chasing the dragon

In Theaters 9/29! Donnie Yen stars as infamous real-life drug kingpin Crippled Ho, who came to Hong Kong an illegal immigrant in 1963 and ruthlessly carved an empire from the chaotic underworld of drug dealers and corrupt police that ruled the city under notorious detective Lee Rock (Andy Lau).

After watching this film, it felt like I watched a thirteen parts TV series that was just compressed into a two hours movie. As a biographical tale based on the true story of "Crippled Ho," there's a lot that happens in this movie that covers multiple years worth of story. Yet it still tried to cram all that into a feature length film. Did it succeed in condensing all that material into a satisfying narrative? Yes and No. 

I suppose the important thing about this movie is that it gets the point of the story across, and in many ways it did. I may wish that it would have elaborated on certain plots introduced in the story more, but I did in fact comprehend the overall story of what happened, and that seems to be all that Writer-Director Jing Wong is truly concerned about. Because of how it just goes through all that story in a short time frame though, it did feel like I was just watching a plot summary, as opposed to this epic crime drama that it tries to be. I dare say that an extra 40 - 60 minutes would have been welcome. 

For those unfamiliar with the corruption found in Hong Kong during the 60s and 70s, which involved law enforcement, drug dealers, the British colonial rule, this movie should be a decent introduction to that interesting era in time. That setting is really more a backdrop to the characters of Crippled Ho; played by Donnie Yen, and Lee Rock, played by Andy Lau. The camaraderie of this powerful drug lord and the influential Chief Detective Sargeant, is what's truly at the core of this movie. The way this film depicts their relationship does work more or less, but once again without further expositions and elaborated plot details, I truly only cared about them in superficial levels. 

Although the final execution of "Chasing The Dragon" wasn't as ideal as I hoped it would be, it was still an entertaining movie, with some good action sequences. By far though, the performance of Donnie Yen alone should be worth checking this out. Plus it's hard to deny that the true story this film is based on is definitely fascinating to be exposed to nonetheless. 

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the mountain between us

Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across hundreds of miles of wilderness, pushing one another to endure and discovering strength they never knew possible.

The story about three strangers, who survive a plane crash on a remote mountain, and then have to resolve to help each other to make it through this ordeal, isn't exactly a unique premise. There is always something fascinating about seeing people dealing with a life or death situation, that brings out the truth about them. This movie is no exception, and to see how they handle things, whether it's physical or personal, is the drive of this story.

Oh, if you're somehow wondering why I said "three" strangers and not "two" at the beginning of this review, it's because I'm counting the dog. To my pleasant surprise, the dog is an integral part of the story, and isn't just there for show. Speaking of "show" though. There were moments where I thought the dog actor wasn't "acting" the way I believe he should have acted, especially during the more tense situations. Thankfully I can easily forgive him, because it's just too adorable to see a dog hopping through thick snow. But enough about the dog already. 

I admit that it does seem a little convenient that the two human characters who have to survive the whole thing together, happens to be a doctor, and an inquisitive head strong person. I suppose those needed to be what defined the characters though, because it works with the theme of the story. Speaking of which! The story itself is fine. It's good even. Unfortunately as I implied earlier, there are multiple plot conveniences that can be found here. It was easy to suspend my disbelief at some of these questionable plot points that were there just to create tension and excitement, but they were still a little too convenient for my taste.

There is also a major plot point that happens in this movie which will test you on how much you are still committed to this story and it's characters. To be honest, it kinda did ruin things a little bit for me. But not too much. Thankfully, the two primary actors are great in their roles. Idris Elba and Kate Winslet are pretty good in this, and their chemistry together is just excellent. Those two actors; plus the dog, made the trip to the movies to see this worth it enough for me, despite my issues with it. Oh, and the beautiful locations helps a lot as well.  

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blade runner 2049

Our future begins with his past. #BladeRunner2049, in theaters October 6. -- Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos.

I got to hand it to Director Denis Villenueve, because as a sequel to the 1982 sci-fi noir classic, he could have easily gone for a more action oriented take on the franchise. Something very much targeted for a "mainstream crowd." Nope! Not so much. Taking a cue from the previous entry, this is a moody, atmospheric, intriguing, visually stunning, methodically paced movie, that luxuriously allows scenes to just naturally breath, so that movie goers can get sucked into it's world. At least that seems to be the intentions. 

This is very much what I would call an artsy high-brow science-fiction film. This will not be for everyone's liking and tastes. Some will call it slow and boring. Others will call it pretentious and indulgent. While there will also be those that will simply say that it's overrated. I however, I actually liked it quite a bit. I found it to be very compelling, and I was hooked into the general mystery of the premise. I wanted to see where the story was going, and how it was going to resolve itself. The 163 minutes run-time didn't even feel long to me at all, and I thought it actually justified itself for it's excessive length. 

I'll concede that it's not the be-all end-all of sci-fi cinema though. The story seems mysterious and complicated, but it's actually a lot more straight forward than I thought it would be. It's overall thematic goal of the narrative isn't really that ambitious either, and calls back to very familiar story tropes. Plot holes. It has obvious unexplained plot holes. Unless there's a future Director's cut that will fill in those gaps. Oh, and there's that final act. I didn't really like how the final act of the story went down. 

Despite the issues I have with the movie, I wasn't kidding when I said that I was hooked throughout the film. The main reason for that is mostly because of Ryan Gosling, and the character he plays. I was heavily invested with this Blade Runner that certain people refer to as "K." I actually sympathized with his station in life, and wanted to see how he was going to go through this experience. I also found his relationship with Ana De Armas' character to be very compelling, and arguably the most fascinating aspect of "K's" story. Fantastic work by both actors! 

While "Blade Runner 2049" isn't exactly a traditionally fun movie, I would still argue that it is still an entertaining visionary work that needs to be experienced. Speaking of vision, beside Gosling and De Armas as motivation to watch this, the other primary reason to see this movie is for the cinematography work by Roger Deakins. Absolutely beautiful work on the visuals! I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen. Of course, if you've seen the original Blade Runner movie, I shouldn't have to convince you to check this sequel out. 

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Also watch these three prequel short films before watching Blade Runner 2049. It's good exposition to be exposed to.... 
- "Black Out 2022" Anime Short  
- "2036: Nexus Dawn" Short 
- "2048: Nowhere to Run" Short

battle of the sexes

The electrifying 1973 tennis match between World number one Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) was billed as THE BATTLE OF THE SEXES and became one of the most watched televised sports events of all time.

Although there are people who would argue about how accurate this is to the true story that it is based on, the actual truth of the matter is that this is an entertaining movie either way. That's what counts right? It's a nice light-hearted tale about a female tennis player at the top of her game, and a male tennis player who is well pass the sports retirement age. The two lead personalities go head to head here for our amusement. There's an inspiring story to learn from; although it can be a little too on-the-nose at that. Plus the tennis match at the final act of the movie is spectacular to see play out. While there is a good enough attempt to equally shine the spotlight on both Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, this is more so about the former, more than the latter.

Steve Carell is excellent as the self-proclaimed misogynistic retired tennis great with a gambling problem. There's also a subtle but three dimensional take on Riggs that I really appreciated, which keeps him from just being some typical antagonist for this story. Emma Stone is also quite excellent as the female tennis pro who is publicly fighting for equal treatment for women, who also happens to be juggling with some personal issues. Due to the multi-story arcs that Billie Jean has in this story, there is definitely more things for Emma Stone to do here, which justifies why this movie really does focus on her more than what the marketing is suggesting. 

While there are shades of this being a biopic, the Direction by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, keeps it from feeling too dry and stale. This story has a beginning, middle, and end. It all feels more like a standard fictional story, rather than a by-the-numbers adaptation of true events. That's not a bad thing, and is to this movie's benefit. This journey that Billie Jean goes through is quite compelling, and is simply the driving factor to this narrative. I myself felt very invested with where the story was taking me, and I really liked how Emma Stone was able to portray Billie Jean King. Very sympathetic. Very inspirational. 

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friend request

Watch what you click. #EvilIsTrending. #FriendRequest in theaters September 22, starring Alycia Debnam-Carey.

There were several moments when I thought this movie was doing an excellent job creating tension, suspense, and creepiness, to build up to that eventual terrifying scare of a pay off. Like a scene where somebody is just staring at a mirror, and you know quite well that there's going to be a jump scare coming up, but it still gets you anyway. Another example would be a scene where somebody is looking through some social media posts of disturbing imagery that are able to just give you the creeps. I'll give this movie credit that it effectively gave me the creeps and the scares when it wanted to. What I won't give this movie credit on however is how it has some very stupid plot points that ruins any good will I have for it. 

As good as it is at being able to create a creepy and scary tone in this movie, the whole experience gets ruined anyway by the amount of ridiculous things that the characters do in the story. What makes it worse is that there seems to be a slight awareness that the characters know they are suppose to do the logical and smart thing, but for whatever reason, they can't. The movie literally makes idiotic excuses as to why stupid things happen, just for the sake of moving the plot along. One of the lamest things that this movie creates that bugged the heck out of me, is almost everything involving social media. The whole premise revolves around the social media part of the story, and they can't get that element correctly.

It's unfortunate that "Friend Request" had many problems, because it really did have potential. I genuinely liked the horror-mystery angle of the plot, which reminded me of Gore Verbinski's "The Ring" remake, except it wasn't able to reach that same level of quality. I actually kinda wish that a potential sequel or a reboot would happen, so that it can fix the mistakes this movie had. Those mistakes and those unbelievable things about this movie, that made watching it a frustrating chore of an experience. 

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american made

Guns. Drugs. Money laundering. Based on an unbelievable true story, watch the #AmericanMade trailer, in theaters September 29. Song: "The Devil You Know" by X Ambassadors: http://smarturl.it/TheDevilYouKnow -- Follow American Made Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmericanMade2017/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ammademovie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/americanmade/ -- In Universal Pictures' American Made, Tom Cruise reunites with his Edge of Tomorrow director, Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity, Mr. and Mrs.

At one point in the movie, we are told that "things only get crazier." It wasn't kidding at all. If it wasn't for the fact that this claims to be based on the true story of Barry Seal, it would be easy to think that everything this movie claimed he did was simply fiction. It's all just too unbelievable for it to be true. If this movie was complete fiction, it would absolutely fail your suspension of disbelief for how crazy Barry Seal's life supposedly was. So if you weren't already familiar with the true story, then expect to find yourself gobsmacked with some of the stuff that happens in this movie. 

With all that said, this isn't a biopic, nor is it actually an accurate adaptation of what really happened. Liberties are greatly taken in telling Barry Seal's story here. Key word on "greatly." Of course not every factual details of what went down is truly revealed to the public, so it's easier to just assume that this might actually contain some truth to what happened. That's honestly what this movie is relying on though for it to be entertaining to watch. The audience needs to think that the things that is shown on screen could actually be true, and be wowed with how crazy it all is. Suspension of disbelief is key to enjoying this movie, because while the known facts are actually pretty unbelievable already, this adaptation takes things to insane levels. 

Tom Cruise does a stellar job in playing the role of Barry Seal, and it's incredible how his character is able to handle everything that is thrown at him. Well not everything runs smoothly mind you, but that positively adds to the unpredictable nature of the story. Seeing how Barry reacts to a problem, and the decisions he makes when he takes action, are what will keep you watching until the end. Barry Seal is suppose to be the "crazy white boy who delivers" after all, and as directed by Doug Liman, this movie successfully emulates that idea of him by delivering this captivating story to us. 

While a well researched documentary about Barry Seal would have arguably been more fascinating than this fictional adaptation, I appreciate the entertainment value that "American Made" was able to give us. It's a fun ride that moves at a nice pace, and gives us some fantastic twists and turns. Just take it for what it is, and you should have a good time at the movies. 

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brad's status

A trip to Boston with his college-bound son triggers a crisis of confidence for Brad Sloan (Ben Stiller) as he reassesses his own life choices in a bittersweet comedy from writer and director Mike White.

If you are suffering from insecurity, jealousy, regret, anxiety, depression, neediness, a mid-life crisis, or are on the verge of having a nervous breakdown, then you may not want to see "Brad's Status." On second thought, maybe you should, as it might be good for you to reflect on your own problems. For those who don't have those problems, prepare yourself to follow a protagonist who does. Either way, try and avoid the official trailer for the movie because it gives away some really huge moments from the film. 

This is a very introspective movie, that is told through the point of view of Brad; played excellently well by Ben Stiller. Just look at his face. Stiller is always able to give that facial expression of someone who is lost in his thoughts worrying about something, but trying to act cool enough to not display to the world that he is worrying about something. Compare him to Austin Abrams; who does a great job playing Brad's son Troy, who always looks so laid-back and relaxed enough. He is the perfect contrast to Stiller's character. Put actors are really good in this, and the chemistry they have with each other is spot on. 

Besides the strong cast of actors, that includes Jenna Fischer, Michael Sheen, to Jemain Clement, this movie's focus is on Brad. There is an ongoing voice over monologue to his thoughts, that does a good job hitting us over the head with the theme of the story that is Brad's anxiety about life. There are also multiple daydream sequences where he imagines positive or negative possible life scenarios, that provides moments of light hearted entertainment during the movie. Then there are the straight talk conversational scenes littered throughout the story, with some dialogue that were truly thought provoking, that will either affirm your life, or damn it. 

I suppose "Brad's Status" can be seen as a cautionary tale about what the perspectives and priorities of your life should be. I'm sure the dilemmas and anxieties that Brad puts himself in are actually quite relatable to many people, and that's the strength of this simple movie. It's very human, emotional, and powerful. 

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stronger

Stronger is the inspiring true story of Jeff Bauman, an ordinary man who captured the hearts of his city and the world to become the symbol of hope following the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Jeff, a 27-year-old, working-class Boston man who was at the marathon to try and win back his ex-girlfriend Erin (Tatiana Maslany).

Based on the true story of Jeff Bauman, who was greatly affected by the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing, I was concerned that this movie was going to focus too much on that tragic day. Thankfully Director David Gordon Green focused much more on what happened to Bauman and those around him after the bombing. What we got here is a very humanistic look at how people are greatly affected by that horrible attack, for better or for worse, while toning down the jingoistic aspects of it all. 

I loved the intimate direction that this movie has. There's a lot of close up perspectives that brings us closer to the emotions of the characters. Many scenes of seemingly innocuous events like bandages being taken off, or somebody needing to use the bathroom, are allowed to linger and breath, which gives us a taste on what they are going through. A lot of scenes revolve around reactions by the characters, or conversational pieces that fleshes out the themes of the story. 

Kudos to Jake Gyllenhaal on bringing Jeff Bauman to life on screen. There's a certain complexity of conveying the fact that while there's an outer facade that Jeff is displaying to the people who look at him, there's a different emotion that he is having underneath all that. It's hard not to sympathize with his situation, and Gyllenhaal is great in making us feel that way. Juggling between being dramatic and light-hearted in certain scenes, is also something Jake Gyllenhaal was able to effortlessly pull off. 

The secret weapon of what makes this movie worth checking out though is Tatiana Maslany as Erin Hurley, who is the woman Jeff is in love with. Similar to Gyllenhaal's take on Bauman, Maslany has many different layers of emotions that she has to display on screen. In many ways, her character is even more complex, and arguably needs more sympathy than Jeff. Tatiana Maslany is phenomenal in being able to translate how the bombing has also greatly altered her life. The relationship between Jake and Erin is the cornerstone of what makes this story truly work, and this movie does a great job at it. 

As a drama with several important thematic messages, "Stronger" is rightfully a life-affirming story about tragedy, perception, survival, and hope. Powerful movie that felt very personal. Definitely worth watching. 

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the tiger hunter

In Theaters September 22, 2017 Subscribe to SHOUTFACTORY: http://bit.ly/1nm0dKP Follow us on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/shoutfactory Like us on FACEBOOK: http://on.fb.me/1nEYhOx Sami Malik, a young Indian, travels to America in the 1970s. He dreams of becoming an engineer to impress his childhood crush and live up to the legacy of his father, a legendary tiger hunter.

There's a certain charm to this movie that I can't deny. It could be attributed to the fact that as a light hearted comedic drama, this one is filled with mostly Indian actors, plus it's co-written and directed by Lena Khan; who is also Indian. The diversity is nice. Having Danny Pudi as the leading man here is also really cool, and Rizwan Manji is great in his scene-stealing role as Babu. The movie's got a lot of heart, provides some good social commentary, it's a period piece set in the 1970s, plus the microwave also happens to be an integral part of the story. It's a pleasantly good watch. 

As much as I'm praising this film now, there was a strong chance that I wouldn't have. To put it bluntly, the first half of the movie was kinda rough. It didn't seem to know how far of a drama it wanted to be, and it also didn't know how far it wanted to take the comedy. Tonally, it seemed confused with it's own direction, mixing an endearing plot about the Tiger Hunter Father, with some comedic bits that verges on being too over the top; the scene with a girl getting drenched in water immediately comes to mind. While there were clever moments here and there, the movie still felt a bit kludgy. 

The premise of someone being a fish out of water that has aspirations in a foreign land, and is living in an apartment with his colorful room mates, does come off like just another situational-comedy. Despite the cultural bits that you don't regularly see in movies, the story itself has a lot of those sit-com derivatives, with a plot progression that is generally predictable. Even so, there is a certain comfort to watching a very familiar story, while traversing through the character story beats that we all have seen before. At around the half-way point, the movie seemed to realized that it really was just a sit-com, and worked around that fact. With that genre in mind, it turned things around, found it's footing, and gave us a delightful second half of the movie. 

You can't underestimate a movie that has it's heart in the right place. Even if it does have flaws. From wanting to write off this movie as being a mistake, to singing it's praises as a very well intentioned story that should give you a big smile at the end, "The Tiger Hunter" proved itself as a worthwhile film to check out. 

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kingsman the golden circle

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" introduced the world to Kingsman - an independent, international intelligence agency operating at the highest level of discretion, whose ultimate goal is to keep the world safe. In "Kingsman: The Golden Circle," our heroes face a new challenge.

If you've seen "Kingsman : The Secret Service," then you may as well watch "Kingsman : The Golden Circle." Besides being able to see what's become of the characters from the first installment, you probably also want more of those kinetic action sequences and fancy spy gadgets. From the first ten minutes, this movie already throws you straight into elaborate action sequences involving close quarters combat, and a car chase through the streets of London. Those spy toys are also very much present throughout the movie, with a particular lasso being the main weapon that you should really enjoy seeing in action. Like the previous film, there are some fun to be had. 

While this movie does have a great ensemble cast that revolves around Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, Julianne Moore, to Jeff Bridges, it is still far and foremost a story that focuses on Taron Egerton's character of Eggsy. While the supporting cast do have important contributions to the story as well as some standout scenes, it's still far and away an Eggsy movie. I kinda wished it was more of a true ensemble piece though, because unfortunately some of the cast were definitely under-utilized. On another note; depending on whether you already know this singer's involvement in this production or not, there is a celebrity cameo that worked fantastically in this movie. Loved every bit of that! 

With all that said, this movie felt longer than it needed to be. Either that or this just felt like a multi-episode mini-series that was stitched together into one big movie. There are more twists and turns, more world building, more characters, and more of everything here, but it did seem like Director Matthew Vaughn was just overindulging himself. More editing would have made the movie feel tighter and more to the point, but what we got instead were scenes that seemed to be designed just to showcase another world-trotting location, or more superfluous story beats involving Eggsy as the main character. 

The story of "Kingsman : The Golden Circle" is honestly not as compelling as the "normal guy turned into super spy" premise of "The Secret Service." The introduction of the "Statesman" is the best thing this movie has to offer though, and made me appreciate the expanding world building of this franchise. Just like the previous installment however, there is yet another thematic social commentary with the story, which may or may not rub people the wrong way. 

As far as fun spy action movies are concerned, I'm glad to have "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" around. It's not necessarily breaking new grounds in the genre, nor was it flawless as a movie, but it was definitely entertaining and enjoyable to watch. 

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