"EVERY BREATH YOU FAKE" a Short Film by JUN KIN
Scheduling in Year 2016
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
"3 DAYS TO KILL" MOVIE REVIEW
“3 DAYS TO KILL” PRESS PREVIEW
It looks like this genre of movie might best suit LIAM NEESON, but you get a surprise package instead.
You have KEVIN COSTNER, so what do you think?
This dude really needs a second chance.
Hollywood is not taking him seriously, his acting career has seen better days and this one may regain his once-upon-a-time superstar status. Or it won’t?
In this intended comedic-yet-pulsating action-thriller, Kevin Costner plays a dangerous international spy who is dying from an incurable disease and is looking back with regret at a time where his killing assignments come first. He now realizes time is not in his hands, that he should have spent more time with family.
He therefore sets out to rebuild his strained relationship with his estranged wife and daughter. You’d call this redemption.
But first, he must tackle one last kill, as well as well as looking after his carefree teenage daughter for the first time in ten years, while his wife is out of town.
The script is written by LUC BESSON. He is largely responsible for resurrecting LIAM NEESON’s career with TAKEN.
BESSON has done scores of other scripts and since moves on to more challenging projects, not to say this one isn’t.
With 3 DAYS TO KILL, COSTNER is positioned as the suave, middle-aged assassin who kills for a living. This kind of role was dominated by younger fight stars way back in the 80s. Time changes everything.
Ethan Renner (KEVIN COSTNER) is a messer who leaves his dead bodies in a trail of splatter, a demonstrative factor that shows his life is one physical mess. But he’s one secret agent who’s a sharp shooter.
Vivi Delay (AMBER HEARD) is heading an operation out to kill the unscrupulous The Wolf and The Albino, deceptive crime lords on the prowl.
These two crooks are involved in transactions selling dirty bombs to terrorists.
No, 3 Days to Kill is not just a killer movie. It endeavors to be different.
Most of the time the “shoot-shoot-bang-bang” assignments are spiced with silly jokes, that may tend to mar the flow rather than to titillate.
KEVIN COSTNER is no Liam Neeson and he’s in a role that might have been originally crafted for the latter.
Costner has his own set of charm to bring to the story.
An entertaining movie if you just go with the flow.
Otherwise it will work as another needle in the haystack.
Right.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Friday, February 28, 2014
"NON-STOP" MOVIE REVIEW
“NON-STOP” MOVIE REVIEW
The movie poster screams aloud, “Expect some turbulence this year!”
Aren’t we all prepared?
Meanwhile, anybody cares for a little sleuthing with LIAM NEESON in this noir film?
If so, please go take a deep breath.
Throw in a teeny bit of the Hercule Poirot whodunit mentality, and you will soon be aboard for a thrilling joy ride.
You bet it’ll be non-stop action and nail-biting suspense all the way. All within a gigantic Boeing air bus.
The hijacker is on this flight. He is one of the 146 faces.
Red herrings are strewn throughout in a guessing arcade.
The question is, who wants to bomb the flight?
Now buckle your seat belt as the air bus is taking off.
Here’s how our story begins:
“NON STOP” is a pulsating suspense thriller that takes place at 40,000 feet high up in the sky.
Bill Marks (LIAM NEESON) is a disgruntled, chain-smoking alcoholic undercover officer for the Air Marshals service.
He has a short fuse, is unapproachable and we can tell that he hates his job.
He views his latest assignment as as a routine caretaker job in the sky.
But he is clearly wrong.
This transatlantic flight from New York city to London is anything but mundane.
He suddenly receives a mysterious series of cryptic text messages demanding that he instruct the government to wire USD 150 million into an offshore account within 20 minutes.
Until this money is secured, one passenger on this flight will be dead meat every 20 minutes as a valid warning.
Soon it is a deadly cat-and-mouse race against time to prevent this killing. Passengers are hollering in fright as they do not want to be marked for slaughter. A horrific mayhem of doomsday prevails.
Further delays with the money transfer would mean more killings.
Stay braced.
“NON-STOP” is directed by JAUME COLLET-SERRA who had collaborated with LIAM NEESON in Unknown.
The plot takes a swipe at the 9/11 paranoia and exposes our hero as an alcoholic weakling wallowing in self-pity over a tragic family past.
Largely because of his self-inflicted alcoholism and unorthodox tactless methods in assembling the case, Bill Marks himself, becomes a prime suspect.
This movie is another addition to the LIAM NEESON’s professional folio as a commercially bankable action star.
“NON-STOP” is a fantastically riveting entertainment, this time combining cabin action versus “who’s the mysterious culprit”.
It challenges your mindset.
With a standout cast such as the effervescent JULIANNE MOORE and British actress MICHELLE DOCKERY (of Downton Abbey fame), the gripping plot twists and relentless storytelling, this is a reel treat for both NEESON’s fans and action buffs.
Go for it!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
"MONUMENTS MEN" MOVIE REVIEW
“MONUMENTS MEN” PRESS REVIEW
It’s hard to rate “MONUMENTS MEN” as there are two schools of thought.
Either you like this one, or you don’t.
With a stupendous cast ensemble boasting of the almighty GEORGE CLOONEY with his troupe MATT DAMON, CATE BLANCHETT, BILLY MURRAY, JOHN GOODMAN and JEAN DUJARDIN, you would definitely expect more … a wonderful film with a “to-die-for” script.
During World War II we are shown in no uncertain terms, that the German army has unceremoniously stolen some of the world’s art treasures with the devious intention of exhibiting them in the Adolf Hitler’s Fuhrer Museum project.
With Hitler’s death the Third Reich collapsed, thereupon the German army receives orders to destroy all the priceless paintings.
Hence art historian Lt. Frank Stokes (George Clooney) rallies a team of art experts who all share the same vision.
They are medieval art curator James Granger (Matt Damon), architect Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), sculptor Walter Garfield (John Goodman), French designer Jean-Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin) and theater director Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban) who are responsible for to recover the relics back from the German.
There are good moments in the movie, yes.
But other than that, the movie plods at a snail’s pace and if you watch the mighty camera work zooming in and out to match actors’ facial expressions with dialogue, you’d soon detect a total lack of character’s development.
And as a result, there’s an uneven continuity flow.
In a capsule “MONUMENTS MEN” is touted as a retro action comedy based-on-a-true story claim about the epic treasure hunt in history by soldiers who are intent on rescuing stolen arts in the waning days of World War II.
Your heart won’t be beating faster, nor will all these be a feast for the eyes and ears.
For the younger generation this one’s just going to be a gathering of middle-aged uncles.
This is intellectual entertainment for fans of GEORGE CLOONEY and MATT DAMON.
Joining the troupe?
RATING: 2 out of 5
Sunday, February 23, 2014
"POMPEII" (2014) MOVIE REVIEW
“POMPEII” (2014) PRESS REVIEW
If you relish beefcakes (the human ones), then “POMPEII” is a must-watch.
It offers an assortment of the white and the black hunks in short skirts, so just ponder over your pick.
The men are all draped in loin cloth, so heaven be.
It’s as silly as you can get, so don’t ask if they wear undies as well.
This 2014 American disaster epic is produced and directed by PAUL W.S. ANDERSON.
It stars KIT HARINGTON (playing the lead), EMILY BROWNING (his paramour), CARRIE-ANNE MOSS and KIEFER SUTHERLAND among many others.
If you watch this on 3D, it would be an explosive experience.
However the one that I saw was in 2D.
The setting is in the Roman city of Pompeii in the year AD 79.
Milo (KIT HARINGTON) is a hunk-of-a- slave who is also an invincible gladiator.
Milo is a slave-gladiator whose Celtic family was slaughtered by Corvus, a nasty Roman officer-turned-senator played with disdainful superiority by Keifer Sutherland.
Midway in the movie, Milo finds himself in a race against time to save his love Cassia (EMILY BROWNING), the beautiful daughter of a wealthy merchant from being forced to marry the cruel Senator Corvis (KIEFER SUTHERLAND).
The whole city of Pompeii rumbles, nobody gives two hoots.
Little do the citizens realize that everyone will soon be wiped out from the surface of the earth due to a gigantic volcanic eruption as this story proceeds.
This is brought about by the numerous colossal threats of rumblings from Mount Vesuvius in 79D.
Everybody dies including the hero and the heroine, buried under the volcanic lava and the hot pumice.
Film director PAUL W.S. ANDERSON keeps the action grinding and the volcanic visual dazzle.
The massive, CGI-enhanced destructions are eye-popping and fascinating to provide the hellish moments.
An escapist entertainment? Surely.
There is heart-pounding excitement and a great love story of two lovers fighting for futile survival amid the destructive fires.
It’s beautifully shot and competently acted for a gladiator film.
Relish.
RATING: 3 out of 5
Thursday, February 20, 2014
"PHILOMENA" Movie Review
“PHILOMENA” PRESS REVIEW
Religion has always been a debatable topic. So spare me.
This Reviewer is a devout Buddhist and knows little about the Catholic faith by way of choice.
Every religion has its own set of principles. We have to respect this.
And for all it’s worth, the Reviewer is here to write an impartial review, unbiased.
Let’s begins with the lead character who’s former journalist Martin Sixsmith.
He has been fired from the British Labour Party, a job he loves, and is now unsure of his next career move.
His luck changes when a young Irish woman approaches him to work on a story about her mother, Philomena.
Philomena had her son forcibly taken away when she was a teenage inmate of a Catholic convent some fifty years ago. It’s been a pretty long time.
Martin sees a scoop here, bagged a magazine sponsorship and goes on a manhunt (the search for her long, lost son).
This journey eventually leads them to America.
Along the way, Martin and Philomena discovers a better understanding between them, leading to an affable friendship.
They also uncovers the truth about her son’s fate. He’s dead. How did he die?
The film is “based on a true story,” and we are shown those chapters that highlights the Church’s harsh treatment of its titular character.
Flashback to year 1952 where an impressionistic teenager Philomena Lee (Sophie Kennedy Clark) had unprotected sex and got herself pregnant.
Being unwedded, the act of coitus is not bliss.
So her parents whisked her off to a convent in Roscrea, Ireland to atone for “her sin.”
Young Philomena gave birth soon after and is then put into a viritable servitude program to serve her penance.
She is only allowed to see her infant son once a week.
The nuns there treat their wards with disdain, contempt and intolerance. So much for the Catholic faith.
That particular convent even sell babies in their care to wealthy Americans for profits. Bless these nuns.
We later discover how Philamena loses her precious little Anthony.
He has been sold to an American family and shipped to the US.
Judi Dench as the older Philamena is awesome for her pitch perfect acting.
Her emotional stance wavers from holding the Church responsible for her emotional and physical damage as she is a God fearing woman.
Steve Coogan as the former political journalist Martin Sixsmith is marvelous.
There’s an engaging chemistry between the two leads.
Martin uncovers clues to Philomena’s long lost son without much ado when she is unable to do so for five solid decades.
This is a lilting film that raises questions about love, religion, endurance and forgiveness paying homage to an old adage “love thy enemies”.
I ask myself, “Can you love your enemies?”
Maybe not.
A leopard never changes his spot, people often say.
Martin Sixsmith’s book was published in 2009 as The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee.
The story was said to have inspired thousands of adopted Irish children and their mothers to come forward with their own stories.
This film will surely expose those horrific acts by relentless nuns, who had thrived for decades to keep the mother and son apart.
Watch it for Judi Dench’s compelling performance. She’s brilliant.
”PHILOMENA” is a cinematic gem not to be missed. Go see it!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
" BEIJING LOVE STORY" MOVIE REVIEW. (Stop in the name of Love!) (北京爱情故事).
“BEIJING LOVE STORY” PRESS REVIEW
(北京爱情故事).
Shall we say, “Stop in the name of love?”
This movie seems to say so, given the content.
“BEIJING LOVE STORY” is a collaborative venture by the entrepreneurial film makers from Hong Kong jointly with Mainland China.
It is culled from a popular mainland China television drama series aired in 2012 which had an impressive run securing great reviews and scoring high ratings.
The original Producers therefore seize the opportunity to hop aboard the bandwagon with a re-imagined dressing, revise some characters by adding. And juggling others in order to boost a refreshed team from google box to the cinematic screen.
The subject is unashamedly love. Family love, drinking buddies bromance, romantic love and last and most important: the sexual love that rejuvenate your libido and keeps the torchlight below your belt joyfully upright and vibrant.
As the years roll on, familiarity would breed contempt and when reality sets in for every couple, hostility balks.
Aw, this is the message that BEIJING LOVE STORY is conveying to the audience. The path to whatever love never will run smooth, does it?
Love actually sucks!
There are five parables told in a five-chapter omnibus, all written and directed by CHEN SICHENG. He even acted in one story about his movie highlighting greed, lust and infidelity.
The run-down:
Man (Chen) encounters Yan (Tong) and falls head-over-heels in love. They are itchy, have unprotected sex, the girl gets pregnant and both decide to get married despite parental objection from the bride’s mother.
In story 2, Chen’s best friend’s infidelities are exposed when torrid pictures of him making sex stored in his cellphone are discovered by his suspicious wife Lei (Yu Nan). She plots revenge.
In story 3, Hui (Tony Leung Ka Fai) flies happily to Greece for a romantic tryst far from the madding crowd to ball his horny wife (Carina Lau). The whole plan bombs when this middle-aged couple entered into a hilarious, heated argument over plastic surgery.
Meanwhile the story 4 unfurls to show their teenage daughter Xing Yang (Nana Ou Yong), an aspiring cellist has fallen in love with her schoolmate Songge (Liu Haoran). Songge tries to build her confidence in order for her to compete for her TV talent show.
In the final story Songge’s grandfather (Wang Qin Xiang) is back at the dating game at 66 in order to please his dying wife ( Siqin Gaowa). The dedicated wife wants him to be happy and remarries, in this case it’s to an attractive Chinese divorcee (Elaine Jin).
There’s a neat balance of farce, comedy and adolescent melodrama here and the film director is able to accomplish these in style.
It’s an emotionally mesmerizing film with strong performances by a veteran cast ensemble such Siqin Gaowa and Elaine Jin. Both actresses have been noticeably absent for a while so they are delightful toppings.
Coming from a Mainlad China director, it has to be one the better Mandarin films that I have seen thus far.
Go for it!
Ratings: 4 out of 5
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