We're almost halfway though 2017 and I'm glad to report that this year's quality of movies are much higher compared to the first half of 2016. Most of the movies I watched this year are rated in the strong 7s.
A difficult film to sit through not because it is bad but because of its subject matter; mental illness and the reaction from the Hong Kong public. A necessary watch.
The true story of the journey of India's first female wrestler to winning the Gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. A gamut of emotions; tender, funny and that "YES!!!" rousing finale.
Mel Gibson is one of those rare directors who can pull off a balance between extreme violence and delivering a clear spiritual message. Andrew Garfield's performance as the anti-hero is solid and Oscar worthy. #6 LA LA LAND (8.5/10)
The filmmakers reel you in with its beautiful, magical, immersive and believable chemistry between the two leads and then gut you where it hurts with that finale.
"Adults who avoid intimacy or closeness with someone, usually stems from the emotional abandonment they experienced in childhood from one or both of their parents."
Daddy issues - that basically sums up the source material for this movie. Dark indeed but yet, it's extremely entertaining, filled with over-the-top LOL moments and definitely worth re-watching.
This movie about unconventional parenting has #SoMuchFeels I teared up in a couple of scenes. The performances here are so genuine and authentic especially from little McKenna Grace.
"If our personal issues are not dealt with overtime, it would grow into something so monstrous it would affect or even destroy our relationships."
Quirky, funny, refreshing, clever and tragic.
It's one of those very rare films that just gets better the more you think about it. An exceptionally tight and clever movie which masterfully blends social commentary with the horror genre. And it's funnier than expected.
#1 ARRIVAL (9/10)
For the thinking and patient viewers, they will find Arrival intellectually, emotionally and perhaps even spiritually very satisfying. Everything here from performances, cinematography, set design, sound and score are almost perfect. I genuinely felt the "painful hope" our heroine had to endure when she decoded the purpose of the aliens' arrival.
And...it's a wrap for the first half of the year! Can't wait for what the rest of the year has in store for us cinema goers. Looking forward!
Genre: Action / Horror
Running Length: 1:50
Cast: Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Screenplay: David Koepp, Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman
Tom Cruise's THE MUMMY has a few memorable moments but the narrative is so inconsistent it feels like the writers borrowed heavily from an assortment of ideas and stitched it clumsily together. End result: a Frankenstein monster (UUUUUGGGGHHH...)
Perhaps it's a case of too many cooks spoil the broth (the writing talents here is insane), coupled with an incapable director. The soundtrack seems off. And there were unnecessary roles like Russell Crowe's character and Jake Johnson's. And don't get me started with the poor casting; a weak and irritating female protagonist who actually plays an important role to Cruise's character motivation. As for Sofia Boutella's mummy, she is not even menacing.
As for Maverick himself, Mr Cruise as we all know, is always 101% committed to the moment and the audience can feel his intensity. Whether he's acting (boggle-eyed, doing the "What.The.Hell..." expression, screaming) or running or even flashing his signature smile, he is ALWAYS ALL IN. Even so, he is totally miscast here. It would be an interesting choice though if he played a supporting role in this movie, perhaps Russell's character. Hmmm...
I supposed the main goal of The Mummy is to kickstart a Marvel MCU / DC DCEU multi-movie crossover franchise with classic monster characters like Dracula, The Wolfman and yes, Frankenstein monster but judging from the supposedly lacklustre box office taking and the horrible reviews it's currently receiving, I am not sure this would be happening anytime soon.
Well, compared to the Brendan Fraser's 1999 The Mummy, at least that was was fun in a National Treasure / Indiana Jones-ish way.
Genre: Action / Adventure
Running Length: 2:21
Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Elena Anaya
Director: Patty Jenkins
Screenplay: Allan Heinberg, based on a story by Zack Snyder, Allan Heinberg and Jason Fuchs
Right now as you're reading this, there are so many reviews out there lauding WONDER WOMAN (even Batman is baffled with Wonder Woman's Rotten Tomatoes Scores), I don't know how else to contribute except to recommend that you catch it in the cinemas real soon. As for the setting and to get a sense of the plot, watch the trailer below.
It's not a perfect movie. The finale here reminded me of last year's Batman V Superman finale, which I didn't enjoy. I can understand the loud and CGI heavy smack-down is necessary as this is a pop movie after all but...I digress.
But otherwise, this is a great origin super hero movie. I can sense that it was directed with much care and sensitivity, thanks to the inspired choice of employing a female director. The dialogue is clever and is peppered with enough humour to not take itself too seriously. But more importantly, there were enough "negative spaces" to let the movie breathe, allowing its characters to develop. As a result, when the emotional scenes kicked in, it paid off handsomely.
And speaking of handsome, Chris Pine is charming here as he provides the wit and reality of the situation. As for Gal Gadot (*deep sigh*), she IS Wonder Woman, just as Hugh Jackman is Wolverine. She has the strength and innocence just as how Christopher Reeve had for his Superman. She is elegant, beautiful and just simply mesmerizing. Pine and Gadot are believable as a romantic couple.
To be fair, it's not all lovey-dovey as this movie is set during World War I. Although the horrors of war are not shown, some scenes are disturbing if the audience give it more thought. All in all, Wonder Woman is a solid debut (with a rousing score) and I can't wait to see Diana (trivia: nobody calls her 'Wonder Woman' in this film) in her second solo outing. I hope it would be as good as Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
