Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Arie Posin
Cast: Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Robin Williams, Amy Brenneman, Jess Weixler
RunTime: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 10 April 2014
Synopsis: Five years after the death of her beloved husband Garrett (Ed Harris), Nikki (Annette Bening) meets a man who seems his exact duplicate. Not only does this stranger possess the same deeply lined face and startling blue eyes, he also shares Garrett's kindness, humour, and passion for art. And yet he is a stranger. Romance blossoms between Nikki and this alluring doppelgänger, but she can't bring herself to tell him the truth about what drew her to him. So she hides her photos and prevents him from meeting friends and family. Still, she can't resist taking him to all the old haunts. It isn't a question of if the truth will come out, but when. Arie Posin directs this emotionally thorny drama about how we cope with loss, live in the moment and ultimately move forward.
Movie Review:
You can’t really fault a movie like The Face of Love mainly because it stars two veteran actors that we just can’t get enough of, Ed Harris and Annette Bening.
This romantic drama written and directed by Arie Posin is about grief, loss and love. It’s mostly dealing with what are you going to do in life when someone you deeply loved is taken from you one day. Do you move on or do you choose to linger on to his presence?
We are told in flashbacks that Garrett (Harris) and Nikki (Bening) is a loving couple, those that kiss, surprise and hug each other liked they just got married the day before. Their only daughter has grown up and they are vacationing in Mexico to celebrate their 30th anniversary. The next morning Garrett is found dead, drowned to be precise and from then on, Nikki finds it hard to live life without her husband.
Five years later, Nikki stumbled onto someone that looks exactly like her husband at the museum except he is not into suit and bow tie. His name is Tom (Harris), an arts lecturer at the local university and also a lonely divorcee. On the pretext of hiring him as her painting teacher, Nikki invites Tom to her upscale house. They did start to paint for a while (Harris into his Pollack form once again) but soon find themselves madly in love. Not with painting of course. Question: Is Nikki treating Tom as Garrett’s substitute? Or is she truly in love with Tom?
The premise is unbelievable to be fair. And I can assure you there’s no presence of sci-fi or disturbing psychology twist lurking at the end. The Face of Love turned out to be a quite a satisfactory study on human relationships. What if? What if the person you love right now has traits of your past love? Of course, Posin’s script tends to be on the exaggerated side but it addresses the same dilemma. Minus away the doppelganger factor, can Nikki truly forget about Garrett in the presence of Tom?
Expectedly, Harris and Bening gave stirring performances despite numerous close-ups of their wrinkles, which can prove to be quite a distraction and the occasional lapse in logic. Robin Williams not to be mistaken for Robbie appears in a small role as Roger, Nikki’s neighbor who pops by now and then to use her pool in the afternoon but in reality has a thing for her.
The Face of Love is a romance drama for grownups and definitely not for those who are fans of Nicholas Sparks’ digestible mushy stuff. It makes for a quiet somber getaway session for the adults.
Movie Rating:
(Watch this for the sake of Ed Harris and Annette Bening)
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Starring Metallica, a cast of thousands of their fans and breakout star Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Metallica Through the Never is written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Nimród Antal (Predators, Kontroll) and produced by former IMAX film producer Charlotte Huggins (Journey to the Center of the Earth). The film marries groundbreaking footage and editing techniques with a compelling narrative, in which a band crew member (played by DeHaan) is sent out on a mission during Metallica's roaring live set in front of a sold-out arena. While on this mission, he unexpectedly has his life turned completely upside down.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Unlike Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and One Direction: This Is Us, one of the oldest heavy rock bands in music history, Metallica decides to offer fans more than just a 3D concert movie instead of generic behind-the-scenes and boring interview with the involved talents
Combining footages from their concerts held in Vancouver with an engaging narrative thrown in, it’s a visceral experience so to speak in Metallica: Through The Never. Showcasing the band’s awesome showmanship and theatrics displays such as flames, eye-blinding laser and a collapsing statue to a series of their signature tunes, it got the entire audience screaming and for a second, I nearly forget about the deafening music.
The movie is impressively shot by Gyula Pados and directed by Nimrod Antal (Predators) but I guess the duo is more involved in the mentioned narrative that featured up-and-coming young star Dane DeHann (The Amazing Spider-Man 2). DeHann played Trip, a roadie who is being assigned to retrieve something crucial from a tour truck which has run out of gas in the city.
While Metallica is playing in the stadium, Trip realizes the whole city is mysteriously deserted. Then signs of violence start to appear, mobs of angry masked people riots against the police including a sinister Horseman who targeted Trip. The entire apocalypse story makes not much of a sense, it doesn’t really have a message or reasoning except being mere fillers to the songs of Metallica. In a way, it’s perhaps a fantasy visualization of the band’s songs however irrelevant it may be. Still, you got to credit DeHann for his captivating performance since he is not fed a single piece of dialogue.
Backed by vocal James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich of drums, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bass Robert Trujillo, this concert movie proved heavy metal is here to stay. Of course, you need to be a Metallica fan to fully appreciate this else I doubt you can endure 92 minutes of earsplitting screaming and squealing of Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, Enter Sandman etc.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The DVD provides a dark imposing look while the audio meant to be loud and bass heavy is unfortunately constrained by the Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack.
MOVIE RATING:
(Give yourself 1 more star if you are a Metallica fan)
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: A mysterious American Marine/FBI agent Jake Travers teams up with a Muslim cop Hashim to hunt down a dangerous international jewel thief Malik who kidnaps a Sultan's daughter Sultana in a plot to steal the royal treasury: exotic intrigue amid ancient palaces, mosques, temples, subterranean labyrinth and stone pyramids in the heart of Java.
MOVIE REVIEW:
How many cheesy villains can one play? Apparently it’s limitless in the case of Mickey Rourke. The Wrestler actor once again plays a forgettable, mumbling bad guy in Java Heat. He is not just a greedy bastard yearning for some jewels from the Royal family but he is also a disgusting pedophile.
But the attraction here is not Rourke. The limelight belongs to Indonesian actor Ario Bayu who plays a local cop named Hashim who is investigating the death of the Sultan’s daughter. With an ex-Marine Jake Travers (Kellan Lutz) in tow, the two must team up to uncover the mystery and the motive behind the killings.
Despite a topic that touches on the sensitiveness of Jihad bombings and religion on the whole, Java Heat deviates from all the seriousness to deliver a gritty, action packed straight-to-DVD title in the end. There are occasional jokes between Travers and Hashim involving their different cultural background especially with one a swaggering American and the other a conservative Muslim though these moments are few and far.
Most importantly, director Conor Allyn knows how to shoot and direct a fun, entertaining movie. There are a couple of explosions, plenty of shootouts and a motorcycle chase that took place behind some dark alleys. If not for all the unnecessary quick cuts and shaky cams, it would have made a far satisfying viewing experience. In addition, Allyn keeps the pace fast and energized without resorting to gratuitous violence and nudity, a common problem in straight-to-DVD flicks. The death of a hooker clad in bra and undies during a shootout don’t really count.
Twilight star Kellan Lutz for once is not out of his league here. It doesn’t take an ounce of his acting capability to deliver a believable masculine looking marine looking for revenge. Like I mentioned earlier, Ario Bayu is excellent in the cop role. He articulates well, fights like a convincing pro and he has the charisma to light up the screen. As for Rourke, with a role named Malik and a muddy character that simply summed up as ‘international jewel thief’, we don’t really expect much from him. Cut him some slack, he probably needs the money to pay his rents.
Richly filmed in Indonesia, Java Heat is a surprise gem. Just forgive the horrendous misleading DVD cover. Like the tagline says, nothing is as it seems.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The imaging and visual is serviceable while the Dolby Digital 2.0 is a tad soft when it comes to the more aggressive action sequences.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Director: Kentaro Otani, Keiichi Sato
Cast: Hiro Mizushima, Ayame Goriki, Hanae Wakatsuki, Midzuki Yamamoto
RunTime: 2 hrs
Rating: NC-16 (Some Drug Use)
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 April 2014
Synopsis: Mummified dead bodies of various dignitaries from around the world are being discovered and a mysterious tarot card left beside them at every crime scene. The world is headed towards chaos... Kiyoharu is the young head of the Genpo noble family, owners of a massive toy manufacturing enterprise. He also functions as a secret watchdog for the Queen, a service that his family has provided for generations. The Queen orders Kiyoharu to solve the mummification incidents, and he begins investigation. He is supported by his perfect butler, Sebastian, who is actually a demon. Kiyoharu has been hiding his true female identity since his parents’ tragic death 10 years earlier. In return for perfect service to his master in public and private, Sebastian will receive his master’s soul after Kiyoharu achieves revenge for the murder of his parents. Who is really behind the serial mummification deaths? Will Kiyoharu finally find out who killed his parents?
Movie Review:
COmING SOON
Movie Rating:
Genre: Drama
Director: Pang Ho Cheung
Cast: Louis Koo, Miriam Yeung, Gigi Leung, Eric Tsang, Chapman To, Shawn Yue, Ng Man Tat, Carrie Ng, Choi Kit, Lee Man Kuai, Dada Chen
RunTime: 1 hr 36 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: GV
Official Website:
Opening Day: 22 May 2014
Synopsis: When the British first arrived in Hong Kong, they landed in a small inlet to the south that they later named Aberdeen. It was the beginning of Hong Kong as a colony, as well as the growth of Hong Kong from a small fishing village into today’s vibrant metropolis. It is exactly this beginning which gave Aberdeen its Chinese name: “Heung Gong Jai” – or “Little Hong Kong”. Dong is the patriarch of the Cheng family. A descendant of generations of fishermen who once made a living off of the riches within Hong Kong’s harbor, Dong experienced the end of his family’s profession when they were forced to move off of their boats into housing estates in the late 1960s. With their livelihood no longer possible, the family sent Dong to become a Taoist priest to perform rituals for the deceased. Dong’s two children are Ching, the elder daughter, and To, the younger son. Ching retains the beliefs and superstitions of the older generations, but is haunted by her difficult relationship with her parents, especially her mother. To, on the other hand, has long embraced the values of modern, capitalistic Hong Kong – from a luxurious house and maintaining his good looks to his fascination with collectibles such as Star Wars figures. Ching is married to a doctor, Cheung, who is having an extramarital affair. Like Ching, he is also undergoing a crisis – stuck between a wife obsessed with the past and a young nurse who is in too much of a hurry to build a future. To, likewise, is also married. His wife, Ceci, is a model who is at the twilight of her career. Insecure about her aging and her moribund career, she is further rattled by her husband’s insistence that their daughter, Chloe, does not look like them. The truth about Chloe conceals a secret Ceci is unwilling to reveal. Chloe, meanwhile, is fond of her doting father but is unwilling to tell him that she is being bullied at school. She is also attached to her pet chameleon Greenie. And it is this attachment which will lead her into a world of imagination that nowadays barely exists in a place like Hong Kong. The extended Cheng family, like Aberdeen’s namesake, represents today’s “Little Hong Kong” and its myriad of contradictions between traditions and modernity; superstitions and materialism; family and individuality.
Movie Review:
There’s a scene in Hong Kongfilmmaker Pang Ho Cheung’s latest movie which moved this reviewer (almost to tears, literally): A three generation family having a leisurely breakfast in McDonald’s. Yup, that’s how simple this scene is. For some strange reason, you find this scene familiar. When was the last time you had a worry free breakfast with your family in McDonald’s? Remember how the scrambled eggs tasted so good? Remember how Ronald McDonald’s smile was always there for you when you looked at the colourful wall mural?
What we are very well aware in this day and age is, amidst the casual chuckles and relaxed chatters is an undercurrent. Sometimes, this undercurrent is so strong, the consequences are undesirably tragic. Is this what Pang is attempting to explore in this film that is reportedly five years in the making? Or is this a political commentary on Hong Kong’s seemingly reconciled history with Britainand China? While we may on this side of Asia may never fully appreciate and understand the film’s underlying themes and symbolism, this gem is still a highly recommended production that is well worth your time.
The three generations of a family are the protagonists of the story penned by Pang. They come together as they cope with the trauma of the past and learn to reconcile and move on. Miriam Yeung (Love in a Puff, Love in the Buff), who has an estranged relationship with her parents, is a museum tour guide who leads a mundane life with her husband Eric Tsang (Ip Man: The Final Fight, Hello Babies), who is having an affair with his nurse. Louis Koo (The White Storum, Out of Inferno) is the brother of the family, a successful and good looking tutor married to Gigi Leung (La Lingerie, The Monkey King), a celebrity whose career is on the decline. The two beautiful people have a child who isn’t the cutest kid you’d want to take Facebook or Instagram photos with. The father of the family is the sorely missed Ng Man Tat (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Dunk), a medium who is given the cold shoulder by his children because of his relationship with nightclub hostess Carrie Ng (Hi Fidelity, The Silent War).
It seems like an ordinary script, but you can trust Pang, whose past works include the highly recommended Men Suddenly In Black (2003), Isabella (2006) and Dream Home (2010), to tell a poignant story about human relationships and the intricacies that come with them. In short, he is painting a visual picture of life itself. There are many moments in the 96 minute film that will leave you thinking – is Pang telling my story?
It also helps that Pang has a cast that delivers top notch performances – Yeung is wonderfully repressed, Tsang is a joy to watch when he isn’t wacky, Koo is as charismatic as ever, Leung plays a caricature of herself (the singer actress was never really taken seriously as an artist), while the two veteran Ngs (Man Tat and Carrie) have some of the best scenes in the movie. Chapman To and Shawn Yue also pop up in cameo roles. The cinematography by Jason Kwan, the editing by Wenders Li and the score by Peter Kam are also examples of why every Pang directed movie is a must watch.
Above all, the true to life elements in the film, whether portrayed in a fantastical setting or not, will leave you thinking about the meaning of life long after the credits roll.
Movie Rating:
(What is life? Look no further than Pang Ho Cheung’s latest poignant drama film)
Review by John Li
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SNAPSHOTS FROM THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 PRESS CONFERENCEPosted on 28 Mar 2014 |
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Brett Ratner
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, John Hurt, Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes, Rufus Sewell, Irina Shayk, Robert Maillet, Joe Anderson
RunTime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 26 June 2014
Synopsis: Based on the graphic novel "Hercules: The Thracian Wars", the ensemble-action film is a revisionist take on the classic myth set in a grounded world where the supernatural does not exist. Everyone knows the legend of Hercules and his twelve labors. Our story begins after the labors, and after the legend... Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules' help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that in order for good to triumph and justice to prevail... he must again become the hero he once was... he must embrace his own myth... he must be Hercules.
Movie Review:
Many box-office prognosticators have their bet on ‘Hercules’ to be the first expensive summer flop of the year, and - truth be told - before we saw Brett Ratner’s take on the Greek demigod, we were just as unimpressed by what the trailers and the poster made it out to be. But the marketing of this utterly cheesy but surprisingly entertaining swords and sandals epic missed out one crucial point in its over-eagerness to sell the combat spectacle - it is also very intentionally funny.
In deconstructing the myth for a modern-day summer popcorn viewing audience, Ratner and his writers Ryan J. Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos have drawn their inspiration from Steve Moore and Admira Wijaya’s graphic novels ‘Hercules: The Thracian Wars’ and placed our titular hero squarely in reality. As the opening narration cheekily warns, this isn’t going to be the legend you’re familiar with; rather, it uses the legend - including his fabled 12 labours - as no more than hearsay which his nephew tells to motivate the troops Hercules is leading into battle.
But really, Hercules is just a mere mortal with superhuman strength here, who leads a band of mercenaries helping kings and queens to slay beasts and conquer foes for a return in gold. Besides his aforementioned nephew Iolaus (Reece Ritchie) who longs to prove himself in battle, the rest are just as fearless as Hercules himself - including the knife-throwing Autolycus (Rufus Sewell) with his witty asides, the spear-wielding seer Amphiaraus (Ian McShane), the super-sexy Amazon archer Atalanta (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal), and the brutish Tydeus (Aksel Hennie). They are as tightly knit a crew as anyone can ask for, and fiercely loyal to Hercules to whom they owe their lives.
As man, Hercules finds himself haunted by the death of his wife and children three years ago while in the kingdom of King Eurystheus (Joseph Fiennes). Accused as a murderer in Athens, Hercules is hack for hire by the ruler of Thrace, Lord Cotys (John Hurt), who enlists his crew to defeat a warlord rumoured to be a centaur and into the dark arts. That is the excuse for the first of many well-choreographed battle scenes, which Ratner stages with more verisimilitude than one has come to expect from similar such genre pictures. Though a trained viewer can still pick out the CGI, these scenes are nevertheless exciting and thrilling, combining good old-fashioned formation tactics with Ben Hur-like chariot chases and some Lord-of-the-Rings type one-versus-many pounding.
Those looking for some ‘Game of Thrones’ intrigue need not apply; indeed, the narrative here is as straightforward as it gets, no matter the minor twist two-thirds into the film that has Hercules struggling to make a moral choice when he realises that he and his crew may have been manipulated by Lord Cotys himself. It does however offer enough to give Dwayne Johnson to flex his dramatic muscles as Hercules, as his call of conscience gives him an opportunity to grow into the hero behind the legend.
That is of course nothing compared to the physical weightlifting which Johnson is called to do in the movie, the inevitable demands of the role only demonstrating why he is such a perfect fit for it. It is difficult to imagine any other Hollywood actor today than Johnson in the character, but it is more than just his physique that we are referring to here. Yes, Johnson also couples that with charm, charisma and comic timing, attributes of which play nicely to Ratner’s neat balance of camp and solemnity in tone. Johnson is also joined by a stellar ensemble, in particular Hurt’s scene-chewing performance as the duplicitous ruler.
Coming after such pompous predecessors like the god-awful ‘Clash of the Titans’ and its sequel ‘Wrath of the Titans’, as well as other copycats like ‘Immortals’ and even this year’s ‘The Legend of Hercules’, Ratner’s ‘Hercules’ comes almost like a breath of fresh air. It embraces its B-movie roots, doesn’t try to be more than what it is, serves up a generous dollop of tongue-in-cheek humour and engaging battle action on an epic scale. Ignore the cynics, this is pure pulpy entertainment that is perfectly serviceable summer moviegoing fun - after all, it does take a certain kind of movie to reserve a zinger like ‘fucking centaur’ for its lead character in fourth-century BC.
Movie Rating:
(Some good old-fashioned battle scenes and a surprisingly generous dollop of tongue-in-cheek humour combine to make this sword and sandal epic perfectly serviceable summer popcorn fun)
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Hossein Amini
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac, Kirsten Dunst, Yigit Ozsener, Daisy Bevan, Evgenia Dimitropoulou, Nikos Mavrakis
RunTime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 11 September 2014
Synopsis: Adapted from the best-selling Patricia Highsmith novel… 1962. A glamorous American couple, the charismatic Chester MacFarland (Mortensen) and his alluring younger wife Coletter (Dunst), arrive in Athens by boat via the Corinthian Canal. While sightseeing at the Acropolis they encounter Rydal (Isaac), a young, Greek speaking American who is working as a tour guide, scamming tourists on the side. Drawn to Colette’s beauty and impressed by Chester’s wealth and sophistication, Rydal gladly accepts their invitation to dinner. However all is not as it seems with the MacFarlands and Chester’s affable exterior hides darker secrets…
Movie Review:
Since making his debut with Thomas Hardy’s novel ‘Jude’ for Michael Winterbottom, British-Iranian screenwriter Hossein Amini has revealed a penchant for literary adaptations whether classics such as Henry James’ ‘The Wings of the Dove’ or contemporary fiction such as Elmore Leonard’s ‘Killshot’ and James Sallis’ ‘Drive’. But even so, Amini’s choice of a Patricia Highsmith novel for his directorial debut is somewhat surprising, especially since his choice of projects have never revealed his ambition to follow in the footsteps of Hitchcock.
Yes, though it may not bear Highsmith’s most infamous anti-hero Tom Ripley (which Hitchcock brought to life in ‘Strangers on a Train’), ‘The Two Faces of January’ has both the look and feel of a Hitchcockian thriller from its sumptuous production design to gorgeous widescreen cinematography. But more importantly, fans of the master of suspense will immediately recognise the familiar theme of dualities, one which similarly forms the backbone of Amini’s tale of duplicity and power plays.
In true Highsmith fashion, the story begins from an ambiguous encounter between two men. On one hand is Chester MacFarland (Viggo Mortensen), a seemingly successful investment banker who forms a debonair pair with his wife Colette (Kirsten Dunst); on the other is Rydal (Oscar Isaac), a Greek-speaking fellow American who acts as a tour guide and works as a petty conman. The threesome meet at the Acropolis where Rydal offers to take Chester and Colette on a private tour, confident that he can skim a little off the top from the sophisticated yet naïve couple.
Suffice to say that Rydal gets much more than what he has bargained for when he decides to pay a visit to the couple’s hotel room to return a bracelet Colette had left behind, that act of kindness motivated less by generosity than an adulterous attraction for Colette. If Chester had seemed like the hapless American just a while ago, his actions during these crucial few minutes that Rydal walks in on will convince you that things are not quite so simple. Any ordinary man might have walked away there and then, but not Rydal - equally motivated by money and by lust, he agrees to trail Chester and Colette as they hit the road to flee Athens while waiting for his friend to prepare fake passports for the pair.
Notwithstanding the occasional supporting character, this is essentially a three-hander built on the interplay between Mortensen, Dunst and Isaac. No single character here is wholly sympathetic or trustworthy; instead, we are constantly shuttled from perspective to perspective as Amini carefully plots the ever-shifting power relations between the three protagonists. But to be more accurate, this is a character study of Chester and Rydal, two individuals distinguished by class who are actually not quite so different from the other.
In that regard, Mortensen and Isaac are perfectly casted. While his ‘Lord of the Rings’ heroics may have made him a recognisable face, Mortensen is in fact more at home in such character-driven dramas as this, playing a complex human being of multiple self-constructed identities. His multi-faceted portrayal of Chester spans various attributes - from smarmy to insecurity to distrust to jealousy and even to rage - and we’d go as far to say that it is one of his most intriguing performances yet. Isaac is a wonderful complement, projecting both charisma and ease as he tries to stay ahead of his cunning and conniving alter ego. And between Mortensen and Isaac, Dunst holds her own as the morally ambiguous Colette, whose elusive nature keeps you guessing if she is victim or manipulator.
So even though there are no grand sequences to speak of, this is a film that thrives on the little moments - be it a moment of revelation or a moment of realisation - between its trio of characters driven by their own selfish motivations. It is a fine old-fashioned thriller that harkens to a Hitchcockian era of deceit and duplicity, whose title so named after the Roman god Janus of two faces alludes to. And in terms of a filmmaking debut for Amini, it is also assured and confident, one that deftly straddles the balance which he has been walking in his career between art and commercial filmmaking.
Movie Rating:
(As assured and confident a filmmaking debut as any, Hossein Amini’s adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel is a fine Hitchcockian thriller of intrigue, suspense and good acting)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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AH BOYS TO MEN 4 reporting for duty in 2017!Posted on 02 Dec 2015 |
Genre: Drama
Director: Aubrey Lam
Cast: Ronald Cheng, Bai Baihe, Zhang Yao, Guo Jingfei
RunTime: 1 hr 24 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Mature Content)
Released By: Clover Films & GV
Official Website:
Opening Day: 10 April 2014
Synopsis: In this highly competitive society, beauty quotient is the new IQ. Guo Jing, an average looking 22-year old girl fresh out of college, has recently joined millions in the unemployed workforce in China. Though she graduates top of her class, scoring a job takes more than just intelligence; Physical appearance also gets in the way. To complicate matters, she is dumped by her boyfriend because he’s no longer sexually interested in her. Suffering heavy blow to her outlook, she decides to reinvent herself in order to put her life back on track.
Movie Review:
The guy up there isn’t fair, and we all know it. There’s a reason why this writer isn’t the most dashing specimen from the male species, while he’s surrounded by friends who are seemingly more successful than him. We hear you ask, in what sense? Let’s see – a majority of his friends hold better paying jobs, are happily married with kids, or have “other halves” to spend special occasions with. In short, they are leading better lives. We hear you say, what’s the point of comparison? Let’s see – isn’t it human nature to be envious of what others have and not be contented with thy ownself?
Yup, the world is shallow that way. And that’s why a movie like Aubrey Lam’s latest work is out there in cinemas. The protagonist is a young college graduate who undergoes one cosmetic surgery after another to transform herself from a plan, jobless singleton to, well, a beauty.
The story takes place in China’s Beijing, and as the 84 minute movie would have us believe, the capital is filled with individuals who aren’t at all pleased with how they look. It seems to be the norm to step into a hospital or clinic offering plastic surgery services, asking for a facelift of sorts. Depending on how well off you are, the choice of hospital or clinic may vary to a well maintained and sanitised one, to a dubiously unlit one. But hey, as long as the job gets done, who cares about the process?
The movie stars Chinese actress Bai Baihe, who is known for her breakout role in the low budget romantic comedy Love is Not Blind (2011) co starring Wen Zhang. She went on to star opposite Eddie Peng in 2013’s A Wedding Invitation. Here, she first appears on screen donning an unkempt and frizzy hairdo (this seems to the most convenient getup for a girl to have if she wants to be associated with “ugly”), breaking up with who she thought was her boyfriend. The jerk feels she’s too unsightly and treats her nothing more than a sex partner. Therefore, our heroine begins her journey to change how she looks.
That, and also because she’s fresh in the job market – which means she has to look pretty to clinch a reputable job. Before you know it, she goes for one cosmetic surgery after another. This includes a lip injection, a chin implant, a nose job and finally, a breast augmentation. Along with these come problems like money issues, self esteem struggles, and not forgetting the most important element of a romantic comedy – a man who can promise eternal true love.
The male lead is played by funny man Ronald Cheng (Vulgaria, Special ID), and he does a decent, if not unspectacular job of leaving an impression. It helps that Bai is giving it her all, making this almost one and a half hour affair fairly effortless to sit through. Otherwise, Lam (Hidden Tracks, Anna & Anna) does an okay job exploring the social implications of cosmetic surgery in the urban society. There are a few chuckles here and there, but the somewhat shoddy ending is a letdown. When the end credits roll, you are left unsure whether cosmetic surgery is indeed the solution to all problems.
Movie Rating:
(A sometimes funny romantic comedy that earns effort points from Bai Baihe’s decent performance)
Review by John Li
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