GIFTED (2017)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 1:41
Cast: Chris Evans, Lindsay Duncan, McKenna Grace, Octavia Spencer, Jenny Slate
Director: Marc Webb
Screenplay: Tom Flynn

GIFTED explores the premise of unconventional parental upbringing very much similar to last year's Captain Fantastic. The only difference is that the former feels more grounded and emotionally more satisfying.

Frank Adler (Evans) is the guardian of 7-year old Maths prodigy Mary (Grace), his dead sister's daughter. Frank chooses to nurture Mary like any other ordinary kid so she could lead a normal life. While Frank's estranged mother believes that special attention should be given to little Mary to hone her strengths. What ensues is Frank battling his own mother in court over the custody of Mary.

What I really like about this movie is how natural the story unfolds. One can expect such a dramatic plot would manipulate its audience to be emotional and take sides, but it doesn't. Because both sides are "correct" in presenting their case, there is no right or wrong method in parenting a gifted child. As an audience, I too wanted the best for the kid but what is "the best" in such a grey issue which desperately needs closure?

What makes this movie so watchable is the authentic performances. Evans brings his charm here and is believable in his character. Throughout the course of the film, I wasn't reminded that Chris Evans = Captain America (but I suspect I would feel otherwise if Ryan Reynolds was to play this part). The rest of the supporting cast is solid. Of course, the standout here is little McKenna Grace who gives such an honest performance, especially during the quieter emotional moments - I couldn't help but tear up.

This is not a perfect film as I felt the ending was a little too convenient. But I'm not complaining as it's always nice to just watch everyday people quietly going through their joys and struggles of their daily life for a change (vs loud fast cars trying to escape a charging submarine).

RATING: 8.5/10

GET OUT (2017)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Running Length: 1:43
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, LilRel Howery
Director: Jordan Peele
Screenplay: Jordan Peele

Those expecting Jordan Peele's directorial debut to be a full blown Key & Peele goofy comedy will be sorely disappointed because GET OUT is one hell of a creepy movie. Yes, thankfully there are some comedic elements to balance out the scares.

Get Out is more a thriller than a horror which shares the same tonality as Scream and the strangeness of The Stepford Wives. Peele borrows elements from various horror classics but yet he's able to deliver a satisfying outcome without coming across as a copycat.

This movie tells the tale of a black man (Kaluuya, who is very good at playing sympathetic characters as seen in Sicario and that one episode in Black Mirror) who visits his white girlfriend’s (Williams) parents in the deep country for the first time. Of course, he senses something is off - something sinister - with her parents and their black helpers.

What's exceptional about this movie is how clever the filmmakers blend a social commentary within a horror genre. As a result, the insights of the post-racial America showcased here is authentic and sharp. But thankfully Peele doesn't venture too deeply into racism but instead uses the black/white phobia to mess with the audience's mind at the start, right to the crowd-pleasing gory finale.

Get Out is tight and funnier than expected. And it's one of those films that will make you go, "Oh! That's why she did that!" way after you have left the cinema hall. It just gets better the more you think about it. It's still too early in the year but this movie is a strong contender to emerge in my top 10 of 2017 because it's one of those rare movies that would appeal to both horror fans and those who avoid this genre.

RATING: 8.5/10

THE BOSS BABY (2017)

Genre: Animated
Running Length: 1:37
Cast (Voices): Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Tobey Maguire, Miles Christopher Bakshi
Director: Tom McGrath
Screenplay: Michael McCullers based on the book The Boss Baby by Marla Frazee

When the trailer to THE BOSS BABY first dropped, it didn't really appeal to me. But I went on to watch it anyway hoping the entire movie would be a much better experience. But alas, compared to the other Dreamworks Animation productions, it wasn't as clever as How To Train Your Dragon series or as entertaining as The Kung Fu Panda trilogy.

In terms of animation style, it is closer to Sing. And both relies heavily on kids kind of humour (read: there are some laughs but not terribly funny). But the difference is that Sing had this one major unexpected scene in Act 3 which made me burst out in spontaneous laughter. And thereafter, the movie just got better and better up to the rousing finale. Wheres, The Boss Baby didn't have any of such surprises.

Plot wise, when a briefcase-carrying, suit-wearing little baby arrives at seven-year-old Tim’s home, his life changed forever. No longer he's the centre of attention with the arrival of his baby broooooother. Tim who has an outrageous and over active imagination, then starts plotting a way to get rid of the new addition. But somewhere in the middle of the movie, Tim and his little "Boss" brother managed to put their differences aside to work out a win-win agreement (ahem..corporate lingo).

Yeah, it sounds rather simple but yet complicated at the same time because in this universe, babies are not born but manufactured at Baby Corp (Storks did a much better job at this, plus it's OTT LOL funny). To be fair, there are some things that this movie did well such as casting Alec Baldwin (in full SNL President Trump mode) as the titular character. He is perfectly enjoyable here. And there are some beautifully rendered sequences of Tim's imagination. As mentioned, there are laughs and some heart in there but it's few and far between.

RATING: 5.5/10 

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017)

Genre: Musical
Running Length: 2:09
Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Stanley Tucci
Director: Bill Condon
Screenplay: Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos

You've got to give it to the House of Mouse for creating yet another stable revenue $tream; adapting their classic animations into live-action movies. With Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella and The Jungle Book, and now BEAUTY AND THE BEAST breaking all sorts of box office records, we will definitely be expecting more of such adaptations coming our way.

In all honesty, I did enjoy myself with this movie. Not because it offered anything new to add another layer to a classic we all know (like how Maleficent did), but it just felt familiar - like meeting an old friend. It was 2 hours of pleasant nostalgia. It's probably because it follows the 1991 animation classic to the tee.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. I found myself humming to the songs and was actually looking forward to the iconic scenes; the lively Be Our Guest number and of course, the ballroom dancing scene. 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. To be fair, there were some new compositions but they were mostly forgettable. And the attempt to provide some additional background to the characters were commendable but unfortunately, it didn't add any depth to them.

As for the casting, all were solid. But a big shout out to Luke Evans for playing the narcissistic Gaston. I remembered the animated Gaston to be this stereotype beefcake with not much happening up there. But Evans somehow managed to give Gaston a more "human" quality. Whenever he's on screen, he delivers his part with plenty of gusto.

I suspect for those who have not watched the predecessor, this 2017 version could be a magical experience for them. But for purists who grew up with the classic, I can only imagine it would suffer by comparison.

RATING: 7.5/10

QUEEN MOVIE: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY (2017)

Genre: Drama / Musical
Running Length: 2:25
Cast: Rami Malek, Gemma Arterton, Johnny Flynn, Matt Smith, Dominic Cooper, Tom Wilkinson
Director: Bryan Singer
Screenplay: Anthony McCarten

I remember reading quite recently a movie about the legendary Freddie Mercury and his band Queen was in the making but it caught me by surprise that QUEEN MOVIE: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY is out now and is actually showing in our local cinemas!

First and foremost, this film is not a bio-pic of Freddie Mercury. There are already many documentaries out there. Instead, screenwriter McCarten and director Singer chooses to focus on the dynamics between the genius of Mercury and the rest of the band members. As a result, the final product gives a better coverage of Queen as a band, instead of exploring the wild stories of its frontman.

Bohemian Rhapsody is structured as a three-part story; how the band got together, Queen at Live Aid and when Mercury learned he was dying. Occasional flashbacks are employed to flesh out more of its characters - their motivations and fear. Surprisingly, the movie features very few set pieces but relies more on the acting and dialogue; except Act 2.

Thankfully it wasn't boring thanks to the pacing and camera work. But that said, the big standout to me was the Live Aid concert moment, dubbed as the "20 minutes that changed music". The moments leading to the band playing in front of 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium was filled with so much anxiety I could literally feel the characters cracking under pressure. And when they finally performed, W.O.W, it was such an immersive experience!

So, did Mr Robot's Rami Malek do justice to playing the iconic Freddie Mercury? Well, he doesn’t bear a strong physical resemblance to Mercury but he definitely exudes presence and magnetism. Throughout the course of the film, Malek = Mercury. The supporting cast especially newcomer Flynn (who plays Brian May) are solid and provides an element of balance.

In my mind, Queen always begins and ends with Freddie Mercury. Although the filmmakers made a compelling movie of the band's career as a whole, I would have loved to see more of the madness of Mister Fahrenheit himself.

RATING: 8.5/10

Spoilers! Go to the comments section to reveal an unexpected famous actor who made an unforgettable cameo appearance!