'Kingsman: The Secret Service' Review

Kingsman: The Secret Service Review:

One Heck of a Good Time

BY IAN TAN

Matthew Vaughn has brought us some pretty entertaining films over the past few years, namely the kick-ass Kick-Ass and the well received X-Men: First Class, which is arguably the best X-Men film in the series next to Bryan Singer’s X-Men 2 in 2003 and X-Men: Days of Future Past last May. Suffice to say, he’s pretty talented and knows how to deliver a quality escapist film.

With Kingsman: The Secret Service, Vaughn again delivers another fun, balls-to-the-wall action flick that’s probably the best film to catch in cinemas this February.

First off, this film’s ensemble cast is great. Colin Firth plays a slightly edgier, more comedic character than he usually does, and he seems to be having a ball with his role as Agent Harry Hart. Samuel L. Jackson too, is perfect as the eccentric and short-tongued Valentine - the film’s villain. But this movie would be nothing without Taron Egerton, who plays Eggsy, the main character of the film who’s likable, relatable and smart. Other supporting roles played by Sofia Boutella as Gazelle, Arthur played by Michael Caine, Merlin played by Mark Strong and Professor Arnold played by Mark ‘Luke Skywalker’ Hamil do a good job in their respective roles. Basically, this movie’s full of A-listers, and Vaughn directs each of them equally well and leaves no actor’s talents wasted.

Who says a villain needs to dress all fancy to be bad? 

As far as action’s concerned, this movie’s packed with some really well coordinated action sequences expected from a Matthew Vaughn film. Standouts include a halo jump training sequence and the action finale where things take a turn for the outrageous, and when I say “outrageous”, I'm talking Quentin Tarantino outrageous. I mean, heads explode into bursts of fireworks at one point in the film, and that’s just one of many ridiculously entertaining action sequences Kingsman has to offer. Furthermore, as stylized as the action can get, the film never fails to allow audiences to get into the heads of the characters, allowing us to care about our little heroes’ fates. However, I did think that the action did get a little too prolonged and frenetic at times, which made it a little giddy to watch, especially in IMAX. That halo jump training sequence was pretty thrilling to watch on the larger screen though.

Some Kingsmen 

In a nutshell, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a perfectly adequate escapist movie filled with likable characters, awesome action, funny dialogue and a great sense of fun. This is a spy film turned action-comedy well done, unlike say the Johnny English movies. I wouldn’t say it’s Vaughn’s best film though, I still thought Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class were more engaging overall, but this one’s still a good watch for a Saturday afternoon.

Final Verdict

Kingsman: The Secret Service gets 7.9 out of 10 stars – Great fun.

'Jupiter Ascending' Movie Review

Jupiter Ascending Review:

Matrix Duo Gone Stale

BY IAN TAN

Jupiter Ascending is the Wachowski siblings’ latest sci-fi epic since Cloud Atlas in 2012 and their first original film since The Matrix in 1999. With the latter two films being spectacular and thought-provoking pieces of sci-fi cinema, how does the Wachowski’s latest work fare?

Unfortunately, Jupiter Ascending is a clunky film with a weak script and poor pacing coupled with an uninteresting story and plot. The film starts out promisingly, with some backstory that seems to foreshadow greater things ahead. However, after about the 45-minute mark of the film, I began to lose hope that the film was going to get any better.

The basic premise of the plot is that Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), an unsuspecting toilet cleaner on Earth, is claimed to be entitled to Earth. In space you see, wealth isn’t measured by money, but rather, in the currency of time. In order to be paid with said time, space business lords call dibs on planets and their profit values and other space trade negotiation mumbo-jumbo that really isn’t all that interesting to listen to. Balem (Eddie Redmayne) and his siblings Titus and Kalique all fight for claim over planet Earth, which happens to be intergalactic prime real estate. In order to inherit the Earth, however, the three engage in sibling rivalry where each tries to prevent Jupiter from claiming her title as heir to Earth.

Jupiter ascending

The performances in the film are nothing to shout about, with Channing Tatum’s Caine Wise being about the best character in the film. Tatum just brings a sense of gravitas and likability to the role that adds to the overall film. Mila Kunis as Jupiter tries her best to make her character as strong of a female protagonist as she can, but the movie’s script by the Wachowski’s tends to sideline her to damsel-in-distress status for most of the film, which is rather disappointing given that the titular character doesn’t really feel like a hero in her own movie, but rather a plot device to keep the story going. Sean Bean is fine as well (Will he die in this one?). Eddie Redmayne however, is sometimes laughable as Balem Abrasax. He tends to whisper a lot before suddenly bursting into a Dane Dehaan-like spoilt brat scream.

Nyeahh!

Performances aside, the action and visuals Jupiter Ascending has to offer are quite a delight to watch. Spaceship designs, intergalactic architecture and cinematography are all quite splendid to look at, and the score by Michael Giacchino that accompanies it is a good listen as well. Technically, this film gets an A. However, given the overall sense of how draggy the film feels (it clocks in at 2 hrs 7 mins but feels like a 2 hr 30 min movie), an increased ticket price for 3D or IMAX 3D cannot really be justified.

So pretty

Overall, I really can’t recommend you seeing Jupiter Ascending, whether it’s for the stars (whose performances are so-so to mediocre) or for a big, fun blockbuster spectacle (which it could have been if not for all that space business talk and the pacing issues), because Jupiter Ascending is a pretty but boring and draggy sci-fi film experience that I do not wish to revisit.

Final Verdict

Jupiter Ascending gets 5.4 out of 10 stars – Don’t see it, but if you really want to, just download it when it comes out online.

'Boyhood' Review

Boyhood Review:

The Coming-of-Age Movie to Rule Them All

BY IAN TAN

Boyhood charts Mason Evan’s life and growth from his childhood years at 6 to his first day in university at 19. That’s pretty much it in terms of plot. In terms of story, there are loads to be found here. Boyhood deals with many things us humans go through as we grow older and mature. Fighting with siblings, the dread of changing schools and leaving your pals behind, divorced parents, drunk parents, non-biological parents, peer pressure, jobs, relationships - Boyhood covers it all, and doesn’t even begin to bore even at a runtime of nearly three hours.

This film in itself is a cinematic feat; 12 years in the making. And through those 12 years, we – the audience – have the pleasure of watching the film’s stars grow not only as their characters, but as actors as well. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette especially deliver the best performances in the film. The child actors, namely Ellar Coltrane as Mason and Loreilei Linklater (director Richard Linklater’s daughter) were pretty good in their roles, even as child actors. However, I felt that both actors seemed to be less invested into their roles as the film progressed to their characters’ later years of teenage-hood. Their acting just felt a little more stiff and wooden after Mason turned 15. Emotions weren’t present much and they looked a lot less enthusiastic about things, but hey, we all kind of get less enthusiastic about a lot of things as we grow up, so maybe that’s what Richard Linklater wanted (?). Besides the main group of characters we follow, others show up in between (some returning several years later in the film) and everyone put on splendid performances, portraying raw, realistic and ultimately very human performances, showing how some people are broken and flawed, but that behind those broken souls and flaws lay really smart, caring and kind people.

Younger days

The fact that the film did not have a solid full script, having to adjust scenarios and events to suit the year in which they filmed and for it to remain relevant to today, is quite the achievement, given how natural the dialogue between characters feel and the journey they each go through. These developments in the script were probably why this film doesn’t really have a defined narrative structure, which isn’t a bad thing at all; it’s what really made this movie work for me. It was briskly paced and never felt like it was overstaying its welcome, yet I didn’t want it to end, pretty much like life itself. There was even a Star Wars 7 reference during one of the scenes that took place in 2008! And here we are at 2015, waiting for The Force Awakens to come out. Way to go, Ethan Hawke and Ellar Coltrane for not jinxing that ;D

Transformation

I have but one extremely minor nitpick about it, and that’s the fact that some scenes just didn’t seem as if they were shot properly. There were a couple of times where the camera looked out of focus for an entire shot. An example is a scene where Ethan Hawke’s character speaks to his kids in the car. The car window behind him was more in focus than Hawke was in the shot. I just found that distracting and I wonder what was going on during the shoot that no one noticed the misplaced focus, but that’s a minute technical complaint in what is otherwise a great, great movie.

In essence, this film is about, well, life, and it’s a great one at that. I have always admired coming-of-age films as I find them the most relatable to life and to me as a growing teenager.  The fact that Boyhood ends on Mason’s first day in university at the age of 19, the same position I will be in in a few months, made me look back at my life and think “Wow, look at how far I’ve come. Look at how…old I am now. I can’t believe this Mason character’s my age. Just 2 hours ago he was six.”

University

Final Verdict

Boyhood gets 9.5 out of 10 stars – An experience of a movie that’s packed with everything I’ve ever wanted to see in a coming-of-age film, and more.

'Into the Woods' Review

Into the Woods Review:

The Fairytale Avengers Assemble

BY IAN TAN

Reminds me a little of that Pan's Labyrinth poster  

           Into the Woods centers on a Baker and his wife, both of whom have been yearning for a child. Enter the Witch, who promises to grant the couple a baby if they are able to collect four magical objects for her before midnight within the next three days. Revolving around these characters are other beloved ones such as Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk), Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Cinderella, Prince Charming and the Big Bad Wolf (played by Johnny Depp). It’s all your favourite fairy tale characters in one movie. That’s right, it’s The Fairytale Avengers.

            Into the Woods is a return to form for director Rob Marshall after the lukewarm reception of his previous film, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. For the most part (about the first hour and a half of the movie), the film looks gorgeous. Set designs and costumes are all top notch, with excellent visuals and cinematography. From a production standpoint, Into the Woods excels.

Another aspect that Into the Woods excels in is its ensemble cast, with each cast member looking like they're having the time of their lives playing their roles. Chris Pine especially stands out, putting on a posh British accent as the ravishing Prince Charming. What’s more, he sings pretty well too. His song sequence with Billy Magnussen is sure to stick with you long after the film is over. Of course, the other cast members, namely Anna Kendrick (Cinderella), Emily Blunt (the Baker’s Wife), James Corden (the Baker), Daniel Huttlestone (Jack), Lilla Crawford (Little Red Riding Hood) and Meryl Streep (the Witch) are all fantastic in their respective roles, making use of their sometimes-small amount of screen time. Johnny Depp, however, comes off more as a pedophilic creep than a mean, big, bad wolf, which was slightly unsettling to watch at times.

Into the Wood's character roster

Speaking of unsettling things, the last 30 minutes or so of the film takes a complete detour from the events prior to it. The tone is suddenly darker and new themes such as being unfaithful in a relationship and the morality of killing are presented but never fully or properly resolved, resulting in some lose story threads and themes. Besides that, with this number of characters involved in a single story, it does get hard to keep track of all of them sometimes. At one point, I nearly forgot that Cinderella was in the movie. Also, certain characters get sidelined as a result of this character-overfill, namely Rapunzel and her prince. And something just kept me thinking that Emma Stone should’ve played Rapunzel…

Not Mad Hatter

Negatives aside, Into the Woods has a wonderful soundtrack, and unlike certain other film musicals (we’re looking at you Mamma Mia), the actors in this film sound like they can actually sing! I was skeptical about Johnny Depp’s and Chris Pine’s singing at first, but when their time came to shine, they sang rather well and it was entertaining to see them give their vocals a go. Personally though, I liked Daniel Huttlestone, who plays Jack, the most. His character was given some of the wittiest lyrics and he was the most likeable character in my opinion.

Overall, Into the Woods is a jolly good time at the cinema, until it tonally shifts towards the third act and makes you wonder if you still like it or not. But looking back, the first hour and a half of it was pretty excellent, extravagant and enjoyable, and for that, I’d recommend you giving it a shot.

Your cheatin' heart...♫

Final Verdict

Into the Woods gets 6.9 out of 10 stars – A fun time, just try to forget that last half hour.