Review: Prometheus (2012)

In 'Prometheus', director Ridley Scott revisits the SF horror territory of his breakout film, 'Alien', this time with a much bigger budget. Set before 'Alien', an exploration space ship travels to a desolate planet to search for an ancient civilization that contacted our human ancestors. Of course, in this sort of film, the explorers find something much more terrible and deadly on the planet.
The first half of the film is so-so but the plot goes off the rails in the second half. Some potentially interesting threads are presented then forgotten. A lot of the setting and twists do not make sense at all. The climax and its lead up are just ridiculous and arbitrary.
Even with fairly low expectations, this is a very disappointing film.
2 out of 5 stars.

Review: Westworld (1973)

Sometime in the future, people can act out their fantasies in resorts populated by human-like robots. Two vacationers, Peter Martin (Richard Benjamin) and his friend John Blane (James Brolin) holiday in the 'West World' theme park, where they get involved in wild west set pieces, including shoot-outs with a particular robot called the Gunslinger (Yul Brynner). Other vacationers go to other parts of the resort, 'Rome World' and 'Medieval World'. Of course, the robots go awry and decide to do away with the guests.

Writer-director Michael Crichton's cautionary tale about technology going bad is surprisingly clumsy at the start, given his prior experience as a film writer and director. There are slabs of dialogue between the vacationers explaining how the theme park and the robots work, followed by even more exposition between engineers as they try to figure out what is going wrong with the robots. One feels that Crichton strayed too far from the technology that he was familiar with because the technobabble is very vague and does not stand up to mild scrutiny.

Where he does well is to create a believable tone and setting on a very tight budget, with parts of the film reminiscent of 'The Andromeda Strain'. The blurred line between humans and robots is illustrated in one striking sequence, the night-time collection of the 'dead' robots by emotionless human technicians. The film also features some of the first CGI effects, showing the Gunslinger's point of view.

Yul Brynner, who has virtually no lines of dialogue, is the most memorable is the implacable Gunsligner. Dressed in a similar costume as his character Chris in 'The Magnificent Seven', Brynner simply dominates all his scenes. The chase through the deserted resort complex is one of the best ever made.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: 龙虎门 / Lung fu moon / Dragon Tiger Gate (2006)

In a seemingly lawless world, the Dragon Tiger Gate martial arts academy, run by Master Wong (Wah Yuen), trains its students to uphold justice and resist the triads, and provides a home for orphans. One of its students, Tiger Wong (Nicholas Tse) runs foul of the triads when he and his friends get hold of the Luocha Plaque, which signifies that the holder is second only to Loucha Gate's boss, Shibumi (Yu Kang). Tiger meets his half-brother, Dragon (Donnie Yen), when the triads try to regain the plaque. Meanwhile, a new student, Turbo (Shawn Yue), who tries to join the Dragon Tiger Gate, becomes embroiled in the fight.

Adapted by Edmond Wong from the manhua comic series by Yuk Long Wong, 'Dragon Tiger Gate' is somewhat confusing at the start and you may have to be familiar with the comic books to understand the setting and the main characters. It doesn't help that the CGI establishing shots of a grim lawless environment are at odds with the brighter live-action shots. A fair bit of explanation in the opening credits is repeated in a flashback, which distracted me because I tried to match them up. The film's pacing is choppy, with many dead patches, especially those featuring camera arcs, that don't progress the story or develop any of the characters.

Action, though, is the name of the game, and director Wilson Yip puts a lot of effort into the fight sequences. The fight in a Chinese restaurant is energetic and the fight in a Japanese restaurant is a nod to film's manhua origins. However, it's as if all the ammunition was expended at the start, because succeeding fight scenes feel a bit tired and the climactic fight between the heroes and Shibumi is a tedious CGI-filled affair.

Cantonese with English subtitles.

2 out of 5 stars.

Review: 放逐 / Fong Juk / Exiled (2006)

In Macau 1998, before the colony's handover to China, five professional hitman, led by Blaze (Anthony Wong), decide to do a last job for one of their own, Wo (Nick Cheung). Their plans go awry when triad boss Fay (Simon Yam) enters the picture, and they spend some time lost in the wilderness before rediscovering their purpose.

Action fans might be a little disappointed by plain nature of the firefights; there aren't any distinctive weapons or manoeuvres, and the after effects are often messy. The characters are lightly but sufficiently sketched in and the camaraderie between members of the gang is unforced. I especially like how all the scenes are allowed to play out and the denouement is pleasantly ironic.

Director Johnnie To's elegant and slightly melancholy actioner is about endings, honour and brotherhood, and brings to mind Sam Peckinpah's 'The Wild Bunch', which dealt with similar themes in the wild west. From the first scene, we have a good idea of how things will pan out, but the script by Kam-Yuen Szeto and Tin-Shing Yip has plenty of surprises and wry humour as the gang get into one gunfight after another.

Cantonese with English subtitles.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Dune (1984)

Adapting Frank Herbert's complex galaxy spanning novel to the big screen was never easy. Since the novel's publication, various film makers, including Ridley Scott, have had a go. This version, adapted and directed by David Lynch, charts Paul Atreides' rise to power as the foretold super human 'Kwisatz Haderach' and leader of the Fremen, the natives of the desert planet Arrakis. Arrayed against him are the traditional enemies of his family, the Harkonnens, the scheming Emperor Shaddam IV, the Guild Navigators who control interstellar flight, and the Bene Gesserit who seek to control Paul. All the parties have a common interest in the spice 'melange', which provide the power to fold space and time, and is only found on Arrakis.

The production is lavish and detailed, with huge sets and elaborate costumes. In this universe, humans are cogs in the machine of empire, genetically modified for computation (mentats), space travel (the whale-like Guild Navigators and their attendants with brain drips) or war (the Imperial Sardaukar soldiers encased in environment suits). Characters are often dwarfed by huge steam-belching machines or starships, giving the film a hellish Victorian industrial atmosphere.

A lot of the casting in the film is spot-on: Kyle MacLachlan's Paul believably matures from the son of a noble to a leader; Francesca Annis is radiant and elegant as Jessica; Siân Phillips is a domineering Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother; José Ferrer is the scheming but weak Emperor Shaddam IV; and Patrick Stewart, who has hardly any lines, is effective as Paul's mentor, Gurney Halleck. Most memorable is Kenneth McMillan as the repulsive and cruel Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, with his pustule-ravaged face and flying suit.

The film is overburdened by the sheer number of ideas in the novel and by the filmmakers, to the detriment of the story. There is an excess of explanation, from the initial voiceover by Princess Irulan (Virginia Madsen), to scenes where the characters discuss some background or detail which are followed by internal monologues from each character explaining what was just shown on screen! Perhaps, as a product of the early 80s, there was a concern that audiences wouldn't understand SF ideas unless it was explained to them two or three times (the initial release of 'Blade Runner' also had a voiceover). There is so much exposition that it isn't until halfway through the film that anything actually happens, following which, there is a sense of inevitability about the ending that drains the rest of the film of any surprise or suspense.

Maybe the initial cuts of the film, much longer, are better structured. There is no way of knowing since they were just work prints, nor is a director's cut available. After the film's initial release, a longer version was made for TV without David Lynch's involvement; that version is just unwatchable.

1 out of 5 stars.

Review: Waltz with Bashir (2008)

In 1982, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) invades southern Lebanon to remove the PLO. During their occupation of Lebanon, Bashir (or Bachir) Gemayel, the leader of the Lebanese Forces (an Israeli ally), is assassinated. Subsequently, militiamen from the Lebanese Forces were allowed by the IDF to enter the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, where they massacre Palestinian civilians. The title of the documentary comes from an incident where a Israeli soldier, caught in a cross fire between high rise buildings in Beirut, finds himself doing a crazy jig surrounded by giant posters of Bashir on the buildings' walls.

Ari Folman, an infantryman in the war, takes us through the events in that war from the viewpoint of ordinary Israeli soldiers that he interviews. On the ground, the war is terrifying and shocking, and Folman uses animation to recreate the experience. The use of animation is an effective technique that draws us in and makes us witness the horror and atrocities, when live footage would have caused us to turn away.

Hebrew with English subtitles.

4 out of 5 stars.

Review: Mensonges et trahisons et plus si affinités... / The Story of My Life (2004)

Raphaël (Edouard Baer) is an anonymous ghost writer of celebrity autobiographies who pretends to be satisfied with his lot. He dates architect Muriel (Marie-Josée Croze), whose forthright manner starts to make him confront his unfulfilled dreams. When he is commissioned to write the autobiography of boorish footballer Kevin (Clovis Cornillac), he discovers that the woman he fancied in university, Claire (Alice Taglioni), is Kevin's girlfriend, and he decides to worm his way into her heart.

Writer-director Laurent Tirard and co-writer Grégoire Vigneron stay well within the path well-travelled by many other urban romantic comedies: boy meets girl, they break up, then they make up. What's entertaining is the journey and the sights along the way. The good and funny bits comes from establishing the characters, and Raphaël and Muriel's courtship; Edouard Baer's makes Raphaël an amiable, slightly repressed introvert who is easy to relate to, while Marie-Josée Croze is great as the more direct and perky Muriel. The main plot where Raphaël (ineptly) tries to seduce Claire is a little offputting and underdeveloped, and the side plots involving Raphaël's mates, journalist Jeff (Eric Berger) and banker Max (Jean-Michel Lahmi), don't go very far and are resolved a bit abruptly.

Crowd pleasing, uncluttered romantic comedy.

French with English subtitles.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Impostor (2001)

In 2079, Earth has been losing a war with aliens from Alpha Centauri for 10 years. The success of the Centaurians and their ability to create human-like robots create a climate of fear and paranoia on Earth, leading to the establishment of a totalitarian regime headed by a Chancellor.

The film starts with physicist Dr. Spencer Oldham (Gary Sinise), a high-ranking scientist in a government weapons organisation, putting the final touches on a new weapon against the Centaurians, and the Chancellor due to pay a visit to the facility. Unexpectedly, Oldham is arrested by Major Hathaway (Vincent D'Onofrio), who accuses him of being a Centaurian robot created to assassinate the Chancellor. Oldham escapes from Hathaway, but cannot turn to either his wife Maya (Madeline Stowe) or his best friend Nelson (Tony Shalhoub) for help. Instead, he flees to a devastated part of the city, where he meets Cale (Mekhi Phifer), a drug dealer, who he convinces to help him find evidence to prove that he is not a Centaurian. Meanwhile, Hathaway has organised a massive manhunt for Oldham in the city.

A surprisingly high-powered team of writers, Scott Rosenberg, Ehren Kruger, David Twohy and Caroline Case, adapted the 1953 short story, 'Imposter' by Philip K. Dick, for the screen. Gary Sinise (who was also a producer) gives Olham's character more depth than a typical hero in an actioner. Maybe they are fans of PKD, because they have kept many elements of the short story, the back story and the themes of identity and paranoia, while embellishing it with just enough flash to appeal to mainstream audiences.

This is not an out-and-out great film, though. The back story is revealed clumsily and you have to tolerate the obligatory sex scene before the action starts. It also seems to suffer from a limited budget and bland production design that makes it look like a TV feature rather than a cinema release.

A solid SF thriller.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios / Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)

The life of TV actress Pepa (Carmen Maura) is turned upside down when her lover, Iván (Fernando Guillén), leaves and avoids speaking to her. Before Pepa can sort out her life, she visited by a frantic Candela (María Barranco), who has found out that the men she has been staying with have been arrested as terrorists. Pepa also has to deal with a young couple, Carlos (Antonio Banderas) and Marisa (Rossy de Palma), who arrive at her apartment to rent it. What she doesn't know is that Carlos is Iván's son, and that his mother, Lucía (Julieta Serrano), has just been released from a mental hospital and plans to kill Iván for infidelity. When Marisa is knocked out by Pepa's spiked gazpacho, Carlos, unfaithful like his dad, starts to make out with Candela. Meanwhile, we discover that the absent Iván is leaving the country with his lawyer, Paulina (Kiti Manver).

In Pedro Almodóvar's breakthrough comedy, all the female characters share the same situation: they have been, are being (and will be?) betrayed by their men and are suspect to a nervous breakdown. Some, like Lucia, go mad, others, like Candela, have no idea what to do, while Pepa (a typical Almodóvar heroine) finds the inner strength to overcome her setback and to help others in the process.

The film's later scenes are foreshadowed by funny short clips near the beginning, such as in the condom advertisement that Candela acts in, and which Pepa dubs, and in the detergent advertisement where Pepa plays the mother of a gangster who washes her son's blood stained shirt just before the police barge into her house.

A lively riot of colour and movement, vivacious and warm-hearted in the end.

Spanish with English subtitles.

4 out of 5 stars.

Review: La Chambre des Morts / Melody's Smile (2007)

In the port city of Dunkirk, a young blind girl is kidnapped. When her father tries to pay the ransom, he is accidentally killed and two retrenched workers end up with the ransom money. Then another girl, a diabetic, is abducted. Without insulin, she would die within a few days.

Among the police assigned to the case is a junior profiler, Lucie Hennebelle (Mélanie Laurent). Her investigation leads her to an earlier crime scene in the local zoo, where animals have been stolen and mutilated by someone related to the kidnappings. As she constructs a profile of the kidnappers, we see a possible link between the current case and an earlier traumatic event in her life.

This French thriller is very similar in look to Jonathan Demme's 'The Silence of the Lambs' (trivia: a copy of the book is visible briefly in Lucie's apartment), with a lot of shots of dark corridors in run-down mansions and some slightly nauseating scenes involving taxidermy and decomposing bodies. For most of its running time, the film maintains a realistic tone but as the bodies pile up near the end, the conclusion becomes rather predictable.

French with English subtitles.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: These are the Damned (1963)

Simon Wells (Macdonald Carey), a retired American executive holidaying in the tourist town of Weymouth, meets and becomes attracted to a young local girl, Joan (Shirley Anne Field), much to the displeasure of her older brother, King (Oliver Reed). King, the leader of a gang of punks, beats up Wells and tries to imprison his sister, but the couple escape in Well's boat. With the gang trailing them, the two lovers end up in a secret government installation and discover a terrible secret.

Made in 1961 but only released in 1963, this film quite blatantly exploits the public fear of nuclear war in that period (the Cuban missile crisis occurs in October 1962) and the collapse of the law and order, signified by King's gang openly roaming the streets of Weymouth with impunity, to justify the extreme actions of the government. Viewed away from that period, it's really a rather plodding film that takes a very, very long time to set the scene, overplays a very irritating song for the gang's call sign, includes an obligatory but unlikely romance between the leads, and casts Carey inappropriately as a middle-aged romantic lead. On the other hand, Oliver Reed makes a substantial presence as the well-dressed gang leader with a cane, quite possibly a precursor to Malcolm McDowell's Alex in 'A Clockwork Orange', and there are some fearful and gloomy scenes in the end.

1 out of 5 stars.

Review: La gran aventura de Mortadelo y Filemón / Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure (2003)

Filemón (Benito Pocino) and Mortadelo (Pepe Viyuela) are two agents of the TIA (Técnicos de Investigación Aeroterráquea), a secret government organization. They are assigned to retrieve a stolen device from Tirania, whose dictator has declared war on England by dropping a giant ball of dung on the Queen's palace. Complicating their mission is that their boss, El Super (Mariano Venancio), has sent super agent Fredy Mazas (Dominique Pinon) on the same task earlier, and Fredy has turned rogue and is trying to kill them.

Based on a long-running Spanish comic book series 'Mortadelo y Filemón' by Francisco Ibáñez, writer-director Javier Fesser and co-writer Guillermo Fesser have created a colourful and surreal world of secret agents, crazy gadgets and violent cartoon slapstick humour (people are squashed into pancakes, survive explosions with no ill effect other than a black face, leave man-shaped indentations when they run into doors, etc.). The plot takes a while to get into gear and oddly enough, the two principals don't cause as much mayhem as expected.

A lot of the jokes are rather ponderous and are slow to set up, and not having read the comic books, I suspect I missed many of the sight gags. My kids found parts of the film hilarious, rather like Lisa and Bart Simpson when they watch 'Itchy and Scratchy'.

Spanish with English subtitles.

2 out of 5 stars.

Review: Cave of the Yellow Dog (2006)

This film follows Urjindorjyn Batchuluun and his family, who are nomadic herders in the Mongolian steppe (or grassland). Their life revolves around tending their herd of goats, sheep and cattle, and seems little different, aside from a wind generator and an ancient motorcycle, from that of their ancestors. One night, two sheep are killed by wolves, and the next day, their eldest daughter, Nansal, while collecting dung to smoke meat, finds a pup in a cave. When she brings the pup home, her father refuses to keep it because it may have run with wolves and could attract a pack to his herd.

'Cave of the Yellow Dog' works best as an observational documentary, such as when it follows the mother on her farm chores, Nansal minding the sheep on her pony or when the family move to a better pasture by disassembling their yurt and loading all their possessions on carts. The film that suggests that this rural way of life may not be around for much longer; the family may have to give up herding to settle in a town and send their children to school, and when Urjindorjyn meets some hunters, he finds that they can't find anyone to take over their role. In contrast, the story of Nansal and the dog seem awkward, and the climax a bit forced.

Mongolian with English subtitles.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: La tourneuse de pages / The Page Turner (2006)

One summer, a young work experience student, Mélanie (Déborah François), becomes a live-in baby sitter for Tristan, son of wealthy lawyer Jean (Pascal Greggory). Jean's wife, Ariane (Catherine Frot), a pianist for a small ensemble, takes a liking to Mélanie. When Ariane discovers that Mélanie has music training, she employs Mélanie to be her page turner during her performances. What the family doesn't know is that the innocent-looking Mélanie has revenge on her mind.

This drama from writer-director Denis Dercourt and co-writer Jacques Sotty is about revenge as a dish best served cold. For a while, it is somewhat fascinating to watch Mélanie exploiting Ariane's and Tristan's weaknesses to wreak her revenge on an event that happened many years ago. However, the premise is very far-fetched, and without any elaboration on Mélanie's character, it is hard to accept that anyone, let alone a teenager, could conceive or execute such an elaborate and complete plan.

French with English subtitles.

2 out of 5 stars.

Review: Blue Collar (1978)

Zeke (Richard Pryor), Jerry (Harvey Keitel) and Smokey (Yaphet Kotto) are three friends who work in the assembly floor of a Detroit car company. The work is hard, and Zeke, the youngest of the three, is frustrated with the unwillingness of the auto workers union to help their members, while his older friends are more equanimous. When Zeke runs into money problems, he convinces his friends to help him burgle the local union office, an act which starts a chain of violent events.

This film has a surprising and effective performance by comic Richard Pryor, sans moustache, in the dramatic role as the voluble and vocal Zeke, who uses colourful language to get his point across. His co-stars don't have such flashy roles: Yaphett Kotto's Smokey is a quiet ex-con while Harvey Keitel's Jerry is an established family man.

The beginning of the film is interesting because it sets the scene to explore some of the social issues of the working class in America, a topic that seems to be completely ignored by mainstream American films. However, once writer-director Paul Shrader and co-writer Leonard Schrader introduce an FBI investigation into union corruption, the premise is effectively forgotten and the film turns into an OK low-key thriller.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Between the folds (2008)

Origami, the art of paper folding, is often considered a minor craft to keep kids occupied. Vanessa Gould's documentary Between The Folds shows us what dedicated practitioners can really do with origami. This film takes a broad perspective, showing you models can require hundreds of folds and computer software to design, models that represent the real and the abstract, and linking origami with computational geometry.

Having dabbled with origami all my life, I found the models and demonstrations fascinating, and I am amazed at the possibilities stemming from a single sheet of paper and the act of folding it. Film maker Gould narrates her documentary, and unlike the images and interviewees, her text is rather prosaic and uninspiring, and there are occasions that the narration is redundant and just describes what is on screen.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: Identity (2003)

On a stormy night, on the eve of a convicted killer's execution, the killer's defence team tries to persuade a judge that the killer is insane and should be committed to an asylum instead of being executed. The case for the defence rests on the judge examining the killer, so he is being transported from prison to the court house. At the same time, ten travellers find that the highway is flooded, so they shelter from the rain in a motel. Among the travellers are Ed (John Cusack), an ex-cop driving a limousine, Paris (Amanda Peet), a call-girl and Rhodes (Ray Liotta), a police officer transporting a prisoner named Robert (Jake Busey). While they wait for the storm to abate, they find themselves being picked off, one by one, by a savage killer.

The start of the film is intriguing, with each person having a secret and a reason to distrust the others. However, after the first murder, things start to go downhill as the film veers between a slasher flick and an episode from 'The Twlight Zone'. Director James Mangold, who goes on to better things, doesn't handle the material well, relying too heavily on clichéd tricks to scare or horrify the audience. Even so, it could have been a passable popcorn flick ...

... Except that writer Michael Cooney adds one twist which invalidates the entire set up. We expect thrillers to use plot twists to keep you interested and a good twist (some so good that no one else could use it) would delightfully rearrange your perception of earlier scenes. In this film, the twist just made me feel cheated and after that point, I simply didn't care about what happens.

1 out of 5 stars.

Review: Tony Takitani (2004)

Tony Takitani (Issei Ogata) is a quiet and introverted technical illustrator. He lives a solitary life, his mother (Rie Miyazawa) having died soon after childbirth, and him only meeting his father Shozaburo (also Issei Ogata) every couple of years. Tony falls in love with a much younger woman, Eiko (also Rie Miyazama) who attracts him because she perfectly wears her clothes. In addition to having found a companion, Tony also realises that he no longer wants to live alone. They have a blissful married life, except that Eiko's insatiable need to buy designer clothes makes Tony request that she moderate her desire, with tragic results.

Tony lives in a hushed world of muted colours. Everyone, except Eiko and Shozaburo, is kept at arms' length. His home is a sterile tidy apartment. Tony sees the details in his world, such as the veins in a leaf or the fabric of Eiko's clothes, but never the whole picture. Based on a short story by popular Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, writer-director Jun Ichikawa's film perfectly captures the idea of loneliness.

Japanese with English subtitles.

4 out of 5 stars.

Review: SPL: 殺破狼 / Sha Po Lang (2005)

Hong Kong Detective Inspector Chan (Simon Yam) has had a bad run. After his witness against triad boss Wong Po (Sammo Hung) has been assassinated, he become the guardian for the witness' child and finds out that he has inoperable brain cancer. On the eve of Chan's retirement, his replacement, D.I. Ma (Donnie Yen), arrives to find that Chan and his team are framing Wong Po for a murder.

The plot for this modern crime thriller is a bit wobbly (the attempt to frame Wong Po is ludicrous) and cliched. However, two factors that make up for the clumsy plot. The first are the strong performances by the three leads: Donnie Yen as a very charismatic young inspector; Simon Yam as the grim vengeful officer; and Sammo Hung, who normally plays the comic roles with Jackie Chan, as the frightening triad boss. The second are the fight scenes, done by the actors without any wire work and minimal special effects. For martial arts fans, the encounter between Ma and triad assassin Jack (Jing Wu) in a back street is a highlight.

Cantonese with English subtitles.

3 out of 5 stars.

Review: The Prestige (2006)

In the beginning of the 20th century in London, two magicians vie to create the most spectacular illusions. Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) comes from an aristocratic family, and he feigns an American accent and background to avoid embarrassing his family with his stage ambitions. His rival is Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who comes from more humble beginnings. After the death of Angier's wife, the two magicians become enemies because Angier suspects Borden's role in her death. Over the years, the two men create more and more spectacular illusions, culminating in 'The Transported Man'.

The story, based on a novel of the same title by Christopher Priest, is told in two parallel threads. In one thread, Borden is facing the gallows for murder of Angier, is told from the perspective of Borden and Angier's illusion engineer, Cutter (Michael Caine). The other stream traces the careers of the two magicians and their escalating rivalry.

Writer-director Christopher Nolan and writer Jonathan Nolan structure their film like a magic trick, where the audience is drawn into the trick (the promise), the expected happens (the turn) and a surprise is revealed at the end (the prestige). However, they have provided only sketchy information about the two protagonists, which makes it hard to understand the origin and depth of their animosity, and also reduces the impact of the climax. For science fiction fans, one unexpected delight is the appearance of electrical engineer Nikolai Tesla (David Bowie) who provides Angier with a device for the ultimate illusion.

3 out of 5 stars.