Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
“DARK SHADOWS” Movie Review. HUSH, sweet Babe. You LIKE this one or NOT?
“DARK SHADOWS” PRESS PREVIEW
If you relish a dash of Gothic Art embroiled within a wacky retelling of a so-called 1970s tale of the macabre, DARK SHADOWS should fire your imagination.
This is the eighth collaboration of TIM BURTON, visionary director with Gothic offbeat sensibilities and JOHNNY DEPP, an actor known for his non-conforming aesthetic tastes – but it’s by no means their best effort.
But JOHNNY DEPP and TIM BURTON must have a certain kind of divine friendship where trust is concerned to be able to collaborate again …. and again.
This latest offering is a spoof about an arrogant playboy vampire who’s been buried alive for two centuries as a punishment for an unrequited love and his philandering ways.
BEHOLD a stunning parade of sweet damsels here (Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Helena Boham Carter, Bella Heathcote and Eva Green) who ignite the screen, hissing, snarling and fighting for every second of screen time each time any of them appears.
Now about the plot line:
Barnabas (Johnny Depp) is the master of Collinwood Manor. He is handsome, powerful and extremely sexual …until he makes the vital mistake of bedding and breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green).
Angelique is a witch and dooms him to a fate worse than death by transforming him into a vampire, and then deliciously burying him alive.
Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his grave and emerges into the modern world of 1972.
He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate is no longer what it was.
The new members of the Collins family each harbors their own dark secrets.
Is the film any good?
Yes, if you don’t go on digging dirt for whatever it’s worth.
The characters are fabricated after the 1970s American gothic soap opera or what you’d call a camp classic.
It’s absolute gloom as each lead character puts forward his or her melodramatic performance.
The dialogue is spiced with mirth and wit in a bid to incite light hearted laughter to dispel the shadows of despair.
The cinematography is lavish, the visual effects are spectacular and the atmospheric interiors are darkishly desolate.
Enough said.
It’d be best you exercise objectivity if you wish to appreciate this movie.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
DIN TAO: Leader of The Parade 陣頭 MOVIE REVIEW. Brotherhood and Spiritual Bonding abound in this Heart-warming Tale.
DIN TAO: Leader of The Parade 陣頭 PRESS PREVIEW.
Sure, this feature bears an oddball name.
Furthermore it was shot on a modest budget of USD 1.3 million.
Yet it unexpectedly became a sleeper hit when it was released in TAIWAN during the Lunar New Year 2012 with a record-breaking box office take of more than USD 10 million, out-performing all local and foreign films during that period.
No mean feat as that status is still maintained.
Assuredly it’s a mighty film that undresses the Taiwanese art of the DIN TAO ritual in grand style.
DIN TAO is a significant street act in Taiwan to those who may not know.
It’s a glorious religious ritual performed to express the people’s belief and gratitude to Gods during religious festivals.
We are treated to an artistic eye-opener, focusing on the splendor of the DIN TAO art with a matching tale that will tug at your heartstrings.
Some soul – yes, with a lot of heart to boot.
DIN TAO the movie packs a beautiful formula that combines traditional practices of the DIN TAO art with modern elements within a heartwarming script.
And kudos to an all-star cast who succeeds in bringing forth the emotional depth that’s required in each of their roles.
It is television director FUNG KAI’s first foray onto the big screen and he deserves a resounding pat on the back for drumming us with this wondrous piece of cinematic gem.
There’s an air of poetic beauty throughout in the element if you care to dig.
Whilst FUNG KAI applauds that it may be acceptable to be young and disdainful, he also clearly demonstrates that respect for the elders and one’s family is an important factor.
Treasure this thing called filial piety, is his didactic reminder.
Let’s have a quick run-through of the plot line:
Allen Ko (柯有倫) plays A-tai, a hot-tempered young man who aspires about becoming a rocker in the US. He quits school in Taipei and returns to his Taichung village to work-and-save, before following his heart’s desire.
A-tai is often at loggerheads with his father, Uncle Da (A-hsi, 阿西), who runs a DIN TAO troupe, and they quarrel whenever their paths are crossed.
But Uncle Da is in financial straits. While his company struggles to make ends meet, his long-standing rival Wu Cheng (Liao Chun, 廖峻) and his troupe meet with success and popularity.
Irked by Wu’s arrogance, A-tai decides to lead the troupe’s demoralized members on a countrywide walk in search of inspiration to enhance the traditional folk art form.
Inspired by the true story of Taichung’s Chio-Tian Folk Drums & Arts Troupe, this movie glorifies the physical and emotional challenges a group of youth endures while engaging in the diminishing art of folk drums culture.
The troupe’s training regimen includes running six miles daily, hundreds of push-ups and sit-ups, hours of drumming, martial arts, meditation and studies on Taiwanese culture. In recent years, Chio-Tian has performed at national ceremonies and other public events.
This movie takes us on a rollercoaster ride spiced with thrills, spills, joys, sorrows and heartbreaks.
Spirituality and surrealism aside, one must realize that there’s always, a redemption factor in life where forgiveness heals all pains.
In closing, this Reviewer is highlighting a Dalai Lama quote to best describe the moral of this film:
“If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe, cause another to know that they are safe.
If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things, help another to better understand.
If you wish to heal your own sadness or anger, seek to heal the sadness or anger of another.”
Nothing can be further from the truth, right?
THE PRESS CONFERENCE
ALAN KUO and CRYSTAL LIN chime together:
“It’s really BEYOND our wildest dreams that this FILM is a super-duper BOX OFFICE HIT.”
A TOAST TO OUR HARD-EARNED SUCCESS!
“EACH and EVERY of the entire CAST has an integral role to play in the SUCCESS of this Film.”
Television director FUNG KAI achieves stupendous SUCCESS in his first time foray onto the big screen with DIN TAO: LEADER of the PARADE. He’s BEAMING all the way to the moon.
“I may look SWEET and DEMURE, but it is a new challenge to take on a BAD GIRL character as well ….”
“I play A-TAI who’s this ill-tempered and rebellious guy, and I am proud to be given this lead role in DIN TAO.”
THE MOVIE TRAILER
Monday, May 7, 2012
“GHOST BUDDIES” 《老友開心鬼》 Movie Review. This Crazy Pandemic Gathering of Absurd Souls.
“GHOST BUDDIES”《老友開心鬼》PRESS PREVIEW.
Watch this film with an open mind.
You may either nod with agreement, or shake your head in disbelief.
It’s one of those “goosey goosey gander” times when the tiresome actor MARK LEE drags us into yet another of his mindless dark comedy.
You’ve heard that familiarity breeds contempt, and he’s now weaning himself thin with the extreme overexposure derived from his myriad of screen roles, television appearances and what have you.
MARK LEE films can’t fail with his generous doses of his trademark grins and smirks, always ready to delve overboard to rib you with his goofy persona.
But you are lucky if you choose to get tickled pink by this one called “GHOST BUDDIES”.
Whatever the case, the overconfident Singapore actor MARK LEE has his coffers brimming with lucky cash and gleefully laughing his way to the bank. Let’s say that his mentor JACK NEO’s infamous downfall is MARK’s gain. He is taking over the throne as the King of meaningless slapsticks.
“GHOST BUDDIES” demonstrates what can really happen when your tap of creative ideas just runneth dry.
It extols one crazy yarn. You’ll have to suspend your disbelief to embark on this ride.
We need to thank Hong Kong film director SIMON SEK who directed this ridiculous mayhem. But he’s nowhere to be found during the press conference.
It’s an absurd much-ado-about-nothing tale about a crazy pandemonium of absurd souls.
Blame it on the bland script which tries hard to achieve cohesively, the most bizarre splatterings of Hokkien, Cantonese and Mandarin.
The end results is devoutly unfunny.
You don’t blame the pool of interesting talent played by the industry’s veterans such as LENNY OOI, WEE KHENG MING, LIM CHING MIAO, VIVIAN TOK, CHOW KEE MOO and KELVIN LEONG.
Singapore actor YAO WEN LONG joins in the riot to “fuel” the excitement.
Hong Kong’s TVB actress MAGGIE SHIU is roped in to dress this film with a regional appeal.
But unlike YEO YANN YANN who partnered MARK LEE successfully in a recent film “PETALING STREET WARRIORS”, there’s hardly any amiable chemistry between MAGGIE SHIU and dear MARK this time around.
With such an able cast, the cinematic treatment rendered by Hong Kong director SIMON PEK leaves much to be desired.
Let’s look at the synopsis:
Pearl (MAGGIE SHIU) and Ah Hui (MARK LEE) both work at a depressing funeral palour.
They are an unlikely couple.
She has a roving eye for handsome hunks whilst he is a simple nerd who holds a torch for her.
Then Ah Hui discovers that he has an uncanny ability to communicate with the dead through a couple of strange encounters.
Four ghosts suddenly appear to seek his help to fulfill their last wishes.
Ah Hui ropes in Pearl and together they go through various challenges to help the ghosts.
In doing so, a ghost-and-human friendship begins for the merry team.
Of course “GHOST BUDDIES” will worm its way into the hearts and minds of the silly Jacks and Jills who will trade guffaws and squeals at anything remotely funny. Not forgetting the kampungites.
“One man’s meat is another’s poison” is the rule here.
Go watch it if you are an avid fan of MARK LEE.
THE “GHOST BUDDIES” PRESS CONFERENCE
(Pictures kind courtesy of LOO YEW CHUNG)
Here’s LOOKING at YOU, folks.
“WE have a BETTER off-screen CHEMISTRY than ONSCREEN.”
“I am MARK LEE …… I am. So HEAR me ROAR!”
“GHOST BUDDIES” Movie Trailer
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