2016 movies

Movie Review: THE BRONZE. Director: Bryan Buckley

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the_bronzeTHE BRONZE (ISA 2015) ***
Directed by Bryan Buckley

Starring: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Haley Lu Richardson

Review by Gilbert Seah

THE BRONZE is a feel good crowd pleaser about a has-been foul-mouthed bronze gymnastic medallist that makes it good. The trouble with feel-good films like the recent EDDIE THE EAGLE is that it is too formulaic, with all the right buttons pushed that everything is predictable right up to the secret smile of a coach to the end credits. Fortunately for THE BRONZE, the niche of the lead character being a foul mouth breaks the trend – a little anyway.

It all began a decade ago when Hope Ann Greggory (Melissa Rauch) was America’s sweetheart. Her inspired performance on a ruptured Achilles at the world’s most prestigious gymnastics tournament clinched an unlikely bronze medal for the U.S. team and brought glory to her hometown of Amherst, Ohio. But in the years since that epic third place victory, Hope has wasted her life. Still living in her too loving/possessive dad Stan’s (Gary Cole) basement, still sporting her daily uniform of a Team USA gym suit with teeny-bopper bangs, ponytail and scrunchie, she spends her days at the mall milking her minor celebrity for free food and favours.

Hope’s routine is upended when she learns that she must coach Amherst’s newest gymnastics prodigy Maggie (Haley Lu Richardson) in order to receive a sizeable financial inheritance. Hope is faced with a serious dilemma: whether to jeopardize her “hometown hero” status by devotedly training this rising star to achieve the dreams she never could?

The film plays like STRANGERS WITH CANDY, another comedy with a lead character similar to Coach Hope’s. In fact Melissa Rauch’s mannerisms in THE BRONZE are so similar to the lead’s in STRANGERS WITH CANDY that one wonders if she uses that film as her inspiration. It works anyway. The success of THE BRONZE lies largely on Rauch’s nuanced performance and she delivers it right up to the very end with her very vulgar end credits rendering of the rap song called “F That”.

Some things are still predictable in the script like her romance, her turning over a new leaf and her final making-up with her long suffering father.

Director Buckley serves his humour without constraint. The gymnastic sex segment is a prime example of humour gone bonkers. A second example is the the vulgar F That song at the end credits.

The gymnast competition segments are also exciting enough – executed with superior camera work and choreographed synchronicity.

Buckley also approaches the film with a no-nonsense approach. The first 10 minutes of the film, for example are used to establish Hope’s character – ranging from user (getting free favours at the local mall from her past glory) to sympathetic (aiding an invalid with money to fix his wheel chair). Her one-liner “I’m a star, not a coach,” effectively captures all that needs to be shown. In a similar way, this is a comedic version of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY HOPE?

Not too preachy, sufficiently hilarious, well shot with a prize performance from the lead actress Rauch, THE BRONZE is an entertaining enough time waster.

 

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Movie Review: MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART

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mountains_may_departMOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (China/France/Japan 2015) ***
Directed by Jia Zhangke

Starring: Tao Zhao, Yi Zhang, Jing Dong Liang

Review by Gilbert Seah

MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART is the new film from China’s art house favourite director Jia Zhangke whose all other films that included PLATFORM, STILL LIFE, 24 CITY and the most recent A TOUCH OF SIN were all screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. His films share the same theme of the individual living in a changing society, which in this case is China.

His films are interesting primarily because Jia is a director who does what he likes, and therefore breaks the mould of films in this genre. In MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART for example, the film is told in three parts, but they do not dwell on three separate characters but on three different times, the years being 1999 (the millennium eve), 2014 and the future of 2025, where the 3 characters found in the first segment spawn new characters that appear in the last while themselves disappearing from the story.
Jia shoots the three time periods in different aspect ratios with the square Academy frame expanding to widescreen. Those in the filmmaking business will be elated to discover this fact, but the ordinary filmgoer including film critics may not even realize the difference. It is a neat tactic but would hardly do anything but maybe alter a bit of the tone of the story.

The first part of the film set in 1999 plays like a melodrama. Tao (Zhao Tao), the dance instructor and town beauty has two boyfriends an picks and marries the rich entrepreneur Zhang (Zhang Yi) over the poorer coal miner. In the 2014 segment, she is divorced and brings their son or her father’s funeral. The call miner ex is now married, has cancer and leaves the film at this point. Tao gives up her son who loves to Australia with his dad. The third and final part set in the future of 2025 centres on the son, Dollar and his difficulties with his dad, Zhang. Dollar befriends his college professor (Sylvia Chang) who is an addition to the film’s story.

The trouble that most will have with the three stories is the transition from one segment to another. Director Jia makes no qualms about easing the flow, so when plot switches to the son at the end, most would favour the third part the least even though it makes the most point in Jia’s film.

Jia comes across a bit preachy by turning Zhang’c character into an obnoxious human being. He is all about money, evident by naming his son Dollar. He becomes more distraught when his son wants out of the father/son relationship. The college professor is a very interesting character inserted into the film and more time should have been devoted to her character.

Still Jia’s epic of the negative impact of China’s capitalism on the Chinese individual comes across loud and clear. MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART is an important film that emphasizes a point that is already too clear and one that has affected too many.

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Movie Review: CHI-RAQ. Directed by Spike Lee

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chi-raqCHI-RAQ (USA 2015) ***
Directed by Spike Lee

Starring: Nick Cannan, Teyonah Parris, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett

Review by Gibert Seah

CHI-RAQ, the film’s title is made up of the first and last syllables of the cities of Chicago and Iraq respectively and used s the title for the reason that more people have been killed in Chicago than the Americans in the Iraq war with the result of south side Chicago (the film’s setting) being declared a war zone.

The film, a mix of satire and musical contains lots of song and dance numbers with a very strong message. The message is to save the babies and do away with guns. The film begins with the death of a little girl from a stray bullet. The black women of Chicago have had enough. The women of the two gangs, Spartan and Trojan (their meeting is plain hilarious) decide to withhold sex to prevent their husbands from fighting. The local priest, Father Mike Corridan (John Cusack) steps up to help the fight.

One has to be able to bare Lee’s preachiness. And Lee can be the most preachy at his most preachiness. This is illustrated in a segment in which the priest preaches his preachy sermon to a congregation, in which part of his sermon is repeated so that nothing can be left out.

If the film’s dialogue sounds Shakespearean, it should be noted that the script, written by Lee and Kevin Willmott is based on Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, the classical Greed comedy play in which women withhold sex as a weapon to prevent their husbands from going to war. The film is framed with a spritely delivered narrative by no less than Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson has never been in a film in which he has not uttered he m***f**er word, and this film is no exception.

An impressive cast includes old Lee collaborators like Jackson, Angela Bassett, Wesley Snipes (as Cyclops) and new ones like Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris and Nick Cannon playing the lead role.

CHI-RAQ is everything one can expect from the controversial Spike Lee. His film touted controversy from the film’s music supervisor Kendricks who got fired for charging a fee to musicians for having their music considered on the soundtrack to Lee calling the Chicago mayor a bully for demanding the film’s name be changed or the city’s tax credits not apply for the film. Love it or hate it, this latest joint by Spike Lee is unforgettable.

Music and dance play a big part in Lee getting his message across. The first segment has a song played loud with subtitles for those unfamiliar with the south side Chicago accent. But the film with its message is catered towards the adult black folk, judging from the steamy sex scenes and language. Perhaps the message should also be told to the younger teens and pre-teens who eventually become the violent criminals depicted in the film.

The $15 million budget film has already grossed $2.7 million in a limited release in December of 2015. For all the good intentions and huge effort put in by Lee and his gang, the film hopefully, will do well in its wider release now.

 

 

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Movie Review: ZOOTOPIA (USA 2016) Top 10 *****

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zootopiaZOOTOPIA (USA 2016) Top 10 *****
Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Jared Bush

Review by Gilbert Seah

ZOOTOPIA is the Utopia for animals, so called because the 10% predators (lions, wolves, foxes) can co-habit side by side with 90 % prey (rabbits and other smaller animals). The status quo is about to be altered when the usually calm predators start exhibiting unruly behaviour threatening the 90% population of the ‘prey’. It is up to the heroine of the story, a wannabe cop by the name of Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) to solve the mystery, CHINATOWN-style and save the animal world.

The premise allows the film plenty of opportunity to reflect and criticize the real world of today – particularly America. If one reads between the lines of the script, there is much more pleasure to be derived, besides just enjoying a Disney movie.

And as for Disney movies go, ZOOTOPIA is the best there is, that I have seen for a long time. The film is clever, funny, superfluously animated with never a dull moment, even for the adults.

The film begins with Judy the bunny, leaving her comfortable home of carrot farming to achieve her dream of becoming a cop. After passing the course, with much effort, she is sent to Zootopia for her first assignment.

The animation is stunning. As the train arrives to Zootopia, the audience is given a birds-eye view of the gorgeous city, recalling the awe when on comes to a new fantasy land as in the movies JURASSIC WORLD and TOMORROWLAND.

The cop world is very similar to the American police system. The tough get the best assignments and Hopps, is given parking ticket duty. The problems she faces with this job are also very similar to the real world. The ticketed complain that they don’t deserve to be ticketed with the same reasons real people do. Judy is so dedicated that she gives herself a parking violation ticket as she forgotten the time on her meter. Though this might sound ridiculous, it should send a message to the police that they are not above the law and should also be bound by the same rules as the general public.

Racism is also examined with a sense of humour. Hopps takes offence of being called ‘cute’, the word bunnies take offence to.

The switch of lambs being the bad villains and the foxes and more ferocious animals being the victims is also a brilliant idea. The ultimate criminal in the film turns out to be the unsuspected meek Deputy Mayor Dawn Belweather (Jenny Slate). The mayor Lionheart (voiced by J.K. Simmons who is also heard in KUNG FU PANDA 3) is pulled away and arrested for the same crime most city mayors are also guilty for.

ZOOTOPIA plays more as a suspense thriller (think CHINATOWN) than action animation. The film also gives an obvious nod to THE GODFATHER films. The film’s funniest segment is the sloth segment (even if you have seen it once in the trailer) in which Hopps and her friend the fox, Nick (Jason Bateman) goes to get a run (see photo in-set) on a license plate. Again, the marvel of Disney animation is reinforced by the tearing on the perorated line of the ticket in slow motion, showing the details of the paper tear.

But it is the humour that makes the film really tick. It is a laugh out loud moment at least every minute. The writers and directors have a great sense of humour, clear from the film’s very start. There are a lot of rabbit jokes, the funniest ones poking at the rate they populate. Judy, has for example, 365 brothers and sisters and the population numbers on the town Bunnyborrow is constantly ticking upwards.

The film denounces power and all the evil power brings with it. Though a bit preachy with a voiceover at the end, ZOOTOPIA is near movie perfection – yes, the Utopia of animation. Even the ending song “Try Everything” sung by a gazelle that is supposed to be Shakira is nothing short of brilliant.

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Movie Review: LONDON HAS FALLEN (2016)

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london_has_fallenLONDON HAS FALLEN (USA 2015) **
Directed by Babak Najafi

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman

Review by Gilbert Seah

Audiences are always awed when world famous landmarks are demolished on screen. But when these are done by CGI, it loses its effect and even more when too many, as in this film tumble to the ground. The single sight of a bus crashing at Piccadilly Circus in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON one without CGI is so much more exciting than anything seen in LONDON HAS FALLEN.
For those who have forgotten the film OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, LONDON HAS FALLEN is a sequel to that 2013 film in which terrorists attacked the White House In LONDON, the terrorists are shifted from the Koreans to the Muslims. All the actors in the first film reprise their roles in the sequel. Aaron Eckhart plays the U.S. President, Benjamin Asher with the same lead character the super U.S. Secret service Agent, former Army Ranger, Mike Banning, again played by Gerard Butler. Angela Bassett, Morgan Freeman, Robert Forster Radha Mitchell and ours reprise their roles.

Swede director Babak Najafi takes over the directing reigns from Antoine Fuqua. Nahafi’s only credit is the sequel to EASY MONEY called EASY MONEY 2 that never got a release in North America.

The simple plot involves the British Prime Minister dying under questionable circumstances. When all the world’s most powerful leaders including President Benjamin Asher and Manning travel to London for the funeral, all the leaders including the Canadian P.M. are assassinated.

There can be little suspense less excitement in a film where the lead character like this super security bodyguard is invincible. No matter how low the odds on survival, no matter how much enemy firepower or enemy numbers there are, the audience knows he will get through with hardly a scratch. The script attempts to up the angst by having his wife (Mitchell) deliver a baby while he is on assignment in London, but with little effect.

There is little to praise in a script that follows the rules of an action flick without much imagination. It begins with the set up, the main staging of the falling of London and the saving of the U.S. President at all costs. And of course, the mastermind villain is taken down at the end. The dialogue is also run of the mill. President: “What if you don’t come back (for me)?” Butler: “Then you are f***ed. Don’t jinx me” President: “That was encouraging.” At least in the first OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, the First Lady (Ashley Judd) gets killed – a major surprise. No twists in the plot or surprises in this one.

Gerard Butler is too eager to be seen in blockbuster 5-star films. In these two weeks, he has been over-exposed in GODS OF EGYPT and LONDON HAS FALLEN. 5-star movies? Apparently London is not the only thing that has fallen.
Compared to OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, LONDON HAS FALLEN is more of the same. But mostly, recycled material that the audience has seen already once too often.

 

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Movie Review: THE PROGRAM (UK/France 2015)

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the_programTHE PROGRAM (UK/France 2015)**
Directed by Stephen Frears

Starrting: Ben Foster, Chris O’Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Jesse Plemons, Lee Pace, Dustin Hoffman

Review by Gilbert Seah

Lance Armstrong is infamous the world over. The recent documentary on his disgrace THE ARMSTRONG LIE had informed the world of his demise, and now the fictionalized version is ready to do more of the same. Lance Armstrong (played by Ben Foster) is an American cyclist who won the Tour De France 7 years running. He entertained controversy of his taking performance enhancing drugs (particularly EPO in short). He denied it totally and the world believed him. But after his comeback after a 4-year break, a fellow team member, Floyd Landis (Jesse Plemons) confessed to his and Armstrong’s taking of EPO. The Tour De France stripped Armstrong of all 7 wins.

THE PROGRAM is understandably a French/British co-production as Armstrong obviously not only disgraced himself but the county he represented. THE ARMSTRONG LIE was made and shelved when the disgrace hit the news 3 years later, but released after Armstrong appeared on Oprah.

THE PROGRAM of the title refers to the drug program enforced by the French Doctor, Michele Ferrari (Guillaume Canet), who was eventually banned from practice after word came out of his abuse. When Armstrong realized other cyclists may be using performance enhancing drugs, he begged the doctor to put him on the program at all costs.

It is surprising that Frears and the script by Jon Hodge sees so little time on the Irish reporter, David Walsh (Chris O’Dowd) who uncovered the truth of the story. The film based on Walsh’s book “Seven Deadly Sins’ spends minimum time, showing the reporter’s work and quiet after Armstrong put him to shame. But when he was eventually proven correct, his triumph is just dismissed with the fact that the Sunday Times got their money they initially paid as damages to Armstrong back. Dustin Hoffman, credited in the film also has a one-line scene.

Armstrong is an extremely dislikable man. He shows no humility, is proud and obsessive and full of himself. A film that centres on a lead character with such a personality is obviously going to run into problems. Audiences disliking the lead will most likely dislike the film as a result. Director Frears who has in his carer made some excellent films (PHILOMENA, THE QUEEN) seems at a loss with the character of Armstrong. In his previous films that dealt with unsavoury characters like the pregnant teenage daughter in THE SNAPPER and homosexuality in MY BEAUTIFUL LAUNDRETTE, Frears used humour and satire to make his movie work. But in THE PROGRAM, Frears uses none of these tactics. He tells the story of the ARMSTRONG LIE in a straight forward story-telling convention. Using standard formulaic biopics story-telling, he charts the rise to fame, and slow downfall of the cyclist, highlighting his winning moments to lift the spirit of the story.

There is absolutely no need to watch another version of a disgraced human human being. Armstrong describes himself as a champion. But in reality he is one who has disgraced the sport and a spineless worm with no conscience. The documentary THE ARMSTRONG LIE has already told the same story and extremely well by Alex Gibney (ENRON, TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE), with the real Armstrong as himself using actual footage of himself at the race without any re-enactments. At least Frears shows him, as the worst person that can be, still trying to convince the world of his ability.

The end credits predictably showing each of the featured characters in real life from Armstrong, to the doctor that enforced the drug program re-enforce the fact that Frears seem to be gnu through the motion with this one.

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Movie Review: GODS OF EGYPT (USA 2016) **

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gods_of_egypt_poster.jpgGODS OF EGYPT (USA 2016) **
Directed by Alex Proyas

Starring: Gerard Butler, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Courtney Eaton, Chadwick Boseman, Elodie Yung

Review by Gilbert Seah

The Lionsgate blockbuster GODS OF EGPYT has been plagued by many problems the most notable of it being a totally white cast for its lead characters. But this is the least of the film’s troubles. Made by Lionsgate, the HUNGER GAMES company that desperately needs a big hit after their stock plummeted 30% in one day after the earnings announcement, this $140 million production is only expected to gross, by industry estimates only $15 million on its opening weekend. To Lionsgate credit, it claims that it only footed $10 million of the budget, the rest covered by pre-sales and tax credits. The Australian Government apparently paid half the production costs.

The director Alex Proyas (I, ROBOT, THE CROW) claims that the world of Gods of Egypt never really existed. It is inspired by Egyptian mythology, and therefore it would make no sense to attempt any historical accuracy because that would be pointless — none of the events in the movie ever really happened. So, it does not really matter that the film was never shot in Egypt but down-under.

The story of Gods and man is set in Egypt. At the film’s start, the audience is given the heads-up by voice-over of the film’s setting. Apparently God and man are co-existing side-by-side. The film distinguishes one from the other by the size. Gods are figures that appear much taller (or larger) than humans. The film opens with a common human thief, Bek (Brenton Thwaites) stealing an amulet to offer it as a gift to his everlasting love. They attend the coronation of the crowning of the new King, Horus (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), whose throne is stolen by Uncle Set (Gerard Butler with all the growling he can muster!) After that, it is the quest of reclaiming the throne.

Since when do Gods die or fight for a throne? And where does the idea of so many Gods living together ever come from? The main premise is as ridiculous as it looks and it does look even sillier in a big budgeted film. One best example is the scene of the coronation with the screen filled with thousands of spectators as far the the screen can hold. How then can they hear what is going on on the stage when the microphone was not invented then. The scene reminds one of MONTY PYTHON’S LFE OF BRIAN where the Monty Python group complain about being unable to hear what Jesus was preaching during the sermon on the Mount.

The film running more than 2 hours is CGI gone mad. The special effects, 3D and CGI are costly and look good on the screen. But the script meanders more than the Nile giving the impression that the writers are making things up as they go along. For a multi-million dollar epic, the one-liners could at least being funnier. “Run…”, “Run Faster”… are the best the film has to offer. The climatic fight is good enough, performed at the top of a pyramid, but the entire adventure turns out to be a totally boring affair.

Never has so much money been devoted to the realm of boredom.

 

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Movie Review: EDDIE THE EAGLE (UK/USA/Germany 2016) ***

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eddie_the_eagle_poster.jpgEDDIE THE EAGLE (UK/USA/Germany 2016) ***
Directed by Dexter Fletcher

Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Tom Costello Jr.

Review by Gilbert Seah

EDDIE THE EAGLE is the typical type of British export crowd pleaser that have charmed North American audiences. Similar films like KINKY BOOTS, THE FULL MONTY, BEND IN LIKE BECKHAM, BRASSED OFF and THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL have all done well at the box-office. So, why not a film about the feel-good story of Michael (Eddie) Edwards (played by Taron Egerton) appropriately called EDDIE THE EAGLE?

Eddie is a tenacious British ski jumper who believes he is good enough to enter the Olympics. He has never stopped believing in himself, much to the consternation of his dad, a plasterer who wants his son to follow his own footsteps. Even the British Olympic Selection Committee wants him out. With the help of a rebellious and charismatic coach (played with equal tenacity by Hugh Jackman), Eddie takes on the establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by making an improbable and historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. Based on true events – as the titles at the films start tells the audience.

Top marks for effort go to Hugh Jackman who plays disgraced skier Bronson Peary who eventually becomes Eddie’s coach. It must be tough for this talent to go through all the ropes. It is tough enough to pretend to play someone who cares, but to evoke all the fake emotions, do the silly dance training steps and act and cry as if it all matters, Jackman does the job. (He must have been paid a lot.) As for Egerton who plays the lead role, he looks and acts too much like Bubbles of the Trailer Park Boys. But to be fair, the real Edwards, shown at the end credits does look like Bubbles. The film contains a few neat cameos from the likes of Christopher Walken and Jim Broadbent.

To the film’s credit, the film set in the 80’s with the Calgary Olympic 1988 setting does have an authentic 80’s atmosphere aided by the film’s 80’s songs soundtrack. The choice of Van Halen’s song “Jump’ used is a bit too obvious.

Director Fletcher (whose credit in film lies in the acting department from various minor roles in films and television) has created a film that is 100% formulaic is 0% originality. Whether the film succeeds depends entirely of which school of audience one comes from. The general public would have no problem cheering whenever Eddie makes a jump or laughing whenever he falls as observed in the promo screening attended. The other school would only grimace and wish the real ‘Eddie’ with all the human faults be revealed in a feel-bad story.

For the general public, this is the kind for feel good movie many would have no problem paying good money for. Fletcher pushes all the right buttons – in fact too many right buttons so that nothing out of the ordinary can be expected. For this group of people, the movie would be rated 4 stars. For the other film cynical critics, filmmakers and art-house cineastes, this 1-star movie is a complete bore and a waste of time.

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Short Film Movie Review: THE FAUCET (4min, USA, Comedy)

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THE FAUCET played to rave reviews at the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film Festival in January 2016.

MOVIE POSTER

THE FAUCET, 4min, USA, Comedy

Directed by Samip Raval & Danny Klimetz

Movie Review by Amanda Lomonaco:

How many times have we tried to wash our hands on touch-less faucets, or tried to dry them on automatic driers, only to look like idiots as we stupidly wave our hands in front of an unresponsive sensor? We put a man on the moon, but we still can’t invent dependable motion sensors somehow. Yet thankfully these situations lead to hilarious plotlines, such as that in Samit Raval and Danny Klimetz’ film The Faucet.

The only minor critique I would have for this short is that, for such a predictable outcome, the film lasts a little longer than you would normally expect. Regardless, Raval and Klimetz still manage to somehow extend the element of comedy by using a few clever curveballs throughout the film. These unexpected mini-twists almost turn the technology itself into a character that is simply out to get our poor, hygiene-conscious, protagonist.

If you enjoy being frustrated, or you have some sort of a gripe with new technology, then you will very likely enjoy The Faucet. I do not all into any of these categories myself, but I was certainly able to appreciate the humour in this film. After all, lets face it, who doesn’t enjoy a good comedy? Particularly one that so many of us can relate to.

Watch the Audience FEEDBACK Video of the short film