“BATTLE OF THE YEAR” Movie Review. Give Breakdance a Chance.

IN MALAYSIAN CINEMAS 21, NOVEMBER, 2013

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“BATTLE OF THE YEAR” PRESS REVIEW

No, you will not hear violent battle cries as the film’s name implies.

But make no bones about it, “BATTLE OF THE  YEAR” can be an enjoyable flick despite its insipid title.

It’s all about dance, dance, dance … breakdance!

Here you find a radical assortment of American male dancers pitting against each other even in dedicated training, within the confines of a “breakaway fortress” far away from the madding crowd to focus, in order to improve their dance prowess.

If you wonder whatever happened to break-dancing movies these days, then the answer lies here, the revival.

“BATTLE OF THE YEAR” is an international dance crew tournament that attracts all the best teams from around the world. The Americans haven’t won in the fifteen years.

Los Angeles Hip Hop mogul Dante (Alonso) wants to put the country that started the Sport back on top. He enlists his hard-luck friend Blake (Holloway), who was a championship basketball coach, to coach his team.

Armed with the theory that the right coach can make any team champions, they assemble a Dream Team of all the best dancers across the country.

With only three months until Battle of the Year, Blake has to use every tactic he knows to get twelve talented individuals to bond as a team (despite the myriad of personality differences) if they’re going to bring the Trophy back to America where it started.

Will all efforts pay off?  Will the American clinch the trophy?

You have to find out for yourself, but the dance choreography is awesomely impressive.

The key attraction of this film is the casting of controversial hip-hop artist turned actor, Chris Brown.  Brown plays a character that is cocky, egocentric but very talented.

If you like dance flicks, then this one should do no wrong.

Go for it!

“KICK ASS GIRLS” Movie Review. 爆3俏嬌娃 電影

 “KICK ASS GIRLS” Movie Review

爆3俏嬌娃 電影

Get set to switch off your suspension of disbelief if you wanna sail smoothly alongside this chick flick.

Because, midstream, you might want to switch gears and dock ship to kick some nasty ass.

It  has a female director GC GOO BI on board.

GC with the unique name also doubles as a scriptwriter who knows how to wrangle a good story. She’s the Jill of all trades and knows every trick in the book about effective film making

Scene opens with three lovely but lethal femme fatales arriving in Malaysia. They are the direct exports from Hong Kong.

Lured by bright lights and big time money, they drop everything at home and zoom for Malaysia.

Count in the pouty Chrissie Chau, alluring Hidy Yu and squirmish queen Dada Lo.

Apart from Christie Chau, I’ll be honest to declare that I have yet to hear of the other two Hong Kong actresses.

Here’s a piece of grim reality:

Our home-bred Malaysian actresses  Chris Tong and Emily Lim who can easily give their three counterparts a run for their money are playing minor roles here. Justifiably so, as the principal markets are Hong Kong and China.

Here’s the plot line-up:

The three female leads, Bao (starring Chrissie Chau), Miu (starring Dada Lo) and TT (starring Hidy Yu) are messed up and fickle-minded when they are confronted to solve problems of the heart and friendship betrayals.

They are headhunted as female bodyguards by a mysterious Malaysian lady Zhu Ge (Chris Tong) who promises them the heaven and the earth.

So seduced by the taste of attainable wealth, they throw caution to the four winds and fly to Kuala Lumpur.

But their initial lavish lifestyles are nipped in the bud as they are soon to discover that they are recruited as women warriors.

They have to fight tooth-and-nail for survival against murderous women fighters as pawns inside huge animal cages for lecherous gambling men who place their bets on whoever that’s deemed to emerge as winner.

Now, how are these bewildered damsels going to redeem their lives and regain their honor?

The movie has all the answers, so go watch.

‘KICK ASS GIRLS” is an action packed movie loaded with so much fun by a bevy of beautiful stars.

It’s ferocious, fearsome, full on and packs one hell of a punch! 

The Press Conference on 16th November, 2013 in Kuala Lumpur

SPORTY MALAYSIAN ACTRESS EMILY LIM HAD SO MUCH FUN FILMING, DESPITE A CAMEO ROLE.

Lead actress CHRISSIE CHAU laments:

“I injured my left leg on the first day of shooting. It’s the result of spin-kicking some thugs whilst wearing a tight mini-dress and a pair of cumbersome six-inch heels.”

PRESS CONFERENCE PICTURES COURTESY of FRANK NG

“THIS ACTION COMEDY PACKS ONE HELL OF A PUNCH”

“KISS ASS GIRLS” is FUNNY, FEROCIOUS and FULL-ON!”

“IT’S LIKELY WE SHALL ALL RETURN WITH A SEQUEL!”

Here’s the movie TRAILER complete with whatever you should know BEHIND-the-SCENES.

“CARRIE” 2013 Movie Review. The HORRORS return in this ghastly REMAKE.

“CARRIE” PRESS PREVIEW

You’d either love the CARRIE 2013 version, or hate it.

I enjoyed the film, despite the renewed dressings and crazy negative feed backs.

You just cannot please everyone.

In reality, it’s a decent remake of a 70s horror flick (directed by Kimberly Peirce) that is back after donkey years to rock the boat and to send delicious quivers down one’s spine all over again.

You’d need to switch off your suspension of disbelief  mode though, to relish this one.

Hopefully you are able to detect an equal amount of adrenaline and testosterone, as compared with the original classic.

Yes, the mainstay is still payback, demonstrating that Karma still rules, that what you sow, you reap.

Let’s delve further into the plot:

This version of CARRIE is a reimagining of the classic horror tale about a school outcast called Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz).

She is brought by her deeply religious mother (Julianne Moore).

CARRIE’s adolescence has been a tough ride all the way.

She is emotionally humiliated and physically maimed by her so-called school friends whom she trusted.

The Moretz performance is, in many ways, admirable. She captures the pain and confusion of a young girl tormented by her classmates.

 Moretz and Moore as the mother-and-daughter pair share  an admirable chemistry and their performances shine during the movie’s major confrontation scenes.

The infamous prom scene, where Carrie goes horribly berserk using her psychokinesis powers, after getting doused with pig’s blood is rendered nasty and revengeful with a ghastly CGI polish.

This contemporary version of CARRIE is eerie, chilling and special effects laden.

Go watch it with an open mind.

Enjoy!

“THAT GIRL IN PINAFORE” (A Singapore Love Story) Movie Review. 我的朋友，我的同學，我愛過的一切. Watch your hazy dazy Teenage Days roll by in this Sweet, Mushy Film.

“THAT GIRL IN PINAFORE” (A Singapore Love Story) Press Review.

“我的朋友，我的同學，我愛過的一切”.

Reach for a hankie please, should you feel the “emo” thing in this Singapore love story tugging at your heartstrings.

Like I have expressed many times before in my previous writings, it’s great to be young.

And what price youth?

You go figure, ‘cos everyone can only be young once.

Take stock of your teen years if you are an adolescent right now. You may not realize that those pre-adult, hassle-free years may be the best part of your life.

Growing up is fun, but should you fail to treasure “the little moments” that tick away your days of youth, “the little moments” may just dance right in front of your eyes and flicker off in a jiff.

The camaraderie you share with your chums, the incessant rubbishy school banter, slogging for the  examinations and ah…  falling in love … they are all laced here carefully, courtesy of the film director.

The young years is a subject close to everyone’s heart and it’s like demonstrating that the film director is taking the  baby boomers (the secondary group), on a nostalgic journey down memory lane.

Yes, (repeat) it is exhilarating to be young.

“THAT GIRL IN PINAFORE” is a high-spirited and hilarious film by renowned Singapore director CHAI YEE-WEI.

It is an unfiltered, albeit comedic take on the Singapore Xin Yao period and has a notable balance of romance, puppy loves, controlling parents and growing up healthily and happily.

There is something for everyone here, young and old alike.

It is a song-led drama set in the 1990s revolving around the lives of a group of teens who dare dream.

After a dismal flunk with his ‘O’ Level exams, Jiaming (DAREN TAN) helps out at his parents’ pub by performing in a band with his friends.

He then meets May (JULIE TAN) and drawn together by their common love for xinyao music, they slowly discover they have the hots for each other.  But this romance is short lived as May’s mum objects to the budding relationship, and is adamant about sending her daughter to the US for further studies.

The musical score is excellent.

Whether it’s Xin Yao, Ma Yao or Thai Yao, it’s just a juggling of regional musical terminology depicting a certain period.

The plot is not just boy-meet-girl and falling in love. If you dig hard enough you can unearth a common reminder, that of living in the present, and finding solace and hope in each moment.  Grown-ups stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. Kidding. Where’s the other land? Youth is a time where you can watch the world sail by, without pretensions.

When you are an adolescent, there’s little chance that you’ll be swarmed with problems of the adult, that of injustice, competing and poverty. The young will find a different, innocent way to beat the odds.

At the press conference I ribbed Director YEE-WEI whether it was necessary to inject so much “crap” in the movie.  There appeared a dedication of farts, pee and poop scenes to entice your guffaws.

I needn’t have asked, as this appears to be a favorite Singapore joke, an adherent “toilet” issue proudly featured in Singapore’s Media Corp drama series such as IT TAKES TWO and HOUSEWIVES’ HOLIDAY.

Singapore loves this kind of testy jokes, my colleague roared.

The film director’s painstaking attention to timing details, ably supported by a commendable  young cast  with the newly arranged hit songs add authenticity to the film.

“THAT GIRL IN PINAFORE” 我的朋友，我的同學，我愛過的一切  is definitely worth a see.

Watch your hazy dazy Teenage Days roll by in this Sweet, Mushy Film crafted in Singapore.

You will certainly be glad you did.

“THAT GIRL IN PINAFORE” PRESS CONFERENCE IN KUALA LUMPUR on

7th NOVEMBER 2013

PRESS PHOTOS COURTESY of TI CHIN HAN

Director CHAI YEE-WEI leads his merry team

《丧车The Last Bus》Movie Project 一段令人不寒而栗的民间传说

当夜幕低垂

明月升起

一段尘封已久的民间传说将悄然重生

《丧车The Last Bus》Movie Project

一段令人不寒而栗的民间传说

预告：

正值农历七月的某个夜晚，一个个胆怯的心灵都躲在家中，不敢出户。在那条残破却静谧的公路上，夹带着呼啸的阵阵阴风，隐约传来了撕心裂肺般的鬼泣。眼前突然闪过一辆老旧的巴士，刹那间，时间仿佛停留在了那位开着巴士的女子身影。车灯划破了漆黑的道路，强烈的光线深深地刻画出巴士诡秘的轮廓。

那个离你远去的残影，只留下了两道红圈，诡异地注视着你。在黑暗中，磁带回放着那首红极一时的老歌:

“他能在黑夜 给我太阳...”

顿时头皮发麻，手掌心冷僵硬，身体不由自主地打了个寒颤。

鬼巴犹如嗜血成性的野兽，在旅途中找寻下一个牺牲的搭客。没人清楚它从何而来，更不知它开往何处，而在从道听途说的口中唯一可以确认的是：

一旦搭上了巴士，必定有去无回。

“THE LAST BUS” 丧车 Movie Project. A No-disembarking Journey to Hell. (Teaser)

YOU SEE A BLAZE OF DAZZLING LIGHT

THE LAST BUS OF THE DAY HAS ARRIVED FOR MIDNIGHT PICK-UPS

WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN …

THE MOON WILL RISE

ANOTHER RURAL LEGEND WILL BE REBORNED

“THE LAST BUS” Feature Movie 

A Creepy Rural Folklore. 

TEASER:

Nightfall.  Audible strains of eerie music perpetuate the ghostly silence.

In the far distance, loud rumblings of thunder.

The time is almost midnight along a lonely stretch of country road.

It is an unearthly night during the Chinese Hungry Ghost Month where the villagers choose to stay at home. 

The wind howls, adding gloom to the dismal mood.

Suddenly you espy an old bus with a quick glimpse of a woman driver at the wheel, plying the derelict, jagged road.

The most intriguing part is the bus’s headlights that exude a scary contrast atop the darkness.

The blaring lights brazenly illuminate the silhouette of a run-down bus.

In the background you can hear an old transistor belting the final strains of a popular Chinese classic:

“In the darkness of the night, you are my shining light.” 

Creepy. Chilly. Spooky.

The Ghost Bus is like a ferocious beast “on the prowl” looking for unsuspecting passengers.

No one knows where it is coming from.

No one knows where it is heading.

But one thing for sure …

Once you hop aboard, don’t you ever think you can leave.

Here’s the song called “ETERNAL SMILE” that inspires the Movie.

Take note of the haunting lyrics “In the Darkness of the Night, You are my Guiding Light.”