Little Fockers
It is sad to think that a sequel to a one-joke comedy is the big release for the Lunar New Year vacation, but Little Fockers, with its cast of Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro, is likely to bring in the punters. This utterly cynical exploitation of a top-notch roll call of stars relies on gross out gags in an extension of a scenario that was only mildly funny with Meet the Parents a decade ago. The long-running animosity between Jack (De Niro) and Greg (Stiller) gets a new twist as Greg becomes the family patriarch-in-waiting, but the comic effect is already too well-worn to generate many laughs.
I, Don Giovanni
I, Don Giovanni centers on the famous womanizer and lyricist Lorenzo da Ponte, who collaborated with Mozart in creating what is arguably one of the composer’s most complex and compelling operas, Don Giovanni. Focusing on a time and place familiar to many through Milos Forman’s 1975 landmark work Amadeus, I, Don Giovanni takes an Italian perspective on the scene, emphasizing the role that Ponte, along with Italianate music, played in the gestation of the opera. With its lavish period settings, magnificent costumes and a wonderfully attractive cast, I, Don Giovanni provides an exciting, if rather romanticized, look at the music and sexual shenanigans of court life in the 1780s.
The Disappearance of Alice Creed
A tight little kidnap drama that uses minimal resources to pack a powerful emotional punch. It shows first-time British director J Blakeson to be a formidable talent in the making. The psychological drama plays out between two criminals (Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston), and their captive, Gemma Arterton, who shows herself to be a classy performer. While Blakeson overplays his hand with a few too many twists and turns, The Disappearance of Alice Creed maintains sufficient tension to provide a heartily engaging 100 minutes.
Tangled 3D
A Disney animation based on the popular fairy tale Rapunzel about a golden-haired girl imprisoned by an evil mother figure. She discovers her own worth (and magical powers), finds her prince charming and goes on to live happily ever after. There are various charming talking animals, some musical numbers, snappy dialogue and lots of sharp editing to keep the story moving along. The whole setup is familiar, but the production team has managed to balance Disney’s commitment to expressive emotion with the smarts that Pixar has made the epitome of modern animation. Tangled has even managed to earn praise from a number of critics for its effective use of 3D technology.
Evil Angel
Directed by Richard Dutcher, whose previous directorial outings have related to aspects of the Mormon faith. Evil Angel continues his fascination with religion, but this time embracing supernatural horror, making it more accessible to a broader non-religious audience. The story takes its inspiration from the legend of Lilith, a figure who, according to legend, was the woman made from the same clay as Adam. She was subsequently expelled from the Garden of Eden, and vowed vengeance on the descendants of Eve, the woman who supplants her. Set in modern-day Chicago, Lilith decides to destroy a young paramedic who unwittingly obstructs her effort to return to corporal form. Messy plot and uneven acting, but an amusing B-movie all the same.
The Perfect Date (L’amour, c’est mieux a deux)
French romantic drama about two close friends with diametrically opposed views on love and sex. Michel (Clovis Cornillac) is a hopeless romantic who dreams of meeting the perfect woman by chance while Vincent (Manu Payet) has sex on the brain and can think of little else when it comes to females. They pair up with two women, each of whom challenges the men’s expectations. Pleasant enough entertainment for the romantically inclined.
Yogi Bear
This mostly live-action remake of the much-loved Hanna-Barbera cartoon has garnered largely negative reviews for its bland, generic by-the-numbers approach that fails to ignite even a spark of the fun of the original, which now dates back more than half a century. What little credit there is going for the film is given to Justin Timberlake, who does the voice of Boo-Boo Bear with considerable charm. The story, which centers around the animals and human trying to save a national park from the clutches of evil developers, has already been done to death, and despite the high technical skill shown in the integration of animated animals and real-life action, Yogi Bear has little to offer.
Time Traveler: The Girl who Leapt Through Time (Toki o kakeru shojo)
Loosely based on a seminal work of science fiction romance by Japanese author Yasutaka Tsutsui, Time Traveler is a live-action film by director Masaaki Taniguchi, not to be confused with the enormously successful anime feature of the same title released in 2006. Riisa Naka, who voiced one of the characters in the anime release, also plays the leading role in this new version. The movie plays fast and loose with time travel, which simply serves as a vehicle to contrive some rather improbable but neatly realized romantic scenarios.
Easy Virtue
Based on a play by Noel Coward and set in the period between World War I and World War II in an English country house, Easy Virtue has, despite a strong cast that includes Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ben Barnes, along with Jessica Biel, who plays a young American whose entry into English upper-crust society serves to reveal the deep wells of anger and disappointment that surge beneath the formal facade, awaited a Taiwan release since it was made in 2008. Intended as a comedy, and with characters that could easily be mere caricatures, the fine cast turns in a laudable ensemble performance.
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