Genre: Drama
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Benny Safdie, Michael Angarano, Josh Hartnett, Kenneth Branagh
Runtime: 3 hrs
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 20 July 2023

Synopsis: Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX-shot epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it.

Movie Review:

‘Oppenheimer’ is Christopher Nolan’s first biopic, but it’s evident why Nolan was drawn to this tale of an “American Prometheus”. That reference doesn’t come from Nolan though; instead, it was authors Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin who referred to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s triumph and tragedy as akin to that Greek god’s fate. Anyone familiar with Nolan’s works though will recognise the similarity between his real-life protagonist here and his fictional protagonists from his previous works – like Jessica Chastain’s Murphy Cooper in ‘Interstellar’ or Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dom in ‘Inception’, Oppenheimer is likewise grappling with the burden of his genius.

That burden is the crux of this sprawling three-hour epic. As the architect of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer was celebrated for his scientific achievement, and praised as a hero for ending the war; yet equally, he was wracked by guilt over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the implications it would have on the United States’ relationships with both its allies and enemies. And in the titular role is one of Nolan’s favourite character actors, Cillian Murphy, who delivers a career-topping performance – besides being commanding throughout, what truly stands out is Murphy’s portrayal of the complex emotions that rage beneath his character’s deceptively silent, still centre.

Right from the beginning, Nolan establishes two timelines along which the movie unfolds. Along one timeline – in colour, and with the opening text reading ‘Fission’ – is the story of Oppenheimer’s formative years, spanning his time in Cambridge studying theoretical physics, his teaching foray at Berkeley where he meets fellow physicist Ernest Lawrence (Josh Hartnett), his dabbling into left-wing politics due to the influence by his younger brother Frank (Dylan Arnold), and his affair with Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) and eventual marriage to Kitty (Emily Blunt).

It is also during this time that he learns of the German’s breakthrough with nuclear fission, and when Hitler invades Poland, setting the stage therefore for his recruitment by Gen. Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) and Lt. Colonel Kenneth Nichols (Dane DeHaan) to be the director of the Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb for the United States. To do so, Oppenheimer will lead a team at Los Alamos, New Mexico, becoming “founder, mayor and sheriff” of a community of thousands of researchers and family members over a three-year period.

The culmination of this is the Trinity test, where a plutonuium device named Gadget would be dropped from the top of a 100-foot tower to the ground. Nolan’s proclamation that no CGI was used in the making of this movie makes his staging of the Trinity sequence even more truly shock-and-awesome. Just as impressive is how Nolan builds towards that countdown sequence, starting with the construction of the tower, the assembly of the Gadget and hoisting it above ground, the unexpected bad weather just the night before, and the minutes and seconds leading up to the push of a red button that would lead to its detonation.

Along the other timeline – in black and white, and labelled ‘Fusion’ – sees an agitated Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr) about to go through a Senate confirmation hearing before his appointment into President Truman’s cabinet as commerce secretary. An early scene shows how Strauss had tried to recruit Oppenheimer to a position in Princeton, but is rebuffed with a condescending remark about Strauss’ past as a shoe salesman, and is equally snubbed by Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) shortly after. We shan’t spoil the details for those not already familiar with the story, but let’s just say it is this third act that cements Oppenheimer as a tragic hero.

Much has also been said about how Nolan had written the screenplay in the first-person, and say what you may, ‘Oppenheimer’ is a compelling character study. Nolan paints Oppenheimer as a man who delights in paradoxes but who was equally wracked by the paradox of having created a weapon with grave implications for the world. In particular, the gravity of his invention becomes undeniable after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, and Oppenheimer is irrevocably transformed by his role in the creation of weapons of mass destruction and therefore motivated to raise the alarm about the dangers of nuclear war, even if it meant martyring himself.

Besides being about the man himself, ‘Oppenheimer’ is also a reflection of the politics of the era, as well as of our current times. Strauss represents the worst of what this transformational scientific discovery became – the ability to hang onto power, to unleash it, and to show that might can ultimately determine what and who is right. It is no secret that the ramifications of the atomic bomb extended firstly to the Cold War between the United States and Russia, and subsequently to the arms race that followed, as well as the current apocalyptic outcome everyone fears could come out of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

So indeed, ‘Oppenheimer’ is – per Paul Schrader’s words – the “most important film this century”. In the hands of Nolan, one of the most masterful filmmakers of this generation, ‘Oppenheimer’ is a deeply intriguing study of ideas, contradictions and philosophical quandaries, and of egos, talents and temperaments. It is not easy to compress four decades of a luminary’s life into three hours, but Nolan does just that beautifully, mixing time frames, narrative arcs and a whole ensemble of supporting characters to tell the story of the father of the atomic bomb. It is a film of magnitude, profundity and dazzling artistry, one exceptionally told cautionary tale in how we, like Oppenheimer, have embraced the bomb to “become death, the destroyers of worlds”.

Movie Rating:

(A film of magnitude, profundity and dazzling artistry, 'Oppenheimer' is both a compelling character study and a sharp political tale, and is easily Christopher Nolan's most important film)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Josh Harnett, Cary Elwes, Hugh Grant 
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: PG13 (Coarse Language and Some Violence)
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 January 2023

Synopsis: In OPERATION FORTUNE: RUSE DE GUERRE, Super Spy Orson Fortune (Jason Statham) must track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology wielded by billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds (Hugh Grant). Reluctantly teamed with some of the world’s best operatives (Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Bugzy Malone), Fortune and his crew recruit Hollywood’s biggest movie star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett) to help them on their globe-trotting undercover mission to save the world.

Movie Review:

And why shouldn’t every guy yearn to be as manly as Jason Statham? The action star is tough, suave and gritty. He is also witty when he spouts deadpan one liner punchlines in his English accent. For someone who is 55 years old, he is in very good shape. As a guy, you’d want him to be your buddy. As a lady, you’d want him to be your partner so you’ll always feel safe. In his latest movie, Statham effortlessly shows us what he’s got, and delivers two hours of solid entertainment.

If you’ve seen the actor in action thriller movies like the Transporter and The Expendables series, as well as box office success hits from the Fast & Furious franchise, his character in this movie directed by Guy Ritchie is pretty much the same. He plays Orson Fortune, a super spy who is responsible for saving the world from baddies. Under the direction of a government official (Cary Elwes), he teams up with two competent spies played by Aubrey Plaza and Bugzy Malone, and they are on a mission to, well, save the world.

In the mix are two other notable characters portrayed by familiar faces. There is Greg Simmonds, a billionaire (Hugh Grant, whom for sure isn’t playing the charming leading man from Notting Hill) who is involved in some shady firearms deal, and Danny Francesco, a famous movie star (Josh Hartnett, putting his good natured goofiness to good use here) who gets embroiled in the misadventure simply because Greg is his biggest fan.

If you enjoy movies like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000) and The Gentlemen (2019), then you’ll be in for a treat with Ritchie’s latest ensemble piece that brings you 117 minutes of exciting cat and mouse chases, lavish sequences featuring exotic locations and adrenaline filled action scenes, courtesy of Statham and his trustworthy hard punches. The English filmmaker knows how to direct a crime comedy filled with entertaining action elements. Here, the pacing is on point and there isn’t a dull moment.

It’s unlikely that you will watch this crime caper to appreciate a well written story, or to be inspired by Statham’s, or for that matter, any of the cast members’ acting. Just look at Grant and Hartnett’s silly roles here. The movie is meant to be a fun trip to the cinema to be reminded of the old school spy flicks that purely delivered entertainment to its audiences. In fact, we’d be thrilled if Orson Fortune gets his own spy movie franchise.

We aren’t sure whether the movie would be a hit though, especially when it was pulled from its original release date in early 2022. It is likely because the story features Ukrainian gangsters, which might be insensitive to the ongoing Russo Ukrainian war. The movie is likely to be released via a streaming service domestically, while the rest of the world gets to see it on the big screen.

Let’s hope Ritchie has plans to make more of such fun crime action flicks, and cast Statham as his leading man. The world needs more of such tough dudes who throw mean punches and won't back down in the face of challenges.

Movie Rating:

(Guy Ritchie delivers another solid and entertaining crime caper featuring the ever-reliable tough guy Jason Statham)

Review by John Li

Genre: Comedy
Director: Julian Chou
Cast: Kimi Hsia, Gemma Wu, Tiara Huang
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/mm2taiwan/

Opening Day: 29 December 2022

Synopsis: With the decline of the AV industry, Liz Ai Ai and Berry are forced to their wit’s end and join a wrestling club, where its owner sees their potential and decides to form a pro wrestling group together with Icy. Though the three initially do not get along, their team starts gaining great popularity. But all that is put to test with rivalries, injuries, and more financial issues. Can their team bounce back successfully?

Movie Review:

The first scene of this comedy takes place in a Japanese movie studio. Our female protagonists Liz Ai Ai (Kimi Hsia) and Berry(Gemma Wu) are in the midst of the filming a sequence from an AV movie. They are spouting Japanese dialogue and making moaning noises. They are scantily clad and in compromising positions. With two other men, the ladies attempt to pull off a human centipede style.

Yup, you read that right. You get to see the above ‘action’ scenes within the first 10 minutes of the Taiwanese movie. Before you start wondering what you actually agreed to watch in the cinema, you’ll be glad (or unsatisfied for some, maybe?) that this is the most outrageous sequence you’d get from the 107 minute movie. These opening scenes (which end hilariously, of course) are also probably what got the comedy a M18 rating, because the rest of the movie is actually rather heartwarming.

After things end on a funny but disastrous note for Liz Ai Ai and Berry, they head back home to Taiwanand find themselves joining a female wrestling club. No surprises for guessing how they used their AV actress personalities in the ring, much to the displeasure of their teammates. But hey, would you blame the two of them considering the miserable audiences in the crowd are all men? As expected, words spread and the female wrestling club becomes a popular hangout spot for the guys.

Along the way, we are introduced to other characters in the team. There is the headstrong member (Tiara Huang) who is taking the sport very seriously because she wants to turn pro, the oversized girl who is responsible for bringing the laughs, the high achiever who hustles in the stock market, the foreign bride who advocates peace, and the cheerful one who tries her best to unite the group. As the movie progresses, we find out their reasons for joining the club. They are led by a gungho woman played by famous TV host Tsao Lan.

The men are taking a step back in this female oriented movie. Charles Tu has a minor role as a fishmonger who fancies Hsia’s Liz Ai Ai, while Ray Chang plays her ex boyfriend. Another familiar face in Taiwanese showbiz Jack Na portrays a woman stuck in a man’s body – and it’s a sub plot where you can’t be sure whether it’s appropriate to laugh so loudly at.

The ensemble cast led by Hsia, Wu and Huang is game, and it sure feels like the girls had a fun time on set, bonding over the wrestling scenes that probably left them with countless bruises. The movie is directed by Julian Chou, who is known for managing Taiwanese celebrities like Austin Lin and Ariel Lin - and that probably explains their cameo appearances.

There are plenty of gags which you’ll enjoy if you are in the mood to be entertained. Some of them may be pure slapstick, but you have to give credit to the filmmakers for catching the moment to tickle your funny bones. Ultimately, this is a movie that has a positive message to share – one that reminds you how dreams are often achieved after several rounds of struggles and tears.  

Movie Rating:

(A very entertaining movie that will bring on the laughs)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: You’re invited to put the pieces together. In the follow-up to Rian Johnson's Knives Out, Detective Benoit Blanc travels to Greece to peel back the layers of a mystery involving a new cast of colorful suspects. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

Although we are still trying to figure out why Daniel Craig prefer to phase out his James Bond character and heaping praises on his Benoit Blanc private detective character, Craig is back teaming up with writer and director Rian Johnson for his second Blanc outing and this time the crime is set in a lush Greek island that boasts cutting edge design and a building called “Glass Onion”.

Eccentric tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) has invited his bunch of five friends whom he dubbed the “disruptors” to his private island over the weekend for a game of murder mystery. His disruptors include has-been airhead fashion icon, Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), Twitch streamer Duke (Dave Bautista), his girlfriend Whisky (Madelyn Cline), Connecticut governor Claire Della (Kathryn Hahn), Bron’s top scientist, Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Cassandra “Andi” Brand (Janelle Monae), Bron’s ex-girlfriend and business partner whom he had a very public fallout. And lastly of course, the Southern-accented detective Benoit Blanc.

As always with any other whodunnit mystery, the suspects are quickly established. In the case of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, even the motives are revealed quite early on. But yet, like a piece of stubborn onion, there are layers and layers to the truth and Johnson appears to overly indulge in his desire to deliver some social commentary to the whole shenanigans that the entire first act is deliberate and plodding.

Despite the star-studded cast, none of the stars are playing any characters that are worth any ounce of empathy. Birdie Jay no offence is an airhead who has problem understanding even the word “sweatshop”. Duke is a trigger-happy, macho man who needs to pimp out his girlfriend in order to boast his career. Bron’s sponsored Governor Claire Della is concerned about her friend’s latest nonsensical hydrogen powered plan. In short, most of Bron’s friends are here for his money except Andi whom of course makes the whole movie far more interesting than it should be.

Of course, Norton shines as the douchebag billionaire/IT genius. Maybe he is trying his best to pull off a Elon Musk/Steve Jobs impersonation and he certainly succeeds in this case. Craig on the other hand needs a little get used to despite it’s his second attempt in doing a role specialising in detective sleuthing than jumping off buildings and firing off automatic weapons at every given opportunity. Janelle Monae deserved the highest accolades although the least said, the better for her character.

While Johnson has been criticised heavily by long-time Star Wars fans for his work on The Last Jedi, the Looper filmmaker is obviously more at ease constructing his maze like plotting, varying characters perspective and tricky flashbacks in his Knives Out franchise. With the help of his regular collaborator, editor Bob Ducsay, Johnson assembled a mystery thriller full of twists and humour tailored for the millennials and a touch of “Clue” for the old-timers.

If the first Knives Out is one of your favourite flicks in 2019 or you love any of Hercule Poirot’s outings then you shouldn’t miss this whodunnit sequel. We wouldn’t classify this as a clever mystery that fry your brains but a fun outing nevertheless. On a side note, Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke appears briefly. The former probably Blanc’s roommate or partner and the latter in a covid-19 related gag.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Drama
Director: Todd Field
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Julian Glover, Allan Corduner, Mark Strong
Runtime: 2 hrs 38 mins
Rating: M18 (Some Homosexual Content)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 26 January 2023

Synopsis: From writer-producer-director Todd Field comes TÁR, starring Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, the groundbreaking conductor of a major German Orchestra. We meet Tár at the height of her career, as she’s preparing both a book launch and much-anticipated live performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Over the ensuing weeks her life begins to unravel in a singularly modern way. The result is a searing examination of power, and its impact and durability in today’s society. 

Movie Review:

This writer is ashamed to admit that he pretended to understand the intellectual talk that took place in the first few scenes of this film that received widespread crucial acclaim.

We first meet female conductor Lydia Tár at The New Yorker Festival, where she is interviewed by Adam Gopnik (the writer of The New Yorker magazine plays himself). The annual event is known to bring together prominent figures, so we know Tár is probably a who’s who in the arts scene. The two of them discuss profound topics and themes, and we know that Tár has a few exciting projects in the pipeline.

Then we see Tár having a business lunch with an investment banker who also dabbles in the arts as an amateur conductor. They talk about technical techniques and the business side of the music scene. After that, Tár teaches a class at the prestigious JulliardSchool, and the long take sees our protagonist challenging her students to appreciate music beyond superficiality. One particular student gets roasted rather badly in the process.

From the first three scenes, this reviewer almost believed that Tár is a real life figure, or at least based on someone in the arts scene. There is much of this character to admire, and as someone who believes that he can understand art, this writer’s mind was boggled by concepts and themes which the dialogues between Tár and her audiences. But how much he truly understands is, well, a doubt.

Then as the film progresses, we realise that the screenplay by Todd Field isn’t about the greatness of the arts. In fact, it illustrates how phoney (and shady, for that matter) things can be in the industry. Above all, it is an intimate and intense look at an individual’s rise and fall in today’s state of things (you can expect social media to f*** Tár up pretty badly).

It won't be the easiest movie for most viewers to sit through. The film’s runtime is 158 minutes, which means you’ll be stuck in your seat for more than two and a half hours if you are not the type who visits the washroom (or walks out of the theatre if you are bored) during a movie. If you are ready to be emotionally invested, the film is sinisterly captivating in most scenes. Without spoiling the film, get ready to see Tár grapple with her downfall and break into pieces. You aren’t sure whether to empathise, sympathise or laugh at her demise.

The actress in the spotlight is Cate Blanchett. Her performance is undeniably spectacular – it is easily the best in her already impressive filmography. For the demanding role, Blanchett learnt how to speak German, conduct an orchestra and play the piano. Technical skills aside, the actress puts on a fine display of emotions throughout the film to engage your senses. We do hope she clinches the Best Actress prize at the 95th Academy Awards, where the film is also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.

This is only Field’s third directorial feature film (his last one was 2006’s Little Children), and it was reported that there were many unrealised projects over the 16 years. If every creative endeavour from the American filmmaker is as brilliant as this psychological drama, we hope that we won’t have to wait too long to be blown away by his next work.

Movie Rating:

(Be blown away by Cate Blanchett's riveting performance, then watch in amusement and horror as her character falls apart in this scathing yet relevant film)

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama
Director: Ahn Tae Jin
Cast: Yoo Hae Jin, Ryu Joon-Yeol
Runtime: 1 hr 58 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures and Clover Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 12 January 2023

Synopsis: Kyeong-Soo (Ryoo Joon-Yeol) is a blind acupuncturist. He is unable to see anything during the daytime, but, strangely, he is able to see like a normal person at night. One evening, Kyeong-Soo happens to witness the death of the crown prince. This death leads King Injo (Yu Hae-Jin) into madness. Kyeong-Soo attempts to reveal the truth behind the crown prince’s death.

Movie Review:

While night vision is something people typically wouldn’t mind having, for Kyeong-Soo (Ryoo Joon-Yeol), the term couldn’t have taken a worse turn. In the period drama The Night Owl, he is an acupuncturist with the said ability; except in his case, it renders him blind during the day, and attaining only somewhat of a normal vision in the dark.

This isn’t always a bad thing. For one, the gifted man has found his enhanced senses of hearing and touch giving him an edge in his practice - eventually landing him a chance to work in the Royal Physician’s team in the palace. Other than the prestige, the job also lands him a salary good enough to buy him the necessary medicine to heal the heart condition of his only other kin - his younger brother. With such motivation, Kyeong-Soo looks set.

As all palace intrigue will go, the relationships there put our protagonist in a spot several times. Choosing to withhold the fact that he can see in the dark, he comes across chance encounters that make for awkward reactions. Some of these are cheeky, like the forbidden romance between servants, while others are potentially risky, like when he spotted a young prince washing his pants from wetting himself. He pretends in these situations not to see, and all goes well for a month. Just as Kyeong-Soo is about to return home for a short break after his probation, bringing his brother valuable medicine gifted by the Crown Prince, things begin to fall apart.

This semi-fictional story actually has roots in South Korea’s history. During the Joseon dynasty, Crown Prince Sohyeon returned after being released as a hostage by the Manchus, but shortly died of mysterious circumstances after his return. The Night Owl injects the role of the talented acupuncturist as a witness to the events that led up to the death of the beloved prince, and how he fights with his priorities to offer up a fair resolution.

Director Ahn Tae Jin offers up a morality tale that sits surprisingly well amongst the court. Within the short span of the film, he not only cultivates enough of the traditional and forward-thinking perspectives between the courts to establish friction, but manages to sneak in philosophical turns between sight, vision and action - separating the power of each and delivering the irony as well. A commoner may have the proof and power to speak the truth, but the ones in power render them helpless anyway - even if sometimes they need that truth. So the tug-of-war between playing the part of a pawn or taking charge with a voice becomes key to how history will unfold.

Simple but powerful, The Night Owl is likely to be a sleeper hit for being rather nondescript. But those who catch it will be surprised by not only a moving tale, but also some exciting sequences, both from cat-and-mouse chases and the shenanigans as characters make their calculated moves. There’s a few surprises, plenty of solid acting from the cast, and a reasonable plot that sits easy to enjoy. The choice to see it is yours and thankfully, a Kingdom doesn’t depend on it.

Movie Rating:

(Likely a sleeper hit for the quiet marketing, the film is great for those who love their period drama injected with historic truth, as well as those who love a flight of fancy for the imaginative premise and characterisation)

Review by Morgan Awyong

SYNOPSIS: Bruce Willis stars as veteran Detective James Knight, dedicated to navigating the demanding streets of Los Angeles, in this thrilling first of a trilogy of films. As the city prepares for Halloween, mask-wearing armed robbers critically wound Knight’s partner in a shootout following a heist. With Knight in hot pursuit, the bandits flee L.A. for New York, where the detective’s dark past collides with his present case and threatens to tear his world apart…unless redemption can claim Knight first.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Edward John Drake and Corey Large, two names famous for making countless indie action movies with Bruce Willis is back doing a crime trilogy with him, the supposedly last on-screen appearances of the superstar who suffers from a brain condition.

If you have been following Drake and Large’s body of works which include Breach, Apex, Cosmic Sin and American Siege, you know you won’t be impressed by their latest, Detective Knight: Rogue.

A group of ex-football players led by Casey Rhodes (Beau Mirchoff) are wanted by Detective Knight (Willis) and Detective Sango (Jimmy Jean-Louis) for stealing money from a security truck and hurting Knight’s partner in the process. In actual fact, Casey and his gang are working for an ex-bookie, Winna (Michael Eklund) and their next planned heist is stealing a precious football trading card in an auction.

The dynamic team of Drake and Large even throws in a backstory of Knight which is somewhat clumsily linked to Winna. As to why Winna has to resort to using a bunch of disgruntled football players and commit a felony to steal a card that is worth only US$2 million in the end is everyone’s guess.

To be fair, Detective Knight: Rogue clearly does have more effort put in than the rest of their low-budget productions. For a start, the cinematography and editing are more than decent this time round. There is more depth to the characters especially Casey Rhodes and his partners, Michael (Wayne Gretsky) and Sykes (Keeya Keeyes), athletes who no longer has a part to play in today’s society after being ousted.

Still, viewers are here to watch a certain Bruce Willis and unfortunately, you won’t get to see a variation of John McClane or Mr Church ever again. Like it or not, the entire story is built around the character of Casey Rhodes giving Willis the usual limited screentime as he appears intermittently talking mostly to Detective Sango and firing a few shots in the opening sequence.

Drake and Large again employed the same tactic as per their Bruce Willis productions that is leaving the finale “action” sequence to Willis but making it absolutely efficient and ridiculous that everything is conveniently wrapped up within minutes.

There is obviously not much of a tension or excitement to talk about in a movie liked Detective Knight: Rogue despite Detective Knight being a colourful, rogue character which is not given the chance to shine or develop. Perhaps it’s largely due to Willis’ condition or budgetary concerns. Anyway, for a flick that is supposedly the first of a trilogy, this doesn’t ring much of a confidence.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy
Director: Matt Lai
Cast: Mark Lee, Jack Lim, Patricia Mok, Henry Thia, Jaspers Lai, Grace Teo, Gan Mei Yan, Hao Ren, Yuan Teng 
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Drug References)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 19 January 2023

Synopsis: The story begins when Godfather, a criminal genius, breaks out of prison and entrust a powerful gangster lord (Big Boss) with a mission called the "Lottery Heist". Chao Yan Fatt is a veteran actor. He has a daughter who suffers from heart disease and needs a huge sum of money for heart bypass surgery and treatment. Chao and his friend Bao accidentally find themselves involved in the Lottery Heist mission and they become members of the heist team. The objective of the mission is to change the lottery machine and modify the lotto balls, to rig the final result and win the grand prize of 100 million. The mission starts when the heist team sneaks into the lottery company, steals the lottery machine’s secret information and makes an artificial machine to replace the original one. The entire operation process is not only adventurous but also hilarious. Meanwhile, police officer Ted quietly leads the police force to stop the operation while Big Boss hatches a plot to kill all the heist members after the mission. A battle of wits, who will finally win the grand lottery prize?

Movie Review:

Good intentions do not always a good film make. If you need further proof of that adage, look no further than ‘What! the Heist’. Indeed, it is laudable that the filmmakers wanted to break the mould of the usual Chinese New Year movie (or ‘贺岁片’), but this clumsy caper has barely any entertainment value, and is hardly befitting of the genre references of ‘Going in Style’, ‘Now You See Me 2’ and ‘Ocean’s Eight’ which it says that it aspires to.

Right from the beginning, you’d recognise just how witty the storytelling will be. Following a prologue which informs us how career thief Goh Fatt Choi (Jack Lim) was sentenced to three years in jail for a financial scam worth USD$40 million, we see how Choy Gor breaks out of his prison cell by trying to use his middle finger to reach the keypad outside the door, before finally accomplishing it with his toes on a handstand. What about his getaway? Well, that’s taken care of after the two guards outside the prison are knocked unconscious by his sexy accomplice Bangkok (Ahirine Ahirudin).

It hardly gets any funnier or smarter than that – neither in how Choy Gor devises a plan to steal the blueprint of Lotto 168’s lottery machine that is in the company’s secret darkroom, or how they eventually manage to pull off their scam despite not being able to switch out the company’s machine with their own rigged dummy replica. Without giving away any spoilers, let’s just say Choy Gor’s plan includes recruiting his former buddy Chao Yan Fatt (Mark Lee) for the mission, an almost Golden Horse Award-winning actor who has fallen far from his glory days.

Is it any surprise that part of their supposedly ingenuous plan is a honey trap? What makes it worse is how poorly executed it is, with Yan Fatt’s neighbour Ah Hua (Patricia Mok) deploying her former Miss Katong Shopping Centre 1985 charms to seduce Lotto 168’s head of security in order to pilfer his key card to access the CEO’s office where the darkroom is. Just as uninspired is how Fatt uses drinks laced with laxative to get rid of the pair of guards at the incinerator where the company’s lotto balls are disposed of, in order to hand over a rigged set of lotto balls to the head of security for use during the fateful lottery draw.

How the company’s head of security just happens to be Ah Hua’s suitor isn’t the only lazy coincidence; there is also how Fatt’s daughter Fan Fan’s condition, who has a hole in her heart and is in need of surgery, suddenly takes a turn for the worse at a crucial juncture of their plan, leading Choy Gor and his fellow mastermind Big Boss (Henry Thia) to suspect that Fatt had intentionally betrayed them. Speaking of coincidences, we'd add that there is an uncanny deus-ex-machina here that seems lifted off the original ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, reinforcing just how unimaginative the whole enterprise is.

It says a lot when the most humourous bits are the three segments that intentionally parody scenes from three classic Hong Kong movies, including ‘Infernal Affairs’, ‘In The Mood for Love’ and ‘Ip Man’. To his credit, Mark Lee makes the best of each of these parodies, but it is lamentable when the movie’s best bits are when it makes fun of such classics. Equally, it says a lot when the absolutely versatile Lee is unable to inject much life into the lifeless script, whether his thinly written character or the bland lines of dialogue that are meant to be funny but fall flat.

Whilst those in Malaysia would be more familiar with Lim, the actor hardly does himself any favours among viewers who do not quite know him by his bland performance here. The same can be said of the annoying Bao Ya Gu (Jaspers Lai), the unnecessary stuttering hacker Darren (Haoren), or the barely present Hong Jie (Mei Yan). There is also an absolutely dumb subplot involving the police’s pursuit of Choy Gor, led by the exasperatingly incompetent Ted (Yuan Teng), who gets a silly recurring joke about his tendency to accidentally stab his colleague’s hand with a pencil while gesticulating about Choy.

As good-intentioned as director Matt Lai and his co-scriptwriter Jaspers Lai were in making a uncharacteristic Chinese New Year film, ‘What! The Heist’ is quite the absolute misfire that cannot be redeemed by any goodwill. Sorry to everyone involved, the only reaction/ response we had to the film after sitting through 104 minutes of utter inanity was ‘What the F**k!’

Movie Rating:

(No amount of goodwill can save this good-intentioned but absolute misfire of a caper comedy that has hardly any entertainment value, for Chinese New Year or otherwise)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Drama
Director: Jin Ong
Cast: Wu Kang Ren, Jack Tan, Serene Lim, Tan Kim Wang, Bront Palarae, April Chan
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website:

Opening Day: 11 January 2024

Synopsis: Abang (older brother) and Adi (younger brother) are native Malaysians but have been living without ID cards. They are stranded at Pudu, which has an ancient wet market. They cannot enjoy the rights and welfare of ordinary citizens, nor can they apply for passports and bank accounts. Abang, the older brother, was born mute and his only goal in life is to work hard and seek a stable life. Adi, on the other hand, is unwilling to resign to his fate and is involved in selling fake IDs, aiming to make fast money and move out with Abang. A kind and enthusiastic social worker named Jia En tried her best to help the brothers apply for a legal identity card. However, a fatal accident happens and places Abang and Adi in dire straits.

Movie Review:

The hype is real. Much has been reported about Wu Kang Ren’s performance in this Malaysian movie, but you need to watch it for yourself on the largest screen possible to feel its emotional impact. You will then understand why the Taiwanese actor has been getting rave reviews for his latest film appearance.

The 41 year old actor has been recognised at several film awards for his portrayal as Abang, a deaf mute person without an identification card. This includes the Best Actor accolade at the prestigious Golden Horse Awards held last November, where he was a first time nominee. The 15 second nomination clip played during the award ceremony blew audiences away, especially for those who haven’t watched the film.

Malaysian filmmaker Jin Ong’s debut feature (which he also wrote) puts the spotlight on Abang and his younger brother Adi (Malaysian actor singer Jack Tan, who garnered a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Golden Horse Awards), two stateless individuals who try their best to make ends meet while a social worker (Serene Lim) tirelessly finds ways to get the government to issue them identification cards. The older Abang is down to earth and makes an honest living by taking on odd jobs in Kuala Lumpur’s Pasar Pudu wet market. The younger and more impulsive Adi breaks the law and gets involved in human trafficking which gives him some quick money. He also receives money from an older woman he is sleeping with.

The two men, who are not real brothers, cannot be more different. Yet, under the dire situations and harsh living conditions, they share a tight bond that real siblings may not even not have. They stay in a run down apartment, and spend time with a transgender woman (Malaysian actor Tan Kim Wang, who was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Golden Horse Awards) who takes on a parental role by supporting them since young. When an unexpected death happens, Abang and Adi’s already bleak lives take a turn for the worse.

Ong’s 107 minute movie appears to be a social commentary about the social issues in Malaysia, but it is essentially a human drama about two individuals who only have each other in a world that has been unkind to them. Kartik Vijay’s gritty cinematography, together with Ryota Katayama’s melancholic score accentuate the less than glamourous side of the country, but it is really Wu and Tan’s memorable performances that will stick with you long after the credits roll.

Tan is well cast as a restless and defiant young man who will not leave his fate to circumstance. With Adi’s reckless behaviour, you can expect him to get into trouble frequently. But with Tan’s earnestness, you hope Adi gets the happy ending he deserves.

The highlight of the heartbreaking film is undoubtedly Abang, whose ordeals we feel for. Wu is perfect as the good natured elder brother who has the responsibility of taking care of a reckless younger sibling and standing by his side no matter what happens, even at his own expense. The role has no dialogue in the film, and Wu nails the part by acting with his hand signs, body language and expressions. The heartbreaking one take sequence towards the end of the film where Abang shows his fear, anger and helplessness is a guaranteed tearjerking moment.  

Movie Rating:

(Wu Kang Ren and Jack Tan are perfectly cast in this human drama about the bond between two individuals in a world that has been unkind to them, with Wu delivering a heartbreakingly emotional performance)

Review by John Li

Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Frances O’Connor
Cast: Emma Mackey, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Fionn Whitehead, Alexandra Dowling Amelia Gething, Adrian Dunbar, Gemma Jones
Runtime: 2 hrs 11 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 5 January 2023

Synopsis: EMILY tells the imagined life of one of the world’s most famous authors, Emily Brontë. The film stars Emma Mackey (Sex Education, Death on the Nile) as Emily, a rebel and misfit, as she finds her voice and writes the literary classic ‘Wuthering Heights’. EMILY explores the relationships that inspired her – her raw, passionate sisterhood with Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling – The Musketeers) and Anne (Amelia Gething – The Spanish Princess); her first aching, forbidden love for Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen – The Lost Daughter, The Haunting of Bly Manor) and her care for her maverick brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead – The Duke, Dunkirk), whom she idolises.

Movie Review:

Little is known about Emily Bronte, the second youngest child of the accomplished Bronte family, who before her death from tuberculosis at the age of 30, had written one of the most celebrated novels in English literature. You should know therefore that ‘Emily’ is largely a work of speculation from actress turned first-time writer-director Francos O’Connor, drawn from what scant details there are of Emily’s life and O’Connor’s imagination of how the shy, reclusive author came to channel her joys, sadness and yearnings into her one great book.

‘Emily’ begins by acknowledging the one question that those who know the brilliance of ‘Wuthering Heights’ would have. “How did you write ‘Wuthering Heights’?” The question is asked by her older sister Charlotte (Alexandra Dowling), whom some will know was the author of ‘Jane Eyre’. As we soon learn, whereas Charlotte was regarded as the brightest child of the family and her younger sister Anne (Ametha Gething) was adored as the cute one, Emily never really quite fit in socially, whether in her family or in the Yorkshire town where she is called ‘the strange one’.

After suffering from intense homesickness while trying to teach alongside Charlotte at a school, Emily returns home to be regarded a failure in the eyes of her domineering father (Adrian Dunbar). Emily finds solace in her older brother Branwell (Fionn Whitehead), whose rebellious streak changes her life in both good and bad ways – on one hand, she learns about the possibilities when one is able to exercise ‘freedom in thought’; and on the other, she is threatened by the same demons Branwell has fallen in with, including alcoholism, opium and a troubling affair with a married woman.

The last, in particular, she is doomed to repeat after falling in love with the new curate William Weightman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), who has joined the Bronte patriarch’s church. Right from William’s first French lesson to Emily at the behest of her father, the pair spar over religion, faith and God, their tete-a-tete brimming with both sexual tension and animosity. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that it is probably no surprise that their romance, however genuine and intense, ends in heartbreak and even tragedy; in fact, literary fans will probably recognise quite quickly the parallels with the tragic saga of Heathcliff and his Catherine.

Some may dismiss the affair between Emily and William as cliché, but there is no denying the thrill of this windswept tale about a woman discovering the most powerful and yet devastating emotion of all called love. Indeed, it is to O’Connor’s credit that her storytelling portrays so compellingly how Emily’s episodes with Branwell and William lead her to establish within herself a hitherto unseen independence and creativity, qualities which no doubt led Emily to be unafraid to put her imagination onto paper and thus to create the passionate book that will become one of the most enduring novels.

While she may not be an obvious choice for the role, Emma Mackey turns out to be a beautiful fit for the part. Not only does she embrace Emily’s awkwardness, Mackey perfectly captures the character’s mercurial moods; in one of the best scenes of the film, Mackey brilliantly conveys Emily’s complex feelings towards her late mother and her sisters as she dons a ghostly white mask and takes on her late mother’s persona to blur the line between prank and possession. It is a spirited performance all right, and Mackey is a powerhouse.

So even though ‘Emily’ is probably more than less a work of fiction, it is still a poignant exploration of its subject and her interior life. That it is the first time O’Connor has stepped behind the camera makes it an even more noteworthy achievement, especially in how she eschews the pageantry and stateliness that is often typical of such genre pieces and instead aims for a kinetically involving piece. By neither romanticising the period or the romance between Emily and William, ‘Emily’ also proves to be a befittingly feminist, revisionist spin on the much-loved author. Trust us when we say that you don’t have to be a Bronte fan to enjoy this ravishing period drama..

Movie Rating:

(Kinetic, involving and poignant, this story of the life of Emily Bronte brims with passion, irreverence and wisdom)

Review by Gabriel Chong