Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Cast: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Dominic Cooper, Alan Tudyk, Rufus Sewell, Jimmi Simpson, Robin McLeavy
RunTime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence)
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website:
Opening Day: 5 July 2012
Synopsis: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter explores the secret life of one of the U.S.’s greatest presidents, and the untold story that shaped that country. Visionary filmmakers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (director of Wanted) bring a fresh and visceral voice to the bloodthirsty lore of the vampire, imagining Lincoln as history's greatest hunter of the undead.
Movie Review:
There are countless of vampire films these days, and the numbers churning out don't seem to be letting up, maximizing releases on the 3D format to rake in extra revenue at the box office. Amongst the noisy blockbusters, in Singapore at least, comes Abraham Lincoln sandwiched between the friendly neighbourhood wall crawler and the dark knight. The verdict? It's a surprisingly entertaining action adventure that blends history and fantasy, putting historical characters in landscapes and events that perhaps could have happened if imagination turned into reality. This is nothing new of course, but this film had the gall to put a prominent country leader on the pedestal, and turning him into something else altogether.
With Tim Burton and Russian visionary director Timur Bekmambetov combining forces, I suppose only these two can provide an added dimension to the 16th President of the United States, putting Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) into a fictional space and in almost superhero fashion with his nocturnal lifestyle comparable to that of Batman's, hunting his adversaries, in this case being Vampires, in the night. It's a time where humanity is threatened with the rising force of Vampires, led by Adam (Rufus Sewell), who have crossed from Europe into the New World to try and expand their dominion at the right opportunity. And Abe Lincoln, who lost his parents under the hands of one such vampire (Marton Csokas), shades of the Dark Knight is unmistakably paid homage to with his vow of vengeance, which gets transformed by mentor Henry (Dominic West) into a quest for the greater good, with rules attached that denies Abe of relationships given the dangerous nature of his lifelong mission. But such rules are to be broken when Abe falls in love with Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and provides for an added element of danger each time he goes out wielding that giant axe.
While the narrative is focused on the life and times of the central titular character, from his childhood days right up until sealing his legacy with historical milestones such as the Battle of Gettysburg, which had taken on a more mythical approach of Man versus Monster, what made the film tick also rests on its supporting characters. There's Dominic West as mentioned playing the quintessential mentor role in training Abe in the ways of the Vampire, coupled with the requisite montage training sequences as well as throwing in a known twist, and Anthony Mackie as William Johnson his childhood friend, there to punctuate a time when racisim was steep in a country still bogged down with slavery in the South. And while Mary Elizabeth Winstead's role as Mary Todd aka Mrs Abraham Lincoln is pretty brief, confined to being the love interest, she too does have scenes as the First Lady with a lot of spunk, as does how Joshua Speed (Jimmi Simpson) had transformed from Abe's early employer, to trusted confidante.
Benamin Walker may not be a household name now, being the unknown who gets to step into a big, historical role, but with leading roles like these and that uncanny resemblance to Abe when made up, perhaps this could serve as his calling card. I may be alone here, but there's some resemblance with his build to Liam Neeson, and his youthful Abe Lincoln playing something that Neeson would have played, albeit with a little bit less experience. And when he ages with the help of prosthetics, Walker does resemble like the atypical image that comes to mind when we think of that American president. Rufus Sewell on the other hand didn't offer much to be a menace, neither hamming it up nor playing it too serious, and if there's a weak point in the film, it'll have to boil down to a lack of a powerful antagonist for Abe Lincoln to grapple against.
Timur gets to return to form with the strong visual sense so powerfully created for his Night/Daywatch series, with art and production design sparing no effort in re-creating old America, coupled with the judicious use of CG to achieve that as well, in particular the landscapes and action sequences. And when Abe fights with his weapon of choice, the blood, gore and dismemberment on screen earned this film its rating here, although beautiful to gawk at with detailed fighting styles played out in slow motion. And I'm glad to say that this film, even though post-produced into 3D, was well worth its higher ticket price in the format, because of deliberate and purposeful designed sequences that shows incredible depth of field, and knowing how to accentuate horror and thrills by having the right things jump toward you from the screen. It's a defnite roller coster ride down right, with the 3D properly utilized and designed, rather than haphazardly slapped together in sloppy fashion just to earn a few quick bucks. There's a labour of love involved, and it shows.
Based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, I guess it's only in America that an historical figure can get to be portrayed in a drastically fictional sense, and to get away with it without any estate suing it for damages. And what more, to have a Russian being at the helm to direct this as well. Try doing that in Singapore and see what you'd probably get, with the film unlikely to have made it off the starting blocks. This film may not have all the ingredients to be an instant epic nor classic, but it knows its limitations and didn't pass itself off as something more than an action adventure, fantasy ride. Recommended!
Movie Rating:
(An American president like you've never seen him before, axe-wielding and all)
Review by Stefan Shih
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: John Madden
Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie, Tena Desae
RunTime: 2 hrs 4 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Sexual References)
Released By: 20th Century Fox
Official Website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thebestexoticmarigoldhotel/
Opening Day: 17 May 2012
Synopsis: THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL follows a group of British retirees who decide to “outsource” their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.
Movie Review:
This reviewer probably hasn’t experienced enough of what life has in store for him, but for most parts of the past three decades he has been in existence in this part of the world, he has been dreaming of going far, far away. There, he will get to experience what life truly holds, and means. While he fumbles in his everyday chores and continues working towards that ideal stage in life, he is glad to have seen this John Madden directed drama, and to get a glimpse of how things may possibly turn out for him in another 30 years.
Madden (Shakespeare in Love, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) brings together a filmmaker’s dream ensemble cast to play a group of British retirees staying in a retirement hotel in India. Based on the 2004 novel “These Foolish Things” by Deborah Moggach, English writer Ol Parker (Imagine Me & You) pens this screenplay which affectingly tells the story of these seven individuals who are just about to embark on what may possibly be the biggest adventures of their lives.
The first thing that grabs your attention is the lovely British thespians involved in this feature film. How can anyone not be charmed by the likes of Judi Dench (J. Edgar, My Week with Marilyn), Celia Imrie (St. Trinian’s, Nanny McPhee), Bill Nighy (Arthur Christmas, The Boat That Rocked), Ronald Pickup (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, The Mission), Maggie Smith (Gnomeo & Juliet, Harry Potter series, Tom Wilkinson (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. The Ghost Writer) and Penelope Wilton (Match Point, Calendar Girls)? These veterans are why we still believe in movies, that there are still worthwhile stories to be told about life.
Each of the members in the ensemble cast brings something special to his or her character. Dench is a sheltered widow who finds the first job in her life on the trip. Imrie and Pickup play lonely individuals who hope to find luck in the exotic land where the rich and famous frequent expensive clubs. Wilton and Nighy portray a couple who have some personality differences to sort out on the trip. Smith is a somewhat racist old lady who finds the most unexpected joy in India, while Wilkinson is a successful former High Court Judge who is attempting to find closure during the trip.
Every single of the abovementioned actor exudes an enigmatic screen presence which will engage your senses, leaving you reflect on certain of your life principles and values. For the more sentimental viewers, there are a couple of scenes which may leave tears trickling down your cheeks.
Elsewhere, young and idealistic love is personified by Dev Patel and Tena Desae, two Indians from very different family backgrounds. Together with the evidently more experienced English actors, they present a very different side of what life means to the younger crowd.
Shot primarily against the colourful and picturesque backdrops of Udaiphur and Rajasthan in India, cinematographer Ben Davis (Kick Ass, Stardust) managed to capture the magnificence and beauty of the country, while composer Thomas Newman (The Adjustment Bureau, Revolutionary Road) creates a serene soundscape infused with oriental flavour.
The 124 minute movie may not offer any particularly new insights about life, but the sincere presentation and pitch perfect performances of the cast is a fine reminder of what life can offer, if you truly believe in it.
Movie Rating:
(A beautifully charming tribute to life)
Review by John Li
Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Mike McCoy, Scott Waugh
Cast: Roselyn Sanchez, Emilio Rivera, Jason Cottle, Nestor Serrano, Gonzalo Menendez, Ailsa Marshall, Alex Veadov, Drea Castro
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence & Some Coarse Language)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://www.actofvalor.com/
Opening Day: 1 March 2012
Synopsis: An unprecedented blend of real-life heroism and original filmmaking, "Act of Valor" stars a group of active-duty Navy SEALs in a powerful story of contemporary global anti-terrorism. Inspired by true events, the film combines stunning combat sequences, up-to-the minute battlefield technology and heart-pumping emotion for the ultimate action adventure..
Movie Review:
You can’t judge ‘Act of Valor’ by conventional moviemaking standards- for the very reason that the typical movie takes the actor and turns him or her into the character, but it’s just the other way around here. Indeed, co-directors Scott Waugh and Mouse McCoy have assembled a half dozen or so active-duty Navy SEALs for this dramatization of their real-life heroism, requiring somewhat inevitably that these characters become actors in the process. Needless to say, they are bona fide Navy SEALs first and foremost, so it’s important to recognise their purpose in the film.
For the uninitiated, this glorified recruitment video for the US Navy began as just that- a seven-minute training video on the Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen that the Pentagon saw which convinced them to sign off on Waugh and McCoy’s proposed fictionalised adventure. How else better to honour these men in action than to showcase them in the line of duty, the sacrifices they make to keep their nation safe and the anxiety that their families face every time they are sent out on a mission?
Before you accuse us of buying into the propaganda, let it be known that these are the men who risked their lives to kill the most wanted terrorist in the world Osama bin Laden just a few months ago, so give them the reverence where it is due. We are therefore willing to overlook the fulsome voiceover by one of the SEALs, reading out from a letter the values and spirit of these brave men that will move some viewers to tears as much as it will cause others to cringe. Thankfully, these effusive moments take a backseat once the SEALs get into the field.
To get there however, screenwriter Kurt Johnstad (“300”) weaves a global terrorist plot to launch an attack on home soil that involves a Russian smuggling kingpin Christo (Alex Veadov) and a Chechen terrorist Abu Shabal (Jason Cottle). The SEALs’ first mission is to rescue a CIA agent working on the case in Costa Rica who was abducted by Christo’s men. And boy what a riveting watch it is, as the team- the leader Lt. Rorke, his second-in-command Dave, and other members Sonny, Weimy, Ray, Ajay, and Mikey- parachute to the ground, wade silently through swamp water in the cover of night towards enemy camp and then spring a swift decisive attack to secure ‘the package’.
There is an unparalleled thrill from watching the SEALs in mission mode- eschewing the Hollywood clichés of egos and spectacle, the Team instead work with elegant efficiency and sometimes with inevitable prejudice for their enemies. With their character cast, Waugh and McCoy bring an extraordinary amount of realism to the screen- and for the squeamish, you might just want to bear in mind that there is a fair amount of violence and gore in the film. It is never excessive however, and done in the name of ensuring the greatest attention to authenticity.
Keeping up the brisk pace, the SEALs are immediately sent to separate missions in Somalia and the South Pacific- the former where Shabal has loaded a private jet with fellow jihadists wearing an explosive vest undetectable by modern technology; and the latter where Christo has escaped to avoid the eyes of the CIA. Saving the best for last, Waugh and McCoy wrap up their tribute with an exhilarating finish set in and around the borders of Mexico right next to the United States. There is method and meticulousness in every one of these missions that are supposedly based on actual ops, and the effect is akin to watching an utterly captivating docudrama.
Of course, as we said earlier, the men in this film are characters first and actors second, so it’s only inevitable that when called upon to deliver Johnstad’s scripted dialogue, they come off looking and sounding stilted and wooden. Still, to fault their acting is ultimately unfitting- after all, they did not participate in this film on that basis and we don’t think you can find any Hollywood actor who can look and sound as real as they do when these SEALs are out there in the thick of the action.
That is in the end the purpose of this rah-rah celebration of a unique group of individuals- while superheroes take us on flights of fancy, these very men we see in the movie are the ordinary heroes who are, as the end credits proclaim, ‘guardians of freedom’ against the terror and tyranny out there. And watching them go about their missions only reinforces the inimitableness of these Navy SEAL characters, their accuracy and precision the very definition of art amidst the messy and chaotic nature of their work. It also makes an absolutely fascinating and edge-of-your-seat gripping watch, as close as you’ll ever get to feeling the rush of adrenaline out there in the field.
Movie Rating:
(Gripping, edge-of-your-seat action delivered as raw and realistic as it gets, this is also the closest you’ll get to see the venerable Navy SEALs in the line of duty)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama
Director: Kentaro Otani
Cast: Koji Seto, Nanami Sakuraba, Mirei Kiritani, IMALU, Kei Tanaka
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films & GVP
Official Website: http://www.encorefilms.com/runwaybeat
Opening Day: 23 February 2012
Synopsis: Adapted from the best-selling teen novel by Maha Harada, Runway Beat earned widespread support among high school teens and working adults alike for its inspirational message of hope and promise, playing on that perennial desire by all people to employ fashion as a catalyst for personal transformation, and by extension, lighting the path toward self-improvement and high self-esteem.
Movie Review:
Runway Beat is intended to be an inspirational story targeted at the youths. It revolves around a bunch of high school students, whose lives were changed by a transfer student named Beat (Koji Seto). Unlike many other teen dramas which strictly built the narrative on the romance element, i.e. puppy love, this movie also shed insights on friendship, family and a more niche interest, fashion.
The movie is directed by Kentaro Otani, who also directed other teen drama movies Nana, Nana 2 and Rough, which also focused on niche interests, namely rock music and sports. Needless to say, with such an experienced director on board, the movie has accurately and sufficiently depicted the reality of the fashion industry and the commercial world. The movie has also placed incredible efforts on its fashion elements, from the clothes and designs, up to the final runway show. There is nothing shabby with regards to this, owing to the Japanese’s incredible diligence towards details!
Like many other teen dramas of the like, Runway Beat also has a dazzling ensemble of young and good looking actors and actresses. It consists of Koji Seto from idol group D☆DATE as fashion forward and gifted Beat, Nanami Sakuraba as the love struck May, model Mirei Kirtani as the self-conceited teen model Miki and Kei Tanaka as Hikikomori (i.e. socially withdrawn youth) Wanda. They are charming and pleasant to look at, but the level of acting remains at eye candy. Out of all of them, Kei is possibly the most outstanding one, who has given depth to the character Wanda despite having a relatively plain storyline.
Focusing back on the story, the narrative has a huge focus on Beat, and is told in a third person’s point of view, May. Beat is portrayed as a youthful designer who takes after his father’s talent. In order to stay close to his hospitalized childhood friend (and perhaps also his love interest), he decides to move in with his father. With this decision, he not only brought about positive energy through fashion to his new classmates at school, fashion also became the point of connection between him and his father which eventually brought about a heart-warming reconciliation.
However, the characterizations were rather weak. Perhaps it is because the characters are taken from the novel, hence they fail to take on a real form and do not have any ‘meat’. The value of this story as a novel is undeniable, but when made into a film, it basically becomes a mishmash of everything, without much depth and impression.
Another tragic of the movie is the inadequate use of music. If used appropriately, cinematic music could be used to accentuate the mood and to lead the viewers. However, this was clearly lacking for most parts. The only one that was used perfectly utilized was towards the end, when the movie’s theme song by FUNKY MONKEY BABYS was finally introduced.
Up till its end, there isn’t any real climax that was incredibly moving. The story could be inspiring to some people, especially youths who are into fashion, but it could barely sustain the interest of average viewers. If you preference a family ride over a roller coaster ride, this movie will probably suit your taste.
Movie Rating:
(The set-up of the story is clichéd, but it is spiced up with the elaborate fashion element)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
Genre: Thriller
Director: James McTeigue
Cast: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Brendan Coyle, Kevin McNally, Pam Ferris, Dave Legeno
Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: M18 (Violence & Gore)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures & MVP
Official Website: http://www.theravenmovie.com/
Opening Day: 26 April 2012
Synopsis: In this gritty thriller, Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack, Being John Malkovich) joinsforces with a young Baltimore detective (Luke Evans, Immortals) to hunt down a madserial killer who's using Poe's own works as the basis in a string of brutalmurders. Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta, Ninja Assassin), the film alsostars Alice Eve (Sex and the City 2), Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges) and OliverJackson-Cohen (Faster). When a mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in 19th century Baltimore,Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a startling discovery: the crimeresembles a fictional murder described in gory detail in the local newspaper-part ofa collection of stories penned by struggling writer and social pariah Edgar AllanPoe. But even as Poe is questioned by police, another grisly murder occurs, alsoinspired by a popular Poe story. Realizing a serial killer is on the loose using Poe's writings as the backdrop forhis bloody rampage, Fields enlists the author's help in stopping the attacks. Butwhen it appears someone close to Poe may become the murderer's next victim, thestakes become even higher and the inventor of the detective story calls on his ownpowers of deduction to try to solve the case before it's too late.
Movie Review:
Give this reviewer any movie starring underrated John Cusack, and he will gladly sit through the entire picture. Yes, even the sluggish Shanghai(2010) and 2012 (2009) had merit in the form of Cusack’s underrated performances. In his latest project, the 45 year old Hollywood actor plays American author and poet Edgar Allan Poe.
“Edgar Allan who?” – we hear you ask. If you aren’t too well informed about the literary critic who is best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, this thriller would just serve as another popcorn flick to kill off the boring weekend.
The movie is a fictionalised account of the last days of Poe’s life, where he hunts down a serial killer whose murders resemble those depicted in his stories. The background is 18th century Baltimore, a period where Poe is a struggling writer and a social pariah. As a series of gruesome killings begin to mirror his creations, he becomes a key factor in a determined detective’s investigation to hunt down the murderer.
Director James McTeiguire is no stranger to gritty thrillers. Highly lauded for his work on V for Vendetta (2006), one can see the Australian filmmaker’s love for cruel killings and ghastly deaths in his third feature film (he may want to erase any trace of memory from the redundant Ninja Assassin starring Korean heartthrob Rain). The intense cinematography by Danny Ruhlmann and the fast paced editing by Niven Howie serve this movie well, but there is something about the screenplay written by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare that prevents the film from reaching its full potential.
The 110 minute production takes its time to get into the groove of things, with a lethargic first third which will only interest enthusiasts familiar with Poe’s work and life. For the rest of us, the introduction feels exhaustingly weary, a sign which doesn’t bode well for the excitement that’s to come.
The revelation and action comes on fast and furious after that, and the average movie goer would be kept at the edge of his seat while Cusack’s Poe pieces the jigsaw puzzle together to solve the mystery before it’s too late. Of course, it also helps that Cusack’s performance manages to engage the viewers in the most pleasantly surprising ways. Be it a nonchalant expression, a deadpan quote or a frantic cry for help, the Illinoisborn actor will have you believing that these were the exact emotions Poe experienced in his last days. Given the actor’s versatility in vastly different films like High Fidelity (2000), Being John Malkovich (1999) and Con Air (1997), it is no wonder he can handle this role with ease.
Cusack is supported by a cast of equally fine actors like the manly Luke Evans (The Three Musketeers) as an unwavering detective, the luminous Alive Eve (Sex and the City 2) as an unfortunate victim trapped by the serial killer, and veteran Brendan Gleeson (Albert Nobbs) as her suspiciously dubious father. The ensemble cast puts together a winning performance which saves the grim movie from being another forgettable thriller.
Movie Rating:
(An average thriller saved by John Cusack’s charismatic on screen presence)
Review by John Li
Genre: Drama/Biography
Director: Luc Besson
Cast: Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis, Jonathan Raggett, Jonathan Woodhouse, Susan Wooldridge, Benedict Wong
Runtime: 2 hrs 12 mins
Rating: NC-16
Released By: Golden Village Pictures & Homerun Asia
Official Website:
Opening Day: 1 March 2012
Synopsis: A biopic of Burmese pro-democracy politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. It will chart her remarkable journey from housewife bringing up her children in Oxford to taking on the power of Burma's generals by becoming opposition leader. It will be set between 1988 - when Aung San Suu Kyi left Oxford to visit her sick mother and ended up staying - and 1999, the year Aris died after being diagnosed with cancer. Aris had been forbidden from entering Burma, a decision that left Aung San Suu Kyi with the almost impossible decision of whether to stay or go.
Movie Review:
There is a deeply inspirational tale at the heart of Luc Besson’s biography on the Burmese pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, but too little rises above the humdrum in ‘The Lady’. His good intentions notwithstanding, Besson is quite out of his league of slick B-grade action thrillers- centred though some of them may be around equally strong-willed women (a la ‘Nikita’ or ‘Colombiana’)- in this portrayal of the Nobel Peace Prize winner that demands elegance and finesse.
Instead, Besson navigates his titular character’s emotional beats with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, coercing rather than coaxing the intended response from his audience. Yes, Besson’s over-emphatic attempt at getting us to feel indignant towards the atrocities committed by the military junta in 1988 in order that we identify with Suu Kyi’s decision to abandon her suburban life of bliss and remain in Yangon is histrionic to say the least- and undermines the inherent power of the proceedings.
And like we said, this is supposed to be a powerful and stirring story of a woman who made the ultimate sacrifice of family in order to fight for the right to democracy for the people of Burma. At any point during her 15 years of house arrest, Suu Kyi could just as easily have returned to her ailing husband, the Oxford academic Michael Aris (David Thewlis), and their two sons, Kim (Jonathan Raggett) and Alex (Jonathan Woodhouse)- but there she stayed, both as a show of solidarity for her incarcerated political party members as well as a symbol of hope for the people of her nation to keep up the good fight.
Rebecca Frayn’s screenplay has all that- from the point she returns to Burma to see her dying mother after spending the most of her past years abroad, to the point she is denied of her rightful landslide victory in the country’s first general elections, and right up to the point ten years later when she is denied of seeing Michael for the last time before he passes away- but these details are lost in clumsily-scripted dialogue that is too content at rattling off platitudes about the merits of democracy and courage in the face of oppression.
If Frayn’s screenplay proves clunky, so is Besson’s direction. Too much time is spent on the ‘events’ and too little on the character beats, so much so that the portrait of Suu Kyi that emerges is that of a woman who was simply led along by her circumstance, rather than one who wrestled with her circumstance and got the better of it. It’s telling when you realise that after all is said and done, you haven’t yet understood the person behind the icon- and that is the case with Suu Kyi after sitting through more than two hours of the significant happenings in her life.
The lack of clarity is a pity, because Michelle Yeoh gives the crowning performance of her career in the leading role here. Projecting the right mix of steeliness and vulnerability, Yeoh is every bit the measure of grace and poise that the character demands. She also moves seamlessly between English and Burmese, a testament to the hard work she must have put into the preparation work for this movie. Despite Yeoh’s best efforts at trying to illuminate her character’s inner struggles, she is ultimately undone by a movie that is too preoccupied with the larger workings around her.
Another thing besides casting Yeoh that Besson gets right is in choosing veteran British actor Thewlis as her husband. Despite his wife’s predicament, Thewlis exudes composure and reason in a nuanced performance as the key supporting pillar in Suu Kyi’s life. Yeoh and Thewlis are excellent in their scenes together, and their natural chemistry as husband and wife goes a long way in emphasising the toll of Suu Kyi’s struggle on the family, especially during his last days when he is denied of his one last wish of seeing her.
Even if their love story proves compelling, a biography on Suu Kyi should offer many more glimpses into the heart and mind of a truly exceptional woman who embodied the very spirit of fortitude and perseverance. There is so much more to Suu Kyi than what ‘The Lady’ offers, and so much better a movie about her life could have been than something that is as generic as the very title of this film.
Movie Rating:
(An exceptional performance by Michelle Yeoh can’t quite save this biopic about a luminous pro-democracy icon from languishing in mediocrity)
Review by Gabriel Chong
SYNOPSIS: For three college guys , it's senior year and the co-ed experience has left them high and dry. Their solution: A road trip to Mardi Gras where beautiful babes are happy to lift their shirts and open containers are always welcome. But after dressing in drag, breaking into Carmen Electra's hotel room, starring in a scandalous sex show and accidentally exploding a feces bomb in a swank hotel lobby, will the Mardi Gras magic kick in and their wildest fantasies come true?
MOVIE REVIEW:
Take three college guys on summer vacation, dump them in an exotic place, and then watch as they go about trying to find some ‘pussy’- now where have we seen that before? True enough, there is nary a bit of originality in director Phil Dornfield’s R-rated raunch-fest, which finds the nice guy Mike (Nicholas D’Agosto), the proverbial fat goofer Lump (Josh Gad) and the geeky virgin Scottie (Bret Harrison) in New Orleans for the Mardi Gras party in search of boobs and babes.
Almost immediately when they land in New Orleans, Mike receives a nasty surprise when he sees his girlfriend Erica (Danneel Harris)- who is supposed to be back in her hometown for the demise of a family member- partying it up and worse still flashing her boobs in front of hundreds of guys gathered in the streets. As formula would dictate, things would only go further downhill for them, as they realise that Scottie had booked the hotel restaurant instead of the hotel room for them.
The bright spots in this otherwise dim situation? A sweet charming girl Mike meets at a party one night- Lucy (Arielle Kebbel)- otherwise labelled as the rebound girl to make him realise that he has been with the wrong person all this while. Ditto for Lump, who through an unassuming local Ann Marie (Regina Hall), will also realise the folly of his shallow skirt-chasing ways and learn the true spirit of the Mardi Gras festival. The best deal we believe is Scottie, his date for the party the one and only Carmen Electra (doing an extended cameo as herself in the film) whom he eventually gets to lose his virginity to.
But for you Electra fans out there, you should know that though she carries top billing, she appears in less than one-third of the movie- evidently, the producers didn’t think any of the teen stars on their own could sell it. Anyhow, Electra’s addition in the movie is nicely tongue-in-cheek, especially in a movie that has few bright spots. Dornfield does his best to try to keep the party going, but there just isn’t enough fun in Brent Simon’s derivative screenplay.
Perhaps even more surprising is the pedigree of stars that they have managed to gather for the party. D’Agosto from TV’s ‘Heroes’ has headlined both the superiorly funny cheerleading teen comedy ‘Fired Up!’ and the fifth instalment of the undying ‘Final Destination’ series; while Gad has gotten much critical acclaim in the Broadway musical ‘The Book of Mormon’. What they are doing with such subpar material is puzzling, except of course if they had jumped at the opportunity to hang out with some hot chicks.
That in itself makes this a harmless diversion for guys looking for some Saturday-night boozy fun, but with the glut of such raunchy teen comedies over the past few years, this ‘Mardi Gras’ will have to do a lot more- than simply put Carmen Electra on the cover- to differentiate itself from the crowd. It is also less than half as amusing than the British’s ‘The Inbetweeners Movie’ and if you’re caught in between this and the latter, you’ll be much better off getting some witty Brit humour.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio only adds marginally to the sound mix, which otherwise concentrates itself front and centre. Visuals are clean and sharp, and colours look vivid on screen.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror/Thriller
Director: Drew Goddard
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Fran Kranz, Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Brian White, Amy Acker, Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: M18
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://enterthecabin.com/
Opening Day: 19 April 2012
Synopsis: The film revolves around five college-type characters who head to a cabin in the woods and are given clear and clever instructions by "white collar" characters. Once the "victims" arrive at the cabin, it becomes clear that the plan is to lure the kids there to have them break the given instructions so that they might then be "punished."
Movie Review:
Just when you thought you’ve seen all that the horror genre can offer, along comes a movie like ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ which is, to say the least, like nothing you have ever seen before. Of course, that’s only what the fan-boys have been anticipating, given the promise from cult producer and co-writer Joss Whedon that this film would turn the genre on its head- Whedon, for the uninitiated, is the much-loved creator of TV’s ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ as well as the man behind this summer’s blockbuster event ‘The Avengers’.
Indeed, this collaboration with fellow ‘Buffy’ writer Drew Goddard (who makes his feature film directing debut here) gives the familiar horror tropes a whole new spin, culminating in one of the most original revelations in the history of the genre that will take your breath away. After all, which horror movie would you find the likes of crazed serial killers, creepy young girls, winged mutants and oversized Anacondas all together in the same place? But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s just say it starts in more conventional territory to give you some time to warm up to its nuttiness.
So following in the footsteps of classic horror films ‘Friday the 13th’, ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ and ‘Evil Dead’, the basic premise revolves around five college students, all more or less stock types, taking the weekend to get away to some secluded vacation spot. There’s the jock- a football player named Curt (Chris Hemsworth); the intellectual- a bookish type named Holden (Jesse Williams); the dumb blonde Jules (Anna Hutchison) who is really neither if not for the fact that she had just dyed her hair blonde; the stoner Marty (Fran Kranz) with the retractable bong; and last but not least the virgin Dana (Kristen Connolly), or as one of the surprise characters in the movie comments, at least looks the part.
There is of course much more to it, and right from the outset, the movie keeps you guessing if the quintet are no more than unwitting victims of a scientific experiment, intercutting constantly between the five teens and two techies- Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford)- who seem to be running some kind of a rogue surveillance operation. To say anything more would be to give away too much, as part of the fun is really not being able to anticipate what Wheedon and Goddard have up their sleeves. This however we will say to tantalise you- the redneck zombies which terrorise our five protagonists were deliberately released from their apparent resting place in the ground by our two rocket scientist types.
To say the film is brilliant on so many levels is not an overstatement. On the surface, it appears to send up the typical teen horror genre conventions with witty teen-speak (think this generation’s ‘Scream’) and keen self-awareness while keeping the thrills (e.g. watching the dumb blonde and the jock get it on before meeting a bloody fate) intact. And then on a different level, it seems to critique the modern-day audience’s insatiable appetite for carnage and ritualised violence- while taking jabs at their concomitant thirst for reality-TV.
Yet there is really much more than meets the eye, and the last 20 mins of the film is pure fanboy orgasmic delight, paying homage to every subgenre of the horror family (including those from Hollywood’s foreign cousins Japan and Sweden) while inserting a surprise cameo that is utterly befitting of the nature of the twist. Admittedly it does require some knowledge of the genre as well as an appreciation of what Wheedon and Goddard are trying to accomplish to appreciate its genius, but once you do, you can’t help but admire the thought and detail that went into the climax- and yes that’s a killer unicorn you’ll see somewhere in there too.
It’s easy for such an ambitious high-concept film to fall apart, but like the image on its poster, the many disparate layers hold together surprisingly well under Goddard’s confident direction. It is as assured a debut as any, complemented by a smart teenage cast acutely aware of just what Goddard is trying to accomplish with each frame. The scene-stealer here is Fran Kranz, whose pothead paranoiac act is blessed with some of the best one-liners in the film, not least for the fact that some of the nonsense conspiracy theories he utters turns out surprisingly prescient.
Perhaps the even more astonishing fact is that Wheedon and Goddard apparently completed the script of the film in just three days, taking a fiendishly clever meta-level approach to the horror genre and creating a game-changing exercise that puts everything you know and have come to expect from the genre in a whole new light. Scary, grotesque, bloody, gory, funny and entertaining at the same time, it is one of the most original horror films you’ve seen in a long while and the perfect jolt in the arm for a genre that’s ironically gone the way of the dead in recent times.
Movie Rating:
(Fiendishly clever and wickedly inventive, this meta-horror that puts a fresh spin on everything you love and have come to expect from the genre is also one of its most original films in a long while)
Review by Gabriel Chong
Genre: Drama
Director: Lasse Hallström
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked, Rachael Stirling, Catherine Steadman, Tom Mison, Dixie Arnold, Jill Baker
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Rating: NC16 (Scene of Intimacy)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures
Official Website: http://www.fishingintheyemen.com//
Opening Day: 22 March 2012
Synopsis: From the director of Chocolat and the Oscar-winning(R) screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire comes the inspirational comedy "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen". When Britain's leading fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) is approached by a consultant (Emily Blunt) to help realize a sheikh's (Amr Waked) vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert, he immediately thinks the project is both absurd and unachievable. But when the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on to it as a "good will" story, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.
Movie Review:
You may not immediately take to a movie with such an odd-sounding and admittedly clunky title, but let that not deter you from catching this perfectly quaint and utterly endearing feel-good romantic comedy. Indeed, one should expect little less from screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who is best known for writing the rousing ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and the similarly uplifting British pictures ‘The Full Monty’ and ‘Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day’- even though purists of the original Paul Torday novel may cry foul at the liberties he takes with the source material.
For the uninitiated, the 2007 novel was sharp political satire, its title intended to convey the very absurdity of the premise- that of a Yemeni sheikh who enlists the help of the British government bureaucracy to introduce the sport of fly-fishing to his homeland. The last thing on his mind was realism, and Torday opted for straight-out farce as he detailed how the politicians used that project to try to boost their own public image in the face of consistent bad news from the Middle East.
Presumably calculated to appeal to a more international audience, Beaufoy and director Lasse Hallstrom have defanged the satire in favour of a gentle crowd-pleasing comedic fable. Essentially, the pair amp up the romance between two instrumental players of the sheikh’s fantastical endeavour- the buttoned-up fisheries expert Dr Alfred Jones (Ewan MacGregor) and the lively consultant Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) engaged by the sheikh to make his dream happen.
True to the staid civil servant he is, Alfred initially pooh-poohs the idea, but some political pressure leaves him no choice but to put his head into realising what he politely terms ‘theoretically possible’. Together with Harriet, Alfred will overcome the attendant complications of the (pardon the pun) ‘upstream’ task- identifying a consistent stream of water for the fish, finding 10,000 North Atlantic salmon, and overcoming the government bureaucracies- even as the both of them find solace in each other’s company while navigating their own troubled personal lives.
It’s the well-worn cliché of opposites falling for each other while working side by side, but the familiar setup fortunately does not feel one bit stale in the hands of MacGregor and Blunt. There is genuine chemistry between the two stars, both of which are clearly relishing not just their own quirky roles but also each other’s mutual company. So often playing the charming rogue, MacGregor seems to be enjoying the change of pace playing an uptight character with a thick brogue that goes extremely well with his punchy one-liners. Blunt is disarmingly ravishing as always, and the easygoing rhythm between her and MacGregor is quite simply the movie’s most winning quality.
While MacGregor and Blunt fish for love in each other’s waters, Hallstrom brings into sharp focus the PR plays behind the scene, courtesy of the Prime Minister’s chief spin doctor Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas). Thomas’ character is the closest in tone to Torday’s book, and the British actress is in excellent form playing the sharp-tongued politician with acerbic disdain. Beaufoy rewards Thomas with some of the best lines in the movie, and Thomas’ astute delivery ensures that they lose none of the bite they are supposed to bring.
Despite its witty pleasures, Thomas’ bits are nonetheless jarring in a movie that revels in its geniality. Where satire once was, Hallstrom brings a message of faith and purpose, illuminated by the central task of bringing salmon fishing to the Yemen as well as the transformation within both Alfred and Harriet’s lives. Like Alfred’s unhappy marriage to an inattentive wife or Harriet’s worry over a boyfriend lost in action in Afghanistan, belief in what seems impossible seems to be the key- and Hallstrom’s speciality in such whimsical feel-good stories ensures that the message is conveyed both gently and yet persuasively.
Not that this tale doesn’t have its rough edges- a woefully underdeveloped and awkwardly inserted subplot about some terrorists who try to assassinate the sheikh and later on hijack his plan is seriously out of place- but Hallstrom knows that the hook here is the warm schmaltzy tale of love and hope blossoming in the unlikeliest of places through the most impossible of tasks. With delightful performances by MacGregor and Blunt, an inspirational story from Beaufoy and an assured affectionate touch from Hallstrom, what’s not to believe that salmon fishing is indeed possible in the Yemen?
Movie Rating:
(Boasting some winning chemistry between Ewan MacGregor and Emily Blunt, this sweet and quirky tale of faith and hope is delightfully quaint and utterly endearing)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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OSCAR WATCH - BAFTA WINSPosted on 13 Feb 2012 |
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