SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

Release Date: Malaysia, 03 July 2019

Genre: Action / Adventure

Running Length: 2:09

Cast: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Angourie Rice, Tony Revolori, Samuel L. Jackson, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Cobie Smulders

Director: Jon Watts 

Screenplay: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers 

The first half of SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME felt more like an epilogue to Avengers: Endgame while the second half; the sequel to Spider-man: Homecoming.  The beginning of this film addresses the events of Thanos' The Snap and Endgame, especially the mourning of Tony Stark/Iron Man's death (sorry, spoilers for those who are yet to watch Endgame). 

This is your standard entertaining lighthearted MCU movie which is very much a welcome after the heavy and emotional Endgame.  There are some funny moments and very decent action sequences - pretty much MCU textbook stuff. 

To me, the overall tone and manner is very much similar to Homecoming. It's the typical high-school coming-of-age movie with superhero elements. Not really a bad thing for me but it's just not my favourite genre.   

Thankfully they didn't go overboard with the Peter Parker/MJ romance as it balances out very nicely with Peter's constant struggle of living up to his calling "with great power comes great responsibility" vs. being your regular teenager. 

Tom Holland is becoming more comfortable and believable as the nice guy neighbourhood superhero but the standout here is Zendaya. Her version of MJ is kinda edge and yet, has hints of vulnerability. It's very current and it works. 

You can see Jake Gyllenhaal is having fun doing this movie. This is not your dark and serious Jake as seen in Prisoners or Nightcrawler. 

It's also refreshing to have a change of environment here since the majority of the movie takes place in Europe (Venice, Praque, London) instead of the usual swinging from building to building in New York. 

If anything, the villain here is not as memorable as Michael Keaton's Vulture in the first movie. There are no memorable "highly tensed conversation in the car scene".

Do stay back for two post credit scenes. The mid-credit scene is the more interesting one as it opens up a whole new possibility for Spidey in the third installment while the after credit scene is perhaps an introduction to MCU Phase 4.  

RATING: 7.5/10

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

OKJA (2017)

Genre: Fantasy / Adventure
Running Length: 2:00
Cast: Ahn Seo-hyun, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Jake Gyllenhaal, Giancarlo Esposito
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Screenplay: Bong Joon-ho

(Although this Netflix original feature length production was not released in the local cinemas, it was released in selected US cinemas and simultaneously on the Netflix platform, including Netflix Malaysia. That's why I'm reviewing it here. Note: Don't miss the cool post-credits sequence)

OKJA feels like a Korean movie starring white people. Just like most Asian movies, the tone shifts pretty rapidly from one to another; from adventure to childish jokes to heavy use of F-bombs to serious action to horror and to tragedy. Viewers who are more accustomed to straightforward genre films may find Okja a weird watch.

Thankfully, somehow it worked for me because the tonality shifts felt seamless. At least it moved the story along without feeling terribly awkward. That said, I felt the film was manipulative in arm-twisting its audience to sit up and take notice of the meat packing industry. Its unflinching depiction of what happens at the assembly line in a slaughterhouse is so graphic and heart wrenching - it broke me.

Perhaps there is no other subtle way to convey this message as consumers these days are too desensitize. Or maybe, we just choose NOT to know how/where our food comes from. I believe this is true because just like how the consumers behave in this movie, we DO know. But instead, we choose to believe the marketing; "free range", "organic", "stress-free".

This movie tells of a tale of a little Korean girl (Ahn Seo-hyun) and her pet, Okja, a genetically enhanced pig (which looks like a hippo + elephant + pig). From the trailer, the little girl faces the possibility of losing her best friend to corporate capitalism and as a result, Okja would end up on a plate.

Never do we doubt that Okja the creature is real, thanks to the amazing CGI and convincing performance of Seo-hyun towards her beloved companion. Because of that, we become emotionally connected to the adorable and intelligent Okja.

This movie boast an impressive A-list cast; Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano and Jake Gyllenhaal. In my opinion, Dano is the most effective while Gyllenhaal is totally miscast. Whenever he appeared on screen, I was ready to cringe with his OTT Nic Cage-y performance. As for Swinton, what's with her teeth? Overall, the production value is high and I like the subtle score.

But for now, I'm staying away from eating meat.

RATING: 8.5/10

EVEREST (2015)

Genre: Adventure/Drama
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emily Watson, Kiera Knightley, Michael Kelly, Naoko Mori, Sam Worthington
Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Screenplay: William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy

"Mother Nature may be forgiving this year, or next year, but eventually she's going to come around and whack you." Geraldo Rivera 

 

Do not be tricked into thinking that EVEREST will leave you breathless with stunning visuals and edge-of-your-seat suspense. At least that's what the trailer attempts to communicate. This is no Cliffhanger action adventure movie. Yes, the visual of Mount Everest is majestic, but this movie is more of a man-versus-nature genre. The film reminds us again that mother nature doesn't care about heroism, kindness, friendship, your family or your pregnant wife. She doesn't play by the rules.

 

Based on a true story, this film chronologized a group of climbers' expedition to the mountain's summit in 1996. Of course, not everyone made it down safely. So if you've no prior background to what really happened (who made it, and who didn't), please leave it that way when you walk into the cinema. The emotional payout will be better. 

 

And speaking of that, this movie needs to be experienced on the big screen and not on TV or worse, a tablet/phone. As good as the top notch cast are (given that their characters are fairly one-dimensional), the true stars of the movie are the director of photography, the visual effects people and of course, the mountain ranges. Audience will certainly feel like they are right there, experiencing the somber tragedy of the mountain slowly becoming the executioner and tomb for certain climbers. Although I caught the movie on the normal 2-D version, I'm pretty sure the IMAX 3D version would be more immersive.

 

As one of the characters in the movie said, "The mountain will always have the last say". 

 

Rating: 8/10

SOUTHPAW (2015)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:04
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams, Oona Laurence, 50 Cent, Naomie Harris
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Screenplay: Kurt Sutter 

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!” Rocky Balboa 

Sports drama (particularly boxing movies) are like romantic comedies; they follow tried-and-true formulas and audiences will walk away feeling satisfied because they got what they were expecting for. Just like Rocky, SOUTHPAW is less about winning or losing but more about the hero's journey towards redemption. It's more about personal growth and relationships. 

Antoine Fuqua has given us another technically flawless motion picture. The actors' performance are solid, the fights in the ring are intense, the score by the late James Horner is emotional at all the right spots and of course, the screenplay is focused. That said, there is something which is missing which I can't put a finger on it. For a dramatic film, one should feel the punch in the emotional gut at its climax but Southpaw didn't do it for me. Nevertheless, it's still a well crafted film with a knockout performance by Gyllenhaal (with Prisoners, Nightcrawler and the up-coming Everest, Gyllenhaal is one committed actor). In this movie, his switch from rage to vulnerability and his physical transformation are admirable. The rest of the supporting cast are solid especially Whitaker and McAdams. A big shout out to Oona Laurence's commanding performance as our hero's young daughter. 

Although the narrative is predictable, the depth of its characters and their relationships elevate this film to a compelling watch.

Rating: 7/10

 

NIGHTCRAWLER (2014)

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Running Length: 1:57

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Renee Russo, Riz Ahmed, Bill Paxton

Director: Dan Gilroy 

 

Sociopath: A person with a psychopathic personality whose behaviour is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

Although advertised as a thriller, NIGHTCRAWLER is actually a character study of a sociopath. In the beginning, we are introduced to our main character's initial "career" - carrying out petty activities. And when confronted, what happened thereafter will give the audience a clue who we are dealing with because as the film progresses, our anti-hero gets much worse. This isn't a feel good movie. It's dark, cynical, tense and at times downright uncomfortable. Viewers will be able to relate to the premise of the film where the sensationalisation of a piece of news is more important than reporting the truth to garner ratings (interesting enough, the core value of the TV series Newsroom is somewhat opposite of this film but I digressed). However, the most notable highlight of the film is Jake Gyllenhaal performance. He undergoes a radical physical transformation to play the part of the main character. His almost skeletal appearance, fake smile and dead eyes and his creepy "knowledge is power" personality really gets the audience under their skin. I thought his performance in last year's equally disturbing film Prisoners was mind blowing (soft spoken, eye twitching when stressed) but Gyllenhaal's performance here is a game-changer for his career. He deserves to get an Oscar nomination nod for this film. Equally impressive is Renee Russo's supporting character and the interesting relationship between her and Gyllenhaal. My favourite scene in the movie is at a Mexican restaurant where we can literally experience the balance of power shifting from one to the other. That amazing scene made my jaw dropped. The movie of course is not without its flaws as it occasionally runs into pacing issues and some of the plots are a little far fetched. The score is serviceable and the photography is noteworthy as it managed to capture the darker underbelly of LA suburbs. 

 

Rating 8.5/10