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