Gone Girl - Fincher's better film based on his last few.
Manage to catch this in HK, the first 40 or so minutes felt like a film that does not need the involvement of Fincher's name. When the first twist hits the screen, all the glorious back and forth misdirection relentlessly pounding for your scrutiny. It's exhilarating. It became more than just what he does vs what she does. While the subject of the film is pretty dire, there are few smart scenes will have you burst out laughing because how fcuk-up the story can be.The main star of the film belongs to Rasamund Pike while Ben Affleck's role shouldn't be interpreted as inferior, just how his character should be in order to sell the ending. Great performances from very strong supporting cast members.

As Fincher grew older, his sense of film making became more story-centric and less visual driven like his earlier works. His usual trait of tight editing does felt not a single frame wasted.There's no deadzone from one scene to another.His partnership with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross again hitting the sweet spot of not using music as embelishment but part of the essence of storytelling.There are many nuance film language instances like how the earlier scenes where music being mixed at a higher level almost clashing with dialogues and slowly revert to normal as we get closer to the truth as a mean to set up the disillusion facade. Subtle miniscule details all gels back to the ending.
Apart from being a teriffic thriller, it does a remarkable social commentary on media manipulation and a dynamic of what marriage actually means in reality.
Not quite sure it will be the best picture comes award season as Oscar worthy films just started to come out. Certainly best actress material. Looking forward to Whiplash,Birdman,Inherent Vice,etc...

This post has been edited by 6so: Oct 13 2014, 10:52 AM

Stretch – Reasonably watchable.

NSFW trailer
Joe Carnahan still doesn't get his due break. His career pretty much defined by cancelled and unrealized projects. His personal films like Narc and The Grey are pretty great while his studio friendly movies a bit stale but still above the usual formulaic cash grab. “Stretch” was completed for some time but never got released any earlier because they thought they had a chance to bank on Chris Pine popularity. Nevertheless Mr. Pine did not make it into A-list when his reboot of Jack Ryan tanked. The studio puts this movie up for sale to cut losses, yet no one willing to pick up the distribution tab.
A self-discovery cum redemption tale of a failed actor/limo driver (Patrick Wilson) who thought he caught a break when eccentric billionaire (Chris Pine) offers him a big tip to do some biddings for the night. So we are led to a night of debauchery excess with sex and violence. There are some pretty recognizable face popping in and out of the movie to advance the story. Overall, it’s not a bad movie per se, just felt a little behind to current pop culture taste. It’s an alternative to Hangover Part 1, if raunchy r-rated comedy without going too dumb is your thing. Worth giving this flick a watch.

Kung Fu Jungle - Yet another not very good Donnie Yen vehicle.
This one sucks harder than Special ID which already a very bad movie. It's overproduced and overdirected to the 11. Every new plot development swiftly negate by a dumb exposition. The motivation for the so called mysterious kung fu killer is embarrassingly shallow. Also, they are cramming so many cameos of behind the camera personalities in the movie, which sorta a love letter to HK movie industry, but it does not bring any meaning other than being distractions. As not many people will know who they are or their significant roles in the industry. Then the action is pretty much you know the same old same old routine you've seen many times before.
Also the current Umbrella Movement in HK, it's jarring to watch heroic antics of hk police force, especially how they have been behaving when clashing with protesters. It's just a personal opinion as I do go to HK a bit for work hence the chest thumping bravura of HK finest can be cringing to watch.

The Babadook – ba-Ba-dook-dook-dook!

It’s been very long since I watched a genuine horror movie. This one has all the right balance of believable premise and a creepy enough creature terrorizing the family. It’s meticulously made with great care and very well acted. A mysterious pop-up book telling of one Mr.Babadook, it started innocently enough to capture the imagination of our heroine’s son. He can’t stop talking about him until strange things start to befall the household. The film makes use of psychological unease rather than conventional jump scare. It felt more like The Shining where the fright does not come from the spooky side of things, but the out of control actions of Jack Torrance. A rather different take on a conventional genre that don’t see much innovation of late. Highly watchable.

Whiplash – Full Metal Jacket in a music school

Wow….utterly mesmerising performances from Miles Teller and JK Simmons. Each time a conflict sparks you are drowned helplessly in their intense exchange. Again the story is a familiar one, it has enough spin to stand on its own. When you get to see Andrew (Teller) performing his “Rocky” moment, you are fully taken in by his performance. Do not be misled by the trailer, Andrew is not a victim in the story. Can’t stress enough Miles Teller is a strong consideration for Oscar and Simmons has no reason not to compete in supporting role category. Not sure Malaysia will be showing this, so keep an eye for this excellent film on blu-ray or “ahem”Oscar bait DVD leaks“ahem”.Easily my top 5 in 2014.

This post has been edited by 6so: Nov 14 2014, 07:48 PM

The Guest – Something to consider

Coming off terrorizing a family reunion in last year’s “You’re Next”, Adam Wingard took a spin on a pseudo slasher movie. A mysterious guest David turns up on the doorstep of a family who lost their son in Iraq. He claims to be BFF of the say deceased son during their tour in Iraq. The family members quickly fall under his charming demeanor. So the movie god says David is not what he appears to be. When the movie hits the turn spot, the whole movie dynamic shift to some rather fun time. Overall, it has its moments and decent enough to keep you watching. It's an OK movie.

A Hard Day - The best action thriller of the year

A colleague was talking enthusiastically about this hidden gem.Then I did some research and found out it was positively received at TIFF and Cannes.It's a very crafty film that weave in and out of multi genres that does not feel contrived.Up front the lead is not really a goody hero material as he is morally bankrupt as most Korean cops perceived on the silver screen. A simple hit and run snowballs into a series of calamities for the hero to overcome.You simply won't know what comes next to torment Ko Gun Soo, the set-up does make sense and more importantly felt very organic. Underscoring the tension and edge of the seat scenes,there's great use of dark humour to give the film a dash of personality.Also the antagonist is quite refreshing to watch and a smart one to boot during his cat and mouse game.The trailer just a small glimpse and not a proper representation of the actual film.Super duper recommended for a deliciously inventive action thriller.You can actually watch the whole movie on youtube right now.

Banksy does New York

The elusive graffiti artist strikes to troll New York for 31 straight days. Each day he presents a piece of his “art” should it be political or social overtones or just plain pranking the public. Each endeavor is as elaborate as his previous attempt and more importantly, his ingenious art of trolling. While this documentary has nothing to do with Banksy himself, it presents the crazy scavenging hunt clues for people to discover his art, defacing it, stealing it, profiting from it and authority failing to stop him. Take this doc as an introduction to the notorious street artist whose identity still anonymous to the world. If you can dig his ludicrous exploits or message, do check out his brilliant directorial debut “Exit through the gift shop” which was profound in its messaging and a blast to watch. It was his greatest trick/troll yet.

A most wanted man - The last great act...

Upfront those expecting Jason Bourne will need to steer clear of this film. While if you are a fan of realistic espionage cat and mouse game of John Le Carre, you're in for a treat. For the first time I felt this is one of the more accessible adaptation of Le Carre spy thrillers. A lot of the previous attempt hinges on the fan service treatment and slow build-up,it's not relying on making a stylized spyworld but rather dramas of navigating bureaucracy and mind games between rivalries.It's either you're in it or not. His material also has been a talent magnet for character actors at the promise of a meaty role as Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, and even Sean Connery headlining such adaptation before. Surprisingly the film moves at a rather brisk pace with well defined characters, given the Le Carre factor. It's really sad to see the swan song performance of Phillip Seymour Hoffman as he disappeared himself into Gunther with his believable accent and nuanced portrayal of a thriving intelligence chief. When the expected betrayal happens, Gunther potrayal is as good as it gonna gets.Fair bit of reputable actors rounds up the cast of a mesmerizing film coming from the third effort of Anton Corbijn, who does know a thing or two about making films and not just photographing rock stars.

The Mule - A smartly written movie

Australia did fleshed out some significant indies this year.Rover,Predestination,Babadook and now this. Beside Hugo Weaving and John Noble being the recognizable faces, the unfamiliar actors in the movie did a pretty much bang up job to make this satisfying movie.An unassuming nobody getting coerced into swallowing heroin pellets in Thailand by his friend.As the title of the movie suggested,he was detained at the airport. So he exploits a loophole in the law by refusing to hit the sh!t can as a battle of wits from the police and drug pusher to retrieve what inside his body.It may not sound much,the writing did some clever plot development that have you second guessing how all this gonna end for everyone. Not everyone is what he seems to be.Notable performance from Hugo Weaving as the greasy cop who literally gives a dimension to stereotypical bad cop and Angus Sampson with his deadpan delivery of the not so lucky drug mule.It starts a bit slow but when he is put in the hotel room,things gets interesting quickly and accumulate to a satisfying ending.

When Animals Dream - Not a Ginger Snaps rip-off

A well made atmospheric horror drama in the vein of Let the right one in. Instead of vampire, it's werewolf this time around. Marie found out for the first time she's a Lycan and the town allows her family to stay on the condition to suppress the threat by keeping her mother in comatose state with drugs. The family endures discriminatory treatments from the common folks until killings started again in the small town. Marie embraces the beast in her to escape a repeating fate of her mother. Marie portrayal is rather terrific for a first timer, Sonia Suhl makes you sympathetic toward her motivation. While Lars Mikkelsen (elder brother of Mads Mikkelsen) plays the role of the human father in protecting the mother and daughter.

71 - A strong directorial debut

A very well paced movie that trims out the fats.Brisk characterization and straight to the gist of the plot.An abandoned soldier left to fend off IRA goons during the height of civil unrest in Belfast. He has no idea who is there to offer aid or just want to see him dead. There are a few twists and turns to keep you invested on the unlucky soldier.The lead Jack O'Connel does a pretty convincing portrayal of the inexperienced soldier, but his features a bit difficult to tell apart from your average good looking squared jaw dude. The film director on the other hand, does have a good sense of pacing and make the most out of the limited budget to film. An efficient action thriller with reasonably fine performances minus the Hollywood cheese.

This post has been edited by 6so: Dec 21 2014, 12:45 PM

Starred Up - A familiar tale but different perspectives.

The premise is pretty cliched for a prison movie, but they took from the angle the inmates are just lost cause to the establishment and fundamentally they are social outcast who just incapable of connecting with another human. The only language they seem to talk with each other is with violence,threat and contempt.Jack O'Connell (Eric) again the lead plays a teenage inmate graduated to the adult jail cells that also housed his father.He is a bit of a savage time bomb who just can't stop himself from getting into trouble.Let's say there is a painful scene involving Eric biting a guard's manhood.Kinda like Tom Hardy in Bronson.While the excellent Ben Mendelsohn (Nelville) plays the father who wanted to connect with his son but clueless about it.The thing is Nelville is as much a violent time bomb as his son.So there comes the expected point in the ending where they do see each other eye to eye but at a great cost. Undeniably, this is a meatier role for Jack O'Connell to chew on and he does have the range to pull it off but Mendelsohn's performance is at a different level altogether. A solid watch.

This post has been edited by 6so: Dec 21 2014, 12:43 PM

The Drop - Polar opposite of John Wick

There are some serious talents behind this adaptation of a Dennis Lehane's short story.Michael R.Roskam the director of the sublime "Bullhead" with Michael Schoenearts the intimidating figure from the same movie as the antagonist to Tom Hardy.The final performance of James Gandolfini,lovely Noomi Rapace and the always superb John Ortis rounding up the respectable cast members. The drawback is not quite the full scope of what all these powerhouse talents capable of.The story is rather small in scope and missing the fuller experience.Having said that,it's still a very well made crime thriller and the slow burn does pay-off when comes to WTF just happen ending.Fundamentally it's a story of an unassuming mystery man with questionable past and a dog. Tom Hardy portrayal of the repressive barkeeper is something to behold and James Gandolfini presence is to savour and tragically missed in the pantheon of character actors.

Sorry for double post.

This post has been edited by 6so: Dec 28 2014, 11:46 AM

To each their own. There are much more lacking movies or short stories out there in the wild.
Like I said before, this is an adaptation of a short story and not the full Dennis Lehane experience book.
Not every single creation needs to be masterpiece just as long as they keep on trying. How many authors/artists that have flawless records in their career? What goes up will come down eventually, maybe the next Roskam movie will match the same brilliance of his debut or it will never ever be.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya - The other half of Studio Ghibli

While Hayao Misaki commands the bulk of adoration and accolades,Isao Takahata is the equally masterful film director reside within Studio Ghibli.He is responsible for the epic tearjerker Grave of Fireflies that initially puts Studio Ghibli name in the wild.
Foregoing the classic Ghibli animation style,Takahata uses a surreal palate of charcoal and watercolor to breathe life to an ancient Japanese folklore tale.It goes without saying with any fairy tale, it starts innocently enough to grab your emotional chord until a tragedy struck at your highly likable protagonist.What Princess Kaguya manage to do differently is attention to small details and the delightful watercolor animation style. The way how it portrays the humanity of Princess Kaguya in the midst of pursuing her freewill and conforming to expectations of what her surrogate father imposes on her. It's safe to say this is one of the crown achievement in the Studio Ghibli catalogue. It come across more of an earnest effort and not the manipulative attempt to chalk up ticket sales. Glad to watch this over any Disney junks and can't emphasize enough, this could potentially the best Ghibli film to date IMO.

This post has been edited by 6so: Jan 3 2015, 12:08 PM

Horns - If you don't mind out of the box horror fantasy.

The book is one entertaining pulpy read that will make a very good comic book material.As what Joe Hill did in his excellent Locke and Key. I do have huge reservation how well it will play out in movie form and left alone starring Daniel Ratcliffe. First off the premise is banana crazy, but it does have its merit as far as storyline goes. Cartoonish at times, but interesting development will keep you going. To my surprise Harry Porter is no slouch on his part to carry the supposingly devil character. It's certainly not a good movie to some, but highly captivating in my eyes or just a fanboy geeking out the book. A good antidote to the tiring cheap scare horror crap. Stop nitpicking story logic, just go with flow of narration.

Wolf Children - Aftermath of a fairy tale

Had the blu-ray for a long time and just didn't get around to watching it. To those with children,we often refer to them as having a monster in the household. The monster part not just extend to their unpredictable behavior, but the helpless sensation at times when comes to their well being. Here a highly original story literally uses that as the premise to tell a very touching story of parenting.
Girl meets boy. They are blessed with two offspring and the boy met with a tragic death. The expertly crafted story begins with the passing of the boy and how the girl left alone to face the harsh reality of raising 2 extraordinary children. Instead of focussing the heartbreaking outlook it bravely tackles how the girl overcoming obstacle to raise her two adorable children. While it may look like manipulative emotional scenes of one after another, you can't help but realized how true it is in reality. It touches a variety of themes like providing the best condition for nurturing the children and having zero idea how to do it. It's one of those thing in life where you won't know until you experience it yourself.
While many compare this to what Studio Ghibli might have done, personally I believe Mamoru Hosada is the more contemporary film maker than Hayao Miyasaki. There's a degree of originality to how he tackled his story. The girl who leapt through time was charming, Summer Wars was fun and Wolf Children is where he fully establish himself. I regard him as the heir to fill the vacant void left by the late Satoshi Kon.

This post has been edited by 6so: Jan 8 2015, 04:23 PM

Screener season has arrived!
American Sniper - Ermmm...errr...arrrr...have I watched this before?

The deadliest sniper in American history. I did read his memoir, which is a point to point retelling of his experience in Iraq and how he earned a hefty bounty on his own head. The movie tells more of his slow descent to PTSD that greatly affects his family life while he is conflicted to do the right thing by his personal code. Then 'Hurt Locker' and 'Jarhead' already did a much better job at telling this type of story. Just felt indifferent about the movie on a whole. For the status of having a Clint Eastwood name, the middle and ending action sequences felt so rudimentary Hollywood cheese. Was expecting the gritty realism like what Kathryn Bigelow or Paul Greengrass would have done. The biggest nitpick of all is you simply do not get a foot long muzzle flash from a heavily suppressed M4. Felt so video game for a suppose serious movie.