K J's Talk

JCVD (Van Dammage)

After many recommends from people on this movie I finally checked it out. I was impressed how good of a film it was. It stars Jean Claude Van Damme as himself. The story itself is about him going into a post office in Brussels, Belgium and then all of a sudden it appears he has taken everyone in it hostage. Or did he? Plus you get side stories that lead up to the main story. This was a really neat movie. I liked that Jean Claude played himself. This has to be one of his best acting performances. Very well done by him. Plus the ending was also very well done. This is not your typical Jean Claude Van Damme movie. Well worth a watch.

Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?

The man who brought us Super Size me goes into this film looking for Osama Bin Laden. Now that is just a excuse for this film. What it really goes into is how many in the Middle East are much like anyone and their views on Americans and American policy. You learn that they don't hate Americans. They just hate their foriegn policy. I found this to be interesting documentry. We get many sides and opinions of regular Middle Eastern people. Plus you see their troubles and dangers some countries deal with. You get to see many sides that you don't hear on the news. There are also many funny moments in this as well that helps lighten the mood of the film. Now we only get a small side of the story of why these countries have many problems. But it is still solid enough to make some people understand what they normally would just shrug at. Worth a watch.

Mondays in the Sun (Los Lunes al sol)

A Bitter and Sad Worldwide Contemporary Story, With Magnificent Performances. Strongly recommended to everyone...

Surveillance

I heard about David Lynch, but never bother to look for his movies, and now his daughter is directing? well, i never thought Surveillance would be good or at least disturbing for that matter. I really enjoyed the movie, the way the movie goes - i read in other sites, how people complained about how slow the movie is; but well trust me i have watched slow movies, and this is not one of them. The build up tension was exhilarating; disturbing, sharp and the gore involvement was amazing. It was disturbing caused, you can't guess who is the good guy in the movie, no happy ending, and just plain harsh reality of the world - and that's what exactly what i like in a movie.

Bill Pullman could easily be replaced, Julia Ormond did good - and so does the supporting actors. Not a long movie to watch, but surely memorable one.

8/10

The Lover (L'amant)

The Lover, originally released in France as L'Amant, is a 1992 drama film produced by Claude Berri and directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud. Based on the semi-autobiographical 1984 novel by Marguerite Duras, the film details the illicit affair between a teenage French girl and a wealthy Chinese man in 1929 French Indochina. In the screenplay written by Annaud and Gérard Brach, the girl's age is changed from 15½ to 18 and is portrayed by actress Jane March, who turned eighteen shortly after, filming, began. This film which was treated by critics is worth seeing and delights. It suffers from different styles of acting and various accents. But also deals with interesting issues like first love ? sexual politics ? the power of sexuality which is still taboo for some people. The wrong with this movie is that received excessive publicity for its graphic sex which is to the narrative and progression of its two characters. Its dubious reputation has also contributed that the writer Marguerite Duras has repudiated the film. After all these I still found The Lover one very good film and the affair between a young French girl with an older rich Asian is not only about sex but about power, pride, and the subtle relationship of identity and politics. You can see how an erotic affair turns less and less passionate how a young girl feels of a first romance. One of the most sensual film I have ever seen.

Incantato (Il Cuore Altrove) (The Heart Is Elsewhere)

?A Quest for Love Is Complicated by Anguish and Imperfection?
Il Cuore Altrove is an Italian director Pupi Avati?s sweet, charming romantic film set in 1920s Bologna, Italy. The story centering on Nello, a college Humanities teacher played by Neri Marcor?. His parents are well-to-do tailors who work for the Pope, and they don't approve of Nello's line of work. At their urging, Nello moves to Bologna where he meets and falls in love with Angela, a local blind girl played by Vanessa Incontrada. But their relationship isn't a simple one. Her parents don't believe that a simple teacher is worthy of their daughter, his parents protest because she is blind, and her ex-boyfriend may not be completely out of the picture. Adding one more wrench in the gears is a doctor who might be able to restore Angela's sight, leading Nello to wonder if she'll still feel for him if she isn't blind.
Incantato about this man who would learn that there is always more in love than what the eye could see is indeed a film of subtle beauty. The warm colours, the breathtaking locations, even the period costumes and emphasis on detail make this film enjoyment and delight to watch. The story offers also just the right amount of humour mixed with that typical for Italian period pictures sentimentality creating an environment that many will find quite exquisite. The film is full of life and its characters are very enjoyable.
A graceful story skilfully revisits a classic question: Can love conquer all?

2012

So and so...


It was a guilty pleasure...

Star Trek

A renegade Romulan from the future named Nero arrives in the present, armed with a powerful vessel, a deadly weapon, and a big grudge against the Federation. He blames the Federation for failing to save his home planet from a supernova. When James T. Kirk is still a young man in Starfleet Academy, Nero attacks the planet Vulcan, and the Enterprise goes to the rescue under the command of Captain Christopher Pike. Nero takes Pike as a hostage and drills a hole into the core of Vulcan, injecting a black hole which destroys the planet within minutes. When Nero attempts to destroy Earth in a similar attack, Kirk and his first officer Spock beam aboard Nero's vessel and sabotage his deadly mission and destroy his ship.

The movie has a few good points. It has a well-written, intelligent script, with snappy dialogue and lots of the old Star Trek humour. We see Kirk and Spock in their early years in Starfleet, Kirk as a brash young man, and Spock torn between his Vulcan and human sides. There are interesting references to the past, such as how Kirk beat the Kobayashi Maru test, first alluded to in "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan". The movie's special effects are spectacular, but that's par for the course with any modern science fiction movie.

However, the action scenes are too fast-paced and over-the-top, making it very confusing for the viewer. The Romulan ship, with all of its ridiculous tentacles, resembles a giant squid, and the Romulans themselves look like a bunch of street punks. They don't bear any resemblance to the Romulans in the TV series. As for the Enterprise, most of the ship's interior (especially Engineering) looks like the inside of an ugly old factory from the 20th century. With the exception of the bridge, it doesn't look futuristic at all. Of the actors who portray Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the gang, only Spock resembles the original.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

This was a very fun movie. Stars Cary Grant and Myrna Loy as a married couple with two girls who decide to move from their apartment in New York to a house in Connecticut. Of course they go through many troubles to get this home built. The movie also stars Melvyn Douglas as the family friend and lawyer. Cary Grant is very whimsy and funny in his role. Melvyn Douglas and Myrna Loy are also great in this. This is a great smart comedy for its time. You would think a movie about a home being built be boring. But this all star cast makes it fun. If your a Cary Grant fan then check this movie out.

Fear

This is a decent thriller about a relationship gone wrong. Stars Mark Wahlberg, William Petersen, Reese Witherspoon and Alyssa Milano. Wahlberg is very good as the obsessive boyfriend. This movie plays into every father fear for their daughter when the get into a relationship. A solid story that keeps you entertained. Very predictable but still worth a watch.

2012

Large, bulky special effects spectacle of surreal destruction, clichéd but engaging due to the talented cast, dodging one sensory-shattering catastrophe after another and doing a commendable job projecting sheer terror when the moment calls for it. Suspends its ridiculousness admirably for 2 ½ hours.

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

I think this is the best ending I've seen in a trilogy (Second to LOTR series..). Star Wars - Return Of The Jedi is a fun, long, adventurous, and yet with a cozy and heartwarming ending. We will see, Jabba The Hut for the first time - famous for it's yuck-ness. Soft side of Darth Vader, Death Star, Family secret, and so much more. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher made this movie. Great special effect, and John Williams background score is mesmerizing!

Darth Vader: Luke... help me take this mask off.
Luke: But you'll die.
Darth Vader: Nothing... can stop that now. Just for once... let me... look on you with my *own* eyes.
[Luke takes off Darth Vader's mask one piece at a time. Underneath, Luke sees the face of a pale, scarred, bald-headed, old man - his father, Anakin. Anakin sadly looks at Luke]
Anakin: Now... go, my son. Leave me.
Luke: No. You're coming with me. I'll not leave you here, I've got to save you.
Anakin: You already... have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister... you were right.
[Anakin slumps down in death]
Luke: Father... I won't leave you.

10/10 (bravo!)

Tell-Tale (Tell Tale)

Not as good as I was expecting but not bad either but i felt it was lack of tension and suspense. It is an ok unremarkable thriller and very predictable, at least for me.

Magnolia

Wow! Sorry I waited so long to see this movie.Slam dunk cast with stellar performances,Tom Cruise always amazes me.This was a great film,had a very 11:14 kinda feel and one of the weirdest endings I think I maybe have ever seen in a movie but it was awesome.Highly recommended if you are looking for a quality film not junk.

The Bridge

To say that this documentary is haunting, morbid, and horrible is perhaps one of the most, and perhaps is the very most extreme, understatement that I have ever made about any movie in my entire life. In watching this movie if it does not tug at something inside you, causing you to empathize, whether or not you understand, then I question the possibility that you were born without a soul. And furthermore, I question whether or not you are even human!

Sin Nombre

muchacho mata a niño, niña cumple chico, chico rescata a chica, la chica .....

Splinter

This is about the best modern day Terror film I have seen in a very long time. This one not only made me jump a few times but also had to turn my head. Come out of the vault of those I never heard of via the big screen, so coming across this one was via that of Flixster's friends recommendations. (Thanks All). Starts out with an infected animal gobbling up a gas station attended, our little pet fluffy has somehow been infected with the splinter, and while traveling down the road 2 unsuspecting couples (1 couple being held at gun point) run over fluffy and so our infection of our 4 main stars begin. The special effects are great especially the infected thing that?s holding our cast captive in the gas station, The bending and breaking of body parts compares to no other film out there. Don?t know what everyone else is watching and reviewing. Most don't give this film the respect it deserves. I'm giving it 5 Stars.

Shelter

Surprisingly Good! I can't stand watching Brokeback mountain , but i can see this one? why? well, they don't over dramatized it first of all. Just simple story about a guy who have a lot on his plate, he baby sit and practically taking care of his nephew, he has a drunk and lazy ass sister, couldn't full fill his wish to go to an art school, cause of his current condition. Came along a guy who sweeps him and change his whole life. Man, that sounds cheesy - but well it's not.

Great acting from unknown cast, great ending.
9/10