The Grandmaster

Ratings: 5.2/10

Film Class: C

Genre: Action Drama

Set in the era of Ip Man's prime, the film is about the handling over of the prestigous title of "Grandmaster" by Master Gong, who is well respected and reputed in northern China. Arriving in Foshan, southern China, and challenging the masters of the South, they send Ip Man to bring honor to the martial arts of the South.

The defeat of Gong and the crowning of the new Grandmaster ignites a chain of events which acts as the basis of the film's plot.

Being a Donnie Yuen Ip Man fan, I was skeptical about another Ip Man movie being made without the original star... . It's like making another Iron Man sequel without Robert Downey Jr., or Pirates of the Carribean without Johnny Depp. In fact, there were 2 recent Ip Man movies, the other starring Anthony Wong. I gave this a try because of Tony Leung, but it turned out to be as I had expected, a futile attempt at milking the franchise. It was such a letdown, I almost couldn't finish it.

*major spoilers ahead* The opening scene of Ip Man fighting in the rain with a bunch of baddies totally felt like a stand alone scene and added no value to the plot development. Ie. No link. All it did was showcase Ip Man's fighting, and it almost felt like a last minute addition. The director probably only realised that there wasn't enough action scenes after filming the scenes, and so decided to make one more hoping to please his audience.

And is this movie about Ip Man? NO, it wasn't. That's big news for you. Then who's the lead star you might ask? It's Zhang Ziyi, acting as Gong Er, Master Gong's daughter who wants to bring back the honor to her family name. She has to fight Ip Man, fight her evil god-brother Ma San and crosses path with this nationalist patriot, nicknamed "The Razor". Who is "The Razor" and why did I mention his name? He's apparently an undercover covert agent for China when the Japanese took over and while there's a few scenes of him, there's absolutely no link (omg, not again?!?) between his character and that of Ip Man's, an obvious hint that the lead star isn't Ip Man but Gong Er instead. And that one scene of their paths crossing only took a minute or so.

The Grandmaster failed on multiple levels, with the wishy washy scenes accompanied with overly subtle dialogue, the director 's intention to bring artsiness to this movie failed especially for the finale. It was so draggy at the end and watching the tension between the 2 suppressed love birds (Ip Man and Gong Er) was more torturing than sweet. 

To be right smack honest, it was a total waste of my time and I felt sorry for myself for letting curiosity get the better of me...

Now You See Me

Ratings: 6.3/10

Film Class: C+

Genre: Mystery Thriller

Now You See Me is about a group of magicians who call themselves the Four Horsemen, who were brought together a year ago by an anonymous individual. Slowly gaining popularity with their Las Vegas show, they climaxed it one night with a bank robbery, by seemingly teleporting a member of their audience into a vault of an international bank to witness the heist. Finally grabbing the attention of the world, the Four Horsemen goes into the next phase of their routine... leading up to that one grand finale beyond anyone's wildest imagination... 

*major spoilers ahead* The plot's main theme is Misdirection, with a capital M, not forgetting the other obvious M, for Magic. Well, that's what makes up the bulk of a magician's modus operandi anyways so no big stunner there. But like any awesome magic trick, the movie packs a killer ending, one with a big twist. However, that one big twist works like a double edged sword - it was so twisted it turned out too far-fetched. It made the whole plot seem like a joke, and ironically, the twist turned out to be the director's greatest misdirection.

It almost felt as if the scriptwriters managed to buy-in the director with that one big twist... but midway directing the movie, director Louis Leterrier realised, "Darn, why didn't I notice that many loopholes in the script, guess I just I'll cover it up by misdirecting my audience with the stunner ending..." Well, it failed, for me. 

On the contrary, it wasn't thhhaaaat bad. There were connections and links here and there, but the killer ending didn't quite make sense in the overall context of the plot. Hmm, guess I'm harping so much on the ending that I'm missing the big picture here (advice I learnt from the movie)... the big stars.

There's a star studded cast, no doubt, with big names like Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher and Michael Caine, but my absolute favourite turned out to be the one I'm least familiar with, Melanie Laurent (French actress), cos she was such an ethereal eye-candy. Despite the "grandeur" casting, only Jesse Eisenberg (best known for his lead role in The Social Network) delivered what I thought was the most convincing "act". 

I was quite turned off by the CG, looked too plastered on most of the time, and to make matters worst, the cinema I went to had one of the worst muffled sound system a paying member of the public shouldn't have to endure. 

Was never a fan of Mark Ruffalo (still think he can't act) who was the sceptical FBI detective, clueless most of the time and running around like a headless chicken; Woody Harrelson brought a bad light to mentalists by manipulating others with his skills (wouldn't be surprised that audience might steer away from mentalists after watching the movie), and Dave Franco "glorified" the works of pick-pocketing. 

No doubt the intended purpose of showcasing such "skills" is to add another level of coolness to the movie, but it kinda felt like the Four Horsemen were abusing their skills and abilities for selfish reasons. 

Overall, I did like the movie to a certain extend, because of the main theme on magic, and it was a delight to watch the star studded cast come together. But like we're all too familiar with the saying "Now you see me, now you don't", any layman will know what's coming... Now You See Me is a forgettable film that will very quickly vanish from the memory archive of its audiences... 

Beautiful Creatures

Ratings: 5.8/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Fantasy Teen Film

Beautiful creatures has "teen film" plastered all over its plot, similar to Twilight, it's adapted from a novel and touches on teenage fantasies like the "dark" unknown and the all too familiar forbidden romance. 

Lena is the new girl in town who supposedly has some dark family background secrets. She has appeared in the dreams of male protagonist Ethan, who managed to win her heart with his preserverence, only to find out that she comes from a family line of sorcery. 

However, the true nature of her powers (either good or evil) will only be disclosed on her soon-to-come 16th birthday. Unknowing to her, her fate is already predetermined by a family curse and she has to find a way to break it before it's too late. 

I can understand why there's no hype about Beautiful Creatures... because it lacked the most important element of a teenage flick. It's not plot, nor sex, nor witty lines... It lacked eye-candies, regardless of whether they can act or not. My wife and I were grumbling about how a better looking male lead should be cast instead. If only the director had put in a little more effort in his audition, it might the have gotten a higher viewership... as Twilight did, thanks to Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

Well, the saving grace of the film was Ridley, acted by Emmy Rossum, cousin of Lena who fell to the dark side on her 16th birthday because of the curse. She's so gorgeous she could have any man do as her bidding, and I'm sure it's not just in the context of the movie. 

The plot was decent, leading to an unexpected outcome, but the acting of the 2 leads weren't convincing enough, resulting in a lack of onscreen chemistry. The buildup was hastily done, before any chemistry was conveyed, both of them were already awkwarding kissing each other. 

Wasn't expecting much, yet it still failed my expectations. You'll probably wanna give this a miss...

Star Trek Into Darkness

Ratings: 9.5/10

Film Class: A

Genre: Action Sci-Fi

If you thought Sci-Fi movies couldn't get any better... welcome to the new frontier. Star Trek Into Darkness exceeds all my expectations, I braced myself for a disappointment when I read great reviews about it because I couldn't fathom how this seemingly "old-fashioned" sci-fi movie could hit the top #250 list on imdb. Quite frankly, I think it deserves better than a #164 ranking. This Star Trek sequel has warped my "old-fashioned stereotyping mentality" to a world where no sci-fi movie has taken me before.

And even though the entire movie takes place in a dull black, seemingly boring space backdrop, it didn't feel like a monotonous playback of scenes but instead transcends the audience into a whole new world, with an entirely refreshing feeling of actually being in space with the characters, doing what they did, feeling what they felt. 

There's such strong character buildup that there were a couple of emotional scenes which really got to me. I love almost every character, and it's one of those few films where even the villain will be well-liked by many. He's a kickass villain, and just when I thought my suspicion about his character was right, due to his "glorifying" trailer preview and a poster dedicated solely to him, I was pleasantly surprised that this super villain is more than meets the eye. 

Most of the credit for the success of the movie has to go to the 3 main leads, Chris Pine (Captain Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock) and of course the villain, Benedict Cumberbatch (Khan), for their engaging portrayal of their characters and the awkwardly mismatched chemistry they have. There's also many other well-known cast, such as Zoe Saldana (who starred in Avatar), Karl Urban (who starred in Dredd), funny man Simon Pegg (who's well known for his role in Shaun of the Dead) and veteran actor Bruce Greenwood, who has mostly acted in roles as a wise and respected figure. And that is what I love about this film. 

Director J.J. Abrams gave each of his cast just the right amount of screen time to showcase themselves, while keeping the main focus of the entire movie on the friendship between the 2 leads, Captain Kirk and Spock. Well-paced, well-scripted, well-executed.

It was just so awesome to feel for the impulsive yet right-minded Captain Kirk, to laugh and weep with the 1/2 human, 1/2 vulcan almost robotic-like by-the-book Spock, and to be awed by the intellect and fighting skills of the supervillain cool-faced Khan. During the credits, I even heard a couple of guys commenting on how they were stunned that the villain was actually Khan, as if he was some unbeatable nemesis of Kirk and Spock in the old Star Trek franchise. Pardon me for my ignorance for Star Trek fans out there but I thought for once, I'll just critique a franchised movie the layman-way that I see it - without any prior knowledge since I was never a Star Trek fan to begin with. 

However, I can say this stand-alone Star Trek movie has converted me into being a fan. The first movie of this new Star Trek franchise was forgettable, but thanks to breathtaking scenes (especially the opening scene) and high-tech sci-fi technology of space warping/travel, coupled with such strong character development and story, this sequel is sure to be at the tip of the tongue for most on their reccomendation list.

Set in futuristic world, the crew of a starship by the name of the Enterprise led by Captain Kirk must find and hunt down a terrorist who was once a part of their organisation. However he uncovers a greater conspiracy and he's put to the ultimate test when the lives of his crew are put on the line, the only family he has left.

There's no post-credits scene (aka stinger) for this sequel, surprisingly, even though I didn't sit through till the end because thanks to 4G these days, I googled it before leaving the cinema. So for those of you wondering, don't bother staying back. 

If I could sum it up, Star Trek Into Darkness has redefined Sci-Fi movies and has revived an age-old franchise suited for all ages, all genders and all nations. Yup, it's that epic.

Shaolin

Ratings: 7.4/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Action Drama (Chinese)

I've had the DVD for ages, and Shaolin had always been on my must-watch list... yet, I've kept procrastinating on watching it until now. It turned out that I was missing out on a pretty awesome movie. Shaolin is a 2011 Chinese action movie starring Andy Lau, Nicholas Tse and Jackie Chan, and is about a fallen ruthless general who learns the way of the Shaolin. This movie is ultimately about redemption and enlightenment, and a certain degree of forgiveness. Shaolin should probably be more aptly called "The Zen Master". 

There's lotsa character development and the movie is entirely spun around Andy Lau's character as a fallen general seeking redemption through being a Shaolin monk, in an era set in a warring China of feuding warlords. It's important to know what the entire movie is about, because if you're expecting Shaolin Soccer's kinda Kungfu, you'll be hugely disappointed. No "Tie Tou Gong" [iron head] or "Wu Ling Jiao" [thousand kicks?] exaggerated-type Kungfu, expect more realistic fighting because the movie isn't intended to glorify Shaolin Kungfu but focuses more on the teachings of Shaolin. 

I hated Nicholas Tse's character, which only showed how good an actor he is, especially acting as a villian. Jackie Chan's character on the other hand, was a huge disappointment. *major spoilers ahead* I had hoped that Jackie Chan was a kungfu master in disguise, but the director decided to just let him come along for the ride, stole no limelight or added no value to a Kungfu movie whatsoever apart from his super-china accent. 

Fan Bing Bing was also cast as Andy Lau's wife, a noteworthy eye-candy, standing out ever more so in a movie dominated by guys, and full of Shaolin monks. 

I think the success of Shaolin should fully be credited to Andy Lau, for his realistically convincing portrayal both as an arrogant and ruthless general, as well as a humble and forgiving monk. 

Identity Thief

Ratings: 7.1/10
Film Class: C
Genre: Slapstick Comedy

Sandy Patterson is your everyday family man, and after years of hardwork as a capable businessman, finally leaves his unappreciative boss and joins a new company, only to find his bright future jeopardized by an identity thief. After finding out the identity of the culprit, an innocent looking chubby lady, he decides to take matters into his own hands by pursuing the thief himself, hoping to convince her into turning herself in, or at least clear his name.

Despite being a slapstick comedy, there were some pretty tear-wrenching moments that makes you go "awww". Seeing Jason Bateman (Sandy Patterson) and Melissa McCarthy (identity thief) together is like watching Pinky and the Brain. No money for those of you who manages to guess who the Brain is. 

While Jason Bateman isn't spastically cute (like Pinky), he sure isn't as street smart and resourceful like Melissa McCarthy, though of course this should be the case if not she wouldn't quite "quality" as an identity thief, would she?

And if you were to ask me about the chemisty between the 2, somehow, I feel they're more of a mismatched pair forced to ride together than a complementary one. Was it "laughing out loud [LOL], rolling on floor laughing [ROFL]" kinda funny? 50,50. There were funny moments of course, but weren't enough to tickle your tear glands.

Since Identity Thief is a slapstick comedy, I should point out the obvious, the plot is an absolute no-brainer. And to make matters worst, there's a crazy bounty hunter in the movie which is guaranteed to disconnect your corpus callosum, and possibly vomit out stupid.

Still, it made a great time-waster movie which pampered my worn-out brain, which I have no qulams giving it credit for.

The Host

Ratings: 7.3/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Sci-Fi Romance Drama

The Host is set in a futuristic world where Earth has been inhabitated by a parasitic alien species and humans are the minority. Able to control the mind and body of any human they "infect", the aliens hopes to gradually take over Earth by hunting down every last human alive. However, their plans are disrupted by an anormaly,  one of the aliens forms a connection with a strong-willed girl, by the name of Melanie (Saoirse Ronan), and both of them (essentially one person) eventually form a friendship which might just save the world. 

Based on a novel from author Stephenie Meyer, who also wrote Twilight, I was keeping my fingers crossed that this movie wouldn't cause me to spew blood like Twilight did. It turned out that the director was the determining factor when it came to the overall feel of a movie. I naturally assumed that The Host was directed by the same person as Twilight, but it turned out that director Andrew Niccol not only did not direct Twlight, he was the one who brought us In Time, Gatacca, and the highly acclaimed The Truman Show. Andrew Niccol is a quite the master at Sci-Fi movies, and he didn't slack off this time round either. 

However, since it's written by the same author, there's still the element of teenage romance prevalent, and perhaps the genre should be more aptly described as Sci-Fi Teenage Romance. However, there's still a certain degree of maturity in the plot, touching on themes of stereotype, forgiveness and most importantly, trust, and of course predominantly, love. 

Alright, I admit, apart from the interesting Sci-Fi plot, the other main reason that I was so drawn to watching this is because of Saoirse Ronan (pronounced as "Seer-sha Ronan"), one of my favourite upcoming actresses who not only have the looks, but who can act as well. 

*major spoilers ahead* The minuses for the film are that as there's 2 "persons" in Saoirse Ronan's body, the audience will always get to hear both of them talking to each other throughout the movie, in a narrative-style-like yet not your typical narrated movies, such that there's a certain degree of childishness possibly due to the shallow conversations they have with each other. Problem with the scripting, perhaps. Since we're on this topic, there are a few cute lines though. 

The love triangle with the 2 seemingly unknown eye-candy actors opened a huge door of "chick-flickness" and the way they tried to "test" Melanie's true motives are rather... immature, through lotsa smooching... Problem with the casting, perhaps. 

As for the pluses, the interesting and refreshing sci-fi storyline (but not as strong as I would have hoped), and the CG was pretty awesome, by awesome I mean realistic, not grandeur. 

I did enjoy the movie, more than I expected, but not enough for me to sing it praises and reccomend it to friends who would ask me for weekend movie reccomendations. So since I'm assuming all my viewers are my friends as well, I wouldn't quite reccomend this one, unless there's a certain eye-candy you don't wanna miss.