JANG HYUK THE SWORDSMAN Posted on 13 Oct 2020 To me, modern action has nothing on period pugilistic pieces. Guns, lasers, cars and bombs rarely need skill, and filmmakers often depend on bigger explosions to one-up excitement. The clash of fists and swords in comparison, feels more elegant, and often results in a more satisfying payout. They are called martial arts for a reason. It’s been a while since a title with a focus on swo ... more

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Ong Kuo Sin
Cast: Mark Lee, Henry Thia, Jaspers Lai, Kiwebaby, Darius Tan, Kenneth Chia, Gadrick Chin, Cassandra See, Gina Tan
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Rating: NC16 (Mature Theme)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 22 October 2020

Synopsis: Number One is a heart-warming musical family comedy that follows the story of Chow Chee Beng, a middle-aged white collar manager retrenched by his company. After many failed interviews, Chee Beng unwillingly takes a job as a manager at ‘Number One’, a popular drag club. Soon, Chee Beng is roped into dressing up to join the drag queens on stage. And to everyone’s surprise, Chee Beng is a natural drag queen and his performance wows the audiences!

Movie Review:

Number 1 proves two things. Mark Lee shows that he is more than a comedian. An incredible versatile actor that is. Two: the movie definitely deserve to be nominated for Best Leading Actor and Best Makeup and Costume Design in the upcoming 57th Golden Horse awards. Does it also measure up to Ong Kuo Sin’s last directorial big-screen effort, the wacky Mr. Unbelievable? The answer is yes if not even better.

Chow Chee Beng (Lee) is a 44 year old General Manager who has been given the sack after 27 years of slogging at a construction firm. With a new baby on the way plus servicing for his monthly car and housing loans, Lee has no choice but to work as an AGM at a pub run by Brother Fa (Henry Thia). AGM takes on a whole new meaning, believe me as Brother Fa’s pub is no ordinary pub, it’s a popular drag club lead by drag queen, Pearly (Kiwebaby張承喜). When one of Fa’s performers turned out to be an AWOL personnel from the army, Chow has no choice but to stand in ..surprise.. surprise.. to wild responses from the audience. But Chow still has one major obstacle to conquer- the blessing from his overly demanding wife (Gina Tan).

The lovable comedy co-written by co-star Jaspers Lai (The Lion Men) and Ong comes at a time when the world is sort of chaotic and uncertain. It exudes so much charm and high spirit that you be sure exiting the hall smiling like a Cheshire cat. Most of the laughs actually don’t really come from Lee himself. He is surrounded by a bunch of spontaneous motley crew including Lai who played Money, a stingy but charitable character, Tiny (an endearing Kenneth Chia) and a bubbly Darius Tan as Italy (一大粒). The rambunctious threesome often entertains with their comical chatter and action which serves as one of the movie’s highlight.

Newcomer Taiwanese Kiwebaby on the other hand plays a cocky performer with a sad past, a civil engineer trained graduate who never gets the family support he needs. Pearly aims high on the stage but when he is overshadowed by Chow who sang with his own voice and heart instead of lip-sync as ordered by Pearly, squabbles and disagreement inevitably arises as a result. At the same time, Chow has to make the decision to stick with the “brotherhood” or risk losing his family.

Number 1 also aims to make a stand on LBGT issues, taking the opportunity to shed some light on the plight of transvestites in Singapore. There is a powerful scene which showcases Money being make fun of by his old schoolmate (Daren Tan in a cameo) and a discussion on the subject of cross-dressing between Chow and his son. However such scenes are few and far, giving viewers more of these might make a far more impactful statement. Educate the next generation instead of shunning them away from such topics.

The casting I would say is excellent. As mentioned, Mark Lee’s sensitive portrayal of Chow Chee Beng is a mixture of comic and realism and that is a seal of his acting ability. His Hokkien rendition of the classic “I Will Survive” deserved a soundtrack on Spotify. Their act dubbed the Queens also wowed with pretty costumes, dances exuberantly to A-Mei’s 姐妹 and sings poignantly to the late Anita Mui’s 女人花. Former Mediacorp actress Cassandra See has a hilarious role as a Teochew speaking triad leader, Sister Phoenix who carries a torch for the cross-dressed Chow.

We strongly suggest Ong Kuo Sin as the next successor to Jack Neo in terms of choosing the next local comedy filmmaker. Ong is too under the radar at the moment and we suggest to give the man more opportunities to showcase his filmmaking talent. Most might brushed him off as a one-off with Mr. Unbelievable but Number 1 certainly deserved some credit for being so heartfelt and humourous.

Similar to the working class comedy The Full Monty, this is equally a movie about social commentary and the resilient of the human spirit. Arguably, the ending is a bit predictable and rushed. Well that’s just me trying to nitpick. There is a mid-credits teasing a sequel. We seriously hope it’s not a drag. 

Movie Rating:

(Mark Lee is a King or you can call him Queen in this crowd-pleasing funny movie from creators Ong Kuo Sin and Jaspers Lai)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Mark Williams
Cast: Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jai Courtney, Jeffrey Donovan, Anthony Ramos, Robert Patrick
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence and Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 22 October 2020

Synopsis: Career bank robber Tom Carter (Liam Neeson) is a former marine and demolitions expert who has robbed $9 million from 12 banks in 7 states. No one knows his true identity and they call him the In and Out bandit for his meticulous bank jobs. When he meets the love of his life Annie (Kate Walsh), he is inspired to right his past wrongs and leave behind his life of crime. He turns himself in to the FBI and forfeits the money in return for a plea deal and clean slate. When he calls the Boston FBI field office to confess and set a meeting, Agents Baker (Robert Patrick) and Meyers (Jeffrey Donovan) laugh it off as a prank. Instead, they send their subordinates, Agent Nivens (Jai Courtney) and Hall (Anthony Ramos). The two younger agents are shocked to discover that Tom is the real deal and see the stolen money as their golden ticket to a better life. So begins an intense, action-packed cat-and-mouse game where good and bad become tangled.

Movie Review:

He was Darkman before the current era of Marvel and DC. He once led an A-Team. He fought wolves. He even solved a mystery on a plane. And he is largely known for possessing a special set of skills. He is none other than Liam Neeson.

Like Jackie Chan, the 68 year old lanky actor from Ireland has been talking about retiring from action cinema for a while. 2020 might be a weird year but everyone’s favourite uncle is still busy kicking ass and getting framed in his latest action thriller, Honest Thief.

Neeson plays Tom, an ex-marine bomb specialist dubbed by the authorities as an in-and-out bandit who stole millions from small-town banks. However, when Tom falls in love with Annie (Kate Walsh), a smart bubbly woman who works at a storage hub, Tom decides to settle down with her and quits his life as a burglar. But before that, Tom decides to surrender himself to the FBI with millions in tow.

Things start to get messy when the two FBI agents (played by Jai Courtney from A Good Day to Die Hard and Anthony Ramos from A Star Is Born) assigned to the case attempts to keep the cold hard cash and frame Tom for the murder of another senior FBI agent. Knowing Neeson who has a special set of skills or Tom in this case, he is not going to let them get away that easily.

It’s kind of disappointing to report that Honest Thief ranks among the lowest rung when it comes to generic action movies. The plotting is clichéd to the point that you can predict what the rogue agents are going to do next. Murdering the witness. Check. Retrieve the evidence. Check. Killing one another. Check. It goes from an average watchable flick to something that should be tossed to streaming. I know it’s kind of harsh to judge it this way but Honest Thief indeed never bring anything new to the cat-and-mouse game.

Never mind that Liam Neeson is playing the same character everytime. At least give the man something interesting to do instead of mere boring car chases and a couple of clumsy scuffling moves. Maybe he can even bake a pizza for Annie or bomb half of Boston. I mean Tom didn’t really has tonnes to do right here. He spent most of his time confessing to Annie rather than fighting the enemies. There is no real sense of urgency or momentum and pathetically, all the action bits are shown in the trailer.

Just when you are expecting more, the movie offers you less as the running time goes. Liam Neeson still has that imposing aura to command an action flick but he just seems tired and repetitive right here. Jai Courtney makes a better villain than a hero so it’s advisable for him to continue this career path. Veterans Robert Patrick and Jeffrey Donovan appear in relatively small roles.

It’s perfectly understandable if director Mark Williams wants to make Honest Thief a disposable dumb action flick. Sadly that’s not the case. The formula has been recycled too many times and there is even lesser action visuals combined as compared to the first 30 minutes of Mission Impossible 6. If you are walking into Honest Thief expecting Liam Neeson to blow up a plane, a train or half the streets of Boston, then I will be brutally honest to say - please dial down your expectations by a lot.

Movie Rating:

(Liam Neeson is fast running out of steam as the go-to senior citizen action uncle)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Fantasy
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth, Chris Rock, Jahzir Kadeem Bruno, Codie-Lei Eastick
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: PG (Some Frightening Scenes)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 5 November 2020

Synopsis: Reimagining Dahl’s beloved story for a modern audience, Zemeckis’s visually innovative film tells the darkly humorous and heartwarming tale of a young orphaned boy (Bruno) who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma (Spencer) in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks our young hero away to an opulent seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch (Hathaway) has gathered her fellow cronies from around the globe—undercover—to carry out her nefarious plans.

Movie Review:

Roald Dahl’s classic novel proves a welcome return to form for veteran Hollywood director Robert Zemeckis, whose blend of humanity and cruelty has had its share of hits and misses over the years. But working off a script co-written with Kenya Barris and Guillermo del Toro (oh yes, you read that right), Zemeckis delivers a heartfelt, fun and occasionally creepy adaptation that Dahl would probably be more proud of – more so than the 1990 version that Dahl had dis-associated himself from, which those old enough may remember had Angelica Huston transforming into a bald, warty witch.

Whereas both the book and the earlier movie were set in Europe, Zemeckis’ version shifts the action to Alabama, where a young orphaned boy (whose name is never revealed) moves in with his grandma (Octavia Spencer) after losing both his parents in a car crash. It is in the town called Demo-polis that both grandma and grandson would encounter the former’s teenage best friend Alice, now a resentful witch who casts a nasty cough spell on her and tries to seduce the latter in a grocery store with candy. Realising the danger both of them are in, Grandma whisks them off to the ritzy Grand Orleans Imperial Island Hotel on the Gulf of Mexico.

Alas their arrival coincides with the congregation of dozens of witches under the autocratic leadership of the Grand High Witch (Anne Hathaway); in typical Dahl-esque style, the event is named the Convention of the International Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Those familiar with the tale will know that the boy will stumble onto the ballroom gathering where the High Witch reveals her plan to have her fellow witches open candy stores throughout the country, selling poisoned candy that will turn children into mice. It is also no secret that before that gathering ends, the boy, as well as a portly English kid Bruno (Codie-Lei Eastick) he makes acquaintance of just minutes before, will both be turned into mice.

Despite being rodent-sized, both companions will team up with the boy’s pet mouse (who also happens to be a child that was turned by a witch) to stop the Grand High Witch’s nefarious scheme. It helps of course that these children-turned-mice can still speak and therefore communicate with Grandma, who becomes an invaluable human ally in their quest to save the children of the world. What follows is a series of special effects-heavy setpieces that follow three mice and Grandma around the confines of the resort hotel, i.e. through its ventilation shafts, kitchen, dining room and finally the obviously named Room 666 where the High Witch is checked in.

Zemeckis is a master at CGI wizardry, and the second half of the film plays to these strengths with sequence after sequence of comic hijinks; in particular, a scene which has the witches erupting like purple bottle rockets after drinking garlic soup laced with their own medicine is a hoot to watch. You’ll also appreciate the amount of detail lavished on Hathaway’s turn as the Great High Witch, which sees Zemeckis going big with alarmingly stretchy jaws, three-fingered hands, extendable arms and a single pointy toe on each foot.

Comparisons with Huston are inevitable, and while it would always be hard to top that deliciously macabre performance, Hathaway is utterly bewitching in her own right as the High Witch, sporting an exaggerated Scandinavian accent and chewing the scenery with commanding gusto. Even though she may be the star of the show, it is a good thing Zemeckis doesn’t forget Spencer, who grounds the movie in genuine emotion with a poignant turn as a guardian struggling to reach out to Hero Boy while dealing with her own profound loss. Other supporting players such as Stanley Tucci as the hotel manager and Chris Rock as the grown-up version of the boy round up a stellar ensemble which Zemeckis has assembled.

It is certainly tempting to think what del Toro would have done with the movie if he had gotten his way to doing it in stop-motion animation, but Zemeckis’ live-action adaptation has its own charms. Not only does it capture the menace within Roald Dahl’s story (mind you: there are some scenes which may terrify younger viewers), it also injects much fun and heart into a family-friendly iteration done in the director’s signature style of big, grand entertainment. If anything, Hathaway’s over-the-top romp is reason enough to turn up for this gathering of mice and (wo)men, complete with plenty of delightful toil and trouble.

Movie Rating:

(Anne Hathaway is utterly bewitching in a performance of vamp and menace, anchoring a CG-heavy live-action adaptation of the classic Roald Dahl book that retains its menace and its charms)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Seven years after the Monsterpocalypse, Joel Dawson (Dylan O’Brien), along with the rest of humanity, has been living underground ever since giant creatures took control of the land. After reconnecting over radio with his high school girlfriend Aimee (Jessica Henwick), who is now 80 miles away at a coastal colony, Joel begins to fall for her again. As Joel realizes that there’s nothing left for him underground, he decides against all logic to venture out to Aimee, despite all the dangerous monsters that stand in his way. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Finally, there’s an apocalyptic thriller that is both creatively imaginative and far entertaining than those based on existing properties. And that includes leading man Dylan O’Brien’s The Maze Runner franchise.

O’Brien stars as Joel Dawson, a survivor of the war between humans and mutated monsters. Seven years have passed, Dawson and a small group of survivors have been hiding in an underground bunker ever since. But Dawson is missing his girlfriend, Aimee (Jessica Henwick from Iron Fist) who is now leading another colony 80 miles away.

Despite a tendency to freeze in the eyes of danger, Dawson decides to make the dangerous trek to reunite with Aimee. Armed with a crossbow and arrows and a notebook to jot down the dangerous monsters he encountered along the way, Dawson embarked on a trip whereby he realized there are more things to experience in life on the surface rather than underground.

Love And Monsters is a fun thriller that explores love, friendship and filled with compelling believable characters. It’s also a terrific story that has lots of heart. Michael Rooker (Yondu from Guardians of the Galaxy) and Ariana Greenblatt (The One and Only Ivan) plays a pair of unrelated survivors who saved Dawson’s life midway. Rooker’s Clyde is a hardened seasoned survivor who taught the latter on survival skills. Ariana’s Minnow is a smart-ass youngster imparting zen-like archery skills to Dawson. Clyde and Minnow makes such a great pair and it’s a pity the two monster hunters aren’t on the screen much. But we will keep Minnow’s advice in mind, do not “brain out” and always remember to shoot like “a needle through water”.

Then there is a loyal dog nicknamed “boy” that follows Dawson on his journey. The friendship between Dawson and “Boy” is another reason why the flick is so genuinely entertaining and delightful. There are two critical scenes which detailed their well-crafted relationship. First a thrilling scene whereby Dawson saved Boy from being devoured by an underground monster and later on, Boy’s loyalty or stubbornness depending on your point of view that got them into a confrontation with the Queen sandgobbler.

Of course, a movie liked Love And Monsters relied a lot on the use of CGI. In an era where every monster related title comes loaded with plenty of visual effects, this is one movie that makes good use of it to tell the story. Thus, instead of employing effects to tell the entire story (e.g. Godzilla: King of Monsters), director Michael Matthews and writers Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson focused heavily on the character of Dawson and the development of the survivors he met to churn out a few well-meaning, well-choreographed monster attacks.

Rather than cutting corners and showing the CGI monsters in the dead of the night or bleak dark locations, all the cool creatures are shown crawling and attacking in broad daylight. So, prepare to spot gigantic mutated toad, centipede, snail and even a crab.

O’Brien is working his way as a lovable action hero on the big screen and he is great as the somewhat vulnerable, comical, nerdy Dawson. Half Singaporean Jessica Henwick shows she is not a damsel in distress and she once again proves she has the chops to pull a few hard punches. If not for covid19, Love And Monsters would make for a great time in theaters. It’s packed with riveting adventure and solid interpersonal drama; this creature flick is a highly satisfying romp if you asked me.  

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Crime/Thriller
Director: Robin Pront
Cast: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Annabelle Wallis, Caleb Ellsworth-Clark, Josh Cruddas
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 29 October 2020

Synopsis: RAYBURN SWANSON understands loss. His only teenage daughter was kidnapped five years ago and since then, he has slipped into a downward spiral of alcoholism and self destruction. After his daughter went missing, Rayburn swore off hunting and trapping and decided to help the very animals he used to kill by establishing a self-sufficient wildlife sanctuary that borders the inhospitable Boundary Waters Wilderness. Now he spends his days drinking and monitoring the animals’ activity with a series of closed-circuit cameras that surround his secluded property. His life becomes in jeopardy when Rayburn spots something horrifying on one of the security monitors; a killer, dressed in a ghillie suit, hunting a girl on Rayburn’s sanctuary who resembles his missing daughter. Determined to save the her, Rayburn sets off into the wilderness in a race to find her before the killer does.

Movie Review:

Strong atmosphere and acting compensates for an otherwise pedestrian narrative in the familiar but nonetheless effective thriller ‘The Silencing’.

Its moody tone is established right from the beginning, with a birds-eye view of the Minnesota woods where it is set followed by a long shot of a woman’s body floating down a stream meandering through the woods.

A serial killer is on the loose, preying on teenage girls and hunting them using atlatls with arrows marked by the initials ‘MB’. Unfortunately for the new local Sheriff Alice Gustafson (Annabelle Wallis), not many in town, especially the local Indian community, like her very much. To make matters more complicated for Alice, her younger brother Brooks (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), who has a drug problem, may be connected to the case.

Joining the fray is reclusive Rayburn Swanson (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a former hunter turned guardian of the town’s wildlife sanctuary; not surprisingly, Rayburn believes that there is a connection between the latest discovery and the disappearance of his teenage daughter Gwen five years ago, resolving therefore to track down the killer and find out just what had happened to her.

Rayburn gets into the hunt when he catches the image of a young girl being chased through his part of the woods by someone in a full ghillie suit. Though he is initially wounded by the killer’s spear, Rayburn preserves to find the girl and eventually shepherds her safely to his own cabin. Alas, the killer manages to trace the both of them down, leading to a confrontation that sets the stage for a series of twists and turns before the final reveal.

To writer Micah Ranum’s credit, the mystery itself is fairly clever, especially with a red herring thrown in halfway through to keep you guessing. The pacing is also just right, not too rushed such that the story loses focus and also not too deliberate to lose your interest. What is somewhat less convincing is the motivation of the killer when his identity is finally revealed. The same can be said of the other characters, which the script fails to develop sufficiently.

That we still root for Rayburn is credit to Coster-Waldau’s compelling turn as a grieving father; though the writing could be stronger, Coster-Waldau carries the role with conviction, and makes the eventual closure feel utterly visceral. Wallis is fine enough, but she is even more handicapped by a script which gives her much less to work with. The rest of the supporting cast get even shorter shrift, and we’d especially have liked to see Fiennes Tiffin given a more significant part to play in the story.

On his part, director Robin Pront builds a strong sense of place throughout the movie; with ace cinematographer Manuel Dacosse, both the deep woods and the town’s spareness lend the film a suitably grim visual palette that complements the grittiness of the storytelling. Pront also keeps the violence in check, so that the movie does not descend into shlock.

‘The Silencing’ may not break genre boundaries, but it is a sufficiently decent entry that relies on atmosphere, acting and action to keep you engaged. If you’re looking for a 90-minute distraction in the cinema, you could do much worse than this slow-burn thriller, especially fans of ‘Wind River’ or HBO’s ‘True Detective’ who need a serial killer thriller fix.

Movie Rating:

(Strong atmosphere, acting and action make this a familiar yet effective thriller that should satisfy fans of 'Wind River' and HBO's 'True Detective')

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Thriller
Director: Ko Chen-Nien
Cast: Liu Tzu-Chuan, Chen Yan Fei, Kim Hyun Bin, Liu Kuan-Ting
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Violence)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 5 November 2020

Synopsis: Hearing-impaired teenager Chang Cheng transfers to a school for children with special needs. However, the world of the hearing-impaired doesn't seem quiet at all. When Chang witnesses the "game" taking place in the last row on the school bus, his excitement about blending into a new environment immediately turns into fear. Seeing Bei Bei, the girl he has a crush on, getting hurt so badly, Xiao Guang, the ringleader, behaving like a king and other schoolmates acting innocent, Chang debates with himself on whether he should reveal the cruel truth about the game or whether he should join in. As the divide between the perpetrators and the victim begins to blur, confusion and anxiety grow among everyone in the school.

Movie Review:

All too often, there are some topics in life we tiptoe around. We either gloss over them, avoid them, or deny them altogether, and even more so when it presents uncomfortable or unfamiliar truths. So imagine when two of those themes come together.

The Silent Forest is a bold and disturbing look into the effects of systematic abuse, set in the unthinkable premise of a school for the hearing-impaired. Unafraid to jump headfirst into a tangled web of tragic manipulations, budding director Ko Chen-Nien creates a heartbreaking film that stays honest, and in doing so, illuminates with every jolt.

Hearing-impaired Chang Cheng (Liu Tzu Chuan) is a new transfer from a standard school, relieved that he now doesn’t have to face the stress of being different. He makes quick friends and finds interest in Bei Bei (Chen Yan Fei), a free-spirited girl who opens up to him quickly, often sharing randomly on topics from secret wifi spots to her love for Chinese opera. One thing she didn’t talk about, was how she was a victim of sexual assault - and by other students no less, to which Chang Cheng accidentally discovers one day. The righteous boy finds ways to stop this travesty, but only uncovers a hierarchy of cover-ups and victims-turned-accomplices. The story then becomes one of how a young boy can hope to overturn a long-standing system, one which flourishes from the inaction or shamed dismissals from adults?

Our instinct for less-fortunate individuals, especially children, tends to be one of empathy, so The Silent Forest thrusts us in the position to ask, what happens when lesser-abled children do bad things? It’s a difficult equation to tackle, but Ko’s purpose is exactly so, to let this topic see light and conversation. The reason might have something to do with it the fact that the stories were based on actual cases that happened in Tainan in 2012 and Hualien in 2018.

The film, in all its brutal display, is clearly a call for society to not stay away from tough love, and to not overcompensate wrongs by glossing over with sympathy. Pay more attention to the victims, Ko seems to shout through her heartrending scenes. And in 2012’s case, the acts to 164 victims were resolved with the impeachment of 16, but with nary any other repercussions to speak of - a situation that needs more legal resolve to protect history from repeating itself.

Ko’s The Silent Forest shows a maturity that belies her short filmography. Rich psychological pieces are hard to execute within the confines of 108 minutes, but the cunning director shows flair with a successful melding of visuals, score, and script. The nature of the assault here is blunt yet layered, and goes from sexual to emotional - a tapestry that feels natural and believable. Her use of awkward framing and discordant soundtrack works well, and doesn’t fall into any cliche trappings.

Impressive too are the entire cast. While Liu Kuan-Ting as the sole teacher fighting to protect the children does a fine job, the young actors here are truly something else. There’s a development to each character here that is riveting to watch as truths come to light. From ringleader Xiao Guang’s (Kim Hyunbin) ‘mindless’ bullying to Bei Bei’s contrast of resilient vulnerability, each child actor performs at a level that makes the proceedings all that more horrific. And just when you think that’s all to the story, the director peels back the main story to reveal an even darker core.

Ko even manages to insert surrealistic scenes of local deities in the film, an artistic signal that sits suitably with the aspirations of a girl struggling to keep her sanity. Though rare, the juxtaposition is compelling to watch and sears us deeply as haunting reminders.

Small wonder then that the film garnered 8 nominations across multiple genres at the 57th Golden Horse Awards. The Silent Forest strikes the balance between commercial film-making and social messaging, and leaves us disturbed for the best of reasons, and hopefully enough for change to be finally effected.

Movie Rating:

(A gut-wrenching but necessary story of the effects of abuse and impact on victims unheard. Don’t look away.)

Review by Morgan Awyong

SYNOPSIS: Three gutsy kids from a rapidly gentrifying Bronx neighborhood stumble upon a sinister plot to suck all the life from their beloved community.

MOVIE REVIEW:

While we are still waiting for the sequel to Eddie Murphy and Wes Craven’s much maligned Vampire In Brooklyn, here comes Vampires Vs. the Bronx.

Sorry about that, different era different movie but same old vampire.

When a group of best friends, Miguel, Bobby and Luis rally to save the bodega from falling into the hands of a mysterious corporation, they encountered a sinister supernatural force that is way beyond their imagination. It turned out they are centuries old Vampires hell bent on taking over Bronx to make it their new HQ.

Yup those immortal creatures that suck one’s blood, hide from the sunlight but lurks in the shadows at night. Because liked they say, no one give a damn if anyone went missing in the Bronx.

Vampires Vs. the Bronx brings audiences back to the good old days whereby vampire movies are fun, goofy and thrilling. Remember Fright Night and The Lost Boys? That was a time whereby vampires have yet evolved into sparkling creatures.

Anyway, the movie is tightly paced and the humour often tongue in cheek. It has no qualms poking fun at the genre when one of the scenes has the boys checking out Blade as a form of reference on how to kill vampires. And then they proceed to equip themselves with holy water, sacramental bread and stakes made from discard furniture. Clichés but they get the job done.

Like the former young cast of Stranger Things, the relatively unknown Jaden Michael, Gerald W. Jones III and Gregory Diaz IV brought a level of raw infectious energy to the otherwise familiar storyline with their chemistry and witty bantering. Having a multiple of races including Spaniard, African-American, Haitian in the movie give the writers a chance to cleverly exploit some clever jokes out of the situation as well.

Other cast members include Shea Wingham from Kong: Skull Island and Joker portrayed the vampires’ crony, a shady estate agent who aims to be part of them. American rapper Method Man plays Father Jackson, a role that is surprisingly too minor to have an impact consider he is a religious figure. Then there is “The Kid Mero” who plays everyone’s favourite convenience store owner, Tony.

There might not be much scary or heart pounding moments but generally Vampires Vs. the Bronx is an enjoyable unpretentious flick that runs briskly and boasts a decent amount of fun. Comparing this to Adam Sandler’s Hubie Halloween, this one is far more worthy to play on Halloween movie night.  

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: What was intended to be a peaceful protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention turned into a violent clash with police and the National Guard. The organizers of the protest—including Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom Hayden and Bobby Seale—were charged with conspiracy to incite a riot and the trial that followed was one of the most notorious in history. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

No one does a talky movie as well as Aaron Sorkin, the Oscar winning writer behind The West Wing, The Social Network and Steve Jobs. His sophomore directing effort no surprise is yet another talky movie, The Trial of the Chicago 7. A tumultuous project that was supposed to be directed by Steven Spielberg until he jumped ship to direct West Side Story. The drama doesn’t end here because Paramount Pictures sold the rights to Netflix months before it was due to release on the big screen.

After all, it’s not necessary a bad thing. At least more people has the chance to watch The Trial of the Chicago 7 on the streaming giant. Frankly, it wouldn’t last more than two weeks in the theatres given the seriousness of the subject matter. In fact, it’s best you do some homework before you attempt to watch it. Google perhaps?

The story in short is about a group of anti-Vietnam war protesters who are charged with the intention of inciting riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The seven defendants include leaders of the Student of the Democratic Society: Tom Hayden (Eddie Redmayne) and Rennie Davis (Alex Sharp), founding member of the Yippies: Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Jerry Rubin (Jeremy Strong), leader of the National Committee to End the War in Vietnam, David Dellinger (John Carroll Lynch) and John Froines (Daniel Flaherty), Lee Weiner (Noah Robbins). There’s also an eighth defendant, Bobby Seale (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), National Chairman of the Black Panther Party.

There’s a lot of information to digest and plenty of characters walking in and out of the screen in this ensemble legal drama so you need to really keep up with all the things that are going on after the opening logos. Besides the eight of them, there’s Richard Schultz (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the main prosecutor of the case. William Kunstler (Mark Rylance), the Defence Counsel, Julius Hoffman (Frank Langella) the honourable Judge and Ramsey Clark (Michael Keaton), ex-Attorney General of the United States. Each and every character listed here has an important role to play so you can probably imagine the amount of material Sorkin has to accumulate here to tell his story.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 paints a very grim picture of what actual democracy looks like in a so-called first world country. It’s also a provocative statement on police brutality and the ugliness of politics. Despite the 60’s setting, the messages remain well relevant to these days. The ongoing Hong Kong protests and civil unrest in the States for example. This is simply not just a dramatization of the trial or the legal implications that follows. This is a movie for audiences who are keen on past challenging events and the subsequent harrowing cause and effect.

Under Sorkin’s watchful eyes and powerful penning, there’s no particular cast member that shines. Not because it’s shabbily acted but rather, everyone in the picture is so brilliant in their own ways that you forgot you are actually watching actors liked Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen and Mark Rylance doing their own interpretations of their real-life counterparts.

Sorkin never really focused the movie on the actual riots though there are a couple of flashback sequences that highlights the confrontation between the protesters, the police and national guards. Still, it’s more than sufficient to detail the hostility and prejudice faced by the protesters be it in the courtroom or out in the streets. The Trial of the Chicago 7 comes just in time for the upcoming US election. It’s a powerful, unnerving insight into the real world.  

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Ivan Minin
Cast: Viktotiya Potemina, Anastasiia Gribova, Margarita Bychkova
Runtime: 1 hr 26 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Nudity and Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 5 November 2020

Synopsis: In a densely forested area north of St. Petersburg people have been going missing for three decades.The few corpses ever found were naked. On October 14, 2017 a team of volunteers went out into the woods in search of a missing teenager. Soon, all communication with them was lost. Locals believe they were taken by the same dark spirit that took the others. They call it the Limping Widow.

Movie Review:

As each country’s film industry finds renewed interest in the horror genre in the last decade, we are seeing interesting projects coming out from lesser-heard places, such as Iran (Under the Shadow). While Russia is relatively known, the scares coming from the country have been a little short, surprising given the rich folklore and austere settings.

But little by little, the titles are coming, albeit with mixed responses. The Bride, Mermaid: The Lake of the Dead, and Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest are yearly entries from director Svyatoslav Podgaevskiy, and Quiet comes the Dawn by Pavel Sidorov came recently with praise for its visuals. Joining these efforts is this year’s The Widow.

Directed by first-timer Ivan Minin, the film also known as Vdova has potential to carry the local industry’s genre out of the woods but may need extra tightening in the latter half to really impress.

A group of rescue workers were conducting on-site training in the caves for a new trainee when they were abruptly dispatched to search for a missing boy. The brother turned up in town delirious but some locals last saw the pair at an abandoned woodmill, so the team of four heads towards the same area to start their search. A video journalist who was initially reporting on the training, joins the crew, excited by the twist in a news-worthy event.

Even as they rumble through the forest in the rescue truck, a member grumbles about the history of the swampy area. Thing is, people have disappeared often here, and the ones who do turn up are often found as naked corpses. A local legend has it that a village woman killed her husband for cheating, but the villagers turned on her, breaking her legs and drowning her in a black pit. Her aggrievement turned her into a witch, and her curse haunts the forests where she died.

The Limping Widow is supposedly based on real events that happened in a densely forested area north of St. Petersburg, and in late 2017, a team of rescue volunteers disappeared without a trace. The Widow recreates this in a compelling way, mixing POV footage with standard cinematography to good effect in most cases, and the mixed effect carries out the story nicely without the need for characters to remind each other “with the usual “keep the camera on, we want to record everything” cliche. This makes the film more realistic in its responses and helps with the story flow greatly.

What is not as effective is when the hauntings become more pronounced. The reactions start to turn haphazard and even become a little cheesy, such as the scene where the team leader returns possessed, with murky eyes and in a stupor. The effect feels out of place compared to some of the other machinations of the witch. As the team splits apart and regathers with the realisation that there’s something supernatural at work, the ensuing reactions are either too nonchalant or overly theatrical, throwing out the good work in pacing the earlier half had achieved.

There’s plenty of good work done here in the script initially. Even as a worker pronounces no one has ever been found in the area, he quickly makes light of it, saying it’s because he is unlucky. This joke is later repeated in another setting with irony, and shows gems that differentiate. Sadly, it later again falls into more standard fare.

Titles like The Widow are strong indications that Russia has some gift in this genre. The bits of local folklore that appear in the film, like the carved symbols and the benign witch, are examples of fascinating literature that can be used to chilling effect. All that’s needed, is a little more polish.

Movie Rating:

(The Widow has a promising start with interesting lore, but falters in the later part with cliches that flatline the ending)

Review by Morgan Awyong