STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017)

Genre: Science Fiction/Adventure
Running Length: 2:32
Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, Benicio Del Toro
Director: Rian Johnson
Screenplay: Rian Johnson, based on characters created by George Lucas

I really struggled with this review. When the credits to STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI rolled, I spontaneously gave this a high rating but as the days went by, the more I thought about it, the ratings started to go downhill. Finally, after considering all angles and reading other perspectives online, I have settled to give this episode ie. Episode VIII, a shade below Episode VII, Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Let me get the negatives out of the way first. Firstly, I like my Star Wars to be serious. But there were just too many throw away gags in The Last Jedi which made some characters felt really off. Secondly, things are not always as it appears. Don't get me wrong, I do like my movies to be unpredictable but there were just way too many unexpected twists that disrupted the flow of the entire story. I felt the brief given to Rian Johnson (the writer and director) was to create a movie with many "everything you know is wrong and everything you care for is not important" moments.

Lastly, the other thing which really annoyed me was the shameless merchandise moments. There are two characters in there which I believe existed just to sell more toys to the masses.

As for the good stuff - this is a beautiful movie to watch. The red visuals are stunning. And there is a very exhilarating fight scene which I believe will be re-watched many times by viewers on YouTube in the future. In terms of character development, three people standout from the rest:
- the yin-yang relationship between Kylo Ren and Rey
- Poe Dameron's growth as a leader

The score was much better than The Force Awakens. One can distinctively hear popular themes from the original trilogy being mixed into this soundtrack.

If the objective of the filmmakers were to disrupt the entire Skywalker saga, then I think this episode did it. But what I would have preferred was for the filmmakers to pick a few twist, and super dramatize those moments instead, case in point: "Luke, I am your father".

RATING: 7/10

mother! (2017)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Running Length: 2:01
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Brian Gleeson, Domhnall Gleeson, Kristen Wiig
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Screenplay: Darren Aronofsky

mother! was a very difficult film for me to sit through. It was maddening especially its last 30 minutes. There were many times during the course of it I just felt like shouting out angrily in the cinema hall, "WHAT THE F**K IS GOING ON?!?" This film reminded me of my non-appreciation of abstract modern art. Everytime I come across a modern art museum, I would give it another go - to try to understand the displays. But after 15 minutes or so, I would usually give up and just walk out.

The only difference with mother! is I can't walk out of it. Firstly, it's because I've never walked out of a movie hall before no matter how horrible the film was. But to be fair, whatever was unfolding in front of me was pretty captivating. There was a deep sense of dread throughout so I waited and waited for that release but it never did come.

Here's the plot. A young woman (Lawrence) lives with her much older husband (Bardem) in a decaying large home in the middle of nowhere. She took it upon herself to restore the house. One fine day, two uninvited guests (Harris and Pfeiffer) showed up at their doorstep and decided to stay in their home. And from then on, things just got more claustrophobic, bizarre and twisted.

So, is the film any good? Well, upon exiting it, I was prepared to hate it. But after a few hours to a day of reflection, I have to admit this movie stayed with me and definitely drove me to forums to find some kind of meaning to the many nightmarish images that was thrown at the viewers. Just like modern art, in order to appreciate it, I needed context.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead. Stop reading if you're intending to watch this movie. 

And when I found the context, my verdict is: I acknowledge Aronofsky's courage to make this film and appreciate Paramount for releasing it widely. I get what the director is trying to preach using allegory as an art form. But I cannot accept his take on God and His relationship with mother earth. That said, if he would have just excluded his lecture on Christianity but instead focused on the horrible ordeal on the "rape" of mother earth, I reckon it would be a much more powerful and accessible piece of art (albeit still a difficult film to watch)

RATING: 3/10

AMERICAN MADE (2017)

Genre: Thriller / Comedy / Drama
Running Length: 1:55
Cast: Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Caleb Landry Jones, Jesse Plemons
Director: Doug Liman
Screenplay: Gary Spinelli

As fun as AMERICAN MADE was, I sincerely think that Tom Cruise is miscast here. For starters, he doesn't look anything like the real Barry Seal (a chubby pilot who worked for both the CIA and the Colombian cartel in the 1980s), eventhough some critics said that Cruise channels the same "spirit" as Seal. Don't get me wrong, Mr Cruise does some fine work here. Some would even say he has return to form. But what could have been more believable is for Tom to really pack on a few pounds like what Christian Bale did in American Hustle

This biopic is about the life of Barry Seal, a hot shot maverick commercial pilot who got himself drawn into working with the CIA. The events that followed suit got more bizarre, bigger and crazier, all in the name of chasing after the American dream. I read somewhere that this movie felt like a cross between The Wolf of Wall Street and Top Gun.  

What didn't work for me is that as the turn of events got more bizarre and dangerous, Seal always "gets away". Thus, after a while I didn't feel any real tension because I know Cruise will somehow escape and still flash his signature mega-watt smile. We don't get to see Seal struggle through the moral dilemma of his actions and somehow gets the audience to feel sympathetic for him (eventhough what he does is not really nice).

What I learn from this movie is that sometimes learning when to stop and surrender - will make all the difference.

RATING: 6.5/10

THE REVENANT (2016)

Genre: Drama / Adventure
Running Length: 2:36
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Forrest Goodluck
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Screenplay: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Mark L. Smith, based on part on the novel by Michael Punke

THE REVENANT feels like an expensive exercise in self indulgence by director Inarritu (more about that later). And it also feels like Leo signed up for this because it could be his ticket to winning an Oscar, finally. The industry knows that the Academy digs actors who go through physical transformation or some kind of emotional torture (or both) in the name of Intense Method Acting. And boy, does DiCaprio suffer to "become" the character of Hugh Glass; consuming raw bison liver on camera, frequently shirtless in hypothermia-inducing harsh climates, sleeping in animal carcasses and so on and forth. 

Please don't get me wrong as all these misery the cast and crew had to go through is translated powerfully on screen - it's a tough, intense and experiential drama. But was it necessary for the film to take so long to tell a simple revenge-in-the-wilderness tale? 

There were way too many perfectly crafted long tracking shots (especially the film's opening Indian raid sequence) which was more distracting than immersive. As the camera glides smoothly through the bloodbath, it calls attention to the whereabouts of the camera instead of making it disappear. It just informs me that Inarritu was intentional on this and wants people to admire his craft rather than getting the audience involved in the action. And there are just too many extended takes on the rugged landscape. 

That said, this method of "not cutting away" was employed effectively in a grizzly bear attack sequence which was intense and disturbing. It gives a realistic view of what actually takes place when a man is being mauled by an enraged bear. Viewers may find this scene way too unsettling as we see DiCaprio being shred apart. 

And speaking of serving the ego, there is an ongoing artsy dream sequence which didn't really serve the story except to showcase how beautifully it was shot. It could have at least been used to fill in some back story of our protagonist so that the audience could be more emotionally invested in him. All we know of DiCaprio's character is that he seems to be super determined to survive but I was detached from his character because I hardly know anything about him. 

From a technical standpoint, The Revenant is flawless and very beautiful to look at. Reportedly shot using only natural light, the glory of the untouched (and freezing) American frontier is masterfully captured. 

Catch it on big screen if you like a gorgeously filmed revenge flick cum survival porn.  

Rating: 7/10

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)

Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure
Running Length: 2:15
Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Peter Mayhew, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Andy Serkis
Director: J.J. Abrams

Screenplay: Lawrence Kasdan & J.J. Abrams and Michael Arndt, based on characters created by George Lucas

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. After thinking for a long time on how to approach this review without going into spoilery territory, I figured the best way I know how is to use a metaphor.

Now imagine a popular band/artist who has been around for 30+ years (think U2, Bon Jovi, Jacky Cheung) and they are still releasing new music.  They are going to hold a concert tour. If you’re deciding to go for their concert, what would you be hoping to experience? To see them perform:

1. As many of their new songs as possible + a few of their greatest hits; or

2. As many of their greatest hits as possible + a few of their new songs; or

3. A nostalgia fest - only their greatest hits; or

4. 50/50 if possible; or

5. I don't care. I just want to be entertained.

What you want to get out from this concert is going to be determined by your expectations before you step into the concert venue.

Fortunately/Unfortunately, The Force Awakens was made for fans; pleasing them with familiar ingredients from the original trilogy (a homage of sorts with a pinch of new elements thrown in) rather than boldly go where no man has gone before.

Rating: 8/10