Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Kenneth Bi
Cast: Daniel Wu, Simon Yam, Yao Chen, Leon Dai, Shao Bing, Linda Wong
RunTime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Coarse Language And Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 12 December 2013
Synopsis: It starts off with Mark committed perjury for his company in order to earn a financial reward to move his aging mother into a nicer retirement home.His action sets off a chain of events starting with a threatening call from ablackmailer, THE VOICE, who informs Mark it had emptied his bank account butwould replenish it so long as Mark follows his instructions. THE VOICE creates aseries of disasters to happen to Mark, which is when Mark vows to break freefrom THE VOICE’s control and expose his or her true identity...
Movie Review:
If you need an example of a movie which wears its ambitions proudly on its sleeve, look no further than Kenneth Bi’s latest ‘Control’. Billed as a game-changer for Chinese cinema by being the first of its kind to be set against an entirely computer-generated visual world, the adaptation of Jack Messitt’s book of the same name aims for a sci-fi noir feel not unlike that of ‘Sin City’ or ‘The Spirit’, but ultimately settles for much more familiar territory in its story of an ordinary man’s desperate battle with an unseen villain.
Indeed, one can’t quite shake off the distinct sense of familiarity between ‘Control’ and ‘Connected’, the latter of which was itself a remake of the Hollywood movie ‘Cellular’; in both films, a hapless individual is at the behest of a voice on the phone in order to preserve the life of someone else. The main - but gradually insignificant - difference here is that Daniel Wu’s leading character Mark is a victim of his own choices, his virtual captor having latched on to the fact that he had falsified his testimony in court in return for a fast-track promotion at work.
Bi situates that premise within an unnamed modern metropolis in Asia sometime in the near future, but what so special about that city or for that matter that time period in which it is set remains unclear throughout the film. After establishing some impressive overhead VFX shots of a metallic looking city gleaming in the dark of the night, Bi pretty much leaves that mise-en-scene in the background, and aside from the fact that Mark’s nemesis seems to be able to track his every move via a dense network of closed-circuit cameras around the city, there is hardly little to suggest that the unfolding action is taking place amidst a futuristic dystopia.
Instead, Bi concentrates on building an aura of suspense around Mark’s ‘missions’, including robbing a restaurant’s patrons at gunpoint, threatening a high-school flame Jessica (Chen Yao) for access into a bank’s safe deposit vault, and dealing in firearms. Slowly but surely, Mark meets others like him who have been similarly coerced against their will to do the bidding of that same mysterious person, and together they start to form a shaky alliance to uncover the identity of that shadowy villain. Unfortunately for Mark, he ends up tied to a chair facing a powerful gangster he ripped off Tiger (Simon Yam) as well as Tiger’s right-hand man Devil (Leon Dai), that sequence both opening and capping the preceding events which Mark recounts to his physical captors.
A significant genre change from his filmmaking debut ‘Rice Rhapsody’ or his subsequent ‘The Drummer’ and ‘Girl$’, Bi does commendably in building an engaging narrative that to its credit is less straightforward than you might expect. There is also a twist right at the end that you probably won’t see coming, a slightly implausible but no less interesting turn of events that puts a fresh perspective on everything that you have seen unfolding without making you feel duped. What is nonetheless lacking is character development, which is barely there for Mark and almost non-existent for the rest of the supporting acts.
The buck then rests squarely with Daniel Wu, whose earnest leading performance does its best to win his audience’s sympathy; and yet there is only so much he can do to redeem a thinly written character. The rest of the ensemble is pretty much wasted - Yam’s over-the-top villainous act is something he can do with his eyes closed; Taiwanese actor Dai barely has a few lines of dialogue before Yam takes over; and Chen Yao seems bored than enthused to be sharing the screen with Wu.
For all that talk about being the first of its kind, ‘Control’ underwhelms for failing to make use of its futuristic cityscapes (supervised by our very own Nickson Fong no less) to mount an immersive dystopia built upon its titular concept. Instead, it settles for a much more conventional suspense thriller that’s been done and done before, saved by a nifty twist at the end that provides neat closure. If you’re looking for a smart sci-fi thriller, this will most definitely not be it; at best, it serves as a teaser for a more ambitious filmmaker to come along and realise the possibilities of a genre that’s largely been shunted by Chinese cinema. There’s no doubt the effects are top-drawer; now for a compelling story.
Movie Rating:
(A far less ambitious sci-fi thriller despite what it sells itself to be, this is ‘Connected’ dressed up under the guise of a futuristic dystopia)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Director: Juno Mak
Cast: Chin Siu Ho, Anthony Chan, Kara Hui, Billy Lau, Nina Paw, Lo Hoi-Pang, Richard Ng, Chung Fat
RunTime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: M18 (Horror and Sexual Violence)
Released By: Shaw & Scorpio East Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 November 2013
Synopsis: In this eerie and chilling, contemporary, action/special effects laden homage to the classic Chinese vampire movies of the 1980’s, writer-director-producer, Juno Mak makes his feature directorial debut. Reuniting some of the original cast members of the classic Mr. Vampire series, the film is set in a creepy and moody Hong Kong public housing tower whose occupants we soon discover, run the gamut from the living to the dead, to the undead, along with ghosts, vampires and zombies.
Movie Review:
You probably wouldn’t figure pop star turned actor Juno Mak for a serious filmmaker; after all, the singer cum fashionista is best known for being one of Gillian Chung’s ex-boyfriends. That is precisely why his directorial debut ‘Rigor Mortis’ will take you by surprise. A visually stunning homage to the 1980s heydays of Hong Kong cinema when the vampire genre was very much alive (mostly in the form of the “hopping vampire” horror comedies), it proves itself to be so much more than a feast for genre fans, packing a surprisingly amount of emotional depth and establishing itself as a refreshingly different kind of meta-cinema.
Vampire aficionados will immediately recognise lead actor Chin Siu-ho from the opening scene, one of the last surviving alum of the classic 1985 ‘Mr Vampire’ series (Mak dedicates the film to the two other deceased members, Lam Ching Ying and Ricky Hui) who plays himself as a washed-up movie star who moves into a dilapidated tenement building to commit suicide. That act of despair introduces him to Uncle Yau (Anthony Chan Yau, erstwhile drummer of the 1970s band The Wynners as well as Chin’s supporting star from ‘Mr Vampire’), a veteran Taoist vampire hunter who now runs his own food stall around the neighbourhood.
Besides Uncle Yau, Chin also gains the attention of the other mostly elderly tenants of the complex played by equally venerable veterans of Hong Kong cinema. Nina Paw and Richard Ng are a devoted couple whose bond of love is tested when one of them meets with an accident and winds up dead. Chung Fat is a local temple priest who happens to be dabbling in the backroom of his apartment in the dark arts. Kara Hui is a single mother to an albino boy whose tragic past is linked to the apartment which Chin moves into. And last but not least, Johnnie To regular Lo Hoi Pang is the building’s sole security guard who watches the comings and goings of the block with a wary but watchful eye.
As one of the screenwriters, Mak (who co-writes with Philip Yung and Jill Leung) likes to keep his cards close to his chest. There is no hurry in the way he slowly reveals the backstory of each of the characters, opting instead to build an eerie and unsettling atmosphere of suspense and dread with every frame. While that does demand a certain level of patience from its viewer, Mak is surprisingly effective at getting under the skin of his audience with a strong visual style heavy with musty subdued colours. The influence by producer Takashi Shimizu of ‘The Grudge’ is undeniable, but Mak holds its own with some truly hypnotic images in slo-mo no less.
Borrowing a leaf from his ‘Revenge: A Love Story’ director Wong Ching Po, Mak stages the action sequences with a fair amount of graphic violence. Yes, more faint-headed audiences should take note - some of the scenes not only get bloody, but can get rather disturbingly violent, and will surely startle the more squeamish at heart. But even as Mak clearly intends for his film to appeal as well to a younger audience who crave for such vivid details, he never does get excessive, demonstrating a fair bit of restraint in scenes which could have easily been much more explicit.
Mak also pairs his gory thrills with a generous helping of visual effects, relying less and less on his natural surroundings and more on lavishly designed dreamscapes that only make sense if one understands the rituals at the heart of the film (indeed, that’s something very likely to be lost on a Western audience). Truth be told, the VFX-heavy climax was somewhat alienating to watch at first, but eventually made complete sense when viewed in the context of the love-it-or-hate-it coda. Don’t say we didn’t warn you - it doesn’t quite end the way you want it to; instead, Mak throws in a last-minute twist that will undoubtedly throw you off-kilter, but in our opinion, is a unusually elegant eulogy to a genre and its stalwarts who have long since gone out of fashion.
Unmistakable throughout the film is a distinct sense of loss and regret, whether in the form of a loving wife who tries all she can to preserve the life of her deceased husband or the inability of vengeful spirits to let go of their tragic past or even an individual’s desolation at having f**ked up his life with his loved ones. The same could be said of the veterans who make up the ensemble cast; despite being icons in the past, they have largely been forgotten by modern Hong Kong cinema, and just going by each of their compelling performances here, reason to mourn for the passing of a significant era of the industry. Like ‘Gallants’ from two years ago, there is a palpable sense of nostalgia one gets watching these veterans take to the screen like they never left.
And ‘Rigor Mortis’ deserves to be appreciated in that very light, as a tribute to the ‘keung si’ genre as well as Mak’s personal thoughts on their fortunes since. The fact that he is a newcomer to filmmaking makes this an even bigger triumph for Mak, who delivers a thrilling and unexpectedly poignant horror movie steeped in its own unique visual aesthetic. We’re not denying that there will be those who dislike Mak for pulling the rug from under their feet right at the end, but it is to us a graceful and thought-provoking turn that makes it an unusual and inspired piece of meta-cinema.
Movie Rating:
(Visually stunning and unexpectedly moving, Juno Mak’s homage to the ‘vampire’ movies of the 1980s is also an unusually ruminative piece of meta-cinema)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Benny Chan
Cast: Sean Lau, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, Elanne Kwong, Lo Hoi-Pang, Yuan Quan, Berg Ng, Ken Lo, Ben Lam, Alex Fong, Hou Yong
RunTime: 2 hrs 15 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Violence and Drug Use)
Released By: Shaw & Scorpio East Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 5 December 2013
Synopsis: Lifelong friends Tin (Sean Lau), Chow (Louis Koo) and Wai (Nick Cheung) all work for the Hong Kong Police Department’s Narcotics Bureau. The three law enforcers would readily risk their lives for each other, but a dangerous mission in Thailand to capture the legendary drug lord, Eight-Faced Buddha, puts that to the test. In Thailand, the covert goes bad at the last minute, and a battle breaks out. The three friends are confronted by a tragic emotional dilemma… Five years later, burdened with personal hardship, two friends are still seeking to revenge the loss of a third. Friendship turns into rivalry and brotherhood must be sacrificed once again. A war between good and evil unfolds, and there's no turning back!
Movie Review:
How often do you get the chance to see three of Hong Kong’s most charismatic male actors - Sean Lau, Louis Koo and Nick Cheung - on the big screen together? And just for that very reason, you’re probably entitled to go into Benny Chan’s crime thriller with high expectations. Yet even though the triumvirate does not disappoint one bit, everything else about the movie set against the backdrop of the fight against illegal narcotics simply comes off underwhelming, so much so that you can’t quite help but feel that their combined star wattage is somehow wasted.
No less than five writers have been credited for the sprawling narrative, which casts Lau, Koo and Cheung as childhood best friends who have since graduated into police officers of the narcotics bureau. Lau plays the de facto leader of the group, the most ambitious and headstrong of the lot, who in his role as Chief Inspector Tin also wields authority over his friends. On the other hand, Koo’s Chow has been deep undercover amongst the drug dealing triads for some time now, and since risen amongst the ranks to be Hak Tsai’s (Ben Lam Kwok Bun) right hand man. But he’s also disillusioned, especially with his wife expecting a baby, and wants out immediately.
Co-written by Chan himself, the script pits Tin against Chow when a sting operation supposed to be Chow’s last mission is aborted at the last minute. The higher-ups want Chow to continue undercover so they can bait a larger fish - the infamous kingpin named Eight Faced Buddha (Lo Hoi Pang) of the Golden Triangle – and Tin reminds Chow of his obligation as a police officer to obey orders. Compared to Tin and Chow, Cheung’s role as the soft-spoken Wai only becomes clearer at this point - he’s the pacifist among the lot, the one urging calm and reason as Tin and Chow butt heads with each other, reminding the duo of their longstanding friendship and soothing ruffled feathers where necessary. The one thing that never fails to bond them together? The 1980s TVB theme song “Vow to Enter Blade Mountain” by Adam Cheng.
Despite some strong initial reservations, Chow reluctantly accepts his orders to follow Hak Tsai into Bangkok to make contact with the Eight-Faced Buddha via a local dealer (Ken Lo Wai Keung). Needless to say, that operation set in the middle of a dense forested region ends badly - not only does Tin lose one of his men (veteran actor Ng Ting Yip), he is also eventually forced to make a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. That impossible moral dilemma at the halfway mark also marks the high point of the movie – not only is it the single most emotionally intense moment of the whole film, it also marks the culmination of a thrilling action sequence in which Tin and his squad of men are outgunned by Buddha’s mercenaries at the trigger of a high-powered machine gun atop a helicopter.
Structured as two acts, the close of this chapter with a literal bang also represents the point at which the movie quickly goes downhill. A fundamental twist two-thirds into the film that sees the return of a key character from the dead is clichéd to say the least – especially since there is never a doubt where his loyalties lie despite the script’s attempt to inject some measure of excitement by suggesting otherwise - not to mention the resolution that plots the trio’s final showdown with Buddha at a nightclub in Macau. The character beats hardly make up for the plotting - in particular, every moment meant to be poignant seems to proceed on the mistaken notion that it must be a high strung one, meaning that the characters are consistently forced to confront each other by shouting and jostling, making for a tiresomely affected watch.
Chan’s direction here is also to blame. There is absolutely no subtlety to be found here, with Chan finding it necessary at every turn to crank the volume and the intensity of every scene to maximum. Not only does that make for plenty of cringe-worthy melodrama, it also creates too many moments of unnecessary histrionics. The lack of restraint applies as well to the overindulgent plot, which comes off unintentionally amusing at turns for being pure cliché. And nowhere is the excessiveness more apparent than in the final shootout, which aims for the kind of operatic grandeur associated with Johnnie To gangster movies (think ‘Exiled’) but falls far short by being simply too ridiculous; indeed, the sheer absurdity of that bullet-riddled showdown undermines what credibility the brotherhood-in-peril narrative had left, which ultimately rings hollow.
Just about the only element - or rather elements - holding the film together are the solid performances of the lead actors. Lau and Cheung prove yet again why they are the best actors of their generation, and despite the film’s tendencies, both know absolutely better than to overplay their characters, displaying both nuance and depth in their acting. Koo has, despite his best efforts, never quite been in the same league as his two other male co-stars. His deficiencies as an actor are even more stark - especially in certain scenes where he is called upon to emote, there is a genuine sense that he is trying and perhaps trying too hard. Aside from them, Ken Lo is a standout supporting act providing some welcome comic relief, while veteran actor Lo Hoi Pang braves a somewhat exaggerated get-up to ooze old-school menace as the villain of the show.
It’s a thorough pity therefore, that despite gathering some of the best acting talents from Hong Kong, this bombastic narco-thriller styled as a throwback to the John Woo hard-boiled thrillers of the 80s fails to be as compelling as it should be. Part of the fault lies with the messy script, lacking in the discipline and focus necessary to distil a gripping story of three friends whose bond of brotherhood is put to the test; while another part of the fault also lies with Chan’s distinct lack of awareness for excess, and whether in terms of drama or action, the tone is obstinately over-the-top. It isn’t Chan’s finest moment that’s for sure, and seeing as how there is no shortage of similar thrillers like ‘Drug War’ or ‘Protégé’ (both of which starred Koo), this latest addition is worthwhile only for being the rare opportunity to watch three of Hong Kong’s finest actors share the screen together.
Movie Rating:
(Never as compelling as it should be, this increasingly tedious exercise in excessiveness is redeemed only by three strong lead performances)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Cast: Tony Jaa, RZA, Mum Jokmok, Marrese Crump, Jija Yanin Wismitanan, Ratha Pho-ngam, Kazu Patric Tang, Kalp Hongratanaporn, David Ismalone
RunTime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Violence and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw & Scorpio East Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 7 November 2013
Synopsis: Boss Suchart is the influential owner of a major elephant camp. When he was murdered in his own home – the killer delivered three fatal blows on his body – all evidence points to KHAM (Tony Jaa), who was present at the crime scene and was seen with the victim the moment before he died. Kham is forced to run as the police launches a pursuit. Meanwhile, the twin nieces of Boss Suchart (Jija Yanin Wismitanan and Teerada Kittisiriprasert) are out for revenge. But luck is on Kham’s side when he runs into Sergeant MARK (Mum Jokmok), an Interpol agent sent to Thailand on a secret mission. As Kham is hunted by several parties, he’s also desperately searching for KHON, his elephant, whose disappearance is involved with Boss Suchart’s death. In another twist, Kham is drawn into an underground fighting ring run by LC (RZA), a crime lord who’s obsessed with collecting top-class martial artists from around the world. LC’s fighters are branded only by numbers, such as the lethal, beautiful TWENTY (Ratha Pho-ngam) and the diabolical NO.2 (Marrese Crump). These fighters are ordered to defeat and capture Kham for a special mission that LC has in mind. A sequel of the global smash-hit “Tom Yam Goong” (or “The Protector”), TYG2 is an extreme fight movie, an endlessly intense, nerve-racking film full of fists, elbows, kicks and daredevil stunt scenes and amazingly choreographed fighting moves that will pump hot blood through the body of all action fans!
Movie Review:
After suffering a bizarre meltdown during the production of Ong Bak 3, Thai action star Tony Jaa is back to kick some serious asses once again.
Eight years have passed since the original Tom Yum Goong aka The Protector, while you might expect a stronger plotline and featuring more death-defying stunts in the sequel, Jaa’s mentor and director Prachya Pinkaew and his writer Ekasith Thairathis contend in giving the audience the same old concoction and recipe if not worse treatment than before.
Jaa’s Kham, the protector of war elephants is embroiled in a murder case after the disappearance of his elephant Khon. Kham is being framed for the death of the owner of the elephant camp when he happened to stumble onto the crime scene. Believing Kham to be the murderer, the twin nieces (one being Jija Yanin from Chocolate) of the dead owner seeks revenge. With the twins and a mysterious evil crime lord LC (RZA) hot on Kham’s heels, will he survive the ordeal and recover his lost elephant?
Let’s see there’s a terrorist plot involving a fictional country called Katana in addition. There’s a lost elephant. And there’s an African-American baddie played by RZA and hell lots of noise, a nice nod to the hardworking Foley department. To sum it, Tony Jaa’s Kham always loses his beloved elephant and he always end up confronting and fending off the bad guys. The first Tom Yum Goong was a certain Madam Rose and here is LC, a ruthless arms dealer. I guess no one will bother to mind the unnecessarily confusing plotting so long as there’s a decent amount of action onscreen.
Tom Yum Goong 2 for all it matter showcased hell lot of fighting; some nifty executed while many throws in lots of dodgy CGI to amplify things. The first major sequence involves a motorcycle gang chasing Kham along a highway, alley and bridge. This is one big sequence given its staged on a much bigger scale than all the stunts its predecessor has. Big doesn’t mean it’s good. Majority of the fights are hindered by poorly done CGI such as obviously fake background, fake explosions, fake flames and clumsily edited shots. Comparing all these to the first with merely consists of gritty, well-executed choreography and daredevil stunts; this is a plain insult to Jaa’s abilities. Remember the uncut 4 minutes sequence where he fought his way up a building? Disappointingly, we have none of these memorable acts here.
For the price of one ticket, Sahamongkol Film finally had their two most famous action stars, Jaa and Jija together in one movie and I must admit it’s pretty exhilarating to watch the two in action at first though I must add Jija’s character is weakly written and served more of a flagging extended cameo than anything. End of the day, it’s a Tony Jaa’s movie after all and he continues to demonstrate his agility and Muay Thai moves. Yet the numerous sparring between the good and bad do get tedious and repetitive and we are wondering when Tom Yum Goong gets to shed off some of its self-seriousness for good.
Fortunately, the always funny Mum Jokmok returns as Sergeant Mark, Kham’s old friend who is an Interpol agent. His on and off appearances mark some funny moments and exchanges especially one in regard to Kham’s lost elephant that got all of us crack up. For more unintentional laughter, fans of Star Wars might want to take note of some ridiculous usage of lightsaber sound effects when Kham and LC’s No.2 tough guy (Marrese Gump) fights along an underground electrified railway line.
Ditching Australia (the first was partly shot in Sydney) for yet another adventure in Thailand, Tom Yum Goong 2 proves that Tony Jaa hasn’t lost his mojo. Everything is déjà vu all over again. While Jaa is currently in a contractual dispute with Sahamongkol Film, we can at least look forward to his return to the big screen opposite Vin Diesel in Fast & Furious 7. Say goodbye to Tom Yum Goong and Ong Bak for the time being, our Protector is going places likely without his elephant though.
Movie Rating:
(Tom Yum Goong 2 remains the same old recipe if not a worse sequel)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Thriller
Director: Kim Sung-soo
Cast: Jang Hyuk, Su Ae, Park Min-ha, Yoo Hae-jin, Ma Dong-suk, Lee Hui-joon
RunTime: 2 hrs 2 min
Rating: NC-16 (Coarse Language & Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: GV & Scorpio East Pictures
Official Website: http://theflu2013.interest.me/index.htm
Opening Day: 3 October 2013
Synopsis: A human trafficker is infected with an unknown virus and dies in a Bundang hospital. In less than 24 hours since the death of the first patient, more similar cases are reported all over Bundang. Fatalities rise rapidly even before the government can react properly to the virus and more of its citizens are getting infected every minute. The airborne virus turns Bundang in utter chaos and as a desperate measure the government shuts the city down to prevent further outbreaks that could spread to rest of the country and the world. Citizens of Bundang are forced into quarantine zones, as some risk their lives to save those they love, while some risk others to save their own lives...
Movie Review:
The simply titled ‘The Flu’ bears the honour of being the sophomore South Korean disaster film to be built around a pandemic, but that probably won’t be immediately apparent judging from how accomplished Kim Sung-soo’s film is. Whereas such genre films tend to struggle between keeping an intimate focus on some key characters and retaining the larger expanse of the calamity, this one is staged with impressive clarity from start to finish, never once losing its grip from a tense thrilling ride.
Careful not to bite off more than he can chew, Kim confines the pandemic to Bundang, an affluent suburb of Seoul. A quick prologue establishes how a ship container of illegal immigrants from Hong Kong arrives in the city, all of whom are dead from a lethal airborne avian flu virus - save for one very sick man. No thanks to one of two handlers sent to pick up the immigrants, the virus finds its next host to take root, eventually spreading to the people at the pharmacy where he tries to get medicine - and thereafter to just about anyone and everyone with close contact to his bodily fluids.
Some quick thinking on the part of the authorities - or for that matter, Kim - means that Bundang is swiftly quarantined from the rest of the country, so that unlike its more ambitious Hollywood counterparts ‘Contagion’ and ‘World War Z’, it has no need to address just how the pandemic is affecting populations at different ends of the globe. Instead, a smaller but tighter narrative ensues, as soldiers and other Government security personnel swoop in to set up quarantine camps to separate the visibly infected from those without any signs or symptoms - and in the process get rid of the disease-ridden members of the populace.
On a national level, Kim casts a critical eye on the responses of the President and his councilmen, to whom life-and-death decisions are not just made for the greater good but also with the consideration of political mileage. Despite the obvious - and rather strained - hysterics especially towards the end, this dimension of the story is an altogether interesting angle - not least for the fact that it also illuminates the hypothetical tension which may arise between the Koreans and the Americans, the latter of whom have considerable presence in the country as part of the United States Pacific Command.
By and large though, the story is driven from the point of view of three key characters struggling to survive amid the chaos and confusion within Bundang - there’s the Emergency Response Team worker Kang Ji-goo (Jang Hyuk), immunologist Kim In-hye (Su Ae) and In-hye’s precocious young daughter Mi-reu (Park Min-ha). In several meet-cute moments before the epidemic becomes full blown, Ji-goo gets to rescue In-hye from a freak car accident, go beyond the call of duty to save In-hye’s belongings from the scene of the accident, and play the surrogate father figure to Mi-reu.
Admittedly, Kim throws in a fair number of narrative contrivances in order for some generous melodramatic posturing. It probably won’t come as any surprise that Mi-reu will get separated from In-hye early on during the melee to engender a mother-daughter reunion, or that Mi-reu will catch the virus at some point such that In-hye’s quest to locate and develop the antibody isn’t just a professional mission but a personal one as well. And yes, like ‘World War Z’, this one is all about finding the cure to end the bloodshed, which in this case lies in the lone illegal immigrant who survived the perilous journey that was responsible for bringing the virus to the city.
Yes, those who do not like their drama with a heavy dollop of theatrics will probably be cringing in their seats, simply because Kim isn’t a director who deals with much subtlety. Every opportunity to tug at his audience’s heartstrings or arouse their sense of indignation is played up to maximum effect, right down to the absolutely manipulative finale where Mi-reu becomes a walking placard of a plea for humanity to prevail. Despite the heavy-handedness, there is a pulsing urgency to the proceedings that grips you from the start, and we suspect casual viewers will still likely - as we were - to be swept up by the emotional intensity of the film.
It does help that Kim inserts moments of levity from time to time. Mi-reu’s bonding with Ji-goo before the start of the pandemic establishes a pleasantly amusing rapport between the two, which of course is milked for sympathy later on. But there is always Ji-goo’s daft male colleague for comic relief (played by veteran actor Yoo Hae-jin), who never fails to bring a smile with his desperate antics to win the attention of the ladies he assist on the job - no wonder then he gets a humorous coda at the end that sees him helping a snooty but pretty lady free her skirt caught in the door of a public bus.
This being his first film after a decade, Kim - best known for his work on the historical epic ‘Musa The Warrior’ - shows that his cinematic sensibilities as a director of large-scale action sequences has not dulled. In particular, the extended standoff between the remaining residents of Bundang and the military demonstrate a certain boldness in imagination and execution, on a scale rarely seen in Korean cinema. Put aside the fact that it plays too often to an Asian audience’s taste for hand-wringing, Kim’s virus disaster film is a grand accomplishment on many levels, especially in how it portrays the scope of the catastrophe both on a larger and much more intimate level. It is riveting stuff indeed, like a shot of pure adrenaline to the arm.
Movie Rating:
(Korea’s answer to ‘Contagion’ and ‘Outbreak’ doesn’t shy away from melodrama - but still is a tense thrilling disaster movie staged with impressive clarity on a huge scale)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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BOOK REVIEW #8: "TOTAL RECALL: MY UNBELIEVABLY TRUE LIFE STORY"Posted on 22 Sep 2013 |
Genre: Drama/Biography
Director: Lee Daniels
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, James Marsden, David Oyelowo, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber, Robin Williams
RunTime: 2 hrs 12 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: InnoForm Media & Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: http://www.weinsteinco.com/sites/leedanielsthebutler/
Opening Day: 24 October 2013
Synopsis: "Lee Daniels' The Butler" tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man’s life and family. Forest Whitaker stars as the butler with Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, and many more. Academy Award® nominated Lee Daniels ("Precious") directs and co-wrote the script with Emmy®-award winning Danny Strong ("Game Change").
Movie Review:
This American historical fiction drama film is a calculated piece of work. After all, director Lee Daniels knows how the game is played – he produced Monster’s Ball (2001) which gave HalleBerryher Oscar statuette, and Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire (2009) which made Mo’Nique a Best Supporting Actress.
How else would you explain the star studded ensemble cast here? Forest Whitaker plays Cecil Gaines, the movie’s main character, a butler who dedicates his life to becoming a professional domestic worker. There’s talk show host Oprah Winfrey as Cecil’s wife, Terrence Howard as Cecil’s neighbour, and Cuba Gooding Jr and Lenny Kravitz as Cecil’s co workers. The abovementioned are just the African Americans. There are the White House historical figures: Robin Williams as Dwight D. Eisenhower, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, John Cusack as Richard Nixon and Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan. Elsewhere, look out for Jane Fonda, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Redgrave and Alex Pettyfer as other supporting characters.
Phew, listing the notable actors in this 132 minute movie is one mean feat. Based on Wil Haygood’s Washington Post article “A Butler Well Served by This Election”, the plot is loosely inspired by the real life Eugene Allen who worked for the White House for 34 years until he retired as the head butler. The movie’s protagonist Cecil Gaines sees how Americachanges as he serves eight American presidents through the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and other major historical events that eventually affect his life, family and the society.
Whitaker (an Oscar Best Actor for 2006’s The Last King of Scotland) is perfect here. You see how he portrays a man who goes through trials and tribulations as dramatic changes sweep the American society, while he stands firmly rooted to his principles and beliefs. We are not surprised by the actor’s stellar performance here, considering how the 52 year old has constantly impressed us with his acting in movies like 2002’s Panic Room, 2008’s Vantage Point and 2009’s Where the Wild Things Are. We won’t be taken aback if he nabs another Academy Award nomination next year for his pitch perfect performance in this movie.
We haven’t seen Whitaker’s co star Winfrey starring in movies (she has done quite a bit of voice acting in films like Charlotte’s Web, Bee Movie and The Princess and the Frog), and her commendable performance here may be rewarded during the upcoming award season. While the 59 year old still exudes the celebrity aura in this role, there are some heart wrenching moments which may move some viewers to tears.
The cameo appearances, if anything, are fun to watch. Audiences will constantly be entertained as Williams, Marsden, Cusack, Schreiber and Rickman appear on screen to play the respective historical figures. It helps that these actors deliver competent performances, which makes the more than two hour viewing experience worthwhile. This is especially crucial when Danny Strong’s script may sometimes seem unfocused, a result of having to cover too many themes in one movie.
That said, there are some affecting moments which make this potential big winner at movie awards a must watch. That probably explains the movie’s box office success – a whopping worldwide $129 million earning against its $30 million budget. Yup, Daniels and the The Weinstein Company (the big honcho in movie making business) sure know how to play the game, and in this case, it sure is played well.
Movie Rating:
(Forest Whitaker delivers a perfect performance in this affecting historical drama boasting a star studded ensemble cast)
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama
Director: Peter Landesman
Cast: Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden, Billy Bob Thornton, Jacki Weaver, Paul Giamatti, James Badge Dale, Jackie Earle Haley, Colin Hanks, David Harbour, Ron Livingston, Jeremy Strong, Tom Welling
RunTime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: TBA
Released By: GV
Official Website: http://parkland-themovie.com/
Opening Day: 21 November 2013
Synopsis: Recounting the chaotic events that occurred in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, "Parkland" weaves together the perspectives of a handful of ordinary individuals suddenly thrust into extraordinary circumstances: the young doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital; Dallas' chief of the Secret Service; an unwitting cameraman who captured what became the most watched and examined film in history; the FBI agents who nearly had the gunman within their grasp; the brother of Lee Harvey Oswald, left to deal with his shattered family; and JFK's security team, witnesses to both the president's death and Vice President Lyndon Johnson's rise to power over a nation whose innocence was forever altered. "Parkland" is based on the book "Four Days In November," by renowned author and former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi.
Movie Review:
It will be fifty years this year since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while travelling in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, but if you’re not quite sure of the significance of that event, well we’re not certain ‘Parkland’ will enlighten you much. Written and directed by Peter Landesman, the film tries to offer an intimate look at how the events of that fateful day of Nov 22, 1963 changed the lives of those tangentially involved, but the sum of too many parts ultimately ends up uninvolving.
Refusing to stick with a central character, Landesman adopts his source material’s - Vincent Bugliosi's ‘Rashomon-like’ ‘Four Days in November’ - structure by constantly shifting between the points of view of various people caught up in the whirlwind that followed the shooting. Bugliosi's book had a lot of detail, and condensing it into an audience-friendly one half hours feature film, Landesman sieves for the most critical threads in telling the story within the same timeline.
There’s the titular hospital's ER physician Dr Jim Carrico (Zac Efron), nurse Doris Nelson (Marcia Gay Harden) and chief resident Dr. Malcolm Perry (Colin Hanks), who were on duty where President Kennedy was taken to after he was shot. There’s the Secret Service and FBI agents (Billy Bob Thornton and Ron Livingston) on whose watch the shooting occurred. There’s the Dallas dressmaker turned citizen filmmaker Abraham Zapruder (Paul Giamatti) who unwittingly became an overnight celebrity when he recorded the now infamous footage of Kennedy’s slaying on his 8mm home movie camera. And there’s also Robert Oswald (James Badge Dale) and Marguerite Oswald (Jacki Weaver), family members of the accused assailant Lee Harvey (Jeremy Strong), whom was shot by fellow inmate Jack Ruby before he had any chance of standing trial.
The scope is sprawling no doubt, the aim of course to offer a multi-faceted look at the reactions and responses of the ordinary men and women whose lives were forever changed. Unfortunately, even with the bevy of talented actors and recognisable faces who fill the roles, there is just too little connective tissue and not enough purpose among the parallel threads. Understandably, everyone is distraught, some are devastated even, the weight of the implication that they had failed at their duties - whether as medical or security personnel for the President - plainly written on their faces; but really, is it really any surprise that they’d be feeling that way? Ditto for Zapruder, whom we are told at the closing reel never got over the trauma of that day.
Indeed, nothing truly revelatory comes forth from any of the angles - perhaps the only interesting one is the dynamics between the Oswalds, in particular Weaver’s chilling portrayal of Lee Harvey’s delusional and opportunistic mother. Those looking for a good conspiratorial tale will also be sorely disappointed; respectful to a fault, Landesman studiously avoids any of the suspicions or theories cast on the official versions and explanations of the event that have since emerged, instead sticking to the facts concluded by the Warren Commission and well known in the public domain. Simply put, it doesn’t make for very engaging or compelling cinema, especially not when one considers other less reverential but more stimulating works like Oliver Stone’s ‘JFK’.
As a movie composed of many parts, ‘Parkland’ ultimately disappoints because neither the individual parts nor the sum of those parts add up to a fulfilling whole. No one character is present on the screen or given enough depth to make any lasting impact, and the fleeting nature of the narrative also does no justice to the real-life characters. The focus is scattershot no thanks to a technique more suited for a HBO miniseries, and despite Landesman’s evident efforts at meticulously piecing together the period details, fails to convey anything meaningful or significant about an event that should count for so much more.
Movie Rating:
(Too many angles and too many characters add up to a scattershot and ultimately less than compelling look at a crucial event in American history that should count for so much more)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Alan Yuen
Cast: Andy Lau, Gordon Lam, Yao Chen, Hu Jun, Ray Lui, Kenny Wong, Michael Tong, Grace Wong, Terence Yin, Oscar Leung, Vincent Sze, Sammy Hung, Patrick Keung
RunTime: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Violence And Drug Use)
Released By: GV and Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 12 December 2013
Synopsis: A storm is heading to the city of Hong Kong, and with it comes another occurrence so destructive, it vows to bring down everything it touches. A crew of seasoned criminals led by the notorious Nam (Hu Jun), armed with high-powered weapons, pulls off another smooth and violent armored car heist in broad daylight in a crowded street. Whoever tries to get in their way, they will show no mercy. This puts the police force to shame and humiliation.
Movie Review:
If there is one Hong Kong action thriller to watch this year, it is without any doubt the exhilarating ‘Firestorm’. Emboldened by the success of last year’s ‘Cold War’, co-producer Bill Kong has set veteran screenwriter Alan Yuen to stage an all-out, no-holds-barred cops-versus-criminals action film set in and around downtown Hong Kong. The result is simply jaw-dropping to say the least, choreographed and executed on a scale we believe has never before been seen in any Hong Kong movie, and better still, complemented by a tight engaging script that draws you into its character-driven plot and never lets go till the last frame.
There is a hitch though - it does start off rather bumpily. The opening minutes try to pack too many details at one go. A prologue tries to establish Andy Lau and Gordon Lam’s respective characters as rivals on the judo mat when they were still kids. Flash forward quickly to present day and Lau’s Inspector Lui is the godfather to his informant’s (Patrick Keung) autistic daughter. Meanwhile, Lam’s ex-con To has just been released from prison, and despite promising his girlfriend, Bing (Chen Yao), that he has turned over a new leaf, quickly falls back on the wrong side of the law. All that backstory makes for a pretty confusing start we must say, but you’ll start putting things together once the first major action sequence rolls along.
Led by Hu Jun’s Nam, a crew of hardened criminals pulls off a daring midday heist on an armoured car. Flawlessly executed and backed with better firepower than the Hong Kong police force, they not only make off with the loot, but also in the process expose the ineptness of Inspector Lui and his partner’s (Kenny Wong) team. To rub salt onto their wounds, Nam turns up right after the crime at the police station to taunt Lui by claiming to be a good and responsible citizen returning the badge of one of the police officers who had dropped it during the melee. The cops’ only lead lies in To, apprehended at the scene of the crime for ramming his car into that of Lui’s but claiming that it was no more than an accident.
The trailer would have you know that To eventually becomes Lui’s informant, but it isn’t quite so straightforward. Indeed, Yuen saves what you might expect would be another ‘Infernal Affairs’ variant for something much more unpredictable; instead, he focuses his attention in the first half of the movie building up the rivalry between Lui and Nam, the former a strict and rigorous officer of the law who firmly believes that his work is his mission and the latter a smart and cunning criminal mastermind with little restraint and even less mercy. Emphasising Lui’s convictions as a police officer, the battle of wits between Lui and Nam is meant also as a test of Lui’s own tenacity and, by extension, just where his breaking point lies.
To reveal anything more will not do any justice to Yuen’s surprisingly twisty and compelling narrative, which plots a gripping trajectory on the way to the formation of a shaky alliance between Lui and To. Except for a deus ex machina that effectively substitutes Nam for another equally vicious criminal named Pak (Ray Lui), the storytelling is pretty much top-notch, deftly using a whole host of characters and their respective motivations to drive the many twists and turns along the way. Chief among that is of course just what will force a law-abiding police officer to his knees such as to abandon his deeply held morals, but aside from that, the more poignant question is in fact what would make a seasoned criminal ‘surrender’ his personal allegiance to the police.
Especially inspired is Yuen’s decision to save Lui and To’s alliance till the very end, by which time it isn’t so much whether To will ultimately betray Lui but whether the latter will do so the former, seeing as how Lui is no longer the rational minded policeman he used to be at the start. It’s a pretty nifty twist, made even more exciting by how it plays out right in the middle of an intense gunfight between Pak and his crew with the full force of the Hong Kong police in the middle of a busy street in the Central district. That extended climax is well worth the price of admission alone, not least for the exceptionally coherent choreography by veteran Chin Kar-Lok but also the sheer effort the filmmakers had taken to film what must have been a logistically mind-boggling sequence.
But it isn’t just by the sheer scale and intensity of this last showdown that you’ll be blown away; without any doubt, Chin has outdone himself yet again with quite possibly some of the most daring action scenes performed on the busy bustling streets of Hong Kong. From the opening heist to a confrontation between Lui and Nam’s men within a public housing apartment building to a stakeout at a public square in between the Sheung Wan and Central area to the final all-out bullets ballad in the heart of Central, the stunts are never less than thrilling every step of the way - and breathtaking even - for the boldness in imagining and then the dedication to execute them.
Amidst the action, Yuen has assembled some of the most recognisable faces in Hong Kong cinema to fill the screen. Not since his award-winning role in ‘Infernal Affairs’ has Andy Lau played a detective with such gravitas, his turn as Inspector Lui a thoroughly compelling one that fully expresses his character’s moral predicament. The ever charismatic Hu Jun proves an excellent foil, cool and cunning every step of the way. Meanwhile, Gordon Lam is equally solid in a supporting turn especially in the last third of the film where his character finally gets a shot at redemption. Besides these key players, fans of the genre will also be delighted to see Ray Lui, TVB actor Kenny Wong, Terence Yin, Michael Tong and even SDU veteran Michael Wong in a bit role.
And for Yuen’s ambition of filming a true-blue Hong Kong police thriller, we must say that he has not only accomplished that with ‘Firestorm’, he has done so exceedingly. This is by far one of the most thrilling Hong Kong action thrillers you’ll ever see, not just for its heartstopping action sequences but also for its captivating story of choices, consequences and ultimately principles. It is even better than last year’s ‘Cold War’, mounted much more confidently and intelligibly on a larger and more textured canvas. It is Hong Kong cinema at its most electrifying, living thoroughly up to its name of being a lightning rod for future such police thrillers to come.
Movie Rating:
(The must-see Hong Kong action thriller of the year that’s packed with exhilarating action, a compelling plot, and a commanding lead performance from Andy Lau)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Crime
Director: Ding Sheng
Cast: Jackie Chan, Liu Ye, Jing Tian, Guli Nazha, Liu Yi Wei, Yin Tao, Zhou Xiao Ou, Liu Hai Long, Wu Yue, Liu Pei Qi, Yu Rongguan
RunTime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: GV and Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 December 2013
Synopsis: Night. Inside an enormous bar on a busy street, all the patrons are being held hostage. Among them are policeman Zhong Wen and his daughter Miao Miao, and several strangers who seem to have met before…. The kidnapper is the bar owner Wu Jiang. His only demand is the release of a long-term prisoner. What motive is worth this risk? The prisoner is brought to the scene of the crime, but the police now face an even greater crisis, as a cold case is re-opened. Cold is the mind of the policeman, decisively using his wits to resolve the crisis; his mission is to find – the truth. Cold is the blood of the criminal, calmly carrying out his evil plan for – his revenge. Cold are the hearts of uncaring people, reacquainted only to pay the ultimate price for their selfishness – their lives. Cold are the facts that prove to the rebellious Miao Miao through her extreme ordeal with her father – their love. This is a death-match to avenge a lost love.
Movie Review:
Police Story 2013 while retaining the iconic title and its marquee star Jackie Chan is by and large a huge departure from the rest of the entries including the 2004 reboot by Benny Chan. Scripted and directed by Ding Sheng who did Little Big Soldier, this crime drama set entirely in Mainland China is a far grittier, melancholic affair.
Even with Chan’s trademark elaborate daredevil stunts and fights glaringly missing for those acquainted with the franchise, Ding Sheng manages to keep things tense and taut with almost the entire movie set in an enclosed bar. Arthouse favourite Liu Ye plays the bar owner, Wu Jiang who mysteriously holds his patrons, policeman Zhong Wen (Jackie Chan) and her estranged daughter, Miao Miao (Jing Tian) hostage. Demanding the release of a prisoner, Wei Xiao Fu in exchange for the hostages, Wu Jiang’s motive is revealed to be finding out the person responsible for her sister’s death five years ago. But what has Zhong Wen and three key hostages got to do with it?
To be frank, it does take a while before Ding Sheng can find his footing and establish the motives of his characters especially with Wu Jiang who appears to be so ambiguous and relaxed in the beginning. Interspersed with some soapy dramatic arc of Zhong Wen, the hardworking cop who neglected both his wife and rebellious daughter and a noisy bunch of supporting cast including a news team, a pair of generic boyfriend and girlfriend, a guy collecting his bad debts and more grabbing your attention, the first 30 minutes is honestly a drag to sit through.
Issues as such require much patience and it doesn’t help that much of the action you seen in the trailer comes from Zhong Wen’s recounting some of his past cases to Wu instead of them happening in real time. There is just one scene of Zhong Wen squaring off with one of Wu’s henchmen in a cage though the mixed martial arts inspired sequence is hampered by too much close up and quick camera movement. Another issue is that Ding Shen always try to showcase Zhong Wen’s thoughts to ruffle the feathers of the audience for example a sudden scene showing Wu Jiang getting shot at by snipers is in actual fact just a figment of Wen’s thoughts. Talking about the differences between imagination and the reality.
Fortunately, in the last half an hour, Ding Sheng’s Rashomon-like crime drama finally redeems itself with the true revelation surrounding Wu’s sister death in a pharmacy. As everyone screams and talks about their version of the fateful night, ugly bits and pieces of information slowly surfaces and a surprise twist right to the end brought the situation to a decent closure. Those familiar with Ding Sheng’s works will know he is one filmmaker who prefers to work on a miniscule canvas and Police Story 2013 is yet another proof of his token touches despite the latest entry going against the sometimes globe-trotting nature and generally action packed Police Story series.
It’s sacrilegious not to mention our aging action hero, Jackie Chan who puts in a more than decent performance as the suffering Zhong Wen, one who is bound by his job, responsibility and his guilt towards his late wife and daughter. Who knows an acting award might be in line for the action star next year. Jing Tian last seen as the kick-ass policewoman opposite Donnie Yen in Special ID is largely underused as Zhong Wen’s daughter while Liu Ye shedding off his usual dramatic roles impresses with his cage fighter turned bar owner character though his prior villainous role in Connected is far more convincing.
Almost a decade later, Police Story has spin yet another crime tale although for this 2013 entry, you will no longer be seeing Chan creating havoc in KL, Queensland or across the island of Hong Kong, this ultimately is a showcase of Chan’s acting chops in the later phase of his decades long acting career.
Movie Rating:
(Perhaps a subtle send-off for his Supercop character, Police Story 2013 wins in storytelling instead)
Review by Linus Tee
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