Genre: Action/Horror
Director: Roseanne Liang
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Taylor John Smith, Beulah Koale, Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall, Joe Witkowski, Byron Coll
Runtime: 1 hr 23 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 28 January 2021

Synopsis: In the throes of World War II, Captain Maude Garrett (CHLOË GRACE MORETZ) joins the all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude’s every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. But this crew has more to fear…lurking in the shadows, something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane. Trapped between an oncoming air ambush and an evil lurking within, Maude must push beyond her limits to save the hapless crew and protect her mysterious cargo.

Movie Review:

To be politically correct, Shadow In The Cloud is mostly a “one-woman-show” that stars 23-year-old Chloe Grace Moretz who will always be known to the world as Hit-Girl.

With the exception of the opening scene and the last act, Moretz’s character, Maude Garrett is stuck all alone, close up in a ball-shape gun turret of an airplane. Set during the era of World War II, the story has it that Flight Officer Maude Garrett is tasked to deliver a casing of top-secret documents from New Zealand to Samoa and her mode of transport happened to be a B-17 bomber named “The Fool’s Errand”.

The crew which comprises a group of sexist male soldiers starts to question the validity of Garrett’s statement, order and her capability as a flight officer. With zero available seats onboard, Garrett is then assigned to seat in the turret with her casing being under the care of a friendly crewman, Quaid. It’s not long that Garrett realized something is amiss. A terrifying creature dubbed the gremlin is messing around outside the bomber and in addition, the Japanese “Zero” fighters are also closing in.

Will the ragtag crew survive in the end? Or is it time again for our favourite Hit-Girl to kick some serious ass?

Funded mainly by the New Zealand Film Commission, Shadow In The Cloud created a bit of a hoo-ha after disgraced writer Max Landis (Chronicle, Bright) was credited for the script. It has since confirmed that director Roseanne Liang actually performed extensive rewrites on the original script which of course explained the reason why it’s a movie that is not afraid to delve into sexual harassment, feminism and all-out girl power.

The movie on the whole is more of a fantasy action piece than a horror creature flick. The CGI creature which resembles an over-sized bat although provides the movie’s sole entertaining factor appears only intermittently if you are expecting a full-blown visual fest. The roughly 80 minutes feature evidently struggles with its pacing whenever the gremlin is not onscreen. Luckily Chloe Grace Moretz is an old hand in pulpy silly material. The young actress still delivers a capable performance despite the goofy premise and exaggerated action sequences.

As it turns out there is a somewhat unbelievable twist to the whole saga. No, we are talking about the fantasy creature. It’s more of what Garett is hiding in the case. But we are not spoiling any of it here or giving it away. All we can say is Garett is surrounded by a bunch of useless, act-tough airmen who are good at mouthing inappropriate language but crumbles at the sight of a gremlin and Japanese attackers. And they should be thankful they have a female flight officer onboard.

Liang never goes out to make a movie that engages the mind, this is quite simply a popcorn flick made to champion female heroes. The last act is an absolute blast that will have you screaming for more though we must add, it’s absolutely not a wall-to-wall action movie nor a chilling creature feature that’s going to redefine the genre. The only memorable thing after exiting the theater is Chloe Grace Moretz is still a kick-ass hit-girl after all these years.

Movie Rating:

(Attempts to deliver the next Ellen Ripley and Furiosa but lacks the visceral and budget)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Keith Thomas
Cast: Dave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Malky Goldman 
Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: NC16 (Horror)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 14 January 2021

Synopsis: In the Hasidic community of Boro Park, Brooklyn, a despondent young man, short on both faith and funds, reluctantly agrees to assume the responsibility of an overnight shimmer and fulfill the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased member of the Orthodox community. With only the company of the recently departed and an ailing widow who expresses cryptic reservations as to the man's ability to carry out the task, he soon finds himself exposed to a terrifying haunting within the claustrophobic confines of a home that has become host to a malevolent entity. In what is essentially a one-man show, Dave Davis is profoundly affecting in his portrayal of the hesitant sentinel, exuding an empathetic combination of frayed nerves and timid weariness. Throughout this uncanny night, his vigil gradually transforms into a harrowing spiritual investigation of both his cursed surroundings and his pitiable past - a journey in which the very recesses of his community's collective trauma...

Movie Review:

If you’re looking for full-blown horror, you won’t find that in ‘The Vigil’; instead, director Keith Thomas’s feature film debut aims and succeeds at being an exercise in minimalist horror. Drawing from Jewish superstition, it tells of a young Hasid who takes a job as a ‘shomer’ and becomes the target of a malevolent dybbuk that used to haunt the deceased person whose corpse he is watching over.

Said Hasid is Yakov (Dave Davis), whom we first meet popping pills in a bathroom while at a Brooklyn support group for those who’ve left their closely-knit communities and seeking to venture into secular society. Yakov seems more troubled than the rest of his group members, though it is only later on that we discover what it is exactly that has made him this fragile.

Unbeknownst of the danger his state of mind will put him in, Yakov accepts the offer from his former rabbi to keep watch over the body of a Holocaust survivor. The ‘shomer’ previously hired for the gig had run off, and Yakov sees it as an opportunity to make some easy money. The only other person in the house is the deceased’s wife Mrs Litvak (Lynn Cohen), who warns him when she first sees him that he is not right for the job and should get out as soon as possible.

Alas Mrs Litvak’s words are taken for that of a dementia-addled person, and Yakov decides to settle in for the night. The disturbances come slowly but surely – flickering lights; noises from the ceiling; apparent hallucinations; and last but not least, an alternately nice and creepy Mrs Litvak who shows Yakov to the basement where he learns about the demon that had attached itself to her husband back at Buchenwald. Many of these are standard tricks in the horror playbook, but Thomas uses them effectively by keeping a tight grip on build-up and pacing.

If it isn’t yet already obvious, most of the movie is set within the Litvak’s residence over the course of one fateful night; even so, Thomas and his cinematographer Zach Kuperstein make the most of light and shadow as well as the house’s cramped interiors to convey a palpable sense of foreboding throughout the movie. Much of the horror is also implied, so don’t be expecting to catch the dybbuk until late into the movie; and it should also be said that those familiar with Jewish identity, rituals and tradition will probably appreciate the nuances within the movie a lot more.

Given how the whole movie is pretty much centred on Yakov, it is to Davis’ credit that we remain emotionally invested in his character’s fate. Without ever going over-the-top, Davis conveys the rising anxiety of a man struggling to make sense of his surroundings while grappling with his own internal nightmares. Cohen lends a steady hand in a supporting role, but this is ultimately Davis’ showcase and he makes the best out of every scene he is in.

Like we said at the start, if you’re expecting any full-blown horror, you’d probably be left disappointed by the minimalist approach that Thomas has taken with his movie. Even though Blumhouse’s profile has grown in recent years, ‘The Vigil’ harks back to the sort of low-budget fare that they had made a name of for themselves in the horror genre. So even though it doesn’t reinvent the genre, this is still a refreshing entry for its unique and authentic Jewish setting; if anything, it establishes Thomas as a filmmaker you’d want to keep watch over.

Movie Rating:

(An effective minimalist horror, 'The Vigil' boasts a strong lead performance by Dave Davis and a unique yet authentic Jewish setting)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Comedy/Crime
Director: Tate Taylor
Cast: Allison Janney, Juliette Lewis, Mila Kunis, Awkwafina, Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, Samira Wiley, Jimmi Simpson, Clifton Collins Jr., Bridget Everett, Dominic Burgess, Keong Sim, Chris Lowell, Matthew Modine, Ellen Barkin
Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 28 January 2021

Synopsis: After her husband goes missing, Sue Buttons (Allison Janney), an under-appreciated suburban wife, gets a taste of being a local celebrity as she embarks on a city-wide search in Yuba County to find him. In an effort to prolong her newfound fame, she stumbles into hilarious hi jinks as her world turns upside down, dodging a wanna-be mobster (Awkwafina), a relentless local policewoman (Regina Hall), her half-sister (Mila Kunis) a local news reporter desperate for a story, and her husband's dead-beat brother (Jimmi Simpson), who all set out to uncover the truth behind the disappearance.

Movie Review:

At one point, I almost choked on my coffee. So zippy are the liners coming from Breaking News in Yuba Country, that I’d suggest one be careful with your concession fare, lest it ends up in the wrong orifices.

It could be a side comment, a fleeting look or just full-on slapstick, but the pitches in this suburban crime comedy comes ceaselessly, and is like watching a catfight - horrified but engaged, and waiting to see who comes out the winner.

Him of the eclectic portfolio, director Tate Taylor demonstrates the power of collaboration with his ensemble - a riot of a list led by Allison Janney, along with Mila Kunis, Wanda Sykes, Awkwafina, Juliette Lewis, Jimmi Simpson, Regina Hall and more - when each commits to their zany personas in this small-town drama.

As you can expect from the dynamic casting, the contrast draws in humour from all avenues, with hammed-up turns all the way to sharp and witty retorts. There’s a message here, I’m sure. It could be that polarism drives extremism, or that America’s media is more about marketing than actual truth or content, but the script tickles here are like an avalanche - not letting up until the very bitter end.

Oscar winner Janney brings us complex fragility as the mousy housewife who finds herself in a vortex of fame after her husband goes missing, but the truth is more that of a lonely housewife manipulating the media for attention.

And the nature of lies is infestation, one which causes a ripple effect that brilliantly exemplifies the Chaos theory that affects everyone around her, and subsequently even those who are not.

The film goes bonkers with its scenarios. It often throws the audience in a loop, saddling contrasting emotion, sometimes by saddling humour with violence. And although this sounds incredibly dark - and in some ways it is - the talent of Taylor and his team is presented with such honesty, you can’t help but still chuckle.

Where else would you find a mother-to-be that stabs a house-breaking criminal yelling, “ I’m pregnant you a**hole!” Or a detective telling a bank manager to apologise to their dead staff for not helping with their investigation? It’s morbid, but marvellous.

You can watch Breaking News in Yuba County for the bonkers script, or for that rare chance to witness actors actually having fun with their roles, but the great thing about the movie is it doesn’t make you choose between either, and merges performance, play and plot effortless into a hell of a ride on film. It’s the upsized SNL skit given a feature-length polish that we never asked for, but we’re glad someone did it anyway.

Movie Rating:

(A twisted tale of missing persons, the media and manipulation, this film communicates humour with honesty and absurdity in the best possible way)

Review by Morgan Awyong

SYNOPSIS: When disgraced drone pilot, Lt. Harp (Damson Idris) is sent into a deadly militarized zone after disobeying orders, he finds himself working for Capt. Leo (Anthony Mackie), an android officer tasked with locating a doomsday device before insurgents do. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

At one point in the movie, Anthony Mackie’s character, Leo shouted “I can do this all day!”. Probably just a prelude to his much anticipated upcoming Disney+ Marvel series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

But before that, Mackie is Captain Leo in Outside the Wire. Leo is no ordinary military soldier, he is an android, a futuristic robotic human-like soldier built by the US military. Assigned to a peacekeeping force in Eastern Europe where a civil war has broken out in the near future, Leo takes in a rookie Lieutenant Harp (Damson Idris) under his wing. Harp who has earlier disobeyed an order during his stint as a drone pilot is sent to the field by Leo despite not being an active field soldier.

His new mission according to Leo is to prevent a Russian terrorist, Viktor Koval from gaining control of some Cold War-era nuclear missiles. Their job is to collect intel and bring down Koval before he does more harm to the country.

The concept of employing AI to fight wars and conflicts have been explored in many other movies. Obviously it’s nothing new or unprecedented but instead of a totally CGI character, Outside the Wire has Anthony Mackie just liked Arnold in Terminator, Peter Weller in Robocop and Will Smith in the recent beleaguered Ang Lee’s Gemini Man. Most importantly of all, Mackie is a charismatic performer, always watchable and game to tackle any muddled material out there.

Outside the Wire keeps things moving fast while exploring the complex theme of AI and the moralities of war. The issue of Harp killing two marines to save 38 other lives are brought up repeatedly. Again, there’s too little to suggest anything of interest except to stir up Harp’s emotions towards war casualties. Every time, Leo and Harp wades into something worth discussing, they are interrupted by trigger happy villains because simply put, this isn’t a movie for it.

Keeping up with the aesthetic of Netflix’s other high-concept action movies liked 6 Underground and Extraction, Outside the Wire has enough riveting action pieces to keep audiences glued. There’s one particularly fun scene where Leo took out a variety of bad guys in a market android style. The movie is also filled with endless gunplay with photo realistic CGI robots dubbed Gump running around.

Swedish director Mikael Hafstrom who did 1408 and Escape Plan might not be the perfect filmmaker to pull off a movie that is equipped with both style and substance. But he is more than capable to deliver a sprawling bombastic action thriller. The concept while provocative, the entire narrative just comes across as underwhelming in the end. But as a slick, jam-packed action thriller, it more than suffices.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: The Fundamentals of Caring follows Ben, a retired writer who becomes a caregiver after suffering a personal tragedy. After 6 weeks of training, Ben meets his first client, Trevor, a foul-mouthed 18-year-old with muscular dystrophy. One paralyzed emotionally, one paralyzed physically, Ben and Trevor take an impromptu road trip to all the places Trevor has become obsessed with while watching the local news, including their holy grail: the World's Deepest Pit. Along the way, they pick up a sassy runaway and a mother-to-be who help test the pair's survival skills outside of their calculated existence as they come to understand the importance of hope and true friendship.

MOVIE REVIEW:

It’s gem liked this that makes Netflix special. According to Google, Netflix bought the rights to this indie drama way back in 2016. Pardon us for the lateness but isn’t it better later than never?

Comedian, Judd Apatow’s regular, Ant-Man. And the list goes on. The very likeable Paul Rudd plays Ben Benjamin, a down-and-out writer who becomes a caregiver to 18-year-old Trevor (Craig Roberts), a wheel-chair bound teenager who suffers from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Ben’s duty is to take care of the sardonic, foul-mouthed teen’s daily needs including wiping his ass while his mom, a single parent works in the day.

Frustrated with Trevor’s refusal to leave the house, Ben suggests to take Trevor on a cross-country road trip to visit some of American’s roadside attractions liked the world’s biggest Bovine and the world’s deepest pit. While initially fearful and hesitant, Trevor begins to embrace the road trip when Ben picked up a young pretty hitchhiker, Dot (Selena Gomez) along the way.

Based on Jonathan Evison’s 2012 novel, “The Revised Fundamentals of Caring” and adapted to the screen by former David Letterman’s head writer Rob Burnett, the movie is strictly a feel-good dramedy detailing the ups-and-downs of life. Ben is tormented by his painful past and on the verge of a divorce. Trevor is afraid of opening up and facing the world and Dot is running away from his father after the death of her mom.

Every single character in the movie is suffering and running away from some sort of a loss but at the same time, it is also genuinely funny to watch Trevor pranking Ben every now and then. The movie uses both comedy and sorrow to play out the absurdity, idiocrasy of life however there’s never a moment of make-believe because Rudd and Roberts is heartbreakingly hilarious.

Gomez has certainly come a long way since her days in Barney & Friends. The occasional actress is OK in her role as Dot although we love to see more of her character her than Peaches, a young pregnant woman who is probably a convenient plot device planted to turn Ben’s life around. Most of the scenes qualify as mere comedy except for one heart-breaking scene where Trevor confronts his father who abandoned him after he is diagnosed at the young age of three.

The Fundamentals of Caring is a feel-good, bittersweet comedy boasting two excellent leads and incredibly human on every level. In life, if you don’t like the card that you were dealt with, take responsibility and deal with it. Perhaps this is the biggest message coming out of this flick.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Director: John Suits
Cast: Bruce Willis, Cody Kearsley, Rachel Nichols, Kassandra Clementi, Johnny Messner, Thomas Jane 
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 February 2021

Synopsis: A hardened mechanic (Bruce Willis) is one of a few chosen to stay awake and maintain an interstellar arc fleeing a dying planet Earth with a few thousand lucky souls on board... the last of humanity. Unfortunately, humans are not the only guests on board. A shapeshifting alien creature has also taken residence and its only goal is to kill as many people as possible. Now, the crew must think quickly and try to stop this menace before it destroys humanity.

Movie Review:

A sad emoji now marks the state of Bruce Willis’ once flourishing career. The once A-lister whose breakthrough came in 1988 in the form of Die Hard seems to be making ends meet in low budgeted movies nowadays. And you are talking about a star who commanded millions of dollars per movie and has worked with talents liked Brian De Palma, Robert Zemeckis, Terry Gilliam, Luc Besson, Quentin Tarantino and many more.

Willis continues to sashay his way in yet another forgettable flick. At least this time, he is doing a cheap The Fifth Element meets Alien meets The Thing. Amazingly, he is also in the movie for more than 30 minutes, a rare occurrence in recent times.

In Anti-Life also known as Breach, Willis plays a mechanic, Clay or some sort of janitor’s supervisor who is onboard a spaceship which is bound for a new colony as Earth is soon to be extinct. While the rest of the passengers are in cryo, Clay met and befriend a young man, Noah (Cody Kearsley) who has actually sneak onboard to be with his pregnant girlfriend, Hayley (Kassandra Clementi). But Anti-Life is not about the romance between Noah and Hayley but instead a low-budgeted sci-fi horror about a shape-shifting alien parasite that has somehow climbed onboard as well and infected the security and maintenance crew members.

Anti-Life does very little to give audiences a fresh perspective on the alien-horror-outing. In fact, it’s more of a copy-and-paste tertiary school project than anything else. Probably due to the lack of budget, the infected sort of quickly turned into undead zombies rather than alien looking deformed creatures. The CGI looks liked Play-Doh and most of the excitement happened off-camera, director John Suits has no other artistic choices but to let his bunch of cast members running in circles in the small, makeshift sets and corridors mouthing bad dialogues and drinking moonshine, a kind of alcohol concoct from jet fuel.

Another familiar face Thomas Jane appears as the Admiral, a somewhat powerful figure and father to Hayley. But instead of Willis appearing for less than ten minutes this time round, Jane is on the screen for less than ten minutes before sacrificing himself for the greater good. Willis spends most of his screentime yakking corny lines and sipping moonshine. At least the grizzled action hero still knows how to arm himself with a good flamethrower. Cody Kearsley who is the male lead isn’t particularly memorable as the protagonist. It’s the various supporting actors liked Callan Mulvey and Timothy V. Murphy that leaves the most impression with their unhinged performances.

There’s no obligatory jump scares let alone any excitement. The camera is shaky at times maybe they are trying desperately hard to showcase a sense of uneasiness lurking at the corners. The lightings are mostly dark and creepy perhaps they have trouble paying the power company. Writers Edward Drake and Corey Large pulls off every trick from Ridley Scott and John Carpenter’s book of filmmaking but the flick is doomed from the start. Unintentional laughter is also expected as the most powerful weapon onboard the ship is not the flamethrower but some dissolving liquid from the janitor’s store.

Anti-Life is yet another lifeless VOD release that no one will remember or appreciate given the horrid cheap production values. It can’t really decide itself to be a zombie horror thriller or a monster horror. It’s more of a scenario where the filmmakers just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Even Bruce Willis himself can’t salvage this unconvincing mess. It doesn’t matter though because we are no longer trusting his name on the poster or production.

Movie Rating:

(High concept but poorly executed sci-fi horror thriller)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Documentary
Director: Wu Hao
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: PG (Some Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 23 January 2021

Synopsis: On January 23rd, 2020, China locked down Wuhan, a city of 11 million, to combat the emerging COVID-19 outbreak. Set deep inside the frontlines of the crisis in four hospitals, 76 DAYS tells indelible human stories at the center of this pandemic—from a woman begging in vain to bid a final farewell to her father, a grandpa with dementia searching for his way home, a couple anxious to meet their newborn, to a nurse determined to return personal items to families of the deceased. These raw and intimate stories bear witness to the death and rebirth of a city under a 76-day lockdown, and to the human resilience that persists in times of profound tragedy.

Movie Review:

Some films do not need a review, and ’76 Days’ is one of them. In case it isn’t yet apparent, the title refers to the period of time the capital city of Hubei province was placed in lockdown last year in order to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It was then an unprecedented move in modern history, and some Western commentators had criticised it as yet another demonstration of the Communist Party’s oppressive ways; of course, the subsequent events of 2020 have proven that those views were myopic and indeed silly.

A collaboration between US-based Chinese filmmaker Hao Wu and two China-based co-directors – one of them named Chen Weixi and the other who has elected to remain anonymous, ’76 Days’ offers a shockingly intimate look at the frontlines where the COVID-19 battle was being fought. It doesn’t just take place within the city of Wuhan; indeed, the filmmakers have managed to photograph unprecedented footage in four hospitals over the course of the city’s lockdown last winter.

Wisely, the directors choose not to record any narration over the footage; rather, they have decided to let the images of the doctors and nurses clothed in full personal protective equipment struggling to save lives while coping with the psychological and emotional distress of their patients speak for themselves. It is harrowing all right, and utterly gripping, not only because it chronicles the start of what would eventually become the most severe medical crisis of generations, but also because it shows what these medical personnel were faced with at a time when knowledge about the virus was still scarce.

Without any fanfare, we are introduced to the various real-life characters whose fates we will follow over the course of the movie: an elderly man suffering from dementia who is impatient to get back home; a pregnant lady who is not allowed to have her husband by her side while she is delivering her baby; an elderly woman who is worried about the wellbeing of her husband; and last but not least, another elderly woman whose bedside is marked by a medical glove inflated like a balloon with the words ‘get well soon’ and a smiley face inscribed on it. Some will get better, some will not; such is the nature of the disease, which has no favourites.

The day-to-day lives of the doctors and nurses are also captured in sharp focus. Some have journeyed from other provinces to help their fellow professionals in Wuhan, driven as much by selflessness as a desire to be among those counted as medical heroes. Each day however is the same gruelling routine of putting on their PPE, scrawling their names at the back with a marker, doing their rounds, managing the myriad requests of their patients, and hoping that their interventions will prove enough for those ill to fight and overcome the virus.

On occasion, the scene shifts to outside the hospital, and it is there we glimpse the system established in order to help the people of Wuhan cope with the lockdown, including civil groups stepping up to distribute food to neighbourhoods, residents queuing behind barricades to get their supply of meat and vegetables, and the eerily quiet streets whose silence is pierced every now and then by the wailing sirens of ambulances. There is no politics here, just a fly-on-the-wall observational account of what had happened in Wuhan over those 76 days.

And by virtue of its honesty and authenticity, ’76 Days’ deserves to be seen by one and all. Sure, many cities around the world have since had their own lockdown experiences deserving of such a chronicle, but this is as insightful a look at Ground Zero as it gets. Like we said, some films do not need a review; ultimately, there is no artistic license exercised or needed here, because this is as raw, as real, and as important a film as it gets during these pandemic-stricken times.

Movie Rating:

(As close to a must-see film as it gets, this honest, authentic and utterly gripping account of the period when the city of Wuhan was placed on lockdown is probably the most important film of these COVID-19 times)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action/Fantasy
Director: Adam Wingard
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Eiza González, Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Intense Sequences)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 24 March 2021

Synopsis: Legends collide in “Godzilla vs. Kong” as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Kong and his protectors undertake a perilous journey to find his true home, and with them is Jia, a young orphaned girl with whom he has formed a unique and powerful bond. But they unexpectedly find themselves in the path of an enraged Godzilla, cutting a swath of destruction across the globe. The epic clash between the two titans—instigated by unseen forces—is only the beginning of the mystery that lies deep within the core of the Earth.

Movie Review:

Four movies into their MonsterVerse, Legendary has finally given fans the monster smackdown that they have no doubt been waiting for since 2014’s ‘Godzilla’. Whereas its predecessors felt the need to ground the action in some character-driven narrative, ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ is singularly focused on getting us to the point where we get to see the two titular creatures pitted against each other.

Picking up from where the respective movies left off, it begins with Godzilla, after having saved humanity from King Ghidorah, launching a seemingly unprovoked attack on the Florida facility of the tech company Apex Corporation. Not surprisingly, Apex isn’t the benevolent enterprise it touts itself to be; amidst the age of Titans, its founder and CEO Walter Simmons (Demian Bichir) wants ultimately to restore humans as the apex predator, and has in turn created a monster not unlike what happened in ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’.

Walter enlists the disgraced geologist Dr Nathan Lind (Alexander Skarsgard) to lead an expedition to bring Kong back to his home in ‘Hollow Earth’, a place of inverted gravity at the centre of Earth’s core through large subterranean tunnels located at the Antarctic. Those who recall ‘Kong: Skull Island’ may remember that the theory was first introduced in that movie, and ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ advances that mythology with a subplot that sees Dr Lind cajole Kong’s guardians Dr Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall) and deaf girl Jia (Kaylee Hottle) to make that expedition with him.

Unbeknowst to them, the voyage is simply a guise for Walter’s supercilious daughter Maya (Eiza Gonzalez) to extract an elemental source of power from within Kong’s birthplace, in order to achieve a breakthrough in Apex’s research at creating a monster powerful enough to defeat the Titans. Apex’s secrets are also what drives another parallel subplot, which sees ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’’ Madison Russell (Millie Bobby Brown) team up with her friend Josh (Julian Dennison) and conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry) to find out the truth behind Godzilla’s so-called random attack.

Except for Jia, whose unspoken connection to Kong lends humanity and poignancy, the rest of the human characters are simply service to a workmanlike narrative that knows the focus of the movie ought to be on the gigantic set-pieces which its title promises. Thankfully, director Adam Wingard delivers enormously on the action spectacle in four elaborate sequences that will literally take your breath away, justifying every bit of the reported $200mil budget that he had been given for the movie.

Gone are the dark, rain-lashed visuals of the last Godzilla movie; here, Wingard ensures that you can see every bit of the action, as well as appreciate the scale at which it unfolds. The first encounter between Godzilla and Kong is in the middle of the ocean amidst an entire fleet of aircraft carriers, and boy is it intense and exhilarating. The next doesn’t involve Godzilla, but lets Kong demonstrate why he is the Alpha among other Titans. The last two unfold in night-time and day-time Hong Kong respectively, the former using the city’s distinctive neon lights for maximum hypnotic effect and the latter laying waste to its iconic harbourfront for a three-way battle that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

And that is ultimately what ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ is about – a chance to watch these legenadary titans smack the ‘sh**’ out of each other in the most breathtaking way possible. Fans of the former character will also be thrilled to know that both these titans do take on an even worse baddie known as Mechagodzilla, and that climactic battle is one of the most fist-pumpingly satisfying endings we’ve seen in a while. Kudos too to the excellent visual effects, especially in humanising Kong’s feelings, whether is it frustration, resignation or just plain anger.

After three movies therefore, ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ charts a less ponderous, more fan-service direction for Legendary’s MonsterVerse. How long that can sustain the franchise is anybody’s guess, but at least for this entry, we must say it invigorates the series with the sort of kaiju showdowns that arguably was its very raison d’etre. Future instalments can try with the human drama again, but at least at a time when many audiences are looking for a reason to step into the cinema once again, this is as big and as awesome a reason as any.

Movie Rating:

(The MonsterVerse movie fans have been waiting for, 'Godzilla vs Kong' delivers the sort of kaiju showdowns that is the very definition of epic)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: Jack Neo
Cast: Mark Lee, Richie Koh, Danny Lee, Meixin Macy, Henry Thia, Wang Lei, Yap Hui Xin, Regina Lin, Ryan Lian, Suhaimi Yusof, Silvarajoo Prakasam
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: MM2 Entertainment, J Team, Cathay Cineplexes, Golden Village Pictures & Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 11 February 2021

Synopsis: The story continues with Ah Kun, Osman and Shamugam forming a political party C.M.I to contest in the 1988 General Election. The fervant of campaigning has swept up both Ah Kun's and Zhao Di's family. As Ah Kun thinks of many ways to garner support, will both families be dragged in as well? Can Ah Kun really win the election?

Movie Review:

We did not think much about ‘The Diam Diam Era’ for many reasons, so by extension, we saw little reason to be excited about this sequel, despite its subject matter. And yet, it wasn’t simply because of our low expectations that we came to be pleasantly surprised by this sharply observed political satire; indeed, ‘The Diam Diam Era Two’ is genuinely a witty, engaging and even poignant film that is probably one of writer-director Jack Neo’s better works in recent years.

At a much tighter 91 minutes, Neo and his usual co-writer Ivan Ho focus on the 10 days of campaigning that Ah Kun’s opposition party CMI find themselves up to in the 1988 General Elections. Political pundits should recognise that the choice of year is not coincidental; it is the year that veteran opposition politician Chiam See Tong was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Potong Pasir, and would hold that position for the next 39 years. Though there is a passing mention of it in the movie, the significance is profound.

As is to be expected, Ah Kun (Mark Lee) and his fellow CMI running mates Osman (Suhaimi Yusof) and Sharmugam (Silvarajoo Prakasam) find themselves up against the Men in White in the fictional Gim Wang GRC. Reflecting the struggle any aspiring opposition member would face in contesting the elections, we watch how each of the trio have to overcome the strident objections of their family members, the lack of resources in setting up a proper office from which to coordinate their campaign, the walkabouts and rallies that give them false hope of support, and the inevitable crushing defeat come the night of polling day.

Oh yes, there should be no illusion that the CMI party manages to wrestle Gim Wang GRC from the clutches of the PAP, and indeed Neo waits till the end before inserting a diatribe of how Singaporeans are quick to find fault with the Government but slow in according any form of praise, as well as how the election results prove time and time again that Singaporeans would ultimately opt for continuity over change. That said, it isn’t as if any of the three candidates really have a clear political vision, aside from lamenting how quickly Singapore has been evolving over the years and the consequent loss of the so-called ‘kampung spirit’.

When he is at his best, Neo offers sharp critique of our social and societal behaviours, as seen in movies such as ‘I Not Stupid’ and ‘Just Follow Law’; here, he applies that same perceptiveness to poke fun at our political behaviour – walkabouts at the fish market where candidates must make a point not to clean their hands even after shaking that of a fishmonger who had not washed his; flower garlands not of chrysanthemums but of purple orchids; and our bias for well-educated candidates of at least university quality. Neo is shrewd enough to bury his own criticisms of the Government within, such as the no-dialect policy and ban against election videos. But treads carefully given the obvious sensitivities to avoid incurring the censorship ire of our authorities.

Just as in the first movie, the best bits in this sequel are with Mark Lee, who is front and centre most of the time anchoring the obnoxious and perpetually disgruntled Ah Kun. Lee is as sharp-tongued as ever, delivering Neo’s Hokkien-flavoured witticisms with aplomb and offering just enough nuance to his character to avoid being a complete caricature. Henry Thia and Wang Lei provide good support as his comedic foils, especially the latter as a rival opposition member whose insistence at speaking in English offers much tongue-in-cheek humour. The rest of the ensemble are often no more than glorified cameos, which frankly is a better thing than the bloated mess which its predecessor ended up by giving each character its own subplot.

We’ll admit that we were surprised by how much we enjoyed ‘The Diam Diam Era Two’, not least because the first movie was such a disappointment. With this sequel that Neo has finally found purpose in continuing his ‘Long Long Time Ago’ series, and while we hesitate to call him a political commentator, this movie arguably justifies his creative decision to take the franchise into political territory.

We should add that Neo has left an Easter Egg at the end of the credits, which is a nice throwback to the themes he had explored in arguably his best movie ‘I Not Stupid’ (although bringing back that movie’s lead star Joshua Ang left us slightly uncomfortable especially after his real-life controversy).

It isn’t a CNY movie per se, but Neo’s film offers a happily-ever-after reunion at the end that is as heartwarming as it gets, especially for those who have seen these characters grow up through three feature-length movies.

Movie Rating:

(Redeeming himself after a disappointing first movie, Jack Neo fashions a spot-on political satire that is sharp, witty, engaging and even poignant)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Crime/Drama
Director: Emerald Fennell
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Laverne Cox, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Max Greenfield, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chris Lowell, Sam Richardson, Molly Shannon, Clancy Brown
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language & Sexual References)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 March 2021

Synopsis: From ground breaking director Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve) comes a delicious new take on revenge. Everyone said Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman ... until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past in this thrilling and wildly entertaining story.

Movie Review:

The last time a woman scared us this much, it was The Bride from Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill films. Portrayed by Uma Thurman, the angry lady was became a killing machine after being wronged by a man. Now, we have a new woman sending chills down our spine: Carey Mulligan’s Cassie Thomas.

In fact, the protagonist in this feature directorial debut by Emerald Fennell is more terrifying simply because the character may be someone you know, and is capable of executing revenge in ways that are 100% possible. Cassie is an angry woman who is seeking to avenge her best friend, who became an unfortunate victim of rape during their medical school days. She may seem like a bored service staff at a café in the day, but she turns into a fearless vigilante at night, hunting down sleazy men by pretending to be a vulnerable drunk woman. Good luck to the guys who try to get hanky panky with her, because they will be duly punished.

Mulligan delivers a grounded and relevant performance that has been rightfully recognised at several film awards. Her Cassie is a cool headed woman who has suffered very traumatic experiences in her younger days. She is a loner who still lives with her parents, a girl who is capable of dressing herself up to be very attractive to bring out the worst in men, and an angry individual determined to right the world of wrongs.

The movie seems to be a black comedy at first, with familiar faces like Adam Brody and Christopher Mintz-Plasse appearing as douchebags who try to be funny with Cassie. But you know things are getting serious when Cassie gets down to business to teach these guys a lesson. We do not see what happened to them (we don’t imagine it to be a pretty sight), but you can be sure they were duly dealt with.

The 113-minute film goes on to show how Cassie hunts down people from her past to let them know she hasn’t forgotten about their wrongdoings: an old friend (Alison Brie) who didn’t believe that her friend was raped, the medical school dean (Connie Britton) who dismissed her friend’s rape case, and the lawyer (Alfred Molina) who harassed her friend into dropping her charges.

Fennell’s screenplay doesn’t play out like a typical thriller where the protagonist has an ultimate antagonist to eliminate. The people we see Cassie punishing are not out of this world baddies, which makes the story so frightening real – knowing that #MeToo incidents are probably happening on a daily basis around us.

The movie injects a rom com element by introducing Cassie’s former classmate (Bo Burnham), who seems like a decent gentleman. They fall in love and you wonder whether this leads to a happy ending.

Unfortunately, the movie will end on a queasy but heartbreaking note. Without giving too much away, you will walk out of the cinema thinking about how sexual abuse has is part of our society, and the damage it has caused in many promising young lives.

Movie Rating:

(Carey Mulligan's Cassie Thomas is a woman. Hear her roar in this relevant and timely revenge flick)

Review by John Li