MovieXclusive.com -

Genre: Comedy
Director: Jeff Cheung
Cast: Dayo Wong, Charmaine Sheh, C Kwan, Cecilia So, Michael Ning, Bob Lam, Ronald Cheng, Lawrence Cheng
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:

Opening Day: 15 February 2018

Synopsis: Mr. Chan (Dayo Wong) was the top agent. Unfortunately he has been removed from duties right after a mission failure, his partner Wonder Child (C Kwan) made a mistake and offended the policewoman Ms Shek (Charmaine Sheh) unintentionally. 20 years after, Ms Shek has no choice but to put the problems aside and ask Mr. Chan for help in solving a mysterious case. With the evidence to show this case has been involved with a Cyber Goddess, Mr. Chan inevitably makes himself up in a sloppy appearance, and the situation became out of control.

Movie Review:

While Stephen Chow will always be remembered as the most influential and most popular HK comedian after veteran Michael Hui, there are others liked Ronald Cheng, Chapman To, Nick Cheung before he is an acclaimed actor and many others including Dayo Wong (two from the above list actually made a guest appearance here).

Unlike his peers, Wong remains the handful of HK stars that has yet cracked the juggernaut of the movie industry- the lucrative China market. Probably because most caught the audiences’ attention with their brash antics and loud humour, Wong on the other hand armed with his laidback attitude opts for more subtle, witty humour and dabbling in local subjects which in a way are much more appreciated in his native country than elsewhere.

Before you cursed and swear (a no-no during the Lunar New Year) and walked away feeling duped, it’s advisable to first walk into a screening of Agent Mr Chan equipped with this mindset- Wong is definitely not a comedian in the style and league of Chow or Cheng.

Agent Mr Chan marks Wong’s major feature in a very long, long time. The comedian who is more into talk shows, stage acts and the occasional television appearances in recent times plays an ex-secret agent who is tasked by the Chief of Police, Ms Shek (a desperately trying to be funny Charmaine Sheh) to solve a mysterious case involving famed personalities being drugged and ended up acting crazy in public. The victims include Ms Shek’s uncle, the secretary of finance (Lawrence Cheng), Sammi Cheng and Chi Lam (all playing themselves).

Written by four credited writers and Dayo himself, Agent Mr Chan is largely a spoof and parody of James Bond from weapons to costumes to even a submarine. The movie starts with Agent Chan tracking down a miniature nuclear weapon using Ms Shek as a cover to get near to her weapon trafficking uncle (Jim Chim). The brief opening established Agent Chan as a smart, suave agent while Ms Shek from that moment on hatches a grudge against Chan for using her. Right from the start, you know this is going to be a movie filled with exaggerated acting, lame corny jokes that somehow even has difficulty rolling out of Dayo’s well-oiled tongue and bad CGI and this is just the prologue.

Speaking about a direct spoof of the James Bond movies, one can’t help but recall Stephen Chow’s From Beijing With Love, an instant comedy classic despite it’s a 1994 movie with horrendous production values. Still it managed to do one thing it set out to do- that is to tickle you pink and entertained you. Agent Mr Chan however jumped from one tedious unfunny gag to another. There’s a prolonged scene that has Chan and his loyal sidekick, the HK version of Q (played by a not-so-funny FAMA’s C Kwan) trying out a new, untested VR device to force three suspects to reveal their inner thoughts. What’s supposed to be a funny and uproarious scene turned out to be neither.

The same goes to the actual crime which involves one member of a pop group called “Happy Girls” and a drug called “HY DO GEN” (trust us, it makes more sense in Cantonese). And you thought it’s going to a far more sinister plot in the making. A mid-sequence gag that has Chan masquerading as a geeky fanboy is pretty hilarious though it’s absolutely not possible to salvage a tiresome movie. For a comedy, it simply lacks the energy to sustain and all the while, you are wishing Dayo can come up with a far refreshing take on the parody material.

The only entertaining aspect of Agent Mr Chan is the countless stars appearing in it (it’s a CNY movie after all!). You probably can spot Sandra Ng, Joyce Cheng, Cheung Tat-man, Alan Tam for no reason has to croon a song just because he is Alan Tam, Grasshoppers and Ada Choi, last but not least Michael Wong parodying James Bond classic villain, Jaws and Hui Siu Hung as Goldfinger. When people liked Raymond Wong and Eric Tsang has shunned the Chinese New Year market for years, Dayo Wong’s Agent Mr Chan seems to fill up the gap with this lazy, clunky and unfunny mess of a spy spoof.

Movie Rating:

(Functioning more liked a Wong Jing’s reject and you expect Dayo Wong to do better)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy/Romance
Director: Tian Yu Sheng
Cast: Han Geng, Zheng Kai, Kelly Yu, Zeng Meng Xue, Luo Mi
Runtime: 2 hrs
Rating: NC16 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:

Opening Day: 1 February 2018

Synopsis: Meng Yun (starring Han Geng) and Lin Jia have forgotten how much in love they are. They can’t stop fighting, even though they’re not sure what they’re fighting about, and break up. Their friends, Yu Fei (starring Zheng Kai) and Ding Dian, have grown mistrustful of each other, and they also split up. Meng Yun pretends to be happy about being single but is actually depressed, and Lin Jia who at first was devastated, moves on happily to her new single life. Their friends pretend to be happy with their break-up but secretly still care each other and realize they can’t live without one another and get back together. Will Meng Yun and Lin Jia be able to follow their friends’ example or will their pride stop them from getting back together because no one wants to apologize first?

Movie Review:

We admit that we were genuinely curious about ‘The Ex File 3: Return of the Exes’ because it was that rom-com which in its second weekend made three times more than ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ did in its opening weekend in China. Yet as we’ve learnt with the recent Mainland box-office phenomenon ‘Wolf Warrior 2’ and other similar runaway hits in that territory, what makes them go ga-ga could very well just make us feel ‘meh’ or worse, repulsed.

As it turns out, scriptwriter-turned-director Tian Yu-sheng’s third and apparently final chapter of his ‘Ex-File’ franchise isn’t culturally specific, but neither is it that enjoyable. At best, it is an alternately amusing and illuminating reminder of how relationships need time, effort and commitment in order to be sustained; at worst, it is a two-hour slog of watching two couples who are obviously still in love with each other break up, pine for the other half while refusing to let go of their own egos, and then finally try to salvage their relationship before time makes their separation permanent.

Reprising their roles from the previous two movies, Han Geng and Zheng Kai play entrepreneurs Meng Yun and Yu Fei respectively, who are each saddled with their own relationship woes. A well-edited opening sequence plays out like a Mars-versus-Venus perspective of the expectations placed on the male and/or the female in a relationship, but even though it seems like Meng Yun is thrashing things out with his girlfriend of five years Lu Jia (Kelly Yu), the two are really complaining about the other to their respective best friends Yu Fei and Ding Dian (Zeng Mengxue). Turns out that Meng Yun has apparently become so self-absorbed in his business that he hardly spends much energy with her, and because he is also too prideful to stop her, Lu Jia eventually moves out of the apartment they share together.

On the other hand, Yu Fei and Ding Dian get into an argument over his continued dalliances with other girls, and after a game of ‘drinking confessions’ which she initiates, Ding Dian decides to call it quits with Yu Fei. Conveniently, Ding Dian moves in with Lu Jia while Yu Fei does so with Meng Yun. Whereas the boys react to their newfound freedom by hitting the clubs and getting to know other younger girls, Lu Jia and Ding Dian respond by seeking solace in each other’s company while hoping that their other halves call and make up. Alas like we said, Meng Yun and Yu Fei are too egoistic individuals to make the first move; yet while they party like bachelors, they are also concomitantly nervous about who their ex-es might be spending time with, resorting thus to Weibo to keep tabs on what Lu Jia and Ding Dian are up to.

Between the two couples, Yu Fei and Ding Dian are simply the more interesting pair to watch. Although they have officially broken up, Tian and his three fellow screenwriters have Ding Dian initiate ‘excuses’ for them to meet up, drink, get drunk and eventually find themselves in bed with each other. In contrast, Meng Yun and Lu Jia remain apart over the course of the movie due to the former’s (yes, we blame Meng Yun) sheer obstinacy, so much so that we actually quite feel relieved when Lu Jia stops moping around for him and starts going out with a former secondary school classmate she is reconnected with after a class reunion. Meng Yun’s inertia at not taking the initiative to patch things up with Lu Jia is exhausting and frustrating to watch, and also why we end up thinking that Lu Jia is better off without him. Having said that, whether we root for Meng Yun and Lu Jia doesn’t change the fact that the climax (which involves some inexplicable crying out in the middle of a public street and some overdosing on mangoes – go figure) is utterly cringe-worthy melodrama which is not just over-the-top but unnecessarily histrionic.

If it isn’t yet obvious by now, there is hardly any lessons one can or should draw from the two estranged couples on display here. Nor for that matter is their indecision whether to move on or get back with each other affecting or exciting, and like we said at the start, it is a movie that runs at two hours and will almost certainly feel even longer. It does however show how millennials in China socialise, date and break up with one another, so if that sort of cultural anthropology interests you, then you’ll probably find it more engaging than we did. It is however for this reason too that the movie found a much bigger and more appreciative audience in China than ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ ever did, but hey we’ll take the latter over this anytime.

Movie Rating:

(Unless two hours of watching two estranged couples go back and forth with each other due to ego and indecision sounds like romantic catharsis to you, there is little in this third and final chapter of the 'Ex-File' franchise that you need bother with)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Romance/Musical
Director: Danny Baron
Cast: Brie Larson, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Scott Bakula, Saahil Sehgal, Tyne Daly, Donald Sutherland
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:

Opening Day: 8 February 2018

Synopsis: Basmati Blues is a musical comedy that follows Linda Watt (Academy Award winner Brie Larson), a sheltered but brilliant young scientist who is plucked out of her company’s lab and sent to India by her CEO (Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland) to sell “Rice 9,” a genetically modified rice she’s created - unaware that the rice will destroy the Indian farmers she thinks she’s helping. Her life turns upside down as she discovers the truth and falls in love.

Movie Review:

Before Brie Larson dons a Captain Marvel’s suit to save the world in 2019, she is donning a sari to save Indiafirst.

Yup, this movie is about a white saviour who travels to an exotic land, soaks herself in the local culture and brings salvation to a community of non white people. What made investors gave the go ahead to this production which has a great potential to be criticised for cultural insensitivity? More importantly, what made 28 year old Larson, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Lenny Abrahamson’s Room (2015), say yes to starring in this movie?

Maybe it’s the exciting premise of headlining a musical that is supposedly a homage to Indian Bollywood cinema. Maybe it’s the idea of shooting a film in beautiful India. Or maybe it’s the concept of an interracial romance that seemed appealing.

Larson plays a scientist that steps out of her comfort zone in the lab to chaotic India. Her purpose there is to sell genetically modified rice she created. Like many other ignorant foreigners, she believes that she is helping the locals. One should know better than to trust a business conglomerate to benefit the masses – it doesn’t help that the CEO is played by Donald Sutherland, whom we have seen portraying the seedy President Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games franchise. Thankfully, our heroine saves the day just before things go awry, and locals are deprived of their rice farms forever.

The movie ends with a big Bollywood inspired number with countless extras wearing colourful Indian costumes and swinging their hips to a well choreographed sequence. This is song and dance scene is easily the best thing about the 107 minute movie.

Things don’t start off so well for the film directed by Danny Baron, who also co wrote the story with Jeff Dorchen. When the female protagonist arrives in India, you wonder why everyone is speaking in English. When Larson begins singing in a cab, you realise logic can be thrown out of the window as this is a movie musical where characters break into tunes every few minutes.

Although the original songs are written by well known artistes like Pearl Jam, Sugarland and Goldspot, they do not resonate and leave you humming the melodies after leaving the theatre (we’re looking at you, The Greatest Showman). The musical numbers are awkwardly interspersed into the storyline, and it doesn’t help that the cast looks too self conscious when performing them.

Utkarsh Ambudkar (Pitch Perfect) is the leading man of the movie, playing a rebellious college student forced to drop out by lack of funds. While the actor exudes a decent charisma, there is a lack of chemistry between him and Larson. Elsewhere, there is a bureaucrat played by Saahil Sehgal, a doting father played by Scott Bakula (The Informant!) and an unkind old lady played by Tyne Daly (Spider Man: Homecoming). Each of these actors bring something to their characters, but are not able to save the movie from being a bland and uninspiring watch.

Movie Rating:

(The Greatest Showman this movie musical is not)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: Devastated by the murder of his wife and child, a formerly fast-talking lawyer takes a vow of silence and trains himself for a mission of revenge.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Once a much bigger star than he is now, Antonio Banderas is now plying the direct-to-video circuit playing roles that belonged to Liam Neeson on the big screen. The star is 58 this year though he still looks he can play an aging charismatic Zorro.

In Acts of Vengeance, Banderas is a workaholic defense attorney, Frank Valera who spent more time defending criminals than spending time with his family. In a twist of fate, his wife and precious daughter are mysteriously and brutally killed and Valera vowed to make those responsible for their deaths pay by honing his fighting skills through taking up karate lessons and fighting in illegal matches.

This low-budget action thriller shot in Bulgaria is clearly clichés through and through. It’s so predictable and lifeless that the only bright spot is Valera quoting a book by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius which by the way inspired him to take a vow of silence though it certainly doesn’t limit him from taking the law into his own hands.

The scripting by Matt Venne (White Noise 2) even includes a kind heartened ER nurse that appears conveniently to assist an injured Valera and of course ended up as his love interest in the end. Interestingly, she is played by fellow Spanish Paz Vega from the 2004’s Adam Sandler comedy, Spanglish. Star Trek and Dredd star Karl Urban on the other hand stars as a sympathetic cop who takes an interest in the murder case.

With the exception of a pretty brutal fight involving Valera and a couple of Russian thugs plus a serviceable climatic fight, there isn’t much action pieces to talk about which is glaring for an action flick. The entire movie simply seems lethargic, cheap and unremarkable despite coming from the hands of veteran Isaac Florentine who worked on the Power Rangers television series.

In a busy market filled with all sort of action movies, it’s hard to recommend Acts of Vengeance. We rather you check out another of Banderas’ action flick, Security which we reviewed earlier.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Christian Gudegast
Cast: Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Brian Van Holt, 50 Cent
Runtime: 2 hrs 20 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/denofthieves

Opening Day: 1 February 2018

Synopsis: DEN OF THIEVES is a gritty Los Angeles crime saga which follows the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff's Dept. and the state's most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles.

Movie Review:

Tales of good versus evil, cop-and-robbers never gets old over the years. That’s why we have Den of Thieves, a generic heist flick that stars a grizzled Gerald Butler and rapper Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson. Christian Gudegast who wrote Butler’s London Has Fallen, yet another generic action flick took on directing duties this time round and while it certainly is a commendable effort, it’s way too long, too convoluted and too loud to make an impression.

According to the opening scene of Den of Thieves, Los Angeles is the bank robbery capital thus it comes as no surprise we sees an armored bank van being robbed in front of a donut shop shortly after. You might be asking where’s our leading man, Gerald Butler? No worries, Butler’s cop character dubbed Big Nick appears after the long shoot out, popping out at the crime scene chomping on a dropped donut, dispensed instructions to his subordinates and had an argument with an FBI agent.

The brief scene established two things. One: Big Nick is a macho cop that looks equally bad as the crooks and secondly he is not one to follow proper policing procedures. Next, we are introduced to the leader of the robbers, Merrimen (Pablo Schreiber) and his loyal sidekick, Enson (50 Cent), likely the only two other memorable characters you will remember in this 140 minutes movie. Oh wait, there’s one more, a newly recruited getaway driver by the name of Donnie (O’ Shea Jackson Jr, son of Ice Cube) who is later on being asked to be a mole for Nick.

Gudegast certainly love to come up with an elaborate plan for the heist that all the twists and turns mentioned is a drag to follow through. In fact, the heist on the L.A. Federal Reserve branch looks more engaging on paper than the actual overly complicated execution. Given the amount of automatic weapons and gunfire on display prior, it’s a stark contrast to what actually took place. The final plan looks like it’s lifted out of a discarded Ocean’s Eleven sequel before nonsensically breaking into an ear-deafening crossfire on the streets.

It’s not just the problem of the heist that Gudegast is struggling. He tried his best attempts to build up some characterization to Big Nick and Enson, all the while forgetting that Merrimen even exist. We know that Big Nick is one big asshole, devoted to his work but not his wife, spending time with strippers and threatening the wife’s new beau. But wait, Big Nick is also a new age sensitive man that he also cries right after secretly meeting his younger daughter in school. Merrimen on the other hand together with Enson are ex-marines for whatever reason hell bent on committing robberies.

Den of Thieves could be a great companion heist movie to Michael Mann’s Heat. Ideally, Gerald Butler could be this decade answer to Al Pacino and Pablo Schreiber might even rivalled Robert De Niro’s master criminal character. However, Den of Thieves simply is too long and too little to showcase in the end. All it’s left is the insane overwhelming amount of facial hair, tattoos and machismo and a laughable twist you will ever remember.

Movie Rating:

(A big wasted opportunity to showcase a taut, exciting crime actioner)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Oxide Pang
Cast: Andy Lau, Liu Tao, Qu Chuxiao, Zhang Zifeng, Guo Xiaodong, Jiang Mengjie, Wang Longzheng, Zhang Yang, Zhang Yao, Eric Chou, Bai Ge, David Wang, Jiang Chao
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Clover Films
Official Website:

Opening Day: 10 October 2024

Synopsis: Gao Haojun is a former Special Police officer. One time while subduing robbers who were robbing a jewelry shop, Gao accidentally blinds his daughter, Xiaojun, which shatters his family and is guilt ridden as a result. After his wife, Yuan, leaves him with their daughter, Gao resigns from the police force and becomes an international security expert. Years later, Gao bumps into his ex-wife and daughter while boarding the luxurious Airbus A380. However, during the flight, 12 hijackers seize the plane and hold its 800 passengers hostage while at over 10,000 feet in the air. As the hijackers mercilessly kill passengers on the economy class, Gao steps forward and engages in a battle of brains and brawns against the hijackers where Xiaojun also secretly assists her father by providing him intel.

Movie Review:

Universe Entertainment sure has a cordial if not happy relationship with director Oxide Pang. Collaborating since two decades ago with Ab-normal Beauty to the sequel to The Storm Riders to Aaron Kwok’s Detective series, Pang has enjoyed a steady directing career with the HK movie production and distribution company. After last year's Flashover, Pang returns to helm another action oriented action thriller starring superstar Andy Lau.

The much delayed High Forces stars Lau as a bipolar disorder suffering former police officer, Gao Haojun. After causing a freak accident which caused his daughter, Xiaojun (Zhang Zifeng ) to lose her eyesight, Gao left his wife (Liu Tao) and daughter to become a security expert with an airline. Coincidentally, the three of them board the inauguration flight of a luxury airline launched by CEO Li Hangyu (Guo Xiaodong) except Gao is in economy while mother-and-daughter is in business class.

Before long, a team of hijackers led by Mike (Qu Chuxiao) starts killing the crew and passengers onboard. They demand Li to wire transfer a sum of US$500 million or risk more passengers being killed. Expectedly, Gao jumps into action with the help of a fellow stewardess. Will Gao save the day or let Mike and gang escape via their prior prepared parachutes?

The basic plot of High Forces is almost idiot-proof and near impossible to fail but somehow Pang manages to mangle everything on hand. Just take a look at Passengers 57, Air Force One or Liam Neeson’s Non-Stop. All excellent undemanding action movies that do the job at the end of the day.

Yes, High Forces did offer more or less a decent prologue establishing our leading man as an imperfect individual who learns to be a better father, husband and generally a better person after the tragic accident which took her daughter’s eyesight. To be honest, the narrative wastes no time introducing our equally ahem bipolar disorder suffering antagonist, Mike and Qu Chuxiao is at least serviceable as the main bad guy who can’t kill enough to satisfy his bloodlust.

And what exactly makes a hijack movie ticks? The action of course right? And that’s exactly where the problem lies. While Andy Lau is no longer in the peak of his youth, he still makes a believable action hero in Shockwave and The White Storm 2. Pang who also serves as editor for whatever reason decides to pull off a Paul Greengrass approach applying gritty, shaky-cam and haphazard quick edits to almost every fight and tussle between Guo and his opponents. To be honest, we can’t really comprehend what is going with the various violent ordeals. Hence, it’s tough to be immersed in the action if it’s so poorly done in postproduction.

To make matters worse, the entire finale reminds one of an early 90’s Hollywood action movie with a tinge of Marvel thrown in. We are not sure if credited writers Sun Chan and Bai Yu are responsible for it or the higher management at Universe demand a heavily CGI aka amateur effects wham-bang finale. Either way, it’s horrendously embarrassing and totally ridiculous. Basically, you got to really watch it to believe this nonsensical and questionable approach. High Forces in fact completed filming three years ago. On hindsight, Universe should just release this straight to streamers.

Movie Rating:

(Oxide Pang has been delivering duds for years and this one is no exception)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Drama
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Kate Winslet, Juno Temple, Jim Belushi, Justin Timberlake, Max Casella
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: http://www.wonderwheelmovie.com/home/

Opening Day: 22 February 2018

Synopsis: WONDER WHEEL tells the story of four characters whose lives intertwine amid the hustle and bustle of the Coney Island amusement park in the 1950s: Ginny (Kate Winslet), a melancholy, emotionally volatile former actress now working as a waitress in a clam house; Humpty (Jim Belushi), Ginny’s rough-hewn carousel operator husband; Mickey (Justin Timberlake), a handsome young lifeguard who dreams of becoming a playwright; and Carolina (Juno Temple), Humpty’s long-estranged daughter, who is now hiding out from gangsters at her father’s apartment.

Movie Review:

Wonder Wheel, the latest from Woody Allen, is a beautifully shot movie. Set in the 1950s in the New York City neighbourhood of Coney Island, known as a leisure destination featuring amusement parks, diners and the beach, the film opens to an explosion of vintage hues and cheery colours. With the sun, sand and the sea, one already looks forward to at least the atmosphere and holiday vibes—ever present in Allen movies.

Kate Winslet is Ginny, a vulnerable, flighty waitress pushing forty, who works in a clam bar and still reminisces fondly about her former life as a stage actress, even as she juggles work with fielding complaints about the latest fires set by her young pyromaniac son, Richie. Ginny lives with her husband Humpty (Jim Belushi), a roughneck carousel operator. Humpty may take to drink if not for Ginny’s close watch, but he is a family man who fishes and brings the fish home for dinner, an overall likeable salt-of-the-earth kind of guy—meaning, nice but a bit boring for Ginny. As we find out, she was rescued by Humpty during a low point in her old life and is with him out of gratitude—not love.

This precarious semblance of a household is shattered by two characters this summer. Enter Carolina (Juno Temple), Humpty’s beautiful estranged daughter from a previous marriage, who married into mafia and has run away, now on the run from the husband and to hide at her father’s place. And enter Mickey (Justin Timberlake), narrator of the film, handsome lifeguard at the beach who dreams of being a playwright, who sweeps Ginny off her feet. The two begin an affair--until Mickey meets the younger and beautiful Carolina and sparks fly. Meanwhile, the clawing reach of Carolina’s mobster ex looms ever closer…

Besides the lush cinematography and production design, Wonder Wheel enjoys a likeable cast of characters for the most part. There are all-around nice guys, in the overbearing but caring Humpty and literature-spouting Mickey, though there probably was a better fit than Timberlake, who only adds the charm of a young lover, but not the dash of thrill that would have made the illicit affair more convincing.

It is, however, Kate Winslet who steals the show with Ginny the frazzled housewife, wrenched apart from all sides by multiple conflicting forces—love and duty, excitement and stability. Her begrudging acceptance of Carolina’s intrusion will ultimately be tested, as jealousy bubbles to overwhelm her innate goodness. Juno Temple, equally English but also melding in effortlessly in Allen’s New York, is also luminous in her innocence and beauty, though she ultimately gets insufficient screen time so that contention and contrast between Carolina and Ginny is not as palpable as it could be. She is someone we would really like to see more of in future.

What works here is the stellar cast, charming setting (Coney Island will be added to many viewers’ New York to-do lists) and vacation atmosphere that was present in To Rome with Love, Midnight in Paris and Vicky Cristina Barcelona among others. What doesn’t is the story and the script. The already predictable plot is stagy, smacking of Blue Jasmine, just transplanted six decades prior and to the East Coast.

After all, the conclusion, which is subdued like many Woody Allen films—given that there’s often no big bad wolf (this mobster that we never see isn’t quite counted as one)—leaves us unsatisfied. There’s little humour to chuckle at too. Allen’s films have been rather formulaic and rely heavily on his writing. This is far from his best and the trite script here does little to save it.

Movie Rating:

(Far from Woody Allen’s best, but worth a watch for its gorgeously-rendered colours of 1950s’ Coney Island and Kate Winslet’s outstanding performance)

Review by Fen Chia

Genre: Drama/Biography
Director: James Marsh
Cast: Rachel Weisz, Colin Firth, David Thewlis, Ken Stott
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:

Opening Day: 1 March 2018

Synopsis: Following his Academy Award-winning film The Theory of Everything, James Marsh directs the incredible true story of Donald Crowhurst (COLIN FIRTH – The King’s Speech, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Railway Man), an amateur sailor who competed in the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in the hope of becoming the first person in history to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe without stopping. With an unfinished boat and his business and house on the line, Donald leaves his wife, Clare (RACHEL WEISZ – The Light Between Oceans, The Lobster) and their children behind, hesitantly embarking on an adventure on his boat, the Teignmouth Electron.

Movie Review:

What would it take for you to prove your worthiness in society and to validate your existence on this Earth?

“The Mercy” takes one on a journey of Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth), a businessman and leisure sailor who decides to join the Golden Globe Race in a bid to save his failing business and to help his family, only to face multiple trying situations, while leaving his wife Clare Crowhurst (Rachel Weisz) to take care of the family.

The film is one of many adaptations of Donald Crowhurst’s hasty and failed round-the-world yacht journey and mysterious ‘disappearance’ towards the end of the race.

This adaptation puts the audience through a whirlwind of emotions, including excitement and inspiration by the lead’s initial determination to embark on the unthinkable journey, nervousness and concern over the lead’s decision to manipulate to cover up for his defeat and grief when he finally took his life, unable to deal with the pressure of failure.

The film also allows the audience to reflect, as the film encompasses various worldly topics that is relatable. Issues like media and their hunger for speculation, self-reflection and self-worth, coping with loss, death and failure are just some of the many subjects that makes the film ‘colourful’.

The director’s approach to the topic of depression and mental health (through Donald) is mysterious and gradual, making slight references along Donald’s expedition in the sea and eventually creating multiple scenes that engages the audience and put them through uncertainty and then disbelief. The director also brilliantly used various methods to create illusions and metaphors as a mean of letting the audience decipher the story.

Cinematography is brilliant and combines typical English seaside town landscape with the temperamental erratic moods of the ocean and weather, alongside stunning effects that seem natural and fitting.

While “The Mercy” does take one on an unexpected journey that went from slight enthusiasm to moderate excitement and then emotional despair, one has to admit that the direction and pacing of the film was generally shaky and uncertain, nearly leading to pure boredom especially during the first 30 minutes of the film.

Although pleasant and strong at times, Colin and Rachel seem to be slightly restricted in their portrayal of Donald and Clare Crowhurst and did not seem to be living up to their fullest potential, considering their past achievements and previous works.

“The Mercy” essentially is a pleasing approach to the life of Donald Crowhurst and his attempt at the Golden Globe Race and although the film strangely does not have too much appeal, the audience leaves the cinema with much to learn and explore, but only if the audience is willing to persevere.

Movie Rating:

(A reflective film that had much potential if not for its mediocre and strange approach to pacing)

Review by Ron Tan

Genre: CG Animation
Director: John Stevenson
Cast: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine, Ashley Jensen, Matt Lucas, Stephen Merchant, Mary J. Blige, Johnny Depp
Runtime: 1 hr 27 min
Rating: PG
Released By: UIP
Official Website:

Opening Day: 15 March 2018

Synopsis: The beloved garden gnomes from GNOMEO AND JULIET are back for a whole new adventure in London. When Gnomeo and Juliet first arrive in the city with their friends and family, their biggest concern is getting their new garden ready for spring. However, they soon discover that someone is kidnapping garden gnomes all over London. When Gnomeo and Juliet return home to find that everyone in their garden is missing – there’s only one gnome to call… SHERLOCK GNOMES. The famous detective and sworn protector of London’s garden gnomes arrives with his sidekick Watson to investigate the case. The mystery will lead our gnomes on a rollicking adventure where they will meet all new ornaments and explore an undiscovered side of the city.

Movie Review:

‘Gnomeo and Juliet’ was a mildly amusing animated riff on the timeless Shakespeare tale told with garden gnomes and Elton John songs, but rather than invent their own sequel, the same creative team behind that modest 2011 hit has decided to transport their characters into yet another revisionist take on a literary classic. It’s not hard to guess exactly which from the title, and to their credit, the same tongue-in-cheek wit from their previous movie combined with the intrigue of a good-old detective story and some Holmes-Watson odd-couple chemistry makes for an even more delightfully irreverent comedy.

As befitting its new character additions Sherlock Gnomes (voiced by Johnny Depp) and Gnome Watson (Chiwetel Ejiofor), the setting has been moved to London, with our former star-crossed lovers Gnomeo (James McAvoy) and Juliet (Emily Blunt) and their families calling a new but much smaller garden their home. Sensing a timely opportunity for succession, Lord Redbrick (Michael Caine) and Lady Bluebury (Maggie Smith) anoint their children Gnomeo and Juliet the new leaders of the red and blue gnome communities (talk about nepotism, one of the gnomes scoffs!). That responsibility begins to consume Juliet with the task of preparing the garden for spring, and her preoccupation means Gnomeo feels inadvertently ignored.

After a relationship talk with a Scottish-accented garden frog Nanette (Ashley Jensen) some may recall from the last film, Gnomeo decides to break into a flower shop to steal the prized Cupid’s Arrow Orchid – again, for those who remember, that was the flower both were ogling when they first met each other. Alas his burglary attempt goes south, prompting a just-in-time rescue by Juliet, but the even bigger shock is that the entire community is kidnapped while they are away. Turning up in their garden at that exact moment they return is none other than Sherlock, who introduces himself as the sworn protector of garden gnomes; turns out that he has been investigating a string of such kidnappings across London, suspecting it to be the work of his arch-nemesis Moriarty (Jamie Demetriou), imagined here as a devilish orange-coloured ‘Fat Boy’ balloon.

An extended prologue before the opening credits depicts their last confrontation at London’s National Gallery, which presumably ended when Moriarty was crushed under the weight of a life-sized dinosaur exhibit. Nevertheless, the series of puzzles on the back of calling cards with the letter ‘M’ by the kidnapper suggests otherwise. Refusing to leave Sherlock and his trusty associate to do their sleuthing on their own, Juliet insists to tag along, and so with Gnomeo, the quartet follow a string of clues across London to track down the kidnapper and rescue the gnomes. Among the highlights of their madcap adventure are: an encounter with a whole posse of ‘lucky cats’ led by Ken Jeong’s pompous Empress Pom-Pom inside a Chinese emporium; a pursuit by a ‘hound of the Baskerville’ that Sherlock and Juliet try to shake off while trapped inside a squirrel costume; and last but not least the climactic showdown involving a HMS submarine and the lifting of the famed Tower Bridge that will determine the life or death of all the gnomes.

Oh yes, the ambition of returning writers Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley has certainly gotten much bigger than their last animated venture; thankfully, their storytelling has also become a lot more sophisticated. In particular, the mystery of the gnomes’ kidnapping provides good narrative momentum from one boisterous action set-piece to another, with just enough twists and turns along the way to make the suspense worthwhile. Rather than play up a rift between Gnomeo and Juliet, the writers instead keep that simple (read: Gnomeo just wants Juliet’s attention even as she looks after the garden!) and invest more time in developing the relationship between Holmes and Watson, especially how the former has gradually taken the latter for granted.

On his part, ‘Kung Fu Panda’ co-director John Stevenson largely keeps up the energy from start to finish, aided in part by some amusing puns. Aside from the usual comic mayhem, the couple of black-and-white sequences illuminating Holmes’ trippy thought process are worth separate mention, adding a welcome touch of quirkiness to the proceedings. If McAvoy and Blunt have somehow been relegated to second-place with the focus being on Sherlock, Depp gamely steps up with a voice performance of vigour and verve; in fact, we dare say he sounds even more (pardon the pun) animated than he’s been in the last ‘Pirates’ sequel, and given the number of Sherlock stories out there for the mining, we won’t be surprised he gets his own sequel very soon.

Though Sir Elton John remains as executive producer and is credited for the songs in the film, his participation is hardly noticeable here, perhaps because giving his tunes a longer airing (like say in ‘Gnomeo and Juliet’) would indeed prove intrusive to the storytelling. Still, ‘Sherlock Gnomes’ is surprisingly more engaging and entertaining than its predecessor – and while younger audiences will be taken by the sight gags (such as a farty ‘mankini’), their parents will be tickled silly by the clever wordplay the likes of ‘what the fertiliser’ and ‘no ship, Sherlock’. Like the original though, this one has taken some time to make it to the big screen, but we’d like to think that time has enabled a smarter, sharper sequel that is what we see onscreen. The characters may be small, but the fun is life-sized, and by Sherlock, that’s good enough reason to join in this wacky ride into the un-gnome.

Movie Rating:

(Mystery, chemistry and tomfoolery - there's plenty of fun, intrigue and silliness to be had in this delightfully irreverent comedy)

Review by Gabriel Chong