Criminal

For F*** Magazine

CRIMINAL 

Director : Ariel Vromen
Cast : Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Alice Eve, Jordi Mollà, Antje Traue, Michael Pitt
Genre : Action/Thriller
Run Time : 107 mins
Opens : 21 April 2016
Rating : NC16 (Violence and Coarse Language)

Like most moviegoers after the release of Deadpool, this action thriller finds Kevin Costner with Ryan Reynolds on the brain. Costner plays Jericho Stewart, a hardened criminal who suffered a traumatic brain injury as a child, making him the ideal candidate for a top secret experimental procedure. When CIA agent Bill Pope (Reynolds) is incapacitated in London while tracking down hacker Jan Strook (Pitt), CIA station chief Quaker Wells (Oldman) enlists the help of neurosurgeon Dr. Franks (Jones). Dr. Franks has spent 18 years developing a way to implant the memories of a dead person into a living human being. Jericho is coerced into completing Bill’s mission, but things do not go according to plan. Jill (Gadot), Bill’s widow, has to come to terms with the fact that a complete stranger now possesses her husband’s memories. Even though he wants nothing to do with the mission, Jericho must prevent a flash drive that Strook has from falling into the hands of ambitious anarchist Xavier Heimdall (Mollà).

            Criminal plays a lot like a high-concept 90s action movie repackaged in a strait-laced, post-Bourne espionage thriller style. The sci-fi tinged concept of memory implants is akin to the face-swapping plot device in Face/Off, albeit slightly more plausible. There’s no eye-catching bombast, but the slightly overwrought names like “Jericho Stewart”, “Quaker Wells” and especially “Xavier Heimdall” seem like they belong in a Bond movie. Criminal boasts a cast that is more star-studded than one would expect for a thriller with a relatively low budget, estimated at a mere $31.5 million dollars. Even though there are many moments that reminded this reviewer of any number of direct-to-DVD action flicks, the production values are sufficiently high and there’s a visual effects sequence involving a submarine that looks surprisingly good. The shootouts and car chases are far from inventive, but the action keeps things chugging along.

            Even though it’s largely generic, Criminal does possess a unique trait: it’s protagonist is, well, a criminal, with completely disregard for human life. He’s not a charming rogue, he’s not a conflicted hero; he’s a heartless, emotionless brute. Naturally, some character development occurs as the personality of his “memory donor” intrudes into Jericho’s mind. Jericho is introduced chained up in a prison cell, sporting scraggly long hair and a beard, being recruited against his will for a clandestine mission – not unlike Sean Connery’s character in The Rock. Incidentally, the screenwriting team of David Weisberg and the late Douglas S. Cook also penned The Rock. Suffice it to say that Costner is no match for Connery in the charisma department, but the character’s resourcefulness and violent unpredictably help mitigate Costner’s blandness somewhat.

            The supporting players, Oldman and Jones in particular, definitely seem above this material and not very much is asked of them. Oldman’s Quaker Wells stands about the situation room fretting and gets to throw his signature yelling fits. Jones frowns and looks worried. Perhaps some viewers might find that their presence subconsciously lends this silly action movie some prestige. Reynolds is in this for a very brief amount of time since, well, his character’s death is the catalyst for the plot. It’s a little funny to see Reynolds in another mind swap flick so shortly after Self/Less. Gadot is called upon to emote and she does sell that sense of loss, anger and confusion with the little screen time she’s given. Mollà is basically being discount Javier Bardem here, with his character’s motivation outlined via an interview with Piers Morgan. Actor/stunt performer Scott Adkins shows up as the right hand man to Quaker, but alas, he doesn’t get to bust any of his famous martial arts moves.

            This reviewer derived an extra level of enjoyment because a large portion of the cast has been a part of movies based on DC Comics. Just imagine: Jonathan Kent is implanted with Hal Jordan’s memories thanks to a procedure invented by Dr. Two-Face, Hal Jordan’s widow is Wonder Woman, his boss is Commissioner Gordon and the henchwoman on Jonathan Kent’s tail is Faora. It’s evident that the plot, even with its sci-fi elements and ticking clock, wasn’t compelling enough to hold our full attention. There are attempts at being topical - Edward Snowden is name-dropped – but these are ham-fisted rather than helping make the movie seem relevant. It’s somewhat ironic that a film with the plot device of memory implants will not remain in anyone’s mind for long, but its competently directed by Ariel Vromen, it doesn’t look cheap or messy and the central character is (or at least starts out) fairly different from run-of-the-mill action heroes.

Summary: Criminal is about as generic as its title suggests, but the action is decent if unremarkable and the A-listers in the supporting cast help to prop it up. 

RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

For F*** Magazine

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE 

Director : Zack Snyder

Cast : Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Gal Gadot, Holly Hunter

Genre : Action/Adventure/Fantasy

Run Time : 2 hrs 32 mins

Opens : 24 March 2016

Rating : PG13 (Some Violence)

The following review is spoiler-free.

Superheroes collide with shattering force in the second film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). It has been 18 months since Superman/Clark Kent’s (Cavill) battle with General Zod in Metropolis. Clark has moved in with fellow reporter Lois Lane (Adams), and Superman has gained both admirers and fervent detractors. Falling into the latter camp is Gotham City’s Batman/Bruce Wayne (Affleck), billionaire industrialist by day, ruthless vigilante by night. His butler Alfred (Irons) advises against taking rash action, but Batman is convinced that Superman’s power, if left unchecked, will lead to global annihilation. Also plotting to take down Superman, albeit for more selfish purposes, is young tech mogul Lex Luthor (Eisenberg). Luthor lobbies Kentucky senator June Finch (Hunter) to support his R&D efforts in developing a deterrent to use against Superman, while Finch calls for Superman to explain himself before the senate. In the meantime, Bruce’s curiosity is ignited by the presence of Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gadot), an elegant and capable warrior of yet-to-be-determined origin.

2013’s Man of Steel left critics and fans sharply divided, and it’s an understatement to say that this follow-up has quite the burden to bear. There’s no question that DC is playing catch-up to Marvel at the movies and there was the valid fear that Batman v Superman would be overstuffed to make up for lost ground. Batman v Superman does have apparent flaws, but a conscious effort is made to incorporate a substantive depth that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) doesn’t yet possess, outside of Netflix anyway. Character motivations make plenty of sense, conflicts are given context, major disagreements are not conveniently settled and the main criticism of Man of Steel, the wanton destruction caused or at least enabled by Superman, is directly addressed. Characters wax philosophical on the nature of god and man, the implications of nigh-unlimited power and notions of justice. This may come off as portentously logy to some, but to others, these are icons worth delving into.

Much has been made of the film’s 152-minute running time. Structurally, it is front-loaded with plot, with the bulk of the action being slathered on thick towards the conclusion. This reviewer did not feel the film was too long, and the character development we get during the first two acts is very satisfying. However, some audiences are bound to be fatigued and hard-pressed to care all that much about the climactic battles if they’ve already tuned out while Bruce is at the Batcomputer decrypting a hard drive. The Senator Finch subplot also proves largely extraneous.

Full disclosure: this reviewer is a massive DC Comics fan and is able to appreciate director Zack Snyder’s interpretation of seminal imagery and plot points from the source material, most notably The Dark Knight Returns. Nothing in this film made us throw our hands up in the air, crying “they just don’t get it!” Because of the sheer breadth of these characters’ history in the comics, there’s no way to please everyone, and this reviewer found that the interpretations of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman feel like they belong in the same cohesive universe.

Any time Batman and Superman are in the same piece of media, the former is bound to steal the limelight from the latter. Affleck’s casting was controversial, with many deeming him insufficiently intimidating. This version of Batman is a grizzled veteran who’s 20 years into his crime-fighting career, employs a dazzling array of high-tech gadgets and is driven and obsessed. Good enough for us. Sure, he displays a sadistic streak, branding criminals with his bat insignia, but then again, Michael Keaton’s Batman shoved clowns into potholes, leaving them to explode as he grinned. There are references to allies and rogues, Batman’s relationship with Alfred gets sufficient play. Irons brings both the wry charm and the gumption to stand up to Batman that are integral to the Alfred character. The Bat-centric action sequences are strongly reminiscent of the recent Arkham video-game series, which this reviewer feels contained some of the best sequences of Batman in combat ever presented.

Superman is variously referred to as a “god” and a “devil” and Cavill continues to dig for the humanity behind the iconography. While he might lack the acting chops to flesh out a truly compelling Superman, particularly when pitted against Batman, it’s good to see Clark juggle the heroics and his reporter day job. There’s also the element of class warfare: Bruce is the scion of a wealthy family; Clark was raised on a farm in Kansas and works the daily grind as a journalist. There are some genuinely sweet moments that Cavill shares with Adams. While we do get to see Lois in the thick of it doing a good deal of snooping around, the main purpose the character serves is to get rescued and get rescued and get rescued. Lois had a significant role in the proceedings in Man of Steel, but is side-lined a little because of everything else occurring in the story here.

Eisenberg’s performance is the biggest problem this reviewer has with the film. This is meant to be a reinvention of Lex, traditionally more of a quiet schemer type. Lex’s reworked back-story, which sees him as a young tech mogul who has reshaped his father’s aging company into a Silicon Valley power player, is just fine by this reviewer. Many of the character’s lines are clever and his actions and appropriately devious. However, Eisenberg’s twitchy jumpiness is unable to convey the deep-seated menace one of the most iconic DC supervillains should inherently possess. His words and actions are despicable enough, but his mannerisms diminish their impact.

Wonder Woman’s presence here reminded this reviewer of Black Widow’s role in Iron Man 2. Since there’s so much already afoot, the character’s first big screen appearance is more of a pointer to her upcoming solo film, with several clever allusions to Diana’s roots in Greek mythology being included. The moves she busts during the final fight, her entry onto the battlefield heralded by Tina Guo’s rocking electric cello solo, are sure to elicit cheers. That’s the standout bit of Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL’s soundtrack for sure. Gadot does not have too much to do here, but her blend of mystique and strength fits Wonder Woman just fine. The product placement is toned down considerably from Man of Steel; the most obvious instance being when Wonder Woman boards a Turkish Airlines flight – a visible jet, if you will.

Many were worried that that the film might spend too long setting up the upcoming Justice League movie, but it turns out that we get fleeting glimpses of the superhero team’s future members; said glimpses are tantalising and memorable. Just as the titular heroes grapple with each other, this film grapples with doing these iconic characters justice while serving up bombastic spectacle. It falters on several occasions, but this reviewer appreciates how the DCEU is setting itself apart from the MCU. The three-episode arc of Superman: The Animated Series in which Batman and Superman first meet does have far more of a focus than this film has, but this live-action event should not be written off lightly and we’ve got our fingers crossed for how the DCEU proceeds from here.

Summary: Packed with as much thematic pondering as super-powered fisticuffs, Batman v Superman might be a chore for some to sit through, but it’s clear the filmmakers have not taken this clash of titans lightly.

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong 

Triple 9

For F*** Magazine

TRIPLE 9

Director : John Hillcoat
Cast : Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Anthony Mackie, Clifton Collins Jr., Aaron Paul, Norman Reedus, Kate Winslet, Woody Harrelson, Gal Gadot, Teresa Palmer
Genre : Action/Thriller
Run Time : 115 mins
Opens : 17 March 2016
Rating : M18 (Coarse Language, Nudity and Violence)

Out on the streets, it’s never black and white – though sometimes it is red, owing to the dye packs that permanently stain stole cash. Oh, the red is also often blood. Criminals Michael Atwood (Ejiofor), Russell Welch (Reedus) and his brother Gabe (Paul), along with corrupt cops Marcus Belmont (Mackie) and Franco Rodriguez (Collins), have been committing armed bank robberies. The crew is working for Irina Vlaslov (Winslet), the wife of a powerful Russian Mafioso. Michael has a son with Irina’s sister Elena (Gadot), further complicating matters. To pull off another job, Marcus and Franco suggest calling in a code “999”, i.e. killing a cop to distract the rest of the police force so the crew can break into a government office and steal data concerning Irina’s husband. Their target is Chris Allen (Affleck), Marcus’ new partner who has transferred from a different district. Chris’ uncle happens to be Sgt. Det. Jeffrey Allen (Harrelson), who is tracking down the bank robbers. The stage is set for all-out war on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia.

            First off, we would like to get that “oh, this stars James Lye, Wong Li-Lin, Lim Yu Beng and Mark Richmond” joke out of the way. If you were watching Singaporean television in the 90s, you know what we’re talking about. Anyway, Triple 9’s screenplay, written by Matt Cook, landed on the 2010 Black List of most-liked scripts making the rounds in Hollywood and has finally been produced. At the helm is John Hillcoat, who directed the revisionist western The Proposition and the prohibition-era bootlegging drama Lawless. Triple 9 is a scuzzy, grimy crime thriller which liberally borrows from the likes of Training Day and Heat. The action sequences are messy and frenzied; our protagonists are mostly criminals who don’t get along; we deal with the theme of honour (or lack thereof) among thieves and there’s an abundance of street-level violence.

            There are many points where Triple 9’s plot feels like it comes straight out of a direct-to-DVD action flick starring 50 Cent and a pre-Mr. Robot Christian Slater. Hillcoat has managed to assemble an impressive cast and it’s impossible not to have high expectations looking the list, which comprises an Oscar winner, Oscar nominees and dependable character actors. Sometimes, seeing a name actor covered in tattoos and scars, all sweaty and grimacing while toting a gun, can feel like we’re just watching a pampered star play dress-up. For the most part, Triple 9 does feel fairly authentic, with the city of Atlanta actually getting to play itself instead of doubling for some other locale. Nothing feels prettied up, nothing’s slick and shiny and the situations are overblown but not ludicrously so.

            As the straight-arrow rookie with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, Affleck is well cast and a scene in which Chris threatens a local Cartel bigwig without knowing what he’s getting into does demonstrate that the character is out of his element. Unfortunately, Ejiofor is harder to buy as a tough-talking thug. He has played sinister characters before, but he’s unable to fully shake off that innate nobility that has served him so well in other, very different roles. It comes with the territory of crime movies, but the members of the team are insufficiently distinct and can blur together after a while. Of the group, Collins is actually the most convincing as the unscrupulous, two-faced Rodriguez. Unfortunately, Paul and Reedus don’t bring too much to the table beyond “hey, Jesse Pinkman and Daryl Dixon are brothers!”

            Winslet chomps the drab scenery as the main villain of the piece, a stereotypical mob wife who’s been handed the reins of underworld power while her husband sits it out in a Russian prison. It’s a character even more ridiculously evil than Jeanine Matthews in Divergent and Insurgent. Gadot and Palmer are there to strut about in abbreviated outfits, providing eye candy and doing little else. Harrelson also doesn’t get a chance to work his offbeat, quirky charm in a role that could’ve been played by pretty much anyone.

            Triple 9 is a disappointingly generic crime flick that is elevated ever so slightly by its formidable cast. Not too much of a spin is put on the crime thriller formula and the would-be shocking twists and turns in the last act fail to have much impact at all. Hillcoat keeps things moving along and consciously avoids stretches of exposition, but that has the side effect of making the connections between the characters a little confusing to keep track of. At 115 minutes, it’s also a mite too long and could do with some tightening up. But if you’ve a taste for this sort of thing, you’ll probably find Triple 9 to be a competent thriller set on the mean, mean streets.

Summary: It fails to live up to the expectations generated by that cast list, but Triple 9 has enough brutal thrills and cops-and-robbers intrigue to scrape by.

RATING: 3 out of 5 Stars

Jedd Jong

San Diego Comic-Con International 2015: The Celebrities

This year, I camped out overnight in line for Hall H. Thanks to my brother Tedd for holding a spot in line for the afternoon and earlier part of the night! I've gotta say, it was worth it. As Comic-Con gets bigger and bigger each year, the studios roll out more and more of -

THE CELEBRITIES

Had the opportunity to interview Zachary Levi! Seriously one of the nicest celebrities I've ever met. Laid-back, charming, absolutely no airs about him at all. Super cool.

Thanks for obliging my request for a photo!

William Shatner and David A. Goodman, author of the James T. Kirk autobiography

Doctor Who! Moderator Chris Hardwick, stars Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman and Michelle Gomez and showrunner Steven Moffat

The Doctor-Donna asking the panel some questions!

Chris Hardwick attempts to stop Jenna Coleman from hearing Peter Capaldi's answer to a fan question about what other companions the 12th Doctor would like to travel with other than Clara.

Wil Wheaton is excited for the Con Man panel.

"I am a leaf on the chair!" Alan Tudyk in costume as Wash.

Mindy Sterling, Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton and special effects artist Barry Bishop

Nathan Fillion, Michael Trucco, Seth Green, Alison Haislip and Nolan North

Wash and Mal reunited

A rambunctious bunch

Felicia Day. Swoon.

Special effects artists Barry Bishop and Billy Brooks got engaged to each other in front of the Hall H crowd!

Writer Alan Burnett, producer Bruce Timm and voice actor C. Thomas Howell of Justice League: Gods and Monsters

Casting and voice director Andrea Romano, director Sam Liu and Burnett again

Howell again with fellow voice actors Paget Brewster (Lois Lane) and Tamara Taylor (Wonder Woman)

Okay, I've waited in line all night, it's time for the Warner Bros. Hall H panel on Saturday.

The men and women of U.N.C.L.E.

Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Debicki

Armie Hammer and Henry Cavill, Ilya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo, The Lone Ranger and Superman

Director Joe Wright and titular star Levi Miller from Pan.

Garrett Hedlund (Hook) and Hugh Jackman (Blackbeard)

The Suicide Squad enters Hall H!

Adwale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flagg), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn)

Task Force X assemble - including Will Smith as Deadshot! 

Moderator Aisha Tyler and director Zack Snyder

The cast of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice takes their places. Holly Hunter, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck

Lex Luthor and Lois Lane

Jeremy Irons (Alfred) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman)

Gal Gadot

"The red capes are coming! The red capes are coming!"

The World's Finest

Ben Affleck

The Eleventh Doctor himself, Matt Smith

From Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: author Seth Grahame-Smith, director Burr Steers and actors Douglas Booth and Jack Huston.

Bella Heathcote (Jane Bennet)

Natalie Dormer and Matt Smith of Patient Zero

Clive Standen, John Bradley-West, Natalie Dormer and Matt Smith

Moderator Chris Hardwick and Quentin Tarantino, in Hall H to present his latest film Hateful Eight - to be shown in glorious 70 mm! 

The very impressive cast of Hateful Eight assembled. 

Beatrix Kid-do asking a question of Mr. Tarantino! 

Quentin Tarantino, Kurt Russell and Jennifer Jason Leigh

Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern

Legendary Pictures studio chief Thomas Tull

Guillermo del Toro, director of Crimson Peak

Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain

Guillermo del Toro, Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain

Director Michael Dougherty with stars Toni Collette and Adam Scott of Krampus.

The cast of Duncan Jones' Warcraft.

Paula Patton

Clancy Brown, Ruth Negga and Daniel Wu

Dominic Cooper and Rob Kazinsky

The Women Who Kick Ass panel: Moderator Sara Vilkomerson, Gwendoline Christie, Hayley Atwell, Gal Gadot, Jenna Coleman and Kathy Bates

Gwendoline Christie and Hayley Atwell

Gal Gadot

Jenna Coleman

Jenna Coleman and Kathy Bates

When Agent Carter met Wonder Woman

Joss Whedon receiving his Icon Award. "Very kind of them to scratch off JJ's name and write mine," he joked. 

The cast of The Maze Runner

Dylan O'Brien, Rosa Salazar, Ki Hong Lee, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Giancarlo Esposito

Director Paul McGuigan with stars James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe of Victor Frankenstein.

James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe getting a little touchy-feely

And Tumblr went wild

Director Josh Trank, writer Simon Kinberg and stars Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell and Toby Kebbell of Fantastic Four.

Our Fantastic Four

Reed and Sue

DOOM!

Ryan Reynolds

The cast and director of Deadpool

Morena Baccarin

Gina Carano

T.J. Miller and Brianna Hildebrand

Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin

Brianna Hildebrand

Director Tim Miller and Ryan Reynolds

Hughverine!

Hugh Jackman and Bryan Singer

The cast of X-Men: Apocalypse takes their places

Hugh Jackman jumps in Jennifer Lawerence's lap

Oscar Isaac (Apocalypse) and Olivia Munn (Psylocke)

Jennifer Lawrence (Mystique) and Michael Fassbender (Magneto)

Evan Peters (Quicksilver), Lucas Till (Havok), Lana Condor (Jubilee), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Nightcrawler) and Tye Sheridan (Cyclops)

A young Scott Summers and Jean Grey (Sophie Turner)

Surprise appearance from Stan the Man!

Attempt at the largest comic book movie selfie ever

The night's DC TV program kicks off with an appearance from the Green Arrow, formerly known as the Arrow. 

Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, John Barrowman and producer Wendy Mericle

Stephen Amell and Katie Cassidy

Father-daughter goofiness

David Ramsey, zen as always

Olicity!

Candice Patton, Grant Gustin, Tom Cavanagh and Danielle Panabaker from The Flash.

Iris and Barry

Caitlin and Cisco (Carlos Valdez)

Legends of Tomorrow

Caity Lotz, returning as The White Canary

Ciara Renee, Victor Garber, Brandon Routh and Wentworth Miller of Legends of Tomorrow

Camren Bicondova and David Mazouz, young Catwoman and Batman from Gotham

Ben McKenzie as Gotham's heroic Jim Gordon

Donal Logue and Robin Lord Taylor

Sean Pertwee and Camren Bicondova

Melissa Benoist, Supergirl herself

The cast and creators of Supergirl

Jeremy Jordan

Melissa Benoist and Mehcad Brooks

Jimmy Olsen: scrawny no more!

Moderator Ian Somerhalder with Melissa Benoist

Acrobatics performance inspired by the DC TV shows

The cast and writer of Lego Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom!

Voice actors John DiMaggio and Troy Baker

Voice actor Kary Payton

Voice actor Dave B. Mitchell and writer Heath Corson from Batman Unlimited: Monster Mayhem

Yuri Lowenthal

Will Friedle and Yuri Lowenthal