Concept: Red Hill - A plot Summary for a proposed fantasy action blockbuster

They call them the Garfish. But these were more than just sea creatures. They were ruthless pirates preying on defenseless island nations in the East Indies. Their ships were adored with sharp battering rams, their soldiers wielded spears, and for the longest time they were unstoppable. Year after year they came, killing men, raping women, kidnapping children, unless the villagers present a "protection tribute". Every few years during the monsoon, the Pirates would return to the island of Temasek and demand a tribute of gold and resources. Should those be in sufficient, the Garfish would take young men to be sold as slaves, girls to be prostituted. And for as long as one could remember, the chief's had given in to those demands in exchange for peace. 

But enough was enough. The younger son and elder daughter of the chief of Temasek (always having to hide in the northern hills) had grown weary of this endless cycle. The son tries to unite the tribes of temasek to fight back against the invaders but to no avail while the daughter yearns to leave this troubled island for a faraway land of peace. One day the son encounters a boy in the forests. A pale hermit with golden hair and uncanny knowledge about military tactics. He befriends the chief's son and provides him the opportunity to strike back at their pirate oppressors.

Together, they rally the villagers and begin to train the young and able bodied in the art of warfare. All the while, the chief's son and the hermit develop a bond of brotherhood. 

The fair skinned hermit displays uncanny combat skills and strategic planning. Together the two unite the outlying villagers, gathering men of all trades into an army; the hermit providing the training, the chief's son rousing their spirits with passionate speeches. As more young men join the war effort, the son and the hermit earn the nicknames "prince" and "ghost"; one a budding leader, the other an answer to the prayers of an oppressed people. As part of the defense of Temasek, the Prince and the Ghost order the construction of a barrier along the coastline. Consisting of sharpened tree trunks angled out toward the sea, this barrier would have to be positioned just below the tide. 

Construction is not easy. Tempers flare, tension mounts and old rivalries are laid bare. However through his strength and his companion's timely advice, the Prince is able to quell such dissent and strengthen the bonds between villagers. .Into this grueling age, the chief's daughter develops close feelings for the hermit. She believes he is a foreigner who would be able to whisk her away from the life of misery she has known since birth. The chief's daughter tries to win Ghost's affection but it becomes clear that he has no interest in her and only grows closer to the Prince. The Prince and the Ghost grow inseparable, with Ghost becoming highly protective of the Prince. Challenges to his leadership are quickly and violently put down by the skilled hermit.the biggest challenge came from the Prince's father, the chief. He tries to sway the people into believing that the plan to fight back would backfire, resulting in greater loss of lives and a fierce retribution from the Pirates that would leave the island a burnt out, lifeless land. The prince becomes convinced by the Ghost that it was the chief who planted his loyalists among the Prince's army and caused the initial dissension. When a heated argument shakes the Prince's resolve, his friend the hermit assassinates the chief, accusing him of holding back the prince from his full potential. It is here that we see that the Ghost may be something other than human as he exhibits a dark power and uses its influence to convince the guards of treachery perpetrated by Garfish assassins. 

In time, a wall of sharpened branches angled out to sea is constructed, the army of temasek stands ready. Trouble brews on the Homefront though. The chief's daughter continues her attempts to convince Ghost to leave Temasek with her. When Ghost makes it clear he intends to stay after Temasek is freed the chief's daughter becomes increasingly desperate. She resents Ghost for spurning her advances and for becoming the sibling to her brother that she never was. When he violently rejects her attempted at seduction, her resentment turns to hatred. Her brother too ignores her, regarding her as childish unfocused and disloyal. 

At the appointed time, the Garfish return, The prince and his entourage meet with a Garfish envoy just off the coast. But instead of bowing to their demands, the prince kills the envoy and retreats to Temasek through a hidden gap in the spiked wall. In a rage at this treachery, the pirate leader sends most of his fleet to destroy the villages. With only bloodlust on their minds, the Pirates blindly advance only for their ships to crash against the hidden wall of spikes. Ships are smashed, bodies impaled, and while the attackers wallow in confusion, the prince's army reveals itself and charge towards the water's edge slaying without mercy. The pain and anger over Years of suffering are unleashed against the hapless invaders in a bloody carnage that stains the sands red. It is a great battle, one that would be told and retold for generations to come. In the end, only the pirate leader and his ship's crew are left having waded to a secluded swamp to escape the battle. Unknown to them, their escape was spotted by the chief's daughter who was overlooking the battle from a nearby hill.

Night came and the villagers celebrate their victory. Under cover of darkness, the chief's daughter meets up with the pirate captain and promises him the chance for vengeance in exchange for making her a part of his crew. She sees the Pirates as the only way to fulfil her dream of leaving Temasek and to exact revenge on the one who spurned her. They find the Ghost in his secluded hut on a hill but it seems he is ready for them. At that time, the Prince had no interest in the festivities. Shaken by the deaths he had caused, he goes out searching for his companion for advice and comfort. He hears the sound of battle coming from the hill and runs to investigate

There he comes across massacred pirates, the pirate leader disarmed, his terrified sister, and a demonic form that used to be Ghost. Ghost has revealed his true supernatural nature and proceeds to drain the blood of the pirate leader. The Princes sister begs the prince to kill Ghost, claiming innocence. Ghost silences her by decapitaiton before returning to his human form.

Prince and Ghost share a tense moment. Ghost does not try to explain the presence of his sister or how she tried to kill him, he only asks if Prince will accept him after seeing his true nature. Racked with grief and confusion, Prince charges at his former friend fueled by rage. The scuffle is brief but surreal. Ghost lies dead, princes mind snaps under the trauma of losing everyone close to him. As he sits crying, blood issues forth from the dead bodies and soaks the soil of the hill. Camera pulls back to reveal the soil slowly turning blood red. The red fills the screen just before the end credits roll. 

5 Obvious Singapore stories that no one is making into movies.

Singapore has a rich history of legends and folk tales. Yet no one is doing anything with them. We have seen Greek myths like Hercules and Perseus see multiple big screen adaptations. Outside of hollywood, Britain, Ireland, Europe, they all have movies that reinterpret their local legends and local classic literature for a movie going audience.

Even malaysia had a few on their local legends such as Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat.

The singapore film market could do to move beyond drama and comedy (insipid and uninspired drama and comedy at that).

The realm of science fiction and fantasy awaits. With a competent director, a committed writer and a good crew, these movies are possible.

Now of course adapting the legends and literature word for word would be........boring. Who wants to watch a movie where the climax is a rock throwing competition?
So here are 5 local legends or classic literature that could do with a reinterpretation into movies.

1) Red Hill
Tone: 300 in ancient Singapura.

In a sentence: a vast legion of seafaring marauders looms on the horizon as one young man unites an island nation in a fight for their future.

Synopsis: they call them garfish. Named for their long lances and spear bowed boats, this legion of seafaring pirates have plundered the shores of temasek for generations. A young prince struggles to unite the islands tribes to stand against this onslaught. Seeking the help of a mysterious boy he encountered in the dark forest, the prince devises a cunning plan that would turn the tide against the invaders. Now farmers and fishermen take up arms to defend their homeland in one final fight for glory. But victory has a price; a price that can not go unpaid.


2) Badang
Tone: Hercules in mortal kombat

In a sentence: in a bid to claim the island of temasek, a ruthless king pits his deadliest warriors against the legendary strongman known as Badang.

Synopsis: at a meeting of the island rulers, the chief of temasek is conned by the regional tyrant into a contest with little hope of victory. Seven of the king's best warriors will challenge whoever the chief sees fit to seven feats of strength. Victory would win Temasek peace for another hundred years. Defeat would bring temasek under the rule of the empire. Now temasek's people had grown weak and domesticated, but an outcast veteran of wars long passed rises to serve his chief once again. His name is Badang the strong. This is his legend. Some say he made a deal with a devil for his immense strength. Others say he hunted demons to drain their powers. He had been branded a heathen, a heretic, a mad wild hermit. Yet he is the kingdom's last hope.


3) Merlion
Tone: battleship against the beast from 20,000 fathoms.
In a sentence: Singapore mobilizes the full fury of its armed forces to stop a rampaging mythical beast.
Synopsis: something has surfaced in the straits of Singapore, attacking ships at random around the Riau Islands. Investigative journalist Jack Liu follows rumors of a sea monster to rural Indonesia. Dismissed by his colleagues as a fraud for chasing myths, Jack's persistence pays off when he chances upon the beast coming ashore. A long Crimson body like a serpent's culminating in an inhumanly twisted torso and massive arms. Slick scales like armor, a jet black head and grey fins forming a mane. No one would believe him. But jack sets a plan into motion which would bring him all the witnesses he needs, the scoop of the century, along with all the money and fame he hopes to win. The Merlion would go to Singapore. And may mercy be upon those caught in its wake.


4) Kusu Island
Tone: reboot of Gamera in the tone of 2014 Godzilla
In a sentence: a gargantuan tortoise monster from ancient times is awakened to battle the menacing Merlion.
Synopsis: Ismail's grandfather always loved turtles. In his childhood days among the orang laut, he kept a small sea turtle which he named Kusu. A tragic encounter left Kusu fatally wounded and Ismail's grandfather had to abandon the turtle at an ancient off shore shrine in hopes that the afterlife would be kind to Kusu. In present day, Ismail is a washed up old writer left to take care of his increasingly senile grandfather. His books of children's stories never sold well causing him to become cynical and cold towards what he perceives as useless fairy tales. And now an enormous reading appears on the sonar, making a beeline for the mainland.

5) The Crocodile Dies Twice
Tone: Pirates of the Carribean meets Heart of Darkness, Singapore style.
In a sentence: a young boy is swept up in a swashbuckling adventure across the high seas as pirates, police and secret societies race to possess a long lost treasure.

Top 10 movies of 2014

2014 has come and gone. Here are my top 10 movies for the year

Click on the links for A full review where applicable

1. Edge of Tomorrow

Based on the Japanese novel "All you need is Kill", EDGE OF TOMORROW is a gripping character focused tale that gives a fun fresh edgy spin to a tried and true sic/fi premise. An alien species called the Mimics have landed. Inhumanly fast, vicious and able to outsmart human attack plans at every turn, Mimic forces threaten to overwhelm the world. A massive counteroffensive on the coasts of Europe which ends disastrously for former PR officer turned forced conscript William Cage (Tom Cruise).......until he wakes up 24 hours before the invasion at the start of his conscription.
Edge of Tomorrow is a lot smarter than it seems at first. It deconstructs cliches and may even be seen as a parody of an audience's expectations when they see a movie. In playing against type, Tom Cruise shines as the cowardly Cage whom we discover is all brave talk and no action. His performance is earnest and nuanced, lending weight to the more tragic scenes of Cage experiencing the deaths of those close to him over and over again.Watch this, savour this, and repeat. 

Native 3D: No

Buy EDGE OF TOMORROW ON BLU RAY


2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Ten years after a deadly diseases wiped out most of humanity, a colony of smart genetically enhanced apes, led by Ceasar, have made the forests of San Francisco their home. There they thrive until their peace is broken by a group of humans searching for an hydroelectric dam. Fear and paranoia mounts of both sides, with trust and friendship constantly hanging in a fragile balance. Threats mount from within as dissension slowly builds. Social commentary and political musings pepper this deep science fiction film as Andy Serkis brings his award winning performance to the character of Ceasar, leader of the apes.

A smart, vicious, and throughout provoking sequel.

Native 3D: Yes

Buy DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES on 3D Blu Ray


3. Godzilla

In shaping Godzillas future, the creative team look back on the big G's past, digging deep into the earlier, darker themed Showa era godzilla movies and combining the best elements of 60 years worth of sequels. Like the first 1954 original, the monsters' appearance is teased and glimpsed through the human focused tale. This is slow build up and reveal calls back to classic monster movies like JAWS, ALIEN, and the original GODZILLA. Yet director Gareth Edwards successfully builds the tension right up to the big payoff clash of titanic proportions.

Fans of all action monster mash ups like GODZILLA FINAL WAR or DESTROY ALL MONSTERS would no doubt find the slow burn build up boring. But fans of the 1954 classic and the more serious Showa era movies would have much to cheer about. With a nostalgic score by Alexander Desplat clearly inspired by the late great Akira Ifukube, GODZILLA serves as a harrowing metaphor of nature's supremacy over mankind. Where the 1954 classic was an analogy for the atomic bomb, 2014's movie brings to mind the tsunamis and nuclear plant meltdowns that shocked the world. A clever, emotionally engaging and powerful tribute to 60 years of Godzilla.

Native 3D: No

Buy GODZILLA on Blu Ray

4. Big Hero 6

BIG HERO 6 is good. It is colourful, action packed and simple enough for kids and inner children. Yet it packs a significant emotional wallop and some mature themes for those willing to dig deeper into the narrative. Visually, it is a fine piece of work to look at and just take in the details in the wonderful animation. Accompanied by a rousing electronic score by WRECK-IT RALPH'S Henry Jackman, BIG HERO 6 looks set to obscure its own middling comic book source material, (which is not entirely surprising since there was hardly any reprint of the comic aside from the hard-to-get single issues). Big on thrills, big on heart, big on technical achievement; that is BIG HERO 6. Oh and big bucks for disney's merchandising department.

Native 3D: Yes

Buy BIG HERO 6 on Blu Ray

5. Robocop

ROBOCOP retains many elements of the original, while updating the premise for contemporary audience. It got the satire down very well, firstly in the form of extreme leftist show host Pat Novak (Samuel L Jackson), then among other things, the revelation that the "all American" Robocop was made in China. Although not as dark a dark comedy as the original movie, the satire here works, as with many of the subtle changes. Our new Robocop, played magnificently by Joel Kinnaman, is sleek, fast, he's strong, plus he does not just stand there and get shot at. Best of all, he retains his heart and struggles with his humanity.The film deals with the consequences of being turned into a commercial product, where every change in your life is dictated by focus groups and monetary decisions. Choice is no longer your own and you are duped into the illusion of free choice. If the public thinks your emotions are getting in the way of your professionalism, your emotions have got to go. Slowly but surely, everything that made you human is slowly drained away. Then once the company decides to "pull the plug", are they just terminating an asset? Or is it attempted murder?

Native 3D: No

Buy ROBOCOP 2014 on Blu Ray

6. Maze Runner

His name is Thomas. That is all he knows. He has been sent via the mysterious "box" into a contained colony of boys called "the glade". Nobody knows why they are there, only that they cannot leave. Around the glade lies the maze where only the fastest and bravest among them, dubbed "maze runners", get to explore in the hopes of finding a way out. Thomas' arrival causes a schism among the boys and strange incidents start happening one after the other. As the perfect peaceful society of the Glade is slowly torn asunder, Thomas must unravel the secrets of the maze and confront the horrors within. I admit to not having read the original book so I would not know how close it is to the source material. On its own, MAZE RUNNER is The grandchild of LORD OF THE FLIES and TV's LOST. It combines tried and true story beats sieved through an intriguing premise and a decent mystery (despite being almost undone by the ill advised flashbacks). It avoids many mistakes other adaptations of young adult novels make, like lingering on romance subplots, and leaves a decent sequel hook that leaves you wanting more.


Native 3D: No

Buy MAZE RUNNER on Blu Ray




7. Lego Movie

 

Native 3D: Yes

Buy LEGO MOVIE on Blu Ray


8. The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

Native 3D: Yes

Buy THE HOBBIT BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES on Blu Ray


9. Interstellar

Native 3D: No

10. X-Men Days of Future Past

Native 3D: Yes

Buy X-MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST on 3D Blu Ray

Big Hero 6 (2014) CGI Animated movie review

Overall verdict: 9/10

The Good: Top notch CGI, emotionally charged story of love and loss, adorable mascot character, full development arc of main character, rousing soundtrack, delves into deeper themes of brotherly bonds and friendship. 

The Bad: cliched side characters and story threads.

3D Readiness: Rendered in full 3D. Recommended
IMax-ability: Not formatted for iMax but detailed scenes and magnificent CGI lend itself well to the format

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

This is not the comic book I remembered. This is.

Then again, I barely remembered the comic book at all. Goes to show how "critically acclaimed" it was. Big Hero 6 was originally a short lived team-up of Marvel's Japanese superheroes including X-men's Sunfire and Silver Samurai........which (thanks to some other movie studio) can no longer be featured. But no worries. In typical Disney tradition, Disney studios took the title of an existing piece of work, and changed the heck out of it.

Rapunzel, The Snow Queen, and now Big Hero 6. What was originally a government sanctioned team of of super powered black ops operatives is now a bunch of genius teens named after food. Each character is recognisable modern high school stereotype: Wasabi goes from a chef with mystical qi energy blades to the tough talking genius jock, Fred is the drawling slacker with a monster "Fred-zilla" suit, no longer the psychic who manifests a giant monster construct. Honey-Lemon keeps her power purse but goes from sexy-dressed secret agent to excitable genki girl-with-glasses. Gogo-Tamago loses her ex-convict background and power to turn into a high speed energy egg (hence the "tamago" name) and becomes your typical tough but quiet girl who is secretly loves an adrenaline rush (which she gets from her electromagnetic skating suit).

The biggest change is Hiro and Baymax, our main characters. Young Hiro Yamada finally finds his place among fellow tech-obsessed teens at his brother's university. With the help of his new found friends, he creates "microbots" which can form into any shape and are controlled by thought via a transmitter. A disaster robs Hiro of his invention and his beloved brother. Grieving the loss of Tadashi, Hiro accidentally activates Tadashi's project "Baymax", an inflatable health care robot who approaches Hiro as his patient. Hiro and Baymax form an awkward buddy relationship until news surfaces of a masked villain who appears to be using Hiro's microbots for crimes. Sensing that this masked man may be linked to his brother's death, Hiro sets out to investigate and take him down, with Baymax in tow whether he likes it or not. 

Ah Baymax.......Disney's latest stroke of merchandising genius. Kids love their adorable non- human sidekicks. Olaf the snowman in FROZEN, Pascal and Maximus from TANGLED just to name a few. And now Baymax, who gets stripped of his dark and gritty comic book origin as a shape shifting robotic hulk with the brain of Hiro's dead father, who can transform into a monstrous demon form and kick butt. (see below)

In the movie, he gets turned into an inflatable, huggable, balloon-bot with a simple programme to provide the best form of physical and emotional healthcare for his patient, even if he has little knowledge of human emotions outside of theory and data.  His adorable look and innocent personality will be a big hit with kids. Children everywhere will be clamouring for Baymax balloons, Baymax floats, inflatable life sized "hug-me" Baymax, and if technology allows, an intractable "talk-to-me" Baymax toy. 

Now putting adult cynicism aside, BIG HERO 6 does tackle some interestingly mature themes for kids' show. It is no doubt a tried and true superhero origin story fuelled by the death of a loved one. We've seen it in Spiderman, Batman, many times. The whole "boy and his robot, forming a bond of family, and learning the value of human life" thing was done with much more finesse and impact in James Cameron's TERMINATOR 2. But dig deeper into the narrative and even adults will find much to love about this movie.

We have the staple importance of sibling love, a recurring theme from FROZEN. We also have the theme of how one deals with loss, with various characters being put through the five stages of grief yet acting on those emotions differently based on one's values. On top of that, BIG HERO 6 deals with wish fulfilment of any kid's desire for the perfect friend. Baymax portrays love and care in its most simplest and innocent of forms.

Hiro on the other hand portrays a harsh world's tendency to force those closest to them into roles they were never meant for. His developmental journey with Baymax, from the awkward attempts at learning a secret handshake to the Baymax's straight faced earnest calm when faced with the gravest of situations, is a heartwarming and at times heart wrenching one as a boy and his robot forms an unbreakable brotherly bond. To quote TERMINATOR 2, seeing Hiro and Baymax "it was suddenly so clear. Baymax would never stop. It would never leave him, it would never hurt him, never shout at him, or get drunk and hit him or say it was too busy to spend time with him.". Love in its simplest form. Unconditional love that any child, past or present, secretly desires.

Digital artists and CGI aficionados too will desire BIG HERO 6's impressive computer generated imagery. Starting with the fictional city of San Fransokyo, the level of detail is astounding and almost photorealistic. Leaves flutter in the wind, strands of hair react to movement. Although the character designs retain the simpler streamlined, big headed, style used in previous disney CGI movie, the amount of care that went into crafting each model and animating it with the right sense of mass shows an amazing level of expertise in the field.

Bottom line is, BIG HERO 6 is good. It is colourful, action packed and simple enough for kids and inner children. Yet it packs a significant emotional wallop and some mature themes for those willing to dig deeper into the narrative. Visually, it is a fine piece of work to look at and just take in the details in the wonderful animation. Accompanied by a rousing electronic score by WRECK-IT RALPH'S Henry Jackman, BIG HERO 6 looks set to obscure its own middling comic book source material, (which is not entirely surprising since there was hardly any reprint of the comic aside from the hard-to-get single issues). Big on thrills, big on heart, big on technical achievement; that is BIG HERO 6. Oh and big bucks for disney's merchandising department.

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

Entertainment: A
Art: A-
Animation: A

Story: B-
Characters: A 

Music: A-
Voice Work (english): A 

Replay value: A
"Brains": B+

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks (2014) Animated movie

Overall verdict: 7.5/10

The Good: Retains the captivating personalities of the original characters, top notch voice acting, beautiful animation that exceeds TV series standards, catchy well written songs,   

The Bad: trivialises its themes and core morals, lacks a credible story villain, much wasted potential, plays 'safe' with the status quo

3D Readiness: none
IMax-ability: none

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

There were two things I did not like about the previous "EQUESTRIA GIRLS" movie. First was the shallow theme that fantastic musical talent wins you friends. In the last movie, instead of showing Twilight winning over the hearts and minds of her school mates through her honesty, sincerity and helpfulness, she wins them over through the magic of song and dance. Next is the tons of wasted potential to tell a much deeper or more mature story that one couldn't show in the regular MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC series. Instead of that we get unnecessary musical numbers. RAINBOW ROCKS takes a dive off the deep end and make the music the central driving force behind the whole plot. Surprisingly, it works. And what we have is a decent musical movie that works around music to deliver the morals and themes that the franchise should have from the get go.

As Canterlot High prepares for its annual talent showcase, three mysterious girls with mind controlling voices turn the showcase into a "Battle of the Bands". Their sinister songs bring out bitter rivalries between the bands, negative emotions which the girls seem to feed on and grow more powerful. Only the 5 main characters, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and AppleJack are unaffected by the spell due to their contact with Equestrian magic. Also unaffected is a reformed Sunset Shimmer, the antagonist from the previous movie. 

In an interesting reflection of the original 1986 MY LITTLE PONY cartoon, Twilight Sparkle takes on the "friend from another world" role that Megan had in that series. Only this time, it is a magical pony who travels to the human world to help solve her human counterparts problems. So in comes Twilight who soon realises that trouble is brewing from within. The gang ain't getting along due to conflicts of interest, egos and generally familiar problems that tend to crop up in any group of pals. Thankfully, the day is not saved once again through a song and dance routine but through some actual character development and harsh lessons.

Generally the writing is an improvement over the lacklustre first entry of EQUESTRIA GIRLS. There are good lessons to be learned from the way the group dynamics of our main characters grow and mature. The bottom line is that RAINBOW ROCKS keeps the conflicts real. The characters go through real problems that real people face everyday, solving them like real people and in doing so makes those characters all the more relatable. Most intriguing is Sunset Shimmer and her journey towards redemption in the eyes of her peers. Now the black sheep of the school, Sunset's character arc of regaining the respect and trust of her friends can get quite heart wrenching when you see how hard she tries and still people remember only her bad deeds of the past. This is a very real problem that youngsters face. Just as real is Twilight Sparkle's dilemma of being the designated "hero" and cracking under the pressure to live up to everyone's sky high expectations.

"Sky High" also describes the production quality on this. RAINBOW ROCKS earns its status as a "movie" by showcasing a tremendous leap in terms of animation quality from anything seen in the TV series. The production team experiments with bolder shot set ups and action scenes and more detail in the art. Just look at the way the shadows from the refrigerator plays off Twilight and Sunset during a night scene in the kitchen! It is beautiful!. Designs have been tweaked slightly, making the humans look less uncanny. The characters facial expressions are the definite highlight here; dynamic, perfectly drawn, and covering a wide range of emotions that are complimented with some of the finest voice acting in modern animation.

Of course, we have the songs. Expertly written and composed by Daniel Ingram, the songs are catchy and fun. As usual, one could compare them to the best of disney musicals but with a more modern spin.  Think of it as a fantasy styled retelling of Glee with a bit more depth. Moving into more mature storytelling seems to be the way to go, and a way that works well for the Equestria Girls franchise. 

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

Entertainment: A-

Story: B+
Acting: A

Characters: A

Music: A

Replay value: C+
"Brains": B

Tekken 2: Kazuya's Revenge aka A Man Called X (2014) directo to video review

Overall verdict: 3.5/10

The Good: Kane Kosugi in a starring role, realistic fight scenes with good camerawork

The Bad: overall cheap feel, confusing story, tedious pacing, boring, generally muddled direction, bad editing, has nothing to do with the Tekken franchise

3D Readiness: none
IMax-ability: none

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

TEKKEN 2: Kazuya's Revenge aka A Man Called X is a movie with an identity crisis. Ironic that the movie itself features a main character with a similar identity crisis. TEKKEN 2 is not a sequel, and has little to do with the beloved video game franchise it claims to be based on. The "man" in question is called "K", not "X" and "Kazuya's Revenge" is possibly the worst case of spoiler in the title, especially since the main plot is about K rediscovering his identity as Kane Kosugi, oops sorry, I mean, the titular Kazuya, after an unexplained bout of amnesia.

Waking up In a dystopian corporation run future which looks an awful lot like a present day south East Asian slum, K (who is obviously Kane Kosugi) is haunted by an obnoxious voice in his head, hunted by rent-a-cops in old army wear, and discovers he knows kung fu. Still he gets knocked out and recruited by a criminal Organisation run by "the minister". This Organization (consisting of mostly homeless Asians and stunt people) pits its members against one another in fights to the death. The victors are sent on assassination missions, something about cleansing the world or some dope like that. So when K gets tasked to take out Gary Daniels (who everyone mistakes for a Tekken character called Bryan Fury) he finds out that the Minister is not the holy man his followers think he is.

There's a bit more to the story about K discovering he is really Kazuya and a showdown with Tsang Tsung.....erm, wrong franchise....Cary Hiroyuki (although he claims to be one Heihachi Mishima) and a couple of thugs but one's patience would be truly tested by then. The story is just THAT badly paced that it actually comes across as tiresome. For example you have this whole 10 minute sequence of K taking a walk through Slum Town.......doing nothing. For 10 whole minutes while the voice-over from the Minister goes on and on about how his army of homeless beggars, sorry looking ruffians and old ladies are going to rid the world of evil. It is laughable, really.

Laughable too his how this movie is obviously not related to the Tekken franchise at all. The first TEKKEN movie starring John Foo and Ian Anthony Daniel at least looked like Tekken. Despite the mixed up story, Characters looked like how they do in the games, they wore familiar costumes and hairdos, and many familiar set pieces are showcased. In TEKKEN 2, it is a completely unrelated movie which had some characters names changed to names from Tekken.

Martial artist actor Kane Kosugi is wasted on this misbegotten prequel. Having had nothing but supporting roles so far, Mr Kosugi deserves a good movie as a main character to really showcase his skills. He does his own stunts, he is a trained martial artist with a flair for movie fighting. He could have been Hollywood's Donny Yen or at least followed in his father's footsteps (Sho Kosugi) in becoming a cult classic Kung fu star. Instead, he gets shoehorned into a production directed by "Wych Kaos".

Instead of looking like a Hollywood movie, The whole film has that "shot in my backyard" feel and visual nature akin to those cheapskate Malaysian or Singaporean TV productions. Some good camera-work does show up in the fight scenes, eschewing the usual close ups and jitter cam for wide sweeping angles that gives you full view of the fight. Unfortunately many of these scenes are edited like some amateurs on YouTube. You have a scene where K lifts his leg to kick but when the blow connects, the next cut shows K punching the guy.

Boring for the most part, tediously paced, and obviously done on the cheap, TEKKEN 2 would not have been judged any less harshly had it discarded the video game's moniker and presented itself as a martial arts movie. Kane Kosugi's fights and stunts are impressive no doubt, but their impressiveness is undermined by amateurish directing and editing. Take this sorry excuse for a movie, splice together all the Kane Kosugi fights, then trash the rest. You'd get a far more entertaining short film than TEKKEN 2.

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

Entertainment: C+

Story: C-
Acting: C

Characters: C

Music: D-

Replay value: C-

"Brains": F

Edge Of Tomorrow (2014) movie review

Overall verdict: 9.5/10

The Good: Perfect character development, well paced narrative, actors spectacularly playing against type, thrilling action, fittingly gritty but clear cinematography, well placed dark humour, flawless special effects.

The Bad: Requires some thinking to follow the time loop plot

3D Readiness: Post filming 3D conversion.
IMax-ability: Fast paced shots of combat and intense action may not lend well to imax viewing

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Based on the Japanese novel "All you need is Kill", EDGE OF TOMORROW is a gripping character focused tale that gives a fun fresh edgy spin to a tried and true sic/fi premise. Remember those impossibly difficult video games where you just keep dying only to restart the game in frustration, get past that part where you last died and then die again? The cycle repeats and only through learning from past missteps can you outmanoeuvre your enemies and make it to the end. It is all a video game to us, but for the unfortunate Ex-Major William Cage, it is looping nightmare.

An alien species called the Mimics have landed. Inhumanly fast, vicious and able to outsmart human attack plans at every turn, Mimic forces threaten to overwhelm the world starting with Europe, until A mysterious victory at Verdun spurs the military's confidence in the one man army exoskeleton called "the jacket". If one woman, Rita Vertasky, could master the "jacket" within a few days of the victory at Verdun, then a legion of similarly equipped soldiers would stand a chance against the mimics. So begins a massive counteroffensive on the coasts of Europe which ends disastrously for former PR officer turned forced conscript William Cage (Tom Cruise).......until he wakes up 24 hours before the invasion at the start of his conscription.

What follows is an intense "groundhog day" style war story. True to the movie tagline, Cage lives, dies and repeats the day each time, and each time, he discovers more about the mimics and his mysterious ability. To change the future of mankind, Cage has to continually enlist the help of Rita Vertasky, the angel of Verdun, to train him and ultimately help him take down this alien menace.

In playing against type, Tom Cruise shines as the cowardly Cage whom we discover is all brave talk and no action. His performance is earnest and nuanced, lending weight to the more tragic scenes of Cage experiencing the deaths of those close to him over and over again. Equally nuanced is the tough as nails "angel of verdun" Rita Vertasky played by Emily Blunt. The emotionally captivating script conveys a beautiful heroes journey for Cage where he grows and learns following each cycle. Peppered throughout is the kind of dark humour which would make Paul Verhoven proud. Bill Paxton channels Lee Emery from Full Metal Jacket and delivers the best drill sergeant jerk face character in recent years.

Through the use of the time loop gimmick, this movie is able to deliver intense thrills and real chills. The irony is in how unpredictable the plot becomes by fooling its audience into the illusion of predictability with its premise. Just as you start to feel "safe" that Cage can overcome any problem by just dying and looping back with renewed knowledge, new twists are thrown in and this heightens the stakes; feel of peril when Cage is suddenly caught off guard has never felt more dangerous. It helps that the antagonistic "mimics" are possibly the most "alien" alien threat that we have seen in a while.

They are a mess of glass-like inhuman appendages with gaping maws that glow fiery red. They are a whipping blur and always seem out of phase with time and space, spectacularly brought to life with cutting edge special effects. While many shots were done on location, one would be hard pressed to tell where the actual location ends and the special effects begin. Those into mecha would definitely be captivated by the exo-suits worn by the human soldiers which hearken back to the story's Japanese roots.

All this aside, Edge of Tomorrow is a lot smarter than it seems at first. It deconstructs cliches and may even be seen as a parody of an audience's expectations when they see a movie. Each loop Cage experiences is slightly different and he fails when he expects only the same formula and is caught off guard by new surprises. In a way, movie audiences feel most "safe" in a cliched movie. Look at the highest grossing blockbusters worldwide and you can see this proof. In the same way, here is a movie that is built on cliche: the time loop, jerk face drill sergeant, world war two Normandy landing ripoff, special effects laden combat etc. Yet these cliches are handled smart and they are delivered spectacularly.

If not for the slightly underwhelming music, Edge of Tomorrow would have gotten a perfect score. Many have called this the movie Starship Troopers should have been. I for one come away with joy and hope seeing how wonderfully Hollywood has adapted a Japanese light novel especially after mediocre results adapting manga and Japanese movies. There are many such novels just waiting to be adapted into blockbuster films: the high school espionage thriller with mechs "Full Metal Panic", the post apocalyptic vampire tale "Trinity Blood", and of course the Gothic science fiction horror that is "Vampire Hunter D".

Watch this, savour this, and repeat. Edge of Tomorrow is easily the biggest surprise hit of 2014.

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Entertainment: A

Story: A
Acting: A

Characters: A

Music: B

Replay value: A

"Brains": B+