JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL

Release Date: Malaysia, 05 Dec 2019

Genre: Adventure / Comedy

Running Length: 2:02

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina, Nick Jonas, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito, Alex Wolff, Ser’Darius Blain, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman, Rory McCann, Colin Hanks

Director: Jake Kasdan

Screenplay: Jake Kasdan and Jeff Pinkner & Scott Rosenberg, based on “Jumanji” by Chris Van Allsburg

Those who enjoyed 2017's hit Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle will definitely enjoy JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL. The content is practically a regurgitation of its predecessor; it's more of the same. At least, it's entertaining on a popcorn level.

Everyone from the 2017 movie returns in this sequel with additional cast of Awkwafina, Danny DeVito and Danny Glover.  

This time round, there is a change-up in the "pairings of the virtual avatars". Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson plays Danny DeVito's character, Kevin Hart plays Danny Glover's character and instead of playing the millennial girl character, Jack Black plays the character of the buff black dude. Yeah, it sounds all so confusing if you've not seen Welcome to the Jungle but trust me, it's easy to follow. (Eventhough my parents have not watched the 2017 movie, they recently went to see this movie in a 4DX cinema and they thoroughly enjoyed it!)

The fun part of the movie isn't seeing how these avatars survive in the Jumanji world but seeing the likes of The Rock, Kevin Hart and Jack Black (and even Awkwafina) inhabiting and impersonating other characters. In fact, I felt like I was watching a film version of the improvisational comedy TV show, Who's Line Is It Anyway?

The least convincing "impersonation" is The Rock playing Danny DeVito's character. I mean on paper it sounds hilarious but not so from paper to film. Surprisingly, the best impersonation goes to Kevin Hart playing Danny Glover's character! (In the last movie, my money went to Jack Black). Kevin Hart was playing Kevin Hart in the last movie, but in this outing, he's really good here as the subdued zoologist. Another standout is Awkwafina playing a particular character very much later in the film.         

Although The Next Level is entertaining and has some solid LOL moments (and a touching ending), it does feel a little too much like a money grab move. 

RATING: 7/10

MARRIAGE STORY

Release Date: Netflix Malaysia, 06 Dec 2019
Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:16
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, Azhy Robertson
Director: Noah Baumbach
Screenplay: Noah Baumbach

MARRIAGE STORY is a love story but not that kind. It's humourous, honest and heartbreaking. 

This movie is about the exploration of marriage; the happier days and the end it. When the movie begins, Nicole (Johansson) and Charlie (Driver) are in the process of splitting up. All they want is to ensure that they can still raise and provide the best for their son (Robertson). And when the movie ends, it would leave the audience on a bittersweet note. 

Most films about divorce focus on the bitterness and the shouting matches but not this one. Almost the entire length of the movie, it centres around how these two adults try to cope with what's happening in a, well....adult way. Most of the the time it involves a lot of talking or just silence.  

What I appreciate about this movie is how the filmmakers showcase the process of a divorce especially when the lawyers are involved. Well, there are a few heavy handed scenes to caricaturize the lawyers but most of it are true; all they care is about being paid and "winning". 

I'm also glad the director didn't take sides on who's the "bad" person and who's the "good" one. We clearly know why Nicole wants out from the marriage but the audience can also empathize with Charlie.  

The watch-ability of Marriage Story is squarely on the shoulders of the stellar performances of Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. There is this one argument scene which was so intense it really got to me. 

(Strangely, I feel if this was made into a small-scale theater production, the raw emotions shown by the actors would have been more affecting and powerful for its audience.) 

The film’s themes and emotions are universal. One doesn't have to have gone through a divorce to "enjoy" this film but whoever has been through a break-up will appreciate the sensitivity shown in how a separation will take a personal toll on the respective parties. 

RATING: 8.5/10

WIRA

Release Date: Malaysia, 21 Nov 2019

Genre: Action

Running Length: 1:48

Cast: Hairul Azreen, Fify Azmi, Hilal Azman, Henley Hii, Dain Said, Ismi Melinda, Yayan Ruhian

Director: Adrian Teh

Screenplay: Anwari Ashraf & Adrian Teh

I really enjoyed Paskal when it came out last year. So when I heard that the team that did Paskal is behind WIRA, I had to go check it out. So is it as good? 

Before we get to that, what's this movie about? Well, this movie is set in a dystopian-like little town in Malaysia run by a kingpin called Raja (Dain Said). Hassan who once served Raja (Hairul Azreen) years ago is now a military guy and he goes back to that sh*t hole to get his father and younger sister out. Wira being a fight movie, I'm sure you can guess where the plot will eventually lead to.

I went into this movie for the fight scenes as I have read reviews claiming that the hand-to-hand fight scenes are on par with Indonesian's The Raid and even Hollywood's John Wick. I read as well that the film's director Adrian Teh wanted to aim for "Hollywood-level fight scenes, but on a Malaysian budget". Wah....sure boh? I had to see it for myself, right?

And the verdict? 50/50. 

First of all, there is no doubt there are plenty of fight scenes. In fact, right at the opening scene of the movie, we already see Hassan's sis Zain (Fify Azmi) and Raja's daughter Vee (Ismi Melinda) beating the cr*p out of each other in the ring. But the fight choreography, unfortunately, was very tame and unbelievable. In fact, there is this one vs many unbroken-one-take fight scene where it looked a little weird; like bullet time but not.

Fortunately, the fight scenes do get better and better. And the payoff came at the last fight scene which lasted a good 10 minutes between tag team bro + sis vs Raja's bodyguard (Yayan Ruhian, yes, the Raid dude, who is also the fight choreographer for this movie). Man, that fight scene was worth the price of the admission ticket itself! It was intense and brutal. 

I really believe Adrian could have bring in the A-game on a Malaysian budget on all the fight scenes (and not only the last few fight scenes) but I think his team is constrained by the PG-13 rating. If this was rated R, on boy, it could have been a blast. The bones breaking and bodies getting slashed would have been more riveting.

What I do like also are the performances by Fify and Dain Said. Fify is believable as our strong female lead, something you don't see much in our local movies. And Dain Said channeling his inner Alan Rickman from Die Hard...ahh, whenever he appears on screen, I am engaged. 

So all in all, is Wira a worthy follow-up to Paskal? Not really. There wasn't any "sign me up for TUDM!" emotions I felt when I watched Paskal. Besides the inconsistent fight sequences, it's a tad melodrama and some of the dialogue sounds awkward too. 

p/s: Do stay behind for a mid-credit scene which I thought was...anyway, just watch for yourselves. 

RATING: 6.5/10 

KNIVES OUT

Release Date: Malaysia, 28 Nov 2019

Genre: Thriller

Running Length: 2:00

Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, Lakeith Stanfield, Christopher Plummer

Director: Rian Johnson

Screenplay: Rian Johnson

KNIVES OUT is one of the most entertaining, smart and enjoyable films I've seen this year. 

The movie starts off like the board game Cluedo. Harlan Thrombey (Plummer), a renowned and rich crime novelist is found dead in his huge mansion the day after his 85th birthday party. He has invited his dysfunctional family, and there are many of them, to his party. Of course, everyone at the party is a suspect and in comes famous Detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) to investigate this mysterious death. 

And that's all I can say about this movie. Because anything more than that will rob you of your joy in watching this well-written, well-directed and well acted movie. 

The highlight of this movie is Daniel Craig's Blanc. His southern drawl is one of a kind and his method of investigation is refreshing. He is detached from logic and intuition and believes that the evidence will eventually show up. It's nice to see him moving around in a nonchalant laid-back manner, compared to his portrayal of James Bond. 

The other highlight is of course the ensemble cast of calibre actors, with most of them playing against type. You are glued to what's unfolding in front of you because of its sharp dialogue and not because of some car chase action scene. In fact, there is only one car chase scene in the entire movie and the remark at the end of the chase was funny in a self-parody way. 

Go watch this classic whodunnit? murder mystery on the big screen!

RATING: 9/10

FORD V FERRARI

Release Date: Malaysia, 14 Nov 2019

Genre: Drama

Running Length: 2:32

Cast: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitriona Balfe, Tracy Letts, Josh Lucas, Noah Jupe

Director: James Mangold

Screenplay: Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth and Jason Keller

Do not be put off by the average looking trailer. When I first saw it, it looked uninteresting. But thanks to some positive reviews and buzz worthy word-of-mouth, I'm glad I checked it out. FORD V FERRARI is anything but boring!

This movie is probably the most entertaining feel-good movie of the year for me. And this is coming from someone who has zero interest in cars. Why I really enjoyed this film:

• It has all the beats of a good sports movie; the underdog, the washed up coach, the training montage, the competition, the tension, the victory. 
• Excellent chemistry between movie stars Damon and Bale. It's their "bromance" that makes this movie rise up above the other movies from the same genre. (Side note: This seems to be the year where star-driven movies are making a comeback vs superhero action genre. Case in point; Once Upon A Time in Hollywood)
• The races are beautifully shot. It's not confusing and you can easily make out who's leading the track and who's lacking behind. The race scenes feel real and dangerous, with death a high possibility. Apparently, no CGI was used for the racing scenes. The energetic and pulsating score also added to the intensity of these "action" pieces. 
• The father (Bale) and son (Jupe) relationship here is touching.
• The filmmakers take on who's the true villain (and it's not Ferrari).  

Overall, Ford v Ferrari isn’t necessarily a ground breaking movie, but it’s a solid entertaining blockbuster driven by human drama.

RATING: 9/10

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP

Release Date: Malaysia, 31 Oct 2019

Genre: Comedy / Horror

Running Length: 1:39

Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Screenplay: Dave Callaham, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick

ZOMBIELAND: DOUBLE TAP, the sequel to the 2009's Zombieland is more of the same. Really. It's the same movie, just with slightly more humans. And the filmmakers are not shy about repeating the same formula. Hence, if you enjoyed Zombieland, you’ll probably like this sequel, just not as much.

 

It has some clever moments and good laughs (don't miss the opening scene, yes, the one with the Columbia Pictures torch lady!). However not everything lands especially some running gags. 

There are some interesting cameos; some worked, some didn't. 

Double Tap is best enjoyed laughing-out-loud with a friend who also liked the first movie.  

RATING: 7/10

TERMINATOR: DARK FATE

Release Date: Malaysia, 24 Oct 2019

Genre: Science Fiction / Action

Running Length: 2:08

Cast: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna

Director: Tim Miller

Screenplay: David S. Goyer & Justin Rhodes and Billy Ray, based on a story by James Cameron & Charles H. Eglee & Josh Friedman & David S. Goyer & Justin Rhodes

From an entertainment standpoint, TERMINATOR: DARK FATE is an improvement over the recent sequels but it still can't match the level of the first two entries in the series. In fact, the series should have just ended at T2.

This movie is somewhat a remake of T1 and T2 by taking what worked in that two entries and smashed it together in this one to serve a new generation of audience. Yeah, there is a bold move in Dark Fate which happens right at the beginning but other than that, it's actually more or less a T1 and T2 mashup. 

Action junkies would enjoy this entry but I disliked it. The action sequences here are the Fast & Furious type where it defies physics and it goes up to eleven as the movie progresses: loud, CGI-packed action and just numbing. There was hardly any tension. 

Performance wise, Arnold still steals the show everytime he is on screen. He is the king of one-liners. The filmmakers introduced emotions into Arnold's Terminator here and he does it with surprising effectiveness without coming across awkward and forced. Linda's Sarah Connor is fine here. She looks great for her age but I just can't help but be distracted by how much her face has aged. Perhaps it's a reflection of how much I have aged too >.<

As for the younger actors, Mackenzie's Grace is a standout while the rest of the cast were serviceable.

All in all, they should just stop making more Terminator movies. 

RATING: 6/10