YeinJee's Asian blog

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Jennifer Connelly

Top Gun: Maverick movie trailer is beautiful

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Trailer for American film Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. Beautiful is not the usual word to associate with action movies, but I cannot find a better term to describe this teaser video… because it is really beautiful. In cinemas in June 2020 in Malaysia and the United States etc.

Not much thought about the first movie, it was a long time ago. Regardless, the film made Tom Cruise a superstar, and he is reprising his role after more than three decades. There are actually films with longer gap between sequel, such as the Blade Runner (1982-2017)…

There’s probably no feature film that stars the same main lead with such a huge sequel-gap like Top Gun though. Tom Cruise is THE leading actor in both movies. In other cases, the main cast may return but usually in lesser roles for a sequel that comes 20-30 years after the previous one.

Top Gun: Maverick is directed by Joseph Kosinski. Besides Tom Cruise, the main cast also includes Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman and Ed Harris. Val Kilmer, who played a key part in the original movie, also returns but with a small role instead.

Not much info about the plot, it looks like Cruise is becoming a mentor for some new fighter pilots. The film is going to be a hit as long as the story isn’t too bad. The visual effect looks great, and there’s always the nostalgia factor. This trailer certainly gives it a good head start.

Hulk (2003) movie trailer

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Speaking of the new Hulk movie, which will be in cinemas next month, let’s discuss a bit about the 2003 adaptation by Taiwanese director Ang Lee. The old film stars Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas and Nick Nolte. It’s simply titled as Hulk, check out the trailer…

The film received polarising reviews – some people love it, many others hate it. Unlike many superhero movies, director Ang Lee focused on storytelling instead of the action. The visual effect is also special in a comical way, kind of a homage to the action films in the 80s.

If you watch Hulk today and know nothing about the actors, you may have guessed that it’s a film from that era (80s-90s). It’s what the director had intended, for better or worse. I’m fine with the visual style though; I actually like some of the ideas, and I appreciate filmmakers who try something different.

Overall it’s above average for me. The action is comical but fun in some ways; the tank-throwing part will always be epic; and there’s Jennifer Connelly. I can understand that the directive style is not everyone’s cup of tea though, it’s rather unique; and the story is too long especially with its slow pacing.

The upcoming adaptation is a reboot and stars Edward Norton as the title character. It will feature a new story instead of going through the “how Bruce became Hulk” part again though. And it’s supposed to be part of a new movie franchise which also features the Iron Man etc.

Jennifer Connelly – Clean Water Africa PSA

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American actress Jennifer Connelly in a public service ad for charity: water. The video depicts a scenario when New York City’s taps went dry, and people have to get/use dirty water like millions of Africans.

There are many flaws in the scenario but it’s a PSA so I’ll just leave it there. It’s the big picture that matters.

Founded in 2006, charity: water is a non-profit organisation that provides clean drinking water to people in developing nations. In many (dry) areas, underground water are so deep that people can’t access it with primitive tools. They need machinery to make drilled wells, and that’s what the organisation can help.

Getting the water is just part one, and AFAIK it’s the end of their effort. Underground water pollution is becoming worse, what appears clean may not be harmless; and developing countries usually sucks in controlling pollution. Besides, groundwater is not limitless, it will run dry in a few decades or sooner.

I still salute their effort though, they are going to help some people even if it’s for short-term. Solving water crisis requires monumental effort, and governmental collaboration is essential in many situations.

The root cause to many “shortage” problems are overpopulation and uncontrolled urbanisation. Enforced birth control are in conflict with basic human rights (unfortunately); and hence the best way to do it is through education, which is yet another huge problem in many areas. It’s a bad cycle really.