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 Other End of the Line

Much has been said about the outsourcing of call centers to India, but so far I haven’t seen one portrayed in a film in this manner, where Ifelt the portrayal of its inner workings was one of the better moments in his romantic-comedy. As far as I can recall, those who make cold calls to me for surveys, credit sign up and the likes, seem to sound local, or have that distinct regional accent that wasn’t disguised, but if things happen per the movie, I won’t be surprised that I was duped to believe they’re calling from somewhere locally, rather than from abroad.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/oth…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The Pink Panther 2

I think it’s time to shelve comparisons of Peter Sellers iconic take of Inspector Jacques Clouseau with that of Steve Martin’s. Take it like a total reboot, not necessarily for the better of course, since the franchise thus far has taken Clouseau into more slapstick, as well as quite surprisingly, turning him into both a sexist and a racist, excuses being he’s a total nincompoop.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/pin…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: New In Town

In this economic climate of corporate downsizing, one wonders how the corporate boys in monkey suits on the board run their business with the help of a spreadsheet. It’s always easy to see which areas of the business bleed red, and decide then on to send hatchet-men to the ground to execute (pardon the pun) and prune various portions of that wound to try and stop the hemorrhage, failing which a complete amputation would be required. It’s easy making such decisions from the ivory tower devoid of decent human interaction, but never easy from the folks on the ground to do it, because it leaves just a bad aftertaste, especially when the folks are friends, and people you know.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/new…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Delhi 6

Abhishek Bachchan’s character Roshan made a remark relatively early in the movie that made me laugh out loud. While watching a stage play, and not totally well versed in the history nor story, he commented that it was the one about a “golden deer”, and to a certain extent, it was true, but of course totally taken out of context. It reminded me of a personal anecdote many years ago, where a Caucasian couple was standing next to me and watching a lion dance performance. Not knowing what they were, the wife asked the husband, who proudly replied “They’re dogs, but they’re good dogs!”. I was chuckling too hard inside to want to enlighten them.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/del…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Forever Enthralled

I got to watch this trailer inadvertently when it was part of a montage sequence honouring Chen Kaige with the Akira Kurosawa Award during last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, and I was actually thrilled to have caught glimpses of it. I thought the boo-boys were out too early in lamenting Chen’s choice of Leon Lai in the titular role, thinking that he would ruin what would be a decent biopic about one of China’s greatest opera singer.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/for…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Role Models

No man is an island, and deciding to be miserable all the time is not going to make life any easier. You’d either grin, bear it and look on the bright side, or stay a sour puss and irritate everyone with that attitude. Danny (Paul Rudd) and Wheeler (Seann William Scott) are colleagues who are pimping an energy drink for 10 years, one the evangelist who preaches, while the other prances around in the mascot Minotaur suit.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/rol…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: K20: Legend of the Mask

There’s no stopping Takeshi Kaneshiro in charming the socks off everyone, especially since new fans were won over by his heartfelt performance as the Grim Reaper in Accuracy of Death last year, and following that with his Zhuge Liang in Red Cliff. This year in Singapore, he marquees a big budgeted action-mystery masked vigilante movie, and while his powers and abilities to hark back to the Batmans and Spidermans, K-20 turned out to be rather entertaining for its liberal use of special effects, comedy and some fantastic action sequences, set against at alternate Japanese universe.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/k-2…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Suspect X

I have mulled over the story for a bit, and while I’m fairly convinced in the way it presented itself to stay true to its theme, I can’t help but feel that I’m still suckered into feeling the same way as the cops do, in being made to see things from one singular point of view just because the logic points itself that way conveniently, rather than to peek around the corner and see it under a different light. But if you believe and buy into its idea and rationale, then Suspect X’s story would appeal to you definitely.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/sus…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: My Bloody Valentine 3D

Like any horror-slasher flick with potential to become a franchise, My Bloody Valentine started off with a bang, and if not for some sporadic body counts in between to lift the narrative sag, it would have been sunk way before the long-drawn finale. To horror buffs, the clues as to the identity of the killer miner would be so obvious, that you’d just be crossing your fingers in the hope that you’re wrong. It begins with a brief history of The Miner Harry Warden who goes on a killing rampage, and in quite exciting terms of torn limbs and dismembered insides. Friends like Sarah (Jaime King), Axel (Kerr Smith) and Tom (Jensen Ackles) come face to face with the killer on night in a party in the mines, only for the police to intervene and save the town of Harmony.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-...

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Kung Fu Chefs

I guess it’s only Chinese that we can include everything that moves into our gastronomical cuisine, and for films, everything can be kung-fu-ed. From card sharks to period dramas and even hip-hop and mah-jong, you can slap some characters who are versed in the martial arts of wire-fu into a story, and conjure some bland cinematic magic with it. To boost attendance numbers, throw in a singer / teen idol in it, and you probably won’t go too wrong. Kung Fu Chefs follow this tired formula. While there are some limited worthy moments in the film (to be explained), it’s below mediocre throughout with uncharismatic leads, weak characters, and having a story which smelt like another.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/kun…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Marley & Me

Based upon the book by John Grogan, Marley & Me doesn’t offer any new surprises in what’s expected of from a story about Man’s best friend, and having been just that to John Grogan (played by Owen Wilson) and his family, the story’s very much a personal tale of the Grogans’, though John’s especially, relationship with their pet dog who had been a major part of their married and family life from the onset.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/mar…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: If You Are The One

I’m a keen admirer of versatile Chinese director Feng Xiaogang and am a fan of his films, which covers quite a vast range from War (The Assembly), Period martial arts (The Banquet), and a good old thriller in World Without Thieves, amongst others in his filmography. I’ve yet to watch something that had disappointed, and his latest romantic drama If You Are The One starring long time collaborator Ge You and Shu Qi, proves to be yet another understated film that deserves a larger audience, if not for the limited number of screens (two only) in Singapore.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/if-...

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

At the risk of sounding stupid, while I knew that this was based on a book by John Boyne, not having read it meant I had initially thought that it would be one of those childhood based film on fantasy. And I guess so did many parents in bringing their little tykes in what they thought would be a weekend filler in between activities. Little did I and they know of course that it packed such a powerful emotional punch in not wanting to be just another movie set in WWII Germany and the Holocaust, showcasing the horror of that era seen through the eyes of a little boy who couldn’t understand the gravity of the dire situation he’s plunged into, making it all the more painful to bear witness to.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/02/boy…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Departures

By now almost everyone would have heard of this Japanese film Okuribito (Departures), given its win in the recent Academy Awards, clinching the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, beating the likes of crowd favourite Waltzing With Bashir, and the Palme D’or winner The Class. And now after watching it, it’s no surprise really, because if I were to go tongue in cheek, it’s the novelty factor, given that the Academy would never have conceived upon the notion that a film coming from Asia and filled with death, corpses and coffins, would be anything but a horror film. Seriously though, Departures have Awards written all over it, with fine acting complementing a strong story to tell.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/dep…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Watchmen

I suppose everyone would have known by now how Alan Moore really distanced himself from the cinematic version of his highly acclaimed graphic novel. And in all honesty, it’s all about control, given that you’ve written one of your career’s best, only for some other guy to roll along, and to interpret it in another medium. It’s akin to acceding and handing over your pet project to someone else whom you have no inkling of whether they can do a good job out of it, and it’s really a risk put out there since it’s a mass medium, different from where Moore insists Watchmen should belong to – in print.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/wat…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Push

Push is one of those movies that gives you the deja-vu feeling that it’s a quick hack job, because from the trailer alone, images of X-men as well as Star Wars come racing through your mind, what with talk about being born with special powers akin to being a mutant wanted by government agents, as well as in execution of those abilities as fluidly like a Jedi Knight would, with mind-tricks, Force Push and a prophecy to fulfil.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/pus…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Dhoondte Reh Jaoge

I could actually sum up this review in one title and wrap this up, seriously. As you would already know, Bollywood has its fair share of adaptations, and this one is a carbon copy of the musical The Producers, minus the many song and dance moments (surprise!) and retold in context with an India setting of course. The trailer would have given it all away, though I found it a novelty that it had coined the term (and perhaps I’m wrong here but it’s the first time I’m hearing it) Flopbuster.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/dho…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Dragonball Evolution

Hollywood plundering Japanese pop culture isn’t something new. From “Americanizing” television series for the kids from Power Rangers to Ultraman, and adapting famed characters from Japanese film, games and manga to frequent disastrous effect, it still wouldn’t stop the studios from going after one property after another. This time round it’s the long running Dragonball series, because the assumption is that the built-in fan base would translate to instant dollars at the box office. Not.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/dra…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Race to Witch Mountain

If aliens exist, and if they have access to the films made from Earth, they would likely make a mental note to remind themselves that should they visit our planet on terms other than a hostile takeover or annihilation, to avoid landing in the USA at all costs. Hollywood has enough dough to continuously churn out effects laden science-fiction movies, and most of them are big budgeted action fests like Independence Day and Men In Black, which don’t exactly paint a good picture of the extra-terrestrials. Aliens who have more benign intent, would be frightened by how trigger happy and violence prone the US is toward illegal aliens, even if popular culture meant the landing zone for extra terrestrials is the USA and not other larger countries.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/rac…

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Detroit Metal City

Don’t worry if you don’t appreciate heavy metal music, because this film takes on a rather satire feel of the genre, with its focus firmly rooted in its characters and a key human condition, that about the masks which we put on and the behaviour adopted through the persona on the surface that’s donned.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2009/03/det…

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