Genre: Comedy
Director: Michelle Chong
Cast: Michelle Chong, Leon Jay Williams, Chan Tian Wen, Sharon Au, Glenn Ong, The Flying Dutchman
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Huat Films and Cathay-Keris Films  
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/LuluTheMovie/

Opening Day: 24 November 2016

Synopsis: The movie opens with Lulu arriving in Singapore from her hometown in China looking for her one true love that she met on social media. However, her dream lover turns out to be the complete opposite of what she imagines him to be. Not wanting to 'lose face' to her friends back in China, she decides to stay in Singapore and make something of herself. We follow her adventures of job-hopping, learning English and being discovered by the TV station. She gets the opportunity to front n English fashion program despite having 'unique' fashion sense and even more unique command of the English language. She refuses to conform to normal standards of what a fashion host is supposed to dress or sound like but audiences love her unconventional way of hosting and her show becomes top-rated, even garnering international attention. Her real adventures begin as she embarks on her journey around the world (from London to Shanghai) as a bona fide fashionista. Throughout her journey, although she meets with mockery, discrimination and tough times, Lulu refuses to give up or compromise. A strong message that comes across in the movie is that one can achieve success by staying true to oneself and living life on one's own terms.

Movie Review:

As one of the supporting characters of the satirical news programme ‘The Noose’, Michelle Chong’s over-the-top portrayal of the fictional PRC KTV hostess named Lulu was one of its best and most memorable acts; as the subject of a feature-length movie however, Lulu turns out not only horribly dull but also a terribly unfunny caricature. Oh yes, after close to a year of teasing, writer-producer-director Chong has finally readied her big-screen treatment of Lulu, and the result is anything but funny; in fact, it is such a painfully unfunny watch that one wonders why Chong even bothered.

The paper-thin premise has Lulu travelling from Shanghai to Singapore in search of her local beau on Weibo named Brad Pit, whom she believes is dashing like Leon Jay Williams but turns out dorky like Chen Tianwen, complete with a potbelly and thick-rimmed black glasses. Not only that, Lulu discovers that Brad Pit doesn’t stay in a bungalow as his photo had promised, but in a rundown second-storey unit above a coffeeshop in Geylang Lorong 33. Disgusted and disappointed yet resolute to make her own life, Lulu starts out by taking multiple jobs like a hairdresser, a waitress and a kindergarten teacher – though the one that will change her fortune is none other than that of a hostess at the now-defunct Tiananmen KTV.

As much as you may like Lulu’s movie to be about her transformative journey through grit and self-determination, the truth is far from that. Indeed, Lulu may go from an unsophisticated country bumpkin to an Internet sensation with her own fashion programme, but that accomplishment is more a result of narrative contrivances than anything else. How else would Lulu’s dream beau Leon just happen to be a regular at Tiananmen out of all the other KTVs in Singapore? Or how Leon’s snobbish and ill-tempered girlfriend Sonia (also played by Chong) would just happen to be the host of the fashion TV programme whose producers decide to replace with Lulu?

But more fundamentally, the story is grossly under-developed. Whereas there is hint of possible sibling rivalry between Brad Pit and Leon for Lulu’s affections early on,, that dynamic never comes to pass – and for that matter, both characters are pretty much sidelined most of the time, so much so that it is never even said how the former’s feelings for Lulu evolves as she becomes famous and taken for granted why the latter would fall for Lulu. Conspicuously absent too is how Sonia reacts to being replaced by Lulu, whether on her programme or as Leon’s object of affection. It is downright perplexing why there is simply no attempt to develop any of these supporting characters or their relationships with Lulu.

In fact, the same can be said of Lulu, who remains frustratingly opaque despite having a whole movie to herself. Alternating between being earnestly bumbling and brazenly self-confident depending on what fits the situation for maximum laughs, Lulu never emerges as a fully-formed character in her own right because of such inconsistencies. There are hints here and there of how Lulu strives to be her own woman (such as standing up to Leon when he suggests that she be more sophisticated like Sonia), but her resolve is never quite coherently or compellingly portrayed. Nor for that matter how her overnight success changes or affects her, again only hinted by her wistful stares or lonely asides.

Such poor at best, appalling at worst, characterization is not even excusable as a natural consequence of how the movie follows ‘The Noose’s’ structure as a hodgepodge of loosely connected skits, precisely because these individual sketches are not nearly as funny at all. In fact, the best that this movie can muster is already in the trailer – and that is, of Lulu’s English lesson with a bunch of preschool children where she mangles the meaning and pronunciation of words that rhyme with ‘lace’. Not quite as amusing as it should be is Lulu’s outrageous dancing to the hip-hop tune ‘A-wah’ by a certain Chinese band named China Wine (get it?), especially since it is supposed to mark the turning point in Lulu’s fortunes.  

If it isn’t clear yet, Lulu’s drive to be better than the self-absorbed persona we have come to know her as ends up at odds with the character’s chief source of humour, given how part of that drive involves her taking English lessons (from an English-language school called Brilliant Minds run by the opportunistic Henry Thia no less). Like most, if not all, of the movie itself, the result is half-hearted and ultimately incoherent – one moment Lulu seems to have matured beyond her PRC Mandarin-accented English days, and the next she is back amplifying those worst tendencies to get us laughing at her same old ways again.

Playing multi-hyphenate roles as she did with her modestly successful directorial debut ‘Almost Famous’ and sophomore feature ‘Three Peas in a Pod, Chong deserves blame for her film’s abundant shortcomings. Her directorial instincts are as raw as an amateur gets – not only do individual scenes make little sense next to one another, but there is also no articulate flow to the narrative, such that the whole movie feels like a drag from start to finish. She is also no Larry Charles (or Sacha Baron Cohen for that matter), and the Borat-like vignettes filmed in London (after Lulu inherits the mantle of ‘Sonia Talks Fashionh’) are largely tedious and humorless.

Truth be told, ‘Lulu the Movie’ is exhausting to sit through. Not only is it a barely formed movie, it is a badly formed movie with a bare-bones narrative, little to none character development and surprisingly witless jokes that can’t even match that of the Youtube clips which have made her character so popular and endearing in the first place. There used to be good reason for us to set aside our politeness to laugh at a character formed through and through on nationalistic stereotypes, but this portrait of Lulu offers us almost no excuse to do so. Given how blatant the product placements are, we can only imagine Michelle Chong must have needed to account to her sponsors as the only reason why she decided eventually to finish this long-gestating movie. 

Movie Rating:

(Not even as funny as them Youtube clips of her on 'The Noose', Michelle Chong's big-screen treatment of Lulu is an abysmally boring and witless movie that is simply frustrating to sit through)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Doo Lee
Cast: Ryu Deok-hwan, Jo Bok-rae, Lee So-bin
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Clover Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 1 December 2016

Synopsis: VJ Glow is the MC of the hit horror-based online channel ‘Glow World.’ In order to earn balloon points (the channel’s online currency), VJ Glow looks for stories, urban legends and haunted places to showcase on his show. One day he stumbles upon a frightening video of the unsolved mystery of a high school girl who goes missing while playing one-man tag - a new form of hide-and-seek that is trending online. One-man tag is said to bring ghosts out of their hiding, and in the video, the high school girl slowly goes mad while playing this game. VJ Glow senses a hot exclusive and begins an episode about searching the girl. His deadly game of one-man tag is played out live on his channel.

Movie Review:

Money and fame is to be had on the online world. And in the fictional world of afreecaTV, a channel specialising in horror named “Glow World” is chalking up some interest. The host of the channel, VJ Glow (Ryu Deok-hwan) is a douchebag skeptic, who bulldozes any possible spirits with his bravado and rapid-fire mouth. His partner-in-crime is the long-suffering Producer Park (Jo Bok-rae), often targeted by VJ Glow for false scares and teasing.

In their attempt to rack up viewership and balloons (the channel’s online currency), the duo scours for horrific stories to investigate, as they livestream their explorations in creepy forests and abandoned buildings.

Dry on material, they stumble upon a video of a high school girl playing a viral game called “One-Man Tag”. The footage suggests strong supernatural influence and as they investigate, they realise that they might be a little in over their unprepared heads.

Hide And Never Seek does a Blair Witch, with the found footage concept supported by marketing materials and references to this film being “based on real broadcast...in 2015”. The film shuffles between footage shot from locations, a mounted cam on VJ Glow and various other outlets. Luckily, the usual shaking is kept to a minimum, and the usual screen is one that is split between the VJ doing his commentary and a chat scrolling on the right.

Because the text is lost in translation, some moments are less effective. There’s once when the VJ asks the viewers if he should embark on a particularly dangerous mission, we have to wait for his delayed reaction to get an indication. That said, the presence of the viewers and their frenetic texting does add a refreshing “live” element to the ongoings.

When VJ and Park hunts down the missing girl, the game of “One-Man Tag” becomes a little clearer. Left a little vague, the terrifying game is supposed to summon a dead spirit to play with you - with a ritual that involves you stuffing a doll with hair and fingernails, plunging it with water, switching off lights, stabbing the doll, as well as hiding in a room to let the doll find you. All this, presumably, for bragging rights - and in this case, for the unpopular girl Sun-Young (Lee Soo-Bin) to gain some quick fame.

All this turns sour real fast when the girl filming the doll goes missing - leaving the final step of the ritual unfinished and the spirit free to roam and haunt the library and Sun-Young. As VJ Glow and Park gets pulled into the location where things happen, more discoveries are made.

Of all the elements in Hide And Never Seek, the location has got to be the creepiest. A derelict library with flapping sheets and disused furniture always makes the mind wander, and see things where there aren’t. Unfortunately, the real scares never really came; a shame given certain moments really played itself up - like the one where the VJ pokes his nose into some abandoned scaffolding.

Another choice scene was one where the VJ realises the false doll they had rigged was missing, and in cold sweat, decides to abort the mission fearing the worst.

Sadly, Director Lee Doo-hwan does not give us a good pay-off after these episodes, and continued to throw “discoveries” that blunted the scene. Also, his attempt at layering the story was just overworked, especially after the girl appears midway, seemingly with an agenda of her own.

Even right at the end, when all was revealed, the first revelation (with an ode to both Dark Waters and The Changeling) proved to be of more impact than the subsequent ones, when the entity finally goes all out to consume the victims. At that point, it had the unfortunate effect of raising more questions than it answered, so I was left more puzzled than satisfied.

Movie Rating:

(A simple story that harnesses a refreshing platform tries to terrify, with a spooky viral game and supernatural mystery, but finds itself seeking better scares)

Review by Morgan Awyong

This one is for fans of Disney music – and also anyone who loves jazz. Why has it taken so long for someone to moot this idea of infusing jazz and Disney music into one album? Better late than never: here are 45 glorious minutes of iconic Disney tunes performed by some of the most well known jazz musicians around the world.

Probably the most mainstream of the lot, English pop jazz singer Jamie Cullum kickstarts the compilation of 12 songs with “Everybody Wants To Be A Cat” from 1970’s The Aristocats. American singer Melody Gardot then takes over and like a cat, she purrs “He’s A Tramp” from The Lady and the Tramp (1955).

Disney music has the power to bring people together. Remember “When You Wish Upon A Star” from Pinocchio (1940)? Played over the opening credits and in the final scene of the film, the Oscar winning song has since become the representative song of the Mouse House. It is performed charmingly by American artiste Gregory Porter on this CD, and it is a treat you can listen to over and over again. Elsewhere, Italian singer Raphael Gualazzi ups the tempo and suavely croons “I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)” from 1967’s The Jungle Book, while French singer Laika Fatien brings a sexy rendition to the 1959 adaptation of Sleepy Beauty’s “Once Upon A Dream”.

Things get more contemporary with French performers Hugh Coltman and Anne Sila singing “You’ve Got A Friend In Me” from Toy Story (1995) and “Let It Go” from Frozen (2013). Speaking of the French, Stacey Kent and Nikki Yanofsky bring you the French versions of “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo” and “Un Jour Mon Prince Viendra” (“Someday My Prince Will Come”) from two of Disney’s most beloved films Cinderella (1950) and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

Cuddle up with a cup of coffee on a rainy day with this recommended album, and things won’t look so gloomy anymore.    

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (4) When You Wish Upon A Star - Gregory Porter

Review by John Li

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Cast: Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson, Courtney B. Vance, Russell Crowe
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: UIP 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 8 June 2017

Synopsis: Thought safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen (Sofia Boutella of Kingsman: The Secret Service and Star Trek Beyond) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her, is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension. From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.

Movie Review:

Do you remember that game we played when we were young? The one where someone would start writing a paragraph of a story and pass it on to the next person to continue, but only letting them see the last line from that paragraph? After the last person finishes, the final tale that unfolds will almost always be nonsensical, but amusing.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the $125 million version of that game - The Mummy. And it’s not anywhere near as funny.

Sometimes there is such a thing as too many credentials. The team of writers have a solid track record. David Koepp. Christopher McQuarrie. Dylan Kussman. Jon Spaihts. Jenny Lumet. Alex Kurtzman. With The Mummy, Universal launches into the first chapter of their Dark Universe franchise to challenge the other studios. Remember these six names well. If they stick with this team, then run like you’ve just seen a real monster.

Tom Cruise is the raffish Nick Morton, a wise-cracking grave robber who procures trinkets to sell in the black market. He gets hunted down by a very blonde and British Jenny Halsey (Annabelle Wallis) because he stole her map and she hauls his newest find of an unrecorded sarcophagus back to London. The truth is that she works for Dr. Jekyll (Russell Crowe) who plays him as narrator and observer for the rest of the events, as Ahmanet from that sarcophagus comes alive, seeking to finish her apocalyptic ritual.

The writing for the film really feels more checklist than script. It’s so disjointed and patchy that I’m guessing director Kurtzman couldn’t wrangle the egos in. It seems like everybody wanted a piece of their vision in the script. I believe the group mantra was - let’s copy my successful formula, add it to yours, and make it bigger and better.

Trust me, it never does. With all the references, The Mummy’s aspiration to be “all of the above” checks  “none of the above” instead.

It hijacks Indiana Jones for the cast dynamics, but fizzles on chemistry. Sidekick Chris (Jake Johnson) disappears early in the script, only to appear late in the film again with knowledge of how to procure their precious gem - except that the pretty Wallis already knows that.

It opts for some X-Men realness, championing Dr. Jekyll as the Dark Universe’s Charles Xavier, but his version is more cliche than classy. He believes that monsters are just misunderstood (awww) and can be used to fight the evil that created them. Sir, this is 2017.

There’s even some original 1999 The Mummy goodness with the whole face-in-the-sandstorm, sudden masses of critters scenes - just not as impressive or scary. There’s a Titanic moment with Morton and Wallis trapped and whispering intimate confessions in a water chamber but comes across more perfunctory than passionate. There’s also underwater skeletons swimming and chasing the leads, not unlike something from Pirates of the Caribbean, except the skeletons disappear within five minutes.

The worst case of Kurtzman’s indecision has to be the pivotal scene when Ahmanet breaks free. The lovely Sofia Boutella is perfect in her role, but her release is edited together with a struggle between Mr. Hyde and Morten, and on the side, Wallis with a security guard. There’s so much superfluous action and plot devices that go nowhere here that they should have trapped the Egyptian princess there instead.

If anything haunts this story, it’s the B-grade vibes that somehow permeates the production. From acting to script, from effects to props, everything lacks polish and punch.

Guys at Universal, the resurrection failed. As a latecomer to the franchise formula, don’t even try to do a takeover. Your efforts here show you up really badly. Know your piece of the pie and eat it. It’s enough.

Movie Rating:

(Incoherent plot developments and devices fall flat, along with tired character profiles and theories. The focus is off and the dark universe future stays murky)

Review by Morgan Awyong

MOANA Singapore Press Conference Posted on 27 Nov 2016 Just so you know, 16-year-old Auli’I Cravalho is single. The Native Hawaiian, who was in Singapore earlier this month to promote Disney’s 56th animated feature film, revealed that fact to the media. When asked whether there is any significance wearing the Vanda ‘Miss Joaquim’ (fondly known as the Singapore Orchid) behind her right ear, Cravalho giggled: “It mea ... more

SYNOPSIS: A young lady, Yang Yuhuan (FAN Bing Bing), leads the dancers to dance for their imperial mourning. Emperor, Tang Ming Huang (Leon LAI) adores her at the first sight. Emperor’s beloved, Imperial concubine Wu (starring CHEN Chong) worrying about the potential threat from Yang, tells a lie that she has chosen her to be the imperial concubine for her son, Prince LI Mao (Chun WU). Yang Yuhuan becomes the wife of Prince LI Mao and the Emperor’s daughter-in-law. After entering the palace, Yang feels no interest in politics and power struggle. However, in order to strive for her son to be the crown prince, Wu defames another three princes that they are going to rebel against the Emperor. The three princes that they are going to rebel against the Emperor. The three princes are punished to death. Finally, the failure of Wu’s conspiracy causes her to commit suicide.  

MOVIE REVIEW:

After his much-publicized divorce, Heavenly King Leon Lai seems to disappear from public scrutiny when in actual fact, the HK actor has been dabbling in several movie projects in the Mainland. Most of them unfortunately never reach our shore including Lady Of The Dynasty where he played the role of Emperor Xuanzong.

In this tale about one of the four great beauties of China, Yang Guifei aka Yang Yuhuan, the prolific Fan Bingbing plays the pretty yet tragic Yang. After being picked by Consort Wu (Joan Chen) as the wife for Prince Mao (Wu Chun), Mao unceremoniously dumps Yang later on when he realized his father, Emperor Xuanzong has fallen in love with Yang. Feeling betrayed and heartbroken, Yang retreat to a monastery only to be persuaded by the Emperor to be his concubine.

Lady Of The Dynasty is not merely a troubled project but stood out sorely as one without a solid engaging story and purpose in mind. The entire affair which clocked in at 120 minutes struggles to tell the ill-fated romance between the Emperor and Yang. At the same time, it’s crammed with imperial conspiracies with numerous crown princes plotting to usurp the throne and other internal conflicts that never get enough exposition.       

The turning point of the story involves Yang’s cousin planning a coup with a powerful general, An Lushan. But then the audiences probably have only a faint idea of who Yang’s cousin is let alone General An and their whatever evil plans. The movie even conveniently has an envoy from the Byzantine Empire to narrate the entire proceedings, an attempt to reach out to non-Mandarin speaking audiences. Most important of all, we receive no further insight into the character of Yang Yuhuan except she is a very pretty commoner who excel in dance, music and even a game of polo. History lovers will know that Yang’s beauty is responsible for the downfall of a nation though you won’t really understand what it truly means from this cinematic outing.      

Even though he is assisted by big names co-directors Zhang Yimou (Curse of the Golden Flower) and Tian Zhuang Zhuang (The Blue Kite), the storytelling is lackluster for first time helmer, corporate CEO turned director Shiqing. The technical aspects on the other hand are marvelous. With cleavage loving Zhang as co-director, famed Japanese costume designer Emi Wanda blessed the glamorous period costumes with generous revealing cleavages and cinematographer Hou Yong provides grandeur shots of the palace and the vast plains.  

Of course despite at the age of 35 in real-life, Fan Bingbing is still believable as Yang who is believed to have a face that put all flowers to shame though the movie never attempt to show her age from 18 to her death at the age of 43. Leon Lai continues to hide behind his facial hair (watch Fire of Conscience and Bodyguards and Assassins) that he forgets how to act. Same goes to the handsome Wu Chun. Wu Gang is excellent as Eunuch Gao Lishi and Joan Chen’s delicious portrayal of Consort Wu is given an early exit.

Lady Of The Dynasty is a disappointing outing for fans of period dramas especially it’s done on such a lavish scale. Neither dramatic nor riveting, it’s often dull and hardly reeks of any chemistry or passion between the two leads. There’s a supposedly deleted scene, which feature a titillating sex scene on a horse but I doubt it’s going to soup up the eroticism or the half-baked character arc of Yang. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

NIL

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The usage of rich colors and lush production design provides the eye candy in the visual department and the outdated Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is a shame in this era.

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Advance Ticket Sales Start 29 November! Posted on 25 Nov 2016 Advance ticket sales for the highly anticipated movie of the year, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, will kick off in Singapore on 28 November 2016, 10.00AM exclusively for Citibank cardholders on IMAX(r) 3D format across Shaw Theatres for the first session on 14 December 2016, 7.00PM only, following sessions for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story(tm) IMAX(r) 3D will go on public sale with all other form ... more

Genre: Action
Director: Ho Yuhang
Cast: Kara Wai, Simon Yam, Wu Bai, Faizal Hussein, Tony Lau Wing, Siow Li Xuan, Kirk Wong
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 21 September 2017

Synopsis: Mrs K is a housewife who lives in a quiet suburban neighborhood with her husband Mr K and their daughter Lil’ K. One day, a stranger shows up to blackmail Mrs K. He’s an ex-cop who knows about her unseemly past. But he doesn’t seem to pose much threat and she punishes him, hoping that he would back off. That is only a prelude to the immanent terror. Soon, Lil’ K is kidnapped. Mrs K is forced out of her sheltered life to face an old enemy.

Movie Review:

(Reviewed at the 27th Singapore International Film Festival)

Malaysian director Ho Yuhang is evidently inspired by American auteur Quentin Tarantino. The protagonist of his latest film is a housewife who is willing to do anything (how convenient that she can deliver some mean kicks and punches!) to protect her husband and daughter when enemies from her past come hunting her down. The spaghetti western influences are strong in Malaysian band Fugu’s film score, and the end credits are stylistically familiar. 

Oh, the protagonist doesn’t have a name in the movie as well (no one actually calls out the titular “Mrs K”). Beatrix Kiddo, anyone?

The similarities stop there. Ho manages to infuse a strong flavour into his work, thanks to a well cast ensemble of actors. After reviving veteran Hong Kong actress Kara Wai’s career in his 2009 revenge drama At The End of Daybreak”, Ho reunites with the action star of the Shaw Brothers era and the result is gleefully fun to watch. Elsewhere, Taiwanese celebrity Wu Bai plays her husband (who would have thought the rock star can pull off the role of an obstetrician so well?), Hong Kong actor Simon Yam effortlessly plays a demented villain, and screen legend Tony Liu takes on the role of a suspiciously sneaky private eye. Newcomer Siow Li Xuan does a fine job as well, playing Wai and Wu’s daughter who gets kidnapped by the baddies.

Hong Kong filmmakers Fruit Chan and Kirk Wong are joined by Malaysian director Dain Iskandar Said as the trio turn in hilarious cameo performances as murdered criminals who re appear as apparitions.

While there are occasional straying plot developments, the 97 minute movie is saved by its entertainment value. The action scenes are exhilaratingly choreographed, the offbeat humour are genuinely chuckle worthy, and the production values are high (thanks to director of photography Teoh Gay Hian and production designer Wong Tai Sy).

What we are particularly impressed are the heartfelt scenes where the family spending moments together. Two standout scenes to watch out for - one involves Wai, Wu and Siow having dinner, challenging each other to spit out fish bones, while the other has the three watching TV, having a seemingly inconsequential conversation. Ho has successfully captured the essence of what every human being yearns – to share that unspoken bond with loved ones. 

Movie Rating:

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama
Director: Tran Anh Hung
Cast: Audrey Tautou, Melanie Laurent, Berenice Bejo, Jérémie Renier, Pierre Deladonchamps, Irène Jacob
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Nudity)
Official Website: http://sgiff.com/browse-all-films/eternity/

Opening Day: 24 November 2016 (Singapore International Film Festival 2016)

Synopsis: At the end of the 19th century, young Valentine is betrothed to her beloved husband Jules. From that moment on, Valentine and her clan are buoyed by the currents of time through the cycles of life, birth and death, love and heartbreak.

Movie Review:

Vietnamese born French director Tran Anh Hung’s latest work doesn’t have much of a plot, and the film manages to run for almost two hours. It is a piece of art about life, takes place over a century and introduces viewers to two generations of characters.

Based on the novel L' Elegance des veuves ("The Elegance of Widows") by Alice Ferney, the film begins in 19thcentury France, and audiences see how Valentine (a very solemn looking Audrey Tautou) grow up in a beautiful mansion, marry a good looking man and giving birth to more than half a dozen children. Alas, they begin dying (we suspect there’s a plague during that era), and the focus of the film shifts to her surviving son Henri (Jeremie Renier) and his wife Mathilde (Melanie Laurent). The couple have more children as the film progresses, and the story brings in another couple Charles (Pierre Deladonchamps) and Gabrielle (Berenice Bejo). People die, newborns come into the world – that basically sums up the rest of the film.

The film brings to mind Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life (2011). It is made up of countless gorgeously shot scenes (thanks to director of photography Mark Lee Ping Bing) which have no dialogue. These are merely moments of life, captured on camera in slow motion, and accompanied by a piano heavy soundtrack (Tran had wanted Radihead’s Jonny Greenwood to compose, but he wasn’t available due to scheduling conflicts and classical pieces that Tran were familiar with were used instead)

Viewers won’t be sure where the film is heading, and may become frustrated with the voiceovers which seem to point at nothing. But those familiar with Tran’s previous works (1993’s The Scent of Green Papaya, 1995’s Cyclo and 2010’s Norwegian Wood) will be able to appreciate what story he is trying to tell. Life is about people and the moments they create - when the film finally transits into a modern day setting, the message that this abstract concept called life is one huge tree of roots and branches comes clear.

Movie Rating:

Reviewed by John Li at the 27th Singapore International Film Festival

Genre: Action
Director: The Mo Brothers
Cast:  Iko Uwais, Chelsea Islan, Sunny Pang, Julie Estelle, Epy Kusnandar, Zack Lee, Very Tri Yulisman
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence)
Official Website: http://sgiff.com/browse-all-films/headshot/ 

Opening Day: 25 November 2016 (Singapore International Film Festival 2016)

Synopsis: A young man wakes up from a coma in a hospital with no recollection of his past except a gunshot wound to the head. His only friend is the student-doctor Ailin, who nursed him back to recovery, renaming him Ishmael. Ishmael’s new existence is soon shaken up when a vicious gang starts hunting him down along with the people around him. He realizes that to save his future, he must bring back the dark memories from his past.

Movie Review:

Viewers would flock to this film for two main reasons. First, they are fans of Indonesian actor, stuntman and fight choreographer Iko Uwais (too bad his co star from the very popular action movie The Raid, Yayan Ruhian isn’t in this movie). Second, they are fans of action and slasher genre movies (read: all things bloody, gory).

Directed by Timo Tjahjanto and Kimo Stamboel (aka The Mo Brothers), the story’s protagonist is a man (Uwais) who finds himself washed ashore with no memory of who he is or where he came from. With the help of a pretty doctor (a very fresh faced Chelsea Islan), he starts to recover. The past comes knocking with flashbacks in the mix is a Chinese mafia (Singapore’s very own Sunny Pang!) and his team of dangerous and deadly assassins.

Fans of the genre will love the well choreographed action sequences, which do a great job of entertaining audiences. When the film begins to develop a romantic subplot, it drags down the pace – thankfully there isn’t much of that. The filmmakers know very well what fans want, and they deliver the punches, kicks and of course, the blood and gore in generous amounts. When viewers watch a movie like this, they are perfectly fine with screenwriters coming up with “reasons” for the characters to get into fights.

Uwais is as impressive as he was in Merantau (2009), The Raid (2012) and its 2014 sequel, nimbly knocking the antagonists out cold to escape from sticky situations. His on screen persona is charming too, and shouldn’t have problems having a steady following of female fans. Pang is aptly cast as the villain, scowling and grimacing his way through the 118 minute movie, reciting Bahasa and the strangely out of place Singlish dialogue.

The movie only has one objective in mind – to showcase fight after fight after fight. And it does an awesome job in doing so. 

Movie Rating:

Reviewed by John Li at the 27th Singapore International Film Festival