LONG SHOT

Release Date: Malaysia, 02 May 2019

Genre: Romance / Comedy

Running Length: 2:05

Cast: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Serkis, Alexander Skarsgård

Director: Jonathan Levine

Screenplay: Liza Hannah, Dan Sterling

I hardly watch a romantic comedy but if I do, I hope to walk out of the cinema hall feeling entertained; the fuzzy-feel-good kinda feeling.  It's like reading a fantasy book. You are fully aware the stuff in there will not happen but yet you just want to pause reality for a second and root that our couple will overcome all odds and will eventually walk away into the sunset hand-in-hand.

LONG SHOT tells the tale of Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen), an angry left-wing journalist and Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), the Secretary of State preparing to run for President of the United States. Of course, they crossed path and things become complicated. 

"Give me a LIKE if you think Charlize Theron is a goddess"

Structurally, Long Shot follows the rom-com formula closely. Perhaps that is where I found it predictable. I know I'm contradicting myself.

What I was looking for was the formulaic romantic pairings but with just a good amount of risk thrown in. I was not expecting a grounded drama but just a little update to that formula. But alas, this is not that movie. 

What I do like in this film is the pop culture references. Some of these are clever. Actors, actresses, singers and even politicians are being referenced directly and indirectly resulting to some genuine giggles; Woody Harrelson, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Jeremy Piven, Chris Brown and even the Prime Minister of Canada is not spared. And the choice of retro pop music used sparingly throughout the movie was a nice touch.

"Hey guys, did you know I starred in this 2008 film 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno'?"

If the filmmakers were to stick to such sharp dialogue instead of relying on visual gags which involves bodily fluids and getting high, I would have enjoyed this movie more. Some of the choices that Theron's Secretary of State does just to land some laughs from the audience, are out-of-character.

Thankfully, the chemistry between Rogen + Theron is believable here; just like what the movie poster says, "unlikely but not impossible".  However, it would have worked better for me if the filmmakers were to explore deeper the theme of being authentic (but yet open to change) as part of the resolution instead of trying too hard to be politically correct. 

RATING: 6.5/10

KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016)

Genre: Animated
Running Length: 1:35
Cast (Voices): Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Vaccaro
Director: Travis Knight
Screenplay: Marc Haimes and Chris Butler, based on a story by Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes

From the trailer, there seems to be a lot happening but KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS is ultimately the classic hero's journey story. The story is told in a surreal feudal Japan (think Samurai) setting where reality meets fantasy.

Let's get the downside out of the way first because there's way more upside going for me - so much so that this film will most likely end up in my top 10 of 2016. Firstly, there is indeed a lot happening in its 90 minutes it feels that the filmmakers are being overly ambitious. A "less is more" approach could have been more effective. Secondly, the resolution at the end seems a little anti-climatic and too neat.

But as for the rest of the film, it's a powerful story about the power of storytelling. It's a story about hope and love grounded in the gritty reality of death and loss. Eventhough it has enough humour and action to distract a child audience, this is no Minions. The villains are scary and the themes explored are dark; right from the start we are introduced to a baby Kubo (and his mother) escaping from his grandfather who wants to gouge his other eye out. Yep, this is just the beginning.

The choice of using stop motion at core + CGI to tell of such an epic fantasy seems like a limitation but I read somewhere that Travis Knight (the director, and CEO of Laika; the animation house that produced this movie) wanted to challenge his team and himself to see how far they can push the technology of this medium. As a result, not only it looks visually gorgeous but the medium of stop motion just gives it a very organic and human feel that pure CGI may not be able to pull off.

The voice cast is fitting especially McConaughey, who is surprising very goofy. The score is just perfect especially during the film's tender moments and there are some pleasant "hidden in plain sight" revelations throughout the course of Kubo's heroic journey that makes this a must-watch movie.

Rating: 9/10

DARK PLACES (2015)

Genre: Thriller
Running Length:1:43
Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Chloe Grace Moretz, Corey Stoll, Christina Hendricks
Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner
Screenplay: Gilles Paquet-Brenner, based on the novel by Gillian Flynn.

"The hardest prison to escape is in your mind."

If only DARK PLACES explored the angle of the psychological trauma of guilt and lies have on its characters, this movie could have been a far more satisfying cinematic experience. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie but it's not very good either. Blame it on today's abundance of solid crime thriller stories available on TV, this film appears surprisingly tame for the big screen (perhaps this is why it has not gotten a domestic release date in the U.S.). Dark Places is told from the first person (Theron), one of two known survivors of a family massacre that took place in 1985 on the family farm in rural Kansas. In present day, she's compelled to revisit the demons of her childhood to find out whether her then teenage brother (the other survivor who's serving life time in jail for his crime) actually killed their mother and two other siblings. As the movie unfolded, it kept me guessing but when the end credits rolled, I just felt it was a missed opportunity. Gillian Flynn’s second adaptation (first being Gone Girl) to the silver screen has all the raw ingredients of a great film; satanic cults, twisted family secrets, obsessions, lies, selflessness, young lust and serial killings and it has the very dependable Charlize Theron - but it just turned out to be an average motion picture. Perhaps it lacked atmosphere and a dark soundtrack. Perhaps the director is not an actor's director. Perhaps it's the screenplay. Whatever it is, just imagine what David Fincher could have done with a setup like that. There are a dime a dozen of whodunits stories out there in both the small and big screen, but there are not many which examine the issues of guilt, innocence and lies that keep its characters locked-up not in physical prison cells but in the prison of their mind.      

Rating: 6.5/10

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015)

Genre: Action
Running Length: 2:00
Cast:  Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton
Director: George Miller
Screenplay: George Miller and Brendan McCarthy and Nick Lathouris

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD is the real deal. This movie will be up there with the modern action classics; Die Hard, Aliens, T2, Speed, The Matrix. Fury Road is big, brash and bizarre. For those who didn't see any of the earlier Mad Max films (granted that the last one was made almost 30 years ago), it's ok. I've not either but the plot is easy to follow. Although 90% of the entire film is wall to wall action, you don't feel bored. This is probably because very little special effects were used for the chase and fight scenes and thus it adds an element of grittiness and a sense of real danger. The stunt crew should be awarded or something. Also, the characters and rituals in George Miller's post-apocalyptic universe are eccentric, over the top and grotesque. It's like watching a 2 hours Lady Gaga music video but with more excitement and mayhem. Despite the intense emphasis on action, the characters are well defined, especially Charlize Theron's Furiosa. When the audience care for the protagonist in an action movie, we know we have a winner here. But the real star of the movie is Miller's mad and magnificent visuals and vehicles. The day scenes are bright with lots of orange and the nights are soaked in blue. And the vehicles...oh boy, it's so extravagant especially the truck with a concert stage on it (with a disfigured flame throwing guitarist tied to it). Absolutely i.n.s.a.n.e. And the hard-driving score here is off-the-chart. You must watch this spectacle on the big screen and I only wish theaters showing Fury Road would have seat belts installed to its chairs.

Rating: 9/10
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A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST (2014)

Genre: Comedy
Running Length: 1:52
Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Silverman
Director: Seth MacFarlane

It's strange that lately I'm getting my Stephen Chow fix from Hollywood movies. The very brilliant The Grand Budapest Hotel was one of it and now, A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST. It's filled with nonsensical laugh-out-loud scenes, randomness and clever references/parody of pop culture. It also features a number of cameos (two of it are brilliant). That's where the similarities end. As I'm not familiar with Seth MacFarlane'a credentials (yes, I have not watched TED and Family Guy), so it was pretty refreshing to see him "whine" through some very cleverly written monologues about the western frontier and references to today's lifestyle and living. Not everything works though as some gags are pretty funny at the start but it drags on and becomes tiresome after a while. And the toilet-bodily fluids humour are juvenile and crass. Despite its raunchy and racial references and the sudden burst of graphic violence, the movie is grounded with an honest sweet romantic story between MacFarlane and Theron's character. Theron is wonderfully natural and she gives MacFarlane more humanity and likeability. Without her, I suspect I will start to loathe Seth MacFarlane (like half of the world's population); watching him here is like watching him host the Oscars/doing a monologue for a late night talk show. He seems way too impressed with himself. A special shout out to the technical aspects of the film as it looks and sounds like a classic western; the sun-burnished views of Arizona and the evocative score.

Rating: 7/10