Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: OH In-Chun
Cast: KANG Ha-Neul, KIM So-Eun, KIM Jung-Tae, HAN Hye-Lin, PARK Doo-Sik, JU Min-Ha, JOO Da-Young, KWACK Jung-Uk
RunTime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Coarse Language and Horror)
Released By: GV
Official Website:

Opening Day: 30 October 2014

Synopsis: In-su (KANG Ha-Neul) has the special power to see ghosts but he became a loner ever since he left his hometown after he saw the ghost of his dead childhood friend. Tired of feeling alone, In-su returns to his hometown to live with his exorcist uncle Sun-il (KIM Jung-Tae). However, In-su's school life is not so easy because of his former elementary school classmate Hae-chul (PARK Doo-Sik) who keeps harassing him. Then one day, In-su meets a girl ghost (KIM So-Eun) who lost her memory and roams around the school. He opens up to her as they build up a quite special friendship and gradually accepts his power to see ghosts which he once thought of as a curse. In the meantime, students mysteriously go missing one by one while the story of the strange bloody mask ghost spreads throughout the school. While In-su follows the incidents, he slowly becomes aware of the horrible truth behind the relationship between the girl ghost and the mask ghost that even the girl ghost was afraid of.

Movie Review:

The opening scene in the train itself well sets the tone of the film and the addressing of the young protagonist.

Set in a picturesque sleepy town in Korea, and of course the school where the plot develops at, Mourning Grave bears a social message that the entire 90 minutes nail. It is almost a lifeblood in today’s era where bullying, be it of the cyber or the classroom sort, is rampant.

The riveting theme and plot pins the masses, right from start till the end. Very cleverly peppered with some really funny scenes that were not meant to be deliberately comical but still adorable and funny. The gist boils down to a grudge long-borne and the death of an innocent girl that no one wants to ever discuss about. The tone is set light but the scares take a malefic guise, inducing an impressive number of jump scares. It leaves us hanging to decide if the power to see supernatural beings is a boon or a bane.

Mourning Grave bears a good deal of hallmarks of a Korean drama, the classic head knocks, the cross-legged, nostalgic way of dining and those cutesy uniforms rivalled only by manga series.

Albeit having a clichéd kind of romance, it is still romantic with snowflakes craftily falling from above to give a feel of wintry romance. The old school scare tricks from the classroom act to the infamous toilet scene to the train back home at night dominates the storyline.

One of the other elements that you might get visually accustomed to, during the course of the movie is the hand that slides onto the window evoking a similar scene in Titanic, except this one is bloody and grudge-harbouring (and not steamy like the former).

More than the cast mates delivering a remarkable performance, the director’s choice of cast outshines the rest.

The 24-year-old cuteness overkill (Kang Ha-neul) did a brilliant job in portraying the lily-livered character who is too afraid to hit back but not to unmask the truth. Kim So-eun who plays to be the undead love interest of the aforementioned, delivers her personal best in slipping into two roles of polar opposites.

And to render a finer finish, the comedic chops of the cast both supporting and leads were notable.

The theatrical poster may be lacking a lot in the appeal department but it can be purely excused for its compelling counterpart – the trailer. 

Being a prime-time season for supernatural content to make their debuts, Mourning Grave completes a perfect Halloween scream-a-thon, with a long line-up of scary movies for 2014 sans Paranormal Activity 5, that is slated to be released next year. 

Movie Rating:

(Definitely a perkier and slap-stickier horror comedy. Still a better love story than Twilight, with an allusion to internet memes)

Review by Asha Gizelle M   

Genre: Sci-Fi/Adventure
Director: Brad Bird
Cast: George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Judy Greer, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan-Michael Key, Thomas Robinson
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Rating: PG (Some Violence)
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 
Official Website: http://movies.disney.com/tomorrowland/

Opening Day: 21 May 2015

Synopsis: From Disney comes two-time Oscar® winner Brad  Bird’s riveting, mystery adventure “Tomorrowland,” starring Academy Award® winner George Clooney. Bound by a shared destiny, former boy-genius Frank (Clooney), jaded by disillusionment, and Casey (Britt Robertson), a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity, embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space known only as “Tomorrowland.” What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever. Featuring a screenplay by “Lost” writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof and Brad Bird, from a story by Lindelof & Bird & Jeff Jensen, “Tomorrowland” promises to take audiences on a thrill ride of nonstop adventures through new dimensions that have only been dreamed of.

Movie Review:

Very little has been said by its creators about ‘Tomorrowland’, so you can’t quite blame us for feeling skeptical about this amusement-park adaptation. After all, pretty much all we know is that it has something to do with a teenage girl named Casey (Britt Robertson) who comes into possession of a magic pin capable of transporting her into the titular metropolis, almost just as soon finds herself being chased by a couple of ‘men in black’, and is saved (reluctantly) by a grumpy scientist played by George Clooney who has a rocket attached to his second-floor bathroom tub. But as we’ve come to realise, there is a good reason for all that secrecy; indeed, if there’s one thing we will say now that we have been there and back, it is that the thrill is in the journey of discovering.

Framing the narrative that follows is Clooney’s curmudgeon inventor Frank Walker, who tussles with an off-camera female voice at the start over how to explain the context for our benefit. When he finally gets started, we find ourselves being acquainted with Frank when he was a young boy (Thomas Robinson), who brings his first big invention to the 1964 New York World’s Fair. A retrofitted Electrolux vacuum cleaner that he intends as a jet pack, the contraception is scoffed at by a dismissive Hugh Laurie, but greeted with admiration by an enigmatic wise-beyond-her-years young girl named Athena (Raffey Cassidy). Athena invites Frank to follow her without telling him where she is headed, but after a brief ride through a wink-wink attraction called ‘It’s A Small World’, Frank ends up making his first trip to the gleaming city of the future, or to be more accurate, a city situated on a whole different plane.

Fast-forward many years later, and we are in Cape Canaveral, Fla, where we meet Casey for the first time. The daughter of a NASA engineer (Tim McGraw), Casey sabotages the imminent demolition of a NASA rocket launch site in hopes of keeping the space programme going (and her father from being out of job). Her latest attempt gets her caught, and it is upon being bailed out that she first finds the small pin with a ‘T’ emblazoned on it. Her initial shock and disbelief aside, Casey is fascinated by the shiny skyscrapers at the end of the golden wheat fields and naturally heads right towards them to find swooping highways, crystal spires, airborne automobiles, and spectacular multi-level cylinder-like swimming pools that allow you to plunge one into another. It’s spectacular all right, and we are invited to share Casey’s awe in a single extended tracking shot that follows her monorail ride through the futuristic city.

Alas, the future which Casey glimpsed is already in the past, and as she soon learns from she-who-gifted-the-pin Athena, the Tomorrowland of today is a hollowed-out mausoleum glass towers no thanks to Professor Nix (Laurie). This is also where we stop, and leave the rest for you to find out layer by layer. Why was Frank and Athena booted out of Tomorrowland? What is that invention Athena talks about which should never have been invented? How is this tied to Casey, or for that matter, the fate of the present world as she knows it? TV’s Lost creator Damon Lindelof is one of the two screenwriters here, so be warned that his story does keep its cards very close to its chest, revealing just enough at each turn to sustain your intrigue. And yes, there’s no denying that Lindelof, who co-wrote the script with director Brad Bird, has woven an engrossing mystery about the intertwining fates of three distinct characters that are surprisingly well-defined next to one another.

Like we said earlier, the thrill is in the journey of discovering; and sure enough, what we eventually find is somehow not quite as exciting or groundbreaking as one may come to anticipate. To reveal the destination would inevitably spoil the trip itself, but suffice to say that Bird tries to make a statement about the future that pop culture seems all too happy to sell us these days (think dystopian fiction like ‘The Hunger Games’ or ‘Divergent’) and ends with a call to action. Yes, many commentators have already pointed out the film’s message on how inaction and nonchalance leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom and destruction, and notwithstanding Bird’s noble intentions at using a big-budget studio movie to put across an earnest plea for imagination, hope and collective will, let us warn those who don’t like to be lectured that it does get extremely preachy right before it ends.

That however proves to be the lesser of its faults. Saddled with the need to deliver blockbuster action, Bird relegates the second half of his movie to a glorified chase movie. From Frank’s house of booby traps to the Eiffel Tower and all the way to Tomorrowland before the big finish, we get the equivalent of a souped-up kiddie flick, so much so that when the Paris landmark transforms into an interstellar rocket ship launcher, we are left unimpressed. Conversely, too little time is spent in and around where we actually are spellbound, such that the Tomorrowland we see seems like the build-up for a ride that never took off, which is unfortunately how we end up feeling about the entire film once the answers we are looking for are in essence told to us through clunky exposition delivered in part by Clooney and in part by Laurie.

As committed and lively as the performances are, there is little emotional connection with any of the characters. That is also another unlucky consequence of Lindelof and Bird’s storytelling, which focuses so much on its central mystery and then on its didactic message that it fails to build genuine poignancy in the unlikely bond between Frank and Casey or the romance between Frank and Athena. The latter in particular is supposed to be the heart of the film, as Athena not only delivers a heartfelt message to Frank at the end but is the very catalyst for his change of heart. Clooney is in fine form as Frank, but it is his younger female co-stars Robertson and Cassidy that steal the show with their spunk and verve.

For a film supposed to move its audience to think bold and stay positive, ‘Tomorrowland’ comes off feeling just ‘meh’. There is excitement in finding out what it is all about, but once we do and that veil of secrecy is lifted, we are left thinking ‘so, that’s it?’ And yet for all its promise, it neither leaves you much inspired nor even enthused; instead, it leaves you wanting, wanting for more adventure, more heart, more wow, and most of all, more of Tomorrowland. 

Movie Rating:

(Like a seemingly thrilling theme park ride that never quite delivers a satisfying payoff at the end, Brad Bird’s ‘Tomorrowland’ offers a thrill in the journey but sadly not in the discovery of what it really is)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: Pang Ho-Cheung
Cast: Zhou Xun, Huang Xiaoming, Sonia Sui, Sie Yi Lin
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 27 November 2014

Synopsis: Most women know that flirting can sometimes be the most effective way to get what they want, especially when it comes to men. However, flirting is an art that takes talent, and isn’t so easy to come by for some… ZHANG HUI (Zhou Xun) has a crush on her fellow classmate, XIAO GONG (Huang Xiaoming). However, family pressure to succeed forces him to focus more on his studies rather than relationships, delegating Zhang Hui to the role of “just ? friends”. But Zhang Hui doesn’t give up that easily. After graduation she finds work in Shanghai in order to stay close to Xiao Gong. Matters are complicated, however, when Xiao Gong returns from a business trip to Taiwan with a new girlfriend, BEI BEI (Sonia Sui). Unable to admit defeat, Zhang Hui seeks the help from a college classmate and her group of friends that have mastered the art of flirting. Overnight, Zhang Hui’s appearance, demeanor, and silks of seduction improve dramatically. As Xiao Gong begins to take notice, their relationship begins to progress beyond being “just ? friends.” Never one to back down from a challenge, Bei Bei must plan a counter-offensive in order to maintain her girlfriend-status…

Movie Review:

‘Women Who Flirt’ sees director Pang Ho Cheung take a creative sojourn from his Hong Kong-set dramas like ‘Aberdeen’ and comedies like ‘Vulgaria’ by engaging in some shamelessly commercial pursuits. Inspired by the self-help book ‘Everyone Loves Tender Woman’ by Loverman, this Mainland-based rom-com has a tomboyish girl Angie (Zhou Xun) pick up the tricks of flirting from a gaggle of female friends who call themselves the ‘Barbie Army’ in order to win the affections of her best friend Marco (Huang Xiaoming), whom she has always been secretly in love with, after he falls for a Taiwanese girl called Hailey (Tang Sui) skilled in the art of ‘sa jiao’.

Though Pang has personally penned this big-screen adaptation together with his ‘Love in the Buff’ collaborator Luk Yee-Sum and newcomer Zhang Youyou, his latest displays little of the witticisms that fans of his works – us included – look forward to. At least his maiden foray into Mainland filmmaking, ‘Love in the Buff’, retained his distinctive voice while staying within the safe zone of the notorious censors (remember the joke about the air stewardess or the music video Shawn Yue made to prove his sincerity to Miriam Yeung?); save for the occasional amusing references to Patrick Swayze’s ‘Ghost’ and Andrew Lau’s ‘The Guillotines’, this is indistinguishable from the crop of rom-coms that have become a staple of the Mainland box office, no thanks to a voracious appetite from the genre from audiences there.

Much of the humour is derived (and derivative) from gender stereotypes, or more specifically, that of women which men tend to gravitate towards. From taking every opportunity to showcase maximum cleavage to saying ‘I hate you’ in a mischievously high-pitched girlish pout to giving men the chance to feel protective over a woman, Pang up-ends each one of these manipulative techniques women supposedly use in order to get men to fall hopelessly head over heels. There is some fun to be had in watching these tricks of the flirting trade being outed for what they are, but the pleasures afforded by these jokes are shallow, fleeting and grow increasingly tiresome.

Thankfully, Zhou Xun’s spirited delivery ensures that their repetitiveness does not completely ingratiate. Her diminutive frame and husky voice don’t make her the prototype Asian girl for rom-coms, but that is precisely why she is perfectly cast in the role. When she casts doubt on her makeover consultants’ ‘one-two-five’ Tinder-ready selfies, you believe that her cynicism is genuine. When she eventually decides to tear into her ‘love opponent’s’ seductive moves, you’ll applaud her comebacks. Zhou’s screwball comic timing is impeccable, and her considerable charm is a huge reason why the movie remains lively and entertaining in parts.

If the humour is mostly silly and shallow, the romance is sadly artificial. Except for a couple of flashbacks which establish Angie and Marco as college buddies who shared much platonic banter and several playful moments together, there is little else that convinces just why Angie would be in love with Marco or why Marco is in fact in love with Angie as well but just doesn’t know it yet. Even more perplexing is how Pang rationalises the latter, which falls to some hokey premise about how Marco is in fact “gay” for having been brought up without a maternal figure and is therefore perfectly matched with the masculine Angie. Unlike Chun Jiao and Zhi Ming in Pang’s previous two rom-coms ‘Love with a Puff’ and ‘Love in the Buff’, you’ll be hard-pressed to believe that there is genuine affection in Angie and Marco’s relationship, or for that matter, that the pair make a good couple.

Like we said at the beginning, ‘Women Who Flirt’ finds Pang at his most ready-to-please, forgoing his usual sensibilities for a wholly commercial product that is certainly poised to do well at the Mainland box office. If all you’re looking for is a light, frothy and forgettable time, then you’ll find your share of disposable pleasures here; but anyone else looking for the Pang Ho Cheung of contemporary classics like ‘You Shoot, I Shoot’ and ‘Exodus’ would be advised to flirt with something else instead.  

Movie Rating:

(Derivative and shallow, this occasionally funny rom-com sees enfant terrible Pang Ho Cheung at his most shamelessly commercial)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Nicholas Powell
Cast: Nicholas Cage, Hayden Christensen, Liu Yifei, Bill Su, Byron Lawson, Jawed El Berni, Liang Shi
RunTime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 9 October 2014

Synopsis: Battle weary English knight JACOB (Hayden Christensen) wanders to the ends of the earth to flee the horror of the crusades. But when he agrees to bodyguard royal siblings LIAN (Liu Yifei) and ZHAO, once again he finds himself selling his sword in a faraway land. Lian's tyrannical brother SHING (Andy On) has seized the throne from rightful heir Zhao and his rule threatens to plunge the land into chaos. To restore peace Jacob must escort the two most wanted fugitives in the kingdom on an impossibly perilous cross-country passage. With only ragtag bandit GALLAIN (Nicholas Cage) to help them the outcasts will face a legion of assassins, a relentless nemesis who has vowed revenge on Jacob for his deeds in the Holy Land, and Shing himself, the greatest swordsman to have ever lived.

Movie Review:

Abruptly pulled out of general screenings in the Mainland and released without much fanfare locally, this China Canadian co-production stars Hayden Christensen (the Star Wars prequels) and Nicolas Cage as two jaded holy crusaders who manage to find redemption in 12^th century China.

Written by a presumably white dude James Dormer, Outcast is a generic action flick that embarrassingly promotes white supremacy. The Chinese fight among themselves for the Emperor throne and the white guys came in to save the day. This is the short version of the movie synopsis while the longer one sounds something liked this: Jacob (Christensen) and his mentor Gallain (Cage) two warriors tired of being constantly in war decides to flee to China for a better life. Jacob now opium-addicted unwittingly becomes the escort for a pair of royal siblings, Princess Lian (Liu Yifei from The Four) and the rightful heir to the throne, Prince Zhao (Bill Su) when their greedy elder brother, Shin (HK’s resident villain Andy On) wants them to return the Emperor seal. War is unleashed inevitably and yes a white-hot dude with perfect hairdo saves the day.

Despite its best intention to provide the story with a meaningful message, the often clunky and overused plotting easily overshadowed the message of redemption. We probably have seen it a thousand times about a dying Emperor being murdered by his loved ones for the throne in countless Chinese productions. Damn, even Ridley Scott’s critically acclaimed Gladiator uses it. But then Gladiator doesn’t have Andy On, the six-pack villain who fights as well as he looks. In addition to the fact that all the fancy Chinese swordplay is no match to the Western style of fencing enhanced the very fact that this is an unbelievable story.

Finally, Nicolas Cage can add to his long-running resume, a Chinese co-production to his list of award-winning arthouse dramas to blockbusters to indie flicks. You can’t seriously expect much from Cage nowadays since the role of Gallain marks yet another of his eccentric over-the-top performances. The return of Christensen to the big screen after a long hiatus is ultimately as memorable as his well-groomed tomahawk while Liu Yifei who perfectly nailed the predictable damsel-in-distress role becomes the movie’s biggest gag simply because her character throws herself at a complete Caucasian stranger at the shortest time.

Directed by veteran stunt choreographer Nick Powell (The Bourne Identity, X-Men: The Last Stand), Outcast entertains for the most part given the atrocious lazy story. It possesses beautiful cinematography and breath-taking locations for a start. It has plenty of wham-bang action though not significantly choreographed given Powell’s background. It has a hazy romance angle which speaks of white supremacy. It has also incredulous gags one in particular has Jacob shooting an arrow that travelled a mile; keeping in mind Jacob is actually a drug addict. It also reminded us that in the 12^th century, everyone from the Chinese to Muslims to Indian speak impeccable English. Most important of all, Cage’s 20 minutes quirky appearance that makes this a must-watch epic as the poster blatantly sold it as a Cage’s flick. 

Movie Rating:

(If you love white people saving the world, you love Outcast)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Romance
Director: Johnnie To
Cast: Louis Koo, Gao Yuanyuan, Vic Chou, Miriam Yeung, Daniel Wu
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures & Clover Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 13 November 2014

Synopsis: After the “Earthling” Cheung Shen Ren (Louis Koo) loses Cheng Zixin (Gao Yuanyuan) to the “Martian” Fang Qihong, he decides to keep it cool and reverts to singlehood graciously. Cheng and Fang, meanwhile, live happily ever after…… That seems to be the fairytale ending from DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART. In reality, the story is far from over: the three finds themselves once again entangled in an even more complicated relationship in DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART 2. After jilted by Cheng, Cheung starts dating “Goddess of Stocks” Yang Yang Yang, who works in an opposite building. Yang has been turning a blind eye to Cheung’s philandering until she meets Paul, a romantic returnee from France whose devotion has melted her heart. Afraid to lose his lover again, Cheung determines to settle down and marry Yang, but fate works in mysterious ways. It turns out that Cheng’s wedding with Fang has been delayed and she is now directly working under Yang. A chance encounter with Cheng again makes Cheung question his decision, because even though he appears to have emerged unscathed from their previous relationship, he was profoundly hurt and still hasn’t fully recovered. Paul is in love with Yang; Yang has accepted Cheung’s proposal; Cheung is unable to get Cheng off his mind; and Cheng is about to marry Fang. A quadrangular relationship among five people – who is really the love of their life?

Movie Review:

Over post-it notes exchanged across the office windows of two adjacent towers in the heart of Hong Kong’s financial district, Louis Koo’s dashingly handsome but hopelessly philandering wealth management CEO Cheung Shen Ran pursued the pretty and vivacious financial analyst Chen Zixin. But Zixin was also simultaneously courted by the handsome architect Fang Qihong (Daniel Wu), who was dependable, faithful, committed and basically the exact opposite of Shen Ran.

Teasing their audience right to the very end, the dynamic writing-directing duo of Johnnie To and Wai Kar Fai eventually let their female protagonist pick the safer choice – not just because Shen Ran’s horndog ways proved incurable but also because Qihong had designed and built an entire skyscraper in Suzhou just for her. It is one year later where this sequel opens that we are reunited with Shen Ran and Zixin, the latter just weeks away from her impending nuptials with Qihong. The former? Well, he’s as much a flirt as before, but as we find out soon after, he is actually still very much hung up on Zixin, even going to the extent of renting the apartment which she used to stay.

Though he may be better known in the West for violent gangster classics like ‘Election’, ‘The Mission’ and ‘Exiled’, Johnnie To’s success in his home territory has always been with crowd-pleasing rom-coms like ‘Needing Me, Needing You’ and ‘Love On A Diet’. This sequel, as well as its predecessor, fits in squarely with the latter category in many ways – it is frothy, light-hearted, and filled with zany moments that few like To/ Kar Fai will dare to pull off and do so with aplomb. And indeed, To establishes this with a hilarious opening sequence that deserves praise in itself for being able to juggle so many characters at the same time.

There is Zixin, who is trying out her wedding dress in a bridal shop and waiting for her brother Paul (Vic Chou) to arrive. Paul is caught in a jam because Yang Yang Yang (Miriam Yeung) is terrible at parallel parking her Ferrari and has been trying to squeeze her vehicle into a tight spot along a narrow street. Yang Yang wishes for a handsome guy to offer his help – and (voila!) Shen Ran pops up by her window. It just so happens that both are in the area to look for office space for their respective companies, and when Yang Yang sees Shen Ran in the window of the opposite building, she waves excitedly to him and gestures for him to meet downstairs for coffee – but really Shen Ran is gesturing instead to another hot(ter) Eurasian girl in the same building as Yang Yang. Before that misunderstanding is sorted out downstairs, Zixin throws herself at Yang Yang and begs her for a job because the latter is apparently acclaimed as a ‘Goddess of Stocks’. And before the day is over, Paul would have made Yang Yang’s acquaintance in the same way Shen Ran did earlier, but Yang Yang would also have hooked up with Shen Ran.

It’s a lot to keep up with, and it is firmly to To’s credit that his audience remains engaged and not bewildered by the end of this flurry of happenings. Oh, and by the way, if you’re wondering where Qihong is in the midst of all this, well he remains unfortunately in Suzhou on a project and sits out the Tennessee Waltz of changing partners. Yes, instead of five characters fighting for each other’s attention and affections, there is really only four. Wai, who co-wrote the script with original scribe Ryker Chan and Yu Xi, chooses to let the audience favourite character, Qihong, sit out most of the movie to its own demise, because none of the ones we spend much of the time with – and that includes the French-spouting Qihong, who comes off less romantic than pretentious – are anything near endearing. On the contrary, Shen Ran, Zixin and Yang Yang are fickle and capricious, so we find it hard-pressed to root for any of them.

Short of a deeper emotional connection with any of the main characters, we are left instead to indulge in their whimsicalities – and thankfully, there are a couple of fairly entertaining sequences here. One of these highlights sees the introduction of a clairvoyant octopus named Genie (clearly influenced by the similarly gifted Paul the Octopus) which Yang Yang and Paul (haha – get it?) rescue from a seafood restaurant in Sai Kung, a self-aware narrative element meant that references Zixin’s pet toad in the previous film. Another riotous sequence has Shen Ran and his loyal effeminate assistant (Lam Suet) scrambling to keep the former’s bevy of flight-attendant girlfriends in separate office rooms who appear simultaneously at his company to celebrate his birthday after Hurricane Sandy grounds all U.S.-bound air traffic.

It is in that same screwball spirit that Wai wraps the shenanigans up with Shen Ran scaling the very skyscraper Qihong built for Zixin in a last-ditch attempt to declare his love for her on her wedding day itself. We won’t spoil any surprise here, but suffice to say that besides Zixin, Yang Yang’s own love triangle with Paul and Shen Ran also gets its resolution by the time the credits roll. Is it as poignant as the conclusion the last time round? Hardly, but like we said, this is all about the laughs and less about anything meaningful or poignant. It still is fun hanging out with such a high-powered ensemble for two hours, which is one of the pleasures that this sequel offers.

But to answer the inevitable question whether it is necessary? It’s probably clear by now that it isn’t, motivated less by creative instinct than by commercial imperative. Yes, it’s no secret that ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ was one of To and Wai’s biggest hits in recent years, not least for the star-studded cast, and this sequel makes no apologies that it is simply out to entertain, shallow and artificial as the emotions it asks us to believe in are. It is a far lesser movie than its predecessor no doubt, but those looking for a superficially pleasing outing should be satisfied.  

Movie Rating:

(Less likeable or poignant than its predecessor, this unnecessary sequel trades Daniel Wu for Miriam Yeung and Vic Chou, and loses the one likeable character in the process)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Comedy
Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Cast: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Kathleen Turner, Brady Bluhm, Laurie Holden, Steve Tom, Jennifer Lawrence, Rachel Melvin, Rob Riggle
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: PG13 (Sexual References)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://dumbanddumbertointl.com/intl/ww/

Opening Day: 13 November 2014

Synopsis: 20 years after the dimwits set out on their first adventure, they head out in search of one of their long lost children in the hope of gaining a new kidney.

Movie Review:

While Jeff Daniels has recently won the Emmy for his outstanding performance in The Newsroom, the career of his co-star Jim Carrey and the Farrelly brothers seem to be fallen on hard times. Can you recall Carrey’s last hit by the way? What were the Farrellys thinking when they made The Three Stooges?

Dumb and Dumber To reunites most of the cast and the two directors from the 1994 hit. Too often, sequels pale in comparison to the original - and this one is no exception despite having both Carrey and Daniels back as the two loveable dimwits, Lloyd and Harry.

The opening cleverly sets up why the sequel took twenty years, but the movie that follows is a long dreaded affair. Scripted by the Farrellys and a few more guys - notably Sean Anders (Horrible Bosses 2, Sex Drive) - the actual story involves Lloyd and Harry going on another road trip to look for the latter’s long-lost daughter, Penny (Rachel Melvin). Along the way, a Nobel-winning scientist, his cheating wife and her lover are thrown into the story and mostly it's just tedious and silly.   

Even for people who have not caught Dumb and Dumber on local television or cable, Dumb and Dumber To relies a lot on its two likeable lead actors instead of its backstory, if there is any to begin with. Sure there are some references to the original like Billy the poor blind kid, but the entire concept is supported by exhausting gags and terribly dated jokes, so much so that it fares more like a homage to the good old comedies in the 80’s and early 90’s than as a contemporary one.

Despite Carrey’s best efforts to liven things up and Daniels’ going all gung-ho with his character’s stupidity, it simply fails to deliver the laughs, at best the occasional chuckle. At times, you may even feel a tinge of sympathy for the actors. The once gorgeous Kathleen Turner being mocked for her looks and Rob Riggle’s twin brothers’ roles provide brief moments of delight.

If lowbrow jinks are your thing, the Farrellys has concocted plenty of them here. I on the other hand don’t really feel it is ticklish to watch slurpee being poured into one’s pants or people being constantly pushed into bushes. I totally get it. I mean, it’s dumb and dumber right? Bodily-excretion gags and racist jokes are supposed to be funny. Sad to say, this is so passé. The era of There’s Something About Mary and Me, Myself and Irene is over. Period.  

At this point, I just want to give New Line a pat for giving this one up. Universal is pretty dumb in this case to pick a dead horse and repeatedly flogging it.  

Movie Rating:

(Lloyd and Harry were funny in 1994 - but not in 2014)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Ivan Kavanagh
Cast: Rupert Evans, Antonia Campbell-Hughes, Kelly Byrne, Steve Oram
RunTime: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence & Sexual Scenes)
Released By: GV
Official Website: http://thecanalthemovie.com

Opening Day: 6 November 2014

Synopsis: Sitting in an empty theatre, a film archivist watches the grainy footage that will be his undoing. David and his wife are perfectly happy — or so he believes. When he finds out the home he shares with his wife and son was the scene of a ghastly turn-of-the-century murder, David dismisses it as ancient history. That is, until the sinister history ripples into the present and casts a shadow over life as he knows it. And when a looming secret shatters his marriage, David can’t help but suspect the dark spirits of the house are somehow involved. In his drive to unveil the shadows hidden in the walls, David begins to descend into insanity, threatening the lives of everyone around him. Through ghastly imagery and a chilling score, Ivan Kavanagh’s The Canal is an Irish ghost story that will leave you with a fear of the dark and a dripping chill down your spine long after the film’s conclusion.

Movie Review:

We don’t blame you if you were unimpressed by the title of this Irish ghost story - no movie that gives itself such a bland sounding name can hope to entice anyone who’s never heard of it. Notwithstanding, we decided to give writer/ director Ivan Kavanagh’s festival darling the benefit of the doubt; after all, the fact that it is getting a theatrical release despite not boasting any immediately recognisable stars must mean there is some merit about the movie itself.

And sure enough, ‘The Canal’ doesn’t disappoint. Its slow-burn low-key approach may test the patience of some viewers, but those patient enough to let this seemingly simple and unassuming story work its fingernails into you will find that there is plenty within to give you a good chill. But first things first, the titular waterway in fact refers to this murky body of water not far from where our protagonist David (Rupert Evans) lives with his wife Alice (Hannah Hoekstra) and son Billy (Calum Heath). It is also where Alice’s body will turn up soon after David learns of her having an affair.

As you may imagine, the narrative essentially teases its audience into wondering whether David is her killer or not, the latter suggested by the presence of a shadowy spectre which David observes lurking within the walls of his home. Preceding the tragic turn of events is David’s shocking discovery during his work as a film archivist of a gruesome murder that happened in his very house back in 1902, where a husband was found guilty of murdering his wife and their son after finding out of her infidelity and then dumping her body in the very same canal.

Carefully revealing his cards one at a time, Kavanagh succeeds in cultivating an unsettling atmosphere that gets under your skin. He gives just enough about the apparition to let you know what sort of presence it is, but not too much to diminish its aura of terror. At the same time, he works on your inherent suspicion of David’s culpability in his wife’s murder, particularly since he actually walks in on her having sex with a co-worker right before on the night of her demise. David’s job also contributes to some genuinely creepy moments, as he uses an old hand-cranked camera to attempt to document the apparition he has been seeing.

A skeptical policeman, a trusting co-worker and an increasingly terrified nanny represent the two sides of his fragile psyche - is what is happening for real or just a projection of his insanity - but the show generally rests on David’s shoulders. To be sure, it is Evans who carries the movie from start to finish, the British actor usually playing the part of the likeable rogue in costume dramas here relying on his natural amiability and a committed performance to win his audience’s sympathy. We feel for him even as we suspect that he isn’t as innocent as he thinks he is, which Kavanagh wisely reserves to reveal only in the final reel.

Indeed, these final moments deserve special mention. Whereas most horror movies tend to fizzle out at the end because you can pretty much guess what is going to happen, this saves its best for last, doling out a jaw-dropping climax that will literally have you panting. If you had been unimpressed or even frustrated by the coyness of the earlier scenes, we reassure you that these last few moments will convince you otherwise. Kudos to Kavanagh for daring to mount an unusually grim and disconcerting conclusion which stays with you long after the credits are over; it also ties in nicely with the initially puzzling prelude where David addresses a group of schoolchildren by looking right into the camera (at us, basically) and informing that just about everyone onscreen is now dead.

Perhaps because we approached it with low expectations, ‘The Canal’ surprised us with a dark brooding atmosphere and some truly frightening images. Yes, it does require some patience to get through a middle section where David’s sanity is tested little by little day after day, but what happens after is well worth your wait. As an indie horror clearly made on a much smaller budget than studio-driven titles like ‘The Conjuring’, it succeeds by being creepy and then by being all out disturbing, leaving you wondering yet again just what lurks in the shadows at night.

Movie Rating:

(Suitably creepy and unsettling, this low-key Irish horror takes a slow-burn approach to unspooling a series of nerve-wrecking scares right at the end)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Bernard Rose
Cast: Caitlyn Folley, Ian Duncan, Diana García, Chris Coy, Julie Marcus, Eric Neil Gutierrez
RunTime: 1 hr 26 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scenes and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 30 October 2014

Synopsis: SX Tape follows Adam, a filmmaker, and Jill, an aspiring painter, as they attempt to spice up their relationship by recording a sex tape. Adam is still recording when they find an old abandoned hospital that could be a potential location for Jill’s upcoming exhibition. Inside, Adam still attempts several sex games in camera but what he unwillingly documents is a slow but unstoppable change in Jill. It quickly becomes apparent that they’re not exactly alone in their new ominous surroundings. Soon, the couple realizes that some sex tapes should never be made as their kinky adventure turns into a desperate fight for survival.

Movie Review:

As much as ‘Paranormal Activity’ breathed new life into the found footage genre, it also set off a whole wave of bargain basement copycats which believed that all you needed to make a horror movie was two people and a camcorder. And if you need an example of just how low the genre has sunk, look no further than this latest from ‘PA’ co-producer Steven Schneider, ‘SX Tape’.

Scripted by first-timer Eric Reese and directed by veteran British filmmaker Bernard Rose, it follows the sexual exploits of a young couple from their apartment to their car and finally to an abandoned building that used to be a hospital. The half of the couple we often see in front of the camera is aspiring visual artist Jill (Caitlyn Folley), whom her boyfriend and cameraman Adam (Ian Duncan) has chosen as the subject of his new film. Just why she agrees for her ticket to fame to be a sex tape is beyond us, and so too the filmmakers it seems, who offer no reason whatsoever for that aberrance.

In any case, it is under the guise of using the former hospital as a venue for Jill’s art show that the pair enters its eerie confines, and we are told at the beginning by Adam that it used to be a place where unwed mothers could get secret abortions – and later on, it seems, even lobotomies. As narrative convention dictates, one of them has to be reluctant and the other foolhardy – the former of which falls to Adam and the latter to Jill – in order for a good part of the subsequent dialogue to consist of them arguing whether or not to explore the building further.

Nothing really much happens over the entire course of the movie; besides creaks and unexplained noises, the only paranormal activity going on is Jill’s obsession with doing it on a dirty bed with restraints. There is but one critical turning point, and that is with the addition of two other characters – Jill’s best friend Elly (Diana Garcia) and her boyfriend Bobby (Chris Coy) – whom they call upon to pick them up after their car is towed away. Too bad for Jill and Adam, neither is good help, so instead of leaving the place at the first opportunity, they end up going back in for another tour of the grounds.

A prologue at the beginning already tells you that none of the others – with the exception of Jill – make it out alive, so what follows is an increasingly frustrating wait for Adam, Bobby and Elly to meet their respective denouements. Even then, the wait is hardly worth it – not just for how predictable it all turns out (especially with the introduction of a narratively convenient handgun), but for the countless nausea-inducing shots of one character screaming another character’s name while running or walking down abandoned hallways.

But what truly takes the cake is the fact that there is just one ghost – yes, you read us right – just one that appears in the form of a young lady in a white dress seen running towards the camera at the halfway mark and who only reappears right at the end to provide some semblance of an explanation for Jill’s erratic behaviour. Only an old case file and a coda provides any form of backstory just who this apparition is; and while the filmmakers may claim the lack of such details is de rigueur for the found footage format, the blatant absence of any effort to make the jolts more compelling smacks of laziness.

There are no two ways about it. ‘SX Tape’ is a terrible excuse of a found footage horror, and for that matter, a terrible excuse for a movie regardless of genre. It is even more deplorable for trying to draw an audience in under the guise of a sex tape. For the record, there is little in here that is titillating and those looking for some scares this Halloween (its theatrical release here no doubt timed for that occasion) will be sorely and plainly disappointed. Horror fans may also note that Rose is the director of a certain cult classic called ‘Candyman’, and we advise you to revisit that instead of this sorry excuse of a movie.  

Movie Rating:

(Two people, a camcorder and an abandoned building don’t make a horror movie)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Comics/Action/Adventure
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson
Runtime: 2 hrs 21 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 30 April 2015

Synopsis: Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.

Movie Review:

If the first ‘Avengers’ movie was about building the team, then this one is about tearing them apart.

Opening with a thrilling reminder of just how awesome the team of Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner aka Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow that Nick Fury assembled can be, the superheroes follow the events of ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ by paying a surprise visit to the Colditz-like castle hideout of Hydra operative Baron Von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) to retrieve Loki’s scepter. Savour the union while you can, for it isn’t long before that alliance is shattered with the arrival of the titular genocidal robot, which by virtue of being Tony Stark’s creation only serves to deepen the mistrust among them. 

If you’ve read the books, you’ll know that Ultron’s foremost purpose is to put the Avengers in the ground – which in writer-director Joss Whedon’s interpretation, becomes a symbol of grand irony. After all, Ultron was Tony’s idea of creating an artificial intelligence which could protect mankind and so make the Avengers obsolete, a project which he happened to be working in secret with Bruce and his personal A.I. assistant Jarvis (voiced by Paul Bettany). Unfortunately for him, Ultron has taken the obsoletion of the Avengers quite literally, and determined for himself that the only way for mankind to survive is for it to be annihilated and thereby given a chance to evolve.

That the Avengers will face Ultron and his army of replicas is a given, but what truly surprises is the twisty character-driven narrative which Whedon weaves to get to that highly anticipated finale. You would already have heard of the high-profile additions Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), a pair of tightly-knit Eastern European siblings whose powers of speed and mind control respectively lend their reference here as “enhancements” – and besides Ultron, the brother-and-sister pair become the most formidable threat to the Avengers, in particular the latter’s psychic powers which she uses on Captain America, Black Widow and Thor to trigger memories of their past and face their personal demons.  

While their visions leave them distracted and unsettled, the rest of the team are also forced to confront their own fears. Tony’s hubris, once the driving force of his pioneering spirit, could very well be the end of the Avengers and the destruction of everything he’s tried to build. Bruce loathes his alter-ego, but recognises that his powers are still a valuable addition to the team, especially in protecting Black Widow, with whom he shares a deepening romantic interest hinted at in the last movie. And freed from the shackles of Loki’s spell, Hawkeye is reminded of his mortality as one with no special powers or metal suit other than being an excellent archer, beautifully portrayed in a sojourn at the halfway mark that he makes to his ‘safe house’ to visit his wife and kids along with the rest of his teammates to recuperate and re-group.

It is no small feat juggling so many characters in the same movie, and yet again, Whedon has pulled it off stunningly. Even though each is part of a larger team, no one fades into it; instead, Whedon lets us get to know each and every one of the Avengers intimately, so much so that you won’t feel that you know them any less than you would if they each had their own standalone movie. And out of that character emphasis comes some lovely human moments that make this more soulful and poignant than its predecessor – how Black Widow coaxes the Hulk back into human form, that Hawkeye is an All-American family man when not on superhero duty, why Ultron is really Tony’s darkest side in the flesh (or metal) gone amok, and fundamentally the burdens that each one of our superheroes carry as a consequence of their powers.

Besides Ultron, Whedon refuses to define any of the characters as “good” or “bad”; rather, he identifies and illustrates their drives and impulses – whether is it Tony’s phobia or Captain America’s old-fashioned sense of duty or even Ultron’s Oedipal grudge – and uses that to propel the story forward. This is ultimately how the team falls apart, going from the joviality of Thor’s favourite party trick (otherwise known as “who is fit to lift the hammer”) at the start to the infighting later on over Tony’s plan to create yet another superior A.I. to defeat Ultron – which ends up in the birth of the red-faced android named Vision (Bettany in the flesh). It is also how Whedon plots the reconciliation of the Avengers with their apparent arch-nemeses Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, no doubt laying the foundation for the next phase of the Avengers programme – and the next two-parter instalment due three years later.

Being heavier on philosophy and introspection does take some measure of humour out of the Avengers, but that doesn’t mean this sequel has lost its witty brio. Tony still delivers the zingers in the way Robert Downey Jr does best, particularly in the scene where he goes metal-against-man with the Hulk, but he is at times upstaged by his own creation, given the same sardonic wit but with the diabolical elegance of James Spader’s voice. That said, there is much less of the lively banter that made the first movie such jovial entertainment, and in its place Whedon has created a different movie that is darker and grittier.

Only when it comes to matching the sheer jaw-dropping spectacle of its predecessor does this sequel become a victim of its own success. Despite hopscotching across the globe from Europe to Africa to Asia and back (culminating in the fictional East European country of Sokovia where it started), Whedon never quite achieves the same feeling of ‘wow’ that we had watching Loki take out S.H.I.E.L.D’s airborne headquarters or unleash hell from the sky onto New York City. Whedon manage to replicate that feeling of astoundment in the much-anticipated Hulk-versus-Hulkbuster sequence, but the next to follow set in and around downtown Seoul is a major disappointment for blurry CGI and bad continuity. And though he tries to replicate the exhilaration watching the whole Avengers fighting together as an entire team, Whedon doesn’t quite get our hearts leaping during the final standoff against hordes of replica Ultrons.  

If the finale lacks the emotional payoff of the first movie, that’s also because Whedon had set himself up with a near impossible task in the first place. That probably explains why the ‘Age of Ultron’ is at its core a very different movie from the first ‘Avengers’, not just because of how our superheroes evolve in the face of imminent destruction precipitated by one of their own but also because of the complex psychological themes that Whedon explores here. His ambition is certainly admirable, but it is inevitable that those looking for the same straightforward thrills as its predecessor will be at least slightly disappointed. That it ends on a somewhat muted note is therefore to be expected, though that in no way diminishes Whedon’s achievement in any regard. This is still an outstanding feat by any measure, a riveting blend of intimate character moments and grand action spectacle that remains quite simply, Marvel-lous. 

Movie Rating:

(In character and theme much darker and more complex a sequel than its predecessor, Joss Whedon creates yet another immensely satisfying Avengers chapter)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Raymond Tan
Cast: Denzyl Yashasvi Dharma, Loh Ren Jie, Tan Wei Tian, Law Kar Ying, Michelle Yim, Chua Enlai, Chantel Liu, Kym Ng, Chen Tian Wen, Bobby Tonelli, Suhaimi Yusof
RunTime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: MM2 Entertainment and Shaw
Official Website:

Opening Day: 13 November 2014

Synopsis: Wayang Boy is a family comedy about Singaporeans living amidst the influx of foreign immigrants. Caught in all the hoo-ha is an Indian boy…Raja. Raja is new in Singapore and he was brought to Singapore by his Chinese stepmother Emma after his father married her. On his first day of school, Raja is branded ‘a foreign talent’ by the class bully, Xavier. The two promptly get into a fight, dragging classmate Shi Han, into the mess. As punishment, the principal lays an ultimatum: join the Chinese Opera troupe, or face a month in detention. Queen Elizabeth is visiting the school in three weeks and the principal wants to impress her with a multi-racial Chinese Opera performance... Through the mayhem of the children’s multi-racial wayang performance, everyone learns anew the meaning of living together as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion.

Movie Review:

You can credit Jack Neo for rejuvenating the local movie scene with his record-breaking Money No Enough back in 1998 when the financial crisis just happened round the corner. Social issues have since served as the inspiration for subsequent Neo’s movies including I Not Stupid about our nerve-racking education system and Just Follow Law which took a dig at our red-tape filled government services.     

Not forgetting the recent award-winning Ilo Ilo that tells the tale of a domestic servant employed by a local family or Eric Khoo’s arty drama 12 Storeys which talks about the troubled lives of heartlanders. Hot button local issues have generally become the default genre for local filmmakers and Raymond Tan’s Wayang Boy is no exception.

The story of Wayang Boy on the whole is a simple one and it basically touches on one current hot topic: the influx of foreigners and the acceptance level of fellow Singaporeans. Raja (Denzyl Yashasvi Dharma) is a primary five student. Newly arrived from India with his Chinese stepmother (played by Taiwanese actress Chantel Liu), Raja finds settling down in Singapore hard as he misses his dad while in school, he is being bullied by a classmate, Xavier (Loh Ren Jie) for being a foreigner.

When it’s announced that the Queen of England is paying a visit to Xi Wang (meaning hope in Chinese) Primary School, the school principal, Mr Ho (Chua Enlai) decides to task the Chinese teacher Mr Koay (HK veteran actor Law Kar Ying) to put on a Chinese opera performance to impress the VIPs. Assembling Raja, Xavier and the snack-loving Shi Han (Tan Wei Tian), Mr Koay must put on a performance of the Chinese classic novel, Wu Song Slaying the Tiger with the three assigned students. But first he must face against Xavier’s xenophobia dad, Henry (Chen Tianwen) and also helped Raja battles his inner demons.   

The character of Henry exemplifies the topic of foreigners encroaching on our territory. His long-awaited post of VP is once again given to an expatriate, Steven (Bobby Tonelli) and when he learnt that Raja is playing Wu Song instead of his son Xavier, he becomes hysterical. Despite the controversial theme, Wayang Boy is largely a safe and occasionally funny movie. Safe meaning it never actually delve hard into the issues discussed. And by funny, there are some clever lines spouted by Enlai’s character and some silly play-for-laughs gags by TV host Kym Ng and her onscreen husband (theater veteran Huang Jiajiang). A car challenge segment, a spoof of the popular yearly Subaru challenge is a good example. 

Tan who also contributed to the script tends to have a problem juggling drama and comedy that the pacing obviously seems a bit off course at times. The part especially the relationship between Raja and his stepmother dragged down the story significantly. Fortunately he milks the most out of Law Kar Ying’s performance given the man is known for his contributions to the opera scene in his native country. I can’t say the same for Michelle Yim’s screentime as the secretary of Principal Ho but her English is surprisingly fluent. Mediacorp actor Chen Tianwen is receiving quite a presence on television and movies after Ilo Ilo and he is again playing the loutish character for the umpteen times. The young cast members Denzyl Yashasvi Dharma, Loh Ren Jie and Tan Wei Tian put in commendable efforts especially Wei Tian’s scene-stealing, gung-ho Shi Han.

There’s a crucial lesson of being less xenophobic towards foreigners though the message is so repetitive covered in the movie that you prefer to switch it off. There are also brief mentions of other issues such as the high costs of owning a car and the increasingly crowded mrt if you must know. If not for the genuinely affecting performances from the cast, Wayang Boy will be just another bland local movie that uses a hot issue as a bait. 

Movie Rating:  

(Not this year’s best local movie but good-natured enough to give it a watch on a weekday)

Review by Linus Tee