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TRAILER WATCH - THE STARPosted on 05 Oct 2017 |
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: Hitoshi One
Cast: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kiko Mizuhara, Suzuki Matsuo, Hirofumi Arai, Sakura Ando, Lily Franky, Yuki Amami
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures & Encore Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 26 October 2017
Synopsis: 33-year-old magazine editor Koroki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) just started working at chic lifestyle magazine Malet, where he is adjusting slowly to the trendy office culture and blending in with his fashionable colleagues. Koroki resolves to emulate his idol, the ultra- cool rockstar Tamio Okuda. One day he meets Akari Amami (Kiko Mizuhara), a renowned beauty in the fashion PR circle, through work, and immediately falls for her. This crush, however, hails the beginning of a nightmare for Koroki, as the free-spirited Akari soon has him twisted around her little finger...
Movie Review:
Tornado Girl is a movie based on a short manga series that was published on a weekly manga magazine, SPA! The series lasted for a month in 2014, before the chapters were subsequently consolidated and released in a single volume, released in 2015. The creator of the series, Shibuya Chokaku, is a well-known manga columnist in Japan, and this series is known to be one of his legendary works for its entertainment value.
The story of the movie is about a late bloomer, Koroki, who recently became a magazine editor, after being inspired by his all-time idol, Okuda Tamio. By an opportunity at work, he meets Akari, who is a PR personnel of one of the partners they work with. He fell head over heels for her almost immediately, not knowing what he’s got himself into. The relationship quickly developed and they spend much passionate moments together, only to have him realise that she’s eccentric, and is more than meets the eye.
The movie is directed by Ohne Hitoshi, with one of his classic works being Moteki. In fact, it was revealed by the lead actress of the movie, Mizuhara Kiko, that she’s a fan of Moteki! Director Ohne has remained through to his style in this movie as well, making use of the music and quirkiness of the characters to bring entertainment.
However, as you would expect, the Singapore audiences are not well acquainted with the iconic personality that plays a subtle role in the movie – Okuda Tamio. After all, he is Koroki’s lifetime aspiration and his songs play a part in Koroki’s imaginations. A few of his iconic songs were used - Ai no Tame ni (lit. trans: for the sake of love), Mashimalo (lit. trans: marshmallow) and CUSTOM. These songs were especially selected to match Tamio’s feelings at those various moments. It’s a pity this part of the movie didn’t work that nicely with the local audience, because the lyrics and mood of the songs fit perfectly.
In terms of the cast, it’s quite refreshing to see veteran actor Satoshi Tsumabuki (he’s been active in the industry since 1997!) working with Mizuhara Kiko. Tsumabuki has earned himself various recognitions in acting for his breakthrough work, Waterboys and more recently bagging the title of the best supporting actor for Rage. He’s done a perfect rendition of Koroki, the helpless romantic. Kiko started off being a model, but also ventured into the territories of acting. In her own personal life, she’s already seen to be a person who puts up a quirky behavior. She eased into the role of Akari and worked her attitude to bring the character to life. The interactions between them and the stark contrasts of their characters was fun and enjoyable to watch.
For the manga series to turn into the movie, the narrative is not just a straight and boring one. As the title suggests, the Tornado Girl has drove Koriki’s heart crazy and turned his world upside down. And perhaps he’s not the only one? Just like a tornado, her true character is hard to see and violently shakes the world around her. Just how she did it? That’s for you to find out!
Movie Rating:
(Lots of fun and laughter in this unconventional rom-com!)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
Genre: Action
Director: Li Chen
Cast: Li Chen, Fan Bingbing, Wang Qian Yuan, Li Jia Hang, Da Zhao, Leon Lee, Guo Ming Yu, Ye Liu, Lu Si Yu
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Rating: PG13 (Coarse Language and Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 19 October 2017
Synopsis: Wu Di (Lu Chen), Ya Li (Fan Bing Bing), Ling Weifeng (Wang Qian Yuan), Hao Chen (Li Jia Hang), are air force pilots. During the parade, they receive a sudden test to be selected to train in the air force’s secret base called Sky Hunter. Wu Di and Ling Weifeng passed the test, whereas Hao Chen was eliminated. Through a series of training, Wu Di and four other soldiers made it to the Sky Hunter secret base. However, news broke that Hao Chen has been captured by the rebel army of B country. Wu Di leads several recruits and receives a video of Hao Chen from B Country. Ling Weifeng promised Wu Di to attack B Country and rescue Hao Chen. An air war was imminently brewing...
Movie Review:
China is a powerful country, and this is on unabashed display in first time director and co scriptwriter Li Chen’s feature production. Viewers who are familiar with movies from the world’s most populous country would know Chinese propaganda is a commonly explored theme.
Just a few months ago, Wu Jing’s Wolf Warrior 2 took China by storm. Locals loved the popcorn flick for its patriotic plot, special effects and action sequences. A massive commercial success, the movie became the biggest single day gross for a Chinese production. It was also the fastest movie to cross RMB 2 billion, 3 billion, 4 billion and 5 billion box office marks. It doesn’t stop here – it is also the first movie to gross more than US$600 million at the Chinese box office.
Okay, you get the idea. With similar elements in place, why wasn’t China’s first aerial warfare movie well received back home?
Despite getting full support from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and receiving endorsement from dozens of military advisers, the movie only managed to clinch the fifth position when it opened during China’s National Day holidays (known as the Golden Week), behind titles like Never Say Die, The Foreigner and Chasing the Dragon.
It is unfortunate that this movie cracked under pressure (especially when people were expecting it to be a hit), because it is a decent piece of entertainment.
Li (Aftershock) plays a air force pilot who is drafted into an elite special ops with his childhood sweetheart (played by real life partner Fan Bingbing, who shows how versatile she is after starring in Feng Xiaogang’s I Am Not Madame Bovary). When a group of Chinese workers are taken hostage in a foreign land, our protagonist saves the day and rescues an old friend. More importantly, it is a showcase of the powerful Chinese military forces.
You don’t watch a movie like that to appreciate subtle plot developments. Everything is in your face – state of the art technologies, exciting aerial chases, loud explosions and sometimes cringe worthy dialogue. Even the score is bombastic – sit through the credits and you’ll see Hans Zimmer’s name. No wonder it has a sense of pompousness like the music from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
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Eagle eyed audiences will also spot a cameo appearance by Deng Chao (The Mermaid), who reportedly received no wage for his small role. Also lending support is South Korean Chinese boy group EXO member Luhan (See You Tomorrow) who performs the end credits song.
While this is no Top Gun or what you’d regard as quality filmmaking, it is still an entertaining piece of work that leaves you impressed with how powerful China is.
Movie Rating:
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(China is a powerful country, and this movie isn’t ashamed to show it)
Review by John Li
Genre: Thriller
Director: Cédric Jimenez
Cast: Jason Clarke, Rosamund Pike, Jack O’Connell, Jack Reynor, Mia Wasikowska
Runtime: 2 hrs
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes and Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 September 2017
Synopsis: 1942: The Third Reich is at its peak. The Czech resistance in London decides to plan the most ambitious military operation of WWII: Anthropoid. Two young recruits in their late twenties, Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubis, are sent to Prague to assassinate the most ruthless Nazi leader - Reich-protector Reinhard Heydrich, Head of the SS, the Gestapo, and the architect of the "Final Solution"
Movie Review:
For someone like this reviewer who didn’t enjoy history lessons in school, movies are the best solution to be aware about actual events which happened in the past.
How much do you know about Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich in Prague during World War II? This writer will be honest with you: he knows nothing about it until this movie directed by Cédric Jimenez came along. Based on French writer Laurent Binet's novel HHhH, the 120 minute film chronicles Heydrich's uprising and the lead up to his assassination.
Wait, before we proceed, who is Reinhard Heydrich? For those who don’t already know, Heydrich is a high ranking German Nazi official during World War II, and a main architect of the Holocaust. He is also responsible for formalising the plans for the Final Solution to the Jewish Question - the deportation and genocide of all Jews in German occupied Europe (there is a moment in the movie which addresses this nicely).
There are many critically acclaimed movies which about the Holocaust (Schindler’s List, Life is Beautiful, The Pianist, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Defiance and Denial are some titles which come to mind), and this one adds to the list.
Jason Clarke (Terminator Genisys, Everest) boldly takes on the role of Heydrich and brings humanity to it. You see how the man started his career in the navy, and the series of events which transformed him into someone historians regarded as the darkest figure within the Nazi elite. The gorgeous Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, A United Kingdom) plays his wife Lina Heydrich with the right amount of gravitas.
After a commendable dramatic plot development in the first half, the movie introduces Jozef Gabcik (Jack Reynor) and Jan Kubis (Jack O'Connell), the two men from the Czechoslovak army who carries out the assassination. This is where the movie steers in a mainstream direction of focusing on heroics and action, something which viewers have seen in classic war movies. Reynor (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Sing Street) and O’ Connell (300: Rise of an Empire, Unbroken) are very likeable as two earnest and patriotic soldiers who are determined to complete their mission. The scene where they are trapped in a flooding underground facility is especially moving.
The movie is high on production values. There are scenes with massive sets and countless extras. The sequences shot on location in Prague and Budapest also lend authenticity to the film. More importantly, you feel for the characters, regardless of which camp they are on. You realise that a circumstances do affect how personalities change, and a monster is not made in one day. The scene of Heydrich playing the violin with his son accompanying the performance on piano is a nice touch on the humane side behind the highly feared figure.
While the assassination of Heydrich has been adapted into several movies before this, most of them were released during the 1940s to 1970s. Hence, this is a timely introduction to younger viewers on the historical events.
Movie Rating:
(Strong casting makes this historical drama a recommended watch)
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Mike White
Cast: Ben Stiller, Jenna Fischer, Austin Abrams, Luke Wilson, Michael Sheen, Jemaine Clement
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Mature Content)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 2 November 2017
Synopsis: Brad has a satisfying career and a comfortable life in suburban Sacramento where he lives with his sweet-natured wife, Melanie (Jenna Fischer), and their musical prodigy son, Troy (Austin Abrams), but it’s not quite what he imagined during his college glory days. Showing Troy around Boston, where Brad went to university, he can’t help comparing his life with those of his four best college friends: a Hollywood bigshot (White), a hedge-fund founder (Luke Wilson), a tech entrepreneur (Jemaine Clement), and a political pundit and bestselling author (Michael Sheen). As he imagines their wealthy, glamorous lives, he wonders if cozy middle-class domesticity is the best he will ever achieve. But when circumstances force him to reconnect with his former friends, Brad begins to question whether he has really failed or if, in some essential ways, their lives are more flawed than they appear.
Movie Review:
Somewhat-privileged white, middle-class person struggling with a mid-life crisis – sounds like a narrative we’ve all heard before. Iterations range from copious amounts of navel-gazing despair (say, Lost in Translation) to other sprightlier Hollywood treatments that inform us it’s never too late to pursue some kind of screw-the-world, non-conformist epiphany (Eat, Pray, Love comes to mind). Brad’s Status lies somewhere along that continuum and like all films of the genre, tries to get at some kind of revelation about self-discovery and meaningful living. It’s writer-director’s Mike White funny and thoughtful approach, and the journey he takes us towards Brad’s eventual, aptly ambiguous reckoning that ultimately make the experience as refreshing as it is relatable.
Ben Stiller stars as Brad Sloan, the titular, malcontent lead character on the wrong side of fifty. And as the amusing opening scene shows, he may as well be waking up literally on the wrong side of the bed, wondering aloud at night whether he has enough materially, much to his slumbering wife Melanie’s (Jenna Fischer) annoyance. But that’s just the beginning of his incessant whinging. We soon learn Brad works for a non-profit organisation (the irony!) as a social media consultant, and while his spouse’s persona is admittedly vanilla, it’s clear Melanie’s nothing but a patient and loving wife and mother, while their unassuming, talented high school kid Troy (Austin Abrams) is shaping up to be prime Ivy League stock.
Doesn’t seem like there’s much to complain about, except that Brad still does so anyway. Most of the film unfolds on the trip that Brad and Troy take together to the East Coast in order to survey potential colleges for the bright teenager. From the outset, it’s clear that White refuses to set up his protagonist to be an instantly likeable one. Far from it. When Brad isn’t griping about upgrading to first-class seats on a plane (an unwarranted extravagance by his standards), he’s comparing his own social standing to those of his ex-college mates living the high life in fancifully conjured-up sequences in his head, largely fuelled by the feeds of their Instagram posts and Facebook statuses (referenced as a play on words in the movie’s title).
These objects of Brad’s disaffection – in his mind at least – provide the film’s much-needed comic relief. They consist of celebrity director Nick (played by White himself, tongue firmly in cheek), who knows how to throw a mean poolside party and whose house is featured in the latest issue of Architectural Digest; early retiree Billy (Jemaine Clement), who spends his days cavorting with bikini-clad ladies in Hawaii after the sale of his tech start-up; hedge fund mogul Jason (Luke Wilson), who flies his picture-perfect family with him everywhere on a private jet; political expert Craig (Michael Sheen), who, besides dispensing professional advice in books and on TV, lectures at Harvard University. Without giving away too much, Craig’s academic connections pave the way for a pivotal encounter with Brad.
The question is – how much of their lives actually match up to the loftiness that Brad has built up in his imagination though? While White has much of Brad’s self-absorbed cognitive processes narrated with suffocating detail via a recurring voiceover, it becomes gradually apparent that the device serves to accentuate the chasm between reality and his protagonist’s own inflated expectations. We are forced to walk in the uncomfortable shoes of Brad, who borders on being repugnant at times (he vacillates between pride and potential jealousy when it comes to Troy), but who’s to say we haven’t had morally questionable thoughts once in a while? If Brad is flawed, White makes him the lesser of the evils by contrasting him against his four ex-pals by upping their dysfunctionality quotient, slowly revealing the troubles and obnoxiousness behind at least some of these side characters. There’s a certain humane, relatable intimacy that intensifies as Brad wades from the murky waters of self-doubt towards clearer shores of optimism. The others-have-it-worse axiom isn’t ideal, but it works here.
And speaking of contrasts, interestingly it’s often the kids who hold up a mirror to Brad’s neuroses, an eye-wink to White’s own real-life inspiration for the script (the director intended the movie to reassure his own dad, whom he considers a success in real life but who struggled with living up to personal expectations). In one scene, one of Troy’s friends, Ananya (Shazi Raja) an intelligent young woman of colour puts him in his place by calling him out on his white male privilege and first-world problems. In the movie’s closing moments, it’s Troy who delivers what Brad (and perhaps us as audiences with our own real-world comparative anxieties) needs to hear as a voice of reason, but we won’t divulge any further. White effectively juxtaposes the youngsters as a reminder of Brad’s own youthful idealism and groundedness before these were chewed away by society’s expectations and his personal insecurities.
Stiller puts in what is possibly one of the finest performances of his career here. Forget his part in 2013’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – this is the subversive daydreamer role that really teases out the best of his capabilities. His frayed, greying hairs and age-worn countenance lend an authentically beleaguered air to the lead character and, dare we say, poignancy for audiences who have grown up (or grown older) with the likes of Zoolander and Meet the Parents. Often it’s Stiller’s masterful body language that speaks greater volumes than the protagonist’s rambling monologues. On the other hand, Abrams more than holds his own as Brad’s disarmingly calm son, countering his on-screen father’s irrationality with a muted but formidable sensibility on more occasions than one without ever rounding off the edges that come with being an awkward teenager.
A small part of this reviewer wishes White pushed the envelope a little further and made Brad’s Status a little sharper, perhaps even grittier. It’s a film that’s keenly aware of its protagonist’s privilege and egocentrism, yet lets him get away with it ultimately. By and large however, the script is intelligent and well-written. White’s direction, which largely consists of hand-held sequences, is effective and feels unpretentious and personal. Most importantly, Brad’s Status is bitingly #relatable for anyone who’s ever had to take stock of their lives against their peers at a class reunion, or those who’ve ever suffered from fear-of-missing-out impulses generated by the painstakingly curated social media feeds of their contemporaries. Which is basically all of us and reason enough for you to watch it.
Movie Rating:
(A timely, thoughtful movie that ruminates about measuring status in terms of our relationships with material wealth or with our loved ones, Brad’s Status is a heartfelt, relatable piece of work that will speak to anyone who’s ever struggled with living up to modern society’s definition of success)
Review by Tan Yong Chia Gabriel
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TRAILER WATCH - PACIFIC RIM UPRISINGPosted on 07 Oct 2017 |
Genre: Action
Director: Steven S. DeKnight
Cast: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Jing Tian, Rinko Kikuchi, Adria Arjona, Charlie Day, Burn Gorman, Cailee Spaeny, Zhang Jin
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: http://www.pacificrimmovie.com
Opening Day: 22 March 2018
Synopsis: John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction. Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious‘ Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.
Movie Review:
With all due respect to newly minted Academy Award winning director Guillermo del Toro, his 2013 love letter to Ray Harryhausen and Ishiro Honda’s monster films was an all-too self-serious affair that took the fun out of watching giant robots fight against giant monsters. So as admirable as del Toro’s intent of injecting dramatic heft with the concept of ‘drifting’ (i.e. where pairs of pilots gain intimate knowledge of each other’s memories and feelings in order to operate the neural load of one of them giant mechas known as ‘Jaegers’) may be, the movie just wasn’t as fun as it should have been, which was probably one of the reasons why it underwhelmed at the US box office.
How much you love Steven S. DeKnight’s continuation of that universe depends on how much you were in love with del Toro’s empathy metaphor as well as his tone of sobriety. Indeed, much as one of the lead characters – namely, the teenage orphan Amara Namani (Cailee Spaeny) – has to overcome her own traumatic loss of her family in order to properly pilot a Jaeger, there is much less emphasis here on the so-called psychic link that the pair of pilots have to forge in order to ‘drift’. At the same time, DeKnight and his three co-screenwriters have opted for a much lighter tone throughout, which is evident not only in the wry banter that the characters engage in but also in almost all of its robots-versus-monsters brawls now take place in the brightness of day (than the darkness of night).
Truth be told, ‘Pacific Rim Uprising’ is a lot more straightforwardly entertaining than its predecessor. Compared to the wounded survivors of the previous movie, our hero is here a roguish slacker Jake Pentecost (John Boyega) – who, for what it’s worth, is the son of Idris Elba’s martyr hero Stacker – happily passing his days partying and selling parts from decommissioned Jaegers on the black market. On one of his scavenger hunts, he runs into fellow scrounger Amara, who is collecting parts for her own DIY Bumblebee-like Jaeger creation named Scrapper. Given a choice between jail and service when arrested, Jake opts to join his former partner Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood) to train a new generation of Jaeger pilots at the Pan Pacific Defense Force’s new Chinese headquarters, while Amara chooses to enlist as one of his cadets.
Like we alluded to earlier, character isn’t so much a priority here as it was in del Toro’s 2013 original, so it doesn’t go much further with the new additions than Jake as a reluctant hero with outsider cool, Nate as a square-jawed duty-bound soldier and Amara as a Jaeger fanatic whom Jake will come to personally mentor. Fans of the original will welcome the return of some of the surviving characters – including Jake’s half sister Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) and the two vaudevillian scientists Dr Newton Geiszler (Charlie Day) and Dr Hermann Gottlieb (Burn Gorman) – and be heartened to know that they are important pieces in the narrative puzzle.
Without giving away too much, let’s just say that there is a good conspiracy woven in that has to do with a rival drone project led by tech tycoon Shao Liwen (Jing Tian) of the shadowy Shao Foundation as well as the leftovers of the ‘kaiju’ from the earlier apocalyptic-cancelling battle fought a decade ago. Uncovering the puppet master behind a rogue Jaeger is what brings Jake and Nate on a globe-trotting mission from Sydney to Siberia and finally to Tokyo, the last of which is also where the climactic battle with a trio of Category 4 and 5 ‘kaijus’. Besides being utterly befitting of the cultural origins of the ‘kaijus’, the cross-country trek also adds freshness to the stream of nicely choreographed CG destruction.
Oh yes, the very raison d’etre for most audiences of the ‘Pacific Rim’ universe is really to witness mountain-sized robots and monsters punching each other, and DeKnight satisfies that desire for spectacle by pulling off some impressive, even jaw-dropping, shots of mayhem. There are two mano-a-manos between the Gypsy Danger 2.0 that Jake and Nate pilots and the aforementioned rogue Jaeger of pure gleaming steel, the first in downtown Sydney and the next on the ice in Siberia; and the piece de resistance is no doubt the showdown in central Tokyo that sees three ‘kaijus’ transform into a mega-‘kaiju’ (much like how the Power Rangers ‘zods’ combine into a Megazod). To his credit, DeKnight eschews the nausea-inducing cinematography of the ‘Transformers’ franchise, so you can see the battles in their full glory; notwithstanding, there is no shaking off the feeling that the fights don’t feel as epic as they ought to be, even coming off cartoony at times.
And so, while del Toro’s franchise opener was probably too sombre for its own good, this sequel pivots quite drastically to the other extreme, thereby diminishing the stakes involved as well as the gee-whiz grandeur. We do wish there were more personality to the Jaegers though, apart from being the one with the electric whip or the ‘gravity slings’ or the plasma swords. That said, it is engaging in a fun way which the original never was, in huge part due to Boyega’s infectious charisma as well as his spontaneous chemistry with his co-stars Spaeny and Eastwood. The action too is frequently thrilling, and the visual effects work top-notch. If only it had more edge and threat, as well as more personality, this ‘Uprising’ would indeed be worthy of its title.
Movie Rating:
(As long as all you're looking for is fun and thrilling robots-versus-monsters spectacle, this straightforward blockbuster of a sequel should do fine)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Cast: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connelly
Runtime: 2 hrs 13 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Drug References & Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 18 October 2017
Synopsis: It’s not what stands in front of you…it’s who stands beside you. Only the Brave, based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the heroic story of one unit of local firefighters that through hope, determination, sacrifice, and the drive to protect families, communities, and our country become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the nation. As most of us run from danger, they run toward it – they watch over our lives, our homes, everything we hold dear, as they forge a unique brotherhood that comes into focus with one fateful fire.
Movie Review:
The elite group of firefighters known as the Granite Mountain Hotshots came into national prominence because all but one of them perished in the deadly Yarnell Hill Fire of June 2013, thus marking the highest death toll for US firefighters since 9/11. But this portrait of a fraternity of men who risk their lives day-in and day-out containing fast-spreading wildfires is much, much more than just that fateful incident alone. Oh no, as adapted for the screen from a harrowing GQ article by Ken Nolan (‘Black Hawk Down’) and Eric Warren Singer (‘American Hustle’), it is a celebration of ordinary, sometimes-flawed men doing extraordinary things that pays homage to their indomitable courage and self-sacrifice, but never does turn reverent to the point of idolatry. These are men with real struggles and issues of their own, and in portraying these alongside their heroism, this well-rounded tribute becomes all the more compelling and poignant.
When we first meet these firefighters, they are no more than a municipal squad doing Type II fire mitigation duty, viz. clearing brush and burning firelines relatively far from the danger itself. That diminished status is a sore point for their superintendent Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin), who implores the division chief and close confidant Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges) to get them certified as ‘hotshots’. That journey to cherished Type I status will see Eric recruit a bunch of newbies to augment their numbers, including the local screw-up Brendan McDonough (Miles Teller) looking for a chance to straighten his life out – not only will Eric have to ensure that Eric does not end up becoming their Achilles heel, he will also have to manage the dynamics between Brendan and fellow hot-blooded member Chris MacKenzie (Taylor Kitsch). Thus sets the stage for a good number of scenes which show how the men train – committing rules to memory, conducting deploy drills and creating control burns – which will pay off in unexpected ways in giving context of what the men will be doing in the heat of duty.
That they will be recognised as top-tier firemen is no surprise, but it is how the relationships between these men evolve that is truly engaging to watch. There is plenty of camaraderie to go around, built up over months of training together and fighting fire alongside each other, such that Brendan and Chris will just overcome their initial enmity but become best buddies in a way that feels completely authentic. Due focus is also given to the families of these men, in particular Eric’s fierce but loving relationship with his strong-willed wife Amanda (Jennifer Connelly) as well as Brendan’s strained relationship with the girl whom he got pregnant and their baby daughter. In fact, the film is as much homage to the men as it is honouring their wives and children who endure long stretches of their absence and persistent anxiety over their safety and wellbeing. Deserving of special mention are the emotionally charged scenes between Eric and Amanda, which not only portray the complexities of being in a marriage with someone so consumed by a profession that may one day claim his very life, but also later on underline the unavoidably profound grief felt by his subsequent demise.
Just as he does with the characters, director Joseph Kosinski keeps the firefighting footage real and authentic. Unlike other such genre films, there is no attempt to inflate or sensationalise the scale and intensity of these conflagrations; instead, each one is approached by the crew in an almost routine fashion – a call for help, a long ride out in their vehicles where they sing songs and trade jokes, and an equanimity on the ground borne out of skill, confidence and professionalism – much in the way that any one of us would our day-to-day work, with the notable distinction of course being how extremely dangerous each one of these missions is. Combining actual fire, special effects and CGI, the five different blazes we see on screen showcase the stunning and terrible beauty of fire, each one magnificently captured by Oscar-winning cinematographer Claudio Miranda.
But more than the visual spectacle of the blazes is the brotherhood of the unit, the bonds between the men forged over sweat and soot. It is their camaraderie, their true-to-life challenges and their bravery, determination and perseverance that will stay with you long after the lights come on. Each one of the actors that make up the stellar acting ensemble portraying these real-life heroes puts in some of his or her best work we have seen, no more so than Brolin, who anchors the film as the strong-willed leader with dignity, gravitas and pathos. You’ll already know right from the start that there is no happy ending for these men, not even the only one among them who survives out of pure luck and is therefore saddled with a profound sense of guilt, but their eventual fate still hits you like a blast. This is as befitting a homage as it gets to these ordinary men, deeply moving, immensely affecting and thoroughly realistic.
Movie Rating:
(Brimming with heart, spirit and emotion, this character-driven portrait of real-life bravery is a deeply moving tribute to its ordinary heroes - and one of the most affecting pictures of the year)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: Sacha Gervasi
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Chloë Grace Moretz, Catherine Keener, David Strathairn
Runtime: 1 hr 26 mins
Rating: NC16 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 December 2017
Synopsis: Following the mysterious death of a fellow student, Addison and his sassy friend Phoebe investigate the Washington D.C. in order to solve the case. As they dig deeper, they uncover a dangerous world of corruption and lies, and in the process put their own lives in jeopardy.
Movie Review:
The word “Criminals” in the movie title is a bait to lure unsuspecting audiences into the theaters. Of course, the pretty faces of young stars Ansel Elgort (The Fault In Our Stars) and Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick Ass) plastered on the poster helps too.
Despite the stars involved and directed by Sacha Gervasi of Hitchcock and who also contributed the screenplay for Spielberg’s The Terminal, November Criminals has one of the most inconsequential plotting of all time. It’s a gigantic waste of time consider the original source material is rated by The New York Times as a thoughtful coming-of-age story.
Addison Schacht (Elgort) is an intelligent high school senior who frequently hangs out with his best friend, Phoebe (Moretz). On the day Phoebe lost her virginity to Addison, one of their fellow classmates, Kevin was fatally shot at his workplace. The incident changes their lives forever, as Addison becomes obsessed in finding out the truth behind the killing. And that includes checking on dangerous drug dealers and some other suspicious characters that could be involved in the murder.
While it’s commendable on the filmmakers’ part to create a slow, deep and reflective movie, the end results are far from it. For a start, the character of Addison Schacht is not someone you love instantly. He is too smart for his own good and overly pretentious, who in the world carries a beeper and listens to cassette tapes in this era? And he thinks he can be an overnight detective solving the death of his friend just by putting up posters, questioning the dead boy’s parents and questioning everyone during assembly.
The story attempts to intrigue the audiences with the mysterious death of Kevin and following it with Addison’s obsession with the case. However as the story unfolds, you realized there’s none of the conspiracy theories in which Addison has been spouting. As it turned out, there’s isn’t much of a case to begin with. Could it be the sudden death of his mum linked to his behavior problem? We aren’t sure about that but we are definitely sure Addison the modern-day philosopher should thank his lucky stars not ended up being shot dead by drug dealers.
November Criminals also stars veterans liked David Strathairn (Lincoln) and Catherine Keener (Get Out) as Addison’s worrying dad and Phoebe’s mum respectively. But they are both criminally underused even Chloë Grace Moretz is largely forgotten for the most part except scenes of her lying in bed with Ansel Elgort. Pity the stars involved, this teen crime thriller is just plain awful perhaps you should just go ahead and get the book.
Movie Rating:
(Not much of a conspiracy to talk about nor function as a decent thriller, this one has self-importance written all over it)
Review by Linus Tee
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