DARK PLACES (2015)

Genre: Thriller
Running Length:1:43
Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Chloe Grace Moretz, Corey Stoll, Christina Hendricks
Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner
Screenplay: Gilles Paquet-Brenner, based on the novel by Gillian Flynn.

"The hardest prison to escape is in your mind."

If only DARK PLACES explored the angle of the psychological trauma of guilt and lies have on its characters, this movie could have been a far more satisfying cinematic experience. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie but it's not very good either. Blame it on today's abundance of solid crime thriller stories available on TV, this film appears surprisingly tame for the big screen (perhaps this is why it has not gotten a domestic release date in the U.S.). Dark Places is told from the first person (Theron), one of two known survivors of a family massacre that took place in 1985 on the family farm in rural Kansas. In present day, she's compelled to revisit the demons of her childhood to find out whether her then teenage brother (the other survivor who's serving life time in jail for his crime) actually killed their mother and two other siblings. As the movie unfolded, it kept me guessing but when the end credits rolled, I just felt it was a missed opportunity. Gillian Flynn’s second adaptation (first being Gone Girl) to the silver screen has all the raw ingredients of a great film; satanic cults, twisted family secrets, obsessions, lies, selflessness, young lust and serial killings and it has the very dependable Charlize Theron - but it just turned out to be an average motion picture. Perhaps it lacked atmosphere and a dark soundtrack. Perhaps the director is not an actor's director. Perhaps it's the screenplay. Whatever it is, just imagine what David Fincher could have done with a setup like that. There are a dime a dozen of whodunits stories out there in both the small and big screen, but there are not many which examine the issues of guilt, innocence and lies that keep its characters locked-up not in physical prison cells but in the prison of their mind.      

Rating: 6.5/10

SPL 2: A TIME FOR CONSEQUENCES (2015)

 

Genre: Action/Thriller
Running Length: 1:58
Cast: Tony Jaa, Wu Jing, Max Zhang, Simon Yam, Louis Koo
Director: Cheang Pou-soi (Soi Cheang)
Screenplay: Leung Lai Yin and Wong Ying

Although Hong Kong's latest action flick SPL 2 is pretty convoluted, the story is still relatively easy to follow. In fact, it has more dramatic elements than action scenes as it explores themes of karma, fate and morality, peppered with symbolism. Now if only the fight scenes were more memorable like the first movie, this would have been a very good film (for those uninitiated, the original SPL starring Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung has one of the most gritty and creative fight choreography ever to grace the silver screen). A sequel in name only, SPL 2 is not connected to the original although there are two returning actors. The overall tone of the movie is doom and gloom while the violence is intense. It works because it gives the impression that nobody gets out alive. But how are the action sequences? Well, it's more arty than kinetic. One particular sequence utilizes a single unbroken tracking shot while another sees our wounded protagonist face off with a big group of bad guys in a warehouse with a sentimental ballad playing over that scene. Personally, I prefer watching bone-crunching action scenes executed so tightly it causes me to gasp and hold my breath than sitting through a music video featuring people fighting. That said, although the two leads (Tony Jaa and Wu Jing) are effective in their own performances, their chemistry feels forced. It also didn't help that the only way they communicated with each is through a laughable translation mobile app which is so accurate it will embarrass Google Translate. Fortunately, there are two standout performances in the form of Louis Koo and Max Zhang. Both play villains. Louis is unrecognizable here as an ailing crime boss who's pathetic and scary at the same time while Max's character is cold, stylish and dangerous (reminds me of T2's T-1000 played by Robert Patrick).
  
Rating: 5/10

JURASSIC WORLD (2015)

Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure
Running Length: 2:04
Cast:  Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Screenplay:  Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly, based on the novels by Michael Crichton

I was expecting JURASSIC WORLD to be another soulless CGI fest, but I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. Sure, it wasn't able to recapture the awe and magic of the original but that's actually a very tall order, isn't it? Even Spielberg himself couldn't pull it off in The Lost World. Although it's directed by a relatively newcomer (Trevorrow has only done one small movie before), he did really well here. It follows quite closely to the pattern of Jurassic Park; where the first 1/3 of the movie takes its time to establish its characters, the park and our "hero" dinosaur while the remaining of the film is dedicated to carnage and great action scenes. To be fair, it's not really a bad thing as it feels like an updated version for today's generation, but yet keeping the heart of the original intact (And speaking of heart, there is a moving scene which involved an interaction between man and dinosaur, that reminded me not to peel onions in the cinema).  In fact, this film is almost like a homage of sorts where all our favourite dinosaurs are back and even John Williams' iconic theme is fully embraced here too by composer Michael Giacchino. I actually like what he did with the subdued interpretations of the original score when it was used at appropriate scenes. And speaking of action, thankfully there is a sense of inherent danger and thrill in the dinosaur attack scenes but it doesn't come close to the memorable Raptors in the kitchen or T-Rex in the rain from the original. As for our actors, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard here are dependable with the former fairing better with his charisma, humour and caring heart all wrapped up in a rugged and imposing physique (ladies...awww~). Pratt is truly a legit and mega-star in the making. Overall, although the climax comes across as too neat and convenient, this sequel/soft reboot is a solid piece of entertainment. (Oh! And see if you can catch the little social commentary "wink at the audience" satirical jab at movie sequels needing to be bigger, badder and have more corporate sponsorships)

Rating: 8/10

MAGGIE (2015)

Genre: Drama/Horror
Running Length: 1:35
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson

Director: Henry Hobson
Screenplay: John Scott 3

I do enjoy the occasional heartbreaking movie, where everything about the narrative is hopeless and bleak. If done right, such films will cause viewers to squirm in their chairs as it digs deep down into our emotional core and forces us to confront our demons. Unfortunately MAGGIE is not one of them. I did shift around in the cinema chair but it's because it's such an extremely slow and boring movie. This movie has such a huge potential because it's a character driven zombie piece (viewers expecting Arnie to mow down some zombies will be snoring sorely disappointed) which deals with the trauma of being bitten and the impact it will have on their loved ones. It’s the waiting period that differentiates Maggie from the other zombie stories as it usually takes eight weeks from being "infected" to the "turn" (into zombies). However, first-time director Henry Hobson is not an actors' director as he didn't seem to be able to draw the best out his actors but instead focused on the stylistic aspect of the film. If the filmmakers were going for the art-house character study approach, they could have at least chosen better actors as such films rely heavily on the performance of its main cast. Schwarzenegger was always more of an icon than an actor. His approach to handling emotional scenes are like reading off cue cards; one scene at a time and doing it as big as possible with no continuity whatsoever. I didn't feel anything at all for Schwarzenegger as he agonizes and tries to avoid thinking about the day he has to put his infected daughter down. To be fair, you know he's given his best but honestly, he shouldn't be making a drama at all, ever.

Rating: 4/10