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!

Catatan tentang Temasya Wayang@Budiman dan reviu 'Return to Nostalgia' / '#AntologiROTI'.

[English version]

Risalah acara Temasya Wayang@Budiman

Risalah ehsan laman Facebook PKAF

Sabtu, 21 Januari 2017 ialah satu hari yang gila. Aku rasa dah banyak kali jugak aku petik nama Pusat Kajian dan Apresiasi Filem / PKAF dalam blog aku ni. Kenapa? Sebab aku penyokong tegar depa ni. Depa ni punya hasrat memang murni; nak ketengahkan dan membincangkan serta menghargai karya-karya hebat seantero dunia dan lebih fokusnya sinema Asia yang atas sebab tertentu tak masuk dalam radar penonton filem Malaysia dalam skala kecil. Diorang ni dah lama wujud sebenarnya, sejak 2012 lagi. Tapi, diorang baru mula menonjolkan diri secara perlahan menerusi sesi tayangan filem diorang yang pertama iaitu Wayang@Budiman pada tahun 2015 dan kini telah mula melebarkan sayap depa di luar Alam Budiman serta menganjurkan pelbagai aktiviti berkaitan sinema secara kecil-kecilan mahupun besar-besaran. Siapa sangka, usaha murni depa ni dah masuk pun masuk tahun ke-2. Demi menghargai khalayak yang berterusan menyokong dan juga hangpa yang baru berjinak nak mai ke slot tayangan sebegini di samping meraikan sinema itu sendiri, depa adakan satu Temasya untuk meraikan perkara tersebut.

Ruang yang agak sempit di rumah kedai dekat Alam Budiman tu serta jaraknya yang agak hulu tu tak menghalang para pencinta sinema lokal, Asia dan antarabangsa untuk datang berdiskusi pasal filem. Acara ni bukan acara biasa-biasa. Orang-orang yang dijemput untuk slot pertama Temasya tu bukan calang-calang orang; semuanya player industri filem Malaysia yang ada kalibernya tersendiri. Lepas tu, ada pulak dokumentari pasai usaha seorang pembikin filem mencari antara filem terawal Malaysia yang dikatakan telah hilang. Kemudian, tiba-tiba dapat tetamu tak diundang yang mengejutkan! Pada malam hari, kemuncaknya pulak ialah tayangan filpen (baca: filem pendek) yang dihasilkan oleh para khalayak yang sering datang ke sesi Wayang@Budiman hampir setiap malam bertemakan roti yang kita selalu jumpa kat kedai mamak yang dinamakan #AntologiROTI (dua filpen dalam antologi ni aku tolong buat sarikata; ada jugak kerja terjemahan aku yang lain kat sini 😆). Mari selami perasaan aku pasal acara ni (amboi!).

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.

Sebuah reviu filem: Kalau 'Munafik' lebih matang dan bukan seram, jadilah 'Desolasi.'

Asal: Malaysia · Bahasa: Melayu, Inggeris
Pengarah & penulis: Syafiq Yusof
Genre: Thriller, fiksyen sains · Rilis: 8 Disember 2016

Pelakon: Syamsul Yusof,  Bella Dally, Pekin Ibrahim,
Jalaludin Hassan

Info lanjut: IMDb

Nepotisme itu indah kalau tak ada orang buat hal. Mula-mula bapak jadi pelakon, sekarang dia produser. Lepas tu, anak-anak pulak rajin ikut jejak langkah bapak depa. Syamsul Yusof mulakan langkah sebagai pelakon, lepas tu jadi pengarah dan penulis skrip dengan Evolusi KL Drift dan seterusnya. Sekarang, tiba-tiba masa S.A.M. keluar, aku tau yang Syamsul ada adik, namanya Syafiq. Selepas beberapa filem dia bikin pasca-S.A.M., pada satu masa tu aku terbaca satu artikel pasal filem terbarunya yang kembali kepada visinya yang agak segar lepas dia bikin filem yang kita dah biasa macam filem aksi komedi (Abang Long Fadil, spin-off kepada KL Gangster) dan seram found footage (Villa Nabila, berdasarkan urban legend yang tengah hot masa filem tu diumumkan). Terimalah Desolasi, sebuah lagi filem arahan dan tulisan Syafiq yang dibintangi abangnya sendiri, Syamsul Yusof. Bertuah budak ni jadi anak Yusof Haslam. Kehkeh.

Pada 25 November 2016, aku telah dijemput mewakili Movie Addict untuk pratayang filem Desolasi bagi geng media. Memang betullah Syafiq ni. Lagi satu filem berkonsep yang lari daripada cliche filem Melayu. Walaupun masih mengekalkan konsep dalam S.A.M. yang buat satu eksplorasi pasal masalah mental protagonisnya, dalam Desolasi ni, itu dijadikan subplot je. Apa yang dia buat kali ni dari segi falsafahnya lebih dekat dengan filem Life of Pi iaitu tentang persoalan tentang hidup dan pegangan seseorang yang lost dan sentiasa mencari jawapan. Tapi, berbeza dengan Life of Pi yang lebih fantastikal, abstrak dan puitis dari segi penceritaan dan falsafah yang dibawa, Desolasi ni pulak lebih in-your-face bak kata orang putih. Life of Pi agak terbuka dan deep, tapi Desolasi ni pulak terlalu mencuba menjadi accessible dan sedikit sempit. Sungguh pun begitu, ini masih percubaan yang berani pada era di mana ramai golongan butthurt dan Ustaz/Ulama’ Media Sosial acah-acah baik mudah sentap terhadap benda yang sikit pun tak goyangkan akidah depa.

Oh ya, reviu ni confirm TAK ADA SPOILER. Jadi, bacalah dengan aman ya semua? Semoga poin-poin aku kemukakan ni akan buat korang rasa nak tengok atau tak filem Desolasi ni.

Sebuah reviu dua filem: 'Hanyut' & 'Interchange'

"Tengok aku buat apa? Tengoklah filem aku!"

Selamat, selamat, selamat! Sebenarnya aku ada reviu filem lain, iaitu Desolasi, tengah tunggu nak keluar, tapi tak boleh nak post lagi sebabnya dah ada buat perjanjian. Masalahnya, aku gian bebenau nak post reviu tu! Nasib baiklah ada tarikh 4 Disember, aku sanggup merempit ke MidValley bersama adik tercinta untuk menonton filem yang tajuknya sungguh ironi, Hanyut arahan U-Wei Haji Saari (sebabnya sini ja yang tinggal tayangan filem ni yang paling dekat area aku; tu pun MASIH jauh) dan Interchange arahan Dain Said. Dapatlah jugak lepaskan gian nak mengulas filem-filem tempatan kita yang semakin berani kedepankan idea yang berlainan.

"We're the cool clique. Dain Said ain't nuttin' ta eff wit'!"

Ya. Filem-filem ni memang lain macam dalam liga masing-masing. Nak buat perbandingan memang langsung tak adil, sebabnya kedua-dua filem ni ada visinya yang tersendiri. Aku cuba untuk TAK BAGI SPOILER LANGSUNG dalam reviu ni, sebab nanti korang dah tau, korang tak mau tengok.

Film reviews: A Marvel Vs. DC showdown - 'Doctor Strange' Vs. 'Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders'

"Hello, DC fans! I'll annoy the hell out of you guys!"

What's up people of the world! After getting decommissioned from writing blog posts due to unforeseen circumstances (such as my new laptop getting a technical hiccup and me getting involved with a road accident), I think it's appropriate to talk about the talk of the century. The unnecessary debacle between two mighty brands in the Nerdrealm (I'm spelling this a-la Mortal Kombat style) that is... Marvel versus DC! 

Nanananananananana Batmaaan~! Aaaaaand Robin too!

With that said, during my absence from my tool of the trade, I managed to catch two films from the respective brands which are both 2016 releases: Doctor Strange, the latest addition to the long-standing Marvel Cinematic Universe / MCU cannon and Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, which is a loving tribute to the super-campy live-action 60's series with both Adam West and Burt Ward reprising their roles from that series as Bruce Wayne/Batman and Dick Grayson/Robin respectively, which I may have or have not watch as a kid. Batman was watched two days ago, while Doctor Strange was viewed a day after its Malaysian premiere (and yes, I'm aware that I'm way late in the reviewing game while the hype was hot for this due to the incidents that was stated earlier). And guess what? I like them both! 

Yeah, yeah. I might have voiced my disdain over DC's sorry efforts to take a jab at Marvel's success with the DC Extended Universe / DCEU AND the underwhelming The Killing Joke which does not fall under the DCEU cannon, but thankfully DC hasn't gone too far astray from delivering yet another satisfying diversion for home releases with quality animated feature! And I think Marvel has also yet again doesn't seem to dissatisfy me with their latest offering! Let's see what I have in mind about these, shall we? Oh yeah, these reviews are SPOILER-FREE too!

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!