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SEOUL STATION, THE PREQUEL TO TRAIN TO BUSAN HITS SINGAPORE CINEMAS ON 29TH SEPTEMBER!Posted on 19 Sep 2016 |
Genre: Musical/Romance
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Finn Wittrock, Amiée Conn, Terry Walters, J.K. Simmons
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 December 2016
Synopsis: Aspiring actress Mia (Emma Stone) is struggling to make it within the big city. She meets cocky but charismatic jazz musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), and they soon fall in love, right in the heart of Los Angeles. As success mounts, the pair realises that the dreams they have worked so hard to maintain now threaten to tear them apart.
Movie Review:
So goes the common refrain that Hollywood doesn’t make them like it used to, but ‘La La Land’ proves that when it puts its heart and mind to it, that grand old dame of moviemaking is still capable of the kind of glorious musicals with gorgeous primary colours and showstoppers the likes of Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse dancing in the dark. Written and directed by ‘Whiplash’s’ Damien Chazelle, this unabashed throwback musical is albeit an ambitious and risky project – for one, musicals have all but gone out of fashion; and for another, that bygone genre has had its fair share of haters who find it absolutely ridiculous that its performers would spontaneously burst into song and dance. To be sure, ‘La La Land’ is unlikely to win them over – nor for that matter, does it even try – but for those willing to suspend your disbelief to indulge in pure movie magic, there is plenty to love about this boy-meets-girl story set in modern-day Los Angeles.
The romance revolves around wannabe actress Mia (Emma Stone), who works on the Warner Bros studio lot as a barista in between frustrating auditions, and struggling jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), whose passion for the music fuels his strident defense of the tradition of Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong as well as his disdain for Christmas standards or 1980s New Wave-pop. In classic screwball fashion, their relationship is characterized by early animosity, arising from a blast of road rage (consisting of a honked horn and a flipped bird) and a curt brief encounter following Sebastian’s dismissal from his regular gig at a swanky restaurant whose owner’s (J.K. Simmons) only request is that he keep his playlist to treacly Christmas carols. Yet a powerful mutual attraction soon develops between the pair who find themselves drawn to each other’s respective passion, such that Sebastian encourages Mia to write her own role that would be deserving of her acting talent and Mia brings Sebastian one step closer to realizing his dream of setting up his own jazz club.
Using the passage of the seasons, ‘La La Land’ intertwines their head-over-heels romance with their professional ups and downs, suggesting that their love may never be divorced from their personal aspirations. And indeed, that turning point comes with Sebastian’s decision to join his old university friend Keith’s (John Legend) jazz-rock band – not only is she confused why Sebastian would ‘sell out’ on his ideals by being a part of such music, Mia is furious when Sebastian chides her for not going on tour with him and the band to Boise two weeks before her solo play. If it isn’t apparent before, the film’s third and last act lays bare the real tension at play here – that between ambition and love, between the uncompromising pursuit of one’s own dream and the sacrifices either one party must make in order for their relationship to endure. It is also clear by this point that Chazelle’s inspiration is less so the razzle-dazzle of the MGM classics but the bittersweet French numbers from the likes of Vincente Minnelli and Jacques Demy.
That we so zealously root for Mia and Sebastian is testament to the sparkling chemistry between Stone and Gosling in their third on-screen collaboration (following ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ and ‘Gangster Squad’), who as a duo are close to perfection. Their first duet ‘A Lovely Night’ atop a lookout over Los Angeles against the twinkling lights and violet sky is simply enchanting – even if neither actor has powerhouse vocals or Astaire-Rogers dance moves, such is their rapport that there is plain delight watching them flirt playfully with each other. A subsequent date sees them on a gravity-defying tango in the Griffith Observatory (following a screening of ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ that dies halfway), giving way to an Impressionist fantasia. Amidst these bewitching sequences, a number of quieter duets shine through – in particular, the minor-key piano ballad ‘City of Stars’, in which both take turns to sing about their unfulfilled dreams and big-city solitude that binds them in circumstance, is deeply affecting.
With his regular composer Justin Hurwitz, lyricists Pasek and Paul and choreographer Mandy Moore, Chazelle gives his film a sweeping yet intimate nature, going from a traffic-stopping overture in the middle of a jam on a Los Angeles freeway (with cinematographer Linus Sandgren’s camera giving the impression of a single virtuosic take) to wistful ballads that arguably are the film’s earworms. Though some of the earlier numbers are more technically elaborate than transporting, Chazelle’s staging is impeccable – and the same can be said of Stone and Gosling. Between the two however, it is Stone who makes a deeper impression; at once raw, honest and yet brimming with warmth, her heartfelt performance cuts through the shimmering layers of artifice, expressing keenly her character’s hopes, frustrations and disappointments as much in her relationship as in her art. Whereas, Gosling is all sly ‘wink-wink’ charm, and there is arguably less conviction in his portrayal of an artist devoted to his ideals than as the dreamy lover to Mia.
Though it starts off exuberant and jaunty, ‘La La Land’ finds greater resonance as it settles into a more contemplative and ruminative mood, reflecting on the tough, and sometimes crushing, compromises that following one’s dreams requires. It is a theme that Chazelle expounded on in ‘Whiplash’, and he does likewise with even greater resonance here, especially with a coda which combines flashbacks, flash-forwards, dream sequences and multiple musical reprises into a dazzling time-spanning montage simultaneously pleasing and bittersweet. There is such imagination, craft and emotion in the last 15 minutes that unfolds like a musical within a musical, and illuminates the contrast between the happily-ever-after we so yearn for in the movies and reality itself. Even more so for our two protagonists chasing their respective dreams in ‘La La Land’, the dissonance hits even harder and more poignantly. Get ready to smile, cheer, dance and cry too, for ‘La La Land’ gives plenty of reason to do all that.
Movie Rating:
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(By turns exuberant, romantic and bittersweet, ‘La La Land’ is as much an ode to the bygone era of Hollywood musicals as it is a poignant rumination on the tension between chasing one’s dreams and following one’s heart)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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CURTIS HANSON (1945 - 2016)Posted on 21 Sep 2016 |
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Sneak peek at GHOST IN THE SHELLPosted on 22 Sep 2016 |
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Conrad Vernon, Greg Tiernan
Cast: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Salma Hayek, Edward Norton, David Krumholtz, Nick Kroll, Michael Cera, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Bill Hader, Anders Holm, Paul Rudd, Danny McBride
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Rating: R21 (Crude Humour and Strong Coarse Language)
Released By: Sony Pictures Releasing International
Official Website: http://www.sausagepartymovie.com/site/
Opening Day: 6 October 2016
Synopsis: "Sausage Party" is a raunchy animated movie about one sausage's quest to discover the truth about his existence. After falling out of a shopping cart, our hero sausage and his new friends embark on a perilous journey through the supermarket to get back to their aisles before the 4th of July sale.
Movie Review:
This movie directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon prides itself as the first computer animated film that is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America. In the States, this means that viewers under 17 require accompanying parents or adult guardians as the movie contains some adult material. Parents are also urged to learn more about the film before taking their young children with them.
In Singapore, the movie is rated R21 for crude humour and strong coarse language. What we are getting here is also an edited version. Fret not, you won’t notice the cut – two utterances of religious profanities “Jesus F**k” and “Jesus F**cking Christ” were removed because our classification guidelines state that language which “denigrates religion or is religiously profane” is not allowed for all ratings.
There, with that out of the way, just how offensive is this vulgar comedy? Should frat boys flock to the cinemas to watch this before a beer party at the club? Should prudes stay away and prepare a petition for distributors never to bring this genre of movies into Singaporeever again?
This reviewer admits that for an 89 minute movie, this is one hell of an enjoyable ride. Yes, there are tons of crass jokes, but the scrooge in this writer decided to open up and he was amused with the inappropriateness of this animated film (would the Academy consider nominating it at next year’s Oscars?).
Everything is poked fun at – religion, afterlife, cultures, and yes, SEX – but you can imagine how these gags have come about. A group of fun loving guys must have sat around having beer and come up with a list of things which they thought were funny enough for other like minded folks to LAUGH OUT LOUD. And it is no wonder that there was weed involved when the idea of this movie was conceptualised. The passion project came about when a bunch of dudes (including writers Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill) wondered what if the protagonists were literally sausages – there was weed smoking involved in the process, of course.
The movie’s plot, which parodies the feel good productions of biggies like Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks Animation, follows a sausage who tries to discover the truth about his existence and goes on a journey with his friends to escape their fate.
We love the cast involved in this production – where else will you get Rogen and Hill voicing sausages named Frank and Carl, Kristen Wiig as a hot dog bun who can’t wait for a sausage to be inside her, Michael Cera as a sausage with dwarfism, Bill Hader as a bottle of liquor leading a group of non-perishables, James Franco as a junkie drug addict who sees the food items talking, Danny McBride as a bottle of honey mustard who is aware of the food items’ real fate outside the supermarket, Craig Robinson as a box of dried maize kernels who hates crackers, Paul Rudd as the supermarket manager who is known as the “Dark Lord”, Edward Norton as a bagel with homosexual tendencies, and slurp – Salma Hayek as a lesbian taco bell who wants nothing more than a lustful relationship with a hot dog bun?
Viewers familiar with Rogen and Hill’s sense of humour (Superbad, anyone?) will welcome this movie. In the mix, if you haven’t already been distracted by the laugh a minute jokes, you will also get philosophical messages about existence and the way of life. Just as you wonder how the movie is going to end, along comes an out of this world plot twist that…paves way for a sequel.
Movie Rating:
(You will either be laughing at the vulgar humour, or cringing at how inappropriate the jokes are. Us? We loved this filthy mess of a comedy!)
Review by John Li
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Director: John Moore
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Anna Friel, James Frecheville, Stefanie Scott, Michael Nyqvist
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language and Sexual Scene)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 October 2016
Synopsis: I.T. centers on MIKE REGAN (Pierce Brosnan), a successful, self-made man who has it all - a gorgeous wife (Anna Friel), a beautiful teenage daughter (Stefanie Scott) and a sleek, state-of-the-art “smart home”. His company, Regan Aviation, is on the verge of changing the private jet business forever when his relationship with Ed Porter (James Frecheville), his I.T. consultant, goes awry. Mike quickly finds himself in a deadly, high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse when Ed starts using his I.T. skills to stalk Mike’s daughter and endanger his family, his business, and his life. In a world where there is no privacy, and personal secrets can go viral by the click of a mouse, Mike needs to rely on his old connections to defeat a new kind of nemesis.
Movie Review:
Every generation needs a couple of tech thrillers. Sneakers, Hackers, The Net, Antitrust, Firewall and last year’s Blackhat just to name a few. So many of them and most of them aren’t that particularly good to begin with. We have four more years before the end of the decade and Pierce Brosnan and his Irish DreamTime outfit brings audience another forgettable tech thriller, make that home invasion tech thriller.
In I.T., Brosnan stars as an aviation tycoon, Mike Regan who is preparing to take his company public. The details are blurry but all we need to know is Regan is starting an Uber-like service for billionaires and millionaires. Instead of cabs they have jets. Anyway, impressed by the capabilities of his temp IT guy, Ed Porter (James Frecheville from Perfect Mothers), Regan befriend Porter hoping he can help him in the app his company is developing for the new venture. Unfortunately, Porter turned out to be a psychopath who wired his smart home and threatened his family and him.
I.T. offers nothing new nor original to the genre. It is completely devoid of thrills and action and in most of the screentime, Brosnan looks as frustrated as the audiences. The movie only starts to pick up it’s languishing pacing when a peculiar “cleaner” (played by Michael Nyqvist from John Wick, Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol) appears to aid Regan resolve his sticky situation. What might have helped matters would have Nyqvist sticking for a while longer but what we have in the end is a movie that is filled with too much laughable loopholes and a truckload of dumb cops.
We have definitely seen our fair share of middle-aged men going through desperate measures to protect their loved ones. Mike Regan is no exception. Strangely, despite the wealth and company he built, he is a very stupid man. Who the hell invites a stranger to his house to tweak his wifi? Considering this man is a smartass in technology. With all the money in the world and Mike Regan prefers to risk his life to take back some thumbdrives in a psychopath’s lair? The more you think about it, the less it makes sense.
James Frecheville puts in a fine performance as the nerdy/psychotic IT guy even though the sickest thing he did is to transmit a video of Regan’s teenage daughter masturbating to everybody’s smartphone in her school. His antics are overall pretty mild liked tweaking Mrs Regan’s mammogram record and taking control of Regan’s fancy Maserati that you probably wish Ed Porter could do more than that. And in a frail attempt to invoke some sympathy, the narration even throws in a backstory about his character being an abused victim from a broken family.
Coming from the hands of Brosnan’s fellow Irishmen, John Moore aka the guy who nearly crippled the Die Hard franchise and killed The Omen remake, this is not a title you expect to rise above any other average tech thriller you seen in the past decade. All in all, the movie features a decent cinematography with Ireland making a good substitution for Washington DC and Brosnan desperately extending his shelf life as an action hero.
Movie Rating:
(Never hire a temp IT guy to work for you)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: D.J. Caruso
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Mel Raido, Lucas Till, Gerald McRaney
Runtime: 1 hr 32 min
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 October 2016
Synopsis: In this psychological thriller from the director of Eagle Eye and Disturbia, Dana (Kate Beckinsale) and David (Mel Raido) move from Brooklyn to a once-grand southern mansion with their 5 year old son looking for a fresh start. But Dana's discovery of a secret room unleashes unexplainable events that test her sanity and slowly reveal the home's terrifying past.
Movie Review:
I can’t help but feel like there should be an apostrophe in the title. But that’s not the only thing that is missing in this horror-mystery from director D.J. Caruso and writer Wentworth Miller..
Dana (Kate Beckinsale) is an architect with a purpose, led by her well-meaning husband David (Mel Raido) to a recent purchase and her newest remodeling project - the Blackers House. Together with their five-year-old son Lucas (Duncan Joiner), the family moves into the gloomy house, and with the discovery of a secret room not found in the plans, two parallel family tragedies start to unfold.
With the help of a local archivist, Ms. Judith (Marcia Derousse), Dana discovers the folklore behind her newest find - a room where deformed children are hidden away from the public eye, named simply, the disappointments room. As she starts seeing visions of an old stern distinguished man (Gerald McRaney) with a black dog appearing in the premises, along with floating kites and fleeting shots of a running girl, Dana starts to question her reality.
This is the equivalent of the Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen phenomena. Caruso had a haunted house. Caruso had a grieving mother. UH - haunted grieving mother. That’s it. The horror genre really deserves a lot more respect and finesse than the director has applied to the film.
Setting a story in a Tudor-style house plastered by a drunk Gaudi isn’t going to make it more horrifying. Having ghostly apparitions and jump sequences isn’t going to make it horrifying. Finding mysterious gravestones, paintings and that room - I repeat - isn’t going to make it horrifying. Horror relies a lot on connecting the audience to the characters, so that we can be sympathetic and experience the fear that they go through - and a sleepwalking Beckinsale isn’t the best candidate for that.
Even though we find out early that a certain infant daughter’s passing mars the family and that this move was to help them heal, we never really muster the empathy for this disjointed family. David seemingly just plays with his son all day, leaving a cold Dana to wander around the house, unravelling. And when discoveries are found and investigations are done, the family does not share much of these experiences together. It’s almost like they were in two separate movies.
The contrived father and son characters aside, one might think throwing in appearances like the local grocer, archivist or even handsome handyman Ben (Lucas Till) might give the story some web of emotional story support. The chemistry is slightly better here but surprisingly, they are introduced and then disappear without cause or change. There’s enough red herrings here to fill a year’s catch.
A build-up scene later in the movie had the enigmatic Ms Judith finding and linking up grisly newspaper clippings. She calls the family to warn them but they don’t answer. She replaces the phone, sighs, and then disappears for the rest of the movie. In another scene, Ben was instructed to dig up a gravestone (that Dana found early in the movie but only wanted removed at the end) but wound up being bludgeoned to death by an unknown assailant. When Dana looks out for him in the area, he’s nowhere to be found - even up to the credits.
The movie’s climactic breakdown scene at the dinner table was an embarrassing non-event. Beckinsale enters - drunk or tired, I can’t tell - and goes on an illogical tirade against the guests and her husband. The acting is textbook and flat, with no crescendo and completely out of tune. When she finally starts smashing crockery and the husband coddles her, we’re thinking - next!
Even though the movie has moments of thoughtful cinematography and clearly wants to do a light homage to the legendary The Shining (degenerating lead, young boy with red ball, girl in corridors), someone at Relativity Media needs to know what films can save them from another bankruptcy. By the end of the movie, as the car pulls away from the driveway, the state of affairs is such that it’s almost like the whole thing never happened.
Movie Rating:
(Lacking tension coupled with numerous foreshadowing with no payout - The Disappointments Room needs to lock itself up behind that door and this time, someone please - throw away the key)
Review by Morgan Awyong
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YOUNG LOVE LOST (少年巴比伦)Posted on 25 Sep 2016 |
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Director: David Mackenzie
Cast: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham, Dale Dickey
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: http://hellorhighwater.movie
Opening Day: 27 October 2016
Synopsis: A story about the collision of the old and new west, two brothers - Toby (Chris Pine), a straight-living, divorced father trying to make a better life for his son; and Tanner (Ben Foster), a short-tempered ex-con with a loose trigger finger come together to rob branch after branch of the bank that is foreclosing on their family land. The hold-ups are part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that powerful forces beyond their control have stolen from under their feet. Vengeance seems to be theirs until they find themselves in the crosshairs of a relentless, foul-mouthed Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last triumph on the eve of his retirement. As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their plan, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the last honest law man and a pair of brothers with nothing to live for except family collide.
Movie Review:
What it comes to heist and crime movies, what are the first things that you would think of? Lots of running, daredevil stunts, well choreographed car chases and very, very loud gun shots? These presumptions are thrown out of the window with Scottish director David MacKenzie’s latest work, a heist and crime film that moves along steadily and boasts emotionally engaging performances from its leads.
MacKenzie (Young Adam, Perfect Sense) works with Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster to tell a story of two brothers who carry out a series of robberies to save their family fortune. The movie takes place in West Texas: the divorced Toby (Pine) and his ex con brother Tanner (Foster) are planning to commit several small scale bank heists, and their differing personalities (Toby is cool headed, while Tanner’s wild nature often leads him to take unnecessary risks) get in the way. Enter Bridges’ Marcus, a ranger who is about to retire, to catch the robbers. The three men will cross paths and cook up a human drama that boasts emotional honesty.
There is nothing more satisfying than seeing three actors putting in their best to play engagingly fleshed out characters. Here, Pine is no longer the pretty face we are familiar with – he wants you to forget that he is James T Kirk from the Star Trek movies. Playing the man who wants to do the right things within his means, this is easily the 36 year old actor’s career best. A nice contrast comes in the form of Foster’s trigger happy character – his volatility comes with a vulnerability that makes you feel for the man.
And you can always count on Bridges to deliver a marvelous performance. His senior officer takes his time to speak in a gruffly growl that is affectionately endearing. Playing a supporting role is Gil Birmingham, a fellow ranger with a Mexican descent. The two men banter casually, with the latter soaking up his boss’s insults. These scenes are brilliantly played out, making you wish more movies could capture the relationship between two characters so well.
The actors’ superb performances are complemented by MacKenzie’s sure handed directing. He does not compromise the story with convenient action sequences. NickCaveand Warren Ellis’ hauntingly foreboding score is powerful and leaves you with what every film should do - caring for the characters. No one is a good guy, and neither of them is a villain. The result is a very well observed character study which is uncommon in today’s movies.
It will be convenient to disregard this very well made film. Viewers who are spoilt by high budgeted blockbusters will find this film slow moving and lacking action scenes. The screenplay allows characters to play out the dynamics between them, and scenes take place in bare diners, casinos and the sparse lands. Each scene is an opportunity for viewers to appreciate the finer things in life, and soak up this fine story of three men, each with a heartfelt tale to tell.
Movie Rating:
(A film with emotional depth and honesty that tells a fine story of three men’s seemingly different, yet similar sympathetic lives)
Review by John Li
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GOLDEN VILLAGE TO OPEN NEW SIX-SCREEN CINEMA AT BEDOK IN 2018Posted on 26 Sep 2016 |
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