READY PLAYER ONE (Malaysia, 29 Mar 2018)

Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure 

Running Length: 2:20

Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki

Director: Steven Spielberg 

Screenplay: Zak Penn and Ernest Cline, based on the novel by Ernest Cline 

READY PLAYER ONE brings back a little of the "Spielberg magic" missing in his recent movies; the sense of adventure, special effects, sweeping music score, awestruck faces of the actors to show a sense of wonder and of course, the neat ending.

What's the movie about?

The year is 2045, where there's widespread poverty and overpopulation. People are more interested in escaping reality into this massive online universe called The Oasis via their VR equipment. When the founder of this game died, he offered his fortune and ownership of the entire game to whoever who can find the prized Easter Egg. Our hero Wade Watts (Sheridan) and his group of new found friends in the game has to face off against an evil corporation who wants The Oasis too.   

What I like about it?

• The Oasis. It's a visual fest, immersive and packed with details! This movie needs to be watched on the big screen with the best possible sound system.  
• Pop references. Because a player can be anybody in the game, this movie is packed full with recognizable characters; King Kong, Iron Giant, the DeLorean, the Akira motorbike, Streetfighter characters, Alien etc. One YouTube video says there are at least 128 of these references. Geeks will love this movie!
• The sweeping music score by Alan Silvestri.
• The sense of adventure and wonder in Act 1. The car race is WOW!
• The good old Spielberg kan-cheong moments in Act 3, involving scenes going back and forth between the game world and the real world. Only Spielberg can get the audience to scream  "Quick, quick hurry up!" at the screen. 

What I didn't?

• The bloated middle Act. After being introduced to the Oasis, I felt that was no need to keep going deeper into that world. I caught myself checking my watch. 
• The missed opportunity of exploring the growing phenomenon of young people living a reclusive life. The filmmakers did shed some light on it but kinda addressed it lightly at the end. 
• The performances from the actors are ok but not particularly memorable. 

RATING: 7.5/10 

DUNKIRK (2017)

Genre: War / Thriller
Running Length: 1:46
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh
Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay: Christopher Nolan

What I learned from this movie is that regardless of our social position in our society, whether you're lame or able, we can still serve others. Because not only helping others makes us feel good, it gives us purpose.  

War movies like Saving Private Ryan and the recent Hacksaw Ridge are about characters in a war situation. DUNKIRK is all about the war situation. There are no dramatic Braveheart "Freeeeeedom!!!" moments, no inspiring war cry speeches, no small talk during downtime introducing themselves and their loved ones waiting for them at home. None of those.

The moment the first frame kicks in, the action starts. And the tension builds and builds and builds right until the satisfying payoff at the end. By the time the credits roll, I was just staring at the screen in stunned silence, breathless.

This movie is about the true story of the evacuation of more than 300,000 soldiers (allied soldiers from Britain, France and Belgium) at Dunkirk, France back to England. During this evacuation at the beach front (which happened between May 26, 1940 to Jun 4, 1940) they were attacked by the German forces.

The narrative sounds simple but the storytelling is not. Just like most of Nolan's films, this film unfolds itself in a non-linear-cross cutting-three perspectives manner. To me, it wasn't distracting as it actually kept me more focused.

Dunkirk is a cinematic event and it demands to be watched on the biggest screen available in your city (I watched it on IMAX). If you can't find one, then at least watch it in a cinema with the bestest sound available. I wouldn't be surprised if it wins an Oscar in the Best Sound categories next year. And coupled with Hans Zimmer pulsating tick-tock score, it really amped-up the intensity.

The performances in this movie are very good but Tom Hardy wouldn't be winning any awards (eventhough he's very good here with his eyes and eyebrows, just like how he used them effectively in The Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road). Like I mentioned earlier, Dunkirk is not about any specific characters but it's all about transporting the audiences into an immersive experience of "being there" in the evacuation itself.  

With Dunkirk, Nolan has added another engaging chapter to his impressive body of work. He's arguably one of the few directors out there who still challenges himself with each film, and we're not talking about small films but big budget tent-poles. Dunkirk is akin to a roller coaster experience - it deserves to be watched again.

RATING: 9.5/10