Genre: Drama
Director: Kearen Pang
Cast: Teresa Mo Shun Kwan, Keung To, Jer Lau Ying Ting
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 11 August 2022

Synopsis: As MEI-FUNG, housewife and former top artiste manager, unearths a new star in CHING, she also draws jealousy from her teenage son HIN. Can a single mother find a balance between her family and her career? Is her dedication driven by love or responsibility?

Movie Review:

Do not be misled by the title of this Hong Kong movie. Although it suggests that the mother of the house is having an affair, do not walk into the cinema expecting raunchy scenes between an older woman and a younger man. What you’d get instead, is a thoughtful drama about a woman who was once very successful in her career, retired after becoming a mother, and is returning to the workforce to make an impact.

Veteran actress Teresa Mo plays Mei Fung, a top artiste manager in her younger days (the type whom celebrities would thank at award speeches) who decided to slow down after becoming pregnant with a child. Years later after her son Hin grows up (Jer Lau from the popular Hong Kong boyband MIRROR), Mei Fung returns to work at a kids music school. She chances upon a talented waiter Fong Ching (Keung To, another member of MIRROR) who dances and sings really well, and begins to groom him as a singer with the help of her friends in the industry.

And that is the basis of the ‘affair’, where Mei Fung begins spending too much time managing the up and coming celebrity, while her own son becomes upset. Adding to the drama is the separation between Mei Fung and her husband, who is having an extramarital affair with her friend. Oh, while we are at it, Fong Ching’s estranged father has been released from prison after being involved in a car accident which killed his mother.

Phew, that’s quite a number of melodramatic plot lines – a perfect formula for a movie to feature shouting, quarrels, crying and breakdowns.

But director Kearen Pang knows better than to make a movie with this somewhat exploitative approach. With the experience of her award winning debut film 29+1 (2017), Pang returns with a 127 minute piece of work that offers enough insights into the various societal issues explored in the story. With only a few moments of outbursts, much of the movie is subdued, and even features some humour.

For viewers who have been keeping up to date with Hong Kong’s showbiz, you’d have heard of MIRROR’s rising popularity. This movie is obviously a star vehicle for Keung and Lau, who deliver impressive performances as newcomers. Keung’s boyish features makes him the perfect candidate to play a pop idol who is figuring his way in the road to stardom, while Lau has the more challenging task of portraying a studious teenager who becomes jealous when his mother spends time with a new housemate.

Mo, who has appeared in countless Hong Kong movies, effortlessly plays a woman who has to straddle with all aspects of her life. It is also nice to see other veterans taking on supporting roles - Vincent Wan Yeung Ming as Mei Fung’s cheating husband and Law Wing Cheong as a father who wants nothing more than to reconnect with his son Fong Ching.

This is a commercial and accessible movie that does not try to be an arthouse flick. It has a straightforward story with some thought provoking questions. Can a woman successfully return to a glorious career that she left behind to care for her newborn? What is the cost of balancing work, life and family, and is it really impossible to have the best of all worlds? What goes into the making of a popular celebrity? 

Movie Rating:

(The drama offers enough insights into relevant societal issues, and features impressive performances from veteran actress Teresa Mo and in a pleasant surprise, newcomers Keung To and Jer Lau from popular boyband MIRROR)

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama
Director: Zhou Nan, Zhang Chi, Tian Yusheng, Dong Yue, Rao Xiaozhi
Cast: Zhou Dongyu, Huang Xiaoming, Song Jia
Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min
Rating: PG (Some Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 28 July 2022

Synopsis: Five independent but interconnected stories offering a sincere tribute to the “ordinary heroes” in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan – doctors, patients, volunteers, primary workers and ordinary people. From the perspective of these inspirational stories, the film conveys the ever-growing energy and warmth that spring brings.

Movie Review:

Truth be told, it does feel a little late for this Mainland Chinese movie to be screened. Most countries have learnt to live with COVID-19, and here in Singapore, this writer is of the opinion that we are past the phase of feeling unsure of what the pandemic will bring about. And for us to watch a movie about the everyday people in Wuhan during the early stages of the outbreak, it does just feels that the filmmakers did not plan a timely release of the film.

And besides the many patriotic Chinese shows and drama series that people have seen, we have at least seen three big screen releases in the form of Wu Hao’s harrowing documentary 76 Days, Andrew Lau’s star studded Chinese Doctors and Xue Xiaolu’s heartwarming Embrace Again.

It sure doesn’t help that this latecomer feels very similar to Xue’s romance drama. Both titles feature interconnected stories about people affected by COVID-19, and both star Zhou Dongyu in adorable roles. Did the award winning actress get confused while filming on the sets of these two productions?

The five tales are in this feature movie are directed by Dong Yue, Rao Xiaozhi, Tian Yusheng, Zhang Chi, Zhou Nan. The first story sees a young man who moves to Shanghaito earn more money for he and his girlfriend’s (Zhou) future, much to her disapproval. When he returns to Wuhan, the virus has made its presence felt in the city and things are not looking good. Then we meet two migrant workers who have to sell face masks in Wuhan, and realising the gravity of the situation only when they are on site. You can expect this a melodrama overflowing with moral goodness and compassion as the protagonists are holding on to a commodity that was considered rare in the early days of the outbreak.

Next, we have a husband and wife, both healthcare workers, who only get to meet in their car each night where they try to get a few hours of sleep between shifts. The couple experience turmoil as they go through the guilt of not being able to save a fellow doctor and the anxiety of wondering what will happen to their son if they succumb to the virus. Elsewhere, the head of a neighbourhood committee has to manage the complaints from the residents who are getting increasingly irritated by a girl’s piano playing. When he contracts a fever, you can bet the community is going to come together and make things feel warm and fuzzy, making everyone forget about the prior arguments. In the most creative story, a boy’s vivid imagination allows him to battle the virus with his obsession with Nezha. Like the other tales, this one also deals with parent separation, as the kid is taken care of his busy father while his mother is on medical duty in Wuhan.

The 121 minute movie also stars Huang Xiaoming, Song Jia, Yin Fang and Wang Jingchun. The actors do a find job, but one can’t help feel that this is another propaganda vehicle to stir the emotions of China’s people. If it was released earlier when the world was still struggling to live with COVID-19, the effect would have been better.

Movie Rating:

(We have seen similar tales inspired by the everyday people affected by the pandemic, and this movie might have worked better if it was released when the world was still struggling to live with COVID-19)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch), an aimless aspiring writer with no friends, no romantic prospects and — worst of all — no followers, fakes an Instagram-friendly trip to Paris in the hopes of boosting her social media clout. When a terrifying incident strikes the City of Lights, Danni unwittingly falls into a lie bigger than she ever imagined. She "returns" a hero, even striking up an unlikely friendship with Rowan (Mia Isaac), a real trauma survivor dedicated to societal change, and scooping up the man of her dreams Colin (Dylan O'Brien). As an influencer and advocate, Danni finally has the life and audience she always wanted. But it’s only a matter of time before the façade cracks, and she learns the hard way that the Internet loves a takedown. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Not Okay has an unlikeable female protagonist in which the movie warns you upfront. It’s both a satire and a dark comedy, most of all a fitting statement on the power of social media.

Zoey Deutch who also dons a producer hat plays Danni Sanders, a privileged white girl working as a photo editor at an online magazine outfit called Depravity. She is lonely, she craves to be a writer although her boss thinks otherwise and she wants to be noticed by her crush, a vaping influencer named Colin (Dylan O’Brien).

While under the influence of marijuana one day, Danni stumbles upon an idea to impress Colin. Danni lies about an upcoming writers retreat in Paris and started photoshopping herself in front of several famous Parisian landmarks on her social media. But when terrorist attacks occurred throughout Paris, Danni fakes herself as a terrorist survivor garnering media attention and befriending an anti-guns activist, Rowan Aldren (Mia Isaac) at a trauma support group.

Quinn Shephard’s sophomore feature is a decent piece on a terrible human character. For the sake of becoming someone famous, Danni has no qualms resorting to turning the voices of others to her own. And of course, the internet can make you famous and it can also destroy you as well in which the flick is trying to address. However from the perspective of Rowan, a real trauma survivor, the story feels more grounded and believable. And Mia Isaac truly puts in yet another solid performance after Don’t Make Me Go.

Danni Sanders on the other hand lacks a certain credibility in the end even though the story paints her as coming to her senses midway and then loses her marbles again. Maybe Shephard isn’t out to make her a terrible human being after all. There’s a feeble attempt in making a redemption arc for her but the flick ends too abruptly to make any sense out of it.

Not Okay is an okay enough movie that spoke out on the absurdities of today’s society where success, popularity is measured by the number of likes. There are flashes of brilliance though there are parts of that are far too overlong. The opening which has Danni conversing with her boss is excellent and how we wished the entire movie was as sharp as this. Still, Zoey Deutch is more than likeable enough to play an unlikeable character and a bleached Dylan O’Brien did his best portraying a stoner given his limited screentime.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Nagae Jiro
Cast: Yuri Tsunematsu, Eriko Sato, Miyu Honda, Riko, Raiga Terasaka, Tateo Serizawa 
Runtime: 1 hr 22 mins
Rating: NC16 (Horror and Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 August 2022

Synopsis: Based on the true recount of the Japanese urban legend in 2004, “Kisaragi Station”. A girl nicknamed “Hasumi” posted online her strange experiences at “Kisaragi Station”, a train station not found on any map. The messages suddenly stopped and Hasumi was never heard from again. At that time, there was a huge debate online about the truth of her story. It became one of the most famous stories of modern mysterious disappearances even till today. This August, the chilling mysteries of Kisaragi Station will be unveiled on the big screen…

Movie Review:

Set in Japan, Kisaragi Station is based on an urban legend posted on a Japanese forum platform 2ch in 2004, and popularised from the 2010s as people start discussing similar experiences of being transported to another dimension. The story follows a university folklore researcher Tsutsumi Haruna (played by Tsunematsu Yuri) who wanted to get to the truth behind Kisaragi Station. It’s said to be a station which does not exist in the real world, and one that bends the concept of time.

The movie opened with a flashback to when a key character, Hayama Junko (played by Sato Eriko), returned to the real world. It built up towards her retelling the story to Haruna, and her experiences she had in the other world. The movie used pov shooting for the happenings at the other world experienced by Junko, and it was thrilling and reminiscent of survival horror games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

In the other world, there were also supernatural forces which seem to be chasing the characters present together on the train, as they explored the area to find a way back to the real world. The CGI effects used felt very much like the 80s/90s type of effect, which were not that refined nor impressive. However, the intent to use that actually worked well with the story, since it was supposed to be less real-life like, and more fantastical, of what happens in the other world.

As the story progressed, Haruna wanted to test out the theory she had gotten from Junko, in order to get into the other world. Unlike the earlier part of the story that was shot from a first-person perspective, it then evolved to a third-person point of view. The sequences felt similar from the earlier part, but with Haruna knowing exactly what would happen. That laced the story with a bit of humour amidst the heightened sense of horror and threat.

In terms of the quality of horror, there was a mix of the use of ambient horror soundtracks, gore, jump scares and supernatural occurrences. These were used in a fair balance, and complemented the storytelling. While the first half and latter half of the movie shared similar walkthroughs, there were still elements of surprise and plot twist to sustain the story. However, there are certainly some plot holes that went unexplained, but were not crucial anyway.

Overall, it was a fun movie to watch at the cinema, especially with people around you reacting towards the scares. If you’re looking for plot, this is probably not the movie to go-to. However, for a light-hearted and not too overly intense horror movie, your next stop should be Kisaragi Station.

Movie Rating:

(A good mix of first-person and third-person point of view for a fairly comfortable ride to Kisaragi Station)

Review by Tho Shu Ling

SYNOPSIS: In the true story of Thirteen Lives, twelve boys and the coach of a Thai soccer team explore the Tham Luang cave when an unexpected rainstorm traps them in a chamber inside the mountain. Entombed behind a maze of flooded cave tunnels, they face impossible odds. A team of world-class divers navigate through miles of dangerous cave networks to discover that finding the boys is only the beginning. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Understandably, some viewers might dismiss Ron Howard’s dramatization of the real-life Tham Luang cave rescue mission as a cheap cash-on and you are better off watching the documentary. No matter what you think of it, Thirteen Lives is honestly a very sincere retelling of the 2018 ordeal worth catching on the small screen.

With the exception of some minor pared down details according to Howard and screenwriter William Nicholson, Thirteen Lives for the most part remains faithful and under the direction of Howard who gave you Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, the movie turned out to be a harrowing, claustrophobic experience despite the fact that nearly everyone knows about the operation and outcome.

For a start, it doesn’t take long for the adaptation to show you the kids and their coach from a junior football team being trapped in the flooded cave. And it doesn’t take long either for experienced British cave divers John Volanthen (Viggo Mortensen) and Richard Stanton (Colin Farrell) to be activated for the mission when the Thai Navy seals failed to find the boys on their initial attempt. At the same time, the narrative also involved the worried parents, a Thai-American engineer who helps to channel water out of the cave with other volunteering villagers and an outgoing Governor who might end up as the fall guy if things went awry.

It’s definitely a busy movie although the filmmakers pulled off the entire ordeal with such ease and tension that you won’t feel the long running time of nearly two and a half hours. While the white men might come off as saviors and that includes an Australian anesthetist Richard Harris (Joel Edgerton) who plays a major role in it and Chris Jewell (Tom Bateman), there are enough Thai supporting characters and dialogue to make it feel exotic and believable.

To be fair, the viewers didn’t get a full picture of the low-key rescuers as well other than John is an ex-fire fighter, Richard is divorced with a young son and Harris’ dad is hospitalized. Undoubtedly, this is a movie about the harrowing affair and there’s no way Howard is going to allow the story to lose its focus.

Besides the engaging storytelling, the production design on the whole is flawless and you probably can’t tell the movie is shot in both Australia and Thailand. Even the sound design by Michael Fentum and cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom is top notch so remember to get your soundbar ready for an immersive experience.

While there are a few mishaps in Ron Howard’s career, rest assured Thirteen Lives is going to rank among his finest works to date. Without resorting to cheap theatrics and melodrama, the flick is a testament to the human spirit. By far, a movie that surpassed many other theatrical releases this year.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Under the flyovers of Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong live a group of down-and-outs. Despised by local residents, they are regularly forced to relocate due to the city's redevelopment projects. One winter night, a street sweep occurs. Sick of being evicted, Fai and his companion build fences around their living space while a young social worker takes to court demanding compensation for their losses.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Isn’t life miserable enough? laments Ho Kei-fai, the character played by Francis Ng.

Fai is a drug addict who have just released from prison. Returning to join his fellow homeless friends such as Master (Tse Kwan-ho) and Dai Shing (Chu Pak-ho) in Sham Shui Po, Fai find themselves being evicted by police and their possessions being cleared away by road sweepers one night. Though they manage to find an alternative site to setup their makeshift homes again, social worker Ms Ho (Cecilia Choi) suggest they file a lawsuit against the government demanding for both compensation and an official apology.

Given the political unrest of Hong Kong pre-covid, there has been a great surge in social-political theme movies emerging from young HK filmmakers in recent years. From Ten Years, an indie film illustrating the bleak prospects of the ex-British colony to Mad World which deals with mental illness to I’m Livin’ it, a similar theme drama which also talks about the homeless issue in Hong Kong.

Frankly, there’s a lot to digest in a movie liked Drifting. Obviously, it’s not a simple matter of whether this lot of people choses to be homeless or vice versa. Everyone it seems has a story to tell. Master is a Vietnamese refugee who lost touch with his family members. Dai Shing is a self-proclaimed licensed electrician and Taoist priest. Fai seems to have some issues with his son before he died. Interestingly, despite their different backgrounds, all of them have to resort to drugs to conceal their life issues which is ironic.

Then there is Muk (Will Or), a young homeless man who has speech difficulties who befriended Fai with the latter slowly turning into his father figure. As mentioned prior, there’s a lot going on in the near two hours drama though it’s probably unfair to blame it on the screenplay for the lack of a satisfying closure for some of the characters.

Rather than taking a stand in the whole affair, director and screenwriter Jun Li approaches the subject matter with much care and research, offering the widening of wealth gap, a fast developing economy and lack of assistance from the government as perhaps reasons that attribute to the increase number of outcasts. Still, Li has a story to tell and that of course is the lawsuit in which Fai refuses to sign off in the end unless the government agrees to an official apology instead of a mere HK$2000 (roughly worked out to SGD$400) compensation. The poor man has dignity and principle although he is a repeated drug offender.

Ng perfectly nailed the part of an often stoned, dazed Ho Kei-fai, a huge pity considering he lost the Best Actor award in the 40th Hong Kong Film Awards. 80’s starlet Loletta Lee makes a lasting impression as Chan Mui, a lady with a shady past but has now gotten a proper job and a government issued unit. Drifting in short is not an easy watch. It requires a little patience for this drama that touches on the vast difference between the poor, the rich and the invisible. Be it an alcoholic or an addict, fast rising skyscrapers are surely not the reason to resolve it. Life certainly has its fair share of miserable moments maybe a bit of help is all we need in the end.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: From Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation, Luck is a story about Sam Greenfield: the unluckiest person in the world. Suddenly finding herself in the never-before-seen Land of Luck, she must unite with the magical creatures there to turn her luck around.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Expectations would no doubt be high for ‘Luck’, the first film from Skydance Animation that boasts the stewardship of John Lasseter, the former Pixar Animation chief who was ousted in 2017 from the company he co-founded due to allegations of inappropriate workplace behaviour. As Head of Animation at Skydance and a producer of ‘Luck’, Lasseter’s influence on the project is clear not only in its visual style that mixes cutesy stylized animation with near-photorealistic environments but also in how it tries to reflect on the human condition.

And yet it is precisely for this reason that ‘Luck’ ultimately comes off disappointing. Whilst the three-dimensional animation is bright and full of impeccably rendered detail, ‘Luck’ never quite finds sufficient raison d’etre to justify the time spent in the fantastical Land of Luck that much of the plotting takes place in, or for that matter offer the kind of clever observations about how the world works behind the scenes that made ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Monsters, Inc’ so entertaining and insightful at the same time. Indeed, the similarities to these Pixar classics are unmistakable, but the method here feels deliberate and laboured, than inspired and spontaneous.

To its credit though, the protagonist here is somewhat unexpected, an 18-year-old teenager named Sam (voiced by Eva Noblezada) who has spent her whole life in foster home after foster home without ever finding her ‘forever family’. In every other area of life, Sam has also proven to be extremely unlucky: for some inexplicable reason, she cannot make a sandwich without dropping a slice of bread on the floor jelly-side down, or take a shower without knocking over a broom that locks her in the bathroom, or shoot a lip sync video with her “little sister” Hazel without the set crashing down on top of her. And yet if it isn’t obvious, she has taken such misfortune in her stride, without letting it become debilitating.

Sam’s luck changes one day when she meets a black cat named Bob (Simon Pegg) that drops her a lucky penny. Hoping to pass the penny to Hazel before she meets her prospective ‘forever family’ that weekend, Sam unfortunately loses it during an ill-fated visit to the restroom. But instead of getting another penny from Bob, Sam discovers not only that Bob can speak but also that he comes from another world through a glowing green portal, to which she finds herself in the aforementioned Land of Luck resembling the Emerald Isle.

There are undeniably impressive bits here – like how everyday moments such as finding good parking to falling in love are really made from nuggets of good luck by green leprechauns, or how the inverse of that is made by roots and goblins in the form of purple stones – but director Peggy Holmes or screenwriter Kiel Murray (of Pixar’s ‘Cars’) cannot quite sustain the sense of wonder for long. The strain is particularly apparent in how we constantly have to have the in-universe rules explained to us, as well as how Sam and Bob are confronted one after another by a number of tedious tasks whose only purpose appear to be keeping them within that make-believe world.

As the magic fades, ‘Luck’ also fails to substitute it with poignancy. It isn’t hard to guess that the lesson here is about how life is balanced by doses of both good and bad luck, and how we are all shaped by what happens to us, but there is no emotional payoff at the end of it. All that is left for us to partake in is the whimsical creatures and colourful palette of the Good Luck and Bad Luck worlds, including an irresistibly cute gaggle of bunnies in hazmat suits, a dragon with pink scales voiced by Jane Fonda, and a unicorn engineer (Flula Borg) who maintains the luck distribution machine. It is adorable all right, so young kids would at least be visually entertained.

So even though it boasts Lasseter as producer, ‘Luck’ doesn’t quite match up to the greatness of the Pixar classics. That said, Lasseter did only board the project when it was already into production, so whilst his influence is palpable, it is also constrained to a certain extent by an earlier template. ‘Luck’ isn’t bad by any measure, and certainly has its heart in the right place, but its clunky writing eventually dooms it to mediocrity. If this was meant to be the fresh start for Lasseter after his ouster from Pixar, we’d say both Lasseter and Pixar (going by the quality of their works since) have been worse off for it..

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action/War
Director: Kim Han-Min
Cast: Park Hae-Il, Byun Yo-Han, Ahn Sung-Ki, Son Hyun-Joo, Kim Sung-Kyu, Kim Sung-Kyun, Kim Hyang-Gi, Ok Taec-Yeon, Gong Myoung, Park Ji-Hwan
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 August 2022

Synopsis: HANSAN: RISING DRAGON is a historical war epic depicting the Battle of Hansan Island off the southern coast of Korea in July 1592, where Admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated the larger Japanese forces through intelligent tactics and the use of his signature turtle battleship "Geobukseon”.

Movie Review:

Remember a time when we would be awed by blockbusters like Peter Weir’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003), where we could experience epic naval battles on the big screen? Of course, there was also Kevin Reynolds’ Waterworld (1995), which we honestly think wasn’t that bad, considering how the action movie was made almost entirely with practical effects.

It has been a while since we enjoyed the cinematic experience. For viewers who are fans of this genre, you’re in for a treat with this prequel to Kim Han-min’s The Admiral: Roaring Currents. The 2014 movie was a Korean action war movie based on the true life historical Battle of Myeongnyang, with the story centred on naval commander Yi Sun-sin, an admiral and military general well known in history books for winning battles against the Japanese navy during the Imjin war in the Joseon Dynasty. The box office surpassed James Cameron’s Avatar’s record of 13 million viewers, and became the most watched and highest grossing local movie. It also went on to pick up prizes at several film awards.

Kim returns to direct this entertaining flick depicts the historical Battle of Hansan, an event which took place before the Battle of Myeongnyang. Taking over Choi Min-sik who played Admiral Yi is Park Hae-il, and he plays a younger version of the famed naval commander with ease. The year is 1592 and Wakisaka (Byun Yo-han) has successfully led Japanese forces to drive the Korean army from the capital and into retreat. Admiral Yi’s troops remain standing, and with the Japanese approaching his base, he has to come up with a plan to fight off the enemy.

The first half of the 129 minute movie may be a little dreary for some viewers, as the story takes its time to pan out the events that took place before the epic battle. Countless characters are introduced and their names are flashed on screen. However, without much knowledge of Korean history, you may be lost (it doesn’t help that the men in their period costumes look very similar) as most of them are minor characters that you may miss or never see again as the movie progresses. Expectedly, the story is largely dominated by male characters, and the actress that gets some screen time is Kim Hyang-gi, who does a good job at leaving an impression although she has no spoken lines.

When the battle finally begins, you get almost an hour of non stop action that mostly takes place on sea. It is an impressive spectacle and you will have your eyes glued on screen as the Koreans and Japanese execute their plans, with both sides experiencing ups and downs as the grand showdown takes place. You can feel the sweat of the men rowing the big ships, and the rising tension as the captains see enemy fleets inch closer to their ships. You’ll want to cheer when the Admiral Yi’s bulky and intimidating turtle ships make their entrance, bulldozing their way through the choppy sea to take down the Japanese.

The action doesn’t end with this movie. Kim’s plan of bringing the Yi Sun-sin trilogy to life concludes with the third instalment Noryang: Seaof Death, based on Battle of Noryang, which is scheduled for release next year.

Movie Rating:

(The epic sea battles are a sheer delight to experience on the big screen)

Review by John Li

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Nico van den Brink
Cast: Sallie Harmsen, Alexandre Willaume, Anneke Blok, Fred Goessens, Markoesa Hamer, Ad van Kempen
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Sexual Scene)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 August 2022

Synopsis: Betriek lives a quiet life with her family at the edge of a peat bog. When one night they are attacked by a random stranger, Betriek sets out to find an explanation. But the deeper she digs, the more she becomes convinced something ancient is after her and her loved ones.

Movie Review:

As far as folk horrors go, ‘Moloch’ is a mixed bag.

On one hand, director and co-writer Nico van den Brink builds an absorbing sense of place with the use of fog and shadows, setting up the quaint Dutch village where ancient corpses have been recently uncovered, disrupting the idyllic life that young single mother Betriek (Sallie Harmsen) has been enjoying with her parents in their family house on the edge of a bog.

On the other, Brink, who co-wrote the movie with Daan Bakker, does his movie no favours by keeping the narrative fairly straightforward, even as it tries to spin an intriguing legend about a young servant girl and her deal with the titular heathen god centuries ago that still curses the land till present day. We won’t give any more away, but suffice to say that its resolution will ring familiar to anybody who’s ever seen a horror film based on a folk tale.

That it is Brink’s feature filmmaking debut doesn’t go far enough to compensate for the shortcomings in his plotting, in particular how he fails to fully invest in the horror elements of the movie. Brink tries too hard to fashion a character-driven piece by outlining Betriek’s issues with her family and budding relationship with archaeological researcher Jonas (Alexandre Willaume), but cannot quite establish sufficient emotional heft for us to relate to Betriek’s circumstances. Too little time is spent developing the imminent threat which Betriek faces, especially how her family is inexorably linked to the fate of the young servant girl.

It doesn’t help that unnecessary time is spent on the subplot concerning the team of researchers which Jonas leads, who have travelled to the village in order to study the corpses that have been uncovered in a surprisingly well-preserved state. As much as some of them will be harbinger of the fate that Betriek and her family will have to confront, their presence is more distracting than fulfilling, and could otherwise be omitted for a stronger and more compelling build-up to the ghoulish climax.

Because of these flaws, ‘Moloch’ ends up losing your interest by the halfway mark, such that the second half is a trudge towards a predictable finish. If there is one thing in its favour, it is its lead star Harmsen, who embodies not just the trauma of a woman haunted by her childhood past but also the resourceful and steel of a survivor. Some may recognise her as the female replicant from ‘Blade Runner 2049’, but you can mark our words that Hollywood will come knocking soon to offer something much bigger for this stunning Dutch actress.

At best therefore, ‘Moloch’ is a competent genre effort that you wouldn’t mind watching from the comfort of your living room; that probably explains why it was released in the United States via the VOD streaming service Shudder. So unless you simply want to kill time in a darkened cinema hall, we’d recommend you save yourself from being ultimately underwhelmed.

Movie Rating:

(Neither a fully-cooked horror nor a compelling character-driven drama, 'Moloch' is at best a competent genre effort with evocative atmosphere)

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Jamie Foxx stars as a hard working blue collar dad who just wants to provide a good life for his quick-witted daughter, but his mundane San Fernando Valley pool cleaning job is a front for his real source of income, hunting and killing vampires as part of an international Union of vampire hunters.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Everything else pales in comparison to the excellent stuntwork in Day Shift, the vampire hunting flick starring Jamie Foxx. Not a surprise considering that it is directed by veteran stunt coordinator and stuntman J.J. Perry.

In the grand tradition of Fright Night and Evil Dead, Day Shift mixes elements of horror, action and comedy into this enjoyable yet forgettable romp. Foxx plays a pool cleaner, Bud Jablonski, but in actual fact, he is a vampire hunter in contemporary California. Driving a beat up Chevrolet, he goes around the neighbourhood looking for vampires to hunt and selling their fangs on the black market for some quick cash.

When Bud’s ex-wife decides to relocate to Florida with their young daughter due to some financial problems, Bud figures out the only way is to join back the vampire hunting union to pay the bills. Granted a second chance, Bud has to work only the day shift and also has to bring along an union rep, Seth (Dave Franco) along to keep him in check, not realising a powerful female vampire Audrey (Karla Souza) is out to get him.

Instead of a plain horror remake, Day Shift goes for broke by hiring a well-known face, throws him in an original but disposable familiar story, and surrounds him with breakneck action set pieces. The script by Tyler Tice and Shay Hatten is unimaginative, though it has a lot of potential if developed into a long-running series. There’s mention of intriguing vampire species and clans, something Seth keeps mouthing but audiences rarely see. Even Audrey is an interesting villain who has hatched a clever plan of buying up LA properties for her vampires to populate.

Rather than concentrating on the clever bits, Perry and his team unspool a series of non-stop inventive action sequences which feature countless contortion vampires meeting their gory deaths and a prolonged car chase which will make Michael Bay proud. And there is a tongue-in-cheek sequence which has action star Scott Adkins making a cameo as one half of the vampire killing Nazarian brothers, Diran.

If you love bloody, gory action, then there is a lot to relish here; though as a word of caution, there’s nothing horror or anything remotely scary. Though it’s a role that doesn’t require an ounce of his acting talent, Foxx as always is charismatic while Dave Franco mainly acts as the movie’s comic relief. Rapper Snoop Dogg appears as Big John, a cowboy style vampire hunter that adds some amusement to the whole affair.

While arguably unnecessary, Day Shift is nonetheless silly and entertaining.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee