Genre: Drama
Director: Naomi Foner
Cast: Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Clark Gregg, Peter Sarsgaard, Ellen Barkin, Richard Dreyfuss
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 27 November 2014

Synopsis: Naomi Foner’s directorial debut, Very Good Girls, explores the complicated dynamics of family and friendship as it tells the story of two best friends who, during their last summer before heading off to college, learn some unexpected lessons about life, love and the true meaning of friendship.

Movie Review:

In the course of one summer, the friendship of two best friends, Lily (Dakota Fanning) and Gerri (Elizabeth Oslen), are put to the test when they both fall in love with the same guy, David (Boyd Holbrook) after an impulsive naked swim at the beach. Makes for an enticing opening I must say.  

David, currently the only hot guy living near the girls’ neighbourhood, is quite a looker with tussled hair, great bod and all. He shoots with a Leica, reads Sylvia Plath’s poetry and he is also quite an accomplished street artist. That aside, he is actually in love with Lily, even though Gerri carries a torch for him. In the later part of the movie, Lily resorts to pairing David up with Gerri, despite the fact that she is very much in love and is sleeping with him. New York is so huge yet so small in this coming-of-age drama from first-time director and screenwriter Naomi Foner.  

And so the 90 minutes drama that boasts a stellar cast including Ellen Barkin and Clark Gregg as Lily's parents and Richard Dreyfuss and Demi Moore as Gerri's freewheeling parents struggles between friendship, relationship and sex. Quite a handful of ambitious subjects to touch on especially for a newbie helmer.

The actual result however is a missed opportunity. Foner tries her best to cram in as much as possible and that applies to the number of talented stars. You are never connected to Foner’s story on the whole because most of the characters float in and out of the screen spouting a few lines and basically disappears for the rest of the movie. The fate of Moore and Dreyfuss stands out as one. Even the character of David is not spared as he is mysteriously treated like a guy with superpowers - casually appearing at every convenient corner having casual sex with Lily and caught in a web of love involving two BFFs.

The struggle and angst of the two teens are further thickens when Lily stumbles upon Daddy having an affair with his patient and the unfortunate death of a parent respectively. Again these are just drama for the sake of drama and its potential never fully realized. All the while, Very Good Girls is content in spending a lot of time on Lily’s discovery of her sexuality and body, forgetting that the movie has lots more to offer.

The mother of Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Naomi Foner apparently pulled in lots of favours for her feature directorial debut to the extent that her son-in-law Peter Sarsgaard is not spared either. Sarsgaard ironically appears as Lily’s boss lusting for her flesh at every minute and he is for sure damn creepy. Apart from the spirited performances of Fanning and Oslen (both looking a tad too old for colleage girls), Very Good Girls is neither poignant nor does it justify itself as a valid statement on adolescence. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a much better choice.    

Movie Rating:

(Fanning and Oslen shows lots of skin in this otherwise tepid and shallow movie about BFFs and love)

Review by Linus Tee

ANNIE: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK OUT NOVEMBER 17TH Posted on 23 Oct 2014 For generations, families everywhere have fallen in love with the musical score to ANNIE, and such iconic songs as “Tomorrow,” “It’s the Hard-Knock Life,” and “Maybe,” have provided the soundtrack to countless childhood memories. Now, as a new vision for the classic show is set to hit movie theatres on December 18 in Columbia Pictures’ ANNIE, ... more

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Mathias Malzieu, Stéphane Berla
Cast: Mathias Malzieu, Olivia Ruiz, Jean Rochefort, Rossy de Palma, Babet, Marie Vincent, Grand Corps Malade
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: MVP and GV 
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/jacklefilm

Opening Day: 6 November 2014

Synopsis: Edinburgh, 1874. Jack is born on the coldest day in the history of the world, his heart frozen solid. Dr. Madeleine saves his life by inserting a cuckoo clock in place of his defective heart. The boy will survive, thanks to that magical contraption, but only if he observes three golden rules. First of all, he must never touch the hands of the clock. Secondly, he must control his anger. And last, but certainly not least, he must never, ever fall in love. The moment Jack sets eyes on street singer Miss Acacia, the hands of his clock-heart begin to race. Desperate to find her again, Jack launches himself — like a Don Quixote — into a romantic quest that will lead him from the lochs of Scotland, to the city of Paris and all the way to Andalusia...

Movie Review:

We are a spoilt bunch. When it comes to animation, we are fed with blockbusters from the likes of Disney, Pixar and Dreamworks. Yes, we often neglect the fact that there are other animated productions out there that deserve our attention. And when something like this French film comes along, we should sit up and discover what a gem like this has to offer.

The plot is something you’d expect from Tim Burton. The animated drama takes place in 19^th century Edinburgh, where our titular character gets his heart was replaced with a clock when he was born. The situation dictates that he should avoid feeling strong emotions, for example, love. As you’d expect, Jack just cannot keep his feelings under wraps.

We love the details put into the storytelling.  Jack was born with a frozen heart. In order to save him, a cuckoo clock heart was substituted, complete with a clock face and pop out bird.The girl he falls in love with is a lovely singer with severe nearsightedness who spouts lace like thorns when frightened. After an unfortunate incident, Jack has to make a perilous journey through Edinburgh and Paris to Andalusia, with the danger of her (love the pun here) breaking his heart.

We are glad to report that this is one of the titles that are vying for the Best Animated Feature at next year’s Academy Awards. It is in the competition with bigwigs like The Lego Movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Rio2, The Book of Life and Big Hero 6. Will it stand a chance to be even nominated? While we think chances are slim, it’d make us extremely happy if it was given some recognition in that sense.

The movie is based on a rock concept album by French band Dionysos, and songs that do not necessarily fill in the narrative gaps drive the plot along effectively. The soundtrack goes back and forth between generic rock and peppy, poppy ballads, and is a joy to listen to (mostly because we are bombarded with increasingly soulless music in this part of the world). The music is music is fitting for the eccentric film, and you will want to hunt down the playlist on YouTube after walking out the theatre.

You may find the characters in this 94 minute film too operatic, and villains and obstacles appear in the story more for convenience than logic, there is a mystical force that has you rooting for the movie. The animation is rich with imagination and a pure pleasure to watch. The characters look like porcelain dolls, and the rest of the visuals are just as beautifully haunting.

There are some themes in the film which are more suitable for older kids - the horrific bullying and sad plot points are relevant even in the adult world, the statements involving love, sacrifice and mortality may fly past the heads of younger viewers. However, it is undeniable that every single viewer will be spellbound by the enchantingly intoxicating animation that is a feast for the eyes to all.

Movie Rating:

(This spellbinding film may not be from the animation bigwigs, but it sure displays a lot of heart)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: Michael King (Shane Johnson), who doesn't believe in God or the Devil. Following the sudden death of his wife, Michael decides to make his next film about the search for the existence of the supernatural, making himself the center of the experiment - allowing demonologists, necromancers, and various practitioners of the occult to try the deepest and darkest spells and rituals they can find on him - in the hopes that when they fail, he'll once and for all have prove that religion, spiritualism, and the paranormal are nothing more than myth. But something does happen. An evil and horrifying force has taken over Michael King. And it will not let him go.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Grief provides the excuse for this found-footage exorcism horror, which sees a documentary filmmaker named Michael King tempt God (and the devil) by inviting demonic spirits to possess him. Yes, following the tragic death of his wife in a car accident, Michael turns to necromancers and demonologists, determined to summon whatever dark forces are out there in the world to prove their existence to him. As you might imagine, he gets what he wishes for, or perhaps more, which screenwriter/ director David Jung dutifully captures from Michael’s p.o.v.

To be frank, we’ve seen enough novice filmmakers try to overcome their budgetary constraints (and lack of creative talent, in some cases) to be immediately wary whenever another of such low-budget shockers come along. In the case of ‘The Possession of Michael King’, that skepticism is completely warranted, as the Korean-American filmmaker’s debut feature film proves utterly tepid and inept - no wonder then that though it had a brief run in our local theatres, it was consigned straight to VOD in most other territories.

Indeed, there is nothing here that we haven’t seen done better in other horror movies, but even as a standard-issue B-grade horror, it fails to deliver. A satanic ritual in which two demonologists manage to summon a demon who is apparently the commander of a legion of lesser demons forms the starting point of his possession, which is further unleashed when he seeks a necromancer to talk to the dead. From perpetually bloodshot eyes to frequent bouts of bad temper to an attachment with bugs and ultimately to murdering the family dog in his sleep, Jung goes through the playbook without so much as making each transformation count.

He is also undermined by a distinct lack of discipline in his filming method. We get that Michael is holding a handycam to document his own possession, but when Michael manages to maintain that perspective throughout a full meltdown, now that simply defies belief. Just as sloppy is how Jung switches between shakycam and well-composed master shots, the latter of which tend to be from wall-mounted cameras which put the audience so far away from the action on the screen that it doesn’t seem to matter whether Michael is being thrown or dragged or lifted up by some invisible force in his house.

If anything, this should be a lesson in itself for budding filmmakers who has no doubt been inspired by Jason Blum’s brand of low-budget horror. Though there are economies of scale to be found in the found-footage technique, it is after all a technique, and some that still demands both skill and inspiration from the filmmaker. None of that is on display here - and you’d be advised to watch yet another re-run of ‘The Exorcist’ if you’re truly in need of a horror fix.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The audio track is decent while visuals are grainy because of the filmmaking. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Gabriel Chong

MARVEL STUDIOS UNVEILS PHASE 3 OF MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE Posted on 29 Oct 2014 This morning, during a special event at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige revealed the films that will make up Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featuring a mix of fan-favorite characters and several heroes who will be making their big-screen debuts. The next two films to be released by Marvel are AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON on APRIL 30, 2015, and ... more

Genre: Drama
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: John Cusack, Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, Carrie Fisher, Sarah Gadon, Olivia Williams, Evan Bird
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scenes And Nudity)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 20 November 2014

Synopsis: Maps to the Stars connects the savage beauty of writer Bruce Wagner’s Los Angeles with the riveting filmmaking of director David Cronenberg and a stellar ensemble cast to take a tour into the darkly comic heart of a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts. The result is a modern Hollywood Gothic at once about the ravenous 21st Century need for fame and validation -- and the yearning, loss and fragility that lurk in the shadows underneath.

Movie Review:

Here we are, idolising celebrities, thinking that their lives are the best anyone can ask for. Those fascinating film and TV roles, those gorgeous outfits they wear to red carpet events, those beautiful pictures they take at movie premieres – what more can one ask for? But yup, this comes at a price. And we live in an age where we enjoy seeing how people have it bad (what is this world coming to, really?), which is why Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg’s latest offering is one fun, if not horrific glimpse at what goes on behind Tinseltown’s glitz and glamour.

Agatha (Mia Wasikowska), a young girl wearing burn scars on her face, turns up in Hollywoodto follow her dreams. There, she meets wannabe actor limo driver Jerome (Robert Pattinson), who poses the opportunity for her to develop a romantic connection in the big city. But wait, our heroine has to heed her calling first (through a surprising cameo from Carrie “Princess Leia” Fisher, no less, and that would be Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore), a once famous yet small minded actress who happens to be looking to hire a personal assistant. Meanwhile, a lot else is happening: there is a troubled family where the parents (John Cusack and Olivia Williams) are hiding a dark secret from their child star son Benjie Weiss (Evan Bird); there are odd visitations from ghosts in the night, and there is also talk that that an insane family member has returned for some mean terrorising and haunting.

Cronenberg’s long been fascinated with forms of horror, be it body or psychological. His notable works include 1983’s Videodrome, 1986’s The Fly; and the recent A History of Violence (2005) and Eastern Promises (2007). So it’s not a surprise that he is exploring the pool of dysfunction and disgust - Hollywood actors. This is a 111 minute movie that despises the Dream Factory and the sycophancy, bile, sexual degeneracy and hypocrisy that powers the looms. To put it simply, the dream becomes a nightmare. The film places elements of ghost story, black comedy and Hollywood satire in a screwball framework. Links between the characters are revealed gradually. 

Writer Bruce Wagner’s script is scathingly brilliant: Twitter as a networking tool, Scientology as a career move, rehabilitation for drug addicted child stars, fans who pay through to see their favourite A list stars. These ideas are either reality already or within sniffing distance in this world we know.

The cast delivers wonderful performances. Moore (can someone give her an Oscar already?), allegedly abused by her dead mother but now anxious to play her part in the remake of her most famous movie, may be heart breaking but the moment she does that unforgettable jig when the young son of her actress rival drowns, you know this character is one pathetic soul. The poisonous glee in Moore’s acting won her the Best Actress at Cannesearlier this year.

Then we have Wasikowska, an abandoned daughter of a dysfunctional family. She is broken and schizophrenic; but her performance is the closest thing to sympathy the movie has on offer. Throw in Pattinson’s can’t care less attitude as a limo driver who has ulterior motives, Bird’s irritating spoilt brat, Cusack and Williams’ unapologetic turns as his parents, and you’ll get a film that shows you the disarrayed chaos that unfortunately is the reality in showbiz.   

Movie Rating:

(Boosted by wonderful performances from its cast, this highly recommended film shed light on the mess behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood)

Review by John Li

Genre: Comedy/Animation
Director: Raman Hui
Cast: Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Baihe Bai, Boran Jing, Li Yuchun, Tony Yang, Da Peng, Sandra Ng, Eric Tsang, Huang Lei
RunTime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Official Website:

Opening Day: 16 February 2018

Synopsis: Set in a world where monsters and humans co-exist, the franchise tells the story of Wuba, a baby monster born to be king. Wuba becomes the central figure in stopping an all-out monster civil war.

Movie Review:

Despite picking up right after where the first film left off, ‘Monster Hunt 2’ still feels like a dull retread of its predecessor.

Once again, the irresistibly cute baby monster Wuba finds himself pursued by nefarious humans and demons alike, setting the stage for a showdown where his two human parents, Song Tianyin (Jing Boran) and Huo Xiaolan (Bai Baihe), will wage battle with those who seek to exploit him for their own selfish means.

One group pursuing Wuba is led by the veteran monster hunter Yun Qing (Yo Yang), through whom Tianyin and Xiaolan will learn of a Bureau of Monster Hunters where rogue demons that cause mischief and/or havoc upon humankind are kept in lockup. At first, the very addition of the Bureau seems like an attempt by returning director Raman Hui and his trio of writers – Alan Yuen, Chan Wing-sun and Su Liang – to expand the mythical world of medieval China that they had created in the first instalment. Alas, without giving anything away, let’s just say that the lavish art direction by Hui’s cross-cultural team (comprising of Li Jianwei, Guillaume Aretos and Yohei Taneda) is unfortunately wasted by the time Yun Qing and his Bureau henchmen’s true identity is revealed, a twist that seems lazily transplanted from the earlier film.

Another group is led by the notorious gambler Tu Sigu (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), who wants Wuba as repayment for his debts to the female Boss Chu (Li Yuchun). By chance, Tu makes Wuba’s acquaintance early on, but seeing no inherent value in the radish-like monster, kicks him off into the forest. Upon learning that Boss Chu is willing to release him from his debts, Tu sets off to search for Wuba, assisted by his loyal tubby monster assistant Ben-Ben. It is no surprise that he and Wuba will forge a connection during the course of the movie, so much so that he will have second thoughts about giving Wuba away to his creditor. Indeed, Wuba represents an amusing reckoning for the do-no-gooder whose relationships have been based on deceit and/or exploitation, and by the time the noisy CGI-heavy climax rolls along, Tu will have joined Tianyin and Xiaolan in protecting the son of the former monster king.

Compared to the original, the plotting here seems needlessly convoluted yet underdeveloped. We’ve already mentioned about how the Bureau is but a farce; ditto the scenes between Xiaolan and a smitten weapons craftsmith (Huang Lei) that the former meets at the Bureau, which serve little purpose than to get Tianyin jealous. Tu’s redemption is a nice change, but too many scenes of his seem extended to pad out the duration of the movie – there are two throwaway scenes of him working in cahoots with monsters to cheat in a casino; there is another throwaway scene of Boss Chu forcing him to honour his agreement that he will marry her; and there is yet another two chase sequences through the narrow streets of Clear Water Town where most of the action takes place which sees him try to evade those he had just swindled at the casino. Tu’s own character arc ends up taking more screen time than the hunt for Wuba itself, and although Tony Leung brings a delightfully wily charm to the movie, it simply makes the whole narrative even more distracted.

It doesn’t help that Hui seems content to let his sequel be dominated by frenetic sequences, most of which are hardly as inspired as that in the first movie. Too much time is simply spent running around haphazardly, without proper regard of how to make these scenes episodes of inspired comic mayhem. One involving a magic show where Tu ends up on the chopping block and later on in a box where he is to be sawn in half is yet again symptomatic of how busy yet uninvolving the onscreen chaos tends to unfold. Even the climax offers no consolation, coming off tired, hectic and yet oddly tedious. The only bright spot is a screwball sequence somewhere in the middle that sees Ben-Ben troll Tu while he is meeting with Boss Chu by frightening Wuba, taking advantage of how anyone whom Wuba has spitted on gets to see in his moment of fright just what he is seeing, which also in return messes with Tianyin’s attempt to get intimate with Tianyin.

To be frank, we were looking forward to ‘Monster Hunt 2’ only because of Wuba, and we’re quite sure we aren’t alone with that sentiment. Although the story still is ostensibly driven by Wuba, there are simply too many ‘human’ distractions that detract from what was the series’ most endearing element. Oh yes, Wuba is still as adorable as ever, but it is also somewhat disappointing that there isn’t any elaboration whatsoever on how he is intended to fulfil that prophecy of bridging the human and monster worlds. Instead, the filmmakers are content to simply let him spit more stuff out of his mouth like cannonballs or flail his arms about, while rehashing the same old shtick from the first movie. Even then, it is a lot less funny, a lot less engaging and a lot less entertaining this time round, and you’ll probably do better to revisit the first movie than hunt down this sequel. 

Movie Rating:

(Unless you fancy the irresistibly cute Wuba as worth the price of admission alone, this dull retread of the original is not worth the hunt)

Review by Gabriel Chong
  

Genre: Thriller
Director: John Suits
Cast: Katie Cassidy, Eliza Dushku, Michelle Trachtenberg, Garret Dillahunt, Michael Imperioli, Gina Gershon, Sasha Grey, Kunal Nayyar, Ashlynn Yennie, Billy Campbell
Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 6 November 2014

Synopsis: "The Scribbler" follows Suki (Katie Cassidy), a young woman confronting her destructive mental illness using "The Siamese Burn," an experimental machine designed to eliminate multiple personalities. The closer Suki comes to being "cured," she's haunted by a thought... what if the last unwanted identity turns out to be her?

Movie Review:

You must be quite a hardcore comic book fan in the first place to know that The Scribbler is actually based on a graphic novel by Dan Schaffer (who actually took the time to adapt the screenplay himself). The sole reason why a movie such as The Scribbler exists is because someone up there wants us to believe there are still miracles left in this chaotic world of ours. 

Not to be confused with the current trend of onscreen superheroes or misled by the intriguing trailer, this unnecessarily rated R21 flick stars TV’s Arrow Katie Cassidy as Suki, a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder. After successfully eliminating some of her extra personalities by a hokey Doctor (played by Billy Campbell the Rocketeer), Suki is sent to a halfway house called Juniper House, a rundown building occupied by weird occupants, in short a place where nearly everyone jumps down the building killing themselves at some point.

It sounds like we are gonna have a mind-bending mystery, but I don’t expect you to hold your breath. As told in flashbacks, Suki is now questioned by a detective Moss (Sopranos’ Michael Imperioli) together with a shrink named Silk (Dollhouse’s Eliza Dishku), where Suki is suspected to be involved in the mysterious deaths. Cue in the drumroll please…

Specifically speaking, the plotting attempts to keep its audience in suspense though the ultra-bland writing and the all so grungy dark lit atmosphere is not going to make you invested in the expository that goes on far too long. Did Suki push all the victims down the tower or perhaps it was that talking bulldog with a Brit accent? This is an absolute bizarre movie that ridiculously doesn’t contain any interesting/ outrageous characters to sustain your interest - unless you want to watch former porn star Sasha Grey wearing bunny ears in a cameo and Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl) as a fellow lunatic.

At times, it seems that everyone wants to create a gritty, experimental cult flick; but mostly it’s all ideas stuck in the minds of director John Suits and Dan Schaffer. Perhaps it’s all those menacing voices circling in there. There’s nothing exceptional about the so-called controversial shock treatment therapy especially when Suki glows like a mini Doctor Manhattan and for no reason turns into an irritable backwards writer.

It’s clear from the start that the budget is less than a TV pilot. The CG is atrociously bad and the sole dilapidated setting makes the viewing experience even worse. Leading actress Katie Cassidy puts in a more than decent performance as the tortured Suki while the rest of the mostly TV actors and actresses are mere fillers. Haters of Sucker Punch are warned to steer clear of this wreckage. This one doesn't even have dragons and Nazis slaying to make up for it.  

Movie Rating:

(I comply with the voices in my head to hate this movie)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Kevin Greutert
Cast: Sarah Snook, Mark Webber, David Andrews, Joelle Carter, Larisa Oleynik, Chris Ellis, Fran Bennett
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Horror)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/JessabelleMovie

Opening Day: 13 November 2014

Synopsis: After a devastating car accident, Jessie (Sarah Snook) returns to Louisiana, her estranged father and the crumbling bayou mansion of her childhood. When she finds videotapes of tarot readings her mother made for her before dying in childbirth, a ghostly presence in the house shows Jessie her mother’s predictions may be terrifyingly accurate.

Movie Review:

Not to be confused with ‘Annabelle’, and for that matter bearing no relation to the prequel of ‘The Conjuring’ just a month earlier, ‘Jessabelle’ sees red-headed twenty-something Jessie (Sarah Snook) return to her gloomy childhood house on the Louisiana bayou after a horrific car crash kills her boyfriend and unborn child and leaves her dependent on a wheelchair, only to come face-to-face with a black-haired, pale white, female spirit seeking her return and bent on having her dead. If that sounds like an excuse for yet another haunted-house horror, then thankfully director Kevin Greutert and screenwriter Robert Ben Garant have (slightly) bigger ambitions.

As a nod to the backwoods setting, the first piece of the puzzle comes in the form of a stack of VHS tapes which Jessie discovers in her mother’s chest of old drawers. There is something creepy in and of watching these tapes on a standard definition cathode-ray TV screen, but at first Jessie is comforted by the sight of a mother (Joelle Carter) she never knew, who in the tapes explain her intention of making them as a means of communicating with Jessie in the unfortunate event that she passes away from the cancer afflicting her body. Through the tapes, Jessie learns of her mother’s obsession with tarot cards, who foretold not only of a terrible fate for the girl, but also of a malevolent spirit lurking inside the house. 

Her worst suspicions are confirmed with the second piece of the puzzle, a series of nightmares and daydreams which Jessie slips into where she encounters the demon girl (Amber Stevens). A cross between a projectile-vomiting Linda Blair of ‘The Exorcist’ and the typical long-haired girl of Japanese horror, the tormented spirit wants nothing less than Jessie’s life – and in one of the showpiece sequences, aims to drown Jessie in a bathtub full of black, oily goop. Though many of these scenes lend themselves for cheap jump-scares, Greutert wisely steers away from such lazy convention, going instead for a slow build-up (not unlike ‘The Conjuring’) to get underneath his audience’s skin. There are some nice suspenseful moments here, but sadly the conclusions of these individual moments rarely make for anything truly memorable, in particular also because the said demon isn’t that scary after all.

At least then there is a decent mystery to be found in here, which largely unfolds as the third and final piece in the second act. With her good friend from high school, Preston (Mark Webber), Jessie takes a boat out across the bayou to find a shrine dedicated in her name on her very birthday, below which is buried a coffin with the bones of an infant. There are voodoo rituals, racial tensions, family secrets and other Southern gothic tropes thrown into the mix, and even though it feels familiar, there’s no denying that it makes for a heady concoction. Greutert directs an otherwise fairly conventional screenplay with the sure-footedness of someone who knows the genre well, and uses the shadowy swamps and bayou setting effectively for eerie atmospherics.

Yes, Greutert is better known for being the man behind two of the ‘Saw’ films, but those who fear that the filmmaker hasn’t quite lost his torture-porn roots can rest easily; slickly directed and just as ably produced by micro-budget horror master Jason Blum (think ‘Paranormal Activity’, ‘Sinister’, ‘Insidious’ and ‘The Purge’, Greutert’s latest is really a much more old-school exercise in tension and suspense. And in that, he finds good company in Snook, an engaging scream queen who exhibits good presence throughout, winning her audience’s sympathy for her utter helplessness at the supernatural occurrences she cannot run away from.

Frankly speaking, we weren’t expecting much of this post-Halloween leftover, but ‘Jessabelle’ is a fairly gripping horror thriller that should satisfy anyone still in need of a good scare. Besides the usual girl-with-long-hair theatrics, what makes this somewhat different from the usual offering is a rich helping of Southern gothic that adds more than a frisson of intrigue and thrill to the mystery at the heart of the hauntings. It won’t be remembered as a classic anytime soon, but this is better than your average disposable fare, so set your expectations right and you won’t be disappointed. 

Movie Rating:

(A strong lead performance and a richly Southern gothic atmosphere make this mystery thriller more engaging than your average run-of-the-mill haunted house horror)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Drama
Director: James Marsh
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, David Thewlis, Emily Watson, Charlie Cox, Simon McBurney, Maxine Peake, Harry Lloyd, Charlotte Hope, Georg Nikoloff, Kenton Hall
RunTime: 2 hrs 4 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://www.focusfeatures.com/the_theory_of_everything

Opening Day: 8 January 2015

Synopsis: The Theory of Everything is the extraordinaryand uplifting story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, and of two people defying the steepest of odds through love. The film, based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, is directed by Academy Award winner James Marsh (Man on Wire).

In 1963, as a cosmology student at the storied U.K. university Cambridge, Stephen (portrayed by Eddie Redmayne of Les Misérables) is making great strides and is determined to find a “simple, eloquent explanation” for the universe. His own world opens up when he falls deeply in love with an arts major, fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones of The Invisible Woman). But, at 21 years of age, this healthy, active young man receives an earth- shattering diagnosis: motor neuron disease will attack his limbs and his abilities, leaving him with limited speech and movement, and will take his life within two years. Jane’s love, fierce support, and determination are unwavering–and the duo weds. With his new wife fighting tirelessly by his side, Stephen refuses to accept his diagnosis. Jane encourages Stephen to finish his doctorate, which includes his initial theory of the creation of the universe. They start a family, and with his newly earned and widely hailed doctorate Stephen embarks on his most ambitious scientific work, studying the very thing he now has precious little of – time.

As his body faces more limits, his mind continues to explore the outer limits of theoretical physics. Together, he and Jane defy impossible odds, breaking new ground in medicine and science, and achieving more than they could ever have dreamed–well into the 21st century.

Movie Review:

When I went in to the cinema, I was expecting to watch a biopic about Steven Hawking’s incredible life and discoveries. The movie was adapted from the memoir, “Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen” by Jane Wilde Hawking. I was initially worried that the narrative aspect of the film would bore me. The Theory of Everything was so much more. While maintaining the structure of a linear narrative, the movie surprises and does a marvelous job of exploring the complexities of humanity, love and marriage.

The main theme of the movie surrounds this simple but powerful notion - There should be no boundary to human endeavor. The movie also exceeds the boundaries of a typical biopic and excels in almost everything it sets out to achieve. The movie doesn’t have a long introduction; we are quickly introduced to a young Steven Hawking (Eddie Redmayne), full of zest and on the precipice of greatness. He enrolls in Cambridge for his PHD in cosmology and meets Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) and unabashedly pursues her. Jane is his complete opposite; she looks to religion to provide answers, while he looks for a single scientific theory to explain everything. This serves as an initial attraction point for the two, but continues to wane from the weight of Steven’s motor neuron disease and Wilde’s ambitions to be more than just in Steven’s shadow.

The treatment of the plot is excellent – it does not delve into the unnecessary or irrational details of the film. You feel yourself being pulled into the beautiful cinematography – the visuals of the cosmos were not as overwhelming as Interstellar but still memorable. The biopic doesn’t explore many things about Steven’s life – and this is James Marsh’s brilliance. The director could have gone into trying to capture every detail of the memoir or possibly try to capture every great moment of Steven’s life. This was a man that lived to discover new unchartered territory in science, and also defied human expectations by living large despite a crippling disease. Marsh faces great pressure to deliver a touching biopic about an incredible man.

However, Marsh decided to pick a few poignant themes in Steven’s life that would resonate with the audience and excelled in doing so. He did not get lost in trying to capture the details of Steven’s life. I watched the film and repeatedly made mental notes wherever a great directorial choice was made – from the choice to use repetitive circular/spiral imagery to the way he directs his actors to move across the screen. Never have I been so enthralled by the way an actor holds a chalk in his hand. It will probably also take me a while to forget how Felicity Jones shook with fear and anguish as she saw a defeated Steven playing croquette with her. Marsh explores the relationship between Jane and Steven beautifully – he shows that love in marriage is not always absolute, and his treatment of the “grey area” that life often presents us is convincing and thought provoking. I left the cinema feeling less and more an idealist – if that’s even possible. Marsh tests his audience’s boundaries, and I love a director that tries to do more than just entertain.

A combination of great casting and direction has contributed to the success of Theory. The greatest achievement of the film is the full exploitation of Eddie Redmayne’s incredible acting talent. I barely recognized him in Theory; he looked nothing like Marius Pontmercy from 2013’s Les Miserables. Some actors have some characteristics or mannerisms that they would call their signature. But Redmayne is a true chameleon and deserves the Oscar buzz surrounding his work in Theory - he is astonishing in his role as Steven Hawking. While his talent was put to the test at the later part of the film where he had to showcase his advanced motor neuron disease, his best delivery was in the earlier half of the film. Redmayne mesmerized as a young Steven – he was gangly and awkward, yet completely charming. His subtle movements/clumsiness were perfectly executed to display his early stages of motor neuron disease. Redmayne exhibits greatness as he manages to tread the “grey” carefully; we are able to sympathize with and also disassociate ourselves from his role. One minute we understand Steven’s pain, and the next we are aghast by Steven’s nonchalance towards Jane. Of course, Jones does an excellent job matching Redmayne’s talent, especially seen in scenes with Charlie Cox. Chemistry between Jones and Redmayne is also incredible, especially when we get to see Steven through Jane’s eyes. The audience fell in love with Steven the same moment Jane did.

The movie is not perfect – fans of Steven Hawking’s ideas would have hoped for more theoretical discussion on quantum physics and relativity, or more on his views on religion and creationists. Fans of the memoir would have hoped for juicy details on the relationships between Steven and Elaine, or Jane and Jonathan. But Theory is in a league of its own – it is honest, subtle and doesn’t need any more jazz.

Movie Rating:

(An excellent movie for the lovers, dreamers and believers)

Review by Aishwarya Kumar