Dead Mine Review

By Nur Mirrah Amit, Year 2, Diploma in Mass Media Management

(Courtesy of HBO and Infinite Studios)

“The legend of Yamashita's Gold lures a treasure hunter and his group deep into the Indonesian jungle. Once they are trapped in an abandoned World War II Japanese bunker, they face the terrifying reality that the only way out is to go further in.”

Yay for me, I scored a pair of passes to the Singapore’s gala premiere of Dead Mine a few days back! I shared the theatre with the production team of the movie for the entire one and half hours, and even got to unknowingly rub shoulders with the cast of the movie

Aside from the fact that they had an attractive cast, Dead Mine was actually the first full-length feature film produced by HBO Asia. Believe it or not, the entire film was shot over 28 days in one of Singapore’s neighbouring islands, Batam, Indonesia. From watching the rather well done trailer, I was thrown completely off guard considering that it was actually of Hollywood-produced quality. Who would’ve known that was possible with a production team and cast coming from within this region? Never underestimate the talents of the locals – lesson learned!


What I loved about the movie:

It is of quality, in every way possible.  It was incredibly fun to watch and because it is a horror-action thriller, the suspense of what was going to happen next keeps you at the edge of your seat. Plus, the plot line was extremely easy to follow. If you have the basic knowledge of World War II,such as when it started, and who were the allies and enemy, you would be able to grasp the main idea of the movie. Even my mother who isn’t a fan of WWII history could understand it. Kudos to the make-up and set design department too, they nailed it!

What I don’t really like about the movie:

It was full-on gore. That’s why it was rated NC16, perhaps. They had scenes that showed the insides of the human body – intestines out and blood everywhere. I shuddered behind covered eyes while discreetly sneaking peeks once in a while. The movie included the immortal “Imperial Guards” as well, who were ruthless killers. For a while, I found myself unable to sleep soundly at night, constantly imagining Imperial Guards about to open the door to my room and kill me in my sleep. But then again, to each his own!

Rating: 3 out of 5 popcorns

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Mirrah is a Year 2 Mass Media Management student who, as her mother had reiterated, “reads all the time!” She consumes as many as three books a day in her spare time, and enjoys classics and romance novels by authors such as Mari Mancusi, CS Lewis, and Sophie Kinsella. She aspires to write for political science magazines like Time and Newsweek in the future, and also has an interest in fashion writing.

ParaNorman Review

By Nur Mirrah Amit, Year 2, Diploma in Mass Media Management

(Courtesy of Laika Entertainment)

In the town of Blithe Hollow, Norman Babcock is a boy who can speak to the dead, but no one besides his eccentric new friend, Neil, believes his ability is real. One day, Norman's estranged eccentric uncle tells him of an important annual ritual he must undergo to protect the town from a curse cast by a witch it condemned centuries ago. Eventually, Norman decides to cooperate, but things don't go according to plan. Now, a magical storm from the witch threatens Blithe Hollow as the accursed dead rise. Together with new companions, Norman struggles to save his town, only to discover the horrific truth of the curse. With that insight, Norman must resolve the crisis for good as only he can.

Even though I’m definitely not one for animation films, I caught a screening of ParaNorman a few days back. I was bored when I was deciding what to watch and as much as I thought I would be a disappointed by the overall film, I generally liked it. Here’s why:


What I love about the movie:

It’s extremely easy to follow the storyline. It’s a PG movie so you can expect three quarters of the theatre to be filled with kids below the age of 10. But the story’s so good and entertaining that it manages to keep the kids quiet and focused. The movie also includes some really good values like the importance of family, being comfortable in your own skin and not judging others before knowing their story.

What’s not so great about the movie:

I was expecting the animation to be similar to The Incredibles or Dr Seuss: The Lorax. It turned out to be a different kind of animation all together. The graphics were good and its cinematography almost made the characters look like they were in 3D. It will be a little difficult to get used to the animation in the first few minutes of the movie but rest assured, you’ll be fine after that phase is over.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 popcorns

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Mirrah is a Year 2 Mass Media Management student who, as her mother had reiterated, “reads all the time!” She consumes as many as three books a day in her spare time, and enjoys classics and romance novels by authors such as Mari Mancusi, CS Lewis, and Sophie Kinsella. She aspires to write for political science magazines like Time and Newsweek in the future, and also has an interest in fashion writing.