Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Jae-young Kwak
Cast: Zhou Xun, Tong Dawei, Wallace Chung, Zhang Zilin
RunTime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language And Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 5 February 2015

Synopsis: Four years ago, Qi Jia’s beloved college boyfriend Liu Chong plans to work in Beijing, while Qi rather stays in her hometown city. At their graduation ceremony, Qi proposes to Liu in the public, only to be rejected immediately - that was the end of their love story. After their graduation, Qi was so passionate toward her new life and approved the ‘flat-share’ request by her schoolmate, Yuan Xiao’ou who was homeless at that time. Qi had never heard from Liu Chong after then until she got his wedding invitation two years later, she was devastated….

Movie Review:

How awkward, to have this writer review a movie about menopause. The last he checked, this natural change which typically occurs in females during their late 40s or 50s is defined as the cessation of a woman’s reproductive ability. It signals the end of the fertile phase of a woman’s life. While this reviewer is no expert when it comes to biological conditions, he knows better than to step into unfamiliar territories and make insensitive sexist comments which could bring about the wrath of countless women out there.

This Chinese romantic movie may speak to female viewers better, but this scumbag from the male species is having a little trouble understanding what the fuss is all about with menopause. Fortunately, the comedy directed by South Korean filmmaker Kwak Jae Young stars Zhou Xun, one of the best actresses in the industry.

Zhou plays QI Jia, a 26 year old girl who thinks she is suffering from premature menopause – no thanks to her perpetual depression over being dumped by her boyfriend years earlier. Along comes Tong Dawei’s Yuan Xiao Ou, who shows up homeless at Qi Jia’s flat. Years go by, and the two become, well, closer. Ten minutes into the 99 minute movie, you know how this is going to end.

Kwak, best known for his 2001 work My Sassy Girl, has made the somewhat funny but still incomparable Windstruck (2004) and Cyborg She (2008). And like the many business minded filmmakers before him, the capable director decides to venture into the all mighty and powerful market known as China. With the number of investors and big names on board, it is unsurprising to see Zhou and Tong taking on the lead roles, headlining this watchable but conventional romantic comedy.

Zhou shines as usual (okay, so this writer may be a little biased ever since he was smitten by the actress’s performance in Peter Chan’s Perhaps Love) – you have to give it to the 40 year old actress for pulling off a character that is 26 years old. You know what? The Zhejiang born beauty actually looks the part, donning a wedding dress to propose to her boyfriend at a university graduation, pouting and creating a scene at a roadside food stall, staring into blank space while sitting on a window sill: there are numerous scenes for the capable actress to show viewers why she is one of the better artistes from showbiz.

Zhou’s co star Tong fares well as the very likable dude who is so idealistic in the romance department, girls would want someone like him to bring home for parental approval. The two stars share wonderful chemistry on screen, playing off each other’s characters with ease. The pairing would have been less watchable if the casting was miscalculated.

Kwak conveniently transfers his direction in romantic comedies to this production. While it doesn’t pull off any surprises for you to sit up in awe, it is a functional movie that serves a predictable dose of laughs. We know this movie deals with menopause, but the lack of emotional connectedness still makes it difficult for this writer to understand what his female friends are about to go through when they approach the supposedly scary stage called midlife. 

Movie Rating:

(A predictable comedy that showcases charming performances by Zhou Xun and Tong Dawei)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: Based on Gayle Forman's best-selling novel, this romantic, emotionally powerful film tells the compelling story of a young woman facing the ultimate choice. Seventeenth-year-old Mia is a gifted musician with a bright future and an adoring boyfriend, Adam. But after a tragic accident, everything changes for Mia in the blink of an eye and she finds herself caught between life and death. Over one fateful day, Mia must make a final heart-wrenching decision that will determine her future: let go and move on to whatever comes next...or stay with the love of her life. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

There are movies made for young people, movies that are made for senior citizens and of course there are those made for the general audience. If I Stay belongs to the first category, young teenage people to be exact.  

Starring one of Hollywood’s hottest young stars, Chloe Grace “kick-ass” Moretz as Mia Hall, a high school student who suffered an out-of-body experience after a tragic car accident. Between Mia’s soul running around the hospital looking for her family members, the story also flashes back on how she met and falls in love with her school’s hottest rocker dude, Adam (Jamie Blackley).   

Clearly this is a movie that doesn’t explain or touches much on the supernatural idea. Its main concern is how to makes the audience weep for Mia’s predicament and root for her waking up from her coma because Adam is waiting to be with his true love once again.

The source material is from a successful YA novel by Gayle Forman and liked Twilight, the movie is heavy on sentimentalism and soft close-ups shots of the two leads and light on everything else. How much you believe in this melodrama depends on how much you believe how the school’s most gifted girl in cello ends up falling head over heels over a future rock star. It’s a tragic love story all right but it’s never quite as emotional as The Fault In Our Stars or even as captivating as Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones.

Brutally speaking, If I Stay is a blatant product made for gullible teenagers who have yet experienced the true meaning of love or hasn’t watched enough romance movies. It’s painfully slow, formulaic despite the trusty performance of Moretz. The only consolation is the rich selection of indie music tracks to stop you from falling asleep. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The director and producer provides an informative track especially for those who are keen on the casting, shooting aspects of it in Audio Commentary by R.J. Cutler and Alison Greenspan.

For something different, the director discusses the music selection of seelctive scenes in Music Commentary by R.J. Cutler.

The rest of the extras include "Never Coming Down" Music Video, two brief Deleted Scenes, Gallery and Theatrical Trailers.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The DVD boasts excellent visual detailing and colours. Dialogue and music quality is clear.


MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: There are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (Michael Douglas), and that's just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet -- until his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter (Sterling Jerins) he never knew existed and turns his life upside-down. Clueless about how to care for a sweet, abandoned nine-year-old, he pawns her off on his determined and lovable neighbour Leah (Diane Keaton) and tries to resume his life uninterrupted. But little by little, Oren stubbornly learns to open his heart - to his family, to Leah, and to life itself - in this uplifting comedy from acclaimed director Rob Reiner.

MOVIE REVIEW:

When a movie opens with a folksy tune from Joni Mitchell and five minutes later, Diane Keaton is crooning a song; you more or less know who is the target group for this title. Directed by Rob Reiner, And So It Goes is a rom-com tailor made for the older audiences. Now who say old people can’t fall in love on the big screen. 

Evergreen Hollywood star Michael Douglas plays Oren Little, an obnoxious realtor who suddenly finds out that he has to take care of his granddaughter as his only estranged son is going to jail for nine months. The problem with Oren is that he is such a dickhead that he pisses off nearly everyone near him with the exception of his neighbor, lounge singer Leah (Diane Keaton) who kinds of tolerate his sarcasms.           

By the halfway mark, you probably would have known where the movie is heading. Oren Little is going to accept the granddaughter he resists at first and subsequently he is going to fall in love with Leah. The movie is formulaic and no doubt almost depressing especially to those who are fans of Reiner’s earlier superior work: When Harry Met Sally.

And So It Goes is shot and looks like an outdated sitcom comedy from the eighties, no fanciful effects or cinematography just mainly Douglas and Keaton for the whole time. Fortunately, they can still be very entertaining as you watch them bantering nonstop over sex and love issues onscreen. With a couple of jokes about penis and a dog humping a teddy bear, these two Oscar winners just simply win me over despite the predictable plot.

Ultimately, this is the kind of mawkish, feel-good movie that no one watches in the theaters anymore perhaps on television, on the Hallmark channel or something. I have nothing major against And So It Goes perhaps I’m getting old myself.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The DVD comes with serviceable audio track and visual presentation. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: JASON PATRIC (My Sister’s Keeper), BRUCE WILLIS (Red 2) and JESSICA LOWNDES (90210) lead a venerable group of veterans and newcomers in The Prince, an unrelenting action film that forces a retired crime boss back into the seedy underworld he’d left behind. For twenty years Paul Brennan (Patric), a retired New Orleans crime boss, has lived a quiet life off the grid, running an auto repair garage in remote Mississippi. When his teenage daughter goes missing, Paul is forced to return to the city and face his former enemies. With the help of his daughter’s friend Angela (Lowndes), Paul comes face to face with Omar (Willis), the city’s most powerful man whose family he mistakenly took out, in an explosive final standoff that may offer redemption for Paul’s past mistakes. Starring alongside Patric, Willis, and Lowndes in The Prince are JOHN CUSACK (2012), RAIN (Ninja Assassin), JOHNATHON SCHAECH (The Legend of Hercules) GIA MANTEGNA (The Frozen Ground), and CURTIS “50 CENT” JACKSON (Escape Plan).

MOVIE REVIEW:

Showbiz is a cruel one. Take the case of Korean superstar Rain, before he left for the army, he was such hot property that he landed a part in Speed Racer and was the leading man in Ninja Assassin. Five years later, we really can’t say much of his appearance in this VOD release called The Prince, which by the way is not referring to Rain.    

Despite the heads of Bruce Willis, John Cusack and Rain popping up on the cover, Jason Patric is the leading actor here. You know the man whose career was sunk by Speed 2: Cruise Control? Patric plays Paul, an ex-crime boss from New Orleans who is now living a recluse life as a mechanic. When his teenage daughter went missing, Paul is forced to go back to the city to look for her. In the meantime, his biggest enemy Omar (Willis) and his right hand man, Mark (Rain) is making plans to have him captured.   

The Prince plays like an economical version of the original Taken even though the combined star wattage here is many times what Liam Neeson alone could possibly ignite. However, this poor version can’t even match any of the intensity displayed in that movie. The action for a start is hopelessly uninspiring. I could count a couple of hammy hand-to-hand combat scenes, a flimsy car chase and a couple of shootouts. Other than that, it’s slow to a crawl with Patric’s character often in a daze interspersed with brief scenes of Willis and Rain just to prove to audiences they are indeed in this movie.

Budget obviously is a concern that the movie has to use the same flashback scene repeatedly just to hammer the fact that Paul and Omar are enemies! Okay we get it, can we move on to something far more exciting? In the end, nothing stands out. The bizarre cameos from 50 Cent and John Cusack only demonstrate how desperate the filmmakers are in getting our attention. All in all, this is straightly a snoozefest. Dump it.  

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The DVD comes with serviceable visual and audio track. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy
Director: David Koepp
Cast: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Jeff Goldblum, Paul Bettany
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Sexual References)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: http://mortdecaithemovie.com

Opening Day: 29 January 2015

Synopsis: Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.

Movie Review:

An adaptation of Kyril Bonfiglioli’s ‘Don’t Point That Thing At Me’, Mortdecai follows the adventures of eccentric art dealer Charlie Mortdecai (Johnny Depp) and his manservant Jock (Paul Bettany) after they are approached by Inspector Alistor Martland (Ewan McGregor) to assist in the recovery of a missing Goya painting. Desperate to lift himself out of an impending bankruptcy, Mortdecai agrees, but soon finds himself involved in grimy situations that do not go well with his sheltered, aristocratic lifestyle. To make matters worse, his wife, the light and love of his life, Johanna Mortdecai (Gwyneth Paltrow) despises his moustache, the one thing that all Mortdecai men before him have groomed to perfection. Things seem to be stuck in a downwards spiral and as Mortdecai airs his worries to his loyal manservant, the audience, too, is made to wonder, “...(W)ill it be alright in the end?”

Unfortunately, in response to that question, this reviewer’s answer is a firm and disappointing ‘no’.

Directed by David Koepp, who is better known for his flair in scriptwriting than his directing chops, Mortdecai tries its best to reproduce the hilarity of the novel but fails spectacularly. While many might attribute this failure to Depp, this reviewer feels otherwise. Actors are literally the face of a film. They are the first line of connection the audience has with the film, they are the people that the audience will see in the film and they are, sadly, the sacrificial lambs that bear the brunt of the fault when a film flops. True, Depp has an unconvincing British accent. Yes, he may have sounded like an exaggerated version of Nigel Thornberry from The Wild Thornberries. But ignoring his somewhat off-putting British accent, Depp is believable in his role as the weak and eccentric art dealer who lives in his own little bubble. McGregor, Paltrow and Bettany too, are average but not atrocious in the film.

What then, is the problem? The fault does not lie in the actors, rather, they lie in Koepp’s poor comedic rhythm, the lack of character development, the annoying graphic transitions and the wise-ass comebacks that the characters use in their banters. The bedroom scene where the Mortdecais debate on the “hairy va-jay-jay*” on Charlie Mortdecai’s lips was especially torturous: there was no comedic rhythm to facilitate its hilarity. The use of lewd humour to elicit laughter from the audience was one of the low points in the film. Watching the cartoon-ish graphic transitions used to depict Mortdecai’s travel from country to country was also another point of frustration. The transitions scream of laziness and a lack of effort in coming up with effective transitions between scenes. As for character development, there is little to none in Mortdecai. At the end of the film, Charlie Mortdecai is still a weirdo, Johanna Mortdecai can’t treat her husband’s moustache seriously, Jock can’t control his d*** and Martland is still hopelessly in love with Johanna. To give Koepp the benefit of the doubt, one can attribute this problem to the original novel that the film was based on. But the novel was hilarious and crafted in the most delightful way. There was nothing hilarious or delightful about the film.

It is a shame, really, that Bonfiglioli’s novel received such a terrible translation from Koepp. In fact, did you hear that? Because this reviewer thinks she just heard Bonfiglioli groan from six feet under. And he is clearly groaning, “Don’t associate that thing with me.”

*Note: Of course Paltrow did not say “va-jay-jay”, the British do not say “va-jay-jay”, they say “p&$#@”, “c!%^” or just plain old v*^%$#. 

Movie Rating:

(The whole film is Koepp saying “F*** you, I am a lazy ass”, so please watch if only if you like Depp, McGregor, Paltrow or Bettany)

Review by Leng Mong

Genre: Drama
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Christoph Waltz, Amy Adams, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Danny Huston, Terence Stamp
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://bigeyesfilm.com

Opening Day: 29 January 2015

Synopsis: A drama centred on the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband (Christoph Waltz), who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.

Movie Review:

Directed by Tim Burton, ‘Big Eyes’ depicts Margaret Keane’s (Amy Adams) second marriage to Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), who guilt-tripped, coierced and sweet-talked Margaret into being his personal ‘big eyed waifs’ production house while he basked in the success of the paintings.

When directors with a distinct style come out with a new film, their reputation can be a blessing and a curse. This is somewhat true of Tim Burton’s ‘Big Eyes’, when audiences expect a Burton-esque treatment of the film (Johnny Depp, Helena Boneham Carter, a preference for the quirky and odd…), but leave the cinema feeling like it was not as dark as Edward Scissorhands, not as whimsical as the Corpse Bride, nor as sensory overload as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That is not to say that the film does not have Burton’s personal touches over it (the pastel colours and big eyes – I was reminded by a friend who is more well-versed in Tim Burton’s movies), but it simply does not scream Tim Burton.

That is not a bad thing, however, as without Burton’s signature touches, the story comes out stronger, with brilliant performances from Adams and Waltz (more about that later). Burton is a longtime collector of Margaret Keane’s works, having commissioned portraits of his then-girlfriend, Lisa Marie, and then-domestic partner, Helena Boneham Carter. This personal connection with Margaret Keane might have made him more sympathetic towards the character of the film. Throughout the film, Margaret Keave was depicted as the victim – the painter without recognition, but only painted behind a locked door – garnering the sympathy and support of the audience. While the film did acknowledge that it was through her tacit permission did Walter Keane steal credit, Margaret Keane was ultimately portrayed as helpless and manipulated.

And what a good flirt, shrewd businessman, chronic liar and borderline schizo Waltz’s portrayal of Walter Keane was. Waltz was too smooth, too suave and too ‘tortured artist’ for the audience to be entirely comfortable with, especially with the speed he romances and proposes to Margaret. The speed of their courtship does make one wonder if he was already eyeing her talent when he first approached her, or was it a happy coincidence (for him)? Either way, Waltz’s Walter Keane’s slow corruption by power and money kept audiences guessing and anticipating the next despicable action, making him all the better to hate.

Adams also shone as Margaret Keane, winning her the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Adams changed from the wide-eyed innocent in San Francisco, to the confident woman in the courthouse in Honolulu. While the change seemed abrupt, it was a relief that Margaret Keane finally stood up for herself.

It might not have been on purpose, but the film also felt like an attack on the mass production of art pieces, questioning what exactly is art? To the shrewd businessman Walter Keane, art was profit, and it did not matter who bought the art piece, and in what form, as long as it made money. I guess all of us who ever bought postcards of the reproductions of famous art pieces are guilty of perpetuating that practice. The oppositing point of view was then juxtaposed by Margaret Keane, where art is a connection between the artist and the viewer, as well as a carthesis of sorts. When the artist is forced to paint for the sake of profit, art becomes soulless. No matter whose side you stand on, the film is a fascinating take on the world of art (snobby minimalist art gallery owners included).

Part biolography and part critique on the state of art (or at least, it seemed so), ‘Big Eyes’ shines due to the performances from Adams and Waltz. Fans of Burton-esque movies, though, might be disappointed by the relatively vanilla treatment of the film, which sticks to the realistic telling of Margaret’s Keane’s life, and stays relatively clear of the quirks and strangeness that audiences are accustomed to in Tim Burton’s films, except for the big eyes.

Movie Rating:

(The film allows the viewer to peer through the eyes of Margaret Keane in the 1950s-1960s, the windows of her soul-crushing period of time before her court triumph)

Review by Goh Yan Hui

Genre: Comedy/Thriller
Director: Marjane Satrapi
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick, Jacki Weaver
RunTime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Gory Scenes)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 12 February 2015

Synopsis: Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) is that chipper guy clocking the nine-to-five at a bathtub factory, with the offbeat charm of anyone who could use a few friends. With the help of his court-appointed psychiatrist, he pursues his office crush (Gemma Arterton). However, the relationship takes a sudden, murderous turn after she stands him up for a date. Guided by his evil talking cat and benevolent talking dog, Jerry must decide whether to keep striving for normalcy, or indulge in a much more sinister path.

Movie Review:

Some films make you go “What did I just watch?” Most recently, ‘Into The Woods’ comes to mind. But when a film makes a conscious effort to do that, it requires a certain sincerity to steer the movie clear of being shocking for the sake of it. While some mainstream films accidentally fall into the “weird” category, others that try to do so actually become more serious than it hoped to. This may boil down to an over-eagerness to tackle too many tones at once, but at least ‘The Voices”never reeks of desperation. The movie actually achieves one of its layers pretty well, a poignant commentary on schizophrenia, even if it aimed to be a cult-classic.

Premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, ‘The Voices’is a light-hearted, well for the most part at least, horror-comedy revolving around Jerry played by Ryan Reynolds. Initially, Jerry may seem like a socially-awkward but sweet man working as a packer at a bathtub factory. His offbeat charm even catches the eye of Lisa from accounting (Anna Kendrick), despite liking colleague Fiona (Gemma Arterton) instead. However, Jerry also has a history of being mentally-unstable, turning him into a murderous killer that has a false sense of reality. He talks back to his pets, which in turn talks back to him. When Jerry goes crazy, all hell breaks loose.

Directed by Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis), “The Voices”is an often-funny film that provides a unique but revealing diagnosis into the mind of a mentally-deranged. The dialogue by Michael Perry is extremely well-written and nuanced, and if you find yourself smiling from the start, this is definitely your movie. The humour is sarcastic but its source is from Jerry’s innocence. You never know if he is actually a good guy and the contrast between his bright and dark sides is the spine of the movie. While it veers dangerously close to actually having nothing much else of say, the movie is paced so quickly which saves it from being repetitive, to the credit of its director.

This is the best Ryan Reynolds performance I’ve seen. While that’s not saying much,  Reynolds has to juggle a mixture of sweetness and derange, not an easy task even by acting veterans. His work here is surprisingly layered with so much depth and he manages to create a well-rounded character we can easily root for despite his flaws. Reynolds even voices his cat and dog, a clever move which is instrumental to the message of the film. There was a danger that Jerry would become too cartoonish but Reynolds portrays a relatable character here. This is evident in his quieter scenes, such as those in a Chinese restaurant or with Anna Kendrick.  Kendrick always gives off a down-to-earth feel and her chemistry with Reynolds is electrifying.

On the other hand, some parts of the movie does not blend well together. The sudden mood swings of Jerry may be used to symbolise the mindset of a mentally-ill, but those tonal changes feel uncomfortably jarring, especially given its initial light-hearted mood. However, when these scenes are considered separately, they offer a sensitive portrayal of the struggles that a schizophrenic patient faces and never looks down on them. A scene involving Jerry and his mom would seem ridiculous in a poorly-made movie, but is actually hugely touching here. The ending also does well in tying up the film, sharing the same loopy tone as its beginning but offering great insight into the struggles of its main character.

Will this film be a future cult-classic? Only time will tell. But as what it is, this is an interesting look into one of the most interesting on-screen characters this year. I found it an easy-watch, surprisingly, and simply hilarious. This is hardly the type of film its two leads are known for, but I’m glad they signed up because the movie would not have been as effective without their easy-going charm. Who knows, maybe it was Jerry’s cat that convinced them.

Movie Rating:

(Helped by its two stars and a great script, “The Voices” has a heartwarming core inside its silly premise, just like its main character)

Review by Brandon Chua

The musical film may be released by Walt Disney Pictures, but in case you don’t already know, things aren’t that bright and cheery in this adaptation of the Tony Award winning musical of the same name. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, the story brings together main characters from well known fairy tales like “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Jack and the Beanstalk:, “Rapunzel” and “Cinderella”. You shouldn’t be expecting happy endings though, as with the music on this deluxe edition soundtrack – tunes are dark, edgy and dripping with black humour.

The two disc soundtrack contains 98 minutes of music material over 50 tracks. Compared to the 125 minute runtime of the Rob Marshall directed film, there are only about 30 minutes of music we are not getting on the album – which is a pretty good thing for soundtrack fans. What’s more, we get a lyric booklet too!

We are first introduced to the main characters in the 15 minute “Prologue: Into the Woods”, a wonderful tune that tells us the motives and personalities of each protagonist. Particularly enjoyable is Meryl Streep’s entrance as the Witch. The frumpy character sneers how she was raided by the Baker’s father: “He was robbing me/ Raping me/ Rooting through my rutabaga/ Raiding my arugula and ripping up the rampion”. It’s wickedly fun to hear the Academy Award winning actress perform.

Another highlight is Johnny Depp’s snarling his way through “Hello, Little Girl” as the Wolf. The lyrics slyly incorporate some sexual innuendos which are gleefully performed by Depp. Elsewhere, Daniel Huttlestone’s Jack sings “Giants in the Sky” while being backed up by a swelling score, Lilla Crawford’s Little Red Riding Hood naively croons “I Know Things Now”, and Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen’s Princes show off their vocals (and their glorious chests in the film) in the humorously written “Agony”.

Anna Kendrick has proven her prowess in Pitch Perfect (2012), and she puts her voice to good use here, singing her heart out in “On the Steps of the Palace”. James Corden and Emily Blunt’s Baker and Baker’s Wife fare well too, as evidenced in the emotional Finale/ Children Will Listen (Part 1). They are joined by Streep, who shows us her charisma as a star in other tracks like “Stay with Me” and “Last Midnight”.

If you have seen the stage version, you will be sharp enough to spot the deleted songs, edited lyrics and differences from the original production. Theatre enthusiasts can go on for hours griping these changes, but one thing you can’t deny is that this lushly produced soundtrack is one enjoyable ride into the darker realms of fairy tale land.

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: Disc 2 (13) Finale/Children Will Listen (Part 1)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: Code named 'The November Man'; Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is an extremely dangerous and highly trained ex-CIA agent, who is lured out of quiet retirement on a very personal mission. He must protect valuable witness, Alice Fournier, (Olga Kurylenko) who could expose the truth behind a decades old conspiracy. He soon discovers this assignment makes him a target of his former friend and CIA protégé David Mason (Luke Bracey). With growing suspicions of a mole in the agency, there is no one Devereaux can trust, no rules and no holds barred.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Roger Donaldson reunites with his Dante’s Peak leading man Pierce Brosnan in this spy thriller produced by Brosnan’s outfit, Irish DreamTime.

Not meant to be an insult to Bill Granger’s original material, The November Man fares like a poor man’s Jason Bourne and James Bond. Perhaps the fault lies in the screenplay by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusek. It’s all predictable espionage and dare I say, a boring and incomprehensible spy thriller.   

After a mission with his protégé, David Manson (Luke Bracey) went awry, veteran CIA agent Peter Devereaux (Brosnan) retires to civilian life until an ex-colleague persuade him to come out for one last job - to extricate an agent, Natalia out of Russia as soon as possible. Conveniently later on, we leant that Natalia is actually Peter’s lover and she is in fact holding on to crucial, shady information related to Russia’s upcoming new President, Arkady Federov.   

Just when you thought you have the plot all sorted out, Finch and Gajdusek decides to make it more convoluted as we went along. A refugee caseworker, Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko) is introduced and her character might have contact with a girl Mira who possessed strong evidence against Federov. But hold your horses, the CIA might be in cahoots with Federov after all and what’s up with all that mentor and protégé relationship again?

The November Man attempts on many levels to repeatedly play the double-crossing, old-fashioned spy drama card unfortunately the material is too insipid to generate much interest or even attention. Subplots and characters are introduced by the minute though most of the loose ends are never properly addressed. To Donaldson’s credit, the Australian did his best to arrange for a few decent action sequences that include gunshots, footchase and a single car explosion given the limited budget on hand.   

“Catch it”, “Rent it” or “Skip It”? We suggest the first choice purely for old times sake. Brosnan was very much a genuinely charming James Bond in the past.   

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The DVD transfer is pretty impressive with solid colours and details. The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio quality is a tad letdown given the occasional sonic sound effects. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller
Director: Dean Israelite
Cast:  Jonny Weston, Sofia Black D'Elia, Amy Landecker, Michelle DeFraites, Ginny Gardner and Sam Lerner
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://www.projectalmanac.com/

Opening Day: 29 January 2015

Synopsis: A brilliant high school student and his friends uncover blueprints for a mysterious device with limitless potential, inadvertently putting lives in danger.

Movie Review:

The brains behind Project Almanac try to breathe new life into the now-stale teen movie genre. The genre’s offerings are rather slim as of late.  Movie goers now get to choose from either dystopian flicks with flashy good-looking leads, or heart-wrenching dramas with good-looking actors made up to look… plain. Project Almanac tries to find a middle ground – it has a believable cast of young adults with decent acting chops, it has sci-fi action and romance, it has a great soundtrack that everyone could get into. However, the plot of the film is embarrassingly trashy and honestly not worth a trip to the cinema.

 Project Almanac toys with the idea of time travel. It stars Jonny Weston as David Raskin, a senior in high school hoping to get into MTI on a scholarship. David is often seen hanging out with his sister (Virginia Gardner - she is in almost every scene of the film and yet so forgettable) and friends Quinn (Sam Lerner) and Adam (Allen Evangelista). David discovers a video camera that belonged to his late father and views the footage of his 7^th birthday (the last birthday that he spends with father). He then notices that his 17 year old self is present in the footage, and scrambles to unlock his father’s secret basement laboratory and finds his father’s time travel machine. David falls in love with his high school crush, Jessie (Sofia Black D’Elia), unlocks the secrets of time-travel, and gets into some serious trouble. This makes up the rest of Project Almanac.

There were some enjoyable moments in the film. When David and crew manage to figure out the time-travel machine, they start to list down what they would like a second chance at. This was the most exciting part of the film – teenage kids using time-travel to explore endless possibilities. Predictably, all of them collectively decide to go back in time and win the lottery – a particularly enjoyable scene where the kids splurge their money on cars, repeating quizzes till scoring well, and attending Lollapalooza (a very important music fest for American teens; attendance is a status symbol). However, it is rather silly that David, the supposed genius of the lot decides to expend his energy on time-travel on something as basic as winning the lottery.

Nonetheless, these shallow sequences were important to theme of escapism. The movie let the audience fantasize about what part of their own history they would like to rewrite if they were given the opportunity. Too bad this was cut short; as the movie’s plot moved on to explore the ill effects of time-travel. Somehow, something as trivial as attending Lollapalooza ended up having dire consequences on the characters – David’s mom doesn’t get a job, Adam is hospitalized, planes crash and most importantly, David ends up losing the girl he loves. Of course, the link between time travel and the unfortunate circumstances are never clearly explained. Eventually, David ends up make making all the wrong “time travel moves” in an attempt to make things right again, and reaches the conclusion that in order for things to be right again, he has to destroy his father’s machine.

There were also some ridiculous choices made in the film. For some strange reason, the director decides to present the film in found footage. Director Dean Israelite employs this obvious gimmick to make the thin plot seem more exciting and palatable, but ended up being the source of a massive headache throughout the film. The shaky camera coupled with giddy time travel sequences left the audience so nauseous that it was hard to care about what happened next. The emotional moments of the film were artificial and cold. When David decides to travel back in time to see his father, his father immediately recognizes 17 year old David as his son. This incredible leap of faith his father takes when he sees a strange teenage boy at his 7 year old son’s birthday party is just one of the many frustrating things about Project Almanac.

To summarize, here’s a Top 5 list of why you shouldn’t watch the film.

1.     The cringe-worthy flirting scenes between David and Jessie – there is a line in the film where Jessie asks David “Are you picturing me naked?” and David awkwardly giggles. The writers obviously got very creative.

2.     Christina– she is the source of no entertainment, and is somehow given the task of filming every little thing that happens to David, even private conversations between David and his mother. I still wonder why the people behind Project Almanac decided to give a minor character the important role of filming everything.

3.     Lack of logic– Project Almanac skips over all the important details. For example, when explaining temporal relocation, the main characters just gloss over the concept and spew up some mumbo-jumbo physics related terms and BAM! They are overnight experts on the electromagnetic fields and the time-space continuum

4.     Bad Script– David reunites with his dead father, and it is never explained why his father decided to leave his kid’s birthday party urgently to go to the basement. Predictably, the time travel machine is linked to a high security, obscure American Defence Agency.

5.     Alternatives– If you want to watch a great teen flick on Time Travel, you could always catch Back to the Future or Groundhog Day.

Movie Rating:

(Only watch if you are really, really bored. )

Review by Aishwarya Kumar