Genre: War/Drama
Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Elsa Pataky
Runtime: 2 hrs
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 January 2018

Synopsis: 12 STRONG is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when a U.S. Special Forces team, led by their new Captain, Mitch Nelson (Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first U.S. troops sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission. There, in the rugged mountains, they must convince Northern Alliance General Dostum (Negahban) to join forces with them to fight their common adversary: the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. In addition to overcoming mutual distrust and a vast cultural divide, the Americans—accustomed to state-of-the-art warfare—must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghani horse soldiers. But despite their uneasy bond, the new allies face overwhelming odds: outnumbered and outgunned by a ruthless enemy that does not take prisoners.

Movie Review:

You would hardly expected a film by Hollywood veteran Jerry Bruckheimer to be understated. After all this is the man who made you believe that oil drillers can save the world from an incoming asteroid and feel for them in the epic Armageddon (and who introduced a bombastic synonym for doomsday to the majority of moviegoers). Unfortunately, 12 Strong defies expectations you may have of a Bruckheimer film.

The feature film debut for director Nicolai Fuglsig, 12 Strong tells the true story of a war mission that has all the odds stacked against it – a group of 12 American soldiers led by a captain who have no real experience on the battlefields have to work together with allies from the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, who may betray them at the drop of a hat, to take over an area under enemy rule before harsh weather conditions set in. Not only that, the territory they are looking at has is unfamiliar ground for fellow American soldiers- no one has experience in those parts of the land and there is nothing that they can read up on that will help them plan and strategise their moves there. The cherry on this cinematic gold cake is that this is actually based on a true story that got written down in the form of a book.

Furthermore, the cast is helmed by the dashing Chris Hemsworth who plays captain Mitch Nelson. Fresh from his Thor escapades, Hemsworth would have brought in the crowds while thespians like Michael Pena and Michael Shannon would pull in the acting chops necessary to make this a crowd pleaser to the critics.

Despite throwing in all the elements of what probably would fulfil the Hollywood crowdpleaser, award-winning movie formula, 12 Strong fails to deliver on the promising premises it was set on. While Fuglsig does a good job of bringing out the camaraderie and sense of brotherhood by leveraging on the easy chemistry that the predominantly male cast clearly have (in scenes where they are joking around or teasing each other or showing a sense of deep betrayal at their captain’s “abandonment” by asking for a deskbound job for the sake of his family), there is never a real sense that the men fear for each other’s safety and wellbeing. Rather than play on the sense of unease that Captain Mitch Nelson displayed in telling his second-in-command Chief Cal Spencer that he hasn’t heard from the Charlie team that he deployed, Fuglsig chooses to chuck away that moment of emotional connection that he set up and the next thing you know, we forget about the Charlie team until it is necessary to bring them back to move the plot along.

The relationship between Nelson and Northern Alliance’s General Abdul Rashid Dostum (played by Navid Negahban), which is key to the success of the mission, is bumpy and poorly developed despite a promising stage that was set where Nelson demonstrates his quick-wittedness by swopping a greeting gift with something that would have been considered taboo but greatly pleases General Dostum who immediately drops one layer of the many layers of veneers he has put on in front of the Americans. In a bid to show how Nelson and Dostum’s relationship rapidly transform from a tense suspecting one to one where the two would risk their lives for each other, Fuglsig, unfortunately, falls back on clichés such as when Dostum tells Nelson how the latter cannot win a war if he “does not have the heart of a warrior” much like Miyagi imparts cryptic Asian life lessons and words of wisdom to the karate kid. Dostum also abruptly softens up to Nelson and shares his background with Nelson and what motivates him to carry on the fight against Taliban with no apparent prompting.

The failure to utilise these rich setups and captivating plotlines is what results in this film with a promising storyline becoming an underwhelming generic war film which leaves you yearning for more and wondering how much better the real life story would be. 

Movie Rating:

(12 Strong had an interesting, real life premise but fails to utilise that fully, becoming a generic war film which whets your appetite for the book it is based on instead)

Review by Katrina Tee

SYNOPSIS: Stuck in a liquor store during an alleged robbery, a group of strangers shares hidden truths and forms an unexpected bond on Christmas Eve.

MOVIE REVIEW:

On Christmas Eve, a young man named Eric (Luke Grimes from Fifty Shades of Grey) drives into a small town, El Camino to look for his long-lost father. Before long, he gets himself acquainted with a single mother, Kate (Michelle Mylett) and her son. Things got messy when Eric gets mistaken for a drug dealer by two local cops, Billy (Dax Shepard) and a perpetually drunk Carl (Vincent D’ Onofrio). With a crazy, trigger-happy Carl hot on his heels, Eric ends up in a hostage situation with five other townies in a liquor store. Will Eric manage to escape from this dire situation and find his father before Christmas?

El Camino Christmas is touted as a dark comedy although I must assured you other than a few scenes of watching Dax Shepard’s character fumbling his ways as a dim-witted officer and moonlighting as a motel receptionist, there’s no indication of El Camino Christmas being a comedy of sorts. Shepard by the way reunites with his ChiPs’ co-star, D’ Onofrio although the two only share one single scene together.

It’s more of a tale of redemption and a gathering of an assortment of clichéd, stereotypical characters from the Mexican liquor storeowner, Vincente (Emilio Rivera) to the frustrating local sheriff (Kurtwood Smith) to the Vietnam veteran with a tortured past. It’s a gallery of interesting characters stuck in an uninteresting crime story. Of course at this point you know you are not watching Fargo or anything belonging to the gold standard set by the Coen brothers.

But all is not lost. Tim Allen stars as the prior mentioned Vietnam veteran with a tortured past, Larry Roth. It’s not that hard to guess who Allen is playing when Eric knocks on the door of Roth. For sure, Allen is not playing Santa Claus at least it’s a role that flexes his long-dormant acting muscles. Vincent D’ Onofrio is always a delight to watch even he is just mumbling his lines and acting crazy for most of the screentime. For those who miss Jessica Alba on the big screen, she is here in a thankless role as a pregnant TV reporter.

In the end, El Camino Christmas is a weird movie to watch. Despite the best intentions by the filmmakers, the entire flick simply doesn’t work. It’s a lousy balance of humour, action and drama. Certainly, it failed to entertain let alone a flick suitable for the holiday season.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

TRAILER WATCH - OCEAN'S 8 FIRST TRAILER Posted on 19 Dec 2017 Like Ocean's Eleven, the female-driven caper spinoff OCEAN'S 8 begins with its lead Debbie Ocean, sister of George Clooney's Danny Ocean, pleading her case at a parole hearing, although it isn't long before she is assembling a crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City’s yearly Met Gala. Featuring an all-star cast led by Sandra Bullock, the star-studded pic i ... more

Genre: Drama
Director: Todd Haynes
Cast:  Oakes Fegley, Amy Hargreaves, Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, Millicent Simmonds
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw 
Official Website: http://www.wonderstruckmovie.com

Opening Day: 8 February 2018

Synopsis: In 1927, a young girl runs away from home in New Jersey and makes her way to Manhattan, hoping to find someone who was an important part of her past. Fifty years later, a deaf boy befallen by personal tragedy finds a clue about his family that leads him to run away from rural Minnesota to New York. As their adventures lead them to strange new places, where mysteries about themselves and the world seem to lurk around every corner, their stories of discovery reach across years of silence and regret, and find each other through a mesmerizing symmetry driven by wonder and hope.

Movie Review:

“I need you to be patient with this story…” writes Julianne Moore’s mute grandmother to her curious twelve-year-old grandson Ben (Oakes Fegley), just before she explains to him who his father is – and to us, how his story is tied to that of Rose (Millicent Simmonds), whose quest to track down her mother (also played by Moore) half a century ago mirrors that of his own to discover the identity of his father.

‘Wonderstruck’, adapted by Brian Selznick from his own children’s novel, intercuts both their stories across two different time frames. Ben’s story is set in 1977 and begins after the death of his mother (Michelle Williams, in a moving flashback) in an auto accident. While grieving over her loss, Ben is equally distraught that she never told him about his father. The only clue he has is a tattered old bookmark bearing the address of a New York bookstore, hidden within a titular old book that describes the precursors to museums called ‘cabinets of wonder’. That same night he finds the bookmark, Ben is struck by lightning in a freak accident which causes him to permanently lose his hearing. Undaunted, Ben hops on a bus to New York in search of the bookstore that he hopes will lead him to his father.

On the other hand, Rose’s story is set in 1927, and begins with her frustration at the strict authority of her businessman father. Hearing impaired since birth, Rose spends her days cooped up in a huge mansion, and on the occasions she manages to sneak out, finds her way to the local movie theatre to watch her mother on the big screen. Like Ben, Rose decides one day to go to New York City to track down her favourite actress, thus beginning a parallel adventure that will converge at some point and for some considerable time in the Museum of Natural History. That location isn’t some coincidence; indeed, as you can probably guess, both Ben and Rose are somehow connected through time by this extensive yet intricate repository of life itself.

At least for the first hour, it does appear as if their journeys seem to be leading up to something transcendent and illuminating; yet it never ever comes to that. Ben’s time at the Museum turns out to be a red herring, mostly spent with a lonely kid (Jaden Michael) whose father works at the Museum but who has no other connection with the central narrative. Rose’s presence is more purposeful, but even so, her story is a lot more straightforward and therefore a lot less intriguing. By the time Moore shows up in Ben’s story in order to complete the puzzle, you’d probably already guessed just how Ben and Rose are related to each other, so much so that the supposed climactic reveal ends up being an anti-climax.

That it turns out this underwhelming is due to director Todd Haynes, who engineers the big-reveal ending to be worth the one-half hours that precedes it. As a result, aside from illustrating the similarities between the two tracks of action, there is hardly any momentum to the storytelling, or for that matter any form of character development that shows Ben and Rose’s coming-of-age through their respective journeys. What pleasures the movie offers are fleeting and intermittent – such as Haynes’s use of cardboard cut-outs within the impressive Panorama of the City of New York exhibit at the 1964 World Fair to convey the history between Ben and Rose, or how Rose’s adventure unfolds like a black-and-white silent movie told with several intertitles and a soundtrack without dialogue. Still, these are barely enough to sustain one’s interest in the dramatically inert plotting, which leaves one far from wonderstruck.

Among Haynes’s oeuvre, this gentle fable is one of his weakest. There are some visually imaginative delights no doubt, and those who feel passionately about the preservation of the natural environment will surely be thrilled by how that has been woven into the story, but otherwise what should have been an intriguing exploration of two voyages that transcend time and space eventually becomes a meandering slog across two different points in time. Oh yes, by the time Moore’s character implores for Ben’s patience, you’ve very likely already lost yours. 

Movie Rating:

(There is little wonder in this dramatically inert story of two intercutting coming-of-age journeys across different time frames, and not even Todd Haynes's visual artistry saves his movie from its sheer tedium)

Review by Gabriel Chong

TRAILER WATCH - THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS TEASER TRAILER Posted on 19 Dec 2017 Disney has dropped a teaser trailer for THE NUTCRACKER AND THE FOUR REALMS, the studio’s live-action retelling of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story The Nutcracker And The Mouse King. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom and produced by Mark Gordon, the fairy tale stars Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightley, Morgan Freeman, Matthew Macfadyen, Helen Mirren and more. The story follows Clara (Foy) whose ... more

TRAILER WATCH - SICARIO 2: SOLDADO FIRST TRAILER Posted on 20 Dec 2017 Unfortunately for fans of the original, director Denis Villeneuve, cinematographer Roger Deakins and actress Emily Blunt doesn't return for this sequel. But there is still Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, who find that the drug war on the U.S./Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. Brolin's Federal agent Matt Graver reteams wi ... more

SYNOPSIS: Two Mississippi families -- one black, one white -- confront the brutal realities of prejudice, farming and friendship in a divided World War II era.

MOVIE REVIEW:

If Netflix were ever going to stand a chance at getting into the Best Picture Oscar race, ‘Mudbound’ is as good a bet as any. An old-fashioned sprawling World War II-era drama set in the Deep South, it is a compelling portrait of race, class and complex social tectonics told with surprising subtlety and nuance.

Adapted by Dee Rees (who co-wrote the script with Virgil Williams) from Hillary Jordan’s 2008 novel, it opens in media res with two brothers Henry (Jason Clarke) and Jamie McAllan (Garrett Hedlund) trying to bury their father on their farm by digging a grave during a rainstorm. While they struggle, an African American family rides by with their possessions strapped to the back of their buggy. Henry approaches the patriarch Hap Jackson (Rob Morgan) for help, and though their reluctance is written on their faces, Hap nevertheless dismounts to assist them.

What had previously transpired between the McAllans and the Jacksons is the subject of the next two hours, which chronicles the fates of these two families living on the same Mississippi farm. Henry is the owner, having moved his wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) and their two daughters from their quiet suburban home to a rundown house on that muddy piece of land in order to find his own independence. The Jacksons are sharecroppers on the same piece of land, whose dream of owning it are dashed after Henry buys the whole plot up. With the advent of the United States’ involvement in WWII, Jamie enlists as a fighter pilot while one of Hap’s sons Ronsel (Jason Mitchell) is assigned to the all-black 761^st Tank Battalion.

Aside from the occasional scenes contrasting Jamie’s trauma from losing his co-pilot to enemy fire up in the sky with that of Ronsel’s newfound respect among the European villagers he liberates from the grip of the Nazis, the bulk of the first hour is spent intertwining the day-to-day lives of the McAllans and the Jacksons. When their daughters develop whooping cough, the McAllans reach out to Hap’s wife Florence (Mary J. Blige) to nurse the pair back to health, eventually staying on in the household as a maid for the salary. Hap suffers an accident one day that leaves him with a broken leg, and Laura calls in a doctor from town without Henry’s knowledge to treat him. On the other hand, Henry’s father Pappy (Jonathan Banks) starts associating with some openly racist folk in town, setting the stage for a confrontation between the two families that will bind them in tragedy.

While advancing the story linearly, Rees allows each one of these characters to voice their innermost thoughts in turn, so that we learn intimately Henry’s restless ambition, Laura’s simmering discontent, Hap’s pent-up frustration and last but not least Florence’s steely determination. To Rees’ credit, she has a great eye for bringing out character dynamics in small, intimate scenes, building a rich tapestry through everyday interactions and minutiae. Sadly, some of that is lost in the second half of the film, which develops the kinship between Jamie and Ronsel after both return to war and bond over their wartime experience. As much as it does demonstrate acutely the destructive effects of war on both of them, the film ends up being so singularly focused that it neglects the other characters – most significantly, Laura’s presence is unfairly diminished, especially since it is her perspective that shapes the storytelling most in the earlier half.

Still, there is no denying the emotional power of the finale, which reveals not just why the Jacksons are leaving but also how Pappy had died. The sheer bigotry and barbarism of the Ku Klux Klans are on stark display here, a chilling and poignant reminder of the face of racism that is nothing less than a humiliating scourge on the American identity. But Rees is a dramatist, not an exploiter, and it is truly praiseworthy that she never does resort to depicting the events – not even with the climactic lynching that is sure to evoke strong reactions – through a blinkered lens; rather, she wants her audience to care first and foremost about her characters, and trusts that they are intelligent enough to come to their own conclusions about the circumstances they are forced to contend with.

It certainly helps that Rees has a great cast on board, but the standout is undoubtedly the R&B singer Blige, who disappears into the role of a mother aching for the return of her son as well as that of a matriarch who knows exactly where and what to direct her energies (not her rage) towards. This is a wonderful acting showcase through and through, and each one of the performances are as fine as we’ll seen from these actors.

Too often, films like ‘Mudbound’ tend to play up ‘black suffering’ in order to appeal to the emotions of their viewers, and it is therefore refreshing that Rees never feels the compulsion to do that. In fact, this is first and foremost a story of two families of intertwined destinies, with its emphasis on the relationships between them – and in that regard, the film succeeds in making each one of them register in truly affecting ways. Like we said at the start, if Netflix ever stood a chance at getting into the Oscar race, ‘Mudbound’ is as good a bet as any; after all, regardless of studio or distributor, this is one of the finest dramas we’ve seen this year.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Comedy
Director: Sandra Ng
Cast: Sandra Ng, Francis Ng, Alex Fong, Zhang Yi, Shen Teng, Yue Yunpeng, PAPI, Jiao Junyan, Pan Binlong, Alan, Juncong Xu, Cayden Li
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 29 December 2017

Synopsis: Between a dusty construction site and a luxury high-rise, a dilapidated multi-storey residence named Humble Grove sits awkwardly. Its tenants are Wang Baojian and his son, progenies of a family of Chinese herbalists, Jin San and his wife Li Juhua, Internet sensation A Ping, and retired gangsters A Ren and A Ming. For years, they have not dared to step outside the building, because if they do, they will be locked out of their homes by ruthless property developers… One night, inexplicable incidents of uncanny horror befall all the tenants, who subsequently decide to hire ghost-buster Golden Ling to perform an exorcism. She turns out to be an avaricious, strident-tongued aunty - Golden Ling looks every bit the charlatan, and the way she conducts the exorcism, wielding her apparatus, is nothing short of comical…

Movie Review:

Based on the promotional poster alone, we know what you are thinking. This movie looks like a disposable comedy that you will think twice about watching, even when it is broadcast on TV. Is this a slapstick production chockfull of cheap special effects? Is this a project aimed at the Mainland Chinese market to earn some quick bucks? Is this an attempt for has been movie stars to regain visibility in the media?

Yes, we were doubtful about the movie initially, wondering why investors actually gave the green light to produce this movie. Fortunately, we were wrong – especially when the comedy is headlined by some of our favourite Hong Kongartistes.

Sandra Ng, who is known for her comic roles, makes her directorial debut with this feature film. She also takes on the leading role of an exorcist who helps the residents of a dilapidated building to get rid of supernatural beings. Without giving away too much of the plot, there are vampires (both Eastern and Western ones!), as well as hoards of zombies which are in the way of the good guys. The motley crew of tenants includes a duo of retired gangsters, a grieving doctor and his son, an oddball couple and a wannabe Internet influencer. That’s about enough material to milk some laughs for an 89 minute movie.

The story contains surprisingly engaging elements – there are swindlers you will despise, commercial frauds that feel close to real life incidents, heartwarming moments that celebrate justice and most importantly, a series of chuckle worthy sequences. This is a truly entertaining movie that does its job in a very agreeable one and a half hours.

There is no denying the fact that the production is made with the Mainland Chinese market in mind. The ensemble cast comprises largely Mainland Chinese actors (do names like Zhang Yi, Shen Teng, Yue Yunpeng, PAPI, Jiao Junyan, Pan Binlong, Alan, Juncong Xu, Cayden Li ring a bell to you?), but each of them brings something refreshing to the table. You may have seen some of them in films like I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016), Goodbye Mr Loser (2015) and Detective Chinatown (2015), and you must admit seeing unfamiliar faces does help viewers pay attention to the actors’ performances.

We have seen Ng’s comedic talents in countless movies (12 Golden Ducks and Golden Chickensss being the most recent ones she portrayed leading characters), and her latest work is a testimony of how effortless it is for the 52 year old actress to make people laugh. Amidst this, she also makes you feel for the character and this is the work of a veteran in showbiz. Two other familiar faces in the movie are Francis Ng (Line Walker) and Alex Fong (Overheard 3). The parody on the Young and Dangerous series is spot on.

The production values of the movie are high, with some impressive camerawork and editing. Ng’s partner Peter Chan takes on the producer role (some of the filmmaker’s impressive directorial works include American Dreams in China and Dearest), and does a fine job. This is a noteworthy movie that deserves more attention that its seemingly silly promotional poster. 

Movie Rating:

(An entertaining comedy with some heartwarming moments that remind you that the world is a good place)

Review by John Li

Genre: Fantasy
Director: Chen Kaige
Cast: Huang Xuan, Shota Sometani, Kitty Zhang, Qin Hao, Chang Yung-yung, Liu Haoran, Oho Ou, Zhang Luyi, Hiroshi Abe, Mason Lee, Sandrine Pinna
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Scenes Of Intimacy)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment and Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 January 2018

Synopsis: In the Tang imperial court, a Chinese poet and Japanese monk join forces to investigate the gruesome events associated with a demonic cat and in the process, unravel the mystery behind the death of China’s most legendary concubine, Yang Guifei.

Movie Review:

When you have the venerable Chen Kaige at the helm, you can expect lush visuals that are hard to ignore. Colours, textures, movement, all come together in an airy dance that is pure foreplay to the eyes.

CGI fever has overtaken many modern films in China, no doubt due to the rising younger audience who grew up on a diet of dreamy and dramatic gaming graphics, but 5th-generation filmmaker Chen has bowed only slightly to that with Legend of the Demon Cat. Using it only to refine his vision, the effect is tangible. And that’s paw-tastic.

In this epic tale, the famous exorcist Monk Kukai (Shota Sometani) travels to the imperial palace to investigate the ailing Emperor. At his sudden demise, Kukai, joined by the righteous scribe Bai Le Tian (Huang Xuan), follows the suspicious trail of a supernatural cat on a killing spree.

Set in one of the most vibrant ages in Chinese history, the Tang Dynasty, Legend of the Demon Cat is many things - period drama, fantasy horror, detective flick - but it is ultimately, and quite surprisingly, a love story.

As both Kukai and Le Tian follow down the bloody paws of the black cat, a tale of vengeance and love unspools and we’re introduced to an extensive, if a little convoluted, network. Featuring notable historical figures, such as the Emperor Xuanzong (Zhang Luyi), poet Li Bai (Xin Baiqing) and even legendary beauty Yang Guifei (Sandrine Pinna), the story takes us one generation before the film to understand the elusive motives of the creature.

Based on the novel Shamon Kukai Tou no Kuni nite oni to utage su by Baku Yumemakura, the material is suitably creepy and dark. With gouged eyeballs and live burials, the grit is there to satisfy gore hounds. But this works best juxtaposed against Chen’s flamboyance, depicted in florid feasts and saucy courtesans, when the whole effect becomes deliciously visceral.

There’s no room to exhale as Chen reveals his $200 million Chang’an set in stunning cinematography. Blooming trees draped over languid ponds, cloud motif handrails on a staircase, giant fabric lanterns shaped like dragons and carps, there’s something incredibly satisfying about knowing that these were all real. In fact, the whole set was so exquisite, it is now being turned into an actual theme park. This, is Instagram heaven.

Following the characters from set to set, action framed within natural frames, the effect through the precise lenswork is picturesque. Nothing is lost to the hungry eye, as every intricate handle, shelf and door lend their role in giving the film a lux look. And that’s not even touching on the lavish costumes. Instead of going for gravity-defying headpieces and impossible-to-wear armour, Chen has managed his styling with nuance and grace, resulting in a more refined look. The elegant decadence comes in even more during the grand scenes, when thousands of extras and deft sweeping camera-work does what no CGI wizardry can ever achieve - an authentic sense of awe.

Where Demon Cat could have improved upon, was possibly on the flow between stories. When faced with such a massive ensemble, things (and motives) can get easily lost in between lines, especially when some are too cryptic for their own good.

In certain scenes, Monk Kukai is almost obnoxious in his speech, something which doesn’t pair too well to his personal story. His poet friend Le Tian is also erratic to the point of being bipolar, one moment all swagger; the next, as lost as a puppy.

Actors Oho Ou and Liu Haoran are the most difficult to digest for me. The Crane Brother who act as Dan Long and Bai Long respectively, came a little too late to properly rivet the role they play at the end. A key pair to the whole tale, and tasked to deliver the key message, I felt the fluffy entrance diluted the impact of their characters.

Still, Legend of the Demon Cat is that epic movie which fulfils most of its promise without breaking its cred. In an ambitious sea of fantasy tales to come from the Mainland, overwrought by effects and cheese, it stands out on its integrity and vision. A promising way to start 2018.

Movie Rating:

(This sino-jap production is a visual feast, with restrained and effective CGI that remain believable and beautiful. The presentation is an engaging one that helps with the sometimes convoluted and distracted plot)

Review by Morgan Awyong

Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Director: Han Jie
Cast: Karry Wang, Dilraba Dilmurat, Dong Zijian, Lee Hong-chi, Hao Lei, Chen Duling, Qin Hao, Pan Binlong, Jackie Chan
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 January 2018

Synopsis: The film is adapted from the best-selling Japanese novel “The Miracles of the Namiya General Store” by Keigo Higashino (writer of White Night, Suspect X). Three orphans on the lam take refuge in a derelict dime store and find time barriers shattered when they receive a letter seeking advice from 1993.

Movie Review:

It’s hard not to compare this movie to the Japanese live-action movie of the same name [The Miracles of Namiya General Store (2017)] when it was screened in Singapore merely 3 months ago. Let’s start with a tidbit of information that was not mentioned in the previous review – while NA•MI•YA is supposedly the name of the shop owner (in its original Japanese novel), it’s also an anagram of NA•YA•MI, which means worry or trouble in Japanese.

The movie is adapted from a novel, written by popular novelist Keigo Higashino. The book has achieved tremendous success in China, selling more than 1.6 million copies to date. The story is about a general store owner who sets up his own advice column / notice board to help solve some of the troubles the patrons of his store have. With its popularity being so immense in China, it’s no wonder movie makers would want to capitalize on this opportunity.

Namiya is produced in China, and stars rising stars such as Dilraba Dilmurat and Karry Wang. You may recognise Dilraba Dilmurat for her role in popular Chinese drama series ‘Eternal Love’ (or better known as San Sheng San Shi Shi Li Tao Hua). On the other hand, Karry Wang is the leader of popular idol group TFBoys in China. He’s reported to be one of the wealthiest people born after 1990s, with a personal net worth of US$36 million – you can only imagine his popularity!

However, what’s most familiar to the audiences in Singapore is none other than Jackie Chan. While he’s fronting another movie [Bleeding Steel (2017)] in a completely different role, Namiya marks the actor’s first non-action related role. To be honest, it did feel weird more than refreshing to not see the classic twists and stunts. But considering his age, it is time for us to begin accepting him in roles that has nothing to do with martial arts.

With such a stellar line-up, one would imagine the movie to be somewhat promising. However, overall the movie lacked charm and the wow factor. What is key in the original narrative is having those respective story arcs and relaying the connectedness and the miracles that happen in between. But the movie retold the story in a fairly linear fashion (using ‘linear’ as a very loose term’), and reduced much of the character development in the story arcs to fit it to a ‘movie-size’.

The movie felt rather plain and simple – the set-up of the 80s China was not exceptionally impressive, nor was the revelation of the secret behind the general store any close to being inspiring. What the movie did do right was localizing and making right references to China pop icons and culture. If you have watched the Japanese adaptation of the movie, you would notice some key differences in the plot. Although this review won’t be diving deep into picking out these differences, it did make the movie feel more distant overall, and lack the emotional connection.

All in all, if you’re looking for a heartwarming movie that inspires, Namiya wouldn’t fit the bill. Unless your curiosity is piqued by Jackie Chan’s performance, you may consider giving this a pass.  

Movie Rating:

((The stars have aligned, but that didn’t help to bring the sparkle to Namiya)

Review by Tho Shu Ling