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BOOK REVIEW #35: STEPHEN KING AT THE MOVIESPosted on 21 Sep 2020 |
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Joel Crawford
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman, Clark Duke, Leslie Mann, Peter Dinklage, Kelly Marie Tran
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 26 November 2020
Synopsis: The Croods have survived their fair share of dangers and disasters, from fanged prehistoric beasts to surviving the end of the world, but now they will face their biggest challenge of all: another family The Croods need a new place to live. So, the first prehistoric family sets off into the world in search of a safer place to call home. When they discover an idyllic walled-in paradise that meets all their needs, they think their problems are solved … except for one thing. Another family already lives there: the Bettermans. The Bettermans (emphasis on the “better”)—with their elaborate tree house, amazing inventions and irrigated acres of fresh produce—are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder. When they take the Croods in as the world’s first houseguests, it isn’t long before tensions escalate between the cave family and the modern family. Just when all seems lost, a new threat will propel both families on an epic adventure outside the safety of the wall, one that will force them to embrace their differences, draw strength from each other and forge a future together.
Movie Review:
Want to introduce your kids to Cage rage? This sequel to The Croods (2013) might do the trick. If you have hung around the Internet for a while, you would be familiar with the meme where Nicolas Cage looks at you in an over the top and grimacing way – complete with a pair of intimidating bulging eyes.
In this animated sequel, Cage returns as the voice of Grug Crood, the overprotective father figure of the titular cave family. He is still as stubborn as ever, and with his teenage daughter (Emma Stone) starting to express more and more romantic feelings towards a teenage cave boy (Ryan Reynolds), it is no wonder he is agitated and throwing anger fits. Cue the Cage rage in animated form.
Grug’s trouble doesn’t end there. His family meets the Bettermans (you can’t get any clearer than this to show the contrast between old and new), and their lifestyle seems to be much more evolved than the Croods’ traditional ways. The Bettermans live in a beautiful paradise surrounded by a wall, wear tailor fitted fancy outfits, put on slippers before they head outdoors, and use efficient items like showerheads and elevators. For relaxation, there is a man cave where guys can enjoy a good sauna. Ladies can choose to pick flowers in a vast field. These are not agreeable with Grug’s way of life, and he is determined to get his family away as soon as possible.
The 96 minute movie moves at a breezy pace to make sure everyone in the family will be entertained. There are sight gags which involve screaming and adorable critters. There are jibes at our modern lifestyles (Grug’s son is obsessed with viewing things from a ‘window’), and there are messages for viewers to take away. The visuals are a treat to the eyes, especially when we are introduced to the Bettermans’ world. Bright colours and beautiful sceneries fill the screen, and there isn’t a dull moment in the movie. The animal characters are merchandise friendly. The filmmakers to the creative liberty to animate prehistoric creatures that are cute to a fault (even the villainous monkeys look irresistibly huggable).
Besides Cage, Stone and Reynolds, the voice ensemble cast also includes other familiar names like Catherine Keener, Peter Dinklage, Leslie Mann and Kelly Marie Tran). The actors sound like they had an enjoyable recording their parts. Look out for an outrageous sequence where the female characters take on macho personalities collectively as The Thunder Sisters, while Cage and Dinklage’s brothers become a duo affectionately known as The Banana Bros. This is the kind of humour you can expect from this entertaining movie.
It has been seven years since the release of the first movie. Director Joel Crawford faces the challenge of making the audience remember what the Croods are about. It doesn’t matter actually, because this sequel stands well on its own. Viewers just need to know that they will be in for a fun time, as older ones get an idea of what a milder, more family friendly version of Cage rage is like.
Movie Rating:
(Whether you are young or old, this family-friendly fare has something to keep you entertained)
Review by John Li
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Derek Hui
Cast: Liu Haoran, Peng Yuchang, Yin Fang
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Clover Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 15 October 2020
Synopsis: This is a youth comedy version of American Dreams in China (2013). Wei Jinbei (played by Liu Haoran), Peng Xiubing (Peng Yuchang) and Li Shaoqun (Yin Fang) are young men of very different personalities. One had tried many times to find success in e-commerce but had failed on every turn in a big city. The other is a village lad, with nothing on his mind but the chase for success. The third one is consumed by romantic visions of life, divorced entirely from reality. They had separately returned from the city to an antiquated town in Yunnan. Brought together by fate, they decided to launch an e-commerce business together. They might have stumbled upon a great idea, but the state of the art nature of their technological pursuit puts them at odds with the fogeyish ways of the very traditional town. With resolve and sincerity, they managed to win over everyone, entering into the eventful journey of a tech startup, a journey at once earnest, vibrant and surreal!
Movie Review:
Like the double-yolked egg or the extra piece of McNugget, life can be full of pleasant surprises. Coffee or Tea turned out to be one of them.
What seemed like a predictable fish-out-of-water story of three unlikely business partners, turned up with some really good dramatic moments within moving themes on home, family, and friendship. Don’t get me wrong, it’s funny still, but the wisdom bombs here come like a curveball, and will give you plenty of feels.
The story hinges upon the underdog formula of our leads, but overlaps it with a rich cultural layer courtesy of its film location in Yunnan, China. This spiritual successor to producer Peter Chan’s American Dreams in China benefits from this injection, with the age-old problem of outgoing village youths trying to break their poverty cycle by trying to make it big in the cities, while leaving their aging parents behind.
Wei Jinbei (Liu Haoran) is the failed e-commerce guru who just can’t seem to find the right product to succeed. He’s about to take a step off the roof of his office when longtime courier ‘friend’ Peng Xiubing (Peng Yuchang) stops him to sign for his last package. The enthusiastic deliveryman explains his lofty dreams of creating his own delivery network in rural villages, sensing an untapped market, and convinces Jinbei to help him with his knowledge. For the lack of a better alternative, Jinbei agrees.
What follows is a colourful sequence of how they bring e-commerce shopping to villagers used to shopping at markets, and the challenges that follow from people unused to the ideology. Midway, they encounter Li Shaoqun (Yin Fang) - village outcast and Yuchang’s childhood rival - and discover an unexpected opportunity in his coffee farm.
The film succeeds mainly because of its vibrant setting, engaging cast dynamics and universal underlying themes. While sometimes cheesy or goofy and a little exploitative of village mentality, the film still manages to make it seem good-spirited, likely because everyone seems to be happily hamming it up.
Peng is especially excellent in his role as the passionate but naive village boy who wants to see his hometown succeed, and what could have easily been a one-dimensional performance is livened up by his incredible energy and earnest. Even though his Yuchang is gullible beyond belief, Peng presents a deeper grit, often steering the story’s direction while grounding the trio’s friendship.
The mix of a depressed consultant, ambitious entrepreneur and an idealistic farmer creates a moving tension that works well as the film progresses. As each struggles and overcomes their own personal revelations, the story moves to deliver satisfying closures for each, with a very happy ending of course.
I could do without some of the CGI scenes - a flying pig serving fortune cookie philosophy - and relished more of those such as coffee and tea moments between the village chief and his son Shaoqun, but there’s no need to wonder here - this film is well-suited for both tea lovers and coffee drinkers alike.
Movie Rating:
(Great character dynamics and a plot rooted with plenty of heart delivers an entertaining film that satisfies)
Review by Morgan Awyong
Genre: Comedy
Director: Tim Hill
Cast: Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Oakes Fegley, Laura Marano, Cheech Marin, Jane Seymour, Christopher Walken
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 October 2020
Synopsis: Based on the novel written by Robert Kimmel Smith. The War With Grandpa” stars Robert DeNiro, Uma Thurman, Rob Riggle, Oakes Fegley, and Christopher Walken. Directed by Tom Hill and the screenplay was written by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember. The film is produced by Marvin Peart, Rosa Peart and executive produced by Tre Peart. The novel has sold over 1.5 million copies. Peter (Oakes Fegley) and his Grandpa Jack (Robert DeNiro) used to be very close, but when Grandpa moves in with the family, Peter is forced to give up his most prized possession, his bedroom. Peter will stop at nothing to get his room back, scheming with friends to devise a series of pranks to drive him out. But, Grandpa doesn't give up easily and before long, it' s an all out war!
Movie Review:
The War with Grandpa is based on a classic 1984 children’s book written by American author Robert Kimmel Smith. However, the movie adaptation directed by Tim Hill (Hop, Alvin & the Chipmunks) for sure is not going to be a classic or a memorable family comedy.
After the death of his beloved wife, Ed (Robert De Niro) lives a non-existent life, unable to keep up with things and technology on his own. Fearing for his father’s well-being, his daughter, Sally (Uma Thurman) decides to bring Ed to stay together with her family. The only catch is her son, Peter (Oakes Fegley) has to give up his room to Ed. In an attempt to take back his room, Peter secretly issued Ed a declaration of war.
Peter dragged along his group of best friends to fight against Ed while the latter asked his friends, Jerry (Christopher Walken), Danny (Cheech Marin) and Diane (Jane Seymour) for help. And now, both grandson and grandfather has to come up with a series of pranks to outwit one another.
The War with Grandpa is sort of a throwback to family comedies of the 80’s. Harmless fun and gags and some life lessons to be learnt. But given it’s the year 2020 with more than enough streaming outlets at our disposable, is it still financially viable to catch a movie liked The War with Grandpa on the big screen?
Adding insult to injury, the plotting is filled with some pretty mean acts which can send some wrong messages to the younger kids. Marbles can be dangerous to senior citizens who could slip on them and suffer a concussion. A snake could kill right? The flick spent more than an hour depicting wicked pranks and an extended dodgeball sequence. It’s kind of sad and depressing to watch veteran actors liked De Niro and Walken struggling to keep up with all the onscreen nonsense.
Some of the life lessons imparted by Ed to Peter is genuinely touching enough especially when he mentioned about leaving a photo of him and his wife in houses that he built. And Ed taking Peter to a fishing trip that went wrong is intended to be funny. But there’s too little meaningful messages and moral lessons to be learnt before more mishaps happened and everything expectedly gets resolved liked a Disney movie in the end.
The movie also stars Rob Riggle who has bit roles in 21 Jump Street and Night School as Peter’s dad. Although sadly, he has zero chemistry opposite Uma Thurman. Thurman on the other hand hasn’t had anything remotely interesting on the screen after her success in Kill Bill.
The War with Grandpa is kind of Meet The Parents lite. Robert De Niro used to be funny in comedies but there isn’t that many clever wicked scripts out there for him. The movie is also filled with unnecessary slapstick humour and it is even thinner in material than the original book. Let’s be frank, not every book deserved a screen adaptation, you can start with The War with Grandpa.
Movie Rating:
(A painfully mediocre kiddo flick)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Sports/Drama
Director: Peter Chan
Cast: Gong Li, Huang Bo, Wu Gang, Peng Yuchang, Bai Lang
Runtime: 2 hrs 15 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 1 October 2020
Synopsis: With glorious days from 5 consecutive championships in the 1980s, the women's national volleyball team of China had transcended the conventional definition of sports in the hearts of Chinese people. When the Chinese team was pitted against the US team led by Lang Ping at the 2008 Beijing Volleyball Game, everyone knew that it was a match that China could not lose, and certainly could not afford to lose. Defeated, the Chinese team plunged into the deepest abyss in three decades. As Lang Ping returned to her country to coach the team, many mused aloud as to whether China women's national volleyball team would be able to retrieve lost grounds. The film recounts the ups and downs, the sweat and sacrifice of the team over the past four decades. While the team’s persistence and teamwork became a national inspiration and collective memory in the 80s, can the team spirit be passed down to the new generation as China goes through rapid changes?
Movie Review:
Rather than watching Gong Li masquerading as a half-baked witch in Mulan, why not watch the Chinese acting powerhouse as Lang Ping in the Peter Chan’s sports theme drama, Leap.
After a hiatus of six years (his last directorial effort was the 2013 Dearest), veteran Hong Kong director Peter Chan returns to craft a sports drama. Something not on Chan’s resume until now. Leap is a handsomely made tale on the surface. But political enthusiasts will definitely dismiss this as propaganda material and a tool for the Chinese government to stir up some patriotism in the hearts of millennials who aren’t particularly known for their perseverance and loyalty.
Just liked Chan’s American Dreams in China, this flick spans almost 40 years. Beginning in the late seventies where we see our two protagonists in their teenage years. Lang Ping (played by the daughter of the real-life Lang Ping) is the backup player of the women’s volleyball team who is determined to fight for a place in the main line-up while Zhonghe (Peng Yuchang) is the reluctant assistant coach. At their lowest points of their young lives, Ping and Zhonghe motivates each other constantly and dreams of a better future.
Years later, Ping left for further studies in the States and Zhonghe becomes the head coach of the women’s volleyball team. The next time we see both of the characters, Lang Ping is played by Gong Li and Huang Bo is Zhonghe. Lang Ping is now the coach for the US volleyball team. Their unexpected meetup place after so many years happened to be the Beijing Olympics in 2008. For the first time after so many years of being on the same team, the two best friends are now on opposite side of the court.
Instead of a touching portrayal of Lang Ping, the only woman who has won the Olympic as a player and a head coach, Chan has assembled a movie that showcased the unwavering spirit of the game. Strictly speaking, Leap is not a biographical sports epic about Lang Ping, Zhonghe or the countless volleyball players over the decades. Simply put, it’s a celebration of the ups and downs of China’s women volleyball on the whole from their five consecutive wins in the eighties to their subsequent defeats and their comeback in the Rio Olympics.
A lot of effort can be seen on screen to recreate the matches from the very first match against the Jiangsu men’s volleyball team. Surprisingly, Chan devoted plenty of the screentime to the different critical matches. The 1982 FIVB match against Japan, the 2008 Beijing Olympics against USA to the 2016 match against Brazil. Each match is admittedly done with immense details from the players (which incorporated some real players from the team), costumes and probably spruced up with CGI for some of the background detail.
Even though Chan employed amateur actors including players from the real-life volleyball team, the feeling of weariness, frustration and conceding defeat still come across as genuine and touching on the whole. Gong Li and Huang Bo as expected delivers a stellar performance. We could watch a whole movie involving them driving around, talking about life and we gladly fork out a movie ticket.
Brush away any thoughts on propaganda and Leap perfectly captures and depicts the struggles, blood and sweat of the volleyball team in the past. Perhaps the movie is right in insinuating that the current generation lacks the toughness, appreciation and determination of the older ones as what Zhonghe mentioned in passing- "Nowadays, no one will appear on the streets celebrating another win from the Chinese". Maybe it’s the right movie after all to recapture that spirit again in this tough times.
Chan isn’t finish in telling his stories. His next movie is yet another sports related one but this time round, he is doing a biopic on Li Na, the first Chinese tennis player to ever won the Grand Slam.
Movie Rating:
(A rousing true-life sports drama that features stellar performances from Gong Li and Huang Bo)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Leigh Whannell
Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Melanie Vallejo
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 September 2020
Synopsis: UPGRADE is a thrilling and hyper violent vision of the future from the producers of GET OUT and THE PURGE, and the creator of SAW and INSIDIOUS. After his wife is killed during a brutal mugging that also leaves him paralyzed, Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Prometheus) is approached by a billionaire inventor with an experimental cure that will "upgrade" his body. The cure–an Artificial Intelligence implant called STEM–gives Grey physical abilities beyond anything experienced, and the ability to relentlessly claim vengeance against those who murdered his wife and left him for dead.
Movie Review:
Most people remember James Wan as the director of the original Saw but no one remember Leigh Whannell as the guy who helped create the immensely popular franchise. Since the release of Saw, Whannell has turned from a writer to sometimes actor to a director. The success of his third directorial feature, The Invisible Man propelled him to take on another of Universal’s iconic monster, the Wolfman.
But before The Invisible Man, Whannell actually wrote, direct and shot this sci-fi action thriller, Upgrade in his native country, Australia under the Blumhouse banner two years back.
In the near future, Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), a mechanic that specialised in overhauling vintage cars is left for dead and his wife killed in a vicious attack. Trace woke up to find himself as a quadriplegic. Detective Cotez (Betty Gabriel), the assigned cop for Trace’s case couldn’t find any worthy clues to identify the bunch of culprits involved. Sinking into depression, Trace tries to kill himself but an eccentric inventor, Eron Keen appears to offer him a solution to his predicament. To allow the implant of his chip named STEM into Trace’s body so that he can walk and function liked a proper human again. Little did he know that there’s something more sinister lurking behind Keen and his invention, STEM.
Fortunately, Whannell isn’t keen to merely deliver a mediocre, revenge-is-best-served-cold kind of action flick. There’s a cool sci-fi concept involving artificial intelligence thrown in, a seemingly nice production design despite the limited budget on hand and some crazy fight choreography. It’s a mixture of everything under the sun except boring.
We wouldn’t want to spoil your viewing experience thus the less is say about the plot, the better it is for you. With STEM implanted, Grey Trace is able to move and fight liked the T-1000. Even STEM can assist in anticipating the enemies’ next move and cleaning up the crime scene. Whannell loves the occasional violent, gory outburst and a few select scenes showcases the director’s bonkers touches.
Of course, everything comes with a price if you have watched enough artificial intelligence related movies liked Terminator, Ex Machina, I, Robot and many more. Upgrade effortlessly wraps up the entire narrative without much new ideas being injected in the end. It’s both silly and predictable yet Whannell has managed to pull off an enjoyable sci-fi romp despite some unexplained modified thugs that have guns implanted inside their arms. Again, another cool concept but lacks the believability and narrative.
Notably, Upgrade has an eerily similar premise to Venom where a journalist’s body is turned into the host of an alien symbiote while an artificial intelligence being is taking over the physical human host in the former. In addition, leading man Logan Marshall-Green looks a lot like Tom Hardy’s doppelganger.
Upgrade is not exactly a smart sci-fi product nor is it particularly hammy or bad. The fun starts to come in fast once STEM steps into the picture. Comparing this to Whannell’s debut directorial feature, Upgrade is indeed an upgrade! At least he knows how to spend so little to get so much out of a flick that catch your attention from start to finish.
Movie Rating:
(A low budget sci-fi actioner that offers crazy action and energy)
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: When Enola Holmes—Sherlock’s teen sister—discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Before you scoff that ‘Enola Holmes’ is just an exercise in female revisionism in the MeToo era, let us reassure you that it is indeed so much more. Oh yes, while the timing of this spinoff of Sherlock Holmes is not coincidental, this adaptation of the popular young-adult series from Nancy Springer proves to be witty, pacey and utterly delightful.
Much of that credit belongs to Millie Bobby Brown who plays the titular character with such exuberance that you cannot help but be won over. You’d of course recognise Brown as ‘Eleven’ in ‘Stranger Things’, but unlike that role, this one as Enola allows her to display her hitherto unseen comic timing – and let’s just say it is pitch perfect.
As the first of what could potentially be a franchise, it is somewhat inevitable that ‘Enola Holmes’ confines itself to the mould of an origin story. A good part of the storytelling is therefore dedicated to Enola’s coming-of-age, after her independent-minded mother Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter) disappears on her sixteenth birthday. Than accept the fate of being sent away to finishing school, Enola hops onto a train bound for London to find her mother, following a series of clues which Eudoria had left behind.
While on the train, Enola runs into the handsome young lord Viscount Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge); though a runaway, Lord Tewksbury is pursued by a mysterious man in a brown bowler hat hired to kill him. Enola helps Tewksbury escape, and soon becomes the man’s target herself, an excuse really for Enola to show off her physical combat skills which her mother had home-schooled her in over regular afternoon lessons in the woods.
Like the Guy Ritchie film series, the narrative here is simply intended as window dressing; in fact, you shouldn’t at all be perturbed that the plotting seems to be spinning around you in circles, for it is ultimately intended so you won’t pay too much attention at the conveniences and contrivances in between. What director Harry Bradbeer wants is that you remain enraptured by Enola every step of the way, as she frequently breaks the fourth wall to speak direct to us or shoot knowing looks in our direction; and on his part, Bradbeer employs a zippy scrapbook style to the storytelling, keeping the pace jaunty and fleet-footed throughout a successfully swift two hours.
While Brown ably anchors the entire enterprise from start to finish, she is also assisted by a thoroughly debonair Henry Cavill as Sherlock and a suitably uptight Sam Claflin as her lesser-known brother Mycroft. We wish there were more of Bonham-Carter, because the actress brings such poignant soul as Enola’s mother, whose choice to leave turns out to be one carefully balanced between ideals and motherhood. The other outstanding supporting players among the ensemble include Fiona Shaw as the headmistress of the finishing-school, Susie Wakoma as a jujitsu teacher and Eudoria’s close friend, and Frances de la Tour as Lord Tewksbury’s grandmother.
That the list is filled with such a strong female cast is not a coincidence; if it isn’t yet obvious, there is clearly a feminist message here, using a young woman’s search for herself to draw relevance with women’s suffrage as well as contemporary issues of gender equality by extension. Thankfully, Brown doesn’t play up the girl-power ethos excessively, bringing cheek, warmth and game to the titular role that turns out just as fascinating as it should.
‘Enola Holmes’ is no doubt intended as a franchise starter, but the fact that you’ll be welcoming the next one with glee is testament to what the filmmakers here, as well as Brown, has done right with this first movie. It isn’t on the same scale as say Ritchie’s ‘Holmes’ duology or the ‘Kingsman’ series, but it packs enough cracking good fun and thrills to qualify as an unmitigated win for Netflix. Among the many, many originals this year, we dare say this is probably one of the most entertaining we’ve seen. .
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) thanklessly spends every Halloween making sure the residents of his hometown, Salem, celebrate safely and play by the rules. But this year, an escaped criminal and a mysterious new neighbor have Hubie on high alert. When people start disappearing, it’s up to Hubie to convince the police (Kevin James, Kenan Thompson) and townsfolk that the monsters are real, and only he can stop them.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Adam Sandler is definitely not a bad actor. Just check out his recent Uncut Gems and The Meyerowitz Stories. But most of the time, he chooses to be a bad actor or even worse, a terrible writer as proven in his latest Netflix offering, Hubie Halloween.
The usual Happy Madison production logo is a testament of what’s to come meaning fart jokes and goofy gags are a galore. So watch out if you have a weak heart. Sandler attempts to bring audiences back to his heydays. Remember Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy? Sandler plays Hubie Dubios, a variation of Gilmore and Bobby Boucher, an innocent good-hearted man (but shamed by the whole town for being weird) who lives all his life in small-town Salem and works at the deli.
For reasons unexplained, Hubie spends Halloween as a volunteer making sure everyone in Salem stays safe. Of course not everyone appreciates his effort except Violet Valentine (Julie Bowen), Hubie’s crush since school. When Hubie’s bullies start to disappear one by one, the local cop Sgt. Steve Downey (Kevin James) is called into action to solve the mystery. In the end, Downey reluctantly has to team up with Hubie to save the day before it’s too late.
Hubie Halloween mixes comedy with horror and mystery but the concept fails miserably. Certain scenes stretch on for too long with most of the dialogue almost laugh-free. Case in point- the character of Walter Lambert played by Madison’s regular, Steve Buscemi. Walter Lambert appears on-and-off during the movie trying his best to wring out some pathetic laughs and that includes NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal as a female sounding DJ. The movie often ventured into pointless territory making the movie unnecessarily longer than it should be.
Despite a long laundry list of familiar faces, the material is too weak to make much of an impact. Ben Stiller appears in a forgettable cameo. Rob Schneider makes a brief return here. Maya Rudolph does what she can in a short appearance. Ray Liotta is as usual creepy even in a comedy. The good thing is we see more of Sandler’s family members this time. And Noah Schnapp from Stranger Things appear as Violet’s son.
Well the sole entertaining gimmick is Hubie’s trusty thermos. A thermos that stores soup and also perform marvellously liked a swiss army knife. Indeed, there’s not a lot you find redeeming in Hubie Halloween. Although there’s a message about kindness, it’s buried under lots of unfunny low-brow humour.
Hubie Halloween ranks among the bottom of Sandler’s offerings. It’s lazy, juvenile and fares liked a rejected Scooby-Doo episode. The set decorators deserved the highest award in fact. The Halloween decorations seen in the movie surpassed even the standards of theme parks. Watch this if you need some inspirations on Halloween décor this year.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama
Director: François Girard
Cast: Clive Owen, Tim Roth, Catherine McCormack, Jonah Hauer-King
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Nudity and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 15 October 2020
Synopsis: Martin Simmonds (Tim Roth) has been haunted throughout his life by the mysterious disappearance of his “brother” and extraordinary best friend, a Polish Jewish virtuoso violinist, Dovidl Rapaport (Clive Owen), who vanished shortly before the 1951 London debut concert that would have launched his brilliant career. Thirty-five years later, Martin discovers that Dovidl may still be alive, and sets out on an obsessive intercontinental search to find him and learn why he left.
Movie Review:
The Song of Names is a drama with many themes: war, music and family just to name a few. It’s for sure not a perfect movie. But it’s definitely adequate enough for cinephiles who shunned the usual blockbusters, not that it’s a lot out there in 2020 anyway.
Coming from French-Canadian director Francois Girard who helmed the acclaimed The Red Violin more than two decades ago, his latest offering spans three decades and multiple countries. Sounds familiar isn’t it? Girard no doubt loves an interpersonal drama that takes viewers across time and space. The Song of Names is no exception even though the source material comes from a novel by Norman Lebrecht.
The screenplay by Jeffrey Caine (Exodus: Gods and Kings) takes us right to the beginning where the heart of the story begins in the 1950s, London. The Simmond family are waiting anxiously at the concert hall whereby prodigy violinist, Dovidl Rapoport is holding his first ever concert. However, Dovidl never appears in the end and Papa Simmond is hugely disappointed at the latter’s mysterious disappearance.
Fast forward to 1980s, Martin Simmond (Tim Roth), best friend and adopted brother of Dovidl never gives up hope on looking for Dovidl despite the passing of time. And when a young violinist shows traits of Dovidl’s playings, Martin decides to follow the leads hoping to find the whereabouts of Dovidl. The clues lead him to Poland and New York but is the real Dovidl still alive? Or is he just waiting for the right time for Martin to find him?
Girard is one filmmaker that takes his time to tell his story. In spite of it, there’s never a dull moment under Girard’s skilful direction. There are frequent flashbacks inserted to put us in the shoes of Martin and Dovidl. We watched how the two unlikely adopted brothers come to hate each other in the beginning but developed into close friends by the time they reach their teens. We learnt that Dovidl has probably lost his family during the Holocaust which explains why he chooses to abandon his religious beliefs. It also helps that the character of Martin is greatly fleshed out as well during the process rather than a simplify token character. Because of this, it gives the audiences a lot to think about the complexity of their relationship, Dovidl’s personality and inner struggle and most importantly how it’s shaped his subsequent decisions.
It’s an immensely satisfying story yet its biggest strength is also its biggest fault. The reason why Dovidl abandoned his surrogate family at the critical point of their life is an intriguing mystery worth pursuing. In all their eagerness, the filmmakers deliver a less than convincing reason as to why Dovidl left without a trace. The love and attention from the selfless Simmond family is apparently no match for his calling. Some viewers might find the interpretation highly plausible though some might find it a little dubious and selfish.
You can’t deny Tim Roth and most of the unknown young cast elevates the material with their tip-top performances. Obviously Clive Owen who plays the adult Dovidl deserved a mention. This is not exactly a spoiler since his bushy face is plastered across the poster. The production scale is sufficiently decent boasting some nice CGI background and vintage props. Girard loves his close-up shots so you won’t really missed Roth’s wrinkles or Owen’s expression hidden under all his hairy beard.
The Song of Names is somewhat a minor detective tale with mostly strong performances with an uneven mix of themes thrown in for good measure. The first half is totally a gem and while the payoff certainly fails to sweep us away, the overall effort still comes recommended.
Movie Rating:
( A fascinating drama about humans, religion and more)
Review by Linus Tee
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TRAILER WATCH - THE ADDAMS FAMILY 2Posted on 13 Oct 2020 |
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