Genre: CG Animation
Director: Laurent Zeitoun and Theodore Ty
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Kenneth Branagh, William Shatner, Laurie Holden, Wilex Ly, Ryan W. Garcia, Mara Junot, Scott Humphrey
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 10 March 2022
Synopsis: Ever since she was a child, Georgia Nolan (Olivia Cooke) has had only one dream: to become a fireman, like her father once was. Unfortunately, in New York City in 1932, women are not allowed to practice this profession. When the city's firemen disappear one by one in mysterious fires that burn down the Broadway Theatres to the ground, Georgia sees a golden opportunity. She disguises herself as "Joe", an awkward young man, and joins the team of improvised firemen in charge of stopping the arsonist. Georgia must preserve her false identity at all costs, especially since her father will be in charge of this high-risk investigation.
Movie Review:
L’Atelier Animation, the French-Canadian outfit which brought you Ballerina in 2016 is back with yet another female-centric animation titled Fireheart.
Georgia Nolan (Olivia Cooke) is a gutsy sixteen-year-old who dreams of following the footsteps of her once NYFD firefighter father, Shawn (Kenneth Branagh) and becomes the world’s first ever woman-fire fighter. But times were kind of different back in 1930’s New York and thus Georgia has to learn to be in the tailor business liked her now firefighter-turned-tailor father.
But when a mysterious arsonist starts burning down Broadway theatres and with firefighters going missing, Shawn is persuaded by the Mayor to return to the NYFD. Upon learning about it, Georgia decides to disguise herself as a man named Joe and join a bunch of equally fumbling young firefighters to fight alongside Shawn against the arsonist.
Unlike Paw Patrol: The Movie which boasts talking puppies, employing high tech weaponry and vehicles to save lives, Fireheart stays relatively “grounded” or in this case, old-school is more politically-correct to describe it. In fact when you mentioned old-school, it even plays like an extended episode of Scooby-Doo, Where are you? where a supernatural villain is actually a human in disguise.
Since the subject of female empowerment is discussed actively in recent times, Fireheart touches on everything from sexism to adoption with most of it centering on Georgia’s unhappiness with society and her father’s unwillingness to accept woman as part of firefighting. Predictability, the father-and-daughter bond and acceptance of each other goes up to another level as the story proceeds. No spoilers we promised.
Despite the number of heavy themes involved, the animation is more concerned with comedy and funny gags which makes things easier to swallow for the kids for example, Georgia’s creative means of creating her moustache to the antics of her fellow firefighters, Jin who frequently suffers from fainting spells and Ricardo who always chicken out at the wrong time. There’s also plenty of hair-raising chases around vintage New York city, an intense mysterious villain lurking around and Georgia’s cute dog tagging along so no worries if the young boys are going to get bored over this female-centric animation.
The animation on the whole is colourful and delightful though lacking the intricate details seen in an average Pixar or Disney production. Still, L’Atelier Animation did more than a decent job creating the entire 1930’s aesthetic of vintage New York. Definitely love that vintage fire engine. Even with the animation suffering from a weak, undefined villainous character (reminds one of Zootopia), Olivia Cooke and Kenneth Branagh provide solid voice-acting throughout. Though familiar, Fireheart is more than engaging from start to finish.
Movie Rating:
(Both charming and unoffensive, Fireheart had a burning ambition to tell the girls not to give up on their dreams!)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González, Garret Dillahunt, Keir O'Donnell, Jackson White, Olivia Stambouliah, Moses Ingram, Colin Woodell, Cedric Sanders, A Martinez, Devan Chandler Long
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 March 2022
Synopsis: Over one day across the streets of L.A., three lives will change forever. In this breakneck thriller from director - producer Michael Bay, decorated veteran Will Sharp (Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Candyman, The Matrix Resurrections), desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from the one person he knows he shouldn’t — his adoptive brother Danny (Oscar ® nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, Zodiac, Spider-Man: Far From Home). A charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. With his wife’s survival on the line, Will can’t say no. But when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop clinging to life and ace EMT Cam Thompson (Eiza González, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Baby Driver ) onboard. In a high - speed pursuit that never stops, Will and Danny must evade a massive, city-wide law enforcement response, keep their hostages alive, and som ehow try not to kill each other, all while executing the most insane escape L.A. has ever seen.
Movie Review:
You would be familiar by now of the trademarks of a Michael Bay film, including the lens flares, Dutch angles and rapid cutting. And indeed, right from its pre-credits sequence depicting how close Danny and his adopted brother Will were as kids, these signature elements are on full display. Make no mistake therefore, ‘Ambulance’ is undisputedly a Michael Bay film, and while that often means both for better and for worse, we’d like to think in this case it is ultimately for the better.
Adapted from a 2005 Danish film of the same name, Bay and screenwriter Chris Ferak retain the high-concept premise of a pair of bank robbers who hijack an ambulance after their heist goes awry, but shifts the setting to downtown Los Angeles for good measure. Not since the classic 1994 chase movie ‘Speed’ have we seen LA used in such similar fashion, and sure enough, Bay channels the grittiness of LA to good measure, be it the city streets, freeway corridors, concrete water channel (otherwise known as the LA River) and even residential neighbourhoods, so much so that we dare say LA is a character in and of itself within the movie.
Though clocking in at over two hours, the pace is fast, frenetic, and sometimes even exhausting from start to finish. Unfolding wholly over the course of a single day, it wastes no time setting up the key leads. Danny (Yahya Abdul-Mateen) is now a decorated veteran, but struggles to get the money his wife needs for her surgery. Will (Jake Gyllenhaal) has followed in his father’s shoes and become a career criminal, and is now about to execute the biggest heist in LA history. And then there is Cam (Eiza Gonzalez), a no-nonsense paramedic whose professionalism on the job has turned her apathetic to the people she is saving.
When he turns to Will as a last resort, Danny gets pulled into the score Will has been planning. Yet what was meant to be a straightforward robbery goes downhill when rookie cop Zach (Jackson White) shows up at the front door to try to ask a bank teller he has had a crush on for her number. Bay goes ballistic on the subsequent melee, with intense firefights, vehicular crashes and brutal fisticuffs as the robbers contend with not just your regular LAPD officers but also an elite squad within the LAPD known as the Secret Intelligent Services (SIS). Long shoot-out short, Danny and Will find themselves fleeing in a Falck ambulance, with Cam and a wounded Zach in the back.
What follows is a cat-and-mouse game between Danny/ Will and Captain Tyler Monroe (Garret Dillahunt) of the SIS, with FBI Special Agent Anson Clark (Keir O’ Donnell) joining the latter later on to add some brains to the brawn. Among the memorable episodes are a life-saving operation that Cam performs on Zach at the back of the moving ambulance, a miscalculated SWAT ambush, a thrilling chase along the LA River, and an elaborate misdirection with lethal consequences. Say what you will about Bay, but the action here is top-notch.
Even though he doesn’t always succeed, Ferak deserves credit for the character work amidst the Bayhem. Whilst Danny is torn between doing the right thing and loyalty to his brother, Will has to decide whether to still trust Danny or do what may be brutally necessary. The push-pull between them gives the film a strong emotional anchor, thanks to Abdul-Mateen and Gyllenhaal injecting real stakes into their respective characters. Cam’s presence often sharpens the dilemma both brothers face, and Gonzalez shrewdly calibrates her supporting act to complement the performances of her two male co-stars.
As impressive as the writing and acting may be, the draw of ‘Ambulance’ is undoubtedly still the propulsive action that a Michael Bay film promises, and like we said earlier, Bay doesn’t disappoint in that regard. The trademarks are still there, but the material sees Bay operating at probably his most grounded and restrained in recent time, dispensing with the cringe-worthy humour of ‘Transformers’ and even the stylistic excesses of say ‘6 Underground’. It is ultimately a throwback to the sort of straightforward action films of the 80s and 90s, and utterly enjoyable if all you are looking for is an adrenaline rush.
Movie Rating:
(Two hours of sheer propulsive action, done in trademark Michael Bay style)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: A time-traveling pilot teams up with his younger self and his late father to come to terms with his past while saving the future.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Finally, there is a likeable version of Ryan Reynolds onscreen, still wise-cracking but definitely more tolerable than his appearances in Red Notice and Hitman’s Wife Bodyguard. Maybe there’s something to do with his Free Guy’s collaborator, Shawn Levy. After their surprise hit, Reynolds and Levy are back working together in this time-travel comedy from Netflix and Skydance. If you are rushing for time, The Adam Project in short is an updated time-travelling tale yet a heartfelt throwback to family-friendly adventure classic, Back to the Future.
12-year-old Adam Reed (Walker Scobell) is an ordinary snarky teenager who lost his father a year ago, has a loving mother, Ellie (Jennifer Garner) and about to meet his future self, a 40-year-old time pilot (Ryan Reynolds) that has mistakenly crash-landed at his backyard. Forced to enlist the help of his younger self, Reed must travel back to 2018 to destroy time-travel technology before his father’s colleague, evil techpreneur Maya Sorian (Catherine Keener) abused the tech and take control over the world. De-aging seems to be the trend with movies nowadays that you have an awkward de-aged version of Keener.
For a movie that runs less than two hours, The Adam Project manages to squeeze in comedy, sci-fi action and family drama into one package without feeling bloated nor unsatisfactory. Maybe Levy is such an old hand in directing wholesome family-friendly comedies that you wouldn’t mind the loopholes in this movie are more visible than wormhole. Despite the potentially promised of a high-concept sci-fi piece, it never rises above the average level of disposable popcorn cinema.
Still, The Adam Project entertains with its Star Wars-inspired action sequences and warms the heart. There’s an army of storm troopers-like soldiers, gigantic spaceships with Adam equipped with a lightsaber weaponry, I mean there’s simply no lack of fun and good old homage. Even Zoe Saldana pops in as Adam’s wife and manages to kick some ass before disappearing altogether until the end. Another Marvel alumni Mark Ruffalo plays Adam’s father, the smart physicist who invented time travel and contributes a few tender also funny moments in the last act. And cue in a Led Zeppelin classic tune as well.
The Adam Project is similar to what Amblin Entertainment used to make in its heydays. Spectacular effects and a tugging father-and-son relationship. Oddly enough, it reminds one of Real Steel, the robot-fighting sci-fi actioner starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Levy. It’s all slick and largely compelling from start to finish.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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WILLIAM HURT (1950 - 2022)Posted on 14 Mar 2022 |
SYNOPSIS: Disney and Pixar’s “Turning Red” introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she “poofs” into a giant red panda!
MOVIE REVIEW:
Helming a Pixar project and finally being credited for it is akin to striking the lottery consider that many animators and their projects are either abruptly aborted by the studio after an official announcement, replaced by other filmmakers during the production process or underwent a major makeover.
In comes Domee Shi, the Pixar-storyboard artist behind the Best Animated Short Film, Bao. Under the tutelage of her mentor Pete Docter (Soul, Up), Shi’s first full-length animated feature is finally on streaming and we can tell you it’s yet another enjoyable, daring piece of animation worthy of the Pixar banner.
Written by Julia Cho, Sarah Streicher and Shi, Turning Red is both a fantasy with Chinese influences and also a coming-of-age drama peppered with lots of jokes and gags. Instead of a Princess with magical ice powers or excellent archery skills, we have “Mei” (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old over-achiever from a Toronto junior high school who hopes to attend a concert by pop group, 4 Town (a giddy combination of Backstreet Boys and BTS) with her group of equally wide-eyed besties.
But Mei is no ordinary teenager. Her mother runs their ancestry temple which honours the deity Sun Yee whose power allows her to be turned into a giant red panda in order to protect her children and village during war times. The blessing however has sort of turned into a curse as every female descendants of Sun Yee will turn into a furry red panda whenever they experience any strong emotion. And Mei is no exception.
In order to “cure” Mei of the transformation, a ritual is set by her mother, Ming (Sandra Oh) on the 25th of May which is also the day of 4 Town concert. Will Mei be able to attend the concert which she has looking forward to or risk being a red panda forever?
Without being crude and too “in-your-face”, Turning Red delves hard into issues of teenage puberty. Menstruation is touched on. Exploding emotions and BGR matters are discussed. An overbearing mother and grandmother are also involved in Mei’s life. Most of the relatable teenage issues are delivered through funny and outlandish gags making the otherwise awkward situations easier to swallow.
While Luca centers mainly on Italian cultures, Shi creatively infuses Asian influences and traditions into Turning Red even though we can assure you there’s no Sun Yee/Red Panda deity in any Chinese temples. And do check out composer Ludwig Goransson’s (The Mandalorian) track, Red Moon Ritual which fits perfectly into the movie or any Asian supernatural ones. There are so much Chinese-Western influences and perspectives that you probably need another round of viewing to take in all the witty fun.
Beneath all the loud rambunctious antics is an animation about adolescence, identity and family relationship. Some hardcore Pixar fans might find this a sell-out or mainly an average animation flick to appeal to teenagers. While definitely not on the level of more adult-oriented fares like Soul and Inside Out, Turning Red is an adoring visually-rich animation that proves Domee Shi is the next animator and filmmaker to watch out for.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Edward John Drake
Cast: Bruce Willis, Neal McDonough, Corey Large, Alexia Fast, Lochlyn Munro, Nels Lennarson, Megan Peta Hill, Trevor Gretzky
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 March 2022
Synopsis: Five elite Hunters pay to hunt a human on a deserted island. But each Hunter begins to fall as the Prey fights back with mind-games, traps, and a determination to survive they have never witnessed before. Serving a life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit, ex-cop James Malone (Bruce Willis) is offered a chance at freedom if he can survive a deadly game of APEX.
Movie Review:
Collaborating again with Edward Drake and Corey William Large after the critically-panned Cosmic Sin (2021) and Anti-Life (2020), Bruce Willis continues to smear his own A-list celebrity movie star status to star in yet another laughable, low-budget sci-fi flick called Apex.
In the not too distant future, rich American citizens are offered a chance to hunt human prey on a remote island named Apex Island. Among them are pharma billionaire Dr. Rainsford (Neil McDonough from Minority Report and Captain America) and a group of forgettable hunters.
Their target happened to be ex-cop, ex-military Thomas Malone (Willis) who is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Promised by game master, West (Alexia Fast), Malone is now given the chance to be a free man and unite with his grandkids if he can walk out of the hunt alive.
Apex is ultimately a poor man’s version of The Hunger Games (2012) and The Hunt (2020) despite Drake’s best attempt in plagiarism. It’s littered with abrupt editing, atrocious dialogue and horrible acting that you can forget about all the subtext about politics and violence.
Although Thomas Malone is touted as a man perhaps more resourceful and highly trained than John McClane, we never actually see the man in action as ridiculous as it sounds. Malone is shown most of the time casually strolling in the forest, hiding behind bushes and trees, eavesdropping on his enemies. Willis is not even in the movie much relying most of his scenes on a younger stand-in and some shaky off-camera action. He even took a break smoking a cigar and getting high on wild berries. Maybe it’s just one of the many clauses stipulated in his contract.
Neil McDonough on the other hand tries at least to put in some effort into this psychotic villainous role, a character that loves to collect human heads a la The Governor in The Walking Dead. But end of day, he is letdown by Drake’s wobbly script which fails to establish Dr. Rainsford as a worthy antagonist except for the fact that he is a cold-blooded killer with intense eye contact.
With perhaps 90% of the budget allocated to Willis’ paycheck, the screentime is peppered with the cast of unknown hunters spouting crap and tediously turning on each other with no specific reasons, motives whatsoever. These people are simply planted here to prolong the runtime, slowly building up the flick to the final confrontation between Malone and Rainsford which by the way is as flat as the hologram rendered in the movie.
In many ways especially in terms of execution and budget, Apex fared much worse as compared to those original streaming movies. It’s so bad that it’s not even worth fitting into the bargain bin. And to think it stars Bruce Willis.
Movie Rating:
(Willis is definitely not at the apex of his career)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Thriller
Director: Vicente Amorim
Cast: Masumi, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Eijiro Ozaki, Kenny Leu, Toshiji Takeshima
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Nudity)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 March 2022
Synopsis: Akemi (MASUMI) grew up in Brazil. When she turns 21 she finds out that she is the heiress to half of a Yakuza empire in Japan, that she has a taste for blood and that the man who’s been protecting her has been actually sent to kill her.
Movie Review:
There is plenty of promise in ‘Yakuza Princess’, an adaptation of the graphic novel by Danilo Beyruth about a young woman Akemi (singer-songwriter Masumi) who discovers on her 21st birthday that she is heir to what was once the most feared Yakuza crime syndicate in Osaka and has to contend with the consequences of her lineage. Sadly, much of that promise remains unfulfilled by the end of a meandering narrative that tries to be a gangland melodrama, neo-noir thriller and spaghetti Western all at once, without succeeding at being any despite its stylistic accomplishments.
Following a prologue explaining what had happened to Akemi’s family when she was just a one-year-old girl, the setting shifts to Sao Paulo’s Liberdade neighborhood, home to the world’s largest ethnic Japanese population outside of Japan. It is there that Akemi had been raised as a kid, and in between trainings with her instructor Chiba (Toshiji Takeshima), is now working a dead-end job at a souvenir gift shop. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she runs into a nameless White American male (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), who cannot quite recall his past but remembers that he was in possession of a legendary sword.
Their paths intersect with that of Takeshi (Tsuyoshi Ihara), a ruthless gang boss who learns a secret and heads to Brazil ostensibly to track down Akemi. Though beginning as three separate storylines, they converge by the end of the first act; in particular, the first time they do at Akemi’s apartment complex brings a thrilling fight and chase sequence that the rest of the movie will find difficult to match. Akemi and the amnesiac forge an uneasy alliance against Takeshi as they set out to find out the truth behind her heritage and his identity respectively.
As exciting as that may sound, Brazilian director Vicente Amorim cannot quite sustain much suspense or intrigue in the narrative. A yakuza retirement community where a good part of the second act is set comes off less fascinating than enervating, especially as it is never clear which side of the battle these former mobsters are on before the inevitable bloodbath. Ditto a subsequent betrayal which thwarts Akemi’s escape attempt back to Osaka, which is just as frustrating in explaining the loyalties of the other nameless supporting players involved.
Likewise, Amorim, who is credited with three other writers for the screenplay, fails to convince us why we should be invested in the fates of Akemi or her newfound ally. Beyond the fact that her whole family was killed while she was just a baby, it is never clear why we should sympathise with what happened to Akemi, given too how she seems perfectly capable of defending herself. It doesn’t help too that whilst Masumi handles the action nicely, she struggles to define the emotional journey that her character is going through at the same time. Meyers too ends up just as lacking, though the fact that his stranger-with-a-sword character is even more thinly written gives him a somewhat stronger excuse.
Without much plot- or character-driven dynamics, ‘Yakuza Princess’ becomes defined pretty much by its style, which is aesthetically alluring at the start but turns quickly repetitive. Thanks to ace cinematographer Gustavo Hadba, many of the scenes unfold against neon-soaked backdrops, whether it is of the city or its fluorescent-lit interiors, and they are atmospheric to say the least. Yet what starts off visually arresting soon loses its appeal when it becomes clear that the film’s storytelling deficiencies get blatantly obvious. Just as apparent is the unimpressive action that culminate in either amputations or decapitations, both of which are intended to detract from the quick-cut flurries of indistinct hand-to-hand combat.
Like we said, there is plenty of promise in the premise of ‘Yakuza Princess’, including its potentially fascinating setting in the largest Japanese diasporic community in the world; and yet, what could have been a compelling coming-of-age story set amidst a brutal underworld ends up being dull, derivative and dreary. The visuals are worth something, but are unfortunately lost amidst a story that needed a lot more story and character. Much as we hate the cliché therefore, we must say this yakuza story is simply not sharp enough to cut it..
Movie Rating:
(Not enough story or character dulls what could have been an intriguing underworld saga set in a fascinating diasporic setting)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Comics/Action
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Cast: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, Tyrese Gibson
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Frightening Scenes)
Released By: Sony Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 31 March 2022
Synopsis: One of Marvel’s most compelling and conflicted characters comes to the big screen as Oscar® winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero, Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.
Movie Review:
Superheroes are meant to protect and fight for justice and they usually have great qualities that are admirable and inspirational.
But what if superheroes possess qualities that are ‘demonic’ and ‘frightful’ and are not part of the norm?
“Morbius” takes us on a journey with Dr Michael Morbius, who suffers from a rare blood disorder and is trying to find a cure to the illness. When he found success and works on himself, he turned into a vampire and became unimaginably dangerous, horrific and worst than the disorder itself. When he finds out that his good friend with the same disorder took the same serum despite his plead, he must now find a way to stop his friend from causing more damage.
Although anti-heroes are not uncommon in the comic world, they may not always be the ones that people usually relate to. And they are usually visualised to have highly intense and complex characteristics, with more illustrious background.
With that, one would have imagine that this film would be filled with more complexity, depth and layers. Surprisingly, “Morbius” is but a rather strange mix of complexity and simplicity that may or may not be entirely good for the film.
On one hand, whether or not one is a comic fan, he or she would be able to follow through the film with ease, as the storyline is easy to comprehend and digest, making it surprisingly accessible in comparison with films of similar genre.
On the other hand, the simplistic plot might bore comic fans who are expecting more potency and fire in its delivery. In comparison with other comic-related films “Morbius” does seem slightly amateurish in terms of plot development. And this strange mix runs throughout the film.
The overall effects were alluring and unique, owing to the after effects of vampirism and in line with the bodily changes of the heroes. However, some of the effects ended up becoming so ‘blurry’ and undefinable, that it looks rather confusing and mind-boggling to the viewer. It is uncertain if the effects were purposely created to give the effect of speed and mobility that cannot be seen ‘in the naked human eye’, but it definitely was quite enough for one to be irritated.
Adding on to that, the film had many strange and ambiguous scenes that neither seem to make sense nor add value or substance to the plot. Some were rather undefined and inconclusive, so much so that it made itself rather redundant.
The pacing of the film was fine and smooth, with sufficient suspense, action and drama to keep the film going and to entertain those who might be easily distracted. The cast did a fine job and made the characters that they played engaging and believable, however there was strangely not much character development and the viewers are left to feel a little disconnected with the characters.
“Morbius” delivers what is necessary of an anti-hero film and gives enough boost to keep the viewers at the edge. However, its direction and vision mostly seem simplistic and may not have much impact in the minds of the viewers.
Still, “Morbius” is entertaining in its own way and has iconic moments that were great takeaways that makes it quite likeable. Maybe like what Dr Michael Morbius is facing, the film itself is but an ‘introduction’ to the world that Dr Morbius is entering. We do not know too much, but we know enough to get by. We are still discovering Morbius and it is, in itself, discovering us.
And this strange mix of complexity and simplicity may not be the best formula to use for a comic film, but I guess it helps to at least bridge the gap between regular viewers and comic fans.
Movie Rating:
(An entertaining watch that is easy for all to follow, but yet not the most impactful to most. Be amused by its mystery and enjoy the ride as it is)
Review by Ron Tan
Genre: Drama
Director: Mike Mills
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffman, Scoot McNairy, Woody Norman, Molly Webster, Jaboukie Young-White
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 7 April 2022
Synopsis: Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and his young nephew (Woody Norman) forge a tenuous but transformational relationship when they are unexpectedly thrown together in this delicate and deeply moving story about the connections between adults and children, the past and the future, from writer-director Mike Mills.
Movie Review:
C’mon C’mom is best summed up more as a documentary/family movie. Equally thoughtful and heartfelt, the drama written and directed by Mike Mills (Beginners) opens with a series of interviews with children in Detroit asking them about their thoughts on the future. We see our leading man, Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix), a soft-spoken radio journalist doing his job until a call with his sister, Viv (Gabby Hoffmann) whom he has not been in contact for a while changes his mundane routine.
Johnny offers to babysit Viv’s nine-year-old boy, Jesse (Woody Norman) while she has to made an urgent trip to visit her bipolar husband, Paul (Scott McNairy) in Oakland and gets him to clinical treatment. Jesse however is not an ordinary boy who is glue to the screen. He is precocious, curious and imaginative.
Unlike The Tender Bar who also has an uncle taking on the role of a surrogate father, C’mon C’mom on the other hand feels more believable, painful and sorrow. While definitely not a coming-of-age story, Mills’ tale feels like one for the most part. Technically, Jesse is still a young kid but his thinking, articulation skill far exceeds the average child of his age. Because of his father’s condition, he is concerned about his future wondering if he might turned into his dad. He is curious about the relationship between his Uncle Johnny and his mother. Sometimes, he imagined himself as an orphan.
But deep down Jesse is still a young boy. He throws tantrums and run away whenever Johnny is on the phone or he is not getting the attention he wanted from the latter. The boy also gets high on sugar and at times, he simply can’t stop talking about random stuff. Young English actor Woody Norman carries the film with much talent and flair that you chooses to empathise than be irritated by his antics.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the story unfolds quietly instead in a loud, dramatic manner. Not that there is a lot to cover anyway. Yet there is an underlying honesty and authenticity to appreciate between uncle and nephew.
The obvious bright side is likely the most endearing performance from Joaquin Phoenix in recent years. Of course, the Academy Award winner is known for his eccentric, unhinged performances in flicks liked Joker, Inherent Vice and right here, he plays Uncle Johnny to the T. He gets frustrated when Jesse refuses to sleep, throws tantrums and ran away. He entertains Jesse with his stories and audio equipment. He is struggling and slowly adapting to his new role as a guardian and uncle. It’s as real as the interviews he conducts with children all over the country. The man who has a fallout with Viv over their late dementia-suffering mother is slowly developing a reconnection to his family members with his journey with Jesse.
Constructed using a rather loose narrative, C’mon C’mom is a lovely low-key drama that depicts a supportive family tie and parenting. Lensed beautifully in black and white by Robbie Ryan, New York, Detroit and New Orleans has never look so surreal and picturesque. If you are getting distracted and restless as an audience, just treat this slow drama as more of an “experience” as opposed to a traditional film despite its decent intentions.
Movie Rating:
(For every commercial big release out there, there will always be a mature, emotionally complex drama liked C’mon C’mom waiting to be discover)
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: A Disney+ Original movie, "Cheaper by the Dozen" is a reimagining of the 2003 hit family comedy. It is the story of the raucous exploits of a blended family of 12, the Bakers, as they navigate a hectic home life while simultaneously managing their family business.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Cheaper by the Dozen (2022) is the third time the 1948 semi-autographical novel of the same name is adapted to the screen. After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, it’s time for the latter to dig out wholesome, family-friendly franchises (remember Home Alone?) and rework them for Disney+.
This reboot stars Zach Braff as a small-time restaurant owner, Paul Baker who along with his current wife, Zoey (Gabrielle Union) has altogether nine kids from their past marriages and current one. Paul’s first wife, Kate (Erika Christensen) remains on friendly terms with them and continues to help out in their household as their nanny while Zoey’s ultra-successful first husband, Dom (Timon Kyle Durret) drops by here and then with lavish presents.
When Paul’s breakfast sauce and restaurant business starts to expand, the big family decides to move to a gated community only to encounter tensions from their children. And with Paul’s frequent absence from the family given his commitment to his growing business, Zoey starts to wonder if they had actually made the right decision.
Even for a sitcom pilot or TV movie, the entire production feels cheap and rushed. All thanks to the many TV-like subplots and setups, the premise feels kind of bloated, ambitious and runs longer than the 2003’s Steve Martin version. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that the movie’s director and writers helmed mainly from a TV background.
Still, the plotting is enjoyable if you love a harmless family comedy (plus having a low expectation level). This 2022 version is occasionally funny and attempts to stir up some social awareness and questions liked Dom trying to take full custody of his kids because he is against a white man raising his black kids, Pauls’ adopted Indian son who faces racial bullying in school and as if there’s not enough trouble brewing in the Baker family, Paul’s troubled nephew who came from a broken family.
In addition, we have teenager DJ who is nerdy and finding hard to approach girls while his sister, Deja is embarking on her first relationship with a boy. There are so many stories crammed into one feature that none of the characters are fully developed by the end of it. Fortunately, Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union are believable and charming as the interracial couple. Without resorting to slapstick and gross-out gags, it’s largely a safe viewing experience for the entire family. Maybe the filmmakers should at least rope in Steve Martin, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Welling and Hilary Duff for cameos to stir up some excitement.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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