Bring Back the Dead

"A mother. A son.

A timeless tale of loss and grieve, 

a mother's love, and letting go...."

I have to admit that I haven't really been following the cinema scene in Singapore, but I have been quite interested in the exploits of director Lee Thean-Jeen.

To be fair, TJ is a veteran of the television scene in Singapore. This is the man who brought us the groundbreaking legal drama The Pupil, followed more recently by the very excellent Code of Law. And if anyone can remember far back enough, he gave us Chase as well.

When it comes to English dramas in Singapore, I can only describe TJ's contributions as 'pushing boundaries', 'setting standards', 'raising the bar', and whatever other superlatives I can think of to describe taking Singapore television to 'the next level'.

Once upon a time, we only dreamt of somehow bringing the standards of acclaimed crime dramas like Law and Order, and CSI to Singapore. But TJ handed that to us on a platter with The Pupil and Code of Law. Lucky us.

But as anyone in the industry will know, translating TV success to the big screen is a completely different kettle of fish. TJ is no stranger to the film industry though, having already helmed the successful 2011 vehicle Homecoming.

And now we have Bring Back the Dead, TJ's latest outing as a film director. As one of the most promising directors in Singapore today, how will he fare on the exacting stage of Singapore cinema?

Jessica Liu as a grieving mother who must come to terms with the loss of her son.

Liu Ling Ling as the perennial wise ah soh.

Taiwan actor Jacko Chiang - a handsome coupling with Jessica

He's not blind really - water just gets in his eyes....

Bring Back the Dead is a chilling horror film starring Jessica Liu as a young mother Jia En who has lost her little son Xiao Le in a tragic accident. Somehow she decides to enlist the help of a former caregiver and a suspiciously blind / not-blind / pretending-to-be-blind? medium to bring back the spirit of her dead son.

Needless to say, she gets back more than she bargains for. Let the shocks and scares ensue.

And they certainly do, in a measured, but escalating fashion. One thing the movie does very well is to deliver on what really matters in a horror film - the horror. Audiences can expect a ride that oscillates between slow, rising dread and outright shocking violence as Jessica's character Jia En finds herself dealing with an increasingly volatile and capricious spirit.

Is that her son or not? We know how children can be - is it just a case of a frightened spirit crying for attention? Or is there more than meets the eye?

As can be expected of a Lee Thean-Jeen movie, the film is beautifully shot and composed. Nearly every opening to a scene is meticulously and creatively framed. And at the centre of it all, is the very beautiful and elegantly vulnerable Jessica Liu.

I too have high hopes for Jessica Liu. She is one of those actresses with a unique screen presence that sets her apart from her peers. Here, she acquits herself well as a grieving mother trying to come to terms with her tragic loss. Her character could be better developed, but that's hardly her fault.

Which unfortunately, brings us to the film's one drawback. There are almost no surprises. Okay, in terms of shock value and scares - they work and they should blow your mind. But when it comes to narrative flow, the storyline is rather too predictable. Even the obligatory horror twist comes across as more of a tired cliche.

Bring Back the Dead nonetheless delivers as I mentioned earlier, where it really matters. As a horror film, it is sure to jolt you in your seat. As a dramatic story, the premise of a grieving mother pining for her lost son is a timeless tale that certainly brought a tear to my eye at the very end.

Moometer Reading:
Moo-o..?!

Exclamations for:

! Outstanding Actress: I don't want to end up gushing too much over Jessica Liu like some lovelorn schoolboy, but I wish nothing but the best for her career. This is probably one of her first forays into film, and I certainly hope she succeeds in stepping out of the shadow of television and onto the wider, international stage.

Query for:

? Predictable Storyline: If I were to look at the onscreen developments more critically, I certainly would think it can be done better. This is not to do with the script, but rather how the scenes are set up for the reveals later on. To be fair, this is particularly a challenge within the horror genre, where subtlety can sometimes be lost on an audience.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

"One, two... Freddy's coming for you...."

Oh please no more Nightmares.

The highly successful franchise has seen a total of seven sequels to the original A Nightmare On Elm Street, so the producers decide it is time to do a remake and reboot - a reflection of current film making trends I'm afraid.

But how do you take a novelty idea from 1984 and rejuvenate it for today's audiences when it has all but worn thin?

The idea of course is to reinvent, to update on the original to fit the times. Unfortunately, this 2010 version fails on both counts, making for an ultimately plodding storyline with cheap and predictable scares.

To be fair, this is indeed a basic remake, with only a few major changes from the original. The characters are more or less the same. The major difference is the serial child killer in the original has been relegated to a maybe only child molester (I know, what in the world...?).

And of course there is Freddy Krueger, the masterful and iconic Robert Englund now replaced by Jackie Earle Haley, who was himself incredible as Rorschach in Watchmen.

I still remember as a kid, how a classmate of mine fervently did his own impression of that scissorhand arch villain - complete with hat, glove and claws - and he called himself Freddy.

This was the effect Freddy Krueger had on scores of young lads throughout the world for a good decade and more.

This new Freddy unfortunately, lacks character. The face looks too plastic, though that is supposedly done to more closely match those of burn victims.

No teenager or otherwise is going to be inspired or truly frightened by this Freddy, certainly not when Freddy lookalikes, parodies and caricatures have been around for over two decades.

Yes. Hide that face a bit more, because Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger doesn't quite... cut it....

Rooney Mara and Kyle Gallner play the only two characters in the film with any personality at all....

Do not fall asleep in class, or Freddy's gonna get you....

While there is little to take away from this reboot, the production value is nonetheless quite decent. The cinematography and sets are also pretty good, though an over-reliance on poor CGI tends to let the film down.

The supporting cast are forgettable, underdeveloped, or just plainly Freddy fodder. Only the two leads, played by Rooney Mara as Nancy and Kyle Gallner as Quentin, give any favourable performances at all.

Reviewers slam Mara's "wooden acting", but I disagree. I have known girls like that - shy, hesitant, unsure of how to express themselves - and to see two atypical teenagers fighting off a nightmare villain is exactly how you want you want horror flicks to be.

And the jury will have to be out on the new Krueger. Clearly the new makeup has created a stumbling block, but Haley is a talented actor, and had there been an expansion on his backstory, his performance just might have worked.

Unfortunately, the film chose to introduce precisely that, then inexplicably abandon it in the end for a silly twist that fooled basically no one.

Haley is signed on as Freddy Krueger for another two installments, so I'm hoping he really gets to make that role his own, to give it a new lease of life.

Because otherwise, like a broken record that keeps on playing, this could be one reel Nightmare that really never ends....

Moometer Reading:
Moo?

Query for:

? No sense of direction: Seriously, Director Samuel Bayer has to take responsibility for this one. The story was already there, all he needed to do was to plan some new and interesting scares and kills. How is it possible that one could visualise a story actually worse than the original? And while it's fine to create a darker, more serious Freddy, what about giving this Freddy some meaning for being so? It's one thing trying to fill a big pair of boots, quite another to just make a simply bland and boring film.

Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity: Truth or fiction? See it to believe it....

A couple plagued by mysterious hauntings in their comfortable two-storey home in San Diego, California, decide to record their experiences on a digital video camera.

Unlike most videos shot by paranormal investigators, their documentary effort actually does strike gold, revealing a whole plethora of creepy and unexplained happenings that occur even while the couple sleep.

Steven Spielberg apparently got spooked while watching the 'video recording' because his bedroom doors inexplicably locked by themselves minutes into the show, and he had to call a locksmith to get himself out.

If this is the first you have heard of Paranormal Activity, the documentary style horror film that has taken America by storm, then read no further, put everything down and go watch it - Paranormal Activity will freak you out.

Much of the action takes place in the couple's bedroom - but did they really have to leave the door open? Spooky....

Katie Featherston is the girlfriend haunted by a demonic presence since childhood. Micah Sloat plays the skeptical boyfriend.

Audiences being scared silly during a screening.

But if you have heard of it and know what it is, then there might be a problem.

Following on the documentary shooting style of such classics like Cannibal Holocaust and Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity thus suffers from the same problem that plagues such films - it is all FICTION.

But while Cannibal Holocaust and Blair Witch Project are genuinely frightening to watch, Paranormal Activity features more of the mundane lifestyles of the two lead characters, punctuated by a series of weird and unexplained occurrences that only slowly escalate to a chilling conclusion.

Needless to say, it is no Exorcist or Haunting in Connecticut (which is after all based on a true story).

You need to truly believe it is real. You need to recognize that a perfectly normal person who stands motionless in front of her bed for hours into the night is a genuinely creepy thing.

But if you do believe, or can make yourself believe - then there you have a winner.

Because Paranormal Activity is every paranormal investigator's dream, to actually record tangible supernatural events in a haunted house.

It is like seeing with your very own eyes the final conclusive evidence - that spooks indeed do exist.

It all boils down to how one views the film. Those built on a staple of slasher flicks and Asian horror may not be too thrilled with Paranormal Activity.

But credit where credit's due - rookie director Oren Peli has scored a home run on a measly shoestring budget of just USD15k, with the film breaking records as the most profitable independent film ever.

Now that is one accolade you cannot argue with.

Moometer Reading:

Moo-o...?!!

Exclamations for:

! Outstanding New Idea: A novel idea that has gripped nationwide attention; a film that is now the most profitable independent film ever - director Oren Peli has certainly hurled himself into the limelight with this low budget offering.

! Non Shaky Camera Work: After Blair Witch and Cloverfield, Moovy Revue is just thankful that the director figured out how to avoid the nausea inducing shaky scenes that have plagued similar documentary style films - by shooting most scenes on a standard tripod. Duh.

Query For:

? Being Fiction: It is a pity then for this non-fiction wannabe that there will always be those who will not be impressed by the understandable lack of pacing and the 'plodding' scares that cannot quite rival the normal fictional horror films - not every American haunting has to be an Amityville Horror here.

Antichrist

Antichrist: A surrealistic sexual mayhem....

The idea of female castration just never seemed plausible until Lars Von Trier shows us how - in his controversial 2009 film Antichrist.

That, plus a bloody handjob; a dangling dead fawn; a bolted leg; and a falling baby, are but some of the disturbing images that haunt Von Trier's latest outing.

A couple struggling to cope with the loss of their infant baby (circa copulation no less) retreat to a cabin in the woods to help dissipate their grief.

The husband (Willem Dafoe) plays therapist while the wife (Charlotte Gainsburg) recollects her thesis on gynocide and the antichrist that she previously wrote in that same cabin.

But nothing is quite what it seems out in the lush, quiet forest. Husband and wife soon descend into an irresistible orgy of explicit sex and violence that will consume perhaps their very lives and souls....

Carnal sexuality somehow minus the love - though the chemistry is great between Dafoe and Gainsburg.

Willem Dafoe in a feast of visual and sound, though the actor does seem a tad Hollywoody in an arthouse flick....

An amazing if disturbing performance from Charlotte Gainsburg. The film is accused of misogyny, so don't expect her to play the heroine.

Beautifully shot on digital video and boasting some 80 shots of computer-generated imagery, Antichrist more than delivers on the shock value, but otherwise struggles to actually make its point felt.

Actually, what is the point? There is none, unless it is a study into the deepest and carnal recesses of the human soul.

The film has certainly split opinion however, with the film accused of misogyny and even receiving an 'anti-award' from the ecumenical jury at the 2009 Cannes Festival.

But Von Trier is no stranger to controversy, and he has his share of both the critics and plaudits.

Antichrist is certainly worth a view for its graphic and visual content, which is at times splendid and other times stark (but powerful). But you are warned - give it a skip if you cannot stomach explicit sex and especially violence.

Moometer Reading:

Moo-o.!!?

Exclamations for:

! Outstanding Actress: French Actrice Charlotte Gainsburg certainly looks the real deal as the aggrieved and disturbed wife, easily shifting between sensual to spaced out to deranged with convincing intensity.

! Outstanding Visuals: The visuals are not simply just graphic or explicit. The imagery is disturbing - yes - but that is coupled with visuals of the dark forest and the slow motion hail of falling acorns. The mood is mostly sombre, but stark and frightening when its needed. Lovely in a sick way....

Query for:

? Pointless Plot: Von Trier had been deeply depressed while shooting the film, which may explain the seeming pointlessness of the film. Perhaps Antichrist is more of a personal look into Von Trier's state of mind and being at the time?