Genre: Comedy
Director: Raja Gosnell
Cast: Will Arnett, Ludacris, Stanley Tucci, Natasha Lyonne, Alan Cumming, Jordin Sparks, Shaquille O'Neal, Gabriel Iglesias
RunTime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 31 May 2018
Synopsis: Will Arnett, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Natasha Lyonne, Jordin Sparks, Gabriel Iglesias, Shaquille O'Neal, Alan Cumming, and Stanley Tucci, SHOW DOGS is a family comedy about the unlikely pairing of a human detective (Arnett) and his canine partner (voice of Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), who has to go undercover at the world's most exclusive dog show to solve his biggest case yet.
Movie Review:
It wasn’t too long ago when talking-dog family movies were the rage, and Raja Gosnell must have either felt that children under the age of 7 were being deprived of such harmless diversion and/or that their parents were somehow nostalgic for that kind of wholesome family fun. How else would you explain why the director of ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ and the two live-action ‘Scooby Doo’ movies would return to such action comedy fare content to serve up exactly the same formula of slapstick humour, puerile gags and lame pop-culture references?
Oh yes, if that sounds like your idea of fun, then ‘Show Dogs’ is just the movie for you. From Will Arnett getting bitten on the butt, to jokes about toilet water and drinking out of them, to tongue-in-cheek references of ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ (Arnett was the voice of Batman in that one), it is clear that Gosnell and his pair of writers Max Botkin and Marc Hyman can hardly be bothered about being derivative; rather, their only preoccupation seems to be to engender enough CGI mayhem involving talking dogs of various breeds, stripes and temperaments, and to fill the moments in between with as much wisecracks as is necessary not to let the pace slack.
Unfortunately, the entire endeavour simply comes off exhausting, and it is especially telling that the movie’s one-and-a-half-hour duration feels at least twice that length. Part of the problem lies with the throwaway plot, which has something to do with Arnett’s FBI agent Frank Mosley teaming up with a rugged, alpha-male NYPD Rottweiler Max (voiced by Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges) to go undercover at a Las Vegas dog show in order to apprehend a band of illegal animal traders. Never mind that the story seems to be a note-for-note reboot of Sandra Bullock’s ‘Miss Congeniality’; what’s more fundamental is how poorly developed the storytelling is, with nary a care for how Frank and/or Max go about their investigation or the mechanics of the animal smuggling ring. There is hardly any tension or excitement or climax to speak of, such that the movie feels flat from start to finish.
To the credit of the talented voice cast, they try their darnest to make the most out of their characters – among the standouts are Stanley Tucci as the prissy French Papillion former champ Phillippe, Gabriel Igelesis as the feisty but over-excitable pug Sprinkles and Shaquille O’Neal as the dreadlocked Buddhist-worshipping Komondor appropriately named Karma – but their hyper-aggressive jokiness can only go so far to cover up how thinly drawn their characters really are, with perhaps only Phillippe given anything resembling a character arc over the course of the movie. Oh, there’s also a bit of romance going on between Max and singer Jordin Sparks’ Australian Shepherd Daisy, but again that’s barely developed enough to register.
In addition to the non-existent plot and barely-there characters, ‘Show Dogs’ also suffers from Gosnell’s own slapdash choreography. There seems little thought given to proper scene construction, not to mention the cheesy visual effects that are responsible for the awkwardly inserted CGI animals as well as the clumsily animated mouths and faces of the real ones. Sure, Gosnell probably didn’t have as big of a budget as he did working on his previous studio-backed movies, but the careless manner in which he has assembled the scenes is inexcusably sloppy, not least of how he cannot even be bothered to maintain any semblance of consistency as to whether the humans and dogs in his film can actually speak and understand each other.
Frankly, ‘Show Dogs’ is so terrible you wonder why it’s getting a theatrical release in the first place. That’s not because its premise feels left over from the 1980s, or even that the talking-dog family comedy genre is well past its heydays; rather, it’s how shoddily, messily and thoughtlessly the movie has been put together, as if the filmmakers just couldn’t be bothered with basic coherence. We were never expecting this to be first-in-show, but neither for that matter did we expect this to be worst-of-breed; and with such runt of the litter, there is hardly any wonder why there is nary any audience goodwill left for movies of this like.
Movie Rating:
(This latest talking-dog family comedy from genre specialist Raja Gosnell reminds you just why such movies fell out of favour in the first place)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Kim Yong Wan
Cast: Ma Dong-Seok, Kwon Yul, Han Ye-Ri, Choi Seung-hoon-I, Ok Ye-rin, Yang Hyun-min
RunTime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: PG (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website:
Opening Day: 31 May 2018
Synopsis: Mark is a disgraced arm wrestling champion who was adopted by an American family when he was a boy. He’s a bouncer at a club and befriends a Korean sports agent named Jin-ki, who has a knack for schemes to make money from any situation he’s in. Lured by an arm wrestling tournament in Korea and Jin-ki’s scheme to make a fortune from it, Mark comes back to his native country for the first time in 30 years. When he arrives, Jin-ki gives him his biological mother’s address. Hesitant at first, he goes to the address and is united with a sister he didn’t know existed and embraced by a new family, he prepares himself to make a mark on the tournament.
Movie Review:
Plot unfolds in a super-charged bar based in L.A. where Mark (Ma Dong-Seok aka Don Lee) minds his day as a bouncer and a platinum-haired Jin-Ki (Kwon-Yool) drags him in to be part of an ego-inspired arm wrestling bet. And Mark (Ma) renders his true form and beats down his Caucasian counterpart, much to the dismay of his white boss. And after a volley of punches and swearing, the setting relaxes into a contrasting scenario at a hyper-mart where Mark (Ma) works as a security officer greeting people and carrying those big shopping bags, feeling rather despondent.
Six months forward, Mark (Ma) receives a call based on a betting plea from the over-enthusiast, Jin-Ki (Kwon), who beckons him to Korea in the pretext of a rig but in reality, Jin-Ki (Kwon) wishes to turn his life around by using Mark ((Ma) as his money-maker. Trustingly, Mark (Ma) too flies over to gain ownership of his glory, only to discover long-lost relatives. He then starts uncovering woeful secrets of his unresolved childhood amidst Jin-Ki’s (Kwon) dicey bet-setting endeavours.
Mark’s (Ma) alleged step-sister Soo Jin (Han Ye-Ri) along with her two kids, affectionately referred to as the “June-Bugs” (since they are named as Joon-Hyung and Joon-Hee respectively), play the pivotal roles. They help Mark (Ma) fathom out his late mother’s predicament at that point in time when she had to abandon him as a child. Along the way, many other supporting characters such as Combo (Kang Shin-Hyo) and Punch (Lee Kyoo-Ho) with Mr Yoo (Yang Hyun-Min) as the nemesis with a comical laughter throws in curveballs into the plot, making it an endearing 108 minutes.
Kim Yong-Wan, the 37-year-old has directed Champion, his first ever feature film backed by Warner Bros with three other films that add up to his portfolio. Clever choice of cast as Ma, the multiple-award winner who sports a chastened crew-cut, nails it with his commanding, pugilist physique and the Sly Stallon-ish lazy eye movements in this titular role. Ma’s rendition as an adoptee also grazed some social issues besides just delivering punches, kicks and blows. On top of knocking down some baddies in the film to protect his new-found relatives, Ma also takes credit for co-scripting this comedy. The 47-year-old thespian raised in the States, is also expected in Bearand Raging Bullslated to be released later this year. Kwon, the chocolate boy of Korean rom-com sitcoms did justice to his role as an amateur agent who has the patience of a saint and a twisted mind of an imp. Han who predominantly acts in indies and short films made an ideal pick as a distressed widow and mother to the two kids, Choi Seung-Hoon and Ok Ye-Rin who are smart, enduring and funny.
Movie Rating:
(Foreseeable climax with a prophetic scene that blurs into a vision accomplished sort of happiest ending. One can bank in on the slice-of- life humour that anyone can relate to on any given day)
Review by Asha Gizelle M
Genre: Drama/ Mystery
Director: Xin Yukun
Cast: Song Yang, Jiang Wu, Yuan Wenkang, Tan Zhuo
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Screening Dates: 5 May 2018 (visit scff.sg/films/wrath-of-silence/ for showtimes)
Synopsis: Zhang Baomin (Song Yang) is a mute miner who works far away from home because of some disputes he had with the townsfolk years ago, whilst his wife and son remain near the mountains running a small sheep farm. One day, Baomin learns that his son Lei has not come back from shepherding for two days. He goes back to find his son. His appearance back in town makes people anxious. Searching for his son, Baomin heads for the rough and dangerous mountains, but the resentment and distrust of the townsfolk leads them to turn a blind eye to the reality of a missing child. After the acclaimed feature debut of A Coffin In the Mountain, Xin Yukun’s sophomore directorial feature film is highly anticipated and once again exposes the corruption of contemporary Chinese society and the dark side of the human psyche.
Movie Review:
Aside from flag-wearing patriotic war movies, the Chinese film industry (and we mean Mainland Chinese, not Hong Kong or Taiwan for that matter) has in recent years carved its own niche in hard-hitting crime dramas laced with social commentary. Having established his name in that regard with his well-received 2014 Venice-bowing debut ‘Coffin in the Mountain’, Xin Yukun’s sophomore feature film sees an even more confident filmmaker cementing his mark on the genre with an engrossing noir-tinged thriller that hits hard and punches deep.
At its heart, ‘Wrath of Silence’ is about a father searching for his teenage son who has gone missing. In this case, the father is an irascible miner Zhang Baomin (Song Yang) who has been estranged from his family since moving away to work in Feng County, following a disagreement with his fellow villagers over the sale of land rights that led to him stabbing the eye of the local butcher. But upon learning from his wife Cui Xia (Tan Zhuo) that their 12-year-old son Zhang Lei had not returned after taking out the sheep to pasture one evening, Baomin rushes back home to join in the missing-persons search.
Quite by coincidence, that process leads him to cross paths with the bruiser Da Jin (Wang Zichen) at one of the local mines, which Jin’s boss Chang Wannian (Jiang Wu) had most recently wrested ownership of by force. Jin brings Baomin to meet Wannian, and that encounter leaves him to suspect that the boss of Hongchang Mining whose overtures he had previously rejected is behind the disappearance of Lei. But by following his unfounded hunch, Baomin inadvertently gets further into the crosshairs of Wannian’s illicit activities that also implicate the crooked lawyer Xu Wenjie (Yuan Wenkang), both of whom happen to be under the scrutiny of the authorities.
As with such fragmented narratives, seeing how the different characters come together is fundamental to the eventual payoff. Thankfully, Xin has woven a compelling story around the fates of his three central players, namely Baomin, Wannian and Wenjie, in surprisingly and yet satisfying fashion. Though a large part of what happens is due to happenstance, Xin roots the actions of his protagonists firmly in their respective motivations – be it a father’s desperation in Baomin’s case, a misplaced invincibility in Wannian’s case, or just simple self(ish)-preservation in Wenjie’s case – and allows their fortunes to intertwine in mutually destructive ways. It is to Xin’s credit that it all comes together believably, without ever resorting to any deus ex machina twists or compromising our empathy for Baomin.
In Baomin, Xin has crafted a character rugged and sympathetic at the same time. As overt as the symbolism may be, the fact that Xin is mute reinforces the plight of the rural underclass in Chinese society, who often find themselves voiceless and powerless against rich and corrupt mercenaries. Notwithstanding, it is notable that how Baomin’s lone crusade turns out, which is undeniably constructed so the film does not run afoul of the Chinese censors (who would certainly not look too kindly on vigilantism or any glorification of it). Yet by the same measure, Baomin never turns into some caricature of the classic avenger archetype, and is all the better for it.
On the other hand, Xin has no qualms casting Wannian in a generically villainous role, but he finds in Wu a superb actor able to convey menace with various shades of nuance. Ditto his choice of Song Yang for Baomin, who portrays his character with just the right mix of desperation, despair and indignation. Largely though, this is Song’s acting showcase from start to finish, and the up-and-coming performer pulls off the dialogue-free role with aplomb. Next to Song and Jiang, the other supporting members somewhat pale in comparison, but the resultant two-hander makes the rich-poor divide Xin is trying to illustrate even more obvious.
Like we alluded to at the start, ‘Wrath of Silence’ is one in a line of gritty crime thrillers that Mainland filmmakers have discovered their niche in of late, and is indeed one of the best that we have seen from that industry. Hard to believe that Xin is only 33 years old this year, especially given his strong storytelling grasp in terms of plotting, mise-en-scene and characterization, but this second directorial effort is an improvement leaps and bounds over his debut. There is no wrath to be felt in enjoying such a full-bodied drama, or any reason why you should stay silent about its accomplishments, so go ahead and sink your teeth into this layered, textured thriller that you’ll more then readily tell others about..
Movie Rating:
(Taut, gripping and surprisingly poignant, writer-director Xin Yukun's sophomore film is an impressive addition into the Mainland Chinese crime thriller canon)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Comedy
Director: Kevin Ko
Cast: Dong Zijian, Elaine Zhong, Jessie Li, Yuan Fufu, Wu Yi-yao, Liu Mengmeng, Xi Jingyan
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 10 May 2018
Synopsis: He Xiaoyang, who is single for four years, is mistaken as head girl Guan Xin‘s love interest by accident. To get rid of He Xiaoyang, Guan Xin decides to help him pursue the most beautiful girl in campus Li Shushu. With Guan Xin’s help, He Xiaoyang learns the most efficient way to pursue a girl. But he can’t figure out whether there is really a way to face his true love.
Movie Review:
It seemed like a perfect movie for this reviewer to gather some tips on hooking up a love interest. After all, the protagonist of this romantic comedy has also been single for the longest time, and is on a quest to lose that status. The difference between the two dudes? The character is forced into the situation, as compared to this writer, who appears to be plain sluggish.
Back to the movie. The boyish Dong Zijian plays a high school student who gets into an embarrassing misunderstanding with the campus belle. Without giving too much away, let’s just say it involves a shirtless guy, a girl who has her head placed at an unfortunately inappropriate position, and vomit. This sparks the quest for them to clear up the mess. What’s the best way to do this? For the dude to find a girlfriend in the shortest possible time.
Dong, who impressed us with his touching performance in At Café 6 (2016), is the right fit for the role. The fresh faced young man has a lazy charm and there is no reason to dislike this dude. He is the friend who will say yes to all your requests, no matter how unreasonable they are.
The other Mainland actors in the movie may not be familiar faces in our region, but they each portray their character well. Elaine Zhong, who garnered attention and got a nomination for Best New Performer at the 54th Golden Horse Awards for her performance in Youth (2017), plays the female protagonist who has grand plans for the dude to get hitched. The 25 year old actress is easy on the eyes, and we hope to see her in more movies. Jessie Li has a smaller role of the target of the project, and puts her dreamy eyes to good use. The actress, whom you may remember from Port of Call (2015), was recognised with a Best Actress accolade at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards. Yuan Fufu and Jin Jin play the dude’s two best friends with the right goofiness, and is a constant source of laughter in the 101 minute movie.
To be honest, the movie poster doesn’t seem to suggest that this is a show that you’d pay attention to. But give it a chance and you will be pleasantly surprised with how the story plays out, from being a screwball comedy to a remarkably heartfelt story about true love. The side plots work as well, because they each have a message to send.
While you already know who the dude will end up with 15 minutes into the movie, there are still some innovatively created sequences which will make you sit up and pay attention. Watch how a cinema going experience is scientifically broken down into whether a couple will end up together, and the different permutations of how you can court a girl in a bar. These clever approaches, coupled with the cast’s winning performances, work in an otherwise formulaic movie, making it a thoroughly enjoyable movie to sit through. Will this writer buck up to do something about his love life after watching this movie? We’ll see.
Movie Rating:
(The romantic comedy's winning cast and clever segments make it a highly recommended date movie)
Review by John Li
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TRAILER WATCH - ROBIN HOODPosted on 04 May 2018 |
Genre: Drama
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Grace Palmer, Jeffrey Thomas
RunTime: 1 hr 36 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Nudity)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 31 May 2018
Synopsis: Starring Shailene Woodley (Fault in Our Stars, Divergent films) and Sam Claflin (Me Before You, The Hunger Games films), ADRIFT is based on the inspiring true story of two free spirits whose chance encounter leads them first to love, and then to the adventure of a lifetime. As the two avid sailors set out on a journey across the ocean, Tami Oldham (Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Claflin) couldn’t anticipate they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope for rescue, Tami must find the strength and determination to save herself and the only man she has ever loved. ADRIFT is the unforgettable story about the resilience of the human spirit and the transcendent power of love.
Movie Review:
At first glance, ‘Adrift’ looks to be yet another lost-at-sea drama, albeit drawn from the true story of 23-year-old Tami Oldham Ashcroft’s 41-day struggle to stay alive following a devastating Pacific hurricane. And certainly, the film itself does bear much of the genre’s conventions, including the ravages of constant hunger, thirst and exposure to sunlight, the titles indicating the slow but sure passage of time, and the grim treatment of a shattered leg and ribcage. But equally, those looking for a harrowing chronicle of her ordeal will probably come off disappointed, not least because director Baltasar Kormákur has decided that Tami’s relationship with her fiancé Richard is just as, if not more, interesting than her survival story.
Adapted from Tami’s 2002 memoir titled ‘Red Sky at Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea’, ‘Adrift’ works on two timelines: one that begins with an injured Tami (Shailene Woodley) jolting awake below her severely damaged yacht and trying to find her way back to land, while keeping a seriously wounded Richard (Sam Claflin) alive; and another that follows the Californian’s idyllic tropical courtship with the handsome Englishman upon their serendipitous arrival in Tahiti, leading up to their ill-fated $10,000 gig to sail a couple’s boat back to San Diego. Scenes alternate between before and after the storm, with the former moving ever closer to the hurricane itself and the latter ticking off the days and weeks of the yacht adrift.
It’s not difficult to see why Kormákur or his trio of writers (namely, Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell and David Branson Smith) had chosen such a narrative structure instead of say telling the tale linearly; by doing so, they could build towards the storm as the climax, rather than working their way down from it. Yet at the same time, the frequent jumps back-and-forth make it difficult for us to be fully immersed in Tami’s physical and psychological trauma, even as we see her going about the motions: fixing the mast; pumping water from the cabin; rationing tinned sardines; putting aside her vegetarianism to catch a fish and eat it raw; and last but not least, navigating a tricky new course to Hawaii with almost no guidance etc. As Robert Redford demonstrated in the one-man procedural-like thriller ‘All Is Lost’, it takes attention to these details to turn them into real human drama, which the bifurcated scripting unfortunately loses.
That said, not all is lost. For one, Kormákur’s decision to shoot the movie out at sea ensures that these scenes have an inimitable sense of place, captured beautifully and vividly as they are by Robert Richardson’s widescreen cinematography. For another, the focus on Tami and Richard’s love for each other puts a somewhat refreshing romantic spin on the genre, infused as it is with heartfelt emotion. In fact, the stakes here are quite different – rather than living for herself, Tami here is motivated by her deep affection for Richard, which gives her reason, purpose and hope to stay alive. It also saves a late reveal about Richard’s fate from simply being a gimmick, especially given the sweet unforced chemistry between Woodley and Claflin.
Between them, it is Woodley who is the unquestionable star of the picture, and the 26-year-old best known for starring in the YA sci-fi series ‘Divergent’ and HBO’s ‘Big Little Lies’ radiates the same inner strength and vulnerability here in equal measure. Such adventurer-lost-in-the-wilderness movies are often overwhelmingly male, but Woodley justifies just why she deserves to be front and centre in this film with a performance that is convincing, engaging and even fascinating. Oh yes, there is never any doubt that she knows her way around a craft on water, and indeed her dedication to craft is probably one of the most compelling reasons to see the movie which she also produced.
Certainly, ‘Adrift’ comes off a little underwhelming when compared against Kormákur’s other disaster movies like 2015’s climbing-expedition-gone-awry chronicle ‘Everest’ and 2012’s nautical true-tragedy ‘The Deep’, which is also why those looking for the same thrills from this similar survival picture may very likely go away dissatisfied. Seen from the lens of a love story though, the bliss-and-ordeal rhythm that the movie tick-tocks to makes a lot more sense, and may even come off unexpectedly touching. This is first and foremost an ode to the power of true love and its capacity to sustain the odds, so rather than taking it literally, it’s a lot more powerful appreciating the title as a metaphor for these two souls all right, who once adrift now find anchor next to each other.
Movie Rating:
(Better as a love story than as a survival drama, this tribute to the power of love to sustain one above the odds is buoyed by a radiant performance by Shailene Woodley)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Cast: Lucy Hale, Tyler Posey, Violett Beane, Hayden Szeto, Landon Liboiron, Sophia Taylor Ali, Nolan Gerard Funk
RunTime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Scene of Intimacy and Some Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: https://www.blumhousestruthordare.com
Opening Day: 10 May 2018
Synopsis: Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars) and Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) lead the cast of Truth or Dare, a supernatural thriller from Blumhouse Productions (Happy Death Day, Get Out, Split). A harmless game of “Truth or Dare” among friends turns deadly when someone—or something—begins to punish those who tell a lie—or refuse the dare.
Movie Review:
Perfectly eager for horror fans to associate this latest teenage horror with genre specialty studio Blumhouse, the official title of the movie reads “Blumhouse’s ‘Truth or Dare”. In truth, Blumhouse has had their fair share of hits and misses over the years, so as much as it has cemented its reputation with last year’s ‘Get Out’ and ‘Happy Death Day’, it is also equally culpable for some abysmal entries like ‘Unfriended’ and ‘The Darkness’. Unfortunately, while this thriller isn’t their worst, it is quite certainly one of their decidedly inferior ones, with few scares, even less wit and just altogether dull.
Like many Blumhouse titles, it puts a spin on a deceptively familiar setup – in this case, a deadly version of the junior high party game of the same name which possesses a group of college kids who play it while on spring break in Mexico. Among the unlucky sextet is the group’s do-gooder Olivia (Lucy Hale), who’d much rather be spending her time building homes for the less fortunate than engaging in some drunken revelry south of the border; that is, until her best friend Markie (Violett Beane) emotionally bribes her to go along, although the fact that she has eyes for Markie’s boyfriend Lucas (Tyler Posey) could be part of the reason too.
On their final night, Olivia lets herself be charmed by Carter (Landon Liboiron), a stranger at the bar who subsequently invites her and her friends to an abandoned Catholic mission to play the titular game. As you may expect, secrets get revealed, including Olivia’s one about Lucas, but none more devastating than Carter’s disclosure that he had lured everyone there so that he may get to live. Before Carter takes off, he warns them that they have no choice but to play, and just as importantly to follow the rules of the game.
Obviously, the gang will soon learn that Carter’s threats are real, as one by one they are taunted by demonically distorted faces of people around them spouting the game’s signature opening line ‘truth or dare?’. Either way, the game forces each one to confront some part of themselves that they have been trying to hide – whether is it admitting to selling illegal prescriptions, or coming out as gay to one’s ostensibly homophobic parent – before eventually daring them in life-threatening ways or killing them outright Rube Goldbergian style.
At least that seems to be the logic of director Jeff Wadlow’s film, which he co-wrote with three other credited writers, that suffers from a dearth of both inventive storytelling and imaginative staging. The former plays out in thinly drawn characters that we hardly care for who dies or who lives, as well as a laughable home stretch where Olivia and Lucas track down a mute Mexican nun to find out how to beat the demon at its own game. The latter means that there is hardly any fun or thrill to be had watching the characters getting knocked off one-by-one, and save for one sequence which sees one of them try to walk along the perimeter of a slanted roof while finishing a handle of vodka, none of the others come close to matching the white-knuckle tension of any one of the five ‘Final Destination’ films.
Even the actors look bored, and quite honestly, we don’t blame them. The film isn’t involving, or clever, or even fun; it simply goes along from one truth or dare to the next, trying frantically to maintain some semblance of logic and/or come up with some surprises along the way. Like we said, this is certainly one of Blumhouse’s lesser titles, and there is good reason why there is as yet commitment on a ‘Truth or Dare 2’. As long as Blumhouse keeps up with more ‘Get Outs’ and ‘Happy Death Days’ than ‘Truth or Dare’ types, it can afford the occasional disappointments like this one.
Movie Rating:
(Truth - this latest Blumhouse production is one of their decidedly inferior ones; we dare it to be bolder, cleverer and scarier)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Stefano Sollima
Cast: Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Isabela Moner, Grace Palmer, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine, Jeffrey Donovan
RunTime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 19 July 2018
Synopsis: In SICARIO: DAY OF THE SOLDADO, the series begins a new chapter. In the drug war, there are no rules – and as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) calls on the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), whose family was murdered by a cartel kingpin, to escalate the war in nefarious ways. Alejandro kidnaps the kingpin’s daughter to inflame the conflict – but when the girl is seen as collateral damage, her fate will come between the two men as they question everything they are fighting for.
Movie Review:
No, Emily Blunt’s ethically conflicted FBI agent Kate Macer doesn’t return for ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’. Neither, for that matter, does director Denis Villeneuve or his ace cinematographer Roger Deakins. And yet, despite missing these key creative personalities, this sequel to the blistering 2015 drug cartel thriller emerges as a tense, compelling action movie in its own right.
Conceived once again by writer Taylor Sheridan, the focus remains on the Mexican cartels, although this time round the crime of contention is not drug but human trafficking. The consequences on American soil are laid out right at the start in a pair of chilling scenes: one, when a routine roundup of illegal immigrants along the US-Mexico border ends with a shocking act of jihad; and two, when a group of suicide bombers kill dozens in a Kansas City supermarket, including a mother and child who are seen pleading with one of them near the sliding glass entry doors moments before he detonates himself.
Prelim evidence suggests that the Mexican cartels are now a funnel for Middle Eastern terrorists to enter the United States, and as retaliation, the hardened black ops specialist Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) is summoned by the CIA deputy director (Catherine Keener) and the US defense secretary (Matthew Modine) to set off a cartel war. Given that the head of one of the cartels is precisely that which killed Medellin attorney-turned-assassin-for-hire Alejandro’s (Benicio del Toro) family, Matt enlists him to help in the mission: kidnap the boss’ teenage daughter Isabela (Isabela Moyer) and make it seem like one of his rival cartels did it.
As you can expect, things hardly go according to plan, and what fundamentally alters the calculations on the side of the Americans is Isabela’s botched escort back to Mexico that results in more than 20 dead Federal Police. Well, and that and the fact that further investigation has shown that the Kansas City bombing wasn’t at all related to the cartels. Matt is ordered by his bosses, on POTUS’ instructions, to wipe the slate clean, which includes disposing the now-inconvenient Isabela who had witnessed the killing of these policemen by US soldiers on Mexican soil.
Alas, Alejandro refuses to make Isabela collateral damage, seeing in her some of his own deceased daughter. However callous he may come off, it was his humanity that drove him to become a ‘sicario’, and it is this same conscience that now propels him to become the film’s moral centre. If we do this, he asks Matt, how are we different from them? And so, he and Matt find themselves at odds and therefore at war with each other, although Sheridan is smarter than to let this devolve simply into a cat-and-mouse game between the two allies-turned-enemies.
Interspersed within the first hour of the movie are scenes from a subplot involving the 14-year-old Mexican-American teenager Miguel (Elijah Rodriguez), who is lured into the tangled web of the cartels and their business of smuggling people. As Alejandro decides that Isabela is safest back on US soil, you’ll know it is only a matter of time that his path will intersect with that of Miguel’s in decisive, possibly even devastating, ways. We should add that Alejandro’s fate with Miguel doesn’t come to a end at the close of this film, but is in fact used to set up the next chapter of the ‘Sicario’ franchise, should that come to pass.
And why not really? Whereas its predecessor took care to deglamourize the business of DEA raids and cartel violence in order to meditate on the vicious cycle of violence between the Mexicans and the Americans trying to defeat them, this sequel has no such predilections, aiming instead to be no more and no less than a straight-up genre exercise. Yet on that count, it accomplishes its objective handily.
Not only is Italian veteran director Stefan Sollima perfectly capable at building tension throughout the two-hour duration, he proves just as skilful at staging the film’s set-pieces – besides the exhilarating centrepiece that sees Alejandro and Matt’s convoy fend off machine guns and RPGs, there are also other brief but memorable scenes, such as one where Alejandro peels off his balaclava to allow his trembling henchman victim to see his face before pumping the latter’s body with bullets. To be sure, none of the sequences reach the high-water mark set by Villeneuve’s original, but Sollima’s confident staging of suspense, action and drama makes this a gripping, even pulse-pounding, watch.
Nevertheless, Sollima wouldn’t have much of a film if not for Brolin and del Toro, who register even more strongly in their roles than they did in the original. Part of that of course has to do with Blunt’s absence, but both actors bring newfound depth to their characters as they question how far they are willing to obey the orders of their mission and superiors. Brolin injects his previous wisecracking self with an intense world-weariness, while del Toro does so in his signature way of expressing moral struggles with few words, and the pair make an instantly classic screen teaming.
Inevitably, ‘Sicario: Day of the Soldado’ cannot be the same film the original was without Blunt and Villeneuve, and thankfully neither Sollima or Sheridan aim for this to be a retread. Like we said at the start, this sequel is a dynamic and propulsive thriller that can more than stand on its own, founded on Sheridan’s skilful translation of Old West dramatic tropes and bolstered by Sollima’s confident direction as well as Brolin and del Toro’s sensational performances. Sheridan has left the door wide open for another sequel, as well as publicly expressed his hope that Blunt will return to reprise her character, and we certainly hope they make this a trilogy.
Movie Rating:
(As tense, compelling and propulsive as the original, this sequel thrives on its own terrific character-driven story as well as the dynamic pairing of Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Milly Shapiro, Ann Dowd, Mallory Bechtel, Zachary Arthur
RunTime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Nudity and Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 21 June 2018
Synopsis: When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter's family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited as it slowly destroys everything they know. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ari Aster unleashes a nightmare vision of a domestic breakdown that exhibits the craft and precision of a nascent auteur, transforming a familial tragedy into something ominous and deeply disquieting, and pushing the horror movie into chilling new terrain with its shattering portrait of heritage gone to hell.
Movie Review:
If you’ve heard of ‘Hereditary’, you’ve probably heard it being acclaimed as a modern-day horror masterpiece; and yet, you may also may heard that it hasn’t been as widely embraced by audiences who have seen it as you’d expect of a movie bestowed with such accolades. There is good reason for both, but that in itself is one of the very reasons why you should not miss writer-director Ari Aster’s feature filmmaking debut, which marries psychological and demonic horror into one of the most unsettling films we’ve seen in recent memory. The fact that Aster accomplishes this without even a single jump-scare is even more remarkable, relying instead on good-ol’ suspense, dread and anticipation to get deep under your skin.
For at least the first hour, ‘Hereditary’ unfolds as a psychological drama about a family trying to process grief and guilt. Opening with an obituary notice for the 78-year-old family matriarch Annie Graham, it follows how her daughter Annie (Toni Collette) and two teenage children – the older Peter (Alex Wolff) and younger Charlie (Milly Shapiro) – cope with her demise. Annie doesn’t exactly mourn her mother’s passing, but she joins a grief support group anyways, and befriends a kindly woman named Joan (Ann Dowd) who seems at least a little bit too ready to offer her support and encouragement. More significantly, Annie immerses herself in her work: building and painting intricate dioramas, each one reconstructing a significant real-life occurrence from her past, complete with miniature dolls of the people in her household.
Whereas Peter buries his emotions in weed, his odd, withdrawn sister is a lot more badly affected, seeing as how she was their grandmother’s favourite. Not only does she retreat more deeply into her own realm, she behaves even more strangely, no more so than her nasty little habit of cutting the heads off dead neighbourhood birds. Perhaps the most well-adjusted member of the family is Steve (Gabriel Bryne), the even-tempered husband and father trying to be a pillar of strength for everyone else. Alas, a shocking accident will destroy the already fragile dynamics among them, and without giving too much away, let’s just say that the event itself also leads Annie to dabble with the occult, paving the way for an even more devastating finish.
Oh yes, one of its strengths is how it bottles up its supernatural elements until the third and final act, and if you’re looking for clues of just what these may be, think ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Shining’. By the time it gets down to seances and demons, there is hardly anything subtle about it, so get yourself ready for ants devouring corpses, immolation and even self-garrotting. There is also a terrifying sequence where one character comes to realise that he is being possessed but is utterly powerless to stop it, and starts banging his face onto the desk in front of him. Despite the hints early on about spiritualism and sacrifice, nothing quite prepares you for when the film switches gears, and it is this transformation as well as its jaw-dropping conclusion that has audiences divided.
Notwithstanding the somewhat jarring tonal shift, there is no denying how deftly Aster plays with and even subverts audience expectation, such that there is both surprise and unpredictability watching how it all unfolds. Oh yes, it takes chutzpah for a first-time feature filmmaker to attempt such a narrative structure, but Aster does so with absolute confidence and mastery of the horror genre. His is a masterclass in slow-burn horror – rather than rushing into the scares, he builds up the Grahams’ world slowly, deliberately and meticulously, immersing us into their legacy, ancestry and psyche. There is ingenuity in the sparseness of his sound and set design, where the common tongue-clucking becomes the sound we come to fear the most and where long hallways, creaky attics and shadows in the background combine into one claustrophobic maze.
But ‘Hereditary’ is even more gripping because of the extraordinary performances by its sensationally gifted cast. Collette’s return to horror since her Oscar-nominated work in ‘The Sixth Sense’ is a terrifically unhinged turn as a mother under siege, and a scene where she unleashes her inner-most feelings at the dinner table demonstrates how precisely she calibrates Annie’s unease and rising hysteria. Bryne gives an assured supporting turn as her husband, while Wolff lends his brooding teen character a terrific blend of anger, confusion, fear and despair. Shapiro has fewer scenes than you would expect, but those are enough for her to establish her effective creepy-kid vibes. It’s rare you get such stellar acting all-round, but this is also why Aster’s film is so emotionally compelling.
Following its Sundance premiere, ‘Hereditary’ has been hailed as ‘The Exorcist’ of our era, with some even going so far as to call it the scariest picture you’ll see this year. Such adulation has no doubt contributed to inflated expectation about the movie, which we fear may end up working against it. To be sure, ‘Hereditary’s’ mode of horror isn’t to make you jump in your seat; rather, it takes its time to establish its premise, its characters and indeed its own rhythm, before literally releasing its demons. We can’t guarantee you’ll like where it takes you, but this is a film where the journey itself is worth the experience, and you’d do well to read as little as possible about it before going in. Without resorting to any superlatives, we’ll just say that ‘Hereditary’ will likely be one of the most memorable horror movies you’ll see this year – and we hope you’ll agree with us that it is because it is among the best.
Movie Rating:
(A masterclass in suspense, dread and tension, 'Hereditary' deftly marries psychological and demonic horror into one of the most unsettling films we’ve seen in recent memory)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Drew Pearce
Cast: Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Brian Tyree Henry, Jenny Slate, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Day, Dave Bautista
RunTime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 June 2018
Synopsis: In HOTEL ARTEMIS, set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, Jodie Foster plays The Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals.
Movie Review:
[WARNING: MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS]
In a world full of unpredictability and extreme possibilities, one is left to imagine how the world would evolve and how it turns out to be for better or for worse.
Fast forward to 21st June 2028, where Los Angeles is in a state of emergency due to epic riots over rights and while everyone is out either creating a racket or trying to save themselves, a lady nurse saves criminals within her secret exclusive members-only ‘hospital’.
Hotel Artemis is mysterious and sinister. This film is not a regular story and the beauty in the film lies in the darkness of the content and the idea of a futuristic setting that is not overly ridiculous and not outrageously far-fetched, making it relatable and idealistic at the same time.
The rather simplistic plot was given a dark and deeply intense approach, paving the way for most parts of the film. It helped that the setting and cinematography give viewers a sense of confusion and slight anxiety, which was rather thrilling at times especially when one has to deal with stunning gruelling scenes filled with gore.
Amidst the gruesomeness and graphic scenes lie a story of guilt, hope and strength. A story of a lady nurse seeking to fight her fears and closure from a horrific incident. A story of a criminal with a heart and a desire to protect the ones he love. A story of a cop who sees no evil in even the darkest moment.
These are just a few of the many stories that the characters, played by a somewhat stellar cast, portrayed in this film. The smooth deliverance of each actor and actress made the film exciting and believable, with must conviction and gusto. What is also pleasant is the fact that most of the characters are referred to just by nicknames, giving a sense of discretion and mystery, which fits in well with the film’s theme.
Despite such great depth and interest, the film was strangely unable to connect with the viewers, as it was toying between being an epic comic-like action thriller, like Hellboy and being an offbeat silent thriller that creeps into you, like Get Out. The indecisiveness of the direction let to the film being weak.
Other weak points of the film include slight lapses in continuity and storytelling and an ambiguous ending, which can either be understood with much positivity and enlightenment or with much confusion and discontent, depending on the angle that you look at.
Overall, Hotel Artemis is still worth watching and even with grotesque and graphic scenes, which might be slightly unbearable, this original film still stands out uniquely among other films of the same genre. If only the director was able to grasp the right formula to fully bring out the essence of the film, it would have been much, much greater than it is right now.
Movie Rating:
(A dark film that is interesting enough to warrant a watch without too much expectations. Some scenes are really not for the faint hearted)
Review by Ron Tan
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