Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Tsui Hark
Cast: Mark Chao, Feng Shaofeng, Angelababy, Lin Gengxin, Ian Kim, Chen Kun, Hu Dong, Carina Lau
RunTime: 2 hrs 14 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw and Scorpio East Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 27 September 2013
Synopsis: The young Dee Renjie arrives in the Imperial Capital to join the Supreme Court as a district magistrate, a high level government posting with the functions of detective, prosecutor, judge and executioner intent to become an officer of the law.
Empress Wu, who is at the start of her reign, has sent the fiery-haired Detective Yuchi to investigate a sea monster that stalks the city at night. By chance, both Dee and Yuchi fight off the creature when it attacks a ceremonial procession carrying the beautiful courtesan Yin to be sacrificed at a temple to appease the Gods. Suspicious of the stranger, Yuchi has Dee imprisoned.
Dee escapes with the help of visiting doctor Shatuo and together they discover that the upper reaches of society, including the Emperor himself, are addicted to a poisonous tea produced by Yuan's famous teahouse. Yuan, who was romantically attached to Yin, has been missing for months. Dee shadows the courtesan, who is under Yuchun's protection, until the sea monster reappears. Just as the two men are about to kill it, Yin reveals that the monster is her lover, Yuan. Yuan has been poisoned by a foreign Prince whose kingdom was overthrown by the Emperor. As the Prince's army readies itself on a nearby island to attack the capital, a real sea dragon rises from the deep.
Movie Review:
Legendary Hong Kong director Tsui Hark returns to the Tang Dynasty Sherlock Holmes character which, three years ago, gave his then-flailing film career a much needed shot in the arm. Indeed, the 2010 lavishly entertaining period mystery ‘Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame’ was probably his best film in more than a decade, and could not have come at a more critical time when many in the film industry had pretty much written him off as a has-been.
A prequel that sees Taiwanese actor Mark Chao stepping into the titular role once played so memorably by Andy Lau, ‘Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon’ also sees Tsui Hark building on his much-lauded maiden stereoscopic movie ‘Flying Swords of Dragon Gate’ by delivering a 3D spectacle that puts many of its Hollywood counterparts to shame. Yes, this is one of the rare films which boast of the 3D format that we will actually recommend paying to extra dollars just to see it with a pair of glasses on - and that is, we may add, from watching the 2D version no less.
Following a rousing prologue that sees the mighty navy of the Tang Dynasty decimated at sea by a massive underwater creature, Chao’s opening narration establishes the time and place of the events that follow. It is 665 AD, the joint reign of Emperor Gaozong (Sheng Chien) and the Empress Wu Zetian (Carina Lau) during a time when the country is at war with the Fuyu kingdom. Dee is set to take a job as a magistrate at the Dalisi based in the capital of Luoyang, an organisation whose mission is to keep the peace and investigate any disturbances.
No thanks to the superstition of the common folk, the beautiful courtesan Yin Ruiji (Angelababy) is held as sacrifice to the sea monster at a temple. After he lip-reads a plot by some bad men to hold her ransom, Dee rushes to her rescue, only to be confronted by a human-like reptilian beast that slips away in the melee. Unfortunately for Dee, he isn’t that lucky, his initiative to take action on his own earning the wrath of the head of the Dalisi, Yuchi Zhenjin (Feng Shaofeng), who throws him into prison.
Dee’s rivalry with Yuchi is one of the recurring themes of the story, which pits the two as intellectual equals racing to crack the case before Zetian has the latter’s head for incompetence. It is in prison that Dee meets the Uighur prison doctor Shaluo Zhong (Lin Gengxin), who will become an effectual sidekick Dee relies on for advice - especially as it becomes clear that the explanations he seeks to the phenomena going on around them are medical in nature.
Reunited with his ‘Dee’ scribe Zhang Jialu, Tsui Hark spins an intriguing mystery revolving around a nefarious conspiracy to overthrow the entire kingdom and its noblemen by an obscure fishing tribe known simply as the Dongdoers. Tsui’s penchant for the fantastical remains intact here; and while the earlier ‘Dee’ had a talking deer, this one figures to throw in a white horse that can swim above and under water on its way to uncovering the origins of the ‘Kraken’-like gargantuan monster as well as the half-human, half-reptile animal that seems obsessed with Ruiji. Granted that it does require some suspension of disbelief on the part of its viewer, but Tsui ultimately leaves no stone unturned in rationalising every single detail of his twisty plot.
More so than in the first ‘Dee’ movie, this one finds Tsui on a much more assured directorial footing juggling a detective story with a good bit of palace intrigue and even tongue-in-cheek humour thrown in for good measure. One of the most amusing bits of the movie is the antidote Shaluo and his master (Chen Kun) comes up with to purge the palace officials of the parasitic infestation taking root in them, a truly delightful little detail that Tsui even uses to end the movie on a high note in a special scene in the middle of the closing credits. Tsui’s storytelling is brisk and engaging from start to finish, connecting the dots ever so fluidly from clue to clue as he pieces together a mesmerising tapestry of schemes and secrets.
Enabling his work at top form is an excellent technical team, most notably Kenneth Mak’s exquisite production design, Lee Pik-kwan’s opulent costumes and Bruce Yu’s overall immaculate image design. It is as sumptuous a period epic as you have ever seen, and a most exciting one at that thanks to veteran action director Yuen Bun’s cornucopia of gravity-defying wire-ful sequences. Bun and Lam Feng’s choreography here most resembles that of Tsui’s earlier ‘wuxia’ pictures, their integration with plenty of impressive CGI work clearly a product and testament of Tsui’s vivid - and rather awe-inspiring - imagination that had also undoubtedly conceived the action in 3D right from the get-go.
Amid the visual spectacle, it is to the actors’ credit that their characters remain more than one-dimensional. Feng does solid work as the stern Yuchi whose initial strong distrust of Dee gives way to admiration and even respect. Carina Lau doesn’t have much screen time as the Empress, but where she appears, is never less than captivating in her regalness. But perhaps the greatest surprise here is Chao, who tempers Andy Lau’s showiness with quiet charisma and wry intelligence that gives the titular character a more down-to-earth but no less humbling stature.
And once again therefore, Tsui Hark is back at the very top of his game with yet another outing of this Tang Dynasty sleuth. Coupling a finely spun mystery with splendid visuals and spellbinding martial arts action, Tsui cements his ‘Dee’ franchise as Asia’s answer to Guy Ritchie’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’. Indeed, the title of this movie is a befitting metaphor of Tsui’s own work here, he the metaphorical sea dragon that has risen from the depths of his own doldrums to set the gold standard in blockbuster entertainment for Chinese cinema.
Movie Rating:
(The rare sequel - or more accurately, prequel - that is even more riveting and enthralling than its predecessor, Tsui Hark's return to Asia's Sherlock Holmes sets a gold standard in blockbuster entertainment for Chinese cinema)
Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: Dan Gilroy
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Riz MC, Carolyn Gilroy, Michael Hyatt
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/NightcrawlerMovie
Opening Day: 4 December 2014
Synopsis: NIGHTCRAWLER is a thriller set in the nocturnal underbelly of contemporary Los Angeles. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Lou Bloom, a driven young man desperate for work who discovers the high-speed world of L.A. crime journalism. Finding a group of freelance camera crews who film crashes, fires, murder and other mayhem, Lou muscles into the cut-throat, dangerous realm of nightcrawling – where each police siren wail equals a possible windfall and victims are converted into dollars and cents. Aided by Rene Russo as Nina, a veteran of the blood-sport that is local TV news, Lou blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story.
Movie Review:
If there is one actor we want to see nominated at next year’s Academy Awards, it is Jake Gyllenhaal. Since ‘Donnie Darko’, the actor has made a career out of portraying obsessive, eccentric characters with a maniacal edge, and there is no doubt watching him as the sociopathic freelance TV news cameraman Lou Bloom that Gyllenhaal has reached the very peak of his craft. Recalling Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle, Gyllenhaal is simply mesmerising to watch in a performance equal parts intense and unsettling, even more so given his physical transformation for the role that is borne out in his alarmingly gaunt, wild-eyed look.
There is a restlessness that one can sense from Gyllenhaal just by paying attention to his eyes, which is exactly the spirit of veteran writer Dan Gilroy’s directorial debut. Indeed, ‘Nightcrawler’ shares a lineage with Martin Scorcese’s ‘Taxi Driver’ in its character-driven portrayal of a disturbed, isolated individual who roams the streets of the city at night in search of purpose. Like Travis, Lou is caught up in his own self-delusional ambition and regard, as evidenced from the misplaced sense of self-confidence he exhibits while asking for a job from the owner of the scrap yard to whom he is selling illegal metal obtained from cutting wire fences – “I’m not hiring a f**king thief,” says the guy.
But the low-life lying petty criminal we first know Lou as finds purpose when he chances upon a fiery car crash one night and runs into cameraman Joe Loder (an excellent Bill Paxton) for the aptly named production house Mayhem Video. Joe explains how his business works: he and his partner are among a fiercely competitive group of freelance videographers who prowl the streets of Los Angeles for any and every incident that they can film and sell to ever-hungry local TV stations. So goes the dictum “if it bleeds, it leads”, and these opportunists go exactly for what would yield the most mayhem and malfeasance that they know the stations would bid for in order to claim an “exclusive” to draw in the ratings.
Lou is instantly entranced, and goes about setting up his business by acquiring a camcorder and a police scanner, as well as a hiring an intern, a down-and-out guy named Rick (Riz Ahmed) who would ask little when told by Lou to do his bidding. From a dying carjack victim to a cyclist killed by a drunk driver to gunshots in a quiet neighbourhood, Lou shows no qualms poking his camera right into the faces of his subjects. His in-your-face footage is exactly what the equally hungry Nina (Rene Russo) is looking for; the news director at a low-rated TV station, the sensational videos he brings her not only boosts her station’s ratings, but also more importantly her career.
“Think of our newscast,” Nina tells Lou, “as a screaming woman running down the street with her throat cut.” And Lou takes his “job” deadly seriously, changing up from a blue Toyota Tercel to a fire-red Dodge Challenger so he can outrun his competition and investing in higher quality cameras and scanners for the same intent. To up himself to the next level, Lou goes from just filming a scene to positioning his subjects in order to get a better shot and finally to trespassing the scene of a home invasion/ triple homicide. Mind you, this is a character with no moral centre and no capacity for empathy, and Gyllenhaal doesn’t make him any more savoury.
It is admittedly a daring choice for a character study, particularly because right up till the end, Gilroy doesn’t present any redeeming quality about Lou to make him any more likeable or, for that matter, to explain just why he turned out this way. Instead, he digs into his character’s psychopathy, creating a personality that is compelling and repelling at the same time, but one that is absolutely fascinating in his utter lack of compassion or self-awareness. Most notably, Gilroy sets up an electrifying dynamic between Lou and Nina, as the former reveals himself to be even more manipulative than his older wile when he proposes to take their vendor-client relationship to the next level over dinner. Despite the age differences, Russo (or Gilroy’s wife in real life) is a shrewd complement for Gyllenhaal, the pair generating some erotic tension despite the obvious age differences which the latter’s character gladly acknowledges.
Gilroy’s movie also works on other levels, most prominently as a damning critique on the sensationalistic appetite of today’s news media outlets. Comparisons will no doubt be made with the classic Hollywood film to delve into the subject, i.e. ‘Network’, but much as he takes a satirical approach with how Lou talks about growing his ‘Video Production News’ business in terms of projected growth curves, Gilroy intends for his film to be a searing indictment of contemporary journalism, where ethics are so easily shoved aside in the pursuit of numbers. And thanks to Robert Elswit’s sleek visuals, it also inherits the DNA of Michael Mann’s ‘Collateral’, where the mixture of film (in the day) and digital (at night) lends the lonely canyon roads and shadowy corners of the real Los Angeles an ethereally edgy feel.
Besides Elswit, (Dan) Gilroy gets good help from his family – his twin brother, John, is the editor; while his older brother, Tony (of ‘Michael Clayton’ and ‘The Bourne Legacy’) is a producer – for a gripping film that delivers as a character study, a psychological thriller and a damning critique of the consequences of the 24-hour TV news business. But ‘Nightcrawler’ works so beautifully precisely because of Gyllenhaal’s performance; it is on his shoulders that the entire film rests, and Gyllenhaal delivers with extraordinary conviction.
Movie Rating:
(Jake Gyllenhaal's Lou Bloom is this generation's Travis Bickle, and just as Bickle defined Robert De Niro's legacy, Gyllenhaal's searing performance here is sure to define his)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Mike Flanagan
Cast: Karen Gillan, Katee Sackhoff, Brenton Thwaites, Rory Cochrane, Katie Parker, Kate Siegel, Miguel Sandoval
RunTime: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Horror and Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 April 2014
Synopsis: From Intrepid Pictures, the producers of The Strangers and Safe House, comes Oculus, by up-and-coming director Mike Flanagan. As children, two siblings witnessed their parents' harrowing descent into madness and murder. Now, as an adult, Tim (Brenton Thwaites) is released from incarceration in a mental facility and reunited with Kaylie (Karen Gillan). Kaylie has tracked down the Lasser Glass, an antique mirror from their childhood, convinced it is infused with evil and responsible for their family tragedy. Years of mandated therapy have convinced Tim the haunted mirror is simply a myth they created to cope with their father torturing and killing their mother. However, Kaylie is determined to document the mirror’s paranormal nature and prove otherwise. As soon as they proceed with Kaylie's experiment, flashbacks from their horrifying past overwhelm them, and soon they lose grasp of reality. Their hallucinations unravel the sinister truth from long ago, as they confront their past and try to survive the night.
Movie Review:
Pardon this reviewer’s ignorance, but he had to check with an online dictionary what the word “oculus” means. For the benefit of those who do not know, an oculus can either refer to an eye, a circular opening at the apex of a dome, or a design representing an eye. How is this relevant to this American supernatural drama horror movie? Well, for one, the movie poster featuring a pair of “in grown” hands covering the protagonist’s eyes does look creepy enough to entice horror fans. To what extent this image plays a role in the movie, we’ll not give away too much.
Based on the director Mike Flanagan’s earlier short film Oculus: Chapter 3 – The Man with the Plan (nope, we haven’t heard of this one before either), the story’s protagonists are two teenage siblings whose lives changed when the younger brother was convicted of a brutal murder of their parents. After being released from protective custody, he joins his sister in her attempt to prove that what happened on that fateful night was caused by a supernatural force. What follows is a series of terrifying hallucinations what will bring on another nightmare which they can’t shake off.
It’s always a good thing to cast relatively unknowns in a scarefest like this. Karen Gillan (TV’s Doctor Who) takes on the role of the elder sister who wants to prove her younger brother’s innocence, while Brenton Thwaites (Prince Phillip in the upcoming Maleficent) plays the disturbed young man who is haunted by a horrifying past. Rory Cochrane (Argo, Parkland) and Katee Sackhoff (The Haunting in Connecticut2: Ghosts of Georgia, Riddick) are their ill fated parents. While these are not familiar faces and HollywoodA listers, they deliver decent performances as a family who is struck by a supernatural tragedy.
Director Flanagan is a good storyteller. With a script co written with Jeff Howard, he manages to present two different plotlines told in parallel through flashbacks. Having the events of the movie taking place in two different times 11 years apart, Flanagan cleverly uses transitions in a non contrived way that will have you focusing on worrying about the ultimate fates of the protagonists.
We aren’t fans of the horror genre, especially given the recent slew of movies produced out of convenience. This one is different because it doesn’t throw gore and scares in your face. Instead, it builds on an unsettling tension that messes with your mind. When the revelation happens (you’d see it coming way earlier if you’re a seasoned movie goer), you won’t find yourself mumbling under your breath: ‘Yah, right. Yet another throwaway mediocre horror flick.”
The object in question is a Lasser Glass, an antique mirror that seems to be capable of unleashing a frightful supernatural force. Through some clever
When the 103 minute movie ends, you know there is much room for a sequel. If there is one, you’d wish it’s as good as this spine tingling horror thriller.
Movie Rating:
(It will be difficult to shake away the unsettling dread with this finely made horror thriller)
Review by John Li
Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Cast: Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews, Douglas Hodge, Geraldine James, Charles Edwards, Juliet Stevenson
RunTime: 1 hr 53 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 November 2013
Synopsis: DIANA is a compelling portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales during the final two years of her life. The film stars British-born Academy Award® nominated actress Naomi Watts (J. EDGAR, FAIR GAME, 21 GRAMS) who assumes the leading role of the eponymous and iconic princess. Naveen Andrews, best known for his roles in THE ENGLISH PATIENT and the hit television series LOST, co-stars as Dr. Hasnat Khan. Fellow Brits Douglas Hodge, Geraldine James, Charles Edwards and Juliet Stevenson round out the supporting cast. Masterfully directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel (Academy Award® nominated for DOWNFALL), the film is based on a screenplay by the internationally acclaimed playwright Stephen Jeffreys (The Clink, Libertine). The compelling love story charts how finding true personal happiness allowed Diana to achieve her defining successes, as she evolved into a major international campaigner and humanitarian..
Movie Review:
We feel bad for Naomi Watts. It seemed like the right thing to do, portraying the Princess of Wales in this biological drama film. A production like that is something Oscar voters would love – just look at what movies like My Week with Marilyn (2011) and The Iron Lady (2011) did for Michelle Williams and Meryl Streep. People remembered how wonderful their performances were as Marilyn Monroe and Margaret Thatcher respectively. With Watts tackling the princess everyone loved, it was supposed to be a shoo in for nominations at major film awards, but who would have expected the 113 minute movie to be critically panned by the press?
Based on Kate Snell’s 2001 book Diana: Her Last Love, the film focuses on Princess Diana’s final rite of passage during the last two years of her life. Her secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, as well as her doomed relationship with Dodi Fayed is chronicled in this lengthy drama. So what exactly is wrong about the movie featuring a badly reviewed screenplay written by Stephen Jeffreys, a British playwright known for 1994’s The Libertine, which was adapted into a screenplay filmed with Johnny Depp?
To be fair, Jeffreys’ screenplay does have potential to paint Princess Diana as a woman who wishes to be someone ordinary whilst embarking on a journey to find love. Unfortunately, a large part of the story makes viewers feel that the character is nothing more than a desperate woman searching for love in the wrong places. Behind the regal front is a woman who would give up what we deem as principle to be hopelessly in love. We are guessing this is what angered the masses who already are in love with the Princess Diana they have adored over the years.
Oliver Hirschbiegel’s (Downfall, The Experiment) latest work isn’t all that bad actually – given a considerable amount of tolerance, one would emphathise what the filmmakers are trying to do with a potentially risky project (guess it did turn out the wrong way). There are moments you feel for the protagonist, when she questions who would be eternally beside her through thick and thin. There are also a few scenes you’d feel sorry for Princess Diana and her inevitable road to self destruction.
Oscar nominated Watts gives it her all to play the princess, and her mannerisms and performance do deserve commendation (some work could have been done on her accent though). It is most unfortunate then, that Naveen Andrews (TV’s Lost) fails to deliver when placed next to the Australian British actress. It doesn’t help that he lacks the charm which Princess Diana supposedly feel head over heels for. The result is a somewhat tiresome and unconvincing love story which becomes frustrating to watch after a while. Although the film tries to inject Princess Diana’s humanitarian efforts, it comes across as intermittent breathers to break the monotony of her exasperatingly trying love life.
That doesn’t mean this is a difficult movie to sit through. It is an acceptable production, despite the scathing reviews you may have read. If anything, it’s always nice to see Watts decked in pretty clothes, something Princess Diana was known for.
Movie Rating:
(It is unfortunate and unlikely that Naomi Watts would be picking up any acting award nominations with her competent performance, no thanks to the movie’s bad reception )
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Stuart Blumberg
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim Robbins, Josh Gad, Joely Richardson, Alecia “P!nk” Moore, Patrick Fugit
RunTime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: http://thanksforsharingmovie.com/
Opening Day: 26 December 2013
Synopsis: From Academy Award® nominated screenwriter and first-time director Stuart Blumberg (THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT) comes a sharply comic and deeply moving look at a very different kind of modern family – the haphazard family forged by three men trying to navigate life, love and the emotional landmines of New York City while recovering from addiction. Academy Award® nominee Mark Ruffalo, Academy Award® winner Tim Robbins and Broadway star Josh Gad (“The Book of Mormon”) anchor a stellar ensemble cast in a story about the kind of friends who, no matter how wild their rises and falls, always put each other back together again. The three men – including an over-achieving environmental consultant (Ruffalo), a married father with long term success but daily challenges (Robbins) and a wise-cracking, out of control ER doc (Gad) – highlight the various stages in the process of conquering addiction and the community one needs to survive. On their own, they are each are smart, charming and completely broken . . . but together, they come to realize, they might have a real shot at happiness.
Movie Review:
The topic of sex addiction on film will forever by synonymous with Steve McQueen’s searingly intense character study ‘Shame’, but Stuart Blumberg’s directorial debut offers a much more palatable alternative for viewers who prefer their dose of reality served with some humour. Balancing laughter and tears in the same way as his critically acclaimed ‘The Kids are All Right’ did, Blumberg paints a poignant picture of individuals struggling with temptation on a daily basis, funny and affecting in equal measure.
Like most such ensemble dramas, this one is constructed around a central character and a small constellation of supporting ones. The lead here is Adam (Mark Ruffalo), a hotshot environmental lawyer who is now five years ‘sober’, which in sex-addict terms means five years without sex or masturbation. Terrified of relapse, he hasn’t dated a woman in as long, but that’s about to change when he meets Phoebe (Gwyneth Paltrow), a cancer survivor and fitness fanatic whose previous boyfriend’s alcoholism has made her averse to addicts in general. It is for this reason that Adam hides his addiction, which of course is one of the film’s turning points later on.
Besides Adam, there’s his sponsor Mike (Tim Robbins), whose estranged son Danny (Patrick Fugit) is struggling with a problem of drugs. Mike’s upset that Danny doesn’t want to follow his 12-step programme for kicking the habit, while Danny still can’t get over his father’s previous behaviour as a sex and alcohol addict. There are unresolved familial issues here, not least with the addition of Katie (Joely Richardson), Mike’s wife and Danny’s father who puts up with his aphorisms despite having presumably contracted her Hepatitis C from her husband’s past infidelity.
To a lesser but still significant extent is Neil (Josh Gad), a young former-ER doctor whose obsession with food and porn gets him fired from the hospital after he is caught trying to videotape up his female supervisor’s skirt. Adam might be his sponsor, but Neil finds greater solace in the opinionated, tattooed and spiky-haired Dede (Alecia Moore, or better known as the singer Pink), his complement in the way that she can only relate to men by sleeping with them. Neil and Dede are members of the same 12-step group as Adam, which Mike heads as the wise elder among them.
Although the fraught romance between Adam and Phoebe is the centre of Blumberg’s script, what is truly admirable is the dignity he accords to each and every one of his characters. The tone may be deliberately lighter in parts, but at no point does Blumberg lose sight of the fact that his characters mirror real-life individuals struggling with a very real illness with even more sober consequences. He doesn’t shy away from portraying the difficulties that his characters face, instead finding and emphasising the humanity and heart in their challenge to live better lives.
A film like this also rises and falls by its performances, and in this case, gets a major boost from some award-winning calibre actors. Ruffalo is especially great in a role that requires him to convey both intensity and vulnerability, never for once overplaying or feeling the need to overplay the theatrics in order to get his audience’s attention. He shares a nice rapport with Paltrow, but the actress is overshadowed by Moore’s arresting chemistry with Gad. Indeed, the breakout star from Broadway’s ‘The Book of Mormon’ is a revelation here, especially in striking the right tone for some of his character’s more reprobate moments. Robbins is his usual dependable self, and between him and Gad have the honour of being in the film’s most redemptive moment.
And as a first-time helmer, Blumberg wisely gives the cast enough room to shine on their own strengths. He also seems to be on comfortable ground directing his own script, which in the way that it tries to find gentle chuckles amidst a tough subject is not quite different from ‘Kids’ and therefore tonally similar. Granted it isn’t as insightful an exploration as ‘Shame’, but it is still sharply written, confidently directed and brilliantly acted, and a worthy substitute that deserves its own appreciative audience.
Movie Rating:
(A funny and affecting exploration of the tough subject of sex addiction that strikes a nice balance between laughter and tears)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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FILIAL PARTY 我是孝子 Movie AnnouncementPosted on 11 Sep 2013 |
Genre: Drama
Director: Shin Togashi
Cast: Aya Ueto, Kokone Hamada, Pinko Izumi, Goro Inagaki
RunTime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films and GV
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 October 2013
Synopsis: The story is set in the Meiji period and revolves around the young daughter of a poor family in Yamagata Prefecture who’s sent away to work for a wealthy family to earn a living. The overarching theme of perseverance through hardships became a trademark of the Oshin character, which made the original series incredibly popular throughout Asia and throughout the world, reaching viewership numbers that have yet to be matched. The original drama spanned most of Oshin’s life, but the movie will focus on her childhood.
Movie Review:
Oshin, or more commonly known to Mandarin speakers as 阿信(Ah-Xin), is one the most commonly known personalities popularized in the 1980s. It was such a strong cultural icon of Japan that even the American President of that time, Ronald Reagan, said that Japan has an applaudable spirit just like Oshin. Oshin had such significant presence in the Japanese culture and became standard for many at one point of time.
This year, Oshin the movie is released to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the hit television drama series of the same name. Whilst the television drama series followed the entire life of Oshin, the movie chose to focus only on her childhood. Oshin, being born to a poor family, has to be sent away to work in order to support her family’s living. She sets off in winter, and can only return in spring.
The movie spent a great deal of time setting up the backdrop of the story, where poverty and gender inequality are pretty common back in the Meiji period. The movie was shot at picturesque Yamagata and it is remarkable to think that this entire movie was shot in modern times. Its convincing visuals make you feel as though you’ve been caught in a time capsule and transported back to Meiji Japan.
The beginning of Oshin’s life as a stay-in servant didn’t come as easy. Like any young child, Oshin also has her willful side and the longs only to stay with the family. However, her innate nature and circumstances forces her out of her comfort zone to embrace her destiny. There are three main story arcs in the movie, with her encounter with the runaway soldier Shunsaku (played by Shinnosuke Mitsushima) possibly being the most crucial turning point. Oshin’s natural virtuous character proves that she may live in the slit but not imbrued. Her poverty and circumstances may have made things difficult for her but she stood strong and did not bend on her principles.
The movie speaks a very coherent story not only on Oshin’s perseverance and tenacity, but also explores the theme on love and bond. “Women do not work for our own benefit. We work for the sake of our parents, husbands and children.” was one of the exchanges she had with her employer that stood out. Although the gender inequality undertone is rather apparent here, it is a pie of the reality out there even today, and reminds us about the sacrifices our parents have made for us.
One of the biggest credits of the movie owes to child actress Kokone Hamada who plays as Oshin. She stood out of over 2000 auditionees to nab this role. The fact that this first time actress is chosen over so many candidates really speaks for itself. Even though she is young (only 9 years old!), she was able to manage the development and balance the maturity of the character while maintaining her childlikeness. She also has a very likeable disposition, which you would totally be able to understand why her employer grew to like her so much. A scene that made me take my hat off to is when her grandmother died. Instead of focusing on the death, the director made the focus on Oshin. Her pouring out of emotions with deep regret and sorry certainly made this scene a lot more powerful and tear jerking.
Apart from the Oshin character (aka おしんの精神or 阿信精神), the movie speaks of a very relevant message on love and bond. However, the first half of the movie felt a little sluggish, and the second half was rushing to conclude. Nonetheless, the beautiful cinematography and moving story gives us one of the many perspectives to look at life. Last but not least just a reminder, do prepare enough tissue paper if you decide to watch it because either the people in the cinema were all having a bad cold, or they were sniffing really badly because they were tearing up.
Movie Rating:
(Oshin returns to the scene with a different cast and focus, yet remaining a moving and strong tale of an individual who was not crushed by her circumstances. A stirring and sincere work of art!)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
Genre: Drama
Director: Steve McQueen
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson, Lupita Nyong’o, Alfre Woodard
RunTime: 2 hrs 14 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 19 December 2013
Synopsis: 12 YEARS A SLAVE is based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender) as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) forever alters his life.
Movie Review:
12 Years a Slave was adapted from Solomon Northup’s autobiography of the same name. The movie recounts how Northup, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, was cheated and sold into slavery for 12 years.
Solomon Northup was a free black man from Saratoga, New York State. Convinced by two men to travel to Washington as part of a performing act, Northup found himself drugged and sold to slavery, becoming Platt, a runaway slave from Georgia. Northup’s first owner was William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), and his ingenuity quickly leads to the displeasure of the Tibeats (Paul Dano), a white worker and carpenter at the plantation. To protect Northup, Ford sells him to Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), an abusive plantation owner known as a “slave breaker”. Northup endures working on Burch’s cotton fields until the arrival of Bass (Brad Pitt), a Canadian laborer. With Bass’s help, Northup is finally able to get in contact with his family in New York State and regain his freedom.
Director Steve McQueen is no stranger to hard-hitting topics for his movies. His previous two feature films, Hunger and Shame, were about the 1981 Irish hunger strike and sexual addiction respectively. In 12 Years a Slave, McQueen’s unflinching portrayal of black slavery makes the audience squirm in their seats. Particularly memorable were the scenes that show the lynching (hanging) and lashing (whipping) of the black slaves in their full-bloodied glory, and the objectification of black slaves as personal property. Taking place at the start of the film, the scene where black slaves were being sold was shocking and sets the bleak tone for the rest of the film. Black slaves were like meat at the butcher, some standing stark naked for inspection without regard for their feelings.
White men are often stereotyped as either cruel slave masters or as enlightened emancipators when on the topic of slavery. Michael Fassbender impressively represents the former in his role of Epps, a self-righteous bigot who believes that the right to own slaves is biblically sanctioned. Fassbender plays Epps as crazed and drunk on his power over his black slaves, making the audience dread what would be his next whim and who would be his victim. Interestingly, the character of Ford provides some relief from this dichotomy of white men. While Ford recognizes and appreciates Northup’s intelligence, he rejects Northup’s claim that he is a free man, highlighting that slavery is primarily an economic issue.
On the other hand, the black slaves were not simply portrayed as being ‘good’ in contrast to the ‘evil’ white men. To survive in the white man’s land, the black slaves ignoring the suffering of their fellow black slaves and even inflicting the punishment on their fellow black slaves. For example, when Northup was left alone after Tibeat’s attempted lynching, his fellow black plantation workers simply went about with their daily duties, not bothering to cut him free from his noose. The role is then reversed when Northup was forced to whip plantation worker Patsey, the object of desire of Epps, and stunningly well played by Lupita Nyong’o in her film debut.
As the protagonist, Chiwetel Ejiofor shines in his role, playing Northup with a silent strength that allows him to survive through his 12 years of humiliation. Northup changes from showcasing his intelligence and setting himself apart from other black slaves to denying that he is educated and joining in with the black slaves. Despite trading ‘living’ for ‘surviving’, Northup is likeable in his determination to not betray his wife and holding on to the hope that he would once again be reunited with his family.
When one thinks about slavery, emancipation and anti-slavery activists, what comes to mind are prominent figures and events, such as Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War, and Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. 12 Years a Slave provides another side of this history – one that depicts the actual struggles of a black man forced into slavery, showing how slavery wears down the human spirit and how depriving another of his freedom is fundamentally wrong. Director McQueen describes the movie as being about ‘human respect’, and the film forces the audience to rethink what is known about slavery and contemporary racial discrimination.
Movie Rating:
("12 Years a Slave" is a chillingly good movie that is difficult to sit through but provides a nuanced understanding of the practice of slavery)
Review by Goh Yan Hui
We remember smiling from ear to ear some 10 year ago when we popped the soundtrack CD of Richard Curtis’ Christmas romantic comedy Love Actually in the player. The British filmmaker is back with his latest work revolving around time travel (who would have thought?) where a young man tries to change his past to have a better future.
We are proud to announce that the soundtrack album is a must own for any die hard romantic. We were left, well, smiling from ear to ear after listening to the 17 lovely tracks on the CD.
The 61 minute album kicks off with American singer songwriter Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest”, a new version as heard in the film. English folk musicians Jon Boden, Sam Sweeney and Ben Coleman struts things up a little with the lively “How Long Will I Love You”, while things get a little melancholic with Paul Buchanan’s “Mid Air”.
Groove Amanda’s “At the River”, The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” and Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black” are familiar tunes you’ve heard elsewhere, and the they act as a nice filler before Canadian singer songwriter comes on to croon the hypnotically mesmerising “Gold in Them Hills’.
The only score track on the album is “About Time Theme” composed by Nick Laird Clowes, and it is a soothing 143 seconds of music that will fill your mind with pleasant memories. It is a pity there aren’t more score materials on the CD.
Elsewhere, there are other mainstream artistes like The Killers, Sugababes and t.A.T.u who perform songs that are already hits with on radio stations. The nine minute “Spiegel Im Spiegel” (you may have heard it in the trailer of Alfonso Cuaron’s film Gravity) performed by Sebastien Klinger and Jurgen Kruse is a calming piece of music written by Estonian classical and sacred music composer Arvo Part, and it is a tranquil cue that will bring peace to your troubled mind. The album closes with a new recording - award winning Ellie Goulding’s sexy rendition of “How Long Will I Love You”. By then, we are sure you too, would be smiling because of the pleasing music you’ve just heard.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (7) Ron Sexsmith – Gold In Them Hills
Review by John Li
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