A Nutshell Review by daface

last SG · 2005-05-29T10:42:43+00:00

A Nutshell Review: I Hate Valentine’s DayI haven’t seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding from start to end, but from what I gathered from scenes, Nia Vardalos is qui...

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The Dark Knight

Before you continue, as a Bat-fan I can't help it but to celebrate The Dark Knight because Christopher Nolan hit the nail squarely on the head again, giving us possibly THE definitive version of a Batman movie involving The Joker, wait, make that THE definitive Batman movie to date after Batman Begins, unless he tops The Dark Knight with a follow up (Warner Brothers would be mad to hand over the mantle to somebody else at this point). So if you're looking for a standard review of the movie, go somewhere else. Otherwise, allow this fan to indulge in plenty of fawning over what went EXACTLY RIGHT, and with my SPOILER WARNING, do not proceed any further until you've seen the movie, and want to discuss it a bit. Here we go!

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/dark-knight.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Art of the Devil 3 / Long Khong 2

I suppose Thai horror movies are still popular and continue to enjoy theatrical releases in Singapore, and black magic still intrigues and provide numerous amount of material from which movies draw upon to conjure another round of scary movies. Black Magic's the dark arts in some parts of cultures of the east, and I still remember vividly some of the Hong Kong movies which elevated the Thai black arts as something horrific and truly scary, for a kid anyway.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/art-of-devil-3-long-khong-2.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Wedding Daze

It seems that the success of the American Pie trilogy which starred Jason Biggs and spawned a franchise of spin off movies bearing the American Pie branding, had somewhat slapped an unfortunate tag on actor Biggs. Of all the movies to date that I recall him in, they inevitably revolve around teenagers, sex, or romantic comedies. He can't shake off this tag, and I will be curious to see him take a big leap out of this unwarranted comfort zone, unless of course these are roles that appeal to him, and pays his bills anyway. What makes it ideal for him in roles as these, is his average everyday man looks and attitude.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/wedding-daze-pleasure-of-your-company.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The X-Files: I Want To Believe

It's not hard to imagine how time flies, when you realize that one of your best loved television series of all time had already ended its run, and you reminisce the times back when one of your weekend nights revolved around sitting in a bunk with your army mates, all glued to what Chris Carter had conjured as adventures for the two best known goggle box FBI agents, Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). While we always needed to crank up the volume to try and make sense of the murmurs involving shadow governments and secret conspiracies, our favourite episodes almost unanimously were those one-off ones, so called the "monster" episodes.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/x-files-i-want-to-believe.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The Spirit Compendium

Going by the synopsis, stills and posters, one would have expected a supernatural thriller at the very least. But you know what they say about expectations, and this being the first feature film of writer-director Foo Fung Koon, I have had friends who have given me that wry look and stifled laughter when I told them that I am prepared to be scared. And the usual trappings of a first film, with its raw delivery and unpolished feel, comes an accidental, unintentional comedy.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/spirit-compendium.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The Book of Revelation

You'd be forgiven if you thought that this movie was nothing more than the final chapter of the biblical text. Although itself based on a novel, this is a far cry from doomsday, though for the lead character, his life has been made a living hell for the sheer psychological and physical torture he goes through even after his unfortunate ordeal. And it does provoke some thought into the issues it put on screen, though it doesn't provide any answers, which I suppose in a real world equivalent, it's likely to remain under wraps too, for the shame.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/book-of-revelation.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Strange Wilderness

One of the reasons why I decided to watch this, is because I needed a comedy to laugh at, if it's not possible to laugh together with it. The DVD is already available at the shops, but I don't think I'm ready to fork out a Code 1 DVD price for what's essentially a short comedic film which is based from a Saturday Night Life comedy skit. Written by the same creative team of Peter Gaulke and Fred Wolf with the latter taking on directorial duties as well, Strange Wilderness delivered some genuine laughs, but only if you're tolerant of being insensitive to the kind of subject the film makes fun of.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/strange-wilderness.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Under the Same Moon

It's been a while since I experienced in the movies, a mother's love for her young child, and vice versa, being the primary focus of the film, especially with one that dealt with distance and longing. The last one that truly moved me was the Japanese film Be With You, and no prizes for guessing that this Mexican number Under the Same Moon will join its ranks.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/under-same-moon-la-misma-luna.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Money No Enough 2

I am quite unsure why Jack Neo had decided to call this "Money No Enough" 2, because frankly it's a departure from the crux of the original movie, and the characters too are totally different, despite starring the same main trio of himself, Mark Lee and Henry Thia. Perhaps it's to bank on the resounding box office success of its predecessor some 10 years ago in getting the crowds back into the halls, in an attempt to repeat that miracle.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/money-no-enough-2-2.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: A Month of Hungry Ghosts

Today marks the exact date to the start of the month long Lunar 7th Month, where the Chinese believe the gates of Hell are supposedly opened, and the “good brothers” (aka spirits both of the malevolent and the benevolent kind) roam the Earth as their vacation destination not by choice. They get to feast on the food offerings, and get pocket money from the Hell currency that humans provide, with entertainment either in the form of the more traditional Opera and puppet shows, or the glitz and glamour from Getai (“song-stage”) shows where singers belt out evergreens and the latest contemporary songs.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/month-of-hungry-ghosts.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

A friend was curious why I wanted to give this show a chance. The answer is simple, and I will not deny that I sort of enjoyed the free-wheeling, breezy summer action-adventure-comedy with a generous dose of special effects thrown in, which the Mummy and The Mummy Returns offered, together with the great chemistry between Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah. But this installment of Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, came hot on the heels of the Hollywood bandwagon of raiding their own franchises in order to rake in millions around the world, and therefore fell short on many counts.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/mummy-tomb-of-dragon-emperor.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Mad About English

By the time you read this, the Beijing Olympics 2008 is already in full swing, and the news leading up to it have been the concerns about the pollution levels affecting athletes' performances, as well as how the authorities have taken measures to ensure that all visitors get to enjoy an experience they'll never forget. Local documentarians have found the run up to the Olympic event monumental enough to craft documentaries around it, and earlier this year we have seen Tan Siok Siok's Boomtown Beijing, which provided some insights into how the Games had impacted and inpsired the ordinary folks. Lian Pek's Mad About English too get set during this period of preparation in Beijing.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/mad-about-english.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Pathology

From the West with the latest Saw installment or the indie Unrest, to the Asian counterpart in Body #19, dead bodies/cadavers continue to be milked for cinematic horror, not that you'd expect them to turn into zombies and start craving for human flesh, but for the amount of gore that an autopsy can provide when it's shown in your face, with skin and fat pulled back using tools of the trade, coupled with internal organs on display to challenge your stomach.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2008/08/pathology.html

daface SG

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

daface SG

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

daface SG

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

daface SG

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

daface SG

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

daface SG

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

daface SG

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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