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AWARDS WATCH #2 - ACADEMY AWARDS 2016 WINNERSPosted on 29 Feb 2016 |
If Italian composer Ennio Morricone agrees to score the music for your film, you’ll be deliriously over the moon – at least that’s the euphoria we think Quentin Tarantino experienced when the 87 year old maestro said ‘yes’ to compose original music for his eighth movie.
Fans of Tarantino’s works would know that the director usually collects music from other sources to form his films’ soundtracks. One particular composer he is particularly fond of is Morricone. His music has been used in Kill Bill (2003-2004), Death Proof (2007), Inglorious Basterds (2009) and Django Unchained (2012).
It must be a fan boy’s dream come true when Morricone agreed to score Tarantino’s gleefully bloody Western film.
More reasons you need to own this soundtrack album – it is the composer’s first score for a Western film since 1981’s Buddy Goes West, and the first Hollywood work since 2002’s Ripley’s Game.
Not that the newsworthiness are the only rationales for you to get the CD. The music would please any soundtrack fan. The 72 minute album contains 50 minutes of Morricone’s score. Running at a glourious seven and a half minutes, “L’ultima diligenza di Red Rock (Versione Integrale)” kicks off the album with a ominous build up of moodiness and tension. This main theme is heard again later in “L’ultima diligenza di Red Rock" (The Last Stage to Red Rock) [#2]”, reminding you of the massive bloodshed that Tarantino is capable of is omni present.
Elsewhere, “Overture” makes good use of the xylophone, oboe and bassoon to get you in the mood for the dark tones of the album. The 12 minute “Neve” leaves you unsure whether this is a Western or horror score – but one thing for sure, it will stick in your head (more so if you have seen the movie). ‘La lettera di Lincoln (Strumentale)” is a melancholically patriotic cue that is particularly moving amidst the sinister gloominess.
If you own soundtrack albums from Tarantino’s other films, you won’t be surprised by the inclusion of dialogue tracks in this one. You’ll get to hear Kurt Russell, Samuel L Jackson and Tim Roth saying some of the movie’s best lines. There’s also Jennifer Jason Leigh’s cover of the Australian folk tune “Jim Jones at Botany Bay”, as well as other gems like The White Stripes’ “Apple Blossom” and Roy Orbison’s “There Won’t Be Many Coming Home”.
It’s been a long while since we felt such a strong urge to recommend a movie soundtrack, so yes – this is one album you need to own, so that you can pop it into the player whenever you want to experience the wonders of film music.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (1) L’ultima diligenza di Red Rock (Versione Integrale)
Review by John Li
Genre: Comics/Action
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Cara Delevingne, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Common, Adam Beach, Jay Hernandez, Scott Eastwood, Ben Affleck
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://www.suicidesquad.com
Opening Day: 4 August 2016
Synopsis: Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
Movie Review:
An abridged version of writer-director David Ayer’s Suicide Squad script:
FADE IN:
Electric shock. Pew pew pew! Bad-ass woman (Viola Davis) wants to use bad people to fight against America’s enemies.
Fast intro to the team: One man who never misses (Will Smith), one crazy bat-shit woman (Margot Robbie) who loves an equally crazy bat-shit clown (Jared Leto), one fire man who doesn’t exactly extinguishes fires (Jay Hernandez), one crocodile-human who is actually more crocodile than human (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), one Aussie thief who loves his pink unicorn (Jai Courtney), one witch who is always in her bikini (Cara Delevinge) and her lover who gets arrowed to be the commanding leader of the team (Koel Kinnaman).
OMG IT’S BATMAN! HAR HAR HAARRRR. US Government approves the team. Pew pew pew. Alas the witch escapes! Time for the team to assemble. Cue pep talk by the commanding leader. Cue his team’s deflating comments. Cue funny one-liner by crazy bat-shit woman. Pow wow punch! Pew pew pew. Go Team Suicide Squad! Pew pew pew. Fight all the bad minions that the witch creates with her brother. More pew pew pew! Fire power level up. Helicopters crash. PUDDIN! HAR HAR HARRRRR NOOOOOOOO boo hoo hoo. Suicide Squad unite, show them your might! Huge Pagan God against what looks like a crudely CGI-ed Ghost Rider. POWER UP! Boom boom! Pew pew pew! Dust settles. Witch loses her bikini and becomes normal woman. Everyone goes back to jail... BUT AHAH! A TWIST! Bat-shit crazy joker breaks into jail and saves his bat-shit crazy girlfriend. HAR HAR HAAARRRRRRRR.
FADE OUT.
Despite all the fanfare, there really isn’t anything to the highly anticipated summer blockbuster of the year. Plot appears to be of no particular importance to Ayer when the first twenty minutes of the film is spent elaborating on the origins and powers of the Suicide Squad members. It is no wonder Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller looks exhausted. There is only so much one can bear before the introductions become repetitive and trite.
Sure, the film is targeted at hard-core DC fans, but here is the problem: None of the characters shine through in Suicide Squad. As the antiheroes compete for screen time, Ayer’s Suicide Squad comes across as too hurried, too shallow. Characters were not given time to develop and the actors brought nothing special to the table in their rendition of our beloved antiheroes. Will Smith was playing his typical “burdened by family responsibilities” character while Margot Robbie met expectations as the annoying Harley Quinn. Not even Jared Leto, the prince of method acting could save the film. There is a cheesy, cartoonic edge to Leto’s Joker that did not translate well on film. His rendition of the Joker is at best a caricature of a crazy, emo romantic. Or as we know it in Singlish, a skinny Ah Beng who is trying very hard to get back his Ah Lian from another gang. Also, why bother billing him as the main lead when he has so little screen time?
Other than the thin as toilet paper plot and meh acting, another thing that stood out was the editing of the film. Despite getting great tracks like Skrillex and Rick Ross’ ‘Purple Lambourghini’, Grace’s ‘You Don’t Own Me’ and ‘Sucker For Pain’ by Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Imagine Dragons; the film still manages to destroy its only saving grace by having abrupt cuts to its music tracks. Special mention goes to fight sequences edited with such fast, brief cuts that mask any form of impact on our antiheroes or their adversaries.
It seems that Suicide Squad is really just a filler for the Justice League film, so please, spare yourself the agony and watch the film with low expectations.
Movie Rating:
(As my junior college project work teacher Miss Zhou always say, “This piece of work approaches expectation only. Please try and do better.”)
Review by Leng Mong
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Trevor Wall
Cast: Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Gabriel Iglesias, Loretta Devine, Michael McElhatton, Colm Meaney, Bill Nighy
Runtime: 1 hr 26 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://www.normofthenorth.movie
Opening Day: 4 February 2016
Synopsis: A polar bear of many words, Norm’s greatest gripe is simple: there is no room for tourists in the Arctic. But when a maniacal developer threatens to build luxury condos in his own backyard, Norm does what all normal polar bears would do…he heads to New York City to stop it. With a cast of ragtag lemmings at his side, Norm takes on the big apple, big business and a big identity crisis to save the day.
Movie Review:
Just when you thought that animated movies were taking it to the next level, along comes the thoroughly uninspired ‘Norm of the North’ to show you that they are, sometimes, no better than Saturday morning cartoons. Ripping off the far superior ‘Happy Feet’ series, director Trevor Wall’s loud, chaotic adventure sees a ‘twerking’ polar bear (his signature move is dubbed the ‘Arctic Shake’) journey from the Arctic to New York City in order to stop a ruthless property developer Mr Greene (Ken Jeong) from building condos in his homeland. Why Norm (Rob Schneider) in particular? Well, that’s apparently because he has a gift of speaking with humans, like his grandpa, which therefore makes it easier for him to communicate with them.
That is but one of the ways we are told at the beginning how Norm is different from the rest of his fur-line family. In what is to the first in an undistinguishable stream of hyperkinetic sequences, Norm is seen trying to prove his ability to hunt seals, which unfortunately ends up demonstrating only that he is ‘softer than frozen yoghurt’. It isn’t so much the fact that ‘Norm’ plays in genre stereotypes, e.g. the one who can’t quite fit in with the rest of his kind, as how these stereotypes are recycled without any particular attempt to make them any less bland and convenient – so it is really no wonder that Norm’s animal-in-the-city tale plays like just another fish-out-of-the-water comedy.
Wall’s idea of turning the paper-thin storyline into kid-friendly entertainment is to keep everything moving at an almost breakneck pace, from start to finish. There is no intention to let any of the plot points or characters register, lest they actually develop into something concrete. And so, it doesn’t quite matter that the reason why Mr Greene’s marketing director Vera (Heather Graham) is doing Mr Greene’s evil bidding is so that her smart and conscientious young daughter can get into an elite school that Mr Greene is alum of, or even the fact that Norm’s grandfather (Colm Meaney) had previously made the same trip to try to persuade the humans from taking over their land.
Oh no, what does it matter when at the end of the day all these individual elements whether mildly original or borrowed shamelessly from other animated films before it seem to be thrown together with little attention paid to how it may all work together? In fact, Norm’s journey of self-discovery seems to matter less than his trio of furry lemming companions, bounding, biting and farting little rodents clearly modelled after the ‘Minions’ who are none too shy about relieving themselves in a fish tank in order to provide the obligatory kid-pleasing bathroom humour. They are cute no doubt, but little more than hyperactive distractions that ultimately add little to the story or for that matter the action.
And that in itself is a shame, because these squeaky-voiced, seemingly indestructible sidekicks are quite the cute lot. Wasted too is the capable voice cast – Schneider, Graham, Jeong, Bill Nighy as the wise mentor Socrates, and even Gabriel Iglesias as one of Mr Greene’s real-estate investors Pablo – who are given little else to do with their characters than to try to maintain an urgent harried voice to stay in pace with the relentlessly paced proceedings. Because so little care has been paid to telling a good story with relatable characters, you probably won’t even bother too about the well-intentioned message about protecting the Arctic from exploitative business interests that is as close to any purpose the whole endeavour has.
During a scene to shoot the commercial for the real-estate development, the spot’s director says: “Anything can be fixed in post [i.e., post-production]. In one of my movies, I wrote the plot in post.” That’s quite likely the attitude of the filmmakers here as well, who seem to think that as long as they throw together a whole bunch of characters in loud, frenetic fashion that they can get away with it at the end. Undemanding kids who missed their regular Saturday- morning cartoons for the week might not mind, but we suspect the tastes of today’s children – as well as most certainly their parents – are far ahead of what this dull and unimaginative animated adventure offers. Aptly, it seems, Norm belongs in the cold.
Movie Rating:
(Substituting plot and character for loud, frenetic action, this thoroughly uninspired animated adventure has no idea how to cobble together familiar elements from far superior other genre equivalents)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Western/Action
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Cast: Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor, Rodrigo Santoro, Noah Emmerich, Boyd Holbrook, Alex Manette, Todd Stashwick, James Burnett, Sam Quinn
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 18 February 2016
Synopsis: Jane Hammond (Natalie Portman) has built a life on the rugged western plains with her husband Bill "Ham" Hammond (Noah Emmerich) and young daughter. When Ham stumbles home riddled with bullets after a run-in with the relentless John Bishop (Ewan McGregor) and his gang, she knows they will not stop until her family is dead. In desperation, Jane turns to Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton), a man from her past, for help. Haunted by old memories, Jane’s past meets the present in a heart-stopping battle for survival.
Movie Review:
The title of this action drama western movie seems to promise lots of kick ass action – the kind that will make ladies proud of their gender. A lady with a gun: that sure sounds like a dangerous thing. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Plus, the fact that the film takes place in the wild, wild west makes people think that there will be lots of gunslinging action.
So, we were all set to thrown in the middle of a good ol’ tale of revenge. What we got instead though, was a rather bland movie starring some very good actors.
We know what Natalie Portman is capable of. The Best Actress at the 83rd Academy Awards (Black Swan) has delivered memorable performances in her career, be it her film debut as a child assassin in Luc Besson’s Leon: The Professional (1994) or as a passionate vigilante in the political thriller V For Vendetta (2006). Her co star Joel Edgarton was particularly memorable as the aggressive and abusive Tom Buchanan in the The Great Gatsby (2013) and the powerful pharaoh Ramesses II in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014). Ewan McGregor reunites with Portman after protecting her Queen Amidala in a galaxy far, far away (Star Wars Episodes I – III). This time, the Scottish actor stars as a villain out to destroy the titular character’s happiness.
The fine ensemble cast also includes Noah Emmerich (Super 8, Warrior), Rodrigo Santoro (300, Rio) and Boyd Holbrook (Gone Girl, Run All Night).
Helmed by Gavin O’ Connor (Miracle, Pride and Glory), the 98 minute movie lists Portman as one of the producers, and Edgerton as one of the screen writers. The story has the female protagonist Portman) asking her ex lover (Edgerton) to help her save her outlaw husband (Emmerich) from a violent gang led by a ruthless man (McGregor).
Do not get us wrong – this is a sturdy and well made film, with commendable cinematography featuring breathtaking landscapes and steadfast editing. However, we get a feeling that in the process of trying to impress, the filmmakers got a little too serious with things. There aren’t many surprises in store, and you hear the characters talk about their feelings – a lot. As a result, the expectations of a classic Western were not met, and left us wanting very much to see some action for a good three quarters of the movie.
Those who want to see Portman kick some ass may be disappointed as well. Jane definitely won’t go down movie history like The Bride from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill series. There are lengthy flashback sequences which feel somewhat dreary, and the film never does move at an engaging pace. We couldn’t find ourselves connecting emotionally to any of the characters (McGregor’s bad guy was quite fun to watch though – he is almost unrecognisable behind that seedy moustache), and the somber tone of the production became its greatest flaw.
The final showdown injects a little energy into the otherwise dullish movie, but the effort comes across as too little, too late.
Movie Rating:
(The overly somber tone of this Western flick bogs the movie down so much that it becomes a dull and forgettable piece of work)
Review by John Li
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IN THE ROOM music videosPosted on 28 Feb 2016 |
Genre: Comedy/Fantasy
Director: Stephen Chow
Cast: Deng Chao, Show Luo, Kitty Zhang, Jelly Lin Yun, Kris Wu, Li Shangzheng, Wen Zhang, Tin Kai Man, Lam Chi Chung
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: PG (Some Violence)
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 February 2016
Synopsis: Hin's real estate project involved reclamation of the sea, threatening the livelihood of the residents who relied on the sea to make a living. Bearing family secrets, Shan was dispatched to stop Hin. During their encounters, they fall in love with each other. Even though Hin stopped the reclamation plan out of his love for Shan, Shan got injured in an accident and vanished into the sea.
Movie Review:
There was a time when this reviewer looked up to Stephen Chow. The 53 year old Hong Kong actor isn’t the best looking dude in showbiz, but thanks to his roles in movies like the Fight Back to School series (1991-1993), All’s Well, Ends Well (1992) and Justice, My Foot! (1992), he is a fine testament that comedy actors can make it big – and we mean very, very big – in their careers. The success didn’t stop there. Chow went on to star in well known titles like Hail the Judge (1994), the two parter A Chinese Odyssey (1995 and 1996) and King of Comedy (1999). In fact, he was the epitome of Hong Kong’s 1990s “mo lei tou” subculture: movies which feature absurdist humour which makes zero sense.
Then came the 2000s where Chow began directing movies like Shaolin Soccer (2001), Kung fu Hustle (2004) and CJ7 (2008). While these titles are rib tickling funny, something seemed to be missing. The rustic old school humour was overshadowed by high production values and computer generated effects. But it is only understandable that everyone needs to adapt in these changing times.
After scoring it big with his last film Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons (2013) which saw worldwide box office takings of S$179 million (it’s one of the highest grossing Chinese language films of all time), Chow is back with his Lunar New Year offering. It has a stellar cast lineup (Deng Chao, Show Luo, Kitty Zhang, Kris Wu and Tsui Hark). Its teaser trailer seems to promise a bucketful of laughs (the policeman’s sketches of a half human half fish is hilarious). There’s a new girl joining the league of “Sing Girls” (remember how actresses like Athena Chu, Vicki Zhao and Huang Shengyi made it big after starring opposite Chow in their breakout roles?). The theme song is performed by heavyweights Adam Cheng (watch out for a scene where a senior mermaid explains how a certain “Mr Cheng” saved their race from extinction) and Karen Mok.
This writer is happy to report that the 94 minute movie fits the bill of a Lunar New Year title which contains barrelful of laughs for the whole family.
Comedies are not supposed to take themselves too seriously – and this title is a fine example of that. Deng (Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, American Dreams in China) is likeable enough to be the film’s antagonist turned protagonist. Zhang (All About Women, Shaolin Girl) puts her bosoms and death stares to good use as the film’s resident bitch. Luo is outrageously entertaining as an octopus – and it’s clear that the popular singer actor host had a hoot with his character’s computer generated tentacles. Beating over 100,000 hopeful to star in Chow’s movie is Lin, a fresh faced newcomer from Huzhou in Zhejiang province. Playing a mermaid who tasked to assassinate the man responsible for destroying their home (Deng), the actress has just the right amount of idealism and cuteness to pull the role off. Needless to say, the two will fall in love, giving the movie its story arc. Let’s see where this starring role will bring Lin in the next few years.
Another reason why this comedy is highly recommended is the message behind the story. Without being overly preachy, the importance of conserving our environment is nicely conveyed. While we can’t expect Hollywood standards when it comes to computer generated effects, the digital team in charge does a decent job without being too tacky.
When the end credits roll, you’ll walk out of the theatre realising Chow still has what it takes to deliver high quality entertainment. It'd be nice if he had a cameo in the movie though.
Movie Rating:
(Stephen Chow’s latest work is a complete package – a stellar cast which delivers fun performances, a decent story about environmentalism, and most importantly: a barrelful of laughs guaranteed to entertain the whole family)
Review by John Li
Genre: Animation
Director: Travis Knight
Cast: Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Vaccaro
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://kubothemovie.com
Opening Day: 8 September 2016
Synopsis: "Kubo and the Two Strings" is an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (voiced by Art Parkinson of "Game of Thrones") ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato (George Takei), Hashi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) and Kamekichi (Academy Award nominee Brenda Vaccaro). But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known.
With the help of his shamisen - a magical musical instrument - Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara) to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.
Movie Review:
One of the most (if not the only) established names in stop-motion animation, Laika Entertainment has never failed to astound audiences with its modern take on the classic technique. And with Kubo and The Two Strings, Laika further burnishes its track record by creating a movie that is unlike anything else that we see produced in animation today.
Laika’s CEO Travis Knight helms the director seat as he makes the move from animator and his strength in animation clearly shines through this technical masterpiece. Kubo opens with a breath-taking water sequence that will shatter whatever perceived limits you think stop motion animation would have, And similarly, the battle sequences are jaw-dropping, full of swift action yet executed within shots so finely sequenced that you are able to see every single detail and be caught up in the action, pausing just enough for you to catch your breath even as you are immediately enthralled by the beauty of it all.
That is how amazing the animation (or perhaps wizardy is a more appropriate word) is. Once you realise how this is achieved through intricate stop-motion animation, the amazement that hits you increases ten-fold.
The whole concept of magic is taken at face value throughout this movie – whether it is the magic behind the creation of these beautiful sequences or the way magic manifests and unfolds itself in the movie (there is never a real explanation as to why the protagonist Kubo has the ability to be able to create things on a whim with his shamisen). Logic is suspended not just with the animation but in Kubo’s entire story universe.
Perhaps Laika realises its strength lies in animation for it chose to go with a simple story. A young boy who lost both parents at a tender age, goes on a journey to seek the items that will grant him protection from the evil enemies who caused his parents’ deaths. He is accompanied by two non-human companions who serve as his guardians of sorts. Of course, there are a few twists to this simple plot such as the fact that enemies happen to be his maternal grandfather and aunts who really think that hunting him down and killing his parents is actually good for the boy (like I said, the logic is suspended in this movie).
There are moving and tender moments such as when Kubo strives to take care of his mother who is inflicted by some strange illness that renders her to be in a vegetative state when the sun is up but ‘comes alive’ albeit with some memory loss or when his mother crawls to protect him as a baby boy even though she is clearly badly injured. The nods to familiar family moments, such as when Kubo’s guardians Monkey and Beetle fight over differing ‘parenting’ style, also lighten this otherwise rather serious movie. Monkey and Beetle are clear counterfoils with the former being the stern serious one and the latter being the somewhat nonsensical yet well-meaning one who brings about light-hearted banter that will entertain the children in the cinema.
However, the characters are not fleshed out to their maximum potential. Despite his rather complicated backstory, Kubo is very much unconflicted and takes the death of his sole living parent quite well in his stride with no internal turmoil whatsoever (that is one extremely resilient kid). Ironically, it becomes hard to feel emotionally attached to the protagonist because of his perceived detachment to the people around him. Instead, the maternal nature of Monkey and the unconditional love that Kubo’s mother has for him makes them characters that leave a much deeper impression on you. Beetle’s whimsical and forgetful nature also makes him more distinctive than the protagonist.
Thankfully, this short piece with a simple story survives with a somewhat flat yet likeable protagonist and the pushing of a classic technique to new and greater heights make this movie one of the most beautiful movies of the year and definitely one worth watching.
Movie Rating:
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(Although touted as a family movie, Kubo and the Two Strings has more to offer adults than children and is definitely worth a watch whether you have children or not)
Review by Katrina Tee
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Mike Mitchell
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Russell Brand, Zooey Deschanel, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, James Corden, Kunal Nayyar, Ron Funches, Icona Pop, Quvenzhané Wallis, John Cleese, Gwen Stefani
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website:
Opening Day: 3 November 2016
Synopsis: From the creators of Shrek comes the most smart, funny, irreverent animated comedy of the year, DreamWorks’ Trolls. This holiday season, enter a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic Trolls, with a constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach.
Movie Review:
No, this isn’t the pint-sized, plume-haired dolls you may remember from the early 60s; instead, as imagined by Dreamworks Animation, the titular Trolls are Day-Glo coloured folks whose existence revolves around singing, dancing and hugging on a regular schedule of joyousness. Not that life was always so upbeat for them; the Trolls used to live in constant fear of their sworn enemy – the giant, ghoulish, ogre-like Bergens. Unlike the Trolls, the Bergens have only known misery, believing that their only path to happiness is to eat the Trolls on an annual feast dubbed “Trollstice”. But with that threat seemingly a footnote in their history, the Trolls – led by the pink-haired irrepressibly happy Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and her dad King Peppy (Jeffrey Tambor) have grown complacent, so much so that all they care about on the twentieth anniversary of their flight from terror is to hold the biggest, loudest and most happening rave party ever.
As you can imagine, that turns out to be the very fateful day the Bergens – or to be precise, one of their ostracised kind – comes a-knocking. That Bergen used to be their chef, but since botching the annual Troll feast two decades ago, Chef (voiced by Christine Baranski) has been roaming the woods outside Bergen Town all by herself, hoping to discover the Trolls’ hiding spot. No thanks to Poppy’s extravagant fireworks show, Chef ends up nabbing a bunch of them to reinstate “Trollstice” and get back into the good books of the young prince Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), the latter of whom has yet to taste his first Troll but is convinced of its ability to help him experience happiness. And so ensues a boilerplate narrative that sees Poppy embark on a mission to rescue her friends with the one outcast of the flock, a dour, sarcastic and worrisome Troll named Branch (Justin Timberlake) who shares neither the rainbow hue nor the sunshine disposition of his fellow kind.
Yet though the journey may be somewhat predictable, screenwriters Johnathan Aibel and Glenn Berger make sure that each step of the way is as fun and infectious as it gets. Along the way, the opposites-attract duo of Branch and Poppy will engage in some hilarious repartee – with each other (in the form of a wonderfully zany musical interlude set to Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘The Sound of Silence’) and with the appealingly wacky Cloud Guy (whose riff on the simple ask for a high five will leave you in stitches). And when they reach Bergen territory, Branch and Poppy will find themselves in a Cinderella-like subplot involving the prince’s scullery maid Bridget (Zooey Deschanel) and the prince himself. To express her ogre-sized crush on Gristle, Bridget will break into Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Hello’, and in gratitude for helping her realise her dream date – complete with a dance that ends up substituting the symbolic glass slipper with a disco skate – Bridget will prove an unexpected but crucial ally in their rescue mission.
If it isn’t apparent yet, co-directors Mike Mitchell and Walt Dorn populate their film with plenty of song-and-dance and musical numbers, their eclectic selection running the gamut from Earth, Wind and Fire’s ‘September’, to Diana Ross’ ‘I’m Coming Out’ and even to Gorillaz’s ‘Clint Eastwood’ – among these, the showstoppers are Branch and Poppy’s beautiful duet of Phil Collins’ ‘True Colours’ and the all-star rendition of Timberlake’s dance anthem ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’. There’s no denying that they do give the film a good beat, if not an almost relentless kinetic energy, but each one in fact conveys a very specific emotion of one or more of the characters at that point in the movie, be it excitement or joy or longing or loneliness. Timberlake is credited as the executive music producer here, and besides making sure that you’ll leave the cinema with his earwormy ubiquitous single, the actor cum singer also deserves credit for the catchy and clever musical backdrop.
The achievements here aren’t just aural; indeed, ‘Trolls’ is always captivating to watch also in part due to its scrapbook-inspired visuals which employ not just pastel colours but contrasts to rich effect. Comparisons will no doubt be made to ‘Inside Out’ in how the interplay between dull and bright colours are used to illustrate the characters’ emotions, and while it doesn’t match Pixar’s ingenuity, the similar technique is just as, if not, even more evocative here especially in a touching scene where Branch and Poppy help each other to find happiness when all hope seems lost. The choice to animate the characters in cloth-puppet tactile is also surprisingly inspired, not only in complementing the expressiveness of the characters but also in reinforcing their innate appeal. In an era where computer-generated images has pretty much made most such features look more or less the same, the artistry in the animation here is indeed laudable.
As much as it is good, escapist fun, ‘Trolls’ packs a simple but meaningful message about happiness – that is, true joy cannot be found in the things around us but within us, and it sometimes takes someone for us to realise it. Especially in the pleasure-seeking hedonistic times we live in, that message rings even more true, whether you are ten or forty years ago. Kids will laugh at how the trolls fart glitter and defecate cupcakes, but adults will get the vintage disco hits and the fairy-tale spoof. Even if you’re a cynic by nature, you’ll find it hard-pressed to resist the energetic, vibrant, and utterly effervescent candy-coloured confetti explosion of a movie in ‘Trolls’, buoyed in no small measure by the uniformly excellent voice cast. It is infectious all right, and like that Timberlake ditty, you won’t be able to stop that feeling.
Movie Rating:
(The most exuberant animation of the year, ‘Trolls’ is overflowing with witty humour, heartwarming sentiment and pure unbridled happiness)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Derrick Lui
Cast: Ya Hui, Desmond Tan, Will Lawandi, Maria Alexandria, Lin Yong Kun, Angeline Yap Siling, Vincent Tee, Alan Tan, Grace Lee Khoo
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Rating: M18
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/1400-118286634956095/
Opening Day:
Synopsis: How far will you go for love? And once you have it, will it be enough? Those are the central questions for the characters in "1400," a new feature film from director Derrick Lui and a talented ensemble cast. The elegant rooms and shops of a metropolitan Singapore hotel host a constant flow of human weakness: avarice, lust, infidelity. However, the hotel also sees the birth of pure love and friendship between unlikely partners as "1400" pulls back the curtain on the intertwined lives of the young and the old, the innocent and the cynical, the hopeful and the despondent. Filmed in an intimate style on location in Singapore, "1400" has an authenticity and emotional presence that cannot be denied.
Movie Review:
1400 is a Singaporean indie film directed and written by Derrick Lui. 1400 is a loose sequel to his previous work; a short film entitled When Night Fa11s. It is evident that this is a passion project as the story and concept took 5 years to solidify. However, principal photography only took a mere 5 days. Unlike other Singaporean romance dramas, this film took a different, darker and edgier approach. In addition, the film manages to garner significant award buzz at the flEXiff 2015 by winning best feature film award, which is certainly a milestone in Singapore cinema. However, the film, which could have been a potential game changer for Singapore, did not live up to its hype.
1400 is essentially about the love story of Rain (Desmond Tan) and Summer (Ya Hui); only the twist here is that, Rain is deaf and Summer is blind. Along with their story, 3 other stories are intertwined - an unusual adultery relationship between Paul (Will Lawandi) and Janice (Maria Alexandria); an elderly man (Vincent Tee) who meets up with dates to cope with the loss of his dead wife; and a poor foreign girl, Moon Angeline Yap) who tries her best to make ends meet while also finding the right man. These stories are all intertwined and took take place at one point or another at a hotel room or near the hotel room, 1400. Thus, the film’s title, 1400 is a film that expresses the importance of love and how far one would go to achieve love.
Previous romantic local erotica’s, like Sex. Violence. Family Values and Rubbers approached sexual content in a comedic way. 1400 not only broke this long withstanding cliché that every Singaporean romance film must be based around comedic themes, but also went into dark waters to portray the Singaporean life realistically. There is a consistent emotional tone throughout the entire film. This is to be applauded for. Derrick manages to bring about a wave of emotions in every scene, which suits the subject matter. The film meets expectations in creating such a grounded premise. Again, one that is seldom, (if not haven’t) seen before in any local film. In addition, credit should be given to the writing, which Derrick was involved in. Dark themes such as prostitution and adultery were handled well in terms of writing. This even provided a noir feel to the film. The use of different Chinese adds on to the realism of the film, as that is how Singapore is really like.
In spite of the uniqueness and gritty feel of the film, an uneven pacing bogs down a lot of it. At a fairly short runtime of only 89 minutes, the film did come off as feeling like an hour longer. 1400 is certainly not a film for everyone. Some may be put off by how artsy the film is. This could be due to the over usage of street shots that act as fillers or slow mundane scenes.
On the other hand, other scenes felt rushed, in particular the sex scenes, which came off as really unnecessary and at times forced. Most of these consist of just the backs of the male cast without any explicit or even partial nudity from the female actors, which may inevitably put off some audiences there to fulfill their fantasies. Such suggestive scenes are redundant and awkward to watch in fact removing them could lend the film greater impact.
Moving on to the acting and the plot. For the primary and center plot of Rain and Summer, this film reunites Derrick and fellow actor, Desmond Tan. Both Desmond and Ya Hui are fresh out of successful TV shows. This film provided both of them with challenging roles, as they have to act deaf and blind respectively. Out of the two, Ya Hui’s performance was more convincing and character, more relatable. As mentioned in the film, Rain relies on lip reading to understand Summer. However, Desmond does make the mistake of replying to Summer’s dialogue even before looking at her lips many times, coming off unconvincing as a deaf person. With that said, this plot point is largely concentrated at the beginning and end of the film but given short shrift in the middle.
The plot about the elderly man, played by Vincent Tee is a standout. Vincent plays the role excellently. He even provided occasional bits of comedy, which relieves the audiences of the emotional bits. However, this story being such a highlight overshadows Ya Hui and Desmond’s story and the other two, further causing a rift in pacing.
The plot about the adulterous couple is the least interesting and least well-acted plot. This plot was the only one in English and does feel like the shortest one among the four. It would have been better if it is removed altogether. Actors Will Lawandi and Maria Alexandria, gave stale performances especially those in bed.
Lastly, the plot about the poor foreigner, played by Angeline Yap is a fine one. It manages to convey the realism of prostitution and finding love. Angeline gave a decent performance. But a major positive here is Alan played by Alan Tan, who manages to portray his character really well. Alan Tan was also the casting director for the film.
This uneven mixture of performances, ranging from stale to excellent could be due to how rushed the principal photography was. Although an amazing feat it was shoot a film in 5 days, taking one more week would have made certain plots and acting better. The low budget does make the accomplishment even more notable. Some characters should have been recasted, as it is clear that their actors were really just phoning it in.
On the technical side of things, the film is well shot. With clever usage of lighting and color, 1400 differentiates itself from other local films. In addition, the score suits the tone of the film though overused and the sound mixing is haphazard. Editing was also rather choppy at times.
The premise of the film mainly takes place at Geylang, a place in Singapore where prostitution is rampant. 1400 manages to pay homage to the place and expresses that it is a place that is integral to the Singaporean culture. This highlights how Singaporean the film is. It deserves praise for being able to bring maturity that is never seen before to the local film industry. In the end, 1400 could have set the groundwork for future Singaporean movies but failed to do so and came off as a throwaway film. It is a film that unfortunately did not meet its potential.
Movie Rating:
(Derrick Lui’s ‘1400’ is a breath of fresh air into the local film industry and that should be commended for but the end result was a breeze that had little impact, except for a stale odour which audiences had to endure)
Review by Celestine Pang
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