Genre: Drama
Director: Huang Jianxin, Zheng Dasheng
Cast: Huang Xuan, Ni Ni, Wang Renjun, Liu Haoran, Shawn Dou, Han Dongjun, Zhang Songwen, Zu Feng, Wang Junkai, Victor Liu, Juck Zhang, Zhang Yunlong, Hu Xianxu, Eric Dane, Josh Whitehouse, Chen Kun , Li Cheng
Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures and Clover FIlms
Official Website:
Opening Day: 1 July 2021
Synopsis: In 1921, Shanghai was overflowing with tension. Young people from all over the world, with an average age of only 28, broke through the monitoring and tracking of various international forces and gathered in Shanghai to create the Communist Party of China. From then on, a new chapter in Chinese history was born.
Movie Review:
Movies from China are known to be emotionally stirring, regardless of whether they sing praises of the country’s past (The Founding of a Republic), or advocating a simple message of never giving up (Never Stop). The movies can also be something more relatable on a personal basis (Hi, Mom), or a series of shorts telling stories from the perspectives of everyday heroes (My People, My Country and its sequel My People, My Homeland).
So it is no surprise that we are given this movie co directed by Huang Jianxin and Zheng Dasheng, produced in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CCP). It is interesting to note that 10 years ago, Huang Jianxin co directed The Founding of a Party with Han Sanping to mark the 90th anniversary.
The movie is a historical drama which chronicles the events leading to the CCP in 1921. The story shines its spotlight on key characters who were involved in the revolution that marked an important milestone in Chinese history. This includes Li Da, Mao Zedong and Chen Duxiu. Familiar names like Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai also show up in the 138 minute movie.
Unless you are a Chinese national, it is not likely that you know the country’s history inside out. As such, you may be confused by the countless characters who appear throughout the film. These are probably people that the Chinese government deemed to have contributed significantly to the founding of the CCP. Nonetheless, the casual viewer will be able to be engaged throughout the show, as it features impressive production value and exciting action sequences (thanks to a massive budget, probably) and good acting from the ensemble cast.
One needs to be aware that this movie is not made like any other film – it is a propaganda piece that celebrates the history of one of the most influential countries in the world. Watching the movie is like viewing a history textbook on screen. This is the kind of film that sits nicely in a country’s national museum, where older folks can reminisce, younger people can be educated, and foreign visitors (i.e. tourists) can be mesmerised by a piece of history.
It is probably an honour for actors and actresses from Chinese showbiz movie to be involved in this project. Celebrities we recognise are Liu Haoran, Ni Ni, Chen Kun and Li Chen. There are also familiar faces like Huang Xuan, Wang Renjun, Zu Feng and Wang Junkai. Viewers who watch Chinese drama series should have no problem pointing out more names.
This is a movie that is emotionally stirring and makes you wonder what it is like to be part of a national movement that aims to make a difference for the betterment of the country’s people. It makes you appreciate what you have, and ponder about the amount of sacrifices that our forefathers have gone through for us to live comfortably today. This is in spite that most of us on this small island are not Chinese nationals. And this is a sign that the movie has succeeded in achieving its objectives.
Movie Rating:
(An emotionally stirring dramatisation of an important historical milestone from one of the world's most influential countries)
Review by John Li
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RICHARD DONNER (1930 - 2021)Posted on 06 Jul 2021 |
SYNOPSIS: Following the loss of their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge (KEVIN COSTNER) and his wife Margaret (DIANE LANE) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from a dangerous family living off the grid. They soon discover that the Weboy family has no intention of letting the child go, forcing George and Margaret to fight for their family.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Most of the time, Hollywood doesn’t know what to do with their aged stars. Either they are blatantly forgotten or they appear now and then in a handful of movies playing supporting roles. In comes director Thomas Bezucha and his adapted screenplay for Let Him Go which results in one of the best decisions in recent years, the pair up of Kevin Costner and Diane Lane again in the leading roles as George and Margaret Blackledge.
George and Margaret is a loving couple who lost their son due to a horse riding incident. Years later, their son’s widow, Lorna (Kayli Carter) married a man named Donnie Weboy and took their grandson, Jimmy with her. In an attempt to reconnect with Jimmy, the Blackledge decide to drive cross country to North Dakota to look for Lorna and Donnie. But instead of a warm welcome, the couple is threatened by the Weboy’s matriarch, Blanche (Lesley Manville) and her clan of evil-doers including her sons and Donnie’s uncle, Bill (Jeffrey Donovan).
Let Him Go is a mature revenge drama in short. Bezucha prefers to rely on quiet conversations and stunning landscape shots to do the job instead of bombastic action sequences. The characterisation of George and Margaret is compelling and genuine enough to make you care for them and their objective. Margaret being the doting grandmother whose only goal is to get back her grandson while George, the retired sheriff provides the emotional support and later on, a bodyguard to shield Margaret from all the nasty mayhem.
Because Costner and Lane has so much chemistry playing Superman’s earth parents in Man of Steel, the veteran couple delivers yet another awesome performance and screen presence here despite the movie being far too long and monotonous at some points. There’s a brief detour where they met a young native American, Peter (Booboo Stewart) and that is probably a subtle reference to the mistreatment of natives. It’s only when the appearance of Blanche that the story starts its momentum. Lesley Manville for a start puts in a menacing front telling old family stories over a pork chop dinner although there’s isn’t much of an elaboration of why the family choses to live off-grid and generate so much animosity that even the local police are scared of the Weboy.
Aside from the daytime soap opera antics, Let Him Go is a solid drama between the good and evil. It’s like an old-fashioned western in which Costner is also known for, character-driven and beautifully photographed. Adults looking for movies without overblown visual effects should also consider this outing.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The cast and crew talks about the story and 1960s setting in The Making of Let Him Go.
The brief 4 minutes featurette delves into the chemistry between the two actors in The Blackledges: Kevin Costner & Diane Lane.
The director talks about the source novel in which this movie is based on in Lighting the Way: Thomas Bezucha.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
In an era where DVD is almost an relic, Let Him Go looks fine and good for what it is. The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack boasts clear dialogue, excellent ambient sound effects and occasional dramatic outbursts. Other than that, this is mostly a talky drama so if your soundbar tends to quiet down, it’s not the machine’s fault.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Michael Nader
Cast: Jordan Hayes, Max Topplin, James McGowen, Rosemary Dunsmore
Runtime: 1 hr 21 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language and Some Horror)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 29 July 2021
Synopsis: It's 1am. An exhausted Cami (JORDAN HAYES) orders a rideshare at the airport. Her driver: Spencer (MAX TOPPLIN), awkward and unsettling. Her destination: Her dad’s place in the middle of nowhere. Along the way, Cami grows increasingly suspicious of Spencer's odd behaviour. But this fear gives way to full-blown terror when their car breaks down on a secluded road. And they both realise they're not alone... There are people moving around the car. Leaving them bizarre messages. Putting up road signs that lead up a dark wooded trail. Suddenly the car comes under attack -- and a rock smashes through the window, attached to a message that warns visitors must “pay the toll.” Soon, Cami and Spencer become aware it's a supernatural force haunting them: the Toll Man, a terrifying presence that creates eerie (and personal) visions of their past and future. Playing off their worst fears. Pitting these two strangers against each other. Until they discover that for either to survive, one of them has to die. Unnerving and suspenseful, THE TOLL explores how we deal with past trauma in our modern age.
Movie Review:
The Toll is an indie budgeted supernatural thriller directed and written by Canadian filmmaker Michael Nader. If cheap thrill or The Blair Witch Project is your cup of tea, perhaps you wouldn’t mind paying for the toll.
The story starts with a rideshare driver, Spencer (Max Topplin) swiping through the profiles on his driving app before settling on a pretty lass whom we know as Cami (Jordan Hayes). It’s 1am and Cami is exhausted from the long flight and has no desire indulging in small talk with Spencer. From the initial outlook, Spencer is either a serial killer in disguise or a socially awkward personnel. Anyway, Cami’s destination is her dad’s ranch which is situated in an isolated part of the country.
Cami wanted him to turn left but according to his GPS, it’s supposed to be right. Before long, Spencer’s car stalls in the middle of the woods. Now they are stuck in a place without phone signal and a car that can’t move. Since Spencer might be a psychopath, Cami decides to follow the road in search of rescue only ending up back in the same old spot. It becomes clear immediately that something is right off. Is Spencer the serial killer up to his tricks or is there something sinister lurking in the woods?
No worries because Cami and Spencer has the fortune to meet a lady driving a tractor in the middle of the night who told them “The Toll Man” is out looking for blood. Must be a common thing to drive a tractor at this time. Well, in this case we are informed that both of them are stuck in a dimension in which they are unable to leave unless one of them is dead. A nice brief plot exposition to enlighten us about their poor plight.
Rather than real tension and scares, The Toll relies heavily on loud noises to jolt the audiences. The story by Nader can’t seem to decide whether it wants to be a ghostly flick or a psychological thriller as we follows Spencer and Cami running through the dark woods armed with nothing except Spencer’s crossbow. There’s zilch buildup nor is there a compelling story to bring the characters forward.
At the end of the day, Nader throws in hallucinations in the form of Spencer and Cami’s parents and recreating their childhood traumas and other forms of incidents including sexual assault, unwanted pregnancy and abuse. It’s more legitimate if we know more about Spencer and Cami beforehand but alas, we knew so little of the our main characters to develop any empathy for them.
As a supernatural flick, The Toll fails miserably because the so-called evil entity otherwise known as Toll Man is so shy in manifesting itself to the victims. In the end, we only had glimpses of it. Frankly, it also fails to generate any suspense or horror. Creepy music don’t really count. The Toll functions more like a discarded Stephen King short story. There’s clearly a decent low-budget horror hiding somewhere but Nader tries hard to play smart with the scripting that in the end it wastes the efforts of the two leads and our ticket money.
Movie Rating:
(The Toll is an inadequate, flat horror flick)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Drama
Director: Ryoo Seung-Wan
Cast: Kim Yun-Seok, Zo In-Sung, Heo Jun-Ho, Jeong Man-Sik, Kim Jae-Hwa, Park Kyung-Hye, Koo Gyo-Hwan
Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min
Rating: PG13 (Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 2 September 2021
Synopsis: Han Shin-Sung (Kim Yun-Seok) works as an ambassador at the South Korean Embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia. A civil war breaks out in the country. Han Shin-Sung, his wife, and embassy officials are trapped in the embassy building. Meanwhile, Kang Dae-Jin (Zo In-Sung) works as a councillor at the North Korean Embassy in Mogadishu. The North Korean Embassy experiences the same threat of violence as the South Korean Embassy. Han Shin-Sung and Kang Dae-Jin work together to get people from both embassies out of Somalia.
Movie Review:
There’s never a dull moment in Korean cinema it seems. Gone are the days when their offering is either a straight-out horror or a weepy romance. In recent times, their releases even surpasses the variety of Hollywood. You name it, they have it.
Following Hollywood’s trend of adapting true-life events to the big screen, Ryoo Seung Wan’s Escape From Mogadishu is set in the midst of a Somali civil war in 1990 where a group of diplomats from both the North and South must unite together to escape the turmoil.
In order to realize his vision, Ryoo (The Battleship Island) has to rely on a memoir written by a Somalia’s TV executive and information from the US embassy. Given Ryoo’s track record of directing box-office hits, the truth seems secondary as he is about to bring audiences on a rough and tumble ride along the streets of Somalia or should we say it’s stand-in, Morocco.
The movie starts with South Korean Ambassador Han (Kim Yoon-seok) and his assistant, Secretary Gong (Jung Man-sik) being sabotaged by their North Korea’s counterparts, Ambassador Rim (Heo Joon-ho) and his lackey, Tae (Koo Kyo-hwan) while on the way to meet President Barre of Somalia. Back in the days, in order to secure enough votes to join the UN, both sides of Korea has to get into the good books of Africa to pull in the votes.
What followed shortly was General Aidid invasion of Mogadishu which threw the entire country into chaos and violence. It’s simply a question of becoming his friend or foe. With communication lines cut off, Ambassador Han is unable to contact the higher authorities for help. He runs a tight ship with just a skeleton crew of six including his wife and a military trained counsellor Kang (Jo In-sung) at the embassy. With rebels closing in, he has no choice but to engage the local police force to protect them. However, cash is running low and the police only works if they are paid. Ambassador Rim on the other hand is rendered homeless when a group of rebels stormed their embassy. With a group of workers and small children under him, Rim has no choice but to seek shelter from Han much to the disgust of Tae.
Escape From Mogadishu is a solid movie that respects history and never for a second, exploit the atrocities and killings. The message right here is humanity. Do you want to save human lives or turn your back against them simply because they don’t share the same political beliefs? Ambassador Han and the fiery-tempered Kang not surprisingly thinks more along the line of the former. With supplies running out, Han and Rim must put their differences aside and plan their escape plan. Han will seek help from the Italians while Rim will approach the Egyptian embassy.
The story has a nice, tender moment where the two parties had dinner at a long table. Finally, the people from the South and North sitting opposite each other. The North hesitating if their food is poisoned and that’s when Han switches bowl with Rim and stuffed his mouth with a huge scope of rice. A powerful moment that showcases the tragic outcome of two countries after an unspeakable war. What if they just cooperate and live in peace?
Perhaps this is what Director Ryoo is trying to pinpoint while telling a story of humanity, dignity and survival. It must also be said that everything in the movie works almost too perfect even the finale which involved a daring car chase is well executed without being too frenetic.
Ryoo has largely steered clear of sentimentality and he succeeds in churning out a tale of against-all-odds. Veterans Kim Yoon-seok and Heo Joon-ho easily capture our attention every step of the way while Jo In-sung plays his character with much aplomb. The political and diplomatic undertones might be heavy for some but the passionate account of the goodness of mankind is well told in this handsomely made movie.
Movie Rating:
(Escape From Mogadishu will set your heart pounding from start to end)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama
Director: Andrew Lau Wai Keung
Cast: Zhang Hanyu, Yuan Quan, Zhu Yawen, Li Chen, Jackson Yee, Ou Hao
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Rating: PG (Some Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Encore Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 5 August 2021
Synopsis: The No. 1 Movie in China that grossed over USD140 million in 11 days; based on true events of the COVID-19 in Wuhan. From the same team who brought us THE CAPTAIN. The movie pays tribute to Chinese medical workers and ordinary people, especially those who worked at the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, by focusing on their fight against the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan in early 2020. On New Year’s Eve in 2020, an unknown virus spreads from Wuhan to other places. The number of patients is increasing at an explosive rate. People are horrified by the powerful and highly infectious virus. The unprecedented survival crisis causes grief and panic. A little-known infectious disease hospital, Jiang Han, is chosen as a designated hospital. Zhang Jingyu, president of the hospital, suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Together with the Respiratory Department director, young interns and head nurse of the ICU, Zhang faces numerus challenges and accidents while he perseveres to save patients at the frontline. In a race against time and death, they work around the clock to transform the isolation ward for a large number of critically ill patients. In the midst of the time of the Spring Festival travel rush, facing the threat of the unstoppable epidemic, Wuhan, the thoroughfare of nine provinces, deals with never-ending hardships persistently. With new infections on the rise, critical decisions must be made immediately before dire consequences occur.
Movie Review:
Do we need a movie to remind us about the contributions of healthcare workers during this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? Obviously we do. And while we are at it, why not put the spotlight on Wuhan, where the first coronavirus infectious case in China was reported.
The blockbuster focuses on the series of events that took place in early 2020, where Wuhan’s Jintinyan Hospital became the front line of the battle against the virus. The central character is the hospital’s head, portrayed perfectly by veteran actor Zhang Hanyu. Other figures who have substantial screen time in the 129 minute movie include the hospital’s ICU director (every movie needs a strong female character, and this one is played by Yuan Quan), visiting doctors from Shanghai and Guangzhou (Li Chen and Zhu Yawen delivering emotionally relatable performances), a young doctor trying his best to learn from seniors (Jackson Yee putting his youthful vibes to good use), a delivery driver (Ou Hao does a fine job in making us feel that the virus can hit anytime and anywhere) and his pregnant wife (Zhou Ye is a role that will effortlessly move audiences).
And when a Chinese production this calculated is made, you can be sure no expenses were spared in gathering a spectacular ensemble cast to take on supporting roles. You may identify familiar faces like William Feng, Bibi Zhou, Zhang Zifeng, Tong Liya, Huang Lu and Shi Xiaolong as minor characters. The efforts paid off when it earned USD$53.5 million during its opening weekend in China. It sure helped that the movie was screened on IMAX screens – you know, just to get the full impact of the drama.
Helmed by Hong Kong filmmaker Andrew Lau, this patriotic movie doesn’t need to be subtle. It goes all out to sing praises of how the pandemic was managed by the Chinese government, and how China came together to curb the spread of the virus. Characters expectedly do not have shades of grey, and everyone is contributing for the greater good. Maybe this positive spirit is much needed in today’s cynical society.
Viewers should be pretty familiar with the sacrifices from healthcare workers (expect to see countless shots of exhausted doctors and nurses, complete with red marks from wearing protective face masks), and what stands out better are the stories of the common folks. Besides the delivery driver and his pregnant wife, some pockets of time are left for the girl who lost both her parents to the virus, the grandson who is reluctant to let the medical professionals conduct research on his late grandmother’s body, and the patient whom we thought would survive after being extubated. There is no lack of tear jerking sequences, so you may hear sobbing from fellow viewers.
In other cases, dream sequences may seem cheesy, but it somehow works in a particular scene in this movie. We are guessing the song “Willing To Replace You” playing in the background is an apt choice. It is interesting to note that the cover sung by Mao Buyi was originally performed by Ekin Cheng for Young & Dangerous III, a 1996 hit also directed by Lau. The other noteworthy tune is the movie’s end credit song “A Passing Thunderstorm” performed by Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung, a song written by Jay Chou and Fang Wen Shan to commemorate healthcare heroes.
Lau was also the director behind the commercially successful air disaster movie The Captain (2019), which starred Zhang, Yuan, Zhu and Ou. With this movie celebrating the healthcare workers and the everyday heroes who are contributing in different ways in the COVID-19 war, we won’t be surprised if Lau will be helming another Chinese blockbuster soon.
Movie Rating:
(The impressive ensemble cast delivers emotionally stirring performances in this patriotic Chinese blockbuster which will especially appeal to viewers who love melodramas)
Review by John Li
Genre: CG Animation
Director: Tom McGrath
Cast: Alec Baldwin, James Marsden, Eva Longoria, Ariana Greenblatt, Amy Sedaris, Jeff Goldblum, Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy Kimmel
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 9 September 2021
Synopsis: In the sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s Oscar® - nominated blockbuster comedy, the Templeton brothers—Tim (James Marsden, X-Men franchise) and his Boss Baby little bro Ted (Alec Baldwin)—have become adults and drifted away from each other. Tim is now a married stay-at-home dad. Ted is a hedge fund CEO. But a new boss baby with a cutting-edge approach and a can-do attitude is about to bring them together again... and inspire a new family business. Tim and his wife,Carol (Eva Longoria), the breadwinner of the family, live in the suburbs with their super-smart 7-year-old daughter Tabitha (Ariana Greenblatt, Avengers:Infinity War), and adorable new infant Tina (Amy Sedaris, Netflix’s BoJack Horseman). Tabitha, who’s at the top her class at the prestigious Acorn Center for Advanced Childhood, idolizes her Uncle Ted and wants to become like him, but Tim, still in touch with his overactive youthful imagination, worries that she’s working too hard and is missing out on a normal childhood. When baby Tina reveals that she’s—ta-da!—a top secret agent for BabyCorp on a mission to uncover the dark secrets behind Tabitha’s school and its mysterious founder, Dr. Erwin Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum), it will reunite the Templeton brothers in unexpected ways, lead them to re-evaluate the meaning of family and discover what truly matters.
Movie Review:
How much you enjoy ‘The Boss Baby: Family Business’ depends on how much you think you’ll enjoy a retread of the original 2017 animated film. Indeed, four years after that subversive adaptation of Marla Frazee’s children’s book series earned half a billion at the worldwide box office as well as an Oscar nomination, director Tom McGrath and screenwriter Michael McCullers have returned to deliver more or less the same movie, albeit cloaked in a different save-the-world plot.
Most, if not all, of the thrill of ‘The Boss Baby’ came from the incessant bickering between the titular infant and his big brother Tim; yet, as those who remember the ending will tell you, that movie ended tidily with the eponymous Ted deciding to become just another regular child. So in order that we can be reunited with Ted and Tim at roughly the same ages from the first movie, we find ourselves sitting through an unnecessarily extended prologue that sees the estranged grown-up siblings reunited one winter morning, before being given a magic baby formula that de-ages them back to when Tim was seven and Ted was a Boss Baby respectively.
Their mission is but an excuse to re-create the original’s gags, story beats and character dynamics, but for what it is worth, Ted and Tim have been recruited by Tim’s infant daughter Tina (Amy Sedaris) to stop the diabolical Dr. Irwin Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum) from inciting a worldwide revolution to eliminate all parents everywhere. In case it hasn’t dawned on you, Tina happens to be an agent of Baby Corp., and it is she who not only engineers an excuse for the busy hedge fund manager Ted to come visit Tim and his family, but also gives them the potion that turns them back to their younger selves.
To make the mission more personal, Tim’s older daughter Tabitha happens to be studying at Dr. Armstrong’s hypermodern school; and while that is supposed to increase the stakes for Tim, it also creates the opportunity for Tim and Tabitha to reconnect with each other, especially as Tabitha increasingly outgrows her father’s childlike whimsy. You can probably guess that Tim and Tabitha will eventually overcome their misunderstandings and make up with each other, or that Ted will re-learn the importance of family and set aside time to spend with Tim and his family.
Oh yes, the emotional parts are by-the-numbers, even obligatory, notwithstanding how the voice cast do their best to make the reunions heartfelt. Thankfully, they fare much better with the zingers, with Alec Baldwin (as Ted) and James Marsden (as Tim, taking over Tobey Maguire in the original) clearly having lots of fun trading barbs at each other; there is also a delightfully perky Sedaris, as well as Goldblum playing a beguilingly weird villain, a niche that he clearly relishes. We would even go so far as to say that they make the material better than it really is, which grown-ups accompanying their kids to the cinema will be especially thankful for.
Falling back once again on formula, the sequel runs again at a frenetic pace from start to finish, packing in a string of action scenes that are intended to be so brisk you wouldn’t have time to catch your breath. To director McGrath’s credit, there are a number of pretty amusing ones, such as a zippy chase sequence through Tim’s small town in the throes of Christmas season, a run-in between Ted and an army of baby ninjas, and the climactic showdown with Dr. Armstrong in a giant acorn that sees our heroes avert disaster using an elementary Mentos-and-soda fountain.
Yet on the whole, ‘The Boss Baby: Family Business’ is ultimately a mediocre sequel that fails to live up to the inventiveness of its predecessor. Baldwin is still hilarious as the titular boss baby, but the script fails to evolve his character in any meaningful way; ditto that of his older brother Tim, who like Ted, seem to be stuck in the same rut as he was four years ago. Like we said, how much you enjoy this sequel depends on how much you enjoy a retread of the original film, and even though you may still laugh at the familiar, there’s no denying it’s no longer as fresh or even as funny as before.
Movie Rating:
(Not quite as fresh and funny as before, this sequel banks too much on the familiar by offering up the same gags, story beats and character dynamics as its predecessor)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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BOOK REVIEW #40: THE RIDE OF A LIFETIMEPosted on 21 Jul 2021 |
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: James Wan
Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White, Jacqueline McKenzie, Jake Abel, Ingrid Bisu
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Gore)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website:
Opening Day: 9 September 2021
Synopsis: “Malignant” is the latest creation from “Conjuring” universe architect James Wan. The film marks director Wan’s return to his roots with this new original horror thriller.
Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.
Movie Review:
‘Malignant’ is touted as James Wan’s return to horror in between the big-budget journeys to Atlantis with a certain Aquaman. But those expecting the sort of tightly wound thrills of ‘The Conjuring’ and ‘Insidious’ will probably be surprised by what Wan had decided to conjure as a return to his B-horror movie roots.
The prologue introduces us to a mysterious, grotesque, but largely unseen figure dubbed ‘Gabriel’ at a sanitarium back in 1993, which has brutally killed several staff members and whom a certain Dr Florence Weaver (Jacqueline McKenzie) finally manages to subdue. Amidst some cheesy lines of dialogue, we learn that Gabriel is able to project his thoughts via electrical signals, before Dr Weaver proclaims ‘it’s time to cut out the cancer’.
Fast forward to present day, where our protagonist Madison (Annabelle Wallis) comes home one day from work feeling unwell to a good-for-nothing abusive husband Derek (Jake Abel). Well into her fourth pregnancy after suffering three previous miscarriages, Madison gets into a heated argument with Derek, and suffers a head injury after he slams her head against the wall. That very night, Derek is killed by a shadowy marionette-like figure, which appears to chase Madison around the house until she is knocked unconscious.
Madison awakens to find out that she has lost her pregnancy, but finds comfort in her reunion with her younger sister Sydney (Maddie Hanson) whom Derek had kept her away from to hide his abuse. Not long after, Madison is haunted by visions of the same spindly figure, who not only seems to be stalking her but also murdering persons whom she cannot quite recognise in shockingly brutal ways. Turns out that these visions aren’t just nightmares; as the two detectives Kekoa Shaw (George Young) and Regina Moss (Michole Briana White) soon discover, they reflect actual murders being committed on persons in and around Seattle.
How is Madison connected to the killer? How are these murders connected to one another? Is Madison in fact the killer herself? At first, Wan, who devised the story with his wife Ingrid Bisu (lead actress of ‘The Nun’) and screenwriter Akela Cooper, seems to throw out one conventional turn after another to bring the various spinning pieces into coherence; and indeed, it should come as little surprise that these victims are related to each other, as well as to Madison, or that Madison is in fact intimately linked to what we had witnessed at the Simion Research Hospital many years ago.
These revelations are no spoilers compared to the final act, which answers how Madison and Gabriel are connected in jaw-dropping fashion. Not to worry, we will let you discover the audacious twist all by yourself; but suffice to say that it has been quite a while since we were this blown away. It is like nothing we’ve ever seen from Wan, yet something so bonkers which so turns the film on its ear that we’re sure will have horror fans christening it into an instant genre classic.
More than we’ve ever seen him do so, ‘Malignant’ finds Wan at his most gleefully untethered, having a sheer blast trying his hand at the sort of body-horror pictures which Dario Argento and David Cronenberg were known for. In particular, Wan devises two brilliantly violent sequences filmed largely in continuous takes with his Steadicam zipping around the setting, which form part of a ludicrously gory extended climax filled with outrageous action and violence. It is all done in utter pulpy fun all right, and those who go in looking for some blood-splattered fun will be thoroughly satisfied by Wan’s gleefully executed conclusion.
Like he was in ‘The Conjuring’ with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, Wan is aided here by the English actress Wallis. As Madison, she portrays a keen vulnerability that believably transforms into something else altogether. Wan finds the right breadth of performances here, ranging from Wallis playing it straight to Briana White’s ‘you gotta be kidding me with this shit’; even as it is perched delicately on caricature, Wan never lets the acting slip into tongue-in-cheek knowingness, holding his movie on a razor’s edge from being a laugh riot.
And as before therefore, Wan’s command of tone and form is excellent. This is not the ‘haunted house’ movie he’s already done before, or the sort of gross-out detective thriller that he started out with; rather, ‘Malignant’ finds Wan ambitiously stitching together an original creation from a patchwork of genre inspirations, building to a stupefying finale that needs to be seen to be experienced and enjoyed. We’re sure ‘Malignant’ will prove divisive for mainstream audiences, but we found ourselves awe-struck by Wan’s boldness, commitment and confidence, and when this eventually becomes a genre classic, don’t say we didn’t tell you so before.
Movie Rating:
(Returning to his B-horror movie roots, 'Malignant' finds James Wan at his most gleefully unhinged, concocting an audaciously pulpy original filled with outrageous action and violence)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: For Evan McCauley (Mark Wahlberg), skills he has never learned and memories of places he has never visited haunt his daily life. Self-medicated and on the brink of a mental breakdown, Evan is sought by a secret group that call themselves “Infinites,” revealing to him that his memories may be real—but they are from multiple past lives. The Infinites bring Evan into their extraordinary world, where a gifted few are given the ability to be reborn with their memories and knowledge accumulated over centuries. With critical secrets buried in his past, Evan must work with the Infinites to unlock the answers in his memories in a race against time to save humanity from one of their own (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who seeks to end all life to stop what he views as the cursed, endless cycle of reincarnation.
MOVIE REVIEW:
To choose between an intellectual, practical-effects filled sci-fi movie liked Tenet or dumb loud VFX-filled sci-fi movie liked Infinite, I’m sure many will pick the latter. There’s no right or wrong in this argument, it’s a free world after all.
Disguised itself as a smart popcorn spectacle, Infinite blends the themes of reincarnation and science fiction into a giant wormhole called dumb fun. Based on a novel by D. Eric Maikranz, Infinite tells the story of the Believers and the Nihilists, both groups coming from individuals who can remember their past lives. The Believers however believes in preserving world peace while the Nihilists is bent on destroying the world using a baloney device dubbed the “egg”.
In comes a man called Evan McCauley (Mark Wahlberg) who lives with schizophrenia but in actual fact, he’s a Believer, a powerful warrior throughout his past lives (including being a Japanese swordmaker) and he is born to protect the “egg” from the movie’s main nemesis, Bathurst (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Bathurst and his henchmen believe that Evan knows where the “egg” is hidden as he is the reincarnation of Heinrich Treadway (Dylan O’Brien) the last person who took the device and died in 1985. Thus, begins a series of cat-and-mouse games between the good and evil.
Obviously, Antoine Fuqua (Shooter, The Equalizer) is trying his best to pull off an original, intriguing action piece. Too bad, the poorly-written story didn’t do any justice to him. There’s a tremendous lack of meaningful narrative and world building. Everything seems to fall nicely in place even before the audiences understand what in the world is going on. How exactly does the Believers work? Why is it run from a place liked Wakanda or from The Matrix? And where did Bathurst get all his resources? At times, it’s overly complicated but the next minute when a big bombastic action sequence is abruptly introduced, we totally forgot about everything including the part where Evan and Bathurst were supposedly to be once best friends.
No stranger to high-stakes action sequences, Fuqua fills Infinite with gallons of CGI assisted mayhem from crashing an Aston Martin through a police station, cool weaponry to Evan jumping on top of a plane to intercept Bathurst. Where is Tom Cruise when you need him? Oh right, we have Mark Wahlberg playing yet another brawny, cool character armed with a katana. There’s nothing wrong in casting Wahlberg in the lead role but when you cast someone liked Chiwetel Ejiofor as the main villain, Wahlberg seems a lot less interesting. He is just a buff empty presence onscreen. Dylan O’Brien is a better choice in this case.
Young English actress Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Secret Service) appears as Nora, Evan’s rescuer and sidekick which explains why Dylan O’Brien is again a better choice for the lead role. Veteran English actor Toby Jones (Captain America) has a nice shouting match with Chiwetel Ejiofor while Jason Mantzoukas (John Wick 3) plays a rather goofy doctor.
For a movie about reincarnation and saving the world, Infinite runs out of steam pretty fast. The concept is just too dopey to make much of an impact. Fortunately, the numerous ridiculous action scenes will keep you from dozing off. We thought Infinite is more than just an empty popcorn flick given the premise but nope, it’s yet another dumb loud (maybe fun to some) movie.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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