SYNOPSIS: When attackers target the heiress she's protecting, battle-hardened bodyguard Sam scrambles to save her client -- and teach her how to fight back.
MOVIE REVIEW:
‘Close’ was tailor-made for its leading lady Noomi Rapace, but ends up letting her and its audience down.
As she had displayed in the Swedish trilogy of ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ films, Rapace packs a potent combination of steely reserve and physical prowess, both of which she displays playing the counter-terrorism expert-turned-bodyguard Sam. Fresh off a tour in some unidentified Middle Eastern country protecting reporters in a war zone, Sam accepts a seemingly straightforward task of protecting a young heiress Zoe (Sophie Nelisse) for a week.
Not surprisingly, the job is hardly as simple as it first appears to be, given how Zoe finds herself the target of some armed men who infiltrate her high-tech safe house in the middle of the night. Both ladies find themselves on the lam in Casablanca, not only evading their pursuers but also trying to find out just who might want to kidnap Zoe or want her dead. Tangled in the web of conspiracy is a high-stakes deal that Zoe’s stepmother turned CEO has been competing with a rival mining company to close, which is suddenly thrown into jeopardy after Zoe becomes a wanted person in the country for killing a crooked policeman.
That said, you’ll probably be less interested about the identity of Zoe’s assassins/ kidnappers than in how both fight to stay alive. Yet director Vicky Jewson and her co-writer Rupert Whitaker seem to have gotten their priorities the other way round, spending an inordinate amount of time setting up a convoluted plot with different groups of shady individuals that may or may not be working with each other. These scenes unfortunately result in a film that is so deliberately paced to the point that it threatens to lose your attention.
Worse still, it turns out middling where it should matter. Rapace deserves credit for performing all of the action scenes by herself, but the choreography leaves much to be desired. The close combat fisticuffs aren’t intense enough, and the gunfights are uneventful at best and boring at worst. We get that the action is intended to be grounded and realistic, but even then, that hardly explains why we often see Rapace getting her ass kicked (rather than kicking others’ asses). That some commentators had compared her character to a female Jason Bourne is downright laughable, for she comes off unprepared and untrained to deal with the situations she finds herself in.
If Rapace’s physical talents are underserved by the lacklustre action choreography, so too are her dramatic abilities by the weak characterisation. Both to explain why she decides to risk her life to protect Zoe and to give her some form of backstory, the narrative inserts some references to a teenage daughter she refuses to acknowledge but is emotionally wracked by. Yet a couple of phone calls that she doesn’t answer and an unexpected reminder from her agent means that the subplot hardly registers, let alone deliver any sort of emotional impact.
Like we said at the start, ‘Close’ was built for Rapace, and it was for this reason that we were interested in it in the first place. Alas it is also because of that we come off underwhelmed and even disappointed, for this is hardly worthy of her time and effort, even as filler while we await news of her possible return to the ‘Prometheus’ series. Put it simply, we’d really like to have seen Rapace kick ass, and do so via a truly emotionally repressed/ conflicted character. Both are in short shrift here, so you’d probably do better re-watching ‘Prometheus’ or the original Swedish ‘Dragon Tattoo’ movies than this ponderous and unsatisfying action thriller.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Gabriel Chong
Few would disagree with us that Mary Poppins is one of the greatest movies ever made. The 1964 musical fantasy film has delighted millions of fans worldwide, and 54 years later, you can bet it will be a feat for the sequel to match the standards of the original film.
How does a new soundtrack album enchant listeners when familiar hummable tunes like “A Spoonful of Sugar”, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)" and “Step in Time” are classics that have stood the test of time?
We are pleased to repeat that the 78 minutes of music on this soundtrack is pure joy. If you love the musical genre, this is one album you can’t miss. Whether you are a fan of the all time favourite directed by Robert Stevenson, or a convert after watching Rob Marshall’s sequel, you will find yourself smiling from the first to last track.
Composer songwriter Marc Shaiman (Hairspray) and co lyricist Scott Wittman wrote nine original songs for the film, with some reprise versions. The talented Lin-Manuel Miranda (who worked with Disney on the marvellous soundtrack for Moana) kicks off with “(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky”, a prologue song that sets the mood. He shows off his rapping skills in “The Cover is Not the Book”, and is an absolute charmer in the seven minute set piece “Trip a Little Light Fantastic”. If you have seen the movie, you’d remember the infectious song and dance sequence.
And then there’s Mary Poppins herself. Emily Blunt, who has worked with Marshall previously on Into The Woods, is a capable singer. The emotional “The Place Where Lost Things Go” is an award contender, the cheeky "Can You Imagine That?" is a fun number, while Blunt's surprising growl in “The Royal Doulton Music Hall” shows the nanny’s fiery side. Ben Wishaw is a pleasant surprise with his moving vocals in "A Conversation".
Meryl Streep, who has sung her heart out in the Mama Mia! movies, takes on the weird but wonderful “Turning Turtle”. Dick Van Dyke, who played Bert in the first movie, shows up in “Trip a Little Light Fantastic (Reprise)”. Angela Lansbury, whom we fondly remember as Mrs Potts in the animated Beauty and the Beast, lends her signature voice to the heartwarming closing piece “Nowhere to Go But Up”.
There is also a generous inclusion of score material by Shaiman which complements the songs. The musical references to the songs and score from the first film written by the Sherman Brothers are a nice touch, and this makes the album a must have for soundtrack fans.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (10) Trip a Little Light Fantastic
Review by John Li
|
ALL YOUR SUPER BOWL TRAILERS IN ONE PLACEPosted on 04 Feb 2019 |
Genre: Drama/Biography
Director: Matthew Heineman
Cast: Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan, Tom Hollander, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Fady Elsayed, Corey Johnson, Faye Marsay, Raad Rawi, Greg Wise, Stanley Tucci
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Nudity & Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 31 January 2019
Synopsis: In a world where journalism is under attack, Marie Colvin (Rosamund Pike) is one of the most celebrated war correspondents of our time. Colvin is an utterly fearless and rebellious spirit, driven to the frontlines of conflicts across the globe to give voice to the voiceless, while constantly testing the limits between bravery and bravado. After being hit by a grenade in Sri Lanka, she wears a distinctive eye patch and is still as comfortable sipping martinis with London's elite as she is confronting dictators. Colvin sacrifices loving relationships, and over time, her personal life starts to unravel as the trauma she's witnessed takes its toll. Yet, her mission to show the true cost of war leads her -- along with renowned war photographer Paul Conroy (Jamie Dornan) -- to embark on the most dangerous assignment of their lives in the besieged Syrian city of Homs.
Movie Review:
Our mission is to report these horrors of war with accuracy and without prejudice. We always have to ask ourselves whether the level of risk is worth the story. What is bravery, and what is bravado? – Marie Colvin, 2010
Rosamund Pike puts in a career-best performance as war journalist Marie Colvin in A Private War written by Arash Amel (Grace of Monaco), which in turn is based on a Vanity Fair article.
A Private War is a powerful drama that showcases the amount of effort that goes into war articles in the papers. A war correspondent is not just a novelist or a journalist who writes about a fictional war happening in the Middle East or covers the next accident on the road; he or she is an ordinary yet fearless individual who ventures into war zones with the rest of the trained, armed personnel to bring you the latest coverage of conflict in the “comfort” of shrapnel and heavy artillery.
America born, London-based Marie Colvin is one such person.
The movie takes viewers on an episodic journey into the last ten years of Colvin’s career before she was fatally killed while covering the siege of Homs in Syria in 2012. Colvin is painted as brave, complex and inspiring in her career as she struggles to maintain a normal life outside the atrocities of war. Could it be her failed marriages and the inability to conceive that drives her into one war zone to another? Or is it the adrenaline and the lure of fame that propels her?
Of course, there’s no straightforward answers to Colvin’s persistence and motivations, but the movie allows us to see the dark side of hers as she struggles with symptoms of PTSD, signs of which obvious to those who came back after witnessing the cruelty of wars. But Colvin’s consistent denial about her condition probably drives her back to what she does best, despite losing an eye during an ambush in Sri Lanka.
Though she has previously surprised us with her tour de force performance in Gone Girl, Pike is once again amazing as the revered Colvin. Maximising every emotion in her body to inject dynamism into the role and presence of Marie Colvin, Pike is compelling to watch every second she is onscreen, as she faithfully chain-smokes, drinks and transforms herself flawlessly into the tortured soul of the late war correspondent.
Jamie Dornan, whom you might know from a little seedy movie called Fifty Shades of Grey, plays Colvin’s trusty cameraman and go-to IT man, Paul Conroy. Dornan is unexpectedly good opposite Pike. And there’s two worthy scenes in the movie, one where Colvin bares her soul to Paul in a recovery house and the other where Colvin explains why she donned expensive, flashy lingerie that proved Dornan can do more than shedding off his shirt. Other notable faces include British actor Tom Hollander who plays Sean, Colvin’s editor who questioned her conviction during a heated argument, and Stanley Tucci in a small role as one of Colvin’s lovers.
A two-hour movie might not entirely serve full justice to Marie Colvin’s achievements and beliefs. But documentarian turned movie director Matthew Heineman’s feature debut is a brilliant character study on one of journalism’s true heroines. Heineman’s skill in conveying loss, fear and violence (without actually showing a lot of them on the screen) is likely a tribute to what Colvin has put down on pens and papers. Meaning you read and feel about the perils without really watching any of it.
A Private War closes appropriately with shots of Colvin’s news articles to the sad tune of Annie Lennox’s Requiem for a Private War. Undeniably, this movie is no fake news in the making, it’s simply a bare powerful testament of Marie Colvin.
Movie Rating:
(A Private War will leave you shaken, stirred and marvelled at the late Colvin’s professionalism and beliefs)
Review by Linus Tee
And why wouldn’t you get Lady Gaga to perform on the soundtrack after getting her to star in a movie?
This third remake of David O. Selznick's 1937 film directed by Bradley Cooper is a love story between a singer songwriter and a veteran rocker. With the current pop music industry as a backdrop, we see how the girl climbs the fame latter while the guy spirals into a sad sack.
We haven’t seen anything as well packaged as this 70 minute soundtrack in a while. There are outstanding rock, country and pop music to please fans of the different genres. More importantly, each track is accessible and affecting to make you want to own a piece of the movie, especially if you were left in tears when the credits started rolling.
Gaga shines in every song. From her cover of Édith Piaf’s "La Vie en rose" and the show stopping “Shallow”, to the R&B extravaganza “Why Did You Do That?” and the heart wrenching “I’ll Never Love Again”, the multi award winning singer shows her versatility.
Cooper is a pleasant surprise on the album. From the opening tune “Black Eyes” to the hard hitting “Alibi”, the actor lets his voice to bring out the boozy and exhausted character he plays. He also has solo performances in “Maybe It’s Time” and “Too Far Gone”, two songs lovelorn guys would want to sing to their partners. We’d love to see Rocket Raccoon sing in the next Guardians of the Galaxy movie.
Duets like “Music to My Eyes”, “Diggin’ My Grave” and “I Don’t Know What Love Is” are instant classics which you can expect couples to play at their weddings and anniversary parties.
You can feel the effort put into producing this album. Gaga and Cooper collaborated on this project with familiar industry professionals like Lukas Nelson, DJ White Shadow, Jason Isbell, Mark Ronson, Diane Warren, and Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow.
If you loved the movie, this is the perfect accompaniment to relive the film’s most emotional moments.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (12) Shallow
Review by John Li
Genre: Comedy
Director: Pang Ho-cheung
Cast: Miriam Yeung, Gigi Leung, Dada Chan, Chan Yat Ning, Isabella Leung, Yanki Din, Jo Kuk, Tsui Ting Yau, Hanjin Tan, Brenda Lam, Lam Suet, Patrick Tse Yin
RunTime: 1 hr 28 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Mature Content)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 31 January 2019
Synopsis: The mobile chat group "Pat Poh [Nosy Bitches]"comprises six girls and two boys. They were once very close, but then Inspector May therein found that her bosom friend Isabelhad an affair with her boyfriend. Moreover, the internet celebrity, Rosalin, has written everyone else's love secrets into a book and published it. For all such reasons, members of this group are getting more and more alienated from one another. Gradually, they no longer speak in the group and it is sinking lower andlower in their mobile phones. This situation continues until one day when, a member of the group, June, who has always been helpful, inadvertently pours into the coffee for a client a bottle of human milk put by her superior in the pantry. Consequently,she has to find another bottle of human milk with which to replace the poured one, before the office hours are over on that day. At the end of her tether, she thinks of the group of friends who used to be so close. She approaches Isabelfor help. And Isabel begins to contact the other members of the group one by one. Although there are all sorts of conflicts and grudges among them, they decide to put aside their grudges for the time being in order to get the milk and help June out. In the process, everybody's grievances, complexes and problems that have long been repressed break loose once and for all. They are trying to rescue June as well as a network of friendship that is long gone.
Movie Review:
Just when we thought he had gone ‘soft’ (pun intended), Pang Ho-cheung returns with an irreverent comedy that reminds us why he was once known as the enfant terrible of Hong Kong cinema. Oh yes, though you’d probably more readily associate him with the offbeat but moving ‘Love in the Buff’ rom-com trilogy, Pang’s call to fame (or should we say infamy?) was in fact a string of dark, often raunchy, comedies such as ‘Men Suddenly in Black’, ‘Vulgaria’ and ‘SDU: Sex Duties Unit’.
Undeniably, ‘Missbehavior’ is a lot more mainstream than those aforementioned titles, seeing as how it is also intended to be his first Chinese New Year movie. Yet his cheeky self is evident from the very premise, which sees a group of eight old friends of the mobile chat group ‘Pat Poh’ (which means ‘nosy bitches’ in Cantonese) reunite to help one of their own find a bottle of breast milk, in order to replace that which she had taken from the company fridge. Said lady June (June Lam) had mistaken the label ‘LF’ on the bottle (which so happen to be her boss’ initials) for low-fat milk, and used it to make coffee for a demanding client (Patrick Tse).
So begins a series of comedic misadventures which comprise farcical gags laced with sexual, even scatological humour, that is conceived with Pang’s signature wit and staged with his customary verve. One team comprising singer/ guitarist Minibus (Yanki Din) and gay couple Boris (our very own Tan Hanjin) and Frank (Tien You) will meet dodgy small-time enterprise owner Taobao Keung (Roy Szeto), who specialises in satisfying the fetishes and fantasies of his perverted clients. When that fails, they will land up changing into full-body ‘Smurf’ blue costumes to break into the residence where a confinement nanny (Susan Shaw) had arranged for them to steal her owner’s breast milk from the fridge.
At the same time, the group comprising the hairstylist Isabel (Isabel Chan) and busty Internet writer Rosalin (Dada Chan) will attempt to bribe some of the kids at a kindergarten where one of their own (Jo Koo) works as a teacher, including with cash and even physical gratification. And when that fails, Rosalin will reach out to her (understandably) male fanbase to offer ‘a bottle for a squeeze (of her bosom)’, thus inspiring offers from opportunists that include Vitasoy and even a cup of sperm. Oh yes, the humour does get pretty explicit, hence our advice about picking the right company to watch this with.
Yet you should know too that the premise isn’t just intended as excuse to unleash the sexually tinged hijinks; in fact, the reunion of these estranged friends is really intended as a poignant affirmation about not letting misunderstandings, grievances and even indifference diminish the friendships and/or relationships that matter to us. By the end of the movie therefore, Boris and Frank will come to realise just how much they still do care and love each other, after clearing the air about an incident which led the former to think the latter had lost interest in him. Similarly, former singing duo Minibus and Rosalin will stop sniping at each other, while PTU officer May (Gigi Leung) will finally be convinced that Isabel did not cheat on her with her philandering ex-boyfriend.
As those familiar with his comedies will know, Pang has always had a knack in assembling the right cast for his movies, and ‘Missbehaviour’ is no different. Dada Chan hams up her role as Rosalin with ditzy aplomb, while Tan Hanjin and Tien You put an affecting twist on the stereotype of gay couples having to look good for each other. Though there is less emphasis on the other ‘Pat Poh’ characters, the actresses gamely give it their all, including Gigi Leung as an insecure policewoman, Yanki Din as an alpha female and Isabel Chan as Dada’s sensible foil. Look out too for Lam Suet’s scene-stealing cameo as a rude ‘cha chaan teng’ waiter, and Pang’s own as both May and Isabel’s ex.
It should be apparent by now that ‘Missbehavior’ isn’t your typical wholesome family-friendly Chinese New Year movie, but by being naughtier, cheekier and even edgier, it also differentiates itself handily from the rest of the genre fare. And we would say that it is better off being a distinctively Pang Ho-cheung affair, even as it is arguably already more restrained than some of his earlier works. Bring your ‘sisters’, your friends and possibly even yourself alone to this tongue-firmly-in-cheek, comedy tour-de-force - amidst a very crowded slate in the cinemas this season, we dare say that you’ll probably laugh the loudest, craziest and hardest in this one.
Movie Rating:
(Not your typical wholesome family-friendly Chinese New Year comedy, Pang Ho-cheung's 'Missbehavior' is a laugh-out-loud, irreverent and even raunchy affair that you'll thoroughly enjoy with your friends)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Comedy
Director: Stephen Chow
Cast: Wang Baoqiang, Vin E, Tin Kai Man
RunTime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 5 February 2019
Synopsis: Dreamy dreams of becoming a movie star, she has been working hard for years but has not been able to get beyond day player gigs. Her father gives her tremendous pressure and her family tries to convince her to quit. Only her boyfriend Charlie remains supportive. On a movie set, Dreamy runs into Marco, an actor who had once enlightened her. But Marco is washed-up now and his low self-esteem has turned him into a manic depressive. He torments Dreamy relentlessly. She continues to do her job enthusiastically, but finally cannot endure the repeated knocks on her dream and decides to give it up, go back to her parents and find a steady job. But then she gets the call: she has aced the audition she had done for a famous director for a leading role in his major film. Dreamy is now caught between her dream and reality…
Movie Review:
Twenty years after he turned his trials and tribulations as an aspiring actor into a movie, Stephen Chow remakes his own ‘The King of Comedy’ with a whole new Mainland cast to decidedly mixed results. Not only does he fail to convince just why a remake was necessary in the first place, this new edition is inferior in almost every respect, so much so that we dare say you’re better off seeking out its predecessor on Youtube (than watching this obvious clone intended strictly for the lucrative Mainland audience).
In place of himself, Chow has here cast relative newbie Vin E in the leading role of a passionate but unlucky actress named Dreamy toiling it out in the moviemaking industry while hoping to catch her big break. Like that which Chow played in the 1998 original, Dreamy endures countless rounds of humiliation from almost everyone on the set, including the director/ assistant director(s) who wonders why she insists on asking so many details about the throwaway roles she plays, the lead actor/ actress who laments she is wasting their time with her unnecessary questions, and even the on-the-set meal person who thinks she is there just for a free lunchbox.
If that last bit sounds familiar, that’s because it was a recurring joke in the original, which starred then-Chow regular Ng Man-tat as a misanthropic who was seen consistently denying Chow’s character his lunchbox. Even if we’re willing to give Chow the benefit of the doubt that he’s included the same plot element for nostalgic reasons, we’re quite sure that we cannot say the same of the rest of the movie, which finds him again milking ‘mo lei tau’ humour out of the scenes where our earnest but oblivious aspirant is cast as a thankless extra.
Instead of a John Woo-like action movie where Karen Mok is the lead, the production here is a family-friendly Lunar New Year comedy entitled ‘Snow White: Bloodbath in Chinatown’ starring Wang Baoqiang’s washed-up movie star Marco. In one of the scenes, Dreamy is cast as a stand-in for the evil witch for the movie after undergoing a botched plastic surgery op that causes her to have a pointy nose and chin, and is made to endure a beating by the seven dwarves; and in another, she is tricked into playing a vengeful ghost back to haunt Marco, in order that the director may capture a genuine look of fear on the latter’s face which seems painfully out of his very limited range.
As surprising as it may sound, that is as amusing as the movie gets, unless you include a sequence where Dreamy insists on keeping her prop of an ax on top of her head while attending her father’s (Zhang Qi) birthday dinner. Whether intended or otherwise, the scenes on the production of the aforementioned fake movie that see the vain and irascible Marco trying but flailing to act are not funny by any measure, not least because Wang’s egoistical character is so annoying you’d just want to smack him. Oh yes, we’re not quite sure if Chow meant for Marco to be a hilarious caricature, but we find little humour in his character at all.
And therefore if you, like us, stepped in hoping for some good-old Stephen Chow comedy, we can guarantee you that you’d be utterly disappointed. Not only does Vin E hardly come close to capturing the same sort of charming naivety which Chow evoked in the original, there are very few scenes that are anywhere near as entertaining, even as some of them are clearly recycled from the same formula. Yet it isn’t quite as simple that Chow has simply lost his comedic mojo; rather, continuing a a trend from his most recent movies such as ‘Journey to the West’ and ‘The Mermaid’, Chow seems to have simply traded laughter for emotion and/or drama.
So instead of finding humour in Dreamy’s struggles, Chow chooses to play up Dreamy’s determination as she overcomes one obstacle after another in order to chase her dreams of being a movie star. Besides all that humiliation we’ve described, she’ll have to blink through her roommate Xiaomi (Jing Ruyang) getting her big break after being talent spotted on the street. She’ll have to look past her father’s virulent objections against her choice of career, although both parents secretly look out for her behind her back. And last but not least, she’ll have to endure the heartbreak of her boyfriend Charlie’s (Zhang Quandan) infidelity, with whom she had even planned to settle down with. Chow’s message to ‘work hard and persevere’ is scrawled in his handwriting on some of the versions of the movie poster, and it is this he chooses to emphasise in the movie.
Yet as well-intentioned as it may be, we can’t say that we were particularly moved, not least because the farcical tone of the abuse she has to withstand somehow diminishes the realism of the circumstances that we are supposed to empathise that she is in. To be sure, Chow’s own original also tried to portray his character’s unblinking dedication to craft, but it went down a lot better with his own signature brand of humour. Without the wit, and with a much heavier hand, the drama here unfortunately falls flat, and the movie ends up being a lot less entertaining than its predecessor was.
Truth be told, ‘The New King of Comedy’ is a wholly unnecessary remake. After his string of VFX-heavy blockbusters, many of Chow’s fans – like us – were hoping that this movie would see him return to his early roots finding humour and heart in ordinary people. Yet if this pointless retread is a portend of what that return might look like, we’d much rather watch reruns on TV than sit through one-and-a-half hours of half-baked humour and cringe-worthy melodrama. Surely someone who was once feted as the king of comedy can do much, much better than this?
Movie Rating:
(Nowhere near as funny, but twice as melodramatic, as the original, Stephen Chow's remake of one of his own classics is a dull, pointless retread that is hardly what you'll expect from a king of comedy)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Animation/Family
Director: Zhang Dapeng
Cast: Zhang Yawen, Liu Yun, Gua Ah-Leh, Angela Wang, Shan Yuhao, Chang Lantian, Li Daguang, Fang Qingzhuo
RunTime: 1 hr 21 mins
Rating: G
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website:
Opening Day: 7 February 2019
Synopsis: On Chinese New Year’s eve, Tangyuan and Jaozi were all ready to spend the holiday at their grandparents’ home when Mummy and Daddy suddenly broke news that their grandparents are coming from the south to celebrate Chinese New Year with them. To cheer up the children, Daddy tells a story about Peppa celebrating Children’s Festival with her parents. Upon arrival, Granny tells the story about the unexpected events that Peppa encountered on the second day of the Children’s Festival. Granny and Grandpa’s arrival lights up the family with their holiday spirit. Together, the family experiences the Chinese traditions, encounter unexpected events. Just like Peppa and George, every experience teaches them to love life, families and friends.
Movie Review:
It is testament to the popularity of Peppa Pig in Mainland China that it is getting its first big-screen feature tailor-made for the Lunar New Year holidays, and to those worried that the character might not survive the cultural crossover well, we’d like to reassure you that it is as authentic a treatment as you’d probably imagine.
Oh yes, the parts with Peppa, her brother George and her parents Mommy and Daddy Pig are for the most part comfortingly similar to that of the cartoons on TV, except of course that they are now in Mandarin than English. Among them, there’s one with Peppa visiting the kids’ carnival for a camping trip that turns into a muddy delight (if you know your Peppa, you know that means jumping up and down in muddy puddles); another with Gerald Giraffe as a new student in Peppa’s class with her teacher Madame Gazelle, but feeling a little left out from the rest because of his height; yet another with Grandpa Pig showing off his toy aeroplanes when Peppa and George go over to visit; and last but not least, Peppa and her family taking a trip around the world to visit her friends Danny Dog, Suzy Sheep and Pedro Pony who are also on vacation.
Yet while there is little sign that the creators of Peppa Pig have decided to sell out their character, it would be remiss if they didn’t at least acknowledge the cultural context of her big-screen debut. Most significantly therefore, Peppa’s concluding segment sees her celebrating the Lunar New Year with her friends and learning the traditions associated with the festival, such as spring cleaning, dragon dance and firecrackers. There is one more segment that sees two new classmates, Peggi and Pandora, joining Peppa’s class, and let’s just say it is no coincidence that both are panda twins whose father happens to be Police Officer Panda.
If it isn’t yet obvious, ‘Peppa Pig Celebrates Chinese New Year’ is less a feature-length version of Peppa’s adventures than a loose collection of the usual Saturday morning shorts, strung together loosely by a live-action modern-day story of a family on the eve of the New Year. In a clear parallel to Peppa’s family, this real life one comprises an older girl Tang Yuan, her younger brother Jiaozi and their parents. Jiaozi is especially fond of Peppa Pig, thus creating a convenient narrative bridge into the occasional animated segments. Instead of heading to their paternal grandparents’ place, their maternal grandparents are coming over to visit this year, but comic hilarity (supposedly) ensues when both sets of grandparents decide to show up.
Amidst paper cutting and dumpling making, both grandmothers will seemingly compete for the affections and attention of their grandchildren. But you should know better than to expect some all-out rivalry between the two elderly women, given how this is meant to be a family-friendly – or more accurately, child-friendly – movie after all. For every potential misgiving, there is always a song-and-dance number to defuse the tension, so get ready for no less than five live-action musical sequences. Indeed, director and co-writer Zhang Dapeng has fun turning almost anything into a song, including the two aforementioned activities, a squeezy minibus ride, spring cleaning, and even a visit to the toy shop.
Truth be told, the whole film feels completely episodic, and the start-stop nature of the storytelling makes it feel draggy and even tedious for anyone above the age of ten. Yet if you’re even thinking about watching this, it is probably because your younger kids love Peppa Pig; and if so, we dare guarantee that they will be entertained, and even excited for the Lunar New Year festivities. This is through and through intended for them, so there is really no point judging the movie on any other measure, lest of course you were one of them disaffected millennials in China who misappropriated Peppa as a symbol of slacker culture. But we digress – if you have a child that loves Peppa, take them by all means and let them enjoy this East-West fusion; otherwise, you probably wouldn’t and shouldn’t bother about this movie anyways.
Movie Rating:
(It's made for the kids for the Lunar New Year season, and as long as they love it, who are we to say otherwise?)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Comedy/Sports
Director: Han Han
Cast: Shen Teng, Huang Jingyu, Yin Zheng, Yin Fang, Tian Yu
RunTime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures and Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 5 February 2019
Synopsis: Zhang Chi, a hubrisand dominating six-time racing champion, falls from grace following a crisis. After a five-year suspension from the motorsport, the now single-father to a six-year-old boy throws down the gauntlet once again to a younger generation of racing geniuses, and vows to regain his past glory. With few years left in a professional career at almost forty, the father-and-son duo braves a brand-new world of auto-racing which puts them into some rather ironic situations. To guard the honor and a father’s promise tohis son, Zhang Chi regroups with his former teammates on the journey back to the race course. Together they roll with the punches and launch a serious attack for the championship. An old-time racing champion tries to come back to the race track...
Movie Review:
Let’s face it - most racing shows are testosterone showcases. Sure, they’ll weave a back story through the plot to keep the indulgence a little more reasonable, but it’s usually a limp romance story on the side.
Then in flies Pegasus.
Coming out of nowhere, writer and director Han Han has created a surprisingly good piece, that uses the motor competition to tell a story of dreams, camaraderie and sportsmanship. And instead of an overly heroic treatment, this China production taps into the comedic route. Supported by a strong ensemble, each fully committing to their dysfunctional self, the result is engaging, funny, and full of unexpected feels at the end.
Our anti-hero is Zhang Chi (Shen Teng); a fallen motorsports 5-time champion. Caught illegally racing at a carpark, he loses his driving license and is suspended from any form of race car competition for five years. The blow lands hard. He loses everything he has worked for, as his sponsors, friends and supporters abandon him.
Eager to revive his glory for his 6-year-old son, he pleads the association for reinstatement, and gets it. To proof that he is no fluke, and that he still has the skills, he competes against younger upstarts in the toughest technical course possible - the Bayan mountain range.
While the plot sounds standard enough, it is Han’s wit and Teng’s performance that lifts the film to another level. There’s a clear ode to Stephen Chow’s zany brand of humour; at times wildly awkward, and at others, ridiculously dramatic. But the director and lead steers this vehicle firmly to a win, as they deal line after line with aplomb.
The buffet of humour styles also run the gamut, from mic-drop punchlines to memorable visual gags. In one scene, as Zhang boasts about his suave past, he asks his son if he looks impressive in his racing suit. The kid, ever so honest, says he looks like a food delivery person. As if that wasn’t harsh enough, the doorbell rings and their dinner arrives, along with a guy to prove the boy’s point.
In another scene, when Zhang instructs his son to greet an old competitor “uncle”, the kid offers up “brother” to gain favour, but changes it to “old man” when the man makes a snarky comment.
Even with recounting, the scenes will still be a riot to watch, due to the wonderful comedic timing and chemistry the cast has.
Yin Zheng is a hilarious loyal sidekick and driving partner, with a running gag on his long mane. Huang Jingyu creates a cool counterbalance as the young competitor, who is not the typical antagonist. Even a righteous driving instructor acted by Tian Yu is technically redundant, but entirely enjoyable to watch as the driving nazi.
Even with some poorly executed scenes of CGI and editing, Pegasus still gives us the thrills but wrapped up in a new body of feel-good comedy and touching message. It’s not preachy or desperate, and is just a celluloid road trip out to have fun. Wings well-deserved for this one.
Movie Rating:
(Han shifts this film quickly into the right gear, and pulls ahead with expert handling of comedic timing and wacky fun)
Review by Morgan Awyong
|
ALOYSIUS PANG (冯伟衷) (1990 - 2019)Posted on 24 Jan 2019 |
| « Prev | 374 | 375 | 376 | 377 | 378 | 379 | 380 | 381 | 382 | 383 | 384 | Next » |
Most Viewed
No content.