Genre: Action/Disaster
Director: Oxide Pang
Cast: Du Jiang, Wang Qianyuan, Tong Liya, Han Xue, Yu Haoming, Han Dongjun, Wang Ge, Hu Jun
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Intense Sequences)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 April 2023
Synopsis: An earthquake triggers two massive explosions at a chemical plant, and the entire industrial park is struck so hard, that it leaves the ground punctured with a wide hole, and a neighboring school engulfed in flames. Captain Zhao (by Wang Gianyuan) and Liu (by Yu Haoming) of the Fire and Rescue Force quickly arrives on the scene, but the latter soon finds himself trapped under debris... At the same time, the engineer, Ye (by Tong Liya), accompanied by Fire and Rescue Force's Co-ordinator Han (by Du Jiang), comes to the facilities for assessment. Captain Zhao and Han, despite the disagreement between them, are able to put bitterness behind and work together. Barrels of flaming methanol suddenly collapses, and in an effort to prevent a burst nearing the effect of a nuclear explosion, and to hold the fire at bay until reinforcements arrive, Captain Zhao and his team hurry away to cut a fire-break.
Movie Review:
A decade ago, Oxide Pang and his brother, Danny teamed up to tell a firefighting tale called Out of Inferno starring Sean Lau and Louis Koo. If over the years all you can remember is the Pang Brothers’ horror thriller, The Eye, you are not exactly at fault here as the filmmaking duo are more impressive in terms of conjuring visuals than in the storytelling department.
Minus Danny, Oxide is back after a long hiatus and instead of returning to his speciality horror genre, he is doing yet another firefighting/disaster thriller, a well-meaning title that showcases the ability of the Chinese government to overcome every obstacles and protect all civilians at all cost during any natural disasters, accidents and more. In other words, it’s probably propaganda to a selected few. As for those who don’t care a hoot about hot-button political issues will likely enjoy the humanitarian message behind and the impressive visuals.
The narrative is as simple as it can be. A 3.1 earthquake has triggered a massive explosion at a chemical plant and a team from the nearby Fire and Rescue force is being activated to rescue the survivors and control the fire from spreading further into civilization while more reinforcements are on the way from other provinces. Leading the team is Captain Zhao Ying Qi (Wang Qianyuan), a tech expert Han Kai (Du Jiang who also appeared in the similar theme The Bravest) and recruit Wu (Elvis Han) and together they must reached the front-line and avoiding deadly after blasts before the fire reaches the chemical tanks.
Although Oxide is not involved in the screenplay this time round, there’s little to none in terms of character development. We didn’t get to know much of the main characters except the fiancée of Captain Zhao is having second thoughts about their marriage before involving in the disaster herself. Han Kai is known to be a drone expert and harbours an infatuation towards Ye Xin (Tong Liya), a safety engineer who is coincidentally deployed to the site as an advisor as the story goes. Then there is Wu who is some sort of a sports fanatic and also a bubbly team mate whose father’s 60th birthday is coming and he is secretly planning a celebration for him.
In short, the story wastes no time in getting the firemen and the audiences to the fire site. As one of the movie editors, Oxide effortlessly switches from one scene to another. One minute the camera is on a blazing school and the next, we are treated to a heart-pounding scene of the team trying desperately to rescue a group of trapped workers from the rumble. Comparing Flashover to Out of Inferno, Oxide seems to rely more on grounded, smaller-scale rescue efforts rather than flashy display of heroic acts to get his point across. While there are generous display of CGI-enhanced flames and explosions, it’s still rather restraint considering Oxide’s past efforts.
The movie does require some compelling evidence to prove why most of the reinforcements only appear at the very critical minute liked the deployment of fire-fighting robots, drones and additional manpower despite more hazardous chemicals are about to send everyone (and even fire engines as well) flying. Perhaps the deliberate setup is to showcase the heroic acts and sacrifice of Zhao and his team of selfless firemen but we are sure there’s a better way to tell the story in a much more effective and convincing manner.
Flashover switches to a melodramatic mode in the movie’s last act with the deaths of two of Zhao’s men so be warned. Whether you are a fan of firefighting movies or not, this latest entry isn’t going to surpass any of the previous similar theme movies by Ron Howard, Johnny To or even Joseph Kosinski’s Only the Brave. There’s no memorable characters and the storyline is eerily similar in style to The Bravest. Even the ever reliable character actor Wang Qianyuan can’t save the movie given the generic, underwritten material.
Movie Rating:
(A rather serviceable, bland firefighting outing)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Sopon Sukdapisit
Cast: Sukollawat ‘Weir’ Kanarot, Nittha ‘Mew’ Jirayungyurn, Penpak ‘Tai’ Sirikul
Runtime: 2 hr 4 mins
Rating: NC16 (Horror and Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 4 May 2023
Synopsis: From terrifying true events to the latest thriller from the director of ‘LADDALAND’. Ning and Kwin are a couple with a 7-year-old daughter, Ing. The three of them decide to move to a condo room and rent out their house to two tenants: Ratree, a retired doctor, and her 40- year-old daughter, Nuch. After the new tenants have moved in, Ning notices that Kwin begins to exhibit unusual behavior. He becomes secretive and often disappears from the condo at 4 a.m. Kwin even sports a triangle-shaped tattoo – the same design as Nuch’s. As her husband’s behavior becomes more and more disturbing, Ning also realizes that her daughter is being preyed on by some unseen sinister force. She has to do everything to protect her daughter from this dark cult!
Movie Review:
We love Thai horror movies. Besides having the ability to send chills down our spines, they often come with a mortal tale. The fact that Thailandis geographically near Singaporealso means that we can resonate with the culture, which makes it even creepier when these movies explore supernatural themes which are disturbingly familiar. The latest horror flick to hit our shores is produced by the well known film studio GDH which has given viewers countless feel good romantic comedies. How would this project fare in the department of scares?
Thai director Sopon Sukdapisit, who helmed other successful horror movies such as Coming Soon (2008), Laddaland (2011) and The Swimmers (2014), is the man behind this movie inspired by a real life story. Ning (Nittha ‘Mew’ Jirayungyurn) and Kwin (Sukollawat ‘Weir’ Kanarot) appear to be a happily married couple with an adorable daughter, but as you’d expect, things are not what they seem. The family moves to a condo after deciding to put their house up for rent. Strange things begin happening and Ning finds herself dealing with a dangerous cult which dabbles in black magic.
Like a good horror movie, the story begins laying out the crumbs early. The 124 minute movie makes viewers feel that something is not right when Kwin behaves suspiciously. He has a tattoo on his chest (he tells his wife it’s the result of a silly bet), and he is holding on to a suspicious looking red book which he locks away in his backpack (his wife manages to get hold of the book and to her horror, the pages are blank). Things are definitely not right when she follows him to the rooftop at 3.45amin the morning and finds him alone in a trance like ritual. It’s a cue for her to protect her daughter from whatever’s lurking in the house at all cost.
Kudos to Sukdapisit, who also penned the story, for not telling a straightforward tale which would otherwise feature a predictable lineup of jump scares before concluding the drama with either the good guys or the evil spirits winning. We go back in time and discover that Kwin actually has a heartbreaking back story which involves the death of someone very close to him. Without saying too much, the reason how this person died is something you’d never want happen to anyone you hold dear.
Another important character in the story is the cult leader played by Penpak ‘Tai’ Sirikul. Although she comes across as a little over the top at first (the scary old lady has white hair and a glass eye), we also learn more about her past and empathise with the life choices that led her to her current state.
For a two hour movie, there may be some parts that moves along a little slowly, but the dramatic buildup works and as the story unfolds, you realise this is not a standard scare fest – there are messages of love and sacrifice which you may have seen in other horror films, but will still be moved because of the earnest storytelling brought to screen.
Movie Rating:
(This Thai horror movie delivers the scares, and also a solid drama about love and sacrifice)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Salt-of-the-earth Cole (Evans) falls head over heels for enigmatic Sadie (de Armas)—but then makes the shocking discovery that she’s a secret agent. Before they can decide on a second date, Cole and Sadie are swept away on an international adventure to save the world.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Before the world gets to see Ana de Armas in the John Wick spin-off, Ballerina, she is warming up as a sassy CIA agent in the meantime.
Armas is Sandie, a powerful spy who is also known as “The Taxman”. After getting a bit burnt-out from her last assignment, Sandie has a meet-cute moment at a marketplace where she met a wholesome farmer, Cole (Chris Evans). They had coffee, visit the art museum, talks about their passion and work and had a one-night stand. Then Sandie just disappears without replying to Cole’s texts and emojis.
With some encouragement and pushing from his parents, Cole decides to track down Sandie who happens to be in London. Cole finally arrives in Central London only to find himself kidnapped by some bad guys out looking for a passcode to a secret weapon dubbed Aztec. For some reason, they think Cole is “The Taxman” and predictably, it’s time for Sandie to save Cole and the world.
Ghosted works in the same vein as other romantic spy comedies such as Knight and Day, This Means War and Mr and Mrs Smith, the story is predictable, the action ridiculous and for some reasons, star-studded. The only biggest exception is having Evans, People’s magazine Sexist Man Alive taking a back seat in the action department. He does gets to wrestle a few bad guys but it’s mostly Armas who needs to execute all the tough stuntwork.
Armas and Evans certainly has the looks and chemistry to convince the audiences they are indeed a bickering couple through and through. However, we prefer to blame it on the frustratingly generic script which fails to bring out the laughs and charm beyond the good looking leads and some forced sexual tension.
Serving as mere distractions are the numerous forgettable action sequences which are either shot against greenscreens or in Georgia standing in for Pakistan and London. Director Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman, Eddie the Eagle) absolutely knows how to tell a zippy story and keeping things busy to the extent of bringing in Academy Award Best actor, Adrien Brody as a cheesy French arms dealer, Leveque. To be fair, the flick has a rather rib-tickling sequence involving high-profile cameos from Evans’ Marvel days. How we wish there were more of such scene.
This Apple+ original title follows Netflix’s pattern of churning out expensive lazily written and produced, star-studded action comedies. There’s so much familiarity here that it’s yet another popcorn entertainment for the masses. Definitely, you won’t press the replay button.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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RYAN GOSLING'S ALL-ACTION CHASE FOR THE TAG HEUER CARRERAPosted on 25 Apr 2023 |
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, Maria Bakalova
Runtime: 2 hr 30 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Coarse Language)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website:
Opening Day: 4 May 2023
Synopsis: In Marvel Studios’ “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” our beloved band of misfits are settling into life on Knowhere. But it isn’t long before their lives are upended by the echoes of Rocket’s turbulent past. Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him on a dangerous mission to save Rocket’s life — a mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.
Movie Review:
“Once More With Feeling”, reads the tagline on one of the movie posters for the third and final movie in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. And what a load of feels this 32nd entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has. In fact, we haven’t felt so much for a MCU movie since we saw our favourite superheroes turn to dust in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) or the good guys coming together for the ultimate battle for the fate of Earth in Avengers: Endgame (2019).
After a few outings as part of the ensemble in other movies, the Guardians are back for their swansong. But when we first see them, things are not looking good. Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) is listening to a melancholic rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep” and seems to be disturbed by something, while Peter Quill aka Star-Lord (Chris Pine) is spending his days drunk and miserable. We don’t blame him, because his girlfriend Gamora (Zoe Saldaña) has died and the version that exists is from another timeline (thanks to the brilliant minds in Marvel Studios, this concept literally allows anything to happen) isn’t his biggest fan.
The rest of the gang Nebula (Karen Gillian), Drax (Dave Bautista), Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), together with new members Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova) are just killing time in Knowhere, which also happens to be the decapitated head of a Celestial being.
The Guardians spring into action when Rocket is badly injured by a very powerful artificial being Adam Warlock (newcomer to the MCU Will Poulter), and they waste no time to embark on a mission to find the raccoon’s medical records in order to save his life. They eventually come face to face with the mad High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), who is obsessed about creating the perfect species with some very weird (and scary) lab technology.
We can’t imagine anyone else other than director James Gunn who is capable of bringing this truly hilarious, constantly engaging and surprisingly heartfelt movie to the big screen. Without giving away too much, who would have thought that one of the most touching scenes we’ve seen this year involves a group of
Gunn’s flair for visuals is evident in this 150 minute movie. He transports viewers to a few memorable galactic locations. There is a gooey satellite where the Guardians bounce around in their space suits inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Then the misfits find themselves in a town inhabited by anthropomorphised animals who talk in an unknown language and look like failed science experiments. The Guardians also face off other strange beings including one that expresses itself using emoticons and one with a carrot head. It’s all very bizarre but fun, and trust Gunn to carry this off without coming off as trying too hard.
That’s not the only thing on display in this Marvel movie, which stands out prominently from the slew of predictable flicks from the franchise. There’s also the storytelling, where we found ourselves truly caring for Rocket, whose story anchors the heart of the movie. It is almost heartbreaking to learn about his origins. The other Guardians also leave an impression and it makes you want to revisit their past adventures (that’s what Disney+ is for). The marketing campaign has teased that someone may die in the Guardian’s last outing together on the big screen. We aren’t giving any spoilers here, but we can guarantee that you will leave the cinema with lots of feels.
Movie Rating:
(The Guardians' last ride is full of feels, and thanks to James Gunn's brilliant mind, it is also a visual treat that is both weird and fun)
Review by John Li
Genre: Romance/Fantasy
Director: Lin Hsiao Chien
Cast: Chen Feiyu, Zhou Ye
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 11 May 2023
Synopsis: When Yuxuan (starring CHEN Feiyu) meets his childhood friend Shuyan (starring ZHOU Ye) after years, the friendship soon deepens into love. But not for long, a car accident takes the life of Shuyan. With deep sorrow Yuxuan makes a wish to make himeself travel through time back to the last day they meet each other. Reunion or separation, which one is thier ultimate fate?
Movie Review:
It feels like we have seen this kind of plot somewhere before. A guy is madly in love with a girl, and the pair makes is the sweetest couple you’ve ever seen. Something terrible happens to the girl, and the boy is heartbroken. He finds a way to relive the day of the unfortunate incident, and he finds all ways and means from preventing the tragedy from happening. Of all the time loop movies that we have seen, the most classic one that comes to mine is Groundhog Day (1993).
So how is this Mainland Chinese production different from the other familiar stories where characters experience the same period of time which is repeatedly resetting itself? To be honest, this isn’t much of a breakthrough in storytelling, but if you’re in the mood to look at beautiful people and be moved by the greatness of love, it isn’t a bad way to spend 100 minutes in the cinema.
The movie directed by Lin Hsiao Chien starts off with Yuxuan (Chen Feiyu, who is also the son of filmmaker Chen Kaige) bumping into his childhood friend Shuyuan (Zhou Yu) at a wedding. In true fairy tale mode, the two fall in love (how he uses toys in blind boxes to charm her is rather adorable) and they are seen doing couple things like sharing dessert, spending time together and smiling happily in each other’s company. This doesn’t take very long to happen and you know something dramatic is going to happen.
Alas, Shuyuan dies from a freak accident and it doesn’t help that the two had a very small disagreement slightly before that. It makes the situation extra sad, but not to worry because Yuxuan goes home and wakes up to a new day where Shuyuan is still alive. Realising that the events that happen are identical to the day of the accident, he tries desperately to change the course of things. He also meets a strange old man who tells him cryptic things about how he can’t change things which are bound to happen. The poor guy is devastated when Yuxuan dies again. Did we mention that the screenwriters are out to make soft hearted viewers cry by making this day Yuxuan’s birthday?
You know where the story is going when Yuxuan wakes up to Shuyuan making breakfast. If you’re the impatient kind of audience, you’ll want to skip to the ending to see whether the filmmakers’ attempts at manipulating your emotions are worth your time. Without giving away anything, the story does move in a direction that incorporates fantasy and optimism. There is also the obligatory moving theme song to stir your feelings. Yup, there are flashbacks to make you indulge in your own happy memories too.
It helps that the leads are eye candy, and this makes up for the somewhat routine story. It is a great way to escape from the harsh realities of being in a relationship though, as you are reminded of the importance of cherishing the important people in your life.
Movie Rating:
(The time loop concept is nothing new, but this romantic drama does feature good-looking main leads and carries a gentle reminder about cherishing the important people in your life)
Review by John Li
Genre: Action/Mystery
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Cast: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo, William Fichtner, Jackie Earle Haley, Dayo Okeniyi
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence)
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 11 May 2023
Synopsis: Determined to find his missing daughter, detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) instead finds himself spiralling down a rabbit hole while investigating a series of reality-bending bank robberies where he will ultimately call into question his most basic assumptions about everything and everyone in his world. Aided by Diana Cruz (Alice Braga), a gifted psychic, Rourke simultaneously pursues and is pursued by a lethal specter - the one man he believes holds the key to finding the missing girl - only to discover more than he ever bargained for.
Movie Review:
It has never been easy to put a finger on Robert Rodriguez. From his very first filmmaking debut ‘El Mariachi’ and his subsequent ‘Mexico Trilogy’, to the ‘Spy Kids’ franchise, and to the acclaimed neo-noir ‘Sin City’ series, Rodriguez has proven himself as a one-man-band (who often pulls multiple duties on one film, including directing, writing, producing, editing and shooting) with a renegade spirit. That same verve is on full display here in ‘Hypnotic’, which Rodriguez has said he has been developing for close to two decades now.
In more ways than one, ‘Hypnotic’ is perhaps Rodriguez’s most ambitious movie to date. While it starts off as a standard-issue detective thriller, this twisty science-fiction soon establishes itself as being much more. The elaborate set-up begins with Austin police detective Donald Rourke (Ben Affleck) sitting in a therapist’s office ruminating about the disappearance of his 7-year-old daughter Minnie in the park one day; though the kidnapper was apprehended, he is found to be mentally incapacitated and claims to have no memory of the incident.
After telling his therapist that work is the only thing keeping him afloat, Rourke is cleared to join his partner Nicks (JD Pardo) on a stakeout of the Bank of Austin, which an anonymous tip had claimed would be robbed later that day. There, Rourke and his team notice a man (William Fitchner) sitting on a bench next to a woman and making an idle comment about it being hot today; the next thing you know, the woman is stripping off her clothes and walking into traffic. The same man then speaks to two guards of an armoured vehicle parked outside the bank, before proceeding inside to approach one of the tellers. Said teller then goes to the vault, retrieves a safe deposit box, and then hops into the armoured vehicle to try to get away with the two guards.
Even more intriguingly, before the teller had managed to get her hands on the safe deposit box, Rourke had beaten her to it, and had found within the box a polaroid of his own daughter, with an enigmatic message scrawled underneath. The anonymous tip is traced to a psychic turned tarot card reader Diana Cruz (Alice Braga), whom Rourke ends up going on the run with after both of them find themselves targeted by the aforementioned mysterious villain. Without giving away too much, let’s just say that Diana will reveal herself to be a hypnotic, who not only possess the power to alter a person’s reality but also compel them to do things against their own wishes.
That is but the first act of ‘Hypnotic’, which as you may imagine, has more than a couple more ‘fake-outs’ and revelations up its sleeve. Indeed, you’ll do well to let the narrative unfurl by itself, unveiling how Diana and Fitchner’s Lev Dellrayne are related, what Dellrayne is ultimately after (it should not be hard to guess that it has something to do with Rourke’s missing daughter), and how Rourke is connected to all of it. Though some have criticized the movie for being difficult to follow, we in fact found it a surprisingly fast-paced and ruthlessly efficient exercise that never gets boring or loses its audience along the way.
The credit for that goes to Rodriguez, whose pulpy filmmaking style serves the material well. While similarities have been drawn with Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’, ‘Hypnotic’ is its own creature in regards to reality-bending intrigue, especially after the midway twist that changes your entire perspective on what is really happening, right down to the very opening scene. It doesn’t hurt that Rodriguez knows his way or two around the action, and has assembled a capable ensemble to carry the film, including Affleck’s brooding leading-man turn, Braga’s empathetic supporting act cum resident exposition bank, and Fitchner’s almost wordless but absolutely terrifying villainous role.
So by his standards, ‘Hypnotic’ is a well-accomplished B-movie effort that boasts all the trademarks of a Rodriguez production. Is it slightly rough around the edges? Sure. Does it look like it was filmed in and around his Austin hometown and on his backlot? Yes, because it was. And that is part of the grungy charm of this latest Rodriguez effort, which again sees him direct, write, edit and shoot the movie, while enlisting his son Rebel to do the music. It’s more than a reasonably diverting time to spend one and a half hours, and as long as you’re a Rodriguez fan, you’ll find ‘Hypnotic’ as entertainingly flawed as some of his most enjoyable works.
Movie Rating:
(If you know Robert Rodriguez, you'll find this science-fiction thriller a pulpy genre exercise befitting his filmmaking verve)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Adventure/Comedy
Director: Guillaume Canet
Cast: Guillaume Canet, Gilles Lellouche, Vincent Cassel, Jonathan Cohen, Marion Cotillard, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Julie Chen, Leanna Chea, José Garcia
Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: PG (Some Drug References)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 11 May 2023
Synopsis: It's the year 50 BC. The Empress of China has just been imprisoned following a coup d'état incited by Deng Tsin Qin, a traitorous prince. Helped by Finalthesis, the Phoenician merchant, and her faithful bodyguard Mai Wei, the Empress' only daughter Princess Sa See (Julie Chen) flees to Gaul to ask for help from two valiant warriors Asterix (Guillaume Canet) and Obelix (Gilles Lellouche), who are endowed with superhuman strength thanks to their magic potion. Our two inseparable heroes gladly accept to help the Princess save her mother and free her country. And thus begins a great voyage and adventure on the road to China. But Caesar (Vincent Cassel) and his powerful army, thirsty for a new conquest, are also heading toward the Middle Kingdom...
Movie Review:
After ten animated films, four live-action films, video games, an amusement park and numerous derivative products, Asterix and Obelix appear once again in this fifth live action film.
Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom introduces us to the inseparable buddies. Asterix who is one of the most beloved characters in French pop culture is a small, but a cunning, perspicacious Gallic man and his friend Obelix is the polar opposite - a strong man with a unhurried disposition. The latter fell into a vat of potion when he was just a child, which bestowed him with superpowers for the rest of his life.
The premise of the movie is rather straightforward. The blood princess of the Chinese empire escapes from a rogue prince and flees to the indomitable village of the Gauls, seeking help from the whimsical duo. The titular heroes decide to help the princess and their crusade is riddled with danger especially when they are compelled to face Caesar's army, which sees the Middle Kingdom as a new territory to conquer. And the adventure officially begins! The Asterix & Obelix universe has marked several generations of its following but has it been successful in retaining the DNA of the comic to appease its loyal following and would it spawn gold in the pot of French cinema like a few of its antecedents?
The Gaul’s valiant warrior characters who have been around since 1961 travel to China for their first time in this film which was originally titled as Asterisk & Obelix: The Silk Road. The fifth live action in the comic series and a follow-up to Asterix & Obelix: God Save Britannia (2012) is also the first live action movie that isn't based on the comic series.
While some may opine that there's no other better Obelix than Gérard Depardieu, the spanking new cast features Vincent Cassel (Julius Caesar), Jonathan Cohen (who manages to provoke laughter at key moments), Marion Cotillard (Cleopatra), Ramzy Bedia , Jose Garcia, Manu Payet, Pierre Richard, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Orelsan, Biglo & Oli, Angèle, Franck Gastambide, McFly & Carlito and many others.
The scenes featuring Orelsan, Angèle and Zlatan Ibrahimovic definitely put a smile on our faces. But even with an imposing cast ensemble including social media stars, musicians, rappers and, ahem, a football player, the family-friendly film goes to show that it takes one to be an actor and not just a star to fill the shoes of the character. Adapting the universe of a cult comic book to the screen is undoubtedly an arduous mission. Laying claim to a cut to the chase plot, although the 111-minute comedy does have sufficient epic depth of great adventure films, the fifth instalment is made to feel too modern for the franchise’s true-blue fans’ liking, thus a disconnect between the artificiality of the film and audience’s expectations of this film.
The amusing actioner, that offers spectacular visuals, (thanks to 65 million euros of recording budget) was slated to be filmed in China but was eventually filmed in France and Morocco due to the global pandemic mayhem. Even with breath-taking vistas, grand locations that certifies a stunning cinematography, the underwhelming direction of Guillaume Canet paired with substandard writing emanates a hit-or-miss feel. The plot seems to be leaky since there’s substantial lack in strong scenes and punchy dialogues. Paradoxically, new-fangled terms such as ‘friendzone’, ‘viral’ and ‘antivirus’ lend a witty touch to the script. The uplifting number, ‘We Will Rock You’ that has made its way through the decades all the way to the post-pandemic era, is cleverly replaced with something along the lines of ‘Anti-anti-virus’, which is a remarkable effort.
Interspersed with action sequences inspired by Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and aerial ballet coalesced with martial arts, a sufficiently mastered editing could have saved this linear narrative with a comical rival dynamic that is speckled with pop culture references. Since the impetus for Caesar’s invasion of China was purely to impress his lady, a substory of Caesar and Cleopatra would have saved this forthcoming French comedy. And with Panacea (Angèle) making an appearance in the latest Asterix & Obelix motion picture, an interlocking narrative style could have been adopted to revive this playful and imaginary take on history. Despite being one of the most expensive French films of the year, it sadly takes a nosedive as an ambitious show with a flat interpretation that even a throng of star cameos can’t save.
Movie Rating:
(A full-fledged visual treat that does a bold and imaginative take on the retelling of history)
Review by Asha Gizelle Mariadas
SYNOPSIS: Aoy (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) runs her family’s local stir-fried noodles restaurant. Her life is about to change when she decides to join team HUNGER, led by Chef Paul (Nopachai Jayanama) who introduces her to the dark sides of the fine-dining industry.
MOVIE REVIEW:
It’s unfortunate ‘Hunger’ comes so soon after ‘The Menu’ – because both have a notoriously demanding but highly sought after fine dining chef as their antagonist, the comparisons between them are inevitable. And yet, if we had to choose, we’d say we’d like ‘Hunger’ more, chiefly because there is a lot more depth and poignancy to this story about a young talented street cook who has to decide what for her are the more important ingredients in life.
Said cook is Aoy (played by Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying of ‘Bad Genius’), whom we are introduced cooking pad see ew fried noodles at her family’s street-side restaurant. Whilst her friends envy her for having a real job right after school, Aoy isn’t yet ready to be content spending the rest of her life slaving away at the modest diner. So when a junior assistant sous chef (Gunn Svasti) invites her to try out at Hunger, an elite culinary business run by Paul (Nopachai Chaiyanam), Aoy immediately leaps at the opportunity to – in her words – “be special”.
Aoy’s audition is a simple fried rice dish, which she aces by beating a self-absorbed lad who thinks he’s better than her just by virtue of having graduated from one of the top culinary schools in the country. Yet, as Aoy soon discovers, that is but the start of her challenges under Chef Paul’s tutelage, not least because the highly sought after chef by the rich and famous is in fact an arrogant, egoistical and vindictive person by nature, eager to put down than nurture each and every one of his trainees.
Clocking in at slightly more than two hours, ‘Hunger’ pushes the limits of disbelief in showcasing just how far Chef Paul would go and the ramifications it has on the rest of his crew. Aoy’s induction will be over how to lightly sear A5 Wagyu beef, from slicing it without “sawing” to “working the fire” in order to preserve the flavourful blood within, resulting in flaming oil burns over her arms after spending a night perfecting her frying skills to be ready to serve dinner at a powerful general’s house. Without giving too much away, let’s just say Aoy isn’t the only one unhappy with Chef Paul’s bullying.
The tension between Aoy and Chef Paul reaches boiling point after the former objects to the latter’s wilful disregard of an illegal hunt cum cook-out he brings the crew out on. Their falling out sets up a third act where Aoy is given the opportunity to break out of Chef Paul’s shadow to set up her own fine dining establishment, though it is by this same stroke that she realises ironically how she would ultimately be beholden to those with wealth and power as long as she wants to continue being part of that social circle.
Indeed, the two-hander between Aoy and Chef Paul is really a means to expose the hypocrisy of such expensive culinary experiences – as artful, accomplished and tasteful they may be, they are but artefacts for the rich to boast and brag over lavish dinner parties, for their selfies, and on social media. Both director Sitisiri Mongkolsiri (of ‘Inhuman Kiss’) and writer Kongdej Jaturanrasamee (of ‘The Girl from Nowhere’) hardly disguise their disdain for the insatiable appetite of the wealthy, whose hunger will never be filled even by the best food in the world.
Even as it packs a strong social message, ‘Hunger’ doesn’t lose sight of Aoy’s coming-of-age journey. Though from a humble background, Aoy has the chance to catapult herself into the highest echelons of society, and has therefore to decide if it is worth it; in particular, she has to decide if she wants to pander to the rich like Chef Paul did, or to have a simpler but more carefree life to be able to focus on friends and family. It isn’t difficult to guess which she eventually settles for, but Chuengcharoensukying is a class act as Aoy, portraying her character’s dilemmas, motivations and resolve with absolute understatement.
Much as we enjoyed ‘The Menu’, we loved ‘Hunger’ for its character-driven story as well as its strong(er) message about class and its divides. It also deserves credit for being one of the most visually ravishing Thai films we’ve seen in recent memory, paying off especially in a couple of extravagant set-pieces that demonstrate Mongkolsiri’s attention to atmosphere, build-up and payoff. So even though it does run a little too long, ‘Hunger’ is still an immensely satisfying drama that pierces the veil of the rich and famous, and lets us all know that you don’t get satiated just by being on top of everyone else..
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: “Peter Pan & Wendy” introduces Wendy Darling, a young girl looking to avoid boarding school who meets Peter Pan, a boy who refuses to grow up. Alongside her brothers and a tiny fairy, Tinker Bell, she travels with Peter to the magical world of Neverland. There, she encounters an evil pirate captain, Captain Hook, and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous adventure that will change her life forever.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Peter Pan never gets old in Neverland and Disney’s habits of turning their classic animated titles to live-action never gets old either. David Lowery and his frequent collaborator, Toby Halbrooks based this adaptation on the 1953 Disney animated film though nothing new or interesting is added to the final product in the end.
When Wendy Darling (Ever Anderson) proclaims to her mother that she does not want to grow up before she leaves for boarding school in the morning, Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) turned up in the middle of the night with Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi) to take her and her brothers, John and Michael to Neverland where she will never have to grow up.
For those familiar with the J.M. Barrie’s classic tale, you will expect Peter and Wendy to encounter the former’s arch-nemesis, Captain Hook (Jude Law), a meetup with the Lost Boys and Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatahk), a huge confrontation with the pirates and a gigantic crocodile.
With the inclusion of a Black Tinkerbell (diverse casting by the way) and the emphasis more on Wendy on the whole, Lowery’s Peter Pan & Wendy fails to generate much magic or relevancy to modern society with its closing message. Wendy is established as a strong female character probably more than strong enough to save the entire tribe from the pirates instead of relying on Pan’s wittiness and Tinkerbell’s pixie dust. Tinkerbell’s jealousy of Peter and Wendy budding romance is also forsaken in this version and she stays mute most of the screentime.
Sadly, even Anderson and Molony generates little chemistry to keep audiences engaged on their relationship or friendship. The narrative did include a backstory of Captain Hook who was once known as James and a best friend of Peter Pan. To be honest, it adds nothing to the story on the whole except giving Law a few more pages of dialogue to make his presence worthwhile.
For a title released directly to Disney+, the production values look horrid just like Robert Zemeckis’ Pinocchio, the CGI looks way off and we can’t tell if the props and costumes are simply leftovers from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.
Given Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon was such a delight, Peter Pan & Wendy is a complete letdown from the boring storytelling, stiff acting to the less than desirable leading characters. We have a prequel in Pan (2015), a sequel in Hook (1991) and the superb P.J. Hogan’s Peter Pan (2003) but nothing come close to Lowery and Disney ruining the movie adaptation in 2023. Kids are going to fall asleep before Wendy and her brothers even reaches Neverland while adults are likely switching to other flicks by then.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
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