Category: Action & Thriller

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Action & Thriller Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

The Hunger Games – Better Than I Expected, Despite Moral Conflict

I thought to myself, so this is one of those ‘reality show’ inspired movies, where audience seeks to be entertained by watching contestants battling each other to death.  Worse still, we are looking at contestants of age between 12 to 18.  Do we need another one of those movies?  And why the children?  Is this social liberation or a download spiral of human morality?  Who would enjoy seeing children of that age bracket killing eliminating each other?  Increasing, media violence has raised concern across the board.  I feel that we are pushing the limit further down.  Movies like Hunger Games.  Books like Game of Thrones where children wield swords and girls under the age of 14 have sex.  Some video games that are violence in nature played by children.  What would the long term repercussion to our future generations be if we endorse violence at that age bracket?  I do not know.

Now, if I may throw my moral hat away, ignore the conflict inside of me when seeing children of age 12 to 18 hacking, shooting, or killing each other with wits, The Hunger Games is a wildly entertaining movie.  It is said that because 12 districts have in the past committed treason against the central government, each year, each district must pick 2 tributes – a young boy and a young girl – to play the Hungers Game.  Only one will survive.  There is an overarching philosophy revolving around this.  Since I don’t quite get it or finding it quite silly, I shall not elaborate here.

24 contestants are placed in a game location and there is only one survivor.  The rest of the 23 contestants would need to die.  Yes, death to them all.  We love it.  There are tons of twists in the plot.  Because it is after all a TV show, it must be entertaining, especially to the ‘sponsors’ who may influence the process.  In short, not only do the children require to kill off each other, they have to do it in style.  They need to, kill to entertain.  The audience, including us, loves watching this.

Jennifer Lawrence plays the main character who represents District 12th.  I did not like her or find her attractive in X-Men: First Class.  Neither do I find her attractive in The Hunger Games.  Having said that, I grow to like her character as the plot unfolds.  She seems rather suited for this movie.  Genuinely innocent, and determined to stay alive.

I found myself shivering throughout the 142 minutes long movie.  The plot is intense.  More so, was the air-conditioning in the theater.

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Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Drive – Memorable Story, Great Soundtrack

OK.  Yet another Gosling movie.  This one is good.  Much darker than I have expected.  It is an artistic movie that captivates.  In this movie, Gosling drives cars and works in a garage.  He seldom talks.  In fact, a good chunk of the movie contains no dialogues.  As an audience, in most part, I would hold tight onto the arms of the chair (or rather one hand holding onto Cynthia’s), hold my breath, and eagerly await for what is to come.

Carey Mulligan has left a good impression in “An Education“.  And I was looking forward to seeing how she acts in “Drive”.  Is there a chemistry between Mulligan and Gosling?  There certainly is.  And I enjoy the subtle build up between a man with no past and a married woman with baggage from the past.  What makes Gosling a good driver (in the movie of course) is his fearlessness and his precision in timing.  The filmmakers manage to bring out this essence of his and apply to the remaining plot.

There is a fair amount of blood and gore in this film.  Be warned.  I begin to see that Gosling – besides looking quite good – can be quite a good actor.  I seldom give credits to movie soundtrack.  From the first song to the last, the music has wrapped the entire film in such darkness.  It gives a vintage and classic feel to “Drive”.  Two thumbs up.

This pretty much concludes how we celebrated 11.11.11.  I cannot recall what I was doing at 11.11 pm.  I could well be answering a work-related overseas call from US.  What about you?  What did you do on 11.11.11 11.11?

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Action & Thriller Foreign Movie Reviews

The Hanged Man (Spanish Title: El Juego Del Ahorcado)

As we left the Shaw Lido cinema after the omy.com movie premiere event, I have spotted a huge poster that I could not take my eyes away from.  It is a Spanish movie.  What a coincidence.  In our last Spanish class, our replacement teacher Gloria was asking us if there are Spanish movies playing in Singapore.  The rest said no.  I insisted we have, from time to time.  If this movie was not R21 rated, I would recommend “The Hanged Man” in our next class.  Just that we do have some young students whom I have no idea how young they are.

The English version of the poster, I remember, has three marketing words.  I cannot remember the first world.  Something and then passion, and crime.  Is it horror, Cynthia and TK asked after I booked the tickets for the three of us.  I surely hoped not.  They warned me that if this was a horror movie or was as boring as that Spanish movie, I would be banned from picking a movie title.

Hash!

Fortunately, “The Hanged Man” is a good movie.  The actress Clara Lago has such big eyes that remind me of the French actress Audrey Tautou.  And she acts exceptionally well.  The story begins in a Spanish city Gerona back in 1989 when two teenagers became best friends after a rather mischievous incident.  The boy and the girl got into an unlocked car one day, messed around with the gearbox and handbrake, and crashed the car onto another car.  To cover up the incident, the boy crashed onto a short brick wall on his bike, made a mess out of his head with blood all over his face.  When the girl took him back to their parents who were at the car incident scene, the rest of the crowd immediately forgot about the cars and took care of the kids.

The story is then fast-forwarded to a later time when the two best friends were interlocked in more dark incidents, more cover-ups.  It is a time when the both fell in love and shared common secrets.  It is a time when the boy became more obsessed with the girl, willing to give his life up for the girl while the girl was growing out of this teenage love affair.  The story is dark, almost too heartbreaking to watch.  Some may wonder if the ending is at all logical.  I welcome a film that does not blur the moral boundary.  On that note, I endorse the ending however improbable it is.  It is a movie that I would like to add to my personal  film collection.

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Action & Thriller Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Cowboys & Aliens – I Can So Visualize This In A Video Game Setting

It is Daniel Craig once again covered in dirt and sweat working hard to do the impossible.  The story of “Cowboys & Aliens” is set in 1873, the cowboy era.  I was a bit concerned when I saw that Harrison Ford is part of the casting.  In “Morning Glory“, he looks pretty old.  OK.  In this movie, Harrison Ford looks better than I thought.  Perhaps, in the world of cowboys, the older the better (think Clint Eastwood).  I do not think Olivia Wilde is as hot as Cynthia thinks she is.  I think it is part of Cynthia’s plot to get me into watching “Cowboys & Aliens”.  In fact, our buddy TK wanted to watch this show.  Cynthia wanted to watch Conan.  And I wanted to watch Womb.  As always, those two ganged up against me. Therefore, I do not really have any expectation on this movie.

I like the initial part of the story.  Daniel Craig wakes up in the middle of the Wild Wild West with a nasty wound on his body and a strange looking bracer on his wrist.  He does not remember who he is or where he comes from.  There is this cloud of mystery.  Some romance.  There is Christianity.  And there are men who want to be a better man.

Then comes the attack of the aliens in flying machines, which is still well and good.  Aliens are abducting the humans.  But why?  There is still this cloud of mystery.  I was skeptical as in, how can the humans fight against the aliens that obviously possess a much better technology.  The linkage to our history of colonization is subtle.  Nevertheless, the theme is there.

When the aliens show their forms, that was quite a let down to me.  They are hideous and cold.  Physically superior but mentally weak.  The shooting scene that dominates the later part of the movie reminds me of the video game “Mass Effect“.  Except, “Mass Effect” does a much better job in telling a story that involves alien species.

“Cowboys & Aliens” is not bad.  It is not great either.  It is a decent entertainment for a lazy weekend.

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Action & Thriller Foreign Movie Reviews

Wu Xia – Is Donnie Yen Enough to Save This Film?

For the past one week, Cynthia has been nudging me to watch “Wu Xia”.  Normally she is not into Chinese movie, so I was curious.  Then I found out that Takeshi Kaneshiro is starring in the movie.  I suppose her fascination to Takeshi is like mine to Shu Qi.  I was still unmoved until she told me that Tang Wei is in it as well.  Really?!  The last time I saw Tang Wei on big screen, my nose bled for hours.  Despite that unsightly bushy armpit scene – which I understand that perhaps in 1940, no one in China shaved their armpits – I still think that Tang Wei’s performance on and out of the bed was breathtaking.

When I was young, I was a huge fan of books of the Wu Xia genre.  I believe that it is a genre that cannot be fully presented in a film format.  In a way, “Wu Xia” does not have a strong plot of treachery and betrayal, no heartwarming romance or a strong heroine figure, and no character development in terms of how one becomes more powerful as the story unfolds.  There are no legendary weapons either or the quest for one.  Is there honor and sacrifice?  Perhaps a little bit.  The story is dark.  There are bits and pieces that took me by surprise.  Towards the end, there is a strong association to one of the famous Wu Xia stories.  Because of that, to me in comparison, “Wu Xia” seems a bit dimmer.  And the lack of love in the mist of family dispute also appears to be unrealistic to me.

Despite my lukewarm reaction to the plot, Donnie Yen is one fine actor.  It was my first time to see Donnie taking on the role of a martial art action actor.  In “Wu Xia”, whenever he fights, my body trembles.  He is my new Jackie Chan.  Takeshi plays the role of a detective (again) and he narrates part of the story.  With the help of computer effects, Takeshi has done a pretty good job in explaining some of the mechanisms according to the world of Wu Xia (still, no match to reading a proper Wu Xia novel).  What about Tang Wei?  She plays the role of an ordinary housewife well.  I wish she had a bigger role in shaping how the story climaxed.

In conclusion, “Wu Xia” is overall one ordinary film with moments of excitement with Donnie Yen is doing his things.

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Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Fast & Furious 5 – Very Entertaining!

You know for sure when Vin Diesel and Paul Walker return for another Fast & Furious, it is going to be fantastic.  This franchise collection would have been great had they appeared in every installment.  They must have their reasons for not doing so.  Omy.sg’s review invite could not have come in a better timing.  Cynthia has been begging me to take her to watch this new Fast & Furious when it’s out in Singapore.  I thought fast cars and hot babes are the guys’ things?  As for me, before I entered into the theater, I was hoping and praying that the Israeli goddess Gal Gadot would be back for this movie.

My
prayer
was
answered!

In fact, Fast & Furious 5 is – if I may quote Cynthia – a Fast & Furious All-Stars.  Most of our favorite characters from previous episodes have made a return to this movie.  I know local viewers have this habit of rushing out of the theater the moment the end credit rolls.  For the love of Fast & Furious, resist your urge and stay on.  Like Thor, there is something extra beyond those credits.

In this installment, the backdrop is Brazil.  The feel of episode 5 is pretty much consistent with the previous ones.  Love of the family, love of the brotherhood, love of money, and love of fast driving.  Not to spoil your viewing pleasure, some of the car scenes – the anchor of this franchise – are original and a delight to watch.  Much of the racing bits are shorten because we have had quite a bit in the past.  There is also less driving (relatively speaking) and more dramas and gunfights.  It is exciting and at the same time, heart warming to watch.  Introduced to this franchise are Dwayne Johnson “The Rock” and the Spanish actress Elsa Pataky who is married to Chris Hemsworth from Thor (now talk about back-to-back movie review)!  I am sure we will see them again in future installments.

Thoroughly entertaining.  The running time is 130 minutes.  And you would want more when the credit rolls.

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Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

The Lincoln Lawyer – Now, That Lawyer Has Style

I am usually not a big fan of crime movies that involves lawyers.  I don’t even watch CSI on TV.  Lately, or rather for the longest history in time, TK and Cynthia are pretty much in sync when it comes down to the choice of movie.  So when they picked “The Lincoln Lawyer”, I tugged along.

Matthew McConaughey plays a criminal defense attorney who drives a Lincoln with a number plate NTGUILTY.  Does he believe that his clients are innocent?  Does he merely go through the justice process and make sure that his clients get the best of it?  Or does he negotiate settlement for his presumed innocence clients thinking that most probably, that is what they deserve?  In the movie, Matthew is well networked with either side of the law and that seems to have made him one effective lawyer.  Even a cool one.  The story is pretty straightforward, a good one no doubt.  While I do not practice law – and I often wonder what if I do – this movie got me thinking about work in general.

At work, I facilitate a process.  Internal “clients” would come to me with work requests and we have to work together, package the ideas up, and present them to the management team as business cases.  If these cases are not being shot down, it is a green light to move ahead to the next stage.  Some cases go into KIV mode.  Others get thrown out of the window.  Not all the approved cases get everything they have asked for.  At times, we have to settle for less.  And hence, I do rounds and rounds of negotiations on behalf on my internal “clients”.  Having good networks from all sorts of sources aids the process, of course.  I have colleagues who more often than not form their opinions on these requests that affect their actions.  This is not wrong, I suppose, although in our job scope, we are not here to judge the cases.  We push these cases through a process that presents them in the best possible light.  I, for one, am trying very hard to be impartial to whether some of these ideas deserve a hearing or what they ask for.  Sure, looking back, there are cases whereby I wish I had not given away hope before they have a chance to go through the proper process.  But I am only human, still learning my way.  In that sense, I can relate to some aspects of “The Lincoln Lawyer”.

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Action & Thriller Foreign Movie Reviews

A Better Tomorrow – Emotional, And Gripping!

TK, our partner-in-crime in Movie Review Squad texted Cynthia when we were waiting to board our plane, on New Year’s day, back to Singapore.  I was still on a Zen mode, cut off from any Internet access for more than a week.  And so, after numerous text exchanges between TK and Cynthia discussing the logistics of our first movie outing of 2011, I could not contain my bursting desire and said to Cynthia, “Just ask TK to book anything, and we will be there”.  When I learned that TK has booked us a Korean movie, I was very excited.  I pictured a typical Korean drama, with lots and lots of pretty Korean actresses.  Ah, I was so hyped up for some solid visual simulation that when TK met us in Orchard, when he texted us that he was really excited about our first outing of the year, I wanted to reply, “You have no idea”.  I didn’t, because I was driving.

“A Better Tomorrow” is – later as I found out – a remake of a Hong Kong classic movie of the same name.   I have not watched that classic, so I may not be as traumatized as those who are in love with the old film.  Personally, I am finding it quite unfair to compare Korean actors with Chow Yun Fat and Leslie Cheung whom some of us are so familiar with.  Looking at the quality of acting in this Korean remake, I was touched.  The emotion is convincing and one of the gangsters (the Chow Yun Fat clone) does look cool enough to get Cynthia all excited.  No wonder she loves this Korean remake more than the two of us for there are no actresses in this movie, at all.  Zero.

I see where the “problem” is.  Korean men (at least those on screen) are usually, how shall I say, so “pretty”.  Or handsome in a feminine way.  It does look strange to see two men crying to each other trying very hard to defy the urge to say, “I forgive you”, or “Let’s forget the past”.  And they have to act persistently stubborn over the duration of the film with one says, “You are not my brother, I do not want to see you anymore”, and another says, “You are the only brother I have, and let’s not get separated again.”  Mind you, this is a Korean film, with subtitles.  Hence I am not sure how much is lost in translation.  Maybe the original lines are not so cheesy.  By and large, I am drawn into the emotion of the acting.  I like most of the actors, except perhaps the little brother who appears to overact.  But hey, looking at the plot, I suppose  he has the reason to hold his grudges, for all these years.  So, what is the plot like?

Here is a highlight, no spoiler of course.  It is shown right in the beginning of the show.  A pair of brothers together with their mother tried to make an escape from North Korea into South Korea.  Somehow (I think), during the chase by the guards, the little brother fell down and the elder brother scared of being discovered, deserted his little brother and his mother.  The two got caught and the mother was executed.  Since then, the two brothers have been separated, until later in the story, when one becomes a criminal and another, a cop.

There is a good sense of heroism in the movie.  The drama bit made some of the audiences cried.  The gunfight bit was exciting to watch (except perhaps for those who know the ending, since this is a remake).  If I was the scriptwriter, I would replace the little brother with a childhood sweetheart of the elder brother.  And I would make the first desertion perceived as one, but it is not.  Now, that would make a more heart wrenching movie, true to Korean standard.

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Action & Thriller Fantasy & Sci-fi Horror Movie Reviews

Let Me In – Quite Possibly The Greatest Vampire Love Story Of All

“Let Me In” is not a typical vampire movie, quite possibly something you have not seen before.  That is if you have not watched the original Swedish film “Let The Right One In (2008)”.  We can debate if this is a horror film or more like a thriller later.  For the film characters that are of 12 years of age, “Let Me In” is more mature than any other vampire flicks in recent years.  A vampire romance story does not have to have cliché dialogs.  And “Romeo and Juliet” kind of fantasy is just as timeless.

But don’t let me mislead you.  This movie does have tons of creepy moments, many may not be of supernatural in nature.  A little bit of blood and gore.  Innocent dies.  The theme is dark, with zero morale compass.  It is however emotionally griping.  And it also has a great thriller storyline.  While you may be able to guess more or less where the story is heading, the story is still full of intense yet subtle moments that something may go wrong.

A little boy Owen lives with his mother undergoing a divorce with his father.  In school, Owen gets bullied often.  At home, since his mother is drunk most of the time, he has spend much of his evening time observing his neighbors with his telescope at home, or spending time in the courtyard covered in snow.  One day, a young girl moves into the building.  Soon, the two become friends.  That begins the story of a human boy and a vampire girl.  Kodi and Chloë perform well in this movie.  “Let Me In” does not employ a lot of special effects.  It does not have to.  Quite a few key scenes are shot in the perspective of one character leaving the rest up to the audience’s imagination, which is more powerful that laying out the scenes and throwing in more special effects in my opinion.

I am a fan of the role-playing game “Vampire: The Masquerade”.  Not all vampires have to be charming and glamorous.  “Let Me In” does it in style with a rather unglamorous vampire.  Below is a quote from Stephen King.

LET ME IN is a genre-busting triumph.  Not just a horror film, but the best American horror film in the last 20 years.  Whether you’re a teenager or a film-lover in your 50’s, you’ll be knocked out.  Rush to it now.  You can thank me later.

Personally, I think “Let Me In” is more a thriller than a horror.  Cynthia has zero tolerance to Asian horror movies but she can take “Let Me In” just fine.  Perhaps American horror is not meant to be scary but rather, creepy?  This movie should appeal to both non-horror movie goers (unless you faint seeing blood … I know one of my friend does) as well as to horror movie fans.

“Let Me In” will be released in Singapore on Dec 9.  On a side note, Cynthia and I have attended the movie preview session at Shaw Preview Theatre.  It was quite an experience as it was our first time at that venue.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Red – It Is A Fun Watch, And There Are Malkovich, Willis, And More

The movie preview took place at Bugis Shaw.  And it has been a while since we hang out in that area.  Cynthia bumped onto her colleague while I to mine.  Small world it is indeed.

The story of “Red” evolves around a team of ex-CIA agents who are now being targeted by the CIA.  The first half of the movie develops the why and the second half focuses on the resolution.  I prefer the part on plot development because that got me thinking on the overall motive.  This movie is filled with lighthearted and fun moments.  Classy I must say, a bit to the crazy end.  I would not have in a million years imagined Helen Mirren wearing a long evening gown firing big machine guns at people.  Then we have John Malkovich who in his unique twisted and quirky way doing the things that you probably would expect but not imagine doing.  Bruce Willis is now 55 and he still looks great on screen, in his usual cool.  He must be one of the most acted hero in recent film history.  And there is Morgan Freeman whom I wish he has more air time.  Oh, it is fun to watch Mary-Louise Parker on screen too.  She plays the role of a pension fund customer service agent and has nothing to do with the CIA.  Somehow, she gets swept into the plot and the amazing thing is, she games for it (and the more amazing is, I am buying it).  Whenever she drops out from the plot, the plot seems to get a little bit dimmer.  Perhaps it is also because she is the only younger one – in relative term of course – in the team.  There is also a fair bit of romance in “Red”, which makes it different from other films of similar genre.

“Red” will be released in Singapore on Nov 11, 2010.  Check it out if you are into a fun movie, especially if you are a fan of the leading actors and actresses.