SYNOPSIS: Released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime, Ruth Slater (Sandra Bullock) re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past. Facing severe judgment from the place she once called home, her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind.
MOVIE REVIEW:
This is one dramatic movie that features another compelling performance from Oscar winner Sandra Bullock. In addition to the surprise casting of Vincent D’Onofrio and Jon Bernthal as good guys, there is nothing memorable or special about The Unforgivable.
Adapted from a 2009 British mini-series, Bullock plays Ruth Slater, a woman who has just been released from prison after 20 years for killing a local sheriff. Recommended by her parole officer Vincent (Rob Morgan) to work as a fishmonger, Slater lives life under the radar staying in a halfway house in Chinatown and doing carpentry works for a charity. Her only hope in life is to reconnect with her long-lost sister, Katherine (Aisling Franciosi). But Slater is not alone, the brothers of the slain sheriff is out looking for revenge, tracking her whereabouts and waiting for the chance to strike.
Besides that, there is a pro-bono lawyer, John (D’Onofrio) who offers to help Slater in communicating with Katherine’s foster parents, John’s overly zealous wife, Liz (Viola Davis) and Slater’s co-worker, Blake (Bernthal) who carries a torch for her that are thrown into the narrative making the already long drama extremely slow paced.
Despite the A-list casting, much of the main actors are relegated to the background hardly contributing anything significant to the end product. Vincent D’Onofrio and Viola Davis who plays husband-and-wife certainly deserves more than merely appearing in a few select scenes. Blake certainly is another interesting character with hints of a colourful crime history although he is very much forgotten in the last act. Then there is the revenge subplot that boasts some unexpected twist and turn but the payoff turned out to be more ironic than the emotional punch you desire.
Most of the time, it seems it’s just Bullock doing her best to pull off a performance as an ex-con. Indeed, she is fantastic and almost unrecognizable from the get go. Her character is a tragic one. Ruth Slater spent the first part of her life protecting her little sister from the brutality of the world only to have her only kin being erased from her life. The woman is lonely and desperate, she certainly deserved more except the system this society is built on is restraining her from doing so.
None of the numerous subplots actually matter, the only thing the script got it right is Bullock’s character. German director and screenwriter Nora Fingscheidt offers audiences a layered drama that is saved solely by her main leading actress. The plotting is clunky and contrived at times with lots of distracting flashbacks. Predictable might be an easier word to describe The Unforgivable. Still, you probably remember Ruth Slater’s pain and anguish after the credits rolled. On the other hand, we doubt we are expecting Miss Congeniality 3 anytime soon.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
MOVIE REVIEW:
“Deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog,” pleads the writer of the Biblical Psalm 22, traditionally thought to be David, when beset by dangers. It is a cry to God for help, though whose soul it is that needs saving or whose darling it is that the movie is referring to remains a mystery right up till the very end.
Adapted from the 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, ‘The Power of the Dog’ is a gripping tale of toxic masculinity, reflected in the film’s enigmatic leading man Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch). When we first meet Phil, he is your typical hardened cowboy: he’s unbathed; he picks a banjo and castrates bull calves using a blade he then holds in his teeth so he can finish the procedure with his bare hands; and he makes no apologies for calling his timid brother George (Jesse Plemons) ‘fatso’.
Nowhere is Phil’s casual cruelty more evident than during a cattle drive that brings both brothers into the inn of the fragile widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and her delicately weedy son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). At dinner, when he finds out that it was Peter who had folded the paper flowers that adorn the table, Phil teases the boy without any remorse. Though Rose eyes Phil with both fear and hatred, she cannot help but be taken by George, and soon after, moves from the small-town boarding house where she has been working as a cook into the Burbank family ranch in Montana.
Over the course of an unhurried two hours, the New Zealand-born auteur Jane Campion (best known for her 1992 Academy-Award winning ‘The Piano’) lets the story unspool in chapters, shifting subtly from a relationship drama to a study of Phil’s wounded character.
The middle act sees Phil insidiously and methodically torture Rose, be it mocking her mediocre skills after George encourages her to practice the piano by getting her a grand instrument in the house or taunting her after catching her secretly taking sips of bourbon in the alley behind the house. Rose’s victimization and decline also establishes Phil as the villain of the piece, and Campion uses these scenes to draw out our own biases and prejudices.
As difficult as the set-up may be to watch, it is both necessary and rewarding by the time Peter arrives at the ranch during a break from his medical studies. Contrary to expectation, Phil takes the boy under his wing, seeing an opportunity to mold someone new in his own image, just as his former mentor, the late Bronco Henry, had done with him. To say anything more would be to give too much away, so let’s just say the story deepens in ways that are both revelatory and unexpectedly poignant; in particular, it is fascinating to watch how Peter and Phil explore, define and navigate their ambiguous bond, not least given how it affects those around them, especially Rose.
It does demand a fair amount of patience and attention from its viewer, but Campion’s film rewards those who do with a stunning pay-off both obvious and ingenious. Indeed, part of the joy comes from not knowing where Campion’s storytelling is leading you, and after arriving at the destination, realizing how it was seeded all along. Oh yes, those who decide to embark on a second watch will discover more of its brilliant subtlety, and marvel even more at the achievement of Campion’s filmmaking.
There is method in the way Campion frames the entire story, aided by Ari Wegner’s exquisite cinematography. Together, they bring the vast, treacherous landscape of the mountainous West (with New Zealand standing in for Montana) into lurid focus, contrasting it against the doom and endangerment within the Burbank household through claustrophobic close-ups. Campion is in superb control of the film’s mood, tone and pacing through every aspect of its craft, including the nervous rhythms of Jonny Greenwood’s score and the detailed sets of Grant Major’s production design.
It is equally her achievement that she manages to draw out a career-best performance by Cumberbatch, who truly gets beneath the snarling bravado of his character to showcase Phil’s vulnerabilities. After a recent string of roles as either historical intellectuals or magical superheroes, Cumberbatch displays a terrifying new dimension as an actor balancing menace and deeply hidden grace in such powerful and persuasive ways. He is also well-matched by Smit-McPhee, as they engage in a push-pull dynamic that is riveting to watch.
Whether it comes off winning Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards (even as it has been lauded as a frontrunner), ‘The Power of the Dog’ is no lesser a potent piece of filmmaking from a director at the top of her game. Though set in the 1920s, its depiction of male ego and masculinity is just as relevant today, with a leading act by Cumberbatch that will resonate through the ages. Whatever preconceptions you might have about it, you’ll likely find yourself pleasantly surprised by how the film subverts them with complexity and nuance in deliberate, measured fashion. Give yourself the time and space to enjoy this gem – we guarantee it will be worth your while..
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from an unhuman threat. As their journey takes them in increasingly dangerous directions, the boys will need to leave their childhoods behind.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Malik Khan is a desperate man with desperate measures. He sees meteors in the sky and he believes that half of the human population is infected by parasitic organism from another planet. And now he is on a mission to bring his two young sons on a road trip to Nevada where a safe facility resides.
Are bugs really taking over our planet? Or is there something sinister brewing in Malik?
Encounter stars Riz Ahmed (Rogue One, Sound of Metal) who delivered a gripping performance right from the start. His character Malik looks slightly unhinged, unstable. Something is off with the man. Barely ten minutes into it, you know this is not going to be a sci-fi alien invasion movie of any kind.
Rather than throwing specifics at the audiences, director and co-writer Michael Pearce allows the character of Malik and the relationship with his two sons to speak for itself. While his two sons initially believed his alien invasion theory, his elder son Jay (Lucian-River Chauhan) starts to question his father’s words as the journey goes because watching him beating up a cop and gravely wounding a man over a car seems over the top even his intention is to escape from an alien invasion.
The chemistry of the actors perhaps serves as the sole highlight of this otherwise bleak drama. The two wonderful child actors brilliantly captured the innocence opposite Ahmed with Jay being the mature one and Bobby (Aditya Geddada), the tantrums prone younger sibling. The interaction is often raw which build up to an emotionally devasting finale. Oscar-nominated Octavia Spencer has a small role-playing Malik’s parole officer. However, given the focus is not on Spencer’s character, she is largely forgotten for the most part.
The movie is reasonably compelling. The cinematography is top notch. Yet, the fact remains, Encounter is not everyone’s cup of tea. After all, it’s not a noisy, effects laden movie about alien bugs. Stripped off all the merits especially the cast performance, the depressing tale is yet a tired story of war veterans adjusting to normal life after their horrifying tour of duty.
Don’t get us wrong. The aftershocks of war can potentially be made into an interesting movie given the right ingredients. But Encounter just comes across as a cliched PTSD melodrama about family conflicts. No doubt it’s a sad drama but the pretentious misleading of it as a sci-fi flick hardly improve things or grant it more depth.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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TRAILER WATCH - THE BAD GUYSPosted on 16 Dec 2021 |
Genre: Romance/Drama
Director: Xue Xiaolu
Cast: Huang Bo, Jia Ling, Zhu Yilong, Xu Fan, Gao Yalin, Wu Yanshu, Xu Shaoxiong, Zhou Dongyu
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 6 January 2022
Synopsis: The Covid-19 Pandemic ravaged Wuhan in the beginning of 2020, the city drastically went into lock-down. Facing unprecedented danger and uncertainty, ordinary people in and out of the city rose from their fears, came together and became volunteers. Embrace Again tells the heart-warming story of these brave men and women, who responded to the disaster in their own unique ways and, through it all, found love and courage to survive and rebuild their lives.
Movie Review:
Do we need another Mainland Chinese movie about the heroes behind the COVID-19 outbreak? Obviously we, because the pandemic (or some would say, endemic) is here to stay, and any heartwarming reminder about the people who stood strong against the virus would be welcome.
So here we have this film directed by Xue Xiaolu that takes place in Wuhanduring the early days of the outbreak. While we have seen movies about the healthcare heroes who fought courageously against the virus (cue emotional music, close ups and tears when they sacrifice and fall), this one shines the spotlight on common folks who step up to become volunteers.
In a tried and tested formula, the filmmakers weave four stories into a 125 minute headlined by some of the biggest stars in China. Huang Bo plays a selfless courier who may be neglecting his family, Jia Ling portrays a bubbly plus sized rider who crosses paths with a dashing piano teacher (Zhu Yilong). She also gets to know a chatty nurse intern (Zhou Dongyu) who finds herself smack in the middle of the virus outbreak – but her positive mindset is more than enough to get her through the strenuous challenges.
Then there is a middle aged couple played by Xu Fan and Gao Yalin who find themselves arguing more frequently as the pandemic worsens. They have a daughter (Qiao Xin) who is stranded overseas with her partner (Liu Haoran). Rounding up the ensemble are an elderly retired doctor (Wu Yanshu) and restaurant owner (Xu Shaosiong) who are finding second chances in their lives.
We’ve seen in other movies how characters cross paths, so that the screenplay can conveniently string them together. It’s done here as well, and while it brings no surprises, the encounters take place on the iconic Yigwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge at night in the rain, adding an extra touch of romanticism.
Huang and Jia are undoubtedly the stars of the drama, delivering faultless performances. Huang is the kind of reliable friend and husband you’d want to have, while Jia’s cheerful personality is larger than life as she chats up Zhu in a hilarious setup. Zhou has some memorable scenes with her – see the two women talk about womanhood as they ride on a scooter and you’d wish life is as idealistic as this.
As expected, the most touching story belongs to the aged couple. When Wu first appears, she is like any other naggy grandma. But when we find out that she has been trying to get approval to head back to the hospital to help out, we are heartened by her actions. When we see Xu preparing food and bringing them to the hospital staff, before spending time with Wu across a small barricade, it is a very sweet moment. It sure helps that they are surrounded by peach blossoms – if only real life can be this beautiful.
While this movie doesn’t bring anything new, it is uplifting enough to move your hearts. Besides, it features an impressive ensemble cast who effortlessly deliver moving performances to keep you engaged for two hours.
Movie Rating:
(Another movie about the COVID-19 pandemic, another chance to be moved by the ordinary people who stepped up to become heroes)
Review by John Li
Genre: Musical/Drama
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andrés Rivera, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll, Brian d’Arcy James, Rita Moreno
Runtime: 2 hrs 36 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Mature Content)
Released By: Walt Disney Company
Official Website: https://movies.disney.com/westsidestory
Opening Day: 7 January 2022
Synopsis: A reimagining of the original Broadway musical, Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" explores young love and tensions between rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks on the streets of 1957 New York.
Movie Review:
Name one Steven Spielberg movie that isn’t well received by critics. Sure, you may have thought that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) was unnecessary, Bridge of Spies (2015) was underwhelming, and The BFG (2016) was too sentimental, but they have their fans and has received impressive reviews. To put it simply, it is impossible to fault the masterful filmmaker because he is really good at telling stories on screen.
The recipient of countless awards has done it again with his latest work, the first movie musical in his illustrious career. The 75 year old has dabbled in franchises (Indian Jones and Jurassic Park), animation (The Adventures of Tintin), historical dramas (Munich and Lincoln) and sci fi (War of the Worlds and Ready Player One), and he is not about to disappoint with this adaptation of the 1957 stage musical of the same name.
The movie is old fashioned to a fault, yet relevant to today’s society. It takes place in 1950s New York, where two rival gangs don’t see eye to eye. One group is made up of local white men who are not pleased with how migrants are populating the area, and the other gang is made up of a group of passionate Puerto Rican young men. Sparks fly when Tony (Ansel Elgort), a white man falls in love with Maria (Rachel Zegler in a very commendable feature debut), a Puerto Rican girl, and tensions rise between the two gangs. If you can’t tell already, the tale is inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
If you are a fan of musicals, you’d be immensely pleased with the handsome production values (expect nothing less from Spielberg) as you brought around the buildings and alleys of 1950s New York. The streets are bursting with life, and you can almost smell the construction happening round the corner. If you have watched the stage production, you will be captivated by how the movie has transported the sets on screen.
The performances are enjoyable too. The romantic love ballad “Tonight” is a guilty pleasure to watch as Tony and Maria sing their hearts out on the signature balcony, while the stirring “America” will have you tapping your feet, as the tune is belted out by a spirited ensemble led by Ariana Debose, who plays the girlfriend of the Puerto Rican gang leader. The movie does justice to the original music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
This is the second time the story is adapted on screen. It was first made as a 1961 movie which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture. Like many movies from that era, almost all of the Puerto Rican characters were played by white actors in brownface and spoke with an exaggerated accent. Spielberg’s version ditches that, and the Puerto Rican characters are portrayed by Latino actors. Scenes where Spanish is spoken do not have subtitles, and Spielberg has stated that it is a deliberate decision done out of respect so that the language exists in equal proportions alongside the English sequences. We sure hope this version by Spielberg will receive recognition during the awards season.
Movie Rating:
(Be swept off your feet by another impressive Steven Spielberg movie, and this time, it is an enjoyable movie musical that soars)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos in Academy Award®-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes drama Being the Ricardos. A revealing glimpse of the couple’s complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers’ room, onto the soundstage and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy.”
MOVIE REVIEW:
Director and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is not your typical “for hire” screenwriter because he is well known for his character-driven, intelligently written scripts. His glowing resume includes Moneyball, A few Good Men, The West Wing and of course, an Oscar for his work on The Social Network.
Being the Ricardos is his self-penned, third directorial effort, a long gestating project which initially has Cate Blanchett attached to play Lucille Ball. For the uninitiated, Ball was an American comedian known for her ultra-successful sitcom, I Love Lucy (1951-1957) also starring her husband, Desi Arnaz.
This is where things start to be a bit tricky. Being the Ricardos is not exactly a simple show-and-tell biography on the late celebrity couple. In fact, Sorkin takes audiences on a journey with the powerhouse couple over a span of a very bad week where Ball is confronted by news headlines that she is a communist, her husband’s infidelity, her desire to jump from television to movies and disagreements from her co-star, writers, producer and sponsors.
There’s lots to cover for a drama that runs slightly over just two hours but Sorkin sure knows how to run a tight ship. Along the way, Sorkin employs frequent usage of flashbacks and re-enact certain classic scenes from the sitcom in black-and-white. The plotting certainly is promising as we are exposed to the couple’s complex marriage which were actually on the verge of collapsing despite their almost perfect chemistry onscreen.
Ball was more than just a clowning presence on television. She knew the meaning behind precise comic timing and storytelling, she was also an actress with ambitions. Opposite Arnaz, the Cuban musician who was the ultimate problem solver behind-the-scenes and solid entertainer on stage, they were the perfect Hollywood couple. However, this is also where Sorkin’s movie starts to quiver, there are simply too much distractions to provide a far more insight into their bittersweet relationship.
Clearly, Nicole Kidman is a fantastic actress but she seems kind of miscast as the legendary lively comedian. Spanish actor Javier Bardem on the whole is likeable and charismatic as the womanising Arnaz. The actors who played the Ricardos’ neighbours, J.K. Simmonds and Nina Arianda are brilliant for the most part. Performers aside, Sorkin’s presentation of how the television industry in the 1950s works is also an eye-opener.
To this reviewer, I Love Lucy was one of his favourite sitcoms when he was still a very young child as most people probably understood Ball’s comedic mannerisms without any fluent command of English. Even though Sorkin’s treatment of the material is more of a fictionalised account and less of a biopic, it’s still a nostalgic viewing experience catching Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz back on television in Technicolor.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Horror
Director: Camille Griffin
Cast: Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Roman Griffin Davis, Lily-Rose Depp, Sope Dirisu, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Lucy Punch, Rufus Jones, Trudie Styler
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: M18 (Mature Content and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 23 December 2021
Synopsis: From producers Matthew Vaughn (KINGSMAN franchise), Trudie Styler (MOON) and Celine Rattray (THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT), SILENT NIGHT follows parents Nell (Knightley) and Simon (Goode) who have invited their closest friends to join their family for Christmas dinner at their idyllic home in the English countryside. As the group comes together, it feels like old times – but behind all of the laughter and merriment, something is not quite right. The world outside is facing impending doom, and no amount of gifts, games or Prosecco can make mankind’s imminent destruction go away. Surviving the holidays just got a lot more complicated.
Movie Review:
‘Silent Night’ would seem like a cruel joke at this time when most of the world is still struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, but to be sure, writer-director Camille Griffin did not intend for her feature filmmaking debut to be such – though only released now in cinemas, production on the film started before the pandemic, so any uncanny resemblance to events present is entirely coincidental.
That said, there is little joy, whether when viewed within or outside the grips of a pandemic, that the apocalyptic holiday comedy offers; in fact, we’d even go as far as to say we’re not sure what audience Griffin had in mind when she wrote and directed this tedious black comedy, because we cannot quite fathom who would be tickled, entertained or snickering.
Very much intentionally so, the first act of ‘Silent Night’ unfolds like any other typical holiday comedy, with a group of old, coupled-up, private-school pals reuniting at a lovely English estate in the countryside for the holidays.
Nell (Keira Knightley) and Simon (Matthew Goode), together with their three children, are playing host; and taking turns to descend upon the country pad are the flirty Sandra (Annabelle Wallis) and her emasculated spouse Tony (Rufus Jones), lesbian couple Alex (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) and Bella (Lucy Punch), and an expectant couple James (Sopé Dìrísù) and his girlfriend Sophie (Lily Rose-Depp).
As such English reunions do, the occasion unearths long-buried feelings and hidden resentments amongst the bunch.
Sandra has always had the hots for James, and after a couple of drinks, gets more and more unreserved in professing her affections for him. On the other hand, Sandra’s spoiled teenage daughter Kitty (Davida MacKenzie) refuses to acknowledge her mother, while getting into loud, foul, verbal arguments with the host’s eldest son Art (Roman Griffin Davis). Nell, Sandta and Bella also take turns snooping on the private conversations between James and Sophie, as they have a couple of tense moments about the latter’s pregnancy and what to do about it.
Quite out of the blue, things take a sombre turn as we learn due to climate change that there is a toxic storm about to engulf the Earth which will bring a painful end to those exposed to it.
The only respite is in the form of an ‘Exit Pill’ which the British government has given to its citizens, which leads to a series of debates over the course of the rest of the night over choice versus fate (in particular, Sophie is adamant she would rather let nature take its course than willingly cause the death of her unborn child), social equality (Art gets all righteous about why the homeless and undocumented aliens do not receive the pill), and last-minute regrets.
It isn’t clear just how we are supposed to feel about these characters confronting the end of the world. On one hand, none of them are especially wicked or self-absorbed enough for us to cheer about his or her demise; on the other, none are affable enough for us to feel any sort of sympathy over his or her impending doom.
Despite being a character-driven ensemble, the film never develops its characters sufficiently for us to care about any of them, leaving us not only indifferent to their fates but also ultimately frustrated at how dull and dreary it gets. To be sure, the fault lies not with the cast, but rather the writing, which gives the talented assembly of British actors and actresses very little to work with.
So it is that ‘Silent Night’ never builds into anything consequential by the end of its seemingly concise but otherwise tedious one-and-a-half-hour runtime; instead, Griffin struggles to inject meaning or purpose into her enterprise, let alone deliver any sort of poignant commentary about the pointlessness of class and privilege in the face of certain death. It may have seemed a clever idea on paper to turn the night before Christmas from one of hope and anticipation to dread and despair, but the mix of post-apocalyptic drama and yuletide comedy never quite coalesces into the pitch-black satirical comedy which Griffin had probably intended.
There will be silence all right, just not the sort you’ll find any comfort or pleasure in partaking.
Movie Rating:
(Despite a talented British ensemble, this curious mix of post-apocalyptic drama and yuletide comedy never builds into anything compelling, and will ultimately leave you cold)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama
Director: Lina Roessler
Cast: Michael Caine, Aubrey Plaza, Scott Speedman, Ellen Wong, Cary Elwes, Luc Morissette, Veronica Ferres, Frank Schorpion, Florence Situ, Philip Le Maistre
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 30 December 2021
Synopsis: In a last ditch effort to save the boutique publishing house her father has left her, an ambitious young editor (Aubrey Plaza) goes on a book tour with the bitter, booze-addled author (Michael Caine) who put the publishing house on the map.
Movie Review:
At first, ‘Best Sellers’ gives you the impression that you’re in for a sharp comedy drama about the unlikely bond that forms between a cantankerous novelist and his fretful book publisher. Said novelist is the ageing Harris Shaw, played by the great Michael Caine, who lives in a tumbledown house in upstate New York; and said publisher is the young Lucy Stanbridge, played by Aubrey Plaza, who inherited the independent publishing house from her father and is now its editorial director.
Having printed one too many terrible YA novels, Lucy finds her company in dire financial straits. With everyone else ‘dead or unaffordable’, Lucy has no choice but to turn to an old contract which stipulates that her publishing firm is still contractually entitled to ask for a new book from Shaw, and despite her loyal assistant’s (Ellen Wong) advice against doing so, decides to pay the reclusive author a visit at his last known address before he dropped off the face of the world.
Whereas more literary minded filmmakers might have let Shaw and Lucy tussle it out through the creative process, director Lina Roessler and her screenwriter Anthony Grieco decide to fall back on a road trip to have both of them spar with each other. So after chasing Lucy and her assistant off his property, Shaw suddenly turns up unannounced at her company with an unpublished manuscript in his hands, which Lucy promptly draws down on her trust fund in order to pay for the printing of the book entitled ‘The Future is X-rated’.
By this point at the end of the first act, you’d already have figured out that ‘Best Sellers’ neither intends itself to be or demands much of its viewer; instead, it is simply content to coast on the unlikely chemistry between Caine and Plaza, both of whom do their best within their thinly written roles. Caine has good fun with the curmudgeonly role, not least in turning ‘bullshite’ into his character’s catchphrase; on the other hand, Plaza holds her own as Caine’s foil, taking swipe at his cranky nihilism and then exploiting it for the perverseness of social media.
Driving her irascible charge from venue to venue for their publicity tour, there is a certain rhythm to the second act of Shaw and Lucy’s that keeps the film bouncing along nicely. It is also to Caine and Plaza’s credit that they manage to turn what began as an abrasive relationship into a unexpected kinship not unlike a father-daughter or grandfather-granddaughter relationship, and you’ll especially enjoy the surprisingly sweet moments that the duo share, including when Shaw accepts Lucy’s honest criticism about his work and gives her the license to propose edits.
Despite some contrivances in the last act concerning certain revelations from their respective pasts, Caine and Plaza wrangle the cloying material into something that comes close to being truly poignant. In particular, both actors bring genuine emotion to the bittersweet ending where their characters help each other to find closure and continuity. It is schmaltz to a large extent no doubt, but less cynical audiences will find themselves sufficiently moved by this story that builds into a lesson about overcoming one’s fears of letting go and starting over.
So like we said, those looking for a sharp comedy drama in ‘Best Sellers’ will quite likely be disappointed by its lack of ambition in this regard; notwithstanding that, it is still an often amusing and gradually affecting two-hander anchored by Caine and Plaza. Indeed, it is especially amazing how Caine, at the age of 88, still gives his all to avoid Shaw from turning into a cliché; and while that may not be enough to make this a bestselling hit, it certainly rewards those who sit through it with heart, humour and some real bite.
Movie Rating:
(Some unlikely chemistry between Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza makes this formulaic but entertaining comedy drama a worthwhile watch that is akin to a light, sentimental page-turner)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: DON’T LOOK UP tells the story of two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Clocking at nearly two-and-a-half hours, the latest self-penned, directorial effort from Adam McKay is ultimately a bloated, missing-the-mark attempt at satire comedy. Even a quarter of Hollywood’s best talents liked Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence and Jonah Hill can’t save the original Netflix comedy.
The end of the world premise stars Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky, an astronomy graduate student who discovered that a comet the size of Mt Everest will hit earth within a span of six months. Together with her professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (DiCaprio), the duo presents their findings to the White House with the help of head of Planetary Defense, Dr. Oglethrope (Rob Morgan). But President Orlean (Streep) and her son, Chief of Staff, Jason (Hill) is not impressed and dismisses the threat straight out.
Oglethrope on the other hand is not giving things up and urges Dibiasky and Mindy to leak the news to the media hoping that someone will take the news seriously. When a tech billionaire, Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance) approaches Orlean with the intention of creating new jobs by mining valuable rare elements from the comet, the President hoping to improve her ratings and secure her second term readily accepts his offer not knowing that the consequences might be dire.
McKay continues its scattershot aim at current affairs beginning with housing, financial issues in The Big Shot to political events in Vice. And this time he is aiming for the sky. Literally. Instead of a razor-sharp, funny apocalyptic comedy, Don’t Look Up ends up trying too hard to be both provocative and entertaining at the same time. It’s like he is trying every second on screen to poke fun at things but none actually sticks on the wall. Boredom quickly comes to mind and that is a surprise from the man who brought you Anchorman and The Other Guys.
It’s pretty obvious that McKay is taking potshots at the incompetent Trump administration. The comparison is uncanny given that President Orlean is frequently disengaged from reality and science with nepotism comes to mind when her own son is part of the administration. An obvious wink at Ivana Trump. Still, Jonah Hill does a terrific job mimicking likely Trump Jr in this case. Even a five figure Birkin bag is thrown in as part of his gag.
Besides political, McKay indulges in some media mocking as well with Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry playing television hosts of The Daily Rip that never took the news of the comet as seriously as it should be. Tech gurus and billionaires are not spared either. You know those people that rather go to the Moon than saving mankind. The honor once again goes to Mark Rylance who plays yet another soft-spoken tech billionaire after Ready Player One.
You might be curious as to what in the end happen to Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence? To be fair, DiCaprio is decent playing the panic attack prone professor. His part is nothing too shining or impressive in this assembled comedy. Lawrence is serviceable as the hot headed Dibiasky and current Hollywood’s in-demand actor Timothee Chalamet appears in the last hour in a thankless role as Dibiasky’s love interest.
Don’t Look Up contains flashes of potential and laughs but it’s constantly outweighed by its ambitions. The only genuinely enjoyable part of this McKay comedy is the ridiculous mid-credits scene. Other than that, it’s a tremendous waste of a stellar cast.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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