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•• Foreign Film Edition ••
DEEP IN THE HEART 
[2015, China - Mandarin]

When his feature debut Deep In The Heart won Best Director and Best Feature Film at the International Film Festival Xining (FIFFX) in 2014, Beijing director Xin Yukun's name was still unknown in the industry. Not only did the film rake in 4.35 million yuan (US$685,000) in its first three days despite being made with a paltry budget of 1.7 million yuan (US$269,800), setting a new record for the highest box office accomplishment by an independent, domestically-produced movie in China; it continued to achieve critical acclaim, bagging awards locally and overseas including Best New Director at International Film Critics' Week during the 71st Venice International Film Festival and the PIAGET Award of Excellence at the 51th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival.

Originally titled The Coffin in the Mountain when it first ran on the festival circuit in 2014, the story centres around death and a coffin. Director Xin cleverly splits the film into a tri-linear format. We are first introduced to the estranged relationship between Weiguo (Huo Weimin) and his son Zongyao (Wang Xiaotian). From what seems to be a desperate plan for Zongyao to runaway from his village in Henan Province after accidentally killing a man, it triggers a series of events which seals his fate to his father in an unimaginable way. The discovery of the corpse on the outskirts of the village spins another two timelines which in a bizarre turn will find their own way of connecting, with different families claiming their linkage to the corpse. Li Qin (Sun Li), a woman who indulges in an affair with her ex-lover as she endures years of domestic violence. And finally, Weiguo who is well respected as the chief of the village, finds himself dragged into the crime scene and hopelessly attempts to clear his family's name and restore order to his village.



What is cleverly presented here is the linkage that binds the three stories together, whilst each character's quandary and self-interest are honestly arrayed and juxtaposed. By retelling the events from varying timelines and perspectives, we are given the story in pieces while at the same time entertained with the host of idiosyncratic characters and dark humor throughout. No doubt suffering from several missteps in his attempt to bring together an intense story within a crowded cast, Xin's debut emerges triumphant. Yes parts of the storytelling may be sluggish, scripting is not exactly tip-top, but I'm thoroughly entertained. Deep In The Heart is deeply engaging with its multitude of plotting and deception, a staggering witness to the calamity that sends us into the abyss of humanity.

Rating: A-

#心迷宫 #DeepInTheHeart#TheCoffinInTheMountain #DeepInTheHeartFilm#XinYuKun #VeniceInternationalFilmFestival#ChineseFilms #AsianIndieFilms#IndependentFilms #AsianMovies #HuoWeimin#WangXiaotian #SunLi #ChinaFilms #FilmReview#MovieReview

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•• Foreign Film Edition ••
MOTHER OF GEORGE 
[2013, NIGERIA, US - English, Yoruba]

Mother of George is a visually arresting film that captures the Nigerian culture in a western world. Director Andrew Dosunmu opens the film with a traditional Nigerian wedding, a profuse exhibit of joyous music, customary blessings and vestments bursting with dynamic colors. It is the union of Adenike (Danai Gurira) and Ayodele (Isaach De Bankolé), where within the wedding rituals and conversations you would appreciate the importance of respecting and preserving traditions in Ayodele's family. Family and guests anoint the bride with dollar notes, and Ayodele’s mother Ma Ayo (Bukky Ajayi) gives her blessings, citing “Adenike, you and your husband, nothing will ruin you two. You will give birth to a son. You will give birth to a daughter too. You will give birth to twins as well.” Soon Adenike is sitting the bedroom, while waiting for her husband to take her on their first night, she receives fertility beads from her mother-in-law. Along with it is a carrier that Ma Ayo used to carry her son on her back, asserting her demands again as she suggests that her daughter-in-law would carry her grandchild in it as well. The unborn grandchild is even given a name, George Babatunde Balogun. These opening ten minutes prepensely set the tone for the film, where fertility would be conceiving a breed of dilemma, turmoil and lies within the Nigerian family living in Brooklyn, as the newlyweds undergo a burdensome marriage that is not blessed with an offspring.

Dosunmu’s experience as a fashion creative director and photographer is definitely eminent in the film, adeptly translated into a richly textured story. Mother of George is visually exquisite, as Dosunmu weaves an array of exuberant colors, elaborate customs and still shots with off-centre framing into his film. I like the subtle yet absorbing soundtrack as well, from the faint Nigerian juju music in the background to the sound mix that helps build accentuations when needed. The filming is deliberately made to echo the characters’ sense of dislocation. "I wanted to show a New York completely different from what you usually see. What I really love about it is that many immigrants have their own oases in this metropolis,” Dosunmu who is an émigré himself shares (he moved to the city from Nigeria 18 years ago). He also explains that the camera follows Adenike in a way that is both claustrophobic and uncertain, with the intention to make the audience feel just like her. “We want to see more, but we can’t, and that’s how she feels; she wants more clarity, but she doesn’t have the solution."

The fertility drama is further accomplished with the profound acting, especially by the lead Gurira. The actress of Zimbabwean descent, known for her role in AMC’s TV series The Walking Dead, is a treat to watch. Her stoic face shows us her adamant pursue to make her family complete, yet your hearts will be stolen when you watch her breaking down as she struggles to conform to tradition. Coupled with eloquent writing by Darci Picoult, and breathtaking cinematography by Bradford Young, who won Cinematography Awards at the Sundance Film Festival for his work on Pariah (2011), Mother of George and Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), Mother of George is evocative, equally stunning and heartbreaking to watch. It also co-stars Tony Okungbowa and Yaya Alafia.

Rating: B+

#MotherOfGeorge #AndrewDosunmu #DanaiGurira#IsaachDeBankolé #BukkyAjayi #TonyOkungbowa#YayaAlafia #NigerianFilm #ForeignFilms#InternationalFilms #MovieReview #FilmReview#BradfordYoung #AfricanFilm #Drama

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ROOM
[2015, Canada, Ireland, UK - English]

“This is not a horrifying film. The story we’re telling is about the extraordinary power of parent-child love,” author Emma Donoghue shared about her 2010 bestselling novel Room, and its adaptation into the gripping drama film (of the same title) which she wrote the screenplay as well. In the novel, the story is told from the point of view of five year-old Jack, who has spent his entire life kidnapped in a 10-by-10-ft garden shed with his mother. We all know about the nightmares when filmmakers attempt to translate celebrated novels onto the big screens, very few had actually succeeded. Donoghue was aware that her novel had become great inspiration to many women, mothers (especially single mothers), female victims, and many of her fans actually wanted more of “Ma”, even requesting for a prequel or a parallel narrative. So in a way, the 2015 film adaptation to me shifted the anchoring perspective and created the opportunity for “Ma” to step forward more. This can be a good or bad thing, as one of the main selling-points of the novel was how readers are deeply moved by experiencing the storyline from the cherubic, fragile and beguiling world of a five year-old. Some may want to hold on to that, which will not be the case in Lenny Abrahamson’s film. For me, the adaptation came off accomplished.

Although in a different way, it remains thoroughly absorbing and the performances by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay are equally compelling. Being the slowest reader that I am, there are not many instances where I have the liberty to review a film with the knowledge from having read the novel version prior. Room is one of them, and I’m glad the film did not disappoint.

Regardless of its success, the film is far from an easy watch. Ma, or her real name Joy, is kept prisoner in the garden shed for seven years, consistently raped by her captor, Old Nick. It's into this oppressive and inadequate world that Jack has been born, as Ma devotes every second of her life in making him happy, creating their very own universe within the confined space, protecting him from the cold, brutal truth. Watching Jack living his entire life in the room with Ma, being the only "world" he knows, interacting with the only friends he has, the wardrobe, the lamp, the rug, can be really heartbreaking. Soon the time comes when Ma realises that she can no longer fully safeguard Jack's well-being and his psychological vulnerability is spreading like a ticking time-bomb. 

Working from a screenplay by Donoghue herself, Abrahamson delivers the story with precision, both visually and psychologically. Donoghue absolutely nailed her adaptation, transforming her poignant tale into a different format, yet sufficiently, if not equally, gripping. There are several differences which did not deter the film from staying true to its source. The narration of Ma and Jack's lives prior the escape is definitely shorter, where the novel spends more time on how Ma constructs Jack's "world" in detail. There are lesser characters, giving Grandma and Leo (Step Grandpa) more focus in the film. Ma's rotten tooth kept by Jack as his "courage" also receives a different treatment, but I shall not elaborate further (no spoilers, of course). One of the strengths of Room is how it moves from grim to inspiring, the limited space will against all odds translate a powerful, gargantuan message.

Rating : A

#Room #RoomMovie #EmmaDonoghue#LennyAbrahamson #BrieLarson #JacobTremblay#Adaptation #FilmReview #MovieReview #Drama#Movies #Oscars #OscarFilms

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THE REVENANT
[2015, USA - English]

One just can't review Alenjandro G. Iñárritu's latest epic adventure film The Revenant without touching on (or rather as I'd prefer to put it - appreciating) the laborious eight months of intense and moiling shoot the entire cast and crew endured while filming in remote locations in British Columbia and Alberta. Iñárritu's insistence on doing things for real, making the cast go through conditions not so different from those faced by the film's characters, has had the entire team spending two hours everyday to travel to the filming locations, and working under subzero temperatures that could drop as low as -40C. The ambitions of the Oscar-winning director has extended to a grit commitment of having the story filmed chronologically, using only natural light. In other words, it only gave them shooting windows of two hours’ adequate sunlight each day. Iñárritu has shared that a film like this “is a homage to the original cinema tradition", where directors go places and risk challenges. Budget inevitably ballooned, with initial sum of $60m rising to $90m, then finally $135m.

DiCaprio plays Hugh Glass, experienced frontiersman guiding a fur-trapping expedition through the wilderness of the Dakota territory in 1823. The team is led by Captain Henry (Domhnall Gleeson), with team members including Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), Bridger (Will Poulter) and Hawk (Forrest Goodluck), Glass’s son by a Native American woman. Following a massive attack by hostile Native Americans which operates as the brilliantly beautiful opening scene, and a gruesome bear attack that leaves Glass on the brink of death, the remaining men decide to abandon Glass in order to increase their own chances at making their way back to the barracks safely. The film then moves on detailing Glass’ turbulent throe, in precise anecdotes of his painful fight for survival, which eventually transforms into a compelling quest for revenge.

The film is as real as it can get, with every scene and every expression depicted in such organic presence and pure visceral energy, audience is placed right into the scene with the characters. Iñárritu wants to make you uncomfortable, so savage in some of the scenes that you will be left gawking or twitching. That is the only way to allow audience to be totally immersed in the experience. And what an experience it was for me. Coupled with Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography and Iñárritu’s fluid long takes (effectively applied though not exactly and extensive like what we saw in Birdman), the entire journey is transformed into a cinematic spectacular. Already bagged the Oscars for Best Cinematography twice consecutively for his work on Gravity and Birdman, I am not surprised at all that the Mexican cinematographer will be getting his third in February this year. In fact, it will be my wish as well for Iñárritu to bag the Best Director again after his triumph with Birdman last year.

OK we also need to talk about the bear scene. Iñárritu’s insistence on minimal use of CGI is admirable, limiting computer imagery to almost exclusively to create animals (including the bear). Watching how DiCaprio is pummeled and virtually torn into pieces by the beast will leave audience aghast. He was in fact really thrown around with the use of wires and other apparatus, with the bear being digitally added later. And suffice to say, this is not the only shocking (and amazing) scene involving animals that is in store with this 156-minute drama.

The plot is left thin and scarce, intendedly. However that would be the only missing piece for me to conclude it as a true masterpiece. I’ve never had issues with one-note films and don’t get me wrong, The Revenant is rich in emotional grit (making you root fervently for the antagonist’s fight and survival) and carries a rather strong, positive underlying message about the exploitation on the indigenous communities. I just wished they could have included a tad more of delving into Glass’ past, how his roots intertwined with his demised Native American wife. After all, the film is helmed by few but strong actors. Hardy gives one of his best performance I’ve seen so far, and of course DiCaprio drags us along in his excruciating journey. You can almost feel every thud, every blow he takes, his heavy breaths fogging the screen at close-ups, the strained vocals through his drenched agonizing facial expressions and dribbling and frosting beard. This man went to hell and back for his performance, it’s time they gave him the much deserved Oscar that has eluded him throughout his two decades of great acting.

Rating: A-

‪#‎TheRevenant‬ ‪#‎AlenjandroIñárritu‬ ‪#‎LeonardoDiCaprio‬ ‪#‎TomHardy‬‪#‎FilmReview‬ ‪#‎MovieReview‬ ‪#‎Birdman‬ ‪#‎Oscars‬ ‪#‎HughGlass‬‪#‎EmmanuelLubezki‬ ‪#‎WillPulter‬

DEMONIC - A Decent Horror Flick Without An Annoying Ending

Adequate-Watch - DEMONIC [2015, US - English]

- A police officer and a psychologist track down the cause of the deaths of a group of college students, as we witness how history repeats itself where the victims are caught in a similar fate with a previous group brutally murdered in the same house during an attempt to summon the spirits

- With the story told in two interlacing plots, the audience is treated to a double-genre approach; where the truth of the murders are revealed slowly by the investigation-interrogation (detective-like) efforts taking place after the incident, and the flashbacks of victims haunted by unknown presence during the incident (horror). This gives the 86-mins horror flick a rather intriguing appeal, suspense with a few good jump-scares

- produced by acclaimed Malaysian-born director James Wan, who gave us  notable works like Saw, The Conjuring and Insidious; Demonic is a decent attempt by newcomer Will Canon in directing. It is one of the very few horror films which has an adequate ending. A twist is there, with the knots untied in a way which does not annoy like many failed horror flicks do

Rating : C+

#jamesWan #demonic #demonicFilm #demonicFilm2015 #horror #horrorFilm #filmReviews #movie #movieReviews #willCanon #theConjuring #insidious #mariaBello #dustinMilligan #scottMichlowicz #codyHorn

THE LAZARUS EFFECT - Thank Goodness For Olivia Wilde

Thumbs-Down Watch - THE LAZARUS EFFECT [2015, US - English]

- With a rather familiar group of cast including Olivia Wilde (Cowboys & Aliens), Evan Peters (FX series American Horror Story) and Donald Glover (NBC series Community), The Lazarus Effect is the latest flick by Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions; which is known for low-budget horror films like Paranormal Activity, Insidious, The Purge and Quija . Directed by David Gelb, the film tells the story of a team of scientists who developed a serum that brings the dead back to life; and during their tests they discovered that their reanimated subjects are possessed by demons

- Imagine Flatliners, Pet Sematary and Frankenstein, all cooked up in a lower grade concoction; The Lazarus Effect offers nothing new. With the main scenes revolving around the basement lab and the hallway of a burning apartment building, the film suffers from cliché-riddled scare-scenes, unimaginative screenplay and questionable plots. Thank goodness for Wilde's convincing act and such a suitable cast to give that ominous presence, however plagued by the chemistry with her one-facial-expression-all-the-way co-star Mark Duplass and predictable Carrie-like stunts like telekinesis and telepathy, walking around the lab throwing people around and occasionally dilating her pupils for no reason

- "If hell, as the movie says, is the worst memory of your life on an infinite loop, I'd better clean up my act or I'll be watching The Lazarus Effect for all eternity" - Pete Vonder Haar

RATING : D

#theLazarusEffect #davidGelb #oliviaWilde #markDuplass #evanPeters #donaldGlover #jasonBlum #paranormalActivity #thePurge #sinister #flatliners #frankenstein #petSemetary #aliensAndCowboys #horror #filmReviews #movies #films #moovieGab

CHAPPIE - A Total Mess From Neil Blomkomp

Thumbs-Down watch - CHAPPIE [2015, SOUTH AFRICA, US & MEXICO - English]

- After his highly-acclaimed sci-fi District 9 in 2009, director Neill Blomkomp decides to reuse the same background of the grubby Johannesburg in his latest flick Chappie. And trust me, the ridiculous title is the least of the film's problems. Lacking sense or eager to find some exciting diversity, Blomkomp recruits notorious South African rave-rap duo Die Antwoord as the main casts (besides Dev Patel & Hugh Jackman). Apart from using their actual commercial names in the film, both Ninja & Yolandi prove to be hopeless actors & seem to be playing exaggerated versions of their troubled selves, whilst at the same manage to irritate most of the cast & crew with their antics (Ninja apparently had to be written out of several scenes just so that he didn't return to the set). Still can't digest why on earth would an actor his calibre would want to be a part of this film, taking on the antagonist role Jackman is seen with an absurd mullet, and for no reason dressing like Steve Irwin even though he is supposed to be a former soldier who designs robots. And guess what, all of these are not even my main issues with the film!

- Still continuing to send the message in his films where humans are the worst villains, Blomkomp somehow incorporates a bit of Robocop (humanoid droids taking over the police force), and some of AI Artificial Intelligence (sentient robot who longs to be human), and wait there's more, a bit of ET (Chappie too starts to develop affection for his newfound "family" & has limited time with them) and why not, some Transformers (huge explosive scenes with hard-thumping scores). The result, a film working on a messy narrative with countless WTF moments

- And lastly, which I felt the film is really testing the audience's patience, is the inconsistent switching of Chappie the robot's emotional precociousness. While capable of downloading the entire internet into his brain in a matter of seconds, Chappie somehow still believes his "parents" when they tell him that when you stab or shoot someone, it just makes them go to sleep. As he puts on gold necklaces and profess more gangsta-attitude by saying things like "Chappie gonna kill y'all motherfuckas", we will also see him going all toddler with his whining of "Chappie scared! Chappie want mommy!" Seriously, I can't blame the audience laughing with ridicule when I was watching in the cinema, and how some critics are saying that at some point, you find yourself wanting everyone in the film dead

Rating : D-

#chappie #neillBlomkomp #hughJackman #devPatel #robots #dieArtwoord #filmReviews #sciFi #movies #sigourneyWeaver #district9

UNBROKEN - A Moving Tale Of Endurance

Worthy-Watch - UNBROKEN [2014, US - English]

- "If you can take it, you can make it" was the advice from his older brother which Olympian and war hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini carried with him in this epic drama, thriving against all odds from the 1936 Olympics as a middle-distance runner, to World War II as a bombardier, through 47 days stranded at sea in a raft, then finally two years tortured by the Japanese Navy in a prisoner-of-war camp

- Perhaps it would be a better choice to adapt the highly acclaimed 2010 book by Laura Hillenbrand "Unbroken, A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption" into a mini-series. Ambitious yes, to capture such breadth of events that carry the message of human survival and endeavor into a slightly above 2-hour film seems like a bad idea to me; but I have to say director Angelina Jolie gave a creditable attempt. So much to express about this uplifting tale that she had to direct it in broad brushstrokes, intertwining between chunks and flashbacks built around the major experiences in Louie's life - spanning wide from his mildly wayward boyhood right to the end of the war. As a result, the film had to focus so much on its events that it forgets to give us much in the way of characters. We keep seeing Louie as the super human whose mind, body and spirits remain unbreakable in a series of perdition & purgatory, but we do not get to go beyond that in understanding what really drives him & keeps him going. Though English actor Jack O'Connell gives a commendable performance as Louie, his role is left painted as this glossy persevering hero, but without much dimension as a person; and we never really feel privy to his inner life. Nevertheless, the teen-series Skins (2009-2010) & Starred Up (2013) star's intense, committed, physical performance remain praiseworthy

- What's noteworthy as well was Jolie's commitment towards her actors that she didn’t eat much on set to support their gruelling diets where they had to shed a lot of weights to give the appearance of starvation and the harsh conditions of captivity at the Japanese war camps

RATING : B-

#unbroken #angelinaJolie #jackOconnell #louisZamperini #warMovies #warFilms #drama

JUPITER ASCENDING - WACHOWSKI'S DESCEND CONTINUES

thumbsDown-watch - JUPITER ASCENDING [2015, US & AUSTRALIA - English]

with the endless string of reviews going down on "jupiter ascending" as one of the worst films by the wachowski siblings, guess it's rather pointless for me to add another. so let me list my best & worst of the gargantuan sci-fi which may extend the directing duo’s cinema slump since “V for vendetta” and the final “matrix” installments 

THE BEST

the film is lavish in visual effects & certainly a visual charm with several  delectable scenes. the wachowskis decided to anchor their effects more so on practical stunts instead of the usual easy way out with CGI. leading man channing tatum shares that there were minimal use of digital doubles and most stunts were done by stuntsmen or himself 

THE WORST

while it is easy on the eyes, don’t expect much from the dialogues. the ambition was on a large scale, with gigantic philosophies & mass-appeal sci-fi, however plagued with dry & dense scripts

caine wise (tatum): "your majesty, i have more in common with a dog than i have with you"

jupiter Jones (kunis): "i love dogs, i've always loved dogs"

i rest my case

THE BEST

with costume designer kym barrett we can expect nothing lesser than what we've seen in her previous works including wachowskis' "matrix" series, "eragon", "three kings" & "cloud atlas". barrett has also designed costumes for the visually delicious "cirque du soleil"

THE WORST

mila kunis & channing tatum's chemistry is as bland as barney's facial expressions. what makes it worse is that one of the underlying themes for this film is the romance brewing between these two actors with zero sparks. the lacking commitment in both their acting is no help at all, as you may occasionally think u're watching the street-suave tatum in "step up" & the hard-headed kunis in "that 70's show". seriously unconvincing. while eddie redmayne's 'big' acting may be unfairly taunted as "norbiting" his chances away from the otherwise hopeful triumph at the upcoming oscars like the case of eddie murphy 7 years ago, at least he is putting in much more effort & commitment in his character

Rating: D+

#jupiterAscending #filmReview #channingTatum #milaKunis #eddieRedmayne #sciFi #wachowski

WILD - Huge Message, Film Falls Rather Flat

adequate-watch - WILD [2014, US - English]

- let me start by reiterating one of my overused mantras, i've never understood the accolades lauded by critics over reese witherspoon, nor can i ever see her standing in the same league of credible names like nicole kidman, cate blanchett, meryl streep or jessica chastain (yet chastain has never won an oscar while witherspoon "sang" her way to a clean sweep for best actress in all major film awards in 2005 for "walk the line"). my mantra stays after watching wild

- portraying cheryl strayed who decides to embark on a 1,100-mile hike on the pacific crest trail to regain control of her life after the dissolution of her marriage, premature death of her mother whilst dealing with sex and drug addiction, witherspoon did nothing to convince us of the complicated & conflicting sides of the character who is both aggrieved yet strong. we are somehow treated to a string of rather bland episodes of her walking & carrying a really heavy backpack, panting, grunting, and occasionally experiencing flashbacks of her past and moments shared with her mother (laura dern, who also to me earned another less-worthy oscar nomination for supporting actress)

- the film remains rather "flat" throughout, offering no highlights of how the lead character experiences perhaps some awakening moments which lead her to the turning point of her ailing life. the message was huge, wow, a woman hiking over a thousand miles all alone to seek salvation, yet the film wasn't uplifting enough. i for one could not relate to such a level after watching

- i am going hard on my review bearing in mind that this is a film praised as witherspoon's "come back", garnering oscar nominations for best film, best actress & best supporting actress categories 

RATING : C-

#wild #wildMovie #reeseWitherspoon #films #filmReview #movie #movieReview #drama #cherylStrayed

AMERICAN SNIPER - JUST ANOTHER ADEQUATE WAR MOVIE

adequate-watch - AMERICAN SNIPER [2014], US - English]

- depicting the real-life story of US navy SEAL sniper chris kyle, clint eastwood's american sniper has become the country's highest-grossing war movie ever

- gaining 40 pounds for the role, bradley cooper gave a credible performance which has earned him his 3rd consecutive oscar nomination (in acting). did his portrayal of kyle make us feel for his growing detachment & disorientation, yes. was it an oscar-worthy performance, not to me

- whilst it manages to take audience into the deteriorating journey of veterans during & post war, american sniper doesn't do anything that other war films haven't already done much better. we've seen far more compelling war-themed films like 'the hurt locker' [2009] and eastwood's own 'letters from iwo jima' [2006]

RATING : C+

#americanSniper #americanSniperMovie #movie #movieReview #warFilms #biopic #chrisKyle #veterans #oscarFilms #clintEastwood #bradleyCooper #siennaMiller

BIG EYES - The Untold Story Of Margaret Keane

worthy-watch - BIG EYES [2014, US - English]

- tim burton brings the much untold story of artist margaret keane (famous for her paintings of big-eyed children in the 50s - 60s) and her deteriorating and tumultuous relationship with walter keane in an intimate biopic

- amy adams gives a consistent & effective performance portraying margaret, winning her a well-deserved golden globe award for best actress (comedy or musical category)

- my slight issue with the film was its incoherent switching between genres,  moving from a heartwarming romantic comedy, to a serious drama, and even at one point becoming a poorly-made suspense thriller (when walter tried to burn his wife & daughter alive). several over-amplified parts of the film like the exaggerated court scene & walter trying to stab an art critic with a fork were to me rather unnecessary

- christoph waltz's intense portrayal of walter keane played a crucial role in driving the varied & inconsistent genres throughout the film, though at no fault of his (waltz remains a great actor), perhaps to meet burton's quest to always challenge the norm and to make unconventional films

RATING : B-

#bigEyes #bigEyesMovie #movie #movieReview #filmReview #timBurton #amyAdams #christophWaltz #goldenGlobes #margaretKeane #walterKeane #keane #art #paintings #waif #drama #romance #comedy

BLACKHAT - Felt Like An Action-Thriller From The 90s

thumbsDown-watch - BLACKHAT [2015, US - English]

- dull-paced, terribly. minus half of the audience who are female-gawking fans of hemsworth, no one really cares where the story is going after some point

- lukewarm performance by lee hom and you'd wonder why tang wei was even cast in the first place

- felt like i was watching an action-thriller from the 90s, awfully old-fashion. a hacker-thriller which goes on and on without offering any climax, twists or great ending. to makes things worse, it gives us the most cliche romance brewing between the characters amidst their running about 

RATING : D

#blackhat #blackhatMovie #blackhatFilm #movie #movieReview #films #filmReview #actionMovies #chrisHemsworth #leeHomWang #leeHom

WHIPLASH - So Riveting It's Delicious

thumbsUp-watch - WHIPLASH [2014, US - English]

- bold, shatters the conventional cliches of mentor-protégé films, gets you rooting for both the main characters at different parts of the story

- it's as riveting as any musical dramas can ever get, intense throughout. it's so punitive it's beautiful

- now i see why J.K Simmons is sweeping all the awards for the supporting role category 

RATING : A-

#JKsimmons #milesTeller #whiplash #whiplashMovie #movie #movieReview #films #filmReview #drama #jazz #musical

SELMA - David Oyelowo's Career-High Performance

worthy-watch > SELMA [2014, US - English]

- a film as history unfolds, audience gets a peek not just into the life of an icon, but more importantly the man that martin luther king jr was

- stories on racialism always get me, an absorbing film with commanding performance from david oyelowo

"in the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our fiends"
- rev dr martin luther king jr

RATING : B+

#selma #selmaFilm #movie #movieReview #films #filmReview #davidOyelowo #biopic #martinLutherKingJr #martinLutherKing #activist #racism #history

THE IMITATION GAME - MY Favorite Oscar-Nominated Film For 2015

thumbsUp-watch > THE IMITATION GAME [2014, US - English]

- astounding for both its marvel & misery

- cumberbatch dominated the entire movie, my bet for best actor category

- the zeal in both alan turing & the film's message to redeem a wrongly dishonored man - enthralling

"the general public became familiar with the name alan turing after learning of his indecency conviction and suicide. it would be years before they learned that he was also largely responsible for outsmarting the nazis"

RATING : A+

#TheImitationGame #movie #movieReview #films#filmReview #drama #biopic #alanTuring#benedictCumberbatch

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING - Moving Tale Of Stephen Hawking

thumbsUp-watch > THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING [2014, UK - English]

- nigh on perfect in his role, redmayne "twists" himself into his hawking character; effective portrayal 

- the journey of how one man propels his way through a difficult life, by constantly pushing both his mental & physical state further apart - uplifting

- film however hits too many moments in the attempt of its heart-warming message, would've been perfect if several major ones are dwelled upon more deeply instead

"there should be no boundaries to human endeavor. we are all different. however bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. while there's life, there is hope" - stephen hawking

RATING : A-

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STILL ALICE - Julianne Moore's Lock On Her Much-Deserved Oscar

thumbsUp-watch > STILL ALICE [2014, US - English]

- poignant in the most subtle, linear & low-key manner

- julianne moore's career-high performance, my pick for oscar's actress in a leading role dis year

RATING : A-

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