A Nutshell Review by daface
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A Nutshell Review: The Midnight Meat Train
Given that this month's the Lunar Seventh Month where the Chinese believe that spirits roam our world as their month long vacation from purgatory, my friend has so far kept this running joke about my unfortunate bumping into them given I spend my journey home on late night buses and trains. The Midnight Meat Train, as the title suggests, tells of the last train in the system where passengers inexplicably disappears, and I thought that Japanese director Ryuhei Kitamura managed to put a somewhat refreshing spin to the entire slasher and torture porn genre.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/midnight-meat-train.html
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A Nutshell Review: 12 Lotus
For detractors who view 12 Lotus with the preconceived notion that the follow up to Royston Tan's highly successful 881 is nothing but having another go at the same formula to repeat its success, you're in for a big surprise. No doubt that this movie also revolves in part around the Getai like 881, but 12 Lotus made 881 look like a walk in the park, having its emotions come more strongly across, being a darker film than the previous which in comparison was much fluffy with the bitchy rivalry between the Papaya and the Durian sisters taking centerstage.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/12-lotus.html
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A Nutshell Review: 4bia
4bia finally makes its Singapore debut today, hot off winning the Bronze Award at Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. It's a collection of 4 horror shorts by upcoming (or should I already say established) talents in the Thai horror genre, with each short helmed by a different director, having their individual flair and skill thrown in to provide the audience with a mixture of flavours, injecting action, comedy, and classic ghouls and spirits coupled with special effects, to keep each short distinct from one another, yet working so well to entertain as a whole.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/4bia-phobia.html
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A Nutshell Review: Meet Dave
One wonders if Eddie Murphy has lost it. I still remember his early days in action comedy back in Beverly Hills Cop, flashing his pearlies and making wisecracks, being the rather unorthodox cop that he probably would be toying with continuing the franchise to revive flagging fortunes, just like how Stallone went about adding to his Rocky and Rambo mythos. We all know the comedic streak in Eddie, and he does a fine job in voicing animated characters. But while he seemed to have exhausted playing multiple characters in The Nutty Professor and Norbit, he now has to play himself in, well, himself.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/meet-dave.html
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A Nutshell Review: Murder of the Inugami Clan
The closing film of the Tokyo International Film Festival back in 2006, this movie is a remake by the late Kon Ichikawa of one of his own, whose original film based on the same novel by Seishi Yokomizo, was made some 30 years ago. Anyway this is nothing new or surprising, given that filmmakers do revisit some of their earlier works (Funny Games anyone?). I haven't seen the original so I don't have a basis for comparison, so take it from me that I'm watching this for the very first time, even though some of the principal cast members return to take up their same roles in this remake, such as Koji Ishizaka as the private eye Kosuke Kindaichi and Takeshi Kato as Chief Todoroki.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/murder-of-inugami-clan-inugamis.html
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A Nutshell Review: Fate
I've become wary should any Korean movie calls itself, or touts itself, as the largest action movie for the year. Remember the woeful debacle of Typhoon? Well, it seems that Fate belongs to the same mould, with the assembly of the best looking men the country has to offer, and put them in roles against each other, topped with plenty of angst, misunderstanding and failure from which they find it hard to crawl out from, and you have what hopefully could bring the crowds in.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/fate-destiny-sookmyeong.html
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A Nutshell Review: Space Chimps
I'm going to admit that I've enjoyed Space Chimps. No, I've not gone bananas, but there's something beautiful to this goofy animated comedy that appealed, perhaps in its simplicity and its not attempting to try and be more than it cannot be.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/space-chimps.html
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A Nutshell Review: Kallang Roar the Movie
"Untuk Bangsa Dan Negara! MAJULAH!!!"
That was the war cry that Uncle Choo Seng Quee (Lim Kay Siu), Singapore's, and possibly the region's most well known footballing coach extraordinaire, instilled in his handpicked charges, as he led the quest to win for Singapore the Malaysia Cup and to lift Singapore football from dire straits through the process. And it's no surprise why writer-director Cheng Ding An wanted to release this movie this month, as it has heart thumping patriotism written all over it.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/kallang-roar-movie.html
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A Nutshell Review: The Hunting Party
The first words that appear in the movie, told the audience something to the effect that only the most ridiculous or ludicrous of situations depicted, are true. And in fact, while it's supposedly based loosely on a true story off an Esquire article, there are enough of such said moments thrown into the mix so frivolously, that one would be forgiven should one think that this was entire made up. So what eventually held up the movie despite its wafer thin plot and hurried finale was the chemistry and banter between two charismatic actors in Richard Gere and Terrence Howard.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/hunting-party.html
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Did you write all these reviews?
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A Nutshell Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars
I guess in all fairness, the reviewer for a Star Wars movie should declare which side of the fence he's on, whether he thinks the Original Trilogy was the best thing since buttered toast and the Prequels were utter trash, or ambivalent to the fact that George Lucas is an expert at massaging the fat udders of cash cows, what with his special editions, tweaks and re-releases that continue to confound even his most loyal of fans.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/star-wars-clone-wars.html
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win liao lor.
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A Nutshell Review: WALL·E
In some strange twist of Fate, the local release of recent Pixar movies always had us here twiddling our thumbs wondering when it'll finally make its way to the screens, while we hear the accolades ring from the rest of the world in marvelling at the quality that Pixar continually churns out. It's likely that the distributors want to coincide the release with the local school holidays, but frankly, the money also comes from the adult crowd, as testament to this full house in one of the largest screens downtown during a late night screening with nary a noisy kid in tow.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/walle.html
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A Nutshell Review: The Days
The ubiquitous Ah Beng of Singapore continues to be a cultural fascination for the big screen in Singapore cinema, having been the subject of films like Royston Tan's 15, and Kelvin Tong/Jasmine Ng's Eating Air. I guess almost every one of us will bump into Mr. Beng at some point in our lives, either in schools, coffeeshops, at nightspots, or even have been, or are still currently one ourselves! This classification and label have been evolving through time, and this version here presented in Boi Kwong's The Days, happen to be an era of mine as well.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/gala-premiere-days.html
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A Nutshell Review: Cyborg She
Sometimes the greatest love stories aren't the ones that end happily ever after, but the realization that it's all a matter of the quality moments spent between the lovers. You can call me a sentimental sap, but Cyborg She does meet every single one of my expectation of what makes a palatable romantic movie, never mind sometimes dwelling on the cliched moments, especially when the leads share great chemistry, and this being a science-fiction piece to boot too!
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/cyborg-she-boku-no-kanojo-wa-saibgu.html
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A Nutshell Review: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Written by and starring a very naked Jason Segel, I thought this film would be incredibly easy to identify with, given that it dealt with a man who didn't see his breakup with his hot girlfriend coming in close on the horizon, until the very last minute. Starring as musician Peter Bretter, his relationship with the titular Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) came to an unexpected end with her cheating on him and moving on with new beau, rocker Aldous Snow (Russell Brand).
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/forgetting-sarah-marshall.html
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A Nutshell Review: The Promotion
One job, two candidates, you know the drill, especially when the offer is one that comes with a better job title, and with it, better renumeration, to move upwards in the corporate ladder, and to gain some foothold in keeping up with the Joneses.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/promotion.html
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A Nutshell Review: Boy A
I guess this subject had already been explored a number of times recently - how convicted criminals, upon release from their jail term, attempt to re-integrate themselves back into society. With Little Children and The Woodsman, we essentially have pedophiles who were released and had to deal with deep rooted prejudice and non-forgiveness in the community they reside in. But what if this criminal is a killer?
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/boy.html
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A Nutshell Review: Bangkok Dangerous
I've only caught the DVD of the Pang Brothers' Bangkok Dangerous, arguably their breakthrough film about a deaf mute hitman, which made audiences round the world sit up and take notice of their talent in crafting gritty stories. There are remakes that have their rights sold to others, and they join the ranks of the rare few who get the call from Hollywood, and given an opportunity to helm a remake of sorts with a bigger budget, and presumably better known stars. Unfortunately, whatever that made Bangkok Dangerous unique the first time round, got thrown out of the window for tried and tested, and therefore safer and predictable fare, that this one looked no more than a bland, generic action movie.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/bangkok-dangerous.html
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A Nutshell Review: My Sassy Girl
I haven't really watched the original from start to end, so I can't say for sure how well this version was vis-a-vis the Korean one, which shot Jeon Ji-Hyun to prominence in the starring role. The Hollywood remake however, went straight to DVD, but you know that it's Uniquely Singapore that we give DVD releases a chance on our big screens. That said, I thought this remake wasn't as bad as it was made out to be, what with some screaming blasphemy, and calling it inferior.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-sassy-girl.html
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A Nutshell Review: Make It Happen
How do you approach a dance movie? I feel that the story takes a firm back seat, in providing a wafer thin excuse to string some opportunities for dancing onto the screen. Granted there are some excellent storylines that come once in a while, but most times, you'd get the rudimentary dancer character who has to prove that he/she can dance to a group of nay-sayers consisting of peers or snooty judges, fall in love, and of course to rise above all challenges to claim the prize / gain acceptance from the community.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/make-it-happen.html
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A Nutshell Review: Babylon A.D.
I was eagerly awaiting Vin Diesel's return to the big screen in a science fiction flick, and his combination with Michelle Yeoh, who didn't fare too badly in Danny Boyle's Sunshine, would have made Babylon A.D. a decent pair up for both to show off their acting (ok, who am I kidding) - action chops rather, in a movie that had so much potential in its genetic make up, what with religion, artificial intelligence, and the likes all rolled into one.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/babylon-ad.html
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A Nutshell Review: Mamma Mia!
I grew up to the songs of Swedish group ABBA (yeah, I was born in the 70s, can?), and yes I'm fan enough to have bought their definitive collection CD and DVD years ago to add to my library, and have it all in my iPod so that I can listen to the evergreens that never fail to put a smile on my face, although some songs actually have really heartbreaking moments in them if you listen carefully.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/mamma-mia.html
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A Nutshell Review: The Fox and the Child
From the filmmakers who brought us The March of the Penguins, I guess that came with plenty of expectations for The Fox and the Child. From the harsh winters of the South Pole to the lush wilderness in France, the narrative now becomes part documentary and part fairy tale, which tells of the friendship between the two titular characters, Renard the fox and its friendship with the child who christened it, played by Bertille Noel-Beuneau.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/le-renard-et-lenfant-fox-child.html
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A Nutshell Review: Mirrors
Looking at the filmography of Alexandre Aja, he's becoming dangerously close to being branded as a director who specializes in remakes of films that can allow him to amplify the original gore factor, and one who hopefully doesn't position himself, intentionally or otherwise, such that audiences would come to expect a twist in every single one of his movies.
Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/09/mirrors.html