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
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TRAILER WATCH - DEADPOOL 2Posted on 07 Feb 2018 |
Genre: Comedy
Director: Patrick Kong
Cast: Carina Lau, Simon Yam, Michelle Wai, Philip Keung, Ivana Wong, Alex Fong, Bob Lam, Natalie Tong
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures & Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 15 February 2018
Synopsis: An ageing bachelor playboy finally meets the girl of his dreams and proposes marriage, only to discover her psychologist stepmom was his first love long ago. The future in-laws initially pretend not to know each other but as the wedding date gets nearer, the rekindling of long-dormant feelings develops into a cross-generational love triangle.
Movie Review:
For those who don’t know, he sui (festive) films are celebratory movies which pop up during the lunar new year period. They have become a precursor staple to augur the holidays, much like the clanging songs, red packets and mountains of tangerines, but have noticeably waned over the years in popularity.
In a way, these films act as a symbol of reunion, usually bringing all levels of actors together in a snippet-filled gag fest that hypes up the cheer. A Beautiful Moment honours this trend with veteran stars like Carina Lau and Simon Yam, mixed in with younger talents Michelle Wai and Ivana Wong. With intentions meant more for a visual Rolodex of who’s who, it’s almost impossible to secure a full plot from these genre films. But one can try.
Simon Yam acts as a ruthless property tycoon that relishes in bringing his opponents down. He is empowered by his relentless pursuit of greed and power, and regards his nemesis (Philip Keung) as a dimwitted copycat. Flashy, obnoxious, and incredibly successful, he is an unstoppable ogre until he meets a young girl (Michelle Wai) who saves him from being beaten up by a hired group of gangsters. Sparked by her refreshing personality and innocent nature, he slowly begins (and for the audience, a little uncomfortably so) to fall for her.
Before Korean and Taiwan dramas came to be, Hong Kong soaps were already making their mark with twisted plots. So let’s turn up the cringe a little more by making the mother (Carina Lau) of that girl also his ex-lover. When Simon meets his future in-law and recognises her as his ex, the generation-gap-plus-almost-incestuous reality explodes for the audience over the most awkward restaurant table meeting.
But this is a festive film remember? So let’s wrap it up nicely. As the ex-lovers spar away, pretending that they have well and truly moved on, while gazing wistfully at their antiquated pagers for the other’s message, we know how this is going to end. Simon learns his lesson that life’s happiness is beyond money, fame or success, and turns into a preaching philanthropist that wins back old flame Carina.
We’re certain A Beautiful Moment isn’t having any Golden Horse aspirations. It’s just a classic, if mildly updated, genre film that reaffirms good values, punches it in with plenty of cheesy side plots, and littered with goofy or nostalgic cameos.
Most fun of these has to be the spooky segment where Law Lan, notorious for her role as an elderly mute spirit, scares away young punks trying to evict her from her flat. She joins Lo Hoi-Pang and Simon Lui to spin local folklore to ward off harassment.
Patrick Tse also appears in another segment, where he reprises a legendary gambling tricker. With ponytail and off-shoulder coat, the image will no doubt stir fond memories for some. He adds his presence to others like Bob Lam, Nancy Sit, Alex Fong and Louis Yuen.
No doubt an annual ritual for some, A Beautiful Moment will satisfy that quota for a buffet film - there’s something for everyone. We just wished Carina and Simon would look a little less tired in their roles, with their less-than-enthusiastic performances.
Movie Rating:
(A seasonal outing that checks all the boxes for its genre, but hackneyed acting from the leads makes the film rigid and tired)
Review by Morgan Awyong
SYNOPSIS: In the near future, a group of international astronauts on a space station are working to solve a massive energy crisis on Earth. The experimental technology aboard the station has an unexpected result, leaving the team isolated and fighting for their survival.
MOVIE REVIEW:
By now, you’ve probably held of Netflix’s surprise release of ‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ right after airing its trailer on Super Bowl night. At first glance, the unprecedented move seems right in line with how its producer J.J. Abrams and Paramount Pictures had birthed the franchise so far – the first one released back in 2008 lured audiences into the cinema under a shroud of mystery, and revealed itself to be a found-footage Manhattan monster movie; and the second one eight years later was only unveiled very close to its release date, conceived as it was as a standalone captivity thriller before being reverse-engineered into the ‘Cloverfield’ universe.
Like its predecessor, this space thriller was not initially intended to be a third chapter, though its connection back to the earlier two films is flimsy and leaves much to be desired. First entitled ‘God Particle’, the original Oren Uziel script imagined a world where the Earth is facing a massive energy crisis, prompting a mission in space to test out a particle accelerator that could be the very solution. Not surprisingly, things go extremely awry at some point, creating the titular paradox, which in its most intelligible form has something to do with particles across two dimensions interacting with each other and creating chaos as both seek to occupy the same space.
Not to worry if you didn’t understand that – after all, it seems that neither Uziel and his co-writer Doug Jung or director Julius Onah do have a coherent idea what that really means too, which explains why their film ends up being a mish-mash of other sci-fi classics like ‘Alien’, ‘Interstellar’, ‘Event Horizon’ and ‘Sunshine’. Indeed, using the excuse of the so-called titular paradox, their film throws together equipment malfunctions, untrustworthy shipmates, weird noises coming from the ship’s halls, appendages having a life of their own and even ‘Alien’s’ iconic ‘chestbuster’ moment. Oh yes, it’s a hodgepodge of whatever, and so aptly summed up by one of the characters who says of their situation, “logic doesn’t apply anymore”.
Trying to help us make sense of it all is the crew of the Cloverfield Space Station led by Commander Kiel (David Oyelowo) and including the German scientist Schmidt (Daniel Bruhl) and his Chinese girlfriend Tam (Zhang Ziyi), Russian engineer Volkov (Aksel Hennie), mechanics Mundy (Chris O’Dowd) and Monk (John Ortiz), and last but not least, the British astronaut Ava (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) as well as her apparent alter-ego Jensen (Elizabeth Debecki). These characters are however less important for the roles they play on board the Station than as archetypes in the narrative – Kiel is the unequivocal leader; Schmidt and Volkov are the ones who supply the obligatory character tensions; Mundy is the comic relief; Monk is their God-fearing conscience; Jensen is the mysterious stowaway from another dimension; and Ava is the one we are supposed to root for.
Except for Ava though – whom we learn had left her loving husband Michael (Roger Davies) behind on Earth, and that both of them remain haunted by the death of their two children – none of the other characters are given any kind of backstory. Just so the proceedings can be tied back to what had happened on Earth in the previous two movies, we get the occasional sequence with Michael that shows how the paradox is also wrecking havoc on Earth. And without giving anything away, let’s just say the ending tries to emphasise that connection even more plainly, although more critical viewers will probably question just how that interruption in the space-time continuum leads to monsters on Earth.
But really, trying to make sense of what happens in ‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ will prove more frustrating than exciting. While praising Netflix’s deft release strategy, critics have also panned the movie itself, and mostly agreed that the movie would have been a bomb had it been released widely in theatres as was originally planned. That it isn’t great is certainly true, but Onah moves along the rickety proceedings with just enough propulsion so that less demanding viewers can simply go along for the ride. It doesn’t hurt too that there is enough dry humour courtesy of O’Dowd to distract you from the logic issues. Much has been said of Abrams’ ‘mystery box’, but this third movie to bear the ‘Cloverfield’ brand makes you wonder if it ultimately is all tease and no substance.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Gabriel Chong
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TRAILER WATCH - SKYSCRAPERPosted on 06 Feb 2018 |
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TRAILER WATCH - 'AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR' BIG GAME SPOTPosted on 06 Feb 2018 |
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TRAILER WATCH - 'MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT'Posted on 06 Feb 2018 |
Genre: Comedy
Director: John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein
Cast: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Jesse Plemons, Kyle Chandler
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Some Coarse Language and Violence)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website:
Opening Day: 22 February 2018
Synopsis: Bateman and McAdams star as Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's charismatic brother, Brooks, arranges a murder mystery party, complete with fake thugs and faux federal agents. So, when Brooks gets kidnapped, it's all part of the game...right? But as the six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win, they begin to discover that neither this "game"-nor Brooks-are what they seem to be. Over the course of one chaotic night, the friends find themselves increasingly in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn. With no rules, no points, and no idea who all the players are, this could turn out to be the most fun they've ever had...or, it's game over.
Movie Review:
When it comes to playing games, this reviewer is very competitive and wants to win everything. How is that this movie’s protagonist, who also gets a kick out of winning, scores a spouse during the course of playing games – yet this columnist remains unattached?
In the comedy’s opening scenes, we see how Max (Office Christmas Party’s Jason Bateman) wins not only games, but also the heart of Annie (Spotlight’s Rachel McAdams). The two get married and continue regular social gatherings with friends to play games. Sounds a tad boring? Throw in Brooks, Max’s overachieving elder brother played by Kyle Chandler (Manchester by the Sea). That, plus a murder mystery game turning real for the players.
The result is a very entertaining 100 minute movie that largely wins because of its very likeable ensemble cast.
Bateman has always done a good job at portraying Average Joes, and he effortlessly plays the protagonist who finds himself in trouble after a series of misadventures. The icing on the cake is how he also finds his place in the game of life. The ever pleasant McAdams plays his partner, and the two have an agreeable on screen chemistry.
The supporting players are a delightful bunch too - Billy Magnussen (The Big Short) is the brainless jock, Sharon Horgan (Man Up) is his intelligent English love interest, while Lamorne Morris (Barbershop: The Next Cut) and Kylie Bunbury (The Sitter) are a couple who find themselves embroiled in the midst of gun fights and car pursuits. The standout character is the socially awkward and somewhat creepy cop played by Jesse Plemons (The Post). As someone whose wife ran away and is constantly looking to be part of the group, you fear and sympathise with him at the same time.
Marketed as a dark comedy, there are several out of this world moments in the movie. An adorable white dog getting drenched in blood and a villain getting sucked into a plan engine are just two of the gags conceptualised by directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The duo, who wrote the story for Horrible Bosses (2011) and its 2014 sequel, made their theatrical directorial debut with Vacation (2015). If you have seen those movies, you know what to expect with their latest work.
The story written by Mark Perez features plot twists (one too many, actually), violence and coarse language (hence the NC16 rating). At a digestible runtime of less than two hours, it is a fun affair and a refreshing respite amidst the heavy dramas and superhero blockbusters. It is also a glossy and well produced movie - make sure to stay for the end credits, which are very well done.
Other than the ridiculous humour, there are also many geek worthy moments in the movie. References to popular movies like Fight Club, The Sixth Sense and Taken are aplenty. What clues would you give to describe Edward Norton? Which movie line did Morris use when he pulled off an impressive Denzel Washington impersonation? If you play enough games that require your knowledge of pop culture, you’d know.
Movie Rating:
(With a likeable cast and a fun premise, this Game Night is a winner)
Review by John Li
Genre: Animation
Director: Nick Park
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Timothy Spall, Miriam Margolyes, Richard Ayoade, Mark Williams, Rob Brydon, Kayvan Novak, Johnny Vegas
Runtime: 1 hr 29 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/earlymanmovie
Opening Day: 8 March 2018
Synopsis: Pint-sized Dug’s (Eddie Redmayne) not really cut out to be a caveman. But when disaster strikes and his tribe is driven from its homeland by the mighty Bronze Age, it’s Dug, the most inept of the tribe, who proves he’s got what it takes and leads them to victory! Set at the dawn of time, when dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures roamed the earth, EARLY MAN tells the story of how one plucky caveman sets off to unite his tribe against a mighty enemy and saves the day.
Movie Review:
Eight years is a long time to be making a feature-length film, but in the case of the latest stop-motion animation from Aardman Animations, it is completely understandable. After all, the process is particularly labour-intensive, such that creating a minute’s worth of footage in a week is already considered speeding along. As far as we can tell from the final product, none of that time has gone to waste, especially given how many sublimely silly and playful details has been squeezed into individual frames, many of which will only be noticeable on repeat viewing.
Oh yes, ‘Early Man’ is a sheer comic force of delight – smart, funny and clever, packed with daffy humour and off-kilter characters in typical Aardman-style. That the director is no less than the creative genius behind the cheese-loving duo of Wallace and Gromit is little surprise, given how the movie revels in the same mix of pathos and pratfalls that Nick Park is known for. Park is making his solo directorial debut here, and his trademark tomfoolery punches up an otherwise familar underdog sports tale by screenwriters Mark Burton and James Higginson.
In the style of Ray Harryhausen, ‘Early Man’ begins with a jolly pre-title sequence that shows how soccer is invented by a bunch of cavemen kicking around a hot meteor that wiped out unsuspecting dinosaurs in the Neo-Pleistocene Era, which is eventually immortalised in their wall art. Fast-forward “a few ages later” to Chief Bobnar (voiced by Timothy Spall) and his stone-age clan, who now inhabit the valley near the meteor crater and spend their days bunny hunting and gathering. Their youngest member Dug (Eddie Redmayne) is the most adventurous and stout-hearted of the group, but Chief keeps his dreams of hunting mammoths in check.
Soon, their carefree existence is disrupted by the arrival of metal-clad warriors led by the officious Lord Nooth (Tom Hiddleston), who intends to take over their land and transform it into a giant mine. “The age of stone is over,” so proclaims Hiddleston’s lovably over-the-top Nooth in a French-affected accent. “Long live the age of bronze.” Whereas the rest of his people are content to simply run into the volcanic Badlands beyond, Dug sneaks into Nooth’s elaborate walled kingdom and ends up stumbling into their beloved game of soccer. One thing leads to another, and Dug ends up laying down a challenge that would see their tribe play against Nooth’s team of pampered, preening show-offs Real Bonzio in a match which would decide the possession of the valley and the fate of Dug’s tribe.
Not that Dug doesn’t have reason to be hopeful – his ancestors were the ones who invented the game – although it isn’t until a run-in with a renegade female pan seller Goona (Maisie Williams) that the ragteam group of soccer novices finally stand a fighting chance. Though an excellent player, Goona has never had the chance to play in broad daylight because of her gender, and she has therefore no qualms switching sides. It isn’t difficult to guess what follows – the training montages, inspiring speeches and eventual underdog triumph – but Park’s razor-sharp wit makes the trod over predictable ground in such supremely quirky and earnestly heartwarming fashion that it’s simply impossible not to be charmed.
In particular, the young ones will no doubt be bowled over by the continuous stream of sight gags – including Dug’s first encounter with a pane of glass and a tumble through rows of flip-up stadium seats; Nooth’s messenger bird between him and his Queen Oofeefa (Miriam Margolyes) that repeats everything either party says; and Dug’s pet hog Hognob’s run-in with Nooth in the latter’s bathroom that sees the former turn provisional masseur and harp-player. On the other hand, adults will love the intentionally bad puns (‘balls’, ‘tackle’ and ‘bronze’ included), send-up of old-school routines (‘take him away and kill him.., slowly’) and football in-jokes (there’s a nod to Manchester United for those who are fans). Park’s comic timing is crack, and the cast’s laser-sharp delivery makes sure that the jokes land right where they are supposed to.
It’s inevitable that fans of Aardman will compare this to their previous works, and perhaps come off a tad disappointed that it isn’t quite as memorable. Nevertheless, even though it is not top-drawer, ‘Early Man’ still is plenty of fun and inventiveness. More so than in their other creations, the stop-motion Claymation technique that is as old as cinema itself seems right at home with the story it tries to tell. But as always, Park’s wonderfully absurd imagination makes the film a boisterous romp, crammed with plenty of hilarious bits both visual and aural. Even though the jokes may seem juvenile, it does take a superior, sophisticated sensibility to sculpt such comedy gold, and ‘Early Man’ is truly a delight for all ages, early or otherwise.
Movie Rating:
(You have every reason to laugh at your ancestors, especially if they are this loveable, goofy and quirky)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Chen Sicheng
Cast: Wang Baoqiang, Liu Haoran, Xiao Yang, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Shang Yuxian, Wang Xun, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Yuen Wah, Kenneth Tsang, Michael Pitt
Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 22 February 2018
Synopsis: Chinatown's most famous detective duo are back! Qin (Liu Haoran) arrives in New York City to attend Tang’s (Wang Baoqiang) wedding... or so he thinks. It turns out the so-called wedding is actually an international detective contest with an attractive cash prize for whomever manages to locate the missing grandson of Uncle Qi, the ‘godfather’ of Chinatown. Angry about being deceived, Qin decides to leave New York City, but the contest takes a sudden turn; Uncle Qi’s grandson has been murdered, and in a strange way. Qin joins Tang to form the “Detective Chinatown duo” and all the detectives involved try their best to solve their case.
Movie Review:
It’s inconsequential if you didn’t catch the first Detective Chinatown because you can still enjoy the maniac energy of the sequel without knowledge of what happened a year before between Qin Feng (Liu Haoran) and his distance uncle, Tang Reng (Wang Baoqiang).
Detective Chinatown in short is China’s contemporary version of Sherlock and Watson except Sherlock in this case is a baby face police academy recruit and his sidekick happened to be a loud, crass uncle with a gold tooth and speaks in puzzling Cantonese accented Mandarin.
In this sequel which took place entirely in New York, Qing Feng is tricked by Tang Ren to help solve the death of Uncle Seven’s (Kenneth Tsang) son. Uncle Seven, touted as Chinatown’s most powerful man has promised a reward of $5 million to anyone who can solve the murder case and Tang Ren is tempted by the bounty.
With time running out as Uncle Seven is dying, Qing Feng and Tang Ren must rise above the rag-tag bunch of world-renowned detectives assembled including hacker Kiko (Shang Yuxian), Japan’s super sleuth (played by Satoshi Tsumabuki) and many other weird stereotypical characters (and yes that is Bai Ling among them) to find the serial killer fast before he strikes again in the heart of Manhattan.
Director Chen Sicheng once again successfully pulled off a madcap mystery thriller filled with plenty of chases and gags. One thing to note is there’s hardly a scene of boredom as each particular scene seems to be perfectly rehearsed and written that with every new development and dialogue, audiences are being fed with new information that led to the next.
The murder case, which contains hints of Seven makes clever use of the Chinese elements theory, Feng Shui and Taoism to create a stimulating yet familiar mystery. It might be a tad exaggerating once the mystery is unfold before our eyes but Chen’s ability to blend the enthusiasm of his cast members with his out-of-this-world story is definitely commending.
The obvious increase in production budget allows the production crew to roam around in Times Square, Grand Central Station and the New York Public Library although it hugely sacrifices the ability to stage a grander fight or chase scene. The sole fight sequence involves Tang Ren dressed in a chicken suit fending off assailants in a chaotic traffic jam, a scene so cartoonish and entertaining that you expect it to last a while longer.
It’s not just the location shooting which is ambitious, the visual effects on display especially when Qing Feng starts his visual mind mapping and photographic memory skill is very much top notch unlike the usual lackluster CG qualities you seen in Asian titles.
Still, Detective Chinatown 2 is not without its flaws. The movie contains plenty of lazy lowbrow, stereotypical gags and references liked the police chief who looked exactly liked Donald Trump, Blacks carrying guns, Chinese speaking broken English and police munching on donuts that you feel more embarrassed for Chinese than Americans in the end. In addition, there’s even a nod to the original Police Academy franchise if you can recall the iconic Blue Oyster Bar only this time, a Chinese oldie is playing in the background.
Appreciating Wang Baoqiang’s supposedly nitwit character and his often-ludicrous, brainless one-liner is a must since Liu Haoran’s character to be frank is too bland to make an impact, their pair-off makes a better detective team. One’s smart the other is just street-smart. The other notable supporting cast includes one half of the music band, Chopstick Brothers, Xiao Yang appearing as an illegal immigrant who assist the duo on the case, Australian actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo plays a NYPD detective, HK action star Yuen Wah in a really, really funny extended cameo and Michael Pitt (last seen in the live-action Ghost In The Shell) appears as a forensic doctor.
Detective Chinatown 2 runs for two hours (15 minutes shorter than the first) although strangely, there’s never a need to check your watch. The oddball pairing is so contagious that you probably can’t wait for the third instalment which likely to take place in Tokyo’s Chinatown. Looks like Satoshi Tsumabuki is going to be reunited with Tang and Qing. We shall see.
Movie Rating:
(Compared to the rest of the many commercialized Chinese titles on the market that are mostly stuck in a rut, the Detective Chinatown franchise is a must see!)
Review by Linus Tee
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