Genre: Drama
Director: Julian Jarrold
Cast: Sarah Gadon, Emily Watson, Jack Reynor, Rupert Everett, Bel Powley
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Nudity and Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 May 2015
Synopsis: A ROYAL NIGHT OUT is a film about one perfect, glorious evening in the lives of two real-life princesses. They are Elizabeth and Margaret Windsor at and the night is 8 May 1945, V-E Night. The whole of London is on the streets to celebrate the official end of World War II in Europe. It is known the young princesses, aged 19 and 14, slipped out of the palace to join the communal euphoria and went dancing at the Ritz. They apparently returned to Buckingham Palace just after midnight. Directed by acclaimed UK director Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane, Brideshead Revisited), A ROYAL NIGHT OUT is an affectionate ‘what-if’ story about the adventures Elizabeth and Margaret might have had on the joyous night that brought the whole of London together.
Movie Review:
Just as what the title suggests, the film chronicles the (imagined) night out of then-Princess Elizabeth, present-Queen Elizabeth II, and her younger sister, Princess Margaret on the night of 8 May 1945, the end of the World War Two in Europe. After six years of being at war, both princesses were allowed a night out “in cognito” to mingle with the celebrating crowd (fact). What was meant to be a tame night quickly escalated to the princesses leaving Ritz to the criminal underbelly of the British capital (probably fiction).
In all honesty, the start of the film did not bode well, with long close-ups of Princess Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon) interspersed with actual black and white footage from 8 May 1945 – a precursor to what felt like an historical drama that would take itself all too seriously. Thankfully, it was a challenge for the film to go down the serious historical drama route with the force of nature that is Princess Margaret (Bel Powley), the incompetent chaperones, and the worrywarts King George V and Queen Elizabeth (played by Rupert Everett and Emily Watson respectively). With such colourful characters throughout the movie, Gadon’s Elizabeth nearly fades into the background, if not for the movie focusing hugely on her Amazing Race across London with AWOL soldier Jack (Jack Reynor) in tow.
In a way, the plot is the clichéd “princess goes out to the big, bad world, and somehow manages to return unscathed, while learning about the plebians that she would one day rule” story, saved by its comedic elements and the context – the emotive end to the WWII. In addition to learning how the average Brit celebrates in pubs, what was more interesting (to the writer, at least) was the war – the wreckage done to the city, sufferings of the common man, and the mistreatment of soldiers. The film also touches on the uncertainty after the war and the new world order (foreshadowing the upcoming Cold War and shifting of power), which, to the history buff, made the show more than just an imagining of a frivolous night out.
For the audience not particularly interested in European and World History, the antics of the impossibly ditsy Princess Margaret interspersed throughout the film served to lighten the atmosphere. Being the antithesis of the sensible and way-too-responsible Elizabeth, Powley plays the impulsive and naïve Margaret entertainingly well, as she flits from party to party, somehow narrowly avoiding being harmed on multiple occasions. Perhaps she played the role too well, as the character quickly gets irritating, falling into the stereotype of the irresponsible rich, young heiress who is the epitome of ignorance is bliss.
Adding on to Powley’s comedic efforts was the bantering between Everett and Watson, or the King and Queen, who were at once worrying about the King’s stuttering (Refer to The King’s Speech), their daughters getting lost somewhere in London, and waxing lyrical of the potential new world order after the war. Despite the relatively short screen time, Everett and Watson were memorable in their roles – protective parents, aging monarchs and tea-drinking British citizens.
In contrast to her younger sister floating throughout London, and her parents waving to crowds from Buckingham Palace, Elizabeth somehow got the shorter end of the stick, tumbling her way (literally) across London and always one step behind her sister. That said, if not for Margaret, Elizabeth’s own night out in London would probably not take place, as well as her character development as she comes in contact (sober) with people from all walks of life. If not for Margaret, the some-what romance between Elizabeth and angst AWOL soldier Jack, convincingly portrayed by Reynor, would also not be able to come through. That said, this romance came out as forced, and did not seem to add much to the film.
In-between the sentimentality of the end of the war, the comedy of errors of-sorts, and the character development of Princess Elizabeth, one would expect that the film would have too many areas of focus. That said, the film is not bad per se, as through the tropes and stereotypes, it somehow works. Coupled with the film’s timely release on the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, and the recent spate of good news concerning the UK monarchy, it is likely to be a crowd-pleaser, depicting the lighter side of the end of the war.
Movie Rating:
(A Royal Night Out does not deviate much from its expected content, but the actual film does not disappoint, and serves as an interesting take on a little-known fact about the war)
Review by Goh Yan Hui
Genre: Action/Comics
Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Judy Greer, John Slattery, T.I., Michael Douglas
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: PG (Some Violence)
Released By: Walt Disney Studios, Singapore
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/antman
Opening Day: 16 July 2015
Synopsis: The next evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings a founding member of The Avengers to the big screen for the first time with Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man.” Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.
Movie Review:
This reviewer wants to be like Paul Rudd when he turns 46. He first saw the New Jerseyborn actor on the popular sitcom Friends as Phoebe’s love interest Mike Hannigan, and loved how he carried off the character with a slacker charm. He then went on to takes on roles in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) and Knocked Up (2007). Although he played supporting characters in this comedies, there’s always that special something which made viewers pay attention.
And now, Rudd is Ant-Man! Yes, a Marvel superhero! If you are like this reader, who isn’t a walking encyclopaedia of Marvel history, you probably haven’t heard of Ant-Man. Who can take a superhero with a name like that seriously? Not us. Are you sure you need Ant-Man when you’ve already got Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye from The Avengers?
One thing we are setting straight here – we enjoyed Ant-Man more than the recent The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
The Peyton Reed directed movie, which is also the 12th installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (who’s keeping count, really?), sees protagonist Scott Lang (Rudd) help Dr Hank Pym (the always reliable Michael Douglas) safeguard the mystery of a technology which allows users to decrease in size but increase in strength. In the movie, you will hear some scientifically complicated terms, but there isn’t really much to know. You just need to be aware of the fact that there is a need to stop a heist that will destroy Earth,
The threat comes in the form of Yellojacket, a thwarted version of the technology helmed by Darren Cross, and coming along for the ride is Dr Pym’s daughter Hope van Dyne, and a motley crew of former thieves who will aid Lang save the world.
The 117 minute movie is a very refreshing change from the slew of superhero movies we’ve been seeing. No overwrought emotions, no excessive self righteousness and no overbearingly dark tones. What you get instead, is a very likeable protagonist (thanks to Rudd’s appeal, of course) who is an everyman you want to root for. The result is a superhero movie that makes you sit up and watch, laugh and enjoy till the very last minute.
Because it is backed up by a major studio, you can still expect the usual special effects, big explosions and well choreographed action sequences. These are enough to keep fans of Hollywoodblockbusters happy, and to have them feeling that the movie is well worth the price of the ticket.
Credit goes to a wonderful ensemble cast, which includes Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit series, TV’s Lost) as the serious but well intending daughter, Corey Stoll (Dark Places, TV’s House of Cards) as the villainous disciple and Bobby Cannavale (Blue Jasmine, Chef) as a stepfather to Lang’s daughter, as well as Michael Pena (End of Watch, American Hustle), rapper Tip “T I” Harris and David Dastmalchian (The Glass Menagerie, Buried Child) as Lang’s amusing but resourceful friends.
In this day and age where everyone takes everything too seriously, this is one superhero movie that you’ll fine immensely entertaining and enjoyable, without compromising on storytelling and action. Oh, you should also stick around to watch not one, but two end credit scenes which will eventually take the Internet by storm.
Movie Rating:
(A delightfully entertaining Marvel superhero movie that you’ll enjoy from beginning to end, thanks to leading man Paul Rudd’s slacker dude charm)
Review by John Li
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Van M. Phan
Cast: Phuong Mai, Quang Su, Tien Pham , Hoai An, Chi Pu
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes and Horror)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 14 May 2015
Synopsis: Lan, a detective fiction author couldn’t bear the pain due to her husband’s betrayal and decided to leave home and moved to an rented apartment in an old building with her 5 year-old son, Bi. Among her neighbors, there was Thao, who’s living with her husband and their stubborn teenage daughter, Ngoc. Soon after, Vu – an amateur musician, also moved into the building. The trauma caused by her husband’s betrayal affected Lan badly and resulted in many nightmares. She consulted a therapist and was put on a medication. One day, Bi was given a music box by Mrs. Chu, the building supervisor, and since then, the nightmares became more rapid. Lan and her neighbor Vu attempted to solve the mysteries happening in the building, and realized that the strange happenings originate from the music box… Who is the true owner of the music box? Could it be a malicious spirit seeking revenge or otherwise?
Movie Review:
The one thing that made an impression with this writer after watching this Vietnamese horror flick is, get ready for this, lousy pick up tactics. Yes, it’s bewildering that after 108 minutes of coming face to face with a vengeful spirit (dressed in red, no less), this reviewer can’t get over the fact that the female protagonist approached the male lead because his, ahem, gift for music would help her better understand why there is a creepy tune coming out of a creepy music box.
Err, what? Van M Phan’s feature tells the story of a female writer who moves into an apartment, oblivious to the fact that a horrible murder had taken place there a few years ago. She discovers the abovementioned music box and gets to know a not too bad looking dude who sings in a bar. Strange things begin happening to her, and she involves the guy whom she obviously wants to have a romantic connection with. Somewhere in the mix, there is a badly disfigured woman who appears every now and then to scare the s**t out of everyone, a lecherous man (with a moustache to complete the villainous look), and a cute kid who can communicate with spirits from the third dimension.
The thing with reviewing horror movies is, the mind often wanders off to search for things to criticise. It’s not easy pleasing reviewers these days, especially with the increasingly popular horror genre. The reason why such movies still pop up in the cinemas every other month (expect the slew to be released during timely occasions like Halloween and Seventh Month Ghost Festival) is that such products bring in the money – and lots of moolah, for that matter.
Anyway, we digress. Why this writer can’t get over the fact with how the female lead used the creepy music box tune to chat up her male co star may be an over reaction, but it just seems so trying on the scriptwriter’s part to inject some story into this otherwise average horror picture. You’ve got your usual checklist of ingredients for a scare fest. In this case, since it’s Asian (we haven’t seen any other horror movie from Vietnamthough), you can expect an angry spirit modeled after Sadako.
There are some genuinely amusing sequences – watch out for the scene where a plumber tries to psych himself up with the female lead’s private belongings when he is left alone in her room, and another one where the male lead gets ready for sexy time with the girl of his dreams, only to have the occasion spoilt by the angry spirit.
Themes like infidelity, revenge and a mother’s love for her child are not new, and this movie infuses them into the story with formulaic effect. If you are in a cinema which cranks up the speaker volumes, you’d be adequately shaken in your seats. The production values of this movie are higher than what you’d expect from titles in the region, probably due to the involvement of Western collaborators.
We are not familiar with the leads Phuong Mai and Quang Su, but they do enough to deliver terrified looks. Whether viewers feel the same terror is another thing.
Movie Rating:
(Loud scares are aplenty in this otherwise average horror flick which offers nothing new in the genre)
Review by John Li
Why change a winning formula when it’s working perfectly to bring in the moolah? The producers for this soundtrack album to the sequel of the wildly popular 2012 movie should know this best. The official album from the first movie was the sixth best selling soundtrack of 2012, with 212,000 sold for the year. It went on to become the best selling soundtrack in the United States.
For the sequel, the Barden Bellas return to croon on this 43 minute album. Will they be able to repeat the success of the first soundtrack? Lead actress Anna Kendrick hit gold when “Cups”, a song that wasn’t meant to be a hit single, took the number one spot on the Adult Contemporary charts more that a year after the movie’s release. And get this – the single sold more than 3 million downloads.
Kendrick, whom we know has a decent set of vocals (check her performances in The Last Five Years and Into the Woods), stands out in a duet “Winter Wonderland/ Here Comes Santa Claus” with Snopp Dogg here – it’s a track you’ll want to bring out when Christmas arrives later this year. Elsewhere, she joins her friends to croon more mash ups. There’s the film opener “Kennedy Center Performance” (We Got the World, Timber, America The Beautiful, Wrecking Ball), the “Riff Off” (so many songs here, including Thong Song, Low, Bootylicious, This is How We Do It and other radio friendly hits) and “Back to Basics” (more pop hits like You Can’t Hurry Love, Lady Marmalade and MmmBop).
The sequel’s antagonist group Das Sound Machine (featuring Danish actress Birgitte Hjort Sorensen and German YouTube star Flula Borg) perform the techno heavy “Car Show” (Uprising, Tsunami) and parts of “Jump”. Fat Amy Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine bring on the laughs with “We Belong” and the end credit track “All of Me”.
The mash up gets all, well, mashed up, in the soundtrack’s last few cues “Any Way You Want It”, World Championship Finale 1” and “World Championship Finale 2”. Listen out for cameo performances from acclaimed a cappella groups Pentatonix and Penn Masala. Then there’s the inspirationally feel good ballad “Flashlight” performed by Jessie J, a song co written by Sam Smith, Sia, Christian Guzman and Jason Moore (primarily sung by the new Bella Hailee Steinfeld in the movie).
While offering nothing new (except that many, many more songs are featured in the mash ups), this is one album that will go down well with fans. Judging from how it is topping the Billboard charts, the producers are probably glad they stuck to the sure win formula.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (14) World Championship Finale 2
Review by John Li
While we may never know what went on behind the scenes to involve two composers on this highly anticipated Marvel Studios movie, it is with anticipation that soundtrack fans savour the 77 minutes of music on this album. What’s more, instead of just releasing it digitally, the producers were obviously confident enough to make available physical formats in stores for collectors to own a copy on their shelves.
If you have following all news related to this sequel to the 2012 blockbuster (a true geek will tell you that it’s the 11th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), you’d know how the scoring credits changed from “Music by Brian Tyler and Additional Music by Danny Elfman” to “Music by Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman”. Again, whatever business related decisions went behind this change, we just want the soundtrack to bring some awesome wham bham music.
There’s about 50 minutes of music from Tyleron the album, while the rest of the 27 minutes are credited to Elfman. Tyler(The Expendables 3, Furious 7), known for his bombastic action composition, follows up from his works in Iron Man 3 (2013) and Thor: The Dark World (2013) with more of his engaging and heart stopping music. You’ll hear it from the get go in the rather brief “Avengers: Age of Ultron Title”, before tracks like the really loud “Hulkbuster” and the strident “Seoul Searching” brings on the full force.
Elfman (Oz the Great and Powerful, Big Eyes) seems to be in charge of the more emotional cues. Strangely, there are some tracks “note featured in the film” – “Heroes” and “Inevitability – One Good Eye” which happens to be the more memorable piece on the CD. Elsewhere, there’s the expectedly affecting “Farmhouse”, “The Farm” and “Nothing Lasts Forever”. For this multi award nominated and winning composer, “Avengers Unite” is easily a standout track that embodies what superheroes are all about: saving the world.
The album ends aptly with Elfman’s “New Avengers: - Avengers: Age of Ultron”. The question is, when this new gang returns to save the world from evil, who are they bringing along to compose the music?
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (23) Avengers Unite
Review by John Li
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BOOK REVIEW #10: JACKIE CHAN: NEVER GROW UP, ONLY GET OLDER (成龙：还没长大就老了)Posted on 11 May 2015 |
SYNOPSIS: In the war of man against machine, Sgt Kyle Reese is sent back to 1984 to protect his young mother, Sarah Connor. However, this time unexpected events have altered the past and threaten the future for all mankind. Now Reese must join forces with Sarah and her Guardian to save the world and stop the next evolution of Terminators...
MOVIE REVIEW:
Paramount must have paid James Cameron a handsome sum of money to endorse this latest instalment of Terminator. Not that it’s bad but to enjoy Terminator Genisys thoroughly, you need to first erase whatever memories of the past instalments meaning whatever Cameron has earlier created.
Writers Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island) and Patrick Lussier (Drive Angry) in an attempt to reboot the fading franchise deconstruct and make the entire timeline even more confusing and meddling. It’s still men versus machines and vice versa. However the current story tries hard to instill new elements while at the same time referencing heavily back to the original 1984 Terminator making it an altogether awkward affair.
Kyle Reese is sent back to 1984 by John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance to protect his mum, Sarah Connor (Games of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke) from Skynet’s evil cyborg. To Kyle’s surprise, the timeline has changed from the moment he lands naked on a dark alley. Sarah is no longer the weak lady we knew her from the original. She is armed, combat trained and has a reprogrammed Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as her guardian, “Pops”.
Depending on how you see it, the story gets even more confusing/ridiculous/entertaining as we follow Kyle and Sarah who travelled to 2017 to stop a soon-to-be-revealed Skynet. As if this is not enough, Connor himself is being transformed into a deadly Terminator, an advanced T-3000 model hell-bent on destroying Kyle and Sarah. In short, this is the surprise and wicked twist which was spoiled by the theatrical trailer.
Terminator Genisys definitely is a flawed movie though you can’t deny director Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) and the producers at Skydance are all out to please the audiences. The visual effects are amazing given it has been more than twenty years since the groundbreaking Terminator 2: Judgement Day. There’s never a dull scene since there’s always a car chase, foot chase or gunplay round the corner. Even Legacy Effects is back to contribute some nifty physical effects. There’s nothing VFX can’t accomplish in today’s world of filmmaking but that’s a real bus being flipped around liked a toy car.
How can a Terminator instalment goes without Arnold? Well, the man is back (pardon the pun) and he is more of a comic relief than a motionless cyborg. Jai Courtney (A Good Day to Die Hard) might not be much of an actor to many but he manages to stand on his own opposite the great Emilia Clarke. There are others liked Jason Clarke, Matt Smith, Lee Byung-Hun and J.K. Simmons but they are nothing more than glorified cameos.
Old time fans of the franchise will probably brush this aside for all it’s familiarity, unnecessarily tacked-on cheesy one-liners and vicious manipulation of the timeline. If this is your first encounter with a Terminator, this might not be entirely an obsolete affair after all. Take your side. We are quite divided on this one.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The various cast and crew members discuss about the franchise, characters and story in Family Dynamics.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
As expected, Terminator Genisys looks fantastic on DVD. Colours, textures are brimming while most of the dark, gray night scenes are deep and detailed. Cinephiles will love the dynamic, strong 5.1 surround track. Gunfire, explosions, car crash and flying debris are loud and booming, guarantee to deliver a wonderful viewing experience.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Check in again and gear up for more love and laughter as new arrival Richard Gere joins an all-star ensemble cast — including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel and Maggie Smith — returning for this heartwarming sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel! Now that his first venture is a success, Sonny (Patel) is ready to expand and gets a little help and encouragement from his resident friends.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Is The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the elderly and beautiful crowd or for those who loved the first? No not really, it’s a heartwarming sequel for those who love a decent mature movie.
Director John Madden, screenwriter Ol Parker and most of the original cast members returned for a visit to the Best Exotic Marigold hotel. The sequel simply continues the story threads from the first. Juggling too much subplots and characters, the movie is too bloated for its own good but there’s never a problem a pumping song-and-dance segment can’t solve.
Our young entrepreneur Sonny (Dev Patel) is on the verge of getting married to his sweetheart, Sunaina (Tina Desai). At the same time, he is faced with a possible love rival, a potential business plan being sabotaged and a visit by a secret hotel inspector. His elderly occupants on the other hand are not having an easy life either. Evelyn (Judi Dench) has yet accepted Douglas’ (Bill Nighy) love for her. Muriel’s (Maggie Smith) health is on the decline. Norman (Ronald Pickup) and Carol (Diana Hardcastle) are having relationship problems. Madge (Celia Imrie) is finding hard to choose between two suitors and the highlight of all, the supposedly hotel inspector Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) is smitten with Sonny’s mum, Mrs Kapoor (Lillete Dubey).
The entire movie is watchable mainly because of people liked Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy. Because whenever they appear on the screen spouting clever lines and philosophies about life, death and love, you just can’t bear to fault the end product for being too pointless and familiar. Although that can’t be said of Dev Patel’s overly enthusiastic performance, he is one character I don’t want to see if there’s a third.
As far as sequels go, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is liked visiting old friends who lived in a faraway exotic place. Indian culture might not be that unfamiliar to audiences in this part of the world but they are something exhilarating to Hollywood not mentioning the first movie made Fox millions of dollars in excess. Besides the wonderful old thespians, the gorgeous sight and sound of India is also beautifully captured on screen in addition to rousing Bollywood dance numbers.
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel might not have much to offer but sometimes all you need is some familiar fare to warm the hungry stomach.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Story has the principal cast and filmmakers talk about the story of course. The returning cast from the original share their feelings in Cast. Returning to the Marigold Hotel has the cast and filmmakers talk about how the story and characters have evolved. Blossoming Romance talks about the continued romance among the characters. The shooting and creation of the beautiful traditional Indian wedding is discussed in The Marigold Wedding. It’s a relaxed set and eye-opening experience as the talents talk about Filming In India. Extras also include a photo Gallery and Theatrical Trailers.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The score and music by Thomas Newman (and you thought it's A.R. Rahman) deserves a compliment for its exotic sounding tunes. Dialogue is excellent and so are the ambient sound effects. Shot on digital, imaging and colors are vibrant and dynamic. Truly an enriching experience for the eyes and ears.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Based on the bestselling book by master storyteller Nicholas Sparks, The Longest Ride will make you believe in true love. When Luke, a former champion bull rider attempting a comeback meets Sophia, a college student preparing for her dream job in New York, they embark on an extraordinary - yet uncertain - romantic journey. As conflicting paths test their budding relationship, Luke and Sophia make a fateful connection with Ira, whose heartwarming memories of his own marriage inspire the young couple and change their lives forever.
MOVIE REVIEW:
A suspension of belief is require for every Nicholas Sparks work unless you are his number one fan, one who actually knows The Longest Ride is the 10th book to be made into a feature movie.
The George Tillman Jr (Notorious, Faster) movie wastes no time in establishing our two lovebirds. In North Carolina, a college student Sophia (Britt Robertson from Tomorrowland) after being dragged to a rodeo fair by her classmate gets to know and starts to fall in love with a handsome bull rider, Luke (Scott Eastwood, son of Clint). On the verge of mounting a career comeback plus the stress of fitting into Sophia’s future, will Luke end up happily ever after with Sophia?
Not contend with telling one good old-fashioned American love story, as a bonus to Sparks’ loyal followers, the movie tells another story involving an old couple, Ira (Alan Alda) and Ruth as a result of Sophia and Luke saving Ira out of a car crash. The Ira-Ruth romance in a grand tradition way spanned from wartime to the present culminating in a lasting legacy of what true love really means.
It’s kind of strange watching two seemingly unrelated storylines at the same time. Via constant flashbacks, we got to know that Ira’s war injury has caused Ruth’s dream of starting a big family impossible. Their subsequent adoption of a child failed and they were on a verge of a breakup. Perhaps you are guessing Sparks might pull a surprise at the end with Ira’s tale. Well, it’s not so much as a twist but let’s just say this is where a suspension of belief comes in.
On the other hand, Luke and Sophia’s romance seems tamer and predictable. Luke goes bull riding. They have sex. Luke goes bull riding. They have sex. Repeat. The major plot points unfold fairly quickly though the entire movie runs more than two hours, 20 minutes longer than the average Sparks adaptation. Still Scott Eastwood and Britt Robertson make a loving pair. The former has a likeable charismatic poise and its obvious he looks exactly liked his old man. For the minority that caught Tomorrowland, you know Robertson can act and she seems ready to give Jennifer Lawrence a run for her money. Jack Huston and Oona Chaplin who played the younger Ira and Ruth lend strong presences to the romantic drama.
It’s notable to mention the great David Tattersall (the Star Wars prequels, The Green Mile) was behind the camera work which gave the movie’s a lush stunning appearance. The Longest Ride certainly isn’t as strong (meaning tears milking) as The Notebook but the chemistry between the good-looking leads and some impressive rodeo stunt work at least makes this tolerable.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Meet the Real Bull Riders takes viewers into the world of real bull riders and the various crew members behind the stunt work. We see how Scott Eastwood prepare his role by riding a robobull in Luke's Bull Riding School. Audio Commentary by Director George Tillman Jr. and Actress Oona Chaplin is a decent enjoyable track and the DVD also comes with a Gallery and Trailers.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Lush scenery, good looking cast and slick imaging. The Longest Ride looks amazingly beautiful on DVD. Surround and directional effects are excellent in the bull-riding sequences other than that, it’s as expected a relatively tame audio mix.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Ben Whittaker, a 70-year-old widower who gets the chance to work as a senior intern at an online fashion start-up founded and run by the ambitious Jules Ostin. As the two generations collide, they also find friendship and someone to count on - each other.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Nancy Meyers normally makes fluffy comedic dramas that likely appeal to mature audiences. Her latest effort is no exception; The Intern deals with the young, the old and the Internet.
Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) is seventy, retired, widowed and bored. Married with a daughter and a supportive stay-at-home husband Matt (Anders Holm), Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway) is a young successful CEO of fashion startup, About the Fit. When these two unlikely people meet when Ben applies to be a senior intern at Jules’ office, you realized an engaging dramatic movie doesn’t really need romance to be the core subject.
Meyer’s movie touches on stuff that you won’t normally see in conventional studio flicks. The Intern explores the interesting relationship between an elderly and his much, much younger boss. Nothing creepy or unnatural about that. It’s like a dad constantly dispensing worldly advice to a daughter. The movie shows us how the aged can apply their old-school theories to the present evolving technological world. Come to think of it, The Intern is a prime example why our government encourages employers to re-employ older workers.
There are some sweet tender moments sprinkled throughout liked Jules teaching Ben how to Facebook and Ben’s interaction with his younger geeky male co-workers. It’s sweet, charming and full of good taste though Meyers seems to have trouble wrapping up after creating a huge wreckage involving Matt’s affair with a fellow mom and Jules’ indecisiveness to leave her duties to a new CEO or staying on in the company she built up.
It has been a while since we have Oscar winner Robert De Niro acting ‘normal’ and right here, he is extremely believable as trusty old Uncle Ben (not the one in Star Wars though). A decade ago, Hathaway was a bullied assistant in The Devil Wears Prada now she has all the commanding presence of a confident young CEO. Rene Russo (Nightcrawler) lends some glamour to the production as the company’s in-house masseur and Ben’s love interest.
The Intern is a solid, feel good movie that offers compelling performances and a pleasant message about the current working climate. If you want a movie that is not bloated with CGI, ultra-violence and offensive gags then Meyer’s latest offering is just the movie for you.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Learning From Experience is a brief 4 minutes segment that has the cast members talk about the theme of the movie.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The digitally shot movie looks great on DVD. Details are sharp, colours are bright and no obvious artifacts are noticed. Sound is clear with a nice music selection, it’s all expected for a comedy drama.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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