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
SYNOPSIS: Two big families. One small house. They just have to survive a few more days to make it to the wedding.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Just when you thought Adam Sandler has redeemed himself with his awesome performance in The Meyerowitz Stories, the once infallible comedian is back in familiar atrocious territory to fulfil his multi-pictures contract with Netflix.
Peppered with lots of vulgarities and mean-spiritedness, The Week of is co-written by Sandler and directed by SNL writer Robert Smigel and it fares like Sandler’s own version of Father of the Bride except it’s far from funny and hardly touching.
Kenny Lustig (Sandler), a small-time Jewish contractor in Long Island is about to marry off his eldest daughter, 23 year old Sarah (Allison Strong) to Tyler (Roland Buck III), a more than decent African-American young man who has a very rich, successful surgeon father, Kirby (Chris Rock). Promising Sarah and Kirby that he will handle all the wedding matters himself (finances included), Kenny is facing one hell of a week as he juggles between a lacklustre wedding venue, overbearing relatives from both sides and tonnes of family issues.
And most importantly, we are supposed to find all of it ticklish and meaningful in the end.
Right from the start, we are treated to Kenny’s paraplegic uncle and his potty gags because Sandler feels it’s okay for audiences to laugh at how a paraplegic person does his or her potty business. Then there is the repetitive issue of ceiling leakages at the hotel where Kenny is putting up all the relatives at after declining Kirby’s offer of finding an alternative hotel venue, the Oriental for instance. Then there are the shouting matches between Kenny and his wife, Debbie (SNL veteran Rachel Dratch), the undesirable antics of Kenny’s cousin, Charles (Steve Buscemi), a sort of autistic troubled young man and the horny, estranged-from-his-entire-clan Doctor Kirby.
Again, The Week of feels like an episode of Grown Ups. The jokes are consistently mean, the story on the whole is messier than the map of New York and the performers seem to be phoning in especially Chris Rock who deserved a much better movie despite being billed prominently on the poster.
We absolutely get it, the fact that Sandler is playing the recurring role of a goofball who is trying to make the world a better place despite his missteps. But sadly, Sandler seems to forget the same old character he so used to playing is no longer relevant in today’s world perhaps to put it bluntly, we no longer see the need to watch the character of Kenny Lustig on the big screen or on Netflix anymore. There’s always The Wedding Singer and Happy Gilmore on the latter or Kevin Hart for the matter.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Romance/Musical
Director: Ol Parker
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Lily James, Josh Dylan, Hugh Skinner, Jeremy Irvine, Alexa Davies, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Andy Garcia, Cher
RunTime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: https://www.mammamiamovie.com
Opening Day: 9 August 2018
Synopsis: Get ready to sing and dance, laugh and love all over again. Ten years after Mamma Mia! The Movie grossed more than $600 million around the world, you are invited to return to the magical Greek island of Kalokairi in an all-new original musical based on the songs of ABBA. Reprising their roles from Mamma Mia! The Movie are Academy Award® winner Meryl Streep as Donna, Julie Walters as Rosie and Christine Baranski as Tanya. Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper reunite as Sophie and Sky, while Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and Oscar® winner Colin Firth return to play Sophie’s three possible dads: Sam, Bill and Harry.
As the film goes back and forth in time to show how relationships forged in the past resonate in the present, James will play the role of Young Donna. Filling the roles of Young Rosie and Young Tanya are Alexa Davies (A Brilliant Young Mind) and Jessica Keenan Wynn (Broadway’s Beautiful). Young Sam will be played by Jeremy Irvine (War Horse), while Young Bill is Josh Dylan (Allied) and Young Harry is Hugh Skinner (Kill Your Friends).
Movie Review:
Here we go again indeed – a decade after the film adaptation of the hit Broadway jukebox musical, the cast have reunited for a sequel that is as much about what happens after as it is about what happened before. But first things first, you should know that Meryl Streep is barely in this movie, and when we say barely, we mean that she only appears in the last ten minutes. Indeed, the movie begins with Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) preparing to reopen her mom’s old hotel on the Greek island of Kalokairi a year after Donna has died, and it isn’t until right at the end that Streep makes a glorified cameo in a dream vision singing ‘My Love, My Life’ with Seyfried. But before we get there, Sophie will have to deal with a couple of hiccups in the runup to the grand opening, none of which cannot be resolved with some good ol’ ABBA tunes and a generous dose of sunny optimism.
If that made you scoff, then clearly this isn’t the movie for you. More so than its 2008 predecessor, how much you enjoy this follow-up really depends on how much you truly love ABBA. For one, this film lacks the star power of the original’s veteran ensemble; not only do her fellow dynamos Tanya (Christine Baranski) and Rosie (Julie Walters) seem lost without Donna as their lead, her intriguing ex-lovers Bill (Stellan Skarsgård), Sam (Pierce Brosnan) and Harry (Colin Firth) seem just as disillusioned, what with Bill somewhere in Sweden and Harry somewhere in Japan running their respective businesses. For another, given that the band’s best material had already been used up in the previous movie, most of the songs here are either second-tier items (like ‘When I Kissed the Teacher’) or repeaters from the first film, so you’ll really have to be a fan to lap up their back catalogue of lesser numbers.
Without the benefit of prior source material, writer-director Ol Parker has opted to split his movie between Sophie’s hostelry crises with young Donna’s fateful flings in the golden summer of 1979 that would lead to the love quadrangle in the first film. As played by Lily James, the free-spirited Donna sets out on a European tour upon her college graduation and finds herself romancing the awkward virgin Harry (Hugh Skinner), sailor boy Bill (Josh Dylan) and charming hero Sam (Jeremy Irvine) in turn. It is no surprise that Donna will find herself pregnant by the end of that summer, her daughter none other than Sophie, and in interspersing scenes from Donna’s past and Sophie’s present, Parker hopes to say some genuinely touching things about the special bond between mother and daughter.
Thanks to Streep and Seyfried, the closing sequence – and the only one in the entire movie, mind you – that reunites them is handled with weight and resonance; but equally, it does seem as if the rest of the movie is struggling to find that same sense of purpose. The frequent transitions between the two stories only makes that fact more stark, seeing as how the juxtapositions across time (for example, young Donna arriving at the dilapidated hotel next to Sophie showing off the same refurbished hotel) are in of themselves rather meaningless. In flitting back and forth in time, there is also little space to give much depth to the sub-narratives within each storyline: the marital troubles between Sophie and her husband Sky (Dominic Cooper) are expressed through the song ‘One Of Us’ and then magically resolved near the finale; ditto for Bill and Harry’s absence right up till the day of the hotel’s re-opening itself, when both have a sudden crisis of conscience and decide to turn up at the same time.
To be sure, its predecessor also had a flimsy excuse of a narrative to trot out a whole bunch of ABBA’s greatest hits, but without that same raison d'être, it’s a lot harder to look past this sequel’s shortcomings. The pleasures here are few and largely ephemeral. Anthony Van Laast’s choreography brings verve to some of the song-and-dance numbers – including young Donna and Harry’s duet in a French restaurant to ‘Waterloo’; young Donna, Tanya and Rosie’s performance of the titular song at the village bar; and last but not least the reunion of the entire cast and hundreds of other people in and around the Mediterranean to ‘Dancing Queen’. True to her diva-like quality, Cher makes her appearance late into the film, but makes it memorable with her rendition of ‘Fernando’ alongside Andy Garcia complete with fireworks going off almost in slow-motion.
Like we said, how much you’ll enjoy this second go-around at ‘Mamma Mia!’ depends on how big of a fan you are of ABBA and their brand of infectious ‘70s and ‘80s Europop tunes. Although there are a couple of chart-toppers, more than half of the songs here come from their B-side, so casual fans should also be prepared that you may not find yourself singing along as much. You should know too that Streep is hardly present in the film at all, and her absence is deeply felt and sorely missed. Frankly, we can’t say we enjoyed this second helping of ‘Mamma Mia!’ much, not least because it lacks the infectious energy and hearty spirit which made the original such a guilty pleasure. But if you’re inclined to go again, you’ll do well to make sure that you’re in an appropriately nostalgic mood for these two hours of kitsch, camp and cheese.
Movie Rating:
(Ask youself how much of an ABBA fan you are, and that will probably tell you whether you'll go 'here we go again!' or 'here we go again!?')
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Cast: Noritake Kinashi, Takeru Satoh, Kanata Hongōas, Fumi Nikaidô, Ayaka Miyoshi
RunTime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 May 2018
Synopsis: Inuyashiki Ichirou is down on his luck. While only 58 years old, his geriatric looks often have him written off as a pathetic old man by the world around him and he's constantly ignored and disrespected by his family despite all that he's done to support them. On top of everything else, his doctor has revealed that he has cancer and it appears that he has little time left in this world. But just when it seems things couldn't get any worse, a blinding light in the night sky strikes the earth where Ichirou stands. He later wakes up to find himself unscathed, but he soon starts to notice that there's something... different about himself. However, it turns out that these strange, new changes are just what Ichirou needs to take a new lease on life and now it seems like there's nothing to stop him from being a hero worthy of the respect that he never had before... unless, that is, there was someone else out there with these same changes...
Movie Review:
Inuyashiki (not to be confused with Inuyasha!) is the real-life action movie of the manga series of the same name. It was also adapted into a 11-episode animewhich was released in 2017. Although the original manga series is often contending for manga awards, the manga sales is quite underwhelming in Japan. So while the series have not received great commercial success, Inuyashiki, the first of the planned trilogy, may spark more interests back to the original manga.
The story follows Inuyashiki Ichirou (played by Noritake Kinashi), a middle-aged salary man who never experienced great success in his life, and hasn’t got anything right in his career and family. His life took a downward spiral as he was diagnosed with cancer. While contemplating about how he could break the news to his family, he experienced a blinding bright light which transformed his body. On exploring his new mechanical body, he uncovers the potential of the new ‘power’ he possess which could save people. On the other hand, a high school boy student, Shishigami Hiro (played by Takeru Sato), seemed to have experienced the same transformation as Inuyashiki. However, unlike Inuyashiki, he employs the newly obtained power to destruct.
This movie is directed by Shinsuke Sato, who has worked on several manga turned movies such as Gantz (2011), Library Wars (2013), I am a Hero (2016) and Death Note: Light Up The New World (2016). Being no stranger to having action sequences in his movies, the fight scenes between Inuyashiki and Shishigami are a definite to-watch. Even so, Inuyashiki is slightly different from the director’s past works as the use of CGI is a lot more elaborate. With that, there are actually split reviews because there are some viewers who complain about the quality of the CGI and it being more of a distraction than supporting the movie. That is true to some extent and it was especially a pity for one of the key scenes of the cyborgs’ showdown. While the CGI is not bad, it does look like it needs a bit of polishing till it could attain the Hollywood block buster level.
Nevertheless, the narrative of the movie and the cast deserves some spotlight. Firstly, even though the story is largely about the cyborgs who are no longer humans, it is still largely based on the human experience. The relationships were quite straightforward and easy to get, and is fairly relatable as well. One of the most moving scenes is at the end, in between the credits roll. Shishigami might be seen as quite distant and cold, but that scene showed otherwise. Regarding the cast, the lead Inuyashiki is played by veteran comedian Noritake Kinashi. At 56, this is his first lead role in a movie and his portrayal of Inuyashiki was on point. Second lead Takeru Sato might be a lot more familiar to the audience as he is known for his role of Kenshin in the Kenshin trilogy and more recently Kei in Ajin (2017). He’s already 29 this year, yet he has taken up the role of Shishigami, a 17-year old teenager. He not only put up a convincing act of an adolescent with those sudden outbursts of emotions, you can trust him to deliver the action sequences as well.
Overall Inuyashiki is a pleasant watch, with more to promise in the future. Hopefully the second instalment will make its comeback with better CGI, packed with a punch.
Movie Rating:
(Even though the movie has not achieved top in class for a sci-fi movie, Inuyashiki is a promising start to the trilogy)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
|
TRAILER WATCH - THE PREDATORPosted on 11 May 2018 |
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Lee Thean-jeen
Cast: Desmond Tan, Amber An, Hirzi Zulkiflie, Geraldine Gan, Liu Ling Ling, Richard Low, Michael Huang Chung Kun, Zhang Wei, Hong Zhao Rong, Louis Fong, Adele Wong, Rey Phua, Zemily Leaw, Ho Ai Ling, Gadrick Chin
RunTime: 1 hr 24 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Clover Films, mm2 Entertainment and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/TheBigDayOfficial/
Opening Day: 21 June 2018
Synopsis: Told in reverse chronology, the movie revolves around the nuptial preparation of Su Yu (Amber An), a free-spirited personal trainer and diving instructor and Nuo Yan (Desmond Tan), a modern funeral director. While the former dreams of a simple peaceful wedding, her overbearing in-laws, overzealous Ah Longs and a jealous best friend keeps her from living her dream. The joyful wedding turns to a battleground when the best intentions lead to conflicts and disasters. Will the love birds survive the test of love by family, foes and fate to get married or be torn apart by their differences?
Movie Review:
You’d think weddings are joyous occasions everyone loves to attend. Apparently this isn’t the case – this reviewer knows people who come up with all sorts of excuses going for weddings. However, if weddings are as wacky as the one depicted in this comedy, the outlandish antics just be enough to entice these wedding cynics.
The movie starts with a pretty bride (Taiwanese actress Amber An) fleeing a wedding dinner. The handsome groom (Singaporean actor Desmond Tan) chases after her, and audiences are left wondering what happened prior. Told in flashback sequences, the story reveals why the bride broke down on her big day.
Without giving away too much, let’s just say the wedding banquet involves a disastrous proposal video, a stage game gone wrong, a peeing father in law and porcelain wedding favours.
Writer director Lee Thean jeen (Bring Back the Dead, Everybody’s Business) conceptualises a screenplay that seemingly works well on paper. Viewers are supposed to be yearning to find out what really happened, but the series of flashbacks play out like scenes in a TV movie. The bride breaks the fourth wall to talk to audiences, but the approach feel somewhat gimmicky after a while – especially when the merc with a mouth does it much better.
There is quite a number of truly amusing sequences though. These involve the groom’s family business of managing funerals and his Taiwanese father in law’s indigenous roots. There is also a hilariously loud best man (YouTube personality Hirzi Zulkiflie) and a jealous bridesmaid (Malaysian singer Geraldine Gan). Some commentaries are made about what weddings mean to different generations, which may strike a chord for couples who have gone through this tedious exercise.
An, who had the honour of being voted the world's sexiest woman in the Taiwanese version of magazine FHM, does a fine job of looking gorgeous here. She has a nice on screen chemistry with Tan, who probably won’t win an acting prize for this role. But hey, the heartthrob is probably thankful that he gets to don tailored suits instead of swallowing raw fish. This, of course, is a reference to the much talked about scene in local TV series When Duty Calls - the 31 year old clinched the Best Actor accolade at this year’s Star Awards for his engaging performance. The ensemble cast also includes the always reliable Liu Ling Ling and Richard Low (whom we wish had more screen time), as well as Taiwanese actor singer Michael Huang.
Running at less than one and a half hours, the movie could have included one more flashback sequence to entertain viewers. You know the comedy is coming to an end when things get fuzzy and mushy – the couple come to their senses and deliver a heartwarming speech about being there for each other, thanking everyone who made their big day possible… you get the idea. Viewers who are hoping to be surprised by a twist will only find a predictably plotted conclusion. Maybe this is the exact reason why there are people who shun weddings at all costs.
Movie Rating:
(A lightweight and breezy comedy that will please Desmond Tan and Amber An’s fans)
Review by John Li
|
TRAILER WATCH - THE SPY WHO DUMPED MEPosted on 12 May 2018 |
Genre: Sci-Fi
Director: Matthew Charles Santoro
Cast: Jordan Hinson, Jade Tailor, Ron Eldard, Colm Feore
RunTime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 May 2018
Synopsis: From the producer of Transformers and the visual effects artist of 300, Fantastic Four and X-Men Origins comes HIGHER POWER… When the Universe decides what it wants, it's pointless to resist. With his family's life at stake, Joseph Steadman (Ron Eldard) finds himself the unwilling test subject of a maniacal scientist in a battle that could save the world, or destroy it.
Movie Review:
Contrary to what its title may suggest, ‘Higher Power’ isn’t a faith-based movie; rather, it is a superhero movie made on a shoestring budget by a visual effects artist who has previously worked on the likes of ‘300’, ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ and ‘Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer’. It’s important to bear in mind just what co-writer and director Matthew Charles Santoro had not been afforded with, in order to appreciate just why this shouldn’t even ever be compared against the likes of ‘Justice League’ and/or any one of the ‘Avengers’ movies; rather, this origin story belongs in the league of ‘Cloverfield’ and ‘Chronicle’, both of which tried their utmost to turn what they had into what they could put onscreen.
Oh yes, ‘Higher Power’ is essentially about how middle-aged security guard Joe Steadman (Ron Eldard) transforms into a god-like figure (hence the title) with electromagnetic powers. Joe acquires his powers through a disgraced scientist (Colm Feore) whose experiment was deemed too risky by the very corporation he worked for, and who decides thereafter to pursue it on his own, in no small part due to a mysterious voice portending some cosmic disaster to befall Earth. That setup is a little clumsy, but what’s important to bear in mind is that a deadly burst of gamma radiation is hurtling across the cosmos towards us – and that few people know about it, save for the aforementioned scientist and Joe’s eldest daughter’s boyfriend (Austin Stowell) who has somehow written a book about it.
As befitting such archetypes, Joe is dealing with some personal demons: still struggling to recover from a history of substance abuse following the death of his wife, Joe is estranged from both his daughters Zoe (Jordan Hinson) and Rhea (Marielle Jaffe), the latter of whom has also unfortunately been using narcotics. You’ll have to accept that somehow Joe has been identified by the system on the basis of his DNA and personality as the perfect candidate to be blessed with such extraordinary powers, which leads him to be kidnapped and put through the necessary beats in order to emerge stronger and more powerful. Besides some initial trials in order to gain access to the machine that will convert him, Joe will also be subject to some deep personal agony so that he may find the right motivation to unleash his powers.
Like we said, Santoro wasn’t given much to execute his high-concept film, which is why you’ll have to wait till the final act to see just how formidable Joe becomes. And indeed, for a budget of less than US$1 million, it is pretty impressive that Santoro manages to stage a continuous sequence which sees Joe racing at the speed of light through buildings to stop an impending explosion at a shipyard and at the end of it all save a plane from crashing and burning onto a city. It’s no secret that quality visual effects are notoriously expensive, and the fact that Santoro has pulled that sequence off for so little is an achievement in and of itself. That and the rest of the CGI-heavy shots in the last half-hour is enough to excuse the somewhat cut-rate first hour which plays almost like a first-person shooter video game.
Though ostensibly to convey the constant surveillance that Joe is unknowingly under and his subsequent disorientation following the experimental treatment, the extensive use of security camera footage captured on drones as well as Joe’s optical implant is ingratiating to say the least, especially because the latter bears the same nauseating effect as first-person POV movies. Coupled with the equally pervasive use of computer interfaces, loading screens and HUDs as well as the washed-out colour palette, it is somewhat inevitable that ‘Higher Power’ comes off a little disorientating and even alienating. And that is a pity, because Stein does try to sell Joe’s story with pathos, painting him as an anti-hero at first whose flaws and shortcomings are real and palpable; alas, the movie’s cyberpunk sensibilities leave him coming off less empathetic than pathetic.
Frankly, it’s hard to imagine why superhero fans should bother with a title like ‘Higher Power’, especially when you could choose between any number of Marvel titles in the cinema and/or on home video. Like we said, Santoro deserves credit for what he had managed to accomplish with so little, but that in itself is not reason enough for us to recommend that you give this low-budget superhero title a go. It doesn’t help that the movie takes itself too seriously, so much so that it drains what fun and/or thrill one might get out of watching someone human turn superhuman. Were it better plotted, better developed and better choreographed, ‘Higher Power’ might have been something better; as it is, it looks like one of those cut-rate B-grade movies from two decades ago, and no, that isn’t a compliment.
Movie Rating:
(Unless you're determined to find out what sort of superhero movie one can make on a budget of US$500,000, you should leave this '90s-styled cyberpunk thriller alone)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Brad Bird
Cast: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Brad Bird, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener, Jonathan Banks, Sophia Bush, Isabella Rossellini, John Ratzenberger
RunTime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/disneystudiosSG
Opening Day: 14 June 2018
Synopsis: Everyone’s favorite family of superheroes is back in “Incredibles 2” – but this time Helen (voice of Holly Hunter) is in the spotlight, leaving Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell) and Dash (voice of Huck Milner) to navigate the day-to-day heroics of “normal” life. It’s a tough transistion for everyone, made tougher by the fact that the family is still unaware of baby Jack-Jack’s emerging superpowers. When a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot, the family and Frozone (voice of Samuel L. Jackson) must find a way to work together again—which is easier said than done, even when they’re all Incredible.
Movie Review:
Nope, Pixar Animation Studios isn’t about to disappoint with its 20th feature length film. Furthermore, it is a sequel 14 years in the making.
In 2004, the world was introduced to Mr Incredible, Elastigirl, Violet, Dash and Jack Jack, a family of superheroes possessing extraordinary super powers. In 2014, it was confirmed that a sequel to the critical and box office success was in the works, much to everyone’s delight. Since the first movie, there has been countless superhero films and television shows – how would this movie make itself incredible to stand out from the numerous titles of the same genre
By tapping on nostalgia, of course.
Brad Bird returns as director and we dive straight into the events following the ending of the first movie. No one has aged and the Incredibles are still operating under their superhero identity. Alas, the world has decided to make superheroes illegal and the Parr family ends up in a motel. Enter a telecommunications tycoon who proposes a publicity campaign to regain the people's support of superheroes, and there we have it – a two hour animated movie that is entertaining from beginning to end.
The animation is lovely (expect nothing less from Pixar), the action sequences are fantastic (look out for the scene where Elastigirl stops a train coming from a wrong direction), the music is charming (kudos to composer Michael Giacchino, who has done equally good work for Inside Out and Coco) and the characters are relatable.
Elastigirl is a working mother, while Mr Incredible has to deal with ego issues while he takes care of the kids at home. Violet is getting in touch with her angst while facing boy girl relationship problems. Dash is a happy go lucky boy who juggles homework and watching TV. Frozone has a naggy wife, while an assortment of supporting superheroes idolise the Incredibles. The villain Screenslaver, although not as brilliant a creation as Syndrome, is a symbolism of how we are, well, slaves to screens.
The highlight of the movie is definitely Jack Jack, a baby with a variable array of powers. A very amusing sequence sees the infant tackling a clueless raccoon while showcasing his powers, including multiplying himself, shooting lasers from his eyes and turning into a mini monster. Another fan favourite is Edna Mode voiced by Bird himself. This time, the fashionista is given the challenge of designing Jack Jack’s outfit. These two characters are pure joy whenever they appear on screen.
The voice cast does a good job bringing the characters to life. Craig T Nelson and Holly Hunter are perfect as Bob and Helen Parr, a couple facing family problems. Sarah Vowell returns as Violet, while Huck Milner replaces Spencer Fox as Dash (you wouldn’t expect a boy’s voice to sound the same after 14 years, would you?). Samuel L Jackson, Jonathan Banks, Bob Odenkirk and Catherine Keener add to the star power of the ensemble cast.
While it is an almost impossible task to outdo the original movie, this blockbuster is still a better offering than the recent slew of sequels (Cars 3, Finding Dory, Monsters University) that Pixar has churned out. For that matter, it is a much better superhero movie than many others we have seen.
Movie Rating:
(Make the world incredible again!)
Review by John Li
| « Prev | 348 | 349 | 350 | 351 | 352 | 353 | 354 | 355 | 356 | 357 | 358 | Next » |
Most Viewed
No content.