Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller
Director: Shane Black
Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Alfie Allen, Jane Thomas, Augusto Aguilera, Jake Busey, Yvonne Strahovski
RunTime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Gore)
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 September 2018
Synopsis: From the outer reaches of space to the small-town streets of suburbia, the hunt comes home in Shane Black’s explosive reinvention of the Predator series. Now, the universe’s most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter and deadlier than ever before, having genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species. When a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth, only a ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher can prevent the end of the human race.
Movie Review:
You’ve got to hand it to Shane Black – just when you thought that the ‘Predator’ series couldn’t sink any lower than 2004’s ‘AVP: Alien vs. Predator’, along comes his entry so aggressively determined to run the franchise to the ground. That is indeed ironic, considering just how much promise ‘The Predator’ once held. For one, it sure sounded like a good idea on paper to inject Black’s signature brand of black humour into the original’s blend of gory violence and souped-up machismo; for another, the cast comprising Sterling K. Brown, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Olivia Munn, Boyd Holbrook and Keegan-Michael Key was an impressive ensemble to say the least. Yet by the end of a headache-inducing 107 minutes, you’d be struggling to understand how a Hollywood veteran like Black could screw up so f**king horribly.
Whether out of design or coincidence, Black buys himself some goodwill at the start with an opening sequence set in the jungle that is clearly meant as tribute to John McTiernan’s original (yes, the one that starred Arnold Schwarzenegger). Following a very brief scene of two Predators inside their ships duking it out in space, one of them zips through a wormhole and crash-lands somewhere in the Mexican jungle in time to upset a hostage rescue situation led by ex-U.S. Army sniper turned mercenary-for-hire Quinn McKenna (Holbrook). Quinn emerges as the sole survivor of that encounter, and decides to mail two pieces of Predator tech from the nearest cantina to his own P.O. box back home as evidence. No thanks to his unpaid bills, his parcel is redirected to his home, where his young autistic son Rory (Jacob Tremblay) proceeds to display some extraordinary ability in deciphering alien technology.
Meanwhile, a top-secret research programme led by the mysterious Government agent Will Trager (Brown) enlists the help of evolutionary biologist Dr. Casey Brackett (Munn) to study the Predator itself, which has since been captured, transported and held sedated in a hidden laboratory. Trager is also responsible for placing Quinn under arrest and throwing him together with a bunch of ex-military ‘loonies’ played by Rhodes, Key, Alfie Allen, Augusto Aguilera and Thomas Jane. Not surprisingly, the Predator regains consciousness and proceeds to wreck havoc in the lab, and in the ensuing melee, Casey will form an uneasy alliance with the raucous crew of PTSD-scarred banter machines. Just bringing these subplots and character arcs together almost seems like a Herculean task for Black and his co-writer Fred Dekker, who do so in such slapdash and frenzied fashion.
Worse still, it only gets more needlessly convoluted from that point on. As is to be expected, the second Predator also finds its way to our planet in due course, and the two aliens proceed to continue their mutual slugfest. But what is it exactly that they want from each other? What is it that the first Predator and then the second wants from Rory? What special qualities does Rory really possess? What is it that Trager and his team of government agents want so badly from Quinn that seems even more important than fighting them aliens? What is in it for Casey, who appears to be sticking around for much more than just research material? There is hardly any narrative logic to the proceedings, or for that matter little logic in the way the characters behave and act, which only grows increasingly frustrating as the movie trudges along. Mind you, we’re not talking real-world logic here, but just basic cinematic logic for us to even buy into what is going on onscreen.
Black’s singular preoccupation seems to be coming up with a string of killer one-liners that his bunch of misfits can roll off the tongue in the form of smart-aleck remarks laced with sexism and non-PC jibes. Admittedly, some like Will describing the Predators as ‘large, fast, and f**king you up is their idea of tourism’ is amusing, but others that make fun of conditions like Tourette syndrome (such as a scene where Jane’s character shouts ‘eat your pussy’ at Casey) or at the expense of Casey (like how she escapes the Predator by stripping naked in a quarantine zone) are tasteless or worse offensive. Even at the level of potty-mouthed humour, the ceaseless onslaught of jokes only prove sporadically funny – and it doesn’t help that Black choses to focus his movie on Holbrook’s character than say Brown’s viciously sarcastic one instead.
So taken is he by his own perceived wittiness that Black cannot even be bothered to direct a proper action sequence. Not only are these scenes haphazardly edited, they are also barely coherent, especially in conveying who dies and/or whether they should even matter. Even more depressing is Black’s apparent tone-deafness in mixing action and comedy, so much so that the latter often ends up diminishing the very impact of the former; after all, you cannot quite take a lethal Predator seriously enough when the characters seem more concerned with spewing rat-a-tat quips at one another than taking out the alien(s) right in front of them. In fact, we’d go so far as to say that this has probably the worst action out of all the ‘Predator’ films, and there’s only so much the casual display of R-rated gore and violence can compensate or disguise that.
If it isn’t yet obvious, do yourself a favour and spare yourself the agony of sitting through close to two hours of relentlessly loud, hopelessly dumb and needlessly convoluted science-fiction bullshit. ‘The Predator’ is not even B-movie fun, and the blame for that falls on Black, whose sloppy writing and indifferent direction has ultimately killed what could have been an interesting reinvention of the series. It may be slightly more than three decades old, but watching and re-watching Schwarzenegger’s 1987 original is probably a lot more entertaining than this mess. Hard to imagine that ‘The Predator’ was conceived as the start of a trilogy, since we suspect those like us who have seen it will probably want this grotesque movie sliced open, gutted and left out to dry.
Movie Rating:
(Just when you thought you had seen the worst of the 'Predator' movies, along comes this relentlessly loud, hopelessly dumb and needlessly convoluted mess that makes you want to put the franchise out of its own misery)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Director: Drew Goddard
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Dakota Johnson, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth
RunTime: 2 hrs 22 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence and Nudity)
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website:
Opening Day: 25 October 2018
Synopsis: Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption... before everything goes to hell. Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson and Cynthia Erivo lead an all-star cast in BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE.
Movie Review:
Damn, Chris Hemsworth’s bare chest is indeed distracting!
For a good 15 minutes during the finale of this thriller film, the 35 year old actor’s glorious physique is on full display as he goes all murderous and psychotic. If you are one of those who felt Thor wasn’t shirtless enough in the Avengers movies, go lap up this flick. It should quench your thirst adequately.
Hemsworth is one of the members in the fine ensemble cast gathered for this movie directed by Drew Goddard, who is known for his writing work on movies like Cloverfield (2008), World War Z (2013) and The Martian (2015), for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Each of the characters has a dark secret and they have come together in a hotel named El Royale.
Hemsworth is a charismatic cult leader who has more up his sleeves than a sculpted body, Jeff Bridges is a priest who has is losing his memory, Cynthia Erivo is a struggling soul singer hoping to hit the right notes, Dakota Johnson is a strong headed woman who wants to save her younger sister (Cailee Spaeny) from a cult, Lewis Pullman is a concierge who yearns for forgiveness, while Jon Hamm is a salesman who has a mission to accomplish.
Each actor brings something unique to the table. Bridges (Kingsman: The Golden Circle) effortlessly displays his acting chops while British musician Erivo’s vulnerability is a nice match for the veteran actor’s anchored performance. Johnson (Fifty Shades Freed) puts her Anastasia Steele persona from the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise to good use, purring in a titillating manner to her male co stars. Spaeny (Pacific Rim Uprising) plays her delusional younger sister with the right amount of dreaminess, while Pullman (The Strangers: Prey at Night) reminds us of a less showy version of Tom Holland. Hamm (Tag) is on good form here as he runs from location to location trying to uncover the truth.
Goddard’s concept of seven strangers clashing in a shady hotel on the California Nevada border might have worked well on paper, but there is something about this overstretched film that bugs us. Running at 141 minutes, there are moments you feel are all style and no substance – the pacing can definitely be improved by tightening the edits. As the film progresses, you know how pieces are going to fit together but it waits too long to give viewers a much needed sensory punch.
Luckily for the filmmakers, all is not lost because of the impressive production values. The cinematography by Seamus McGarvey (The Greatest Showman) is a visual treat. Making full use of the set’s neon lights (kudos to the art direction team), this is a film that should be experienced on the big screen.
Of course, the movie is blessed with a strong cast where every actor delivers a compelling performance. It also helps that every time Hemsworth appears on screen, his chiselled bod will make gals blush and guys envious.
Movie Rating:
(A competent ensemble cast and stunning cinematography save the sometimes dreary thriller from suffering bad times)
Review by John Li
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website:
Opening Day: 5 February 2019
Synopsis: From visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY), comes ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL, an epic adventure of hope and empowerment. When Alita (Rosa Salazar) awakens with no memory of who she is in a future world she does not recognize, she is taken in by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate doctor who realizes that somewhere in this abandoned cyborg shell is the heart and soul of a young woman with an extraordinary past. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious history while her street-smart new friend Hugo (Keean Johnson) offers instead to help trigger her memories. But it is only when the deadly and corrupt forces that run the city come after Alita that she discovers a clue to her past – she has unique fighting abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. If she can stay out of their grasp, she could be the key to saving her friends, her family and the world she’s grown to love.
Movie Review:
The first thing that blows your mind away when you watch Alita: Battle Angel is the amazingly slick visuals where the strangely mech manga-like titular character, Alita, somehow fits in with the human characters around her even though she has clearly gone through some post-production rendering. Best watched in IMAX/3D, the 3D visuals and sequences are subtly rendered so that it doesn’t scream “Hey, I’m 3D!” (unlike the very jarring IMAX introduction sequence that screams that prior to the start of the movie). Alita: Battle Angel clearly demonstrates how Weta Digital has elevated such 3D animation to a beautiful art form.
Too bad the same can’t be said of the rest of the movie.
The movie starts off on a predictable but interesting note – mysterious cyborg female protagonist is picked up by cyberdoctor who pretty much sort of resurrects her. Then it simply becomes predictable. The cyborg girl turns out to be some martial arts expert with an unknown mission and single-handedly kicks the butts of all the annoying bad guys. The bad guys’ main motivation is to be greedy and evil even as their overall demeanour just screams stereotypical “I am a bad guy and I will stop the female protagonist just because I am evil!”.
Other than the fact this sounds already like the 101 movies out there with a strong female lead who you know will save the world (think Hunger Games series, Divergent series, The Darkest Mind), the other elements of the movie also feel too familiar. Its division of the world into have and have-not parts where the elites live in the sky world of Zalem that floats over its ground-bound dumpster Iron City reminds you of the recent Elysium. The sport that promises a ticket to Zalem, Motorball, is basically a Transformer version of Rollerball.
While the kickass sequences and tight pacing of the first half of the movie keeps the predictable plot going and makes the movie somewhat enjoyable, the movie loses steam towards the second half of the movie where a few different and poorly developed subplots are strung together in a haphazard manner. There’s Hugo, Alita’s love interest who is a bad boy wannabe (or in Singapore parlance, chao ah beng) who has a burning desire to go to Zalem which he thinks is a utopia in the sky. There’s Alita’s road to discovering not just her path but also who she is as a person. Above all that, there is the ultimate villian’s unexplained (to that point) obsession with killing Alita. Messily put together to push the movie along, the second half of the movie feels longer than it actually is and even the action sequences felt a bit dragged out.
Beyond plot, the characters are one-dimensional and pop in places that they will never be just to move the plot along in the second half of the movie (warning: spoilers follow after this). Dr Ido (played by Christoph Waltz), the cyberdoctor who revives Alita, predictably sees Alita as the replacement for his deceased daughter, who, as you can guess, was named Alita. The attempt to get the audience to doubt that he is a benign protective father figure by putting him in a situation that causes Alita to suspect he is a murderer, is pathetic as the thinly disguised plot ‘twist’ can be discerned miles away. Alita’s love interest, Hugo, is an unnecessary element, save for his dying so as to trigger her determination to stomp to Zalem to go after the ultimate villain, Nova, and set up the premise for a sequence. He also plays the role of damsel in distress allowing Alita to showcase her amazing prowess. Ido’s estranged wife, Chiren (played by an underutilised Jennifer Connelly), also does a 360 and suddenly sympathises with Alita and helps her save Hugo’s life after spending about 95% of her screentime attempting to kill Alita.
The cliffhanger ending is a blatant setup for a sequel and also a frustrating ending for those who went through the messy second half hopeful for a resolution for Alita. Hopefully though, the sequel that comes will conjure more of the James Cameron (the producer and screenwriter for this movie) magic that we had come to known and expect.
Movie Rating:
(Watch this in IMAX or 3D vision to maximise your enjoyment of the movie, because the visuals are the saving grace of this movie)
Review by Katrina Tee
Genre: Drama
Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Patrick Fugit, Ciaran Hinds, Ethan Embry, Shea Whigham, Corey Stoll, Lukas Haas, Pablo Schreiber
RunTime: 2 hrs 21 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 18 October 2018
Synopsis: On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost—on Armstrong and on the nation—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
Movie Review:
Instead of First Man, the movie about landing a man on the moon should simply be titled Armstrong or Neil. And rather than being a fanciful feature length ad for NASA, it is more of a somber 141 minutes of character study from the Oscar winning director of La La Land, Damien Chazelle - noteably his first major release and third directorial effort after La La Land and Whiplash.
Set in the 1960s when America was trailing behind the Russians in terms of space exploration, the notoriously picky Ryan Gosling stars as American reluctant hero, Neil Armstrong, the first man who walked on the moon. First Man chronicles the journey of how NASA painstakingly conceived the groundbreaking spaceflight, Apollo 11, although interestingly, the human drama is far engaging than anything else.
It is not a surprise considering that screenwriter Josh Singer (The Post, Spotlight) based his screenplay on the book, “First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong” by Armstrong’s official biographer James Hansen. First Man paints Armstrong as a quiet ordinary man who simply refuses to see himself as sort of a hero. Armstrong is a stoic man who bravely carries on his mission despite the deaths of several NASA colleagues. The loss of his young daughter to cancer left an inconsolable sadness on his emotional status, a recurring motif in the movie. It is so melancholic and grim that you wonder if this is the right movie you are watching.
For a movie that is supposedly aiming for the awards, there’s definitely no lack of solid performances. Gosling, who has routinely shunned away from leading roles in blockbusters, delivers yet another subtle, emotional performance after last year's Blade Runner 2049. Certainly for a man who has shunned the limelight and hates to be a hero, Gosling’s portrayal of Armstrong seems well-suited; though whether the man indeed shed tears on the moon over his daughter is up for anyone’s debate over a drink.
The only cast member who overshadows Gosling is Claire Foy, the British actress who plays Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown. Foy is 100% impressive, if not absolutely mind-blowing, as Janet, the long-suffering wife of Armstrong. Faced with the mounting pressure of not knowing if Armstrong is ever going to come back alive, Janet is both fragile and strong-willed at the same time, and Foy nails it perfectly.
Still, the movie offers enough technical jargons, countless shots of retro-looking control panels and buttons if you are a space buff. Although its puzzling why Chazelle and his cinematographer Linus Sangren chooses to film the movie in all sorts of awkward, claustrophobic angles (a good thing for audiences to experience from the astronaut’s point of view for select scenes) and plenty, and by that we mean lots and lots of closeups of Foy’s freckles and Gosling’s ultra-impeccable complexion that can be seen on the big screen. In addition, shaky-cams are employed throughout even for basic talky scenes, which is an odd choice for this historical-based movie. In other words, the audio sounds superb in IMAX format but visually it’s kind of underwhelming.
The level of authenticity shown here is remarkable, as the entire movie feels its lifted straight out from that era. Even the supporting cast are wonderfully assembled from Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) who plays the ill-fated Ed White, Kyle Chandler (Super 8) as NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office, Corey Stoll (Ant-Man) as fellow moon-walker Buzz Aldrin, and familiar character actors such as Patrick Fugit, Lukas Haas and Ciaran Hinds.
Unlike Ron Howard’s much loved 1995 space epic, Apollo 13 which featured another NASA mission gone wrong, First Man is first and foremost a different form of space movie. As mentioned prior, it’s very much an intimate study on the central character, Neil Armstrong. It does contain harrowing, nail-biting moments and a soundtrack that occasionally sounds eerily similar to La La Land, but it would be foolish to catch First Man thinking it’s an action adventure exploration flick.
Movie Rating:
(Done from the perspective of famed astronaut Neil Armstrong, First Man is largely a richly crafted drama which marks another giant leap for director Damien Chazelle)
Review by Linus Tee
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TRAILER WATCH - OVERLORDPosted on 20 Jul 2018 |
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WARNER BROS AT COMIC-CON: FANTASTIC BEASTS 2; GODZILLA 2019; SHAZAM!; AND AQUAMANPosted on 22 Jul 2018 |
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Victor Levin
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder
Runtime: 1 hr 27 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 September 2018
Synopsis: DESTINATION WEDDING reunites two of Hollywood’s most adored stars, Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, as the socially awkward Frank and Lindsay. When they meet on their way to a destination wedding, they soon discover they have a lot in common: they both hate the bride, the groom, the wedding, themselves, and most especially each other. As the weekend's events continually force them together - and their cheerlessness immediately isolates them from the other guests - Frank and Lindsay find that if you verbally spar with someone long enough, anything can happen. When debate gives way to desire, they must decide which is stronger: their hearts or their common sense.
Movie Review:
If ‘Destination Wedding’ were your typical rom-com, you’d probably have seen this pairing of Gen-X icons Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder happen much sooner, so consider this as fair warning for those expecting a feel-good movie. In fact, this second feature from writer-director Victor Levin is rather resolutely determined to dismantle the apparatus of the conventional Hollywood romance, casting Reeves and Ryder as a pair of self-loathing misanthropes who meet en route to a destination wedding and find unlikely company in each other throughout the entire weekend. Their conversations consist not of gentle ribbings but brutal insults mind you, but if you’re willing to sit through their sometimes overpowering negativity, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised by just how much you’ll still be rooting for them.
You’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise at the start; after all, we are introduced to Reeves’ character Frank sitting on the edge of his bed clearing his throat loudly and obnoxiously while watching cable news, and Ryder’s character Lindsay exhaling through her mouth at a dying table plant while whispering to it not to die while she’s away. They are neurotic all right, and their meet-not-cute happens at an airport while they are both waiting for a chartered flight to San Luis Obispo: he cuts in front of her at the gate, they end up spending the next five hours sitting next to each other at the back of a tiny plane, bickering at and recoiling from each other all the way through. In the midst of their squabbling, they realise that they are both headed to the same wedding in Paso Robles.
Turns out that Frank’s half-brother is the one getting married, and Lindsay happens to be the girl that he broke off an engagement from six years earlier. Whereas Frank is attending because his mother had insisted, Lindsay had accepted the invite mostly out of obligation as well as the need for closure. To further illustrate how off-kilter their matchup is, not only does he fail to demonstrate any sort of empathy towards Lindsay’s emotional state, Frank wonders out loud why she hasn’t yet had closure after so long, even going to the extent of questioning her point blank if what she feels for him is indeed love. Later on that evening, they will find themselves in adjoining rooms at the local hotel and assigned seats next to each other at the rehearsal dinner, so before the day is over, it will dawn on them that they are the wedding misfits who have been thrown together because they do not fit with anyone else.
From Friday’s ‘Fuckin’ Rehearsal Dinner’ to Saturday morning’s ‘A Bunch of Stupid Shit You Would Never Do Otherwise Do Activities’ to Saturday evening’s ‘Just What the World Needs: Another Goddamn Sunset Wedding’, Frank and Lindsay will muddle their way through the string of events, while keeping up their relentless banter characterised by existential dread, disgust with humanity and the pointlessness of the universe. Levin has fashioned his film essentially as a two-hander, such that Frank and Lindsay are the only talking parts throughout the entire duration, and their conversations are captured in long cuts where the camera pretty much stays in the same position. That doesn’t mean all they do between themselves is talk; indeed, in what is certainly one of the more memorable scenes, Frank and Lindsay end up awkwardly deciding to have sex with each other in the wild after escaping from a mountain lion and tumbling down a hill.
Notwithstanding, the focus of the movie is undoubtedly their verbal barbs and observational insults. You can certainly criticise Levin’s dialogue for being overwritten: every line and retort is intended as a punch line, which certainly makes it less-than-natural to say the very least. Yet there is no denying that the rapid-fire back-and-forth between Frank and Lindsay is engaging and even amusing in a screwball comedy kind of way, much of which is also credit to Reeves’ and Ryder’s delivery and their effortless chemistry with each other. Oh yes, usually relegated to stoic roles like Neo and John Wick, Reeves clearly relishes the opportunity to take on such a verbose role, and Ryder has perfected the art of being annoying and sympathetic at the same time. They are perfectly matched all right, and those who have grown up with these stars will quite surely enjoy being in their company.
So yes, as much as ‘Destination Wedding’ isn’t your typical rom-com, it still has plenty of charm to spare, as long as you’re in the right mood and frame of mind. This is an anti-romance if you will, filled with snappy, caustic lines from two misanthropic characters you will need some time to warm up to. Yet as we’ve mentioned, Reeves and Ryder are very, very watchable together, and make the unapologetically unnatural and overly wordy dialogue a lot more palatable. They still give off the ‘aw-shucks’ feeling by the time their characters turn their initial dislike for each other into some sort of recognition of the desire for connection. It might not be what you had in mind, but in the end, this is one destination that will surprise you with where it takes you and how it leaves you.
Movie Rating:
(It's packed with verbal barbs and observational insults, but Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder make this anti-romance between two misanthropic characters who find connection in each other an amusing screwball comedy and a surprisingly endearing diversion)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Stephen Susco
Cast: Colin Woodell, Stephanie Nogueras, Betty Gabriel, Rebecca Rittenhouse, Andrew Lees, Connor del Rio, Savira Windyani
RunTime: 1 hr 28 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Homosexual Content & Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 19 July 2018
Synopsis: Unfolding in real-time UNFRIENDED: DARK WEB is the most terrifying horror yet from theproducer of GET OUT, HAPPY DEATH DAY and THE PURGE, and the makers of UNFRIENDED. When a 20-something finds a cache of hidden files on his new laptop, he and his friends areunwittingly thrust into the depths of the dark web. They soon discover someone has been watching their every move and will gotounimaginable lengths to protect the dark web.
Movie Review:
You don’t have to have seen ‘Unfriended’ to follow this so-called ‘stand-alone’ sequel; in fact, besides sharing a formal conceit, there is absolutely no relation between the two films, but let’s get their similarity out of the way first. Like the 2014 micro-budget horror turned modest hit, Stephen Susco’s ‘Unfriended: Dark Web’ takes place entirely on one laptop screen, unfolding through Skype sessions, Facebook chats, Google searches and even Spotify playlists. It’s a high-concept storytelling gimmick all right, designed to hold the attention of the modern-day digitally-savvy audience who are used to multi-tasking across several app screens at the same time.
Whereas the horror in the original was supernatural, that in ‘Dark Web’ is for the most part real, based upon the perversity that goes on in what is typically termed the dark net or deep web. There, if you believe Susco, anonymity breeds criminality – and on one particular message board called The River, dozens of users trade cryptocurrencies to indulge vicariously in revolting acts of violence committed against innocent hapless victims that have been kidnapped. The methods of torture include live burials, acid corrosion and trephination, and the price can easily go into millions of dollars. Oh yes, it’s wicked stuff indeed, and its members have named themselves after the ferryman of Hades known as Charon.
Stumbling unsuspectingly into this especially nasty corner of the Internet is twenty-something Matias (Colin Woodell), who purloins an abandoned MacBook from the lost and found section in a cyber café. His deed may be unscrupulous, but his intent is noble: he wants, but cannot yet afford, a better laptop so he can finish coding a programme he has designed to communicate with his deaf girlfriend Amaya (Stephanie Nogueras). While on a ‘game night’ group Skype with his friends, Matias receives weird messages from the laptop’s previous owner’s Facebook friends. With the help of one of his own Skype friends, Matias decrypts the hidden folder within the MacBook’s hard disk, thus unearthing a hidden trove of fuzzy torture porn clips.
One of them in particular is of a 17-year-old girl who had gone missing from her bedroom just a week ago, but before Matias can decide whether to report what he had discovered, he is contacted by the laptop’s owner via Facebook Messenger, who has somehow managed to find a way to hack into his chat with Amaya and make these messages disappear shortly after. Said owner threatens to harm Amaya if Matias doesn’t return the laptop, but even more devastatingly, each one of Matias’ Skype friends is held hostage by the larger shadowy cabal. These overlords prove themselves to be even more vicious, expressing no qualms in sacrificing the innocent by pushing them off roofs or shoving them in front of moving subway trains.
Admittedly, things do get a little too far-fetched as they progress, especially given how the dark webbers seem to be omnipresent in the real world; nevertheless, there is no denying the clear and present fear one feels from watching how they make use of Matias’ friends’ respective digital trails against them, knowing that we too could just as easily become victims of our own complacency. Susco, who makes his directorial debut, has a knack for slowly peeling away the layers to reveal the depths of depravity, and it is to his credit that the film effectively builds up a sense of dread, suspense and tension from its deceptively calm early stages to its more hysterical later acts.
So gimmicky though it may be, ‘Unfriended: Dark Web’ proves a surprisingly effective marriage of technique to substance. In fact, we dare say it is a nifty twist on a first-person perspective that won’t make you feel nauseous or frustrating. That, and the fact that it is a timely cautionary tale about the nefarious forces that exist within the Internet which most of us casual users can’t even begin to comprehend. You’ve been warned – this isn’t some ghost movie in case you’re expecting it to be, but it is still a clever little thriller all right, whose scares are a lot more real, relevant and relatable.
Movie Rating:
(Less a horror than a thriller, this stand-alone sequel that - like its predecessor - unfolds entirely from one laptop screen is a surprisingly gripping watch)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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TRAILER WATCH - ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL TRAILER #2Posted on 24 Jul 2018 |
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Mike Wiluan
Cast: Ario Bayu, Yoshi Sudarso, Pevita Pearce, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Zack Lee, Conan Stevens, Reinout Bussemaker, Sunny Pang
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 6 September 2018
Synopsis: In 19th Century Java, a brutal massacre and the murder of Sultan Hamza by Captain Van Trach (Reinout Bussemaker) and his Dutch soldiers force Arana (Tio Pakusadewo), Jamar (Ario Bayu) and Suwo (Yoshi Sudarso) - the sultan's brother and infant sons - to flee the country, bringing them halfway around the world to the American Wild Wild West. After working the railroads and learning the cowboy way of life, Arana tells the boys it's time to return to their homeland and avenge their father's death. Back on Indonesian soil, the hunt for their father's killer begins. Along the way, they meet some villagers including Kiona (Pevita Pearce), the rebellious and beautiful headman's daughter who Suwo falls for, and soon find out that the treacherous Van Trach still rules the area. Their presence puts the village in danger, quickly turning their quest for revenge into a fight for freedom. With the odds stacked against them, Arana, Jamar and Suwo use the skills they learned from the wilds of America to face Van Trach and his army in a showdown for justice.
Movie Review:
The western genre is practically dead in Hollywood except Quentin Tarantino’s brief revival in Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight and Gore Verbinski’s very underrated The Lone Ranger. Thus it’s very much a surprise when a movie liked Buffalo Boys is co-produced by our very own Infinite Studios (Headshot, Halfworlds) and acclaimed art film director Eric Khoo.
Buffalo Boys puts a spin on the western genre, combining spaghetti western and Asia history in this case Indonesia during the Dutch colonial times. It’s essentially a simple tale of revenge but by turning the entire setting into a reimagined Wild West, this Mike Wiluan’s directorial debut becomes a delightful main dish from start to end. Like they say, revenge is a dish best served cold.
Together with their uncle (Tio Pakusadewo), two brothers Jamar (Ario Bayu) and Suwo (Yoshi Sudarso) finally returned home to Indonesia after living in exile in California. It turned out that Jamar and Suwo are offsprings of a deceased Sultan who was mercilessly killed by a cruel coloniser, Van Trach (Reinout Bussemaker) years ago. Witnessing Van Trach’s wicked grip on the local communities liked forcing them to produce opium or risk burning to death, the brothers set out on their revenge mission on Van Trach and his bunch of equally detestable henchmen before they ride off once again into the sunset.
With dialogue in a mixture of Bahasa Indonesia and English, Buffalo Boys is in no way inferior to the cowboy flicks of the past. Although we must point out that it’s inexcusable for Wiluan to introduce a heroine/love interest (played by Pevita Pearce) who is a splendid archer and ride on buffalos only to have her as a damsel in distress for most of the screen time. In terms of story, the plotline is accessible to anyone who grows up on all the martial-arts revenge flicks which Shaw Bros frequently produced in their heydays. Frankly speaking, the screenplay by Wiluan and Raymond Lee is mainly an excuse to stage some bloody well-choreographed fights between the good and evil forces so don’t blame on foreign languages to skip this.
Yet even with a story that clocked no surprises and features a one-dimensional villain, Buffalo Boys shines in its generous display of more than decent action set pieces and martial-arts from anything to shotguns, swordplay to a bloody saloon brawl and a gunslinger climatic showdown, the perfect nods to the western genre. On yet another fun side, local actor Sunny Pang (Code of Law) cameos as a one-armed henchman of Van Trach with apparently not a single word utter throughout. Actor and stuntman Yoshi Sudarso pairs off perfectly with Ario Bayu to deliver dazzling chemistry and charm while fans of The Raid 2 and Headshot no doubt will be able to spot familiar faces liked Zach Lee and Alex Abbad in the flick as well.
The lush cinematography by Australian John Radel lends magnitude to the handsome and rich production design despite the obvious limited budget. Instead of an arty drama, Singapore has selected Buffalo Boys to be submitted to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Fingers crossed. Given the less than stellar marketing campaign and measly screenings, it might be a tad hard for movie-goers to notice a movie liked Buffalo Boys but given the time and choice, we strongly advise you to check it out.
Movie Rating:
(A terrific and eclectic mix of spaghetti western and martial-arts, Buffalo Boys is an enjoyable action flick for the masses!)
Review by Linus Tee
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