Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Simon West
Cast: Jason Statham, Anne Heche, Sofia Vergara, Michael Angarano, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Stanley Tucci, Hope Davis, Milo Ventimiglia, Max Casella, Jason Alexander, Max Casella
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Nudity and Violence)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 12 March 2015
Synopsis: Nick Wild (Jason Statham) is a Las Vegas bodyguard with lethal professional skills and a personal gambling problem. When a friend is beaten by a sadistic thug, Nick strikes back, only to find out the thug is the son of a powerful mob boss. Suddenly Nick is plunged into the criminal underworld, chased by enforcers and wanted by the mob. Having raised the stakes, Nick has one last play to change his fortunes...and this time, it's all or nothing.
Movie Review:
There is but one ace in Jason Statham’s latest B-movie actioner, ‘Wild Card’, and that is Hong Kong action choreographer Corey Yuen. Indeed, Statham fans will remember Yuen as the co-director of one of Statham’s earliest hits ‘The Transporter’, and it probably comes as no surprise that Yuen has made Statham a cool badass all over again using his hands, feet, lightning-fast speed and some found objects. Unfortunately, Yuen doesn’t get enough time with Statham, so much so that there are but four action sequences that Yuen is responsible for in the 92 minutes this movie tries keeping its game up – and let’s just say that whenever Statham isn’t fighting off some muscled baddie, the movie slows itself to a numbing crawl.
As far as we can tell, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. In fact, ‘Wild Card’ looked to continue the British action star’s foray into more dramatically inclined fare such as the Steven Knight drama ‘Redemption’ and the Sylvester Stallone-scripted ‘Homefront’ while retaining his flair for mixed martial arts and kickboxing. Indeed, it comes from Oscar-winning pedigree – its screenwriter is William Goldman of ‘All the President’s Men’ and ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, who adapts from his own novel titled ‘Heat’. And though its director is B-action specialist Simon West, the latter has done pretty efficient work with ‘Con Air’, Statham’s own ‘The Mechanic’ and ‘The Expendables 2’.
Alas neither screenwriter nor director does their star any favours in this tepid attempt at a character-driven Las Vegas noir punctuated by some cool action displays. The problem lies first and foremost with Goldman’s scripting, which sets Statham’s Nick Wild in two parallel narratives that largely don’t ever meet. On one hand, there is Holly (Dominik Garcia-Lorido), a call girl brutally beaten by an Italian-American gangster and his two bodyguards who asks Nick for his help to get back at her assailants. At first reluctant to even intervene to find out their identities, Nick does a 180-degree change of heart to not only reveal who they are but also break into their suite at the Golden Nugget to let her have her sweet revenge.
On the other hand is Nick’s encounter with a meek computer nerd named Cyrus (Michael Angarano) who employs Nick to show him the way around a casino. That tour leads to Nick’s own journey of self-discovery as a man fighting his gambling addiction – in particular, an extended sequence which is shot by West in a tiresomely straight-forward manner has Nick confronting that addition over the course of a few hours at the casino where he makes bet after bet through a winning streak but fails to stop himself from a final game where he throws everything in and loses the $500,000 that he made over the course of the night. That is meant as a prelude to Nick’s epiphany, but West’s dopey slo-mo pacing renders the montage of gambling scenes as inert as they can get.
While there is no denying that West doesn’t bring anything to the proceedings, it is Goldman’s self-indulgent expository dialogue that makes the whole movie feel like an interminable bore. There is absolutely no zing to any of the characters’ lines, nor much development whatsoever to any of the characters. Why Cyrus is curious to explore a world that is clearly not his own is never clear, nor for that matter why he and Nick would strike up a humanising bond. Nor does Nick’s conscience-awakening act of helping Holly build into anything meaningfully compelling, so much so that Nick’s contemplation of his sorry state and those PTSD flashbacks he's always having over a shot of whiskey is just worth a yawn.
Even more tragic is how good character actors like Stanley Tucci (who steals the only scene he has as Nick’s former boss and the owner of the Golden Nugget), Anne Heche (as a good-hearted waitress in a 24-hour diner always pouring coffee) and Hope Davis (the sexy, slick dealer working at the casino Nick wins and loses his hand) are wasted in thankless supporting parts that go absolutely nowhere. It’s telling when even such an impressive ensemble can’t elevate the movie into anything else than a forgettable lark, but even more when Statham’s own chemistry is dulled in unimaginative scenes ranging from blue-collar diners to loading docks to store rooms and to cargo elevators.
Like we said at the start, the only ace here is the few action sequences that are classic Statham, including a particularly memorable brawl on the casino floor set to The Drifters’ cover version of ‘White Christmas’. Yet four of those do not a movie make, and it is likely that you will find yourself shifting in your seats or checking your watches whenever Statham isn’t kicking ass. ‘Wild Card’ isn’t in fact the first adaptation Goldman has written of his novel; there was a 1986 film named ‘Heat’ starring Burt Reynolds that came before it, and it is perhaps no surprise that its predecessor was an abysmal flop that ended Reynolds’ reign atop the box office. Suffice to say that Goldman doesn’t any better the second time round, and it is a good thing Statham has ‘Furious 7’ out next.
Movie Rating:
(Except a grand total of four action sequences expertly choreographed by Corey Yuen, this Las Vegas noir that aims to be character-driven redemption story is simply an interminable bore)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: GONE GIRL – directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn – unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?
MOVIE REVIEW:
I try my best to keep this review spoilers-free but no promise. Gone Girl based on the novel by Gillian Flynn is so full of twists and turns and cleverly told by Fincher that the completed movie already deserves an award of its own.
Marriage can be both blissful and deadly. Those married should know this statement by heart. Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), a tall handsome man who runs the local pub with his twin sister is being suspected of murdering his missing wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike) on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary. Their house suspiciously look ransacked but there’s no concrete proof uncovered by two detectives, Rhonda (Kim Dickens) and James (Patrick Fugit) that proved Amy has been kidnapped.
On the other hand, Nick is highly suspected to be the culprit responsible for the crime. He looks disinterested most of the time, unwittingly flirt with other women and he doesn’t even know Amy’s circle of friends or what she does in the day. Just when you start to fidget in your seat thinking you have it all figured out, Fincher and Flynn has already begun prepping to throw you off your seat.
Gone Girl is a crazy mix of suspense and thrill and plays as a wicked satire of a perfect marriage. As the audience delves deeper into the union of Nick and Amy, we discover two largely different sides of the story and they are never pretty. Is Nick a perfect husband? We probably know he isn’t but just how bastard of a guy he is. What about Amy? Is she a frail, vulnerable lady waiting for her prince to rescue her from Nick?
Consider it’s mostly Pike doing voiceover for the first half, the whodunit immediately picked up with the appearance of Pike as Amy. Her character apparently overturned whatever clichés the genre offered. Together with the surprising revelations that follows, I can only divulge it will definitely change your opinion of Neil Patrick Harris and also what a manipulative marriage looks like.
Former Bond girl Rosamund Pike is astounding as Amy. She is no longer a forgettable pretty face after you seen her in this dark thriller. Affleck is near perfect as Nick Dunne though his performance in Argo is far natural and less tense. Tyler Perry appears as Nick’s attorney, Tanner Bolt, a role that defines Perry as a serious actor instead of his frequent comedic cross-dressing roles in his self-directed movies. TV actress Carrie Coon puts in a sassy performance as Nick’s tomboyish twin sister and of course the last commending effort goes to Neil Patrick Harris as Desi, Amy’s super rich ex-boyfriend.
Sharply helmed by David Fincher, beautifully shot by Jeff Cronenweth and also an ominous score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross,Gone Girl is such an impressive cinematic work for adults that every movie lover should own this title at home. If you love Seven or Zodiac, this one shouldn’t disappoint.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Director David Fincher provides a surprisingly light and entertaining commentary track in the DVD’s sole extra feature.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Grading the visual aspect of a David Fincher movie can be tricky. It’s hard to tell if the images are heavily manipulated during post-production but still the digitally shot thriller looks fantastic on DVD even for most of the dim, dark scenes. Though Gone Girl is not a bombastic sounding movie, the sound engineers make a fine balance between the score and dialogue.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner and Ansel Elgort lead an outstanding ensemble cast in a story about high school teenagers and parents attempting to navigate their complex relationships in an era defined by social media, online exchanges and instant gratification.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Based on the book by controversial author Chad Kultgen and adapted to the screen by Jason Reitman and Erin Cressida Wilson, Men, Women & Children is a very serious movie about serious people suffering from very serious issues.
For a movie with provoking themes and subject matters, it’s awfully bland and preachy. There are too many characters and multiple storylines to be cram into a two hours running time. On hindsight, it’s better to split them into two separate movies, one about Men & Women and the other on Teens and Children.
The story wanted very much to tell us about the dreadful impact of social media, the cons of constantly having technology in our daily lives. However, most of the problems depicted here already existed way before the Internet. Adultery, pornography, teenage sex, depression over family matters and such, Reitman’s movie actually has lots of potential given his past efforts include the thought-provoking Juno and Up In The Air. But all the positiveness seems to be buried under clichés and adolescent drama.
On the plus side, Reitman has assembled an impressive cast from Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Ansel Elgort to newly-crowned Oscar winner J.K. Simmons. Sandler and Rosemarie DeWitt put in a muted performance as a couple, Don and Helen who just doesn’t have enough sex. Subsequently, Don resorts to hire an escort while Helen opts to try her luck at Ashley Madison.com. The locally banned website makes for intriguing storytelling and again, both actors and the audience are shortchanged in the end as the drama prefers to jump to other uninteresting vignettes liked Don’s 15 year old son who suffers from impotency and the strange celebrity-obsessed mother and daughter pair up, Donna (Greer) and Hannah (Olivia Crocicchia).
Another memorable storyline however involved the school former football star, Tim Mooney (Elgort) and his girlfriend Brandy (Kaitlyn Dever). Tim ditched his favourite sports and indulged in RPG games after his mom abruptly left the family for another man. Brandy on the other hand is heavily monitored and controlled by her over-protective mom, Patricia (Garner). Her phone, facebook and email accounts are tracked even her movements. This marks for a captivating piece but sadly its screentime is too limited to make an impact.
The frequent pop-up of graphical text bubbles and computer screen images make for a nice touch and the ironic-sounding Emma Thompson’s voiceover makes for a slight chuckle. Still, Men, Women & Children has too much flaws to tell a clear message. In sort, we are going to end this review with a sad emoticon.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The filmmakers talked about the story and influence of social media inthe 13 minutes feature, Virtual Intimacy.
Visual effects supervisor Gareth Smith talks how the many graphical virtual interface seen in the movie came about in Seamless Interface.
There are five Deleted Scenes, the longest being an unseen six minutes storyline that involves two other characters.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Dialogue is crisp and music lively but this is not a movie to talk about fancy sound effects in the first place. Though not particularly outstanding, colors and images are detailed.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Determined to prove that he's a true artist, has-been movie superhero Riggan Thomson risks everything to finance a Broadway show. Now, as he grapples with inner and outer critics, a deranged alter ego, his estranged daughter and a temperamental stage star. Thomson aims to soar above mediocrity.
MOVIE REVIEW:
There’s no better actor than Michael Keaton to assume the role of Riggan Thomson, a washed-up Hollywood actor whose rise to fame was playing a superhero, Birdman. The older viewers will definitely remember Keaton playing Batman in the Tim Burton movies before his fallen star power over the decades.
Constantly tormented by his alter ego, Riggan is feeling the stress of financing and staging his very first Broadway play. Adding to his problems is a difficult, method co-star Mike Shiner (Edward Norton), his wayward daughter, Sam (Emma Stone) and a fearsome theater critic, Tabitha Dickson (Lindsay Duncan). Will the insecure Hollywood actor Riggan Thomson survive the harsh realities of theater?
Co-written and directed by Mexican helmer Alejandro G. Inarritu (Babel, Biutiful), Birdman takes a witty, philosophical look at one man’s mid-life crisis. There’s nothing more fitting and interesting than having a Hollywood actor for a lead character since they are rich, famous and often termed to be egoistic. The story takes a jab at all these issues and even the actors themselves. In real life, Edward Norton is often perceived as a difficult actor to work with and his Mike Shiner is one hell of a prick. Tantrums, hard-on and flirts, this is one actor you want to stay far off in your production.
Keaton’s performance is incredible. It’s kind of wretched to watch him sort of playing himself though he has confessed he didn’t take it personally when Inarritu showed him the script. There’s something that is truly remarkable about Keaton because you simply couldn’t see somebody else inheriting the role of Riggan. He is so compelling on a number of levels and he should have gotten Best Actor for Birdman.
Other co-stars worth mentioning includes Naomi Watts as a first-time Broadway actress and also tortured girlfriend of Mike, Zach Galifianakis as Riggan’s lawyer and best friend and Andrea Riseborough as Riggan’s girlfriend. The movie is also technically brilliant with the intended usage of long takes as conceived by Inarritu and acclaimed cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) and surprisingly on-location shooting notably Keaton’s character walking in his underwear through Times Square.
Birdman might not appeal to everyone’s cinematic taste but for an original movie (which is not based on any existing property not even comics) that bursts with so much energy, comedy and drama, you can’t get anything better than this.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Birdman: All-Access is an informative 30 minutes feature that takes viewers behind-the-scenes of the shooting process. There are also rehearsal footages, cast interviews and thoughts from the director and actors.
Photo stills are available on Gallery: Chivo's On Set Photography.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Courtesy of acclaimed cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman looks prim and proper and marvelously wonderful on DVD. Even for the soundtrack, the audio is clean, immersive and filled with believable ambient effects.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama
Director: Bennett Miller
Cast: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Michael Hall, Tara Subkoff, Brett Rice, Guy Boyd, Corey Jantzen
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Drug Use)
Released By: SFS
Official Website:
Opening Day: 4 April 2015 @ Filmgarde Bugis+
Synopsis: Olympic Gold Medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) is struggling in obscurity and poverty in Wisconsin when he is invited by wealthy heir John du Pont (Steve Carell) to move on to his lavish estate to form a team and to train for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Schultz seizes the opportunity, eager to step out of the shadow of his revered older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), a prominent wrestling coach and Gold Medal winner himself. With his vast financial resources and state-of-the-art training facility at Foxcatcher Farm, du Pont appoints himself head coach of the team, eager to win the respect of his peers and the approval of his condemning mother (Vanessa Redgrave). The dynamic between Schultz and du Pont deepens as Mark embraces his benefactor as a father figure. But du Pont's mercurial personality and psychological gameplay begins to weigh heavily on Mark's shaky self-esteem, undermining his abilities on the mat. When du Pont's favoritism shifts to brother Dave — who possesses the authority and confidence both he and Mark lack — the trio is propelled towards a tragedy no one could have foreseen.
Movie Review:
“You ungrateful ape.” That’s not you speaking is it, Michael Scott?
Ever since this reviewer watched the trailer for Bennett Miller’s biographical true crime drama film based on multimillionaire John E du Pont, he has been haunted by those three words spouted by Steve Carell to Channing Tatum.
Carell, whom many know as the eccentrically adorable Michael Scott on the highly acclaimed TV sitcom The Office, has shown critics and viewers how he can balance his comedy roots with more serious material that tests his dramatic capabilities. Sure, we laughed at the comedian in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy(2004), The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) and Evan Almighty (20007). But we have also seen the man impressively play a sad widow in Dan in Real Life (2007), a man who found love just before an asteroid hits Earth in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012) and an unlikable boyfriend in The Way, Way Back (2013).
In his darkest role yet, the 52 year old actor plays a rich wrestling enthusiast who recruits gold medalist wrestlers Mark Schultz (Tatum in fine form here) and his older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo proving that he can be more than an angry Hulk after 2013’s Begin Again) to help coach American wrestlers for participation in national, world and Olympic competitions. Those who are familiar with the sport will know that Dave was eventually murdered by du Pont in January 1996.
Carell puts away his funnyman persona and delivers a compelling and disturbing performance that has caught the attention of juries at countless film festival and awards, including a Best Actor nomination at the 87th Academy Awards. You increasingly feel for Carell’s du Pont as he engages the Schultz brothers throughout the film, knowing that the story will only end on a tragic note. This is clearly a lonely but proud man who is in need of help, but he is in a place you know you do not want to venture into, making the characterisation extra complex. For that, Carell has added another commendable entry into his already remarkable filmography.
Elsewhere, Ruffalo is empathetic as the older Schultz brother (check out how he looks uncannily like the real Dave Schultz), earning him a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the recent Oscars. Rounding up the male ensemble is Tatum, who we are growing to like quite a bit (if you need convincing, go check out 21 Jump Streetand 22 Jump Street). Although paling in comparison when put alongside Carell and Ruffalo, the hunky Tatum puts his well built bod to good use here. Supporting characters are played by Sienna Miller (American Sniper) and Vanessa Redgrave (Atonement), who does a lot with her character as du Pont’s strict mother with the very limited screen time.
Miller has helmed acclaimed films like Capote (2005) and Moneyball (2011), and he is in fine form here. The 2014 Cannes Film Festival awarded the filmmaker with a Best Director accolade for his work on this highly recommended film. Throughout its 130 minute runtime, the mood is aptly icy and distant, but there is also an unsettling sense of empowerment that grips you from start to finish. You’ll be engrossed by the power play between the three men, as you ponder upon the dynamics of sport, wealth, what it takes to be in power, and ultimately, murder.
Movie Rating:
(Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum deliver perfect performances in this chillingly engrossing film about the power play between sport, wealth and murder)
Review by John Li
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FROM VEGAS TO MACAU II tops box office in CHINA, HONG KONG & MALAYSIAPosted on 02 Mar 2015 |
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Tim Johnson
Cast: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: G
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website: http://www.meettheboov.com
Opening Day: 26 March 2015
Synopsis: When Oh, a loveable misfit from another planet, lands on Earth and finds himself on the run from his own people, he forms an unlikely friendship with an adventurous girl named Tip who is on a quest of her own. Through a series of comic adventures with Tip, Oh comes to understand that being different and making mistakes is all part of being human, and together they discover the true meaning of the word HOME.
Movie Review:
Right from the start, Dreamwork Animation’s Home had some big shoes to fill. The movie is following after a string of well-received animated feature films (How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods, the Madagascar movies) from the same studio, as well as the recent critical and commercial successes of StudioCanal’s Shaun the Sheep Movie and Disney’s Big Hero 6. When compared to all these movies, Home did not quite hit the mark.
The gist of the story is simple enough: An alien race, the Boov, is constantly on the run from their enemy, the Gorg, and decides to relocate to Earth. What wasn’t part of the plan is a blundering Boov, Oh (Jim Parsons), whose mass text revealed the location of Earth to the entire universe, as well as a girl, Gratuity ‘Tip’ Tucci (Rihanna), who was left behind during the relocation of humans to Australia. Together, Oh and Tip set out to look for Tip’s mother, Lucy Tucci (Jennifer Lopez), while making several detours along the way.
It is easy to see why younger children will enjoy the movie (if the reactions in the cinema were anything to go by): the jokes, the explosion of colour (and 3D objects), the quick pace of the plot, the journey around the world in less than two hours, and the relatable, imperfectly human main characters.
Not being a huge fan of Dreamworks’ animation, the highlight of the film for me was probably the voice acting for the two main characters. Parsons’ voice acting of Oh is reminiscent of his popular Big Bang Theory character, Sheldon Cooper (well-meaning, socially awkward organisms, anyone?). I can’t speak for other Big Bang Theory viewers, but whenever Oh speaks, the image of Sheldon Cooper delivering those lines in a straight face comes to mind, which makes the dialogue and jokes doubly funny. For his first voice-acting role, Parsons exceeds expectations because of two reasons – his recognizable voice and Sheldon Cooper.
With a voice as recognizable as Parson’s, a lesser co-star would probably fade into the shadows. That is, if your co-star is not Rihanna. Rihanna’s performance of Tip was gutsy with a good balance of helplessness and naivety, successfully garnering the sympathy of the audience when empathy seemed all but a lost cause (ever got mistaken for a cat before flying a car over the Atlantic, anyone?). The voice acting of Parsons and Rihanna made the bickering of Oh and Tip tolerable, which is a feat by itself given the rather limited script.
What ultimately lets Home down, other than the comparison with other recent successes, is sadly the storyline, which tries to cover too much in too little time. Funny cultural differences between species – check. An attempt to philosophize colonization and the White Man’s Burden – check. The ultimatum to choose between friends and family – check. With that many focal points, the meaning of home and family is lost somewhere in-between the Statue of Liberty and the Pyramid of Giza, and fails to touch this audience member, which is a pity, really.
Having too many things to deal with also resulted in a lack of development in the characters. Although there was a brief stab at development right at the end for Oh and the Boov, that comes across as much too late and contrived. And for all of Rihanna’s efforts, there is really that much of the child one can stand with the lack of progress in the character’s maturity.
Judging from the recent spate of family-centric movies, it seems that there is a trend of situating the story in a fantasy setting, while having at least one family member sacrifice him/herself. Home follows this formula (almost, anyway) but fails to connect as deeply with the audience due to its lack of focus in the midst of all the philosophizing and traveling. That said, it isn’t a difficult movie to get through, and is a pleasant enough way to spend about an hour and a half on, especially if you have some kids in tow.
Movie Rating:
(In all, Home is a predictable, family-centric movie that tries to give meaning to, well, Home. Sadly, this central message is lost during the course of the movie, which is probably why it is largely forgettable)
Review by Goh Yan Hui
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LEONARD NIMOY (1931 - 2015)Posted on 28 Feb 2015 |
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: OH Ki-hwan
Cast: JOO Won, AHN Jae-hyeon, SULLI, PARK Se-young
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures & Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 12 March 2015
Synopsis: With a pair of thick glasses and stuffy appearance to boot, high school student Gi-myeong is mercilessly teased by his classmates on a daily basis at a rural provincial high school, until he jumps on a chance to transfer to a hip high school in Gangnam, Seoul. At the new school, he comes across the girl of his dreams – Hye-jin – who is a beautiful online starlet. For a nobody like Gi-myeong, he can’t even get close to her due to her massive popularity. As if that was bad enough, her boyfriend is not only one of the smartest students in school, son of wealthy family, but professional model Won-ho. But not the one to let the girl of his dreams just slip through, he vows to transform himself and be a man whom she can admire and be with. Gi-myeong begs his mom for an expensive trendy jacket, but when he finds out that the one he received is a fake, he marches into the retail company to complain. There, he meets a fashionista named Nam-jung, who teaches him the essences of fashion, such as ‘cool’ and ‘tight’. What started as a ploy to get a girl’s attention, Gi-myeong begins to get noticed by his classmates. With poses and styles that only he can pull off, he becomes good friends with Hye-jin, in addition to gaining reputation as a forward-thinking fashionista. Not only that, he fends off Won-ho when he finds Won-ho bullying fellow students, which got him even more fame and street creds. As his reputation grows, Hye-jin becomes more and more interested in Gi-myeong. Hye-jin’s growing interest irritates Won-ho to no end, and the two fashionistas become arch-rivals, and face off every chance they get to obtain the coveted ‘Fashion King’ title. But as Gi-myeong’s fame overflows onto the internet, peers from his old school recognize him and upload devastatingly demoralizing video of Gi-myeong as he is teased and bullied. Won-ho finds out about Gi-myeong’s past and begins to openly share this with the entire school. Thinking that he has left his past life behind him, Gi-myeong now faces the biggest threat of his life. Hye-jin once again goes back to ignoring him, and the only people who stand by him at this moment of despair are Eun-jin, the best and nerdiest student of the school, his friend Chang-ju and his mom. With their support, he vows never to run away from this. With the ‘tightness’ he is born with, with his libertarian ideas, and with his ‘coolness’, Gi-myeong’s battle with Won-ho begins at the ‘Fashion King’ competition… With the help of Nam-jung, Gi-myeong passes countless qualifying matches, and realizes what ‘tight’ really means. Seeing his face on TV piques Hye-jin’s attention, but he realizes that it is Eun-jin whom he loves. Finally, Gi-myeong and Won-ho head for the final round. Unfazed by Won-ho’s threats and violence, Gi-myeong enters the finals with incredible conviction as a chance to transform himself into someone he really is in his heart… .
Movie Review:
South Korea is no stranger to producing humourous and entertaining movies like ‘200 Pounds Beauty (2006)’, ‘My Girlfriend is an Agent (2009)’ and more. These have definitely caught our attention in the past years. The nonsensical humour and slapstick comedy which worked for them were also characteristic of Fashion King.
The film centres Gi-myeong (played by Joo Won), who was the subject of bully and always told to run errands by his classmates. However he’s out for a new beginning when he moved to Seoul. There he started to want to become like those people of the ‘royal stream’, who dress stylishly as though trotting down a fashion runway.
On his attempt to buy a branded down jacket, he realized he bought an imitation on interrogation by a fashion wannabe (played by Shin Ju-hwan). Determined to get his money back, Gi-myeong went to the warehouse to confront the owner. Little did he know that this would be the changing point of his life! Owner and fashionista Kim Nam-jung (played by Kim Sung-oh) showed both of them what real dopeness is about – it’s not about the brand, but how one coordinates and wear them. Gi-myeong and Chang-joo became Nam-jung’s disciples, quickly gaining popularity and following at school.
The story goes on to the usual plot twist, where the wound bore by the protagonist was revisited and his world came crashing again. In this case, Gi-myeong’s past was exposed by Won-ho (played by Ahn Jae-hyun), who was getting green eyed and threatened by the attention Gi-myeong was receiving. As cowardly as Gi-myeong was, he wanted to break out of this cycle as he found what he could find confidence in – fashion.
In terms of the development in romance, there was already some undercurrents going on since Gi-myeong and Eun-jin (played by Sulli) first met as neighbours. Eun-jin found an uncanny connection with Gi-myeong and silently supported him through his pursuit of fashion. Eventually Eun-jin too, underwent a transformation by Nam-jung, and communicated her feelings to Gi-myeong.
On the other hand, Won-ho was still trying to sabotage Gi-myeong as they both got shortlisted as the final candidates of a reality TV show competing to become the ‘Fashion King’. While Won-ho continually issue threats, Gi-myeong only grew stronger with the support of his loved ones. At the latter part of the movie, Fashion King did grow a little too (intentionally) melodramatic as it tries to focus on the value of the support of family and friends.
The film has quite an interesting ensemble of cast, with Sulli of popular Korean girl group f(x) playing a role of a nerdy girl, Joo-Won (who we think really looks like Bigbang’s TOP at certain angles!) and Ahn Jae-hyun, a real-life professional model. There’s nothing extremely outstanding about their acting which deserves special mention, but at least they are pretty pleasing to the eyes.
The greatest shortcoming of Fashion King is its failure to bring the characters to full flesh. While the story was adopted from a Webcomic, the characters were under developed and still felt two-dimensional. The storyline also did not support the development much, as it was built to be more to entertain and sensationalize than to deliver a real ‘plot’. Nonetheless, Fashion King did make it to the mark of an average South Korean rom-com.
Movie Rating:
(Lacklustre as it is, their greatest weapon to win, is ‘dopeness’)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Louis Clichy, Alexandre Astier
Runtime: 1 hr 25 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films and GVP
Official Website: www.facebook.com/encorefilms
Opening Day: 12 March 2015
Synopsis: Julius Caesar unveils his latest plan to get rid of those indomitable Gauls once and for all. As his army has not been able to crush “the last pocket of resistance”, he decides to try a stealth invasion: civilisation delivered to the village gates! He builds a new Rome-The Land of the Gods-around Asterix’s village, pressuring the Gauls to assimilate or vanish. Despite Asterix and Obelix’s plans to stop the construction work, the buildings quickly rise and the Roman citizens start to peacefully invade their surroundings, bringing chaos to Asterix’s village. Could this finally mean victory for Caesar?
Movie Review:
Allow this reviewer to indulge himself in nostalgia for a while: he fondly remembers the days when he would spend hours in the public library hunting down Asterix comic books. Yup, these are the hardcover large ones which every kid in the neighbourhood yearned to borrow (why is that no child ever pestered his parent to actually purchase one back then, you wonder?). Admit it - if your library card quota was up, you would attempt to hide the beloved comic books you found in some obscure corners, so that you could easily retrieve them during your next visit.
Together with the Tintin comics (check out Steven Spielberg’s wonderful 2011 animated feature if you haven’t), Asterix comics were the weekly highlights of an average public housing estate dwelling boy.
If you are already lost at this point (don’t even get us started with Archie comics), then it’s difficult for you to understand this columnist’s excitement with this 3D computer animated film. A little bit of background here, Asterix is a series of French comics by Goscinny and Uderzo which first appeared in a magazine in 1959. Over the years, 35 volumes of the beloved series have been published. Each installment follows the adventures of a group of Gauls, one of them being the titular Asterix, who do their best to resist Roman occupation through a magic potion brewed by the druid.
A French Belgian production based on the comic book of the same name (the 17th in the series, if you must know), this movie directed by Louis Clichy and Alexandre Astier has the series’ main antagonist Julius Caesar building a new Rome, aptly named “The Land of the Gods” around Asterix’s village, so that he can conquer the “last pocket of resistance” once and for all.
Over the years, we have seen several Asterix movies (eight animated ones and four live action ones, if the Internet serves us well). While it’s nice to see your childhood memories visualised on screen, seeing the great Gerard Depardieu (102 Dalmatians, Parisje t’aime) as Asterix’s friend Obelix is still a somewhat traumatising thought. The 2D animated ones are a charmer though, seeing the Gauls being hand drawn in 1994’s Asterix Conquers America and 2006’s Asterix and the Vikings bring back those good old days of imagining the illustrated characters coming to life.
Because we are in an era where computer technology is easily accessible, this latest film featuring Asterix and his friends get a fresh makeover. Call this writer old fashioned, there is something about a seeking sleekly rendered Asterix and Obelix that makes him yearn for traditional animation even more. Don’t get him wrong, this movie is highly enjoyable with its 85 minute runtime. You have an easily understood plot, some humourous sequences and an entourage of characters which you have grown to love as a kid. However, just like any other experience of reminiscing, there’s a part of us that feels the society is moving too fast for its own good.
If anything, this movie is a decent introduction for parents who would like their children to be acquainted with Asterix and his friends. Now that we are more affluent, parents can also easily walk into a bookstore to purchase the comic books right after watching the movie.
Movie Rating:
(Whether you are a fan of the comics or not, this movie is undeniably easy to enjoy)
Review by John Li
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