Passengers

This film had so much going for it on paper. A great cast, reliable director and an exciting script. But the end result was something so formulaic, so ho-hum and so typically cliche that the feeling of disappointment and let down hit hard.

Somewhere within this Hollywood, sci-fi trope was a genuinely exciting, courageous story about morality and love. Glimpses of it could still be seen throughout, especially in the first act but by the time the third act rolled in, we have already went full blown Armageddon-esque as everybody raced to tie up the loose ends and complete the story.

Just like Interstellar before it, Passengers could have been so much more if the people involved in its creation had the audacity - and balls - to commit to something more than just popcorn fillers.

That is not to say that there was nothing good about the film. Ignoring the thematic flaws - and hence also character blindness - this film is a reliable Hollywood, sci-fi film. It was entertaining as it was predictable. Director Morten Tyldum (of The Imitation Game) was capable and had a few scenes that were beautifully executed - that one swimming pool shot of Jennifer Lawrence was movie-magic.

Lawrence and Chris Pratt had great chemistry and were wonderful together. However, when it came to more serious moments, Pratt faltered whereas Lawrence shined. Perhaps it would have been better if the roles were reversed. How feminist!

Michael Sheen was also a consistent bright spot in this film, adding some comic relief beyond Pratt's initial shindigs.

As for Laurence Fishburne. One word: wasted. Three words: deux ex machina.

Go watch Moon, Duncan Jones' 2009 one-man film with Sam Rockwell if you want a smarter, more courageous and much better executed existentialism sci-fi film.

Queen of Katwe [SQ Inflight Entertainment]

A heartwarming, true-life story that is so typical of the Disney brand but very effectively brought to the big screen by Mira Nair. Setting it all in Africa lent the film a sense of authenticity and the script by William Wheeler neatly, albeit formulaic, brought this unlikely underdog story to life.

Strong performances by David Oyelowo and Lupita Nyong'o, but definite shout-out goes to newcomer Madina Nalwanga who truly embodied her character and made you root for her success in both the game and in life.

The Birth of a Nation [SQ Inflight Entertainment]

A powerful film about the dark period of American history. Effectively directed, written and acted by Nate Parker, it is a pity that Parker's personal tribulations and scandal had marred the narrative of this film.

Nonetheless, this film should be watched for what it is, although undoubtedly, Parker's past will colour how a key - fictional, no less - scene is perceived.

This film is what Django Unchained wished it could be and what 12 Years a Slave would most likely have been without the distraction of star wattage and sentimentality.

Manchester By The Sea

Kenneth Lonergan's latest was a difficult albeit realistic and honest film to watch. Strong, complex and layered characters aptly brought to life by a strong cast especially Casey Affleck in his strongest role yet. Kudos too to young Lucas Hedges. However, it really was Lonergan's nuanced script and tight directing that held the film aloft.

Rogue One [3D]

Rogue One was essentially an extended prologue for the original Star Wars - now with the subtitle A New Hope. And by golly! Disney and director Gareth Edwards sure ain't gonna let you forget that. And that was just one of the many problems plaguing this film.

Rogue One was also a space-set, heist film, but one without the thrills and the excitements. There never really was any risks of failure to make us care or worry about the heroes. However, most importantly, in a heist film, the core characters also absolutely lacked chemistry. There was close to zero emotional weight to the characters and it all felt highly impersonalised.

For a film that we already knew the ending, they sure took a long time (133 minutes) to get there. And that journey spanned many, many quick scenes that did not allow the story to breathe. It felt as though Edwards just wanted to rush through all the (character, emotional and narrative) build up to get to the big climatic battle. Which then was upstaged eventually by the final, shorter one at the end.

Edwards and co-writers Chris Weltz and Tony Gilroy delivered another fan-service film to the Stars Wars franchise that dug deep into the pre-existing mythology. But unlike J.J. Abrams' Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens, where we at least cared and were curious about the journeys of Rey, Poe, and - to a lesser extent - Finn, Rouge One failed to even connect the audience with its lead: Felicity Jones' Jyn.

Jones' dismal, perpetual-pout acting and general lacked of expressions was a terrifyingly stark contrast to her strong, Oscar-nominated performance in 2014's The Theory of Everything. The absolute of chemistry with Diego Luna definitely did not help too.

Speaking of Luna, perhaps he is just more comfortable acting in his native tongue.

Alan Tudyk's android was the rare bright spark; Riz Ahmed was under-utilised but his character was written so lazily and messily it wasn't much of a shame.

Poor Mads Mikkelsen gets stucked in another thankless role in a big franchise after Doctor Strange. 

Only perhaps Ben Mendelsohn looked like he was enjoying himself hamming it up.

And there was so much cultural misappropriation throughout this film. Frankly, it was rather insulting. Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen were clearly there to appeal to the Chinese market, serving no purpose other than to sprout oblique wise words. And provide humour. And poorly shot/choreographed kung fu.

Then we have the worst culprit of having the rebel extremists dressed up looking a lot like Middle Eastern terrorists shooting and blowing things up. Sure, we are in a desert, but we are also in another planet, do they have to look like that?!?! Jones even had her scarf up around her head in one scene. Carrie Mathison anyone?

Lastly, we have Michael Giacchino's overbearing score. Unfortunately, this might be one of his worst composition. The music was just too much. It seemed to want to force you to feel only in a certain way.

3D was definitely not necessarily.

Let's hope the next standalone will be better.

La La Land

This film is an absolute crowd-pleaser! A feel good musical rom-com that hits all the right notes and beats. The chemistry between the winsome and enchanting Emma Stone and the charismatic old-school suaveness of Ryan Gosling was as electrifying as Damien Chazelle's superb directing! A serious award contender especially for Best Film, Chazelle (writer/director) and Stone (actress).

Reminiscent of the charms of The Artist and the insider-look of Birdman, La La Land has a serious shot to be the first original musical to win the Oscar for Best Picture in a long, long time (Chicago - a Broadway transplant - won in 2006).

This is not to say this film is without it flaws. If Stone and Gosling could belt it out as well as they act then this film would be even better. But at the same time, their - especially Gosling's - thin vocals had been used by Chazelle to the advantage of the film to make the story that he is telling seemed all that more sincere, honest and raw.

As much as I applaud the originality of the musical, the lyrics could use a bit more polishing and finesse as compared to Justin Hurwitz delightful music. At times the songs sound like one of those television dramas, musical-episode moments. Paging Joss Whedon...

The pacing of the story was also a bit problematic, especially in the middle. After a terrific start , the film seemed to meander about deciding if it wants to be a full blown musical or a film with songs (think John Carney's Once or Begin Again). Thankfully, the brilliant acting and directing helped to distract from that.

Chazelle's directing was really fantastic here. And his love of Jazz is apparent and infectious, even more so than his breakout hit Whiplash. The use of long one-take single shots was superb and really helped to sell the vibrancy and energy of the musical. By choosing to tell the story in a musical-like style was both a bane and a boon (see the para above) but Chazelle kept the pacing tight, the emotions honest and comedy spontaneous and light. But yet, it still felt like this would have made a better stage production than film. Odd isn't it?

Stone was luminous. She is a serious contender for Best Actress this year. The only thing going against her is that her character lacked complexity. However, Stone brought an unexpected depth in an otherwise plain character with her expressive eyes and winsome personality that shone through. Stone made her character relatable. And that is not an easy feat to do, even in a rom-com setting.

Gosling, unfortunately, was overshadowed by Stone. His obviously weaker vocals did not help him too. But, what really worked for him was easy charm and affability, and that electrifying chemistry between him and Stone. Similarly, he brought a relatability to his role and an old school, James Dean-esque sincerity to win the audience over.

Justin Hurwitz did the music and his theme was spot-on, making him a strong contender for an Oscar for Best Score (although Johann Johannsson is a really strong contender for Arrival). Linus Sandgren lensed the film and shooting with cinemascope really gave the film a vintage look that was authentic and romantic.

The one biggest misstep was John Legend. Unnecessary interlude and stunt casting that really distracted from the leads. Legend can sing. And it showed how Gosling and Emma really can't.

<Spoiler> I loved the ending. I loved the bitter-sweetness of it all and the commentary that it echoes about Real Life and real life. Hollywood vs Reality. And yet, the film still felt good. One leaves the film feeling hopeful and positive and that really is the power of cinema. Kudos to Chazelle whom so effectively achieved it, while making it all seemed so effortlessly. </end Spoiler>

A fantastic film.

Sing

A juvenile and definitely child-friendly animation with a thin plot stretched out to feature-length. The fun really start in the third act and the musical numbers were really the draw. Unfortunately, this was more Glee-like in its execution rather than a musical per se.

Coming out after the terrific Zootopia did not help it too, as comparisons between these two anthropomorphic-animals cartoons will be inevitable. Whereas Zootopia was surprisingly layered and nuanced, Sing felt more like a Sunday-morning cartoon. The characters were one-dimensional, the plot telegraphed from a mile away and there was nothing really original about it. Even the song choices were expected.

But like I said, children will love it - as from judging from my audience.

Matthew McConaughey is as lousy a voice-actor as Cate Blanchett was in How To Train Your Dragon 2. An inconsistent voice with his texan drawl creeping in and out. And if your lead character is a Koala, how hard is it to get an Australian actor for the role? Was Hugh Jackman or Chris Hemsworth not available? Imagine Jackman - and the voice on that man!

Of all the voices, perhaps only Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Saunders and seasoned-pro Seth Macfarlane nailed it.

But at least, thankfully, it was under 2 hours (should have been only about 90 minutes, 100 max) and there was one very, very good Beyonce-related snark thrown in that totally went over the head (and hair) of children but had me genuinely laughing out loud.

I'm not sure if 3D would have made any difference.