Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Ding Sheng　
Cast: Jackie Chan, Huang Zitao, Wang Kai, Jaycee Chan, Hiroyuki Ikeuchui, Sang Ping, Ng Wing Lun, Wang Da Lu, Xu Fan
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Rating: PG (Some Violence)
Released By: Clover Films Pte Ltd, mm2 Entertainment Pte Ltd and Golden Village Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 29 December 2016

Synopsis: In December 1941, Japan expands the occupation of its neighbouring countries to Southeast Asia. The railway from Tianjin to Nanjing in East China became a key military transportation route, heavily guarded by Japanese soldiers. Railroad worker Ma Yuan leads a team of freedom fighters. Using their in-depth knowledge of rail networks, they ambush the Japanese soldiers and steal their supplies to feed the starving Chinese. With no weapons of their own, the freedom fighters employ whatever tools are at hand, including shovels, loose railway track planks and diverted trains. The local Chinese call the unlikely heroes the “Railroad Tigers”.

Movie Review:

If you’ve seen ‘Little Big Soldier’ or ‘Police Story 2013’, you’ll know better than to expect Jackie Chan’s third collaboration with Mainland filmmaker Ding Sheng to be a martial arts showcase of the former’s acrobatic stunts. And sure enough, despite being billed as ‘a Jackie Chan action-comedy blockbuster’, ‘Railroad Tigers’ is really an ensemble piece set against the backdrop of the Japanese invasion of East China in the early 1940s. Based upon true events, Chan plays a humble railroad worker named Ma Yuan who leads a ragtag team from his village to blow up a critical transportation route across the Hanzhuang bridge for the Japanese to send supplies to their troops at the frontlines. Ma Yuan may be leader all right, but the execution and success of their high-stakes mission is ultimately a team effort, meaning that Chan gets as much limelight as his other co-stars, so much so that some arguably end up out-shining him with their skills and/or contributions.

Once again assuming both writing and directing duties, Ding Sheng keeps the premise appealingly simple. Not content to toil for the invading Japanese in their respective jobs, Ma Yuan and his fellow railroad workers as well as a bunch of other working-class village folk take to robbing them every now and then – indeed, it is in the midst of one such daring midday robbery of a passenger train carrying a group of Japanese soldiers and their pillages that the members of the titular ragtag team are introduced via title cards. An Eighth Route army soldier Daguo (Darren Wang) stumbles into Ma Yuan’s modest but cosy village house one night while evading capture by the Japanese, the former recounting how his platoon had tried but failed to detonate the aforementioned bridge. Upon his recovery, Daguo insists on returning to his platoon. Alas, Daguo fails to make it back before being shot by the Japanese, so Ma Yuan decides to assemble the team to complete his assignment – and in so doing, realises their collective hopes of ‘doing something big’ or ‘干票大的’.

Though his previous movies seemed to demonstrate his predilection for character-driven storytelling, Ding Sheng is all out for visual spectacle here, structuring his narrative around a series of extended action sequences – the opening train robbery is an ambitious start that also sets a playful tone, followed by a raid on the armoury warehouse at Shaguo station to procure the explosives needed to blow up the bridge, then a heroic attempt to rescue Ma Yuan and his associate Rui (Jaycee Chan) imprisoned by the Japanese in a square metal cell on board another moving train, and last but not least the loudest, longest and undeniably overblown (pardon the pun) setpiece to hijack a Japanese military transport locomotive intended as the very ‘bomb’ itself. In between are scenes meant to emphasise the camaraderie between the team of revolutionaries, arguably too short and too sparse for any individual character – except Ma Yuan and Rui – to make much impression.

That said, ‘Railroad Tigers’ probably bears the least character work among all of Ding Sheng’s movies so far. Ma Yuan’s status as leader seems premised solely on his age and paternal instincts, and other than hinting at a slow-burn romance with the village pancake seller Auntie Qin, there is little else that defines him. The same goes for the other railroad workers Rui and Dagui (Ping Sang) as well as the other members of the ‘Tigers’ – amateur tailor Dahai (Huang Zitao), handywoman Xing’er (Xu Fan) and serial pickpocketer San Laizi (Alan Ng). Because Chan plays Ma Yuan low-key and unassuming, it is former warlord bodyguard Fan Chuan (Wang Kai) who steals his thunder whenever the latter is onscreen, putting his sharpshooting skills to good use especially during shootouts with the Japanese. Next to the Tigers, the Japanese are defined by the cocky military police captain Yamaguchi (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi), his stern no-nonsense female colleague Yuko (Zhang Lanxin) and to a lesser extent the bumbling station master Sakamoto (Kôji Yano). With the sheer number of characters, it is not difficult to see why there is little time to develop any of them, such that each becomes known by and large by his or her relation to the unfolding narrative. It also makes the Tigers a boring squad of men – and as much as their steadfast loyalty to each other and to the mission is to be admired, the lack of tension between them certainly makes them even duller to watch.

Like we said earlier, the action takes centrestage, interspersed now and then with slapstick gags that do not always hit the mark. Chan’s good-natured goofiness is still amusing, but the humour borders on childish at times, and undercuts the build-up of dramatic tension especially during the supposedly tense and dangerous situations. In fact, an extended gag that sees Yamaguchi consume not one but two drugged pancakes prepared by Auntie Qin which causes him fall asleep while the Tigers act to rescue Ma Yuan and Rui as well as turn lecherous against the male deputy station master held for interrogation is downright farcical – besides raising suspicions of the filmmakers’ disdain towards the Japanese, it also diminishes the intended display of bravery of the Tigers. It is also worth pointing out that a tongue-in-cheek gag which riffs on the physical resemblance between Ma Yuan and Rui (especially their nose, get it?) comes off narcissistic, especially when one takes into account that Jaycee – and not any other one of the supporting actors – gets the most screen time next to Jackie Chan.

It doesn’t matter that ‘Railroad Tigers’ contains next to none of Jackie Chan’s death-defying stunts; in fact, true fans of the martial arts actor should be happy that his films are not solely defined by how high he jumps or how far he leaps. Oh no, Ding Sheng’s latest collaboration with Chan is underwhelming because it seems no more than an excuse for the former to live out his childhood fantasies of trains in a big-budget motion picture, disguising his fancies under a purported celebration of the heroism that a group of ordinary civilians displayed in the anti-Japanese war effort. Ironically, his latest film could have benefitted with more of the self-seriousness in ‘Police Story 2013’ (which was accused of being too sombre), instead of letting the often foolish and even self-indulgent humour dilute the action and drama. Ding’s inspiration is also the Hollywood Westerns of trains and train heists, and on that level alone, ‘Railroad Tigers’ is certainly watchable; but for a Jackie Chan movie, it is undeniably disappointing, not least because Chan doesn’t even get to do much beyond appearing next to his son and/or a whole bunch of other Mainland actors. 

Movie Rating:

(Too much slapstick and too little character turns this supposed celebration of wartime heroism into a farcical war comedy with overblown train action - and renders Jackie Chan almost inconsequential)

Review by Gabriel Chong  

Genre: Comedy
Director: Neal Wu　
Cast: Dong Zijian, Cherry Ngan, Austin Lin, Ouyang Nini, Song Yiren
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Clover Films Pte Ltd, mm2 Entertainment Pte Ltd and Golden Village Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 14 July 2016

Synopsis: Fate brought Miss Leung and the owner of a café named ‘At Cafe 6’ together on a rainy night, where they reminisce about youth, first love and friendships. High school students Xiaolü and A-Zhi are best buddies since childhood who spend their days fooling around and picking up fights. A-Zhi helps to create opportunity for Xiaolü to get closer to his dream girl, Xinrui.However, after being separated into different universities,Xiaolü buries his time to earning money in order to visit Xinrui who is 360 kilometers away. Can their relationship withstandthe time and distance apart? Will the two buddies continue to keep their promises for love and their friendship no matter what lies ahead of them?

Movie Review:

The Chinese film industry is on a roll, pushing out almost one high profile idol-youth-drama-esque movie per year, after 2011's You Are The Apple Of My Eye. Since then, we have had When Love Falls In Love With Sheep, Cafe. Waiting. Love., and the wildly popular Our Times, whose male lead and theme song exploded in popularity last year, making it a tough act to follow, unfortunately for At Cafe 6. 

Adapted from the highly anticipated novel of the same name, the storyline of the movie was familiar enough - rebellious male lead and sidekick were the class clowns, often getting into trouble for their shenanigans. Unsurprisingly, male lead is in love with the prettiest and smartest girl in the class, who, somehow, likes him back as well. Add in other love interests who never stood a chance, gang fights and a main couple struggling to get or stay together and a sentimental theme song (wonderfully sang by local female singer Stefanie Sun) and there you have it – almost formulaic. 

The novel’s author, Neal Wu (who writes under the pseudonym Fuji Tree) was the movie’s director – yet another similarity with You Are The Apple of My Eye and Tiny Times – but a good writer doth not necessarily a good director make. Being the author, scriptwriter and director, Wu’s vision translates strongly onto the movie, with the standout being the comedic elements present. The sadder scenes were, in comparison, relatively muted, building up to a single, well-timed outburst. Worth mentioning too was the director’s avoidance of the most cliched and unimaginative shots, and shooting useless scenes without any use in bring the movie forward for the sake of sentimentality. As first-time directors go, Wu does a relatively good job translating his writing onto the big screen, which he credits to his strong production team.

With the emphasis on the comedy present in the novel and script, the two most important roles and actors in the movie were arguably the two class jokers – male lead Xiaolü and his best friend A-Zhi, played by Dong Zijian and Austin Lin respectively. The latter, in particular, shines in his role. While Xiaolü has to appear sane at times, especially in the scenes where he courts Li Xin Rui (Cherry Ngan), A-Zhi was acting the fool in the movie for most part. This is not to say that A-Zhi was one-dimensional – he was the one who was beaten up for Xiaolü, who beats some sense into Xiaolü; who traveled overnight from Kaoshiung to Taipei in the middle of a typhoon with Xiaolü – and was probably the most likeable character in the movie. The two boys’ friendship was also arguably the most important relationship present in the movie. 

Not that the supposed main relationship was particularly weak – it was just… an ordinary relationship that ran its ordinary course, as predicted by probably everyone who chose to watch the movie. Quite unlike most of such female leads though, Ngan’s Xin Rui seemed almost like a commitment-phobe, with her steadfast belief that long distance relationships would not work making the predicted resolution feel like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The movie takes quite a dramatic turn during its later parts, as Xiaolü’s dogged persual becomes increasingly extreme, cumulating in the rather unexpected ending. Perhaps the ending will be both the reason that sets the movie apart, and the factor that alienates a portion of the viewers.

On the surface, At Cafe 6 seems to have all the ingredients necessary for success in that genre – a likeable cast, popular original novel and theme song, and nostalgia. However, movie-making is sadly, not a science, and the movie seems lacking in a way compared to others was not. That said, the movie does seem more personal – possibly due to the author-scriptwriter-director – and is no less enjoyable than other similar movies.

Movie Rating:

(Watch if you enjoy idol drama-turned-movies, or if you would like to reminisce an LDR and love lost on the big screen)

Review by Goh Yan Hui

Genre: Thriller/Horror
Director: Yeon Sang-Ho　
Cast: Gong Yoo, Kim Su-An, Jung Yu-Mi, Ma Dong Seok, Choi Woo-Sik, An So-Hee, Kim Eui-Sung
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Violence)
Released By: Clover Films Pte Ltd, Golden Village Pictutes 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 August 2016

Synopsis: A mysterious viral outbreak pushes Korea into a state of emergency! As an unidentified virus sweeps the country, Korean government declares martial law. Those on an express train to Busan, a city that has successfully fended off the viral outbreak, must fight for their own survival. 453 kilometers from Seoul to Busan, the struggle to survive by those who have others to protect, get on board to stay alive!

Movie Review:

So many zombie flicks have come and gone in recent years that each new one which comes along often seems indistinguishable from the horde that have come before it. And yet, Korean director Yeon Sang-ho’s live-action debut easily overcomes such genre ennui by being one of the most exhilarating apocalypse horrors in a long while, with a shot of class warfare allegory added in for good measure.

The set-up is lean and effective. Somewhere in the verdant hills of Jinyang, a deer flattened by a truck which crosses into a militarily quarantined zone springs back to life and hops onto its feet. Within the same day, the self-absorbed hedge fund manager Seok-woo (Gong Yoo) will end up promising to take his neglected daughter Su-an (Kim Su-an) to see her mother in Busan despite his initial reservations, after botching her birthday present (he forgets he has already gotten her a Wii) and missing her class recital.

Not surprisingly, it is this paternal bond between father and daughter that provides the strongest emotional anchor amidst the chaos, as Seok-woo finds himself on board an early-morning KTX train bound for Busan. The rest of the key supporting characters are introduced in simple brushstrokes – the coarse but good-hearted working-class bruiser Sang-hwa (Ma Dong-seok) and his pregnant wife Sung-kyung (Jung Yu-mi), a pair of elderly sisters, a homeless stowaway, the high-school baseball star Young-guk (Choi Woo-sik) and cheerleader Jin-hee (Ahn So-hee), and last but not least the obnoxious bus-company corporate weasel Yong-suk (Kim Eui-sung).

Just before the train shuts its doors, a vividly unwell young female stumbles onboard, a vector for unleashing the chaos that Su-an glimpses at the top of the steps leading to the platform as the train pulls out of the station. In no time, this same last-minute passenger is taking the jugular off a female conductor, and we soon realise the breed of zombie that the humans on board will have to contend with.

These are not the slow walking undead; oh no, they are of the ’28 Days Later’ or ‘World War Z’ variety – fast, focused and ferociously violent. Like the roadkill we witnessed coming back to life, infection spreads swiftly, and the bitten twitch into dead-eyed flesh-eaters within seconds. Those lucky enough to escape the initial wave of bitings end up cloistered in the carriages towards the back of the train, after discovering that the zombies hunt by sight and do not quite know how to open the doors separating the carriages manually.

Through a series of tense, exciting and brilliantly staged sequences, we are further introduced to the other rules of the game – that the zombies hunt as a herd, and that they are pretty much blind in the dark. An ill-fated stop at Daegu station where the train conductor has been advised the military has set up quarantine forms the basis for a middle-act centerpiece that not only promises the jaw-dropping sight of hordes of zombies falling off of an overhead bridge onto the roof of the train, but also divides the remaining survivors into opposing camps.

It is through this division that Sang-ho brings the social commentary of Park Joo-suk’s script into sharp focus. While Seok-woo and Sang-hwa risk their lives to save their respective family trapped in one of the bathrooms, those who were more fortunate to escape relatively unscathed into the carriages towards the front decide to barricade themselves in, thus setting up the distinction between the characters who would do what it takes to save others and others who are only concerned about their own survival.

The progression by which selfishness sets in amongst members of the latter camp as well as the eventual denouement of the characters in both camps is a poignant reminder and lesson on egocentricity. Yes, it is the human drama that keeps the thrills from becoming rote, especially because we not only root for who lives but also who dies and the manner in which they do. That’s not to say that the heroic ones will indeed be spared, so consider this as fair warning that while they may outlast many of the other passengers on the train, there are a fair number of heart-breaking moments which prove fate has no favourites.

Speaking of finish, the finale opts for a literal change of pace by forcing the survivors to abandon their express train for another locomotive when they encounter a derailed carriage on their track at the station just before Busan. It is as action-packed and suspenseful a conclusion as it gets no doubt, complete with a CG money shot that sees hordes upon hordes of zombies piling onto each other and coalescing into a chain at the back of a departing head train as it pulls away from the melee with whoever is left alive (and one half-so if we may add).

With credit too to a committed cast who do their best to bring out character from their respective archetypes, ‘Train to Busan’ succeeds as a pulsating thriller that exemplifies the best of the genre, balanced on a knife-edge of edge-of-your-seat moments and terrifying action with sprinklings of comic relief and a generous dose of social critique. It doesn’t so much as reinvent familiar genre tropes as present its own confident spin of them, but as long as the results are as electrifying and intense as this, we’re sure genre fans will be more than pleased to hop on.

Movie Rating:

(Breathtakingly paced and poignantly staged, this battle between the living and the undead is a non-stop thrill ride that zombie fans will be more than pleased to hop on)

Review by Gabriel Chong 

Genre: War/Action
Director: Gordon Chan　
Cast: Vincent Zhao, Sammo Hung, Wan Qian, Timmy Hung, Yasuaki Kurata, Koide Keisuke, Wu Yue, Michael Tong, Liu Junxiao, Ryu Kohata, Jiang Luxia
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Clover Films Pte Ltd, mm2 Entertainment Pte Ltd and Golden Village Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 1 June 2017

Synopsis: During the 16th century, Japanese pirates proliferate along the Chinese coastline. In 1557, the pirates take over Cengang in Zhejiang. After months of futile advances, Commander Yu (Sammo Hung) finally defeats them under the leadership of newly promoted General Qi (Vincent Zhao). The pirates, however, manage to escape. No sooner has Qi identified the key weakness of the Chinese army than he starts remapping the coastal regions to eradicate the pirates. When he finds the villagers of Yiwu loyal and courageous, he drafts them into his own army which soon becomes a formidable force against the pirates, with tactics developed specifically against them. In 1561, the pirates regroup and once again attack the coastal cities of China. With both the cities of Xinhe and Taizhou under attack, Qi's army is caught between two fires. Even though most family members of his soldiers are located in Xinhe, Qi makes the tough decision to go to Taizhou and leaves his wife in charge of the fight against the pirates in Xinhe, knowing that the defeat of the pirates’ elite team in Taizhou will bring long lasting peace to the coastal cities. But one month into the battle of Taizhou, there is still no clear winner and loser....

Movie Review:

Not since John Woo’s ‘Red Cliff’ has there been such a compelling war epic as Gordon Chan’s ‘God of War’, which breathes new life into a genre that saturated Chinese cinema in the mid- to late-2000s but has since gone out of fashion as much due to budgetary reasons as audience indifference. Like Woo’s genre icon, Chan’s depiction of how the young, intelligent and fearless General Qi Jiguang (Vincent Zhao) defeated a hotchpotch of Japanese invaders laying siege of Zhejiang during the 16^th century unfolds as a battle of wits between two military strategists – in this case, Jiquang on one hand and Kumasawa (Kurata Yasuaki) on the other – and emphasizes the importance of strategy over sheer might, numbers and firepower. Indeed, the crowning achievement here is how Jiquang eventually manages to lead an army of just 3,000 men, albeit highly disciplined and tightly knit, against the onslaught of 10,000 Japanese pirates, samurais and Ronins commandeered by the tactician Kumasawa and Master Yamagawa (Koide Keisuke) in the invasion of the coastal city of Taizhou in Zhejiang.

As repetitive as it may sound setting up the Japanese as the enemy, Chan and his four screenwriters avoid falling into the cliché of depicting them as ruthless aggressors who are out to oppress the Chinese people. Right from the start, the prologue makes it clear that the Japanese were able to take control of Cengang because they were aided by a group of Chinese who were unhappy with the Ming government and colluded with the invaders to bring down the Imperial dynasty. Along the way too, Chan contrasts the callous Ronins against the honourable Samurais, the former of whom had no qualms subjugating the local Chinese women to the disgust of the latter. Besides portraying a dignified side to the Japanese, Chan also casts Kumasawaas a wily and worthy adversary to Jiguang in wisdom and foresight, who quotes no less than from Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ to rein in the ambitious but inexperienced Yamagawa from launching a foolish offensive against the Ming government.

There is no secret that the heroes here are Jiguang and his valiant troops, but in giving the other side its dues, Chan also makes the ensuing battle more authentic. For starters, it is evident why Jiguang’s predecessor, the veteran Commander Yu Dayou (Sammo Hung), had repeatedly failed to breach the wall that the Japanese had built across a narrow gorge to secure Cengang – compared to his enemy, Yu was simply using blunt force and absolute numbers to counter the Japanese, which explained why his troops were whittled down from 20,000 men to 1,000 in just ten days. Contrast that to Jiguang’s new army (which he recruits from among the crude but loyal peasants of the village Yiwu), who not only trained in formation but also studied the methods and weapons of the Japanese in order to eventually out-smart, out-maneuver and out-strike them. Such attention to details demonstrates how Jiguang’s victory was no fluke, lending this retelling verisimilitude and ensuring that it is convincing, persuasive and compelling.

If it isn’t yet obvious, Jiquang is front-and-centre the lead protagonist of ‘God of War’; in fact, he is the metaphorical deity which the title alludes to, which Kumasawa explains at the end is intended as reference for he who prevails over chaos. That means Hung’s Commander Yu is but a supporting player who appears only in the first half-hour of the film – although those anticipating the first-ever pairing of the two genuine martial arts actors will still not go away disappointed as Zhao and Hung go up against each other in a gripping, albeit friendly, competition between them with wooden staffs. That also means there is more space and time for an intimate portrayal of Jiquang, which Chan spends on detailing the relationship between him and his headstrong wife (Wan Qian) as well as the larger political context with Zhejiang’s Supreme Commander Hu and the Ming government which he is forced to contend with. In the hands of a lesser director, these personal and professional facets of Jiguang’s life amidst his military accomplishments might have been distractions, but Chan juggles them assuredly to give texture and nuance to his central character.

Even as he emphasizes plot and character, Chan does not neglect the large-scale battle sequences that genre audiences will no doubt be looking forward to. In contrast to his VFX-heavy ‘The Four’ trilogy, Chan keeps the visual effects practical and restrained here, preferring instead to ensure realism than pure spectacle in the action. That doesn’t mean it isn’t thrilling, but rather that the fighting, firing and explosions never go overboard. That same sensibility extends to Jiguang’s moves, which are impressive but never exaggerated to draw attention to Zhao’s physicality or outsize Jiguang’s contributions in a victory that belongs as much to him as to his men. Notwithstanding, Zhao still wows in a couple of scenes that show off with his dexterity with all manner of weaponry, and that is in addition to two extended one-on-ones he gets with Sammo Hung and Sammo’s son Timmy Hung (who plays the leader of a group of disgruntled miners named Dacheng whom Jiguang courts to join his new army). Zhao is also in finer form than ever as Jiguang, and what the squeaky-clean actor may lack in terms of depth, he definitely makes up for in poise, sincerity and conviction.

Frankly speaking, we were genuinely surprised by how excellent ‘God of War’ turned out to be. Though it could easily have been a one-sided portrait of Chinese heroism, Chan doesn’t belittle, demean or humiliate the Japanese adversaries, representing them as crafty equals in intellect and strategy. Similarly, as easily as he could have valorized Jiguang, Chan keeps his achievements in proportion for a fuller but more well-rounded representation of what he stood for, the circumstances he had to deal with and the steps he took to overcome these obstacles in building up a formidable fighting force. And last but not least, Chan combines plot, character and spectacle into a coherent whole that is gripping, moving and thrilling to watch. It may lack the scale of ‘Red Cliff’, but it is by no means lesser, and like we said at the start, is pretty much the gold standard of war epics. If this doesn’t revive interest in the genre, we’re not sure if any other movie will. 

Movie Rating:

(As sumptuous, satisfying and splendid as Chinese war epics come, ‘God of War’ turns what could have been a one-sided portrayal of Chinese heroism into a thrilling battle of wits between equals, while never losing the genre’s raison d'etre of battle spectacle)

Review by Gabriel Chong 

Genre: Drama
Director: Rodrigo Garcia
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Tye Sheridan, Ciarán Hinds, Ayelet Zurer
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Nudity)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/lastdesertmovie

Opening Day: 23 June 2016

Synopsis: Last Days in the Desert follows Jesus (Ewan McGregor) in an imagined chapter from his forty days of fasting and praying in the desert. On his way out of the wilderness, he struggles with the Devil, also played by McGregor, over the fate of an ordinary family in crisis, setting for himself a dramatic test with distinctly human conflicts.

Movie Review:

Rodrigo García’s "Last Days in the Desert" stands out from the crowds of cynical, pandering “faith-based” movies that have been released in recent times (think “Risen” and The Young Messiah”) with its attempt to reach out to non-believers by focusing not on the divinity but humanity of Jesus Christ.

While most depictions of Jesus Christ in these movies are rooted in the assumption that being half-man and half-divine ultimately made him neither, "Last Days in the Desert" takes a different approach and considers how this status may have made him both human and divine rather than belonging to neither group.

The notion of the movie being able to hold with equal weight the truth of Jesus Christ being fully human and fully divine is appealing for these two elements seem contradictory in our human understanding even if we theologically accept that to be the truth.

Alas, García doesn’t quite tread that balance that well and doesn’t quite seem to be able to manage to merge Jesus Christ’s two states/identities together. When he does show Christ’s humanity and vulnerability in this relatively short depiction of Christ’s struggle with the devil, it is typically at the expense of his divinity. It comes across as Christ is switching between the roles and taking one role over the other rather than simultaneously being both divine and human.

Early in García’s movie, Christ (as played by Ewan McGregor) is depicted as very human person with flaws and imperfections. He is lost, confused, perplexed as he shuffles around in rags and lets loose a loud and big fart. His divinity is not clear to us unless his internal monologues where he seeks assistance from a higher being is meant to allude to that divinity. Instead, we see only his struggles, both physical and emotional, as he exchanges banter with the devil who appears in the form of, you guess it, Christ but with more of a furrow in his brow and perhaps a hint of an evil glint. Which is quite a literal interpretation of the term “inner demon” indeed.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki does amazing things with natural lighting (yes, natural lighting), making you never realising that this was actually shot four hours away from Los Angeles. The set is done up in such a way that you are convinced you are back in an era where the population was significantly smaller (think thousands instead of millions) and you are magically transported to the world that Christ likely lived in during his days.

But the emptiness of the set is not the only emptiness about this movie. The movie lacks a rhythm (unless the absence of a rhythm is meant to be some kind of paradoxical rhythm) and the lack of people/characters in this movie creates a sense that you are in an unreal void-like world where this entire movie is really just a fictional story rather than an actual narrative of something that unfolded or is unfolding before your eyes. Although McGregor does a commendable job, switching between Christ and the devil, the compassion he brings to Christ and the subtle evilness he brings to the devil is barely enough to sustain your interest. It’s also difficult to feel for a family who constantly reminds you that they are just there for the purpose of testing Christ and really, they don’t mean much otherwise.

A pity though because even if García recognised that he couldn’t tread the balance between the divine and human elements and simply let one dominate, this may have been more of a narrative rather than a parable.

Movie Rating:

(While it has amazing technical elements and details, moments of “Last Days in the Desert” do feel as dry as sand)

Review by Katrina Tee

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Ron Clements, John Musker
Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Jermaine Clement, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: The Walt Disney Company 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 24 November 2016

Synopsis: Three thousand years ago, the greatest sailors in the world voyaged across the vast Pacific, discovering the many islands of Oceania. But then, for a millennium, their voyages stopped – and no one knows why. From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes “Moana,” a sweeping, CG-animated feature film about an adventurous teenager who sails out on a daring mission to save her people. During her journey, Moana (voice of Auliʻi Cravalho) meets the mighty demigod Maui (voice of Dwayne Johnson), who guides her in her quest to become a master wayfinder. Together, they sail across the open ocean on an action-packed voyage, encountering enormous monsters and impossible odds, and along the way, Moana fulfills the ancient quest of her ancestors and discovers the one thing she’s always sought: her own identity.

Movie Review:

If you follow Dwayne Johnson on his Instagram account (@therock), you would know how the actor, producer and professional wrestler is a true blue entertainer. The House of Mouse has this 44 year old to thank, for he has been driving up quite a bit of hype for Disney’s 56^th animated feature film.

Scroll through Johnson’s account and you will see the big guy introducing his co star Auli'i Cravalho (16 year old voices the titular character Moana), have hilarious sing alongs with Lin Manuel Miranda (the composer and rapper shot to fame after creating and starring in the Broadway Hamilton), demonstrating his Polynesian culture by performing a Hawaiian tribal dance and getting all excited at the film’s premiere event.   

With Disney’s massive marketing campaigns, there is no chance you would miss this movie directed by Ron Clements and John Musker (the duo is known for directing 1989’s The Little Mermaid and 1992’s Aladdin). Cynics will ask, is this 103 minute animated film any good?

We are happy to report that Disney has produced yet another family friendly adventure everyone will embrace.

The heroine is Moana, an energetic daughter of an overprotective chief in a long line of navigators. To save her tribe from destruction, she has to set sail to an island with the almighty demigod Maui(Johnson putting his hilarious persona to good use) to restore the heart of a goddess who created all the islands and life.

Before you start sniggling at the tried and tested Disney formula of a young girl who goes against all odds to save the day, and ultimately, find herself, be reminded that in this increasingly unfeeling world that is badly in need of social healing, such a feel good story is more than welcome.

Yes, this movie is like Frozen (2013) which takes place in the vast Pacific Oceans and the surrounding lush islands – characters break into songs (“How Far I’ll Go” is the new “Let It Go”), the cute snowman is replaced by a dumb but side splitting rooster named Heihei (the clucking is provided by Alan Tudyk), and as you’d expect from any Disney animation, there are impressive and sweeping scenes of oceans, nature and characters going on voyages. There also other memorable characters like Jemaine Clement’s coconut crab and an army of cute but villainous coconut pirates (yup, you read it right).

The music is made to sell albums – besides Miranda’s contribution, Mark Macina and Opetaia Foa’I are also roped in to create music fitting for the story. Johnson gets his own song “You’re Welcome”, while Clement’s “Shiny” is as psychedelic as the scene where the villain gets all showy about his, ahem, shiny appearance.

We can’t think of a reason why anyone wouldn’t enjoy this movie. The visuals are beautiful and awesome to look at (thanks to the imaginative minds of the animators), while the story about a heroine’s journey to save her family and find herself is heartfelt, funny and wholesome. Cravalho and Johnson are great as they provide voice work that is full of life.

Disney has proven yet again that it doesn’t need to be too clever to produce a crowd pleaser that will tug at viewers’ heartstrings and along the way, hit their funny bones. This is a crowd pleaser that everyone will enjoy from start to finish.  

Movie Rating:

(A heartfelt reminder why we love Disney’s animated films)

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama
Director: Matt Ross
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Frank Langella, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn, George MacKay, Samantha Isler, Annalise Basso, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks, Trin Miller, Elijah Stevenson, Teddy Van Ee, Erin Moriarty
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Nudity and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 14 July 2016

Synopsis: Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, isolated from society, a devoted father (Viggo Mortensen) dedicates his life to transforming his six young children into extraordinary adults. But when a tragedy strikes the family, they are forced to leave this self-created paradise and begin a journey into the outside world that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent and brings into question everything he's taught them.

Movie Review:

Despite the sore omission of anything that resembles a love life, this reviewer still wishes that he gets to be a father someday. He believes he has seen enough movies, TV shows and real life dramas to know what it takes to be a cool Dad. But hey, nothing beats being personally in the situation to know what it is like, right? The latest lesson he is getting from a fictional Daddy is Viggo Mortenen’s Ben Cash in Matt Ross’s endearing film.

Ben is a father of six kids (the first thing that comes to a Singapore cynic’s mind is: good luck with the cost of raising all six of them, dude), and he is raising them in the forests of Pacific Northwest, where the air is fresher, and you get really, really close to Mother Nature. Where’s the Mum, you ask? She is in an institution somewhere for treatment of bipolar disorder.

When Ben receives news that the children’s mother has killed herself, he embarks on a journey to bring them to attend her funeral, despite his father in law’s disapproval. A road trip ensues, and Ben has to deal with issues of how his children are facing “real life” problems – one gets injured, one wants to attend college, and one disagrees with his method of upbringing. Where will this lead Ben and his outlook in life?

A fresh breather from sequels, reboots and adaptations that are flooding the summer box office market, this lovely story needs to be experienced by anyone who wants to feel alive. It’s about how a man who attempts to reintegrate into society after living in isolation for a long time – aren’t there moments where you suddenly realise you’ve been in the daily grind too long, and have forgotten what it was like to have ideals and hopes for a life you can truly call your own? Is the mass society the accepted norm? How often can unique personalities come to terms with expectations and obligations? How much can one’s mind take before it crumbles? These are questions you may be pondering over after watching this 119 minute film.

Do not be mistaken though, that this is a gloomy life reflecting production that looks at life in a run of the mill manner. There are countless charmingly poignant moments – the kids experiencing a fast food meal, Ben celebrating Noam Chomsky’s birthday like it’s Christmas, and the family breaking into a folk tune to celebrate life. Onlookers are intrigued by these eccentric behaviours and this writer is assuming that there is a part of these “normal” people that wishes to be as truly happy as Ben’s family.

Understandably so, the film is adored by the festival circuit. It made its world premiere earlier in January at the Sundance Film Festival, before moving on to be screened in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. Ross was awarded with the Best Director prize – and rightfully so.

Besides writing the story, he has a cast which delivers genuinely affecting performances (besides Mortensen, other familiar faces include Frank Langella, Steve Zahn and Missi Pyle). Most importantly, Ross knows how to draw out the best from the child actors. Each has a unique character which you will feel for, and you wish you were part of this hippie family – having Ben as a Dad isn’t that bad a thing at all.

Movie Rating:

(A film with endearing performances from the entire cast that reminds you what life should be about)

Review by John Li

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Jemaine Clement, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall, Bill Hader
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Singapore 
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/BFGMovie/?fref=ts

Opening Day: 18 August 2016

Synopsis: The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows. But Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Says Spielberg, “It’s a story about friendship, it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems.” Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.

Movie Review:

If there is one author whom your primary school teacher will approve of, it is Roald Dahl. We can confidently say that most readers of this website have read most of novels by the UKwriter. James And The Giant Peach, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Witches, Fantastic Mr Fox and The Twits, anyone? It was an absolute joy to hold on to a physical copy of Dahl’s books when you are a child (given today’s hipster culture, it is probably cool to be seen with one of his books too), and you know you have your teacher’s stamp of approval.

It is very apt then, to have one of the best storytellers in cinematic history to helm this fantasy adventure film. Steven Spielberg can do no wrong, and the 69 year old proves it again with his latest film. If you loved his more sentimental and wholesomely fun works like ET the Extra Terrestrial, War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin, would not want to miss this.

You may not remember the story – a young girl is taken away from her sleep and meets the Big Friendly Giant (BFG). The two will set out on an adventure. Along the way, they learn more things about each other. Ultimately, they have to be part of the adventure to meet the Queen of England before they collaborate to capture evil, man eating giants who have been invading the human world.

Spielberg mixes live action and green screen, computer generated and motion capture effects to very positive results. There are countless visually awe inspiring scenes in this 117 minute movie. What is even more endearing is how the filmmakers that captures the imagination of the original. See how dreams are caught and delivered to human beings. Feel how ecstatic the BFG is after he drinks a bottle with bubbles going upside down. Spielberg knows his approach well, and can easily please both critics and everyday laymen. John Williams also returns as Spileberg’s preffered choice of score composer, and the results are a gentle reminder how the simpler things in life still work.

Mark Rylance charaacterises the BFG perfectly, and one can imagine hearing his compassionate voice in your head. Penelope Wilton is the young girl, and while she may not be your typical cutesie, the two hit it off perfectly, making the eyes kept on screen for almost two hours.

Spielberg does not disappoint us, and he isn’t quite ready to make us feel that way. The 69 year old director has scored another point which adds to his illustrious filmography. The film is a great reminder that things were simpler back then, when the only thing we cared about was being assured by teachers that the Roald Dahl books in our hands were worth the investment.

This film is brought to life by the wonders of today’s filmmaking, and this two hour movie is an experience you will never forget.    

Movie Rating:

(Enter the world of the BFG and feel wondrous like a kid all over again)

Review by John Li

Genre: Adventure/Action
Director: David Yates
Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://legendoftarzan.com

Opening Day: 30 June 2016

Synopsis: From Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures comes the action adventure “The Legend of Tarzan,” starring Alexander Skarsgård (HBO’s “True Blood”) as the legendary character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It has been years since the man once known as Tarzan (Skarsgård) left the jungles of Africa behind for a gentrified life as John Clayton III, Lord Greystoke, with his beloved wife, Jane (Margot Robbie) at his side. Now, he has been invited back to the Congo to serve as a trade emissary of Parliament, unaware that he is a pawn in a deadly convergence of greed and revenge, masterminded by the Belgian, Captain Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz). But those behind the murderous plot have no idea what they are about to unleash.

Movie Review:

As enduring as he may have been through the history of cinema as well as in literature, Edgar Rice Burroughs’ muscle-bound British lord raised by apes in the African jungle, who grows up to fall in love with an American woman named Jane, is undeniably antiquated in this day and age. Not only would its depiction of British colonialism and tribal Africans seem utterly archaic, the very fact that it conjures the notion of the white man’s burden is cultural poison, which pretty much explains why the most successful take on the character in recent times has been the late-90s animation of the same name from Disney. And yet, for once and future ‘Harry Potter’ wizard David Yates to attempt his take on Tarzan inspires some measure of confidence that there remains a place for the Lord of the Apes in contemporary filmmaking.

Sure enough, Yates and his screenwriting duo of Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer start off well enough with a fresh narrative that begins with Tarzan as a now domesticated gentleman settled in his family’s Greystoke Manor and happily married to his Jane. That period of domestic bliss is interrupted when he is summoned by the Prime Minister (Jim Broadbent) to accept an invitation by King Leopold of Belgium to revisit the Congo and serve as trade emissary for the British, an offer he refuses until the American statesman George Washington Williams (Samuel L. Jackson) persuades him to make the trip to investigate the latter’s suspicions of slavery. Williams’ character and motivations are no coincidence – his real-life namesake was a decorated Civil War soldier who had travelled to King Leopold’s Congo Free State and written about the exploitation of the African people by the Belgian colony.

That is but one adjustment that Yates makes to his tale in order to shake off the character’s imperialistic shadow. Rather than have him lord over the local tribe he once spent time with, Yates positions Tarzan as their equal; later on, Tarzan will also come to acknowledge his dishonourable deed of having taken the life of a native from another tribe, which has in part contributed to his existing predicament. No sooner has he, Jane and Williams arrived in Africa does he find himself the target of a bunch of mercenaries led by King Leopold’s representative Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz), who has made a deal with a vengeful tribal chief (Djimon Hounsou) in exchange for a fortune in legendary diamonds for his otherwise bankrupt sovereign.

Tarzan narrowly escapes the kidnap, but Jane is not quite so lucky, and so the former spends the rest of his time reuniting with former friends and reconciliating with former foes while running and swinging through the dense African jungle in pursuit of the steamer on which Leon has Jane held captive. That setup is surprisingly engaging, though it does go back and forth a little too much to establish Tarzan’s backstory from the source material (i.e. the death of his mother as an infant, his father’s death at the hands of the leader of the ape tribe by whom he is adopted, and his first encounter with Jane where he saves her from the same ferocious ape leader); alas, even if it does get off to a good swing, this Tarzan ultimately falls off the vine when it is more than halfway through.

We’re not talking about Jackson’s somewhat anachronistic sidekick act, which frankly we thought was a genuinely fun foil next to Tarzan’s masculinity. We’re not talking either about Waltz’s umpteenth erudite villain act, which despite being niftily armed with deadly rosary made from Madagascar spider silk, is getting too familiar and tired. And certainly, we have no complaints about Margot Robbie’s atypically feisty Jane, who brings nerve and bravado to her damsel-in-distress role. Oh no, what takes Tarzan down is how hasty he seems to get to his inevitable happy ending, so frenetic to the point that it trivialises his Alpha-male conflict with the ape leader whom he has a mano-a-mano with, the grudge that he was responsible for with Hounsou’s Chief Mbonga, as well as the danger that he faces confronting Rom and his men out-numbered and out-gunned.

That his Tarzan hardly registers isn’t Alexander Skarsgård’s fault though; in fact, the ‘True Blood’ hunk is probably one of the best, if not the best, Tarzan we have seen, not only in terms of his incredibly ripped physique but also of how he emotes his character’s feral core in the earlier scenes.  Yet Skarsgård is underserved by a mysterious urgency to get things over and done with – whether to ensure that the summer audience doesn’t get bored or because Yates is too eager to move on to his next ‘Harry Potter’ venture – which only further leaves us in the cold as it rushes from one CG-enhanced setpiece to another. As well-filmed as these are – including an early one where Tarzan leads the natives to literally swing on board a moving train and the climactic centrepiece featuring a wildebeest stampede – they aren’t quite as thrilling without a deeper emotional connection with the titular character himself.

It is also somewhat unfortunate that ‘The Legend of Tarzan’ arrives in the wake of Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book’, which represented the zenith of modern-day CG in portraying both the lush jungle environment as well as its inhabitants within. In comparison, the CG here comes off oddly alienating at best and subpar at worst, especially during the scenes where Tarzan is swinging through the trees at full speed. Yet what this rebooted tale of Tarzan really lacks is spirit and poignance, without which not even the character’s famous jungle cry makes him resonate. Not all is lost of course, but given Yates’ pedigree as well as a promising first half, we expect this Tarzan to come out swinging – rather than limping – to its finish. 

Movie Rating:

(Better than its antiquated nature suggests, this contemporary re-imagining of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ classic character nevertheless falls off from a promising first half by choosing CG-enhanced spectacle and thrill over genuine character pathos and poignance)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Edward Zwick
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Danika Yarosh, Austin Hebert, Patrick Heusinger, Aldis Hodge, Robert Knepper, Holt McCallany
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Violence)
Released By: UIP 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 20 October 2016

Synopsis: Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) returns with his particular brand of justice in the highly anticipated sequel JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK. Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) is the Army Major who heads Reacher’s old investigative unit. She is arrested for Treason and knowing that she is innocent, Reacher must break her out of prison and uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear their names and save their lives. On the run as fugitives from the law, Reacher uncovers a potential secret from his past that could change his life forever.

Movie Review:

Everybody runs, but no one runs better than Tom Cruise. Just look at how much running the 54 year old Hollywoodsuperstar has done in his movies – from the Mission: Impossible franchise, to blockbusters like Minority Report (2002), War of the Worlds (2005) and Knight and Day (2010). Someone must have realised how the already good looking actor looks even better when he is running: just type “Tom Cruise running” in the YouTube search bar, and you will get countless clips of the Golden Globe winning (and Academy Award nominated) celebrity – yes – running.

Unfortunately, after watching Cruise’s latest movie, his running is what we walked out of the theatre remembering. What else happens in this sequel to the 2012 movie? We regret to report: nothing much else.

Based on the novel “Never Go Back” by author Lee Child, the plot follows protagonist Jack Reacher going on the run with an army major who has been wrongly framed for espionage. Taking place years after the events of the first movie, everyone’s favourite modern day superhero is returning to the headquarters of his old military unit. He learns that an old friend has been accused of a crime she hasn’t committed, and of course, it is up to the man who never stops running to save the day.

For a movie with a runtime of 118 minutes, there aren’t many memorable sequences. Sure, the action choreography are well executed (no expenses were spared in making sure that every scene in this very polished blockbuster is perfectly framed, shot and edited), but in this day and age where viewers are constantly craving for something different, this movie feels somewhat dated and – we hate to use this word – unexciting.

The cast does a competent job though. Cobie Smulders is totally believable as a female army major, thanks to her experience of playing Commander Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She is a gutsy woman you wouldn’t want to mess around with. The other lady to look out for in the film is Danish Yarosh, a young girl who gets involved in the, ahem, running. Whether she is Jack Reacher’s daughter remains a mystery until the end of the movie, but the bond built between her and the two adults are believably solid. Patrick Heusinger, who you may have seen on TV’s Gossip Girl, is commanding as a baddie who never lets go. Elsewhere, there is also Rober Knepper trying his best to look sinister.

But as you may have already known, a Tom Cruise movie is mostly about the man himself. This movie reminds us how long the man has been in showbiz, and how we have grown up watching him in The Colour of Money (1986), Rain Main (1988), A Few Good Men (1992) and Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994). You realise how age has caught up with the heartthrob with the extreme close ups, but you also appreciate this charm.

Most of the times throughout the two hours, you wonder what the film has to offer, except Tom Cruise, and his ability to run and look handsome at the same time. 

Movie Rating:

(What else would you expect from a movie headlined by Tom Cruise? Tom Cruise! And how good he looks when running!)

Review by John Li