PRESS CONFERENCE WITH CHOW YUN FAT AND THE STARS OF 'THE LAST TYCOON' Posted on 03 Jan 2013 Can you believe that it has been 13 years since Chow Yun Fat has acted in a film directed by a filmmaker born and bred in Hong Kong? Indeed, ‘The Last Tycoon’ would be his first since ‘Peace Hotel’ back in 1995, the years since spent middling in mediocre Hollywood flicks like ‘The Replacement Killers’ and ‘Dragonball: Evolution’ before the promise ... more

Screen Singapore 2012: THE LAST TYCOON Interview with Wong Jing and Andrew Lau Posted on 04 Jan 2013 We always knew that Andrew Lau had a thing for guns; but now, he’s apparently developed a similar affection for bombs. Indeed, though Wong Jing’s name is listed as director of ‘The Last Tycoon’, it is his producer and cinematographer Andrew Lau whom he credits – and whom the latter proudly acknowledges – is responsible for the most expensive sequence in the e ... more

Genre: Drama
Director: Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache
Cast: François Cluzet, Omar Sy, Anne Le Ny, Audrey Fleurot, Clotilde Mollet, Alba Gaïa Kraghede Bellugi, Cyril Mendy
RunTime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: http://weinsteinco.com/sites/the-intouchables/

Opening Day: 13 December 2012

Synopsis:  A true story of two men who should never have met - a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.

Movie Review:

It's hard not to like The Intouchables. Chock-full of light-hearted fun, the film has the safe and winsome blend of comedy and tender moments that had me grinning from ear to ear in several scenes. The star of this film is without a doubt, Driss, the unlikely choice of caretaker to a wealthy quadriplegic Philippe (played by François Cluzet). Omar Sy, who won the César award for his brilliant portrayal of Driss, presents his character like a quieter but more angst-filled version of Chris Tucker (who is, coincidentally, in talks to do a Hollywood remake of The Intouchables) in Rush Hour (1998). As a raging, straight-talking ex-con who wears his emotions on his sleeves and none of the pretentious inhibitions of the upper class, Driss is charmingly uncouth. Yet while he appears all but interested in the affairs of others—let alone a sullen quadriplegic—we soon come to find that Driss’ feral antics and devil-may-care attitude potently combine with his dormant compassion to form the balm for Philippe’s depression and the two men develop an unforgettable friendship.

Now there have been many films made about the bond between caretakers and their charges. The common themes in Scent of a Woman (1992) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) typically revolve around bucket list aspirations and learning to live a full life despite physical constraints. So what then, does The Intouchables have which these other films don’t?

For one, it has—and here’s the controversial part—the sensitive race factor. Despite being the second biggest box-office hit in France, the film has also received much critical backlash over its racial depictions. Think about it: Driss’ character as the raging, fuming “native” who finds himself—or civilization—through painting, and Philippe as a benevolent white “master” who helps him unearth his raw talent? There are underlying dynamics that are all too resonant of a Caliban-and-Prospero type pairing, and to have images like that startling apparent in the film, and in this age, is mildly disturbing. Because of the way in which these clichés and stereotypes are milked for comic effect, the film more often comes across as American-slapstick than quirky French fare. Comparisons have been made to the schmaltzy Hollywood hit Driving Miss Daisy (1989), and so for a film that is France’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film category in the 85^th Academy Awards, it is, in this aspect, strangely un-French.

However, the unabashed portrayal of racial stereotypes is also partially and precisely why filmmakers Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano should also be credited for their bold and daring gamble in unflinchingly portraying glaring realities. The class divides, racial inequalities and immigrant-anxieties explored in the film through Driss’ family are all rampant in today’s society, however unpleasant they are, and however much we like to sweep them under the faux-carpet called “tact.” For all of these, The Intouchables is an intensely paradoxical film that should stop anyone short of saying that whatever it depicts is wholly tasteless.

The controversial race card aside, there are slips—moments when the humour becomes a little too forced, or a comedic arc pursued way past its due, like the scene in which Driss dances to an Earth, Wind & Fire single that started out somewhat endearing but turned into something quite corny and contrived.

Thankfully, good editing, very strong acting from Omar Sy, “based-on-a-true-story” credentials and some breathtaking camerawork in several scenes do a lot to make this film a thoroughly watchable one, saving what could have been a potential flop.

Will it bring home the Oscar? It’s still too early to say—and much of it depends on the quality of this year's entries—though I believe that even as it rakes in impressive score cards, The Intouchables is simply not enough for stronger contenders out there. It could be the glaring clichés and predictable stereotypes, or simply that a good film can always be too easily overlooked for a “groundbreaking” one, which in this case, does not cut as one.

Movie Rating:

(Regular Joes will be smitten by this film, while more discerning audiences can still find many moments a delight. A trip to the cinema is quite a win-win for everyone here.)

Review by Tay Huizhen

Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Andrew Dominik
Cast: Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Garret Dillahunt, James Gandolfini, Bella Heathcote, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard, Max Casella, Vincent Curatola, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, Linara Washington
RunTime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language and Violence)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films & InnoForm Media
Official Website: http://killingthemsoftlymovie.com/

Opening Day: 3 January 2013

Synopsis:  Adapted from George V. Higgins' novel and set in New Orleans, Killing Them Softly follows professional enforcer, Jackie Cogan (Pitt), who investigates a heist that occurs during a high stakes, mob-protected, poker game. The film also features Scoot McNairy (Monsters), Ben Mendelsohn (Animal Kingdom), Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), with James Gandolfini, Vincent Curatola, Max Casella and Sam Shepard among others.

Movie Review:

There’s a strange tendency in Killing Them Softly to take the most stock elements of genre storytelling and try to make them more intelligent than they deserve to be, usually through a preponderance of smart-alecky political commentaries and heaps and heaps of more long-winded dialogue. As if by taking a script and drenching it in heavy-handed political references and corny lines that sound like they came right out of a young couple on phone sex that Killing Them Softly will be redeemed. The process is not unlike injecting water into cheap meat to make it weightier, and has about the same effect: a shamelessly lean production masquerading as a feature-length movie. Such is the case with Killing Them Softly.

Based on George V. Higgins’s 1974 novel Cogan’s Trade – one which we can only assume is as much of an incredible drag as its movie translation – Killing Them Softly tells the very simple story of two small-time gangsters who decide to spring a surprise on a mob-controlled poker game and take all the money.  Apparently, robbery becomes the most viable solution to poverty when one is a hopeless heroin addict and the other, an incorrigible womanizer. Enter brutal hitman Cogan, played here by the hirsute Brad Pitt with as much of a cold, cavalier disposition towards human lives as one could ever hope for, who is sent to investigate the robbery and restore the economy of the mob. The rest, as they say, is history.

From the beginning of the movie, with then-candidate Barack Obama’s campaign speech during the 2008 US presidential election intercutting the presentation of the movie’s title, it’s obvious director Andrew Dominik is gunning for a purpose far deeper than what the plot could possibly offer. In the same way that bargain-basement shaky-cam movies have hatched more than one method to convey grainy pictures to viewers, Dominik delivers snippets of campaign speeches through the multiple television and radio broadcasts that run in the background of the movie’s proceedings. At best it appears to be a gimmick and at worst it seems like an inexorable distraction. Yet to understand why Dominik thinks this is even necessary at all is to understand American politics.

Where many even-keeled audiences will find joy in dissecting the movie’s numerous political references and come to justify Dominik’s well-documented, contentious creative decision as more than an easy contrivance, many more will be left perplexed. Planting the recession circa 2008 – a point that was highly publicised in the campaign speeches of Obama and McCain – as the root of all evils, Dominik tries to offer a reasonable explanation for the desperate robbery and everything else, including Cogan’s motivations as a hitman, coming fully demonstrated in a heated diatribe against Obama’s optimistic words in the last scenes. That said, a movie advertised as a simple, fun and tense mob action vehicle must – first and foremost – please on the merits of its proceedings.

Which Killing Them Softly does not. The movie relies so profoundly on the viewer’s inherent knowledge of American politics that those less familiar with the subject are likely to find it simplistic and immensely boring. Aside from a fortunate stylistic inconsistency that sees Cogan execute a victim in an overly indulgent slow-mo sequence, Dominik’s selfish quest to put his almost boastful grasp of complicated topics before the audience’s expectations and enjoyment means Killing Them Softly entertains none but the most scrutinising. The rest of the movie is exhausted with gangsters prattling on about sex with prostitutes like children talking in overly excited tones about Ben 10. It’s just distressing that Dominik has little else to give.

In totality, Killing Them Softly feels like a half hour of plot stretched over too large a frame and filled with excesses like political references and meandering dialogue about irrelevant subjects. It’s a movie that asks the audience to do the heavy lifting in terms of understanding American politics. That would be fine if it had earned that kind of narrative trust, but instead manages to be the sort of movie you will never want to watch on any day: too wafer-thin, too long and too demanding to get to anything remotely appealing. Unless you have a clear understanding of American politics, steer clear. Killing Them Softly is through and through a snorefest.

Movie Rating:

(Requiring a decent knowledge of American politics to really appreciate, Killing Them Softly is otherwise too simplistic, too long and too boring to be worth plodding through)

Review by Loh Yong Jian

SYNOPSIS: Oscar® winners Adrien Brody (Best Actor, The Piano, 2002) and Forest Whitaker (Best Actor, The Last King of Scotland, 2006) star in this mind-shattering psychological thriller from the creator of TV’s Prison Break. Selected to participate in a two-week research project, a group of men agree to play inmates and guards in a simulation of life within a state prison. But as the 24 volunteers slip deeper into their roles, power corrupts, fears escalate and the experiment spins horribly out of control. Cam Gigandet (Twilight), Clifton Collins Jr. (Crank: High Voltage) and Maggie Grace (TV’s Lost) co-star in this intensely shocking film.

MOVIE REVIEW:

A remake of the German film in 2001, which was itself based on the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment held in 1971, ‘The Experiment’ pits one half of a group of 26 ordinary men against the other half by ascribing them separate and polarising roles as prisoner and guard. Like the real-life experiment, things predictably go awry, as the participants became more and more ingrained in their respective social roles and begin to behave more and more according to their concomitant demands. 

Because of the incredible lengths to which both the “guards” and the “prisoners” eventually went, any dramatization would need to ensure that the buildup was done convincingly in order for the audience to buy into the eventual mania. Sadly, writer/ director Paul Scheuring (better known for being the creator of ‘Prison Break’) lacks the finesse to turn this into the compelling thriller it could have been; instead, what we have here is a glorified sadist flick that will only satisfy those who get high on seeing the humiliation of others.

It’s not immediately clear what possessed good actors like Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker to sign onto this “experiment”, especially the former who plays the lead character Travis that gets the brunt of the humiliation. Recently let go from his job, he needs money to join the girl of his dreams, Bay (Maggie Grace), in India – hence his participation as a subject in the said experiment. But Travis’ free-spirit type isn’t at all comfortable with obeying authority, which puts him in direct conflict with Barris (Whitaker) who loves being in control and becomes the de facto leader of the guards.

What does Barris resort to in order to try to break Travis’ will? Well, let’s just say it ain’t pretty – and the more you watch, the more likely you will feel disgusted not just with Barris but also with the movie. If Scheuring was going to set Travis and Barris’ conflict as the cornerstone of the film, then the least he could have done is to help us understand a little more about who Travis and Barris really are, in particular the reason for Barris’ psychotic behaviour – otherwise, what we get is merely a caricatured display of egos, complete with some over-the-top histrionic acting from Whitaker.

While Whitaker tries too hard, Brody doesn’t seem to try much; instead, most of the time, the actor, whom we have to remind ourselves time and time again was the same person honoured for an Academy Award for his role in Roman Polanski’s ‘The Pianist’, just suffers in silence – be it after he is tied to a chair and gets his head shaved bald or when his face is pushed into a toilet bowl. Like we said, there’s little Brody gets to do in the movie, and the real shame is how he let himself be the subject of such disgrace in the first place.

Too content to rest on the laurels of Brody and Whitaker, Scheuring hardly gives any room for the supporting characters to act. Both Ethan Cohn and Clifton Collins Jr are wasted as fellow cellmates to Travis, the former’s insulin-dependent victim only a plot device to build Travis and Barris’ confrontation and the latter a prison veteran who knows what it means to follow orders on step. Ditto for Cam Gigandet playing someone from the other side of the bars, who is given little else to do than to follow Barris around like a second in command in awe of his commanding officer.

Besides better characters, what this thriller is sorely in need of is also some perspective. It is inconceivable that in this day and age such an experiment could take place without some sort of ethical debate going on behind the researchers, a point of view that is lacking even as we are shown through the rotating cameras mounted everywhere that someone somewhere must be watching the proceedings. And thanks to that omission, what could have been a smart thriller ends up anything but.

What is most frustrating at the end of the day is to know that the movie could have been so much more had the filmmakers placed more thought and effort into the plotting. Unfortunately, the whole guise of an experiment turns out to be no more than an excuse for a sadistic movie that makes little sense and has little meaning. For a movie that’s supposed to be smart, this experiment is really pretty dumb. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio suffices in delivering the dialogues clearly. Visuals are often flat and ugly, but that's probably a stylistic choice on the part of the filmmakers. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: One step can change a life forever in The Ledge, a sexy and suspenseful thriller, starring Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson and Terrence Howard. After embarking on a passionate affair with his evangelical neighbor's wife (Tyler), Gavin (Sons of Anarchy's Hunnam) soon finds himself in a battle of wills that will have life or death consequences. As a nonbeliever, Gavin is lured by her lover's husband (Insidious's Wilson) to the ledge of a high rise and told he has one hour to make a choice between his life or the one he loves. Without faith in an afterlife, will he be able to make a decision? It's up to police officer Hollis (Howard) to save both their lives, but the clock is ticking in this edge-of-your-seat film that will leave you gasping until the final frame.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Not to be confused with ‘Man on a Ledge’ – though both movies share the same basic premise of a jumper on a high-rise roof – ‘The Ledge’ boasts a much more intriguing story centred around faith and reason. Gavin Nichols (‘Sons of Anarchy’s’ Charlie Hunnam) is that jumper, forced to mount the precipice one late morning by Joe Harris (Patrick Wilson) in order to save his lover Shana (Liv Tyler).

The twist? Shana is Joe’s wife, and besides the fact that this is Joe’s way of achieving comeuppance, it is also his method of exacting righteous justice. How does God come into the picture? Writer/ director Matthew Chapman sets Gavin up as an atheist, whose collision course with the righteous born-again Christian Joe begins one evening when the latter reveals his contempt for homosexuals while the former and his gay roommate Chris (Chris Gorham) are over for dinner.

Whether out of spite or just pure coincidence, Gavin becomes drawn to Shana, who happens to work as a housekeeper at the hotel where he is manager. Of course, Shana is more than just your typical dutiful Christian wife – before meeting Joe, she confesses to Gavin that she had a history of drug abuse and prostitution. As played by Liv Tyler, Shana is a fragile beauty with a soft sad voice – so you can forgive Gavin for falling for her despite being well aware of her marital status and for that matter who her husband is.

Of course, Joe takes none too kindly when he discovers his wife’s indiscretion – hence the predicament that Gavin finds himself in. This he relates to Detective Hollis Lucetti (Terrence Howard) as he bides his time with the clock slowly ticking towards noon, and Chapman juxtaposes Gavin’s story with Hollis’ own marriage woes – the latter of whom discovers through a medical test that he has been born infertile, which means the two young children he has with wife (Jacqueline Fleming) could not have been his.

Chapman builds his movie on the question of faith, albeit in different forms. Detective Hollis’ is a crisis of faith in marriage, as he is forced to question why his wife would lie to him for so many years. Ditto for Joe, who is suddenly faced with Shana’s adulterous ways. And then there is Gavin, whom Joe has several heated conversations with about God – his crisis is one of a higher order, of the presence of God, after it is revealed much later on what led him to have an utter disbelief in the power of a greater being.

There is certainly promise in the material, even as it is handled with a less than deft approach by Chapman himself. Better known for his screenplays (e.g. ‘Runaway Jury’) and non-fiction books about creation and evolution, Chapman often exerts a heavy hand in his directing, especially in getting his actors to voice out loud their inner dilemmas rather than portray them more subtly. At least he maintains a sufficient amount of intrigue to keep you engaged, even if you’d appreciate a lot more finesse.

The fact that the likes of Hunnam (next to be seen in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pacific Rim’), Tyler, Wilson and Howard (who is also co-executive producer) are in this film is probably a testament to the potential they saw in it. Performances are all-round competent, but particularly well played is the tension between Hunnam and Wilson, one the smooth easygoing man of reason and the other the hard-nosed firm man of faith.

These opposites are at the centre of the film itself, which despite some ham-fisted direction, still remains an interesting watch. In the hands of a better director, the message that faith is an integral part of our life that will be tested one way or another is likely to come through more strongly – but as it is, the histrionics threaten to drown out the significance of the story. Still, if you’re looking for a more thought-provoking thriller, this flawed but absorbing piece ought to do. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The Dolby Digital 2.0 delivers the dialogue clearly and crisply. Visuals are sharp and clear as well.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Three teenaged boys are lured to the town of Cooper’s Dell with the promise of a party. But instead of enjoying the night of their dreams, the teens are plunged into the nightmarish world of Pastor Abin Cooper and the Five Points Trinity, a fundamentalist group with a stockpile of weaponry and a deadly moral agenda. When word of the teens’ disappearance reaches the authorities, a military task force is mobiliz ed. With Cooper’s Dell teetering between salvation and damnation, the ATF braces for a furious gun battle with Cooper and his heavily armed followers in this fever-pitched action thriller from writer-director Kevin Smith.

MOVIE REVIEW:

There is nothing funny about Kevin Smith’s latest film, ‘Red State’; in fact, it is deadly serious, and we mean deadly in the most literal sense. Ever the enfant terrible of indie American cinema, Smith’s aim is this time trained on religiously fanatic right-wing Christian fundamentalists – hence the title of the movie. And despite a clearly limited budget, Smith delivers a captivating action thriller that taps into the zeitgeist fears of our time.

Like most of Smith’s movies do, this one starts out with three horny teenage boys - Travis (Michael Angarano), Jarod (Kyle Gallner) and Billy-Ray (Nicholas Braun) – who are looking to get some. On the promise of a threesome with an older woman Sara (Melissa Leo), the trio set off to a trailer in some dumpy blackwater town named Cooper’s Dell. Unfortunately, Sara just happens to be the daughter of fanatical preacher Abin Cooper (Michael Parks), and their supposed online date no more than a trap.

Turns out besides picketing outside the homes of homosexuals, Cooper has also been playing God’s moral executioner, kidnapping them and other sinners all in the name of doing God’s work. No matter that his teachings are so lunatic that even Neo-Nazi groups distance themselves from him, Cooper preaches from the pulpit with clarity and conviction to his small congregation of family members and their mates - and like blind converts, they learn not to question a single word he says.

Smith devotes ten full minutes of the film’s limited screen time to Cooper’s interpretation of the Bible, and it is a mesmerising sequence that truly exemplifies the power of the spoken word. It also proves to be a surprisingly compelling role for the veteran actor, and if you haven’t yet taken notice of who he is, this is one role that will make you sit up and watch. Parks and Leo also make for an effectively disturbing father-daughter pairing, and practically steal the show from start to finish.

It does take some time for the film to go into action mode – but not before the introduction of the ATF field agent Joseph Keenan (John Goodman) and his deputy (Kevin Pollak), the latter if only for a brief moment. First tasked to rescue the three hostages, Keenan gets orders on the ground to clear out Cooper’s farmhouse church – apparently his superiors have decided to just get rid of their problem once and for all by labelling Cooper a domestic terrorist in order justify a heavy firepower assault on him and his followers on the compound.

Anyone who has seen Smith’s earlier ‘Cop Out’ will know he is no action director, but here he injects a thrilling edge to the film by making practically every character expendable. The kills are fast, brutal and unexpected – in other words, not in the order by which Hollywood conventions subscribe to. He also introduces a moral question in the midst of the ensuing firefight, as Sara’s daughter pleads with one of the lawmen and then no less than one of the hostages to lead her and the rest of the women and children of Cooper’s misguided flock to safety.

Religious conservatives will hate the movie, but for everyone else, this presents a realistically frightening scenario where extreme right-wing beliefs taking hold in the United States are coupled with Second Amendment rights for citizens to bear arms. Besides religious intolerance, Smith also takes aim at the abuse of state power, especially with a final scene that sees the Authorities laughing about the sort of blanket powers they possess.

For Smith, it is also one of his most mature films to date, as it sees him put away his Jay and Silent Bob personas on which he claimed his fame on. Whether he has matured in his craft as a filmmaker is another question, but in attempting a subject as charged and as relevant as extreme religious fundamentalism, Smith deserves to be applauded for ‘Red State’. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The Dolby Digital 2.0 barely brings out the firepower of the ammunition in the movie, but the dialogues survive well enough. Visuals are clear, but as befitting the setting, colours are often muted and dull.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Krysten Ritter, Kate Bosworth and Rachel Bilson star in this sharp and witty comedy about single living, friendship and the joys of life's curveballs. When a one-night-stand results in an unexpected pregnancy, things take a sudden turn for Kim (Ritter) and her roommates, Deena (Bosworth) and Laura (Bilson). Jumping back into the dating scene, Kim copes with single motherhood amid fears that toting a tot will be a dating buzz-kill. Costarring Jason Biggs, Justin Kirk and Kristen Johnston.

MOVIE REVIEW:

It seems like the Superman’s curse has landed upon Kate Bosworth, her career didn’t exactly soar after being Lois Lane. In fact, she has almost dropped off the spotlight judging from her career choices lately.  

In this indie flick, Bosworth plays Deena, a writer who is waiting for her big break and shared a house with two other roommates, Kim (Krysten Ritter), a dog walker and Laura (Rachel Bilson) who simply can’t decide what she is going to do. Deena and Kim have been BFFs since college while the story never mentioned anything about how they hooked up with Laura. A one night stand with an Australian surfer dude resulted in an unplanned pregnancy for Kim and little Max becomes sort of a threatening tool to their once flourishing friendship.

“Life Happens” is a pale shadow to Judd Apatow’s stuff liked “Bridesmaids” and “Knocked Up”. It trends on similar topics but director/writer Kat Coiro and co-writer Ritter has troubles turning it into something less generic and cliché. Kim and Deena are the typical female versions of boy-men, ladies who just want to have fun, responsibilities for them come later. But for Kim, responsibility did materialize in the form of Baby Max and the dear boy caused a strain on Kim’s dream, love life and also the juggling of babysitting duties among the three roommates. The message is clear enough however Kim’s romance with her suitor, Nicolas (Geoff Stults) seems to drag on like forever. The constant frustration, crying and tempers flare faced by Deena and Kim probably appeal to the feminine crowd than the guys.

There are a couple of gags, sharp lines and feature a cameo from Jason Biggs, more popular known as Jim from American Pie. Some humour work but mostly they don’t really matter. Liked Laura’s constant job changing and her appearance on some reality program “America’s Last Virgin”, Kim’s irritable boss Francesca and Deena’s random sex pursuits which makes you wonder what other material they could have come up with instead of relying on these cheap gags.  

Krysten Ritter’s screen presence is likeable enough and dear Kate Bosworth seems to have aged a little since Lois Lane. Sorry for that superficial comment but I have to add that Bosworth clearly has the ability to take on a stronger script. “Life Happens” as entertaining as it was just doesn’t deliver beyond an ordinary feminine sitcom. Like what the opening credits shown, Sh** Happens.       

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Visual on the whole is decent for this indie flick and the Dolby Digital 2.0 audio soundtrack is clear enough for both the pop songs and dialogue output in the movie.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Prepare for double the action, double the terror and double the D’s. The prehistoric school of bloodthirsty piranhas are back and this time, no one is safe from the flesh-eating fish as they sink their razor sharp teeth into the visitors of summer’s best attraction, The Big Wet Water Park. Starring Danielle Panabaker, Matt Bush, David Koechner, Chris Zylka, Katrina Bowden, Gary Busey, Christopher Lloyd and David Hasselhoff.

MOVIE REVIEW:

With a plotting that is skimpier than all the bikinis on displayed, it’s no wonder nobody bother to catch “Piranha DD” (make that 3DD in theaters).

The first directed by Alexandre Aja was a silly exploitative movie filled with nothing but gore, nudity and humor. This sequel involving once again scores of prehistoric-piranhas attacking humans tried hard to ride on the success of the first unfortunately ended up as a mere soulless bloodbath affair cashing on the 3D craze.

The deadly piranhas are let loose after breeding in a cow carcass in the river by two farmers. Their attack ground happens to be a waterpark, co-owned by Maddy (Danielle Panabaker) and her rascal of a stepdad, Chet (David Koechner) who has been pumping water from the piranha-infested riverbed and turning the waterpark into some obscene adult-theme park with porn stars as lifeguards. There isn’t a need to mention any further plotting (there’s nothing worth mentioning) except a bunch of nameless horny youngsters getting ripped and killed as the movie goes.

Director John Gulager (“Feast”) disappointingly reduced the sequel to a direct-to-video like production with little suspense or laugh. Flat-out characters met their deaths in highly unimaginable grotesque styles. Remember Jerry O’Connell’s character got his penis bitten off in the first? The penis gag is repeated here except it happen during a passionate lovemaking session between two youngsters. This is as far as how the filmmakers go in giving audience a surprise. Well, there’s one scene towards the end that is outright offensive but probably throw most off guard, pity it comes a little too late.

Two has-been actors Gary Busey and David Hasselhoff appear in bit roles though none will pay much attention to their appearances anyway. Christopher Lloyd and Ving Rhames are back as Mr Goodman and Deputy Fallon. The former channelling his usual Doc Brown’s eccentricities and the latter pulling a Planet Terror. The last 15 minutes of absurd killing and mayhem in the waterpark seems like a lazy attempt to replicate the formula with more soft porn shots and tacky deaths.  

“Piranha DD” is so bad that it’s actually worse than you initially thought. At the very minimum, it teaches us not too skinny-dip in mysterious dark rivers at night.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

For such an outrageous movie, the visual is not as bad. Colours are sharp and skintones are almost perfect. The 2.0 track is sufficient for all the pumping dance music and dialogue.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Steve Carell and Keira Knightley lead an all-star cast in this clever and heartwarming comedy that explores the crazy things people do when humanity's last days are at hand. Set in a too-near future, two neighbors, Dodge (Carell) and Penny (Knightley), react in their own unique ways to the announcement that a 70-mile-wide asteroid is en route to the Earth. He wants to return to his first love. She just wants to get back to her family. As the unlikely companions' respective journeys converge, their outlooks - if not the world's - brighten in surprising and hilarious ways. The feature directorial debut of screenwriter Lorene Scafaria (Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist), Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is being hailed as "funny and wonderfully poetic! Steve Carell and Keira Knightley are superb." (Claudia Puig, USA Today).

MOVIE REVIEW:

What are you going to do if the Mayas prediction is true? That is the world is going to end on 21 December 2012, approximately in less than two weeks.  

Spending time with your family seems to be a priority for some. Partying with friends and counting down the days can be one. Or you can debunk the hearsay. But for Dodge (Steve Carell) and Penny (Keira Knightly), the duo decides to set out on a road trip to look for Dodge’s first love after she forgot to return his wrongly delivered letter. You see, Dodge and Penny have been neighbours for a while though they haven’t have met each other until now just when an asteroid is about to hit Earth in three weeks. Dodge realized his first love is the person he wishes to see before the end of the world and Penny after several mishaps with relationships decide to return back to her family in the UK.

Those expecting a Roland Emmerich’s “2012” or Michael Bay’s “Armageddon” will be sorely disappointed by the lack of showy apocalypse CG effects. Aside from a riot taking place and two jolting moments (I shall not reveal them here), “Seeking A Friend For The End of the World” is a therapeutic journey of self-discovery. The joy is watching Dodge and Penny banter about everything under the sun and meeting quirky characters along the way. The orgy-happy waiters and waitresses at a diner and Penny’s military ex-boyfriend are two examples. However, one of the sore points that stood out is the predictable romance between two unlikely individuals. Had it not been the loneliness and impeding cruel fate bestow upon them, the pairing of Dodge and Penny sounds bizarrely forceful. Dodge’s coming to terms with his estranged father (played by Martin Sheen) is a better scenario. At least it’s more believable in real-life.    

Director and writer Lorene Scafaria who wrote the equally quirky “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” proves hers is a new voice to watch out for despite the missteps. Her sense of humour is spot-on liked the opening scene which has Dodge’s wife dashing off from his car after hearing that the world is coming to end. Scafaria made use of a popular genre and turned it into something totally unusual and imaginative. There are parts which can be improved on and there are parts which could do a whole lot of rewriting. But for her directing debut, the flick on the whole is a matured twist of romance and disaster.  

If you are worrying about December 21st, watching “Seeking A Friend For The End of the World” seems to be a good choice for a start.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The audio boasts a 5.1 channels track and with the exception of clear dialogue, cool songs and ambient sound design, it has little else to offer. Images are spick and span and colours well-saturated for this DVD release.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee