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NOT YOUR TYPICAL SUPERHERO: THE GREEN HORNET SINGAPORE PRESS TOURPosted on 24 Jan 2011 |
In Japanese with English Subtitles
Genre: Action/Drama
Director: Takashi Miike
Cast: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yuseke Iseya, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, Mikijiro Hira, Hiroki Matsukata, Ikki Sawamura, Arata Furuta, Tsuyoshi Ihara
RunTime: 2 hrs 21 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: NC-16 (Some Violence & Sexual Scenes)
Official Website: http://13assassins.jp/index.html
Opening Day: 23 June 2011
Synopsis: Peaceful times in feudal Japan are threatened by the bloody rise to power of cruel Lord Naritsugu. Above the law because he is the Shogun’s brother, the sadistic young Lord rapes and kills at whim.
Distressed by the Lord’s murderous rampage, top Shogun official Sir Doi secretly calls on esteemed samurai Shinzaemon Shimada to assassinate the evil Naritsugu. Outraged on Lord Naritsugu’s vile acts, noble Shinzaemon willingly accepts the dangerous mission.
Shizaemon gathers an elite group of samurai, each with their own deadly skill, including his gambling nephew Shintokuro and devoted ronin Hirayama, Together they plot to ambush Lord Naritsugu on his annual journey home from Edo. The courageous samurai know it’s a suicide mission because the Lord Naritsugu is closely protected by a lethal entourage led by ruthless Hanbei, Shinzaemon’s longtime nemesis.
After weeks of training and preparation, SHinzaemon and his samurai ride stealthily through the mountains. On their perilous journey, they recruit a wild young mountain man, Koyata. The skilled group then takes over a small village, transforming it into an intricate death trap to snare Lord Naritsugu.
But when the Lord finally arrives, Shinzaemon and his loyal samurai discover they are outnumbered fifteen to one. The day has come for our fearless assassins to face death in a bloody showdown, a monumental battle of fiery explosions, showers of arrows and clashing swords.
Movie Review:
As much as we hate to admit, violence is entertaining. Why else would the WWE be so popular? One might even agree that violence is in itself, entertainment. Witnessing the madness and chaos that are involved in an act of physical violence is both thrilling and arresting simply because they are out of place in most of our 9-5, middle-class, democratically-governed realities. In other words, through it we find escapism. Not only that, appealing to the cavemen (and cavewomen) in us all, there is a sense of liberation too in watching violence.
When a movie opens with a realistic cringe-inducing scene of a man performing the infamous hara-kiri or self-disembowelment, you know that you are in for a treat. Despite the historical and cultural contexts which might be unfamiliar to some, the epic film stays dedicated to engage the audience. With scenes involving exploding bodies followed by showers of blood (yes, they do have bombs during the feudal times), hacked limbs and rolling heads, the explicit no-holds-barred violence is intended to surprise yet fascinate the audience with morbid, unthinkable gore that are not out of place in contemporary horror movies like the Saw franchise.
At the heart of all the madness in this film is the evil Lord Naritsugu. Used to not hearing no to every destructive whim and fancy thanks to his ties to the shogunate, he develops a nihilistic complex that is so extreme that the only sane reaction would be nervous laughter. Well, at least that was what the writer found herself doing. Without giving away the details, the lord rapes, tortures and kills just for kicks. He even eats a whole fish with his face buried in it. Ermm, yeah. Set to take over the reins of feudal Japan, he worries all those who still believe in hope and justice. Enter the 13 Assassins – a band of samurais who are keen on posing a much-delayed challenge to the insane lord with the intention of defeating him.
One should be wary to simply label the film as a mindless samurai bloodfest. Coupled with a classic good versus evil plot are insights into a world that is exclusive to those who are born in it. Directed by Takashi Miike who is probably most well-known for his ultraviolent controversial film Ichi the Killer, 13 assassins serves to explore with meaning the ways of the samurai. In an age where samurai heroics are dying and kept strictly to the dojo, the audience is posed with questions regarding the strict nature of the samurai lifestyle and its complex repercussions to society and the samurai himself. Known for their loyalty to their cause, the film asks if a good samurai can still be respected for his loyalty even if his cause is bad.
Spanning two hours, the film takes its time to deliver both a subtext-filled story and entertainment to the audience. And from that, you should take the cue to prepare yourselves for a 45 minute long battle scene that is nothing short of epic.
Movie Rating:
(A must-see for fanboys and fangirls of epic gore)
Reviewed by Siti Nursyafiqa
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WASAO!Posted on 03 Jun 2011 |
Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Danny McBride, James Franco, Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Justin Theroux, Toby Jones, Damian Lewis
RunTime: 1 hr 42 mins
Released By: UIP
Rating: M18 (Sexual References, Some Nudity and Violence)
Official Website: http://www.yourhighnessmovie.net/
Opening Day: 23 June 2011
Synopsis: Throughout history, tales of chivalry have burnished the legends of brave, handsome knights who rescue fair damsels, slay dragons and conquer evil. But behind many a hero is a good-for-nothing younger brother trying just to stay out of the way of those dragons, evil and trouble in general. Danny McBride and James Franco team up for an epic comedy adventure set in a fantastical world—Your Highness. As two princes on a daring mission to save their land, they must rescue the heir apparent’s fiancée before their kingdom is destroyed.
Thadeous (McBride) has spent his life watching his perfect older brother Fabious (Franco) embark upon valiant journeys and win the hearts of his people. Tired of being passed over for adventure, adoration and the throne, he’s settled for a life of wizard’s weed, hard booze and easy maidens. But when Fabious’ bride-to-be, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel), gets kidnapped by the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux), the king gives his deadbeat son an ultimatum: Man up and help rescue her or get cut off.
Half-assedly embarking upon his first quest, Thadeous joins Fabious to trek across the perilous outlands and free the princess. Joined by Isabel (Natalie Portman)—an elusive warrior with a dangerous agenda of her own—the brothers must vanquish horrific creatures and traitorous knights before they can reach Belladonna. If Thadeous can find his inner hero, he can help his brother prevent the destruction of his land. Stay a slacker, and not only does he die a coward, he gets front row seats to the dawn of an all-new Dark Ages.
Movie Review:
Let's talk about characters in film, the stereotypical cookie cut-outs which all make a film familiar and some to relate to. And then comes the antagonist, the evil doer that foils all good in the world. Then comes the people in between. The fillers that leads the protagonist to its goal who may or may not be thanked for or some worse fate do befall onto them as scape goats or even valid to death at the mercy of try to be a hero. Sad isn’t it? I do feel for them underdogs. working their butts off just to help. Oh wait i feel for all but of one kind. The annoying funny guy that lightens the mood of a serious scenario. Much like Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars or the fat dude (Zach Galifianakis) from the Hang Over, these are the people who you just wanna smash their teeth in but you can’t because you’re a good guy and people don’t expect you to do these kind of violent nature but if there was a chance, I'll jump at the moment. But, Your Highness stepped it up even further. helming in the steps of films like Step Brothers, Pineapple Express and such, the annoyance just got the lead role. And that lead role goes to Danny McBride.
I’ll have to admit, while watching the most anticipated film i have been waiting for ages, seating with my friend in the darkened hall, this trailer of medieval times came on and spewed profanity in my ears with the vision of Danny, I was totally put off. I whispered to my right and said, “This looks terrible. It’s filthy and stupid, I'll never pay to watch this.” A reply returned and said, “It’s funny wat. I think it looks interesting”. I dissed in disgust and began wide eyed as the reel exploded coming in terms to my anticipation. Forward 1 week later, a message rang on my mobile and there rolled across the screen of my certain demise. But, harsh was i to be judging a character by mere thought as superficial assumption instead of seeing it for my self and judging thee as it presents.
There i was, min by min passed, what i assumed to be the confirmation of my forth hatred towards a character, the darken room among the viewers slowly warmed up to me. My statement of it being filthy and stupid still remain true but, i have to admit, it is rather charmingly funny. No, i’m not a total convert but alas my dear readers, i have learnt that one must not judge another by mere assumption and only by understanding and seeing with my own eyes will i discover it’s true intent and prospect of such value. In another words, it’s a pretty funny show.
In a nutshell, Your Highness is modern take of a fairy tale with witches and goblins and whatnot which will incredibly throw you off balance with the dialog script which sounds like a college dorm hall. Let’s do a quick story setup. Danny McBride (Thadeous) and James Franco (Fabious) are sons of the king. Fabious met and fell in love with a fair young maiden (Zooey Deschanel) while on a quest and was about to marry her when the evil sorcerer, Leezar (Justin Theroux) takes her – setting the foundation for the driving story arc: A quest to re-rescue the fair maiden. They both go on the quest, finds and team up with warrior-babe Isabel (Natalie Portman) who has her own quest to complete.
Character acting all around are tremendous as expected from the level of what the film has to offer. All were played out to that degree of awkwardness which had to be pitch perfect in comedic timing. Zooey the ever-ethereal fair maiden with a quirky twist was good as expected. Franco the knight in shining armour is as stoned much as one can deliver. Danny as mentioned as annoying as ever BUT i must say, he kept the annoyance under controlled and when i thought he was going to go over the top, he pulled back and was, dare i say, rather charming at times. and oh how can we forget wonderful Natalie Portman, whose ass kicking and warrior demure had us at hello.
The story, simple. Nothing complicated. It’s pretty straight forward. One can say this film is a cross between Pineapple Express and A Knights Tale who grew up and are in college, drinking beer and smoking pot and tons of dick and fart jokes. Comedy, depending on what your degree of low brow you can go, the lamest and crude are the specials of the day. Some might be offensive at times but its offensive enough that it’s actually quite funny. I went in with very low expectation and expected to be offended and bored till the end but i was wrong. In the end, Your Highness is rather an entertaining slapstick fest that not for everyone. I mean where else can you find a wise old creature who will show them the way that happens to be a pervert and smokes pot? Smoking pot. Wait-a-min, the title of the film is...ah, i see what you did there.
Movie Rating:
(If you like your knights in shining armour coated with vulgarities, ride on sir!)
Review by Lokman B S
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RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES gets a new trailer!Posted on 03 Jun 2011 |
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First look at SPY KIDS: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLDPosted on 04 Jun 2011 |
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[ScreenSG] A Glittery BeginningPosted on 05 Jun 2011 |
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Emperor Motion Pictures and Clover Films close 4-movie deal for SingaporePosted on 06 Jun 2011 |
SYNOPSIS: When a clueless Wall Street CFO gets made the fall guy for a mafia Ponzi scheme, he becomes a government witness and a moving target. But with a little financial encouragement, Madea agrees to turn her home into a safe house only to discover the CFO's crazy family has bigger problems than the mob. So Madea goes undercover and over the top as a wealthy socialite in New York to get the money back, the family out, and a little something extra for her trouble.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Tyler Perry (last seen in the crime thriller, Alex Cross) might not be a familiar name here but he is certainly a successful African-American filmmaker, actor, entrepreneur etc in the States where his Madea movie series were huge hits.
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection is the recent release out of at least six of them. Madea is a sassy, no-nonsense oversized African-American auntie who lives with his brother, Joe. With the lure of $4000 cash per month by his prosecutor nephew, Brian, Madea agrees to take in a family of five. The head of the family, George Needleman (Eugene Levy) has gotten himself involved unwittingly in a Ponzi scheme and as a result needs to be protected from the mafia who is after the money.
Following the footsteps of Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in The Nutty Professor and Big Momma’s House, Perry appears in drag as the occasional foul-mouthed Madea, under layered makeup as Joe and in his real-life form, Brian. And he also writes, directs and produced the comedy. It’s an incredulous task but Perry seems to be enjoying all of it.
It’s very much an accessible family comedy without all the raunchy, nudity bits and naughty language commonly found in comedies nowadays. There are some racial jokes and sexist gags, Madea’s ramblings about her days as a pole dancer or something, overall stuff that makes you chuckle than feeling embarrassed about. There is even an Aunt Madea’s lesson on how to teach your step child to behave right and that turned out to be rather amusing as well.
Adding to the cast is everyone’s favourite dad from American’s Pie, Eugene Levy playing George with ex-Bond girl Denise Richards (as sexy as ever) appearing as his second wife. For a comedy, the main problem with Madea’s Witness Protection is that it’s too long and many subplots are never answered in the end. The Needlemans never find themselves in any real threat situations, the Ponzi scheme is quickly resolved and the question of Joe being George’s biological dad never materialises.
Despite all the nitpickings, Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection turned out surprisingly to be a digestible, mainstream entry. While the States audiences are getting weary of Madea maybe it’s time for us to get acquainted with her.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Sound and dialogue are clear while the digitally shot movie is detailed.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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First trailer for BREAKING DAWN unveiled at the MTV Movie AwardsPosted on 06 Jun 2011 |
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