The Last Days of Emma Blank

What would you do if you know that you were dying soon? And how would you spend your last days?

Emma Blank is dying. Everyone in her family knows it. This particularly dying woman is one nasty mistress who is hard to please, demanding and maniac! She forces of husband to be the butler, daughter as maid, sister as cook, nephew as gardener and elder brother as a dog.

As the plot thickens, the comedy reveals an extremely dark and dysfunctional family. The servants eventually turn against Emma after discovering that there is no inheritance for them. They ignore her outrageous demands and plot to hasten her death.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. Dark as it may be, the movie is definitely hilarious and mind-boggling. You can't help feeling sad for Emma Blank and yet rejoice at the triumph against such tyrant. A mind twister which is not suitable for the faint-hearted who cannot appreciate harsh humour.

Ip Man and Ip Man 2

I have finally (yes, finally) done an Ip Man marathon. Wee...! I watched Ip Man and Ip Man 2.

Ip Man tells the story of the martial master himself, Ip Man, during his days in Foshan. The young and wealthy Ip Man is highly regarded by local martial masters but he remains humble and low profile. During the Japanese Occupation, a Japanese General challenges Ip Man to a public duel, which results in his subsequent escape to Hong Kong.

Ip Man 2 continues with the life story of Ip Man. He starts a school to teach Wing Chun and unintentionally incurs the wrath of the local masters in Hong Kong. His unassuming manner and perseverance eventually won him support from local master and the Chinese community.

Rating: 4 out of 5 fairy clouds. The martial art is quite the captivating highlight of both movies. The movies certainly will invigorate and inspire you to learn the art. But the Bruce Lee ending in Ip Man 2 is rather cheesy for me.

The Tourist

After a week of working hard, I decided to pamper myself with a movie this afternoon. I have picked The Tourist for this weekend.

Alexander Pearce is a wanted man in 14 countries and also the lover of Elise Ward. For 2 years, Elise leads a routine lifestyle until one day, she receives a letter from Alexander to board the train to Venice, Italy.

On the train, she meets an American tourist, Frank Tupelo. As part of the plan to mislead the Interpol and Scotland yard officers who are hot on her trail, she deliberately includes Frank on her journey, only to discover at the end that Frank is Alexander.

The thriller did not offer me much thrill, nor could I sense any spark between Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. While she still looks stunning, I can't help noticing that she seems to have aged quite a lot.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 fairy clouds. Visually speaking, the movie has a beautiful backdrop of Venice. Beyond that, storyline gets more predictable as you proceed into the movie. It's a real pity the on screen chemistry between the two leads aren't there.