sheldoncm Being Singaporean, thought it would be good to watch a nice good local horror movie since all the hype before the movie's premiere. Half way through the movie I asked myself why did I ever want to torture myself by watching this really stupid horror film. It's not at all scary with such a stupid story line. Please please do not waste time or money watching this rubbish movie. 5 of us went feeeling stupid after the movie ended.

Paul Magne Haakonsen I think this was actually the first Singaporean movie that I have had the chance to watch. And with that being said, I must admit that I am not off to a good start. "23:59" turned out to be a really boring and uneventful horror movie.The story takes place on an isolated island on a military base and in a small rural community around the military base. There are local tales and legends being told about gruesome murders having taken place on the island, where bad things happen at exactly 23:59.Right, well I will say that the story must have worked out quite well on paper, because I must admit that there was potential, and there were some good aspects to the story and the ideas behind it all.However, it was just butchered at the hands of director Gilbert Chan, as the movie ended up being a grimy mess of a scrambled storyline filled with characters that you didn't care one bit for. And it was perhaps because the characters were either devoid of personalities and had the appeal of wet cardboard, or they were grossly caricatures of bullies or pranksters.And it didn't really help much that the build ups for scary moments throughout the entire movie never climaxes in any kind of satisfying way for the audience - especially if you are accustomed to Asian horror. There were so many moments where the scares were being served on a silver platter to the director, but he just failed to pick up on it and deliver something worthwhile to the audience.As for the acting in the movie, well some of the cast were doing good jobs with the limitations of the script and story, while others were abysmal, and lead you to wonder how they got cast in the first place.The movie is slow-paced and it literally takes forever (read one hour and eighteen minutes) to take you nowhere. I was hoping that the movie would pick up pace all throughout the entire course of the movie, but that just didn't happen.When there was something scary on the screen, it just wasn't scary. Perhaps I am too seasoned to horror and Asian horror, but it just wasn't scary at any point throughout the entire movie.There are some really good and memorable horror movies on the Asian movie market, "23:59" just wasn't one of them. I managed to sit through the entire movie, but can in all honesty say that I will not be watching it a second time around.

suite92 Young soldiers who speak Chinese share ghost stories about the minute before midnight.Tan is the designated weak member in the group and receives a lot of static for it. He gets tied up and stuffed into a locker in the middle of the night. Bullying in Asia. No surprises.Jeremy tries to help Tan through the military training course. The endless references to ghosts and past suicides keeps Tan on a downward mood. Jeremy tries to steer him away from this thought pattern, since Jeremy's early childhood included some fakery in the profession of mediums. This is the setting when the last, worst, road march through the jungle is undertaken.Tan gets lost. His pack is found, and the sergeant tells the recruits to go look for him. It starts raining. They find his body; Jeremy thinks he sees a woman watching.The sergeant tries to blame the supernatural for the loss of Tan. This captain will not have it.The recruits are uneasy the following night in the barracks. Jeremy thinks he sees Tan's ghost, for instance. Making matters worse, the next morning Jeremy receives word that his father passed away. The next day, while out walking, Jeremy sees an old woman gesturing to him silently; Lim and Dragon do not. That evening Chester starts banging his head against the lockers, then speaking in a weird voice.They bring in a priest for Chester; the rites seem to help a bit. Chester shows Jeremy where he and Tan had a strange experience. Something had grabbed Tan's leg and Chester had beaten it off with his rifle butt.Jeremy's dream about Chester dying comes true soon enough. Jeremy meets the two principal characters from a couple of the ghost stories told early in the film. Dragon, Lim, and the sergeant find Jeremy, but do not see the ghosts themselves.Jeremy returns home, and the gift he thought he never had lets him see his dead father.The movie jump shifts forward in time, and the ghost story cycle starts again.-----Scores------Cinematography: 8/10 A bit bland, but always competent.Sound: 8/10 A bit bland, but always competent. It was loud enough for a Chinese speaker to understand, and perhaps a quarter of the conversation is in English. The subtitles were fine.Acting: 10/10 Wonderful.Screenplay: 8/10 Moves along well.

Vastarien202-667-582742 I had no expectations going into this one, and was pleasantly surprised.The film is set on an Army training base in the Seventh Month, when ghosts and spirits are said to roam free. There are all types of rituals to appease and avoid them, which most people take part in even if they don't seem to believe. A new group of recruits is just about to finish their training there when things begin to go wrong. I won't go into detail because I want people to see this for themselves, but I will say that there are vengeful spirits, wrongful deaths, and lots of creepy atmosphere! The rainy jungle march is one of the best scenes! One of the group is missing, and the instructor has them count off "one...two..three..four..." Something right behind them whispers "fffiiivveee".... The movie does move a bit slowly at times, but I was never bored. The acting was fine, and the characters were likable enough that I cared about them and what was happening to them. Give this one a chance, you won't be sorry!