The Chinese Dragon Lunar New Year celebrations is around the corner, and so is the fourth installment of the popular Underworld series that rocked the world of many vampire-werewolf genre fans since 2003. We had a chance to catch the 3D preview courtesy of Sony Pictures and our response to this new installment is just like any of the previous ones – simply intriguing, enjoyable and absolutely entertaining. Fellow previewers in the cinema could be heard reacting with oohs-aahs and gasps of excitement throughout the screening. This is the first of all the installments shot entirely on 3D camera technology.

Luscious English babe, Kate Beckinsale, returns to her most famous role in her career, Selene, the werewolf assassin. In this new installment the humans have staged a genocidal war against Vampires and Lycan werewolves, eradicating many of both species and driving them further into the underworld. Selene and her vampire-werewolf hybrid lover, Michael, are captured and kept in cryogenic state in a research center, Antigen. Selene is unexpectedly awakened over a decade later and escapes (leaving a trail of dead bodies behind her, as you’d expect) to discover a new world where not only does she need to do battle with the Lycans but the humans as well. Adding to this confusion, Selene is troubled by visions from another subject that had escaped from the research center which she later discovers is her offspring, Eve. She must now find Eve and defend her from the humans who want her daughter dead, and from the Lycans who want the teen for more insidious reasons.

This is the second movie from the Underworld series not directed by Lens Wisemen, who is the creator and franchise holder. The first one being Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans which was the prequel, that explained the reasons behind the feud between the vampires and the werewolves. Helming the director’s chair for this Underworld: Awakening are Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein whose only work I’ve ever seen was the disappointingly badly shot and edited ghost thriller, Shelter (2010), which starred veteran actress Julianne Moore. With that initial poor impression in mind, I was worried if this movie would fall off its appeal pedestal. Fortunately, with a good cast and crew plus Wisemen’s external involvement in the production, the show managed to keep the Underworld’s eerie quality intact. This new instalment matched all of last episode’s good screenplay, fast paced action and in my opinion, those aristocratic English accents, that make any good gothic movie even more appealing. There are plenty of acrobatic fights, car chases, blazing gunfire, special effects, gore plus lots of femme fatale coolness from sexy Beckinsale in her body hugging latex suit to wow your senses.

If you need a quick re-cap of the Underworld series, this is a good one.

While we are on the Gosling theme.. here’s another show I enjoyed!

Plot: A fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the dream job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his perfect life quickly unravels. The hapless Cal is taken on as wingman and protégé to handsome, thirtysomething player Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). In an effort to help Cal get over his wife and start living his life, Jacob opens Cal’s eyes to the many options before him: flirty women, manly drinks and a sense of style that can’t be found at Supercuts or The Gap. But despite Cal’s makeover and his many new conquests, the one thing that can’t be made over is his heart, which seems to keep leading him back to where he began.

What we thought: Actually, much of the movie’s appeal is generated by the actors. Steve Carell whom I have always liked (from Dunder-Mifflin paper company, Scranton – The Office) is the down and out guy who has lost his libido and yes his sex appeal – to both his wife and to himself.  Emma Stone is a clever and pretty corporate chick (about to take the bar exam) who could do so much better than the self absorbed lawyer she is dating. Julianne Moore as Cal’s wife is cold and distant, and has totally lost faith in her husband and hates herself for feeling so. Marisa Tomei is just the coolest – she is the sex-object of Cal’s affections when he decides to celebrate his independence – she is so funny and when she enters the set, it’s like the film lights up with her energy. What a smile!

But the surprise is Ryan Gosling. He is what I would call, a superbly versatile actor. From the anti-Semite (“The Believer”) to a child killer (“Murder by Numbers”) to a man in love with a love doll (“Lars and the Real Girl”), he is just the coolest. Even if he puts on 20kgs for a roll, he still has that screen magnetism that is rare to come by. However, surprising as it is, I really bought the lounge lizard cum pickup artist, character he played in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Ladies, first you will just want to sleep with him.. later when you see his softer side – you want to marry him! Haha:P

More about the movie: The film revolves around Cal Weaver (Steve Carell), whose wife (Julianne Moore) has recently announced her infidelity (the “other man” is played by Kevin Bacon) and requested a divorce. Cal takes his sorrows to a singles’ bar, where he’s adopted by local ladies’ man Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). Jacob educates Cal in the new ways of wooing the ladies, and Cal, meanwhile, takes advantage of Jacob’s coaching to score sensationally with Kate (Marisa Tomei), an energetic, recovering alcoholic who is a sexual virtuoso. Cal is also dealing with the fact that his adolescent son Robbie (Jonah Bobo) is in love with his teenage babysitter (Analeigh Tipton), who in turn is in love with Cal. Meanwhile, Jacob eventually realizes that he’s still pining for the woman (Emma Stone) who got away. At the end of the day, Jacob, the player, is actually looking to be more like Cal – he is looking for “the one” true love, to settle down with.

What worked and what didn’t: Mr. Gosling and Mr. Carell (whose production company is responsible for “Crazy, Stupid, Love”) make a pretty good couple. Both are nimble and funny, and the chemistry between mentor and student that takes a turn in the end, is pulled off to perfection by these two. I would say that the strength of the movie, is that it develops and plays out the characters well. While the show is not deep, it does address the issues at hand. You can identify with the people and their sufferings. It’s funny yet pathetic at the same time. At the end, the story leaves room for the characters to improve and grow. There was only one part I did not like which was stupid and cliched. When Cal goes to the graduation day of his son, he does this long speech on why his son should believe in a soul mate. Totally unnecessary and irritating. Should have cut that out and made the movie shorter by 15 minutes!

Apart from that, an entertaining show. A must watch.

Plot: Ryan Gosling stars as a Los Angeles wheel man for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver (Gosling) can’t help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). After a heist intended to pay off Standard’s protection money spins unpredictably out of control, Driver finds himself driving defense for the girl he loves, tailgated by a syndicate of deadly serious criminals. But when he realizes that the gangsters are after more than the bag of cash in his trunk-that they’re coming straight for Irene and her son, Driver is forced to shift gears and go on offense.

How Do I love thee Ryan Gosling.. let me count the ways…

Verdict: Jokes aside, I really liked this film. Gosling’s impassive driver gets his Hollywood stunt gigs and maybe also his criminal engagements through a garage owner, a cheerful crook called Shannon (Bryan Cranston) with mob connections. Gosling’s life looks like it’s picking up when he falls quietly in love with his next-door neighbour Irene, played by the cute Carey Mulligan. She’s a single mom with a little boy who likes Gosling. Unfortunately Gosling has fallen for the wrong chick as her husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is a jailbird about the be released. His nasty past catches up with him and he enlists the help of Gosling, to pay off his debts. Since Gosling is in love with Irene, he soon agrees to do one robbery with Standard. But his job is just to drive.

Naturally, the heist goes wrong and now Driver is in deep with notorious gangsters Bernie (Albert Brooks) and Nino (Ron Perlman). Admittedly, this is a fairly standard plot for this type of film, but in this case it doesn’t really matter; it’s all about the execution, and Refn’s refreshing and original approach keeps the film from getting lousy. Albert Brooks has one of the more talkative characters in the film, and is a real big baddie in the movie – this is a role that we hardly see him play – which is cool. Ron Perlman is also great as the foul-mouthed villian, while Bryan Cranston effortlessly applies a lot of heart to his supporting role as Driver’s boss and loyal friend, Shannon.

Finally I have to add that though I enjoyed the film there was this one thing I found rather annoying.

Gosling has this one rule, which I thought was rather stupid. This is supposed to be a mark of his professionalism. He will drive the robbers as brilliantly as they could ever wish. But he will wait outside, in the car, for only five minutes. When the five minutes is up, no matter what happens, he drives off. What on earth is the point of a getaway driver who only waits 5 mins? And what does this have to do with anything? Both me and Cumi thought this was just bizarre, plus unexplained in the movie.

In conclusion, I end with this..  (again, because I can!)

How Do I love thee Ryan Gosling.. let me count the ways…

Here is another fab show of Ryan Gosling’s that everyone should watch.

Since beginning his acting career in 3rd Rock from the Sun, the hit American sitcom from the late 90s, the actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (JGL) has evolved into acting in non-mainstream movies. Shunning the conventional Hollywood film production, he’s taken up interesting roles such as a mormon missionary in Latter Day, a mentally unstable juvenile in Manic, a child abused gay prostitute in Mysterious Skin, a teen detective in Brick, a young psychopath in Killshot, and a porn star fan in Elektra Luxx. In 500 Days of Summer he was a jilted lover trying to find questions and answers to his breakup with a girl he thought to be the perfect match, only to discover and finally accept that it was all just about fate and chance on meeting the right one. While I like offbeat movies, I never quite enjoyed JGL movies thoroughly. However, with a recent viewing of his latest flicks 50/50 and Hesher, this opinion changed. I can now say I really enjoyed at least one JGL movie. Well, I think I enjoyed The Lookout as well but my memory escapes me. His minor roles in more Hollywoodish films  (eg. Inception and G.I. Joe) didn’t really showcase his performance.

50/50

Directed by Jonathan Levine who’s other popular movie The Wackness depicts the life, love and tribulations of a New York city teen who sells dope, trades the herbs with a washed out psychiatrist, and also dates his daughter, didn’t quite do it for me. The street graffiti font used for the title of that movie was the most exciting part of the movie. It’s pretty much a teen drama and looks into substance abuse by a medical practitioner. In 50/50, JGL plays a healthy young radio executive, Adam, who doesn’t smoke or drink but discovers after a medical check up he has a very rare form of cancer which attacks his spine. At first unperturbed by this discovery, his life begins to spiral downwards as the impact of a 50-50 chance of survival hits him hard. He begins to question friendship loyalty, family obligations and lost opportunities in his selfish descent into emotional turmoil.

50/50 makes the topic of cancer more accessible to younger adults with JGL’s performance. While the topic is dreary, there is comic relief provided by Seth Rogen who plays Adam’s best friend, Kyle. I’ve never really enjoyed Seth’s comic sense but it really clicked with this movie. The humour elevated the serious drama tones to a lighter level, yet keeping the audiences tuned in. There are some really funny scenes which I won’t divulge here.  The mix of humor and drama plus great performance by the entire cast (including a supporting role from Anjelica Huston) except for Anne Kendrik  (I’ve never enjoyed watching her and have always felt she’s not suited to the roles she’s casted in), make this film worth the ticket price. To sum up, it’s a decent movie to watch and it won’t leave you in tears plus it has a good selection of classic and modern rock tracks to keep you grooving. The movie ends with Pearl Jam’s classic, Yellow Ledbetter.

Hesher

The anti hero movie. The first feature length movie for director Spencer Susser. Hesher is probably someone you might know, or know of, while growing up. He is the misunderstood guy. The guy that’s a little too dangerous to be around with but has some sort of good in him. JGL says Hesher’s character outlook is modeled after Metallica’s late bassist, Cliff Burton,  and if you’ll notice, even the typeface resembles Metallica’s. Side note: Just an observation but I wonder if the name is derived from “he’s her”.

The film doesn’t explain much about Hesher played by JGL (which means an opportunity for a sequel or more popular these days, a prequel might be on the horizon), except that he loves to blow things up, he loves metal rock, suicidal tattoos, is self destructive, and has only a nut  left (why? watch it to find out!). Hesher appears suddenly in TJ’s ( commendable performance by Devin Brochu) life and home after TJ accidentally ruins Hesher’s makeshift home. Young TJ’s life is a mess after his mother’s death. His father,Paul Forney (Rainn Wilson), is on a downward spiral with the loss of his wife. Their grandmother (Piper Laurie) tries her best to keep the family afloat and together but has her own issues on isolation. It’s a turbulent and touching tale about a kid coming to terms with losing a parent, seeing his other parent sink into depression, and reacting to a crush on an older girl (Natalie Portman) who rescues him from a bully. Young TJ is desperately seeking guidance, protection, love and inspiration but doesn’t know how and where to start. There is a linkage with the older Hesher who’s own self destructive behaviour could have been the result of the same voids in TJ’s life. Find out how the movie plays out by watching it. There is some dark humour, lots of drama and metal riffs.

Here, I too end with Eddie Vedder’s mumbling on Yellow Ledbetter. Enjoy.

[audio:http://cumidanciki.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Yellow-Ledbetter.mp3|titles=Yellow Ledbetter]

Cumi’s say: One of my favourite books in my youth was Jason and the Argonauts, and Jason and the Golden Fleece. The sense of adventure and the Greek mythology always intrigued me. Lately there’s been an interest by Hollywood to feature more and more of the Greek mythology genre. It’s certainly a welcome.

Ciki’s say: I really wanted to watch this show because director Tarsem Singh and producers Gianni Nunnari (300), Mark Canton (300), and Ryan Kavanaugh (The Fighter) were about to unleash an epic tale of treachery, vengeance and destiny in Immortals.

The plot: As a power-mad king razes ancient Greece and threatens to destroy mankind, a heroic young villager rises up against him in a thrilling quest as timeless as it is powerful. The brutal and bloodthirsty King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) and his murderous army are rampaging across Greece, demolishing everything in their wake with ruthless efficiency. Village after village falls to Hyperion’s legions and each victory takes him one step closer to his goal: unleashing the power of the sleeping Titans to vanquish both the Gods of Olympus and all of humankind.

It seems nothing will stop the evil king’s mission to become the undisputed master of the world, until a stonemason named Theseus (Henry Cavill) vows to avenge the death of his mother in one of Hyperion’s raids. When Theseus meets the Sibylline Oracle, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), her disturbing visions of the young man’s future convince her that he is the key to stopping the destruction. With her help, Theseus assembles a small band of followers and embraces his destiny in a final desperate battle for the future of humanity.

Background: When producers Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton first met with Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, the Greek-American brothers who wrote the script that would become Immortals, they knew immediately they had found a compelling and original story. Their only reservation was that they had just wrapped the groundbreaking period action blockbuster 300. Obviously, 300 had been a landmark movie and was unprecedented for the industry. It showed that one could make a historical movie in a very modern way with themes that are connected to contemporary feelings and emotions and morality. The producers decided that Immortals should be the second part of their partnership in making a group of historical, mythological movies.

What we liked about the movie:

Well Theseus and his big,  rippling hunky bod of course. Fabulous sword play, extremely artistic and dramatized fight scenes, and the incredibly hot Luke Evans as King Zeus to name a few more.

Not an uncommon tale the the Greek Mythology genre, we see Theseus, a youth born into poverty who rises to hold the fate of civilization in his hands rises to meet his destiny. Theseus the handsome young lad who has been dealt a terrible hand in life, born a bastard, sees his mother slain and is then picked by destiny and the Gods to a defend against the annihilation of humankind as they know it. Can it get anymore cliched than this? Then, in the tale, everyone is forgotten until one man, Hyperion, finds a dead Titan. He decides that he will free the Titans and conquer the world. You can pictured Hyperion as the Charlie Manson of ancient Greece. He starts a murderous cult and convinces people to believe in his plan. Not only is mankind in jeopardy, but the gods are as well. Still nothing wildly different or unique about this story line.

Ciki’s Say: So we have on the one hand, handsome men, with great physiques working some amazing moves, and terrific sword choreography. On the other, we have a common mythological storyline, a couple of lame oracles who don’t really serve a purpose in the movie except to have vision of the perilous future then copulate with the hero Theseus, and a blood thirsty villain who goes around busting(literally – like with a blunt hammer) people’s balls to rid the world of humanity, all except his kind. Hmmm.. yes, so why were we so enthralled by the movie? Well because the producers actually pulled it off .. and with great class. Immortals is dark and edgy. It has amazing visuals, great fight techniques, and great fight scenes. The entire movie is shot in a highly stylised fashion and the word, “Renaissance art” comes to mind when describing the cinematography mood and visuals. Also, the characters were convincing in their acting – unlike the horrendous acting we saw earlier this year in Conan the Barbarian, these guys really looked and acted the part in this movie. The vulnerability of Theseus, the nasty dark side of Hyperion, the dilemma of the Gods to intervene.. all worked together to electrifying effect, culminating in the ultimate fight-scene and grand finale that had us on the edge of our seats.

A great show. Go watch it.

Cumi’s say: In my opinion, this isn’t Tarsem Singh’s best. While having enjoyed The Cube and my favourite, The Fall, this Greek mythology based movie  isn’t his best work. The actions scenes are amazing though. On the Oracles, I’ve never liked watching Freida Pinto’s performance. As captivating as she can be, I’ve always found her acting lacklustre. Her role could have been given to another better actress. Still though besides it flaws, this movie is still enjoyable. Greek mythology is always fun to watch.

The Immortals will be screening in all GSC cinemas starting TODAY, the 11.11.11

Happy 11.11.11 Folks!!