Biutiful

Making Do

Biutiful is a beautiful film. Beutifully aching, beautifully bleak and beautifully crafted by director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, bringing his signature styles as seen in 21 Grams and Babel, weaving a rich tapestry of a father's love for his children into a powerful narrative of survival and that painful succession, of responsibility and guilt careening toward the inevitable finale with the rush against time before one succumbs to the illness that fate had dealt.

In essence this is almost a one man show and Javier Bardem is in absolutely fine form as Uxbal, a man stricken with cancer and knows his time is up. But that only compounds his problems as he has two young children to take care and fend for, given that his estranged wife Marambra (Maricel Alvarez), who suffers from bipolar disorder and is cheating behind his back with his brother, is none quite fit to raise the two kids on her own. Without regular work - moonlighting as a medium of sorts and mostly earning his keeps from the underworld through trade involving illegal workers, he treads the fine line of survival in mixing with the black hats as well as those on the side of the law who prefer to have their palms greased.

If you have followed Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's filmography and career thus far with four features including this one under his belt, you'd come to appreciate his preference in taking time to tell a story, and weaving in no less than three distinct narrative threads here that converge somewhat toward the end, dealing with the lives of a down and out, dysfunctional Spanish family, that of a Chinese businessman and his gay lover whose business acumen is quite suspect, and of a Senegalese family with close ties to Uxbal, whose breadwinner fail to heed Uxbal's advice to stay off the drug trade. These three pronged stories provide for an exploration of a spectrum of emotions

Besides Bardem's excellent performance which snagged him the Palme d'Or for Best Actor in Cannes last year, both Hanaa Bouchaib and Guillermo Estrella also owned the film as the children of Uxbal, being very natural in front of the camera to endear their characters to the audience, making it easily understandable why a father would fight tooth and nail and meticulously plan for the day that he would no longer be around, that there are good people around to assist in raising his kids, that there would be some money available to be expensed for livelihood.

While the film sprawls in its narrative, it's the little touches that hammer home the poignancy and emotions. I could have sworn that it was a sound gaffe when father and daughter embrace in a moment of extreme affection and the sound of hearts pounding came through because the wireless mikes underneath their garments come into close contact with their bodies, but letting it remain in the film allowed for that very deeply felt feelings to ring right through, allowing us to hear those heart beats that made it all seem so keenly felt, and moving.

Then there are the opening scenes involving two hands and a ring, and one involving Uxbal and a mysterious man in a snow filled landscape talking over a dead owl, and these only made sense to those patient and brings the entire film full circle. Even the scene with Uxbal in a room of coffins also brought home the point of melancholy of the dearly departed, which dealt with spirituality in a deft fashion. It is precisely these moments that Inarritu's film becomes the gem that it is, making you feel for each and every one of the characters involved and the options available and chosen, that you clamour for reprieve even for just a little while, such as the making do and contentment around the dinner table with what little they have.

Despite its grim and bleak outlook, the sensitive treatment by the filmmakers and cast makes Biutiful an engrossing, wicked even, view in witnessing a man's spiral into despair, and the touching moments that come when the inevitable is just at the horizon. Highly recommended!

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

Save Us!

It sure took Hoodwinked some 6 years before a follow up film got made, and while based primarily on the characters in Little Red Riding Hood twisted into that featured in the first film, any semblance of what you know from that fairy tale got totally thrown out the window in his sequel, as it focused more on the action with the narrative by the quartet of Mike Disa, Tony Leech and Cory and Todd Edwards turning this into something of a mission impossible, with Nicky Flippers (David Ogden Stiers) running an agency called the HEA whose operatives are out to save Hansel and Gretel (Bill Hader and Amy Poehler) from the evil clutches of Verushka the Witch (Joan Cusack).

You can smell the formula it's trying to emulate from the Shrek franchise with its many fairy tale characters peppering the landscape, with side show characters such as The Giant (Brad Garrett) from Jack and the Beanstalk, the three little pigs, and countless others including a not so blind mouse. Comedy comes courtesy of the many pop culture references yet again that adults will catch, but I can't say too much of the same from the little ones, judging by bored looks and less than enthusiastic responses throughout the show. If it's something animated films need to know and that is never alienate your targeted audience although it's a fine line to tread upon, given the accompanying adults that you have to consider as well.

It's also strange that the bulk of the budget probably went to securing the class act of voices to return and feature in this follow up, featuring the likes of Hayden Panettiere (taking over Anne Hathaway) as Red Riding Hood, Glenn Close as Granny, Patrick Warburton as the Wolf, and others such as Cory Edwards, Martin Short, and even model Heidi Klum, although her Heidi character probably didn't more than 10 sentences throughout the film in her character's short appearance. No doubt they do a good job trying to breathe some life into their animated roles, but alas they all got let down by what's primarily essential in an animated film, besides the lack of a solid storyline, and that's the animation.

I was quite surprised to note that there was even some stereoscopic transfer from 2D to 3D for this film (the 3D version didn't make it here), given none of the scenes called for something to pop out of the screen, so it's a complete rip off. Worse, the animation lacked the detail and vividness of modern day CG animation, with character expressions being really stiff that you may be mistaken that it's something done from our animation factories that produced films like Sing to the Dawn - no offense here, but it's really quality that took many steps backward to where we are currently, at the infancy stage.

That already meant the battle got lost halfway since the visuals fail to engage, coming off as quite cheap looking, and the storyline or the lack thereof in something with a little more punch, with its villainous gags coming up really short and being repetitive. Riddled with plenty of cliches, such as Red Riding Hood being sent away to tutor under the Sister Hoods, which is a pseudo martial arts monastery cum bakery school, that really, baking and kung fu? Give me a break please and leave that to the Panda, although the positive message to come from the film for the little ones include that of working together and cooperation, since Red and Wolf can't partner together for the most parts, and have to learn through the hard way.

I'm not sure why this film even got made as it went really off tangent from the first one, and seriously could have been called anything else and still it won't matter. It's its own film that somehow didn't work, if only it had worked on both the quality of animation, and storyline.

Beastly

Pompous Prick

Fairy tales are getting a modern day makeover, with Catherine Hardwicke sexing up Red Riding Hood with a Gothic treatment, and Cannes now getting all hot and heavy with Julia Leigh's Sleeping Beauty, which is getting a number of negative press for being much ado about nothing save for plenty of nudity. Beauty and the Beast gets the teenage romance treatment that stays in perfectly PG territory that deals with the superficiality of vanity and good looks, with the usual reminder that beauty comes from within and is more than just skin deep. Highly predictable, with hot actors of the moment in lead roles to carry this film through.

Based upon the novel by Alex Flinn, Daniel Barnz directs and writes the screenplay for what is firmly a tale for the teenage demographic, casting Alex Pettyfer, best known to date for his portrayal of John in I Am Number Four earlier this year, as the rich kid Kyle, introduced as an A-One jerk running for presidency of some green club that he has absolutely no concerns for, only to boost his CV and banging on his mean streak, arrogance, money and good looks to canvass for votes. He insults the weird dresser Kendra (Mary-Kate Olsen), who turns out to be a witch that hexes him with a curse, turning him into a hideously looking bald guy complete with ugly scars and tattoos, that he becomes a walking freak show spurned by his dad (Peter Krause) even.

But with money comes the solution to a lot of things, such as buying a penthouse away from the city to house Kyle away from public scrutiny, with Ducati bikes and limos at his beck and call for use. If there's a single takeaway from the film, it is that money talks and solves problems, from hiring of a blind tutor (Neil Patrick Harris) to impart life values and to crack a joke or two, to that of a housekeeper Zola (Lisa Gay Hamilton) who sees the beauty beneath the extremely ugly facade put up by Kyle. The both of them form the nucleus of the new beastly household supporting Kyle in his quest to break the curse set upon him.

Before the curse gets permanently set in 12 months time, Kyle has to seek out true love in order to be rid of it, and to get the person to say those 3 sacred words. With absolutely no social graces or skills to talk about since everything about the teenager is money and manipulation through his appearance, he finds it terribly hard to try and connect with others, obliterating his past smug life, until he hatches a plan to try and seduce Lindy, played by Vanessa Hudgens, to make that goody two shoes fall in love with him, or at least that's how director Daniel Barnz made it seem like. You know you'd come to expect true love that will eventually take over, but somehow that rang quite hokey and convenient, since Alex Pettyfer made it seem like he's really the master manipulator, scheming and planning for sparks to fly and chemistry to be exploited in order to work toward Kyle's selfish objectives.

So the redemption didn't actually feel sincere, and that's why this film failed in its wanting to tell a moral story that all that matters is the beauty in one's heart and intention. After all, the Beast here did quite the unthinkable, in blackmailing Lindy's dad to send Lindy into his abode in order to stay safe since she's wanted by some thug, and of course to fall into his plan of slowly romancing the lass in order to be rid of his hex. Surprisingly though the household's tutor and housekeeper encourages and assists him in this dastardly plan, even though you're supposed to imagine that they see beyond his cruel facade into that heart of cold, which is quite a stretch in this story of convenience (such as having no other suitors readily available), especially in the final act.

Vanessa Hudgens ditches her recent bad girl turn in Sucker Punch for something a little more Disney-like, that damsel who is in distress crying out for someone to sweep her off her feet and the burden of looking after a drug junkie dad. It's a pretty lightweight Belle equivalent she plays here with little depth in her Lindy being quite impressed with the highly engineered efforts to woo her, hopeful that her crush on the biggest jerk in school would turn into something more meaningful, and possessing that requisite heart of gold.

It's a little ironic that a film that seeks to speak up against superficiality and vanity, would be nothing more than that what it wanted to speak up against. Not the strongest nor sharpest Beauty and the Beast retelling out there.

[EUFF11] Perrier's Bounty

Taking Aim

My decision to watch this stemmed from the star power of Cillian Murphy, if not then I would have approached English/Irish crime thrillers with a little apprehension as most somehow come across as Guy Ritchie wannabes, or follow a dark and gritty formula that gets quite tired after a while. London Boulevard was a little underwhelming with a sprawling narrative that got nowhere, and in some ways Perrier's Bounty didn't quite leave a favourable impression.

Granted the film boasts great character actors, from Murphy as the down and out protagonist Michael McCrea, Jim Broadbent as his dad Jim, and Jodie Whittaker as the hot next door neighbour Brenda who all get embroiled in Michael's affairs with the titular gangster Darren Perrier (Brendan Gleeson, whom is probably known to worldwide audiences better for his role as Mad-Eye Moody in the Harry Potter franchise), when they inevitably knock off two of the latter's foot soldiers when they come knocking violently to get back money owed, and a bounty is declared on Michael and the group which runs its course in an overnight tale of hunter versus prey.

The better parts of the film come from the incredibly chemistry that Murphy and Broadbent share as son and father, especially when they got introduced in the film not really speaking or on good terms, but for the inevitable improvement when Jim's death sentence by way of a medical condition gets made known, and the wicked modus operandi of Perrier coming into play. The complimentary romance subplot was credible between Michael and Brenda, but you just know it had to give way to more pressing survival issues on hand, especially when Perrier demonstrates why he is not to be trifled with. That of course gives way to plenty of scenes with graphic violence, which to a modern audience is something already quite numbing if the intention is to shock.

Still, director Ian Fitzgibbon keeps Mark O'Rowe's story moving at incredible pace, set against an eclectic soundtrack, but alas it is the pace that doesn't allow for the film to breathe and give a little bit more dimension to the characters, especially the villains who come across as pretty one dimensional goons out for blood and constantly cursing through their limited vocabulary. It's touted to be a comedy, but unless you have a ear for thick Irish accents, then most of the verbal jibes would probably have gone unheard, which is a pity since I would have loved it if it was subtitled to assist non native English speakers.

Perrier's Bounty lacked a certain X-factor to its rather bland storyline, which had the actors to thank for making it a lot more enjoyable if not for their presence, since you're likely to be able to stay ahead of plot developments, which spell mediocre and average.

Gantz

Sci Fi Warriors

If you think that only Hollywood is tapping deep into comic book source material for its films, well they're not alone, with the Japanese also digging deep into its rich manga culture for adaptations to bring to the silver screen. It's taken Gantz quite some time to reach our shores given that the concluding sequel had already been aired weeks ago and we're only getting the first installment, but as I say it's always better late than never. Based upon the original works by Hiroya Oku, Gantz is a science fiction fantasy film that posed a lot more questions than it answered, and really asks that you put aside nagging thoughts and accept things for what they are at face value until the second film rolls along.

We're introduced to the teenagers Masaru Kato (the popular Kenichi Matsuyama) and Kei Kurono (Kazunari Ninomiya) who meet by chance at a subway station, once best friends with the latter always standing up for the former. They get involved in rescuing a man who had fallen onto the train tracks, but in the process get themselves killed, yet transported into some sparse apartment room together with strangers, all of whom had their life expired, and a huge black orb to whom they owe their temporal lives to. Here's where a lot of questions get tossed up as to the origins of the orb, and some thick existential queries - are they really dead, or operating on a separate limbo plane, or are really just dreaming - but put all of these aside to just soak up the ground rules that the characters have to engage in, and the set action sequences that come with the territory.

To help make the narrative a little bit more palatable, treat it as an extreme version of Men in Black, where a randomly selected group of apparently dead folks get topped up into an existing team, all of whom are given exo-skeleton suits to power up and weapons fit to kill aliens who walk this earth. Gantz, the orb within which houses a comatosed bald man communicating via a console on the orb, summons the players, sets the mission objectives, and teleports them into the thick of the action. Survive, and you get to live another day. Die, and you'll stay dead permanently. With a catch of course, where a Gantz summoned player earn meagre points in a mission (in addition to getting insulted), and a 100 points allows one to either wipe one's memory and go back to the "real world" not remembering a single thing when serving Gantz, or opting to resurrect a fallen comrade.

The first hour or so is spent learning the ground rules, and what better way than to be thrown into the deep end of the pool in an effort to immerse both the characters and audience in double quick time. Our main protagonists with their different perspectives and values often come up clashing against once another in their ideals, but when push comes to shove it's a life and death issue should they choose not to cooperate with each other, and with others in the same boat, unless of course one decides to use the clueless newbies as fodder.

The story's made more interesting with this particular contrast between the two leads, one being very reluctant to shed more blood and taking it upon himself to ensure that the newbies are properly briefed and told of the risks involved, often being ridiculed, while the other sees his new life under Gantz as an opportunity to rise up and be the hero he's meant to be, since in real life he's a zero this presents him a chance to answer what would be his calling in life, bordering on arrogance and partaking in riskier maneuvers. But alas given the need to cram everything into a slightly more than two hour film, you can bet that plenty of characterization and development got thrown out of the window, and subplot casualties include the romances between Kato and buxomy Kei Kishimoto (Natsuna Watanabe), and that of Kurono and fellow student and manga enthusiast Tae Kojima (Yuriko Yoshitaka), whom I suspect will have a much larger role in the concluding film.

Surprisingly there is plenty of bloody violence and gore peppered throughout the film, sticking close to the treatment as in the manga and anime, with only the gratuitous nudity in the source materials being toned down by quite a bit in the live action movie. Computer generated graphics are the order of the day, as plenty of futuristic weapons got produced, in addition to the skin tight exo-skeleton suit. Villainous aliens take on different looks, from robots with awkward mobility, to inhabiting statues of Buddhas that give rise to one of the largest action sequences in the film that came complete with high casualty and property damage.

Undoubtedly a special effects extravaganza, Gantz is ultimately half a film, and I am looking forward to the concluding episode to wrap up the open questions posed here. After all, the sequel's subtitle is Perfect Answer, so I'm really hoping for that to happen. Stay tuned during and after the closing credits for that trailer to the sequel, and tell me if that doesn't pique your interest even more, so much so that like me I'm putting that anime DVD collection on my wish list. Recommended!

Paul

The Mothership Cometh!

At first it was the zombie genre, then they had a hand at buddy cop films. Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are showing that they certainly are film geeks at heart with their feature films poking intelligent fun at genre movies, and carries the flag that shows the distinct gulf of class between Brit humour, and the slapstick nonsense that folks such as Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer churn out with their crass products that just tried to hard. Paul is Frost and Pegg's latest attempt at subversion of the alien genre movies, and my, it's perfectly entertaining.

It's not easy mind you, given that the majority of films that deal with alien subject matter almost always have them as the adversary in some major shoot them up action sequences, so the duo opted for a story that's predictable, yet full of charm and heart that provides that warm and fuzzy feeling, not new mind you, given that it's been done before in classics such as Coccoon and E.T. even, and I appreciate the more positive themes of friendship and camaraderie over yet another invasion type of film that we're seeing a lot these days, from Skyline to Battle: Los Angeles. Perhaps it goes to show our lack of tolerance, or total intolerance in the modern day toward those outside our sphere of familiarity, opting for, agreeing and appealing to our growing hostility, compared to a time where "I Come In Peace" isn't met with skepticism and a loaded, pointed gun. And why not another film about friends given that the duo effortlessly transfers their real life friendship onto the big screen and this shows.

Playing English graphic novelist Clive Golings (Frost) and illustrator Graeme Willy (Pegg) who fulfill their inner fan-boy and geek-hood puberty in making that pilgrimage to Geek Nirvana in the San Diego Comic Con International (note to self: you must get there someday), they take off in an RV on a road trip along the American mid-west to pit stop at various famous alien sighting and landing spots. Why not, since you've already spent money getting abroad, to go do what your heart desires, only that their wildest dreams came true when they crash into a car driven none other by an escaping alien nicknamed Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen).

So begins a madcap road trip with the friends constantly bickering over the new alien stowaway, with Clive being extremely pissy with the risks involved, and Graeme being the more accommodating, wide-eyed kid that provides for Paul to showoff his abilities, from sharing of knowledge through touch, powers of resurrection (you can almost smell what's coming with this Chekhov's GUn, although how it's introduced here is simply hilarious) and plenty of smart alecky wisecracks and inside jokes on alien films and pop references, thanks to the nature of writers Frost and Pegg who inserted multitudes of references and easter eggs that makes multiple viewings worthwhile. Take for instance when they step into a crowded bar, the tune played by a live band takes after the exact tune in Star Wars when Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker entered a cantina in search of a pilot.

Then there's this very smart critique on science versus religious fanaticism that was brilliantly tackled here through that of the romantic fodder in Kristen Wiig as Ruth, home-schooled by her dad Moses (John Carroll Lynch) and brought up to be all God-fearing, only for the presence of Paul to cast that faith into disarray. Her transformation into the all inquisitive, potty mouth lass is something of a hoot, and becomes the token romantic figure for Graeme that provides for some tension in the friendship between Graeme and Clive, who had stuck so thick and thin that there are no less than two situations they get mistaken for more than just firm friends (though it shows, mate!)

Paul is totally CG-ed and Singapore may be proud to know that we had a hand in some of the aspects in bringing the film to fruition. Seth Rogen provides the voice of the alien designed after the famous alien head pop reference, and this geek's film is shouldered by an able supporting cast that includes Jason Bateman as the all too serious, pursuing Agent Zoil, Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio as bumbling detectives ordered to assist in his pursuit only to develop ideas of their own, David Koechner and Jesse Plemons as two recurring rednecks and one excellent surprise cameo that lifted the film in its climax, which was frankly, a fantastic masterstroke of genius for film fans.

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg may not have the services of fellow collaborator in director Edgar Wright, but as these two showed, all you need is a very solid script and excellent buddy chemistry to make a film layered, rich, and thoroughly entertaining without dumbing it down into stupidity. Paul the alien is funny yet rude, full of himself and yet possessing some of the best qualities of humanity, and yes he will linger on as one of the best alien encounters on film. Highly recommended, and may I dare say this goes into my shortlist of favourites for the year!

London Boulevard

Forced Romance

If a beautiful world renowned actress asks in point blank fashion the very first time you meet her, whether you will be able to protect her, the only answer that's valid, is a Yes, even though you have absolutely no idea why that was asked and how you're going to fulfill that promise. That's what transpired when Keira Knightley's character Charlotte meets Colin Farrell's Mitchel initially, setting the stage and sowing the seed for a thick romantic angle in London Boulevard.

Based upon the novel by Ken Bruen and adapted for the screen by William Monahan, who got his fair share of fame from adapting the Hong Kong crime thriller Infernal Affairs into Martin Scorsese's The Departed, London Boulevard had a lot of good things on its side to guarantee success but its potential got lucked out through some astonishingly perplexing pace and development, with aspects of it feeling rushed yet stagnating at the same time. Monahan's debut directorial feature film, it goes to show his inexperience in helming what would be a Brit gangster movie, riddled with cliched moments and characters that made it a mediocre effort at best.

Colin Farrell's Mitchel is a man just released from prison, and as far as stories go there are a dime a dozen of tales where the anti-hero decides to turn over a new leaf after a jail term, but finding himself inevitably sucked back into the life of violence, with the adage of living and dying by the sword being that constant reminder. He gets offered two paths at his crossroads in life, one to become a protector and handyman to a reclusive actress who is constant paparazzi fodder, and the second is to enter the fold of a vicious gangster Gant (Ray Winstone) who sees Mitchel as a promising lad to have to do battle on his side. Trouble comes from Gant being rejected outright for that of a more normal livelihood, and revenge at being jilted (yes, it does seem that way) is of the order as Mitchel tries to become that romantic hero in Charlotte's life.

That basically sums up the plot, filled with enough violent moments ranging from smashing a man's face on a glass to cold blooded murder, and even suggestion of violence through shots such as a clump of hair bloodily stick on a hammer. Gangsters spew expletives, and that was peppered throughout everyone's dialogue. But these elements do not make an exceptional gangster film. For starters, perhaps the English was too heavily accented that I can barely make out what each of the characters are saying, with plenty of mumbling being no help at all.

While Colin Farrell had enough of screen time to show off his acting chops, exuding his suave charisma as the gangster determined to stay on the right side of the law, little can be said of the same for Keira Knightley, whose Charlotte is as thin as cardboard and doesn't make for a believable character, who had chosen to confine herself and live as a recluse just because of a reason mentioned in passing, and the loads of creepy, insult spewing paparazzi who invade her comfort zone when she steps out of the house. The romance between Knightley and Farrell also felt too rushed and forced as you stay a step ahead and predicted the outcome. And when the lead characters do not share chemistry, it's half the battle lost.

Probably the key saving grace to the film is the excellent cast of supporting actors who brought a little bit extra to the table despite their limited screen time, and it's certainly their star studded presence that helped. Anna Friel plays the scatty sister of Mitchel's who truth be told is a needless character, and David Thewlis' perpetually high business manager of Charlotte's bring much needed light-heartedness to what is a film that takes itself too seriously. Ben Chaplin as the bumbling hoodlum also brought on some laughs through his character's unfortunate ineptness, and I was looking forward to more scenes with the character that was not to be.

First films come with limitations no matter what the filmmaker's pedigree is, and London Boulevard is a classic case example of just that, and wasted potential. Great soundtrack though that helped to carry this film through from start to finish.

If Like Me You've Missed The DVD Launch of Old Places...

fret not, as you can get to watch the proceedings of the launch that was held at Books Actually on Tuesday 10th May 2011. Normally I'd make it a point to attend these events, but the last 2 weeks have been insane with General Elections fever and a mounting day job workload.

Thankfully we can all still sit through the session with filmmakers Eva Tang, Royston Tan and Victric Thng in attendance, as captured in these snippets from the launch (by someone else, of course!)


Part 1 of 3

Part 2 of 3

Part 3 of 3
According to Royston on the Old Places Facebook group, 700+ DVDs have already been sold. With 1000 copies in print, you do not need to be told to head on down to these few shops that carry it - Books Actually, Kinokuniya and Objectifs - to get your own copy of a film that archives the places once seen, will soon be long gone, but will always be fondly remembered because of this filmic effort, which will be spawning a follow up really soon.

Books Actually also took photos from behind their counter, and have put it online on their blog entry here. SINdie also covered the the first launch of the Old Places DVD at Kinokuniya on 7th May 2011.

You can read my review of the film here.

Priest 3D

Now Where's That Needle...

It's not too hard to understand why Americanized films of Asian pop culture easily gets into a furore amongst fans, because the track record so far, with films such as Godzilla some time back, and Blood: The Last Vampire recently, are pretty dismal in having no effort spent in trying to remain true to the respective folklores. Before you get up in arms about the adaptation of Akira, you can first add Priest into the mix, a film based on the Korean comic created by Hyung Min-woo that combines the Western genre with horror, but this film is anything but Hyung's original content, and remotely so other than to borrow some themes and settings, and little else.

First of all, one gets a dumbed down story that should appeal to the lowest denominator amongst audiences worldwide for the sole reason to get its set action sequences up and running. Cory Goodman crafts a tale about a time where Humans and Vampires get locked in an eternal war, only for a breed of special humans blessed by the Divine to become sacred warriors known as Priests, who tipped the balance of favour for the humans, and with the belief of the vampires' extinction, so too does the Priests who get stripped of their authority and function by the clergy for fear that they become all too powerful. So they are forced to go underground to well, seek alternative employment.

It's little wonder that this film touches base on how veteran soldiers get treated past their use by date, where humans who step forward in defense of an ideal, ultimately get tossed aside by politicians or society when peace prevails, offering little compassion or sympathy toward those deemed killers, in a new era that calls for none of their skillsets, and little tolerance for those who have their hands stained with blood. I appreciated how this thematic aspect got weaved into the narrative, but seriously it didn't dwell on it long enough to garner its supposed impact on the audience, opting instead to gloss over it rather quickly for its more straightforward plot in quite similar terms to Taken, involving a Priest (Paul Bettany) in his mission to rescue his niece (Lily Collins) from the clutches of her vampiric kidnappers.

But of course there are the usual twists and true intentions kept under wraps for the most part, which may seem quite smart if not for its rather chunky delivery, involving a massive train ride that contributed to a major action sequence in the last act. The action choreography though leaves much to be desired, with its plenty of wire stunts and overworked computer graphics that rather than being photo-realistic, it became rather animated and cartoony in approach, where ironically its animated introduction of the premise was a notch better in terms of execution (pardon the pun), having its fair share of bloody gore and horror. Most of the money shots got included in the trailers, so there isn't much left to surprise you, other than some hastily assembled martial arts flips and somersaults, plus plenty of oh-so-cool poses which comes courtesy of Maggie Q's Priestess, here to provide some brushes of forbidden romance between those who have taken that vow of celibacy.

Paul Bettany seems to enjoy having to play such apocalyptic, messiah-like character, where his earlier film Legion comes to mind, and this film being just comparable to that effort. He scowls ever so often in this film, dispatching his CG enemies with aplomb, since they look like cheap throwaways from the Alien franchise and don't offer much of a challenge against a man who has at his disposal, plenty of silver weaponry of various shapes and sizes, together with moments of prayer to calm nerves. Joining the Priest in his mission are the Priestess (as mentioned) after the halfway mark, and the Wasteland Sheriff Hicks (Cam Gigandet) who has the hots for the Priest's niece and is in this to rescue his beloved, having to inform the Priest of her kidnapping. Karl Urban is totally wasted as Black Hat, the chief villain with an intention to carry on the good fight of the vampires, as he spends most of the time in shadow, and like most cheap villains, spend too much time talking than to finish off his opponents.

Those who decide on the 3D version of this film, save your money. As already explained, films that converts 2D into 3D formats during post production aren't worth your time and effort, and Priest just reinforces why. There are little 3D effects that will genuinely wow, and most come across as pretty lame 2D knock ups, since the action sequences aren't exactly designed with 3D in mind. Also, given that the film's setting is already filled with plenty of darkness, having to put on those glasses make this film ridiculously dark in presentation, since whatever minute light got cut off, and you'll wish you're better off with watching the 2D version instead. You have been warned.

With release dates being postponed time and again and ultimately decided upon this week, that is almost always a clear indication of either a troubled production, or a studio having little faith in its final product. And this shows up in the film, with its rather direct-to-the-point plotting and generic, yet another uninspiring vampire themed action adventure that could have been a lot more.

Umizaru 3: The Last Message (Za Rasuto Messêji: Umizaru)

Let's Get Outta Here!

There is an ominous tone to its subtitle The Last Message in this concluding installment of the Umizaru series, centered around the Japan Coast Guards and its hero Daisuke Senzaki (Hideaki Ito) who constantly finds himself at the wrong place at the wrong time, entrusted to take on seemingly impossible odds to rescue sacred human lives at the risk of his own, being the fearless, and incredibly lucky, uniformed man that he is. Director Eiichiro Hasumi continues to direct this film to bring a fitting end, albeit a melodramatic and expected one, to a three film series, although still leaving the door quite open to possibilities of another.

Set into the third wedding anniversary of Daisuke Senzaki and Kanna Senzaki (Ai Kato), the film opens with Daisuke monkeying around recording that titular message, before being whisked away with the rest of his unit to save evacuees off Japan's largest offshore natural gas rig called the Regalia, which we are told costs billions and is a joint venture with the Koreans and Russians, hence having to transport and protect the Regalia's architect Hiroshiichirou Sakuragi (Masaya Kato) to shut the plant down nicely, but like all bureaucrats, has an attitude to boot. To make matters worst, there's an accident involving a repair ship with the Regalia to make it a sitting bomb of oil and gas, and a strong typhoon is making its way directly toward the burning rig. How's that for a man made and natural disaster combined to test the competence of the Coast Guard, led again by Iwao Shimokawa (Saburo Tokito) at the crisis control room.

Expect plenty of action as Daisuke runs around to save the remaining Regalia crew of doctor Natsu Nishizawa (Kazue Fukiishi), worker Hisayoneo Kizima (Gaku Hamada) and Sakuragi, and aided by the rather cowardly Coast Guard peer Takuya Hotori (Shohei Miura) who will of course bond with and has Daisuke to look up to in changing his attitude and perception of his job into what would be a calling instead of a chore. In between running from safe haven to safe haven within the Regalia and encountering set action pieces, there are a number of half baked sub plots thrown in for good measure to bloat the film, such as Natsu's inevitable crush on hero of the moment Daisuke which wasn't quite pronounced and well crafted save for a statement made here and there in haphazard fashion, and Kanna herself being nothing but a pedestrian in the film to pine for the survival of Daisuke in what would be his largest and most dangerous mission yet.

Then there's of course the running theme of the price put on human lives as compared to saving a billion dollar piece of hardware and the natural resources stored within resulting in the terse stand off between Shimokawa and bureaucrat Yoshimori (Shingo Tsurumi). With the recent disasters that struck Japan, this couldn't ring more true to allow one to think about how there are a few good men always ready to make themselves stand up and be counted when faced against adversity, in self sacrificial mode to save their countrymen and to aid in the cause for the greater good. Here we have Daisuke and Hatori in contrast with each other, with the latter there to provide a true world perspective of "why me" situations.

Expect the usual patting on the backs, the reluctant looks of having to leave men behind, and that unmistakable camaraderie as portrayed in any film exalting the brotherhood amongst men in the uniformed services. Eiichiro Hasumi sure knows how to craft such scenes to great effect at making your heart swell, or put that lump in your throat as they either fight for all, or for one. Special visual effects are lavishly applied to vividly paint that doomsday scenario of a typhoon at sea and an ailing gas rig ready to sink, although some eager shots to make a flotilla of ships and choppers racing toward the rig look a little too enthusiastic as far as real world safety distances go.

It's a nice send off to close the film, and stay tuned as the closing credits contain plenty of behind the scenes shots from the very first feature film until this one. I haven't watched the drama series or the first film done in 2004 yet, so hopefully I will get down to do so soon since that will chart the development of Daisuke Senzaki the coast guard proper.

[EUFF11] Mount St. Elias

The Long Road Up

Mount St. Elias is the second highest mountain in all of North America, and being quite unique given its snow capped peaks all year round, giving adventure thrill seekers a deadly objective to conquer should they not fail along the way and succumb to the various dangers that come with mountain climbing. For Axel Naglich and his team, they have raised the bar a little higher with the goal of getting to the summit, before ascending down in what would be deemed as the world's longest vertical ski, ending up at the body of icy water at the foot of the mountain. It's as insane as it is extremely challenging, and filmmaker Gerald Salmina ventures with this group to capture their moment of glory.

So you can imagine just how this film could have turned out if left in the hands of an untalented director, who will probably put in plenty of back slapping congratulatory messages and scenes in the film which is based on a true story. Instead, Salmina decided to begin with a death, highlighting the very real dangers that the adventurers, and probably the filmmakers themselves, have to undertake and face in order to produce a film such as this. One can also imagine the sheer logistics required in having to film this from multiple angles and vantage points, and probably only get one chance at doing so, lest the subjects themselves need to go through the whole shebang all over again, thus doubling effort and risks.

You may be under the impression that I had, that the film is about watching Axel and his team ski down Mount St. Elias from the summit all the way to the bottom, thus making this quite the awesome, near real time view, or even offering the first person's perspective on the long way down, meandering past obstacles in the way, or having to jump off cliffs along the route before landing back on the slopes, in some kind of extreme adventure sport. Unfortunately we are really talking about their lives here, with the film needing to paint a more human story behind the scenes on their preparatory works before their opportunity at attempting such high risk maneuvers, but that doesn't mean it is boring, contrary to that, because Axel happens to be quite articulate, and allows us layman a sneak peek into the tremendous efforts prior to the actual climb and ski.

And in doing so too, the film follows how a split is actually conducted given the risks involved. We see how they ski from base camp established somewhere along the mid way mark, down to the foot of the mountain, before another riskier attempt to climb to the summit, making it there, and then skiing all the way back to base camp. While it may seem like it isn't much, but trust me, you'll appreciate every ounce of effort put in by the adventurers and filmmakers as well who had to capture the attempts. Salmina's film puts you into the thick of the action and almost experiencing the same climbing effort required as if you're there with the team, although the ski down was shot mostly from a longer distance away (and possibly, from the looks of it, from a helicopter), allowing you to appreciate the twists, turns and jumps that have to be performed not to show off, but as neccessity to navigate the route down.

Unless one has the balls, equipment, skill and training, I suppose this is as close to performing the same stunt as one can experience, and I can imagine just how awesome Mount St. Elias, and the film, would look, if presented in an IMAX format. Recommended!

The Resident

Molesting Landlord

The Resident joins the ranks of films featuring creepy landlords who have only one sick objective in mind - to bed that single woman tenant who had just moved into the apartment, through any despicable means possible. If formula is what you ordered, then formula is what you'll get in this Antti Jokinen directed film, co-written with Robert Orr that didn't bring much to the table, other than to offer what would be a half baked romance in the front, followed by plenty of voyeuristic adventures that culminates in a terribly rote finale.

Hilary Swank falls prey to the Oscar curse, having won that statuette for Million Dollar Baby, then struggling to find that one film to reinforce her stellar performance. Films such as Freedom Writers, The Black Dahlia, The Reaping, P.S. I Love You and Amelia are as varied a genre as she can possibly get involved in, but with her role in The Resident, you know she's in for quite the rough ride in her career looking for that next big hit. As the doctor Juliet Devereau at the Brooklyn General Hospital, she thought she got herself a good deal with a rustic looking apartment with a great view to move into, despite having to put up with the creepy looking aged owner August (Christopher Lee) and a stalking ex-boyfriend Jack (Lee Pace).

As a side incentive to move in, the owner's grandson Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is the handyman and focal point for the apartment, and being incredibly good looking means new opportunities in the romantic front, although having a landlord-tenant relationship tended to be tricky. As the adage goes, if it's too good to be true, then it probably is, because Max hides a deep dark secret in having to retrofit all the rooms in the apartment with secret peepholes, two way mirrors and passageways to feed his obsession and perverse pleasures, and not to mention being the recipient of all the wrong signals as sent out by Juliet.

So remember girls, control yourself during a rebound and not give the wrong ideas to strangers, because you really do not know if they're mental, and when they'll snap. The first half of the film made this look like a typical romantic film, before being spurned at the last moment made Max go over the edge and filled the second half with plenty of eerie moments of constantly having someone watching over you, showing how one can be the ultimate voyeur after being dangled a carrot made unattainable, with the finale being one really long drawn out affair complete with fisticuffs and a nailgun, showing that Hilary Swank can kick arse if necessary when put into survival mode.

Should you still decide to go ahead and watch this, then may you be warned the local version is terribly censored, since lingering scenes of Swank's body got unceremoniously snipped off, whether she's pleasuring herself in the tub, or in loose garbs highlighting the contours of her rather muscular physique. Granted there's nothing much to see, but a slip here and a see through there got frowned upon (hey it's in the bathroom after all), and got left on the cutting room floor. Violence in the last act is ok, but sensuousness is an absolute no-no.

If mediocrity is your cup of tea for a film, then The Resident should be right up your alley. For those who prefer a little bit more complexity and intelligence in their film, then skip this altogether, you'll not be missing anything.

Twisted (撞鬼) Is Live!

It's 5 months into post production with its wrap announced in Nov last year, and Chai Yee Wei's second feature film has just launched an 18 second teaser trailer:



together with 3 Twisted teaser posters featuring stylized promotional shots of Singapore's Mark Lee, Taiwan's Linda Liao, and well, one really nasty looking bowl of meat-bone soup (Bak Kut Teh):

As the synopsis goes,

The movie revolves around a soft-drugs dealer who banged up a young girl, a pair of con men who wants to turn over a new leaf, and 4 cabin crews whose lives were turned upside down over a fateful night of drugs and booze. This is a story of individuals whose fates intertwine and paths clash due to a series of twisted events. A funny and twisted tale of fate and coincidence is shaped based on the cause and effect of their actions.

Twisted (撞鬼) will be distributed by Clover Films in Singapore and has been scheduled for its local premiere on 28 July 2011. Watch for it!

Related Links
- Official Movie Website
- Facebook page

Are You Ready To Sail On Stranger Tides?

While awaiting Captain Jack Sparrow to set sail into new adventures, this time encountering zombies and mermaids en route to the Fountain of Youth, why not partake in a little bit of old schooled Battleship ala Battle Galleons, a simple Flash based game where you'll have to plan both your ship's location, and your cannon trajectory to sink your enemy ship.

It's not as difficult as it sounds, and the screenshots below will given you an idea of what's installed:

Choose Your Pirate, your chance to be Capt Jack Sparrow!

Choose Where To Position Your Ship

Choose Where You Want to Fire Into. Your enemy will be at 1 of the 3 locations
And you'll have to repeat your selection for a total of 3 times as there are 3 rounds to the game.

The Best Part - Watch Your Ships in Battle Action!

Did You See The Score?

I Win! Well, it took about 3 attempts to finally figure out the A.I. ;-)

Give it a go too, over here!

Catch Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie starting from 19th May 2011 and join the official Disney Studios Singapore Facebook & Twitter page!

Oh and by the way, you just might want to set sail from the newly opened Lido IMAX Theatre from 19th May 2011!

3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy (3D肉蒲團之極樂寶鑑)

No, not yet, this film has not come to Singapore despite a trailer from Golden Village already put up on YouTube many weeks back, that you can watch here:


which you can tell is pretty much, well, nothing to see, compared to a different cut of the trailer that can be seen here instead, showing off more 3D action:


that sort of rounds up the notion whether the film will eventually make it here, and whether we will get the snipped version of it with 18 minutes reportedly omitted to fall into MDA guidelines.

The first 3D Category III film (well, the title of first 3D soft-porn film has already been claimed by some other film) has already been released in HK and smashing the box office there, undoubtedly also fueled by curiosity of the 3D format being applied for a genre ubiquitous to HK, and of course, Vonnie Lui's appearance.

Who is Vonnie Lui? This is she:

But this just in - which is too funny to pass up - that audiences found the film a bit wanting! A review has been put up expressing the writer's disappointment and frustration with the film, and HK actor/comedian Chapman To gave it a read... and expectedly turned it into something quite hilarious!

You can listen in, especially a must if you understand Cantonese, though do note it's NSFW for the profanity in the review which Chapman reads out, and minor spoilers too:


and of course if you need an English Translation, get it right here, which is the posting that I first saw this from. Enjoy!

Fast Five

Who's Tough?

As far as franchise films go, The Fast and Furious series seem to be hitting the ground at top gear, with this installment not showing signs of slowing down, but prepping a new direction for future films to take, shifting gears from a film showcasing hot bodies (not solely just car chassis) and fast nox-enabled cars into the classic heist genre, given that it had that as its underlying premise from the first film, and now with a growing ensemble, are ready to give Ocean's Eleven a run for its money.

Rio De Janeiro provides the backdrop in which this installment takes place in (quite a popular location for films recently too), with the chief villain being Reyes (Joaquim de Almedia), a mobster with a businessman front, with his tentacles of vice and influence extending toward every part of the city. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and the former's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) hide out in the city as fugitives having broken Dom en route to prison at the end of Fast & Furious, and with the kind of money available for the taking to start a family of their own with Mia found to be pregnant, they decide to assemble a team, not to pass up the opportunity of robbing Reyes blind.

So in comes a whole host of characters whom we have seen in past films, such as Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Ludacris), Gisele (Gal Gadot), and even Han (Sung Kang) whom we know what happened to in Tokyo Drift, hence putting the chronology of the films at 1, 2, 4, 5 and 3 (five films in 10 years is quite consistent), which is now sometime in the not so immediate future. Director Justin Lin takes on his 3rd film of the franchise and together with writer Chris Morgan have managed to introduce new elements to surprise audiences and fans up until this installment, keeping with the usual action laden elements, while bringing on new characters into the franchise, this time with Dwayne Johnson coming in as a no nonsense, dogged and persistent FBI operative Hobbs, with an arsenal of technology and attitude to aid him and his team in tracking down Dom and his crew.

And of course who cannot wait to see two tough guys in Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson go one on one with each other in a fisticuffs, especially since their time with family friendly films have taken a backseat to put them both firmly back into the action genre. It sets up new rivalry, while keeping the old between Dominic and Brian with the latter always keen to prove who's the better driver. And like most ensemble films, it's make or break given the character's appeal, and I'm glad to note they share this incredibly chemistry this bunch of highly skilled cons who each bring their know-how to the table in trying to pull off mission frickin' insanity, and everyone possessing a mean driver's license to power souped up vehicles.

And if it's action you're seeking, it's action you'll get in this film too, putting aside the rather rote and superficial theme of family and trust. There's no lack of races and wheels on the roads although I do note that there's not too much of signature cars to go around this time. Even a would be street race was unceremoniously cut off, although we do get it compensated with a four way race down two traffic lights amongst Roman, Dom, Brian and Han which was more of a fair competition since they were all essentially driving the same model. Then there's the big bang finale that you would have seen in the trailer, with Dom and Brian yanking a bank vault and travelling down the streets of Rio at top speed, in what would be a fittingly noisy last act destroying everything, and I mean everything, along their path, that has to be seen in a cinema to enjoy this guilt trip in sense surround glory.

Needless to say I am a fan of the franchise, and am excited about the direction this film would be going even if it would mean limiting the number of cars on the roads, since the film had already shown the potential of that chemistry between the cast and characters, and I'm eagerly anticipating more. From one fanboy and an action junkie to any other, this of course would be recommended fare.

Stay tuned while the end credits roll, and you'll be treated to a stinger that reaffirms and teases what's to come in the next film, with no less than two surprise appearances. But no, with the timeline, it'll take a while before Lucas Black will be able to link up with the guys. For an adrenalin pumping high octane entertaining film outing, Fast Five is that opener to a very noisy and crowded summer season to come.

P.S. For those who find it hard to suppress that inner racer in you after watching the film, you may want to consider getting it all out on a go-karting track. Head on to MC²! Motor Sports' Go-Kart Event to do so, and more details are available at their event website!

Returning Soon

The Roommate

BFF

Other than having a couple of up and coming starlets to promote, it will be a stretch to try and rationalize how a film such as The Roommate can be made other than to provide a platform to do just that, with a predominantly good looking female cast holding court and trying their best to act around a formulaic theme about how chummy one can get with someone who shares your dormitory room, before finally showing true colours that involve plenty of bitching and back stabbing (literally, and very seriously too). It also plays on the psyche of female competition amongst one another in trying to go one up constantly, and the slightest of provocation means a smile on the outside and contempt on the inside.

But to make it a little bit more palatable, the antagonist has got to be an outright psycho, which Leighton Meester does in her role as Rebecca, a Beverly Hills rich kid who is as mental as can get, although you have to admit possessing a brilliant criminal mind in scheming and plotting to get her way with her roommate, the fashion designer wannabe Sara Matthews (Minka Kelly, who had the bit role as Autumn in (500) Days of Summer), who comes with enough emotional baggage such as a good looking (hardly any ugly folks in this movie, people) ex-boyfriend, and a deceased sister who gets constantly mentioned together with a precious necklace, a small town girl looking toward making it big after her fashion education, aspiring to be like her more adult friend Irene (Danneel Ackles).

Simply put, it's the classic tale of desire and unhealthy obsession, of needing to feel wanted, loved, and accepted by someone else. It steered clear of any romantic notions (unlike Atom Egoyan's film Chloe, since this is more of a teenybopper film) between Rebecca and Sara with the former only earnestly wanting to be with and possess her friend, that enemies and loved ones all fall into her grand plan to be gotten rid of. So in comes the usual caricatures such as a slutty friend (Alyson Michalka) and a sleazy professor (Billy Zane) even, to show just how far Rebecca is willing to cross the line in being Sara's constant protector on earth, where nothing is not worth trying in setting others up for a fall.

Watching this film is like watching a stack of dominoes falling down, where scenes are set up and developed as expected, leading one after another all the way to the finale. You're likely to stay one step ahead each time in Sonny Mallhi's story, with Christian E. Christiansen's direction being unsure of making this a thriller, setting things up rather meekly without delivering any punches, except for the big finale when all hell broke loose, and it became a gladiatorial kitty fight, with Cam Gigandet popping up every now and then in the narrative as Sara's new boyfriend, in just about the same functional role he served in the musical Burlesque.

Perhaps the only more interesting thing to note about this film is the local censor's views again on kissing between members of the same sex. A girl on girl kiss would have warranted an M18 rating so long as lips made contact and not snipped off, but this got bumped down to a more forgiving NC16, so it's either the slow but sure path we'll see in being more liberal with the rating, or the conscious understanding that any rating other than what's given already had detrimental effects on the box office receipts, given that this film, sans established big stars, will likely struggle with its tried, tested and tired plot, and it's giving it a shot in the arm to be taken down fast enough.

Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa (Chronicles Of Merong Mahawangsa aka The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines)

I Need a Multi-Lingual Hero

Other than the horror and comedy films that get churned out on a regular basis by Malaysia's mainstream film industry (who is going into 3D too by the way), KRU Studios showed that it had ambitious plans to make a big budgeted action spectacle that have some legs to travel the world, crafting a tale from centuries past loosely based on The Malay Chronicles involving a melting pot of Roman soldiers, Chinese warriors of the Han Dynasty, and natives of the land of Langkasuka in a joint battle against pirates of the marauding Geruda tribe. It's noisy, it's epic looking, and it features characters and a cast that would make the United Nations proud, speaking in English, Bahasa and Mandarin to highlight multple cultures.

The story is told in simple terms, with a Roman Prince Marcus Carprenius (Gavin Stenhouse) set to wed the Chinese Princess Meng Li Hua (Jing Lusi) in a deal to seal two separate empires into an alliance. The wedding is to take place at the mid point between the east-west sea routes of the empires, which would be where modern day Peninsular Malaysia is but of course. However, the young royals fail to see the merits of any loveless, arranged marriage, before finally casting their eye on each other and discovering they share similar long term ideals. But the Geruda tribe is to gatecrash the wedding day with plans of their own for riches by capturing and holding the Princess hostage, and it's up to our heroes to train, form an armada of brave men to take the enemy down within two moons, or risk having the Princess violated then killed.

While it's a film that features an ensemble cast of heroic characters such as the Chinese Admiral Liu Yun (Craig Robert Fong) and the Roman Prince Marcus, the main protagonist is that of Merong Mahawangsa (Stephen Rahman-Hughes), whom you can picture as a Captain Jack Sparrow equivalent, minus the comedic banter and attitude, with stronger physique and better fighting skills to boot. A wandering soul himself, his amorous exploits in various lands allowed an opportunity to meet Prince Marcus and his entourage in Goa, where the Prince saves his life from the mob and having Merong promising to take him back to his homeland in Langkasuka where the wedding will be, being late meaning an insult shown to the Chinese emperor. And it becomes a prophecy (as always) fulfilled when Merong makes land, being the chosen one to unite and lead his people to battle against their joint enemy, falling in love in the process and with an added objective to restore the honours of loved ones.

This is an action adventure, so what mattered are the big fight sequences, filled with plenty of swords and sorcery, CG blood spewing all over the place, and what I thought to be admirable fight choreography to rival some of the best available out there, despite having some cringe-inducing acting from faceless extras who had to be various goons to fall in battle. The story doesn't waste time in presenting Merong Mahawangsa as a battle-weary individual, and launches into huge beachfront assaults that got repeated again as the finale battle, albeit on a different side with slightly different players. One thing's for sure though, that Malaysia has got the know how and capability to stage rather convincingly fights that combine choreography and CG (albeit some aspects of it requiring some polish), no longer having to play catch up with the more established film industries.

What I would have enjoyed a lot more would be stronger opponents, who possess some degree of sorcery to control the weather, though nothing else which blunted their supposedly mean and ruthless reputation of continuous victory. With bomohs and warlocks, it could have been more of a fantastical action flick with magical amulets, a mean looking kris and an Archimedes inspired device that looked a little bit puny due to a lack of budget. I do not have issues with the many languages used in the film since the country of origin of the film is multi-cultural, at least characters speak to each other in the same set of language rather than a mishmash of sorts, although you do have to stretch that believability a little in having almost all the characters in the film educated in more than one tongue for narrative convenience.

It may not be a classic, but it sure is quite a fun ride from the film industry of a neighbour that I'm recommending as worthy of your time during the weekend even. Now why couldn't we make a film as fun, loud and brash as this one here?

Thor

Grow Up, Son

The Marvel Comics characters are burning up the screens with no less than three films offered this summer, all promising of bigger franchises to come. There's X-Men: First Class which I am absolutely looking forward to having been impressed by the trailers thus far together with a first rate ensemble cast, and then there's 2012's Avengers which had just started shooting. Which of course brings us to the origin tales of Captain America and now Thor to introduce these characters to a new generation, and introduce Thor did Kenneth Branagh manage to do, in an unusually functional treatment rather than coming to expect something more epically Shakespearean.

One of the main issues with the ambitious Avengers film is the introduction of the less than scientific, reality based elements of the Marvel films and characters to date, where radiation is root cause for the creation of The Hulk, Fantastic Four and Spider-man, and technology behind the likes of Tony Stark's Iron Man, meaning they're not too far fetched if you're a fan of science fiction. Even gene mutation still falls within the boundaries of believability. But with Thor comes something from the magical and fantasy realm, which undoubtedly will open the door to more powerful villains not bounded by the laws of physics at least, but still with the villain possessing incredible powers, unless the story is compelling, we're going to find ourselves stuck with a massively powerful hero, what more when he's a god?

Which is what made Thor somewhat a refreshing change in the way comic book heroes are portrayed in recent years, whether DC (who will have its hands full with Superman, sharing the same pain points), or Marvel. Enter Kenneth Branagh to try and make Thor more palatable to the reality so far in the Marvel film base, hitting it off where Iron Man 2 had hinted at its ending, before introducing us to a brief history of Asgard and Odin (Anthony Hopkins), together with his sons Thor and Loki and that aged old fued with the Frost Giants. In fact the story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich is already found in the theatrical trailers, with the arrogant Thor (Chris Hemsworth) being cast from his would be throne and onto Earth, and finding himself to be quite the mortal without his mythical hammer Mjolnir which he has to find with the help of scientists Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her friends Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard) and Darcy (Kate Dennings).

AS I mentioned earlier, the story is purely functional at this stage, going from scene to scene in quite the fish out of water fashion where the Norse god of thunder finds himself caught up in poor slapstick comedy (how many times can he be hit by a vehicle?). Redemption doesn't come easy for the big guy even as he's made to feel guilty for his misdeeds when on Asgard that his brother never failed to remind him of, making Loki (Tom Hiddleston) chief villain just because he's looking toward being the favoured son of Odin. Yes the main villain of the story uses more of his brains than brawn, but is no pushover when the situation calls for a more physical response.

And the battle sequences impressed, which is kind of a surprise since I never associated Branagh as one who can film kinetically charged action for the big screen. With Thor's magical prowess brought about by Mjolnir, the CG here lives up in crafting the kind of extravaganza and incredible spectacle when Thor wields his trusty hammer into battle, twirling, throwing, flying and calling in some mean looking, bad weather associated reinforcements. A film like this couldn't possibly be done years ago, and technology coupled with an artistic team's imagination and reference from Thor's source material, made the big battle sequences interesting. But I will add that one should steer clear of 3D since it's converted in post prodcution, with nothing that truly stood out to justify the viewing in 3D.

Chris Hemsworth was a relatively unknown Australian, but I guess like Hugh Jackman this could be his ticket into the big league, having to look the part of the hero and portray him to a T with that streak of arrogance that required a lesson in humility and about the sanctity of life. Yes although it doesn't call for tremendous acting chops, I suppose looking the part and playing it convincingly with those rippling muscles, is already half the battle won. Anthony Hopkins lends that bucket load of gravitas as Odin (just as how Liam Neeson's Zeus in the Clash of the Titans remake was welcomed), while Tom Hiddleston as Loki provided that conflicting villain who's an excellent liar corrupted by power.

While it has the benefit of Hollywood It Girl Natalie Portman counted amongst its ranks as the main squeeze that Thor falls for, the romance here is a little bit stretched as well, since the two hardly spend quality time together to develop genuine feelings, with Jane sealing the deal just because Thor looks good when he got his groove back, armour, weapon and all, together with that sparkle in those blue eyes surrounded by those golden facial locks. The characterization of Jane Foster is wafer thin, and the love story lacked any real emotional depth, relying on a mere summary of someone else's narration than to come from pure feelings, but I guess having her around lends star appeal to the film.

And as for cameos (look away now if you choose not to be spoilt), well, look out for Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye who saved all nuances of action for Avengers, and Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury making his much ado about nothing appearance in the coda after the film proper, although in Thor's case it turned out to be a little bit weaker since it's supposed to tease into Avengers directly, and well, expecting something really does take the fun out of anything.

Thor the film did what it had to, and successfully introduced the character to film audiences in anticipation of a huge ensemble in The Avengers. It's getting crowded, but here's a feather in the cap for Marvel in having to chalk up another expected blockbuster and hopefully boosting comic book sales as well. Highly recommended, and I can't wait for the rest of the slated Marvel heroes to appear on the big screen in weeks to come!

The Lost Bladesman (关云长 / Guan Yun Chang)

The General

Famed for their triad themed films, writer-directors Felix Chong and Alan Mak turn their attention to what would be the recent flavour of Chinese period films set in the Warring States period, dramatized in Luo Guanzong's classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with Daniel Lee turning in a fantastical Ressurection of the Dragon starring Andy Lau and Sammo Hung, and John Woo presenting his two film epic Red Cliff, which was marketed as staying true to supposedly real events if not for a vanity ending that let the cat out of the bag, aligning itself more closely to Woo's universal themes and stylistic brand of action. Romance of the Three Kingdoms had plenty of stories in its tome, and it's no surprise that Chong and Mak chose their preference of a story from that of Guan Yun Chang, aka Guan Yu, whose moral values and principles alike have turned him into a revered deity worshipped by people on both sides of the law from the Chinese territories.

The usual portrayal of Guan Yu is caricatured in films, meaning the default choice of actor would normally be as tall as possible, with a charismatic regal presence, long beard, garbed in green and wielding a mean looking halberd known as Green Dragon Crescent Blade (Guan Dao), and normally with a red face. Ti Lung played this role in Daniel Lee's film, while Ba Sen Zha Bu took on the role in John Woo's, both very much looking their parts, with fight scenes incorporated to display his tremendous strength. Personally, from impression, books read and computer games played, Guan Yu is the more complete general on the side of Liu Bei (the cameo here played by Alex Fong), being a lot more level headed than Zhang Fei, while possessing intelligence and fighting abilities to rival some of the best. But what made Guan Yu amongst the favourites is his unrelenting loyalty toward his sword brother, despite being courted and enticed by Cao Cao (Jiang Wen) with the latter putting in his utmost efforts to recruit Guan Yu to his ranks of mercenaries.

The story of Guan Yu, played by Donnie Yen, focused on his short stint of plying his trade for Cao Cao - for one of the honorable reasons of protecting Liu Bei's wives who were captured by the enemy - followed by his exodus based upon a caveat that he would leave once he knows the whereabouts of Liu Bei. This provides for the perfect balance for a film in having ample drama to portray two large historical characters, while yet having enough action sequences during Guan Yu's flight to satisfy action, and Donnie Yen fans as he ploughs his way through the famous crossing of the five passes. But here's where the film, which started off and had good potential and promise, started to falter, resulting in a less than satisfying, and choppy narrative.

For starters, Donnie Yen as Guan Yu certainly raised a few eyebrows, although you realize the filmmakers may have wanted to break conventions. I can live with that, having Guan Yu more of Donnie's physical stature, although traded off with being a little bit more nimble. While Yen's portrayl of Guan's fighting prowess is excellent par none, with the actor also taking up action choreography responsibilities, his dramatic range is undoubtedly hampered, nary breaking into a smile (which is a good thing after that very smiley performance in All's Wel, Ends Well 2011). Thankfully this got compensated by the presence of Jiang Wen as Cao Cao, adding much needed gravitas to a role that Jiang excelled in making Cao both a hero and a villain, who on the outside does and makes everything fine and dandy for Guan Yu, but harbouring deep evil beneath the facade that we see behind closed doors amongst his most loyal of generals.

And given that the set action sequences are spaced far apart, it is Jiang Wen who prevented the film from sagging in its middle act, as we see Cao Cao's dogged pursuit to build camaraderie with Guan Yu, and wonders just what it takes to have men of quality joining his ambition to rule all of China. Meanwhile we have a romantic interlude that deals with Guan Yu's infatuation with Qi Lan (Sun Li) the woman he loves but cannot woo because she is betrothed to Liu Bei. While this was inserted to show how Guan Yu is a man who sacrifices personal happiness for others, what with his saving of her skin a number of times and with his escorting her back to Liu Bei's camp, this was perhaps the weakest link in the story given Yen's unconvincing performance, and Sun Li's role being nothing more than decorative and a pretty face to build on the temptation factor.

But the second half picked up from where the first scene left off, with large action pieces to thrill audiences with Guan Yu in full battle, despite not having his famed Green Dragon Crescent Blade with him, nor the story of the Red Hare steed incorporated, which would be a nice touch to build on established mythos. Yen shows why he still has it in him as a top notch action star and choreographer with a variety of fighting styles and mano a mano battles against opponents hell bent on slaying his Guan Yu to gain instant recognition and fame. The characters Guan Yu come up against are adapted from the infamous Five Passes Crossing, which happened because of Cao Cao's instruction to go against his own word, or that of his subordinates' defiance of orders (which is why Jiang Wen is best here as an astute politician presented with a dilemma with trying to please one man at the risk of losing loyalties of the others), and becomes almost like a computer game with the clearing of one boss level after another.


There's Kong Xiu (Andy On) refusal of safe passage resulting in a fight within a constricted passageway getting in the way of weapons in full swing (sort of reminiscing Yen's swordplay in Tsui Hark's Seven Swords), Han Fu's betrayal and his poisoned dart episode, Bian Xi's ambush with hundreds within a temple, and the governor Wang Zhi's fight with Guan Yu in a snow covered landscape, which is probably the best amongst them all despite losing plenty of backstory that builds up to the fight. Come to think of it, there was a conscious drop of background to how Guan Yu got to each stage which removes plenty of drama, and made it really look like Guan Yu going on a rampage to rid all who stood in his way.

The cinematography also was found to be left very much wanting with one extended fight sequence shot very much in the dark so much so that you can hardly see anything, except knowing that Guan Yu is dispatching a lot of goons repeatedly, and Bian Xi's episode was also quite the let down in a cheat sheet of shots, stylistically quite innovative, but with doors closed and plenty of noise coming from within before revealing the obvious winner, you would have hoped the camera was placed on the other side instead. Perhaps it will be there as a deleted scene in the DVD. And while I mentioned this isn't your usual gigantic Guan Yu, Donnie Yen's fight choreography may have confused him with Chen Zhen which Donnie also played in Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen (directed by Andrew Lau), having Guan execute dexterous moves as seen in that film running around in a circle and dodging arrows which seemed to have been fired from a machine gun. I'm all for reinterpretation, but adopting something so recent from one's own film (perhaps he really liked those moves to repeat them here again), is shortchanging fans and audiences, coming so recent.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms cannot possibly be made into a one off feature film, but it contains a lot of stories and characters that serve as a wealth of resource material to tap upon for translation to the big screen. This probably isn't the best and won't be the last of the lot, and despite its flaws, still managed to turn in some pure entertainment, although with the pedigree of talent involved, one can be forgiven to have expected a lot more.