THE MONUMENTS MEN (2014)

 

Genre: Adventure/Drama
Running Length: 1:58
Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, John Goodman, Bob Balaban, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Dimitri Leonidas
Director: George Clooney

THE MONUMENTS MEN is unlike the traditional World War 2 stories where people die in the thick of combat as the battle unfolds. The narrative unfolds just after the war's great moments eg. our men arrive sometime after the bloody Normandy beach invasion. Oh, people do die in this movie but in offhand ways. The Monuments Men tells a tale of a unit of eight men consisting primarily of aging art historians and professors with a simple goal - save as much of Hitler's stolen art as possible before he burns it all to the ground. Eventhough it's based on a true story, the tone of the film is light (compared to the recent 12 Years A Slave) but the message - the horror of war - is very serious. There are a couple of very powerful and stirring moments (one of it provided by Bill Murray) but overall, the movie drags a fair bit due to several plot-related problems. Special shout out to the set pieces as it effectively captured the look of wartime Europe and also Matt Damon's character being “fluent in French”, which winds up being one of the funniest jokes in the movie. When the credits rolled, I just couldn't help but re-think my recent visit to the museums in London, Paris and Florence; where I walked past the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Manet, Rembrandt etc without taking a second look. The Monuments Men is highly recommended to filmgoers who are exposed to Renaissance art as it's both educational and inspiring entertainment.

Rating: 7/10

THE LEGO MOVIE (2014)

Genre: Animated/Stop Motion
Running Length: 1:32
Cast: (voices) Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson
Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller 
 
THE LEGO MOVIE is indeed for ages 5 and above. In recent years, not many animation/stop-motion films have successfully catered to both kids and adults but LEGO fits right in there. And I dare you to see this and not want to go directly to Legoland JB or go to the store to buy a box when the credits roll. The script is smart and satisfying. The humour is delightfully random and the pace is infectiously energetic. The plot is simple; an ordinary Lego "man" discovering his calling to save the world as he's the Chosen one. But how the story unfolds is OTT and bordering mayhem, with many different random characters from the Lego universe coupled with explosions, horses and spaceships -  it looked like something out of a mind of a creative child placed in a room filled with Legos. This is done intentionally as the emotional last act reveals there is more to things than initially meets the eye. The world of Lego should match the expectations of fans as everything looks like it was assembled using Lego blocks; when the main character takes a shower, it's "Lego water." When fire erupts, it's "Lego fire." Although The Lego Movie seems to be preaching an anti-capitalist message but it's a sly move from the toy makers - the film seems to be marketed as an "animation to entertain small kids" but it's actually designed to sell more Lego toys and expand (and diversify) the Lego empire. And now, that's smart.

Rating: 8/10

BULLETS OVER PETALING STREET (2014)

Genre: Action/Comedy/Drama
Running Length: 1:27
Cast: Debbie Goh, Chen Han Wei, Irene Ang, Jeffrey Cheng, KK Wong, Steve Yap, Cheryl Lee
Director: Sampson Yuen & Ho Shih Phin

I would like to argue that the Thais are heads and shoulders above any other countries when it comes to consistently producing memorable video/TV commercials. Their ads definitely get more "share" on social media vs those from other countries. Why is that so? I've heard rumours that the chief driving force behind such awesome creativity is...wait for it..."Let the creative agency be the CREATIVE agency (and not allow clients dictate what they want)" I am yet to verify such motivations but I suspect there are some truth to it. Pardon my monologue but this leads me to my frustration with the Buatan Malaysia Chinese movie, BULLETS OVER PETALING STREET. It had a promising start but 10% into the movie, it felt as though the stakeholders behind this film interrupted the creative process and insisted the film makers to "add this part to look like that part in that famous movie but don't copy it totally. Just make it different enough but keep it the same." I could sense that the creative folks were trying to steer the movie back onto the original path but half way through they just gave up and pass the keys to the financiers. As a result, the film became a pot of broth with too many cooks' input - there are elements of romance, political satire, kung fu, gun fights, explosions, slapstick, family feud, twist at the end and the list goes on. And the quality of the filming looks like something done by a YouTube short film amateur. I am indeed hard on this review because being a patriot, I was hoping this Malaysian made Chinese movie would put us closer onto the world map. It would have definitely benefitted if there were less man, (thus resulting to) more "share".

Note: No ratings for this film as this is the first time I am watching a homegrown Chinese film in the cinema - no benchmark.

FROM VEGAS TO MACAU (2014)

Genre: Action/Comedy
Running Length: 1:34
Cast: Chow Yun-fat, Nicholas Tse, Chapman To and Jing Tian
Director: Wong Jing

What the **** did I just watch?? Chow Yun Fatt's "God of Gamblers" comeback to Hong Kong cinema is so unwatchable I almost walked out of the cinema. FROM VEGAS TO MACAU is such a lazy production it seems that everyone's in it for the money. The narrative is incoherent, the humour is so embarrassingly unfunny it made me cringe, the actors are not invested in their characters at all especially Nicholas Tse (who looked bored throughout) and the signature money shots ie. the gambling showdown are such a letdown I rather watch the original God of Gamblers' on repeated viewing on YouTube. There were some glimmer of hope in Mr Chow when he goes all serious in some scenes but those were far and few between; most of the time he was acting all goofy with his silly grin. Irregardless this movie will make lots of money in the B.O. and the real Dou San in this "game" is Wong Jing who will be laughing his way to the bank.

Rating: 1/10