounce judgment on her for the spate of disappearances, and has hired Hansel and Gretel to get to the bottom of it. Seeing no visible signs of sorcery on her, Hansel and Gretel free her, inadvertently setting themselves on a collision course with the Sheriff.
But the bitter Sheriff and his band of hunters are the least of their problems – indeed, their most pressing concern is the Grandmother Witch Muriel (Famke Janssen) and her hench-women, who have been keeping the children they have kidnapped locked up in wait for a much more sinister plot to make them even more powerful. Of course, as narrative dictates, Muriel’s plan would have something to do with Hansel and Gretel’s own past, as well as their extraordinary ability to be immune from the spells of witches.
Savvy viewers will be able to spot the connection once the clues are laid, so don’t expect a revelatory surprise at the end. That doesn’t mean however that this reimagination is predictable; instead, Wirkola keeps you riveted with a surprisingly effective blend of horror and hilarity often within the very same scene. Case in point? Just before she forces someone to turn a shotgun on himself and splatter his brains onto the wall, Muriel comments how the room they are in looks somehow drab and could do with some colour.
That same irreverence pervades the entire movie, which shouldn’t come as a surprise if you paid attention to the opening credits and spotted Will Ferrell and Adam McKay as producers of the movie. Their brand of rude cheeky humour is very much alive in Wirkola’s first English-language feature, who had demonstrated through his debut movie lampooning Quentin Tarantino – Kill Buljo – that he is perfectly in tune with their sensibilities. But Wirkola also brings his eye for gore – seen in his sophomore film ‘Dead Snow’ – to this movie, so be prepared for exploding flesh, crushed skulls and some particularly nasty decapitations that is good reason why this grown-up version of Hansel and Gretel does not carry a kid-friendly rating.
Amidst the gore and adult humour, Renner and Arterton unfortunately are left with paper-thin characters. While Renner pretty much looks dour throughout the movie, Arterton seems determined to have fun with her ass-kicking female heroine of a role, and her portrayal of Gretel resembles a Lara Croft for the medieval ages. The scene-stealer however is Janssen, the former Bond villain once again relishing the opportunity to play against type as the villain and putting in a deliciously over-the-top performance as Muriel. Other supporting actors don’t make much of an impression – including Thomas Mann, a firm Hansel and Gretel devotee who gets some laughs from his fanboy behaviour and eventually sees his wish come true to be a witch hunter like his heroes.
And we suspect, how much you will end up enjoying this new twist to the classic fairy tale will also depend on your expectations. Compared to the recent spate of fairytale-inspired Hollywood movies like ‘Red Riding Hood’ or ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’, it veers most far off from its source material to tell an entirely different story. The result of that novelty is something bloody all right, that can also prove to be bloody good fun if you’re looking for an adult-oriented blend of action, adventure, fantasy, horror and comedy. It might not sound intuitive, but this fairy tale is best enjoyed without the kids.
Movie Rating:
(Leave the kids at home for this one – this revisionist take on the classic fairy tale is an entertaining blend of horror and humour that is as gory as it is vulgar)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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Nov Films from Sinema+GVPosted on 01 Nov 2012 |
SYNOPSIS: Teenage social outcast Peter (Andrew Garfield) spends his days trying to unravel the mystery of his own past and win the heart of his high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). A mysterious briefcase belonging to his father, who abandoned him when he was a child, leads Peter to his dad’s former partner, Dr. Connors. The discovery of his father's secret will ultimately shape his destiny of becoming "Spider-Man" and bring him face to face with Connors' villainous alter ego, the Lizard.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Amazing? Close. The untold story? Not quite.
This reboot Spidey didn’t exactly break new ground but Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) turned in a serviceable job consider how iconic the comic character already is and the incredible success of Raimi’s trilogy.
Discarding the overall campy tone of Raimi, with a script written by series writer Alvin Sargent, James Vanderbilt and Steve Kloves (the Harry Potter series), the trio help crafted a more emotional-felt flick that touches on a darker Peter Parker. The biggest difference of course is the death of Peter’s parents which cast a long shadow over his growing up years. Peter’s dad is a renowned scientist working with fellow scientist, Dr Curt Connors at Oscorp but why did he has to hurriedly pack his bags and leave the country and left Peter in the care of his Aunt May and Uncle Ben remains a mystery.
Reverting to the old Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comic origins, there’s also the Parker-made web-shooter and the character’s original love interest Gwen Stacy which the filmmakers have attempt to introduce to make the reboot more authentic. The death of Uncle Ben, turning into a smart-talking, web-slinging masked hero, taking on the school bully and most importantly, a nerdy kid who realized he has a bigger responsibility on hand, one which involves the saving of the world from an unimaginable villain. At the end of the day, you still can’t deny the familiarity of the material consider much have been covered in the 2002 version.
The biggest dazzling choice in fact is the casting instead of the much touted 3D effects and the physical stuntwork by veteran stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong and his team. Sure, the CG effects by Sony Imageworks with the combination of choreographed stunts and assistance of the 5k resolution camerawork accounts for the believable, queasy swinging-through-the-cities sequences. Still you probably have seen all these before. Replacing Tobey Maguire is British actor Andrew Garfield (The Social Network). The indie actor is perfect as the anguish Peter Parker opposite the charming Emma Stone (Easy A) playing Stacy. It’s probably their sizzling chemistry that left the deepest impression and it does help that Marc Webb and cinematographer John Schwartzman shot most of their scenes in dreamy, Twilightesque mode, a prerequisite for today’s younger audience. Rhys Ifans as the Lizard is hampered by less than satisfactory visual effects else he is on the same level with franchise’ villains, Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina acting wise. Acclaimed veterans Martin Sheen and Sally Field provide heartfelt presences as Uncle Ben and Aunt May in otherwise forgettable roles.
The reboot of Spidey is far from what Nolan has done to Batman consider it’s only a decade since Spider-Man first surfaced as a blockbuster with the memories still freshly in mind. Webb’s version does have its big moments especially the last act and the gritty treatment to the character of Peter Parker is commendable. Hopefully the already announced sequel will be a more thrilling, invigorating viewing experience and a closure to Parker’s unanswered questions.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Director Marc Webb and Producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach chipped in for the Audio Commentary track that covered various production aspects of “The Amazing Spider-Man”. The track is informative and engaging especially Arad who was once CEO of Marvel.
The 16 minutes worth of Deleted Scenes focus mostly on the character development of Dr Curt and Parker.
The Oscorp Archives Production Art Gallery covers conceptual art of Spidey, The Lizard and Environments.
Footages of how the physical stunt work is choreographed can be seen in the 11 minutes feature, Stunt Rehersals.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 is nothing short of amazing. The sound effects are detailed, immersive and dynamic when it comes to the action sequences. Dialogue is clear while James Horner’s music score is pleasant to the ears. Facial details, colouring and black levels rarely disappoint with an overall near perfect score for the DVD transfer.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: A she-devil against infidelity, Ying (Cecilia CHEUNG) is both feared and scorned by every man in town. Knowing his daughter would not fall for any ordinary man, Ying’s father (ZHAO Benshan) deliberately pits her against Liang (XIAO Shenyang), the wittiest man in town. After Ying and Liang battle it out in a ferocious public debate on love, the two agree on a shocking wager: If Liang can remain faithful to Ying for a year, they would become husband and wife. The two spend their days quarrelling and secretly scheming against each other. But like all great couples, their intense rivalry eventually blossoms into love. Meanwhile, the traitorous General Sima (Victor Huang) and imperial descendant Liu Da are fighting for the throne, and both sides wish to recruit Liang as military strategist. However, when Liang rejects Sima’s offer, Sima orders Liang to be killed. With Ying’s help, Liang narrowly manages to escape death and joins Liu’s camp.
MOVIE REVIEW:
We’re not sure anyone was asking for a sequel to ‘The Lion Roars’, an at most mildly amusing period comedy starring Louis Koo as a hen-pecked husband and Cecilia Cheung as his domineering wife. But hey that Joe Ma film did relatively good business in China, and given that these days the China market is very much all that matters for Chinese cinema, we have Joe Ma returning to co-write and direct the sequel to his original movie.
Rather than having to develop some semblance of a relation with the original movie, this sequel prefers to keep its relationship in-name only and once again sees Cheung returning as a bossy wife to Xiao Shenyang’s refined and reserved scholar Mingliang. Well, to be more accurate, theirs is simply a trial marriage for the former to prove to the latter that men are all lechers and incapable of committing themselves to just one partner for the rest of their lives.
But just when you think this might be a ripe battle of the sexes comedy, Ma and his co-writer Cao Sheng decide that their movie might be better off set in the Three Kingdoms era – which means the addition of Liu Da, Liu Bei and Zhang Fei against Cao Cao’s General Sima Kong (Victor Huang). Oh, if it isn’t apparent by now, Mingliang is in fact the strategic adviser Zhuge Liang – though we honestly can’t see how he makes any wise moves here.
Purists might squirm at the quick and dirty approach the filmmakers have taken to the Three Kingdoms mythology, but hey historical accuracy was probably the last thing on their minds. So as Mingliang chooses to assist Liu Da in defending the city of Jingye against the tyranny of Sima’s invading forces, his sham marriage to Yueying (Cheung) is also simultaneously tested by the arrival of a female warrior Liu Xiang (Zhang Xingyu) with the hots for him.
Those who have followed Joe Ma’s recent filmography will know how his recent works have been utterly abysmal, as if he’s hit creative bottom since departing from the ‘Love Undercover’ series – so even if this unnecessary sequel doesn’t exactly see him at his peak, it at least boasts clearer direction, funnier gags and a coherently developed story. Ma unfolds the narrative at an amiably enough pace to keep you engaged, though a more spirited approach – much like the Stephen Chow comedies he used to direct – might have benefitted the movie.
That’s also because Xiao Shenyang is a poor substitute for Stephen Chow. Sure the actor has been somewhat of a phenomenon in China, but to his non-converts, his performance is too subdued. You can tell at some points that Shenyang was going for deadpan, but one’s impression is still an overall lethargy. On the other hand, Cheung’s post-pregnancy return to acting continues to disappoint – the scenes towards the end where she tries painfully hard to emote are indeed painful to watch.
Perhaps because we approached this with lowered expectations, ‘The Lion Roars 2’ still manages to be a gentle surprise. It isn’t particularly hilarious or inspired, but there are still the occasional harmless chuckles to be had. Unnecessary as it may be, if you need some laughs to pass your time during the weekend, this might just be up your alley.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The highlight here is a collection of three ‘Making Of’ featurettes, each lasting about five mins. The first mainly has Joe Ma talking about making this sequel ten years after the original; the second tries to convince you that even though Louis Koo is not in this sequel, Xiao Shenyang is still worth watching; and the last focuses on the minor action sequences in the movie.
Besides the ‘Making Of’, there’s a Trailer and a Photo Gallery – only if you’re a die-hard fan of Cecilia Cheung. .
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio offers both Mandarin and Cantonese track, but given that this is a Mainland production, it is the Cantonese dubbing here that sounds awkward. Our advice? Go for the Mandarin one, where the audio is clear though the sounds are largely not well defined. Visuals are good enough for a DVD release.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: After the establishment of People's Republic of China, the People's Liberation Army, set up an intelligence agency called 701 to fight against them. 701 keeps tapping their foes' secret radio channels to monitor their moves and collect intelligence. One day, all of a sudden, all the secret radio channels seem to disappear without a trace. Xuening is sent to Shanghai to seek for worthy who gets superb aural comprehension. She targets Luo Saner at first but it turns out she brings Luo's personal assistant, He Bing to report duty as she realizes this blind man is the one she looks for. Surprisingly, he rediscovers 120 secret frequencies that once are lost within just few days. He Bing has feelings for Xuening gradually. Nevertheless, He knows that he is not good enough for her so he keeps it all to himself. He then falls in love with another female colleague, Chen Jing and gets married later. Xuening introduces a doctor to He Bing as their wedding present. The doctor did some check up on He Bing and tells him that he can regain his sight after surgery. He Bing is convinced by Xuening to have the surgery and it successfully fixes his eyes. He Bing's hearing ability unfortunately is becoming very poor. Though he gets to listen to enemy's channels but he can't understand the meaning of it at all. That as a result, gets Zhang in peril...
MOVIE REVIEW:
Except the absence of explicit sexual scenes, it’s hard not to compare “The Silent War” with Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution”. Both are espionage theme dramas. Both feature a strong female lead and last of all, both movies star the charismatic Tony Leung Chiu Wai.
However, the latest venture from writers-directors Alan Mak and Felix Chong lacks an intense storytelling structure and rightly fails to capture the magic of the genre in this movie adaptation of the work of mainland novelist, Mai Jia.
Leung plays a blind piano tuner, He Bing who has a gift in picking up the most discrete sound. He of course is the perfect candidate to sniff out the People’s Liberation Army’s enemy, the KMT through highly disguised radio channels. Introduced by a capable field agent, Xuening (Zhou Xun) to the director of the PLA’s intelligence agency, Guo (Wang Xuebing), Bing must learn to use Morse code and identify the various hidden enemies who are planning to carry out a deadly assassination on the head of the PLA.
Mak and Chong spent a large part of the movie crafting the characters of Bing and Xuening at the expense of the bigger story onhand. The former, a streetwise assistant to a fraudster turned intelligence agent and the latter, an icy cool lady who has no qualms penetrating into the enemy’s deadly nest. Bing has feelings for Xuening as the days went and we realized she feels it too. It’s a relationship that offers no returns and Xuening voluntarily forsake the blossoming love and dives straight back to her mission. However, it’s this romantic plotting that the two filmmakers had succeeded in saving this movie from obscurity. The main dish right here is the mission – to capture the head of five hidden spies nicknamed “Chungking”. Owing to the fact that Bing is blind, much of the actual espionage activities have to depend on Xuening. Not that there are much action or tension to speak of unless you consider a mahjong session intriguing. Still, there are moments of spark as Bing proves he even has the ability to decipher the behavior and characteristics of the people transmitting the Morse code and the clever radio wave sound effects adds to the realism.
Leung and Zhou of course are perfect in their roles, generating chemistry and performances that outshone the storyline. Instead of making his blind character as sympathetic as possible, Leung’s He Bing is a humourous, cheeky chap while Zhou’s Xuening is aloof and distanced, a flawless fit to a field agent. Ex-bubblegum pop singer turned actress Mavis Fan plays Bing’s fellow codebreaker Chen Jing who marries him in a role that is mostly wasted. There seems to be hints of Wang Xuebing’s Guo having a thing for Xuening and vice versa but yet again, nothing seems to come out of the script in the end. At the very minimum, Mak and Chong pepper the movie with plenty of familiar faces, some you probably haven’t seen for a while including a certain Carrie Ng and ex-pornstar Pal Sinn.
There tend to be more misses than hits in Mak and Chong’s filmography after their massive hit, “Infernal Affairs” with Andrew Lau. “The Silent War” suffers greatly from an overly ambitious theme with an end product that speaks little of it. Watch this for the sake of Leung and Zhou.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Only a Trailer and Photo Gallery is provided here.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
“The Silent War” looks fine on DVD with vibrant colours and images. The sole Mandarin track sounds good enough through the Dolby Digital 2.0 and not surprisingly the sound effects for the airwaves for instance are constrained by the given audio.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Wei Keat is an engineer working in Singapore, who comes from a humble Hokkien Malaysian family, while his wife-to-be Sze Xin, comes from a well-to-do Cantonese Singaporean family. What follows the happy decision to tie the knot is a series of problems involving both families. In a show of sincerity and commitment to his demanding parents-in-law to be, Keat agrees to hold an extravagant and lavish wedding banquet in Singapore. On the wedding day, Keat discovers that most of the red packets he has planned to use to foot the bill have gone missing! Out of desperation, he heads to the nearby casino to try his luck and ends up losing more money. As he makes up one lie after another to cover up his problems, Xin starts to have suspicions about his fidelity and honesty…
MOVIE REVIEW:
“The Wedding Diary” takes a humorous look at what a young couple faced during the course of their wedding in this Singapore and Malaysia joint production directed by Adrian Teh who earlier did “Lelio Popo”.
While the plotting is a tad formulaic, Teh and story planner cum local movie honcho, Lim Teck filled the movie with an ensemble cast that includes Malaysia singer A Niu, HK singer/actress Elanne Kwong and Golden Horse award winner Kara Hui which make things a whole lot interesting.
Niu plays Keat, a Penang-born Engineer who is about to marry a girl, Sze Xin (Kwong) from a well-to-do family in Singapore. Despite protests from Sze Xin’s parents (played by Jack Choo and Kara Hui), Keat assured he will bring happiness to Sze Xin and agree upon a lavish wedding which he of course can’t afford. Trouble arises when the wedding costs start to escalate and together with the incompetent advice from Keat’s buddy, Jeremy (Shaun Chen), Keat finds himself deep in debt and a wife who is beginning to get suspicious.
Bringing his inborn kampong charm to the role of Keat, A Niu is flawless as the hapless newly-wed. Elanne Kwong is equally charming as Sze Xin and she shares a few dynamic scenes with veteran Kara Hui. The story tries to bring messages of trust and honesty between married couples through the characters of Keat and Sze Xin and fortunately, doesn’t develop itself into tiresome repetitive preaching. The last half which turns slightly melodramatic actually carves out a pretty touching backstory of Keat’s father and his late wife while the cultural collision between a Hokkien and Cantonese family is thrown out of the window as soon as it is introduced to the audience.
Besides the mentioned cast members, local veteran comedian Marcus Chin managed to showcase his acting skills this time round as Keat’s misunderstood dad. TV actor Shaun Chen gets the chance to show his rarely seen comical side and veteran singer Maggie Tseng appears as Sze Xin’s meddling aunt. Watch out for the cameo of Jack Neo’s regular, Ah Nan whose comic timing is once again rib-tickling.
Aside for some jarring product placement, “The Wedding Diary” is one entertaining flick that will tickle you pink and warm the hearts. The sequel is coming out early next year so this perhaps is a good time to catch up before it hits the theaters.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
A series of brief segments which consist of interviews with the main cast and director made up the Behind The Scenes. Most interestingly is the first segment which details a minor filming incident where a boat with cast member Marcus Chin in it actually sank into the river.
Making Of is not that much different from Behind The Scenes and consist of additional interviews with the main cast and director Adrian Teh.
Gala Premiere Highlights is culled from 20 minutes of footages from the Singapore premiere held at GV Vivo.
A Trailer and Photo Gallery round up the DVD extras.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Dialogue is clear for the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack while overall colour and visual remains pristine.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Multiple stories of romance and promiscuity intertwine once more at Lan Kwai Fong: Hong Kong’s premium nightlife district. A photographer hits it off with a girl that just broke up with her rich ex-boyfriend; an office boy in advertising mistakes his cell phone for a pretty married woman’s; a broker gets to know a prostitute a lot more than he should; and a patrol officer comes across a female DJ working at a night club.
MOVIE REVIEW:
As far as sequels are concerned, ‘Lan Kwai Fong 2’ takes the cake for being one of the laziest. If its predecessor was more style than substance, then at least it had style on its side; here, returning director Wilson Chin seems content to rely on the cheapest of tactics – softcore – to engage his audiences. But there is only so much distraction that a parade of sexy semi-nude bodies can offer; and once you get past that, this sequel is so haphazardly plotted, badly acted and atrociously directed that it qualifies as one of the worst films of the year.
Adopting the same narrative structure of the first movie, screenwriters Mark Wu Yiu –Fai (who wrote and directed the much superior ‘Due West: Our Sex Journey 3D’) and Lam Fung set their film around a loosely connected bunch of young people who are regulars at the nightclubs in Hong Kong’s iconic after-hours district. Just so the audience can differentiate who is lead and who is supporting, more time is spent on the relationship between photography assistant Rain (Kelvin Kwan) and rich girl Summer (Shiga Lin) after they hook up upon meeting one night at a club.
Narrative necessities have it that their supposedly perfect relationship will be disrupted by their class differences, precipitated by Summer’s father (Joey Tang) disapproval. Meanwhile, Rain’s clubbing buddy Don’s (Sammy Sum) gallivanting ways are put on hold when he becomes smitten by a girl named Siri (Liu Yuqi) with whom he swopped phones with one night and proceeds to send him suggestive pictures. Another three regulars at the club complete the picture – a rich arrogant brat (Benedict Chong) frustrated by Summer’s rejection; a disc jockey Maxim (Linah Matsuoka) with a crush on a cop (Dominic Ho); and Avis (Avis Chan), right hand man to snotty Chef Hung (King Kong), with protective tendencies over club girl QQ (Mia).
Is it any wonder that with so many characters, each one of them is only sketched out one-dimensionally? Chin makes no effort whatsoever in developing these characters, resorting instead to cringe-worthy melodramatic scenes to try to get his audience to believe in their shallow relationship woes. There is little in any of the characters to suggest that they could be rooted in reality, so instead of trying to reflect the psyche of the twenty-somethings that would find comfort in a lifestyle of clubbing, the movie turns them into caricatures willing to do anything in the name of sex.
That may perhaps be what the producers thought had made their first movie an unexpected hit, which explains why they find all sorts of ways of trying to get the characters into non-revealing sexual scenes. Admittedly, if that’s your motivation for watching this, then this sequel offers more flesh and titillation than did the first movie. Don’t expect however to see any of the nubile young stars show off their assets – in studiously trying to avoid a Cat-III rating, all we get here is displays of bare backs, lingerie being taken off and warm bodies pressed against each other. Still, without believable characters or scenarios, the novelty of watching such softcore wears out pretty quickly.
If none of that skin or for that matter the rest of the movie leaves much of an impression, we guarantee you that the preposterous finale will. Imagine this – Ryan stages a flash mob for Summer right in the middle of Lan Kwai Fong to prove his point that they can indeed turn back time to happier days. Not only does it go to show how removed from real life the movie is, the entire staging of it is just plain ridiculous. Yes, if you thought the ending for ‘Lan Kwai Fong’ was forced, wait till you see this one.
Unless you are terribly deprived of flesh on screen, ‘Lan Kwai Fong 2’ offers little entertainment. Even though its predecessor was probably as superficial as the lifestyle it portrayed, there was at least a sense that the film was at least smarter than shallow youths with shallow lives it portrayed. Not here though – there is little coherence to the screenwriting, the directing and the acting, and given how shoddily assembled this movie is, there can be little doubt it was nothing more than an attempt to cash in on the success of the previous ‘Lan Kwai Fong’.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Just a trailer and a Photo Gallery of the photogenic stars.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The dubbing is horrible, and doesn't do any favours for a movie already so atrocious. Visuals are clean and sharp.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: Papi is back, and he's ready to party! From the studio that brought you Beverly Hills Chihuahua-you're invited to the ultimate celebration of friendship and family: Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva La Fiesta! Join Papi (voiced by George Lopez) and his two- and four-legged family as they move into a posh Beverly Hills hotel, complete with a luxurious doggy spa. But there's trouble in puppy paradise when Rosa, the littlest member of the pack, feels smaller and less special than ever. Now it's up to Papi to help Rosa find - and celebrate - her inner strength, which turns out to be bigger than she ever dreamed. Overflowing with laughter, love, and excitement, this is tail-wagging fun for the whole family!
MOVIE REVIEW:
Cats have nine lives but what about dogs? Chihuahuas probably have more than that consider they are back for the third time in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua: Viva La Fiesta!”. Is the third time a charm?
A limited budget is actually not a bad thing for this direct-to-video title. The story by Dana Starfield is confined to a luxurious hotel where Papi’s owners Rachel and Sam worked as a chef and landscape designer respectively. Like any other Disney titles, this third instalment offers a lot of harmless fun for the kiddos and Latin American cultural lessons. Surprisingly, most of the humour is not as stupid as you thought though there are a few obvious references to pop culture litter all around. “Bark Jacobs” anyone?
Papi (voiced by George Lopez of “The Smurfs” and “Marmaduke”), Chloe and their lovely brood of five Chihuahuas have followed their owners to stay at a luxury hotel where they managed to get a job there. Chloe have become the hotel’s dog model while the young pups are attending dog school at the hotel’s premise. Papi starts to worry about losing control over his family members and decide to organize a quinceanera celebration to win back his youngest daughter, Rosa’s heart. It’s not just the family Papi has to worry about, there’s also the over-enthusiastic dog trainer and her sinister plans to leak the hotel’s clientele list over to a rival that got Papi’s attention as well.
There are no massive sequences of Chihuahuas dancing and singing but we do have a cute mariachi band to move things along (similar to “Rango”). An audition sequence to get a suitable band for Rosa’s quinceanera crank up the laughs as canine bands such as Lady Gaga & the Tramp and Black Labbeth (got it?) starts turning up. The human characters as usual serve as fillers to supplement the plot. Frances Fisher (“Titanic”) as a rich patron is utterly forgettable and Sebastian Roche as uptight French Chef Didier merely serves as a torturous tool to Rachel. Of course, there is the child-friendly villainous for Papi to save the day.
Comedian George Lopez finally has a franchise to call his own given the success of the “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” series. Talking animals and silly antics might not be the cup of tea for everyone. However, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua: Viva La Fiesta!” ought to be the perfect harmless title to play in your car to entertain the little ones during your Genting trip in the coming holidays.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are only two Music Videos included for the bonus features
AUDIO/VISUAL:
“Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3” looks fabulous on DVD with fine details and wonderful imaging. Dialogue is clear, music is a blast on the other hand ambient sound effects are limited for this title.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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AH BOYS TO MEN Interview With Jack NeoPosted on 08 Nov 2012 |
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