Plot summary (story synopsis): The quirky and lovable gang of everyman national serviceman, led by Alex (Tosh Zhang), are now veteran reservists, and are magically reborn as armoured infantrymen. They have to deal with conflicts with civilian life, and a new strict by-the-book female platoon commander Lieutenant Zhang (Apple Chan).
***
(Full disclosure: I have never been in any military unit and am an armchair general.)
The fourth in the fabulously successful (at least in Singapore) Ah Boys to Men franchise, ABTM 4 is surprisingly good considering the quality of the previous movies. (I watched ABTM 1 and 3. I skipped ABTM 2 because the first was so bad.)
The first few movies suffered from preachy "social commentary", overt military propaganda, overlong scenes, a skit-based approach to story structure, and heavy-handed melodrama. Oh, and annoying in-your-face product placement. These weaknesses still exist in ABTM 4 but are greatly reduced. The movie is actually watchable and rarely cringe inducing.
The social commentary arises naturally and believably - foreign employees being favoured over locals because the foreigners don't disrupt corporate operations by having to go back to camp for mobilisation or training. Also covered is the awkward situation of your boss in civilian life suddenly becoming your subordinate in the military.
The military propaganda is balanced, not shrinking from showing the limitations of Singapore's Bionix infantry fighting vehicles, and the officially sanctioned relaxation of requirements for reservists.
Pacing is improved. Only a few scenes - such as the first scene in the canteen - felt draggy. Even the product placement is improved. I counted maybe 50 sponsors at the end credits but noticed only about 10 in the movie.
Unfortunately the verisimilitude-busting retconning of the Ah Boys into a different military unit, continues. They were basic infantry in ABTM 1 and 2, elite naval divers in ABTM 3, and now armoured infantry in ABTM 4. The only reason being to showcase different branches of the military, story logic be damned.
At least they are now veterans and no longer new conscripts (they were new conscripts in ABTM 1, and then again in ABTM 3).
When the first movie came out, I heard a few parents saying that they wanted to watch to see what national service would be like for their sons who would be conscripted soon. Which was strange because the Singapore Armed Forces has a short documentary series on YouTube called Every Singapore Son, that covers the national service experience well.
I guess the movies do give a more behind-the-scenes look at life in the Singapore military, albeit fictionalised and sensationalised yet sanitised. On the other hand, you're not going to learn much about Singapore military doctrine.
Standard American (and presumably Singaporean too) armoured doctrine is for infantry and armour to support each other. Tankers are very much blind and lack situational awareness, buttoned up inside their vehicle.
Armoured infantry act as eyes and ears, dismounting to be an advance guard to warn against enemy infantry and keep them away from the tanks. The tanks can then use their superior firepower to fend off enemy tanks and infantry.
None of this is shown in the movie. Instead, the infantry are shown independently traipsing off to their own objective during an exercise. The only communication shown is between them and their vehicle commander. The tanks (Leopard MBTs) are never shown communicating with the Bionix infantry fighting vehicles.
But this is a concern only to military nuts. For the average Singaporean, what matters are the more daily life aspects of military service. In this ABTM 4 does succeed. Good use is made of army lingo and procedures. Enough is sprinkled around to be authentic and interesting, without being over explained.
The movie's character development is however, lacking. Alex's moral failure and sudden redemption at the end, come out of nowhere. Ah Long had a promising start but his character arc halts in mid air and fizzles out.The whole conflict between Alex and Lieutenant Zhang also fizzles out and amounts to nothing in the end.
ABTM 4 is still a loose collection of unrelated vignettes and comedy skits. For example, the mass Lamborghini convoy at the end is kinda pointless (and actually sucks the air from the real ending), its awesomeness way out of proportion to the minor character point it makes.
While flawed, ABTM does entertain. And Jack Neo's usual dose of sly social commentary doesn't grate so much this time.
Showing posts with label not hollywood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label not hollywood. Show all posts
2017-11-19
2017-10-25
Ajin: Demi-Human (2017)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Kei Nagai (Takeru Satoh) finds out that he is an Ajin, an immortal, after coming back alive from a fatal traffic accident. The Japanese government imprisons him and uses him for medical experiments, cutting off a limb every day and observing how it grows back. Fellow ajin Sato (Gou Ayano) rescues Nagai but Nagai refuses to join the homicidal Sato. Sato threatens to release nerve gas over Tokyo if the government doesn't give Tokyo to ajins. Nagai joins the government to thwart Sato's evil plan.
***
The good news is that Ajin's pacing is fast and they do explore the idea of ajins and their immortality. The bad news is that there is little character development and the exploration of immortality is taken to its logical ridiculousness.
(This is a review of the 2017 movie. I have not seen the TV series and will not draw any comparisons with it.)
Production I.G, who animated most of Mamoru Oshii's movies, is involved somehow. I assume in animating the black ghosts. It's decent work but unfortunately the swirling particles seem ripped off from X Men.
The plot is inventive but somehow failed to grab my interest. The whole subplot with Nagai's sister doesn't go anywhere or reveal anything and can be cut from the movie with no impact on the story. The same goes for the black fighting ghosts that the ajins can summon, and the undercover ajin who works as a government bodyguard. Take them out and the story still works.
The characters are flat. In conventional storywriting terms, Nagai has no character arc. He doesn't learn anything or is changed at the end. He doesn't even have any flaw or personal issue to overcome. Call it Hollywood formula if you want to, it works.
Hard science fiction fans are going to have issues with the ajin. Not only do they regenerate limbs without seeming to need to sacrifice any existing muscle to do so, they can actually regenerate an entire body starting from a single limb. So where does all that new body tissue come from?
They can also blow their brain out with a bullet, and then regenerate their brain without losing any memories. The only way to account for all this is to have some kind of supernatural explanation, which the movie doesn't even hint at. Death Note was believable because it was supernatural in nature. Ajin is just ridiculous. It's actually comparable to Tokyo Ghoul - weak but with different flaws.
***
The good news is that Ajin's pacing is fast and they do explore the idea of ajins and their immortality. The bad news is that there is little character development and the exploration of immortality is taken to its logical ridiculousness.
(This is a review of the 2017 movie. I have not seen the TV series and will not draw any comparisons with it.)
Production I.G, who animated most of Mamoru Oshii's movies, is involved somehow. I assume in animating the black ghosts. It's decent work but unfortunately the swirling particles seem ripped off from X Men.
The plot is inventive but somehow failed to grab my interest. The whole subplot with Nagai's sister doesn't go anywhere or reveal anything and can be cut from the movie with no impact on the story. The same goes for the black fighting ghosts that the ajins can summon, and the undercover ajin who works as a government bodyguard. Take them out and the story still works.
The characters are flat. In conventional storywriting terms, Nagai has no character arc. He doesn't learn anything or is changed at the end. He doesn't even have any flaw or personal issue to overcome. Call it Hollywood formula if you want to, it works.
Hard science fiction fans are going to have issues with the ajin. Not only do they regenerate limbs without seeming to need to sacrifice any existing muscle to do so, they can actually regenerate an entire body starting from a single limb. So where does all that new body tissue come from?
They can also blow their brain out with a bullet, and then regenerate their brain without losing any memories. The only way to account for all this is to have some kind of supernatural explanation, which the movie doesn't even hint at. Death Note was believable because it was supernatural in nature. Ajin is just ridiculous. It's actually comparable to Tokyo Ghoul - weak but with different flaws.
2017-10-19
Sky Hunter (2017)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Chinese pilots from the elite Sky Hunter air base must rescue Chinese military and civilians who are taken hostage by terrorists in the (fictional) central European republic of Mahbu.
***
So is Sky Hunter more Top Gun or Iron Eagle? Well, it's both but that's not the problem. The problem is that there is no character development or character arc, and the military tactics are nonsensical.
It looks like the filmmakers wanted to have an action movie glorifying the Chinese air force but didn't want the complexity of filming a full scale war. So they chose a terrorist takeover of an air base. The problem is that jet fighters don't have much to do with rescuing hostages in such a situation, it's more about special forces infantry.
So the plot gets twisted to highlight the air force instead of the soldiers. For example, in order to have an "exciting" showdown between the terrorist leader and Wu Di, the terrorist leader is made to be an ace pilot. Come on guys, what the hell? The terrorists also take control of an ICBM silo (yes, little Mahbu has ICBMs) so that Wu Di can bomb the hell out of it.
Sure, Top Gun was a recruitment poster for the US Navy but Tony Scott still put the story before anything else. And Top Gun really was about the fighter pilot school. Sky Hunter has some training scenes but these are not core to the story and act more as filler.
Character arc? There are none. There's some half hearted attempt at a love triangle between fighter pilot Wu Di (Chen Li) and rescue helicopter pilot Zhao Yali (the gorgeous Fan Bing Bing), and either fighter pilots Gao Yuan (Leon Lee) or Ba Tu (Guo Mingyu). I was confused.
Now for a list of the movie's military sins (warning - I'm a military nut/armchair general):
P.S. Soundtrack is produced by Hans Zimmer whatever that means, but was written by someone else. The final result does not impress.
***
So is Sky Hunter more Top Gun or Iron Eagle? Well, it's both but that's not the problem. The problem is that there is no character development or character arc, and the military tactics are nonsensical.
It looks like the filmmakers wanted to have an action movie glorifying the Chinese air force but didn't want the complexity of filming a full scale war. So they chose a terrorist takeover of an air base. The problem is that jet fighters don't have much to do with rescuing hostages in such a situation, it's more about special forces infantry.
So the plot gets twisted to highlight the air force instead of the soldiers. For example, in order to have an "exciting" showdown between the terrorist leader and Wu Di, the terrorist leader is made to be an ace pilot. Come on guys, what the hell? The terrorists also take control of an ICBM silo (yes, little Mahbu has ICBMs) so that Wu Di can bomb the hell out of it.
Sure, Top Gun was a recruitment poster for the US Navy but Tony Scott still put the story before anything else. And Top Gun really was about the fighter pilot school. Sky Hunter has some training scenes but these are not core to the story and act more as filler.
Character arc? There are none. There's some half hearted attempt at a love triangle between fighter pilot Wu Di (Chen Li) and rescue helicopter pilot Zhao Yali (the gorgeous Fan Bing Bing), and either fighter pilots Gao Yuan (Leon Lee) or Ba Tu (Guo Mingyu). I was confused.
Now for a list of the movie's military sins (warning - I'm a military nut/armchair general):
- American 4 engined propeller plane thinks it can outfly Chinese jet fighters?
- Rescue helicopter pilot has to exit the helicopter to rescue people? There should be dedicated crew for that.
- Why initially send 2 jet fighters without any special forces or rescue helicopter?
- Then for the second attempt, okay, you have special forces and a rescue helicopter. But why send only 2 fighters and 1 helicopter?
- Jet fighters need air-to-air refueling but helicopter doesn't? Jet fighters way outrange any helicopter.
- Sky Hunter base happens to be within helicopter range of the air base under attack?
- Wu Di uses his jet fighter to strafe a terrorist machine gunner. How does he know the machine gunner is not a friendly? Aircraft, especially fast moving jet fighters, are notoriously blind to what is going on on the ground and need to be directed by friendlies on the ground or a slow moving Forward Air Controller aircraft.
- A jet fighter is hunting the rescue helicopter at night. Why not land the helicopter to hide?
- It is ridiculous to have two jet fighters flying head on at each other and firing their cannon. Their closing speed is so high that they will be within cannon range for less than a second.
- If you have a crippled aircraft coming in to land, you don't block the runway with fire engines.
P.S. Soundtrack is produced by Hans Zimmer whatever that means, but was written by someone else. The final result does not impress.
2017-09-08
The Adventurers (2017)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Master thief Zhang Dan (Andy Lau) is released from a French prison after serving a 5-year sentence. Pierre (Jean Reno), the French cop who put Zhang Dan away, keeps an eye on him, confident that he will be back to his thieving ways. Zhang Dan teams up with his loyal sidekick/young hunk Xiao Po (Tony Yang), together with new recruit Red Ye (Shu Qi), to go after some unfinished jewellery business. Pierre persuades Zhang Dan's former fiancee Amber (Zhang Jing Chu) to help him locate Zhang Dan.
***
The problem with The Adventurers is that it had no story reason to exist. It's as if some producer said, Let's make an action movie with Andy Lau and Shu Qi. And the writers just filled up the run time with Mission Impossible cliches and tropes.
There's no overall organizing principle behind the story, just random bits of action, unconvincing character backstory, fake camaraderie, and characters double-crossing each other for the sake of cheap plot twists. This has been a problem with Hong Kong and mainland China movies, for decades.
The romance between Zhang Dan and Amber is not convincing (no matter how prettily and pensively Zhang Jing Chu pouts). This is made worse by how Shu Qi, cast in the role of comedic sidekick (together with Tony Yang), totally steals the show away from Zhang Jing Chu. Red Ye's role was custom written to fit Shu Qi's perky personality, making her more the female lead than Zhang Jing Chu, which unbalances the characters' dynamic.
Poor Director of Photography Shane Hurlbut (Terminator Salvation, Crazy/Beautiful, Act of Valor, Need for Speed), was even pulled down to director Stephen Fung's level - I'm guessing forced by Stephen Fung to move his camera for no reason. A jib move when the characters are just sitting around and talking? Maybe 8 different camera angles when Pierre is talking to Zhang Dan in the police interrogation room - for what? It's a really bad performance for someone of Hurlbut's caliber. I don't think he will be putting The Adventurers in his showreel.
At least Jean Reno emerges with his dignity intact, but barely.
What else is wrong? Let me count the ways:
***
The problem with The Adventurers is that it had no story reason to exist. It's as if some producer said, Let's make an action movie with Andy Lau and Shu Qi. And the writers just filled up the run time with Mission Impossible cliches and tropes.
There's no overall organizing principle behind the story, just random bits of action, unconvincing character backstory, fake camaraderie, and characters double-crossing each other for the sake of cheap plot twists. This has been a problem with Hong Kong and mainland China movies, for decades.
The romance between Zhang Dan and Amber is not convincing (no matter how prettily and pensively Zhang Jing Chu pouts). This is made worse by how Shu Qi, cast in the role of comedic sidekick (together with Tony Yang), totally steals the show away from Zhang Jing Chu. Red Ye's role was custom written to fit Shu Qi's perky personality, making her more the female lead than Zhang Jing Chu, which unbalances the characters' dynamic.
Poor Director of Photography Shane Hurlbut (Terminator Salvation, Crazy/Beautiful, Act of Valor, Need for Speed), was even pulled down to director Stephen Fung's level - I'm guessing forced by Stephen Fung to move his camera for no reason. A jib move when the characters are just sitting around and talking? Maybe 8 different camera angles when Pierre is talking to Zhang Dan in the police interrogation room - for what? It's a really bad performance for someone of Hurlbut's caliber. I don't think he will be putting The Adventurers in his showreel.
At least Jean Reno emerges with his dignity intact, but barely.
What else is wrong? Let me count the ways:
- Pierre desperately wants to catch Zhang Dan because, of all things, Zhang Dan saved Pierre's life.
- Pierre unilaterally releases Zhang Dan from police custody, near the end, and suffers no penalty for doing so. Especially when Zhang Dan doesn't come back after tracking down the other bad guys.
- Bomb complication at the end is copied from Magnum Force.
- French cops speak English to each other. That might be ok if the whole movie was in English, but the Chinese speak Mandarin to each other.
- Pierre is confident of not killing Zhang Dan, only wounding him, while shooting at a motorcycle-borne Zhang Dan from a speeding car. Nobody is that good.
- Rich Chinese guy in the Czech Republic, has a force of paramilitary guards with submachine guns.
2017-04-27
Shock Wave (2017)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Hong Kong policeman Cheung (Andy Lau) worked undercover and put away some of the members of a bank robbery gang. Bank robber Hung (Jiang Wu) managed to escape but his brother ended up in jail. A few years later, Hung returns to Hong Kong with a band of mercenaries. He takes control of one of Hong Kong's undersea traffic tunnels, together with hundreds of trapped motorists as hostages, and threatens to blow up the tunnel unless his brother is released and ransom is paid.
***
Shock Wave is an above-average Hong Kong action thriller. Too many Hong Kong movies have cliched and unbelievable plots, and unnatural forced character development.
Some thought has gone into each of Shock Wave's many action sequences, so it's not just bland by-the-numbers action tropes. There are interesting details. Pacing and editing are especially good, almost Roland Emmerich slick. The scenes don't feel too drawn out or full of filler.
The first third or so of the movie establishes the characters and their backgrounds, before the long tunnel siege starts. We see Cheung fall in love with Carmen (Song Jia), and defuse an old war bomb. Hung also toys with Cheung with a small bomb.
The whole tunnel setting (I'm guessing they used a real location) looks large and feels authentic, giving the movie a blockbuster feel (on a US$23 million budget). But the siege itself isn't 100 percent believable. If you're the mastermind, you don't need to place yourself in danger, in the middle of the siege. You can run the operation remotely. Anyway, it is believable enough.
The movie was made with the cooperation of Hong Kong's bomb squad, so the technicalities are detailed and convincing. For example, Cheung drills into the fuse of the old war bomb and neutralizes it with some liquid chemical (could be made up but it looks real). Cheung declines to wear a bomb suit for this operation as the bomb is so large that a bomb suit wouldn't offer any protection - nicely foreshadowing the power and danger of the bombs in the tunnel.
However some liberties were taken for dramatic purposes (splitting the explosives into two bombs reduces the blast damage to the tunnel, it doesn't increase the damage) but most viewers won't notice. Carmen and the grenade? You could wrap tape around the grenade's spoon (lever) without wrapping it round her hand, allowing her to safely drop the grenade.
Less convincing but still effective is Hung's relationship with Carmen. Their breakup in the kitchen seems to come out of nowhere. However the two characters are well established and believable, lending emotional weight when Cheung is in danger.
Overall, the movie works. Pacing is good, characters are sympathetic, plot is mainly believable. Too few Hong Kong movies pass this bar.
Side note: Cheung uses a Leatherman OHT multitool a few times, not the Leatherman EOD MUT which is designed for bomb squad use.
***
Shock Wave is an above-average Hong Kong action thriller. Too many Hong Kong movies have cliched and unbelievable plots, and unnatural forced character development.
Some thought has gone into each of Shock Wave's many action sequences, so it's not just bland by-the-numbers action tropes. There are interesting details. Pacing and editing are especially good, almost Roland Emmerich slick. The scenes don't feel too drawn out or full of filler.
The first third or so of the movie establishes the characters and their backgrounds, before the long tunnel siege starts. We see Cheung fall in love with Carmen (Song Jia), and defuse an old war bomb. Hung also toys with Cheung with a small bomb.
The whole tunnel setting (I'm guessing they used a real location) looks large and feels authentic, giving the movie a blockbuster feel (on a US$23 million budget). But the siege itself isn't 100 percent believable. If you're the mastermind, you don't need to place yourself in danger, in the middle of the siege. You can run the operation remotely. Anyway, it is believable enough.
The movie was made with the cooperation of Hong Kong's bomb squad, so the technicalities are detailed and convincing. For example, Cheung drills into the fuse of the old war bomb and neutralizes it with some liquid chemical (could be made up but it looks real). Cheung declines to wear a bomb suit for this operation as the bomb is so large that a bomb suit wouldn't offer any protection - nicely foreshadowing the power and danger of the bombs in the tunnel.
However some liberties were taken for dramatic purposes (splitting the explosives into two bombs reduces the blast damage to the tunnel, it doesn't increase the damage) but most viewers won't notice. Carmen and the grenade? You could wrap tape around the grenade's spoon (lever) without wrapping it round her hand, allowing her to safely drop the grenade.
Less convincing but still effective is Hung's relationship with Carmen. Their breakup in the kitchen seems to come out of nowhere. However the two characters are well established and believable, lending emotional weight when Cheung is in danger.
Overall, the movie works. Pacing is good, characters are sympathetic, plot is mainly believable. Too few Hong Kong movies pass this bar.
Side note: Cheung uses a Leatherman OHT multitool a few times, not the Leatherman EOD MUT which is designed for bomb squad use.
2017-04-23
Pop Aye (2017)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Middle-aged architect Thana (Thaneth Warakulnukroh) is experiencing a mid-life crisis. He is being sidelined at his architecture firm by younger architects and his signature project, a large shopping centre, is scheduled for demolition. His sex life with his wife Bo (Penpak Sirikul) isn't going well either. One day he stumbles across Pop Aye, an elephant from his childhood, and decides to buy him. Together they embark on a road trip through rural Thailand.
***
Pop Aye is the first Singaporean film to be screened at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. It didn't just screen, it also won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Screenwriting. Sundance implies indie/arthouse and Pop Aye certainly lives up to that. It's definitely not a commercial film.
Though writer/director Kirsten Tan is Singaporean, Pop Aye is set in Thailand and features Thai lead actors and mainly Thai dialog. So be prepared to read subtitles if you are not Thai, but hey, that's part of the arthouse experience.
The Thai locations are the best part of the movie. You really feel the authenticity of the locations and get to see a Thailand that you don't see in tourist promos. The rural settings are especially striking in a gritty way.
However, the first two-thirds of the movie is a bit slow and disjointed. Kirsten Tan is following Jeff Nichols' Midnight Special style of withholding information to create audience interest. Unfortunately it doesn't work well in this case.
For half of the movie, we don't even know where Thana is going, or that he even has a destination. But instead of creating interest, it gives the movie the feeling of a lack of purpose. Why the elephant is named Pop Aye, and his earlier relationship with Thana, is later revealed. The problem is that no hints were given that any of this was a mystery, so any opportunity for suspense is wasted.
Befitting an arthouse movie, the ending is hauntingly open ended. Some issues are resolved, and some are not. If only the first half of the movie was this good.
***
Pop Aye is the first Singaporean film to be screened at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. It didn't just screen, it also won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Screenwriting. Sundance implies indie/arthouse and Pop Aye certainly lives up to that. It's definitely not a commercial film.
Though writer/director Kirsten Tan is Singaporean, Pop Aye is set in Thailand and features Thai lead actors and mainly Thai dialog. So be prepared to read subtitles if you are not Thai, but hey, that's part of the arthouse experience.
The Thai locations are the best part of the movie. You really feel the authenticity of the locations and get to see a Thailand that you don't see in tourist promos. The rural settings are especially striking in a gritty way.
However, the first two-thirds of the movie is a bit slow and disjointed. Kirsten Tan is following Jeff Nichols' Midnight Special style of withholding information to create audience interest. Unfortunately it doesn't work well in this case.
For half of the movie, we don't even know where Thana is going, or that he even has a destination. But instead of creating interest, it gives the movie the feeling of a lack of purpose. Why the elephant is named Pop Aye, and his earlier relationship with Thana, is later revealed. The problem is that no hints were given that any of this was a mystery, so any opportunity for suspense is wasted.
Befitting an arthouse movie, the ending is hauntingly open ended. Some issues are resolved, and some are not. If only the first half of the movie was this good.
2016-08-29
Time Raiders (2016)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Young Wu Xie (pretty boy Lu Han) comes from a family of treasure hunters. However his Third Uncle is reluctant to let him join their dangerous missions. On their next mission to raid the tomb of the Snake Empress (Mallika Sherawai), Third Uncle finally allows him to follow. They are joined by the mysterious and super skilled Zhang Kylin (Boran Jing). Once in the treasure tomb, they are attacked by mercenaries led by the pretty but deadly Ning A (Ma Sichun), who are employed by the eccentric Hendrix (Vanni Corbellini) who is looking for the fountain of youth.
***
Time Raiders is a copy of The Mummy and of course Tomb Raider. Which were themselves inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark. Less auspiciously, Time Raiders also resembles Michelle Yeo's 2002 flop The Touch.
It might be entertaining to younger audiences but for the rest of us, we've seen it before. The story is derivative and has no new ideas. Its slow pacing doesn't help matters either. The first half hour of buildup is unnecessary and doesn't help much with character development.
Things seem to improve when they finally reach the Snake Empress's tomb. Unfortunately, after a fun shootout with the mercenaries, the pacing bogs down again. The evil puppet room scene is fun but too long. As is the Mummy-derivative flesh-eating spiders sequence.
Running a gauntlet of murder machines? Come on guys, can't you do anything original? They even copied the mapping drones and 3D video map from Prometheus.
The final showdown with the Snake Empress? Too long and drawn out. So yeah, the movie is a slow theme park ride of booby traps and killer bad guys, with not much story. The male-bonding between Wu Xie and Zhang Kylin feels forced and is unconvincing.
The Mummy had fun characters, and good pacing. It was also funny. Director Daniel Lee and writer Uncle Three have no clue as to what made The Mummy so much fun.
On the plus side, the visuals are good. The many mechanical gadgets are intriguing. The lighting is beautiful but also distracting. All the underground rooms in the tomb have pretty light shooting in from windows. So where is the light coming from?
In the end, Time Raiders is an excuse for special effects eye candy, with a flimsy plot and cardboard characters tacked on as an excuse to justify the action. What a disappointment.
***
Time Raiders is a copy of The Mummy and of course Tomb Raider. Which were themselves inspired by Raiders of the Lost Ark. Less auspiciously, Time Raiders also resembles Michelle Yeo's 2002 flop The Touch.
It might be entertaining to younger audiences but for the rest of us, we've seen it before. The story is derivative and has no new ideas. Its slow pacing doesn't help matters either. The first half hour of buildup is unnecessary and doesn't help much with character development.
Things seem to improve when they finally reach the Snake Empress's tomb. Unfortunately, after a fun shootout with the mercenaries, the pacing bogs down again. The evil puppet room scene is fun but too long. As is the Mummy-derivative flesh-eating spiders sequence.
Running a gauntlet of murder machines? Come on guys, can't you do anything original? They even copied the mapping drones and 3D video map from Prometheus.
The final showdown with the Snake Empress? Too long and drawn out. So yeah, the movie is a slow theme park ride of booby traps and killer bad guys, with not much story. The male-bonding between Wu Xie and Zhang Kylin feels forced and is unconvincing.
The Mummy had fun characters, and good pacing. It was also funny. Director Daniel Lee and writer Uncle Three have no clue as to what made The Mummy so much fun.
On the plus side, the visuals are good. The many mechanical gadgets are intriguing. The lighting is beautiful but also distracting. All the underground rooms in the tomb have pretty light shooting in from windows. So where is the light coming from?
In the end, Time Raiders is an excuse for special effects eye candy, with a flimsy plot and cardboard characters tacked on as an excuse to justify the action. What a disappointment.
2016-08-25
Godzilla Resurgence / Shin Gojira (2016)
Plot summary (story synopsis): A large sea monster suddenly attacks Tokyo. The Japanese government's bureaucracy swings into action to deal with the unprecedented threat.
***
I had high hopes for this movie. We've seen what the Americans do with Godzilla. Now let's see the Japanese, the guys who created Godzilla, do it right. Will they go all philosophical and meta? Or all cheesy fun? The answer is, neither.
Godzilla Resurgence is one helluva mess. Most of the movie is about bureaucratic wrangling inside the Japanese government. We are treated to endless meetings and dozens of government officials. Yup, it's all about the bureaucrats. Not the military, not some plucky civilian. No cute kids or dogs either. Bureaucrats. And the pacing and sensibility feels distinctly 1970s.
SPOILERS WARNING
I usually try to avoid going too much into plot details, preferring to look at movies from a higher level of abstraction. But there's nothing much to analyze here except for the plot.
Of course, there's a mad scientist subplot, but it doesn't really develop into anything much. Except origami molecular biology and a plan to coagulate Godzilla's blood with thousands of gallons of chemicals.
There's also another subplot with a half-Japanese American lady diplomat (who can barely speak English) which made no sense to me so I won't try to explain it.
It is only after about an hour that the action really starts, with the Japanese military blasting away with helicopter gunships, tanks and artillery. All to no effect, of course. I mean, a tank's armor-piercing round can penetrate over a meter of steel so of course it can't harm anything organic, right?
After the brief battle, it's back to the bureaucrats. The American military also gets into the act and bombs Godzilla using B2 stealth bombers. But surprise! Godzilla has built-in phased-array radar that can detect stealth aircraft and shoots down a B2 with its laser. Oh, and he shoots down the Prime Minister's helicopter too, killing him.
Godzilla then goes into hibernation right in the middle of Tokyo, for a couple of days. He's a sitting duck. Hit him again. But nope, everyone is so freaked out that all they can think of now is nukes.
The UN Security Council passes a resolution to nuke Godzilla with a US-led coalition of countries. But the gutsy Japanese manage to outsmart the stupid, evil Americans. They use cement pump trucks to pump the blood coagulant into Godzilla's mouth, causing him to turn into stone.
Don't judge me but my favorite Godzilla is still the Roland Emmerich version.
***
I had high hopes for this movie. We've seen what the Americans do with Godzilla. Now let's see the Japanese, the guys who created Godzilla, do it right. Will they go all philosophical and meta? Or all cheesy fun? The answer is, neither.
Godzilla Resurgence is one helluva mess. Most of the movie is about bureaucratic wrangling inside the Japanese government. We are treated to endless meetings and dozens of government officials. Yup, it's all about the bureaucrats. Not the military, not some plucky civilian. No cute kids or dogs either. Bureaucrats. And the pacing and sensibility feels distinctly 1970s.
SPOILERS WARNING
I usually try to avoid going too much into plot details, preferring to look at movies from a higher level of abstraction. But there's nothing much to analyze here except for the plot.
Of course, there's a mad scientist subplot, but it doesn't really develop into anything much. Except origami molecular biology and a plan to coagulate Godzilla's blood with thousands of gallons of chemicals.
There's also another subplot with a half-Japanese American lady diplomat (who can barely speak English) which made no sense to me so I won't try to explain it.
It is only after about an hour that the action really starts, with the Japanese military blasting away with helicopter gunships, tanks and artillery. All to no effect, of course. I mean, a tank's armor-piercing round can penetrate over a meter of steel so of course it can't harm anything organic, right?
After the brief battle, it's back to the bureaucrats. The American military also gets into the act and bombs Godzilla using B2 stealth bombers. But surprise! Godzilla has built-in phased-array radar that can detect stealth aircraft and shoots down a B2 with its laser. Oh, and he shoots down the Prime Minister's helicopter too, killing him.
Godzilla then goes into hibernation right in the middle of Tokyo, for a couple of days. He's a sitting duck. Hit him again. But nope, everyone is so freaked out that all they can think of now is nukes.
The UN Security Council passes a resolution to nuke Godzilla with a US-led coalition of countries. But the gutsy Japanese manage to outsmart the stupid, evil Americans. They use cement pump trucks to pump the blood coagulant into Godzilla's mouth, causing him to turn into stone.
Don't judge me but my favorite Godzilla is still the Roland Emmerich version.
2016-08-23
Call of Heroes (2016)
Plot summary (story synopsis): China, 1914. The Chinese army has withdrawn from Pucheng village to chase after troublesome warlord Cao Ying, leaving the town's sheriff Yang Kenan (Lau Ching Wan) and his men to defend the village. The warlord's murderous sociopathic son Cao Shaolun (Louis Koo) rides alone into town and kills a few people for fun. Sheriff Yang arrests him and after a quick trial, Shaulun is scheduled for execution the next day. However the warlord's colonel, Zhang Yi (Wu Jing), appears and warns that the entire town will be slaughtered if they harm Shaolun. Observing all this and trying to stay neutral, is wandering martial arts expert Ma Feng (Eddie Peng).
***
Call of Heroes is a Chinese cowboy movie. It's a mix of High Noon (principled sheriff betrayed by the cowardly town folk that he protects) and Shane (gun slinging reluctant-hero drifter rides into town).
There is some melodrama, but also some surprisingly effective drama and character development. Performances by the leads are good, with Eddie Peng coming across effectively like a laconic Hugh Jackman. Louis Koo is fun to watch as the manipulative batshit crazy Shaolun. Lau Ching Wan is believable as the brave and honorable sheriff. Most impressive of all is Wu Jing as the confident colonel Zhang Yi. That guy has presence.
Fight choreography by Sammo Hung is good. Stylish but realistic. The only wire work seems to be when people are kicked and go flying. The fight on a small hill of wine casks is spectacular and a good example of acrobatic kung fu.
The village set is lavish and looks real. The $32 million budget is small by Hollywood standards but this is no small movie. It's no blockbuster but it's no budget indie either.
There are some false notes. The subplot about the mercenaries seems superfluous, and some plot points aren't believable. Why don't the villagers just run away?
Ultimately, it's an entertaining but forgettable movie. We've seen it before. It doesn't break any new ground or have any original ideas. It should do good box office but I doubt anyone will remember it in twenty years. It's no Chinese Ghost Story (1987) or Swordsman (1990).
***
Call of Heroes is a Chinese cowboy movie. It's a mix of High Noon (principled sheriff betrayed by the cowardly town folk that he protects) and Shane (gun slinging reluctant-hero drifter rides into town).
There is some melodrama, but also some surprisingly effective drama and character development. Performances by the leads are good, with Eddie Peng coming across effectively like a laconic Hugh Jackman. Louis Koo is fun to watch as the manipulative batshit crazy Shaolun. Lau Ching Wan is believable as the brave and honorable sheriff. Most impressive of all is Wu Jing as the confident colonel Zhang Yi. That guy has presence.
Fight choreography by Sammo Hung is good. Stylish but realistic. The only wire work seems to be when people are kicked and go flying. The fight on a small hill of wine casks is spectacular and a good example of acrobatic kung fu.
The village set is lavish and looks real. The $32 million budget is small by Hollywood standards but this is no small movie. It's no blockbuster but it's no budget indie either.
There are some false notes. The subplot about the mercenaries seems superfluous, and some plot points aren't believable. Why don't the villagers just run away?
Ultimately, it's an entertaining but forgettable movie. We've seen it before. It doesn't break any new ground or have any original ideas. It should do good box office but I doubt anyone will remember it in twenty years. It's no Chinese Ghost Story (1987) or Swordsman (1990).
2015-09-18
3688 (2015)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Xia Fei Fei (singer Joi Chua in her movie debut) is a 38-year-old meter maid who lives with her aged father (Michael Tan). Her father worked as a Rediffusion salesman and is now beginning to show signs of dementia. He regularly wanders off on his own, trying to sell subscriptions of the defunct wired radio system.
At work, Fei Fei doesn't get along with her team leader Jenny (Rahimah Rahim). But their rivalry is overshadowed by the arrival of an automatic car park payment system which threatens their jobs.
Fei Fei has loved to sing since she was in school, especially the songs of Taiwanese singer Fong Fei Fei. She stumbles across a local singing contest and decides to join.
***
3688 is an enjoyable, sentimental comedy. While the trailer plays up the singing competition in the movie, the competition only appears in the last third of the movie. It's actually the least effective part of the movie.
The two main threads are Fei Fei's mini adventures as a meter maid (saman auntie in local slang) and her father's gradual mental deterioration.
Both work because writer/director Royston Tan (881, 15: The Movie) and rookie writer Fong Wei Lim spend the time to develop these subplots. The situations and characters feel natural unlike with some other local filmmakers (coughjackneocough).
The meter maid shenanigans plays out with a kampong-style feel, where everyone in the neighbourhood knows everybody. It's an Amelie-style parochial fairy-tale that works.
Equally compelling is Fei Fei's father's descent into dementia. It is played out over multiple small scenes, each slowly worming its way into your sympathies. Jack Neo's heavy hand of a few over-the-top dramatic scenes couldn't be further away in terms of style.
The ending of the movie is also done in a tasteful low-key style (stay behind for the post-credits scene).
The use of old Rediffusion radio sets is beautifully nostalgic. It's an example of effective and unobtrusive product placement (the Rediffusion name lives on as an Internet broadcaster). Again unlike Jack Neo.
I'm sorry to keep on comparing with Jack Neo, but the differences are glaring. Another example? Liu Ling Ling as Seafood Auntie is charmingly brash without being annoying. Unlike Irene Ang in Jack Neo's Ah Boys to Men.
There is some singing, especially covers of Fong Fei Fei's classic hits. There's a lone song-and-dance number at the start with the meter maids but strangely enough, this is the only dance number in the movie. So the tone of the movie is a bit uneven.
Another uneven bit of filmmaking is the inclusion of Fei Fei's old school friend, recently returned from New York. He doesn't seem to serve any purpose.
There are a few local details such as a mention of Stomp - the local online citizen-journalism website. There's also a recreation of a real-life local publicity stunt involving two female sunbathers in a car park. Local rapper Shiga Shay makes an appearance and spouts off some delightfully fast raps.
3688 is a way better movie than most other local offerings. Let's see if the public gives it their support. To paraphrase a local opposition politician, The public gets the movies they deserve, so I don't want to hear any more complaints.
At work, Fei Fei doesn't get along with her team leader Jenny (Rahimah Rahim). But their rivalry is overshadowed by the arrival of an automatic car park payment system which threatens their jobs.
Fei Fei has loved to sing since she was in school, especially the songs of Taiwanese singer Fong Fei Fei. She stumbles across a local singing contest and decides to join.
***
3688 is an enjoyable, sentimental comedy. While the trailer plays up the singing competition in the movie, the competition only appears in the last third of the movie. It's actually the least effective part of the movie.
The two main threads are Fei Fei's mini adventures as a meter maid (saman auntie in local slang) and her father's gradual mental deterioration.
Both work because writer/director Royston Tan (881, 15: The Movie) and rookie writer Fong Wei Lim spend the time to develop these subplots. The situations and characters feel natural unlike with some other local filmmakers (coughjackneocough).
The meter maid shenanigans plays out with a kampong-style feel, where everyone in the neighbourhood knows everybody. It's an Amelie-style parochial fairy-tale that works.
Equally compelling is Fei Fei's father's descent into dementia. It is played out over multiple small scenes, each slowly worming its way into your sympathies. Jack Neo's heavy hand of a few over-the-top dramatic scenes couldn't be further away in terms of style.
The ending of the movie is also done in a tasteful low-key style (stay behind for the post-credits scene).
The use of old Rediffusion radio sets is beautifully nostalgic. It's an example of effective and unobtrusive product placement (the Rediffusion name lives on as an Internet broadcaster). Again unlike Jack Neo.
I'm sorry to keep on comparing with Jack Neo, but the differences are glaring. Another example? Liu Ling Ling as Seafood Auntie is charmingly brash without being annoying. Unlike Irene Ang in Jack Neo's Ah Boys to Men.
There is some singing, especially covers of Fong Fei Fei's classic hits. There's a lone song-and-dance number at the start with the meter maids but strangely enough, this is the only dance number in the movie. So the tone of the movie is a bit uneven.
Another uneven bit of filmmaking is the inclusion of Fei Fei's old school friend, recently returned from New York. He doesn't seem to serve any purpose.
There are a few local details such as a mention of Stomp - the local online citizen-journalism website. There's also a recreation of a real-life local publicity stunt involving two female sunbathers in a car park. Local rapper Shiga Shay makes an appearance and spouts off some delightfully fast raps.
3688 is a way better movie than most other local offerings. Let's see if the public gives it their support. To paraphrase a local opposition politician, The public gets the movies they deserve, so I don't want to hear any more complaints.
2015-09-14
The Assassin (2015)
Plot summary (story synopsis): It is China during the Tang Dynasty. Young assassin Yinniang (Shu Qi) doesn't have the heart to kill a target in front of his son. To teach her a lesson, she is sent back to her home province of Weibo to assassinate her cousin Tian Ji'an (Chen Chang) who is now the Lord of Weibo.
Tian Ji-an's court is already in turmoil. There is disagreement over how to handle their relationship with the distant Tang Dynasty. There is also some political intrigue within the court.
***
The Assassin is an arthouse movie. Don't expect anything like Hero or House of Flying Daggers. It won the Best Director prize at Cannes for director Hsiao-hsien Hou.
There's lots of show-don't-tell, so the pace will be slow for some audiences. Fights are few, fast, short, and realistic. Shu Qi isn't made into some kind of superhero, just a skilled fighter.
There are long takes and few close-ups. Many scenes are shot with a single wide-angle take. This is Kurosawa style.
Standard editing advice is to enter the scene late and get out early. Keep scenes short, don't bore the audience. The Assassin does the opposite. Combined with the wide-angle long takes, this gives an effective voyeuristic feel to the movie. You feel like an observer watching from a distance, not some omniscient god floating everywhere like in conventional movies with their close-ups, quick cuts and dolly moves.
The director's voyeuristic intention is confirmed in some indoor scenes. The camera is positioned behind thin veil-like curtains, so the audience feels like they are hiding from the people in the scene.
So this movie is not for everyone. There are reports of some audience members walking out during the screenings at Cannes and at the Toronto International Film Festival.
While the unconventional camerawork is effective to a certain extent, it's also distracting. We are used to today's camerawork and done well, it is invisible to the audience. The Assassin's minimalist camerawork calls attention to itself, throwing the audience out of the movie.
There is high contrast in some scenes - bits of sunlight in a dim interior. This would be considered a mistake in an amateur movie.
Another quirk: the movie is shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, the old PAL and NTSC analog TV format. The decision to not use 16:9, 2.4:1 or some other widescreen format is especially perverse considering the gorgeous scenery in some of the shots.
Perennially youthful Shu Qi plays the twenty-something Yinniang well. But we don't see much of Shu Qi. She's on screen maybe 25% to 50% of the time, and usually not in close-up.
The plot is interesting enough but there are too many characters and the various subplots are difficult to follow (who is the lady who tried to hide her pregnancy? I had to look her up after I watched the movie). The thing with the lady in the gold mask? Very Pink Pantherish - Clouseau versus Cato.
The Assassin gets an A for effort but overall it could have been better.
Tian Ji-an's court is already in turmoil. There is disagreement over how to handle their relationship with the distant Tang Dynasty. There is also some political intrigue within the court.
***
The Assassin is an arthouse movie. Don't expect anything like Hero or House of Flying Daggers. It won the Best Director prize at Cannes for director Hsiao-hsien Hou.
There's lots of show-don't-tell, so the pace will be slow for some audiences. Fights are few, fast, short, and realistic. Shu Qi isn't made into some kind of superhero, just a skilled fighter.
There are long takes and few close-ups. Many scenes are shot with a single wide-angle take. This is Kurosawa style.
Standard editing advice is to enter the scene late and get out early. Keep scenes short, don't bore the audience. The Assassin does the opposite. Combined with the wide-angle long takes, this gives an effective voyeuristic feel to the movie. You feel like an observer watching from a distance, not some omniscient god floating everywhere like in conventional movies with their close-ups, quick cuts and dolly moves.
The director's voyeuristic intention is confirmed in some indoor scenes. The camera is positioned behind thin veil-like curtains, so the audience feels like they are hiding from the people in the scene.
So this movie is not for everyone. There are reports of some audience members walking out during the screenings at Cannes and at the Toronto International Film Festival.
While the unconventional camerawork is effective to a certain extent, it's also distracting. We are used to today's camerawork and done well, it is invisible to the audience. The Assassin's minimalist camerawork calls attention to itself, throwing the audience out of the movie.
There is high contrast in some scenes - bits of sunlight in a dim interior. This would be considered a mistake in an amateur movie.
Another quirk: the movie is shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, the old PAL and NTSC analog TV format. The decision to not use 16:9, 2.4:1 or some other widescreen format is especially perverse considering the gorgeous scenery in some of the shots.
Perennially youthful Shu Qi plays the twenty-something Yinniang well. But we don't see much of Shu Qi. She's on screen maybe 25% to 50% of the time, and usually not in close-up.
The plot is interesting enough but there are too many characters and the various subplots are difficult to follow (who is the lady who tried to hide her pregnancy? I had to look her up after I watched the movie). The thing with the lady in the gold mask? Very Pink Pantherish - Clouseau versus Cato.
The Assassin gets an A for effort but overall it could have been better.
2015-08-21
Wild City (2015)
Plot summary (story synopsis):
T-Man (Louis Koo) is an ex-cop turned bartender, forced to resign from the force for protecting his step-brother Chung (Shawn Yue). Chung is now a taxi driver. They cross paths with Yan (Tong Liya), a pretty young woman with a briefcase full of dirty money.
Yan is on the run from her ex-boyfriend George (Michael Tse), a crooked lawyer who unleashes a 5-man gang of ruthless Taiwanese killers on her. Yan, T-Man and Chung have to run for their lives, as they argue over what to do with the money.
***
Wild City is a rather low-key actioneer that manages to work. While there are the normal fights and chases, in the end it's the characters that stay in your mind.
Its rather meandering plot moves the three leads from place to place and succeeds in getting us to know them better. Through their arguments and interactions, the characters come alive. So despite what it looks like, Wild City is actually a character movie. At least it's the closest that a Hong Kong action movie can get.
Even the bad guys are more developed than in your standard Hong Kong cops and robbers flick. When one of the Taiwanese killers gets killed by a boat's propellers, there's an uncommon gravity to his death. Part of the reason is that writer/director Ringo Lam eases up on the melodrama, so the audience doesn't feel manipulated (though it's still a Hong Kong movie, so some melodrama is unavoidable).
Some scenes don't ring true. T-Man's ex boss camps out at the gun range with 10 other cops, waiting for T-Man to collect his gun (he arrived on the scene within a minute of T-Man being apprehended)? And sliding a gun to a bad guy is probably a criminal action.
There's also a confusingly unnecessary flashback to a scene that just happened, where the five killers attack the three heroes in a car park. Another gripe - the police seem to position themselves on opposite sides instead of at 90 degrees, so they are shooting past the bad guys at each other (but of course they never hit each other).
But Ringo Lam has done his work and had already made us voluntarily suspend our disbelief. So these imperfections aren't fatal flaws but do chip away at our enjoyment.
Missing is the thematic richness of Heat or Miami Vice, not to mention Michael Mann's attention to detail. But for a Hong Kong crime movie, this is good stuff.
T-Man (Louis Koo) is an ex-cop turned bartender, forced to resign from the force for protecting his step-brother Chung (Shawn Yue). Chung is now a taxi driver. They cross paths with Yan (Tong Liya), a pretty young woman with a briefcase full of dirty money.
Yan is on the run from her ex-boyfriend George (Michael Tse), a crooked lawyer who unleashes a 5-man gang of ruthless Taiwanese killers on her. Yan, T-Man and Chung have to run for their lives, as they argue over what to do with the money.
***
Wild City is a rather low-key actioneer that manages to work. While there are the normal fights and chases, in the end it's the characters that stay in your mind.
Its rather meandering plot moves the three leads from place to place and succeeds in getting us to know them better. Through their arguments and interactions, the characters come alive. So despite what it looks like, Wild City is actually a character movie. At least it's the closest that a Hong Kong action movie can get.
Even the bad guys are more developed than in your standard Hong Kong cops and robbers flick. When one of the Taiwanese killers gets killed by a boat's propellers, there's an uncommon gravity to his death. Part of the reason is that writer/director Ringo Lam eases up on the melodrama, so the audience doesn't feel manipulated (though it's still a Hong Kong movie, so some melodrama is unavoidable).
Some scenes don't ring true. T-Man's ex boss camps out at the gun range with 10 other cops, waiting for T-Man to collect his gun (he arrived on the scene within a minute of T-Man being apprehended)? And sliding a gun to a bad guy is probably a criminal action.
There's also a confusingly unnecessary flashback to a scene that just happened, where the five killers attack the three heroes in a car park. Another gripe - the police seem to position themselves on opposite sides instead of at 90 degrees, so they are shooting past the bad guys at each other (but of course they never hit each other).
But Ringo Lam has done his work and had already made us voluntarily suspend our disbelief. So these imperfections aren't fatal flaws but do chip away at our enjoyment.
Missing is the thematic richness of Heat or Miami Vice, not to mention Michael Mann's attention to detail. But for a Hong Kong crime movie, this is good stuff.
2015-08-07
To the Fore (2015)
Plot summary (story synopsis):
Ming (Eddie Peng) and Tian (Shawn Dou) are rookie professional race cyclists. They join the Radiant team where Ji-won (Si Won Choi) is the lead racer. Ming and Tian fall for the same girl - fellow cyclist Shiyao (Wang Luodan). Shiyao chooses Ming but Ming is unfaithful to her and Tian steps in to pick up the slack. But Tian has problems of his own.
After various successes and defeats, Ming and Tian end up as rivals on different teams and suffer career setbacks. Finally, Ming and Tian team up again and race against Ji-won.
***
To the Fore is a crowd-pleaser. Following the Simpson-Bruckheimer blockbuster formula of action (racing) for the guys and romance for the girls, To the Fore delivers as a date movie. It is 70 percent hardcore cycling pseudo-documentary and 30 percent drama/love triangle.
Writer/director Dante Lam (with co-writers Silver Hau and Fung Lam) shows good judgment by starting off the movie with a quick series of exciting bicycle races, slowly easing in the relationship drama later on. The beautifully-filmed races grab our attention within the first few minutes and helps to establish the authenticity of the movie's world and its characters.
The races aren't just fancy camerawork either. The tactics, training and equipment are shown in detail, lending interest and believability to the proceedings. The race settings are stunning - mountain roads, desert, city streets, indoor and outdoor velodromes. This is the kind of movie you can rewatch in the background on your second PC monitor with the sound turned down low, while you work on your main monitor.
Even when the drama gets started, the scenes are kept short and are inserted in between even more bicycle races, so the movie never bogs down. An example of good storytelling judgment - there's a cute scene where Ming and Tian compete by balancing on bicycles without moving. They bet dinner over who falls first, then the movie cuts away to the next scene and doesn't bother to show who won. Quick and to the point - the point is their friendly but still real rivalry, not who won.
There's also some good-natured (not mean) slapstick humor, which works. The crowd in my theater was happily chuckling along.
I almost gave this movie a miss but was persuaded by the cycling scenes in the movie trailer. The trailer doesn't lie. The movie really does look this good. Given today's improved camera mounts, it actually looks better than director Peter Yates's (Bullitt) classic Breaking Away from 1979. To the Fore's script is more formulaic than Steve Tesich's quirky coming-of-age script for Breaking Away, but it still entertains.
Ming (Eddie Peng) and Tian (Shawn Dou) are rookie professional race cyclists. They join the Radiant team where Ji-won (Si Won Choi) is the lead racer. Ming and Tian fall for the same girl - fellow cyclist Shiyao (Wang Luodan). Shiyao chooses Ming but Ming is unfaithful to her and Tian steps in to pick up the slack. But Tian has problems of his own.
After various successes and defeats, Ming and Tian end up as rivals on different teams and suffer career setbacks. Finally, Ming and Tian team up again and race against Ji-won.
***
To the Fore is a crowd-pleaser. Following the Simpson-Bruckheimer blockbuster formula of action (racing) for the guys and romance for the girls, To the Fore delivers as a date movie. It is 70 percent hardcore cycling pseudo-documentary and 30 percent drama/love triangle.
Writer/director Dante Lam (with co-writers Silver Hau and Fung Lam) shows good judgment by starting off the movie with a quick series of exciting bicycle races, slowly easing in the relationship drama later on. The beautifully-filmed races grab our attention within the first few minutes and helps to establish the authenticity of the movie's world and its characters.
The races aren't just fancy camerawork either. The tactics, training and equipment are shown in detail, lending interest and believability to the proceedings. The race settings are stunning - mountain roads, desert, city streets, indoor and outdoor velodromes. This is the kind of movie you can rewatch in the background on your second PC monitor with the sound turned down low, while you work on your main monitor.
Even when the drama gets started, the scenes are kept short and are inserted in between even more bicycle races, so the movie never bogs down. An example of good storytelling judgment - there's a cute scene where Ming and Tian compete by balancing on bicycles without moving. They bet dinner over who falls first, then the movie cuts away to the next scene and doesn't bother to show who won. Quick and to the point - the point is their friendly but still real rivalry, not who won.
There's also some good-natured (not mean) slapstick humor, which works. The crowd in my theater was happily chuckling along.
I almost gave this movie a miss but was persuaded by the cycling scenes in the movie trailer. The trailer doesn't lie. The movie really does look this good. Given today's improved camera mounts, it actually looks better than director Peter Yates's (Bullitt) classic Breaking Away from 1979. To the Fore's script is more formulaic than Steve Tesich's quirky coming-of-age script for Breaking Away, but it still entertains.
2015-07-20
Monk Comes Down the Mountain (2015)
Plot summary (story synopsis): It is early 20th century China. A time when primitive motorcars and guns coexist with kung fu. Apprentice monk He Anxia's (Baoqiang Wang) mountain monastery falls upon hard times and is unable to support so many monks. He is asked to leave and fend for himself in the big city.
Luckily for him, the sheltered and innocent Anxia ends up as assistant to kindly doctor Cui Daoning (Fan Wei). However his happy new life doesn't last long. The doctor's wife Yuzhen (Lin Chiling) is having an affair with his brother Daorong (Vanness Wu). Daorong poisons the doctor and Anxia kills the two illicit lovers to avenge his master.
He then apprentices himself to kung fu master Zhou Xiyu (Aaron Kwok) who is an enemy of the evil father-son team of Peng Qianwu (Yuen Wah) and Qizi (Jaycee Chan, Jackie's son). Qizi shoots and kills Zhou. Anxia now finds himself paired with Zhou's old friend Boss Zha (Chang Chen) against Peng, Qizi and a mobster (Lam Suet).
***
I'll have to admit that I haven't seen many Chen Kaige movies, but Monk seems rather crude story-wise for a director of his reputation.
Monk is an odd kung fu movie that against all odds, ends up working. It seems haphazard at first, Anxia getting a new master every 30 minutes. But the characters and individual stories work, probably thanks to Xu Haofeng’s source novel. At the end of the movie it's all nicely summed up - Anxia needed to experience human follies in order to become a better monk. So it's not about the plot, but the richness and bitterness of human experience.
The beautiful period sets (especially the doctor's house) and generally good acting help to support the movie.
Baoqiang's Anxia is an unrelatable simpleton with an annoying laugh. But Aaron Kwok and Chang Chen are convincing and sympathetic as serious, mature kung fu masters. Aaron Kwok is detached and enlightened, Chang Chen is passionate and vengeful. As a bonus, Lin Chiling looks absolutely stunning as the doctor's wife. Yuen Wah and Jaycee Chan are deliciously hateful.
Cinematography by Geoffrey Simpson is unremarkable. The fights are many, as is the wirework for the flying kung fu. I'm not a fan of wire fu but in certain cases such as in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon it works as a Fantasy element. It kind of works here. The problem with flying kung fu is that it is so removed from real fighting, that it's closer to dancing than martial arts. So it's all fluff, with no meaning or reality behind each move, nothing you can sink your teeth into.
Speaking of Crouching Tiger, Monk seems to be consciously trying to create a similar epic mythology. It fails because come on, Crouching Tiger is a unique one-off masterpiece. Monk succeeds as decent entertainment, and that's not too shabby.
Luckily for him, the sheltered and innocent Anxia ends up as assistant to kindly doctor Cui Daoning (Fan Wei). However his happy new life doesn't last long. The doctor's wife Yuzhen (Lin Chiling) is having an affair with his brother Daorong (Vanness Wu). Daorong poisons the doctor and Anxia kills the two illicit lovers to avenge his master.
He then apprentices himself to kung fu master Zhou Xiyu (Aaron Kwok) who is an enemy of the evil father-son team of Peng Qianwu (Yuen Wah) and Qizi (Jaycee Chan, Jackie's son). Qizi shoots and kills Zhou. Anxia now finds himself paired with Zhou's old friend Boss Zha (Chang Chen) against Peng, Qizi and a mobster (Lam Suet).
***
I'll have to admit that I haven't seen many Chen Kaige movies, but Monk seems rather crude story-wise for a director of his reputation.
Monk is an odd kung fu movie that against all odds, ends up working. It seems haphazard at first, Anxia getting a new master every 30 minutes. But the characters and individual stories work, probably thanks to Xu Haofeng’s source novel. At the end of the movie it's all nicely summed up - Anxia needed to experience human follies in order to become a better monk. So it's not about the plot, but the richness and bitterness of human experience.
The beautiful period sets (especially the doctor's house) and generally good acting help to support the movie.
Baoqiang's Anxia is an unrelatable simpleton with an annoying laugh. But Aaron Kwok and Chang Chen are convincing and sympathetic as serious, mature kung fu masters. Aaron Kwok is detached and enlightened, Chang Chen is passionate and vengeful. As a bonus, Lin Chiling looks absolutely stunning as the doctor's wife. Yuen Wah and Jaycee Chan are deliciously hateful.
Cinematography by Geoffrey Simpson is unremarkable. The fights are many, as is the wirework for the flying kung fu. I'm not a fan of wire fu but in certain cases such as in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon it works as a Fantasy element. It kind of works here. The problem with flying kung fu is that it is so removed from real fighting, that it's closer to dancing than martial arts. So it's all fluff, with no meaning or reality behind each move, nothing you can sink your teeth into.
Speaking of Crouching Tiger, Monk seems to be consciously trying to create a similar epic mythology. It fails because come on, Crouching Tiger is a unique one-off masterpiece. Monk succeeds as decent entertainment, and that's not too shabby.
2015-07-17
Our Sister Mambo (2015)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Cinema executive Mr. Wong (Moses Lim) is a mild-mannered father of 4 daughters, and husband to a loud-voiced property agent (Audrey Luo).
We follow their misadventures such as Wong coming to terms with the public not caring about Singapore's movie past, Mrs. Wong not getting along with a colleague, Mambo (Michelle Chong) quitting her job as a lawyer and becoming an apprentice chef, Grace (Ethel Yap) dealing with a divorced suitor from China, Rose (Oon Shun An) dating a series of jerks, June (Joey Leong) dating an Indian.
***
Our Sister Mambo is one of the best Singapore films I've seen. Everything works.
The script by Michael Chiang (Army Daze) is tight, flows well and never devolves into melodrama. We get a light-hearted, good-natured peek into the life of the Wong family through the details of their daily life, family squabbles, love life, and professional struggles. Marketed as a rom-com, it's more a comedy/drama. And despite its title, it's not really about Mambo. Equal emphasis is placed on all family members.
There are no boring dead spots. The scenes are short, smart and full of energy. Its all done in Ilo Ilo's show-don't-tell style, but in a more fun and accessible way. However the general public might have the same complaint as they did with Ilo Ilo - But nothing happens!
Cathay's 80th anniversary celebrations (Cathay produced the film) are nicely integrated into the storyline and don't come across as forced or crass (Jack Neo could learn something from this). The same goes for corporate supporters such as DWG (where Mrs. Wong works) and chef Willin Low (Mambo's boss).
Cameos by celebrity blogger Xiaxue, black-and-white movie stars Grace Chang and Dato Maria Manado Abdullah, and the obligatory muhibbah multi-racial supporting characters (Siti Khalijah, Rani Singam), also fit together naturally.
Michelle Chong puts in a nicely restrained performance and doesn't try to steal the show. (Everyone knows that she could have if she had wanted to.) Ethel Yap, Oon Shun An and Joey Leong handle themselves well. Coming across as distinct, realistic, likable personalities.
Moses Lim also gives a nicely toned-down performance compared to his Under One Roof days. Audrey Luo expertly balances her character's brash persona, pushing her to the edge of being unlikable but never quite going over the line.
Lighting by cinematographer Yoke Weng Ho (supported by top-notch color grading) is stunning, better than most Hong Kong and even Hollywood films. It's even more impressive considering that OSM is an urban comedy/drama that has everyday locations for its scenes.
It's almost too pretty. I found myself being distracted by how well each scene was lit.
Outdoors, high-rise office backlit against window, bedroom, kitchen, home garden at night, lift (elevator), moving car interior, indoor car park, night club. It doesn't matter. Yoke Weng Ho exercises total control over each environment.
There's lots of soft light. Everything is clearly seen. There are no blown highlights or muddy shadows. Skin tones are good and light sources look natural (not obviously from off-camera studio light).
There's no ugly greenish tint from fluorescent bulbs, and it looks better than a color grading fix - the colors are rich. Makes me wonder whether they replaced the ceiling lights with high CRI lights. (Even for a short scene in an indoor car park? That's a high level of perfectionism.). All this was shot on an Arri Alexa - the camera that a lot of the big Hollywood movies use.
Camera movements are kept minimal and don't call attention to themselves. One rare miss-step being an extended Steadicam shot at the end. It was unnecessary and distracting.
If there's one weak spot in the movie, it's the use of the classic song Jajambo. It's one of those annoyingly brash songs that gets stuck in your head.
For everything else, director Wi Ding Ho and the rest of the crew and cast, should take a bow.
We follow their misadventures such as Wong coming to terms with the public not caring about Singapore's movie past, Mrs. Wong not getting along with a colleague, Mambo (Michelle Chong) quitting her job as a lawyer and becoming an apprentice chef, Grace (Ethel Yap) dealing with a divorced suitor from China, Rose (Oon Shun An) dating a series of jerks, June (Joey Leong) dating an Indian.
***
Our Sister Mambo is one of the best Singapore films I've seen. Everything works.
The script by Michael Chiang (Army Daze) is tight, flows well and never devolves into melodrama. We get a light-hearted, good-natured peek into the life of the Wong family through the details of their daily life, family squabbles, love life, and professional struggles. Marketed as a rom-com, it's more a comedy/drama. And despite its title, it's not really about Mambo. Equal emphasis is placed on all family members.
There are no boring dead spots. The scenes are short, smart and full of energy. Its all done in Ilo Ilo's show-don't-tell style, but in a more fun and accessible way. However the general public might have the same complaint as they did with Ilo Ilo - But nothing happens!
Cathay's 80th anniversary celebrations (Cathay produced the film) are nicely integrated into the storyline and don't come across as forced or crass (Jack Neo could learn something from this). The same goes for corporate supporters such as DWG (where Mrs. Wong works) and chef Willin Low (Mambo's boss).
Cameos by celebrity blogger Xiaxue, black-and-white movie stars Grace Chang and Dato Maria Manado Abdullah, and the obligatory muhibbah multi-racial supporting characters (Siti Khalijah, Rani Singam), also fit together naturally.
Michelle Chong puts in a nicely restrained performance and doesn't try to steal the show. (Everyone knows that she could have if she had wanted to.) Ethel Yap, Oon Shun An and Joey Leong handle themselves well. Coming across as distinct, realistic, likable personalities.
Moses Lim also gives a nicely toned-down performance compared to his Under One Roof days. Audrey Luo expertly balances her character's brash persona, pushing her to the edge of being unlikable but never quite going over the line.
Lighting by cinematographer Yoke Weng Ho (supported by top-notch color grading) is stunning, better than most Hong Kong and even Hollywood films. It's even more impressive considering that OSM is an urban comedy/drama that has everyday locations for its scenes.
It's almost too pretty. I found myself being distracted by how well each scene was lit.
Outdoors, high-rise office backlit against window, bedroom, kitchen, home garden at night, lift (elevator), moving car interior, indoor car park, night club. It doesn't matter. Yoke Weng Ho exercises total control over each environment.
There's lots of soft light. Everything is clearly seen. There are no blown highlights or muddy shadows. Skin tones are good and light sources look natural (not obviously from off-camera studio light).
There's no ugly greenish tint from fluorescent bulbs, and it looks better than a color grading fix - the colors are rich. Makes me wonder whether they replaced the ceiling lights with high CRI lights. (Even for a short scene in an indoor car park? That's a high level of perfectionism.). All this was shot on an Arri Alexa - the camera that a lot of the big Hollywood movies use.
Camera movements are kept minimal and don't call attention to themselves. One rare miss-step being an extended Steadicam shot at the end. It was unnecessary and distracting.
If there's one weak spot in the movie, it's the use of the classic song Jajambo. It's one of those annoyingly brash songs that gets stuck in your head.
For everything else, director Wi Ding Ho and the rest of the crew and cast, should take a bow.
2015-07-03
SPL 2: A Time for Consequences (2015)
Plot summary (story synopsis): Undercover Hong Kong cop Kit (Jacky Wu Jing) has his cover blown and is illegally held at a Thai prison in retribution.
The prison is run by crooked warden Ko (Max Zhang Jin) who is beholden to bad guy Hung (Louis Koo). Coincidentally, honest prison guard Chai (Tony Jaa) has a sick daughter Sa (Unda Kunteera Thordchanng) whose only hope is a bone marrow transplant from Kit. Chai tries and fails to contact Kit, not realizing that Kit is right under his nose.
Hung has a weak heart and his only possible donor is his own brother Bill (Jun Hung). Hung kidnaps Bill to forcibly get a heart transplant.
Meanwhile, Kit briefly manages to telephone his uncle and fellow cop Wah (Simon Yam). Wah goes alone to Thailand to rescue Kit.
***
SPL 2 is your stereotypical melodramatic Hong Kong kung fu movie. Its plot is more complicated than normal but its melodrama is standard Hong Kong industrial strength.
Thankfully, the fight choreography by Li Chung-Chi is excellent and saves the movie. The fights are in classic Hong Kong style - way drawn out. But this is one of the rare movies where the long action sequences don't become boring. The fights are also never repetitive. There's speed and skill to the moves, not just simple punches and blocks. Tony Jaa fans will be pleased to see him fight more in SPL 2 than he did in Dolph Lundgren's Skin Trade.
And it's not just hand-to-hand. There's also a thrilling shootout at Hong Kong's cruise terminal. It takes some imagination to work out an exciting shootout scene and Li Chung-Chi manages to do it. Movie gunfights are as common as car chases so you can't just have some perfunctory bang bang action and expect to impress the audience. Another standout action scene is a large-scale prison riot, where it's not just the stars but also the dozens of extras that are fighting their hearts out.
However my favorite is a smaller scale duel between Kit and a nameless assassin (Zhang Chi) who is a knife expert. (An earlier scene where nameless assassin takes out a staircase full of cops is also excellent). Kit uses a tonfa (one of my favorite weapons, and one that is too rarely seen on screen) against the nameless assassin, but unfortunately only in reverse grip and like a club. Okay, maybe reverse grip makes sense against a knife because you want to increase your reach, but at least use the handle fork for some blocks or hooks.
Less forgivably, after dispatching the nameless assassin, he leaves his tonfa on the floor and goes on to fight the other bad guys. Not only are we deprived of more tonfa action, why would he leave such an effective weapon behind and proceed bare-handed? This is a symptom of the pervasive lack of smoothness in the storytelling.
The coincidence of Kit landing in a jail where the guard's daughter just happens to need his bone marrow transplant, is laughable. And not just the coincidence. Why would Kit even have himself tested to be a donor, especially when he is a drug-addict undercover cop?
And of course, the biggest kung fu movie trope of all - why so many skilled kung fu fighters? Especially Chai. He's just a prison guard. The movie doesn't even try to justify this.
So it's another wasted opportunity. With a more believable plot, SPL 2 could have been a great action movie. Instead, what we have is a bunch of cool fight scenes that are emotionally empty, because we don't really care for the characters, because we know that we are being manipulated by the movie and therefore refuse to suspend our disbelief. You want to do melodrama? Do it like John Wick. Keep it simple.
PS Another plus is the Thailand locations, which look beautifully gritty and authentic, especially the prison.
The prison is run by crooked warden Ko (Max Zhang Jin) who is beholden to bad guy Hung (Louis Koo). Coincidentally, honest prison guard Chai (Tony Jaa) has a sick daughter Sa (Unda Kunteera Thordchanng) whose only hope is a bone marrow transplant from Kit. Chai tries and fails to contact Kit, not realizing that Kit is right under his nose.
Hung has a weak heart and his only possible donor is his own brother Bill (Jun Hung). Hung kidnaps Bill to forcibly get a heart transplant.
Meanwhile, Kit briefly manages to telephone his uncle and fellow cop Wah (Simon Yam). Wah goes alone to Thailand to rescue Kit.
***
SPL 2 is your stereotypical melodramatic Hong Kong kung fu movie. Its plot is more complicated than normal but its melodrama is standard Hong Kong industrial strength.
Thankfully, the fight choreography by Li Chung-Chi is excellent and saves the movie. The fights are in classic Hong Kong style - way drawn out. But this is one of the rare movies where the long action sequences don't become boring. The fights are also never repetitive. There's speed and skill to the moves, not just simple punches and blocks. Tony Jaa fans will be pleased to see him fight more in SPL 2 than he did in Dolph Lundgren's Skin Trade.
And it's not just hand-to-hand. There's also a thrilling shootout at Hong Kong's cruise terminal. It takes some imagination to work out an exciting shootout scene and Li Chung-Chi manages to do it. Movie gunfights are as common as car chases so you can't just have some perfunctory bang bang action and expect to impress the audience. Another standout action scene is a large-scale prison riot, where it's not just the stars but also the dozens of extras that are fighting their hearts out.
However my favorite is a smaller scale duel between Kit and a nameless assassin (Zhang Chi) who is a knife expert. (An earlier scene where nameless assassin takes out a staircase full of cops is also excellent). Kit uses a tonfa (one of my favorite weapons, and one that is too rarely seen on screen) against the nameless assassin, but unfortunately only in reverse grip and like a club. Okay, maybe reverse grip makes sense against a knife because you want to increase your reach, but at least use the handle fork for some blocks or hooks.
Less forgivably, after dispatching the nameless assassin, he leaves his tonfa on the floor and goes on to fight the other bad guys. Not only are we deprived of more tonfa action, why would he leave such an effective weapon behind and proceed bare-handed? This is a symptom of the pervasive lack of smoothness in the storytelling.
The coincidence of Kit landing in a jail where the guard's daughter just happens to need his bone marrow transplant, is laughable. And not just the coincidence. Why would Kit even have himself tested to be a donor, especially when he is a drug-addict undercover cop?
And of course, the biggest kung fu movie trope of all - why so many skilled kung fu fighters? Especially Chai. He's just a prison guard. The movie doesn't even try to justify this.
So it's another wasted opportunity. With a more believable plot, SPL 2 could have been a great action movie. Instead, what we have is a bunch of cool fight scenes that are emotionally empty, because we don't really care for the characters, because we know that we are being manipulated by the movie and therefore refuse to suspend our disbelief. You want to do melodrama? Do it like John Wick. Keep it simple.
PS Another plus is the Thailand locations, which look beautifully gritty and authentic, especially the prison.
2015-02-22
Ah Boys to Men 3: Frogmen (2015)
Plot summary (story synopsis): In an alternate timeline (seriously, this is explained in a voiceover in the movie), the army conscripts in the movie Ah Boys to Men are sent to the Singapore navy's elite Naval Diving Unit (NDU, US Navy SEALs equivalent) instead of the army.
There, they have to survive the tough training, personal conflicts, family problems back home, and finally the dreaded 5-day Hell Week qualification.
***
Writer/director Jack Neo's popular folksy, low-brow, social-commentary, comedy-sketch-based, melodramatic, tell-don't-show, lovable-local-stereotypes, crowd-pleasing style is well known. You either love it or you don't. I won't waste your time criticizing his style in Frogmen except to point out that it is toned down (and therefore less annoying) compared to Ah Boys to Men. Yes, that includes Ken Chow's (Joshua Tan) mother, played by Irene Ang.
What I will do instead is look at Frogmen from a storytelling viewpoint. One fatal flaw in the conception of Frogmen, is the wholesale transfer of the average army conscripts into the elite NDU. It doesn't work.
The "lovable" every-man gang of misfits made sense as generic army conscripts. However it is difficult to believe that such screw-ups are accepted into an elite navy unit. This completely destroys your voluntary suspension of disbelief. Even worse, it gives a false view of the type of men who do join the NDU.
From a dramatic viewpoint, you lose the chance to see the military training of highly-motivated volunteers, instead of your reluctant conscript (if Ken Chow is a skiver, why would he volunteer for a siong special forces unit?). So Frogmen becomes a rehash of the first movie.
Jack Neo should have taken a chance and written in entirely new characters for Frogmen. Instead, he took the easy and safe route by re-using the proven, popular cast from the first movie. (There is one new character in Hei Long (Wesley Wong), a gangster who was brought up in Hong Kong.)
Having made this artistic choice, Jack Neo fails to exploit the audience's familiarity with the characters. Screen time is saved by not having to introduce the characters to the audience. But Jack Neo squanders the saved time by not using it to develop the characters much, except for feeble attempts with Ken Chow, Lobang (Wang Wei Liang) and Hei Long - all in his standard Korean drama style.
Rich-kid Ken Chow's sub plot seems out of place. Lobang's family problems are melodramatic. Hei Long's street gang and parent problems are ridiculous. Aloysius (Maxi Lim) has a satisfying confrontation with bully Hei Long, but the groundwork for it was not properly prepared (Aloysius's surprising reaction is not foreshadowed) and the confrontation therefore feels contrived.
Aside from having misfits enter the NDU, Frogmen further compounds this technical error by having their entire group of 80 men survive and graduate Hell Week. A quick Google search shows that the real pass rate is 30 percent. So instead of showing how tough and elite the NDU is, Jack Neo undersells its selectiveness. It's another missed dramatic opportunity - such a low pass rate would dominate the thoughts and actions of all the men.
Frogmen also doesn't show much about NDU training aside from a first-aid CPR session and a boat-capsize drill. The rest is mainly physical training. While you might not want to publicize any secret techniques, Frogmen doesn't even show the conscripts undergoing scuba diving training (a diving exercise is shown, one that doesn't use scuba equipment). Instead, we only see them as already fully-capable divers at their underwater graduation ceremony. Weapons training? Zero. Communications, navigation, tactics, demolition, escape and evasion, hand-to-hand combat, sky diving, rappelling? Nope.
Bonus gripe: In the action-packed flash-forward at the start of the movie, the terrorists that hijacked a commercial ship and took its crew hostage, are an unnamed group of "international terrorists" whose leader is an American. Nice cop-out to political correctness, Jack.
There, they have to survive the tough training, personal conflicts, family problems back home, and finally the dreaded 5-day Hell Week qualification.
***
Writer/director Jack Neo's popular folksy, low-brow, social-commentary, comedy-sketch-based, melodramatic, tell-don't-show, lovable-local-stereotypes, crowd-pleasing style is well known. You either love it or you don't. I won't waste your time criticizing his style in Frogmen except to point out that it is toned down (and therefore less annoying) compared to Ah Boys to Men. Yes, that includes Ken Chow's (Joshua Tan) mother, played by Irene Ang.
What I will do instead is look at Frogmen from a storytelling viewpoint. One fatal flaw in the conception of Frogmen, is the wholesale transfer of the average army conscripts into the elite NDU. It doesn't work.
The "lovable" every-man gang of misfits made sense as generic army conscripts. However it is difficult to believe that such screw-ups are accepted into an elite navy unit. This completely destroys your voluntary suspension of disbelief. Even worse, it gives a false view of the type of men who do join the NDU.
From a dramatic viewpoint, you lose the chance to see the military training of highly-motivated volunteers, instead of your reluctant conscript (if Ken Chow is a skiver, why would he volunteer for a siong special forces unit?). So Frogmen becomes a rehash of the first movie.
Jack Neo should have taken a chance and written in entirely new characters for Frogmen. Instead, he took the easy and safe route by re-using the proven, popular cast from the first movie. (There is one new character in Hei Long (Wesley Wong), a gangster who was brought up in Hong Kong.)
Having made this artistic choice, Jack Neo fails to exploit the audience's familiarity with the characters. Screen time is saved by not having to introduce the characters to the audience. But Jack Neo squanders the saved time by not using it to develop the characters much, except for feeble attempts with Ken Chow, Lobang (Wang Wei Liang) and Hei Long - all in his standard Korean drama style.
Rich-kid Ken Chow's sub plot seems out of place. Lobang's family problems are melodramatic. Hei Long's street gang and parent problems are ridiculous. Aloysius (Maxi Lim) has a satisfying confrontation with bully Hei Long, but the groundwork for it was not properly prepared (Aloysius's surprising reaction is not foreshadowed) and the confrontation therefore feels contrived.
Aside from having misfits enter the NDU, Frogmen further compounds this technical error by having their entire group of 80 men survive and graduate Hell Week. A quick Google search shows that the real pass rate is 30 percent. So instead of showing how tough and elite the NDU is, Jack Neo undersells its selectiveness. It's another missed dramatic opportunity - such a low pass rate would dominate the thoughts and actions of all the men.
Frogmen also doesn't show much about NDU training aside from a first-aid CPR session and a boat-capsize drill. The rest is mainly physical training. While you might not want to publicize any secret techniques, Frogmen doesn't even show the conscripts undergoing scuba diving training (a diving exercise is shown, one that doesn't use scuba equipment). Instead, we only see them as already fully-capable divers at their underwater graduation ceremony. Weapons training? Zero. Communications, navigation, tactics, demolition, escape and evasion, hand-to-hand combat, sky diving, rappelling? Nope.
Bonus gripe: In the action-packed flash-forward at the start of the movie, the terrorists that hijacked a commercial ship and took its crew hostage, are an unnamed group of "international terrorists" whose leader is an American. Nice cop-out to political correctness, Jack.
Triumph in the Skies (2015)
Entrepreneur/pilot Branson (Louis Koo) has just taken over Skylette Airlines. (Unbelievably) he has the time to fly one of its regular commercial routes, where he bumps into old flame Cassie (Charmaine Sheh) who is a flight attendant on his flight. They continue to bump into each other on subsequent flights and they rekindle their old romance. But will Cassie be able to trust him after he had dumped her in the past?
Meanwhile, Branson tasks his trusted pilot friend, Captain Samuel Tong (Francis Ng), to be the technical consultant for a music video advertising Skylette. The music video stars pop-star TM (real-life pop-star and experienced actress Sammi Cheng). The odd couple find themselves slowly falling for each other.
There's also former Skylette pilot Captain Jayden Koo (Julian Cheung), who now flies private business jets. He meets the lively, care-free, slutty Kika (Amber Kuo) who is hiding a dark secret.
***
Triumph in the Skies is a visually gorgeous but lightweight romance/drama. It's a good way to pass your time but it carries little emotional punch. It's like watching a series of beautiful music videos with adult-oriented pop songs.
It's based on a TVB Hong Kong TV series, which I haven't watched, so I won't be drawing any comparisons with the TV series.
In the movie, nothing much happens. Unlike real show-don't-tell movies like Lost in Translation, Triumph's laid-back style isn't engaging because it's mainly repetition. The three couples go through the same motions over and over again, so we don't learn anything new with each interaction.
The movie is basically an anthology of three short films, only loosely linked together by the Skylette Airline backstory. So you have one third the screen time for each couple, compared to a normal feature. Add the repetitive interactions and you inevitably get a shallow understanding of the characters.
Still, it's one of the most beautiful movies I've seen in a while. Jason Kwan's (The Last Tycoon) cinematography is world-class. A mixture of prime-lens blurred-out-backgrounds, saturated colors and even old-school tobacco graduated filters for the outdoor scenery. Jackie Chan needs to grab this guy for his next movie. The songs aren't too bad either and the six leads look good on screen. If that's good enough for you (and it is for me), by all means go enjoy yourself.
Aside from the visuals, what struck me was how at ease director Wilson Yip (Ip Man) and writer/director Matt Chow were with the England setting of the movie. Instead of showing cliched English landmarks (one exception being the White Cliffs of Dover); they chose quirky, bohemian, hipster locations.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this but I think that shows an insider's cosmopolitan familiarity with England. Sure, they probably used local English location scouts, but the decision to avoid tourist staples must have come from them. They aren't The Jeffersons, needing to show off Chinese wealth ("look ma, we're shooting a movie in front of Buckingham Palace!"). They are comfortable in their own skin, not needing any external validation or token White actors (cough, Jackie Chan, cough). Just like Taiwan's "Cafe. Waiting. Love," this makes me feel that Triumph shows how much some Hong Kong filmmakers grok Western/global culture, consider it their own. They aren't swa koos.
No matter how rich or well-traveled Jackie Chan is, he'll always be a working class hero, his movies lacking the effortless yuppie sensibility of movies such as this.
2015-02-18
Dragon Blade (2015)
He and his men are framed for gold smuggling and are banished to hard labor, repairing the remote Wild Geese Gate walled city in the middle of the desert. Wild Geese Gate is attacked by a large detachment of renegade Roman legionnaires, led by Lucius (John Cusack). The Romans are low on food and water and need medicine for their sickly young prince Publius (Jozef Waite).
Lucius attempts to take Wild Geese Gate by force but a huge sandstorm interrupts his duel with Huo An. Huo An offers Lucius and his men a truce and shelter inside Wild Geese Gate. The next day brings new orders - Wild Geese Gate is to be finished within 15 days or else everyone will be executed.
Lucius helps them meet the deadline with his knowledge of Roman engineering, while Huo An binds the prison hard-labor gang from 36 nations, into a single motivated team.
Their victory is short-lived because Publius's evil brother Tiberius (Adrien Brody) catches up with Lucius, bringing 100 thousand Roman soldiers with him.
***
Dragon Blade is darker than the normal Jackie Chan movie (closer to Police Story than Who Am I?) but has his normal multiracial muhibbah shtick (I'd swear he was brought up in Malaysia).
Jackie Chan's trademark comedic kung fu and acrobatics are minimal, mostly seen in the fight at the start of the movie with Cold Moon (Peng Lin) where he accidentally grabs her bewbs.
What you do get lots of is goodie-two-shoes Huo An rallying the troops, turning foes into friends, and sacrificing himself for the sake of others. Which doesn't have to be too bad, only Jackie Chan pours on his normal treacly moralizing on top of it.
So yeah, standard Hong Kong melodrama, Jackie version.
The two Hollywood stars are pulled down to Jackie Chan's level. John Cusack gets the corniest lines and almost manages to sell them. Adrien Brody gets better lines but turns in an awful performance. It's not something you would expect from an Academy Award winner.
On the positive side of the ledger, Jackie Chan swordfights John Cusack and Adrien Brody, but not at the same time. Okay, you've seen Adrien Brody fight Predators but have you seen Cusack do any hand-to-hand?
Come on, just for the curiosity factor, you know you want to watch this one. Decades from now, you will be able to tell your grandchildren - I was there when Adrien Brody and John Cusack destroyed their career.
2015-01-09
Vengeance of an Assassin (2014)
One day, Thee's uncle catches him looking through confidential documents that had been locked away. Thee had disobeyed his uncle and was looking for clues as to how his parents had died. His uncle throws him out and Thee heads to the big city to continue his investigations.
Thee hooks up with one of his father's old colleagues and becomes a freelance assassin. One day, he is hired to kill Ploy (Nisachon Tuamsungnoen), the daughter of a powerful man.
He decides to not kill her, which is fortunate because he was being set up for her murder. Ploy and Thee go on the run, pursued by various hired killers including femme fatale Nui (Kessarin Ektawatkul).
Nui seriously injures Thee in a fight. Ploy takes him to her family doctor (Ooi Teik Huat) and then back to his uncle to recuperate. The bad guys track them down and Thee's brother and uncle are now drawn into the fight.
***
Like too many martial arts movies, Vengeance of an Assassin is all fight and no sense. I'm not going to give a movie a pass just because it's Asian (Thai, in this case). If it stinks, it stinks.
Sure, there are lots of fights, most of them pretty good. And sure, I'm not expecting much of a story, even though one would be good. What pisses me off about Vengeance is the stupid, cliched, melodramatic story.
If you want to make a fight movie, go ahead. Lay on some simple, stupid story as an excuse to string fights together. I won't complain too much. But make me suffer through some melodramatic nonsense? I didn't sign up for a Korean drama.
The brothers' arguments with their uncle are overwrought. We don't really know who they are - the characters don't get much introduction - and are forced to watch virtual strangers squabble. It makes you uncomfortable. And for no reason - there's no message, no moral. It's just an excuse to set up some fights.
I know a guy who writes scripts for short films. When he needs some drama, his immediate reaction is to throw in some hard luck story - the character is dying of cancer or something. For martial arts movies, the cliched trope is vengeance for a murdered family member. That's lazy and boring. We've seen it before.
Then Thee suddenly becomes a cold-blooded killer-for-hire? And skilled too? Where did he learn to fight and shoot? His brother learns from watching his uncle's VHS videotapes (which look like terrorist training videos). Maybe Thee did too. Only you can't learn how to fight and shoot just from watching TV.
Okay, enough about the story. The fights are good. A nice blend of realism and too-fancy-to-be-true athleticism and no obvious wire work. The Shaolin Soccer fantasy football match at the start is especially fun.
But keep it short, guys. Look at Kick-Ass. Heck, look at Jurassic Park. There are only 14 minutes of dinosaur special effects in Jurassic Park, but look at their impact. Less is more. Trust me, don't trust the Hong Kong guys.
There's a fancy long-take (no cuts) fight sequence that is shot entirely from knee level, I kid you not. Why knee level? It's just the director showing off how creative he is (my apologies to the late Panna Rittikrai). The problem with this is that it distracts the audience, throws them out of the movie. You don't want the audience to think, Wow isn't the director good? You want them to think, Wow isn't the hero awesome? Of course I was thinking, What a showoff asshole the director is.
The Thai martial artists and stuntmen are good. They deserve better scripts than this.
Bonus gripes:
- You do not survive a metal pipe through your stomach without immediate hospital care, let alone recover enough to fight within a day or two.
- Twisted train tracks will not launch a speeding train into the air. The train fill flatten the tracks.
- If you shoot someone with a rifle at close range (maybe 20 meters), the bullet will go through him and kill the pretty girl behind him.
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