Wonder Woman

Ratings: 9.2/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Superhero Action

Stinger: No

Deal-breaker scenes (spoilers alert): 

- Existence of Ares

- Diana finally "hearing" what the male protagonist was saying to her after suffering from temporary deafness after an explosion

The main reason for reviving this blog. Girl power to the max. Gal Gadot's such a charm this movie was all about her. Yes, about Wonder Woman as well, but the highlight was Gal Gadot. She stole almost every single scene with her in it. Also packed a good dose of comedy. 

First half was pretty good, 2nd half... every fan's fantasy. The ending fight scene was a blast, one of my absolute favourites. And the twist was really unexpected. I like how there were 2 villains that Wonder Woman had to fight back to back, and the movie really reached a climax at the end. Kick-ass graphics, and having 2 gods battle it out amidst probably one of the sweetest scene in cinematic history... priceless. 

It was so good, despite knowing there wasn't a stinger... I stayed till the end of the credits. There were also cheesy parts, but the ending dealbreaker scene, with what the male protagonist said to her... that was it. I couldn't be bothered to hold back my tears anymore. 

Even though it's a rather long movie, 2hr 21 mins, I couldn't get enough of it, Gal Gadot, the action, the graphics... pow wow... pow... wow... Wonder Woman's theme song is so ringing in my head right now, and I know it's gonna stay that way at least for the next couple of days. Guaranteed satisfaction, there's nothing not to love about this film. Love, can stop a war (seemingly superficial yet such a deep quote used in the movie, among other great quotes).

Alien: Convenant

Ratings: 8.1/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Horror Thriller

Stingers: No

I'm seeing double. Though storyline and twist were not exactly unpredictable, the tension was still well built-up. And the good thing about this is that the aliens are not hidden in the shadows. We see much of them in their full glory. More gory than horror, this sequel of the classic Aliens, similar to Prometheus, brings about a more biblical flaire. It's more artistic than sci-fi-y. The pre-posted video trailers help to tie up some loose ends. I took to youtube to figure out some pretty well-made timeline vids of the alien franchise. 

The ending... was a bummer. Absolute cliffhanger, but we know what's coming... the 3rd part of Ridley Scott's alien franchise revival...

Get Out

Ratings: 9.0/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Horror Thriller

Deal-breaker scenes (spoilers alert): 

- hypnosis scenes where protagonist sinks into a hole

Creepy as f*** (pls pardon the language). I don't think there's any other way to say it. On the contrary to some reviews, I don't find it racist. Surprisingly poetic. Cinematography was a stunner, same goes to the storyline which was rather intellectual. Easily one of the best horror thrillers I've seen. The last part was bada**, even up till the last scene... not sure if it was intentional... but there was a shadow of a doubt... about who's in the car who saved the protagonist. 

John Wick: Chapter 2

Ratings: 9.0/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Action

Deal-breaker scenes (spoilers alert): 

- kill scene in the Continental dining room

- last scene of John Wick running from like literally everybody

Off-the-charts cool. Every thing one would have hoped for in the godfather of action-packed movies. Powerful villains, formidable protagonist, car chases, fight duels, lots of bullets flying around, the build up, the straight-to-the-point script and the pencil kills. John Wick is the man you employ to kill the boogieman. Period.

Logan

Ratings: 9.2/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Superhero Action

Stinger: No

Deal-breaker scenes (spoilers alert): 

- when X-24 first came on screen 

- Logan trying to give a eulogy to Professor X

Old, but gold. Raw, country-style cinematography. Doesn't hold back on the gore, and despite it all, you feel so much for the characters, not some brainless action-packed film. X-24's debut was a shocking twist, and you'll be rooting for Weapon X from start to end. Touching, comical at times, but overall a very "real" movie, not typical of other superhero genres. A league on its own.

Arrival

Ratings: 9.2/10

Film Class: A-

Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller

Wow (palindrome). Time out! Time out! My mind was blown! Though not as mind******* as Interstellar, Arrival brings the same flair of intellect to the big screens. It has been a while for a movie of this caliber to be produced, and has "forced" me out of my shadows to once again start blogging. I cannot just not recommend this. If I had known the outcome, I would still have watched it...

Arrival is about 12 spacecrafts which landed in different parts of planet Earth. Not knowing what the intention is, the US military engaged a linguistic professor's help (Amy Adams). Last I recalled, I haven't seen her in such a solemn role yet, until this movie of course. Racing against time, and other countries to break the "language" barrier, Amy Adams must use whatever weapon she can conjure, to avoid a World War with aliens. 

The chemistry of the 2 leads (+ Jeremy Renner) was electric, and the director was way too generous with the tension build up - could only take a breather at the very last scene. It's one of the few times I can literally say I was constantly at the edge of my seat, together with the eerie soundtrack, Arrival felt like a spooky alien horror movie. It was smart too, not just with the use of linguistics (deciphering of a new language) but how the overall concept links with an important element which makes it logical.

Initially I thought the opening melancholy scene was rather short, lack of character build up, lack of audiences' sentimental investment, but then I understood why. Without divulging too much, though with minimal action scenes, Arrival is sure to impress most of its audience, especially Sci-Fi fans. 

Go watch it! It's a win-win situation, it's gonna be a zero-sum game ultimately.

X-Men: Apocalypse

Ratings: 7.9/10

Film Class: B+

Genre: Superhero Action

Stinger: Yes (post credit) 

To stay "alive", Apocalypse, the supposed first ever mutant transfers his consciousness from time to time, only to be betrayed before his last awakening. However, a chance encounter awakens this granddaddy of mutants, who has the ability to unleash the full potential of any mutants' powers. He usually has four "horsemen" by his side, powerful mutants whom he would recruit to fight for his cause (actually I believe their sole purpose is to protect him during the transfer as he's already so badass)... Only this time round, he intends to annihilate the whole (weak) world, to build a "better one". It's up to a newbie team of X-Men to save the world... 

As can be seen from the trailers, Mystique/Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and Magneto (Michael Fassbender) are the two main leads among the starstudded cast. I didn't know Mystique was that influential, at least not from the original cartoon series, perhaps the director milked it to be so cos of Jennifer Lawrence, kinda felt like she was reprising her saviour role as Katniss from Hunger Games.

The pacing was slower, compared to its prequel, Days of Future Past, because of all the recruitment work by Apocalypse, but there was a good amount of screen time for each character's development. The plot was predictable (betrayal), and convenient linkages and subtle references to the future outcomes of the dynamics of the X-Men were prevalent - *major spoilers ahead* such as Storm and Magneto working together; the love triangle between Wolverine, Cyclops and Jean Grey and why Professor-X's bald. 

I've wondered how Apocalypse, the all-time favourite greatest villain of the X-Men franchise, the immortal who is able to transcend through time (not shown in movie) and able to grow to huge proportions would be defeated in this movie, and I have to say I was rather disappointed in the ending. It wasn't intelligent, it was pure FIREpower. I guess for such a supervillian, it would either take a dragon or a Phoenix to scorch his existence into obliteration. 

Despite the cool action scenes, the CG was lacking, better than our Singapore's most expensive CGI-made movie (Ah Boys to Men), but pale in comparison compared to Transformers or even Captain America: Civil War. 

The characters were not very likable, there was a flair of arrogance resonating amongst the X-Men, and a super duper cheesy scene stole the limelight - it was equivalent to the dancing scene in Guardians of the Galaxy, only this was way better. Let's just say there was a "Superman", faster than a speeding bullet to save the day...

Expect the usual Stan Lee cameo and the post-credit stinger at the end. Not sure if I got it right, but the stinger was probably leading on to the other mutants created by Col. William Stryker, such as Sabretooth and Omega X? Or perhaps something more sinister is to come...

One of the most confusing part for me was figuring out the chronological order of this movie, after such a long hiatus I kinda forgot which movie came first, similar to the Star Wars Saga. Enjoyable nonetheless, it does do justice to its fans. An absolute cheap thrill, for the apocalyptic zombie-like working adults in this modern time.

(After note: My friend told me that this movie supposedly runs on a different timeline, an alternate reality after the previous installment, days of future past. Now that puts things into better perspective...)

Captain America: Civil War

Ratings: 8.0/10

Film class: A

Genre: Superhero Action Thriller

Stinger: Yes (2 scenes, mid after-credits and post credits)

This movie was actually way better than all the other Avengers movies, 2 teams of superheroes fighting with each other, it couldn't be cooler. Captain America's team fight as vigilantes, while Iron Man's team fight for law and order. The line between what is right or wrong is greyed and yeah, there's the usual Stan Lee cameo, delivered pretty comically. 

State-of-the-art CG and fight scenes, and nope, you haven't seen the best scenes in the trailers yet. There's more to come. The ending fight scene, more like a duel, falls short of expectations, while the clash between the two teams was the highlight. Despite the diversity of characters, we get to feel for each and everyone of them. 

Black panther was the black horse for this one, I found myself rooting for him most of the time, and his costume was slick-ishly cool. Spider-Man was the comic relief, though played by an unknown actor, he stays true to his cheeky character. He sure makes a worthy ally, as well as a well-liked superhero. 

None of the superheroes were dislikable, which makes this movie rather... Conflicting. Perhaps they portrayed Iron Man a little too extreme, but you can't blame the man for choosing the side he was on. 

Though there were kick-ass action, some suspense and a parade of superheroes to root for, there was something lacking... A fearsome villain. But was an overall fun superheroes eye-candy movie, one of the best so far.

Crimson Peak

Ratings: 7.7/10

Film class: B+

Genre: Fantasy thriller

Scare factor: 1/5

Gore factor: 3.5/5

Young Edith (Mia Wasikowska) was revisited by her deceased mum with a message she couldn't decipher... Not until years later where a family tragedy and a love temptation would bring light to what the main plot of Crimson Peak is all about. 

Knowing the director Guillermo del Toro, that his style of movies were more fantasy horror than spine-thrilling ones like Pans Labyrinth and Hellboy, I figured I wouldn't be freaked out that much. True enough, Crimson Peak was more like a Period Drama Fantasy Thriller. And as Edith, who also happens to be an aspiring author puts it aptly in the movie, it's not a ghost story but merely a story with a ghost in it. Though she was referring to the draft of her novel, there was parallel reference to the actual movie itself. Think Sixth Sense in a fantasy era. The ghosts were more monster-like than ghostly.

*major spoilers ahead* Not everything links smoothly. Like how her childhood sweetheart has a hobby for collecting ghostly photos (so what if he did? There wasn't any follow-up after), or how even Edith was an aspiring author (perhaps just to hint the true genre of the movie as what I mentioned above) or how did a pivotal dog survive the harshness of the winter cold (did some ghost feed the dog?) and most importantly how did Edith's mum know about Crimson Peak? If she was indeed able to "see" the future, then wouldn't she have "seen" the death of the villains as well? 

Also, the in-your-face head smashing and cheek piercing gore was grossly unexpected, unwelcomed to say the least, but perhaps that was what was needed to erupt the horror adrenaline some members of the audience were hoping for. 

Despite it all, I liked it. The costumes were a feast for the eyes, vibrantly and extravagantly designed to captivate even the most cynical of audiences. The plot was twisted and the twist did make the movie more "intelligent" in a sense. It was creepy, not spooky, sweet, not romantic. 

Tom Hiddleston steals the limelight as usual, and to see Jessica Chastain in such a dark movie was also rather refreshing. 

Crimson Peak may have peaked if not for the unconnected subplots and the seeming sex-cut-scene between Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston but it did reach a climax that only a horror version of Pirates of the Carribean or The Lord of the Rings were capable of. Crimson Peak was indeed a true visual spectacle, mysteriously intriguing...

The Martian

Ratings: 7.0/10

Film class: A

Genre: Sci Fi Drama

Filmed like a narrative documentary about how to live on Mars, The Martian wasn't so much a space odessey as I had imagined. It was more like a movie which lets its audience understand the science behind space exploration. 

The graphics weren't that great, some starting scenes looked superimposed, and the landscape felt like a typical desert than an out of this world terrain. I believe the director would have done his homework to ensure that it's representative of how it would actually look like on Mars, but some inconsistencies were too conveniently unaddressed.

*major spoilers ahead* If a bad storm had initially caused Matt Damon to be stranded alone on Mars, why weren't there similar storms throughout the many solar days (referred to as Sol 1, 2, 3 etc.) whilst he was clinging on to survival? Also one particular scene was the most puzzling... He had taped up a damaged bunker-like base from the outside and the next scene showed him teleporting inside even though there wasn't another entrance into the base (where the potatoes were cultivated). 

The action scenes were limited, and the soundtrack was out of place... "Disco" music, upbeat oldies music set in a Sci Fi planetary disaster movie. Off, totally off. I know the director meant it to be fun, and funny, but it took out the classines of it. The humor was also excessively overdone (redundancy words intentional), falling flat on several occasions. 

The cast reminded me of Interstellar, with 2 familiar faces, Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain. Even the orange space suit looks familiar. But it doesn't have the flair of Interstellar. I can't help but compare yet another recent classic space movie, Gravity. If I were to sum them up in a few-words comparison, it would be that The Martian was down to earth, Gravity was out of this world, and Interstellar was... simply stellar.

Still, it was definitely an eye-opening movie about space exploration, or more aptly put, planetary exploration. Though technical at times, it was more cool than boring. The Martian test one's mental focus cos once you drift off, you might find it tough to keep up. Since mankind is sending a group of humans up soon to Mars to try to colonize it, this makes for an excellent "textbook" movie.

Everest

Ratings: 7.2/10

Film class: B+

Genre: Action drama

Everest's all about the mountain, the climbers merely act as supporting roles in portraying how dangerously beautiful this natural Goliath is. Throughout the movie, I myself was wondering (also addressed in the movie)... Why do people actually wanna risk their lives climbing it? Does satisfaction of conquering it precedes the importance of life? Of living? I don't want to comment too much on this, because i believe those who have climbed it or are thinking of doing it must have their own personal reasons. 

What I love about the movie is that it gives you the experience of what it would be like if you were to actually attempt climbing the highest mountain in the world. It's immersive, almost felt as if I was there myself. I get to see the different camps, the logistics and operations involved, get to understand the theories and symptoms behind possible health side effects, witnessed the blanket of scenic snowcapped terrains, gasps at the treachery of the volatile weather and of course what it would be like to reach the summit - it's view of the surroundings and the tattered flags laid by the many who have "conquered" it. 

What I like about it was how unpredictable the story was... It felt like a game of thrones moment, no one was safe... Every character had an equal chance of survival despite how experienced a climber he/she was. 

What I didn't like about Everest was that there weren't much "human spirit" portrayed. It wasn't like the movies "Unbroken" or "Men of Honour". It was more of glorying Everest, and about the giant claiming lives. I had hoped for a death defying seat gripping moment, but all I got were deeply depressing ones. Also, the accent was hard to catch. Most of the time, I found myself falling back to reading the Chinese subtitles so that I could keep up with the conversations, but eventually gave up because my Chinese is as poor as the weather conditions on May 10 1996.

Perhaps just like the unpredictability of the turn of the weathers high up in the mountains, this movie also promises that for its audience - at first everything was "bright" and hopeful, but at the end, all that remained were tons of frozen despair and an avalanche of bleak survivals. The ending was rather random, detailing the survival of one unlikable character. 

More imax-experience-documentary styled than action drama, still, Everest will not fail to impress. Get ready to be swept away by the highest mountain in the world...

Inside Out

Ratings: 9.2/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Family Animation, Comedy

"I have a dream, I hope will come true

That you're here with me, and I'm here with you

I wish the earth, sea, the sky up above

Will send me someone to lava..."

Just can't get this lava song outttaaa my heaaddd!!! The short film "Lava" just before the movie was exceptionally catchy and "awww"sifying, making it an apt prelude to the actual film. It has a great blend of joy (cheery ukulele music), sadness (several scenes) and some concept of abstract loneliness in it. But ultimately, it's all about lav-a. 

Inside Out follows the emotions of young Riley from birth till the age of 11 years. 5 emotions in particular, Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger. When Riley has to move to a new city with her parents, her whole life, and emotions turn inside out, and it's up to Joy to find the "happiness" she thinks Riley deserves. 

Pixar has did it again. This time, its off the charts deep. My mind was blown, wow, wow, wow. On the surface, it was 70% comedy, 30% touching. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, and most of the funny scenes were forgettable. But what really hits the home run were the two teary scenes that broke me. 

I think the reason I felt so strongly towards the film was cos of the very first scene, when baby Riley was born. It reminded me of my newborn baby. I just thought to myself, "Nothing could go wrong. It's perfect already."

*spoilers ahead* 

It sure did meet my expectations, but the introduction of her imaginary friend Bing Bong kinda dipped my interest. He was simply too weird looking, and wasn't even cute in the first place. But before I could mentally criticize him further, I found myself tearing for him. Tsk* So I guess if even the "boring-est" part could buy me over, nothing else could go wrong, and sure enough nothing else did. 

It was uphill from there on. 

*major spoilers ahead* What really impressed me was the abstract concept of "emotion re-modelling" (if such a word even exist) portrayed in a seemingly kiddish movie. Of how basic our emotions were when we were younger, and how it matured over the years. We are now more capable of complicated emotions as adults, and perhaps the movie was trying to go as far as saying that joy and sadness has to co-exist for either's existence, just like ying and yang. How could joy be characterized as happiness if one doesn't even know what sadness is? It's that bittersweet feeling we find it hard to explain at times, how could something so right, feel so wrong? Something so wrong, feel so right? 

At the last few scenes, the mixture of colors in the core memories being made though breezed past in a brief scene, it nailed the adult-hood maturity of emotions we are experiencing in our everyday lives. 

Inside Out didn't just turn Riley's emotions topsy turvy, it also promises to turn its audiences' topsy turvy minds inside out as well. Perhaps the strongest emotion which brings together Joy was Sadness afterall. So don't beat yourself about feeling sad over unfortunate events in your life, find the joy which surrounds you thereafter, because negative attracts positive afterall, because it is only then will you find true happiness, only then will you be able to understand what true lava is...

Ted 2

Ratings: 7.0/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Comedy

Stinger: Yes (after-credits)

The obnoxious live teddy bear is back with his buddy John (Mark Wahlberg). Ted married a human wife, and when their marriage spirals down in time to come, he comes up with a plan to salvage it... by having a baby with his wife. However, since he's a teddy bear, there's no way he could have a child with her, and thus begins his mission with John to find a suitable sperm donor. However, when all else fails, he resorts to adopting a child. Things start to spiral for the worst when the "system" discovers that Ted is not recognised as a human being and starts forfeiting all his civil rights. Essentially, Ted 2 is about what makes someone, or something, "human". 

If you don't already know, Ted's like Europe's Bad Taste Bear, vulgar, blunt, obnoxious who is always indulging in all the vices (drugs, alcohol, prostitution, smoking etc.) He's a total bad influence, but a comical one to say the least. 

*major spoilers ahead* An unexpected cameo was featured, Liam Neeson, who returned during the after-credits stinger. It probably lasted less than 5 seconds, and I was left rather clueless as to what that last scene meant. References to different movies were made (Jurassic Park, Paddington Bear), audibly and visually. The jokes were generally M18, and there were a couple of laughter puking scenes (especially loved the one where they buried John's computer harddisk underwater). 

The first half of the movie was more jammed pack with laughter, though most of the scenes were already "leaked" in the trailers. The "high" level dropped during the 2nd half, focusing a little more on story - civil rights and what makes a human "human". It was rather unexpected, coming from a movie franchise which had previously pre-defined the shallow expectations its fans would have. 

It wasn't fantastic, and was definitely a "guy movie". The last scene at comic-con was a total disaster, fattening the lameness a bit too much for me to bear. But overall, it was... a rather enjoyable film.

Terminator Genisys

Ratings: 7.8/10

Film Class: A+

Genre: Sci-Fi Action

Stinger: Yes (mid-credits)

Kyle Reese, a relatively unknown soldier of the Resistance led by John Connor is sent back in time to protect his mother, Sarah Conner. If you're clueless about the Terminator franchise, its about cyborgs ruling the future. T1's about protecting Sarah Conner, T2's about protecting Sarah Connor's son, John Connor, T3 was quite a blur, T4 was about the future where the cyborgs have already ruled, and finally now, T5, aka Terminator Genisys seems to bring you back to the first installment of the franchise. 

In fact, it's almost similar, just that everything's now running on a different timeline. The entire cast has changed, with the exception of the most prominent figure we know as the Terminator... Arnold Schwarzenegger. And to quote one of the lines in the movie, the "Future is not set", giving way to more installments in the future - as can be seen from the mid-credits stinger. *major spoilers ahead* The stinger scene however was a big question mark, all I can tell is that Genisys was not completely destroyed.  

Genisys and Skynet are the same thing, but due to the different timeline, it kinda make sense to create a new "name" for the cyborg cyber-mastermind. 

The Awesome: The CG was top class. Reminded me of video game cinematics. I especially loved the fight scene between the first version of Arnold as the Terminator versus his current "older" self. It brings back the classics, and thanks to the CG, seeing young and old Arnold battle it out didn't feel out of place. T1000 was also brought back via the ice-cold hunky Byung-hun Lee, and a new "Terminator" was formed due to the integration between humans and machines. 

The classic line "Hasta La Vista" was not said, but at least Arnold did say "I'll be back". And when it did happen, the director just had to bring back the classic Terminator soundtrack as well. That, was just super cool. 

The Good: Though the storyline was in a way, predictable, there were slight twists. Rather confusing, but it still has a bit of the "wow" factor. The pace of the action also seemed to never really drop. The chemistry between the leads wasn't present, but the female lead could fire up the screens by herself anytime. 

The Bad: The script was horrible, jokes felt flat most of the time. 

After T2, I thought the Terminator franchise couldn't be rebooted (T3 & 4 were crap). Well, Terminator Genisys finally managed to upgrade the franchise.

Jurassic World

Ratings: 8.2/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Sci-Fi Action

I felt like half a child again. Jurassic World easily tops this season's movie screenings. With such a stylo-milo name like the Indominous Rex, the all-too-familiar Jurassic OST and state-of-the-art CG, this reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise deserves a standing ovation. There were even the old Jurassic Park settings, and reuniting the dinosaurs this Gen-Y adult's familiar with is an added bonus. 

Despite the high praises I have of this, the plot is not without its flaws. *major spoilers ahead* There wasn't any closure for some of the characters, especially the evil "mad scientist" who conveniently disappeared. The villains were wiped out seamlessly as well, many without much of a fight. The last scene felt like a Godzilla movie, but T-Rex was indeed... the cutest thing ever. Its short hands reminded me of Pixar's Toy Story, darn it. Guess my impression of T-Rexes will never be the same again...

The action conveniently (once again) revolved around the main leads, especially of the 2 boys. But I do like the man-dinosaur bond between the main lead and 4 Raptors. The Raptors were always feared.. from Jurassic Park 1-3, but this time round, they acted like what He-Man and his friends would ride on to battle. 

It wasn't without its all-too-classic toppling-vehicle-glass-shattering scene, just that it's modified. I liked how the director stayed true to its franchise, without making it look too forced. 

Jurassic World packs several jump scares and comic scenes (the downer romantic seen towards the end was priceless), realistically impressive CG, and a superbly fearsome man-made dinosaur. It was indeed a theme park for dino fans. The tension was addictive, and to top it all, the experience was prehistoric.

Insidious 3

Ratings 7.3/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Horror (Comedy)

Scare Factor: 3/5

I didn't catch the first 2 installments, but since this is the prequel, I knew I wouldn't miss out too much on the plot linkage. 

Quin Brenner is haunted by a supernatural presence, thinking that it's her late mother, she went to seek the help of a psychic so that Quin could communicate with her mum. However, the supernatural presence wasn't her mum but a malicious spirit out to claim her soul. 

The first half of it was pretty scary, thanks to the unrealistic reactions and actions of the female lead. Despite knowing that the evil presence was lurking around a corner, she would always pop her head out looking for it. Silly, if you ask me. Either that or she's a seriously curious bunny. You kinda see it coming, but the scares would still get to you. 

It was a good touch of handicapping the female lead, greatly affecting her mobility and making it more scary in a sense seeing how helpless she was. 

The massively CG-ed apparitions and their total on-screen time lulled the scare factor a little, seeing too much of them in CG just wasn't that scary after a while. To make matters "worst", the scriptwriter brought in 2 comic characters... Who infectiously dumbsify the psychic grandmother turning her into a kickass monster slayer. Well, that's the 2nd half of it, where the heaviness and seriously of the first part was stolen, transforming the genre into a horror comedy. The demon in the last scene even reminded me a WWE wrestler (apparently from Insidious 1)... 

Despite sounding lame, it was actually a rather entertaining movie. I dreadfully liked it. Insidious 3 does stay true to its title... it was... horrifying, yet insidiously funny...

Make Me Shudder 3

Ratings: 5.5/10

Film Class: C

Genre: Horror Comedy (Thai)

Scare Factor: 0.5/5

A group of schoolboys decided to take a grad trip to Phuket. They ended up stranded in a deserted hotel that was previously hit by a tsunami, which claimed many lives. It was there that their nightmares came to life. 

First off, there was too many pretty boys and a tragic lack of female leads. There were many hints of homosexuality but other than a few kissing and holding-of-hands scenes, everything else was PG. I'm not one for subtlety, unless the plot calls for it. The director should have gone all out instead of holding it back... 

The scare factor was disappointing. The lameness skyrocketed to 15 floors high, crashing any horror bent on creeping up on its audiences. So it turned out to be more brainless than breathless. Entertaining but shallow, with a lack of good CG and draggily obsessive wave-swirling scenes, Make Me Shudder 3 is one messy flop. The extended endings, x3 added no additional value to the plot nor entertainment. 

This Thai horror comedy is a zombie movie disguised as a supernatural movie, even the cast felt the weight of the identity-crisis, unable to differentiate whether those "things" moving were ghosts, zombies or vampires (the classic no-breathing scene is reminiscence of Chinese vampires films). 

However, there were indeed a couple of hilarious moments, but is it worth watching? Unless you're a zombie wanting to waste your life (or death) away, No.

The Age of Adaline

Ratings: 7.1/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Romance Drama

Adaline (Blake Lively) is a single mother who was accidentally struck by immortality. As a result, she was forced to live out her life in the shadows in fear of being captured and experimented upon. 

The Age of Adaline is rather peotic, with the narrator injecting obnoxiously-scientific humor whenever he tries to explain certain phenomenons. That's the only comic element in the movie, the rest, it's mainly tragic, tear-jerking and romantic at times. 

However, despite having such a starlet to brighten up the big screens, I would say this movie is rather gloomily boring. The worst part of it is having to see an old Harrison Ford clinging onto a young Blake Lively. No offence to the veteran Indiana Jones, but everything about them felt off. The twisted turn of events about how he "reconciled" with the love of his life was a cruel joke. It was more queasy than sweet. 

That said, Adaline and the main lead did have what I call a primary reaction. I don't think they were very compatible, but they did manage to pull off the romance. 

The entire movie was classy, but felt like a waste of time. If it wasn't for Blake Lively, my boredom would have been the one that was immortal.

Aloha

Ratings: 6.8/10

Film class: C 

Genre: Romantic Drama

Bradley Cooper is a military contractor who was assigned to Hawaii to clinch a deal with a local tribe. Accompanying him is an elite Air Force watch-dog, the all too gorgeous Emma Stone. 

For most parts, I was clueless. The plot was messy, and not well explained. However, it took a turn for the better when the romance started to fly. Bradley Cooper's ex, Rachel McAdams, is also a force to be reckoned with. The limelight was equally shared among the 3 leads, but an unknown female cast, Rachel McAdam's daughter turned out to be the ultimate "wow" factor. 

Jokes were novel, but not very well thought of. The silent guy-talk was silly, but memorable. The plot wasn't really that predictable, because of what a jerk Bradley Cooper was. Pretty mind-boggling, with lotsa Hawaiian folklore strung into the flippant plot. 

Chemistry wasn't electric. There was something off about the romance, possibly cos it sparked too abruptly. 

However, the 2nd half of it was strangely sweet. It was... Just sweet. Period. Despite the rough pace, unconvincing acting and the lack of a likable male lead, I was able to immense myself ever so slightly. I liked the slight twist at the end, probably was what salvaged it. Oh yeah, and one last thing, speaking about salvage, there's 1.5 stingers; there's a memorial scene, and the other 0.5 is about the floating space debris (not really a scene in itself but just something flying past the screen while the credits was rolling). 

Just as strange as their sparks flew, I find this film rather enjoyable. Good enough for me.

Whiplash

Ratings: 7.8/10

Film Class: C

Genre: Drama

An ambitious drummer gets into the best music school in the country and pushes himself to the limits to earn the respect of his obnoxious tutor, Fletcher. Whiplash is technical, exaggerated, gritty and has an ending deserving of a standing ovation. For most parts, they didn't astound, but the "twist" in the ending was indeed a drumroll stunner. 

I felt the acting wasn't that solid, simple storyline, predictable especially with the romance subplot. For most parts, I was as puzzled as the drummers, wondering to myself whether were they rushing or dragging their tempo when Fletcher was f-ing them. Wee bit graphic with the splattering of blood, but the cringes were mainly caused by the tension between the 2 main leads. 

The actual score of "Whiplash" wasn't electrifying, needless to say neither did the other soundtracks impressed. I can appreciate jazz and drumming, but the highlight of the movie was the tension and the comeback which makes Whiplash more than a "feel-bad" exhilarating movie.