She's Not What it Seems

The Uninvited


Sometimes it’s hard to accept someone new into our lives. There is fear and anxiety for the worst, but what if those fears are real? The Uninvited is a remake of the Korean horror flick ‘Tale of Two Sisters’, but takes its name from another unrelated Korean film. The story revolves around worried-looking teenager Anna, played by Emily Browning (yes, the girl from the "Lemony Snicket" movie). Anna just got released from a mental institution 10 months after witnessing her sickly mother die in a horrible fire. Her loving dad, Steven (David Strathairn), has a new girlfriend, who coincidentally was his wife’s former nurse Rachel (Elizabeth Banks) who is "helping him cope, three times a night".

Rachel seems to care and tries to bring the family together, but something makes Anna feel otherwise. Perhaps it is the weird feeling whenever she says that she hopes to be friends. After being haunted by visions and dreams of her dead mother (looking disturbingly burnt) calling Rachel "murderer!", she comes to the conclusion that her new stepmother might be the one responsible for her death. Alex (Arielle Kebbel), Anna’s rebellious older sister (and smoking hot eye candy) seems to support her loathe for Rachel, and the two are determined to figure out who she really is. This is where Google comes to play, and the more they find out, the creepier it gets.
It also doesn’t help that Anna keeps seeing spooky dead children warning her of Rachel and telling her she’s next. Who is Rachel really? And are the two sisters all that stands in the way of what she wants? The Uninvited does have its scary moments, although they mostly consist of unsettling scenes and sudden scares, best of which is probably the kitchen scene! The characters are well-cast and fit the roles well. Banks plays a convincing stepmother with ulterior motives, Browning is convincingly worried, Strathairn is constantly calm despite his daughter’s concern and Kebbel is the smart one who steals every scene with her bikini. The way the movie is shot is also interesting, some scenes make it seem like everything’s okay, but you can feel your guts telling you, it’s not.

The Uninvited is scary at times and plays with the mind but is essentially more of a "seeking the truth" type of movie. Scare-freaks might not appreciate the spread-out scare pace but it should be something for the average viewer. While it has its fair share of predictable moments, the movie does have a gem of a twist at the end, making you rethink and replay the events of the entire movie.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

Security Underdog

Paul Blart : Mall Cop



Sometimes it’s nice to see a movie that doesn’t try too hard. Paul Blart : Mall Cop centers on Paul Blart (Kevin James), a simple, single dad who works as a security officer in a shopping mall. Blart dreams of becoming a state policeman, but has failed exams numerous times due to hypoglycemia, a condition in which he needs sugar or he would just blank out and sleep.

No one takes his job seriously at the mall, but not Blart. A veteran in his field, he rolls down aisles enthusiastically in a Segway, and makes sure everything is orderly and trouble-free. He does get bullied more often than not though, and many look down on him. Often, he finds himself in funny situations with customers.

Things are spiced-up when he meets new kiosk operator Amy (Jayma Mays), whom he instantly has the hots for. Blart is easy to relate to, and I’m sure many will go rooting for him.

Then comes Black Friday, considered by many to be the busiest shopping period of the year. Blart doesn’t drink, but gets drunk on the eve and makes a total embarrassment of himself in front of (gulp!) Amy. A mall heist ensues on this Black Friday, where the criminals are so over-the-top it’s hilarious. To make things worse, Blart’s daughter and Amy are held captive by them. This is arguably where the most fun lies. Watch out for the numerous amount of creativity applied here, it’ll leave you in stitches. With armed robbers on the loose, SWAT team ready to strike and only armed with a Segway, can Paul Blart fight-off the bad guys, save his beloved mall and redeem himself with Amy?

At first glance, Paul Blart : Mall Cop might not seem that exciting to some, but if you give it a chance, you’ll see that it has a certain hidden charm , much like the character himself.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

New Model, Original Parts

Fast & Furious



Love it or hate it, the Fast and Furious franchise is back yet again for a fourth installment, and this time we see all the stars of the original returning to reprise their roles (hence the clever tagline, ‘New Model, Original Parts’). Taking place between 2Fast2Furious and Tokyo Drift, the movie is simply titled, ‘Fast & Furious’. Once again we Malaysians get an inaptly added digit (4) to the title, but let’s not delve too much into that.

Taking place approximately five years after The Fast and the Furious, the movie opens with ex-con fugitive Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his gang attempting to hijack a massive road train in the Dominican Republic. Dominic is joined by his trusty tough-as-nails (and uber-hawt!) girlfriend Leticia “Letty” Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez). What follows should please action fans, with an adrenalin-pumping explosive action sequence, arguably the best in the movie. Director Justin Lin has certainly outdone himself this time. As the police start getting dangerously close, Dominic starts going solo to protect those he cares for, but later receives a call from his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) regarding a murder of someone dear to him. Information leads to a drug kingpin named Arturo Braga. Dominic is not one to be messed with, especially when those he cares for are involved.

We are also introduced once again to Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker), a former police officer who’s now an FBI agent hot on the trail of a notorious drug gang and their leader, which happens to be the same guy Dominic is after. Walker’s acting still leaves much to be desired, but is admittedly better than in previous installments. Despite their differences, Diesel and Walker have great onscreen chemistry and it’s fun seeing them together again. While the dialogue and plot of the story isn’t something to scream about, the franchise was never intended to be a Shakespearean piece. The main points here is the action and the cars, and these are delivered in droves. In fact, the movie is an absolute thrill-ride from front to back.

The special-effects are well-used, and while some CGi isn’t that convincing, they do not deprive you of the excitement and sense of speed. Perhaps the only gripe is that Brewster and (the totally hot & gorgeous) Rodriguez seemed rather under-used despite the hype of having them back in the game.

While the returning stars are causing a huge buzz, the cars are attractions in their own right. Car buffs should spot plenty of gems, including a Nissan Skyline GT-R, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, Ford Torino, Porsche Cayman and a BMW M5 among others. Even the 1970 Dodge Charger and Chevy Chevelle SS from the first movie make a thunderous appearance. Plenty of high-velocity action is guaranteed as there are no less than three different racing sequences throughout the film.

Those unfamiliar to the franchise need not worry; you can actually enjoy the movie even after missing the other installments. If you like nerve-breaking thrills and excitement, this is the movie for you. Story takes a slight backseat as fists and gearshifts do the talking. It should be noted however, that the experience is more fulfilling and even emotional if you have watched them all, as you’ll also relate to the characters better and understand the numerous inside jokes and references. This is a movie for action buffs and thrill-seekers, and of course fans of the franchise. Finally they made a movie that matches, if not tops the original.

PS: They DID do something that I can't forgive, but that'd be a spoiler...

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Good Cop, Bad Cop

Righteous Kill




Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino together; surely this has got to be the recipe for success? Reuniting the two legends for the first time since more than a decade, Righteous Kill explores the idea that the obvious may not always be so.

Tom 'Turk' Cowan (DeNiro) and David 'Rooster' Fisk (Al Pacino) are veterans in their field. With 30 years of experience behind them, they are possibly one of the best detective teams around (yet somehow unwilling to call it a day). When a string of murders start taking place, they are enlisted to figure out who the serial killer is.

The list of victims seemed random at first, but is later revealed that most have avoided justice in some form or other. Did the killer want revenge, or did he just want justice done? Things start to get out of hand when many more get killed, including a pimp, a child rapist and even a church priest. Every murder is accompanied by a piece of paper and a poem justifying the reason for the kill. Do the murdered actually deserved to be killed? While all these questions run riot, evidence even starts to point in the direction of one of the detectives. Could the killer eventually turn out to be one of their own?

Turk and Rooster make a strong team, and go to great lengths to help protect each other from getting into trouble. They even work together to frame a person they believe is responsible for child murder. It should be noted that DeNiro and Al Pacino have great chemistry here and make believable detective partners who are past their prime. However as the plot goes, things seem to take on a tried-and-tested ‘good cop, bad cop’ route and you somehow get the feeling you heard this storyline before. It doesn’t help that the excitement never really picks up either. The movie does let the facts roll in so you’ll more-or-less have a picture of who you think the suspect is.

Don’t get me wrong, DeNiro and Al Pacino are great actors in their own right, but perhaps they could have benefited from a less dull plot. Righteous Kill does however, gain from an unexpected twist at the end. Do watch out for rapper 50 Cent in a role that seems made just for him.

3 out of 5 Stars