Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Marc Lawrence
Cast: Hugh Grant, Marisa Tomei, Allison Janney, J.K. Simmons, Chris Elliott
RunTime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 16 October 2014

Synopsis: Fifteen years ago, screenwriter Ray Michaels (Grant) won an Academy Award®. As a successful, witty, sexy Englishman in Hollywood, the world was his oyster. Years later, he’s creatively washed up, divorced and broke but still very much the center of his own universe. With no other options, he’s forced to take a job teaching screenwriting at a small college. Although he believes the work to be beneath an Oscar®-winner, he hopes to make some easy money and enjoy the favors of impressionable young co-eds. What he doesn’t expect to find is the single mother (Tomei), a mature student who winds up teaching Ray a few hilarious and heartwarming lessons of her own.

Movie Review:

Superficially, The Rewrite resembles Music and Lyrics with the jaded washed-out male lead who was once a promising talent in his field and a chirpy female lead who essentially turns his life out. And little wonder that’s the case considering this is another Marc Lawrence-Hugh Grant collaboration.

Other than the resemblance in plot/protagonists, The Rewrite is similarly as entertaining  as Music and Lyrics. Hugh Grant delivers as the flawed yet charming dithering British man-child, Keith Michaels who is cynical yet insecure. As a has-been Hollywood scriptwriter who is forced to take up a creative writing job at a university, he states upfront that he has no intention to teach and dismisses his class for one month at his first lesson. And the criteria for being able to make it into his creative writing class? For the women – good looks (or peskiness in Holly’s case) and the men – bad looks (so that they won’t pose any competition to him).

When his counterfoil, the perky Holly (portrayed by Marissa Tomei) who believes that you can do anything if you set your mind to it, appears, you know he will be able to redeem himself. It’s just a matter of the journey he has to take - i.e. be forced to actually teach thanks to a Jane Austen-loving colleague to whom he utters witty yet suicidal lines, gets into trouble by sleeping with a student and turns down his opportunity for a comeback at Hollywood to go back to teaching.

Unfortunately, only Keith Michaels’ character is given more of a personality. While the rest of the cast put in commendable performances, their characters are mostly stereotypes. It would have been nice to see more depth in terms of character development.  

Movie Rating:

(The Rewrite is a thoroughly enjoyable romcom thanks to its strong cast and witty lines; stay for the credits where you get to watch some entertaining side scenes)

Review by Katrina Tee

Genre: Drama
Director: Charles Martin Smith
Cast: Harry Connick, Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Austin Stowell
RunTime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://www.dolphintale2.com

Opening Day: 2 October 2014

Synopsis: Several years have passed since young Sawyer Nelson (Gamble) and the dedicated team at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), headed by Dr. Clay Haskett (Connick, Jr.), rescued Winter, a young dolphin who lost her tail after being entangled in a crab trap. With the help of Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Freeman), who developed a unique prosthetic tail for Winter, they saved her life against all odds. In turn, she helped save the Aquarium—as people came from far and wide to see the courageous dolphin firsthand, enabling CMA to greatly expand their mission to “rescue, rehabilitate and, when possible, release” injured animals. Yet their fight is not over. Winter’s surrogate mother, the elderly dolphin Panama, passes away, leaving Winter alone and grieving, unwilling to engage with anyone, even her best friend, Sawyer. However, the loss of Panama may have even greater repercussions for CMA. The USDA warns Clay they will have to move Winter from the Aquarium because regulations require these social creatures to be paired. If they don’t find a female companion for her — one that she accepts — CMA will lose their beloved Winter. But as time runs out, there may still be Hope....

Movie Review:

Okay, it has been three years since the last Dolphin Tale movie. The dolphin attraction at a certain local renowned resort has since opened – have you forked out those bucks to swim with the adorable marine mammals, and attempt to know these extremely smart animals better? While we aren’t here to discuss the never ending controversy between a certain activist group and the resort, there’s no denying that interest in this family drama may be sparked by the saga that got some netizens fired up.

If you watched the first movie, you’d be familiar with the story of Winter, whose miraculous rescue and recovery - thanks to a groundbreaking prosthetic tail - made her a symbol of hope and perseverance to people around the world. Fast forward a few years and the dedicated team at the ClearwaterMarineHospitalare back to find Winter a companion after the passing of her surrogate mother. Do you need us how to tell you how the movie will end? Winter will find Hope – and surprise, surprise: Hope is the name of a new dolphin that became Winter’s “best friend”.

Credit goes to the movie producers for bringing this real life event to the big screen. You can’t really go wrong with a movie telling the story of how man and animal can share a close knit bond. And like this writer mentioned in his review of the first movie in 2011, nothing can beat the classic Free Willy (1993) when it comes to movies involving marine creatures.

This 107 minute movie sees the return of Harry Connick, Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehisdorff, Kris Kristofferson, Juliana Harkavy, Austin Stowell and everyone’s favourite Morgan Freeman to reprise their roles from the first installment. There’s nothing to be particularly excited about the human beings’ performance here (you were expecting Oscar worthy performances?), because the stars are our dolphin friends. You should have known after seeing the movie poster.

Seeing how a simple plot thread isn’t enough to sustain a feature film, we have a couple of other predictable storylines added to the mix. One concerns an offer that our young protagonist (Gamble) receives from a Bostoncollege to join a three month programme in marine biology the school offers at sea. It’s an enticing offer, but he resists saying yes when Winter’s future was a uncertainty. We know how that will turn out, don’t we? The other involves an injured turtle over which the comic relief pelican from the first film becomes an insistent protector. Yup, it’s fun to watch these two animals adding some fun to the movie, but we all know how the turtle will return to the seas too.   

The cynic in this writer thinks that the movie is uneventful and predictable, but it deserves credit for treating its non human characters with respect. The movie repeatedly reminds us that Winter is a wild animal, not a pet. While this isn’t classic family fare, it’s likely to keep young children entertained while pleasing their parents with its good messages about how humans should interact with animals. The best part of the movie is before its end credits, where we see actual footage of Hope's rescue, a dolphin and a turtle’s release, as well as how amputees have fun interacting with Winter.

Movie Rating:

(The sequel, like its predecessor, treads in safe waters to please young children and their parents with good messages about how humans should treat animals with respect)

Review by John Li

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore, Natalie Dormer, Woody Harrelson, Evan Ross, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin, Robert Knepper, Gwendoline Christie, Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/TheHungerGamesMovie

Opening Day: 20 November 2014

Synopsis: The worldwide phenomenon of The Hunger Games continues to set the world on fire with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, which finds Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in District 13 after she literally shatters the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin (Julianne Moore) and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and a nation moved by her courage. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 is directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Danny Strong and Peter Craig and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the third in a trilogy written by Suzanne Collins that has over 65 million copies in print in the U.S. alone.

Movie Review:

With the shot of an arrow, Katniss Everdeen demolished the annual Hunger Games and set in motion a rebellion that may very well overthrow the totalitarian rule of the Capitol which has held sway over the people in twelve Districts for the past 75 years. But to get to that point of the struggle, Katniss needs to be transformed from a survivor into an icon, a symbol that would come to represent what the revolution stands for in order to rally the people from the Districts to come forth from fear and join in the armed struggle.

Opinion will certainly be divided whether the concluding book in Suzanne Collins’ ‘Hunger Games’ trilogy should have been split into two movies, but unlike other similarly cleaved YA-franchises, the verdict is very much clearer in this case whether ‘Mockingjay’ merits that split. By leaving the inevitable showdown between the rebels and the Capitol for another film, this prelude instead leaves enough breathing room for itself to be an intimately sombre character study of Katniss, the reluctant heroine from District 12 who over the course of two years of her life and two iterations of the to-the-death bloodsport found herself in a position to become a leader of a cause, but at a tremendous price not just personally but also collaterally.

Even though the Games are done, Katniss remains the traumatised centre of this penultimate chapter. Her rescuer, Plutarch Heavensbee (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), and the leader of the rebel cause, District 13’s President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), want Katniss to be the star of a series of propaganda videos (or “propos”), but as her former mentor Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) shrewdly observes, Katniss has never done well following orders. Instead, her transformation would have to come from within, and this is in fact her two-hour coming-of-age story.

Wisely choosing not to antagonise rabid fans of Collins’ books, screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong (both newcomers to the franchise) remain thoroughly faithful to the book. From a solo visit to District 12 to see firsthand what is left of it to another tour of the equally ravaged District 8 where the dead, the dying and the starving are crammed in the same makeshift hospital, Katniss’ witness of the extent of Snow’s brutality and her empathy for its victims will eventually fuel her fire to rage defiance against the Capitol’s President Snow (Donald Sutherland). But Snow has his own spokesman – Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), her fellow tribute from District 12 and no less than her lover; Peeta is Snow’s weapon against Katniss, ‘hijacked’ by Snow and put on Capitol TV to plead with Katniss to back down.

Not like in the Games, Katniss’ trials here are more psychological than physical, so those expecting the same straightforward page-turning thrills of ‘Catching Fire’ will probably be quite disappointed. Gone is the colourful world of the Games, and in its place an austere subterranean environment where everyone dresses in boiler suits and even the formerly flamboyant Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) has to forgo her wigs and make-up. That change of pace and place isn’t however a bad thing at all, for it does allow us the space and time to fully appreciate the emotional depth of Jennifer Lawrence’s acting.

More than in the other two films, Lawrence is simply tremendous here, conveying so many different shades within the same character – vulnerability as evidenced by how quickly she is seized by helplessness when she sees Peeta on TV, doubt in the her wariness towards President Coin and her spin doctor Plutarch, but most importantly her fierce determination when she turns towards the camera and delivers a personal message to Snow: “if we burn, you burn with us”. Lawrence has always been the beating heart of this dystopian saga, and by letting Katniss’ bow and arrow take a backseat to her emotional struggles, this chapter sees Lawrence deliver her most soulful, stirring and storm-raging performance yet.

The less said about Hemsworth the better, but though her equivalent male co-stars fail to rise to the game, she finds plenty of support in similar acting heavyweights Moore, Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright and Sutherland. Such an ensemble may seem out of place in a YA-franchise, but their participation also indicates their confidence in the material. There is rich political subtext here about waging a revolution, not simply in military strategy but also in a more significant battle of the minds, wills and hearts. It was an inspired choice for Strong to be chosen as screenwriter – his previous work on HBO’s ‘Recount and ‘Game Change’ as well as last year’s ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ certainly reveals his proclivities – and thankfully, returning director Francis Lawrence grasps the nuances in Strong’s adaptation acutely and assuredly.

He may not be the Lawrence in front of the camera, but this Lawrence behind it guides the proceedings with poise and élan, confidently balancing the action and politics while finding just the right tone that never comes across too heavy-handed on either tragedy or melodrama, managing to even insert some moments of levity (courtesy of Effie and Haymitch). The opening half hour could be tighter, but once the film gets into its stride, you’ll find it just as gripping as the earlier films, in particular a daring raid under the cover of darkness into the heart of the Capitol’s Tribute Centre to rescue the victors of the Games – most prominently Peeta.

It does necessarily end on a cliffhanger, but this mid-sentence pause feels much more organic than say that of the ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Twilight’ series. If you’ve just wanted a wham-bang thriller, then we say go re-watch ‘Catching Fire’; indeed, Collins’ trilogy was never meant to be just that. Without resorting to any voiceovers, this deliberately-paced but no less engrossing chapter retains the book’s first-person, present-tense perspective of Katniss while losing none of the political allegory that Collins had intended from the very start. It may not catch fire, but it is a slow-burner that nonetheless captivates, enthrals and thrills.
  
Movie Rating:

(More deliberately-paced than its predecessors, this penultimate chapter is still tense and gripping as an intimate character study on its heroine Katniss Everdeen and a smart political allegory on revolution)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Supernatural/Thriller
Director: Alexandre Aja
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, Max Minghella, David Morse, Joe Anderson, Heather Graham, Kelli Garner, James Remar, Laine MacNeil, Sabrina Carpenter
RunTime: -
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes, Nudity and Drug Use)
Released By: GV
Official Website: http://radiustwc.com/releases/horns/

Opening Day: 30 October 2014

Synopsis: In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to strange horns sprouting from his temples.

Movie Review:

Ever since He Who Shall Not Be Named was finally vanquished, Daniel Radcliffe has been striving to escape from the shadow of Harry Potter with consciously adult turns in gothic horror ‘The Woman in Black’ and the literary drama ‘Kill Your Darlings’. His latest sees him continue firmly down the road of edgy adult-oriented fare, playing a man wrongly accused of murdering his girlfriend who wakes up one day and finds himself transformed into the Devil – well, sort of, because that’s probably how best we can describe the horns he suddenly sprouts from his temples.

The premise isn’t its own; cult scribe Joe Hill, who happens to be the son of Stephen King, developed his idea into a critically acclaimed novel that was released in 2010. But those who have read the book are probably going to be disappointed by the film, because there is a lot of symbolism in the source material which has been lost in translation. What survives this adaptation from first-time feature screenwriter Keith Bunin are the more literal elements of the plot, and while there is an undeniable hook to the central murder mystery on which the narrative is framed, there is a lot less depth than what fans of the book will no doubt come to expect.

Bunin however isn’t the reason why the movie is less than what it could have been; indeed, you can see glimpses of details that would and should have mattered more in the hands of a more confident director. The French-born Alexander Aja is unfortunately slightly out of his league here; from the horror-comedy ‘Piranha 3D’ to the horror-horrors ‘Mirrors’ and ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, Aja’s track record suggests a penchant for the visceral over the literary, which explains the subtlety that is lacking.

And so, the treehouse which Radcliffe’s Ig Parrish and his deceased girlfriend Merrin (Juno Temple) spend most of their days becomes no more than their hideaway in the woods, rather than a more intriguing concept linked to a Treehouse of the Mind which Ig and Merrin discover as a child. The effect that Ig’s horns have on the people he meets is played more for comedy, than as a biting reflection of one of our deepest fears, i.e. that deep inside, no one truly cares about us. Most significantly, Ig’s sudden change from ‘Devil’ to ‘Angel’ and back is framed on a more conventional understanding of a choice between good and evil, instead of a more radical notion about the presence – or absence – of God in the world that Ig exposes of evil, immorality and injustice.

That said, these shortcomings do not diminish the fact that it is Aja’s most ambitious work to date. There is humour of the dark comedy kind, drama in the form of tragedy, horror in the supernatural, romance of the teenage variety, fantasy, and a good old murder mystery – and the mishmash of various genres sees Aja trying to find the right tone at least in the first hour of the movie. Thankfully, the second half settles into a much more assured pace as it sets up the enmity between Ig and his best childhood friend Lee (Max Minghella), the latter of whom proves much more diabolical than his pleasant demeanour at the start may suggest. It’s a tonally tricky project all right, and Aja does struggle for a while before finding the right mix of humour and horror mashed with some gleeful relish.

But even if Aja does miss a beat here and there, Radcliffe hardly does. It’s not an easy role to play, particularly since it requires him to grief, to be indignant, to be angry and finally to be malicious, but Radcliffe nails the gamut of emotions perfectly. There is also chemistry between him and fellow Brit Temple, though one wished that they had more scenes together. Supporting actors like Joe Anderson as Ig’s druggy brother and James Remar and Kathleen Quinlan as his parents do equally solid work, but it is Minghella’s malevolent turn as he is confronted with Ig’s powers of compelling honesty that truly is something in itself.

That is probably what fans of the book will say about Joe Hill’s novel, but like we said earlier, those who approach this film from the context of its source material will probably turn out quite disappointed at the nuances that are clearly lost. But for those encountering it for the first time, ‘Horns’ will no doubt prove to be sufficiently engaging as a whodunit as well as a subversive metaphysical-metaphorical fable. Yes, despite its flaws, there is enough of what it came from for this adaptation to remain intriguing and entertaining, not least for the fact that it is as far away from Harry Potter as Radcliffe could ever get. 

Movie Rating:

(Flawed but nonetheless entertaining mix of murder-mystery and metaphysical- metaphorical fable which boasts a standout performance by Daniel Radcliffe)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Crime/Thriller
Director: Henrik Genz
Cast: James Franco, Kate Hudson, Omar Sy, Tom Wilkinson, Anna Friel, Sam Spruell, Diarmaid Murtagh, Lasco Atkins
RunTime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: http://www.millenniumfilms.com

Opening Day: 9 October 2014

Synopsis: GOOD PEOPLE is a thriller about an American couple living in London who fall into severe debt renovating his family’s home. And then they find the tenant in their downstairs apartment has passed away and left 200,000 pounds in cash. All they have to do is take the money and all their problems will be solved. So they do, and that’s when very bad things start happening to good people.

Movie Review:

The titular individuals here refer to Tom and Anna Wright (played by James Franco and Kate Hudson respectively), an American couple whose livelihoods haven’t gotten much better since they made the move to London. Not only is Tom unable to raise enough cash to renovate the crumbling old house they inherited in the countryside, they are so behind on their mortgage that they have just been served an eviction notice unless they make a sizeable payment within a week.

Their only source of reliable income is the rent they get from the tenant living in their basement, whom they know little of except for the fact that he likes to play video games at full volume. One night when Tom goes to confront him for the same disturbance, he finds the fellow dead in his armchair, the victim of a drug overdose of liquid heroin. But the central conceit of this British crime caper lies in what Tom and Anna decide to do with the duffel bag they find hidden in the ceiling containing some £220,000 - and well, if they had bothered to spend some time watching a few Hollywood movies, they would know that bad things happen to good people precisely from such moments of greed.

And true enough, this is that kind of movie, where Tom and Anna find themselves confronted by a ruthless local gangster Jack (Sam Spruell) with ties to the local police force. What’s more, it turns out that not only did their tenant double-cross Jack, he had also by doing so inadvertently crossed the pompous Parisian drug lord Khan (Omar Sy) - the latter’s introduction to Tom in particular takes the form of a soliloquy in which the villain with the unprepossessing name bothers to explain at length just how a certain conqueror of the same name had rode over all those who refused to be “on his team”.

As adapted by Kelly Masterson from a 2008 novel by Chicago-based author Marcus Sakey, the ensuing cat-and-mouse game plays itself out with surprisingly little surprises - and that basically means you can pretty much connect the dots to guess what is going to happen before it does and just what it is leading up to. Unsurprisingly therefore, it culminates in a three-way showdown at Tom’s rickety house, which the couple have rigged beforehand to unleash a ‘Home Alone’-style retaliation against their assailants. Besides their smarts however, they have an unlikely ally in the form of Detective Halden (Tom Wilkinson), a weary London homicide detective whose interest in the case stems from his own daughter’s demise a few years ago.

But like we said, this isn’t the sort of thriller which tries to be smarter than its audience; in fact, it is generic to a fault, which partly explains why it has been given the direct-to-video treatment in some territories despite its star power. On his part, Danish helmer Henrik Ruben Genz turns in a slick package that manages to hold your attention from start to finish, but that alone is hardly enough to compensate for the pedestrian-ness of the narrative. Masterson’s screenplay also fails to take a character-driven approach to the material, which explains why we can’t quite connect to Franco and Hudson’s characters even though that is what we are meant to do.

It isn’t either actor’s fault though; both Franco and Hudson are likeable persons in their own right, and their own inherent appeal goes a long way in sustaining our interest in their otherwise thinly written characters. Ditto for Wilkinson, the veteran British actor solid in a supporting role that is easily the movie’s most grounded performance. Spruell and Sy both try to chew up their scenery, but Sy’s menacing poise makes him the more compelling one between the two, so much so that one wishes that he were given a meatier role in the first place.

Yes, if you’re a discerning viewer, there are many ways in which ‘Good People’ comes up short; but if you’re simply looking for a time-filler, then this unfussy easy-on-the-eye thriller will probably do the trick. Nevertheless, one wishes that the filmmakers had dared to be more imaginative than their prose, to expand beyond what is really a mediocre novel so as to become better than its source. As it is, it’s neither good nor bad - it’s simply ok, and by that, we also mean forgettable.

Movie Rating:

(An utterly mediocre thriller that aims to get by with as little surprises as possible)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Teddy Chen
Cast: Donnie Yen, Charlie Yeung, Wang Baoqiang, Bai Bing, Zhang Lan-Xin, William Chan, Alex Fong, David Chiang, Deep Ng, Shi Yanneng, Louis Fan 
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence)
Released By: GV and Clover Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 30 October 2014

Synopsis: A vicious killer (Wang Baoqiang) is going round Hong Kong killing top martial arts exponents. When convicted killer and kung fu expert, Xia (Donnie Yen) hears this, he offers to help the police catch the killer, in return for his freedom. However, the canny and lethal killer eludes them again and again. Although the latter has made it quite clear that Xia would be his ultimate challenge, Xia refuses to be drawn into a life or death duel – until the killer threatens the woman he loves most.

Movie Review:

As much as we love the ‘Ip Man’ star, we’ll be frank to admit that Donnie Yen needs a hit – bad. Since Peter Chan’s genre-mashing martial arts epic ‘Wu Xia’ three years ago, Yen has struggled to find a movie equal to his standing, languishing in CGi-driven farcical fare like ‘The Monkey King’ to lazily plotted modern-day cop dramas like ‘Special ID’ and most embarrassingly to a kids’ acrobatic show like ‘Iceman 3D’. Which is why his latest, which reteams him with ‘Bodyguards and Assassins’ helmer Teddy Chen, is such a huge sigh of relief for us – it packs Yen’s signature brand of hard-hitting action with a compelling narrative to be both thrilling and moving at the same time, and is indeed as good a comeback as we could have asked for.

The setup isn’t complicated, and fuses the themes in a kung fu picture into a police procedural. A brief prologue which shows Yen turning himself in at the police station after killing his exponent in a fight frames the former, while the latter unfolds three years later with the emergence of a serial killer who is targeting experts in different martial arts disciplines, i.e. boxing, kicking, grappling, weaponry etc. Immediately after hearing a news report of one such victim, Yen’s martial arts instructor Mo Hahou starts a prison brawl just to get the attention of its lead investigator (Charlie Yeung), proceeding to name the others whom he claims would be next.

As it turns out, Yen’s portents come true one by one, and he gets a temporary release from prison to aid in the manhunt. To be sure, there is no doubt on who that is – an unhinged psychopath called Fung Yu-sae (Wang Baoqiang) who has just lost his wife to cancer and now possesses only a murderous motivation to prove himself the best of the best. Unsurprisingly, the film builds to an ultimate challenge between Yen and Wang, the former’s motivations and the latter’s intentions more personal and intertwined than what you are likely to have thought at the start.

Chan isn’t a storyteller without purpose, and none of that seems lost in Lau Ho Leung and Mak Tin Shu’s tight scripting from Chan’s own story. You can probably make a reasonable guess from one of the film’s working titles ‘Last of the Best’, which essentially hints at a lethal fight to the finish. Chan’s character-driven tale depicts Yen and Wang’s on-screen personas as two sides of the same coin, both of them highly trained pugilists tempted to use their skills to kill rather than to protect and whose personal quests for supremacy has blinded them to the consequences of getting there. It is a familiar conceit all right, but Chan’s incredibly assured direction fleshes it out convincingly.

His ingenuity doesn’t quite end there; by placing such themes within the context of a modern day setting, Chan has truly accomplished a rare feat of making a contemporary martial arts movie. In fact, we’d even go as far as to say that ‘Kung Fu Jungle’ is the very embodiment of such a movie, so much so that you won’t even begin to question whether it is realistic for the characters to engage in such elaborate one-on-one fisticuffs in this day and age. The use of martial arts here makes complete and perfect sense, woven beautifully into the plotting and given a gritty down-to-earth polish that makes it all the more authentic. Chan’s aim here is also homage, and eagle-eyed fans of the genre will have a field day spotting – among others – Mang Hoi, Tony Leung Siu-Hung, Tsui Siu-Ming, Yuen Cheung Yan and Sharon Yeung in cameos.

Yes, many of these stars have paved the ground on which Yen’s stature as a martial arts actor stands on, and their appearances – no matter how brief – has clearly energised Yen. His work as action director here is among his best in years, but it is probably no coincidence that he is joined by other luminaries like Yuen Bun and Tung Wai. Each kill provides an expedient setting for a quick burst of adrenaline, with trained kung fu actors like Shi Yanneng and Louis Fan in brief but memorable supporting roles that Wang challenges to a one-on-one fight to the death. No expense has been spared even in these scenes, and credit goes to production designers Dennis Chan, Albert Lee and Yip Wai-Shan for their innovative backdrops including a massive skeleton artpiece in a Kowloon arts centre, a tattoo parlour adorned with tanks of jellyfish and an (almost meta) movie studio set.

Quick, clean but brutal – they pretty much establish the tone for the more elaborate setpieces to come, and it is in the latter that one is reminded why Yen is arguably the best active kung fu actor out there today. From a signature ‘one against many’ brawl in prison to a cat-and-mouse chase in and out of the stilt houses that form Lantau Island’s fishing community to an exhilarating finish along the Container Port Road leading out of the Kwai Tsing Container Terminals, Yen impresses with his speed, agility and execution. In particular, the latter ranks as one of his best in intensity and inventiveness, much better than the overlong and overindulgent climax in ‘Special ID’ and the flamboyantly messy one in ‘Iceman 3D’, especially with a wowing mid-section that sees Yen and Wang duelling with wooden poles.

If Wang ever seemed an odd choice for Yen’s opponent given his filmography, the Shaolin-trained Mainland actor finally redeems himself here. This isn’t their first match-up – that ignominy goes to the atrocious ‘Iceman 3D’ – but seeing Wang fight the way he does here is truly an eye-opener, firmly putting to rest any doubts of his ability in a physically demanding role like this. Wang is also chillingly good as the snarling murderer whose hood hides a deliberately scarred face, but is equally persuasive when portraying the part of a loving husband to his dying wife. Yen’s acting is in equally fine form as an honourable man wracked by his past demons and trying to stop a monster for more personal reasons than he is willing to admit to anyone.

Truth be told, we weren’t quite sold when we heard that Yen and Wang were re-teaming after ‘Iceman 3D’, and if you’re having similar reservations, we’re here to tell you that they are unfounded. ‘Kung Fu Jungle’ is a thrilling showcase of martial arts action and gripping storytelling, a shining example of a contemporary kung fu movie and an earnest and befitting tribute to a bedrock of Hong Kong cinema. Chan uses the end credits to express his gratitude to each and every one of the cast and crew, and the fact that he doesn’t even include himself into that closing reel shows his humility – and his heart in the right place. 

Movie Rating:

(A stunning comeback for Donnie Yen after a string of disappointments, this well-plotted, character-driven embodiment of a contemporary martial arts movie is thrilling, gripping and poignant)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Drama
Director: Philippe Falardeau
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal
RunTime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Drug Use)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: http://www.thegoodliemovie.com

Opening Day: 23 October 2014

Synopsis: They were known simply as “The Lost Boys.” Orphaned by the brutal Civil war in Sudan that began in 1983, these young victims traveled as many as a thousand miles on foot in search of safety. Fifteen years later, a humanitarian effort would bring 3600 lost boys and girls to America. In “The Good Lie,” Philippe Falardeau, (writer and director of the Oscar®- nominated Foreign Language film “Monsieur Lazhar”) brings the story of their survival and triumph to life. Academy Award® winner Reese Witherspoon (“Walk the Line”) stars alongside Sudanese actors Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, and newcomer Nyakuoth Weil, many of whom were also children of war.

Movie Review:

Do we really want to watch another film “inspired by real life events”? Are we ready to take on another feel good movie starring a well known Hollywoodactor helping folks from less developed countries? Is there a market for yet another sappy tale of the admirable human spirit?

Of course we are. And that’s why we have this predictable but likeable movie about how young victims from the Sudancivil war find safety in America. To top it off, the producers engaged American actress Reese Witherspoon (Oscar Best Actress for Walk the Line) to play the protagonist, and French Canadian filmmaker Phiippe Falardeau (writer and director of Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film Monsieur Lazhar) to helm the 110 minute production. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are credited as producers here. Oscar bait? You bet.

Witherspoon takes on the role of a brash American woman who helps four young Sudanese refugees after they win a lottery for relocation to the United States. Our gungho female lead works in an employment agency, and why is she only the one helping the boys adjust to American society? Because the filmmakers want us to look up to this noble humanitarian act, that’s why.

This works in both a good and bad way for the movie – good because there’s no way you will dislike the well intentioned production (no one wants to be labeled a heartless Scrooge, right?), and bad because you know how the plot will play out even before buying a ticket.

What’s really commendable are the fine performances from the teen and adult Africans who are actual former Sudanese refugees. The child actors are offspring of resettled Sudanese-Americans, and the inexperienced cast manages to engage with their earnest acting. The best portion of the movie is actually the first half hour, where we are far away from Witherspoon and any other hints of America’s helping hand. The story is captivating here as we follow a group of Sudanese children as they escape their civil war across a sun baked savanna. 

In America, we see the four Sudanese refugees adapting to American life. It’s nothing new really (expect to see Americanised brands like McDonald’s and Cheerios popping up), and if anything, these antics are played for laughs. While this dislocation is roughly where things break down a little in a predictable manner, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jai and Kuoth Wiel do their bit to make this part of the movie watchable. It's hard not to truly feel for these guys and all they've been through and are currently dealing with.

For anyone who is even slightly discerning or has seen this kind of movie before, it's difficult not to be cynical. Witherspoon’s character is a supporting one here, but no thanks to the need to market the movie, her name and pretty face is featured prominently in promotional materials. Her character’s sassy, single, and has affairs with dudes in hotels - but she is also a humanitarian we should aspire to be. The takeaway? We are all flawed humans, yet there’s something in us that makes us saints.

Movie Rating:

(It’ll be a sin for us to dislike this predictable movie about America's great humanitarian spirit)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: Hazel And Gus share a sarcastic sense of humor, a disdain for convention and ultimately a love that will sweep them onto a transformative journey that they-and you- will never forget. Although the two teens face extraordinary challenges, their courage and dedication to each other prove that while life isn't perfect, love is. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Despite having both leads stricken with cancer, this YA-adapted romance drama delves more into the meaning of living rather than dying.

The currently in-demand Shailene Woodley (Divergent) plays a sixteen-year-old cancer patient, Hazel Grace who meets and falls in love with a fellow cancer patient, Augustus (Ansel Elgort also from Divergent) at a support group. Hazel suffered from a case of terminal thyroid cancer which requires her to lug around an oxygen tank to keep her breathing while Augustus has one of his legs amputated due to osteosarcoma.

It’s undeniable this is going to be a depressing movie though director Josh Boone (Stuck In Love) keeps the narrative going briskly without barely venturing into typical clichéd territory or should I say scenes that makes you weep for the sake of weeping. Tears are shed nevertheless and Boone keeping it faithful to the original best-selling novel by John Green makes it a genuinely affecting journey to follow.

The incredible chemistry between Woodley and Elgort makes us believe they are a pair of star-crossed lovers throughout the 126 minutes. Their often-witty chats, Augustus’ level of maturity (too perfect for a teenage boy actually) uplift the otherwise gloomy drama into something positive. The detour to Amsterdam in the middle of the movie where Augustus arranged Hazel to meet the writer of her favourite book provides an excuse to showcase some eye-candy and romantic shots of the lovely city though the scene at Anne Frank house is on a soundstage.

Occasionally, The Fault In Our Stars might drag a little especially towards the end. There can only be that much heart-wrench and emotion to stomach honestly. Yet with actors liked Willem Dafoe who cameos as the eccentric writer Peter van Houten, Laura Dern as Hazel’s mum and Nat Wolff as Augustus’ blind best friend, the well-assembled supporting cast keeps the story mostly afloat.

Not every young adult romance out there is tolerable and recommended. It’s quite fortunate that The Fault In Our Stars is exceptionally well made and beautifully told. You might be tempted to bill Shailene Woodley for the tissues. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Director Josh Boone and writer John Green provides a serviceable if not rather bland audio track in Audio Commentary by Josh Boone and John Green.

Promotional Featurettes consist of six very brief segments: The Cast, The Making of The Fault of Our Stars, The Transformation, Literature to Life, Our Little Infinity and The Music Behind our Stars, mostly behind-the-scenes footages of Green interacting with the two leads and the last which touches on the music selection.

There’s also a Gallery and a Theatrical Trailer. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The visual is presented in great detail, images brimming and colours popping. The audio Dolby Digital 5.1 is sufficient in bringing out the ambient effects, a nice soundtrack and the fine dialogue. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Grudges and rivalries abound as three adult siblings converge in New York to contend with their prickly artist father -- and his fading legacy.

MOVIE REVIEW:

There’s this famous quote which says, “It’s all about the journey and not the destination”, in this case it applies to a movie liked The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) as well. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach who gave us quirky comedies and dramas, The Squid and the Whale, Greenberg and While We’re Young just to name a few seldom disappoints and Meyerowitz shines brightly as one of his definite best.

The movie opens with Danny Meyerowitz (Adam Sandler) and his daughter, Eliza (Grace Van Patten) in downtown New York trying hard to find a parking lot. Eliza is going to university the day after and Danny is staying with his dad for the time being. Shortly after, we learnt that Danny has been jobless his entire life and he just got a divorce. Patriarch of the household, Harold is a retired lecturer and disgruntled sculptor who is currently married to his fourth wife, a hippie alcoholic, Maureen (Emma Thompson). Danny also has an older sister, the quiet Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) and ultra-successful stepbrother Matthew (Ben Stiller) who is coming over from L.A. to discuss the sale of their family property and dad’s art pieces.

There’s a lot to say and tackle in this wacky drama about a dysfunctional family and Baumbach as always cuts it liked a pro. The various characters are written richly and convincingly that it never fails to laugh and cry with the Meyerowitzs. It’s very much a drama that is filled with astounding narrative and dialogue even though most of the running time, it’s just the camera following the leading characters walking up and down, talking to one and another in busy New York City, simple setup that produces cinematic magic.

After sitting through countless of his unbearable lowbrow comedies, Adam Sandler finally gave a brilliant performance as a man who simply never gets the attention of his dad. Together with his sister, Danny is cast aside after his father married Matthew’s mom (Candice Bergen in a cameo). While there isn’t much insight as to why Danny never latches on to his musical talent, we never see a downbeat, pessimistic man in front of us.

Ben Stiller (who was also excellent in the recent Brad’s Status) strike another home run with his acting and chemistry with Sandler. On the outside, Matthew is rich and successful and always been the apple of Harold’s eye. However, it’s far from reality as Matthew nurses his own grunges against his dad. Harold on the other hand grumbles daily about his less than stellar career and developed jealousy against his own contemporaries and of course, Dustin Hoffman absolutely (who is in the limelight for the wrong reason in recent months) nailed it.

There’s so much to like about The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) that it’s almost impossible to list all of them right here. Trust us and hop on for an enjoyable, emotional ride of the year with the amazing Meyerowitzs.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Ron Shelton
Cast: Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Rene Russo, Jane Seymour, Glenne Headly, Joe Pantoliano
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: TBA
Released By: Shaw 
Official Website: http://www.justgettingstartedmovie.com

Opening Day: 28 December 2017

Synopsis: From Ron Shelton, writer/director of Tin Cup and Bull Durham, comes the new comedy, Just Getting Started. Morgan Freeman stars as DUKE DIVER, the freewheeling manager of the luxury Palm Springs resort, the Villa Capri. DIVER may have a mysterious past, but he's a pro at making sure that life for the high-spirited residents is one big, non-stop party. But the status quo is challenged when ex-military charmer LEO (Tommy Lee Jones) checks in, triggering a competition between Duke and Leo for the top spot of Alpha male, as well as for the affections of the newly-arrived SUZIE (Rene Russo). When Duke's past suddenly catches up with him, the rivals put aside their differences and the two men reluctantly team up to stop whoever is trying to kill Duke, and also save the Villa Capri.

Movie Review:

Morgan Freeman, as most people would know, has an impressive track record. He has had many career highs, having received Oscar nominations for his roles in Street Smart (1987), Driving Miss Daisy (1989), The Shawshank Redemption (1994) and Invictus (2009). He took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Million Dollar Baby (2004).

The 80 year old is no stranger to blockbuster movies as well. Critics and fans loved Freeman’s portrayal of Lucius Fox in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of Batman films: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Besides his involvement in major studio projects like Olympus Has Fallen, Oblivion and Now You See Me (in our opinion, starring in three hits in the same year is quite a feat), Freeman’s “rich molasses” is also highly sought after (remember the blind wizard Vitruvius’s voice in The Lego Movie?).

Tommy Lee Jones, at the age of 71, has an equally impressive filmography. After clinching the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing a seasoned US Marshal in The Fugitive (1993), he continued to gain recognition for his performances in several high profile films like Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers (1994), Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever (1995), Barry Sonnenfeld’s Men in Black franchise, Joel and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men (2007), Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012) and Paul Greengrass’s Jason Bourne (2016).

American actress, producer and former model Rene Russo is 63 years old, and has starred in a number of action movies during the 1990s: Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) are some of the titles that will be fondly remembered by viewers. In recent years, Russo gained attention by playing the titular superhero’s mother in Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013). Her portrayal of a TV news director in Nightcrawler (2014) also earned her several acting accolades.

Wait – did we just pen four paragraphs of text about the main cast of this action comedy directed by Ron Shelton, and nothing about the movie itself? It seems that the less we talk about the 91 minute film, the better. What may have appeared to be a wonderful idea on paper (three Hollywood veterans in one movie) turned out to be a dreadfully dreary movie to sit through.

Freeman plays a manager of a retirement community and life is breezy until Jones’s former law enforcement official turns up to make things difficult. Enter Russo’s corporate lady character to audit Freeman’s business, and you conveniently hatch a plot about the two men trying to win her affection.

This production feels very much like a TV movie with its uninspired screenplay and embarrassingly bad humour. Sadly, it isn’t able to attain the “so bad it’s good” status. As a result, you will have to sit through one and a half hours seeing actors that you respect going through a series of bland and dull scenes. There is little chemistry between the main cast, and you wish the movie would roll its end credits soon. When this happens, the credits run over a sequence of Freeman dancing in a crowd, and you don’t really bother wondering why.

Movie Rating:

(The movie stars three talented veterans – let’s just keep it at that)    

Review by John Li