Review By Yong Shu Hoong of 2001 : A Space Odyssey (IMAX)
Watching Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey 50 years after its original release, I was surprised how well it has aged. True, some of the special effects may feel somewhat underwhelming by today’s standards, but none of it comes across slipshod, and there’s no denying how far ahead of its time this classic was in 1968.
It has been 11 years after director Steven Soderbergh wrapped up his trilogy of heist films that began with Ocean’s 11 (2001) and ended with Ocean’s 13 (2007).
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 under those Woody Allen films that are more cursory than noteworthy.
If you’ve been noticing Australian bombshell Margot Robbie since her appearance in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) and, more recently, her show-stealing portrayal of Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad (2016), this new biopic brings her up to another level in her acting career.
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 this latest film of hers, which is billed as a psychological thriller and directed by Roman Polanski (perhaps a name you’d resist, given the current #MeToo climate). Oh, and it’s in French too, so you’ll get the chance to watch Green act in her native tongue.
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.