UPCOMING RELEASES FROM ONE COOL PICTURES Posted on 12 Mar 2023 One Cool Pictures just released their showreel for 2023 and beyond for Filmart 2023. It's noted that the boss of One Cool Group, superstar Louis Koo is featured in at least four out of the ten productions. ... more

EMPEROR MOTION PICTURES 2023 Posted on 17 Mar 2023 Emperor Motion Pictures celebrates its history and also their showcase for the year 2023 with movies from Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Nicholas Tse, Jacky Cheung, Nick Cheung and more! Customs Frontline 海關戰線 The Goldfinger 金手指 爆裂點 ... more

LANCE RIDDICK (1962 - 2023) Posted on 19 Mar 2023 Lance Reddick, best known for his roles on The Wire and Lost, has died at the age of 60. "Acclaimed actor Lance Reddick passed away suddenly this morning from natural causes. Donations in his memory can be made to momcares.org in Baltimore, his hometown,” read a statement from Reddick’s public relations team. He however was best known as the hotel manager in the John Wi ... more

Genre: Drama/Mystery
Director: Zhang Yimou
Cast: Shen Teng, Jackson Yee, Zhang Yi, Lei Jiayin, Yue Yunpeng, Wang Jiayi, Pan Binlong, Yu Ailei
Runtime: 2 hrs 39 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 23 April 2023

Synopsis:  12th century China, during the Song Dynasty, set against a brewing rebellion by the Jin people against the Imperial Court. Two hours before a crucial diplomatic meeting between the Song Prime Minister Qin Hui and a high level Jin delegation, the Jin Ambassador is murdered. An important letter destined for the Emperor is stolen from him. As the search for the letter unfolds, alliances are formed, secrets are revealed, and no one can stop the truth that is destined to leave its mark in history.

Movie Review:

It is no wonder why acclaimed director Zhang Yimou’s latest film delivered excellent box office results in China during the Lunar New Year holidays. As of March, the movie has earned a healthy amount of more than 4.5 billion yuan since its release on 22 January.

The title “Full River Red” is an acclaimed poem in Chinese history, believed to be written by Yue Fei. Probably the most famous patriot known to the Chinese, Yue Fei’s poem is a courageous call to unite against a common enemy of the country. This is the perfect source material to speak to Chinese audiences. Before you disregard this film as another propaganda piece produced by China, we urge you to step into the cinema to experience this work of art helmed by the auteur, who is also part of the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers.

The film opens with a title card telling viewers that the story takes place four years after Yue’s death. Those familiar with Chinese history will know that the folk hero was framed and wrongly executed. A Jin delegation is set to meet Song Prime Minister Qin Hui (it is believed that he is responsible for Yue’s execution), and things go into chaos when a Jin official is found dead. A confidential letter is thrown into the mix, which makes Qin worry about the consequences. The distrustful man locks down the premises and orders the letter to be found within two hours.

And people are sent into a frenzy following this. There is Zhang Da (who would have thought comedian Shen Teng would be in a Zhang Yimou movie?), a lowly army corporal who seems to hold crucial information to this whodunit mystery. He happens to be the nephew of Sun Jun (Jackson Yee shedding his idol looks), the no nonsense deputy commander who will not hesitate to wield his sword at anyone in his way. There is already a comedic setup here, with the older chatty man being the younger serious guy’s nephew.

Meanwhile, the physically weak Qin (the fabulous Lei Jiayin) is watching these two men closely. His counsels Lords He Li (Zhang Yi, who usually plays the good guy, is someone sneaky for a change) and Wu Yichun (crosstalk comedian Yue Yunpeng) look like they are up to no good as well.

The men scurry from one spot of the confined palace to another, accompanied by spirited electronica folk music. As the scenes transit from one location to another, the plot grows thicker and you wonder whether a conspiracy is hiding in plain sight. You’d also be impressed with the word play and the pacing of the 159 minute movie, because there isn’t a dull moment in this movie that has a runtime of over two and a half hours. The skills of a masterful storyteller are on full display.

Before you think this is a serious drama with grim twists and turns, you’d be pleasantly surprised by the amount of humour that went into the script. There are several chuckle worthy moments, largely thanks to the spot on delivery of Shen, who is known for his performances with Chinese comedy film and stage play production company Mahua FunAge. It is rare to see how humour, suspense and drama blend together so nicely in a film. And when the lyrics of the poem “Full River Red” are unveiled in the movie’s finale, you will be applauding this masterpiece.

Movie Rating:

(The Chinese blockbuster is a brilliant showcase of humour, drama and suspense, and it showcases Zhang Yimou's skills as a master storyteller)

Review by John Li

SYNOPSIS: Based on the infamous Boston Strangler murders, this is the true story of Loretta McLaughlin, the first reporter to connect the murders and break the story of the Strangler. She and fellow reporter Jean Cole challenged the sexism of the early 1960s to report on the city's most notorious serial killer and worked tirelessly to keep women informed.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Boston Strangler screams like a female-driven Zodiac but unlike the David Fincher’s flick, this period thriller lacks the satisfaction and disturbing factors of the latter despite a showy performance from Kiera Knightly and Ridley Scott as one of the producers.

Set in the 60’s and based on the true story of the Boston Strangler who murdered 13 women, Knightly plays Loretta McLaughlin, a reporter with the “Boston Record American” who connects the murders to a serial killer forcing the Boston police department to act on it. Pairing with Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), a fellow veteran investigative reporter, the duo discovers that there are more than meets the eyes in a world filled with sleazy individuals, sexism and incompetent authorities.

Written and directed by Matt Ruskin, Boston Strangler is an investigative drama that attempts to unsuccessfully branch out into several storylines. There is the mounting tension between Loretta and her once-supportive husband given her dedication to her job. And of course, Loretta and Jean’s working ethics in a male-dominated environment and the ridiculous police procedural that often led to nowhere.

Very often instead of the crime being the centre of attraction, Boston Strangler becomes an unofficial biography of Loretta McLaughlin. The character of McLaughlin is somehow turned into some die-hard super sleuth midway far more capable than Detective Conley (Alessandro Nivola), the cop assigned to the crime. First, she follows a suspect to his creepy basement (remember Zodiac?) then she wonders if Albert DeSalvo (David Dastmalchian) is actually the main murderer given his shaky statements.

Boston Strangler obviously established two strong female characters who worked closely to connect the dots though there is seemingly a lack of focus on their working relationship. In fact, it’s Chris Cooper who plays their grouchy boss that is more engrossing in the newspaper room in the end.

While the crime drama re-enacts a few grisly (mostly off-screen) killings, it’s nothing more than fillers to spice up the narrative. As a result of Albert DeSalvo being killed in prison, doubts remained over the decades if he was really the serial killer that murdered all 13 women. Ruskin weaved a somewhat believable conclusion to Loretta’s investigation and this is after all, a story about Loretta McLaughlin.

Crime fans will likely forget that there is a true crime being talked about in Boston Strangler. For whatever combination of reasons, Ruskin has made a lite-biography on McLaughlin rather than a thrilling investigative drama.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Jon Wright
Cast: Hannah John-Kamen, Douglas Booth, Colm Meaney, Kristian Nairn
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 16 March 2023

Synopsis: Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) and Jamie (Douglas Booth) quickly realise they got more than they bargained for when, moving into their new rural country home, they clash with a local family and fearing for their lives, Maya finds herself turning to the woods – and the bloodthirsty creatures within it – to ensure the safety of her unborn child. 

Movie Review:

 ‘Unwelcome’ wants to be several things at the same time.

For the first hour or so, it is primarily a home invasion thriller. An effective prologue establishes the trauma which young couple Maya (Hannah John-Kamen) and Jamie (Douglas Booth) face when the latter is followed by three thugs and are attacked in their own apartment in a housing estate in London. Jamie then conveniently inherits a house in rural Ireland following the passing of his aunt, so the couple relocate to the countryside for some ostensible peace and quiet.

Unfortunately for them, what was meant to be an expedient ‘patch’ job for the house becomes unwittingly complicated when the couple engage the dysfunctional Whelan family. The head of the family (Colm Meaney) insists that he be called ‘Daddy’; and while the eldest of his three children Eoin (Kristian Nairn) is a lumbering man-child who creeps out on Maya, the other two (Chris Walley and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell) are simply rowdy delinquents.

All this while, ‘Unwelcome’ teases the presence of “the little people”, whom Maeve (Niamh Cusack), a close friend of Jamie’s late relative, asks to leave a little offering each night for at a door in the backyard that leads into a dense and mysterious forest. Yet for much of the first hour, we glimpse little of these ‘far darrig’, the leprechaun-like sprites who have their roots in Irish mythology and which come across looking like murderous little Gremlins.

Only past the midway mark does ‘Unwelcome’ morph into the creature feature that it touts to be, as Maya ventures into the forest with Eoin to unexpected consequences. We shan’t spoil the surprise, but suffice to say that the ‘far darrig’ intervene to save Maya from Eoin’s lecherous advances, which sets into motion a chain of events that will not only lead the Whelans to declare war against the couple, but also these impish beings who finally venture out of the forest to make their presence felt.

It is only with the appearance of these goblins that ‘Unwelcome’ finds its groove. Director Jon Wright is clearly a fan of the horror comedies of the 80s and 90s – not only does he rely on a blend of VFX and practical means to bring the goblins to life, he imbues them with an infectious sense of anarchic mischief and lets them loose to exact their unrestrained bloodletting upon the Whelans. It is gleeful fun all right, and Wright tops it off with a gonzo finale that gives new meaning to ‘blood sacrifice’.

As a whole though, Wright struggles to keep a consistent tone throughout the film, resulting in a movie that is a bit all over the shop. In particular, ‘Unwelcome’ cannot quite reconcile its gritty home invasion violence of its first half with the kooky creatures of its subsequent half, despite the pleasures of the latter. To Wright’s credit, his script with co-writer Mark Stay shows attention to character and feelings, particularly that of Maya and Jamie, and the focus on the former gives the finale unexpected emotional heft.

So even though it was intended to be ‘Gremlins meets Straw Dogs’, ‘Unwelcome’ is ultimately a tonally uneven creature feature that only fully embraces its horror-comedy ambition past the halfway mark even as it does manage to cross the line by the time it gets to the finish. Those nostalgic for the sort of 80s horror fare will find something to reminisce about in ‘Unwelcome’; everyone else may find this scattershot effort not quite as welcome a delight as it ought to be.    

Movie Rating:

(As well-intentioned a throwback to the horror comedies of the 1980s as this may be, 'Unwelcome' is a tonally uneven exercise that needs a firmer grasp of scares and laughs)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Comedy/Supernatural
Director: Cheng Wei Hao
Cast: Hsu Kuang Han, Austin Lin, Gingle Wang, Tsai Chen Nan, Ma Nien Hsien, Wang Maan Chiao, Tuo Chung Hua
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Rating: R21 (Some Homosexual Content & Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 31 March 2023

Synopsis:  Ming-Han is a passionate policeman. One day, while arresting a criminal with his beautiful colleague Zi-Qing, Ming-Han accidentally picks up a red envelope, and a group of people suddenly jumps out and calls him their "son-in-law". They ask him to get married to their dead child, who is a dead guy! Ming-Han finds it impossible to accept this decision. However, he did not expect to meet with so much misfortune since then. Even more terrifying is that he begins to see his ghost husband Mao-Mao which scares Ming-Han to death. Ming-Han visits a great master to get rid of Mao-Mao. The master tells him that he must get married to Mao-Mao and fulfil Mao-Mao's wishes, otherwise, Mao-Mao will follow him forever. To get rid of Mao-Mao, Ming-Han has no choice but to help him fulfil all his wishes. At the same time, Mao-Mao also acts like Ming-Han’s partner to help him with a drug smuggling investigation. A fantasy journey full of laughter and tears between a straight man and a gay ghost begins.

Movie Review:

A mainstream movie about a homophobic straight policeman who is forced by circumstances to go through a ghost marriage with a dead gay man is one of the most interesting premises we’ve heard in a while, but you can also bet it’s getting a R21 rating in Singapore. This means that younger viewers will not be able to enjoy this very entertaining movie that has been earning big bucks at Taiwan’s box office.

The living groom is Wu Ming Han, a cop who is loud, egoistic and not ashamed to show that his bigoted personality. The character also happens to be played by Hsu Kuang Han (My Love), a good looking Taiwanese actor who tries his very best to be unlikeable when he first appears on screen. The dead groom is Mao Pang Yu, whom we later learn is an advocate of fighting climate change and a dog lover. He is portrayed by Austin Lin, another popular Taiwanese actor who has been lauded for his performances in movies like At Café 6 (2016) and I WeirDo (2020).

Pang Yu, who is also affectionately known as Mao Mao, was about to get married to another man (same sex marriage is legal in Taiwan) when he met with a fatal accident. Heartbroken, Mao Mao’s grandmother made arrangements for her grandson to find a husband in his afterlife, and the dude who walks into the setup is, of course, the tough dude Ming Han. What happens next are some predictable but hilarious scenes between the “dumb straight guy” and the “damned gay” that will leave you laughing a lot. For fans of the two leads, it also helps that they are eye candy.

The plot then becomes a crime drama where Ming Han and Mao Mao investigate how the latter was killed. In the meantime, there is also a drug lord (veteran actor Tsai Chen Nan) on the loose, and the cops are determined to track him down. Ming Han’s colleagues include an ambitious female officer (Gingle Wang) and a fumbling superior (Ma Nien Hsien). After a few failed busts, you may wonder where the movie is going, and then you’re treated to a finale that contains twists and a series of very funny gags. We won’t give away too much here.

The 129 minute movie also touches on some emotional themes that may move you in unexpected ways. The ‘spouse relationship’ between Ming Han and Mao Mao becomes a genuine friendship, and the performances by Hsu and Lin are commendably touching. The LGBT topics are appropriately handled, and the strong inertia faced by family members is explored too. Two other veteran actors Wang Maan Chiao and Tuo Chung Hua play Mao Mao’s grandmother and father respectively, and Tuo’s stirring performance in a tear jerking scene may just make him a favourite contender during awards season. The star studded cast also includes Liu Kuan Ting and Aaron Yan who show up in cameo roles.

The commercial movie directed by Cheng Wei Hao has mass appeal and is engaging from start to finish. It is also fun and has some interesting topics to get viewers thinking.

Movie Rating:

(When a "dumb straight guy" marries a "damned gay ghost", the result is a very entertaining movie that also has some emotional impact)

Review by John Li

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Julius Avery
Cast: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, Franco Nero
Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins
Rating: NC16 (Horror and Gore)
Released By: Sony Pictures
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 6 April 2023

Synopsis: Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican (Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe), The Pope’s Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden. 

Movie Review:

Do you believe in the devil and the harm that it brings? What can be worst than just being possessed?

The Pope’s Exorcist is based on files from the Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, Father Gabriele Amorth, who has written many books on his experiences, and one of few cases that ended up with an uncovering of an old conspiracy, supposedly hidden by the Vatican itself.

Honestly, one might come into the theatre thinking that it is some horror film. Upon watching it, it does not feel very typical of the horror genre, but instead is much closer to a psychological thriller.

The film started off slow, introducing one to the works of the exorcist, and then slowly panning out and giving us a snippet of his life, while the main story slowly unfolds at the side and then intertwines with his involvement, brewing up what would be the film’s main focus of a nearly impossible case of exorcism.

Although the pacing of the film is quite smooth, one cannot help but feel that most of the real excitement only picked up nearly halfway through the show, leaving one in a neutral state for a while. The development might be done on purpose and seem to suggest a more naturalistic approach to the film.

The fact that the film showcased other languages (mainly Italian) that reflect the possibly accurate portrayal of the Pope’s exorcist and his surroundings is good effort at keeping the story true to its authenticity.

What was rather impressive was Russell Crowe’s effortless attempt in switching between Italian and accented English, giving a believable and somewhat smooth performance. And with a cast that did not scream ‘Hollywood’ much (apart from Russell himself), it keeps the film a little more down-to-earth.

Strangely, this film is somewhat lacking and not as impactful as it should and could be. While it focussed on accuracy and a good portrayal of actual events, it ended up losing ‘soul’ and possibly making the film more dull. Even with fantasy-like CGI at certain parts to create imaginative thoughts (and probably to slightly exaggerate the demonising of parts of the exorcism and certain scenes) and makeup, it did not and could not totally engage.

The film did try to infuse humour sparingly, however while it did add a little colour to the film and ease possible tensions, it was not greatly outstanding and did not bring the film out from its monotony.

Overall, The Pope’s Exorcist did put in much effort in keeping quite true to its story in the best way possible, but it does not seem engaging enough and fell rather flat. In a social media-driven market with many possibilities, somehow the film seem more jaded than it should be.

It is not to say that it is not a pleasant film at all. It only feels less impactful than it should be. It is but a pity because it had the potential, but it did not strike a good balance to keep the audience going.

Movie Rating:

(An interesting [and rather disturbing] watch that is rather informative, but not intriguing enough to warrant a watch on a weekend)

Review by Ron Tan

SYNOPSIS: Four years after solving their first murder mystery, Nick and Audrey Spitz (Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston) are now full-time detectives struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground when they’re invited to celebrate the wedding of their friend the Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar) on his private island. But trouble follows the Spitzes again when the groom is kidnapped for ransom soon after the festivities begin — making each glamorous guest, family member, and the bride herself a suspect. MURDER MYSTERY 2 sends Nick and Audrey Spitz on a high-stakes case that finally gives them everything they’ve ever dreamed of: a shot at their detective agency finally becoming successful…and their long-awaited trip to Paris. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

It’s that time once again when we have fun watching Adam Sandler having fun on Netflix as Jennifer Aniston joins him in their second outing, Murder Mystery 2.

No longer a low-ranking NYPD policeman, Nick (Sandler) who successfully solved a murder mystery while on a long-delayed honeymoon with his hairdresser wife, Audrey (Aniston) in the first one are now both freelance private detectives. While not exactly a hit in their new career path, the Spitzs decide to take a brief break and accept an all-expenses paid wedding invitation from the super-rich Maharajah Vikram (a returning Adeel Akhtar) who is marrying a supposedly French gold-digger, Claudette (Melanie Laurent).

However, Nick and Audrey’s happiness is short-lived when the Maharajah is mysteriously kidnapped on his wedding day. Trapped on the island with Colonel Ulenga (also a returning John Kani), Vik’s ex-girlfriend, Countess Sekou (Jodie Turner-Smith), Vik’s sister, Saira (Kuhoo Verma) and the CEO of Vik’s company, the lecherous Francisco (Enrique Arce), the Spitzs must find Vik and hand in the ransom with the help of an ex-MI6 agent, Miller (Mark Strong) before he is brutally kill by the kidnappers.

James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Scream VI) resumes his screenwriting duties for the sequel and he wastes no time in setting up the crime scene and suspects making Murder Mystery 2 a brisk and silly affair. Unlike the intricate plotting of the Knives Out franchise or the Hercule Poirot outings, this murder mystery relies heavily on the chemistry of Sandler and Aniston to make things work instead of an engaging smart whodunit. How many times does Audrey needs to fall over the Eiffel tower anyway? By the third time, you know they have ran out of options.

There’s no doubt Sandler ad-libbed his way throughout given most of the lines are just random nonsense but at the very minimum, they did travelled to Paris to shoot a ridiculous car chase through the streets and a comedic confrontation at a huge lavish castle.

In an age where movies are on average over two hours long, Murder Mystery 2 runs at an efficient 90 minutes because frankly, Sandler needs more free time for his vacation break with his grown-ups buddies. The technical and production values are surprisingly top-notch unfortunately the rest of Murder Mystery 2 is so predictable and lazy that it cheapens the entire experience killing the likely possibility of a third one. Fingers crossed if this is yet another hit for Netflix.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

SYNOPSIS: Based on the true story of American video game salesman Henk Rogers (Taron Egerton) and his discovery of Tetris in 1988. When he sets out to bring the game to the world, he enters a dangerous web of lies and corruption behind the Iron Curtain. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

This reviewer isn’t much of a gamer but at least he knows about Tetris (the falling block puzzle videogame), Nintendo and Atari, names which are often mouthed by the various characters in Tetris.

Tetris is apparently not about how the popular beloved game is created but how the game was sold to millions around the world in this very enjoyable movie produced by Matthew Vaughn and starring his frequent collaborator, Taron Edgerton.

Henk Rogers (Edgerton), a video game salesman saw the potential of Tetris in a Vegas trade show and goes about asking for its licensing rights only to find out it’s actually created by a man named Alexey (Nikita Efremov) in communist Soviet Union. Realising the huge potential of Tetris and convincing the tops guys at Nintendo, Rogers travelled to USSR under the pretext of a tourist visa and approach ELORG, the agency Alexey worked for.

But things get a lot complicated when a shady software salesman, Robert Stein (Toby Jones) and a billionaire, Robert Maxwell and his son is also in negotiation with both the President of ELORG and a sinister dangerous KGB officer.

For a movie filled with argument about business contract, rights and licensing, Tetris for a lack of a better description is fast food filmmaking at its best. You don’t really need an excellent command of the corporate world or knowledge of videogames, handheld devices to know that Rogers is at his wits end dealing with unscrupulous competitors and KGB officer with his own hidden agenda.

Writer Noah Pink and director Jon S. Baird maintains a breezy pacing by packing in addition to all the corporate stuff some dark themes about the cold war. Espionage, threats and the former President of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev also make an “appearance” in this intriguing drama. Despite touting this as a true story, we are pretty sure there’s no death-defying car chases involved in the whole Rogers and Alexey story.

Clearly, there’s lots of effort dedicated to the production values in making the entire flick looks like it’s its shot way back in the 1980s. Clever usage of CGI, all the costumes and props are authentic enough. Best of all, Edgerton ever the consummate performer makes this a highly watchable, underdog story. We are not even sure the origins of Tetris can be turned into a movie initially but judging by the end result, we are certainly not disappointed at all.  

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee