Starring Ralph Fiennes, Harris Dickinson, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans,Djimon Hounsou
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
The closest Ralph Fiennes has ever been to playing James Bond or someone of his calibre was in 1998’s The Avengers, the painfully misguided big-screen version of the ’60s British TV spy series. That’s a long time ago. Now, he finally gets to renew his licence to thrill, proving that he’s just as good a Bond as he is as Bond’s boss in this exhilarating if sometimes bloated (but impossible to dislike) prequel to the Kingsman movies, again helmed by Mathew Vaughn. The origin story looks at how Fiennes’ pacificist Duke of Oxford started the eponymous independent intelligence agency to thwart a secret cabal — members include a showboating Rasputin (Rhys Ifans) — from triggering World War I (Spoiler: they fail.) The first half is an intoxicating puree of history-meets-fiction, some Downton Abbey-esque hijinks and the franchise’s signature hyper-realistic action (a bonkers ballet sword-fight, anyone?). But the playful tone is temporarily grounded by a secondary plot involving the Duke’s rebellious son (Harris Dickinson) before taking off again. Still, I’ll rather watch this than No Time to Die. Next stop: How about Fiennes reuniting with Liam Neeson in a buddy-cop thriller? Can you see that? (3/5 stars)
Photo: 20th Century Studios
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'House of Gucci': Lady Gaga has murder on her mind.
House of Gucci (M18)
Starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek
Directed by Ridley ScottIf House of Gucci were likened to a luxury shopping mall, then Lady Gaga would be the anchor tenant: everything orbits her firecracker performance as Patrizia Reggiani, the scorned socialite convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband and scion of the titular fashion empire Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Despite the marathon runtime and stellar ensemble, the rest of Ridley Scott’s true-crime soap opera is strangely inert and superficial. It’s funny, though. But not in a good way: occasionally, the faux Italian accents threaten to turn it into an extended Saturday Night Live sketch — with a huge costume budget. (2.5/5 stars)
Photo: UIP
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'G-Storm': Louis Koo tries to keep his cool while dodging bullets.
G Storm (PG)
Starring Louis Koo, Julian Cheung, Kevin Cheng, Jessica Hsuan, Bosco Wong, Michael Tse
Directed by David LamThe latest (maybe last?) entry in the Storm series is brought to you by the letter G, which stands for G4, a Hongkong Police Force branch tasked with guarding dignitaries. Following an incident overseas (stock footage of Singapore standing in for the fictional W City), the Louis Koo-led Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) take on human traffickers! The casting of Koo’s rumoured paramour Jessica Hsuan as a human rights advocate targeted by the baddies is the most interesting part of this lower-tier crime thriller with the unremarkable trappings of a glorified TV movie and the grating China censors-friendly epilogue. Pass. (1.5/5 stars)
Photo: Shaw Organisation
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'The Matrix Resurrections': Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss realise fans didn't like their movie.
The Matrix Resurrections (PG13)
Starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Ann Moss, Jonathan Groff, Jessica Henwick
Directed by Lana Wachowski“Our beloved parent company, Warner Brothers, has decided to make a sequel to the trilogy,” one character quips. It’s one of the funniest lines in The Matrix Resurrectionsthat says it all: this is one epic meta-joke. In resurrecting Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss’ characters, Neo and Trinity — both were killed in The Matrix Revolutions 18 years ago — it raises questions about its own existence. (Just like Space Jam: A New Legacy, also a WarnerMedia product.) But do you come for the cheem philosophy or the cool action? It has too much of the former, too little of the latter. (2.5/5 stars)
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