Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings [IMAX]

Shang-Chi was a well-paced, highly entertaining and exhilarating film to watch that was well punctuated with great comedic moments (mostly courtesy of Awkwafina - finally in a role that daftly balanced her comedic and dramatic chops) and viscerally exciting, mostly-kung fu, fight scenes. But, most importantly, it gave us perhaps the MCU's best villain since Tom Hiddleston's Loki with the infinitely charismatic Tony Leung's updated Mandarin - now known as Xu Wenwu. Leung owned the screen and essentially the whole movie with his presence, his acting and those ever-emoting eyes. 

Also, kudos to the rest of the great supporting cast, especially the equally charismatic Michelle Yeoh, an enigmatic Zhang Meng'er, surprise comedic relief Benedict Wong in what was essentially an extended cameo and scene stealers Sir Ben Kingsley and Morris.

With such an arresting supporting cast, Liu Simu, ostensibly the lead actor in his own superhero origin story, was unfortunately relegated to a seemingly peripheral role. He had great chemistry with Awkwafina and the early scenes with them both were immensely fun. However, once Liu met up with Leung in the Second Act, the gulf between the two actors was obvious and the latter effortlessly dominated the screen and the narrative. Even when Leung was off-screen, Liu's dramatic efforts of emoting loss and regret only served to highlight the disparity between a screen legend like Leung and a relative newbie like Liu. 

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, an Asian-American, we finally got an Asian superhero movie that broke down Asian stereotypes. Cretton and fellow co-writers, David Callaham and Andrew Lanham, subtly inserted racial politics into the screenplay and also not-so subtly broke down Orientalism with its normalisation of Asian martial arts, and religious and cultural beliefs. Some of it may have gone over the head of most Western audience, but to an Asian audience, the nods to Qing Ming festival, ancestral worship, Asian-millennial/Gen X angst, etc were well appreciated.

It was also refreshing to watch an MCU/big Hollywood film that started in Mandarin and with at least 20% of the on-screen dialogue also in Mandarin. Although it was rather annoying that there seemed to be no consistency in when the characters spoke English and when they spoke Mandarin - except for Awkwafina's character which was clearly - and authentically - an American who barely spoke her mother tongue. 

The action sequences were a major highlight up till the final climatic battle. Most of the early fight scenes were kung-fu based and the action choreography was strong. The fights were visceral but also graceful in their violence. Although it was a wasted opportunity not to have Leung and Yeoh have a spar-and-talk scene together. That would have been awesome! Instead, Leung's big fight was inevitably with Liu, and thankfully Leung was capable of acting solely with his eyes to imbue the fight with the significance and emotion that it deserved.

Unfortunately, in the end, the film succumbed to the MCU-mandatory CGI final battle that verged on messiness. It only got by because the larger and brighter IMAX screen allowed the action to be more easily discerned and distinguished. Not sure how it would look like on a smaller screen. 

Bill Pope was the cinematographer and music was by Joel P. West. Both of which were distinctive but also not entirely standouts. The IMAX experience really benefitted the film, especially with regards to the final battle. 

As usual, stay on for the standard MCU mid-credits and end-credits stingers which nicely set up future movies and/or Disney+ series. 

The Medium ร่างทรง

 

A Thai-Korean horror film whose central conceit was its mockumentary/found-footage style of filming. Both the Thais and Koreans are known for producing great horror flicks although their heydays are a couple of years back. Nonetheless, a collaboration between them did come with a certain level of anticipation, and it is safe to say that The Medium did meet them - sort of.

The Medium was a slow burn horror thriller that took its time to establish the supernatural elements of its story, primarily because it dealt with a culture and beliefs - Northern Isan Thai - that were not so commonly known. 

At over 2-hours long, the film had three distinct acts. 

The first act, as aforementioned was establishing the conceit and background of the film and its characters. In this regard, director Banjong Pisanthanakun did very well. The mockumentary style gave us a clear sense of perspective and identity into its lead characters, and clues and hints were dropped early that foreshadowed things to come. Atmospherically, there was a pervasive sense of dread mixed with a certain mystery and unknowing-ness of how the story will develop.

In the second act, we finally get a clearer picture of what kind of subgenre of horror The Medium belonged to - no spoilers here - but the fun was then in trying to figure out the why and how. Why is it happening and how will they (the characters and the film makers) sort it out. And at this point, the typical creepiness commonly seen in first acts of horror films started to creep - ha! - in. As did the usual plot twists and ah-hah moments one would expect from the genre. 

Then we come to the third act, where The Medium just went all out. Think Ring meets The Exorcist meets Rec meets Dawn of the Dead. But at the same time, it was also not terrifying scary. A lot more gory, creepy, gross, morbid, icky than straight up frightening and scary. Thankfully also, Pisanthanakun kept the jump scares to the minimum. But boy, what an ending. A few zags when you thought it was going to zig, and a few zigging when they have just zagged. The final pay off was worth it which is really what one wished for with any decent horror films.

Let's be honest. The Medium was no Ring or Shutter but it did linger on after it ended and it will surely generate post-film conversation. Furthermore, the story and concept did leave the door open for possible sequels or anthology-like series. Therefore, do expect some possible afterlife incarnation.

The Suicide Squad

Let's just put it upfront now: Beebo still rules! iykyk

And secondly, making something better than its precursor (or previous incarnation...or prequel...or whatever you may want to call it) does not automatically make it good. 

Undeniably, James Gunn's version of Task Force X aka the eponymous Suicide Squad was a lot more fun than David Ayer's 2016 embarrassment. For starters, at least it did not take itself too seriously and embraced the violence and psychosis that comes with having villains as leads. However, Gunn - for all his stylistic choice and Guardians of the Galaxy-esque needle drops - still bordered on being too safe and generic (read: commercially) friendly. 

The film's irreverence was mostly irrelevant; it never pushed any boundary and only flirted with being biting or dark or edgy.  The humour was juvenile at best with most jokes barely landing and setups seen miles away. As for the violence it was not as gratuitous as its much-publicised R/M18 rating would suggest. In actual fact, other than moments of excessive violence played mainly for laughs, the film was rather tame. 

Then we come to the plot itself. At 132 minutes long it could have jolly well lost approximately 15 to 20 minutes (all that wasted Peter Capaldi as The Thinker subplot) if we were being generous.  Gunn's screenplay meandered too much in its first two acts, busying itself with setups that never really paid off other then so that he could include one or two "cool" scenes. Yes, granted the scenes were cool and obviously Margot Robbie is a big - and effortlessly charismatic - star, but constant repetition with nothing new gets old and this is already Robbie's third outing as Harley Quinn. 

Further, just like the gags, a lot of the plot was predictable with only one genuine plot twist that happened in the first act. Thereafter, the story just felt rote and familiar all the way to the big, climatic showdown which scored points for a surprisingly emotional heel turn that was well earned and paid off earlier dues. The end also some good laughs and sight gags, and an interesting, albeit not too surprising - again - final takedown.

Honestly, if you have seen television's D.C. Legends of Tomorrow, seeing Starro the Conqueror is no big deal. Starro is nothing compared to Beebo!

Lastly, we got to talk about the cast. This was a definition of a mixed bag. Individually, most of the squad members worked. The biggest sore thumb was John Cena (ask Peacemaker) who still cannot act and we cannot just blame it on Gunn's direction. While the biggest surprises were David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man) and Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher 2). The latter held the emotional heart and core of the film, and really should have been the audience surrogate; and the former gave the best comedic performance - wry and dry and ultimately Tragic. 

However as a team, they lacked cohesion and chemistry. Their group scenes lacked sizzle and pizzazz with the bantering falling flat and clunky. But in certain pairings they found their grooves: Joel Kinnaman and Robbie, Dastmalchian and Melchior, and Idris Elba and Viola Davis. 

Wow! That last pairing was absolutely the best scene of the film. That was a masterclass in acting. Raw, emotional and terrifying without any superpowers displayed. Again, pity it happened within the first 30 minutes. But, seriously, get Elba and Davis in a room together again! How about the new James Bond and M?

Oh, also, long live King Shark! Nom nom nom...

Music was by John Murphy and cinematography Henry Braham, and neither aspects will likely be getting much accolades come awards season. As for the constant needle-dropping throughout, Gunn's taste here seemed a lot more eclectic with less pop-friendly choices but did its job to spice up the action sequences.

The Suicide Squad was no John Wick, and to be honest, if you were expecting a Deadpool-esque, GOTG/Avengers mashup, then you would be sorely disappointed. However, taking it for what it is, it was a fairly enjoyable romp but ultimately may be just as forgettable as its predecessor.

Old

After all these years, M. Night Shyamalan still remained almost divisive as ever. However, the one constant throughout his career is that his films/projects all have an interesting - sometimes fascinating - concept. It is usually the execution and delivery that makes or breaks a Shyamalan film. 

And in Old, which was based on a Swiss graphic novel, the central conceit was tantalising and Shyamalan's direction, and camerawork with Mike Gioulakis were highly effective in capturing the tension, foreboding and dread. However, it absolutely failed in the writing (screenplay credited to Shyamalan) and the acting. 

Firstly, the direction here was really good. Shyamalan managed to capture my interest with a mystery box thriller and the narrative clipped along at a good pace. At only 108 minutes long, this was efficient storytelling. The mystery box was slowly revealed but, like all good J.J. Abrams shows, never fully explained which was acceptable if you have already conceded to the genre. Genre-fans just want a plausible ending the befitted the story's internal logic, and in this sense, Old succeeded. Further, Shyamalan ratchet up the thrill factor with innovative camerawork, camera choices and editing, and not just relying on shock and scare tactics. 

However, for all the good the directorial work did, the dialogue brought it all back crashing down. The screenplay was atrociously clunky and heavy-handed, with characters laden with exposition rather than reflection. 

And then we have the acting which bordered on amateurish and caricature-like especially when the usually talented actors were asked to deliver clunkers. We know Gael Garcia Bernal and Rufus Sewell to be better actors than this. Perhaps, only Thomasin McKenzie and Alex Wolff came out unscathed from this (and maybe Eliza Scanlen too). Shyamalan should have focused more of the film on the children.

It might have been truly better - and perhaps even more innovative - if Shyamalan had directed this a la A Quiet Place, Bird Box or even Sound of Metal. The psychological dread, so masterfully triggered by the directing, could have been amplified to the n-th degree with the absence of one of the senses. A few of the best scenes in Old were just like that. Although, if maintained for a whole film, Shyamalan might be accused of being unoriginal. 

Old had a very interesting concept and I can see this being a very successful television series (mini or otherwise). There is a very strong Lost vibe to it and with better writing - and a great cast - this could have been another M. Night Shyamalan success story. But for now, it will likely languish with the likes of The Village and Glass. At least it was not as bad as The Happening or After Earth.

Gunpowder Milkshake

A deliciously campy action-comedy that never took itself too seriously and - most importantly - does not ask its audience to do so too. Director and co-writer Navot Papushado understood that the main mission was to deliver entertaining fun and he accomplished it. Armed with an outstanding cast that seemed to be having fun and a paper thin, generic script that only served as the backbone to hang on the stylish fight sequences choreographed against groovy tunes, long takes and slow-mos, Gunpowder Milkshake was a delightful near 2-hours romp (though it could stand to loose maybe 10 to 15 minutes).

The film was peppered with enough dark self-awareness to be funny but, for better or worse, it never did give itself a chance to develop an emotional core deep enough for us to care. What we cared about was just the undeniable likability of the cast and the chemistry between them. 

Karen Gillan - my, my, how our custard-dipping, fish fingers-eating Amy Pond has grown! - was charismatic enough to lead the ensemble. She has the dramatic chops but unfortunately not much was called of it here. Fortunately, she had an easy chemistry with young Chloe Coleman - talented and a standout - which helped to sell the film's flimsy central conceit. And further, thankfully, she did make for a convincing-enough professional assassin, ably kicking asses and giving sass. The latter definitely helped the film move along. Especially when Lena Headey came into the picture.

Ah...Headey aka Cersei. We wished you had channeled more of Cersei's badassery. She and Gillan made a good pair and their banter felt natural. However, Headey did not have much action sequences to show off other than holding some sort of firearms. If she was just gonna be sauntering and standing around, the writers might as well give her some delicious lines to swish around - or spit out - like fine wine. 

As good as some of the action sequences were and two great ones comes to mind: two early scenes with Gillan at a bowling alley and the doctor's office. What this film really lacked was the visceral hand-to-hand combat that many male-fronted action flicks seemed to have. Other than the aforementioned two scenes, most of the action sequences were mainly gunfights with some interspersed hand combat. But what a waste considering that you have Michelle Yeoh and Carla Gugino in your cast. No disrespect to Angela Bassett, but Yeoh and Gugino have more action creds.

Actually, Yeoh, Gugino and Bassett were ultimately kind of under utilised. Their scenes were standouts and as characters, they were a lot more interesting than Gillan's and Headey's. The Powers That Be ought to consider a prequel about them three a la The King's Man, i.e. The Librarians.

Cinematography was by Michael Seresin and that bowling alley sequence was awesome! As was the final diner one. Music was by Frank Ilfman and his score complemented that the rollicking tunes that punctuated many of the fight scenes.

Gunpowder Milkshake was a campy, fun watch that understood its purpose and gamely delivered on its promise of an entertaining, unserious romp.

Black Widow [IMAX]

Finally after being delayed a whole year, the MCU's official Phase 4 film entry arrived in theatre. However, to be exact, the Disney+ shows started the ball rolling a couple of months earlier and they all do sort of tie-in together. There is a through line in what Kevin Feige and co seemed to want to achieve.

Directed by Australian Cate Shortland, with a story by Jac Shaeffer (recently of WandaVision fame) and Ned Benson (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby), and a screenplay by Eric Pearson (Thor: Ragnarok), the behind the scenes pedigree gave Black Widow a certain level of expectations which it reached, but not necessarily exceed. 

From the opening sequence to the opening credits, Black Widow already felt different from all the preceding MCU films. After the high octane intensity that culminated in Endgame, this felt like a soft reboot of the entire franchise. A chance for the MCU to breathe and to re-calibrate itself. In that sense, it seemed either like an extended epilogue to the Infinity Saga, or a prologue to the next 20-odd films.

And again, in that vein, it made sense for this film to come out first, followed by WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki.

Shortland's direction was clean and precise, and with cinematographer Gabriel Beristain, the film had a warm, familial feel, albeit that of an oddly estranged - sometimes psychopathic - family. Familial ties was a strong, constant theme throughout but thankfully it was not too heavy-handed or relentlessly hammered in. 

The action sequences had their moments, but other than the big climatic, VFX-heavy finale, most of the others lacked visceral energy or tension. This was especially so since we know that Natasha Romanoff cannot possibly die in this film. But it remained disappointing since she was supposed to be a hand-to-hand combat expert.

Black Widow was a great star vehicle for Scarlett Johansson. She anchored the film and the story allowed the Oscar-nominated actress to simultaneously flex her acting and literal muscles. It even allowed Romanoff to have moments of levity, not last seen since the Joss Whedon days. 

It definitely helped that the core supporting cast were equally outstanding and propped Johansson up. Their on-screen chemistry was great, although all that faux (and so inconsistent!!) Russian accents were extremely grating. It occupied almost 75% of the whole film. Thankfully, Florence Pugh, David Harbour and Rachel Weisz had immense talent to power through it and created distinct characters that overcame their overbearing accents.

Pugh was a standout and is clearly lined-up for bigger things at the MCU. But in what way, who knows. The post-credits scene - definitely more impactful if it had came out before The Falcon and the Winter Soldier - seemed to suggest she would either play a role in a future Disney+ show or possibly a larger Avengers-esque mash-up. Nonetheless, Pugh continued her rise to stardom with a showcase that displayed both a strong physicality and emotional grit. But why couldn't she stick to her natural British accent like Johansson in her American? I guess her backstory was more an assassin than spy.

Harbour, surprisingly, brought the laughs. And they were genuinely good laughs. Almost veering on slapstick but thankfully based on some deranged form of honest sincerity. 

And Weisz too had a deadpanned humour oddly similar to her stint on The Favourite. She should do more black comedy.

Music was scored by the prolific Lorne Balfe and like most the MCU films, the score remained mostly technical and generic. It moved the narrative and bolstered the emotional resonance, but nothing beyond. Although towards the end, the Avengers theme reminded us that that was the only piece of iconic music throughout the MCU's history.

Black Widow was a fun watch. Although it was not necessary to watch on IMAX, the huge screen and terrific sound system was a bonus. With the post-credits scene, and the already announced upcoming Disney+/MCU shows, the MCU looks set to continue to dominate pop culture.

In The Heights

 

An exuberant and highly infectious celebration of life and a great return back to cinemas! Featuring a charismatic Anthony Ramos and a highly singalong-able soundtrack by Lin-Manual Miranda, In the Heights was a highly entertaining delight! By no means was it a perfect film - or musical - but it was a poignant reminder of the power of cinema to celebrate Life. 

Jon M. Chu did a great job injecting a visceral, kinetic energy to the big moments and these were delicious highlights! From the opening number to the catchy salon number, from the big pool sequence to the Carnivale del Barrio, these sequences were unbelievably infectious and simply made you want to jump up and dance (by the aisles!). These moments seemed destined for the big screen and they really transport you away from reality.

However, Chu may have lost sight in the smaller, more intimate moments. The quieter and more tender scenes did not really work. They just felt a lot duller. Partially it laid in the lack of emotional groundwork for the lead characters. The two romantic pairings felt superficial and unexplored. Their connection and their individual challenges were simply brushed through and not built upon. 

Not having seen the musical before, it was hard to know if it was an inherent problem of the stage production or a translation issue. The film, like the musical's book, was written by Quiara Algeria Hudes, and the central narrative just seemed a bit thin. And the songs by Miranda clearly showed the groundwork for his later smash hit Hamilton.

That being said, Olga Merediz's Abuela (a role she originated in the musical), was the heart and soul. Her story had the most significant emotional punch; I will not lie, but tears was shed. That was a sincerely powerful moment, and the film needed more of it. 

Ramos was a great lead actor and possessed a great voice. He practically oozed charisma and was a great character to follow and root for, but his chemistry with Melissa Barrera - as his love interest, Vanessa - was hit-and-miss. They have their moments but it never did culminate in fireworks.

On the other side we have Corey Hawkins with that silky, Broadway voice and Leslie Grace with her more contemporary pop vocals. Just like Ramos and Barrera, their chemistry was fleeting. 

Shout out to the salon ladies: Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi in the original Rent), Stephanie Beatriz (Rosa from Brooklyn-Nine-Nine) and Dascha Polanco (Daya from Orange is the New Black).

In the Heights was the ideal film to welcome back the post-pandemic cinema. A positive film that entertained and delighted. Cinema is not dead! Long, live the cinema!