Genre: Action
Director: Stanley Tong
Cast: Jackie Chan, Yang Yang, Ai Lun, Mu Qimiya, Xu Ruohan, Zhu Zhengting
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence)
Released By: mm2, Shaw Organisation, MCC International and Cathay Cineplexes
Official Website:
Opening Day: 30 September 2020
Synopsis: Vanguard is an internationally-renowned and privately-owned venture high-tech security agency founded by Tang Huanting (Jackie Chan). Their client, Qin Guoli, alerted the U.S. intelligence agencies of his boss, Massym, as the leader of an aggressive military group in the Middle East. Maasym is then assassinated by the U.S. government and his son, Omar, ordered to have Qin captured. Vanguard members Lei Zhenyu (Yang Yang), Zhang Haixuan (Ai Lun) and Miya (Mu Qimiya) are sent on a mission to rescue Qin and to protect his estranged daughter, an elephant conservationist, Fareeda (Xu Ruohan).
Movie Review:
Jackie Chan will turn 65 years old this April, and you’ll do well to bear that in mind when watching ‘Vanguard’. Oh yes, even though it reunites Jackie with his longtime collaborator Stanley Tong, who was behind some of Jackie’s biggest hits including ‘Police Story 3: Super Cop’, ‘Rumble in the Bronx’ and ‘Police Story 4: First Strike’, their previous outing ‘Kung Fu Yoga’ has demonstrated that age has certainly caught up with the actor, such that he is no longer able to perform the sort of dare-devil stunts which have wowed a whole generation of audiences worldwide.
Compared to ‘Kung Fu Yoga’, Jackie does even less stunt work in ‘Vanguard’, and despite this, looks tired and haggard most of the time. Though he gets top billing, Jackie’s role as the head of the titular private security agency is in effect a supporting act at best. While his character Tang Huanting does lead his team out on missions, much of the action in the field is driven by fellow Vanguard operatives Lei (Yang Yang) and Kaixuan (Ai Lun), who are more than capable of handling themselves without Tang having to play any sort of commandeering role.
It is inevitable that you’ll be disappointed by the size of Jackie’s role, given how the movie has been sold as ‘a Jackie Chan Lunar New Year action blockbuster’. Tong, who is both writer and director, gives Jackie little to do not only in the action department but also in terms of acting. There is no attempt to give Jackie’s character any sort of backstory how he got involved in the private security business, or for that matter, any sort of dynamics between him and his fellow Vanguard operatives, so much so that Tang is pretty much a cipher from start to finish.
In truth, ‘Vanguard’ is structured as a globe-trotting adventure consisting of four elaborate sequences set in London, Africa and Dubai strung together by the barest of plot. Incensed that his father’s former business partner Qin Ruoli (Jackson Lou) had betrayed his dad to the police, Omar (Eyad Hourani) tries to kidnap Qin during the Spring Festival street parade in London, and when that fails, heads to Africa to try to seize Qin’s daughter Fareeda (Xu Ruohan) as hostage. All that to-and-froing culminates in the UAE capital, where Qin is supposed to show Omar where he had written the equivalent of Omar’s father’s fortune in gold.
Besides a couple of throwaway scenes hinting at a budding romance between Lei and Fareeda, there is hardly any depth to any of the principal Vanguard agents, whether Lei, Kaixuan, Miya (Mu Qimiya) or Shendiao (Zhu Zhengting). The storytelling is as economical as it gets, but because we are told close to nothing about these characters, the actors are basically reduced to stunt people who are worth as much as how well they perform their stunts. To their credit, you can tell each of them is committed to put up a good physical show, but besides Mu, none have the benefit of a martial arts background, and that lack thereof is apparent despite their best efforts.
That also leaves ‘Vanguard’ as an action extravaganza and nothing more, although in that regard, Tong still has his midas touch. A shootout and subsequent fisticuffs in a London restaurant is energising; the next shootout in the African wilderness is also well-done; a high-speed chase on the rapids with an amphibious jeep and jet skis is thrilling; so is a raid on an ancient city in the desert where a terrorist group known as the Arctic Wolves has made their compound; and last but not least a ‘Fast and Furious-like’ race down the streets of Dubai with gold plated vehicles is dazzling both literally and metaphorically. Tong is a veteran of old-school Hong Kong action, and his experience ensures that the action is always engaging.
If all you’re after is some diverting big-scale action set against exotic locations, ‘Vanguard’ will probably have you gripped for close to two hours. But anyone else expecting anything more should know that there is no human drama, little character development and only the barest of plots. More, if not most, importantly is the fact that ‘Vanguard’ is hardly a Jackie Chan film. It’s not even that he is growing old and cannot do the sort of daredevil action we hope to see, but that he seems utterly bored and dispirited to be in this endeavor in the first place. Take our advice – do not watch this for Jackie, for if you do, you’ll most certainly be disappointed.
Movie Rating:
(No more than a collection of engaging action sequences set against exotic locations, 'Vanguard' is memorable only for the fact that Jackie Chan has never looked more tired or haggard)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Thriller
Director: John Krasinski
Cast: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, Djimon Hounsou
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 June 2021
Synopsis: Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family (Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe) must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.
Movie Review:
As much as many of us would have loved it, it would have been near impossible for ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ to match the minimalism of the first film. Tightly centred on a couple struggling to survive and raise their children in a post-apocalyptic world that is inhabited by aliens with hypersensitive hearing but are otherwise blind, the 2018 thriller succeeded by keeping its focus on the minutiae of their moment-by-moment survival, making for a deeply suspenseful experience full of clever and lean scares.
Gone is the small-scale terror of the original; right from the get-go, writer/director John Krasinski lets you know that the setting will be much broader this time round, kicking off with a rollicking opening which brings us back to Day 1 of the alien invasion. As the family gather at a Little League game to watch Marcus (Noah Jupe) take his turn to bat, a meteorite explodes as it streaks through the clouds, causing pandemonium on Main Street with the residents of Millbrook rushing to get to safety.
The contrast is intentional: not only does it satisfy our inevitable curiosity about what it was like when the aliens arrived, it also shows how the family had realised that the aliens were attracted primarily to sound, as well as how their ability to communicate in sign language was a key reason they had managed to evade the aliens. It is a gripping sequence all right, filmed in intercutting long takes and with carefully choreographed sound design (to show in particular how their daughter Regan, who is deaf, would have perceived that fateful day).
It is also the first time we are acquainted with Emmett (Cillian Murphy), a neighbour who happens to be at the same Little League game to support his son. After Day 1, the storytelling fast-forwards to Day 474 to pick up right after where the earlier film ended, with the surviving members of the Abbott family moving on from their farmstead that is now in flames and half-flooded. The sand path which had been laid down to dampen their footfall ends at a old, seemingly abandoned, steel mill, whereupon Marcus gets his foot caught in a bear trap meant to ensnare the aliens.
Though it is clear that the trap was set by him in the first place, it is a now-grieving Emmett who narrowly saves the whole family. Having lost his children on the first day of the invasion and his wife later of illness, Emmett has become hirsute and withdrawn. Nevertheless, he retains enough humanity not to cast Evelyn (Emily Blunt) out with her children, putting them up instead in his bunker under the foundry; in fact, when the fiercely independent Regan (Millicent Simonds) ventures out to find the radio tower transmitting the song on the radio she hears, Emmett ends up going out to bring her back.
Taking over writing duties completely, Krasinski decides to split up the protagonists: on one hand, Emmett and Regan tries to get to a nearby island where the radio tower is located, while trying to survive the aliens and other forms of unexpected danger; on another, Evelyn goes off by herself to scavenge for oxygen and medical supplies; and on another, Marcus inadvertently leads the creatures to the bunker and gets him and his newborn brother inadvertently locked inside a furnace while racing for safety. Whilst cross-cutting among different scenes of action typically dissipates tension, it is to Krasinski’s credit that he juggles these balls of suspense without dropping any.
If there was any doubt how much of a superb craftsman he is, this sequel should firmly and decisively put them to rest. Not only is his direction efficient and assured, Krasinski keeps the pace tripwire-tight with a number of nerve-wracking sequences, building up dread capably with details that pay off for the attentive viewer or through the use of a carefully designed soundscape to add to the claustrophobic dread. Despite a more expansive scope, Krasinski doesn’t lose sight of the keenly felt sense of family that lent heart and poignancy to his earlier film, aided once again by compelling performances from a well-chosen ensemble.
It is inevitable that ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ would not have the same novelty as its predecessor; that said, it advances the franchise in brilliant and exciting ways, whether is it setting up Regan to take over Evelyn as the heart of the movie, or showing how the invasion had taken its toll on a group of near-deranged humans, or even in expanding the universe to a near-utopian colony which had established itself on a island away from the mainland. After having waited a year to see it on the big screen, we must say it is absolutely worth the cinematic experience, and as good a reason as any to come out of our own recently tightened COVID-19 controls.
Movie Rating:
(As brilliantly taut and poignant as the first movie, even if it lacks the same novelty, this sequel is yet another superbly acted and directed masterclass in suspense)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Robert Luketic
Cast: Sarah Hyland, Tyler James Williams, Jenna Dewan, Matt Shively, Anna Camp, Wanda Sykers, Kristen Johnston, Patrick Warburton, Keith David
Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Homosexual References and Drug Use)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 November 2019
Synopsis: Meet Mara. She is a carefree 27-year old with the half-hearted aspiration of being a photographer. She stumbles upon a guy named Jake on Tinder and an unexpected connection develops. Things are going well until wedding invitations start pouring in. This is Mara’s nightmare, but Jake is thrilled. They decide which weddings to attend and embark on a year-long adventure together. As wedding season kicks off, Mara finds more inspiration for her photos. Over seven weddings, we watch Mara and Jake’s bond deepen and eventually Jake proposes. Although Mara says yes, she has reservations, eventually causing her to blow up the relationship. At first, newly single Mara thinks it will be easier to move on, but then she realizes she had it pretty good. As Jake is building his new life, Mara begins to come into her own as well, finally developing her passion for photography into a career. At Alex's wedding, Mara confesses she still loves Jake and they begin anew.
Movie Review:
There is little in ‘The Wedding Year’ that you haven’t already seen in some other rom-com, but this latest from genre specialist Robert Luketic (of ‘Legally Blonde’, ‘Monster-in-Law’ and ‘The Ugly Truth’) is nonetheless charming in an unassuming way.
That credit belongs as much to Luketic, who guides the movie along with a confident and polished hand, as it does to his lead actors Sarah Hyland and Tyler James Williams; indeed, there is genuine, down-to-earth chemistry between Hyland and Williams, such that the joys and pains of their characters’ relationship are keenly felt.
Between them, the story gives greater emphasis to Mara (Hyland), a twenty-something year-old who works as a sales assistant in a fashion store and whose ambition is to become a photographer. It doesn’t matter that she hasn’t had luck in the dating department; in fact, she is more than happy to get by evenings conning first dates she finds on a dating app to bring her out for dinner. And oh, for friendship, she has a gay best buddy in Alex (Matt Shively), who happens to be actively searching for the one.
Mara’s routine is disrupted when she meets Jake (Williams), whom she initially tries to get a dinner at a high-end restaurant out of. Their meet-cute ends up at the diner where Jake is working as a cook, while he awaits his big break to fulfil his dream of being a chef and ‘bring the South (where he is from, or Virginia, to be more specific) to Southern California’. They hit it off more effortlessly than either of them expect, and before long, make the significant step of moving in with each other into Mara’s place.
As most such rom-coms go, the test of their relationship is whether each of them are willing to commit to each other. That test, as conceived by writer Donald Diego, is forced upon them when they receive a pile of wedding invitations, and eventually after a drinking game, settle upon seven which they agree to attend together. Each of these weddings is a comedic set-piece in itself – what with Mara feeling jealous at Jake’s hot ex Nicole (Camille Hyde), being asked at the last-minute to deliver a speech at her boss Ellie’s (Anna Camp) wedding, and made to rescue Jake’s brother’s wife-to-be from being a runaway bride – and while some are naturally funnier than others, none end up outlasting its welcome.
What makes Mara have serious doubts is inevitably her encounter with Jake’s parents (Keith David and Wanda Sykes), as she balks at having to become the type of wife she never saw herself to be. It doesn’t help that her own parents didn’t have the most stable marriage, which adds to her phobia of commitment. In the meantime, Alex finds love with a British partner Zak (Tom Connolly) whom Jake had helped break the ice at one of the weddings, causing her to further question what she had wanted and expects out of in her love life.
It should come as no surprise whether Mara and Jake overcome their fears of settling down to come back together as a couple; like we said, this is ultimately comfort food for rom-com fans and Luketic sticks with formula through and through. The only surprise therefore is Hyland, who injects a heretofore unseen energy into the movie is utterly infectious – and given how the supporting performers don’t quite bring much to their thinly written roles, it is lucky she can pretty much carry the entire movie on her own.
Like we said, how much you enjoy ‘The Wedding Year’ depends on how much you’ll prepared to settle in for a formulaic rom-com. As long as you do not mind predictability, this breezy entry by a seasoned genre veteran and with a crackerjack performance by Hyland should leave you in that sweet spot which rom-coms are supposed to..
Movie Rating:
(Entirely formulaic but undeniably effective, this breezy entry by 'Legally Blonde' director Robert Luketic is comfort food for rom-com fans)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Clémentine Grenier, Manon Clavel, Alain Libolt, Christian Crahay, Roger Van Hool, Ludivine Sagnier, Laurent Capelluto, Jackie Berroyer
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 2 January 2020
Synopsis: Fabienne is a star – a star of French cinema. She reigns amongst men who love and admire her. When she publishes her memoirs, her daughter Lumir returns from New York to Paris with her husband and young child. The reunion between mother and daughter will quickly turn to confrontation: truths will be told, accounts settled, loves and resentments confessed.
Movie Review:
With age, time and changes in life’s experiences, how do we define what is true? Is it something that is out there within eye’s reach or is it a perception that we create based on our experiences?
The Truth is a French film, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda (whom also directed Shoplifters), about a daughter of an actress mother coming back to her mother’s place to congratulate her on the success of her biography. Through her stay, she is confronted by the conflicts and issues that she has had with her mother and have to find a way to work through her feelings and emotions to find the truth about her relationship with her mother.
So, the thing that attracted me the very most is the fact that you have a director working on a film in a language that is not native to him or her. In this case, a Japanese director working on a French film. It is always interesting to see different people interpreting different cultures and languages in their own style.
What I love about the film is that it is like a story within a story. The story takes us into the actress mother accepting a role in a film about a mother and daughter relationship. And although maybe quite a simplistic idea and reference to the actual film, it did help in referencing the main plot and making the film relatable.
The cast, although largely unknown to many unfamiliar with French films (with the exception of Ethan Hawke), compromises of a pair of really experienced actresses, whom still manages to wow the audiences with their great skills, and many others whom made the film natural and realistic in many aspects.
Sadly, even with such a great cast and a magnificent story, it is strange that the film is not able to make a huge impact on the viewers and, in fact, turned out slightly mediocre. It is uncertain if it is the way it was directed or the lack of a strong storyline or focus that might have played a part in the overall feeling.
It also did not help that the scenes were slightly jumpy, which might attribute to confusion within the viewers. However, it did have some proper structure and sequence through the scenes, but it still did not assure viewers at all.
Also, the tone throughout the film was slightly monotonous and did not have much room for the viewers to feel the emotions that could or should have been displayed.
Despite that, the film did have a great script that portrayed depth and provoked a fair amount of relatable thoughts, which unfortunately was plagued by many factors that stopped the film form being as amazing as it should be.
Overall, The Truth is endearing and somewhat lovable, yet forgettable and unmemorable. It could have made a bigger impact with its great story, yet strangely did not deliver well. Truthfully, it is a little of a waste, considering its potential.
Movie Rating:
(Beautiful story with a lack of strong direction and impact. You might be slightly disappointed. Consider watching this on the weekdays)
Review by Ron Tan
Genre: Comedy
Director: Kittiphak Thongauam
Cast: Paopetch Charoensook, Thongchai Thongkuntom, Ratthanant Janyajirawong, Pattarasaya Kruasuwansiri, Araya A. Hargate
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Homosexual Content)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 2 January 2020
Synopsis: This is the first time the tootsie gang will be raising hell on the big screen after becoming a homegrown Thai TV sensation. The three famously funny tootsies, Gus (Paopetch Charoensook), Golf (Thongchai Thongkuntom), Kim (Ratthanant Janyajirawong) and their resident femme, Natty (Pattarasaya Kruasuwansiri) are on a mission improbable to “fake it until they make it”. All hilarious hell breaks loose when gayzilla Golf accidently causes celebrity superstar Cathy (Araya A. Hargate) to slip and fall unconscious a week before she must shoot a lucrative TV commercial. Faced with a 50-million-baht lawsuit if Cathy is a no-show. They dream up a plan to find a look-alike to pose as the real Cathy. Their wishes come true after they track down a street food hawker named Nam (also played by Araya A. Hargate), who had enough plastic surgery to make her an almost perfect match. Dreams are shattered when they discover that Nam has nightmarish manners and a very impulsive personality, totally opposite of the real Cathy who is famous for being very polite and extremely sweet. Can they pull all their rainbow powers together and turn a street-food-nobody cook into the brightest shooting star in the entertainment universe?
Movie Review:
For the uninitiated, tootsie is a affectionate term used in Thailand for a campy gay guy. And celebrating this without restraint, Line TV created a series based on the online accounts of Thachpacha Setthachai, a proud tootsie who does a Carrie Bradshaw and recalls the many humourous episodes he has with his three best friends - two gay and one lesbian.
Winning over 6 million views, Diary of Tootsies received such popularity that it got another season. So yes, Tootsies & The Fake is indeed a feature film rendition of that Thai series. And yup, it’s more of the same, for better or for worse.
Fake it till you make it is a common philosophy in the West, but in this film, Gus (Paopetch Charoensook) and his friends each comes face-to-face with a situation that calls for some fibbing.
Lesbian Natty (Pattarasaya Kruasuwansiri) wants to win her inheritance over her mother’s cat, but is given the ultimatum that she needs a grandchild for that to happen. Gus bumps into his ex, Top (JJ Kritsanapoom Pibunsonggram), and finds it hard to resist the eligible bachelor, while keeping his own relationship alive against the threat of a bratty niece. But for Tootsies & The Fake, the main arc comes from Golf (Thongchai Thongkuntom) and Kim (Ratthanant Janyajirawong).
Make-up artist Golf gets to meet his idol Cathy (Araya A. Hargate) during a production set, but unwittingly causes her to get a head injury with his sweat - you read right, his sweat. Only in the universe of the tootsies can such extreme gags count as logical, and Kittiphak Thongauam lets it rip with the toilet humour and OTT reactions. Slapstick fans, this one’s for you.
But at the same time, it’s hard to resist the ugly duckling conundrum. As Golf and Kim finds a lookalike to replace the comatose actress in an important TV commercial shoot, the duo struggles to teach grace and etiquette to the crude street hawker replacement. The will-she-or-won’t-she scenario never gets old, especially when the solution comes undone halfway.
Make no mistake about it, Tootsies & The Fake doesn’t pretend to be high-brow fare, and relishes in the formula that made it gold in the first place. Expect extreme reactions (Janyajirawong has this department sold), madcap sequences (Thongkuntom always starts a riot), and some of the best product placement ever featured in a film (Jack Neo needs to learn from Thongauam on this one).
While the back story works better if you have watched the series, the film fills you in enough to not disrupt the plot. However, there are local references that definitely make the title more enjoyable for the Thai, including the 9x9 reference (Pibunsonggram’s old band) and various celebrity cameos such as Ice Paris Intarakomalyasut.
It’s hard to forgive one-dimensional stereotypes and a manic plot, but when the eye-candy characters are refreshingly unabashed and uncensored, and their many attempts to draw out laughter so wholehearted, it’s definitely okay to let out a chuckle. Don’t worry - laugh is laugh, we won’t judge.
Movie Rating:
(This comedy never lets up on the drama. Tootsies & The Fake flies the gay flag high and continues its homegrown legacy full of unique Thai charm)
Review by Morgan Awyong
SYNOPSIS: An idealistic cop joins an underground police unit and battles ghoulish forces threatening the balance between the human and the supernatural realms.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Hollywood has the R.I.P.D while HK has Vampire Cleanup Department and now Taiwan has The 9th Precinct. In a gist, the police force has a secret department setup to deal with the dead and the supernatural. No doubt all the movies listed have the same outline and formula, a dash of horror + thrill + comedy. The 9th Precinct is no exception.
Taiwanese actor Roy Chiu plays Chen Chia-Hao, a rookie cop who after encountering a bizarre shootout with a criminal is being assigned to the ghost crimes bureau under the watchful eyes of Officer Chang (Peng Cha Cha). Apparently, Chen is able to see the dead since young though he is unable to hear them speak which explains why he is an useful asset.
Together with Chang and fellow female officer Hsueh (Wen Chen-Ling), Chen’s duty now is to settle the problems of the dead in the 9th Precinct. Any related crimes and mysteries however must be relegated to the other departments to prevent any dire consequences. But when Chen and the estranged daughter of Chang, journalist Ju-Hsin (Eugenie Liu) stumbles upon a case which involved the deaths of many young innocent ladies, they decide to go ahead and check on a sinister hospital director, Sun (Yeo Yann Yann). By doing so, Chen has went against the basic rule of the 9th Precinct which Chang has earlier warned him about.
The 9th Precinct contains lots of references to Chinese superstitions and mythology in the way the late Lam Ching Ying mesmerized the whole lot of us in his Mr Vampire series. Of course, The 9th Precinct is a much mellowed version and Hsueh is the only standout character who is possessed by the drunken monk deity when in times of need. Unfortunately, Roy Chiu is the weakest link of all. He seems perpetually bored all the time even veteran Peng Cha Cha is far more interesting to watch.
Yeo Yann Yann who is much familiar to all of us here plays the devilish satanic worshipping hospital director. Her performance might be over-the-top at times but it’s never a dull thing to see Yeo in a movie appearance. The biggest problem however lies in the execution. The 9th Precinct is chockfull of events, characters and nearly everyone has a backstory to tell. Chen has a ghost mother. Hsueh is a runaway and brought up in a temple. Ju-Hsin blames her dad for neglecting her family. And then Chen has to avenge the death of a female ghost who saved his life. And what’s up with the undercook villainous Sun?
For all the drama conjured by director Leo Wang and his writer, there’s a serious lack of urgency and humour. None of the antics and happenings are particularly entertaining, thrilling or funny. It seems they are there for the sake of being there, to fill up the screentime and nothing more nothing less. Given Taiwan’s wondrous records with the horror genre in recent years (The Tag Along and The Rope Curse for example), we expect a bit more from The 9th Precinct. It turned out we are as perpetually bored as Roy Chiu.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Comedy
Director: Raymond Wong
Cast: Raymond Wong, Julien Cheung, Louis Cheung, Chrissie Chau, Dada Chen, Patrick Tam
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References And Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 25 January 2020
Synopsis: The Yau’s brothers are a trio of scammers who make punishing baddies their mission. A misunderstanding leads them to fellow con artists the Lui’s sisters, and they join hands to scam a notorious mob boss. Through a myriad of ingenious tricks and disguises, they bring the mobster to justice as romance blossoms swiftly — all’s well that ends well.
Movie Review:
After an eight-year hiatus, Raymond Wong is back at his signature Chinese New Year franchise, assembling yet another star-studded ensemble for what he hopes to be another humorous and heart-warming outing. If you’re counting, this would be the eighth film of the franchise; but except for a throwaway link to the very first (and still the best) instalment through a cameo by Sheila Chan, this is otherwise an altogether new story and set of characters from its predecessors.
In spirit and form though, this is closest to the 1992 original than any of the earlier sequels, given how it revolves around the adventures (or misadventures) of three brothers. Wong himself plays the oldest of the Yau siblings named Wing-fu, the mastermind behind their ‘Robin Hood-like’ schemes to take from the rich and evil in order to give to the poor and needy. Julian Cheung plays the middle brother Wing-chung, an effortless charmer whose smooth-talking talents are often put to use in the field. Last but not least, Louis Cheung is the youngest brother Wing-chi, a playboy who yearns to play a bigger role than just a getaway driver in their ploys.
As co-written by Raymond and his son Edmond Wong, the Yaus will meet a pair of equally wily sisters, Mona (Chrissie Chau) and Monroe (Dada Chan), and team up with them to save a hapless accountant (Cheung Tat-ming) from his arrogant triad boss Dragon Tam (Patrick Tam). Their ruse involves baiting Dragon with the legendary ‘Eternal Diamond’, which happens to be on loan from the British Museum for display in Hong Kong. Frankly, it isn’t nearly as clever as it ought to be, but that is probably beside the point; after all, the plot is ultimately no more than a device for a whole string of ‘mo lei tau’ gags.
Alas, these gags are less inspired than tired, and worse, repetitive. How many times are we supposed to laugh at men salivating over Dada Chan’s voluptuous assets? Too many in fact – not only do we have to endure at least two occasions of Wing-chi trying to get his hands on them (including a game of strip guessing), we have a whole sequence where she uses her physical gifts to seduce Evergreen Mak’s pervy security manager into showing her the vault where the diamond is kept.
Besides using Dada’s bosom as a recurring gag, there are also puns which feel like the stuff of ‘80s and ‘90s Hong Kong comedies. An early scene has Wing-fu in disguise trying to scam Mona in a hotel room, where he tells her he loves to “eat chicken” after she orders Hainanese chicken rice from room service; and there is another where Jim Chim’s leery gangster attempts to get Mona to remove her shower towel in order to save Wing-chung. It is as shallow as it sounds all right, but also bemusing why Wong’s comic playbook this time round seems stuffed with sexual jokes.
What wit that can be found is few and far in between. The elaborate switcheroo to distract Dragon while stealing the diamond back from him has some clever moments. Ditto for the cat-and-mouse chase which Wing-chung engages with Chim and his henchmen in a magician’s studio – that is, prior to Wing-chung being tied to a chair and Mona being asked to show off her assets to save him. Indeed, there are not many genuinely hilarious bits at all, leaving one wondering why Wong had attempted to resurrect this franchise all over again.
As much as it packs all the elements of a traditional Lunar New Year movie, there is little which the name cast or the ensemble of cameos (including Law Kar-ying, Liu Kai-chi, Karena Ng, Helena Law and Kingdom Yuen) can do to save a limp action comedy, not least one that only cheapens itself with one too many uninventive ‘yellow’ jokes. Contrary to its title, not much is well about Wong’s own attempt to reboot his genre classic, and it is therefore no surprise that it won’t end well with much mirth too. Amidst the flurry of CNY titles, let’s just say you could do much, much better with other similarly intentioned fare.
Movie Rating:
(Too many 'yellow' jokes and other uninspired gags mean all is not (and does not end) well in Raymond Wong's attempt to reboot his own Chinese New Year classic)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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GOLDEN GLOBE WINNERS 2020Posted on 06 Jan 2020 |
Genre: Comedy
Director: Andy Fickman
Cast: John Cena, Keegan - Michael Key, John Leguizamo, Brianna Hildebrand, Dennis Haysbert, Judy Greer
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 9 January 2020
Synopsis: When straight-laced fire superintendent Jake Carson (John Cena) and his elite team of expert firefighters (Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo and Tyler Mane) come to the rescue of three siblings (Brianna Hildebrand, Christian Convery and Finley Rose Slater) in the path of an encroaching wildfire, they quickly realize that no amount of training could prepare them for their most challenging job yet – babysitters. Unable to locate the children’s parents, the firefighters have their lives, jobs and even their fire depot turned upside down and quickly learn that kids – much like fires –are wild and unpredictable.
Movie Review:
Australia probably needs the help of John Cena right now. Wrestler turned actor, Cena (Bumblebee, Blockers) plays the commanding officer of a team of smoke jumpers aka trained wildlife firefighters, Jake Carson in Playing With Fire. Heroic, brave and tough, Carson is fearless when comes to his job but is completely hopeless in human relationships.
His team of staff left him to join the big league, his romantic relationship with a certain Dr. Amy Hicks (Judy Greer) is blowing hot and cold and all he has left in his life is his dream of being the replacement for the division commander post and his three loyal subordinates, Mark (Keegan Michael-Key), Rodrigo (John Leguizamo) and Axe (Tyler Mane).
Carson’s life and attitude starts to change after saving three kids from a burning cabin as Carson and his goofy teammates have to take care of them temporarily until their mother comes back. What is the secret behind the three kids? And what magic are they going to weave to change the all too serious Carson?
Coming from Andy Fickman who directed another wrestler turned actor, Dwayne Johnson in The Game Plan, he sure knows how to concoct a series of childish, wacky antics to amuse the younger ones. Most of the runtime is spent on slapstick comedy that most adults won’t find exactly hilarious. Let’s see there’s a prolonged scene which has Carson and Mark trying hard to change toddler Zoey’s smelly diaper, an over-reliance on My Little Pony jokes and other gags that involved fire, spilling oil, fire extinguisher and a nail gun. Dangerous stuff in reality but in the hands of Fickman, all these evolved into props for comedy.
Most of the movie’s comedy is formulaic even the antics from Home Alone seems way better. The movie attempts to be heartfelt towards the end but the screenplay is too ludicrous and simple to make an impact. The children are projected as rowdy, smart and likeable. That perhaps is owed to the cutesy Zoey.
John Cena has that likeable onscreen charisma and notably he can act. Besides Dwayne Johnson, Cena is the next best wrestler turned actor, his comic timing is near perfect. Check out Blockers and Trainwreck if you don’t believe me. He just needs a better script or a blockbuster that doesn’t contain a robot as the main star. Keegan Michael-Key and John Leguizamo are both serviceable as the sidekicks and comedian Judy Greer is near forgettable.
From a family movie point of view, Playing With Fire delivers a truck load of childish humour that will entertain the specific younger demographic. It doesn’t really require much thinking or require much writing and effort on the filmmaking process. And of course, it’s preposterous to even think of it being a worthy spokesperson for firemen or their firefighting efforts. On the other hand, Arnold Schwarzenegger has his turn with kids in Kindergarten Cop, Jackie Chan in The Spy Next Door and Vin Diesel in The Pacifier, perhaps it’s just John Cena’s turn to be part of this ritual.
Movie Rating:
(Yet another bland and unfunny comedy for adults but kids might find it loaded with laughs)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Comedy
Director: Dayo Wong
Cast: Dayo Wong, Annie Liu, Benz Hui, Catherine Chau, Harriet Yeung, Ivan Yuen, Eddie Law, Chan Ka Kai, C Kwan
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Clover Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 25 January 2020
Synopsis: The grandmaster Fei Lung lost everything after he got defeated by Chun. To regain his reputation, Fei Lung challenges her to a final fight. Much to his surprise, he gradually falls in love with Chun. Will he be able to win both Chun’s heart and the battle at the end?
Movie Review:
After the success of his spy spoof, Agent Mr. Chan (2018), stand-up comedian and actor Dayo Wong or Wong Tze Wah is back to tickle the funny bones in his latest self-directed, co-penned martial-arts parody, The Grand Grandmaster.
To fully appreciate a movie liked The Grand Grandmaster, you need to know that Wong is not the flashy, brash comedian for instance Stephen Chow. The latter indeed set a high bar and sadly Wong barely touches it. Frankly, Wong’s comedic style works better on stage or even on television. Put him on the big screen and his weaknesses as a comedian shows.
Wong plays Ma Fei Lung, a martial-arts practitioner who specialised in Ma Ka Thunder Style, a form of martial arts started 800 years ago by his ancestor, a certain General Ma when he escaped to Hong Kong island from a losing war. In present times, Ma and his relatives have benefitted from this so-called martial arts. He has three branches of martial-arts school, has an upcoming outlet in New York and has a wide range of merchandises including soup mix, kitchenware and ahem their own line of Chinese herb infused sanitary pads to go with it.
Until one fine day, Ma is defeated by a former boxing champion, Chen Tsang (Taiwanese actress Annie Liu from Invincible Dragon) in broad daylight. Ma is soon cornered into a one on one fight with Tsang by the media. After ways of trying to coerce Tsang into a fix match failed, Ma is surprisingly coaxed into the fight of all people, Tsang’s estranged father (played by Benz Hui) who agrees to coach him to fight against his own daughter.
The Grand Grandmaster would have been a much funnier movie if Wong has make a fast and furious parody on the martial-arts genre make popular in recent times by Ip Man and Wong Kar Wai’s The Grandmaster. Wong is probably inspired by those online videos which showcased veteran martial-arts masters in China being beaten to a pulp by real-life MMA fighters. His jab or tribute to the late Bruce Lee’s Be Water analogy is also rather wacky and ticklish. But alas, the comedy pretty much loses its steam before the first hour as Wong decides to turn it into a melodrama and unbelievable romance romp between his character and Tsang.
It turned out Ma is a loser figure right from the start. He is dumped by his ex-wife, had a son that is not his and inherited a martial-arts that falls short. Tsang on the other hand is cheated and jilted by a boyfriend who encouraged her to fight in a fixed boxing match which result in her leaving the sports. Instead of churning out a sharper, witty take on the material, screentime is wasted on these two squabbling individuals who become lovers in minutes. Preposterous is a virtue it seems.
Despite Wong’s best efforts to keep this a pure HK production without the involvement of China companies (apparently he funded the movie himself), The Grand Grandmaster is largely a missed opportunity. Comparisons with another Lunar New Year offering, Donnie Yen’s Enter The Fat Dragon is undeniable. In fact both shared a number of similar themes but Dragon is ultimately a winner in both action and comedy. The Grand Grandmaster is only entertaining in bits but watch out for a very gung-ho Annie Liu who almost steal the limelight from Wong.
Movie Rating:
(The Grand Grandmaster never turned out to be a satisfactory spoof on the martial-arts genre as promised yet another missed opportunity from Dayo Wong)
Review by Linus Tee
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