Transformers: Dark of the moon (2011)

Michael Bay's action films have a certain quality to them...

Like rushed plots, chunky and banal dialogue, exposition madness, and action scenes so kinetic, no one knows what's happening to whom.

Thankfully, this third Transformers movie sort of brings together Bay's trademarks while improving on his most glaring weaknesses.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 29 June 2011.

Miral (2010)

The unfortunate lives of three generations of Palestinian women serve to remind us of the suffering and injustice inflicted by the partition of Palestine.

It's melodramatic, moving, and occasionally preachy - fair play for a movie based on such a heavy and unpleasant subject.

There's a fair bit going on behind the scenes when you realise this is an adaptation of a mostly autobiographical novel filmed by a director whose mum was a Zionist.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 29 June 2011.

The Beaver (2011)

A very outlandish film about a man whose midlife crisis causes him to reinvent himself... as a sock puppet.

You can watch it as a very serious drama, as an allegory for acting.

Or you can watch it as an unintended comedy, and revel in the knowledge that at one point in production, it was meant as a comedy starring Jim Carrey.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 22 June 2011.

Your Highness (2011)

Take a generic sword and sorcery adventure, populate it with fratboys and their penchant for silly antics, F-bombs and cusswords, and shoot it as a slacker comedy...

Viola: I present to you Your Highness.

The downsides: it's not as uproariously funny as the concept promises.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 22 June 2011.

Treasure Inn (财神客栈) (2011)

Treasure Inn is filled with silly scenes, crass jokes, misfiring punchlines, and non sequiturs and feels like the Wayan Brothers just made a Kung Fu Movie.

It's typical Wong "Do it for the money and forget you ever did it" Jing fare.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 22 June 2011.

Reviewer's note: Despite all that, the state-sponsored "Screen Singapore" film festival chose this as its opening film. This wasn't the worst move they made, actually. Looking back from 2013, we're not surprised at how the festival/film market blew up in the organiser's faces, got downsized into a side-event in 2012, and will probably die out by 2015.

Africa United (2010)

Sports drama, kids, and Third World poverty porn come together in Africa United, where a ragtag crew trek across Africa to attend the World Cup.

The director plays the world’s saddest song so skilfully on the world’s smallest violin so that your white man’s guilt may feel even more painful.

 It's like watching The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and realising that for its emotional manipulation, our protagonists were never in any real danger.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 15 June 2011.

Pinoy Sunday (台北星期天) (2009)

A pair of lowly-paid labourers in a foreign land stumble across a red leather sofa.

Its appearance seems to herald the fruition of the fantasies, dreams, and hopes that have been keeping them sane and happy thousands of miles away from home.

The director plays the premise for laughs. You won't see too much of how foreign labourers are exploited in shiny, modern Asia - which Taipei stands for but could easily be Singapore or Dubai.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 15 June 2011.

Punished (报应) (2011)

A tycoon in the midst of a major do-or-die business manoeuvre is faced with a kidnap in the family.

Yes, Punished is a Hong Kong noir spin on Akira Kurosawa's High and Low.

Watch this for the superb performances by Anthony Wong as the tycoon and Richie Ren as the detective.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 15 June 2011.

Laddaland (ลัดดาแลนด์) (2011)

Technically a haunted house flick, Laddaland subverts Hollywood horror convention by reversing the relationship between horror and middle class suburban angst.

It's a horror flick where the social allegory for the horrors of capitalism and indebtness is more interesting and potentially scarier than the scares delivered on screen.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 8 June 2011.

Something Borrowed (2011)

We're not fans of modern romcoms - not because they're formulaic but because there isn't the directorial, screenwriting, and acting talent these days.

Something Borrowed illustrates the failure of all 3 aspects of romcom filmmaking.

The only reason I'd recommend this film is as an exercise for you to identify how basic genre rules are broken.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 8 June 2011.

Animals United (Konferenz der Tiere) (2010)

This low budget Madagascar with a strong ecological message about global warming, human responsibilities, and environmental activism has going for it Teutonic earnestness.

Meaning it lacks humour. And is relentlessly preachy.

On the plus side, it has a far more realistic treatment of 3D than other 3D movies and animations. And a glorious photorealistic Savannah backdrop.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 8 June 2011.

The Hangover: Part II

The Hangover: Part II has the exact same premise, plot, cast dynamics, and even jokes recycled from the first Hangover.

Sadly, it doesn't mean that this is a better product. The jokes are still uneven, some of the punchlines are still off.

Given the film is set in Bangkok, you can imagine it does succeed in being more ribald.

Read my full review at Fridae, first published on 1 June 2011.