While spring breaks may not be something we are familiar with, but if the music represented on this 41 minute soundtrack album is anything to go by, we are afraid we are a little too old for such, well, how should we put it, excitement. The supposedly cult classic follows four girls (played by the delicious Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine) as they experience spring break with the slimy James Franco. Yes, expect lots and lots of partying on this CD.

Skrillex, who’s known as a dubstep superstar and his ability to create brain warping bass lines, headlines the album with “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”, a three minute cue that may scare the hell out of the faint hearted. It captures the mood of what we saw on screen though, and we’d like to think we are hip and trendy enough to appreciate this genre of music. Composer Cliff Martinez’s score cues “Rise and Shine Little Bitch” and “Pretend It’s A Video Game” are the follow ups, and you can sense a little danger in these repetitive cues.

Skrillex returns in “With You, Friends (Long Drive)”, and you know this guy is the epitome of music which may leave older folks with headaches. James Franco raps with Dangeruss in “Hangin’ With Da Dopeboys”, and the Oscar nominated actor shows you a side you’ve probably never seen.

Elsewhere, Skrillex remixes Birdy Nam Nam’s “Goin’ In”, a track that will have clubbers in nightspots bobbing their heads in glee. Things get a little darker in “Smell This Money” and “Park Smoke”, before Gucci Mane raps “Young Niggas” with Waka Flocka Fame.

If you don’t realise by now, this is one album which requires parental advisory, no thanks to its explicit content. You may want to keep this off your kiddie cousins (the scantily clad ladies on the cover should already be a warning).  

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (1) Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites– Skrillex

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama/Erotic
Director: ML Bhandevanop Devakula
Cast: Mario Maurer, Chayapol Julian Pupart, Sakarach Rirkthamrong, Bongkot Khongmalai, Savika Chaiyadej, Ratha Pho-ngram, Sho Nishino, Nat Dhebhasdin Na Ayutthaya, Radklao Amaradit, Ruangsak Loychusak
RunTime: 2 hrs 22 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw Asian Films & Scorpio East Pictures
Official Website: 
 
Opening Day: 18 July 2013 

Synopsis: Based on Thailand’s most famous erotic novel by Usana Pleongtham, comes the finale of Thailand’s most controversial film. Jan Dara (Mario Maurer) grows up in Wisnan House, a playground of sexual excess lorded over by his stepfather, a man obsessed with carnal pleasure. After a tragic incident, Jan is banished from Bangkok to live with his grandmother in the rural province of Pijit. An unspeakable incident happened to Jan’s stepsister and Jan seized this opportunity to return to Bangkok to take revenge against Wisnan, the man who has made his life a living hell. The fire of vengeance consumes him to such an extent that he’s becoming the man he hated all his life. Jan continues his descent into the dark side. He wants to see those who’ve wronged him suffer. Will love, sex and friendship save him from what’s eating him alive?

Movie Review:

The good news about veteran dramatist ML Bhandevanov "Mom Noi" Devakula’s second and concluding chapter of his ‘Jan Dara’ adaptation is that it is better than the first. But we should probably qualify that statement - given how dull and tedious ‘Jan Dara: The Beginning’ was, there’s probably no other way to go than up, so even though that’s exactly where this finale goes, it’s still a largely lacklustre affair from start to finish.

At the very least, this second-parter benefits from a much more focused and coherent plot. Whereas its predecessor set up way too many supporting relationships that ultimately go nowhere (one good example is Jan’s romance with a Muslim girl from school which is too hastily wrapped up here), Mom Noi - who also wrote the screenplay from Usana Pleongtham’s classic literature novel - keeps the narrative largely on Jan’s own path of vengeance against his abusive stepfather Lord Wisanan (Sakarat Rithamrong).

Picking up from where the previous movie ended - i.e. with Jan (Mario Mauer) and Ken (Chaiyapon “New” Pupart) leaving the Wisanan household - Mom Noi spends the first half hour setting the stage for Jan’s road of revenge. Taking up shelter in the rural province of Pijit where his vindictive grandmother (Radklao Amradit) lies dying, Jan discovers that Lord Wisanan is not his biological father; in fact, Wisanan’s marriage to his mother was only one of convenience, which the former then abused to kick out Jan’s grandmother from the family home.

It’s little wonder that she makes Jan swear on her deathbed to claim his rightful place in the household; that opportunity comes along when his half-sister Kaew (Cho Nishino) becomes pregnant with child after having intercourse with Boon Lueng’s (Ratha “Yaya Ying” Pho-Ngam) son Kajorn (Nat Dephasadin Na Ayudhya). Turns out Kajorn and Kaew are in fact brother and sister, which places Jan in an expedient position of entering into yet another marriage of convenience within the Wisanan family.

That’s a lot to follow especially if you haven’t yet seen the first movie, but it's no matter really - such an extended prologue is simply meant to engineer Jan’s return with a fake moustache to show that he is older and much more conniving than before. Not only does he demand that Wisanan cede full control of the family business to him, Jan banishes his stepdad out of the main house and seduces his mistress Boon Lueng. If it isn’t apparent enough, this is meant to be a tragic tale of Jan’s own downfall as his hatred against his stepfather turns him into the man he has detested all his life.

There are certainly overtones of a Greek tragedy at play here, but as should be evident in the first movie, Mom Noi is too ham-fisted a director to spin this into anything more than a stage-bound soap opera. Every time tragedy strikes (and mind you, it does happen pretty often), the cinematography slows, the actors make a pained expression and the music swells to emphasise the weight of that moment. Yes, Mom Noi milks the most of every melodramatic turn in the novel, culminating in a tragic finish that unfortunately comes off laughable as one of the key characters commits suicide within the house to get back at Jan.

That cringe-worthy end is also a reflection of the terrible acting all round. Mario Mauer’s star may have risen after the unprecedented success of the horror comedy ‘Pee Mak’, but his acting here is severely lacking in depth. One can literally see the strain on his face as he tries to convey his character’s inner turmoil, and the only compliment we can offer is that it is at least still marginally more tolerable than his cloying act in the first movie. Yaya Ying’s turn as Boon Lueng is no match for Hong Kong actress Christy Chung in the 2001 version, coming off bland and lacking in any real seductive edge. And the less said about Nishino and New the better, neither the Jap AV actress nor the young Thai actor belonging in anything more than high-school stage plays.

If we seem to have neglected talking about the sex scenes in the movie, that’s because there’s even fewer of those than in the ‘Beginning’. Indeed, anyone who is here for the sex should just turn far far away - not only are these scenes artfully filmed in soft lighting to obscure any real (‘erm’) details you might want to see, they are utter non-events that are over even before getting to any meaningful climax. Our advice? You’re better off watching Chung’s version or even just some free porn clip on the Internet.

Like we said, if you compare the relative merits of the first and second-parter, then this finale is certainly the better half. Yet that really isn’t saying a lot, and when it is over and done, this ponderous four-hour adaptation still marks one of the lowest points of the Thai film industry we’ve witnessed in recent years. Whether or not you’re here for the sex, you’ll walk away the same - limp, unfulfilled and frustrated. 

Movie Rating:

(A more coherent plot counts as one of the few but ultimately too little blessings of this finale, which boasts the same appalling weaknesses as its ham-fisted predecessor)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Genre: Action/Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Carl Rinsch
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Takato Yonemoto, Hiroshi Sogabe, Jin Akanishi
RunTime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://47ronin.jp/
 
Opening Day: 19 December 2013

Synopsis: From ancient Japan’s most enduring tale, the epic 3D fantasy-adventure 47 Ronin is born. Keanu Reeves leads the cast as Kai, an outcast who joins Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of the 47 Ronin. Together they seek vengeance upon the treacherous overlord who killed their master and banished their kind. To restore honor to their homeland, the warriors embark upon a quest that challenges them with a series of trials that would destroy ordinary warriors.

Movie Review:

Hollywood’s fascination with the way of the samurai continues with the latest East-West hodgepodge ’47 Ronin’, based on the Japanese legend of 47 brave warriors who went against the explicit orders of their Emperor to avenge the wrongful death of their master and later went on to sacrifice their lives in strict adherence to the code of the ‘Bushido’. As the end credits will inform you, it is an occasion celebrated by thousands of Japanese till today on the 14^th of December, but the fact that the Japanese themselves rejected this retelling of that story should be fair warning just how much credit to give it.

To say that it is uninspired is pretty much an understatement, as commercials director Carl Rinsch betrays his lack of feature filmmaking experience with a tonally deaf movie that fails to engage on so many levels. The fault isn’t entirely his; right from the start, one already senses something amiss in Chris Morgan and Hossein Amini’s script. Venerable screenwriters though both are (Morgan’s written one of our most favoured movies this year, ‘Rush’), it is too obvious from the prologue alone that both are straining too hard for the movie to be taken seriously - and the reason for that becomes apparent just a short while later.

It doesn’t take a history scholar to enlighten you that Keanu Reeves’ character is entirely fictional. A half-British, half-Japanese orphan named Kai who is taken in by the respected Lord Asano (Min Tanaka), its addition has no other purpose than to make the story more palatable for a Western audience. Indeed, short of being ostracised and called a ‘half-breed’, Kai spends most of his time moping around like most other characters Reeves does, so much so that you probably won’t lose much if Kai had been swapped with a fully Japanese character as the legend must have gone.

That’s the equivalent of what happens during the course of the movie in fact. While it does seem as if Kai were the centre of the storytelling, Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada’s stoic Oishi gradually but surely becomes the subject of the writers’ interest and attention. As Lord Asano’s son, Oishi grows into the leader of the resistance against Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano), who had dispatched his shape and form-shifting witch Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi) to do his dirty work in framing Asano for his own attempted murder.

It is Oishi who will lead the titular warriors - including Kai - in a sneak attack against Kira and whose inner emotional struggles, especially in knowingly leading his band of men to sure and certain death whether at Kira’s hands or that of the Emperor, seems much more engaging than that of an outsider (which we may emphasise again was never part of the true story anyways) struggling to fit in. But even with choosing to place the emphasis on Oishi, the characterisation here for what should be a character-driven tale of heroism and sacrifice is too weak - and it certainly doesn’t help that the lines the characters are given are either stilted or cringe-worthy or both.

On his part, Rinsch does manage some nicely done action sequences. Oishi’s ambush of Kira in his own kingdom towards the end is one, boasting of a nice buildup as the former’s men stealthily take up key positions from which to spring their surprise on the enemy. That climax also culminates in Kai’s showdown with Mizuki at the same time as Oishi’s pursuit of Kira, and the intercutting between the two makes for a pretty exciting time. Rinsch’s eye for good visuals is also plainly evident here; unfortunately the same can also be said of his poor grasp of pacing and tone.

As if unsure whether to go all out to make a B-action movie or to attempt something more self-respectable, Rinsch ends up with a product that is neither weighty enough to be taken seriously (can you imagine Kai or Mizuki as the real deal?) nor weird and wonderful enough to be nothing more than an elaborate CGI Hollywood fantasy in and of itself. There is no hiding the fact that Rinsch tries too hard for the former, engineering not only unintentional moments of levity but rendering purposeful ones - like one where Kai demonstrates to one of his fellow ronin the difference between a sharp and blunt blade in slicing through wood - out of place with the rest of the movie.  

The same can be said of Reeves, who sticks out like a sore thumb next to the rest of the Japanese cast. It is both his character as well as the actor himself, the latter’s trademark stone-faced act largely incompatible with the minimalist and nuanced acting of his Eastern counterparts. In contrast, Sanada shines in the role of Oishi, portraying with clarity and poignancy the dilemma his character faces in choosing the path that disobeys the Shogun and ultimately casts him, his men and their family into disrepute. Not one of the rest of the cast is given much opportunity to act though, and even Kikuchi is wasted in the role of a fox spirit that well calls her to be foxy and little more.

And so despite its good intentions of illuminating the way of the samurai to the world, Hollywood once again fumbles with its Westernised take of what has been and perhaps will always remain a fundamentally Asian story best told by its own people. Except for big-budget spectacle, there is hardly any merit to this fantastical retelling of the honour and bravery displayed by the legendary ’47 ronin’. It’s no wonder then that the Japanese have patently rejected this Hollywood bastardisation, and unless you are prepared to be culturally blind, you’re most likely to do likewise. 

Movie Rating:

(Yet another failed Hollywood attempt at a 'samurai' movie, this hodgepodge of legend and fantasy is a culturally blind product that provides for big-budget spectacle and little more)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Genre: Drama
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrøm, Susse Wold, Anne Louise Hassing, Lars Ranthe, Alexandra Rapaport, Ole Dupont
RunTime: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: R21 (Nudity and Sexual Scene)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: http://www.magpictures.com/thehunt/

Opening Day: 6 June 2013

Synopsis: THE HUNT unfolds in a small provincial town in the days leading up to Christmas. Lucas (Mads Mikkensen), a forty year old divorcee, is finally getting his life under control. He's got himself a new girlfriend, a new job and is in the process of re-building his relationship with his teenage son, Marcus. But things soon start to unravel. Nothing significant, just a slight comment here, a random lie there. And as the snow falls and the Christmas lights are lit, the lie spreads like an invisible virus. The shock and mistrust gets out of hand, and the small community suddenly finds itself in a collective state of mass hysteria, while Lucas fights a lonely fight for his life and dignity. THE HUNT is a disturbing depiction of how a lie can quickly become truth - a modern tale of witch-hunt, injustice, guilt and, ultimately, forgiveness. A fable on how fragile a community can become when gossip, doubt and malice are allowed to flourish. It is a stirring portrait of a man struggling to exonerate himself, and a father and a son reaching out for one another as their world crumbles.

Movie Review:

A lie told in naivety, a well-intentioned but ultimate foolish inclination to believe the words of a young child, and the herd mentality of a group of small-town folk - Thomas Vinterberg’s 2012 Palme d’Or winner ‘The Hunt’ explores the ripple effects of a false sexual abuse accusation on the life of a blameless kindergarten school teacher as lies, gossip and innuendo take over reason and just plain common sense. Trust us when we say that it’s not a comfortable film to watch, and since it isn’t made as a revenge thriller, won’t offer the kind of vindication some audiences might hope it does - but it is edge-of-your-seat gripping stuff and well-deserving of all the accolades it has received thus far.

Rather than resort to theatrics, Vinterberg and his co-scripter Tobias Lindholm treats the subject matter with the honesty and seriousness it deserves. That is amply demonstrated in the straightforward narrative that they choose, sticking from start to finish with the point of view of said teacher Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen).  There is therefore never any doubt about Lucas’ innocence; instead, we are under no illusion that the young girl Klara’s (Annika Wedderkopp) insinuation that he had sexually abused her was no more than a display of indignation after he rebukes her for a guileless but inappropriate sign of affection towards him.

A slow buildup in the first half hour of the movie lays the pieces for the ensuing proceedings - in particular, we learn that the gentle and mild-mannered Lucas was recently divorced and is fighting for his teenage son Marcus (Lasse Fogelstrom) to stay with him. Important to note too is the close bond of friendship between Lucas and Klara’s father Theo (Thomas Bo Larsen), as well as the budding romance between Lucas and a co-worker (Alexandra Rapaport). Though the pace is deliberate, you’ll appreciate the attention that Vinterberg pays to these relationships as the unfounded but no less virulent rumours and suspicions exert their nasty consequences.

Vinterberg shows admirable restraint in sketching the chronology of events leading up to the expected community backlash towards Lucas. At no point does he attempt to cast judgment on any one of the supporting characters responsible for Lucas’ predicament - not the kindergarten supervisor Grethe (Susse Wold) who first hears Klara’s lie and whose gullibility precipitates the chain of events, nor Theo or his wife who do not even bother to question their daughter further, nor the colleagues, parents and other townspeople who blindly accept the charge to be true. And because Vinterberg seeks not to assign blame, we are invited to likewise steer away from doing so - though we must warn you that it is hard not to be piqued at their sheer idiocy.

Adding a touch of poignancy to the themes is the fact that the events take place in the days leading up to Christmas, and it is no coincidence that there are Christian allegories to be drawn in the way Vinterberg paints how just a simple three-inch tongue can so easily through judgment, misdirection and falsehood bring down a six-foot man. In particular, a compelling but discomforting scene to watch is set inside the town’s church on Christmas night, when a bruised and battered Lucas (and we mean this both physically and emotionally) confronts Theo to look into his eyes and see for himself if that is the gaze of a guilty person. And speaking of metaphors, the title of the film refers to the figurative witch-hunt of a town which counts deer hunting as one of its common hobbies, the concluding shot a brilliant and befitting close to illustrate the titular significance.

Effectively cast against type here is Danish actor Mikkelsen, better known for being the memorably malevolent villain in ‘Casino Royale’ as well as the classic Dr Hannibal Lecter in the latest NBC TV series. There is great nuance in his portrayal of Lucas, demonstrating tangibly his initial fear and disbelief in his powerlessness to stop the tide of misgivings and then later his palpable frustration at the ostracision he is forced to endure. Even more impressive is the fact that Mikkelsen avoids drawing out audience sympathy for his character explicitly, despite how easy that might be under the circumstances.

Yet even though it is not an easy film to watch and doesn’t offer much by way of cathartic release through an expression of violence, ‘The Hunt’ remains one of the must-watch gripping dramas of the year. The setting might be distinctly European, but the relevance as a cautionary tale of the dangers of gossip, doubt and malice is universal. It’s unsettling psychological material all right, but those who like their movies meaningful will find much food for thought from this absorbing picture. 

Movie Rating:

(Gripping if never easy to watch, this compelling drama on the dangers of judgment and falsehoods is built around a bravura performance by Mads Mikkelsen)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Steven Knight
Cast: Jason Statham, Lee Asquith-Coe, Benedict Wong, Vicky McClure, Senem Temiz, Siobhan Hewlett, David Bradley
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Nudity And Coarse Language)
Released By: GV & MVP
Official Website: http://hummingbirdmovie.co.uk/

Opening Day: 18 July 2013 

Synopsis: Living homeless after going on the run from a military court-martial, Joey Jones (Statham) is a damaged ex-special forces soldier trapped in London’s criminal underworld. But when opportunity enables him to assume another man’s identity, he is transformed into an avenging angel.

Movie Review:

At some point, every action star looks for that one dramatic vehicle that can prove that he or she is more than just brawn. For British actor Jason Statham, that movie is writer/ director Steven Knight’s ‘Redemption’, where he plays a disgraced ex-Special Forces soldier looking to put things right by the people in his life. Those looking for a high-adrenaline actioner like ‘Crank’ will most certainly be disappointed, but even the most hardcore fans are likely to agree that this is his most substantial role by far.

Knight casts Statham’s Joey Jones as a psychologically scarred individual from his last mission in Afghanistan - though he keeps what really happened as a mystery till the very end. Nonetheless, through frequent incomplete flashbacks, we are painted the picture of a tortured soul who desperately wants to forget his sins, the title of the movie in fact a slang for “drones” which Jones consistently looks around for as if he is being watched and judged for his every action.

Thankfully, his scripting work for David Cronenberg in ‘Eastern Promises’ and for Stephen Frears in ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ have taught him more than a thing or two about making a character-driven drama, so Knight (who makes his directorial debut here) doesn’t exhibit similar tendencies by first-time directors to tell more than show. Instead, he lets Statham dig into the nature of his character to demonstrate his inner agony, which the charismatic star in turn seizes to deliver an arresting portrayal of a morally ambiguous persona driven and yet torn apart by guilt and conscience.

Tempering his usual tough-guy act with surprising humanity, Statham shines in the one-to-one scenes he shares with the nun Sister Cristina (Polish actress Agata Buzek) who runs the soup kitchen he used to frequent during his homeless days. Their unfolding relationship is probably one of the more interesting ones in a while, particularly since it juxtaposes Jones’ own journey of redemption with Cristina’s own struggle of vocation dealing with her past baggage as well as a possible romantic affection for Jones.

It is Cristina who also points out the irony in Jones’ life - motivated as he may be to find the people who killed a teenage prostitute named Isabel (Victoria Bewick) he found solace with as a vagrant, he is no less culpable for the deaths of other similar Isabels by doing the bidding of a group of Chinese mobsters (led by Benedict Wong) whose dirty works include drug dealing. Jones’ complexities on the road to finding his own salvation ultimately afford Statham a richer character study, which the actor reciprocates with nuance and poignancy.

That’s not to say that Jones is a complete departure from Statham’s usual roles; rather, instead of letting the action be the highlight of the entire exercise, this one finds meaning for the occasional bursts of violence that Statham doles out. So even though Statham does engage in fist fights and ball busting, the mayhem is more sporadic, less stylised but also more meaningful than the usual Statham movie. Sure it probably won’t please many of Statham’s usual fans, but that in no way diminishes the credit that he deserves for playing against type.

On the other hand, Knight is on familiar ground examining the underbelly of London society. Like ‘Dirty Pretty Things’ and ‘Eastern Promises’, the movie boasts a strong mise-en-scene in its Soho-set locations that are evocatively filmed by Chris Menges. Much as one would expect the filming to highlight the grim and grit of the underworld, there is something truly mesmerising in Menges’ gorgeous photography of nocturnal London - and the same of which can in fact be said of the eclectic visual palette that he chooses for the movie.

It’s therefore no overstatement to proclaim this the prettiest looking Statham film, but beyond the aesthetics, the highlight here is no doubt Statham’s earnest and heartfelt performance. Don’t worry, the star isn’t quite hanging up his gloves yet; but in ‘Redemption’, we see the potential for a new breed of films for the bullet-headed action star that effectively balances action and drama instead of the perfunctory beat-em-up. Despite the obvious expectations attached to a movie with his name, we urge you to go into this with an open mind; that way, you’ll find that this talk-heavy action-light film has some pretty redeeming qualities about it too. 

Movie Rating:

(Not the usual Jason Statham beat-em-up, this character-driven study of one man’s search for salvation boasts an atypical and therefore all the more impressive dramatic performance from the bullet-headed action star)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: David Twohy 
Cast: Vin Diesel, Karl Urban, Jordi Molla, Matt Nable, Katee Sackhoff, Bokeem Woodbine, Dave Bautista, Conrad Pla, Raoul Trujillo, Nolan Funk, Keri Hilson
RunTime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence, Some Nudity and Coarse Language)
Released By: GV & MVP
Official Website:  

Opening Day: 12 September 2013

Synopsis: Left for dead on a sun-scorched planet, Riddick finds himself up against an alien race of predators. Activating an emergency beacon alerts two ships: one carrying a new breed of mercenary, the other captained by a man from Riddick's past.

Movie Review:

Since ‘The Chronicles of Riddick’ was such a critical and commercial disappointment, it only seems logical that franchise helmer David Twohy would adopt a back-to-basics approach with this sequel. Indeed, right down to its pared down title, this titular intergalactic anti-hero’s third big-screen outing forgoes the overwrought politics that made its predecessor such a bloated and ill-conceived mess and instead opts for the stripped down intensity of ‘Pitch Black’, pitting the escaped convict once again against both aliens and humans in a sun-scorched desolate planet.

Opening with a near-wordless sequence with only Vin Diesel’s trademark basso-voice occasionally punctuating the cries of the wild beasts, the first half-hour is an instant riveting grabber; and as Riddick orientates himself to his new surroundings, we too are acquainted with the dangers that surround - the winged pterodactyls, the dingoes with razor-sharp teeth, and most memorably the giant slithering scorpion-like denizens of the swamps. Besides the elemental man-versus-nature struggle, we are also treated to some gorgeous otherworldly vistas - not unlike that of the planet with three suns that Riddick was first marooned on in ‘Pitch Black’.

Except for a brief filler to provide continuity with the events in “Chronicles”, this is otherwise a highly focused, edge-of-your-seat gripping introduction that fans will love. Yes, in that flashback, those who sat through the last movie and came back for this will be familiar with the Necromongers (including a certain Commander Vakko, whom Karl Urban reprises in a cameo) Riddick had last been seen fighting against, and for whom earning the title of Lord Marshal is not enough to stop from being double-crossed and left for dead on a planet identified only as “not Furya”. Not that one needs to bother - even Riddick acknowledges that “somewhere along the way I lost a step… gotta find that animal side again.”

And so Twohy treats us to plenty of that here, as Riddick fashions his homemade weapons to deal with the unfriendly fauna standing in between him and survival. Yet, Riddick hasn’t gone all cold and callous - in fact, this Riddick seems even more human than his earlier iterations. Not only does he seem more vulnerable (his face and body bearing some clearly grievous wounds from being double-crossed), he also shows off a heretofore unseen more playful side through his domestication of a wild dingo he raises from young. The fact that Riddick’s newfound levity in no way diminishes his bad-assness is a sign of the assurance both Twohy and Diesel have in the character this third time round, leaving utterly no doubt that Riddick owns the movie.

It is precisely because the movie rests so heavily on Riddick’s shoulders that the middle section actually sags. Activating a distress signal on an abandoned station, Riddick summons two groups of bounty hunters after his head - the first led by an over-the-top Jordi Mollà's Santana and the second by a stony Boss Johns (Matt Nable). The equivalent of ‘cock-blocking’ ensues, with Santana eager to shut Johns out and claim Riddick as his prize - until of course he finds himself predictably outwitted by Riddick, and thereafter reluctantly agree to work on Johns’ terms. Unfortunately, even with Katee Sackhoff’s kick-ass female character Dahl, the ego posturing gets tiring after a while - especially since Riddick gets pushed to the periphery for far longer than necessary.

That said, Twohy here aims for the cheesy cornball sci-fi flicks of the 80s and early 90s, and in that regard, he succeeds in injecting the movie with pulpy fun - thanks to some choice lines by tough babe Dahl and the utter incompetence of Santana and his crew. This is the kind of movie where Dahl asserts her lesbianism with a line like “I don’t fuck guys. Occasionally, I fuck them up if they need it” and Santana gets to trash-talk with homophobic insults and rape jokes before getting his butt kicked by Dahl; it is also that kind of movie where most of the “mercs” are disposable and the one that stands out (i.e. Santana) is prepped for a particularly gleeful comeuppance.

Rest assured he does his, in a jaw-dropping bit that makes delightful use of a machete, a box and half a severed head. In a nice nod to ‘Pitch Black’, it is a storm that unleashes the darkness in which all hell breaks loose, setting in motion a climax of non-stop exhilaration as the bounty hunters are forced to rely on Riddick to get off the planet. If there was any doubt that Twohy could return the franchise back to the R-rated thrills of the first movie, then this extended finale should firmly put those worries to rest; in fact, we’re willing to guarantee that you’ll find yourself cheering at the way Riddick outwits, outplays and outlasts his enemies in exuberantly gory fashion.

You have to hand it to Twohy - after somewhat losing his way following an obviously studio-driven sequel, he once again restores credibility to the cult status of Richard B. Riddick, arguably the genesis in the kind of modern cinematic masculinity that Vin Diesel has continually built on through roles in ‘Fast and Furious’ and ‘xXx’. By returning Riddick to a story more akin in structure and style to ‘Pitch Black’, Twohy also does a successful reboot that puts R-rated fun back into the sci-fi genre. And even more if you have been a fan of ‘Pitch Black’, this back to genre basics tale of Riddick’s quest for survival is exactly the sort of sequel you have waited 13 years to be made. 

Movie Rating:

(Exactly the ‘Pitch Black’ sequel fans would love, Vin Diesel’s third outing as the intergalactic anti-hero is the stuff of classic R-rated sci-fi B-movies - pulpy, gory and a whole lot of violent fun)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Genre: Comedy
Director: Fung Chih-chiang
Cast: Chapman To, Charlene Choi, Gillian Chung, Wong Cho Lam, Lo Hoi Pang, Yumiko Cheng, He Jiong, Louis Cheung, Vincy Chan, Hins Cheung, Gao Yunxiang, Deep Ng, Stephanie Che, Steven Cheung, Mani Fok, Six Wing
RunTime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: PG (Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:

Opening Day: 5 September 2013

Synopsis: Successful debt collector Chiu(Chapman To) takes pity on a group of wannabe pop starlets when he goes to collect from the agency they are signed with. Naively thinking that he can do a better job in launching their careers, Chiu takes over the company in lieu of the debt but starts to realize that he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Hoping that things might change with a more strategic approach, he hires experienced talent manager Suen(Charlene Choi) but with money running low and the company on the brink of bankruptcy, a dejected Chiu is soon ready to admit that his Midas touch has run out...

Movie Review:

If there’s one underdog in Hong Kongshowbiz you’d want to root for, it has to be 41 year old Chapman To. He isn’t a good looking heartthrob like Tony Leung or Andy Lau, nor does he possess a god sent physique like Aaron Kwok or Daniel Wu, Heck, he doesn’t even fight off baddies like action stars Jackie Chan or Donnie Yen. Yup, he is an Average Joe who reminds you of the friend who gets by in life, simply by being himself. The actor first caught our eye as Keung in the Infernal Affairs trilogy, and he has come a long way since then, especially with his stellar performances in recent movies like Vulgaria (2012) and SDU: Sex Duties Unit (2013).

We were especially looking forward to his latest movie, where he plays debt collector who takes pity on a group of wannabe pop starlets. Thinking that he can do a good job in launching their careers, he takes over the artiste management company.Elsewhere, there is the more experienced manager played by Charlene Choi, who enters the picture to help him after her embarrassing incident with an up and coming male star.

With a plot like that, you’d expect the movie to shed light on the not so pretty showbiz, but there is just something lacking in this 99 minute production that leaves you wanting more. After his directorial debut in The Bounty (2012), director Chung Chih Chiang works with To on this satirical comedy, but the film is unfortunately bogged down by an unfocused and sometimes bewildering script. There is a tad too many distractions in the story, and you can’t help but think having the seven wannabe starlets (they are relative unknowns in the industry, by the way) performing their “talents” is but an attempt to chalk up screen time.

Having the girls awkwardly perform tricks like belly dancing, playing ping pong and err, yelping like a dog is really quite a far shot from being funny. We get the idea that these girls are desperate to be noticed, but hey, surely there’s a classier way of putting this point across?

Then there is Choi’s story of managing the handsome action star played by Mainland Chinese actor Gao Yunxiang. The scenes portraying the dynamics between artiste and manager are overly slapstick and we can only feel for the member of girl band Twins for having to try so hard.

But not everything’s bad about this movie. To still proves that he is one of the best actors in Chinese cinema, so much so that you may feel for his initially unappealing character by the end of the film. You have to applaud his ability to bring across the emotions of someone who believes in his cause so much, he’d do the impossible to realise his own, as well as others’ dreams. Choi does a decent job as well, playing an artiste manager who has her own desires, despite trying her best to boost the celebrity’s popularity.

It’s also fun looking out for the cameo performances too. Expect to see the other Twin Gillian Chung, the always reliable Lo Hoi Pang, the surprisingly funny singer Hins Cheung, the outrageously hilarious (though unnecessary) Wong Cho Lam and a certain Nicholas Tse playing himself.

The film does lack the titular Midas touch, but it is still not too bad an effort, especially if you are a fan of Mr To’s acting chops. 

Movie Rating:

(There may be quite a number of misses in this potentially hilarious flick, but Chapman To’s reliable screen presence makes up for it)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: In this shop, these people may be pawning far more than they bargained for: Brendan Fraser (The Mummy), Elijah Wood (The Lord Of The Rings), Vincent D'Onofrio (Men In Black), Academy Award nominee Matt Dillon (Crash), Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead), Thomas Jane (Hung), Lukas Haas (Inception), and Paul Walker (Fast & Furious), star in 3 twisted tales all connected by items from a Southern small-town pawn shop. A man searching for his kidnapped wife, a couple of white-supremacist drug dealers, and a sad-sack Elvis impersonator, plus more desperate characters come to life in the action-packed and hilarious story written by Adam Minarovich and from the director of The Cooler and Running Scared, Wayne Kramer.

MOVIE REVIEW:

It’s not the just the library where you can get your daily dosage of lurid and twisted tales. The pawn shop for one has its fair share. This Wayne Kramer’s outing has three twisted somehow interrelated tales to share and trust us, it’s seriously batshit crazy. Every story starts from the pawnshop owned by a cranky owner, Alton (Vincent D’ Onofrio) who spends his days chatting with his friend, Johnson (Chi McBride) besides attending to his business of trading and bartering.

In the first tale, “The Shotgun” starring the late Paul Walker and Luke Haas (jobs), three dumb meth heads are planning to rob their usual drug supplier but an unexpected argument involving Haas character, Vernon pawning off the shotgun for gas got them nowhere. Now the most entertaining aspect of it is Walker who shed off his pretty boy image and transforming himself into a paranoid dumbass white supremacist. The exchanges between him and fellow friend, Randy is simply hilarious because it’s so pointless. Thomas Jane (Hung) appeared for no reason other than handing Vernon a shotgun and you don’t even see Norman Reedus’ face (he plays the drug supplier) throughout the segment. Still, the whole episode ended on a high note. Literally there's a massive firework in the end.

“The Ring” perhaps the most gruesome and macabre of all stars Matt Dillion (Armored) as Richard who walks in to the shop to pawn his wedding ring when his bank account is hacked. But an unexpected finding instead propels him to look for his missing wife who mysteriously vanished six years ago. The journey which consists of a few brutal fights along the way finally took him to a large farmhouse where a decent looking chap, Shaw (Elijah Wood) lives. Not to spoil your viewing experience, just beware of a torture session involving some fishing hooks and a hammer. And top it all, naked sex slaves. Whoa. Liked mentioned earlier, this segment is so maniac that it proceeds like a cheesy grindhouse flick and obviously Wood is relishing his time as being yet another psychotic character.  

The last and the most underwhelming, “The Medallion” stars Brendan Fraser (Crash) as a down-and-out Elvis impersonator, Ricky. Being invited to perform at a county fair, he finds himself trapped in a tussle between two local barbers. Don’t even ask why. More interestingly, Ricky is being approached by the Devil to sell his soul in exchange to makes his dreams come true. Did he accept the offer in the end? You should know the outcome. Fraser is still as gung-ho as ever playing the comic role, the movie however is just too indie a comedy for him to make a comeback.

Pawn Shop Chronicles is simply a trashy, Quentin Taratino + Stephen King wannabe. While certainly not as good as Kramer’s Running Scared and plain dumb for the most time, it warrant at least a single viewing for the sake of Walker’s presence and his role as one of the producers. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Looking and sounding cheap, don’t expect the visual and audio aspects to go beyond that.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action/Drama
Director: Dante Lam
Cast: Nick Cheung, Eddie Peng, Mei Ting, Andy On, Jack Kao, Crystal Lee
RunTime: 2 hrs 1 min
Rating: PG13 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:  

Opening Day: 15 August 2013

Synopsis: Fai (Nick Cheung), once a world champion in boxing, escapes to Macau from the loan sharks and unexpectedly encounters Qi (Eddie Peng), a young chap who is determined to win a boxing match. Fai becomes Qi’s mentor and rediscovers his passion to fight not only in the ring but for his life and ones he cares…

Movie Review:

Few actor-director collaborations in recent years have been as rewarding - and certainly none so in Hong Kong - as that between Nick Cheung and Dante Lam. Arguably one of the finest actors in the industry, Cheung’s best roles of late have been as a tortured gun-for-hire in Lam’s ‘Beast Stalker’ (for which he won Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Horse Awards) and as an equally agonised police detective in Lam’s ‘The Stool Pigeon’ (for which he was nominated Best Actor at the HKFA). And in Cheung, Lam has found a dexterous actor capable of portraying the kind of complex roles his male character-driven action dramas needed, fuelling a career resurgence that has cemented his status as one of the foremost directors in the territory.

It is with great pride that we proclaim their track record remains - for the lack of a better word - unbeatable with this third collaboration set in the world of competitive Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). On hindsight, the sport does come off as a perfect backdrop for a Dante Lam film - after all, from ‘Beast Stalker’ to ‘The Stool Pigeon’ to ‘Fire of Conscience’ and even ‘The Viral Factor’, Lam has consistently played with the idea that life in itself is a fatalistic battle, and in ‘Unbeatable’, he finds a most befitting metaphor in the fighting ring. But to mount a compelling movie, he would have required an actor as convincing in the ring as he would be outside it, neither of which anyone can say otherwise about Cheung, whose strenuous training for the role shows in every bit of his physique and combat skills.

Cheung is without a doubt the very heart and soul of the movie, bringing considerable nuance, complexity and empathy to his portrayal of a flawed, troubled yet determined boxer given his shot at redemption. Through multiple flashbacks in the first half of the movie, Lam paints a sad picture of a broken individual carrying the scars from his past - in particular, as a disgraced fighter who threw his promising career down the drain for taking bribes to rig fights. Nicknamed ‘Scumbag’, the now middle-aged Ching Fai crosses paths with Si-Qi (Eddie Peng), the son of a now-bankrupt real estate tycoon (Jack Kao) whose lack of academic credentials or work experience means he has no choice but to take up menial jobs to look after his father.

Siqi has enrolled in the Golden Rumble MMA championship despite zero training in a bid to prove to his father, as well as himself, that he can do something well if he sets his mind and heart to it. At a neighbourhood gym, Siqi gets to meet and know Fai’s past as a champion boxer, and persuades the latter to be his coach. Whereas Siqi needs Fai to find purpose in life, Fai sees an opportunity to relive his glory days through the raw but promising Siqi, whose willpower Fai recognises as his potential winning edge. They are wounded souls beaten but not defeated, and Lam uses their journey as mentor and protégé to illustrate how both subsequently reclaim their lives.

Besides Siqi, Fai also finds humanity by becoming the de facto guardian of a 10-year-old girl Dani (Crystal Lee) whose mother Gwen (Mei Ting) he rents a room from. In the same prologue that establishes Fai and Siqi’s plight, we also glimpse Gwen’s tragic circumstance, the drowning of her infant son in the bathtub of their very home while she was passed out drunk on the couch precipitating a bout of mental illness and her current still fragile state. It probably comes as little surprise that Dani turns out to be a precocious kid for her age who ends up looking after her mother, but clichéd though that may be, only the hardest of hearts will not be moved by the tender companionship that develops between Fai, Gwen and Dani through a deft screenplay by Lam, his screenwriting muse Jack Ng and first-time writer Fung Chi-fung as well as a sharp, funny and warm performance by Lee.

Indeed, what could easily have been maudlin is in the hands of Lam genuine and affecting, a tearjerker if you will that coaxes rather than wrings its audience’s emotions. Lam’s emphasis on character is crystal clear from the way he takes his time to develop them as well as their relationships, striving for gritty realism at every turn. Contrary to what some may think, this isn’t one of those movies where plot and character are simply afterthoughts; rather, they are here as critical as the action, which we warn will surprise certain audiences looking for blood as soon as the lights dim.

Not to say that the latter instead becomes auxiliary; if there is one thing that Lam has done consistently well throughout his career, it is to deliver intense action when the time comes. Saving the bouts for the latter half of the film, Lam unleashes some truly exhilarating sequences as the MMA championship gets underway. Working with action director Ling Chi-wah and consultants Henry Chan and Dave Lam, he aims for the highest level of authenticity in the filmed bouts, even if it means pushing his actors Cheung, Peng as well as supporting Andy On to punishing limits. Not only are they well-choreographed, they are also beautifully shot, with Kenny Tse’s combination of close-ups, quick zooms and medium shots ensuring that we are always in the thick and heat of the action.

Of course, that would not have been possible without the reciprocal commitment of Cheung and Peng. Cheung’s bodily transformation is awe-inspiring to say the very least, more so when one considers that the actor is already 45 years of age. Ditto for Taiwanese actor Peng, who goes even further than the preparation he underwent for the gymnastics-themed movie ‘Jump! Ashin’ by reducing his body fat to a mere three percent to show off every sinew and muscle in glorious detail. More than just in physical terms, Cheung and Peng complement each other in their dramatic scenes, sharing an easy rapport that lends the bond between them true poignancy.

Yes, for a film that might be tempted to pummel its audience with numbing action or overwhelm us with melodrama, this does neither. Lam modulates the rhythm of his movie with heartfelt drama, thrilling action and unaffected humour - and unlikely as the last may sound, that is exactly what comes out of the relationship between Cheung and Lee, as well as that between Cheung and Peng as they cheekily poke fun at the close contact that the sport brings two men together. By once again placing character before action, Lam crafts a captivating portrait of fallen individuals rising to the challenge of life, that is itself brimming with heart and hope. It is also uniquely poetic and lyrical, simply moving in its use of Kina Grandis’ cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.”

Movie Rating:

(Buoyed by Nick Cheung's performance par excellence, Dante Lam's MMA-based character-driven drama that uses the sport as a metaphor for the fight that is life itself is thrilling, heartfelt, poignant, humorous and unexpectedly lyrical)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Genre: Drama
Director: Sherry Hormann
Cast: Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Thure Lindhardt, Amelia Pidgeon, Dearbhla Molloy, Trine Dyrholm
RunTime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: M18 (Nudity and Sexual Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/3096.film

Opening Day: 4 July 2013 

Synopsis: Vienna, March 2, 1998. Natascha Kampusch is ten years old when she is dragged into a white van by unemployed communication engineer, Wolfgang Priklopil, on her way to school. The kidnapper does not want a ransom – he wants to own the girl. Beneath his house in a middle class residential area, Priklopil has built a secret cell to imprison her. This two by three meter space will be Natascha’s barren prison cell for the next eight and a half years: Storybooks, favorite cookies and goodnight kisses serve to soften violence, humiliation and constant starvation. But this prison does not break Natascha Kampusch – it makes her stronger. Each day, each breath is a small defiant victory. In 2006, she finally manages to escape and Wolfgang Priklopil commits suicide.

Movie Review:

It was only seven years ago that the sensational news of Natascha Kampusch’sescape was splashed across all major dailies, but the horror of her predicament and how she survived being held captive for more than eight years in a small room the size of a cubicle has been a point of curiosity for many.

3096 Days, a film named after the autobiography that Natascha wrote after her escape, is a direct re-telling of her real-life abduction and is not an easy film to watch, but important with all its painful and terrible insight into the human psyche.

Director Sherry Hormann develops the confusion and fear of a young Nataschavery early on in the film, when Wolfgang Priklopil kidnaps and locks her in the basement of his house with the help of an eerily elaborate pulley-and-dungeon-door mechanism. Hormann emphasises the small space in which Nataschais held captive not through the use of multiple close-up shots, but rather, in how shockingly claustrophobic the space appears onscreen, even with the whole room captured in one establishing shot. The painful silence and isolation that the bubbly, rose-cheeked child is subject to becomes an image of abject psychological torment, made worse by the physical abuse that Wolfgang gradually and cruelly inflicts upon her.

The young Natascha’searnest naïvetéturns into bitter resentment and anger as she ages in her confined space. Intensely fearing her captor, she starts to take on a persona for how she should behave and “obey” to avoid incurring Wolfgang’s wrath, a persona which she sometimes appear to take genuine delight in (bordering on a pseudo Stockholm Syndrome thing) and also silently rebel against.

The already-petite Antonia Campbell-Hughes who had a bit-role in the film Albert Nobbs (2011), lost a startling amount of weight for her role in this film, a change as dramatic as Christian Bale underwent for The Machinist (2004). Her skeletal frame and hollow cheekbones heighten her vulnerability as her stunted growth and constant physical weakness intensifies Wolfgang’s control and power over her. There is a scene in which she is ordered to go down into a water tank that is particularly hard to watch. This and many other scenes of an emaciated Nataschabeing abused, mocked at and humiliated are sad, aggravating in a manner not as graphic as Aurore (2005), but strikingly more violent and gritty than Sleeping with the Enemy (1991).

As with many films about psychopaths, an estranged, troubled relationship between Wolfgang and his mother is hinted of, but never really becomes explanation enough for his psychosis.

Throughout the film, the audience will experience feelings of exasperation and dull dread, at times filled with heart-wrenching sympathy for the protagonist and at others sharing her desperate hope for escape. The many slow-motion scenes, including one in the coda, where the director blocks out all diegetic, filmic noise, and replaces it with a vortex of non-sound, dramatically heighten the movement of the figure onscreen, amplifying Natascha’smuted fear and suppression. But alongside the portrayal of grotesque human rights violations inflicted on a single being is also Natascha’s remarkable stoicism under captive, falling into bouts of severe depression, delirium and fantasy, but never really descending into madness.

Movie Rating:  

(A harrowing, despairing portrait of mankind at its most perverse and desperate; hauntingly shot and powerfully acted)

Review by Tay Huizhen