Crazy Rich Asians

With the hype circling around the most anticipated summer movie Crazy Rich Asians, I have refrained myself from reading the book nor owning one for fear of disappointment that the movie can't deliver up to the book's expectation. I went into the theatre hall without any expectation; purely in for the entertainment.

And? *drum rolls*

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again

Ten years ago, I won tickets to watch Mamma Mia movie & I brought Mum along as my movie date. I even did a short blog about it here. A decade later, the movie studio has decided to do a sequel after the success of the first movie. Titled Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, the story focuses more on Sophie's story about wanting to fulfil her mother, Donna Sheridan's dream.

This time, I thought it would be a nice idea to bring along Mum & my sister for a mother-daughters bonding session. Prior to the movie, we have a big question lingering in our minds - how would the sequel turn out since all the ABBA's greatest hits have been exhausted in the first film? Let's find out...

Avengers: Infinity War Part 1

It's the Avengers we all have been waiting for; a culmination of 10 years of Marvel movies leading up to the final battle with the ultimate villain, Thanos. The launch date was timely on the last week of April followed by a long holiday weekend to Labour's Day. I was excited, so is my hubby & we straight away hit the purchase button on the cinema website for the slot on April 30 coinciding with our annual leave too.

What's the final verdict? Let's find out.

The Greatest Showman

Hugh Jackman in a musical is not new news; his earlier gigs were mostly theatrical/musical based productions before his breakthrough role as Wolverine in Hollywood. Somehow, seeing him headlining The Greatest Showman evokes a strange feeling within me. I'm still not ready for this man putting his iconic comic hero behind him & moving on (or should I say, moving back) to what he does best - singing & dancing.

Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarok marks the end of the Thor trilogy, as Marvel Cinematic Universe inches closer to the long-awaited Avengers: Infinity War. This movie comes after Guardians of the Galaxy 2 which was released earlier this year, as part of Marvel Studios' movie lineup in 2017.

Not surprisingly, Ragnarok adopted Guardians of the Galaxy's theme famous for its retro soundtracks & psychedelic colour palettes - a tribute to the 70s & 80s. I thought it was an interesting & good move, keeping the mood consistent for a good crossover.

So, how did Ragnarok fare?

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

The world saw Kingsman: The Secret Service, adapted from the less known comic book series Kingsman & absolutely loved it. The humour, vulgarity, graphic violence but executed in a light-hearted manner - pure brilliance!

Now the casts are back bigger & supposedly better with Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Did it live up to the buzz from the first movie?

Spider-man: Homecoming

Yes, yes...I know. I was one of those few who watched Spiderman: Homecoming rather late & the review is probably long overdue when everyone else has done it before me. In this case, I'll keep it short & sweet.

The Mummy

Every movie studios are jumping on the bandwagon to create their own cinematic universe, when Disney has proved that they have the perfect formula for their MCU. Universal has announced their own version - Dark Universe.

The Mummy reboot is planned as a kickstarter of Dark Universe, with Universal taking a bold move to introduce a star-studded casts in this movie. The thought of seeing Tom Cruise did convinced me that the film might turned out decent.

Wonder Woman

I have doubted WB's decision to cast Gal Gadot to be the strong, female warrior Wonder Woman mainly because she wasn't convincing enough - she just didn't look the part. She is beautiful but in my opinion, didn't have the physique of a voluptuous & strong build that Wonder Woman is known for.

When I saw the movie posters, boy I was wrong. Gal Gadot looks absolutely stunning. She exudes everything that is Wonder Woman - strong, independent, sexy & above all, confidence.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge

Disney's classic staple, Pirates of the Caribbean has arrived with the 5th instalment Salazar's Revenge or also known as Dead Men Tell No Tales. I wasn't as excited as used to upon seeing the new movie released in local cinemas, but admittedly felt a sense of nostalgia & familiarity with the movie franchise that I grew up with when I was a kid.

So, I thought of giving this 5th movie another chance, hoping that it'll score better than the previous one. Did Salazar's Revenge receive a brownie point or yet delivered another disappointing outcome?

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Well, well...who wasn't charmed by one of Marvel's underdog Guardians of the Galaxy when it was released? I was mesmerized & thrilled, for sure. The movie was so retro yet cool in a good way. It brought back 80s music to be the new "it".

The characters are quirky yet charming in their own way; someone you love to hate but couldn't. Now Marvel is back with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, can it live up to its predecessor?

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

I was never a fan of Resident Evil movies ever since the first one was released back in 2002. Film adaptations of popular video games were infamous for poorly executed plots that deviated from video games' story line. Most of the time, the films lost a great deal of important elements from the video games; signaling filmmakers seemingly lost direction while struggling to appeal to a wider audience.

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter is just another example bound to flop, AGAIN.

Beauty and The Beast

After all the drama about to ban or not ban, our Home Minister have given the green light to screen Beauty & The Beast. Woo-hoo! No need to travel to Singapore...awesome~

So how did the movie fare after all the anticipation, drama & disappointment? Did it live up to the expectation of the animated movie in 1992?

Beauty & The Beast Screening Postponed Indefinitely

Latest update from The Star, 14 March 2017

Apparently, the Censorship Board has approved Beauty & The Beast to be released in cinemas. It's unlikely the release will be as per original date, but at least it's not banned.

Disney fans, let's rejoice! There's no need to cry anymore.

This is so going to be my birthday movie :D

Logan

Seeing Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, donning the adamantium claws for the last time in Logan evokes many emotions. I have been watching him in character for 17 years since the first X-Men movie was released in 2000. And I must say, Jackman is one of the best portrayal of such iconic character from Marvel universe.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Donnie Yen in a Star Wars film?! It'll be wing chun overloaded~ Sorry guys, I got carried away with the fact that Asians were cast in one of the Star Wars films. Another Chinese actor, Jiang Wen was cast as Baze Malbus alongside Yen's Chirrut Imwe.

Let's be honest...I was anticipating this movie because of Yen & nothing else. The plot synopsis, as we were told, vaguely describes a rogue group that stole the blueprints of the Death Star. In short, Rogue One is a spin-off from the original Star Wars film set in between Episode III - Revenge of the Sith & Episode IV - A New Hope.

Dr Strange

Oh my...Benedict Cumberbatch taking on the role as the self-titled movie Dr Strange is bound to be an interesting one. I mean, who can actually contain the excitement upon hearing this news? *squeals*

Credit: ScreenRant

Suicide Squad

Marvel Studios has their own MCU & now DC Comics is joining in the bandwagon to create their own cinematic universe. Just because...

I tried to immerse myself into DC's cinematic universe by starting off with a reboot of Superman titled Man Of Steel. Unfortunately, it failed to impress me & I have covered a review about it previously. I decided to skip the next lineup, Batman vs Superman as I wasn't convinced with the new cast - the fact that Ben Affleck is the caped dark crusader bothers me.

Then along came Suicide Squad, which is an assemble of villainy characters in DC ala Avengers style. I didn't even consider this movie in my must-watch list but WL asked me to give this movie a chance. The casts include Will Smith & Jared Leto so it shouldn't be all that bad, I thought.

Credit: MoviePosterDB.com

Independence Day: Resurgence

Who would have expected that Independence Day will have a sequel 20 years later? Exactly two decades later, the Independence Day: Resurgence is scheduled to premiere on June 24.

Credits: MoviePosterDB.com

Captain America: Civil War | X-Men Apocalypse

After months of hectic weekends & a tensed final week, WL & I were finally able to take a breather after our wedding last week. And to be able to go for a movie marathon on a Saturday like we used to, gave us a sense of comfort.