Nota

Year: 2015
Genre: Thriller
Director: Yasu Tanaka


Plot: A couple with marital problems return to the place where they first got engaged, hoping to patch things up. But when the wife discovers an ominous note written by her husband, a tragic set of events is put into motion.


The gist: I have a confession to make. I'm not a fan of Malay films. In fact, I haven't watched any Malay films made in my country for the last decade or so, could be longer. I did grow up watching P Ramlee films (who hasn't?) and saw a couple of 80s flicks (Mr Os is a personal favorite), but other than that, none. 

Forgive me for what I am about to say, but most Malay films in the last several years tend to be one of few things: a silly comedy (or lawak bodoh as they call it), a horror comedy, a horror film with lots of blood and not much else, Gerak Khas movies or blatant ripoffs of famous films from overseas. There have only been a few exceptions to this rule. You might ask how I came to this conclusion since I haven't seen Malay films for so long. Well, from trailers I have seen and some reviews I have read, this is what I feel. Let's just say my confidence hasn't been high.

So when the hype began for Nota, I thought now's the time to sit up and pay attention. After all, if enough people talk about it, there has to be something worth seeing here. So here I am.

Nota is the story of Erin and Kamal, a couple who haven't been on speaking terms for a long time. There's the hint of trying unsuccessfully for a child as the main reason for this. The two decide to go back to the place where they first got engaged, at Bako National Park. Erin thinks this is a chance for them to reconcile, until she finds a note in Kamal's planner, hinting at her husband making a decision that isn't what she's expecting at all. And from there, more and more clues start dropping, and things go south from here.

Director Yasu Tanaka has made a nice little thriller here. While the lack of an expensive budget is quite obvious, the film is beautifully shot. This is pretty much proof that big bucks aren't necessary to make a good film.


The good: Maya Karin and Hans Isaac are good in the lead roles, but it is the late Ramli Hassan that steals the show as the boatman that ferries the couple to their destination. Ramli's boatman is an eccentric character, one who is kind yet mysterious, funny yet sometimes creepy when he looks at someone in a certain way. He has plenty of stories to tell, in fact his lines are more than Maya and Hans' combined. He's just awesome.
The other good thing is the cinematography. It's not just the wide outdoor shots of Bako that I'm referring to, but also something as basic as a butterfly on the table, rice being cooked, hermit crabs walking on the sand etc. This is how a camera should be used in a film. Speaking of Bako, credit goes to the production design team for choosing the locations that ended up on film. Gorgeous to behold.


The bad: Nota lacks a genuine surprise. Perhaps I shouldn't have watched the trailer before seeing this. But even so, the resolution to the story is quite obvious once Erin makes her move in the third act. I was hoping for something to sweep the rug from under me but it didn't happen.
There are also other little things, like Erin's conversations with Mayumi that didn't seem natural to me. I'm referring to how it looked on screen and not how it was set up. And then there was the weird receptionist, which wasn't necessary (don't know why this was here).


Verdict: It's a solid little thriller that uses its strengths well. Despite being predictable in the final third, it's a film worth checking out, even if just for the visuals. (7/10)   

As Above, So Below

Year: 2014
Genre: Horror thriller
Director: John Erick Dowdle


Plot: Six individuals explore the catacombs beneath Paris to obtain a mysterious artifact, only to find themselves trapped in the dark and discovering something very sinister down there.


The gist: Found footage flicks have been done to death at this point, with very little variation. But every now and then, one or two rare ones stand out by doing things a tad differently. This year's Unfriended is one example. As Above, So Below is another.

In this film, six individuals led by a girl named Scarlett explore the famed catacombs beneath the streets of Paris, in search of alchemist Nicolas Flamel's legendary philosopher's stone. Scarlett is hoping to finish her late father's work by successfully finding this stone. So with her claustrophobic friend, a cameraman and three French cave explorers, she goes deep into the catacombs with a map and some clues. But as expected in films like this, trouble ensues when the group gets lost in the tunnels and really strange things start happening.

John Erick Dowdle, who directed and co-wrote the film with his brother Drew, does well in keeping the film moving constantly, never letting it stall. He also seems to have done some research in making the mythical and supernatural elements in the story seem plausible. 


The good: The cast perform up to mark, especially Perdita Weeks as Scarlett, who is easy on the eye and comes off as very likable. Credit also goes to the camera guys for keeping the shaky cam effects minimal, as well as successfully capturing the claustrophobic feel of the film. I also loved how the film breaks convention by not having a horrific, depressing ending like most found footage stories.

The bad: The film does suffer from lapses of logic at times, and the old "do stupid things when trouble hits" element is still there. There was also the presence of the spooky looking girl following them that was never explained.


Verdict: As Above, So Below is a nice little surprise in the found footage genre. It's not going to rewrite the book on the genre obviously, but it's very watchable for a scare or two. (7/10) 

The Guest

Year: 2014
Genre: Action thriller
Director: Adam Wingard


Plot: A soldier claiming to be a friend of a member of a family who was killed in action during their tour, moves into their home and becomes part of the family. However, he's not quite who he claims to be.


The gist: This film actually had potential, though the plot isn't anything we haven't seen before. The story of a stranger who seems too good to be true has been done countless times before.

The story begins with a man named David, who visits the Peterson home one day and claims to be a friend of the recently deceased Caleb Peterson, and offers to help them any way they can. Soon David becomes real helpful as we'd expect: he helps beat up a gang of bullies picking on Caleb's little brother, he connects with Caleb's rebellious sister and even helps around the house too. But he's not really who they think he is, and bad things start to happen.

I enjoyed Adam Wingard's You're Next but hated A Horrible Way To Die, and for me The Guest is somewhere in between. The action and violence is very welcome but a huge amount of suspension of disbelief is required to survive the second half of the film when things start to unravel.


The good: Dan Stevens is spot on as David, being a really charming guy who seems to know how to handle any situation he gets mixed up in. Maika Monroe is great eye candy and more as Caleb's sister Anna. The scene where David beats up the bullies is my favorite part, even more than the wanton violence that comes later.

The bad: Like I said, suspension of disbelief is required in the second half, when David has to fight back when the truth is exposed. There's a special ops team involved, and God help me, I don't know why they went down the way they did. It's almost comedic in an unintentional way. My other issue is how the family, especially the parents, just trust David so easily. And David himself just keeps blowing people away, and I know they explained this part, but it sounded like a lame excuse for more carnage.


Verdict: It's decent entertainment at best. If you don't mind absence of logic, go right ahead and give The Guest a shot. (6/10)

Transcendence

Year: 2014
Genre: Sc-fi drama
Director: Wally Pfister


Plot: A dying scientist's consciousness is uploaded into a program built as the world's first A.I., but complications ensue when he surpasses expectations and becomes a threat.


The gist: I haven't had the chance to watch Lawnmower Man, which I hear this movie shares plenty of similarities with. But I can tell you that this film is a failure when it comes to keeping viewers' attention on it.

The story is as follows: a scientist who has worked on creating an A.I. program is shot with a radioactive bullet by anti-tech extremists, and he's doomed to die. His wife decides that the only way to save him is to upload his consciousness into his A.I. program. And it works, but he isn't quite who he was before. Soon he becomes omnipotent and dangerous, and damn well unstoppable.

Wally Pfister has long known to be Christopher Nolan's go-to guy for cinematography, and while he does great work behind the camera, he isn't very good here. Despite the A-list cast, Pfister can't seem to rise above the dull script in his hands.


The good: The one bright spark among the cast is Paul Bettany, the only actor who doesn't look like he's on auto-pilot on screen. Some of the visual effects look good, but there's not much else good stuff I can say about this film.

The bad: Most of the cast look so bored, especially Johnny Depp. Morgan Freeman has too little to do, Rebecca Hall tries hard but not good enough, and poor Kate Mara and Cillian Murphy are just out of their element here. Pfister also fails to create a genuine feel of suspense and the climax is almost non-existent.


Verdict: Avoid this film. Every person involved here have made better films. Go look for those. (4/10)

All Is Lost

Year: 2013
Genre: Survival thriller
Director: J.C. Chandor


Plot: A resourceful sailor struggles to survive at sea after his boat collides with a shipping container and a storm arrives soon after.


The gist: All Is Lost is a neat little survival thriller that literally pits one man against Mother Nature.

Robert Redford plays a lone man out at sea who wakes up one morning to find his boat leaking badly after it collided with a shipping container floating aimlessly. He mends the boat, but then a huge storm blows in and his survival skills are tested to the limit.

Director J.C. Chandor, who also wrote the script, successfully keeps the film going smoothly despite almost not having any dialogue. Unlike most films of the same kind, Redford's sailor does not spend time talking to himself or contemplating God, loneliness and life. He just fights against the current and strives to survive, and it works. 


The good: Redford's screen presence certainly helps here. Points are also earned by the visual effects crew and cinematographer for a job well done in realistically displaying a disaster at sea.

The bad: You might not understand some of the things Redford's character does in order to survive, especially if you've never sailed before. There are also a few slow moments here and there, but no big deal.


Verdict: A solid survival movie that you can put on your shelf next to Gravity, Buried and Frozen. (7/10)

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)