Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Paul King
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, Tom Davis, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant
Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: www.wonka.com.sg
Opening Day: 6 December 2023
Synopsis: Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today. This irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
Movie Review:
Depending on whether you like your chocolate sweet or dark, you will either find ‘Wonka’ utterly delightful or too one-note saccharine.
Though billed as a prequel to Tim Burton’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, ‘Wonka’ is probably closer in spirit and tone to the earlier Gene Wilder classic ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’. That is because it hails from Paul King, who demonstrated in ‘Paddington’ and ‘Paddington 2’ that his brand of family film is inherently sweet, with just a dash of melancholy to give it a darker edge.
Co-writing with Simon Farnaby, King tells the origin story of how a young man arrives after a seven-year voyage to his dream city to open his own chocolate shop. Through a slowed-down, tinkly version of ‘Pure Imagination’, King introduces Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) as an idealistic, optimistic and even slightly unrealistic man who quickly falls into trouble due to his naivety.
Not only does he accept a dubious offer of accommodation by a ghoulish innkeeper Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) and her oafish partner-in-crime Bleacher (Tom Davis) that lands him being tricked into servitude in her lodging’s laundry room, Wonka also gets into the crosshairs of a nefarious chocolate cartel run by Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton) and Prodnose (Matt Lucas), who have the sweet-toothed chief-of-police (Keegan-Michael Key) in their pocket.
Yet Wonka finds an unexpected band of allies in the fellow victims of Mrs. Scrubbit, including Abacus (Jim Carter), Larry (Rich Fulcher), Piper (Natasha Rothwell), and Lottie (Rakhee Thakrar), as well as young Noodle (Calah Lane). In particular, it is Noodle whom Wonka will form a deep, poignant connection with, as they both come to terms with trying to reconnect with a long-lost parent. It is also Noodle who first believes in Wonka and helps him escape during the day to peddle his wares, despite the initial scepticism from the rest before eventually becoming his co-conspirators.
It is a lively, diverse ensemble, and King puts them to good use in a string of lovely song-and-dance numbers that expand from the confines of Mrs. Scrubitt’s inn (‘Welcome to Scrubbit’s’, ‘Scrub Scrub’) to the fondant-like city (‘For a Moment’, ‘You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like This’). Whereas Burton never fully committed to the idea of a musical, King goes all in from start to finish, trusting The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon to carry the story through song as well as his actors to give their theatrical best in front of the camera.
Both – we are happy to report – deliver splendidly. Each of the numbers is engaging and likeable; of them, our favourites were Chalamet and Lane’s duet ‘For A Moment’ as they sneak into a zoo to milk a giraffe for Wonka to make his chocolates, and the all-star ‘A World of Your Own’ to commemorate the opening of Wonka’s chocolate shop. Chalamet may not hold a Broadway voice, but he brings spiritedness to each and every line of his baritone. Ditto for Lane, whom though a newcomer, knows just how to complement Chalamet’s exuberance with winning disaffection.
Oh yes, there is plenty of ingenuity to admire in King’s confection. One off-the-wall idea is how the cartel’s headquarters is located below the town cathedral, run by a corrupt cleric (Rowan Atkinson) and 500 chocoholic monks. Another has Wonka being pursued by an Oompa Loompa named Lofty (Hugh Grant), who was cast out from his community after falling asleep while guarding the island’s precious orange cocoa beans that Wonka had stolen. With ‘Wonka’, King once again proves himself a masterful creator of imaginary worlds, meticulously stuffed full of visual gags and character designs to immerse you in his make-believe.
So even though it may downplay the titular character’s darker impulses that readers of Roald Dahl’s books would be familiar with, ‘Wonka’ is in our opinion an utterly wonderful Christmas-time confectionery for the whole family. King goes for a whimsical musical bursting with delight and detail, and grounds it with a sweet melancholy that will melt your heart by the time Wonka finds out what the secret to his late mother’s chocolate is. Like a ‘hoverchoc’, 'Wonka' will lift your spirits up with King's signature blend of efferverscence, warmth and heartfelt tenderness.
Movie Rating:
(Bursting with delight and detail, 'Wonka' is a wonderful Christmas confection, wrapped with joy, heart and tenderness)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: Actor and comedian Adam Sandler (Hotel Transylvania, The Wedding Singer) delivers signature laughs in this coming-of-age animated musical comedy about the last year of elementary school – as seen through the eyes of a class pet. Jaded 74-year-old lizard Leo (Sandler) has been stuck in the same Florida classroom for decades with his terrarium-mate turtle (Bill Burr). When he learns he only has one year left to live, he plans to escape to experience life on the outside but instead gets caught up in the problems of his anxious students — including an impossibly mean substitute teacher. It ends up being the strangest but most rewarding bucket list ever…
MOVIE REVIEW:
Let’s face it, Leo is a much more entertaining, funny and heartfelt animation than his various Hotel Transylvania outings combined. Adam Sandler and his family is basically on a roll on Netflix after You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.
Sandler voices a 74-year-old reptile, Leo who are stuck in a small tank in a fifth grade classroom with his best friend, Squirtle the turtle (Bill Burr). When a parent of a child commented that a reptile has only a lifespan of 75 years, Leo hopes to live his remaining days out in the open. But when the stern substitute teacher, Ms Malkin (Cecily Strong) instructs that every student shall take turns to bring the class pet home every weekend, Leo becomes sort of an adviser and trusting figure to the students who are each facing their own set of growing up issues and problems.
In the end, Leo manages to change the habit of Summer (Sunny Sandler), the girl who can’t seem to stop talking, convinces Eli that there is more to life than a drone and the class rich girl, Jayda (Sandie Sandler) who craves for some attention and love. Important yet applicable life lessons indeed from a 74 year old reptile.
With the help of Australian effects house, Animal Logic for the CGI, the story co-wrote by Sandler and his Happy Madison frequent collaborator and SNL regular writer Robert Smigel is a clever mix of musical, comedy and uplifting teachable material. That’s kind of rare coming from Sandler who usually comes up with a series of lazy goofy gags especially given his not so great Hotel Transylvania series.
Still, Sandler’s comedic timing is ever present here with his trademark moments of cheap poo and pee jokes opposite Burr who plays his jealous friend although this time is very much bearable. There’s also a wacky gag involving Leo losing his tail to a Roomba and a tongue-in-cheek joke that referenced Godzilla. Things got a bit crazy in the end when an overzealous Ms Malkin decides to abandon Leo in the wild everglades. Time for some good old nature and alligator gags.
Interestingly, the animation is stuffed with songs in which the lyrics are far more witty and hilarious than the unmemorable musical tunes. Honestly, despite Sandler’s usual friends appearing in bit roles, Rob Schneider appearing as the school principle and Nick Swardson as Cinnabun (guess it? A bunny), the animation belongs to Sandler who somehow manages to charm his way and channel his energy to a tuatara. If this goes on, Disney and Pixar might find themselves a strong competitor in the unlikely form of Happy Madison.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Martin Bourboulon
Cast: François Civil, Vincent Cassel, Romain Duris, Pio Marmaï, Eva Green
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Nudity and Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 30 November 2023
Synopsis: From the Louvre to Buckingham Palace, to the gutters of Paris to the siege of La Rochelle… In a kingdom divided by religious wars and under threat of British invasion, a handful of men and women will cross swords and tie their fate to that of France.
Movie Review:
Based on Alexandre Dumas's 1844 novel, The Three Musketeers, which is rich and exhilarating effortlessly translates into film, and that too, a high-gloss French costume movie. Three Musketeers: Part I - D'Artagnan that is set against a climate of war and revolts hinges on an imperative restoration of the French king's crown.
King Louis XIII's Musketeers Athos, Porthos and Aramis (Vincent Cassel, Pio Marmai and Romain Duris) who are hailed as the pillars of society goes on a crusade to battle the opposing influences. While the commanding trio aren’t allowed to dole out their own justice, they are given enough powers to take a swipe at any threat that presents itself. What seems like an uphill battle is then negated by a young ardent swordsman played by François Civil who journeys up to Paris in the hope of becoming one of the elite King's Musketeers before having a run-in with the aforesaid veterans. The impetuous three against one spar gets shortly interrupted by paramilitary corps. And this births the union of the four amigos.
The first of the two-part franchise boasts a pastel opening that allows the preluding scenes to speak for itself and that which are sensed to tie up loose ends in the second instalment with a man on a galloping horse against a colossal alpine, in what seems like unforgiving cold. And a couple of minutes into the plot, Eva Green makes a silent but prevailing entry. Brutal, cold and vengeful is child’s play for the phenomenal actress who has given her counterparts a run for their money with her appearances in Camelot, Dark Shadows, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and 300: Rise of an Empire.
Endowed with a superpower to blend her cold on-screen demeanour with her prominent squared off jawline, Green who plays a chic hitwoman raises the bar of female antagonists to a sky-high mark. As debated by some who are accustomed to Faye Dunaway's rendition of the contender in the old English version, it would be a fair crack of the whip to know that the French actress and model is exactly how the French filmmakers must have imagined Milady de Winter to be in this lavish production.
Nevertheless, Green steals the show and makes everyone wait with bated breath for more of her sinisterism in the upcoming sequel, that holds substantial space for some backstory. The supremacy of the cast ensemble doesn't just end there. As cliché as it might be, silence do speak volumes. And Vincent Cassel backs it up with an incomparable performance.
The César Awardee gives a neck-and-neck performance in this 121-minute film, especially in the trial scene sans any dialogue, where he delivers his 'lines' through his intense countenance.
History buff or not, the magnificent landscapes, astounding architecture, sensibly stylish costumes and spectacular fight scenes where it brilliantly dovetails with camera works, absolutely make up for the dreaded cliffhanger, “To be continued…” that drew exasperated sighs at the end.
Apparently, there are a couple of prototype Musketeers movies, such as The Man in the Iron Mask where Leonardo DiCaprio plays King Louis, 1948 and 1973 versions, along with the 1993 Disney’s adaptation that features an evergreen classic by Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting. The badgering to either opt for a fresh stance, given the opulence of the setting, era and elements, or give the old a proper do-over instead of meandering in between is as loud as the gunshots aired in this costume drama directed by Martin Bourboulon. While falling short of a highly-anticipated swashbuckling quest, the gritty film that has faith and politics interweaved into a tapestry of conspiracy promises slow burn and escapism with raw and unparalleled visual aspects that may be a rare find in recent releases.
Movie Rating:
(An arty diversion brilliantly shot in two dominant colours that toggles between wintry and fiery ambiences, with a narrative that pivots on political intrigue featuring Napoleonic war horses, duels, taverns and French gunnery)
Review by Asha Gizelle Mariadas
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60TH GOLDEN HORSE AWARDS (第60屆金馬çŽ)Posted on 26 Nov 2023 |
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Dante Lam, Calvin Tong
Cast: Nick Cheung, William Chan, Isabella Leong, Philip Keung, Shaun Tam, Chrissie Chau, Tony Yang
Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Some Drug Use)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 14 December 2023
Synopsis: This is the story of a chief inspector in the anti-narcotics unit who holds true to his beliefs as a police officer. He puts everything on the line to crack down on drugs and bring drug traffickers to justice. How will our hero resolve this “bursting point” crisis?
Movie Review:
Hong Kong filmmaker Dante Lam has never been known to be a director who goes for subtlety in his works. Some of his best movies are blatant action flicks – fans of Hong Kong cinema would be familiar with titles like Beast Stalker (2008), The Stool Pigeon (2010) and The Viral Factor (2011). In these testosterone charged movies, male characters go all out to open fire and punch the guts out of each other. Then Lam helmed a handful of commercially successful Mainland Chinese titles which were dramatically patriotic. Operation Red Sea (2018), The Rescue (2010), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) and its 2022 sequel are just some of these profitable action flicks.
Lam is back in his home ground with his latest work, co directing it with newcomer Calvin Tong. The result is still a signature Dante Lam flick that doesn’t hold back on the action and violence. It is also notable that the ensemble cast of this movie are bona fide Hong Kong stars. Leading the pack is Nick Cheung, who went through an incredible body transformation for the director’s other well known hit Unbeatable (2013). The actor plays a veteran cop in the police force’s anti narcotics unit who plants a mole (William Chan, who looks like he worked out real hard for the role) in a drug trafficking gang. The villain is portrayed chillingly by Shaun Tam, and his girlfriend is played by Chrissie Chau. Elsewhere, Isabelle Leong takes on the role of a drugmaker, while the very hardworking Philip Keung shows up in yet another Hong Kong movie as a crook. If you’re familiar with Hong Kong showbiz, other supporting characters are played by Wong You Nam, Jonathan Cheung, Angus Yeung and Henick Chou.
As you’d expect from an action thriller of this genre, things go wrong along the way and casualties begin piling up. In fact, with a runtime of 138 minutes, you can expect things to go bloodily wrong, thanks to numerous side plots. There is a drugmaker from the Golden Triangle who is looking for an opportunity to run away from being controlled by a drug lord, her daughter who finds herself drugged and assaulted after a night of partying, and the police officer’s son who gets on the wrong side of the law. With these storylines, you begin wondering whether the focus is still on Chan’s undercover cop who is risking his life by getting too close to the enemies.
But because Lam and Tong has a firm grasp of the movie’s pacing, you are brought along for the fast and furious ride. There are numerous memorable action sequences which involve characters chasing each other against a backdrop of high rise buildings, deafening gunfights that aren’t too kind to your eardrums, as well as explosive scenes which keep you at the edge of your seats. The movie goes all out and characters (both good and bad guys) are not easily spared in the various ways of dying. One of them is horribly splashed with acid, and several others are burnt to death. In one brutal scene, a palm is chopped off. In another fight sequence, two characters battle it out in a muddy construction site. The violence is over the top and does not take a step back. If you are a fan of this genre, then you will enjoy every minute of this action movie.
Movie Rating:
(If you're up for two hours of bloodily raw and unflinching violence, then you will enjoy this intense action flick co-directed by Hong Kong veteran Dante Lam and newcomer Calvin Tong)
Review by John Li
Genre: Action
Director: John Maclean
Cast: Kōki, Tim Roth, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira, Nathan Malone, Rory McCann, Jamie Michie, Jack Morris, Alex Macqueen, Joanne Whalley
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 17 July 2025
Synopsis: Set in the rugged landscape of 1790's Britain, Tornado (Kōki,) finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father's travelling puppet show crosses paths with a ruthless criminal gang led by Sugarman (Roth) and his ambitious son Little Sugar (Lowden). In an attempt to create a new life, Tornado seizes the opportunity to steal the gold from the gang's most recent heist; what follows is a thrilling tale of adrenaline-fueled action as Tornado fights to escape a violent demise..
Movie Review:
Tornado is a curious mashup of samurai and western genres, helmed by a Scottish filmmaker and starring a young Japanese starlet. On paper, this unique combination sounds intriguing. In execution, however, it leans more toward arthouse fare than something the average moviegoer might enjoy.
The plot is paper-thin: Tornado (played by Kōki) is pursued across the rainy Scottish Highlands by a gang of thieves led by the eccentric Sugarman (Tim Roth) after she steals a bag of their ill-gotten gold. It’s essentially a long, meandering chase stretched over 90 minutes, with little narrative depth to sustain interest. That said, the visuals are stunning, thanks to the ever-reliable cinematographer Robbie Ryan (Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness), who transforms the damp, desolate landscape into something strangely poetic.
You can’t fault director-writer John Maclean for a lack of ambition. He tries to infuse a generic revenge tale with stylistic flair and unconventional elements. Tornado’s father, Fujin (Takehiro Hira), a widowed former samurai, now earns a living performing an ultra-violent puppet show with his daughter. There are hints of emotional friction between father and daughter possibly due to adolescence or unspoken traumas but the film never explores their relationship with any real depth. We’re told Fujin gave up his samurai past but why remains unclear. Ironically, the puppet show ends up being more entertaining than the actual movie.
Sugarman’s gang is filled with oddly named henchmen—Kitten, Squid Lips, Lazy Legs and the obligatory mute Black character. Roth’s character also has a son, Little Sugar (Jack Lowden), who’s desperate to prove himself and earn his father’s respect, usually through physical beatings. The film clearly wants to explore themes of parental dysfunction but Maclean never commits to them fully, leaving the emotional beats feeling half-baked.
If you’re expecting a Quentin Tarantino-style bloodbath, you might be partially satisfied but not in the way you’d hope. The violence is there but the choreography is laughable, and one suspects the production couldn’t afford a proper action coordinator. Perhaps Maclean is paying homage to Akira Kurosawa or Masaki Kobayashi but if so, the tribute feels more like wishful thinking than meaningful reference.
Newcomer Kōki, daughter of Japanese superstar Takuya Kimura, delivers a decent performance though the script gives her little to work with. Her character is vague, her motivations underwritten and her emotional arc nearly non-existent. Roth and Lowden add some much-needed credibility to the proceedings but again, it’s the script not the cast that undermines the film.
In the end, Tornado is difficult to connect with. The production values are impressive, but the film is tonally divided between arthouse introspection and B-movie exploitation. It aspires to be a stylish period drama but lacks the substance to revive or reinvent the magic of classic cinema.
Movie Rating:
(Not the kind of Tornado you are expecting in terms of plot and tone)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama/Crime
Director: Xin Yu-kun
Cast: Zhou Dong-yu, Song Yang, Yuan Hong
Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Clover Films and Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 7 December 2023
Synopsis: The film revolves around Chen Miao, an aspiring editor at WE Media (a social media platform), who wrote an article discussing a video in which a girl is seen to push her classmate down a set of stairs. The article triggered a widespread condemnation campaign online, which drives the apparent bully, a teenage girl, to attempt suicide by jumping off a building. When she receives a package from the girl that revealed the horrifying truth that the "bully" may actually be a victim of sexual assault, Chen becomes determined to seek justice for the girl and redeem herself, and confront the darkest chapter in her career.
Movie Review:
We all know the dangers and pitfalls of social media, but we still dig movies that show us again and again the dire consequences of social media if netizens use it irresponsibly. The latest entry in this genre is a Mandarin thriller from China, starring the very hardworking Zhou Dongyu, who has been seen in a few titles this year, including Anthony Chen’s The Breaking Ice, Ma Yongxin Tainted Love and Liu Xiaoshi’s Born To Fly.
In this crime drama helmed by Xin Yu-kun, Zhou first appears as a rather unlikeable character who will stop at nothing to get online hits. She plays Chen Miao, the editor in chief of a social media platform and as people working in the industry will tell you, it is not an environment you can afford to be ponder over ethics if you want to get viral content out there. So when you come across an unverified video of a schoolgirl being pushed down a flight of stairs, you should put it online straightaway without fact checking the details.
And that’s what Chen Miao did. Expectedly, the netizens go wild passing unkind judgements on the supposed bully and the video is seen by countless people across the country. Unable to face the mean online remarks, the girl jumps off a building and what follows is a series of investigations by Chen Miao and her like minded compatriots to right the wrong she started.
Without saying too much, what’s going on behind the seemingly straightforward bullying case involves power exploitation and sexual assault. Yup, there is a #MeToo drama waiting to unfold in this 121 minute movie.
Zhou does a decent job of portraying a character who initially gets thumbs down for feeding off others for the sake of sensationalism, but eventually clears her conscience when things start getting awry. From there, we see Zhou playing a familiar character who is determined to hunt down the bad guys, especially the most crooked one behind the scenes who may never be caught because of his ability to manipulate resources and media. She goes all out to strategise, produce social media content, continually change tactics due to retaliation – these sequences are engaging to watch and will keep you at the edge of their seats because you don’t want the villains to win.
The main antagonist Zhou’s Chen Miao has to go against is an established company’s president played haughtily by Yuan Hong. Chen Miao’s small team, which includes characters played by Wang Hao and Shi Rui, righteously takes on a giant in this battle and you can’t help but wonder whether anyone in real life would have this level of determination. There is also a camp led by Chen Miao’s previous business partner played by Song Yang, and you hope that they will stand on the right side as things become favourable for the villains.
The story evolves and becomes somewhat melodramatic as past victims surface, so you can expect lots of shouting and crying. At the end of the day, you just want the innocent to triumph over evil.
Movie Rating:
(The ever-capbale Zhou Dongyu leads a competent ensemble cast in this engaging #MeToo drama about the pitfalls of social media)
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Jess and Bill Walker are doing their best to keep their family connected as their children grow older, more independent, and more distant. When a chance encounter with an astrological reader causes the family to wake up to a full body switch, on the morning of the most important day of each of their lives, can the Walkers unite to land a promotion, college interview, record deal and soccer tryout?
MOVIE REVIEW:
If you run out of ideas, look for an old idea instead of coming up with fresh ones. That’s Hollywood for you.
In this body swapping comedy directed by McG (Charlie’s Angels, Terminator Salvation), Jennifer Garner plays Jess Walker, a workaholic architect and strict mother to teenagers CC, a talented soccer player, Wyatt who is aiming to go to Yale and a baby named Miles. Her husband is Bill (Ed Helms), a school music teacher who still dreams of forming a band.
Christmas is near the corner but the older kids have no interest celebrating it except squabbling with their parents. On a fateful night to the Griffith Observatory, a mysterious fortune teller/Lyft driver (Rita Moreno) helps the Walkers in taking a family picture and the very next day to their horror, Jess has traded body with her daughter while Bill has traded body with his son.
Family Switch is the busier version of Freaky Friday and even Garner’s own 13 Going on 30 (gets a mention by Ed Helms’ character in the movie by the way) although the material is based on a children’s book by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. However, the main idea and life lessons remain the same. Parents and children must see things from each other’s perspective after they switched bodies and learn how to adapt, be more understanding and hopeful.
CC has to pose as her mom at her architectural firm. Mom has to be a soccer player on the field. Bill has to ace his son’s Yale interview. These are just some of the shenanigans concocted by McG and his writers to fill up the 105 minutes movie but fortunately, Garner and Helms are such likeable actors that you are largely entertained by them for the entire duration. For some reason, Matthias Schweighöfer from Army of the Dead appears as the Walkers’ baby and dog sitter, Rolf. Expect some potty humour and a horrible looking CGI baby.
In the most efficient way possible, Netflix even throws in some holiday theme magic into the body swapping comedy assuming fake snow and dog peeing under the Christmas tree is your thing. We kind of feel bad for Garner and Helms for they are stuck in these sort of middling, forgettable streaming productions liked Yes Day and Coffee & Kareem. Family Switch adds to their resume as yet another overdone title.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Eddie Murphy stars in this holiday comedy adventure about a man on a mission to win his neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest and inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life.
MOVIE REVIEW:
The best performance in Candy Cane Lane surprisingly doesn’t comes from Eddie Murphy but the meticulous wonderful production and design work that goes to making this holiday theme movie a feast to the eyes. It’s probably an achievement in itself since it has been a while since we see such detailing on the screen.
In this Christmas, family-friendly comedy, Murphy plays Chris Carver, a man who has recently been laid off from his job. Chris decides to focus his attention in winning the annual house decoration contest which comes with a top prize of $100,000. Together with his youngest daughter, Holly (Madison Thomas), the duo stumbles onto a mysterious Christmas pop-up store run by an equally mysterious woman, Pepper (Jillian Bell). Without looking at the fine print, Chris signed the long receipt and brought home a 12 days of Christmas theme tree.
It turns out Pepper is a rogue elf banished by Santa. She has cast a spell on the tree and in order to break it, Chris has to obtain five golden rings before he is turned into a porcelain Christmas figurine. A wild goose chase is set and the Carvers has to learn the true meaning behind Christmas before they can save Daddy Chris.
The plot of Candy Cane Lane while busy is all too familiar. There’s the usual holiday magic, lots of Christmas songs, family members coming together to learn about what is important and some silly slapstick humour. But those expecting Murphy’s trademark brand of improv comedy will come off disappointed as our man seems awkwardly subtle and restrained here. Jillian Bell is fine even though she gets a few funny lines. In fact, it’s the guys that play the cursed Christmas figurines that are genuinely more rib-tickling.
The momentum and silliness never quite match up to the enthusiasm of the cast as Candy Cane Lane runs close to two hours. As expected, Santa makes a grand entrance in the finale but the script by Kelly Younger does little to elevate the already exhausting ongoings of the ring hunt.
Despite being labelled as Murphy’s first holiday movie, Candy Cane Lane isn’t going to be remember as a classic Christmas movie down the road liked Elf or Miracle on 34th Street. Still, the overall CGI by ILM is remarkable and as prior mentioned, the production design team deserve a raise. At least MGM Amazon didn’t opt for the cheaply made route.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery
Director: Neil Burger
Cast: Daisy Ridley, Ben Mendelsohn, Garrett Hedlund, Caren Pistorius, Brooklynn Prince, Joey Carson, Yanna McIntosh, Gil Birmingham
Runtime: 1 hr 48 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Violence)
Released By: GV
Official Website:
Opening Day: 30 November 2023
Synopsis: Based on the international bestselling, award-winning psychological suspense novel The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne, ‘Helena Pelletier’ leads an ideal life with a great husband and a young daughter but she is hiding a dark secret within: that her father is the infamous ‘Marsh King,’ the man who kidnapped her Mother as a teen, and that she was the product of the relationship between captive and tormentor. Helena has lived in the wilderness for 12 years, in a life carefully controlled by her kidnapper/father ‘Jacob,’ until he is caught and sent to prison. When Jacob escapes from prison unexpectedly, sensing the danger this monster poses for her husband and young daughter, Helena must confront her secret past and use the tools he equipped her with to hunt him down.
Movie Review:
If you, like us, had not read Karen Dionne’s 2017 bestseller before this, you’d probably think that ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’ was a rugged survivalist thriller about a woman who uses the skills her father had taught her against him in the wilderness that she was raised. Yet as much as that is the pitch, it is only in the last half-hour of the movie that such a promise is realised, so those looking for it to be a lean, mean adrenaline-pumping exercise will be disappointed.
On the other hand, those who have read the book will probably be expecting a probing character study about the said woman Helena, whose first 10 years of her life revolved tightly around her father Jacob (Ben Mendelsohn) and whose world therefore crumbles after she learns that he had in fact kidnapped her mother Beth 12 years earlier to live with him off the grid in the remote marshlands of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. How would such a character confront the ghosts of her past when her father escapes from federal custody and returns to seek her out?
Somewhat disappointingly too, there is not enough emotional heft for this adaptation to be the compelling character study which the book promised. Though the first 15 minutes tries to detail the relationship between a young Helena and her father from her point of view, it isn’t gripping enough to sustain the subsequent unravelling of their relationship after Jacob is apprehended as well as the struggle she is confronted with later on whether to re-engage with him or detach from him completely.
That’s ultimately a pity, because it is obvious even from those who have not read the book that there is plenty of promise in its premise of someone who has had her world pulled out from under her feet, and then after rebuilding a new reality, forced to confront the one she had left behind. Having this play out against the dynamics of a father-daughter relationship would have made it all the richer. Yet director Neil Burger, working off a script by Elle Smith and Mark L. Smith (The Revenant), brings little depth to the characterisations or the situations.
Even with several flashblacks depicting Helena’s upbringing, it is not quite enough to fully express the intense yet cold relationship she shared with her father. Ditto the subsequent relationship between Helena and her stepdad Clark (Gil Birmingham), which is even more under-developed; and the same can also be said of the tension between Helena and her mother Beth (Caren Pistorius), whom Helena resented for a long while for causing her to be separated from her father.
To their credit, the cast make the best of their roles. Ridley brings a fierce intensity as Helena, especially when she resolves that the only way to protect her daughter is to take out her father. Though he is clearly capable of so much more, Mendelsohn is charismatically menacing as the titular Marsh King, and utterly convincing in selling his character’s delusion of reuniting with his ‘Little Shadow’. We’d wish there were more scenes of Ridley and Mendelsohn together, which would in turn further anchor the toxic bond between their characters.
As a formulaic suspense drama, there is really nothing off about ‘The Marsh King’s Daughter’; in fact, one might compliment Burger for moving things along at a breathless pace. Yet those looking for something more, of which the movie is clearly capable of, there is the unmistakable sense that something was lost in the transition from book to film – and we dare say, this is even for those who have not read Dionne’s novel. Were it not for the performances, the film would be even more unsatisfying, but thanks to Ridley and Mendelsohn, it is still a decent paperback-to-film adaptation..
Movie Rating:
(Not quite the compelling character study it could have been, this adaptation of Karen Dionne's bestseller is still a decent, formulaic suspense drama)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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