SYNOPSIS: A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity’s unlikeliest last hope! 

MOVIE REVIEW:

The highly in-demand creative duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs) brought a whole new graphical, comic book feel to the Academy Award award-winning animated feature, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Two years later, the guys are back again in yet another Sony animated feature, The Mitchells Vs. The Machines aka Connected.

Together with directors and writers Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe who have previously worked on Gravity Falls and Disenchantment, the team have produced an original feature that is highly imaginative in terms of visual and often filled with lots of energy and fun spirit. While it’s definitely not presented in 3D, it’s for sure on the level of eye-popping.

Katie Mitchell (Abbi Jacobson) is a teenager obsessed with technology, animation and filmmaking. Her dad, Rick (Danny McBride) on the other hand is a technophobe who simply loves nature but doesn’t know how to communicate with her daughter. In a desperate attempt to “reconnect” with her daughter, Rick decides to drive Katie to college with Katie’s mother, Linda (Maya Rudolph) and her dinosaur-loving brother Aaron (Mike Rianda) in tow.

What they didn’t expect during the road trip is a robot apocalypse. A highly intelligent virtual assistant named PAL (Olivia Colman) has went rogue and she is ordering her armies of robots to capture all human beings and sending them to space. And now it’s up to the less than perfect Mitchells to save the world.

The number one obvious thing you notice about The Mitchells Vs. The Machines is how the animation differs from the ones from Disney/Pixar. The visual radiates with dazzlingly colours, has a style that is mixed with old-school animation and stop-motion. It also throws up lots of cute hand-drawn doodles especially for kids who love Captain Underpants and Dog Man. Unconventional is the closest word to describe it.

Because the animation is so spectacular, you might overlook the nice messages that the filmmakers intended to tell you that they practically kept it on a loop. For example, the lost bond and tough love between father and daughter over the years. Still, the movie has us rooting for the dysfunctional family at all times. There’s nothing like an apocalypse to show that that even a bickering family can defeat all obstacles to come together.

Notably, the movie has a supportive subtle message about LGBT if you have yet notice, Katie is “different” and is seeking the comfort of her own people. Even if the kids are too young to understand the deeper messages, the zany humour and giddy gags are enough to satisfy their entertainment needs. Look out for a gigantic Furby, the antics of Mitchells’ pudgy pug, Mochi and a pair of wacky robots, Eric (Beck Bennett) and Deborahbot 5000 (Fred Armisen).

For sure, we love The Mitchells Vs. The Machines for the animation and it’s constant poking at human beings’ over-reliance on technology. Definitely, it’s storytelling is far more wittier than today’s animated children movies despite running a bit long. By the way, someone should hire Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to run an animation studio.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: An elite Navy SEAL uncovers an international conspiracy while seeking justice for the murder of his pregnant wife in Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, the explosive origin story of action hero John Clark – one of the most popular characters in author Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan universe.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Hollywood continues to ruin the good works of Tom Clancy even though the celebrated writer has been dead for more than eight years. The latest movie adaptation is loosely based on his 1993 novel and of course fares nothing like it except featuring the lead character, John Kelly played by Michael B. Jordan.

Senior Chief U.S. Navy Seal John Kelly (Jordan) and his team mates are marked for death after their return from a mission in Syria. Kelly survives the shootout but not his heavily pregnant wife. And now Kelly is out for revenge after learning that the Russians are involved from his former officer, Lt-Col Karen Greer (Jodie Turner-Smith).

The movie adaptation of Without Remorse in short is far from superior as compared to the original novel. Lacking intricacy and insight in which a typical Tom Clancy novel is fond of. Most of his books touched on terrorism, military, technology and the Cold War and it seems writers Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) and Will Staples simply took the outlines and came up with a super generic dreadful action thriller.

Instead of altering the dated aspect of the book, the movie ironically works around with the idea. Cold War is so over but who cares when you can follow globe-trotting John Kelly escaping prison and exacting his revenge on his wife’s killers in Russia. Clearly, this is an action movie instead of a brainy, espionage one. Maybe it’s intended to be a conspiracy laden thriller but unfortunately, it’s half-baked and too predictable.

When a certain Secretary of Defense Thomas Clay is introduced shortly, we knew there is something shady about him. And if the character is played by Guy Pearce, you know he is up to something far sinister. Then there is Jamie Bell, Jordan’s former co-star in the disaster Fantastic Four remake playing CIA officer Robert Ritter that prefers to keep every details a secret from his teammates. Predictably, this recurring character only serves as a smokescreen.

Michael B. Jordan is a fantastic actor no doubt. He has put in his soul and solid performances in movies liked Creed, Black Panther and Just Mercy. In Without Remorse however, he is just a one-dimensional buff, action hero. There’s nothing interesting about his character that makes audiences crave more of him. He is a dull plain killing machine shifting from one action sequence to the next. There’s no exploration of morals, patriotism and politics from the character’s perspective. Perhaps that’s not Jordan’s fault in a way.

If the storyline wasn’t worth the wait, same goes to the wham-bam action. Director Stefano Sollima (Sicario: Day of Soldado) handles the pacing well but his biggest mistake is shooting most of the noisy action sequences in the dark with minimal urgency. Well, the only bright spot is watching Kelly interrogating a suspect in a flaming car. The rest are just boring shoot and kill.

Except for Harrison Ford’s Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The Hunt for Red October, the movie adaptation of Tom Clancy works have been a tough sell despite landing Ben Affleck and Chris Pine as its leads in the past. Slapping on the Tom Clancy brand isn’t going to lure audiences unless Hollywood gets the story right. This is supposed to be an origin story for John Kelly/John Clark and a sequel is even teased halfway through the closing credits, we hope Jordan gets his deserved franchise but not with this sort of dismal material.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Herman Yau
Cast: Charlene Choi, Pakho Chau, Mario Maurer, Michelle Wai, Kara Hui
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures and Clover FIlms
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 14 May 2021

Synopsis: The critical and box office success of 77 Heartbreaks has led to the reuniting of cast and crew for this sequel, with the key term “heart breaks” changed to “heart burns”. This time the couple enters the graveyard of love -- marriage. The challenge facing Adam (Pakho Chau) is whether his love is enough for Eva (Charlene Choi) to achieve a happy ending!

Movie Review:

’77 Heartbreaks’ was one of our favourite rom-coms of that year; unfortunately, we can hardly say the same of this lazy sequel. Though helmed and written the same team behind its predecessor, this follow-up is so haphazardly plotted that you’d wonder if director Herman Yau and writer Erica Li had been coerced into the effort by the studio after the critical and commercial success of the former.

Picking up a year after divorce lawyer Eva (Charlene Choi) ended her 10-year relationship with kickboxing coach Adam (Pakho Chau), it finds our lead couple still very much hung up over each other. While Eva recalls every now and then how her life used to be with Adam – such as how she would have to nag at him to remember to bring their passports before an overseas trip, or how he would help load her luggage into the back of a taxi to the airport – Adam would drive over to her mother’s place where she has moved back into hoping to catch a glimpse of her whenever she returned from work.

Neither though have mustered the courage to tell the other how much he or she still misses their time together; that is, until Eva’s mother Lin (Kara Wai) is admitted to hospital while Eva was visiting a close friend who had emigrated to London. As narrative coincidence would have it, Adam will end up caring for Eva’s mother while Eva is overseas, thus creating an excuse for them to meet in-person after Eva returns and consider if they would give each other another chance.

Whereas it was Adam’s relationship with a third party which complicated their reunion the last time round, this time it is Eva’s turn to create a similar difficulty. A chance run-in with Thai heartthrob Marvel (Mario Maurer) leaves the latter smitten with Eva, and when he has a run-in with the law, Marvel calls Eva for help to bail him out, setting the stage for a series of meetings that will see him profess his love for her even as he is fully aware of how tangled her feelings are with Adam.

Yet perhaps fearful of being accused of retreading old ground, Li, who had adapted the movie from her novel of the same name, decides to throw in unnecessary subplots that ultimately distract from the story of Adam and Eva. There is one of how Marvel is secretly an urban artist dubbed the ‘Space-Time Intruder’; there is another of Lin’s reunion with an old flame Poh-Wah (Lawrence Cheng); and there is yet another of how one of Eva’s wealthy but eccentric client N T Tang (C-Kwan) tries to win her affection despite her obvious disinterest.

It’s a lot going on at the same time, and ironically the plotting loses its focus on advancing the relationship between Adam and Eva, so much so that they almost become an afterthought in their own movie. You would expect for example that the 77 heartwarmings would represent the 77 times that Adam tries to woo Eva, in contrast to the 77 heartbreaks of the previous movie, but the title turns out to be no more than an application which Adam downloads to teach him how to be nice to Eva. What is worse is how the movie denies its fans of a happy ending for the couple, choosing instead to leave the door wide open for another sequel with Adam, Eva and Marvel in the same love triangle.

And by failing to take Adam and Eva’s relationship to any meaningful next level, ’77 Heartwarmings’ ultimately lets down fans of its predecessor undeniably looking for a satisfying happily-ever-after for the couple. Choi and Chau still bring the same chemistry to their roles, and Yau keeps the proceedings going at an efficient, if workmanlike pace, but Li’s writing lets all of them – as well as her audience – down. There is little heartwarming to be found in this sloppily written sequel, and in fact we’d even urge those who’d liked the first movie to avoid this follow-up that is less fulfilling than frustrating.

Movie Rating:

(Less heartwarming than heartbreaking, this sequel squanders the goodwill of its predecessor with its sloppy writing that almost treats its lead couple as an afterthought)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Drama
Director: Ruoxin Yin
Cast: Zhang Zifeng, Xiao Yang, Zhu Yuanyuan, Duan Bowen
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 13 May 2021

Synopsis: After losing her parents in a tragic car crash, An Ran (Zhang Zifeng) found out her parents had given birth to a son who Ran is unfamiliar with nor does she care about him. With a sudden and unexpected filial pressure and obligation that could destroy her career course, Ran has to decide if she is ready to give up on everything she had worked hard for and care for her brother. 

Movie Review:

Chinese actress Zhang Zifeng first caught our attention in Chen Sicheng’s Detective Chinatown, where she played a seemingly normal schoolgirl with a dark secret. Her enigmatic performance commanded screen presence, and the talented actress went on to star in other critically acclaimed productions like Last Letter (2018) and My People, My Country (2019). She is also recently seen in Detective Chinatown 3 and Home Sweet Home.

The 19 year old actress’ most impressive performance is featured in this drama helmed by Yin Ruoxin, with a screenplay by You Xiaoying, who was recognised in the Best Screenplay category at the 37^th Hong Kong Film Awards for her work on Sylvia Chang’s Love Education (2017). Zhang portrays An Ran, a teenager brought up in a patriarchal family who has to deal with the tradition and the suppression of ambitions. The film starts with the tragic loss of her parents, and she is given (much to her displeasure) the responsibility of taking care of her younger brother.

The emotional story begins to unveil different facets which depict different societal issues in China. The more universal one is how teenagers with dreams to make it big in life have to take on the role of caregiver when unforeseen circumstances are thrown in their way. Then there are the challenges faced by females in a traditional environment – what happens when they have to make sacrifices for the supposed ‘bigger picture’ where fathers, husbands, brothers and sons get to benefit?

In the film, An Ran had to pretend to be disabled so her parents can have a second child. This was how things worked under the country’s one child policy, where families with children with disabilities can try to bear a second child. It is obvious that the parents would like to have a son which was deemed more honourable in society.

Then there is this other interesting bit where An Ran, who is a nurse, is regarded as a less able healthcare worker by a haughty female doctor. This makes her very unhappy at work, and is determined to move out of her hometown in Chengduto the bustling Beijing, where she believes better opportunities await.

With all the abovementioned things happening to An Ran, you know this isn’t a film filled with happy scenes. It almost plays out as a melodrama with shouting and crying (courtesy of An Ran’s relatives), but each sequence is well dealt with without being too exploitative. The filmmakers manage to make these dramatic scenes poignant and thought provoking.

The highlight of the film is Zhang’s stellar performance. You can feel how upset she is, and her willpower to make her life better. Yet, she is torn by a sense of responsibility which might be an inherent trait in Asians, and particularly, the Chinese. Child actor Jin Yaoyuan plays the younger brother, who is adorable and bratty at the same time. Inevitably, he gets to turn on his tear ducts in some scenes, so expect wailing and crying which can be frustrating for parents. Supporting adult characters played by Xiao Yang and Zhu Yuanyuan deliver touching performances too.

Running slightly over two hours, the film is engaging from beginning to end and is a thoughtful piece of work that showcases heart tugging performances from its cast.

Movie Rating:

(A thought provoking and emotionally charged film that scores with the cast members' winning performances)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: Struggling writer Sang Yu (Darren Wang), has always dreamt of becoming a successful screenwriter. He writes non-stop, stays awake and stresses out to finish a script he’s been paid by his friend, San Ge (Cao Bingkun), to complete. Plagued by nightmares of a demon who wants to kill him, Sang Yu tries to stay awake and becomes an insomniac. One day, he discovers that he possesses a super power - making his dreams a reality, which he uses to his own advantage. As his lifestyle improves, he encounters Qiang Ge (Wu Gang), a ruthless gangster, who uses Sang Yu as a tool to achieve his fortune. Along the way, Sang Yu is able to pursue Hua Er (Song Jia), his crush since childhood, and the love of his life.

MOVIE REVIEW:

On the surface, Super Me is a superficial fantasy drama involving dimension and dreams. A wild combination of Jumper, Inception and Interstellar you might urge. Somehow, director and writer Zhang Chong managed to turn in an entertaining wonky movie but like a puzzle missing its pieces, lacks the details and emotions to make it work.

Sang Yu (Darren Wang) is a down-and-out writer who is suffering from severe insomnia. Every time he falls asleep, a mysterious masked demon (Kevin Lee) attacks him in his dreams and he wakes up in terror. Sleepless, penniless and homeless, Sang is at his wits’ end. Soon however, he realizes he has the power to bring back valuable objects from his dreams. The trick is to shout out “I’m dreaming” before the masked demon kills him. With that, he became an overnight rich man. His once editor, San Ge (Cao Bingkun) became his assistant and he finally have the courage to approach his crush, Hua Er (Song Jia) who operates a café.

Just when he thought his life couldn’t get any better, Sang’s health starts to deteriorate. There’s nothing free in this world and Sang is about to pay the price for it. With a ruthless gangster (Wu Gang) hot on his heels, will Sang manage to redeem himself in time and save his friend and beloved Hua Er?

For a start, Super Me is laden with metaphors and life lessons. Zhang Cong seems to be using Sang Yu’s perspective to lay out the complex human life journey. Sang’s reality mirrors our struggles while his alternate dimension is hinting at our greed and desires. Perhaps the masked demon in his dreams is reflecting our inner demons. It’s a genuine case of either overcoming the demon or letting it take over your mind and body.

There’s a quick snippet of various characters dispensing psychological and holistic jargon in the prologue. Even the studies of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung are referenced in the end. And while it helps to give the movie a little more depth and purpose, it doesn’t help but only confuse the casual audiences.

Still, the final product manages to entertain given Darren Wang and Cao Bingkun’s somewhat goofy acting. The material is serious and somber but the performers are not really taking things all that seriously. Chong successfully flaunt the reasonable well-done CGI and a few solid action sequences though you wish you could see more of it.

Comparing this to A Writer’s Odyssey which also features a writer in distress, the plotting of Super Me is too overwhelmed with ideas and require a richer narrative to sort things out. The love story is kind of a drag and you wish it could focus more on the mysterious street vendor played by Taiwanese veteran Jin Shijie. Premiering two years ago at Sitges, Super Me is undeniably an entertaining popcorn flick. Nothing quite super about it though.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Martin Wilson
Cast: Katrina Bowden, Aaron Jakubenko, Kimie Tsukakoshi, Tim Kano, Te Kohe Tuhaka
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 13 May 2021

Synopsis: A blissful tourist trip quickly turns into a nightmare when five passengers on a seaplane become stranded miles from shore. In a desperate bid for survival the group try to make it to land before they either run out of supplies or are taken by a menacing terror lurking just beneath the surface. 

Movie Review:

Unfortunately for ‘Great White’, it is not enough to be a mediocre shark thriller; being so is equivalent to being dull and uninteresting. That is inevitably a consequence of just how many shark movies there have been since Steven Spielberg’s iconic ‘Jaws’, such that those who have managed to differentiate themselves from the pack (pun intended) have either been eerily realistic or just plain outrageous.

It is obvious that ‘Great White’ aims to be the former, pitting a group of five whose seaplane has been attacked by the titular shark against its sheer predatory instinct. Yet director Martin Wilson seems at a loss to turn the premise into anything compelling, so much so that the second act goes by like an utter slog as the quintet drift about in the open sea aimlessly and engage in meaningless quarrels with one another.

That blame of course falls on writer Michael Boughen, whose idea of dramatic tension is to have the trip’s chef Benny (Te Kohe Tuhaka) leer at one of the females on the trip, whose husband also happens to be on the same trip. Right up till Benny’s predictable demise, it is never clear just why he is so interested in Michelle (Kimie Tsukakoshi), one half of a high-powered couple who had chartered the seaplane to bring them to a remote Australian island to scatter her grandfather’s ashes.

Piloting the seaplane is retired marine biologist Charlie (Aaron Jakubenko), who works with his girlfriend Kat (Katrina Bowden) to bring holidaymakers to beauty spots in the middle of the ocean. No matter the contrivance, the writing sets it up such that Charlie has just found out from Kat that she is pregnant with their child, and though initially hesitant how to react, will over the course of their ordeal come to treasure and embrace  the gift of new life within Kat.

What about the shark you ask? Well, the beast is frankly rather nondescript if you ask us. Not only does it spend most of the time simply lurking beneath the surface of the ocean, it also keeps itself substantially hidden even when it does finally come up to attack, except at the end when Kat and it are engaged in a one-on-one around a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. It is laughable that a movie that has named itself after the shark it portrays does not make the creature front and centre throughout the film, so much so that we keep wondering when it will finally decide to show up.

There is little payoff at the end too, as Wilson falls back on familiar tropes – the sight of a pointed fin; a sudden chomp; the sea turning red; and ultimately a lethal stab between the eyes – when the confrontation between man and shark unfolds properly. It isn’t anything you haven’t seen before, and to have to sit through an hour of tedium just to get to familiar territory is little comfort or joy even for those who have the patience to do so.

Thus, like we said, ‘Great White’ fails by being absolutely ordinary. It isn’t bad per se, but by biding its time with thin character work right up till the finale, it unavoidably leaves its audience who would likely have seen more than their fair share of shark thrillers wanting much, much more. So unless you really need a shark fix, or if by some miracle you haven’t yet seen any man-versus-shark movie before this, you’ll find ‘Great White’ a great bore.

Movie Rating:

(As far as shark thrillers go, this 'Great White' is a great bore)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Anna Fox (Amy Adams) feels safest when she’s watching the world from behind her window. Until the Russell family moves in across the street, and she witnesses something unimaginable. The question is...what really happened? 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Not to be mistaken as a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window (1954), the long-delayed The Woman In the Window in fact is based on a novel of the same name by A.J. Finn. While it’s certainly star-studded and helmed by British director Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour), the result is too mediocre to make an impact.

The first ten minutes of a mystery thriller is of great importance to establish the character and the story that follows. It could either tells you what’s going to happen next or makes you wonder what’s the protagonist brewing up her sleeves?

Unfortunately, in the case of The Woman In the Window, it’s more of the former. Separated from her husband (Anthony Mackie) and young daughter, Anna Fox (Amy Adams), a former child psychologist is suffering from agoraphobia and holes up in her Manhattan apartment alone all day. With the exception of watching television and drinks, Anna develops an obsession watching the Russell family who has just moved in across the street. One day, the Russells’ teenage son, Ethan (Fred Hechinger) came over to introduce himself. Shortly after, his mom, Jane (Julianne Moore) too came over and had a drink with Anna.

And then late one night, Anna witnesses Jane being murdered in the apartment. She called the police and a pair of detectives turned up (Brian Tyree Henry and Jeanine Serralles) but somehow, that Jane Russell (now played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) is not the same Jane that Anna has met before the other night. Is Anna hallucinating due to her meds? Maybe there is a sinister murderer lurking in the shadows. Anna’s unlikeable tenant, David (Wyatt Russell) perhaps? Or Alistair Russell (Gary Oldman), the controlling tyrant of the household?

The plotting and story aside, Amy Adams certainly breathes life into the characters she played, be it Bev in Hillbilly Elegy or Louise in Arrival. Anna Fox is a character suffering from mental issues and Adams delivers a startling convincing performance above all. Wyatt Russell currently playing the most unlikeable Marvel superhero is yet again playing another unlikeable character while Gary Oldman once again gets a paycheck playing a short fuse character. Jennifer Jason Leigh is basically wasted and so is Julianne Moore.

Without giving much away, The Woman In the Window comes equipped with two big twists. The first came shortly after the murder, let’s just say the unraveling is too predictable to make much of an impact. The final twist to be honest is a bit rushed presumably due to reshoot to make it more accessible to the general audiences. This of course ends up as the movie’s greatest flaw. The tension is never heightened and the twist relied heavily on verbal exposition than anything else. Still, Wright who is known for his stylishly slick movies is able to go light on unnecessary jump scares and create a dimly-lit atmosphere to stage a sense of foreboding throughout.

The Woman In the Window is a slow-burn mystery thriller that is best enjoyed with a glass of red wine. It’s definitely decent and visually enriching. Instead of blaming Wright and Tracy Letts for adapting the story. Why not blame it on the pulpy source material?

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Drama/Musical
Director: Jon M. Chu
Cast: Stephanie Beatriz, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jimmy Smits, DaStephanie Beatrizscha 
Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins
Rating: PG (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 8 July 2021

Synopsis: The creator of “Hamilton” and the director of “Crazy Rich Asians” invite you to a cinematic event, where the streets are made of music and little dreams become big. Lights up on Washington Heights. The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life. “In the Heights” fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda’s kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu’s lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience.

Movie Review:

Hungry for projects, studios are riffling through the past for a quick way to make content, and adaptations have been one of the treasuries they’ve been drawing from. With the Broadway breakout Hamilton under his belt, Lin-Manuel Miranda portfolio became Warner Bros’s target, given how his material not only brought relevant messaging on diversity and social causes, but also introduced other genres of music such as hip-hop onto the stage.

But the studio went one step further. Instead of reaching for the obvious hit, they retraced his timeline to pluck his first musical of the same name as their new project. Under the hands of director Jon M. Chu, the film is a candy-coloured celebration of Dominican pride, as well as passionate musical presentation of every immigrant’s dreams and struggles.

Miranda, who plays the title role Usnavi in his play, passes the reins to a charming Anthony Ramos - a casting decision that has many won over. It’s hard not to like Ramos - he’s the perfect intersection whether you’re looking at it from a racial, age or maturity, and it’s that borderline character that makes us believe in his journey.

You see, Usnavi owns a bodega his immigrant parents left behind in Washington Heights, but his greatest ambition is to come full circle by returning to the Dominican Republic to set up a beach bar in honour of his papi. “Best days of my life,” he chants, everytime someone asks. But when the time finally comes, he starts to question what he’s leaving behind.

There’s Sonny (Gregory Diaz IV) - his lanky cousin and store helper who insists his future is better off in the US. Vanessa (Melissa Barrera) is his long-time crush who is finally beginning to warm to his advances… just as she’s moving across town to find inspiration and opportunities as a fledgling fashion designer. It seems that everyone has plans of their own, except Usnavi’s good-natured abuela Claudia (Olga Merediz reprising her Broadway role), though she insists she’s only joining him if he convinces Sonny to come along.

Quiara Alegria Hudes, who wrote the book for the stage play, picks up screenwriting duties here and unfolds this main story amidst a carnival atmosphere of feisty salon ladies and talented street artists, while concurrently lining up the arcs faithfully to the original play. And though this plays out vibrantly most of the time, this reviewer can’t help but wonder if some can be sacrificed to keep the story trim.

At 143 minutes, In The Heights is banking on its flamboyant cast and rousing soundtrack to keep audiences engaged, and it does for the most part, but there are repetitive segments that feel like awkward steps when stacked beside the snazzier sequences.

One such example is the additional romantic arc between Usnavi’s childhood friend Benny (Corey Hawkins) and his boss’s daughter Nina (Leslie Grace). While they bring some great moments - especially that gravity-defying interlude for “When the sun goes down” with the gorgeous George Washington bridge in the background - but the simpering relationship has none of its original classism intent, and feels almost Disney with odious amounts of bashfulness.

Better time could be spent on the main couple to flesh out their tension, or even used to massage in the updated topics of microaggression and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy, because I would have enjoyed witnessing the deeper impact of such issues and thus gotten a better emotional investment.

But it’s hard not to like In The Heights despite its subject misallotment - it’s way too flashy for that! In true Chu fashion, the song and dance sequences are a visual spectacle, with just a nudge from special effects to make it fabulous. The rest is just an exhibition of pure Latin American soul, with enough pop, hip-hop, salsa, and ballads to have feet tapping and hearts singing.

Movie Rating:

(Just like the people it presents, this film is a mirrorball in a kaleidoscope, always chugging with spectacle, although a richer script would make this a better ride)

Review by Morgan Awyong

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Michael Chaves 
Cast: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Julian Hilliard, Ronnie Gene Blevins, David Michael-Smith 
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins 
Rating: NC16 (Horror)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 11 June 2021

Synopsis: “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” reveals a chilling story of terror, murder and unknown evil that shocked even experienced real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. One of the most sensational cases from their files, it starts with a fight for the soul of a young boy, then takes them beyond anything they’d ever seen before, to mark the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.

Movie Review:

Two sequels and five spinoffs later, ‘The Conjuring’ franchise may truly have reached its creative nadir. It used to be that the main ‘Conjuring’ films were the gold standard of the extended universe, and the spinoffs were effective but workmanlike and otherwise forgettable; alas, rather than end the trilogy on a high, this third film falls short of its predecessors by ditching the spine-tingling slow-burn sequences that were a signature of the earlier two movies (remember the one where Lili Taylor was lured into the basement to play hide-and-clap with a ghost?) and resorting to procedure and Satanic cult worship for scares.

Again based on a true story that entangled the real-life paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), this one chooses the 1981 trial of Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Connor), who was accused of stabbing his landlord to death and claims in his defence that he was possessed when he did it. His innocence is at no point in doubt; as the rip-roaring opening exorcism sequence shows, Arne was taken by the demon who had earlier possessed his girlfriend’s younger brother David Glatzel (Julian Hilliard), after he spoke directly to it and pleaded with it to let the young boy go in exchange for his soul.

Ed is witness to the exchange, but the sheer power of the demon causes him to suffer a heart attack amidst the mayhem and therefore unable to offer fair warning before the devil would make him [Arne] do its bidding. After convincing Arne’s lawyer to enter that unprecedented defence, the Warrens take it upon themselves to try to hunt down the source of the evil; in particular, they trace the demon earlier on to a witch’s totem placed below the Glatzels’ house, triggering a race against time to track down the witch and destroy her sanctuary before she claims Arne once and for all.

Their mission plays out over a series of encounters on the road, including that with a retired priest who used to investigate a cult known as the Disciples of the Ram and a diversion to help the authorities of Danvers, Massachusetts to locate a missing teenage girl suspected of causing the death of her friend under similar circumstances. Whereas the first two ‘Conjuring’ films were set around a single haunted house, this chapter has a much more expansive narrative, going from the possession of Arne Johnson to that of another teenage girl and finally to the sins of the Father in the form of a procedural.

While we would certainly have preferred that James Wan, who directed the earlier ‘Conjurings’ with preternatural skill, had returned for the sequel, his successor from ‘The Curse of La Llorona’ weaves the events ably together with adroit suspense. That said, director Michael Chaves cannot quite match Wan’s brilliant grasp of timing and misdirection, often settling into a predictable rhythm of breaking a quiet scene with an odd occurrence before the split-second addition of something specifically designed to make you jump in your seat. To his credit, Chaves does come up with a couple of smart scares (such as one involving a waterbed), but he isn’t quite as masterful as Wan in manipulating and subverting expectation to give you a real jolt in the spine.

Even more so therefore, the superb chemistry between Wilson and Farmiga elevates the material here. As the religiously devout husband-and-wife couple who risk life and soul to rescue others from evil, both actors are back in bracing form, bringing to their characters and to the movie much-needed human emotion and dimension amidst the horrors. There is even a sweet-natured romance thrown in, which pays off in surprising ways in the finale. In fact, we’d say that it is because of the steady pair that the movie ultimately manages to still come off better than the best of the spinoffs.

Don’t get us wrong – ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ is still a fine horror movie in its own right, but compared to the earlier two modern-day classics, this one feels a lot more pedestrian and therefore less impressive. It lacks the earlier films’ gift of build-up and surprise, and threatens to draw its storytelling circle too wide at times (even if it manages to rein it all in at the end), so those looking for the same tight focus on location and character will inevitably be disappointed. For those who are counting, this is the eighth film in the universe, and we suspect in order for the series to continue to have life within it, the next ‘Conjuring’ film will need to make sure it continues to be the high point in the series as well as in modern horror.

Movie Rating:

(A definite step down from the earlier two 'Conjuring' films, this latest chapter lacks the spine-tingling slow-burn sequences of its predecessors, even as it remains eminently watchable and suspenseful)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: In-ae, who was falsely charged, is released from prison. Eun-hye, her younger sister, is an 18-year-old high school student with the mental age of a ten-year-old. She adores her sister, who means the world to her. They get together for a small reunion party, and hope for nothing but happiness for them in the future. Next day, however, Eun-hye doesn’t return from school. In-ae reports her missing to the police and asks her teacher for help, but no one seems to care about Eun-hye’s whereabouts. Devastated by this tragedy, and by the society that doesn’t care for the weak, In-ae embarks on an investigation all by herself. She finds out that her sister suffered violence and sexual abuse from school bullies. Not only that, Eun-hye has been passed on from a loan shark, to a massage parlor, then to someone else. In-ae is hot on the trail and will not give up her quest to bring back Eun-hye, but the path leads her to even more shocking secrets from her past: the owners of a convenience store, photo studio, and car repair shop all raped her a few years ago. Now, it’s payback time! To console her sister, to find her, and to survive… In-ae’s brutal revenge begins.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Korean cinema has a reputation for producing solid revenge thrillers from Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy to A Bittersweet Life to The Man from Nowhere. With the exception of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, all featured charismatic male leads that is until Lee Si-young comes along.

If you have yet heard of Lee, try to binge watch the entire season of Netflix’s Sweet Home before No Mercy and judge for yourself if she is worthy to be this decade’s onscreen heroine.

The plotting of No Mercy is easy to follow. It’s not as complex and intricate as Sympathy for Lady Vengeance or as visceral as The Villainess. However, this is not to say No Mercy fares less desirable as compared to the other two. On the contrary, the straight-forward storytelling with some brief flashbacks thrown in at times are enough for audiences to root for Lee Si-young’s character and her motives.

Park In-ae (Lee) is a former bodyguard who has just been released from prison after assaulting a prominent political figure (Choi Jin-ho) years back. At this point, we are unsure what is her motive for assault except that she has a schooling sister, Eun-hye (Park Se-wan) who yearns the company of her elder sister. The slightly mentally challenged Eun-hye is constantly being bullied in school and one day, forced to be a bait for a group of young hooligans who uses her to con unsuspecting men for money.

But when a ruthless gangster, Ha (Lee Hyung-chul) took hold of Eun-hye, she is subsequently sold to a pimp by him. Thus begins In-ae’s tireless journey into investigating the truth behind her sister’s disappearance and upon finding out the tragic happenings Eun-hye suffered during her absence, hell is unleashed.

As the story unfolds and through multiple flashbacks as mentioned prior, we learnt that bullying in school is a serious matter but teachers hardly bat an eyelid. The mentally challenged are especially vulnerable to sexual violence and again, no one likely pays attention to it. In the case of Eun-hye, her penetrators include the neighbourhood’s grocery store uncle to an ordinary photographer to a greasy mechanic. As In-ae fights her way through and that’s where everything comes full circle. The reason why she is sent to jail is finally revealed towards the end.

There are plenty of fights throughout the flick for sure. Brutal but not exactly bloody or intense. If you are looking for a memorable action set piece, we can assure you there’s none. Perhaps the one that has In-ae fighting against Ha in his cramp Ford Mustang counts. Though the fight choreography is not flashy, it showcases one thing- In-ae is not just fighting to survive, she is fighting for her sister and the truth.

No Mercy is an enjoyable revenge action thriller with plenty of scumbags for our dear heroine to deal with at every corner. Although the somewhat ambiguous ending is kind of a letdown, our leading lady Lee Si-young sure didn’t disappoint with her killing looks and moves. If there’s a vacancy for a female John Wick, you know where to look.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee