|
The Santa Clause - PG
|
|
This movie is one of the best holiday movies of the last 20 years, though of course it's not better than A Christmas Story. Directed by John Pasquin and starring Home Improvement's Tim Allen, The Santa Clause promises to be a moving update on a classic Christmas fable - the story of Santa Claus. The story of the jolly old fat guy in a red coat who flies around the world on Christmas Eve in his sleigh with eight reindeer is lore known to all who believe. But in an age when science and reason have been known to kill children's fantasies, Disney again proves that seeing is believing. For all its typical Disney kind-hearted-ness, director John Pasquin and his screenwriters Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick manage to effectively capture everything there is to really love about the Jolly Old Fat Guy. Tim Allen, everybody's favorite television comedian, fills out his role as the lousy-dad Scott Calvin who is inexplicably transformed into every kid's favorite holiday hero. As Tim Allen gains weight at an incredible pace (courtesy of a body suit), this poor sap goes from doubter to believer in no time. Eric Lloyd is a delight too, as young Charlie Calvin and whose love for his father transcends normal father-son relationships as he accompanies him on his holiday rounds.
|
December 4, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 - R
|
|
|
November 28, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Apollo 13 - PG
|
|
Probably one of the most significant things about Apollo 13 is the fact that it managed to be such a strikingly realistic movie despite the abundance of well-known Hollywood actors. Tom Hanks can convincingly act any part in the world, and his role in Apollo 13 is no exception. All of the actors involved seemed to have been given parts that they were born to play, because they were so successful in the roles. The true events of the historic Apollo 13 mission are amazingly re-created here and the results are spectacular. The movie also presents a nearly flawless portrayal of the time period, even down to the slide rulers that were used to do calculations. Another thing that was used in the perfect amount in Apollo 13 was the special effects. The special effects in Apollo 13 served the movie very well. The most significant special effect in the movie, aside from the space scenes, was the zero gravity, which was done flawlessly. has an excellent story made even better by the fact that it is true, it has great acting, skillful direction, and plenty of tasteful humor.
|
November 27, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac - Unrated
|
|
|
November 27, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Ninja Assassin - R
|
|
|
November 26, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Pou hark wong (Poker King) - Unrated
|
|
|
November 12, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
The Tournament - R
|
|
|
November 12, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Burn After Reading - R
|
|
This movie is Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's darkly humorous follow-up to their Oscar-winning masterpiece, No Country for Old Men, a grimly serious work that took little time out for comic relief. Burn After Reading certainly adheres to the customary Coen Brothers formula where a heightened quirkiness and a deliberately disjointed storyline are coupled with sudden flare-ups of violence and the unexpected deaths of major characters. While the refusal to follow a predictable narrative path is one of the chief selling points of any Coen Brothers movie, the fact of the matter is that, in the case of Burn After Reading, the script probably could have used a few more revisions to bring the disparate elements more satisfactorily in line with one another. Too often it feels as if the movie itself is rambling around pointlessly, without any clear direction or purpose. The best thing about Burn After Reading is the delicious performances from a cast that any director would give his eyeteeth to work with. John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Goerge Clooney and Tilda Swinton all manage to define their characters through individualized quirks without ever going over the top and reducing their characters to caricatures. But it is Brad Pitt who steals every scene he's in as the nerdy, hyper kinetic doofus who fancies himself a double-naught spy fit to stand alongside the James Bond of the world. Brad Pitt has rarely been this winning. This movie is a frequently hilarious movie that is vastly preferable to all those cookie-cutter comedies that can be found habitually ensconced in the neighborhood multiplexes.
|
November 7, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li - PG-13
|
|
It's a little surprising that the filmmakers opted for Chun-Li instead of the signature character of Ryu. Kristin Kreuk may be a looker and her personal grounding in gymnastics and martial arts do help, but she's ultimately let down by a weak plot and some very weak supporting characters. As if the villains were good enough, being nothing but bland and uninteresting. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li is a straight forward movie without much depth in its story and it's relatively lower production budget translates to many of the jazzy special prowess in the game being considerably toned down. Perhaps director Andrzej Bartkowiak's intention was to have it more rooted to reality, but therein lies the danger see, because this movie has tremendous parallels with that of another super-powered movie called Elektra. Both have recognizable female actresses in the lead role and they share a plot involving secret organizations, mystical healing, an experienced teacher to learn the ropes from and plenty of hokey martial arts. Even the training sequence looks super summarized, uninspiring and filled with unremarkable, clichéd dialogue. This movie has an origin story and depending on which camp you're on, you may or may not agree with some of the tweaks made here to accommodate the film version of things. Despite being called "Street Fighter", the fights here are nothing too fantastic or memorable and looks comfortably in place with many B-grade action movies out there, with the occasional lapsing into the crutch of having the fight scenes edited in double quick time.
|
November 6, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Shooter - R
|
|
Never mess with someone who can drop you with his gun from miles away. Snipers somehow has this aura of mystique and sexiness associated with the motto of "one shot, one kill", as exhibited in movies like Enemy at the Gates, or memorable war characters such as in Saving Private Ryan. In Shooter, this gets demystified for a while, hitting home that not only should one be gifted with the pulling of the trigger from incredible distance, a sniper is also a master mathematician, having to compute the trajectory of the round with factors of humidity, wind direction, angle etc just to hit the target. Mark Wahlberg stars as Bob Lee Swagger, whom director Antoine Fuqua makes him literally walk with a swagger in all the silhouetted slow motion shots. Shooter plays off like an urban Rambo meeting The Fugitive, only this time Dr. Richard Kimble has biceps the size of melons and fights back with deadly accuracy from his rifle. Gone are the days when Hollywood action movie were ruled by the Sylvester Stallone-Arnold Schwarzenegger-Jean-Claude Van Damme trio, and surprisingly there are no permanent beefcakes who can readily step into and fill the void. Mark Wahlberg has been slowly inching his way, though Marky Mark's filmography of The Italian Job, The Planet of the Apes remake, The Perfect Storm and Four Brothers, do suggest that more should be done to cement this status, hence Shooter. Antoine Fuqua is no stranger to directing action movies or movies with the hero caught up against unfair odds. From Training Day to Tears of the Sun, you can see earlier influences creep their way into Shooter, making it a little familiar territory visited. There are many sweeping shots used to try and epic-ize the movie and set action sequences take priority, reducing character development to the token time available between scenes, and sometimes at the expense of plausibility. Shooter is an action fan's fodder and it is nothing more than a guilt trip watching a cowboy of a hero mopping up the town's scum, exactly in the way we like to see justice served - without remorse, exacting, and served extremely cold. A satisfying actioner with the usual thrills and spills.
|
October 30, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Michael Jackson's This Is It - PG
|
|
|
October 30, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Shiri - R
|
|
|
October 24, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Australia - PG-13
|
|
Baz Luhrmann actually hit the movie quite squarely on the head with his Gone with the Wind-ish sprawling epic set in the Australian outback and around the time when the Japanese Imperial Army rained bombs over the Northern Territories, with a sprinkling of his keen eye for visual flair especially in the first few minutes where he had to set the stage for everything else to happen. The similarities with Gone with the Wind cannot be denied. The story's told in two distinct acts, The first focused a whole lot on cattle driving and the second arc focused more squarely on the romance between the two leads, as told through the eyes of the little boy Nullah, whom people insult as "creamy" (half-white, half-aboriginal). Casting is no-brainer as well, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman shared perfect chemistry together, transforming loathe to love through the course of the movie. The rest of the ensemble supporting cast also pulled their weight together, and even Hong Kong actor Yuen Wah had a bit part playing the non-English speaking kitchen help. Australia works on many fronts, and while it might not be a great movie, it certainly is a good one, with wonderful visuals, sets and all round chemistry between its cast.
|
October 23, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
The Grudge 3 - R
|
|
The good thing of this movie is only a few, but they deserve mentioning and as much of a reprieve as anyone can give them. Aiko Horiuchi replaces Takako Fuji as Kayako and picks up the role fairly well. Any fault in her appearance lies with the director, Toby Wilkins. The only other two notable performances come from the female leads, Johanna E. Braddy and Takatzuna Mukai and might not so much be notable as much as they just sharply contrast their terrible surroundings. Now, on to the awful stuff. I think the large majority of the critics of the first two movies find that the they were cryptic and difficult to follow. They have gotten their wish for an easy to interpret, spoon-fed, linear-flowing, cheesy horror movie in The Grudge 3. Gone are the intelligent and subtle left-to-the-imagination disappearance kills. Artistic and suspenseful cinematography have been replaced by bland, formulaic and frightfully comical scenes. Brad Keene and Toby Wilkins have crafted an hour-and-a-half long slap in the face of director Takashi Shimizu who re-invented the haunted house horror movie by making his own rules and breaking all the ones in the book. The writer and director were toying with another man's vision and the hard work and creative energy he expended trying to bring something original into the world. Ultimately, The Grudge 3 adds nothing to the mythology of the movies and takes away a substantial amount.
|
October 20, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
The Hurricane - R
|
|
This is a powerful and compelling look at the life of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (Denzel Washington) and his highly publicized fight for freedom from imprisonment. Based on a true story, the movie is an in-depth character study including Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's early life, the murders for which he was incarcerated, his coping with prison and his court battles. Veteran director Norman Jewison creates a tight weave of factors affecting Rubin "Hurricane" Carter's life: his childhood, the turbulent civil rights movement of the 1960's, and the people who came to his defense. It is an impressive panoply of the forces that swept over his life like a tidal wave. The period props and costumes were well done and accurate in the 1960's scenes. The movie presents some good historical footage of the civil rights movement, but gets a little too preachy at times. This was a superb performance by Denzel Washington, perhaps his best to date. His portrayal of the internal struggle to use his seething anger to help him survive was sensational. Vicellous Reon Shannon's performance was great too. He exuded sincerity, toughness and genuine empathy, and had very good chemistry with Denzel Washington.
|
October 17, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Ali - R
|
|
Muhammad Ali is a heroic character with legendary wit, humanity, and boxing skill. This movie captures the champ's many battles, not the least of which are the internal battles he wages with himself over politics, his ego, money and his own destructive patterns in relationships with women. But thankfully, it does so in a respectful way which does not compromise the man's heroism, nor does it spare the audience of the laughter, mischief and joy Muhammad Ali became so well known for. Michael Mann's movie has relatively little boxing in it, and is in no way a chronicle of Muhammad Ali's career. This movie is about how and why Muhammad Ali is who he is, and how he drove himself and everybody around him to reach phenomenal heights. The cast is very strong. Will Smith gives a fine performance wonderfully recasting Muhammad Ali's wonderful facial expressions, gestures, physical style and speech pattern. Jamie Foxx, Ron Silver and Mario Van Peebles are all excellent in their supporting roles. And the boxers are all very believable. They even look like the people they play. Highly recommended for those interested in real-life drama and heroism, the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s, and the intelligent and political side of American sports. Not recommended for fans of boxing movies and action movies. This is a slow moving, intense drama and neither a feel-good movie nor a slug-fest.
|
October 17, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom (Kung Fu Panda 2) - Unrated
|
|
|
October 14, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
The English Patient - R
|
|
Anthony Minghella's The English Patient is a movie that takes us back to the golden years of Hollywood. It is grand and impressive in scale, and yet so heartbreakingly intimate in its portrayal of human love and suffering. Based on Canadian author Michael Ondaatje's 1992 Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, The English Patient is a touching meditation on life, love and loss, tracing the history of a critically-burnt man in the aftermath of World War Two. It's certainly easy to see why The English Patient was so successful at the Oscars. It is such a beautiful movie, blending the quiet beauty of the Italian countryside with the endless golden sands of the desert. Cinematographer John Seale captures the landscape to perfection. Even in the movie's more intimate moments, excellent use of close-ups and lighting capture the emotion of the scene, coupled with the brilliant performances from all the cast members. The English Patient might just contain Ralph Fiennes' finest performance and Juliette Binoche is excellent as Hana, the lonesome nurse who fears to love because of the tragedies that have always harmed those close to her. At 160 minutes in length, The English Patient wonderfully evokes memories of the classic romantic epics of old, successfully finding a balance of mystery, love, joy and tragedy. The ending of the movie is heartbreaking and sorrowful, but also uplifting in its own way. Whilst some romantic relationships are doomed from the very beginning, others have a very good chance of bringing happiness. Nevertheless, in every case, it is always better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.
|
October 11, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
3:10 to Yuma - R
|
|
Some 50 years ago, audiences were introduced to the duo of impoverished rancher Dan Evans (then played by Van Heflin) and the number one outlaw of the land, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford). Even for those who have seen the original, I am glad to say that on the whole, this version ranks far superior than the original version. The earlier version, being made half century ago, will definitely need a decent update for modern audiences, and that aspect did not disappoint, with more in-depth character development, and exciting shootouts. However, the ending of the original packed far more a punch that this one, given that the ending in the 2007 version is likely to be more in line with stories these days, the cynical, non-saccharine sweet ending. The structure and development remained about the same, and even some lines from the classic were reused in this remake, in particular in the first half of the movie. Character wise, you can't get any more better than having Russell Crowe and Christian Bale flesh out their characters and giving both a sense of angst, who on a better day, could probably have been good friends. You follow them as the duo gain newfound respect for each other, and the longer running time provided ample chances for the audience to find reason to connect and understand the characters at a deeper level. 3:10 to Yuma is a perfect balance for those looking for mean gunfights, and powerful drama, and this remake delivers it all where it should matter, adopting the best bits in the original, and plugging the gaps when those portions falter.
|
October 10, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Surrogates - PG-13
|
|
|
October 10, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra - PG-13
|
|
Forget the excuse of a story just to link up the big set action pieces, and it is precisely in the action that Stephen Sommers understood when to show restraint, add in a dash of humour, pepper it with proper camera angles, though of course still unable to buckle the trend of slowing things down just before any impact. There are obviously some updates to this big budgeted flick, that while it's still a military- type based movie per se, some common sensibilities have crept in. Stephen Sommers also managed to blend in the myriad of characters from the beloved toy lines and series, akin to what Bryan Singer managed to pull off with X-Men, but of course without the cerebral material to go along. Everything here is plain and simple, with black being black and white being white. It doesn't get bogged down with trying to tell the origin stories of everyone, but does so at precise intervals. Otherwise, it's more of a bad guys take all movie, where surprisingly the Joes always a step behind, from the first action sequence until the last. It was smart too that the movie had action over land, sea and air, covering a wide range of military operations to mop up a growing conspiracy involving arms dealers and nano- technology that doesn't seem to far fetched. The best part of course is echoing some sentiments whenever opportunity allows in lambasting a superpower's policies, including a subtle jibe that most of the world's terrorist type problems, stem from ineptness and how the monster came to grow from within. G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra was much better than expected as pure entertainment, and you really shouldn't give this a miss as it might just restore your faith in big-action summer popcorn flicks that takes a huge leaf out of their cartoon counterparts. A bevy of good looking, established stars in its casting also helped in making this watchable, even though some, like Ray Park, had to spend all his time behind a mask.
|
October 10, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Changeling - R
|
|
J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame wrote Changeling, which is based on the true story of one woman's fight against corruption, incompetence, accusations and intimidation, all the while in searching for the truth of what happened to her beloved 9 year old son, who vanished without a trace, only for the LAPD to try and convince her that the boy they found, was indeed her son. But that's just the gist of the first hour with plenty more in store, keeping you gripped to the screen as the story develops. Clint Eastwood movies over the last few years have been nothing less than excellent, and Changeling adds to this stellar repertoire of his. There's a certain quiet confidence in the way his movies get presented, like a veteran hand masterminding all elements to fall in place perfectly. But of course the star of the show here is Angelina Jolie. She provides a very solid performance that hinged on everyone in the audience being able to connect with her plight and exasperation, of sympathizing with her, and rooting for her as she faces obstacle after obstacle as she goes about doing sensible things that the authorities frown upon. There are a number of threads running that converge nicely together, and while the movie clocks in over 140 minutes, you'll never feel time plod, as you get engaged into the story, feel for the characters, and at the same time, enjoy the excellent recreation of the 1920s. There's a little bit of everything that managed to cram itself here, from mystery to courtroom drama, showcasing a variety of story settings, dealing with themes such as justice and integrity. John Malkovich has a supporting role here as Reverend Gustav Briegleb, who has a congregation behind him as he tells it as it is in his weekly radio shows, and provides much needed intervention to assist Angelina Jolie's Christine Collins along the way.
|
October 9, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Angels & Demons - PG-13
|
|
There may be something to be said for a getting a second chance. Ron Howard's movie based on Dan Brown's first Robert Langdon offering, Angels & Demons, is a tighter better-wrought experience than the first movie, The Da Vinci Code, which is actually the second Robert Langdon novel. The plot itself is not that dissimilar to The Da Vinci Code. This movie is a nice blend of religious art history with the intensity of a political thriller that you might find in a Robert Ludlum novel. And being able to peruse the Vatican archives, arguably the greatest collection of ancient books dating from the early Middle Ages to the present time, is a scholar's dream. Simultaneously, the intensity never lets up for those who like the sensibility of an action thriller. The outstanding performance of this movie has to be Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna. In what seems a small insignificant role at first gains high import as the story unfolds. High marks for Tom Hanks, reprising his role as Robert Langdon, who seems to better understand his character than in the first movie. And Ayelet Zurer as Vittorio Vetra holds her own in a stellar cast. Angels & Demons is an incredible movie with an incredible ending that makes the entire movie.
|
October 9, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
The Grudge - PG-13
|
|
First off, some things to keep in mind. One, this is a remake of the Japanese horror film Ju-on. Two, this has nothing to do with The Ring or Ringu except for the fact that both share similar styles. Third, this was produced by Sam Raimi, the guy who did the Spider-Man movies and more importantly, the Evil Dead series. Fourth, this is about as true a remake of a Japanese movie as you can get. Sam Raimi retained the same director and much of the cast from the original. As for the movie itself, it retains much of the Japanese feel, but still should be accessible to western audiences. There's a bit of a feeling of culture-clash in the beginning of the movie, but that settles down quickly as the actors and director hit their stride. It's a fairly subtle movie, as good horror movies should be, but it does maintain a feeling of inevitability and tension throughout. The plot is very non-linear. It moves back and forth between characters but still manages to maintain consistency. It loses a few points there because there really is no one set protagonist and because of that we empathize with these characters without really getting to know them. There's character development, certainly, but not enough to make the audience really care about the players. All in all though, it's a very decent horror flick. Don't go in expecting perfection, but it's a damn sight better than the usual horror tripe that Hollywood's pushing these days. Has some wonderfully tense moments and really manages to convey the desperation of being alone and afraid in a crowd.
|
October 9, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
|
Never Back Down - PG-13
|
|
Like many movies starring teens and targeting the same demographics, Never Back Down follows a standard formula that most of such movies adopt, especially with taking things to the streets, like The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift and Step Up, which dealt with different subject matter like street racing, and street dance. Touting itself as a new fight club, it is anything but, especially with everything cerebral removed from the plot. Most of fight sequence dwelled on grown men hugging tightly on the ground engaged in complex body grinding and twists. Action fans will be a tad disappointed with the quality of fights shown here, as this is not really Mixed-Martial Arts. I believe if you throw Donnie Yen into the mix, he would pawn everyone in the movie, even those who choreographed the supposedly deadlier moves, which boiled down to a series of boxing hooks and punches. With the formula in place, everything else will just fall into its rightful position. Fans of Tom Cruise will definitely see shades of Tom Cruise-like characters in Sean Faris. He's like a walking, talking Tom Cruise clone, only that he's younger, taller and more muscular. In fact, if you take Tom Cruise back to his teens, Never Back Down would probably be one of the movies that would fit into his budding filmography.
|
October 8, 2009
|
|
|
N/A
|
1012 ratings
950 reviews
