SYNOPSIS: War and chaos plagued China in the early years of the Republic era. Two master swindlers, "Ghost Face" (Richie Jen) and "Stone Buddha" (Tengger) are sworn enemies drawn together in a daring plot to steal a trainload of gold that the Japanese conspirators used to fund Chinese warlord Admiral Wang (Jiu Kong). But the duo are not the only people coveting the mammoth treasure - on their way to the remote northwestern desert town where the gold is headed, they encounter a host of people, each with their own agenda but all trying to outwit one another with their schemes and schemes-within-schemes.

MOVIE REVIEW:

‘Scheme with Me’ plays like the lesser cousin of Jiang Wen’s superior ‘Let the Bullets Fly’, what with its mix of espionage, thievery and deception, involving - as its Chinese title suggests - two cities and ‘a scheme within a scheme’.  Directed by Pan Anzi in his sophomore outing from a script by Guo Shuang, it falls short of being as witty or inventive as Wen’s record-breaking hit, but that’s not to say it isn’t fun or entertaining.

Indeed, unlike ‘Bullets’, Pan’s film has no intention of being anything more than a hilarious crowd-pleaser, and so depending on what kind of viewer you are, you might be glad to know that you won’t be bogged down by lengthy exposition or cryptic lines of dialogue that you need to go online to decipher the meaning of afterwards. Rather, this is plain and simple the story of two rival con artists who are recruited by a ruthless underworld boss to rob an Admiral Wang (Jiu Kong) of some gold he is bound to receive from the Japanese army.

Their scheme consists of constructing a similar township fifteen kilometres away from the actual location at which the exchange is supposed to take place, thereby duping the Japanese and denying the General of his treasure. Of course, all sorts of shenanigans happen along the way to thwart their seemingly perfect plan, including a tribal princess who insists on taking one of them as her husband, some crafty locals who have a strategy of their own, and an unexpected spy amongst their midst.

It is to Pan’s credit that one hardly realises almost half the movie is over before the ragtag group gets down to the scheme itself; the first half of the movie largely emphasises mob boss Lin Xiaodong’s (Yoo Seung Jun) ruthlessness, as well as Ghost Face (Ritchie Ren) and Stone Buddha’s (Tengger) professional rivalry - with, we might add, a dim-witted police inspector thrown into the mix. The pace of the movie is fast but never frenzied, and the gags come on thick and swift, so even if they ain’t particularly clever, you’ll still be sufficiently distracted to be engaged.

The same goes for the second half when the action shifts to a remote town in the desert - though the plotting isn’t anything ingenious, the film doesn’t lose its steady momentum right from the opening frame. Except for a last-minute twist you can probably see coming, the proceedings unfold in a relatively straightforward manner, so those looking for a thick dollop of intrigue (a la ‘Bullets’) will likely be disappointed. Still, if it’s any consolation, the humour is broad and the sight gags are aplenty, meaning there is still some fun to be had amidst the mediocrity.

At the very least, it helps that the cast look like they are genuinely having a good time. A better comedic than dramatic actor, Ritchie Ren seems to be having a hoot playing the wily Ghost Face. Mongolian actor Tengger proves a nice compliment as his crafty nemesis whom he is engaged in a battle of wits with, while Mainland star Xiong Naijin is an endearing but never grating romantic other half. It’s a lively ensemble Pan has assembled, which goes a long way in sustaining the energy of the movie.

And therefore, even though it lacks the smarts of ‘Bullets’, this wannabe still packs enough laughs to find an appreciative audience. It’s a rare historical heist caper from the Mainland, which has especially in recent times tended to border on overkill with rom-coms, so if you’re in the mood for some slapstick humour, you’ll find this right up your alley. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Just a Trailer and a Photo Gallery.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio delivers the dialogue cleanly, but certain scenes would certainly have benefitted from a surround track. Visuals are sharp and good. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: After quitting as a defense attorney, Tim (Aaron KWOK) soon finds himself taking on an explosive case as a public prosecutor. A handicapped piano teacher Jing (GWEI Lun Mei) has accused well-known doctor Zhou (CHANG Chen) of sexual harassment during a medical check-up. Determined not to let Jing down, Tim has to battle against his successor at his old law firm – a slick defense attorney Freddy (XIA Yu) who proves to be Tim’s toughest opponent to-date. With no eye witness account and only their own conflicting testimonies, the case soon spirals into a Rashomon-like mystery. As the case unfolds, Tim soon realises that he is confronting a web of lies, doubts and suspicions, all of which will probably spell the end of his career, as well as destroying the lives of everyone involved.

MOVIE REVIEW:

It’s probably an easy way out to simply select a romantic comedy as your directorial debut. However, actress Charlie Young not only chooses a courtroom drama as her directorial piece but one that contains a rather delicate topic which makes Christmas Rose an overall compelling watching experience.

Heavenly King Aaron Kwok plays Tim, a promising attorney in a prestigious law firm who decides to ditch his high-flying job to become a prosecutor with the High Court. The first case he encountered is a handicapped pianist, Li Jing (Gwei Lun Mei) who is suing her doctor, Winston Zhou (Chang Chen) for sexual assault during a routine health check-up. Facing a slick defense attorney Freddy (Xia Yu), Tim is determined to deliver justice on behalf of his client. With no witnesses during the alleged crime, the question remains: is Li Jing the victim or is it Dr. Zhou?  

Christmas Rose is definitely Young’s intention to spread awareness about sexual abuse and assault. Throughout the ordeal, the plot raises a couple of interesting questions. Is a female who is inexperienced in sexual acts capable of determining the doctor’s correct execution of his medical procedures for the lower body? Is it a must for the presence of a female nurse during the checkup at all time? The sensitivity of the crime is convincingly staged and completely engaging if not for the sudden turn of events in the final act which overdramatized the victim’s character and thus defeating the initial splendid setup.

Still despite the occasional lapses in storytelling such as an unsatisfying subplot regarding Tim and his estranged relationship with his attorney father, Young with the assistance of her two guardian angels aka Producers Tsui Hark and Jacob Cheung assembled an impressive cast which also includes veterans Liu Kai Chi as Tim’s assistant, 80’s starlet Pat Ha making an impressive cameo together with 90’s actress Theresa Lee while Qin Hailu from A Simple Life gives a subtle, despaired performance as Zhou’s wife. Leading man Kwok at the minimal deserved some compliments for his portrayal of the idealistic Tim and Xia Yu did appear to be slightly over-the-top in some scenes.

For a directorial debut, Young obviously shows much promise in this department. Christmas Rose might not be able to stir up much interest (even in Mainland China), we on the other hand remains in anticipation of her next project. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

A blink-and-you-miss Making of, Trailer and Photo Gallery.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The sole Mandarin track is serviceable with the Mainland and Taiwanese actors remain undubbed. Visual on the whole is clean.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Chen Tan (Aaron Kwok), a private investigator in Thailand, travelled to Malaysia following the clues in a photo in order to reveal the truth behind the murder of his parents 30 years ago. There he finds a man called Chai, who directs him to Zheng (Nick Cheung), a Malaysian detective born in China. The two eventually stumble upon Chai's daughter, Zhi Wei (Jiang Yi Yan) and realise that she may hold the key to the mystery...

MOVIE REVIEW:

Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to dismiss any production by the Pang brothers. Given their prolific (and mind you far from satisfactory) outputs, the Pangs have not turned in anything that surpassed their horror hit, The Eye. Oxide Pang’s solo outing here marks the concluding chapter to his Detective+ trilogy though the name A+ Detective is conspicuously dropped.

For those who have been following the adventures of quirky, small-time private detective Tam (Aaron Kwok) will remember that the death of his parents remain a recurring mystery throughout the series and for all it is, Conspirators serve as much as a closure for Tam and also the audience. The movie begins with Tam travelling to Malaysia to look for Chai (Chen Kuan Tai), an old friend of his parents who runs a bar who might knew a thing or two. And this in turn takes him on a whirlwind trip from Malaysia to Thailand to Guangzhou and back to Malaysia, all in the name of searching for clues, information and people related to what actually happened to his late parents who were supposedly involved in drug trafficking.     

The bright spark in this otherwise tedious affair is the introduction of Zheng Fong Hei (Nick Cheung), a private detective hired by Tam in Malaysia to assist him. Instead of Tam being the oddball this time round, Zheng becomes the wacky, kungfu-fighting, asthmatic local detective that got himself into more fights with the people chasing the duo than uncovering clues. At least, Zheng helps to make things interesting with his occasional wit and humor since Tam is so emo for his last outing. It’s has since becomes a luxury to watch Nick Cheung on the big screen and of course his presence never disappoint even his character serves as sort of a replacement to Liu Kai Chi in the previous instalments. 

The script by Oxide and two other credited writers tries to pass off numerous name-dropping and wild goose chase as a good detective thriller. Plot twists or holes if you like to call it are aplenty with neither the main villain nor the motive particularly gripping in the end. But the most memorable aspect turned out to be the appearance of Malaysian pop singer A-Niu in a crucial somber role which might draw some unintentional laughter. See, Oxide can still pull a few surprises now and then.

Shot in his usual stylistic filtered visuals with a series of embarrassing framed and shaky car chase inbetween, Conspirators can be consider as Oxide’s most entertaining effort of late if you are not a picky movie-goer. Not exactly a game changer to his flagging directing career at least it marks a decent closure to the detective series. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

A brief 4-minutes Making of special that delves into the action choreography and interviews with Kwok and Cheung, Trailer and Photo Gallery. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The sole Mandarin 2.0 soundtrack is serviceable while the visual is intended to be murky and gritty.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Set in occupied WWII France, War of the Buttons tells the tale of pre-teen rebel Lebrac (newcomer Jean Texier) and the “war” he leads between two rival kid gangs from neighboring villages. Once Lebrac falls for Violette (Ilona Bachelier), a young Jewish girl who is new in town and in danger of being exposed by the Nazis, the children are faced with putting their own conflicts aside to protect her and confront the very real war happening around them. Directed by Academy Award® nominee Christophe Barratier (Les Chorus) War of the Buttons features model/actress Laetitia Casta (Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, Arbitrage), actor/filmmaker Guillaume Canet (Farewell, Tell No One) and Welcome to the Sticks star Kad Merad. The film is produced and co-written by Thomas Langmann (Academy Award® winner for The Artist).

MOVIE REVIEW:

I’m a Christophe Barratier fan. Director of the endearing Les Choristes (2004) and Paris 36 (2008), Barratier is great at crafting stories of mass appeal. His works tend to emphasise an idyllic, rustic and quaint Parisian sensibility that is found only in the minds of tourists or fancy picture books. To achieve such an effect, it comes without saying that he often uses wonderful actors and lush mise-en-scène.With all these in mind, it pains me to say that his latest outing is a flop, destined for a straight-to-DVD whimper of a finish.

War of the Buttons(2004), in short, is about the petty tussles between French schoolboys that grow into a gang war (as kids often inflate the circumstances surrounding them). Buttons come into the picture when the boys discover that they could humiliate the opposition by removing all their buttons so that the losers would have to hold up their trousers and walk home in shame. The story is based on a 1912 novel, La Guerre des boutonsby Louis Pergaud, and there is a French adaptation of the novel in 1962 as well as an Irish adaptation in 1994. With all these re-makes, it would seem then, that Barratier had solid reason for coming up with another.

However, War of the Buttons doesn’t quite have that magic that all other Barratier films have. It is apparent that the director has come to bet on certain signature “moves”, and tries, almost desperately, to replicate them in this film that proves too different a mould. He knows how the classic charismatic cast worked so well for him in Les Choristes, and it is almost uncanny how the casting and crafting of the character Lebrac (Jean Texier) in War of the Buttons seems to be but a shadow of thesuave protagonist Pierre Morhange Jean-Baptiste Maunier in Les Choristes.

Similarly, Clément Godefroy’s role as the adorable and petite Maxence Perrin who everyone adores and protects, recalls Pépinot in Les Choristes. Unlike Pépinot however, Perrin’s screams are more grating than cute, and is perhaps a bit too self-conscious than his predecessor. To add to the disappointment, star-studded additions like Guillaume Canet and Laetitia Casta birth an awkward, boring chemistry and a very insipid, unconvincing romance.

I’m also undecided about how the trivial gang war between the schoolboys is stretched to gesture at more depth, such as the parallels that the boys draw between their fights and the persecution of the Jews or notions of resistance. This thread, which has the potential to be thoroughly moving and meaningful, comes across as cheap and tacky in Barratier’s adaptation. Despite all these, it was a couple of nasty close-up camera shots during the first gang tussle at the beginning of the film that truly astounded. Lumbering in its own uncertainty, and building such an unrefined scene, those few shots sealed this film’s fate, for me.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

MOVIE RATING:

(War of the Buttons is a boring and pathetic adaptation; only passable, even as a kid’s film)

DVD RATING :

Review by Tay Huizhen

SYNOPSIS: When a spate of eerie murders erupts across Hong Kong two troublemaking cops are assigned to the case. Young maverick WANG and grizzled vet HUANG who is fed up with his reckless younger partner always landing them in hot water. Reaching a dead end after discovering all the victims were former boyfriends of aspiring starlet LIU, the detectives must play a deadly game. One of them must go undercover as Liu's lover to lure the killer out.…

MOVIE REVIEW:

Jet Li thinks he is doing a favour for famed producer Chui Po Chu by appearing in her son’s directorial feature. In actual fact, he is doing his fanbase a major disservice.

If you are thinking that this is a typical buddy cop action comedy, it’s both a yes and no. Wen Zhang plays Wang Bu Er, a young cop who spouts nonsense and refuse to follow rules while his partner turned out to be his superior, Angela (Michelle Chen from You Are the Apple of My Eye) who nitpick and bicker with him all the way. Jet Li who is prominently featured in promotional materials is Huang Fei Hong, their highly-skilled veteran colleague who happened to pop in and out of the screen conveniently (insert the word: fight).

In ought to be one of the worst Chinese language movie of the year, Badges of Fury marks Li third outing with his co-star, Wen Zhang (last seen in Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West) and this time round, they are playing cops caught in a mysterious murder case that took the lives of all the boyfriends of a starlet, Liu (Liu Shi Shi from TV’s Scarlet Heart).

It’s pretty pointless to elaborate more on the plotting since screenwriter Cheung Tan seems to be scribing this from his toilet breaks. Badges of Fury tries to rely solely on the screen presence of Wen Zhang and Michelle Chen to carry out the outrageous silly antics and madcap humour unfortunately it backfires more than anything else. We understand this is supposedly meant to be a comedy, the end results however turned out to be very often unfunny unless you find scenes such as Wang Bu Er throwing Angela up a few storeys high and him crashing onto a double-decker bus unscathed ticklish. Despite Wen’s over enthusiastic performance, there is only one man in the entire universe for this sort of campy material to work and that man is none other than the half-retired Stephen Chow.

Like a piece of hot charcoal in his hand, director Wang Tsz Ming obviously fumbles with the material. And he tries hard to compensate by getting his A-list star, Jet Li to fight against Collin Chou (The Forbidden Kingdom), Wu Jing (SPL) and veteran kungfu star, Leung Siu Lung (Kung Fu Hustle) in three separate sequences, the earlier two has nothing much to do with the main plotting by the way. The action by Corey Yuen relies heavily on wire-fu magic and the combination of lacklustre CG effects only make things worse. The countless stars and celebrities (we counted at least 16 of them) from the Mainland and Hong Kong movie industry making their cameos only serves as a distraction and the numerous boob shots of Liu Yan prove how desperate things have become.    

Dear Jet Li, if you intend to retire from the demanding action stuff, we respect that. But seriously, this piece of work is the biggest joke in your entire movie career. Why don’t we have another Huang Fei Hong again please?    

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The 35 minutes Making Of special features behind-the-scenes of how some of the stunts are execute but mostly just boring interviews with almost every stars that are featured in the movie. A Trailer is also included. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Both visual and the sole Mandarin audio track is serviceable. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Sara Taylor (Michelle Monaghan), a photojournalist blinded in Iraq, is forced to play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the cultured but sadistic Hollander (Michael Keaton) and his brutal accomplice Chad (Barry Sloane) – two men who will stop at nothing to get what they want. And what they want is a fortune in stolen diamonds hidden somewhere in the penthouse. Sara claims not to know where the diamonds are. But Hollander intends to find out, proving to be a master of psychological and physical torture, utilizing all his nasty tricks in an effort to break Sara’s resistance…

MOVIE REVIEW:

One could do much worse than Joseph Ruben’s unassuming home invasion thriller ‘Penthouse North’. Returning to the director’s seat nine years after the supernatural thriller ‘The Forgotten’ and many more years after the similarly themed ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’, Ruben makes the best out of David Loughery’s limited screenplay and delivers a relatively exciting 90-minute thrill ride that is perfectly in line with expectations for this B-movie. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track delivers the dialogue crisply enough, but one certainly hopes for sharper visuals on this DVD.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: In a business that asks no questions, The Courier (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), is the best out there - but he isn't expecting a deal like this. Deliver a briefcase, get a million dollars. What's the catch? Fail, and his family gets killed. The briefcase belongs to a killer as elusive as a nightmare, and so feared that the entire Underworld trembles at the mention of his name. And with a new partner by his side (Josie Ho), it's hard to know who to trust. Hounded by hit men and hustlers, double-dealing feds and double-crossing accomplices, The Courier embarks on an impossible journey that ultimately unravels his own murky past.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Actors in general like to surround themselves with a prestigious director. Else how would you explain a star-studded cast in a lackluster, mediocre action movie?

Helmed by Hany Abu-Assad, the director behind the Academy Award nominated Paradise Now, The Courier is a low-budget affair which lumped other better action thrillers into this. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) plays The Courier who never asked questions but he delivers. A prologue which showcased his talent at delivering the ransom money on time and rescuing the victim says everything we need to know about our man.

Then comes the gist of the story shortly after. The Courier is being tasked by two mysterious men at gunpoint to deliver a suitcase to a person called Evil Sivle or see his loved ones die. With only two and a half days to finish the job, The Courier is paired up with the daughter of his mentor’s friend, Anna (Josie Ho) for the assignment conveniently setting him up with a partner and lover. So who is Evil Sivle by the way and why is the Courier involved?

You probably need to refresh your memory once the twist is unraveled at the end. Obviously the tediousness of it provides a camouflage to how silly the whole thing functions. I don’t even consider it to be a spoiler to reveal it is Mickey Rourke playing the mysterious villain whom people shudder at the mention of his name. To add on to all the craziness, Rourke even did an Elvis impersonation just to make it worthwhile since his character (or his stand-in) spent the whole time with his back facing the camera.

There is a couple of action sequences littered throughout. People getting shot at, the courier running around being chased at but the gem out of all the madness is a torture scene involving an assassin couple, the Capos (played by Miguel Ferrer and Lili Taylor from The Conjuring) doing a little hand massage to the courier. This is however quickly marred by the fact that the courier is able to easily escape from the clutches of the ruthless Capos. Plain lazy filmmaking isn’t it.  

Is it because of the presence of Hany Abu-Assad or the decent paychecks that attract the whole bunch of acting talents? The Courier is a forgettable crime flick that warrants no attention, remember we already have three instalments of The Transporter. For the record, German actor Til Schweiger (Inglorious Basterds) also makes an appearance likely for the funding of his next Rabbit without Ears gig. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The visual is at times murky and weak while the action on the whole sounds loud and flat.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Tommy Macklin and Audrey Macklin are ready to conceive. However, after 9-months of endless trying, they begrudgingly find that they are simply out of luck. Enduring a series of comically uncomfortable tests, Tommy finally recognises that their problems rest on his own infertility. However, Tommy wasn’t always infertile. This reminds him back to the time of their engagement, 3 years earlier, when he sold his sperms to a sperm-bank in order to buy Audrey’s engagement ring. With the help of his humorous friends and Hugo (the outrageous Estonian planner), Tommy tracks down his last fertile sperm donation and decides it’s up to him to save their marriage by retrieving it. This sparks a winding journey that will determine the fate of the young couple’s marriage and hopes of creating a happy family together.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Obviously not as well-known as Adam Sandler and Judd Apatow in this region, it’s not surprising if you never heard of Jay Chandrasekhar, the American Indian filmmaker who has done comedies liked Super Troopers, Beerfest and also part of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe.

In this widely-thrashed comedy directed by Chandrasekhar, Paul Schneider (Parks and Recreation) and the beautiful Olivia Munn (The Newsroom) plays Tommy and Audrey Macklin, a couple who plans to start a family after three years of marriage. After months of unsuccessful trying, Tommy is informed by his doctor that he is suffering from a low sperm count. When Tommy found out the sperm bank (in which he sold his sperm to pay for an engagement ring years ago) still has his last fertile donation, he decides to retrieve it but not without some help from his friends and a supposedly Indian mafia, Ron Jon.

For the record, The Babymakers isn’t that bad a movie. It’s crude and funny at times to warrant some laughs. The introduction of Chandrasekhar hamming it up as an Indian criminal is sufficient to milk some comedy mileage out of it. The improvisation exchanges by Tommy’s onscreen buddies played by Kevin Heffernan and Nat Faxon delivers amusing moments as well.

Clearly, the script tries to have heart but most of the time it’s so outrageously silly that you forget about the woes faced by the couple, something sorely lacking compared to the usual Apatow comedy. The 40 Year Old Virigin for one is raunchy yet it’s a flick that touches you once the credits rolled. The Babymakers prefers to load up with one crass gag after another, some particularly ain’t working especially a scene involving Tommy with a gay couple seems more awkward than rib-tickling. And furthermore, one of the characters just can’t help slipping on a sperm-filled floor if you find this actually funny. The comedy flick undoubtedly fell apart by the final act where the guys’ preposterous night-out has an almost predictable conclusion tagged to it.

The leading cast, Paul Schneider and Olivia Munn have no problems creating some believable, sizzling chemistry together. The rest of the relatively unknown supporting cast members are absolutely game on. Too bad the final product is in need of a little more tweaking and editing. Cutting down jokes on sperm, anal sex and cantaloupes for a start might just do the trick. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Can’t complain, the dialogue is clear and the visual is mostly excellent.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: From Stephenie Meyer, the creator of the worldwide phenomenon “The Twilight Saga”, comes this daring and romantic thriller based on The New York Times #1 bestselling novel. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over human beings and erasing their minds, Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) risks everything to protect the people she cares about most, proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world. “The Host” is a passionate and powerful epic love story co-starring Diane Kruger, Jake Abel, Frances Fisher, Max Irons and William Hurt.

MOVIE REVIEW:

As crazy as it sounds, I personally find The Host to be more entertaining than Twilight. But don’t dive into it, expecting The Host to be as intriguing as Invasion of the Body Snatchers even though the story smells suspiciously like one.

The Host takes place in the world whereby aliens species have took over human beings, residing in their bodies and mind. Miraculously the world has turned into a much better place to live in except for some resistance still out there hiding.

Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) and her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) are among the handfuls that are on the run. When Melanie is caught by the seekers, she is infused with a soul called “Wanderer”. During the entire process, Melanie’s personality is still surviving inside her own body. Her only way to get back to her younger brother and boyfriend, Jared (Max Irons) is to control the Wanderer and enlist the help of her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt) who is supposedly living in the desert.       

The works of Stephanie Meyer tends to ponder on teen angst and mushy romance be it vampires, werewolves or alien parasites. It doesn’t matter anyway. Not surprising instead of focusing more on the interesting body sharing and sci-fi angle of the story, the original material I believed preferred to once again bore everyone with kisses and long stretches of unnecessary dialogue that slowed down the already draggy pacing while a compelling action moment in the middle is punctuated by some dumb execution.

Andrew Niccol who directed the sci-fi classic, Gattaca and wrote The Truman Show failed miserably to inject any life to Meyer’s story. If this is a job mainly to redeem his lackluster In Time, I’m afraid Niccol has to try harder. The love triangle between the real/alien Melanie and two other guys is laughable. People liked William Hurt (The Incredible Hulk) and Frances Fisher (Titanic) attempt to lend some stoic presence in the background with Diane Kruger (National Treasure) offering some eye candy as a persuasive seeker though it comes as a rude shock that Saoirse Ronan (Lovely Bones) is willing to step into such a weakly scribed character.

The Host has a fancy world filled with human beings devoid of any emotion, chrome looking cars and tones of unanswered questions. Meyer and Niccol prefer to leave all that out and create an open ending hoping for more instalments to come. If the tanked box-office is any indication, we doubt The Host 2 is coming any time soon. That thought alone is far more entertaining than the Twilight series.       

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The movie looks good on DVD with pristine images and details. Definitely not the title to showcase the heavy bass or sound effects, dialogue and score on the other hand is balanced and clear.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Lu Jie is married to businessman Yongzhao and they have one daughter. Her life seems relatively set but her world is turned upside when she sees her husband entering a hotel with a young woman. A few hours later, a young woman is hit by a car on a highway. A police officer investigating the death believes the woman's death was not an accident.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Chinese screenwriter, producer and director Lou Ye's seventh feature film which he co-produced and co-wrote with Chinese screenwriters Yu Fan and Mei Feng after a story by Li Yongfang, is inspired by an online diary by "Watching The Moon Leave" on Tianya community. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 65th Cannes International Film Festival in 2012, was shot on location in Beijing, China and is a China-France co-production which was produced by producers Chen Xi, Nai An and Kristina Larsen. It tells the story about a woman named Lu Jie who lives in an apartment block in Chinawith her husband named Qiao Yongzhao and their daughter named An'an. One rainy day when Lu is at a playground with An'an she meets a woman named Sang Qi whom is there with her son named Yuhang and who insists that they meet again. Lu and Sang meets again and their children get to play together, and when they meet for the third time at a cafe, Lu learns that Sang thinks her husband is having an affair. 

Subtly and engagingly directed by Asian filmmaker Lou Ye, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated from multiple viewpoints though mostly from one of the female main characters' point of view, draws an instantly intriguing and multifaceted portrayal of the excruciating consequences of a successful father's liaisons and the evolving relationship between two mothers.

While notable for its distinct and naturalistic milieu depictions, reverent cinematography by film editor and cinematographer Zeng Jian, art direction by art directors Du Luxi and Peng Shaoying and use of sound, colors and light, this character-driven and narrative-driven story about whether or not it is justifiable to exonerate someone whom has committed an unlawful act and then rationalizes that deed as instigated under the influence of love and as beyond moral judgment, the casualties of other people's love and where a wife learns new things about her husband and makes a new acquaintance, a husband is keeping secrets, a police officer whom is in the midst of an investigation is assisted by his friend who hasn't gotten over his ex- girlfriend and two children are becoming friends, depicts three isolating and merging studies of character and contains a great and timely score by composer Peyman Yazdanian.

The movie does start off as a bona-fide horror film. If you as me, do not know the specifics/plot of the movie, you might be excused to think this is where this movie is heading. But while the horror stigma does not really fit (a "I know what you did last summer" vibe hanging around it), the movie itself might terrify you. The plot it tells and the way the characters act that is. This surprising, quietly conversational, atmospheric and psycho-emotional drama triangle, love-story and moral mystery is set in the capital city of Chinain the 21st century. It is also a darkly romantic, modestly poetic and cinematographic character piece which gained, among other awards, the award for Best Film at the 7th Asian Film Awards in 2013.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Visual and audio aspects are serviceable in this no-frills DVD. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by John Li