Category: My Opinion

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Action & Thriller Fantasy & Sci-fi Horror Movie Reviews

Let Me In – Quite Possibly The Greatest Vampire Love Story Of All

“Let Me In” is not a typical vampire movie, quite possibly something you have not seen before.  That is if you have not watched the original Swedish film “Let The Right One In (2008)”.  We can debate if this is a horror film or more like a thriller later.  For the film characters that are of 12 years of age, “Let Me In” is more mature than any other vampire flicks in recent years.  A vampire romance story does not have to have cliché dialogs.  And “Romeo and Juliet” kind of fantasy is just as timeless.

But don’t let me mislead you.  This movie does have tons of creepy moments, many may not be of supernatural in nature.  A little bit of blood and gore.  Innocent dies.  The theme is dark, with zero morale compass.  It is however emotionally griping.  And it also has a great thriller storyline.  While you may be able to guess more or less where the story is heading, the story is still full of intense yet subtle moments that something may go wrong.

A little boy Owen lives with his mother undergoing a divorce with his father.  In school, Owen gets bullied often.  At home, since his mother is drunk most of the time, he has spend much of his evening time observing his neighbors with his telescope at home, or spending time in the courtyard covered in snow.  One day, a young girl moves into the building.  Soon, the two become friends.  That begins the story of a human boy and a vampire girl.  Kodi and Chloë perform well in this movie.  “Let Me In” does not employ a lot of special effects.  It does not have to.  Quite a few key scenes are shot in the perspective of one character leaving the rest up to the audience’s imagination, which is more powerful that laying out the scenes and throwing in more special effects in my opinion.

I am a fan of the role-playing game “Vampire: The Masquerade”.  Not all vampires have to be charming and glamorous.  “Let Me In” does it in style with a rather unglamorous vampire.  Below is a quote from Stephen King.

LET ME IN is a genre-busting triumph.  Not just a horror film, but the best American horror film in the last 20 years.  Whether you’re a teenager or a film-lover in your 50’s, you’ll be knocked out.  Rush to it now.  You can thank me later.

Personally, I think “Let Me In” is more a thriller than a horror.  Cynthia has zero tolerance to Asian horror movies but she can take “Let Me In” just fine.  Perhaps American horror is not meant to be scary but rather, creepy?  This movie should appeal to both non-horror movie goers (unless you faint seeing blood … I know one of my friend does) as well as to horror movie fans.

“Let Me In” will be released in Singapore on Dec 9.  On a side note, Cynthia and I have attended the movie preview session at Shaw Preview Theatre.  It was quite an experience as it was our first time at that venue.

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Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

The Housemaid – More Than Just A Korean Erotic Thriller

I remember seeing the movie poster of “The Housemaid” when we were in Hong Kong.  Back then, we picked a Spanish film to watch instead.  I am surprised.  More often than not, films get released in Singapore earlier than in Hong Kong.  When Omy.sg sent me a media invite to preview the movie, I eagerly said yes.  I love watching Korean movies.  More so, I love watching Jeon Do-yeon’s performance.  “You Are My Sunshine” still breaks my heart every time I think about it.

“The Housemaid” is the type of film that the ending may disorientate you.  And I am sure there are more than one way to interpret the story.  Without giving out spoilers and if you do watch this film, pay attention to the seemingly irrelevant beginning and the bizarrely surreal ending and see if that warrants a valid connection.  There are details such as the housemaid’s burnt mark (that was not explained), her mother’s tomb (what about her father?), and some seemingly out of the sort one-liner dialogs – all of which that may or may not contribute to the story, entirely up to your interpretation.  For me, I love this aspect of the movie.  Having said so, I could imagine if one is to ignore these bits and pieces of seemingly irrelevant details, the thriller itself may not be as compelling.  Because of the lack of resolution in almost all fronts.

“The Housemaid” is a drama that takes place mostly inside a very rich household.  A family needs a young housemaid (hence Jeon Do-yeon) to help out with the housework and the upbring of the family’s young daughter.  A young and pretty wife who is pregnant with a twin.  A young and handsome husband who possesses of chest muscles that even I admire (from a bodybuilding point of view!).  And there is an old housemaid who keeps things running smoothly inside this gigantic house.  Later on, the mother of the young wife also comes into the picture.  The plot centers upon how these characters interact with one another, love and hate one another.  Solid acting, I enjoy watching.  And as for the sex scenes, I think they are artistically done (albeit a bit comical in parts).  Pretty much like the rest of the movie.  Jeon Do-yeon plays the role of an innocent and good hearted housemaid.  Trust me.  You will feel for her.

“The Housemaid” will be opened in Singapore this Thursday (Nov 11).

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Book Reviews Fiction

Lord Vishnu’s Love Handles By Will Clarke – This Is Wacky, This Is So Fun!

This story makes no sense.  It really does not.  You know how the opening paragraph of a book set the tone and style of the entire book.  Here is the first paragraph from “Lord Vishnu’s Love Handles”.

Shelby is a slut.  She is also my wife.  And that presents certain problems.  Actually it presents major problems: I just don’t like to think about them.  Mainly because I have no real way of knowing that Shelby is a slut.  I just have these dreams.  And I can’t exactly say to her over breakfast, “Honey, I had this dream last night that Reed Bindler was knocking your bottom out.  And I think this needs to stop.”

It is impossible to put this book down, especially when you get all the time in this world to read.  The plot is unpredictable.  Simply because the ideas are so crazy that you would not expect things to happen that way.  But yet, in this very improbably storyline of psychics and remote viewers, CIA and IRA, Micky Mouse and Lord Vishnu, you cannot help but to fall in love with the equally improbable characters.  The tagline underneath the title of this book is “A Spy Novel (Sort Of)”.  Travis Anderson has a problem (in fact, he has many problems including drinking a little bit too much and paying a lot lesser tax than he should).  He has these crazy premonitions that are driving him insane.  But that is also his gift.  He can, for example, guess the color of the udders in the online game Psychicow.com perfectly (click onto that try it out yourself!).  That leads to him being recruited by a government linked agency and to be trained as a psychic.  That is also when he mets a Hindu holy man who claims to be the final incarnation of Lord Vishnu.  Travis Anderson not only has to find ways to save his company, his family, and his sanity.  But also tasked with the responsibility of saving the world (sort of)!  That is when the story gets wackier and wackier.  And you would have no idea of what to believe and what not to.

“Lord Vishnu’s Love Handles” is a book written for entertainment’s sake.  It is hard to define its genre because the book is part drama, part action, and part fantasy.  There is little morale to derive from.  If I may pick one, I think the book amplifies the human imperfections and makes them acceptable, even attempts to make them beautiful.  Or to better put, embracing life’s imperfections is part and parcel of being happy.

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Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Red – It Is A Fun Watch, And There Are Malkovich, Willis, And More

The movie preview took place at Bugis Shaw.  And it has been a while since we hang out in that area.  Cynthia bumped onto her colleague while I to mine.  Small world it is indeed.

The story of “Red” evolves around a team of ex-CIA agents who are now being targeted by the CIA.  The first half of the movie develops the why and the second half focuses on the resolution.  I prefer the part on plot development because that got me thinking on the overall motive.  This movie is filled with lighthearted and fun moments.  Classy I must say, a bit to the crazy end.  I would not have in a million years imagined Helen Mirren wearing a long evening gown firing big machine guns at people.  Then we have John Malkovich who in his unique twisted and quirky way doing the things that you probably would expect but not imagine doing.  Bruce Willis is now 55 and he still looks great on screen, in his usual cool.  He must be one of the most acted hero in recent film history.  And there is Morgan Freeman whom I wish he has more air time.  Oh, it is fun to watch Mary-Louise Parker on screen too.  She plays the role of a pension fund customer service agent and has nothing to do with the CIA.  Somehow, she gets swept into the plot and the amazing thing is, she games for it (and the more amazing is, I am buying it).  Whenever she drops out from the plot, the plot seems to get a little bit dimmer.  Perhaps it is also because she is the only younger one – in relative term of course – in the team.  There is also a fair bit of romance in “Red”, which makes it different from other films of similar genre.

“Red” will be released in Singapore on Nov 11, 2010.  Check it out if you are into a fun movie, especially if you are a fan of the leading actors and actresses.

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Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

The Town – Glorified Bank Robbers

Time passes by so quickly!  One week has passed.  We watched “The Town” last weekend.  And tomorrow is Friday.  The beginning of yet another weekend.  This week is a happy week.  The haze has been lifted.  However, in the mist of finally getting a breath of fresh air, let’s not forget that our neighbor has gone through some terrible natural disasters this very week.  So, my prayers are with them.

I hate to agree with Cynthia.  But she is right.  Ben Affleck cannot act.  Having said that, I still think that he is one cool dude.  I don’t mind to look like him, as tall as him.  Ben Affleck is the director for “The Town” and he has co-written the script.  He has done a good job in both departments.  I enjoy watching the Ben Afflect – Rebecca Hall pair.  More so when Ben pairs up with “The Hurt Locker” star Jeremy Lee Renner.  I ought to catch up on “The Hurt Locker”.  Jeremy Renner is on fire.  That rage, that emotion on screen!  I believe he is also one of the reasons why “The Town” is a success.

In this movie, Ben Affleck plays the role of a robbery architect.  And he has a team of robbers to work with him, including Jeremy Renner.  Rebecca Hall plays the role of a bank manager who first meets Ben Affleck as a masked robber.  And then meeting him as an acquaintance.  Because of that, Ben Affleck – I think – requires to speak in two different accents.  I must say some of what he says can be really hard to catch, if English is not your first language.  But that adds authenticity to the story, which is good.

The plot, I must say, is pretty smart.  The action sequence is thrilling to watch.  I enjoy the fluidity of the plot.  If there is one thing to take home with, it is this thought that although one may have changed to be better, he or she still needs to bear the consequences of the past.  Initially I wondered: Do we need another bank robbery film?  I suppose another good one doesn’t harm.

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Book Reviews Fiction

UFO In Her Eyes By Xiaolu Guo – An Original Work Examining China’s Past (And Future) In Guo’s Eyes

“UFO In Her Eyes” is one strange novel, and I am liking it.  I don’t think I have read something quite like this before.  The storyline is strange.  But even more so is the format and the way this book is written.

The story begins in year 2012, in a small Chinese village called Silver Hill.  A 37 years old illiterate female peasant Kwok Yun sights a UFO over the rice field.  Not only that.  She has revived an alien too (who disappears shortly while she gathers herbs with the intend to treat its wound).  This single event has triggered off two things.  First, an investigation by the National Security and Intelligence Hunan Bureau led by a Beijing Agent 1919 and a Hunan Agent 1989.  Second, new funding finds its way into the village now that Silver Hill has made herself known to the central government (and more).

The investigation leaves no stone unturned.  Key figures in the village are interviewed and cross-examined.  From the Chief of Silver Hall to the headmaster of the only school in this poor village, from the farm and stall owners to the butcher and bicycle mender.  The book is written in the formats of minutes of meetings, reports, crude drawings, email messages, and transcripts.  And because of the way this story is told, there are little words to describe the physical appearance of most of the characters within the book.  This bit is unique.  I can’t possibly visualize how “UFO In Her Eyes” can be made into a movie.  What makes the characters memorable is the tone of voice, how they carry out themselves, their unique opinions towards the same thing, and their choice of words that hints how educated or illiterate they are.  If you have Chinese background, the literal translation of some of the Chinese phrases is humorous.  Most I can relate.  Such as “Five Metals” (similar to a Western DIY store?), “Flying Pigeon” bicycle, “Rich and Strong” as a Chinese name, “Five-Pace” snake, “Hundred Arm” tree, and “eat the bitterness”.  There are some strange swearing words too.  Till today, I am still unable to work out what “Dog Sun” means.  All of these to me are unique expressions that add colors to the writing.

In a deeper level, “UFO In Her Eyes” examines the snapshots of modern Chinese history and relive them casually through the characters: from the socialistic revolution in 1949, the Korean War and the liberation of Tibet, China’s First Five Year Plan (1953-57), the Great Leap Forward, the disasters and famine that follows, the 10 years of cultural revolution, Deng Xiaoping, One Child Policy, to the millions of peasants remain in rural China today.  Those who are aware of these key historical events would be able to better appreciate a hint of sarcasm within (or rather a realistic illustration depending on your perspective).  Silver Hill, too, is undergoing a Five Year Plan, amidst 60 years late.  A UFO museum is built, among many other things.  And with modernization and easy accessibility to the neighboring major cities in such an accelerated pace, many are not able to adjust to the change.  When someone commits suicide in this age of advancement, the residents cannot help but to think: We may have lived a harsh life previously (or eating the bitterness so as to speak), may have even eaten grass and roots to stay alive, now that our city is getting better, why do people want to die?

In essence, what the author attempts to do is to relive the modern history of China through a fictitious village called Silver Hill.  For a novel that is merely 200 pages thick, such economic use of words in accomplishing so much is hard to imagine.   And the author has done it well.

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Book Reviews Fiction

Dial M For Merde By Stephen Clarke – A Funny Read Especially If You Know A Little Bit Of French

Some say that the correct way of reading this series is to start with “A Year In the Merde”, then continue with “Merde Actually” and “Merde Happens”.  And then this one, “Dial M For Merde”.  The similar thing I would have said about Kinsella‘s shopaholic series.  But you know how it is like when you step into a library, holding and feeling a rather newish looking book, comparing to the book condition of “A Year In the Merde” that happens to be a lot more … merde, I picked the newer looking book instead.

If you have lived or traveled to France, merde is a pretty common word used, which means sh!t in English.  If the title of his first book is alluded to the bestselling autobiographical novel “A Year in Provence” and the second one is a reference to the romantic comedy “Love Actually”, “Dial M For Merde” is pretty much a James Bond inspired novel in a humorous and non-extraordinary way.  In this installment, Paul West is being invited to South of France by a beautiful blonde, M, whom he has spent a night with.  M has a mission in France.  She – together with a bunch of scientists – is set to uncover the caviar counterfeiting operation.  Meanwhile, Paul – whom the French often mispronounces his name as Pol – is requested by his old friend (or ex-girlfriend?) Elodie to cater for her wedding dinner.  But helping Elodie to gain acceptance into her fiancée’s rich family is going to be a mission on its own.  On top of that, Paul has volunteered to assist M in her mission starting by locating a type of fish called sturgeon and infiltrating the … French commando unit.  The story gets more bizarrely hilarious as it unfolds.

Knowing a little bit of French and understanding a little bit of French culture would further enhance the reading experience.  Because this book is set in France, with Paul being mistaken in all sorts of ways, got himself stuck in all sorts of situations.  Having said that, it is not a must.  The author has done a pretty good job to translate most of the French phrases.  A perfect book if you are traveling or you want to read something light and entertaining.  I found the following paragraph taken from the book pretty funny.  Let’s see if you can guess the name of the saint the author is referring to.

Filling an ante-room was a gilt-framed painting of a semi-naked young saint getting arrowed, his attacker shooting at him from no more than half a yard away.  The archer was a pretty bad shot, too, because most of the arrows were embedded in the legs and arms, with only one hitting the torso, provoking a faint trickle of blood on the porcelain-white skin.  Amazingly, the saint was looking only mildly pissed off with the guy taking pot-shots at him.  I would have been furious myself.  But I guessed that was why he was a saint.

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Foreign Movie Reviews Romance

I Give My First Love To You – Cry Baby, Cry!

One lesson I learned: Try not to bring your partner to watch a Japanese (or Korean for that matter) romance movie after her makeup workshop.  Cynthia was weeping profusely throughout the movie, like the rest of the girls around us in the theater.  I had no idea it was that emotional.  The title sounds harmless.  Based on a Japanese manga, “I Give My First Love To You (僕の初恋をキミに捧ぐ)” centers around two young lovers engaged in a love relationship that has a time limit.  This is not a spoiler.  Within the very first few seconds into the show, the narrator said so.  Cynthia and I exchanged a look and we mouthed: Uh oh.  Throughout the movie, I tried to ask Cynthia to be strong, don’t cry.   Poor girl, the new make-up was still fresh from the workshop.  That did not work.

Takuma has a rare heart disease.  And the doctor said that he will not live beyond the age of 20.  Mayu, the daughter of the doctor, is Takuma’s childhood sweetheart.  On screen, they look like the cutest couple on earth – both the pair of the child actors (when the story was rewound) and the adult actors (in present time).  In fact, the four of them are so adorable to look at.  As far as the story goes, it is the classic Japanese / Korean tragic romance formula that some if not many subscribe to and keep subscribing to – like I!.

Because Takuma has a very weak heart, there is not much he can do but to stay relatively inactive trying to live life to the fullest.  His approach to love , I would say, is reckless bravery.  Mayu, on the other hand, is one interesting character.  How far would she go to keep this love going knowing that this love has a time limit?  Does she love Takuma out of pity?  Or deeper than that?  Her approach to love, I would say, is relentless loyalty.  Putting these two characters together, you would expect some interesting fireworks.  Meanwhile, the parents of Takuma and the father of Mayu have played excellent supporting roles.  One would cry seeing them act.  My heart ached.

I think, in a more reflective level, “I Give My First Love To You” got me pondering upon loving someone in our temporal existence.  How long does love last?  Knowing the fact that love has a time limit, would you still give that love to someone?  And knowing, by that I mean consciously knowing that no love last forever (in a non-poetic sense), what would you do differently each day?  I recently read a book.  The author joked that the best love ends in death.  In a morbid sense, I cannot agree more.  Better than ending in a breakup or a divorce paper, eh?

To end this post, I would like to make a noteworthy mention of the young Japanese actress Mao Inoue.  Japan has plenty of photogenic actresses but not many can act in a multitude of dimensions, which this film has plenty of opportunities for Mao Inoueto to shine.  I am not entirely certain if she is a kyūdōka.  But the way she handles the Japanese archery looks authentic to me.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

The American – I Watched It As A George Clooney Fan (And That Only)

We practice democracy within Movie Review Squad, most of the time.  Last weekend, I wanted to watch a European foreign film.  Cynthia said OK.  TK said OK.  I then spotted a George Clooney film and I thought, time for a second round of vote?  Cynthia said American.  TK said American.  Two against one, so “The American” it was.

That evening, both TK and Cynthia were exceptionally hungry.  Over dinner, while I was logging the expenses (I am the movie scouter, the accountant, the review writer as well as the ticket booker within Movie Review Squad – hence a.k.a. “The Secretory”), they were busy attacking the dishes.  By the time I looked up, half of the food on the table was gone!  After our meal, TK showed us one of the free apps he downloaded for his Apple phone.  It is pretty hilarious.  You talk to the animated cat inside the phone and it repeats what you say with a very cute voice and a little delay.  And when Cynthia laughed hearing that, the cat paused and laughed too.  That triggered another round of laughter and so on.  People around us must have thought that she was crazy laughing at / with / on the phone.

“The American” is a slow pace movie, very slow.  So slow that I thought I would have my vindication against Cynthia and TK for choosing the film after all these months and years of laughing at me for making a bad decision in picking that Spanish movie (which I still think it was a good pick) or that Thai movie.  My vindication was very short lived.  In no time, they joined forces singing praises for “The American” and gave me that look of I-thought-this-is-the-sort-of-slow-movie-you-love-a-lot?

OK, to rewind, those who enjoy watching classic thriller would love “The American”.  And that is one aspect I enjoy, a thriller that is different from what we have in the market today.  Not many make films like “The American” these days.  A simple plot, emotionally gripped, and a constant sense of danger.  George Clooney has done a good job in playing the rather serious role.  I am not going to spoil you from enjoying the film as I walked into the theater with absolutely no clue on what the story is about.  Much time, you would wonder where the story is going.  It is especially slow in the first half of the movie.  But it does get better when the pieces of puzzle – not many by the way – are put together.  There is a lot of space within the plot, that is my own reservation of classifying “The American” as a classic.  I love the part of having two sinners falling in love.  But I was hoping that there is a deeper resolution, a redemption perhaps.  “The American” is a beautifully made movie.  You would feel for the characters.  If the plot was not as shallow, I would have loved it more.  After all, “The American” does have the sure win ingredients of money, sex, and blood.  Shot entirely in Europe with European actors and actresses, it does feel like watching a European film.  So, looking back, I did watch a European movie, in a strange sense.

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

Detective Dee And The Mystery Of The Phantom Flame – Intriguing!

This post has been delayed for quite some time as I have a backlog of blog entries piling up by the day.  But I have this quirky habit of documenting all the movies I have watched as I gave up collecting stubs that fade.  Unless the movie is so bad that all I want is to forget about the whole thing.  Besides, it is often more than a review.  It is part of my diary.

Wuxia fans would love “Detective Dee”.  I guess two weekends ago when this film was out, it was hugely popular.  All the cinemas in town were full.  Fortunately the Movie Review Squad managed to book some seats in a Cathay cinema in the middle of a heartland.  AMK Hub is always packed with people.  I have warned my buddy to buffer at least 30 minutes to find a packing lot.  It did not take that long.  But you would never know.

An intriguing detective story aside, those who have been reading wuxia stories should be able to appreciate some of the details the filmmaker has put into the show – the transfiguration, the foreign weapons and fighting style and poison from outside the mainland among others.  Andy Lau, Tony Leung (Ka Fai), and Carina Lau are seasoned actors and actress.  Hence I would not expect anything less.  I am also much impressed by the role played by Li Bingbing.  It adds another layer of complicity to the overall plot.

I would consider myself as someone who has paid much attention to my Chinese history lessons at school.  However, it took me some time trying to reconnect to the knowledge that Empress Wu is the only woman in the history of China to assume that title.  And then I did some research.  Her Chinese name is 武則天.  And then I remember.  Needless to say, when I studied Chinese history, I studied in Chinese, I remember in Chinese (PS. This movie is filmed in Mandarin and as a Cantonese, I have to rely on the English subtitles).  Today, I read up a little bit more about Wu Zetian on the Internet.  Her story alone is intriguing.  And her role in Chinese history is also intriguing.  Think about this.  Of the thousands of years of Chinese civilization, we only have one empress who ruled for 20 years.  That does not seem right, does it?