When it comes to hypnosis, you usually belong in one of the two camps: Those that believe and wish to try, and those that don’t but would also like to try. Suffice to say, The Hypnosis is eager to tap into this fascination for this fledgling science, though practitioners might not appreciate the dramatic slant…
Tag: Film
THE MAGNIFICENT FILM UNIVERSE OF A24
If there was ever a film company that displayed a cutting acumen for successful films, A24 would be a shoo-in contender. Founded only in 2012, the company has curated an archive of films known for their commercial and critical success. It’s indie done right – by capturing the flavourful powers of personal expression, along with…
THE REAL STORY OF THE KILL TEAM
It’s often said to be a necessary evil, but that can just as easily be a marketing spiel. War is war. For nation, for justice, for religion, for power, for greed, for land…. the actual reasons for war goes on, hiding behind a nobler banner. The Kill Team is a film directed by Dan Krauss,…
SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK (FILM REVIEW)
“Why she so curious?” “I thought she returned the book?” “Why they return to the house?” To a movie reviewer, nothing is scarier than a viewer who needs to verbalise her mind. And to the teenage girl in question, the answer to all of your question is: Because this is a movie, so just watch…
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (Film Review)
As with all franchises, words like final, ultimate and last become tools more for marketing than actual reflections of closure. Folks tell me that they intend to watch this film because “I want to see how it ends” or “I might as well finish it”. See how that works? Alice (Milla Jovovich) is back. Emerging…
Split (Film Review)
If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know the surprisingly clear premise of Split – the latest film from M. Night Shyamalan. A mysterious man kidnaps three girls and traps them in an unknown location. As they struggle to escape, it would seem that he has accomplices – except it turns out, “they” are him. It’s…
Master (Film Review)
The latest cat-and-mouse Master by director Cho Ui-seok is a formulaic crowd-pleaser. We enter the chess game between dogged detective and colourful villain in the middle of the set, but still get rewarded with the diet of car chases, double-crossing maneuvers, some gunfight, and an exotic locale – in this case, Manila, Philippines. The standard…
Age of Shadows (Film Review)
With super slick productions increasingly coming out from South Korea, one might say that the tides are turning towards the rise of Hallyu-wood. With sharp visualisations and even sharper jawlines, the attractive aesthetics of their resources are winning audiences over, especially when it comes with finesse for refreshing classic plots. Director Kim Jee-woon is one…
The Great Wall (Film Review)
The Great Wall of China – over 21,000 km of brick, stone and wood, is an undisputed impressive piece of work. It’s forbidding, inspiring, and a titan of a feat, being built upon the tragic backs of many forced into its construction. The passing of two thousand and three hundred years has taken away some…
Office Christmas Party (Film Review)
Overheard in the bathroom: “Erm, I know this is a Christmas show, but this isn’t really suitable for kids right?” I think the guy might have missed the memo about the M18 rating but – no kidding. Office Christmas Party is your urban hedonistic party nightmare come true. We know office parties are one of…
Incarnate (Film Review)
I’ll say it – Incarnate is what happens when you merge Inception with The Exorcist. It makes for an intriguing premise, reviving the tired genre, but presented a lot of missed opportunities in this film. Dr. Seth Ember (Aaron Eckhart) is gifted with the ability of going into the minds of the possessed. That is,…
Barakah Meets Barakah (Film Review)
“White stands for purity, pink for passion, and purple… well, purple stands for new beginnings,” she shares. “It’s popular knowledge don’t you know?” Sadly her suitor, Barakah (Hisham Fageeh), is as naive as he is attractive. The Saudi Arabic municipal worker who polices the city has a heart of gold, but remains clueless when it comes to wooing…
HIDE AND NEVER SEEK (FILM REVIEW)
Money and fame is to be had on the online world. And in the world of afreecaTV, a fictional channel specialising in horror named “Glow World” is chalking up some interest. The host of the channel, VJ Glow (Ryu Deok-hwan) is a douchebag skeptic, who bulldozes any possible spirits with his bravado and rapid-fire mouth….
4Love (Film Review)
It bears some comparison to 7 Letters, the other anthology debuting last year for SG50, helmed by the venerable Royston Tan. 4Love is mm2 Entertainment’s own gathering of four local directors, expressing their styles on that elusive subject of love. Unfortunately, all other resemblance to the former ends there. Scheduled to debut at our upcoming…
Shut In (Film Review)
I’m sure it sounded good on paper. This thriller debut by Director Farren Blackburn was to be a tightly wound psychological piece, taking us through the unravelling of a mother’s mind as her family gets snowed in and experience ghostly happenings. But as you probably guessed – it’s not. Although the movie shifts much-needed gear…
Ouija: Origin of Evil (Film Review)
Unlike the obvious doll in The Conjuring, Ouija: Origin of Evil’s child lead Doris Zander, played by the beguiling Lulu Wilson, is truly a haunting vessel for evil. When perky blonde bob and fair-faced child turns to you with milky eyeballs and a gaping mouth, there’s no reason not to recoil in fear. Director Mike…
Masterminds (Film Review)
Let’s be honest. This is one of those SNL casting heist featuring that anti-hero with an unpronounceable name – Zach Galifianakis. With that out of the way, and in the great tradition of other awkward leading men before him such as Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller and Steve Carell, the hirsute Galifianakis drives this comedic vehicle…
The Disappointments Room (Film Review)
I can’t help but feel like there should be an apostrophe in the title. But that’s not the only thing that is missing in this horror-mystery from director D.J. Caruso and writer Wentworth Miller. Dana (Kate Beckinsale) is an architect with a purpose, led by her well-meaning husband David (Mel Raido) to a recent purchase…
River (Film Review)
River (Gtsngbo) plays out a family’s complex relationship against the panoramic but sequestered mountains of Tibet. Director Sonthar Gyal anchors his film with stunning child acting prodigy Yangchan Lhamu, who takes us on a story arc of a jealous child rejected from her suckling habit as her mother bears a new child in her womb, while being…
The 9th Life of Louis Drax (Film Review)
Which came first – the over-protective mother or the accident-prone child? Aiden Longworth is the title boy Louis Drax – an intelligent but troubled kid who has an unfortunate annual ritual of getting into near-death experiences. As his mother Natalie, a nostalgic glamour figure played by Sarah Godon, saves him each year, she makes reference…
AT CAFE 6 (FILM REVIEW)
It’s strange to leave the cinema with a heavy heart and not know why. Baffled, I went for another screening the next day. I sniffed at the potential cliches but came out choking on my tears. I certainly wasn’t expecting this from At Cafe 6 (六弄咖啡馆). When You Are the Apple of My Eye became a…
Apprentice (Film Review)
“F**king scholars.” If the chuckles from the audience are anything to go by, Boo Junfeng has once again demonstrated his skill in capturing popular sentiment. And yet he likes to encapsulate these responses in forgotten and unpopular (even controversial) environments. In this case, a prison. Larangan Prison is a maximum security security fortress, and houses “punishments…
The Russian Cosmonaut (From “Another Earth”)
Another Earth is a poignant investigation into a person, their life and second chances. We have explored so many “what ifs” that if personified, it might turn out to be Mike Cahill. But this is not a review of his film. I wanted to highlight a moment that left an indelible mark on me, transcribed below. Go watch…
Birth of a Book (Video)
As we venture into the realm of the e-book, the process of book-making becomes an incredibly romantic one. Here’s a video that captures it, softly and beautifully: Birth of a Book from GLEN MILNER on Vimeo.
Tribute to The Hours
there is nothing to capture the strains of the hours when you are lying on a carpet of thoughts the languid gravity laps at the ears as a cold warmth rises feeling of soft hands vignettes lines commas and pauses all things unsaid and others not unforgotten breathe out their purpose and the whispered air…
MORGAN AWYONG 