SYNOPSIS: This spectacular adventure pits Godzilla, the world's most famous monster against malevolent creatures that blostered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

MOVIE REVIEW:

The name, Gareth Edwards might not be familiar to many since the Brit only has an indie film, Monsters on his filmography. But Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros are so impressed with his talent and unique vision that Edwards is reportedly given US$160 million budget to revive Toho’s most iconic monster- Godzilla.

With a story by David Callaham (Doom) and Max Borenstein (Seventh Son), Edwards has accomplished what Michael Bay has failed in his trilogy of Transforming-robots, that is to be both entertaining and stimulating. It might not be the most original if you are already a fan of the classic Toho movies yet the filmmakers have put so much heart into the project that you truly embraced every moment on the big screen.

Human characters formed the core of Godzilla as the audience is taken on a journey through the eyes of the Brody family. Brody senior (Bryan Cranston) and his wife both worked at a nuclear plant in Japan. Ignoring Brody’s pleas to investigate strange seismic activity, the plant suddenly collapsed one day causing the death of Mrs Brody. 15 years later, Brody junior, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) now a full-time soldier with the U.S. Army reunites with his estranged father in Japan to investigate the truth and what they found out is that a dangerous Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism (MUTO) is captured in the plant’s ruins instead of an earlier report of an earthquake.

Only an established storyteller such as Spielberg can completely sell us the danger of dinosaurs roaming in a theme park. Edwards probably taking notes out of Spielberg’s book of filmmaking manages to tease and showcase his monstrous stars in quick cuts and plenty of night shots for the entire running time until the last 20 minutes when all hell break loose in San Francisco. If you are familiar with Edwards’ independent project, Monsters, you know the man prefer to build up anticipation and reveal his tricks little by little. This is of course a far different tactic as compared to Pacific Rim, another WB and Legendary collaboration.

With the audiences’ attention being focused on the MUTOs and Godzilla, the various human characters end up being uninteresting and ultimately clichéd. Ken Watanabe plays the obligated Japanese scientist whose only memorable line is “Let them fight”. So what makes him so sure that Godzilla will fight the two MUTOs instead of destroying the world with them? David Strathairn commander role is relegated to a military talking head. Elizabeth Olsen playing Ford’s wife mainly has the phone as her co-star as her onscreen husband is often missing and voluntarily signing up himself to fight the monsters.

The treatment of Godzilla appearances and the boring humans might be appalling to some. However, given the scale and battles are wonderfully mastermind on the whole,Godzilla easily remain a fan favourite for this year summer blockbuster slate. It’s filled with stock characters. It’s loud. It’s full of clichés I agree. Yet who the hell cares when we get to watch Godzilla smashing radiation mutated creatures. Forget about the 1998 version, bring this on anytime. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

MONARCH: Declassified is spilt into three segments, Operation: Lucky Dragon: A vintage film reel about the history of Godzilla, MONARCH: The M.U.T.O. File: Another historical look at the M.U.T.Os and The Godzilla Revelation: A fictional documentary piece on the aftermath of the attacks.

The Legendary Gozilla is spilt into four brief segments. First up is Godzilla: Force of Nature, a 19 minutes feature that mainly explores the CG behind the creation of Godzilla. A Whole New Level of Destruction takes a look at the physical set decoration. Into the Void: The H.A.L.O Jump brings viewers behind the logistic and pre-vis of one of the movie’s key sequences. Ancient Enemy: The M.U.T.O is another short segmenton the design of the creatures.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Godzilla roars in earth-shattering mode and the creatures sound effects in generally are well mixed and deafening aggressive. Explosions also rocked the entire soundstage. As the movie is blanket in darkness often, black levels and images still remain sharp and detailed.  

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: X-Men Unite! An all-star cast, including Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lawrence, Ellen Page, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart assemble and prepare for battle in this awesome adventure packed with nonstop action and excitement. As armies of murderous Sentinel robots hunt down mutants and humans alike, the unstoppable characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves in an epic struggle to change the past — and save our future!

MOVIE REVIEW:

After a few missteps liked the Wolverine spin-offs and X-Men: The Last Stand (which isn’t that bad in my opinion), it seems liked Bryan Singer is the man destined to restore the glory back inFox’s lucrative X-Men franchise.

More or less a continuation to the superb Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class and also Singer’s sneaky way of rebooting and erasing what Brett Ratner has done, X-Men: Days of Future Past opens in the future where the X-Men/mutants are almost wiped out by a group of mutant-hunting robots known as Sentinels.

In order to revert the events, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is tasked by Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) to go back in time to prevent Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from assassinating the creator of Sentinels, Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage).

Using time-travel as the exposition tool, the story by Simon Kinberg, Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn perfectly weaved in historic events and thrilling dramatic happenings to keep things moving effortlessly. An entertaining superhero movie need not be dumbed down for the masses and X-Men: Days of Future Past for real did not sacrifice storytelling for loud special effects.

The clever use of old and young actors for the same role is unusually effective even though James McAvoy doesn’t resembles Patrick Stewart by a bit. There’s no doubt the weight of the movie lies upon Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine but fortunately this time round he has a capable director and story to guide him along.

The introduction of Quicksilver (Evan Peters), the mutant who moves at supersonic speed in a rescue sequence will go down in history as one of the cheekiest, impressive effects-filled scene ever conceived. While there are ample screentime for Jennifer Lawrence’s Mystique, Michael Fassbender’s young Magneto and Nicholas Hoult’s Beast, the rest such as Halle Berry’s Storm, Ellen Page’s Kittycat, Fan Bingbing’s Blink and Omar Sy’s Bishop are mere glorified cameos.

X-Men: Days of Future Past is definitely a solid entry to Fox’s X-Men movies. It’s a smart summer blockbuster that hardly falters and when the credit rolls, you simply can’t wait for the next villain in line for the X-men to tackle.  

SPECIAL FEATURES:

X-Citing Gag Reel proves that the cast of X-Men likes to make funny faces and poses.

There’s also Gallery: Trask Industries, Theatrical Trailers and Sneak Peek of Exodus: Gods and Kings. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The DVD delivers a sharp Dolby Digital 5.1 listening experience while clarity and details are omnipresent in the visual department.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: With humanity facing extinction from a terrifying new threat. It's up to Optimus Prime and the Autobots to save the world. But now that our government has turned against them, they'll need a new team of allies including inventor Cade Yeager and the fearsome Dinobots.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Some things in the world just never changed and Michael Bay’s Transformers series is one of them. No matter how they changed the cast, the design of the robots or the setting, every instalment just played liked the one before and the one before. 

Five years have passed since the events of Chicago, Sam Witwicky and his hot girl is mysteriously gone. In come a down-on-his-luck Texas inventor Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) and his equally hot daughter, Tessa (Nicola Peltz). At the same time, the government has grown fearful of the Autobots and they are sending their own men led by an ambitious ex-CIA agent Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) to hunt down the Decepticons and also the Autobots.

When Cade stumbled upon an injured Optimus Prime and hid him in the barn, the latter and his daughter find themselves pursued mercilessly by incoming government agents. With Tessa’s boyfriend Shane (Jack Reynor) in tow, the remaining Autobots must once again join hands with the humans to unravel the conspiracy.    

The mumbo-jumbo continues with the mention of metallic dinosaur remains during the movie’s opening and quickly forgotten. In an instant, you know scriber Ehren Kruger is cracking his head on how to introduce the Dinobots. In the later part of the movie, we learnt that an Apple-like corporation called KSI has somehow created Transformium, a powerful element in which the alien robots are made of and everyone’s favourite Decepticon Megatron now have a chance of being revived. Not forgetting there’s additional confusing talks about seeds and creators happening in the Transformers universe.

For every fanboys and kids out there, we just want to watch robots kick-ass for the umpteenth times. With that, Michael Bay delivers yet another loud, visual effects spectacle. He did improved on the robots cast this time round, giving them approximately 10 minutes more of screentime is this excruciatingly long 165 minutes movie. There’s still Prime, Bumblebee and newcomers Hound (John Goodman), Drift (Ken Watanabe) and a superbly cool-looking villain Lockdown that is transformed from a slick black Lamborghini.      

Because the incredible lucrative China market is involved, Mainland actress Li Bingbing played a small role opposite Stanley Tucci, the head of KSI. Other familiar Chinese actors Ray Lui and Michael Wong have a blink-and-miss cameo. But humans simply don’t have the same appeal not even Mark Wahlberg as the major battle sequences seen in the movie. Bay with the magicians of ILM expectedly produced dazzling visual effects and mind-numbing explosions that took place in locations across the country particularly climaxing in China and Hong Kong.

Transformers Age of Extinction is not going to change your mind about the record-breaking franchise if you are not a fan since the first one. All the accolades are going to the technicalities; those looking for a decent story please kindly look away. It’s pure Bay-hem at work. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Without saying much, it’s a chaotic and solid listening experience. The Dolby Digital 5.1 reproduction is strong and perfect. The picture quality is incredibly sharp, colours deep and this is for sure the finest DVD title on display this year. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Gugu Mbatha-Raw delivers “a breakthrough performance” (Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times) in this “gorgeous must-see film” (Cori Murray, Essence) that’s based on an extraordinary true story. Although Dido Elizabeth Belle (Mbatha-Raw), an 18th century English woman of mixed race, is raised in privilege by her aristocratic great-uncle (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), she is denied a proper social standing because of her skin color. But when Dido falls in love with a young idealist lawyer (Sam Reid) who aspires to create positive change, she finds herself caught between two worlds. With everything to lose, she struggles to convince those around her – and the society in which she lives – to overcome their biases and accept her fully. Only if she succeeds will she find true happiness in this exquisite masterpiece that also stars Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton and Matthew Goode.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Period dramas can be a tricky thing to do. Make it too serious and many will find it a bore. Too commercialized and critics will slam it for being too insincere. It’s genuinely hard to find a middle ground but somehow Belle is a testament that it can be accomplished.  

Just like 12 Years A Slave which is based on a true story, Belle tells the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw who has a role in Larry Crowne), a lady of mixed-racial who is brought up by her great uncle, Chief Justice Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife, Lady Mansfield (Emily Watson). While raised under privileged circumstances since young, Dido finds herself struggling to find her place in society as she grows up to be a fine lady because of her skin colour. But when she finds herself falling in love with an idealistic lawyer John (Sam Reid), she realizes there’s more at stake than just mere society status.

Belle as directed by Amma Asante and written by Misan Sagay is a wonderfully shot corset period drama anchored by a splendid performance by Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Mbatha-Raw herself of mix-racial heritage does a formidable job of portraying a character that is equally strong and vulnerable. Audience will empathizes with Dido when she is manhandled by a despising John Ashford (another villainous outing by Tom Felton from Harry Potter) or cheer with her when she is finally with the man she loves.   

Since there are little historical records to refer to, a court case regarding the killing of slaves onboard a trading ship becomes the central plot device to weave in emotional dramatic arcs to showcase the fight for racial equality and most importantly, the relationships between Dido, John and Lord Mansfield.  

Though formulaic, this under-the-radar production boasts well-acted performances all round especially when you have Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson on your cast list. Rich locations, authentic looking costumes and a fine score by Rachel Portman add on to this elegant title. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Belle: The Story briefly talks about the plot.

The History Behind the Painting discusses the real-life painting of Belle and her cousin which is now hung at the birthplace of Lord Mansfield.

There’s also a Gallery and Theatrical Trailer. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The DVD boasts a natural looking visual palette and the audio quality is sufficient to showcase the dialogue and environmental sound effects.  

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy/Horror
Director: Daniel Chan
Cast: Ronald Cheng, Yuen Biao, Michelle Hu, Philip Ng, Kelvin Kwan, Bella Law, Kitty Jiang
RunTime: 1 hr 36 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/sifuvsvampire

Opening Day: 23 October 2014

Synopsis: Small time gangster Nicky and his friend Boo get the assignment of a life time, to threaten Charlie Jiang , a feng shui master to exhume the corpse of the great grandfather of TV station tycoon Kelvin Chow. A new burial is said to bring Kelvin great fortune and prosperity but things take a turn for the worse when his great grandfather’s corpse turns into a Vampire King and is let loose inside the TV station while a show about Zombies is being filmed. To Nicky, ghosts or vampires only ever exist in storybooks and movies. It wasn’t until Nicky meets a beautiful female ghost Tomorrow that he begins to understand the existence of the spirit world……

Movie Review:

In its heyday back in the 1980s, the “vampire horror” was very much an icon of Hong Kong cinema, personified by the ‘Mr Vampire’ and ‘Happy Ghost’ series. It was this era that Juno Mak paid tribute to in his directorial debut ‘Rigor Mortis’, a delightfully meta-piece of fiction that ultimately got too arty for its own good. Not to worry though, you’ll have none of that pretension with ‘Sifu Vs Vampire’, a much more simplistic throwback to the “keung si” genre that sees veteran actor Yuen Biao return in a leading role.

Yes, those who were fans of ‘Mr Vampire’ will no doubt make the association with that franchise, but whereas Yuen was playing a vampire in both that movie as well as its spiritual predecessor ‘Encounters of the Third Kind’, he is here taking over the role of the titular ‘si-fu’, That’s right – Yuen plays a feng shui master named Charlie Jiang, who is enlisted by TV station tycoon Kelvin (Kelvin Kwan) to exhume the grave of his great grandfather and ends up dealing with a far scarier creature raised from the dead that has with links to his past.

Since this horror comedy is scripted by Wong Jing, there really isn’t a need to expound on the plot machineries. Indeed, the set-up serves merely to lend some form of coherence to the random gags which the infamous Wong Jing throws at his audience, and as anyone who has seen his movies can tell you, the whole is ultimately only as good as the sum of its individual parts, or to be more precise, the hit to miss ratio of his endless stream of gags. In the case of ‘Sifu Vs Vampire’, the odds begin one way and slowly but surely tip the other, and let’s just say that it doesn’t turn out for the better.

To be sure, the first half hour is quite the hoot, especially for a laugh-out-loud sequence where Master Charlie is called by two low-life gangsters Nicky (Ronald Cheng) and Boo (Philip Ng) to exorcise the wife of their triad boss (Tony Ho). The latter has been possessed by several demons at once, and quite unfortunately is holding her husband’s virility hostage between her teeth. None of the other lackeys seem to know how to save their boss, so Nicky gamely enlists Charlie’s assistance, who proves quite the expert in such otherworldly matters. A combination of witty lines and sharp delivery make this sequence a winning delight, and establishes a cheerfully irreverent attitude that is reminiscent of the spirit of the ‘Mr Vampire’ movies.

Alas, Wong Jing seems to have exhausted his comedic spark shortly after, so much so that what follows fails to raise much of a chuckle. A flashback establishes Kelvin’s great grandfather as a powerful vampire who nearly killed a teenage Master Charlie before the latter’s father gave his life to protect his son. That same vampire is let loose no thanks to a manipulative medium (the alliteration was deliberate by the way) played by yet another veteran actor, Ricky Yi. Chaos ensues at Kelvin’s TV station named AKTV (cue a now tired riff on the longstanding rivalry between ATV and TVB), where both great grandson and his employees are turned into bloodsucking monsters. But save for a re-awakening at a funeral parlour that sees Tony Ho surprise those gathered for his wake, there is hardly any humour to be found.

It isn’t the fault of the cast, who try to make the best out of the shopworn material. Ronald, in particular, exercises every facial tick to keep up the energy, but is somewhat let down by his co-star Philip Ng, who is a better fighter (remember him from the Wong Jing-scripted Once Upon A Time In Shanghai?), a lesser actor and an even lesser comedian. Yuen Biao projects an appropriately stately and serious image, but this is hardly the role or – for that matter – movie that should serve as his comeback into a leading capacity; in fact, Yuen is even more criminally under-used when you consider how he is assigned an assistant played by Mainland star Jiang Luxia who does most of the kung fu fighting in the movie.

As he did with ‘Young and Dangerous: Reloaded’, Daniel Chan proves no more than Wong Jing’s director for hire, adding little to the mix except to be where Wong can’t be while shooting his mega-blockbuster ‘From Vegas to Macau 2’ in Thailand. As well-intentioned as this movie may have come to be, ‘Sifu Vs Vampire’ banks too heavily on its audience’s nostalgia for the bygone era of “vampire horror” and too little on its own merit. The fact that it is the second Wong Jing- scripted film in two weeks to be released should also give you an indication of just how much – or little – time and thought had gone into this farce; little wonder then that it hardly breathes life into a genre which has been left for dead for more than two decades now. 

Movie Rating:

(Neither a horror nor a comedy, this throwback to the era of "vampire horror-comedies" is not even good enough for nostalgia)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Explore the untold story of Disney’s most iconic villain in this wickedly fun twist on the classic Sleeping Beauty. In an unforgiving mood after a neighbouring kingdom threatens her forest, Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) places an irrevocable curse on the king’s newborn daughter the Princess Aurora. But as the child grows, Maleficent finds herself becoming fond of the girl. And as the conflict between the two realm intensifies, Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land.

MOVIE REVIEW:

She is one of the world’s most recognizable actresses. She is also a mother to six children and she recently got married to another fellow megastar. She is none other than Angelina Jolie.

Other than the coveted role of Superwoman, Angelina Jolie is destined to play the part of Maleficent in Disney’s reimagining of the infamous villainess from Sleeping Beauty.

Maleficent is not an evil woman with horns from the start. In this screenplay by Linda Woolverton (Mulan, Alice In Wonderland), she is in fact a powerful kind faerie living in the magical land called Moors. When the man she once loved betrays her, she cursed the daughter of his to death-like sleep once she reaches her sixteenth birthday. But Aurora (Elle Fanning) turns out to a wonderful young lady yearning for the attention of Maleficent as the latter watches over her as the years passes. As her sixteenth birthday approaches, the curse loomed with Aurora’s father, King Stefan (Sharlto Copley) planning to capture Maleficent and destroyed her once and for all.

For a start, Maleficent is a lavishly looking movie. The fairy-tale world is created flawlessly in CG, the costumes and makeup effects top-notch and best of all, beautifully captured on screen by Dean Semler.  Liked Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, no expenses are spared by Disney to give viewers a magical experience. But at times, Maleficent is too spooky and creepy for the younger children despite the PG rating. There’s no denying this fantasy flick are meant for older kids who won’t mind a frequent transforming crow, a batshit crazy King and a freakish looking witch-like lead character.

But being a Disney production means there will always be supporting characters providing unnecessary comic relief in this case, the three pixies who are tasked by King Stefan to be the guardians for Aurora.  British actresses Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville have the thankless task of quibbling over every single detail and that’s suppose to be funny, mind you.

You can have the best CG effects and nothing beats Angelina Jolie as the imposing Maleficent. In addition, the ever-sweet Elle Fanning will melt your hearts as the innocent Princess Aurora.  There’s action, there’s magic and a half-baked lesson on true love at the end of the day. Welcome to Disney’s latest money-spinner, Maleficent!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Aurora: Becoming A Beauty - The sweet Elle Fanning talks about her onscreen character and why she loves it since young.   

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Black levels are strong and the overall digital effects look stunning on DVD. Audio quality is solid and dynamic and James Newton Howard’s score for the most part is brilliant. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: A dangerous international spy is determined to give up his high stakes life to finally build a closer relationship with his estranged wife and daughter, whom he’s previously kept at arm’s length to keep out of danger. But first, he must complete one last mission – even if it means juggling the two toughest assignments yet: hunting down the world’s most ruthless terrorist and looking after his teenage daughter for the first time in ten years, while his wife is out of town.  

MOVIE REVIEW:

You have to blame Luc Besson and Liam Neeson for starting the old-men-turned-nasty genre. Besson has always been a prolific, inconsistent filmmaker and 3 Days to Kill happens to be one of his many forgettable action flicks yet again.  

Co-written with Adi Hasal (From Paris With Love) and directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels), Kevin Costner played a dying CIA agent, Ethan who is determined to reconcile with his wife and teenage daughter, Zooey (Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit) before he dies. In exchange for an experimental drug that might prolong his life, he is drawn back into the game of espionage by a top female CIA agent, Vivi (Amber Heard).

The biggest glaring problem with 3 Days to Kill is the messy tone of it. It wants to be an action movie and it also wants to be a movie with heart at the same time. Unfortunately under the hands of McG and Besson who likes to frequently regurgitate his scribing material, it’s hard to appreciate this disjointed effort.

The movie spent so much time on father-daughter bonding and the espionage factor becomes more of an afterthought. After a sensational opening establishing Ethan as a tough veteran agent on a mission to capture The Albino, the right hand man of an arms trafficker. The flick slows to a crawl as Ethan busy himself with issues such as his vacated house being taken over by squatters, torturing people for information and dealing with teenage angst.

Characterizations are even worse with a mysterious Nikita-like femme agent, Vivi walking in and out of Ethan’s life like a ghost occasionally promising a cure and pushing him to find out the whereabouts of the baddies. The motives and screentime of the bad guys are practically forgotten and show up now and then only to get shot by Ethan and vice versa.

At least, Costner is good as the suffering middle-age agent who regrets his absence from his daughter’s life. He could easily give Neeson a run for his money given the right material; a pity Besson never blessed him with a better script and lines. Whatever happened to "I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you're looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money but what I do have are a very particular set of skills"?

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Visually the movie looks sharp and detailed. The soundtrack comes with only a Dolby Digital 2.0 track and in the movie’s few action moments delivered a loud listening experience. 

MOVIE RATING:

 DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Drama
Director: Ann Hui
Cast: Tang Wei, Feng Shao Feng, Zhu Yawen, Wang Zhiwen, Hao Lei, Wang Qianyuan, Huang Xuan, Tian Yuan, Yuan Quan, Zhou Jingwen, Zhang Yi, Sha Yi, Ling Zhenghui, Ding Jiali, Yang Xue, Zu Feng, Feng Lei, Zi Yi
RunTime: 2 hrs 58 mins
Rating: PG13 (Scene of Intimacy)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films & Clover Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 16 October 2014

Synopsis: The writer we now know as Xiao Hong was born Zhang Naiying on the day of the 1911 Dragon Boat Festival (June 1st) in Manchuria, north-east China. Her mother died when Xiao Hong was young and her estrangement from her tyrannical father sparked a long quest for an independent and emotionally satisfying life. She was rescued from destitution by hard-drinking fellow writer Xiao Jun, but their fraught and competitive relationship brought her more heartache than joy. She found a kindly and considerate surrogate father in the great writer Lu Xun. While evacuated to safer inland areas to escape the Japanese invasion of China ? and on the rebound from what turned out to be the definitive break with Xiao Jun ? she married another novelist from the North-east, Duanmu Hongliang. They fled together to Hong Kong in 1940. A month after Hong Kong, too, fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day of 1941, Xiao Hong died of tuberculosis at the age of 31. But several key episodes in her life remain obscure and disputed, even now.

Movie Review:

Yes, there was a time when a good writer was celebrated for his works. And here we have a biopic of Chinese writer Xiao Hong (1911-1942) which wants you to realise that a good book is fueled by emotions.

While we in this part of the world won’t be familiar with her works, it is the writer’s unorthodox and turbulent life that makes for good movie material. She died at a young age of 31, and led a rather upsetting life filled with ups and downs. Born in Manchuriain 1911 by the name of Zhang Naiying, Xiao Hong had an unhappy childhood no thanks to paternal abuse. At age 20, she had a short-lived elopement to Peking, followed by her eventual settlement in Harbin, where she begins her writing career with the assistance of newspaper editor and writer Xiao Jun. The two become lovers quickly, before embarking on what most artists would experience - a star crossed, often interrupted affair that brings out the misery and melancholy in almost everyone.

The film tells you right from the outset Xiao Hong’s fate. Played by Tang Wei (Lust, Caution), Xiao Hong directly addresses the audience, stating her name and where she was born and died. This is the beginning of how characters break the fourth wall. The rest of the film sees supporting characters (Xiao Hong’s family members and friends) talking to the camera, recounting memories involving the essayist which subsequently play out in short scenes.

Director Ann Hui’s latest work is an ambitious one. Xiao Hong’s story takes place in many locations (northeastern China, Japan, Wuhan, Chongqing, Hong Kong, just to name a few), and happens during a time of unrest. Then there is the writer’s chaotic love life which involved two pregnancies. This is on top of her struggle to be a writer during a period when female novelists are overshadowed by the careers of more established male writers in her literary circle. Xiao Hong’s works “The Field of Life and Death” and “Tales of the HulanRiver” have only come to people’s attention recently.

The award winning filmmaker’s past works (2008’s The Way We Are, 2011’s A Simple Life) are more intimate and easily relatable, but this sprawling 179 minute film may contain too many complications that test the audience’s patience. Some portions seem emotionally distanced and viewers may find it difficult to empathise with the protagonist’s plights.

Tang, who has scored a Best Actress nomination at the 51^st Golden Horse Awards (the high budget production is also nominated in the Feature, Director, Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay categories), does a decent job here. Her role as Xiao Hong is a demanding one, requiring the 35 year old actress to portray different fleeting emotions. While the three hour runtime doesn’t help us to focus, Tang’s performance in Xiao Hong’s final days are emotionally engaging, packing a heartrending punch.

Feng Shao Feng (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) should attract some fan girls with his portrayal of Xiao Jun, and the supporting cast of Wang Zhiwen as the dignified writer Lu Xun, Hao Lei as the gusty rebel leader Ding Ling and Zhang Jiayi as the leftist Hong Kong publisher Zhou Jingwen deliver short but commendable on screen performances.

Production values are top notch, as Hui’s direction brings the film to different locales. The cinematography is exquisite, the art direction is beautiful and the music score is contemplative. What can be improved though, seems to be the undisciplined editing.

The film’s title refers to a more introspective sense of time and opportunity, and it is films like this which trigger your senses to ponder what life might have turned out if you bravely pursued your ideals.     

Movie Rating:

(The three hour ambitious biopic may not be perfect, but is still a well produced film that sets you thinking what artists go through to produce a piece of work)

Review by John Li

Genre: Thriller
Director: Rowan Joffé
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Anne-Marie Duff, Dean-Charles Chapman, Jing Lusi, Rosie MacPherson
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website:

Opening Day: 6 November 2014

Synopsis: Before I Go To Sleep is a thriller based on the worldwide best-selling novel about a woman who wakes up every day remembering nothing—the result of a traumatic accident in her past—until one day, new terrifying truths emerge that force her to question everyone around her…

Movie Review:

Before I Go to Sleep dubs a story of a 40-year-old amnesiac who wakes up to nothing (or so she thinks) every morning only to discover a certain this much of her beginnings and who she is n her waking life. Stunningly played by Nicole Kidman, the storyline engages three other characters to set the plot into motion with their ever mysterious ways.

Before I Go to Sleep is also from the pedigree of novels churned into films, like Gone Girl, The Fault in Our Stars , Love, Rosie and countless more worth mentioning . Based on a critically acclaimed debut novel by S. J. Watson, the riveting plot and surprisingly quick-paced read has been christened to be a true-blue page-turner and bears impressive semblance of Shutter Island and Memento.

The film unfolds with Christine (Kidman) waking up beside her husband with a dubious expression of her face plummeting into a painfully slow and repetitive plot before building up to a gripping climax which is highly likely to make anyone wish for that pace to have been set throughout the 92 minutes.

Mundane would be adjective to best describe the film which are pretty much filled with cyclic sequences. Also packed with the necessary details to make it seem viable, there is a clean feel to the plot. With the black Peugeot whisking an uncertain Christine (Kidman) off to put the pieces together, one at a time, will remain to be a familiar scene in your mind by the time the credits roll in. The camera hidden in a shoebox plays a crucial role as well, for it is the only tool that aids in Christine discovering her actual self.

Though the cast were sparse, they brought their characters to life. Colin Firth, whom you would have distantly recalled from Pride and Prejudice and Mamma Mia! rightfully belongs to the Brit-Pack (the league of men from Britian with substance both on and off screen). The Nanny McPhee fame (Firth) ridiculously fancies himself to be the poster husband of Christine (Kidman) who is bent on learning her past. 

Firth’s role as Ben Lucas, Christine’s (Kidman)husband who is a man of few words even to the point of masking truths about Christine’s past is beyond flawless. Mark Strong, an English actor of Italian descent whom you might have recognised from Sherlock Holmes, Green Lantern and Body of Lies and who is ever-present in Christine’s life as her well-wisher and neurologist as Dr. Nasch (Strong) was so sharp as a tack that his downplayed sexiness overshadowed Christine’s (Kidman) schlub kind of aura.

The cast list is pretty solid with thespians hailing from their own breed of awesomeness in all sense. But the fact that you only get to narrow it all down between two contenders, Dr Nasch (Strong) and Ben (Firth) might rob the thrill out of the entire game.

Albeit the bloody blows, the demented flashbacks and the eerie unearthing, Before I Go to Sleep remains to be an ordinary rough cut. It is indeed a graphic novel when you go over the days of Christine’s life in a certain fashion.  

Movie Rating:

(A robust ensemble with a plot twist not fatal enough. Kidman’s unusual charisma of a woman torn between yesterday and today, keeps the show going - 'Before I Go to Sleep' would have been a sleeper hit if only it was still the 90s)

Review by Asha Gizelle M

Genre: Thriller
Director: Rob Cohen
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman, Kristin Chenoweth, John Corbett, Hill Harper, Ian Nelson, Travis Schuldt, Raquel Gardner
RunTime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scene And Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://theboynextdoorfilm.com

Opening Day: 22 January 2015

Synopsis: Jennifer Lopez leads the cast in THE BOY NEXT DOOR, a psychological thriller that explores a forbidden attraction that goes much too far. Directed by Rob Cohen (The Fast and the Furious) and written by Barbara Curry, the film also stars Ryan Guzman, John Corbett and Kristin Chenoweth.

Movie Review:

Like its subject matter, ‘The Boy Next Door’ is getting such a hush-hush treatment it almost seems as if someone didn’t want you to see it. If that is any indication that someone was embarrassed by how this reverse ‘Fatal Attraction’ thriller turned out, well we’re glad to say that it isn’t as bad as we had feared. To be sure, that should not be mistaken for any endorsement of its merit, but given how little pre-release publicity its distributors bestowed upon it, we were sure expecting something much, much worse.

In her first big-screen role in two years, Jennifer Lopez plays a middle-aged high-school literature teacher who is still struggling to recover emotionally from her husband’s (John Corbett) betrayal one year on and raising her teenage son, Kevin (Ian Nelson, on her own. Enter new neighbour Noah (Step Up’s Ryan Guzman), who has moved in next door with his ailing uncle and proves himself to be quite the fix-it hero around her place, especially since Garrett’s (Corbett) absence means that there is a space for a man to be around the house. Even better, Noah loves poetry and his intimate knowledge of Homer’s ‘The Iliad’ becomes one of the first few things over which he and Claire (Lopez) develop a connection over.

There is however no mistaking their (mutual) sexual attraction, not when director Rob Cohen introduces Noah bicep-first when he glides into frame to prepare Claire’s wonky garage door. When Kevin takes off with Garrett for a weekend camping trip and Claire’s had one drink too many after a failed dinner date, Noah seizes the opportunity to get it on with Claire. The morning after, Claire wakes to proclaim their coupling a mistake – no matter that Guzman looks older than he is meant to be in the movie, he is a new transfer senior attending Claire’s class at her school. Her rebuff doesn’t sit well with Noah, whom we slowly learn is in fact a psychotic stalker who grows even more enraged when he catches her responding to Garrett’s advances to give their marriage a second chance.

First-time screenwriter Barbara Curry slowly ratchets up the stakes against Claire – first, Noah ‘poisons’ Kevin’s relationship with his father; then, he threatens to make public photos and even a video of their one-night dalliance; then, he sabotages the brakes on Garrett’s Dodger; and finally, he kidnaps Garrett and Kevin – which Cohen builds up as an increasingly thrilling chain of events leading up to their final confrontation. Not only does Noah prove himself to be a master manipulator, he also shows himself to be prone to bouts of violence, in particular against Claire’s good friend and the school’s vice principal (Kristin Chenoweth).

That said, it isn’t anything we haven’t yet before, or done to more titillating extremes; yet, despite its familiarity, Cohen guides the proceedings along with the sure hand of a veteran, and it is to his credit that the end result is much more engaging than it ought to be. We’re not sure what Lopez saw in the material for her to not only star but produce this rehash of 90s exploitation thrillers, but she at least makes her character sympathetic. The same however cannot be said of Guzman, whose portrayal of menace and malevolence doesn’t go much deeper than the acting you’ll see in a high school play. And for those who are expecting to see Lopez and Guzman get hot and heavy, well let’s just say that you’re likely to find yourself left cold.

It is probably too easy to lambast a movie like ‘The Boy Next Door’, but the truth is there are many worse films out there which deserve to be buried more so than this does. The premise does feel dated, but there hasn’t been a sexual thriller like ‘Basic Instinct’ or for that matter ‘Fatal Attraction’ in a while, so if you’re in the mood for some trashy B-grade thrills, you’ll probably find some of those urges satisfied somewhat by this teaser that never does really get past first base. 

Movie Rating:

(Playing like a reverse ‘Fatal Attraction’, this sexual thriller starring a still-hot Jennifer Lopez is generic and predictable but never less than watchable)

Review by Gabriel Chong