SYNOPSIS: After she’s poisoned, a ruthless criminal operative has less than 24 hours to exact revenge on her enemies and in the process forms an unexpected bond with the daughter of one of her past victims.
MOVIE REVIEW:
When the opening credits tell you that 87North Productions is behind it. You know for sure the action is going to be good even though the plotting is clearly paper-thin.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead last seen in Birds of Prey and Gemini Man puts on a solid performance as a dying badass assassin on the loose to take revenge on those responsible for poisoning her. Trained by her mentor, Varrick (Woody Harrelson) to be a ruthless fighter since young, Kate decides to lead a normal life after completing one final mission. Alas, Kate is poisoned by deadly radiation after a one night stand with a mysterious stranger.
With only 24 hours left to live, she sets off to look for Kijima (Jun Kunimura), the boss of a powerful yakuza whom she suspects to be the culprit. In order to lure Kijima out of his lair, Kate decides to kidnap his niece, Ani (Miku Martineau) only to find out that there are more than meets the eyes regarding her downfall.
With the success of Extraction (another one of 87North Productions), Netflix decides to deliver yet another 90’s throwback action flick this time starring a strong female lead. The formula remains more or less the same. Given the non-stop absurd amount of dead bodies and gore and violence bone breaking, no one will have the time to actually question the plausibility and credibility of the story. The movie directed by French director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan (The Huntsman: Winter’s War) focused solely on one thing- that is making sure the fight choreography and stuntwork is exhilarating .
Not surprisingly, Kate brought on the action shortly after Kate is poisoned first in a prolonged scene in a restaurant where tonnes of Japanese sliding paper doors are smashed and henchmen are brutally killed. Another expertly choreographed scene has Kate taking on numerous yakuza members in an alley. Expect more visceral punching and tossing bodies out of the window. The kills are in fact highly imaginative compared to the narrative.
Still, there’s a brief sentimental story between Kate and Ani. Not exactly on the level of convincing given that she is the one responsible for killing Ani’s dad earlier. But with the turn of events, Kate settles on protecting Ani till her last breath. To be fair, the writing doesn’t really allow Mary Elizabeth Winstead a charismatic actress a lot to work on given her character has more pressuring matters on hand to settle and men to dispose.
Shot in Japan, Thailand and LA, the cinematography and production design has a futuristic neon anime feel which is a plus. Instead of a gun-toting white man saving the world, Kate replaces it with a badass heroine. As far as disposable action flicks go, Kate should be on top of your streaming list if you love a female John Wick.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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LUNG SHAO-HUA (龙劭华) (1953 - 2021)Posted on 15 Sep 2021 |
Genre: Drama
Director: Zhang Yimou
Cast: Zhang Yi, Liu Haocun, Fan Wei
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 23 September 2021
Synopsis: China during the Cultural Revolution. A prisoner escapes from a labour camp. He risks everything in his search for a stolen film reel in which his long-lost daughter appears for one second. Soon he encounters the thief, an orphaned girl haunted by her own terrible loss. A beautiful, moving and deeply personal homage to the redemptive power of cinema in the vein of Cinema Paradiso from Zhang Yimou, three-time Academy Award(r) nominee for Best Foreign Language Film.
Movie Review:
Zhang Yimou’s latest work about the power of cinema made news more than two years ago when it was abruptly pulled from its competition slot at the distinguished Berlin Film Festival. Citing “technical reasons”, the news sparked discussions that the film ran into censorship issues in China. It is, after all, a movie set during the Cultural Revolution, a period that may be touchy to the authorities (side note: have you seen how Chinese celebrities are being cancelled at an alarming rate recently?).
While we may never know the real reason for the film’s sudden withdrawal, it is heartening to know that Zhang’s film is still a piece of work that is evidently made with passion. Described as his “love letter to cinema”, one can see this as China’s version of Cinema Paradiso (1988), Giuseppe Tornatore’s masterpiece about the magic of cinema.
At the beginning of the film, we see a man (the ever reliable Zhang Yi) sneaking around a town to hunt down a newsreel that supposedly contains footage of his estranged daughter. It turns out that he is an escaped convict. Appearing next is an orphan (Liu Haocun) who steals a film canister, prompting the man to set chase. The duo end up in another town’s movie house and a respected projectionist (Fan Wei in a role that exudes reputable charm) comes in to the picture. The film reel has been unspooled and he gathers the townsfolk to untangle and clean the film. He is a master of his art, and refuses to show the film until the film strips is completely repaired.
What happens next is a revelation of why the three characters take this film reel so seriously. While the film seems like a heartfelt human drama, look deeper and you’ll realise that each protagonist’s motivation is a symbol of what different people were going through during the Cultural Revolution.
Zhang’s films are known for their lush visuals (from the early days of Red Sorghum Raise the Red Lantern to the recent House of Flying Daggers and Shadow), and while the settings for his latest movie are on a smaller scale, there are sequences that will make you stare in awe. Scenes of townspeople coming together to mend the tangled film reel, as well as an ingenious sequence where Fan sets up a loop reel, are enough to make you kowtow to the award winning filmmaker. And we haven’t even gushed about the scenes taking place in the vast dunes where characters wade through fine, golden sand to get from one point to another.
Above all, Zhang’s films speak to the human soul (forget about 2016’s The Great Wall, look instead at 1994’s To Live and 2014’s Coming Home). This film does just that, and throughout the 104 minute runtime, you’ll empathise with each of the three characters. There’s the man who wants nothing more than to connect with his daughter on screen, although it is only for the titular one second. There’s the streetwise young girl whose sole purpose is to make sure that her younger brother gets the best environment to study. And there’s the artist who may or may not have an ulterior motive in ferociously guarding his specialised skill of projecting films in a sensitive era.
Movie Rating:
(Zhang Yimou triumphs again in telling a beautiful human drama that centres on the delightful medium that is cinema)
Review by John Li
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TRAILER WATCH - ANITA (梅艷芳)Posted on 17 Sep 2021 |
SYNOPSIS: The Guilty takes place over the course of a single morning in a 911 dispatch call center. Call operator Joe Bayler (Gyllenhaal) tries to save a caller in grave danger—but he soon discovers that nothing is as it seems, and facing the truth is the only way out.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Jake Gyllenhaal, one of our generation’s best actors produced and appears in this remake of a 2018 Danish thriller of the same name. As expected, Gyllenhaal delivers a solid performance but sadly, the scripting lacks the urgency and inventiveness to last for the whole of 90 minutes.
Joe Baylor (Gyllenhaal) is a troubled cop working as a 911 operator at the dispatch centre after being suspended for an unexplained pending case. It’s his last day as an operator and he is due to appear in court the day after. He seems to be suffering from asthma, estranged from his wife and young daughter and he is clearly frustrated with his callers. In comes Emily (voice of Riley Keough) who claims she has been abducted by her ex-husband in a white van.
Amidst a raging wildfire in LA and armed with only a headset and numerous contacts including his old working partners, Sergeant Bill Miller (voice of Ethan Hawke) and Rick (voice of Eli Goree), Baylor must locate a distraught Emily before it’s too late.
Working with Gyllenhaal for the second time after Southpaw, Antoine Fuqua known for Training Day and The Equalizer fails to deliver a final product that stands out from the crowd. For a movie that is confined to a single location and mostly from a single character’s perspective, there ought to be a far less conventional way of storytelling. Partly perhaps the blame goes to the adapted screenplay by Nic Pizzolatto which offers a cliché-ridden predictable tale of redemption.
Fuqua tried his best to maintain the intensity hoping that the audiences can continue to root for Baylor and the safety of Emily in their bated breath. However, it’s clear that the numerous close-ups of Gyllenhaal and his constant coughing and harsh tones isn’t going to save the day let alone a tired twist in the movie’s final third act.
Notable actors and Fuqua’s past collaborator liked Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard and Paul Dano chips in voice performances although there’s no significant positive effect overall except doing a favour to Fuqua. Basically it’s just a one-man show taking place largely in a room, the perfect way to shoot a movie during an ongoing pandemic.
No offence to the original movie, there’s a pretty similar one in 2013 that starred Halle Berry as a 911 operator who saved a kidnapped teenager entitled The Call. The latter was a no-holds-barred silly action thriller that works perfectly as compared to The Guilty. Maybe you should first check out the Halle Berry flick and see which one fares better.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Adventure/Action
Director: David Lowery
Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Barry Keoghan
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes and Nudity)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 23 September 2021
Synopsis: An epic fantasy adventure based on the timeless Arthurian legend, THE GREEN KNIGHT tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men.
Movie Review:
English actor Dev Patel first caught our attention when he portrayed the earnest and idealistic Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle’s ecstatic drama Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Patel was 19 years old then, and 13 years later, he has successfully transited into an actor with range. He has taken on light hearted roles (2011’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and its 2015 sequel), and proved himself to be a serious actor in Lion (2016) and Hotel Mumbai (2018). The 31 year old’s latest performance in David Lowery’s medieval fantasy film may be the most heavy hearted and sullen one in his career.
Adapted from the 14th century poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”, the movie’s protagonist is Patel’s Gawain (for the uninitiated, he is King Arthur’s nephew) who goes on a laborious journey to test his courage. The back story has it that Gawain, who was once a reckless young man wanting to prove his worth, took up the challenge to strike The Green Knight, a mysterious creature who showed up unannounced during a Christmas meal. So what’s the deal here? Exactly one year later, Gawain must seek out The Green Knight and have the blow returned.
It would have been convenient for filmmakers to make this a
The 14th century setting is a gloomy yet hauntingly beautiful one. There are people laughing and drinking, but you can tell they are drowning their troubles with alcohol. The cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo is visually poetic, and it draws viewers into a world which we once thought only words can describe.
After the exchange with The Green Knight, we see Gawain’s personality gradually change as he begins to realise that he has to fulfil his promise one year later. As we follow him across the vast lands to seek down The Green Knight, we encounter the different episodes which are just as bewildering as the film’s introduction. There is a scavenger (the ever so creepy Barry Keoghan) scouring the battlefield (sadly littered with dead warriors) for survival. There is a ghost of a young woman (Erin Kellyman) who wants to retrieve her head from a river. There is a strange Lord (Joel Edgerton) and his seductive Lady (Alicia Vikander) who have the oddest intentions. There is also a fox that Gawain befriends.
We’ve seen Lowery direct family friendly fare (Disney’s 2016 live action adaptation of Pete’s Dragon), and soulful dramas (2018’s The Old Man & The Gun). His most personal work seems to be 2017’s A Ghost Story starring starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck. With the higher budget, the American filmmaker has managed to retain his signature low key moodiness that is devastatingly striking for the senses.
Movie Rating:
(The film is hauntingly beautiful to look at, and invites viewers to visit the barest, darkest corners of the human soul)
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama
Director: Ricky Ko
Cast: Patrick Tse, Petrina Fung, Lam Suet, Chung Suet-ying, Sam Lee
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Sexual References)
Released By: Clover Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 16 September 2021
Synopsis: The last generation of assassins moved to HK in 50/60’s and posed as a “killer-for-hire" trio to fix all sorts of problems for their clients. Decades passed, they have now become redundant at work and home. An accidental mission calls upon them and it turns out to be an assisted suicide. The trio suddenly finds new ‘life’… as the “Guardian Angels of the Elders”. Just when they are finding meaning to this new role, an order from a teenager turns their new practice upside down again… this might as well be their very last job.
Movie Review:
Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. It allows you to overlook flaws (especially minor ones) and focus on the good stuff. This Hong Kongproduction has a rather absurd premise, but you can’t help but feel that there is something worth celebrating about the movie, especially in its three leads – put your hands together for Patrick Tse. Petrina Fung and Lam Suet.
Fans of Hong Kongcinema would be cheering with glee, seeing these veterans gather for a movie about getting second chances. They play former assassins (yup, that’s apparently a thing in Hong Kong) who have come to a standstill in life because age has caught up with them. A brilliant idea comes in the form of setting up an assisted suicide service for seniors. This has a lot of potential for a tear jerking drama with close ups of elderly characters, complete with their wrinkles and forlorn eyes.
However, the plot moves in an interesting direction when a client turns out to be teenage girl who lied about her age. She becomes involved in the three octogenarians’ lives, and all kinds of incidents begin to happen, from heartbreaking ones (this is a given), to silly ones (these help to lighten the mood, albeit a bit too much at times), as well as exciting ones (what the three main leads are doing aren’t legal, so you can expect some chase sequences with lawmakers).
Director Ricky Ko scored when he got Tse, Fung and Lam on board to headline this movie, but the same can’t be said about Chung Suet Ying, the actress portraying the girl who goes on to create a father daughter bond with Tse. We aren’t sure whether it is because of the Mandarin dub, but Chung’s high level of energy to bring out the enthusiasm in the character borders on annoying. There were emotional moments between Tse and her, but they weren’t enough for us to wish that she had less screen time.
Elsewhere, we see Fung trying to find her place in the family (her son, daughter in law and grandson are from a generation and obviously don’t see eye to eye with her). She is also a songstress in a bar where business is failing. Then there is Lam who seeks comfort by regularly visiting a prostitute, hoping that the transactional relationship will eventually turn into love, and they can get married. We know how that’s going to end.
There is quite a bit of material for the Ko to make a solid drama here, but there also too many things happening and the plot about Chung and her useless boyfriend seems to take centrestage. It is the least likeable story amongst the several themes explored.
Fortunately, most viewers will be invested in the fact that this movie stars three of Hong Kong’s most iconic actors, and will have their attention on screen for the entire 99 minutes. It helps that the ending is a heartwarming one, and you are convinced that this is a drama that has hit the adequate notes.
Movie Rating:
(Having Patrick Tse, Petrina Fung and Lam Suet in the same movie is enough a reason for fans of Hong Kong cinema to watch this drama about people getting a second chance in life)
Review by John Li
Genre: Comedy/Crime
Director: George Gallo
Cast: Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Zach Braff, Emile Hirsch, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Kate Katzman, Eddie Griffin
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 October 2021
Synopsis: Producer Max Barber (Robert De Niro) is in debt to mob boss Reggie Fontaine (Morgan Freeman) after his latest film bombs. With his life at stake, Max produces a new film, all to kill his lead in a stunt so he can rake in the insurance. But when Max casts Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones), he never expects the old drunk to be revitalized by being in front of the camera. Unable to kill Duke in a basic stunt, Max puts him into ever more dangerous situations. And as Duke survives stunt after stunt, Max ends up making the best movie of his career.
Movie Review:
To be honest, we weren’t holding our breath for ‘The Comeback Trail’, notwithstanding that it reunites Robert De Niro with his ‘Midnight Run’ writer-director George Gallo. Indeed, those who have seen Gallo’s most recent films, including ‘The Poison Rose’ and ‘Vanquish’ would know exactly why; both were terrible to say the least, even if they starred such veterans as John Travolta and Morgan Freeman. So even if the cast here were impressive – comprising De Niro, Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Zach Braff and Emile Hirsch – we must say we approached it with a fair bit of skepticism.
The good news is that ‘The Comeback Trail’ is probably Gallo’s best movie in recent time; the bad news is that given his track record, you should at best take it as faint praise. A remake of the 1982 film of the same name by Harry Hurwitz, Gallo’s comedy drama works as a mildly amusing farce about the seedier side of Tinseltown. It isn’t as sharp as say ‘Get Shorty’ or as madcap hilarious as ‘The Producers’, but it nonetheless has a couple of laugh-out-loud moments, delivered beautifully by a surprisingly game cast that are not afraid to poke fun at their signature onscreen personas.
Not since ‘Analyze This’ has De Niro been this hysterical, but the actor better known for his dramatic roles seems to be having plenty of fun as the ageing grindhouse producer Max Barber, who hatches an outrageous plan to pay off his debts to gangster-cum-movie financier Reggie Fontaine. Decked out in long grey curls, aviator sunglasses and an ancient Cadillac with a bronchial engine, De Niro digs into the role with relish. So too Freeman, who as Reggie, is clearly having a ball playing a mobster who fancies himself as a movie buff, calling out references to movies such as ‘Psycho’ and ‘The Boston Strangler’ while threatening Max.
De Niro’s sleazy act is also perfectly complemented by Lee Jones’ deadpan performance as the washed-out Western star Duke Montana, whom Max and his nephew-cum-business partner Walter Creason (Braff) runs into at a nursing home where Duke has been sent to pasture. The conceit is a tantalising one: whereas Max intends to use the shooting of the movie to facilitate Duke’s demise in order to claim a hefty insurance policy to pay off Reggie, Duke turns out unexpectedly fortunate in each one of the purposedly rigged stunts, and these death-defying escapades in turn end up reviving his verve for life. It’s an utter thrill to see Lee Jones on the big screen after a period of absence, and even more so watching him do so with his trademark furrow-clenched grit.
So even if the script and direction aren’t as witty as it can be, De Niro, Lee Jones and Freeman elevate the material and make this a surprisingly watchable delight. Those who grew up watching Hollywood in the 1960s and 1970s as well as how it has evolved since then will also appreciate the trip down memory lane, given the film’s affection for what moviemaking in La La Land used to be and the colourful types both in front and behind the camera. To call it a comeback for the actors is a bit of an overstatement, but certainly this is a welcome return for this posse of veterans, which underscore what good old Hollywood entertainment used to be.
Movie Rating:
(A loving tribute to the seedier side of 1970s Hollywood, this mildly amusing farce is elevated by a game cast of veterans not afraid to poke fun at their signature onscreen personas)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: John Berardo
Cast: Jon Huertas, Isabella Gomez, Lindsay LaVanchy, Froy Gutierrez
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence & Sexual Scene)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 30 September 2021
Synopsis: Teen horror is back with a vengeance in this edgy slasher about a cruel social media game that spins out of control. Whiton University unravels the night a star-athlete is murdered in the wake of a hidden assault allegation, kicking off a spree of social media linked slayings. As a masked killer targets students across campus, a trio of sorority sisters race to uncover the truth behind the school’s hidden secrets – and the horrifying meaning of an exclamation point – before they become the killer’s next victims.
Movie Review:
At first glance, ‘Initiation’ may seem like your typical college slasher movie, and indeed the first half hour comes off very much like that. So we must say we were pleasantly surprised when it revealed that it had much more on its mind, proving in fact to be especially relevant in today’s #MeToo era, notwithstanding how the movement itself has somewhat gotten out of hand.
As its title suggests, the movie begins with a freshman initiation joint frat/sorority party at the fictional Whiton University, where amidst the usual boozy excesses, a sorority girl Kylie (Isabelle Gomez) passes out in a boy’s room and believes that she might have been sexually assaulted. The accusation is particularly troubling to her sorority president Ellery (Lindsay LaVanchy), as one of the dudes involved could be her very own brother Wes (Froy Gutierrez).
Notwithstanding that Kylie is hesitant to file charges, Ellery decides to investigate on her own, especially given how Wes had previously been accused of similar crimes a year ago. But before she can complete the DNA sequencing of whatever specimen she can find on Kylie’s clothes, Wes is found impaled in the very frat house. His murder stuns the entire campus, given how he was a star athlete who was training to compete in the Olympics.
Wes’ murder draws in the other supporting characters, including the university chancellor Van Horn (Lochlyn Munro), his other frat buddies Beau (Gattlin Griffith) and Dylan (James Berardo), and officers Sandra Fitzgerald (Yancy Butler) and Rico Martinez (Jon Huertas). Each of these characters will be connected to the murder in one way or another; and as the plotting unfolds, it becomes clearer that the killings (yes, there will be more than one by the time the murderer is revealed) are motivated by something much more fundamental than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
To say more would spoil the surprise at the end of a tense final act, but let’s just say that while the film does not exactly have the finesse to turn itself into sharp social commentary, it does leave its audience thinking hard about the instances where we as a society or as institutions fail to protect those who have trusted us to do so. Yes, more so than the impaling or even the guttings, it is its empathy with those whom we have failed that cuts the deepest.
There should be no illusion that ‘Initiation’ is a low-budget horror thriller, but given what he had to work with, it is pleasantly surprising that director and co-writer John Berardo has delivered a topical film with a lot more on its mind than the typical college slasher. It won’t be counted a classic by any measure, but those in the mood for some genre diversion will find an incisive, thoughtful slice of entertainment perfectly suited for the current milieu.
Movie Rating:
(Smarter than the average college slasher horror-thriller, this low-budget genre piece taps into the social milieu to provide some thought-provoking lessons on campus sexual politics)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama
Director: Anthony Chen, David Lowery, Jafar Panahi, Laura Poitras, Dominga Sotomayor, Malik Vitthal, Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Cast: Zhou Dongyu, Zhang Yu, Catherine Machovsky, Mokarameh Saidi Balsini, Tahereh Saidi Balsini, Solmaz Panahi, Jafar Panahi, Iggy, Alaa Mahajna, Carmen Asritegui, Ghada Oueiess, Mazen Masri, Nihalsing Rathod, Pierre Chanel Affognon, Salvador Camarena, Shalini Gera, Yahya Assiri, Francisca Castillo, Rosa García-Huidobro, Rita, Antonia Mendía, Inti Briones, Assisareru Brionesmendía, Bobby Yay Yay Jones, Yay'veontay Jones, Bobby Levi Jones, Imani Jones
Runtime: 2 hrs
Rating: NC16 (Some Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 21 October 2021
Synopsis: A love letter to cinema, shot across the US, Iran, Chile, China and Thailand, by seven of today's most vital filmmakers. New life in the old house. A breakaway, a reunion. Surveillance and reconciliation. An unrecognizable world, in the year of the everlasting storm.
Movie Review:
What a year it’s been. Covid-19 brought the world to its knees, showing up faultlines and shifting paradigms in a way no other historical event has laid claim to.
We’ve all had to adapt to these changes - some more inconvenient than others. From face masks and beeping apps, to isolation and strained relationships, the stories coming forth from these new experiences can also be inspiring.
From this dense year of change, three producers Brad Becker-Parton, Andrea Roa, Jeff Deutchman outlined a framework for an anthology from seven directors, inspired by Jafar Panahi’s This is not a Film. In the 2011 film, the Iranian filmmaker documents his state-imposed stay-home order for political reasons, and the producers sought to investigate the nature of filmmaking within tight restrictions. This became The Year of the Everlasting Storm.
What emerges may seem to be topics attached to the pandemic, but really, it’s more an ode to the celluloid craft. The producers term it as, “A love letter to cinema, shot across the US, Iran, Chile, China and Thailand, by seven of today's most vital filmmakers.”
This becomes clearer midway through the film. As we move into the third piece by Malik Vitthal, we start witnessing a more conceptual take, melding a parental story with animation. The story - told through recorded video calls between Bobby Jones and his three children fostered out - follows a narrative told half in conversation, half in prose. It’s fairly easy to follow still, even past the purposeful glitches, but what comes after, is a little less so.
Laura Poitras takes us on an expose of a nefarious company who weaponises data in “Terror Contagion” but the lengthy documentary-style piece felt like an overextended Zoom meeting forced upon us. The content itself is compelling, but the short format fails to credit enough context, and thus gravity. Relying on witnesses instead, it can come across as almost preachy.
“Sin Titulo” by Dominga Sotomayor and David Lowery’s “Dig up my darling” follows, and are two tender pieces that quietly approach milestone events during the pandemic and family bonds and dying wishes respectively.
The last, by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, goes full-hilt into art with an observational piece - “Night Colonies”. At the core, with whispered recordings taken from the demonstrations for democracy in Bangkok on 18 July and 27 August, the message of inadequate leadership is clear. But the lingering shots over lights, photos and insects help to flesh out the story, but lies heavy in the realm of interpretation.
Perhaps regular goers would enjoy the start more than the end for The Year of the Everlasting Storm. Panahi - who was initially not contributing - turned out a cheeky yet warm piece with a visitation from his mum, during the pandemic period. He is followed by Singapore’s own Anthony Chen, who documents a married couple’s estrangement, done with his signature acumen for teasing out the humanistic fragilities.
Movie Rating:
(This experimental anthology may not take root with some, but the pieces do resonate with the lingering effects of what the pandemic has wrought, and the global scale grants some relief)
Review by Morgan Awyong
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