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: Zoolander

I am five years late. Just as I was so prepared to watch a Ben Stiller caper, with the posters all up at local theatres, the movie disappeared from the radar, and was banned in Singapore. Why? Because the plot was about a fashion model being brainwashed ala The Manchurian Candidate to assassinate the Malaysian Prime Minister.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/zoolander.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Hidden (Cache)

There's a full scene in which a boy hacks up a chicken's head, and the camera lingers until the chicken dies. This is what this movie is, a headless chicken running around in futile, boring audiences until its end. The plot is like Georges' character when he was almost knocked down by a cyclist - exhibiting great bravado with his initial challenge, but when challenged back in return, cowers and wraps up with the tail in between its legs. Pah!

Read more at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/hidden-cache.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Final Destination 3

I wonder why I missed the first two movies of the franchise, given that I'm a fan of gore (the bloodier the merrier). But you need not have watched the first two movies in order to enjoy Final Destination 3, as it's pretty much a stand-alone movie utilizing the same premise.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/final-destination-3.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Rumor Has It

Based on a true rumor, the premise of the movie was set up oh-so perfectly, especially if you're a fan of Mike Nichols' 1967 Dustin Hoffman-Anne Bancroft movie, The Graduate (with its immortal line uttered again in this film). It's pretty creative to have that story and characters intertwined with the narrative of this movie.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/rumor-has-it.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: 49 Days

This Hong Kong horror movie has 2 titles, one the Chinese one which means the rhino's horn, while the other in English refers to the seven by seven equals forty-nine days of the initial afterlife, in which the body's spirit will roam the earth before proceeding to the netherland. And this movie actually talks about both in a rather interesting manner.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/49-days.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The Fog

Hollywood has not gotten over its John Carpenter remakes, and The Fog is the latest in a series. From the trailers, we were teased that "there is something in the fog", but we do not know what. And no, despite being nice to look at and all, the Fog is not at all suffocating.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/fog.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Wolf Creek

Based on true events supposedly, Wolf Creek is an Australian production that adds its two cents worth to the slasher genre. However, audiences today won't buy too much into "based on a true story/event/life/etc" gimmick, especially if your end credits contain a line that reveals all events in the movie are purely fictional. Right.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/wolf-creek.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Munich

The Munich 1972 Olympic games will forever go down in infamy for the killing of Israeli sportsmen by a terrorist group known as Black September. If you wish to know more about the motives and happenings on that fateful day, including the ineptness of the Germans to manage the entire situation, resulting in the deaths of almost all the perpetrators and the victims, do check out the documentary One Day In September. But not to say that Steven Spielberg's Munich fares any less. My recommendation is to watch the documentary first if you wish to understand more of what happened before, then to follow up with Spielberg's movie for the tale of what happened after when the Mossad went after the mastermind planners. So that you'll not be as irritating as the bimbo sitting behind me asking her equally clueless boyfriend "what happened? Why like that?"

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/munich.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Gubra

I'm not going to review this in the usual manner. I hope I'll be able to dwell much more on what this movie meant to me, and how I related to it. It isn't easy, as my thoughts have been rather scattered, because Gubra meant a lot as I ponder during different times. I am most likely to watch it again, after yesterday's world premiere at GV Grand. So before I begin, let me warn you that the rest of this review (if I may still call it so) is full of spoilers. So watch the movie, then come back and read the rest of it. We will agree to disagree, and I truly welcome your views on your emotions towards this excellent movie. But before you leave, remember, you ABSOLUTELY MUST stay behind for ONE SCENE at the END OF THE CREDITS. You will not be disappointed.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/gubra.html

You can also read about the dinner meeting with the director and stars here:
http://www.moviexclusive.com/article/gubra/gubra1.htm
or
http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/gubra-conversations-with-yasmin.html

and the world premiere coverage here:
http://www.moviexclusive.com/article/gubra/gubra2.htm
or
http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/02/gubra-world-premiere.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Underworld: Evolution

After Kate Beckinsale's Seline character got around kicking massive rear in slinky black lycra, we had Charlize Theron doing the same in Aeon Flux, and coming soon, Milla Jovovich in Ultraviolet. Sexy costumes, menacing weapons and killer moves seem to be the order of the day. It's no doubt that Underworld would have a sequel, since it was obviously hinted at after the end credits of the original, though it would be three years before it materialized.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/underworld-evolution.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Transamerica

Felicity Huffman is up and running for the Best Actress Oscar this year, and there's no profound reason to understand why. It's a challenging role, one in which she plays a transsexual. No, not a woman who wants to become a man, but the reverse. Meaning she has to have that constant subtle nuance that she's physically evolving into a woman through the assistance of drugs, while groping with the fact that others know she's a little queer.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/transamerica.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Nanny McPhee

It's been an awesome, unforgettable 2 weeks of Sepet/Gubra, and reluctantly, now it's back to the regular schedule of reviews, starting with Nanny McPhee.

Nanny McPhee, based on the Nurse Matilda books, tells the story of the Brown family. Mr Brown (Colin Firth) is a widower who has to single handedly bring up seven children. Make that seven mischievious children who has driven away a record 17 nannies. He needs to work to bring home the bacon, but cannot find a suitable nanny who could stand the children's antics. Until Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson) turns up mysteriously one day (yes, she did knock), and weaves her brand of wit and magic into the Browns.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/nanny-mcphee.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Date Movie

What's the plot? There is no plot to speak of. It's just stringing together a series of spoofs into an 80 minute movie, drawing its material, and this list is not exhaustive, from movies like Briget Jones' Diary, Kill Bill, Meet the Parents, Dodgeball, Meet the Fockers (down to the kid and cat), Pretty Woman, When Harry Met Sally, King Kong, Hitch, etc. Some celebrities also get ribbed, like Mr and Mrs Britney Spears, and Michael Jackson.

Read more at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/date-movie.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Cry_Wolf

And so the shepherd boy cried "Wolf!", but alas, because he had given one too many false alarms, this time round, there wasn't any help rendered at all.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/crywolf.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: V for Vendetta

Remember, remember, the 5th of November. Well, at least that was the original premiere date for V for Vendetta. It would also make a cool (gimmicky) date to open the movie, given that the Wachowskis also premiered their previous movie, The Matrix Revolutions, worldwide simultaneously on 5th November back in 2003.

But fast forward to today, where the Revolutions imploded, and much bad blood spilt from Alan Moore, the writer of the graphic novel from which the Wachowskis adapted this movie from, and giving it a fresh perspective and spin (since the original was set in the late 90s). But gone are the high-tech Matrix-y look, and in place is something quite down to earth, a futuristic England, which is now ruled by a fascist regime.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/v-for-vendetta.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: [FOCUS: First Cuts #1] The Shoe Fairy

The Shoe Fairy is a modern day fairy tale. One which isn't kind to its genre to begin with, highlighting the evil witch and wolf characters and their impending bloody demise in each tale. The Chinese title "Ren Yu Duo Duo" will already hint about the fairy tale from which this movie draws its inspiration from, with "Ren Yu" being mermaid (in this context). Like the Little Mermaid, Dodo (Hsu) looks normal, except that she cannot use her legs. A miraculous operation allowed her to walk again, and slowly she develops an obsession with shoes. Loads of them.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/focus-first-cuts-1-shoe-fairy_17.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Dorm

Dorm refers to the dormitory of an all boys boarding school. Chatree (Charlie Trairattana) gets sent to the school by his parents, against his wishes. I believe almost everyone would be familiar with the feeling of being uprooted from one school to go to another (be it upon graduation or otherwise), where there's a sense of loss somewhat, especially with friends.

Read more at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/dorm-dek-hor.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: Mad Hot Ballroom

New York City elementary schools have a 10 week long co-curricular activity (CCA) for its students, where they learn ballroom dancing, and then compete in a city wide dance competition. How cool is that? Finally, a CCA from which you can actually learn something useful, a skill that stays with you for life. Imagine learning from young, the steps to the Tango, Foxtrot, Swing, Merengue, etc. Wow.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/mad-hot-ballroom.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: The Hills Have Eyes

Unlike the teenage swingers in Creek, or rich frat kids in Cry_Wolf, The Hills Have Eyes sets focus on a typical family - mom, dad, 3 kids, one of whom is already married to a telco salesman, and have a newborn baby. They're on a road trip (very popular movie element hor?) and made a pit stop at a dinghy petrol kiosk (doesn't it always?), with a sly and suspicious looking pump attendant (stereotypical, I know). They're directed to a short cut (uh-oh, bad) in the middle of the New Mexico desert on the way to California, and naturally, their vehicle encounters an accident - yes, in the middle of nowhere, to set the scene.

Read more at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/hills-have-eyes.html

daface SG

A Nutshell Review: District 13 (Banlieue 13)

It's errorneous to interpret "A Film By Luc Besson" that the marketing folks slap on the movie posters these days. Besson has of late been lending his name for that purpose on many movies, but nope, he's not the director. Usually involved in another capacity, like writer, or producer.

Continues at http://anutshellreview.blogspot.com/2006/03/district-13-banlieue-13.html

« Previous Page Next Page »