Year: 2008
Genre: Sports drama
Director: David Mamet
Plot: A jiu-jitsu instructor is forced to take part in a prize bout, against his own principles, when circumstances leave him in a financial quandary.
The gist: This film is written and directed by veteran writer David Mamet, known for penning The Edge and The Untouchables, among others. Redbelt focuses on jiu-jitsu, a martial art that Mamet himself is a master of.
The story follows Mike Terry, a jiu-jitsu instructor who trains and educates his students on the art and some wisdom, mostly for free. Then suddenly Mike finds himself in dire straits after two encounters: one with a lawyer who accidentally smashes his dojo window, and another with a struggling movie star who seeks to hire his services. Eventually his finances take a dive and he's forced to do something he once refused to do: compete in a prize fight.
The film is actually more philosophical and dramatic than action oriented overall. Mamet focuses his story on the idea that there isn't a situation one can't get themselves out of, which is what Mike tries to impart on his students, and what he has to do when faced with his own troubles.
The good: It has a strong cast, with Chiwetel Ejiofor putting in solid work as Mike Terry. Home Improvement star Tim Allen actually plays it serious here as movie star Chet Frank, and does it well too. Other performances from the supporting cast such as Alice Braga, Emily Mortimer and Max Martini are also worth mentioning.
The bad: The film's execution is as simple as it gets. No lengthy fights, no complicated monologues. Even the final fight involving Ejiofor and the film's villain isn't flashy at all, and is over pretty quick.
Verdict: Redbelt isn't a film for entertainment, but more for drama and philosophy. At best, you can learn something from it. (7/10)
Year: 2014
Genre: Animation
Directors: Don Hall & Chris Williams
Plot: Hiro Hamada, a young genius who loses his brother to a fire, bonds with his late sibling's last invention, a health care robot named Baymax. He then teams up with the robot and his brother's friends to catch the man who caused the fire that killed his brother.
The gist: The film is based on a Marvel comic of the same name, but slightly changed. To its credit, the film is entertaining enough as a whole, but doesn't have as much heart as the kind of stuff Pixar is known for.
The story follows Hiro as he bonds with his late brother's robot Baymax. One of Hiro's inventions, microbots that can take any form imaginable, was stolen by someone who killed his brother. So Hiro upgrades Baymax to a super fighting robot and teams up with his brother's friends to nab the man.
The good: The animation is superb and the action sequences are well executed, particularly the final fight. Baymax also deserves credit as one of the most lovable Disney characters you'll ever see. In fact, he's the main reason this film succeeds.
The bad: Other than the bond between Hiro and Baymax, the film doesn't have an underlying theme that would make it memorable.
Verdict: Big Hero 6 is great fun, especially for kids. But adults might forget this movie pretty quick. (7/10)
Year: 2014
Genre: Action adventure
Director: Nick Powell
Plot: A former knight from the Crusades comes to the aid of a princess and her younger brother, the heir to the throne, who are on the run from their cruel older brother, who seeks to become king.
The gist: With an IMDb rating of 4.6, you'd expect this to be one of Nicolas Cage's worst films, and he has made many bad ones over the years. To be fair, Outcast is not a great film at all, but certainly not the worst I've seen from Cage (that honor for me, goes to Stolen).
The story, a mix of Kingdom Of Heaven and Tears Of The Sun, and a few other medieval adventure films you may have seen before somewhere, centres on Jacob (Hayden Christensen), a knight of the Crusades who has grown weary of the war and become a drug addict, until he runs into Prince Zhao and Princess Lian, who are on the run from their older brother Shing. Their late father has named Zhao as the heir to the throne, so Shing wants him dead in order to rule. Jacob, despite being in no real shape to be a protector, reluctantly takes on the task, hoping to redeem himself for his sins. Later, he seeks help from his former mentor Gallain (Cage) to join his quest, but he has renounced fighting for others.
The good: At the very least, this movie does not offend much. I know that's really not a good reason to see this, but some films are just so awful you won't make it past the first fifteen minutes before giving up. Outcast managed to sustain my interest till the end, which is more than I can say for some other movies I've seen. Cage and Christensen try their best to make the film work despite being given laughable dialogue to read, and their shaky British accents are quite hilarious to listen to, especially the former's. Is this good? Yes, in a funny way, it is.
The bad: The shaky camerawork during the fight sequences stand out. When will they ever learn? As mentioned, the dialogue is badly written, and we have to ignore the fact that the Chinese cast speak English even among themselves. The ending was very poor too, with an anti-climactic fight scene.
Verdict: You can try this if you've got time to kill and nothing else to do. Or if you're the kind of person curious enough to see how good or bad a Nicolas Cage film is. (6/10)
