Genre: Drama
Director: Ka Sing Fung
Cast: Sammi Cheng, Alan Luk, Hedwig Tam
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 April 2023
Synopsis: Parenting means raising and nurturing children, but oftentimes children enrich and enlighten the lives of parents instead.
Chan Tin Mei and Ho Bun’s son passed away abruptly at three years old due to a congenital heart disease. Still in pain over the loss, Mei resists having another child.
One day, Mei finds out that they can become a foster family. Her desolate heart finds sustenance from possibly regaining the feeling of being a mother. But when she discovers the emotional scars on the children caused by their harsh realities, she starts to adjust her expectations.
Bun’s extramarital affair leads to a big fight between the couple, but it also reveals the feelings concealed in Bun’s heart. Mei realizes her selfishness; she has neglected Bun’s feelings and the true needs of her wards. In the end, the foster children inspire her and help the couple to redeem their relationship. Although Mei is praised for her dedication to her foster children, she knows she has been saved by the children instead.
When the couple finally settles into a simple and happy life with their foster child, Mei suffers a heart attack. In the final stage of her life, Mei’s seven foster children reappear. She seems to see her son grow in these foster children.
Movie Review:
As a former private school bus attendant turned foster mother, Sammi Cheng has earned some of the most glowing reviews of her acting career, and indeed, her stripped down performance in first-time director Ka Sing-fung’s ‘Lost Love’ ranks among one of her best. Like the child actors in Ka’s film, Cheng delivers a naturalistic take on Mei, whom we learn at the start decides to become a foster parent after the bus company she is working for loses the bid on the school bus service she plies.
Though slightly apprehensive at first, Mei’s husband Bun (Alan Luk) agrees to enrol in the state foster care programme, which will require them to bear with the constant and attentive supervision of a social worker (Hedwig Tam). Their first foster kid is a boy whose mother’s psychiatric issues have left him withdrawn and unsettled, though it is only when the latter turns up unannounced at their place does Mei realise why he wets his bed when nervous – and just like that, their first kid is transferred to another facility, which the social worker explains is to protect them from his mother.
Over the next one-and-a-half hours, Ka, who co-wrote the script with Lo Kim-fei, takes his audience through six further such foster encounters. One is a young girl Ching whose grandmother that looks after her is hospitalised; another is a primary school girl Fleur with a cleft lip whom Mei tries to no avail to adopt; and there is also an older sister and younger brother pair, Ka-hei and Ka-long, who decide to play truant one day and end up being stranded in a remote forest during a thunderstorm. Each encounter is a chapter in Mei’s life, and part of a heart-breaking coda at the end.
As much as it reflects Mei’s foster experience, the narrative also sheds light on Mei and Bun’s marital relationship. We learn halfway through the movie that their biological son had died of a hereditary heart problem at the age of three, and how Mei had resisted Bun’s repeated suggestions over the years that they try for another child, before deciding to sign them up for foster care. We also learn how the fostering arrangement takes a toll on their marriage, given how Mei devotes herself to the children under her care and ends up neglecting Bun instead.
Though not ostensibly structured as such, ‘Lost Love’ is ultimately a character study on Mei. With each foster child, Mei learns what it means to let go, settling into a cycle of love and loss that is the episodic storytelling’s unifying theme. Cheng abandons all artifice to settle into the role of Mei, and those who have followed the actress’ oeuvre will probably agree it is probably her most restrained and subtle thus far. Her recent Best Actress win at the 41th Hong Kong Film Awards is a deserving recognition of her accomplishment here.
We’d warn you though that those expecting a social drama may come off disappointed – though it is rooted in social realism and presents a rare look inside Hong Kong’s foster care system, ‘Lost Love’ is after all a story about maternal longing. And in that regard, it affords Cheng an opportunity to dig deep into a affectingly constructed character of quiet tenacity, as well as realise a promising debut from a new filmmaker whom we hope we will see more from soon.
Movie Rating:
(Featuring Sammi Cheng's most mature performance yet in both subtlety and restraint, 'Lost Love' is a quietly affecting maternal drama of love and loss)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Damián Szifron
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ben Mendelsohn, Jovan Adepo, Ralph Ineson
Runtime: 1 hr 59 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Some Mature Content)
Released By: Shaw Organisaton
Official Website:
Opening Day: 27 April 2023
Synopsis: Eleanor (Woodley) is a modern-day Clarice Starling, a young investigator wrestling with the demons of her past, when she’s called to the scene of a brutal crime—the work of a new and terrifying mass murderer. The police and FBI launch a desperate nationwide manhunt but are thwarted at every turn by the killer’s enigmatic, unprecedented behavior. Despite her relative inexperience, Eleanor is drawn deeper and deeper into the case, as she and her colleagues realize that she may be the only person, given her own tortured psyche, who can understand the mind of this singular killer and bring him to justice.
Movie Review:
Who would have thought that being part of solving a vicious crime could get you really involved and invested?
To Catch A Killer is about a young investigator who was called to a brutal crime scene caused by a suspected mass murderer, who realises, with the help of her superiors, that she might be the key to solving the mystery and understanding the killer’s motive, given her past.
Despite the rather suggestive title, To Catch A Killer is not fully an action-thriller film, but more of a slight psychological thriller film. It does not bombard the viewer with action- packed features and explosive gestures, but rather takes on a more sympathetic approach with calculated and focused scenes.
The film is paced rather slow, possibly to capture a more empathetic and softer angle toward the characters in the film, especially the protagonist and antagonist of the film. But apart from some thrills and a few jump scares, which actually capture the viewer’s attention and keeps one rather glued, it somewhat does not entirely draw the viewers in.
The plot is slight choppy and although it wants to keep viewers at the edge of their seats, it seems to create more doubt and uncertainty and viewers are left with even more mystery with not much room for self-analysis and deduction, as some of the scenes does not seem sensible or logical. Perhaps it was meant to portray certain possibilities and thought processes, but it did not seem to gel up too well.
The film also relies heavily on dialogue to sustain the flow and the momentum of the film, filling one with countless words. Viewers may or may not be able to grasp the dialogue completely, not because of the nature of the film, but because of the already choppy plot.
Character development for the film, although present, lacks a certain depth that entices the viewers and one is left hanging to comprehend the bits and pieces that trails behind. One feels like in fact, there is more mystery than clarity and most would feel that they may not fully understand or empathise with the protagonist a lot.
Despite that, some characters are generally portrayed well and possibly in a positive way without the pre-notion of biases generally portray in regular media, although parts of the film does showcase some biases typical of the crime genre.
The cinematography is generally pleasant, as it is with the effects and the cast, who actually did perform with such realism and conviction. But even that only help to make the film barely entertaining and intriguing.
Overall, To Catch A Killer actually had the potential to be stellar with a tinge of compassion. but its near stagnant pace, together with rather wordy dialogue and draggy scenes, made it impossible to fully love and appreciate the supposed diversity of the film. In balancing itself between it all, it falls flat and ends up being more mysterious and bewildering than it should be.
Movie Rating:
(A rather slow-tempo film with a rather slow build-up and much more mystery than it can handle. You might consider watching during weekdays if you want to watch it)
Review by Ron Tan
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
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