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 So after chasing Lucy and her assistant off his property, Shaw suddenly turns up unannounced at her company with an unpublished manuscript in his hands, which Lucy promptly draws down on her trust fund in order to pay for the printing of the book entitled ‘The Future is X-rated’.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
Genre: Crime/Action
Director: Mak Ho Pong
Cast: Patrick Tam, Louis Cheung, Adam Pak, Justin Cheung, Ron Ng, Kenny Wong
Runtime: 1 hr 26 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 January 2022
Synopsis: Ho Chun (Ron Ng), a young entrepreneur, is sent to jail. By implementing his philosophy in the business world that money can solve any problems, Ho Chun offers Big Roller (Patrick Tam), Kin Tin (Adam Pak), Scar (Justin Cheung) and Ho Ching (Louis Cheung) a considerable amount of money for assisting him to breakout from jail. However, Big Roller and his gang reject the offer since they believe serving their sentences is the only right thing to do. It leaves Ho Chun with no choice but using other extreme methods to force Big Roller and his gang to commit.
Movie Review:
Breakout Brothers wasn’t a breakout hit by any measure, but it was enough of a modest success for producer Raymond Wong to quickly seize the initiative to bankroll a sequel. Indeed, those who had seen the Mak Ho-pong directed, Edmond Wong-scripted prison break movie will probably remember that the only memorable thing about it was the chemistry between Patrick Tam, Louis Cheung and Adam Pak, who played three unlikely friends behind bars that teamed up to plan their escape.
Just because the first film was that mediocre, Breakout Brothers 2 turns out to be better than its predecessor. In addition to reuniting the original cast of Tam, Cheung and Pak, the sequel throws in erstwhile TVB star Ron Ng, who plays the young and ruthless entrepreneur Ho Chun that coerces the original gang of breakout brothers to break him out of jail. Oh yes, despite successfully escaping the last time round, Tam’s triad leader Big Roller, Cheung’s petty criminal Ho-ching and Pak’s wrongfully accused Kin-tin have all landed back in prison again, under yet again the watchful eye of Chief Superintendent Tang (Kenny Wong).
After the obligatory voiceover establishing them as inmates once again, a surprisingly strong first act sets up Ho Chun as the principal antagonist – not only does he refuse to acknowledge Big Roller as ‘big brother’, Ho Chun tells the latter outright that he wants Big Roller to play by his rules, and gives him 48 hours to make his choice. Ditto the impulsive gangster Scar (Justin Cheung), whom Ho Chun likewise refuses to bow down to and instead pays off his lackeys to turn them against him. Playing against type, Ng convincingly pulls off the role of a detestable villain whom you spend the rest of the movie waiting for his due comeuppance.
Given the strong start, it is somewhat disappointing that the next two acts are conspicuously middling. Without giving much away (because there really isn’t much to give away), Kin-tin devises a plan involving a medical emergency, a blackout and some outside help. It isn’t particularly clever in any regard; in fact, it is incredulous just how lax security is, especially considering that the prison had toughened its systems following the previous breakout. The same can be said of the execution itself in the third act, which is over all too quickly after Ho Chun’s breakout buddies decide to turn on him in order not to end up (again) on the wrong side of the law.
Like the first movie therefore, Breakout Brothers 2 ends up being carried on the shoulders of its cast, who to their credit, bring much more to their respective roles than their thinly written parts deserve. Tam is as suave and charismatic as ever, while (Louis) Cheung delivers the wise-cracks with perfect comic timing. Pak has much less to do this time round, but (Justin) Cheung makes a good foil for Ng, both of whom engage in a fierce rivalry to be the alpha male of the prison. Wong is also solid in a supporting part, though the filmmakers seem to be saving his Warden Tang character for the next sequel teased at the end of this one.
Oh yes, Breakout Brothers 2 makes it known that the story will continue in yet another instalment; and this, like the ‘Storm’ series, marks producer Raymond Wong’s attempt at turning modest successes into established franchises. There is potential here, in large part stemming from the chemistry of its lead cast, and as much as we respect the imperative for continuity, we think it would serve the Breakout Brothers better if both the scripting and directing were handed over to someone else. As it is, this sequel is only marginally better than its middling predecessor, so keep your expectations in check and you might just escape being disappointed.
Movie Rating:
(Erstwhile TVB star Ron Ng makes an exciting addition to the cast, and has good chemistry with the lead quartet of Patrick Tam, Louis Cheung, Adam Pak and Justin Cheung, but this flimsily plotted prison drama is only marginally better than its middling predecessor)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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BOOK REVIEW #43: WILL BY WILL SMITHPosted on 27 Dec 2021 |
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Simon Kinberg
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Bingbing Fan, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, Édgar Ramirez, Sebastian Stan
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 January 2022
Synopsis: From genre-defying blockbuster filmmaker SIMON KINBERG comes THE 355 – a fast-paced globe-trotting espionage thriller that brings together a dream team of formidable female stars. When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Oscar®-nominated actress JESSICA CHASTAIN) will need to join forces with rival badass German agent Marie (DIANE KRUGER, In the Fade), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Oscar® winner LUPITA NYONG’O), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Oscar® winner PENÉLOPE CRUZ) on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also staying one-step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (BINGBING FAN, X-Men: Days of Future Past), who is tracking their every move. As the action rockets around the globe from the cafes of Paris to the markets of Morocco to the opulent auction houses of Shanghai, the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could protect the world—or get them killed.
Movie Review:
Enlisting the help of Simon Kinberg, the writer behind numerous X-Men movies and helmer of the disastrous Dark Phoenix, Oscar nominated Jessica Chastain produced and led this female-centric spy action thriller which also doubled up as a star-studded blockbuster in a quiet January.
Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o and Fan Bingbing joins Chastain in this globe-trotting actioner which often passes off mediocrity as excitement. The movie opened with a Columbian drug lord being double-crossed by a criminal mastermind, Elijah Clark (Jason Flemyng). But amid a shootout, a valuable decryption drive is taken away by a DNI agent, Luis (Edgar Ramirez). CIA agents Mace (Chastain) and Nick Fowler (Sebastian Stan) is assigned to break a deal with Luis in France. But the deal is interrupted by a German BND agent Marie (Kruger) who is also after the hard drive.
Shortly after, a DNI psychologist with no field experience Graciela (Cruz) turned up at the door of Luis while Mace attempts to seek the help of ex-MI6 agent Khadijah (Nyong’o). On the other hand, Fan turns up late for the party, around an hour into the movie as an undercover MSS agent, Lin Mi Sheng. In short, these ladies must join forces to take back the hard drive before it falls into the hands of Clark and his ruthless henchmen.
Kinberg on his part clearly wanted this to be a double-crossing, triple-crossing spy thriller in the grand tradition way. A good old guessing game that keeps the viewers invested throughout. Unfortunately, Kinberg and his co-writer apparently lacks the literary skills to do so. Thus instead of churning out a smart, intriguing flick, the plot resorts to switching the location from France to Morocco and to Shanghai, throws in a couple of action scenes and stuff it with exhausting narrative to keep the movie alive.
The biggest fault or dead giveaway lies in the casting of Sebastian Stan. Spoilers ahead so be warned. The ambiguity of the character is pretty much obvious the moment he turned up on screen. The entire affair starts with the romantic/working relationship between Mace and Nick. However, Nick is supposedly gunned down by Clark shortly after. And when you cast a reasonably big name liked Stan and have him dead before the first act concludes, you know there is something sinister brewing. The excitement and anticipation is instantly killed off as this is essentially the movie’s weakest plot point.
Despite Kinberg’s best attempt at dressing up The 355 as a race against time action thriller, the movie suffers from a lack of memorable action choreography as well. Watching Mace and Marie throwing each other on the floor and despatching countless henchmen, villains that gets in their way turned out to be more tiring for the viewers than the stars themselves. Even the final confrontation lacks the dynamics and hair-raising stuntwork to make it work.
To be fair, Jessica Chastain indeed puts in lots of effort into her role as Mace. The same goes to Diane Kruger who completely rocks the movie in her relentless action moves. Lupita Nyong’o is OK as the movie’s resident IT personnel and Penelope Cruz and Fan Bingbing are mostly wasted in their respective roles. At the minimum, we hope their combined star power can help to sell some tickets. The biggest fault lies in Kinberg and his ultra-generic script and unimaginative direction. On hindsight, he should just stay on as a producer and leave everything else to more capable hands. Given the lacklustre scripting, we doubt there is a sequel happening even the ending promises more espionage from the girls.
Movie Rating:
(Girl power is letdown by generic scripting and action choreography)
Review by Linus Tee
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JEAN-MARC VALLEE (1963 - 2021)Posted on 29 Dec 2021 |
SYNOPSIS: From Bruce Lee to Shaw Brothers to Jackie Chan, Hong Kong cinema became world-famous for action films packed with martial arts fight scenes and death-defying stunts. These films were made possible by a very special group of Hong Kong film industry workers: Kungfu Stuntmen. Directed by film scholar Wei Junzi, the documentary Kungfu Stuntmen tells the story of Hong Kong's stunt actors over six decades. During the heyday of Hong Kong action and kung fu films, many stuntmen were needed on set to perform stunts and play small roles. Some would go on to become well-known actors and action choreographers, but most spend their entire careers as stuntmen whose names are unknown to audiences. As a love letter to Hong Kong action, Kungfu Stuntmen features interviews with legends of the field, including Sammo Hung, Yuen Woo Ping, Donnie Yen, Ching Siu Tung, Stephen Tung, Yuen Wah, Yuen Tak, Yuen Miu, Chin Kar Lok, Chin Siu Ho and Hung Yan Yan, as well as directors Tsui Hark, Andrew Lau, Ng See Yuen and Eric Tsang.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Unless you have been living under a rock, back in the 80’s and early 90’s, Hong Kong action cinema were at its peak with stars liked Bruce Lee, Sammo Hung and Jackie Chan paving the way to international stardom. China filmmaker Wei Junzi and producer Chin Ka Lok’s documentary, Kung Fu Stuntmen takes viewers down memory lane where the gutsy, real-life super heroes kick asses on the silver screen.
With a few exceptions who make it big, there are plenty who risked their lives behind-the-scenes for a few seconds of screentime. This group of unknown daredevils were simply known as stuntmen or in mandarin, 龙虎æ¦å¸ˆ. Similar to Sammo and Jackie, most were lowly educated folks who graduated from Peking opera troupes and simply out to make a living, earning a minimum wage at Shaw Brothers Studio which famously churned out thousands of martial arts flicks.
Besides familiar faces liked Sammo, Donnie Yen, Yuen Woo Ping and director Tsui Hark, Kung Fu Stuntmen also admirably features interviews with lesser known names liked Yuen Wu, once a member of Sammo Hung’s stuntman team who vividly described a seemingly easy fall out of a window which resulted him being unconscious in the end.
Action star Yuen Wah also discusses about working with the legendary Bruce Lee. Other brief interviewees include director Tony Ching, stunt choreographer Nicky Li, Jackie’s regular stand-in Mars, action choreographers Stephen Tung, Leung Siu Hang and Ku Huen Chiu. At least it’s not just a scrolling credited name this time. On the downside, Jackie Chan and Jet Li are both missing here for undisclosed reasons.
Chin Ka Lok who started out as an stuntman recalls an explosion went wrong in Eastern Condors and a heart-pounding massive stunt which involved at least seven stuntman for the finale of Heart of Dragon. However since this is an era where BTS footages are few and rare, there isn’t lots of shots which showcases the preparation that goes behind the execution of the numerous breath-taking stunts. A pity perhaps but given that safety works are kept to the minimum due to time constraints and budget, it’s more of a dare and you get paid kind of scenario.
Indeed, there are mentions of life-threatening injuries and stuntmen who spent whatever money they have on vices liked booze and gambling but the documentary fails to delve deep into these issues. Rather, the last part of the documentary concentrates on how the Hong Kong Stuntman Association (led by Chin) is trying to draw new blood to the declining local film industry. Obviously in the last couple of years, China has taken over Hong Kong as the output for Chinese titles. With bigger advancement in technology and budget, existing talents liked Tsui and Yuen has moved to China to support their productions. What exactly is in stall for the declining Hong Kong film industry? Or specifically, is Hong Kong action cinema on its way to extinction?
We can’t exactly tell you what is the road ahead not even Kung Fu Stuntmen can. Still, the documentary is a loving tribute to the undying spirit of the stuntmen industry. People who puts in blood and sweat, guts and balls without wire and minimum padding at times. Those who grew up watching Hong Kong action cinema will love this unique piece of work to no end.
Like they say, Stuntmen never say no!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
Servicable visual and audio track of Dolby Digial 5.1.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Romance/Comedy/Drama
Director: Peter Hutchings
Cast: Lucy Hale, Austin Stowell
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: NC16 (Sexual Scene and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website:
Opening Day: 6 January 2022
Synopsis: Based on the Bestselling Novel by Sally Thorne. Resolving to achieve professional success without compromising her ethics, Lucy (Lucy Hale) embarks on a ruthless game of one-upmanship against cold and efficient nemesis Joshua (Austin Stowell), a rivalry that is complicated by her growing attraction to him.
Movie Review:
We had not heard or read of Sally Thorne’s bestselling novel of the same name before this, so pardon us for judging the movie on its own, without say a comparison of how faithful an adaptation it was of the 2016 book. That said, we’ll tell you right away that ‘The Hating Game’ is one of the funniest, sexist and definitely most enjoyable romantic comedies we’ve seen in a while, and that you definitely don’t have to have read the book to adore this classic enemies-to-lovers love story.
The couple in question is Lucy Hutton (Lucy Hale) and Joshua Templeman (Austin Stowell), respective assistants to the co-CEOs of the newly formed B&G Publishing formed from the merger of two very different publishing houses. Whereas Lucy’s company specialized in acclaimed literary fiction, Joshua’s firm was happily printing ghostwritten autobiographies by brain-dead former sporting celebrities. Given the circumstances by which they had met, it is no surprise that they have disliked each other since becoming co-workers.
Their animosity though also stems from their opposing personalities. While Lucy is warm, people-oriented and genuinely believes in the power of literature, Joshua is cold, exacting and regards the worth of the publications through the sales they generate. Seated opposite each other, the two spend much of the work day judging the other (she scoffs at how he wears the exact same coloured shirts in rotation to work every week; he calls her ‘Shortcake’ given how her parents are in strawberry farming) as well as the tidiness of their respective work desks, while occasionally engaging in public spats about grammar in front of other co-workers.
That the story unfolds through Lucy’s perspective should give you a hint that some of these preconceptions about Joshua will eventually be debunked, especially as she starts to learn more about him. It should also come as no surprise, going by her opening narration, that they will fall in love, given how Lucy reflects right at the start about how the weird ways in which hating someone can feel like falling for them. When their bosses reveal at a corporate meeting right before Thanksgiving that both of them would be pitted against each other for the newly created position of managing director, Lucy and Josh’s rivalry are suddenly taken to the next level.
Or so we are led to think – in truth, their relationship gets complicated before the end of the first act when Lucy has a wet dream of Joshua and they engage in a steamy kiss in the office elevator while on the way to their supposed dates at the same bar. While it is clear Lucy has the hots for Joshua, she – as well as us – are kept guessing whether Joshua indeed feels the same way about her, or is merely putting up a convincing show so that she would let down her guard and let him beat her at the race to be the boss of the other.
To screenwriter Christina Mengert’s credit, the barbs fly fast and furious between our two leads when they are fighting, even as their expressions of love are never less than heartfelt and sweet. In turn, Hale and Stowell deliver the lines with aplomb, such that their exchanges are consistently sharp and engaging. That Lucy and Joshua turn out this endearing is thanks to the great chemistry between the actors; not only is their comedic timing excellent, they also bring physical appeal and honest affection to their roles, such that you’ll instantly root for their budding relationship.
So even though their rivals-to-lovers story is somewhat familiar, ‘The Hating Game’ will leave you smiling from ear to ear with its winning combination of wit, humour and heart; in particular, you’ll feel yourself sympathizing with Joshua more than you’d expect, not least because he is so much more than the jerk that Lucy had made him out to be at the start. It is no secret that rom-coms ultimately succeed or fail on the shoulders of their leading couple, and this formulaic but utterly endearing entry triumphs with the absolutely charming pair of Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell. Like we said at the start, it is one of the most enjoyable rom-coms we’ve seen in a while, and we trust you’ll love it the same way.
Movie Rating:
(Witty, humourous and full of heart, this enemies-turned-lovers rom-com is one of the best we've seen in a while)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: Jackie Justice (Halle Berry) is a mixed martial arts fighter who leaves the sport in disgrace. Down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret years after her last fight, she’s coaxed into a brutal underground fight by her manager and boyfriend Desi (Adan Canto) and grabs the attention of a fight league promoter (Shamier Anderson) who promises Jackie a life back in the octagon. But the road to redemption becomes unexpectedly personal when Manny (Danny Boyd, Jr.) — the son she gave up as an infant — shows up at her doorstep.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Halle Berry’s character might looked horribly bruised onscreen but the 56 year old Oscar winning actress is definitely commendable behind the camera in her directorial debut.
In Bruised, Jackie Justice (Berry) is a has-been UFC fighter after losing a match years ago. Now she is an alcoholic living with her abusive boyfriend/manager, Desi (Adan Canto) and earning a minimum wage as a cleaner. Just when her life can’t get any worse, a son named Manny (Danny Boyd Jr) whom she abandoned years ago has returned. When a promoter of an all-female MMA league sees the potential in her and plans to introduce her to a trainer, Buddhakan (Shelia Atim), Jackie decides to pick up her life again. It’s a case of now or never for Jackie Justice.
Sports movies are generally formulaic. If you watched one, you probably know how the rest of the movies flow. Writer Michelle Rosenfarb’s first credited full-length screenplay unfortunately is predictable and throws in more ingredients than it ought to be resulting in a pretty bloated runtime in the end. Besides searching for redemption, Jackie is also struggling with a haunted past that involved her estranged mom, Angel (Adriane Lenox), her reconnection with her long-lost son who refuses to talk after witnessing the death of his father and given her age, the burden of getting back in shape for the ring.
Right down to the closing scene, there isn’t much surprises in store. However if you put all those movie clichés aside, there’s never a moment on screen where Halle Berry the actress doesn’t catch your attention. Berry’s strong performance as a broken woman will leave you speechless. There’s not a single hint of Berry the actress, what we sees is a down-and-out ex-fighter with a bleak future ahead of her. Most of the time, she is bloody and hurt so badly that you can’t even recognize her face. Even her body and figure is in such bad shape. Beside physical transformation, Berry proves her award-winning performance in Monster’s Ball wasn’t a mere coincidence.
Bruised is very much a sports drama that gets the job done because Berry brings a lot of soul and effort in her storytelling and portrayal of Jackie Justice. There’s even a LGBT representation in the already crowded drama where Shelia Atim is excellent as Jackie’s zen-practicing trainer but clumsy as the movie’s unnecessary, distracting love interest. Again, there’s a lot to take in as mentioned earlier. Still, Berry delivers a gripping, knockout match opposite a top Argentinian opponent played by real-life UFC Ukranian fighter Valentina Shevchenko in the final act. Frankly, it’s more about the journey and process for a drama liked Bruised. It’s not going to win a lot of fans or garnered any awards but it’s sufficient enough to pack quite a punch of its own.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Fantasy/Drama
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn
Runtime: 2 hrs 30 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Nudity and Violence)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 January 2022
Synopsis: In NIGHTMARE ALLEY, an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.
Movie Review:
The greatest showman, this is not.
While Guillermo del Toro’s latest film and the family friendly musical drama featuring a singing Hugh Jackman both showcase “freak” performers, the award winning director’s film adaptation of the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham does not have the bright colours and radio friendly hits. The neo noir psychological thriller film is a slow burning drama exploring the dark and shadowy world of scheming hustlers, and you can be sure there aren’t any inspiring musical numbers and happy endings.
The star studded 150 minute film opens in 1939, where we see Bradley Cooper’s Stanton “Stan” Carlisle coming to terms with an act that will haunt him forever. He finds his way to a carnival, where he witnesses a man who have sunk to the level of performing as a freak (he devours live chickens!). Soon, he finds a job and befriends other characters like a mind reader and her alcoholic husband (the ever perfect Toni Collette and ever reliable David Strathairn), a woman whose body can conduct electricity (the underrated Rooney Mara) and a strong man (Ron Perlman putting his grunts to good use). Hovering over these personalities is Clem, the scowling owner of the carnival that is portrayed effortlessly by Willem Dafoe.
After a series of events, Stan leaves the carnival with Molly, the human conductor he had fallen in love with. It is 1941, and we find ourselves in a classy New York nightclub where the disgustingly rich upper class watch Stan and Molly perform psychic acts. Enter a scarily cold psychologist Dr Lilith Ritter (this role belongs to no one except Cate Blanchett) and an unscrupulous but wealthy industrialist (Richard Jenkins in a chilling role), and the story takes another turn to involve con jobs and terrible pasts.
Fans of Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and The Shape of Water (2017) would be pleased to know that this movie showcases del Toro’s ability to bring beauty to something which is grotesque. There is poetry in the scenes, despite the ugliness (both literally and figuratively) the characters and situations. Can we agree with the cruelty displayed by Dafoe’s Clem, given that he is providing employment to the freaks? Is Cooper’s Stan someone we can empathise with, considering all the con jobs he has pulled off? Do we feel sympathise with Blanchett’s Dr Lilith and her manipulative ways, after knowing that she is a victim of circumstances? Despite the film’s long runtime, you are engaged throughout as the story uncovers more and more layers about the characters and their motivations.
The film is also a perfect opportunity for del Toro and his team to bring to screen some of the most visually luscious movie sets we’ve seen. The first half of the film shows the earnest underbellies of the perpetually muddy carnival, while the second half contrasts it with the hypocritical glitz and glamour of the upper class. Then there are the final sequences where we are transported to the distressingly cold streets where doom and gloom are loitering around the corner. Coupled with the ensemble cast’s commendable performances, the cinematography and production values luminates this film.
Movie Rating:
(Impressive performances and luscious production values make this grim thriller a worthy watch)
Review by John Li
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