So it has been established that Puss is popular enough to have his own movie (we didn’t think too much of the increasingly tiresome Shrek movies anyway), but how does the 3D animated film’s soundtrack compare with the franchise that it has been closely related with? Let’s just say this is one top notch album the feline hero would approve of.
There are 66 generous minutes of music composed by Henry Jackman on this disc. The first impressed us with his energetic score for Monsters and Aliens (2009), and after this year’s X Men: First Class and Winnie the Pooh, the Englishman has proven that he is capable of straddling between different genres. Having worked with the more renowned Hans Zimmer on blockbusters like The Da Vinci Code (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) and The Simpsons Movie (2007), Jackman is now focusing on film composing – and we are glad he is.
Here, the album kicks off with the impressionable “A Bad Kitty”, a cue dripping with a fun Spanish flavour. The main theme also sets the tone for the entire soundtrack. The sword buckling fun is repeated in the adventurous “Chasing Tail”, a brief but catchy track which will have you tapping your feet to the rhythmic beats. The cue then segues into “Diablo Rojo”, which is easily the highlight of the soundtrack. Featuring Mexican musical duo Rodrigo y Gabriela (whom we last heard on the soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides), this excellent five minute acoustic cue is a perfect composition that we can’t get enough of.
Elsewhere, Jackman concocts a decent variety of music which ranges from sinister (“Humpty Dumpty & Kitty Softpaws”) and dark (“That Fateful Night”) to courageous (“The Wagon Chase”) and grand (“Castle in the Clouds”). The fun never stops, with outstanding tracks like “Golden Goose of Legend”, “Hanuman” (featuring Rodrigo y Gabriela again), “Farewell to San Ricardo” and a very apt “The Puss Suite”, painting a musical adventure that Puss is worthy of.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (6) Diablo Rojo
Review by John Li
Nope, as much as Edward Cullen’s fans are yearning to hear Robert Pattison’s vocals on the soundtrack of this fourth installment of this successful movie franchise, they would have to be disappointed again. Instead, fans of the worldwide blockbuster (the reason why these movies strike a chord with so many people remains a mystery to this reviewer) get a cool lineup of 14 songs performed by some of the coolest artistes in the music industry.
The highlight of the album is American pop singer Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain”, a soulful tune which echoes the lead characters’ emotions very aptly. You can almost imagine a melancholic Edward walking down a dark alleyway, well, in the rain. Other notable artistes on the soundtrack include Philadelphian singer songwriter Christina Perri who sings “A Thousand Years”, London based three piece band The Joy Formidable who strums to the melody of “Endtapes”, American vocal and instrumental duo The Belle Brigade who belts out “I Didn’t Mean It”, and American rapper Theophilus London who contributes “Neighbors”.
Elsewhere, American singer songwriter Iron & Wine, who were featured on the first Twilight soundtrack, return with a newly recorded version of their song "Flightless Bird, American Mouth." Fans who have every moment of the Bill Condon directed movie etched in their minds will remember this tune being played when Bella and Edward say their vows and kiss at their wedding.
Pattison’s fellow cast member Mia Maestro (who plays Carmen Denali of the Denali Coven in the movie) perform “Llovera”, an exotic tune which fans may remember from the Bella and Edwards’s romantic swim in the moonlight.
The soundtrack album features a surprisingly generous amount of music. The 61 minutes of songs (and one somewhat forgettable score track “Love Death Birth” by Carter Burwell) is a pleasant listen, whether you are a fan of the franchise.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (3) It Will Rain – Bruno Mars
Review by John Li
There is a reason why these furry animals known as The Chipmunks are returning to the big screen for a third time. There is also a reason why songs performed by these rodents are released on a soundtrack album for the third time. If you think about it, all it takes is for one individual to sing a tune, and thanks to the wonders of existing audio editing software, many voices of varying pitches can be produced.
And presto – you get The Chipmunks (and yes, we haven’t forgotten The Chipettes) performing 13 songs for a CD compilation of today’s most popular hits.
The 42 minute album kicks off with “Party Rock Anthem”, a tune made popular by American electro duo LMFAO which will go down well with young folks. That said, the following tracks are guaranteed hits if you are a teenager familiar with what’s in and what’s out on the airwaves.
It doesn’t really matter whether you are listening toLady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”, the catchy “Real Wild Child (Wild One)” (did you know the song originated from Australia?) and American R & B group Destiny Child’s “Survivor”. It also doesn’t matter who are the performers behind these tunes because seriously, did you think it matters whether you are hearing The Chipmunks or The Chipettes?
What really matters, especially in a soundtrack album like this, is that the tunes cater to today’s young crowd. That is why songs like Pink’s “Trouble”, Willow Smith’s “Whip My Tail” and a medley of “We Speak No Americano/ Conga” are also included on the soundtrack. With popular TV shows like Glee, you can also expect songs like “Born This Way/ Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now/ Firework” to go down well with the target audience.
Throw in a fold out posters of The Chipmunks, and you’ve got a nice gift for to present to your younger nephews and nieces this holiday season.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (12) Born This Way/ Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now/ Firework
Review by John Li
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Brad Peyton
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Luis Guzman, Alexander Anderson, Kristin Davis, Michael Caine
RunTime: 1 hr 34 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://www.themysteriousisland.com/
Opening Day: 19 January 2012
Synopsis: The follow-up to the 2008 hit. The new journey begins when young adventurer Sean (Josh Hutcherson) receives a coded distress signal from a mysterious island where no island should exist-a place of strange life forms, mountains of gold, deadly volcanoes, and more than one astonishing secret. Unable to stop him from going, Sean's new stepfather (Dwayne Johnson) joins the quest. Together with a helicopter pilot (Luis Guzman) and his beautiful, strong-willed daughter (Vanessa Hudgens), they set out to find the island, rescue its lone inhabitant and escape before seismic shockwaves force the island under the sea and bury its treasures forever.
Movie Review:
We didn’t expect ourselves to laugh at Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson popping his pectorals in this sequel to 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth.
But yes, we did.
In fact, it was such a guilty pleasure that we are listing it as one of the hilarious 3D technology. In the family movie’s funniest scene, the professional wrestler demonstrates what he calls “the pec pop of love” and invites his stepson (Josh Hutcherson) to throw a berry at his glorious chest. And presto, the fruit flies in your face!
Cheap thrills aside, this action adventure movie sees Hutcherson’s adventurous teenager setting out on an expedition to find his grandfather, who went missing while exploring a lost island. Instead of Brendan Fraser (who could not return due to scheduling conflicts), he has Johnson by his side. The party also includes a love interest in the form of High School Musical’s (sorry, but that will always be the role you will be remembered for, missy) Vanessa Hudgens, as well as her comedic father played by Luis Guzman.
It has been more than 10 years since we first saw Johnson on the big screen The 1.96 meter giant played the intimidating Scorpion King back in 2001’s The Mummy Returns, and his showbiz career has never looked too bad since. We have seen him transform from not so funny (2007’s The Game Plan) to quite funny (2008’s Get Smart) to really funny (2010’s The Other Guys).
And we haven’t even mentioned his credentials as an action star.
In his latest starring role, Johnson does a decent job making the audience laugh while jumping from cliff to cliff in his tight fitting T shirt. Having successfully crossed over to mainstream popularity, the married man is increasingly likeable. How can one not smile listening to him singing “It’s a Wonderful World” by a campfire while strumming a tiny guitar?
Hutcherson has matured quite a bit since we last saw him as Fraser’s nephew in the first movie, and the 19 year old is charismatic enough to command screen presence. We are looking forward to seeing him again in the highly anticipated The Hunger Games. Meanwhile, without too much elaboration, let’s just say Hudgens’ role as the obligatory singlet wearing companion won’t be getting her any acting awards.
Let’s also not deny the fact that this Brad Peyton directed production is aimed at entertaining the masses. Predictable storyline and other family friendly elements aside, this 94 minute movie never pretends to be a sophisticated piece of work (the plot wastes no time in transporting the characters to the titular island). The references to literary classics like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and Jules Vern’s Mysterious Island are not as pretentious one would expect them to be either.
There are also some decent 3D effects which complement the effective use of computer generated imageries. The humans gladly play supporting characters in these scenes. While this is definitely no technological feat, it is a likeable movie that does a respectable job of entertaining its viewers.
Movie Rating:
(A serviceable popcorn movie that offers 94 minutes of harmless fun)
Review by John Li
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Wu Chun shares his magic with the needy this Christmas!Posted on 25 Nov 2011 |
SYNOPSIS: Ely and Lila are as close as sisters. They have known each other since childhood - they share everything and dream of a different life together. They live in the same suburb, ten minutes by metro from Paris. Today, Ely and Lila no longer want to be ten minutes from their lives. From minor muddles to major lies, they will do everything in their power to try to enter this world that isn't theirs where everything seems possible. But they soon realise that all that glitters is not gold....
MOVIE REVIEW:
Skipping the local cinemas despite premiering at the public ScreenSingapore screenings earlier this year, the French surprise hit ‘All That Glitters’ proves to be a slick chick flick offering that should please anyone looking for some light-hearted froth. The story of two twenty-something working-class gals who get a taste of the life of Paris’ upper classes as well as its consequences, this debut effort from writing/ directing duo Geraldine Nakache and Herve Mimran also displays some surprising depth as commentary about social class.
The lead characters are two best friends- Lila (Leila Bekhti) and Ely (Nakache)- living in the same banlieue of Puteaux- when not stuck behind menial customer assistance jobs (Lila works at the popcorn counter of a cinema; while Ely takes orders at a sandwich joint), they spend time dreaming about an expensive life would be. Their wishes come true one night after sneaking into a hip Paris nightclub where the rich and wealthy hang out- and while Lila goes head-over-heels for charming pretty boy Maxx (Simon Buret), Ely befriends two other socialites Agathe (Virginie Ledoyen) and Joan (Linh-Dan Pham).
The story goes where you’d expect it to- Lila starts alienating both her boyfriend (Manu Payet) as well as Ely; while Ely starts to feel increasingly out of place even as she inadvertently becomes the babysitter to Joan’s son. Indeed, their friendship can only get worse before it gets better- though like any other Hollywood chick flick, you can expect your happy ending by the time the credits roll. Granted inspiration isn’t exactly its strong suite, but what the film lacks in originality, it makes up for with breezy charm and generous wit.
Navache and Mimran’s script smartly paints the contrasting lives of the upper class and working class of French society, and the desire of the latter to gain entry into the former. The extent to which Lila, and to a lesser extent Ely, try to deny their true backgrounds is especially telling, and a considerably poignant scene sees Ely’s close relationship with her doting father strained when her newfound friends Agathe and Joan ridicule him in public after mistaking him for an old perv trying to pick them up. And much as it would have been easy to paint the pair of upper-class folk as snobbish, the film avoids the cliché by portraying them as simply ignorant to those not within their usual social cliques.
The film also coasts considerably on the appeal of its two stars, Bekhti and Navache, who share great chemistry with each other. Both stars bring forth their characters’ defining personalities nicely, Lila’s social ambition contrasting with Ely’s more level-headed sensibilities. Daniel Cohen also puts in a surprisingly strong supporting performance as Ely’s dad, and his moving turn adds emotional weight to Ely’s character transformation as she tries to climb the social ladder.
But who can blame Lila and Ely? After all, we’re all guilty of coveting those on the upper echelons of society, hoping to enjoy the high life that they live day in and day out, not realising sometimes that their lives may not be as rosy as what we imagine it could be like on the higher rungs. Yes, it’s a social dramedy well played if you will, and also an enjoyable chick flick that reinforces the value of friendship. All that glitters may not be gold, but it’s good enough for us to recommend you to check it out.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio does well to bring out both the French dialogue and the teeny-bopper pop tunes. Visuals are clean and colours look dynamic.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: The epic, yet intimate story follows the life journey of Jack O'Brien, the eldest son of a fractured Southwestern family. Pitt delivers a powerful performance as the cataclysmic force of nature in Jack's world, his complex and rigidly authoritarian father. Hailed as a visually breathtaking masterpiece by critics and audience alike, THE TREE OF LIFE won the Cannes Film Festival's highest honor, becoming one of the year's most talked about films.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Terence Malick’s magnum opus ‘The Tree of Life’ has been a constant fixture on many critics’ Top 10 lists for the year, but this reviewer has to state upfront that the acclaim behind this meandering family drama and its analogies to life itself escapes him. Instead, what began as curious puzzlement over Malick’s intent slowly gave way to sheer frustration, and it is with more than a slight hint of annoyance that I presevered to get through an agonising 140 minutes of pretentious bullshit.
The divisiveness of it doesn’t come as a surprise- after all, theatre chains in the United States were reporting that some audiences walked out of the cinema midway through the movie demanding a refund- and trust me when I say that I sat down to watch this with as open a mind as I could in appreciating what has been called a ‘pure work of art’. To be fair, the experience did not start out being as excruciating as I thought, and the first half hour was definitely intriguing to say the least.
In between setting up the central story of a Texas family in the 1950s dealing with tension, failure, death and their familial bond of blood, Malick uses visual abstractions to illustrate the explosive beginnings of the universe and the immutable march of evolution. Less patient viewers will probably tune out within the first 15 mins, but the ‘glorified light show’- as some may call it- fascinatingly illustrates how the world began from essentially nothingness and deliberately provokes metaphysical questions about the nature of the universe.
So is this supposed to be reflected in the family- the hard-tempered father (Brad Pitt) as the embodiment of nature in its destructiveness, while the gentle mother (Jessica Chastain) as the embodiment of grace in its placidity; and three young boys (Hunter McCracken, Laramie Eppler and Tye Sheridan) in between. Malick tells the story of their growing-up years through the eyes of the eldest, now an architect (Sean Penn) who ponders his turbulent childhood. It doesn’t sound all too dense, but the way Malick films these scenes makes it unnecessarily obscure and about as interesting as literally watching a Tree grow.
Chiefly, Malick takes a purely observational approach to framing the drama, so we are forced to endure every minuscule detail of the family’s life, with little purpose of knowing why we are made to watch what we are watching. The kids play along the driveway, the kids play baseball with the father, then they have dinner, then dad comes home and decides to throw a tantrum- and all the while I can’t help thinking ‘so what’, which becomes gradually replaced by a ‘WTF’.
That’s not to say the performances aren’t solid all around. Pitt gives one of his most effective performances as the tough disciplinarian, while Chastain proves to be just the perfect counterpoint to Pitt’s sternness and inflexibility. The three boys Malick eventually settled on to play their three kids too are equally outstanding in their roles, and Penn with his careworn face slips right into the role of the older Jack disturbed by his own tumultuous past. The pointless to which the actors have committed themselves to makes it even more infuriating, and Malick takes the full brunt of this reviewer’s anger.
At the end of it all, the only thing I got out of his ‘Tree of Life’ is the unmistakable sense that there is two hours of my life I will never be able to get back. No offense to those who thought it was his masterpiece, but this, only Malick’s fifth film, is incredibly indulgent and maddeningly incoherent. If you need to find some meaning in life, try religion for a change- and I’ll say this is the rare film I actually hated.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
With nothing in the movie that warrants a better audio track, the Dolby Digital 2.0 one does just fine with the dialogue and Alexandre Desplat’s score. The visual transfer brings out the pretty ‘light show’ well too, just what you’d expect for a screensaver.
MOVIE RATING:
(no stars)
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: On the English South Coast, Chris (Ewan McGregor, Star Wars: Episodes 1-3), a young farm worker, dreams of the chance to join the army and fight in exciting new lands. His chance comes when the three top Nazis—the enormous Goering, the malnourished Goebbels and the scarily campy Himmler—hatch a plan to invade England by drilling under the English Channel and into the heart of London. With the entire British army stuck in Dunkirk and no military support to defend the country, Churchill (Timothy Spall, The King’s Speech) issues a final radio broadcast from his bunker in Downing Street. Upon hearing the broadcast, Chris rallies the reluctant villagers, aided by American pilot Billy Fiske (Dominic West, The Wire), demanding that they help save England—and the world! Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton), Alan Cumming (X-Men), Rosamund Pike (Barney’s Version), and Richard E. Grant (Withnail and I) round out the all-star voice cast of this riotous supermarionation epic.
MOVIE REVIEW:
If you’re going to rewrite history, the least you need to do is to make sure that there’s a point to it all. Sadly, the brothers McHenry (Edward and Rory) who wrote and directed this revisioning of World War II by way of puppet animation don’t quite manage to do so, so much so that their ‘Jackboots on Whitehall’ comes off as little more than a tired exercise in mediocrity.
Imagining what could have been had the Germans attempted an invasion of London by digging under the English Channel, the McHenrys draw references from numerous far-superior war epics like ‘Thunderbirds’ and ‘Battle of Britain’. When Hitler (Alan Cumming) and his band of evil men- Goebbels (Tom Wilkinson), Göring (Richard Griffiths) and Himmler (Richard O'Brien)- come knocking, Winston Churchill (Timothy Spall) decides that the country should evacuate to Scotland.
Unlikely help comes in the form of big-handed (yes, literally, the guy’s big hands are apparently meant to be a running joke throughout the movie- but frankly we don’t find it one bit amusing) farmboy Chris (Ewan MacGregor), an arrogant US pilot Fiske (Dominic West) and a group of Indian soldiers first tasked to defend the Prime Minister’s residence. From No. 10 Downing Street, the action moves to Hadrian’s Wall where the ragtag alliance will attempt one final showdown with the Germans.
The McHenrys get off to a good start by keeping the action brisk and fun, but the pacing sags considerably in the middle section just before the climax. They aim for a British sitcom feel to the proceedings, playing on the juvenility of the characters and their sheer incompetence. But such treatment demands a sharp witty script, and this is where the McHenrys stumble. Lacking the verve of ‘Team America’, the duo settle for just amusing bordering on plain boring, and the half-hearted jokes aren’t enough to sustain the movie.
Despite an all-star cast, the voice work is also disappointing- though not from a lack of trying. In fact, the voice cast should be faulted for trying too hard. Wilkinson adopts a weird German accent, while Dominic West is gratingly brusque as the gungho American fighter. Faring the best is Alan Cumming, who nails a campy version of Hitler; while the rest of the cast (MacGregor, Spall and Rosamund Pike as MacGregor’s love interest) are just forgettable.
As with such puppet animation, the work is deliberately crude, but the same lack of polish unfortunately applies not just to the look of the film, but the entire production as well. A slapdash effort at combining the insane politically incorrect wit of ‘Team America’ with more traditionally British war movies, this ‘Jackboots on Whitehall’ is too tame to please fans of the former and too flippant to please fans of the latter. Ultimately, it has little reason for its existence, and while fiction may sometimes be more attractive than the truth, the reverse is sadly true in this case.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix adds little to the viewing experience, since most of the sound comes off flat and uninteresting. Visuals are clear, but colours tend to be deliberately duller than usual.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: Sci-fi writer Sakutaro and bank employee Setsuko met as high school freshmen during their summer vacation. Since then, the couple has always been together and eventually got married. One day, Setsuko complains of a stomach-ache and is hospitalised. Sakutaro then learns that his wife has colon cancer. After a doctor told him laughter can help the immune system, Sakutaro begans to write a short story for his cancer-stricken wife every day. At first, Setsuko was expected to live for only 1 more year but she lived for 5 more years and Sakutaro eventually wrote 1778 short stories for his wife.
MOVIE REVIEW:
In the tradition of tear-jerking dramas that dealt with both love and death, “1778 Stories of My Wife & Me” will definitely appeal to fans of “April Bride” and “Sky of Love”. As for those audiences who are not accustomed to Japanese slow-moving dramas, the answer is of course steer clear of it.
Based on a true story of sci-fi writer Saku (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) and his cancer-stricken wife, Setsuko (Yuko Takeuchi), the movie tells Saku’s determination to prolong his wife’s life by writing her a short humorous essay everyday in keeping to her doctor’s advice that laughter is the best medicine. To the doctor’s surprise, Setsuko managed to outlive his prediction and by the time she passed, Saku has written 1778 stories dedicated to his first reader and beloved wife.
A writer’s journey is a lonely one. Specifically speaking, one would rather look at the end product than how the writer got his inspirations to create his story. However, in “1778 Stories of My Wife & Me”, we are taken on a journey of how Saku sees the world, from robot wars, Star Wars-like spacecraft speed chase to even Octopus bill collector, the movie does stray away from the sentimental aspect of a typical tragic tale and instead of mere tears and hugs, we are fascinated by Saku’s way of coping with Setsuko’s deteriorating health.
However by tempering with the tried and tested formula, audience might get frustrated by the flow of the story with Saku’s constant flight of imagination being a distraction. To his credit, director Mamoru Hoshi maintains an upbeat mood for most of the duration that is until the final act where things comes to a draggy end. With a running time of 139 minutes, this is one title that deserved a couple of trimmings especially the part where the whole hospital staff and patients become obsessed with Saku’s essay writing. It’s unnecessarily corny and amusing to this reviewer’s point of view.
Beautifully shot and accompanied with soft music pieces, the two main cast members, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi (one-fifth of the popular pop group, SMAP) gives a wonderful performance as the child-like Saku while Yuko Takeuchi is commendable as the quiet supportive wife. With the occasional pitfalls, “1778 Stories of My Wife & Me” is a movie tailored for the sentimental crowd. As mentioned earlier, if you are a fan of the genre, this is a title not to be missed.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
NIL
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is clear on dialogue and music pieces and the visual quality while not outstanding is acceptable.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Reinout Oerlemans
Cast: Barry Atsma, Carice van Houten, Anna Drijver, Pierre Bokma, Beppie Melissen, Eline Van der Velden
RunTime: 1 hr 49 mins
Released By: Shaw
Rating: R21 (Sexual Scene And Nudity)
Official Website: http://www.komteenvrouwbijdedokterdefilm.nl/
Opening Day: 5 July 2012
Synopsis: Stijn loves life and life loves him. He’s got his own business, a wonderful daughter and Carmen, his beautiful wife. There’s no need for her to know that he occasionally enjoys the pleasures of other women. His heart belongs to Carmen, and that’s all that matters.
Their idyllic world is shattered when Carmen goes to the doctor and hears the diagnosis every woman dreads. Life falls apart and they embark on a roller-coaster ride for survival. Though supportive at first, Stijn soon escapes from the new harsh reality into the arms of the sexy, care-free Rose. As Carmen is bravely going through treatment, Stijn will learn what it really means to love.
Based on the best-selling novel which was translated into 26 languages, STRICKEN (A Woman Goes to the Doctor) enjoyed huge domestic market success with a gross of over $13 million at the box office. Produced by Oscar® winning producer Hans de Weer (Antonia’s Line) the movie stars internationally acclaimed Carice van Houten (Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book, Tom Cuise/Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie and Repo Man).
Movie Review:
Dutch authour Ray Kluun’s novel A Woman Goes to the Doctor may not represent the most mirthful of materials to work with but Reinout Oerlemans, making his directorial debut with Stricken, has turned it into a worthy celebration of a woman’s indomitable spirit in the battle against breast cancer. At turns playful and serious but never melancholic, Stricken wisely avoids the familiar, if often overplayed emotional sensibilities of the genre. What it does offer is a passionately honest look at the maxim ‘until death do us apart’ when it’s threatened by the onslaught of cancer.
Barry Atsman portrays Stijn, a man who has everything anyone could ever hope for in his life: a successful career in the advertising industry, a best friend (Jeroen Willems), his beautiful wife Carmen (Carice van Houten) and a young daughter. Unfortunately, an innocent visit to the doctor delivers a terrible judgment that tears Stijn’s perfect life asunder. Diagnosed with breast cancer, Carmen’s life dives into a seemingly endless cycle of hospital trips, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and puking. Stijn is caring, helpful and supportive but begins to seek solace in the arms of gorgeous painter Rose (Anna Drijver). Zipping between the responsibilities to his wife, work commitments and bouts of casual sex with Rose, Stijn soon struggles to discover what his love for Carmen truly means.
Stricken tackles this struggle in a way that feels genuinely believable. To take on an issue as convoluted and delicate as cancer in a compact 109 minutes may prove to be a less than flattering idea but Oerlemans largely succeeds in selling us the heartfelt experiences of a brave woman whose life is quickly devoured by her illness and a man who is confused over his role in the midst of this tragedy. The narrative blossoms in an unhurried and tidy manner, offering a refreshing change of pace from the ill-conceived proceedings and slapdash editing redolent of the manufactured reality that most Hollywood dramas would have you believe.
As you might expect of a film that questions a man's fidelity at some point in time, Stricken isn’t afraid to break out of its pensiveness into unabashed nudity when the occasion calls. All too often, the film juxtaposes scenes of a spirited Carmen braving treatments alone against the backdrop of an uneasy silence with scenes of a blithely unaware Stijn having sensational sex with Rose in her apartment to great effect. This is an approach to the issue that breaks down the barriers of fantasy and competently addresses it on a very intimate and real level. Without spoiling the beats of the plot, I’d say that it’s easy to blame Stijn for the problems that occur but by the end of the film, you’ll come away with a huge sense of respect for the man, his flaws and his sacrifices.
Unmistakably frank and unashamed of it, Stricken is a true revelation. It is genius not only because it’s so meaningful but also because such films rarely get made anymore. If this is any indication of how dramas in the Netherlands are produced, then perhaps it’s sound to entrust more dramas to the Dutch from now on
Movie Rating:
(When it isn’t about misery that a tragedy brings but a celebration of all things that a tragedy moulds people into)
Review by Loh Yong Jian
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