While we may have enjoyed the Fast & Furious movie franchise (yes, while it is no art film, you have to admit the well executed action sequences leave you at the edge of your seats), the same can’t be said about the soundtracks. Maybe it’s because this writer doesn’t own a car (he doesn’t even have a driving license!), or maybe it’s the simple fact that he is too old for electronic and hip hop tracks.

That said, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a crowd out there who enjoys these genres of music. They are also probably the ones who are familiar with names like Ludacris, Don Omar, MC Jin and Sua. These names don’t ring a bell? How much you’d appreciate this 50 minute soundtrack album depends on how well you take to loud music.

2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa’s “We Own It (Fast & Furious)” gets the mood going with its catchy arrangement. There is a reason why this single reached number six on the UK Singles Chart, and we are sure it isn’t because of nice old ladies voting for the four minute track. Following suit is T. I.’s “Ball” featuring Lil Wayne, which may cause your ear drums to hurt if this genre isn’t your thing.

Ethnic beats can be heard in “Con Locura” performed by Sua featuring Jiggy Drama, which is actually a nice change from the two previous tracks. We are pleased to hear “HK Superstar” by MC Jin featuring Daniel Wu, simply because it’s nice to hear Cantonese being rapped. Elsewhere, more of the same music can be heard in Deluxe’s “Mister Chicken”, The Crystal Method’s “Roll It Up” and the energetic “Here We Go/ Quasar (Hybrid Mix)” by Hard Rock Sofa featuring Swanky Tunes.

“Bandoleros” slows things down a little, before the CD closes with “Rest of My Life” by Ludacris featuring Usher and David Guetta, a radio friendly tune that is agreeable to this writer’s exhausted ears. 

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (12) Rest of My Life - Ludacris featuring Usher and David Guetta

Review by John Li

We know we are supposed to be more forgiving when pretty faced actors take on serious roles, but taking Bradley Cooper seriously is really a challenge. The buff actor may have been nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Silver Lining Playbook, but we still can’t shake off the Hangover dude’s slimy persona off.

That said, you may not have realised he was also in Derek Cianfrance’s critically acclaimed crime drama film, which surprisingly comes with a soundtrack album with score cues composed by Mike Patton, lead singer of alternative metal band Faith No More and founder of experimental band Mr Bungle. We last heard Patton’s work in Crank: High Voltage, and what we are hearing on this 58 minute album is very different from the high energy score for the Jason Statham movie.

There are 12 tracks on this CD, and while they are not your usual soaring orchestral arrangements that will get your spirits high and mighty, the compositions are worth your time if you have some patience. The tracks paint a brooding picture, and that aptly explores the themes of the film. Be it the somberness of tracks like “Schenetady” and “Bromance”, or the surrealism of cues like “Family Tree” and “Forestof Conscience”, the mood here isn’t the jolliest.

The tracks on this album are short and have eerily dark undertones. They work well as background listening if you are going through your dusty belongings, with the occasional piano tinkling and sound design in the mix, it may be a worthwhile listening experience.

Five other tracks make the album, including the vintage “Please Stay” by The Cryin’ Games, the 10 minute classical piece “Fratres for Strings and Percussion” by Arvo Part and the soothing concluding track “The Wolves (Act I and II)” by Bon Iver.   

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (17) The Wolves (Act I and II) - Bon Iver  

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Rob Heydon
Cast: Adam Sinclair, Kristin Kreuk, Billy Boyd, Carlo Rota, Ashley Pover, Keram Malicki-Sanchez
RunTime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scene and Drug Theme)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: http://www.ecstasymovie.com/
 
Opening Day: 27 June 2013 

Synopsis: Based on Irvine Welsh’s controversial book, ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance, ecstasy is a twisted tale that explores the euphoric highs and the devastating lows of a chemical romance. Lloyd (Adam Sinclair) is on top of the world – beautiful girls, great club sounds, and a never ending supply of the love drug, sustained by a smuggling sideline for the local drug boss Solo (Carlo Rota). But when he meets Heather (Kristin Kreuk) he is forced to question if the love he feels is real or just another chemical high. As cracks start to appear in his world he realises he wants out. If he can just pull off one last trip for Solo, he’ll be free.

Movie Review:

We remember being completely stoked by Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting back in the 1990s. The British film based on Scottish writer Irvine Walsh’s novel was part comedy, part drama and all mind blowing. Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle were our heroes, and we sought to be as cool as them, even if it meant being on drugs. Some 10 odd years later, director Rob Heydon decided to take on Welsh’s short story Undefeated from the best selling book Ecstasy and make it into a movie. Would it be as cool as Trainspotting? One could only wish.

The story seems uber cool though: A middle class and loveless Heather finds solace in Lloyd, a drug addict, at a club. Despite spending most of their time on drugs, the two fall hopelessly in love. As with every drug addict’s sad tale, Lloyd owes money to a mobster and things get violently bloody. Heather begins to question his lifestyle and begins doubting the love between them. When Lloyd almost dies after a drug smuggling operation and almost loses his girl, he decides to take control of his life. The question is, will his foes allow him to do so?

This dated production first premiered in Canada two year ago, and one really wonders why local distributors have decided to only bring it to cinemas here now. Could it be the allure of the female lead Kristin Kreuk? As lovely as she is playing Lois Lane in TV’s Smallville, she was Chun Li in the box office bomb Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li (2009). She looks pretty in this Canadian production, and that’s basically it we have to say about her performance. Could it be Billy Boyd, who plays a supporting character in this 99 minute movie? The Scottish actor does deliver a memorable performance as a fellow druggie (watch out for a scene where he goes awry in the hospital), but he is, after all, known here only as Pippin in the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings – that surely doesn’t command much marketing hype.

We can only imagine how much pressure there is for the male lead Adam Sinclair, who plays Lloyd. There are quite a number of harrowing scenes where we shuddered in fear (lesson to all: do not take drugs), but the dude is relatively unknown here (Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj, Painkiller Jane or TV’s The Day of the Triffids, anyone?). And as much as we hate comparisons, he is not Ewan Mcgregor. We know we shouldn’t be superficial, but during this period of wham bham summer blockbusters, we were really hoping to see a well known star helm this morally powerful story.

The plot of this somewhat independent film (why must there be so many time lapses of the beautiful Amsterdamanyway?) dwindles quite a bit in the second half, but picks up pace during the climatic drug operation. That said, there are still some lessons viewers can take home after the credits roll – it’s just not as cool as Trainspotting, that’s all. 

Movie Rating:

(The Canadian wants to be as cool as Trainspotting, but the meandering plot and mediocre performances do not help)

Review by John Li

G&J Creation, Stellar Megamedia International, Aquila Energy and Clover Films proudly announce the filming commencement of Meeting The Giant 《再见巨人》 Posted on 18 Aug 2013 MEETING THE GIANT, the Singapore-China co-production by G & J Creation, Stellar Megamedia International, Aquila Energy and Clover Films has commenced filming early August. The filming will begin in Singapore and the group will proceed to China for rest of the shoot later this month. Based on a true story, MEETING THE GIANT centers on foreign sports talent imports in Singapore. MEETING T ... more

Genre: Horror/Fantasy/Thriller
Director: Aleksander Nordaas
Cast: Silje Reinåmo, Erlend Nervold, Jon Sigve Skard, Morten Andresen, Sunniva Lien
RunTime: 1 hr 16 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Nudity And Violence)
Released By: GV
Official Website: http://www.thalemovie.com/

Opening Day: 23 May 2013

Synopsis: Norwegian folklore turns out to be real when Leo and Elvis encounter Thale in a basement. A regular cleaning job turns into a struggle for survival, while they're trying to figure out what or who Thale is.

Movie Review:

Drawing from folklore, the Norwegian horror fantasy ‘Thale’ imagines the forest legend ‘huldra’ as a beautiful sexy woman with a tail attached to her back. Pretty intriguing stuff if you ask us; unfortunately, writer/ director Aleksander Nordaas approaches the material in such a way that will surely test the patience of many of his viewers, leading to a film that we suspect many will find underwhelming and therefore less than worth its already brief 77 min runtime. 

First off, it’s important to note that ‘Thale’ isn’t some big-budget creature feature; on the contrary, it is really a low-budget indie, with Nordaas having to pull multiple duties on the set, serving as its cinematographer, editor and camera operator while shooting it largely in his father’s basement. Given the limitations, you can probably understand why more than half of the movie is spent in a dingy makeshift underground laboratory, during which Nordaas emphasises mood over dialogue and for that matter, action.

It is in that secret basement that two crime scene cleaners, Elvis (Erlend Nervold) and Leo (Jon Sigve Skard), of the No Shit Cleaning Services – I kid you not – stumble upon the titular character naked and submerged in a milky bathtub. Using the tape recordings, the squeamish Elvis slowly pieces together Thale’s identity, assisted in no small measure by occasional physical contact with her which allows Elvis flashbacks into her past. We won’t spoil the surprise for you - suffice to say that it has something to do with the men in white coats and masks that come hunting for her in the last half-hour of the movie.

Here is where Nordaas makes a risky bet - the revelations and final confrontation between man and beast are supposed to justify an otherwise deliberately paced, to say the least, first hour, though how many viewers will find the payoff justifiable is suspect. Indeed, Nordaas’ intention is to build a connection between Thale and her two newfound male companions, the reason of this apparent only later on that feels - especially in the case of Leo - contrived more than inspired. On his part, Nordaas also does himself no favours by letting the pace slack, a consequence of the use of too many static shots where very little happens.

Still, to give credit where it is due, the extended finale does play in pretty gripping fashion as the mythical huldra gets to display their characteristic strength and speed; in particular, though slightly over-used, the slo-mo shots as Thale takes down her captives are rather impressive - and perhaps the same could be said of the entire finale, given the obvious budgetary limitations Nordaas had faced when shooting the film. If you like to know our verdict, we’d say it just about vindicates the inertia of the buildup, not helped by the pedestrian government conspiracy plot thrown in.

If there is one element that is sure to hold your attention, it is Silje Reinåmo, who plays Thale captivating without the need for a single line of dialogue. Granted that some of that is thanks to Nordaas’ peek-and-tease shots - after all, Reinåmo does remain nude for most of her screen time - but the actress more than holds her own with an expressive performance that conveys a variety of emotions especially through her eyes. We won’t deny too that female viewers might find the story misogynistic, since the premise might be reduced to two men saving a buxom nude woman.

So, all things considered, if you’re interested in catching a slightly different creature feature from the kind Hollywood does, this little Norwegian film might just do the trick. Just be prepared for a measured first hour, and after that you’ll discover the reason why this movie has been garnering enough word-of-mouth to gain momentum for an international release. Or not - either way, it’s likely the recently announced English language sequel to ‘Thale’ will forgo its moody brooding approach for more mainstream thrills. 

Movie Rating:

(Despite a rather plodding first hour, there is still intrigue to be had in this low-budget creature feature based on Norwegian folklore)
  

Genre: Drama/Biography
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Brühl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara, Natalie Dormer, Ignacio Guirado
RunTime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website:  http://www.rushmovie.com

Opening Day: 26 September 2013

Synopsis: Two-time Academy Award winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon) teams once again with fellow two-time Academy Award nominee, writer Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon, The Queen), on Rush, a spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The epic action-drama stars Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers) as the charismatic Englishman James Hunt, and Daniel Brühl (Inglourious Basterds) as the disciplined Austrian perfectionist Niki Lauda, whose clashes on the Grand Prix racetrack epitomized the contrast between these two extraordinary characters, a distinction reflected in their private lives.

Movie Review:

No motion picture in history has so accurately portrayed the anxiety, thrill, elation and perils of competitive motor racing as Ron Howard’s excellent ‘Rush’. A gripping drama based on the real-life rivalry between Formula One adversaries James Hunt and Niki Lauda that culminated in their history-making bout for the 1976 world championship title, it has the very rare honour of being a sports movie not just for fans of the sport itself, but a celebration of a universal need within every individual for purpose and achievement.

That need is exemplified in the two duelling, diametrically opposite individuals at the heart of the film. Hunt (played by “Thor” star Chris Hemsworth) is a British playboy who loves the game for the chance again and again to live life dangerously close to death, the epitome - if you will - of a stereotypical F1 driver who lives and drives recklessly and fearlessly. Lauda, on the other hand, is a methodical tactician, constantly assessing the odds and “looking at the big picture”, careful and calculating where Hunt is careless and cavalier.

Their approach to the game isn’t all that sets them apart; while Hunt is sexy and charismatic, Lauda is often terse and brusque. While Hunt hits the parties and downs the booze the night before and the night after every race, Lauda avoids these excesses, and cares nothing for hanging out with his team members to build camaraderie. The only thing they have in common is their family background, both racers hailing from distinguished families that did not support their racing dreams, a fact elaborated in greater detail in Hunt’s case to illustrate the conservative Viennese upbringing that likely contributed to his chilly personality.

Neophytes as we are to F1’s history, that we are able to learn so much about Hunt and Lauda is credit to Peter Morgan’s character-driven screenplay, which devotes an extraordinary amount of attention to fleshing out both personas and allowing his audience to draw out the obvious contrasts between them. This isn’t a film where the only thing that matters is what happens on the race track; rather, Howard emphasises the fundamental differences between these two men, which makes their race on the track a battle not only for glory but one stemming from their divisive personal values and beliefs - and as we learn, the reason why either one eventually develops fierce mutual respect for the other.

But before we get to that turning point, Howard recounts in largely chronological fashion their beginnings as brash newcomers in Formula Three racing and their ascent into the big F1 league. The briskly paced setup that covers Lauda’s strategic entry into the Ferrari team by his mechanical ingenuity, as well as Hunt’s more rocky start under the eccentric Lord Hesketh (Christian McKay) and subsequently Team McClaren, uses these key events to ratchet the tension between Lauda and Hunt, building up of course towards the seminal 1976 F1 racing season where their acrimony reaches its climax.

Rather than rest its sympathies with either character, Morgan leaves it to his audience to draw their own conclusions about these two men - and it is to his credit that both Hunt and Lauda come off appealing and yet alienating at different points in the film. Nowhere is this more evident than in their respective love lives - Hunt’s marriage with blond model Suzy Miller (Olivia Wilde) shows the man to be easy to fall in love but much harder to stay in love with; and despite an invigorating meet-cute with his wife-to-be Marlene (Alexandra Maria Lara) along the Italian countryside, Lauda’s subsequent courtship and early marriage years turn out largely loveless as well.

Confidently allowing the drama to take centrestage for the first half of the movie, Howard leaves much of the race action for the latter half of the movie as the 1976 season gets underway. The highlight of it all is of course the dramatic centrepiece at the Nurburgring track in Germany - also known as ‘The Graveyard’ - where Lauda will be trapped in his burning car for close to a minute and suffer third-degree burns to his head and lungs. Those who know the story will also remember that he will get back on the track an amazing 42 days later, and Howard spares no detail in showing his extraordinary tale of tenacity - including the agonizing medical procedure Lauda had to endure of vacuuming his lungs. 

It all pays off extraordinarily in an exceptionally thrilling and yet deeply poignant finish set around the Fuji Speedway amidst pelting rain. A quick search online will probably tell you what happened during that race, but we advise those who yet know the story to let Howard’s film have the honour of taking you out on that breath-taking final race of the season that provides beautiful closure to the running theme of just what and how we choose our lives to be driven by. It is also by far one of the most emotionally intense cappers we have experienced this year, a perfect combination of Howard’s masterful direction, Anthony Dod Mantle’s expert cinematography (that uses compact digital cameras mounted within the cars to bring his viewer right into the heat of the action), and deft editing of hundreds of shots from various perspectives.

And yet this remains through and through a story built on two fascinating characters, which Hemsworth and Bruhl nail with adroit precision. Best known for being ‘Thor’, Hemsworth brings impressive depth to a character that could easily have been cartoonish, balancing on a very thin fine line bravado and vulnerability to rise above caricature. German actor Bruhl shines in his first Hollywood role (he’ll next be seen opposite Cumberbatch in the WikiLeaks drama ‘The Fifth Estate’), and besides exuding determination and poise at every turn, he also brings a rough charm to his character.

With ‘Rush’, Howard once again asserts himself as a maestro of smart adult-oriented entertainment built on complex but always compelling real-life characters. It easily stands out as one of his best, and the same can be said of Morgan, their second collaboration since ‘Frost/ Nixon’ paying off in a truly amazing film that is gripping at every physical turn on the track and every dramatic turn off it. Combining larger-than-life characters with white-knuckle racing thrills, ‘Rush’ Is not just one of the best sports movies we have seen, but indeed one of the very best films that you’ll see this year. 

Movie Rating:

(Delivering not just white-knuckle F1 thrills but also compelling drama built around two larger-than-life racing legends, this true story about finding one's drive is gripping, poignant and exhilarating through and through)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Fruit Chan, Lee Chi Ngai, Simon Yam
Cast: Kelly Chen, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Simon Yam, Maggie Shiu, Lo Hoi Pang, Siu Yam Yam, Lam Suet, Yuen Qiu
RunTime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence & Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website: 
 
Opening Day: 18 July 2013 

Synopsis: Tales From The Dark, based on the best-selling horror novel, comprising six segments adapted from stories written by Hong Kong author Lilian Lee. The six segments will be directed by Fruit Chan, Lee Chi Ngai, Lawrence Lau, Teddy Robin, Gordon Chan and actor Simon Yam in his directorial debut. 

Movie Review:

‘Tales From the Dark: Part 1’ sees a veritable roster of Hong Kong actors join forces with some of the most talented filmmakers from the territory to breathe life into the dormant horror genre.  Meant as the first instalment of a duology based on acclaimed Chinese writer Lilian Lee’s stories, its star-studded cast includes Simon Yam, Tony Leung, Kelly Chen and Susan Siu, with the likes of Yam (making his directorial debut), Lee Chi-Ngai and Fruit Chan behind the camera.  

That pedigree alone is enough to get one excited over this high-concept anthology from Edko Films’ Bill Kong and Movie Addict’s Matthew Tang, which aims to bring back the glory days of the 1980s and 1990s where horror was a thriving genre of the Hong Kong filmmaking industry. Indeed, it’s been a while since there has been an authentic Hong Kong horror (the last we can remember is Wong Jing’s ‘Hong Kong Ghost Stories’ last year) and even longer since there’s been a decent addition, so you’ll understand why expectations are high.

Thankfully, despite a bumpy start, this first instalment of a duology does not disappoint, with two of the three shorts hitting their respective marks. It’s perhaps befitting that we begin with the unfortunate worst of the lot, Yam’s ‘Stolen Goods’. Casting himself in the lead role, Yam plays a down-and-out odd-job worker Kwan who turns to stealing urns and blackmailing their relatives for ransom in a desperate bid to make ends meet. Needless to say, it doesn’t go well for Kwan, who soon finds himself face to face with one of the dead.

The problem with Yam’s short is twofold. First, Lilian Lee’s own script spends too much time setting up Kwan’s sorry predicament - in addition to his unemployment, Kwan lives in a “coffin-sized” apartment where the only people he interacts with are a pair of inanimate rag dolls - and too little time making sense of the random ghostly images he sees, such as an obese ghost (Lam Suet) who cannot stop eating and two little girls locked out of their house. Second, Yam resorts too much to shrill noises and jump scares to elicit some reaction from his audience, such that it’s hard not to judge his attempt at building atmosphere as cheap.

It’s a good thing that it only goes on for a little more than a half hour, with Chi-Ngai’s ‘A Word in the Palm’ taking over to enliven the proceedings. Instead of a straightforward horror, Chi-Ngai (who both adapts and directs) injects delightful moments of levity into the story of a reluctant palmist who teams up with a New Age spiritualist to investigate a married couple’s claim of being stalked by a ghost. The plotting isn’t particularly ingenious, but what makes this entry the most entertaining of the triptych are Tony Leung and Kelly Chen’s warm and eccentric performances.

As the jaded palmist who can see ghosts but wishes not to and the hippy spiritualist who can’t see ghosts but eagerly wants to encounter one, Leung and Chen are amusing opposites who share great chemistry with each other. Nicely intertwined into the odd-couple’s investigation is Leung’s character’s own family troubles, his wife taking a vehement objection to his (literally) otherworldly business that he has agreed to set aside in order to spend more time with his son. Less scary than laugh-out-loud amusing, it ends hilariously on a high note that is bound to leave you with a wide grin.

Surprisingly, it gets even better with Fruit Chan’s ‘Jing Zhe’. Written and directed by the acclaimed independent director, it centres on the traditional practice of ‘villain hitting’ (or known as ‘打小人’ in Chinese) that is basically a means of cursing those who have wronged you. Susan Siu plays one such hitter, who gets her own comeuppance when she is approached by the ghost of a teenage girl (Dada Chen) to beat four individuals - three men and one woman to be exact - whose identities only become clearer later on.

Chan cleverly plays with the expectations of his audience, using a well-heeled middle-aged woman’s visit in the first half to exact revenge on his son’s wife and mistress to establish the practice and serve as precursor to the tragic conclusion. His narrative sleight-of-hand pays off dramatically with an emotional finish that makes this not only the most memorable among the shorts, but also the one that ties in most meaningfully with the moral at the end of each short. And as with his outstanding ‘Dumplings’ in Peter Chan’s 2004 anthology ‘Three… Extremes’, Chan puts his documentarian style to good use, striking an authentic note that suits the story perfectly.

By the time this anthology comes to a meditative close, you’ll probably have forgotten the somewhat questionable beginning it had with Yam’s ‘Stolen Goods’. Two out of three ain’t bad at all, especially considering how enjoyable Chi-Ngai’s ‘A Word in the Palm’ and how compelling Chan’s ‘Jing Zhe’ are. That still makes it on the whole a mighty fine addition to the Hong Kong horror genre, with the buck now on Gordon Chan, Lawrence Lau and Teddy Robin to complete this as a one-two perfect finish. 

Movie Rating:

(Aside from a bumpy start by first-time director Simon Yam, this first-parter of a duology boasts a surprisingly entertaining entry by Lee Chi-Ngai and an unexpectedly compelling one by Fruit Chan)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: CG Animation
Director: David Soren
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzmán, Bill Hader, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Snoop Dogg, Samuel L. Jackson
RunTime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: G
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website: http://www.turbomovie.com/

Opening Day: 1 August 2013 

Synopsis: From the makers of MADAGASCAR and KUNG FU PANDA, TURBO is a high-velocity 3D comedy about an ordinary snail who dares to dream big - and fast. After a freak accident miraculously gives him the power of super-speed, Turbo kicks his dreaming into overdrive and embarks on an extraordinary journey to achieve the seemingly impossible: racing against famed driver Guy Gagne. With the help of Turbo's tricked-out streetwise snail crew, this ultimate underdog puts his heart and shell on the line to prove that no dream is too big, and no dreamer too small.

Movie Review:

‘Turbo’ is the story of a garden snail who dreams of speed and eventually achieves his ambition of competing in the Indianapolis 500. Even by the logic of animated film, that sounds like a pretty far-fetched premise; and yet this underdog tale manages with wit, humour and verve to make you believe in its diminutive hero’s credo - “no dream is too big and no dreamer too small” - and thus in his accomplishment of the near-impossible (yes, in case there’s any doubt, he does take home the trophy in the end).

Following the familiar template of an underachiever, Turbo nee Theo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) is, like the rat Remy in ‘Ratatouille’ or the penguin Mumble in ‘Happy Feet’, looking for something more in his existence beyond being yet another member of his species. Instead of accepting his fate toiling day by day in the tomato plant with his fellow mollusks, Theo spends his nights imagining himself as a pro race car driver (literally) on the TV set - much to the chagrin of his down-to-earth older brother Chet (Paul Giamatti).

Who can blame him really? Theo is a metaphor for our human aspirations, rejecting the routine monotony spent in the flower bed of a suburban Los Angeles home despite the scorn of the snails he shares the yard with. To the filmmakers’ credit, it is a richly detailed world where Theo and his slowpokes put in their eight hours - not only are there role assignments (like Theo’s one at the basement of overripe tomatoes) and scheduled breaks, there is also work hazards including the occasional crow, a maniac little kid on the trike (which prompts the always-amusing ‘tuck and roll’ response) and Gardener Day.

Theo gets lucky when a series of unfortunate events leaves him sucked into a sports car in mid-street race and infused with nitrous oxide. His fundamental chemistry changed, Theo is suddenly bestowed with automobile-like features on him - e.g. headlights, alarms and even the familiar sound of a car lock - and most importantly the ability to move fast.  Another crow incident steers his wish closer to reality, as Theo is picked up together with Chet by a snail-loving taco-stand owner Tito (Michael Pena).

The co-owner of Dos Bros Tacos with his brother Angelo (Luis Guzman), Tito convinces the rest of the small business owners - including Michelle Rodriguez’s auto repair shop owner, Richard Jenkins’ hobby shop proprietor and a scene-stealing Ken Jeong as a feisty old Chinese lady behind a nail salon - in the same struggling strip mall to back his longshot scheme of enrolling Theo in the Indy 500, where Turbo’s dream is realised in an exhilarating climax pitting shell against metal on the asphalt.

One need look no further than this 200-lap showdown to be impressed by the beautifully rendered animation. As Theo zips around and about and eventually under the cars, one marvels at the amount of detail and attention that has gone into every frame, especially in maintaining the perspective of scale and size. But besides this obvious setpiece, just as much effort has also gone into conceptualising The Plant at the start as well as the run-down Starlight Plaza mall in the mid-section, a testament to the creativity of the filmmakers.  

Indeed, a large part of the credit belongs to director David Soren - who directs and co-writes with Darren Lemke (who also worked on ‘Shrek Forever After’) and Robert D. Siegel - from which the idea of racing snails came after marrying his own snail problem with his son’s penchant for competitive motor racing. Though the treatment is slightly derivative of every other underdog story, there are plenty of witty liners to keep the young ones and the adults engaged - the latter in no small part due to Siegel’s own satirical inclinations amply demonstrated in his ‘The Onion’ newspaper.

The talented voice cast also keep pace. Reynolds gives Turbo a goofy likeability, and gets much help in the fun department from five other streetwise snails - Whiplash (Samuel L. Jackson), Smoove Move (Snoop Dogg), Burn (Maya Rudolph), Skidmark (Ben Schwartz) and White Shadow (Michael Patrick Bell). Giamatti gets a special mention for his standout nasal voice as Chet, while Bill Hader is also equally outstanding in a supporting part as the arrogant French Canadian racing champ Guy Gayne whom Turbo is a big fan of and who becomes his greatest enemy on the track.  

Clearly pitched at a younger audience (compared to say last fall’s ‘Rise of the Guardians’), ‘Turbo’ overcomes its familiar plot with lively characters and sense of humour. This doesn’t come close to the best of Pixar’s work, but it belongs to one of Dreamworks’ better ones, an energetic action adventure that recycles formula with enough imagination to make it fresh. At the very least, it is an uplifting tale of an underachiever who fulfils his wildest desire by sheer luck and derring-do; and that’s a hope everyone can quite readily identify with. 

Movie Rating:

(From slowpoke to speed demon, ‘Turbo’ is a underdog(snail) tale that packs enough wit, humour and verve to overcome its otherwise familiar plot)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Journey To The West: Conquering the Demons (西游：降魔篇) DVD: Where Your Food Journey Begins Posted on 16 May 2013 After achieving one of the highest grossing Chinese films with over S$2.1 million box office during the 2013 Chinese New Year season, Hong Kong's King of Comedy Stephen Chow is now back to bring its action-comedy blockbuster, Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons into your homes. In this epic tale, Chow holds the roles of Executive Producer, Writer and Director. The much-anticipated DV ... more

SYNOPSIS: This is a world plagued by demons, who cause its human inhabitants unspeakable suffering. Young demon hunter Xuan Zang, fearlessly guided by his belief in “giving himself for the greater cause”, risks his all and conquers a water demon, a pig demon and the demon of all demons, Sun Wukong. He embraces them as his disciples, and melts them with love. Meanwhile, Xuan Zang discovers the true meaning of Greater Love himself. In order to atone for their own sins and save the common people, the four of them embark on a journey to the West that’s full of challenges…

MOVIE REVIEW:

It’s both a yes and a no when it comes to whether “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons” bears the trademark of a Stephen Chow production. Shrouded in secrecy during filming, no one knows if the famous comedian will be starring in the lead role or just carrying out directing duties, the answer is finally revealed when the movie opens to astounding success in Mainland.

“Journey to the West” for a start bears no resemblance to Chow’s classic “A Chinese Odyssey” despite coming from the same folklore tale that every Chinese knew. It’s on the whole more of an action fantasy rather than a laugh-out-loud flick. Chow and his massive team of seven writers including co-director Derek Kwok concoct an often stirring tale of love and redemption filled with lots of Buddhism touches in this prequel to the source material.

A prolonged opening scene that has a terrifying sea demon attacking a fishing village starts the movie with a bang. No one is apparently spared from the creature not even a toddler. There’s nothing rib-tickling from the get-go and we slowly realized the young demon hunter (Wen Zhang) dispatched to subdue the demon is none other than Xuan Zhang, the master of the three disciples, Sandy, Pig and Monkey King and the sea demon is an incarnation of Sandy. As the story unfolds after the thrilling prologue, a fellow female feisty demon hunter, Duan (Shu Qi) is introduced and Chow provides the story with an unlikely angle, a love interest for the innocent, religiously inclined Xuan Zhang.

Chow’s own directorial movies liked “Shaolin Soccer”, “Kungfu Hustle” and “CJ7” is often lighthearted and full of his crazy gags however “Journey to the West” is notably darker and significantly more mature than his previous efforts for example you will be taken aback by the lair of the pig demon which is devilish and sinister and the trapped Monkey King (Huang Bo) turned out to be unexpectedly frightening wicked than imagined.

While Chow is missing on the screen, his familiar style of mo-lei-tau humor still exists through the various onscreen characters. Some of the gags do work (Duan and her bunch of merry henchmen is a hoot) though I must say some scenes dragged on for far too long to achieve the effect especially Duan’s obsession with Xuan Zhang is quite puzzling just to name the movie’s main flaw. Taiwanese singer Show Lo has a cameo appearance as a sickly demon hunter, Prince important that generates a few laughs. Chow’s regular bunch of underrated comedians such as Fung Min Hun, Li Shangzheng, Chiu Chi Ling and He Wen Hui once again appear for laughs too.

“Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons” has an interesting, philosophical message about love at the end of the movie. Though strictly speaking, this is not Chow’s best directing effort, the action and CG is just so-so and the dramatic portions are pretty underwhelming. Obviously Chow has juggled CG action and humor perfectly before but why so serious this time? .    

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The DVD comes with a brief 10 minutes Making Of that unravel cast interviews and some behind-the-scenes footages. There’s also a Trailer and Photo Gallery. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Visual on the whole is passable. The sole Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack provided is lackluster when it comes to the movie’s climatic action sequences.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee