SYNOPSIS: Get ready for a sleepover like no other! During a fun weekend sleepover with their best friends, two siblings discover that their seemingly normal stay-at-home mom Margot (Malin Akerman) is actually a former high-end thief in the witness protection program. When both their mom and dad (Ken Marino) are kidnapped and forced to pull one last job with an ex-flame of Margot’s (Joe Manganiello), the siblings must team up to rescue their parents over the course of one action-packed night that they’ll never forget.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Netflix is slowly encroaching into Disney territory with the release of The Sleepover, a harmless action comedy tailored for the entire family.
With a pastry chef husband, Ron (Ken Marino), Margot (Malin Akerman from Rampage and Watchmen) is a seemingly ordinary suburban mother to her teenage daughter, Clancy (Sandie Stanley) and son, Kevin (Maxwell Simkins). But when Margot and Ron is captured by the former’s associates, Clancy, Kevin and their two friends, Mim (Cree Cicchino) and Lewis (Lucas Jaye) must find a way to rescue them not knowing that Margot was once a powerful thief who is now under the witness protection program.
Other than the word “inventive”, The Sleepover is a non-stop action comedy that relied heavily on comedic gags and old school action chops than say campy CGI visuals. This is of course a good thing considering it’s far more economical and satisfying to hire a group of gung-ho stuntmen to execute some flashy somersault and fall. The movie directed by Trish Sie (Pitch Perfect 3) is surprisingly watchable partly because of it. Finally a movie that is not filled with lacklustre CGI.
In addition, Sandie Stanley from Disney’s Kim Possible, her onscreen brother, Maxwell Simkins and Cicchino entertains greatly with their combined chemistry and amusing bantering. Ken Marino whom you might recall from series liked Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Veronica Mars is the main comic relief contributing some vomit and fart jokes. Akerman seems a little out of place in this broad comedy while Joe Manganiello (Magic Mike) not looking a day older stars as Margot’s ex-fiancé, a man with lots of muscles and motives.
The story if you are searching for one is generally devoid of any logic considering the seriousness of the crime. Imagine stealing the crown of the Queen. Not only everything is resolved quickly in the end but it’s also conveniently staged. But I guess that’s how a fun dynamic movie should be.
The Sleepover is strictly aimed at the younger audience combining a bit of James Bond gadgets, car chase, elementary Da Vinci kind of clues solving and most important of all, some nice neat life lessons. Sometimes, it doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel in terms of entertainment. This is this generation Spy Kids without the wacky visuals. There’s a thing called less is more.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Herman Yau
Cast: Andy Lau, Sean Lau, Ni Ni, Philip Keung, Ron Ng, Kenny Wong, Timmy Hung
Runtime: 2 hrs
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Clover Films, mm2 Entertainment and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 December 2020
Synopsis: A series of bomb explosions have been occurring in Hong Kong, causing fear amongst the public. Former bomb disposal officer Poon Sing-fung (Andy Lau) fell into a coma at a crime scene injured in an explosion and becomes top wanted criminal after the police suspects of his ties with the criminal organisation, the Resurrection Group. After waking up from his coma, Poon was interrogated and imprisoned. Poon escapes from prison in order to investigate the truth and prove his innocence. On his lonely and helpless road, Poon enlists the help of his comrade in arms, bomb disposal officer Tung Cheuk-man (Sean Lau). However, the two fall into a conflict of black and white as Tung must choose between justice and friendship. Tung decides to choose the latter and assists his friend. At the same time, Poon's ex-girlfriend, Pong Ling (Ni Ni), who is now the chief inspector of the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, desperate to discover the culprit behind the series of explosions, persuades Poon to come in contact with the Resurrection Group to find out this mysterious organisation's next terrorist move and prove his innocence. Poon realises that exposing the truth is just as challenging as disposing explosives, risking his life as he races against time.
Movie Review:
It’s safe to say that Hong Kong’s film industry has been on a decline in the last decade, eclipsed by giants like China and South Korea as they aggressively come to the fore. The once-shiny Hollywood of the East is facing a bit of a crisis trying to score a hit.
For Herman Yau, his effort comes in the form of Shock Wave 2, a sequel to the successful Shock Wave he directed, with Andy Lau once again as the lead. But this successor is only one in spirit. The theme built upon the bomb disposal unit stays, along with the Heavenly King as protagonist, but names have changed and the set-up suggests this is another story altogether.
The dutiful bomb disposal officer Poon Sing-fung (Andy Lau) gets injured at an assignment. Eager to return to the field, he puts all of his energy into his recovery, but his superiors have other ideas and relegates him to a desk job. Angered by the injustice and eaten by his bitterness, he deteriorates mentally and in a fit, loses his job after protesting in front of the media.
Years later, an anti-establishment terrorist group unleashes a series of bomb attacks in the city. Led by the notorious anarchist Ma who directs his members to perform strategic explosions to decry the corruption of authority, we see Sing-Fung making an appearance - shockingly as one of the members. But during an attempt, he gets caught at the scene of the blast and is interrogated at the hospital after coming conscious. Thing is - he claims to not know who he is.
Is the bout of amnesia real? And what does his ex-girlfriend Pong Ling (Ni Ni), who is now the chief inspector of the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, mean when she asks him if he is “still able to complete the mission”?
Once famous for their cop and triad epics, complete with double agent twists upon twists, Shock Wave 2 attempts at weaving an intricate plot to up the ante from the original, but might have tried a little too hard.
Layering multiple manipulations within the story means certain segments loses meat. There is an odd pacing here in the film where some events, like Sing-Fung’s recuperation, is drawn out unncessarily, when that time can be better spent on his struggle after his amnesia. His alternating loyalties can do with some better motivation than portrayed.
The script writing can do with a bit of an update as well. A more sophisticated audience who now have ready access to great writing from international channels means the bravado and dramatic pronouncements here don’t quite have the same impact anymore. If anything, it feels a little cheesy at times. And speaking of cheese, the art department might want to know that there are other ways to make a villain look like a mastermind without bleaching his hair and making him like he’s high on caffeine.
Shock Wave 2 would benefit from adhering more to its original, with a more straightforward story and tense bomb encounters, as opposed to dressing up the franchise with bad CGI sequences and action for the sake of it.
Movie Rating:
(A formulaic action sequel)
Review by Morgan Awyong
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CHADWICK BOSEMAN (1977 - 2020)Posted on 29 Aug 2020 |
Genre: Horror
Director: Svyatoslav Podgaevskiy
Cast: Maryana Spivak, Svetlana Ustinova, Denis Shvedov
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG13 (Horror)
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 August 2020
Synopsis: A young family move into a new apartment on the edge of town and hire a nanny to look after their newborn daughter. After gaining the trust of the young parents, the nanny begins scaring their young daughter and older son, Egor, at night. Egor tells his parents about their nanny’s strange exploits but they don’t believe him. For peace of mind his father installs security cameras, but they don’t register anything out of the ordinary. One day Egor comes home to find that his little sister has disappeared along with the nanny. His parents are in a strange trance-like state and don’t remember ever having a daughter. All her toys and clothes have vanished along with her, as if she was never there. Egor sets out with his friends to look for her. They are convinced that the nanny is actually an ancient Slavic demon that once went by the name Yaga. And if the kids don’t succeed in their quest, their parents will forget them too.
Movie Review:
Not often do we get the chance to see a Russian horror on the big screen, and fortunately, we’re glad to report that ‘Baba Yaga’ is as good a maiden experience as any for those who are new to the country’s brand of scares.
Based upon the Russian folklore of a child-eating witch, director and co-writer Svyatoslav Podgaevsky’s adaptation reimagines the legend in modern times. Set in a quiet suburban community of somewhat identical three-storey homes, the story tells of three young children who are forced to confront the return of Baba Yaga looking for a way to return from her world to ours.
Egor (Oleg Chugunov) has just moved into the community with his father and stepmother Yulia (Maryana Spivak). Though Yulia makes every effort to try to reach out to him, Egor is still reeling from the death of his mother, and finds it difficult to accept both Yulia and her newborn daughter Varya. Rounding out the trio is Dasha (Glafira Golubeva), an only child whose movements are closely supervised by her stern mother, and Anton (Artyom Zhigulin), the neighbourhood bully who works at and is adopted by the icy supervisor of the neighbourhood supermarket.
Each has his or her own troubles at home, and when they first meet, it is with Egor saving Dasha from Anton’s harassment. But it soon becomes clear that there is something sinister lurking around their neighbourhood – Egor senses it first when weird things happen at home with the arrival of their nanny Tatyana (Svetlana Ustinova), followed by Varya’s disappearance; Dasha next experiences the evil entity when it assumes the identity of her piano teacher; and last but not least, Anton encounters it when two of his best friends disappear in the deep forested woods next to their community.
Confirming their suspicions is the local outcast Alexey (Aleksey Rozin), who lives by himself in the forest since losing both his wife and daughter to the witch. Alexey tries desperately to hang on to both their memories, in order that they not be lost forever to the darkness, and he advises Egor to do likewise before Varya is also forgotten in eternity. Undaunted, Egor ventures into the witch’s lair to save her, and though initially reluctant, both Dasha and Anton eventually join him on a mission to stop the witch once and for all.
At slightly over one and a half hours, Podgaevsky and his co-writers Natalya Dubovaya and Ivan Kapitonov keep the storytelling tight and concise. The build-up is well calibrated, slowly notching up the danger the children realise they are in for suspense. Eschewing any sort of gore or violence, the filmmakers opt instead for the occasional jump scare to add ‘oomph’ to the unsettling atmosphere they maintain throughout the film, especially in the scenes where the children find themselves in the witch’s side of the world. You’ll appreciate too the care taken to design this alternate world; especially memorable is a scene where Dasha is attacked by an android who emerges from the poster on her wall.
At the same time, the writers provide just enough backstory to each of the three teenage protagonists to lend texture to their respective characters. Not surprisingly, there is additional emphasis on Egor, whose very transformation from disgruntled stepbrother to selfless deliverer is the film’s very emotional ballast. Though it is clear right from the start that Egor is to be that special one whom the witch apparently needs to cross over from her world to ours, the film lets Egor earn that status than simply bestow it on him by showing us just how different and special a boy he indeed is on the inside.
Whether intentional or not, the filmmakers seem to have tailored their film to an audience familiar with the elements and structure of their American counterparts. This means besides the language difference that ‘Baba Yaga’ feels like a US horror movie, especially them ‘80s flicks where teenake kids had to confront a terror way beyond their ages. Don’t get us wrong, it isn’t a bad thing at all; in fact, we suspect that’s probably why you’ll won’t find a cultural barrier when it comes to appreciating the movie. Like we said, it’s as good a maiden experience as any for a Russian horror, so don’t let the fact that the language is foreign turn you away from an otherwise engaging and intriguing tale..
Movie Rating:
(Don't let the fact that it is Russian turn you away; this surprisingly engaging and intriguing horror, based upon the titular Russian folklore, holds no cultural barrier)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama
Director: Wong Hing Fan
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Miriam Yeung, Alex Man, Cheung Tat Ming, Nina Paw, Cya Liu, Zeno Koo, Kathy Wu, Gaga Wong
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: PG13 (Smoking Scenes)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures and Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 September 2020
Synopsis: Once a star in his finance firm, Bowen (starring Aaron KWOK) now spends his nights in a 24-hour fast food joint, where he encounters other "roommates" who are in a similar predicament: a mother (starring Cya LIU) with her daughter who has taken out high-interest loans to cover her mother-in-law's debt, an old man (starring Alex MAN) who is too afraid to go home, a young runaway (starring Zeno KOO), a young singer (starring Miriam YEUNG) living in a temporary shelter. Together these accidental roommates must strive to lift one another out of rock bottom.
Movie Review:
This reviewer is probably not wrong to say that most guys would yearn to be like 54 year old Aaron Kwok. Not only does he sing and dance like he is in his twenties, he is also an award winning actor.
Not too long ago, this writer rewatched The Storm Riders (1998) starring Kwok as the ultra dashing Striding Cloud. It is nice to see how he has improved by leaps and bounds in acting, while maintaining his suaveness. In the last two decades, the artiste has won numerous acting awards. His performances in movies like Divergence (2005), After This Our Exile (2006) and Port of Call (2015) have been recognised at the Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.
This debut feature film by Wong Hing Fan is clearly an acting showcase for Kwok. He plays Bowen, a high rolling finance executive who was imprisoned for embezzlement. After getting out of jail, he is too ashamed to go home to his ill mother and long suffering sister. Instead, he joins a group of homeless people who spend their nights in 24 hour fast food restaurants. The 114 minute film explores their sad stories, and sees how Bowen tries to keep everyone’s fighting spirits up.
Beneath Bowen’s moustache, goatee and untidy hair, we know there is a very good looking man in the form of Kwok. The actor gives it his all in this movie, and you can feel that the character is all out to ensure the survival of his friends. He seeks employment for the jobless, buys toys to cheer a little kid up, and is always there to listen to others’ troubles. As life’s harsh realities go, you know his kindness may not result in a happy ending.
Elsewhere, the ensemble cast also delivers impressive performances. There is an underpaid nightclub singer (Miriam Yeung) who has a heart of gold, a pitiful widow (Cya Liu) who works non stop to pay her nasty mother in law’s debts, her young daughter who has the least worries compared to the adults, an old man (Alex Man) who sits in the fast food restaurant pinning for his dead wife’s return, a teenager (Zeno Koo) who ran away from home, and a chatty caricature artist (Cheung Tat Ming who won a Best Supporting Actor at the recent Hong Kong Film Awards) whose greed gets in the way of an honest living.
While some actors get more screen time in this drama, everyone scores in Wong’s impressive direction. You’ll feel for all of them, and be thankful for what you have in life. The story is based on Hong Kong’s “McRefugees”, homeless people sleeping in 24 hour McDonald’s joints. Besides free bento boxes for the less fortunate, they also get food stocked by others in refrigerators which are situated on the streets. They shower in public toilets, and take on odd jobs in the wee hours of the morning to get more income. This is the perfect setup for a melodrama, and there are several bleak moments in the movie which may get your tear ducts leaking.
The title of the movie is a play on the fast food restaurant’s jingle “I’m Lovin’ It” – another point worth pondering is why McDonald’s did not endorse this movie. In any case, Wong has delivered a heartfelt piece of work showcasing some of the best performances in Hong Kong cinema.
Movie Rating:
(This emotionally charged Hong Kong movie showcases impressive performances by the ensemble cast, and may leave you reflecting on the struggles faced by those less fortunate than us)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: As a grisly virus rampages a city, a lone man stays locked inside his apartment, digitally cut off from seeking help and desperate to find a way out.
MOVIE REVIEW:
If we look back at 2020 a decade later, Google probably tells us “pandemic” could be one of the most common searched word for that year. Just liked Train to Busan, #Alive is a Korean zombie horror movie set in the middle of a pandemic. It doesn’t tell audiences a lot about the “pandemic” but good enough to convey the thrill and chill of the genre.
Joon-woo (Yoo Ah-in), a seemingly hardcore gamer who lives with his family in an apartment in Seoul city awakes one morning to see masses of people running amok and devouring each other. The TV advises people to try stay indoors and prepare a food supply of at least 60 days. It seems a deadly virus is spreading but Joon-woo has no clue of what’s going on except to shut himself in an apartment that is fast running out of food and water.
Weeks passed and just as he is about to hang himself, a surviving neighbour named Yoo-bin (Park Shin-hye) living directly across Joon-woo reaches out to him. Together they communicate via walkie-talkie and makes a plan to escape their predicament before they are kill by hordes of restless zombies.
#Alive ironically is a much enjoyable romp than the sequel to Train to Busan. The pacing is dynamic, doesn’t really take itself that seriously and offers lots of physical gory makeup effects in place of fake CGI visuals. For the first half an hour, we are stuck with Joon-woon, watching him struggle with an infected neighbour and hilariously succumbing to his last bowl of instant noodles after watching a ramen ad on tv.
Director Cho Il-hyung and co-scriptwriter Matt Naylor are content in piling the flick with some dark comedy elements instead of exploring Joon-woo’s psychological well-being and emotion. There’s some brief touches on the typical lifestyles of young millennials with their constant obsession with smartphones, drones and social media. But again, the filmmakers just want audiences to have lots of unpretentious fun which #Alive actually offered buckets of.
Large scale zombie infestation might be thrilling for some, Il-hyung for one choses to scale down the spectacle. That doesn’t mean the excitement is compromised. On the contrary, it’s pretty hair-raising to watch a zombie slowly climbing up to Yoo-bin’s apartment while Joon-woo watched helplessly right across. Or the sequence where Joon-woo rummaged his neighbour’s unit for food with uproarious result. How about Yoo-bin’s somewhat incredible escape through hordes of zombies?
#Alive might not offer the highest points in terms of plotting especially the final act which some might find uninspiring. Still, being all unoriginal and predictable, the latest zombie flick from Korea is rollicking fun and definitely worth catching for all of us stuck in the middle of a pandemic.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Lee Cheol-ha
Cast: Uhm Jeong-hwa, Park Sung-woong, Lee Sang-yun, Bae Jung-nam, Lee Sun-bin
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 September 2020
Synopsis: Mi-Young runs a shop at a traditional market, where she makes and sells twisted bread sticks. Her husband Seok-Hwan works as a computer repairman. One day, Seok-Hwan wins a free trip to Hawaii. Mi-Young and Seok-Hwan will go on their first international trip together. When Mi-Young and Seok-Hwan get on the airplane to Hawaii, things don't go as expected. Terrorists, including Cheol-Seung who chase after a secret agent, get on the same airplane. The passengers soon become hostages. Suddenly, Mi-Young and Seok-Hwan begin to rescue the passengers.
Movie Review:
With leisure travel not returning anytime this year, a movie about flying will either seem like unnecessary torture, or a wonderful temporary escape. Thankfully, with its wacky ensemble and riotous plot, Okay! Madam is likely the latter for its audiences.
Mi-Young (Uhm Jung-hwa) is your gregarious stallowner, hawking donut twists and effusive compliments. She’s well-liked but has a frugal nature, with a tendency to be particularly stingy with her husband Seok-Hwan (Park Sung-woong). So when he wins a lottery for a trip to Hawaii, Mi-Young considers cashing it out instead. But her young daughter, aggrieved at her family’s poverty, tugs at her heartstrings and so the matriarch decides to take the holiday for the sake of her family.
But alas unbeknownst to the trio, a North Korean fugitive agent ‘Magnolia’ is also making the flight to escape the country, and she’s tailed by her former partner Cheol-Seung (Lee Sang-yoon) who’s leading an operative against her. When the team hijacks the plane and hunts down Magnolia, it becomes clear that the lives of the hostages are the least of their priority as they steer the plane towards North Korea.
So how is this a comedy you might ask? Well, with a large cast comprising of an agent wannabe flight steward (Bae Jeong-nam as Hyun-Min), an actual National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent who has aviophobia (Kim Nam-gil) and a director with a weak constitution (Lim Hyun-sung), the flight path here is more bumbling than threatening.
As a first effort in comedy, Lee Chul-ha does an admirable job with Okay! Madam. His setting is classic but the premise boasts enough twists to spearhead the laughs. The star-studded appearances including Lee Sun-Bin, Park-Ji-ll and Yoon Ji-on are a treat to watch even as they ham it up.
The gaffes here are many, with the ones by Mi-Young and Hyun-Min being some of the best. Their stretchy antics here don’t feel exaggerated, no doubt thanks to the commitment they put in every shot. A special mention goes to the spirited young girl playing Mi-Young’s daughter. Her bushy-eyed and quick turns help propel in the story in the directions it needs to without too much of the saccharine.
Shot on an actual Boeing 777 aircraft, the production here is as polished as one would expect from South Korea. Insta-worthy palettes and the striking colour contrasts remind us to never take the situations too seriously, but don’t be fooled that there’s no thrill here.
When the operative goes against the Magnolia-in-hiding, the clash is snappy and satisfying. The cat-and-mouse is aided by side contributions from unexpected passengers, and you’ll be surprised how it all comes together. Barring the occasional lapses in logic, I would have loved to have more scenes of Magnolia taking down the offense with her inventive use of the environment, even as she hides her identity from others.
If you are feeling the effects of the extended landbound situation and need to hop on a flight somewhere, this aerial romp with a zany (if sometimes cliche) cast is the happy travel pill to negate just that.
Movie Rating:
(Take flight and ease that travel sickness with a light-hearted comedy full of fish-out-of-water situations)
Review by Morgan Awyong
SYNOPSIS: An adaptation of the award-winning book about one very special gorilla, Disney’s “The One and Only Ivan” is an unforgettable tale about the beauty of friendship, the power of visualization and the significance of the place one calls home. Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be.
MOVIE REVIEW:
No one does movies with photorealistic CGI animals as good as Disney. Just check out The Jungle Book and The Lion King. It seems Disney is not resting on its laurel. The One and Only Ivan is yet another family adventure drama that features both a star-studded voice cast and yes, more photorealistic CGI animals!
Based on the children’s novel by Katherine Applegate and written by Mike White (School of Rock), the family drama tells the story of Ivan, a silverback gorilla (voiced by Sam Rockwell) who performs with his fellow animal friends in a tiny circus located in a mall. Business has been rough and Mack the owner cum ringmaster (Bryan Cranston) decides to purchase a baby elephant named Ruby (Brooklyn Prince) to stir things up.
At the behest of Stella the elephant (Angelina Jolie who also produced the movie), Ivan decides to find a way to bring Ruby back to nature where they originally belonged. With his wild instincts calling, will Ivan managed to fulfil Stella’s wish and get all of them out of the circus in the end?
In case you are wondering, there is apparently no real antagonist in The One and Only Ivan. Not even Mack the owner. He is not ruthless and not cruel to the animals at all. The man even lost his partner because of his love for Ivan. You can blame him for being a little too harsh on Ruby but he is just trying hard to keep the circus alive.
The One and Only Ivan entertains with the occasional (sometimes toilet) humour from some of Ivan’s companions mostly his friend Bob, a stray wisecracking mutt voiced by Danny DeVito, Henrietta the chicken, Murphy the rabbit and Dame Helen Mirren as Snickers, the posh poodle. Do note that children under the age of ten might be likely tickled by the realism of the CGI instead of the talky storyline.
I can see that Disney is trying to produce a story that relied more on heartfelt, inspiring messages via slick technology. There is obvious lessons to be learn through Ivan’s past and present. You know the repetitive message about nature and animals and stuff.
Sometimes, we missed the good old days of Disney movies. Homeward Bound, Mighty Joe Young, Operation Dumbo Drop just to name a few. Harmless creative family-friendly entertainment that pleases both children and adults. The One and Only Ivan hardly feels appealing to both. You can’t deny it does have a good intention but there’s only so much a kind old man and a charming gorilla who draws can bring to the screen.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, John Malkovich, Geena Davis, Joan Chen, Common, Diana Silvers, Jess Weixler, Ioan Gruffud
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language and Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 September 2020
Synopsis: Ava (Jessica Chastain) is a deadly mercenary who works for a black ops organization, travelling the globe and specializing in high profile hits. Ava's career takes a bad turn when a high profile job goes wrong due to faulty information provided to her. With a botched hit (as well as a track record for questioning the validity of her targets), Ava is told to take a hiatus until the heat blows over, but secretly the head of the organization, Simon, has ordered a hit on her to ensure nothing traces back to the company. With the recent death of her father, Ava decides to go back home to Boston and attempt to mend her relationship with mother and sister, Judy, though the homecoming proves to be far from happy as the years of estrangement have created resentment. To complicate things further, Ava's ex fiancé, Michael is now in a relationship with Judy, and involved with an underground gambling ring that Ava knows all too well from her younger days. Ava now has to save her family and herself from multiple threats, while battling her own demons.
Movie Review:
Two decades ago, Angelina Jolie stunned the world with her portrayal of Lara Croft, the kick-ass heroine from the best-selling videogame Tomb Raider. Since then, there has been no lack of tough onscreen female leads from Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld series to Milla Jovovich’s in the ongoing Resident Evil franchise. The list goes on.
However, there is always the convenient female assassin/agent/cop genre that Hollywood simply never gets tired from. Remember Charlie Theron’s Atomic Blonde or Jennifer Lawrence’s Red Sparrow? Just that this time round Jessica Chastain known for Zero Dark Thirty and Molly’s Game has joined the club as Ava, a black ops assassin caught in a series of uninvolving, generic situations.
The helmer of The Help and The Girl On The Train, Tate Taylor steps in after the original director is accused of domestic violence, though he still retains his writing credit. Taylor is a capable filmmaker all right but he is seemingly out of his element here especially for a genre that deserved some fresh ideas being injected.
There’s no point talking about the entire plotting of Ava, simply because all the tropes and proceedings have been told in one form or another in other better assassin action thrillers. All you need to know is Ava is a Black Ops assassin that is involved in an operation went wrong. Ava is then advised by her mentor, Duke (John Malkovich) to lie low for the time being. On the other hand, Duke’s protege, Simon (Colin Farrell) wants Ava dead. Then there is a subplot about Ava’s estranged mother (Geena Davis), her younger sister Judy (Jess Weixler) and former boyfriend, Michael (Common). And then there is Joan Chen who appears as the owner of a gambling den and former Mr. Fantastic, Ioan Gruffudd as a slain businessman.
Right after the opening scene, Ava starts to run out of steam fast although it’s a pretty busy flick. Instead of a simplified tale, the scripting involves one too many twists and detour thinking that this is possibly the best way to tell a complex espionage action thriller. The story is filled with head-scratching decisions and characters without any depth or purpose. Take for example, her former flame who is now attached to Ava’s younger sister. Is that a worthy decision to propel the plot further? And what’s up with the whole family melodrama thingy doing in an action oriented movie? Important details that are integral to the movie are omitted for mundane things liked these.
It’s obvious Ava is a troubled production likely aborted by everyone halfway thus having too little mileage to reach the finishing line. This is despite Jessica Chastain’s best efforts to get down and dirty with fellow co-star, Colin Farrell. By down and dirty we mean some very hard knocks and punches. Most importantly, Ava don’t really seems to be an interesting character outside her day job except she is a recovering alcoholic with a grudge against her deceased dad.
The fights choreographed by seasoned stunt coordinator Jeff Imada (The Bourne Ultimatum, Furious 7) are at most decent. The fight between Malkovich and Farrell’s characters is quite the highlight because you don’t really get to see the former gets to pull a muscle onscreen. The finale which involves Ava and Simon is brutal and bloody. There are frequent closeups and slick editing that adds to the whole stuntwork.
Would Ava be a better movie if let’s say her mom is a retired agent. Duke is actually her long-lost father. Simon is a rouge agent who wants them dead, and Michael is an undercover cop who happens to fall in love with Ava? Perhaps the end result will be much more entertaining and less generic. No doubt, Jessica Chastain plays it solid but she needs a stronger, compelling script to go with it.
Movie Rating:
(Hollywood needs to work on their script besides changing their actresses in this run-out-mill action thriller)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Director: Marc Munden
Cast: Dixie Egerickx, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Maeve Dermody, Amir Wilson, Edan Hayhurst
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 10 September 2020
Synopsis: From the producer of Harry Potter and Paddington comes THE SECRET GARDEN, the story of Mary Lennox (Dixie Egerickx, Genius, The Little Stranger and A Royal Winter), a prickly and unloved 10-year-old girl, born in India to wealthy British parents. When they suddenly die, she is sent back to England to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven (Academy Award® and BAFTA-winner Colin Firth – A Single Man, The King’s Speech, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Bridget Jones’s Baby) on his remote country estate deep in the Yorkshire moors. There, she begins to uncover many family secrets, particularly after meeting her sickly cousin Colin (Edan Hayhurst – Genius, There She Goes), who has been shut away in a wing of the house. Together, these two damaged, slightly misfit children heal each other through their discovery of a wondrous secret garden, lost in the grounds of Misselthwaite Manor. A magical place of adventure that will change their lives forever.
Movie Review:
Literature is immortal. They never get old and they enjoy the movie adaptation from time to time. Take for example, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. It has been adapted to the big screen for three times and this latest produced by Harry Potter’s David Heyman marks the fourth with a slight tweak to the original material.
The secret garden is apparently not the star of this movie. Mary Lennox (Dixie Egerickx) is. After her parents died of cholera in India, the pampered and now orphaned Mary is sent back to England to stay with her uncle, Lord Archibald Craven (Colin Firth) in his dilapidated manor. Mary is given strict instruction by the caretaker, Mrs Medlock (Julie Walters) not to roam around and ask questions. But the wilful Mary has plans of her own. She decides to explore the nearby forest and with the guidance of a stray dog and a bird, she found a magical forest or should we say, a hidden secret garden!
With the company of Dickon (Amir Wilson), the younger brother of the housemaid, Mary decides to drag along Colin (Edan Hayhurst), the crippled, bedridden son of Lord Craven. Believing the magical garden will heal Colin’s condition, Mary insists on Colin to explore the place including where Colin’s mom supposedly passed away at.
The classic novel from Frances Hodgson Burnett is given a new life by screenwriter Jack Thorne, the writer who famously wrote the stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and movies liked The Aeronauts and Radioactive. Thorne no doubt is a fine writer but his latest work is more of a joyless cold outing rather than a meaningful touching drama about loss and grief.
Much of the movie relies on unexplained phenomenon and apparition. The constant appearing of Mary’s late mother and her sister do nothing for character development. Perhaps it works better in a Guillermo del Toro’s horror feature but other than that, it just seems silly and pointless right here. Ironically, Mary’s mom is shown as cold, distant towards her daughter when she was alive yet she seems “warmer” when dead. It was later explained that she missed her dead sister. How convenient is that.
Lord Archibald Craven is a long-suffering widower who lost his beloved wife and now being the all protective father wants his son to be confined in his room. In reality, his son Colin is perfectly in the pink of health. Colin Firth’s character is unfortunately devoid of any backstories and simply comes across as distraught, despair and in need of a shower. Same goes to Julie Walters or better known as Mrs Weasley. Her no-nonsense controlling housekeeper role just come across as bland and irrelevant to the entire plot given the calibre of the cast assembled here.
Newcomer Dixie Egerickx delivers a gutsy performance as the young Mary. While irritating and unlikeable in the beginning, Mary is turned into quite a heroine, miraculously changing the mindset of the entire Craven household before the credits roll. Thanks to Thorne’s haphazard storytelling, it’s difficult to link up the meaning of the secret garden to Mary’s subsequent actions and changes. The narratives are mostly undercooked and most of the proceedings are a drag to go through.
There a good mix of CGI thrown in and the visuals are pleasing at the very least. The pacing feels incredibly slow given it’s only 95 minutes minus 5 minutes of credit. The Secret Garden is scattered and all over the place. The fantasy and slight dark elements never gels well together. Even the finale which involves a huge fire feels forced. All in all, it’s a piece of uninvolving filmmaking that fails to win long-time fans and probably keep potential readers away from the original novel.
Movie Rating:
(The meaningful themes of the book are lost in this latest screen adaptation of The Secret Garden)
Review by Linus Tee
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