SYNOPSIS: Jason and his mother, Yun, make big bucks together in Chinatown swindling money out of people since Jason was little. Along with the grocery store owner Andy who took them in since Jason was a baby, they decide to do one last big job. Their target is Mrs. Apple, the founder of Tao Lin, a world renowned porcelain company. Jason pretends to be that rich old granny's long lost grandson, and Mrs. Apple insists on bringing Jason back to Taiwan, so that Jason can officially reclaim his heritage. In Mrs. Apple's extravagant house, these foreigners start role-playing to infiltrate the Zong Family. Jason starts to feel the warmth of being a part of a family that he has never felt before. This has greatly affected Team America's plan, the three of them start to blame and fight each other. Their cover is about to be exposed, but somehow the truth of Jason's family mystery is revealed.
MOVIE REVIEW:
The little known Scamsgiving was released earlier this year as part of the Lunar New Year offerings. The Taiwanese crime comedy might lack the laughs but overall certainly better than the average Raymond Wong’s offerings.
Together with grocery store owner, Andy (Tai Chih Yuan), Yun (Sonia Sui) and her son, Jason (Edward Chen) makes a living in Chinatown, San Francisco as small-time swindlers. Their next target however is a rich lady and owner of a porcelain company, Mrs Apple (Chen Shu Fang). Their get-rich scheme is to get Jason to impose as Mrs Apple’s long-lost grandson by using a porcelain bowl made by the latter’s late son, Hin.
While the three definitely have plans of their own when they are invited to stay in the mansion of Mrs Apple in Taiwan, what they didn’t know is Mrs Apple is suffering from early-stage dementia and her company is about to be taken over by two scheming relatives, Uncle Dick and Uncle John.
The comedy of Scamsgiving mostly comes from veteran comedian Tai Chih Yuan so we are not exactly sure why it’s being marketed as a comedy. Tai gives it all from impersonating Andy Lau to Fei Yu Qing to mouthing funny bits in halting English. He is generally rib-tickling whenever he is onscreen despite being in a small supporting role.
Known primarily as the fierce wife, Sonia Sui remains as gorgeous as ever playing a swindler with a heart. As part of her role, Sui is given the opportunity to change into a number of outfits and it’s certainly a visual treat to her fanbase. Edward Chen who came into prominence in the gay drama, Your Name Engraved Herein, is more than serviceable as a young man torn between family and responsibility.
To be open and fair, there’s not so much of a heist or scam to being with. Much of the second and third act are devoted to the family dynamics between Jason and his cousins. Even Yun and Andy largely disappear by then. Award-winning Chen Shu Fang (Dear Tenant, Little Big Women) delivers another stoic performance as the strong-willed matriarch who misses her late son.
Scamsgiving meanders mostly on the whole resulting in a movie that doesn’t really connect with its title. The narrative is filled with too many melodramatic sitcom premises and dialogue that the two-hour duration feels unnecessarily long and tedious. Yet the movie concludes on a sweet (somewhat predictable) note which makes the journey a tad better than an average Raymond Wong’s CNY vehicle. Obviously, there’s effort being put in but it’s too uneven and heavily short on laughs to recommend it.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
|
ALAN ARKIN (1934 - 2023)Posted on 01 Jul 2023 |
Genre: Comedy
Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Emma Mackey, Alexandra Shipp, Issa Rae, Simu Liu
Runtime: 1 hr 54 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 July 2023
Synopsis: To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.
Movie Review:
Who (or what) is Barbie, really? This reviewer remembers her (it?) as a doll from Mattel which wasn’t exactly on the affordable end of things, and his sister owned one Perfume Pretty Barbie from the countless number of Barbie dolls produced by the toy company. Is Barbie a toy to empower girls (and doll loving boys) so they can be anything they want to be, or is it a pretty plastic doll associated with the word “bimbo”? Will we finally have an answer with this movie starring the pretty Margot Robbie and the handsome Ryan Gosling?
After a number of forgettable computer generated direct to video and streaming TV movies, this is the first live action film based on the fashion doll – helmed by Oscar nominated Greta Gerwig, no less. Known for excelling in exploring curious characters who do not conform and have the tendency to rebel against the norm, Gerwig is an interesting choice to direct the movie. Released during the summer blockbuster season, is it meant to make a killing at the rather dreary box office, sell more Barbie dolls, or make a statement on the state of gender issues in the world? Thanks to the celebrated director, it is likely to be all of the above.
The movie’s protagonist is Stereotypical Barbie (Robbie, who is the perfect candidate to play Barbie), and we see her living the best day of her life (everyday, it seems) in her perfect Barbie world. She wakes up flawless, goes about dressing up in her dream house, and says hi to all the other Barbies living in a realm known as Barbie Land. These aren’t Stepford wives, mind you – these are truly happy and empowered female characters. There is a president, a doctor, an established writer, a doctor, a Nobel Prize winner amongst other jobs that your parents wanted you to have. The other Barbies are played by Alexandra Shipp, Issa Rae, Ritu Aryu, Hari Nef and Sharon Rooney. Plus, singer songwriter Dua Lipa shows up as a mermaid Barbie.
Then there are the Kens. The most prominent Ken in Barbie Land is played by Gosling, and he is flanked by other Kens played by Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans and Ncuti Gatwa. Somewhere, there is Ken’s friend Allan, played by Michael Cera. And John Cena pops up as a Ken-maid. All these male characters are hilarious, but there in Barbie Land, they really don’t have much to do. We don’t even know whether they hold any jobs.
This is the fun factor of the movie that is uproariously enjoyable. We snigger at how perfect everything is in Barbie Land, and laugh at the Kens for being himbos. We gawk at the gorgeous work from costume designer Jacqueline Durran and production designer Sarah Greenwood, who have created dazzling outfits and lovely dream houses for the characters strut around in. We also tap our feet to Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night” as the Barbies and Kens dance their hearts out.
Then you wonder, where do we go from here? Thanks to the released trailers, we know that Robbie’s Barbie and Gosling’s Ken find themselves in The Real World (snigger again) after Stereotypical Barbie finds herself thinking about death (gasp!). Without giving away too much, we’ll just say what happens next is a very creative way of exploring gender issues that makes you think whether it is male or female toxicity that is causing conflicts around the world. The concepts of patriarchy and matriarchy are brilliantly presented, and the 114 minute does so in a very entertaining way. So you can be assured there are no boring preachy moments. Even when America Ferrera’s human character gives a poignant monologue about what it’s like to be a woman, it comes across as inspiring.
Gerwig co wrote the script with her husband Noah Baumbach, who is also an acclaimed filmmaker. Besides the great story, credit also goes to Robbie and Gosling. The Australian actress has been delivering good work in her recent movies, and she gives yet another emotionally engaging performance in this one. Gosling gets some of the best lines in the movie (“Surfing is not even my job. And it is not lifeguard - which is a common misconception.”), and if we want to see the actor perform at the next Academy Awards, an Internet campaign to nominate the song “I’m Just Ken” has to start soon. The riotous scene comes with an outrageous dance sequence for Rosling and his male co stars to show off their moves. We would very much like to see it performed live at the Oscars.
Movie Rating:
(Thanks to Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach's clever script, the movie is outrageously funny and even has time to explore existential gender issues)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Owen Browning (Adam Devine) is a straight-laced bank manager about to marry the love of his life, Parker (Nina Dobrev). When his bank is held up by the infamous Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he believes his future in-laws (Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin) who just arrived in town, are the infamous Out-Laws.
MOVIE REVIEW:
There’s a high chance that anything that comes out of a Netflix and Happy Madison collaboration is a dud. With the exception of Hustle, most of Adam Sandler stuff suffers from lazy and over-the-top writing. The Out-Laws is another great example.
Owen Browning (Adam DeVine) who works as a bank manager is about to marry his girlfriend, Parker (Nina Dobrev). His soon to be in-laws, Billy (Pierce Brosnan) and Lilly (Ellen Barkin) suddenly shows up on his door one day despite the fact they are supposedly on a retreat in the Amazon.
It turns out that Billy and Lilly is a pair of notorious bank robbers known as the Ghost Bandits and their once partner, Rehan (Poorna Jagannathan) has kidnapped Parker unless the duo hands in a sum of $5 million. Desperate to save his future wife, Owen teams up with Billy and Lilly to rob a bank assuming they are not caught by a pursuing FBI agent (Michael Rooker).
Saved solely by an enthusiastic DeVine who plays the usual dorky character, The Out-Laws on the whole works fine. It’s zany, offers some chuckles and the pairing of old-timers, Brosnan and Barkin which adds to the insanity. Brosnan has a few funny moments with DeVine’s character although more of their riffing will make it far more enjoyable. Barkin on the other hand with the rest of the female actors are mostly side-lined except for Lauren Lapkus (The Wrong Missy) who delivers an amusing cameo as a bank security expert, Phoebe King.
As a nonsensical action comedy, the flick contains several passable action sequences. A shootout in a bakery and a ludicrous chase sequence in a cemetery are the highlights. The Out-Laws simply follows the format of Sandler’s Mystery Murder series by throwing in raunchy jokes, stars and surprisingly entertaining action sets to fill up a brief 90 minutes runtime.
The outcome makes absolutely no sense but who cares about logic and the law when it comes to a Sandler comedy? Indeed it’s yet another lazy, over-the-top comedy from the Happy Madison factory. At least we get to watch Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin this time and not one of Sandler’s Grown Ups buddies. Who knows, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer might be next.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Felix Chong
Cast: Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Charlene Choi, Simon Yam, Alex Fong, Taibo, Carlos Chan, Philip Keung
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 30 December 2023
Synopsis: Set in the 1980s, the film is based on the story of Carrian Group, a Hong Kong corporation which rose rapidly before collapsing shortly afterwards due to a corruption scandal.
Movie Review:
This Hong Kong blockbuster very much wants us to remind us of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s critically and commercially successful Infernal Affairs (2002). The poster unabashedly features Tony Leung and Andy Lau (in very stylish poses, no less), and it creates a sense of anticipation that will send fans of Hong Kong cinema into the cinemas.
If we were the investors, we would also cash in on the opportunity to market Leung and Lau, who were also the leading men of Infernal Affairs 20 years ago. After all, the first instalment in the trilogy in took home HK$55.1 million at the box office, and gained international attention when it was remade by Martin Scorsese into The Departed (2006). Two decades later, Leung and Lau are reunited on the big screen by Infernal Affairs’ co writer writer Felix Chong in this crime thriller that has a reported budget of HK$350 million.
It is evident why the movie cost so much to make. The story takes us back to the 1970s and 1980s, where things looked very different and one can only imagine the effort put into recreating that era. When the movie begins, we are introduced to Henry Ching (Leung), a humble man who arrives in Hong Kong looking for a job as an engineer. But luck does not treat our protagonist well, and he is forced to take another less than honest route that lands him in a situation that will make him very, very, very rich.
Without saying too much, the dealings includes fraud and corruption. And things go according to Henry’s way, and he is extremely happy to be bathed in riches. Elsewhere, Lau shows up as an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) investigator who is determined to uncover Henry’s dirty deeds. What follows is a long drawn cat and mouse chase that involves many supporting characters (part of the movie’s huge budget goes to the star studded cast) and non linear stories told in multiple flashback sequences.
While the blockbuster’s publicity efforts want you to think that this is a movie about Leung and Lau, the two men don’t really share much screen time together. But when they do, the chemistry is spot on and the dynamics of the two legends of Hong Kong showbiz are evident on screen. They first starred alongside each other in the 1984 TV series The Duke of Mount Deer, and it is a treat for audiences to see sparks fly between the two mega stars.
This is really Leung’s show as the movie focuses on how a simple man became the founder of a multi billion company. He gets the best scenes in the 126 minute film – you see how an introverted man become a businessman flaunting his fortune, complete with a boastful swagger. It is interesting to note that the character is based on George Tan, a man who worked in Singapore and Malaysia during the 1960s. He then made it big by founding the Carrian Group in Hong Kong, before he was involved in several financial scandals. Leung effortlessly pulls off the varied performances, and you have to give it to the multiple award winning actor for his craft.
The lavish production is a visual treat and it is clear that the filmmakers want us to be in awe with the extravagantly decorated scenes. There is so much style throughout the movie, you may forgive the sometimes confusing story, especially if you are not familiar with the subject matter. Also, the supporting cast of Charlene Choi, Simon Yam, Alex Fong, Carlos Chan and Philip Keung is enough to make you wonder – how did the filmmakers put this ambitious project together?
Movie Rating:
(You'll be in awe of this lavish Hong Kong blockbuster's sheer star power, and be captivated by Tony Leung and Andy Lau's on-screen chemistry)
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons, Lily Gladstone, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Tatanka Means, Michael Abbot Jr., Pat Healy, Scott Shepard, Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson
Runtime: 3 hrs 26 min
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence and Disturbing Scenes)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 19 October 2023
Synopsis: At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), "Killers of the Flower Moon" is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons, "Killers of the Flower Moon" is directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, based on David Grann's best-selling book.
Movie Review:
Much has been said about how Martin Scorsese had revised his adaptation of David Grann’s 2017 non-fiction bestseller from a procedural that would have Leonardo DiCaprio play an incorruptible Texas Ranger-turned FBI agent named Tom White sent to investigate the mysterious deaths of the Osage Indian nation in Oklohoma, to a drama centred on a conflicted war veteran named Ernest Burkhart who was caught between his love for an Osage tribe member and his loyalty to his rich and powerful uncle William Hale.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is even clearer why DiCaprio had suggested the change in perspective – not only are there too many of such hard-nosed, straight-laced types in other procedurals, there are also contemporary sensitivities that would surely have reacted against the idea of a white-savior Western, especially when the white people were also the bad guys who insinuated their way into the Osage and took advantage of their naivety. It also gives DiCaprio a much more intriguing character, with which he rewards with one of his best performances.
Though it is an expansive story, Scorsese – who shares screenplay credit with Eric Roth – keeps it intimately trained on Ernest. That’s a bold choice, given that Ernest isn’t much of a likeable character. Indeed, what sympathy one might have had at the start (of his gut ‘falling out’, so much so that he had to serve as a cook in the infantry during World War I), as well as positive affections from his courtship and marriage to one of the Osage ladies Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), would have dissipated by the end of the first act when we see how willingly he does his uncle’s bidding, including recruiting the thugs staying in settlements outside of town to murder not only members of the Osage community but also that of Lily’s own family.
If it isn’t yet obvious, the change in storytelling perspective means that the villains now take centre stage, and what righteous indignation or even rage we might feel will only be mollified in the last act with the arrival of White (now played by Jesse Plemons) and the subsequent trial. Even then, Ernest remains a pathetic character, unable to be fully honest and responsible for his actions, especially being complicit in medical chicanery. To his credit, DiCaprio makes no apologies for his character’s nature; on the contrary, DiCaprio empties himself to play essentially a blank character, with a rootless need to belong, a lack of clear purpose and therefore ultimately perfectly innocent yet perfectly guilty in his infantile ignorance.
Against Ernest, Mollie emerges as a perfect complement of astounding restraint and devastating quiet. Gladstone makes it clear that Mollie’s love for Ernest is true and absolute, and her scenes with DiCaprio have a graceful naturalism that grounds the story emotionally. In subsequent scenes, DiCaprio and Gladstone complement each other beautifully – whereas Ernest is physically demonstrative, Mollie is reserved – and it is also this relationship that sets Mollie up to become a victim of unspeakable horrors. Gladstone knows that Mollie is also after all the moral conscience of the entire tale, and injects a serene knowingness into an elegant and even elegiac performance.
Just as significant is DeNiro, who is terrific as Hale. Known as “the King of the Osage Hills’, Hale beguiles you in the first 20 minutes of the film as he welcomes Ernest into his fold with amused prurience. Describing the Osage as “the finest, most beautiful people on God’s Earth”, Hale also makes clear that there is money to be made by laying claim to the Indians’ right to the oil under the tribal lands – that explains why he embraces Ernest’s marriage to Mollie, but equally insists that Ernest must defend his claim on Mollie’s family’s head rights. DeNiro is absolutely fascinating as Hale, a wily con man and predator passing himself off as a pillar of the community.
On his part, Scorsese pays great attention to the Osage way of life, including such details as their wardrobe, behaviour, speech and customs. As example, there is reverence in how he depicts their religious ceremonies; likewise, the significance of dreams and visions, such as how that of an owl is meant to be an omen of death. Scorsese also highlights the political hierarchy of the Osage Nation, including their emphasis on democracy and consensus within and amongst their entire community, even with the wisdom of the elders. Scorsese’s respect for the Osages is venerable, and only reinforces how great a filmmaker he is for being able to set aside all preconceived notions and biases to portray the Osages with unblemished authenticity.
All the above are reasons why ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ is a towering achievement, even for a director as esteemed as Scorsese and actors as accomplished as DiCaprio and DeNiro. It may have taken close to a decade for this film to come to fruition, but we can confidently say that it is time well spent to not merely be faithful (to Grann’s novel) for the sake of it, but to put forward the best version of a true-crime tragedy as possible. This is a heart-breaking masterpiece for more reasons than one, not least because of the atrocities that the Osage community had suffered but also because we are reminded at the end of it all – by Scorsese, no less – that Ernest and Mollie did love each other very much, which therefore makes what he did even more tragic.
Movie Rating:
(Both intimate and immense at the same time, Martin Scorsese's adaptation of the Osage tragedy is a towering achievement, not just for him but also for his actors - DiCaprio, DeNiro and Gladstone)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Michael Jacobs
Cast: Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey, William H. Macy
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 July 2023
Synopsis: With a star-studded ensemble cast, MAYBE I DO stars Diane Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Emma Roberts, Luke Bracey and William H. Macy in a multi-generational romantic comedy. Michelle (Roberts) and Allen (Bracey) have reached the point in their relationship to take the next steps toward marriage. Thinking it is a good idea to invite their parents to finally meet, they set a dinner and make it a family affair. To everyone’s surprise, the affair takes on a whole new meaning as the parents already know each other all too well - they’ve been cheating on their spouses for months…with each other. Trapped in this precarious predicament, they try to hide their dalliances from the kids while confronting their spouse’s lovers head-on. Let the games begin!
Movie Review:
The star-studded romantic comedy Maybe I Do is more of an example of how to make a bad rom-com rather than a genuinely rib-tickling, smart comedy about mismatched couples.
The cast for a start is godsend. Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey teamed up for the second time after their dismal Netflix rom-com, Holidate. Then there is Richard Gere who romanced Emma’s aunt in Pretty Woman. Gere’s apparent co-star in Shall We Dance?, Susan Sarandon. The evergreen actress and also producer, Diane Keaton and the always watchable William H. Macy. Together these six talents gather in this sitcom-like comedy that overruns an hour.
We are first introduced to Sam (Macy) and Grace (Keaton) who met in a cinema hall and proceed to a seedy motel as they open up their long bottled-up feelings to each other. They never do the “deed” to put it bluntly and they just spent the night talking. Then we meet Howard (Gere) and Monica (Sarandon) in a fancy hotel room with Howard initiating a breakup to their four months affair. Yes they are both married just not to each other. Last but not least, we follow a young couple, Michelle (Roberts) and Allen (Bracey) having a heated argument after the man leap off a table to intercept the wedding bouquet which is meant for Michelle during an earlier wedding ceremony.
Instead of an ensemble cast in a series of stories liked the late Garry Marshall’s Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve, Maybe I Do turns into Meet the Parents but without the laughs and sparks to get the script to go on for another hour or so. When your respective in-laws are having an affair with one another, you expect the fun to begin. Perhaps by then you already suspect Michelle is the daughter of Howard and Grace and Allen is the son of Sam and Monica.
Yet the screenplay and directions by Michael Jacobs never delivers let alone being formulaic. Maybe it’s because the material is based on a stage play by Jacobs decades back. Each character is given the chance to deliver heartfelt pages of dialogue about redemption, forgiveness, deeply recollections of their past love lives while the audiences are waiting for the chaos to unfold given Monica is such a revengeful, vampy soul and the religious Grace is panicky about her “one-night stand”.
The biggest problem with Maybe I Do is the flick tries too hard to be deep and philosophical. It’s difficult for audiences to empathize with the characters simply we do not know their backstories enough to do so. How did the relationship between Sam and Monica deteriorates? Is that the reason why Allen remains non-committal to marriage? The marriage of Howard and Grace on the other hand seems to be relying on routine instead of romance.
Despite so, Jacob’s story is well-intentioned and attempts to speak out on the balance of love and marriage but the end result struggles very hard to stay relevant and interesting. We love the cast members by the way however they need a better script to justify their screen presence.
Movie Rating:
(If you have the money to pay for a ticket to watch a star-studded cast in a talky movie about marriage and life, why not?)
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: A dramatic thriller directed by Academy Award® winner Tom McCarthy and starring Matt Damon, Stillwater follows an American oil-rig roughneck from Oklahoma who travels to Marseille to visit his estranged daughter, in prison for a murder she claims she did not commit. Confronted with language barriers, cultural differences, and a complicated legal system, Bill builds a new life for himself in France as he makes it his personal mission to exonerate his daughter.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Based loosely on the Amanda Knox case where the latter is accused of murdering her flatmate in Italy, Stillwater is a fictionalised account of the crime. Instead of focusing on the central figure, the story follows her father as he attempts to reopen the case by tracking down the supposed murderer.
Bill Baker (Matt Damon), an unemployed roughneck from Stillwater, Oklahoma travels frequently to Marseille, France to visit his imprisoned daughter, Allison (Abigail Breslin) who is convicted of murdering her lover and currently in the midst of serving a nine year sentence. All these while, Allison maintains her innocence and during her father’s visit, she passed him a note to give to her defense lawyer claiming to have new information on the killer.
However, the lawyer refuses to embark further on the case and Bill has no choice but to seek out new evidence on his own so as to prove her daughter’s innocence. Enlisting the help of a theatre actress, Virginie (Camille Cottin) as a translator, Bill manages to track down an Arab young man named Akim. But is it enough to get Allison out of prison and at what price must Bill pay in the end?
Stillwater sounds like a trashy Liam Neeson action thriller on paper but the movie co-written and directed by Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) is definitely not that sort of movie. The drama spends most of its time with Bill and Virginie and her young daughter, Maya. Perhaps as a form of redemption or atonement for being an absence father to Allison, Bill makes things up by being the responsible surrogate father figure to Maya. As the roughneck American stays with Virginie over the months, romance develops between the unlikely two as well.
From a crime story perspective, Stillwater becomes pretty much unbearable by the end of the second act as the narrative forgoes the initial investigation portion and the Allison character that it turns into a mundane tale about working class Bill as he explores his new role on foreign soil. With a runtime of over two hours, the story only starts to pick up its pace in the last 30 minutes or so and that is saddled with a twist that hardly justify for all the earlier developments.
Yet Stillwater should be commended for showing the darker side of France instead of the usual glitz and glamour of Paris. Marseille looks like a seedy French version of Bronx under the lensing of Masanobu Takayanagi (Out of the Furnace). Of course, the excellent performance of Damon as a very believable, humanised roughneck adds points to the less than compelling narrative.
As a crime drama based on such a true gripping case, Stillwater is arguably a missed opportunity.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou
Cast: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird, Otis Dhanji, Miranda Otto, Zoe Terakes, Chris Alosio, Marcus Johnson, Alexandria Steffensen
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Horror)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 27 July 2023
Synopsis: When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
Movie Review:
Looking for a supernatural number to unnerve you? Let’s just say 2023 is the redemption arc of cinema. The gore unravels with a preluding scene of a rave party gone wrong where a big brother is seen bailing his little brother out of what seems to be an eerily ambiguous situation before progressing to present day where the rest of the film shadows Mia (Sophie Wilde) who suspects her dad to be having skeletons in the closet about her mum's sudden passing. The only family that feels like her own would be her bestie Jade (Alexandra Jensen), her brother Riley (Joe Bird), and of course their mother, Sue (Miranda Otto).
Hailed for all the right reasons, this smart horror drama features an embalmed hand that gets kids hooked on to the thrill of the chase as it eventually leads them to opening the doors to darker realms of predatory forces. The root of the possession which is the hand of a medium that was severed, embalmed and coated in ceramic, was allegedly passed down an untraceable chain of one-friend-to-another dynamic.
In an age where almost anything has the competence to go viral, even a person's demonic possession isn’t spared of the forbidding culture of social media sharing. Getting temporarily possessed is deemed as uber-cool by the bunch of kids and Mia seeks a different kind of solace in it. And the drill morphs into a familiar thrill, thus propelling the plot forward.
Based on a concept by Daley Pearson, the directorial and theatrical debut of the Philippou brothers isn't just a supernatural number that has possession as its core theme. It delves deeper into how grief and trauma can easily be an open invitation to dark entities if left unhealed and carries a subtle yet pristine clear message to stay away from the unbeknownst.
It is incredible to know that the zany 30-year-olds also known as the Racka Racka Boys who rose to fame with their YouTube channel, have now made a film that was premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. What makes this a professional glow up for the twins is how much they have evolved from doing skits back in the day and almost killing themselves to making one of the most authentic scary movies that will be remembered far into the future. The Indie film by the pair of twins has certainly kept the clichés of the Australian landscape such as the Outback to a minimal but still left their Oz handprint behind with a kangaroo scene at the beginning which is a dope move. Can the duo be crowned as the Masters of Horror? Given the brutal and tense psychological aspect that effortlessly veers the plot and characters to centre stage, while effectively making the paranormal film a gripping watch, it is a resounding yes for now!
From convincing onscreen chemistry to a foreboding atmosphere that plays a critical role in the steady build-up of the unnerving horror, there's a lot to like about this plucky film. The first couple of minutes dedicated to the establishment of the characters may feel a little draggy. And it is swiftly counterpoised with the young actors' compelling performances which can be safely dubbed as something beyond their years.
Well-known for her role in BBC's You Don't Know Me television series, Sophie Wilde’s performance that treats us to a hair-raising experience cemented beneath a roller coaster of emotions is likely to alter her filmography and set her soaring to greater heights. It's another one of those rare plots that is cleverly weaved to have the audience wonder if the protagonist could be the antagonist. Beyond the veil of kids-summon-demon-and-the-demon-stays- around kind of narrative, the high-octane horror delves deeper into how a person’s psyche is affected after a loved one’s demise and what lengths they would even go to in order to numb their pain.
Here's what elevates the spine-tingler on the whole. A predominantly Australian stellar cast, decent framing, highly-memorable scenes and props, with somewhat familiar yet effective horror tropes. Lit soundtracks and popping camerawork! All of it on a noticeable small budget. And not forgetting the unique Aussie twang which demands a more cultured ear to make out certain nuances adds to the allure of the movie. Also, one may expect timely humour in the least anticipated places.
Talk To Me hovers above other corny, soft teen horror flicks that are highly predictive. This unsettling supernatural skin-crawler, makes one gasp and grimace, without the use of unnecessary jump scares. While the spiritual trajectory of the embalmed hand is left untold, it would be an absolute treat if a prequel on how the cursed hand came about is made.
If you dismiss it as just another classic summoning-of-the-dead-gone-wrong concept, be prepared to be surprised. While feeling like a (healthy) throwback film to early 2000s where 'prop' horror was rampant, the theatrical trailer doesn't do enough justice to what the 95 minutes has to offer. So sit back and let the embalmed hand that has already decided the fates of many beckon you to the edge of your seats.
Movie Rating:
(Love some goosebumps galore? Talk to the hand with this modern Australian cult horror masterpiece that boasts visceral thrills and skin crawling dread)
Review by Asha Gizelle Mariadas
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Director: Cui Rui, Liu Xiang
Cast: Zhu Yilong, Ni Ni, Janice Man, Du Jiang
Runtime: 2 hr 2 mins
Rating: PG13
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 3 August 2023
Synopsis: LI MUZI, wife of HE FEI (Zhu Yilong), mysteriously disappeared on their anniversary trip to Balandia, a Southeast Asian island. The clueless husband turned for help to CHEN MAI (Ni Ni), a renowned international lawyer. As the investigation progressed, more hidden secrets were revealed...
Movie Review:
Chinese actor, director and screenwriter Chen Sicheng started getting our attention with Detective Chinatown (2015) starring Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, which he directed and wrote. The wacky whodunit comedy movie sent us on an adrenaline high, and its sequels in 2018 and 2021 were equally entertaining – making the series one of the most consistent (and profitable) franchises in China. Chen is back with another blockbuster movie, and although he didn’t take on the director role, his involvement as producer and screenwriter has us excited to see what the filmmaker has in store.
Co-directed by Cui Rui and Liu Xiang, the mystery drama is based on a little known Russian comedy detective movie Trap for a Lonely Man (1990), which was adapted from a 1960 stage play of the same name by Robert Thomas. Popular actor Zhu Yilong plays He Fei, a man who is holidaying with his wife Li Muzi on a fictitious Southeast Asian island (where people seem to be conversing in Thai), where they are celebrating their one year wedding anniversary.
The celebrations come to a halt when Li Muzi goes missing, much to He Fei’s dismay, especially because his tourist visa is about to expire. Things become weird when he wakes up the next day with a woman (the sultry Janice Man) in his bed, claiming that she is Li Muzi. He almost goes berserk when people around him claim that the stranger is his wife, with phone photos, passport information and CCTV camera footage suggesting that he is the one who is crazy. He turns to a Mandarin speaking lawyer (Ni Ni, radiating a terrific air of confidence), and the two begin uncovering pieces of clues related to a human trafficking organisation and some really shady personalities. In the mix is a no nonsense local inspector (Du Jiang) who seems to be siding the supposed imposter.
With a runtime of 122 minutes, the movie is well paced and while the story does feel increasingly preposterous, you can’t help but applaud the audacity of the lengths the plot is willing to go for viewers to enjoy a wild tale of human deceit. Just when you thought the story is heading towards a certain finale, it confuses you by throwing a new spanner in the works. Essentially, you’d want to step into the cinema without any expectations to fully enjoy the twisty ride. It is also noteworthy that the story is also based on a 2019 true life crime involving a Chinese couple that happened in Thailand.
Zhu gives it his all to play the husband who is desperate to find his wife in a foreign land. The character has a neurological condition, which gives the actor lots of room to display his acting chops. A scene where his head is forcefully shaved is harrowing to watch. The ladies deliver commendable performances as well, with Ni portraying a steadfast female lawyer who will stop at nothing to get her clients acquitted, and Man playing a femme fatale that sends shivers down the protagonist’s spine. This is another fun and engaging piece of work from Chen and his team, but this time, it is layered with darker elements that makes you question humanity.
Movie Rating:
(Leave your sense of logic at the door and go along for this twisty ride that sheds light on the darker side of humanity)
Review by John Li
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