Fiery Lunacy

Every once in a while a movie comes along and makes you scratch your head speechless. Despite Nicholas Cage’s amusing portrayal of Marvel’s cursed fiery-haired anti-hero, the first Ghost Rider movie didn’t exactly receive rave reviews. So when news of a sequel surfaced, people started exclaiming “why?” but you also start wondering if second time’s the charm, or would it annihilate the movie franchise beyond rescue.

The story of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance has our hero Johnny Blaze (Nicholas Cage hiding out in a remote part of Eastern Europe until out of the blue, a secret sect of the church wants him to protect a young boy from the Devil (Ciarán Hinds) – of course with the help of the ‘Rider’. What’s in it for him is that he may finally rid of his curse forever and need not become an unholy chain-wielding motorcyclist any longer.

The mundane plot is jam-packed with clichés and the effects were mostly hit or miss. However, Cage’s insane (literally) portrayal of the new, darker Rider is worth mention and is often the most entertaining part of the movie. Idris Elba also did a nice job as Moreau, a drunken French priest (don’t ask).

 

There is still humor scattered around and also a creepy villain in Blackout (Johnny Whitworth). A few notable over-the-top action sequences brings the excitement up a little (anything the rider rides bursts to flames!), although you may give the 3D-version a miss, as it was barely anything worth mentioning.

The movie isn’t bad; it’s just that with such a talented team behind the film, it could have been much more. Ghost Rider’s still ‘hell’-uva cool, but seeing him reduced to a babysitter job was simply depressing.

3 out of 5 Stars

Tale as Old as Time

Despite being as old as time, some tales are simply timeless. Often regarded as one of Disney's finest, it's no wonder they picked Beauty and the Beast for a 3D re-release.



Watching this classic again brings back fond memories, and also reminded of how much I have forgotten. The story of a mighty beast who seeks true love in order to break the curse set upon him stays true to the original, but seeing it in HD-like digital clarity was truly refreshing.



The three-dimensional conversion worked rather well, and it's true what they say about 3D letting you notice things in the background, resulting in a rather unique experience. Some scenes might look slightly awkward due to the nature of hand-drawn animation, but perhaps I'm just nitpicking.




The money shot of course was as always, the ballroom scene.



Being a CGI set, it was the scene that lent itself best to 3D and  it was truly a sight to behold. With Disney's staple of memorable songs and excellent storytelling, Beauty and the Beast is just as enjoyable as it was the day it hit theaters.



For many, this will be a chance to relive old memories and to the rest, a chance to catch a classic back on the big screen. Be sure to enter the hall early, as there is a neat little surprise before the movie starts.

5 out of 5 Stars

The Saga Returns... in 3D!

It’s time to re-visit a tale set long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away; only this time we get to experience it in the third dimension.



The story’s the same as before – taking place decades before the original trilogy, we are introduced to Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), young Jedi-to-be who will eventually grow up to become the deadliest Sith lord in the galaxy – Darth Vader. The visual effects (when it works) lent themselves rather well to a film that was never meant to be in Digital-3D.




While you’d be hard-pressed to spot the difference in certain areas, the selling point would undeniably be the pod-racing scene.



Fans would be pleased to know that George Lucas has decided to use an enhanced extended version, which in addition to the adrenalin-pumping speed and sound, features stuff like extra debris flying into the camera.



Lucas has exercised certain restraint in converting The Phantom Menace into 3D, resulting in an experience that is rather organic and unobtrusive, rather than ‘in-your-face’. Starships were especially effective and so were lightsaber duels and landscape like the Gungan underwater city.





I believe this would work better in future sequels, especially Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. For those new to the saga, what better way to dive into the rich world of Star Wars than on the big screen?



It was also fun seeing familiar faces like Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Keira Kinghtley and Natalie Portman twelve years younger.



And to fans, trust me you don’t want to miss Darth Maul wielding his wicked double-bladed lightsaber in magnificent 3D!



4 Stars

Vampires vs Lycans vs Humans

Selene fans rejoice as Kate Beckinsale finally returns to bring “cool” back to vampire-dom in Underworld Awakening.



In the successful franchise's fourth installment, the thousand-year-old vampire-Lycan (werewolf) war is given a new twist – humans have discovered the existence of the two species, and will stop at nothing to eradicate them both.



The world is also a very different place for Selene, having been captured and cryogenically-frozen by humans for 12 years. Thankfully, she hasn't lost any of her slick gun-blazing skills or trench coat-flapping coolness.



Easily the most action-packed of the series, Underworld Awakening also sees three-dimensional effects used to good measure in line with a pumping soundtrack to achieve quite a breathtaking experience. Storytelling however, seemed to have taken a back seat this time, with less exploration into the mythology and only a few new surprises in store.





Those unfamiliar to the franchise need not worry as a short prologue helps you quickly dive into the storyline. The squeamish however need not apply, as the movie is a neat no-holds-barred vampire-vs-Lycan gore-fest like previous installments. Fans who loved the previous films in the series should not miss more of their favourite blue-tinted uber-stylish fun.




4 out of 5 Stars

Chipwrecked Chipmunks

Those helium-infused, furry little critters are back! Love or loathe them, there's no denying the success of the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise, which has grown from strength-to-strength with each installment, earning hundreds of millions of dollars in the process. With such a successful formula, it's only inevitable that the producers come up with yet another sequel - Alvin and the Chipmunks 3.



This time we find our favourite singing rodents on board a cruise ship with their manager/father figure Dave Seville (Jason Lee). Given Alvin's (Justin Long) notoriety for mischief, it wasn't long before havoc is wrecked.



The chipmunks (all six of them!) get blown off the ship via a kite and get 'chipwrecked' off a remote island. Things don't go too well for Dave either, who gets thrown overboard. And to make it worse, he's stuck with ex-producer and main protagonist Ian Hawke (David Cross) dressed in a pelican suit. Stuck on opposite sides of the island, they also encounter the peculiar cast away Zoe (Jenny Slate), who's been stuck there for far too long.

Being stranded on an island is actually quite refreshing to the storyline as he focus this time is less on the little critters competing and more on working together to survive and escape.



There are some good lessons learnt and plenty of laughs as we get to see some of the chipmunks in a different light. The chipmunks were clearly the star of the show and get quite a few numbers, albeit more contemporary than in previous films. Alvin and Brittany (Christina Applegate) develop a rivalry while there is a cute budding romance between Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Jeanette (Anna Faris).



Simon later switches to French alter ego "Simone" after being bitten by a spider while Theodore (Jesse McCartney) continues to get the most "awww"s from the audience due to his adorableness (especially when he's imagining Jungle Monster 4).



Dave and Ian do have a few good lines and certainly add well to the comedy. The two hold their own rather well, especially since there aren't many live-action actors. Zoe on the other hand, I found tremendously annoying. I'm not sure if her acting was awful or was she asked to act that way, but she was just a pain to watch, especially with her unfunny "balls" which were obvious references to Tom Hank's 'Wilson' in Cast Away. 

Visually however, the movie was bright and colorful, with plenty of sea, jungle and beaches than you can shake a stick at. Wait till that climax suspense scene which seemed to have been hilariously added just to show-off some extra visual effects. The chipmunks themselves seemed to have gone through some enhancements too, as I fancy they were far more detailed this time around. With all that's going on, it's a little odd that this flick wasn't offered in 3D.



It isn't hard to see who the producers of the film were targeting. The story is inoffensive, the villains aren't too scary and the songs they sing are mostly chart-topping pop tunes that include 'Bad Romance' and 'Survivor'. You could even sense the dialogue is written in a way that will help younger viewers understand better. Children will lap this up easily while older folks might require further convincing.



Parents however will be relieved as there are fewer and fewer 'family-friendly' flicks these days. If you could ignore the occasional bad acting (come to think about it, the ship's captain was terrible!) and couple of roll-eye moments by the chipmunks, this is one fun-filled flick the whole family can catch without much trouble.



Stick around after the movie for plenty of extras during the credits.



2 1/2 Stars (out of 5)