2016 movies

Film Review: HARRY BENSON: SHOOT FIRST (USA 2016) ***

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harry_benson_shoot_first_movie_posterDirectors: Justin Bare, Matthew Miele
Writers: Justin Bare, Matthew Miele
Stars: Harry Benson, Alec Baldwin, Gigi Benson

Review by Gilbert Seah

Directors Matthew Miele and Justin Bare are the co-founders of Quixotic Endeavors, a multimedia production company focusing on subjects with an iconic theme. In their new documentary, their subject is Scottish photographer Harry Benson, now 86. The documentary charts the illustrious career of the renowned photographer who initially rose to fame alongside The Beatles, having been assigned to cover their inaugural trip to the United States in 1964. With unprecedented behind the scenes access, Benson captured some of the most vibrant and intimate portraits ever taken of the most popular band in history.

The two most famous of these is the pillow fight in their hotel and the one in a gym with Muhammed Ali.

Miele and Bare’s film is quite plain in terms of narrative and research. They let the fame and photographs of Benson speak for themselves. And this is a good thing. It also helps that Benson is still alive and able to give a perspective of both his work and life as he is present from the start to end of the film. Among the interviewed are his wife (behind every successful man is a woman), his assistant and various famous icons in the publishing and fashion world.

The film also charts his background back to Scotland. There is a segment where Benson visits his old house and school. The interviewed are asked what they thought was the secret of Benson’s success. The answer is hard work. Benson would leave everything at any moment if there is an opportunity for a good photograph. He had to be at the right place at the right time. Then comes the part of creating art out of his work. Benson hated posing and wanted his subjects to be shot candidly.

The paparazzi side of Benson is also mentioned. He captured a private shot of ageing star Greta Garbo to her chagrin. Other private shots, however, he was given permission like to shoot the shaved head of Elizabeth Taylor right after her surgery.

The film is fascinating for all the celebrities Benson has shot during his career. These included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy, Charles De Gaulle, Michael Jackson in his private ranch and even Sir Winston Churchill.

The question arises as to which of his photographs are the best. The one on the cover of Vanity fair with Ronald and Nancy Reagan dancing is one of them. The two with the Beatles are another two. There is also a great one with Bill Clinton kissing his wife. The photographs speak for themselves and illustrate Benson’s talent. Directors Miele and Bare ensures that the audience see the talent as well.

HARRY BENSON: SHOOT FIRST is a very easy-going watchable film. All one needs to do is sit back and enjoy Benson’s work, travelling through time and observing candid shots of celebrities through the years. There is as a bonus, Benson’s work in areas of war and famine that show human suffering.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o-RC4YWkWg

 

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Film Review: FENCES (USA 2016) ****

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fences_movie_poster.jpgDirected by Denzel Washington

Writers: August Wilson (screenplay), August Wilson (play)

Stars: Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Mykelti Williamson

Review by Gilbert Seah

FENCES is the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize source material by August Wilson, who passed on in 2005. His only demand for consent of his play being filmed was that it be directed by an African American. So, when Denzel Washington came on board, Wilson could not be too pleased in his grave.

FENCES has been produced twice on Broadway with James Earl Jones in the title role in the first production and Washington in the title role in the second. Both won Tonys for their performances. Washington does justice in his directorial debut, with Viola Davis, playing his long-suffering wife of 18 years. Davis also won a Tony for her performance in the second production on Broadway, and she just shines in her role in the film. The 2016 Best Supporting Actress Oscar is practically hers.

As the film opens, Troy (Washington) is working his garbage collection job with his buddy Bono (Stephen Henderson). The camera is proud to span the streets of the city filled with the vintage cars of the 50’s period when the story is set. There is not only two or three cars but a dozen or more – to show that director Washington spares no expense to take his film out into the open. There are as many sets as there are story set-ups. But the film still feels stagey – not for any fault of Washington but for the well written dialogue that come out of the actors’ mouths as written by August Wilson.

The film looks stagey. This is expected as the film is based on a play. The same can be said for all Neil Simon film adapted plays (THE ODD COUPLE, MURDER BY DEATH, THE CHEAP DETECTIVE) or for Norman Jewison’s adapted play films like A SOLDIER’S STORY and AGNES OF GOD. At least film audiences get a chance to see a good play – when adapted to the screen. And FENCES is more than a proficiently adapted play on film with the play’s two stars reprising their roles – and performing their best as well.

As an African American film, FENCES is more positive compared to the other recent ones like MOONLIGHT, THE BIRTH OF A NATION and LOVING. The main character, Troy a black worker believes in the working class system. In fact when he complains that he should be given the position of driver of a trash truck as only whites have been given that opportunity, the complaint gives him the promotion. But Troy is his own worst enemy. He enforces the system he believes in but not for his two sons, For them, hard work achieves results and nothing else. When his younger son is offered the chance of a football scholarship, he resents and prevents his son the opportunity. But it is when he cheats on his wife Rose (Viola Davis) that all hell breaks loose. Sample of confrontation scene as shown in the trailer: Troy: It’s not easy for me to admit that I’ve been standing in the same place for eighteen years! Rose: Well, I’ve been standing with you! I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot as you! This marks the film’s best segment – well worth the price of the admission ticket.

The film, a bit dated, shows the tragedy of the black working class, but it can be apply to white working class folk as well. FENCES has many good reasons to be seen – Viola and Washington’s Oscar winning performances, the convincing period setting, but most of all August Wilson’s brilliant written words performed on screen. It is seldom that a hardworking American hero with good heart is laid bare faults and all – due to the fact that no human being can be perfect. The film opens Christmas Day.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2m6Jvp0bUw

 

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Film Review: HIDDEN FIGURES (USA 2016) ***

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hidden_figures_movie_poster.jjpg.jpgDirected by Theodore Melfi

Writers: Allison Schroeder (screenplay), Theodore Melfi (screenplay)

Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kirsten Dunst, Kevin Costner, Jim Parsons

Review by Gilbert Seah

HIDDEN FIGURES is given a limited theatre release at Christmas to qualify for the Oscar nominations. Obviously, 20th Century Fox hopes the film will strike it big at the Academy Awards.

Movies cover the hot topic of racial tensions in a number of ways. There is the angry rile up the emotions LOVING, THE BIRTH OF A NATION or the quieter FENCES(also opening during Christmas) where racial problem are irked out by hard-working law abiding citizens in the long run. In HIDDEN FIGURES, racial tension is covered in a whole different light – in a feel good crowd pleasing movie.

As the film proudly annoys at the start with the titles on screen “Based on true events”, HIDDEN FIGURES tells the true, little-known story of three brilliant African-American women who worked at NASA in the 1950s and ’60s and played a major role in sending astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), and Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) worked as engineers and “human computers” to push the limits of mathematics — as well as the limits of race and gender in the scientific community. Expect a little bit of romance and a look at the racial tensions of the Civil Rights era in this drama that promises to provide some great, real-life role models for girls and people of colour in STEM fields.

There are a lot of silliness in HIDDEN FIGURES. The most obvious of which is the dialogue penned for astronaut John Glenn (he passed away this month) who is the first American shot into Earth’s orbit. When told of the entry velocity of the spaceship into Earth’s gravitational pull, he remarks: “That’s one hell of a speeding ticket.” When informed where the craft will land, he says: “I always wanted to swim in the Bahamas.” If these were actual words Glen spoke, he must have been quite a clownish goon. The lyrics of the films’ songs (apaprently penned by artists like Pharrell Williams) like: “No more running…” and “Look what you done to me…” which underline the events happening in the film are not only unnecessary but yes, silly to the point of laughter.

Performance-wsie, the three female leads can do o harm. It is also refreshing (and funny) to see supporting actor Jim Parsons (from TV’s THE BIG BANG THOERY) in a thoroughly straight role as an antagonist or the only female in his department. Kevin Costner as the boss adds a certain dignity, welcome in the film.

HIDDEN FIGURES could have turned up a really excellent film instead of this mediocrity written down for audiences to feel good during the Christmas season. It is a question that the director and scriptwriter not having enough faith on the source material that it would work on its own without pumping in additional over-sweeteners.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK8xHq6dfAo

 

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Film Review: JULIETA (Spain 2016) ***** Top 10

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julieta_movie_poster

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Writers: Pedro Almodóvar (guión), Alice Munro (basado en “Destino”, “Pronto” y “Silencio” de)

Stars: Emma Suárez, Adriana Ugarte, Daniel Grao

Review by Gilbert Seah

One of pouts of a good adaptation is that the adaptation contains the main story but has the author’s distinct imprint on it. From the very first 10 minutes of JULIETA, Almodovar’s adaptation of the book, written into a script by himself, the audience sees lots of Almodovar- and the Almodovar everyone likes.

The first scene is the modern apartment of the protagonist. She is dressed in bright red with matching bright red nail polish. She discards an envelope coloured bright blue and books of bright colours like yellow are seen on her book shelf. The next scene, a key one when she chance meets a friend of her daughter’s on the street, has the two quickly c friend is bing hurried along by three obviously queer queenie male friends. From the first two scenes, one can tell this is clearly an Almodovar with more surprised and delights on the way. One scene following is comical enough to feature a bright yellow garbage truck in the background.

JULIETE is one of Almodovar’s most talky films. Most of his later films have a 10- minute of so ‘talky’ segment in which some explanation to a plot is given. But JULIETA is talky from start to end. But this is not a bad or boring thing, as the script is filled with colourful dialogue, written by the master himself and full of his private anecdotes.

The film contains many shots of his past films. One for example has a group of young teens playing basketball. The scene has nothing to do with the movie, it is just thee when Juileta walks around the neighbourhood of her apartment, but it is reminiscent of the voyeuristic view of the bathing boys in the river in LA MALA EDUCATION, Almodovar’s best film. The same scene is visited later with teen girls playing the game.

JULIETA is about the mystery of life. Julieta’s daughter abandons her. It takes Julieat hers before she discovers the reason. It is here i the flashbacks where Almodovar’s film turns from stylized melodrama (no complaint) here to mystery, reminiscent of Hitchcock , complete with a score that sounds like Edward Hermann’s. In one scene, Lorenzo, Julieta’s lover even makes a reference to mystery writer Patricia Highsmith.

JULIETE contains many brilliantly executed scenes. One is the confrontation in which Julieta is told of her daughter’s intentions. “She has chosen her path, and you are not on it,” she is told. But the best scene occurs in the film’s subtle last minute, where a clever line told by Renato to Julieta ends the film.

Almodovar has progressed from comic to a serious director. His early comedies WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?, WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN or KIKA have none of the dead seriousness of JULIETA. JULIETA is Amodovar at his most mature and also arguably at his best.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH5_4osOZK8

 

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Film Review: A MONSTER CALLS (USA/Spain 2016) ****

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a_monster_calls_movie_poster.jpgDirected by J.A. Bayona

Starring: J.A. Bayona

Writers: Patrick Ness (screenplay), Patrick Ness (based upon the novel written by)

Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Lewis MacDougall

Review by Gilbert Seah

Based on the acclaimed novel by Patrick Ness who also wore the script and served as producer of the film, A MONSTER CALLS must have been a love project from the start and it looks so. A dark, occasionally humorous and exciting film, A MONSTER CALLS reminds one of the best of the horror fantasy films – Guillermo Del Toro’s PAN’S LABYRINTH and Nicholas Roeg’s THE WITCHES.

The protagonist of the story is young Conor O’Malley – who we are told by voiceover is too young to be a man and too old to be a boy, (a fresh performance by Lewis MacDougall). Conor has been dealt some of life’s most devastating blows. His mother (Felicity Jones) has terminal cancer, his father (Toby Kebbell) is not part of his life and his grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) offers no consolation. To top it all, he is bullied at school. Conor has nowhere to turn, until he receives a nighttime visit from an enormous, tree-shaped monster (voiced by Liam Neeson). The monster is to help him, but not in a regular way.

The monster declares that it will tell Conor three stories and that when it has finished recounting the tales, Conor must reciprocate with a story of his own. All of the monster’s stories offer a lesson in the complexity of human nature (e.g. the murderous king lives happily ever after and loved by his subjects) and the consequences of the actions — while each of the monster’s visits leaves destruction in its wake. When the time comes for Conor to tell his story, he must confront difficult truths that can no longer be ignored.

The stories told by the monster unfolds on the screen with special effects animation. But the very best effect is very basic – appearing in the boy’s room where three hanging cut out painted pieces of cardboard dangle coming together to form the face of a monster. But it is not only the animation that dazzles (though it does) but the stories themselves. Each is as dark as dark can be and all have an unexpected twist where expectations are thrown to the wind. These stories are so amazing that they almost eclipse the main plot. The main question in every viewer’s mind is how the stories relate to the boy’s real life.

But director Baoyna’s film teases all the way. Where and when is the film set? As the film has a vintage look, one expects a period setting, but then Conor owns a cell phone. One assumes a British setting from the looks of the houses and buildings. This becomes clear as the school is clearly British but still one is never certain which city the film is set. The only clue is the pier and the amusement park nearby. So it could be Brighton but not Blackpool for the lack of the working class accents. Another puzzle occurs at the end of the film when Conor looks at the drawings of a book, with the author’s name Lizzie Caplan in front? Who is this Lizzie?

A MONSTER CALLS proves that a good story is more important than just a movie which dazzles the eye. A MONSTER CALLS has the bonus that it does both. And with the young boy as the protagonist, every adult can sit back and pretend to be young once more, facing and conquering the monsters in life.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Xbo-irtBA

 

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Film Review: COLLATERAL BEAUTY (USA 2016)

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collateralbeauty_movie_poster.jpgCOLLATERAL BEAUTY (USA 2016) **
Directed by David Frankel

Starring: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Michael Peña, Naomie Harris, Keira Knightley

Review by Gilbert Seah

The subject of coping with death has been dealt in dozens of ways in films. In the recent ARRIVAL, the death of Amy Adam’s daughter is tied into the main plot of alien arrival. This worked. In another space film GRAVITY, the Sandra Bullock character is given the grief of a dead child to humanize her character. The ploy did not work and the story looked totally fake. In the recent praised MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, Casey Affleck’s character comes to terns with death in a gut-wrenching emotional tale of redemption. In David Frankel’s COLLATERAL BEAUTY based on a script by Allan Roeb, Will Smith’s character finally accepts his daughter’s death with all the sugar coating of all the Christmas cakes in a pastry shop. Despite attempts to make the story believable, COLLATERAL BEAUTY is plain horrid!

When the trailer for COLLATERAL BEAUTY first appeared on the internet, Guardian Magazine came out with an article heralding the arrival of the worst movie of 2016. And understandably so! The trailer showed Will Smith as a man grieving the death of his daughter by writing letters to Death, Time and Love. Scenes that follow show the personifications of these abstractions with Smith speaking to each of them, played by Helen Mirren, Jacob Latimore and Keira Knightley respectively. The music and mood are sloppy sweet sugary, especially catered for Christmas. Who would want to watch such Hollywood bulls***? There is one word for all this, in the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge – HUMBUG!

But the film is not all that bad. The reason that Death, Time and Love are in the story, actors playing the parts, is to fool Howard Inlet (Smith) so that he can be deemed mentally unfit to hold on to his shares and thus prevent his firm from being sold. So three employees, who have worked with Howard since the incident of his daughter’s death, Whit (Edward Norton), Simon (Michael Pena) and Claire (Kate Winslet) plot the scheme. But this not not mean that the film is all that good either.

Director Frankel who directed THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA knows how to set up scenes. The first 10 minutes of PRADA when Meryl Streep, the no-nonsense head of the Prada office strides in – to the total disarray of all the other scattering employees is one unforgettable, beautifully executed scene. There are a few of these in COLLATERAL BEAUTY, like the confrontation scene between Howard and Time on the subway train, but the individual set-ups do not work on the whole. The metaphor of the falling dominoes is used to the maximum of a ridiculous three times. The film eventually settles to boredom as it is hard to care for characters made so unbelievable.

It is a complete waste to see Oscar Winners Winslet and Mirren in this silly story. Mirren does bring a bit of dignity into this nonsense but she must be laughing her head off, off screen.

The film partly works when it pokes fun at the credibly of the story. When Howard looks shocked at the sudden appearance of Death, Time and Love, the shock looks genuine – probably because of genuine disbelief. The film is the worst when Howard pines over his dead daughter – the worst of the worst has him watching a video of him playing with her, when she was still alive in a park, and shouting… “Daddy, daddy!” If this scene was not so obviously manipulative, it might have jerked a tear or two from a few of an innocent audience.

There is a twist in the plot at the end which makes no sense to the whole story of what Howard is going through.

Christmas brings along good films – Oscar contenders. But it also brings the worst of Hollywood films – COLLATERAL BEAUTY being one of them.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isQ5Ycie73U

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Film Review: THE STAIRS (Canada 2016) ***1/2

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Directed by Hugh Gibson

Review by Gilbert Seah

There are certain stories that need to be told. THE STAIRS is one of them. THE STAIRS refer to the back stairs is of an apartment building where homeless drug users that frequent Regent Park live. One step is the bathroom, another step the kitchen and so on. THE STAIRS is also the place where they congregate for drug usage. But it is a safe haven for these people as they can partake safely here than out in the open. As one user says, “If you buy it and try to it in in the open, it is not going to happen.”

This documentary by Hugh Gibson took five years in the making and tells stories of Toronto’s marginal people – not the ones that live in high-rise condos downtown or in large houses in the Greater Toronto Area but the drug users of Toronto’s Regent Park.

The centre of the film is Regent Park Community Health Centre, whose staff of social workers includes both former and current drug users. These workers understand all too well what their clients are going through.

The film is quietly effective as Gibson narrows his film to concentrate on only three subjects, all three of which are staff embers of the Health Centre. One is the loquacious, seemingly tireless Marty, who was so addicted at one point that, after being shot in a deal that went south, he stopped for a hit before going to the hospital; the second is Roxanne, a former sex worker whose tales of life in the trade are beyond harrowing; and finally Greg, a biracial child of the 1960s consumed with a long-delayed legal case hinging on a police officer’s use of excessive force. Gibson spends equal screen time on each of the three subjects, each just as interesting as the next.

One would think that the stories are morbid and horrifying. True but the subjects are thankful to be living and they share a sense of humour. Marty is extremely funny when he confesses that he has never been called grandpa even by his grandchild. Roxanne has a scary tale of being kidnapped that rival the one in the hit film ROOM. She relates how she escaped, naked and hit by a car before being brought down to the police station, and how she identified the house from memory and got her abductor a long prison sentence. She also talks about the sex trade. These stories are human as they come from real people. It is hard for anyone not to feel sorry for Roxanne and also for Greg who was beaten up by the cops for no reason.

The film also challenges prejudices and preconceived notions. It also underlines how tentative sobriety and stability can be for people who have lived in addiction for years. THE STAIRS has been nominated by the Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) for the Best Canadian Feature. It has my vote!

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBlH8Sm-ZM

the_stairs_movie_poster

 

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Film Review: THE RED TURTLE (LA TORTUE ROUGE) (France/Belgium/Japan 2015) ****

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the_red_turtle_movie_poster.jpgDirector: Michael Dudok de Wit
Writers: Michael Dudok de Wit (story), Pascale Ferran (screenplay)

 A hit at this year’s Cannes, this full animated feature THE RED TURTLE is the first international co-production from renowned Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli. It enlists the talents of Oscar-winning Dutch animator Michaël Dudok De Wit for a wondrous story about the unlikely friendship between a castaway on a deserted island and an enormous sea turtle. Done without dialogue, it is a mythical tale that could vey be the birth of man like the story of Adam and Eve. The power of the animation is in its apparent simplicity of plot, enhanced by stunning animation and music.

Shipwrecked on a deserted island, a lone man struggles to find his place in this new world. The basics for survival are abundant yet frustratingly out of reach, and danger lurks in the smallest of crevices; every isolated grotto is also a potential grave. The man cleverly uses the forest’s resources to support his raft-making efforts, but his every escape attempt is thwarted by an enormous sea turtle (the RED RURTLE of the film title) who seems intent on having him stay. Enraged, he attacks the turtle, intent on killing it. What happens next is the beginning of a new chapter in the man’s life, one that will instruct him in the ways of companionship and lead him to understand that nature must take its course. The turtle turns into a red-haired woman. They bear a son who undergoes a same demise of the father, falling into a crevice of water.

A tsunami also hits the island. Death also rears its ugly head but the three inhabitants of the island learn or is forced to cope with it.

THE RED TURTLE is a beautifully conceived tale. Director Michael Dudok de Wit was given Carte Blanche to do whatever he wanted with his film, and THE RED TURTLE shows the stupendous result of independent animation. The sea, the fire, grasslands and bamboo are all shown with their enormity compared to the image of man. The film might be confusing to some – with the turtle turning into a female and vice versa but the trick is to treat the story as a fable of man and his environment. Don’t bother trying to figure if there is some metaphor on life hidden in the tale either. Best is just t enjoy the detailed animation and Dudok’s artistry without questioning.

THE RED TURTLE emerges an emotional tale illustrating the powers and wonders of nature. Man is present but in this tim, has to learn to live with the elements. A beautiful film that will cater more to art house audiences than children.

THE RED TURTLE has already garnered lots of awards. The film premiered at Cannes, where it was nominated for the “Camera d’Or”, and won the “Un Certain Regard” Special Prize. It has been nominated for Best Animated Feature by the Critics’ Choice Awards, received runner up for the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Animated Film, and has been nominated for several awards by the International Animated Film Association Annie Awards including Best Animated Feature – Independent. It recently was named runner up for Best Animated Film by the Toronto Film Critics Association as well as the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle. In February the film is up for five Annie Awards.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3uYequDQqc

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Film Review: THE WASTED TIMES (China/Hong Kong 2016)

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the_wasted_times_movie_posterDirector: Er Cheng
Writer: Er Cheng
Stars: You Ge, Ziyi Zhang, Tadanobu Asano

Review by Gilbert Seah

THE WASTED TIMES is a big-budget highly anticipated Chinese-Hong Kong thriller film directed by Cheng Er and starring Ge You, Zhang Ziyi and Tadanobu Asano released by Chia Lion. The film is slated for a Christmas release hoping to make it big at the box-office for both Asian and western audiences.

From the film’s opening scene – the meeting among Mr. Lu, the film’s protagonist and Japanese collaborators, the artistic design and art direction of the scene are stunning from the lighting to the decoration. The meeting culminates with the shocking dismemberment of a lady’s hand still wearing a jade bracelet.

THE WASTED TIMES is a revenge story, set mainly in Shanghai during the conflict with the Japanese from the 1930’s up to the end of World War 11 in 1945. The elements of love, hatred, and betrayal are on full display in the story. As loyal to his own people and refusal to collaborate with the Japanese, Mr. Lu is ambushed during an important meeting with the Japanese army, but his sister’s husband, Watabe sacrifices himself to save Mr. Lu. Worse still, the Japanese brutally murder Mr. Lu’s children and sister. To avenge their deaths, Mr. Lu’s mistress attempts to kill the culprit but ends up dead.

The story leads to the end of 1945 when Mr. Lu visits the abandoned wife of his former boss, Mrs. Wang. She reveals that Watabe is still alive and did not sacrifice himself to save Mr. Lu, but is actually a Japanese spy responsible for the deaths of his family members and captured her as a slave in his basement. Given this new revelation, Mr. Lu takes Mrs. Wang to the war camp where Watabe is held to finally make him pay for his bad deeds.

If the story sounds confusing, the film is even more difficult to follow. It does not help that director Er is fond of telling his tale in non-chronological order, making it artistic through weird songs (partly sung in English) and also often changing the setting of his film from Shanghai, to the Philippines to Japan. The languages spoken also shifts from Mandarin to Japanese.

The historical film is made more emotional though the introduction of characters like the county bumpkin (and his sexual innocence) who learns the ropes about gang warfare. Er also seems quite interested in the activity of sex as illustrated in the many erotic sex scenes, including an artistically staged one at the back of a car.

Western audiences are unfamiliar with Chinese history and are more often than not, uninterested. It does not help that the history is not explained either. At least the audience will assume (correctly) that the end of the Sino-Japanese war comes at the end of 1945, the end of World War II. THE WASTED TIMES will definitely be a hard sell for China Lion with this film running into stiff competition with Hollywood films like the commercial ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY as well as more artistic flair like the musical LALA LAND.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB_Dj-X51RU

 

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Movie Review: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY (UA 2016) ***1/2

festreviews 2016 movies, movie, Movie Review, Uncategorized , , , , , , , , , , , ,

rogue_one_movie_poster.jpgDirector: Gareth Edwards
Writers: Chris Weitz (screenplay), Tony Gilroy (screenplay)
Stars: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Jimmy Smits

Review by Gilbert Seah

It is finally here and the world is waiting to hear how good (or bad) the $200 million production of the new Star Wars film is. For one, the filmmakers are clear to emphasize that this is a standalone story. By this, they mean that the story, set shortly before the events of the original Star Wars, is not part of the other STAR WARS films, though there are already two more films after ROGUE ONE in the making as ROGUE ONE is the first of three anthology films.

There is not much original in the story of ROGUE ONE. But there is little to disappoint. Again, the film begins with the title, “Long time ago in a galaxy far away..”, though the words are differently laid out. The scriptwriters Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta ensure the successful formula is untampered with. And there are lots of spectacle, new characters, explosions, exotic futuristic sets combined with exotic setting – space towers emerging from a tropical paradise. At times, the film feels like a James Bond film, where the hero and troops storm the villain’s lair, take him out while blowing everything up.

It all starts with the escape of young Jyn Erso as a child as she witnesses her mother shot dead and her inventor father (Mads Mikkelsen) taken away to create a planet destroyer for the Empire. With this weapon, the rebels would stand no chance of winning the battle for the galaxy.

So, the Rebel Alliance recruits the grown up Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) after freeing her from prison, to work with a team including Cassian Andor (Diego Luna from Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN) to steal the design schematics of the Empire’s new superweapon, the Death Star. That is about it for the story, leaving the film plenty of time for action, spectacle and more action and more spectacle. Music is by Michael Giacchino with pieces taken from the original score by John Williams.

The enmity between Cassia and Jyn inevitably turns into romance. But the romance is executed in good taste without distraction from the action at hand. The two are just shown holding hands in the key scene.

The choice of a female protagonist heroine as in the last STAR WARS film last year is a good one, given these politically correct times. After all, Princess Lea, a key Star Wars character is female and key to the whole saga.

The main villain of the piece is played with sufficient relish by Ben Mendelsohn next to the odd appearances of Darth Vader. But the new characters that steal the show are played by Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen. Have the Chinese taken over? The new droid K-2SO,(Alan Tudyk) a Rebel-owned Imperial enforcer also makes a new welcome non-human hero.

As in last year’s THE FORCE AWAKENS, reviewers were asked not to reveal plot points or twists. In THE FORCE AWAKENS, these included the death of Hans Solo and the end appearance of Luke Skywalker. In ROGUE ONE, there ares equal surprises to please the fans.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=frdj1zb9sMY 

 

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