Friday, October 22, 2010
RED Movie Review. Watch SENIOR CRONIES and OLD BROADS as they BATTLE it OUT.
RED MOVIE. PRESS PREVIEW
First of all, FOLKS, please do NOT attach any real meaning to this movie called RED.
There isn’t one.
It is just a madcap spoof, meant for the baby boomer who has intention to relive a second childhood, the artsy nutty and the intellectual doser.
Treat this as a fun-fun ride where mayhem reigns.
As far as the brand’s positioning is concerned …..
this MOVIE is targeted at a niche market …. senior citizens or loyal fans of the leading actors.
To describe this film, just borrow the title of an old film called “the GODS must be CRAZY” …
But as CRAZY as it may seem,
here’s an ACTION film starring old A-Lister farts such as BRUCE WILLIS, HELEN MIRREN, MARY-LOUIE PARKER, JOHN MALKOVICH and MORGAN FREEMAN and a cameo by a long lost actor RICHARD DREYFUSS.
See …… not even one single eye candy.
Rather, we have an odd gathering of old cronies and broads, yah?
Surely …
and loads of unintentional laugh-out escapades with the elderlies taking centre stage, having a whale of a time, shooting with machine guns and other types of weaponry.
Auchhhh, it’s one bloody mayhem, trust me.
Here’s the SYNOPSIS of this SPOOFY MOVIE:
Bruce Willis is Frank Moses – one cranky CIA agent, very much retired.
For want of nothing better to do and literally dying of sheer boredom, he calls Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) an administrative assistant in charge of his monthly retirement check every day, speaking from her office in Kansas City.
Though they have never met in person, Frank has the hots for this bubbly “voice” and hopes to hook up with her.
Well, that meeting happens sooner than planned because a team of assassins shows up in the night to kill Frank for his past deeds.
Being Bruce Willis, he takes them all out — “Red” stands for Retired, Extremely Dangerous — before going on the run.
He arrives at Kansas City and kidnaps Sarah, calmly explaining to her that the CIA is now inexplicably out to assassinate him for the reason that they’ve been talking together so much.
He whisks her down to New Orleans, where he begins the process of putting together a team of “old retirees” ripe for one more good fight against the foes.
First on the list is Morgan Freeman as Joe Matheson (Morgan Freeman).
Next comes John Malkovich as Marvin Boggs, an almost deranged paranoid bloke.
Last, there is this genteel killer called Victoria (Helen Mirren).
These “passe” folks used to be cold-blooded Government killers, now fleeing from their new management who’s out to get them.
Our SENIOR CRONIES AND BROADS then light up the screen with corny lines that rouse hip-roaring laughter and unwarranted violent action.
This is RED the movie, directed aptly by Robert Schwentke,who aims to entertain you with a “different” bunch of heroes (familiar famous faces who are lending their BIG names to dress up this hilarious film).
Go watch it if you aspire for something “different”.
It is chitty-chitty bang-bang all the way!
This is one movie you either love it to bits
or you’d like to bludgeon it to death.
Let’s see what’s YOUR score.
Whosh!
Monday, October 18, 2010
HACHI: A DOG'S TALE Movie Review. HE will KISS the HAND that has NO FOOD to OFFER. His LOVE is always UNCONDITIONAL.
HACHIKO: A Dog’s Story MOVIE Preview
This One, for Pet Lovers, in 3 Parts.
Part 1 : The REAL Story
The depicted events actually took place …..
Imagine a little known town in Odate, Japan, year 1923.
HACHI lived there with his master, a professor at the Tokyo University.
Every day without fail, HACHI would “yappily” accompany Dr. Ueno to the local train station where the professor left for work.
HACHI would surely return in the evening to greet him.
It was daily rictual, a sentimental journey, a profound bond shared between master and dog.
Until one day Dr. Ueno unexpectedly suffered a stroke whilst teaching and died.
For the next nine years, HACHI would not believe that his beloved master was dead.
He faithfully awaited his return at the Shibuya train station.
A bronze statue now sits in the place where HACHI waited.
This story has been told countless times to Japanese children as a classic example of being true to the memory of a loved one. Anyone.
PART 2 : The REEL Story
This is an American remake of the Japanese canid yarn.
Director LASSE HALLSTROM invites us on an emotional visual experience.
Therefore our scene relocates from the 1930s Japan to contemporary New England.
We are introduced here, to a faithful Akita dog called HACHI.
The heartwarming story centers on Parker Wilson (RICHARD GERE), a music professor who surrenders to the charms of dog ownership.
Every morning, they’d romp and bond together on a “journey”
- from home to the railway station where Parker leaves for work.
When day is done, HACHI would be wagging his tail at the Station in anticipation of his master’s return.
As the years roll by, the whole town becomes enchanted by the daily routine in which Hachi walks Parker to the station in the morning before returning to greet him every afternoon at five.
When Parker suddenly passes on unexpectedly,
his family sells the house and moves away.
But HACHI refuses to follow.
Everyday he’d stoically embark on “his sentimental journey” to the railway station, and keeps this steadfast vigil for almost a decade.
We all know that HACHI’s master will never return.
Sensitively directed, HACHICO is one touching bereavement parable that is likely to break the hearts of dog lovers.
RICHARD GERE does a mesmerizing role as a kindly music professor, always with a twinkle in his eyes, with a soft spot for dogs.
We trace his 3 decades+ acting career from AN AMERICAN GIGOLO when he first started out, to what he is now, tackling mature characters with understated charm.
PART 3: My REAL Story
I’ve always acknowledged actor Aaron Eckhart’s piece on Man’s best friend.
“I have a dog and sometimes I’ll be that little kid again with my dog
and marvel at his ears and his nose and how he looks at me.
If he died, I’d bawl like a baby.”
Anyone who owns a canine pet couldn’t have agreed more.
One of the most loving and unconditional relationships you will ever have is with your dog.
Their sense of loyalty and devotion can be compared to no other.
In return for the companionship they provide, it is our responsibility to show them love and take care of them.
Dogs are genuinely faithful and true to their masters, to the last beat of their hearts.
And we owe it to them to be worthy of such a devotion.
The following is a refresher taken from my other articles about DOGS:
“If misfortune drives the master forth as an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies.
And when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in it’s embrace, and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true, even in death.”
DOGS guide us to the sunshine world through their eyes.
They teach us to show love to whom we hold so dear, and let them know we care.
HACHI the selfless Akita dog is one fine example.
Just don’t forget to bring a box of tissues along when you watch the film (sniff).
There are simply too many tender moments that’ll make you wanna go home to hug your dog.
So remember:
He’s your FRIEND, your PARTNER, your DEFENDER, your DOG.
Nothing else counts.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
REIGN of ASSASSINS (劍雨) Movie REVIEW. A Taut, Superb, Well-Crafted WU XIA Thriller.
REIGN OF ASSASSINS (劍雨) Press Preview.
As I sit in the darken cinema previewing the REIGN OF ASSASSINS …..
I am suddenly assailed by a strong sense of nostalgia.
It’s as though I am reviving the memories of a long gone era ….
It’s like taking an exploratory saunter into the 60s, visiting the SHAW BROTHERS Studios in Hong Kong, where the Wu Xia films were once-upon-a-time exploited to a hilt.
More …..
I can even appraise the remarkable touches of the late KING HU (Come Drink With Me) and ANG LEE (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) in the film’s directorial treatment …..
showcasing this as one of the finest WU XIA films to arrive at our shores after the lapse of a long, long time.
In the 60s, actress CHENG PEI PEI dominated the big screen as the swordplay queen.
These days, it’s MICHELLE YEOH the indisputable thespian of action flicks who presides in a steely role that earns our respect.
Viva, MICHELLE!
REIGN OF ASSASSINS is indeed, JOHN WOO’s first WU XIA film.
He also doubles as the producer and co-director.
It is a collaborative effort with Taiwanese film director SU CHAO PIN who helms the movie.
The PLOT centres around a notorious female assassin Drizzle (MICHELLE YEOH) who grows tired of her incessant killings.
She is determined to quit her GANG of killer swordsmen called THE DARK STONE.
However, DRIZZLE is in possession of one part of a mystical Buddhist monk’s remains and becomes hunted by her former compatriots, who seek the valuable secret hidden within it.
In a bid to escape, she requests an old doctor to perform surgery on her face.
Armed with a new look, she flees the scene and settles in a small little known town.
As fate would have it, she soon falls in love and marries a young man (JUN WOO SUNG),
but even her new found husband harbors a secret agenda.
This is where the plot of the REIGN OF ASSASSINS starts to unfold ….
Here’s a soulful story of conviction and redemption that reminds us that in forgiveness, we will have the strength to do what is right.
To love we must sometimes risk everything.
Yet some sins cannot be forgotten as in REIGN OF ASSASSINS …. the character DRIZZLE must come to terms with the guilt of killing the father of the man she loves.
And as the past manifests itself layer by layer, she has to confront the killer comrades she once collaborated with.
She badly wants to leave the disturbing echoes of the unhappy memories behind, but she realizes that she cannot simply pull a veil, or paint over her past.
What had happened, have already happened.
Life has to move on ….
She now has to navigate these shadowy recesses in a story that will make you glad that you’ve decided to come for a ride.
A top-notched cast, a painstakingly fabulous script
and breathtaking swordplay action aptly capture the classic essence of the WU XIA genre.
Such are the powerful torrents of REIGN OF ASSASSINS.
There are bitter-sweet moments towards the end – during the husband-and-wife confrontation in a fight for death, where vengeance runs amok but love delves deep.
The finale is taut and touching, as the Chinese title SHOWERS OF SWORDS implies, adding poetic justice to a spellbinding twist.
After CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, this is another classic that will keep you glued to your seat.
GO WATCH IT.
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