KAUSERN REVIEWS TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2017

I watched 43 movies this year, short of 4 movies from 2016. First movie of the year, La La Land and last movie of the year, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

As mentioned in my post for Top 10 Movies of 2016, it's a privileged to be living in Malaysia as our cinema tickets are very affordable. Beside movies released via the cinemas, added to my list this year are exclusive Netflix movies.

Also for this Top 10 list, I've excluded movies which are considered last year's releases (eventhough it was only released in local cinemas here early of 2017). These movies are:

• Arrival (9/10)
• La La Land (8.5/10)
• Hacksaw Ridge (8.5/10)
• Dangal (8/10)

You can read more on my commentary on the above list when I did a mid year stock take on the Top 10 list of 2017

Ok, now that I've put that all aside, let's get on with the Top 10 movies of 2017! All of these movies were chosen mainly because it connected with me emotionally. Some of these made me laugh out so loud, some made me bawl my eyes out and there are some here which kept me on the edge of the cinema seat. And there are a handful which are just fresh and clever.


NOTEWORTHY MOVIES OF 2017

MAD WORLD (8/10)

A Hong Kong film on the rare topic of mental illness, with powerful performances from the three leads.


WONDER WOMAN (8/10)

A superhero movie done right. And Gal Gadot... *deep sigh with a hint of infatuation*


WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (8.5/10)

Somebody give Andy Serkis an Academy Award already!

BABY DRIVER (8.5/10)

Another Edgar Wright masterpiece: perfectly edited, amazing visuals and the SONGS!


THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (8.5/10)

Very entertaining, highly re-watchable with many LOL moments and surprisingly grounded in real life family issues.


...AND HERE ARE THE TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2017! 
(Click on the titles to read the full review)

#10 COCO (8.5/10)

That scene where little Miguel sings "Remember Me" to Mama Coco? T____T


#9 GIFTED (8.5/10)

Such a feel good movie with genuine performances especially from little McKenna Grace.


#8 STRONGER (8.5/10)

A true story of Jeff Bauman (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), a Boston Marathon bombing survivor who lost both of his legs. This movie plainly shows the good, the bad and the ugly of what he and his loved ones had to go through to rebuild his life. Very believable.


#7 COLOSSAL (8.5/10)

A quirky, funny, refreshing, clever and tragic story on undealt issues and its consequences. A high-concept movie.


#6 THOR: RAGNAROK (8.5/10)

I re-watched it recently and it was still as funny! A really ballsy, entertaining and fun Marvel movie, complete with the fist-pumping Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" memorable last act.


#5 OKJA (8.5/10)

This movie made me NOT EAT pork, beef, lamb and chicken for a month. I ate mainly vegetables and the occasional fish.


#4 GET OUT (8.5/10)

An exceptionally tight and clever movie which masterfully blends social commentary with the horror genre.


#3 BAD GENIUS (9/10)

A Thai movie which is brilliantly directed, edited and acted. What I love about this movie is the unpredictable plot. As soon as you think it would go a certain way, the dynamic changes. Who would have thought that watching a group of high school students cheat in their exams would be a nail-biting experience right to the very end!


#2 DUNKIRK (9.5/10)

A technical masterpiece filled with riveting moments which demands to be watched on the biggest screen possible and with the best sound system available. I watched it twice on IMAX.

  
#1 A GHOST STORY (9.5/10)

A haunting movie about unfinished business. A simple but yet a very high-concept film which was both intellectually and emotionally satisfying for me.


AND...that's a wrap for 2017! Here's looking forward to 2018!

JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (2017)

Genre: Adventure / Comedy
Running Length: 1:59
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Ser’Darius Blain, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman 
Director: Jake Kasdan
Screenplay: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers and Scott Rosenberg & Jeff Pinkner, based on Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

I suspect the reason I prefer JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE to the original Jumanji (starring the late Robin Williams) is because the 1995 version was really forgettable. I figuratively and literally mean it because I have no recollection of that movie experience.

It doesn't mean this movie is without faults for when a joke works, it works really well but when it doesn't, it's cringe worthy. What really worked for me is seeing Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Jack Black playing against type. And they seemed to be having a good time poking fun of themselves. Kevin Hart is well...Kevin Hart. He's always dependable to bring in the LOL moments for his shortcomings.

As for Nick Jonas' performance, I'm sorry but he really needs some acting lessons. Putting on an aviator sunglasses and acting cool is not...acting. That said, an unbilled cameo playing the adult version of Jonas' character was really effective. Eventhough his cameo was only for a few minutes and he comes in very late in the movie, his acting was really moving.

Perhaps that scene worked because we the audience, did feel the grave dangers and risk of what the characters had to go through to stay alive. You see, if they die in the game (see trailer for the plot synopsis), they die in real life. 

All in all, Welcome to the Jungle is easy to follow and entertaining. There is this nice "one life" quote which was uttered twice but it was the second time that had the most impact because of its context.

What I have learned from this movie?
"What makes someone really awesome is being comfortable in their own skin" 

RATING: 6.5/10

STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017)

Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure
Running Length: 2:32
Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro
Director: Rian Johnson
Screenplay: Rian Johnson, based on characters created by George Lucas

I really struggled with this review. When the credits to STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI rolled, I spontaneously gave this a high rating but as the days went by, the more I thought about it, the ratings started to go downhill. Finally, after considering all angles and reading other perspectives online, I have settled to give this episode ie. Episode VIII, a shade below Episode VII, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Let me get the negatives out of the way first. Firstly, I like my Star Wars to be serious. But there were just too many throw away gags in The Last Jedi which made some characters felt really off. Secondly, things are not always as it appears. Don't get me wrong, I do like my movies to be unpredictable but there were just way too many unexpected twists that disrupted the flow of the entire story. I felt the brief given to Rian Johnson (the writer and director) was to create a movie with many "everything you know is wrong and everything you care for is not important" moments.

Lastly, the other thing which really annoyed me was the shameless merchandise moments. There are two characters in there which I believe existed just to sell more toys to the masses.

As for the good stuff - this is a beautiful movie to watch. The red visuals are stunning. And there is a very exhilarating fight scene which I believe will be re-watched many times by viewers on YouTube in the future. In terms of character development, three people standout from the rest:
- the yin-yang relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey
- Poe Dameron's growth as a leader

The score was much better than The Force Awakens. One can distinctively hear popular themes from the original trilogy being mixed into this soundtrack.

If the objective of the filmmakers were to disrupt the entire Skywalker saga, then I think this episode did it. But what I would have preferred was for the filmmakers to pick a few twist, and super dramatize those moments instead, case in point: "Luke, I am your father".

RATING: 7/10

(COMBO REVIEW) THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES (2017) | A GHOST STORY (2017)

As I saw both of this films on the small screen (Meyerowitz on Netflix and Ghost on a flight), I didn't think of reviewing it. But after I watched a recent video by Nerdwriter I was inspired to write a combo review because they share a common theme (besides having 'story' in their titles) and that is: Moving on in Life.

THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES

There are many films out there about the typical dysfunctional American family but there's just something endearing about this film that makes it sad but yet hopeful. And I reckon it's because of the compassion of Baumbach (the writer and director) for he is able to paint a story of redemption in a broken family. Although this movie is dialogue heavy, viewers will not find it difficult to follow as Baumbach has presented THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES in a light-hearted manner.

As pointed out by the Nerdwriter, although there are rapid conversations happening between two people in a scene, it doesn't mean they are communicating. The real intent in these conversations are found not in their spoken words but expressed in-between their sentences, thus making this film a realistic (and entertaining) watch.

  

As good as Ben Stiller is, it is Adam Sandler who is a revelation here. His performance as the obliging eldest son is moving and heartfelt especially when his character is around his overbearing father (Hoffman). 

What is it about the power of a father's approval that will drive his sons day after day for a lifetime to prove to their father that they are good enough to be considered a man? 

RATING: 7.5/10

A GHOST STORY

A GHOST STORY is a haunting movie, but not in a paranormal kinda way. The movie stays with you long after the credits because the narrative reminds you of the need for closure in order to move on. It causes you to think rather than giving you the answers. 

If you watch the trailer, it plays out like a meditative arty indie film. It informs you of a couple where the husband dies very suddenly, and comes back in a Halloween kind of ghost to 'haunt' his grieving wife. Sounds like a self-indulgent, boring and almost cheesy premise, doesn't it? Trust me, it's not. What you see in the trailer is just the surface to a very original film. And that's all I'm going to say because anything thereafter may just constitute as a spoiler.

Although there are many scenes which are dialogue free (most of it are just long takes of silence), there is actually a lot going on underneath. Aside from what I feel as an unnecessary monologue, A Ghost Story is almost a perfect film. The storytelling is simple, smart and just beautiful to look at.

RATING: 9.5/10 

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THE MEYEROWITZ STORIES

Genre: Drama / Comedy 

Running Length: 1:50

Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Grace Van Patten, Emma Thompson, Elizabeth Marvel, Judd Hirsch, Rebecca Miller

Director: Noah Baumbach 

Screenplay: Noah Baumbach 

A GHOST STORY

Genre: Drama / Fantasy

Running Length: 1:32

Cast: Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara

Director: David Lowery

Screenplay: David Lowery

COCO (2017)

Genre: Animated

Running Length: 1:49

Cast (Voice): Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Renee Victor, Alanna Ubach

Director: Lee Unkrich

Screenplay: Adrian Molna, Matthew Aldrich

With COCO, I'm so glad Pixar still has got some originality in them. With their recent foray into more commercial movies such as the Car sequels and the unnecessary sequel to Finding Nemo and Monster Inc., I have to admit I walked into this one with a little trepidation. But I'm glad to report that although Coco is not high up there with Inside Out, Wall-E, Up, it's still a very good film. 

It takes its time to build its characters and introduces us to the laws of the afterlife. And the filmmakers do it so well that it packs a potent emotional punch in the last 10 minutes of the film. It brought not only tears to my eyes but almost every other adult in the cinema hall (perhaps that particular scene really got me as Mama Coco resembled my beloved grandma who passed away a month ago).   

What the filmmakers did right was also to create a true and true Mexican movie as they got everything right up the choice of food they offered to the dead. From what I have been reading online, many native Mexicans really appreciate the respect Pixar has given to their culture. Thus, it's not surprising to know that Coco is now the highest grossing animated movie ever in Mexico.

The subject of death and afterlife is not an easy topic to explain to kids but through this movie, Pixar manages to flesh it out in a light-hearted manner without diluting the seriousness of it. What I also love about Coco is its superior graphics and the details given to The Land of the Dead.   

That said, the songs are not so memorable (except 'Remember Me') and no matter how hard you try to disassociate this film with Book Of Life, there are still many resemblances of it eventhough their plots are different. AND, what was totally out of place was the animated short just before the movie. It's not really a short but a 20-min featurette of a character from Frozen - with singing and all. I should have just came in later to the cinema hall.     

RATING: 8.5/10

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (2017)

Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Running Length: 1:54
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr., Josh Gad, Willem Dafoe, Penelope Cruz, Johnny Depp, Judi Dench
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Screenplay: Michael Green, based on the novel by Agatha Christie

Knowing nothing about MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (which includes the book and the earlier movie/TV adaptation) is probably the best way to watch this updated version. Despite the dialogue heavy and at times slow pace, the final reveal and its implications were extremely satisfying.

Narrative wise, I felt like I was reading one of those good old fashioned murder mystery novels. There's just something very old school about this film's approach which I don't think Hollywood would ever churned out these days (probably, that's why they needed so many star power packed in one film just to get today's movie goers to watch this film).

Although the filmmakers employed interesting camera angles to tell the story and a sweeping melancholic soundtrack to accompany it, what really made this a compelling watch are the characters. It's like watching a well acted stage play. All the performances here are top notch but the two that really stood up was Branagh as our lead detective and Michelle Pfeiffer. Oh, there are so very good here!

What I learned from this movie:
"Humans are irrational and unpredictable creatures. So who am I to judge another when I too...walk imperfectly."

RATING: 8/10

 

JUSTICE LEAGUE (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Ciaran Hinds, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, Joe Morton, Billy Crudup, Amber Heard
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Chris Terrio and Joss Whedon, based on a story by Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio

JUSTICE LEAGUE is a much better film than expected. I was expecting another CGI laden mindless carnage outing (which to be fair, it still has plenty of it) but surprisingly, it has heart. Well, it's much better than Avengers: Age of Ultron and even Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

What I really appreciated about this movie is the balance of action and the quieter moments between our superheroes. For those who are unaware, Justice League actually has two directors. Zack Snyder had to step aside due to a family tragedy and Joss Whedon stepped in to do some re-shoots. It almost seems that the grand action pieces and the signature visual flair was helmed by Snyder while the light-hearted moments were done by Whedon.

Hey, I'm not complaining because it somehow worked for me. And thankfully, there is flow and hardly any inconsistencies. As mentioned, it's the "slower" scenes that actually made the camaraderie between our heroes believable. And there are many of these and most of these moments have smart dialogue and is quite funny. And speaking of funny, I'm glad the filmmakers didn't do a course correction and amped-up the comedy because I actually do like the "dark" and seriousness of the DC movies, but all of it just lacked soul (except for Wonder Woman).

The "new" characters to the team namely Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg could definitely have benefited if they had solo movies to explain their origins before this outing. One the film's best moment is when Wonder Woman reacted roughly to Batman when he mentioned her "dead boyfriend". That scene wouldn't have played out so powerfully if Wonder Woman didn't have a solo outing earlier this year.

Also, this movie has a very weak villain. Steppenwolf (a motion captured Ciaran Hinds) is not scary at all and is just another forgettable Big Bad Guy who wants to conquer the world. It seems the only reason he exists is to provide a catalyst to bring the Justice League together.

Lastly, I'm glad they brought back Danny Elfman to score the movie (replacing Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL). It's less bombastic and it goes back to basics drawing heavily from his own Batman (1989) theme as well as inserting hints of previous work of other composers. And I do very much dig Blues-rock guitarist Gary Clark Jr cover of the Beatles' Come Together. 

Overall, this film worked for me as I do like the characters. It's definitely a step in the right direction for the DC folks because I'm looking forward to see these superheroes on the big screen again, whether in their own films or as a team.

RATING: 7/10

VICTORIA AND ABDUL (2017)

Genre: Drama / Comedy
Running Length: 1:52
Cast: Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Olivia Williams, Michael Gambon, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith, Adeel Akhtar, Paul Higgins
Director: Stephen Frears
Screenplay: Lee Hall, based on the book by Shrabani Basu, Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant 

VICTORIA & ABDUL is based on the true events of Queen Victoria (The Queen of England who reigned from 1837 to her death in 1901), who found comfort and companionship in her twilight years in a young and handsome Indian attendant, Abdul Karim. Yes, you read it right. Obviously, such a relationship would be considered controversial (even in today's standards, what more then).

Thus, the royal family had to remove all traces of this scandalous affair from royal history. It is only until recently, a good 100 years later, a journalist Shrabani Basu noticed a clue in the Queen’s summer home that led her to discover their relationship (which she incorporated into her book Victoria & Abdul: The True Story of the Queen’s Closest Confidant - the basis for this movie). You can read more about it here, a story covered by Vanity Fair. 

However, one would think that with such a juicy material to work on, this film would be an interesting watch, but unfortunately, it failed to captivate. Perhaps it's the lack of in-depth material that prevented the narrative from going deeper.

It is interesting (and funny) in the beginning as the audience is introduced to how the two met. But halfway through the film, it started to drag for me. The elements of racism, behind-the-scenes of everyday life in the royal household and of course, the developing friendship of Victoia and Abdul, started to go in circles instead of in-depth.

Eventhough Abdul was painted as a man who's shrewd and naive at the same time, we were never really clear of his motives. I don't think it's entirely the fault of Ali Fazal's performance but more of the material that he was given to work on. Thankfully, Judi Dench's performance saved this movie. Despite being one the most powerful person at that era, we could feel the Queen's sadness and loneliness as she was surrounded by people who revered her and only cared for their own interests. So it wasn't surprising when she connected emotionally with a commoner who was respectful but yet unafraid of her. He looked at her as her, an imperfect human being.

All of us know that forging an emotional bond is one of the most important fundamental building blocks of a lasting relationship. But it's easier said than done. What I've learned from this movie is that having an emotional connection with anyone, regardless of age, colour and religion - is to be able to give the other person a friendly ear and having the courage to provide frank feedback. 

RATING: 7/10

THOR: RAGNAROK (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:13
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Karl Urban, Anthony Hopkins
Director: Taika Waititi
Screenplay: Eric Pearson and Craig Kyle & Christopher L. Yost

Oh wow. There's just so many things to sing praise about THOR: RAGNAROK I don't even know where to start. Well, let's just start with the overall reaction.  You know when someone asks you how was a particular movie and you would reply with an auto-response, "Yeah...it was fun"?

Well for Thor: Ragnarok, it's ACTUALLY really fun and enjoyable!

But most of all, this third standalone Thor film is hilarious! At times, I felt the overall tone was heavily inspired by Deadpool. Throughout the movie, I was thinking to myself, "How did Waititi get away with all these jokes?? I thought Marvel movies have a certain template the director must follow or else they would be fired/leave due to 'creative differences'?"

The comedy keeps on rolling, one after another. And the range is wide covering wit, self referencing jokes, gags, slapstick and meta humour. Thankfully, most of them lands and works really well.

In terms of the plot, Thor (Hemsworth) tries to stop Hela, the Goddess of Death (Blanchett) from destroying his kingdom, Asgard. But he accidentally goes on a detour to the planet Sakaar, where he is enslaved by the Grandmaster (Goldblum) and made a gladiator, and is forced to fight The Hulk (Ruffalo).

That said, as entertaining as it is, this is not a perfect movie. There were times I really wished the filmmakers didn't go overboard with the jokey tone but balances it out with some really serious emotional moments. There was probably one or two of such scenes but it was few and far between. And the villain was forgettable.

However, as for the performances, thanks to Waititi, he was able to get Hemsworth into a comedic groove, making his character appearing like a charming male dumb blonde (which I think is perfectly fine!). Ruffalo's fish out of water moments were absolute gold. A special shout-out to Tessa Thompson's character Valkyrie - oh my, she's so hot! Her charismatic performance here reminds me of a female Han Solo. Even the director himself appears as a memorable trash talking pile of rocks. And watch out for the cameos!

The action scenes are good but what's even better is how good this movie looks. There is this flashback scene of The Fall of The Valkyries which is absolutely stunning. But what's EVEN better is the game-like synthesizer infused soundtrack and the use of Led Zeppelin's classic, "Immigrant Song". Yes, that's THE song used in the trailer and it actually appears in the movie!

Indeed, the third time is the charm.

RATING: 8.5/10

TOMBIRUO: PENUNGGU RIMBA (2017)

Genre: Action / Adventure

Running Length: 1:55

Cast: Zul Ariffin, Farid Kamil, Nabila Huda, Faizal Hussein, Hasnul Rahmat, Farah Ahmad, Michael Chen, Dato’ M. Nasir, Atu Zero, Dynaz Mokhtar, Faye Kusairi

Director: Seth Larney

Screenplay: Yasmin Yaacob, Choong Chi Ren based on the novel Tombiruo: Penunggu Rimba

by Ramlee Awang Murshid

TOMBIRUO: PENUNGGU RIMBA is one of those movies where the story sounds much better being verbalized than the film itself. I was just narrating the story to a friend and I clearly remember thinking to myself, "Eh, the story is actually quite legit what...but why did it feel lackluster?" To be fair, it's not a bad film at all, but it's not a very good one either. I think it could be the fault of the script.

Set in current times, Tombiruo/Ejim (Zul Ariffin) is a troubled young man with a dark past who was raised in the jungles of Sabah, Malaysia. He is burdened with powers which he finds hard to control. His face is also deformed at birth. That's why our hero wears a mask the whole time. 

I find his origins story (established at the beginning) the most engaging. But the moment he goes on a journey to avenge the death of his foster father, the movie somewhat gets derailed. It's actually a straight forward plot but somehow it feels more complicated than it should. Nevertheless, the biggest standout for me was how beautiful the movie looks. The fight sequences are engaging too, employing recent camera tricks to capture the energy of the mano o mano scenes. 

The ensemble cast is made up of veteran actors and relatively newcomers. All of them did a serviceable job with special shout-out to Faizal Hussein as the father figure to our hero. Although his screen time is limited, he exudes presence everytime he is on screen. 

If only the filmmakers were bold enough to risk on some scenes, it would have moved the movie up a few levels on the emotional/shock scale. But they played it safe. Nevertheless, Tombiruo is another step forward for the local movie scene.

RATING: 6.5/10

THE FOREIGNER (2017)

Genre: Thriller / Action
Running Length: 1:54
Cast: Jackie Chan, Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Murphy, Orla Brady, Dermot Crowley, Rory Fleck Byrne, Ray Fearon
Director: Martin Campbell
Screenplay: David Marconi, based on “The Chinaman” by Stephen Leather

WARNING: What you see in THE FOREIGNER trailer is not what you're going to get in the movie itself.

There is more going on than just a simple revenge flick as suggested by the trailer. I suspect movie-goers expecting another Taken-like movie will be sorely disappointed. To be fair, there is enough action scenes to keep viewers occupied but 70% of the movie is mainly centered around a political thriller.

As I was expecting a good old fashioned revenge flick ie. Payback, I was pleasantly surprised to be introduced to a bigger world of dirty politics set against the tension of the Irish-British relations. This approach kept me engaged.

That said, the biggest problem I have with The Foreigner is I felt like I was watching two separate movies at the same time, interweaving one another clumsily. You have Jackie Chan's character as a grieving disheveled father doing whatever it takes to seek revenge for his daughter's death, and you have Pierce Brosnan's character as a government minister with a shady past trying to move up the political ranks.

What I think could have worked better if this film was made into a series instead. It's because there is just so many things going on - the story ended up pretty complex. As a feature length movie, it didn't give enough time for the different characters and sub-plots to breathe. Perhaps it was just bad editing?

In terms of performance, Chan's dramatic turn here is believable. There is this emotional scene in the beginning of the film where you see his character cradling his dead daughter. I just couldn't help but felt sorry for him. As for Brosnan, he equally gives a solid performance here as his character desperately tries to do what's right before his past catches up with him.

RATING: 7/10   

mother! (2017)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brian Gleeson, Domhnall Gleeson, Kristen Wiig
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Screenplay: Darren Aronofsky

mother! was a very difficult film for me to sit through. It was maddening especially its last 30 minutes. There were many times during the course of it I just felt like shouting out angrily in the cinema hall, "WHAT THE F**K IS GOING ON?!?" This film reminded me of my non-appreciation of abstract modern art. Everytime I come across a modern art museum, I would give it another go - to try to understand the displays. But after 15 minutes or so, I would usually give up and just walk out.

The only difference with mother! is I can't walk out of it. Firstly, it's because I've never walked out of a movie hall before no matter how horrible the film was. But to be fair, whatever was unfolding in front of me was pretty captivating. There was a deep sense of dread throughout so I waited and waited for that release but it never did come.

Here's the plot. A young woman (Lawrence) lives with her much older husband (Bardem) in a decaying large home in the middle of nowhere. She took it upon herself to restore the house. One fine day, two uninvited guests (Harris and Pfeiffer) showed up at their doorstep and decided to stay in their home. And from then on, things just got more claustrophobic, bizarre and twisted.

So, is the film any good? Well, upon exiting it, I was prepared to hate it. But after a few hours to a day of reflection, I have to admit this movie stayed with me and definitely drove me to forums to find some kind of meaning to the many nightmarish images that was thrown at the viewers. Just like modern art, in order to appreciate it, I needed context.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead. Stop reading if you're intending to watch this movie. 

And when I found the context, my verdict is: I acknowledge Aronofsky's courage to make this film and appreciate Paramount for releasing it widely. I get what the director is trying to preach using allegory as an art form. But I cannot accept his take on God and His relationship with mother earth. That said, if he would have just excluded his lecture on Christianity but instead focused on the horrible ordeal on the "rape" of mother earth, I reckon it would be a much more powerful and accessible piece of art (albeit still a difficult film to watch)

RATING: 3/10

STRONGER (2017)

Genre: Drama

Running Length: 1:52

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Clancy Brown, Carlos Sanz

Director: David Gordon Green

Screenplay: John Pollono, based on the book “Stronger” by Jeff Bauman and Bret Witter

STRONGER is a true story of the recent Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman (Gyllenhaal, in another Oscar worthy performance). It's about the struggles he has to go through to rebuild his life after losing both his legs in the ordeal.

Thanks to the main cast' grounded performances and the details given to re-tell the story, the day-to-day challenges Bauman faced; both physically and emotionally, are so believable I could't help but teared many times throughout the course of the film. It shows plainly the good, the bad and the ugly of what he goes through without manipulating the movie-goers' emotions. 

What I really like about this movie is how real and intimate it feels. While the media and everyone in Boston portrays Bauman as a symbol of hope #BostonStrong, but behind closed doors, he is a flawed individual just like everyone else. And the rest of his loved ones are relatable because they too are on a journey themselves and is just trying their very best to do what's right. Thankfully, there are no rousing music score to showcase those moments of hope. 

As good as Gyllenhaal is, it's Maslany's naturalistic performance as Bauman's girlfriend, Erin, that really touched me. You can see she's trying really hard to support him but at times, we're not sure whether she's with him because she loves him or because she feels guilty/pity for him. A big nod of approval too for Miranda Richardson's performance as Bauman's mother.  

What I learn from this inspiring movie is that God has a purpose for everyone, but coming to terms with it is not an easy journey.  

RATING: 8.5/10

KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (2017)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Running Length: 2:21
Cast: Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Pedro Pascal, Edward Holcroft, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Emily Watson, Bruce Greenwood, Hanna Alstrom
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Screenplay: Jane Goldman & Matthew Vaughn, based on the comic book “The Secret Service” by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons

I never really did enjoy the predecessor Kingsman: The Secret Service because of its wanton violence, excessive swearing and crude humour. However, there were some quiet tender moments between Firth's character being a father figure to Egerton's Eggsy, which was pretty powerful. The sequel KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE doesn't really do anything much different from the first film but just to make it bigger and louder, thanks to a bigger budget.

Everything just feels like a 'one-up'; more CGI-heavy action sequences, more characters, more swearing. As meh as the first film was to me, at least it had an element of surprise. But this latest outing just feels safe. As OTT as some of the action sequences were, I actually felt bored.

Thankfully, there are enough gags and humour to save this film from totally unwatchable. To be fair, there are more comedic moments in this sequel, especially the ones involving a British singer. And Egerton proves he's not a one-hit wonder but is indeed capable of playing the lead. Firth is OK but at times it feels like he's not really invested in this movie. The rest of the cast is serviceable (a big shout out to Mark Strong's emotional rendition of John Denver's Take Me Home, Country Roads).

RATING: 5.5/10

AMERICAN ASSASSIN (2017)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Running Length: 1:52
Cast: Dylan O’Brien, Michael Keaton, Taylor Kitsch, Sanaa Lathan, Shiva Negar, Scott Adkins
Director: Michael Cuesta
Screenplay: Stephen Schiff and Michael Finch and Edward Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz, based on the novel by Vince Flynn.

I'm going to try something different in this review. There will be minor spoilers. So, if you're intending to watch AMERICAN ASSASSIN please stop reading now. Come back after you've seen it.

Still here...ok here goes.

Firstly, let me start off with the plot.  A young good looking man (O'Brien) proposes to his beautiful girlfriend at a beach. Out of nowhere, a group of terrorist attacks everyone there and the girl is brutally gunned down. As a result, the guy grows a manly beard and trains himself to hunt and take down these cold blooded killers - all by himself. In the process, he is recruited by the CIA to help them stop a nuclear bomb threat.

To be fair, you can watch the above plot in the trailers. It was because of the trailers, especially the first one, I was captivated by what I saw. "Woah, the boy from the Maze Runner series looks macho here! And that John Carter dude plays a baddie? Michael Keaton??! Here take my money!"

But alas...this movie is so generic one can fall asleep during the film and when he wakes up, he can still follow what's happening on screen. If it wasn't for the big names, this would be a B-grade on-demand type of movie.

If the filmmakers could do this again, I have 3 suggestions for them to make American Assassin a much better watch.

1) Cast an unexpected actor as the lead
Credit should be given to O'Brien for giving his all for this film. But he is just not believable here. As O'Brien has done action flicks before, the filmmakers should have cast an unexpected actor in this movie. Think Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Before he became an action hero, he was this almost non-confrontational cool dude with a smirk in the romantic comedy TV series Moonlighting. Nobody would have thought he was capable of playing such an action driven role but he nailed it. (Nicholas Cage in The Rock and Con Air achieved a similar buzz too. Before these movies, he was a dramatic actor).

2) Cast an unexpected actor as the main villain 
Similar argument as (1). No doubt, Kitsch was an unexpected choice but he just wasn't menacing enough. He came across as a boy with daddy issues. Totally unforgettable. Anybody with decent acting chops could have played that role. Using Die Hard as an example again, think about the casting of Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber. Now, that's a real baddie. Before his breakout role, he played small dramatic roles on British TV.

3) Don't chicken out on the ending
I thought the filmmakers will be bold enough to do something daring at the end - to give it a "too little too late" finale causing hundreds of casualties. That could have redeemed the movie. But they played it safe.

If anything, American Assassin kills time.

RATING: 5.5/10 

AMERICAN MADE (2017)

Genre: Thriller / Comedy / Drama
Running Length: 1:55
Cast: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Caleb Landry Jones, Jesse Plemons
Director: Doug Liman
Screenplay: Gary Spinelli

As fun as AMERICAN MADE was, I sincerely think that Tom Cruise is miscast here. For starters, he doesn't look anything like the real Barry Seal (a chubby pilot who worked for both the CIA and the Colombian cartel in the 1980s), eventhough some critics said that Cruise channels the same "spirit" as Seal. Don't get me wrong, Mr Cruise does some fine work here. Some would even say he has return to form. But what could have been more believable is for Tom to really pack on a few pounds like what Christian Bale did in American Hustle

This biopic is about the life of Barry Seal, a hot shot maverick commercial pilot who got himself drawn into working with the CIA. The events that followed suit got more bizarre, bigger and crazier, all in the name of chasing after the American dream. I read somewhere that this movie felt like a cross between The Wolf of Wall Street and Top Gun.  

What didn't work for me is that as the turn of events got more bizarre and dangerous, Seal always "gets away". Thus, after a while I didn't feel any real tension because I know Cruise will somehow escape and still flash his signature mega-watt smile. We don't get to see Seal struggle through the moral dilemma of his actions and somehow gets the audience to feel sympathetic for him (eventhough what he does is not really nice).

What I learn from this movie is that sometimes learning when to stop and surrender - will make all the difference.

RATING: 6.5/10

BAD GENIUS (2017)

Genre: Thriller / Comedy
Running Length: 2:10
Cast: Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, Eisaya Hosuwan, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Chanon Santinatornkul, Thaneth Warakulnukroh
Director: Nattawut Poonpiriya
Screenplay: Tanida Hantaweewatana, Vasudhorn Piyaromna, Nattawut Poonpiriya

What I've learned from this movie is that the Love of a father is more than just provision and protection. Whether we're a genius or a fool, a nurturing father will always encourage us to choose the right way. On the contrary, the absence of a father figure may cause us to be lured by a faster but darker way to be recognized and live up to people's expectations. Unfortunately, this path would usually lead to destruction.

BAD GENIUS is such a brilliant watch! Who would have thought that cinema-goers would be kept on the edge of their seats by watching a group of high school students cheating in their exams. This movie feels like a cross between a teen movie and Ocean's Eleven with a stylish visual flair of Edgar Wright's movies.

The story starts off with brilliant student Lynn (Chuengcharoensukying) securing a scholarship at a prestigious high school. She then befriends Grace (Hosuwan) and her rich kid boyfriend Pat (Supapunpinyo). Soon, Grace would emotionally blackmail Lynn to help her and her spoiled brat bf to cheat in their exams - in exchange for a healthy amount of money.

Lynn gives in as she justifies her decision as a way of helping her working-class father (Warakulnukroh). In no time, this arrangement grew rapidly involving more wealthy classmates but with more at stake. The plot thickens with the arrival of Bank (Santinatornkul), another equally brilliant student. While Lynn is more street smart, Bank is more naive, uptight and goes by the book kinda boy.

What I love about this movie is the unpredictable plot. As soon as you think it would go a certain way for our protagonists, a spanner gets thrown in the works. It is truly a relentless display of Murphy's Law with a big emotional payout at the end.

That said, the performances from the peripheral characters do come across as a little over-the-top and cartoon-y. But thankfully, the casting of our main characters is strong with a special shout out to Warakulnukroh's performance as the sympathetic and supportive father.

Bad Genius is sharply directed and well edited especially the nail-biting sequences. It's also grounded in Asian values thus, feels more at home for me. As a result, it feels fresh and more importantly, entertaining.

RATING: 9/10

BABY DRIVER (2017)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Running Length: 1:53
Cast: Ansel Elgort, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Lily James, Kevin Spacey, Eiza Gonzalez, CJ Jones, Jon Bernthal
Director: Edgar Wright
Screenplay: Edgar Wright

Life lesson: Not everyone appears the way they seem. So don't be too quick to judge and be kind to everyone you meet, for they could be fighting their inner demons you know nothing about.

From a narrative standpoint, BABY DRIVER doesn't really break any new ground. The story is about Baby (Elgort), a getaway driver who works for a criminal mastermind (Spacey). After finishing his "one last job", Baby retires to spend time with his new found love (Lily James). As predicted, nobody really gets to leave the world of violent crime.

Sounds familiar but yet, writer director Edgar Wright manages to create a very visual and fresh viewing experience. And it's all gotta do with the directing, the magic of editing and the SONGS! Almost the entire movie was cut in time to the songs employed. It was edited in such a way to have us hear Baby's personal soundtrack as he goes through his day-to-day.

His choice of songs not only informs us of his mood but we get to also know his character better with every song played. Such a concept reminds me of Guardians of the Galaxy but Wright's technique is much more refined here. As a result, this movie feels like a pseudo-musical especially its first half. What more with some scenes where bright colours are exploited.

Eventhough such an approach hint a world of fantasy, this movie is actually pretty grounded especially the second half where things take a dark turn. The car chase scenes generated real suspense (vs the Fast and Furious kind which are...kinda boring) and I felt nervous when a character is about to shoot another person (vs the John Wick kind which is also...kinda boring). Perhaps the latter movies remind us of video games where we are desensitized by its CGI violence. People do get hurt in this movie, sometimes in shocking ways.

That said, some characters are not really well written particularly the female characters. They felt one-dimensional. The same can't be said for their male counterparts as they have much more layers in their characters. I didn't really enjoy Ansel Elgort's smarty pants performance in The Fault In Our Stars but in this film, he is perfectly cast and is charismatic as hell. And Jamie Foxx! He is so intense here as the live wire and walking time-bomb of the group, I was genuinely terrified whenever he appears on screen.

Not the best movie of the year but definitely the most fun.

RATING: 8.5/10