Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Cast: Dave Johns, Haley Squires
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language)
Official Website: http://sgiff.com/browse-all-films/i-daniel-blake/

Opening Day: 3 December 2016 (Singapore International Film Festival 2016)

Synopsis: Daniel Blake (a brilliant Dave Johns) is a widowed joiner caught in a welfare quandary. Due to discrepancies in his medical evaluations, he is forced to apply for jobs he cannot accept, to remain in the benefits system. He befriends Katie, a single mother with two children in a similar predicament.  Uncompromising reality is the strength of this dark-humoured polemic. Robbie Ryan’s muted cinematography features an understated sobriety that observes the characters’ downward spiral with a quiet dignity. As affecting vessels condemned by procedural indifference and social prejudice, Johns and newcomer Hayley Squires add a humanitarian urgency to Loach’s didactic yet disarmingly simple narrative. Ten years after his first win with The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006), director Ken Loach continues his acclaimed streak with this humanistic Palme d’Or winner at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Movie Review:

What would you be doing when you are 80 years old? Would you still be speaking up for issues you believe in? English filmmaker Ken Loach, who is known for his socially critical directing style, is still tackling poignant themes like poverty, homelessness and labour rights in his works.

Nope, life does not work out for everyone at the end of the day.

Loach, who won the prestigious Palme d’Or for a second time at the Cannes Film Festival for his latest film, is someone we (regardless whether you are in the film industry or not) should look up to. The alma mater of St Peter’s College in Oxfordis now one of the nine filmmakers around the world who have been award the prize twice in the film’s 69 year history (he previously won for the 2006 war drama The Wind that Shakes the Barley).

What we love about Loach’s latest film is that it isn’t an angry piece of work. The 100 minute movie manages to move at a sparing pace, and presents day to day life events that are seemingly inconsequential – until you realise there is an urgency to address these issues.

The protagonist Daniel Blake is a middle aged carpenter who has to find ways to survive the British welfare state after suffering a heart attack. On top of being unable to work, he has to figure our how the system works with state officials, Internet technology, validation tests and incomprehensible forms. He meets a single mother and her two children, and the group find solace in each other’s existence.

English stand up comedian Dave Johns is perfectly cast as Daniel Blake – you will feel for the character as he trudges his way around the bureaucratic maze. You laugh with him, cry with him and want to be there for him. English actress and playwright Hayley Squires also shines as the single mother in the movie. Watch out for a heartbreaking scene in a food bank where she breaks down, overcome by hunger.

As the film progresses, you also realise that it is about a beautiful friendship between two people who find each other at the worst moments in life. The tenderness in approaching this story is apt, and while the film may seem simple and easy to watch, there is a much deeper realisation to be felt when the lights come on.   

Movie Rating:

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

Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Chris Wedge
Cast: Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Holt McCallany, Barry Pepper, Tucker Albrizzi, Danny Glover, Amy Ryan, Rob Lowe, Frank Whaley, Thomas Lennon
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: UIP 
Official Website: http://www.monstertrucksmovie.com

Opening Day: 12 January 2017

Synopsis: Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp (Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a Monster Truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town and a most unlikely friend. Melding cutting edge visual effects and state-of-the-art CGI, Monster Trucks is an action filled adventure for the whole family that will keep you on the edge of your seat and ultimately touch your heart.

Movie Review:

Some fun facts about Monster Trucks before we begin the review proper. The movie has long been shot and sitting on the shelf for two long years. Then Paramount who produced it famously takes a US$115 million write-down four months before it’s released. Considering all the bad vibes; is Monster Trucks seriously that bad? 

Let’s be fair and square in case you guys get all judgmental over the jovial looking trailer. First of all, this is not a movie tailored for those who can afford to pay for their own ticket. In fact, I'll advise this group to stay far away. It works because a four-year-old son of a studio executive dreams it up, the precise target audience. It’s silly, noisy and best of all; it has both trucks and monsters equivalent to a wet dream of a preadolescent.  

Derek Connolly (Jurassic World) and a bunch of other credited writers wrote this story, which takes place in a rural state of America (in actual fact shot in British Columbia). A teenage boy, Tripp (played by the obviously not teenager Lucas Till) joins forces with a bug eyed, tentacles alien creature, Creech, to fight against the local energy company hopefully in time to rescue its parents and protect its fellow friends from being exterminated. In order for the plan to work, Tripp has to rope in his admirer, Meredith (Jane Levy), his mechanic friend, Mr Weathers (Danny Glover), and the son of a car dealer, Tucker (Sam Geldon).

The idea is to have Creech and his parents stay hidden under the truck and at the same time maneuver them. Monster Trucks having real monsters hidden under them. Get the joke? Never mind if you find the concept lame. Then again, this is not the movie for you. This outing is dedicated to the kiddos who find the January and February cinematic selections too award winning and serious for them. Sacrificing character developments and a murky message about protecting the environment, Monster Trucks has enough wildly conceived car chases on rooftops and hills to the addition of gas-guzzling slimy monsters to entertain children under 13 perhaps.

Following the footsteps of Andrew Adamson (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Andrew Stanton (John Carter), Monster Truck marks Chris Wedge’s first foray into live-action. Wedge who created the cash cow, Ice Age, for Blue Sky Studio might fumble with his human actors but he is good with gags involving his CGI lead actor. The fast-paced feature might be a wild ride for younger audiences but sadly misses out on the friendship and bonding between Tripp and Creech, something which How To Train Your Dragon greatly emphasized or even E.T. or Free Willy for that matter.

Roping in 80’s heartthrob Rob Lowe to play a greasy CEO named Reece doesn’t add much mileage to it, unless Wedge is trying to please the moms. Other notable faces include Thomas Lennon (Night at the Museum) playing a conscious prick scientist; Amy Ryan from Gone Baby Gone in a thankless role as Tripp’s mum, Michael Shannon’s look-alike Holt McCallany as Reece’s merciless henchman and Saving Private Ryan’s Barry Pepper as the town’s sheriff.  

Visual and special effects are top-notch and you got to admire the fact that it actually features a decent display of practical vehicle stunts. In the end, Monster Trucks is far more enjoyable than another long gestating project, Max Steel. While the former is based on the imagination of a kid, the other is based on a toy line. Imagination simply works better at times.  

Movie Rating:

(You really can’t fault this kiddy friendly monster movie)

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Isaac (Seth Rogen), and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have been friends since childhood, and for a decade their yearly Christmas Eve reunion has been an annual night of debauchery and hilarity. Now that they’re entering adulthood the tradition is coming to an end, and to make it as memorable as possible, they set out to find the Nutcracka Ball – the Holy Grail of Christmas parties.

MOVIE REVIEW:

The Night Before is like The Hangover: Christmas Edition but instead of Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis, we have Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen and Anthony Mackie.

Since 2001 when Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) tragically lost his parents near Christmas, his two best friends Isaac (Rogen) and Chris (Mackie) have been his party companions on Christmas Eve. But the traditional reunion is coming to an end as Isaac is expecting his first newborn and Chris is now a hot famous football player. To make this a memorable grand finale, Ethan is all set to bring his buddies to the best party in town – the secret as hell Nutcracka Ball!

Coming from the people that brought you Neighbours and This Is The End, you are sure to expect tonnes of dick jokes and drug gags. But director Jonathan Levin (50/50, Warm Bodies) has something else up his sleeves, The Night Before is actually a pretty touching story about friendship and life lessons beneath all that vulgarities.   

Initially starting out as a motive to convince Ethan to quit being a loafer at the ripe age of 33, Isaac and Chris ended up being the ones that benefitted from the entire affair. On the surface, Isaac now a successful lawyer is all prepared to be a father. However he is actually freaking out on the inside. Chris being a renowned athlete is actually craving to be accepted by his far younger colleagues. Ethan might not be as successful as his buddies in terms of career but the guy is very much a romantic diehard. The night party, which took them from Rockefeller center to FAO Schwarz to karaoke to Chris’ old place in a Red Bull limousine, delivers sufficient zany fun and profanity if you are coming purely for the sake of some laugh-out-loud moments and outrageous skits.        

Rogen is his usual stoner self. He has been playing the same character from Knocked Up to The Pineapple Express to Neighbours so what else is new. Mackie remains likeable despite playing a less than likeable character while Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character is kind of bittersweet. Jillian Bell playing Isaac’s wife, Betsy is hilarious and so is Mindy Kaling. The funniest appearance got to be Michael Shannon (Man of Steel) playing a drug peddler that dispenses nuggets of wisdom. Celebrities’ cameos include Rogen’s real-life BFF, James Franco and Miley Cyrus bringing along her wrecking ball.       

Even if it’s a year late, The Night Before remains a perfect comedy for the holiday season. While not as rowdy and ridiculously funny as the first Hangover, it’s never a bore hanging out with these three dudes. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Making One Epic Party is an informative 20 minutes feature that consists of footages from behind-the-scenes and interviews with the main talents involved.

A rather brief one-minute Cast Gag Reel.

Watch Seth Rogen gets all cracked up by co-star Jillian Bell’s improvisation in Whale Juice: Extended Strip Club Scene.

The Spirit of Christmas is discussed by the cast and crew.

The church scene filmed in an actual church in Manhattan is featured in Midnight Mass With Nana.

Jason Mantzoukas and Jason Jones discuss their scene with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Drunkest Santas On The Block. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Visually, the DVD offers a decent modest transfer. Certain night shots looks grainy though it’s likely intended this way. Skin tones and scenes featuring the outrageous looking sweaters the guys wore throughout and Christmas lights are impressive in details. The Dolby Digital 5.1 is bursting with energy whenever the scene calls for a party. There’s also a range of strong ambient effects and excellent choice of Christmas music. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: Matt Reeves
Cast: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, Amiah Miller, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Max Lloyd-Jones, Alessandro Juliani, Chad Rook, Michael Adamthwaite, Timothy Webber
Runtime: 2 hrs 20 mins
Rating: PG (Some Violence)
Released By: 20th Century Fox 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 13 July 2017

Synopsis: In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

Movie Review:

‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ picks up two years after the events of 2014’s ‘Dawn’, which saw ape leader Caesar (Andy Serkis, via motion-capture performance) allow his mutinous second-in-command Koba to fall to his death but still come up powerless to stop the impending war that the latter had instigated. As the concluding chapter of the ‘Planet of the Apes’ prequel series opens, a squad of human soldiers stumble upon one of the outer walls guarding the apes’ forest habitat, resulting in a fierce exchange of bullets and arrows that claim the lives of sixty-three primates and all but four of the troops. Caesar appears to the captured men – ‘I didn’t start this war,’ he says – before placing them in pairs back-to-back on horseback and sending them back to their commander as a message of peace. Not surprisingly, that offer is categorically rejected, as the Special Forces colonel himself leads a night-time raid on the apes’ hideout behind a waterfall that ends up killing Caesar’s wife and son, thus pitting the two in a vendetta which threatens to fill the noble, empathetic simian with the same rage that Koba had been consumed by.

Unlike its predecessors, the end-game in ‘War’ is clear right from the very start, which also explains why the plotting here is a lot more straight-forward. Caesar will leave his fellow apes to exact vengeance on the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), joined only by his most fiercely loyal compatriots – fellow chimp Rocket (Terry Notary), orange-haired orangutan Maurice (Karin Konoval) and sensitive gorilla Luca (Michael Adamthwaite). Along the way, they will adopt a mute orphan girl Nova (Amiah Miller) and meet an unlikely ally in former zoo monkey Bad Ape (Steve Zahn), before arriving at a former weapons depot where the Colonel has set up his own fortified headquarters. There, Caesar will discover to his horror that his cohorts whom he had left behind to journey to greener pastures have in fact been imprisoned concentration camp-style by the Colonel and made to work without food and water to build a wall (did we hear someone say Trump?). After finding out from the Colonel himself just what he and his men are trying to keep out, Caesar will coordinate a daring prison break that folds in elements of ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’, ‘The Great Escape’ and other prisoners-of-war sagas before his kind are wiped out alongside the Colonel’s regimen.

Only in the last half-hour does returning director Matt Reeves grant his adrenaline-pumped audience the sort of big, explosive action that summer blockbusters are made of, so those looking for all-out spectacle should be warned that their patience will duly be tested. Instead, together with his co-writer Mark Bomback, Reeves shuns the grandiose in favour of rich, deep characterisation of each one of the apes – not just primate protagonist Caesar (who struggles to preserve his humanity), but also supporting players Maurice (who is not only Caesar’s conscience but a maternal stand-in for Nova), Bad Ape (who has to choose to be braver than his fears) and even former Koba follower Red (who has to decide just how much ‘ape’ there is left inside of him). While the Colonel is somewhat cast in a stereotypically villainous light, neither is he vilified, depicted rather as a victim of his own distorted beliefs and his self-inflated role in the survival of humankind. That unquestionable emphasis on character building also means that the movie unfurls at its own deliberate – though never dull – pace from the very beginning, with moments of heart and humour to lighten the otherwise sombre mood of the impending apes-versus-humans showdown.

Oh yes, this is ultimately a war movie, and Reeves proudly dangles the Vietnam-era iconography on the film’s sleeves. The ‘Apocalypse Now’ references are everywhere: from the tough-guy poetry written on the soldiers’ helmets, to the shot of the Colonel’s face in black paint, to the Colonel shaving his bald head and listening to 70s rock; and if these aren’t clear enough for you, there’s even ‘Ape-pocalypse Now’ scrawled as graffiti in an underground tunnel. Heavy-handed though they may seem, there is no denying the sum of these and iconic Western genre tropes makes for a gripping post-apocalyptic vision. The imagery painting the allegory of social upheaval is stunning – contrast the nasty, even appalling, conditions of the military base where the apes are held versus the stirring dignity of them sitting upright on horseback trotting along a beach or traversing across unspoiled landscapes covered in snow and bristling with California red fir and silver pine. With cinematographer Michael Seresin, Reeves has created an engrossing picture of what life could look like following the decline of human civilisation and the concomitant rise of a more intelligent but just as benevolent species.

After ‘Dawn’ and ‘Rise’, it is easy to take the achievement of mo-cap technology for granted, but it bears saying once again just how impressive it gets. Not only are the physical features of the apes beautifully detailed, every nuance in their facial expressions is so subtly rendered, bolstered of course by the excellent performances of the ensemble cast. Especially for those who have grown up with the 1960s and 1970s originals, it is simply amazing to see how successful this rebooted franchise has come – not only in terms of visual effects spectacle but also story, character and emotion, and the accomplishment is even more outstanding considering how much it relies on twitches, gestures and sign language, than exposition, between the simian characters to communicate thoughts and feelings. It is also no overstatement to say that Caesar is one of the most intriguing heroes in recent time - and just as how he has transformed from reluctant hero to the Moses of apes with a ‘Dawn’, then a 'Rise’, and finally all-out ‘War’, this franchise has gone from the theatrics of 'Dawn' to the grandeur of 'Rise' and ultimately to the seminality of 'War'. 

Movie Rating:

(As seminal to the sci-fi/ post-apocalyptic genre as 'Apocalypse Now' is to the Vietnam war movie, 'War' is a character-driven finale that closes the 'Planet of the Apes' prequel series on an emotional high)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey stars in this epic, untold true story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy during the Civil War. Despite overwhelming odds, Knight banded together with other small farmers and local slaves and launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones.

MOVIE REVIEW:

I’m clearly not a history buff to begin with. Flunked most of my history exams, slept through most part of Spielberg’s Lincoln and has zero interest in the award-winning 12 Years A Slave. What makes me intrigued with Free State of Jones lies in the involvement of director and writer Gary Ross (The Hunger Games) and Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey.

McConaughey plays medic Newton Knight who is disgusted by the civil war that he deserts the army and escapes to the swamp. In the meantime, the Confederacy on the pretext of feeding the troops is going around legally looting civilians off their livestock and food. As a result, the kids and women are left starving while the men are conscript and sent off to fight the war. Knight clearly aware of the sufferings decides to form his own ragtag army of escaped slaves and deserters to stand against the local Confederate command.  

It’s actually noble of Ross to adapt a relatively unknown heroic story to the big screen but it’s kind of unfortunate as the end effort seems laborious and forced. Rather than making a straight-out action-packed war drama for the masses, Ross’ clunky screenplay attempts to bring out more out of Knight. There’s even a forgettable subplot that is set 85 years later where one of Knight’s descendants is being charged in court for his mixed-raced lineage. You see, Newton Knight despite being all religious, righteous and all married a former slave Rachel (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) even though he already has a lawful wife, Serena (Keri Russell). You can consider Knight to be way ahead of his times for that.  

Knight’s unconventional lifestyle aside, Ross even went on to tackle issues liked the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and their atrocities; the freed blacks being forced to work in plantations and their involvement in political activities. There’s so much to tell in Ross’ loose adaptation that he needs a mini-series to truly justify for it. Sadly, the entire movie lacks a certain momentum to move things along. After a thrilling big fight against the Confederate command, the pacing starts to slow to a crawl not that the movie is running at full speed anyway. A supposedly compelling civil war drama liked Free State of Jones becomes draggy and heavy-handed under Ross’ direction.      

With long beard and unkempt facial hair, Matthew McConaughey who appears in every scene is genuinely charismatic and absorbing as Newton Knight. Other well-acted performances include Mahershala Ali (Luke Cage) playing a former slave and Thomas Francis Murphy as the villainous Commander. With the exception of a few brief war sequences in the beginning, production values on the whole looks surprisingly cheap for a major Hollywood title.

Free State of Jones for sure is not a popcorn movie liked Mel Gibson’s The Patriot nor as captivating as The Revenant. It just sits somewhere in-between despite Ross’ best intention to make a movie with a meaningful message. It simply never comes across as inspiring in fact it’s just plain dull, slow and probably a trip to the library yields you more knowledge of America history. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Free State Of Jones is an 18 minutes history lesson on the real Newt Knight, his descendants and interviews with historians in present time Jones County. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Visual is rich and detailed, colours are fantastic looking. More impressive is the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio that comes with furious sounding debris effects, loud gunshots and cannonballs though it definitely doesn’t affect the delivery of spoken dialogue    

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Drama
Director: Cheng Er
Cast: Ge You, Zhang Ziyi, Asano Tadanobu, Gillian Chung, Ni Dahong, Yuan Quan, Han Geng, Yan Ni
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 5 January 2017

Synopsis: Love, hatred, and betrayal abound in Shanghai during the chaotic, war-torn 1930's. Mr. Lu is ambushed during an important meeting with the Japanese army, but his sister's husband, Watabe sacrifices himself to save Mr. Lu. Worse still, the Japanese brutally murder Mr. Lu's children and sister. To avenge their deaths, Mr. Lu's mistress attempts to kill the culprit but ends up dead. Years later as the Sino-Japanese war comes to a close, Mr. Lu visits the abandoned wife of his former boss, Mrs. Wang. She reveals that Watabe is still alive and did not sacrifice himself to save Mr. Lu, but is actually a Japanese spy responsible for the deaths of his family members and captured her as a slave in his basement. Given this new revelation, Mr. Lu takes Mrs. Wang to the war camp where Watabe is held to finally make him pay for his sins.

Movie Review:

Some 10 years ago, Mainland Chinese actors Ge You and Zhang Ziyi played Emperor and Empress in Feng Xiaogang’s The Banquet (2006), a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet and Henrik Ibsen's stage play Ghosts. The critically acclaimed film featured themes of revenge and fate, garnering favourable reviews for its lavish production.

Fast forward a decade, the two actors reunite for Chang Er’s latest film. Ge now plays a Chinese gangster, while Zhang takes on the more challenging role of his boss’s unfaithful wife who suffers the fate of becoming an imprisoned sex slave.

Starring some of the most recognised faces in Mainland China, the thriller film’s protagonist is Lu (Ge delivering another flawless performance), a ruthless but calm mobster who is unwilling to collaborate with the Japanese as they prepare to invade China. The story revolves around his brother-in-law Watabe (Tadanobu Asano), who is Japanese but describes himself as Shanghainese and a film actress, Xiao Liu (Zhang), who is unfaithfully married to his boss. Elsewhere, there is a loyal housekeeper, a cold assassin, a pair of naïve junior henchmen, an aspiring actress and other characters that live in Shanghai’s war torn era.

If you think there are too many storylines to follow, wait till you realise how the Chinese writer director Chang has jumbled up the timelines in the film. As the writer, director and editor of the 123 minute film, the non linear approach to telling the story may not go down very well with all viewers. The sweeping gangster epic actually has personable stories to tell, but you’d need to be in the mood to appreciate them – characters speak in Chinese dialects, the shots are cinematically composed like paintings and the film moves at an unhurried pace.

Your patience will pay off as you realise how the characters’ lives are intertwined. The dramatic impact increases as the film progresses, and there is an unsettling sense of foreboding dread. This is contrasted with the glamorous look the filmmakers have fashioned for the film: there are luxurious households, exquisite furniture, shiny jewellery pieces and expensive limousines.

The ensemble cast is another reason why this is a recommended film. Ge is a versatile actor, having proven himself in a variety of roles in works like 1994’s To Live, 2001’s Big Shot Funeral, 2004’s A World Without Thieves and 2010’s Let the Bullets Fly. Here, he is perfectly cast as an influential gangster who has a deep connection who matter in his life. Zhang gives it her all to play a victimised character, while Asano (Thor, 47 Ronin) will leave an impression as he takes on a role that is darkly textured. The star studded cast also includes familiar faces like Gillian Chung, Yan Ni, Han Geng and Wallace Chung. This doesn’t include actors like Du Chun, Huo SIyan, Yuan Quan and Wang Chuanjun, whom we may not be familiar in our region.

In Mainland China, the film is a commercial hit with viewers drawing references from the story to real life personalities. While these may be unknown to us, this beautifully crafted film is still a treat for cinephiles. 

Movie Rating:

(Life in war-torn Shanghaiis exquisitely related on screen in this film featuring first-rate performances from its ensemble cast)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: After a two-year, sold-out, worldwide tour, Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) is the biggest name in music. Go behind the scenes as Conner faces a crisis of popularity after his sophomore album flops, leaving fans, sycophants and rivals all wondering what to do when Conner4Real is no longer the dopest star of all. The hilarious comedy from digital short superstars, The Lonely Island, and blockbuster producer Judd Apatow (Trainwreck, Superbad, Knocked Up), is loaded with cameos from the biggest names in comedy and music.

MOVIE REVIEW:

“Ever since I was born, I was DOPE” – Connor4Real

Former Style Boyz’s member, Connor is about to release his second solo album after the major success of his first. Eschewing his usual writing partner and longtime friend, Owen (Jorma Taccone), man-child Connor is facing a career crisis when his album tanked in sales while a young rapper Hunter (Chris Reed) is fast overtaking him in terms of popularity. When a marriage and a stage antic went awry, it’s time for Connor to reevaluate his friendship and those who really care about him. 

Popstar is a mockumentary targeting the current state of pop music culture and stardom. It’s not clever satire for sure but contains enough jokes and one-liners to briefly entertain. The sketches on the whole range from mildly ticklish (a marriage proposal that ended up terrorized by wolves) to outrageously funny (a wardrobe malfunction). There’s never a politically correct joke here just stuff that is inspired by real-life celebrities scenarios, think Bieber and Kanye.

The extremely catchy music and songs with crazy lyrics while not karaoke friendly will stick to your ears like worms. It’s not all about vulgarities and parody, the story tries to tell another side of the egoistic Connor when he attempts to mend fences with Lawrence, the talented songwriter turned farmer. And as you would have predicted it, you are going to have a Style Boyz reunion for the finale.

The movie is crammed with celebrity cameos and you have people liked Emma Stone, Seal, 50 Cent, RZA, Ringo Starr, Mariah Carey, Simon Cowell appearing and Justin Timberlake as Connor’s personal chef and lots and lots more others. Obviously this is a fun, tongue-in-cheek picture that clearly has the balls to poke fun at celebrity culture. The production values are surprisingly well executed for a raunchy comedy.

As the leading man here, Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine Nine) has never been funnier. His performance is spot-on as the painfully naïve Connor. The supporting cast which includes Sarah Silverman as Connor’s no-nonsense publicist and Tim Meadows as his manager makes it even more terrific. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping while not comedy gold is still worth a look among those commercial releases that never make it to our shore.   

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Check out a whopping 43 minutes worth of Deleted Scenes.

Yup here’s six Conner4Real Music Videos including Bin Laden and Legalize It.

3 minutes of cast fumbling their lines in Gag Reel

Interview Outtakes has characters talking about Connor

Additional deleted and extended scenes in Bonus Footage.

The Style Boyz shows you How to Donkey Roll.

Connor raps on radio in Big Boy Freestyle.

Frog J**z is basically a deleted scene which has Lawrence talking about frog semen.

Shooting Hoops shows you how bad a basketball player Connor is

"Turn Up the Beef" Backstory talks about the theme song from Friends

A brief look at Connor’s supposedly leaked Sex Tape.

Fun at CMZ! is a fake gossip show that goes crazy over Connor’s failures

It’s an enjoyable listening experience with Audio Commentary: With Directors/Co-Writers Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone and Co-Writer Andy Samberg. Prepare yourself for more fun and gags from The Lonely Island.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

Popstar looks fantastic on bluray. Colors are vibrant, blacks are deep and skintones is solid. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is clear and immersive. All of the concert sequences boast excellent strong bass. For a comedy, the audio and visual is top notch. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy
Director: Zhang Jia Jia　
Cast: Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Angelababy, Du Juan, Sandrine Pinna, Lynn Xiong, Lu Han, Da Peng, Li Yuchun, Eason Chan
Runtime: 2 hrs 8 mins
Rating: PG13 (Scene of Intimacy)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 24 December 2016

Synopsis: In this topsy turvy world, every city needs to have its “navigators”; especially skilled guides able to cure the world of a wide range of relationship troubles. Bar owner Chen Mo and his associate Guan Chun are legendary. Though their ways seem sloppy and uncoordinated, their results are first-rate. Supermen in the art of navigation, if you can book them, there is no river of pain they can’t take you across. Girl-next-door Xiao Yu hires them to guide her idol, troubled singer Ma Li, but in the course of helping her find the path forward, Chen Mo and Guan Chun finally face their own problems in an epic act of self-discovery that brings their lives from towering highs to withering lows.

Movie Review:

Except for Jeffrey Lau’s ‘Chinese Odyssey’ series, no other film has had the honour of bearing notoriously finicky auteur Wong Kar Wai as its producer, which is reason in itself to be intrigued about ‘See You Tomorrow’. In fact, Wong is not only producer but also co-screenwriter next to writer-cum-director Zhang Jiajia, on whose short story this full-length feature film is based on.

The premise is arguably simple but appealing – if navigating through life’s ups and downs can sometimes be akin to trying to cross a stormy sea, then it doesn’t hurt to have the help of a ferryman to show us the way back to shore. As Tony Leung’s opening voiceover narrates, it doesn’t matter what sort of tumult one may be going through – be it a quarrel, a breakup, a retrenchment or even a fit of anger – a ferryman guides the hurt and confused through the four stages of ‘I’m here’, ‘I’m tired’, ‘I’m ok’ and ‘I’m gone’.

So it goes that the best ferryman in town is none other than Chen Mo (Leung), the owner of a bar named ‘See You Tomorrow’ where the lost and despairing go to for help. Chen Mo’s associate is the bar’s deejay Guan Chun (Takeshi Kaneshiro), who takes his place if the former is unavailable. Not everyone though is satisfied with the duo, and one such disgruntled individual is radio deejay Xiao Yu (Angelababy), who lives right next door to their bar and has to put up with the din from their establishment every single night.

Narratively speaking, ‘See You Tomorrow’ is really a collection of three loosely connected stories revolving around the respective romantic struggles of Chen Mo, Guan Chun and Xiao Yu. Though a first-class navigator, Chen Mo remains haunted by the love of his life He Muzi (Du Juan), a legendary bartender known for her concoctions so powerful that no one has gotten past more than one drink. In particular, Chen Mo falls under the spell of a titular drink, and in a nicely-edited montage, is seen returning night after night for the same poison despite being rendered unconscious before stepping out of the bar and getting injured in the process.

Why He Muzi is no longer in Chen Mo’s life is not revealed till the end, but we learn that Chen Mo is so affected by her absence that he needs to wear a doctor’s prescribed watch lest some stimulus triggers a distant but severe memory and a subsequent meltdown. Though Chen Mo’s personal travails take precedence over that of Guan Chun and Xiao Yu, his segment is arguably the weakest and least developed; instead, Chen Mo largely plays the role of wonder-counsellor, guiding and accompanying Guan Chun and Xiao Yu through their distresses. That calls for Leung to act suave and unflappable most of the time – which the veteran actor does so effortlessly with plenty of charm and charisma – but doesn’t much call for him to exert much acting muscle beyond that.

On the other hand, Kaneshiro is given free rein to go completely over-the-top playing the desperate lover pining for Mao Mao’s (Sandrine Pinna) affections. Like Chen Mo, Guan Chun has his own baggage with Mao Mao – which explains why the former’s ‘Hokkien-beng’ meet-cute with the latter that is set to Yuan Xiao Di's classic '重出江湖' is greeted with outright hostility by her brother. Without spoiling any surprises, let’s just say that Guan Chun and Mao Mao had met and fallen in love in their younger days when he was a ‘King of Fighters’ arcade champion and she a deliverywoman for her father’s ‘jian bing’ business. It is in fact to continue her late father’s legacy that Mao Mao has returned, albeit with no memory of her previous relationship with Mao Mao or why she left in the first place.

As exaggerated as some of Guan Chun’s antics to woo Mao Mao may be, Kaneshiro throws himself fully into the role and so provides some of the film’s biggest laughs. One running joke revolves around the lengths that Guan Chun goes in order to conceal how bad Mao Mao’s biscuits actually taste, and whilst others can stand no more than a bite, Guan Chun proves his love by eating one that is literally ‘on fire’, returning again for another one even bigger but tastes no better, and trying to help her business by getting regulars at his ‘See You Tomorrow’ bar to buy one biscuit at her shop in exchange for a bottle of alcohol at his. Kaneshiro and Pinna also have great rapport, and their heartfelt performances add poignancy to a romance sprung from cheerful adolescent insouciance.

Competing for attention with Guan Chun’s segment is that involving Xiao Yu, who has been in love with rock singer Ma Li (Eason Chan) since she was afflicted with a potentially life-threatening illness during university – though Ma Li apparently looked less like Eason than ‘Star Wars’ China ambassador Lu Han when he was young. The older Ma Li turns up drunk one night at Xiao Yu’s place, and it turns out that his girlfriend cum manager Jiang Jie (Lynn Hung) had recently not only rejected his marriage proposal but also tells him she has already been seeing someone else. Xiao Yu ends up turning to Chen Mo for help to ‘ferry’ Ma Li out of his depression, and Chen Mo goes one step further by volunteering to teach Xiao Yu the tricks of the ‘ferryman’ trade.

As much as Xiao Yu’s angle gets the most screen time, her part is also the most distracted. Chen Mo’s tutelage of Xiao Yu consists of two lessons in empathy – one involving Sam Lee as ‘Chicken’ a la ‘Young and Dangerous’ who enlists Chen Mo to cure his heartbroken sister; and another involving a forlorn woman who coops herself up in the back of a limousine wearing her wedding dress. Slightly more relevant but certainly overlong is Xiao Yu’s feud with Jiang Jie depicted over a ‘Bar Golf’ challenge, where each has to race to complete challenges at nine different watering ‘holes’ in one single night that is meant as much as a test of one’s alcohol tolerance as one of mental endurance.

These distractions dilute the impact of a meaningful lesson on selfless love, one based not on any personal gratification in return but solely on the other’s wellbeing and happiness. There is also even less character development here than with Guan Chun and Mao Mao, so despite Chan’s efforts at injecting pathos into his character of Ma Li, there isn’t much soul in his moping façade. Ditto for Angelababy and Lynn Hung, the former defined almost singularly by her crush on Ma Li and the latter by her sheer ego in refusing to let go of her claim over Ma Li despite breaking up with him.

In fact, one suspects that the somewhat underdeveloped narrative overall is meant largely as a bridge between heavily-edited montages, which seems to be Zhang’s mode of storytelling. Indeed, many of these unfold over iconic songs from the 80s and 90s – like Beyond’s ‘喜欢你’, Ekin Cheng’s ‘甘心替代你’ and Eason Chan’s own ‘十年’ – and if anything, will likely be perfectly nostalgic for those who grew up listening to these ditties. Christopher Doyle may not have joined this Wong Kar Wai-produced effort, but veteran cinematographer Peter Pau’s bright neon-coloured images ensure that these montages are visually appealing at the very least.

To be sure, ‘See You Tomorrow’ was never intended to be a Wong Kar Wai classic; instead, as its opening credits mention, it is meant to coincide with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Wong’s Jet Tone Films, and could very well be their most commercial release to date. At best, it is the cinematic equivalent of ‘New Year’s Eve’ or ‘Valentine’s Day’ for Chinese cinema, given the similarities in structure and some will say quality; at worst, it is a triptych of thinly conceived romances strung together in MTV-like fashion. But ‘See You Tomorrow’ is not without its pleasures – especially Kaneshiro’s hammy but hilarious performance – and as a feel-good or ‘feel-love’ release in time for Christmas, it’ll leave you in a bittersweet yet sanguine mood that will make you want to embrace your loved ones all over again. 

Movie Rating:

(Despite some unnecessary detours along the way, this MTV-styled triptych of romances alternately amusing, over-the-top and melodramatic brings you on a voyage bittersweet, sanguine and full-of-feeling)

Review by Gabriel Chong 

Genre: Drama
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Cast: Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz, Florence Clery, Jack Thompson, Thomas Unger
Runtime: 2 hrs 13 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 January 2017

Synopsis: "The Light Between Oceans," an international best-seller, takes place on a remote Australian island in the years following World War I, where a lighthouse keeper and his wife are faced with a moral dilemma when a boat washes ashore with a dead man and a two-month-old infant. When they decide to raise the child as their own, the consequences of their choice are devastating.

Movie Review:

‘The Light Between Oceans’ wraps an intriguing moral dilemma within a moving love story, and it is ultimately the former which distinguishes the latter. Adapted from M.L. Stedman’s 2012 novel by iconoclastic writer/ director Derek Cianfrance, it circles around the childless couple Tom and Isabel Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander respectively), living out on the remote island of Janus Rock where they tend the majestic lighthouse providing safe passage to merchant ships. Two tragic miscarriages later, the couple finds a dinghy washed ashore containing a dead man and a very much alive newborn. Should Tom do the right thing and report his discovery as per regulation? Or should he listen to Isabel’s pleas to keep the child and raise her as their own? And even better, should their knowledge of the child’s other surviving biological parent affect their decision?

Key to that dilemma is understanding how it could have arose in the first place, so Cianfrance spends a good half-hour developing the romance between Tom and Isabel. Taciturn and withdrawn when he first arrives in a coastal town to replace the current convalescing light-keeper, the World War I-vet Tom is taken by the spirited Isabel, and it is she who renews his sense of purpose and joy in life. In time, he takes her as his wife, and the couple retreat to the island for their extended honeymoon. Their fierce yet tender love is clearly evident here, much to the credit belonging to Fassbender and Vikander, whose chemistry (which eventually continued off-screen) translates into commitment and feeling that makes you believe not just in their individual circumstances but also in the bond that binds them intimately and passionately. That bond also makes their disappointment at being unable to have children twice in a row felt keenly, a profound sadness that some married couples will no doubt be able to fully empathise with.

Because of that, it is not so hard to imagine why Isabel would instinctively decide to keep the child she will come to name Lucy, or why Tom would agree to a proposition he as a dutiful individual would naturally be personally uncomfortable with. That tension however only comes to the fore when Lucy grows into an adorable girl of 4 (at this time played by Florence Clery), at which point the movie takes a dramatic change in tone. Without saying too much, that transformation comes with the introduction of the grief-stricken widow Hannah Potts (Rachel Weisz), whose own backstory reveals her fair share of war scars that unsurprisingly arouses Tom’s sympathies and magnifies the moral quandary he has been in since adopting Lucy as his own. Weisz’s entry also turns the second half of the film into a three-hander, and the compulsively watchable actress radiates steeliness and fragility in a performance that will captivate you as much as Fassbender and Vikander (separately and together) does.

It is perhaps no surprise then that the trio elevate the unapologetically weepy melodrama, which plays yet again to Cianfrance’s fascination with combustible love. His earlier ‘Blue Valentine’ and ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’ were much rawer in their emotions and a lot less straightforward, but ‘The Light Between Oceans’ operates on similar themes of love, duty and fate, pondering the lengths to which one person would go to for another even at the expense of himself or herself. Not surprisingly too, Cianfrance is here inspired by Thomas Hardy, most evident in how he uses stormy vistas as metaphors for the tempest of emotions swirling around his characters. At slightly over two hours, there is no doubt he does not rush things, but his heavy-handedness, particularly in trying to tug at your heartstrings during the film’s dramatic moments, does get a little overbearing.

Nevertheless, this is still a handsome period production of many pleasures – from composer Alexandre Desplat’s lush swirling score to cinematographer Adam Arkapaw’s beautiful widescreen lensing of the Australia and New Zealand coast where this was filmed. Just as well too – Fassbender and Vikander are beautiful to behold as a couple, one with old-fashioned male stoicism and the other all youthful willfulness as his wife. But beyond just physical beauty, there is genuine emotional depth to their acting as well as their circumstances, which also makes their moral conundrum later on undeniably effective despite the obvious manipulations. It is this empathy for Tom, Isabel and, later on, Hannah that is the film’s light – and like the titular reference to the beacon’s location at the geographic point where the Indian and Pacific Ocean meet, positions it between contrivance and authenticity. Bring your hankies if you need to, this is a weepie we guarantee you.

Movie Rating:

(Heavy-handed yet effective, this period romance weepie that wraps an intriguing moral dilemma within shines as a three-hander with Fassbender, Vikander and Weisz’s emotionally illuminating performances)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Eric Summer and Eric Warin
Cast: Elle Fanning, Dane DeHaan, Maddie Ziegler, Carly Rae Jepsen
Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 22 December 2016

Synopsis: The film tells the story of Félicie, a young orphan girl with a passion for dancing. With the help of her best friend Victor, she manages to escape from an orphanage and travel all the way to Paris, where many challenges and intriguing encounters await her. Ballerina is a funny and touching story about friendship, self-confidence and family.

Movie Review:

Even an incomplete Eiffel Tower looks fascinating in the background of this latest Canada-France animated co-production which features the voices of Elle Fanning (Super 8), Dane DeHaan (The Amazing Spider-Man 2) and Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen. 

Set in late 1800’s France, Fanning voices Felicie, an exuberant orphan who dreams of doing ballet in the City of Light- Paris. Her best friend happens to be Victor (DeHaan), an aspiring inventor who manages to escape with Felicie from the orphanage on his newly invented ‘chicken wings’. Armed with her passion to dance, Felicie stumbles upon the Paris Opera house where she stole the identity of a rich, spoilt brat and under the tutelage of a cleaner, Odette (Jepsen), Felicie is one step closer to her dream provided her true identity is not disclosed.

Despite the occasional (very minimal) fart/pigeon poop jokes etc,Ballerina actually contains several positive messages that will mesmerize both adults and children alike. Adults will approve the young ones to catch this while the young ones will fall in love with the breezy story and pacing. Directors Eric Summer (who also carry out writing duties) and Eric Warin fills the 91 minutes story with non-stop drama, action, comedy and of course an inspiring theme of ‘follow your dream’. Not a second is a bore as there are always something interesting or funny to laugh at on the screen.   

Of course since this is a budgeted animation that is tailored purely for the younger crowd, there’s a drastic shortage of characterization, plotholes for example, what actually happened to the limping Odette? Obviously we were told she was once a fine ballerina. How did she end up working for the cruel, snobbish restaurateur Regine? And what is her relationship to the Opera House’s no-nonsense instructor, Merante?

There are tonnes of glaring questions but Summer and Warin choses to focus on Felicie and her romantic escapades with a (read: stereotyped) classy fellow male dancer. Not to forget, Felicie who conveniently forgotten about Victor, the gutsy friend and admirer who always stand by her and brought her to Paris in the first place. Of course, such narrative flaws are common since mentioned earlier, this is the typical underdog story that aims to charm the younger ones which is the main prority here.

As compared to the outputs of American animation powerhouse, the apparent lack of polishness and details doesn’t seem to deter the filmmakers as like the protagonist, they made the best of what is available. Paris in animated form is much poorer in terms of visual if you must put this side by side with Ratatouille, an animation released almost a decade ago. Still, the animation standard is good enough for the average moviegoer.

Populated by pop tunes contributed by Sia, Demi Levato, Carly Rae Jepsen herself and several all too familiar classical tracks liked Swan Lake and Nutcracker, Ballerina is one sweet, endearing animation this holiday season. Those little girls who go for weekly ballet lessons might be an instant fan of this. 

Movie Rating:

(A happy ending story of a gutsy girl and her goofy admirer and sidekick, what’s there to hate about Ballerina?)

Review by Linus Tee