One thing about rock music – it either cures your headache or gives you one. This 48 minute woke this reviewer up from a dreary weekend stupor – and he isn’t the most knowledgeable about the rock genre. Maybe it’s the gothic looking disc cover, maybe it’s the luring album title “Hollywood Vampires”, there’s just something mystifyingly enthralling about this CD.

It is the debut studio album by American rock supergroup Hollywood vampires, formally formed earlier in the year by shock rocker Alice Cooper, king of weird Johnny Depp and Aerosmith’s lead guitarist Joe Perry. Cooper’s project is meant to honour a loose group of rock musicians who enjoyed drinking on the Sunset Strip back in the 1970s. Artistes included John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Kieth Moon and Jim Morrison. This album is a tribute to his “dead drunk friends”, and contains covers of classic rock tunes.

The album opens aptly with the late Christopher Lee reading “The Last Vampire”, before segueing into “Raise the Dead”, a new track written for the album. Fans of rock music will identify with The Who’s My Generation, Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love”, Spirit’s “I Got a Line on You” and The Doors’ “Five to One/ Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, which are now covered by the band, together with guest performers like Tommy Henriksen, Kip Winger and Bruce Witkin, names which are familiar to rock enthusiasts.   

There are also renditions of Harry Nilsson’s “One/ Jump into the Fire”, Paul McCartney’s “Come and Get It” (easily the most feel good song on the album) and John Lennon’s “Cold Turkey”. Fans should also lap it up because of performers like Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl, Joe Walsh, Slash and Robbie Krieger.

“I’m raising my glass and tossing it back but I can’t remember why / So let’s have another for all of my brothers who drank until they died.” The other new track on the CD, “My Dead Drunk Friends”, has lyrics that would do all rockers proud. It closes the journey.

This particular line says it all: “We drink and we fight, and we fight and we puke, and we puke and we fight, and we drink … and then we die.” 

Recommended Track: (14) My Dead Drunk Friends

Review by John Li

Genre: Action/Drama
Director: Sun Hao 　
Cast: Chen Bolin, Son Ye-jin, Qiao Zhenyu, Shin Hyun-jun, Yang Xuwen, Ding Wenbo, Jang Kwang
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 26 November 2015

Synopsis: Four friends on a trip to Jeju Island stop to help an attractive young woman at the scene of a car accident, but that’s only the beginning of their troubles as their vacation turns into a crazy adventure.

Movie Review:

The last Chinese-Korean co-production to grace our big screen was Mr. Go, an action adventure starring Xu Jiao and a largely convincing CGI gorilla. Two years later, Korean filmmaker Kang Je-gyu and renowned Chinese director Feng Xiaogang team up to produce Bad Guys Always Die, a supposedly dark crime flick that has mediocre written all over it.  

Under the direction of first-timer Sun Hao, Taiwanese actor Chen Bolin (In Time With You) and one of Korea’s top actresses, Son Ye-jin (April Snow) teamed up in this production that is shot entirely in Korea’s resort island, Jeju. For this reason alone, Bad Guys Always Die is already worth half of the admission price.   

However the visual treat comes with a heavy price. The entire movie is letdown by a familiar story, unbelievable characters and plodding pacing despite the trailer selling it as a dark action comedy. Running near 104 minutes, the actual viewing experience feels close to three hours and you wish Sun Hao should simply cut to the chase instead of holding the audience in suspense.

Chen Bolin sad to say not exactly the best actor to go to play a Chinese language teacher, Qiangzi who lives and works in Busan. On the start of his vacation trip to Jeju with his younger brother and two friends, they saved a mysterious girl (Son Ye-jin) from a car accident only to witness her shooting a cop and holding Qiangzi and his brother hostage later on. What follows is a case of mistaken identity, a mysterious envelope and another deadly male assassin hot on their heels. What could possibly be happening to Qiangzi and his friends? And who the hell is Son Ye-jin’s character?

As mentioned earlier, Sun Hao who also contributed the script keeps everyone guessing for far too long till it gets so frustrating that you might start twiddle your thumbs to kill the time. Making matters worse is Son Ye-jin who maintains a single boring mode of expression throughout. Her fellow Korean co-star, veteran Shin Hyun-jun (Marrying the Mafia) fares no better as a cold-blooded killer. Hardly mouthing much dialogue, his character is akin to Terminator but without the charisma. Chen Bolin on the other hand is Chen Bolin. He has a pretty face all right but doesn’t quite equip with much of an acting range to carry the movie.

In the end, the comedic elements are left to Qiangzi‘s two other friends played by the handsome Qiao Zhenyu and Ding Wenbo, the obligatory obese buddy. Unfortunately, none of them possess the comic timing to make the entire affair funny. In the end, both are relegated to running pointlessly from one end of the island to another chased after by an aged fumbling cop (Jang Kwang). Of course, this is where the beauty of Jeju comes in.

Bad Guys Always Die attempts to follow in the footsteps of recent madcap action movies liked Lost In Hong Kong and Hollywood Adventures but failed miserly especially after the much-waited revelation. The action is nothing exciting to talk about. The comedy worse. With the involvement of talents liked Kang Je-gyu and Feng Xiaogang, this co-production is basically a disappointed affair. 

Movie Rating:

(Bad films always die)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy
Director: Jason Moore
Cast: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Dianne Wiest, James Brolin, John Cena, John Leguizamo, Ike Barinholtz, Madison Davenport, Brian d'Arcy James
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Sexual Humour And Drug Use)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://www.sistersfilm.com/

Opening Day: 17 March 2016

Synopsis:  Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite for "Sisters", a new film from "Pitch Perfect" director Jason Moore about two disconnected sisters summoned home to clean out their childhood bedroom before their parents sell the family house. Looking to recapture their glory days, they throw one final high-school-style party for their classmates, which turns into the cathartic rager that a bunch of ground-down adults really need.

Movie Review:

If you’ve seen ‘Saturday Night Live’, you know how funny Tina Fey and Amy Poehler can be together – and that is precisely what we were expecting from their second big-screen outing after the formulaic but nonetheless entertaining ‘Baby Mama’. Alas, ‘Sisters’ is even worse than derivative, struggling to find pathos and purpose in a thinly disguised grown-up women-behaving-badly comedy that is only very occasionally funny. Oh yes, Fey and Poehler’s chemistry is still effervescent and infectious as ever, but the movie written by ‘SNL’s’ Paula Pell and directed by ‘Pitch Perfect’s’ Jason Moore is sloppy and uninspired, squandering the duo’s illuminous comic talent in witless puerile jokes.

The embarrassingly thin premise casts Fey and Poehler as two very different siblings who decide to throw one blow-out party at their childhood home before their parents (James Brolin and Dianne Wiest) sell the place for a compact retirement condo to a snooty couple from New York. On one hand, Kate (Fey) is a forty-something scattered wreck who cannot quite hold down a job and whose teenage daughter refuses to live with her; on the other, Maura (Poehler) is a childless and recently divorced nurse who is compassionate to a fault. Notwithstanding their contrasting personalities, Kate and Maura agree that the best way to honour their memories from before is to load up on the booze and send out invitations to all their high school friends on Facebook.

Most of ‘Sisters’ revolves around the party itself, which evolves from a dull gathering of grown-ups talking about menopause, vaginal rejuvenation and the indignities of aging to a wild night out complete with drugs (courtesy of John Cena’s heavily-tattooed deadpan drug dealer Pazuzu)), alcohol, lesbians with dance music and young Korean nail-bar girls. This is longtime television writer Pell’s first feature-length script, which explains why the gags are episodic and often barely strung together. Aside from a scene which sees Maura’s handyman love interest (Ike Barinholtz) get a music box playing ‘Fur Elise’ stuck in an uncomfortable place, the rest of the physical and verbal humour are just belaboured attempts at raunchiness.

Aware of how little they have to go on, the leads call in a whole host of past and present ‘SNL’ players for support. Bobby Moynihan goes from dorky to maniacal after snorting a Scarface-amount of cocaine. Kate McKinnon is one-half of a lesbian couple who provides the party’s electronic dance music. Maya Rudolph pops up now and then as their high-school rival who tries repeatedly to sabotage their party after being chased out by Kate. And oh, John Leguizamo is a skeevy high-school burnout who propositions both sisters by asking them if they will make him the inside of an ‘Ellis sandwich’. The bit parts are fun, but they also diffuse the central story.

Between the penis jokes and the incessant vulgarities is supposedly a story about coming to terms with one’s demands and responsibilities as an adult, but even the inevitable sister argument towards the end and the eventual sentimental wrap-up can’t quite bring out the warmth, humour and insight in this coming-of-age tale that the film is undoubtedly aiming for. Not that Fey and Poehler don’t try – the typically type-A character playing Fey lets loose to flaunt a sexier and much more easygoing persona while Poehler earns plenty of empathy as the do-gooder catching up on what she has missed out in life. And no matter their roles, their presence alone is disarmingly likeable, so much so that you won’t begrudge them for taking up two hours of your life.

Yet it is also precisely this reason that ‘Sisters’ is ultimately a disappointment – despite the star package, what transpires is no more than a tired exercise in ribald humour that is content to wallow in its shallowness. There are fitful laughs along the way no doubt, but the furious pace at which the quips and gags fly belie a desperation to let whatever comes to mind rip and hoping that some will hit. The truth is many do not, and ‘Sisters’ often coasts on fumes while coasting on the charm and chemistry of Fey and Poehler. Once you’ve seen ‘SNL’, you know that they surely deserve much, much better.

Movie Rating:

(Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are disarmingly funny and likeable as always, but this sloppy and uninsipired tread through raunchy jokes and countless F-bombs is hardly worth their comic potential)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Comedy
Director: Peng Damo, Yan Fei　
Cast: Shen Teng, Ma Li, Yin Zheng
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 29 October 2015

Synopsis: Comedians Shen Teng and Mai Li star in this film adaptation of the very popular Mainland theater play following the story of a middle-aged loser who finds himself magically transported back to his high school years, enabling him to fix all his life's mistakes.

Movie Review:

Contrary to its title, ‘Goodbye Mr Loser’ has been an unexpected box-office winner in China since opening about a month ago, its success especially notable because its lead stars Shen Teng, Ma Li and Wang Zhi are not household names. Yet thanks to strong word-of-mouth, this big-screen adaptation of a popular Mainland theatre play has struck a chord with local audiences. Indeed, it really isn’t hard to see why; alternating effortlessly between laugh-out-loud comedy and sweet yet poignant moments, it hits all the right notes – and we mean this literally as well – to be a true crowd-pleaser, no matter that it could do with a little more polish and finesse.

Adapted and directed by Peng Damo and Yan Fei from their stage production, it tells of the middle-aged amateur musician Xia Luo (Shen Teng) who gets an opportunity to live life differently when he is magically transported back to his high-school days after he crashes the wedding of his high-school crush Qiu Ya (Wang Zhi). Instead of ending up marrying the fiercely loyal but less attractive Ma Dongmei (Ma Li), Xia Luo is now given another opportunity to pursue Qiu Ya, which he eventually succeeds in doing but at Dongmei’s expense and to Dongmei’s chagrin. As boorish and brusque as she may be, there is no doubting Dongmei’s love for Xia Luo, though the latter only has eyes for Qiu Ya.

Crucial to his ability to reverse his own fortune in this alternate timeline of his life is Xia Luo’s memory of his other life; in particular, his success is predicated on his memories of popular Mandopop and Cantopop songs that he recalls from his other life, which he now passes off as his own. Though he now has fame, fortune and a beautiful wife, Xia Luo finds himself unhappy, and it is this simmering sense of discontent that leads him to seek out Dongmei to see how she is doing, through which he not only learns of the sacrifices that Dongmei had made for him but also gains a comparative lens through which to view how fortunate he in fact was to have married such a loving wife in Dongmei in his previous life.

Admittedly, the story of a person who gets to see how life would have been like if he had attained the things he presently covets for and through that process learns to appreciate the things he has isn’t a new narrative construct – and let’s just say that it does conclude on a very predictable note – but what this fable lacks in originality it makes up for with a firmly tongue-in-cheek sensibility and a genuine heart.

Yes, there are plenty of slapstick bits especially in the first and second act, which sees the overgrown Xia Luo scheme, weasel and connive his way into winning Qiu Ya’s affections without much care or thought of Dongmei or his other schoolmates, including the over-achiever Yuan Hua (Yin Zheng) who also has the hots for Qiu Ya and the loutish Chun (Ai Lun) who is secretly in love with Dongmei. Much of the humour is also laced with nostalgia, with nods to iconic moments in the past (such as the handover of Hong Kong in 1997) as well as riffs on popular contemporary pop culture icons (like the reality singing competition ‘China’s Got Talent’). The pace is consistently fast and frenetic, but there is no denying that Peng and Yan have a field day drawing up what could happen had someone of the present returned to the past and re-written the books of history.  

Amidst the ostensibly over-the-top moments is a much more tender core that emerges in the last act, and no matter that it does get a little too maudlin at times, there is a heartfelt message within about treasuring the ones who love you most and the times spent with them. More cynical minded audiences will inevitably dismiss this change of tone as didactic, but Shen Teng and Ma Li never short-change their audience with less than sincere performances, delivering real pathos in their portrayal of a married couple who has been through thick and thin, ups and downs, trials and tribulations without consciously realising just how much their love for each other has been a mutual beacon of strength.

More than its madcap humour, it is this touching message packed in an emotional wallop that is probably why it has resonated so distinctly with audiences in China. And really, it is one that should resonate across cultures, not to mention its wacky, wild laughs that will have you in stitches. Though as a film it does have a couple of rough edges, there is more than enough humour, heart and wit to make it a winning delight, as well as some genuinely pleasing ‘MTV-style’ sequences in between to add to its charm. 

Movie Rating:

(Alternating effortlessly between laugh-out-loud comedy and sweet poignant moments, this surprise box-office hit in China is an unbridled crowd-pleasing delight)

Review by Gabriel Chong 

Whenever a new James Bond movie is released, people talk about the action, the fast cars, and the Bond girls. When it comes to music, people get excited about the theme song. Tina Turner’s “GoldenEye”, Madonna’s “Die Another Day” and Adele’s “Skyfall” have all gotten their fair share of attention. However, how much do you know about the score and its composer? What else do you know other than the iconic James Bond main theme (courtesy of veterans John Barry and Monty Norman)?

You probably only know that the title song “Writing’s On The Wall” from 24^th movie in the James Bond series is performed by the very popular Sam Smith. American composer Thomas Newman is the man behind the film score, after his work on 2012’s Skyfall. This is also the sixth film the 12 time Oscar nominee has worked on with director Sam Mendes.

While Newman is known for his affecting compositions (Mendes’ American Beauty, Road to Perdition and Road to Perdition being some of his best scores), it does not mean that the 60 year old composer is inept with action movie scores.

As he has proven with The Adjustment Bureau and the last James Bond instalment, there is something unique about Newman’s action scores. There is a certain minimalism and grace which he brings to his music, something which someone like, say, Hans Zimmer will forego for mindless and deafening bombastic cues.

The 80 minute (rarely do you get a soundtrack album with such a generous amount of runtime) opens with the atmospheric “Los Muertos Vivos Estan”, aptly setting the stage for the entire album. The mysterious “Donna Lucia” is a Bond girl theme for Monica Belluci’s character, while “Backfire” is a glorious five minute track that proves to be a great listening experience. “Snow Plane” is another highlight on the album, showcasing Newman’s ability to infuse adrenaline filled action with tender quiet moments.

Things get a little emotional with “Secret Room”, while the instrumental version of Smith’s chart topping song is too brief at two minutes.

While there are any very memorable themes that will stick in your head even after three to four spins, you are consoled that such fine music is still being composed in this age where artistes go with convenient templated styles. 

ALBUM RATING: 

Recommended Track: (6) Backfire

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama
Director: Tyler Nilson, Michael Schwartz
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, Zack Gottsagen, Thomas Haden Church, Bruce Dern, Jon Bernthal, John Hawkes
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 16 January 2020

Synopsis: A critically acclaimed modern Mark Twain style adventure story, THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON tells the story of Zak (Gottsagen), a young man with Down syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to follow his dream of attending the professional wrestling school of his idol, The Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church). A strange turn of events pairs him on the road with Tyler (LaBeouf), a small time outlaw on the run, who becomes Zak’s unlikely coach and ally. Together they wind through deltas, elude capture, drink whisky, find God, catch fish, and convince Eleanor (Johnson), a kind nursing home employee charged with Zak’s return, to join them on their journey. 

Movie Review:

You’ve probably heard this countless times – people who are less abled can teach a life lesson or two to ‘normal’ people like us. Such themes make for inspirational messages in films. And it is easy to find merit in productions with such positive takeaways. This comedy drama falls into this category of films, and its earnest approach makes it all the more authentic.

The plot is simple and straightforward. Zak is a young man with Down syndrome (sweetly played by Zack Gottsagen, an actor with Down syndrome) who runs away from the nursing home he is housed in. He makes friends with Tyler (Shia LaBeouf delivering his most heartfelt performance yet), an unruly fisherman who is running away from bad guys. While the duo forms a bond, Eleanor (it’s nice to see Dakota Johnson in a non sensual role), a social worker is also on the way to track Zak down.

Set in the North Carolina Outer Banks, there are ample opportunities to showcase the ruggedness of the backdrop. The cinematography by Nigel Bluck is a visual treat as you are struck in awe by the gorgeous wilderness. You see the two protagonists rambling their way through one misadventure after another, and the bond between the two of them grows stronger. The friendship works on screen, and you wish this is the kind of buddy relationship that happens more in real life.

It is true that the filmmakers are tugging at your heartstrings, and you go along with it. The film is reportedly a modern version of the Huckleberry Finn story, where Gottsagen's ambition to be an actor and is translated into Zak’s quest to become a wrestler in the screenplay. It is a formula that we have seen in many other films, but this one turned out particularly well. Thanks to the spot on casting, the result is an emotional film that doesn’t cross into the boundary of being manipulative.

Elsewhere, LaBeouf, with his less than glamourous image in the media, makes you feel like he is an individual healed by Gottsagen’s friendship (we’d like to think this took place on screen and off screen). His portrayal of an uncouth small time criminal is moving, because you sense that there are unseen wounds in this character. And through this unlikely bond with a seemingly less abled individual, he becomes whole again. Johnson’s role is a sweet one too, and the actress adds a touch of gentleness to the film.

There are several other recognisable faces involved in this sincere film project as well. John Hawkes is one of the crooks hunting Tylerdown, Bruce Dern is Zak’s companion in the nursing home, while ThomasHadenChurchis a down and out wrestler Zak idolises.

Zak eventually arrives at his desired destination to compete in a wrestling match. You will smile when this sequence plays out, and the plot development that follows will leave you wanting to go for an adventure with your buddy, to see what life has in store for you beyond the predictably environment you have been living in. The unknown that lies ahead wouldn’t intimidate you, as long as you have people you love alongside the journey.  

Movie Rating:

(A sincere and authentic buddy road trip film that reminds you that life has much more in store if you have an open heart)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: "The Villagers" is about a physical education teacher named Gi-cheol (Ma Dong-seok) who is assigned to a countryside high school due to an unfortunate incident. Then a student named Yoo-jin (Kim Sae-ron) asks questions about the disappearance of her friend.

MOVIE REVIEW:

For better or worse, Ma Dong-seok better known as Don Lee or the loving husband from Train to Busan has been typecast as a typical tough guy with a heart of gold. In The Villagers also known as Ordinary People, Ma plays Gi-cheol, an ex-boxer turned gym teacher cum school fees collector. And no surprises, Gi-cheol is a tough guy on the outside but with a penchant for UFO claw machines. 

Set in a small rural town where the police, locals and politicians seem to be turning a blind eye to a case of a missing teenager. Gi-cheol and the best friend of the missing teenager, Yoo-jin (played by a grown up Kim Sae-ron from The Man from Nowhere) decides to do their own investigation on her mysterious disappearance ultimately leading them to a night club where the victim once worked at. 

The Villagers is a movie littered with flaws if not for the intense chemistry between Ma and Sae-ron. Ma might not have the range of an award-winning actor but he has the charm, built and skills to keep audiences glued while Kim Sae-ron proved she can be as versatile as any veteran actresses out there.     

Directed and written by newcomer Lim Jin-soon, the plotting of The Villagers is a mishmash of genres and premises. It started off well enough as a mysterious crime flick before turning into a corrupted political drama with some psychological thrills thrown in then it starts to serve up a couple of brawl scenes towards the end because you can’t have Don Lee in a movie without throwing any punches. Despite the complains, Lim manages to keep things coherent and the pacing fast enough to make you forget about the plot holes and the weaker parts of the story. 

If you simply just want to watch Don Lee whoop some serious asses, you might want to wait for the finale as The Villagers is not exactly action-packed from start to end. It’s an ambitious movie that churned out a few statements on the political situation and social issues but liked its character developments, none of them are exactly well-developed and panned out. Still, The Villagers is an enjoyable flick if you lower your expectations a little. Check it out if you have the chance. 

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Drama
Director: John Crowley
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: 20th Century Fox 
Official Website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/brooklyn/

Opening Day: 18 February 2016

Synopsis: BROOKLYN tells the profoundly moving story of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.

Movie Review:

Where is home, truly? The young Irish lass Eilis Lacey (pronounced AY-lish) at the heart of ‘Brooklyn’ asks herself. Is it where she came from, the place where the family and friends she grew up with still live? Or is it where she now finds her heart’s calling, the place where she has started to build a new life and found someone she loves?

As much as it is a period romance, ‘Brooklyn’ – based on the acclaimed novel by Colm Toibin and adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby – is an immigrant’s story about belonging, seen through the eyes of one of thousands of Irish immigrants who made the trip in the 1950s across the Atlantic to start a new life in America.

Eilis’ story begins in the County Wexford town of Enniscorthy, where she lives with her mother and an older sister Rose (Fionna Glascott) and works on Sundays for the snide local grocer “Nettles” Kelly (Brid Brennan). Because Eilis can’t seem to find better work in town, Rose enlists the help of a do-gooder priest Father Flood (Jim Broadbent) to get her a job as a counter girl at a big high-end department store in the titular New York borough. 

Her passageway is a lurching seasick crossing that she is ill-prepared for, but that is nothing compared to the homesickness she feels in the days immediately following her arrival in America. Despite surrounded by single ladies like herself at the boarding house run by the tart-tongued Mrs Kehoe (Julie Walters), she largely withdraws into herself, wallowing in the letters from her mother and Rose that ironically make her miss them even more. At work, Eilis struggles to deal with the culture shock, grasping to make small talk with her customers while under the watchful eye of her supervisor (Jessica Paré).

To keep her occupied, Father Flood enrols her in night bookkeeping classes at Brooklyn College; but her mood only truly brightens when she meets a sweet Italian boy Tony (Emory Cohen) at a dance. From evening bus rides to movie-theatre dates to even a day out at the beach in Coney Island, the spark between Tony and Eilis is unmistakable, and it isn’t long before he introduces her to his family, an occasion which she prepares hard for by learning to eat spaghetti the right way.

Unsurprisingly, her sense of isolation fades as she falls in love with Tony. But Eilis’ transformation is only one half of the story; just as she is beginning to find her own rhythm, fate calls her back to Ireland, where her duty as a daughter will keep her longer in Enniscorthy than she first intended to. That extended stay creates the opportunity for her to get to know the upright and handsome Jim Farrell (Domhnall Gleeson), the kind of would-be suitor the pre-Brooklyn Eilis would have been overjoyed to meet.

We won’t spoil just how this emotional tug-of-war ends for those who are not acquainted with the story, but for those allergic to schmaltz, it suffices to know that Eilis’ romantic complications are surprisingly free of sentimentality and pandering. For all the potentially heart-wrenching twists and turns, director John Crowley never does give in to maudlin theatrics, relying instead on a committed cast to deliver a sincere, unabashedly tender coming-of-age tale of genuine poignancy.

At the heart of the tale is Saoirse Ronan’s luminous performance, for which her Academy Award nomination is well deserved. With intelligence, spirit and empathy, Ronan conveys with keenness and nuance Eilis’ inner turmoil during her initial days in Brooklyn as well as the quiet strength and resolve that she develops later on. Ronan inhabits the role without pretention and with perfection, drawing you into her character’s ups and downs, joys and sorrows, fears and confidence. Cohen, on the other hand, proves an adorably puppyish foil to Ronan, while Gleeson maintains a well-mannered charm that is enough to serve as Cohen’s complement as the rival would-be suitor.

Taken on the level of a romance, ‘Brooklyn’ presents a classic lover’s dilemma with affection and restraint, but the latter also means that it rarely reaches the swooning, soaring heights of emotion that mainstream Hollywood genre-stays often aim for. Yet it is much more than just a love story; like we said at the start, it is a film about a person’s sense of belonging, and how that is as much about where our home is as who our heart beats for. That tension isn’t Eilis’ alone – in fact, one of the most meaningful sequences is a Christmas party for immigrant pensioners organised by Father Flood whose attendees, Father Flood explains, are the very men that built the bridges, tunnels and highways of New York when they came over. 

Movie Rating:

(Saoirse Ronan lights up the screen in a period romance refined, elegant and surprisingly free of sentimentality and pandering)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Comics/Action
Director: Tim Miller
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Yorick Van Wageningen, Gina Carano, Brianna Hildebrand
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes and Violence)
Released By: 20th Century Fox 
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/DeadpoolMovie

Opening Day: 11 February 2016

Synopsis: Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, DEADPOOL tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

Movie Review:

We don’t know about you, but we are certainly getting a little burned out from the deluge of superhero/ comic-book heroes making their way to the big screen, so much so that we can’t quite say that we are looking forward to ‘Captain America: Civil War’ like we did ‘The Avengers’ four years ago. That is precisely the audience mentality that ‘Deadpool’ is counting on, positioning itself as the very antithesis of a standard-issue product from the Marvel Cinematic Universe factory line by being ultra-violent, hyper self-aware and very, very much irreverent. Yet, ironical as it may seem, this big-screen showcase of Marvel’s own anti-hero turns out to be just the right panacea for the genre fatigue we’ve been experiencing – and we’re not ashamed to say that it is probably the most fun we’ve had in such a movie in a very long time.

In case anyone is under any illusion what sort of movie this is, the faux-opening credits unfolding like a three-dimensional version of the double-page spread of a comic book should set those doubts at ease. Rather than the individual actors involved in this meta-enterprise, the credits simply list ‘God’s Perfect Idiot’, ‘A Hot Chick’, ‘A British Villain’, ‘A Moody Teen’, ‘A Gratuitous Cameo’, while identifying the writers as ‘The Real Heroes Here’ and dismissing its director as ‘An Overpaid Tool’. With such an attitude, is it any surprise that Deadpool flagrantly breaks the fourth wall and starts addressing us directly, often breaking it yet again by referring to what he had just done in what he calls ‘a fourth-wall break inside a fourth-wall break’? Is it any surprise too that Deadpool is utterly and absolutely nihilistic in nature, making no qualms about tea-bagging a villain, cutting off his own hand to free himself (it grows back, by the way) or taunting his bloodied foe crawling on the surface of an ice rink while on a resurfacer?

The actor under the red-and-black spandex is none other than Ryan Reynolds, emerging from a string of superhero flops (duly acknowledged) to deliver the performance of his career. Oh yes, Reynolds is clearly having the screen time of his life to date narrating as much as starring in this origin story, which begins near the end and follows a zig-zagging flashback structure to fill in the blanks just how his character ended up looking like ‘an avocado had sex with an older avocado’. Without going into the details, that journey from wise-cracking charismatic rogue to ‘ugly as f**k’ superhero will see the former Special Forces operative Wade Wilson find the love of his life in a similarly twisted kindred spirit named Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), discover that he has late-stage cancer, and make the mistake of submitting himself to the experimentation of a sadistic scientist in the hopes of a miracle cure.

After a series of merciless tortures (think ice baths, beatings, electrocutions), Wade will indeed achieve the genetic mutation that will cure his cancer, but at the expense of a mug that now looks like ‘Freddy Krueger face-fucked a topographical map of Utah’. Swearing to make said scientist Ajax (Ed Skrein) pay for ruining his life, Wade adopts the moniker Deadpool from the name of the game that his best friend Weasel (T.J. Miller) runs at the drinking hole where the latter is bartender, and dons a red-and-black suit in turn to better mask the bloodstains as he works his way up the value chain to get to Ajax himself. By the time Wade gets to Ajax and his super-strong henchwoman, Angel Dust (Gina Carano), he will also be joined by two ‘X-Men’ allies - the metallic giant Colossus (played via motion capture by Stefan Kapicic), and a sullen teen named Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) – whom he will cheekily quip as the only ones that the film’s mid-sized budget can afford.

To be frank, aside from the opening car chase, the action is nothing to call home about, not least by Marvel standards; ditto for the middling plot, which sans the back and forth between two time frames, really is a standard revenge story. But this isn’t meant to be a film where either matters as much as the quips, asides and zingers written by ‘Zombieland’s’ Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and delivered with carefree aplomb by Reynolds. No bit of pop culture (whether Liam Neeson or ‘The Matrix’ or Sinead O’Connor) is safe from Deadpool’s sarcasm, and no talk of masturbation, defecation, or even about blind people is beneath his puerility. The language is foul and pungent, the insults fly fast and furious, and there is a conscious and consistent attempt at skewering superhero tropes and traditions – including, we might add, the very one that arguably gave Deadpool this solo outing in the first place.

To say that it doesn’t border on exhausting would be a lie, but Reynolds holds it together with gusto, verve and just the right balance of sweet and snarky. It is to Reynolds’ credit that Deadpool manages to be alternately charming and disgusting, bombastic and sincere – in particular, the chemistry between Reynolds and Baccarin provides a strong emotional anchor amidst the wanton anarchy, and we’re not just talking about the extended sex-scene montage that plays out their relationship over a year’s worth of holidays (including Chinese New Year, International Women’s Day and Thanksgiving). Besides Baccarin, Reynolds also has a great comedic sidekick in T.J. Miller as well as an equally competent foil in the unlikely Leslie Uggams, the latter playing a wizened old lady named Blind Al whose place Deadpool puts up at while waiting for the day where he will have the courage to reveal his horribly disfigured mug to Vanessa.

On his part, director Tim Miller – making his feature filmmaking debut after carving his name in the commercials and visual effects department – keeps the stylised violence profane and excessive. There are decapitations and dismemberments aplenty, with no apologies for the unrestrained splattering of blood and body parts. Still, the fact that the carnage does not become repugnant is Miller’s greatest achievement, walking his film on a fine tightrope by balancing humour, action, gore, violence and drama all at the same time. Those with delicate sensibilities can wait for their next dose of ‘Captain America’ or ‘The Avengers’; but anyone who needs a genuine breath of fresh air before the five-course comic book spread coming our way later this year will find the rude, lewd, crude ‘Deadpool’ a f**king fantastic ball of fun. 

Movie Rating:

(As uncharacteristically Marvel as it gets, this rude, lewd, crude and unapologetically violent superhero movie of an anti-hero is the perfect cure for genre fatigue)

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Duncan Jones
Cast: Dominic Cooper, Ben Foster, Paula Patton, Toby Kebbel, Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu, Travis Fimmel, Robert Kazinsky, Ben Schnetzer, Ruth Negga
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: UIP 
Official Website: http://www.warcraftmovie.com

Opening Day: 9 June 2016

Synopsis: Legendary’s "Warcraft" is a 3D epic adventure of world-colliding conflict based upon Blizzard Entertainment’s globally-renowned universe.

Movie Review:

It has been a while since a movie based on a major videogame property has been translated to the big screen. Anyone still recall the lackluster performance of Prince of Persia and Need For Speed? No doubt there’s already an established audience for a videogame property, however the risk of making a videogame adaptation is still bigger than launching the next superhero. Peter Jackson and Microsoft tried for years to get Halo off the ground, ultimately money became an issue and a deal wasn’t reached.

Warcraft had it easy because Legendary’s Thomas Tull is a fan of the property and his name alone is reputable enough to bring onboard the talents and moolah (The Chinese contributed truckloads of it). And thus after three years of production spearheaded by director Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code), the immensely popular gaming franchise by Blizzard finally launched a feature length movie in Hollywood. But is it worth to buy a ticket to catch it on the big screen?

Without much background or even crawling text to explain, we are thrown right into Draenor, the dying home to the gigantic green Orcs after the opening credits. The Orcs must find a new home and conveniently via a magic portal, they found Azeroth, a peaceful planet inhibited by humans, elves and dwarfs. Sir Anduin Lothar (Travis Fimmel), the faithful Knight to his beloved King (Dominic Cooper) and Queen (Ruth Negga) must launch a counter attack against the aggressive Orcs led by Warchief Blackhand (Clancy Brown) and power hungry warlock Gul’dan (Daniel Wu) who is desperate to make Azeroth their new home. All this while, Chieftain cum family man Durutan (Toby Kebbell) believes in co-existing between orcs and humans, a belief which leads him to form an alliance with the King.

As if there’s not enough confusion to all those look-alike lumbering Orcs, mouthful names and bearded men (Gillette wasn’t invented then), there’s Ditto Garona (Paula Patton), a half-orc, half-human slave who conveniently falls in love with the most macho man on the planet, Lothar. Then there’s a reclusive wizard guardian Medivh (Ben Foster) on the human side who might also be dabbling in some sort of dark magic of his own. There are plenty if not abundance of characters appearing in the two hours movie. George RR Martin and J.R.R. Tolkein will be proud of what Duncan Jones and fellow screenwriter Charles Leavitt has accomplished in such a short span of time.   

Especially for non-fans of the game, this movie might be tedious at times to sit through. With lots of characterization, many surprise twists and fake endings ambitiously crafted by Jones and Leavitt, Warcraft attempts in many ways to mimic the success of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Games of Thrones. But they clearly forgot the above-mentioned material has a stronger foundation to begin with while Warcraft has only a limited screentime to deliver the magic and establishing a franchise at the same time.

Another major grip is the insane amount of CGI which borders between very good and very bad. The Orcs are beautifully crafted with fine facial and muscles details. The rest of the CG landscape and background however is not exactly on a photorealistic level to pull you into the story. You can argue it’s a fine tribute to the videogames for all you want but personally it’s hard to stomach the weaker parts of the animation.   

Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) no stranger to performance capture is excellent as the Orc with a heart. Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu’s first major Hollywood outing is far more exciting than his typical Asians stuff while Clancy Brown’s deep commanding voice indeed helps a lot in this movie. The human characters on the other hand are a mixed bag with Dominic Cooper and Travis Fimmel basically dialing in their performances. Even the always-reliable Ben Foster looks incredibly bored as the guardian wizard and Paula Patton looks incredibly goofy as the half-Orc Garona. The sole bright spot turned out to be Ben Schnetzer (The Book Thief) who portrayed a junior wizard with incredible powers.  

Jones has proven himself to be a great storyteller with Moon and Source Code but Warcraft is only entertaining enough in spurts. It conjured enough spectacle and sound on the whole to qualify as a summer blockbuster unfortunately the frenzied pacing and generic narrative fails miserably to capture the audience’s attention or even the desire for a sequel. You can choose to play the MMORPG game or you can buy a weekday ticket to check things out. 

Movie Rating:

(For a movie filled with magic spells, action and Orcs, Warcraft is middling)

Review by Linus Tee