With the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, we can safely say that German composer Hans Zimmer epitomizes the sound of the very troubled and emotional caped crusader. From 2005’s Batman Begins and 2008’s The Dark Knight, the Oscar winning composer has created a sound which film fans can easily identify with. With the latest score composed for The Dark Knight Rises, Zimmer has come full circle.
There are two new main themes in this 51 minute album. These belong to the two new villains featured in the film. After a brooding “A Storm is Coming” and “On Thin Ice”, Bane’s theme “Gotham’s Reckoning” comes at you in the face. The brashly unabashed composition brings out the towering baddie’s “do not mess with me” attitude, with its big, loud and angrily repetitive thumps and chants.
“Mind if I Cut In” is Selina Kyle/ Catwoman’s (notice how the film never refers to Anne Hathaway’s character to the latter?) theme. The sleekly cunning cue fuses strings, piano and the occasional tambourine to have you picturing the catty character slinking around the corner. It’s a shame the theme does not recur in the rest of the album though.
Therein lies the issue with this soundtrack – there isn’t much new material, especially if you are familiar with the music on the previous two albums in the successful film franchise. The following tracks on the album, be it the brazen “The Fire Rises”, the impetuous “Fear Will Find You” or the hard hitting “Imagine the Fire” are wonderful action cues, but somewhat lack originality and innovation. Therepetitive chant of the phrase "deshi, deshi, basara, basara", which, according to Zimmer himself, means "rise, rise, up, up”, is a nice touch to the score though.
What we also miss is James Newton Howard’s voice in the music. The co composer in the previous two films had chosen to opt out in this third instalment of the series, stating thatNolan and Zimmer had established such good chemistry working on 2011’s Inception, and he didn’t want to be a third wheel. Maybe Batman’s sound would have benefited from a little more soul with Newtown Howard’s inclusion. For now, we’d have to do with Zimmer’s signature fusion of traditional orchestra arrangements with electronic music sounds for the caped crusader.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (3) Gotham's Reckoning
Review by John Li
Other than Johnny Depp, the other highlight of director Tim Burton’s films is composer Danny Elfman’s music. The American, whom we would like to thank for the wonderful 1989 Batman movie theme, has scored the majority of the works for his long time friend. How the two manage to cook up chemistry is beyond us, but here we have the Californiaborn’s latest work for the visionary filmmaker.
The 21 tracks on this 52 minute soundtrack album cast a creepy picture of spine chilling weirdness. That’s only apt, considering how the movie’s protagonist is an imprisoned vampire who is set free, only to return to his ancestral home to find his dysfunctional descendants needing his protection. The Oscar nominated musician brings together his best gothic inspirations to put together this score which somewhat feels underwhelming. The overall gloom feels awkwardly self conscious, something which we can ascertain whether is intentional.
“Dark Shadows - Prologue” provides the overarching feel for the album. The cue showcases the main theme which paints a sinister backdrop with sinister strings and percussions. The rest of the album doesn’t leave much of an impression, except for “The End”, where there are suggestive mentions of the main theme. The rest of the soundtrack offers brooding underscores, which, although easy on the ears, do not showcase Elfman’s talents which we have heard on other works.
There are some decent action cues on this soundtrack. “The Angry Mob”, “House of Blood” and “Final Confrontation” are not your conventional hard hitting tracks, but something more menacing and ominous sounding. If there’s anything fellow composer Hans Zimmer can take away from Elfman, it would be use of a fuller sounding orchestra to achieve the appropriate emotion relevant to the film’s story.
Elsewhere, there are oddities like “Shadows (Reprise)” which infuses a outlandish sounding electronic synthesizer into is rhythmic thump, as well as “More The End” and “We Will End You”, which seem like unwilling departures more than anything. All in all, we’d like to say that this isn’t a mediocre soundtrack – we were just expecting a little more from the Burton Elfman pairing.ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (1) Dark Shadows – Prologue
Review by John Li
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BOOK REVIEW #4: "PAMELA GLINTENKAMP'S INDUSTRIAL LIGHT & MAGIC: THE ART OF INNOVATION"Posted on 21 Aug 2012 |
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Director: Hiroshi Yoshino
Cast: Haruka Ayase, Naohito Fujiki, Yuka Itaya, Naohito Fujiki, Yasuko Matsuyuki, Ken Yasuda
RunTime: 1 hr 50 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: GV & Encore Films
Official Website: www.encorefilms.com/hotaru
Opening Day: 23 August 2012
Synopsis: Hotaru Amemiya is like a "dried fish," competent and put-together at work but a lazy slob at home in sweats with zero interest in dating. She would rather "lounge around than fool around." After many ups and downs she finally ends up happily married to her boss Seiichi Takano, who she had been sharing a house with. And that was where the TV series ended. In the movie, Hotaru becomes a new woman and strives to become a refined lady, and the moving love story of the couple's newly married life unfolds... …Not! Hotaru hasn't changed a bit. Even as a new wife, she lounges around on the veranda of their home like a walrus. But when she finds out that her husband's dream is to spend a "Roman holiday with a loved one," she decides to go on their honeymoon to Italy. She's never traveled overseas before and frankly doesn't feel up to it at all, but since her husband seems to be really looking forward to it, she'll do this honeymoon thing for his sake! Thus HOTARU THE MOVIE is a spectacular romantic comedy set in Italy. There, the newlyweds meet Rio, another "dried fish" in Italy, and her younger brother Yu, and all hell breaks loose! What will become of Hotaru, the bride who rushes around a foreign city in pursuit of her beloved groom, Manager Takano, who has suddenly disappeared in Rome? Will the two be able to find eternal love in Italy?
Movie Review:
Based on a popular manga turned television drama series, Hotaru is back with her adorable and dorky self as she and her newly wedded husband bring us to one of the most romantic city in the world, Rome. The movie is still primarily centered on Hotaru, who is known to be the “dried fish woman” (himono onna). She would do her best at work but whenever she is back at home, she would be off-mode. This would mean that she change into her jersey, sport that awkward hairstyle, roll around at home, gulp down cold beer, and refuse to move even 2cm to reach for a snack. Even after she got married, she remains the same. That is all you have to know about them for now, if you had not watched the television drama series.
However, she decided to give in a little, and make her way out of the country for the sake of the husband and their honeymoon. At first she was really reluctant to travel so many miles away from home, but in the end took up the challenge for she thought it was her husband’s dream to have a romantic holiday at Rome. Before they even got to Rome, the comedy had all started. She met a young man named Yu, who has similar living habits as her. Later on, she also met another himono onna, Rio, who happens to live in the same place as her. After a series of events, they also came to realize that Yu is actually Rio’s brother!
The narrative of the movie is quite easy to follow, as it mainly revolves around the four characters. Although this is a rom-com, the overarching theme is about relationships, a story that is not exclusively about the couple. It involves their encounters with other people in Rome. This is quite a refreshing change as the relationship and romance between Hotaru and Takano (more affectionately known as buchou) had already been told over the two drama series and could have gotten boring.
Although the filming location does not have much impact on the story, it increased the overall appeal of the movie as the beautiful architecture and breathtaking views are captured in the film. You would find very familiar out-of-the-postcard views, which are nothing less than classy.
Other than the regular cast, Ayase Haruka (Takano Hotaru) and Fujiki Naohito (Takano Seiichi), guest cast Tegoshi Yuya (Saeki Yu) and Matsuyuki Yasuko (Saeki Rio) has effectively spiced up the movie and evoke some laughter. For one, Tegoshi Yuya, a member of popular Japanese idol group NEWS and Tegomass, is quite an eye candy. He is quite a natural in acting dorky and comical. Matsuyuki Yasuko also handled her character well, acting someone who is overcoming the distress of losing her loved ones.
Ayase Haruka has worked her character well too, simply bumming around and lazy but still earning hearts. It may seem that the interactions between Ayase and Fujiki are a little reserved, but they have worked a long way together through the drama series and share such some chemistry. For instance, Takano’s gaze at Hotaru always delivers a lot of warmth and affection.
It must have been a long wait for the fans of this drama series. Now that it’s finally here, be with them on this heartwarming and enriching journey to Rome!
Movie Rating:
(An enjoyable and feel-good movie with a couple of suprises!)
Review by Tho Shu Ling
Genre: Animation
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Cast: Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Kumiko Asô, Megumi Hayashibara, Takuma Hiraoka, Amon Kabe, Tomie Kataoka, Haru Kuroki, Tadashi Nakamura
RunTime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: PG13 (Brief Nudity)
Released By: Encore Films & Filmgarde
Official Website: www.encorefilms.com/wolfchildren
Opening Day: 6 September 2012
Synopsis: Hana, a nineteen-year-old college student, falls in love with a man only for him to reveal his secret; he is a Wolf Man. Eventually the couple bear two children together; a son and daughter they name Ame and Yuki who both inherit the ability to transform into wolves from their father. When the man Hana fell in love with suddenly dies, she makes the decision to move to a rural town isolated from society to continue raising the children in protection. But as the children grow up, they will have to make a choice: whether to live as a human or a wolf. And Hana too, she must make a decision soon. How will she watch over her two wolf children as they make their choices?
Movie Review:
It’s quite fortunate for Mamoru Hosoda’s latest work “Wolf Children” or the international titled “The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki” to receive a theatrical release locally consider the prestigious Studio Ghibli productions strangely lacked the privilege to grace the big screen.
Hosoda’s who is known for his “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” and “Summer Wars” wrote and direct this modern day fairytale about a strong will woman raising her two small children who are hybrids of a human and a wolf. The story begins with a young college student who met a wolfman and subsequently falls in love with him. When the wolfman suddenly dies, the woman must raise her two special kids on her own and the recurring theme of choosing their lives as a wolf or human becomes the anchor of this anime.
Even though Hosoda’s story has a fable theme, it’s actually less complex than his previous works. It doesn’t linger on the supernatural, magic or a deep analysis of the Wolfman if you must know, for the most part the scenes focused solely on the single mother and the kids and their challenging lives in our world. Part of the charm lies in the humour for example a scene which shows the mother desperately deciding whether to bring her sick kid to a clinic or a vet is both heartening and amusing. And listening to the mother trying hard to explain to them the consequences of transforming from humans to wolves form using simple crayons drawing boards tell us that good storytelling doesn’t require dazzling visuals to bring a point across.
While CG has virtually overtaken most of the animations seen in theaters, “Wolf Children” retains the beauty of hand-drawn tactics especially the watercolors-like backdrops. The sights of lush mountains, forest, waterfalls and snowy countryside is amazing. Together with a touching score by Takagi Masakatsu, it’s a wonderful treat for the senses.
Mamoru Hosoda has been frequently compared with the great anime master, Hayao Miyazaki but I guess Hosoda has developed a voice of his own with the release of his third solo effort.
Movie Rating:
(Wondrous storytelling and picturesque artwork makes watching Wolf Children an endearing experience)
Review by Linus Tee
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Scott Cooper
Cast: Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T. Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, Amy Madigan
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: NC16 (Violence and Horror)
Released By: Walt Disney Company
Official Website:
Opening Day: 28 October 2021
Synopsis: In ANTLERS, a small-town Oregon teacher (Keri Russell) and her brother (Jesse Plemons), the local sheriff, discover that a young student (Jeremy T. Thomas) is harboring a dangerous secret with frightening consequences.
Movie Review:
To this reviewer, creature features are far more interesting than cheap horror flicks that mostly consist of supernatural ghostly beings in the dark. Excellent creature movies include Jaws, Predator, Alien and the recent A Quiet Place just to name a few. One name however stood out in Antlers and that is producer Guillermo del Toro, the Mexican director who has a life-long penchant for fantasy, horror and monsters.
This long-delayed horror creature movie marks Scott Cooper’s (Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace) second horror feature after his little known, For Sale By Owner. While not exactly a shocking thrilling ride, Antlers is actually much better than you expect it to be.
In a small poor town in rural Oregon, an unseen creature attacked two men who are running an illegal meth lab. One of them survived the attack but there’s something eerily wrong with him. He is perhaps slowly turning into a sinister creature. Meanwhile, the teacher of his son, Julia Meadows (Keri Russell) is concerned for the boy’s welfare after witnessing his disturbed drawings and strange behavior. At the same time, Julia’s younger brother, Paul (Jesse Plemons) who happens to be the local Sherriff discovered gruesome carcasses in the woods.
There isn’t much of a big mystery as to what is happening if you watch enough horrors but Cooper knows how to play his cards close to his chest to keep the audiences engaged throughout the ordeal. There is a big revelation of a so-called legendary cannibalistic creature called wendigo towards the last act although we suspect the movie has some alternative meaningful messages about the environment, economy and native Americans. Then again, we are here to bask in some good old creature fun not Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.
With obvious inputs from del Toro, the center of attention aka the monster is horrifyingly presented through compelling practical effects and CGI. There’s a couple of mild jump scares and chilling visuals which reminds one of del Toro’s earlier works, Mimic. In addition, the atmospheric shot is provided effortlessly by cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister which add a layer of creepiness to the background.
Besides the above-mentioned reasons, Antlers features all round, well-acted performances from Russell and Plemons. Even Jeremy T. Thomas who plays the boy, Lucas gave a heartbreaking performance. The obvious downside is the inclusion of themes such as family trauma and violence which are frequently injected into the story as flashbacks. The Meadows seem to suffer under the hands of an alcoholic, abusive father although frankly, it’s kind of weak and unnecessary to link it to Lucas. More could be done to the relationship between the siblings obviously but I suspect studios prefer the material to be focused on the scary folklore creature. In this case, Antlers is undoubtedly a winner.
Movie Rating:
(A solid horror creature flick if you don’t mind the slow burn)
Review by Linus Tee
If there’s one movie franchise we can always count on to drum up our parties, it’s the Step Up series. So if you happen to throw, say, an average of two parties every week, you’d probably want to look into your party playlist. Naturally, the soundtrack album from the latest Step Up movie is something you’d want to keep handy.
The album contains remixes of some of the year’s most popular tracks, and those familiar with the dance genre will be delighted to see names like Travis Barker, Far East Movement, Timbaland, M.I.A. and Fergie. These musicians perform tracks featuring equally big names like Busta Rhymes, Ne-Yo, Pitbull, Missy Elliot and, gasp, Justin Bieber.
Shake your hips to tunes like “Let’s Go (Ricky Luna Remix)”, “Life My Life (Party Rock Remix)”, “Hands in the Air” and “Bad Girls (Nick Thayer Remix)”. Granted the music does sound homogenous after a while, there’s nothing like a few gulps of alcohol to boogie things up.
Running at an average of four minutes per track, this album is enough to liven up things at your party for a good hour. Play it alongside other Step Up soundtracks and you can be sure your guests will be impressed with how your party features some of the best music in town.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (1) Let's Go (Ricky Luna Remix)
Review by John Li
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Todd Lincoln
Cast: Ashley Greene, Sebastian Stan, Tom Felton, Julianna Guill, Luke Pasqualino, Suzanne Ford, Rick Gomez, Anna Clark, Meena Serendib, Marti Matulis
RunTime: 1 hr 23 mins
Rating: PG13 (Horror And Some Frightening Scenes)
Released By: Warner Bros
Official Website: http://theapparition.warnerbros.com/
Opening Day: 23 August 2012
Synopsis: When frightening events start to occur in their home, young couple Kelly (Ashley Greene) and Ben (Sebastian Stan) discover they are being haunted by a presence that was accidentally conjured during a university parapsychology experiment. The horrifying apparition feeds on their fear and torments them no matter where they try to run. Their last hope is an expert in the supernatural, Patrick (Tom Felton), but even with his help they may already be too late to save themselves from this terrifying force.
Movie Review:
True to its title, ‘The Apparition’ arrives almost too quietly in cinemas this week – though rather than being a marketing gimmick like how the first ‘Paranormal Activity’ built its cult status, there is a much more straightforward reason why this low-budget B-grade horror flick has come without any fanfare. It is flat out bad, no less than bottom of the barrel stuff, even if you approach it with the kind of lowered standards you typically take to such fly-by-night productions from Joel Silver’s Dark Castle Entertainment or Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures.
Indeed, it is from the former that this first-time feature by writer/director Todd Lincoln hails from, and suffice to say that despite being bestowed the rare honour of shouldering dual responsibilities on this film, it is unlikely that Lincoln will find himself with similar luck soon. His ‘Apparition’ shows none of the ingenuity or even coherence of Oren Peli’s ‘Paranormal Activity’, one of the few horror classics that he tries to emulate in the course of a muddled and practically nonexistent plot.
After setting the scene with a 1970s séance experiment where a group of researchers used their minds to conjure the spirit of a lost colleague back into this world, the film opens with a similar procedure carried out by three amateur parapsychology students - Patrick (Tom Felton), Ben (Sebastian Stan), and Lydia (Julianna Guill). Successful they may have been, their efforts have opened a portal for a spirit to grab Lydia back into the netherworld. Fast forward four years later, and the story picks up with Ben moving into a new house with his current girlfriend Kelly (Ashley Greene).
Playing like a teen friendly version of ‘Paranormal Activity’, strange occurrences start happening around their home, including the obligatory flickering lights, shadows in the dark and moving furniture. Then Lincoln remembers a certain horror movie he watched called ‘Dark Water’, and the said apparition begins appearing as a black mouldy patch on the ceilings and below the linoleum floors. Further on, Lincoln recalls ‘Ju-On’ and the apparition turns into a black-skinned long-haired girl moving on all fours. But more frustrating than its derivativeness is how lethargic the whole affair is.
Never once do you feel that the threat to Kelly or Ben is real, nor in fact do you care for their predicament. That’s partly because Lincoln doesn’t know how to build tension even with a brief 75 minutes running time (sans the protracted end credits), and partly because the actors involved look plain uninvolved. And really how do you identify with characters who spout lines as inane as – “Our house is too new to be haunted. It has no history.” – or the utter obvious like – “Your house isn't haunted. You are.”?
It is also too daft to realise its own stupidity, pretending to be much smarter than it really is by reintroducing science into the mix about half an hour before the picture’s end with a lot of mambo-jumbo about electromagnetic waves and reversing polarity. In truth, the science in the movie is bullshit, and the more it tries to act intelligent about it, the sillier it comes off. Finally, when it has one of its characters Patrick urgently say that the apparition is some entity even older and more sinister than demons, you know that it is just grabbing at straws to try to reinstate its credibility.
The only consolation you get is that its ending is as terrible as you expect it to – since the rest of movie is already that atrocious, no climax however bad can be considered a copout. No wonder then that ‘The Apparition’ has emerged like a ghost into theatres, without publicity and without any press previews. It has but one aim – to lure unsuspecting moviegoers hoping to have a ghost of a scare before ‘Paranormal Activity 4’ swings around for Halloween - and the only scare it will offer is how shockingly inept it is. Yes, you won’t find much of a movie here, just an apparition of several much more superior classics that have come before it.
Movie Rating:
(Absolutely derivative and lacking in coherence, this shockingly inept B-horror film pretty much defines the worst of the genre)
Review by Gabriel Chong
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I want a TED 24-Inch R-Rated Talking Plush Teddy Bear for X'mas!Posted on 11 Aug 2012 |
SYNOPSIS: Set sail for a fun-filled voyage of hilarious pirate antics with the biggest Band of Misfits on the seven seas! When the infamous Pirate Captain (Hugh Grant) is shunned once again by his rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Liz Cutlass (Salma Hayek), he sets his sights to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award! With his trusted "parrot" Polly and rag-tag crew at his side, Pirate Captain will need to battle a diabolical queen, save a young scientist and never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: Adventure!
MOVIE REVIEW:
For their sophomore effort with Sony Pictures Animation, the good folks at Aardman Animation turn to the works of British author Gideon Defoe for another beautifully staged claymation comedy, “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”.
While personally not a big fan of their fully CG titles such as “Flushed Away” and “Arthur Christmas” which to me is taking the magic out of their artistry, the famous animation outfit has came out with a delicate balance of CG elements and painstakingly stop-motion techniques on this production. The models and characters continue to dazzle and the details are wondrous. A simple panning of the camera on the streets of London or the notorious Blood Island is enough to drive geeks like us into frenzy.
Written by Defoe himself and based on the first two books of his Pirates series, “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” tells the story of a goofy pirate named Pirate Captain and his desire to win the coveted Pirate of the Year Award. And how to qualify for the top award? The one that plunder the biggest loot wins it. Pirate Captain incidentally encountered the renowned Scientist, Charles Darwin while on a pillage and being misled by Darwin, Pirate Captain, his crew and his beloved dodo, Polly travel to London (where Pirates are wanted by the Queen by the way) to enter the Scientist of the Year competition assuming there will be a valuable prize awaiting. However, what Pirate Captain isn’t expecting is the Queen herself, a crew of disappointed pirates and a missing prized dodo.
“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” doesn’t disappoint if you are a fan of Aardman’s big screen productions such as “Wallace And Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit” and “Chicken Run”. Slightly cleverer than the average American animations, it’s filled to the brim with trademark Brit humour, laugh off your socks one-liners yet maintain itself as a swashbuckling comedy suitable for the whole family. Not satisfied being rich in the visual sense, there are plenty of other side gags liked the Elephant Man for instance and other ingenious fights and chases concocted by the talented crew to keep things going relentlessly for 88 minutes. The pirates as Masters of disguise are a repetitive amusing act.
Hugh Grant who has shunned the limelight for a while brought his brand of self-deprecating humour to the role of Pirate Captain. Grant should be applauded for his performance and he makes a strong contender for the Pirate award besides Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow. Other notable voice performers include Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) as Pirate Captain’s second-in-command and Salma Hayek (Grown Ups) and Jeremy Piven (Entourage) as fellow competitive pirates. Of course, in addition a man-panzee who communicates mainly by cue cards is plain silly.
While not historically accurate especially the dig at Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin, “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” is a whole booty of fun that one can enjoyed over and over again.
Let’s go plundering!
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The directors contribute an informative track that includes pointing out which characters onscreen are CG and tiny detailed gags, jokes which you might have missed in Filmmakers Commentary.
Mr Bobo’s Flash Card Challenge is an interactive game for kids.
From Stop to Motion is a brief but comprehensive making of segment that covers the story arc, design of the characters, storyboarding, cinematography, sound and music of the movie. You just can’t get enough of Aardman stuff.
The Aardman crew takes audience behind-the-scenes in shooting one of the movie’s exhilarating chases in Creating The Bath Chase.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
“The Pirates! Band of Misfits” DVD has no image problems and the pirates’ world is wonderfully presented with the clay-made characters blended seamlessly with CG ones. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound effects are strong and vigorous especially during the action sequences. Dialogue and accompanied song tracks are clear and boisterous.
MOVIE RATING:
DVD RATING :
Review by Linus Tee
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