ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (2016)

Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure
Running Length: 2:13
Cast: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Alan Tudyk, Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen,
Director: Gareth Edwards
Screenplay: Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta, based on characters created by George Lucas

ROGUE ONE is better than Force Awakens, not because the former is more superior but it's because the end product feels unrestrained. Probably the filmmakers do not feel overly pressurized to fit their story into the Skywalker saga. One do not really need to fully understand the universe that George Lucas has created in his trilogies to enjoy this movie.

For Star Wars fans, Rogue One is packed with easter eggs. Thankfully it wasn't distracting but more like a wink to its legion of followers. As for the narrative itself, it's a grittier fare than one would expect because this film has more "war" than "star" ie space opera. People die in Rogue One. Not just one but many.

That said, when the characters gets killed off, I didn't feel much for them, eventhough the movie took a good 50%-60% of its running length to establish its characters. Ok, I did feel a lump in my throat when one of them perished.

The 'return' of Darth Vader was triumphant. Eventhough Director Krennic is the chief villain in this film, it is Darth Vader that steals the show with the few scenes he is in. Talk about impact. As for the rest of the cast, Diego Luna's character is equally central as Felicity Jones'. And as for Donnie Yen, it's nice to see him finally getting the kind of recognition from the West he so deserves. Overall, the diverse cast is adequate.

The big standout for me was the special effects. It is very impressive especially the dogfights and war scenes. It wasn't a disorientating mess as viewers know who's good and bad. And thank God it's not a CGI fest aka screensaver, like the ones in Ep. I, II and III. And speaking of CGI, the recreation of Grand Moff Tarkin (once again portrayed by Peter Cushing, who passed away in 1994) using CGI was a distraction for me. It reminded me of Polar Express.    

In summary, Rogue One a good standalone movie and it presents a closure on why the Empire's ultimate planet killer weapon had such an easy-to-exploit flaw. And it serves well as a companion piece to the Star Wars anthology too.

Rating: 8.5/10

MOANA (2016)

Genre: Animated
Running Length: 1:43
Cast (Voices): Auli’I Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Jermaine Clement, Temeura Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk
Director: Ron Clements & John Musker
Screenplay: Jared Bush, Ron Clements, John Musker, Pamela Pibon, Taika Waititi

MOANA is the classic hero's journey story where one must overcome a series of conflict for his/her transformation to be completed. Probably that's why it feels like a throwback to the Disney hits in the late 80s/early 90s ie The Little Mermaid, The Lion King. The storytelling is linear; punctuated with songs and memorable animal sidekicks.

The film tells a tale of Moana, a teenage Polynesian girl, who has to team up with Maui, a cocky demi-god, to save her tribe. Along her journey, they have to face coconut-shaped pirates (in an engaging sequence most likely inspired by Mad Max: Fury Road), a giant narcissistic crab and a massive lava monster.

The film’s visuals are top notch. As most of the scenes involve the sea, the animated water is really impressive. The voice cast is overall rock solid (see what I did there *smirk*) with a special nod to Jermaine Clement's jewel-encrusted vain crustacean. Also, a special shout out to the opening animated short, Inner Workings which kinda sets the theme for Moana.

Although it felt long (probably because the characters frequently break into singing songs - one of the key reason why I wasn't into Disney cartoons then), I still enjoyed it more than I should have because it's entertaining.

I just hope the Mouse Factory doesn't get lazy and continue to produce such 'retro' animated flicks or even re-hashing their classics into live action. Because their recent films such as Wreck-it Ralph and Zootopia are smart and fresh.

Rating: 7/10

APPRENTICE (2016)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 1:36
Cast:  Fir Rahman, Wan Hanafi Su, Mastura Ahmad,
Director: Boo Junfeng
Screenplay: Boo Junfeng

"The payment of sin is death..." Romans 6:23

APPRENTICE is a Singapore produced movie which debuted at the prestigious Cannes film festival this year and is currently 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. When the credits rolled, I can understand why. Everyone in the cinema hall I was in was in total silence for a good 30 secs. I believe we were deeply affected from the 90mins+ experience. It was like we went through a spiritual experience.

The story tells of a young correctional officer (newcomer Fir Rahman) who is transferred to another prison and forms a friendship with the 60+ years old Chief "Hangmen" Executioner, played by Wan Hanifi Su (a Malaysian veteran actor). When the Chief's assistant quit because he just couldn't pull the lever, Rahman's character is asked by the Chief to be his potential successor.

This film is more than just about capital punishment and the moral dilemma our junior protagonist had to face. From the movie trailer, we are given a clue to the motive behind our protagonist's decision to join the prison. But if you were to distill it down further, it's really a story about 'atonement with the father' (you can google this term and read more about it)

In essence, our 'hero' must reconcile with the ultimate authority figure in his life. And in our story here, we are given glimpses of Rahman's character trying to cancel out a wrongdoing throughout his life by doing good deeds and also to resort himself to some act of self-punishment, thus putting himself into a self-imposed prisoner of the mind.

This poetic aspect of the story intrigued me the most. Hats off to the filmmakers wanting to challenge themselves to relate such a complicated human condition to a relatively simple premise of capital punishment of 'gantung sampai mati'. Speaking of that, there is an engagingly educational scene where the Chief explains to his apprentice the technical aspects of hanging a criminal.

In summary, this performance driven movie is very well made. Even the performances of those to be hung are extremely moving. The pacing is good as it moves the movie along effortlessly. Special shout out to the cinematographer and the sound effects crew as they were able to create an immersive sense of dread and claustrophobia.
 
There are many movies out there which highlights the life of the prisoners but never have I seen anything like Apprentice which gives special attention to the life of the guards and the prisoners' family members. This is indeed an emotionally satisfying movie.

"...but the gift that God freely gives is everlasting life..." Romans 6:23

Rating: 9.5/10

BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK (2016)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 1:50
Cast: Joe Alwyn, Garrett Hedlund, Arturo Castro, Mason Lee, Astro, Beau Knapp, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Barney Harris, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin, Chris Tucker, Kristen Stewart
Director: Ang Lee
Screenplay: Jean-Christophe Castelli based on the novel by Ben Fountain

I applaud Ang Lee's intent to immerse us in the reality and authenticity of soldiers going through post-war trauma with using new photo realistic technology (120 frames-per-second) to shoot it and almost filming most scenes in 'first person' pov. But his new movie, BILLY LYNN'S LONG HALFTIME WALK turned out to be more distracting than captivating.

The story is simple enough. Billy Lynn (played by a newcomer, Joe Alwyn) temporarily returns home to Texas from Iraq (the 2004 war) for a victory tour. He is a war hero because he braved himself to save his wounded sergeant during a massive exchange of fire. His heroic act was caught on camera. As part of the tour, he and his troop are to participate in an elaborate football halftime show featuring Destiny's Child. As Billy and his band of brothers prepare for this show, the audience is taken on a journey into the mind of Billy of what he went through at Iraq.

This supposedly immersive filming experiment between us the audience and the film, comes to a climax at the half time show itself where the filmmakers cleverly drew resemblance between the chaos and exploding fireworks with what was happening at the combat scene. I must say that supersized scene itself was worth the price of the ticket because I could actually feel what Billy was going through - his discomfort, confusion and removed poise he has to put up. It was intense.

But other than this central scene, the rest of the movie is mediocre. The themes are strong but somehow it just didn't shine through. Especially the paradox of heroism - one minute the soldiers are treated as royalty and the other as toiletries. And there's also the satire of the American dream.

There's so much potential for emotional heft that could have been explored without the need to use such seemingly 'immersive' new tech.  There are some quiet moments which are powerful but those moving scenes are just few and far between.

Rating: 6/10

JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK (2016)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Running Length: 1:58

Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Danika Yarosh, Aldis Hodge, Patrick Heusinger

Director: Edward Zwick  

Screenplay: Richard Wenk and Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz, based on the book by Lee Child

I went in to JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK with poor expectations because of two reasons: (1) the critics were bashing it and (2) Cobie Smulders, because I still can't get past her as 'Robin Scherbatsky' from How I Met Your Mother (Her starring role in The Avengers had that effect on me). But I was pleasantly surprised how entertaining this film turned out to be. 

Well, it's not perfect, in fact far from it. But it's well paced and it has some nice grounded action scenes with bone-crunching type of fist fights. And it has a little investigative work thrown into the plot. It kinda reminds me of the Taken movies. Predictable but engaging. 

As for the story, Cobie Smulders' character (Major Susan Turner) is framed and it's up to Reacher to clear her name and in the process, Reacher gets to beat the crap out of some mercenaries who's out to get them. Oh, and Reacher also discovers he may have a teenage daughter. 

As far as the screenplay goes, the plot holes are as big as the potholes on KL roads. And the dialogue is cheesy. And I'm not really sure of the relationship between Major Turner and Jack Reacher because they do get undressed a fair bit and sleeps in the same hotel room but never get past first base. And why would Reacher wants to risk his life to help her? 

And speaking of our hero, as I don't read the books, I'm not sure why he chose a solo life and just loves to get himself into hand-to-hand combat situations. So many questions but 1/3 into the movie, I just let it all go and went with the flow; cheering on as Tom Cruise shoots, punches, breaks many bones and runs...alot. Speaking of action, eventhough it's a PG13 rated movie, the filmmakers are really pushing the envelope on its level of violence. 

And as for Colbie Smulders, I'm glad to say that never was I reminded of her TV career throughout the course of this movie. She delivers in a big-way. Her tough as nails Major Turner can really kick some serious ass and more importantly, she's believable in this character. And Heusinger plays a very convincing villain so much so, you really want him to die brutally in the end.  

You can’t go wrong with Cruise as his movies are always at a certain standard. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is not as spectacle filled as any of his Mission Impossible movies but it's still a nice little action flick. 

Rating: 7/10

DOCTOR STRANGE (2016)

Genre: Action / Adventure

Running Length: 1:55

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Scott Adkins, Benjamin Bratt

Director: Scott Derrickson

Screenplay: Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill

I've read before film critics complaining that the recent Marvel movies are starting to feel the same. As for me, the fatigue has finally set in with DOCTOR STRANGE. Eventhough stylistically it looks different from the others, this film is still cut from the same cloth. Speaking of style, one thing I did enjoy are the trippy sequences and the Inception like building-bending fight scenes. But even so, it felt tiresome after a while. 

As for the plot, it follows more or less the same formula as any superhero origin story. Cumberbatch plays Dr Stephen Strange, a brilliant but cocky neurosurgeon who lost the precision of his hands from a horrible car accident. No longer can he practice as a surgeon, he desperately seeks healing from a mystical sect in Nepal led by the Ancient One (Swinton). 

Naturally, Strange ends up to be the "chosen" one in the sect and has to battle a band of mystical bad people (led by Mikkelsen) who are up to no good and is detroying New York and London...yet again. Thrown into the destruction this time is Hong Kong. 

From the very little I know about this comic hero, Benedict Cumberbatch definitely looks the part but I'm not sure if he nailed the character. He definitely has presence and his comic timing is good. However, the film's comedy element is bordering on silliness especially the anti-climatic finale. I felt like I was watching a gag reel. 

Marvel Studios is a well-oiled scalable moviemaking machine and they will continue to use the cookie-cutter approach to churn out its content. Doctor Strange is going to make heap loads of money in the box office anyway, so why fix it if it's not broken?

Rating: 5.5/10

THE ACCOUNTANT (2016)

Genre: Thriller / Action
Running Length: 2:08
Cast:  Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, Jon Bernthal, J.K. Simmons, John Lithgow, Cynthia Addai-Robinson
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Screenplay: Bill Dubuque

THE ACCOUNTANT is one of those movies which I went, "Now that's interesting; a mashup of autism and action thriller" but the more I think about it, the more its unique narrative diminishes. To be fair, it's still an entertaining movie and it's not as intense and serious like what is shown in the trailer. It's actually quite funny at times.

Ben Affleck is fine here and is still in full post-Batman shape as his "accountant" character is indifferent, fights for injustice and possesses a deadly set of combat abilities. His character is trained in the martial art of Silat, a pro in a variety of firearms and he usually goes for headshots. And of course, he's a genius in numbers and puzzles.

The plot is pretty straight forward; our hero is a forensic accountant with autism who earns big-bucks for cooking/uncooking the books for the world's shady characters. He tries to lay low by taking on a seemingly simple contractual job at a robotics firm but is soon caught in the cross-hairs of some assassins.

The movie employs flashback to different times of Affleck's character in the past to give him more depth and motivations to who he is presently. It's definitely an interesting structural approach but what annoyed me are the unnecessary multiple twists at the end and its poorly integrated subplots involving its supporting characters. Yes, it is as confusing as it sounds for a fairly simple plot.

Rating: 6.5/10

THE WAILING (2016)

Genre: Thriller / Horror
Running Length: 2:36
Cast: Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, Jun Kunimura, Kim Hwan-hee, Chun Woo-hee
Director: Na Hong-jin
Screenplay: Na Hong-jin

"They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." Luke 24:37-39

THE WAILING starts off with that passage taken from the Bible. To provide some context to those verses, those words were spoken by Jesus in His resurrected form (after the crucifixion) to His disciples. That passage essentially anchors the entire theme of the movie.

In no way this movie is preachy, but it is an allegory of sorts peppered with Christian motif and the supernatural. In fact, the narrative is so organic and dynamic, it's really up to the audience to interpret what they want to believe. This slow-burn and strange story will keep you wondering long after you've left the cinema (at least that's what it did to me. I'm still pondering as I'm writing this review).

To me, the dominant idea of The Wailing is faith and doubt of men.

Eventhough it has a good amount of horror elements (exorcism, occult rituals etc), this is not your standard horror picture. It's more of a psychological thriller horror film - arranged in that order. It messes your mind with an unpredictable plot that will keep you guessing. There are no jump scares but yet, you will still be scared.

The story is set in the present day in a small Korean rural village. A slow-witted police sergeant (Kwak's character) is investigating a gruesome homicide where a man, seemingly being possessed by an evil spirit, stabbed his family to death. Soon, there are similar grisly murders that followed suit. From the rumours he has been hearing, our protagonist believes an elderly Japanese man (who has just moved into the village) is behind all these.

I won't spoil the rest of the movie for you because to be honest, the above is just the beginning of a series of events that gets more bizarre as the story unfolds. For example, the first 1/3 of the movie is actually pretty comedic but the filmmakers did this on purpose to reel you in for an unforgettable ride.

The acting is first class because it relies alot on the reactions of its actors. A special shout out to the child actor who played the protagonist's young daughter. There is an intense exorcism scene (with drums and all) involving the daughter and a Korean shaman that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

From a technical perspective, the cinematography is much more impressive than The Revenant. The reason for the comparison is because both the directors chose to shoot the film with natural lighting to give it a more organic and atmospheric feel. But yet, this movie is much more immersive.

In summary, The Wailing is a rare and unique movie experience with a satisfyingly ambiguous ending. I think not everyone will like this film but it did it for me - it still haunts me now. In a similar fashion, I would like to end this review with a Bible verse: "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." Romans 14:23

Rating: 10/10

BRIDGET JONES'S BABY (2016)

Genre: Comedy/Romance

Running Length: 2:00

Cast: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Patrick Dempsey, Sarah Solemani, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Emma Thompson

Director: Sharon Maguire 

Screenplay: Helen Fielding and Dan Mazar and Emma Thompson, based on characters created by Helen Fielding 

When you watch a Bridget Jones movie, you're 100% sure it will have a happy ending. So, when I walked into BRIDGET JONES'S BABY, all I did was relax and enjoy the ride. And enjoyed it, I did. It was consistently witty, laugh out loud funny at times and even moving in some scenes. It exceeded my expectations. 

There's just something commendable about making a well written romantic comedy for the older audience. It's rare in an era where movie studios prefer to churn out romcoms to appeal to the below 30s viewers in the name of box office moola.  

As for the plot, the movie title and poster kinda says it all. Bridget Jones, 43 years old, is single again and has split from Mr Darcy some years now. Darcy has moved on and married to someone else. All alone on her birthday, Jones decided it's time to take control of her life by attending a Woodstock "make love, not war" type of music festival, got herself wasted and ended up bonking Dempsey's character; a dashing entrepreneur who's an expert in love algorithm. A week later, Jones is briefly reconnected with Mr Darcy (who is now separated) and yes, you guessed it...also ended up under the sheets. 

Predictably, she is preggers. But who's the father? Jeng jeng jeng...And so the chaos ensues with the two potential fathers fighting over both Jones and her baby. In the previous installments, we all secretly want Bridget to end up with Mr Darcy but she will always be distracted by another man. In the first two films, it was Hugh Grant's character, and in this one, it's Dempsey's Jack Qwant.     

Overall the cast is solid with a special shout out to wonderful new additions Emma Thompson and Sarah Solemani who plays a gynaecologist and Bridget's colleague respectively. As for Patrick Dempsey, he is charming indeed but I feel he is trying a little too hard and thus ended up not being a worthy opponent of Firth's Mark Darcy.  

To sum it up, even if you've not watched any of the earlier films (or read the books), you'll still have a good time watching it. 

Rating: 7.5/10

INFERNO (2016)

Genre: Thriller/Adventure

Running Length: 2:01

Cast: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy, Ben Foster, Ana Ularu

Director: Ron Howard

Screenplay: David Koepp, adapted from the novel by Dan Brown

INFERNO; how could so many well meaning and experienced talent (David Koepp who wrote Jurassic Park, The Hans Zimmer, The Ron Howard and The Tom Hanks) produced such a convoluted movie? Probably the source of the material is to be blamed. It seems to ring true that Dan Brown's novels offers his readers excitement and always something to learn but it just doesn't hold up well under scrutiny.  

So when it's adapted to the big screen, the plot holes and logic (or the lack of it) are amplified. And to be honest, right from the very first movie, the casting of Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon (the hero in Brown's books) was a big mistake. Hanks doesn't come across as charming or learned but instead, he comes off as your regular nice guy in a suit with a perpetual frown. Even after three movies, Hanks hasn't grown into Langdon's shoes.

As for Inferno's plot, a billionaire mad scientist with a cult following is trying to save the world from overpopulation by culling off 50% of its population. He believes by doing so, beauty will rise from the ashes just like how the Black Plague sparked the Renaissance. And so, he created an apocalyptic airborne virus that will wipe out a good portion of the population in no time. 

What's puzzling is instead of releasing it himself, he has left clues for his followers to find it and set it off. Yepp...And that's where our code breaker expert + history buff uncle comes in. Langdon's mission is to go on a scavenger hunt to locate the virus before our mad man's followers reach it first. His first clue is Botticelli's famed Map Of Hell painting, inspired by Dante's epic poem Inferno. And off he goes with Felicity Jones' character into a race against time + sight-seeing trip of sorts (Florence, Venice, Istanbul) by following the breadcrumbs.

To be fair, it has its fun moments and it has Irrfan Khan, who steals the show whenever he's on screen. I would suggest for you to read the book instead. At least, the book's resolution did not have a Hollywood ending like what they did to this movie. Or just re-watch Indiana Jones or even Nicholas Cage's National Treasure.  

Rating: 5.5/10

DEEPWATER HORIZON (2016)

Genre: Drama / Adventure
Running Length: 1:47
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O’Brien, John Malkovich, Kate Hudson
Director: Peter Berg
Screenplay: Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand, based on the article by David Rohde and Stephanie Saul

Rarely can I use "engaging" and "educational" to describe a movie but DEEPWATER HORIZON did exactly that for me. Probably due to my ignorance, I was aware of this true event but I didn't really know much about it. Dubbed as "the worst environmental disaster in American history", this movie reenacts the explosion on the BP Deep Horizon oil rig off the coast of New Orleans in April 2010.

As a result of that, 11 workers were killed and millions of barrels of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico. The oil from the sea-floor gushed out and flowed for 87 days, until it was capped on July 15, 2010. I read a recent report that this deadly spill (even after more than 6 years) may not have fully "cleared up" yet and may have caused a permanent damage to the Gulf's marshes.

Although this movie is based on true events, the narrative is structured more like a disaster movie where the focus is more on the the heroism of ordinary people; very much like the recent Sully (which is still showing in the cinemas). The characters are all well established right at the start of the film.   

What I like about this movie is the build up to the destruction of the oil rig. Symbolism, choice of words, aptly used of sounds and score, and clever scenes such as the young daughter of our protagonist (played by Wahlberg) explaining the principal behind oil drilling using a can of soda - gives the movie a foreboding atmosphere. So much so when the actual explosion took place, I literally said out loud, "Oh Shit!".

If there is a downside to this movie, it is the events that followed after the explosion. There is surprisingly little suspense as characters try to escape from all the fire and carnage. And the demonization of BP in the form of John Malkovich is a little overdone. But thankfully, Malkovich's character is nicely balanced out by Russell's character as the noble captain while the rest of the cast are equally solid.

I urge you not to walk out from the cinema as soon as the movie ends because there is a dignified and fitting tribute to the 11 workers.

Rating: 8/10

STORKS (2016)

Genre: Animated
Running Length: 1:27
Cast (Voices): Andy Samberg, Katie Crown, Kelsey Grammer, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Jennifer Aniston, Ty Burrell, Danny Trejo, Stephen Kramer Glickman
Director: Nicholas Stoller, Doug Sweetland
Screenplay: Nicholas Stoller

I've never laughed our loud so much recently in the cinema but STORKS brand of humour did it for me - it just hit me in all the right spots. From the same studio that gave us the very clever, fun and touching The Lego Movie, Storks is not as deep but it is equally enjoyable with its over-the-top random and ridiculous visual gags.

But it's not all just comedy as the themes explored here work for both adults and kids. There are hints of corporate culture (not as direct as The Lego Movie) and finding one's roots (similiar as Finding Dory), but in the end, this movie is really about parenthood.

Young parents will fully understand the situations presented in the movie; A male stork bickering with a human girl on who should get some sleep while the other stays up with the baby, an alpha and beta wolf fight each other for the custody of the baby and a scene involving our heroes fighting off evil penguins silently in order not to wake the baby.
 
Yes, it sounds very absurd but this is one hilarious and yet emotionally satisfying 90 minutes film thanks to its well written script and manic energy it brings to the screen.

Rating: 8.5/10

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016)

Genre: Western / Action

Running Length: 2:12

Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Byung-hun Lee, Vincent D’Onofrio, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard, Hayley Bennett

Director: Antoine Fuqua 

Screenplay: Richard Wenk & Nic Pizzolatto, based on the screenplay for “The Seven Samurai” by Akira Kurosawa & Shinobu Hashimoto & Hideo Oguni 

This updated version of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN brings nothing new to the table except to literally update it for today's generation since the original is more than 50 years old (the 1960 version was also a re-imagination of Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai (1954)).

To be fair, the first act was a good set-up where we witness the chief villain (deliciously played by Sarsgaard) struts into a church of a small frontier town with his men and forces the villagers to sell their land for cheap. Of course, things went south and helpless peasants were brutally killed. As a result, one of the widowed decided to go against these aggressors by recruiting a fighting force. The plot is simple enough to follow but yet when the credits rolled, the entire experience just felt like an exercise in futility. 

The "seven" characters were underdeveloped and thus I didn't care much at all when the odds were stacked against them in the loud and chaotic final act. One interesting thing the filmmakers could have focused on is to invest a little bit more time to give a proper backstory to our heroes so that their purpose of assembling together is more believable. It felt like Suicide Squad ie. what's in it for a bunch of misfits to get together to save the world?   

Washington is fine as the ringleader. Come to think of it, Denzel has always been playing a "cowboy" in his action movies eg Equalizer, Man on Fire, The Book of Eli. Pratt is as charismatic as ever. There are hints of the iconic score from the 1960s version (dum, dum, de-dum, dum dum dum da-de-dum) but you will have to wait till the closing credits to enjoy its full glory. 

Overall, despite its slick production, the diverse cast and fun shoot 'em up scenes, this popcorn western is forgettable. Towards the second half, I had this nagging voice in me that I should have just watched the original version or even the Japanese one.  

Rating: 6/10

TRAIN TO BUSAN (2016)

Genre: Drama / Thriller
Running Length: 1:57
Cast: Gong Yoo, Kim Soo-an, Jeong Yu-mi, Ma Dong-seok, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, Kim Eui-sung
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Screenplay: Park Joo-suk

Right at the start of TRAIN TO BUSAN, the set up is clear where this "train" is going to take its audience. The movie's concept is a fascinating one; using a travelling bullet train (full of flesh eating zombies) as a canvas for social commentary and polarization.

After a near flawless first half, the second half felt repetitive and manipulative. Nevertheless, this is one entertaining flick especially the zombie attack scenes. The zombies we have here are not the slow moving "Braaaaainssss" genre but the 28 Days Later/World War Z variety - they are fast, focused and violent flesh eaters. And once a victim is bitten, it takes just a few minutes for them to turn. This is no Maggie. 

There are many unbearable nail-biting suspenseful sequences. So much so, an audience sitting next to me was shouting, "Cepat CEPAT TUTUP PINTU LA!" during those claustrophobic high tension moments. Thus, this movie is not really one of those horror movies which rely heavily on jump scares.

So why the 2nd half felt tiring? Well, there were just one too many escape-from-the-zombies-attack scenes. And the filmmakers were very heavy handed with their characters. I was hoping some of them would not end up as stereotypes, but instead, the filmmakers turned up the stereotyping to 11. If you never thought you could hate a character so much, wait till you see this movie. And there many instances of unnecessary emotional manipulation just to squeeze tears out from its moviegoers. No subtlety whatsoever.  

In terms of performances, two really stood out; Kim Soo-ann as the little girl and the super charismatic Ma Dong-seok. In summary, this film champions kindness during the worst and best of humanity.

Review: 7.5/10

SULLY (2016)

Genre: Drama

Running Length: 1:36

Cast:  Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney

Director: Clint Eastwood 

Screenplay: Todd Komarnicki, based on the book by Chesley Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow 

Can a 3.5 mins incident made into a full length 90 mins movie? The answer is "Yes!". Despite padding it up with backstories, side stories and the aftermath, SULLY doesn't feel bloated and the end result is an uplifting movie. Kudos to director Eastwood for his pacing and his team of editors. 

The movie is about the true story of the US Airways plane that landed safely on the Hudson river, New York in the freezing cold of Jan 2009. Known as the "Miracle on the Hudson", all 155 passengers and crew on board were safe. This film focuses on captain Chelsey ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, the emergency landing itself and an aviation board inquiry thereafter. 

Clint Eastwood movies are always simple to follow and completely engaging but somehow feels "shallow" much later after you have walked out from the cinema hall. It's like eating a box of popcorn; it's so delicious and filling but somehow you just don't feel "full" thereafter.  

In fact, I felt the narrative is over simplified and some of the scenes were heavily handed. Everyone involved in the rescue mission was surprisingly calm and knew exactly what to do. The stories from side characters especially the passengers came across as plasticky and OTT in sentimentalism. 

 

The film is at its strongest when it focuses on Hanks' character doubting his decision and dealing with "What if I have made a mistake?" when he was presented with data, algorithms and flight simulations during the inquiry. Another big highlight is the emergency landing scene itself; it's actually a miracle to be feeling anxious and on the edge of my seat when I jolly well knew all will be ok. 

Hanks have somewhat mastered such a character - the ordinary family man demonstrating courage under fire and is self-sacrificing when subjected to extraordinary danger. I call it the good old-fashioned American heroism. He practically played the same character in Captain Phillips. 

All in all, although Sully is a stretch in some scenes, it is still a feel good movie that showcases the triumph of the human spirit that will instantly make your day better. 

Rating: 8.5/10

PEKAK (2016)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 1:36
Cast: Zahiril Adzim, Sharifah Amani, Amerul Affendi, Iedil Putra, Sharifah Sakinah, Joe Flizzow
Director: Mohd Khairul Azri
Screenplay: Mohd Khairul Azri, based on an original story by Azril Hamzah and Alfie Palermo

The arresting starting frame of PEKAK, the directorial debut of Khairul Azri, virtually stopped me in my tracks. Every shot thereafter is beautifully shot and the set up is just downright compelling. I was thinking to myself, "Wow, this is actually a very good movie!" But a strange thing happened somewhere at the halfway mark; it took an obvious nosedive into a telemovie territory.

I'm not sure what happened after such a promising first half. It's as though the filmmakers ran out of budget because it felt like two movies directed by two different directors written by two different screenwriters. That said, let's talk about the better half first.

The movie starts off by introducing us to Uda, our protagonist (played convincingly by Adzim), a deaf drug pusher who is forced to sell drugs to save enough cash for a surgery to restore his hearing. In the process of his daily job, he crosses path with Amani's character, Dara, a school girl who comes from a broken family. Predictably, a romantic relationship forms and what ensues is a Shakespearean tragedy-like tale.

Everything about the movie (well, at least the first half) is beautiful and it is has a somewhat poetic rhythm to it. The score is hypnotic. It is peppered with symbolism eg. Uda temporarily mends Dara's torn dress using a name tag with her name on it. And the build up is good where there is a genuine sense of dread and danger for our star-crossed lovers.

The casting choices are fitting as the audience could immediately relate to the characters. Very believable acting from the cast especially our supporting actors;  Affendi and Sakina. There are some risque scenes shown which are pretty bold for a local production.

Clearly, the folks behind Pekak understands filmmaking. So that's why it is really puzzling for me what happened to the second half of the film, where even the climatic resolution curiously turned into a Game of Thrones like sequence.  

In conclusion, this indie film is no Jagat but it comes pretty close.

Rating: 7/10

BLOOD FATHER (2016)

Genre: Thriller / Action
Running Length: 1:28
Cast:  Mel Gibson, Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna, Michael Parks, William H. Macy
Director: Jean-François Richet
Screenplay; Peter Craig, Andrea Berloff

I can now understand why BLOOD FATHER was made for VOD and has a limited theatrical release in the US and other countries (I watched it in the smallest hall in Berjaya Times Square). Eventhough the critics are praising this movie and has voiced out that it should have been given a proper cinema-wide release, I personally disagree.

To be fair, one thing this B-grade movie has working for it is - the significant presence of Mel Gibson. Without him as the lead, this movie is overall sh*t. His character is believable because he's practically playing himself; a recovering alcoholic with a colourful past prone to be a loose cannon when provoked. It's as though Mel Gibson is using this film to make up for his past sins.

The plot is along the same lines as Taken (in a desert setting) where Gibson's character has to go against a violent gang to save his estranged daughter. The movie gets really good when Gibson gives in to his rage and is willing to go for broke to save her girl. Unfortunately, there are just a handful of such showdowns throughout its lean running time.

There are some nice funny bantering moments between father and daughter but overall, it's just not cinematic enough to resuscitate Gibson's acting career. C'mon Quentin Tarantino, the king of career resurrection, please do something with Mel Gibson already!

Rating: 5.5/10

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016)

Genre: Animated
Running Length: 1:35
Cast (Voices): Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Vaccaro
Director: Travis Knight
Screenplay: Marc Haimes and Chris Butler, based on a story by Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes

From the trailer, there seems to be a lot happening but KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS is ultimately the classic hero's journey story. The story is told in a surreal feudal Japan (think Samurai) setting where reality meets fantasy.

Let's get the downside out of the way first because there's way more upside going for me - so much so that this film will most likely end up in my top 10 of 2016. Firstly, there is indeed a lot happening in its 90 minutes it feels that the filmmakers are being overly ambitious. A "less is more" approach could have been more effective. Secondly, the resolution at the end seems a little anti-climatic and too neat.

But as for the rest of the film, it's a powerful story about the power of storytelling. It's a story about hope and love grounded in the gritty reality of death and loss. Eventhough it has enough humour and action to distract a child audience, this is no Minions. The villains are scary and the themes explored are dark; right from the start we are introduced to a baby Kubo (and his mother) escaping from his grandfather who wants to gouge his other eye out. Yep, this is just the beginning.

The choice of using stop motion at core + CGI to tell of such an epic fantasy seems like a limitation but I read somewhere that Travis Knight (the director, and CEO of Laika; the animation house that produced this movie) wanted to challenge his team and himself to see how far they can push the technology of this medium. As a result, not only it looks visually gorgeous but the medium of stop motion just gives it a very organic and human feel that pure CGI may not be able to pull off.

The voice cast is fitting especially McConaughey, who is surprising very goofy. The score is just perfect especially during the film's tender moments and there are some pleasant "hidden in plain sight" revelations throughout the course of Kubo's heroic journey that makes this a must-watch movie.

Rating: 9/10

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (2016)

Genre: Drama / Comedy
Running Length: 1:58
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Shree Crooks, Nicholas Hamilton, Annalise Basso, Samantha Isler, Ann Dowd, Frank Langella, Steve Zahn, Kathryn Hahn, George MacKay, Charlie Shotwell
Director: Matt Ross
Screenplay: Matt Ross

In the summer season where blockbusters are meant to be a spectacle fest with loud noises and kinetic action sequences, CAPTAIN FANTASTIC offers an alternative. It's a small and quiet movie anchored around the theme of parenting (so no, this is not another superhero movie).

This film explores two different approaches to raising a family; back-to-nature experiential technique vs. the conventional way. Although the film leans towards the appeal of the former approach (at least from a philosophical standpoint), it balances out pretty well with the practicality of the latter.

Mortensen plays the role of the father raising his six kids away from society in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. His wife had to be separated from the family to seek medical attention in the city for her serious condition. Not long thereafter, she took her own life.

I'm not spoiling the movie because all these happened at the very beginning. For most of the film, we follow this family's road trip which they are forced to take - a journey to the city to attend their mother's funeral.

The synopsis above definitely gives out the vibes of Little Miss Sunshine, the other small quirky film that was both a critical and commercial hit a while back. Although this film has its funny moments, it's primarily a drama. There are some very powerful moments especially the emotional reactions from the children when they found out that they will never see their mother again.

The other potent scene that got me is when his eldest son confronted Mortensen's character on his upbringing techniques, "Unless it comes out of a <expletive> book I don’t know ANYTHING about ANYTHING!" This is an actor's movie and the performances are strong across-the-board. Mortensen is ideally cast but it's Langella's portrayal as our protagonist late wife's conservative dad that captivated me.

Although this probably won't end up winning any major awards, Captain Fantastic is still a refreshing original story from Hollywood.

Rating: 8/10

SUICIDE SQUAD (2016)

Genre: Action
Running Length: 2:10
Cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Cara Delevigne, Karen Fukuhara, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jay Hernandez, Jai Courtney
Director: David Ayer
Screenplay: David Ayer

SUICIDE SQUAD had a similar effect on me as Batman V Superman. It feels and look the same as BVS but way more disappointing because of all the hype thanks to the awesome trailers.

To be fair, the premise of recruiting some of the baddest villains in the DC universe and assemble them as a team to fight a much bigger threat to the world, sound interesting. Unfortunately in this case, the concept sounds better than the execution.

I went in with a curious mind hoping to like some of these oddball characters just like how Guardian of the Galaxy did it for me. I didn't super enjoy Guardians as a whole but I would definitely want to watch its upcoming sequel. But it can't be said with this movie if the studio decides to develop a follow-up.

Probably it's because it didn't really make me care for any of its offbeat characters. Only Will Smith, Margot Robbie and Jay Hernandez characters' backstory are fleshed-out well. Leto's Joker looks creepy but somehow ends up being more of a lost lover boy than a menacing villain. And speaking of "villain", the chief villain here is...boring. Her motivations are never really clear. In fact, Viola Davis' tough-as-nails character is even more scary. Robbie's character even remarked in one scene, "Are you the devil?"

In terms of action and effects, it's nicely done and beautiful to watch. Unfortunately, it's just not enough to save this movie.

Rating: 4.5/10  

JASON BOURNE (2016)

Genre: Thriller / Action
Running Length: 2:03
Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, Riz Ahmed
Director: Paul Greengrass
Screenplay: Paul Greengrass & Christopher Rouse

Despite the rinsing and repeating elements from the trilogy, JASON BOURNE still feels fresh. It's all there, exactly like how Honest Trailers - The Bourne Trilogy pointed out. That said, one doesn't go into a Bourne movie expecting an intellectually stimulating experience. The series' only has one goal; to keep the audience gasping for breath from get go with Greengrass' frenetic camerawork.

And this installment probably offers the best of such relentless intensity in the series. The action set pieces are not mindless (meaning: predictable and boring) but it's choreographed and edited in such a a way that it amps up the tension. The best of which comes near the end; an exhilarating car chase that actually feels real and dangerous.

As for the plot, the Snowden and social media backdrop are introduced in this film to give it a bit more relevance to today's context but like I mentioned, it's pretty much the same - the CIA hunting down Jason Bourne.

As for the supporting cast, they all do a fine job. Jones,Vikander and Cassel are all serviceable. But man...Matt Damon IS Jason <expletive> Bourne. Eventhough this outing is clearly financially motivated, I'm glad the filmmakers still put in a lot of heart and more importantly, Damon didn't phone-in his performance (*cough* Bruce Willis *cough* Die Hard series).

I'm definitely looking forward for more of Damon/Bourne walking away to Moby's Extreme Ways in the closing credits.

Rating: 7.5/10

STAR TREK BEYOND (2016)

Genre: Science Fiction / Action
Running Length: 2.00
Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella
Director: Justin Lin
Screenplay: Simon Pegg & Doug Jung

I was neither a big fan of Star Trek nor Star Wars series. But I leaned towards the latter because light sabers are just too cool. Well let's put it this way, Star Wars is about a war and Star Trek is about trekking the galaxy for the purpose of exploration. And war stories are always grander in scope and the agenda is clear; good guys vs bad guys. Thus, the premise of showing the day-to-day life on the Enterprise and the crew contemplating whether to engage with foreign regimes or not seems boring...until now.

Well, the first act of STAR TREK BEYOND does just that by looking at the reality of the everyday life on the starship. Even Captain Kirk himself is questioning his purpose as the captain of the ship because, "Things are starting to feel a little...episodic, " he confesses.

But when the second act kicks in, it goes up a notch. The Captain and his crew are attacked by Krall (Alba), a vicious enemy. As a result, the USS Enterprise crashes (yet again) into our deadly enemy's territory and the main crew are separated. It is in this process of finding each other and rescuing the rest of the crew, the audience is treated to some nice character development. The highlight to me is the amazing chemistry between Urban and Quinto's character as they had to lean-on each other to survive. A shout out to Urban who usually plays tough action hero characters because in this installment, his Bones character is fully fleshed out and his against type casting as a "doctor and not a fighter" is just perfect.

Speaking of casting, many critics have argued that Idris Alba is wasted as the main villain because he is buried under all the prosthetic. But when his character's motivation is revealed, I personally felt his casting was worthwhile.    

And when the movie finally kicks into warp drive in its third act, it goes into full on explosive Justin Lin's Fast & Furious mode. In fact, now I can fully appreciate how clever it is for the marketing team to use "it" for its first trailer. Many may argue for its sheer ridiculousness but I love it!

All in all, Star Trek Beyond should appeal to the mainstream audience without alienating fans of the Star Trek series. Although it seems to draw more inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy in terms of its treatment, I'm not complaining because this film is much more fun compared to its predecessors. And it has a good balance of piling up the action and focusing on the relationships within the crew. The humanity element which defines this series is respectfully kept in this sequel as it explores the vision of what society could become in the future if humanity learned from its past mistakes...or do not.

Rating: 8.5/10

COLD WAR 2 (2016)

Genre: Thriller / Action
Running Length: 1:54
Cast: Aaron Kwok, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Chow Yun-Fat, Charlie Young, Eddie Peng
Director: Longman Leung, Sunny Luk
Screenplay: Jack Ng, Longman Leung, Sunny Luk

Although COLD WAR 2 is not cut from the same cloth as the classic Infernal Affairs (and its sequel), it's a much more engaging outing than its predecessor. This sequel literally picks up where Part 1 left off with a tense rescue drama. And it pretty much maintains its high energy throughout the film.

When the film came to a close, I couldn't help but feel really satisfied until I started thinking more about it. And the more I thought about it, the faster my satisfaction for this film diminished. As opposed to Infernal Affairs, it had a reverse effect. The reason for the comparison is because both films deal with the internal strife and conflict between management and operations in a bureaucratic organization. Both are first a political thriller, then only action.

That said, Infernal Affairs strongly relied on the acting caliber of its leads and superior editing eg. pauses and silence to allow the actors (and the audience) to process and react to a situation, while the Cold War saga uses non-stop camera work and over dramatic soundtrack to convey hammer home a point. I was continually engaged with what's on screen not because of its narrative but because of its unnecessary multiple cuts for a simple action. I had to pay attention to keep track of what's happening. And the soundtrack... oh boy, it doesn't seem to stop throughout the film; a slow track to convey a certain emotion and a loud booming one to emphasize anger and tension.

And if you thought that the first one was serious, this sequel takes it up a few notches. Everyone in this movie is either brooding or stressed up. It just takes itself way too seriously. And the frustrating part is when the movie ends, it doesn't resolve anything but just to reveal that these on-screen characters are pawns of a greater scheme of things. And speaking of the final scene...really??

That said, I still enjoyed Cold War 2. One of the action sequence in a highway tunnel was so heart-stopping it kept me on the edge of my seat (credit to action choreographer Chin Ka Lock). Tony Leung still steals the show with his powerhouse performance, but I must say Aaron Kwok's performance has surprisingly improved too.

Rating: 7.5/10

GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)

Genre: Comedy/Horror

Running Length: 1:56

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth

Director: Paul Feig 

Screenplay: Katie Dippold & Paul Feig, based on the 1984 film written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis 

Eventhough I walked into the new GHOSTBUSTERS film without much judgement (in actuality, I couldn't remember much of the original or even the sequel), it turned out to be not very good. It's not very bad either but it's just...mediocre. 

When the studio announced that they would be rebooting the series with an all female cast, I thought it was a clever idea. I enjoyed the trailers because it checked all the boxes of the Ghostbusters elements which I was familiar; the four buddies, the comedy, the proton packs, the classic station wagon and of course, the theme song. 

But what made this movie meh is the weak script. It felt as though the filmmakers were torn between making a fan service film and taking risk to do something different. As mentioned, although all the familiar elements are present, and even the original cast made a cameo, I felt that the existence of this movie was just unnecessary. If only they followed what The Force Awakens did where the old characters came alongside to support the new cast, this new Ghostbusters film could have turned out to be a fresh approach to the franchise without alienating the fans.     

What made the the original worked is the comedy. But for some reason, this film's focus is on the Ghostbuster-on-ghost action. To be fair, some of the action sequences are engaging but the majority of it especially the "epic final battle" turned out to be boring (because it's so done before). But is it funny? Well let's just say there are more miss than hits. Chris Hemsworth is hilarious and I'm glad he wasn't just playing a small supporting role.  

What I do like about this film is the cool looking apparitions. They are bright and glowy (and some are quite scary looking). In conclusion, this is a serviceable film but there's just nothing memorable about it.

Rating: 6/10

THREE (2016)

Genre: Thriller
Running Length: 1:28
Cast: Vicki Zhao, Louis Koo, Wallace Chung
Director: Johnnie To
Screenplay: Yau Nai-hoi, Lau Ho-leung, Mak Tin-shu

"Walking in a group of three people, I could surely find my own teacher. Indeed, I would take the two of them as my teachers. For example, there may be one person who is good and one who is dishonest. I should select the good things and virtues of the first person and follow by way of imitation. Also, I should silently observe and reject the vices of the other person, and if I discover the same mistake within myself, I should correct it." Confucius

Johnnie To's THREE finale is so baffling it immediately killed off everything good it was building up to. Every.single.thing. All.at.once.

It's not the script to the ending that was lame but the choice of how the filmmakers decide to treat it. Imagine any scene from a Quentin Tarantino film that involves a prolonged conversation during a Mexican standoff. The ones that keep building up the tension until it becomes too unbearable it just explodes in your face when the tension breaks with a shootout? Now, what if you were to replace these QT signatured shootouts with a stylistic OTT slo-mo tracking shot unfolding over a sentimental pop song by Ed Sheeran? WTF right?!

Although inconsistent at times, I loved everything about the movie - until of course the ending ruined everything. The film explores cinematically with the above teaching from Confucius (in my opinion, this story would have worked better as a stage play). What lessons would these three characters; Zhao the doctor, Koo the police inspector and Chung the chief villain, learn about themselves when their lives intersect over a day in a hospital? It's an interesting character study as we see the irrational choices our protagonists make when they are being forced into a corner.

As the premise of this movie relies heavily on the performance of its actors, all three leads are equally good especially Zhao. And they are effectively supported by the usual go-to Johnnie To's stable of supporting actors. The cinematography, sound and editing are really tight, thus giving it a tension filled atmosphere right from the start. The up-closed graphic images of scalpels slicing into flesh and blood squirting out during the surgery scenes fill the atmosphere with dread - as we know something bad is going to happen. It's like watching a ticking time bomb.

But the ending...

Rating: 4/10