VIEWERS SNARED IN THE WEB

This review was published in The West Australian dated Jul 4, 2017.

MOVIE
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Tom Holland, Michael Keaton
Director Jon Watts

Review Ray Chan

It’s hard to believe that this is the sixth instalment in the Spider-Man franchise .. not counting the disco era versions featuring Nicholas Hammond. And within those half dozen, we’ve already seen two other actors play the arachnoid super-hero: Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

    So you’d be forgiven for thinking that Homecoming is yet another stale reboot. But don’t pass this up for that reason, because it rocks with an originality and charm that snares you in its web, fittingly enough, right from the start with its jazzed-up rendition of the theme from the animated TV show.

    Tom Holland is perfectly cast as the squeaky-voiced young Peter Parker, plucky, naïve, lithe and supple, and newly minted as a reserve member of the Avengers. The production feels fresh and captures our hero the way the comic books originally intended him to be: a teenage hero, not ludicrously ripped nor absurdly handsome, with a sound moral compass battling the insecurities that come with puberty.

    It’s a refreshing change from the sort of arrogant geekiness portrayed by Maguire and Garfield, which made them less likeable characters.

    Peter’s origin story is wisely left out of the movie; who doesn’t know by now how he got his powers from a radioactive spider? Rather than insult the audience’s intelligence by showing yet another recap of that event, the storyline follows on in the wake of the civil war (Captain America) saga, when Spider-Man helped Iron Man and his band of heroes in resolving the conflict.

    He’s now chomping at the bit to be involved once again, but the call to action is long in coming, so he is restricted to battling crime as the friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, an affectionate nod to the term used oft in the comics.

    It’s not the only reference to the original series as envisioned by Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko … director Jo Watts takes great pains to ensure that Spider-Man’s various physical peculiarities – whether it’s dangling upside down, climbing up walls, crouching on knees, or shooting webs from stretched arms - are faithful copies of the postures as drawn in four-colour form.

    The main villain in the movie is played by Michael Keaton, who as city contractor Adrian Toomes, loses his gig cleaning up after one of the Avengers’ battles in New York. Seething over lost money and jobs for his team, he helps himself to some leftover extra-terrestrial technology in the debris and builds a winged suit to help him pull heists on various companies.

    The antagonist is based on Spidey’s comic book nemesis The Vulture, although Toomes is not named as such until the end of the film, where he is only referred to as a “vulture-like” person. For this reviewer, the exoskeleton is somewhat disappointing and resembles that of the Falcon’s. A more natural feathered ensemble, as depicted by Ditko, would have looked far more impressive.

    Spidey and Toomes are first involved when the latter splits the Staten Island Ferry in half, forcing Peter to try and save the passengers. He fails and requires the assistance of an Iron Man robot to render assistance, leading Stark to declare that Spidey is not yet fit to join the Avengers, and in turn encouraging the webslinger to continue his solo crimefighting.

    (Incidentally, most of the movie was shot in NSW and Victoria. One can only wonder if the ferry scene was filmed around Sydney harbour.)

    Dedicated fans will also enjoy the unexpected appearances of two other enemies, the Shocker and the Scorpion, and indeed they’re just among the many cameos that show up in the movie. Minor characters galore abound, from Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man, to Jon Favreau as Stark’s neurotic chauffeur Happy, to Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, to Chris Evans in a very amusing series of Captain America public service announcements.

    There’s one great moment of glory in this movie that long-time comic readers will savour. In the final showdown between the two, Toomes buries Spider-Man under piles of rubble. How he escapes from that predicament has long been hailed as the most iconic scene in the hero’s comic book history.

    Homecoming bears the signature light-comedic tone prevalent in offerings such as Deadpool and Guardians of the Galaxy, a treatment that meshes well with the overall much darker Marvel Cinematic Universe. It travels at a comfortable pace, not getting bogged down in endless scenes of devastation and destruction, while engaging the audience with moments of angst, wit and humour.

    Homecoming is truly the movie where Spider-Man finally comes home, raising hopes high for the inevitable sequel.

JIMMY FINDS HIS DAPPLED DREAM

This review appeared in The West Australian dated Jul 3, 2017.

CONCERT
Jimmy Webb
Perth Theatre Trust
Review Ray Chan

Make no mistake: Jimmy Webb is the USA’s greatest living songwriter.

    Wait, you say. Surely it’s Burt Bacharach? Not quite … while the prolific composer is rightly respected for his prodigious output and mellifluent melodies, he was not a lyricist.

    Webb, on the other hand, is the total package, giving us tantalising tunes with imaginative chord progressions, and words that have formed the soundtrack to many people’s lives.

    In one dizzying three-year spell in the 60s, he won a Grammy for his music while his hits for the likes of Glen Campbell, 5th Dimension and Richard Harris garnered the artists similar recognition. By the end of the flower power era, Webb was America’s hottest songsmith, with his works recorded by some of the greatest voices in the industry, including Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and Elvis Presley.

    A full house greeted Webb’s concert in Perth last week, where he took the appreciative audience on a magical tour without the mystery, dishing out a master class of songs and stories and winning them over with his style, smoothness and skills on the Steinway.

    Looking sprightly for someone who’s just turned 70, and with a voice that holds up remarkably well, Webb kicked off the set with Highwayman, the US country chart-topper he wrote for the supergroup which took its name from the song. In case you needed reminding, that outfit consisted of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings: plenary pedigree by any measure.

    Amusing anecdotes of encounters with Nelson and Jennings soon drifted to his adventures with Campbell, who transformed many of Webb’s pieces into major worldwide successes. Indeed, it was a connection that was almost as serendipitous as the thought was preposterous during young Webb’s life on a tractor, daydreaming on the family farm in Oklahoma.

    Campbell’s Turn Around, Look At Me had impressed Webb so much when he first heard it on the radio that he prayed of one day being able to have one of his compositions recorded by an artist with a similar silky five-octave range. Several years later, the fantasy was realised when Campbell chose to record Webb’s Galveston, perhaps the most classic of all anti-Vietnam songs.

    After the pair finally met, the chart smashes flowed : the iconic By The Time I Get To Phoenix, Wichita Lineman, Honey Come Back, Where’s The Playground, Susie. Campbell was proving to be Webb’s interpreter extraordinaire, as much as Dionne Warwick was for Bacharach.

    Campbell’s sad fall into Alzheimer’s has been well-documented, and poignantly, he released his final album just last month, featuring four of Webb’s songs including the lovely title track, Adios … a collaboration that is testament to the strong link that the singer and writer have forged over the decades.

    Listening to Webb vocalise and play his own works is refreshing. The 5th Dimension’s recording of Up, Up and Away had been rewarded with Grammys for best song and best group, and is a masterwork of pure pop, with its soaring top line providing the perfect imagery for the piece, balanced by a lovely counter melody that was brought into full effect on Webb’s keyboards.

    Interestingly, while the song charted highly in the US, it went all the way to No. 1 in Australia. Crafted as an innocent song about hot air ballooning, it had actually been the subject of a possible ban because censors had thought it referred to drug use. “It was the only song in the charts then which was NOT about drugs,” Webb recounted.

    In the 70s, Webb played a part in Art Garfunkel’s emergence as a solo artist, after his split from Paul Simon. The angelic All I Know became a major hit around the world, after Garfunkel, having exhausted Webb’s repertoire, asked for “something more yellow”.

    For this reviewer, the highlight of the show was Webb’s performance of Do What You Gotta Do, an album track so lilting that it had been covered by a veritable army of legends: the afore-mentioned Simone, Johnny Rivers, Al Wilson, Tom Jones, BJ Thomas and Bobby Vee, to name a few. In Malaysia, a version by local group The Strollers peaked on its charts.

    More recently, whole extracts from the song had been sampled for Kanye’s Famous, a Grammy-nominated release described by Time magazine as one of the best for 2016. Much to Webb’s chagrin, it was initially used without his knowledge; and even after gaining a 35 per cent publisher’s right in the song, his name was left out of a list of 12 others named as the songwriters at the Grammy awards.

    Webb’s magnum opus, of course, is MacArthur Park, which charted twice; firstly for Richard Harris in the 60s, then for Donna Summer a decade later. Summer’s disco rendition, strangely enough, was Webb’s first No 1 hit in the US.

    But it’s the Harris version, with its classical structure consisting of several movements, that has come to be regarded as definitive. It was a pleasure to watch Webb tickle the ivories as he performed the piece originally composed as an ode to the love of his life. Those at the show may not have been around to watch Gershwin play Rhapsody In Blue, but they can tell of the day they saw Webb play MacArthur Park.

    Didn’t We and a nice story involving Sinatra provided a fitting encore to the evening, Webb’s appearance being the last on the current Australian tour. He’d been here before in the 90s and told the audience of his desire to return once more. To use a phrase from Do What You Gotta Do, Webb continues to live out his dappled dream, and hopefully we’ll see him again in the future.

GHOSTBUSTERS IN SCARY MOVIE

This review was published in The West Australian dated Jun 15, 2017.

MOVIE
The Conjuring 2
Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga
Director James Wan

Review Ray Chan

In this day and age, seasoned critics and even not-so-jaded moviegoers will find it hard to be genuinely terrified by horror offerings. With many of the current generation having grown up with zombies, vampires, scary monsters and other super creeps on the TV screen and in video games, the use of rubber masks and prosthetics, no matter how gory or demonic they may appear, just doesn’t cut it anymore.

    And so it falls on directors to resort to familiar old-school scares and suspense-laden scenes to impart any sort of effective shock treatment, and in this regard, Australian director James Wan certainly excels, with his latest effort providing genuine moments of fright so that the audience keeps investing in the storyline.

    The Conjuring 2 brings back the paranormal team of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), who have been in semi-retirement after investigating several high-profile cases, including the Rhode Island haunting upon which the first movie was based.

    Such is their fame that a new suspected disturbance in England brings forth a call for their services, much to the dismay of Lorraine, who has had recent visions of her husband’s death while hunting demons.

    They travel to the small town of Enfield, where Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor), struggling to maintain a home as a single mother of four children, finds further discomfiture when the ghost of an old man begins to terrorise the residence. The demonic presence specifically targets her youngest daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe), who is subject to a wide variety of terrors – ranging from waking up in the living room instead of her bed, to being physically attacked and bitten.

    Wan, already renowned for his various horror movie franchises, certainly reminds us why the genre has been his home for so many years, with the camera rarely kept stagnant, and the audience constantly fearing what may be lurking just beyond the range of the lens.

    And there is muted light to complement the darkness of the storyline, something missing from the initial movie. Whether it’s Janet’s teacher bumming a smoke, Peggy’s put-downs of her ex-husband, or Ed entertaining the kids with an Elvis tune on the guitar, these little passages provide welcome relief and, in effect, almost work to lull the audience into false comfort before being subjected to the next big surprise.

    Wan also brings a new dimension of emotion to this movie, by exploring the romantic bond between the Warrens, and also the familial bonding of the Hodgsons. In the end, the audience can’t help but root for these protagonists as they strive to exorcise the spirits, while hoping that Lorraine’s premonition doesn’t come true.

    The Conjuring 2 demonstrates incredible potential for a possible emerging franchise – particularly when you consider that the Warrens have claimed that their career together as investigators spanned more than 10,000 cases.

    If this sequel is anything to go by, that is a mouth-watering notion. This tense and yes, scary, movie surpasses its flaws with excellent performances, a solid story, and great technique.

WONDER WOMAN IS A MARVEL

MOVIE
Wonder Woman
Gal Gadot, Chris Pine
Director Patti Jenkins
Review Ray Chan

WONDER Woman just might be the hero(ine) who saves the faltering DC Extended Universe from self-imposed destruction.
    In the first live-action take on the character since Lynda Carter in the 1970s, Gal Gadot shimmers lustrously as she takes on the title role - a pleasant surprise indeed, given the poor reception to the three preceding big hero productions: Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad.
    After initially appearing during Batman v Superman, the Amazonian now gets her own origin movie, which takes us back to the start of the 20th century, when a young Diana is still living on her secret island home with a civilisation of female warriors who spend their days training for battle in the event of an invasion or the return of their sworn enemy, the Olympian deity Ares.
    Events take a turn as World War I dawns, when US spy Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), pursued by a detachment of German sailors, crashes his plane just off the island’s coast.
    The Amazonians suspect the influence of Ares driving the world into turmoil, so Diana travels to the Western front with Trevor to try to end the fighting: him by destroying a poison gas factory, her by slaying the god of war. 
    Ultimately, what makes the difference between this movie and others of a similar ilk - but where the lead characters are grim and bereft of emotions - is Gadot's performance.
    The exotic starlet is a treat both in appearance and accent, exemplifying her stature as a 'foreigner'; and her intensive martial arts training and previous experience as a soldier in the Israeli military combine to make her look every inch the formidable warrior on screen, a presence embellished by her outstanding acting.
    Exuding wide-eyed compassion and empathy, she is passionate about peace and loathes conflict, but she can still kick arse if she has to.
    The action sequences are grandiose, especially one in which Wonder Woman ploughs fearlessly into a meat-grinder that has killed many mortals.
    Fans will be happy that director Patty Jenkins (a director of some pedigree, having guided Charlize Theron to an Oscar win) has retained the obligatory bullets and bracelets scenes, but they’re so much more enjoyable to watch thanks to the artful use of slow-motion and impressive camerawork and fight choreography.
    The only significant flaw is one that is common to the vast majority of these comic book yarns.
    After about two hours of smooth action and exposition, the end buckles under the weight of CGI overkill, with yet another battle royale that wears out its welcome.
    But overall, Wonder Woman is an exciting and empowering film that proves it’s not only DC’s competition which can produce ‘Marvel’ous superhero fare.

#wonderwoman

RETRO HITS FOR CURRENT HIT

This review was published in The West Australian dated May 3, 2017.

MOVIE
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The Guardians: Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Baby Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Rocket Racoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper)
Director James Gunn

Review Ray Chan

With the enormous success of the first Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG) movie, you can’t blame the moviemakers for sticking to the same formula of irascible humour and frenzied action in the much-anticipated sequel.

    The film boasts a prodigious chunk of both eye and ear candy, with returning director and co-writer James Gunn once again delving into his box of musical mementos from the 60s, 70s and 80s to serve as the soundtrack.

    This combination of well-crafted sequences and retro hits is demonstrated none more spectacularly than in the opening scene, when the team of five quarrelsome heroes take on an octopoid creature intent on attacking the world run by a race called The Sovereign, whom the guardians have been hired to protect, all to the background of ELO’s ‘Mr Blue Sky’.

    Despite defeating the alien, the group incurs the wrath of The Sovereign when the opportunist Rocket Raccoon decides to steal the very batteries the alien had aimed to acquire.

    Thus on the run again, the Guardians end up on a distant planet, deliberately lured there by celestial being Ego (Kurt Russell), who eventually reveals himself to be the father of Peter ‘Star-Lord’ Quill.

    Meanwhile, the harangued and hapless leader of The Sovereign, Ayesha, played wonderfully by Elizabeth Debicki, employs old Guardians adversary Yondu (Michael Rooker) and his band of mercenaries to capture our heroes. The dart-wielding buccaneer, who manages to capture Rocket and the sapling-sized baby Groot, is in turn betrayed by one of his lieutenants .

    Somewhat predictably, Ego is not the altruistic totem he claims to be, and it takes his pet empath, Mantis, to warn Peter and the team just as Rocket, Yondu, and Groot arrive, having teamed up to escape their prison, resulting in an all-out battle with both Ego and drones from the persistent Sovereign troops.

    In between the major confrontations are several episodes which help flesh out the movie further, such as Mantis’ readings of Peter’s affection for Gamora, Drax’s increasing acceptance of the team as a surrogate family to replace the one he lost to the villain Thanos, and Gamora’s conflict in dealing with her estranged sister Nebula.

    Indeed, family is a key theme of the storyline, with Peter coming to grips with finally finding his father, only to discover a more patriarchial link with another. The climax results in the sacrifice of one character in a moment sure to bring a tear to even the most jaded eye.

    Yet while the new film is clearly more expansive, more beautiful, and conveys a deeper insight into the characters, the level of intentional humour it employs can be jarring for some.

    The portrayal of Ayesha, in particular, is so over-the-top that moviegoers could be forgiven for thinking that GOTG2 is more of a comedy than a serious action offering.

    The credits are replete with teasers for the next instalment of GOTG, so make sure you stay till the very end. Comic book fans who are well-versed in the history of the Guardians will no doubt be thrilled at the possible inclusion of the original incarnation and the introduction of cosmic entity Adam Warlock.

    The obligatory Stan Lee cameo is perhaps the most significant of all his appearances in the various Marvel movies. Cast among a group of beings called The Watchers – whose sole purpose is to watch and record events throughout the universe – Stan references his previous characters, inferring that, perhaps, he has been portraying a Watcher in disguise all this time.

SCARY AS ALL GET-OUT

MOVIE
Get Out
Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams
Director Jordan Peele
Review Ray Chan

In Get Out, Daniel Kaluuya stars as Chris, a 26-year-old black man ill at ease about travelling to meet the parents of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage(Allison Williams). She assures him that he has nothing to worry about because “they are not racist”. 
    But from the moment Rose’s dad (Bradley Whitford) greets him, Chris feels uncomfortable in the remote house, where the behaviour of the help doesn't make him feel any better. When not busy with chores, the groundskeeper (Marcus Henderson) runs at top speed around the estate, while the eerily obedient black maid (Betty Gabriel)  wastes long hours gazing at her own reflection — zombie-like behaviors whose significance will eventually be revealed, but strike Chris as more than a little unsettling.
    Equally unnerving are Chris’ hyper-polite interactions with Mr and Mrs Armitage, who pretend not to notice their guest’s skin colour, while secretly congratulating themselves on how accepting they are, as when Rose’s father shares how proud he is that his dad ran alongside Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics — clearly not an opinion he would feel compelled to share if Chris were white. Despite his misgivings, Chris is obliged to smile and nod.
    Each ensuing interaction escalates his discomfiture, culminating in an awkward party with the family’s all-white group of friends and a lone black man who is acting strangely. Chris second guesses himself, not sure if he's paranoid or whether there's danger lurking for him on the grounds of the isolated, seemingly perfect residence.
    It’s not until Chris awakens to find himself officially held captive that the movie finally starts to really feel like a horror production. By this point, audiences have come to realise whom Chris must overcome to “get out”, and that struggle is pitched at such a degree that audiences will cheer as he gorily eliminates the white people who stand in his way. A payback for the minority?
    Make no mistake, Get Out is a fright movie but with nicely-executed layers. It's not above an effective jump scare, but those are scattered amidst a mood of growing unease abetted by the cinematography and direction. 
    The actual terror lies in the echoes of the real world presented on screen. The culture that created them is far too prevalent and feels more evident than ever even in this present age of supposed enlightenment. 
    For all its heavy themes and moments of discomfort, Get Out has a surprisingly light touch, thanks to first-time director Jordan Peele's work as both director and screenwriter, all the more impressive considering his origins as a comedian.
    Movies with this serious a message about race are rarely fun to watch, but Peele has a perfect handle on tone, knowing just when to lean toward menace or mirth and when to tip things in another direction. 
    The movie is replete with metaphors and visual cues, and is thus satisfying to watch over and again just to see if we can spot them all. To reveal them here would spoil the movie for those yet to watch it, but suffice to say that these include the eating of Froot Loops and separating them from the milk (a clear reference to race segregation), the picking of cotton to symbolise slavery, the use of a silver spoon to depict wealth and privilege, and the use of colours to represent the American flag.
    Ultimately, by revealing how the ruling majority gives freedoms which can just as easily be taken away, Peele seizes upon more than just a scary horror movie premise; he exposes a reality in which African-Americans can never breathe easy. 

#getoutmovie

GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN

This review was published in The West Australian dated April 15, 2017.

CONCERT
Cyndi Lauper and Blondie
Kings Park Day On The Green
Review Ray Chan

The crowds turned up early for this spectacle at Kings Park, but with all due respect to the opening acts of Alex Lahey and long-running Sydney band The Clouds, it was simply to snag a parking space and find the best seats possible on the picturesque grounds.

    Most were prepared to wait three hours before experiencing what they really came to see: the American dynamic duo of iconic band Blondie and wacky wild child Cyndi Lauper.

    Such was their influence on popular music that many of the 6000-strong audience flew in or drove up from regional areas to party with the city slickers, and they were not disappointed.

    The 71-year-old Deborah Harry got the main presentation under way with two early Blondie trademarks, One Way or Another and Hanging On The Telephone. Harry certainly doesn’t look her age, and did well to bop around and hold a tune, despite the occasional stumble.

    Interestingly, apart from Harry, two of the original band members were also present on stage: founding guitarist Chris Stein (who wrote many of Blondie’s hits) and the talented Clem Burke on drums.

    Blondie have never forgotten how they owe their fame to Australia, having been discovered while debuting In The Flesh on Countdown. The song was played against the backdrop of that TV performance, which portrayed a young Harry, Stein and Burke during their new wave era.

    The golden oldies flowed on, Harry not missing a beat on the lyrics to Rapture, one of the earliest rap tunes to make the charts, which then seamed into a surprise rendition of the Beastie Boys’ Fight For Your Right To Party.

    Interspersed with the familiar songs were six new ones from their soon-to-be-released album Pollinator, dedicated to the preservation of honey bees. Playing fresh songs can be a risky decision for any band, but the gamble paid off as the crowds showed appreciation and no signs of restlessness; indeed, a couple of the new offerings would make worthy additions to the Blondie catalogue of hits.

    The finale of Heart of Glass was a true highlight, prompting a racuous singalong, capped off by their rendition of Dreaming in the encore, and getting the fans well and truly buzzed up for the appearance of Lauper.

    It’s strange to think of the eccentric Queens-accented singer as anything more than the fresh-faced pop star with frizzy coloured hair who gave us the She’s So Unusual album, yet here she was in her 60s, belting out the songs in the characteristic high-pitched timbre that seemed unaffected by the years.

    It’s fair to say that while Blondie secured more chart hits overall but played only a smattering in their set, Lauper produced just about her entire repertoire of chart successes on the night, delighting one and all.

    From I Drove All Night and She Bop to Time After Time and True Colours, Lauper gave her all on each song, oft times messing with the arrangements to create a fresher sound, exemplified best on a showstopping version of Money Changes Everything. There was even the inclusion of the theme song from cult movie favourite The Goonies, which Lauper co-wrote.

    The artist also showcased her skills at tackling different genres by performing several numbers from her recent album of country covers, including Patsy Cline’s Walking After Midnight and Skeeter Davies’ End Of The World. But it’s the pop sound Lauper is most renowned for, and the song they all came to hear, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, was performed with suitable gusto, with thousands of happy little feet stamping their appreciation on the green.

    In short, while Blondie had the crowd in raptures, Lauper just wanted to have fun, both acts ensuring everyone went home on a high.

NEW LOOK FOR TALE AS OLD AS TIME

This review was published in The West Australian dated Mar 23, 2017.

MOVIE
Beauty and the Beast
Emma Watson, Dan Stewart
Director Bill Condon

Review Ray Chan

When Disney made a live action version of Alice in Wonderland in 2010, little did the studio realise the floodgates it would be opening.

    Since then, three more of its animated movies have made the transition – Malificent, Cinderella and Jungle Book – and the cinematic progression of these creations from one to the next has been clear to witness, as the waters were tested with original stories at first, to gradually incorporating various elements and music from the classic cartoons.

    With Beauty and the Beast, it seems the evolution has reached its final stage, with the movie basically a complete and faithful live action remake of its 1991 Oscar-nominated animated namesake.

    From Belle (Emma Watson)’s energetic walk through the village to Gaston’s amusing narcissistic ode, from the show-stopping dinner table theatrics to the moving ballads of love, all the musical sequences audiences have associated and loved with the feature are included, and performed with grandiose, gusto and grace. 

    The film is also embellished with some extra insight into various characters, in particular Belle’s father, played by Kevin Kline, whose character is fleshed out with an interesting backstory that adds some drama to the fairy tale. Josh Gad endears himself to the audience as Gaston’s sidekick LeFou, who, as everyone has no doubt heard by now, has been cast as an openly gay character. 

    But it’s a progressive change that doesn’t hurt the overall narrative, serving instead to reflect modern society, as much so as the couple of mixed-race relationships shown among some of the major supporting players, which were also absent from the original. Disney has always promoted tolerance and love, and it is ironic that in conveying this message, the studio has suffered criticism from viewers who hang on steadfastly to outdated conservative beliefs.

    If you know the score by heart, you’ll no doubt sing along heartily as cast go through the entire songbook (although Watson’s voice sounds a little weak at times). As a bonus, award-winning composer Alan Menken has been brought back to create some new songs for the movie, and they’re every bit as haunting and charming as the ones he wrote in 1991. Menken’s penmanship harkens back to the days when melody was king in the Disney studios, unlike some of the pieces commissioned for the later Disney offerings.

    As for the beast himself, Dan Stevens plays him with aplomb, his emotions flitting between rage, fear, remorse and sincerity. The CGI effects portray him convincingly as the hirsute, bovine creature that becomes the eventual recipient of Belle’s love, but they are most convincing in bringing to life the huge number of inanimate objects in the story. 

    This movie illuminates rather than tarnishes the legacy, but one wonders how much more wondrous it could have been had it been made in this form initially, thereby avoiding inevitable comparisons between the two adaptations. It’s a lovely musical in its own right, one which rejuvenates and refreshes a tale as old as time for newer audiences.

@beourguest 

A CLAW ABOVE THE REST

This review was published in The West Australian dated Mar 2, 2017.

MOVIE
Logan
Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart
Director James Mangold

Review Ray Chan

You have to take your hat off to the producers for having the chutzpah to make this film.

    Billed as the last Logan movie, it could have so easily gone awry had the premise not been treated with the respect it deserved. Can you imagine a movie about the death of Superman or the final days of the USS Enterprise? 

    The demise of legends never goes down well with fans, and movie studios need to tread warily when venturing into such territory.

    Logan takes place in 2029, when the mutant population has shrunk significantly and the X-Men have disbanded. No new mutants have been born in more than two decades, and as their numbers dwindled, X-Men founder Charles Xavier's dreams of a new stage in evolution has slowly died.

    A weary Logan, played with aplomb by Hugh Jackman, has surrendered himself to alcohol, and lives in a remote, makeshift hideout which he shares with fellow mutant Caliban, nursemaid to the ailing and infirm Xavier. In addition, Logan's power to self-heal is dwindling; fading as he has aged, with his face and body being scarred from past injuries and battles.

    Logan’s path eventually crosses that of 11-year-old Laura, a product of a company named Transigen, which had been breeding children with mutant DNA samples to create their own super-powered team. He is persuaded to return Laura to her cohorts, all of whom escaped the laboratory and are now in a safe haven somewhere in North Dakota. Logan takes Xavier along on this mission as a team known as the Reavers attempt to abduct Laura back into the Transigen camp.

    Jackman has claimed many times that this would be the last time he would play the Wolverine, and it is a damn fine way to go out. Director James Mangold absolutely delivers with what is a brutal film on both a violent and emotional level. 

    This film holds nothing back when it comes to blood, sweat and tears, with several moments that’ll leave you either recoiling in horror or bawling your eyes out. Despite the fact that the action seen in this film is probably the best and grisliest we’ve seen in an X-Men movie, where this movie succeeds most is in its character-driven story full of pathos, vulnerability and uncertainty.

    Patrick Stewart is wonderful as he gives a heartbreaking final portrayal as Xavier, who’s now become something of a tragic character, yet is still trying to cling on to any shred of hope and optimism. When he meets his somewhat unexpected fate in the movie, the audience will be both shocked and saddened.

    Coming close to stealing the movie from Jackman and Stewart is Dafne Keen, who excels in every scene as the frightened yet steel-willed Laura. Bred from Logan’s DNA, Laura rightly considers Logan her father, and the deeply poignant connection between the two comes to another tear-jerking head at the movie’s conclusion.

    Logan succeeds on every level in delivering the Wolverine film we’ve all been waiting for, as we bid farewell to two beloved characters that were introduced at a time when superhero movies were just starting to get their foot into modern cinema. 

    This is, in my mind, the best super-hero ever made, and one even worthy of an Academy Award nomination.

CLASS FOR THE CLASSES

This review was published in The West Australian dated Mar 2, 2017.

CONCERT
Adele
Review Ray Chan

It says much for the appeal of music sensation Adele that fans flocked to Perth from the length and breadth of the state to attend possibly the blockbuster live act show of the year. Farmers even gave up a day (or two) of life on the paddocks to make the sojourn, while FIFO workers had long ago already rescheduled their rosters to ensure they could attend.

    Imagine a turnout about a fifth of what you’d get at the annual Skyworks show in the city, cramming into Domain stadium. The expected size of the crowd dominated the news events for days preceding the event, even forcing the transport authorities to issue warnings of traffic gridlocks in the lead-up to the spectacle. As Adele herself asked at the concert, “was there no other news in Perth?”

    The universal popularity of the British songstress was evidenced by the make-up of the audience: hip young things mingled with ladies and gents dressed in their formal best, with the age gap ranging from seniors in wheelchairs and walking frames to children barely able to walk. ‘Tis a curious thing indeed that she appeals to all generations, for Adele’s music, by her own admission, can be “terribly depressing” … but fans have obviously overlooked that in favour of her glorious voice and heart-tugging lyrics, while families are willing to forgive the odd profanity or two from a performer who cannot help but win over crowds with her charm, self-effacing commentary and hilarious Cockney banter.

    Adele’s Hello has not only provided the singer with a massive worldwide hit, but also given her the perfect song to open up any of her shows. And so it was at Subiaco, where fans erupted as the familiar refrains echoed clear as crystal, with Adele emerging from the specially-built stage spectacularly adorned in sequins which glittered like diamonds.

    The second song, Hometown Glory, endeared her even more to the crowd, as the wraparound video screens, initially showing shots of Adele’s birthplace, morphed into images of several Perth landmarks ... a nice touch which raised the noise appreciation department up a notch.

    From there, it was a virtually flawless performance, as Adele sailed through her repertoire of hits and favourite songs, including cover versions of Alison Krauss’ Don’t You Remember, and Dylan’s Make You Feel My Love, a piece that, while recorded by numerous other artists, has now become recognised as Adele’s own as much as its composer’s.

    The upbeat I’ll Be Waiting and Rumour Has It provided a nice counter balance to the slower ballads and torch songs, while the James Bond theme Skyfall was a standout, backed by outstanding screen visuals and a male choir.

    The entertainment factor was well-orchestrated and a feather in the cap for the team behind it (including Adele herself, no doubt). In between songs, fans were constantly engaged by a mixture of small talk, ad libs, audience participation – including an impromptu encounter with an Adele impersonator – and a round of souvenir slingshot as the singer fired shirts through a cannon to four lucky members of the crowd.

    Adele came back strongly after the encore break, which was highlighted by an amusing American-inspired Kiss Cam live video feed of various fans, with Rolling In The Deep getting everyone rocking in the stands, and the emotionally-charged Someone Like You rousing a feel-good singalong at the singer’s encouragement.

    Mention should be made of the gigantic, specially constructed theatre in the round, which offered the various bells and whistles that enhanced the experience to a prodigious level. The sound system was near faultless, projecting Adele’s voice loud and clear to near and far, while the 360-degree screens offered everyone a chance to not only view Adele close-up, but also the various videos made for the songs, many of which were shot exclusively for the show. 

    The stage was big enough to shine the spotlight on Adele when needed, and to allow her to walk around the circle to meet and greet her fans. There were launchers in place to puff out smoke for theatricality when needed, while those in the closer seats were treated to huge sprays of confetti, which included hand-written lyrics from Adele.

    Fireworks were even initially planned for the show, but rejected for safety reasons after Adele’s son caught some debris in his eye during a pyrotechnics trial run. But you know what? No fireworks were needed, as the singer provided more than enough of her own, sending thousands home delirious but despairing that Adele is unlikely to venture on a tour of this magnitude again. 

SETLIST

Hello

Hometown Glory

One and Only

I'll Be Waiting

Rumour Has It

Water Under the Bridge

I Miss You

Skyfall

Don't You Remember

Make You Feel My Love

Send My Love (to Your New Lover)

Sweetest Devotion

Chasing Pavements

Take It All 

Set Fire to the Rain

When We Were Young

Rolling in the Deep

Someone Like You

GREAT WALL OF FIRE

This review was published in The West Australian dated Feb 20, 2017.

MOVIE
The Great Wall
Matt Damon, Tian Jing
Director Zhang Yimou

Review Ray Chan

The Great Wall is an encouraging start to what seems to be a new era of Chinese-Hollywood epics, with the US movie house long keen to court China’s massive viewing market.

    Steered by renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou and backed by Chinese-owned Hollywood studio Legendary, it features a cast that includes many Chinese A-listers as well as Matt Damon, recruited to bring some pedigree to the project, and is so far the most expensive movie ever made in China.

    It seems somehow fitting that, given the film’s genesis, that the story centres on China’s relationship with foreigners. Western mercenaries William Garin (Damon) and Pero Tovar (Pedro Pascal) unwittingly stumble upon the huge man-made structure after fleeing a group of adversarial tribesmen, only to be greeted by an enormous army flanked along the wall.

    The Chinese troops, called the Nameless Order, are quickly suspicious of the strangers, but their lives are spared after the army’s chief scientist spots a severed green-skinned arm among Garin’s paraphernalia, procured after a deadly battle the night before which claimed the lives of three of Garin’s teammates.

    It transpires that the appendage belongs to a Tao Tei, a flesh-eating monster whose herd scales the Great Wall every 60 years to feed.

    Encouraged by the possibility that Garin bears the key to defeating the Tao Tei, the Chinese gradually welcome him into the fold, a concession aided by Garin’s own impressive skills at archery. But all is not as it seems, for Garin’s and Tovar’s original mission had been to infiltrate the Chinese lands to steal the precious gunpowder found there.

    The cultural differences are stark. The foreigners provide occasional comic relief as they fight among themselves and plot their escape with the magic black powder, while the Chinese are nothing but stoic, humourless and disciplined and dedicated to their cause.

    As it turns out, Garin and friend have appeared just as the Tao Tei launch their 60-year assault. The duo have no option but to help out the army in fighting the monsters, and after successfully warding off the attacks, are treated even more like heroes.

    But in doing so, Garin discovers the good within his own self. Humbled by the culture of these new peoples, he develops a kinship with them and, as the Commander Lin (Jing Tian) explains, a special “trust”.

    The plot is straightforward with nary a twist and turn. A fledgling romance between Garin and Li is hinted at, but never expanded upon. This is, after all, a “respectful” movie aimed at Chinese audiences, to which it certainly plays up, with grandiose depictions of Chinese militaria, including catapulting fireballs, hula-hooped bungee-jumping female warriors, giant hot air balloons and enormous scythes which emerge from the wall.

    Zhang’s artistic touch is clearly on display in his long panoramic sweeps and artful use of colour to depict this mix of historic and futuristic inventions. The visual spectacle undoubtedly helps carry much of the film, the highlight being a beautiful shot of traditional sky lanterns at one character’s funeral.

    As the Chinese eventually discover, the Tao Teis’ initial retreat was merely a ruse, and they return for a climactic battle in which Garin plays his part, while his partner instead chooses to flee with some of the gunpowder heisted from the inner chambers.

    The Great Wall is basically a no-nonsense special effects extravaganza with plenty of adventure. But does that necessarily lower its value? A movie does not need to be deep and meaningful for it to be enjoyable.

    On a closing note, viewers could be forgiven for feeling the movie’s name must be a metaphor of some kind. Could the moral of the story be a pointed observation on the influence of foreign values on Chinese society? Is it about East and West working together for the general good, with collectivism winning out over individualism? Or, perhaps, it’s simply a tribute to the way China and Hollywood have overcome obstacles to collaborate on the movie.