Friday, January 22, 2010

Pandorum (2009) review: Drifting in space, suffocating in a vent, hellish freaks on the prowl. Oh My!




Overall verdict: 7/10

The Good: Effective combination of drama and mystery, highly suspenseful, sleek production designs

The Bad: Draws too much from existing movies, unoriginal premise, fragmented re-telling of backstory and erratic pacing of narrative.

Current Availability Status: On DVDs in all Major video stores

******************************Review********************
Science Fiction horror has more or less come to a standstill. Seriously, how many times can you retell a story involving people getting killed off on a dark foreboding spaceship? Pandorum is not spared that "unoriginal" stereotype that has plagued so many films in this genre ever since Ridley Scott's "Alien".

Simply put, Pandorum is "Event Horizon" meets "Resident Evil"(surprise surprise, the producers DID make both those films) by way of "I Am Legend". In deep space, on board the colony vessel Elysium, astronauts Bower and Payton are awoken from hyper-sleep only to be confronted with a dark empty room, signs of struggle, irregular power surges and the mysterious disappearance of the other crew members. Suffering from mild memory loss, Bower volunteers to journey deep into the bowels of the ship and restore power at the main reactor so that they can access the main bridge while Payton guides him over the radio. Along the way, Payton warns Bower of "Pandorum" which is a psychological condition brought about by intense emotional reaction after long periods of suspended animation. Symptoms include vivid hallucinations, paranoia and even homicidal tendencies. No sooner has this been said, Bower gets thrust into a nightmare of claustrophobic vents, hellish cannibalistic creatures(that honestly look more like nose-less clowns doing the tribal routine) and other human survivors who have "gone native". Payton too has to deal with his discovery of a stowaway, Gallo, who may hold the answers to the all that is happening on the ship.

Amniesic protagonist, someone with a hidden past and agenda, kick butt warrior woman, blood thirsty mutants, hell on a spaceship.... all highly familiar to anyone who has at least heard of the science fiction horror sub-genre. Which brings us to the first thing that this movie, unoriginal though it may be, does right. It teases that audience constantly about the ambiguous nature of the main characters' encounters. Are the horrors that Bower experiences real or are they just manifestations of his Pandorum symptoms? That question is left up to the audience to put together, interprete and decide. In the same way the tragic backstory of the Elysium mission is revealed in bits and pieces for Bower and Payton to put together.

Though the film has some narrative shortcomings in the unimpressive script, it makes up for it thanks to the director's eye for style and detail. Christian Alvart excels at conveying the same sense of fear and hysteria experienced by Bower through effective cinematography and tight close-up shots. His camera-work never fails to highlight the production design of the Elysium's interior which is both spectacular and menacing to behold, as if the ship itself had mutated along with the creatures residing in its bowels. The decision to let the whole mystery be played out slowly as the astronauts try to piece together what transpired on the Elysium works after a while and manages to maintain a chilling air of suspense right up to the big twist.

Both Ben foster and Dennis Quaid who play the two astronauts manage to put on a convincing and multi layered performance with "New Moon"'s Cam Gigandet stealing the show as a man slowly going over the deep end. Such rich characters are a rarity in horror movies nowadays. With so many films falling back on the usual stock one-dimensional ones, this is a refreshing change.

Thoughs suspenseful, Pandorum is severely hampered by its lack of actual scares and lack of action packed thrills. It is indecisiveness as to whether it should be a horror show or action movie. Also, the film had so much potential to delve into deeper elements of the human psychology and allow the audience to get into the mind of the paranoid. But alas, that was not so, which leaves Pandorum as brain dead as the savage cannibalistic creatures.

Long time sci/fi fans will know what to expect and will most likely be let down, but hopefully this film can entice newcomers to the genre who would then go on to check out some of the better sci/fi horror films out there.

While it is a decent attempt at reinvigorating a waning sub-genre, Pandorum is sadly boxed in by the reputation of its predecessors and suffocates under its derivative elements. Ultimately, like some lost vessel drifting in space, it would disappears into darkness or at least garner a small cult following here on earth.

*****************************Review End******************

Go For it: if you like a good mix of familiar movie elements and a brain teasing air of mystery in a film. Or if you are wondering what the big deal is about science fiction horror movies.
Avoid it: if you are a fan of other Sci/Fi horror movies like Event Horizon and Alien and just cannot resist comparing Pandorum to the others.

Entertainment: B-
Story: B
Acting: A-
Characters: A-
Music: C+
Replay value: B
"Brains": C+

Friday, January 15, 2010

The Ugly Truth (2009) review




Overall verdict: 6.5/10

The Good: Superb acting by the leads, witty humour, well paced narrative, emotionally engaging characters

The Bad: stale predictable story, other characters other than the leads are bland, unsatisfactory conclusion, failed to expound on the more complex and interesting themes of relationship.

Current Availability Status: On DVDs in all major DVD stores
DVD features:
- deleted scenes
- director's commentary

******************************Review********************
Over the years, the romance comedy genre have always been within the "hit or miss" region among movies in general. Be it live action or in the form of anime, romantic comedies tend to be mostly mediocre with only a handful that turn out really funny and enjoyable with even less going on to become international hits. Sadly "The Ugly Truth" follows that long line of mediocre romance comedies, its only bright spot being that Gerald "This is Sparta" Butler is given a chance to show off his acting prowess in a fresh new role that he has never tackled before.

THe premise of this movie is as such. Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a perfectionist, "control freak"-ish morning show TV producer whose show is on the verge of being canceled due to low ratings. One night, she comes home from a disastrous date and happens to watch a segment of a TV show, "The Ugly Truth", hosted by "shock jock" by Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler). Abby calls into his show and argues with Mike on-air, in response to cynical attitude about relationships prompts, which leads to her quite literally "hating his guts". The next day, she discovers that the station she works for has hired Mike to do a segment on her show in order to boost ratings. This kicks starts a very storm tossed relationship between the two which lends itself to numerous comedic turns. Sooner than expected, Abby just so happens to fall for her doctor neighbor and she grudgingly goes to Mike for advice at "netting" the man of her dreams(actually the only man who fulfilled her listed criteria). The unlikely pair cut a deal in that if she is She agrees to his advice and is successful, it would prove Mike's theories on relationships and she will work happily with him. However if Mike fails, he agrees to quit.

Anyone with experience in this genre of movies can more or less fill in the rest of the story. Unlikely pair work together, more jokes, fall for each other, more jokes, Love triangle develops, tragedy strikes, touching finale. Finish.

In this case, one would admit that the usual formula actually works to a certain extent. Familiarity allows the audience to know exactly what they are watching. They would know exactly how the story would turn out and hence lessen the chances that an audience would go away disappointed since whoever does not like this genre of movies would not even be watching this in the first place. "The Ugly Truth" is not a masterpiece by any means, nor would it win any awards, but it is entertainment. Also the formulaic story allows one to focus more on the scripting and acting, and this is where the movie truly shines.

Witty banter and a cornucopia of innuendo-ed jokes permeate most of the film. Sexual references abound but are written in such a tactful way that they do not come off as crass or crude. Most sexual innuendo jokes tend to be rude and sometimes offensive; thankfully that is not the case here.There is wit to the humor in this movie that utilities word puns and double meanings in their jokes to good effect. Thankfully, the humor is not over-played as the tone transits from its lighthearted first act into its more serious second act. The characters and situations are written in such a way that anyone could easily identify with them, which lends to a greater emotional involvement in the film.

Stellar acting by the cast also helps. Special mention goes to Gerald Butler who proves to be an exceedingly versatile actor. He nails the carefree, in-your-face, yet internally bitter character of Mike Chadway to the point that it is easy to forget the actor playing the role and just become so involved with character himself. Katherine Heigl does a satisfying job as Abby, lending both her acting chops and eye candy to the complex lead role.

It is a huge pity that the writers chose to fall back on "the usual thing" instead of expanding on the relationship themes a little more . Having a clearer conflict of ideals between Mike and Abby and maybe going deeper into the strengths and flaws of the ideas presented would have turned this film into a more thought provoking experience. "what men really want" , "what women really look for", "loving the 'me you want to see' or loving 'the real me'", all those little tidbits would have made benefited from a more central role in the film which would have given this movie a "fresher" feel instead of the stale standard story.


At the end of the day, unless you are already a fan of romantic comedies or unless you have an open mind when it comes to various movie genre, its best to stick with what you like. "The Ugly Truth" would not be converting staunch action movie junkies or epic fantasy aficionados anytime soon, that's for sure, but just sit back relax and enjoy a good laugh that is easy on the brain. A hearty chuckle and a few quick tugs at the heartstrings now and then is good for body, mind and soul.


*****************************Review End******************

Go For it: if you enjoy a good laugh, if you want to see Gerald Butler in a role he has never done before, and if you already know what to expect from a typical romance comedy
Avoid it: if you seek something better than "typical"

Entertainment: B-
Story: D
Acting: A
Characters: B
Music: C-
Replay value: C
"Brains": C-

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

DeathNote (2006) review


Overall verdict: 5.5/10

The Good: genuinely suspenseful, contains many thought provoking social themes, fresh unique concept

The Bad: irregular pacing, inconsistent acting, unlikable characters, cheesy script

Current Availability Status: on DVD at discounted price at Poh Kim outlets
DVD features:
- Director's interview
- deleted scenes
- behind the scenes featurette
******************************Review********************
I have not read the original manga or watched the anime before viewing this movie, so i would not know how faithful it was was to the source material.

All things considered, DeathNote has its fair share of ups and downs. Based on the hit manga series "Deathnote", the story's premise sounds like a definite hooker. An intelligent but disillusioned university student, Light Yagami, one day finds "the Deathnote". Any person whose name is written inside the book would die. Along with his new pal, the "shinigami" known as Ryuk, Light uses the Deathnote to kill off suspected criminals one by one. The authorities are baffled by the strange deaths but nonetheless attempt to track down the mysterious killer whom they term "Kira"(I'm betting this is a mispronunciation of "Killer"). As the body count increases, the police enlists the help of a quirky young genius named "L", thus setting up a battle of wits between the two young men.

While the plot may have sounded good on paper, it does not seem to translate well to screen. Special complements must go to the director for managing to maintain a constant air of suspense throughout the entire movie and for trying to incorporate a number of interesting themes such as the social subjectivity of good and evil, the role of morality in justice, and the question of fate and determinism within the metaphor of a book that predicts one's actions leading to one's death. Sadly, those two great aspects of this film suffers from some very disappointing execution. Those underlying themes that were mentioned tend to "pop in" here and there in the form of dialog rather than actually being blended into the ongoing story; they feel rather detached from the narrative as if the writers reluctantly inserted those scenes of philosophical rhetoric as an afterthought.

Suspense is always a good thing to have, especially in the case of DeathNote. In the absence of said suspense, this movie would serve a purpose very similar to a bedtime lullaby. Many scenes are plain boring and the whole movie just drags its feet through its unnecessarily convoluted plot with only one single, and grudgingly played out, action sequence. A shorter running time plus a meatier script and plot would have aided this plodding production or perhaps if it was broadcast as a TV miniseries, since it already looks like one thanks to cheap production values.

DeathNote's irregular pace is NOT helped by some of the least likable main characters ever encountered in a movie. The main character of Light Yagami came across as very unnatural in both his mannerisms and his interactions with people. One moment he seems to be a normal fun loving university student and another moment he is a delusional despot with ambitions to be the "God of the New World". Unless he had split personality disorder, such a thing can only be boiled down to inconsistent characterization either on the part of the script or the actor . The rest of the cast is uninteresting at best, many being your usual Japanese cop drama stock characters. Only the character of L seemed to "stand out" but he does not come into play until halfway through this boring show. And when he does, we do not get much insight into his motivations or his character. He is just there to give Light Yagami a "rival" of sorts.

Despite its many flaws, DeathNote manages to captivate with its suspense and numerous clever twists. A huge pity since it means that after you have watched it once, this movie has practically ZERO replay value; you already know the plot twists, and that effectively negates any form of suspense to be had.

A real pity about the final product since Deathnote had so much potential to become an avant garde, thought provoking social commentary film which dives deep into philosophical issues that permeate today's crime stricken society. Instead it remains on the edge of the proverbial pool, never daring to dive into its deeper aspects, hence leaving this movie merely floating on the surface of mediocrity.

***************Review End**************

Go For it: if you are an avid fan of the manga or anime and would thrill to see your favorite characters in live action.
Avoid it: if you already know the story, if you intend to watch this more than once and if you prefer something with a little more action to accompany the conversations.

Entertainment: C

Story: B-
Acting:B

Characters: C
Replay value: D-
"Brains": A-

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Bleach: Memories of Nobody (2007) review: Whatever you thought of the TV series will be what you think of this movie


*scroll down for screenshots*
*Note: Yellow text indicate "fan rants" which may be disregarded if you dont want to go deeper into the technical details of the movie*
Overall verdict: 5/10

The Good: Exactly like an episode of the TV series so fans should be pleased

The Bad: exactly like an episode of the TV series to anyone other than fans might be disappointed. Offers nothing new, not even improved animation or scripting.

Current Availability Status: Bare bones(no extras) DVD and VCD available in Laser Flair, Poh Kim and TS video outlets at discounted price. (IMO, the DVD is still not worth the price thanks to lousy quality control and a lack of extras. Might as well get the VCD or watch it on youtube.)

******************************Review********************

The first feature length animated project based on the popular Shonen Jump manga proves to be a forgettable and redundant entry into the Bleach anime franchise. Instead of weaving an epic tale that would be a crucial turning point for the beloved Bleach characters and do justice to a heightened movie-styled animation budget, the production team decides to churn out what is in essence an extended TV series episode in which, rather conveniently thanks to one of the oldest most overly used plot twists, nothing that happens in this movie has any place or effect in the main anime storyline. One could easily find a better way to spend 90 minutes and not miss a thing.

The story begins during a routine "Hollow" hunting when Ichigo and Ruika encounter strange spirits know as "Blanks". Initially confused by their sudden appearance, the plot thickens with the appearance of a mysterious new Soul Reaper named Senna who quickly befriends Ichigo. Slowly, the nature of Senna and the strange appearances of the spirits are revealed culminating with Ichigo and gang having to stop a age old feud by a group of Soul Reaper exiles who intend on destroying the world and the Soul society.

Face it, "Bleach: Memories of Nobody" is just an extended filler episode of the popular Bleach anime series. None of the characters get any further development and the cast of new characters do not add much to the soup. Senna especially was no doubt written to be a spunky yet likable girl with a carefree outlook on life, but thanks to either the script or the overexaggerated acting of the seiyuu (Japanese voice actress), she comes across as quite an loud mouthed irritant with her "sad" back story feeling forced into place to milk a few tears from the audience. Thankfully the returning cast from the TV series all deliver some adequate performances that fit their character personalities. Everyone is their same old selves, flaws and all.

Despite having a movie sized budget, the animation still suffers from the same shortcomings that plague the TV series. Stiff character motion, flat backgrounds and frequent use of lazy looking animation short-cuts make this movie look even more like a glorified episode of the TV series. There are even a couple of scenes with very obvious "off-model" or disproportionate character art. Along with the overly bright cheery color scheme and minimally detailed artwork, the only "improvement" there is seems to be a greater usage of CGI for some backgrounds and special power effects.

Unless you are an existing fan of Bleach, this movie would fail to satisfy. As if the story were not confusing enough, No introductions or exposition is given hence newcomers would find it really difficult to watch this show and understand the various terms and Bleach lingo. As an anime movie, the production standards are sub-par and the story is plagued by some pacing issues. Top it off with one major cop-out ending(no it was not all a dream, but it is something close to that), and what you get is one major disappointment.

Basically, if you thought the TV series was good, "Bleach: Memories of Nobody" would not change your mind, but neither would it be increasing your impression about Bleach as a whole. If you thought the TV series was not up to expectations, this movie would only prove you right once more as you will find the same flaws here. A real treat for hardcore Bleach fanatics, and a real let down when compared to anime movies in general.

*****************************Review End******************


Go For it: If you loved the TV series and would thrill to a new adventure starring your favorite characters
Avoid it: If you like real anime movies that showcase the limitless potential of movie sized production values on level of writing and animation or if you have something against long shonen jump titles like Bleach.

Entertainment: C
Story: C-
Characters: B-
Animation: C
Art: B-
Voice work: B+
Replay Value: D+



"Cue dynamic shadows, hold that cool pose. And then let the fanboys drool"
Too bad this is just a still picture. Great art with zero actual animation



"Sweet honey stars! We're all frozen in place for like 10 whole seconds except for this flatly colored orange haired kid!"
So...is he lying on leaves or a flat paper pavement with leaves painted on it?


Ichigo: "Rukia, i don't care if you're suddenly 8 months pregnant, but there is something really strange about my fingers. Do they look infected to you?"
One of few obvious off-model character art.


Ichigo: "Though my kitchen fruit knife may be small, my blue LAZORS will out-glow your yellow lazors!"
One of the coolest combat scenes ever spoilt by choppy animation and lackluster artwork

"Argh! Orange computer generated weapon clash effects. They match that kid's hair!"
One example of the CGI(computer generation imaging) used for special effects in this movie.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Avatar (2009) review: Goes Beyond Being a Mere Visual Spectacle to Become a True Modern Masterpiece

Overall verdict: 8/10

The Good: Amazing digital effects, intense soundtrack, lovable characters, unique production design, basically ups the ante of any big budget blockbuster.

The Bad: backstory is only implied but not fleshed out, third act feels rushed a little

Current Availability Status:On Blu ray and DVDs in any local video store

******************************Review********************

The hype was definitely big; over 10 years in the making. The ultra secret film project that would push the boundaries of film making to its limits. With that promise, a whopping budget and James Cameron's reputation on the line, "Avatar" was born. At the start of his career, James Cameron brought to life his nightmare about an unstoppable skeletal killer rising from fire, now he has realised his vision of a beautiful dream. "Epic" cannot even begin to describe this marvel of a movie. It surpasses every other blockbuster that has come before. Plus it has brains and heart to boot, two things other big special effects laden movies like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen tend to forget.

Much has been said about Avatar's less-than-original story. In the year 2154 on a faraway moon called Pandora, the RDA corporation has been attempting to mine precious "unobtanium" minerals while fending off attacks by the local "Na'Vi": a race of tall, blue skinned natives clearly inspired by Native Americans. Enter Jake Sully, an crippled marine who is sent to replace his brother in the "Avatar Project" which involves transplanting the minds of humans into artificially created Na'vi bodies in order to facilitate better inter-species understanding between Na'vi and Humans. But Jake is given new orders from the corporation; infiltrate the Na'vi tribe, learn their secrets and convince them to relocate before the military is sent in to remove them by force.

Similar to his previous work on Terminator in which James Cameron took a typical horror/slasher movie structure(unstoppable killer going after helpless teenage girl)and tailored it into an all time classic, Avatar's story is, at its core, just a mix of well known cinema clichés. The story of a soldier who is taken in by some natives and ultimately fights with the natives against his former comrades is nothing new, having been done most recently in "The Last Samurai". But Cameron manages to bring all those familiar elements together and craft a sweeping tale that is as compelling as the world it takes place in; it is not the individual elements, but the end result mix that works so well. On the surface, it is a grand science fiction fantasy adventure that anyone can understand and enjoy. Dig beneath that surface and you have an entire cast of interesting characters as well as clever allusions about the recent war in Iraq, metaphors about corporate globalisation, imperialism, and even deeper philosophy about an individual finding a new purpose among new people.

Some directors just make films. James Cameron creates an entire world with Jake Sully as our avatar through which the audience are able to experience this wonderful world of Pandora.

A word of warning though: Do not, i repeat, DO NOT watch this movie unless you watch it in its full 3D glory. While most 3D films "pop up" in your face, Avatar does a different approach. Instead of popping out, it immerses the viewer into the visual experience with a realistic field of depth thanks to a technique of filming that mimics the way our eyes perceive distance. This revolutionary filming method makes the magnificent CGI world, creatures and characters all the more majestic to behold. Forget Star Wars, forget Lord of the Rings, AVATAR is the new benchmark of visual effects excellence. Even the more hardcore fan-boys of science fiction would be drooling at the attention to detail the production team put into fleshing out not just a never-before-seen world, but original creature designs and even an entirely new language for the Na'Vi(and let us not forget the most realistic portrayal of robotic mecha in the history of digital films). After a short while one would would forget that the Na'Vi are just digital effects and come to emotionally connect with those lovable yet tragic creatures. That is the extent of realism that the revolutionary CGI and amazing acting gives to the digitally rendered Na'Vi. The human characters are also perfectly cast, each fleshed out as much as possible so much to emotionally engage the audience. Even the "bad guys" have a certain appeal about them. (special mention goes to Stephan Lang's character of Colonel Quaritch, easily embodying the definition of "bad ass" and giving "Apocalypse Now"'s Colonel Killgore a run for his money.)
Almost Flawless in its execution, only one personal nitpick would be that perhaps Avatar would have worked better with a longer running time or split into two movies. The final act where Jake goes from outcast to Na'vi savior in 10 minutes felt a little bit truncated and more time could have been spent on Jake Sully's back-story, but those are just minor nitpicks if one wanted to be really fussy.

**********************fanboy rant********************
Observable people will notice the culmination of elements from James Cameron's previous movies. The interclass/interracial relationship between Jack and Rose from Titanic reborn in the form of Jake's romance with the Na'Vi Neytiri. Futuristic war technology like dropships and Mechs and Greedy corporation Aliens. Hardened Guerrilla fighters from Terminator 2, an outcast re-learning how to "live" again similar to Kyle Reese from Terminator 1. It is truly a "best of James Cameron" anthology. A culmination of his life's work.


**************fanboy rant end********************

Emotionally engaging, thrilling, entertaining and breathtaking. Avatar is James Cameron at his best; showcasing his abilities as an blockbuster movie director who can balance action with emotion, bang with brain. Battles are edge-of-your-seat thrill rides, beautifully choreographed and filmed, bringing "awesome" to a whole new level. From start to finish, Avatar succeeds at everything it set out to do and easily lives up to the hype. Future blockbuster directors would be hard pressed to live up to the standards set by this grand modern masterpiece that would easily become an immortal classic in no time.

*****************************Review End******************

Go For it: If you want an honest to goodness fantasy blockbuster experience with enough "heart" to get you emotionally involved and enough "bang" to leave you wanting to come back for more
Avoid it: If you would pass off James Cameron's trademark style of taking a well known storyline and giving his unique spin on it as "unoriginal".

Entertainment: A

Story: B+
Acting: A

Characters: A
Replay value: A
Music: A-
"Brains": B

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

"Xia Dao Xiao: Where got Ghost?" (2009) review



Overall verdict: 3/10

The Good: impressive acting, moral metaphors, passable attempt to poke fun at singaporean superstition.

The Bad: more silly than funny, witless humor, amateurish cinematography, poor script everything else that would normally make a movie good.

Current Availability Status: on DVDs in only certain stores like TS video and POH KIM

******************************Review********************
"Where got Ghost?" is Singaporean filmmaker Jack Neo's first attempt at the horror comedy genre. It is actually an anthology of three short cautionary tales that spoofs a number of Singaporean superstitious beliefs. In typical Jack Neo style, the jokes are lame, and the entire show is more stupid than funny. Viewers would not be laughing at the jokes but at the movie itself.

The first segment is "Roadside Got Ghost" where we follow a trio of con men who take advantage of the locals' superstitious beliefs to swindle them. Their next big scheme involves making random calls to people under the guise of a "god of fortune" promising them a lucky number that would win a cash prize at the next "4D" lottery draw. Though the scam initially works, Things take a turn for the worse when the trio start receiving mysterious calls from a ghost that they angered. The second segment is "Forest Got Ghost" where we follow two soldiers who took an ill-advised through the woods and stumbled across a mysterious house and its lone female occupant during a rain storm. The last segment is "House Got Ghost" which involves three brothers being haunted by the spirit of their dearly departed mother. They attempt to appease and then get rid of the ghost only to discover that their mother's spirit has a different agenda for their fates.

As a "horror comedy", this movie fails big time in both areas. It is neither scary nor is it funny. The only reason anyone would be laughing would be at how stupid the three stories are and at the idiotic cast of characters, each one sillier than the next. Sure there are a number of in-jokes and cheap laughs, mostly delivered in Chinese dialect but that is all they are: cheap, superficial giggle inducers with nothing really witty to set it apart from an amateur's home-videoed sitcom or a high school stage play.

Another reason why people would be laughing in the aisles would be at how terrible this movie looks. The cheesy make-up on the ghosts make them look more like clowns than ghastly apparitions. Also, the movie is plagued by some of the most laziest camera-work and effects ever seen in cinema. Discovery channel documentaries have more kinetic camera-work than this.

A good amount of CGI is used but once again, they are laughably bad. Among the CGI shots are a horrendously edited digital car crash, a cartoony looking haunted forest and the worst ever green-screened avalanche in film making history. If this is the standard that could be achieved by Singaporean CGI artists, the future is indeed bleak for them.

Though sub-standard in its execution, this movie is at least able to convey some good moral values at the end of each segment. The actors all turn in passable performances but sometimes tend to over-act and ham it up. As a whole however, "Where got Ghost" would only scare the most timid of creatures and entertain only those Singaporean heart-landers unfortunate enough to not have anything better to watch or who are so hyped up on being loyal to local filmakers and supporting Singaporean movies.

With near zero international appeal thanks to the many jokes and humor that only a local would understand, "Where got Ghost" is a disappointing entry into the long list of "hit and miss" Singaporean movies. A poorly filmed waste-of-time about stupid characters in silly situations. Then again, People love laughing at stupid things so this movie would

*****************************Review End******************

Go For it: if you need something overly stupid to laugh at.
Avoid it: ...why? as if i had not given enough reasons why you should not waste your time with this show.

Entertainment: C-
Story: D
Acting: B-
Characters: D-
Replay value: D
"Brains": D