SYNOPSIS: Academy Award® winner Reese Witherspoon stars in this inspirational true story from the director of Dallas Buyers Club and based on the best-selling book by Cheryl Strayed. After years of reckless behavior and being haunted by memories of her mother Bobbi, Cheryl makes a rash decision to embark on a challenging trek across the Pacific Crest Trail. With absolutely no experience, she sets out to hike more than a thousand miles all on her own — in what becomes a remarkable journey of self-discovery and redemption that strengthens and ultimately heals her.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Based on Cheryl Strayed’s New York Times bestselling memoir of the same name, Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon co-produced and starred as Strayed, a 26-year-old woman whom after losing her beloved mother went on a tough three month, 1100 mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail.
With Dallas Buyers Club’s Jean-Marc Vallee at the helm and Nick Horby (About A Boy) adapting the story for the screen, Wild screams Oscar at every corner. You can’t deny Witherspoon has gotten herself a fantastic story and a rich character to play after dabbling in a series of forgettable rom-coms.
With a treacherous terrain to cover, seemingly dubious characters along the trail, dangerous creatures from nature but nothing beats Strayed’s desire to battle her own inner demons as she embarked on the hike. The biography drama utilized an almost zen-like approach, mostly muted and daunting. Instead of flashy speeches and loud sound effects, the movie switches often between powerful imaginary and flashbacks to recount the character’s past and present. In the wake of her mother’s death, Strayed’s life spiraled. Her serial infidelities ended her marriage and she began abusing heroin. The past intertwine with the present as we see her suffering from irregular weather condition, losing her boots and relying on duct-tape and spending countless lonely nights in her tent reading and battling her issues.
At its core, Horby’s script is a profound human story that delivers the affecting love Bobbi (Laura Dern) has for her two kids. Despite escaping from an abusive husband and being married at a young age, Bobbi remains optimistic and strives to provide the best for her children. Cheryl Strayed might be a powerful woman in the end due to the transformative experience after she conquered the nine mountain ranges but it’s her late mother that turned out to be the more inspiring figure.
Wild is a powerful story about two women namely Cheryl Strayed and her late mother, Bobbi. Witherspoon and Dern (despite her limited screentime) gave lasting, affecting performances, which make it pretty emotional and believable even for non-readers of the original material. Together with Jean-Marc’s heartfelt direction, cinematographer Yves Belanger’s lush shots of the grand Mojave landscape also contribute to the entire viewing experience.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Real Cheryl Strayed takes a brief look at the author as she looks back on her life and the making of the movie.
There are altogether seven Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes: Bringing the Book Into the Wild, Reese Witherspoon In the Wild, Wild: 94 Days, 1100 Miles, Directing Wild, Making Wild, Pacific Crest Trail, Real Locations. All running at five minutes or less, these features provide a brief look at the production process from why Reese and her team decide to turn the book into the movie to Jean-Marc’s directing style to shooting using natural light etc.
The DVD also comes with a Trailer and Gallery.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track provides a subtle listening experience; dialogue is clear and the accompanied music tracks soothing to the ears. Shot digitally using Arri Alexa, the outdoor shots clearly is one of the highlights of the movie and it’s simply breathtaking.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: A SUPER-SECRET ORGANIZATION recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a dire global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Matthew Vaughn and Mark Millar’s Kick-Ass was a humorous satire on the superhero genre, now the duo has joined hands to take on the spy genre, in the same ridiculous, over-the-top manner.
For the first time, the usually dramatic, mild-mannered Colin Firth plays against type as a James Bond style superspy, Harry Hart in Kingsman: The Secret Service. By introducing a street kid Eggsy (Taron Egerton) into Kingsman, the viewers are taken on a journey on how to become a full-pledged Kingsman knight and the race against time in saving the world from an evil billionaire tech genius Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson).
In Vaughn’s world of movie making there’s no such words as excesses or too much, Kingsman: The Secret Service is not just ultra-violent but plain too silly by the time the movie reaches its last act. To be fair, the first half is impeccably well executed in the same manners liked Harry’s handsome suit. Through the eyes of Eggsy, we get to know how the intelligence secret agency operates and the mind-blowing process on how they select their men. It’s fun, thrilling and incredibly exciting.
There are often clever references to James Bond, brilliant one-liners, outrageous gadgets such as a bulletproof umbrella and deadly leather shoes with the Kingsman headquarter set in the basement of a high-end tailor shop in downtown London. That’s so ultra cool and stylized even for James Bond and Ethan Hunt.
However, all good things must come to an end. Vaughn and Millar can be too cheeky for their own good that by the time Valentine’s evil plot is revealed, the plotting has slowly descended into a silly bloodbath filled with a nonsensical brawl in a Kentucky church and later on, even shoddily done CG exploding heads are thrown in.
It’s fortunate that Kingsman: The Secret Service is blessed with the talents of Michael Caine, Mark Strong, Sofia Boutella as Valentine’s henchwoman with a pair of deadly prosthetic blades and of course, Firth who truly impresses with his debut action role. There are some pretty well choreographed action sequences especially the one that has Harry fighting against some thugs in a pub earlier on though Vaughn seems to favour speed-up camera moves and fancy editing as the movie progresses.
The younger audiences might have a wild time with Kingsman but the old timers might still prefer their martini shaken not stirred in the end.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Panel to Screen: The Education of a 21st Century Super Spy takes a brief look at how Matthew Vaughn and Mark Millar brought the comic to the big screen.
3 Image Galleries from Behind The Scenes, Sets and Props are included.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Filmed in digital, Kingsman looks mightily sharp and detailed with the exception of some obvious shoddy CG. Dialogue is clear and the sound effects are often bassy and aggressive.
MOVIE RATING:
![](\"http://www.moviexclusive.com/image/mx%20star.gif\")
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: BAD ASSES ON THE BAYOU reunites the dynamic duo, Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) and Bernie Pope (Danny Glover), as they travel to Louisiana to attend the wedding of their dear friend Carmen Gutierrez (Loni Love). What was pictured as a wedding weekend escape to the south turns violently ugly as madness and mayhem ensue, pressing our senior heroes to once again serve justice.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Bad Asses Frank Vega (Danny Trejo) and Bernie Pope (Danny Glover) are back for the third time and seriously this pair of senior citizens is really testing our limits in this latest instalment.
Known for his B-movies, Craig Moss remains the scriber and director and he is bringing the action from L.A. to Baton Rouge, Louisiana whereby the rich friend of Frank and Bernie, Carmen (Loni Love) is kidnapped on her engagement night. Since the local law enforcement guys look like a bunch of slackers, our two old dudes decide to embark on the case themselves armed with nothing but a fanny pack and Pope’s constant reminder about no running.
The routine remains the same and utterly predictable despite Moss’ effort in bringing the story to a totally new locale. Whether it’s a gas station, a gentlemen club, a kitchen, Frank and Bernie always manage to come out of every circumstance unscathed. It’s cool to watch two old geezers kick ass initially but if the same thing happened for the umpteenth times, it can get pretty annoying.
Just when you thought Bad Asses On The Bayou offers a decently staged action sequence, one that involved Vega and Pope on a runaway cargo plane. You might find it so ludicrous when IMDB state the footage is actually recycled from a movie from long ago.
Despite an ending that hints of more sequels, I think it’s time for Frank to hang up his fanny pack and Bernie to give up on his creepy picking-up-young-girls routine. There’s nothing wrong with the performances of Danny Trejo and Danny Glover in fact their chemistry is the only element that keeps the franchise from falling apart. I guess Moss need to leave the writing and directing duties to others if the studio wants more of Bad Asses.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Behind The Scenes of Bad Asses On The Bayou is a 15 minutes feature which has director Craig Moss talking about the story and action.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Visual is generally crisp and well-detailed and the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is serviceable though you need to adjust the volume quite a bit when it comes to the dialogue scenes and action sequences.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: WWE superstar Mike “The Miz” Mizanin is back as American hero Jake Carter in an all-new, thrill-packed Marine adventure! Now in the private sector, Carter is assigned to protect a "high-value package" - beautiful whistleblower trying to expose a corrupt military defense contractor. But a heavily armed team of mercenaries has been hired to kill her along with anyone who gets in the way and it's going to take a fearless one-man fighting machine to stop them. Co-starring WWE diva Summer Rae in her feature film debut, The Marine 4: Moving Target is locked and loaded with explosive action from start to finish!
MOVIE REVIEW:
The original Marine at one time was the most successful movie released by WWE Studios and it is also one of the few that actually got a big screen release. The franchise has seen the likes of WWE wrestlers such as John Cena, Ted DiBiase headlining it in the past. But now it seems like The Miz is the studio’s favourite man.
Mike “The Miz” Mizanin returns as ex-Marine Jake Carter and this time he is assigned to protect a ‘whistleblower’ Olivia Tanis (Melissa Roxburgh). Tanis who is holding on to valuable information about a corrupt defense contractor is being hunted by merciless mercenaries led by Andrew Vogel (Josh Blacker). And no surprise it’s up to Carter to save the day.
The Marine 4: Moving Target is simply made up of a series of running and chasing scenes that to find a story within all that chaotic firing of automatic weapons is practically pointless. To be fair, this straight-to-video title never aspires to be Oscar-worthy; its mission is to entertain the masses, pay tributes to the Marines and hopefully turned in a profit for WWE Studios.
And for that, you got to give points to director William Kaufman and his crew for staging endless sequences of believable explosive shootouts and engaging hand-to-hand combats. They are on the whole well choreographed, well shot and fortunately for action fans, no cheap hand-held shots are used despite being quite an in-thing in Hollywood.
The Miz’s fellow colleague, Summer Rae gets a role here as well. But despite receiving top billing, Rae’s only contribution to the movie is getting herself into a tough fistfight with Miz towards the movie’s climax.
Like it or not, The Marine 4: Moving Target has accomplished its goal by the time the credits rolled. You want to the see The Miz in action on the screen? You got it. You want 90 minutes of boom boom bang bang shootouts? You got it. You want an unpretentious action flick? You got all of the above.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
This brief segment, Firepower takes a look at the weaponry, blanks and authentic Marine fighting tactics that are employed in the movie.
The Franchise is a quick summarize of The Marine franchise in case you have forgotten.
Issues about make-up being flammable are discussed in Beauty Is Dangerous.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
DVD visuals are clean and sharp and the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is aggressive and ear shattering given the constant display of firepower.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni
Cast: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Kate Hudson, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Randall Duk Kim, Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website: http://www.kungfupandamovies.com.sg
Opening Day: 10 March 2016
Synopsis: In 2016, one of the most successful animated franchises in the world returns with its biggest comedy adventure yet, KUNG FU PANDA 3. When Po's long-lost panda father suddenly reappears, the reunited duo travels to a secret panda paradise to meet scores of hilarious new panda characters. But when the supernatural villain Kai begins to sweep across China defeating all the kung fu masters, Po must do the impossible—learn to train a village full of his fun-loving, clumsy brethren to become the ultimate band of Kung Fu Pandas!
Movie Review:
After a four years hiatus, everyone’s favourite dumplings-munching, kung fu fighting Po the Panda (Jack Black) is back to continue his spiritual journey. This time he is searching for the mysterious “Qi” (energy flow in short) to save Master Sifu (Dustin Hoffman) and everyone residing in the mortal realm.
Probably to spice things up a little, the third instalment instills a supernatural element in the form of a villainous spirit warrior, Kai (J.K. Simmons in an unrecognizable voice mode). Kai happens to be the ex-buddy of Grand Master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) and after the latter banished him to the spiritual world, Kai vows to seek revenge on the remaining Masters so that he could harvest their “Qi”. With no one particularly powerful to stand in Kai’s way, there’s only our dear dragon warrior, Po left to rely on. Will he master the way of “Qi” and save the villagers and his friends?
Regular franchise writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger returned once again to craft a heartwarming story filled with laughs, tears and a cuddly message about family and friends. The third instalment is neither talky or overbloated which explains the slim 93 minutes running time and best of all, it fits genuinely well into the series with all the wicked references and backstory. It’s so Chinese and Kung Fu oriented that it easily crushes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2 and this is an animation we are talking about.
Kung Fu Panda 3 continues where Part 2 has left us. The million dollar question of where’s Po’s biological father is answered right here. His father happens to call Li and the character is voiced by the amazing Bryan Cranston. The long overdue reunion brought Po back to the secret Panda village where he was born and coincidentally this is also the place where Oogway master the way of the “Qi” hundreds of years ago. Now you know why Oogway chose Po as the dragon warrior. See he is definitely not senile.
Despite the danger on hand, Po continues to be the misfit that generously dispensed doses of wicked humour. He still plays with his action figures while in the bathtub, behaving more liked an apprentice than a teacher and his frequent retorts are hilarious. Expectedly, the rest of his fellow Furious Five members are left to the sideline and that includes the usual prolific Tigress (Angelina Jolie). Rom-com star Kate Hudson stepped in at the last minute to replace Rebel Wilson as the ribbon dancing Mei Mei, a character assumed to be the love interest for Po but seems to have a change of mind towards the end. Watch out for Mr. Ping (James Hong), the business-minded goose/adoptive father of Po who manages to get a few funny lines.
This first major collaboration with Oriental DreamWorks boasts incredibly rich visual and details, certainly surpassing DreamWorks’ recent works such as Home and Penguins of Madagascar. Pay attention to all the jade amulets created by the evil Kai and I’m petty sure you will be awed by how authentic it looks on the giant screen. Overall, the stylistic Oriental designs are pure eye candy and the hand-painted drawings on the scrolls are remarkable.
For churning out yet another worthwhile outing featuring our lovable fumbling hero, directors Jennifer Yuh Nelson and her co-director Alessandro Carloni should be complimented for accomplishing such an incredulous task. It’s both funny and exciting and absolutely the perfect title for the entire family. There are three more chapters to go as promised by DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. If they are as good as this, sign all of us up right away!
Movie Rating:
(Inner peace? We can master that later, it’s time to catch Kung Fu Panda 3!)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Comedy
Director: Gregory Jacobs
Cast: Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Elizabeth Banks, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith, Andie MacDowell, Kevin Nash, Gabriel Iglesias
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language and Sexual References)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://www.magicmikemovie.com
Opening Day: 7 July 2015
Synopsis: Picking up the story three years after Mike (Channing Tatum) bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, "Magic Mike XXL" finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blowout performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.
Movie Review:
Steven Soderbergh is no longer director; his frequent colleague Gregory Jacobs has taken over, which probably explains why ‘Magic Mike XXL’ feels in many ways a reversal of its predecessor. Whereas the original was a surprisingly gritty drama that brought out the darker side of capitalism, hedonism and even exploitation, this sequel dispenses with the first film’s cautionary moralising in favour of dumb, shirtless fun. Yes, if the sight of sweaty male bods with perfectly-toned pecs doing endless pelvic thrusts isn’t your idea of entertainment, then you might as well look elsewhere.
Retaining the original’s loose, relaxed style, writer Carolyn Reid falls back on the excuse of one last hurrah to reunite the Kings of Tampa. Last we heard of Channing Tatum’s titular character, he had quit the stripping game to settle down and set up his own custom furniture business. Fast-forward three years, and Mike isn’t doing quite so well himself – the business isn’t exactly booming (he can’t afford insurance for his one other employee) and Brooke rejected his marriage proposal. So when he gets a call from his old buddies that the former club’s Machiavellian owner, Dallas, had died, Mike turns up dutifully at a Florida motel to pay his respects.
Alas, Matthew McConaughey is conspicuously missing from this sequel, but his absence does give the other lesser known performers more room for us to get to know them. Tito (Adam Rodriguez) wants to open an artisanal frozen-yogurt truck. Tarzan (Kevin Nash) plans to be an artist. Ken (Matt Bomer) is an aspiring actor who is now a Reiki healer given to meditation and sage-burning rituals. Big Dick Ritchie (Joe Manganiello) may not seem to have an ambition outside the stripping business, but he does deliver one of the movie’s most memorable scenes gyrating to Backstreet Boys’ ‘I Want It That Way’ to an impassive convenience store clerk.
Mike agrees to join the gang at a strippers’ convention in Myrtle Beach, which in essence turns out to be a rambling, loosey-goosey road trip. An accident along the way creates the barest of excuses for some A-list women to join the supporting cast. Jada Pinkett Smith is the owner of a strip club named Rome housed inside a converted Savannah mansion whose clients she addresses as “queens” – incidentally, Rome happens to be an old flame of Mike’s. Andie McDowell is a Southern divorcee who happens to be hosting a party for a few close friends when the boys stumble in. And last but not least, Elizabeth Banks pops up (briefly) as a diva at the convention the guys are headed for.
Not that any of it matters; indeed, the plotting is casual, if not indifferent, and only meant as filler between the obviously designed-to-please setpieces. This is pure female wish-fulfilment, meant to deliver exactly the sort of pleasure that seeing perfectly chiselled male bodies mounting, thrusting, bumping and grinding in a stimulated fashion is meant to. And on that level, this sequel truly lives up to its ‘XXL’ title, even rowdier and raunchier than its predecessor ever was. Nowhere is this more evident than its extended finale, which gives each of the characters their one or two minutes of take-it-off glory and culminates in a terrific mirror routine featuring Tatum and newcomer Stephen Boss. The original’s Alison Faulk returns to choreograph the dances, and clearly she’s been given a lot more leeway to be more playful, suggestive and downright naughty.
As with the first movie, ‘Magic Mike XXL’ is ultimately held up by its actors/ performers. Tatum may be trying to a more serious actor these days with critically acclaimed works like ‘Foxcatcher’, but this is as good a reminder as any of how outstanding he was as a dancer in his early days, especially since he probably won’t return for a ‘Step Up’ sequel. There is a loving comradery between Tatum and his bros, which also counts for much of the campy appeal we see onscreen. Every single one is a game performer here, and do so in a self-consciously fun way that you’ll feel guilty for begrudging them to be anything more. Yes, the key word here is ‘fun’, definitely for females more so than for males we suppose, and if you’re looking for that kind of heat this summer, well you won’t be disappointed.
Movie Rating:
(Pecs, abs and a lot of gyrating – that, for better or for worse, is the only kind of pleasure ‘Magic Mike XXL’ offers)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama/Mystery
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hattie Morahan, Patrick Kennedy, Milo Parker
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 6 August 2015
Synopsis: 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper and her young son, Roger. Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love before it's too late.
Movie Review:
‘Mr Holmes’ refers to the fictional Scotland Yard detective made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but this isn’t a tale driven by his unfailing intellect, his deerstalker hat or his pipe. Rather, as imagined by Mitch Cullin in his 2005 book ‘A Slight Trick of the Mind’, Mr Holmes (Ian McKellen) had retreated from public life close to thirty-five years ago and is now, at ninety-three years old, spending his days attending to bees at a picturesque rural cottage on the English coast while himself being attended to by a frumpish Irish housekeeper named Mrs Munro (Laura Linney) and her curious young son Robert (Milo Parker).
There is no more Mrs Hudson, no more Mycroft and no more Dr Watson, all of whom we are told have unfortunately already passed. Though his health has not yet failed him, Holmes’ mental faculties are slipping, but before they completely go, he is determined to solve one final mystery – to recall his last case as the venerable sleuth, involving a husband (Patrick Kennedy) who believes that his wife (Hattie Morahan) is being seduced into the dark arts by her harmonica teacher (Frances de la Tour). As someone who feels that “one shouldn’t leave life without a sense of completion”, he is attempting to pen his account of what happened in that case which led to his retirement all those years ago.
Shown in extensive flashbacks, Holmes’ patchy recollection of the case is intercut with his present budding friendship with Robert as well as his most recent trip to war-torn Japan to visit a certain Mr. Umezaki (Hiroyuki Sanada), who can help him procure a plant known as “prickly ash” that is reputed to help restore memory. It turns out that Umezaki has his own reasons for wanting to meet Holmes, which is as much of a mystery as just why Holmes seems to be so utterly fixated on this one woman whom her husband describes as being afflicted by “dangerous melancholy” since the loss of their two children during pregnancy.
Those looking forward to some criminal intrigue are best advised to abandon such expectation; there is none of that here. In fact, Holmes addresses his fame to Dr Watson’s fiction which he describes as “Penny Dreadfuls with an elevated prose” and his representation in the motion pictures based on these books “as a character out of a pantomime”. Yet if there is one thing that the fiction had portrayed accurately about the man, it is his unfailing belief in logic and rationality, someone who believes in the mind above all things, including and perhaps especially over emotions.
It is this which Holmes is forced to confront in each one of the three interweaving stories, and which screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher deftly turns into a particularly poignant message about how empathy has just as much of a place as reason in human nature. Nowhere is this more movingly captured than in a quiet, rueful scene that Holmes shares with his female subject talking about loneliness and despair on a bench in a park right before she commits suicide, an outcome which he had never expected and which continued to haunt him for many years after. There is poetic elegance in the way his recollection of that traumatic past softens his edges, a transformation which director Bill Condon handles with nuance and delivers with surprising power.
Though he was more recently the helmer behind the climactic ‘Breaking Dawn’ episodes of the ‘Twilight’ saga, Condon’s latest harkens back to his earlier days as a talented writer and director of the critically acclaimed dramas 'Gods and Monsters’ (which also starred McKellen) and ‘Kinsey (which also starred Linney). This is a slow-burner no doubt, but Condon guides the intersecting narratives with a sure confident hand, sustaining a sense of mystery while suffusing the proceedings with palpable gentleness, humanity and warmth. This is especially apparent in the bond that develops between Holmes and Roger as the former shares his sleuthing exploits, tips about beekeeping and his last manuscript with the precocious tween who had lost his father to the war.
As much as we had enjoyed him as Magneto and Gandalf, they are simply no match for McKellen’s brilliant performance here. In his mid-70s, McKellen shifts with impressive ease between playing a sprier, younger Holmes and the same character two decades older than himself facing a diminishing memory and confronting the ravages of time. McKellen shares a couple of delightful scenes with newcomer Parker, and there is never a false note of sentimentality that passes between them. Linney holds her own as the stodgy innkeeper but it is theatre vet Morahan whom you are likely to remember more, especially that scene on the park bench with McKellen where she leaves an indelibly haunting impression.
Like a great Sherlock detective novel would, ‘Mr Holmes’ doesn’t leave any loose end untied – not even, we assure you, the Japanese subplot which may seem at first like an unnecessary distraction. The mystery here is no less than the titular man himself, and which finally builds into a deeply touching character study that will resonate quite profoundly with anyone who has ever been guilty of performing a clinical analysis on an individual. If this Mr Holmes started by scoffing at his own fiction, the fact that he comes not only to embrace it but to indulge in it is indeed most telling.
Movie Rating:
(Blessed with an impeccable lead performance by Ian McKellen, this atypical portrayal of the great Scotland Yard detective is a deeply poignant character study of regret and reconciliation)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Comedy
Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Cast: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Charlie Day, Michael Peña, Regina Hall, Chris Hemsworth
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: M18 (Nudity and Sexual References)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://vacationthemovie.com
Opening Day: 6 August 2015
Synopsis: The next generation of Griswolds is at it again - and on the road for another ill-fated adventure. Following in his father's footsteps and hoping for some much-needed family bonding, a grown-up Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) surprises his wife Debbie (Christina Applegate), and their two sons with a cross-country trip back to America's "favourite family fun park", Walley World.
Movie Review:
No one is probably going to take you seriously when a reviewer outrightly admits that he enjoyed this seventh installment of the National Lampoon’s Vacation series. Those who are, ahem, old enough would know about this comedy movie franchise where the Grisworld family attempts (repeatedly, mind you) to enjoy holidays, but keep getting plagued by disasters and embarrassing situations. Well, those who aren’t, ahem, old enough - this is a good time to get acquainted with this series which started way back in 1983.
And while no self respecting film critic would tell you that the series based on John Hughes’ short story “Vacation ’58” is high art, this writer would tell you: F*** ‘em all, and go enjoy this laugh a minute movie.
There, he has said it. Now comes the part about justifying why this movie helmed by first time directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein is worth four stars, and more importantly, your money.
First up, Ed Helms. Fans of the successful series (the American version) The Office would know Helms as Andy Bernard aka “Nard Dog”. While the character has his fair share of haters, one would have to give Helms credit for filling the shoes of Steve Carell’s protagonist character. And the underrated comedian does have a charming side that we want to root for. Here, he plays a miserable pilot from an economy airline, and all the man wants to do is to bring his family on, yup, a vacation. Destination in point? Walley World, the theme park which he and his family visited. Again, Helms manages to make us feel for the character, amidst the slapstick situations (including the over advertised toxic swamp mistaken for a hot spring, and a bloody dead cow). He is the father and husband who tries so hard to make things work, situations become awry and people end up laughing at him. What’s a man to do these days, you wonder.
Next, we have the wacky family that is the Grisworlds. We love the two sons - a meek and awkward teenager played by Skyler Gisondo and the vulgar and malicious brat played by Steele Stebbins. The chemistry between the two young actors is spot on - you’d be a Scrooge if you don't find yourself laughing out loud at the juvenile jokes. Then there is the wife played by Christina Applegate. Like Helms, the actress may not be your A lister, but she has a certain attraction that, if this columnist may say, women identify with. Playing the role of a wife and mother who wants to have a Paris holiday (only because friends are boasting about it), but have to bring together a family of such disparate characters. You have to hand it to her. And what’s a woman to do these days, you wonder.
Then there is the whole old school comedy feel about this 99 minute movie. Things are not taken seriously, and there is not one self important air around it. You see a voluptuous female driver coming to an unfortunate end, and a heartbroken raft trainer falling off a treacherous waterfall. And you’ll be laughing out loud - literally. This is the kind of comedy that we sorely miss, where slapstick reigns and does its job to entertain.
Oh, if there is one other thing we have to bring up to get you into the cinemas (if you haven't heard about it in the media already), it’s Chris Hemsworth’s glorious six packs and his, err, huge baggage.
Movie Rating:
(Watch this if all you want is a laugh out loud slapstick comedy for destressing purposes)
Review by John Li
|
BOOK REVIEW #11: THE ART OF DREAMWORKS ANIMATIONPosted on 22 Jun 2015 |
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Cast: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Keegan- Michael Key, Nick Offerman, Rob Riggle, Jon Lovitz, Nick Swardson, Asher Blinkoff, Mel Brooks
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/HotelT
Opening Day: 24 September 2015
Synopsis: The Drac pack is back for an all-new monster comedy adventure in Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 2! Everything seems to be changing for the better at Hotel Transylvania... Dracula’s rigid monster-only hotel policy has finally relaxed, opening up its doors to human guests. But behind closed coffins, Drac is worried that his adorable half-human, half-vampire grandson, Dennis, isn’t showing signs of being a vampire. So while Mavis is busy visiting her human in-laws with Johnny – and in for a major cultural shock of her own – “Vampa” Drac enlists his friends Frank, Murray, Wayne and Griffin to put Dennis through a “monster-in-training” boot camp. But little do they know that Drac’s grumpy and very old, old, old school dad Vlad is about to pay a family visit to the hotel. And when Vlad finds out that his great-grandson is not a pure blood – and humans are now welcome at Hotel Transylvania – things are going to get batty!
Movie Review:
2015 has not been a good year for Sony and the once flourishing comedian of all time, Adam Sandler hasn’t been much of a help to his frequent backer given Pixels bombed at the box office. But Sony and Sandler still have a chance to recoup some of those losses, hopefully in this animated sequel to the 2012 surprise hit, Hotel Transylvania.
Since the last movie, Count Dracula’s (Sandler) hotel business has been doing great with the influx of both human guests and monsters. In the meantime, Dracula’s daughter Mavis (Selena Gomez) has gotten married to human Jonathan (Andy Samberg) and soon after, they had a half-human, half-vampire son Dennis. Dracula being the worried “Vampa” (Vampire + Grandpa. Get it?) decides to round up his monsters buddies to put Dennis through a vampire boot camp so that Dennis can grow up to be a vampire before it’s too late.
For better or worse,Hotel Transylvania 2 continues to bear the trademark stamp of a typical Happy Madison production sans the fart jokes which is a miracle as a matter of fact. So instead of flatulence gags, we have tired jokes about smartphones instead. Still, the script credited to SNL writer Robert Smigel and Adam Sandler actually works even it runs at only a brief 89 minutes. Some of the gags are a real hoot and the witty wordplay continues if you manage to catch it. The familiar nursery rhyme “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” has been ridiculously turned into “Suffer Suffer Screaming Pain” and not forgetting an amusing sequence at the Count’s now mellowed summer camp.
Of course aside from the above mentioned, the animation flick simply can’t stop for one second and it pretty much entertain with its break-neck pacing and non-stop outrageous sight gags. Drac’s frat pack which includes Frankestein (Sandler’s frequent collaborator Kevin James), Wayne the werewolf (Steve Buscemi), Griffin the invisible man (David Spade), Murray the Mummy (Keegan-Michael Key) and Blobby the Blob provides more slapstick fun especially kids-favourite Murray and Blobby. Mavis and Jonathan didn’t get much screentime this time round but I guess it’s perfectly all right since they weren’t that interesting in the first place. Veteran comedian Mel Brooks makes a late appearance as Drac’s old dad, Vlad. The result is largely inconsequential.
The talented Genndy Tartakovsky returns to the director chair and while he isn’t responsible for the writing, he is a master when it comes to executing perfect comic timing and a simple (which turned silent later on) scene showcasing Count and Frankestein talking in his room is an apparent example why Tartakovsky’s animation skill is top notch. Too bad he is no longer helming his pet project Popeye for Sony. The latter should be kicked in the balls.
While it certainly entertains and a slight improvement over the first one, Hotel Transylvania 2 still fails to secure itself a place in the league of other zany groundbreaking horror-centric animations such as ParaNorman or The Nightmare Before Christmas. There’s a muddling message about accepting others who are different and mixed but frankly speaking, it’s best to leave it to Laika and Pixar/Disney to do it. It’s more natural for Sandler to stick to his grown-ups brand of comedy.
Movie Rating:
(The animation is vivid, the jokes are fast and silly, what’s not to like about a ghoulish frat pack?)
Review by Linus Tee
| « Prev | 238 | 239 | 240 | 241 | 242 | 243 | 244 | 245 | 246 | 247 | 248 | Next » |
Most Viewed
No content.