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5
A Nutshell Review : Pulau Hantu
While this might have been marketed as a horror film , the end result is nothing but , given its distinct lack of scares . I suppose local horror movies with military flavour ( such as 1942 ) tend to be focusing on the military aspects of the story and even on the relationships between soldiers of a platoon , rather th...
515,455
317,399
810,823
5
A Nutshell Review : The Deaths of Ian Stone
The premise made this look like a distant cousin of movies like Groundhog Day , only that it's more bizarre , and containing an element of gore . Imagine if you wake up but find yourself living a different life from before you slept , not just repeating the last 24 hours . And each iteration actually ends in death , wh...
515,511
317,399
862,946
5
A Nutshell Review : The Bugmaster ( Mushishi )
I was expecting Mushishi to be a wild fantastical ride full of snazzy special effects and martial arts . I was sorely disappointed with the latter , and more so when the movie had decided to jump right into the plot of things , with little explanation of what's going on . Based on the Japanese manga written by Yuki Uru...
514,468
317,399
477,347
5
A Nutshell Review : Night at the Museum
Night of the Museum is this year's Chicken Little . With the trailer played almost every time before a movie is screened , it's arguable that this is probably the most watched movie trailer for the year , with that T-Rex skeleton taking a sip from the water cooler , made the iconic scene for the film , taking over Chic...
515,268
317,399
456,899
5
A Nutshell Review : Lower City
Two childhood friends , Deco ( Lazaro Ramos ) and Naldinho ( Wagner Moura ) meet Karinna ( Alice Braga ) , a stripper looking for a cheap ride to the city of Salvador , in exchange for sexual favours with the boys . Who could pass up a blonde like that , and in record time , we see the friends getting it on with her in...
514,591
317,399
479,528
5
A Nutshell Review : Rogue Crocodile
Not another crocodile movie again , you might groan . I did too , as I wonder just how many killer shark and killer crocodile / alligator movies need to be made , before they finally die off . Not too long ago we had Primeval , which was a crocodile movie set in the African continent which had attempted to weave local ...
515,542
317,399
831,887
5
A Nutshell Review : The Spirit
I wonder what Will Eisner will think of Frank Miller's interpretation of his classic character The Spirit . While I have not read the comic books of old , I am feeling curious enough to want to know whether Miller's version sticks to Eisner's vision , or came off as his own creation , like what he did to The Batman wit...
514,628
317,399
420,260
5
A Nutshell Review : Tony Takitani
Tony Takitani is a short film , clocking in at 75 minutes , but it's amazing how so much can be cramped into so short a time for a feature film . Telling the story of the titular character , played by Issei Ogata , we actually go backward an additional generation to learn of Tony's father Schozaburo Takitani , played b...
514,457
317,399
772,157
5
A Nutshell Review : Broken English
Broken English referred to , and this is the more obvious reference , the way English is not spoken by native speakers , thereby creating at times some comedic situations when accents come into play to dilute the actual meaning of the words . But Zoe Cassavete's movie isn't an outright comedy , or one which deals with ...
515,502
317,399
397,078
5
A Nutshell Review : Just My Luck
The only Lindsay Lohan movie I had ever watched was Mean Girls ( 2004 ) on board a flight to Europe , and I thought it was a pretty entertaining chick flick . Herbie Fully Loaded somehow didn't appeal to me , so Just My Luck was next on the screens here . There's another little story too on how we picked this DVD in Pe...
515,045
317,399
449,487
5
A Nutshell Review : Passengers
Anne Hathaway stars in no less than three films being released this month alone in Singapore . There's Rachel Getting Married , the upcoming Bride Wars , and Passengers . Amongst the three , and I'm counting my chickens before they hatch , Rachel Getting Married is a must watch to see how Hathaway has nailed it as a cr...
514,760
317,399
1,023,481
5
A Nutshell Review : Step Up 2 the Streets
The opening just might inspire the return of the flashmobbers , a fad which picked up for a short time in Singapore ( of which I did participate in one ) , and then faded into oblivion . From the get go , it seemed like a unique idea , until you realize it's all staged to gain street cred in this Youtube age , performe...
514,608
317,399
120,082
5
A Nutshell Review : Scream 2
Given the success of the original Scream , it is inevitable that there would be a sequel , bringing back cast members from the first movie who survived the massacre ( Neve Campbell , David Arquette , Courteney Cox ) , and adding new popular faces that would add to the body count , like the underutilized Sarah Michelle ...
515,354
317,399
373,883
5
A Nutshell Review : Halloween
I had not watched the original Halloween , so sadly I can't do a comparison of Rob Zombie's reimagination of the horror classic by John Carpenter , about a psychotic killer hell bent on a mindless rampage when he escapes from the mental institution , with his doctor hot on his heels . Michael Myers ranks up there with ...
515,352
317,399
484,562
5
A Nutshell Review : The Seeker : The Dark Is Rising
The Seeker : The Dark is Rising , no doubt being based on a children's book series , could have come up with a better sounding title than to reinforce the impression rightly that it's for the young ones , with nary any bit of sophistication . Telling the story as is in a straight forward manner , it's filled with tons ...
515,292
317,399
119,469
5
A Nutshell Review : Scarred Angels
Scarred Angels left me scarred , as to what it is trying to say . It's based on a television series from the 1970s of the same title , and because I hadn't existed yet , I couldn't tell if it stuck close to the series , or revamped it for the modern times . The synopsis looked interesting enough , but I wasn't prepared...
514,897
317,399
84,586
5
A Nutshell Review : Human Lanterns ( DVD )
Human Lanterns is probably widely talked about as a cult martial arts film with some dabbling on the macabre . The opening credits show a warehouse with plenty of human remains atop a bloody grinder . In fact , it has all the ingredients of a torture porn flick , except that , horrors of horrors , this DVD edition come...
514,991
317,399
498,353
5
A Nutshell Review : Hostel Part II
Between the first Hostel released last year and its sequel , there have been countless number of torture porn movies released , like Turistas , Captivity , Wolf Creek , and the likes , so much so that audiences these days ( or fans of the genre ) bay for more blood to be spilled , the gorier the merrier . In that respe...
515,257
317,399
259,324
5
A Nutshell Review : Ghost Rider
Mark Steven Johnson , I hate to break it to you . 3 strikes and you're out . I understand your earnestness in trying to write-direct Marvel superhero movies by trying to stay close to the source material , but somehow they all turn out to be mediocre efforts . Although you didn't direct Elecktra , you produced and wrot...
514,626
317,399
817,928
5
A Nutshell Review : Ghost Game
The premise seemed interesting enough - a group of game contestants undertaking the ultimate dare , to rough it out in a prison renowned for its haunting given that it was the location of a massacre . The news film reel style at the beginning , without showing much gore , already set the atmosphere and mood , providing...
514,823
317,399
768,212
5
A Nutshell Review : The Last Mimzy
Directed by the current CEO of New Line Cinema , The Last Mimzy is a children's fantasy movie which goes along the grains of having its children protagonists developing special powers , communicating with one another and with an alien object that no adult ( or anyone else for that matter ) can , and to help save some f...
515,040
317,399
1,305,854
5
A Nutshell Review : All's Well End's Well 2009
It surprised me that this Hong Kong comedic franchise still had some legs to carry on with yet another installment , given that it's been some 12 years since the last film , which started off in 1992 starring Stephen Chow at his element , filled with plenty of " mo-lei-tau " jokes , and its fair share of obvious spoofs...
514,448
317,399
1,199,506
5
A Nutshell Review : The Olive Depression
The Olive Depression , a film in 8 parts , was originally scheduled to take its bow during last year's Singapore International Film Festival . Out of the blue it got yanked from the schedule of the inaugural festival section called the Singapore Panorama , and going by the synopsis alone , many had wondered if it was t...
514,469
317,399
473,444
5
A Nutshell Review : Curse of the Golden Flower
Zhang Yimou is desperate . Desperate for that elusive Oscar . In his third attempt to lift that statuette , he has stuck to the martial arts genre , still deciding to go headlong since Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon's ( CTHD ) win . For his previous attempts , he has utilized CTHD star Ziyi Zhang in both Hero and House ...
514,995
317,399
356,696
5
A Nutshell Review : Homerun
Having Homerun shown on television tonight was an opportunity to compare the masterpiece of the original Children of Heaven , and the local remake done by Jack Neo . To his credit , taking on such a film and remaking for the local audience is a feat of courage , and given that the young rookie Megan Zheng had actually ...
515,005
317,399
430,357
5
A Nutshell Review : Miami Vice
Again we got the short end of the stick , having the movie released under NC-16 with snips , when an M-18 rating would have left the movie intact . And what was cut to satisfy the lower rating , were the sex scenes , as if to say we're all OK with the violence , but too prissy to make love . Written and directed by Mic...
514,916
317,399
1,156,444
5
A Nutshell Review : Fatal Move
Written and directed by Dennis Law , Fatal Move was originally conceived as the prequel / sequel to 2005's SPL , which had Donnie Yen and Simon Yam pit their skills on the side of the law against triad members played by Sammo Hung and Wu Jing . SPL had an interesting concept to begin with , but I guess with the ending ...
515,318
317,399
263,488
5
A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Jeepers Creepers ( 2001 )
I've heard much hype about this horror film , and decided to take a look into it . It delivered some thrills , but nothing fantastic to rave about . Starring Justin Long and Gina Philips as siblings on a road trip home , perhaps it is the relationship between the two which is refreshing , yet tinged with a sense of fam...
515,217
317,399
778,159
5
A Nutshell Review : Bewitching Attraction
Billed as a romantic sex comedy , Bewitching Attraction is neither full of raunchy sex ( ala another movie in town now - Lie With Me ) , nor is it full of laughs . It's an acquired taste , with sporadic nudity and sex , and rests its wit in black comedy instead . Starring Moon So-Ri in the female lead role of textiles ...
514,638
317,399
758,730
5
A Nutshell Review : Aliens vs . Predator : Requiem
My very first encounter with Aliens Versus Predator , was actually a coin operated arcade game some more than 10 years back . For 20c for 3-5 chances ( depending on how the owner configured the machine ) , you can choose between a 2 Predator Warriors , or 2 humans , to go up against an Alien infested land , where you s...
514,372
317,399
413,099
5
A Nutshell Review : Evan Almighty
Surprisingly , Evan Almighty is not a comedy per se . A sequel to the Jim Carrey movie Bruce Almighty , where Steve Carrell played a television journalist Evan Baxter - the one with the rubbery face giving Jim a run for his own money , this movie is sans Jim , and Steve is thrust into the leading role , with writer Ste...
515,460
317,399
1,372,681
5
A Nutshell Review : Aa Dekhen Zara
Jumping from great heights and into a swimming pool is firmly a cliché in my books . Hollywood overuses it , and I see that influence has crossed borders as well . Need an escape when your character is cornered ? Well , leaping off a building automatically means a body of water deep enough to cushion impact down below ...
515,295
317,399
84,881
5
A Nutshell Review : Space Pirate Captain Harlock : Arcadia of My Youth ( Waga Seishun No Arukyadia )
The second movie for the festival is another anime , albeit an older one , belonging to the 80s . I vaguely remember watching the series on television as I recall the familiarity of the pirate motif spaceship . But maybe I remembered wrong , as there are plenty of such space aged cartoons in those days , like Macross ,...
515,083
317,399
1,082,868
5
A Nutshell Review : Quarantine
Call it a case of deliberately engineered deja-vu , that I consciously decided to sit through this American remake of the recently screened Spanish horror film REC . Well of course the purpose is to discover if what's essentially the same story and technique employed , could get screwed up in a remake , given that Holl...
515,043
317,399
1,127,884
5
A Nutshell Review : Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus : Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour 3
Alright , I have to confess that I have no clue as to who Hannah Montana is , except that she is some " it " girl with some links to Disney , and was spoofed in Superhero Movie . She's a character played by Miley Cyus , daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus , who has to don a long and silky blonde wig to play her alter ego , and...
514,561
317,399
800,240
5
A Nutshell Review : Deception
The big joke making its rounds here about this movie was in its promotional poster for this part of the world . Perhaps to the West , Maggie Q would be just the chick from MI : 3 and didn't warrant top billing , or a photograph in its poster . Here , we have a badly pasted " extra " face of hers plastered on the poster...
514,910
317,399
482,599
5
A Nutshell Review : Shutter
Someone remind me what's the point of a remake again ? A dearth of ideas ? Thinking that one can do the job better ? Don't laugh but one of the better Asian horror I've seen ( probably amongst the first few too in recent years ) was the Thai movie Shutter , which played on the plot device of spirit photography , those ...
514,699
317,399
1,016,205
5
A Nutshell Review : The Mourning Forest
Winning the Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival last year , I actually found it a tad difficult to appreciate this piece by Naomi Kawase , as compared to Shara . I am beginning to suspect that I have a profound disengagement with movies that deal with grief and loss , especially when it takes on a very detached appr...
515,063
317,399
66,601
5
A Nutshell Review : Zabriskie Point
I've got to admit I continue to be perplexed at the films of Michelangelo Antonioni , having the counter now reach 2 . Perhaps it's due to my limited knowledge of the vast issues during the 1960s counter-culture era , and probably count The Graduate as one of the movies set during the time that stuck vividly on my Tefl...
515,485
317,399
63,105
6
A Nutshell Review : Golden Swallow
Touted as the sequel to King Hu's Come Drink With Me starring Cheng Pei Pei , this movie is anything but . Except for the return of Pei Pei's Golden Swallow role , Chang Cheh's movie doesn't share any similarities with King Hu's original , clearly stamping his own take on his movie utilizing the lead character from Com...
514,533
317,399
233,469
6
A Nutshell Review : Collateral Damage ( 2002 )
This was one of the films whose release schedule was affected by the terrorist attacks on September 11 2001 , because its content touched a raw nerve , having depicted terrorists detonating bombs in downtown Los Angeles , and planning another at Washington DC . Even when released finally in 2002 , the big budgeted acti...
514,587
317,399
889,588
6
A Nutshell Review : Escape from Huang Shi
So the posters have Chow Yun Fat's mug splattered in the center and given top billing . However , this is actually Jonathan Rhys Meyers ' vehicle as he plays the central character of George Hogg , an Associated Press reporter who smuggles himself into Nanjing pre-WWII and witnessed the atrocities of the invading Japane...
515,297
317,399
422,861
6
A Nutshell Review : The OH in Ohio
The OH here refers to the female orgasm , and while some like to tout this as the female version of last year's hit comedy The 40-Year Old Virgin , I would beg to differ . Written and directed by Billy Kent , the only probably reason for the link between the two films is that both starred Paul Rudd , but of course , pl...
514,767
317,399
482,051
6
A Nutshell Review : One Foot Off the Ground
I didn't really know what to make of One Foot Off the Ground . As it twists and turns in and around its dizzying myriad of characters and the lives , it's easy to get lost , and those without patience would find themselves tempted to walk out of the cinema hall . The payload only gets delivered from the midway mark , a...
515,395
317,399
297,284
6
A Nutshell Review : Mindhunters
Mindhunters is titled after FBI's trained serial killer profilers , whose job is to get behind the mindset of such killers , and to profile them according to their perceived traits , trying to understand their motivations , and the who what why questions . We start off with a brief introduction to a group of profiler r...
515,196
317,399
294,870
6
A Nutshell Review : Rent
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes . Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear . Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes . How do you measure , measure a year ? In daylights , in sunsets , in midnights in cups of coffee . In inches , in miles in laughter in strife . In five hund...
515,451
317,399
416,236
6
A Nutshell Review : The Spiderwick Chronicles
I guess movies based on children's fantasy books are money spinners that are just too hard to be passed up . But for each Harry Potter and Bridge to Terabithia , there's Eragon and The Golden Compass . The latter two have ready literary installments , but their dismal box office result means they are unlikely to be mad...
514,747
317,399
97,694
6
A Nutshell Review : Black Rain
WWII movies are a dime a dozen , and so are many movies which touch on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 . Japan still remains the only unfortunate victim of an actual bombing incident using atomic / nuclear weapons , and I suppose any movie that touches on this topic out of Japan , deserves a watch ...
515,385
317,399
424,863
6
A Nutshell Review : The Book of Revelation
You'd be forgiven if you thought that this movie was nothing more than the final chapter of the biblical text . Although itself based on a novel , this is a far cry from doomsday , though for the lead character , his life has been made a living hell for the sheer psychological and physical torture he goes through even ...
515,359
317,399
427,392
6
A Nutshell Review : The Invasion
It seems like Nicole Kidman's The Invasion is something like a tit-for-tat response to ex Mr Nicole Kidman's War of the Worlds . Aliens from outer space , check . Estranged spouse ( the cinematic one that is ) , check . Cute toddler kid , check . Being the only one who figures what could be going on , check . Lots of r...
514,809
317,399
792,965
6
A Nutshell Review : Hunting and Gathering
It's Audrey Tautou , and ever since Amelie , I am of the opinion that Singaporeans have an affinity for the pint sized actress , and her box office draw here is fairly strong . Count me in as one of the fans who will lap up her cinematic outings , good or bad , so long as our heroine gets the opportunity to shine on sc...
514,528
317,399
903,135
6
A Nutshell Review : The Invincible Iron Man
The only reason why I picked this up was because it's on cheap sale , and it doesn't hurt to see how Marvel would have envisioned their hero way before the live action feature film starring Robert Downey Jr hit the big screens , right ? The Invincible Iron Man is an origin story , but as far as origins are concerned , ...
514,795
317,399
472,071
6
A Nutshell Review : Death Defying Acts
What had drawn me to watch Death Defying Acts , is that it's a story with Harry Houdini , arguably the greatest illusionist and escape artist of our time . A few days ago I was browsing through a book which revealed the secrets behind his brand of death defying acts , and really he's a man of science , engineering and ...
514,710
317,399
120,751
6
A Nutshell Review : Mighty Joe Young
Merian C . Cooper came up with the story of King Kong first , about the 40 foot giant ape which was discovered in Skull Island , then brought back to New York to wreck havoc . He too dreamt up the story of a smaller ape - 15 foot , who lives with his human protector , and brought back to the USofA where he wrecks minor...
514,599
317,399
396,752
6
A Nutshell Review : Nanny McPhee
Nanny McPhee , based on the Nurse Matilda books , tells the story of the Brown family . Mr Brown ( Colin Firth ) is a widower who has to single handedly bring up seven children . Make that seven mischievous children who has driven away a record 17 nannies . He needs to work to bring home the bacon , but cannot find a s...
515,399
317,399
790,686
6
A Nutshell Review : Mirrors
Looking at the filmography of Alexandre Aja , he's becoming dangerously close to being branded as a director who specializes in remakes of films that can allow him to amplify the original gore factor , and one who hopefully doesn't position himself , intentionally or otherwise , such that audiences would come to expect...
514,941
317,399
368,794
6
A Nutshell Review : I'm Not There
I've got to admit that I'm not a Bob Dylan fan , and neither do I know enough of the man and his music . The only reason why I opted to watch I'm Not There , is undeniably because of the stellar cast attached to the project . Especially so when you have Cate Blanchett who got an Academy nomination for her role and I ju...
514,796
317,399
866,439
6
A Nutshell Review : Made of Honor
Made of Honor spells chick flick all over it , the perennial formulaic romantic comedy that tells its entire story in the trailer , but that's not going to stop couples from hitting the cinemas for their date movie flick , does it ? What I thought was peculiar was that the original US rating for this was R , meaning a ...
514,374
317,399
897,287
6
A Nutshell Review : Blood Brothers
Inspired by John Woo's Bullet in the Head , Blood Brothers ventures into the tried and tested boys in the hood gangland story about honour and comradeship , only to find out that there's a little more to girls , gangs and guns . The movie looks great with beautiful sets , costumes , props , but there was a general sens...
514,690
317,399
790,604
6
A Nutshell Review : Deck the Halls
You know the Christmas season is coming when the theatres start to line up its Christmas themed movies . You have comedies like Deck the Halls , one for the romantics in The Holiday , and of course , going back to basics with the retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ in The Nativity Story . The very first Matthew Brod...
514,738
317,399
415,978
6
A Nutshell Review : Me and You and Everyone We Know
Written and directed by Miranda July , Me You and Everyone We Know is an indie film that has gone on to win several film awards around the world . It finally opens in the theatres here , but it's difficult to see what the fuss is all about . Miranda plays one of the two major leads , Christine , in a community tale wit...
515,345
317,399
43,587
6
A Nutshell Review : Ginza Cosmetics
The opening shots of this movie firmly puts it in the Ginza district of Tokyo back in 1951 , with its distinct landmark of the Clock Tower , and serves kind of like a documentary snapshot of the district with following the kid Haruo in and around the area , before finally we get to meet his mom Yukiko ( Kinuyo Tanaka )...
514,806
317,399
361,127
6
A Nutshell Review : The Woodsman
( This is one of the tough reviews I've had - the material is tough , and having seated beside a cute chick in the theatre ain't helping bucketloads ) The Woodsman gets its name from a fairy tale - Little Red Riding Hood , you know , the dude who actually cut the wolf and out came red riding hood , alive and well . The...
515,496
317,399
382,821
6
A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Lu Cha ( 2003 )
The first movie I watched starring enigmatic Chinese actor Jiang Wen was during a business trip to KL , catching a show at KLCC before my late afternoon flight . In Warriors of Heaven and Earth , he donned a moustache and beard as the charismatic leader Lieutenant Li , in a movie which had great premise but a lousy sto...
515,126
317,399
415,932
6
A Nutshell Review : Lemming
The lemming has this reputation as a mindless creature which commits suicide by jumping off cliffs , and this has developed its connotation to various popular culture , and I do recall a computer game called Lemmings which features exactly that . This movie , which opened the 2005 Cannes Film Festival , has a plot poin...
515,478
317,399
475,944
6
A Nutshell Review : The Covenant
Don't think too much when watching this movie . That's my advice , but it worked as an excellent therapy right after surviving the horrendous local film Return to Pontianak . The Covenant is guilty pleasure , of watching something full of effects , zero storyline to think about , great looking cast and the usual fast c...
514,777
317,399
956,038
6
A Nutshell Review : Nights at the Rodanthe
After spending the night at Rodanthe , I would rather revisit the Lake House or Il Mare , whichever version that floats your boat . But this is no time travel romance , but features a beach house that's architecturally pretty , a perfect setting for the lovebirds to roost in , in spite of a looming hurricane threatenin...
515,504
317,399
449,089
6
A Nutshell Review : RV
If I were to tell you I grew up watching Robin Williams do his " nanoo nanoo " on television's Mork and Mindy , then yes , you'll know how ancient I am . The last movie I've seen with Williams in it ( ok , just his voice ) , was the animated feature Robots . His is a career with pretty defining movies , like Dead Poets...
514,871
317,399
449,080
6
A Nutshell Review : Cutting Edge
The reason why I chose to watch Cutting Edge during the German Festival was simple , and that's to savour comedy from a different country , and I thought having one in a hospital setting will be perfect for an evening of laughs . Hospitals are always thought as serious places where the sick find some avenue for recover...
515,224
317,399
468,489
6
A Nutshell Review : Half Nelson
Perhaps the curiosity towards Half Nelson , is how Ryan Gosling got nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor , from seemingly out of nowhere . Probably better remembered for his short lived television series Young Hercules , and recently in the straight to DVD movie Stay , he puts up a rather stoned performance ( ok , so ...
514,706
317,399
297,905
6
A Nutshell Review : Harmful Insect
I wonder what the English title of Harmful Insect alluded to , as I usually associate critters that do no good as pests , deserving of the right sole of boot , or that slap of a rolled up newspaper . Unless of course it referred to a couple of characters in the movie big or small , with the latter made up of lecherous ...
515,523
317,399
366,780
6
A Nutshell Review : MirrorMask
Neil Gaiman was in town last July , and MirrorMask was one of the yet-to-be-released film projects that he had scribed . It was supposed to be scheduled for release here late last year , but somehow the plans got shelved . Good news though , it will make its theatrical release in the local GV theatres next week . It's ...
515,291
317,399
338,679
6
A Nutshell Review : A Class To Remember IV : Fifteen
I'm not too sure why Gakko III wasn't selected for the festival . It could be that it was too much of the same with its teacher-student-school trinity . Or probably the subject matter wasn't diverse enough for it to be differentiated for an audience already seen the first two , and still being fresh in the minds . And ...
514,842
317,399
785,006
6
A Nutshell Review : Hotel For Dogs
Being Man's best friend , I understand the slew of movies that are made these days in honour of our canine friends , from the chihuahuas in Beverly Hills Hollywood or the Labradors in Miami , to the Roadside Romeo in Bollywood , I guess you just can't put a good dog down , as they continue to endear even through the mo...
514,406
317,399
490,488
6
A Nutshell Review : Dead Run ( Shisso )
Essentially the movie tells of the story of the central character , Shuji ( Yuga Tegoshi ) , and his ultimate downfall from grace . However , with the way the narrative is set up , you'll most likely be bewildered as to how the movie is going to develop and which direction it's going to take . It's quite messy with its...
514,584
317,399
997,167
6
A Nutshell Review : Midnight Eagle
The opening film of last year's Tokyo International Film Festival , the reviews for Midnight Eagle has so far been less than stellar , and I was curious to find out why . I mean , a disaster - like movie with elements that threaten in epic proportions couldn't be all that bad , what with a nuclear bomb atop a snowy mou...
515,178
317,399
427,968
6
A Nutshell Review : Trust the Man
When I saw the trailer for this film earlier this year , I placed it under my radar to watch if it makes its way here . I would like to have loved this film , but try as I may , I just couldn't . Not that it's a bad film , but it had too much cramped into it , with subplots flying off in various directions , and the fl...
514,720
317,399
351,283
6
A Nutshell Review : Madagascar
Dreamworks Animation SKG has set high standards with its Shrek series , and follow ups like Shark Tale . Somehow this film falls short of expectations , and the best bits seemed to have been featured in the trailers . Without going into the story details which you can piece together from promotions - this one has neith...
514,515
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468,820
6
A Nutshell Review : ( SIFF ) Noriko's Dinner Table
This Japanese film is my closing film for this year's SIFF . It tells of a compelling family story , where " safe " is boring , and a child is off looking for that spark in life to spice things up . Turning her back to her family , Noriko makes her way to Tokyo to look up her internet friends , friends she came to know...
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A Nutshell Review : Transporter 3
I'm beginning to see a pattern here , and I'm thinking that The Transporter , if it has the legs for more movies , could be the franchise equivalent of being a poor man's cousin to James Bond . Created and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen for three installments so far , the character of Frank Martin is a rog...
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A Nutshell Review : The Wig
If you'd know me by now , I take my pick of horror flicks depending on my mood . I'm game anytime for zombie films , might take a little persuasion with vampire flicks , ghosts and goblins I might like too . The Hollywood movies that is , heavily laden with effects , and most of the time compensated with gore . I haven...
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A Nutshell Review : My Wife is a Gangster 3
Director Cho Jin-gyu of the original action-comedy My Wife is a Gangster returns to direct this sequel . However , without the return of the titular Wife Cha Eun-jin ( Shin Eun-Kyung ) , this movie is nothing more than just a namesake , but there's no stopping the linkage with the box office success of the earlier movi...
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A Nutshell Review : Pleasure Factory
According to Pleasure Factory , Geylang was once an area where factories process coconuts , but now have given way to brothels providing pleasure , with pimps eager to hawk their latest acquisitions to anyone loitering a little while longer . Perhaps it's like Vegas , where what happens in Geylang stays in Geylang , th...
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A Nutshell Review : Charlie Bartlett
You have Ferris Bueller , and Van Wilder , and now we have Charlie Bartlett ( Anton Yelchin ) . But unlike the other two high school dudes with natural chemistry , Bartlett got to work hard at it , stemmed from his personal issues which manifest itself as a want to get himself catapulted to the top of the popularity ch...
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A Nutshell Review : Untraceable
So I thought I'd take a break from the Festival and get down to some regular screening of what some would deem as the usual products from the usual assembly line . Untraceable became that movie , because the poster here had Ebert giving it a positive rating , but everyone else I heard had panned it . Directed by Gregor...
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A Nutshell Review : Big Stan
The only other movie I remember vividly with the protagonist fearing his upcoming time spent in jail , was in Spike Lee's powerful drama 25th Hour , where we follow Edward Norton's character in his final day of freedom before being sent to the slammer . In Big Stan , Rob Schneider's crooked time-share conman Stan got a...
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A Nutshell Review : Raaz : The Mystery Continues
The first Raaz starring Bipasha Basu has nothing to do with this film . The mystery indeed continues here in name only , just like how the Thai horror franchise The Art of the Devil 2 having no relation to Part 1 . It's a totally different story altogether with no return of characters from the first film , so this rose...
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A Nutshell Review : Wolf Creek
Based on true events supposedly , Wolf Creek is an Australian production that adds its two cents worth to the slasher genre . However , audiences today won't buy too much into " based on a true story / event / life / etc " gimmick , especially if your end credits contain a line that reveals all events in the movie are ...
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A Nutshell Review : The Art of Seduction
Truth be told , if I were to come across Son Ye-jin's Han Ji-wan character , with those bambi eyes and pretty face , I would go jelly too . But that'a about it . I guess I pretty much ruled myself out of the dating scene , for the time being at least , to fall for her manipulative charms . Perhaps it's true that a pret...
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A Nutshell Review : Silk
If Fate would have it , I would have the opportunity to go to Tokyo for this year's Japanese International Film Festival , and watched this as the closing film . Initially I had mixed this up with Atonement , also starring Keira Knightley in a period romance story , except that this one had shades of The Last Samurai t...
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A Nutshell Review : Vacancy
For starters , if I own a BWM , I'll make sure I have a baseball bat handy and near enough for that occasional road rage , and am sure as hell gonna bring it along with me if my car stalls and I need to journey into the night . And to remember never to bicker incessantly with my wife because she's always right , and ev...
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A Nutshell Review : Young Andersen
This Danish movie is shown in Singapore as part of the Hans Christian Andersen Film Festival , running till next week . I also learnt that Singapore is the first country outside Denmark to screen this film . The narrative of this film is simple , looking back into the early life of Hans Christian , before he was an acc...
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A Nutshell Review : Becoming Jane
Julian Jarrold gave us Kinky Boots in 2005 , and now helms something I thought of as more solemn in tone with the biographical tale of literary legend Jane Austen in Becoming Jane , starring Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy in yet another period dramatic piece since Atonement . Here , they play star crossed lovers who ge...
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A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Princess Raccoon ( 2005 )
I guess playing a Japanese character or acting in a Japanese movie doesn't warrant as much an uproar as having to play a Japanese geisha . And of course no prizes to be given out if you can guess why I would want to watch Princess Raccoon in the first place - that Zhang Ziyi is one of the leads in a Japanese movie , ha...
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A Nutshell Review : King Kong ( 1976 )
This movie is as old as I am , but it's not the original . Yes you heard me right . The original big gorilla debut in 1933 . and this is a remake . Unless you've been residing in Mars , you'll also know that Peter Jackson will be adapting King Kong for the big screen for a release next month , and thank heavens it's cl...
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A Nutshell Review : The Eye
So I haven't watched the original Eye movie by the Pang Brothers , but I guess with remakes these days , it doesn't really matter , since most of the time , the Hollywood remade version pales in comparison with the original , despite having a bigger budget , bigger stars and of course , better visual effects . And what...
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A Nutshell Review : Casanova
Hollywood has depicted many legendary lovers in one way or another , from Don Juan to Valentino , and this time , Venetian playboy Casanova gets the big screen treatment in the form of Hollywood " It " boy Heath Ledger playing the title role , with much aplomb . Hollywood's Casanova , set in the 18th Century , isn't a ...
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A Nutshell Review : Portrait of a Lady Faraway
This movie marks my first Iranian film viewing , thanks for this year's SIFF focus on Arabian cinema . You might be curious as to why I chose this film amongst the selection on offer . Remember Fly By Night 2005 ? Before we came up with The Undecided , we actually considered a short film which resembled the synopsis of...
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A Nutshell Review : I Do , I Do
I first saw Adrian Pang on the big screen when I was still in the army , during one of our nights off where we managed to catch a Singapore movie ( back then , Singapore movies were rare , and not to mention suffers from low attendances because of the misconception that locally made movies are bad ) , and I was tickled...
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A Nutshell Review : Babel
If my memory serves me well , my knowledge of The Towel of Babel is from the Bible , where it was said that men at one time were speaking one common language , and aspired to build a tower so high that it would reach the Heavens . For some reason , God decided to pour cold water on the massive project , by dispersing e...