Genre: Fantasy/Action
Director: David Yates
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Folger, Ezra Miller, Mads Mikkelsen
Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website:
Opening Day: 14 April 2022
Synopsis: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" is the newest adventure in the Wizarding World created by J.K. Rowling and directed by David Yates. Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald's growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?
Movie Review:
This reviewer has a confession to make. He does not remember what exactly happened in the first two movies of the Fantastic Beast film series.
He vaguely remembers a jittery wizard named Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) going around catching magical creatures in 2016’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Fans of the Harry Potter film series would know that Newt would go on to be the author of a textbook used in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It was a somewhat breezy movie to sit through, although there seemed to be nothing particularly fantastic about it.
Then things got convoluted in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Newt is still jittery, but the star of the show was Johnny Depp’s Gellert Grindelwald, a dark wizard who seems like some sort of a cult leader. Watching Depp inject his usual quirky (and someone creepy) antics in the character made the movie feel weird. Then there is Jude Law who portrayed the beloved Albus Dumbledore. The second movie of the franchise mentioned that he had a very close (hint: romantic) relationship with Grindelwald when they were young, which made things even weirder. There were too many other side plots that viewers did not care for. This reviewer doesn’t even remember the supporting characters in the poorly reviewed movie.
The filmmakers are back with this third instalment. Like the previous two, it is directed by David Yates (he helmed the last four movies of the eight films in the Harry Potter series) and based on a screenplay by J K Rowling. Just by the movie title alone, it tries to spice up things by getting viewers interested in the secrets that Dumbledore is hiding.
Aware that Grindelwald’s influence and power is spreading, Dumbledore gets Scamander to lead a team of wizards and witches (plus a human who is often the comic relief in the group) to stop the dark wizard from seizing control of the wizarding world. The result is a 142 minute movie that still feels overlong but is a vast improvement from the last movie.
One cannot doubt the perfectly executed computer generated effects of this fantasy film. From the mystical Qilin that can see into one’s soul and as well as the future to the swarm of scorpion like creatures in a dungeon, the creatures are again brought to life on screen. Viewers will watch in awe and be intrigued by the wizarding world. The sets are also impressive. From the grand ballroom where Grindelwald planned an assassination to the majestic Bhutan where an election is planned to take place, these are worthy moments to enjoy on the big screen.
The movie slows down significantly when characters gather to converse, when viewers want more of the magic and wonder that the film is evidently delivering. Instead of overpopulating the story with side plots literally dark cinematography, this third instalment provides a fine balance. A memorable sequence involves the Scamander brothers doing a delightfully funny dance to avoid being attacked by the abovementioned scorpion like creatures.
Mads Mikkelson replaces Depp as Grindelwald, and does an apt job with gravitas and menace, instead of draping the antagonist with theatrics. One character that we’d love more screen time is Ezra Miller’s Credence Barebone, the disturbed and abused wizard that has a connection to the Dumbledore family. It’d had been nice if the actor had more to do with his character. Like Grindelwald, there is potential to bring him back for the supposedly planned fourth and fifth movies in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. We’ll just have to wait whether the movie studio will give the go ahead, considering the muddling reviews and issues taking place behind the scenes (something we’ll leave you to read on the Internet).
Movie Rating:
(There is enough magic and majesty in this third movie of the Fantastic Beasts franchise, but more can be done to keep viewers engaged throughout)
Review by John Li
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BRUCE WILLIS RETIRING FROM ACTINGPosted on 31 Mar 2022 |
SYNOPSIS: The Bubble is a comedy about a group of actors and actresses stuck inside a pandemic bubble at a hotel attempting to complete a sequel to an action franchise film about flying dinosaurs.
MOVIE REVIEW:
What was Judd Apatow thinking when he made a movie liked The Bubble? Is it a statement on insecure, over-pampered Hollywood stars during a pandemic? A clever satire on the Jurassic Park franchise? Or a mere self-indulgent exercise sponsored by Netflix?
We tend to think it’s geared towards the last option because the latest self-penned, directed comedy from Apatow is a complete hot mess that is strangely a far cry from his The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and This Is 40.
The Bubble involves a group of egoistic, problematic actors and actresses staying together in a luxury hotel in the UK while filming the sixth instalment of "Cliff Beasts" (a fictional successful movie franchise about prehistoric creatures). Among them is Carol Cobb (Karen Gillian), an actress who reluctantly has to join back the franchise after the failure of her last project, Dieter (Peddro Pascal) who has both a drug and sex addiction issue, ex-married couple Lauren (Leslie Mann) and Dustin (David Duchovny), actor turned self-help guru Sean (Keegan Michael-Key), the movie’s comic relief Howie (Guz Khan) and young TikToker superstar Krystal (Iris Apatow).
For a movie that runs over two hours, The Bubble has probably 10 minutes of funny gags before it runs out of steam. Apatow attempts to poke fun at the pandemic with jokes involving quarantine protocols and swabbing forgetting there’s already lots of covid-19 related memes on social media already.
Then strangely, he turned his attention to his “actors” and “actresses”, painting Carol Cobb as someone who couldn’t hold on to a man while Dieter tries his best to seduce the hotel receptionist for sex. At the same time, Lauren and Dustin reconciles for a brief period of time before breaking off because of a disagreement over their adopted son. It’s like a series of unfunny skits stitched together to form a movie. So much and so little. And talk about nepotism, we have Judd’s daughter, Iris doing at least two pointless TikTok dance segments to fill up the runtime.
In-between all the excess subplots, the biggest laughs are actually reserved for the supposedly behind-the-scenes making of "Cliff Beasts". Greenscreen, cheap stunts and hilarious exchanges over the script between Dustin and former Sundance indie filmmaker Darren Eigan played by the excellent Fred Armisen. Even Kate McKinnon pops in occasionally as a studio executive overseeing the project. Despite all the wonderful talents involved, The Bubble feels like a discarded comedy from major studios. It’s often dull, tedious and wrapped in a hollow bubble.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Taylor Russell, Mark Rylance, Kendle Coffey, André Holland, Ellie Parker, Madeleine Hall
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins
Rating: R21 (Mature Theme and Violence)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website:
Opening Day: 24 November 2022
Synopsis: "Bones and All" is a story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter... as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages and trap doors of Ronald Reagan's America. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether their love can survive their otherness.
Movie Review:
This could have been a very different movie. Based on the 2015 novel of the same name by Camille DeAngelis, the story follows a pair of cannibalistic lovers as they make their way across the country. Yes, you read that right - the protagonists of the film are cannibals.
The filmmakers could have scared the s**t out of you with scenes of the characters eating the flesh and devouring the internal organs of other human beings, and sent you home with sleepless nights and horrible nightmares. But what you’ll be getting instead from Italian director Luca Guadagnino is a coming of age film that is romantic beyond words. And most importantly, it is a film that reminds you how much the camera loves Timothée Chalamet.
In case you haven’t noticed, the world is obsessed with the 26 year old actor. We think it’s because of his beautiful mane of curly hair, which seems to have a life of its own and can emote as much as the boyish actor on the big screen. Of course, there are the bold outfits he wears to red carpet events. Honorable mentions include the bejeweled Louis Vuitton harness he wore to the 2019 Golden Globes, the satin Prada jacket he donned at the 2020 Oscars, and most recently, the red Haider Ackermann backless halter top which sent cameras clicking away furiously at the Venice International Film Festival premiere of this movie.
Okay, we digressed. But after sitting through this 131 minute film, you really cannot think of another actor who can pull off the role with such charisma. Chalamet plays Lee, a drifter whom Maren (Taylor Russell who is probably going to get international attention with this, ahem, meaty lead role)meets after she realises that she needs to know the truth behind her cannibalistic behaviour. It turns out that Lee is a fellow ‘eater’ (they can apparently smell each other), and the two young people go on a road trip that serves as a self discovering journey for both of them.
Chalamet reunites with Guadagnino after his breakout role in the director’s romantic drama Call Me by Your Name (2017), and if you loved the film’s last scene featuring a close up shot of Chalamet crying in front of the fireplace, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of scenes where the camera lingers on the actor’s features. It doesn’t matter that he is dressed in sloppy tees and torn jeans most of the time – they just look good on him.
Elsewhere, Canadian actress Russell is the breakout star of this film. The 28 year old does a fine job of portraying a misfit trying to find her place in the world. The sequence where she bites off the finger of a schoolmate who kindly invited her for a sleepover will be talked about for years to come. The initial sexual tension felt in the scene shockingly turns to fear and helplessness (complete with a severed finger) sets up the film nicely in its first 10 minutes. After getting the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 79th Venice International Film Festival (where the film was also recognised with the Silver Lion), we are hoping that the actress will go on to make her mark in showbiz like her co star.
The film also scores because of the powerful and truly creepy performances delivered by acclaimed actors Mark Rylance and Michael Stuhlbarg, who play fellow ‘eaters’ who show up along the Maren and Lee’s road trip. Chloë Sevigny has a bit role as Maren’s mother, and the short scene she has is unforgettably integral to the story. André Holland plays Maren’s father with grace, and it is a role that is handled with tender and care by the actor.
Given the nature of the story, you can also expect quite a bit of violence and blood. Things are going to be messy, but they do not feel exploitative (like the Saw films). Instead, it may leave you wondering how it feels to be someone who is born with this behaviour which is not a societal norm. In fact, in a society that frowns and expresses disgust towards this, there may be a larger discussion whether individuals who are regarded as ‘monsters’ deserve love.
Movie Rating:
(Amidst the blood and gore, there is a surreal romanticism in this coming-of-age film. Of course there is also Timothée Chalamet's beautiful mane of hair which the camera loves so much.)
Review by John Li
Genre: Crime/Action
Director: Sam Wong
Cast: Richie Jen, Simon Yam, Alex Fong, Patrick Tam, Ron Ng, Danny Chan, Lamb Jerry, Gregory Charles Rivers, Vincent Wan, Kevin Chu, Sammo Hung, Karena Lam, Kenneth Tsang, Eddie Cheung, Alice Chan, Eddie Kwan
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: NC16 (Mature Theme & Violence)
Released By: Clover Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 15 April 2022
Synopsis: On the eve of the 1997 handover, violence is rampant as the British Hong Kong government has joined forces with the triads to cause chaos in Hong Kong. The gang leader, Lam Yiu- Cheong (Simon Yam) assigns his crony Ah Lok (Richie Ren) to take an important role in the destruction. But Lok harbours a secret – he’s an undercover policeman and he’s about to discover a political conspiracy that will shock the country to its core.
Movie Review:
There is plenty of reason to be excited about ‘Man on the Edge’. For one, it’s been a while since we’ve last seen a triad drama, which used to be one of the defining genres of Hong Kong cinema. For another, it’s been even longer since one with as packed and star-studded a cast as this, including the likes of Ritchie Jen, Simon Yam, Jerry Lamb, Patrick Tam, Alex Fong, Sammo Hung, Karena Lam, Cheung Siu-fai and Kenneth Tsang. Yet as satisfying as it is to see these veterans reunited onscreen, this pre-Handover set thriller is undeniably underwhelming, given how all that acting talent is ultimately undermined by slapdash plotting and insipid execution.
That such a heavyweight ensemble had agreed to participate in this movie is testament to its potential, and indeed, there is certainly no lack of ambition in veteran action director Sam Wong’s sophomore directorial outing. Co-written by Wong with the questionable Mainland Chinese duo Yan Ma and Yan Wang, the story is a tale of brotherhood, a corruption saga and a political thriller rolled into one, but not quite compelling any way; in fact, we wonder if the filmmakers were trying to cram a whole miniseries into a two-hour feature film, which explains the hectic pacing that robs the storytelling of any meaningful plot or character development.
After a prologue establishing how our eponymous lead Lok (Ren) had spent three years in jail for his gang leader Cheong (Yam), the story begins in earnest when Lok is released from prison and rejoins Cheong to help the latter wind down his illegal businesses. Whilst the entrepreneurial Syun Pau (Lamb) and the aggressive Fai Wang (Danny Chan) take it in their stride, the hot-tempered Tim (Tam) refuses to do so; not only does he set up his own dealings with a group of untrustworthy Thai customers, he conspires with the corrupt Chief Superintendent Richard (Gregory Charles Rivers) to help the latter do his dirty business, despite Cheong’s warnings to the contrary.
It should come as no surprise that Tim will eventually betray his brothers in a bid to take over Cheong’s role as leader of the San Luen Sing group, going so far as to threaten the elders to get them to vote for him and killing the ones who refuse. Amidst the haphazard twists and turns, Lok will reveal himself to be a long-time mole for the Hong Kong police. After his superior Law’s (Cheung) untimely death at Tim’s hands, Lok will link up with hard-nosed inspector Ching (Fong) to try to expose Superintendent Richard, with some occasional help from another undercover agent Ka Kui (Ron Ng) whose cover is as an aspiring boxer at Syun Pau’s underground boxing club.
Alas, it is not enough that it tries to be part ‘Election’ and part ‘Infernal Affairs’; as we find out in the last third, it also wants to be part ‘Cold War II’, switching awkwardly from crime to politics as it reveals that Richard is but a puppet for a mysterious power broker known only as Gentleman (Tsang), who hopes to take advantage of the chaos before the handover to consolidate his influence within the impending Legislative Council. Lok not only re-emerges at this point as the chief of the San Luen Sing, but also ingratiates himself with Gentleman in order to re-establish himself as a political figure. And yet, if there was ever any doubt where Lok’s convictions lie, just remember that it is after all a film bankrolled by Mainland Chinese companies.
That pronouncement should also re move any ambiguity of the outcome of the quintet (Cheong, Lok, Syun Pau, Tim and Fai Wang), or why the British are portrayed as criminal capitalists whose only motive was to exploit their power and authority for ill gain, or why Lok ends up making an impassioned speech in court about standing up against the British as an ordinary Hong Kong citizen. It is unfortunate that recent such pre-Handover set movies have all sought to paint the British rule as foul and malevolent, and ‘Man on the Edge’ is guilty of the same overt political rhetoric, made all the more painful to watch given how clumsily it is depicted.
The only saving grace is the cast, which try their level best to bring gravitas to their respective characters despite the thinly written roles. Yam is suave and charismatic as the gang leader Cheong, while Tam excels as the irascible villain Tim. Lamb and Chan have smaller parts as Syun Pau and Fai Wang, but add interesting textures to the brotherhood. Equally enjoyable to watch are the customarily stoic Fong, the coolly menacing Tsang, and the humblingly authoritative Hung. Amidst such a formidable contingent of supporting players, Ren is somewhat miscast as the conflicted hero who has to decide between doing the right and the loyal thing; as competent an actor he has matured into over the years, Ren just isn’t as convincing as he needs to be for his duplicitous role to work.
As much as we’d like to love ‘Man on the Edge’ therefore, it is quite a letdown, wasting the sheer talent onscreen for a politically tinged pre-Handover triad drama that lacks suspense, excitement and worse, coherence. Like we said before, there is plenty of promise in both the story and performances, but the execution is terrible, and is probably best described as someone trying to cram an entire miniseries worth of plot into a two-hour feature film without care of build-up, continuity or pacing. Even with the occasional gunfight and vehicular chase, the thrills are few and far in between. Except therefore for old times’ sake, this Man has clearly fallen over the edge.
Movie Rating:
(Brotherhood, corruption, politics and everything but the kitchen sink thrown into a unnecessarily convoluted plot with little suspense, excitement or coherence, this triad drama is a criminal waste of its impressive ensemble)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: A modern-day espionage thriller that follows Henry (Chris Pine) as he investigates Celia (Thandiwe Newton), a past flame from their days as CIA intelligence officers in Vienna, who is now under suspicion of having been a double agent. Using flashbacks to weave together multiple timelines, All the Old Knives peels back the layers of their past romance and exposes the truth behind a devastating terrorist attack they were unable to stop.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Screenwriter and novelist Olen Steinhauer dreams of an espionage tale that took place entirely around a restaurant table and that turned out to be "All the Old Knives" published back in 2015. Seven years later, the source material is turned into a feature length movie by Olen himself and stars Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton.
Pine and Newton stars as CIA operatives and ex-lovers, Henry Pelham and Celia Harrison respectively. After a terrifying terrorist hijacking on a plane by Muslim extremists which killed everyone onboard, Celia abruptly left both Henry and the service and settles down on married life in California.
Eight years later, Henry is assigned by his boss, Vick (Laurence Fishburne) to carry out an investigation when new intel shows that someone in the agency was actually feeding intel to the onboard terrorists. Thus Henry has no alternative but to proceed to grill his co-workers including Celia and her ex-boss, Bill (Jonathan Pryce) in London.
Rather than a globe-trotting trip that takes viewers through the dark alleys, roofs and sewers of old Europe, All the Old Knives as mentioned prior is contend to take place in a fancy restaurant. The gist of the story is told in flashbacks feeding viewers with morsel of information whether it’s through Bill, Celia or Henry’s interaction with his informant. The question lies in who was the one that makes the call to the terrorist during the attack? Is it Bill who conveniently left in a critical moment to attend to his wife? Or Celia who has been hopping suspiciously in and out of the embassy?
From the get-go, All the Old Knives relies heavily on the chemistry between Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton. Both to be fair exudes a sizzling amount of chemistry throughout with a steamy erotic sex scene thrown in. All by the way carried out in flashback of course. Everything about the attack and conspiracy seems secondary at best. The supposedly espionage thriller takes its time to build up the suspense and infusing it with plenty of red herrings before its reveal of a big twist in the end.
In other words, this Olen Steinhauer’s thriller is far more old-school than James Bond. There’s practically no loud gunfights or fancy gizmos involved. It’s mainly a talky movie with two old flames reminiscing about their romance and their unsettling past work affairs. As an espionage thriller, All the Old Knives lacks tension and a sense of urgency. On the other hand, the ever dreamy Chris Pine and the always elegant Thandiwe Newton are so good that you need to sit through all the way till desserts to find out the truth behind the mystery.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Martin Campbell
Cast: Liam Neeson, Monica Bellucci, Guy Pearce, Ray Stevenson, Taj Atwal, Ray Fearon, Harold Torres
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence & Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 12 May 2022
Synopsis: Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson) is an expert assassin with a reputation for discreet precision. When Alex refuses to complete a job for a dangerous criminal organisation, he becomes a target and must go on the hunt for those who want him dead. Veteran FBI agents Vincent Serra (Guy Pearce), Linda Amistead (Tai Atwal) and Mexican Intelligence Liaison Hugo Marquesz (Harold Torres) are brought in to investigate the trail of bodies left in Alex's wake. With both the crime syndicate and FBI in hot pursuit, Alex has the skills to stay ahead, except for one thing - he is struggling with severe memory loss, affecting his every move and making his objective increasingly difficult to complete. As details blur and enemies close in, Alex is forced to question his every action, and who he can trust.
Movie Review:
At the age of 56, Irish born Liam Neeson became Hollywood’s most sought-after action hero after the success of the Luc Besson’s produced Taken. In the ensuing years, the lanky actor has done at least 12 action-oriented flicks and two sequels to his 2008 sleeper hit. Despite reaching the age of 70, Neeson is not stopping anytime soon and Memory marks his second action feature this year. And it’s only May.
Teaming up with veteran director, Martin Campbell, the man responsible for two little spy movies, Goldeneye and Casino Royale, Memory is a remake of the 2003 Belgian movie The Memory of a Killer, which in turn was adapted from the novel “De Zaak Alzheimer”. The original was a hit with critics which probably explained why it’s a match made in heaven for Campbell and Nesson, both needing a commercial hit after their recent lukewarm releases.
Alex Lewis (Nesson) is a hired assassin suffering from a slow onset of Alzheimer’s disease. He reluctantly accepts his final assignment before he loses his thinking and reasoning skills. As fate would have it, Lewis becomes entangled in a Mexican prostitution ring and he is forced to team up with a grizzled FBI agent, Vincent Serra (Guy Pearce) to solve the case of a wealthy and powerful family’s connection to a child prostitution case.
Campbell’s intention to turn this piece of escapist entertainment into something more memorable is admirable. Instead of relegating Lewis into an unstoppable fighting machine on his last lap, the script choses to go beyond the generic tropes to unravel a complex storyline involving a corrupted real estate mogul played by Italian sex siren Monica Bellucci and the pathetic legal system. It’s strangely the kind of movie that struggles to be both character-driven while at the same time offering some intense brief action sets to please Neeson’s fanbase.
For the most part, the plot meanders a bit to allow our leading man to put in some dramatic, thoughtful performance as a man on the verge of losing his memory. He has problems recalling certain important details but that really doesn’t stop him from killing all those who deserved deaths. Notably, it also helps to flesh out the dynamics between Alex and Vincent in their struggle to work out a partnership. The innocent killing of a child prostitute gives Neeson’s character a chance to redeem himself as a vigilante. For an assassin who is capable of some nasty killings, it’s rather refreshingly compelling to see another side of him while Pearce puts in a decent performance as a broken cop who is caught between an unsupportive boss and the state police.
Under the direction of Campbell, Memory is more of an engaging detective yard than relying solely on Neeson’s tough guy persona (No worries, that particular set of skills are still on display) despite the familiarity of the material. There’s no surprising twists nor turns, just some good old detective footwork and some old-school treatment from Campbell who obviously knows how to tell a taut, suspenseful tale on a minimal budget. While it’s confirmed there’s nothing spectacular regarding the plotting, it’s a tense effort nonetheless considering Neeson’s recent less-than-stellar outings.
Movie Rating:
(The team-up between Liam Neeson and Martin Campbell makes this run-of-the-mill crime flick very watchable)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Horror/Action
Director: Kiah Roache-Turner
Cast: Luke McKenzie, Shantae Barnes-Cowan, Jake Ryan, Bianca Bradey, Tasia Zalar, Jay Gallagher, Nick Boshier
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence And Gore)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 14 April 2022
Synopsis: A post-apocalyptic zombie film that follows soldier Rhys on an arc of redemption as he turns against his evil bosses and joins forces with a group of rebel survivors to help rescue a girl who might hold the cure to the virus.
Movie Review:
Unless you’ve seen the 2014 cult favourite ‘Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead’, you probably won’t be anticipating this sequel; and yet, let us reassure you that little prior knowledge of its predecessor is needed to enjoy the gnarly, grungy and grindhouse pleasures of this movie.
Revisiting the idiosyncratic world which they lovingly created from four years of weekends, Kiah Roache-Turner returns with his brother Tristan to deliver another tongue-in-cheek vision of what the world could be if overrun by zombies. That they are attracted to human flesh is the least exciting thing about the zombies here; what is even more interesting is how they exhale methane that can be used as a ready substitute for fossil fuels.
That wryness is apparent from the get-go – in an opening sequence set to the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song “Red Right Hand”, we are introduced to our lead protagonist Rhys (Luke McKenzie) as he emerges from a ramshackle hideout to demonstrate how he uses the undead to water his plants, power his home and even act as a boxing sparring partner.
Those who have seen the first ‘Wyrmwood’ movie will remember Luke as the villain called The Captain, and as we learn later on, Rhys is his twin brother. Also returning from the earlier movie is the shotgun-wielding Barry (Jay Gallagher) and the human-zombie hybrid Brooke (Bianca Bradey), though more in supporting parts here as they form a reluctant alliance with Rhys in order to rescue another hybrid Grace (Tasia Zalar) that Rhys had ignorantly delivered into the clutches of a demented scientist known as the Surgeon-General (Nicholas Bashier).
Unlike the hectic pacing of its predecessor, the first half of this sequel unfolds more deliberately, establishing Rhys as the clueless pawn of the Surgeon-General whom he believes is developing a cure for the virus. Only in the latter half does Roache-Turner return to the breathless action of the 2014 movie, what with Rhys, Barry and Bianca teaming up with Grace’s sister Maxi (Shantae Barnes Cowan) as they blaze a bloody trail to save Grace and uncover what nefarious deeds the Surgeon-General has been up to along the way.
Fans and genre aficionados should rest easy that it is as bloody and brutal as you can imagine, yet executed with unexpected ingenuity. A standout scene has Brooke going mano-a-mano with a cyborg zombie whom the Surgeon-General is controlling remotely through a VR device; another sees Rhys and Barry fighting against the Surgeon-General’s bodyguard, known as The Colonel (Jake Ryan). There is a crackling energy to the maniacal proceedings, which is precisely what such midnight movies should be made of.
Like we said at the beginning, prior knowledge of ‘Wyrmwood’ is really not necessary to savour the delirious joys of this equally insane sequel, made with as much love and gonzo-ness. We should say that those who have seen the first movie might lament how Barry and Brooke should remain the leads in the sequel, though we must say we enjoyed it for what it is. As long as you’re game for its definition of fun, you’ll probably lap it up as much as we did.
Movie Rating:
(The very definition of a midnight movie, this sequel to the 2014 cult classic offers gnarly, grungy and grindhouse pleasures)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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TIDE X DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESSPosted on 20 Apr 2022 |
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Jared Cohn
Cast: Bruce Willis, Patrick Muldoon, Matthew Marsden, Michael Devorzon, Johnny Messner, Stephen Sepher, Ava Paloma, Kelcey Rose Weimer
Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language and Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 21 April 2022
Synopsis: An ex-military man working at a Georgia power plant has to spring into action to prevent disaster when a group of rogue soldiers gain control of the plant and take the employees hostage.
Movie Review:
On 30th March 2022, the family of Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis announced that he is stepping away from the silver screen as he is suffering from aphasia, a disease which impact his cognitive abilities. It has long been rumoured Willis is suffering from some kind of sickness and he is trying hard to secure a better future for his family by appearing in all sorts of on demand and direct-to-video releases. At least for now, we know the motive behind his prolific outputs for the past years.
However, a dud is still a dud no matter how you look at it. Deadlock is yet another generic action thriller although this time, it’s filled with enough generic shoot-ups to make it at least watchable or bearable for 96 minutes.
When a supposedly drug bust went awry killing a young man while his younger brother imprisoned, their father Ron (Willis) decides to take revenge at the “system” and holds everyone at a hydroelectric plant hostage with the help of a team of mercenaries. Instead of Willis being in the wrong place at the wrong time, here comes Mack (Patrick Muldoon), a former ranger turned company welder who decides to team up with a mousy security guard, Tommy (Douglas S. Matthews) to save the day.
Co-written by director Jared Cohn and Cam Cannon (USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage), the duo attempts to work out a big hassle in Deadlock but without much purpose or intent. Our antagonist Ron Whitlock besides planning to kill the cop responsible for his son’s death also intends to open the floodgates to kill thousands of innocent people. There’s no specific reason as to why Ron intends to execute this wicked plan of his except the fact that he has gone bananas.
Our hero, Mack Karr is a messed up ex-Ranger, alcoholic perhaps and has an ex-wife working at the same plant. There’s so little we know of Mack. Essentially it’s more of a challenge to know more about Mack than him shooting most of his opponents dead. Apparently, Mack and Tommy seems to gain bulletproof superpower running from one end of the plant to another hardly without a scratch.
As if there’s not enough clichés and conveniences, Cohn and Cannon piles the movie with a sick man, a busload of visiting students and a handful of the plant staff related in some ways to other characters. The narrative on the whole is plain lazy and the pacing uneven. In actual fact, the movie needs to frequently cuts to Mack firing his pistol at his enemies in order to hold your attention.
To address the elephant in the room, Willis’ performance as a villain is more or less one note or pretty much the same as his other VOD outings. Whether it’s a retired cop, retired CIA agent, crime lord or a shady banker, it’s merely Willis earning his touted $1million a day paycheck without much of a heart or effort put in. As mentioned prior, a dud is still a dud no matter how you look at it.
Movie Rating:
(A forgettable substandard B-movie starring the once great Bruce Willis)
Review by Linus Tee
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