The King is Slumming It

March 2017 was poised to be a great month, starting with Logan, Beauty and the Beast, Ghost in the Shell, the perfectly bad-looking Power Rangers and this, Kong: Skull Island. Back when Legendary announced this project, it seemed no one wanted this. But then the cast was assembled and holy shit it was star-studded. Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Toby Kebbell, John Goodman, and Dr. Dre + Eazy E. It's a promising cast, to be honest, for a film nobody wanted. I'd let the token Chinese actress slide if it turned out great. But spoiler alert, it didn't. If you're looking for a review that embraces this film, you can search somewhere else. The story is pretty straightforward, there's a scientist who's going to find new species/prove their theories, while tagging along to some soldiers. Then they go to Skull Island and find Kong and other beasts.

Let's start with the good stuff first. Consistently for at least the first half of the film, the film was filled with striking imageries that looked hella cool. A standout scene is the bomb drop on Skull Island. And afterwards, just any reaction shots sometimes look cool, or whenever Samuel L. Jackson is ready to rain down fire on Kong is also cool. The Kong fight scenes are good, but they're not for me, or at least after the preposterousness I've endured, the awesome fight scenes just don't pay off. The biggest crime here is the story and characters. If you think the characters in Godzilla are bland, prepare to be surprised because this is blander. And one of the scriptwriters is Dan Gilroy who made Nightcrawler! There are definitely some good ideas in the script but they were never developed fully. For example, Sam Jackson's Packard is obviously the most interesting character, who lost the Vietnam War but had to live it and going to war so soon after that so it gave him a chance for redemption. But, don't mind him just look at that giant spider stomping at y'all! CGI is not even impressive. We've seen the Planet of the Apes reboot franchise, Pacific Rim, or Peter Jackson's way superior King Kong, and the CGI in those films were almost flawless. Not only CGI, but green screen stuff is so bad. Just refer to the first few minutes of the film to see, and sometimes even in character close-ups are distracting? Why? DoP is Larry Fong though who frequently works with Zack Snyder, so he could do his job super good right?

The actors are the most wasted properties in this film. They have Toby Kebbell, who could do a lot of stuff. But instead just make him interact with a stupid log monster. Academy Award winner Brie Larson reduced to Ken Watanabe in Godzilla, but without any catchy line. Tom Hiddleston once again proved that he may not be able to act if it's not Loki. John Goodman, wasted. Shea Wigham, wasted. I mean wasted in talent, but you could interpret it differently too. The only small glimmer in the cast are John C. Reilly and to some extent Jason Mitchell. John C. Reilly is like Bill Nighy in Wrath of the Titans, giving new energy in a boring film, CGI-laden film. And by all the beasts in this film, don't give Jing Tian anymore starring roles. She was bad enough in this film with only three lines and a weapon, if you haven't seen The Great Wall, save yourself by not watching it, at least open your eyes when Pablo Pascal or Matt Damon is onscreen. Not to mention her character couldn't be shoehorned in a subtler manner. John Goodman and Corey Hawkins are scientists looking for funding and support in USA and suddenly on the boat comes this Chinese biologist and we're supposed to be okay with that? It's not about diversity, this is just bad business move. At least make her character memorable or important. I am quite sure that anything with Legendary and a Chinese studio is going to be like this until they decide to separate. If this is the kind of film we're going to see for the Godzilla sequel or their eventual versus film, I might be skipping these kind of films altogether.

Note to studios: Internet/fandom ideas are not feasible for a good film, or at least it's not going to be good if they're serving a bigger scheme. I mean, Samuel L. Jackson vs. King Kong is a film everyone wants to see right? But because we know Kong is going to live for the sequel, we also know Sam Jackson is going to lose. Jordan Vogt-Roberts has a knack for spectacle, it's sad to see a good talent like him got a script this bad for his first big blockbuster and also if he keeps ripping off ideas from previous, established films. In conclusion, this trip to Skull Island is extremely half-assed and not worthwhile at all. Kong: Skull Island: rated 1.5/4

PS.
I haven't been disappointed in a film like this since Independence Day: Resurgence. And I'm actually easy to please. Also, it seemed that the critics just decide to lower their standards just for this film. Hmmm. And there's an after-credits scene but fuck me if I had to stay one minute longer after the credits roll for this movie.

PPS.

I thought the 'Skull Crawlers' was an uninspiring monster design,

it's like a bad mix of Indominus Rex and those stupid Great Wall monsters.

But here are more uninspiring moments that I could point out right away...

That Hiddleston samurai scene is basically the worst in the film. 

It obviously references 300 but did it unbelievably poor.

Pacific Rim is still king of American kaiju/monster films. 

K:SI definitely took the bat/sword idea from it.

This is just embarassing now.

Sorry, I just really was expecting this film to be at least enjoyable for me.

Highlight the words 'for me'

You can definitely have different opinions.

Anyway, great job for the people involved in the film who did it with their heart.

If you're cashing in or you're one of the Chinese studio execs, fuck you.

Up next: more film reviews but I might do a post on the films with China co-production. Because now it's getting irritating.

One Last Ride, First Bloody Ride

Saw Logan last week on Wednesday but too busy to write a post. This is one of my most anticipated superhero films of the year because it is wildly different from the MCU or DCEU offerings. This is an R-rated, violent and mature superhero film with Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart on their last film in the X-Men films. The story is set in 2029 when most of the mutants are gone. Logan and Charles Xavier are practically the only mutants left from the X-Men squad. Logan is noticeably older and less powerful, while Professor X is basically an old man in a nursing home. Their lives changed after the arrival of a young mutant named Laura and she is so awesome; and also chased by mysterious enhanced mercenaries.

By the first time Logan fights a group of gangbangers, we can know that this film is going to be different and in a good way. It's way more violent and laced with profanity every one minute. It's just satisfying to see Wolverine kill people that left blood on his adamantium claws. Or how it is just as bloody for Wolverine or X-23 when they pull out their claws. Hugh Jackman delivered his best as Wolverine and I thought this was the most fitting film for to do as Wolvie at his age. I thought even in X-Men: DOFP he's quite pushing it to be the young Wolverine in 1970s. Patrick Stewart is also amazing in this film, while we didn't see him in action much but his role is so touching and important. If there is a special Oscar for blockbusters, then both Jackman and Stewart deserves a nom, even in the regular Oscars, I'd say Stewart could be at least considered for Best Supporting Actor just like John Goodman was last year for 10 Cloverfield Lane. And also, my god, Dafne Keen as Laura/X-23. That girl can slaayyyy (I regret writing this sentence).

True kudos should go to James Mangold, already an accomplished director with Walk the Line and Girl, Interrupted, he finally made his mark with his second outing for the adamantium-filled mutant. His first Wolverine film was also exceptional but it was let down by the ridiculous, superhero-cliche third act. I liked that film for having an important human drama but then again come DOFP, that timeline was erased. I like the nuances in this film and how the film took its time with the characters, I thought it was great. The thing I didn't like the most is how they inserted a super lazy villain that took those nuances away (especially that one important scene with Patrick Stewart and the bad guy just came). And I thought the film forced its ending. If they need that ending, they could do it less forced than that. Also, the film opened up possibilities for a prequel to this film that's going to sound more interesting than all the planned X-Men films (excl. Deadpool 2) and of course sounds way better than X-Men: Apocalypse. But why aren't they chasing this storyline?

The film is often dubbed as The Dark Knight of the X-Men franchise. I will manage your expectation by saying it's nowhere near that but at least it's similar to Batman Begins: dark, gritty, satisfying but laced with plot holes. Nevertheless, it's a great sendoff for Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, as well as a great show of talent by Dafne Keen. I hope they never cast another Wolverine or another Professor X. Logan: rated 3.5/4

2017 Oscars Predictions! (AND WINNERS!)

It's days until the Oscars and it's time for the usual prediction time. Last year, I missed the telecast because I had part-time work, and this year I'm going to skip again because of work. Adulthood right? Also might not make it on time for the re-run because of traffic jam. Damn. Anyway, really excited for this year's Oscars. As of Feb 26, I have seen 7 of the 9 Best Picture nominee. Fences and Hidden figures are nowhere to be found in Indonesia. Let the prediction begin! (This post will be updated with winners later)


Best Picture
It's tricky to predict this one now. La La Land does have the upper hand, but to me, the magic fades with time. It's still a gorgeous film, but might lose its importance. Very close behind LLL for the upset is Moonlight. Far behind them both is Lion, which gained serious awards buzz recently. I feel that last year's films are stronger and it's harder to predict last year's films.
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Moonlight
RESULT: Moonlight (0.5/1)

Okay, wifi is down so the rest of this post would be uneventful since I'm only writing with my phone. Prepare for a lot of typos and just blandness in general.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Casey Affleck should win with possibility of Denzel Washington robbing him. But one of my favorites of the year is Captain Fantastic, so.....
Official prediction: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Personal prediction: Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
RESULT: Casey Affleck (1.5/2)

Best Actress in a Leading Role
I'd say the race was between Amy Adams, Emma Stone and Natalie Portman. Suddenly Isabelle Huppert emerged and stole everything from them. Except for Amy Adams who was even denied the chance in favor of Meryl Streep. I mean guys, have you seen Jackie? That film wouldn't work without Natalie Portman.
Official prediction: Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Personal prediction: Natalie Portman, Jackie
RESULT: Emma Stone (1.5/3)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
After seeing Lion earlier, I believe Sunny Pawar should get this aqard. Without any competition at all.
Official prediction: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Personal prediction: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
RESULT: Mahershala Ali (2.5/4)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
This one is a race between Naomie Harris and Viola Davis, in which I think the person whose name starts with the first alphabet in the word victory is going to win.
Official prediction: Viola Davis, Fences
Personal prediction: Viola Davis, Fences
RESULT: Viola Davis (3.5/5)

Best Achievement in Directing
As much as La La Land is superficial, I believe Damien Chazelle deserves the prize.
Official prediction: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Personal prediction: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
RESULT: Damien Chazelle (4.5/6)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Recent wins should boost Lion's prospect but I think Moonlight is just too damn strong
Official prediction: Moonlight
Personal prediction: Moonlight
RESULT: Moonlight (5.5/7)

Best Original Screenplay
Hey, La La Land is hardly original. But The Lobster is definitely is.
Official prediction: Manchester By The Sea
Personal prediction: The Lobster
RESULT: Manchester By The Sea (6.5/8)

Best Cinematography
Official prediction: Linus Sandgren, La La Land
Personal prediction: Bradford Young, Arrival
RESULT: La La Land (7.5/9)

Best Editing
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Moonlight
RESULT: Hacksaw Ridge (7.5/10)

Best Production Design
The only recognition I thought Passengers really deserve is this one.
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Passengers
RESULT: La La Land (8.5/11)

Best Costume Design
I'm torn between Allied and Jackie. The costumes there are crazy beautiful.
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Jackie
RESULT: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (8.5/12)

Best Make-up and Hairstyling
Official prediction: Star Trek Beyond
Personal prediction: Star Trek Beyond
RESULT: Suicide Squad (8.5/13)

Best Animated Feature
Official prediction: Zootopia
Personal prediction: Moana
RESULT: Zootopia (9.5/14)

Best Song
I'd pick La La Land in a heartbeat if Another Day of Sun pr Someone in the Crowd were nominated, but the two LLL songs nominated here are basic songs compared to Lin-Manuel Miranda's work in Moana.
Official prediction: 'City of Stars', La La Land
Personal prediction: 'How Far I'll Go', Moana
RESULT: 'City of Stars' (10.5/15)

Best Original Score
Official prediction: La La Land
Personal prediction: Lion
RESULT: La La Land (11.5/16)

Best Visual Effects
Official prediction: The Jungle Book
Personal prediction: The Jungle Book
RESULT: The Jungle Book (12.5/17)


This year I decided to be true to myself and let the personal predictions go gonzo.
But the official preds are based on my opinion + previous awards results. Let's see tomorrow for results (and my editing to make this look better and less default)

It's a pretty wild show, with that flub at the end. I thought it's a fitting end for La La Land, considering how cruel the film actually is with its twist ending. But, still they went home with 6 Oscars, so nothing to be sad about, and the producers showed a real sportsmanship that will be remembered more than Moonlight or La La Land. I haven't seen the full show, I only saw the last 1/4 of the show (thanks to work). The best leading actress win is the biggest shocker (we all knew it's between LLL and Moonlight so it just added a little spice to the competition). We all thought Isabelle Huppert is going to win but no, Emma Stone won. Also Suicide Squad won? It's Suicide Squad 1, Martin Scorsese's Silence 0. Some decisions are political, such as Asghar Farhadi's The Salesman. That film wasn't even good enough for Golden Globes, but the director refused to show up so he wins (or I'm just cynical and need to see The Salesman right away).

Will make this post more beautiful tomorrow, anyway. Good night.

We Finally Did Hamilton!

Back in May last year, I finally got my ears on the songs of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. For me, three songs immediately stood out: 'The Schuyler Sisters,' 'Satisfied' and 'Wait For It.' The former two have that quick overlapping rap verses that I really adore while 'Wait For It' is just a really damn good song in general. I found myself abusing the repeat on 'Satisfied' because it is the best song in the musical and it has a heartbreaking story in it.

It was not long until I started having images in my head (take note, I hadn't seen anything Hamilton at this point) on how 'Satisfied' would play out. The rewind part is enough to make me go crazy; how do you rewind on stage? Everything would be so much easier on video/film. Then I start imagining it if it was on film. I really want to make a film version/music videoof 'Satisfied' because the song itself has a contained story. The song introduces its characters like we're seeing them for the first time in the play. One obstacle though, I have no budget. All of my previous short films were made on practically $0 budget, it was all sincerity and teamwork. Therefore, it was only natural that I start planning 'Satisfied' on modern setting to press all that potential spending away. So I started sketching and storyboarding it. (I posted something on this blog back then, as seen below).

From May 27, 2016

'Satisfied' got pushed back because I had a short documentary project and honestly, because of difficulty in finding the right cast. Scheduling is a big issue and I wanted to have everyone talented in my project; I was greedy and it was not going good. I talked with everyone about this project and how badly I wanted to make it with the thought of 'if talk about it so often, it has to happen somehow.' And around July, we started recording the song for the first time. It was piano and cello by my talented friends, recorded in my apartment at noon.

It was until late September that Nicole (my co-producer) and I started to carefully schedule the project and by then we have locked 60% of the cast who were doing this because we're friends or they're intrigued enough by the project. After securing the schedule and locations, we started shooting late October on location, then continued in the first week of November for the studio scenes and lastly we shot the wedding scene in one day on the second Sunday of November. In total we spent 4 days shooting which was roughly 15 hours in total. It was rushed and I didn't like that I rushed but I would hate myself more if this did not get made at all.

On their first meeting...

Because of work and technical limitations, I finally finished editing and released it just last week on February 13th. I am proud of the result and I am proud of everyone who is involved. Especially after I left Japan, there was one day of reshoot and weeks of re-recording and mastering the track. You can see the video above and I hope you enjoy it. The track might be disorienting if you're familiar with Renee Elise Goldsberry's original take on the song, because the actress, Jennifer, has a very different voice color and style. But it is still a legit good cover on the super hard song in my opinion and she basically nailed 98% of the song in theory. (I just felt like explaining because there are people who really dislike our version just because it doesn't sound like the OBC recording, I thought it wasn't fair to Jennifer who worked incredibly hard on it--but well, it's the internet life).

Location shoot day

To close out this post, I would just like to say a few words to the people who 'moved' this project forward:
- Nadira (Co-Producer)
Basically exposed me to Hamilton from her snapchats and I would make sure I get her approval on just about everything on this project.
- Clarissa (Pianist)
I asked her to play the piano for this because she's the best pianist I know and she said yes. Moreover, she voluntarily asked her cellist friend to join. That officially kicked off this project.
- Patricia
I talked to her about this randomly (as I said above I talked about this to everyone), but she was super excited and we already made a chat group to shoot late July and release during August-September, but it didn't work out. But her pick Jennifer still stayed for the project's 'revival' until the finish line. It was also during the talk with her I realized this project needs to have more girls working on it because it is basically a story about a girl who makes sacrifices for her sister out of love and duty (is this considered mansplaining?). I wish I could get Patricia to join the 'revival' but I didn't, because of efficiency and scheduling (and I didnt re-ask her and probably this would haunt me forever).
- Nicole (Co-Producer)
We worked together as videographers on some sort of summer camp and we said we would do a project together. We did this and she's so talented in everything. She helped with the equipment, scheduling and location. Her work is super efficient. I learned a lot. She also have her own films and videos she directed and wrote.

Ardanti, Hung, and Nicole on location shoot day

- Jennifer (Angelica)
She worked real hard on hitting the notes and making the track perfect. She might take the heat because her voice is different than Angelica in recording (or Sia) but she's still super good in my opinion.
- Ardanti (DOP)
She's always there to join my projects, even though she sometimes doesn't know what its about. She pressed me on scheduling, which I was really bad at. And of course, doing her job as DOP really great. She might not know it but she has the most future-oriented mind; like I know what her job is going to be like and she might love doing that job.
- Italia (Production Assistant)
Helped me a lot in production on sets, location, casts. Her constant support basically drives this project forward.
- Dega (Music Producer)
Tasked with creating three tracks for the video in total. Took a lot of criticism if the mixing wasn't right--literally a lot of criticism from me. There are more than five versions he sent me, and between them I gave notes with like a dozen points to fix and change.
- Chatwara (Alexander)
I felt super saved when he agreed to do this. He's also the best person ever. Alexander's role is the hardest to fill and thank God for Chatwara.

(Felt like just given an Oscar speech--but nonetheless still important)

Wedding scene shooting day

Quick stats:
- In one week, the video amassed over 1.4k views!
- Now holds the title of the video with most dislikes in my channel (12 ds as of Feb 20)
          (Quoting from one of my favorite series: if you have haters on the Internet, it means you've made it)

Action Weekend

Last week I had the chance to catch John Wick Chapter 2, starring Keanu Reeves and just yesterday I saw The Lego Batman Movie in glorious IMAX3D. I really like the one film and I'm just okay with one.

John Wick Chapter 2
I'm not a fan of John Wick. Call me stupid but I thought the action is too much, just like The Raid, by the third act I could snooze off and still understand the whole film. I thought John Wick 2 is so much better in terms of that action but man, this film is preeetty slow for an action film. John Wick is forced out of his retirement again as he has to fulfil an agreement with Santino D'Antonio who helped him retire in the first place. There are quite a lot of great action sequences, and one particular exciting one with Common. I liked the supporting cast, and the action sequences are incredibly well-done and well-shot. The whole world-building about the assassin community is pretty cool but I believe it's the world-building too that halted the pace of the film. Keanu Reeves is amazing though as John Wick. It's a pretty solid entry for stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski who's up to direct Highlander before confirming his return on Chapter 3. I think the one that deserved the most applause is the marketing team, the posters for this film are awesome (the same should be directed to Resident Evil: Final Chapter marketing team because those posters are classy as fuck for a film of Resident Evil's calibre). John Wick Chapter 2: rated 3/4.

The Lego Batman Movie
Lego Batman was the breakout star of The Lego Movie, it is only logical to have his spin-off to follow up that amazing film. The same couldn't be said for the upcoming Ninjago which to me has no personality at all, judging from the trailers. In Lego Batman, Batman has to battle his arch-nemesis Joker while also dealing with his personal issues. I have to say, just like The Lego Movie, this film is unexpectedly touching and moving. It is loaded with great jokes and pop-culture references but more importantly it is a superb Batman film. I probably like this more than The Dark Knight Rises. And it is canon to all--I repeat, ALL--Batman films from 1966 until BvS. Hans Zimmer's protege Lorne Balfe also did a great job spoofing Zimmer's score, including Bane's percussion assault from TDKR. I was a bit skeptical this film could match the energy of The Lego Movie especially without Chris Miller and Phil Lord (who's busy with Disney's Star Wars machine), but Chris McKay did it just as good. The voice actors are amazing and the animation is flawless. Still this film does not make me want to see Ninjago but I'm down for more Lego Batman. Hopefully with more Justice League members in action. The Lego Batman Movie: rated 4/4.