SYNOPSIS: When a mysterious beautiful woman named Katie (Hough) moves to Southport, North Carolina, she sparks the interest of the locals especially Alex (Duhamel), a handsome widower. Although she is attracted to Alex, Katie is reluctant to trust him - that is, until a new friend (Cobie Smulders) convinces her to give Alex a chance. But before long, a dark secret from Katie's past threatens her happiness in this thrilling romance directed by Lasse Hallstrom (Dear John).
MOVIE REVIEW:
Transformers hunk Josh Duhamel plays Alex, a widower who runs a grocery store in a small coastal town in Southport. Yup you can easily find a handsome man in some quiet town in Nicholas Sparks’ world. Thus when a mysterious young woman named Katie (Rock of Ages’s Julianne Hough) from Boston meets and falls in love with him, Alex realises that it’s not just his two young kids that needs to warm up to Katie’s presence that needs attention but Katie’s terrifying past that is fast catching up with them.
The latest big screen adaptation of Sparks’ novel of the same name plays it safe once again. The same old sentimental dialogue, long pauses of staring/smiling at each other and canoeing at some deserted crocodile infested river and lots more. Why tweak a formula that works right?
You can’t really blame Sparks for not trying. In fact, there’s some tension thrown in just to spice things a little. You want to know why Katie is on the run? Because his cop husband is such an abusive jerk and he is not happy when the wifey has ran away. He is violent to the extent of breaking into his elderly neighbours’ resident and he is always on his vodka routine. That’s all that we need to know about Kevin, yup his name is Kevin.
And also meet Katie’s nice neighbour, Jo (Cobie Smulders from Avengers) who always have the time to pop up when Katie needs some personal advice. Jo is liked a mobile agony aunt who say stuff liked “Life is full of second chances”; we seriously need more of Jo in real-life.
The once acclaimed Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom took the helm of his second Sparks adaptation, the first being the Channing Tatum’s starrer, Dear John. His days of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Cider House Rules are probably over and these days, Mr Hallstrom seems contend with feeding audience shots of incredibly good looking people in love and scenic views of North Carolina.
For longtime fans of Sparks, we are glad to inform that you are definitely in Safe Haven here. The rest of us just be an obedient boyfriend and husband for once and company your partners on this paint-by-numbers romantic journey. And please don’t laugh at the M. Night Shyamalan’s inspired ending.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There’s little activity for the surround I guess thus the DVD only comes with a 2.0 soundtrack, reasonable satisfying for a movie that churned out lots of slow pop ballads and dialogue. Safe Haven looks beautiful and images on the whole are natural and brimming with details.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Guillermo del Toro presents Mama, a terrifying supernatural thriller starring Academy Award nominated Jessica Chastain and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Two little girls disappear into the woods the day their parents are killed. When they are rescued many years later and begin a new life, they find that someone or something still wants to come and tuck them in at night.
MOVIE REVIEW:
While she is not busy hunting down terrorists, Zero Dark Thirty Jessica Chastain is being haunted by ghost.
Flickering lights, looming ominous long corridor, that old is it there or is it not in the cupboard trick, Mama is an old-fashioned horror thriller built primarily on these familiar yet clichéd jump scares. Presented by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro whose works are mostly associated with fantasy and horror, Mama marks another of his producing efforts after Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. And obviously you can be assured that it’s a reasonable well-made effort despite the familiarities.
Academy Award nominee Chastain plays a band player, Annabel who lives with his artist boyfriend, Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau from Oblivion). The opening prologue tells us that Lucas’s more successful twin brother, Jeffrey has killed his business partners, murdered his estranged wife and took his two young daughters to the woods presuming on a suicide attempt. But a mysterious spirit intervened and the two girls are spared. Five years have passed and the girls are finally found by a search party hired by Lucas. However, the girls have adopted strange animal-like behaviour by then. At the recommendation of the girls’ psychiatric, Dr Dreyfuss, the girls and their uncle together with Annabel moved into a clinic-owned house for continuous assessment. As the days went by, they realised the girls are in fact being watched over by an overzealous entity known as Mama.
Clearly, much of the suspense and horror takes place in the gigantic home all thanks to newcomer Andrés Muschietti who manages to skilfully set up a genuine creepy atmosphere liked an old pro. The menacing sound design plays a great deal in conjuring the terror but the biggest letdown is the mixture of CG and practical effects that failed to establish the fearful creature, Mama. On one hand, the script by Muschietti and his sister, Barbara allows the demon to have a convincing backstory to fully support her actions instead of mere creating a demonic presence to scare everyone. The result will definitely have the audience taking sympathy on Mama’s actions and packing quite an emotional punch during the sorrowful end.
One of the reasons why Jessica Chastain is being billed after Guillermo del Toro is that her character constitutes a huge portion of the running time. With Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s Lucas suffering a massive fall and disappearing for half of the movie, Chastain’s performance is worth every accolade she has attained so far as the unwilling caretaker turned protector of the girls. Ultimately, Mama is not a perfect horror title but still, you should be grateful to get one that is elegantly staged as this and not some exploitative bloody slugfest.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The DVD visual presentation is a dark, dark affair. Details remain excellent for most of the running time except some instances where a little light can make far more difference to make out the lurking horror. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is aggressive even at its quieter moments and this is one track you find extremely scary playing at night.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Disney’s fantastical adventure Oz The Great And Powerful, from the director of the Spider-Man trilogy,follows Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics. When Diggs is hurled away to the vibrant Land of Oz, he thinks he’s hit the jackpot — until he meets three witches (Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams), who aren’t convinced he’s the great wizard everyone’s expecting. Reluctantly drawn into epic problems facing Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good and who is evil before it’s too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity — and even some wizardry — Oscar transforms himself into the great wizard and a better man as well.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Oz The Great And Powerful is one boring movie despite the fact that every single frame is filled with dazzling images and not forgetting there’s magic spells, flying witches and a talking monkey.
Sam Raimi (The original Spider-Man trilogy) directs this prequel to the original 1939 MGM classic, The Wizard of Oz. While this is not exactly the official prequel as Warner Bros is the one holding the rights as opposed to this being a Disney production, the establishment of the wizard character didn’t exactly inspire much heart or courage.
The so-called wizard, Oscar (James Franco) as it turned out is merely a small-time magician in Kansas. But a freak tornado incident blew our man to the Land of Oz where an evil witch, Evanora (Rachel Weisz) has murdered the King of Oz. Believing that Oscar is the prophesied Wizard that will overthrown the evil witch, Oscar must join hands with Glinda the Good Witch (Michelle Williams) and his monkey partner, Finley and a China doll to mount an attack on the evil witches.
Oz The Great And Powerful seriously lacked an element of surprise throughout the 130 minutes duration. Oscar’s journey to redeem himself from his past falls flat and ultimately predictable. There are simply not enough action sets, wits and humour to sustain one’s attention even its Sam Rami at the helm. No doubt, it’s beautiful to look at because the visual effects by Sony ImageWorks exhibit the best of what technology can do to replicate the imaginary Land of Oz. However, with a storyline that reminds one of Disney’s Alice In Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia, technical wizardry alone just can’t perk things up. Though Oz has its missteps, the sometimes clever references to Houdini, Thomas Edison and even Walt Disney himself did conjures up several wonderful moments.
James Franco’s not so great performance as Oscar reminds one that the kind of magic Robert Downey Jr and Johnny Depp will popped up if they had not turned down the role initially. Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz are serviceable as the good and evil witches respectively though Mila Kunis hardly convinced as the good turned evil witch, Theodora. Zach Braff from Scrubs is woefully miscast as the voice of Finley.
It’s hard to fully embrace Oz The Great And Powerful at the end. Except for a few scares, it suffices for a family fantasy yet with such a talented filmmaker liked Raimi onboard, you expect an extravaganza with lots of heart and not a mere shining Tin Man without one.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
5 minutes of funny Bloopers courtesy of Franco, Kunis and Williams.
Walt Disney and the Road to Oz traces the journey of Disney’s acquisition of the Oz’s books and his abandonment of a live-action adaptation.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Dialogue is clear and the soundfield immersive with plenty of surround activity. Colours are vibrant given the heavily CG landscapes and backgrounds while images are overall crisp and detailed.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Struggling to come to terms with the death of her mother, Kim suddenly has to deal with a new mother in her life. Choon, Kim’s father, brings home a woman one day and announces his decision to marry her. A series of mysterious and terrifying incidents start to occur at the family home after their return. Could it be the jealous spirit of Choon’s dead wife that has come back to show her displeasure at being replaced? Or is there something more sinister? What unravels is a tale of unspeakable evil that threatens to destroy the family. What deep dark secret is Na, Choon's new wife, hiding from them? Can Kim help save her family from complete destruction?
MOVIE REVIEW:
This sophomore effort by Gilbert Chan is aptly saved by the intense last ten minutes otherwise this will be yet an unremarkable run-of-the-mill horror effort based on an Asian folklore.
Produced by Gorylah Pictures who brought you the Indonesian horror, Darah and Chan who wrote and direct the army ghost story, 23:59, Ghost Child continues his taste for horror stories with a local twist with the subject matter being a ghost child or Toyol in Malay.
The horror flicks kicks off with a lady running away from a gang of ruffians in Indonesia. It’s not long that we know that the lady in question is named Na (Malaysia’s model Carmen Soo) and she has followed the man who saved her to Singapore, supposedly on the purpose of marrying him. The man is played by Mediacorp veteran Chen Hanwei and he has a neglected daughter, Kim (Mediacorp actress Jayley Woo) and his mother (Cecilia Heng) waiting for his return. Soon, strange things start to occur in their house and to the people around them. Kim assumed it’s the spirit of her late mother that is causing the unexplained happenings but Chan sad to say is not really a subtle filmmaker simply because he has already named his movie Ghost Child. The audiences are just merely waiting for the narrative to unfold.
While Chan is capable to concoct a handful of jolts and frightening sequences liked Ah Ma opening the wardrobe or checking her beloved vase, one can’t help but feels that the scare techniques have been used frequently in Hollywood thrillers perhaps ten times louder. In fact, Chan has a couple of wasted opportunities to showcase some true menaces for example one haunting scene that took place underwater in a swimming pool that could have been pull off with much more suspense and thrill. The same character meeting an eventful incident in a toilet later on could benefit from a far startling deliverance.
The screenplay while not attempting to scare everyone’s wits contains an awful lot of character building which is miles away from creating an absorbing story with strong characters. Kim and his father has an estranged relationship presuming the father left for business trips after the death of the mother and she is left under the care of the grandmother. Instead of cashing on the talents of Chen Hanwei, Chan is contended in creating lots of classmates rivalry, hurtful taunting and puppy love for the character Kim leaving our dear leading man out of the picture for a long time. Amusingly, local singer Ming Bridges cameo in a totally unnecessary scene set in a ridiculously empty dark library.
Even though Ghost Child is a stark improvement over 23:59, it’s better for Chan to leave his writing duties to other capable hands instead. Lacking any true knowledge of Toyol and a dull plotting, it’s not a surprise Kelvin Tong’s The Maid remains a strong contender for local horror after all these years.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Making of consists of interviews with the main actors and actresses and lasts a brief 9 minutes. A Trailer and Photo Gallery is also included.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The visual is passable but it’s the Dolby Digital 2.0 that is disappointing. The movie has a few audio moments that are either too loud or too soft; its scenes liked these that require you to constantly adjust the volume button.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Thriller/Crime
Director: Scott Walker
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Vanessa Hudgens, John Cusack, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
RunTime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Nudity and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 12 September 2013
Synopsis: The Frozen Ground is based on the true story of Alaskan detective Glenn Flothe (called Sgt. Jack Halcombe in the movie). Halcombe (Nicolas Cage) sets out to end the murderous rampage of Robert Hansen (John Cusack), a serial killer who has silently stalked the streets of Anchorage for more than 13 years. As the bodies of Anchorage women start to add up, Sgt. Halcombe goes on a personal manhunt to find the killer. When 17 year old Cindy Paulson (Vanessa Hudgens) escapes Hansen's unspeakable violence, she believes the law will take him down. Instead she finds herself, once again, fighting for her life. With her only ally, the unlikely Sgt. Halcombe, Paulson is determined to bring a serial killer to justice.
Movie Review:
There are some actors who have it better than others in showbiz. You may not have what it takes to be invited to Inside the Actors Studio, but if you have good looks like Channing Tatum or Liam Hemsworth (nope, we do not think Robert Pattinson has what it takes to be labeled “handsome”), you will be very popular with the major money making movie studios. One underrated actor who has not been enjoying such a life of fame and fortune is John Cusack, but we look forward to his every big screen performance.
And you know the 47 year old actor has got what it takes when his latest role is a cold blooded serial killer, considering his past very likable performances in movies like High Fidelity (2000), Martian Child (2007) and Hot Tub Time Machine (2010).
Based on real life events which took place in the 1980s, Cusack plays Robert Hansen, who stalked and murdered between 17 and 21 young women, kidnapping them and taking them out to the Alaskan wilderness where he shot and buried them. The independent production has Nicolas Cage portraying the detective leading the manhunt for Hansen, and Vanessa Hudgens playing a victim who managed to escape Hansen’s unspeakably cruel violence.
Boasting commendable performances from both its male leads Cage (whom we usually laugh at with every movie role he takes on – for his emotionless expression and his numerous changing hair pieces) and Cusack (whom we want to root for, regardless of what movie genre he takes on), this 105 minute movie is an independent production distributed by entertainment company Lionsgate. Considering how it was released in theatres and on demand on the same day in the States, we can safely say it isn’t your big budget summer blockbuster with loud explosions, gun fights and car crashes.
But what makes this Scott Walker directed movie a recommended watch is its almost unfeeling look at how a detective sets out to end the murderous rampage of a silent stalker who has caused harm to unknowing victims for more than 13 years. Shot on location in Alaska, cinematographer Patrick Murguia takes the opportunity to lens the breathtaking yet callously cold and icy landscape, which complements the dark themes explored in the film. This is a glum movie to watch, and when the film ends with real life photos of the victims, you’d get a queasy feeling in your stomach. This uneasiness is a successful attempt by the filmmakers to have audiences feel brutality and viciousness of the events that took place more than 30 years ago.
Cusack, with his unsympathetic expressions, will have viewers feeling edgily perturbed every time he appears on screen. Cage also does a decent job of not having us annoyed by his lack of screen presence. Not faring so well is Hudgens, who appears to be trying a little too hard to impress with her prostitute character. Watch out also for a supporting role played rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who also took on the producer role for this production.
The mostly solid performances by the cast, and a spine tingling plot based on real life events, will have you engaged for a good one hour and 45 minutes in the cold, dark theatre.
Movie Rating:
(This may not be the cheeriest movie you’ll ever watch, but it is still recommended for its engaging pacing and John Cusack’s unflinching performance)
Review by John Li
|
Giant Minion Invades Singapore for the First Time at The CathayPosted on 04 Jun 2013 |
|
"PEE MAK" TOPS ALL-TIME THAI MOVIE BOX OFFICE IN SINGAPOREPosted on 03 Jul 2013 |
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Mukunda Michael Dewil
Cast: Paul Walker, Naima McLean, Gys de Villiers, Tshepo Maseko, Andrian Mazive, Welile Nzuza
RunTime: 1 hr 25 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 4 July 2013
Synopsis: An action thriller starring Paul Walker (the Fast and Furious franchise) VEHICLE 19 is a white-knuckle ride about a man who unwittingly gets in the wrong rental car at Johannesburg airport with terrifying consequences. The man, an American parolee trying to go straight and re-unite with his ex-wife, soon realises that not only is he a stranger in inhospitable surroundings but is the target of an entire police force that will use any means necessary to stop him and the tied-up female "passenger" he discovers in the back of the vehicle from getting to the courthouse to testify against top-to-bottom corruption.
Movie Review:
Unless you are seriously suffering from Fast & Furious withdrawal symptoms or a huge fan of Paul Walker, you might consider hopping on to Vehicle 19.
Produced by Walker himself and shot entirely in South Africa, Vehicle 19 is a low-budget, action thriller that tries to cash on the popularity of the Fast & Furious franchise and of course, having Walker as the leading man helps to misled some unsuspicious audience as well.
The premise actually has a pretty promising start. Walker plays Michael Woods, an American who is violating parole to win back his ex-wife, now working for the U.S. embassy in South Africa. But before he gets to meet her, shit happens once again to the troubled man. He got the wrong rental car at the airport and shortly after, a gun is found under the seat, a phone not belonging to him rings and also a gagged woman is found in the compartment. The woman in the end turned out to be some prosecutor who found out that the Chief of Police is involved in some sex trafficking ring and she has evidence of it. With the corrupted cops hot on their heels, Woods must turned the evidence to a trusted judge before he is chased down and killed.
The script sounds like a feasible Luc Besson’s action piece which he churned out rather frequently in fact the part about bad guys being the police sounds like a fantastic excuse to choreograph outrageous car chases around the city. However, writer and director Mukunda Michael Dewil has something else on his mind, likely Colin Farrell’s Phone Booth and Ryan Reynolds’ Buried has inspired him to attempt something similar though with a minivan. That is to confine our hero inside the car and calls it – The-camera- never-leaves-the-car-concept.
The idea is a bold one not necessary one that is bad if done well unfortunately Dewil has neither the resources nor storytelling skill to make it a clock-ticking, satisfying ride. Woods spent a considerable amount of time mumbling to his wife over his Blackberry, talking to the corrupted cop, cruising around, went for a car wash and a car spray not realizing the audience are staring at their watches waiting for things to happen. And we are talking about a swift 85 minutes running time in total.
Walker might not be one of the best actors around but at least he nailed down that brooding, wrong-guy-at-the-wrong-place character even without frequent co-stars Vin Diesel and Sung Kang around. In addition, Vehicle 19 obviously is not the appropriate title to sell the country as a tourism location because every black man out there seems to be a mugger, kidnapper and pickpocket of sort. We can’t really figure out what Dewil is thinking by the time the credits roll but we are definitely thinking about the concluding chapter to the Fast & Furious franchise instead.
Movie Rating:
![](\"http://www.moviexclusive.com/image/mx%20star.gif\")
(Indie title disguising as an action thriller, just opt on to Vehicle 20 if there is)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Musical/Comedy
Director: Jay Chou
Cast: Jay Chou, Eric Tsang, Alan Ko, Wang Xueqi, Li Xinai, Gary Yang, Xu Fan
RunTime: 2 hrs 1 min
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 11 July 2013
Synopsis: Gao (Jay Chou) is a young chap living in a 1970s fantasy retro world. He stays in a unique neighborhood located on the rooftop of a row of buildings. It is a slum to many, but for Gao, it is a home filled with warmth and vibrancy. Gao works in Po's (Eric Tsang) traditional medicine hall with two other friends. The gang of three often get into fights with Hong, the notorious neighborhood bully. One day, Gao and his friends rescue a girl from Hong’s bullying who happened to be Xin, the famous actress. The story unfolds as Xin gets to know these rowdy bunch living at the rooftop and how they eventually fall for each other despite living in drastically different worlds. Hong then plans his revenge on Gao. So will he succeed or will the couple live happily ever after?
Movie Review:
For the record, Jay Chou acts, composes the music, sings the tunes, dances the steps, writes the screenplay and directs this musical action fantasy ‘The Rooftop’. How’s that for a multi-hyphenate? Very few, if anyone, can claim to be able to juggle the same kind of responsibilities that he undertakes here, but assuming that level of control also assures fans that it is nothing less than his vision that we see on the big screen.
And in many ways, ‘The Rooftop’ is better off with Jay Chou in such multiple roles. There is good reason why despite the burgeoning Chinese film industry, it has yet to produce a big-budget musical like Hollywood’s ‘Phantom of the Opera’ or ‘Les Miserables’. Not only do you need to find people with the requisite singing and songwriting talent, you need a person with the right sensibilities to pull it all together - and those who have seen Jay Chou’s MTVs will probably agree that he is the most qualified artiste to take on such a challenging task.
Right from its opening frame, it’s apparent that ‘The Rooftop’ boasts many of Jay Chou’s unique abilities. Even more than the average musical, the visuals here are lively, dynamic and colourful, reminiscent of the energy and verve of his ‘Cowboy is Very Busy’ MTV (or in Mandarin, ‘牛仔很忙’). The music is appropriately toe-tappingly catchy at times – the very first song we hear as part of a performance that the owner of a traditional Chinese medicinal shop Bo Ye (Eric Tsang) puts up for his customers is already an excellent example – and moody and evocative at others, mirroring exactly the tonal cadences of the plot.
But most impressively are the occasional extravagant song and dance sequences, which are nothing less than a delightful combination of appealing tunes, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and some perfectly timed choreography. Certainly, that shouldn’t come as a surprise to any Jay Chou fan - after all, his perpetually sold-out concerts are also built on the same sure-fire elements. Still, you’ll be glad to know that these sequences most definitely do not disappoint; in fact, we will go so far as to say that they are the best thing about the movie, a testament of the dexterity that Jay Chou has mastered in this area from directing countless MTVs over the course of his singing career.
Jay Chou also goes one step further to combine his love for kungfu with his love for dance – in particular, a scene where he takes out a whole gang of ruffians in a bathhouse is especially memorable for being sleekly composed like a balletic dance set to a finger-snapping tune. Being both the scriptwriter as well as the director also enables him to ensure that these MTV-like sequences flow nicely with the rest of the movie, avoiding the common pitfall of schizophrenic-like musicals where the songs and the rest of the movie are two different parts.
Yet Jay Chou’s almost singular position at the helm does come with its tradeoffs too. Sticking a little too safely in his comfort zone, he fashions his own lead character in the movie - a rough but good-natured lad named Wax - as a variant of the strong silent brooding type that he likes and often portrays, whether in his previous movies (e.g. ‘Initial D’) or his MTVs (e.g. ‘Step Back’ or ’ 退後’). Wax is so distinctly Jay Chou in his mannerisms and personality that it does get a little too predictable; indeed, you can already guess that he is maddeningly loyal to his three close friends in the movie, as well as a romantic at heart who will inevitably get all awkward and self-conscious when he is in the presence of the girl of his dreams.
True enough, this is as much a story about the bond of brotherhood as it is a tragic love story that his directorial debut ‘Secret’ was. The former lets Jay Chou’s character become the de facto leader and protector of his buddies Tempura, Egg and Ah Lang; while the latter lets him have his saccharine sweet love story with aspiring actress Starling (newcomer Lin Xinai) followed by a decidedly tragic turn that will ultimately end on a bittersweet note. Because Jay Chou essentially plays himself in the role, it’s not hard to guess just how the story unfolds.
Of course, his ‘Romeo and Juliet’ setup isn’t anything new in the first place - instead of two rival gangs, Wax and Starling come from two different worlds defined by their social statuses, which is the reason why Starling’s father (Kenny Bee) disapproves of their relationship. To add some measure of suspense, their tale of forbidden love becomes intertwined in the second half with the rivalry between Wax and a fearsome triad member named Red Hair, which also involves the triad kingpin Lei (Mainland actor Wang Xueqi) and a popular handsome actor called William whom Starling’s father wants her to date.
That’s a lot to resolve in the climax, and sadly Jay Chou stumbles more than falters as he struggles to bring closure. With an unusually heavy hand, he leadens the finale with a thick dose of melodrama, throws in an unnecessary car chase sequence, and finishes it off with a terribly CG-ed scene that literally throws its audience into the water. Whereas the ending in ‘Secret’ was touching and poignant, his attempt to replicate that same feeling here is contrived and misguided, an utter tonal shift from the rest of the movie that will only leave you cringing in your seat.
Sadly therefore, what began as a fleet-footed musical ends as an overblown tearjerker whose epilogue makes even less sense. One certainly wishes Jay Chou had exercised more restraint at the end, but look past that misstep (however huge it may be) and there is still much to admire about his labour of love. From the rich visuals to the appealing tunes to the beautiful choreography, one clearly sees Jay Chou’s achievement in creating an original song-and-dance extravaganza. And so despite its shortcomings, ‘The Rooftop’ is still a commendably ambitious effort from Jay Chou - at the very least, it takes much courage to do something quite so substantially different from his debut feature film.
Movie Rating:
(Save for a bloated and contrived finale, this ambitious musical action fantasy from actor/ composer/ singer/ dancer/ screenwriter/ director Jay Chou is his quintessential labour of love)
Review by Gabriel Chong
|
Jay Chou's movie THE ROOFTOP tickets now on salePosted on 06 Jun 2013 |
| « Prev | 140 | 141 | 142 | 143 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 150 | Next » |
Most Viewed
No content.