Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: John Madden
Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Diana Hardcastle, Tamsin Greig, Tina Desai, Lillete Dubey with David Strathairn, Richard Gere
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website:
Opening Day: 19 March 2015
Synopsis: THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL is the expansionist dream of Sonny (Dev Patel), and it’s making more claims on his time than he has available, considering his imminent marriage to the love of his life, Sunaina (Tena Desae). Sonny has his eye on a promising property now that his first venture, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Elderly and Beautiful, has only a single remaining vacancy – posing a rooming predicament for fresh arrivals Guy (Richard Gere) and Lavinia (Tamsin Greig). Evelyn and Douglas (Judi Dench and Bill Nighy) have now joined the Jaipur workforce, and are wondering where their regular dates for Chilla pancakes will lead, while Norman and Carol (Ronald Pickup and Diana Hardcastle) are negotiating the tricky waters of an exclusive relationship, as Madge (Celia Imrie) juggles two eligible and very wealthy suitors. Perhaps the only one who may know the answers is newly installed co-manager of the hotel, Muriel (Maggie Smith), the keeper of everyone's secrets. As the demands of a traditional Indian wedding threaten to engulf them all, an unexpected way forward presents itself.
Movie Review:
Life’s not fair: if this movie was headlined by Americans, a sequel title like “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” would have been labeled as “lazy” and “uninspired”. Luckily then, that this sequel to the 2012 sleeper hit The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (admit it, you still can’t get over Tom Wilkinson’s bittersweet segment) isn’t only directed by English filmmaker John Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin), it stars an impressive ensemble of English actors – get ready now – Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Celia Imrie, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup and Diana Hardcastle.
Yup, to further add to the fact that this film can’t go too wrong, this is a group of geriatric showbiz veterans who, besides spouting Queen’s English, has an impressive filmography that will put any rookie “actor” to shame.
Now, add the dashing Richard Gere (Chicago, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale) and David Strathairn (Lincoln, Godzilla) to the mix and you have one of the most feel good films you’ll see in cinemas in recent months.
There’s nothing really new to the story in this sequel: the retirement hotel in Indiais exploring the possibility of an expansion, and its inhabitants realise again what love and life entails. This easy going tale is, of course, set in the beautiful backdrop of India, where grand architecture and lovely sights and sounds jump at you like a tourism advertisement – in a good way of course (anything English is endorsable, remember?)
There a few story threads here. Dench (Skyfall, Philomena) and Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Underworld: Evolution) finds it ironically to officially accept each other’s love, no thanks to Wilton (The History Boys, TV’s Downtown Abbey) returning as the spiteful ex wife. Pickup (Secret Passage, Supernova) isn’t too sure to make of his wife Imrie’s (Nanny McPhee, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger) affairs with other men.
Then you have Smith (Harry Potter films, From Time to Time), who has taken on the role of the hotel’s co manager and has to figure out how to keep things running. She is joined by locals played by Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Chappie), whom we can’t decide whether is funny or irritating, alongside the pleasant Tena Desae and Lillete Dubey.
To add some spice, the filmmakers engaged Gere to play a new guest at the residence, who is a suspicious candidate for a hotel inspector. Straithairn only has a handful of scenes as an American businessman, but his screen presence more than makes up for it.
If you liked the first movie, then this one is an easy piece to enjoy too. There isn’t anything sophisticated or profoundly difficult understand about this sequel, which may not be a bad thing. With such a stellar cast lined up, there isn’t really much one would ask for in terms of originality. The result is a feel good movie that triumphs with its talented cast who effortlessly charms audiences with their acting. Couple that with cinematographer Ben Smithard’s lensing of the picturesque India and composer Thomas Newman’s pleasing music score, what you get is a pleasantly enjoyable, if not perfect outing to the exotic lands of India.
Movie Rating:
(Be charmed again by the geriatric cast ensemble in this effortlessly enjoyable movie)
Review by John Li
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FIFTY SHADES OF GREY: THE ALL-TIME BIGGEST OPENING WEEKEND FOR R21 TITLESPosted on 17 Feb 2015 |
Genre: Comedy
Director: Etan Cohen
Cast: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Tip "T.I." Harris, Alison Brie, Craig T. Nelson, Paul Ben-Victor
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: M18 (Nudity And Coarse Language)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://gethardmovie.com
Opening Day: 26 March 2015
Synopsis: When millionaire hedge fund manager James King (Will Ferrell) is nailed for fraud and bound for a stretch in San Quentin, the judge gives him 30 days to get his affairs in order. Desperate, he turns to Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart) to prep him for a life behind bars. But despite James’ one-percenter assumptions, Darnell is a hard-working small business owner who has never received a parking ticket, let alone been to prison. Together, the two men do whatever it takes for James to “get hard” and, in the process, discover how wrong they were about a lot of things – including each other.
Movie Review:
Not everyone thinks much of Will Ferrell’s brand of humour. Over time, this reviewer has gradually grown to like, and even to chuckle (during the initial stages) and laugh (as he watched more of his shows) at Ferrell’s on screen antics. The 47 year old American actor isn’t only a comedian, he Is also a producer and writer who first got attention as a cast member of the successful sketch show Saturday Night Live during the mid 1990s. Subsequently, he went on to star in comedies like Old School (2003), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006) and Blades of Glory (2007).
And one does not mention Ferrell without bringing up 2004’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (10 years on, he was every bit as funny in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues). The cult comedy cemented Ferrell’s status as one of Hollywood’s most established comedian during the 2000s.
In the abovementioned titles, Ferrell would play the sometimes obnoxious, sometimes disgusting, but always hilarious and endearing characters. Expect physical humour, toilet jokes and the occasionally politically incorrect gags. Nope, you don’t walk into a Will Ferrell movie expecting fine art. What you get instead is a fun and often laugh out loud experience in the cinemas.
So it is with anticipation this writer caught Ferrell’s latest work directed by first time director Etan Cohen, who is better known for his writing credits for TV series like Beavis and Butt head, King of the Hill and American Dad. He also had a hand in well received comedies like 2008’s Tropic Thunder and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. The screenplay by Jay Martel, Ian Roberts and Cohen has wealthy businessman James King (Ferrell) being wrongfully convicted of tax evasion. Before his upcoming 10 year jail term, he enlists the help of his car washer (the up and coming comedian Kevin Hart), whom he incorrectly thinks has served time in jail, to teach him how to survive the hard knocks of prison life.
After supporting roles in Little Fockers (2010) and This is the End (2013), Hart showed his worth in the recent The Wedding Ringer. Here, he stands alongside a more seasoned Ferrell as the fast talking advisor who is out to earn quick bucks from the multi millionaire. Together, the two have an effective on screen chemistry, spouting dialogue which will go down well with those who are already fans of the two fine funnymen.
Hart is no Chris Tucker, but he does his best to be on par with his co star when delivering laughs. Ferrell, on the other hand, effortlessly pulls his role off, engaging in lots of physical humour and donning an embarrassingly loud hip hop getup (complete with a trucker cap, a thick gold chain and baggy pants) in some of the movie’s funniest scenes. The pair is joined by an equally fine supporting cast which includes Alison Brie (The Five Year Engagement), Craig T Nelson (TV’s My Name is Earl) and rapper T.I.
While this 105 minute title won’t go down comedy movie history as a classic, it has its moments. There are crude and sexually charged gags, potentially offensive jokes and even, err, graphic nudity, which will draw laughs from movie goers who already know what to expect after paying for their tickets.
Movie Rating:
(Leave your brains at the door and laugh out loud with funnymen Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart)
Review by John Li
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The 87th ACADEMY AWARDS WinnersPosted on 23 Feb 2015 |
Genre: Supernatural/Mystery
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston,Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Doug Jones, Leslie Hope, Burn Gorman
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/CrimsonPeakMovie
Opening Day: 15 October 2015
Synopsis: When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak.
Movie Review:
Do we need another Gothic horror from Guillermo del Toro after ‘The Devil’s Backbone’ and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’? Depending on your answer to that question, you may find yourself lapping up del Toro’s latest or feeling blasé about it.
Aside from the fact that there is a romance at its core, ‘Crimson Peak’ feels very much a mishmash of over-familiar elements from del Toro’s previous films and other Victorian-era fiction, including the very well-received Showtime drama series ‘Penny Dreadful’. There is a mouldering manse, an aristocratic family hiding a dark and terrible past, and last but not least a young woman who enters both family and house for the first time to discover that all is not well within its crumbling walls. Because del Toro’s idea of homage to the Hammer films of the 1950s and 1960s is not by way of revisionism, his Gothic horror/ romance feels less refreshing than conventional – and that is especially true of its story.
Set at the turn of the last century, it tells of the American heiress Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) who aspires to be an author in the vein of Mary Shelley, much to the chagrin of her publisher as well as her self-made industrial magnate of a father (Jim Beaver). Though her father wishes for her to marry the childhood-friend-turned-handsome-optometrist Alan McMichael (Charlie Hunnam), Edith finds herself falling for the British baronet Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). Thomas is visiting with his older sister Lady Lucille (Jessica Chastain) to seek funding from Edith’s father for his ‘clay harvester’, though the latter rebuffs both his invention as well as his Old World status of privilege.
Del Toro, who scripted the film with veteran writer Matthew Robbins, takes his time letting Edith and Thomas fall in love with each other, but because the filmmaker is no specialist when it comes to affairs of the heart, the romance is largely stilted and bordering on cheese. It takes no less than an hour before we finally arrive at the titular haunted house, so named because the clay Thomas mines from the ground below the family property is blood-red and taints both the snow as well as the sunken floorboards. But the crimson is just one aspect of the gorgeous production design which we have come to expect no less of from the Spanish maestro; from the architecture to the stone pillars and arches to the moth-lined walls, del Toro’s imagination and attention to detail is palpable in every frame.
Sans two brief sequences in which Edith’s late mother returns as a black wraith with an ominous warning, the rest of the haunting takes place within the creaky, creepy confines of Allerdale Hall. Maybe it is because the recent bumper crop of haunted house movies have steeled our nerves, but horror aficionados are unlikely to find the ghostly inhabitants that del Toro conjures jolting, notwithstanding his attempt to build genuine atmosphere through a mixture of quiet anticipation and sudden sound cues. Del Toro’s tendencies towards the fantastical also mean that the apparitions are less terrifying than intriguing, consisting largely of skeletal ghouls drenched in some sticky red substance.
Yet a more fundamental issue is the role that these supernatural entities play in the context of the story, which contrary to what you may expect, is much less substantial. Besides rousing Edith from her sleep in the middle of the night to lead her on a tour of the house’s dark corridors and dank basement, these ghosts of Thomas’ past are no more than sideshows to the central plot that has something to do with the sizeable family fortune Edith has been bequeathed following the sudden death of her father which Thomas and/or Lucille may have something to do with (and you probably already know the answer to that). Though it may seem at first that these spirits are trying to protect Edith, that assumption is pretty much laid to rest by the time Edith is in real peril, with the actual danger being (shall we say) more earthly.
That shouldn’t come as a surprise to those familiar with del Toro’s works. Indeed, if there is one thing we’ve learnt, it is that ghosts exist due to attachment to place or emotion, and while frightening in and of themselves, are really not the evil we should be afraid so; instead, what we should be afraid of is the evil which exists in the heart of man, be it greed, lust or envy, each one of which Edith comes to discover within the human companions in the haunted mansion. As admirable a philosophy that may be, it does mean that the story unfolds in largely predictable fashion, which isn’t helped by a dearth of any supernatural presence in the third and final act.
Thankfully, the mortals do mostly fine work with their roles. With her pale, porcelain face, Wasikowska is a perfect fit for Edith, who projects quiet confidence in the first act to wide-eyed horror in the middle to steely determination in the last. On the other hand, Chastain is unfaltering in portraying her character’s psychosis, so much so that there is never any doubt even from her first frame that there is something not quite right with her. Compared to the two strong female leads, Hiddleston plays it a little too safe as Thomas. One never quite feels how much and why he has fallen in love with Edith, nor fully comprehend just how unhinged he is compared to his older sister. Hunnam is even more staid as the third corner of the love triangle with Edith and Thomas, and is mostly struggling to find a memorable hook for his character.
No matter the strength of the performances, there is no shaking off the feeling that there is something awfully generic about the story as well as the characters. In fact, the same can be said of most of the elements of ‘Crimson Peak’, which like we said at the start, seems as if it were cobbled from tropes and clichés of the Gothic horror romance genre – and the fact that del Toro has put them to more effective service in his earlier films doesn’t help. The style is quintessential del Toro, lush and sumptuous in both mood and visuals, but there is something hollow about the substance within. Depending on how much you like a retread over familiar territory, you’ll either love his latest or find it just a tad underwhelming.
Movie Rating:
(The sumptuous production design is quintessential del Toro, but everything else feels too much like a slow retread over familiar territory)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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TRIUMPH IN THE SKIES Singapore Press ConferencePosted on 24 Feb 2015 |
Genre: Drama/Action
Director: Ken Kwek
Cast: Epy Quizon, Adrian Pang, Judee Tan, Shane Mardjuki, Guo Liang, Janice Koh, Pam Oei
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 16 April 2015
Synopsis: In multicultural and cosmopolitan Singapore, Onassis (Epy Quizon), a Filipino single father, is struggling with a failing business, rising rents and a bureaucratic civil service. Just when things start to look up, he is cheated of all his savings. One dog day afternoon, he decides he has had enough. In a matter of hours, the lives of a materialistic motivational speaker, his adulterous wife, her tent-making spiritual shepherd and a mainland Chinese gangster will forever change.
Movie Review:
Seeing as how Singaporeans had reacted to a Filipino group’s plans to celebrate Philippine Independence Day at Ngee Ann City last year, ‘Unlucky Plaza’ seems to have struck with eerie prescience at the extent of our xenophobia, especially as it attempts to portray the tension between locals and foreigners through the lens of a Filipino permanent resident in Singapore struggling to make ends meet.
At the heart of writer-director Ken Kwek’s darkly comic crime caper is Onassis Hernandez (Epy Quizon), a single father on the brink of financial ruin after the head cook at his restaurant in Lucky Plaza added ‘shit’ into the chicken adobo and landed six patrons in hospital with salmonella poisoning. As a result, Onassis is hounded by his unsympathetic lady landlord (Pam Oei) for the rent he owes and cannot even afford to ensure that his ten-year-old son Popoy (Christian Wong) has Fruit Loops for breakfast every morning.
On the ostensible other end of the 'wealth' spectrum is smarmy property guru cum motivational speaker Sky (Adrian Pang), a former actor who went by the name of Terence Chia (yes, the similarity with real-life MediaCorp actor Terence Cao is intentional and duly noted) that now lives in a sprawling three-storey bungalow in Stevens Road and drives a Porsche. But, as we quickly learn, Sky is asset-rich and cash-poor, unable to pay off the $400,000 in debt he chalked up with a loan shark. That ‘shark’ has since been taken over by a PRC syndicate, whose Number 3 man named Xiao Xiong (Guo Liang), literally translated as ‘Baby Bear’, has come to collect.
Completing the trio of narratives whose paths intersect midway into the story is Sky’s unhappy wife Michelle (Judee Tan), who is constantly harangued by her husband to sell her parents’ Tiong Bahru flat so that he can pay off his debt. For solace, she starts an affair with her Christian pastor Tong Wen (Shane Mardjuki), whom she eventually plots to run away with to the island paradise of Gili Meno. In contrast to what you may expect, Tong Wen is shy and soft-spoken, fully aware of the crisis of faith he is in even as he ‘cums’ inside Michelle’s mouth after having sex with her in his car at a deserted carpark.
Oh yes, Kwek certainly hasn’t lost his edge for controversy, the former ST journalist turned scriptwriter of ‘The Blue Mansion’ who made his directorial debut in 2012 with the banned-then-unbanned-but-with-snips ‘Sex.Violence.Family.Values’ short and who is making his first feature-length film here. In the first hour, Kwek builds three interesting character studies around Onassis, Sky and Michelle, while serving up critique on some of the most prominent current social issues such as property scams, materialism, church improprieties and heightened nationalism. The fact that his characters occupy separate ends of the social strata is also a touch of inspiration, laying the foundation for what promises to be a gripping class conflict.
And to some extent, Kwek makes good on his own promise in the latter half of the film, where an intersecting chain of events over the course of a single day lead Onassis to hold Sky, Michelle, Tong Wen and Xiao Xiong hostage. Onassis’ demands? To see his son and to have a helicopter ready so he can fly himself and Popoy out. As the Malay police officer Azman (Osman Sulaiman) in charge of the situation quickly remarks and which Sky echoes later on, this isn't Hollywood - and it is clear that Kwek intends for the turn of events to be read as satire, not to be taken entirely at face value.
Alas, Kwek fumbles at trying to remain tonally consistent throughout the supposedly tense last hour. On one hand, he aims to amplify the local-versus-foreigner divide by positing that the former would respond by demonstrating with placards reading ‘Singapore for Singaporeans’ outside the scene of the crisis and tearing down shops that belong to the latter, but hey any Singaporean will tell you how unlikely that is given our strict laws against public assembly. On the other, he tries to find poignancy in each one of his flawed characters’ own personal struggles, whether is it to come to terms with their selfishness, infidelity, or hypocrisy. Yet Kwek never quite finds the right balance to accomplish both, so much so that the two end up pulling the film in opposite directions.
At close to two hours, Kwek also cannot quite keep the same tight grip over the narrative. Despite occasional flashes of violence (including a chopped up hand), Kwek fails to replicate the white-knuckle suspense to be expected of any a hostage thriller. You’ll find yourself questioning just how much of a crisis it even is when all Onassis has to hold his hostages at bay is a huge cleaver he calls ‘Ah Tiong’ that was passed down from generation to generation of owner of his Filipino restaurant. In fact, Kwek undermines what visceral thrills his audience might have of watching a hostage drama depicted in Singapore by a prologue at the very beginning, which sees Onassis, Sky and Michelle very much alive and healthy in a TV studio being interviewed by talk show host Anita Kapoor one year after the supposedly harrowing events.
To his credit, Kwek has assembled a great cast for his film. Award-winning Filipino actor Quizon impresses with a restrained and heartfelt portrayal of a working-class man driven to desperation. Pang brings unexpected nuance to a character which we would love to hate. Next to Quizon and Pang, Tan’s slightly hollow performance doesn’t register as much at the start, but becomes more subtle as she is confronted with the errors of her adulterous ways. The strength of the able cast is especially apparent when delivering some of Kwek’s soap-opera worthy lines, that also betray the insecurities of a new director who fails to trust his audience’s intelligence.
But for all its flaws, ‘Unlucky Plaza’ is uncharacteristically Singaporean. Yes, its protagonist may be Filipino, but its topics and themes are rooted deeply in our milieu, and with his latest, Kwek has probably cemented himself as one of our most iconoclast filmmakers. Even though Kwek doesn’t match his ambition and derring-do with the skill to deliver an equally empathetic film, this mix of thriller and satire still is probably one of the most intriguing local films you’ll see this year.
Movie Rating:
(Less hostage thriller than social satire, this darkly comic crime caper jabs at our society's unglamourous corners with unpleasant - but also uneven - effect)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Romance
Director: Kate Barker-Froyland
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Mary Steenburgen, Johnny Flynn, Ben Rosenfield, Li Jun Li, Shawn Parsons, Gideon Glick
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins
Rating: NC16 (Scene Of Intimacy)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: http://songonemovie.tumblr.com
Opening Day: 5 March 2015
Synopsis: Anne Hathaway (Interstellar, Les Miserables) stars as Franny in SONG ONE, a romantic drama set against the backdrop of Brooklyn's vibrant modern-folk music scene. After Franny's musician brother Henry (Ben Rosenfield, Boardwalk Empire) is injured and hospitalized in a coma following a car accident, Franny returns home after a long estrangement and begins to use his notebook as a guide to how his life has evolved in her absence. Franny seeks out the musicians and artists Henry loved, in the course of her journey meeting James Forester (Johnny Flynn), his musical idol, whose success and fame belie a shy and private man. As a strong romantic connection develops between Franny and James, the question becomes if love can bloom even under the most adverse circumstances.
Movie Review:
There are two types of musicals that populate cinemas today. One of which is the more traditional song and dance theatrics where actors sing every single line on the script. On the other hand, there are more downbeat productions that use (mostly) acoustic songs to highlight the mood of the film and its characters. The latter is heavily influenced by John Carney’s 2007 modern classic ‘Once’ and so is Anne Hathaway’s labour of love ‘Song One’. This is the feature debut for writer-director Kate Barker-Froyland and is mostly a one-note film that rarely crescendos into any hugely-satisfying payoff. In a move to steer the film from being a cliche, it is nonetheless still richly rewarding.
The movie begins with a car accident that sends aspiring street-musician Henry (Ben Rosenfield) into a coma. This summons sister Franny (Anne Hathaway) back to New York from her PHD studies overseas and it is revealed that the siblings not spoken to each other in 6 months. The reunites Franny with her mom (Mary Steenburgen) as much of the movie takes place in a hospital ward waiting for a miracle to happen. When Franny reads her brother’s diary, she starts visiting all the places he used to go, meeting his idol James Forester (Johnny Flynn) in the process. The two hit it off and sparks fly.
There is initially something weird about the idea of dating your brother’s idol while he is in a coma but the tentative pacing of the film ensures no such reservations linger. Instead, we are left with what is a gorgeous film to look at filmed with a handheld camera, like what all hipsters do. The slow-paced film takes time to establish the relationship among its small cast and tries its best to avoid anything grandiose. The real star of the film is its editing that leaves a heartwarming tinge to an indie film that could have otherwise become too cool or soulless.
However, the writing sadly is too predictable while Hathaway tries her utmost best to make it work. It has been a long time since we have seen cheerful, funny Anne, but here her character feels as real as it could have been hoped for. She records sounds, force-opens the brother’s eyes and gets lost among the tragedy like anyone else would. The same cannot be said of Flynn, who while providing a sensitive portrayal of Forester, seems to overplay it, leaving an awkward tone whenever he’s on screen. Some scenes feel a little too coincidental or contrived, such as when Forester, a popular indie star, is free for most of the film in order to meet Franny. At times like this, it is the beautiful cinematography and Steenburgen’s poignant performance as the siblings’ mother that elevates the film.
How much you like ‘Song One’ depends largely on how you connect with its music, written by Jenny Lewis and Jonathan Rice. As an indie film, the music is hipster like its characters. The folk-rock sound would come off either too draggy to some or satisfyingly soft-spoken for others. As a film about the healing power of music, it mostly ticks all the right boxes with some tracks even memorable enough to be purchased on iTunes.
As the title of the film either reads ‘Song One’ or ‘ Son Gone’, this movie uses the leaving of Henry as a metaphor to the awakening of Franny. While the music treads these characters together, this is ultimately a heartwarming story where audiences seem to know the characters just well enough, but not too well. The conclusion may not be what all romantics had hoped for but it’s still a simple story that would last well through repeated viewings or on your iPod.
Movie Rating:
(A predictable indie movie that is sweet and charming enough to be memorable long after you leave the theatres)
Review by Brandon Chua
Genre: Drama/Thriller
Director: Sam Loh
Cast: Angeline Yap, Vivienne Tseng, William Lawandi, Esther Goh, Alan Tan, Sunny Pang, Cynthia Kuang, Adeline Pang, Vincent Tee, Tracer Wong
Runtime: 1 hr 20 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scenes and Homosexual Content)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment and Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 5 March 2015
Synopsis: What do you get when you combine these ‘ingredients’: - Pork rib soup - A con-man who targets and prey on innocent woman on dating websites - Two attractive sisters, where the younger sister plans to murder the older one? You get a twisted tale of sex, betrayal, double-crossing and murder set in the hot tropical climate of Singapore. A genre film in the vein of ‘Audition’ and ‘Dumpling’ – ‘Lang Tong’ is an edgy and unconventional local film unlike anything you have seen before. Zack, the lead protagonist, believes his ‘conquests’ are like making good pork rib soup – you need to put in effort, have the right ingredients, patience and skill in order to brew the best soup. Thus, when Li Ling, an alluring and financially stable woman, who happens to make good pork rib soup, comes into his life and becomes his next ‘target’, he is hooked. To complicate matters, along comes Li er, the younger nymphet sister of Li Ling. She is a rebellious, sexy and dangerous creature all roll into one. Zack makes the fatal mistake of sleeping with this ‘Lolita’. She plays and manipulates Zack to carry out her murderous plan of killing her older sister. Since their mother’s death, Li er has always blamed Li ling for causing their mother’s demise after their father left them for another woman. Though Zack is torn between the two women, eventually he succumbs to Li er’s wile and carries out her murderous plan… But things are not as simple as what Zack thinks…
Movie Review:
It’s, ahem, hard. Sorry for the attempt at, err, inserting, a pun to begin this review (ok, stop the wordplay already!). What this writer is trying to say is, it’s difficult not paying attention to this local movie. Just look at the poster – it advertises itself as “Singapore’s most controversial film!”. Then you watch the trailer and you see lots of sensuous scenes. Wait, are those naked breasts we saw? Any curious (and more so, hot blooded male viewers) would have their curiosity, erm, aroused (this is the last one, we promise).
Yet, it is also a challenge recommending this movie. We all know how trailers show you the best bits of the movie so you will fork out money to pay for a ticket to watch the action on the big screen. Here, the filmmakers have cleverly boosted the volume of dramatic soundtrack, and of course, played up the seemingly steamy sex scenes, Yes, as we’ve seen from Sam Taylor Johnson’s “erotic romance drama” that is Fifty Shades of Grey: sex sells.
What audiences don’t see, or in this case, hear, is the very bad dialogue the characters spout throughout the 80 minute movie. The lines are so cheesy and badly written, you’d find yourself chuckling at the absurdness most of the time. In case you are wondering, that’s not the worst in store for viewers. The unconvincing and wooden acting is so intolerably bad, you don’t care for the supposedly chilling premise which involves bak kut teh (pork rib soup) and without giving too much away, a homosexual themed twist.
The story’s male protagonist is a womaniser who charms ladies into bed, cheats them of their money and then dumps them. Enter his latest target, a sexy woman who has an equally sexy younger sister. The scum soon learns it doesn’t pay to be a womaniser as a murderous scheme begins plotting.
First, we just cannot accept the casting of William Lawandi as a suave womaniser. True he looks like a horny baddie, but how he manages to get those girls in bed is befuddling. No thanks to this reviewer belonging to the male species, Lawandi’s co stars Vivienne Tseng and Angeline Yap fare better in their roles as a pair of titillating sisters with some dark secrets to hide.
Director Sam Loh lists Takashi Miike’s cult movie Audition (1999) and Fruit Chan’s critically acclaimed Dumplings (2004) as his sources of inspiration for this movie, but this columnist couldn’t feel chills down his spine like how he would after watching a good shocker. So when “the moment”, hmm, comes (sorry, we just can’t help it with these puns!), it’s expectedly bland.
For seasoned moviegoers, the title “Lang Tong”, which means nice soup in Cantonese, would already provide hints to what the story is getting at. Those who are catching this movie for the sex scenes would be satisfied, though you may want to note that about three minutes of explicit scenes have been cut from the film festival version. It is easy to see why this title sold out quickly when it premieres at the Singapore International Film Festival last year. Yes, sex sells.
Movie Rating:
(No thanks to the, ahem, stiff acting, it is, erm, hard to recommend this trying movie)
Review by John Li
Genre: Supernatural/Fantasy/Action
Director: Peter Pau
Cast: Chen Kun, Li Bing Bing, Winston Chao, Bao Beier, Yang Zishan
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: PG13 (Scene of Intimacy)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 12 March 2015
Synopsis: Legendary Chinese anti-hero Zhong Kui, a young man endowed with mysterious powers who is forced into a battle among the realms of Heaven, Earth and Hell in the course of his attempt to save his countrymen and the woman he loves.
Movie Review:
Back me up here, fellow Chinese readers. Isn’t Zhong Kui supposed to be a hideous ghost catcher sporting a big belly? Why are we seeing a good looking Zhong Kui in the form of popular Mainland Chinese actor Chen Kun here? According to Chinese folklore, this famed vanquisher of evil beings had the power to command demons and is often highly regarded as a powerful guardian spirit.
Before we get all judgmental about looks, let’s give the filmmakers behind this high budget fantasy movie a chance to tell a romantic love story behind the Chinese folk deity – hey, despite how you look, anyone can fall in love right?
Therein also lies the problem of this 118 minute movie. We love Chinese folklore, but seeing them visualised on the big screen with soulless computer generated effects is somewhat off putting. We know how Hollywoodmovies have managed, with the extensive help of modern technology, to churn out mythical universes like Middle Earth and Hogsworth. But one thing filmmakers must never forget is the essence of every good movie – an emotionally engaging story.
This phenomenon seems to be on a rise after Gordon Chan’s Painted Skin (2008), a special effects extravaganza adapted from the beloved Chinese folklore Liao Zhai. It spawned a sequel in 2012 – and one doesn’t simply forget the mess that plagued two of last year’s blockbusters The Monkey King and The White Haired Witch of Lunar Kingdom.
It’s probably the encouraging box office takings that have given confidence to filmmakers to continue producing such flicks. Peter Pau, best known for his Oscar winning work in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000), takes up the challenge and co directs this movie with Zhao Tianyu, focusing on Zhong Kui’s love life. In short, the demon slayer must battle magical forces from both heaven and hell to save mankind and Snow Girl (played by Li Bingbing, whom we always mix up with Fan Bingbing), a woman he obviously loves. The problem here? The titular Snow Girl is a demon.
There is so much budget thrown in to make this movie. Besides having Chen and Li to headline this doomed love story, the filmmakers apparently felt the need to employ New Zealand’s Weta workshop to create the fantastical settings in the story. As much as the backdrops are pleasing to the eye, we couldn’t resist sniggering at the chunkily computer generated creatures and the female demons with superimposed heads.
It doesn’t stop there. The special effects also help Chen’s Zhong Kui morph into a supposedly terrifying giant and Li’s Snow Girl transform into an icy femme fatale who destroys her enemies with deadly icicles. We are waiting for some genius to spoof this character with an Oriental version of “Let It Go”. Elsewhere, Winston Chao does a decent job as a self righteous deity, while supporting characters (the obligatory sources of comic relief) are played by Yang Zishan and Bao Beier.
Since its release in Chinato coincide with the Lunar New Year holidays, this movie has made a very decent amount of money. The USmarket has lapped this up and released it in late February, which means only one thing – we will see more of such products featuring excessive
Movie Rating:
(We love our Chinese folklore, but too much
Review by John Li
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