reviewId int64 363k 588k | userId int64 33.9k 15.9M | itemId int64 1 1.42M | rating float64 1 10 | title stringlengths 1 10.9k ⌀ | content stringlengths 81 11.6k ⌀ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
515,022 | 317,399 | 497,877 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : 4 : 30 | Audiences aware of Royston Tan's works , will almost always recall his controversial shorts like 15 and Cut . Full of colour and packed with fascinating visuals , his short films have so far been anything but a silent movie , and everything like song , dance and music , have found their way as a signature . All these bells and whistles take a backseat in 4 : 30 , a quiet film save for some lines of dialogue . The closing film of this year's Singapore International Film Festival where it played to a sell out crowd , the first thing that comes to mind is , is this a Singapore movie ? With a style so commonly found in art-house films , you'll probably be amazed that we do have someone here capable of crafting a contemplative movie immersed so richly in green hues . A previous short film closest to the mood and visuals to 4 : 30 would be Sons ( you must check it out ! ) In the still of the night which is 4 : 30 am , a little boy Xiao Wu , wakes up almost religiously each day to spy on a Korean tenant of his family apartment . A latch key , lonely boy , he finds joy in crafting a virtual relationship with the man Jung , a foreigner with an agenda here , a friend he cannot communicate directly with given barriers like language and his non presence during the day . But of course that's just one , obvious layer of the movie . With clues and markers peppered throughout the movie , you'd be compelled to wonder if what is unveiled on screen , can be taken as a matter of fact . There is obviously no regular school in December , the boy's abuse of cough mixture a worrying phenomenon but one which suggests something of a dreamlike bizarreness , and a tinge of homo-erotic sentiments . These markers will tickle your mind as you try and sieve figments of imagination , from screen reality . The many silent moments give your mind plenty of workout time , sometimes into overdrive . There are plenty of Royston touches to this beautifully shot film , like his preference for all things old - like the Telecoms push button telephone ( in green no less ) , the cloth wardrobe , and the facade of the Look Clinic . The main lead Xiao Li Yuan who plays Xiao Wu , is effectively bilingual , and quite believable in his role as the lonely kid yearning for some serious attention which he is not getting from his parents , lending to his frequent disruption of a neighbourhood tai-chi session , to his fixation and stalker-like behaviour towards Jung . Whatever your interpretation of the events that transpire , ultimately , it's quite a sad movie , of unrequited " love " and friendship , about the road of loneliness . It's an engaging character piece , and of the ties that bind . p . s . 4 : 30 is now showing in 3 theatres , with limited schedules . If you really want to check out how different this movie is from his previous ( short ) works , or if you dig Kim Ki-duk's stuff , then waste no time ya ? The afternoon weekend screening I went to , only had 5 folks including myself . Once you're done with Supes , give the lonely kid some love : - ) |
514,933 | 317,399 | 387,877 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Black Dahlia | There are a couple of reasons why I wanted to watch The Black Dahlia . First , the trailer was slick , and the strangely hypnotic song used in the trailer , Dirge - by Death in Vegas , actually had this enthralling sublime message which to me was " watch this " . Next , it's a police noir set in the 40s Hollywood . Movies set during that era and at that location appeal to me too , as will Hollywoodland . And last but not least , it stars Scarlett Johansson , sexiest woman alive if Esquire Magazine is to be believed ( and I actually agree ) . However , The Black Dahlia , opening movie for this year's 63rd Venice Film Festival , was anything like what the trailer suggested in terms of the story . While the trailer made it look like a major investigative piece into the horrific murder of an actress , and the cops being made to run circles to get the culprit , that portion of the movie , though integral to the whole scheme of things and is the core , actually becomes secondary , and the whole movie was moving in and around everything else , until put right towards the end . There are many subplots shooting from everywhere involving families , real estates , hoodlums , lust , greed , corruption , and even boxing ( ! ) which steal your attention away from the crux , and with the hydra of unsolved mysteries just building up with no end in sight , it just becomes increasing frustrating as the movie progresses with all these unanswered questions and disparate scenes , until they all come together toward the end . It really calls for one's patience and undivided attention to watch this . But is it all worthwhile ? Yes , but the ride's excruciatingly painful , with the payout probably just barely adequate for some . The sets and costumes were wonderful , and being set in post WWII Los Angeles , The Black Dahlia is loosely based on James Ellroy's book , which is turn is based on the true story of the murder of an aspiring actress called Elizabeth Short . Two detectives partners , Leland Blanchard ( Aaron Eckhart ) and Dwight Bleichert ( Josh Harnett ) , nicknamed Fire and Ice ( in an incredibly long introductory scene involving boxing ) find themselves involved in a murder case involving a mutilated body of a woman . While Blanchard becomes obsessed with solving the murder , Bleichert finds himself drawn towards a mystery woman encountered during investigations , a certain Madeleine Linscott ( Academy Award winner Hilary Swank ) , and also towards Blanchard's girl Kay Lake , played by Scarlett Johansson . I'm not about to explain or touch on the dozen or so sub plots and characters involved in the story . However , Johansson's screen time is severely limited , so fans will probably have to get their fix in the other movies showing in town , with the modern day Scoop , or the upcoming The Prestige set in Victorian England . The 40s Hollywood setting here allows opportunity for Johansson to be illuminated on screen in soft focus , and she does look like a star from the yesteryears , with that hairdo adopted . I last seen Aaron Eckhart in Thank You for Smoking , and I thought it was a decent role he took on here as the slowing - degenerating - into - unpredictability cop of a partner to have . Clearly the lead belonged to Josh Harnett , whom I thought did a voice-over in Sin City as well as Lucky Number Sle7in . I won't be surprised if he corners that voice over / dubbing role , as his voice does give that soothing quality to make you sit up and listen to what he has to say . It's quite understandable that this movie will warrant some low ratings , given its at times shoddy delivery leaving much wanting . I actually thought director Brian De Palma could do better , given that he's helmed classics like The Untouchables , Scarface and Mission : Impossible ( which I liked ) , though there are the duds like Femme Fatale and The Bonfire of the Vanities which he conjured as well . There was one scene though which I thought was fairly neat , like his one-continuous camera-motion in Snake Eyes , replicated here with a sequence involving an introductory house visit . While The Black Dahlia is faulted for Brian De Palma's delivery , it tells a compelling enough story , with unflinching violence and uncut sexual situations involving lesbianism and suggested incest , in an unedited M18 rating . Just remember to be patient for the payoff at the end , and lookout for KD Lang ! |
515,074 | 317,399 | 398,165 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Longest Yard | The Longest Yard is one of many remake movies that Hollywood has churned out in recent years . Others did well , like Charlie's Angels , while some fumbled , like Bewitched . This Adam Sandler movie , helm-ed by director Peter Segal ( who also worked on Sandler's Fifty First Dates ) , managed to keep afresh the already familiar material . It was a perky ( heh ) start to the movie , with No Doubt's ( and of course Gwen Stefani's vocals ) starting the movie , keeping in mind that MTV Films also had a hand in this , it isn't surprising that the audience will be treated to various pop , rock and hip hop music . Sandler plays Paul Crewe , a forgotten , down and out quarterback infamous for throwing in the towel and rigging a game . He's sick of life with his control freak fiancée ( did Courteney Cox undergo a boob job ? ) , and got arrested for dangerous drink driving when she reported he stole her Bentley . Well , we have to thrown our protagonist into prison to get the game going , right ? Unfortunately for Crewe , the prison guards are a bunch of sadists , and fortunately ( depending on how you look at it ) the warden is a football fanatic , who propositions Crewe to set up a team amongst the prisoners for his guards to have a practice tune up match against . Most of the movie then dwelled on recruitment and training , as with all sports movies , the recruits are all misfits , which is supposed to provide some comedic moments . Scenes in which Crewe handpicks prisoners according to their traits ( aggression , speed etc ) were formulaic , but extremely fun . An addition to the fold is actor Chris Rock as Caretaker , the man with links on the inside and outside ; the resident smuggler . As with all remake movies , there should be the complimentary actor from the earlier film , and here we have two , the more recognizable one being Burt Reynolds as the coach , who played the protagonist in the original . It's kind of ironic that in prison films , the line between " good and evil " are somewhat blurred , with good characters having improper morals , and the bad characters turning out to be likable underdogs . For all its funny set pieces , the humour seemed somewhat subdued , not overly slapstick , or worse , feeling forced . You know what's coming , but the delivery was enough to at least make you smile . What crowned the filmed was the football game at the end . Shot wonderfully with the right moments to break into slow-motion or high speed action , it managed to convey the contact sport accurately , and with excitement thrown into the mix . You will really be rooting for the Mean Machines , as do the transgender inmate cheerleaders and Rob Schneider . But the main theme was on obtaining , losing , and maintaining Respect , and the exploration of camaraderie amongst the boys in the hood . Standing out , in a somewhat cringeworthy manner at times , was when Crewe persuades a bunch of basketball playing inmates to join his team , as do some parts in the end game . This movie should appeal to the fans of sports films , one filled with plenty of physical contact , moments of humour , and a predictable finale ( which of course is known to those who watched the original ) . |
514,794 | 317,399 | 352,925 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Tongan Ninja | Watching Tongan Ninja is like watching a movie so deliberately bad , it's good ! Which is not surprising , given that the creative brains of Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie behind Flight of the Conchords , had a hand in crafting the zany scenes , crazy dialogue and mind - boggling tongue in cheek action sequences . It's like watching a kid's cartoon come alive , though it comes with a tinge of unexpected violence as well to make it more adult . The basic structure follows that of Bruce Lee's Way / Return of the Dragon , where a martial arts practitioner get sent to protect a restaurant from thugs who come asking for protection money . Sam Manu plays Sione Finau aka Tongan Ninja the titular character , whose tragic background of his father being killed by a fish haunts him into adulthood . Growing up in a Pacific island where he learns his ninja skills , he gets sent by his master to New Zealand to help a friend in need , represented by Miss Lee ( Linda Tseng ) whom he falls in love with . You know it's gonna be mindless fun with slapstick humour when the villains are caricatures such as Kinfe Man , Gun Man and his arch-nemesis Action Man ( played by Jemaine Clement himself ) with whom is under the same ninja tutelage . The fights don't take themselves seriously , as it really hammed up every cliché you can find in bad action movies . From funny character names to funny action moves coupled with cheesily bad special effects , everyone's acting is really over the top , and therein lies the fun factor when watching the movie , complete with spaghetti western styled dialogue and dubbed voices that are never in sync . What also worked here are the zany song and dance sequences , which acted as a precursor of the later collaboration between Clement and McKenzie . In fact , if you pay attention to the lyrics that are sung during these sequences , that's half the fun already as you're likely to have been chuckling along . So don't expect quality production values with polished acting . You can tell these folks had a lot of fun spoofing the genre and probably had a great time on set , and this shows up in the product in all honesty . It doesn't bite off more than it can chew , and provides for some really enjoyable entertainment . |
514,911 | 317,399 | 817,538 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Drillbit Taylor | I think it's obvious to note by now that Team Apatow is on a roll in recent years with their brand of comedy , which is probably a much needed injection , personally , to the genre after Mike Myers left us hanging when he delivered his Goldmember . Out and out comedies of late have been touching on the usual material like teenage sexcapades and loads of deliberate spoofs of pop culture and movie genres , which Apatow and team also dabbles in , but somehow it hinged on the simple things that mattered , such as the timing of punchlines . In most parts , Drillbit Taylor seemed like Superbad all over again , right down to the characters that inhabit the movie . You have the usual nerds in trouble , and more so , with a Laurel and Hardy style in pairing someone chubby with a motor-mouth , and the skinny , silent type . Coming from well-to-do families , good friends Ryan ( Troy Gentile ) and Wade ( Nate Hartley ) are into their first day of high school , where given their nerdy behaviour , are instant fodder for the resident school bullies . Despite the refreshing unknowns having the meatier and more interesting roles , Owen Wilson stars as the titular character , a homeless and aimless drifter who showers at public baths and makes money from asking for donations on the streets . In fact , Owen Wilson is just being , Owen Wilson , with all the smart wisecracks spewed when imparting self-defense knowledge to his employers , the children , in a bid to not give them the fish , but to teach them to fish , i . e . defend themselves from bullies . Naturally he's no black ops person , and there's little wonder how his methods turn out to be backfiring most of the time . Which is in fact a pity . There are some genuinely funny moments , but these stem from scenes where Wilson was not a part of , because his story got entrenched into some romance with impossibility looming over the horizon , But the funnier scenes are also mostly a throwback to similar material already experienced in Superbad , minus the sexually implicit / explicit scenes of course , with the banter between Ryan and Wade , and the little snarky comments that Ryan makes , which you probably have to pay attention to as they come quite fast and furious . Other than that , Drillbit Taylor is pretty formulaic in how the story develops and concludes , which is an exercise in the value and treasuring of friendship , camaraderie , and having some backbone to stand up to those who have an inkling of stepping all over you . Oh , and Owen Wilson's nose really was quite prominently crooked in the movie , I can't help but to gawk at it ! |
514,864 | 317,399 | 448,131 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Missing Star | Based upon the novel The Dismissal by Ermanno Rea , in essence the story's about the slow friendship that develops between an Italian maintenance technician Vincenzo Buonavolonta ( Sergio Castellitto , who can be seen as the villainous King in Prince Caspian , and was the lead in Bella Martha ) and a Chinese translator Liu Hua ( Ling Tai ) . They set off actually on the wrong foot , with the former chastising the latter for her inaccurate , and slow translations of what he wanted to tell a Chinese delegate who had bought equipment that is faulty . Vincenzo wants to do the right thing , which is rare in these days , and that is to tell the prospective buyers upfront the faults as well as the intricacies that their purchase would bring , and given that he's disturbed by the fact that the deal still went ahead , he takes time off to craft a component that would set things right . But that also means to travel to China in search of the elusive machine , which proves to be well hidden , and seemingly having vanished without a trace . With the initial reluctant help of Liu Hua , they set off in this treasure hunt from city to city , which brings us to lesser seen sights of China , away from the Beijings and the Shanghais , to cities like Wuhan , with industrial like backdrops such as steel mills and nuclear plants with their smoke stacks dotting the scenery . The mighty Yangtze River also makes an appearance . Along the way , the usual trappings of such travelogue styled movies come into play , such as the learning of culture , ideals , food , and basically , the understanding that the world is without strangers , if only one makes an effort to try and connect . While hints of some romance between the two leads are suggested , it rarely made itself to be a moot point , until perhaps late in the movie ( hey , opposites attract , no ? ) Besides the major industrial plants and factories , We get to see various cottage industry , like seamstresses working in sweat shop like environments , and I believe Cotton too , along with noodle making . As a film , it provided me the travelling opportunity without leaving my seat to observe , and credit to it for not passing judgement from a moral high ground on exploitation and the likes . And kudos too for the movie to engage in dialogue based on the characters ' native tongues , rather than ( and I shall not name names here ) some other movie / cross-cultural collaborations where dialogue is forced-dubbed and came off unnatural , and truly irksome . Some might deem the supporting characters to be too kind too , always opening their arms and doors to a foreigner , but I would like to imagine that maybe in the more rural areas , people in general tend to be more sincere , friendly and basically not get caught up in the rat race to trample on others , or be trampled upon . If there's a message to take away from the movie , besides the fact that I mentioned that the world is without strangers , is a reminder to myself that some of the stuff I deem important , may not be so to others . Importance is something one places upon something else , and its basis really depends on how we define the boundaries we set . So given our finite lifetime , I think I should lighten up a bit more , live and let live , and sometimes bask in the illusion that ignorance could be bliss . |
515,052 | 317,399 | 482,603 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Space Chimps | I'm going to admit that I've enjoyed Space Chimps . No , I've not gone bananas , but there's something beautiful to this goofy animated comedy that appealed , perhaps in its simplicity and its not attempting to try and be more than it cannot be . Ham III ( voiced by Andy Samberg ) . a circus monkey whose the key to the " monkey cannonball " act , happens to be the descendant of its decorated ancestor Ham I , the first monkey to have entered outer space . As NASA does send animals early in their history of missions to perform certain tests , and more so as guinea pigs , their current space programme is under threat of being axed , unless of course the scientists can all prove their worth . Just so happens that a space probe gets send to the opposite side of a wormhole , that it presents an opportunity to send a crack team of animals to the other side as well to test waters , hence the assembly of our merry animals . You have Ham III , the reluctant astronaut put into the team for some PR purpose , who joins the usual caricatures of team captain and beefcake Titan , as well as beautiful Luna , who provides the brains for the mission and cursory love interest for our protagonist chimp . On the ground , besides the wacky human scientists who always deny their nerd status , you have Comet and Houston , fellow chimps who provide ground expertise to our crew's mission in space . Truth is , and a departure in animated movies of late , this one is sans big name stars or voice talent , and doesn't detract you away from the story , nor have one talent steal the thunder from the rest . Like a well oiled space mission , Space Chimps is and plays out like a consolidated team effort . The adversary they face are a group of silly aliens under the control of Zartog , who consolidated his power no thanks to the human space probe by hitting the manual override button , as well as various environmental challenges reminiscent of the latest Journey to the Center of the Earth , and provides ample opportunity for some pretty wacky characters , with set action pieces like swinging from vine to vine , making more sense here when compared to that in The Crystal Skull . The graphics here are kept simple and uncomplicated . It's easy to find fault with so many things in this movie , given the likes of Pixar which has set the benchmark , but as I've said , I'm not looking for too much , and the simplicity of it all in Space Chimps makes it a refreshing breath of fresh air . The story at times might find itself hard pressed to throw in some wisecracks on pop culture , but there are indeed moments to have it in the movie so subtly , you'll probably blink and you miss it . If you're willing to leave your 1 % intellect at the door , perhaps you may just enjoy this movie about primates that exhibit similar emotions and attributes to our own . |
515,108 | 317,399 | 407,998 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Mistress of Spices | The number one appeal that this film had for me , is to see Aishwarya Rai in action . I've never seen the movies of Miss World ' 94 , and missed out on Bride and Prejudice . Written by the same team , Mistress of Spices is a mythical tale which makes the Indian spices the star of the movie , set in a medicinal store , with Rai as the conjurer and mixer of modern day " bomoh " like medicine to cure mankind of their ills . Some might not like the way the movie presented itself , with its cheesy focus and voice-over on the qualities of the various spices . Granted , it's like going to your medicinal hall , or clinic , and doing a closeup feature on the medicines and roots , characterizing them . And with the obvious red chili being the signal of danger , it's a tad simplistic . However , the way that the spices are shot , made them look beautiful in their sacks or glass bottles . Hidden behind these herbs is the mistress Tilo ( Rai , meaning sesame seed ) , whose precognitive powers are granted to her by the spices . OK , so I had a corny joke running each time Tilo asked the spices to speak to her - isn't she doing a Muad'Dib thingy like Dune's Paul Atreides ? Anyway besides the mistress helping her customers with their daily troubles by selling them wonderfully nice sounding concoctions , in comes Dylan McDermott's Doug . Better known for his leading role in the television series The Practice , he's the man unknowingly seducing Tilo from her mission in life . You see , being a mistress has its rules , and they are to never let another skin touch yours ( ooh , touchy ) , to never step out of the shop ( that's pretty restrictive and a possible loop hole ) and not to concoct anything for one's own benefit . So while trying her best to stay away from the good looking man , the movie spins into a tale of forbidden love , with punishment meted out by the powers that be dwelling within those spices - I tell you , they're quite vengeful . And as if it couldn't decide , there's an underlying reminder for Indians based overseas about never forgetting their roots and culture , to never fall for the enticing decadent lifestyle of the foreigners . But screw all that , the real star of the show is Rai . I'm already smitten by her huge twin green-blue expressive eyes with lives of their own . You could just focus on them , and they could tell you a story already . And yes , that chili-red sari , is uber hot ! Guess my to-watch movies is piling up already , with Bollywood added to the list . Rai fans probably won't want to miss this , despite the movie's relatively weak and fluffy plot . |
514,683 | 317,399 | 482,606 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Strangers | So when Underworld co-star Kate Beckinsale got to make a horror / thriller with Vacancy while waiting for the green light on a possible Underworld pre / sequel , Scott Speedman too had to do something equivalent , and so got himself signed up with The Strangers , written and directed by Bryan Bertino , which takes a fictional look at what it purports to be based on true events with regards to the senseless acts of violence committed against James Hoyt ( Speedman ) and Kristen McKay ( Liv Tyler ) . Whether it be real or not , it takes its time to tell you that more than 1 . 4 million violent crimes happen on average in the USA , which of course works out to be . . . hell a lot . And it puts this at the back of your mind that it could happen to just about anyone , which after watching the movie , you'd more or less agree , given its less than sophisticated means of attack . Ss with all horror movies coming out of Tinseltown these days , it's the usual in-your-face slasher flicks / torture porn that get made , going one up against each other through being creative with weapons , blood and gore . Here it kept things simple , using common household tools against you . It's a movie without a lot of dialog between the characters , given that the assailants do not speak with one another , or lapse into the usual monologue with their victims . They do what they need to do quickly when the time calls for it , otherwise their theatrics allow the filmmakers to max out the surround sound system in the theatre with plenty of running about , throwing of stuff against doors / windows , together with testing out their light and shadow play thoroughly . And technically , you've got to tip your hat towards its flawless execution ( pardon the pun ) . The backstory to the characters of Kristen and James show us that while they are a loving couple , James ' premature proposal to Kristen , and her rejection , put them in an awkward situation where he had plenty of yes-I-do aftermath activities planned out , such as a night at his parent's summer home , and a road trip thereafter , all thrown into disarray . They still reach that home away from home , but are not really communicating with each other . And with observed weakness comes opportunity for the perpetrators to complete their surveillance , and launch their systematic attack . Which for the first hour , it almost became the Liv Tyler show , as she single-handedly holds your attention with her frantic looks and powerful lungs , while trying to wish it all away as a bad dream . Bryan Bertino succeeds in driving through the tension and fear of having unknown strangers in an unfamiliar home , and at 4am in the morning with their constant knocking and mischievous , deadly pranks , can really take its toil on you . There are loopholes of course in this story , such as failure to hold ground , and to never , ever split up , but I guess these folks never learn from the many horror movies that preceded it . So when it went into its final 20 odd minutes , you can sense a feeling of dread , both for the characters , and the rather repetitive run-hide-seek continuum . Like Michael Haneke's Funny Games , there never is a rationale shared with the audience even though they continuously dish out violence , and while Haneke's villains were rather chatty , the ones here never bother to talk any more than they should , and coupled with their childish masks , make them a bit more terrifying when they come out of the dark . Not a masterpiece , and surely less intellectual than Funny Games , but definitely has its moments , and managed to send some chills down unsuspecting spines , like that row of punks sitting on the same row as me and actually squirmed at their seats . |
515,427 | 317,399 | 1,073,548 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Yasukuni | I guess topics which are taboo , or films that have their bans lifted , will more than likely have its audience base automatically built from the curiosity arising from its background , wondering on what grounds and rationale that such a film got made or banned in the first place . The Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo had its fair share of publicity coming from ex Japanese prime minister Koizumi's high profile visits to the shrine for worship , much to the disgust of neighbours China and Korea , because enshrined within those grounds , are some of the tried war criminals of WWII , whom to most in Asia , are not deemed to be martyrs , having started a campaign on aggression in the region . Depending on which camp you're standing in , there are two sides of the coin even from within a homogeneous society like Japan itself ? those who find it no big deal for their prime minister to visit the shrine at his own personal capacity , and those who find it wrong to do so . On a macro level , while it is easy to condemn those who partook in the war , from personal stories just like that in any society , there will always be those who have to do it against their will , and even some touching stories coming from the surviving siblings that their brothers get sent away , being quite clear that they'll never come back ever again . As a documentary , there is no lack of an educational value in it . There were plenty of nuggets of information for the military history buffs , and some of the things I learnt , was how Yasukuni itself has so much importance and relevance to Imperial Japan . For starters , I learnt that swords have an indelible connection to the army and to the shrine , given that sword forgers from the shrine made their swords on those very grounds , and officers at the frontline are bestowed one each . This equates to quality swords running in the thousands being made . Of course , these swords are infamous for being tools used to behead countless of victims , and some of these atrocities get publicized as bravery contests amongst officers . And the significance of the sword is so important , that within the shrine , the object of worship is none other than one Yasukuni sword which is used to represent the more than 2 million souls who were lost in the war , fighting for the Emperor , which of course amongst that figure , things are not all that clear , with various groups lobbying for things such as removal of names and enshrining of their ancestors , because they were either forced to conscript , or some aren't even Japanese to begin with . It's hard to imagine ? 2 millions souls ? captured into one single sword , and if this was a martial arts world we live in , that would be one heck of a powerful sword . But as a movie , there were a lot more to be desired . Granted when dealing with topics of controversy , answers during interviews are not bound to be forthcoming , given the director's attempt to elicit some candid remarks from the sole remaining Yasukuni sword forger who's already into his 90s . Interviews with his subjects also seem to be more from the man on the street , and thus dilutes some of the expected quality in the answers , which some might allude to talk that you'll hear from coffeeshops , some of which might be entertaining for its point blank accusations , such as the British National Museum being a storage space for goods plundered all over the world . I chuckled at this comment because this is not the first time I'm hearing it , as I've heard it before from a Brit on a tour telling all tourists that same thing as well ( he's a tour guide by the way ) . Most of the time , the camera lingers in and around the grounds of the shrine on August 15 , since it's the day designated as a remembrance , and you have various military groups coming on site to pay their respects , as will other civil groups and protesters as well , thus making it fertile grounds for opposing members of the groups to come into blows , verbally or physically , in trying to force their viewpoints on the other . One thing's for sure though , that groups are passionate in their beliefs , and no words get minced in their shout-outs . However , the film doesn't go beyond what's shown on the surface . It seems quite contented in capturing events of the day , like a newsreel , but without any further input on how and why such events , shots and the inclusion of such scenes mattered . There was an extended scene involving an American who was flag waving ( the stars and stripes ) on the grounds to mixed reactions from the Japanese people , as well as dwelling on incidents such as the Taiwanese indigenous groups wanting to reclaim the souls of their ancestors . But alas further interviews to pick the minds of these folks were not done ? maybe the request to interview them was unsuccessful ? So while it had some ingredients to make it more than worthwhile to sit through 2 hours of a film revolving around the Yasukuni shrine and movement , its presentation could have been a lot stronger . The narrative got quite messy and all over the place , never having a primary focus , but flitted around as and when it found convenience . I felt the ending was rather week because of its reliance on commonly seen archival stock images and videos , but on the whole , an impressive effort and courage to explore something controversial and touchy even until today . |
514,962 | 317,399 | 413,267 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Shrek the Third | It has just been the start of the summer season , and the sequels are raking in the millions , despite lacklustre reviews no doubt stemming from familiarity and expectations built from successes of the predecessor films . Still , they are raking in the millions , and possibly the largest franchises in recent years converge onto 2007 as they feature their third movies , and leaving the door open for possibly more to come . Spidey 3 had too many characters , as did Pirates 3 , as they both seek to expand the fantasy world they belong to , which to some worked against their favour as it meant less screen time for some beloved characters . And we welcome back our favourite giant green ogre Shrek , who in its third installment , expands its mythology as well with the introduction of various characters from the Camelot tale , most notably those of Lancelot , Genevieve , Merlin and of course , Arthur himself . As we last left out heroes , Shrek ( Mike Myers ) and Fiona ( Cameron Diaz ) are back to living with royalty in the kingdom of Far Far Away , now with pals Puss in Boots ( Antonio Banderas ) and Donkey ( Eddie Murphy ) and family . Now if that's a handful , wait till the story moves forward with Shrek and the faithful buddies going on a mission to seek out an heir to the throne , Artie / Arthur ( Justin Timberlake ) , who certainly doesn't bring the sexy back to the crown , and you must watch this as once again the filmmakers turn on their creativity and cunningness to develop a character ( and other characters ) in ways you'd never expect them to behave . Which is what most audiences would have enjoyed with the previous films , though this time round , there seemed to be a line drawn on the ground not to overdo the references to pop culture , sight gags and rounds of puns . And the villainous Prince Charming is back , with ambitions to be King Charming , and here's where the story fell a bit short , as it adapted from the other animated movie Happily N'ever After , where the bad guys who always seem to have their luck run out , group together and forcefully take over the kingdom . It's a pity the majority aren't memorable , given that we're already so familiar with the good guys , and they just fail to add more colour , instead it became repetitive with Charming's narcissistic behaviour . Boring . But there are good moments in the movie though , and I can't get enough of those princess types in Snow White , Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella . Despite its expanded cast , the story still managed to put focus on our main trio of Shrek , Donkey and Puss in Boots , at the expense of Fiona who becomes more of a side with her anxious maternal instincts kicking in . The story did feel at times to drag along , especially with Shrek playing surrogate father of sorts , and its trying real hard in attempts to weave in some feel good , moral messages , slowing down the pace , and at one point , tried to go back to its zany ways with some inane happenings , as if a sudden jolt of a reminder not to bore with preachy stuff . Perhaps Shrek 3 might have lost some of its charm , but it definitely is miles ahead of the poorly animated Legend of the Sea . It's a no brainer which animated movie to watch this school holidays . |
515,127 | 317,399 | 495,634 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Ghost Variety | Directed veteran Thai director Adirek " Uncle " Watleela , Ghost Variety is a crazy horror comedy , well actually , more comedy than filled with horrific moments . It starts off quite aptly , in a remote village where a horror movie is being screened , and introduces the audience to a few of the usual ghosts and goblins , until we realize it's all a figment of the imagination . And there's plenty from where that came from , with scenes cutting in and out from screen reality and fantasy . Basically , it's about the story of a down and out filmmaker called Tom , played by familiar face Petchtai Wongkamiao , who starred in Tony Jaa vehicles Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong for comedic effect , and recently seen in Chai Lai Angels . Here , his character Tom is developing a script , but keeps getting turned away as he's told only horror movies make money . It's a subtle jab at the film industry in general , with the constant reminder that what matters is something that can churn out bread and butter , and not for quality's sake . Surprisingly , this movie had a lot of Thai filmmakers and industry players making cameo appearances in spoofs of themselves , and I suppose to fans of Thai cinema , it'll be a hoot just to identify all of them ( kinda lost with me and the audience during my screening ) . So Tom had no choice but to bury his artistic tendency and with the need for funds for his next film , he had to succumb and stoop to making a variety show for television , based on what else , ghosts . Bringing together a motley crew of relative cowards - in his two lead presenters Tik The Star ( of his short films ) , played by Charnnarong Khanteethao , an upcoming singing supersensation The SuperNext ( Boriboon Janruang ) , and a beautiful production assistant Paew ( Pitchanart Sakakorn , who starred in two other movies I watched earlier this year , in one of the segments in the awfully bad movie Black Night , and Promise Me Not during this year's SIFF ) , they scour Thailand to seek out the truths behind some urban legends . Basically there are a few cheap scares in what seemed to be only 2 extended scenes - a haunted house sequence which brings more laughter than scares , and a haunted village sequence which seemed more Sci-Fi than horror . Other than that , the movie turned out to be quite directionless as it flits from scene to scene , and towards the end , it leaves the audience quite bewildered because there are just too many schizophrenic endings , which might just leave one frustrated if you're looking for a clean-cut storyline and resolution . However , the strength in this movie is on the comedy , and in merging horror into it , it plays along with the general consensus that yes , horror films do sell . And what more by having a little fun while at it ? |
515,382 | 317,399 | 353,014 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Wonderful Days | When science fiction-fantasy animation comes to mind , no doubt you'll look towards the land of the rising sun for definitive versions of the genre , and there are plenty of quality material to choose from , given the wealth of material and works by animators and filmmakers alike . Wonderful Days will mark my first Korean movie in this genre that deals with ailing worlds and its fair share of mecha-like vehicles to tickle the visual senses with its eye for detail . Visually , the movie is stunning , especially when it combines 2D animation with a 3D world built from realistic models to give it visual depth , and spruced up with computer graphics . As mentioned , attention to detail is remarkable , and the fight sequences , even though the characters aren't using any fancy weapons , with very ordinary looking handguns as weapons of choice , they manage to thrill with its three-dimensionality and sheer energy that got translated seamlessly for the screen , and I can only imagine watching this on the big screen , where I will likely duck from objects being thrown about . Impressive set action pieces that glue the movie together , but the story fell a bit short , as anime fans will likely be a little bit bored with the same-old storyline involving oppressive societies , exploitation of the weak masses , the arrival of a messiah to put things right , a love triangle , and something which I thought was topical for today , that of pollution . In the year 2142 , the world is destroyed by an ecological disaster , and the remaining few of humankind live in an outpost known as the Ecoban , which curiously enough , pollutes the environment outside more as it maintains survivability inside . The story felt a little bit like Vexille as well ( along with a lot more other anime of this genre ) , with the rebels trying to infiltrate the Delcos system to stop further annihilation of slaves and their land in order to keep Ecoban running , and this brings our heroine Jay to come into contact with brooding ex-Ecoban colleague turned rebel Shua , You'd come to be one step ahead along the way as you slowly learn of their respective back stories , and just when you thought you could forgive its many plot elements which got introduced sans explanation , and bear with the characters for a bit , then came the operatic tragedy of a finale which somehow took away a lot of its shine , and dragged on so much that it's easy to condemn the movie thereafter with its clumsy dealing of the caricature-like antagonists , despite its superb animation . But there's a saving grace . Ever since The Fountain , I haven't been able to be swayed that much by a movie's score , until now . The Wonderful Days soundtrack just carries the movie on its own , never mind the relatively weak plot , which received a tremendous boost by the emotive tracks that spoke volumes . In particular , I enjoyed the track " A Prayer " , which surprisingly was in English and played at apt moments in the movie , and especially " Mars Theme " , even though tracks of such nature are likely necessary to provide that additional emotional oomph which it delivered more than proportionately to the story . |
515,500 | 317,399 | 330,962 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : TalkingCock the Movie | After watching a special surprise screening of Singapore Dreaming for a test audience , a local movie which I find as the best for this year thus far , I was curious to find out about directors Woo Yen Yen and Colin Goh's earlier effort , TalkingCock the Movie . Not that I never heard of it , since I'm a regular reader of their # 1 satire website TalkingCock , but somehow I didn't manage to catch it in the theaters back then . Thankfully , Cine . SG provided an opportunity to do so now , in its original cut some more . Though I could understand the rawness of the movie in terms of production , editing , etc , but it was really a crazy , crazy comedy , leaving no stones unturned . The opening alone , starring Colin himself as Mr Censor , is worth the price of an admission ticket . Poking fun at you - know-what , I believe this was even before Royston Tan did his Cut . And in true Singaporean TalkCock style was this movie filmed , in various languages and dialects ( Singlish too , hooray ! ) , poking fun from everything starting right at the beginning of local history when Sir Stamford Raffles ( Neil Humphreys ) tried to select a name for this once swampy place . In fact , this movie is truly Singaporean , with a multi-racial cast given individual segments to address issues , poke fun and laugh at themselves . You have the eAhLong ( Chinese ) , a Bollywood inspired mini musical with its lead having a penchant to swear in Hokkien , and a Malay-majority Mat Rocker band . Comprising of various segments , I certainly had clear favorites , like the Turbanator and Hoot U ( niversity ) pieces . . . KUA SIMI ! ! ! While some segments worked with laugh a minute moments , others did not . For example , the China-girl episode leaned more towards a dramatic piece rather than a crazy comedic episode , and ended quite flatly too . So did the eAhLong segment , which somehow dragged a bit towards the ending . But I must salute the way each segment introduced the other , each time differently , with various transition techniques used . The dialog were authentically Singlish - don't shy OK ? Cos that's the way most of us speak during our cock talking sessions , and the witty names of characters which are a hallmark of the website , made it to the movie as well . Some filler characters were used to run through the entire movie , like the lecherous Ah Pek with his umbrella , and the va-va-vrrooooom chick with incredibly long armpit hair . Eeewwww . And hey , don't forget the many songs used ( in all languages ) , and the jab at product placement , with the Auntie Auntie conglomerate marketing absolutely everything useful ( and of course useless ) in the show ! If you're looking for authentic local comedy , go no further than to start with TalkingCock . No regrets , bruddah ! ! ! |
515,190 | 317,399 | 478,324 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : ( SIFF ) We Feed the World | So I begin my selection of this year's SIFF with a documentary . Directed by Erwin Wagenhofer , We Feed the World begins by highlighting a very fundamental wastage . That of overnight bread , tons of it being offloaded , meant for the incinerated , when there are thousands left hungry . The documentary focuses on various aspects on the supply side of the food chain , giving some insight to the various industries which produce food , like fishing , vegetables and poultry . It also provides a glimpse into the political side of supplying food , that of the profit maximization strategy of any public company ( here , it's Nestle ) , of the genetically modified seeds which supposedly produces superior crop as opposed to better tasting , natural ones , and various EU plans and initiatives which seem to go down the wrong path instead of fulfilling its supposedly planned objectives . While it covers a lot of ground , some segments proved to be a little draggy and preachy . I particularly enjoyed the segment on the fishing industry , where there are plans to wrest knowledge from the small timers operating smaller fishing operations , and to eventually merge / close them down when the bigger boys come into the picture . As demonstrated in the movie , there are reasons why big trawlers doesn't equate to fresher and better catches . The other segment which moved was on the Brazilian's poor north-eastern parts , where on one hand , you have very poor people going hungry all the time , yet Brazil's one of the major exporters of maize to Europe . Maize which are used for burning for fuel generation . It just boggles the mind , and makes you feel sad at the way things work , illogical as it may seem , in the name of profit - watching the kids drink untreated murky water , and the adults resorting to unnatural means of keeping their children alive , will gloom your day . And I could have swore off chicken come the final segment . Nowadays lifestock are treated as an 8-week cycle of a production line , from incubating , hatching , fattening , until the final days of slaughtering , where they're hung upside down by the legs in conveyor belts , before passing through a circular bladed discs where their throats are slit , and left bleeding till death . For those which are missed by the blades , there is a butcher on standby with a knife to do the deed . But while the movie tried to made its points , what I found lacking are the many ways in which to link the message to the issues . Many times it felt a little sporadic , or the linking done quite weakly through intertitles . That aside , perhaps I'm already attuned to the more in-your-face style of Michael Moore , nevermind if there are echoes that his style is manipulative . For a topic like this , perhaps it could gain from that bit of controversy to hammer its opinions through . |
515,079 | 317,399 | 1,284,579 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Khastegi | If living a life as a transsexual is difficult enough as it is , with the grappling of social prejudices and the likes , imagine if one happens to be a transsexual in a closed society , how torturous that would be given low tolerance for anything deemed out of the ordinary . Directed by Bahman Motamedian , this Iranian movie explores the lives and times of seven real life transsexuals in Tehran , where we hear the life stories of the protagonists in real terms , having to enact those dark moments in their lives themselves , and be brutally honest about it , taking on the system straight at its horns . While this remains a dramatic narrative film , it plays out more like a pseudo-documentary with talking heads , where the story is interspersed at appropriate moments where the person in question would come on , and talk about their experience . To most , it's a perversion that brings shame to their families , but to themselves , they see it nothing more as a disorder that they have to come to terms with , whether society frowns upon them or not . You can imagine the mountain to climb when they have to deal with the authorities with regards to their identities , being dressed entirely differently from their gender stated in official documents . They can subject to constant ridicule and face prejudice from all walks of life in society and worse , from their own family members . In the workplace , they find difficulty in getting gainful employment . But if you take a step back , they too share the same loves and fears that every human being do . Our need for acceptance and love from family , friends and a significant other if you're lucky , facing doubts , uncertainties and fears in our lives , but all the more amplified in their instance especially so when you're brought up and live in a strict closed society , where becoming a woman means to lose your rights and freedom . Situations can become extreme and desperate , and I'd consider it desperate if one has to contemplate selling one's organs in order to raise money to undergo an operation . But you cannot deny the inner strength that they have , and the ingenuity in coming up with smart , witty retorts to shut people up . Just as how the AFFF Festival Director Sanjoy K Roy had said in his address in the programme notes that films open our eyes to some things which we have no access to , Khastegi chronicles and documents the struggles of transsexuals , and in the light of that struggle , comes positive vibes in their courage for independence despite what others might think . |
514,394 | 317,399 | 1,082,886 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Wackness | One of the films that have gotten the " festival rating " for a one-off screening , it's easy to see why The Wackness would not have normally passed the censors who are likely to say No for the heavy drug use throughout the film , as is the language , and perhaps one line that might have gravely , though implied and indirectly insulted a religious figure too . After all , it's set in 1994 New York City , and has a teenage drug peddler being the central figure in which the story unfolds around . In this coming-of-age film written and directed by Jonathan Levine ( who gave us Mandy Lane ) , Josh Peck stars as Luke Shapiro , a drug dealer who distributes his stash through an ingenious method of pretending to sell " fesh and delcious ice " around his neighbourhood . We learn that he's a little " wack " , and nobody could blame him , coming from a home where his parents bicker everyday , , and facing the possibility of being evicted from their apartment too . With the world on his shoulders and his wait to graduate into college , he seeks help from psychotherapist Dr . Jeffrey Squires , played by Ben Kingsley . It's a very strange relationship that these two have forged . For starters , they are doctor and patient , and because of Squires ' willingness to accept payment in drugs to feed his addiction , they become businessman and client . And from their hanging out with each other , they too become friends outside the treatment room . And to complicate matters , Luke starts to develop an inftuation with Squire's step-daughter Stephanie ( Olivia Thirlby ) , with Squires being really against it because of Luke's summer occupation of choice , and Luke's mission ( with Squires ' encouragement and direction ) to get laid in order to lift up his depressing spirits . Thematically , I'd like to look at the exploration of romantic love between the couples in the film , where it looks at a new , budding romance between Luke and Stephanie , and maturing ones such as that between Luke's parents which is fraught with quarrels and disagreements , and the one between Squires and his wife Kristin ( Famke Janssen ) , which suffers from indifference . Each couple has their unique problems to deal with , and I suppose those who are unmarried will identify the puppy love easily , while keeping an eye for potential problems in the future facing older couples should that spark between them be lost . Levine fuses a number of comedic situations effortlessly into the film , and has a respectable selection of classic hip-hop tunes from the 90s era such as those by the Notorious B . I . G . even . Josh Peck and Ben Kingsley share some superb chemistry together on screen that makes their character interaction a joy to pay attention to , and veteran Kingsley often steals the thunder from his younger co-star for that boundless energy given to his character , and it's quite unlike any other role that I've seen him in before . Fans of Mary-Kate Olsen would be disappointed though with a very limited screen time from their idol , but it's not as if her druggie hippie character was anything worthwhile to sit up and take note . As a coming of age story , this film works thanks primarily to its casting , and the hallucinatory-like quallity that Levine had employed to push the narrative forward . Humour as always , never fail to make the right connections with the audience , especially if effectively done , with wackness . |
515,393 | 317,399 | 382,992 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Stealth | The loud music and high octane action from the start of the film make no apologies that this is how a summer popcorn action movie should begin . Rob Cohen , famed for his previous directorial action flicks The Fast and the Furious , and xXx , again weaves his magic in thrusting ( pardon the pun ) relatively unknowns into carrying the burden of delivering an adrenaline pumping film for the masses . The trailer sorts of explains the storyline , though I feel that it did not do the film any justice by barely scratching the surface and presenting a very ordinary looking action film - An AI powered jet plane joins 3 pilots in their mission , gets zapped by lightning , which fried its circuitry , and goes rouge . Well , that happens in the first half of the movie , in only first gear . The film may seem like Top Gun meets Behind Enemy Lines meets Iron Eagle , but its futuristic setting makes the fictitious Talon Navy fighter jet a worthy screen successor to the F-14 Tomcat and the F-16 Falcon . EDI ( pronounced Eddie ) is the newest addition to a top secret military fighter plane project . EDI is self-learning and self-aware , and downloads every song available on the Internet for its listening pleasure . But in an observational training mission , picks up bad habits , courtesy of none other than Josh Lucas ' human , cocky ace pilot . Discussions are aplenty at the start , where characters ponder over the nature of having artificial intelligence wage wars on our behalf - things like being impartial , morality , sense of judgement , self-preservation etc . But you and I know that these themes take a backseat once the action takes over . Which brings me to exclaim , the action is WOW . Being a fan of films featuring fighter jets , it is definitely a giant leap from the Top Gun days ( which is actually a long time back ) . Here , we have the handsome looking experimental Talon jet , tight and intense dogfights ( which may be too fast for some ) , innovative aerial cinematography ( though digitally created ) , which probably inherited techniques from Fast and Furious - here the camera weaves around jets , zooming into the cockpit , the Heads Up Display , funnelling through the electronics before leaving the scene via what I call the " missile view " . Set pieces did not disappoint , like the mission in Rangoon , Myanmmar , and other locales which I will not reveal to keep the suspense . While standard scenes in an aerial movie will probably include the Ejection seat ( note : this ain't a spoiler , it's in the trailer ! ) , this one probably kept me at the edge of my seat with its gripping and harrowing blow by blow account of the thought process as the pilot plummets towards earth . Digital Domain proved to be a formidable competitor to Industrial Light and Magic for the special effects put into this film . The only cheese I cringed at were the digitized world maps , but other than that , everything else was quite well done . The cast had their work cut out for them , especially Josh Lucas . With Cohen's alumni of leading men like Vin Diesel making it big , you might expect Lucas to buckle under pressure , but he did a commendable job , actually giving Cruise a run for his money in the arrogance department , if we're to compare both pilots from different films . Jessical Biel is no stranger to action movies , and this film actually reinforced the notion that she could be a potential female action star in the making . My only disappointment was the treatment of Jamie Foxx . Watch and you'll understand why . While the film tries too hard to layer itself with deeper sub plots like dirty politics and shady government characters , and ended up a tad predictable , for its action alone , it should appeal to Cohen and flight fans who are waiting for end-to-end action . Non-fans however , will probably lay the smackdown on this actioner . |
514,858 | 317,399 | 809,918 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Check It Out Yo ! | Check It Out , Yo ! likely has flown under the radar of cinema listings here , given that the publicity machinery for this Japanese movie wasn't cranked , if at all . Along the veins of movies such as Swing Girls , Linda Linda Linda and even Hula Girls , what if a musical genre of sorts had male protagonists instead , just like how Waterboys did for synchronized swimming . Sounds like a no brainer idea , but while Check It Out , Yo ! had its moments , it plateaued in its finale and didn't deliver the sucker punch required as per the previous movies mentioned , which is a pity of course . And it's not about the gender too . The movie centers on Toru Isaka ( Hayato Ichihara ) , a student at the crossroads of teenage life , who together with his good friends Tetsuo Tamashiro ( Yuta Hiraoka , who was in Be With You and Swing Girls ) and Akira Motobe ( Tasuku Emoto ) are trying to figure out what next to do with their lives . Their mutual female friend Yui Haebaru the tomboy ( Mao Inoue ) and wrestling freak , offers them a ticket each to the gig of the hottest indie rap band in town , the Workaholics , and it dawned upon them to aspire to be in a band too , given the countless female adulation that they will receive . But given that they have zero experience in playing musical instruments , and an even non - existent track record in writing lyrics , it's all an uphill task made all the more challenging when they sign up to be the opening gig for the Workaholics , which means a do-or-die performance to deliver . And in between their training , Toru has to find time to romance his new crush Nagisa Nakamura ( Ayumi Ito , voice of Tifa Lockhart of the Final Fantasy movies ) , the girlfriend of Workaholic's frontman Ryota Taram ( Tetsuji Tamayama , from Nana ) , while at the same time being oblivious to the affections that Yui has for him , who in turn is liked by Tetsuo . . . my , my , the affairs of the heart do get complicated , don't they ? The movie was found to have been centered around this love heptagon , which meant that other aspects that you'd expect coming out of a musical , get casted aside . A pity of course , as there was only one hilarious and simply engaging musical sequence midway through the movie which highlighted their trials and determination to make it good in time for their performance , thanks to Yui's sister and brother-in-law , a large-sized hawaiian man who becomes the master of the boy's new band 098 , but only just quite . No doubt the visuals are extremely colourful and beautiful - I particularly liked those shots set in front of the aquarium - but these can't mask the relatively weak storyline despite having plenty of supporting cardboard characters like their individual , feuding parents and a teacher who can't get his personal relationships in order , to spice up the movie . And what I found to be an immense waste , is the entire sequence set up for the finale , which the finale failed to live up to , given that it's just a one song performance , and a truncated one at that too . While it may be cliché to have the protagonists succeed in the end , just like how Swing Girls and the mentioned movies had achieved , at least they left the audience with a sense of satisfaction in seeing how far they have progressed in their training . Here , it became a letdown , despite the potential that had been prepped . However , Check It Out , Yo ! Still remains a charming movie in its own right , barring the lack of a punch to the final moments . If you still intend to watch this , then you'd have to do so soon as it is likely to survive on screen for another week . |
514,780 | 317,399 | 780,167 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Udon | Don't watch Udon on an empty stomach , or you'll be tempted to gorge on those Japanese noodles right after the screening . Despite its simple presentation , watching bowls after bowls of noodles in your face , and the characters slurping them down with gusto , somehow leaves you with an imagined flavour in your mouth as they smack their lips , while you smack at nothing . The film is as simple as a bowl of udon noodles , with prime ingredients being the fat noodles , the broth , a sprinkle of spring onions , and an egg . Of course there are the fancy combinations of added condiments and ingredients to spice things up , but unfortunately for the film , it became a story of two distinct halves , with little character development between each half , and contained a little too many subplots that were necessary , bringing the runtime to a whopping 2 hours 15 minutes . I thought the more interesting of the lot was in the first half , where the movie takes a look on fads . Similarly to Bubble Tea or the Luohan Fish fads , what turned out to be essentially fairly good products , boomed in popularity because it managed to latch on the novelty factor , and yet suffered when its 15 minutes of fame was up . Scores of bubble tea stores collapse from the oversupply and people generally being sick of the drink , and the Luohan fish went back to the longkangs . Good intentions sometimes bring about uncontrollable negative costs . But Udon as " soul food " , and the highlight of a magazine column , sparked off the rage of the noodle in all of Japan , as everyone descends to the small town of Sanuki where there are plenty of Udon eateries around tucked in obscure corners . The movie follows two protagonists - Kosuke Matsui ( Yusuke Santamaria ) , a failed comedian who tried his luck at New York stand up comedy clubs , and returns to his hometown where his father runs a mean udon shop , and Kyoko Miyagawa ( Manami Konishi ) , a blur like sotong girl who has zero sense of direction . Kosuke , in wanting to clear his debts , and not in good terms with Dad , turns out to work as a salesman of a local magazine , and becomes colleagues with Kyoko , before the entire editorial crew jumped upon the opportunity of scouting and reviewing various Udon shops , positioning themselves in time for the craze . My eyes were on the bowls of noodle , as well as the cute looking Manami Konishi , who had a bit part in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Retribution , where she had pretty little to do . As the heroine in Udon , don't expect much too , but at least she plays the supportive friend , while being comic fodder in the first half . For those who prefer drama , the second half of Udon will be your cup of tea , as the movie shifts into lower gear to examine the love-hate ties between Kosuke and his dad , and would be chefs out there would want to pay attention here to pick up some secrets into preparing that perfect bowl of udon . Coupled with a bit of comedy and a snazzy CGI-ed sequence played totally for its cheese , director Katsuyuki Motohiro and writer Masashi Todayama seemed to have piled on too much for Udon , unlike their earlier work on the Bayside Shakedown movies , which had a lot going , but managed to pull it off because it still boiled down to cops solving crime , in a rather daily operational look at the police force from different perspectives of those on the beat , and those on the ivory tower . But similar to being spoilt for choice with udon being served and prepared in either hot in cold , hot in hot or just cold , Udon the movie couldn't decide what it wants to be - pseudo - documentary , comedy , family drama , romance , that while each serves its purpose , these ingredients don't manage to gel together to become a formidable dish . Watchable , but nothing too memorable . |
515,308 | 317,399 | 361,862 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Machinist | There is a purpose in watching this movie , and that is to check out Christian Bales's acting chops before his Batman Begins opens in the summer . The narrative is confusing at first . There doesn't seem to be any clear direction on where the plot and its subplots lead to . All we know is Bale looks thin , for some reason , isn't getting enough sleep , and develops relationships with a widow , her kid , and a hooker . As always , most dark thrillers have a twist at the end , and if you can sit tight , you'll get it - not that it will be presented in a confusing manner , just that the pacing could be improved . Actually with shows like Fight Club and Memento around , this show might feel like a fusion between the two , and hence , you might have warranted a guess on the twist midway through the show . Christian Bale has sacrificed quite a bit to look the role . With the lingering full body shots of his anorexic body , which at times is painful to look at , one can imagine the kind of toil it must have took . Definite for fans of mysteries and thrillers . |
514,596 | 317,399 | 170,544 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Samurai Fiction ( 1998 ) | Style and Substance . That's what Samurai Fiction is about . I was surprised at the many MTV-ish stylistic shots incorporated into the movie , without a blatant disregard for the storyline , incorporating very modern rock into its soundtrack . The Inukai clan had their family sword stolen by a renegade samurai Rannosuke Kazamatsuri . Swearing to get it back , Heishiro Inukai embarks on a journey to hunt down Kazamatsuri . However , his skills are no match for a seasoned warrior who has killed many , and almost had his life ended until he is saved by a hermit Hanbei Mizoguchi . It's a tale of 3 very diverse samurais , each carrying a theme . The peaceful Hanbei Mizoguchi , highly skilled , but abhors the use of violence . The cool and violent killer without remorse Rannosuke Kazamatsuri , who becomes obsessed with challenging Hanbei to a duel . The inept Heishiro Inukai , who defies his father's wishes to embark on a solo quest to regain their family honour . Thrown into the fray are 2 ninjas on a quest to protect Heishiro and carry out his family's orders on his behalf , and Koharu Mizoguchi , the adopted daughter of Hanbei , with whom Heishiro falls in love with . The storyline might be pretty ordinary , on one end , the revenge theme , the other , love and peace . But I suppose these are themes that are quite universal , especially in martial arts stories . The fights are all done very simply . Stylish , but kept uncluttered . Shot in black and white , colours are used sparingly , except for the coating of entire frames in red when someone gets killed . You don't see blood , but you see plenty of varying shots and angles of the fight sequences , done mostly with the help of a crane . What works for me are the comedic characters like Heishiro's friends , early in the beginning , in their run up ( pardon the pun ) to catching Kazamatsuri . Also , the soundtrack is totally awesome , unlike the use of traditional music to spice up the fights . You might also know that Ronnosuke Kazamatsuri is played by real life rocker Tomoyasu Hotei , who also did that excellent track Battle Without Honor or Humanity , used in the Kill Bill Vol 1 movie . It's weird to notice that this movie is actually billed as Episode 1 . It's been 8 years and I'm not aware of a sequel or continuation in place . But I guess Samurai Fiction has already told the story it wants to tell , and there shouldn't be a need for a follow up . Code 1 DVD contains the movie and a making of documentary , and a separate disc containing bloopers , cast biographies , how two scenes actually looked in colour , the trailers , and an entire 1 hour feature on the making of the Samurai Fiction , which showed that a simple movie also has its fair share of difficulties , and Mother Nature did its best to stall production . |
515,142 | 317,399 | 1,013,752 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Fast & Furious | The tagline caught my attention , promising a brand new movie with the original cast of Vin Diesel , Paul Walker , Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster . With the relative box office success of the first film , the sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious saw only Walker returning , with Tyrese trying very hard to step into the big frame of Diesel's without much success . Tokyo Drift picked up the adrenaline from the East's Initial D , injecting the franchise with some Asian flavour , though the only good thing out of that was the introduction of Sung Kang's character Han . So the 4th movie tries to bring together all the best characters to appease fans , and the timeline of this installment sits snugly in between the first and second movies where we learn that Han and Toretto do go all the way back together . Perfect . Vin Diesel had The Fast and the Furious back in 2001 to thank for in making him a household name , where every fan boy out there left the theatres chanting his name and wishing they could emulate his road stunts if given a car as powerful as that in the film . However we know how he turned his back on a franchise , and how his film career had turned out recently , with stinkers such as Babylon A . D . crowding out his filmography . If he's sorely in need of a return to form , then I guess it doesn't take much rocket science to figure out that he would be tempted to return to his Dominic Toretto roots after his cameo in Tokyo Drift . It was smart of Justin Lin to have featured Torretto in his film then just to whet the appetites of fans everywhere , and to helm this installment by trying to top the first film by getting the first cast all back . However , some parts do get rusty after so long , and in wanting to stamp his authority over the original , had made some drastic decisions in order to keep the engine fine tuned and purring . Since it's before the second movie , Toretto is still an outlaw , and Paul Waker's Brian O'Conner is now working for the FBI , before his unexplained turn to crime in 2 Fast 2 Furious , which gets explained here , if you wish of course . The plot doesn't drift away from the standard cop-robber formula , with a cat and mouse game brewing involving a drug run from Mexico and the USA making use of expert drivers to be couriers between the two countries . And when murder is in the name of the game , Toretto gets involved for vengeance , and O'Conner , well , just doing his job . It's just an excuse to see the Diesel-Walker team up , and the franchise's formula dictates plenty of random scantily clad girls gyrating in front of the camera , while hot cars with modified engines gleam seductively under dim garages , and the screeching of tyres when tearing up the roads . If a race movie is not your cup of tea ( after so many copycats have come out to milk fans of the genre ) , then this franchise offers nothing new . Granted that Hollywood doesn't do car chases like it used to , relying a lot now on plenty of computer animation and graphics to spice up the sequences and entertain . Those itching to see a lot of action will have to contend with only 4 major set action pieces , with 2 of which happen in the same tunnel , one bringing back memories from the first film in a heist that doesn't go exactly right , and one being the nod back to Tokyo Drift in having a downtown city area night time race . Fans of the franchise will still find this a worthy addition , but everyone else would wonder why the effort . If this film continues to make money , I won't be surprised if the next film picks up from where Tokyo Drift left off , maybe with the return of Lucas Black's Sean Boswell joining the new crew in a new adventure , with new cars to smash , new babes to romance , and more nitro to burn up the tracks . |
514,381 | 317,399 | 455,760 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Dead Silence | In 2004 , James Wan and Leigh Whannell burst into contemporary horror-thriller genre with their highly successful movie Saw , and had created quite an enigmatic character in Jigsaw , the serial killer with highly questionable morality issues . Success had meant spawning a slew of sequels , though they hadn't really had much direct control over the quality of the subsequent movies , which I thought to date had made quite a neat trilogy . So the pressure's to create something new , to wow audiences all over again . And sometimes , expectations set high will run into challenges when they're not met . Wan and Whannell combine forces once again for another potential stab at the genre and in doing so , had created a new character called Mary Shaw , a ventriloquist who had inspired an adage about having to keep quiet should you encounter her . However , Mary Shaw turned out to be a weak Jigsaw wannabe , and uses ( well , you can say Jigsaw was inspired by ) her wooden puppets , whom she calls children , to send chills and spills . I'm not sure why , but those demonic looking dolls are indeed creepy enough , they give Chucky of Child's Play a run for his money . As with Jigsaw , some time is invested in having characters dig into Mary Shaw's background . It works like an investigative mystery , and as it went along , you'll begin to see some similarities in structure with Saw - the numerous twists and turns , events that are more than meets the eye , one more involving cops which I shall not ruin , and of course , the doll ( see if you can spot the one Jigsaw uses ) ! But if compared , then Dead Silence was not as tight , and had a number of loopholes so wide , that it could be considered as a cheat . The story tells of Jamie Ashen ( Ryan Kwanten ) who was made a widower when an unexpected delivery of Billy # 57 , the ventriloquist doll , seems to be the cause of his wife's demise - in probably one of the more gruesome scenes I've seen in a while . Investigations lead him to his hometown , where superstition about Mary Shaw ( Judith Roberts ) seem be more than what is superficially discussed . Jamie gets reluctant help from Detective Jim Lipton ( Donnie Wahlberg ) , while having to contend with his own estranged father , and his young wife with model looks ( Amber Valletta ) . Superb light and shadow play amplifies the creepy moments in Dead Silence , and it doesn't rely too much on cheap shock tactics to make you scream ( wait , you're not supposed to , lest Mary Shaw rips your tongue out ) . With a bluish tinge throughout , Dead Silence rely quite successfully on its moody atmospherics and patient buildup , though I thought that its somewhat slower pacing would have enabled audiences to piece everything together for themselves . Unlike Saw's superb sleight of hand tactics , this one played out in a more straightforward manner , and sometimes quite clumsily too . The sound effects , when there's a premonition of something bad about to happen , works wonderfully in a crowded theatre , in creating heightened tension and anticipation . Alas its loopholes spoilt what could have been yet another classic winner from Wan and Whannell , but Dead Silence had primed itself for potential sequels , should anyone want to pick up the ball from here . Watchable , but not by any Saw standards . |
514,605 | 317,399 | 383,216 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Pink Panther | The Pink Panther actually refers to an enormous pink diamond with a flaw in the shape of a panther , and not to Inspector Jacques Clouseau , but because of the iconic pink panther's appearance in the animated opening credits , along with the all too familiar theme by Henry Mancini , it's all too easy to associate one with the other . Of course , many Pink Panther / Jacques Clouseau movies did deal with the pink diamond , but there are other tales weaved into the Clouseau mythos that did not . Peter Sellers owned the Clouseau role , and it is naturally a pair of big boots to fill . But I'm glad to say that Steve Martin has taken this role on bravely , and brought a new , more in-your-face slapstick dimension to Clouseau . Purists might call it blasphemy , but for the new generation , it might serve as a springboard introduction to the Sellers ' version . This movie is set early in Clouseau's career as an Inspector , prior to the first Sellers movie . It's an updated retelling however , with things like the Internet and Viagra worked into the plot . And the plot is extremely simple - the French football coach gets assassinated during a football game , and his Pink Panther diamond goes missing . Chief Inspector Dreyfus ( Kevin Kline ) deliberately assigns police idiot Clouseau to the case , while secretly working behind the scenes to try and track the case himself , for the medal of honor . So we follow Clouseau and his assistant Ponton ( a clean shaved Jean Reno ) as they go about their investigations , bringing them to casinos , recording studios , football changing rooms , and even to New York . There are plenty of situational comedy , slapstick , and loads of subtle sexual innuendo wordplay , playing up on Clouseau's mispronunciation and double takes . But certain scenes do stretch it a bit and somehow could be omitted , like the part where he engages an American speech coach . What made this movie enjoyable , is the casting . Steve Martin brought a sense of familiarity , and he partners Jean Reno really well . The chemistry between the two men made this movie watchable , as we see Reno breezing through this with a deliberate straight face . Match Point fans might be glad to see Emily Mortimer here as Clouseau's bespectacled secretary , and it seemed that she was there as an unexpected love interest , as well as to further certain gross humour from the start . Beyonce Knowles stars as a singer ( what else ? ) and she can add this role to her resume for being featured in another detective / spy franchise ( the other being Mike Myers ' Austin Powers ) . Sadly , she doesn't do much here except pout , dress sexy , perform sexy , and sing , compared to her much meatier role as Foxy Cleopatra . But the real gem in this movie , is that of Clive Owen's appearance . Watch out for that casino scene , where he appears in a tuxedo , and in a role that gives everyone a glimpse of what he can do as 007 . That suaveness , that campy drink made fun of , and easily discovered as being in her Majesty's secret service . Sadly , it's a role that's not to be , but here , he hams it up as 006 ( you must listen closely to Clouseau's follow up comment on that ! ) . It's a real blast ! Alas , this film is ( drumroll please ) censored at a point . And that's very disappointing . I thought the whole dance sequence with Clouseau and Ponton could have contributed to more laughs . I was laughing , then stopped when the music jerked , obvious that a censor's scissors had made its effect felt . It was a bad cut , and perhaps one which was unnecessary even to keep it within PG levels . The storyline is predictable and it's nothing to shout about . But to chase away long workday blues , then give The Pink Panther a watch , You just might be tempted to get your hands on the original series , just to see Clouseau work his magic in his other adventures . |
514,631 | 317,399 | 286,751 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Pulse ( Kairo ) ( 2001 ) | I've chanced upon this DVD at the Esplanade Library , and thought that it would be essential viewing before the Hollywood remake descends upon us in September . While the remake's trailer seemed scary enough with its freaky ghouls , I was apprehensive how spooked I will get when watching the original from writer director Kiyoshi Kurosawa . And surprise , I found it to be palatable . and it confirms one thing though about the limited J - Horror movies that I've seen . There is minimal in-your-face shock-and-awe tactics . In Kairo , the mood and atmosphere is extremely measured with its superb controlled use of light and shadow . Expect things to go bump in the dark , but not too often though . I believe what makes J-Horror movies a spookfest , is its ability to weave freaky stories from seemingly everyday events and objects . The Ring has its VCR tape and television set , while here , it's the Internet , a website which asks if you would like to meet a ghost , and a computer's ability to dial up on its own . From the start you're presented with a mysterious suicide , before the movie progresses with people in the city disappearing for no apparent reason , and vague happenings with shadows and black stains at spots where people die . The ideas presented here , on loneliness and that human connection , seem interesting enough to ponder upon , as it questions if the use of technological tools like the computer brings people together , or further isolates us from one another . It also tried to ask a hypothetical what-if question , of what would happen if the other region which ghosts belong to , would be finitely occupied by the spirits , and their numbers start to spill over to our realm . Most of the time , nothing really happens in the movie , which might seem a bore to those weaned on jump scares , quick cuts and actual ghouls and goblins making an appearance to scare the wits out of the leads . I liked the shot where the car roams around an empty streets of Japan , kinda reminds me of Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later , or even cheesy fests such as Resident Evil . While I thought it was not scary , my friend warned me about the after effects , which I've yet to experience , not until the sun sets at least . And heck , I'm using the internet right now to write this too . Hope the screen doesn't go freaky on me . . . Code 1 DVD comes with the theatrical trailer , which seems scary enough on its own , and a 41 minute long making-of documentary . |
515,050 | 317,399 | 455,782 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Hunting Party | The first words that appear in the movie , told the audience something to the effect that only the most ridiculous or ludicrous of situations depicted , are true . And in fact , while it's supposedly based loosely on a true story off an Esquire article , there are enough of such said moments thrown into the mix so frivolously , that one would be forgiven should one think that this was entire made up . So what eventually held up the movie despite its wafer thin plot and hurried finale was the chemistry and banter between two charismatic actors in Richard Gere and Terrence Howard . Narrated by Howard's Duck , a cameraman who's part of a tag team with Gere's gung-ho go - getting news reporter Simon , Duck recounts in the first 10 minutes the glory days of their partnership , where they brazenly dive right into conflict zones around the world just to live up the adrenaline , and gather awards , recognition and chicks along the way . But the Bosnian War in the 90s soon become the final straw that broke the camel's back of endurance on the evils of mankind , and coupled with the fact of personal loss , Simon loses it live on the air , and with that uncontrollable outburst , cost him his job and relegation from A-lister to scraping whatever unwanted news he can from places nobody is interested in . As for Duck , he gets promoted to a cushy job working the cameras behind the scenes for a news anchor , and while the perks are good , he clearly misses the good ol ' days of being shot at , and being at the forefront bringing conflict to the masses . Fast forward to 5 years after the conflict in Bosnia had ended , Simon and Duck meet again , and the former proposes one more collaboration between the two , that of snagging the much sought after interview with the war criminal known as The Fox ( Ljubomir Kerekes ) , with rookie Benjamin ( Jesse Eisenberg ) in tow . What was soon discovered though , was Simon's personal quest for glory in wanting to arrest The Fox to claim the bounty of US$5M , which of course runs against the grain of the profession , and not to mention the escalating of risks involved . There is potential plastered all over the movie which unfortunately when unfulfilled . For starters , the numerous cover ups of what could have been successful sting operations to make the necessary arrests . We all know how NATO and UN forces , well in fact the world , just stood back and watched while Bosnia burnt itself through ethnic cleansing , and how during the peacekeeping efforts thereafter , led to the discovery that the forces aren't doing much about the seeking and arresting of war criminals . The cover ups would have made this one huge web of conspiracy to sift through . However the hunting party had it too easy in just following a set pattern of hitting the bars for their clues , while encountering nasty locals who insinuate that their target was indeed around town . Supporting characters come and go , though the best were reserved for those men in uniform ( love that Indian UN peacekeeper whose job was to train the local police ) , Diane Kruger in a role that could have been filled by any other blonde , and a welcome inclusion of Dylan Baker as a secret operative who's no fan of what our party of three got themselves into . And of course , not forgetting the self - fulfilling prophecy of having ludicrous moments in the story , which made it slightly comedic , unintentionally . While the story's pretty much plain sailing , it is the charisma of both Gere and Howard that made this movie rather engaging , with one having nothing and thus losing nothing in this crazy , dangerous pursuit , and with the other having just about everything to lose from position , career and a hot chick in waiting . Sure there are other moralistic viewpoints that the movie could have , would have and probably should have adopted to make it a thinking man's movie , but what came across ultimately was a tongue-in-cheek rendition of a serious topic made frivolous by the many trivialities used to spice up the movie for mass entertainment . Could have been great , but alas . |
515,350 | 317,399 | 318,202 | 7 | A Nutshell Revoew : ( DVD ) To Be and To Have ( 2002 ) | The thing that caught my eye to picking up this documentary DVD from the library was a cute kid with dirty hands soiled by paint , and the plenty of high flying accolades bestowed on the film by reputable critics and publications . Naturally my interest was piqued , but after watching this Nicholas Philibert directed documentary , while it had its charming moments , it doesn't warrant , in my opinion , some of the praises that it had garnered . George Lopez is a teacher in a small town , and has to handle the challenge of educating his students , ranging from 3 years of age , to 11 . Being a small town , naturally resources are limited , and he has not only to cater his methods to teach his students of different capabilities , but also to tackle a myriad of subjects , ranging from art , to mathematics , to language too . Talk about multi-tasking , and extreme dedication to the job ( most I guess would have bolted given the workload , and responsibility ) , he doesn't find the need to raise his voice at those who misbehave , choosing instead to reason with them like adults , using his soft voice to win the most hardened of hearts . But the stars of the documentary are the children . Philibert had revealed in an interview ( included in the DVD as an extra ) that he had deliberately chosen this particular school , for its logistics in supporting a film crew on site , but more importantly , for the size of the class of students , nothing too large that each becomes a passing face , but something manageable so that they can come across vividly . And having chosen this particular class of 12 , and their teacher with his more than positive approach and attitude , are what made this documentary tick . The children are as adorable as they are in need of some serious education . Early in the documentary we see them struggling with mathematics ( OK , so they are the 3-4 year olds ) , but in one truly memorable scene was when one of them brought back his homework , and had to unwittingly enlist the help of parents and relatives to help him solve the problem . But alas , to my dismay , I later found it to be fabricated , which sort of spoilt my overall feeling toward this documentary - thou shalt not meddle with thy subjects . However , what I thought was unique in Philibert's approach to documentary making , was the conscious decision to minimize the number of talking heads . There isn't any , not until the one hour mark , where George Lopez had to give a short history of himself and his underlying motivation to teaching , but other than that , it's almost like a fictional narrative in the way the subject of education is being handled . Not one with big sets nor wanting to incorporate controversial elements , To Be and To Have is stoically quiet , and touching in the moments where teacher and students connect , especially when one is trusted enough to be a confidante , and dispensing good advice and words of encouragement to children under his charge . For those scenes I credit George Lopez for his relentless work in providing a firm grounding and good work attitude to the students under him . But alas , any notions I had on the film's honesty were somehow tainted by Philibert's revelation . Still not a bad movie , despite it being slow ( to mirror the long , arduous journey one goes through to receive a decent education ) , but one which could have been a lot more sincere in putting forth the material . |
514,887 | 317,399 | 450,188 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : La Vie En Rose | Of late , musical biographies make popular films especially when they dish out anecdotes on the various ups and downs in the lifestyles of the rich and famous , and especially so when the music they play and the songs they sing happen to be evergreen classics , or at least those which you've probably heard before at one point in time . In recent years , Walk the Line and Ray have also garnered popular film awards , and not to mention raised the profiles of the stars like Joaquin Phoenix and Jamie Foxx respectively who played the musical legends . Unfortunately , La Vie En Rose was a little difficult to find a connection with , for shallow people like me . Edith Piaf was one of France's most famous singers , which no doubt counted towards the success of the movie when it premiered in France . But for the ahem younger generation that I belong to , the songs only sound remotely familiar . I'll be more in tune if you ask me about Alizee , but Edith Piaf , it's a different era altogether . However , that does not mean that the movie cannot be enjoyed , as it opens up your eyes ( and ears ) to a whole new musical world out there . Played by Marion Cotillard , you might do a double take because gone is that va-va-vroom lover opposite Russell Crowe in A Good Life , and in place , a transformed figure as the legendary singer . The movie traces the life of Edith Piaf , as a young child abandoned by her parents to live in a brothel , to surviving in the streets performing with her dad , and to life as a singing busker until she's discovered , and makes the stage her world . And as we bear witness to her tumultuous life , Cotillard becomes surprisingly chameleon like , thanks to the wonderful makeup , and her nuance performance as a character who has her periodic mood swings , shooting insults off the cuff , while maintaining her feisty selfishness to have things go her way . It's a biography that covered a wide spectrum , ambitiously wanting to cover all ground from her addiction to her career to her luckless in love romantic life , and at most times , seem scattered and all over the place . Characters get introduced and flit in and out of the narrative with nary a proper introduction , and those unfamiliar with her story , will find it a tad frustrating . Her brush with the Hollywood legends like Marlon Brando and Charlie Chaplin only gets mentioned in passing ( no big name cameos here , unlike that which was found in Scorsese's The Aviator ) , and only Marlene Dietrich got a one minute screen time to whet what possibly could come ( and not ) . The narrative structure too enhances your suffering by wanting to be unconventional and adopted the fractured timeline , but too much going backwards-forwards-sideways , sometimes opting to time stamp , while others tried feebly to fade in using artifacts , failed miserably . I believe that should it chose to be more conventional , and stuck to the boring chronological timeline in telling the story , it would have made even more fans for those unfamiliar with the legend . However , one thing's for sure , the songs in those days are lovely , par none . No technical pyrotechnics to jazz up and disguise a weak singer voice so possessed by many wannabes these days , singers from the era have just the music , meaningful lyrics , a microphone and a powerful voice to please fans and win over new ones . For me however , I'll stick to Alizee , thank you very much . |
514,627 | 317,399 | 756,222 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Art of the Devil 2 | I've been intrigued by Thai Voodoo for the longest time , not that I would want to be on the receiving end of it , but it makes you wonder the amount of clout and ( real ? ) ability of these medicine men who put hexes and curses on your behalf , for a small fee . And it always seem that what they do to you , from simple artifacts like a voodoo doll , can inflict so much pain onto your real self with just a simple needle poked on a right position on the straw doll . Art of the Devil 2 is not a sequel , in that it has no relation to the first ( which I am now intrigued to watch as it stars Chai-Lai Angel Supaksorn Chaimongkol ) , although they deal with the same supernatural forces in Thai lore . It tells a story of a physically attractive model teacher , Ms Panor ( Napakpapha Nakprasitte ) , and her group of students , one of whom she is a stepmother to . However , as with all misunderstandings , it stems off with what the eyes see and the ears here , and the mind believing . With black magic in the works , things are never what it seems , as the group of students revisit their teacher a few years after a tragic and shameful incident happened in school . Why , you'll never understand , but we need something to have them all put together to get something going . This movie has plenty of gory moments which offers some good scares , given the disgusting things that happen to the victims of the hex . If torture scenes in Syrianna and Hard Candy made you squirm in your seat , then your stomach is up for more churning , given the previous two films did it more psychologically and with off-camera scenes , whereas here you're not spared the visual details , leaving none to the imagination , even if certain shots might look cheap and unrealistic . The gore grips you right from the start , giving you a hint that if you can't stand what you've just seen in the first few minutes , you won't be better off for the rest of the movie . In an environment where almost everyone is not as innocent as they seem , keeping secrets close to their hearts , and the usage of black magic to achieve their individual desires and objectives commonplace , it perhaps served as a reminder not to dabble in the black arts , either as a practitioner or an end user , as there are always warnings of ill fate that befall upon them . Unlike the Sixth Sense with its slick execution , script and delivery , Art of the Devil 2 had a rather satisfactory ending , but with the final stroke of the pen in creating the finale , it presented itself with a major loophole that seemed to have glossed over what transpired earlier , which is a big no-no in trying to force audiences to accept the " new truth " . However , if your intention is to get some scares , then this movie still delivers , if you'd be forgiving to the ending . |
515,558 | 317,399 | 389,722 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : 30 Days of Night | While we're about a month away from the season of good tidings and the new year , what we have lined up for the next 4 weeks or so are 4 cinematic releases that deal with zombies , the supernatural and the undead . We have been teased with Aliens Vs Predators again in a town where the humans stand in their way and become sacrificial pawns . We have Will Smith in I Am Legend being the last man on Earth fending off strange creatures in the night . We have a group of shoppers stuck in a supermarket when Stephen King unleashes The Mist on them . And I actually enjoyed the latter 2 trailers for having adopted some bars off Clint Mansell's soundtrack for The Fountain ( will we see more , since Requiem's was used ever so often ) . And the competition amongst them starts with 30 Days of Night , adapted from a graphic novel , which tells of the small town on Barrow in the northernmost part of Alaska having to go through 30 days without sunlight in winter , and those who can't stand the cold and the thought of living without sunlight , have opted to leave . It's pretty much business as usual , until a bunch of vampires decide to crash in and feast . And this is the beginning of one of my gripes about the film , as hokey as how the Superman comics team dreamt up of Doomsday - it just appears , with zero thought about justification and the whys and the hows . Um , so we're to believe that this group of super bloodsuckers led by Danny Huston's Marlow have been idling for centuries somewhere on Earth where the sun doesn't shine , before deciding that they have to respond to that rumble in the stomach . So once you can believe that , and the thought of it dismissed by a one-liner , it's a pretty gory vampire flick on most accounts . They're infused with 28 Days / Weeks styled speed and utter craving for plasma , and as a team , their moves are very keenly calculated . Thinking it's hip to invent languages , we learn Vampire-speak too , though most of the time their fangs get in the way of their pronunciation , so they sound like they're choking on thick clotted blood . Watching the way they dispatch their sorry victims , even though the camera cuts away just at the point of teeth plunging into jugular veins like how rabid dogs attack , you still feel a frightening chill when the view comes back to jolting bodies having their liquids sucked dry , and those scenes are disturbing , even after you leave the theatre . Those fingernails cum talons too provide our vampires with a facial weapon , and how you wish they use it to silence themselves each time they lapse into their orgasmic shrieks . Director David Slade of Hard Candy fame knows how to create tension and horror without showing you much , and that happens to be a plus point with its extremely patient build up , and the heightening of suspense . You have to tip your hat at him for crafting a very quiet movie at crucial scenes , so much so that the audience lend their " Ssshhhhs " not to tell fellow audience to keep quiet , but aimed at the characters themselves to remain like little mice lest they get detected . 30 Days of Night is a very grey movie in mood , tone and the weather , with occasional white landscapes littered with splatters of crimson , and with Slade just loving to provide us overhead views of the town run aground by rampaging monsters . The humans here though behave like typical vampire movie fodder . The bigger the ensemble , the more victims it can provide , not counting anonymous folks seen being victims from afar . Josh Hartnett's Sheriff Eben plays hero as he leads his bewildered town kinsman to survive through this 30 days of mayhem before the sun shines again , while trying to work out his estranged relationship with wife Stella ( a very pouty Melissa George from Turistas , and I still say she's a dead ringer for Estella Warren ! ) . As usual , you have a team of misfits feeding off each other's strength in a quest for survival , and a theme such as Sacrifice is never too far away from movies like these . But what I felt was a let down to its build up , was the unsatisfying ending , which left a bitter aftertaste with its abruptness and inability to resolve anything substantial . It also didn't allow for any sympathy for the victims as you would sometimes find yourself rooting for another kill just to satisfy your blood lust , also because little time is given for you to get to know those characters . As the humans learn that guns do zilch to their targets , there goes all hope , and try as they could to get creative in turning the tables , it boiled down to keeping it simple . Oh , and if you enjoyed the supermarket scene , I'd bet it served as a precursor to The Mist . 30 Days of Night could have been a lot more , but unfortunately left some bits to be desired . If you truly want to enjoy this new age vampire movie , then I suggest leaving any inquisitiveness at the door , as the movie offers no answers nor clues to answer your whys . Perhaps a reading of the graphic novel might help . |
515,143 | 317,399 | 1,293,094 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : School Days With A Pig | Our nature is such that we care most for the people we are related to , and know on a personal level . Otherwise , it's likely everything else is just a number , a statistic , something that feels so distant that it's genuinely difficult for us to sympathize , or emphatize beyond a cursory statement that explains how we should feel as decent human beings . In increasing levels of concern when a tragedy occurs , if something strikes overseas , it's unfortunate . If it's local then it's lucky it didn't affect someone we know . If it does and it's not family , we offer our condolences . If someone we know becomes collateral damage , we suffer inconsolable rage even . School Days with a Pig plays along this line where teacher Mr Hoshi ( Satoshi Tsumabuki ) decides to give his class a head start in life , where Man sits on the top of the food chain , and everything below is fair game when it comes to filling up the stomach . He also attempts to teach the children that in our living comes the sacrifice of other living beings just because they are expendable in the natural order of things , but that doesn't mean not acknowledging creatures like chickens , cows and pigs . Given his unorthodox methods , it was also explained why specifically a pig and not the other animals , so that may appease those who jump the gun too quickly in say this reeks of Babe . The film reminded me of an anecdote which is from another movie ( whose title eludes me now ) , where a teacher had asked his students to draw a chicken , and he received pictures of burgers , patties and basically animal parts like thighs , breasts and wings . It's come to a stage where our food supply chain is so modernized and processed , that children no longer recognize or need to know the source of their food . We also don't see how the animals get chopped and slaughtered behind the scenes , and I suppose many more would turn vegetarian should we witness how it comes through the assembly line . In any case , this story on the surface is about the raising of a piglet by the teacher and his students from the 6th grade , where their objective from the start is to nourish it , and then to eat it . Directed by Tetsu Maeda based upon the novel by Yasushi Kuroda , it comes with plenty of excitable kids who are now given their first collective pet , and take great pains in order to ensure that their teacher's plan works to a T . From working together to build a play pen for the pig , to the diligent gathering of leftover food as meals for their pet , they learn the value of teamwork , where everyone chips in a little for the good of everyone else . Then comes the more interesting portions of the film , in between the usual bonding scenes with the pig through fun and games . We have at least two extended debating scenes where Mr Hoshi moderates discussions amongst his charges , separated into those who still insist their project should end with the consuming of P-Chan ( christening any pet is a bad idea for those with intent of abandonment and the likes ) , or to allow a change in letting it continue living in the school grounds as a pet . It is here that the viewpoints get accentuated through the different personalities in the classroom , where everyone is given fair opportunity to make their point heard . It's like observing a political debate in progress , where both sides are equally passionate about their viewpoints , and sometimes allowed emotions to run high , which allowed for some play-acting by the children that I couldn't fathom whether it was all staged , but coming from within for real . And that wouldn't be difficult too , given that they had indeed spent some real time with the pig in order to draw upon some real emotions as to whether they wanted it to live , or to end up on their dinner plates . And as they inched toward graduation , their decision , which is still much split , becomes more dire with an impending sense of urgency to resolve . The piglet might be the gimmick in School Days with a Pig , but the real stars of the show are the children in their natural ability to showcase their range of emotions . It's little wonder why this film won the Toyota Grand Prix Jury Award , and the Audience Award in last year's Tokyo International Film Festival ! |
514,541 | 317,399 | 421,054 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Domino | Heads you live . Tails you die . Her name is Domino Harvey . She is a bounty hunter . This unconventional film is based very loosely on the true unconventional life of the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey . Losing her father at an early age , Domino grew up with her mother and lived the good life as a rich girl , becoming a Ford model at one point . But she has always been the aloof social outcast , and tend to loathe the high life ( Beverly Hills brat-packers ) she has been brought up in . She doesn't mince her words , and packs a wallop of a punch too . Chancing upon a Bounty Hunter job , she signs up with one of the best in the business , Ed Mosbey ( Mickey Rourke ) and his partner Choco ( Edgar Ramirez ) . It's a totally different life from one in which she grew up in , but as she explained to Ed , she's in it for the fun and thrills . She's skilled with various weapons like automatic weapons , knives and the Nun-chaks , and fast transforms into an asset to her team , with " bra and panties on " . Soon , the trio become famous in the bounty hunting arena ( who wouldn't with 2 hunks and a gorgeous babe ) , as we follow them through their various exploits . They even have their own reality TV show Bounty Squad , which plays an integral part of the story . The film starts off very intensely and jumps right into the action , before the audience is brought back to the beginning , and chronicles her life from the start . At times , this movie is deliberately filmed in 70-ish television series style , especially the classic opening credits with theme song , character titles , and plenty of images with scenes from the movie . Some in the audience , however , will not appreciate the characteristic MTV styled quick cuts used by director Tony Scott , and I do see him making more films using this style , with his previous films Man on Fire and Spy Game . The soundtrack for this film is vulgarly kinky too . That aside , there might be many not comfortable with the narrative style used , with constant flashbacks , and even " reversing " what had been shown on screen , making it a tad confusing at times . For those who somehow not manage to stay attentive to the plot , you may get lost halfway through , as it involves many characters with various personal motivations , which culminates in an explosive ending . Satisfying at the end , but only if you're patient with the build up , just like one of Tony Scott's earlier movies ( which I shall not mention , as it is similar in narrative structure ) . A number of actors make their appearance in this movie , like Christopher Walken as a reality show producer , Mena Suvari as his mousy secretary , Lucy Liu as an FBI interrogator , even singer Macy Gray and veteran Jacqueline Bisset as Domino's mother . Take note however , that major comedic moments are provided in Jerry Springer's Show , and the early 90s TV series Beverly Hills 90210 contributing 2 actors Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green to be has-been parodies of themselves . Keira Knightley swears a lot in this film . A whole lot , different from when she first burst into the scene with Bend It Like Beckham . What's amazing is her ability to handle a tough-as-nails character , and the expressing of her emotions in totally different scenes , some sentimental , some sarcastic , some totally kicking rear . It's an eye opener too to watch her handle various deadly weapons with ease . She could well be on her way to marquee a film , though I felt in this one , she had the assistance of Mickey Rourke , and a good supporting cast , to carry this film through . This film is dedicated in memory of the real Domino Harvey , who passed away earlier this year before the movie is released . The real her is seen at the end credits , where they feature the cast , and she makes an appearance as the last character , simply titled " Domino " . Such is the fictional story of an extraordinary life of an unconventional lady . |
515,388 | 317,399 | 484,877 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Wedding Daze | It seems that the success of the American Pie trilogy which starred Jason Biggs and spawned a franchise of spin off movies bearing the American Pie branding , had somewhat slapped an unfortunate tag on actor Biggs . Of all the movies to date that I recall him in , they inevitably revolve around teenagers , sex , or romantic comedies . He can't shake off this tag , and I will be curious to see him take a big leap out of this unwarranted comfort zone , unless of course these are roles that appeal to him , and pays his bills anyway . What makes it ideal for him in roles as these , is his average everyday man looks and attitude . Isla Fisher on the other hand , I've got to admit , despite being in a similar boat as Biggs , has got that exuberant charm that I can't get enough of . I guess it was her infectious smile and laughter in The Wedding Crashers as the psycho babe Gloria stalking Vaughn's Jeremy that made me take notice , and her turn as the carefree , free-spirited April in Definitely , Maybe , had placed the movie as a contender for one of my favourites this year . Perhaps it is her relatively small frame that can always pass her off as a young adult , that she gets saddled with such roles , and again she repeats another rather conventional performance for Wedding Daze , but I'm not complaining . Biggs stars as Anderson , a man in between jobs and who still cannot get over the death of his fiancé ( who actually hasn't said yes ) , spending twice as long a duration to mourn her , than the time spent with her . On his good friend Ted's ( Michael Weston ) advice to go out there and meet people . In a spur of a moment during a dare , Anderson proposes to the waitress serving his table , and surprise , Katie ( Fisher ) says yes . But of course things are never smooth sailing , as the couple soon discovers what they should have discovered during courtship , thus putting numerous spins and surprises that made this comedy go way out of control in the last 30 minutes , reminiscent of some of 80s styled comedies in this film written and directed by Michael Ian Black . Sometimes you wonder what it would like to just take that leap of faith and plunge into deep waters . Our forefathers probably did that with matchmaking being the requisite way in which to find a mate . They had no say and everything's arranged through parents and parental contacts when a suitable age is reached . While in this case it's not matchmaking , but you just wonder if it'll work out should two people eye each other across a crowded room , like who they see on the surface of course , and decide that's it , he / she's the one ? It's a fantasy proposition , but one which becomes key in love at first sight stories . Either that , or the usual courtship route would likely be a journey where flaws surface , and you start to question if you could live with them . Nobody's perfect , but the former way already bound you to an institution , versus a fairly constant probe where you can opt out at any time . While the supporting characters specifically are present to provide laughter , they do somehow epitomize different aspects of relationships . Katie's mom personifies the typical indecisive woman who flits toward who currently can provide her certain advantages , while her real dad ( Joe Pantoliano ) and stepdad provide some laughs with the jokes on the latter seemingly a little culturally insensitive at times . But political correctness usually goes out of the window these days ( unlike those of old ) as it is possibly the quickest way to elicit laughs from an audience , and even sexual deviant acts come courtesy of Anderson's parents . Supporting characters also involve the maligned fiancé of Katie's ( but she didn't say yes too ) , and his finding of his soulmate , best friends of Katie who are into circus tricks , and the very perfect fiancé of Anderson , who would inspire Anderson to have one of the best , honest lines toward the end of the movie , no matter how sappy it sounded , but made a lot of sense . You might think that you've seen a number of similar movies already like What Happens in Vegas and Just Married , but those seemed a little more polished than the raw , indie treatment that is Wedding Daze , where jokes fly rather fast and furious , employing a whole repertoire of methods to deliver its punch lines , from sight gags to my personal preferences of extreme wit in dialogue where you really have to be at attention to catch them all . It might not be a big budgeted movie , but its charm more compensates for everything else . |
515,346 | 317,399 | 800,039 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Forgetting Sarah Marshall | Written by and starring a very naked Jason Segel , I thought this film would be incredibly easy to identify with , given that it dealt with a man who didn't see his breakup with his hot girlfriend coming in close on the horizon , until the very last minute . Starring as musician Peter Bretter , his relationship with the titular Sarah Marshall ( Kristen Bell ) came to an unexpected end with her cheating on him and moving on with new beau , rocker Aldous Snow ( Russell Brand ) . And for the most parts initially , it was easy to identify with , really , what with his failure to accept reality , and his brooding and incessant whining to friends and family , which are primarily set up for laughs . But the best bits of the comedic aspects of the story were included in the trailer , leaving only but the bland and tired one liners in the movie that failed to elicit laughter . You can almost predict how scenes are engineered toward a certain punchline , and that expectation drew away any semblance of a genuine ha-ha . The usual pop cultural references were just there , but gone are the honestly sincere approach at making a mickey out of them . So what did Forgetting Sarah Marshall really get at ? It was actually more of a classic romantic story instead , and brings to the screen very vividly , relationship challenges and issues in today's world , coupled with basic bugbears like Expectations . In a Hawaii getaway , nothing's worse than spending a vacation alone in a romantic location and bumping into your ex with her new beau in tow , living in the , horrors , next room . But Peter's luck took a change with the opportunity presented in a pretty hotel staff Rachel Jansen ( Mila Kunis ) , who in movie land would be single and available and just about finds him attractive in a certain way too . So here the dynamics get set up as we play observers to two pairs of relationships in parallel - one where sex rules above all , the other just budding with almost everything being fine and dandy . Until of course one looks back constantly over the shoulder at what was , and almost always start to appreciate things that once were . While it's always easy to do that and mope , it takes a lot of strength to be able to say no , and move on . We take comfort in the things tried and tested and sometimes lack the courage to venture out and take on life's challenges head on , but have to realize that moments that are past should stay buried in the past , and not forgo and give up opportunities to start afresh . And when you do , treasure it , and not be a dick . What I truly enjoyed in the movie , is how perceptions of oneself are likely to be skewed , where in many scenes we may sympathize with certain characters for being receiving the short end of the stick . But like how it takes two hands to clap , we're also presented the larger picture through revealing flashbacks , and realize that hey , sometimes we are selfish to always think about ME , and fail to see things from the other person's perspective , especially of loved ones whom we tend to lapse into taking for granted . Never mind if supporting cast from the Apatow Clan like Paul Rudd and Jonah Hill are here to lend comedic support to the film . Forgetting Sarah Marshall triumphs for its earnest reminder about the basic things that make a relationship , and the easiest ways to break one stemming from complacency and the lack of honesty . |
514,816 | 317,399 | 426,883 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Alpha Dog | There will come a time where actors and actresses will decide to take on a role that will break the mold of their idoldom , and shed those cute , goody two shoes image for something that could demonstrate and add some depth to their credibility . So taking on more edgy , angst characters might just be their quick solution . Anne Hathaway lost her clothes and borrowed a foul mouth for her turn in Havoc , and Justin Timberlake here lost his coolness but almost always brought sexy back in his scenes , despite having tattoos riddling his toned body , and adopting as foul a mouth as Hathaway's Allison Lang . Nick Cassavetes ' Alpha Dog , the closing film of Sundance 2006 , tells of a true story , with a little mockumentary spin put on . Alpha Dog is like a Beverly Hills 90210 episode gone all wrong , where rich kids spend all their time in vice activities , including smoking weed ( they even grow their own in their backyard ) , guzzling tonnes of alcohol , humping anything that moves , and peppering their vocabulary with expletives . I swear almost every sentence has the F-word in its numerous permutations , showcasing that it is indeed a word for any occasion . And it makes you wonder how much trouble these perpetually high bored kids get into so easily , without using their brains much and constantly shooting from their hips . For every action , there is reaction , and without considering the circumstances and outcome , personal pride , ego , or just blind faith , can bring about a chain of events with outcomes that are inevitable . Johnny Truelove ( up and coming actor Emile Hirsh , who had starred in Lords of Dogtown , and the upcoming Speed Racer as Speed ) and Jake Mazursky ( Angel in X3 ) can't settle their feud over 800 bucks , and bad blood start to spill when boisterous dares under the influence of alcohol become tit for tat revenge . In a mindless spur of the moment retaliation , Jake's brother Zack ( Anton Yelchin , he one who will be Chekov in the new Star Trek movie ) gets bundled into a van , leaving everyone perplexed just what to do next . Timberlake , being an idol , gets to portray his character with pretty much being the best of the worst of them all . Being easy going and the man with the plan , he strikes up a brotherly friendship with Zack , which is possibly the number one rule of kidnapping , never to do . Getting chummy with your prey is always bad karma , and hinders hard decisions made . But for the most parts of the movie , this friendship takes centerstage . But that's not to say the rest of the cast were strolling in the park , as Hirsh was excellent in his role as the crazed , dazed and confused de facto leader Johnny Truelove , with his impulses usually getting the best ( worse ? ) out of him . Looking pretty much like a bearded Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond and The Departed , there's a little Catch Me If YOu Can spin in the latter half of the story , with unexpected help from Dad ( Bruce Willis , in yet another supporting role ) . There are a number of recognizable faces playing supporting roles here , like Sharon Stone and Dominique Swain ( she has disappeared for a long time ) , but the narrative calls for nothing much from them . Perhaps one of the best scenes was a reminisce of the car ride in Seven , with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman driving Kevin Spacey , ad he rattles off his motives and rationale behind what he's doing . In the equivalent here , there was a tinge of sadness , and how it played out to the end will no doubt bring about some very mixed emotions , all rolled into one . If there's any moment from the movie that can justify putting a bum in the seat , this will be my justification . Those who can't survive listening to obscenities being rattled off with aplomb , or can't bear to witness their idol mouthing off , should steer clear of Alpha Dog . Otherwise , it offers , like Voice of a Murderer , a Crimewatch like narrative that recounts real events , and of course with certain dramatic license taken . |
514,730 | 317,399 | 756,204 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Chai-Lai Angels | Chai-Lai Angels , as the name implies , is Thailand's version of Charlie's Angels , no doubt about that . They work as undercover secret agents , they have various disguises , they fight criminal organizations , they look good while delivering those high kicks , report to a " Bosley " , the list just goes on . Opening this year's Sawadee Film Festival , this is one action comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously . Filled with plenty of camp , jokes , implausible situations and crazy antics , you'd half expect the Angels to be slick , efficient , and the likes . Not ! I actually found it quite amusing that they turned out more bumbling than effective ! In a 3 beauties and 2 erm , more mature looking ladies fronting the team ( no guesses who came over to Singapore for the press conference ) , Chai-Lai Angels doesn't have too deep a storyline to boast , suffice to know that there's a Japanese household who holds the secret to the location of the Queen of Andaman pearl , which could fetch the bad guys billions of dollars in some black market auction . So it's up to the Angels to thwart this dastardly attempt so that the oceans , nature and the entire ecological system of the world will not be thrown into disarray ( don't ask ) . While they are not too busy fighting criminals , plenty of whom are generic foot soldiers commandeered by a gender-bender working for a characteristically bland villainous chief , they too have time to ponder on love , or the lack thereof . Taking a chip off Charlie's Angels and even Kill Bill ( ! ) , we see familiar wedding scenes , and that gyrating hips sequence ala Cameron Diaz in the former movie mentioned . But bottom line is , it's never easy being in this line , and keeping love interests ( move away guys , we're here to see the girls in action ! ) Some of the set action pieces are quite weakly done , so cheesy that it's laughable , but you'll probably never dismiss them as the girls get to do battle in various garbs0 like wet towels , bikinis and even wet nightgowns . The feminists might go up in arms with this , but hey , this movie's not for them anyway . It's particularly violent for a PG rating , not that I'm complaining though , as almost everyone , ranging from a young girl to a cock-eyed villain , take turns to execute kicks , punches , stabs with plenty of gushing blood , and those bullets in the heads . As mentioned , don't take this movie too seriously , as it almost always threads on fantasy . The male one that is . |
514,695 | 317,399 | 489,270 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Saw III | Jigsaw's back ! But this time the modus operandi is slightly different . In what was a game of pain , life and death , this time round it seems that there's an overconfidence that the unfortunate prey will not get out alive . Hence the death traps being literal . But of course those who have not watched Saw II , will not know the suggestion at the change in MO . In order not to spoil it for you , I shall not mention a word , but hey , even without watching Saw II , there're ample flashback scenes , and newly created ones , to bring you up to speed . But trust me , watching the second film first before this , will help bucket loads , as it picks up directly where the previous film left off , with the return of characters played by Dina Meyer and Donnie Wahlberg . Like the previous movies of the franchise , you have those elaborate devices for those sick games that Jigsaw likes to play with seemingly innocent men and women , chosen for not valuing their lives , and wasting it away . Through such games , Jigsaw's warped aim is , for those who survive , to learn to appreciate life itself . Then again , just how many do survive , since to do so calls for sacrifice , often pain inducing in a massive way in a race against time . However , while the litres of blood continue to flow , the devices and plans here tended to be below par . Sure they're sick , but this time it really stretches it a little . Things happen to fall in place , and well , they just do . There seemed to be a bit of borrowing from Hannibal , with the use of boars ( although dead ones here ) and not since that film had I seen the power drill put to good use , with that unforgettable sound of the spinning drill . That skanky toilet makes a comeback too , and it probably ranks up there with toilets from Trainspotting and Crazy Stone . You can guess the direction of the film's narrative , predicting where it will head , and how , but what you probably can't guess right , is the rationale behind what's happening , the Why , until the answers are revealed at the end . It'll also put to rest some of doubts and queries left hanging at the end of Saw II , and in a certain sense , Saw III wraps up the trilogy . Unless of course there is talk about making another film on the now cult figure Jigsaw , which will have the franchise follow the footsteps of the in-thing to do nowadays - the prequels . While there are new characters introduced , it's kind strange that we do not care much about them , except to silently bet if they would be able to survive their ordeal . Perhaps gore movies are such , that an audience doesn't care what happens to them so long as blood is shed and bones are broken . Perhaps the influx of gore movies , each one trying to outdo the other , makes us just baying for blood to be shed by the characters , and nothing else . So for those who have already watched the first two , this one will bring everything to full circle . And I can't get that all too familiar tune , which is played each time Jigsaw reveals his intentions , out of my head . |
514,645 | 317,399 | 1,314,659 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : The Wedding Game | This was a movie waiting to be made . Celebrity couples don't get any bigger than this pairing in Singapore , so exploiting the real for the reel was something quite expected , given after all the timing , with Christopher Lee and Fann Wong tying the knot sometime later this year . If audiences want a glimpse of what their big day would look like , the many costume changes in bridal gowns and suits here would provide for some teaser anticipation . Like the other local movie offered this holiday season , this too is a Singapore-Malaysia co - production , with a cast from both sides of the Causeway and around the region too , together with Thai support in post production , and with Ekachai Uekrongtham at the helm . Gone are any art-house pretensions , as this one is clearly and shamelessly commercial fare through and through , banking on the stardom of the couple , as well as interjecting the story with plenty of formulaic flavour played out to satisfy those looking for a family friendly film to bring the whole household to . Real life moments did inevitably creep into the story played out purely for laughter , such as that infamous line Fann Wong made about rival Zoe Tay . Since Mediacorp had a hand in this film , spinning off a short reel from Return of the Condor Heroes can proceed without a hitch , where the two lovebirds reportedly met and fell in love in . It tried to provide some lift in its narrative especially when attempting to talk about celebrities having their lives led under constant scrutiny , be it their public persona under the spotlight , or what happens behind closed doors , with the paparazzi being exaggerated loads here . One wonders if their relatively fine performances ( and obvious chemistry ) stemmed from being exactly in the same shoes 24 x 7 . Otherwise , the story's as straightforward as it can get . Jack Fong ( Christopher Lee ) and Vikki Tse ( Fann Wong ) have their agents May ( Alice Lau ) and Tom ( Chen Jian Zhou aka Hei Ren ) to thank for in conceptualizing the PR stunt of the year . Obvious loggerheads with each other , the actors put on their finest performance ( Lee seemed to have his character written such that he's strutting around shirtless a lot ) in convincing the general public of their romance , all this while reaping in the benefits of endorsements to the tune of 6-figure sums . Well , at least that's what Vikki is in for , with the money used to bail her dad's business . As for Jack , his motivation wasn't fleshed out properly , other than to boost his popularity . Much of the story in the first half had both Jack and Vikki put into various situations to reinforce their lie , and there were many situational gags that seem a throwback to Hollywood's What Happened In Vegas , where the protagonists had to move in with each other , to " enjoy " their new found status . What I particularly enjoyed were the moments involving the rather clichéd use of mirrors to echo each character's innermost thoughts . Subplots here include the relationship each agent has with their client , and while things are less complicated for Tom since he's gay , the narrative did dwell a bit with May pining incessantly for Jack . But everything else went out the window when formula dictates that both Jack and Vikki will , through the passage of time , begin to fall for each other for real . There's little adversary here to screw things up , and whatever spanner was thrown into the story , was quickly resolved and brushed aside . Like a wedding video made for the newlyweds , this is like Ekachai's version stuffed full of friends and the industry's who's who in an ode to the couple's ( upcoming ) marital bliss . While you can admire how GV Max and the National Museum , amongst other locales angled into new light , a bunch of blink-and-you-miss cameos also spiced up the fun . See if you can spot the lights of David Glass , Quan Yi Feng , Loo Zihan , Anthony Levi Kho , Zhu Houren , Dennis Chew , and Cassandra See , amongst others . Cicakman Saiful Apek also lent a helping hand , though not as his superhero alter-ego . Lai Ming again was severely underused , if not only to add yet another familiar face to the movie since it's also opening across the Causeway this weekend . And yes , in yet another motherly role . So here's my verdict for the battle of the local movies - The Wedding Game trounces Love Matters convincingly , but only because it stuck to a formula delivering something that was quite plain , but not horrible , and had more convincing performances from the leads right down to the cameo appearances . Still , this only means that the bar has been set really low for other releases this year to stamp their mark of quality . And the real winner here seemed to be New Moon , having its product so prominently featured in both movies . |
515,035 | 317,399 | 972,542 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Aachi and Ssipak | Aachi and Ssipak is a delightfully wicked piece of animation . It's full of fun , and politically incorrect , full of high octane action , and set against a nonsensical background in the future . It's rude , vulgar , and totally unapologetic about it . In the future , humans have learnt how to harness human waste to become rich sources of energy . As a result , the government encourages everyone to defecate and collect their waste to power our world . To reward its population , those who defecate are given juicybars as rewards when they do their business at designated collection points . However , these juicybars ( they look so phallic when being sucked upon ) are addictive , and here you have a black market churned from obtaining and selling these bars . With gangs , one of the most notorious ones called The Diaper Gang , come forth to wreck havoc on the populace , and with the authorities not going to sit back and do nothing , they unleash their cyborg policeman Geko to take them down , violently . And all these happen in the first 5 minutes . Like I said , it moves at breakneck speed , infused with comedy and various pop movie references galore , ranging from Pulp Fiction and the Untouchables to the obvious Robocop , and a sequence taken straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom . If you thought that the Koreans had the most ultra realistic and violent movies in their crime genre , this is also brought over to the animation field , with this movie a showcase just how violent a cartoon can be - heads get shot off constantly , and various dismemberment happen so often , you'll start to want nothing less than a swift violent end for its characters , in particularly the members of the Diaper Gang , who serve as disposable fodder . So where does Aachi and Ssipak fit in you say ? They're small time hoodlums who discover a girl called Beautiful ( whom I thought was anything but ) , who has the capability to defecate and be rewarded bucketloads . As small time hoodlums , they see this as a get rich opportunity , and it becomes like a round robin hide and seek game amongst all the players involved . There are plenty of human waste jokes and references , coupled with tons of swearing and showing of bad signs ( middle finger , thumb in between fingers , the flipping of the forearm , etc ) , and probably served as direct insolence to both the gangsters as well as to the V for Vendetta like fascist government and their polices . If you like your animations vulgar , fun , full of action and violence , then Aachi and Ssipak will be right up your alley . |
514,855 | 317,399 | 1,002,567 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : Hansel & Gretel | I thought I'd foam in the mouth with yet another demonic kid horror movie , given the countless of such genre movies out there which set out to make innocent looking kids harbour plenty of ill intention behind them . But I thought the original Hansel and Gretel fairy tale was quite dark too , especially with the ending . You know , the kids who come to know of this gingerbread house where everything and anything can be eaten to fill their empty stomachs , only to culminate in their stuffing of the owner into a large stove so that they can take possession of the property to live ( and eat ) happily ever after . OK , so if you believe my synopsis of the fairy tale , then you , like me , probably saw what many others don't . Anyway this Korean movie doesn't come close , only remotely in a certain scene , and the borrowing of the English title . The gingerbread house got replaced with a nice looking and inedible cottage in the middle of lush forest , though the amount of artificially coloured food still remains the same . Instead of two kids , we get three , who seem happy on the outside , but inside harbours some deep , dark , and unseen secrets . Until of course the movie decides to explain it all , as expected , in the last 30 minutes to make everything sensible . While the poster might suggest horror , it's more of a thriller with little surprises . We all know that there's always some hideous back story that made the characters who they are currently , and almost always involve some bad episodes in life thus far . This time , it involves adults , and these children begin to develop suspicion of all adults who come into their lives . Pity Eun-Soo ( Cheon Jeong-myeong ) , who got involved in a car accident , and got led by one of the children to live with them in their house . But the family in the Happy Children's Home , don't seem all the bit normal , and soon he discovers that he too seemed trapped within this surreal world with zero communications with the outside world . Heck , even the television's unplugged yet the only programme available is some really sadistic cartoon involving a rabbit and a bear . The story might at first seem very ordinary though bleak , but grew from strength to strength as it went on , nevermind weak attempts at trying to elicit some cheap scares . I thought its basis of a story was strong , even though it did have a very screwed up version of the fairy tale most of us probably already know about . The set designs and art direction were all beautiful to look at , and most times you'll shift your focus to admiring the sets when events start to get repetitive , with Eun-Soo's attempts to get out of the house and the enchanted forest in more than 4 attempts , of course thwarted each time . Supporting characters like the adults who come and go , at first might make you scratch your head , but let that be the least of your worries , because once Santa Claus came visiting , you'll have to suspend your disbelief , otherwise this movie wouldn't work . Hansel and Gretel's a pretty decent thriller , a mix of groundhog-day-ness with the usual trappings of cheap horror movies , boosted though by its rich production values . Themes of wanting to belong and non-reciprocated friendship , together with major trust issues , lift its plain storyline , and all round fine acting by the kids who will at first scare you , and then lead you to want to give them all a hug . |
515,276 | 317,399 | 1,046,163 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : My Best Friend's Girl | Back in 2005 , Will Smith starred as Hitch , the romance doctor who volunteers his service through close referrals , to help luckless and clueless guys woo the woman of their dreams . His consultancy reaps big rewards , and audiences lapped it all up , with the provision of perhaps some pointers that could be put to good use . Now in My Best Friend's Girl , it takes a twist to this Hitch character , and Dane Cook becomes the Anti-Hitch . The objective is slightly different - you should already be hooked up with your lady love , but when the relationship seems to come to a cool off or a standstill , you engage Tank ( Cook ) to be the arsehole who will make your loved one appreciate you a lot more , and get back into your arms . He prides himself with achieving results in 10 steps , and most of the comedy stemmed from his being a total date / dick from hell , and if you're to employ his techniques , then you're likely to earn a reputation for being the biggest arse out there , though sometimes the brashness , directness will also be likely be attractive to those who like to hang out with bad boys . So while Tank does what he does best , his best friend Dustin ( Jason Biggs ) decided to engage his services , in order to help get Alexis ( Kate Hudson ) toward him , by providing some push factors , making her realize that nice guys like him don't come too easy . In the spirit of Murphy where things will go wrong , the rule of thumb will ensure that the helper will fall in love with his / her mark . It sort of reversed some roles here , where the women now subscribe to the philosophy of also sowing their wild oats , before they decide to settle down . For Alexis , she seemed to be missing out on a lot of fun since she rarely goes out on dates , so once convinced , it is at Dustin's expense . Which again puts Jason Biggs into a stereotypical role of a loser who doesn't get any , stemmed from his popularity that went all the way back to American Pie . Kate Hudson continues her role as the ditzy blonde to perfection , and while not exactly a role to showcase her acting chops , she does make a fine on screen couple with Dane Cook , and this show looked tailor made for him . Dane Cook doesn't get a lot of lead roles , but I feel that all that might change real soon given his revelation here . From flicks like Employee of the Month , Dan in Real Life , to Good Luck Chuck opposite Jessica Alba , he seems on track to become a romantic leading man , even though it's on the romantic comedy track . He continues his ladies man role and extends it to here , and with permission by the filmmakers to adlib and improvise his lines , needless to say he steals the spotlight from everyone here , and has room to stretch his acting chops as well . Watch out for some truly hilarious moments in scenes from his character's workplace , where his career as a customer service teleoperator ( also from hell ) just cracked me up . And Alec Baldwin couldn't not be mentioned . Once a leading man of sorts , his career on the big screen gets relegated to support roles , from Elizabethtown to this role here as Tank's dad Professor Turner , who's still an active Casanova made easy when being around young and nubile students , though a character that isn't something not done before , such as Ben Stiller's dad in The Heartbreak Kid . What worked for My Best Friend's Girl is the tussle between the good guy and the bad guy as they pull no punches in wooing the opposite sex . We don't see much of this tussle personified and go up against each other in the same film very often , and here we perhaps get to examine what probably works , and what doesn't , and that whichever school you subscribe to , it's again not about how much you're giving to try and make someone happy , but whether you're giving the right thing that the other party needs . |
514,462 | 317,399 | 81,779 | 7 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Ode to Gallantry ( 1982 ) | My love affair with classic Shaw Bros martial arts movies continues , and it's a good thing that the Esplanade Library has a decent selection . In continuation of my recent hunt for stories based on Louis Cha's novels , I chanced upon Ode to Gallantry ( Xia Ke Xing ) on the shelves , and despite it being cast with a relative bunch of lesser known names ( of today ) , there's one name on the credits that compelled me to watch this : Director Chang Cheh . My memory of the story dates back to the early 80s , based on the TVB series starring Tony Leung as the lead twin characters Shi Po Tian and Shi Zhong Yu , in a classic tale of mistaken identities . The story begins with Shi Po Tian aka the Bastard , a beggar of sorts , stealing a bun which contains the Black Iron Token , created by skilled pugilist Xie Yanke , who grants the holder one wish , and includes not killing the wielder of the token . As they say , the Heavens smile on the Idiots , and having been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time , Shi Po Tian slowly learns formidable skills while under the tutelage of Xie Yanke . Given that my memory is likely to be faulty , I can't really compare this movie to the original novel , but like all movies based on Louis Cha classics , it's usually a condensation of themes and characters , but unlike The Proud Youth , this movie doesn't overhaul the characters and allow them to undergo name changes . Strong in its theme of Gallantry , embodied by the dim-witted Shi Po Tian , the movie does move along quite fast with little time devoted for depth . Acting chops are nothing spectacular , and as the usual martial arts movies of the time goes , romance takes a backseat , even though you have a female character Dingding Dangdang ( Candy Wen Xue-Er ) having the hots for our lead twin characters , played by Philip Kwok Chun-Fung . But of course the main deal here is the martial arts . There are not many wire work here , and the fights are a combination of weapons and palms , as well as a great deal on evasive techniques , as Shi Po Tian is a reluctant fighter , who sees no rational behind fights and the taking of lives . Expect the usual blood fests from Chang Cheh , reputed for his generous dose of fake blood usage . Like all movies of its genre , the ending is usually weak , as if after the big fight , there's nothing left to do , and no purpose in life , and it ends just there . As mentioned before , the novel is a rich source , but having to translate it for the big screen , can be daunting at times . The crux of it gets a treatment , but the rest got forgotten . Remember though , this was made in the early 80s , so story telling techniques have evolved loads since then . This Code 3 DVD produced by IVL contains the usual extras you expect from their packaging of Shaw Bros classic movies . You have a few production and movie stills , one original poster which is quite small in size , a one page one paragraph worth of production notes , the theatrical trailer and other trailers of the same genre , which have undergone an update ( I doubt they are the original trailers ) , and a very short cast and crew biography . Perhaps the best bit of extras here is a documentary on director Chang Cheh himself , running at 17 mins and 20 secs . It contains interviews with stars of today and yesteryears , as they recount their memories and experiences with working together with the great man who have revived the martial arts genre , and other genres in the Hong Kong movie industry . Definitely not to be missed , though it could have been done with a little bit more detail . For those who have not watched most of Chang Cheh's works , be warned of the loads of spoilers ( character deaths especially ) featured in it . Thankfully too the documentary also comes with English subtitles for those who cannot understand Mandarin / Cantonese , and Mandarin / English subtitles are also available on the feature film , restored decently in the DVD ( you can see how picture quality had degraded in the documentary above ) . |
515,501 | 317,399 | 468,094 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Road to Guantanamo | Guantanamo Bay has surfaced in the news again , with the apparent suicide of 3 inmates . For the uninitiated , Guantanamo is set up by the US to hold enemy combatants for interrogation , those captured in the War on Terror . But the movie questions , just how exactly effective the interrogation is , or whether perhaps , as per widely held suspicion , that the folks now inside one of the most notorious prisons , are mostly innocent folks caught in the wrong place at the wrong time ? Using the " Tipton Three " as a reference point , and the lead characters , The Road to Guantannamo is part documentary ( using archive footages ) , and part drama , with pseudo - interviews with the trio , coupled with dramatizing the sequence of events from the beginning where they set off from Britain to Pakistan for a wedding , before crossing over the Afghan border , being captured by the Northern Alliance , imprisoned in Kandahar , then shipped to a makeshift Camp X-Ray in Guantanamo , before their final destination at the purpose-built Camp Delta . Throughout the movie , you're constantly reminded that so long as you're not part of the victorious team , you're in for a hell of a ride . It doesn't matter if the Geneva Convention's gonna be followed or not , as both innocent and guilty parties are subjected to the same treatment . You'll witness first hand the treatment of prisoners , starting with the capture by the Northern Alliance , packing them into containers , and firing at it for light and air . Caught by the bullet ? Too bad . And it doesn't get any better in the hands of the American troops as well . Granted , they're prisoners , but it'll call to question certain tactics used for torture , and also the constant state of bewilderment that the prisoners are subjected to . The movie documents well-known incidents like the disallowing of prayers , of the using of dogs to cajole the detainees into submission , and the worse of all , the mistreatment of the Holy Book and the flushing of it down the toilet . It demonstrates again the lack of respect and understanding of the captors over the captives , and such ignorance in no way will win any hearts or minds over to their cause , questionable to begin with . Having the upper hand , and yes , their prisoners , doesn't mean lack of basic respect . Maybe that's just me . And it's just plain ridiculous to see the red tape process they have over the transportation of unarmed prisoners from their cell to the interrogation office - with the masking , kneeling , lying faced away , hands on the head , cuffs , and being dragged , all this while with someone pointing a machine gun . Talk about using a bull knife to kill a chicken . Perhaps the scenes which highlights the deceit , lies or just dumb intelligence gathering on the part of the CIA , military intelligence and various other intelligence groups like the MI5 were the best bits . These tactics of guile are outdated , and rings of amateurish attempts to weed information out of the detainees . It's a powerful movie , which at the end of it , will just provoke sentiments in the audience to question the effectiveness of the prison , the tactics used , and probably fan the flames of those who are actively seeking to close it . |
514,616 | 317,399 | 480,249 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : I Am Legend | Out of curiosity I went to look up Will Smith's filmography , and realized that since Michael Bay's Bad Boys in 1995 , he had averaged just one movie a year , most of them being box office successes save for blips like Wild Wild West , and in films spanning a wide genre from biopics to romantic comedy to action and drama . Today his name alone on the marquee can open a movie , and I Am Legend is probably a true test of that drawing power , because for the most parts , his Robert Neville is the last man on Earth . This film is the third to have been produced for the big screen , based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson . I haven't watched The Omega Man which starred Charlton Heston , but from what I've read , it's a somewhat wide departure from the source material . The Last Man on Earth , starring Vincent Price , was entertaining ( available at the Internet Archive ) and given that we're looking at it in retrospect , was told in a rather straightforward and simple manner . Will Smith's vehicle , will no doubt be updated with plenty of special effects , and getting those road closures for down town Manhattan is by no means an easy feat in itself . I've no idea why the tagline had to say " the last man on earth is not alone " , and in the poster had Smith slinging a mean rifle over a shoulder , with a German shepherd at his heel . With man's best friend as company , how can any man be alone ? Technically yes , but then his pet dog provides an avenue to keep one's sanity - any interaction that provides feedback of sorts , doesn't put you in isolation ala Tom Hanks in Castaway . And being stuck in a big city in Manhattan does have its perks , in terms of food , shelter and of course , entertainment . Of late , monster movies with the likes of the recent 28 Days / Weeks series , and in 30 Days of Night , point to an interesting observation - that we like our monsters smart , vicious and fast . In The Last Man on Earth , Vincent Price had to do battle with plodding creatures of low IQ , which formed the basis of George A Romero's walking undead . Here , the creatures bring forth a few same-old concepts , from being created by a virus ( Resident Evil series , 28 Days / Weeks probably taken a leaf from I Am Legend the book ) , filled them with crazed rage , move fast and are incredibly smart - they adapt and learn . However they fail to interest in creature designs , having look like leftovers from The Mummy franchise . Action sequences are few and far between , which ringed back to an earlier Smith movie I , Robot , but credit has got to go to I Am Legend for deftly crafting moments of intense fear and dreadful anticipation , like the sequence in the warehouse . But everything else was a chip off something else , like The Hulk's raging doggies , and with Robert Neville taking a leaf out of Sylvester Stallone's The Specialist in tactical defending , which I liked to believe his character had learned from one of his routine DVD rentals . There's even one more reference that I will choose not to quote , as it's too close to revealing how the ending turned out to be , which I felt was a little of a cop out , as the filmmakers probably had a problem in deciding how best to end this , in an honourable way befitting an A-List Hollywood star . The backstory to Neville's predicament , as an update to the original movie's explanation on the situation , brings forth a warning to those wanting to play god . Sometimes the intentions are good , but like all potential miracle cures , these have to be tested thoroughly rather than be excited over them , or worse , having those with side effects covered up . Don't expect too much of those flashbacks , like The Last Man on Earth's , they're kept short and succinct , and most of it is unfortunately in the trailer . An added plus into this version , is the lack of a dreadful need to repeat its stuff to remind audiences of Neville's routine of eat-play-send signals-find cure-find food etc , and juxtaposed time quite nicely so that it's not simply just a dawn-to-dusk day-in-the-life-of account . Directed by Francis Lawrence who brought us the big screen adaptation of Constantine , I Am Legend continues to serve as a staple for that year end big budgeted blockbuster , and in most counts , I Am Legend works , plainly because of Will Smith's charisma , and that German shepherd's company . |
515,415 | 317,399 | 138,704 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Pi ( 1998 ) | Darren Aronofsky shot to prominence with this relatively low budgeted movie which looks like it has a million dollars ploughed into its production . It's inspiring to see how this black and white film dwells on science fiction so effortlessly , given its very simple plot . Long time Aronofsky collaborator Sean Gullette plays Max Cohen , a mathematician who's looking for patterns amidst chaos . He is determined to predict and look for patterns in stock markets , and comes dangerously close to a solution until his computer Euclid , breaks down . During his quest to uncover and recover what Euclid produced before it broke down , he comes across a religious Kabbalah cult , as well as a pesky banker , who is more than meets the eye . Those with a slight interest in mathematics might also get a kick out of watching how maths can feature and get filmed stylistically in a film like this . Like the Fibbonacci sequence , and how the Kabbalah texts can be represented by numbers . Some numerology also makes its way into the narrative . It's interesting to note how a simple story is able to accommodate these various subplots with ease , and how they all are brought together to make it visually arresting . The cast is relatively small , and much hinges on Gullette's portrayal as a lonely , and sick man who's bordering on the edge of madness ( don't most geniuses ? ) . Most of the supporting characters are played by family and friend \ s of the filmmakers too . Accompanied by a great soundtrack , this Code 1 DVD also comes with plenty of extras , like deleted scenes , separate audio commentaries by Aronofsky and Gullette , production notes , trailers and a music video . It is substance combined with style . |
514,776 | 317,399 | 1,149,603 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Trivial Matters | After watching Pang Ho-cheung's Trivial Matters , the stark reminders I have been keeping in view have now gone into red alert , that I've been missing plenty from this Hong Kong director , and I should really take some time off to plough through his filmography to date . Containing a series of 7 shorts that cover a spectrum of genres dealing with love , sex and death , one could only imagine the number of entertaining stories that are brewing within Pang's head , being a writer-director to look out for , as well as his clout in rounding up plenty of stars to take up roles in this collection of shorts . Perhaps too I was naïve to think that both Edison Chen and Gillian Chung would be sharing the same screen pre-scandal days , as they have roles in different shorts instead . Civisim is the shortest of the stories here , and I thought he might as well be playing himself , speaking in English and trying to impress a beautiful girl in a disco about his active role in civic responsibility , which I'm sure some of us guys would probably partake in ( which involves pee and manure ) , but to brag about it , who knows ? Chapman To , who also serves as producer for this movie , plays a character mimicking himself when talking to Eason Chan for a role in what would be It's a Festival Today . But in the short Recharge , Pang again weaves a sensitive tale for Chapman's character , about a man who shares a moment of compassion with a prostitute , despite what would prove to be a scare at first , and whether it's possible to be disconnected between sex and genuine concern for a fellow human being . Simple and sweet , somehow . Eason stars in one of the two longest shorts in the film . In It's a Festival Today , his Fu has started a one-month long relationship with Wai Ying ( Chan Yat Ning ) and they have begun to cohabit . But Wai Ying refuses to get intimate with Fu , making him miserable and constantly pining like a puppy dog to want to get it on with his girl . It's an outright comedy thanks to Eason's hilarious take as a desperado , in how he finally convinced and cultivates Wai Ying's agreement to provide oral sex , but the payload ( pardon the pun ) comes toward the end with a very stark but effective change in genre from comedy . Definitely one of my favourites , and I thought Eason was probably having a field day with this role , going from constant frustration to finding bliss . The other longer short was Ah Wai the Big Head staring Gillian Chung as the titular character , and Stephy Tang as Kate , two friends from schooldays , with the former treating the latter as her best friend , but with the latter thinking that Ah Wai is an emotional leech , and often dispenses any advice that would get her off her back . Encouraging her to go for Eagle ( Juno Mak ) , a tattooed garage repairman , this short traces the parallel lives and differing fortunes that both girls would experience , against a backdrop of famous singer Danny Chan songs . I'm pretty sure you could identify with one or the other characters here in their motivation and intent , and it's a reminder about karma as well , that what goes around comes around , so you'd better not harbour any ill-feelings toward anyone else ! Junior is actually a two-act short , the first with Chinese director Feng Xiaogang lending his support as a Customer Relations Officer for a professional hit-man outfit , where their company starts to offer some outrageous promotions , which involve an apprenticeship programme for new hit men who can chalk training hours each time key clients utliize their free-kills coupon . Shawn Yue then takes over the film as one of such rookies , and I'd like to think that it was a statement about how young employees these days don't take their career too seriously , and despite lip service paid on how professional they are , when it comes to the crunch it's anything else but . Probably the weirdest short would be Tak Nga which is a sort of science fiction tale narrated by Patrick Tam about how the present 4715AD world had inherited its name , which stemmed from NASA having to auction off its planet naming to enterprises , and the magazine Easy Finder being convinced by schoolboy Ah Chi ( Kenny Kwan ) to name it after his love Tak Nga ( Angela Baby ) . Nothing too special about this short , except for the visual effects and the sepia tones in accounting this little love story about the lengths a boy would go to surprise the girl he fancies . And of course , this movie started off with a big bang with Vis Major , where a middle-aged couple talks about the different expectations about their love and sex life , through a very novel narrative structure , cutting from talking heads documentary to fantasy segments , and the very famous picture that you see here when the man compared the reaction of his wife during sex as one of a dead frog . Genuinely hilarious and riotously vulgar , this is one no holds barred exploration of the breakdown in communication in bed , leading to dire consequences for those suffering from it . By the way , watching this Hong Kong movie in Cantonese was nothing but pure unadulterated bliss . Given the subject nature , I doubt it would make its way back to our shores , and even if it does ( with a highest rating possible ) , having it dubbed intco Mandarin just loses its charm in the language . But in any case , do watch this if you can , for some simple , effective and entertaining stories ! |
514,613 | 317,399 | 480,242 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Dan in Real Life | Comedian Steve Carell burst into mainstream prominence as the world's best know 40 Year Old Virgin , and popularity grew with his The Office US series . But a quick blip on the radar with Evan Almighty made us wonder if he will be able to sustain a series of successes given what I think is a dearth of funny comedians to hit the big screen of late - output seemed to have slowed a bit from the likes of Mike Myers , Ben Stiller ( The Heartbreak Kid was not exactly really funny ) , Will Farell and even Jim Carrey , with whom Carell will be collaborating with in an animated feature in next year's Dr Horton Hears a Who . I thought Dan in Real Life followed the Adam Sandler route with having to star in this year's equivalent of the latter's Spanglish , and does show that Carell the funnyman has some dramatic acting chops in him to commandeer this movie on his shoulders . Like Sandler , he has this everyday man appeal without the need for any hint of exaggeration , and this chummy buddy persona that makes him quite likable . Steve Carell plays Dan the columnist who dispenses parenting advice in his newspaper column Dan in Real Life , where a routine day of the widower involves providing email counselling to his readers , and being the overprotective father to his three young daughters Jane , Cara and Lilly . Clearly while his love for them shows , his daddy nature goes overboard with not being convinced that one of them is old enough to drive under supervision , and another whose boyfriend and teenage puppy love infatuation stage he frowns upon . From the onset , his relationship with his daughters look set to improve given time out for an extended family get together in an out of town retreat , but as all romantic comedy dictates , he will meet a special somebody which will prove to be his undoing . Well , not in a bad way of course . Sometimes when you think about it , the concept of the perfect soulmate does reside in timing . You might think that you've met that special someone , but the timing somehow just isn't right , and naturally things do not work out , even though you think that it might ( who plans for a breakup from the start anyway ? ) Watching how smooth Dan is , his mark Ann Marie ( Juliette Binoche , whom we last saw on screen opposite Jude Law in Breaking and Entering ) spends an afternoon with Dan chatting ( with the camera lingering at all angles imagined possible ) , and find that they click . Just like that . However , herein lies the complication , as it turns out , Marie is the girlfriend of Dan's brother Mitch ( Good Luck Chuck himself ) , whom he brought along to introduce to all and sundry . So now the question is , do you pretend that that spark of chemistry never existed , or like Mitch himself put it , so long as there's no rock on the finger , it's fair game ? Here's where the fun in the movie comes in , with both parties trying to decide whether to tell , or play pretend amongst family members ? And does each party think whether it's love , or just a passing stage of infatuation ? The movie poses a number of questions , some of which the answers are fairly clear , depending on the values you subscribe to . But in pondering and reacting in a relatively childish manner , Dan does himself no favours , as he slowly slips into a mode of hypocrisy , becoming what he tells his daughters not to , and breaking almost all the rules he lays down for them . Dan in Real Life serves up more dramatic moments with a focus on romance , rather than being an outright comedy . So for Carell fans who think that it's gonna be laugh a minute , think again . The ensemble cast playing the supporting roles of the extended family members are fun , but truth is there's so many of them that each get very little screen time . However , this is still a very charming movie about love , parental-child unconditional love , and an exhibition of the axiom that blood is indeed thicker than water . Farell and Binoche share top notch chemistry as a couple with secrets hidden between themselves , and their constant playing of games is a delight to watch . One of my favourite scenes involve a 4-way interaction at a diner that hit all the right notes , and another an insane and totally politically incorrect song involving pigs . It's ultimately a feel good movie , so don't expect proceedings to go in too heavy and deep , as it skirts around the subplots it creates decently , with little surprises , playing out just like one will almost expect it to be . Given it's runtime , there are obvious scenes from the trailer that is left unused , which would probably appear in the DVD release . For Carell fans , and fans of family dramas with a dash of romance , this one comes recommended . And here's THE song in the movie , as performed by Carell and Dane Cook . Will surely open the floodgates for sentimental folks when you hear their rendition ! |
514,981 | 317,399 | 1,400,352 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Malaysian Gods | During the mini-seminar session , Amir mentioned that Malaysian Gods had been passed without cuts back home , but also not permitted to be publicly screened . It's no surprise to this as he admitted , given the buzz the authorities had unwittingly created because of their banning of his previous film The Last Communist . Hence the situation this film is now in . But as usual , from watching this across the Causeway , one wonders if political / politics-related films which might see the respective authorities on either side frown upon , would find an audience at the other side given a piqued interest , as well as hey , it's not talking about us here so we're cool about it ? Strategy-wise , Malaysian Gods had adopted the same approach as Amir's earlier movies like The Last Communist and Village People Radio Show , which consists of visiting the actual sites where the movement had occurred , and interviewing people in talking heads fashion in a more natural setting . There's a slight departure here though , where interviews are not with figures directly involved in the events presented , perhaps not wanting to ruffle any current feathers since it might inevitably be sensitive with the major players on all sides still being around . What we have instead is a documentary told in chapters commemorating the 10 years since the Reformasi movement began in 1998 starting with the protests led by Anwar Ibrahim after his sacking from his Deputy Prime Minister post . For non history buffs , the documentary provides some insights that began from the past , and had its eye firmly focused on the 8 % of the Malaysian population who are ethnic Indians with Tamil as the common language between them . Told in chapters , the film plays out like reading a history book , with inter-titles cluing you in on specific historical events , before bringing you back to its present day location , and conducting interviews with some everyday folks . The narrative moved from place to place where significant events had happened , and interviewing what could probably be the most colourful character the filmmakers could find in the vicinity , such as the kacang ( nuts ) seller , contractors , salesmen , cinema operators , and your man on the street who just happens to be out on a date . In terms of venue , we get to see prominent landmarks like the National Palace , the KLCC park , the Chinese Assembly Hall , KL's oldest Tamil cinema , and it goes right down to the simple barber shop right around the corner . While it might seem quite random in picking off people from the streets and talking to them , there's a method in that when asked some pointed questions about the location's significance , or whether the interviewee had been involved in those events in one way or another , there are a few interesting nuggets of the human psyche which unfolds . I guess in today's economic climate , everyone's more concerned with their personal rice bowl issues , and can only remember things that hit closer to home rather than mass protests or demonstrations which seem like a disruption to economical pursuits . Either that , or they are personally guarded from freely discussing those issues since a video camera is pointed in their direction . However , you can see that while everyone has their own issues to air , those of the older generation tend to be more reserved and afraid of repercussions , compared to the younger generation who are not afraid to discuss them quite directly and speak their minds on things they feel are going against them , such as the education system . I suppose when push comes to shove , they are more than willing to express themselves than to continue keeping quiet , and this in itself perhaps gave way to a representation of what we've been seeing in the political climate up north , with some drastic changes to the landscape already made . The film is never dry , and is rife with wry humour throughout in true Amir fashion . Against the backdrop of a downfall of a leader and the rise of his party and movement , one can find some rib-tickling moments either from the interview subjects themselves , or from the subtitles which you have to pay some attention to , as illustrations pop up like easter eggs , and you have to look quite closely for things like skewed logos . Or a shot of a car I found quite amusing as the driver clearly violated traffic flow direction , and found himself turning into the Traffic Police HQ . If you've enjoyed Amir's previous works like The Last Communist , and Village People Radio Show , then grab any opportunity you can get to watch his latest film , before he embarks on an announced film-making hiatus . |
515,212 | 317,399 | 382,625 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Da Vinci Code | This movie is becoming as controversial as the book . Since the day it was announced that it's gonna be made , there were protests against it being done , and it has escalated to calls for boycotting , or banning the movie altogether . I'll not waste time and go into its controversies , nor discuss what's real and what's not . Neither will I explain in detail the plot , as I believe most of you readers would already have some vague idea of what it's about , or have read the book , since it's on the bestsellers list for months . Rather , I'll evaluate the movie as it is , on how well it entertains . Those who wish to preach in my comment box , prepare to have those comments deleted , at my discretion . This is the stand I shall take , that this movie is entirely fictional , based on events which are used loosely , for the sole purpose of weaving a storyline that tries to be believable . I think some have already mentioned it's too successful in doing that , and may mislead people into thinking its theories presented , are real . However , don't take it too seriously , and if you wish to , use another proper platform to debunk the myths , not my movie review blog . The structure of the movie , is exactly the same as the book . There is no change to the ending , despite some rumours that it will be different . Naturally , some of the detailed explanation that's given in the book , especially many three-way dialogue between Sophie - Robert-Leigh , have to be summarized in order to pace this movie into 2 hours . Herein lies the challenges . For those who've read the book , the movie offers nothing new , other than the gratification of watching events and characters play out on the big screen . For those who haven't read the book , the movie version should be decent enough to make you want to pick up the novel and read more into the controversial theories explained . However , having being familiar with the plot and how the story unfolds , red herrings , character motivations , twists and all , it may leave those who've read the novel , a page-turner in every sense of the word , a bit wanting , that the pace could've been improved . Undoubtedly the pacing sags when it's time for some dialogue heavy moments , but I suppose that is unavoidable when you're revisiting material . However , its presentation of these controversial dialogue moments coupled with special effects , that will make you go wow . Truly , the technique is nothing original , and some of the visuals used looked like Return of the King and Kingdom of Heaven rejects , but as a whole , combined with the narrative , it helps to present the controversies in a more palatable manner . Casting , I felt , was spot on . Tom Hanks makes Robert Langdon pretty accessible , given Hanks ' everyman demeanor , and Audrey Tautou makes a believable Sophie Neveu . Ian McKellen , probably THE actor with 2 summer blockbusters back to back ( the other being X - Men 3 ) , is convincing as the rich grail hunter Sir Leigh Teabing . Paul Bettany is chilling as the albino killer Silas , and Jean Reno and Alfred Molina round up the star studded cast as the detective Captain Fache and Bishop Aringarosa . Much is said about the haunting soundtrack , but as far as I'm aware , there's nothing scary about it . Silas , in his scene of self-cleansing , is horrid enough though , as are some scenes of unexpected on screen violence that hit like a sack of potatoes falling from the sky . In the end , in spite of all the controversies , perhaps Robert Langdon's line is poignant - if given a chance , would you rather destroy faith , or renew it ? The book and the movie have provided an opportunity for the faith to renew itself , to debunk the myths and theories ( which were developed loosely to make the story flow of course ) , and to generally point the curious to the direction and light the faith wants to show . Otherwise , this Ron Howard movie makes a good summer popcorn flick , with the usual thrills and spills you'd come to expect with its superb production values . |
515,570 | 317,399 | 483,578 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Love and Honor | Love and Honor is the concluding chapter to director Yoji Yamada's loose samurai trilogy . Personally , I have enjoyed the other two , Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade , because they are extremely well made , and have important stories to tell , rather than focusing its energies onto huge action sets with plenty of sword wielding , and Love and Honor is no different . Shinnojo Mimura ( Takuya Kimura ) is a lowly Japanese samurai , who's employed by his clan as a food taster . It's a dead end job with zero job satisfaction , and Shinnojo reveals in a conversation with his wife Kayo ( Rei Dan ) that he dreams of opening up a kendo dojo of his own , and recruiting students to teach regardless of their caste . It's a noble dream , but one that is cut short when he gets blinded during one of the food tasting sessions , eating sashimi made from fish which is poisonous when out of season . Like its title suggests , Love and Honor is an intense love story based on those two themes . With Shinnojo handicapped , fears are abound within the family that without a job , they will lose their status and material wealth . And Shinnojo's growing negative attitude toward life doesn't help either . Stress befalls Kayo , and on the ill advice of her aunt , she seeks to find a powerful samurai Shimada ( Mitsugoro Bando ) to help them out of their plight . No man enjoys his wife having to bring home the bacon on his behalf , especially not when it involves favours with another man who's vastly superior , not in feudal Japan . It's an interesting character study into the 3 characters , of love , defending of honor , envy , jealousy . And it all comes to an end in what I thought was a very touching finale . As mentioned , don't anticipate any sword fighting action to be a huge spectacle . Rather , the one here seemed to be rather rooted with realism . When it boiled down to the sword , every slash , parry , thrust seemed made with measurable consideration , with forceful purpose . Given Shinnojo's blindness , don't expect Zaitochi styled super-samurai feats , and in fact , Shinnojo's struggles are more to do with things from within . Takuya Kimura , whom I last seen in 2046 , has aged for this role . He looked mature and pretty much left his pretty boy days quite far behind to bring certain gravitas to his character . Rei Dan in a debut is on par with the recognizable female leads in the previous trilogy movies , and is excellent too in her role as like the other female characters , and a memorable one too . And not all's bleak in the movie , with Takashi Sasano's servant character Tokuhei bringing about some light hearted moments with his earnestness and wit . Samurai movies have been possibly enriched by Yoji Yamada's trilogy contribution , and Love and Honor triumphs slightly over its predecessors to bring the series into a fitting close . Recommended ! |
514,861 | 317,399 | 893,382 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Shine a Light | The Rolling Stones was here for a concert not too long ago , but since tickets were priced way out of my league , there was no way I could have seen them in action live unless I opted for the cheapest of the lot and sat well away from the stage . So I got to thank Martin Scorsese for having design and capture some definitive moments from a Rolling Stones performance , and share that stage magic the quartet provide when they're at their element , on a celluloid screen , captured for posterity . Make no mistake , the entire movie is just like being there at a Rolling Stones concert , only that you'll have to ensure the cinema hall has great sound system installed , and you can't actually smell the sweat the rockers exude , even though you get to go really up close and personal during their performance , something which even the standing-only front row pit will not allow . You can even throw your hands up in the air only to irk those seated behind you , unless they and everyone else are game enough to turn the sedate cinema atmosphere into a party one . So this review ( if I can call it one ) largely depends on whether you're a Stones fan to appreciate , or for non-fans to want to give them a go , to kick back , relax ( if you can ) or just soak in the rollickingly wild atmosphere and immerse yourself into a Rolling Stones experience . More than 20 songs were performed ( if my mental counter serves me right ) , and for a Rolling Stones fan , you'll likely be satisfied them all for the price that you fork out . For a simple fleeting fan like me , it's an eye ( ear ? ) opener to a lot more of their music , as well as an opportunity to watch them in action on the cheap . The first 10 minutes or so was the setup , with Scorsese worrying and fussing over how to film the Stones in action , and to want to have their set of songs as early as possible so that he could plan certain shots . But of course Mick Jagger and the gang got other ideas , as they flit from performance to performance during their " A Bigger Bang " tour , only to connect physically with Scorsese when they're at the designated performance stop at the Beacon theatre for the Clinton Foundation - where you'll get to see how big a fan Bill and Hillary are , together with their 30 strong entourage . Interspersed throughout the concert performance are plenty of vignettes culled from past interviews spanning from the 60s , which will bring on some laughter as you watch them with perfect hindsight . You will get to see how youthful all of them looked when they first started out , and be amazed at their longevity in this business where bands come and go after making it to the top , if at all . Despite being grand-daddies , Mick Jagger , Keith Richards , Ronnie Wood and Charlie Watts still look in great physical condition to be touring and strutting their stuff , dishing out high energy , high performance concerts , with Watts even cheekily feinting tiredness at a point . In fact , none of them thought earnestly thought , back in their youths , that they will sustain their popularity , or would have reasons for it , except perhaps Jagger himself who jested that he had dreamt about rocking the stage into his 60s . Shine a Light doesn't break any new cinematic ground , even though it has cameras almost everywhere in a concert hall to capture every aspect and angle of the performing stage . In fact , despite Scorsese making appearances in front of the camera , his work behind it , with all due respect , could be replaced with any other director , and the outcome would probably be more or less the same , only because of the fact that it is a Rolling Stones concert with the band holding court from start to end . Would have been more of a blast to be able to see this in the IMAX version though . |
515,332 | 317,399 | 944,834 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Dragon Hunters | My first impression would be this is Beowulf only with all the good bits of fighting Grendel and dragons intact , making it one thrill ride from start to end . Written by Frederic Lanoir and Arthur Qwak , the two of them had created a fantastical landscape that becomes a character in itself within their story , with its ever changing environment made up of small spheres of land floating around , which can either be wastelands , or globes of greenery . The story's a simple one , which tells of a land which is cowering in the expectation of a mighty dragon's unwanted visit to plunder and destroy , and the resident knights have all but been annihilated . Enter the king's granddaughter Zoe ( Marie Drion ) who gathers Lian-Chu ( Vincent Lindon ) , a huge brute with immense strength but truly a gentle giant , and his partner-in-arms Gwizdo ( Patrick Timsit ) , who balances the partnership with his cunning brain . Lian-Chu and Gwizdo ( together with their pet creature which too proudly spews incipient fires ) share a common dream of owning a farm land and spending idyllic days tending to their farm animals in retirement , but in order to do that comes the requirement of being financially free , hence their career in monster-extermination which doesn't exactly pay off . That's basically the whole gist of it , but what makes this film a spectacle , is its CG graphics , which is solidly rich , detailed , and an eye-popping marvel to behold . It has some wonderfully crafted set action pieces that were painstakingly designed to draw you into the thick of the action , , and during those fight sequences , there's nary a boring moment . Photo-realistic moments of non-existent landscapes make you put aside the fantasy of make-belief , and it's easy to be in awe of the landscape which goes beyond the usual three-suns and a kaleidoscope of flying thingamajigs ( here's having at you George ! ) And I couldn't get enough of the finale battle as well , though the usual brick-bats will find some fault at the indestructibility of the principle characters . I guess this film had opened my eyes that there are many more computer-animated companies out there around the world that have quality in their product to match that of Pixar's . And this is definitely a movie that the local filmmakers of Zodiac : The Race Begins and Legend of the Sea can learn from ? to keep the story effectively simple , and let your moving artwork do all the talking . Definitely highly recommended ! |
514,529 | 317,399 | 864,761 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Duchess | The trailers had tried to market this as drawing some parallels to the late Princess of Wales Diana Spencer's life , given the subject matter being a lady of royal lineage being subjected to a loveless marriage which comes complete with affairs and scandals . It had even superimposed her portrait on the trailer to suggest a deja-vu of history , given that the story here is based on real people and presenting a dramatized snapshot of their lives . Until of course Keira Knightley had to stand up and say that this movie tells its own story without the need for such cheap promotional gimmick . But frankly , the life of the Georgina , Duchesss of Devonshire ( Keira Knightley ) in late 18th century England , couldn't be anything less than similar in certain ways , if based on Amanda Foreman's biography which formed the basis for the film . At a young age and to the delight of her mother ( Charlotte Rampling ) , the Duke of Devonshire ( Ralph Fiennes ) proposes a sealing of families through marriage , where his sole concern is to have a male heir . He wastes no time in impregnating his young wife , and treats her nothing more than a baby - producing factory , given a girl baby after girl baby , in addition to stillborns and miscarriages . It's also a sign of the times where women have no rights , and are expected to perform their duty , of being a wife and mother , which also translates to having no say to what their husbands are doing . For the Duke , it means spending a lot more time with his dogs with no effort in communicating with a factory worker , and being the sex addict that he is , takes pleasure in bedding chambermaids within his castle , or even the Duchess ' good friend Bess Foster ( Hayley Atwell ) , who succumbs to trading her body for powerful influences in order to see her children , taken away by her estranged husband . As with most period dramas , it's a tussle between duty and love , and affairs of the heart . While the Duke's dalliances have taken a toil on his marriage , given that the Duchess one headstrong woman , we slowly see her relent and slide into resignation of her fate , but not before trying to perform a tit-for-tat with her lover , future Prime Minister Charles Grey . From the slate of movies in the period drama genre , it seems that such stories are becoming quite popular to be translated to the big screen , and I recall Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette , who was betrothed in similar circumstances just across the English Channel . Keira Knightley stars in yet another period drama , and she's quite an old hand at it already , which no doubt translates to her delivering her best performance thus far in the genre . She presents the pain of living a lie quite convincingly , having to put on a front in public , while behind the scenes get surprise after surprise at the revelation of her husband's true character . Ralph Fiennes seemed to be quite stoic this time round with nary an emotion , and given he is Voldermott , has no difficulty in playing the bastard of a character , using his influence and power for his personal gratitude , making no negotiations to wanting things his way . In fact , one wonders men in high positions back then , could get away with a lot of things , and their wield of influence no doubt carries a lot of weight . The Duchess doesn't present its themes in depth , and sought instead to have breadth in covering a broad range of topics , from social standing to England during the cusp of elections , and while it certainly has no lack of material to last its run time , it certainly hinges on its big name stars to carry the film on their collective shoulders . It's a very straight forward film , like watching the life and times of someone unfold in chronology , and those looking for some satisfying , compelling drama with deep tussles involving heart and soul , might want to look elsewhere instead . Nothing fancy here , but it works . |
514,364 | 317,399 | 431,197 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Kingdom | There are a number of hits , and expected misses to some though , and you can expect to be fairly clear where those misses are . For example , one will certainly frown at the USofA being yet again trumpeting their expertise and imposing their will on cultures vastly different , or worse , frowning upon the need to go in with guns ablazing , although granted , they didn't shoot first . Some might also want to find fault with the number of clichés commonly found in cop dramas , with policemen from the two countries finding themselves in a clash of culture from the lack of understanding , to finding common ground and similarities through , what else , American pop culture . But of course it is almost without a doubt which culture is slowly influencing which , and there's some really well placed irony with cyclic violent attitudes each side has for the other . And this is one violent film , not that I'm wincing from it . It tries to be as realistic as possible in the deadly deeds of the terrorists , and that includes random drive by shootings , suicide bombers , vehicle bombs , kidnappings , beheadings , you name it , The Kingdom covers it all , showcasing the common modus operandi terrorist group adopt in their violent agenda , all performed with meticulous planning . I've no doubt if this picture is given the 3D treatment just as Beowulf was , you'd find yourself knee deep in a perpetual war zone , and ducking at your seat each time some explosion happens in your face . Which brings me to the one of the plus points of The Kingdom . While not being an advocate of violence , sometimes you have to dish out eye for an eye , tooth for a tooth when you run out of options , especially when dealing with adversary who don't negotiate and only answer to the law of the gun . And The Kingdom really gets down to the quick and dirty when it calls for killing with extreme prejudice , some scenes which you will do a double take at with its realism . I recall Heat having an excellent urban shootout , and the one in The Kingdom could give it a run for its money . But there is no doubt some repetitive action sequence of non-stop shooting in the veins of Black Hawk Down ( remember those pesky RPGs ? ) does make it seem a little lazy , especially when you have masked up goons taking potshots from every conceivable street corner , that it becomes too much like a video game . Those who find no peace with the " unsteadicam " , will naturally hate the way the movie is filmed , with the constantly shaking camera that , coupled with the rapid fire pace of editing , will induce some nauseating feeling to those with low tolerance to bouncing cameras . But I thought that the narrative justified the use of this technique though , with the characters constantly peering over their shoulders , being in hostile territory without knowing who to trust your life with , and without doubt , a now frequently adopted technique for filming " realisitc " action , whether you like it or not . Jamie Foxx has cut his teeth with ( para ) military roles before in movies like Stealth and Jarhead , and here , he revisits Saudi Arabia as FBI special agent Ronald Fluery , who has assembled his own renegade team of agents to investigate into the suicide bombing and killings of American citizens living within a safe protected zone . We have Chris Cooper's ( again a return to The Kingdom from his Jarhead days ) bomb expert Grant Sykes who's stuck deep in mud , Jason Bateman as IT specialist Adam Leavitt , and the token female around to present challenges to customs and tradition , Jenn ifer Garner's forensic specialist Janet Mayes . Naturally in the hunt for those responsible for the attacks , they go up against protocol and culture , in the form of their host Colonel Faris Al Ghazi ( Ashraf Barhom , who himself played a terrorist in Paradise Now ) . But the movie does cast some sympathetic light on Faris , and in a broad stroke , the Saudi Arabians as well , being caught in a situation that they'd prefer not to be in if given a choice . So while it's Follow the Law for some , it's time for the Americans to break certain taboos and persuade their new friends through respect , to allow them to go all the way in their investigations , with a trade off for teaching them a thing or two in Crime Scene Investigations . There are moments where Royalty is shown to be slightly inept though , with interest only to shore up good press and publicity for themselves , and the feud between the police and the National Guard , at first being ramped up , then totally forgotten when it comes to the crunch - yep , the conveniently forgotten backup firepower to call upon . But you can't deny some scenes which stick to the back of your head , like armoured SUVs cruising the highways at top speed , with an Apache shadowing overhead . At certain points , the narrative lapses into teasing the possibilities of expanding the movie into a commentary on the politicking back home on US soil , with agencies at loggerheads with one another , ultimately not getting things done when at a stalemate ( hence needing mavericks to have a go at it ) . It seemed to want to suggest that action should be taken promptly without dragging one's feet to suck up to politicians , but the screen time didn't allow for anything other than a cursory mention at such themes . But the first few minutes more than won me over . Yes , having an opening that arrests my attention more than does it for me , with its slick documentary feel and animation which provided a quick history of The Kingdom , from the time of its founding to the current climate , and that alone , is well worth the ticket price , every penny of it . |
515,114 | 317,399 | 1,038,988 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : RE | REC has been making its rounds in the festival and cinema circuit , while us folks here have to sit around and twiddle our thumbs , wondering if it'll ever make it to our shores . Hollywood reckoned it was worthy of a remake , and they did Quarantine , which was surprisingly made quite fast , and was penned to be released here as well . Guess someone got smart and decided to pre-empt that remake version with the original , and for some , the decision will be whether to double dip , stick to the original , or the remake when it's released at the end of the month . This is one effective , relatively low budget movie along the same veins of horror movies making good use of the shaky cam . Those who feel queasy will naturally want to give this a miss , but then again , you'll be giving up on some really scary stuff here designed to put those shaky constraints and limitations to the test . Of course there's a story to follow , and despite its short run time , there are enough material here to build up the back story , as well as presenting the lead characters as someone you'd really care about in wanting them to emerge from this strange ordeal unscathed . We follow a television crew in their filming of an episode of " While You're Asleep " , where journalist Angela ( Manuela Velasco ) and her cameraman Pablo ( Pablo Rosso , of course it's natural to name this cameraman after your DOP ) follow the adventures of firemen in their neighbourhood . In a strange pre-emptive irony , the chief commented that 70 % of the time they deal with , instead of fires , rather mundane stuff like rescuing pets , or some other unexpected incidents . I guess nothing will prepare them for what's to come . So an SOS call is made , and for the entire movie , we follow the point of view of the cameraman , as our entourage arrive at a small building where you have an old woman lumbering around before starting to attack the policeman on duty . Before you know it , they're ordered by the authorities outside the building to listen to the duty cop , and to stay at all times at the lobby hallway . The building gets physically quarantined , and soon everyone starts getting jittery with the lack of information . Saying too much will be letting the cat out of the bag , but suffice to say that every capability of a camera was put to good use here , and there were moments which draw the audience into rapturous cheers and even drew some unintended laughter , but for the most parts , it's really an effective mix of silence and noise , and plenty of confidence in knowing what to show verbatim , and when to pull back to obscure . After all , the best horror device here to put into use , are everyone's imagination just how bad things have deteriorated and become , planting catalysts into the minds via sneaky peeps . It's quite excellent on many fronts , such as how low frills this can actually be , but yet present itself in engaging and entertaining ways . For those looking for a good scare , look no further than REC . And yes , I'll be double dipping and watching Quarantine , just to see if Hollywood can bastardize something incredible , and dumb it down unnecessarily through the need to explain everything . |
515,204 | 317,399 | 493,430 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Jackass Number Two | I haven't seen the Jackass television series from MTV , or the original movie when it was released in 2002 . This sequel was originally planned for release here sometime last year in October , but has been shelved until now . Nonetheless I shall unabashedly say that I had a good time watching this , but I guess it will only appeal to those who have a thing for low browed humour . Jackass Number Two consists of various episodes of skits , ranging from the vulgar to the dangerous , featuring a whole host of comedians cum stunt persons who are willing to risk life and limb to capture on film some ridiculous , nonsensical stunts , or craft deliberate candid camera-ish funny moments to either humiliate , or just have plain fun amongst the cast and crew . The gags range from the simple sucker punch types , to elaborate rouses like Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd . Even their own cast and crew are not spared moments where the joke's actually on them , without them knowing . With Johnny Knoxville ( Dukes of Hazzard ) being one of the chief pranksters , be prepared for plenty of scenes with naked butts , balls , and hair from the pubic region . Be prepared for loads of camera focus on the body parts , and bodily fluids from animals are not spared either . If it's not your kind of thing and you dismiss toilet humour jokes easily , then steer clear of this comedy , as crassness just got its ante upped in this movie . There's no joke that cannot be made here , and there's a running one throughout the movie involving an old man , and another on an old lady . No holds barred , I tell you . If you want to unwind after a hard day's work , in need of some mindless fun and comedy , and not bother about plot or characters , then Jackass Number Two is an automatic choice . Just do repeat what they do , in the real world . And if you've watched this already , which is your favourite skit ? |
514,884 | 317,399 | 246,772 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Mostly Martha | The kitchen makes for a good setting for movies . There's wonderful food , chefs with personality , and a rat . . . wait , that's Ratatouille , Pixar's latest offering which unfortunately won't be shown here until the end of next month . On the other hand , a trailer for a romantic comedy seemed to have caught my eye . Also set in a kitchen , it stars Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart opposite each other as chefs who don't get along but ultimately fall in love , you know , the usual opposites attract formula , in No Reservations . But I was surprised that it was actually based on a German movie called Mostly Martha back in 2001 , based on a pickup at the library , and reading through the synopsis , it just couldn't be more coincidental as that . Hollywood has been poaching remake rights to a host of movies in Asia , from horror like Shutter , to crime thrillers like Confession of Pain , to Korean romantic comedies like My Sassy Girl and the likes . And of course , remakes and adaptations of movies from the European continent too . I wonder how much more original stories can Tinseltown spin on its own , without resorting to cannibalizing from others . Written and directed by Sandra Nettelbeck , Mostly Martha is not your typical romantic comedy , contrary to what the Hollywood remake would suggest ( from the trailers so far ) . The premise is of course similar . Martha Klein ( Martina Gedeck ) is the head chef for a restaurant , a to the book , no nonsense , proud chef at that . She has a rigid lifestyle , and finds herself so high strung that on her employer's advice , reluctantly checks herself in for therapy . Her niece Lina ( Maxime Foerste ) drops into her life one day , and both find it difficult to adapt to one another , with Lina at first glance being your typical stubborn , bratty child . And things become worse when Martha has to face up to competition in her own kitchen , with the arrival of Italian chef Mario ( Sergio Castellitto ) , a man whose laissez-faire style just drives her nuts . If Hollywood were to take the script from here , it would make it a simple , expected romantic tangle between Martha and Mario , in which the trailer for No Reservations seem to suggest . But Mostly Martha is more than that . It's deeper , more subtle , has negligible snarky remarks passing off as comedy , and doesn't turn the kid into a precocious cutesy tot . It's steers towards powerful drama territory , with each scene beautifully shot , minimal dialogue which just catches your attention span , and subtle philosophical ideas tossed into the whole works . It examines the relationships between all characters in a very engaging manner , and doesn't neglect any of the main leads . What emerges is a classy movie , with interesting reminders on life and living life . I particularly liked how fine dining gets weaved into the narrative , be it the preparation , or the properties , or just to decorate the set . Don't watch this on an empty stomach , please ! What I found true is its account that unlike food , there is no recipe to life which you can follow step by step to a T , based on fixed parameters which if followed accurately , will bring out that flavour in the end result . Life can't be run that way , and certainly there is no recipe or formula on how to lead a successful life , having success defined by one's values . My advise would be , given that Hollywood has adopted key scenes in its own release , and signs do seem to point No Reservations towards a true blue romantic comedy , if you'd like , watch the Hollywood version , but please comeback to the original source material , and you'll understand why Hollywood wanted to remake this , and for you to experience the actual , rich storyline that Mostly Martha ( or its German title Bella Martha ) is actually all about . |
515,471 | 317,399 | 462,590 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Step Up | I think I'm fast becoming a fan of the dance genre . The moves and the music just gets to me , be it Mad Hot Ballroom styled documentaries , or street hip hop , or a fusion of both , like in the recent Take The Lead . Step Up is one such movie , full of youthful energy that makes you want to stand up and do a jig or two . The storyline though is nothing to shout about . It stuck to formula with leads that don't get along , and yet fitting like a glove as they heat up both the dance floor as well as one another's hearts . It's your usual bad-boy-good-girl pairing , with inspiration rubbing off each other , and the usual white-trash and upper strata of society mix and exploration of differences , or maybe perhaps , some similarities . Like its dance moves , the story's a fusion of improvisation and structure , so despite the tinge of familiarity , you'll probably forgive it as it allows you to do a quantum leap to get headlong into the scheme of things . But what struck me is how similar this movie's structure and lead character are to Eminem's 8 Mile , with the same mould of a " white rabbit " boy , from the underclass , trying to triumph against odds that he faces in his quest to do something worthwhile with his life . Replace 8 Mile's freestyle rapping with street hip hop dance , and you get Channing Tatum's Tyler Gage , the dude from the hood with hardcore dance attitude yo ! This bro I can tell is gonna heat up the screens for the ladies in da house . You can hear silent female sighs each time he comes on to do his thing . If you find him familiar , yep , he was playing opposite Amanda Byrnes in She's The Man as the captain of the football team . Step Up's other lead is Jenna Dewan as the rich girl Nora Clark pursuing a dance career , and has to come up with some slick choreographed moves for her final year project to gain the attention of scouts from the industry . No prizes if you think you know who she has to turn to for help . There are various supporting characters , but I'd like to highlight R & B singer Mario's stint as a music producer-student who has this knack of rocking da house from tunes spun from his macbook ( yep , product placement ) . But before you dismiss this as yet another run of the mill dance movie , it's actually both adequately entertaining , and fused with a right amount of drama , for character development purposes . Pursuing of dreams , of living up to promises made , of being there for friends , these are but some of the tired but tested sub plots that make its usual rounds in the movie . As always , you never really get to see the entire dance sequence during rehearsals , until the finale where it's full-dress-show-off time . And director Anne Fletcher , who choreographed moves for plenty of movies , pulls this one off brilliantly . It was well worth the wait , even if it all ended in a saccharine sweet manner . |
515,134 | 317,399 | 318,649 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Sahara | The trailer of this film does not do it any justice , as it presented this film like another rehash of Nicholas Cage's National Treasure , given the success of that film at the box office . While this show is somewhat a treasure hunt adventure , the focus is far from that , as it manages to put in many different subplots and mix them well together , even though each subplot takes up little screen time . You have two treasure hunters ( Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn ) , a World Health Organization doctor ( Penelope Cruz ) , Mali warlords , a French industralist ( our favourite Matrix Merovingian without the exaggerated French accent ) , with plots about pollution and toxic waste , a Civil War era iron ship , feuding factions , shady clandestine organizations and treasure hunting . Based upon a Clive Cussler novel , the feel of the movie is like an Indiana Jones adventure , with interesting and sometimes comedic action sequences , its own catchy Dirk musical theme ( that could be a mainstay if this show has its own franchise ) , a capable sidekick who provides the laughs , and even makes subtle digs at Indiana Jone's penchant for not losing his fedora hat . I've never watched a Matthew McConaughey flick since his major debut in A Time To Kill ( also based on a novel , by John Grisham ) , and if this movie proves successful , he might be on his way to a new movie franchise . Steve Zahn manages to bring across the comedy with uncanny timing , and Penelope Cruz , well , what more can I say ? If you enjoyed National Treasure , don't let the trailer fool you into thinking that this show is similar . It's more . |
514,442 | 317,399 | 851,532 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Forever Enthralled | I got to watch this trailer inadvertently when it was part of a montage sequence honouring Chen Kaige with the Akira Kurosawa Award during last year's Tokyo International Film Festival , and I was actually thrilled to have caught glimpses of it . I thought the boo-boys were out too early in lamenting Chen's choice of Leon Lai in the titular role , thinking that he would ruin what would be a decent biopic about one of China's greatest opera singer . To me , those fears were quite unfounded , as I felt Leon Lai actually did reasonably well when under the thick operatic makeup to transform himself for his stage persona , from Mei Wanhua to Mei Lanfang , where portrays only female characters . But of course if put side by side with Chinese actor Yu Shaoqun , Lai paled considerably as Yu was obviously the better of the two , portraying the younger Mei who found his true calling when opportunity came knocking on his door , and deciding to seize it , yet being mindful all the time of where his roots were . And the best parts were of course the first act , where Mei decides to up the ante and challenge his master , the then largest opera star Shi Sanyan ( Wang Xueqi ) to a show-down of sorts if you will . Under his master's wing , he finds himself somewhat stifled in not being able to explore his roles much further , given the master's fear that his thunder will be stolen . At the encouragement of maverick magistrate and future sworn brother / business manager Qiu Rubai ( Sun Honglei ) , he finds some new found confidence to test waters while still keeping true to the core of his character , thus earning new praise , and given one's talent with nothing much to lose , one will go for broke - win and you win all , lose and you have really no reputation at stake , in contrary to his master . It's about control , or the lack thereof . From early on we learn that actors in the days of the crumbling of the Chinese monarchy that they do not have any respect , and have to play to the whims of those with power , money and fame . Even then the child actors have to pander to lords with a penchant for young boys . Mei does not buckle his self-worth , and is pretty clear that while he portrays ladies in more feminine terms than real ladies , that it does not make him easy fodder . And we follow through his life how he does not get to live the life he wants to lead , but rather according to both the rules and regulations of the stage , as well as the same off it in society . Be it instructions from his managers , his wife Zhifang ( Chen Hong ) or the Japanese occupiers , each seemingly want to exert an influence over his career and personal life , not so much for personal gain , but to propagate that legend and persona so carefully crafted over the years . Naturally Mei finds an avenue to fight back , and does so through an affair of the heart . While he portrays females on stage , he meets his equal in Meng Xiaodong ( Zhang Ziyi ) , who is his mirror opposite , the best in the business in playing male characters . Together they blaze a trail of glory , and naturally leads to tongues wagging . While Zhang Ziyi may share top billing , in actual fact she's nothing more than a supporting role , coming in only in the middle portion to highlight Mei's need for escape from his rigid world . Much is said about the supporting actors doing a far better job than the leads , and that is true , in a nice way . My respect for the Chinese actors have grown from watching a number of indie and mainstream films , and I can't credit the likes of Sun Honglei , Chen Hong , Wang Xueqi and especially Yu Shaoqun in being nothing less than superb each time they come on screen to chew up the scenery . It's not really fair to say the leads acted poorly , because the supporting cast had raised the bar in delivery , which adds to the enjoyment of the film . I can never forget the really poor movie in The Promise which Chen Kaige made a couple of years back . The story was so bad it allowed the special effects to run wild in trying to salvage the show . There aren't a lot of Chinese bio-pics ( or at least those I have watched ) in recent years that were non-martial arts related ( think Ip Man , Wong Fei-Hung , Fong Sai-Yuk , Huo Yuanjia etc ) , and somehow I'm glad Chen Kaige found his mojo back to helm this , and in far elegant terms that I'm now better convinced to check out more of his filmography . He was able to shift gears quite effortlessly between distinct acts of the narrative , which straddled a timeline from after the Qing Dynasty to after the surrender of the Japanese . However , there might seem to be a quantum leap in addressing issues towards the last 30 minutes , but for everything else , it was paced quite evenly to keep you interest from waning . Forever Enthralled has all the ingredients of a credible epic , from beautiful set designs and art direction , to a wonderful soundtrack and elegant costumes , Chen Kaige does not scrimp in making this film look and feel just like it would back in those days of sheer opulence . While opera may be an artform that is dwindling here , don't let the Peking Opera focus here put you off , as you just might find some reason to want to watch the real thing if you have the opportunity to . Definitely recommended . |
514,829 | 317,399 | 438,097 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Ice Age 2 : The Meltdown | Similar to the first Ice Age , the promotional material for the sequel was out in the theatres way in advance , and courtesy of the Scrat character too , up to its usual antics of getting to that elusive acorn . Here , Scrat opens the movie , and emulating the style of the first , he provides most of the laughs , also as an intermission from the actual scenes from the main cast . Our gang of prehistoric animals are back - Manny the Mammoth ( voiced by Ray Romano ) , Sid the Sloth ( John Leguizamo ) and Diego the Sabre-tooth Tiger ( Denis Leary ) . We learn that Sid has gone into the early childhood business , educating the young minds of pre-historic brats . However , I felt that this movie was somehow darker in tone than the original . While the original was one which dealt with hope , this one had its setting in extinction , disaster and death . The valley which they live in is threatened by the melting ice , no thanks to global warming . So all the animals embark on a journey to salvation , to that rumored ark which will save them from the massive floods to come . Along the way , our trio meets up with another trio of characters , who were added to expand the cast , featuring 2 Possums Crash ( Seann William Scott ) and Eddie ( Josh Peck ) , and another , but female , mammoth ( Queen Latifah ) . Needless to say , Manny's still anti-social , and Diego can't get along with those rascal possums who get on his nerves , and Sid's the " philosopher " ever providing the laughs . Various themes like romance ( hey , we got 2 mammoths here ) , friendship , trust , and believing in oneself to overcome one's phobia get covered . Pretty wide scope , but they manage to fit in place nicely . The villains in this sequel are pretty nasty , besides the looming natural disaster , we have two sea creatures with nasty teeth and attitude , as well as menacing vultures ever ready to pounce on the flesh of animals who have fallen . But it's not all that bleak . Keep a lookout too for that mad sloth song-and-dance sequence , which has potential to become the next ear worm ala Madagascar's zany " you-got-to-move-it " song . The animation is as usual , top notch , and I just can't get enough of the photo-realistic ice and water landscape . This is one piece of animation that doesn't rely too much on sight gags , of spoofing current affairs , but one filled with more witty dialogue and kept on an even keel with its interesting storyline . Though at times it might feel clichéd , somehow it excelled in its execution . And that makes this sequel , as enjoyable as , if not better , than the original . Recommended stuff this week ! |
514,818 | 317,399 | 808,357 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Lust , Caution | Early in the movie , Wong Chia Chi ( Tang Wei ) gets asked to act in a patriotic play , in a time when China was threatened by the Japanese Invasion during the late 30s / early 40s . Little does she know that she's got to carry on acting the rest of her life , together with her group of idealistic young dramatists , as stage feelings stirred up real emotions that calls for the sacrificial of self for the greater good , for the country . What they lack in experience , they make up with their youthful passion and exuberance . And their rawness shows in the way they clumsily set up their traps for the coming of the prey , and fumbling even with their first blood . Welcome to Lee Ang's world of espionage . It's not glam , and gets draped in many real world sense and sensibilities . We enter a world where Trust and Loyalty are difficult to come by , and with shadows lurking in every corner , waiting to pounce at the slightest of mistakes . But the darkness is beautifully captured , and like its endless rounds of mahjong , you're waiting for that perfect tile to come your way , for the opportune to present itself , for the East Wind to come about . That's how this movie's espionage theme is played out , with plenty of waiting . Instant results and instant gratification do not come easy , and even the finale I found to be less than satisfying , though it provided subtle avenues to keep your imagination running as to how the turn of events have greatly affected the usually cautious Mr Yee ( Tony Leung ) . Like the movie , Leung's Mr Yee remains an enigma we are trying to have a crack at , trying to , like the rest , understand his secret life . He sneaks around from fort to fort , always with protection , and has this solid wall build around his personal life , that even his wife ( Joan Chen ) finds hard to break , and letting it be anyway , enjoying luxurious life as a tai-tai . All we know about Yee , is that he's a Chinese traitor in the employment of the Japanese , while enjoying immense power under the protection of his master , readily bolts like a running dog that he is in the first signs of trouble . Enter Tang Wei's Chia Chi , in a strategy hundreds of years old , and that is to use the lure of the beauty to provide the downfall of powerful generals . As a fresh faced ingénue , she enters the dangerous cat and mouse game at great personal sacrifice , probing cautiously ( that's the word again ) into the life of Mr Yee , and casting those come hither eyes as bait to lure her prey , relying on others to provide the finishing blow and save her from his evil roaming clutches . In order to enter his circle of trust , she has to play to the sadistic sexual fantasies ( you see , I don't think he gets any from Mrs Yee anyway ) of a repressed man using her as an avenue to release those pent up rage and frustrations from work , where his job as we know is to interrogate fellow countrymen . It's not a glam job , especially when you're casting your lot with the underdogs . Lust , Caution is a tale of two lonely people , forced by circumstances to do what they have to . One , to fulfill her ideology and get rid of possibly one of the most dangerous man to the Chinese , while the other , looking for honest companionship . It's falling for and sleeping with the enemy both ways , and in a time where trust is hard pressed , this makes everything more complex , especially when it comes to irrational emotions that overrule logic and guard . It's layered with plenty of betrayals whichever way you look at it , and the narrative kept pace by unfolding eachlayer intricately . Which makes it ultimately a very sad love that couldn't be story , the perennial fib to reality . Tony being Tony , I can't help but think that with his hair slicked back , and his stoic demeanor in well pressed suits , look the more vengeful version of his Mr Chow from In the Mood for Love , though this time round he really gets it on with another married woman Mrs Mak , Chia Chi's alter-ego . He might be sleepwalking through his role here , as he speaks very little and does even less , but comes alive in his scenes toward the end . LeeHom is rather wooden though as the de-factor youth leader , and his romantic moments with Tang Wei just falls flat given that it's not fully developed here , if not for the focus of love between Mr Yee and Mrs Mak . Like how Lee Ang shot Zhang Ziyi to prominence with her role in Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon as a headstrong young woman who comes of age , Tang Wei snags a role as such and it wouldn't be much of a surprise should she gain acclaim and recognition for her role here . She switches between the greenhorn student and one who's living a lie quite easily , and she exhibits linguistic skills ( English , Cantonese , Mandarin and even Shanghainese ) and even talent for song . Watch those eyes of hers , and her rant during breaking point , excellent stuff . Lust , Caution is an espionage story that works , and being set in a tumultuous era helped loads in the eagerness and sense of urgency required , and how patience in getting everything set up for that one shot one kill opportunity makes it a constant tussle , both for the characters , and how events get played out . |
514,847 | 317,399 | 409,459 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Watchmen | It begins with the murder of The Comedian ( Jeffrey Dean Morgan ) , a superhero once engaged by the government for its missions , and one of two which is sanctioned by the government . As part of the Minutemen , and then later the Watchmen group , we learn of The Comedian's backstory through a series of flashbacks with the members of his team , and we learn he isn't exactly the usual friendly neighbourhood type nor Mr Popular . He comes complete with plenty of skeletons in the closet , and with an extremely damaged persona made worse from the ghosts of war . He continues to do what he does because he can , which will make any human rights activist seethe with rage . Investigating the murder because he is certain that it leads to a bigger conspiracy of a hired killer engaged to bump off ex-superheroes , Rorschach ( Jackie Earle Haley ) takes it upon himself to work outside the system as an outlawed masked vigilante , and this narrative arc runs like an old-fashioned detective crime noir . Running around warning his ex-team members , we soon get introduced to all the other characters , like Dan Dreiberg the Night Owl II ( Patrick Wilson ) , Adrian Veidt's Ozymandias ( Matthew Goode ) , touted as one of the greatest brains and now turned into a successful businessman , who's in pursuit of renewable energy which he deems will turn back the doomsday clock because of his belief that man goes to war over finite resources , Silk Spectre II ( Malin Akerman ) whose mother was part of the Minutemen with The Comedian , and the only super-powered being Dr Manhattan ( Billy Crudup ) , whose allegiance with the USA staves off any potential pre-emptive aggression by the USSR . Quite a list of actors here and it's a smart move in casting a relatively none-too - A-list cast so that none would chew up the screen at the expense of another character or the plot . Snyder knows how to play up his strengths , since the movie's intelligence gets handed to him on a silver platter . What was once deem " unfilmmable " by directors who entered and left the project like through revolving doors , it's no surprise that the studios had turned to the man who faithfully adapted in visual terms , Frank Miller's graphic novel 300 . I suppose it's a bit of a no-brainer here to again try and visually adapt a graphic novel , and an Alan Moore masterpiece at that , by sticking true to its form from the comic panels . This of course would garner Snyder plenty of flak for doing what he does best again , leaving some unimpressed by reasoning it doesn't take a genius to do just that , but seriously , who has the balls to stamp their own mark on the story and characters , other than to put in some minor tweaks for the modern audience ? However Snyders shortcomings come in the form of the lengthy narratives found in the graphic novel , especially toward the second half of the film , and that between Dr Manhattan and Silk Spectre II , which he failed in bringing out the dramatic qualities in character realization and affirmation , and the only response to being like a deer caught in the headlights , Is to throw in more CG unfortunately . Action wise , the film medium allows for Snyder to connect the dots and interpret what happens between comic book panels . Granted the action sequences are few and far between , but Watchmen is never about superheroes busting balls . But when they do , it's no holds barred , and although the trailer seem to suggest plenty of slow-motion , the actual film is anything but . Some of the best set action pieces involve both Night Owl II and Silk Spectre II when they team up to reminisce the days of old . The action sequences here are well filmed , without those quick cut edits or too close a quarter that everything mixes together in a dizzy spin and you can't see anything . In a cinema hall with great sound system , you get to feel every whack and punch the character throws , with the bass reverberating right through to your heart . Now for the gripes . Unless you're really paying attention and can lip read , some of the dialogue may just fly past you so quickly , that you'll go " huh ? " . And that lengthy chit-chat that Dr . Manhattan has with the Silk Spectre II would test your patience a little , despite some graphical effects being overdone in attempting to distract you for a bit from the bore . I suppose that's one of the difficulties faced , in trying to summarize lengthy text from the book into a visual medium - how do you do so without putting your audience to sleep , and yet crucial enough to have to be included somehow ? I guess Snyder had yet to find that perfect balance there . Also , while it was a careful selection of songs from the 80s era for the soundtrack , Snyder shows he's no Tarantino in having a ear for great music , and some of the tunes did feel a little out of place . I did like the insertion of Simon and Garfunkel's Sounds of Silence though during a funeral scene . It worked perfectly and gave a very surreal feel to it all . Watch the Watchmen if you'd like a quick peek and introduction to the complexity and sheer genius of an Alan Moore story , coupled with visuals that pop right out of the graphic novel . With a little tweaks made to the story , purists may cry foul at such a blasphemous attempt . But if you take a look at the bigger picture , and the sacrifices for the objectives that can be achieved ( just like how it plays out in the story ) it just might win new fans over , and to pick up the source graphic novel . To that , I'd say this comes in recommended , though no thanks to additional edits made in order to cater to the teenage crowd here whom I suspect would be restless if approaching this film equating Snyder to 300 . |
514,781 | 317,399 | 299,213 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Waterboys | I had enjoyed Japanese writer-director Shinobu Yaguchi's Swing Girls back in 2004 , in a story of how a group of schoolgirls mobilized to form a big band jazz group , trained and finally perform in competition . It had a simple story made great by the excellent cast in endearing characters , as well as awesome jazz music to go along . In my attempt to revisit some of his earlier works , it had led me back to the Waterboys . Waterboys almost follows the same formula , where a group of misfits get together , and against all odds and everyone's pessimism , manage to pull through and put up one heck of a performance . Along the way , they encounter seemingly implausible obstacles which stand to derail their plans and hopes , and sometimes watching them come through in comedic ways just puts a smile on you . It's one of those feel good movies without any real villains to snarl at , just being there to cheer them on as they try to give one of the best performances of their mundane lives . A youthful looking Satoshi Tsumabuki ( starred in this year's Nada Sou Sou ) plays Suzuki , the only member of his school's swim team , who gets more members than he bargained for when a beautiful teacher , Mrs Sakuma ( Kaori Manabe ) becomes the swim coach of the all - boys school . But after a comedy of errors , we're left with 5 nerdy boys who must rough it out to be synchronized swimmers instead , bringing guffaws from their schoolmates and folks in their neighbourhood . Not wanting to give up , they enlist the reluctant help of a dolphin trainer ( Naoto Takenaka , who was also in Swing Girls ) at Sea World , who trains them through unorthodox methods , which brings on the laughter and allows space for the boys to exude charm during their weird routines . It's basically an underdog's story and their struggles to fulfill a promise , whether or not they look stupid or effeminate while doing it . And thrown into the mix is a budding romance between Suzuki , and Shizuko Kiuchi ( Aya Hirayama ) , a female karate exponent from a neighbouring all-girls school . And when they finally get their act going , you'll be left wanting more . That's how a bubblegum movie should be , in order to cover its breezy , simple plot . Thoroughly entertaining , and suitable for all ages . The Code 3 DVD from Alliance Entertainment ( as with most locally pressed DVDs ) comes without any special features . Visuals are letterboxed , and the quality of transfer is decent . The audio comes in Dolby Digital Stereo , and subtitles are available in English or Chinese . Scene selection is available in 8 chapters . |
515,247 | 317,399 | 453,556 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : TMNT | The 80s was a funky time to grow up in , when kids have a wide , and I mean really wide selection of cartoons to watch , and not to mention the toys tied in to make billions . I can rattle off the toons like Mask , Silverhawks , BraveStarr , and the earlier GI Joes and He-Man , etc . It was a period of time where I celebrated in my shorts , but I vividly remember that growing up phase when somehow , the toons didn't start to appeal anymore . Probably I was maturing ( ahem ) , and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was caught in this transition stage I was in . Not that I didn't enjoy the episodes on television , but they looked kiddy-ish . If you've read the original comic books by creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird , you'll know what I mean . Gone were the dark , gritty tones , replaced by smiling turtles who for reasons of getting the nod for acceptable screen violence , do not use their weapons . You wonder why they're outfitted with deadly katanas , nunchuks and sais , but decide to use things like dustbin lids , manhole covers and the likes to fend off The Foot . Then again , the demographics for the cartoon series were different , and mainly to feed the demand for the merchandise , and the toys were created with infinite number of permutations and combinations . Things got sillier when they're dressed with strange disguises , just to make that extra buck on a toy . Don't get me started on the earlier movies too . While Jim Henson's puppet house created almost life-like ninja turtles , the story stank , and again , to cater to the target audience , the weapons once again became white elephants . Shredder and The Foot Clan were chief villains , together with Bebop and Rocksteady , but it all played out rather childishly , reminiscent of the cartoon series . It drifted far away from the original source material , and the sequel , which featured a Vanilla Ice cameo , made it all the worse . I'm glad to say that this animated TMNT met expectations , thankfully , giving mature audiences beautiful animation to gawk at , coupled with a decent story . Decent , not fantastic , as it had rehashed certain plot elements from the first movie , and the usual Leonardo - Raphael feud . Set in an era post-Shredder , where our heroes in a half-shell are taking it easy and living their own lives , it added a hokey mythological dimension to introduce some new villains , and given its short runtime , made it seem all like a rush job , given that a montage was slapped to move things along . Then again , this movie probably was never about the villains , but a celebration of the return of the once beloved characters . It put the spotlight firmly on Leonardo , Donatello , Raphael and Michelangelo , together with their master Splinter , ex-newscaster April O'Neil , and vigilante Casey Jones . The villains serve their purpose of being turtle fodder , and an excuse to see our heroes utilize their weapons for once ( though again , no blood is spilled , but they used their weapons , so I'm a happy camper ) . Central to the theme of getting together back again is that of Brotherhood , and our heroes grit and show their teeth just like in the comics , rather than the red tongue in the cartoons . Michelangelo still remained my favourite turtle of them all , and I think he's the best animated character in the movie , given his many goofy expressions , and his larger than usual eyes . The voice talents are something to marvel at too - Chris Evans ( Casey Jones ) , Sarah Michelle Gellar ( April ) , the late Mako Iwamatsu ( Splinter , and also starring in Cages ) , Patrick Stewart ( Max Winters ) , Laurence Fishburne ( Narrator ) , Zhang Ziyi ( Karai ) , and Kevin Smith as an anonymous diner . Writer-director Kevin Munroe got his formula and played his cards right for this movie , and his next film is Gatchaman , yet another piece of animation I grew up with . Looking at the preview stills , it might look like a hit , and given his adequately entertaining take on TMNT , with a sequel suggested , I can't wait . I'd say again , the animation is great , and the soundtrack rocked too . Thank goodness it didn't contain any cheesy lines or tune from the cartoon's theme song . |
514,620 | 317,399 | 414,055 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Elizabeth : The Golden Age | Cate Blanchett reprises her role as 16th Century Virgin Queen Elizabeth I in director Shekhar Kapur's sequel of sorts to Elizabeth ( 1998 ) , which I can't recall if it made it to the local screens . However the DVD of Elizabeth was recently released on DVD here , but you need not have watched that movie because the events that transpire here are after the fact of her ascension to the Throne of England , and you need not be a history buff in order to get up to speed on the events that led up to the opening of the movie . Of course it does help a bit , so if you're choosing not to approach this blind , then you can pop over to Wikipedia for a quick synopsis . The movie begins with the threat of war with Spain looming on the horizon . Spanish King Philip II ( Jordi MOlla ) , a devout Catholic , wants to wage holy war against England , of course to expand his empire , but under the guise of Relgion , since Elizabeth ( Cate Blanchett ) is a Protestant . And to do so requires a reason to send his Armada across the English Channel , which involves making calculated political steps , counting upon those who are Catholics , and to throw his weight behind the supposed Queen in exile / imprisonment Mary of Scots ( played by Samantha Morton ) - here's where you'll probably need some background information to understand the intricacies of the English Mornarchy , in no part made even more complicated since Henry VIII was ruler before his , giving the family tree a healthy boost in the number of branches . The focus however , is still set on Elizabeth , as she goes about trying to deflect questions about her fertility , virginity , and singlehood ( there's actually a good reason to why she stays single , not that she's unattractive , or have a lack of suitors ) . It's like a tale of two halves , where the beginning involves dalliances with her lack of love life , setting the stage for a triangle between herself , her favourite hand maiden Elizabeth Throckmorton ( Abbie Cornish , whom the gossip mags credited for coming in between Ryan Phillipe and Resse Witherspoon ) , and suave pirate Walter Raleigh ( Clive Owen ) , who charms them with his tales of the high seas and the finding of the new world . Later to be Sir Walter Raleigh , his initial audience with the Queen was for funding his exploits , but later with Cupid's arrow , it becomes pretty much muddled with affairs of the heart , as we learn of the social impossibility between the Queen and the pirate , and the countless protocols that come with privileged women . Those who were expecting spectacular battle scenes , especially when the trailers have Elizabeth in full armour , rousing her troops , will be sorely disappointed , because history had already decided the outcome of the battle . Moreover , as far as naval warfare go involving ships with sails , Pirates of the Caribbean had already laid down the gauntlet as far as spectacular is concerned , and that unfortunately , had elements of the supernatural and the fantastical in its aid . But for a period piece , with foundation laid in history , coupled with a dash of artistic and dramatic licensing , Elizabeth : The Golden Age does serve up copious amounts of excellent acting , courtesy of Blanchett , Geoffrey Rush reprising her role as trusted adviser Sir Francis Walsingham and Owen , that it still makes it compelling to witness historical events put up on screen ( of course with accuracy never being 100 % anyway ) . Historical biographies more often than not have dramatic moments included to spice up proceedings , but this one had enough political intrigue and scheming draped with beautiful costumes to keep you engaged . Time to pick up the prequel ! |
514,653 | 317,399 | 444,890 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Perth | Perth is Harry Lee's retirement plan . As an ex-army commando regular turned security supervisor of a shipyard , he leads a nonchalant life , where he regularly exclaims to others that he's a simple man with little materialistic desires , and harbours a goal to settle in Perth , Australia , where life down under is said to be good . When retrenched , he seeks employment as a taxi driver , but ever looking for that break in life to earn more cash to achieve his objective . However , things turn out more complicated for Harry . When sober , we see the empty facade Harry exudes to others , but we learn of the true state of his life when in drunkenness , pouring out his woes to his friends - he's separated from his cheating , gambling wife , and his son refuses to acknowledge him . His is a lonely sad life , and this movie takes a look at the life of the forgotten pioneers of Singapore's materialistic success . We follow his path to the seedier side of the Lion City , into the world of pimps and prostitutes , where he has a lucrative job to ferry the girls to their customers , no questions asked . A depression-proof job , says his friend Angry Boy Lee . Somehow , coffeeshops feature prominently in Singapore movies of late , and Perth is no different , where characters sit around and rant about the authorities , give subtle jibes on the army , and the eventuality of army regulars after their retirement from the uniformed services . They go on about how a better life in Singapore equates first to having a good education , how materialism has crept into society's moral fiber , and the greener pastures available abroad for the lowly skilled . The jibes on the ang-moh's are not subtle though , them being cursed at and assaulted . We know Harry is a violent man from his inner thoughts , but early in the film , it's like his bark is deadlier than his bite . The occasional rant aside , Harry is a man who values faithfulness and loyalty . He fails to see that though his family might not exhibit these values ( probably due to his inner violent nature which led to domestic violence ) , his friends like Angry Boy and Selvam , actually do . The subplot on love and his budding relationship with a Vietnamese call girl at times drags the movie , but it is necessary to lead the movie to its extremely violent finale . The language used throughout is colourful , and I could not think of a local Hokkien expletive not spewed in this film . Perth looks like a one man show from its trailer and poster , with Lim Kay Tong putting in a wonderful performance in shouldering the movie , but gladly , a cast of familiar ( and perhaps stereotypical ) supporting characters help add some depth and sometimes , dark humour . You'll see familiar faces from local TV productions too , like Channel 8's Liu Qiu Lian as Harry's wife . From the laughter amongst the audience , Angry Boy Lee and Selvam are easily favourite characters of some . It's a dark and gritty film , some might consider a local adaptation of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver . But perhaps expectations will be set too high if benchmarked against that classic . This is story of Harry Lee , not Travis Bickle , so put the comparisons aside , and enjoy the ride . |
515,094 | 317,399 | 110,771 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Paper | I've been to a newsroom only twice in my life . First , it's to collect some lucky draw winnings , and I had a sneak peek into the hustle and bustle of a newsroom from behind a glass panel . The next one was more up close and personal , because a journalist friend brought me right up to his desk ( and an incredibly piled up one at that ) , and I had first hand view of how news got made . Or at least it seemed that the next day's articles were done up because there were few people left in the office , and there was a group huddled at one corner . Ron Howard's The Paper was one of those films that I didn't catch at the cinemas ( at that time , the teenage me only recognized Michael Keaton of his 1989 Batman and 1992 Batman Returns fame ) , and missed a number of scheduled telecast and re-runs on television . So it's no surprise that I snapped up the DVD the minute I saw it in the discount bins at the store . And I wonder just why the heck it took me so long to get down to watching this , with no regrets ( save for the technical aspect of the presentation ) . Keaton plays a Henry Hackett , a sub-editor for a small time tabloid in New York . Being a go-getting workaholic , he often puts his family life aside , which of course puts his very pregnant wife Martha ( Marisa Tomei ) under a lot of stress especially with her pregnancies woes , and not being able to get out there and do stuff . For their financial stability , one of the many subplots here involves her getting Henry a job interview at a larger paper , The Sentinel , and threatens him not to sabotage his own opportunities for advancement , which we learnt that he does so quite frequently in order to stay where he is . And it's not rocket science why too , as the bunch of folks he's working with is really madcap , and I think I too can thrive in such as a stressful , chaotic , but totally livewire environment . Each character presents a separate subplot which intertwines with Henry's life , and in one scene which I was totally mesmerized with , was when everyone dropped by Henry's office , and it went just off the hook . Wonderful stuff there , especially when you have Glenn Close as a rival sub-editor who happens to be the office bicycle ( erm , that means everyone had had a ride ) , Robert Duvall as an ailing editor stricken with cancer and trying to reconcile with his estranged daughter , and Randy Quaid in a totally hilarious role as the bummer in the office . All these while the team had to debate with the front page story for the next day , centered on reporting what's accurate and doing what's right ? the social responsibility in being a paper , with pressure on them because they had missed the previous day's scoop . Everyone's preoccupied with their own personal agenda , set against an office where the air-conditioner isn't working and driving temperatures and tempers up . It's work and family over a period of 24 hours , and I felt that this film had a story that ranks itself up there with other films that deal with their narratives over the same time period . You'd have come to expect a certain assured standard from director Ron Howard , and this film demonstrates nothing less . Everything naturally comes together perfectly toward the end like the birth of a new dawn , with relationships bruised but not battered , and what I also enjoyed here was John Seale's superb cinematography which had this extremely fluid motion when bringing us in and around a newsroom for that office tour each time we run around like crazy with Henry . The paper would be one of my personal favourites , and my only regret ( besides the technical aspects of the DVD ) was why it had taken me this long to uncover this gem of an enjoyable film . |
515,162 | 317,399 | 448,663 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : April Snow | The role of the mobile phone , in the making of and destruction of romantic relationships . Hands up , those of you who have used it to flirt , and keep your hands there if you have an archive of secret messages stashed away in one of the electronic folders of your phone's memory . Password protection , afraid of someone dear chancing upon them , aren't you ? Bae Yong-jun ( geeks of the world , rejoice ! ) stars as In-su , a man whose wife met with an accident . Terribly shaken , he sees his spouse in the hospital intensive care unit , in a comatose state . Unknowingly , he meets a woman Seo-young ( classic beauty Son Ye-jin ) at the ward , whose husband too , was involved in the same accident . Slowly , they discover that their spouses were cheating behind their backs , thereby giving both another blow to their emotions . I'm not really a fan of the bespectacled Bae , but in this film , he has demonstrated his acting prowess somewhat , if not already seen by most fans in his famed TV series Winter Sonata . You see the pain of a man who has dawned upon the knowledge of being betrayed by a spouse , the sadness emoting through his eyes when he reads SMS from the strayed spouse to her lover , and the intolerance viewing the video clip of their tryst in a hotel room . Here's a man who had lived in a web of adulterous deceit . And in the same boat , Son Ye-jin , ever so vulnerable as the clueless housewife Seo-young , who suffers silently while awaiting for her husband to awaken from his coma . On one hand , she hates him for what he has done , but on the other , still dutifully cares for him . And this duality and fighting of emotions for their respective spouses ring through the state of confusion both In-su and Seo-young are in . Sure , they want to seek revenge , which I suppose is a normal human reaction in these circumstances , but how ? The other party's spouse happens to be a victim too , and hereby lies the dilemma in the inability to exact sweet justice . Or can they ? As they meet up more often , by chance or otherwise , to have someone to talk to , to spend time with , to have meals together , each becomes the pillar of strength for the other , while they seek to unravel the rationale of their spouses ' illicit affair . A drunken slip of the tongue became the foreplay , and it's no rocket science that they decide to express their emotions in a physical manner , as promoted in the trailers . Note that I did not mention " love " . It doesn't seem so at this point - their body language seemed more like strangers , their movements awkward . It's like for the purpose of releasing pent-up anger and frustration , of getting back and for the sake of getting even . Twisted ; weird . Love ? No . But Love , probably , did creep in after a while . But you question if this is love out of convenience , of being there for the other person , just like the other is there for you , in dire straits ? And in an attempt to steer this controversial romance theme ( Two wrongs don't make a right - love borne out of an affair ) into more mainstream acceptance , the filmmakers brought in Fate to decide - to have something identifiable between the two leads , for them to make the decision on their plausible future . Hence the title . But the one scene which stood out for me , is the one where the confrontation is held . There isn't a need to ask point blank questions . A side remark in passing , and you'll come to understand whether it's worth burying the hatchet , or not . And it's kinda back to full circle , as the mobile device which destructed one side of the relationship , ended up nurturing another . Such is the electronic era we live and cope in . |
514,389 | 317,399 | 52,618 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Ben-Hur ( 1959 ) | There are tons of material out there on Ben-Hur , so I shall keep mine short . There's only one reason I watched this , and that is to watch it in its entirety . Shown on TV countless times , I don't have the patience to watch it with advertisements , so all this while I survived on bits and pieces of the film . Ben-Hur , like all classics , have a single sequence to define it in cinematic history . The much talked about chariot race , still holds till this day , a spectacle to behold , and which Star Wars Episode 1 emulated in its equivalent called the pod-race . It has also won an unprecedented ( until recently tied ) 11 Academy awards in its time too . Also subtitled as a Tale of the Christ , the story of Jesus bookends this long movie , with the birth at the manger in Bethlehem , to his crucifixion in Jerusalem . In between , there are moments in which Judah Ben-Hur meets Jesus , though we never see the face of the Christ . There are other biblical characters mentioned / seen too , like Pontius Pilate , John the Baptist , and Jesus ' parents Joseph and Mary . Charlton Heston plays the title character Judah Ben Hur , an Jew aristocrat in Rome conquered Judea , whose childhood best friend , a Roman called Messala , is now second in command to the Roman governor . Unwilling to become an informer to Messala to name Jews involved in upcoming rebellions , Messala has Judah banished to slavery and his family imprisoned . Swearing revenge , we see how Judah overcome various odds , and incredible luck which sees him through his slavery , his rescue of a Roman general , becoming his adopted son , and returning to Judea to exact vengeance on Messala , hence the grand chariot race . Though I must admit it does get a little draggy , and the dialogue a bit stilted and colourful , but there are enough moments in this plot to keep you riveted in your seat . So if you're game for some serious good old styled story-telling , watch this classic . This Code 1 DVD contains a full length audio commentary by Charlton Heston , and a behind the scenes documentary called Ben-Hur : The Making of an Epic . |
515,149 | 317,399 | 50,458 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Il Grido | For those who've been attending the Retrospective religiously , one of the best bits during the screening is the introduction to each movie as presented by Lorenzo Codelli , where he shares some little known facts of the movie with the audience . Today we were told that Monica Vitti actually was featured in Il Grido , not in person though but providing the dubbed voice behind Dorian Gray's character Virginia . So their collaboration stretched further back , even before L'Avventura . The story centers on a working class sugar refinery worker Aldo ( American actor Steve Cochran ) who we learn has waited for 7 years cohabiting with Irma ( Alida Valli ) , whose husband had recently passed away while in Australia . Thinking that this is a blessing in disguise in that he can finally marry Irma , Aldo gets the biggest surprise when he learns that the love of his life had in the last 4 months , given her heart to someone else . In rage he dished out unforgivable physical violence in public on her , and with a broken heart , picks up his daughter Rosina ( Mima Girardi ) to embark on an aimless road trip , wandering all over Po valley ( which was the subject of one of Antonioni's early documentary ) . Shot in the great outdoors , there's always a lingering mist in the first half of the movie , as if to accentuate Aldo's state of uncertainty and blur in his current state of life , without a clue what lies ahead as he drifts from location to location , and from person to person , as if like a person on a rebound , latching onto every opportunity that present itself to him , but all this while having absolutely no plans and unsure of what to do . While he seeks out his first love Elvia ( Betsy Blair ) and there comes this speed boat race , I thought Il Grido really picks up when he wanders toward a highway petrol kiosk , and meets with Virginia ( Dorian Gray ) and her alcoholic aged father ( played by Guerrino Campanini ) . Romancing the lady boss for food and lodging , having his daughter at his side demonstrated in truth that his relationship with and welfare for his daughter takes precedence over everything else , so while on the surface he might seem aimless , deep down he still bears a sense of responsibility to provide for Rosina , which probably gave him an invisible guiding hand in what he was doing , until of course he clinically evaluated and decided otherwise . As he goes from woman to woman , having short temporal relationships with everyone we see on screen from Elvia to Andreina ( Lynn Shaw ) , each played out like small skits , but a common thread running through it is that the characters here seem to be people who have wasted away their prime , missed the boat and are holding out for one last possibility at true love and happiness . Irma found hers although at Aldo's expense , and everyone else demonstrated memories with loved ones whom they cannot forget . The ending is nothing less than heart - wrenching , a discovery and affirmation of sad truths when people indeed have moved on , but then you realize that insofar you're still stuck in a rut . Very depressing if you ponder over it . The last act also dwelt on impending change , with landscape changes ordered from the top , with common people on the ground being forced to accept these changes , with little regard to their livelihood . I thought it provided a poignant moment to reflect upon such frenzy , and sometimes the insensitivity that comes together with forced policies probably , and hopefully for the greater good . |
514,870 | 317,399 | 891,527 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Lions for Lambs | Lions for Lambs is Tom Cruise's first movie for his United Artists after being given the boot from Paramount Pictures . And instead of putting himself in yet another one man show , he combines forces and shares the spotlight with a stellar cast comprising Robert Redford , who also takes on directing duties , and Meryl Streep , in a story that touches on quite realistically on current affairs , based on scribe's Matthew Michael Carnahan's take on the entire political situation in the USofA currently , with special focus put into its war on terror . While Tom Cruise's recent antics might have irked some and taken off some of the shine off his star power , I can't help but be mesmerized by his take as the toothy grinning like a Cheshire cat , cock-sure character of a Republican senator , who's on the party's good books , and billed as the next big personality that will probably take the White House one day . I have to admit that I had actually looked forward to him delivering that all famous " Yes or No " line from the trailers , though " Whatever it takes " may well be immortalized amongst his other more legendary one liners like " You could be mine " ( Top Gun ) , " Show me the money ! " and " You complete me " ( Jerry Maguire ) and " I want the truth ! " ( A Few Good Men ) . War on Terror movies are proving to be popular subjects in the tail end of 2007 , especially when USA is sabre-rattling Iran . We have already seen Rendition , and coming up is The Kingdom . And Lions for Lambs couldn't be any more current when Cruise's Senator Jasper Irving shows off his new tactical strategy against the guerrilla enemies , with words so carefully crafted and chosen by a brain nurtured and educated from Ivy League education , relating them to Streep's Janine Roth , a journalist who has been granted a one hour one-on-one session interview , with so much conviction , appeal and charisma , you're more than likely to fall for his charms , if not for Roth to bring him down to earth with reflections from the past . Told in separate segments , each taking a look microscopically at the issue , but each when put together forms a bigger picture putting you in a Deus Ex Machina position , I thought the best segment belonged to Cruise-Streep , where they debate on politics , and media responsibility , with keen dialogue between the two parties filled with thrusting and parrying of various push and pull factors . There are many opportunities through this segment for you to nod in agreement with either side , but some might deem this as toting the middle ground , lacking in courage to take a stand on a side . But therein lies the problem , that there is hardly any clear cut right or wrong , that everything's based on information and intelligence . And the media can be manipulated , or be manipulative in telling select or fabricating truths . The other segment deals with Robert Redford's Professor Stephen Malley counselling a promising student who seemed to have been slacking off in class , and in need of some serious waking up . Perhaps this segment is squarely targeted at our disengaged youths , whom many would have likened to drift toward partying and idling , rather than be diligent and hardworking to earn their keep and prove their worth . The conversation here turned quite philosophical , though not as engaging as the rapid fire and sly exchange that Cruise - Streep scenes offered . Redford's segment is also very intricately connected to that of his ex-students , Ernest Rodriguez ( Michael Pena ) and Arian Finch ( Derek Luke ) , who are now Marines ser ving in Afghanistan , strong in their beliefs that they can make a difference to the world they live in . You can't help but think back to Michael Moore's Farenheit , where he interviewed senators ( like Cruise's character ) who just talk the talk , leaving the little , weaker folk , to walk their talk instead , volunteering and signing up for active duty , for that carrot dangling at the end of their tour , IF they survive and get to obtain it at all . As we see from the news every other day about US soldier casualty numbers mounting in two theatres of war , they are but a statistic , and this segment offers a much micro look at the lives of these soldiers , that they too hold hopes and dreams of a better life , once they fulfill their part to their belief to be contributing to a better , peaceful world . Action junkies would probably be amongst the audience because of this segment , which looked remotely like Behind Enemy Lines and Courage Under Fire put together , the action scenes only that is . This is a thinking man's movie , and those seeking high drama or intensive action from whatever little teases the trailers suggest , would be disappointed . What this movie is , is an examination of current geo-political situation of the US foreign policy , and its take on social issues , how it affects everyone from the high echelons of government , to the disconnected boy in the street who's focused on more selfish ideals . It is a mirror looking at US society as a whole , in their thinking of themselves as the moral police of the world ( because of the belief they can , and therefore should ) , but on a bigger scale , this is a reflection of any society where people might seek that call to action , but just how many will take the easier route by blowing hot air , and how many would take the plunge and actually do something about issues they care passionately about . Definitely not to be missed , even though it somehow rings a bit hollow in the end , as reel life takes on the real , but only if you want it to , thereby ending the way it ended , which was pitch perfect . |
515,473 | 317,399 | 885,507 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Operation Undercover | Wo Hu literally translates to " Crouching Tiger " ( yeah yeah , one half of that famous Chinese proverb / movie of the same title ) , which refers to hidden talents , agendas and the likes . In yet another Hong Kong triad movie produced by the infamous Wong Jing , Operation Undercover ( the less stylish English title ) tells the story of how Hong Kong's police sent a rumoured thousand undercover cops to infiltrate the triads at all levels , leading to numerous high profiled arrests of triad members . But no , this story doesn't begin and end just like that . It's actually a misnomer of a plot device , and you're not going to see thousands of similar Tony Leung / Andy Lau characters invading the screen . In fact , this movie is anything but pitting mole against mole . While the story may seem to be familiar , with the theme of the discovery and realization of bad hats in any organization , and those whose hearts and intentions are pure , the delivery , although stylistically looking similar to Infernal Affairs with its strained blue hues , actually excelled , very much dependent on the ensemble cast . It's great to see Miu Kiu Wai back on the big screen after a long hiatus . In fact , this film had a number of actors whom we haven't seen for a while . With Wai playing a police superintendent , the rest make up the triads . I haven't seen Julian Cheung take on a bad guy role before , even though his scheming character here is nothing to shout about . Regular insane character actor Francis Ng returns to his mould , although his performance here surpassed the recent Exiled and On the Edge . A welcome return is Jordan Chan , famed for his dynamic pairing with Ekin Cheng in the Young and Dangerous franchise , playing a hen - pecked and muddled gangster chief , and rounding up the triad organization at the top , is Eric Tsang , probably in a role we're so familiar with given his Infernal Affairs connection . Shawn Yue cameos too as an assassin with few words . Given the slew of movies in the same genre , you might balk at this one , given the low level publicity muscle , and probable thoughts of it emulating Election or Infernal Affairs . But the filmmakers perhaps realized the inevitable comparisons , and have early in the movie , given subtle jibes at those other movies , as a reminder that hey , we're from the same genre , but we're not emulating anyone , although the themes and plots might be threading the same ground . It doesn't take the typical microscopic look at the life of undercovers , but adopts a macroscopic view instead . Suggestions were provided as to how undercover cops lead their lives , and how much license they are given to walk on the wrong side of the law . Sadly this potentially interesting aspect wasn't looked into much , and came more of an afterthought following a surprising revelation . The usual scheming and double crossings surface rather fast and furious in the second half of the movie , and it's quite puzzling to wonder why a bit part mushy romance was thrown in to upset the pace . While the subplot might be used to gain some sympathy for the characters involved , it could have been a darker film should this aspect not be explored , and it's quite unnecessary at times . My guess would be actually for the actress to make some kind of debut performance and sharing the credits with a rather stellar cast . Or perhaps to highlight the point again that some gangsters do have hearts ( of gold ) as well . The finale , if wrapped up earlier , could have made the movie feel more compact and satisfying . However , it chose to end abruptly , and leaving things so open , there is room for a possible sequel . I won't hold my breath for that to happen though . |
514,436 | 317,399 | 885,505 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Ming Ming | Ming Ming is a very stylized movie , but that's not to say it has more style than substance . Unattainable love and infatuation play central themes in Ming Ming's world , one which contains fantasy martial arts elements , set in today's contemporary era . The titular character played by Zhou Xun cuts a willowy figure , dressed in black with her long dark tresses . One night she casts her eye on D ( Daniel Wu ) , a street fighter whom she falls in love and spends a night with . D , on the other hand , is an elusive lover . With secrets of the past which he seeks to unlock , he's never committed , giving out a promise to whoever can fetch him 5 million dollars , and with whom he'll travel to Harbin with . This sets in motion an entire chain of events , starting with Ming Ming stealing the money and a secret box from Brother Cat ( the singer Jeff Chang , who has long been away from the public eye ) . On the other hand , Ming Ming's friend Ah Tu ( Tony Yang ) is also infatuated with her , and chances upon Nana ( Zhou Xun in her second role ) , with whom he brings along in their escape from Brother Cat's thugs , and whom too is also in love with D . Confused ? Don't be , as Nana is distinctively different from Ming Ming , from hair and outfit ( loud and garish ) to mannerisms , not forgetting the languages used . In fact , the movie can be renamed Nana , as this character had more screen time than Ming Ming , as we explore the unrequited love by so many characters in the movie . Love and its different incantations are put up on display , even parental ones , as the plot slowly unravels to its surprise ending . There are some zen like dialogue and moments in the movie , such as being able to be with a person even for a moment , is better than not being able to at all . And this is especially true for Ah Tu , even though he's with someone who resembles , and not with the actual person . I thought Nana and Ah Tu had the strongest storyline and the best character development , naturally so because of the screen time devoted to them . Accompanying the superb story are both the music and action . The soundtrack is an eclectic mix and fusion of various influences , from electronica to jazz , and the theme used for chases is particularly catchy . Given that it adopted a fantasy martial arts style , most of the fights , especially Ming Ming's , were given distinct looks . Ming Ming's especially , is one adopted from flicking explosive projectiles at her enemies , while D's style is quick , brutal , and very short ranged . Plot elements from such fantasy movies , like mini quests , and the seeking of treasure , are staples too in the movie . The filming style used is also a mixed bag , with repetitions , quick cuts and flashbacks the norm . It might require a little time to get used to , typically those used in fights . By the time you get through one or two action sequences , you'll be clamouring for more . Savour those moments , as they actually come few and far between . There are many " poser " moments as well , which gives the movie a certain " sexy " look as characters preen and pose when they deliver their dialogues . I guess I'm fortunate to have caught this movie here , in its original language track , as compared to having to watch the dubbed Mandarin version back in Singapore if it gets played . Key languages used - Mandarin , Cantonese and Shanghainese , provide a certain flavour and utilized to distinguish characters . inevitably the effect will be lost in any dubbed version . Zhou Xun , and Tony Yang too , at times sounded a bit off in their Cantonese diction , but that doesn't mar their performances , in particular Zhou Xun's excellent delivery of dual roles . For giving a contemporary fantasy martial arts movie a different and refreshing look , Ming Ming will get my vote . |
515,008 | 317,399 | 446,510 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Year of Living Vicariously | What strikes you when watching the documentary , is the split screen technique used . Amir Muhammad had taken a rare opportunity to follow an Indonesian film crew on their set of the movie Gie , a story set in the tumultuous transition of power between Presidents Sukarno and Suharto . What more , the movie was made in times of political uncertainty in Indonesia in the new millennium too . The split screen used wasn't a strict 50-50 split , but the sizes changed quite frequently from scene to scene . At times you see certain events with time juxtaposed between the screens , or events totally off tangent from one another . There are plenty of things to see and it served to be quite difficult to absorb fully the sights and sounds in just one sitting . Amir revealed that it was the first time he visited Indonesia , and so through the shoot and editing , he wanted to reflect that sensory overload in a country totally new to him . Also , they had a record number of tapes shot for this documentary , hence through the technique , enabled him to squeeze as much as he could within the run time constraint . The Year of Living Vicariously contained numerous interviews with cast and crew of Gie , be they the main leads , director , or even the cameo casts . The topics covered practically everything under the sun , but predominantly focused on current affairs and politics , in the earlier days of Sukarno / Suharto , and in the current political climate . There are quite a number of candid opinionated remarks which make you go hmm , or laugh out loud , or just poignant . And you could see shades of the style which will evolve into The Last Communist , with the song singing bits in overdrive in TLC . Probably one of the best parts about Vicariously , is the frequent interjections of folks telling Indonesian folk tales . I'm sure almost everyone in the audience love to hear stories of old , and stories spun from our neighbours ' rich history . All in all , an enjoyable movie , and after watching this and The Last Communist , I couldn't wait for Village Radio |
514,383 | 317,399 | 475,711 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : A Season for Love | It's been some time since I've watched a movie with a relative huge ensemble cast ( think the last was Crash ) , and little did I expect this Korean romance movie to boost the same too , with fine acting , good comedy and lots of love demonstrated in various ways . There are 4 separate stories in this film , and it's difficult for me to judge which of them is superior than the other . Each looked into its niche area , and have ample screen time to develop its story , though the characters do get intertwined in one another's story with little conscious interaction . The first concerns a firefighter and his girlfriend , who works in a TV station as a news translator for the mute . She's waiting for him to propose , focused on the rationale that given his dangerous job , she likes the idea of him having to think of her , to hesitate for a while before jumping into danger . He , on the other hand , is waiting for that perfect opportunity , setting and all , before popping the question . Initially I thought that this was the most stable of the relationships , until they hit a brick wall in their communications , and as usual , misunderstanding ensues . Breaking down of communications also happen between the firefighter and his soon-to-be sister-in-law , but that provided some of the best comedic situations in the movie . She's mute , and had her life saved by him ( but he fell for the sister , so don't ask ) . She works as a Snow White doll in a theme park , and gets infatuated with a painter who frequents the same park . However , she's slightly disfigured on her face , and hides behind the Snow White caricature all the time . I found this to be something that I could relate to , being shy , yet bold when hiding behind a mask . Given by the audience's reaction , this piece probably is the most popular with its identifiable theme of infatuation , and the cutesy way in which it got played out . The third story is about a mother-son relationship . The mother , being a career woman , hardly gets to interact with her child , and the son misses his mother badly . Until an illness confines her to the hospital bed , and they start to bond as mother-son would , given plenty of communication opportunities . However , as the story unfolds , it's also the most predictable of the lot . It's touching , but not as touching as the mother-son relationship in the Japanese movie Be With You last year . The last story , and perhaps the saddest of all , is between a boy and a girl who've broken up . The girl's stuck in a dead end job and yearns to be rescued by an economically stable guy , but the guy's she's in love with ( or used to be ) is perpetually stuck in unemployment . When they broke up , the circumstances under which it was told to him , brought him an entrepreneurial opportunity . He tries to woo back his love , and I felt that the ending for this segment was the best in the way it developed , with the fine cinematography of reflection and rain . The soundtrack is kept simple , with the theme song played over and over again in various situations . But somehow it's strange , that the same song , when played , seemed able to evoke the different emotions the situation wants from you . And that I'd tip my hat off to . Halfway through , I thought that it would make a nice Valentine's movie , with its bountiful picturesque and heartwarming moments . But by its ending , even though events played out is typical of a weepy , I'd still recommend it for this season of love , for the plain message of not taking a significant other , a loved one , for granted . Tell them " I Love You " , now . |
515,375 | 317,399 | 422,720 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Marie Antoinette ( 2006 ) | Sofia Coppola takes on a historical character in Marie Antoinette , providing her own vision of the doomed Queen of France and the French Monarchy under the reign of Louis XVI , based upon the biography written by Antonia Fraser . Kirsten Dunst , whom we ever so often remember with red hair for her Mary Jane Watson roles in the Spider-Man series , plays the titular role , bringing forth girly innocence , frustration and strength as her character develops through the course of the movie . Sofia Coppola clearly made this movie focused on events from her point of view , covering major incidents and happenings in her life . I thought the first half of the movie was excellent , where Marie gets married to the Dauphin of France Louis XVI , a marriage of strategic importance to seal the Austrian and French alliance , but one which seems to be stuck in the ruts because of incompatibility . She likes theatre , he's into hunting . She's into fashion , and he's into locks and keys . Consummating their marriage is a problem , and remains a major obstacle and puts constant strain on Marie Antoinette , because without producing an heir to the throne , her position in the court is always precarious , not to mention , without influence to further advance Austrian interest . But don't forget , she's but a teenager , and Sofia Coppola never fails to remind us of that - the difficulty of a young one living within the constricting protocols of a monarchy . And not to mention under public scrutiny all the time . Although a period movie , Coppola managed to bring forth the issues faced into current time , since the themes and events explored are quite similar to the contemporary era . The bitching , the rumour mongering , and the superficial small talk of people of perceived importance are nothing new in this day and age , and Marie more often than not is the favourite subject for the tabloids . It's not all sympathetic to the character though , as her vices like gambling , drinking and rumoured dalliances with Count Fersen in her holiday home of Petit Trianon are played out , together with her rather callous attitude toward what was happening to the commonfolk . While politics is rarely touched upon , the portrayal of the King's handling of foreign policy for face rather than taking care of his subjects is probably one of the fundamental contributing factor to its downfall , and France is shown to be slowly bankrupted while sending aid to American for the revolutionaries to fight against the British , unaware of growing resentment in home soil . The second half felt more of a rush job , with Marie's spiral into unpopularity with her perceived extravagant decadence . It's a reminder of how someone's image can be greatly tainted by uncorrected , vicious rumours , and when the power of the people is at full force , you can't help but submit when all is lost . Some have questioned why the movie didn't pursue all the way until the final demise of Marie Antoinette , but frankly , looking at the film's treatment of the character , there's actually no need to , and all in all , quite a balanced presentation on how an historical character is brought to life on screen . With beautiful costumes , rich colours , and sets based within the actual Palace of the Versailles , it's a pity that this movie did not make it to our local screens , and I believe watching it on the big screen will make all the difference . For those who want to take a look at the much talked about easter egg in the movie , the Converse shoes are shown at the 55 : 48 mark . |
514,566 | 317,399 | 1,099,212 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Twilight | Some friends balked at my preference of watching this movie first in place of other releases this week . I have to admit my interest was piqued at how it performed at the box office amongst the recent slew of less than stellar results by novel to film adaptations . Moreover , there was plenty of talk about how difficult a process it was to find the right cast for the lead roles , and the immense popularity of Stephenie Meyer's novels which had a re-imagining of the vampire / werewolf genre , especially amongst the girls ? Make no mistake , at its core Twilight is nothing but a romance through and through , which explains its fanbase . Set in a high school , it's the usual beautiful , aloof and new girl in town falling for literally the coolest dude on campus who's equally stand offish , but for reasons of course . While Bella Swan ( Kristen Stewart ) is fair and has her long brown locks in contrast with her skin colour , Edward Cullen ( Robert Pattinson ) looked as if he has plenty of foundation applied to his face and neck , with a dash of lipstick to add colour to his look . Oh , and his eyes change colours too , how cool is that ? So while the two hit it off on the wrong foot , a dashing and suave saving of the damsel who was like a deer caught in headlights , provided the catalyst for an intense romance that the two will develop . They consummate their passion in wild forests and atop treetops , and I tell you it's likely any girl would likely be charmed off her socks should a guy pull these stunts off . Standing in the way of the romance are the difficulties that Edward has to face continuously , in not succumbing to temptation to sink his teeth and suck her blood . Being together and hanging out means constantly keeping that vampire base instinct in check , while she becomes the unwitting temptress who has to distract his thoughts if his willpower becomes weak . There were a couple of departures from the usual vampire characters , and in this case , sunlight no longer is the bane of their existence , only that their skin will sparkle ala having a natural sheen of stardust . Purists of the genre will find this hard to swallow , as with their individual abilities , such as the ability to predict the future , and for Edward , the ability to read other people's minds , except for Bella's , which intrigues him and yet provide for a sense of fear , that everyone in general , fear what we don't understand ( Carmine Falcone said this in Batman Begins , which is so apt here ) . The movie was destined to succeed thanks to the chemistry of the leads and their sheer charisma . Kristen Stewart had a certain spunk and fearlessness in her when having to deal with her romantic emotions with possibly the best hunter on Earth , while at the same time has a tenderness that we always see whenever she's with family - her dad , her long distance calls with mom , and of course , the love of her life . Robert Pattinson brings about some really jealous protective stance to his object of desire , and if looks could kill , he would have floored their common enemy in a " normal " ( because the Cullens only kill animals ) vampire in James ( Cam Gigandet ) , who thrives on the thrill of the hunt , and sets his sights on Edward's Bella . There was some clinically brutal finishing off of enemies in this film which the camera flinched from , if only to decide not to mar the sweet romance underlying the story . Special effects wise by Industrial Light and Magic was nothing intrusive to have stole the thunder from the story or the acting , and there were some pretty nifty moments which were impressive , and I particularly liked the entire baseball game sequence which had a right mix of effects , and tension built into the story , which marked an increase pace of urgency thereafter . The score Carter Burwell was hauntingly beautiful , as were the carefully chosen songs to make up the soundtrack . I thought Catherine Hardwicke did a commendable job in making this film , and the word on the street is that she'll be replaced for the sequel which already is green lit . And it's not easy for such sequels to be approved given the lacklustre performance of novel adaptations such as The Dark is Rising , The Golden Compass and Eragon all getting canned after dismal performances in the box office . Unless of course this franchise of only four books want to follow in the footsteps of the successful Harry Potter movie franchise in having different directors at the helm , I feel that Hardwicke should be asked to return . Twilight took me by surprise , perhaps because I went in with low expectations and not having read the book ( though Wikipedia provided some spoiler filled synopsis which I deliberately looked out for ) , and thus the final result was nothing less than a refreshing take on a different universe of vampires that we're used to seeing on the big screen , as well as the charismatic leads which I felt was the clincher . Perfect as a date movie , and I guess even more so if you're out looking for eye candies . Set up for a sequel ( obviously ) with some nice placeholders to develop from , you can count me in for another ride when it comes rolling along . |
514,967 | 317,399 | 420,609 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Infamous | Coming up with many movies on the flavour of the day is nothing new . Robin Hood had one by Patrick Bergin and Uma Thurman going head to head with Kevin Costner's , we have the clash of the space asteroids with Deep Impact and Armageddon , and volcanic eruptions with Volcano and Dante's Peak . One inevitably is more memorable than the other , partly because of the timing of the release , as well as the stars attached to the project . The biopics of Truman Capote had seen Capote make its way here in 2006 , while Infamous was being held back in its local release , until now . It's inevitable to compare the two movies . Just to get it out of the way , Capote has a better Truman Capote performance in Philip Seymour Hoffman , but in my opinion Infamous triumphs over everything else because it kept itself tight . While essentially the same story , with regards to Capote's intricate research into a Kansas family killing for his book In Cold Blood , and befriending the murderers inside the prison cell , there are many moments in Infamous where you do think that you're revisiting key scenes again , and suspect that such scenes probably stem from translating from the same script . But Infamous had crafted a more intimate look into Capote's life during this time , as well as examine his interactions with the people around him , in particular , that with Harper Lee ( Sandra Bullock ) . The wining , dining , mingling with the who's who of society and the stars of yesteryear are featured here as well , as is a Truman Capote who is more shrewd , calculative and at times manipulative , subconsciously or otherwise , talking behind other's backs , and using them as tests subjects on the sly . What I also liked was that it devoted some time to the friendship between Capote and Harper Lee , which was glossed over in the other film ( here it was alleged that Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird's Dill character , was based on Capote . Hmm ) . Infamous has more star power , even though the stars appear in short scenes throughout . There's Gwyneth Paltrow showcasing her vocals and performing a song ( which interpret it anyhow you want , I thought she could have been singing about her love loss with Brad Pitt ) , Sigourney Weaver , Isabella Rosellini , Daniel Craig as one of the murderers Perry Smith , and director Peter Bogdanovich who did Saint Jack . Perhaps what I thought was against the grain in terms of presentation , was the characters sans Capote , who were speaking to the camera at times in mock interviews , as they share their deepest thoughts on the enigmatic man . Toby Jones put up a commendable performance as the effeminate man ( the entire gay - feminine demeanour amplified in Infamous ) , but should you compare his Capote with Philip Seymour Hoffman's , then it'll just fall slightly short of the benchmark . And I was surprised that Toby Jones ' filmography included Dobby the House Elf in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets . If you've watched Capote , then you might consider giving Infamous one a skip because of the premise and storyline covered . However , if you felt that Hoffman's performance was the only saving grace in Capote , then you might want to watch this to see how much better that could have been , should this story based on the George Plimpton book be used instead . |
515,170 | 317,399 | 413,895 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Charlotte's Web | I had initial hesitation in deciding whether to watch this movie - not because it features a talking pig ala Babe , but probably because , if rumour has you believe , that viewers will swear off pork . They look so cute that you would not imagine them being on your dinner table , ever after . I've read the book when I was a kid , but heck , I can't remember much of the details beyond the friendship between spider and pig . Wilbur the piglet's destiny is set from birth - being the odd one out without access to its mother's teat , he's earmarked for immediate transformation to pork , but the intervention of a young girl Fern ( Dakota Fanning ) helped prevent it , albeit for a little while . Put in a barn with the other animals , Wilbur is in desperate need of friendship to wilt away his loneliness , but given the indifferent attitudes amongst the resident animals , he gets a none too friendly introduction to farm life . That is until he meets Charlotte , a spider who will try help to extend the lifespan of Wilbur , saving the spring pig from becoming Christmas ham . It's a story about friendship , and the miracles gained from trust , help , and the fulfilling of promises . And this movie gets a huge boost through its A-list voice talents , with the likes of , check this out - Julia Roberts as Charlotte , Steve Buscemi as Templeton the selfish rat , John Cleese as Sam Sheep , leader of the pack of sheep followers ( played to hilarity ) , Katy Bates , Cedric the Entertainer , Oprah Winfrey , Robert Redford , Thomas Haden Church , Andre Benjamin and Sam Shepard . They seemed to have a rip-roaring time , and I thought Julia Roberts ' Charlotte came across as extremely calm and collected , while probably the character with the best lines was Templeton the rat . Fanning already got experience playing opposite her animal counterparts , like in Dreamer earlier this year , though this time in the barnyard the animals are enhanced by technology and graphics . Her role however is limited in screen time , and although there are hints on puppy love , it's very much unexplored in depth as the focus is squarely on our animal friends . The score is an unrecognizable Danny Elfman contribution without the dark overtones , and the songs played during the animated stills of the end credits , do sound radio friendly enough to warrant airplay . Charlotte's Web is a feel good , heartwarming family movie which is suitable for this holiday season . It is uncomplicated , and has a simple message , but is engaging enough for both children and adults . A warning though , the movie is poignant yet hopeful , so to sentimental folks , a tissue or two will help . |
515,387 | 317,399 | 235,376 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Fail Safe | I've enjoyed some of Stephen Frears past works like High Fidelity , Mrs Henderson Presents and his latest The Queen , so I was intrigued enough to pick up a DVD movie released some 8 years ago made for television , a CBS TV special that was broadcast live during the time . I'd bet it was a novelty and I could have seen it before , but nonetheless it didn't stop me from sitting through this rather gripping drama from start to end . Filmed in black and white , Fail Safe is set during the Cold War , where hostilities between the US and the Soviets are at an all time high , and military doctrine on both sides dictate world annihilation should anyone decide to provoke the other by firing off their nukes to the other's territory . And to ensure they don't get caught offguard , the US military has a system of checks and balances to ensure continuity of their battle plans even if there's a break in the chain of command , a mixture of fail safe elements involving processes , hardware and the men who take instructions down the line . Except for having to deal with Murphy's Law . In certain aspects , it might seem like Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove , but this movie , based upon the novel by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler , doesn't include satire , and played it out in more serious tones , where there are enough going on that keeps it fast paced . The story revolves around four fronts , each having to face their own dilemma and having to contemplate their actions , and those which have moral implications , are always never easy to be dealt with . From the top you have the President ( Richard Dreyfuss ) and his Russian translator Buck ( Noah Wyle ) trying to convince the Russian premier about what's going to happen , and to defuse potential hostilities while at the same time having to build trust . You got to hand it to Dreyfuss for his role here in political gambit , acting with opposite Wyle , and a phone . The second front takes place in a war room where generals and think tanks trade blows in deciding what next to advise the president , with some naturally urging restraint , while others wanting to seize the opportunity to gain the upper hand through an accidental pre-emptive strike . Harvey Keitel goes up against Hank Azaria here , as a Brigadier General whom the President trusts , up against some dangerous philosophy of Professor Groeteschele's . The third front perhaps has the most actors placed in a single set , the war room where a complete view of how the plot is unfolding , gets put on display here . Loyalties come into question , and so does basic human decency . The characters here are also mixed and provides a more balanced view , from the military with Brian Dennehy and John Diehl , to politicians represented by Sam Elliott , and the vendor who provides the military with the computerized hardware , as represented by James Cromwell . Last but not least , the fly boys who are on the execution ( pardon the pun ) front , perhaps there to provide some possibility for action , but again , the sets are purpose built on soundstages . George Clooney and Don Cheadle partner in this area as they play guess and second guessing each other , being cut off from the chain of command , and as per their training , are out to carry their mission to a T , regardless what else they are told . Fail Safe tells a precautionary tale , that while we may plan for every conceivable scenario using a siege like mentality , there really isn't a totally fool-proof plan , and there are bound to be loopholes or cracks due to the assumptions we have to take or accept . Do we trust a human to make a judgement call , or rely on a calculating machine to do so based on predicates and cold logic ? And what if the machine fails , do we know enough that it is wrong , and what measures there are to be placed for rectification ? Can we do that fast enough ? There are of course enough movies out there with machines like HAL and SkyNet going rogue , and addressing similar issues . Ultimately it's about control - when do we decide to relinquish , and whether we are able to seize it back when the need calls for it - and the moral dilemma that comes with weighted decisions that has repercussions beyond the immediate . |
515,327 | 317,399 | 122,690 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : ( DVD ) Ronin ( 1998 ) | I have a good friend who's been raving about how good this film is , and it took me actually this long to watch it . At its time , I suppose the plot's intriguing , with betrayals being the only constant in a complex cat and mouse game in the streets of France . Robert De Niro plays Sam , a mercenary who joins a band of merry men of various shady background in a mission to grab a metal briefcase from a group of heavily armed men . Amongst the team are various ex-secret agency folks , like Vincent ( Jean Reno ) , Spence ( Sean Bean ) , Deirdre ( Natascha McElhone ) , Gregor ( Stellan Skarsgard ) and Larry ( Skipp Sudduth ) . Will too many crooks spoil the broth ? It plays out like the first Mission Impossible movie in its level of sophistication and mission preparation , although this movie has loads of gunplay , and the best part , the car chases . It's BMWs , Peugeots , Mercedez , continental cars of various makes , making slick maneuvers through narrow streets and along busy highways . Definitely top notch work , without the use of digital technology , but relying on good old stunt driving . The plot might be confusing for some , so my advice is keep your eyes and ears really peeled to what's going on screen . Before you can say " Betrayal " , it's double and sometimes triple crossings between characters aligning themselves with their various factions , and of supporting characters from CIA , KGB , IRA all working towards obtaining that steel briefcase , whose contents are never revealed . Robert De Niro and Jean Reno pair off really well as strangers forced to work together amidst a world of lies and deceit , and bring about certain flair to their roles and camaraderie . It's an interesting film , a little dated , but exciting enough nonetheless . Code 1 DVD contains an alternate ending . |
514,709 | 317,399 | 478,024 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : S . P . L . | I was full of hope for this movie , mainly because of its stellar cast of Simon Yam , Samo Hung and Donnie Yen , and the hype up confrontation cum battle between the latter two on screen . With their martial arts background , action fans will be in for a treat . Also , with the string of disappointments so far with Mob Sister and Election ( the edited version shown here ) , I'd thought that this one would've lived up to its potential ( no coincidence that Yam was in the other 2 films mentioned ) . While I enjoyed the movie and its build up , I felt particularly let down by the ending . The beginning of the movie with its explanation of the background of the Chinese Astrology the film identifies itself with ( hence the acronym SPL ) would have set the expectation , but perhaps its the execution that I couldn't come to terms with . Then again , it provided one of the better special effects / stunt shots . It could ( and I am speculating here ) the ending was such cos " I'm the bigger star here " . But I'm digressing . It's a cops-and-robbers story that has set its main focus simply at cops going all out to nab the robber . Simon Yam and his team of maverick cops share their common hatred for Samo Hung , the same way that Kevin Costner's Elliot Ness and his Untouchables do with Robert De Niro's Al Pacino . They try to nail the mobster , but each time he goes scot free . Things get interesting when opportunity presents itself , as morality gets questioned , and highlights the good / bad / ugly , black / white / gray situations that cops sometimes find themselves in with that universal question - Do the means matter to justify the end ? Thrown into the fray is hotshot-ultracool demeanour cop Donnie Yen , who is supposed to take over from Yam as the latter is set to retire over the Father's Day weekend . He too has his loyalties challenged when he learns of the plot that Yam and team pulls . What appeals is the way these characters get sucked into a chain of events that neither can pull out from - does fate / destiny / the stars all determine the chain of events that follow ? The subplots get in the way sometimes , as the pace for the events that follow that weekend gets broken up for sentimentality - Yam's taking care of a little girl smells like Mob Sister's , a cop buddy's love for his estranged daughter bears some resemblance to The Rock's Sean Connery , and Samo Hung's love for his wife and newborn child interrupts tense moments with its dreamy mobile phone ring tone . I was also wondering whether Simon Yam found it deja-vu to be driving Yen around in a car , showing their jurisdiction - seemed too familiar with a similar scene in Election where he was driving Tony Leung around to show him their territory . Though you might expect to see punches fly between Yen and Hung , and with its M18 rating , you really don't get to see punches until at least 30 minutes into the movie . While the fight between the two upstages Daredevil's ( hero versus over-sized Kingpin ; I'm still amazed by Samo's agility at his age ) , it's really the battle between Yen and newcomer Jing Wu ( an uber-violent knife wielding villain ) that is the highlight and makes this movie worth the price of admission . It's fast , slick , violent , and beautifully choreographed , you'd just wish it could've been longer . Violent it is , and uncensored , but it doesn't get too gratuitous with blood . The fight sequences stand out for its stark brutality , and perhaps also for its realism . You must forgive the acting at times though , as there's nothing to shout about really . Simon Yam is the no-nonsense , but willing to bend the rules cop , Donnie Yen with his over-confident attitude , and Hung just hams it up as the cigar chomping Kingpin of Crime . But perhaps I would like to shout about the introduction of Yam's team to the audience when Yen visited their empty office - it's very retro , with the characters given the spotlight after undergoing a short action sequence in a police raid . On the whole , the movie works , up till the supposed ending which put me off , and where the final " hurrah " brings it down a little . It has many stylized moments accompanied with an upbeat soundtrack , but it's substance over style that matters sometimes . I'd recommend it for the stylo-mylo moments , the alleyway fight , and the suggestion that not everything can be categorized into black and white . |
514,670 | 317,399 | 497,465 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Vicky Cristina Barcelona | Woody Allen seems to have a riot of a time making movies outside of New York , and truth be told , I find them pretty enjoyable , though some would argue I should revisit his earlier films to understand what's great . Then again , his " muse " Scarlett Johansson and a more contemporary cast are an interesting mix to gain a fresh following from a new generation of audiences like myself , lapping it up on Allen's wit , narrative creativity and candy eye cast . The reason why Barcelona was chosen , and hence in the title , was because the City had sponsored Allen to make his movie there . I guess if Uniquely Singapore would do so , this could have been Vicky Cristina Singapore . Then again , I suspect some boardroom terms and conditions might have made it very pro-tourism video like . Of some of the earlier co - productions I have seen with the Lion City's money pumped in , you can't help but feel that shots of our landmarks almost always come across as something made for corporate videos , and relied plenty on those tracking shots , or worse , dug out from archives . But in the hands of maestros , this feeling somehow doesn't even come into the picture . Landmarks become just another non-intrusive backdrop , or worked carefully that they become essential to the story without drawing attention to themselves . I guess we could all learn from this film how to do reward a city that graciously allows itself to be filmed and filmed using some of its investment . Vicky Cristina Barcelona is so titled because it is a tale of the two titular best friends Vicky ( Rebecca Hall ) and Cristina ( Scarlett Johansson ) who spend their summer vacation in the Catalan city . It's an exploration of contemporary relationships using two characters whose view on love comes from total opposites . For Vicky , it's all built on the foundation of commitment , of being very structured and organized about it . For Cristina , a failed short filmmaker by her own standards , it's to take the bull by the horns , and to grab relationship opportunities in a rather cavalier manner . In a test of their resolve , they meet newly minted star Javier Bardem who plays Juan Antonio , a suave , witty and sweet talking painter who audaciously suggests that they travel with him , and thereafter sleep with him . For Vicky it is near impossible given that she's on the verge of getting married and a definite contradiction of her principles , but to Cristina , it is a plus point in have a complete stranger come up and telling them honestly what he wants to do with them . So begins the exploration of love and relationships in 3 acts . The start is a bit slow as Vicky gets to have a spanner thrown in her plans , that once you've tasted the forbidden fruit , you'll likely be clamouring for more . It's a wake up call and examination of a life that she thinks she wants to have , versus one that she probably would like to have and enjoy it a lot more . It's the classic tussle between freedom , and being shackled , of conforming to the idea that being successful means a good career with an equally career-successful husband , in an artificially created lifestyle involving small talk with colleagues / friends and the likes . Cristina's dalliance with Juan Antonio shows how their carefree attitudes and bohemian lifestyles might attract and inspire each other to greater heights and the pursuit of new dreams and skills , though I welcomed the arrival of Maria Elena ( Penelope Cruz ) somewhere at the halfway point , feisty and temperamental ex-wife of Juan Antonio , as she stirs the pot a lot more , and truly the three of them engage in quite a parasitical lifestyle , feeding off one another's energy , sexual and otherwise . All the cast members perform up to expectations , though I reckon that Scarlett haters will continue to loathe her presence here . Javier Bardem does an about turn from his extremely dead serious role in No Country for Old Men , and here he's quite the Casanova in his pursuit of women . It doesn't have plenty of big moments and never lapses into melodrama . Events get presented as is , without the need to exaggerate , and it's always a plus point to have a dash of humour added as well in Allen's signature style . It might seem fresh and breezy on the outside , but underneath its veneer is some serious study into human romantic relationships that you'll be left pondering for some time after the end credits roll . |
515,015 | 317,399 | 398,375 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Rumor Has It | Based on a true rumor , the premise of the movie was set up oh-so perfectly , especially if you're a fan of Mike Nichols ' 1967 Dustin Hoffman-Anne Bancroft movie , The Graduate ( with its immortal line uttered again in this film ) . It's pretty creative to have that story and characters intertwined with the narrative of this movie . In this Jennifer Aniston vehicle ( is it always that the wives of more famous husbands get meatier roles when they break up ? ) , she plays an obituary writer ( another fashionable job since Jude Law became one in Closer ) Sarah Huttinger , who's the fiancée of Jeff Daly ( Mark Ruffalo ) . However , she's commitment phobic and is getting cold feet each time Jeff brings up marriage , and it doesn't help that they're attending her sister's ( Mena Suvari ) , therefore meeting her dad ( Richard Jenkins ) and other relatives she can't get along with . But rumor after rumor , and having realize that her deceased mother had gone for a fling before her own marriage , Sarah begins an investigative hunt into those ( un ) faithful days , and with probing for more information from her grandma Katharine ( Shirley MacLaine ) , she discovers Beau Burroughs ( Kevin Costner ) , the man whom Dustin Hoffman's Ben was modeled after . So it goes that the writer of The Graduate , Charles Webb , is a close friend of Beau , and the story is based loosely on his dalliances with Katharine . Which also means , as Sarah discovers , that the book and movie , is based on her family ! But it gets better ( or is it worse ? ) as Sarah herself falls for Beau and has a one-night stand , bringing to mind all the dirty , sick thoughts of possible incest . The audience gets teased every now and then when you attempt to piece together the possible relationships between the characters , and it gets worse as we go along , until the final revelation at the end . It's amazing too how you become glued to the story , despite its simplicity in its themes . Which is surprisingly not romantic relationship per se , which got shoved to the sidelines , but that of commitment . It tries to examine what makes people stick to each other , and what it takes to accept , forgive , and find courage to move on . If you're bringing your date to his movie , have the correct mindset - it's not just another simple date movie , but one which sets both of you thinking . It's got some kick in it too , all thanks to references to The Graduate movie . Lifting this movie is again the veterans of Shirley MacLaine and Richard Jenkins . MacLaine has played the grandma role to two sisters earlier this year in In Her Shoes . However , this is not a simple rehash of the role , as this one's a little more slapstick , a little more Mrs Robinson , a little more caustic in language and character , but a lot lot lesser screen time . Richard Jenkins too plays the familiar father figure who stands by his daughters , ala his dad role in North Country shown earlier . No doubt that their roles are small , but their characters , all powerful . Kevin Costner seems to be moving to making smaller movies . I won't say that he's excellent in this movie , because it felt like it was a stroll in the park . Having him falling for and romancing a younger woman in Aniston , was similar to his role last year in The Upside of Anger . All eyes though will be on Jennifer Aniston , as her character has certain takes on relationships that cut a little close to her real life split and how she moved on . It's a movie which you think the trailers had revealed all , but trust me , it delivered a lot more than what the trailers suggested . It's fun , witty , and refreshing to a certain extent . Do give this movie a watch if spoilt for choices from the Oscar contenders amongst the crowded theater schedules . |
514,423 | 317,399 | 396,688 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The King | No , this movie is not a sequel to The Queen , and it's peculiar to have both The King and The Queen making their screenings at our theatres at the same time . If given a choice to make , I would recommend The King instead . This movie reminded me of Woody Allen's Matchpoint . Different stories altogether , but with the general sense and feeling of incredible luck , and evilness amongst man . You can't help but wonder that each one of us have the propensity to do evil , and just what might exactly push our button to commit sin . Lust , revenge , and pride clearly on display in James Marsh's The King . There are various Kings here , the first which is most obvious , the main protagonist's name Elvis Valderez , played by Gael Garcia Bernal . Recently discharged from the Navy , he's on a trip to Texas to look up the father he never knew , who turned out to be a pastor , clearly already having moved on from his mother . The other notable King here , is pertaining to religion , given that Jesus Christ is acknowledged by Christians to be the King of Kings . I thought William Hurt put up a credible performance as the strict Pastor David Sandow , who now serves a little community , with possibly a happy family befitting a good Christian family . And perchance it is the ghost from the past , his illegitimate son Elvis , who's now the devil in his midst of them , slowly bringing down the facade and hypocrisy surrounding the Sandows , and exposing them for who they truly are . It's quite a dark movie , and made possible so as the devil has an innocent , possibly angelic face ( thanks to Gael ) , and little do you know the kind of evil that lurks around . Which probably makes it all the more dangerous as the saying goes , you know the person , but not what is in his heart - the motives , if ulterior . Having to say more will most likely spoil the entire movie . I liked the pacing that the story took , on having it all laid out methodically . At times , you question Elvis ' intent , if he's truly aware of the repercussions of what he's doing . You might want to argue that love knows no bounds , but there certainly are some clear markers and blinkers to warn you to stay away , at all costs . The great acting makes The King extremely watchable . William Hurt , as already mentioned , plays his pained pastor with plenty of skeletons in his closet , to a T . Pell James as his daughter Malerie , brings about a fresh faced ingénue to her role , with innocence written all over . For fans of Little Miss Sunshine , Paul Dano has more lines of dialogue here , and even exercises his vocal cords in singing two songs . His role as son Paul is contrasted against Elvis the illegitimate son - one devoted to God , the other the devil himself , one living his life with a cause , the other living his without any aim , except probably to groove along waiting for acceptance . There are many releases this week ( last count was nine ) , but The King ranks up there amongst the much watch . |
514,974 | 317,399 | 351,817 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Twilight Samurai | This film chronicles the life of Seibei Iguchi , as told through the eyes of one his daughters . The film starts off with the unfortunate death of his wife , and he's left alone to bring up 2 young daughters , and a senile mother , much to the neglect of his own welfare . Despite being a lowly-ranked samurai , life is adequately comfortable , in an era of change and the coming of the end of the Meiji era . His life takes a turn when childhood sweetheart , and recent divorcée Tomoe Iinuma , re-enters his life . Protecting her from her violent ex-husband , love is rekindled between the two again , but Seibei , conscious of his low ranking status , is reluctant to declare his true feelings for Tomoe . It's a love story weaved into a Yoki Yamada samurai movie , and somehow I can't help but to compare and noticed some similarities between this movie , and The Hidden Blade . Politics also feature strongly in both movies , as do typical samurai themes of honour , and clan hierarchy and orders . If you're expecting to see many swordplay from the Twilight Samurai , you might be a tad disappointed . There are only 2 fight scenes in this film , one with Seibei using a wooden sword to teach Tomoe's ex-husband a lesson , and the other , a fight to the death with a clan rebel in the confines of an old house . But violence has never been Seibei's character , and fights are only seen as either a last resort ( using a non-lethal weapon ) , or only when loathing and reluctantly carrying out orders from his clan . This is a simple story of a man struggling with providing for his family , and the coming to terms within himself to be honest with his feelings . Only when faced with his own mortality , does he find the courage to do so . It is beautifully filmed , and is no wonder that it was garnered many awards in Japan's Academy Awards in 2004 , and nominated to be in competition at the Oscars as Japan's entry . |
515,131 | 317,399 | 442,286 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : The Hidden Blade | The Hidden Blade The Hidden Blade refers to a dreaded samurai sword skill , which you will see only towards the end of the film . Folks , who like me initially thought that this is one of the usual samurai slugfest , may be disappointed that it's not . But like mentioned in the movie , killing is only a last resort , and even samurais themselves are fearful of death in duels . But hey , don't jump the gun ( pun not intended ) just yet . This film has a story to tell , and a poignant one at that . Simply put , it tells of a story about a small town samurai whose village is caught in the transition period of Japan's modernization and introduction of western arms ( guns and cannons ) and fighting tactics . While struggling to understand the rapid changes taking place in the nation , he has to deal with relationships of the heart with his family's maid , whom he adores but afraid to own up to , and the dilemma of being ordered into a duel with one of this long time friends , whom has gone off the right track . This film explores many themes , one of which is the samurai code of honour , where committing suicide via disembowelment ( hara-kiri ) is widely accepted as a practice of maintaining that honour . We also see the bastardization of this honour , of corruption , which brings to mind George Orwell's Animal Farm , where some animals are created more equal than others . The protagonist samurai Munezo often put his head on the line while maintaining that code , even when all else around ( including his superiors ) put pressure on him into making compromises . How many of us will rigidly uphold our values and principles when faced with adversity ? Or will we bow to that pressure and be apologetic for it ? We are also shown the caste system in feudal Japan , which proved to be a stumbling block between the relationship of Munezo and his family maid Kie . The village clan frowned upon and gossips about Munezo's rescue of Kie from her abusive marriage . While the motive may seem justifiable , we all know Munezo's real reason - that he loves her and cannot bear to see her being abused , and ultimately losing her life . Both know that with the caste system , they can never be together . Or can they ? The caste system doesn't only apply to relationships of the heart . Even within samurais , this system applies . Munezo is a small samurai in a small village , and is given little respect by samurais belonging to larger clans and cities . Think of it like the army , where foot soldiers have to " Yes Sir " every officer's instructions - even when it means given the order to kill an old friend who has gone fugitive . Munezo again struggles with this , but knows that as long as he's a samurai , orders are to be obeyed . Change and modernization is central to the story . And in this film , there are numerous hilarious moments as the samurais in training as a modern army come to grips with strange rituals like foot drills , the handling of modern weaponry , and even the way they run . It's something like Tom Cruise's Last Samurai , only that the training's more comical here , and subtly highlights the dangers losing of one's cultural values when the world moves rapidly in change . And finally , for those really waiting for a slugfest , there are 2 fight scenes in the entire movie . One is when Munezo seeks his old master for new guidance , and is being taught a new skill / trick . The other is when Munezo meets his longtime friend for a final showdown . Do not expect " wuxia " styled swordfights . Think Star Wars : A New Hope , the duel between Darth Vader and Obi-wan Kenobi . The duel happens with measured strokes and strategy , rather than fast paced action everyone's used to these days . But again , the emphasis here is not on violence . It's a simple tale with powerful themes , and you will applaud when The Hidden Blade is finally used , justly . |
514,867 | 317,399 | 1,198,186 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Ayat-Ayat Cinta | Fahri ( Fedi Nuril ) is an Indonesian religious student who's studying in a prestigious religious university in Egypt . He's the all round nice guy , who's pious as he is moderate in his values , as well as being the resident stud with whom every female he has the fortune to meet , falls head over heels with . To some of us , this seems like heaven , but seriously , it's more trouble that Fahri can ever imagine . Through him , we learn a little bit more about Islam , and his little fights against extremism , and correcting those who conveniently hide behind being deliberately out of context . Naturally this charm of sincerity and standing up for the underdog brings him admirers . First there's fellow student Nurul ( Melanie Putria ) , whom Fahri and his friends go to for academic assistance , because of her ties with their professor . She takes a liking of Fahri because he's probably a genius to her eyes , and being the best looking amongst the cohort of course . Then there's Noura ( Zaskia Adya Mecca ) , a poor soul who's constantly abused in public by her father , whom Fahri takes pity and rescues . For Noura , it is obvious she's in love with her knight in shining armour , while Fahri , in his heart , sincerely just took pity on her . There's Maria ( Carissa Putri ) of the Christian faith , one of the first Fahri meets in his student days , and as his neighbour , they share a lot of time together in studies and play , and both find good virtues with one another , coming close to ending their search for soulmates . That is , until Fahri meets Aisyah ( Rianti Rhiannon Cartwright ) , a German Muslim with whom I think most guys would go for without a doubt - someone who shares the same religion and has deep affinity for it , a loaded family so cares for material wealth takes a backseat , and probably best of all , which I think the director Hanung Bramantyo teased on purpose , is a stunner behind that veil that she wears ( you can hear gasps of exasperation when trick camera angles were used to hide her facial features ) . If you were Fahri , who would you choose ? In keeping to the spirit of not spoiling it for you , I shan't tell too . Of course he chooses one , based on certain criteria of his own , which doesn't surprise ( hey , we're guys OK ? ) , but the manner in which it was presented , made it seem rather shallow and superficial , whence it should be something more of a deeper connection that he should feel for his wife to be . Anyway things are never rosy with a marriage , and soon enough , melodrama dictates that his marriage will be on the rocks since husband and wife hardly know each other - with a matchmade like ritual being the bridge between two hearts - and a more severe trial being put in their way , which calls for the courts to be involved . As mentioned , Ayat-Ayat Cinta never fail in finding opportunity to talk about religion , and in fact I enjoyed such moments as its principles can be applied regardless of your own personal beliefs , as they are universal and would be in agreement with any reasonable person . And it brings to mind certain things we do too , such as the doubts that creep into the minds of even the most pious , when it seemed that the almighty had somewhat forsaken us when we are stuck in a rut that we believe couldn't happen to us since we should be in God's good books constantly for putting his sayings into practice . But I guess the old man above has his own sense of humour and share of wanting to shake things up a little to separate those who pay lip service only , from those who are truly sincere . Given that the story's central theme is on love , you don't really get much of that until the last act which lasts not more than 20 minutes on screen . Touching on love and sacrifice , you'd wonder how those who have polygamous relationships handle the requirements of it all , and the superb time management which they supposedly possess . Juggling multiple girlfriends or dates is a piece of cake , although sometimes there's always that very few close shaves . Juggling more than one wife under the same roof , calls for some serious soul searching , and the obvious courting of trouble with a capital T . While there are those with virtues like patience , tolerance and the likes , I doubt many women out there would willingly ( and this is the keyword ) share their husbands with another woman . Here , it's out of circumstance to save his own rear , at least how it was played out , despite obvious clues that it wasn't , and it again serves as a reminder to think through this vowed devotion very thoroughly , before taking the plunge . It boils down to being fair , being honest and being sincere , versus what you think might be pleasing in the eyes of a deity . Again without spoiling it , you do feel for the character who has to make this call and sacrifice . Love hurts , doesn't it from time to time ? Ayat-Ayat Cinta in its separate acts , have moments which stand out and fulfill their purpose , but when strung together , you'd feel that there are plenty more it could have addressed without relegating some issues to the backseat , and of course some minor elements which could've been dropped . I guess like the relationships in the movie , it had to pick and choose its battles , and what was delivered was still engaging enough to sit through . |
515,203 | 317,399 | 308,055 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Bobby | The name Kennedy is probably as close to " royalty " in the US as it can get , and it is of no surprise that the tragic events of the Kennedy brothers inspired movies to be made in their names . John F Kennedy , the 35th President of the USA , was assassinated in Dallas , Texas in 1963 , and conspiracy theorists had a field day in suspecting there's more than meets the eye . I still remembered the day I watched Oliver Stone's JFK in the cinemas , and as a teen was captivated by the movie , which really went on and on and on with the stock archive footage of the shooting . While some have dismissed the movie as propaganda , I thought Roger Donaldson's Thirteen Days was intriguing enough , highlighting perhaps JFK's defining moment in office in tackling of the Bay of Pigs / Cuban Missile Crisis . Also starring Kevin Costner ( not in any Kennedy role ) , this movie had JFK's brother Robert ( Bobby ) Kennedy featured as well , as he was the Attorney General of the time , and together , with others , have orchestrated a favourable outcome to the crisis . But alas , when Bobby was in the run-up for the US Presidency , he was unceremoniously gunned down in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in 1968 . Bobby the movie is set on that fateful day , so it must be cautioned that this is not a bio-pic , as it takes a broader look at the events of the day , and peeks into the dramatized lives of others around him who suffered collateral damage , in an era marred by steady violence and intolerance in society . What will probably catch your eye in Bobby , is the huge ensemble cast . And I mean huge . Even at the half hour mark , there are prominent actors still popping up to be counted . Familiar names in the cast include big names , has-beens , recognizable faces from the 80s and 90s , and the starlets of today - Emilio Estevez , Laurence Fishburne , Heather Graham , Anthony Hopkins , Helen Hunt , Ashton Kutcher , Lindsay Lohan , William H Macy , Demi Moore , Freddy Rodriguez , Martin Sheen , Christian Slater , Sharon Stone , Mary Elizabeth Winstead , and Elijah Wood . I would guess that Emilio Estevez might have had a difficult time in managing so many talents in this movie , written and directed by himself , and I was surprised at the end result - that it is a good movie , even though you'd know the outcome . Yes there are plenty of stars , and in effect each of them have their little individual story arcs to flesh their characters , although sometimes they do fall into their typecast , like Fishburne's character spouting philosophy ala his Matrix's Morpheus , or Heather Graham as the typical sexy blonde . Some story arcs are interesting , though nothing is too sophisticated , which takes off that certain shine of brilliance . Some arcs too are totally weird and probably there for the laugh factor , but on hindsight , it was a reflection of the sign of the times , of free love , drugs , rock and roll . I thought it was neat that Estevez decided against casting Bobby , and instead chose to elevate his character through archive footage , and voiceovers using some of his speeches . You get to see the real Bobby , and get to hear his voice , as he delivers passionate thoughts about working together , peace and harmony , things and themes that still ring true even in today's context . I guess such is the universal appeal , and a small clue that you can use to imagine how wildly popular he was amongst the minority groups at the time . The movie had an awesome soundtrack , and what took me by surprise was the inclusion of Simon and Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence . It was used as the song in the opening credits of The Graduate ( one of my favourite films as well ) , and I thought it was one of the best opening sequences , and to hear it again in the context of Bobby , was just wow . The song at the end credits , written by Bryan Adams and performed by Aretha Franklin and Mary J Blige - Never Gonna Break My Faith , was pleasing as well , though it was nominated for the Golden Globes , but didn't cut it for the Academy . For movie buffs , you will also probably grin at the many movie related trivia and mentions in Bobby . There are plenty of positive " what-ifs " in the movie , which seem to suggest that things would have been vastly different should the tragedy not happen , but that , sadly , will remain as questions of history . It's nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes , so that should suggest something on the pedigree of this movie . I'd recommend it for the star gazing as well , and do watch this soon as it's only playing at two GV cinemas . |
515,062 | 317,399 | 960,144 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : You Don't Mess With The Zohan | Comedies go up against each other at the local box office , with Adam Sandler squaring off against Steve Carell , and incidentally , both lead characters in their movies are of the spy / special forces kind , with Sandler's Zohan Dvir being the top Israeli counter-terrorist operative , and Carell's Maxwell Smart thinking he's the best , working for the CONTROL organization to bring down KAOS . Just which agent will outdo the other remains to be seen , but I thought Zohan had opportunity before throwing it away when it goes back to the usual sacharrine sweet ending with a nicely inserted moral message of peace and harmony . Directed by Dennis Dugan who helmed comedies like The Benchwarmers and the recent Adam Sandler movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry , You Don't Mess With The Zohan has its title come across as a warning to those who cross the Zohan's path . In every sense of the word , Zohan is Israel's # 1 superhero for his superhuman strength , speed , agility , and just about being as indestructible as Superman , without that heat ray bursting through his eyes . Having killed many in his lifetime , he seeks a life away from the glitz , glamour and hero worship in his homeland , and harbours a secret desire to style hair , with the ambition to make the world Silky Smooth ! Going up against his arch-enemy The Phantom ( John Turturro ) , he fakes his own death , and finds his way to New York , where under a pseudonym Scrappy Coco , he exhibits the much stereotyped mannerisms that all male hairdressers have broken wrists . Yes people , Zohan would be quite offensive to some , as the jokes come hard and fast when it comes to race ( there are tons of Arab jokes here , mostly putting them in bad light ) , politics ( even wives of prominent politicians are unspared ) and plenty of sexual inneundoes , perhaps no thanks to the writing input from Judd Apatow , who gave us flicks like Superbad ( super-sized dong anyone ? ) , 40-Year Old Virgin , and the likes . If you don't mind politically incorrect flicks , then Zohan would be right up your alley , where no orifice is sacred . So has Sandler sunk to a new low ? Perhaps not , but I think he's in need of a boost to his career , which seemed to have stagnated with fairly plain comedic flicks such as Longest Yard and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry , and even Click , perhaps being loaded with a tad bit of drama and feel good messages . And it doesn't really help when personally I still think that Spanglish was his best non-comedic work which stuck to me , for some reason . He tries to reinvent himself , but I feel he's still quite a distance away from peers like Mike Myers who comes up with crazy characters every now and then ( am looking forward to the troubled and controversial Love Guru ) , and even Sacha Baron Cohen ( whom I'm looking forward to his Bruno ) . Here , Sandler's Zohan relies on both his amazing prowess to bring down the bad guys , as well as his over-sized crotch to seduce plus sized and elderly women who come visit him for a haircut , and extra special services he dishes out . Granted they bring on the laughs , and there were some really genuine funny moments to compensate for some expected laughs on the horizon . But aside from that , the story's pretty much lost its direction after the mid-way point , where it couldn't decide whether to be an all out romance flick , with Zohan getting stiff for his salon owner Dalia ( Emmanuelle Chriqui ) , or to focus on the aged old dispute between the two cultures where fellow immigrants and enemies find out his true identity , and revive their aged old feud in a foreign land . There were some bewildering scenes that seemed to have , like the mentioned threads , been abandoned halfway , for example , with the rallying of troops to the game of Hacky Sack . Nonetheless , what's an Adam Sandler movie without the list of cameo appearances to spice things up ? Here you get Rob Schneider who makes regular cameo or supporting character appearances in a Sandler movie , together with Chris Rock , Mariah Carey who hams up her Diva status , Kevin James his co-star from Chuck and Larry , and even George Takei , whom I thought was a strange cameo given that he just came out of the closet recently , and gets himself involved in a somewhat homophobic scene . You Don't Mess With The Zohan doesn't always hit the mark , but it surely has enough moments in its close to 2 hour runtime to make it worthwhile to sit through and enjoy . Only if you prefer your comedy to be politically incorrect , of course . P . S . Am just wondering how many will emulate that crazy accented " Nononono " . |
514,739 | 317,399 | 202,281 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Dying at a Hospital | I'm eagerly awaiting to watch the other Ichikawa Jun movies because the only one I've seen to date is Tony Takitani . The styles used in Takitani and Dying at a Hospital are no less at opposite ends of the spectrum . Takitani had the camera constantly flowing , if I recall correctly , from left to right , as if turning the pages of a book , and provided a somewhat natural scene transition . But in Dying , the camera stays so still , it's like watching a stage play unfold right in front of you , and fade to black transitions , for almost all scenes , was the preferred technique used . Ichikawa captured the feel of a hospital succinctly . Recently , there was talk by our Health Minister with regards to allowing people to die at home , versus spending their last days in the confines of an institution , and I thought this film would have backed that reasoning perfectly . I've had my fair share of stays in hospitals / medic wards in my younger days , and it's no fun being in that environment . Watching the movie , it brought back memories when I was visited by doctors for Q & A and nurses for the periodic miscellaneous checks and pill popping , and being hooked up to a drip was no fun , especially when you need to go to the bathroom . In a public ward , sometimes you do see the frail and the very weak , and family members shuffling into and out of the wards come visiting hours , some with tears in their eyes . Despite its sterile environment , there's somehow this overhanging sense of sadness looming around the corner . It's a mixture of fictional narrative short stories , interspersed with non-fictional documentary styled shots of various random scenes depicting the whizzing by of everyday life , outside of the hospital of course . It's as if you're witness to the struggles that the sick and the dying face within the four walls , while time waits for nobody . The short stories too were different from one another , involving an elderly couple who wished to stay together in sickness and in health , a vagrant who was picked up on the street , whose story was quite cold and sad in that there's obviously no instances where there are visitors made up on friends and family , and I particularly liked the story which served as the closing - an extremely touching piece . All the short stories are self-contained , but when strung together in a movie like this , provides a kaleidoscope issues you'd come to expect from a typical day at the hospital , especially when the narration ( is it a hallmark of Ichigawa movies ? ) comes from different perspectives , which included doctors , patients and even nurses . A quiet , contemplative piece with a sense of hope in its closing remarks , you seldom see the facial expressions of the characters up close , as the camera mimics the usual distance one would most times keep from the other patients ( at least for me , for reasons unknown ) , in curious to know more , but yet want to maintain that emotional detachment . |
514,712 | 317,399 | 240,890 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Serendipity ( 2001 ) | So a pair of black cashmere gloves on a Christmas shopping trip brought two attractive strangers together , and they proceed to spend the most incredible night together at a cafe and an ice skating ring . However , the girl is a New Age Spirituality freak , and makes it oh so damn difficult for the guy to get anything out of her , even her name ! It just drives a man insane , and she proceeds to make it so challenging and leave everything to Fate - Jonathan Trager ( John Cusack ) had to write his name and contact number on a five dollar bill , which Sara ( Kate Beckinsale ) proceeded to use , and if the note comes back to her because of Fate , she'll give him a call . On the other hand , she wrote hers on a book , which she will sell to a second hand book store , for Jonathan to look for and browse at each time he passes by a store . However another serendipitous game in a hotel finally made them part ways , but parting is such sweet sorrow , and each of them take active steps in seeking out each other when Fate comes aknocking - Jonathan seeks out Sara's last name , while Sara takes a trip to New York , and both make round trips around the Big Apple , revisiting places they have been to together . Fans of American Pie will cheer at the small scene where Eugene Levy appears as a conniving anal Bloomdale's salesman . And I like the scene using the Godfather movies as an analogy which Jonathan uses to explain his crush for Sara . While the couples shared Cassiopeia , I'll never forget my own Orion moment . The surprising thing though , is that you might bat an eyelid during the introduction . Both couples have their respective other halves ( engaged , going to get married ) , but proceed to flirt so closely and strongly with each other , and to seek each other out . OK , perhaps Sara's Zen-music boyfriend is a bit of a jerk ( it always plays out that way yeah ? ) but this is a Hollywood romance after all , one that deals with a fortunate accident . I've always been a fan of John Cusack - he's one of those underrated character actors in nice quirky movies ; High Fidelity's still one of my favourites , and the soundtrack in this film is pretty cool too . And Kate Beckinsale , OK I confess , is the real reason why I'm watching this movie . They share a certain chemistry which is so enjoyable you're rooting for them to get back together as soon as possible to experience the magic again . So if you're feeling in the mood for a bit of cruel Fate filled romance comedy , then Serendipity is for you . Cuddle up with a loved one and pop this DVD into the player . Serendipity moments ? Anytime for me : - P Code 1 DVD Extras : The gem in the extras are the deleted scenes . As mentioned above , some might bat an eyelid at the flirtation scene in which their respective partners are quickly forgotten . The deleted scenes were worse , so probably that's why they didn't make the final cut . Most of the scenes featured were from the introduction , with a totally different conversation piece at the Serendipity cafe . You must watch them to know what was originally intended . |
515,112 | 317,399 | 964,516 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Fashion | The glamorous world of fashion gets put under the spotlight with Madhur Bhandarakar's Fashion , a story which tells of the rise and fall of a fictional Indian supermodel Meghna Mathur , played by ex Miss World Priyanka Chopra , who holds court with her performance as the phoenix finding her own standing in an industry known for ruthlessness and fickleness that comes with changing its representative face with the seasons . As Meghna , Chopra brings to life the wide-eyed small town girl who dreams of making it big on the catwalks of Mumbai , and thereafter the world , and we journey with her through this long and arduous road to modelling . Given that a typical Bollywood movie comes in two parts after an intermission , each part serves its intent well , acting as a separation of attitudes adopted , of the transformation of Meghna from aspiring model , to one at her peak , bad attitude notwithstanding . You'd come to expect a story that's almost mirroring that of The Devil Wears Prada , where good natured girl gets caught up with all the bright lights and glamour , that she loses her humanity quite consciously , looking at herself change from angel to demon , yet powerless in the grip of fame and money to find the moral courage to do anything about it . It tells of pitfalls , not only in this particular industry , but in general the kind of negative person we are susceptible to turn into , should we lose touch with reality , and let success get into our heads . Priyanka Chopra is quite perfect in the role and believable both as the girl next door , and a supermodel as well , given her beautiful looks and height to carry the role of a clothes horse . She brings to the screen some steely resolve in that it's not enough to be just a part of the industry , but to be # 1 through any methods and means . During production of course there was talk about her going on a crash diet for her role , and I guess such rumours get spun because the industry favours pencil thin ( read : unhealthy looking ) models who grace the catwalks . However , Chopra brings about a healthy glow to her role as Meghna , though I thought toward the end she looked a little more svelte in her figure than to begin with . It's good to see that at least she's not quite obsessed into being yet another waif looking character , as there might be some pressure given the production did feature real models , some even from Elite , gracing the screen as background eye candy . And this film was really quite encompassing with its portrayal of the industry , what with all the power players from agents to agencies , from designers ( including fashion labels like Jimmy Choo ) to magazines ( Vogue India ) , from genuine friends to those looking to feel up skirts . I particularly liked how the film introduced us to all the key players and characters in one fell swoop , and what more through a fashion show , listening in to who's who and rivalries that exist , before observing just how hypocritical everyone can be toward one another . Granted there were some lapses into character stereotypes like the gay designer and the married modelling agency boss ( played by Arbaaz Khan ) who has no qualms about sleeping with his top model , and with some moments in the plot being quite predictable , especially with relationships both personal and professional , Fashion still comes through unscathed as it's delivered in a slick package , sashaying to the cool seductive moves of catwalk modelling , of showing off its best side to the audience . Since this is a film from Bollywood , you can expect many sleazy bits to be toned down and self-censored , with one scene involving a wardrobe malfunction actually being mosaic-ed off . And besides Priyanka Chopra , Mugdha Godse also held her own as Meghna's best friend Janet , who shows her the ropes and also bearing witness to her meteoric rise and fall . But I thought Kangna Ranaut's show-stopper role as top supermodel Shonali was something to sit up and take notice , with her pitch-perfect arrogance on the catwalk being quite a sight to behold , and her character being a parallel to that of Meghna , as a pre-cursor and warning of what one's life would be if you'd throw it to the wind , given her indulgence in drugs , drink , smoke and a choice of the wrong partner . I haven't seen a lot of movies about the fashion industry , but I suppose this one form India serves as a catalyst to begin , even if it's a work of fiction . Eye candy galore and a simple storyline to follow , it's houte couture on display , everything good and nasty about it . As close to front row seats to a fashion show I can get . |
515,475 | 317,399 | 479,884 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Crank | Just so you know , I'm a fan of Jason Statham , but before you jump to conclusions that I'm gonna give a positive spin on Crank because I'm a fan boy , do note that if you cannot stand mindless action movies , if you're not a Statham fan , flowery vulgarities are not your cup of tea , and MTV styled quick cuts give you headaches , then forget it , Crank is not for you . Otherwise , you're in for an adrenaline pumping ride . And what a ride it is . While Statham has been in a variety of movies , sometimes in bit roles ( Collateral ) , or sharing the limelight ( The Italian Job remake ) , or playing villainous characters ( like Cellular ) , he does prove at times that he could carry off his own vehicle ( pardon the pun ) in films like the Transporter series . You may quibble about his acting , or the movies he starred in don't allow any range to be seen , but hey , this dude's got presence . And in action movies , that's what matters . Can he be to this decade what Stallone-Van Damme-Schwarzeneggar have been to theirs ? Statham stars as Chev Chelios , an unsavoury character , a professional hit-man finding himself in deep , deep trouble . As always , the bad guys like monologues , and slow deaths , hence right at the start he's injected with a synthetic drug known as the Beijing Cocktail . To survive , he must keep his adrenaline flowing and heart rate high . Relaxing and taking five , will be lethal . So begins a riotous run around town , staying alive with every conceivable adrenaline pumping ideas based on sex , drugs and even rock and roll , in his desperate quest to fish out his perpetrators and exact his brand of violent justice . It's extremely non politically correct , and the dialogue , well , you'll either love it , or loathe it . And directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor really loaded this movie with plenty of smart alecky effects and quirky edits , you'll need some time to adjust to the style imposed . Don't go looking for a very smart storyline with award winning acting , because you won't find any , given the very blatant loopholes in certain scenes , plunging plausibility right down the drain . But who cares , so long as the action's great and the pace just never letting up . Best part is that given the local rating , nothing's being censored , so you can see every gory scene ( some reminiscent of Hostel , Saw , and the likes ) , witness sexploitative characters , and hear every swear word in its full glory . And another plus points for the male audience , Amy Smart stars in a decorative role as Eve , Chev's main squeeze , who doesn't show up until close to the hour's mark in a less than 90 minute movie . The character's here plainly to serve up and fulfill deep dark sexual desires . Heck , I'd bet most in the audience were crossing their fingers for some major wardrobe malfunction ! Strictly for the fans , and hell yeah , it's one heck of a ride ! And stay tuned until the end of the credits too ! Can't wait for his new movie Rogue where he goes up against Jet Li ! |
515,466 | 317,399 | 180,443 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Apollo 13 : To the Edge and Back | If you're game to revisit the Apollo 13 mission and want to do away with the dramatics of the Ron Howard version , then perhaps this documentary would be what you're looking for . It doesn't come with a lot of bells and whistles , relying instead on plenty of stock footage and CG graphics to enhance the narrative in explaining what the astronauts Jim Lovell , Fred Haise and Jack Swigert had to go through when they're seemingly trouble-free mission turned out to be something quite unexpected , relying on the smarts of everyone from the lunar capsule right down to mission control to pull them out of their predicament . It doesn't just focus on the mission itself , but at appropriate times branches off to provide the viewer with a more holistic view of the entire 60s space race between the USA and USSR , with the latter gaining plenty of one-ups against their rival , until unexpected tragedies forced a quiet shutdown of their lunar program , with JFK pushing the lunar objective through to NASA . We also get to see some of the failed attempts of the USA's with their rockets going anywhere but skywards , and you wonder just how massive each space program was in trying to get mankind lifted off from Earth . It doesn't get any better than this with the real life astronauts and mission control crew providing first hand account of that mission which some of the superstitious had a field day with , given the 13th mission of the Apollo program , which blasted off on the 13th of April , at the time of 1313 hrs . That aside , the documentary by Noel Buckner and Rob Whittlesey is presented quite matter-of-factly with talking head interviews with the Jim Lovell , Fred Haise , and many more from ground control , including their rival Cosmonauts where you realize that on an individual level , it's about the triumph of man over which country being able to get bragging rights . On a National level , yes it boils down to being ahead , but for those involved and on the ground , whatever progress has been made , is a triumph in itself , and every tragedy reverberating through the space community . And yes , that infamous duct tape solution also gets mentioned here , although not in more details that I would have preferred . So if your preference is more for the dramatic flair provided by actors , then you just might want to stick to the Ron Howard version . Otherwise for a very succinct overview of the challenges faced in the mission , then this documentary account would be right up your alley . |
514,713 | 317,399 | 405,325 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Sky High | Since this is a Disney movie , I guess you'll know what to expect : humour , safe action , some camp , lotsa colour , and a feel good factor . Sky High is all these and , surprisingly , a whole lotta fun too ! Sometimes music makes the movie for me , and when I heard " Everybody Wants To Rule The World " , I knew the filmmakers had this done right , for a superhero movie that doesn't take itself too seriously . Sky High refers to a special school hovering up in the sky , where the children of super-beings go to , for an education to learn how to harness their powers . Interestingly , they do not learn whether to use it for good or evil , it's entire up to them ( i . e . no moral or social studies here ) . Will Stronghold had it tough from the start - being the only child of 2 Superhero parents ( most have only 1 parent as a super being ) , he had to uphold both his parents and the general population's expectation of his perceived abilities , which he knows is , none . What's more , his parents are the most powerful of them all , and everyone in school naturally gives respect to his family name . Alas , here's where the fun starts . There are plenty of one-dimensional characters , like the school pranksters , the loner with an attitude , the most popular girl in school , the cheerleader , the coward , the Haves and the Have-nots . Rather , make that the Heroes and the Losers / Sidekicks . Like local schools , Sky High segregates lessons between those with heroic-like powers ( super strength , speed , ability to fly , etc ) and those with more benign and less powerful abilities . However , my favourite scenes are those lessons with the Hero-Support group ( a more politically correct term for Sidekicks ) , taught by a teacher , whom I suspect is a jab at a grown-up Burt Ward Robin . While this is mainly a kid's show , there are more adult themes thrown in . Though adults would probably get tired with the Loser to Hero storyline , they'll probably get more of the inside jokes and references thrown in abundance in this movie . Hamming it up as the adult characters in the movie are Kurt Russell as The Commander , and Kelly Preston as Jetstream - Earth's mightiest couples , and TV's Wonder Woman Lynda Cater appears as Sky High's principal - do listen for a classic line ! Bruce Campbell contributes to the humour as the typical Coach Boomer ( sonic boom abilities ) , but my favourite ought to be Ron Wilson - Bus Driver ! So while the storyline's nothing to wow about , the delivery is still top notch , and it's pretty enjoyable watching a typical US high school drama with super powers added to spice things up . The special effects are well done too , though cheesy at some points , again , just to jab Adam West's Batman ( the pole , the bat-computer like computer ) . If you're a fan of cartoons and comics , you'll definitely not want to miss this - you'll be in awe at how many familiar references you can catch in this movie ! P . S . I swear there's a scene in the trailer that did not make it the final cut - and that is the one where Russell and Preston were chained up and held above ground . If I'm wrong , let me know . |
514,600 | 317,399 | 407,265 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : Transamerica | Felicity Huffman is up and running for the Best Actress Oscar this year , and there's no profound reason to understand why . It's a challenging role , one in which she plays a transsexual . No , not a woman who wants to become a man , but the reverse . Meaning she has to have that constant subtle nuance that she's physically evolving into a woman through the assistance of drugs , while groping with the fact that others know she's a little queer . It's surprisingly an enjoyable movie , one which meshes great music and visuals together to create a story focused on one man / woman's journey into fulfilling his / her desires . Bree Osbourne ( Huffman ) is at her final stages of transformation , having scheduled a final operation to remove her male organ . However , she received a call one day and realized that when she was still a he , he had unwittingly fathered a son , Toby ( Kevin Zegers ) and now that son is locked up in a New York jail house pending bail . Posing as a church volunteer , Bree bails Toby out , but keeps the true nature of their relationship a secret . And since both of them need to reach Los Angeles , they embark on a reluctant road trip together . Yes , it's one of those road trip movies too , with its fair share of witty dialogue and comedic situations . However , this one had a little more heart involved , given the brilliant chemistry between father / mother and son . It becomes a journey of self discovery and self worth for the both of them , and at the same time , we look at the attitudes of general folks towards transsexuals and the prejudices they face . In the film , it might be mentioned that it's a psychological disorder , but what you'd gather , if anything , is that they're human too , with similar hopes and aspirations , wanting to live their lives they want to , some having confidence , or the lack thereof therefore needing a physical change to be complete . And while this movie doesn't attempt to preach , it does make a point or two from its dialogue if you attempt to go at it from the angle of religion . In a scene with friends of the same nature , it was quite hard for Bree as you see her struggle to put down her friends in front of her son , as if to disapprove of their behaviour and what has become of them . It was as if she had put a mirror in front of herself and criticized oneself based on societal norms , in contrast to what we see each there where she psyches and assures herself each day in front of that same mirror . Besides Bree , the other major character will be that of Toby , a teenage male streetwalker . Like Mysterious Skin , there's some exploration into gay and teen sex , as he sells his body to help get Bree and himself out of a fix . It might not settle well , but it's all there . I'm quite surprised to see Graham Greene in this movie too , though his role is quite minor , to show that transsexuals do have emotions and love too , and shouldn't be ostracized . Perhaps the part where the plot really propelled forward was when the Bree and Toby meet up with the Osbournes . Part comedy , part serious , the family ties between the characters really took a life on its own , about how one's decision to change oneself will have an impact on parents , whether you'd like it or not . But it is precisely these issues that you'd think might crop up , actually do , and get addressed . Its introduction to the premise might be a little Broken Flowers , and some aspects of it might have taken a leaf from Mysterious Skin , but Transamerica aptly surpasses those two in grappling with its mature themes . Recommended stuff . |
515,155 | 317,399 | 113,011 | 8 | A Nutshell Review : To Make A Film is to Be Alive | I was actually looking forward to the documentaries this week to shed some insight into the man whose films are showcased in the Retrospective , but after today's session , I'm inclined to believe I've to wait until the last week's set of documentaries to savour what I had expected . One wonders about the significance of the title , and as explained by Lorenzo Cordelli , Enrica actually had gotten some flak for getting Michelangelo Antonioni out to do film work , despite his partial paralysis from a stroke . But as the title suggests , because of high medical expenses and funds running low , he has to , unfortunately , pay the bills too , and hence his involvement in the movie Beyond the Clouds . Co-directed by Wim Wenders , we see glimpses of how Antonioni got to direct with limited mobility , though much of it had Wim Wenders in the central role of explaining Antonioni's vision and direction to cast and crew alike . From interview pieces with Wenders , we get to understand a little bit more on this collaboration process , and it explains quite clearly the dynamics between the two filmmakers on the set . What was sorely missed however , was more of Antonioni , as there wasn't any time set aside to hear what he has to share , and we can only try to understand from the little bits and pieces from his limited screen time . It's very Beyond the Clouds specific , so much so that it could be deemed as a making-of documentary of the movie , rather than a general one on Antonioni . With cast interviews from Jean Reno to Sophie Marceau , given the large number of actors and actresses featured in what essentially is a collection of short films , we get to learn more about the cast's thoughts and feeling towards Antonioni's style and direction , and to hear about their thrill of being casted in an Antonioni movie . We get to experience certain events on set , but that's about it . At most it whet my appetite for the movie , as it'll be screened only week after in this Retrospect , and to hang in there for more documentaries that will hopefully shed additional light on the big man himself . |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.