hoejianwei Reviews

Enola Holmes (2020)

Being too strong isn't a flaw and Hollywood doesn't recognize it

[4/10 · 30 September 2020]

Enola literally had no flaws, no purpose whatsoever in the story, thus having no growth, no character arc, making for an extremely boring character. That's the case for Mulan too and Hollywood hasn't learnt their lesson.

But I must admit, that's the only flaw of the movie. Millie's performance is good, making the movie watchable at the very least. Set design, wardrobe and cinematography were great, everything else went right except for Enola's character development.

I Am Mother (2019)

I don't usually like netflix distributed movies, but

[8/10 · 16 June 2019]

This is worth checking out. Well thought out, intricately written and woven with all the plot points, well executed. Takes a bit of time to process the plot details, which is good. Only criticism is greenscreen could be blended better in the outside world.

High Life (2018)

The sexual fantasies of a 60 year old french woman played out on screen

[1/10 · 12 June 2019]

That pretty much sums it up. Pretentious, disgusting, boring. Very, very, bad dialogue and editing and sound mix. Sloppy post production. The keyboard of the main computer can be found on those instagram ads. Very low effort.

Black Mirror: Striking Vipers (2019) Season 5, Episode 1

In the mood for love: Black Mirror

[10/10 · 5 June 2019]

Remember how Wong Kar Wai tackled the topic of defining what is infidelity in a relationship with In the Mood for Love (2000)? This is the black mirror version of it. Heavily nuanced, multi-layered, the ending leaves viewers feeling empty, yet shocked. Perhaps it did hit some viewers a little, people who had fallen in love with someone they are not supposed to. A very poignant and well executed episode.

A Million Years (2018)

Spoiler free review because I forgot what happened

[1/10 · 24 May 2019]

Very insignificant plot, no actual story, made for the sake of 'art'. Shame to see this is the face of filmmaking in Southeast Asia at this age

Fifty Shades Darker (2017)

Excellent movie for dumbasses

[10/10 · 10 March 2017]

Well, the first one raped my intelligence, so now I'm pretty dumb. This one was excellent to the point that it raped my intelligence once again. This one screwed my brains in, out, left, right and in any other directions you can think of. I believe that with this film, Jamie and Dakota Johnson can both win a Razzie each to boost their career to greater heights. Best movie of the year. 10/10

The Fortune Handbook (2017)

A decent Chinese New Year movie

[5/10 · 30 January 2017]

I went to watch Kung Fu Yoga the day before I watched this, and that movie was horrible. I went to watch this because I felt that Chinese New Year was not complete without watching a decent Chinese New Year movie and this movie fulfilled my expectations at the very least. There was a plot, though simple, but complete. The comedy was decent and it made me laugh. The younger actors (especially the girls) were very unnatural but this was easily covered by the performance of the main characters as the younger actors were just supporting roles. The CGI had a smooth texture, unlike Kung Fu Yoga *coughs*. Overall, if you want to watch a light-hearted movie this Chinese New Year, this is one of the films that is worth a watch.

6.5/10

Kung Fu Yoga (2017)

Disappointing

[3/10 · 29 January 2017]

I've watched Jackie Chan's movies since young. When watching a movie featuring Jackie Chan, you would expect the standard of movie to be that of CZ12, Police Story and Rush Hour. But I was so wrong as the movie started. The CGI was so bad and there were many pointless scenes at the start. There was no chemistry between Jackie Chan and the princess and their scenes are painfully awkward. Some scenes were confusing as there was no purpose in including the scenes. The CGI, yes, it was horrendously unwatchable. Why did they animate everything for the first scene when they can just use a green screen? Even the people were animated! The English dialogue was awkward as hell and the characters sound like they were memorizing lines instead of speaking to each other. However, there were good points of this film. Even though the English dialogue was really bad, the Chinese dialogue flows well(only if you actually speak the language). The chemistry between Amyra Dastur and Aarif Rahman was surprisingly good, despite the fact that they spoke different languages. There were some scenes that was funny. However, all these good points just isn't enough to cover the flaws of the film. Overall, this film is not a good Chinese New Year movie and there are better Chinese New Year films as compared to this movie this year.

5/5

Arrival (II) (2016)

The better Interstellar (as what my friend described this movie as)

[9/10 · 28 January 2017]

Okay straight to the point. This film should, hands down, win the Oscar for Best Picture award (Please note that at this point in time, the results for the 2017 Oscars is not out yet). The film is constantly engaging and there is never a moment where I felt the film was draggy or boring. The plot twists come naturally and serve as a gimmick for the plot instead of a key element in the plot. I love the 'Memento' editing style of the film as it leaves room for the audiences to connect the dots. I never thought that Hollywood could handle an alien invasion film in this manner. All in all, it is definitely a film worth spending your money on to watch in the cinema.

10/10

Sing (2016)

Just listen to the soundtrack

[4/10 · 28 December 2016]

This is a film meant for kids, so I went into the cinema expecting simple plots and low expectations. However, this film has a boring plot that is too simple even for kids. I felt like there isn't even a plot for this film and they just added in covers of famous pop songs (some original songs) here and there randomly in the film and the songs didn't even flow well. Though there are some good singers in the film (Scarlett Johansson and Taron Egerton), but there are some really bad ones as well. Reese Witherspoon and Nick Kroll absolutely can't sing, although that is understandable as they are there for comedic purposes. I felt like I was cheated of my money and time as the ending feels empty and off. However, there are great covers of pop songs in the soundtrack of the film and I felt that was the only good thing about the film.

Overall, don't watch this in the cinema. Wait for it to be aired on TV or something. 5/10

La La Land (2016)

Great movie but not a masterpiece

[8/10 · 24 December 2016]

The music had great songs and great original scores that are certainly memorable. The scenes in the movie also accurately depicts the stress and the rejection aspiring actors face in the movie industry and the problems of a long distance relationship. However, this movie also has its own flaws. The story line is predictable and some of the parts were draggy, for example, the concert that Sebestian was performing at. The actors were passionate about their roles and the stars, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone had great on-screen chemistry. Overall, this is a film worth a watch in the cinema and will be one of my favorite films for years to come.

Overall - 8.5/10