THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E (2015)

Genre: Action/Comedy
Running Length: 1:56
Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Grant,
Director: Guy Ritchie
Screenplay: Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram

There was a sense of deja vu when THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E ended. It felt like The Lone Ranger (the motion picture) all over again: Both films were once popular TV series. Armie Hammer appears in both the remake for the big screen. And both features an unlikely partnership. Although the trailer for both the big screen adaptation looked really promising and fun, the actual output was somewhat unsatisfying.

However, from a visual perspective, this film looks really classy and stylish. The production design is detailed and the use of split-screen for some action scenes feels fresh. And speaking of action sequences, Ritchie uses a more restrained approach for some of these scenes compared to the standard wall-to-wall in-your-face blockbuster action movies. For example, an important boat chase scene unfolds completely in the background while Cavill's character is having a snack. That scene left me in stitches! And there are a few of such played for laughs offscreen moments peppered throughout the movie. Also, the use of a classy jazz score is an inspired choice.

If only the narrative was more interesting. Strangely, the story is both simplistic and convoluted at the same time - which ends up "talking alot but actually saying nothing". Both Cavill and Hammer definitely have screen presence as the duo spends most of their time bantering back and forth and trying to one-up each other. Cavill is the debonair "brainy" chap while Hammer is the no nonsense "brawny" lad. That said, with their well-cut suits and dapper berets, they appear more like mannequins than real flesh and blood men.

Just like both our gentlemen who appears to be more preoccupied with their outlook, The Man From U.N.C.L.E is all style, but no substance.

Rating: 6.5/10         

 

  

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

 

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION (2015)

Genre: Action/Thriller
Running Length: 2:11
Cast:  Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie

Watching any of the Mission: Impossible films (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION being the 5th outing from the franchise) is like watching an episode of The Road Runner cartoons. No matter how outrageous the traps are (set by The Coyote), The Road Runner will never fall into it. Similarly, no matter how dangerous the situations are thrown at Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, we know at the back of our mind he will somehow survive it. There is a sense of predictability that Ethan Hunt/The Road Runner will always win. So, the fun is actually seeing how our hero creatively overcomes each "trap" without being caught.

Just like the previous Mission, the storyline often feels insignificant as the focus is on the action set pieces. The plot checks all its trademark boxes; exotic locations, shifting alliances, megalomaniac villains, but this round, the wall to wall action sequences are amped-up to 11. The hanging Tom Cruise by the plane sequence (seen in the trailer and posters) would be the most daring stunt, but the other scenes offered are more intense; the Nessun Dorma drama, the breathtaking underwater complication, the relentless motorcycle chase and the final confrontation. What works in these sequences is its little reliance on CGI and Tom Cruise going full Jackie Chan as a one-man stunt machine. So there is a sense of real danger and tension.

What also worked in this film is Rebecca Ferguson's character. She is no damsel in distress. In fact, she does more rescuing than being rescued. And I'm glad the filmmakers did not over sexualised the relationship between Cruise and her. I'm also glad that Simon Pegg has meatier scenes this round.

Although the tone is predominantly serious, there is enough humour and silliness to keep Rogue Nation as a solid piece of popcorn entertainment. That's all folks!

Rating: 7/10

BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN (2015)

 
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Running Length: 2:43
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Harshaali Malthotra, Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Director: Kabir Khan
Screenplay: Vijayendra Prasad, Kabir Khan, Parveez Sheikh, Asad Hussain

"Love transcends all borders"

BAJRANGI BHAIJAAN is an emotional movie from the get-go. It is very rare that any film can move me right from the start but the moment the camera pans over rows of serene looking snow-capped mountains coupled with the film's haunting soundtrack, it had me at 'hello'. What made this film worked is its simple focus; one man's mission to get a lost girl back to her parents. Salman Khan is our protagonist Bajrangi, a simpleton, God fearing man with a magnanimous heart. As fate would have it, he comes across a lost mute 6-year old girl in the temple grounds and so begins his journey to reunite the girl with her parents. But she is no ordinary Indian girl - she's from Pakistan.

As with all road trip movies, it's not getting there that matters, but what happens along the way. As expected, the journey gets harder and more unbearable as the film unfolds. Although much has been written about the movie's message of peace between the two foes (it's definitely working as it's touching both hearts and minds of the two nations as reflected in the huge box office collection in India and Pakistan), it is the hero's journey and transformation that caught my attention. The man who reaches his destination is not exactly the same man who departs from the beginning of the movie as he learns about the message of hate and mutual respect from his interaction with a mix bag of people. It's a moving journey of destiny with strong elements of redemption, self discovery and being human.

As far as the performances are concerned, 'Bhaijaan' (brother) Salman Khan delivers an outstanding performance. His kindness is unmistakably charming. And thanks to actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui's natural sincerity in approaching his role as a Pakistani news reporter, his outstanding performance injects chuckles throughout the film. And of course, there's Harshaali Malthotra, the child actor who plays the mute girl. She's such a professional in front of the camera as she lights up every scene she's in with her smile and vulnerability.
 
From a technical standpoint, the cinematography is top rate and the editing is tight. The use of bright colours and cheerful songs balances the movie from falling into overly emotional territory. Although the ending is a tad melodramatic, don't miss it and go catch it in the cinema now (if you can get tickets!). Warning: Don't peel onions while watching Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Rating: 9/10

ANT-MAN (2015)

 
Genre: Action/Science fiction
Running Length: 1:57
Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Peña, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, T.I., David Dastmalchian
Director: Peyton Reed
Screenplay: Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, Paul Rudd

Marvel's ANT-MAN is a tight and smaller scale movie (see what I just did there...) compared to the other epic and god-like superhero movies. And it packs a lot of heart too. In fact, it seems to share the same template as last year's surprise hit Guardians of the Galaxy:

• It goes for fun over dark brooding drama. 
• It's bright and uses a similar bold color palette. 
• Just like Chris Pratt, Paul Rudd is a likeable and humorous hero (heck, there's even a similar ripped six pack abs side profile shot of the actors in their respective movie trailers)      

I was a little skeptical when I watched the first trailer and not knowing much about the comic book, I thought the name "Ant-Man" was a tad too goofy. But boy was I wrong! The ability to shrink to a size of an insect is actually brilliant and lethal at the same time. The idea is so dangerous that if this technology falls into the hands of the wrong people, it would have serious global consequences. And that's actually the premise of the movie; to break into a high security premise to steal and destroy this technology before our main villain sells it to a bigger bad-der organization. Think of it like the Ocean's Eleven heist of Marvel movies.

What worked in this movie is its great cast. Rudd's comic timing is perfect and he's generally a nice guy who's trying to do the right thing for his daughter. Evangeline Lilly gets me everytime whenever she plays a strong character with scenes where she breaks down emotionally. Michael Pena steals every scene he’s in. And of course, there's Michael Douglas. He still has charisma and he oozes personality. And the action scenes are never too loud and bombastic. The climatic fight scene between Ant-Man and the baddie is ingenious as it switches between their perspective and that of normal-size human scale (and it also involves Thomas The Tank Engine Train). And kudos to the effective use of effects. When our hero shrinks down to size, his surroundings look unbelievably detailed and real.

Indeed, less is more.

Rating: 7.5/10

TERMINATOR: GENISYS (2015)

Genre: Science Fiction/Action

Running Length: 2:05

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jason Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Matt Smith

Director: Alan Taylor

Screenplay: Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier

TERMINATOR: GENISYS ignores the existence of Terminator 3 and Terminator Salvation, and sets itself up as a direct sequel of The Terminator and T2: Judgement Day. In fact, it follows so closely to the storyline established by James Cameron that some (younger) audience may find it difficult to follow without having seen the earlier installments. Case in point, the guy sitting next to me in the cinema was providing an express back story to his young-ish girlfriend throughout the film. You know this guy was in for a ride when his gf asked him at the start of the movie, "So, Arnold is a robot-ah?" -__-

Sorry, I digressed. 

So, is this movie any good? Sadly, it's pretty bad. I was hoping it to be a "Jurassic World" where it was an updated version for today's generation while keeping the heart of the original intact. Heck, they even threw in a T-1000 in police uniform for nostalgia. But it just didn't work. To be fair, it tries to reboot the franchise by messing up the timelines (think Back to The Future 2) and having a major twist to the origins of the story. However, the more I kept thinking about it, the more headache inducing I became. James Cameron's Terminator series has a sense of realism to it ie. it can happen in today's context. Its memorable action scenes has a sense of clear and present danger; remember the cop shop killing spree and the lorry vs the little dirt bike viaduct chase scene? In GENISYS, the action is so CGI heavy it's boring; everything gets blown up and helicopters can pull 360 degree flips under bridges. Yawn. 

GENISYS is blessed with a diverse cast. Emilia Clarke's Sarah Connor is serviceable and her presence should attract a legion of Game of Thrones fans while former Doctor Who's Matt Smith should bring along his fan base as well. But this is Arnold Schwarzenegger's show through and through. He is the face of the franchise. Without his presence, this movie will be an outright disaster. The best one-liners, the best fight scenes, and even the film's comedy are reserved for Schwarzenegger. The only time this movie entertains is when Ah-nuld is doing his thing. I think the movie could have benefited if the filmmakers took time to weave the theme of predestination paradox into the storyline (A predestination paradox, also called a causal loop, is a paradox of time travel. A time traveler attempting to alter the past, intentionally or not, would only be fulfilling his role in creating history as we know it, not changing it. It's another way of saying whatever has happened was meant to happen. If it's meant to be, it will be)

Rating: 5.5/10

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WHILE WE'RE YOUNG (2015)

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Running Length: 1:37
Cast:  Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Grodin,
Director: Noah Baumbach
Screenplay: Noah Baumbach

"Aging is out of control. How you handle it, though, is in your hands." Diane von Furstenberg

WHILE WE'RE YOUNG is film about aging timelessly. Too bad the title "This is 40" has been taken because that's the appropriate description of this movie - a film which explores midlife crisis and discontent. Although it's marketed as a comedy, it's actually a rich film with many layers of insights and amusing anecdotes of Generation X intersecting with the Millennials. But beneath it all, is actually an honest story of finding the meaning of life. Ben Stiller and Naomi Watt's characters are a childless married couple in their mid 40s, who laments the loss of their youth and missed moments in life while Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried play a married couple in their mid 20s, who lives in the moment in a hipster kind of way. Their lives converge by chance (or so it seems) and soon the couples form an unlikely friendship. Thankfully, the director didn't go full-on along the "old people trying to act cool" route (oh there is a funny scene where Naomi Watts tries out hip hop for the very first time) but instead focuses on how our couple faces their fear of growing up; the inability to fully face the world as their mind still thinks like a teenager. I only wish the filmmakers could have dug deeper into this universal theme but instead, the remaining plot of the movie is dedicated into the area of the true meaning of the documentary film making as a medium; which came out dull and dissatisfying. Overall, it's a very human movie laced with rich thematic elements and strong performances from our actors.

Rating: 7/10