Film: 14 Blades (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

If you've caught the recent "Bodyguards and Assassins" and craved for more, this should be the film for you with the highest potential to satisfy your lingering thirst. Made to be a mainstream pleaser, this film seeks to entertain us in as many aspects as achievable. A cocktail mix of action, romance, humour and morality with a twist of life's values and principles will leave you joyously tipsy upon leaving the cinema. A must for Donnie Yen, Wu Zun, Zhao Wei and Qi Yiwu fans, especially with commendable acting performances from them in "14 Blades".

For those who've spare time to read on...

Daniel Lee may not ring the bell of familiarity in several, but this is the man who brought us "Three Kingdoms - Resurrection of the Dragon" in 2008. Proven to be a writer who loves to create stories of fiction with his same titled novel "Three Kingdoms" being a hit back in 2006, this time he convinces yet again with "14 Blades".

Although titled "14 Blades", there wasn't a real focus on the set of weaponry wielded by Qin Long, the leader and best-skilled of the imperial Jinyiwei, remarkably renowned as a team of elite assassins. These cold-blooded beings were once forsaken child orphans roped in from the streets being brainwashed into killing machines who served one master alone - the Emperor himself. It was mentioned in the beginning of the film that "8 were for torture, 5 were for killing, and the last one is for suicide should their mission fail dishonourably". This opening alone caught my attention intrigued by this terrifying weapon as well as a hint of the Jinyiwei culture. Instead, Lee chose to dwell deeper within the souls of the characters to tell a tragic tale of those in the glorious Jinyiwei who all owned ill-fated pasts prior.

Supposedly a tragic tale of Qin Long, Lee handles it passively by conservative flash-backs of his past where he was coerced into performing unthinkable acts as a child. Undergoing such a disastrous route while growing up, Qin Long's finely honed survival instincts could be noted during his battles (he made a quick decision to use a falling dead leaf as a weapon of retaliation and distraction in one of the duels). Small touches of such may be minor but it aids in sharing bits of the character even during action sequences, it's character development amidst adrenaline.

Donnie Yen picks up yet another role that debates righteousness and morality on screen, portrayed as a rock-steady calm pilgrim who is powerful and seeks to discover the right cause to put his great skills to use. He does it right this time and everytime, all thanks to his sizzling charismatic charm and masculinity. Look, let's face it. Every guy who walks into a Donnie Yen film for the past few years always walks out inspiring to be him. Great examples you asked? What about "Ip Man" and "Bodyguards and Assassins"? Not forgetting the films where he showcased his great passion for mixed martial arts, such as "Flashpoint".

Wu Zun is yet another youth celebrity who did pretty well for his mere second film role casted in his career, before this he was widely-known as a pretty-faced boy who mainly pulls strings with the ladies using his delicious looks. This film should help him get ahead to nurture his talents that will be extremely required of him in order for his career to thrive further. Zhao Wei, Kate Tsui (former Miss Hong Kong 2004 and Best New Performer of HFA) and Qi Yi Wu were great additions to the cast ensemble as well, so there's really nothing to complain about cast performance in this film.

Interesting point to be noted for this film is how Lee opens his film with a serious and deadly tone, followed by intense action to mark the first chapter before setting out in a action/humour sequence for the middle section. This helps to ease off the tension in audience after throwing them fierce action scenes while achieving a sense of variety in the film at the same time. In short, it's very much of a generic crowd pleasing formula where the general movie-goers are mostly fans of comedy, action, horror, sex and pretty faces.

This will be one of the better mandarin films for this year, so do catch this before a potential "Ip Man 2" arrives later this year. This should be recommended for all as "14 Blades" is a film that has "bits of everything".

Film: Golden Globe Guess 2010

With just hours apart from the very first moment the first celebrity graces the red carpets of the Golden Globe Awards 2010, appointed host Ricky Gervais is probably sleeping the hours off before waking up to a hilarious mood as he seems pretty nonchalant about preparations (if any at all!). With his confidence in moving the audience with his English-accented words of wits in place, so is MSR's prediction list for the Golden Globe Awards 2010!

A word of warning though, the choice of winners depicted within this prediction list definitely does not reflect the recognition of MSR's Editorial . There appears to be a thick line between nominees who WILL win and nominees who DESERVE TO win, as award ballots are voted and finally decided by the HFPA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association). With that in mind, MSR attempts to creep within the shoes of the foreign press members and figure out their minds on the Golden Globe Awards.

Here's MSR's Golden Globe Awards Prediction List 2010:

Best Picture: AVATAR
James Cameron's Avatar has shattered box office expectations in the US as well as overseas and enjoyed its fair share of extensive media publicity exposure that generated an enormous buzz proving to be extremely difficult to ignore by the foreign press. We're definitely backing "The Hurt Locker" to win, but it will be a hard rock to move when convincing the foreign press as it under-performed at both the local and international box office. Remember "Titanic"? Yeah, this year's probably going to be like "Titanic" albeit without Jack & Rose.

Best Actress - Drama: SANDRA BULLOCK (The Blind Side)
Golden Globe has been known not to favour new talents, such as Carey Mulligan whom we totally back to win convincingly. The HFPA will want to reward Sandra for trying so hard to shake off her rom-com impression here over her other nomination for a film that didn't sit that well with them. "The Blind Side" was widely accepted even by critics, this could be Sandra's year although we're still backing Carey in our hearts.

Best Actor - Drama: JEFF BRIDGES (Crazy Heart)
Four of these five have really rendered spectacular performances, and we're going with Jeff Bridges. We think George Clooney could emerge as every body's hot favourite to win it too, this category is indeed tricky.

Best Comedy or Musical: THE HANGOVER
There's only one musical in this category, which ended up as a flop with the critics. If they were to pick a winner out of four comedies, we reckon they'll pick the one that made them laugh their foreign bottoms off.

Best Actress - Comedy or Musical: MERYL STREEP (Julie & Julia)
Sandra's comedy performance recognition will really contradict her win for her serious role, which is what she will be rewarded for - her convincing shift away from comedy. So it'll be Meryl Streep, but for which movie? Interesting, hmmm. We'll go with her role in "Julie & Julia".

Best Actor - Comedy or Musical: ROBERT DOWNING JR. (Sherlock Holmes)
Last year, if not for Ledger's extremely disturbing performance as The Joker, Robert might have won for one of his outstanding performances in "Tropic Thunder" since his comeback from his bad-boy past. Matt Damon did a better job in our opinion, but we think he'll go on for the big kill later on in March. This might be Robert's reward for a year long wait for deserved recognition.

Best Supporting Actress: MO'NIQUE (Precious)
Hands down, enough said if you caught her in "Precious", that is. The best potential contender who might vie for the win will probably be one of the two "Up in the Air" ladies.

Best Supporting Actor: CHRISTOPH WALTZ (Inglourious Basterds)
There should be nothing standing between this man and his "Bravery Badge" for his fabulous performance in globally-acclaimed "Inglourious Basterds", not even The Basterds.

Best Animated Film: UP
We actually preferred "Fantastic Mr. Fox", but "Up" can hardly avoid giving their acceptance speech as it is every body's favourite. Besides, it's Pixar. They always win.

Best Foreign Language Film: DAS WEISSE BAND
The White Ribbon has been winning film festival awards during its run, thus it will be giving "Broken Embraces" a pretty good fight in this category.

Best Director: KATHRYN BIGELOW (The Hurt Locker)
Yes we know, just because she's possibly going on to be the first female director to win this doesn't mean she shouldn't. Her performance definitely edged over those of others in this category. If "Avatar" is to meet expectations and sweep as many awards as they can, at the very least justice must prevail here for Kathryn.

Best Screenplay: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
We seriously do not know which to pick when we feel that there should be a further division of this category into "Adapted" and "Original" equivalents. "Up in the Air" for adapted screenplay and "Inglourious Basterds" for original screenplay. Foreign press hits off well with Tarantino's work, so we're thinking that "Inglourious Basterds" might push for a glorious victory.

Best Original Score: AVATAR
This is also mostly due to the hyper buzz revolving around this film, if not we'd have just stuck with "Up".

Best Original Song: "I See You"
Yes, initially we had written "The Weary Kind" of "Crazy Heart" and left it at that. However, we pondered quite a bit and almost forgotten how Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" with "Titanic" is akin to this situation.

Should any of these predictions go awfully unwell, we should see it as a positive note knowing how the foreign press have went out of their way to recognise deserving winners.

Film: The Blind Side (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

You will probably watch this to determine if Sandra Bullock deserves her recent acting nominations for this film that's based on a true account of traumatized Michael Oher who eventually ended up as a professional NFL player, but you'll also find that it's a decent movie filled with inspiring warmth, love and at times, laughter over the little things that Michael performs as an innocent youth. This will be the better choice in cinema this week, when in doubt of what to catch after Avatar.

For those who've spare time to read on...

The Blind Side is essentially, a simplistic work of film that is straightforward and does not complicate matters like most others often do. Not just the film, but the entire cast as well as their acts within the film. Naive and simple-minded Michael Oher may be as a traumatized kid from the Projects who got separated from his tragic-fated family and ended up roaming the streets as a desolate vagrant, but his heart of kindness and gold has earned the love and respect of the Tuohys - the family who took him in one chilling winter night after witnessing his piteous plight during the Christmas season. Having a wonderful family who takes him in and accommodates to his basic needs, Michael has never felt so loved in his life prior his meet with the Tuohys as his life in the Projects previously was an extremely tragic contrast to the care and shelter he was pampered with. Michael's life was totally changed by the Tuohys, and so was the Tuohy's by Michael's integration in the family.

Michael finds an exceptionally deep connection with Mrs Leigh Anne Tuohy and the little brilliant boy S.J. Tuohy (played by Jae Head who is one of the child stars to watch with his outstanding performance, trust me you'll be amazed!) as the film progressed, and there's a lot of interaction between Leigh Anne and Michael that provided the opportunity for Sandra Bullocks to shine as a sassy kick-ass mother who manages to fulfill her utmost duty as a great mother to two children and a loving spouse to an understanding husband in the midst of all the charity work she performs while having to juggle her career as well. With that, it isn't so very difficult to understand the tough and brave demeanour Leigh Anne is always sporting in front of her family. At times during the run of the film, you've got to hand it to her and admit that she's one hell of a great modern mother! Sandra Bullocks pulled off a convincing act as Leigh Anne and managed to entice juries for nominations, which is duly deserved in my personal opinion. Not to mention that she looked hot while at it, even during the confrontation of the bad boys in the Projects neighbourhood in her little tight dress with a petite lady bag that housed a pistol that she probably isn't afraid to use when she has to.

Revolving around the process of how Michael found his way to playing professional NFL football, The Blind Side also serves as an inspiring sports story that is unpretentious and filled with positive notions of love, happiness and warmth. It calls for us to dig deep within ourselves and rediscover the pure side of us as the film renders a few moments of simple bliss, with laughter at times too showing all the silly little things Michael does as a pure kind soul. Perhaps in life, all it takes is a little something or someone to remind us how it can all be simple and jubilant in this saturated world of sophisticated evil.

Film: The Hurt Locker (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

I've no idea how you'll be able to catch this at the moment as it was previously released in the cinemas in October, however if you do have the means be sure not to miss this war film that throws you right into the midst of a perilous agenda of a 3-men EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) squad assigned on duty in Baghdad, Iraq. Adrenaline filled suspense, terror and exhilarating excitement creeps within your soul via the goosebumps induced on your skin with every tick of the bomb second. This is nothing short of a well-crafted film that draws upon not just your expectations placed on these men dealing dangerous business but also fuses critical life-and-death moments together with boiling emotions complicated by morally implicated decisions posed at the disposal of the squad. Sporting a synergic cast with an outstanding male lead acting performance, it convinces the audience and gets them to feel and believe whatever the film wants them to. With multiple nominations and awards already won (as I'm penning this, this film has won the Best Picture and Best Actor award from the National Society of Film Critics 2009), what's more to be said?

For those who've spare time to read on...

Heroes are the men and women who wield courage as an example to others, this is especially true of military personnel assigned explosive duties in an EOD squad. For those in the unknown, EOD deals with the critical disarmament and disposal of explosive devices (in the case of Baghdad streets, improvised explosive devices) by a team of professional bomb technicians. Staff Sergeant William James is one such man who inspired his team to success against tenacious bomb makers who serve to terrorize the streets of Baghdad. With zero room for error, this task was never meant for ordinary human beings in the first place. Yet we see these brave men filling the spots to take on the arduous demanding duty to protect the citizens and their fellow military brothers against blasting threats. Several constraining factors induced upon the life and death of many have not deterred SSG James, instead we see him donning a reckless 'cowboy' demeanour at every mission disregarding protocols that worried his new team mates initially before gradually accepting it by seeing him as their main pillar of support with every close brushing encounter with death.

On top of the brilliant cast ensemble featured, it is applaudable for the vision of modern warfare through female director Kathryn Bigelow. War films are usually envisioned by the big boys, made for the big boys within the audience. This war film is however, different from the past. The Hurt Locker displays how the modern day warfare has evolved into, and what implications of reality exist within the scope of the brave men and women who are serving their duty of defence in regions no one has ever wanted to step foot upon. We see how SSG James conducts his own internal conflict between choosing the life of his own and that of an innocent man with a chained bomb vest on him. Victims who were not even entitled to ample time for prayers before imminent death, that's how cruel an explosive-induced death can be. With every second of the ticking device screaming at you to be quick on the right thing to perform, it is stressful for both the bomb technicians and the victims. Welcome to the modern day warfare: Terrorism - striking fear in the hearts of every single soul surrounding the source of terror.

This film revolves around several bomb threat missions and a personal favourite shootout scene in the middle of this film. We see snipers working in team, where everyone has a task to perform. One handles the rifle, the other performs the look-out scouting, and the third attempts to assist with jammed ammunition and support. It's no solo Rambo saving the day and it enhances the importance of teamwork. After presuming that the surrounding is clear of hostiles, the team still remains in its alert mode and waits for a seemingly long period before being highly ascertained that all threats have been eliminated. Once again, this is a great display of seemingly real-life modern warfare.

This is one of the best films to catch for the year 2009 in my personal opinion. With several nominations and awards in the bag already, I'm convinced that there are people with me on this. Let's see if The Hurt Locker convinces for a win with the Golden Globe looming near.

Film: Avatar 3D (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

Disregard all the skepticism and doubts in poise abundantly for God knows what reasons, they are simply redundantly unjustified. Note that you'll find yourself very much short-changed this Christmas should you choose to miss this for any reason (You really shouldn't have any since you can catch this with anybody ranging from family and loved ones to friends and associates). A visual spectacular that serves to reward ticket-holders of this film to a brand new world that can only be envisioned by the wildest imaginations. It is fantasy narration genre that inculcates specific virtues such as the appreciation of nature and the respect for life and cultural differences that is downright public beneficiary as a message instilled by Director James Cameron. The main highlight of this film is also in the 3D rendition that showcases this year's motion picture technological breakthrough that has garnered a massive hyper buzz evident in the latest coffee conversations. 3D is the sole optimum manner to unravel for yourself the greatness this film has achieved, there's no shortcut I'm afraid.

For those who've spare time to read on...

Believe it, or not. An all new world awaits.

And that imaginary world that has captivated several movie-goers' hearts is Pandora, a planet that is light years away from Earth. She houses a native race Na'vi (yes, the blue species with big golden bright eyes that I've overheard several expressing their skepticism for it), who shows respect and care for life and everything green as their fundamental cultural philosophy. Human race's interest in Pandora is inevitably, an expensive source of energy that is in abundance (How true it reflects on today's world) on the planet, and the Na'vi's homeland happens to be sitting on the richest source of that specific energy. Boasting a diplomatic strategy, they attempt to gain the trust of the Na'vi and convince them to relocate their stronghold elsewhere by means of the Avatar Program, where DNA genetically reconstructed hybrid bodies that are able to adapt to Pandora's toxic atmosphere are controlled by trained human beings who infiltrate as one of the natives.

Believe it or not, James Cameron handled this epic pretty remarkably in almost all aspects with elements of romance, action, kinship/friendship and adventure in one single film. With a focus on narration and character development in the first two thirds of the film, the final third shifts gear to full power action like most other modern epic cinematic works of recent. However, during the battles I find myself emotionally concerned about the characters' well-being and their dodgery struggle against the ferociously relentless bullets pelted by their enemies. This is clearly the product of excellent character development with well-invested narration screen time. Aided by the flowing vividness displayed by the CGI characters, the technological advantage should be applauded for presenting us with believable virtual characters on screen who interact with us in conviction. A lady with seniority who sat in front of me wept for the CGI characters who made sacrificial acts during the grand strife, what more can be said?

Decorated with a wonderful soundtrack, fantastic visual effects and "out of this world" imagery, the main deal of this film is actually in its 3D rendition where it capitalized on 3D cinema to create a stronger grasp of reality where we are confused by the 3D vision we couldn't actually differentiate reality from virtual reality many a times. Just for this film, the 3D enhancement actually complemented the film as a whole to enable it to achieve a whole new level of cinematic greatness instead of just deployed for pure entertainment (although the 3D journey did provide a massive degree of entertainment, I must admit). Avatar gains my vote for the best 3D film, thus far.

Hidden away for nearly 20 years, the script that Cameron wrote a couple of decades ago has finally seen the limelight with great rave. He has successfully spoilt us this Christmas and it's arguably his best gift of Christmas to film lovers and cinema goers. The man who blessed us with The Terminator, Alien, Titanic and this year, Avatar. He really knows how to practice the sharing spirit of Christmas by giving, giving and giving us his Ts & As (Notice how most of his films begin with either T or A).

Do visually indulge yourself this Christmas with Avatar 3D this week, you will not regret parting cash for a ticket. Take my word.

Merry Christmas!

Film: The Informant! (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

An onscreen adaptation of Kurt Eichenwald's novel based on an actual account of a high-level corporate management whistleblower who assisted the FBI in an attempt to bring down an alleged price-fixing fraud, Steven Soderbergh presents Matt Damon as: The Informant! As Mark Whitacre, a Vice-President of a lysine developing company ADM, Damon renders an unbelievable performance as he proves to the audience that he is capable of "dissolving into his character". Decorated with humorous dialogues and "internal monologues", this is narration genre played out in a different manner that grips you gradually if, you offer this film with your kind patience(trust me, some of you may venture off mentally to someplace else if you're not careful!). It reveals bits and pieces of twists and disbeliefs as the film peels off layers after layers of deception like an onion, with every peel you get teared by it(you'll probably feel like banging your head profusely against the seat in front of you). A film that might earn a nod or two for Damon's performance surely with the upcoming Golden Globe in January. Strongly only for those with great patience and attention span.

For those who've spare time to read on...

The Informant! revolves around its main character Whitacre as we are privy to what this man thinks in his head very frequently throughout the whole duration of this film in the form of "internal monologues". I will like to place a heavy emphasis on this as I truly believe that it is these frequent minor "internal monologues" that are inserted so passively (there're some that I didn't even remember hearing, that's how easy it is to lose your attention span!) that made the film such a distinct example in its class. In fact, these seemingly senseless monologues are also a major source of humour offerings to the audience. With each monologue session turning more outrageous and out of hand, we see how Whitacre's character transforms and evolves.

Whitacre's amazing on-screen presence would not have been possible without Matt Damon. It was not because he played his role so perfectly well, in fact it's because he played out Whitacre's flaws so perfectly well that it made his role so reality-reflectory. Not that he tried very hard to be funny or anything, he made some real funny moments simply by being Whitacre alone. Whitacre had some seriously outrageous lines prominent in both his daily life conversations and "internal monologues". The one about the Polar Bear and his black nose was classic in my view. The other one about time efficiency, somewhere along the line of flossing his teeth in the showers while waiting out for his conditioner to be done, was another mentally outraging riff.

The quirky soundtrack that I unknowingly noticed during the film, may be a little too weird for some's taste. However, I guess it accentuated Whitacre's complex personality and quirky moments pretty well. But it's still quirky.

Pertaining to the ending, there's some confusion on the 9.5 million. I'm puzzled as to whether was it 9.5, more than 9.5, or none at all actually. If you've no idea what on earth I'm talking about, just realize that it is for your own sake that I'm not providing spoilers. I have all your interests in mind, all you film lovers.

That said, be sure to catch this when it's out in Singapore this coming mid November. This will not be an easy film to like, but if you placed effort in trying to keep up with the film, you'll most probably be rewarded.

Till the next time if I ever catch another great movie.

Film: Lake Mungo (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

I don't see how this applies as this film is currently having a limited release run. Lake Mungo has been recently added to several horror film festivals in due of the upcoming Halloween. I've personally caught it at the Fantastisk Film Festival in Lund just over the past weekend and I was personally intrigued, spooked and amazed by this fabulous piece of debut film work of Australian Writer-Director Joel Anderson. Lake Mungo announces a name to be on every body's alert list in the film industry as Joel Anderson proves to be a powerful direction with potentials.

For those who've spare time to read on...

Tranquil mix of goosebumps-inducing eeriness, strong family drama and mind-bewildering mysterious plot twists, it is difficult to appropriately categorize this film according to today's film genre. It may appear to be a pure simple ghost tale, but you begin to question that later during the run of the film. You're constantly being played out by the film-maker, deceived several times over as the film breaks up the gradual establishments it created in the audience a couple of times. This constant heart-breaking factor disturbs the audience and surprisingly arouses an intrigued sense of curiosity that keeps them on the edge of their seat, demanding more from the film.

Lake Mungo is on paper, a video footage record of mysterious and bizarre events taking place within the Palmer's Residence that led after the tragic drowning of daughter, Alice Palmer, in a local dam one day during a swim at a family outing. Confused and disturbed by these profound happenings, proper closure to Alice's death within the family members was hindered and instead they began to induce questions of hope especially in Alice's mother, June. Seeking proper guidance to the strings of strange events within the house, the Palmers looked up towards psychic Ray Kemeny and discovered that there's more to Alice's life that's being kept secret to everybody prior her death.

Saying more will indefinitely reduce the joy and satisfaction in watching this film, so plot details will be kept to a minimum for the benefits of potential film viewers. The film adopts a documentary style of presentation, where one finds similarities to earlier "footage-style" horror films such as The Blair Witch Project (and to a lesser extend, Cloverfield). Therefore, Lake Mungo is slow, raw and unpretentious in the eyes of the audience. There's so many serene moments in this film that I personally find it hard to believe that it is actually a horror film. However, that said, these elements actually gave rise to the gradual build-up of insatiable curiosity within the audience. It gives you enough space to individually explore the concepts delivered on screen (although it may have given rise to more questions within the audience with every element projected) and actually follow along as you're being led by Anderson's carrot stick till the 89th minute.

First time film-makers usually face budget issues that may be binding on the possibilities of film producing elements and choice, but this is not the case for Anderson. He played it to his advantage by adopting the use of handheld amateur home video camcorders and mobile-phone video capabilities within his project. These combined gave birth to a burst of synergy as it coated the film with an even more raw and realistic feel that may have also been some of the causes of chilling fear that I have felt throughout the film.

Do give this subtle documentary horror film a shot if you have the opportunity to. If not, word has it that Hollywood has already purchased the remake rights to Lake Mungo. It should turn mainstream soon with the US version pending, which I doubt will even be half as good as the original, especially in terms of the subtle spook factor.

Till then, keep your pumpkins lit and stay away from the lonely twilight streets.

Film: Ice Age 3 (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

You will not be disappointed with the third installment of the Ice Age franchise, especially with all the adorable and amiable characters (including new ones too!) providing endless fun and humour thoughout the entire 95 minutes. Everybody's favourite squirrel, Scrat, is still as relentless as ever in search of his beloved acorn. This alone should be sufficient to seal the deal for most.

For those who've spare time to read on...

I personally thought that great movies typically do not excel beyond the second or third installment, the sole excuse I had for my ticket purchase is Scrat... and maybe the 3D feature. Ice Age 3 is one animation that proved me wrong, it convinced me even further with its rendition of a 3D feature. So for those who're really still unconvinced that Ice Age 3 is worth a watch, you might like to sit through the 3D screenings that should blow you away visually (at a slight premium, that is!).

The sublime friends find themselves in a changed situation where Manny and Ellie are having a baby to form a blissful family. Diego comes to terms with himself that he's out of touch with his basic animal instincts while Sid seeks his (whacky) options in setting up his own family. Innocently adopting 3 dinosaur eggs as his own, Sid found everyone a lot of trouble and an adventure as they ventured into a hidden land of dinosaurs beneath all the ice. With new characters like Buck the one-eyed weasel and Scratte, a possible romance partner to Scrat, will Ice Age ever be the same again?

Forgiving all the heavenly plot details and absurdity (it's an animation for goodness sake!), it performs well as a new addition to the Ice Age series. If Scrat's not able to perk you up, the fun and humour induced throughout the film will. With lovable characters such as Scrat and Sid, even the adults cannot escape their clutches of allure.

I personally adored the new character Buck as he provided quite a fair share of laughter and excitement, especially during the scene where he manned a winged dinosaur in attempt of escaping the pursuit of a flock of similarly winged dinosaurs. It felt like Star Wars in Jurassic Park. With Simon Pegg voicing the character, it induced a significant required amount of personality and attitude into Buck. Buck gets my vote as the best new character addition for the third installment!

If you can afford the slight hefty premium for the 3D screenings, do ensure that you sit for the 3D version as it complements the film very well indeed (or should I say that the film complements the 3D feature well?)! It's definitely a film where you can bring basically anyone along to, even your maid. I think your maid deserves it, especially if you have been overclocking her to outperform her intended work rate of house chores.

Film: Drag Me To Hell (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

Something interesting that stands out in the modern abundance of blood/gore slasher horror genre in today's cinema. Three quarter part classic horror that startles audience and a quarter part humour that soothes the tensed muscles from the frights. Predictable plot, maybe, but not your typical predictable scares in the Japanese/Korean/Thai horror genre manner.

For those who've spare time to read on...

For a man who has been so successful in his Spiderman franchise, it's nice to see him excel in a side project that is a smaller-scaled one in comparison. Horror seems to be of Sam Raimi's forte and interest, with certain portion of this film leaving me feeling that somehow there's a little homage paid to classics like The Exorcist.

Drag Me To Hell tells a tale on how an innocent young lady got herself a curse bestowed upon her and her fight for survival against this black magic tragedy in aim of breaking the curse. An aspiring bank loan officer, Christine Brown, made a poor decision between impressing her boss for a possible promotion and helping an old lady out with an extension of her house loan, thus obtaining a hellish curse of the Lamia (some goat demon) from the relentless Mrs Ganush.

I'm particularly impressed by the performance of Lorna Raver, who played Mrs Ganush. She's probably the main source of scare and humour in the film. She gave the audience one too many frights and nightmares to bring home for the night, as I overheard the midnight screening crowd dispersing with random discussions on how they're afraid of old ladies on their way home that night. From her monstrous filthy drumming nails to her disgusting mucus and oral fluids dripping so disturbingly, she's probably one of the most horrific old ladies I've ever came across.

Another plus point was getting Alison Lohman to play the extremely innocent and fragile looking young Christine Brown. Lohman, 30, looked nothing like her age and provided a convincing demeanour of a young female bank loan officer. Towards the end she provided a portion of saucy personality in her fight against the curse that I still find too cute, especially for the cemetery scene.

It's a nice touch by Raimi pertaining to the motifs featured in the film. The housefly and the canted screen whenever Lamia haunts, are really effective. Adding the above with Sam Raimi's style of horror and the superb soundtrack, this might be one of the better horror flicks in my opinion. You should be interested, trust me and book yourself a ticket this weekend if you haven't yet done so in the theatres.

Just a quick thought, if Christine Brown had helped out Mrs Ganush with her home loan extension, it would have easily been the bank being dragged to hell. I wonder if Mrs Ganush had been going around the banks in The United States just before the financial crisis. Maybe that's why the banks are facing so much trouble in today's context. Now speaking of which, I would very much like to place a curse on my job and hope some financial crisis drags it to hell, I have been so cooped up with work to provide for MSR these days. Maybe I should ring up Mrs Ganush one of these days.

Film: Star Trek (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

A truly wonderful cinematic experience providing sensory treats in the form of saturated magnificent CGI imagery and effects that are so stunning, you may almost be convinced that they actually traveled out to space for shoots. The Director took up this franchise project and continued it in a vision unlike its predecessors, so non-fans do not have to worry about prior profiling of this series. Totally in a league of its own and stands out alone as a fine science fiction drama that features a remarkably synergic symphony of cast performance, which is often neglected by large scale productions. Best experienced in the Digital format for enhanced visual and audio effects (one such good place is The Grand Cathay @ The Cathay Cineplex).

For those who've spare time to read on...

This is what happens when you arm a Director like J.J. Abrams (creator of hit television series "ALIAS" and "LOST") with huge budgets. This man doesn't go out to flaunt what the money can do for the audience, but what he can do for us with the money. This is the man's second film directorial project (with Mission Impossible: III being his first that he blew us away with), but he has so much experience with television and film making already on hand (mostly from producing and writing). Abrams hit the right spot with his choice of blooming youthful cast as Star Trek owned one of the best cast synergies I've ever seen in recent years. Usually it's about one or two main characters, while the rest only deemed to serve supporting roles. This is evidently not so for Star Trek. Every character did their best with what little screen time they were assigned, clearly not allowing main leads, Kirk and Spock, to take the limelight for the whole 127 minutes. We have the ever eager Sulu who's always trying to prove himself of being capable of things, the energetic and positive Chekov who provided several candid moments with his quirky Russian accent. Scott gave us a few laughs with his "expertise" in teleporting transportation along with his alien sidekick while "Bones" McCoy never ceased to speak in Doctor's language.

Star Trek travels all the way back to how it all began for Kirk and Spock prior their Starfleet days in U.S.S. Enterprise, as well as how the other characters crossed paths with one another to finally find their place onboard the spaceship. Kirk and Spock, being two extremely different individuals of different species, learnt how to cooperate hand in hand while overcoming each other's shortcomings and differences and stood against a greater common threat - Nero.

This film felt so much more alive and rapid-paced than its predecessors, it was almost like a adolescent modern edition of the series. Abrams placed a heavier focus on the script and characters instead of satisfying fans and follow closely to the original, which ended up being a good thing for all cinema-goers, both fans and non-fans alike. Anyone can step into the cinemas to watch it without prior knowledge of the series. The first opening chapter of the film did more than sufficient to reel in converts by showcasing spectacular space battles and pulling the strings of emotions. Cast appeared positive and casual, giving this film a light-hearted overtone amidst the intensive space action sequences, allowing the film to be jovial with a light touch of humour. It owned several impressive cinematic qualities, including those mentioned prior as well as technical ones. The visual effects were absolutely mesmerising and spectacular to behold, which is why I urge everyone to catch the Digital format. Michael Giacchino did good on the soundtrack for this film too.

The title of the film may not be attractive to some as not all get excited over the Star Trek franchise, but do render J.J. Abrams an opportunity to show what his team and himself can be capable of. It'll be nothing less than a promising reboot to the classic series that entertains on multiple levels of amplitude. You will need to discard any pre-stereotypical mindset pertaining to Star Trek and view this solely as a general science-fiction flick of awe.

Film: Sell-Out! (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

This is a non-mainstream expectation genre film from Malaysia that aims to induce raw laughter in more than many ways you can ever imagine. It's half a musical that pokes fun at mainstream musicals, it's an independent film that mocks at the pretentious 'artsy-fartsy' independent arthouse film-making in the industry. This will be totally new to most, if not all, cinema audience and film buffs that will be sure to tickle your funny bone with both subtle and slapstick cheesy joke moments. If you're still undecided, it has already completed its run at several international film festivals (Venice International Film Festival, Taipei Golden Horse Festival and more) and more scheduled in the later part of this year.

For those who've spare time to read on...

What can I say, I went to this film not knowing what to expect from this Malaysian film being the first feature length project by Malaysian film-maker Yeo Joon Hoon. All I knew about it prior catching this film was the disappointment in X-MEN Origins: Wolverine (trust me, I knew and expected nothing from this film). Upon leaving the theatre, I was left astounded and confused as I really do not know what to say of this film. It was totally new to me and it felt really, really refreshing... in a positive way.

Sell-Out! ($311-0u7!) tells a tale of two employees and two CEOs of a Multinational Conglomerate (MNC), FONY. One is a dog art-show host, Rafflesia Pong (Rafflesia's the largest flower in the world, while Pong means "stink"), who challenged almost everything in favour of desperate fame and viewership ratings. The other employee is a low self-esteemed product engineer, Eric Tan (half-English), who gets his talented creative side of him challenged by his capitalist bosses.

The film endeavoured in a daring move of writing original songs with well-penned lyrics, to be injected into various parts of the film when the storytelling entered into the musical phase. This is considered a remarkable achievement, with all the songs created by the Director himself. The opening half of the film felt abstract, where the film commenced mocking at the independent arthouse film-making scene. However,the film slowly (but surely) gathered firm hold of control and steered the audience into where it wanted the audience to be by dishing out the elements one at a time. The first hint of this film's musical attribute came along when the CEOs met Eric to command him to derive some form of self-breaking down mechanism for his wonderful household invention: The 8-in-1 Super Soya Maker. Songs were not brushed up and played to our ears raw without much fanciful effects and editing, this played well especially when certain moving riffs were felt as I find myself reciprocating and relating to the feelings conveyed by the onscreen singing characters. It just felt... real and unpretentious.

Performance by the cast was exceptional, especially that of Rafflesia Pong (played by Jerrica Lai) and the two wicked-tongued CEOs (played by Kee Thuan Chye & Lim Teik Leong). In fact, the 2 CEOs offered such a great act, that I kept on watching the trailer online several times just to relish their best moments. It might be a love-hate affair watching the 2 of them nevertheless as their performance was so convincingly irritable. Not to forget the slapstick laugh-out-loud moments in the film that provides a constant blood gush in us to keep us interested and hooked. My personal favourite scene is the filming of the dying moments of a rich old man by Rafflesia Pong (you'll have to watch it for yourself).

There were some issues passively brought out within this film by Yeo Joon Han. Obviously, we have the capitalistic reality versus art & creativity topic. We were shown how difficult it really was to have art surviving in this cruel practical society, There was also the issue on money and wealth in the case of Eric Tan. There's also the 'ang-moh' stereotype that is ever present in the local community, where they are always conceived to be always better at everything (or at least something). We were also shown the level that we humans may be willing to stoop down to, when reality shows depict viewers SMSing to vote for the one who should die.

In all, there's a lot that this dark humoured film can offer you in the midst of the gradually heating blockbuster summer season. Let your mind go and allow it to roam around freely in this special film that promise to provide laughter in unique ways. Screw Wolverine, this is the one to salvage the disappointment induced by the beast-natured hero.

Film: The International (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

Hold on. Get mentally prepared for an intellectual thriller with intensive dialogues and a slower pace of plot development that will probably be right for the patient movie audience. After all, there's going to be just one major gunfight scene shooting out within the spiral ramps of the Guggenheim Museum in New York that serves a visually appealing treat. Despite not being a sense-exploding action thriller that only entertains, "The International" delivers some interestingly scripted plot revolving around a rogue international bank.

For those who've spare time to read on...

You ought to know that "The International" is not that mediocre lousy-scripted action thriller that always seems to find its way into the silver screens one too many times that you thought it to be. No, it's not even an action thriller. In fact, it's so full of engaging dialogue that this film appears to be so focused on its plot, as if the film makers do have something to say through their story (which I believe they do).

IBBC, a top global bank, appears to be exploiting global political disputes by offering to finance not only African rebels to support them in (more like instigate) their coup within the conflict nation, and also to finance the dispute arising between the Palestinians and Israelis. Interpol agent Louis Salinger, played by Clive Owen, pursues intently together with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman, played by Naomi Watts, in contempt to bring down the illegal operations that the bank is covertly staging globally underground.

This film held certain degree of realism within the plot. Since when did thrillers like such cast Interpol agents as their agents of story? (More of a trend in Hong Kong & Chinese films) The position has always been dominated by the CIA & FBI, the last I checked. Next, here comes: An Interpol agent working with a Manhattan Assistant DA? Now that's fresh, at least to me. Clive Owen delivered a nearly convincing act as dedicated agent Salinger, who did not perform too much outrageous heroism that injected certain sense of realism to seal the mouths of critics. There were moments when they did get deported away from countries under the conflict of jurisdiction, so Salinger did not run the whole show without any restrictions and consequences like in most Hollywood films.

Owning just one major gunfight scene that provided the only sole good action element in this film, a prolonged gun battle between the IBBC henchmen and Salinger in the Guggerheim Museum was nevertheless visually excellent. It owed a major portion to the location I believe, as the shoot-outs took place up and down the ramps circling the New York Museum. It wasn't played out too flamboyantly, and I thought that's probably how an actual firearm projectile exchange between two parties would actually be like. The public members served extremely well as a mise-en-scene element where their performance and appearance in this scene added heightened tension and realism. There are a tad bit more images depicting the general public taking cover for their dear lives in fear, sharing screen time with the gun wielding men. Clive Owen had a believably distressed demeanour throughout this scene, where he ducked faithfully behind parapet walls for cover and shivered in an emotional mix of fear and adrenaline while reloading his firearm. It's refreshing to witness a hero who retains his human element in him. The sound's fabulous in this scene too as the audio representation of the glass shatters and gunshots were exceptional.

This will be good for those who are buying a ticket to actually watch a properly crafted film with patience, as opposed to those who are dragging their group of friends to seek entertainment during their weekend hangouts when they have nothing planned for the night. If you find yourself belonging to the later, you might want to either catch "Taken"(reviewed previously) or get in the advanced sales line for "X-MEN Origins: Wolverine".

Film: Taken 2009 (Review)

For those who're rushing to the theatres...

A 90 minute action-thriller, featuring a high velocity, blood-raging action filled mid riff that's largely attributed to the powerful performance of Liam Neeson's in his portrayal of Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent who relentlessly bashed at everyone (and I mean everyone) who hindered his pursue of his beloved kidnapped daughter and her captors. You'll probably love Liam Neeson in this Luc Besson co-scripted film and step out of the cinema feeling breathless with an arousal of emotions. It'll also be easier for you not to question the plot (for those who insist on reality-checking film plots) and just be led by Liam Neeson for the whole 90 minutes.

For those who've spare time to read on...

If you can forgive the "larger-than-life" excessively convenient plot co-written by Luc Besson, the performance of Liam Neeson really do deserve a good round of applause as an ex-CIA agent who's entirely driven by his love for his beloved daughter who had been taken by Albanian abductors for underground illegal sex trade during her Paris trip with a friend. I could sense his on-screen rage and relentless attitude beneath his calm demeanour. It's almost akin to a rash bash that was performed without any stylish veil placed over it, for he is no double-o-seven, mind you. 

Liam Neeson showed what extends a desperate father would go to in exchange for the safety of his abducted daughter (with the skills of a competent ex-CIA agent of course!), which revealed relation of his affection in the form of his ruthlessness hurled at those who were responsible for her daughter's distress. I was impressed with the way he physically cowered the guys he tracked down during confrontation, it was performed with ferocious rawness without any trace of self-conscious morals or logic. During his confrontation of the (later discovered) corrupted French official at his residence, Liam Neeson didn't hesitate for a single split second before he emptied a round into the arm of the official's wife to underline his stance. Liam Neeson transformed into a violent monster who wasn't shy of stacking body count, simply said.

Action sequences were very tightly edited to instill heart-thumping adrenaline in the hearts of the audience, leaving them gasping for air to regain comfort even after the action ended. Do note that certain action scenes were indeed exaggerated in Luc Besson style (for instance, the possibility of one man upheaving Paris single-handedly leaves much to one's thoughts), thus crossing several lines of reality to attract eager onslaughts of several detail-watchful critics. I, for one, have decided to overlook the plot flaws and focus on the pleasing performance delivered by Liam Neeson and the commendable efforts of cinematographer Pierre Morel for creating such intensive action scenes in only his second attempt as director. I want to be entertained, and this film has certainly achieved what I was looking for.

By the time you're done washing your hands in the restroom after the movie, you'll be cycling through your memory banks to ask yourself if anyone pissed you off lately. Highly recommended for those who need something to break into their dull and monotonous lifestyle of late to enjoy a well deserved weekend.

Film: Gran Torino (Review)

Being announced as his last acting role in his career, Clint Eastwood sure displayed a very convincing performance in his latest movie Gran Torino. At the golden age of 78, Eastwood still offers some great acting chops on top of his top notch directing with his lifelong experience being placed into good use.

A film about an old Korean war veteran who remained resilient to the changes of the modern society, adamant on traditions and good old practices that he deemed the world had lost during the passage of time over the years. Walt Kowalski lived his life apart from his two sons both physically and emotionally, for his sons showed no real care for their father, in a neighbourhood where most of his American neighbours had either moved on or moved away. A Hmong family living next to his house, together with the local Latino, African American and Hmong gangs, triggered his racial prejudiced temper when someone tried to steal his vintage 1972 Gran Torino. He was forced to confront the local Hmong gangsters one night when they attempted to take away a young boy next door, Thao, and was seen as the neighbourhood hero ever since. Through the kindness from Thao's family, Kowalski slowly relented from his rigid and defensive demeanour and came to face with certain sides of life that had been hidden from him ever since the war.

Where this film shone was in the regular dosage of crude humour that Eastwood delivered amidst his extremely believable role as Kowalski, with certain racial comments made throughout the whole movie without being apologetic. This allowed Kowalski's character to be more authentic, where his strong racial prejudice came along with his bitter experience during war in Korea. I personally liked the scene where Kowalski drove alongside a bunch of African Americans to save a Hmong young girl from their intimidation. Kowalski totally rocked with his invisible gun! (You will know what I mean by that if you catch the film) You will find yourself laughing constantly throughout the whole movie, especially in the film beginning and middle. The climax was followed by an unexpected ending that Eastwood rendered, which I assumed some relation to his vintage life experience being taken into consideration. At the end of the film, you will find another role model in your life whom you can relate to.

A funny film with strong acting performance by Eastwood as well as a nice touch on the theme of traditions, principles and racial discrimination amidst the post modern world. This comes highly recommended from MSR to everyone! You will not want to miss this.

Kacang Puteh, anyone?

Photo credits due: Yahoo! Singapore Movies

Film: Watchmen (Review)

The first of the many to come, Watchmen explodes into our local theatres to usher everyone into the beginning of the blockbuster season! However, even though this is a superhero film adaptation of a DC Comic, do not expect the likes of Ironman or The Dark Knight. Instead, think V for Vendetta meets Sin City.

Having said that, you'd probably expect me to mention by now, that this film is definitely not a mass crowd pleaser. It's definitely not your typical popcorn fare of Marvel superhero flicks, so do be mentally prepared prior buying yourself a ticket to this film for I've noticed many who left the cinema feeling unsatisfied with their expectations violated.

This film explores deeply into society issues and features a rather dark theme amidst visually stunning action scenes deployed by Zack Snyder, whose style has been glorified by his previous film 300. Proved to be a tad bit too long where characters such as Dr. Manhattan spent a lot of screen time engaging in sophisticated dialogue, which is one of the main source of plot depth in the film.

If a superhero movie that doesn't entertain but instead attempts seriously to explain the world by discussing society issues doesn't appeal to you, you might want to give this a miss like most locals would. In my opinion, there's still a deficient percentage of the locals who can really appreciate film. So that's why I'm doing my part for those who are not film connoisseurs by providing a cautionary advice: Watchmen is not an expectation genre film.

Kacang Puteh, anyone?

Film: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Review)

Some people are born to be Shakespeare, some are born to be mothers, some are born to be struck by lightning, while some are just born to make great films. David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells of a peculiar life story of a boy who grew up in the reverse life cycle order, particularly being born old and growing younger as the years go by.

Basically, it's pertaining to the life of Benjamin Button as we see him experience different stages in life from being feeble and old from young to being strong and youthful as he ages. It's interesting to see what it feels like to be young at heart and old in body, his middle age years where the balance is obtained with his physical appearance looking his age, and when he turns juvenile as he nears the end of his lifespan. Along the way, he meets different people who changes and influences his life, including his foster mother, Queenie, as well as his childhood playmate, Daisy. Their characters played by Taraji P. Henson and Cate Blanchett respectively are one of the best for this award season, in my opinion.

Where this film really shone the brightest is in the technical excellence it has achieved. The make-up is absolutely one of the best, if not the best, that I have witnessed in motion pictures over the recent years. The transition of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett over the years in terms of physical appearance has been dealt with extreme care and details. Stunning cinematography along with great visual effects and production design, this film deserves to win the "Best Achievement in Makeup" award category of the coming Oscars, at the minimum.

Although not the best of this season's offering with Slumdog Millionaire being simply too outstanding this year, it's nevertheless a film not to be missed out. After all, 13 nominations for the Oscars say something about The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.


Kacang Puteh, anyone?

Film: The Reader (Review)

If you think that a teenage boy having an illicit affair with a woman who is more than twice his age can only take place in one's dreams, think again. With the exception of recent news reporting of Japanese pop princess Hamasaki Ayumi's mother getting married to Ayumi's ex-high school date, you will probably only witness such affairs in the theatres this month.

The Reader tells of a tale of a young boy, Michael Berg, during post World War II in Germany who incidentally met with the kindness of a female stranger who's seemingly attractive and, best of all, twice his age. After recovering from a scarlet fever spell, he began to take interest in personally thanking this woman who helped him when he was ill. With flowers in hand, he managed to find the apartment where Hanna lived and their lives were changed completely from that moment on as they ventured into a secretive physical affair together. Hanna left Michael for good one day and they were reunited eight years later in a war crime courtroom, where Michael is now a law student observing a Nazi war crime trial that involved Hanna as one of the defendants. Upon discovery of a secret that may help and harm the both of them, just how far is Michael willing to go to keep a secret hidden with this dilemma posed?

First half of the film should get most hearts racing with explicit scenes of Hanna and Michael sharing intense physical bonding, where we see how Michael falls into the abyss of lust and curiosity while Hanna relies on Michael's reading of literature pieces to her. Hanna dictates this relationship, with Michael being unable to do anything else but to obey.

The film shone especially during the second half, where Michael has to face his rekindled past and come to terms with Hanna's crimes and guilt. Kate Winslet proves to be truly worthy of her recent winning of the Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress as well as the BAFTA Leading Actress in The Reader. Hanna's simplistic and uneducated life has brought her the cruel fate that befell upon her, and for some reasons, I do sympathise with her even though she had caused the death of several Jewish prisoners. Michael is not the only person who has to face this dilemma of crime and guilt comparison, the audience is being drawn in to step into his shoes as well. I left the screening pondering the same for the rest of my day, so it's a rather intriguing film I must add.

One of the better films out there in the cinemas currently, along with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. From the box office response, it seems like the former is not enjoying as much attention as the later. The Reader is currently in contention of The Academy Award Best Picture category, so do catch it to see for yourself if it is truly worthy of its Oscar nomination.


Kacang Puteh, anyone?

Film: Slumdog Millionaire (Review)

Already the top winner at the recent Golden Globe Awards, Slumdog Millionaire is set to strike at the hearts of other competent films in high spirits for February's Academy Awards. Slumdog Millionaire earns 10 glorious nominations, despite being second to David Fincher's 13 nominations for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

A story about how an ordinary boy, who grew up together with his elder brother in the Indian slums, pursuing relentlessly his one and only lady of dreams since childhood and eventually appearing on India's national television programme "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" in hope of gaining her attention. One final question separates Jamal from a potential prize pot of 20 million Indian rupees, the local police couldn't accept the fact that a slum boy was capable of actually achieving that and arrested him on suspicion of cheating. Jamal revealed bits and pieces of his life that explained the source of his answers to all of the questions that got him through all the way up to the riches.

Cinematography is superb, especially during the first half of the film. The opening of the film should get most of you interested in what's to come. Some of the shots were seemingly achieved via handheld cameras, which in my opinion feels rather appropriate and convincing when used in depicting the life in the slums. It doesn't feel like it was filmed under studio set-ups , very much of an authentic touch there by Danny Boyle.

Jamal's brother Salim ended up being a love-hate character to me. As much as I hated him for being such a wicked brother who appears to have evilness born in his blood, we learned towards the end that his brother did all just for the sole purpose of survival to keep Jamal safe. My favourite scene in the film is the one where Salim immersed himself in a bathtub full of rupees before he faced his imminent fate. In my opinion, maybe he just wanted to be buried under his own sin, being a religious man he is. Or maybe, he just wanted to be the real "Slumdog Millionaire".

It's very much of a "Hollywood-meets-Bollywood" film, as we experienced some Bollywood elements through its soundtrack and ending dance sequence in this British film. Speaking of which, did I forget to praise the soundtrack? It was solid and accentuated the film perfectly.

Do catch this film when it's out in the cinemas, you won't want to miss this out. It is one of the best film for 2008 in our opinion.


Kacang Puteh, anyone?

Film: Ip Man (Review)

Ip Man may not sound magnificent or like a befitting title of a superb classic film, but do not underestimate the biographical movie of this grand master of martial arts who came from the same hometown as every one's favourite Shadowless Kick master - Wong Fei Hong.

Ip Man, the founder of the now famous martial art Wing Chun, showed how his powerful fists could call upon the unity of his fellow Chinese during the Japanese Occupation. It was through China's occupation by the Japanese, did he realize the need for him to spread the spirit of Wing Chun as well as to stand up against tyrants of sovereignty. This movie served as a tribute-paying biography to one of the greatest martial artists of all times with Ip Chun, eldest son of Ip Man, rendering his consultation services to this film.

Credits must be given to Donnie Yen and Director Wilson Yip as this serves to be their best collaboration project till date. Their previous works include SPL, Dragon Tiger Gate and Flash Point. Donnie's martial art talents are well showcased in this film, we believe that this time everyone will be convinced that he is the best martial artist ever, period. I don't think Jet Li and Jackie Chan can ever achieve what Donnie has done for this movie. Donnie oozes charisma, composure, and class, all while displaying a great set of martial art skills with agility, speed and style.

Flamboyant moves and strikes amidst subtle spirit and composure, combat sequences are fabulously honed, timed and choreographed by Sammo Hung. Every fight scene relishes with emotion that can be deeply felt by the audience, perfectly enables understanding of what the character is going through at specific scenes through motion visuals. Undoubtedly, the action is definitely the biggest selling point of this film. My personal favourite fight scene is the one at the Ip's Residence. When we compare what Sammo has done for war epic Three Kingdoms, we feel that he is better off arranging kungfu sequences than battlefield scenes.

Cashing on the Donnie Yen sensation that has been heated up recently after raving reviews, the limelight is finally on him. With a higher degree of exposure this year with films like Painted Skin and The Empress and Her Warriors, Donnie Yen is receiving intensive attention that he deserves. He's been far too undervalued by the community with stars like Jet Li and Jackie Chan stealing the show, it's high time for the rise of Donnie Yen. Do catch his previous works like Flash Point if you are interested in his award winning Mixed Martial Arts experiment, where he gets to try out various forms of martial arts achieving some interesting choreographic visuals.

Ip Man is definitely one of the best martial art films of recent times, we can even see it going down as one of the classics in the history of kungfu flicks.

In our opinion, there's no reason why anybody should give it a miss.

Kacang Puteh, anyone?

Film: 66th Golden Globe Award Nominations

The long-awaited nomination list for the 66th Golden Globe Award that will be presented on January 11, 2009.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas – I've Loved You So Long
Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep – Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Javier Bardem – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Colin Farrell – In Bruges
James Franco – Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman – Last Chance Harvey

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams – Doubt
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis – Doubt
Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler
Kate Winslet – The Reader

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder
Robert Downey Jr. – Tropic Thunder
Ralph Fiennes – The Duchess
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Animated Feature Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

Best Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden, Denmark)
Gomorrah (Italy)
I've Loved You So Long (France)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)

Best Director - Motion Picture
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry – The Reader
David Fincher – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon
Sam Mendes – Revolutionary Road

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Written by Eric Roth
Doubt
Written by John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon
Written by Peter Morgan
The Reader
Written by David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire
Written by Simon Beaufoy

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Composed by Alexandre Desplat
Changeling
Composed by Clint Eastwood
Defiance
Composed by James Newton Howard
Slumdog Millionaire
Composed by A. R. Rahman
Frost/Nixon
Composed by Hans Zimmer

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Down To Earth" – Wall-E
Music By: Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Lyrics By: Peter Gabriel
"Gran Torino" – Gran Torino
Music By: Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens, Clint Eastwood and Jamie Cullum
Lyrics By: Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
"I Thought I Lost You" – Bolt
Music & Lyrics By: Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele
"Once In A Lifetime" – Cadillac Records
Music & Lyrics By: Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarmon, Ian Dench, James Dring and Jody Street
"The Wrestler" – The Wrestler
Music & Lyrics By: Bruce Springsteen

Best Television Series - Drama
Dexter (SHOWTIME)
House (FOX)
In Treatment (HBO)
Mad Men (AMC)
True Blood (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama
Sally Field – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order
January Jones – Mad Men (AMC)
Anna Paquin – True Blood (HBO)
Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama
Gabriel Byrne – In Treatment (HBO)
Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)
Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie – House (FOX)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers – The Tudors (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
30 Rock (NBC)
Californication (SHOWTIME)
Entourage (HBO)
The Office (NBC)
Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Christina Applegate – Samantha Who? (ABC)
America Ferrera – Ugly Betty (ABC)
Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)
Debra Messing – The Starter Wife (USA)
Mary-Louise Parker – Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
Steve Carell – The Office (NBC)
Kevin Connolly – Entourage (HBO)
David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)
Tony Shalhoub – Monk (USA)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
A Raisin In The Sun (ABC)
Bernard And Doris (HBO)
Cranford (PBS)
John Adams (HBO)
Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench – Cranford (PBS)
Catherine Keener – An American Crime
Laura Linney – John Adams (HBO)
Shirley MacLaine – Coco Chanel
Susan Sarandon – Bernard And Doris (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes – Bernard And Doris (HBO)
Paul Giamatti – John Adams (HBO)
Kevin Spacey – Recount (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland – 24 (FOX)
Tom Wilkinson – Recount (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins – Cranford (PBS)
Laura Dern – Recount (HBO)
Melissa George – In Treatment (HBO)
Rachel Griffiths – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Dianne Wiest – In Treatment (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris – How I Met Your Mother
Denis Leary – Recount (HBO)
Jeremy Piven – Entourage (HBO)
Blair Underwood – In Treatment (HBO)
Tom Wilkinson – John Adams (HBO)


Stay tuned for MSR's prediction on the above!