Genre: Dark Comedy
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Cast: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Christian Convery, Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Kristofer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Aaron Holliday, Margo Martindale, Ray Liotta
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Drug References)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 23 February 2023

Synopsis: Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner's plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, this wild dark comedy finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500- pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of cocaine and gone on a coke-fueled rampage for more blow … and blood.

Movie Review:

Cocaine Bear greets everyone with an iffy quote from Wikipedia about black bears before fading in with a couple trekking in the wild and making wedding plans. And they encounter a demented-looking bear, banging its head against a tree. Little did they anticipate a killing spree to be launched by the apex predator high on cocaine and the search for the infamous red duffle bags containing millions of dollars’ worth of substance is embarked on.

The Coke Bear’s challengers are a gaggle of tourists, law enforcement officers, drug peddlers, a drug kingpin and of course, a concerned mother searching for her daughter. With many characters racing to the same location for varying reasons, this posthumous release for beloved Ray Liotta hinges on the question if they all will make it out alive. Or is it a glorious ending for the Cocaine Bear and her adorable babies that are also high on crack?

Loosely based on the actual event of a drug runner's plane crash in 1985 and the black bear that had ingested a bag of substance, the 91-minute thriller set in a forest in Georgia stars an ensemble of esteemed actors such as the late and great Ray Liotta, Keri Russell, Margo Martindale, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and many more. And the drug binge that is far from bear minimum (pun intended) summons gory events unfolding in just a day.

The real bear that was immortalised on film had a dissimilar ending (sadder actually), compared to its onscreen counterpart. Elizabeth Banks who loves a good underdog story gave some emotional depth to the titular character by throwing in some motherly touches with the bear cubs. By the same token, surprisingly, parenting is one of the biggest themes of the film. Banks revealed in an interview that she felt a lot of sympathy for the bear who had ended up being a victim in the drug war’s collateral damage. And she intended this movie to be a revenge story for the bear who is now a taxidermied display in Lexington, Kentucky. And it sure worked for the best with its fictional furry counterpart that runs on an erratic shift in gears, where it goes from knee-slapping kind of funny to potentially harrowing kind of scary.

Outmatching the Revenant bear by being the most vicious and asserting, Cokey was digitally brought to life by Wētā FX and an on-set bear performer named Allan Henry who walks as a quadruped with prosthetics.

What redeems this man-versus-beast kind of flick is the rib-tickling humour along the way that makes it absolutely fun to watch. Although the comedy-flecked chaos doesn’t lean into being a full-fledged plot that boasts a compelling narrative, it sure is a character-centric flick that does what it was set to do - keep audience glued to their seats. The woodsy thriller which is a run-of-the-mill tale with a definitive ending is a jumble of love, trust, camaraderie and limitless craziness that makes up for an absence of any major plot twists. The theatrical poster even endorses a faint sense of humour that paradoxically makes it even funnier, especially with that "get in line" slogan. Apart from that, Cocaine Bear also promises nostalgic horror B-movies vibes as it lulls you into a time and place in the ‘80s.

This is definitely a movie that no one asked for, but one that we all are badly in need of. If you have been fatigued by the recent slew of some deep, Oscar-worthy numbers, then this laid-back (mis)adventure that is made into a full-length feature film may make you want to grab some hot nachos and extra-large coke (the drinkable kind, duh)!

Movie Rating:

(Don’t sleep on this coke-fuelled rampage. Hibernation is boring. It’s a cocaine Christmas for Pablo Escobear in this unapologetically loud, dark dramedy)

Review by Asha Gizelle Mariadas

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the soundtrack producers of the Fast & Furious franchise. After four albums featuring sizzling hot tracks to blast from the car stereo whilst driving down our humbly built expressways, we are now blessed with a fifth album – one that contains even more adrenaline pumping music!

With the film set in Brazil, you can expect the entire album to be filled with blazing tracks brimming with raggae rhythmic beats. The mix of Latin and hip hop music should please fans of high energy music.

Flagging off the album is the rap track “How We Roll (Fast Five Remix)” performed by Don Omar, Busta Rhymes, Reek da Villian and J-doe. It doesn’t matter you have no idea these people are – because the infectious energy of the four minute track is enough have you shaking your booties to the music. The other standout English track on the album is American rapper Ludacris’ “Furiously Dangerous”, a brand new track he created for the film (the occasional actor also stars in the movie). Featuring hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse and Claret Jai, the lead single deserves repeated plays on your stereo.

There are a number of Portuguese tracks (read: performed in foreign language) on this album. Whether it’s the ethnic sounding “Carlito Marron” by Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown, the uber cool “Batalha” by ObandO or the celebratory “Danza Kuduro” by Don Omar (another cast in the movie) featuring Lucenzo, you’d find yourself enjoying every moment these tunes heat up the airwaves.

Topping it off are composer Brian Tyler’s instrumental score from the movie. Three cues “Assembling the Team”, “Mad Skills” and “Fast Five Suite” are included on the album. These rock heavy and aggressive urban tracks bring to mind exciting driving sequences where engines vroom with exhilaration and thrill. It is rare for song compilation soundtracks to include score cues, so kudos to the producers for this move.

This installment of the soundtrack is definitely worth adding to your collection: The 50 minutes of music on this recommended album should be enough for you to drive from one end of the island to the other. So get ready to rev those engines!

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (13) Furiously Dangerous – Ludacris featuring hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse and Claret Jai

Review by John Li

Posted on 19 May 2011

Genre: Thriller/Adventure
Director: Alister Grierson
Cast: Richard Roxburgh, Alice Parkinson, Ioan Gruffudd, Rhys Wakefield, Dan Wyllie, Christopher Baker, Allison Cratchley
RunTime: 1 hr 43 mins
Released By: GV
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.sanctummovie.com/

Opening Day: 31 March 2011

Synopsis: The 3-D action-thriller Sanctum, from executive producer James Cameron, follows a team of underwater cave divers on a treacherous expedition to the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. When a tropical storm forces them deep into the caverns, they must fight raging water, deadly terrain and creeping panic as they search for an unknown escape route to the sea.

Master diver Frank McGuire (Richard Roxburgh) has explored the South Pacific's Esa-ala Caves for months. But when his exit is cut off in a flash flood, Frank's team-including 17-year-old son Josh (Rhys Wakefield) and financier Carl Hurley (Ioan Gruffudd)-are forced to radically alter plans. With dwindling supplies, the crew must navigate an underwater labyrinth to make it out. Soon, they are confronted with the unavoidable question: Can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?

Movie Review:

Whereas “127 Hours” was the story of one man trapped in a cave, “Sanctum” is that of a group of spelunkers trapped within a labyrinth of unexplored caverns in Papua New Guinea. These are no ordinary caves, as we are told in the opening minutes of the film- apparently, the Esa-ala caves make up the largest underwater caves in existence. A monster storm is the excuse for turning the group’s cave exploration adventure into a survival yarn, cutting their route to the surface and forcing them deeper into the subterranean tunnels and caverns.

Despite the prominent billing of James Cameron as executive producer, this Alister Grierson-directed film is nowhere near the Danny Boyle film in terms of thrills or for that matter, any kind of quality filmmaking. While the latter Academy Award-worthy movie was a keenly visceral experience reflecting on the unpredictability and fragility of life, this movie is really no more than a B-disaster movie complete with thinly-drawn stock-type characters and stilted dialogue- no thanks to a tired and clichéd screenplay by its writers John Garvin and Andrew Wight (one of Cameron’s longtime producers).

This is apparent right from the start as we get to know the characters- the gruff grizzled master explorer Frank (Richard Roxburgh), also the leader of the team, who has spent too much time in caves and too little time with his teenage son Josh (Rhys Wakefield); as well as Frank’s playboy/adventurer, and financier of the expedition, Carl (Ioan Gruffudd, better known as Mr Fantastic from the Fantastic Four movies) together with his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson). Given the poorly sketched characters, you can probably guess that the only development that occurs is the father-son bonding between Frank and Josh.

The lack of characters we care about is but one of the film’s shortcomings; the other is the utterly baffling dialogue that Roxburgh and Gruffudd have to get through. A sampling of that includes- “This cave’s not gonna beat me!”; “Panic is a vulture that sits on your shoulder” and “Life is not a dress rehearsal, you gotta seize the day”. It’s hard to imagine anyone speaking like that in real life, especially not when you are supposed to be so close to the verge of death- but that’s what we are meant to believe these characters in here will do.

Perhaps the only consolation is that there are no contrived villains to speak of, only the elements for our heroes to contend with. These at least offer a modicum of genuine suspense. A sequence where Frank and a fellow explorer attempt to find a way out through a completely submerged cavern will have you on edge as said explorer loses her cool halfway underwater. Another where Frank, Carl, Josh and Victoria have to squeeze through a narrow underwater passage will also have you holding your breath.

Cameron apparently lent his experience of filming in 3D to Grierson, and some of that appears to have paid off. There is a sense of depth to the cavernous surroundings. The action sequences too benefit from the extra dimension by immersing its audience in the environment that makes the tension the characters are meant to be feeling even more real and immediate. Even then, it’s always worthwhile to note that Cameron is not at the helm of this, so don’t expect the same quality of 3D shots as Avatar.

Nevertheless, the strength of any survival tale lies in its human story, which is too plainly absent from this movie. Because we don’t get to empathise as much as we should with the characters, “Sanctum” offers little more than the occasional thrill- and probably the wonder of exploring the subterranean for the lesser-adventurous among most of us. Of course, the fact that this was not filmed in the actual caves, but in Mount Gambier and Naracoorte caves in South Australia among other studio sets diminishes even that little bit of pleasure.

Movie Rating:

 (It may offer the occasional thrill, but bad dialogue and thin characters make this an unfulfilling survival yarn)

Review by Gabriel Chong

In Japanese with English & Chinese Subtitles
Genre: Drama/Action
Director: Takafumi Hatano
Cast: Shinichi Tsutumi, Junichi Okada, Yoko Maki, Teruyuki Kagawa, Satoru Matsuo, Yu Kamio, Toru Nomaguchi, Keisuke Horibe, Kentaro Furuyama
RunTime: 1 hr 38 mins
Released By: GV
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.sp-movie.com

Opening Day: 14 April 2011

Synopsis: When Kaoru Inoue (Junichi Okada) opposes Soichiro Ogata (Shin'ichi Tsutsumi), Soichiro makes the cryptic remark "It couldn't be helped. It was for a greater cause ..."

One month later, at an event hall in Roppongi Hills, there is a charity event for landmine eradication. Kaoru does security with Security Police officers Soichiro Ogata, Eri Sasamoto (Yoko Maki), Takahumi Yamamoto (Satoru Matsuo) and Mitsuo Ishida (Yu Kamio). Kaoru Inoue senses a threatening existence and starts to suffer a severe headache and becomes dizzy. When Kaoru was young, his parents were killed by terrorists and that incident has had an traumatic effect on Kaoru since.

Inside the event hall, Kaoru Inoue replies to Ogata calls that everything is fine. The Secretary of Japan then appears on stage and Inoue again senses a threatening existence. Kaoru has a premonition of what will happen in the future. Right after, Kaoru finds a man in a suit holding an umbrella, even though the weather is clear, and starts running towards him. The man approaches the stage and Kaoru is blocked from reaching him by other spectators. Kaoru Inoue warns Eri Sasamoto about the man. As the man attempts to push a button on the umbrella, Kaoru and Eri are able to restrain him and take the umbrella away. The man slips away and runs off.

Kaoru Inoue chases the man to the center of the city and arrests him near the subway platform. The chase was covered by the media. The chief of SP, Yoshiharu Nakao (Shingo Egami), later stares down at Kaoru and tells him a pipe bomb was discovered in the umbrella which could have caused severe damage. Prime Minister Yuzou Asada (Kei Yamamoto) and other higher government officials gave Inoue favorable reviews, but Kaoru, nevertheless, crossed proper protocols and should refrain from such excessive behavior in the future.

That evening, a campaign fund raising event is held in support of of Secretary General Kunio Date (Teruyuki Kagawa). After the fund raising event, the secretary for the Ministry of Defense Takikawa (Takehiro Hira), who was a member of the same university political club that Soichiro Ogata attended at Tokyo University, chief international terror agent at the Ministiry of Foreign Affairs Anzai (Kazuki Namioka), Metropolitan Police Department member Mitsuhiko Kaziyama (Satoru Date) and Soichiro Ogata gather together in a suite room of the hotel with Kunio Date.

There Takikawa tells Soichiro Ogata that its time to perform the plan. Takikawa affirm that the soft landing way pushed by Yuji Nishijima (Kisuke Iida) will not be effective to build up the country. Anzai insists a crisis is needed to change people's values. Kunio Date promises to support them and orders Soichiro Ogata to carry out their plan.

Around that time, Ichiro Tanaka (Toru Nomaguchi) investigates the relationships between Kunio Date, Kunio Date, Kaziyama and the suicide of government official Yuji Nishijima. A few days later, Soichiro Ogata calls Kaoru Inoue at night to the meet at the park. The park was the same place where tragedy met Kaoru Inoue's parents some twenty years ago. Soichiro Ogata begins to tell a shocking truth, while Kaoru Inoue can't understand his intentions.

The next day Soichiro Ogata assigns to Security Police officer in the #4 Security Section an assignment to guard Kunio Date. After guarding Kunio Date that night, the terrorist plot finally begins attacking Kaoru Inoue and his colleagues.

Movie Review:

“SP: The Motion Picture” is the continuation of the successful television drama of the same name, “SP” (Security Police), which fetched an above average television rating. It is also among one of the top dramas in the season, which swept away a total of 3 awards at the 56th Television Drama Academy Awards, namely Best Drama, Best Actor (Junichi Okada of V6) and Best Director. It is thus no wonder filmmaker would take hold of the golden opportunity to propel the commercial success to greater heights to bring in more cash into the pockets.

The film opens with the event at the Roppongi Hills, making an intriguing yet concise introduction of SP as a special line of service and the team to the unfamiliar viewers. Kaoru Inoue (Junichi Okada), the presumably isolated individual, wows the crowd as he sense the terrorist threat with his hyper sensory abilities. It was as though he could foretell the future. As expected of this strong-headed character, it drove him to perform more than what his work entail. The bomb threat is nullified and he goes on to pursue the terrorist which create some drama that follows.

The pursuit is an enthralling one, jam-packed with action. However, it is nothing gratifying. It does not even take an expert to tell that the cuts are rather disjoint and messy, which perturbs one’s viewing experience. The computer generated imagery is so raw that it is jarring; it is not used to its optimum. This possibly makes the cut for an episode of the television drama, but it is not enough when it is projected onto the silver screen. Having it on the big screen will only magnify its weaknesses, which in this case, are entirely exposed. As viewers are getting increasingly sophisticated, such sloppiness is not very tolerable.

The story continues to unfold as the conspirators take action to act on their “revolution”. The director successfully used the contrast of the conspirators and their false fronts at the social event, as opposed to their true selves during their secret meeting. This gave the film a boost as the transition is elegant and viewers get to observe and watch their interactions. Nothing is spelt out exactly, but you get to the truth by taking hints from their non-verbals, and that is the joy of watching it.

In the next arc of the story, the SP team were called up in the middle of the night to perform a special duty to escort the politician to the Prime Minister’s office due to a threat to national security. Expect another round of action sequences as they get hijacked time and time again. Still, as mentioned earlier, these are not gratifying. The action sequences lack adventure. It seem like it is too careful and conscientious, hence evoking little excitement.

As the other members of the SP team gets injured and taken down by the hijackers, Inoue is the only person that follows through the mission and continues to escort the politician. His stamina is stunningly good, so much so that he gets reduced to a two-dimensional character in the movie; another drawback of the movie.

You will discover soon enough that the hijackers’ main target is not the politician, but Inoue who chose to stand by what he believes. As the movie comes to an end, your senses get heightened again as you wonder what happen upon Inoue’s completion of his duty. This provides a cliff hanger to Part II of the movie that is on its way to our shores.

P.S.: Unfortunately, viewers in Singapore are not as privileged as the Japanese who can watch a televised prequel to this motion picture, Kakumei Zenjitsu. Thus we may not be able to grasp the full context and background of the movie. So be comfortable with the ambiguity!

Movie Rating:



(It’s baffling… perhaps it’s the idol formula that brought this film much commercial success. Watch out for Part II if you’re interested!)

Review by Tho Shu Ling

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: Dennis Dugan
Cast: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Bailee Madison, Brooklyn Decker, Dave Matthews, Heidi Montag
RunTime: 1 hr 50 mins
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Rating: PG (Brief Nudity and Some Sexual References)
Official Website: http://www.justgowithit-movie.com/

Opening Day: 10 February 2011

Synopsis: In "Just Go With It", a plastic surgeon, romancing a much younger schoolteacher, enlists his loyal assistant to pretend to be his soon to be ex-wife, in order to cover up a careless lie. When more lies backfire, the assistant's kids become involved, and everyone heads off for a weekend in Hawaii that will change all their lives.

Movie Review:

Come on, did you really think that this romantic comedy would be different from the tons of stuff which are already out there in Hollywood? And seriously, did you really think that this Happy Madison production would be different from founder Adam Sandler’s previous comedies I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (2007), Bedtime Stories (2008) and Grown Ups (2010)?

So yes, you can expect the usual tricks from the Saturday Night Live alumnus. And this also means, if you are a fan of toilet humour and crass jokes, then you’d be in for a treat with Sandler’s latest work.

After knowing each other for 20 years, Sandler and everyone’s favourite Friend Jennifer Anniston finally decide to team together in a comedy telling the story of a plastic surgeon (Sandler in another unbelievable leading role) who asks his assistant (Anniston in another loveable role) to pose as his divorced wife in order to prove his honesty to his much younger girlfriend. Things get a little more fun when two fatherless children, a horny ex patient and a competitive sorority companion come into the picture. The result is a trip to Hawaii that will change everyone’s lives.

If you haven’t already heard, Oscar winner Nicole Kidman is part of the ensemble of this 110 minute movie. No? You haven’t seen any publicity stills of the elegant Australian in her Hawaiian grass hula skirt getup? And you just took another look at the movie poster to make sure that she is nowhere to be found? Nope, you don’t remember seeing her in the theatrical trailer too? We can only guess that the reason Kidman has disappeared from all the publicity materials is to increase her chances at winning the Best Actress statuette (for John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole) at the upcoming Academy Awards. But we can also tell you that she is quite a hoot to watch as an over the top snob.

Watch out for the scene where she and female lead Anniston (both dressed in skimpy hula skirts) fight it out in a coconut kissing competition. Without giving away too much, let’s just say this showdown involves body gyrating, lip locking and some very impressive butt action.

Based on the 1969 film Cactus Flower which was adapted by an earlier Broadway stage play, which was based upon the French play Fleur de cactus, this by the numbers comedy serves some laughs, and Sandler effortlessly delivers them while playing the protagonist with the good heart. With a script by Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling, director Dennis Dugan probably didn’t have a hard time churning this movie out, having directed Sandler five times before this.

Turning 42 this year, Anniston shows us what she’s got in yet another commercial movie, playing the girl with the charm. Supporting cast include fashion model Brooklyn Decker (check out her assets!), comedian Nick Swardson (check out his gross out sheep saving skills!) and musician Dave Matthews (check out how he smothers Kidman!), as well as two adorable child talents Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck, who have some of the movie’s best lines.

While this predictable comedy doesn’t sparkle, it has its pleasant moments and a few decent setups which will have you chuckling in glee. And that may be a good thing, because if you are looking for a frills free date movie this Valentine’s Day, this will just do the trick of spending those two hours in the cinema.

Movie Rating:



(A frothy romantic comedy that won’t tax your brain cells)

Review by John Li

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: James L. Brooks
Cast: Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd, Kathryn Hahn, Yuki Matsuzaki, Mark Linn-Baker, Lenny Venito
RunTime: 2 hrs 1 min
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References)
Official Website: http://www.howdoyouknow-movie.com/

Opening Day: 3 March 2011

Synopsis: Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson star in "How Do You Know", the new comedy written and directed by James L. Brooks that takes a contemporary and romantic look at the question, "How do you know?"

Lisa (Witherspoon) is a woman whose athletic ability is the defining passion of her life, having been her focus since early childhood. When she is cut from her team, everything she has ever known is suddenly taken from her. Not knowing what to do, she stumbles toward regular life. In this mode, she begins a fling with Matty (Wilson), a major league baseball pitcher, a self-centered ladies man - a narcissist with a code of honor.

George Madison (Rudd) is a straight-arrow businessman whose complicated relationship with his father, Charles (Nicholson), takes a turn when George is accused of a financial crime, even though he's done nothing wrong. Though he may be headed to jail, George's honesty, integrity, and unceasing optimism may be his only path to keeping his sanity.

Before Lisa's relationship with Matty takes root, she meets George for a first date on the worst evening of each of their lives: she has just been cut, and he has just been served. When everything else seems to be falling apart, they will discover what it means to have something wonderful happen.

Movie Review:

How do you know when a movie isn’t that great, but yet there’s something which keeps you watching till the end credits rolled?

Nope, it’s not when your leading lady is Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon, who seems flustered and distracted as the female protagonist who has just been cut from the USA softball team due to age. It may help that Witherspoon looks fresh faced and charmingly sweet in most of the scenes, her performance in the 121 minute movie does not come across as exceptionally delightful, considering what she had given in films like Pleasantville (1998) and Legally Blonde (2001).

It is also not when the second billed Owen Wilson looks goofily appealing as a major league baseball pitcher who dates Witherspoon’s character. The comedian has been able to pull off quirky roles in films like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and The Darjeeling Limited (2007), but in this somewhat dreary romantic comedy, Wilson just seems to be doing the obligatory, and fails to have much chemistry with his leading lady.

We are sure the movie isn’t held together by three time Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson, who plays a father and boss figure who gets into some trouble with the law. The actor, who is well known for his portrayal of neurotic characters (just look to 2002’s About Schmidt and 2003’s Something’s Gotta Give), does his usual and effortlessly gives what is required of him without much spark.

So it has to come to the underrated Paul Rudd, whom we obviously have been rooting for quite a while. The unassuming Rudd plays an executive who feels down and out when he finds himself the target of a criminal investigation. Not only does he lose his girlfriend, he also has some trouble handling his eccentric father played by Nicholson. Yes, Rudd is the man who has managed to make us stay seated throughout this otherwise forgettable production.

The story is centered on the love triangle between Witherspoon, Wilson and Rudd as they meander through the movie’s overlong runtime through a series of inconsequential events, which, well, eventually leads to a happy ending. In the mix is Nicholson’s father and boss character who, if you ask us, does not serve much purpose to the unfocused plot.

The renowned James L. Brooks is the writer director who has penned and helmed the charismatic As Good as It Gets (1997), which led to Nicholson winning the Oscar for Best Actor. Having also written and directed 1983’s Terms of Endearment (for which Nicholson won a Best Supporting Actor), the Academy had recognised his talent by awarding him with the Oscar for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. The enigmatic film also won Best Picture that year. So what happened with this movie, which seemed to have all the correct elements but fell flat as a whole?

The humour isn’t spectacular here, as most of the jokes appear clichéd and uninteresting. The courage to find true love amidst the trials and tribulations of life crises has been done to death, which means the entire picture may be a yawn fest for the demanding viewer. The uneven pacing and imprecise plot development does not help either – and the cast, as likeable as they are, to hold the show with their personalities. What a pity then, as we were really hoping to recommend a movie starring Rudd.

Movie Rating:



(The movie may feature likeable leads, but it is really nothing but a passé romantic comedy)

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest, Tammy Blanchard, Miles Teller, Sandra Oh
RunTime: 1 hr 31 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: NC-16 (Some Drug Use)
Official Website: http://www.rabbitholefilm.com/index.html

Opening Day: 17 February 2011

Synopsis: RABBIT HOLE is a vivid, hopeful, honest and unexpectedly witty portrait of a family searching for what remains possible in the most impossible of all situations. Becca and Howie Corbett (NICOLE KIDMAN and AARON ECKHART) are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. Just eight months ago, they were a happy suburban family with everything they wanted. Now, they are caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage from which they cannot escape. As Becca finds pain in the familiar, Howie finds comfort. The shifts come in abrupt, unforeseen moments. Becca hesitantly opens up to her opinionated, loving mother (DIANNE WIEST) and secretly reaches out to the teenager involved in the accident that changed everything (MILES TELLER); meanwhile Howie lashes out and imagines solace with another woman (SANDRA OH). Yet, as off track as they are, the couple keeps trying to find their way back to a life that still holds the potential for beauty, laughter and happiness. The resulting journey is an intimate glimpse into two people learning to re-engage with each other and a world that has been tilted off its axis.

Movie Review:

How do we deal with grief? We wish we could tell you the answer. We must all must have experienced this painful emotion at some point in our lives, and what made us eventually move on? It’s probably something which words cannot describe - which is why a seemingly unexciting film like this speaks to us in volumes. While nothing thrilling happens during this drama’s 91 minute runtime, it is a tale so chockfull of human sentiments, it left us contemplating about what life has in store for each and single one of us. 

Adapted from a 2005 Pulitzer Prize winning play of the same name by David Lindsay Abaire, the John Cameron Mitchell directed film version tells the story of a couple who struggles to heal after the unexpected death of their young son. The lives of the happily married husband and wife are turned upside down after the destruction of their perfect world. The husband refuses to let go of the past, and seeks solace in outsiders who offer things which his wife isn’t able to provide. The wife, on the other hand, tries to find peace in redefining what it means to be alive. She finds comfort in a teenager who happens to be the driver of the car which killed her son.

The complex web of relationships culminate in a finale so quietly devastating, it reminds us of how bleak our existence can be in the big scheme of things.

Produced under leading lady Nicole Kidman’s company Blossom Films, this film is clearly a project of passion handpicked by the Oscar winner, as it treads on the truthful and real human emotions which all humans go through. She plays the distressed housewife who fights to retain peace in her mind. The character is at times abrasive, at times hilarious, at times distraught and at times broken, and Kidman manages to portray these with ease. More importantly, she has the audience empathising with what the character is going through, which is probably why she has been nominate for Best Actress at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Playing Kidman’s husband in this commendably minimalist production is the underrated Aaron Eckhart. The actor is at his finest here, portraying a man who feels empty after his wife takes on a different approach to handle grief. His desperation to find consolation results in a flirtation with another woman. This is depicted on screen with minimum romanticism, which makes the fragility of human relationships even more desolate.

Joining Kidman and Eckhart is an ensemble of fine actors like Dianne Wiest as a mother who is dealing with a different kind of heartache, Sandra Oh as a fellow griever and Miles Teller as an unassuming teenager who gives a new perspective on life to the couple.

This new viewpoint of parallel universes is almost surreal and engulfs you in an unimaginable way. If you are willing to give this slowly plotted film a chance by appreciating the story it has to tell, you’ll be rewarded with an opportunity to reflect upon the grievances which have left you in sorrow. And as the film wraps up and ends with a poignantly fantastic sequence, you feel like you are thrown in the open wilderness, pondering to yourself: What happens next? 

Movie Rating:



(A poignant display of human emotions which require effort to appreciate)

Review by John Li

Genre: Erotic/Drama
Director: Kittiyaporn Klangsuring (Desire), Panumart Deesatta (Prostitute on Bed), Sart Tanchareon (Love for Play)
Cast: Lakkana Wattanawongsiri, Warintorn Yarujjanon (Desire), Pasweepitch Sornakarapa, Prakasit Bosuwan (Prostitute on Bed), Nattakan Anumartchimplee, Jittikorn Sorachan (Love for Play)
Runtime: 2 hrs
Released By: Shaw & Clover Films
Rating: R21
Official Website:

Opening Day: 14 July 2011

Synopsis: LOVE FOR PLAY - Teenagers’ growing curiosity of numerous issues and sex are the centre of “Love for Play”, an entertaining, erotic tee-comedy. A teenage girl is home alone, and asks her boyfriend to accompany her for the night. It starts from an innocent conversation about each other’s body, to touching and a more revealing game. The girl tempts the boy to play a strip game that could lead to their first sexual encounter... Even though their heaven is not far away, the game doesn’t end as expected. This story questions the limit of morals and sexual desire of teenagers that adults never seem to understand.

DESIRE - “Desire” is an erotic and romantic tale, directed by the only female director of the “Brown Sugar” project. It is about a lonely relationship of a man and a woman in the big city. They have laid eyes on each other, but never even have a conversation. But one day, desire unexpectedly shortens the distance between a tattoo artist and a masseuse.

PROSTITUTE ON BED - An erotic-comedy, “Prostitute on Bed” presents sex of the middle class in a big city. It reveals the exciting sexual fantasy of a wealthy man and a super hot young girl. In the span of a day, they fulfill each other’s sexual fantasies with no regards to time and place, or the people around them.  What they had was what many dreamt of:  “sex of life”. In reality, both genders are equal and the females now can express their sexual views and desire just as their male counterparts.

Movie Review:

“Brown Sugar” marks Thailand’s entry into the new wave of ‘cinema erotica’ in Asia, which counts among them Korea’s “Natalie” and Hong Kong’s “Sex and Zen 3D”- though unlike the latter two films, this doesn’t boast the additional 3D gimmick. It is also significant in its homeland for charting a new direction for the local film industry, being the first of its kind to feature nudity and sexual scenes under the country’s revamped movie ratings system (replacing the earlier censorship regime).

But for all the hype it arrives under, this compilation of three short films by three young directors and produced by industry veterans Prachya Pinkaew (the director of “Ong Bak” and “Chocolate”) and Bandit Thongdee is a surprisingly lacklustre affair, failing to raise the heat even with onscreen depictions of boobs, copulation and female masturbation. In fact, it collapses under the weight of its own pretension, as it struggles too hard to be artistic but ultimately fails quite miserably.

The movie opens with a brief segment that attempts to shed light on the meaning behind the film’s English title- “Brown Sugar”- as a middle-aged woman (Odette Henriette Jacomin) trapped in an unhappy marriage checks into a seaside resort and proceeds to discuss issues of commitment and gender sexuality with the resort’s handyman. One of the scenes has the woman asking for brown sugar, instead of white, stating that its taste is more natural and also more robust. It ends with said woman stripping to reveal her breasts, and this scene alone is supposedly a milestone for Thai cinema.

Of course, local audiences might not feel the same way, and even more so about the film’s justification of its title- since the following shorts are anything but natural and robust. The first by male director Panumat Deesatta called “Sopeni Bon Tiang” depicts a middle-aged man’s fantasy to have sex with an attractive female student in a tight-fitting uniform. When they eventually get to doing it, Deesatta lets them go at it for about five minutes- but since the audience only sees their backs most of the time, there’s really nothing to get excited about.

Nonetheless, Deesatta does a fairly competent job at teasing his audience into believing that the pair are in fact adulterers when the ending reveals something else. The twist is interesting, but also disturbing in its own right- especially since it has a particularly chauvinistic slant that may not go down well with some audiences. Still, this is probably the most substantial of the lot- at least it attempts to mean something more than just the tease of bare skin.

Next in line is “Raktongloon” by another male director Zart Tancharoen about a pair of teenage lovers who decide to have sex one afternoon, only to have time slip them by and the girl’s parents discovering their act. Nathakhun Anumatchimpalee and Chittkhon Songchan play the pair, and the young actors display a rawness in their performances that fits very well with their characters.

Unfortunately, this short is undermined by the experimental nature of its director Tancharoen who thinks that it might be cool to turn his movie into a shoot instead. Twice, he brings his actual crew into the shot, and gets his actors out of character, but the intention of this device is never clear and in fact wholly distracting. Were it not for his perplexing determination to let the audience know that what they are watching is in fact not real, this would have been our pick for favourite short.

The last by female director Kittiyaporn Klangsurin is “Pratana” and revolves around a pretty masseuse’s fantasy of the tattooist downstairs from where she works. The highlight of this is supposed to be a 10-min uninterrupted take which shows the masseuse masturbating in the bathroom after her dream guy drops by one night for a massage. While that may sound intriguing to some, the outcome is ultimately a letdown. Beautiful though she may be, Lakana Wattanawongsiri does little more than squeeze her breasts from time to time and putting her hand down her pants- the act coming off contrived more than anything else.

Klangsurin strives for some deeper meaning in her short by getting said masseuse to visit the tattooist’s parlour thereafter and request for a tattoo at her groin. The resultant wordless exchange between masseuse and tattooist is fraught with sexual tension, but it’s never quite clear what Klangsurin is trying to get at. In the end, this short comes off as no more than a blatant attempt at trying to push the boundaries with that one controversial scene.

And that seems to be the only reason for “Brown Sugar’s” existence- to mark the possibilities of what can be shown on the big screen in Thailand. Other than that, this Thai entry into Asia’s ‘cinema erotica’ is a largely untitillating experience that will more likely lull you to sleep than get you aroused. If this is what ‘brown sugar’ is supposed to taste like, we’ll take ours ‘white’ anytime. 

Movie Rating:

(Not even the nudity or the sexual scenes can make up for what is a dull, tedious attempt at trying to push the boundaries in ‘cinema erotica’)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Romance
Director: Edward Zwick
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Gabriel Macht, Hank Azaria, Oliver Platt, Josh Gad, Judy Greer, Katheryn Winnick, Jaimie Alexander, Natalie Gold
RunTime: 1 hr 53 mins
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Rating: M18 (Sexual References & Some Coarse Language)
Official Website: http://www.loveandotherdrugsthemovie.com/

Opening Day: 6 January 2011

Synopsis:

Maggie is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie, whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

Movie Review:

Sometimes, all it takes to make a successful romantic comedy is having two extremely likeable and good-looking leads with sizzling chemistry. And that's what saves Love & Other Drugs, an otherwise befuddled and formulaic comedy with scattershot laughs.

Set some time before the launch of Viagra as a treatment for erectile dysfunction in 1998, it charts the rise of a pharmaceutical salesman, Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal), and his wavering relationship with a commitment-phobic 25-year-old Maggie (Anne Hathaway), who suffers from Stage 1 Parkinson's Disease.

Although Love & Other Drugs is worth a look for Hathaway's uninhibited performance, it is too unfocused for me to give a strong recommendation. Director Edward Zwick who cut his teeth in making mainstream epic actioners like Defiance and Blood Diamond can't seem to hold the movie together. It suffers from tonal inconsistencies and often feels like a few movies of different genres quashed into one; it flits unexpectedly from scatological comedy to poignant adult drama (that showcases a lot of skin) to mild satire.

With a mishmash of ideas and plot points that are never fully developed or wholly addressed, the whole experience becomes rather unsatisfying and unmemorable. The movie works best during intimate moments when Hathaway and Gyllenhaal huddle together in the bedroom or talk over the coffee table. It is largely due to their easy on-screen chemistry, which makes it easier to overlook the largely flimsy script that is only sporadically peppered with witty one-liners.

All thanks to the gamely leads, the things you're likely to remember about the movie are Hathaway's perky breasts and Gyllenhaal's butt, amidst their frequent scenes of humping. Going against their squeaky clean images, Hathaway and Gyllenhaal bare a lot physically and emotionally. But between the two, Hathaway gives the stronger performance as she has the juicier role of a conflicted patient and has to straddle fiery obstinacy and emotional volatility. Jamie's transition from an egotistical bed-hopping Casanova to a selfless boyfriend isn't fully mapped out. But Gyllenhaal does the best he can with his puppy-dog eyes.

For those who love puerile humour, Jamie's brother, Josh, provides lots of gross-out dialogue. There is one nasty scene that involves him masturbating over an unexpected video. Enough said.

When the ending tries to be emotionally poignant, I can't help but feel I've seen it all before. The goosebumps on my skin rose at the too-good-to-be-true confessional dialogue. But at the same time, my sentimental side started to get the better of me and my eyes welled up. There, I've caved in.

Movie Rating:



(A mildly amusing adult comedy saved by a pair of adorable leads)

Review by Adrian Sim

Genre: Comedy/Martial-Arts
Director: Vincent Kok
Cast: Louis Koo, Sandra Ng, Wang Po-chieh, Wen Zhang, Li Qin
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Released By: GV
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References)
Official Website:

Opening Day: 3 February 2011

Synopsis:

Love is never meant to be an easy matter -- especially for superheroes.

Huan aka the Gazer Warrior (Louis Koo) falls in love with Red aka the Aroma Woman (Sandra Ng) during a superhero standoff. But life as a superhero means little time for each other. Getting tired of their busy vigilante lifestyle, they decide to retreat to a small village and start a family together.

Five years have passed. Huan and Red seem to be living a quiet and happy life. But once you were a superhero, there is no way out …

The official announces the upcoming national martial arts tournament to be held in their small village. All of a sudden, the village turns into a Mardi Gras, with hundreds of kung-fu masters and fanatics from all over the country eyeing for the ultimate championship.

At first, Huan and Red’s secret identities are well kept. As they plan to leave the village for good, Huan gets tangled in a conspiracy to murder every champion. When they gradually find out the true identity of the mastermind, Huan and Red decide to don their costumes in the name of justice once and for all.

Movie Review:

Clearly inspired by the Disney/ Pixar animation “The Incredibles”, Hong Kong funnyman Vincent Kok’s latest film “Mr and Mrs Incredible” follows a similar story arc in sketching the ordinary lives of two extraordinary people- or retired superheroes, to be more precise. They are the debonair Gazer Warrior (Louis Koo), whose superpower as his name suggests is his laser-like gaze, and the delightful Aroma Warrior (Sandra Ng), whose superpower as her name suggests is her beguiling aroma.

Married for close to ten years now, Gazer and Aroma Warrior are now enjoying anonymity as Huan and Red respectively in the secluded Rainbow Village. How secluded is it really? Well, an utterly hilarious opening sequence tells of how it takes one month for the newspaper to be delivered from the capital to the village- by then even “new news” is already “old news”, Huan remarks.

While Huan spends his time reading the “old newspaper” for his fellow illiterate villagers, Red runs a humble restaurant where a trio of plump middle-aged gossip-monger ladies spend their time extolling their plus-sizes and criticising Red’s svelte figure. The monotony of their lives has taken its toll on their marriage, most prominently their sexual drive and by extension their ability to conceive- despite their best attempts at trying to inject passion and excitement into their lives.

Like the husband-wife couple in “The Incredibles” therefore, Huan and Red continue to look back with fond memories on the extraordinary crime-fighting days. Life hasn’t been much of a kick (pun intended) anymore compared to the past, the latter of which we get a glimpse of through an extended flashback. This consists of an OTT but laugh-out-loud sequence where Gazer takes out four bank-robbing pest-robbers (I kid you not)- namely Ant, Cockroach, Devil Scorpion and Toad- and another amusing sequence where Aroma punishes an abusive husband (Chapman To in a cameo). Vincent Kok’s script also takes the opportunity to poke fun at Hollywood’s masked vigilante, Batman, by having Gazer adopt a deep, growling voice, a la Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne.

While the flashback boasts the kind of exaggerated slapstick which is signature of many Hong Kong’s ‘mo lei tau’ comedies, Kok adopts a surprisingly low-key approach for most of the movie- whether in terms of physical or verbal comedy- when finding humour in the tedium of his characters’ seemingly ordinary lives. Kok also eschews the frenetic pace often associated with his movies in favour of a more relaxed, easygoing and spontaneous style here- perhaps a deliberate influence of producer Peter Chan.

One good example of this is Huan and Red’s visit with a real estate agent to a prospective house beside a picturesque lake. Rather than simply dash to the comedic punchlines, Kok spends more time on the buildup as Huan and Red devise methods to depreciate the price of the house- including pulling off a chunk of wall and crushing it to bits to deceive the agent into thinking that the house is made of inferior materials, and purposely causing a crack in the fireplace that runs right up to the chimney. While many Hong Kong comedies have tended to hurl its barrage of jokes relentlessly at its audience to largely hit-and-miss results, there is a distinct sense that the gags are much more calculated here, and indeed most of them are genuinely funny.

It’s a pity then that less thought has been put into the story which largely remains stagnant until the last third of the movie, when a martial arts competition held in their village that turns out to be a sinister power-grabbing (literally) attempt forces Gazer and Aroma out of retirement mode. For a movie that’s been relatively light on CGI for the most of its duration, its CG-packed finale may come as a bit of a surprise, but kudos to Vincent Kok for not over-doing the special effects, employing it judiciously enough for the dramatic climax.

Despite its shortcomings, “Mr and Mrs Incredible” remains an thoroughly entertaining, and uproariously funny superhero action-comedy. Louis Koo reveals a hidden gift for deadpan humour here as Gazer, and he shares a nice rapport with the ever-amusing Sandra Ng throughout the film. Of course, one may easily find fault for how derivative this may be of “The Incredibles” or even “Mr and Mrs Smith”, but what it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for with a generous helping of wit and humour.

Movie Rating:

(A thoroughly entertaining and uproariously funny superhero action-comedy that is a genuine comedic treat this Chinese New Year)

Review by Gabriel Chong