REVIEW: BALADA PENCINTA - Malaysia

 

Here I am again, reviewing another local Malaysian film. This time the movie is called Balada Pencinta. The title is loosely translated to Ballad of a Lover. Judging by the title, it falls under the genre category of romance drama.

Balada Pencinta is written and directed by actor Khir Rahman. It stars Johan As'ari, Siti Saleha, Sein (Ruffedge), Jalaludin Hassan, Dian P. Ramlee, Iedil Putera, Miera Liyana, and Faizal Hussein. It is distributed by local distributor Grand Brilliance. Check out the trailer below:-

Will this romance drama strike a chord with its audience? Do read on...

Actress Siti Saleha and actor Johan As'ari as the two leads

SYNOPSIS:
A struggling street musician falls in love with a young woman who often comes to see him play his guitar. The musician soon finds out that the woman is due to be married to another guy. This sparks a love triangle of two men out to win the heart of a beautiful lady.

SCRIPT:
Pretty straight-forward plot and not too complicated storyline. Despite that, it is quite predictable and lacked good dialogue. It is your basic formula of a love story.

Siti Saleha as Aisyah

ACTING:

Not too bad for an ensemble cast. Some supporting actors were not utilized to the max. Sein (Ruffedge) as the villain did well. Siti Saleha as the female lead did good too.

Sein as Boy and Siti Saleha as Aisyah

 

FILMING:

Shots were okay. The editing could have been a little tighter to create some tension. Good musical soundtrack accompaniment.

Director Khir Rahman guiding his two lead stars.

PACING:

Good start but draggy in the middle and end.
TONE (MOOD):

A story of overcoming the odds the battle to seek love.

Johan As'ari as the male lead Amir

 DOWNSIDE:

Draggy and predictable storyline.
UPSIDE:

Some good acting and a happy ending. Good soundtrack of old local songs.

Johan As'ari and Siti Saleha sharing a scene

 OVERALL:

Just your typical romance drama.
RATING:

6.5 out of 10

REVIEW: INSIDIOUS: CHAPTER 2

When it comes to movie sequels, there is always the pressure put on to filmmakers for it to be better than its predecessor. I don't think this should be the case. If you are a filmmaker or a wannabe, and encounter such a situation, don't succumb to the pressure. Just do the sequel you feel like doing and can be a good continuation to your initial story.

The film I am about to review is Insidious: Chapter 2. It is a sequel to the hit horror film Insidious (2011). Once again, the film is directed by James Wan and reunites him with all his main casts, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Barbara Hershey, and Ty Simpkins. The movie is again co-written by Leigh Whannell (who also acts in the film) and James Wan.

Will this sequel be better than the first? Do read on...

The Lambert family. L-R (front): Barbara Hershey, Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Rose Byrne.
Actor Angus Sampson as Tucker in the background

SYNOPSIS:
After the cliffhanger ending of the first film, the Lambert family moves in with Josh's (Patrick Wilson) mother. During their stay, more strange and haunting incidents continue to occur. This time, Renai Lambert (Rose Byrne) and Lorraine Lambert (Barbara Hershey) must try to keep the family together as Josh seems to be acting strangely. Some more secrets are revealed about the family's past and the hauntings keep getting stronger and stronger.

Shhh... I am the main antagonist of the film.

SCRIPT:
Firstly, I must remind all that this film is a DIRECT CONTINUATION of the first film and it is essential to watch the first film before the sequel. It has an okay structured script but felt sporadic. It does its best to try to make the film a stand-alone (to benefit audience member who has not seen the first film) but failed miserably at it. The story does try to tie up loose-ends but ultimately bombards the story with too much dialogue.

Ty Simpkins (Dalton) looking out for his dad, Josh (Patrick Wilson)

ACTING:
Nothing prominent from any of the actors. Good screen-time attribution to each. Nice performance from Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne but not memorable enough. I've liked Lin Shaye's work since I saw her in There's Something About Mary (1998) and it is nice to see her on-screen.

The absolutely gorgeous Rose Byrne as Renai Lambert

FILMING:
James Wan brings his unique horror film-making style here and it is evident tremendously. There were some good scare moments, though I felt that there should be more. Editing and make-up were good. The use of less visual effects should be commended to the director.

Child actor Ty Simpkins with a bunch of ghost. (NOT A SPOILER)

PACING:
Boring at the beginning, draggy in the middle, reasonable good climax towards the end.

TONE (MOOD):
A horror and 'who-done-it' mystery solving film that might scare the weak-hearted individual.

The film's co-writer Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson in supporting roles as Specs and Tucker

DOWNSIDE:
Quite a weak script and too much talk which I felt shouldn't be too much of a focus in horror films.

UPSIDE:
It ties up a lots of pending questions from the first film and a few scary moments.

(L-R): Leigh Whannell, Lin Shaye, and Angus Sampson

OVERALL:
It is an okay horror-film. If you are a fan of the first film, this should be a good watch. Remember, it is important to watch the first film before this film to get a better understanding.

RATING:
6.5 out of 10.

REVIEW: GRAVITY

The autumn season movie line-up is here and Hollywood is starting to serve up Oscar-worthy films for the world to see. And what a great start to the season with an amazing movie. Here's the teaser trailer:-

The film is titled Gravity. It stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. It is directed by one of the finest directors of our time, Alfonso Cuaron, who rose to fame with critically acclaimed films such as Children of Men and Y Tu Mama Tambien (Spanish).

How great is Gravity? Do read on...



Lets work together and go home.

SYNOPSIS:
United States astronauts on a routine mission above Earth encounters a massive mishap after their space shuttle is hit by debris. Two astronauts Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) struggles to stay alive even when the odds of survival seems very slim.

When tragedy strikes.

SCRIPT:
An original material and beautifully crafted. The dialogue was simple and understandable. The storyline plot was clearly outlined. We get into the story in the first 10 minutes of the film. I was locked with full intensity from then on until the finish.

Sandra Bullock as Dr. Ryan Stone

ACTING:
An award worthy performance from Sandra Bullock. Despite being confined in a spacesuit through the film, she manages to carry her character's emotions effectively.

Sandra Bullock looking at the horizon. Nice lighting.

FILMING:
In my opinion, it was excellent. Going into the film, it will be obvious to many that it is dependent on visual effects. But as the film progresses, it doesn't feel like it. Cuaron attempts to simulate what it feels like to be in space and honours the rules that come with it. For example, there is no sound in outer space because of its vacuum atmosphere. Cuaron is famous for doing shots with long takes and he did it again in this film, the opening 10 minutes, which was spectacular. I foresee that this film is going to sweep a lot of technical awards at the Oscars, such as Visual Effects, Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Editing, and Cinematography.

One of the best directors in the business, Alfonso Cuaron and his actors.

PACING:
With a runtime of 90 minutes, it did felt short. But it was just enough and not boring nor draggy at all.

TONE (MOOD):
Very strong and repeated elements of not giving up and fighting against all odds.

The keywords here are: Don't let go.

DOWNSIDE:
Probably the length but I can't seem to find any negative viewpoints.

UPSIDE:
A thrill ride from start to finish and see how the director tries to emulate life in outer space and it worked. Good strong underlying themes of courage, not giving up, and not letting go.

Must get home.

OVERALL:
One of the best films of the year and will surely make you talk about it after the movie.

RATING:
9.5 out of 10