A truthful film review: 'Adiwiraku' is not quite the hero we deserve.

Origin: Malaysia · Language: Malay, English
Director: Eric Ong
Writers: Jason Chong, Eric Ong
Genre: Drama · Release: March 9, 2017

Casts: Sangeeta Krishnasamy, Xavier Fong,
Ahmad Adnin Zidane, Nur Idina Tasnim,
Rizal Fahmi, Balqis Sani, Wan Azlyn Maasyah
Farra Safwan, Khairi Mohd Kamal, Ajwad Mohd Sobri,
Faez Reezme, Alif Abubakar

Studios: SOL Pictures, Filmmecca Studio
Distributor: Empire Film Solution

So, long story short, I already reviewed this film on the surface on my Facebook page, which can be read HERE (the plot summary is also mentioned here, in case you want an outline of what the movie is all about) and is actually the first preview I saw before the oh-so-dreadful silver screen debut by Fauzi Nawawi, a long time actor and writer/director for TV movies called Pak Pong in the same week. I don't claim to be a movie expert, but let's get a tad dirty to the film everyone is very excited to see because its decently-edited trailer which was cut as if it's a heart-wrenching melodramatic tale of a struggling teacher dealing with seemingly difficult band of pupils to get them in shape for an upcoming choral speaking competition. This is only my own personal opinion, so don't take my word for it entirely.

Throw in some emotional shots and dramatic music, plus scenes which references superheroes, and of course the school setting of the film, in addition to it being based on an actual story, and you get a trailer that would woo the easily-impressed who are usually not the kind to wanna watch local films. A very delicious bait, I'd say, since I was also initially sold by it.

A bit of a warning before going through: this review MIGHT CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS. If you don't mind, then you may proceed.

A film review: 'Hacksaw Ridge'

Origin: United States, Australia · Language: English
Director: Mel Gibson
Writers: Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan
Genres: War, biography, drama
Release: November 4, 2016

Casts: Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving,
Rachel Griffiths, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington,
Luke Bracey

More info: IMDb

A film of this calibre does not deserve my usually lame wordplays on the title of its review. Two words: Mel Gibson. I'm glad I've waited this long for its big screen release at our shores; my patience was rewarded very handsomely!

I didn't really follow about any of his notorious outings or his acting career, but everyone knows that he's damn good when he's calling the shots behind the camera. I was psyched as everyone else out there when those two names are uttered and is out to helm yet another film involving guts spewing in the air in very large numbers. However, it has an epic twist on its own (which includes pretty boy Andrew Garfield in a rather demanding lead role).

In regards to his muse in filmmaking, everyone knows for a fact that Gibson's really into violent imagery in most of his films and have its protagonist doing morally questionable things by being violent in order to uphold what is right for them. A grand exception can be applied to this one though; it's a true story about a combat medic during the Battle of Okinawa who chooses to participate in the war... without firing even a single bullet. Wait, what? A pacifist WAR film? Really?

Read on through this NON-SPOILER review, even though it's already been talked about to death by now and it's already past the bullshit Oscars 2017 season.

Sebuah reviu filem: Rasa macam kena penye-'Pak Pong' ada.

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah & penulis: Fauzi Nawawi
Genre: Fantasi · Rilis: 23 Februari 2017

Pelakon: Hairul Azreen, Bard, Siti Saleha,
Marsha Milan, Fauzi Nawawi, Kaza, Eizlan Yusuf,
Syawal (AF), Rahim (R2), Izreen Azminda,
Zulkifli Ismail

Studio: 9 Country Creativity

Oh, tajuk entriku kali ini.

Dalam minggu sebelum minggu terakhir Februari ni, dah dua filem aku pra-tonton (ehsan Movie Addict) dan kedua-duanya merupakan debut sutradaranya. Filem pertama ialah Adiwiraku iaitu arahan dan tulisan bersama Eric Ong yang ditayangkan pada 9 Mac dan filem yang aku nak ulas sekarang ni, Pak Pong pulak arahan, tulisan, serta lakonan Fauzi Nawawi yang keluar pada 23 Februari. Walaupun aku tengok Adiwiraku dulu pada 20 Februari dan ada sedikit reviu pada dasarnya, Pak Pong yang keluar dulu. Maka ulasan penuh nilah yang korang akan baca dulu. Sumpah aku tak tergerak hati nak tengok pun filem ni; yang ada cuma rasa nak tergelak ja tengok poster dan trelernya. Mujurlah tiket dapat percuma! Yah-hoi!

Macam mana aku nak mula, ek? Baiklah. Katanya filem ni 6 tahun dalam pembikinan (penulisan skrip dalam setahun, pembikinan termasuk pra-produksi, produksi dan pasca-produksi dalam 5 tahun). Sebelum ni, depa ada rilis footage yang telah memberikan penonton feel yang ada dalam filem ni. Para pembikin seperti nak kata depa nak jadikan Avatar arahan James Cameron sebagai inspirasi dunia fantasinya, manakala Lord of the Rings pulak sebagai konsep bagi babak perlawanannya dan rangka bagi sekuel-sekuel yang nak dirancang (KAH!). Satu tu pun takde feel yang dipetik tu. Sebenarnya nampak mengarah kepada Game of Thrones dalam pengaruh dadah (maksud aku dari segi kecelaruannya yang terlalu mudah tapi bapak trigger-happy pengarahnya bila dok shooting filem ni). 6 tahun, ya? Hm. Oh ya, reviu ni TAKDE SPOILER. Kalau dah bosan sangat, meh baca apa aku fikir pasal Pak Pong ni.

A TV review: 'A Series of Unfortunate Events (S1)' is impossible to look away from!

Origin: United States · Language: English
Creators: Barry Sonnenfeld, Mark Hudis (TV)
/ Lemony Snicket (Novels)
Showrunner: Mark Hudis · Genres: Black comedy, drama
Season in review: 1 · Episodes: 8
Air date: January 13, 2017

Main casts: Malina Weissman, Louis Haynes,
Presley Smith, K. Todd Freeman, 
Patrick Warburton, Neil Patrick Harris

More info: IMDb

I was never fan of sequels or a series of films, unless it's warranted. This title is an example where such exemption is applied. I never read any of the novels honestly, but I really LOVE the film version, and I really would like to see a continuation on the fate of the Baudelaire trio of orphans in this order: Violet, Klaus and Sunny and what's next for the fiendish Count Olaf, with Lemony Snicket (the fictitious version of Daniel Handler, the author of its original novel) telling us their predicaments in a flesh. Alas, the sequel was shelved altogether. Thankfully though, the core team found a workaround to somehow breathe a new life into the children's tale; a rather messed up children's tale at that, by turning it into a television series! And it's on Netflix of all places! Oh my!

Enter 2017. The Baudelaires and Count Olaf are back! While the actors are different, most of the key behind the scenes people are more or less the same. The Baudelaire children are now played by Malina Weissman, Louis Heynes, and Presley Smith respectively, Count Olaf is now played Neil Patrick Harris and Lemony Snicket himself is now played by Patrick Warburton. While the same irreverent tone is kept intact, most of the titles' humour and charm, as well as the backstories of the children are more fleshed out in this series, and that totally makes up for the sequel to its film that never happened. Read on through this SPOILER-FREE review to know more.

A film review: Don't you DARE 'Split' while watching this movie!

Origin: United States · Language: English

Writer & director: M. Night Shyamalan
Genre: Psychological horror · Release: January 20, 2017

Casts: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy,
Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula

Haley Lu Richardson

More info: IMDb

I'm not really a follower of this director who was previously known as Mr. The-Director-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. All I do know is the fact that he pretty much have a bad rep since The Last Airbender, an ill-received and poorly-made adaptation of Nickelodeon's awesome Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series. Then, he made a soft return to making good movies through the safe-ish route that is The Visit, a found footage horror thriller that have shots of self-depreciation jokes and dark humour with decent performances by its two upcoming young actors (which I have reviewed here). Enter 2017, where he has made a legitimately triumphant return!

I first came across this film when I was watching its trailer in theatres. James McAvoy of Wanted and X-Men film series fame is the lead and he went batshit crazy in it. After some more exposure on this film via the good old web, I was informed that the film also features Anya Taylor-Joy, also an upcoming rising star, who rose to prominence thanks to the indie horror flick The Witch which I also have yet to see, and people really liked her in that film. I was coloured impress by Split's trailer. I guess I should give it a chance to see if it really spooked me without anticipating the "twist" that Shyamalan is known for before The Last Airbender. Oh it has that, indeed, but I did NOT see it coming, ESPECIALLY THE ENDING!

Since this film is hard to review without giving away much of the events, this review is going to be SPOILER-FILLED. Consider yourself warned!

Sebuah reviu filem: Sumpah aku terlepas pandang identifier komedi suspens 'Bo-Peng'!

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah & penulis: Helmi Yusof
Genre: Komedi, thriller, jenayah · Rilis: 22 Disember 2016

Pelakon: Johan As'ari, Nabil Ahmad, Zulin Aziz,
Soffi Jikan, Fauzi Nawawi, Wanna Ali, Juzzthin,
Elie Suryati

Studio & pengedar: Pencil Pictures & Records

Selamat datang, 2017! Aku harap streak filem-filem berkualiti tahun 2016 akan berterusan ke tahun ni! Mari aku mulakan reviu aku dengan... filem tahun lepas yang dah lama ada dalam otak aku tapi tepu amat nak tulis! Filem yang aku tak kisah langsung tapi secara tak sengaja seronok ditonton! Akhirnya kerajinan muncul walaupun 2016 dah habis! Bahahaha! 😂😂😂

Aku sebenarnya cari nahas bila menggatal nak menangkan tiket untuk pratonton filem ni 6 Disember tahun lepas anjuran Movie Addict. Aku tak jangka apa-apa pun. Tunggu pun tidak. Memang tup-tup, aku ternampak poster filem ni serta tajuknya yang agak under-whelming, aku terus hakimi filem ni. Aku ingat ala-ala komedi Prof Razak atau MiG yang pointless. Aku salah.

Sumpah aku terlepas pandang identifier "Sebuah Filem Komedi Suspen" filem ni. Mungkin memang tak ada sebab apa yang aku nampak hanyalah poster yang aku gunakan sebagai thumbnail ni dan langsung tak kisah pasal papan-papan, banner dan bunting filem ni yang berlegar-legar kat luar hall MM Cineplex masa tu. Terus aku rasa filem ni adalah jugak sedikit kepandaiannya dan kemisteriannya!

Walaupun filem ni dah lama keluar dan tak ramai pun aku rasa nak bagi peluang, aku masih TAK AKAN BAGITAU SPOILER.

A film review: 'The Accountant' or When Murdock Meets Castle.

 Why cover half your butt-chinned face, Batfleck? You're just a goddamn accountant!

Origin: United States · Language: English

Director: Gavin O'Connor · Writer: Bill Dubuque

Genres: Action, thriller, drama · Release: October 14, 2016

Casts: Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Anna Kendrick,
J.K. Simmons, Cynthia Addai-Robbinson,

Jeffry Tambor, John Lithgow

More info: IMDb

So, this movie happened. I had no anticipation whatsoever, as to me it came out of nowhere. Also, in the style of the previously reviewed Midnight Special, Warner Bros. yet again managed to shoehorn a few product placements to show us that they are highly involved with this film (other than of course the appearance of Batfleck himself as the lead, alongside the future James Gordon, which is not that apparent especially for the uninitiated); a glimpse of Action Comics (a comic book series that was responsible for introducing us to DC superheroes like Superman, for example) and using Solomon Grundy's (a zombie supervillain in the DC Comics universe) name as a plot device. Yeah. I'm catching on here.

Well, you're probably sick of me mentioning the name Movie Addict, but I have to thank them again for getting us film buffs a free preview to the film. Also, I knew about this film from that Facebook group. What's interesting though, again, I'm intrigued by the poster more so than I do the trailers. I don't touch that thing even once for The Accountant. It's definitely the film's poster alone... or maybe reviews from film critics whom I trust (I'm talking about Chris Stuckmann and Jeremy Jahns) that sold me. I mean, come on! The title is The Accountant, but Affleck is holding a sniper rifle and his face is half-obscured? How does that add up? THAT'S why I want to see it! And then there's Jon Bernthal? What are the odds? Former Daredevil AND current Punisher in the same film? And did I buy it? Not the tickets obviously. But the movie itself? It's fantastic, though it mildly affected my head for its offbeat approach to storytelling that is surprisingly well-handled!

Oh. This is a SPOILER-FREE review. So read on if you feel like catching a film not based on anything, in which this kind of film is scarce these days... that would make accountants smirk, thinking that everyone would think they are cool just because The Accountant can shoot people in the head. I'm kidding, yo!

Sebuah reviu filem: Kita lebih perlukan 'Rembat' sebenarnya!

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu, Hokkien
Pengarah: Shamyl Othman
Penulis: Amri Rohayat, Rafidah Abdullah
Genre: Komedi · Rilis: 8 Oktober 2015

Pelakon: Shaheizy Sam, Aniu, Zizan Razak, Zara Zya,
Sherry Alhadad, Zulin Aziz, Arja Lee, Sam Chong

Studio: Red Films, Marna Films
Pengedar: Grand Brilliance

Aku pernah teringin nak tonton filem ni masa dia keluar di pawagam dulu, tapi tak boleh sebab malas gila, tak ada duit (teehee), dan tak ada kawan. Barangkali sebab biarpun Shaheizy Sam ni ada filem bagus, banyak juga filem tahi yang dia pernah berlakon (ehem... filem-filem Adnan Sempit selepas versi asal, Kasutku Kusut, dan Kongsi contohnya). Kebetulan, memang filem ni keluar dekat-dekat dengan Polis Evo, yang jugak ada Zizan Razak. Aku rasa sebab filem ni filem komedi, nampak pulak posternya ada macam-macam kat atas ni, ditambah pula dengan trailernya yang memaparkan beberapa babak lawak dalam filem ni, merupakan antara resipi-resipi yang bakal membuatkan sesuatu filem tu akan tak laku (bagi pendapat aku). Atau... sebab yang lebih extreme... sebab... rasisme? Huih, kejam!

Terima kasih kepada Pesta Filem KITA kerana tayang filem ni yang dah pun aku miliki secara tak halal yang aku rasa lebih berbaloi kalau tengok beramai-ramai bersama rakyat yang berbilang bangsa, sebab mesej 1Malaysia-nya lebih natural daripada Ola Bola yang cheesy dan overrated tu.

Kalau nak teruskan baca, boleh je. Sebab reviu ni SELAMAT DARIPADA SPOILER.

Sebuah reviu filem: 'Aliff Dalam 7 Dimensi'

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah: Faisal Ishak
Penulis: Anwari Ashraf Hashim, Ashraf Zain
Genre: Aksi, fantasi · Rilis: 8 September 2016

Pelakon: Izzue Islam, Alif Satar, Juliana Evans,
Man Kadir, Kaka Azraff

Info lanjut: IMDb

Seperti biasa, filem ni buat aku tertarik sebab? Poster. Tapi, bukan poster biasa; pre-teaser poster dia. Dan pada pre-teaser poster tu tajuk asal filem ni 7 Dimensi Alif.

Bila nampak teaser-nya macam ni, aku dah bayangkan visual yang sangat menarik dengan rekaan makhluk-makhluk fantasi yang juga menarik, ditambah dengan protagonis yang acah-acah langsi dan penuh misteri tapi power gila. Itulah apa yang aku nampak dan dapat pada filemnya. Aku tak berpeluang nak baca komik filem ni yang merupakan prekuel, tapi dari segi kronologi, komik tu timeline dia masa Aliff  baru je mewarisi saka tu semasa dia di asrama. Nampaknya konsep dari poster pre-teaser ni berjaya jugak diterapkan dalam filem akhir, dan apa aku boleh cakap, ini eksperimen yang baik daripada team produksi AD7D ni dan yang best, apa yang aku harapkan dari poster tu pun ada jugak pada watak utamanya dan keseluruhan penceritaannya... kecuali skema warna hijau tu, sebab filem ni lebih kebiruan. Lepas tu, Faisal Ishak, pengarah trilogi filem Juvana serta siri drama TV-nya pulak yang bertanggungjawab mengarah filem ni.

Filem ni jauh dari yang terbaik, tapi ideanya sangat segar bagi industri kita. Oh, reviu ni ada SEDIKIT SPOILER, tapi aku rasa takkan ganggu pengalaman korang yang belum tengok kot.

A film review: 'Kubo and the Two Strings'

Origin: United States · Language: English
Director: Travis Knight
Writers: Marc Haimes, Chris Butler
Genres: Action, adventure, fantasy · Release: August 19, 2016

Voice casts: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron,
Matthew McConaughey, Ralph Fiennes,
George Takei, Rooney Mara, Brenda Vaccaro

More info: IMDb

Here are a few reasons why this film, which popped out like out of nowhere, tickled some sort of bone in me. First, it's because of this awesome teaser image.

Secondly, I found out that this was made by Laika, the same studio that had an impressive debut with the adapted work of Coraline (the only one before Kubo that I've watched) and since then, consistently-praised works for their painstakingly-detailed stopmotion masterpieces. Yes. In an era where CGI rules, this is one of the few studios that still honour the old-school and alternate way of making animated films, which I think was made super popular by Henry Selick (coincidentally the director of Coraline) and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas... or please correct me if I'm wrong about this. Nevertheless, I can't believe what I've just experienced yesterday. It was worth more than the admission price of RM20, as I think this studio deserves more money thrown at the screen for this exquisite motion picture  (and emphasize on MOTION picture) made with sheer, literal fluidity!

This easily kicked the big giants' asses when it comes to stunning visuals and heartfelt storyline as well as screenplay, accompanied by chilling scores, immersive sound designs, stellar voice acting by big names and an up-and-comer, and then some. Too bad that this impressive animation didn't get that much love from filmgoers both locally and overseas at the moment. Thankfully, this review is here to convince you guys why it is IMPORTANT for anyone who reads this review to go and catch this film like pronto on the BIG SCREEN. And yeah, this is SPOILER-FREE.

A film review: 'Don't Breathe' or Stick: Origins.

Origin: United States · Language: English

Director: Fede Alvarez  

Writers: Fede Alvarez, Rodo Sayagues

Genres: Horror, thriller · Release: August 26, 2016

Casts: Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, 

Daniel Zovatto, Stephen Lang

More info: IMDb

Look at that. The core team from the Evil Dead reboot is back again but for another kind of horror;  a home invasion thriller! While I am aware of the abundance of films that utilise this trope, I am not a follower of it. I think the last home invasion flick I actually watched was the original Purge, but that was going for the political satire route. This one? A rather streamlined kind of home invasion film in which the aim was to make you shit bricks. And oh boy, bricks was shat in the cinema, I tell ya. Despite the highly scaled-back violence, this is nonetheless an awesome horror film which is just as effective as the Evil Dead reboot! 

Simple plot, terrific execution, awesome technicalities, complex acting, equals profit! And I am being entirely positive here! Oh, this review is SPOILER-FREE.

Sa-buah ulasan filem: 'Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang'

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu, Jerman
Pengarah & penulis: Mamat Khalid
Genre: Film noir, komedi, fantasi · Rilis: 10 Januari 2008

Pelakon: Rosyam Nor, Umie Aida, Farid Kamil,
Avaa Vanja, Bront Palarae, Kuswadinata, Soffi Jikan

Info lanjut: IMDb

Beberapa tahun lepas cubaan pertama nak ulas filem ni dan bulan kemudian selepas apresiasi filem ni di Content Pitching Centre, Platinum Sentral bersama-sama sutradara Mamat Khalid (siri Kampung Pisang dan spin-off filem-filem ni iaitu siri Hantu Kak Limah dan Usop Wilcha Menghonjang Makhluk Muzium) dan pelakonnya Avaa Vanja dan Rosyam Nor, barulah tiba-tiba rasa nak ulas eksperimen menarik bagi industri filem kita ni: sebuah filem komedi gelap dan alam ghaib yang dirangka dalam... gaya film noir, setelah lama bersarang dalam draf blog aku. Ya, film noir. Penerangan yang mudah bagi genre ni ialah filem detektif kuat merokok yang kelam dan ada perempuan suka menyemak dan hitam-putih warnanya, tapi perisanya memang perisa tempatan; yelah, kata karya Mamat Khalid!

Nak tau tak apa yang menarik? Aku pernah tonton satu filem Indonesia dulu, tajuknya Kala arahan Joko Anwar. Yang pelik tu nama dia nak dekat dengan Mamat Khalid punya Kala. Lepas tu dua-dua ambik pendekatan noir dan supernatural. Keluar pun waktu dekat-dekat dalam tahun yang sama! Cumanya, bagi aku, elemen supernatural dalam Kala Malam Bulan Mengambang ni biarpun melampau-lampau merapunya, aku rasa perlaksanaannya lebih kena digayakan di sini berbanding dalam filem Kala; sebab dia tau konsep tu mengarut, jadi dia betul-betul tak ambil serius tentang dirinya! Kalau korang perasan, deskripsi bawah poster tu kata filem ni ada Bahasa Jerman! APA?!

Oh. Aku rasa reviu ni ADA SPOILER. Kalau tak kisah, bacalah terus! Dan maafkan aku kalau pandangan ni cetek je rasanya; sebab pendekatan yang digunakan agak rawak bagi aku dan aku kurang fasih pasal rujukan-rujukan yang Mamat Khalid utarakan dalam filem ni... dan sebab aku tak terus ulas filem ni selepas tontonan semula tu.

Sebuah reviu filem: Korang jangan buat 'Pekak' ye! Debik kang!

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu
Pengarah & penulis: Mohd Khairul Azri Md Noor
Genre: Drama · Rilis: 1 September 2016

Pelakon: Zahiril Adzim, Sharifah Amani, Zaidi Omar,
Sharifah Sakinah, Amerul Affendi, Iedil Putra, Joe Flizzow

Info lanjut: IMDb

Jujur cakap, aku tak tau dari mana aku dengar pasal filem ni. Pendek kata, aku pekakkan telinga aku pasal kewujudannya. Tapi, tetiba ramai pula yang melobi aku untuk tonton filem ni sebagaimana Joe Flizzow melobi dirinya selama ni untuk menjadi seorang ahli 'kartel' sepanjang karier solonya. Sekali, ambik kau dia jadi pengedar dadah dalam filem ni! Kartello, hello! Okay, mukadimah yang merapu, tapi ada sebabnya kenapa aku sentuh pasal ni. Jauh sikit dalam reviu ni aku habaq na?

Nak ditakdirkan, aku dua kali dijemput untuk tonton filem ni sebelum dikeluarkan untuk orang ramai 1 September depan (yang juga hari pertama aku makan gaji tetap bulan-bulan!); kali pertama sebagai sesi soal jawab bersama dua orang pelakon dan pengarahnya dan kali kedua pula sebagai tayangan perdana atau nama poyonya 'Malam Gala.' Yang kedua aku dapat pergi, dan semua pelakon dan para tunjang belakang filem ni datang mai (kecuali Zaidi Omar). Aku bersyukur sebab dapat berkenalan dengan pencinta filem ni sampai dapat mingle secara kasual dengan para pemain industri like nobody's business. Sungguh. Sepertimana aku juga jatuh cinta pada filem yang fokusnya sepelik terbitan Tengku Iesta sebelum ni pasal orang nak bunuh diri: filem Pekak  ni pasal orang pekak yang terpaksa menjual dadah. Lolwut?

Baiklah. Memandangkan filem ni masih lagi tengah chill sebelum bertemu penonton, aku cuba kasi ulasan TANPA SPOILER, di mana tujuan ulasan ni semata-mata untuk suruh korang pergi sokong satu lagi filem berkualiti bikinan anak watan kita. Ayuh! Iqra'!

A film review: 'Saving Mr. Banks' is a heartfelt rescue mission.

 

Origin: United States, United Kingdom · Language: English

Director: John Lee Hancock · Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith

Genre: Drama · Release: 2013; Nov 29 (UK), Dec 13 (US)

Casts: Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson, Paul Giamatti, 

Jason Schwartzman, Collin Farrell

More info: IMDb

Hello, again! This was supposed to be a simple, on-the-nose review (a.k.a. a short review) which is a section within my Facebook page, but turns out I got a lot more to spew off my chest about my latest viewing experience.

This is a rather stellar companion piece to the more whimsical Mary Poppins, the case study of this period drama centering on the making of the said movie anchored by Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks as the backbones of the film, P.L. Travers (the author of Mary Poppins' source material) and Walt Disney (do I even need to tell you who this is?) respectively. You could say it's a prequel of sorts, but not in the traditional sense.

A film review: 'Whiplash' pounds!

Origin: United States · Language: English
Director & writer: Damien Chazelle
Genre: Drama · Release: January 16, 2014

Casts: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons,
Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser

More info: IMDb

My reviews are all over the place right now! Damn it! No matter. It's finally time to address about the worthiness of the hype that Whiplash have been buzzing amongst critics and filmgoers. The reasons why I wanted to watch this movie are as follows:

• It bears the name of Iron Man 2's antagonist
• I am fond of drums in songs even though I only touched the real thing once or twice in my life
• The new Mr. Fantastic and that annoying hack in the Divergent film series is leading a universally-praised film together with J. Jonah-Fucking-Jameson
• Finally as of late, because I learned of Melissa Benoist's (my current crush) involvement

However, as I watch this film, the second reason resonates more than the others and then some, with the final reason kinda reminds me of how sort of disappointed I was on the underutilisation of Samuel L. Jackson in The Goodfellas. But I can't be too mad at that, since they are not the focus here.

A film review: 'Suicide Squad' enters the uncharted Ayer Keroh.

Origin: United States · Language: English

Director & writer: David Ayer 
Genre: Superhero · Release: August 5, 2016

Casts: Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Will Smith,
Margot Robbie, Jay Hernandez, Jai Courtney,

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Karen Fukuhara,
Adam Beach, Jared Leto, Cara Delevigne

More info: IMDb

A Watchmen and The Killing Joke later, it's here.

The most anticipated film in the DC Extended Universe / DCEU (yeah, not Batman v. Superman OR the other movies, but JUST THIS) is finally released! Even though this team was out there for a while, I was hooked when Batman: Assault on Arkham was out. Why? It's because of the team's dynamics. Most of the members are incarcerated supervillains plus extra participants tasked by the ruthless head of the ARGUS program Amanda Waller. In exchange for a shortened time in their jail cells, they had to do covert operations for the US government that could kill them due to either getting wasted in the field or got their brains blown to bits thanks to a nanobomb implanted into their necks should they disobey; but the thing is, the US government will not be responsible for their deaths whatsoever. This makes for an interesting spin on the whole live-action superhero genre, right? Keep dreaming. And thanks to my regular movie-going buddy, he managed to wake me up to the atrocities that the film have before clouding myself into thinking that the film is good just because Cara Delevigne is barely clothed and Margot Robbie couldn't stop flirting with me. Oh, wait.

Thanks to Movie Addict again, I am one of the very few to preview the film before its release on Thursday, August 4, without spending a dime. And just like Snyder's previous DC outings, this is yet another polarizing film... and he's not even the director/writer of this one! His aura is strong in this cinematic universe! What is this Ayer Keroh you give to us (super inexcusable pun is definitely intended), David Ayer? I had high hopes when I saw Fury and Sabotage, two films with some elements that I think can totally be incorporated into Suicide Squad! What's up? Even an excellent casting and performances couldn't mask how choppy the movie really is! But there are some good things here and there. Follow me as I review DC's latest attempt at keeping up with Marvel's Hollywood dominance in this third installment of the DCEU.

I will try my best to do a SPOILER-FREE review, so bear with me.

A film review: 'Midnight Special' is a layman's 'Interstellar.' Yay!

Origin: United States · Language: English
Director & writer: Jeff Nichols
Genres: Science fiction, fantasy, drama · Release: March 18, 2016

Casts: Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, Jaeden Liebeher,
Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver, Sam Shepard

More info: IMDb

Hello there. The only reason I watched this movie was because the awesome film group on Facebook called Movie Addict held a giveaway for a FREE screening, and I was one of the chosen ones. Then, I saw Michael Shannon and Adam Driver's name as per the poster above. Kylo Ren vs General Zod! Nope, there's not really... like, ANY feuds between their characters in here. And then there's a blatant Superman product placement in the form of a comic book (which doubled as a minor plot device and as a reminder that Warner Bros. is distributing this film). Let's see if I think it's any good. 

A film review: 'Super'

Origin: United States · Language: English
Director & writer: James Gunn
Genres: Superhero, black comedy, drama  
Release: September 12, 2010


Casts: Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Kevin Bacon,
Liv Tyler, Nathan Fillion, Gregg Henry,
Michael Rooker, Andre Royo, Sean Gunn,
James Gunn, Stephen Blackehart, Linda Cardellini

More info: IMDb

It is finally time, after a couple of weeks of watching it and pure laziness, to review this indie superhero feature made by the big Gunn (get it?) who directed and co-wrote Marvel's surprise hit of a bottom-of-the-barrel-residue called Guardians of the Galaxy. However, this is not his first try at exploring the superhero mythos; the first one was The Specials. While it shares similarity with another superhero film also released around the same time called Kick-Ass, this one is less loud, almost absent of Hollywood's fantastical elements (save for that dream sequence of course), far more grounded, and moodier (yes, moodier)!

A film review: 'Dawn of Justice' is basically Supes feat. The Dark Knight and The Princess.

Origin: United States · Language: English
Director: Zack Snyder · Writers: Chris Terrio, David S. Goyer
Genre: Superhero · Release: March 25, 2016

Casts: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot,
Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Diane Lane,
Laurence Fishbourne, Scoot McNairy, Michael Shannon

More info: IMDb

Hey there. I initially wanted to write about Super first, a way earnest superhero tale than Dawn of Justice (I'm gonna call it by the subtitle, for a solid reason), but it's hard to pinpoint my thoughts on that one. I guess I'll do this one first, since it's the freshest I had in mind (just watched it yesterday, FYI).

There you go; a follow up to Man of Steel that is NOT Man of Steel 2. I guess since DC is jealous of Marvel when it comes to their Hollywood dominance, DC decided to replicate their whole shared universe thing in the form of the DC Extended Universe / DCEU, but not really: DC wanna start with a string of team ups first before making solo films for their characters, and what better way to launch the franchise than to give in to every geeks' dream as its first official step: to see the showdown of two pop culture icons to finally get the Hollywood treatment they thought they deserved, but didn't actually get. You know, a similar scenario actually happened in a direct-to-video flick before, but hey, who gives a shit, right? Thankfully, I didn't ride on the hype train, so there are no high expectations whatsoever. I came in purely as a spectator and nothing else since I don't really follow the comics like at all. But sadly, it still didn't deliver, yet... a tiny bit satisfying. To simply put, I'm polarized by the film.

Oh. This review is totally DEVOID of SPOILERS. Go on an read what I think about this movie!

2-in-1 film review: 'You're Next' and 'The Visit'

"Crikey! Blood!"

This is initially a review of a single film. But since it's way overdue (I watched like probably weeks or months ago), I decided instead to rack up the review of the film in question, You're Next, with the most recent horror flick I just watched from the master of twist endings who managed to comeback with a twist from his streak of lame movies, The Visit, in a single review. 

"Blergh! Totally not scary!"

I'm honestly more of an in-your-face, over-the-top, and balls out funny/exaggerated kind of guy when it comes to films. These however, while these two are comedies, it felt way buried inside of a dominantly horror premise; especially the former film.