SYNOPSIS: Ethan Hawke stars as Paul, a lone drifter who wanders into the forgotten town of Denton, Texas – dubbed by locals as the "valley of violence." There, he picks a fight with the wrong man, Gilly (James Ransone), the troublemaking son of the town's unforgiving marshal (John Travolta, Pulp Fiction). As tensions arise between Paul and Gilly, an inevitable act of violence starts a disastrous chain reaction that quickly drags the whole town into the bloody crosshairs of revenge. Only the world-weary marshal struggles to stop the violent hysteria, but after a gruesome discovery about Paul's past…there's no stopping the escalation. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

If there’s ever a western version of John Wick, then it will be In A Valley of Violence.

A man walks into a bar. He incurs the wrath of the local Deputy. Subsequently, his beloved dog is killed and the man himself is thrown off the cliff by the Deputy and his henchmen. The man survives and he vows to revenge the death of his dog, Abbie. Seriously this is not a bar joke but the entire premise of In A Valley of Violence.

Directed, edited and written by Ti West (know for his slew of indie horrors until now), he joins Quentin Tarantino in paying homage to the good old days of Spaghetti Western. The movie has everything you expect from a Western from a mysterious drifter to a dangerous town populated by assholes who are out looking for a fight. This is the kind of old school western that is tailored for fans of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. By old school, it means it’s going to take a while before the obligatory wham-bam showdown.

Ethan Hawke plays Paul the drifter, presumably an army deserter from the Civil War, there are slight hints on it but you never get the full picture. Together with his loyal dog companion, he is on his way to Mexico and Denton, the sinful place is where he refills his water supply. Unfortunately, this is also the place where he gets into trouble with Deputy Gilly (James Ransoe). On a side note, Hawke’s character is pretty similar to the one he plays in The Magnificent Seven, this could very well be a prequel to his character.      

Another big star John Travolta who in recent years is busy dabbling in DTV duds puts in a commending performance as Gilly’s dad, Marshall Clyde, the doting father figure who is exasperated by the actions of his wayward son. Taissa Farmiga (younger sister of Vera) portrays 16-year-old Mary-Ann who runs the town hotel with her sister, Ellen (Karen Gillan from the Guardians of the Galaxy series).

Making full use of the limited space, vast landscape and the makeshift constructed buildings, the cinematography on the whole is excellent. What gave it away that this is a Jason Blum’s micro-budget production is the absence of extras in the background given the town is ridiculously populated only by a handful of characters.

In A Valley of Violence is not a trigger-happy movie for action fans and despite the promised showdown; it’s very much uneventful for the first half of the running time. However as a fan of the Western genre, I highy recommend this as a companion piece to Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Behind the Scenes of In a Valley of Violence offers a quick 2 minutes look to the plot. 

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The Dolby Digital 5.1 provides clear dialogue and during the climatic showdown, a series of loud surround gun effects. Shot on film, the intended dusty look is replicated faithfully on DVD with nice image detailing.  

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: In this provocative psychological science fiction thriller, an extremely wealthy man (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley) undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness into the body of a healthy young man (Ryan Reynolds). But all is not as it seems when he starts to uncover the mystery of the body's origin and the organization that will kill to protect its cause.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Tarsem Singh known for his stylish The Cell and The Fall helmed this high-concept sci-fi thriller that falls flats right after the first act. Despite that, it remains watchable for that fact that it remains a serviceable action movie with the charming Ryan Reynolds in the lead.    

Sir Ben Kingsely puts in a 15 minutes performance as Damien Hale, a billionaire who has everything in the world except a clean bill of health and a love one. Desperate to continue living, Damien accepts the proposal of a Professor (Matthew Goode) to undergo a radical process call “shedding”. It’s a process whereby a person’s thoughts, consciousness is transferred to a new lab grown body as briefed by Professor Albright. Shortly later, while starting his new life in a young body (Ryan “Deadpool” Reynolds), Damien finds himself suffering from visions and hallucinations that do not belong to him but a guy named Mark.

Self/Less lures unsuspecting audiences with the promise of breakthrough science and the terrible consequences of it. It’s also a body-swap suspense thriller with a creepy doctor being the creator. Somehow for whatever reason, the screenplay simply stops at this point. All the clever ideas abruptly ran out and Self/Less turned itself into a series of generic shootouts and car chases. Even a twist towards the end involving the son of a character didn’t make things any more interesting.     

Immortals was a 300 copycat but beautiful to look at. Mirror Mirror works well for a non-Disney movie. Sad to say, Self/Less is Singh’s most commercial and worst effort to date. The story here for one is tepid. The action sets are too mediocre though points must be awarded for the presence of a flamethrower. The entire production design looks budgeted. At the very least, Ryan Reynolds still has what it takes to make a lousy movie watchable. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Take a look at Inside SELF/LESS if you are keen how the late Steve Jobs inspired this movie. Experts delve into the possibility of shedding in Shedding. Singh provides an interesting discussion of the movie in Audio commentary by director Tarsem Singh.

AUDIO/VISUAL:

The movie looks good enough on DVD, less flashy and muted for a Tarsem Singh helmed movie. The Dolby Digital 5.1 handles the action very well from gunfire to explosions. Dialogue is clear throughout. 

MOVIE RATING:

DVD RATING :

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action/Fantasy
Director: Derek Kwok
Cast: Eddie Peng, Ni Ni, Shawn Yue, Oho Ou, Zheng Shuang, Faye Yu, Qiao Shan, Yang Di
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: PG (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 13 July 2017

Synopsis: Sun Wu Kong (starring Eddie Peng), born on the Huaguo Mountain, has a heart of stone. A powerful general from Heaven, known as Hua Ji, aims to terminate him. Fortunately for Wu Kong, he is rescued by Bodhi and becomes his pupil. Yang Jian (starring Shawn Yue) is offered an opportunity to become a strong God. However, there is a heavy price he needs to pay. He must kill the daughter of the Heaven Emperor’s rival, Zixia (starring Ni Ni), whom he is in love with. Meanwhile, Tian Peng (starring Oho Ou), Hua Ji’s bodyguard, is secretly ordered to investigate Wu Kong. The three of them enter the Heaven school together, and their lives begin to change…

Movie Review:

Also known as Wu Kong Zhuan, this newest adaptation of the Monkey King’s adventure stems from the writings of an internet sensation by the name of Jin Hezai. The budding internet novelist burst into fame in 2000 with a version that layered modern-day ideas into the classic, in a more consumable tone. Think Young Adult writing.

He joins director Derek Kwok in the 8th movie remake, and fails under the transition curse. When one takes a step back from Wu Kong, this prequel arc makes sense. But once the actual story gets filled in, this journey becomes a mess.

Set 500 years before the more familiar chapters (that of the Monkey God wreaking havoc in heaven, and his legendary Journey to the West), Wu Kong sets up the beginnings of how the deity came to get his angsty, rebellious self.

Born from the heart of a demon destroyed, the monkey grows up and trespesses into Immortal Mountain. It’s here that humans begin their conversion course into immortal-hood, and it’s here that Wu Kong (Eddie Peng) displays his powers to gain entry. His real agenda though, is to destroy the Divine Astrolabe - a device that prescribes destiny to all creatures. Given that he felt shortchanged for wanting to master his own fate, Wu Kong aims to destroy the device so that he can draw his own path in life.

Stopping him is a great goddess-general-type deity Hua Ji (Faye Yu), who guards the instrument. She lets him into the school, only to confirm her suspicion that Wu Kong does indeed harbor the Demon Heart within him. With the help of her plucky daughter Zi Xia (Ni Ni), aspiring immortal prodigy Yang Jian (Shawn Yue) and trusted bodyguard Tian Peng (Ou Hao), she moves in to destroy the demon-born.

It’s a blockbuster by any measure. You’ve got your star-studded line-up, giant sets, pompous costumes and even more OTT effects. As with a lot of the popular movies made-for-China, Wu Kong is a visual-fest. A videogame of a movie (especially that end boss scene) that satisfies the mainland market’s hunger for pretty things. And there’s plenty to choose from. From Peng’s A-grade jawline to fresh-as-spring Ni Ni (a lovechild surely of Shu Qi and Jelly Lin), from glittering Milky Way to unicorn-worthy sunsets, this movie is Instagram-worthy from start to end.

A good thing, because it takes the edge off of the insipid story and acting.

Wu Kong wavers a lot. It’s creature that does not know its boundaries, much like the titular character. For sure it draws a lot of inspiration from the notable Stephen Chow’s works. There’s the unexpected flippancy of Zi Xia, the awkward humour of admirer Juan Lian (Qiao Shan), and the merging of tech with tradition in the rogue village scenes. But unlike Chow, director Kwok seems to be a fish out of water with these elements, as they sit awkwardly in this movie.

At other times, Wu Kong goes fully soap opera. There’s the iconic “close your eyes I’ve got a surprise” maneuver from Tian Peng before maiden gets swoonsome. How about some earthly seeds that Yang Jian picked so that he can make Heaven the same as Earth for Zi Xia? There’s also plenty of prop devices that will churn your stomach, including two halves of a meteorite and an embroidered scarf. The film not only magnified the scale but the cheesiness as well. It would maybe be easier on my stomach if there was a better premise set up, but the director is clearly straining with material.

Kwok has also delivered a film suffering from plot gaps and terrible edits. Scenes rarely extend beyond one single exposition, before somersaulting to the next. Characters can die and resurrect without reason, all logic tossed aside in a terrible sleight-of-hand.

As it launches itself, dabbling into the franchise trend (or at least a film trilogy), Wu Kong could have been a pleasurable quest. The potential of ready fans and strong cast is, however, wasted. The classic tale reboot aims for heavenly heights, but unfortunately lands squarely in the pits.

Movie Rating:

(Strong and attractive cast fails to move past their poor script, reduced to striking photogenic poses while delivering sappy lines in a runaway film)

Review by Morgan Awyong

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Fantasy
Director: Kevin Tsai　
Cast: Dee Hsu, Lin Chi Ling, Jin Shi Jia, Li Zi Feng
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 8 June 2017

Synopsis: Didi is an actress who wishes to prove herself before her superstar sister, while Chun Mei owns a noodle shop in space and is dumped by the boy she has fancied for a long time. When these two lives cross paths, where will fate take them?

Movie Review:

“I will prove to all of you – a ‘clown’ can be a good actress too!” So declares the tenacious character of Shangguan Didi in one of the film’s standout lines, a proclamation that seems to perfectly encapsulate the latest real-life aspirations of host-turned-actress Dee Hsu, who portrays the lead role in question. Written and directed by Kevin Tsai, Didi’s Dreams has been a long time coming for fans of the now-defunct Taiwanese talk show Mr Con and Ms Hsi that was hosted by Tsai and Hsu. Naturally, expectations run high, considering that the celebrity duo pulled the plug on the beloved comedy-variety series in order to embark on unchartered filmmaking territory, not to mention the fact that this reviewer used to be a huge fan of the TV programme.

Tsai appears to pull out all the stops in crafting a string of situations and personas in the film for Hsu that run the gamut – surely a calculated move to demonstrate the breadth of her acting skills. From comedy to tragedy, romance to familial ties, period pieces to futuristic setups, the cinematic universe created by the first-time director here is an ambitious pastiche of, well, just about a little of everything. Sparsely narrated by Tsai, much of the first half of the film features Didi as a struggling actress who, while waiting for her big break, indefatigably endures an endless medley of gruelling auditions, calefare roles and variety programmes. Supported by her unwavering boyfriend Button (played by mainland Chinese star Jin Shijia), these include auditioning on a sped-up treadmill, playing a kitschy germ (yes you read that right) on an advertisement shoot, and getting blows rained on her as an imperishable B-grade zombie.

Devotees of Mr Con and Ms Hsi will no doubt be pleased to recognise the multitude of guest stars that appear in this part of the film, many of whom have been recurring personalities on the television series over the years, including Hank Chen, William Shen, Vincent Liang and Evonne Hsieh, among several others. Playing a miscellany of directors, producers and rival gameshow contestants who give Didi a hard time over the course of her fledgling thespian career, it appears to be real-life poetic vengeance for these guest stars, after years of being on the receiving end of Hsu’s trademark acerbic wit and merciless ribbing. It’s also not far-fetched to imagine that all of this has been deliberately written as an indirect apology to them for all the times Hsu’s caustic antics went a little too far on the small screen.

Quite cleverly though, the use of Didi’s persona as an actress accomplishes a number of other things – besides being a tribute to fans acquainted with the talk show series and providing the requisite comic relief, it serves to mirror both Hsu’s own ascension from humble beginnings to A-lister comedian as well as the brutality of the Taiwanese entertainment industry (in fact, self-referential anecdotes are peppered throughout the film, such as the use of publicity stunts as a distraction from scandals and making less important actors wait before appearing on set). And if the message about the tribulations of showbusiness isn’t transparent enough, Didi even croons a cover of Zhang Di’s classic ‘Clown’ for good measure – the song about the unspoken anguish behind an entertainer’s self-abasement for the pleasure of his audience is a personal favourite of Hsu’s to belt out on TV.

These punching bag scenarios being churned out in rapid factory-line succession do get tiresome after a while, and fortunately this is where the second half of the film changes its tone and focus, if somewhat jarringly. Perhaps Hsu’s greatest real-life “comeuppance” comes in the film’s casting of supermodel-actress Chiling Lin, whose public denigration by Hsu has been yet another running gag throughout the run of Mr Con and Ms Hsi. Lin plays Shangguan Lingling, ravishing superstar actress (another aspect that hints at Lin’s own real-life career trajectory) as well as Didi’s elder sister. An altercation between the siblings has resulted in – gasp – a slap by Lingling to Didi  and in the latter moving out of their home, determined to prove to Lingling that she can make her mark in life on her own terms. After Didi shoots to fame with a comical viral video, she inadvertently gets an opportunity to be cast alongside her elder sister in a major period drama and to prove she has serious acting chops, except that life decides to throw a major curveball for Didi, which eventually results in both sisters tenderly patching things up.

In what this reviewer considers to be the most interesting aspect of the film, Tsai spices things up by also having Hsu play the outlandish character of Chun Mei in a parallel storyline, set in what seems to be another galactic dimension with other garish space oddity types. Chun Mei appears in Didi’s dreams (the literal kind, not of the metaphorical showbiz aspirations variety), ostensibly as the despondent owner of a popular noodle bar in space. Her noodles have not tasted the same since she’s had her heart broken, while another betrayal drives her to the brink of despondency. Cue hedonistic cosmic-style rave parties with said space oddity types – almost certainly a recipe for disaster – until the film attempts to pull the rug from under audiences’ feet by making some surprising (if curious) revelations at the end about Didi and Chun Mei’s intertwining plots and delivers a much-needed uplift during the film’s lowest points.

So how does everything stack up? To be frank, it feels like the film spreads itself too thin in trying to achieve too much in all of only an hour and a half. There’s the burden of appealing to the fanbase of Mr Con and Ms Hsi – Tsai has long expressed that the film has been meant as a final gift to long-time fans. Thing is, while fans like this reviewer may appreciate the celebrity line-up, the slapstick punchlines that figure prominently in the first half of the movie aren’t particularly funny, probably even less so for audiences who aren’t as familiar with the television series. The sisterhood arc between Didi and Lingling scurries to be fleshed out within the remaining screen-time and is riddled with clichés, never quite achieving the emotional depth it ought to. To the film’s credit however, owing to the adequate (though unexceptional) performances of Hsu and Lin, as well as Tsai’s credible directing, this segment of the film does have its touching moments.

Then there’s the romance arc, which feels underdeveloped, in part because the character of Button, while endearing, comes across as flat, portrayed with a lamentable paucity of emotional range by Jin. Sure, there’s a message somewhere inside about how love may be nearer than you think it is, except that the romantic spiel just doesn’t quite cut it, after all that focus on the workings of showbiz and the sisters’ relationship with each other. And for a movie whose Chinese title Chichi De Ai literally translates to “A Love of Eating” (it’s also a homophonic play on words that means “Infatuated Love”), hardly enough attention has been given to reinforce its gastronomical theme, which leads one to surmise that the motif of noodles, which features in both Didi and Chun-Mei’s storylines, was perfunctorily tacked on as a matter of convenience in order to suit the film’s title. Ironically, the film’s muddled hodgepodge of ideas is most blatantly exemplified by the incongruent English title Didi’s Dreams (a play on Hsu’s English moniker, Dee), which abandons any mention of the culinary angle altogether.

It’s indeed this overarching theme of dreams that’s actually the most beguiling – trust Tsai, who is also a UCLA film school graduate and an acclaimed author of profound musings, to include something a little more cerebral apart from the mishmash of madcap antics and banal plots. Without going into the specifics to avoid spoiling the movie further, the use of the philosophical dream argument as a plot device is not an original idea of course, but the film raises a number of intriguing questions for those willing to invest in ruminating a little further. Where does reality start and end with Didi and Chun-Mei’s stories (pro tip: watch out for hints of unreliability in the characters’ narratives as well as the significance in Tsai’s voiceovers)? On a meta level, does this even matter when audiences are watching a fabricated reality on the silver screen anyway? Sadly, what could have been a refreshing take on things winds up half-baked in execution, with most viewers likely to end up nonplussed by the end. What this means is audiences are more likely to leave the theatres remembering an obscenely catchy tongue-twister involving a red carp, green carp and an ass than anything more substantial, but then again, if the name of the game is mindless entertainment as with Mr Con and Ms Hsi, why not?

Perhaps the most important takeaway from the film is best summed up by a pivotal line uttered by one of the characters – “We’re not real, but your life is,” which might as well be Tsai and Hsu speaking directly to their fans. It’s an imploration with the gentlest of nudges for us to wake up from the illusionary celluloid world they’ve so successfully conjured, and for us to bid a final adieu to the sort of infatuated love that unrealistically dictates the show must go on forever.

Movie Rating:

(Didi’s Dreams is a parting gift to devotees of Taiwanese variety-comedy series Mr Con and Ms Hsi that struggles under the weight of the multifarious ideas it tries to juggle, but the film should be at least be credited for its intelligent ambitions, if not for its execution. Catch it – it manages to entertain – but keep an open mind)

Review by Tan Yong Chia Gabriel

Genre: Supernatural/Thriller
Director: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Anthony Gonzalez, Benjamin Bratt, Renée Victor
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Official Website: http://movies.disney.sg/coco

Opening Day: 23 November 2017

Synopsis: In Disney Pixar's "Coco," aspiring musician Miguel (voice of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez) teams up with charming trickster Hector (voice of Gael Garcia Bernal) on an extraordinary journey through the Land of the Dead.

Movie Review:

It is almost impossible for a film from Pixar Animation Studios to disappoint - even the somewhat bland Cars 2 (thankfully, Cars 3 brought the franchise back on track) is better than the countless mediocre animated movies out there.

This 19^th title from Pixar is again proof that the animation giant is the best in the industry. The movie is also the first ever production with a nine digit budget (between $175 to $200 million) to feature an all Latino cast.

Based on an original idea by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3), the concept of the film is based on the Mexican holiday of the Day of the Dead. Directed by Unkrich and co-directed by Adrian Molina (a screenwriter who has worked on Monsters University and The Good Dinosaur), the film’s protagonist is a 12 year old boy (adorably animated, of course) who accidentally gets transported to the land of the dead (bring on the skeletons, colourful backdrops and jolly music!) where hunts down his musician great great grandfather (deceased, definitely) to return him to the human world. Amidst the misadventures, there is a heartwarming message of family and remembering.

You may remember Jorge Gutierrez’s The Book of Life (2014), which was also based on the Day of the Dead. Before you think one is a rip off of another, let it be known that while both movies use aesthetically similar styles (Mexican culture, bright colours, ethnic songs), the movie starring the voices of Diego Luna (Rogue One), Zoe Saldana (My Little Pony: The Movie) and Channing Tatum (Logan Lucky) focuses on bravery and confronting fears while the Pixar film has a screenplay that explores family.

In this 109 minute movie, Anthony Gonzalez voices the main character with much charm as he travels to the land of the dead for a journey he’d never forget. The aspiring musician meets a trickster (voiced by Babel’s Gael Garcia Barnael) and a famous musician (voiced by The Infiltrator’s Benjamin Bratt). Through Pixar’s masterful storytelling, the tale unfolds into a heartfelt account of the importance of family. Alanna Ubach, Renée Victor, Edward James Olmos and Alfonso Arau provide the voices of supporting characters.

By exploring a world that is beyond ours, the film goes beyond the usual standards of family movies. The story is well written (the multi layered script is poignantly thoughtful), the cinematography by Matt Aspbury and Danielle Feinberg is a visual treat, and the music by the ever reliable Michael Giacchino (Zootopia) is richly textured.

It is no wonder that the movie has set a box office record in Mexico with $56 million following a late October launch ahead of the Day of the Dead holiday. It will obviously perform well at the international box office and garner countless accolades during the award season.

We don’t often see movies that affectingly deal with life and death, much more an animated one. There is much to learn and reflect after the end credits roll. Respectful to the Mexican culture, this film is a dazzling and admirable production that is a must watch.   

Movie Rating:

(A family friendly film that explores the importance of family and more affectingly, life and death)

Review by John Li

Genre: Comedy/Horror
Director: Alan Lo　
Cast: Michael Ning, Louis Cheung, Cherry Ngan, Venus Wong, Carrie Ng, Alex Man
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 29 June 2017

Synopsis: Lung (Michael Ning) and Chi-Yeung (Louis Cheung) are two eccentric hot-blooded young men leading a devil-may-care life. They deem themselves as heroes who can save the earth. However, Lung can do nothing about things in life that don’t work out as he wishes. A monster from Lung’s favourite animation appears in the city out of reason and turns people into zombies. The outbreak of this zombie crisis is followed by widespread chaos. Chat-Yat (Cherry Ngan), a girl Chi-Yeung is fervently chasing, has gone missing as well. Lung risks his life and breaks into the infected town in order to bring her back home. He comes to realise that he is merely a loser and slick talker. However, Lung decides not to avoid his true self, and resolves to fight a battle against zombies tonight!

Movie Review:

The title of this zombie horror flick makes people guffaw. Why “Enjoy Yourself Tonight” when there are undead corpses running after you? Or does the enjoyment belong to the zombies? Something about the title tells us that the movie has the potential to be a cult classic with out of this world characters and crazy sequences that will be long remembered in the history of Hong Kongcinema.

Indeed there are out of this world characters: watch out for a giant stuffed chicken that – gasp - may just be a figment of imagination leading to the fact that the whole story is nothing but an episode happening inside the protagonist’s head. How trippy is that! Does this mean that this 107 minute movie is an existentialist piece of work that is deeper than what it appears to be?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Alan Lo makes his directorial feature length debut with a screenplay based on a popular novel and his own 2012 short film Zombie Guillotines (search for it online).

After taking home the Best Supporting Actor and Best New Performer prizes at the 35^th Hong Kong Film Awards and the Best Supporting Actor accolade at the 52^nd Golden Horse Awards for his memorable performance in Port of Call (2015), Michael Ning plays a young man who believes that he is a world saving superhero. He is joined by an equally eccentric friend played by Louis Cheng (Line Walker), and together, the duo battles zombies after an unexpected outbreak happens in the city.

In the mix is a Cantonese opera singer (Carrie Ng), a father who suddenly shows up after spending 15 years in prison (Alex Man) and a paranormal nerd who happens to be really cute (Cherry Ngan).

World War Z (2013) and Train to Busan (2016) this is not. Just when you thought it will be a straightforward chase and run zombie flick that you can enjoy without much thinking, the last bit of the movie throws things off balance.

First, there are those ridiculous exploding eggs that reduce human heads into skulls while leaving the bodies intact. Yup, you read correctly – exploding eggs. The somewhat hilarious weapons of choice were novel for a while, before you realise the good guys are just dodging from these eggs shooting out of nowhere. Then comes the giant stuffed chicken. You will giggle at the absurdity of the setup, before realising that the filmmakers are using it to explore teen angst. We are not sure how all these exactly add up.

The best parts of the movie are helmed by Ng and Man, two veteran actors older viewers would find familiar. Ng plays a cripple, and Man (who has put on quite a bit of weight since we saw him on local TV series Golden Pillow and Brave New World) plays the man responsible for that unfortunate accident. The two effortlessly play out the chemistry between the two characters, proving that the older generation of actors still have what it takes to command the screen. 

Movie Rating:

(It is unlikely that you will enjoy yourself while watching this zombie flick, but there are some truly bizarre sequences that will make you sit up and stare)

Review by John Li

If we were James Gunn, we would feel the pressure too.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1, the awesome album to the Marvel Studios movie of the same name, reached number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first soundtrack in history consisting entirely of previously released songs to top the chart. That’s some feat to beat.

What can the music be more awesome in the sequel? We are proud to report that Star Lord’s second mixtape is a splendid compilation of songs you want to put on repeat.

The 52 minute CD kicks off with English rock band Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky”, an apt tune to set the mood for the superhero movie set in the cosmos. The space sound effects are nicely complemented by the orchestra arrangement, making it a perfect cue for the franchise.

We continue to reminisce the good ol’ memories from the 1970s with American rock group Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah’s “Lake Shore Drive”, a tune thought to pay tribute to the psychedelic drug LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). Don’t get high listening to the catchy song!

British American rock band Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” is captivatingly nostalgic, while American singer songwriter Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home To Me” is an emotional and soulful tune to play on a melancholic weekend. Elsewhere, good feelings are aplenty country songs like Glen Campbell’s “Southern Nights” and Silver’s “Wham Bam Shang A Lang”.

One track that may give you all the feels is English singer songwriter Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son”. If you have seen the movie, you’ll realise how this cue is played over one of the most poignant sequences ever filmed for a superhero movie.

The soundtrack ends with “Guardians Inferno”, a song co written by Gunn and composer Tyler Bates. It features vocals from David Hasseloff, one of Star Lord’s childhood heroes. Listen carefully to the nonsensical hilarious lyrics!

“Getting down and dirty with a procyon lotor/ Got no people skills but he's good with motors/ That weird thing by his side an infantilized sequoia/ The two of them walk by, people say Oh Boy A!” 

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (12) Father and Son – Cat Stevens

Review by John Li

WONDER WOMAN OVERPOWERS THE COMPETITION AT THE GLOBAL AND SINGAPORE BOX OFFICE Posted on 05 Jun 2017 The global icon’s first-ever standalone film is a box office wonder, earning a 5-day weekend of S$2,933,716 at the Singapore box office. One of the best-reviewed and most-anticipated Super Hero movies of all time, director Patty Jenkins’s epic action adventure Wonder Womansoared to the top of the box office on its opening 5-day weekend, earning S$$2,933,716 in Singapore from 31 ... more

Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Herman Yau　
Cast: Charlene Choi, Pakho Chau, Micheel Wai, Gillian Chung, Anthony Wong, Kara Wai, Lawrence Cheng, Yumiko Cheng, Candy Lo, J.Arie
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: NC16
Released By: Golden Village Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 15 June 2017

Synopsis: When Eva ends her ten-year relationship with Adam, he's shocked by the seeming suddenness of the break-up till reading her private journal reveals it was the culmination of 77 heartbreaks. He is determined to win her back, but faces the hurdles of a drunken affair and the secret contained in the journal's missing last page.

Movie Review:

How many times will you forgive the one you love? According to author and screenwriter Erica Li, who adapts her own novel of the same name for this modern-day romance, forgiving someone seven times isn’t enough; 70 x 7 times is too much, so 77 times sounds just about right. And so upon purchasing the titular journal from a pop-up bookstore run by a brother and sister couple named Heartbeat and Shutter respectively (played by Gillian Chung and Francis Ng in cameos), Eva (Charlene Choi) starts to take note of the occasions that she had forgiven her boyfriend Adam (Pakho Chau) for being selfish, or irresponsible, or insensitive, or dishonest. In fact, when we first meet Adam and Eva, she had already reached occasion number 77, which prompts her to decide that enough is enough and move out of the apartment she had shared with him since graduating from law school. Distraught, Adam gets himself drunk at his student Mandy’s (Michelle Wai) birthday party, and the pair end up spending the night together at his place, where Mandy will find Eva’s journal and read her account of their relationship together.

’77 Heartbreaks’ therefore unfolds in two parallel timelines: first, in the present, where Adam and Eva adjust to life apart from each other; and second, as flashbacks, to the numerous occasions that Eva had pencilled in her journal. The former sees Adam succumbing to his worse tendencies without Eva looking out for him, such as deliberately spiting his father whom he begrudges for divorcing his mother and making him study law when he had no intention or interest to do so, and contending with the advances of Mandy, who seems almost desperate to hook up and even get married with Adam. On the other hand, Eva immerses herself in legal work as a divorce lawyer no less – not only pointing out to clients the unreasonableness of their demands but also fending off the advances of one particularly philandering rich man – and spends the rest of her time with her girlfriends (played by Candy Lo, Yumiko Cheng and J.Arie). She also moves in with one of them briefly before moving back to stay with her widowed mother (Kara Wai), following the death of her father (Lawrence Cheng) in an accident.

Li’s screenplay jumps back and forth between past and present often without warning, so you may be a little caught off-guard at the start of each scene where to situate it. Notwithstanding, she and director Herman Yau at least maintain the consistency of keeping Adam and Eva apart from the point they separate till their reunion at the end, so it’s safe to assume that anytime you’re seeing them together is in fact sometime from the past. Of these, only the first and the seventy-seventh are noted, with enough of those in between for us to understand the nature of their disagreements, how Adam’s stubborn, self-righteous and self-centred nature has led to one heartbreak after another, and most importantly how much Eva must love Adam to have stayed with him despite his shortcomings. Whether out of coincidence or otherwise, the dynamic between Adam and Eva is not unlike that between Jimmy and Cherie of Pang Ho-cheung’s contemporary romantic trilogy, i.e. that of a more mature woman and a less mature, even childish, boyfriend.

Trying though it may be to see Adam repeatedly behaving so self-absorbed, it is precisely through these episodes that the movie finds poignancy: on one of these, Adam tells Eva two weeks after the fact that he has quit his job as a lawyer at his father’s legal firm and decided to go teach kickboxing instead, to which Eva reacts with exasperation not because of his actions per se but because he had not thought of discussing it with her beforehand; on another, Adam and Eva get lost during their trip to Japan while trying to find their way to their ryokan, all because Adam had failed to plan beforehand how to get there, which results in an argument that sees them go separate ways and Eva getting lost for hours; and on another, Adam expresses his displeasure at going back to Eva’s parents’ place for dinner, and then proceeds to argue with her father on everything from social issues to the definition of offside in a football match, despite her unmistakable nudges under the table to cease and desist.

Not simply because they are well-acted by Choi and Chau, these episodes will resonate with any couple because their disagreements are based on fundamentals that each and every relationship couple will have to work through – be it discussing each other’s decisions in life when it comes to work and/or family, or determining who it is will plan a vacation to its details, or simply when to give-and-take to accommodate each other’s parents. More than what Adam said or did, or what Adam did not say or do, are the basic values that undergird every healthy and happy relationship, i.e. values of mutual respect, consideration, trust, self-sacrifice, and above all honesty. Not to spoil the surprise, it is the absence of the last that causes Eva to ultimately end their relationship, and indeed on the basis of an honest confession by Adam of his faults and shortcomings in the past that moves Eva to re-consider her decision after all in the tearful but moving finale.

This is the ever-prolific Yau’s third studio release this year, and competent though the veteran director may be, there is also an unmistakable workmanlike quality here that undercuts the emotional impact of the last third. As significant as the seventy-seventh heartbreak is, it is over and dealt with too quickly, not only turning it somewhat into a narrative cliché but also diminishing the psychological scar that it would leave on any female. It should also be said that those looking for a happy ending will not get it, for Eva’s discovery of his one-night stand with Mandy dooms their happily-ever-after reunion and indeed leaves the door wide open for a sequel. And so, though it begins on an intriguing note and follows through compellingly to reveal the in-and-outs of a loving but troubled relationship, ’77 Heartbreaks’ fails to bring its saga to a satisfying close. Notwithstanding, it does bear meaningful lessons for relationships in general and, despite their upheavals, has a perfectly adorable couple in Adam and Eva that we do root for to be together. As antithetical as it may sound, this is still a sweet and touching film that is a timely reminder of just how important forgiveness and empathy is to any successful relationship. 

Movie Rating:

(Despite failing to bring its emotional saga to a satisfying finish, there is real poignancy and meaning in this engaging, true-to-life portrayal of the emotional upheavals of a relationship)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Drama
Director: Nattawut Poonpiriya　
Cast: Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Chanon Santinatornkul, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Eisaya Hosuwan
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 8 June 2017

Synopsis: Welcome to an exam-cheating business run by ‘Lynn’ (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying), a straight-A student who gets the idea for her business after helping ‘Grace’ (Eisaya Hosuwan) and ‘Pat’ (Teeradon Supapunpinyo). Grace is a prominent school activist who can’t get the grades she needs and Pat is a filthy-rich boy who believes money can buy anything. Lynn’s business skyrockets and the money starts to flood in as scores of students offer her cold hard cash in exchange for exam answers. One day, Lynn is offered the opportunity to make millions of Baht. It is Pat and Grace who devise a plan for her to take the STIC test, an international standardised test for students wanting to enrol in the world’s leading universities. The test is scheduled to take place on the same date and same time at locations all over the world. Although it will be extremely difficult to pull off, their plan is for Lynn to fly to a country in a time zone that’s ahead of Thailand and then send the answers back to her customers. The only setback is that they need another genius scholar to help them pass on the answers in Thailand and the only person that fits the profile is ‘Bank’ (Chanon Santinatornkul), Lynn’s scholarship-student rival who staunchly detests cheating of any kind. What will Lynn do to convince Bank to overcome his moral dilemma and help them?

Movie Review:

Bad Genius is the second feature film of award-winning Thai writer-director Nattawut Poonpiriya. The movie was a hit at the Thai box office, making over S$4  million to date. Usually when people talk about Thai movies, they'll usually associate them with the genres of horror or rom-com. However, Nattawut Poonpiriya has chosen to lay off those genres, and continue to hone his edge in thriller/ drama.

In this latest feature film, the narration is around cheating. Lynn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) comes from a single parent family and slipped into the idea of monetizing her wits by providing her schoolmates with answers to exams after she helped Grace (Eisaya Hosuwan) once. Considering the easy money she could bring back home to relief her father of financial burden, she continued to partner Grace and her boyfriend Pat (Teeradon Supapunpinyo) scale up her ‘business’.

Bank (Chanon Santinatornkul), also an straight As student like Lynn, refused to help with the cheating even though he was offered big bucks by his classmate. He reported straightaway of a suspected cheating to the school authorities, only to realise Lynn did involve herself in such activities. However, little did the school, Lynn’s dad or Bank know the real scale of things…

At a wider angle, this movie is one which questions the moral behavior of a person and how that affects the person way of life and even the repercussions it has on others. As illustrated by the movie, Lynn struggled much at first but her principles bent eventually and went downtheslipperyslope. That was not because of her own ill character, but was influenced by the contradictory, inconsistent behaviors that both the school and father put up.

While the merit of the movie was that it managed to pull off something ‘out of norm’, in terms of outwitting in the ways of cheating, the story overall missed some charm. It was coherent and all, but overall the plot felt quite juvenile and childish. The cast is obviously young, and they did just enough to sustain the movie. However, it wasn’t something that was stellar and outstanding.

In terms of originality, the movie likely have aced it. The cheating methods were not short of creativity, and the camera angles did help to accentuate the thrilling factor. Shots of humour were weaved into the storyline and attempted to liven up the atmosphere. However, the movie still didn’t feel like it had a central core to it. It was possibly because it wasn’t supported by strong acting and the character development was not robust.

All in all, Bad Genius is only good as an alternative to the mainstream Thai movies. If you’re looking for a decent move which tugs your heart and challenge your thoughts, then this is probably not it. 

Movie Rating:

(Even though this movie proved popular at the Thai box offices, we aren’t sure if the local audiences have the appetite for Bad Genius)

Review by Tho Shu Ling