Stonehearst Asylum

Year: 2014

Genre: Thriller

Director: Brad Anderson

Plot: Set at the turn of the 20th century, a young doctor arrives at a mysterious asylum looking for clinical experience but finds that nothing is what it seems.

The gist: Stonehearst Asylum turned out to be one quiet little thriller that flew under most people's radar.

The film follows one Dr Edward Newgate, who arrives at the mysterious asylum looking to practise psychiatry, only to discover that things there are far from what he expected. He takes a particular interest in Eliza Graves, one of the patients there, but has trouble in gaining her trust, while the other staff begin to look at him the wrong way.

Director Brad Anderson seems to excel at coming up with low key films that have great potential like The Machinist and Vanishing on 7th Street. For this film he succeeds in keeping the pace brisk and the story engaging enough right up to its final twist.


The good: Ben Kingsley excels once again at playing a sinister mental doctor here after Shutter Island. Jim Sturgess and Kate Beckinsale are convincing enough in the lead roles though they lack chemistry. The many twists and turns especially in the final third of the film is its main trump card.

The bad: Michael Caine is severely underused here but he owns every moment of his screen time. Same goes for Brendan Gleeson. There's also a character played by Sophie Kennedy Clark that is eliminated rather clumsily, which is baffling as it makes almost no impact to the plot.


Verdict: Stonehearst Asylum is a nice little surprise that deserves one watch, especially if you like films with a twist. (7/10) 

Killing Season

Year: 2013
Genre: Action thriller
Director: Mark Steven Johnson


Plot: Two former soldiers, one Serbian and one American, wage war against each other in the forest.


The gist: With the pairing of John Travolta and Robert De Niro, what could go wrong? Well, a lot apparently.

The story is as basic as it gets: a Serbian soldier goes to the States to find an American soldier who had shot him during the Serbian war many years ago, but failed to kill him. The two men then play a game of cat and mouse, each of them taking turns becoming the aggressor and the target.

The film has its moments, but it never quite rises above its made-for-TV movie quality.


The good: A couple of torture scenes come off looking solid enough, which involve arrows, a string through a leg and even waterboarding. The scenery was well filmed by DP Peter Menzies Jr.

The bad: De Niro sports an inconsistent Southern accent, while Travolta exaggerates his Serbian accent. The film, while mercifully short, takes too much time to get going as we have to watch the duo talk about their personal lives while listening to Johnny Cash. Their dispute also ends rather meekly, which is the ultimate disappointment.


Verdict: With the kind of calibre involved, one would expect a classic, but no such luck here. There's not enough action or thrills here for it to qualify as an action thriller. Skip this. (5/10)

Beautiful Creatures

Year: 2013
Genre: Romantic fantasy
Director: Richard LaGravenese


Plot: In the deep south, a boy longing to escape his little town falls in love with an outcast girl with strange powers. 


The gist: The comparisons to Twilight are unavoidable. Two good looking youths fall in love, both outcasts in their own way, one of them has a huge secret, and their love will be put to the test etc. Now, I'm one of those people that actually appreciated Twilight more than most, so it's probably because of that, I found Beautiful Creatures to be charming in its own way.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not partial on these kinds of films. Sometimes they can suck too. Mortal Instruments is a fine example of this. But I have to say, Beautiful Creatures manages to entertain more often than not despite its imperfections.

The story follows Ethan Wate, a kid in the south who meets a girl that seems to appear in his dreams often. Her name is Lena Duchannes and she is a caster, which is a nicer way of calling her a witch. They fall in love despite resistance from the townsfolk and her uncle Macon. On her upcoming 16th birthday, her destiny of either being chosen by the light or the darkness will be revealed. The chances of her going to the darkness is higher if she stays with Ethan, so says Macon. So what's gonna happen?


The good: Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert work well together on screen. Their portrayal of Ethan and Lena are quite convincing. Ehrenreich in particular deserves some points for giving his character the right level of humour and awkwardness. Viola Davis is also solid in her role as Ethan's guardian. The deep south setting as well as the filmmakers' move to not take things so seriously (unlike Twilight) also works in its favour.

The bad: Emma Thompson is badly miscast as the townsfolk's spokesperson on spreading hate towards Lena and her uncle, and as Lena's mother Sarafine when possessed. I can see she put in a ton of effort, but she's just not right for the role at all. Jeremy Irons' southern accent is also rather shaky and Emmy Rossum doesn't get enough screen time as Lena's bitchy cousin Ridley.


Verdict: It's really not as bad as it looks. Forget the Twilight comparisons and lukewarm box office takings. If you like love stories with some charm and magic, this is worth a shot. (7/10) 

Noah

Year: 2014
Genre: Biblical epic
Director: Darren Aronofsky


Plot: The story of Noah, the man entrusted by God to build the Ark and rescue the creatures of the earth from the flood that will destroy everything.


The gist: This film is actually one of the best films of 2014, but I've only managed to see this recently. The rather low rating on Imdb isn't a fair score for it, and it's probably because a lot of people will have problems with how this story is interpreted for the big screen. But then again, like most biblical stories, how does one make an adaptation of it which will please everyone?

Darren Aronofsky's version of Noah is part action adventure, part drama with an ecological theme thrown in. The story follows Noah as he builds the Ark after having visions of the world drowning, courtesy of God (referred to here as The Creator), with the help of a group of stone golems called The Watchers, who were formerly angels punished by The Creator to remain on earth. He is opposed by Tubal-Cain, a descendant of Cain who represents the worst of mankind. Tubal-Cain takes what he wants, and he wants the Ark.

If one approaches this film with an open mind, there is a lot to gather and behold here. There is action, tragedy and disaster, well assisted by some really stunning visual effects. But what stands out more is the drama, particularly the moral dilemma faced by Noah in the second half of the film, where he faces some really tough choices concerning life, death and sacrifice.


The good: The cast is excellent, especially Russell Crowe who portrays Noah, giving him the grit, determination and conflict required so that the audience sees him as a flawed but essentially good man, chosen to do a monumental task. Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Ray Winstone also do well as Noah's wife, Noah's adopted daughter and Tubal-Cain respectively. As mentioned, the visual effects are astounding, especially when the floods start.

The bad: Logan Lerman is good in his role as Noah's son Ham, but doesn't get enough chances to show what he's capable of. The fate of his character at the end is also rather ambiguous, if only they wrote it better.


Verdict: Noah is a great epic movie that everyone should watch, regardless of their religion. It's an ecological message and a message about our own humanity. If you enter this film with an open mind and not look into how relevant it is to your religion, or not, you'll enjoy it. Recommended. (8/10)

Deadfall

Year: 2012
Genre: Thriller
Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky


Plot: A pair of siblings on the run after a casino heist cross paths with a former boxer fresh out of prison and his parents, while being chased by a young deputy sheriff.


The gist: Deadfall has all the ingredients necessary to make a tense filled thriller. We have a brother and sister team of robbers fleeing after a heist, a former boxer just released from prison trying to make it home to his parents for Thanksgiving, and a young female deputy sheriff trying desperately to prove herself to her sheriff dad. All this taking place during a snow blizzard.

But sadly, it just falls short of what it could have been. Director Stefan Ruzowitzky starts it off well enough by putting his characters through the wringer and slowly develops their back stories and then getting them to cross each other. However, he drops the ball in the final third as it comes to an unsatisfying conclusion. It's sad because the potential is there.

See, the two siblings have a somewhat incestuous relationship, the brother being particularly violent and his sister being vulnerable. The boxer wants to make things right with his folks, but his dad still seems hard on him. The deputy sheriff is continuously humiliated by her own dad, who would rather work with his male deputies than his own daughter. One of these subplots was well handled, but the other two were either easily resolved or simply ignored by the film's end.


The good: The cast perform well enough, with Eric Bana standing out as the violent brother who would save a child from danger but doesn't mind killing cops. Sissy Spacek and Kris Kristofferson also do well as the boxer's parents, so does Charlie Hunnam as the boxer. The blizzard also deserves credit by almost being a character of its own.

The bad: Olivia Wilde is good in her role as the sister, but her character isn't something we haven't seen before. Kate Mara is underused as the deputy sheriff, which is a damn shame. And as mentioned, the ending and wasted potential.


Verdict: Deadfall is a good movie, but thanks to the wasted opportunity, it's like watching a rental movie or something on TV. Still worth for one view though. (6/10) 

Ender's Game

Year: 2013
Genre: Action sci-fi
Director: Gavin Hood


Plot: Young Ender Wiggin is recruited alongside many other children by the military to lead an attack against an alien race that nearly destroyed them in an invasion.


The gist: Ender's Game seems very familiar as it's similar to many other sci-fi films before it, such as Independence Day, Starship Troopers and even The Hunger Games.

In this film, Ender Wiggin, a young genius, is recruited by the military to lead their forces against the Formics, an alien race of bugs. Young Ender goes through many trials, both physical and emotional, to rise through the ranks and become the man they want him to be.

The majority of the film sees Ender training and learning, so much so that the final battle is rather brief at the end, which is kinda the purpose of the filmmakers. While Ender's emotional journey is well documented, the overall result lacks suspense and thrills.


The good: Asa Butterfield is quite good as Ender, with Harrison Ford, Viola Davis and Abigail Breslin providing solid support. The special effects are quite cool too, but one feels they ought to spend less time making it like a video game. I also liked the argument presented about sending kids to war here.

The bad: The ending is quite abrupt, possibly because a sequel was planned. The film also lacks humour, which would have lightened the mood considerably.


Verdict: It's an okay film, but plenty of room for improvement. (6/10)

Parker

Year: 2013
Genre: Action
Director: Taylor Hackford


Plot: When a thief is double crossed by his crew and left for dead, he plots his revenge with the help of a real estate agent.


The gist: There are good Jason Statham movies and there are bad Jason Statham movies. This one unfortunately falls in the latter category.

The problem lies in the story and the storytelling. It would be nice if Taylor Hackford just made it about Parker hunting down his old gang who betrayed him to settle the score. But then he throws in Jennifer Lopez as a real estate agent desperate for a commission becoming his accomplice. The fact that she's willing to break the law without a second thought just to get some money is much too far fetched.

The storytelling is also rather messy as we aren't sure why or how Parker is able to trace the gang by surveying high end houses in Palm Beach, Florida, and he switches cars so many times it makes zero sense.


The good: Statham at least still kicks ass, particularly in the fight scene at the hotel.

The bad: The villains, led by Michael Chiklis, get too little screen time. Lopez is all right in the acting department but has no chemistry with Statham. Nick Nolte is also underused as Parker's mentor.


Verdict: For a Statham action flick, this one is rather dull. File this under 'wasted opportunity'. (4/10)