Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Michael Morris
Cast: Renée Zellweger, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leo Woodall, Emma Thompson, Gemma Jones, Jim Broadbent, Casper Knopf, Mila Jankovic, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Coarse Language and Sexual References)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 February 2025
Synopsis: Two-time Academy Award® winner Renée Zellweger returns to the role that established a romantic-comedy heroine for the ages, a woman whose inimitable approach to life and love redefined an entire film genre. Bridget Jones first blasted onto bookshelves in Helen Fielding’s literary phenomenon Bridget Jones’s Diary, which became a global bestseller and a blockbuster film. As a single career woman living in London, Bridget Jones not only introduced the world to her romantic adventures, but added “Singletons,” “Smug-Marrieds” and “f---wittage” into the global lexicon. Bridget’s ability to triumph despite adversity led her to finally marry top lawyer Mark Darcy and to become the mother of their baby boy. Happiness at last. But in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Bridget is alone once again, widowed four years ago, when Mark (Oscar® winner Colin Firth) was killed on a humanitarian mission in the Sudan. She’s now a single mother to 9-year-old Billy and 4-year-old Mabel, and is stuck in a state of emotional limbo, raising her children with help from her loyal friends and even her former lover, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant). Pressured by her Urban Family —Shazzer, Jude and Tom, her work colleague Miranda, her mother, and her gynecologist Dr. Rawlings (Oscar® winner Emma Thompson) — to forge a new path toward life and love, Bridget goes back to work and even tries out the dating apps, where she’s soon pursued by a dreamy and enthusiastic younger man (White Lotus’s Leo Woodall). Now juggling work, home and romance, Bridget grapples with the judgment of the perfect mums at school, worries about Billy as he struggles with the absence of his father, and engages in a series of awkward interactions with her son’s rational-to-a-fault science teacher (Oscar® nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor).
Movie Review:
It is a sign of the times that the latest ‘Bridget Jones’ sequel is going straight to streaming in the US; and indeed, for those who grew up with the franchise, it was more than two decades ago that Renee Zellweger first assumed the eponymous character as a 30-something single working woman in London. It has also been close to a decade since we were last reunited with Bridget Jones in ‘Bridget Jones’ Baby’, and for those who remember, that film left off with our heroine as the beaming new bride of her soul mate, Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).
In case you’re wondering why Mark doesn’t appear on the cover of the poster for ‘Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy’, it is because the movie opens with Bridget as a widow, having lost Mark, a leading and world-respected human rights lawyer, in a bombing in Darfur four years ago. Still messy and disheveled as ever, Bridget is now a full-time mother to two beautiful kids – 10-year-old Billy (Casper Knopf), who has turned out serious like his father, and still sorely missing him; and precocious 6-year-old Mabel (Mila Jankovic), who is too young to remember much of her dad – while trying to make sense if there should be more to her life than just her kids.
Unlike the more screwball nature of the earlier two sequels, ‘Mad about the Boy’ takes on the anxieties, preoccupations and struggles of middle-age with just the right amount of seriousness and poignancy, while retaining just the right measure of levity. The former is established most certainly with Mark’s passing, whose absence is beautifully depicted in occasional but always heartstring-tugging ways; but also by the return of familiar faces, including best pals Shazzer (Sally Phillips), Tom (James Callis) and Jude (Shirley Henderson), parents Colin and Pamela (Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones), and former boss-slash-paramour Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), who while still a relentless flirt and a sly reprobate, is consciously aware that he has aged into something ‘a fraction tragic’.
On the other hand, Bridget’s hijinks this time round are largely kept to her encounters with the titular boy, 29-year-old Roxster McDuff (Leo Woodall), who rescues her from an ill-fated attempt to climb a tree in Hampstead Heath when Mabel is stuck on a branch. It is a dreamy, and occasionally steamy, fling no doubt, but kudos to the writers for not taking the ‘tragic widow seeking sexual awakening’ (that’s what her friends tag her page on Tinder as) too far; instead, it is a lesson for Bridget in acknowledging where she is at this point in her life, and therefore what truly matters.
What it does though is to open her eyes and mind to the possibility of opening her life to someone new, whom in this case happens to be Billy’s somewhat awkwardly uptight science teacher Mr Walliker (Chiwetel Ejiofor). Here, the meet-cutes with Mr Walliker are less dreamy and also less steamy, but more grounded in a steady buildup of chemistry between the couple – and to be fair, Ejiofor more than holds his own in his first rom-com/ romantic role being effortlessly charming in his own way. Oh yes, it is no secret that Bridget will have a happily-ever-after ending with Mr Walliker, but you’ll find that the journey to that destination is well-earned.
It is to director Michael Morris’ credit that ‘Mad about the Boy’ is probably one of our favourite ‘Bridget Jones’ sequels. Part of it is certainly because of nostalgia for a character whom those of a certain age bracket have grown up with; but more importantly, it is an affecting character study of what it means to embrace middle-age, as well as the attendant grief and loss that just hits harder when you lose not just a husband (or wife) but a companion for life. It is also to Zellweger’s credit that she remains as endearing and eccentric as ever, but this time with a greater deal of empathy than before, representing those in their 40s and 50s who have been through more of life’s vicissitudes.
Whether we will be reunited again with Bridget and with Zellweger remains to be seen, but if this is how the makers of the franchise decide to seal our memory of the character, it is as good a finale as it gets. Like we said at the beginning, it is a sign of the times that ‘Mad about the Boy’ is turning up on streaming in the US; but we suspect, whether you’re watching this on your couch or on a seat in a darkened cinema hall, the laughs, tears and affections are just as rewarding.
Movie Rating:
(Less screwball and more reflective, and dare we say intimate, this portrait of middle-aged Bridget is surprisingly poignant and heartfelt)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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INTERVIEW WITH THE CAST AND CREW OF DARK NUNSPosted on 09 Feb 2025 |
Genre: Drama
Director: Jon Gunn
Cast: Zachary Levi, Meghann Fahy, Jacob Laval, Drew Powell, Peter Facinelli, Gavin Warren, Patricia Heaton, Todd Terry, Kurt Yue
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 February 2025
Synopsis: From Kingdom Story Company, the team behind Jesus Revolution and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and Lionsgate, the studio behind Wonder, comes The Unbreakable Boy. When his parents, Scott (Zachary Levi) and Teresa (Meghann Fahy), learn that Austin is both autistic and has brittle bone disease, they initially worry for their son’s future. But with Scott’s growing faith and Austin’s incredible spirit, they become “unbreakable,” finding joy, gratitude, and courage even in the most trying times — an extraordinary true story about a father and son learning together that every day can be the best day of your life!
Movie Review:
The Unbreakable Boy is directed by Jon Gunn, an independent filmmaker who specialises in faith-based titles liked American Underdog and Ordinary Angels. And if you are on time, you should have seen the Christian films production label, Kingdom Story Company flashing prior on the screen.
The Unbreakable Boy is marketed as sort of a feel-good drama with a medically-challenged kid in the central role liked Wonder. Jacob Laval plays Austin LeRette, a boy on the autism spectrum that also suffers from brittle bone disease. Zachary Levi plays his dad, Scott and Meghann Fahy plays his mother, Teresa. Austin narrates how daddy and mommy meets and how both of them leads a challenging life managing his daily tasks.
Look, as much as we want to indulge in the story of the LeRettes, the narrative just comes off as pedestrian and for a lack of a better word, exhausting. For a start, this is a depressing movie but Austin and the filmmakers assured us it’s based on a true story so there should be aspects of it to be close to real-life.
The focus is not entirely on Austin though. Much of the human drama is about Scott and Teresa. Actually this is Teresa’s third marriage but that wasn’t convey to Scott nor her genetic issue with brittle bone disease. Then Scott loses his job and got addicted to alcohol. The debts of the household piled up and the couple quarrelled, spilt up for a moment till Scott becomes clean. Meantime, Austin’s younger brother, Logan gets into trouble at school with a bully named Tyler.
Honestly, there’s little to nothing to attract audiences to a movie like this. The happenings appear like some predictable soap opera teledrama although for the most part it tries to avoid as much sentimentality as possible. For a movie that attempts to pass off Austin’s positivities to change the cruel world he is living in, there simply isn’t enough conviction and intelligence to tell us so. In addition, there’s Scott’s “imaginary” friend, Joe who seems like an odd fit throughout.
The drama for better or worse is not overtly religious. Sure, there are discussions of God and instances of faith but not a big deal to make or break the movie. One major issue however appears to be Twilight star Peter Facinelli who stars as Preacher Rick, an unconvincing character that appears everywhere including Scott’s Alcoholics Anonymous meeting for no reason.
Both Zachary Levi and Meghann Fahy delivers credible performances and that includes young actor, Jacob Laval. However, The Unbreakable Boy lacks the credibility and emotional of Wonder even both contains the same spirit of a feel-good drama.
Movie Rating:
(The boy might be unbreakable but his non-stop narrative alone can’t save this uninspiring, paint-by-numbers family drama)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama
Director: Seo You-min
Cast: Doh Kyung-soo, Won Jin-a, Shin Ye-eun, Kang Kyung-hun, Kang Mal-geum
Runtime: 1 hr 42 mins
Rating: TBA
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 February 2025
Synopsis: Yu-jun is a promising pianist who had been studying abroad. On the other day, however, he gets a wrist injury and no longer be able to play piano due to the aftereffects. To concentrate on his treatment, he returns home as an exchange student at the college of music in Korea where his father teaches. Then one day, Yu-jun has a chance meeting with Jung-a while she plays a mysterious piece in an old practice room on campus. As they spend more time together, they develop feelings for each other. However, unlike Yu-jun, who wants to get closer, Jung-a repeatedly pulls away and confuses him with her secretive actions. Searching for Jung-a’s whereabouts when she vanishes one day, Yu-jun comes across Jung-a’s hidden secret.
Movie Review:
This writer remembers how the directorial debut feature film of Taiwanese musician Jay Chou caused quite a stir when it was released in 2007. Besides starring as the male lead of the movie, the King of Mandopop was also the co writer. This naturally boosted his already popular status.
The movie, with a title that literally translates to “The Secret That Cannot Be Told” was a hit. It received six nominations at the 44th Golden Horse Awards, winning in three categories for Outstanding Taiwanese Film of the Year, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song. The emotional titular song (performed by Chou, obviously) wriggled into fans’ heads, and the earworm was stuck on repeat.
The huge success meant that the phenomenon wouldn’t stop at just one movie. It was adapted into a stage musical in 2016. There was a 2024 Japanese remake directed by Hayato Kawai, starring Taiga Kyomoto and Kotone Furukawa. And the latest is this remake from Korea helmed by Seo You-min.
What’s notable about this remake is probably its male lead Doh Kyung-soo, who is known affectionately by his stage name D.O. He isn’t any artiste – the 32 year old is a member of the very popular South Korean boy band Exo. And that probably explains why female viewers (who are probably fans) were swooning during some scenes featuring extreme close ups of the actor’s boyish face. He might have stolen some hearts, breath and maybe a few souls whenever he graced the screen.
Doh plays Yu-jun, a pianist who returns to South Korea from Germany after being hit with a wrist injury. He becomes an exchange student at a local college and fate has it that he crosses paths with the sweet Jung-a (Won Jin-a, who deserves as much attention as Doh for delivering an endearing performance) in a run down music practice room. As expected, the two grow closer and a romance blossoms.
Viewers who remember the plot of the original 2007 Taiwanese movie won’t be getting much surprises from this remake. For others like this reviewer, who has forgotten what the “secret that cannot be told” was about, it may be a déjà vu moment when the twist is revealed. Maybe because this writer is past his teenage years (it has been almost two decades since the Chou’s version, after all), there was a realisation how underwhelming the truth behind the Yu-jun and Jung-a’s romance felt.
Fans of the genre would get their fix of the lovey dovey moments where the good looking pair hang out at different locations with pretty backdrops. The lovebirds create beautiful memories at a park, in a record store and playing piano together. The most iconic sequence may be Yu-jun ferrying Jung-a on a bicycle. Under the soft golden glow of the sun, her arms are gently wrapped around his waist while she rests her head on his back. The world has slowed down for them, while they embrace this fleeting yet tender moment. What would you pay to experience a moment like this with your other half in real life?
For audiences who have not seen the original movie, we will not spoil the ending. It’s suffice to say that when the last scene is played, die hard romantics will smile, or even be moved to tears, by the sweetness of Yu-jun and Jung-a’s undying love.
Movie Rating:
(This Korean remake of the successful Taiwanese movie is for die-hard fans of the romance genre, and also for unwavering supporters of the popular and boyish D.O.)
Review by John Li
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Kwon Hyeok-jae
Cast: Song Hye-kyo, Jeon Yeo-been, Lee Jin-uk, Moon Woo-jin
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Rating: NC16 (Horror)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 13 February 2025
Synopsis: Are you ready to venture into the forbidden? Sister Giunia (SONG Hye-kyo) is convinced that the evil spirit possessing Hee-joon (MOON Woo-jin) is one of the 12 Manifestations. With the exorcist priest unable to come in time and Hee-joon’s life clearly at risk, Sister Giunia decides to break a sacred rule: ‘An unordained nun cannot perform an exorcism.’ However, Father Paolo (LEE Jin-uk), Hee-joon’s attending physician, firmly believes that only medicine can save the boy. When Sister Giunia discovers a secret about Father Paolo’s disciple, Sister Michela (JEON Yeo-been), she recklessly seeks her help to smuggle Hee-joon out of the hospital. Despite clashing with the fearless Giunia, Michela, feeling a connection to the boy, decides to join forces. Together, the two nuns embark on a dangerous ritual, determined to save the boy at all costs, no matter the risks or consequences. There’s only one rule: Save him at all costs!
Movie Review:
An official spinoff of 2015’s ‘The Priests’, ‘Dark Nuns’ tries to put a fresh spin on the exorcism genre by having sisters do the job (rather than say the priests).
Led by Song Hye-kyo and Jeon Yeo-been, it has both actresses teaming up as Sisters Junia and Michaela respectively to save a young boy Hee-joon (Moon Woo-jin) who has been possessed by a powerful demon. Not surprisingly, both sisters have to deal with the institutional patriarchy of the Catholic Church, as well as intense scepticism from resident hospital doctor Father Paolo (Lee Jin-uk).
As intriguing as that may sound, it is in fact disappointingly under-developed. Besides being terminally ill and willing to take on her local bishop, there is little that defines Sister Junia. On the other hand, what troubled past Sister Michaela harbours is lost amidst a number of sparing flashbacks scattered throughout the course of the movie. And aside from Sisters Junia and Michaela, there is no other attempt to flesh out any of the supporting characters – most notably, we know next to nothing about Hee-joon, who is depicted one-note as an innocent boy whose possession is plain unfortunate.
Like its characters, the plot is threadbare. It starts with a failed exorcism of Hee-joon, spends the first half setting up the unlikely alliance between both sisters while Hee-joon is institutionalised in a Catholic hospital, and then takes too long to depict a progressively less interesting Rosicrucian exorcism ritual that, aside from having a Buddhist shaman join in with chanting and drumming, comes off awfully familiar.
Indeed, next to the regular diet of Hollywood exorcism movies, ‘Dark Nuns’ offers nothing new in its depiction of exorcism; in fact, you might find many of the elements very similar. There is for instance the use of holy water to tame the evil spirits within the possessed; or say the foul-mouthing and spit-spewing in order to get the demon within to reveal its name, just before it is expelled from its host. We get that it is tough to get too religiously creative about it, but that is also why the genre has somewhat run out of steam.
What is also disappointingly lacking is a deeper treatment of religion and faith that any self-respecting religiously-themed horror should attempt, in particular the fight between good and evil that us mortals are powerless to resist on our own (and therefore the need to invoke God and his Angels), as well as the struggle to keep faith especially when evil infects the innocent. The movie also avoids any informed discussion of religious doctrine, which in turn relegates it to no more than a showcase of vileness and puerility before the predictable expulsion.
Aside from a cameo by Gang Dong-won at the end (who played a deacon thrown literally into the religious fire in ‘The Priests’), there is little surprise in ‘Dark Nuns’; in fact, we dare say it hardly lives up to its name, because there is little truly dark, intriguing or even mysterious about it. Amidst the predicable onslaught of religiously-themed movies following the success of ‘Exhuma’, this is unfortunately one of the poorer cousins that offers nothing beyond a gimmicky gender swap of the clergy behind the eponymous ritual.
Movie Rating:
(What novelty there may be of having sisters, rather than priests, do the job is quickly lost amidst a under-developed plot, shallow characters and familiar antics)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: Set in the post-apocalyptic Rocky Mountains, a single father and two women venture from the safety of their homes to face monstrous creatures to save the life of a young boy.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Before you see Anthony Mackie picking up the famous vibranium shield, he plays Will, a dedicated father living in an apocalyptic world in Elevation.
You probably have seen Elevation somewhere or somehow. Even the poster reminds you it’s from the producer of A Quiet Place. In this version, the world is destroyed by massive insectoid monsters dubbed “The Reapers” and the remaining humans have to stay above 8,000 ft in elevation in order to survive. 

As Will’s son needs medical supplies, he recruits scientist Nina (Morena Baccarin) and his wife’s best friend Katie (Maddie Hasson) to go along a dangerous mission to Boulder, Colorado to retrieve more oxygen filters. Expectedly, the reapers await them.
Elevation is a serviceable monster movie neither making a lasting impression nor rises above the average apocalyptic disaster/monster movie. The first 15 minutes is all it takes to summarise the characters’ motives and backstories before the onslaught begins. Anyway to be fair, the majority of the audiences are here for the adrenalin and threatening creatures.
Thus director George Nolfi (The Adjustment Bureau, The Banker) in his third collaboration with Mackie delivers a thrilling cable car set piece with the rest of the action sequences which are set in a mine and building being forgettable CGI explosions and chases. It has been mentioned that the creatures are immune to conventional gunfire so we are not sure what is the purpose of firing endless rounds of ammunition at them since it doesn’t kill them or hurt them the slightest bit.
The production design on the whole looks cheap and under budget. Even with the apocalypse which started three years ago, everywhere the trio went, the buildings and facilities seem like it’s just been abandoned not so long ago. At least on the bright side, the rocky mountains are beautifully lensed by Shelly Johnson.
There is no specific reason to explain why the reapers can’t reach an altitude of 8000 with a supposedly big twist in the end making things even more ludicrous. As with any other creature feature, there’s a hint of a sequel during the mid credits. Let’s see if anyone is keen to see Mackie back in the role of Will. I suspect the prospect is very dim indeed.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama
Director: Brady Corbet
Cast: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Isaach De Bankolé, Alessandro Nivola
Runtime: 3 hrs 35 mins
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scenes and Sexual Violence)
Released By: UIP
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 February 2025
Synopsis: Escaping post-war Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his work, and his marriage to his wife Erzsébet after being forced apart during wartime by shifting borders and regimes. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent for building. But power and legacy come at a heavy cost.
Movie Review:
Pardon this writer’s ignorance, because he thought that he was watching a biopic when the story of this movie’s protagonist unfolded on screen. For 215 minutes (yes, you read that right), we see how László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish Holocaust survivor architect navigating through life after arriving in the United States as an immigrant. He experiences many ups and downs, and eventually the film shows an elderly version of László attending an event which celebrates his works through the decades.
You have to admit that this is a structure that many biopics have taken, and you’d walk out of the cinema feeling inspired by the character’s triumphs. It’s about an immigrant’s difficult journey as he grapples with the American Dream, and this is the kind of plot that will move audiences.
But this movie directed by Brady Corbet is not based on any true story. And yet, the original screenplay co-written by Corbet with Mona Fastvold triumphs as one of the most epic and sincerest life story this reviewer has experienced.
Maybe it’s because László is heartachingly played by Adrien Brody, and this performance reminds us of his Oscar-winning role in Roman Polanski’s The Pianist (2002). Brody’s sharp and angular facial features make you feel he is László, a man who has gone through life’s toughest moments. Brody’s high cheekbones, chiseled jawline and noticeably angular nose bridge all help to make the character melancholically appealing. After clinching numerous Best Actor accolades, the 51-year-old actor is a favourite to take home the prize at the 97th Academy Awards, where the film garnered 10 nominations.
Brody’s passionate performance is supported by Felicity Jones (nominated for Best Supporting Actress) who plays László’s long-suffering wife who was initially left behind in a concentration camp, Guy Pearce (nominated for Best Supporting Actor) who hams it up as a haughty businessman who engages László to construct a community centre building, and Joe Alwyn who slips effortlessly into his role as the businessman’s arrogant and unkind son. The ensemble cast also includes Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Alessandro Nivola and Jonathan Hyde. Each actor competently brings something to the role, and you will be emotionally engaged throughout, despite the runtime that stretches past three hours.
So it definitely helps that the film cleverly incorporates an intermission around the halfway mark. During the intermission, a photograph (we won’t spoil it here) is displayed on the screen, accompanied by a countdown timer and a music score. This pause not only gives fidgety audiences a chance to take a break, it also ingeniously make viewers reflect what they have seen before the drama continues in the second part.
The film boasts impressive production values. Lol Crawley’s cinematography is breathtaking, and the use of VistaVision, a widescreen variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format is a treat for the eyes. One of the most visually stunning sequences in the film sees the characters making their way to the mines of Carrara to check out the marble which is usually used in sculptures and building decors. English musician Daniel Blumberg’s score features orchestral and contemporary classical elements, and the result is music that enhances the cinematic experience.
If you did not read much about the film, you may walk out of the theatre like this writer, thinking that the movie did a great job in bringing a visionary architecture’s inspiring story to life on the big screen.
Movie Rating:
(Adrien Brody commands the screen in this sweeping film, delivering a compelling cinematic experience)
Review by John Li
Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Pablo Larraín
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Valeria Golino, Caspar Phillipson, Vincent Macaigne, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Runtime: 2 hrs 3 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Drug References and Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 20 February 2025
Synopsis: Academy Award®-winner Angelina Jolie is Maria Callas, one of the most iconic performers of the 20th century in acclaimed director Pablo Larrain's operatic MARIA. The film follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. MARIA reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life.
Movie Review:
Unlike pop or rock music, opera music certainly is not for everyone. For the third film of Pablo Larraín's trilogy of important 20th-century women, Pablo shifts his focus to opera singer Maria Callas, a renowned influential American and Greek soparano. If the name doesn’t ring a bell for you, it’s obvious you are not a fan of opera music.
The story of Maria is set in the last days of Callas. The morbid opening scene already tell you so. Depressing? bleak? Yes I know. It’s never easy watching Pablo’s historical dramas because it’s indeed depressing. Jackie is set a week after JFK assassination while Spencer is about Princess Diana's existential crisis. Pablo sure needs to take a break with all his soul crushing biographies.
We are sure Maria Callas is a gorgeous, wonderful soparano but we won’t see it here in Pablo’s version. Scripted by Steven Knight (Spencer, Peaky Blinders), as the movie opens, we learned that Callas is highly dependent on Mandrax and other prescription drugs. Her health is on the decline, she has lost her voice and the only companions she has in her life right now is her faithful butler, Ferruccio (Pierfrancesco Favino), and housekeeper, Bruna (Alba Rohrwacher). They are worried about Callas’ well-being but she has plans of her own.
She walks around the city with an imaginary filmmaker dubbed Mandrax (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and reminisces about her past liked her toxic relationship with Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis, her tortured childhood with her overbearing, exploitive mother, her struggle to return to the stage and an intimate meet-up with her elder sister.
It’s a huge pity we only see a fraction of Callas’ life in this two hour long biopic. How much of her dreams and hallucinations are real and fictional? We can’t really tell in the end. There’s an abrupt scene of Callas having breakfast with JFK that feels strangely detached from all the happenings. Still, the most enjoyable scenes are watching Callas having candid, funny conversations with Ferruccio and her insistence to constantly move the piano from room to room.
Maria is a slow-moving drama. Tender might be a better word but we digress. The flashbacks are shot in black and white. Ironically, these are the times whereby audiences see Callas at the peak of her life. The present days however are shot so aesthetically by Edward Lachman that it look like a piece of moving oil painting.
Angelina Jolie puts up a solid, convincing performance as Maria Callas. We heard she even go to the extend of singing and performing all the songs with the help of modern audio technology. Too bad she didn’t make it to the Oscar best actress category. For a story of a diva that never receives the love and adoration she deserves in the end, Maria feels unsatisfying and experimental. Sure, there are moments of brilliance but mostly it’s just Jolie putting in all the hard work.
Movie Rating:
(Angelina Jolie is the reason why this somber biopic deserves to be watch)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Thriller/Drama
Director: Alex Parkinson
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, Cliff Curtis, Mark Bonner, Myanna Buring, Connor Reed, Bobby Rainsbury, Josef Altin
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Coarse Language)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website:
Opening Day: 27 February 2025
Synopsis: A heart-pounding film that follows seasoned deep-sea divers as they battle the raging elements to rescue their crewmate trapped hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface. Based on a true story, Last Breath is an electrifying story about teamwork, resilience, and a race against time to do the impossible.
Movie Review:
In 2012, deep-sea divers Chris Lemons, Duncan Allcock and David Yuasa were carrying out maintenance and repair work 100 metres below the surface of the North Sea when an accident happened. The support vessel's dynamic positioning system failed which resulted in the vessel to drift through rough waters. The divers were dragged away from the area they were supposed to be working at, and Lemons’ umbilical cable snapped. Essentially, this meant that the poor guy was left in the deep waters with breathable air that will eventually run out.
Fortunately, Lemons survived the accident. Although he had no oxygen for around 30 minutes, the man managed to survive after being located by a remote underwater vehicle and then by his colleague Yuasa.
This is obviously great material for a motion picture. In 2019, Richard da Costa and Alex Parkinson directed a documentary that incorporated footage and audio recorded during the actual event, reenacted visuals, as well as interviews with the individuals involved.
It's probably a great idea to adapt this into a thriller to get even more people to know about the miracle that happened to Lemons. So here’s this feature movie helmed by Parkinson, who co-directed the 2019 documentary, and what better way to leave an impression on audiences than casting well-known actors in the respective roles.
Finn Cole (this one’s for fans of TV series Peaky Blinders) plays Lemons, and the English actor does a fine job portraying a character who loves his wife, is committed to his job, but runs into an unfortunate accident. There are dramatic moments which show the character’s determination to survive the ordeal, and while it is nothing particularly innovative, the sequence does its job of illustrating what might have gone through Lemons’ mind when he was running out of breathable air.
Want someone has played a Marvel superhero? Enter Simu Liu, who takes on the role of Yuasa, who is initially haughty but gradually opens up to his teammates. There’s also the trusted Woody Harrelson who plays Allock, the third member of the team. The character stays in the enclosed bell throughout the movie and does not get into the water, but manages to command the screen in every scene he is in, thanks to Harrelson’s competent performance. Elsewhere, Cliff Curtis (whom viewers may recognise from The Meg and Avatar: The Way of Water) plays the captain who has to call the shots while navigating the vessel in the rough sea.
The movie also gets points with its efficient runtime. Within 93 minutes, the film delivers human drama and gripping underwater sequences, and also successfully sends a message of how strong the human spirit can be. While we applaud the various characters’ determination to rescue a teammate in danger, it is a situation we cannot imagine ourselves to be in. This powerful and engaging story is presented in a conventional way that doesn’t try to be clever, and this lean and straightforward film will remind viewers of survival movies from the 1990s.
Movie Rating:
(A straightforward, lean and tense underwater rescue flick that does its job of delivering human drama and thrills)
Review by John Li
Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure
Director: Bong Joon Ho
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo
Runtime: 2 hrs 17 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website:
Opening Day: 6 March 2025
Synopsis: The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.
Movie Review:
South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite made its premiere at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in May 2019, where it became the first Korean film to win the Palme d'Or, the festival’s highest accolade. It then went on clinch the Oscar for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards, making history as the first non-English-language movie to take home the prize. The success did not stop there, as the film was also recognised with Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film trophies.
Naturally, Bong gained international acclaim and cinephiles anticipated his next work. And here it is, an English sci fi comedy about a man who signs up to be a disposable worker in space, with the ‘ability’ to be cloned indefinitely every time he dies.
The 55-year-old filmmaker, who is known for exploring social and class themes in his movies, confidently takes on the duties of producing, writing and directing this story based on the 2022 novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton. Prior to Parasite, Bong had helmed Snowpiercer (2013) and Okja (2017), so this isn’t his first foray into a production that is in the English language.
Robert Pattinson plays the protagonist, a man named Mickey Barnes, who is forced by life circumstances to take on a job of an “Expendable” on a mission to colonise an icy planet. His role is to be involved in dangerous assignments that can kill him. Thanks to technology, Mickey can be cloned with his memories intact each time he dies – this sure sounds like a great idea to propel humankind forward.
Mickey is simply identified by the number of times he has been cloned. Things get interesting when Mickey 17 survives a mission and returns to base, only to find that there is a Mickey 18.
With this unique premise, Bong probably had a field day bringing thought-provoking themes to life in spectacular fashion. Plus, he is backed up by a major distributor for this project, which means there were possibly enough resources to materialise his vision.
The topic of cloning brings with it ethical dilemmas and existential struggles. Coupled with issues like individual identity and class differences, the movie could have been heavy to sit through with solemn and weighty concepts, but Bong manages to keep the 137-minute film engaging throughout with his sharp storytelling.
Offbeat humour is aplenty in the movie (we laughed at how Mickey’s cloning and disposal process is carried out so mechanically), and while there are philosophical notions (should clones co-exist?), the film is still accessible with its energy and pacing – it is essentially a story about the hero beating all odds to survive the day.
The movie also benefits from its well-known stars. The ensemble cast includes Naomi Ackie as a security agent and Mickey’s love interest and Steven Yuen as Mickey’s friend There’s also the scene-stealing Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette, hamming it up as an arrogant politician and his scheming wife. The couple’s over-the-top performances fit oddly in the scheme of things.
Pattinson, who has long shed his Twilight persona, continues to prove his range. This time, he gets to showcase his versatility by playing both Mickey 17 and Mickey 18 in the same scene. Playing clones with wildly different personalities was likely a fun challenge for the English actor, who will win more fans with his compelling performance.
Movie Rating:
(Bong Joon-ho’s sci fi comedy is packed with quirks and thought-provoking themes that keep audiences engaged - made even better by the spectacle of Robert Pattinson acting opposite himself)
Review by John Li
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