NETFLIX: UNCUT GEM

Release Date: Netflix Malaysia, 31 Jan 2020

Genre: Drama / Thriller

Running Length: 2:16

Cast: Adam Sandler, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Lakeith Stanfield, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch

Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

Screenplay: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Ronald Bronstein

The backdrop that UNCUT GEMS transpires against is not new - the gemstone industry. But the way this movie unfolds is refreshing.

The pace is relentless with shady characters and con artist talking and shouting on top of each other at any one time. I was trying hard to understand what was going on 10 percent into the movie and my head wanted to explode. I wanted to scream, "WTF is going on??! Can all of you just SHUT UP!!!"

But if you can power through and not be distracted by pausing or fast forwarding or even walking to the fridge to get something (since this is streaming on Netflix), the payoff is worth it.

Gemstone dealer Howard Ratner (Sandler) is the film’s high-strung protagonist who likes to live on the edge and is always on the verge of an eruption. He is a womanizer, compulsive gambler and all-around crook. Howard is pinning all his hopes on an Ethiopian opal that would get him out out of his debt situation. Throughout the film, he is a ticking time bomb. 

This is one of those rare gems of a movie that almost everything about it, from the directing to the acting and the technical aspects of it, is flawless. Adam Sandler received so many critical praises for his performance here I had to check it out (I'm never a big fan of Adam). If I'm one of the film studio executives, I wouldn't be able to imagine Sandler in this role, "C'mon, this role is totally out of his league!"

It’s a tough part for anyone to pull off, but Sandler nails it. His character is repulsive but yet, oddly charismatic. I can't help but to root for him.

Set in New York in 2012, the Safdie Brothers successfully captures the overwhelming and chaotic energy of the city with the extreme close-ups of the characters, intentional haphazard editing and its synthesized score.

This movie is uncompromising, stressful and exhausting - but a very necessary watch.

RATING: 9.5/10

ENTER THE FAT DRAGON

Release Date: Malaysia, 23 Jan 2020

Genre: Action / Comedy

Running Length: 1:37

Cast: Donnie Yen, Niki Chow, Teresa Mo Sun Kwan, Wong Jing, Louis Cheung

Director: Kenji Tanigaki, Wong Jing

Screenplay: Wong Jing, Lui Koon-nam, Ronald Chan Kin-hung

ENTER THE FAT DRAGON is a throwback to the good old days of Hong Kong movies released during the Lunar New Year. It's entertaining, funny, features recognizable cameos, has a good message and of course, a happy ending. What's missing is probably the main cast appearing at the end credits wishing the audience all the good sayings during this festive season. 

The plot is fairly easy to follow. After getting dumped by his fiance (Niki Chow) and coupled with an unfortunate demotion to the basement evidence room, supercop Fallon Zhu (Donnie Yen) copes by stuffing his face. As a result, he gains massive weight (but yet, he is still agile and can pack a punch and a mean kick). 

In order to redeem himself back to the squad, he agreed to take on a simple assignment of escorting a Japanese convict back to Japan. But of course, nothing goes according to plan and soon, chaos ensues with the Yakuza thrown into the mix. 

There are no particular standout action scenes in this movie but overall, the kung-fu scenes are well choreographed and it comes in think and fast. There is no notable difference between Yen in a fat suit fighting bad guys vs Yen without the fat suit fighting bad guys. In fact, fat Yen's punches are much more powerful, often sending the baddies flying through the air during the brawl scenes. 

  

One would expect the filmmakers here to pay homage to classic Bruce Lee movies, but instead, they chose to reference some of Donnie Yen's own classic fight scenes from movies such as SPL and Flash Point.  And the outcome is LOL hilarious!

    

Enter The Fat Dragon will not go down as one of the must-see movies of Donnie Yen but if you have 2 hours to spare and some pocket money to get some popcorn and soda, you'll have a good time at the cinema. 

RATING: 7/10 

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE

Release Date: Malaysia, 23 Jan 2020

Genre: Action

Running Length: 2:05

Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Joe Pantoliano, Paola Nunez, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Kate del Castillo, Jacob Scipio

Director: Adil El Arbi, Billal Fallah

Screenplay: Chris Bremmer and Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan

BAD BOYS FOR LIFE Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) are back. This time round, the buddy-buddy duo cops involuntarily got themselves involved with the Mexican gangsters led by a mother and son team. The long and short of it, they want Mike dead.

I really hated what Michael Bay did with Bad Boys II almost 18 years ago. I enjoyed the first Bad Boys movie but Michael Bay really turned on his Bayhem for the sequel. It was too long, the humour was offensive, the violence was gratuitous and the directing was pompous. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. 

So when the 3rd one was released recently after almost two decades, I was hesitant to watch it especially after its unexciting trailer. 

But I'm glad to say it was...OK. Let's just say the story justifies bringing back these characters. Although it looks and feels like a Michael Bay movie; the rolling on the ground in slow motion and the signature camera circling our two heroes, directors Adil and Billal managed to successfully craft out something they can proudly call their own.

Thank God the action scenes are coherent and the amount of violence is just...nice (?). There is enough room to breathe from one action scene to another. 

The chemistry between Smith and Lawrence felt a little rusty in the beginning but over the course of the movie, they were their Bad Boys self again. 

The filmmakers also did something fresh with the villain this time. In the last two movies, the villains were forgettable, but for part 3, they managed to tie in the villain with Mike's character. As a result, I could feel that the stakes were higher this round and we get to know Will Smith's character better. 

All in all, it was entertaining enough for me to want to go another round with these boys if they are ever going to ride again. 

RATING: 7/10 

1917

Release Date: Malaysia, 16 Jan 2020

Genre: War

Running Length: 1:50

Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman

Director: Sam Mendes

Screenplay: Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns

The story is simple. The date is April 6, 1917, World War I. 

A British battalion is about to walk into a trap set by the Germans that will result to a potential 1,600 casualties. As the phone lines are cut, two young British soldiers; Blake (Chapman) and Schofield (MacKay), are tasked to cross through No-Man's Land and enemy territory by foot to deliver this message to this battalion in order to prevent these soldiers from their imminent death. As the caption of the poster says: Time is the enemy. 

The style with which Mendes and award winning cinematographer Roger Deakins have chosen to film 1917 is to employ a seemingly unbroken single-take from the start of the movie right to the very end. Whether it's a valiant or vain approach, I'll leave it to your opinion.  

With this approach, it pulls the viewers into the thick of the action when our two young soldiers travel from point A to point B. Viewers will feel as though they "are there" in real time, which lends a real sense of tension and dread. 

Speaking of action, there isn't many battle scenes but what this film does really well is capturing the aftermath of trench warfare. We see the remains of human bodies (many of them in pieces and are bloated) and animals lying in the mud, and are eaten by rats.

From a technical perspective, the score is crucial in certain scenes to heighten the danger, but thankfully, it doesn't dominate. A standing ovation for the set designers as the set pieces are so meticulously period-accurate.

In conclusion, this movie feels almost like Dunkirk. Just like the Christopher Nolan's movie, it's technically superior. But what 1917 lacked is the emotional payout that Dunkirk delivered in the final scene. I can't help but to view this film as a theme park ride through a trench warfare, because it does feel that way. 

RATING: 8/10