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Movie Reviews
Topic Started: Feb 22 2013, 11:39 PM (683 Views)
halo1234
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What was the last movie you saw? Be it the latest cash cow rip off of Ah Boys to Men or an Golden Globe winning film, share it here, give it a rating and a review of whether you think it's worth watching or not!
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halo1234
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Movie: The Fault In Our Stars
Rating: 3.75/5

Review:

A film adaptation of John Green's novel, "The Fault In Our Stars" explores the notions of death, love and life through the story of two cancer-stricken teenagers (Hazel Grace played by Shailene Woodley and Augustus Waters played by Ansel Elgort). Given such a well worn plot, it is very easy to cynically dismiss this movie as a B-grade cheesy chic flick. Indeed, prima facie, the portrayal of the protagonist's family as a supportive, cohesive unit borders on one-dimensional; and there is scarce development of plot or inter-character conflict throughout the movie's 125 minute running time. This makes it almost inevitable that the viewer may find it difficult to keep up the suspension of disbelief at certain parts of the film.

With a boring narrative arc, it is highly impressive that Woodley and Elgort managed to sprinkle dashes of charm and charisma on set. While it is clear they were very dedicated to their roles, one can't help but feel like they were most natural acting as teenagers, rather than attempting to reflect the struggles of cancer patients. The text messages, witty banter and honest conversations encapsulated the innocence and poignancy of first love through humor and empathy in a simple, yet endlessly effective way. On the other hand, the sudden afflictions of illness and pain, at best, facilitated plot transitions but also, at worst, came across as unduly abrupt and jarring.

In the end, the sole factor which made "The Fault In Our Stars" stand out is its in-depth exploration of the meaning of life and death, hope and despair. As aforementioned, the movie failed to cover much breadth thematically and plot-wise. Yet, this gave director Josh Boone ample time to depict the myriad of ways which people deal with the horrific disease and its impact. Through Wilem Dafoe's role as the protagonists' idolised author, a lovely spectrum of emotions and reactions were presented. This, above all, gave the film a stark and unforgettable realism. Alongside choice philosophical one-liners, these elements instantly elevated "The Fault In Our Stars" above the cesspool of romantic comedies.

Taken together, the movie nearly collapsed into two hours of boredom and familiarity, something we've seen many times before. Yet, compelling acting from Woodley and Elgort alongside an astute depiction of the human condition makes the film incredibly moving, instantly relatable, and undeniably humane.

As a sidenote, the soundtrack for this movie is simply brilliant. It really enhanced the mood at various points of the film.
Edited by halo1234, Jul 3 2014, 12:46 AM.
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Movie: Zootopia
Rating: 3.75/5

Review:

Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), a rabbit from the countryside of Bunnyburrow, refuses to heed her parents' advice of "if you never try, you'll never fail" and dreams of being a police officer. She goes through the academy, graduating as the first bunny officer, and gets posted to Zootopia, a bustling city where all animals coexist in harmony. However, being a fresh recruit on the job, she is assigned to parking duty. Being genuinely helpful and caring, she is conned by a fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) to buy an elephant "jumbo" sized popsicle for $15, only for him to resell it later as mini popsicles at a profit. Subsequently, in trying to track down a missing otter named Mr Otterson, she leverages upon his help by threatening him with tax evasion.

This quirky partnership between Judy and Nick is used as a scaffold alongside the two-dimensional world of Zootopia for directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore to create a much richer world which bears familiar echoes to modern life. Despite being marketed as a movie for kids, Zootopia, together with a slew of recent works from Disney studios, seem to bear a message aimed squarely at the parents accompanying their little ones. Prima facie, Judy is the feminist with a bubbling bunny optimism who aims to push against the cynical resignation of other city folk and excel as a police officer, a role traditionally reserved for the alpha male stereotypes of water buffaloes and tigers, to "change the world to be a better place". In the hands of any lesser directors, such characterisation could have easily given way to a boring Aristotelian narrative of overcoming the odds to locate the missing otter in a cheap C-grade Sherlockian manner.

It is heartening to see that Howard and Moore do not settle. Bigger questions relating to discrimination and identity politics are played out without sugar coating. Jude eventually locates Mr. Otterson, only to find him is a crazed state. In a press conference, she causally links his inexplicable violent tendencies to a sudden reversal to a "primitive" predatory state dating thousands of years back before the formation of Zootopia, sending the media into a frenzy. This simultaneously upsets Nick who, as a fox, belongs to that category. The film takes its time to uncover the reason behind the outbreak of predatory violence amongst Zootopia's residents, but it fundamentally drives at how fear is utilised to divide and, therefore, control popular sentiment. Holding a mirror to the face of American society, in particular, during this bitterly divisive 2016 election cycle, this movie should be mandatory viewing for the Floridans who raised their hand to swear they would vote for a certain candidate at a recent rally.

While the plot is sufficiently robust, building on cliches in equal measure as subverting them, this film twinkles with other gems as well. Howard and Moore know when to dabble in the serious issues as well as take a dip on the lighter side of things. One scene features a bunch of sloths processing documents in a manner which is... matching to their character stereotypes. Judy's exuberance and energy charmingly blows over the chill out lethargy of the bureaucratic bunch. It is thoroughly enjoyable to watch and experience in real time, at the same time. Elsewhere, the movie nimbly shifts between intelligent puns, snarky dialogue exchanges and even slips in pop culture references to other works such as The Godfather.

The sum of these elements make up a film which is light-hearted, yet blatant in its intent. It engages the viewer with just the right amount of refreshing absurdity and humour, before challenging them to question their own beliefs, almost never being preachy or condescending. Knowing this, it becomes slightly frustrating when the setup of the film does not match the gravitas it wishes to embody, if only because the movie becomes a bit too obsessed at achieving such gravitas. Judy and Nick shift through a world featuring lush forests, a bright city and an idyllic Bunnyburrow countryside. Yet, all of these elements do not always feel cohesive, especially with Howard and Moore constantly holding a picket with the "big message" over the plot.

On the whole, however, Zootopia is highly effective in parsing discrimination and the politics of fear. Its vision is a healthy mix of ambitious and pragmatic, and its focus on delivering what it wants to say largely pays off. It may not reach the poignancy of its predecessors Inside Out or Big Hero Six, but it doesn't really have to anyway, since it aims to guide us down a burrow of its own creation.
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