Astro Boy (2009)

At a glance:
Let's not have a review meant for those who do follow Tezuka Osamu's 1952 manga or its derivatives. Let's have a review meant for anyone who buys a ticket to a cartoon movie in which a boy shoots bullets from his butt. On that level, Astro Boy (also available in Cantonese in some territories, with Nic Cage's part voiced by Aaron Kwok) is a moderately successful project that is by most counts, highly enjoyable. Although it borrows from various animated movies of late (notably the robot junk dystopia in Wall-E and the artwork in The Iron Giant), this Hollywood-style Astro Boy manages to keep it simple and short, going for time-tested emotional hooks and easy-flowing pacin.
Bad news on the doorstep:
While the Imagi Animation artwork won't dazzle like Disney's, the movie amply makes up for it by bankin on a solid, if ordinary, story about how bringin somethin to life against the order of nature may have its drawbacks. We're not lookin at Pet Sematary or Igor here. We're lookin at the seasonal, more-human-than-human arc that leans more towards the romanticism in Electric Dreams (computer), Pinocchio (doll) and Mannequin (doll).
Perennial wonderment:
How much thought goes into voice castin, I wonder? Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they don't. In terms of castin, Nicolas Cage's outrageously soulful persona emanates well when voicin the regretful father Dr. Tenma, a brilliant scientist who loses his son Toby and decides to bring him back to life as a cyborg. As Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore, Charlie in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory), the kid struggles to find his place in the world due to his uncomfortably identity. Bill Nighy (Love Actually) voices a wise professor and Nathan Lane (Timon in The Lion King is a fatherly inventor. They even got Samuel L Jackson to lend his voice for a giant robot named Zog.
Watch out for:
A trio of English robots with London accents. Hilarious.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Director David Bowers and screenwriter Timothy Harris gave this Japanese product a very marketable treatment. Although Astro Boy follows the same pattern as Dragonball Evolution and Speed Racer (other American-produced films based on Japanese sources which failed in their land of origin but sold well in China), it isn't a bad watch at all considerin the number of animated features out there who are tryin (and failin) so hard to rival Disney. Pin this one down as a memorable effort towards that cause.

Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moments (2008) @ Maria Larssons Eviga Ögonblick

At a glance:
Sweden's proud submission for Best Foreign Language Pic at this year's Academy Awards, Maria Larsson's Everlasting Moments really do seem to last forever, clockin a 131-minute runtime filled with socialist sentiments, early photography techniques and a whole lot of 1900s alcoholism, infidelity and domestic violence. Not to be confused as the biopic of a current Swedish politician, the oft-reviewed period drama is a semi-rewardin foray into the true story of a laundry woman living in those times who won a camera in a lottery and pursued the art of masterin the curious contraption as a hobby, despite her surroundin poverty and matrimonial problems.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Perhaps due to it being an adaptation from research and interviews conducted between the director's wife and the daughter of the 19th century woman, a story as real as Maria Larsson's will give rise to uneven attention bein paid to a whole volume of events, especially without an expert touch. Director Jan Troell's product is a subtle drama without much darkness or humour, resultin in an insightful but ultimately mediocre experience in terms of full-epic impact.
Reminds me of:
Angela's Ashes with Robert Carlyle.
Watch out for:
The titular lead played by Maria Heiskanen is half the strength of the film, a character which other reviewers have described as bein afforded an Imelda Staunton-like portrayal with equal ease in carryin angst and tenderness. However a much more visually-arrestin character is her drunkard wife-beater of a husband Sigfried, played by a faultless Mikael Persbrandt (pic). You know a good actor when you fail to hate his character despite him doing some truly horrendous things. The other prominent part is photo shop enthusiast Sebastian Pedersen (Jesper Christensen), who plays a kind man fuellin Maria's love for the lens and ends up falling for her.
Most memorable line:
This is what I mean by the lack of epic strength. Can't think of one.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Perhaps this is an eye-opener to study his other works such as The Emigrants, Here's Your Life, Hamsun and The New Land. For now this is a effort.

Alone (2007) @ แฝด

At a glance:
Reunitin the directin duo behind the phenomenal horror hit Shutter, I remember this 2007 picture best by my mother's screamin across GSC Mid Valley Hall 10 throughout the whole show. It premiered here in Kuala Lumpur with the directors and the lead actress in attendance. Well to be honest, they hung about for 10 minutes, gave some prizes away and left for Genting. The story? We follow Pim, a successful socialite in Korea who receives news about her ailin mum back in home country Thailand. She makes a dreaded return there, together with lovin husband Vee and soon the couple find themselves stayin at Pim's childhood home. It's here that we learn about Pim bein a Siamese twin who had a sister, Ploy, now dead to the world after failin to survive the operation to separate them. Before long, the pangs of fear over the phantom twin emerge as Pim wrestles to understand the mystery behind frightful sightings of Ploy around the old house. Guilt complex and hallucinatory psychosis, or evil undead and paranormal hauntin?
Bad news on the doorstep:
The terror in Alone is built mostly on sound effects and sudden 'ghost-in-the-mirror' shots. I wouldn't deny that they are quite scary, if only because they was very, very loud.
Reminds me of:
When Marsha taught me that a man should say sawatikap instead of sawatika. Actually I'm still not sure if I got that right.
Watch out for:
Chiselled German-Thai lead actress Marion Ursula Marsha Wattanapanich. Heard some ooo's in the crowd when a bathtub scene was snipped. Contemporary scream queens in the mould of Angelica Lee and Christina Ricci have never actually been lookers or supermodels, talented as they are. Marsha is, although she has this masculine aura to her.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Scream factor is high and although execution may not rival Shutter (I also feel we could've had better subtitlin), Alone gets my for 94 minutes of very decent horror, plotholes or not. Directors Parkpoom and Banjong said that the success or failure of the 2008 US remake for Shutter would only serve to draw attention to the original. Alone ought to have gotten the same treatment but I haven't heard news about it. All I know is that Phobia 2 has Marsha in it and she plays herself in Alone 2 for that last comedy vignette, mockin the imaginary sequel and also horror movie cliches. That was quite humourous.

Maut (2009) @ Malaikat Maut

At a glance:
Earlier this year, a new Malay movie played. It wasn't about petty love triangles, haunted houses or MTV mermaids. Three hurrahs for hope! From past movies such as Gangster, Castello and KL Menjerit, we know director Bade Azmi is obsessed with dark elements of social disintegration. However works such as Syaitan and now Maut hint towards a fascination with the supernatural as well, a sort of ponderin on religious anxieties. Kudos to Bade for keepin up! A throwback to almost 50 years ago in the Jamil Sulong's black-and-white Isi Neraka, this Maut studies Man and the afterlife through a three-part story punctuated by months of the Moslem calendar. Chroniclin the twisted destinies of a stranger on a bus, a sinful air stewardess and an angry youth obsessed with gothic black metal, Maut plays judge, jury and executioner; deliverin a compellin story beyond today's industry norms. Well, that's how they sold it anyway.
Bad news on the doorstep:
In all three vignettes, the element of death is obvious but the strange character arcs leave the audience no chance to emphatise with them. Maybe the director intended to neglect this aspect to further stress the malang tidak berbau theme.
Perennial wonderment:
When we learned that the original title was the much more intriguin Malaikat Maut, one can't help but wonder just how far we've come in terms of creative license vis-à-vis the Lembaga Penapisan Filem, the vanguard of our Malaysian moral fidelity. It's almost as if the compromise instantly changed the texture of the original film. What's wrong with the title and which one better describes the movie's content? The director's wish to create a fiction that's meaningful and true to its concept met many marketin problems, leadin us to believe that this finished product isn't the masterpiece he had in mind.
I can't remember if I cried:
An invasive disclaimer appears in the middle of a scene to lecture us on faith when we're busy watchin Sabrina Hassan bein chased by a CGI cobra. Is this the compromise reached just to satisfy the 'U' classification?
Watch out for:
Que Haidar. Really startin to rise heaps and bounds above what we know as local standards of talent. Even his face brings to mind memories of the late Sudirman. We also learn that Fouziah Ghous can do natural. Meanwhile, newcomer Sabrina Hassan plays a lead role for the first time and is still findin maturity - she needs to be seen and not heard in this movie.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Bade Azmi may have hurled a Waja into the Sentul drain for action but Maut has lost some of the supernatural elements that we were promised as a drama. Then again, the plot structure and the religious elements are somethin you don't get to see every day. That oughtta knock some sense into those recent New Year sex party revellers who were arrested.

Raging Phoenix (2009) @ จีจ้า ดื้อสวยดุ

At a glance:
Drunken Master (1978) meets Only The Strong (1993) in a female version of Ong Bak (2003) with a dollop of unnecessary Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer (2006) - that's what you get if you give martial arts wunderkind Jeeja Yanin another run at the cinemas after Chocolate a.k.a. Fury (2008). With a Siamese title that translates to "stubborn, beautiful and fierce" (or so I read), this joins the recent rich vein of Thai action movies that hold their own against the Hollywood stuff. Jeeja plays Deu, a pathetic, punk-rock drifter who joins a group of dancin drunken fighters on their vengeful mission of rescuin abducted women from a mysterious flesh trade gang. This vigilante trio (offensively named Pig Shit, Dog Shit and Bull Shit) is headed by another bitter bloke named Sanim (played by French-Vietnamese fighter Patrick "Kazu" Tang, pic, L). You can forget about Marc Dacascos and his capoeira once this lot starts kickin ass, especially in the flurry of fight scenes in the first quarter of the movie.
Bad news on the doorstep:
In spite of good lensin and breathtakin backdrop, all of the meticulously choreographed fight action is hampered by an uncomfortable packagin that tries to cover romance and some hocus-pocus mystical backstory as well, resultin in an overlong final product with an extended climax and an unnecessarily elaborate endin. This decision takes out a lot of energy out of the movie, leavin audiences with a martial arts flick that is enjoyable in patches only.
Perennial wonderment:
If Thai movies can ever stop it with the invasive background music. This one sounds slightly better. Plus it has a real score too I think.
Watch out for:
Star of the show Jeeja Yanin (pic, R). She's cute (though slightly annoyin) and she sure can put up a helluva fight. Utilisin a real-life Siamese discipline called meiraiyuth, her character convincingly embraces the art and gives us somethin awesome to marvel at in every frame. However the most interestin sequence is at an abandoned skate park where Kazu does some amazin work.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
Let's hope Jeeja Yanin's next project is much better and will bring her into Hollywood circles because this Thai talent is more marketable than Tony Jaa.

Black Devil Doll (2007)

At a glance:
Remember Child's Play (1988) ? Blaxploitation lives but this really ought to have been better. Story? A negro version of Chucky fucks and kills busty sluts. Made by Lewis brothers Shawn and Jonathan, two fools who did manage to get the DVD some heavy online presence. Check out their website.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Intentionally bad. Incoherent. Degenerate. Lazy. Empty. It's artistic goal is to offend people and get all the publicity it can.
Reminds me of:
The best blaxploitation movie ever made - Superfly (1972).
Watch out for:
Mayonnaise sex, cheap fake blood, wet t-shirt car wash etc.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
They couldda made it more fun but at least the muppets left us with a good list of evil doll movies on their MySpace. Dead Of Night (1945), (1962), The Twilight Zone: The DummyThe Twilight Zone: Living Doll (1963), The Twilight Zone: Caesar And Me (1964), Devil Doll (1964), Trilogy Of Terror (1975), Let My Puppets Come (1976), Magic (1978), Black Devil Doll From Hell (1984), Attack Of The Beast Creatures (1985), Dolls (1988), Puppet Master (1989), Meet The Feebles (1989), (1991), Demonic ToysDolly Dearest (1992), Dollman vs Demonic Toys (1993), Tales From The Hood (1995), Pinocchio’s Revenge (1996), Blood Dolls (1999), Rag Doll (1999), Team America (2004), Dead Silence (2007). You could watch this one on fast forward, I guess.

London Dreams (2009)

At a glance:
Namastey London director Vipul Amrutlal Shah continues his fascination with the English capital and trades his favourite actor Akshay Kumar for two able leadin men in Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan with London Dreams, an aptly-titled musical caper that reunites the duo some ten years after Straight From The Heart. Pic opened head-to-head with another Deepavali release Aladin and if BO figures and critic reviews are anythin to go by, is the superior of the two. London Dreams are shared by Arjun (what's with this name and Vipul?) and Mannu, two childhood friends who find fame and fortune after a bit of Punjab village backstory. However, their bond is severely tested when the determined one is not the more talented one, while Chennai dancer Priya (Asin Thottumkal) introduces a love triangle.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Lead actress Asin is the sorest point of the movie. She ain't improved from Ghajini and delivers an unconvincin, stutterin performance when flanked by two established stars. Underutilised supportin characters include bandmates Zoheb (Rannvijay Singh) and Wasim (Aditya Roy Kapoor), while veteran Om Puri gets a cameo as a disapprovin uncle. Addin to the mediocrity is a lacklustre score by Shankar-Ehasan-Loy (would it have been a different movie if A.R. Rahman didn't fall out of the project?) which is found wantin especially in the buildup to the climaxin showdown at Wembley, itself an almost farcical drama overkill, complete with water bottle shower. Music lacks a certain energy to it; Barson Yaaron, Yaari Bina and Tapkey Masti just pass us by while Khanabadosh and Man Ko Ati Bhavey manages to be slightly more sprightly.
Watch out for:
Devgan (successfully breakin out from the action hero mould), who puts in a heartfelt performance of angst and aggression; and Khan, more than comfortable playin a lackadaisical but hilarious, simpleton womaniser who is blessed with talent but not the ambition to use it.
Most memorable line:
Mannu: "Every year, a Manjit or two get married here."
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
London Dreams is best remembered for a strong chemistry between the two leads and for providin a second revivalist injection to Salman Khan's star appeal after Wanted earlier this year. Asin can go back to Kerala.