zane_ibrahim Reviews

Film Fest (2020)

I honestly don't understand the low score

[9/10 · 15 July 2021]

Seriously, 5/10 as at July, 2021. Wtf?

I don't recall who recommended this film to me, and I had no expectations whatsoever.

I was captivated by it from the get go. I was so enthralled by the plot and performances, the balance of comedy and drama - yet I wouldn't call it a dramedy.

I think it was such a simple premise, magnicifently crafted and with some great acting. The emotional turmoil of getting their film off the ground; these flawed characters who strove for perfection in their art... it all spoke volumes to me.

I'm sure the low ratings must have been left by viewers who had a different expectation of the film, or just didn't connect with it for whatever reason. But that's their loss.

I'll definitely watch it again.

Vicious Fun (2020)

Great throwback to 80s slashers

[8/10 · 13 July 2021]

I really enjoyed this. It was a great homage to 80s slasher films and the story was good. It built tension and had some funny moments too... the main character's performance was especially a lot of fun - I felt his timing, mannerisms and nuances were on point and I definitely wanna see more of his work.

Amber Goldfarb as well did a great job and was also great to watch.

And the soundtrack! Wow... I loved every moment of it... was reminiscent of early John Carpenter and was a prominent feature in the movie. Even the sets and lighting... it all just worked.

Recommend!

Metallica & San Francisco Symphony - S&M2 (2019)

How do they still sound this good?!

[10/10 · 13 October 2019]

It's simple. This is Metallica. The biggest, most badass band around.

It has been 20 years since the release of Symphony and Metallica, and now we see the band going for round 2 with the San Francisco Symphony. Of course, Michael Kamen sadly passed away in 2003 (has it really been so many years already?) and we see conductor Edwin Outwater at the helm, with special appearances by legendary SF Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

I wasn't sure what to expect. Were they just redoing the original setlist? Would they play some different material? And would they still sound as good, twenty years later? Oh my God, yes! They sound just as good, and at times even better! James' vocals have not changed a bit and in many cases, he sounds even better than ever.

I loved that they played some of the better songs from the '99 performance, but also played some of their new stuff. My favourite song from '99 was always The Outlaw Torn - I just loved James' vocals on this - so I LOVED that they chose to do it again for S&M2.

The tribute to Cliff Burton gave me goosebumps. Wow. And don't get me started on the rendition of Unforgiven III. Truly amazing. The symphony even gets a chance to shine on it's own with a "rock-free" performance. Truly, S&M2 offers everything. I can't wait to own a copy of this and watch the two back to back.

Twenty years on and their music hasn't aged a day.

Kidding (2018–2020)

Here we go again

[1/10 · 19 February 2019]

I love Jim Carrey, and I have been a fan of his work since In Living Color. I'm particularly fond of his serious roles and I think he is such a great actor. I was excited to see him returning to what he does best, and in a series, no less.

Started the show and was enjoying the direction it was taking. Until the mandatory gayness occurred, that is. The scene where the male asian neighbour ends up jerking off his married 'straight' neighbour. Add to that the scene where the two male puppeteers are having sex inside the giant animal costume. Why? Why oh why do we have to put up with this constant barrage of homosexuality in TV nowadays? To appeal to an audience that's what.. 2% of the total population? Or is there something else at play here?

Sorry, Jim. I love your work, I really do. But I don't understand TV anymore. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why your otherwise good show took such a drastic turn.

Tower Heist (2011)

Stiller... Murphy... Ratner... What went wrong?

[5/10 · 2 January 2012]

From the moment I saw the advertising of Tower Heist, I was filled with a little excitement. Apart from the fact that I have always enjoyed Ben Stiller's comedies (well, except for Little Fockers), and the fact that Brett Ratner, the director behind the hilarious Rush Hour trilogy was directing this movie; I think what myself and many other people particularly anticipated was the return of Eddie Murphy to an all-star line-up in a blockbuster comedy film.

Maybe this was going to be Eddie Murphy's comeback. You know the Eddie Murphy I'm referring to. The smooth, clever, all-out funny man from the 80s and very early 90s. Maybe the good old Eddie Murphy was back - maybe even with the guidance of the director, Brett Ratner.

Not so.

It seems that for the last 10-15 years... perhaps ever since the sensationally funny, fast-talking, high pitch-voiced Chris Tucker graced movies such as Friday, Money Talks, and of course, the Rush Hour trilogy; Eddie Murphy decided that this style of comedy was the future of his comedy. Because it seems that time and time again, all he seems to do is mimic the style of Chris Tucker (who this reviewer simply misses seeing on the silver screen).

Simply put: Eddie Murphy is no longer Eddie Murphy. He has not been for a long, long time.

In fact, I don't ever recall Murphy employing this fast-talking slang style in his older movies. Not in the Beverly Hills Cop movies, nor in the awesome Trading Places movie, or even in the underrated Boomerang movie. He was once suave, charismatic and often cheeky. What happened?

Perhaps the fault lies with the director, Brett Ratner. Perhaps deep down he really wanted the great, yet evasive Chris Tucker for the role of Slide. Or perhaps he was unable to get the most out of Murphy. Sadly, I believe the nail is in the coffin of the career of the once-great Eddie Murphy.

As for the movie itself, it was rather average. Tower Heist, is the story of the staff of an expensive and prestigious serviced apartment building in New York who are swindled out of their pension fund by the tower owner, billionaire tycoon Arthur Shaw, played by Alan Alda. Upon realising that his mentor and role model deliberately cheated the staff out of their funds, Josh Kovacks (Stiller), with the help of Slide (Murphy), a petty thief from Josh's neighbourhood, and a few other staff members (including Casey Affleck whose talents are also wasted in this film) plot to steal $20 million dollars from Shaw, to compensate all the staff at 'The Tower'.

Now, given that these low-wage working class citizens are by no means thieves (except for the barely experienced Slide), we, the audience, are not meant to expect the likes of an Ocean's Eleven style robbery.

This is where the comedy is meant to lie - in the inexperience of the characters in the face of such an impossible task. This movie had so much potential to deliver the laughs, but it falls short time and time again. You're hit with scene after scene where the punchlines just don't have, well, the 'punch'. My overwhelming feeling with this movie was that the timing was just off.

I can't fault Ben Stiller. He is a good actor and comedian, but I feel that Ratner could've gotten more out of him in this movie. It just didn't happen.

All in all, this movie was Okay. It really wasn't worth the ticket price. Maybe wait for the DVD. Maybe. Just don't wait for good old Eddie Murphy to reappear any time soon.

The Truman Show (1998)

Underrated movie as a result of bad timing...

[10/10 · 25 January 2007]

The Truman Show was released straight after Jim Carrey had come out with funny movies like Ace Ventura, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber and Liar Liar - all basically back to back. I recall TTS being marketed as just another funny Jim Carrey movie and for this reason, and the fact that his previous popular movies were all very comical, general expectations were that it was the next laugh-out-loud Carrey movie with his unique style of pulling faces and elastic slap stick style comedy. I must say I didn't enjoy this movie so much when I first saw it in the cinema because I didn't appreciate the concept. I was also a teenager looking for the usual fun and laughs from watching a Carrey movie. But after having watched Carrey films that followed, such as Man on the Moon, The Majestic (a personal favourite) and Eternal Sunshine for the Spotless Mind, I appreciate what a fantastic actor the man is. His ability to play funny man is matched in his ability to be taken seriously. He should've had an Oscar in his hand ages ago, particularly for his performance in The Truman Show. I strongly believe that had this movie been released within the last couple of years, in the age of reality TV where more people would understand and relate to the concept, it would've received the appreciation it deserves and Carrey would've been nominated for an academy award. At the very least.