SYNOPSIS: When the G20 summit comes under siege, U.S. President Danielle Sutton (Academy Award® winner Viola Davis) becomes the number one target. After evading capture by the attackers, she must outsmart the enemy to protect her family, defend her country and safeguard world leaders in this action-packed thrill ride. 

MOVIE REVIEW:

G20 basically takes a leaf out of Olympus Has Fallen and turned it into a Viola Davis action vehicle. The premise is simple. Assemble the world’s biggest leaders in a room where they are held hostage by an ex-soldier, Corporal Rutledge (Antony Starr) while the baddies crash the world’s economy by making billions in cryptocurrency. Throws in a tough female President Sutton played by Davis and viola you have G20!

It’s impossible not to compare G20 with the Fallen series and White House Down since they all involved the American President and a powerful ally, their bodyguard of sort. Viola Davis who has shown she can kick serious asses in The Woman King plays an ex-decorated soldier turned President. There’s nothing else we know about her character except she has a loving husband, Derek (Anthony Anderson), a son named Demetrius (Christopher Farrar) and a rebellious tech-savvy daughter, Serena (Marsai Martin). Throughout the ordeal, her army colleague turned bodyguard, Manny (Ramón Rodríguez) dutifully covers her back.

As if to raise the stakes, the rest of the family members get to grace the screen at times. Derek suffers a few bloody punches while Serena expectedly gets to show off her tech skills. To be fair, G20 isn’t terrible in trying to hold your attention. Because for one, Viola Davis is an engaging performer and we really want to see her taking out the bad guys. Laughingly, most of the rugged, stout men especially the last henchman of Rutledge hardly caused much damages to President Sutton anyway.

Set and filmed in South Africa, G20 clearly suffers from the lack of a generous budget. Most of the CG and background looks cartoonish though fortunately, most of the action took place indoors. Fight coordinator Filip Ciprian Florian who worked with Viola on The Woman King delivers some fierce punches and kicks but nothing too memorable or fancy to get action fans excited. And if you are expecting Antony Starr from The Boys to play a brilliant madman. Nope. His character is yet another cliched villain who wishes nothing but to watch the world burn.

The biggest problem however is not the run out of mill story but the consequence of releasing this sort of so-called action blockbuster to streaming. Imagine the future of cinema where most movies will not even get the attention of consumers since most are fed on mediocre home entertainment. Anyway G20 is a forgettable Amazon Prime release. The overall experience is serviceable on TV and slightly above those direct-to-video production.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Horror/Mystery
Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney, Willem Dafoe 
Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins
Rating: M18 (Nudity and Sexual Scene)
Released By: UIP
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 27 February 2025

Synopsis: Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU is a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake.

Movie Review:

Even with just three films under his belt, there is no doubt that Robert Eggers is a modern-day auteur filmmaker. That is also why we were so eagerly awaiting his long-declared passion project, a remake of the 1922 silent horror titled ‘Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror’, which had Eggers enraptured since he was nine years old. And indeed, Eggers does not disappoint – his faithful remake is fascinating not just as a period vampire tale, but also as a masterclass in atmosphere.

Right from the first scene, Eggers impresses with his use of light, dark and shadows, setting up an ominous start with the young Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) whispering a prayer for a ‘spirit for comfort’ that is answered by a creature with a primal, guttural appetite for blood and female companionship. Our first encounter with the creature who will come to be known as Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) is as a silhouette against the soft, white curtains of Ellen’s bedroom window, and when it asks whether she would pledge herself to him, Ellen says ‘yes’.

Unlike his predecessor, Eggers places the focus here on Ellen, whose dalliance and eventual resistance of her obsessive suitor comes into sharp focus in the latter half of the movie. The setup though follows the same beat, with a young, newly-wed and inexperienced solicitor named Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) tasked by his boss Herr Knock (Simon McBurney) to journey to Transylvania in order to finalise a real estate deal with a mysterious count.

Despite Ellen’s pleadings for him not to go, Thomas sees it as a ripe career opportunity and so upon settling Ellen at the residence of his wealthy friend Friedrich Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), makes the arduous trek to a sinister castle in the mountains. En route, Thomas stops by a primeval village where he is shocked to see an impaling, and despite yet another warning by its villagers not to go further, proceeds onwards to meet the Count.

Not only does Thomas end up becoming feast for Count Orlok, Ellen’s fate is also sealed after the latter seizes Thomas’s locket containing her photo and decides to claim her as his lover. Unbeknownst to him, Thomas also signs a contract that effectively renounces his marriage to Ellen and binds her to Count Orlok. As he draws near, Ellen experiences nightly seizures that grow progressively more extreme, although it is not until Von Franz (Willem Dafoe) arrives that the true nature of the danger confronting Ellen is revealed.

Eggers is a master at pacing and build-up; here, he carefully orchestrates the creeping influence of Count Orlok on Ellen, including through a scene-stealing supporting act by Herr Knock whom has pledged his life and soul to do the Count’s bidding, and thereafter his inevitable descent onto the German town of Wisborg to bring plague and all other sorts of hell on its residents. It is to Eggers’ credit that the foreboding feels as genuine as it does here, especially given how such genre fare can so easily veer into cliché and tackiness.

It is also to Eggers’ credit that he has assembled such an excellent ensemble for this retelling. Depp is full bloodedly committed, and her transformation from a damsel-in-distress into a worthwhile heroine who turns the Count’s hold over her into advantage is utterly convincing. Hoult may be saddled with the Everyman role, but he finds surprising poignancy as a dedicated husband who tries helplessly to save his wife from a calamity partly of his doing. Both Taylor-Johnson and Dafoe excel at being the de-facto vampire hunters of the film, and the latter in particular is clearly enjoying himself leaning into the eccentricity of his character.

Still, Eggers knows that ‘Nosferatu’ ought to be a Dracula movie, and in that regard, has fashioned a bestial version of the bloodsucking monster that returns the vampire back to its folkloric roots. Like he did as Pennywise in ‘It’, Skarsgård disappears into the role of Count Orlok here, and through copious amounts of rotting flesh and makeup, ensures that we feel the carnality of his character. It is as grotesque a portrayal as you can imagine, and thanks to Skarsgård’s commitment, a fully compelling one that makes the vampire genre movie fresh and captivating again.

And with ‘Nosferatu’, Eggers reinforces why he is indeed a modern-day auteur filmmaker. This is not just a blindly reverential remake, but one that reveals an artist with a clear vision at work. From the absorbing mise-en-scene, to the reimagining of the characters, and down to the images and themes of vampire lore, ‘Nosferatu’ is a rich, tasteful (as ironic as that may sound) portrait of obsession, possession and human spirit. It is by far one of the best examples of the genre in recent time, and as satisfying a vampire movie to sink your teeth into.

Movie Rating:

(Rich in atmosphere, folklore and visuals, Robert Eggers' remake of the 1922 classic reinforces why the filmmaker is a modern-day auteur with a clear vision at work) 

Review by Gabriel Chong

SYNOPSIS: Two highly-trained operatives (Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy) are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late.

MOVIE REVIEW:

The less you know about The Gorge, the more joy you are going to derive from this sci-fi action romance.

Levi (Miles Teller), a former marine sniper accepts a mission of guarding the west side of a deep gorge situated in an isolated, unspecified location while Drasa (Anya-Taylor Joy), a Lithuanian covert operative guards the east. Levi is warned by his predecessor that the bottomless gorge might be a portal to hell and he is supposed to keep the “hollow men” contained. Monsters, creatures or zombies, it’s up to anyone’s guess.

But boredom seeps in as the months go and the two operatives start to communicate through signs and binoculars even though they are told not to do so. It’s pretty clear these two are smitten with each other despite the distance between them and The Gorge starts the first hour with the two lovebirds flirting, dancing, playing chess and enjoying each other company.

Oh yes about the “hollow men”. They did manifest midway just to ensure the audiences there is indeed an existing threat deep down in the misty gorge.

Directed by Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange, The Black Phone) and written by Zach Dean (The Tomorrow War, Fast X), The Gorge works far better in the first half. The mystery and premise of the gorge is intriguing and the two leads are candy to the eyes with their perfect chemistry. But then, the narrative ultimately falls short in the last act as the mystery is unveiled.

Given Derrickson’s fascination with horror, there is a slight element of terror especially when Levi and Drasa ventured into the gorge which has a silent hill and stranger things vibes. There is also a whole lot of conspiracy theories that is linked and fronted by a private military contractor, Bartholomew (Sigourney Weaver) that comes and disappears like the mist. The science experiment went awry explanation while engaging is never really fully realised in the end.

Still, despite the flaws, The Gorge keeps things interesting enough. The action sequences are believable and the two main actors seem well-trained enough to carry out the fights and stunts liked a human soldier. Like a Lego set, the pieces and bricks are familiar enough but Derrickson and Dean manages to assemble them into something more compelling than the average Skydance production.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Vince Chong
Cast: Song Bill, Yuriko, Dahee, Anthony, Adeline, Michie Lam, Klay, Yuniyce, Zuvia, Kim Chen Wu, Judy, Alvin Wong, Yuan Yang, Tae Young
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: https://www.instagram.com/dissy.official/

Opening Day: 27 February 2025

Synopsis: Ah Biao inherits his mother's kopitiam Jui Hou Kopitiam, and runs it with his wife, Yuriko. Business was once booming. However, Ah Biao's management style and unconventional marketing strategies lead to an unexpected crisis, placing the kopitiam in unprecedented danger. After a conflict with a popular influencer, the kopitiam falls into a media storm and business takes a nosedive. Just as Ah Biao and Yuriko are working hard to turn things around, the kopitiam faces the threat of being repossessed. Will Ah Biao and Yuriko be able to overcome the crisis and protect their family business? How will their marriage and the kopitiam fare in the face of adversity? Close Ur Kopitiam is a light-hearted comedy that brings together two central themes—food and family. As Ah Biao and Yuriko navigate through challenges, the story highlights the importance of camaraderie and the bonds that keep a family united. In the spirit of the festive season, Close Ur Kopitiam promises a heart-warming tale of resilience and togetherness, reminding us that no challenge is too big to overcome when everyone works together.

Movie Review:

Co-produced by Mark Lee’s King Kong media and featuring an unknown cast and filmmaker, Close Ur Kopitiam took the the Malaysia box-office by storm beating out many other Chinese New Year offerings that stars established faces and HK actors.

So does the RM$10 million box-office speaks for itself? Is Close Ur Kopitiam that good?

Blending the culture of “kopitiam” and social media, the story involves Ah Biao (Song Bill), a money-pinching, perpetually mean kopitiam owner who got himself into a tussle with an online food critic and influencer, Anthony (Anthony Ng). In order to generate views, Anthony plotted a sinister act against Ah Biao causing his traditional kopitiam to lose its footfall and popularity.

His various stall owners, the chicken rice sisters, the ban-mian girl, the wonton mee uncle among others are thinking of quitting and relocating to a cheaper location. In the meantime, Biao and his wife (Yuriko) tries hard to keep things afloat. In comes his wife’s former admirer played by not a surprise, a bucktoothed Jaspers Lai, the new owner of the kopitiam who gives Biao a month to regain his business or face closure. To make matters worse, Anthony is hatching a new plan to bring down Biao. Will Biao and his motley crew of kopitiam staff led by Hee (Dahee) save the heritage which Biao’s mother has left for him?

There’s certainly a lot of energy going on in the kopitiam including some very well-meaning messages. The story also has no qualms laughing at social media trends and controversies despite being the cast and crew themselves started their careers as online creators. Cyberbulling, AI and scamming are shown in hilarious context to entertain the masses. Social issues are also discussed liked in the case of Hee and his team being Burmese and they are trying hard to fit into the local culture while making a meagre living in Biao’s kopitiam.

And then there is more to Biao being the Scrooge McDuck of Juh Hoh kopitiam. He yearns for a better life for Yuriko and himself. He worries for his staff and owners in typical Asian fashion. His obsession with a motivational talker serves as one of the funniest gags in the whole movie. Most importantly, he wants to preserve the kopitiam and its values which his later mother has imparted to him.

Drama bits aside, comedy is probably the main dish audiences are coming for since this is after all from the people of DISSY. To the uninitiated, DISSY produced short form humorous YouTube videos that revolves around Malaysia lifestyle and social trends, something similar to what the now defunct NOC did. Anyway, we would say at least 80% of the absurdist jokes and gags land while some liked the one about testicles and balls linger far too long and the recurring gag on Vin Diesel gets tired after a while. Mark Lee and Jaspers Lai adds a bit of distraction to the whole narrative. We meant that in a good way.

Still, Close Ur Kopitiam has that vintage Chicken and Duck Talk or in recent years, I Love HK 2013 vibes. Certainly not on the level of the Michael Hui’s classic, Vince Chong’s directorial debut is still entertaining enough on the whole though further edits might make certain story arcs tighter. If you love a light-hearted comedy that is close to our heart, this top-grossing Malaysia comedy might be worth a look this week.

Movie Rating:

(This kopitiam offers more heart and laughs than the average Raymond Wong and Eric Tsang’s Chinese New Year titles)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes 
Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins
Rating: M18 (Coarse Language & Some Drug Use)
Released By: Walt Disney
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 20 February 2025

Synopsis: Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

Movie Review:

Written, directed and starring Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain is both a simplistic and complicated drama.

Two Jewish cousins, David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) embark on a Holocaust tour through Poland to honor their late Grandma. Things seem rosy at first. But Benji being the unfiltered, free-spirited man child soon clashes with David, the uptight serious husband and father who reveals to their tour group that the boisterous Benji actually nearly died from overdosing six months earlier.

Shot mostly on location in Poland, A Real Pain plays like those Rick Steves European travel videos. Picturesque, warm and informative accompanied by piano music. The tour takes them and of course the audiences to Warsaw, Lublin and lastly the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp.

But the drama is not exactly the road trip movie you are expecting as Benji dominates the tour with his often thought-provoking questions, his somehow lack of mannerisms and spontaneous action with David often embarrassed by the side.

The fellow travellers in the group might be amused by Benji’s enthusiasm by posing against a Warsaw sculpture but certainly not David. And the latter certainly isn’t please with Benji confronting James (Will Sharpe), their very knowledgeable British Oxford scholar tour guide because of his aloofness when explaining the various Holocaust landmarks.

Of course, Benji isn’t totally wrong with his opinions. The road-trip dramedy is more concerned in showcasing Benji as the tortured probably depressed individual than the legacy and cultural representation of Jews. There is this dark, sinister side to Benji which even David finds hard to comprehend. All the while, David just tag along trying hard to understand his childhood friend and also cousin. Perhaps David has changed over the course of his life while the marijuana smoking Benji maintains his innocence and continues to struggle in the present.

The star performer here is Kieran Culkin who shines as a man with many faces. One second, he is running around like a five year old and the next minute, he is lamenting why they have to take the first class train while on a holocaust tour. Eisenberg plays the usual rambling, anxiety character though with a difference, there is a layered nuance side of David in which Eisenberg perfectly nails.

A Real Pain is not a movie for everyone. It’s a dynamic short story of two entirely different men. The narrative is less of a mismatched buddy comedic journey but a tale of emotion and connection. Just a reminder that it isn’t all sunshine for everyone out there, here is a story that invokes a lot of thoughts and the closing shot hints of more pain and suffering for Benji. What a heartfelt drama this is.

Movie Rating:

(There is more than just pain for this road trip across Poland)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Action/ Fantasy
Director: Tsui Hark
Cast: Xiao Zhan, Zhuang Dafei, Leung Ka Fai Tony, Zhang Wenxin, Bayaertu, Alan, Ada Choi
Runtime: 2 hr 26 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Sony Pictures 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 20 February 2025

Synopsis: The film is adapted from Mr. Jin Yong's classic martial arts work "The Legend of the Condor Heroes". It tells the story of the world of grievances and hatred in the war-torn era of power struggle. Guo Jing (played by Xiao Zhan) left his hometown and acquired huge power of martial arts to change destiny. Although he was valued by Kung Fu Masters and who passed down the world's peerless martial arts "Nine Yin Manual" and "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms", jealousy towards him was formed from all parties where he became the target of public criticism. Guo Jing and Huang Rong (played by Zhuang Dafei) turned the tide and protected the Southern Song Dynasty border amidst the rain of arrows with the spirit of gallants.

Movie Review:

The condors soar; the blades fly; and the music swells – but unfortunately, Tsui Hark’s adaptation of the classic Louis Cha novel never really takes flight.

It was always a tall order to fashion a movie out of a story that spanned over a thousand pages and that has been the subject of 40-episode TV series, but Hark’s scattershot treatment of the events, characters and emotions within just reinforces why the auteur should have thought twice about this well-intentioned but ultimately ill-advised endeavour.

Right from the start, you get the sense that Hark is struggling with where to start, and how much of what happened before to include. Over a lengthy prologue, as well as several flashbacks in the first act, Hark tells of the war between the Song and the Jin dynasty that led to the Mongols unifying the warring tribes over the grasslands, how a certain Han boy named Guo Jing was raised by the Mongols and subsequently fell in love with the free-spirited Huang Rong, and how Jing’s elders were murdered by Rong’s villainous father (not shown here) that tore their relationship asunder.

Only after 15 minutes into the movie do you realise that Hark has chosen to tell his story from the point when Jing (Xiao Zhan) and Rong (Zhuang Dafei) have been separated, although their deep love for each other is driving their respective quests to be reunited. Both however have to contend with the deranged Venom West (Tony Leung Kar-fai), who is bent on finding the Novem Scripture to be the world’s most powerful martial artist, and while Rong is pursued directly by Venom West and his henchmen, Jing ends up rescuing the Great Khan’s fourth son (Alan Aruna) from the poisonous spells of Venom West’s wizard Mystic One (Li Xinyang).

Much (if not, too much) of the second act is spent in the Great Khan’s camp, which Jing returns to find his mother (Ada Choi) and Rong is brought to by Princess Huajun (Zhang Wenxin) after being rescued from a close shave with Venom West. Hark has never excelled at romance, so it is not surprising that the scenes with Princess Huajun flying into a fit after being rejected by Jing (who tells her he has fallen in love with someone else) and then finding out that girl was Rong all along are somewhat clumsy and laughable. We don’t want to belabour the point, but as noble as being faithful to the source material is, Hark’s inclusion of such iconic elements as the Beggar Clan only makes his storytelling even more unwieldy.

It is only in the last act that Hark settles into something more compelling. Those familiar with the story will know that Jing will fall out with the Great Khan (Bayaertu) after the latter decides to mount an invasion of the Jin capital through the Song-controlled Middle Land; and it is on the brink of war that Jing and Rong will come to stand for more than themselves, becoming emissaries of peace to avoid further bloodshed, suffering and death. Of course, it is also the setup for a showdown between Jing and Venom West, the former with his Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and the latter after having his ‘Toad Miasma’ powers enhanced by some form of the Novem Scripture – and we are thankful that Hark ends on a high with a fantastically thrilling battle that is reminiscent of his best ‘wuxia’ movies.

Despite a strong third act, you cannot help feeling that Hark’s adaptation is both a wasted opportunity and an unnecessary addition – wasted, because Hark’s return to the ‘wuxia’ genre on which he had built a storied reputation in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema had been eagerly anticipated; and unnecessary, because it has nothing more to offer over and above what previous adaptations have brought to the classic Louis Cha tale. And because it never quite finds its footing, it also wastes the commitment that both Xiao Zhan and Zhuang Dafei bring to their respective roles as Guo Jing and Huang Rong, who to their credit do try valiantly to define their characters for a new generation.

So like we said, even though it was never going to be easy adapting Louis Cha’s tome into a feature-length movie, ‘Legend of the Condor Heroes’ does itself no favours by taking an episodic, slapdash and even ‘kitchen-sink’ approach to telling its story of two fated lovers amidst a time of upheaval and war. Hark has always been less of a storyteller than a visual artist, and as much as the latter is clearly on breathtaking display here, he is undone by his own shortcomings in a story that tries to be too much about everything and ends up being about nothing.

Movie Rating:

(Unfocused, hasty and shallow, this ill-fated adaptation of Louis Cha's classic novel is neither a love story nor a statement about war and peace)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Kim Jin-hwan
Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Kim Nam-gil, Yoo Da-in, Jung Man-sik, Lim Sung-jae
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Rating: NC16 (Some Nudity & Violence)
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 27 February 2025

Synopsis: Min-tae, a once-notorious gangster who now leads a peaceful retired life, discovers the bloody corpse of his only next of kin: his younger brother Seok-tae. With his brother’s missing wife Moon-young as the prime suspect, Min-tae uncovers a suspicious last phone call between her and a mysterious novelist, sparking a vicious hunt for the truth despite his seemingly deceitful former crime syndicate and the police in hot pursuit.

Movie Review:

Nocturnal comes on the back of a long line of illustrious neo-noir revenge thrillers from South Korea, and this is also why it is all the more disappointing.

On the surface, it appears to be more than just your run-of-the-mill thriller, what with a university lecturer cum novelist Ho-ryeong (Kim Nam-gil) whose bestselling book had somehow portended the fate of lowlife gangster Seok-tae (Park Jong-hwan); unfortunately, after sitting through a one-and-a-half hour slow-burn that never manages to pick up enough pace, we can tell you that it is ultimately a red herring.

In fact, that much is established by the time the first act is over, following a confrontation between Ho-ryeong and odd-job construction worker Min-tae (Ha Jung-woo) at Seok-tae’s wife Moon-young’s apartment after his untimely death. The opening scenes show Seok-tae fleeing a secluded house in the woods high on drugs and seeking refuge at Moon-young’s karaoke joint, before he disappears for days and is found with his legs missing in a pond in a park. Shortly after, Moon-young also goes missing, and although there is some hint Ho-ryeong might know more about the crime that he is letting up, that bit of suspense fizzles out too quickly when the focus in the latter two acts shifts to Moon-young as the prime suspect.

What ensues is a cat-and-mouse chase that gets tired and monotonous over time, as both Min-tae and Ho-ryeong try to track down Moon-young. Min-tae’s motive for doing so is clear – he simply wants revenge for his younger brother, especially after bits of conversation and a flashback shows how he had abandoned his former life for the sake of protecting his brother; however, the same cannot be said of Ho-ryeong, whose objective of going after Moon-young is unclear beyond just plain curiosity, following a previous interview she had given him where she had spoken about how Seok-tae had been physically aggressive to her and her intention to kill Seok-tae.

None of the characters are sufficiently defined for us to care enough about them, even for that matter Moon-young, whose role in Seok-tae’s killing is only revealed in the third act. Most glaringly, beyond the fact that he loves his brother, it is never quite clear what drives Min-tae to perpetuate such wanton acts of violence against those who stand in his way of finding Seok-tae’s murderer; in fact, when he hauls in an LPG tank and threatens an elderly husband and wife pair at their unassuming restaurant, you cannot help but feel his actions are reprehensible.

Nor for that matter does the plotting eventually justify your patience at the end – we must say that when the truth of what happened to Min-tae is finally revealed, not only is it not surprising, it is also annoying just how everything that had happened before was just to hoodwink us from what is a straightforward killing. We won’t spoil it for you, but suffice to say that the reason why Seok-tae had fled was that he thought he had murdered the son of a powerful CEO named Mr Han at the house, the latter of whom has the same connections to the mob that Seok-tae belongs to.

Coming after such luminaries as The Chaser, New World and The Gangster, The Cop and the Devil, Nocturnal is sadly – but completely – overshadowed by its predecessors. Even if we wanted to be generous to writer-director Kim Jin-hwang, who is only into his sophomore feature film, it is difficult to think of any truly redeeming qualities within this derivative and tedious revenge flick. Like we said, there is absolutely nothing and no one within to root for, so you’re probably better off rewatching some of them other classics from the past.

Movie Rating:

(Derivative, unimaginative and tedious, this latest neo-noir revenge thriller offers nothing and no one within to root for, and is even frustrating for misleading its audience for thinking that there is more to it than there really is) 

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: CG Animation
Director: Jiaozi (Yang Yu)
Cast: Joseph, Han Mo, Chen Hao, Lü Yanting  
Runtime: 2 hrs 23 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 6 March 2025

Synopsis: After the heavenly lightning, although Ne Zha and Ao Bing survived by becoming Spirits, they would soon dissipate completely. Taiyi plans to rebuild Ne Zha and Ao Bing’s mortal bodies with the Seven-colored Precious Lotus. However, during the process of reconstruction, numerous obstacles arise. What will become of the fate of Ne Zha and Ao Bing? 

Movie Review:

By now, ‘Ne Zha 2’ really needs no introduction – not only has it become the first movie to cross over $10 billion in the Chinese box office, making it the highest grossing film in China, it has also become the world’s highest-grossing animated film, and that is even before rolling out in many overseas territories, such as Singapore. Having seen the global phenomenon, as well as its predecessor six years ago, we will tell you that the hype is real and completely earned.

Back at the helm for this second instalment, writer-director Jiao Zi gives it his all, and a lot more. There is of course the titular fiery Demon Orb (Lü Yanting), whom for the uninitiated had overcome his predestination to become a villain to emerge an irascible but altogether noble hero, and the water-based Spirit Pearl Ao Bing (Han Mo), whom Ne Zha had forged a deep friendship with over the course of the last movie; both Ne Zha and Ao Bing had sacrificed their physical selves to save their respective clans, which is how ‘Ne Zha 2’ opens with their bumbling master Tai Yi (Zhang Jiaming) moulding physical bodies for them out of the Sacred Lotus.

Long story short – because Ao Bing’s physical reconstruction fails, Taiyi suggests that both entities share Ne Zha’s body first, and go through a series of accession trials run by Imperial Master Wuliang (Wang Deshun); this will then win them a magic potion known as the Elixir Reparo to revive the Sacred Lotus and therefore prepare yet another body for Ao Bing. As you can imagine, it is hardly as straightforward, and before long Ne Zha finds himself caught in an epic battle pitting Master Wuliang and his kingdom against that of the four dragon kings of the Eastern Sea.

To say that there is a lot of ground to cover is an understatement, and on his part, Jiaozi hardly bats an eyelid throwing plenty of subplots into the movie, with each of these subplots forming an excuse for yet another eye-popping, visually dazzling setpiece. There are the three accession trials – including one on Bandit Hill that has Ne Zha facing off against a whole swarm of marmots; one on Accession Falls that pits Ne Zha against the father of Ao Bing’s master leopard demon master Shen Gongbao (Yang Wei) and claims a casualty that will set in motion a chain of misunderstandings, grievances and revenge; and one on Skull Mountain that sees Ne Zha go up against a vain, female stone monster called Shi Ji whom literally can move mountains.

Without giving too much away, the byzantine plot also involves the destruction of Chentang Pass – otherwise known as Ne Zha’s hometown, where he was brought up by a loving husband-and-wife pair that teach him how to tame his more impulsive and even destructive instincts – which will result in Ne Zha flying into a rage against the purported destroyer Shen Gongbao. Like we said, it is hardly as simple as it seems, and just to give you a sense of how jaw-dropping the finale is, it sees thousands of white-clad martial-arts warriors from Wuliang’s Chan sect aim to take down the Loong King of the Eastern Sea and the denizens of his molten kingdom, culminating in these warriors cloaked in glowing golden bubbles of energy piling atop magical branches of what looks like a beautiful mountaintop tree in autumn in order to stop the latter from escaping out of a fiery Tianyuan caldron that will turn each of their souls into immortal pearls.

If it isn’t yet obvious, we can reassure you that it is utterly stunning to behold all right, and every reason to catch it on as big a screen as you can. While it may not yet achieve the Pixar level of elegance, the animation here is nonetheless breath-taking, and it is to Jiaozi’s credit that his ambition and imagination is truly matched by the execution. There is plenty of world-building here, what with the worlds of fire, ice and lightning, and the set-pieces are beautiful, ravishing and even awe-inspiring; and where it does take a pause from the spectacle, the character animation is also impeccable.

Amidst the myriad subplots and supporting characters though, there is inevitably some focus lost on our titular anti-hero. We suspect that Jiaozi had made a deliberate choice not to rehash similar ground about Ne Zha taming his own nature; instead, the Ne Zha we encounter here is a lot more mature and grounded than before, notwithstanding the occasional lowbrow humour that the kids will love, as he steps up to try to save a friend, then to avenge a town full of innocent people, and last but not least, to fight for justice against a self-aggrandising ruler. It is both a physical and psychological transformation, and one we wished that the movie would have spent more time on.

That said, in almost every respect, ‘Ne Zha 2’ is an absolute must-see. Some may no doubt be put off by how certain commentators have used its success to illustrate the rise of China (over the West), but let us reassure you that there are no such political overtones in the movie itself; instead, this is through and through a colossal achievement for the Chinese animation industry on every level, and it is no wonder that it has been rewarded with the success it has thus far. Whether young or old, Chinese or otherwise, ‘Ne Zha 2’ will delight, amaze and enthral all alike, so if you’ve had any reservations being part of this iconic blockbuster, give it a shot and we can guarantee you that it will win you over.

Movie Rating:

(Every bit as awesome, exhilarating and epic as it was hyped, 'Ne Zha 2' is an accomplishment on almost every level, from its wondrous animation, to its detailed, layered storytelling, and to its poignant themes of justice, sacrifice and virtue)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Action/Fantasy
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista, Arly Jover, Amara Okereke, Fraser James
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 6 March 2025

Synopsis: Based on a short story by bestselling author George R.R. Martin (“Game of Thrones”), IN THE LOST LANDS is a post-apocalyptic action western like no other, a breathtaking thrill ride through a visually hellish landscape as only Paul W.S. Anderson of RESIDENT EVIL and MONSTER HUNTER fame could dream it up. Follow the superstar pairing of Milla Jovovich (RESIDENT EVIL,THE THREE MUSKETEERS) and Dave Bautista (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, DUNE, SPECTRE) as witch Gray Alys and gunslinger Boyce as they fight, shoot and claw their way through the Lost Lands in search of an elusive and mighty beast, the Werewolf.

Movie Review:

Maybe the name, George R.R. Martin sells since he is none other than the creator of HBO’s Game of Thrones. Paul W.S. Anderson who is known for adapting well-known videogames to the screen including of course, the Resident Evil franchise, Mortal Kombat and Monster Hunter changes gear and turns to adapting one of Martin’s 1980’s short stories, In the Lost Lands.

It sounds exciting enough on paper. Witches, werewolves, shapeshifter, a post-apocalyptic world that sounds like an alternative Mad Max. I mean what could go wrong in a fantasy action movie that consists of all the above. Apparently a lot especially in the hands of Anderson.

Expectedly, his muse and also wife, Milla Jovovich plays the leading role of a witch named Gray Alys. She has the power to bewitch humans and creatures alike and is as generous as the average genie in granting anyone who has a wish. Meanwhile, the Queen (Amara Okereke) of the apocalyptic world approached Gray Alys to make her into a shapeshifter. But Gray Alys needs an expert to guide her into Skull River to retrieve some werewolf skin because you still need magical ingredients. The expert comes in the form of a badass bounty hunter, Boyce (Dave Bautista). And as they embark on their quest, a group of evil religious followers are also persistent in chasing after Gray Alys.

If you are expecting at this point some explicit nudity, gratuitous violence and complex storylines and intriguing characters, we apologise in advance you are going to be very, very disappointed with In the Lost Lands. It’s mind-blogging that how Anderson can mess up a story that has so many interesting elements for him to meddle with.

The storyline is boring, an absolute chore to sit through. There is a bedridden King who the Queen despises and the secret lover she is pining for is well, Boyce. Then the Queen’s bodyguard is also in love with her. It has all the pulpy even cliched plotting like a lightweight Game of Thrones yet there is little dramatic consequences and the narrative devoid of any real feelings. Making things worse is the wooden performances of Jovovich and Bautista who seems to deliver their lines from a teleprompter.

Leaving audiences with sore eyes is the deliberate, copious amount of bleak, dark CGI and backgrounds. Overall, it looks cheaper than the first Resident Evil back in 2002. The action is blurry again masked by dark CGI and Anderson’s trademark slow-mo and zoom-in sequences are dated and lazy. For a fantasy that talks about some sinister creatures and magic, there is only a single scene that features some intimating skeletal monsters. Not forgetting a poorly rendered, 90’s video game style werewolf. An airborne cable car fight and a zany locomotive didn’t help much as well.

In the Lost Lands is so bad that it shouldn’t even be shown on the big screen. Ironically it’s not even adapted from a video game. Honestly it’s as bad as an old Uwe Boll trainwreck that you thought the notorious German filmmaker is making a comeback.

Movie Rating:

(Once again another Paul W.S. Anderson’s soulless production)

Review by Linus Tee

Genre: Drama
Director: Philip Yung
Cast: Sean Lau, Jo Koo, Dylan So, Lainey Hung
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene & Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 6 March 2025

Synopsis: Café owner Nin’s mundane but contented life is shattered forever when his fifteen-year- old son Ming slashes his mother and younger sister to death one evening. Diagnosed with acute schizophrenia, Ming is remanded to a psychiatric prison indefinitely until full recovery. Aside from visiting his son twice a month, Nin continues to lead a pedestrian existence, while memories of his wife, daughter, and son keep flooding into his head. As time passes, Nin has given up on knowing the reason behind the misfortune. He only wishes that one fine day, Ming, his sole remaining family but also the murderer of his family, will come home again.

Movie Review:

This Hong Kong movie is based on a real life incident almost 15 years ago, where a 15-year-old boy killed his 42-year-old mother and 12-year-old sister at home. His father was working at a family-owned restaurant across the road when the murder happened. The boy, who inflicted fatal wounds to the victims with a chopper, later turned himself in to the police.

While they boy had no record of drug abuse or mental illness, he told the police that the world would be better with fewer people during interrogation, suggesting that it was possible that the boy was mentally unstable when the killing took place. He was detained at a psychiatric centre after being tried and convicted for manslaughter.

Known as the 2010 Heung Wo Street murder, the incident has been adapted into a drama directed and written by Philip Yung. The filmmaker is known for helming the award-winning Port of Call (2015), a crimer thriller based on a Hong Kong murder case where a dismembered corpse of a murdered 16-year-old female prostitute was found.

Audiences expecting Yung’s latest work to be a gripping thriller filled with sensational twists and revelations will need to look elsewhere. Instead of delivering chills and excitement, the film offers an intimate exploration of family dynamics and a father’s struggle to cope with the aftermath of tragedy.

Told in chapters named after each family member (including the pet cat), the movie employs a nonlinear structure to unfold its story. There’s the father, Nin; the mother, Yin; their son, Ming; their daughter, Grace; and the family cat, Carnation. We witness how Nin met Yin, fell in love, and married her despite their families’ objections. We also get a glimpse of Ming’s life at school and how the family welcomed Grace.

Then there are moments that remind us of our own disagreements and arguments at home. We see Ming upsetting his younger sister at bedtime with a story, ignoring Nin’s advice on how to pack food, and trying to persuade his father to buy him a camera phone.

There are also moving scenes that remind us why we love our family. We smiled when Yin quietly slips her son some money after learning that he spent his holiday job salary on a camera phone. Watching the family take a group picture during their vacation in Hainan made us want to look back at our own family photos. One of the most emotionally crushing moments in the 129-minute film is the family's dinner conversation before the murder.

Sean Lau, Jo Koo, Dylan So, and Lainey Hung anchor the movie with commendable performances, with Lau delivering an exceptional portrayal of a father wrestling with the pain of losing his wife and daughter while desperately trying to understand why his son committed the deed. The actor has never disappointed viewers with the roles he’s taken on, but this is his most heartfelt and heartrending performance yet.

Lau is competing against Raymond Lam (Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In), Neo Yao (The Way We Talk), Michael Hui (The Last Dance), and Aaron Kwok (Rob N Roll) for the Best Actor trophy at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards, where the movie has been nominated in 11 categories. For his deeply moving performance as a father grappling with grief, we’re rooting for him to take home the prize.

Movie Rating:

(An intimate and deeply moving drama about how the father of a shattered family grapples with grief and closure, with Sean Lau delivering an exceptionally heartrending performance)

Review by John Li