TAGFISH by Flemish Production Group, Berlin

From the press release,

Tagfish tells the story of the UNESCO world heritage site Zollverein, a coal mining complex in the German Ruhr area. Following the exodus of industry from the region, people set to work searching for new purposes for the abandoned land and vacant industrial heritage sites. A Sheikh has plans for his latest dream: to develop a luxury hotel in Zollverein. Can a world heritage site be sold?

Six individuals: the architect, the town planner, the professor, the negotiator, the journalist and the provocateur, each have their own opinions about this. These people have never met before in real life but are put together on six individual screens, waiting for the Sheikh to take the seventh chair. In a theatrically-staged film montage, these interviewees debate, argue and philosophies about feasibility and costs in millions, about utopias and visions, stagnation and impending change.

The presentation is going to be quite different, where as you can see from the diagram above, 7 panels will be placed on individual chairs around a conference table like a board room, and presented as a theatrical film performance, with the meeting representatives appearing to push their points of concern through, interspersed with documentary like scenes of Zollverein.

TAGFISH runs from Thursday 14 April 2011 to Saturday 16 April 2011 with 8pm shows daily at the National Museum Gallery Theatre. In English and German with English subtitles.

Ticketing Details
S$19. Price excludes SISTIC booking fees.
Tickets are available at http://www.sistic.com.sg, SISTIC hotline (65) 6348 5555, SISTIC counters islandwide or National Museum Stamford Visitor Services Counter.

For more information on the film, visit http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/tagfish.

Bangkok Knock Out Knocked Out in Singapore

For those not in the know, I am an action junkie, and have always kept my eyes peeled for straight up action flicks from Thailand, with the likes of Born to Fight and Dynamite Warrior starring Dan Chupong, who also had the villain's role in Ong Bak 2 and 3, in addition to other Tony Jaa flicks.

Panna Rittikrai of Born to Fight fame is back with Bangkok Knock Out boasting death defying action with close quartered fisticuffs, and seriously, tell me if your inner action junkie isn't excited by this trailer:


Alas before the first reel got unspooled here, it suffered the same fate as Fireball: Muay Thai Dunk and got itself slapped too with a rating advisory of NC16 - Passed Clean (EDITED)

Further checks on the same ratings board website reveal the following:

This film contains excessive fighting sequences as violence is portrayed throughout the film. Due to the overall accumulative impact of violence, the film is rated M18 with advisory “Violence”.

The film has been edited to NC16 (Violence) for theatrical release at the request of the film distributor.

So the buck has been passed. It's originally M18 unedited, but "at the request of the film distributor", it's edited to NC16 so that more kids can pack the theatres to watch a neutered product that got knocked out in the nuts. Teenage boys are taught to kill during National Service at age 18, but no, they can't get to watch unadulterated choreographed action on the big screen lest they go berserk in camps. Safety first, you know?

No Fatal Finishing Blows Please, We're in Singapore

Love & Other Impossible Pursuits

Did You Really Dance in Black Swan?

Before we get to see more of Natalie Portman in the Marvel big budgeted film Thor in a buildup toward the 2012 Avengers movie, we get to watch her perform in this modestly budgeted drama where she plays "the other woman" who had wrecked the marriage of her boss, a prominent lawyer played by Scott Cohen, and his doctor wife played by Lisa Kudrow, and observe the meandering relationship crisis her character finds herself in, tussling with plenty of negative issues from trying to build trust with her stepson (Charlie Tahan), and coming to terms with a cheating dad (Michael Cristofer) in what would be a setting of the mould like Father like Daughter.

But this film by writer-director Don Roos gets extremely bogged down by its woes and negativity, making it quite the endurance test to sit through it all. Scenes get played out without much emotional oomph, and frankly the problems that surface here are what you would deem as unnecessary yet not unexpected since the adulterous pair knowingly embarked on their illicit relationship with their eyes wide open, with full awareness of the complications that will come their way. This of course incurs the wrath of a very cross Lisa Kudrow, probably in her first role where I don't see her smile, and have so much venomous spite coming out, that this break from routine would be that little glimmer of hope to tide you through an uninspiring storyline.

Don't expect much from anything else, as the cast of relative unknowns didn't deliver any notable performances, where even the young kid tried too hard to be smart alecky and came across as terribly annoying. Not Natalie Portman's brightest moment, though it's without a doubt her Oscar win would have allowed this film to gain fresh legs in having a refreshed theatrical release. You have been warned.

You can read my review of Love & Other Impossible Pursuits at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.

AKIRA KUROSAWA

21 films. 13 Days. The largest ever retrospective of his works in Singapore.

While most of his films are readily available on DVD/Blu-Ray and on superb Criterion editions as well, I guess for the cinephile out there you'll lap up the chance to experience the films in 35mm format on a big screen. From 18th to 30th April, The Japan Foundation, Embassy of Japan (JCC), Singapore Film Society and Japanese Association Singapore will present a select 21 films from Akira Kurosawa's rich filmography at the National Museum of Singapore's Gallery Theatre.

Admission is FREE.

Yes you read that right. As an appreciation to the people of Singapore for their kind support and generosity after the devastation caused by the Earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, this event will kick-off a series of initiatives to cheer up Japan. On behalf of the people of Japan, the organisers welcome everyone to this event and hope they too will enjoy and discover Japan's most famous director and one of the world's most influential filmmakers.

Mark the dates down on your calendar, and visit the Festival webpage for details of the films and schedule.

You can also get the word round through Facebook and Twitter.

You will not want to miss this rare opportunity. See you there!

P.S. DONATIONS - members of the public who wish to contribute to the recovery and relief efforts for those affected by the recent earthquake and Tsunami may do so at the collection tin to be placed at the venue. This collection will be facilitated by the Japanese Association of Singapore and the Singapore Red Cross.

Red Dragonflies Flies To Filmgarde's Illuma Cineplex

Liao Jiekai's award winning Red Dragonflies has been travelling the world since its World Premiere at the Hong Kong International Film Festival last year in March, and it's finally coming home to Singapore for a local screening. The Singapore Premiere will be on 14 April Thursday at the Southeast Asian Film Festival held at the Singapore Art Museum, with the director in attendance for a Q&A session, but it's already sold out.

Those unable to get tickets for that screening, fret not. Red Dragonflies has also scored a theatrical run exclusively at Filmgarde's Illuma cineplex at Bugis from 5th May 2011, which I believe marks the first time that a 13 Little Pictures produced film is getting a release in a mainstream commercial cinema.

You can click here to read my review of the film. Do lend your support to a homegrown film screening at a homegrown cineplex!

Trailer:


Related Links
- Official Movie Webpage
- Red Dragonflies Facebook Page

Don't Go Breaking My Heart (單身男女 / Daan Gyun Naam Yu)

I Can't Decide!

I have to admit there was a little bit of apprehension going into the movie because Johnnie To's recent effort Linger continues to linger in my mind as one of the worst romantic films seen in recent years. No doubt I'd prefer To's gangster flicks, but sometimes market forces and demand dictates opportunity that cannot be passed over. So with his usual Milkyway crew and regular cast such as Lam Suet, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu, To and frequent collaborator Wai Ka-Fai make another attempt at the romantic genre with this film that proves, thankfully, to be notches up from Linger.

And perhaps one of the positives coming out from the film which aided in its enjoyment, was the fact that the language track was left unmolested here by the powers that be. It's in a smattering of Cantonese, Mandarin and some English, which in all likelihood reflects the cosmopolitan nature of Hong Kong society with its foreign base from the occasional Indian, Caucasian, and of course the influx of Chinese from Mainland China. In the past all utterance of spoken Cantonese would have been dubbed over, so this is yet again another small but successful push of the envelope in our local cinema scene.

One of the two opening films at this year's Hong Kong Film Festival, Don't Go Breaking My Heart tells of a love triangle between three characters brought about by the indecision of the girl Zixin (Gao Yuan Yuan), who journeyed from Suzhou to Hong Kong to follow her boyfriend, find herself being dumped, and becoming the object of affection of both a drunkard bum Qihong (Daniel Wu), and a self-made finance industry CEO Shenran (Louis Koo). Her budding relationship with Qihong comes from the latter saving her from an accident while in her post-dumped, delirious state, and becoming the surrogate owner of her ex-boyfriend's frog. Qihong soon disappears for the most parts of the first hour, and here's when Shenran becomes her target. Yes, you heard that right, because the lass does what you can do in today's Internet age, and discovers he's a mighty fine catch with the kind of money in his possession.

Set about the time of the Lehman Brothers debacle, Shenran becomes Zixin's boss, and a relationship with a subordinate is nothing to frown upon, having to fast forward their relationship through the throwing of a Maserati and a luxury condo penthouse at Zixin. Impressed, her mind's almost made up if not for the re-entry of Qihong into her life, now reborn into a new lease of life going back to the architectural profession he turned his back on, in an office located opposite Zixin's. And this is perhaps one of the brilliance of the story, with the trio able to engage in romantic shenanigans through their office windows, and this is something that is extremely plausible given the close proximity of buildings in Hong Kong that Singapore too is emulating given our scarcity of land and exorbitant office rentals.

Is the modern relationship defined by material wealth, with no money being having no honey? It certainly seemed so in this romantic tale, where Zixin doesn't even bat an eyelid at Qihong at first given his bum like appearance and lack of prospects, and her obvious delight when discovering Shenran is an alpha-male who rock climbs and having riches beyond her wildest dreams. And even though Shenran's been proven a playboy and a cad time and again with the amount of cleavage that he can't take his eyes off from, leaving him becomes that impossibility given the opportunity costs that goes along with it. As for Qihong's, he's a little bit of a softie and a nice guy that tries really hard to get the girl, being that sentimental man hanging onto every sliver of memory from the past, taking care of a frog for companionship, and the perfecting the art of cooking mussels from a restaurant that he shared a meal with Zixin once.

What made this film work is the chemistry amongst the trio, that while you may not like their characters, they're made believable through the actors' performances, except perhaps for parts when you know Zixin's behaviour in the real world would lead to her being fired from her job. Lending supporting star power are JJ Jia as Qihong's assistant and Shenran's temporal dating distraction, and Lam Suet (this is Milkyway after all) as the atypical office kay-poh to provide some much needed comic relief as the film propels toward the third act that relied on plenty of cheesy moments to try and wrap it all up. But being made for the Chinese market would mean toeing a very conservative development, and providing that air of affluence to target trap its intended audience - overnight roundtrip flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai, anyone?

At least the film had the courage to resolve this messy triangle, unlike its Hollywood counterparts which would opt to keep things ambiguous or open ended just because. But having to come to a decision was a long drawn effort that bloated the runtime to close to two hours, and an abrupt ending that didn't do much justice to one of the characters, having just shown a purposeful change that made it more like an act put up instead. However this is a romantic comedy meant as a date movie, with Hong Kong providing most of the backdrops in which stories get told, though with the Milkyway brand I was half expecting some form of thuggery to appear in a shoot them up.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Justin Bieber's My World Tour comes to Singapore on 19th April 2011, and if you haven't got your tickets, chances are it'll likely be sold out very, very soon. But fret not, because what could be the next best alternative, would be this documentary by Jon Chu which charts the teenage sensation's meteoric rise from a nobody in Canada, to a somebody now taking the musical world by storm.

Yes, that boy with the child like voice and floppy hair is hitting the big screens in digital and 3D formats as well in his debut concert film which follows the likes of U2 and Miley Cyrus amongst others to bring you up close and personal through hard to get front row seats to their performances, while at the same time we get to know a little bit more about the consummate performer who has female fans eating out of his hands, shrieking each time they seem his silhouette appear, and getting all in-sync with hand signs that spell c-u-l-t.

But for the uninitiated like myself, I came out impressed that he's no overnight hack, but having real multi-hypenated talent in playing musical instruments, as well as being talent spotted at the right place at the right time, with technology becoming that booster required to take word of mouth to the stratosphere. It's a film that succinctly and subtly examines the power of social media in giving someone a chance to make it, and it's a powerful force to be reckoned with when combined with sheer hard work behind the scenes to make dreams come alive.

It's not all pat on the back that films like these will likely succumb to, and what would be deemed a villain would be Bieber's fight against a hoarse throat as he battles to be fit for his debut concert at one of the world's most iconic performance venue, New York City's Madison Square Garden. But you won't be bothered much by it as you get mesmerized by his discography, which comes peppered with many guest vocalists to ramp up the glam factor.

You can read my review of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.

[SFS Talkies] Exit Through The Gift Shop

Who Are You?

Is this a documentary or a mockumentary will be the question hanging on your lips after you've seen this film. After all, it's directed by the highly secretive Banksy, an anonymous British graffiti street artist turned filmmaker because of, well, the events that got portrayed in this film. Captured only in shadow and with his voice digitally altered, this Oscar nominated film may seem like a documentary at first with its focus on street art or graffti depending on which side of the fence you're in, before being hijacked narratively by Banksy to portray the meteoric rise of a certain Thierry Guetta, a French shop owner turned filmmaker and street artist himself.

In squeaky clean Singapore, street art without permission is highly frowned upon, and we'd all know by now how the law slams hard on those who provide our MRT trains a fresh coat of paint. But you probably have to agree that many of these pieces are highly creative and artistic, as seen through the countless numbers of works on display in the film as created by dozens of stret artists, only that they lack a platform to showcase their works. Hence the urge and preference to have their art shown to the most number of people in the shortest amount of time. Some, like Banksy's, even take on a three-dimensional approach, and being arguably the grand-daddy of them all, his works get mainstream commissioning with bona fide credibility and reputation, with many snapping them up for obscene amounts of cash even.

Then perhaps this film, if really made by Banksy, could also be a satirical piece on how a nobody can earn that shot to fame through the propositioning of "talent" done using the right references and connections, with society lapping up how art gets subjectively defined, and how there will always be those who pretend and getting themselves a fan base of sorts *ahem*. It's easy to get caught up in the hype without looking beyond whether the talent is real or perceived, or just that flash in the pan. For the audience, that spotlight gets turned onto Theirry Guetta, introduced to us as an amateur filmmaker whose obsessive exploits of filming street artists in action makes him the butt of most jokes given his talking head interview segments being fillled with countless of hiliarious soundbites, until we learn just how ridiculous things everything can be and just who is getting the last laugh.

Whether or not you believe Thierry Guetta really exists, is an engineered personality or whether he created those art pieces and had gone through the trials and tribulations as detailed in the film, probably the only thing that stands out is the artwork themselves, and how the process of making art, be it film, paint or those on the streets, gather subtle intrinsic value that can be blown way out of proportion. After all, just what constitutes art is subjective in itself, so you'll probably have to sit through this film and decide for yourself, a feature purportedly put together by Banksy when he discovers Thierry as an untalented hack of a filmmaker whose value comes from the countless of hours of video shot of street artists, their process and their works.

Thank You (थैंक यू)

You Will Not Know What Hit You

It's been rather quiet on the Bollywood mainstream front given the build up and subsequent hangover with India winning the Cricket World Cup, but I suppose releases will be back on track soon, with one of the earliest off the blocks being Anees Bazmee's Thank You, a typical comedy broaching on the topic of marriage infidelity starring one of the most hardworking and overexposed stars in Akshay Kumar (clocking two appearances in feature films this year) in an ensemble together with Bobby Deol, Suniel Shetty, Irrfan Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Celina Jaitley and Rimi Sen.

So shouldn't it sound like fun, given a bevy of stars in situational set ups about philandering husbands who fool around behind their wives' backs, and having their own support group set up as credible alibis. Bobby Deol's Raj manages to fool his wife Sanjana (Sonam Kapoor) with his sweet nothings, his boss Vikram (Irrfan Khan) overpowers his submissive wife Karthika (Rimi Sen) with unreasonable demands, probably because the latter wants to continue enjoying the high life thanks to her husband's booming luxury yacht business. Then there's Suniel Shetty as Yogi, perhaps the least skillful of the lot, being caught out by wife Radha (Celina Jaitley), and also because of the latter's engagement of a private investigator Kishen (Akshay Kumar) who she introduces to Sanjana to wake the simpleton to see beyond the wool pulled over her eyes.

Honestly, the first half of the film before the interval is the stronger portion of the story, and probably where it's most fun given the interesting battle of wits premise set, even though it was not exploited to the full extent. With Radha and Sanjana reluctantly engaging Kishen's services, the latter is adamant in exposing the three husbands in one fell swoop, but discovers that the counter-brilliance of the mastermind Vikram won't make this an easy walk in the park. Strategies get employed involving technology, divide and conquer tactics to make the guys turn on one another, and frankly the set comedic pieces hit more than missed. The complication arises when the guys also engages Kishen's services, and find out that he too is a ladies man, though his loyalties, under wraps, belong to his earlier employers.

A small romantic subplot also involved Kishen and Sanjana with a hint of a conflict of interest from the get go that was cursory at best, and the remaining saving grace of the film belonged to the chemistry between Irrfan and Bobby Deol as buddies who find their lifestyle under threat. But it all spiraled downward after the interval with plenty of melodrama being poured into it such as the tired and silly suicide attempt of Sanjana at the Niagara Falls (this was partly shot in Toronto and Vancouver), and when Kishen progresses into his next role as a pseudo-marriage counsellor out to teach the guys a thing or two about fidelity, and reconciliation. However I suspect that the jokes here were less slapstick and direct, relying on funny dialogue that got lost in translation through the subtitles, which was a pity for non-Hindi speakers like myself.

Song and dance sequences were nothing to shout about unfortunately, even with Mallika Sherawat popping up as an item girl in Razia. No subtitles came with the lyrics to the songs, so I'm left to my own devices to determine what shenanigans the characters were into. Would have been a much engaging film if the second half managed to keep pace with the eclectic first, but instead opting for a more conventional approach and finale that makes you wonder why the females can't just walk out of a relationship that is already on rocky grounds no thanks to mistrust and dishonesty, lessons learnt notwithstanding.

Limitless

Let Me Share Some Acting Tips

The film is based on a sexy premise of having the ability to unlock the full potential of one's brain matter, and think about it, the sheer mental prowess available to be tapped on to maximize benefits in almost everything you do. Would you do whatever it takes to have this at your disposal, even if it means becoming a drug junkie, addicted to a clear pill and of course addicted to the feeling of superiority that comes along with the turf?

For Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), a chance encounter with a drug pushing brother in law Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) meant an oportunity to go for broke with the offer of a pill that can dramatically change one's life for the better. Soon Eddie finds himself being able to think clearly, plan multiple steps ahead in what he wants to achieve out of life, from financial stability to getting his relationship with Lindy (Abbie Cornish) back on track, to just about possessing that Midas touch to being successful, recognized, and earning the kind of respect from his peers that his sad little existence never thought was remotely possible.

But the best things in life don't come easy, and Limitless is in two minds to being a cautionary tale about drug abuse and the over reliance of medication to get through one's day, or being adamant against that to promote that pill popping is indeed a wondrous shortcut to all things beautiful. In fact it walked on ambiguity for the most parts, though the engaging narrative by Leslie Dixon adapting Alan Glynn's novel keeps that at the back of your mind as you follow the adventures of Eddie Morra making it through obstacles every step of the way, especially when he so decides to build a nest egg before his supply goes out.

Director Neil Burger fused a number of special effects to the film, whose editing between the trippy scenes and the real world was flawlessly mesmerizing, as you can imagine just how addictive it could actually be if it was to be presented in an IMAX 3D format, right from the opening credits scene. What turned out to be slightly weak was the presentation of the side effects of NZT-48, which was the losing track of time through multiple encounters with self, since it didn't employ the best use of visual effects to portray just that, and having the narrative conveniently forget and to switch focus to certain death, probably sounded a death knell that this was a subplot best left abandoned, rather than to exploit the limitations of a sustained use or abuse of a shady substance.

Bradley Cooper is slowly but surely turning into a major leading star who will probably be able to soon marquee a film on his own. He plays the writer turned suave Wall Street raider with aplomb, and portrays both the zeros about being an addict, and the better versions of his character convincingly, being a man who on one hand builds up a wealth of knowledge and analytical skills through his unfair advantage, and on the other still shows a certain vulnerability stemming from being overly confident with an air of invincibility. Adversary comes in the form of a tycoon in Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), whose power and threats do not suffer fools, and De Niro still shows he's got it in him to play a nasty badass after a string of comedic appearances. The best scene in the film, hands down, belongs to the repartee between Eddie and Carl in the final act, at least up until the abrupt mention of a deus ex machina type revelation that exalts the merits of a continued succumbing to an addiction.

The story does take some unexpected turn of events to keep things fresh rather than to make Eddie Morra a one man Superman, and it builds on his conscience to break his cycle and to do the right thing. Sometimes it's easier said than done especially if what's wrong actually becomes a necessary evil and a crutch to continue sustaining a lifestyle of one's choosing. A little bit dark in treatment, but still recommended fare.

Hall Pass

Let's Rock This Joint!

Mention the Farrelly Brothers, and There's Something About Mary springs to mind almost immediately. Known for their rather raunchy brand of comedic films such as The Heartbreak Kid starring Ben Stiller, their latest film Hall Pass takes a dig at stable, married lives by introducing the titular concept of getting a mutually agreed upon break from marriage to do anything you please. Anything. And to the average Joe, this probably means to boldly go hook up with members of the opposite sex, getting drunk and wasted, and more. Or is it?

I cannot answer on behalf of married men out there, but surely the thought of this is pretty enticing, with family responsibilities shelved aside of course and the shackles to commitment being broken. But for best friends Rick (Owen Wilson) and Fred (Jason Sudeikis), having a six day pass in their hands as given by their wives Maggie (Jenna Fischer) and Grace (Christina Applegate) respectively means a window of so many opportunities being opened, one doesn't know where to start, as the days zip by one by one in episodic fashion that counts down the type of shenanigans the guys get themselves into. One thing's for sure though, trying too hard brings about plenty of laughter, though I can feel for the challenges faced when being rejected left, right and center. being toothless, domesticated predators thrown into the wild to seek out easy prey ripe for the picking.

As an adult oriented comedy, expect the usual bag of jokes that stem from rude lines of dialogue (insulting an uppity mutual friend and his family got brownie points), plenty of bodily fluids released on screen (you will never forget that scene with the girl at the edge of the bathtub), enough body parts on display including male genitalia, and sometimes plain slapstick action, but don't judge me when I say I enjoyed almost every single joke that made it through, right up until the end of the credits - so don't leave your seat just yet when the credits start to roll.

But those looking for a raunchy good time as the Farrelly's are known for, may find this film a wee bit disappointing, as much as how one character lamented that in a group gathering that they aren't seeing enough woman action since they're but a bunch of dudes getting together talking about geeky stuff. And in essence, this film does feel that way, even hitting one for the other side. You may think that a Hall Pass means a guy given the permission to do as he pleases, but the truth is that it works both ways as well, with the wives also enjoying some time off with some jocks, and this forms the other half of the equation in the film, which actually has a lot more provocative issues thrown into the works that make the men's shenanigans look like child's play.

It's a very different Owen Wilson role here, as his usual characters usually have him in a cavalier sort of demeanour and being the chief jokester. Here, the first thing you'll notice is the very prim and proper hairdo he gets as Rick, and really toning down the alpha male aspects to become the meek and mild mannered man having absolutely no idea how to live up to his fantasies. Taking over as chief prankster is Jason Sudeikis who shows that he can hold his own in what would be a typical Owen Wilson shoo in as Fred, the man who thinks he has everything figured out, not. The pair when they come together create some comedic magic, but the best of the lot would be when Richard Jenkins enters the fray as their womanizing mentor Coakley, which is the most entertaining character in the film, with Jenkins completely playing against type, and is one of the prime reasons to sit through this comedy.

True that it's probably due to age that I'm beginning to find comedies which have middle aged characters entering a crisis a lot more appealing, perhaps reflecting and addressing similar anxieties I can identify with from time to time, so much so that I'll put this as one of the best comedies of the year thus far, that is recommended for viewing. And stay put while the end credits roll, as you'll be richly rewarded with two additional hilarious clips.

Rio in 3D

Assisted Flight

20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios hit all the right notes with their Ice Age trilogy, a series that I had unabashedly enjoyed, and for their follow up feature with director Carlos Saldanha, the icy cool pre-historic environment got traded for the land of contemporary Samba warmth. Still dealing with talking animals as characters, there was this sense of constant dread while watching Rio as it really tried too hard to entertain and to sustain that party atmosphere, and the filmmakers seem to have run out of tricks in their formula bag to keep one entertained.

Then it dawned upon me that I have grown up, lost that sense of wonderment a kid would have, and probably have been spoilt by Rango. Rango showed the heights that animated feature films can reach if they do not try to dumb it down for the kids, and is more adult orientated fare that didn't have to rely on cutesy characters created just to make kids want to buy their plush toy versions, or to allow for some of the easily impressionable female crowd to go gaga over. It had spirit and a tremendous story at its core, never really needing to rely on the cheap milking of emotions. Rio had gone overboard when you discover that their designs and crafting of cute characters equals baby, small, round, fat, and to speak funny. I see plush toys rolling off the assembly line already.

You would already know the story inside out if you had paid attention to the trailers for Rio. And having the screenplay written by Don Rhymer didn't exactly spell confidence, given his filmography thus far with the Big Momma series, and a number of sequels like Santa Clause 2 and Agent Cody Banks 2, which spell direct to video business. Perhaps the only bright spark that I had enjoyed from Rhymer was his Surf's Up, but alas Rio wasn't as innovative in narrative, following a set path of a pair of would-be love birds hating each other's guts, having to duke it out while chained to each other and finally emerge as winners to reclaim their freedom and walk, well, fly into the sunset together. Sounds like a typical opposites attract romantic tale to me.

Loaded with plenty of characters who talk too much, one cannot deny that it has star power at its side that will positively impact its appeal factor. There's the newly minted "It" stars like Jesse Eisenberg who plays Blu the blue macaw with the same whiny, nerdy demeanour Eisdenberg is known to play (someone spell stereotype already), while Anne Hathaway tackles Jewel the spirited female blue macaw in extremely bland fashion, probably the least interesting bird character amongst the lot. Chipping in are Leslie Mann as Blu's owner Linda, who goes into a parallel love story of her own as well with bird scientist Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro), Flight of the Conchords' Jermaine Clement as the villainous bully Nigel, and with others such as will.i.am, Jamie Foxx, Tracy Morgan and George Lopez, who is lending his voice to too many animal characters already for crying out loud.

Animation wise, Rio allowed Blue Sky Studios to dabble in richer and warmer colours across a wider spectrum, and this validates that the studio isn't a one-environment wonder with its bevy of colours filling up the entire screen from the get go, with realistic, vivid textures that compensates not having real animals up there. And the film plays like a musical with just about every Samba tune conceivable packaged into bubblegum pop, never letting go of any chance to chant "RIO" every now and then. Like how many complain about Bollywood movies padding their run time with its musical numbers, Rio is also guilty of the same, making it seem way longer than its 96 minute runtime. There also wasn't any scenes that stood out to exploit the 3D aspects, so save your money and go for the 2D version instead.

Maybe it's reflective of my current mood or age has caught up with me, or perhaps I now realize I prefer my stories with a lot more grit than fluff. I had expected more, but Rio stayed well within its comfort zone. Definitely targeted at the younger crowd, and the still young at heart who like their characters develop according to formula, and designed with bright colours to stay cute and cuddly (damn, there I said it)!

Made in Dagenham

Fighting Spirit

There are some things we take for granted in this day and age, and it's always interesting to see how far we've come. Made in Dagenham is a delightful and engrossing film about one of the origins of that fight for pay equality amongst the womenfolk in the UK, from what had started out as a simple walk out in a small town, to a movement that would have taken the country, and probably much of the industrial world, by storm.

A dramatization of the 1968 strike at Ford's plant in Dagenham, William Ivory's screenplay didn't trivialize the tussle and fight between the workers and the unions that were perceived to represent their interest, and finally the employers themselves, in what would cover both the micro aspects of such an industrial action, to a wider macro economic focus with politicians and prominent business people thrown in the mix. And it is this macro aspect that I found to be refreshing because it links everything up very nicely, albeit simplistically, to show how businessmen and politicians make for strange though necessary bedfellows when talking about and dealing with the economy.

It's a reminder that we shouldn't take bread and butter issues for granted today, when there is much talk about fairness and equality at the workplace, although unions here are something quite unheard of (yes they exist, but...). It's a ringside seat to how organized class action down at the workers level can help to galvanize woes into action by employers to improve their workers lot, be it conditions or renumeration, though Nigel Cole's film also covers how unions and their leaders can be corrupted and enticed to keep the status quo, or to promise lip service to drag things out a little bit longer.

At its core it would seem it's about pay equality, with a group of female machinists responsible for putting together the upholstery for Ford's cars off the assembly line, and being awakened by Albert Passingham (Bob Hoskins) to the possibility of success should the women band together to make their demands heard. And the initial demands were actually very simple, and they don't need a rocket scientist to realize that working conditions have to be improved. Treating workers with respect is probably fundamental to a happy work force which will likely spiral more positives for a company, but mistreat and undermine your workers, then it's a course that's set for disaster.

So we learn of how the Ford motor company had to deal with such unpleasantness in engaging spokesperson not on their payroll or influence, and how best and fair practices have evolved from decades ago to what would be a marked improvement we see in the workplaces of today, with some minor spotlight put on the wheelings and dealings involving cocky corporations. But the larger picture comes from having the courage to stand up and be counted, and fight the good fight for what's right, instead of being satisfied with the status quo, and accepting being spoken down to. Societal mindsets involving the role of women also get a look into, through the introduction of the minor character played by Rosamund Pike.

On the micro level, this story deals with how women have their work cut out for them, when they're out in the workforce, and yet having a family to take care of when back home. It's never an easy juggle, and more of a struggle really especially when the money isn't coming in, the debts are mounting, and relationships get strained. Even on a normal day we witness how the sole responsibility for the kids become that of the mom's, and adding some complexity to the equation is how the husband tries, but fails miserably, to take on that additional household role. You may disagree with me, but the role of a woman in society these days isn't exactly a walk in the park.

Some have argued that Sucker Punch isn't really about the empowering of women, so I guess this film fills that void through its embodiment of Girl Power. It's an incredible film that deserves to be seen by a wide audience, and it goes into my shortlist as one of the best on offer this year. Highly recommended, so don't let this slip you by as it's only screening in a limited number of halls.

The Eagle

Look Out!

I guess stories about Centurions and Legionaries never go out of fashion along with its themes of valour, honour, camaraderie and the likes, and The Eagle adapts from the book The Eagle of the Ninth written by Rosemary Sutcliff published about a half century ago, set in the 2nd Century just after Hadrian's Wall went up in Britain. I suppose given director's Kevin Macdonald's success with yet another historically based drama The Last King of Scotland that he decides to take another crack at it, albeit this time with a little bit more swords and sandals violence.

In recent years we've already seen a number of such films with the likes of Neil Marshall's Centurion and The Last Legion starring Colin Firth and Aishwarya Rai, but this one had a little narrative boost with its historical reference involving the mysterious disappearance of the Ninth Legion weaved into the narrative and forming the back story of its protagonist Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum), who had asked for the Britain post in order to seek the lost honour of his father, leader of the Ninth who had reputedly surrendered cowardly to the enemy.

For starters, Channing Tatum isn't really your character actor, but looked totally in place with brawn over brains leading his men into battle and convincing peers that his family name isn't as tainted as it should be. But for a moment of bravado he gets himself injured and discharged honourably, living at his uncle's place until word came that the eagle standard of the 9th Legion had been found to be in the hands of some indigenious tribe outside of their safe haven. To lead a team into hostile territory will be suicide, but Marcus seeks out that sole opportunity to reclaim his father's name, and coming in tow is the slave Esca (Jamie Bell) with whom he forms a love-hate relationship.

It's a standard action adventure where you put together two misfits who are as serious as can be in seeking out the objective of their quest, containing all the usual formation of a strong friendship cliche made more difficult when the master-slave role got reversed when they're held captive. And you also can't put aside some of the homoerotic undertones between the two men in Batman and Robin fashion, with constant longing gazes at times reflective of threats to get back at each other given the flip=flopping master-slave roles they have to play. The screenplay by Jeremy Brock chooses to focus primarily on the friendship of the men, putting aside the politics of the occasion other than to paint the politicians and bureaucrats as fat cats who talk a lot and sit on their bums.

The battle sequences though were a different cup of tea altogether, with Kevin Macdonald opting for very a very visual treatment that didn't flinch from the bloodier and gorier aspects of close combat. Rarely do you see a decapitation happen on screen, but The Eagle does just that without cutting away. Sure it's movie magic, but the effect is nothing but startling, in addition to slit throats and dismembered limbs. If you're craving for standard period action-adventure fare, then The Eagle will be that film for you this weekend. Look out for that Mark Strong cameo.

Hop

Caught in the Act

Just as how Santa Claus stories work through their way through the Christmas period, Hop brings forward the Easter season some three weeks early with a kids film that combines the best of live action and animation in yet another talking animal story, which is something quite expected when you combine filmmakers who had worked on Alvin and the Chipmunks, and the producers of Despicable Me, who probably would have floated the idea that cute yellow things make for comedic villains since they're going against type.

Hop is a tale about sons being unable to live up to the ideals of their fathers, being told what is expected, being seen as soft and unable to exert any say in what they really want to do in life. When we first see EB (or short for Easter Bunny, voiced by Russell Brand), "plush toy" comes to mind for its incredibly cute design when the wide eyed bunny tours and allows the audience to see first hand what would be the equivalent of Santa's operations that the Easter Bunny adopts, with multitudes of chocolate and candy making machines all outsourced not to elves, but to chicks to operate and churn them out, before making deliveries in one single day to all the kids.

But as EB grows up, his propensity to take on the family business, or rather his calling in life, takes a hit and wanes because he aspires to dabble in music and play drums. Rather than take over from his father, he runs away to Hollywood to seek out his fortunes and thereby putting Easter potentially on hold, and bumps into Fred O'Hare (James Marsden), who is also kicked out of his family home because his father and family members find it a tad ridiculous that he mucks around home for the last one year doing nothing. So it's a chance meeting of two similar sons set to prove themselves in a whole new world, and bring about the usual kids theme of friendship, perserverance, and plenty of juvenile comedy. Look out for David Hasselhoff playing himself, and the requisite cute bunnies collectively known as the Pink Berets who would probably steal the show.

I have to admit though that some of the jokes do work, since it's quite a wide spectrum from the usual toilet humour - EB poops delicious, multi-flavoured candy! - to a hilarious get up of the song I Love Candy with the duo continuing a ruse from earlier involving EB pretending to be a plush toy. This aspect of the film compensates for the lack of sophistication of the plot which for some weird reason has Fred not being satisfied with having validated that he's not crazy with his young time witnessing of the Easter Bunny going about his one day routine, but desiring to instead become a bunny himself.

That brought about what I thought was the most direct reference back to Despicable Me with the mindless bantering amongst the minions of the Easter Bunny's factory, where second in command Carlos (Hank Azaria), in the absence of EB and his dad getting old, secretly coverts a plot to usurp the festivity and run the entire show himself. While the minions have different designs and varying degrees of intelligence, the chicks here adopt a uniform look, and as expected there's always a smart alecky character to become cannon fodder for laughs.

Besides priming itself for a respectable box office result when the Easter holiday rolls along, what this film would probably successfuly do is to ramp up demand for rabbits and chicks amongst its targeted demographic, so parents, do spare a thought and taper those short term wants. Strictly for the kids. Do stay tuned until after the end credits for a scene to witness James Marsden's Mandarin diction.

Let the Bullets Fly (让子弹飞 / Rang Zi Dan Fei)

Band of Bandits

With the current election fever brewing in Singapore, one can't help but to view this through a tinted prism and taken note of the surreal, and perhaps coincidental parallels in this Jiang Wen film about the relentless grab for power and money amongst officials and wannabes, of that fight for moral justice against another hell bent on consolidating ill gotten gains and fending off new entrants to the turf. Jiang Wen doesn't make as many films as he stars in, but here's a Chinese filmmaker with an interesting vision, almost always successfully blending stylish arthouse sensibilities and visuals with mass entertainment, bearing the biggest names and featuring the hallmarks of a rich Mandarin language.

The incredibly strong story centers around three major characters set in the warring 1920s in China, with Ge You playing Bangde Ma, a man who had unscrupulously bought his position of governorship and is on his way to claim it, having done his sums and understanding the material wealth that comes with holding that position through partnering the rich and the exploitation of the weak. However the train he's travelling in with his wife (Carina Lau) gets hijacked by infamous bandit Pocky Zhang (Jiang Wen) and his band of loyal merry men, who decide to take on Bangde's identity as the incoming Governor of Goose Town, while keeping the real Bangde Ma by their side as a councillor for his political savvy. But standing in their way is the local godfather and real seat of power Wang (Chow Yun-Fat) and his gang, which obviously sets a showdown between the two camps.

And I'm not kidding you when I say there are parallels drawn here with our sunny little island, since the introductory shot of Goose Town made it seem like an island that Bangde Ma and Pocky Zhang had to cross into, before confronted with by a wily, scheming political incumbent determined to hold onto his turf and not yield it without a fight. Like politicians, they plot and counterplot against each other's schemes, with deep mistrust all round even when smiling at each other during a round table discussion. Those amongst the elites horde most of the wealth of the town, and it is not until Pocky Zhang had a change in heart and strategy of wealth distribution and moral justice did he find it within himself and his lean, mean team to inch toward power in his fight for the little man. Though of course it's pretty clear still who's being manipulated for someone's objective.

As a film, Let the Bullets Fly is sheer spectacle for its action sequences, lush cinematography, and comically awkward CG at times, with some scenes being deliberately and extremely over the top. But that's part of the fun, as the narrative is kept tight with nary a wasted scene, and what would be one of the best parts of the film is the rapid fire dialogue exchange between characters. Black humour is rampant as well to make this very close to a laugh a minute affair through its wickedness, though I have to admit at times things do get lost in translation, especially when required to read between the lines of what's said when the characters try to outdo one another, or in attempts to understand their opponents, through many twists and turns.

Stellar performances from the leads make this a must watch as well. Jiang Wen has this air of gravitas associated with his presence, and he makes for a believable bandit who found the moral courage to turn his life, and that of his followers, around to fight the good fight against Chow's Wang. Chow Yun Fat redeems himself from his really cringeworthy foray into Hollywood with dubious roles in films like Dragonball Evolution, and his performance here in dual roles as Wang and his body double, reminds us why Chow is top of the class when he gets his act together in the right charismatic role. Ge You himself is no pushover, although his character gets the least screen time. Still, when all three share the same frame or scene, the mood is nothing short of electrifying, as they banter and feed off one another's energy.

And Jiang Wen also assembled a credible ensemble support group with the likes of Carina Lau, Hu Jun in yet another cameo as a make pretend Pocky Zhang, Chen Kun as a cocky young upstart in Wang's camp, and even Feng Xiaogang making a cameo in the beginning of the film trying to suck up to Bangde Ma. You can label it a satire, or an action comedy, but one thing's for sure, this Chinese film showcases just what their industry is capable off in pulling something quirky, offbeat and yet entertaining for the masses. Jiang Wen continues to expand his filmography in a slow but assured pace, and hopefully we can get to see another one of his films soon. Highly recommended as one of the best this year, and I'm really tempted to get the DVD in order to watch this battle of wits all over again.

SP: The Motion Picture (SP: Yabou-Hen / ＳＰ 野望篇)

Make It So

SP, or Security Police, refers to that branch within the Japanese police force that does executive protection, and is modelled to a certain degree after the US Secret Service. Even then, we don't see much of such police units in films, even those from Hollywood, where offhand I can recall In the Line of Fire starring Clint Eastwood, or The Sentinel with Michael Douglas.

Having visited the Tokyo International FIlm Festival the last few years have allowed me to see SP in action up close since they provide close protection for the Japanese Prime Minister, being the VIP of the opening ceremony, and lo and behold, the opening of SP The Motion Picture brought back some memories of the time spent in Tokyo with a large set action piece. Starting off at the classy Roppongi Hills, an SP unit led by Soichiro Ogata (Shinichi Tsutsumi of Suspect X and The Climber's High fame) successfully fends off a terrorist bomb attack employing the use of an improvised explosive device, and launches into one extended action sequence involving the wildcard of the team Kaoru Inoue (Junichi Okada), who's blessed with heightened extra sensory abilities almost similar to a pre-cog from Minority Report. Think of it as your tingling Spidey sense that he's endowed with, from a childhood incident that you'd only know of if you've followed the television series.

Yes, this film is the big screen continuation of 11 episodes from Fuji TV, but do not fret if you are clueless about the characters here and their respective motivations, since you'll be brought up to speed once you're past the opening action set piece that blends some raw CG with plenty of dizzying foot chases everywhere from streets to the metro, culminating in a close quartered fight on a moving lorry. Then the narrative goes into a boring, slow paced slump which seemed a lot like a bad dose of X-Files type of conspiracy theories with shady politicians such as the ruling party's Secretary General Kunio Date (Teruyuki Kagawa) heading a rogue team hell bent on taking over the government through some orchestrated chess play kept under wraps from the audience. There's a diabolical plan brewing, but we aren't just quite sure of it just yet. And wait, to add to the intrigue, it seemed that Soichiro Ogata is in on this too, spouting cryptic lines, and behaving like an activated Manchurian Candidate.

There are a few positives from this film, starting with ambition. Directed by Takafumi Hatano, it is without a doubt he has his focus on making an impact with bringing the Security Police to the big screen for a whole different audience experience. Then there's the presence of power character actors with the likes of Teruyuki Kagawa and Shinichi Tsutsumi. Even Junichi Okada pulls his weight as the almost superhero like rookie cop providing that flair for action, and looks good while pulling off the periodically intense moments where his senses go into overdrive when danger is nearby. Action too was very well choreographed, especially the close quartered battles that were realistically executed, and the kinetic energy that flows throughout.

Then there are the negatives from the film that centered on improbable logic and standard operating procedures that stuck out like a sore thumb marring this film since you'll start to ask a lot of questions. Perhaps I do not understand the exact SOP of the SPs, or maybe for dramatic license to make it a more entertaining action thriller, certain liberties got taken so that the characters can quickly get into the scheme of things, and make them more vulnerable rather than a well oiled, cohesive and impregnable fighting unit. And most of these issues come from the final third of the film where Kaoru Inoue, together with teammates Eri Sasamoto (Yoko Mari), Takahumi Tamamoto (Satoru Matsuo) and Mitsuo Ishida (Yu Kamio) have to safely escort a minister to the Prime Minister's residence some 3 kilometers away. 16 Blocks, anyone?

Now being on a security detail means meticulous planning, and equipped with some weapons to fend off potential aggressors, and this is where it gets a tad frustrating. Firstly, Inoue is like a bloodhound especially in the opening establishing scene for the uninitiated like myself, but as the film wore on, his senses got blunted and his reaction to his premonitions become slower. You can blame it on fatigue since he had spent the whole day out on high alert protecting Kunio Date, but to spiral his abilities to such lows, made it too convenient. I had initially thought this was the weakest link in the entire film, but after some thought had realized that although the timeline was super compressed, the SP team were in effect being deployed the whole day on high alert and is in need of rest, before being suddenly called in after a long day to spring into action. Ties in nicely to the big conspiracy brewing actually.

Then there's the tussle between having a lethal and non lethal weapon at one's disposal, and the decisions made to utilize either. If someone's charging toward you with a blade and looks set to inflict critical damage, you do not charge forward and engage with your bare hands. It makes little sense, together with the inability to find alternative modes of transportation, or appropriate backups from the force. Some scenes to evoke a sense of excitement also became over the top, but I suppose it's part of the unreal fun on the filmmaker's end, and allowing some nicely choreographed fisticuffs to happen and provide some variation to the type of action presented.

This of course requires you to check your inquisitive brain at the door, and to enjoy the film as it is at face value. It has the right ingredients for an action thriller and tried to up the ante with having an adult plot involving corrupt politics and the high level games they play, which in a certain way is pretty much frustrating knowing that this is only half a film, where the plot for Japan domination comes in the sequel which hopefully will make it to our shores.

KINKS The Movie Contest!

Juliane Block, German, and Virginia Kennedy, Australian, both based in Asia, will soon have their new film KINKS shown in Singapore's Sinema Old School in July. KINKS is a feature mockumentary shot in Malaysia, trying to take the piss out of reality TV shows and racism. Check out the Trailer here:


As a run up to the screening, the filmmakers are running a Contest off its official movie webpage and runs from now until 30th April 2011. The winner will be announced no later than 15th May 2011, and will be paid either via bank transfer or cheque if he/she comes from Malaysia, or transferred via Paypal if you're from the rest of the world.

You can click here to see what you need to do to win RM$500 (US$160), and to understand the contest theme and regulations.

Meanwhile, for those who prefer to sit on the sidelines while others have fun, take a look at the Synopsis which goes:

Kinks is a mockumentary style feature film. The movie takes a cynical but nevertheless humorous look at two inter-racial sisters who appear far from alike. Inside and outside. One is white and one is dark.

Split up as children, because their parents divorced, the film starts when they finally meet again after years growing up on separate continents. On meeting it is obvious their agendas are as different as their looks. The fiercely competitive, western educated Caucasian looking Jay wants international success for her cross cultural dating show. She returns to Malaysia to produce her dream, a reality show for the American market. To succeed she needs it to be as outrageous as possible. Jay’s Malaysian sister, Joythi, the Indian looking darker one, happens to work for Ministry of Culture. She is more introverted and has to learn to stand up to her sister while desperately trying to keep her job, while in charge to establish some decency in Jay’s misguided production.

Clashes are inevitable!

The story of this mockumentary feature evolves during the two weeks production of the dating show pilot. Through the seemingly different sisters, Jay and Joythi the audience will witness first hand all the bruised egos, crazy accusations and extreme cultural clashes and misconceptions between East and West but also the similarities of two sisters being eventually just humans.

Watch for it!


Related Links
Official Movie Webpage
YouTube Channel
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Juliane Block's company Fat Kat Studios

Faster

Can You Smell What He's Cooking?

Dwayne Johnson is back to his ass-kicking best after venturing into family friendly fare like The Game Plan, Race to Witch Mountain and having a stint at being The Tooth Fairy, so it's a welcome change that he exploits that bulk of muscle of his in getting back to what he does best in WWE - pulverizing opponents without remorse. Here he adopts a no-nonsense approach as the man with no name, whom we know of as Driver, being involved in a heist a decade ago that went wrong because his crew got double-crossed, and now he's back out from jail to take revenge against those who did his team in.

It's like Taken, The Man from Nowhere and even Tarantino's Kill Bill, where the protagonist goes on a no holds barred rampage seeking out those he remembered and striking them off his checklist as he dispatches them one by one. Hot on his heels are Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) on the verge of retirement but taking a keen interest in this case, and what I felt was an unnecessary character called Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) sent by the mysterious ringleader to stop Driver cold in his tracks. What's even more unnecessary is the romantic narrative thread between Killer and his moll Lily (Maggie Grace), if not only to up the female quotient in a testosterone filled movie.

Director George Tillman Jr delivered the action set pieces where they mattered under frantic pacing, and the story by Tony and Joe Gayton kept enough secrets under wraps to pull off some minor surprises especially in the final act, and had enough reserves in the tank when dealing with the dilemma of the Driver having some inherent good in him that waned in his propensity to kill in cold blood, even though they do fall susceptible to old school cliches and at times the audience is required to suspend disbelief for plot convenience.

Still, it's an entertaining action flick in its own right, and fans of Dwayne Johnson should get enough kicks from this before he joins Vin Diesel and Paul Walker for yet another franchise film involving souped up fast cars.

You can read my review of Faster at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.



and I can't get enough of this earworm - Short Change Hero by The Heavy - which played as the end credits rolled:

[DVD] The Coverup (2008)

Based on a true story known as The Thacker Case, The Coverup tells of the fight for justice against those guilty of covering up what actually happened a fateful night when a man was found to be murdered in an alley behind the Marshalltown police station, when he was brought in for what would seem like a standard protocol to a DUI case. Kevin Thacker (Michael Welch) was a repeat drink driver picked up by police officer who together with an investigator had claimed to have fallen from a six storey building in an attempt to escape, and of course there are more than meets the eye to this case.

The Coverup chronicles the fight that lawyer Stu Pepper (Garbeil Mann), who also served as Executive Producer and provided the story, written by Robert Dean Klein and director Brian Jun, had undergone, as engaged by Kevin's parents Thomas and Beverly (John Savage and Lee Garlington) to seek the truth and sue the Marshalltown police on 15 counts, only for 14 to be thrown out the window before the trial started. It's an uphill climb from the get go with suspicions of cover up, evidence tamper, conflict of interests, and a fight against incredible odds especially when one goes up against those in power, who have within them the ability to make one's life miserable.

Stu's track record at the time wasn't impressive, and coming out from another losing suit against a cop, he has to guard against making a career out of being labelled as anti-police, and of course to handle a case that would obviously put a strain on his family life. But he serves as the moral compass for the story, in reminding ourselves that we have within our powers to always do the right thing and to speak up for those who can't, and we must. Gabriel Mann portrays Stu with fair gumption, and together with Eliza Dushku as his paralegal Monica Wright, we get put through the usual series of questions, fact gathering and of course, the courtroom saga that come as standard offerings in any legal thriller-drama.

Some may claim that this film seemed to be one sided because the defendants don't really get to feature much in the entire proceedings, but I suppose if you look at the facts of the case, there's little wonder what else could that have contributed to the film, unless you believe a man can fall 24 feet and land directly on his back with the only injury being the side of his head. It's what I would deem as an almost open and shut case with the arguments presented logically, but the real whammy comes from there being no investigations into the wrong doing of the police officers involved in the situation as a follow up to this case. As such, this film now speaks out against this, and has become somewhat of an activist effort to spread awareness, and for the right thing to be done.

It is a modest film with the obvious limited funds of an independent production, but tremendous efforts had been put into the film to make it look more than it's financed for. All members of the cast put in credible performances in their roles to tell this compelling, gripping tale that will likely cause you to seethe in anger and probably disappointment too, but a well made one nonetheless. You can find more details of the actual case here which is full of relevant facts and associated supporting documents, and of course for those who are on Comcast, The Coverup should already be available for Video on Demand viewing. Don't miss this!