KL Gangster (Malaysia) (2011)

A flashy, fast-paced, violent gangster movie with all the right moves. Almost. 


The Skinny: Ex-convict Malek chooses the life of honest living upon release from a 5 year prison stint, only to be drawn back into the violent life of gangster-living. To complicate matters, his younger brother is keen to draw him into an epic showdown between two rival gangs in their bid to control the city of KL. 


The Helmer: Syamsul Yusof -  KL Gangster (2011), Khurafat: Perjanjian Syaitan (2011), Evolusi: KL Drift 2 (2010), Bohsia: Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam (2009), Evolusi: KL Drift (2008). 


The Casts: Aaron Aziz, Syamsul Yusof, Azizan, Ridzuan Hashim, Adyputra


The Review: The short but impressive directing / writing history of the young Syamsul Yusof is something to marvel at, having gone beyond the range of his father's melodrama to jump both feet forward into cracking good actioneers. His choice to dabble into all things KL, be it illegal racers, gangsters or young women with loose morals is a smart move as it does appeal to the urban Malays, something which does not happen on a daily basis. This movie displays pretty decent fight scenes and quite awesome stunts. All very nice and satisfying for those in dire need of local eye-candy. Okay, now the bad news: its all flash and bang with poor scripting and ineffective acting. Why must the players be shouting ALL the time? Continuity is pretty hodge-podge with an ending that hangs conveniently on a narrated outcome. If only there was more depth to the story and a bit more human development of the key characters. However, it is an improvement from his previous films, and for him to improve further his scripts MUST be polished further. What begins as a great opening scene, kinda deteriorates into a series of set-pieces designed to get flashy bite-sized action scenes. What gets me is the posing done by all except for Aaron Aziz; each character is two-dimensionally simple with no second degree depth. Which is a pity as the storyline, although pretty much done to death (ex-con wanna go straight but is pulled back into a life of crime), is still very much compelling. 


Trailer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011)

And so the empire-sized meglodon-like, licence-to-print-cold-hard-cash epic of JK Rowlings Harry Potter series comes to a close ...  


The Skinny: Harry Potter and pals fights to the death with the eviiiiiiiil Lord V in an epic battle the likes of which wizard-story-reading-fans have never, ever, ever seen in their entire wizard-story-reading-fans reading life! Bring it on Lord V!


The Helmer: David Yates - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2011), Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), The Girl in the Cafe (TV movie) (2005), Sex Traffic (TV movie) (2004), State of Play (TV series) (2003), Rank (short) (2002), The Way We Live Now (TV series) (2001), The Sins (TV series) (2000), The Tichborne Claimant (1998), Punch (short) (1996), The Bill (TV series) (1994 - 1995), Moving Pictures (TV documentary series) (1994), Good Looks (short) (1992), Oranges and Lemons (short) (1991), The Weaver's Wife (short) (1991), When I Was a Girl (short) (1991). 


The Casts: Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Emma Watts, Alan Rickman, Rupert Grint, John Hurt, Helena Bonham Carter 


The Tagline: It All Ends 


The Prediction: This looks really good actually; epic scale with no-going-back demolition of huge, cultural architectural structures, with deaths of loved characters. This is the big one - where Harry faces off with his enemy Lord Voldemort, to the death! 


Trailer
Official Website
Harry Potter Books
JK Rowling's Official Site 

Juan of the Dead (2011) (Cuba) Juan de los Muertos

Apparently this is Cuba's first horror movie, and looking at the trailer, its one helluva horror movie seemingly epic-like. Which is always good in my books. 


The Skinny: The zombie apocalypse has reached Cuba and it is up to Juan to take out your loved ones. The living dead, loved ones that is. Zombie horror comedy ensues. 


The Helmer: Alejandro Brugues - Juan of the Dead (2011), Personal Belongings (2006)


The Casts: Alexis Diaz de Villegas, Andrea Duro, Jorge Molina, Blanca Rosa Blanco 


The Tagline: 50 Years After the Revolution, A New Revolution is About to Begin ... 


The Prediction: I'm basing my prediction purely on the trailer and I'm saying it looks good. Disregard the title is a rip-off of Edgar Wright's "Shaun of the Dead", or even its similar premise: 2 best friends face-off an entire zombie horde, and just enjoy the movie or what it is. It looks big, promising and very chucklesome. So yeah, this movie looks set to rock. 


Trailer from Twitch.com

Official Website