Music films are all the rage now, it seems – and I do not mean musicals!
Drama
REEL TO REAL | DRAMA : WONDER WHEEL [REVIEW]
By Yong Shu Hoong While Wonder Wheel bears a lot of writer-director Woody Allen’s finger-smudges – from the plain and simple opening credits, and the use of old songs on the soundtrack, to the featuring of big-name Hollywood actors – it’s unfortunately one of his middling works to be parked Continue Reading
REEL TO REAL : BASED ON A TRUE STORY [REVIEW]
By Yong Shu Hoong First of all, a declaration: I might have been slightly in love with Eva Green ever since she graced the big screen as Bond girl Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale (2006). So despite some bad reviews plaguing Based on a True Story, I decided to watch Continue Reading
REEL TO REAL : MOLLY’S GAME [REVIEW] BY YONG SHU HOONG
As Oscar bait to showcase American actress Jessica Chastain’s prowess (and hopefully add a golden statuette to the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress she’s already won for her CIA agent role in 2012’s Zero Dark Thirty), this new biopic Molly’s Game squarely delivers the goods.
REEL TO REAL : INGRID GOES WEST [REVIEW]
One of the better movies of 2017, Ingrid Goes WestReel is a dark incisive commentary on the millennial obsession with social media.
REEL TO REAL : DUNKIRK
It’s fair to say that Dunkirk is an unconventional war movie. Considering that renowned director Christopher Nolan is at the helm, that comes as little surprise.
REAL TO REEL : THE LEFTOVERS SEASON THREE – TAKING IT ON FAITH
What does it all mean? Was The Leftovers one of the best TV drama series ever made? Or was it one of the worst?
REAL TO REEL : HOUSE OF CARDS SEASON FIVE – NO LONGER STRANGER THAN REAL LIFE
The main challenges that faced Netflix’s political drama House of Cards was twofold. One, how to match the ongoing dramatic events happening in the Trump administration and two, how to maintain interest in a narrative that was slowly but surely running out of fresh ideas.
GEEK OUT! THE OA
The OA poses more questions than it answers. But isn’t that a reflection of life?
GEEK OUT! IRON FIST – FIRST LOOK AT COLEEN WING, JOY AND WARD MEACHUM
Netflix has released more images from the upcoming original series adapting Marvel martial arts hero Iron Fist. These images give us a first look at Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), Joy (Jessica Stroup) and Ward Meachum (Tom Pelphrey).
GEEK OUT! SCIFI TV FARE 61116
Consolidating our scifi TV reviews. Spoilers, doh!
NETFLIX AND THRILL: THE GET DOWN
If you were disappointed and let down by HBO’s Vinyl, Netflix original series The Get Down hopes to deliver an authentic 70s music show, for your pleasure.
GEEK OUT! THE STRANGER THINGS REVIEW
Synopsis Stranger Things is a 8-part Netflix original series set in Indiana 1983, where a young boy vanishes into thin air and a mysterious girl with strange powers suddenly appears at about the same time. Directed by The Duffer Brothers and starring Winona Ryder, David Harbour & Matthew Modine.
REEL TO REAL: THE DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL
Synopsis A 2015 American coming-of-age drama written and directed by Marielle Heller, based on the graphic novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures by Phoebe Gloeckner. The film stars Bel Powley as a 15-year-old girl (Minnie) who becomes sexually active by starting a relationship Continue Reading
GEEK OUT! ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS
The new TV season is upon us geeks – even as Fear The Walking Dead and The Strain end their respective storylines for the time being (both will definitely be back), The Leftovers returns. Considering how popular The Walking Dead is, it’s no surprise that this spin-off did well in Continue Reading
FEAR OF THE WALKING DEAD – BACK TO THE EGG
The Walking Dead is one of the most successful shows currently on television and with good reason. It is a smart, character-driven drama that has captivated audiences by constantly developing their characters and letting us become invested in their stories as they journey through the zombie apocalypse. It seems that Continue Reading
FAERYVILLE – A FAIRY TALE OF NIGHTMARISH REAL WORLD CONSEQUENCES
The problem with Tzang Merwyn Tong’s FAERYVILLE – if one can even call it a problem – is that the movie might be too ambitious for its own good. FAERYVILLE is a movie with a strong message, in fact there are quite a few to go around. These themes are Continue Reading
GEEK OUT! THE WALKING DEAD – FROM DESPAIR TO WHERE?
Am beginning to despair at The Walking Dead. Group characters are dropping like flies in Season 5. A bit of an overkill, I would argue. Yes, I understand the dynamics of this dystopian future reality but it’s still ultimately a TV show. It’s almost dark for the sake of being Continue Reading
THE BOOB TUBE: SCANDAL – THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
To be honest, after the intense drama over Olivia’s kidnapping, it was hard to imagine how the series could ramp up again after that high. But this episode hints at a whole new ball game, with the introduction of Susan Ross the new Vice-President and Huck’s wife reporting B613 to Continue Reading
GEEK OUT! THE WALKING DEAD – SEE NO EVIL
What’s going on? Why are our intrepid gang of survivors acting like the bad guys? How am I supposed to feel about Carol threatening a young child in order to conceal a secret? Are Rick and company totally unable to adapt to normal life and trust anyone now? These questions Continue Reading
THE BOOB TUBE: SCANDAL – REALITY BITES
After the stress and the pressure of Olivia’s kidnapping, Scandal is brought down to earth with a hard bump with an episode that reflects the recent controversies in Ferguson and New York regarding the killing of unarmed African-American men by the police. Yes, it’s a relatively simple and un-convoluted plot Continue Reading
THE BOOB TUBE: HOUSE OF CARDS SEASON 3 – SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS
Much anticipated as it was, Season 3 of Netflix original series, House of Cards was a massive disappointment. Having fought his way from Speaker to Vice-President to President, it was expected that our protagonist Frank Underwood would bring his own vicious brand of politics onto the biggest stage of all, Continue Reading
GEEK OUT! THE WALKING DEAD – THE TROUBLE WITH NORMAL
Our gang of survivors begin to settle in at Alexandria but our favourite characters are waiting for the pin to drop. Who can blame them, after all the trauma that they have been through in the last five seasons? Halfway through this transitional episode Carl tells Rick that he is Continue Reading
GEEK OUT! 12 MONKEYS – IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (AND I FEEL FINE)
Even as I find the leading actors utterly unremarkable (it is obvious they were cast purely for their good looks), I am enjoying Syfy’s re-imagining of 12 Monkeys for its proper exploration of time travel implications. Sure, even that is not perfect but one can appreciate the genuine effort. This Continue Reading
GEEK OUT! HELIX – STILL WATERS RUN DEEP
The 2nd season of Helix has done very well in shifting focus on different characters and casting as protagonists and antagonists in equal measure depending on particular perspectives. Amongst Alan, Peter, Michael and Amy it was never clear who was the actual villain of the piece. But finally, the role Continue Reading