Genre: Action/ Drama
Director: Daniel Lee
Cast: Leon Lai, Feng Shaofeng, Crystal Liu Yifei, Zhang Hanyu, Anthony Wong, Jordan Chan, Andy On
RunTime: 2 hrs 15 mins
Released By: Encore Films and Golden Village
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Official Website: www encorefilms.com/whitevengeance
Opening Day: 1 December 2011
Synopsis: White Vengeance tells the story of two brothers contending for supremacy during the fall of the Qin Dynasty, which ruled Imperial China from 221 to 206 BC. As rebels rose, the nation fell into chaos. Liu Bang (Leon Lai) and Xiang Yu (Feng Shaofeng), became leaders of the rebellious army, and also became sworn brothers in battle.
Xiang Yu and Liu Bang are close friends who both serve King Huai of Chu. King Huai uses a plot, saying that whoever can subvert the Qin kingdom in Guanzhong would be the Lord Qin, in order to benefit from the competition between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang.
Xiang Yu is over-confident. He fights against the main force of Qin army, and entrusts Liu Bang with Yu Ji (Liu Yifei), the woman he loves.
Liu Bang expresses his love to Yu Ji and takes the chance to invade Guanzhong first when most of Qin army is outside fighting against Xiang Yu’s army.
Xiang Yu is furious & betrayed when he found it. Xiang planned to kill Liu at a banquet held in Hong Men, during which Zhang Liang (Zhang Hanyu), the mastermind of Liu Bang, and Fan Zeng (Anthony Wong), the mastermind of Xiang Yu, have a direct confrontation.
But who will emerge as the winner from this epic battle and survive to claim their path to the crown?
Movie Review:
White Vengeance aka Hong Men Yen Chuan Qi is the latest effort from Daniel Lee, the director of Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon and 14 Blades. As the name suggests, the movie is built on one of the most iconic historical events that follows the fall of the Qin dynasty, the Feast at Hong Gate. The story is basically about the power struggle between a pair of sworn brothers, Xiang Yu (Feng Shaofeng) and Liu Bang (Leon Lai). Their battle eventually boils down to the intellects, and not just the brawn.
With the rich historical backing, the story begins by giving a lengthy introduction of the intricate bond between Xiang and Liu from a third person’s point of view. For viewers who are not so well acquainted with Chinese history, this is probably an effort directed at you such that you could understand and appreciate how the story continues to unfold. Thankfully, the action eventually comes in before the whole story telling gets tiresome. That being said, there wasn’t any particularly impressive sword play, or alluring battle scenes, as much of the emphasis was placed fixing up the events that precedes the feast, and the feast itself.
The feast is undeniably the turning point, and arguably the climax of the movie. It is one that led many repercussions and events that follow. The mind games, deceptions and the intense mood surrounding Xiang and Liu and their respective comrades were effectively delivered and sustained by the strong cast.
In particular, Liu’s strategist, Zhang Liang (Zhang Hanyu) probably stole the show. His acting gave flesh to the role and the character development was one that was really outstanding. The sophistication and cleverness of Zhang that manifests as he faces the challenges is done to all rightness. Comparatively, the supposed main characters, Xiang and Liu, pale in comparison. They were either expressionless or have a sudden outburst of emotions, failing to really develop the character. And as of all historical movies of the like, there must be a beauty that mesmerizes all, and a rash and fidgety little brother that acts in extreme ways. These roles are played by Liu Yifei and Jordan Chan respectively. Neither of them was noteworthy or outstanding, probably because their roles seem to lose significance in the movie anyway.
After the approximately two and a half hour movie, you might be thinking to yourself, ‘So what?’ The major drawback of the movie is probably the lack of focus. Although Xiang and Yu is the cause of the whole event and obviously the main characters, but their roles seem lesser than what it should be. This is clearly an unconventional take on the historical event. ‘Going down the rabbit hole?’ some may ask. Well, it’s up to you to judge. Overall, there is no universal appeal that could work really well. White Vengeance is probably a great improvement from Daniel Lee’s previous films, but not one that could easily top the ticket box office.
Movie Rating:
(Unless you’re a Chinese history fanatic, this movie will probably make little sense to you)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
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Alien Huang joins Michelle Chong in town for ALREADY FAMOUSPosted on 21 Nov 2011 |
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Mez Tharatorn
Cast: Chantavit Dhnasevi, Preechaya Pongthananikorn
RunTime: 2 hr 3 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: -
Opening Day: 29 March 2012
Synopsis: Sua and Jib are like any other couple in this world except for one exception: for the past 5 years they have kept their relationship a secret since the bank where they are employed has a strict "Non-Fraternization" policy.
It's not a big deal until they decide to get married. The only problem? Which one of these two Type-A overachievers will put marriage before a career and resign? With neither willing to take the leap of faith they both turn incident into opportunity when an ATM glitch in Chonburi province cashes out over $130,000 baht.
The terms are simple: whoever is able to recover the money first gets to keep their job. The couple will turn into no holds barred competitors. Who will literally "go big" in their career or "go home" in this romantic comedy about what two people won't do for each other in the name of love?
It's the age old battle of the sexes but this time around how can victory be easily declared in a war where there are no more traditional "rules of engagement". .
Movie Review:
The classic lovers-turned-rivals premise gets a fresh inventive spin in the Thai rom-com ‘ATM’, the third winning entry in GTH’s growing stable of genre offerings that began with ‘Bangkok Traffic Love Story’ and continued with ‘Hello Stranger’. Set against a modern-day corporate backdrop, the feuding pair are two bank employees within the same department- the lowly executive Sua (Hello Stranger’s Chantavit Dhanasevi) and his high-powered female boss Jib (Preechaya Pongthananikorn).
Because of the company’s strict non-fraternisation policy, both are caught between a rock and a hard place- especially since Jib is herself tasked with the unenviable task of following up on employees who break the rules, which usually ends in one half’s contract termination. On impulse following Jib’s outburst at her awful circumstance, Sua drives to a hotel and within the night books a wedding package for them to get married on- of all dates- Halloween night.
Afraid that their clandestine relationship might therefore be forced out into the open, Jib and Sua end up arguing that the other should tender his/her resignation. A perfect opportunity and the very phenomenon that sends them on a collision course is a malfunctioning ATM in the small town of Chonburi, which due to a software glitch ends up paying bank customers twice as much as that which they withdrew. Throwing down the gauntlet to Sua, Jib taunts him to go recover the money, failing which he would have to resign from the company.
And just to make sure that he doesn’t succeed, Jib personally makes the trip down as well to purposely thwart his plans. What ensues is a nonstop string of hilarious gags- slapsticky though they may be- that we guarantee is about the funniest thing we have seen in the cinemas this year thus far. Not only is Jib and Sua’s bickering utterly amusing and endearing, both are equally entertaining on their own and with a whole host of colourful supporting characters.
Like a fish-out-of-the-water, Sua at first finds himself completely out of place in the small town, as one misfortune (he drops his car keys into the gutter in a moment of frustration) after another (his ride to the locksmith leaves him stranded in the middle of nowhere at night) befalls him. Meanwhile, Jib is hit on by her boss’ son, a dodgy-looking fellow with floppy hair, who declares on his first day at work that the company’s non-fraternising rules do not apply to trainees. Dhanasevi and Pongthananikorn have excellent comic timing, and their individual scenes already sparkle with delight.
What adds to the entertainment is a group of interesting locals, each of whom have a piece of the puzzle (or shall we say, a share of the money) which Jib and Sua are competing to recover. There’s the sweet but loutish kid Pued on a motorbike, his buddy and pickup driver Pad (Jack Chaleumpol), his naïve girlfriend Gob, her disapproving mother Aumyara as well as her ex-husband who is also the proud owner of a crocodile he keeps locked up in his shed. Over a whirlwind seven days the duo has to retrieve the money, they will come into contact with each of these distinctively drawn characters, with each encounter a guaranteed set of laughs in itself.
Indeed, there is true zany inspiration in the screenplay, whose string of furiously-paced gags more than hit the mark each and every time. Better still is how it manages to link all these disparate characters together in a consistently witty manner, and it is also to director Mez Tharatorn’s credit that everyone is so individually well-drawn without taking away any of the attention from lead characters Jib and Sua. And amidst the outrageous comedy, a surprising twist towards the end of the film brings it solidly back to reality, ensuring a touching and heartfelt conclusion that will leave you in both laughter and tears.
That the movie manages to be so engaging is also thanks to a perfectly assembled cast. Both Dhanasevi and Pongthananikorn are funny in their own way, but what truly shines is the chemistry they have with each other, which almost effortlessly lets you buy into their romance. Kudos too to the lovely supporting cast, especially a laugh-out-loud turn by Jack Chaleumpol from ‘Fan Chan’ as the proverbial fat buddy done with just the right amount of naivety and charm.
And certainly, there’s a lot to love about ‘ATM’, which can be appreciated on so many levels- as a feuding lovers rom-com, a corporate-themed office romance and a fish-out-of-water story. Even though it clocks in at over two hours, it is paced so jauntily that you won’t even feel the time passing. Besides being uproariously funny, it is also beautifully sweet at its core- both of which make it an excellent date movie. Oh, and even if you’re single, the absolutely gorgeous Pongthananikorn is reason enough to catch this on your own.
Movie Rating:
(One of the funniest and most entertaining rom-coms in a long while, this is also your perfect choice for a date movie)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Fantasy/Action
Director: Wilson Yip
Cast: Wu Chun, Wu Jing, Yan Ni, Louis Koo, Raymond Wong, Karena Ng
RunTime: 1 hr 39 mins
Released By: Cathay-Keris Films & Clover Films
Rating: PG
Official Website:
Opening Day: 8 December 2011
Synopsis: The world constitutes of five elements: gold, wood, water, fire and earth. In the wizard world of Magic to Win, the story also revolves around the "Five Element Wizardry", portraying a story that surpasses our imagination. Hong Sum-Kwai (Raymond Wong), a university professor, is also the wizard of water of "Five Elements Wizardry". Although he uses magic spells in his daily life, his superpower remains a secret. By accident, his power is transmitted to his student, Macy, (Karena) and finds herself entangled in the power struggle of the 5 elements.
Movie Review:
You have to hand it to Raymond Wong, the multi-hyphenate actor, writer, producer and director of the ‘Happy Ghost’ series- besides another fellow Wong (we’re talking about Wong Jing), he’s probably the longest-serving filmmaker in Hong Kong with a career spanning over 30 years. He’s had his ups and downs, but we’re talking about the person who’s been behind such classics like ‘Aces Go Places’ and ‘All’s Well Ends Well’- so you may forgive him for trying to replicate his past successes especially in recent years.
‘Magic to Win’ represents yet another attempt- after his ‘All’s Well Ends Well’ CNY offerings over the past three years- to recapture the box-office glory of arguably one of his biggest hits, ‘Happy Ghost’. Spawning four sequels after the 1984 original became box-office gold, the ‘Happy Ghost’ series breathed its last breath (pun intended) in 1991, and Raymond has here enlisted his son Edmond Wong (whom he has groomed as a screenwriter since ‘Dragon Tiger Gate’ and ‘Ip Man’) to give it a new lease of life.
Edmond’s attempt at revitalising the ‘Happy Ghost’ brand has been to turn it into a mishmash of ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, and those (we would presume most) who have seen either Hollywood film will easily recognise the references to both. By way of ‘Harry Potter’, there is good magic and bad magic- the former consisting of the Water Magician Prof Kang (Raymond Wong), the Earth Magician Ling Feng (Wu Chun), the Wood Magician Gu Xinque (Louis Koo) and the Metal Magician Charlie (Japanese real-life magician Tonny making his first big screen appearance); and the latter made up of the Fire Magician Brad (Wu Jing).
Before you go thinking that this is going to turn out as some epic struggle between good and evil, let us reassure you that it is not. Rather, things are kept simple- too simple in our opinion- so what turmoil in the wizarding world is no more than so that the Fire Magician can capture all of the other magicians and use their powers to change the past. You can guess how it turns out in the end, especially with a bit of moralising thrown in, and let’s just say that though the magicians here are all grown-ups, the story is ironically more juvenile than any of the ‘Harry Potter’ movies.
That’s only one half of the movie in fact. The other is a rip-off of ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’, admittedly not a very good film to begin with. To get there, Prof Kang will first transfer his powers to a precocious university student of his, Macy (Karena Ng)- who just like the teenage apprentice in the Disney movie, decides to use her newfound magic to her own advantage until she discovers that the consequences of doing so. Prof Kang then becomes her teacher, the sorcerer played by a goofy bespectacled Raymond Wong instead of the scraggly-looking Nicolas Cage.
Not much time however is spent on the tutelage of master and student, as most of the first half of the film is spent on Macy’s discovery of her supernatural powers. The excuse for the overindulgence in these earlier scenes seems to be for the sake of nostalgia, with certain scenes paying homage to their iconic predecessors from the ‘Happy Ghost’ movies- though that also comes with the price of good pacing. Indeed, too much time is spent watching Macy and her underdog volleyball team on the courts, and the narrative lacks the momentum needed to make it anywhere near interesting. Sadly, the pace hardly picks up after the halfway mark- even the climactic fight between the good and bad magicians turns out surprisingly anti-climactic.
Effects are never a replacement for story and character, but when both are lacking, you’ve got to be thankful that the filmmakers at least got something right. It’s nothing outstanding when you compare it to big-budget Hollywood titles, but considering how atrocious CG effects can turn out (think Wong Jing’s Future X-Cops) in a China/ Hong Kong title, what has been accomplished here is surprisingly polished. That alone marks a breakthrough for director Wilson Yip, the director of ‘Ip Man’ and this year’s ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ whose maiden attempt at directing a CG-heavy blockbuster proves unexpectedly adept.
Yip is however let down by shoddy scriptwriting that not even the all-star cast can salvage. Raymond Wong is still delightfully amusing as ever, but there isn’t enough time in the movie for him in between Karena Ng and Wu Chun. The latter nonetheless delivers his most assuredly charming performance to date, while the former has enough charm and fresh appeal as a newcomer to hold your attention. And if you must know, Louis Koo and Wu Jing unfortunately are wasted in barely-there supporting roles.
Alas the same can be said of this reboot of the ‘Happy Ghost’ series, a misfire of an attempt to blend the light-hearted humour of the former films with the contemporarily trendy elements of magic and fantasy. Neither comes to a satisfying brew, let alone the mixture of both, and while ‘Happy Ghost’ provided more than enough magic to sustain Raymond Wong’s filmmaking career, there is hardly any here to make it a winning formula. The good news? Raymond Wong will survive this movie to make another, his next yet another reboot- that of the classic comedy ‘Eighth Happiness’.
Movie Rating:
(Fitfully amusing reboot of the ‘Happy Ghost’ series that is an unwieldy blend of the old-school humour of the series and modern-day fantasy elements à la ‘Harry Potter’)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: So-yeon is an animal groomer who works in a pet shop. One day, she gets stuck with a Persian cat named Silky when its owner suddenly dies. From then on, So-yeon is constantly haunted by a bobbed hair girl with green cat-like eyes who turns her life turns into turmoil. So-yeon desperately seeks help from the people around, but no one listens to her. The presence of the girl and the sound of Silky’s cries start to choke in around her life more and more. Not only that, people around So-yeon gets killed one by one. Very soon, So-yeon will have to face the eyes of death on her own. Will she survive? So-yeon gets rid of Silky hoping her troubles will come to an end, but Silky keeps coming back to her like a boomerang. Terrified she could be the next to die, So-yeon sets out to find out the identity of the girl with the help her dead friend’s ex-boyfriend, Jun-seok, who is a cop. Later, So-yeon finds out the truth to the tragic incident that took place in the past. .
MOVIE REVIEW:
Do some searching on the worldwide web, and you’d find a creepier version of the poster of this Korean movie, The one featured on this
Let’s not even talk about how uncreative and unimaginative the title is. Seriously – “The Cat”? That’s all you can offer?
The story doesn’t differ very much from other horror flicks out there: A girl suffers from claustrophobia due to a traumatic incident. She works as a groomer at a pet shop. One day, a cat comes into the store. The next day, the owner of the cat is found dead in an elevator. By request from a police officer, the girl takes the cat home. Shortly later, she starts to seeing strange things anc becomes increasingly frightened.. She becomes more frightened. It doesn’t help that the body count begins escalating. As she delves deeper into the deaths together, she begins fearing for her own survival.
We have probably come to a stage where we do not nitpick so much on the originality of horror movies, especiallly those from Korea. How many times have you seen sinister Asian spirits crawling out from a corner, scary long haired ghouls jumping at you at the least expected moments, or helpless heroes and heroines who are left with their mouths agap? This Byun Seung Wook directed movie offers a little something more – cats.
We are pretty sure you have seen these feline creatures in the dark alley ways and felt a chill down your spines. The way they look at you at their glassy eyeballs is just discomfortingly evil. Here, the filmmakers manage to capture that atmosphere and have you making a mental note not to mistreat cats in any way. Park Min Young, who plays the traumatised protagonist, does a good job of looking genuinely disturbed by the cats. While she doesn’t exactly a wonderful script to work with, the photogenic actress manages to keep viewers’ engaged throughout the 105 minute production.
In terms of scares, this movie does deliver. Imagine seeing cats, dead bodies (of various kinds) and plenty of shocked expressions – it may not be the best horror movie we have seen, but it is definitely a whole lot better than many we have seen.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The movie’s decent visual transfer is complemented by a choice of a Korean or Mandarin soundtrack.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by John Li
SYNOPSIS: Peggy (Cecilia Cheung), the renowned charming director in the advertising industry, was married with a 3 years old son Lucas (Lucas Tse). She was persuaded by her boss to shoot an advertisement on a deserted island with the so-called “The Strongest Man in the Galaxy” kung fu master Mr. Big (Ronald Cheng), a notorious womanizer and his daughter Cissy (Lin Miao Ke). Andy (Ekin Cheng), Peggy’s husband, failed to dissuade his wife to back out of the job, left home in a temper with Lucas. Peggy had no choice but to depart for the island.
At the pier where the filming crew took a boat to the island, Mr. Big had a row with Cobra (Liu Hua) and his 4 fellow ruffians over a new fishing boat. Cobra's gang got a treasure map and planned to search for a huge treasure hidden on the island. To avoid further publicity, Cobra backed off, but planned to get rid of the filming crew on the island..
MOVIE REVIEW:
Discovering a goldmine in the form of the Mainland market, the prolific Wong Jing strikes again with “Treasure Hunt”, another sloppy product from the infamous filmmaker.
Cecilia Cheung, the fodder for celebrity gossip plays Peggy, a successful director in the advertising industry who is persuaded by her boss to shoot a commercial on a remote island with an action star, Mr Big (Ronald Cheng). Unknowingly to the crew, a group of baddies are also on the island looking for treasure hidden during the Qing dynasty.
For the matter of fact, you got to kowtow to Wong Jing for his versatility to switch from genre to genre and unlike his usual dosages of crude humour and outrageous gags, “Treasure Hunt” is strictly a family-friendly comedy that sadly you might find hard to keep awake for 99 minutes. Jing relied heavily on Cheng to carry out all the nonsensical humour to keep the movie going but Cheng’s over-exaggerating and repetitive clowning skills only worsen things. Cheng as a singer is credible enough yet his cinematic comedic skills need further polish still.
“Treasure Hunt” laughingly tries to portray it as a Cheung’s vehicle with Peggy supposedly a central leading character. The introduction is passable enough to showcase Peggy’s juggling her duties as a much in-demand commercial director, a mother to a young son (Cheung’s real-life son, Lucas Tse) and wife to her husband (Ekin Cheng in a cameo) though the rest of the movie practically throws whatever is established out to the ocean making Cheung’s hoo-ha comeback a joke itself.
There’s seriously zilch connection between Peggy and the rest of the story which revolves around a tedious, uninteresting treasure hunting process. Is Peggy a female Indiana Jones in disguise or is she holding on to some deep dark secrets? Apparently not. The HK cast on the whole is upstaged by Mainland cast members Shao Bing who plays a noble islander and Xing Yu who as usual kicks a lot of ass. Wong Jing himself also chips in playing Mr Big’s agent, a same-old character he has played in almost every movie he has starred in. And to emphasise that this is a comedy suitable for everyone, nearly every characters here has a daughter or son in tow.
There’s hardly any salvaging moments in this latest commercial venture from Wong Jing and strictly speaking, it’s not something that is tailored for the rest of the Asian market. We have seen better things coming out from the hands of HK’s most commercial director, Wong Jing and “Treasure Hunt” definitely is not one of them.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The DVD only comes with a Theatrical Trailer.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
With an option of Cantonese and Mandarin audio tracks, the sound aspect of this DVD is flat overall. Visual remains fair and detailed throughout.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: Jim Carrey stars as Mr Tom Popper, a successful businessman who's clueless when it comes to the really important things in life...until he inherits six adorable penguins, each with its own unique personality. Soon Mr Popper's rambunctious roommates turn his swank New York apartment into a snowy winter wonderland- and the rest of his world upside-down. Based upon the award-winning classic children's book, Mr. Popper's Penguins is a cool blast of fun for all ages!
MOVIE REVIEW:
Penguins are cute creatures; furthermore they have a tested and proven track record on the cinematic screen. “Happy Feet” which have singing, dancing penguins swing their way to the Academy Awards. The mischievous penguins in “Madagascar” left a more lasting impression than the main protagonists. It’s only a matter of time Hollywood did a live-action picture involving penguins.
Inspired by the 1938 children’s book, “Mr Popper’s Penguins”, this updated version stars funnyman Jim Carrey as a divorced though successful realtor struggling to cope with his estranged children and blossoming career. But an unexpected inheritance of six penguins from his long-lost explorer father changed his career path and the relationship between him, his two kids and ex-wife, Amanda (Carla Gugino).
It’s quite a surprise Jim Carrey took on this project which hardly tapped on his comedic skills to be frank. For a huge portion of the time, Carrey just simply sits back and let the CG penguins do their job. Pooping, falling, farting, walking along the streets of New York and getting themselves into huge trouble, the penguins with names such as Nimrod, Stinky, Loudy and Bitey is mildly amusing at best. But Carrey remains Carrey, the A-list comedy star still have what it takes to hatch some tickles with his limited facial expressions even it means literally sitting on an egg or feeding the penguins.
Director Mark Waters who helmed box-office hits such as “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls” tries his very best to milk a few laughs and expectedly a couple of meaningful messages out of the thin material. There are a few subplots thrown in to fill up the 94 minutes running time for example, the zealous zookeeper (played by “Iron Man” veteran Clark Gregg) from the New York Zoo and the selling of an old restaurant where young Popper dines with his father. The former added to generate some excitement and the latter for some well-meaning life lessons.
“Mr Popper’s Penguins” belongs to one of those predictable family comedies that Hollywood is so fond of producing. Kids might be amused by the CG (in actual fact there are indeed real penguins thrown in although we can’t really tell which is which) flightless birds and the swanky Mr Popper’s apartment turned fanciful penguin enclosure. Rest of the people may we instead recommend “March of the Penguins” if you are in a penguin mood.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Nimrod and Stinky's Antartic Adventure - A brand new CG animated short about Stinky and Nimrod facing off the zookeeper in Antarctic.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The English Dolby Digital 5.1 offers a serviceable, listening experience. Dialogue is clean, the squawking of the penguins filled up the ambient sound effects nicely. Colours are warm and natural though the movie seems to be shot during the cold winter season.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: The age-old battle of good versus evil plays out in the town of Hop, Washington when mysterious stranger Ryan Varrett (Steve Austin) blows in with nothing on his mind but vengeance. Shortly after his arrival, the town suddenly erupts in a fury of action that entangles a ruthless crime lord named Drayke (Danny Trejo), a murderous biker gang, corrupt local police, and at the center of it all, Varrett himself, who is dead-set on exacting justice according to his own code. The tension steadily mounts to an explosive climax as Varrett and Drayke face off in a fight to the death. Guns blaze, knives glimmer and fists fly in this tale of good, evil and vengeance.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Unlike Dwayne Johnson, Steve Austin has not enjoyed the same kind of success in Hollywood in his post-wrestling days as an actor. That probably has to do with both his looks as well as his demeanour- admittedly, a sour dour ‘Stone Cold’ countenance just doesn’t resonate the same way in a WWE match vis-à-vis a Hollywood movie. ‘Recoil’ therefore continues his streak of direct-to-video B-movie action movies, and going by the looks of it, that’s probably as far as his career as a leading man will go.
The premise is all-too familiar- a mysterious lone drifter walks into a tightly-knit town looking for vengeance, upsets the balance of the local community, and finally teaches one and all why his brand of justice works. It’s no different from the Westerns of old, except that this time instead of people on horses, you get gangs on motorbikes, led by the permanently scowl-faced Drayke (Danny Trejo). A wanted criminal by the ATF (or Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms), Drayke demands absolute loyalty not just from his men, but also from the local townsfolk.
Walking into this snakepit is Ryan Varrett (Austin), a man whom we know has a vendetta and isn’t afraid to be judge, jury and executioner. Why he has become hardened is only revealed in the last third of the film, but in any case since he’s played by Austin, we know he’s supposed to be our hero despite his less than passive methods. Ryan’s really looking for Drayke’s brother Rex (Noah Gugliemi), a serial rapist he’s looking to punish- though you know how the formula goes when it comes to family.
Only the last 20 mins do Varett and Drayke finally meet, so the rest of the time is spent delineating the supporting characters- like the token female character Varett strikes up an affinity with or the crooked sheriff in the town who simply closes an eye to Drayke’s criminal activity. As if afraid of having too many scenarios and characters to juggle at the same time, writer John Sullivan keeps the story simple and if you ask us a little too straightforward. There are no surprises along the way and little shades of ambiguity as well, so every character is defined in the same black- and- white mould.
Sullivan’s simplicity is matched in director Terry Miles’ direction, unremarkable at best and lazy at worst. Miles knows that his audience is there to see Austin fight, and he rightfully gets out of the way once the action begins- of course, not many people can stand in the way of someone with Austin’s physical build. Much of the action is designed around his physique, the highlight of the entire movie the mano-a-mano climactic fight between Varett and Drayke. It’s brutal and unrelenting- Trejo the only one in the entire film looking even close to challenging Austin- but the rest of the fight sequences struggle to make much of an impression.
The same can be said of the entire movie, from the storytelling to the direction to most importantly the action. It is for the latter that ‘Recoil’ even exists, but even by that yardstick, neither Miles nor for that matter Austin find a compelling enough reason for you not to recoil from its blandness. It’s a B-movie all right, but one that is perfectly content at embracing its pedigree, rather than attempting to break out of genre expectations by offering something more. And as we said earlier, with movies like ‘Recoil’, it’s no wonder why Austin will probably remain in DTV land for some time.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio is a surprising treat, offering strong bass and good surround effects for the action scenes. Visuals are clear and sharp.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: A young lawyer (Radcliffe) travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.
MOVIE REVIEW:
How time flies. Daniel Radcliffe was only a little over 11 years old when he first rose to fame as Harry Potter and now he is portraying a character with a 4 years old kid.
“The Woman In Black”, the sophomore effort by James Watkins is an old school horror thriller set in late 1800s. Radcliffe plays Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer who is still grieving for his wife who died while giving birth to their son, Joseph. Kipps is given a last chance by his law firm to settle the sale of a manor called Eel Marsh House which belonged to an eccentric old woman or risk being fired. Encountering bizarre deaths of young children and experiencing images of a woman in black after he arrived in the small English town, Kipps realized they are not mere coincidences but somehow the happenings are linked to the old manor.
While “The Woman In Black” is not spared of the usual horror clichés such as creaking wood, automated opening doors/knob, creepy looking porcelain toys and dolls and even creepier children, it’s a class act overall. Watkins prefer to keep things under wraps and he is not afraid to let the spooky atmosphere takes the front seat instead of unleashing huge amount of bloody, gruesome violence unlike its American counterparts. A prolonged 20 minutes sequence which has Kipps alone in the huge manor sent chills down your spine as you follow him along dark corridor and insane, gothic-dressed rooms. Unfortunately, the tension is constantly interrupted with unnecessary loud, scary sound effects, a common flaw found in horror movies.
For his first official post-Potter outing as the leading man, Radcliffe actually delivers a satisfactory performance as the grieving widower opposite veteran Ciaran Hinds (John Carter) who plays the local wealthy folk, Sam Daily, a man who lost his son in a drowning accident. The unlikely duo finds themselves unravelling the mystery behind the vengeful spirit and with that, any further disclosure will spoil your viewing experience.
Despite a rather standard ghostly story setting, there are plenty of old-school thrills and effective scares contained in this Hammer production. Probably you might even feel hesitant to look out of your window the next time.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The visual quality is impressive with balanced black levels and skin tones. Images on the whole look good on the DVD transfer. The loud sound effects are limited by the sole Dolby Digital 2.0. Unless you are not into fancy 5.1 that transcends across the speakers, you might find it disappointing.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
SYNOPSIS: From the creators of Cars and Toy Story 3 comes a new, laugh-out-loud, heartwarming adventure geared for the entire family. Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Pixar movies are known for their heart and soul. Not to mention, they are always highly praised by critics and audience alike and generate millions in the box-office. After last year’s incredible touching finale to the much beloved Toy Story series, this year “Cars 2”, the follow-up to the 2006 original unfortunately caused a dent in Pixar’s glorious record.
Written by no less than four credited writers including Pixar honcho/director John Lasseter himself and reuniting original writer Dan Fogelman, “Cars 2” will go down in Pixar history as the most poorly conceived animation ever to come out from the Lamp. The story stands out as messy and the hyper-editing from scene to scene is pretty much jarring.
The first “Car” tells the tale of a hotshot racecar, Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) who finds out in life there’s more to racing in a small-town, Radiator Springs. In “Cars 2”, McQueen is relegated more to a supporting role and to me that’s annoying. When McQueen is cajoled by his best friend, Mater to join the Grand World Prix that takes him to Japan, Italy and London, his tag-along pal, the innocence Tow Mater finds himself involved in an international espionage led by the evil Professor Z.
On the whole, “Cars 2” functions less as a sequel and more of a spin-off with the majority of the screentime devoted to more of Mater’s silly exploits and British superspy, Finn McMissile (Michael Caine) and his apprentice, Holly Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer). Radiator Springs’ dwellers such as Sally, Filmore, Sarge, Ramone, Flo, Guido and Luigi are reduced to mere cameos. Newcomer John Turturro on the other hand is a scene-stealer as McQueen’s competitor Francesco Bernoulli.
There is plenty of lowbrow humour courtesy of Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) and jokes involving culture differences and languages aplenty. At the end of the day, there’s a little lesson about treasuring your friendship but pity it’s lost among the countless race, chases and the espionage caper involving what else, fuel.
Still, there’s one thing that Pixar is capable of despite the lackluster storytelling that is the amazing graphics that is seen onscreen. It makes a bitter pill easier to swallow if the review sounds a bit harsh. The details portrayed are simply amazing that pausing a minute to admire over the images simply isn’t enough. The streets of Tokyo, the airport mayhem, the spectacular Mountain View, the escape from Big Bentley, there’s too much visual for the eyes and perhaps the sole factor why this new Pixar offering is so exciting.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
This DVD comes with the Hawaiian Vacation animated short which is once again a treasure to behold. Air Mater, another one of Mater’s Tall Tales, follows this.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is a busy one filled with loud explosions, pitch-perfect dialogue and engrossing ambient effects. The visual clarity is astounding with an absolute wonderful colour palette and striking details.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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