Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Rob Cohen
Cast: Maggie Grace, Toby Kebbell, Ryan Kwanten, Ralph Ineson, Melissa Bolona, Ben Cross
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Intense Sequences)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://www.hurricaneheistmovie.com

Opening Day: 5 April 2018

Synopsis: Opportunistic criminals infiltrate a US Mint facility to steal $600m and plan to escape using the eye of the worst hurricane in recorded history as cover. A plucky treasury agent (Maggie Grace) and a troubled stormchaser (Toby Kebbell) with a monstrous ride must survive the storm, save the hostages and stop the thieves from executing their daring heist before the town is reduced to rubble.

Movie Review:

A heist. That happens during a hurricane.

Yup, that’s what this movie is about. Talk about creative titles – the folks behind this disaster action flick probably didn’t bother coming up with something catchier, and “The Hurricane Heist” would have to do. Not that this should affect your decision to catch this seemingly B grade movie on the big screen though, because it serves up a decent dose of entertainment to keep you engaged for 103 minutes.

The story by Anthony Fingleton and Carlos Davis is actually somewhat imaginative. A team of audacious hackers comes up with an outrageous plan of robbing a treasury, then escaping with the loot in the midst of a Category 5 hurricane. Kudos to anyone who dares to pull this off in real life.  

But because good guys are always around to foil evil plans, enter a meteorologist (how coincidental), his elder brother who is a former Marine (how patriotic), and a righteous treasury agent (it’s always good to include a strong female protagonist). Will they stop the thieves from accomplishing the heist? You bet, but not before everyone battles stormy rains and scary winds.

And that is what viewers are paying to watch, actually. A large portion of the movie’s production budget of $45 million probably went into using CGI to create the torrential rains and howling winds. You also get people, vehicles, buildings and other inanimate objects crashing together and being sucked into Mother Nature’s wrath. There are two particularly well played out sequences: watch out for the opening scene where two kids see their poor father blown away by a deadly hurricane, and a thrilling scene where the protagonists outwit the villains by tying themselves to some sort of rope while the baddies get mercilessly destroyed by an even deadlier hurricane.

The finale is a worthy guilty pleasure as well. You see three money laden trucks being chased by a hurricane. Without giving too much away, you will see human beings and dollar bills being flung into the air like disposables.

Who cares whether there is logic behind this movie? Obviously, it is not to be taken seriously. You will get the memo when a gigantic skull glares down from the eye of the hurricane in the opening scene. Director Rob Cohen, who has helmed other action flicks like The Fast and the Furious (2001), XXX (2002) and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008) probably also doesn’t want you to take his latest work seriously. The cheesy lines from Scott Windhauser and Jeff Dixon’s screenplay doesn’t bother us much either.

If there’s one thing that this movie lacks, it is star power. If Toby Kebbell (Kong: Skull Island), Maggie Grace (Taken 3) and Ryan Kwanten (Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole) were replaced by more bankable celebrities (it is inevitable that you the ensemble cast of the Fast & Furious franchise comes to mind), the movie would have gotten much more publicity from the media, and attention from the general public.

Movie Rating:

(There is no logic in this guilty pleasure of a movie – just watch it and be mindlessly entertained)

Review by John Li

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Brad Peyton
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Jake Lacy, Joe Manganiello, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, P.J. Byrne, Marley Shelton, Breanne Hill, Jack Quaid
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG13 (Intense Sequences and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: www.RampageTheMovie.com

Opening Day: 12 April 2018

Synopsis: Primatologist Davis Okoye (Johnson), a man who keeps people at a distance, shares an unshakable bond with George, the extraordinarily intelligent, silverback gorilla who has been in his care since birth. But a rogue genetic experiment gone awry mutates this gentle ape into a raging creature of enormous size. To make matters worse, it’s soon discovered there are other similarly altered animals. As these newly created alpha predators tear across North America, destroying everything in their path, Okoye teams with a discredited genetic engineer to secure an antidote, fighting his way through an ever-changing battlefield, not only to halt a global catastrophe but to save the fearsome creature that was once his friend.

Movie Review:

Big, loud and dumb monster movies hardly get bigger, louder and/or dumber than Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Rampage’, which sees a nine-foot-tall gorilla, a 30-foot flying wolf and a 60-foot crocodile descend upon downtown Chicago at the same time. If that premise sounds familiar, that’s because the movie is based off the 1980s arcade game, which saw players assume the trio of mammoth beasts as they fended off military forces and tried to reduce cities into rubble. But that’s about as developed as the source material went, so no less than four writers have tried to build a story leading up to that aforementioned disaster scenario.

Far as we can tell, none of them bothered to try very hard, which shows in the half-baked plot about some genetic experimentation gone wrong. That research programme was supposed to be housed in a space station, but after things go awry, several canisters of the gene-altering serum fall on different parts of the Earth. Two land in the wilderness and another crashes into a San Diego zoo, where Johnson’s primatologist Davis Okoye has been looking after a silverback albino gorilla named George that he rescued from African poachers years ago. Overnight, George grows big and angry, as does an alpha wolf in Southern Wyoming and a crocodile in the Everglades National Park.

Conveniently, a former research scientist of the programme turns up at his doorstep to explain what had happened to George, so together with this geneticist Dr Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris), Davis races against time to hunt for a possible antidote, stop the beasts in their rage-y rampage and avert the mother of all nuclear strikes that would otherwise level half of Chicago. Oh in case you’re wondering, the three mutant animals are being drawn to the city at the same time by a sonar beacon turned on by a villainous brother-and-sister pair (Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy) behind the programme, which happens to be located on the top of Willis Tower. Should we even bother asking why they would do this while they are still in the building?

Like we said at the start, there is no point trying to figure out the logic behind the sequence of events, or for that matter the pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo uttered by Dr Caldwell and/or the siblings Claire and Brett Wyden. Then again, its simplicity and even idiocy harks back to a time when all such B-monster movies cared about was the thrill of destruction, and ‘Rampage’ belongs gleefully to that category. Sure, you have Johnson doing his thing as Johnson, but the piece de resistance is watching these beasts tear down Chicago and smash Willis Tower as they scale the building. Oh yes, it does eventually come down in a cloud of debris and smoke all right, just as those wondering how a three-way confrontation among a giant ape, wolf and crocodile would look like will walk away satisfied.  

After levelling San Francisco in his previous Johnson collaboration ‘San Andreas’, director Brad Peyton brings those same sensibilities to ‘Rampage’, and to his credit, delivers a succession of impressive CG-heavy set-pieces. Building up nicely from George trashing the veterinary lab in the San Diego Wildlife Preserve where he is temporarily held, the action moves to the dense forests of Wyoming where an entire team of mercenaries (whose leader is played by Joe Manganiello) is taken apart by the flying wolf, then the interior of a military cargo transport plane where George again goes berserk, and finally a non-stop slam-bang right in the heart of the Windy City. There is both scale and scope to the action-movie destruction, which Peyton and his DP Jaron Presant films cleanly and clearly with a mix of close-ups, wide shots and zoom-outs. The VFX by Weta Digital is also superior, especially the creature-on-creature action that rounds up the film.

On his part, Johnson puts on his signature brand of brawny charm, and if you’ve digged him in ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’, you’ll similarly embrace his character here. Johnson is clearly playing it tongue-in-cheek, and he and co-star Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who plays a cowboy-styling’ loose-cannon federal agent) have a self-effacing chemistry going on throughout the film. But the central relationship of the film is that between Johnson and his primate pal (portrayed in mo-cap by Jason Liles), and the couple share a nice bromance that is instantly relatable and enjoyable. One of the few elegant touches of the movie is to have Davis and George communicate with each other in sign language, and their back-and-forth packs a satisfying LOL payoff at the end in the form of a couple of crude gestures we shall not mention here.

Indeed, if it’s big, loud and dumb fun you’re after, ‘Rampage’ is just the right movie for you. Stripped down, this is really a mashup of ‘King Kong’ and ‘Godzilla’ with a little ‘Predator’ thrown in, and it isn’t afraid to embrace its central conceit of enormous, mutated animals decimating major cities. Don’t even bother trying to pick apart the plot, or for that matter the broadly drawn characters; instead, just enjoy this piece of mindless popcorn entertainment for what it’s worth, especially the monster-palooza finale. And of course, having Johnson bring on the wisecracks amidst the chaos is just part of the fun; after all, how else would you describe the sight of a giant CGI gorilla flipping the bird, not once but twice, at him?

Movie Rating:

(Big, loud, and dumb fun – that’s what this latest Dwayne Johnson monster mashup was meant to be, and just how you’ll enjoy it)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Steven Quale
Cast: Sullivan Stapleton, J.K. Simmons, Clemans Schick, Ewen Bremner
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 29 March 2018

Synopsis: RENEGADES is about a team of Navy SEALs on assignment in war-torn Europe who discover a treasure of gold at the bottom of a lake -- rumored to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. In an effort to help the locals, they go rogue and engineer a heist to retrieve the gold and return it to its rightful owners. But in a deadly turn of events, they are detected by the enemy and left with only 10 hours to carry out their mission.

Movie Review:

What exactly did co-writer and producer Luc Besson intend with ‘Renegades’? Did he intend it as a throwback to the macho, mindless mayhem of ‘The A-Team’ or ‘The Dirty Dozen’? Or did he intend it as satire like David O’Russell’s ‘Three Kings’? Or what about a combination of the two with some Danny Ocean heist action thrown in? Either way, this long-delayed movie from his troubled Europacorp company is dull, tedious and even frustrating, never coming off quite as amusing, clever or thrilling enough to lift you from its own monotony.

As with most Besson-scripted actioners, this one has a straightforward premise at its core: a team of US Navy Seals embarking on a rogue mission to retrieve US$300 million worth of Nazi gold at the bottom of a Bosnian lake, after being tipped off by a beautiful local about the fortune. Whereas the Seals’ want the loot to line their pockets, Lara (Sylvia Hoeks) is hoping that it will help rebuild her community, so they decide on a 50/50 split of those bullion bars. The challenge is twofold – one, to raise all that gold from the bottom of the lake without their commanding officer (J.K. Simmons) discovering what they are up to; and two, evading the Serbian forces whom they had offended early on when they had kidnapped their leader from right under their noses to face trial for crimes of war.

That daring kidnap in broad daylight is how we are introduced to this band of brothers, and fortunately as well as unfortunately sets a high bar for the film that it struggles – and eventually never manages to – sustain, let alone surpass. Comprising a clever double-cross op that culminates in our boys commandeering a tank down the streets of Yugoslavia before driving it off a bridge, that single elaborate sequence is undoubtedly the highlight of the whole movie. Aside from a couple of scenes with Simmons’ class-A scowling act, the first hour slows to an utter crawl trying to set up how our heroes come to learn and plan their underwater operation. As noble as the intention may be to emphasise the nobility of these men in wanting to do something good for the local people, veteran special effects supervisor-turned-director Steven Quale sucks out what fun and silliness the opening had promised, leaving a dull middle-act that will leave you bored.

Worse still, the movie never quite recovers from its self-imposed monotony, and not even a technically impressive third act staged almost entirely underwater lifts the pulse of this actioner anywhere near where it needs to be. It doesn’t help that for budgetary reasons or otherwise, our heroes under the water are conveniently saved from their Serbian enemies on the surface by some “timely” intervention that frankly just douses what excitement the preceding half-hour had built. Indeed, it is almost inevitable that one is left annoyed by that anti-climax of an ending, especially given how much of your patience the languidly-paced 105-minute movie implores.

We could criticise the (lack thereof) character development in the movie, which hardly differentiates one cocksure commando from the other, but really that’s hardly the point. A B-grade actioner like this is all about the bullets, bombs and bombast, but even on that rudimentary level, ‘Renegades’ disappoints by being hardly exciting and barely fun. There’s no guilty pleasure to be found here, not for action fans or those of such gung-ho military thrillers; and if it’s worth anything, all it offers is reason why it has been sitting on the Europacorp shelves for so long. That said, it might as well have remained there, or at the bottom of its own fictional lake, for this team of renegades is better off decommissioned for good.

Movie Rating:

(Unless you're dying to find out just why this military heist thriller has been sitting on the shelves for a good two years, you're better off finding your guilty B-movie pleasure somewhere else)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: A washed-up corpse with surprising abilities gives a hopeless man stranded in the wilderness someone to talk to- and a newfound reason to live. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

We promise you Swiss Army Man is going to be absurd and unconventional and despite the far-fetched scenario which featured frequent loud farts, a boner and a corpse coming to life, it’s also the most meaningful movie you will see in a long time.  

The movie opens with a man named Hank (Paul Dano) trying to hang himself on a deserted island. He looks disheveled and probably a castaway until a corpse (played by Daniel Radcliffe) washes up ashore and propelled Hank to a mainland shore not far from civilization using his farts. As Hank and his newfound corpse buddy, Manny tries to find a way out of the forest, the duo developed an unbelievable friendship full of props, hard truth and a heartfelt look at life.  

It sounds like a remake of Weekend at Bernie’s, slight reminisce of the recent Warm Bodies and from the trailer, it’s going to be a gross-out out toilet humour experience but apparently Swiss Army Man has lot more to offer than lowbrow comedy. Although admittedly, it does offer a generous dose of flatulence gags and a boner which acts as a compass and to add to the silliness, Manny is also conveniently a water dispenser as well.   

Out of the unbelievable friendship forged by the two, we learnt that Hank is a lonely soul desperate in need of friendship and love. He is secretly in love with a girl named Sarah (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) whom he meets daily on the bus, stalking her on social media but never actually has the guts to talk to her. On the contrary, Manny the reanimated corpse is the direct opposite of Hank in terms of his viewpoint on embracing love and his frank outlandish behavior. Is Manny actually the unexplored side of Hank? What if all the wild fantasies and interaction are borne out of Hank’s imagination? 

Swiss Army Man might not be this generation’s Cast Away and while it’s debatable whether the two directors have succeed in bringing their messages across, the performances of Dano and especially Radcliffe as a largely immobile corpse is already a winner. Another noteworthy contribution is the endearing folksy soundtrack by composers Andy Hull and Robert McDowell. Swiss Army Man is simply both whimsical and weird. 

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy
Director: Abby Kohn, Marc Silverstein
Cast: Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Busy Philipps, Tom Hopper, Lauren Hutton, Aidy Bryant, Naomi Campbell
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 April 2018

Synopsis: In I FEEL PRETTY, an ordinary woman who struggles with feelings of insecurity and inadequacy on a daily basis wakes from a fall believing she is suddenly the most beautiful and capable woman on the planet. With this newfound confidence she is empowered to live her life fearlessly and flawlessly, but what will happen when she realizes her appearance never changed?

Movie Review:

With the world becoming smaller with social media and people getting more and more critical, will we ever be able to find happiness with ourselves and live our lives authentically?

I Feel Pretty takes you on a journey with Renee Bennett (Amy Schumer) and the interesting twist in her life when she falls and suddenly wakes up becoming overly confident and strong, unlike her former repressive and insecure self, with the exception of her appearance still being the same.

The film is extremely relatable and relevant to today’s society, where the dire need for self-acceptance, the heavy criticisms from ‘neitzens’ and the increase in cyberbullying is more prominent than ever. And it does strike a chord to many whom would most probably feel the pain and pressure.

The slight twist in the plot makes the film interesting and unique, moving away from the cookie-cutter sure-win magical formulas of changing oneself entirely and instead choosing to inspire people with the ability to be positive and to accept oneself through obtaining a sense of extreme (and slightly delusional) confidence.

Amy Schumer and Michelle Williams did amazing with their respective roles as Renee Bennett and Avery LeClaire, igniting a strange yet pleasant chemistry through possible pushing of limits, together with a brilliant and natural set of supporting cast, adding life and colour to the film.

Although the film is based mainly in New York and does not boast many opportunities for wide-scale, mind-blowing sceneries, random New York skyline panoramic views made the film’s cinematography less mundane.

However, unlike many American-based comedies, I Feel Pretty is not entirely slapstick and viewers expecting to laugh their hearts out silly ala most Adam Sandler’s offerings would be disappointed. In fact, at times it does feel slightly as flat as ‘flat world’ believers.

The film’s biggest flaw would be the flow, as certain parts of the film seem to not connect too well, making the viewers hanging on and scratching their heads over a few parts. The extremely rushed ending destroys the structure and the flow, making the drastic change in Renee’s character upon returning back to her old self and suddenly moving back to being extremely confident very questionable. It generally makes one think that the film strangely had a time duration limit to keep to.

The fact that the film is trying too hard to please the general public makes the film a little too cautious and powerless against making outstanding films on topics that are similar, losing substantial credibility and, thus, leads to disappointment.

I Feel Pretty is essentially fun and lovable with good intentions but falls into the trap of wanting quick commercial success and acceptance from the general public, so much so that it loses its unique appeal and the possibility of it being an amazing film that speaks volume, thus falling slightly into a comedic genre that it does not entirely fit into.

Movie Rating:

(Do watch it without too much expectations and go with the flow)

Review by Ron Tan

Genre: Drama/Family
Director: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin
Cast: J. Michael Finley, Brody Rose, Dennis Quaid, Madeline Carroll
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 29 March 2018

Synopsis:  It’s the song that brings ultimate hope to so many, and Bart Millard’s inspiring real-life story behind the beloved MercyMe song will encourage people in a whole new way. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE is a gripping reminder of the power of forgiveness, beautifully illustrating that no one is ever too far from God’s love—or from an eternal home in Heaven..

Movie Review:

Faith-based films are tricky to review. Few, if any, are designed for secular audiences, and therefore have no qualms preaching simply to the converted. But if any stood a chance of extending its appeal beyond Christians, ‘I Can Only Imagine’ is probably that film.

As told by the Erwin Brothers – made up of the Alabama brothers Jon and Andy Erwin – it tells the true story of how the Christian rock band MercyMe’s lead singer Bart Millard came to write their breakout single of the same name, which till today holds the honour of being the bestselling Christian single of all time and led to the triple-platinum success of their debut album.

That story is in fact anchored on Bart’s (played by Broadway star J. Michael Finley) relationship with his father Arthur (Dennis Quaid), who Bart describes as a person transformed from “a man [he] hated to a man [he] wanted to become”. The former is depicted with utter viscerality back in the year 1985 when Bart was a chubby kid living with his physically and verbally abusive father, especially after his mother decided she had enough and leaves while he was at praise camp. It is there that Bart discovers God as well as the girl he would fall in love with and eventually marry, but before you scoff at the pair of childhood sweethearts, you should know that Bart and his wife Shannon really did meet that way and remain happily married till this day.

To be sure, co-writers Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle have taken some liberties with Bart’s life story, but by and large the narrative remains faithful to the ups and downs in his own memoir (which was published about a month ago). Without trying to fill in the gaps between, the chronology skips ahead to Bart’s teenage years, which were significant for a couple of reasons. One, an injury during practice jettisons his hopes of a football career, which he had aspired to in order to please his dad. Two, one of his teachers would catch him singing one day and cast him in the school production of ‘Oklahoma!’, marking the start of his musical journey. And three, Arthur would discover then that he has pancreatic cancer, which he keeps hidden from Bart until much later.

Driven as much by his own ambition as his desire to be far away from his dad, Bart would leave Texas for Oklahoma City, where he meets a band who would eventually become MercyMe. After a couple of years playing at community venues, Bart and his band members catch a break in Christian music producer Scott Brickell (played by country music superstar Trace Adkins). Amidst touring with them, Scott would motivate Bart to find his own tunes, while liaising with producers, labels and other Christian singers like Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant (played here by Jake B. Miller and Nicole du Pont respectively) to promote MercyMe.

But before he would write the titular song, Bart will need to go back home and reconnect with the man who had destroyed his sense of self-worth. There, he realises how religion has changed his father in his absence, paving the way for a painful but ultimately redemptive process of forgiveness. It is through witnessing how God had changed his father that Bart would be prompted to let the Lord’s mercy and grace wash over him too, which would lead to the beautiful lyrics of ‘I Can Only Imagine’.

Like we said before, some degree of artistic license has been assumed with the telling of this story, the biggest of which is the fact that Bart in real life only wrote the song eight years after the death of his father. Nonetheless, you’ll easily forgive this discrepancy thanks to the tender yet powerful scenes between Bart and his father during the latter’s last days. Beautifully played by Finley and Quaid, these moments underscore the emotion behind the song, so much so that when you hear Bart singing it for the first time in front of a packed crowd during one of Amy Grant’s concerts, it acquires a whole new depth of poignancy.

As central as religion may be to the story, the film never hits you on the head with it; rather, the Erwins choose to place the complex father-son relationship between Bart and Arthur as the emotional core of the movie, and by keeping the interactions real and grounded, ensure that the sentiments never ring a false note. That is also credit to the excellent casting choices that the Erwins have made, including a wry Adkins who brings pathos and gravity as their mentor and producer, a warm Cloris Leachman as Bart’s grandmother, and last but not least a sincere Finley as Bart himself. But deserving of special mention is veteran actor Quaid, who is compelling both as a “monster” and as a repentant dad seeking to reconnect with his son.

So even though it is aimed at Christian audiences, ‘I Can Only Imagine’ is in itself a touching portrait of pain, forgiveness and redemption. Unlike many similar films, this one at least shows enough restraint not to sermonise at any point, and genuinely tries to tell its story without guile or worse ulterior motive. If you are prepared to set aside your biases, you’ll likely find this biopic moving and heartwarming, with or without the backdrop of religion..

Movie Rating:

(One of the rare faith-based films that doesn't just preach to the choir, this story behind the hit Christian song is a touching father-son portrait of pain, forgiveness and redemption)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Period/Comedy/Romance
Director: Hong Chang-pyo
Cast: Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Seung-gi, Kim Sang-kyung, Yeon Woo-jin, Kang Min-hyuk, Choi Woo-shik, Jo Bok-lae
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 12 April 2018

Synopsis: In the wake of prolonged famine, the palace arranges Princess Songhwa (SHIM Eun-kyung)’s marriage in order to correct the misfortune. A renowned diviner, Seo Doyoon (LEE Seung-gi), is brought in to find the perfect husband that will have the best marital harmony with the princess. From candidates from all over the country, 4 prospective husbands with different fate signs are shortlisted. However, the princess who refuses to accept that her life partner will be chosen solely based on fortune reading, decides to meet the candidates before the final decision is made. She steals the candidates’ birth information and sneaks out of the palace. Doyoon finds out about this later, and follows after her.

Movie Review:

A cursed princess holds the key to reversing a drought situation for her country in the Joseon era. Or so the royal diviner says. Using the Korean art of forecasting from the “4 pillars” created by a person’s birthdate - not unlike the Chinese bazi- introducing a marriage will alter the elements and return the rain to the thirsty lands.

Princess Songhwa (Shim Eun-kyung) is no stranger to being used as a tool for the greater good. Her mother, a royal concubine who died at childbirth, launched rumours of her bad luck, and she was quickly exiled beyond the palace because of her prophesied negativity.

But when the king (Kim Sang-kyung) came down with a mysterious illness, the court fortuneteller divined her return would introduce the right factors to make him well again. Child princess Songhwa was fetched, and true enough - he became better. This not only raised the regard of the court diviner in the King’s regard, but also raised a naive and pliable princess who grew up submitting to her duties.

With marriage impending, Songhwa feels, for once, stoked to gain some control of her own life. Shouldn’t she at least know who she is marrying, rather than being matched to someone just based on calculated compatibility? So, with the help of her lady-in-waiting, she embarks on a secret mission to spy on her potential candidates.

The premise is both realistic and whimsical, and holds a lot of script potential It also harnesses the Korean public interest in the prophesying arts. In fact, The Princess and the Matchmakeris the second product from a trio of historical films with a fortune-telling element by Jupiter Films. The first was The Face Readerand the next is Myungdang.

But therein is also part of the film’s problem. For those with no prior knowledge of the “4 pillars” system, you won’t find any introduction in the film. Even though Director Hong Chang-pyo has created a cheery, light-hearted take on the period film, the poetic sprinkling of the terms and elements is lost in most of the scenes.

As the upstart prodigy, amateur diviner Seo Doyoon (Lee Seung-gi) creates ripples with his holistic take and natural flair of the “4 systems”, thus upsetting the reading of the court candidate. And during his analysis and readings, CG calligraphy flies around the scene, and he rattles off the jargon, hardly pausing to allow absorption. It all feels very fancy, but the impact is purely visual. 

The main story of the princess secretly sussing out her candidates provides more humour and interest, albeit cliched. Her first candidate isn’t from her age group, the second a notorious womaniser (Kang Min-hyuk), and the third (Choi Woo-sik) hides an unexpected streak behind his manners.

The last is the court superintendent Yoon Shi-kyung (Yeon Woo-jin)- dashing and influential, but his motives quickly branch out to involve other ambitious royal figures.

With Songhwa’s search not exactly going her way, and the Doyoon trying to balance his morals with his love, the web quickly gets tangled.

Hong Chang-pyo’s debut film shows plenty of promise. The angle is refreshing. The topic interesting. The actors all steady in their roles. But the story splinters far too often into unimportant arcs. A side accomplice reader Gae-shi (Jo Bok-rae) helps Doyoon in his work, but has his own side gag romance story. Doyoon also has a blind brother Seo Ga-yoon, but beyond serving as emotional blackmail tool and adding idol-handsome Minho to the film, the addition feels a little thin.

There’s also some flashback scenes that were totally unnecessary, and badly timed during the editing.

Judging from the film stills, it seems that The Princess and the Matchmakerhad a lot of material that didn’t make it to the final cut, and that made all the difference. A pity because the final lesson of how the drought was overcome could have packed a much bigger punch.

The elements might be all in place, but they don’t exactly line-up in this historical piece.

Movie Rating:

(Easy watching period piece with straightforward storyline, supported by good actors and lavish set design. Pity the underdeveloped arcs)

Review by Morgan Awyong

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Jung Bum-shik
Cast: Wi Ha-Joon, Park Sung-Hoon, Park Ji-hyun, Oh Ah-yeon, Mun Ye-won, Lee Seung-wook, Yoo Je-yoon
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Horror)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 April 2018

Synopsis: An internet broadcaster recruits a handful of people for their ‘experience the horror’ show at Gonjiam Psychiatric Hospital, a place selected as one of the ‘7 freakiest places on the planet’. They are to explore the haunted asylum and stream it live on their online show. To attract more viewers, the show hosts play tricks on the guests, but things start to get out of control after they sneak into the place.

Movie Review:

It all started with The Blair Witch Project (1999). Viewers were excited about the found footage movie subgenre, and became used to shaky camera work and naturalistic acting over the years. Such movies are presented as it the footage was ‘raw’ and had been edited into a narrative by someone who ‘found’ it.

Gimmicky or not, this subgenre of movies are lucrative and have proved itself to be a hit at the box office. Just look at the Paranormal Activity franchise (how something of such little substance can spawn six movies and an unofficial spin off is miraculous), Cloverfield (2008), Quarantine (2008) and V/H/S (2012).

In Asia, this Korean horror flick is also testament to why found footage movies are still popular. It topped the local box office for two consecutive weeks, beating out Hollywood import Ready Player One. That’s quite a feat, if you ask us.

The story follows a group of teenagers as they embark on a journey to be aspiring YouTube stars on a web series simply known as “Horror Stories”. Their task is to venture into an abandoned psychiatric hospital, which CNN lists as one of the seven “freakiest places on the planet”. The building was shut down in the 1970s after a series of supposed mass suicide of patients. The mental hospital was said to house political prisoners who were tortured and had laboratory tests performed on them by the director, who – guess what - has also vanished from the face of earth.

The cast is made up of unknown actors (do any of these names, Wi Ha Joon, Park Sung Hoon, Park Ji hyun, Oh Ah yeon, Mun Ye won, Lee Seung wook, Yoo Je yoon, ring a bell?), and if you compare this element with other found footage horror movies, it seems to work. You see these characters coming together, having a meal, leaving for their destination (they even made time to go for a dip while en route) and eventually stepping into the obviously creepy mansion. You won’t have any emotional connection with them (who has time for back stories?) and it really doesn’t matter.

What we thought worked was the idea of live streaming so the motley crew’s every move can be witnessed by netizens online. In this day and age of raging social media, viewer numbers are crucial and it is interesting to see how this was worked into the story. In the scare department, you get doors slamming suddenly, bells jingling by themselves and candles blowing themselves out. While these are nothing new or innovative, they work for the casual horror movie fan. There are some well executed sequences in the final third of the movie, if there is anything you’d like to look out for.

Also, with easily accessible and affordable equipment, you see the characters rigging themselves up with go pro cameras and body strapped apparatus to ensure that their viewers get the most out of the web series. One thing though – you may not be able to get the close up images of people’s nostrils out of your mind so easily after the movie.

Does it matter whether this 95 minute movie has a logical or coherent plot? Obviously not, because you are probably there to see what other creative new scares this subgenre can offer. If you do not have high expectations, this should just suffice.

Movie Rating:

(Another entry in the found footage subgenre that does what it’s supposed to do, and nothing more)

Review by John Li

Genre: Animation
Director: Liu Jian
Cast: Zhu Changlong, Cao Kou, Yang Siming, Ma Xiaofeng
Runtime: 1 hr 17 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Anticipate Pictures
Official Website: http://www.anticipatepictures.com

Opening Day: 5 April 2018 to 15 April at THE ARTS HOUSE

Synopsis: A hard rain is about to fall on a small town in Southern China. In a desperate attempt to find money to save his fiancée’s failed plastic surgery, Xiao Zhang, a mere driver, steals a bag containing 1 million from his boss. News of the robbery spreads fast within the town and, over the course of one night, everyone starts looking for Xiao Zhang and his money.

Movie Review:

The animated world isn’t just made up of Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and everything nice. We don't live in a society filled with splashes of happy and bright colours, as this Chinese animated film would attest.

After making a name with his debut feature length animation Piercing I (2000), Chinese animator and film director Liu Jian is back with this dark comedy that sheds light on a seedy town in southern China. The story starts with one million renminbi being stolen by a young driver. That’s more than $200,000 Singapore dollars, for anyone who’s attempting to do the conversion. The man’s intent is commendable – he wants to use the money to pay for a trip to South Korea so his girlfriend can rectify a botched plastic surgery. Cue the entry of mafia bosses, hit men, gangsters who want to retrieve the fortune for different reasons.

Oh yes, there will be blood.

With characters criss crossing each other’s paths, one can imagine auteur Quentin Tarantino making a live action version of this film with lots of gratuitous violence and a kick ass soundtrack. Closer to home, this can be imagined as a gangster flick starring Chow Yun Fat, Simon Yam and Francis Ng. Yet, there is something about Liu’s film that makes it a low key charm.

You can see the effort put into making the film. Liu, who studied painting at Nanjing University of the Arts, did most of the work himself and took three years to complete this work. The artwork is meticulous, the choice of colours reflects the downtrodden side of society, and the animation is kept basic. The result plays out like a surreal graphic novel that wants to tell a tale of human’s true nature.

The story succinctly told in 77 minutes, and that’s something worth applauding in this day and age where indulgence is aplenty. We understand what we are watching in Singapore is the film’s original version, instead the cut that passed Chinese censorship with “slight adjustments”. This arose from the controversy last year when the film was withdrawn from the Annecy International Animated Film Festival as it did not have proper governmental clearance to be screened internationally.

We also love the modern references to pop culture and politics in the film. You hear The Godfather being discussed, and see posters of Rocky and The Hunger Games. Pay attention and you will smile at how Liu worked mentions of the Taiwan map, the British exit from the European Union, as well as Donald Trump’s congratulatory message to Hilary Clinton into the screenplay.

This is not a pessimistic piece of work, and you need not worry that everything is drab, dreary and depressing. There are cheeky elements in this dark comedy – see how a man’s ridiculously self invented X ray glasses brings him trouble instead of wealth, and hum along to a hilarious fantasy sequence where a woman dreams of moving to the picturesque Shangri La in China’s Yunnan Province.

A quote from Russian writer Leo Tolstoy’s Resurrection opens the film. Although the novel is known to explore the hypocrisy of the institutionalised church, the last line on screen “spring, however, was still spring” brings about a sense of hope. This is the tingling feeling you will get when the film ends.

Liu’s highly recommended film has made its mark internationally. It was the first Chinese animated feature to premiere in the main competition for the Golden Bear at the 67^th Berlin International Film Festival. At the 54^th Golden Horse Awards, it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song (Old Beast and The Great Buddha+ won in the respective categories), and took home the Best Animated Feature prize. We can’t wait for what Liu will come up with next.

Movie Rating:

(A refreshing piece of work that showcases Liu Jian’s talent for telling a compelling story)

Review by John Li

Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Lee Jang-hoon
Cast: So Ji-sub, Son Ye-jin, Kim Ji-hwan, Ko Chang-seok, Lee Yoo-jin, Bae Yoo-ram, Lee Joon-hyuk, Son Yeo-eun
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 April 2018

Synopsis: Based on a Japanese original novel called "Be with You", which sold over a million copies in 2004, the movie tells the story of a woman who dies and leaves behind her son and husband. She then returns a year later, putting her fate on the line for the sake of her family. 

Movie Review:

Be With You is the Korean remake of an award winning 2004 Japanese movie of the same name (Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu). It is based on a novel written by Takuji Ichikawa, who is also known for other film-adapted titles like Heavenly Forest (2006) and Say Hello for Me (2007). This fantasy romance drama story is full of imagination, and is set to pull at your heartstrings…

The movie opens with a children’s story of a family of penguins. The mother penguin passed away and went to the heavens, but often peeps from the clouds at her family. One day as it rained, she rode on the ‘rain train’ and reunited with her family. Likewise, that’s what the young boy, Ji-ho, believed in. After his mother, Soo-a, passed away, he kept hoping for the rainy season to come so she could return. His father, Woo-jin, played along with the boy’s imagination, as it would be too cruel to crush the only thing that helps the young boy cope with the loss.

Sure enough, the rainy season came and they went out to wait on her return. However, she didn’t come as expected. Disappointed, they make their way back home through a tunnel and the unexplainable happened - a lady who looks exactly like Soo-a appeared before them. However, she has zero memory about them. The story continues with the family helping Soo-a recall the past, with some comical and cute interactions in between. Soo-a slowly forms back those memories and finds out the truth behind her being there at that time and space.

Without further divulging the storyline, the narrative of this movie is indeed a charming one. It’s no wonder it had such positive reception back in 2004 when the Japanese movie was first released. The storyline is not only thoughtful, but delicately brings out the feelings of grief and loss without diluting any part of it. What’s more endearing is also the perspective of the child. Coupled with the stellar performance from So Ji-sub (plays as Woo-jin, the father), Son Ye-jin (plays as Soo-a, the mother) and child actor Kim Ji-hwan (plays as Ji-ho), the movie is packed with ‘feels’. One of the key scenes would be when Ji-ho delivers his graduation speech about his dream. That unexpected thoughtfulness and maturity from the child and his message towards his mum is heartwarming but breaks heart at the same time.

From a production perspective, the film had a nice selection of locations, which matched close enough to the storyline. The intricacies of the non-linear story telling was also considered and done smoothly to compliment the main story. While the plot twist wasn’t the most creative or original, that too worked well with the story which leads in nicely to the ending of the movie.

The movie runtime was as long as 131 minutes. But be assured, it didn’t feel like it at all. Overall, the movie was paced nicely and didn’t feel draggy. While the tale is after all a fantasy, the expression of the human experience was one that’s relatable and close to the heart. Though the ending was expected, it still gave it a nice closure and parts on a note of positivity!

Movie Rating:

(Be With You is not just another melancholic movie, but is one which tugs at the heart through an extraordinary fantasy)

Review by Tho Shu Ling