“The Battle of the Five Armies” is the epic FINALE to Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films The Hobbit, penned by the late J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s curtain call for the lead character Bilbo Baggins, who joins the Wizard Gandalf and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield. Everybody rallies together to go on an epic war to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.
\
Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company of Dwarves has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug “snots” his fiery discharge onto the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town, killing them all.
This third and finale Chapter of the Hobbit trilogy is everything you would wish for : action-packed with sad, poignant moments of unforeseen departures, betrayals and greed.
Director Peter Jackson had received scores of nasty brickbats for his film adaptation of J.R.R.Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” when he arranged for these to be shot consecutively, into three long installments.
The first two chapters were apparent preambles.
Now, with the final one, the Director strikes
back with a vengeance.
“The Battle of the Five Armies” strips away the multiple layers of boredom and replaces them with loads of unrelenting, fiery action.
Saving the BEST for LAST?
Surely!
SUMMARY FOOTNOTE
Director PETER JACKSON delivers a mesmerizing combination of exciting story-telling and historical narrative to keep us on edge.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Local Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures, Malaysia.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, Facebook Folks, May the Force be with You!
“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred. And we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” ―Laura Ingalls Wilder
My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” ―Bob Hope
THIS CHRISTMAS 2014, LOVE IS ALL AROUND US IF YOU SEEK!
“Impressive … The NARRATIVE is both TRAGIC and TWISTED in equal measures, while its unexpected ending will stay entrenched in the viewer’s mind until memory fades. We share the victim’s journey which is substantial, poignant, almost real.
With calculated precision, DAVID FINCHER directs a complicated whodunit, making the complex characters stand out naturally from the mystery pack.
The PLOT is fast-paced, taut and atmospheric, like a dense fog seeping creepily into the darkness of the night with its cold and menacing presence, looking to claim an unsuspecting victim.
What would you do when love is over?
A Police Confrontation getting nowhere. The wife’s body cannot be found …..
Hey, I see something lurking in the shadows!
” GONE GIRL ” (2014) MOVIE PREVIEW.
So much praises have been lavished on “GONE GIRL” extolling the grandeur and splendor of the keep-you-guessing-to-the-end whodunit.
So whatever I put forth now may seem a tad superfluous.
It has a simple plot and at director DAVID FINCHER’s deft turn of hand, he has weaved an extraordinary first-class thriller that will keep you enthralled.
The whole cinematic world knows by now of the psychological jolt that awaits you at the end of the tunnel.
In Malaysia, the film was initially banned for it blatant artistry issues, but the problem has finally been resolved amiably.
But a review is still a review and since I requested to attend the evening gala instead of the regular press screening, herewith is it my unabridged version.
“GONE GIRL” is a walking and talking whodunit, nothing like you have seen before. Roll on!
We have to thank ace director Director DAVID FINCHER for taking us through the heart stomping suspense.
Even Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct is no match.
“GONE GIRL” is a book-to-film adaptation of a novel written by Gillian Flynn.
Its main plot is about the Dunnes starting from the disappearance of Amy Elliott-Dunne on their fifth wedding anniversary.
The film offers more twists and turns that will keep the audience in suspense, speculating on what really happened to Amy.
Some scenes were shocking and brutal, including unexpected revelations and Amy’s convoluted schemes.
Catch it at your local cinema for the answer.
You won’t regret it!
SUMMARY FOOTNOTE:
“The PLOT is fast-paced, taut and atmospheric, like a dense fog seeping creepily into the darkness of the night with its cold and menacing presence, looking to claim an unsuspecting victim.”
“The principal character of this movie is called XIAO HONG played by TANG WEI.”
“Director ANN HUI has “metaphorically dissected” XIAO HONG’s persona out, garnishing it instead, with the scores of emotional and cultural scars of her growing-up days. XIAO HONG has had a traumatic childhood, and Director HUI vividly recounts these in scenes calling for anguish and tragedy.”
Actress TANG WEI is a good bet, but if only MAGGIE CHEUNG agrees to do the role, it would have been so much better!
TANG WEI with actor FENG SHAO-FENG. Can you or not feel the chemistry?
Obsessive and driven, this is a picture of life against the odds in war-torn China. You’d never know when the living flame in you is going to be snuffed out.
A grim picture of lead actress TANG WEI posing among the ruins. This one’s for keeps!
“THE GOLDEN ERA” (2014) : (黄金时代) FILM Review.
“THE GOLDEN ERA”is a dismal film. It’s liken to a poetic ode to darkness.
It is unashamedly an arthouse offering where actors can stop short and speak unto you as the third person, where you can feel the fangs of the lead actress’ s solitariness waiting to overpower you.
It’s that perplexing.
Essentially a biopic about the protagonist Xiao Hong (China novelist), the storytelling is steep with atmospheric misery and intense grief and loneliness that may be hard for some to bear. It scares me.
Xiao Hong has no real friends when she was living, with whom she can share problems.
The tone is doom and gloom throughout, and you when you leave the cinema you can almost feel the presence of Xiao Hong assailing you with her unanswered questions.
Tang Wei plays the struggling novelist Xiao Hong (born Zhang Naiying).
She has gone from stages being penniless to having money, having a decent job to being unemployed, switching boyfriends, constantly being forced to “move house” because she cannot pay her rent, and penning her life chronicles whenever she can.
There were a couple of people who respect her writings. One is newspaper editor Xiao Jun (Feng Shao-feng).
The other is her eventual husband Duanmu (Yawen Zhu). Both adamantly left her for personal reasons.
Everyone applauds the painstaking cinematography, the sets and the choices of shoot locations.
This is a morbid movie where the lead actress announces her own death.
XIAO HONG died in 1942.
You can almost feel the touch of ANN HUI all throughout, so we can wax lyrical about her collections of international awards.
Well, ANN HUI is tops as the BEST DIRECTOR in the 2014 Taiwan Golden Horse Awards.
Nay, I am not surprised.
For fans of the Art House, don’t miss this movie!
SUMMARY and FOOTNOTES:
“The principal character of this movie is called XIAO HONG played by TANG WEI.”
“Director ANN HUI has “metaphorically dissected” XIAO HONG’s persona out, garnishing it instead, with the scores of emotional and cultural scars of her growing-up days. XIAO HONG has had a traumatic childhood, and Director HUI vividly recounts these in scenes calling for anguish and tragedy.”
Rating: 3 out of 5 (for its lyrical-type structure).
SUMMARY: “An exuberantly FUNNY and achingly TENDER Comedy about troubled women with their assortment of complicated paramours.” If you are looking strictly for laughs, seek no further. The merry-go-round starts here!
” Ouch … I have snared this one! This dumb GUY is now 24/7 at my BECK and CALL.”
“HONEY ….YOU DON’T JUST TRUST ANY MAN ( he whispers hissingly)….”
GOSSIP ….. SCANDAL ….. Whatever …..
“This is HOW a loving couple should do, to have their SELFIE taken.
(Note that the boyfriend is looking the other way.)
The 3rd party is a better liar and even more alluring ….
“KEEP your dirty hands off my BOY FRIEND, you horny bitch!”
” WOMEN WHO FLIRT – 撒娇女人最好命 ” (2014, Hong Kong/China)
FILM Review
In “Women who Flirt”, it is obvious that director Pang Ho-Cheung goes for the jugular. What gives?
There’s hardly any noteworthy Hong Kong artiste in sight. So it’s a refreshing change of scenario.
Hong Kong-based director Pang has his reasons to cater for his mainland China investors and fans.
It’s all about money ….. and money makes the world go round. Right?
Pang’s genre of films sells, with its hypocritical tongue-in-cheek art sense about life, family and love.
Director Pang gooses it up this time around with a bevy of pretty maids from mainland China (we nickname this the Barbie squad), plus an extra topping of one sweet Taiwanese doll who goes by the jolly name of Sonia Sui.
Midway through the movie, you get the drift that this romantic comedy shows total disregard for its primary target audience of women, depicting them as desperadoes who snare men via manipulative means.
Essentially, the story is about tomboy Zhang Hui (Zhou Xun) who “is carrying a torch” for her career-driven friend Xiao Gong (Huang Xiao Ming) since college days.
Though he is satisfied with his singlehood status with occasional bouts of one-night-stands, Xiao Gong is willingly seduced by a Taiwanese seductress Beibei (Sonia Sui) during a business trip. Complications arise.
To win her man back, Zhang Hui enlists the help of her comrades from the “Barbie army”.
PLOT:
We start with this guy “Marco” Gong Xiao (Huang Xiaoming), a handsome Shanghainess hunk who works with long-time friend “Angie” Zhang Hui (Zhou Xun).
She has a mad crush on him since college days, but never shows, because the guy does not want to commit just yet, until he gets a great salaried job so that he can provide for his aging father.
That notion changes when he comes back from a trip to Taiwan with Hailey (Sonia Sui), a pretty young thing who seems to flirt her way into Marco’s life unexpectedly.
Fortunately for her, her best friend May from the “Barbie squad” (Xie Yilin) and friends are around to help.
Zhou Xun plays the demure Zhang Hui, a girl with a “forever” crush on her classmate Xiao Gong played by Huang Xiaoming.
She’s a moaning loser who never gives up, specially when she espies that there is still a teeny bit of chance to compete in this love charade.
After graduation, she finds work in Shanghai to stay close to Xiao Gong.
Things start to go haywire when he returns from an overseas trip to Taiwan with a new sexy girlfriend, Bei Bei. (Sonia Sui).
Zhang Hui out of desperation seeks help from the “Barbie squad” to acquire the art of flirting to get Xiao Gong.
Will she succeed? “
Women who flirt has a charming script that brings you the fresh comic air.
It is a soaring big-hearted delight.
Don’t miss this movie, if you want to dispense with your after-work blues.
SUMMARY: For avid fans of JOHN WOO’s Action films, this TWO-PARTER, after a 5-year long absence is DEFINITELY one of WOO’s EPIC BEST. So don’t miss it!
“All WARS are the same. Either you KILL or get KILLED.”
THE CROSSING is in part, a romance film, a disaster film and a war film all rolled into one. The battle cries make you wanna go home and hug Mama dearest.”
You won’t like him one single bit in the beginning.
He’s arrogant, cocksure and bullish.
Until you learn that he has A BIG HEART to match his GENEROUS SOUL.
THE GLOOM OF WAR. Pathetic.
THE DOOM OF WAR. Scary!
SHE PINES FOR HER LOVER TO RETURN SAFELY. Yet will she survive the swallowing waves in PART TWO?
MASAMI NAGASAWA and TAKESHI KANESHIRO play a doomed couple.
HUANG XIAO MING and SONG HYE-KYO play a happily MARRIED COUPLE. Will they survive the deadly storm?
SHE SCREAMS IN FEAR, FIGHTING FOR DEAR LIFE.
TONG DA WEI may be understated, but he is an accomplished actor.
” THE CROSSING 1 / 太平轮 (上) 2014″
MOVIE PREVIEW
” THE CROSSING 1 / 太平轮 (上) “ is, by all accounts, an eye-opening feature taking us through the bloody horrors of war.
You have, on dry land, the civil wars that are brewing non-stop to a broil.
Out on stormy seas, another kind of danger lurks.
It’s a no-win situation.
Either way you get to die, or be eaten alive!
THE BRIEF:
The significant date is Jan. 27, 1949. The luxury liner Taiping is fast sinking after it collides with a cargo ship near Taiwan’s Chou Shan Archipelago. Panic prevails on board.
Only a handful of 50 out of the 1,000-plus passengers is going to see the light of day. Which one of the leads will perish in the perilous waves?
We will be shown how Mao Zedong’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) closes in on the Nationalist government, peremptorily exercising mastery over the ship.(known for often making the numerous escapist trips between Shanghai and Keelung (eastern Taiwan).
It would be one of the last lifeboats ferrying escapists to freedom in a foreign country, far away from the communist rule.
Set during the turbulent war years of the 1940s, when Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his nationalist army flees to Taiwan after losing the civil war to the communists, the NT$2 billion (US$ 64 million) film is gracefully decked with a pan-Asian, all-star cast headed by China’s Zhang Ziyi (章子怡), Huang Xiaoming (黃曉明) and Tong Dawei (佟大為), Taiwanese-Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro (金城武), Japanese actress Masami Nagasawa and Song Hye-kyo from South Korea.
Dubbed the Chinese version of Titanic, “The Crossing” is a weepie, albeit a love story — or three, to be exact, as the film zooms in to highligt three star-crossed couples fleeing China on an ill-fated ship bound for Taiwan in 1949, during the retreat of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)
THE PLOT:
Tong Daqing (Tong Da Wei), a common soldier, meets an impoverished Yu Zhen (Zhang) over posing for a fake “happy family with baby in tow” photo assignment in Shanghai. Tong needs this photo to apply for a “food sanction” for his aged parents. Yu Zhen needs the money.
Their paths cross and quickly separate again, leaving Tong longing for a second encounter. By this time, he is in love.
Released from the prisoner-of-war camp when the war ends, Yan Zen Kun (Takeshi Kaneshiro) returns to Taiwan, only to find that his Japanese girlfriend, Noriko (Nagasawa), has been repatriated to Japan.
The final looming civil war is soon to become a dire reality. Lei Yifang (Huang Xiao Ming) sends his wife (Song Hye-Kyo) to Taiwan before departing for the frontline.
Across the Taiwan Straits, Zhou has a premonition that she might never see her husband again as he is fighting a doomed battle against the Communist Chinese army.
“The Crossing” is a magnificent project that unites three parallels to tell an epic tale of love and courage in a turbulent age.
Supported by a super duper technical crew led by top-notched Director-of-Photography Zhao Fei, the film’s graphic battle sequences brilliantly depicts the cruelty of war, and serve as a counterpoint to the characters’ longing for peace.
A combination of health issues and some difficulties winning script approval from Chinese authorities partly account for the four year hiatus.
“The Crossing,” previously known as “1949,” has subject matter that could certainly be sensitive in China: it depicts the voyage of three refugee couples from mainland China to Taiwan during the War of Liberation.
The ill-fated Taiping ferry capsized on January 27th, 1949 in the Baijie Straits.
\
