Category: Movie Reviews

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Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Stardust – What Are You Waiting For?

It is not easy to find something bad to say about “Stardust” though some critics have tried. If you subscribe to the feel-good-romance kind of movie set in a fantasy background, I think you can easily fall in love with this. The converse can be true too. Therefore there are always movies that some enjoy watching and other don’t.

I always feel that if a storyline is well crafted (in this case, a novel written by Neil Gaiman back in 1998), the movie adaptation can’t go that wrong. The casting of “Stardust” includes power-house stars such as Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert De Niro – the acting of both are marvelous – and many others. I enjoyed watching Claire Danes in “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet” and I certainly enjoy her performance in “Startdust”. Some question the chemistry between Claire Danes and Charlie Cox which I sort of agree (Charlie Cox in animal form doesn’t count! … those glittering eyes …). All in all, the 130 minutes movie is engaging and entertaining. Cynthia loves it. TK and I both enjoyed it. So you get three “yes” from the Movie Review Squad, what are you waiting for? … unless you are not thrilled by the feel good type of movie.

PS. An afterthought: I guess some audience may be engrossed with how different parties pursued the star for different reasons. I particularly enjoy watching from the star’s perspective on what she wants. The romantic hopeless me, I know … sigh.

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

Pleasure Factory – Geylang Unleashed?

Let me be upfront and tell you what “Pleasure Factory” is not. It is not a documentary film about Geylang. Far from it as I think some of the facts are flawed given my limited knowledge of what Geylang is like. It is not a romantic erotica either. Face it, the working girls are not necessarily the prettiest things on earth and definitely not the paying customers. And it is definitely not a movie to watch with your date. You will have better luck with … I don’t know … “Basic Instinct”?

And let me also be upfront about the audience reaction during the screening of the movie. When the gay scene was shown, one old man left the theatre and never came back. Before the show has ended, the couple beside me left the theatre and never came back. When the show has ended, there was a mad rush to the exit. My take is, not many people actually appreciate the film.

“Pleasure Factory” does have its charm. It was selected for the Un Certain Regard competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. The Thai director does come with certain credential and the movie has got actors and actresses from outside Singapore such as Taiwan and Thailand. According to the filmmaker, this movie is inspired by true story and real life characters. “Pleasure Factory” has little dialogues. And it is a mixture of three different stories: a virgin army boy and his prostitute, an old prostitute and her daughter with her client, and a red dressed prostitute with her client in fast car and someone who plays guitar. There are parts that I think it is a bit slow. And I feel that some of the editing can be improved as the time dimension seems a bit off to me as an audience.

What I particularly like about this movie is that some of the scenes are just so memorable. The bedroom scene of the army boy and the prostitute is probably the highlight of the movie. The emotional scene between an old prostitute and her daughter at the hawker center is my next favorite scene. And I love the ending scene as it is so symbolic – the fish tank, the girl on the bed, and the wallet.

Having said all that, I think majority of the movie is a bit too slow and I wish it has gone the direction of either a documentary or a romantic erotica. However, it has certainly achieved what the director has set out for: a film to have a vivid sense of realism and honesty.

Is it a film for everybody? I think not. Only for those who has the patience to watch an art movie as well as having an open mind.

PS. One question I have: Is Er Xu, the prostitute in the movie, a prostitute in real life? That interview she had surely seemed like a casting selection process.

Official Site: Pleasure Factory.

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Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

I Watched “The Brave One” Because Of Jodie Foster

As I watched how Jodie Foster’s character Erica transformed from a radio show host into someone who sought justice with gun and bullets, I couldn’t help but to feel a strong sense of deja vu having flashbacks from the movie “The Accused (1988)” that won her the Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe Award. The main different is, in “The Accused”, her character – a rape victim – sought justice in a lawful way.

And that is why I admire Jodie Foster so much – the ability to take on such a wide genre and yet, there is much depth in her acting. “The Brave One” though I must say is dark and at times depressing. The blood and gore due to violence and murder is enough to justify the Singapore’s NC-16 rating. The topic is disturbing as the movie attempts to explore the fear and violence in America and how some people turn to owning guns and ultimately using them. Watching how Jodie Foster’s character dealt with trauma of a thug attack leaving her critically wounded and her fiance dead was enough to draw me deep into this pool of sadness. And watching how her character sought justice outside the law made me wished that she did the otherwise. This shows how engaging Jodie Foster’s acting is, at least to me.

From the storyline point of view, I must confess that part of it seems a bit far fetched and it is by and large predictable. That aside, I think it is a complex movie to film – both in terms of character development as well as how the scenes are composed. It is one hell of a disturbing and dark movie to watch. Be warned. On our way home after the movie, Cynthia turned to ask me why I was so quiet. For one, I just couldn’t get the character Erica out of my mind. Still can’t.

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Drama Movie Reviews

Moliere – French Comedy or French Tragedy? You Decide

The Movie Review Squad is giving “The Brave One” another miss because this time round, TK could not make it. We picked “Moliere” instead because Cynthia suddenly has this craving for a high dosage of picture house type of art movie – in French.

I was prepared to fall asleep over watching the life story of a French playwright and actor who, by the way, is considered as one of the greatest masters of comedy in the Western literature on screen. Seriously, do we need another “Shakespeare In Love”? And I was wrong. “Moliere” is entertaining from the beginning to end filled with witty well crafted scripts, superb acting, beautiful costume, and a playful soundtrack to go along with the drama. The story “Moliere” itself is fictional inspired by some of Moliere’s (his real name is Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) significant works as well as real people that existed around him during 1600s. If you subscript to the concept that an artist’s work is inspired by his or her real life events, you may buy the idea that from the artist’s work, one may be able to reconstruct what has inspired him or her in the first place.

The movie “Moliere” is segmented in two parts – Moliere’s triumphant return to Paris after touring the countryside for 13 years and what happened to him 13 years ago. It is the latter that takes up much of the entire movie’s length. A good portion of the movie is comedy. I could not stop myself from bursting into laughter scene after scene. Despite the fact that “Moliere” entertains the audience through comedy, the underlying mood of the movie – in my opinion and true to Moliere’s own preference – is a tragedy. It is so well crafted that it makes you laugh and cry at the same time. (Cynthia did shed some tears over the movie.)

Out of all the wonderful actors and actresses of “Moliere”, I wish to single out Romain Duris as my favorite actor in the movie – quite possibly my favorite French actor of all time. The first movie I noticed Romain Duris is “Peut-etre” (1999) when I was working in Paris. A classic sci-fi movie by the way that has a bizarre story of a man at the year 2000 party emerged into the future from an attic meeting his future family members and his future-self. Since then, I enjoy watching “L’Auberge Espagnole” (2002) – English title as “The Spanish Apartment” – and the sequel “Russian Dolls” (2005) when he played against my all time favorite French actress Audrey Tautou. In “Moliere”, Romain Duris’s acting is convincing.

Not to be missed if you are into French movies or art movies in general. “Moliere” is not one of those over exaggerated romantic comedy nor one that is full of dramatic twist and turn. You have to appreciate the beauty of the scripts and the amount of acting poured in in order to enjoy this.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Resident Evil: Extinction – Expect The Worst Seems To Work For Me

I am almost sure that by the time Lora reads this post, she will raise her fists high in the air and protest that it is yet another writeup on a zombie movie, which she sort of did after reading Planet Terror. One fine day, knowing that Cynthia is out of town, TK messaged me: Feeling bored today? The truth is, life is never boring when Cynthia is out of town …

… not!

Just kidding! Anyway, we ran through the choices we have and to anticipate what we will watch when Cynthia is back in town, TK picked “Resident Evil”. Or rather, given the limited choices, I picked “Resident Evil”.

The general review of “Resident Evil” is not that fantastic (in the region of 4 out of 10). Moreover, one colleague of mine who has watched it the day before declared that “Resident Evil” is not worth watching. Since my job is to help you decide if you may or may not wish to watch this movie, here is my take in point form.

You may wish to check out “Resident Evil” if you satisfy one or more of the following criteria.

  1. You are in love with Milla Jovovich
  2. You have enjoyed the previous episodes of Resident Evil
  3. You love zombies, lots of zombies
  4. You love to see girls kicking ass
  5. You love to see girls kicking zombie ass
  6. … with guns and blades
  7. You are a computer gaming geek
  8. … who especially love the genre of first person shooter
  9. You enjoy watching sci-fi horror movie
  10. You have no better movie to watch
  11. And last but not the least, you are in love with Milla Jovovich

Since all of the above points except 3, 5 and 6 (I am a normal dude after all) are valid for me, I naturally enjoy watching “Resident Evil”. One thing to highlight is the awesome sound effect. TK and I jumped off our seats in numerous occasions.

Damn zombies …

From an avid gamer perspective, I think the movie producer has done a great job in creating a movie out of a computer game concept. I can almost picture myself watching all the cut scenes of a game. If you judge “Resident Evil” in a traditional way, I can imagine the split rating. However, if you judge this movie from a gaming perspective – the same way you would judge a comic book adaptation – “Resident Evil” is a pretty good watch. I am a big fan of Milla Jovovich, love her since “The Fifth Element” (1997). Perhaps that’s one of the major reasons why I enjoy the movie. For you, perhaps zombies are the last thing on earth you wish to see on a big screen?

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

The Nanny Diaries – Heartwarming Though Nothing Exceptional

When was the last time you and your friends or partner caught a show spontaneously? It is certainly not often for me. I always plan it half a day or a day in advance. But you know in life, there are just moments when you feel … just do it – however rare these moments are. In fact, I can even recall when Cynthia and I caught a show spontaneously – Nicolas Cage’s 8MM (1997) at Malacca, Malaysia and Sarah Jessica Parker’s Failure to Launch (2006) at Suntech, Singapore.

Last Sunday at AMK Hub, we wanted to check out the spanking new Cathay cineplex and all of a sudden, both of us wanted to catch a show despite the fact that we have just watched “Shoot ‘Em Up” the day before. You know what a craving for movie is like.

Looking back, I had no idea why we chose “The Nanny Diaries”. The show started in 10 minutes’ time was one. Scarlett *ahem* Johansson was another. For me at least. Strangely, or rather coincidentally, Paul Giamatti played as the jerk ass husband who seldom gave time to his family (hence the nanny came into the picture) and he also played “Shoot ‘Em Up” as the jerk ass husband who kept promising his wife on the phone that he would be back soon (hence the non-stop bullets in “Shoot ‘Em Up”). What a strong sense of deja vu.

To be fair, Cynthia did enjoy watching “The Nanny Diaries”. It is definitely heartwarming to watch a storyline of self-discovery and how one can be life changing to others. I think for those who are either fresh out of school and still ponder upon which career path to take (not me), or those whose mothers always wanted them to choose a different career (a rock star perhaps but nah), or those who are brought up by nannies because their parents were too busy at work (not me either), or those who are mothers or mother-wannabes (definitely not). In short, I personally cannot quite relate to the storyline. But I can imagine some others may.

I wish that “The Nanny Diaries” could give me more in terms of scripts and acting. It is a heartwarming movie no doubt.

On a side note, I tried very hard to recall which movie Scarlett Johansson has acted in. Somehow that video of her and Justin Timberlake (“What Goes Around Comes Around”) got stuck in my mind big time. She does have quite a number of movies under her belt, including my favorite “The Prestige”. Now I remember.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Shoot ‘Em Up – A Dark, Brainless Piece of Entertainment

Is “Shoot ‘Em Up” a hollow piece of crap like some reviewers say? Probably yes. Is it like a movie straight out of a comic book or a computer first person shooting game? Probably yes too. But why does it have a mixed review rather than a bad review? The key word is “entertainment”. One scene got some of the audience – I included – clapping and cheering inside the theater. The last I saw that was the ending scene of “Death Proof” – and that scene got more girls cheering than guys.

Yesterday morning, Cynthia left the newspaper opened, pointing at the movie advertisements and in a semi-sleepy-semi-demur way, she said she wanted to watch a show. Got it. So what do you want to watch, I asked. “Shoot ‘Em Up” or “Underdog”, she replied. I called up the rest of the squad (just TK really) and had no answer. Usually TK answers the “call for movie” almost instantaneously. What happened to him? Turned out that I woke him up from a 24-shift and his reply was: Underdog, are you joking? “Shoot ‘Em Up” it was then.

Though the story is downright straightforward (very implausible) with minimal opportunity for character development, the movie does keep the audience in suspense as the story unfolds slowly – at least for the first three quarter of the movie when there are still lots of questions in the audience’s head. The shooting scenes though … my God … have more “bullets per frame” than most of the other movies I have watched. And some of the ways of how a gun is shot are so creative that left me in awe. The mood is mostly dark with dirt and sweat, rats and blood. However, the scenes can be so entertainment that got the audience laughing … at times in a morbid way.

Cynthia finds “Shoot ‘Em Up” entertaining. TK calls it “an entertaining piece of rubbish”. As for me, if Clive Owen was to replace his guns with swords, that would have been made into a typical Chinese ancient story with heroes in special power (you will see what I mean in one of the ending scenes). If you want some dark and brainless entertainment and laugh your brain off after a long hard week of work, perhaps “Shoot ‘Em Up” is an option.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror – Part Two Of Grindhouse

3 months ago we have watched part 1 of Grindhouse directed by Quentin Tarantino (Death Proof). I actually wanted to watch that polar bear documentary film. But TK counter-suggested to watch the “one legged hottie” instead. Cynthia leapt in joy. Guess my love for the polar bear will have to be postponed to another day.

Despite the positive critic reviews for Grindhouse, the box office result was below expectation in the US. Grindhouse was shown in a full length of 191 minutes with Planet Terror and Death Proof played back-to-back with one another. Personally, I think there is only that much blood and gore an audience can take in one sitting. Internationally, Grindhouse was split into two movies beefed up with extra scenes. Death Proof has covered the topics of forbidden sex, wanton violence, drug use, and nudity. As expected – true to the genre of grindhouse – Planet Terror covers the remaining aspects of freaks, monsters, destruction, rebellion, and mayhem. There is a trade-off between watching Grindhouse in one go and watching it in a split version. The former one is true to grindhouse style while the latter one we get to see each movie featured in full.

Let me warn you, Planet Terror is gross. This morning I woke up and when I tried to recall what the first scene was, I thought of that jar of preserved human testicles and the dude who got his balls cut. In fact, the first scene was the beautiful Rose McGowan (famous in the TV series “Charmed”) dancing sexily around the pole in skimpy outfit as a go-go dancer named Cherry Darling. Cherry Darling? What a nice name.

The plot of Planet Terror started with some military units being exposed to biochemical weapons that transformed human beings into … zombies. Soon, more people were infected and it was the destiny of the survivors to fight together and find the last safe spot in the world. What I enjoy most is the amount of humor being put into such a genre of grossness and suspense. We laughed almost throughout the show and for the record, I was not the loudest. There were some others who laughed harder than me! And the way how scenes are cut onto one another is clever. Some of the sequence are so original that make me wonder, how did Robert Rodriguez come out with that idea (like how the “one legged hottie” Cherry Darling fights with a gun attached to her missing leg)?

I think Rose McGowan is a good fit for the show. While her air time in Death Proof was limited – which is understandable given how the plot was written – she is the main actress in Planet Terror. In the TV series “Charmed”, she has gone through the journey of gaining her witch power and used it against the demons. In Planet Terror, she has also gone through the journey of losing a leg and gaining a gun and this time, she fights zombies. I can’t think of a better person to play that role.

But how does Planet Terror compares against Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof? Both movies are made with the 1970’s effect. Death Proof has a very structured storyline (2 parts involving 4 different women each) and a series of long conversations while Planet Terror focuses more on the visual effects with short, sharp dialogues. Both TK and Cynthia find Planet Terror having a higher entertainment value as compares to Death Proof. I naturally enjoy the long and deep conversations so I find Death Proof having a higher artistic value instead.

Again, if you have watched Death Proof, don’t miss Planet Terror. And if you haven’t, the two movies are unrelated though the theme is (grindhouse style and women emerge as the heroines). Not a movie for the weak stomach for sure. Lots of bodies being torn apart and plenty of blood everywhere. I can almost picture my buddy Mark faints in the theatre upon watching Planet Terror. So Mark, please stay away from this. Or you could use Planet Terror to train your tolerance of the sight of blood … at home!

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Waitress – More Than Just Another Kitchen Related Movie

When a friend needs help, a friend gets help. And when a friend needs companionship just because he is having a tough time at work, friend gets companionship. Especially when he is one of our own – Movie Review Squad that is. This time, my turn to choose a movie. Think without thinking (blink!), I insisted on Keri Rusell’s “Waitress”. I LOVE the TV series “Felicity” where the character of Felicity Porter was acted (brilliantly) by Keri Rusell. Just how much I love “Felicity”? If you run out of ideas what to get for me as Christmas gift, I want this and this and this and this. Thank you. Beat the Christmas crowd. Do it today!

Now, back to business and no more beating around the bushes. When the movie first started, Cynthia screamed: oh no, not another movie in the kitchen. You really can’t compare “Waitress” with “Ratatouille” … because “Ratatouille” is an animated film meant to entertain. Between Catherine Zeta-Jones’s “No Reservations” and Keri Russell’s “Waitress”, the former one is a typical Hollywood production – entertaining with lots of feel good factors. Predictable romance drama with a happy ending like any typical Hollywood film. The latter one has lots of character development opportunities, sharp and memorable scripts, hint of depression with loads of humor that kept the audience entertained in a different way. A more personal feeling with a slice of life that may not be pretty to look at but is real enough to engage the audience at the emotional level. For those who may not enjoy dramas and witty conversation and rather have a Hollywood treatment, “Waitress” may not be your cup of tea.

From the plot perspective, we have Jenna (played by Keri Russell) – a waitress at a small restaurant off the highway who creates hundreds of different pies with somewhat bizarre themes – having an unwanted pregnancy with her obnoxious husband Earl, a man whom she dreams of getting away from day after day. At work, his boss Cal constantly barks at the waitresses and Jenna’s co-workers Becky and Dawn seems to share every secrets with one another – almost. Then comes Doctor Pomatter that suddenly reminds Jenna of what passion should be like. To me, it is as though “Waitress” is a condensed version of a TV series. Lots of drama and lots of emotions. It lifts up your spirit and yet make you want to cry at times.

For those who have watched the TV series “Felicity”, you must have heard of “Dear Sally” thousands of time. In “Waitress”, it is “Dear Baby” or “Dear Damn Baby” instead. Kind of cool if you were to ask me. Can’t think of another actress to better fit that role.

Categories
Movie Reviews Romance

No Reservations – Zeta-Jones Oh Zeta-Jones

Dear friends. Sorry for the infrequent updates lately and infrequent visit to your sites. Life has been busy lately. Arrgghh! Good news, I have finally found time to watch “No Reservation” – quite possibly Catherine Zeta-Jones’s finest acting (not saying it is an Oscar wining performance). I have always enjoyed watching Catherine Zeta-Jones on screen. Her porcelain skin and irresistible mischievousness and her contribution to Ocean Twelve, Intolerable Cruelty, Chicago, America’s Sweethearts, and Zorro … just to name a few of my favorites. Gosh, I love her … on screen I mean.

In “No Reservation”, she plays the character of Kate Armstrong. A chef of a posh restaurant who is a control freak with frequent visits to her shrink and has total dedication to her craft. For a moment, I thought of Ratatouille like some others do. But to compare the rat Remy to the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones is just not … nice. Com’on guys.

As the story unfolds, Kate Armstrong finds herself having to take care of her niece (Abigail Breslin) after her sister has passed away. And here comes the charming chef assistance (Aaron Eckhart) who posts a threat – in Kate’s own mind – to her chef position. Worse still, this new assistance is sort of … charming. I am sure by now you can guess where this movie is heading towards.

I enjoy Aaron Eckhart’s acting a lot in “Thank You For Smoking”. What I did not realise is that how charming he can be on screen. My only complain is that his airtime in “No Reservation” is somewhat limited. Would have been good if he was to play a bigger role.

The little girl Abigail Breslin, 11 years of age, nominated for the Academy Award for her role in “Little Miss Sunshine”, in my humble opinion, is the gem of the entire film. Her acting is awesome. She out-acted Zeta-Jones by a few miles in my book (sorry Catherine). Abigail Breslin is a natural actress. I am confidence that she will do great on screen in time to come.

I love cooking and naturally, I enjoy the behind-the-kitchen scenes. It is rare to see on screen, I know. However, the storyline is somewhat predictable in the Hollywood sense. I can almost foresee what the next stage of the script was going to be. Forgettable storyline but not so forgettable acting.

Oh well, I agreed to watch “No Reservation” because of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Catherine Zeta-Jones only. Call me shallow but hey … I am a guy. One more thing, don’t expect to see Zeta-Jones in all beauty in “No Reservation”. She plays to her part that may not require her to look gorgeous and she does a good job out of it.