| Movie | Rating | Review | Date | Your Rating | Match | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slumdog Millionaire - R |
Many believe that an unseen force controls the world. Since man came to be, we assumed that such an indefinable higher power existed that brought forth and manipulates us all, thus rendering coincidence non ? existent, making us conclude that everything, arguably, has been ?planned?. To get our heads around such an unfathomable theory, we have conveniently created ?gods? to define this seemingly cosmic energy which we believe rules our lives. But, whether how many more religions we may come up with to resolve our unexplainable existence, we forget that we already came up with one word that may very well explain all the innumerable occurrences of life. And that is destiny, the core of the beautiful story that is Slumdog Millionaire. To best stress this point, the film, once it began, opened with a question: ?"Jamal Malik is one question away from winning 20 million rupees. How did he do it?? The viewer was presented with four possible answers to choose from. (A) He cheated, (B) He's lucky, (C) He's a genius and (D) It is written. To understand and be able to answer this inquiry, you must first know who Jamal Malik is, how he arrived at the cusp of winning such a fortune and what took place that made it possible for him to nearly win it. Jamal Malik (played by recently unknown Indian actor Dev Patel) was the poor Indian boy fated for greatness whose life the film revolved around, along with his equally fated older brother Salim (played by also unknown Madhur Mittal) and the eternal love of Jamal?s life, Latika (played by the lovely Freida Pinto, who also happens to be an unknown Indian actress). Though jarring at first, the storyline of Slumdog Millionaire started at the edge of its climax where Jamal was shown being tortured by two police officers (played by Irrfan Khan and Saurabh Shuklah), forcing him to confess to allegedly ?cheating? his way to nearly winning 20 million rupees in India?s top game show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Growing up as a ?slumdog? child who ended up becoming a lowly coffee attendant at a local call center; some, especially the host of Who Wants to be a Millionaire (played by Anil Kapoor), doubted that Jamal could ever know all the winning answers, so much so that the game show host himself had him hauled off for ?intense? interrogation so he?d fess up to the assumed crime. When they realized that ?conventional? torture wouldn?t work, the officers decided to question Jamal and make him explain how he knew the answers. From here, the real story of Slumdog Millionaire began. As simple yet bizarre as it may seem, Jamal told the officers plainly that it was through his life experiences that he got to know about the answers. Guiding them through every query he correctly responded to, Jamal recounted all the periods in his life from when he learned, heard, or read about all the answers; brought to life in vivid detail by Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan, the film?s directors. Jamal and his older brother Salim were typical Indian children who lived wretched lives in the slums of Bombay, India. As if life wasn?t hard enough for them, Jamal and Salim were suddenly made orphans when a mob of crazed Muslims attacked their village, killing many innocent people, including their mother. With no one else to turn to, Jamal and Salim were forced into the streets. It was when they became orphans that Jamal and Salim met the person who would singularly influence their fates: Latika, a village girl who also lost her parents when the Muslims razed their village. Together, they grew up as beggars living off garbage across Indian slums. One day, a seemingly good man named Maman (played by Ankur Vikal) took them to his secluded compound to take care of them along with other orphans. At first, Jamal, Salim and Latika considered Maman a God send whose saintly virtue was the answer to their plight. But they soon found out that Maman was actually an evil child abuser who took orphans off the streets to make them work for him as a syndicate of street urchins. Once they discovered this, Salim, Jamal and Latika fled. Pursued by Maman and his henchmen, Salim and Jamal clambered onto a train to escape. The not so agile Latika tried to board the train as well, but was swatted away by Salim; clearly jealous of the budding love between Latika and Jamal. Free from Maman?s clutches, but left with no means to take care of themselves, Jamal and Salim were forced to work as illegal hawkers aboard trains and fake Taj Mahal tourist guides. For a time, Jamal and Salim were able to fend for themselves. Enough so that Jamal was able to save enough money to return to Bombay, despite the refusal of Salim, to find Latika. Even with the years that went by, Jamal never forgot about her. Once he arrived in Bombay, Jamal discovered that Latika was alive and well, but was being pimped as a prostitute by Maman in a brothel at Pila Street, one of India?s red light districts. Jamal then stormed to the brothel, intending to save Latika. But, when he got there, a stand ? off ensued between him and Maman who held a grudge against him and Salim for managing to escape long ago. The stand ? off was broken when Salim suddenly appeared, brandishing a pistol and threatening to kill Maman and his men. Salim escaped with Jamal and Latika after he shot Maman in the head. Finally free of Maman, the trio hid in a decrepit hotel and spent the night. Envious of the openly affectionate Jamal and Latika, Salim left them for the evening, but returned the following morning and man handled Latika away from Jamal, furious with jealousy. He claimed Latika for himself and ordered Jamal to leave. Although refusing to at first, Jamal yielded when Latika told him to after Salim threatened him with the pistol he murdered Maman with the day before. Jamal never heard from Salim and Latika again in the many years that followed. But, as Fate would have it, he was able to contact them at the call center he worked at as a coffee server. Salim asked to meet with him, who was now a henchman of Javed (played by Mahesh Manjrekar), one of India?s crime lords. Once they met, Jamal nearly beat Salim to death, never having forgotten about how he stole his beloved Latika away from him. But, despite being enraged towards him at first, Jamal ended up forgiving Salim and even accepted his offer to move in with him. While living with Salim, Jamal was overjoyed to discover where his Latika was. As it turned out, Latika now lived with Javed as his wife. Salim went to Javed?s mansion and managed to get inside, pretending to be a newly hired dish washer, and finally met the beautiful, all grown up Latika. All the love between them was still ablaze. But, sadly, Latika forced Jamal to leave when Javed came, telling him that it was far too late for them to be together. Undaunted by this, Jamal continued to pursue Latika, telling her before he left that he?ll wait for her every, single day at the train station until she came. Eventually, she did. They could?ve almost left, scot free, if only Javed hadn?t discovered about their clandestine rendezvous. To curtail their departure, Javed sent Salim to capture and return Latika to him. Salim succeeded. Desperate, Jamal decided to play on the show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, hoping to win the top prize which will enable him to have Latika. Against all odds, Jamal was able to answer all the questions right, all the way to win 10 million rupees. Correctly answer one question more and he would win the grand prize of 20 million rupees, if only people would believe he did know all the answers despite being poor and uneducated. After Jamal finally told his entire life story to the two police officers, they let him go, moved and convinced by his life?s tale, to have a chance at winning the 20 million rupee fortune. Unknown to Jamal, Salim was finally having a change of heart. Having realized just how much his younger brother loved Latika after seeing him on Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Salim decided to let her go and kill Javed, knowing that she and Jamal would never be left in peace as long as Javed was alive. He managed to achieve both, resulting in his death after a skirmish resulted between him, Javed and his men after they discovered that he had let Latika escape. On the show, Jamal was stumped by the 20 million rupee question, ?what is the name of the 3rd musketeer?? He decided to use his remaining life line, call a friend, to contact his brother Salim, hoping he knew the answer. Much to his surprise, it was Latika who answered to whom Salim gave his cellphone to before letting her go. She told Jamal she was fine and that she didn?t know the answer either. Jamal finally submitted to chance and made a wild guess. Miraculously, Jamal chose the right answer and won the 20 million rupee prize. Once the show was over, Jamal went to the train station one last time where he met Latika. There, they finally fell into each other?s arms and sealed their destined love with a kiss. If you haven?t realized it by now, Slumdog Millionaire is a typical love story about star ? crossed lovers who go through many trials and tribulations in life Even though this type of tale has been told and retold countless of times through equally countless permutations, what?s so brilliantly captivating about this movie was how Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan made this eternal type of tale their own. Sure, Slumdog Millionaire was a love story. But such an epic, impeccably crafted, and well ? told love story it was; made even better when Boyle and Tandan juxtaposed the progression of the movie?s core love storyline between Jamal and Latika with the retelling of their tragic and poignant lives along with Salim?s as they grew together; framed by a panoramic and candid view into the lives of people in India which, in the movie, was always blighted with poverty and crime. On that note, I just loved the exhilarating and creative way Boyle and Tandan shot this film, employing fresh, dynamic and effective cinematography to evoke within the viewer the intended emotion in every scene. Yet, despite winning 8 Academy Awards, I still personally think that this movie wasn?t quite as perfect as many have lauded it to be. First and foremost, I didn?t really like the performances of the cast. Sure, I knew they weren?t exactly well ? known and seasoned actors and actresses. I?m not saying either that all of their performances were total trash. Given the quality and depth of this movie, I?m just saying that I expected more from all of the actors so as to at least give justice to how good the story was. Moreover, being that this film was obviously all about the story, I?ll have to say that the script was pretty bland. Assessing the movie from a technical point of view, I?m not sure that the film?s soundtrack was the best choice for it and, as I?ve already mentioned before, the cinematography got pretty confusing a couple of times, despite how good it was. Lastly, though it was admittedly fun to watch, I?m not sure either that the surprising bollywood number was appropriate to accompany the ending credits. Nonetheless, this film may very well be one of the best movies ever made. If you haven't seen this movie yet, please do yourself a favor and go watch it. |
April 19, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Driving Lessons - PG-13 |
Regardless of where you grew up in, you will agree with anyone that teen adolescence was or is the most memorable period in your life. Whether your memories be good, bad or a mixture of both, it was marked with your numerous experiences that molded you into the individual you turned into; making those years the most significant to you of all. In the British comedy - drama Driving Lessons, I enjoyed seeing that growing up as a teenager in Britain is as awkward, critical and hilarious as it is everywhere else. The film revolves around the life of Ben Marshall (played by Rupert Grint): a shy, quiet and introverted boy who, in the film, was going through the motions of being an average teen; such as crashing the car of his driving instructor during his liscensure exam and getting shot down by his crush, played by the beautiful Tamsin Egerton, after reading to her an intense and amusing poem he wrote about her while walking her from a bible study in the beginning of the film. As ignorant as this may sound to you, I was surprised to discover that Christianity is alive and well in Britain, as it was represented in the film. On that note, Driving Lessons used the religion as a lynch pin to connect the rest of the cast to Rupert Grint's character. You see, Ben was the child of Robert and Laura Marshall (played by Nicholas Farrel and Laura Linney): a pastor and a pastor's wife whose strained and estranged marriage sent their lives along with Ben's awry. A genuinely good father and man of the cloth, Robert was literally rendered a prisoner in his own home by his domineering, cookie - cutter and religiously fanatical wife Laura who secretly engaged in an illicit affair with a young and virile pastor named Peter (played by Oliver Milburn). On an irrational whim, Laura decided to turn her home into a halfway house for senior citizens. If that wasn't bad enough, she coerced Ben to take part in her cause by making him find a summer job. She made him do so in order for her to take his earnings to be given to those she took care of. Left with no say in the matter, Ben found a job as an assistant to Evie Walton (played by Julie Walters): a kooky, capricious and eccentric old retired actress who lived alone. As Evie's companion, Ben's life was turned topsy - turvey. During the time Ben worked for her, he and Evie went on quite a few zany adventures. The most memorable of their escapades was an untimely and whimsically absurd camping excursion that turned into a full blown road trip after Evie prodded the initially unyielding Ben to take her to a festival in Edinburgh where she was invited to read a few literary pieces. It was during the said road trip that Ben gained the life experiences which his mother had so selfishly kept him from. Aside from that, he and Evie finally came to terms with how much they did indeed liked and needed each other. When their friendship grew noticebly deeper, Laura attempted to drive Ben and Evie apart. But whether how hard she tried, her efforts came to naught once Ben finally put his foot down in defiance of Laura, making the movie end in Laura getting sent to the hospital after being intentionally run over by a car, Robert finally divorcing her and Ben and Evie ceremoniously going their separate ways. To begin with, I don;'t really have much to say about this film technically. The cinematography was okey and the progression was cohesive enough. Personally, I really liked its soundtrack, which I felt was chosen well and suited the film splendidly. Aside from that, I really liked the way the director, Jeremy Brock, depicted Britain with lush, green fields along with picturesque hills and mountainsides. What I really liked about this film was the storyline. Although it started out awkwardly, the plot was able to grab the viewer's interest early into the movie once the story went linear. I don't know about the other critics, but I really liked the director's treatment of this film's core premises, combining the plot's drama and comedy facets into a well - balanced whole which framed well the underlying moral and social issues he chose to exemplify. Moreover, the friendship between Rupert Grint and Julie Walters characters really appealed to me and was fleshed out by the two in a genuine and believable manner. The only thing that I didn't like about this film was the dull performances by majority of the cast. If it wasn't for Julie Walters, whose brilliant acting made her shine in every scene she was in, this movie would've definitely suffered. Aside from that, I feel that not all movie goers will be able to relate to this movie. Non the less, I still enjoyed this movie immensely and highly recommend it. |
April 9, 2009 | N/A | |||
| White Oleander - PG-13 |
Love is the only emotion that has been able to evoke all the beauty inherent in humanity. Through time, soulful writers and balladeers have poured their hearts out, trying to capture the very essence of love with lyrics and prose. Yet love has also been known to bring forth man's inherent evil. When tainted with jealousy, obsession, envy and betrayal, love can push anyone to commit depraved and heinous acts. Through White Oleander, this point is successfully proven with a tale of how love, in all it's forms, can influence and shape our lives, whether it be for the better or worse. The film is centered around Alison Lohman's character named Astrid, a mesmerizingly ethereal beauty whose life is thrown into tragedy by her mother Ingrid (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) , an austere and arrestingly beautiful artist who murders her boyfriend after he unceremoniously breaks up with her. Ingrid achieves this by poisoning him with milk laced with White Oleander poison. Once Ingrid gets hauled off to prison, Astrid is taken into custody by the authorities and is placed for adoption while her mother serves her term. In the film, Astrid gets sent to live with three families: an unwed couple with kids (played by Taryn Manning and Robin Wright Penn) who epitomize American "white trash" stereotypes, a lonely actress (played by Renee Zellweger) way past her prime and a foster home who adopts young women to employ them as laborers in a flee market. While she lived in these foster homes, Astrid is thrown, head first, into the stark realities of life; experiencing both illicit and true love, violence, tragedy, death, loss, suffering, loneliness, abandonment, despair and, ultimately, redemption. To be clear, I know that this film was an adaptation of Janet Finch's classic novel of the same name. I actually own a copy. But, being that I haven't gotten the chance to actually read it despite it being in my shelves for quite sometime, I won't pretend that I know how exacting this film was in translating to the big screen Ms. Finch's book. Despite this, I still think that the adaptation was moving and beautiful. Told from Astrid's point of view, the film recounts, in gripping detail, her immensely colorful life and, in doing so, creates a panoramic view into the human psyche; showing just how fragile love is and how it can be so easily warped by man's faliability. From a technical perspective, there isn't much to say about this film's cinematography and soundtrack other than it suited it well. Obviously, this film was all about the storyline. The only thing I can give merit to this film for technically is how well it progressed, developing in a smooth and comprehensive manner along with Astrid's growth. Yet, even with how good this adaptation was, this film, at best, can only achieve cult classic status. With a multifaceted and admittedly sentimental storyline which spanned two hours, other critics may dismiss this as a pretentious and overly sappy tale. Regardless, it still didn't stop me from seeing it again and again. I just hope this film gets to touch you emotionally as deeply as it did me. |
April 4, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Chapter 27 - R |
Passion, when focused and guided, brings about the best in those who fuel it through idealistic pursuits. But once passion turns into obsession, it causes nothing except suffering and misery. Through Chapter 27, this point is strikingly exemplified. In the film, director Jarrett Schaeffer recounts how Mark David Chapman's (played by Jared Leto) obsession over the late John Lennon insidiously spiraled into insanity; leading him to murder one of the most cherished musical prodigies of all time. Through straight - forward scenes interjected with random and abrupt surrealism, Schaeffer tells Chapman's untold story of how a lonely outcast, desperately trying to seek solace in the world, finds meaning in the bleakness of life through the music and lyrics of The Beatles. Alas, for Chapman, this was all tragically thrown asunder after Lennon leaves the band. With his fragile mind slowly and constantly distressed with loss, abandonment and bitter rage, he ultimately snaps and decides to kill Lennon. As a story, Chapter 27, simply put, was concise. Obviously based from the newspaper articles and police reports which documented Lennon's murder, the film progressed in a very linear, almost boring manner. If it weren't for Leto's eerie and superb narration of Chapman's rants and ramblings, along with the scenes where in he was succumbing to his delusions, I would've enjoyed the film far less. If only Schaeffer decided to give this film more depth, maybe by allowing the characters portrayed by Lindsey Lohan and Judah Friedlander to develop as the film unfolded, I personally think this movie would've been so much better. Even though, it's still worth seeing, if only to see how the selfish delusions of a poor madman deprived the generations that came of John Lennon. |
March 31, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Watchmen - R |
As far as graphic novel to film adaptations go, I personally feel that the Watchmen film is one of the best I've seen in quite a while, especially since I got to read the actual graphic novel prior to the movie, enabling myself to confidently compare the quality of the two at present. Fundamentally, Watchmen is a tale of 6 self - proclaimed "super heroes", namely: Nite Owl II (played by Patrick Wilson), Silk Spectre II (played by Malin Akerman), Ozymandias (played by Matthew Goode), The Comedian (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Rorscach (played by Jackie Earle Haley), and Dr. Manhattan (played by Billy Crudup). These tenuously kindred individuals with intimately intertwined lives are forced into a collectively disheartening existence in an alternate United States set in the mid 80s. In this seemingly backwards universe, the Watchmen's kind are shunned and looked upon as vigilantes, all thanks to former late president Richard Nixon who, in the story, has been able to remain in office for numerous terms and has established a tense and volatile truce with Russia that could erupt in a nuclear war given the slightest provocation. The truce was achieved all thanks to Dr. Manhattan, the only Watchman who has actual super powers, specifically the power of total command over matter. Paying due respect to the graphic novel's original story line, Jack Snyder, the endlessly brilliant director of Watchmen, began the film with a "mini film"; summarizing as best as he could the story behind the rise and tragic fall of the Minutemen: another group of super heroes who, after being forced into retirement, practically gave birth to the Watchmen. Personally, I'm glad I was already able to read the graphic novel because, if not, I would've been at a loss during this point in the film. After the Minutmen's history was laid out, the movie then truly began. Here, the film shifted to The Comedian's high rise apartment where he was violently attacked, subdued and killed after being thrown out a huge, glass window. The murder of The Comedian brings forth Rorschach who wastes no time to investigate the crime, believing that it was the initial step of a sinister plot to ultimately eradicate super heroes. With the thought of the aforementioned conspiracy driving him, Rorschach gets in touch with the rest of the seemingly retired Watchmen; not only to warn them about his perceived threat on their lives, but also to find the culprit of The Comedian's demise. From here, the movie unfolds, unraveling a complex tale, not only about the The Comedian's death, but also of the Watchmen's lives and how their interconnected fates would ultimately bring about much change for themselves, the surviving Minutemen, the American people and the rest of mankind. Aside from that, the movie was also very much an introspect into the many aspects, both good and bad, of the human psyche; cleverly disguised as a splendidly written, super hero tale, originally penned by the legendary Alan Moore. From a technical stand point, the movie was visually mesmerizing. As I've already witnessed in 300, Snyder's previous master work, he was able to once again prove his expertise behind the lens in this movie; creating such wonderful scenes of digital artistry. From a storyline stand point, the film literally progressed just like the graphic novel. Clearly, Snyder painstakingly decided to include in the movie as much as he possibly could from the graphic novel, with scenes and lines clearly taken from the very graphic novel and translated as is into the screen. As I watched, there were times that I almost felt that I was back reading the actual graphic novel. Admittedly, I congratulate Snyder for producing such a detailed onscreen adaptation of Watchmen. But, if taken consideration from the point of view of some one who hasn't read the graphic novel before having watched the film, would such a nearly exact adaptation still be enjoyable? The Watchmen graphic novel was a very intricate story that progressed in numerous directions. Despite how hard Snyder tried to condense the film, The Watchmen movie is no exemption. With the final product, the viewer is served a nearly 3 hour film that may very well end up becoming too tedious to watch for a few movie goers. Aside from that, I'm not really sure if ballads from the likes of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and Tears for Fears, to name a few, were appropriate choices to comprise the movie's soundtrack, which became a little off - putting at times. Moreover, the performances by most of cast were pretty lack luster as well. I personally hated the way Patrick Wilson and Malin Akerman presented their respective characters, with the former failing utterly to act - out a vulnerable nerd while the latter, in attempting to be spunky and cute, just comes off annoying. The only actor who did an awesome job was Jackie Earle Ealey, who successfully fleshed - out his role as the strange, disturbed, detached and frighteningly violent Rorschach. Lastly, as I'm pretty sure that those who have also read the graphic novel would agree, I'm not so sure that the "alternate" ending Snyder dreamed - up was such a best choice. In all honesty, I find no fault in Snyder's decision to create such an excellent adaptation of a criticallty acclaimed piece of fiction. As far as I'm concerned, he was successful in doing so. The only question here is that, despite how good the graphic novel was, could the Watchmen ever be made into a truly awesome movie of the same salt? With that, I leave you to decide. |
March 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Charlie Wilson's War - R |
Irregardless of the circumstances it conveyed, Charlie Wilson's War exemplifies how the proverbial hand of fate will always deal a particular man's destiny despite how the odds are seemingly stacked against him. In the said film, Tom Hanks is cast at the helm as former US congressman Charlie Wilson: a "complex", Southern bred man who seems to go about his duties in a very cavalier manner; clearly reveling in the booze and attention from the ladies garnered by his political title. This is immediately made clear at the onset of the film as it opens in a Vegas suite where Mr. Wilson, along with a shady character named Paul Brown (played by Brian Markinson) and a gaggle of coke snorting, wine guzzling girls, bask in a hot tub, trying to settle a questionable deal for an equally questionable TV pilot. It is here that Mr Wilson is handed his Destiny card, so to speak, when he sees a spot aired on a nearby mounted television set about the plight of the Afghans caused by the past Soviet occupation in their country. Surprisingly moved, Mr Wilson returns to DC and decides to double the CIA's fund aimed to resolve the Afghan crisis from 5 million to 10 . By this, the metaphorical cogs of fate began to turn. The initiative set by Mr. Wilson immediately caught the attention of influential Houston socialite Joanne Herring (played by Julia Roberts) and CIA outcast, former case officer and division chief, Gust Avrakatos (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman); both of which have vested interests in seeing the Soviets booted out of Afghanistan. It's this seemingly motley trio who ultimately decided to relieve the Afghans from the Soviets political choke hold. At first, the team seemed to fly by the seat of their pants. But, things got really serious when Mr Wilson was asked after a meeting by former Pakistani President Zia-Ul-Haq (played by Om Puri) to visit a major Pakistani refugee camp before he flew back to DC. At the camp, Mr. Wilson witnessed, first hand, the repercussions of the Soviet's war atrocities. Right then and their, he decides to do "everything" necessary to funnel the much needed monetary support into Afghanistan to enable the nation to "physically" rid themselves of their Russian oppressors. From a plot stand point, the film's storyline is pretty simplistic,yet engaging and comprehensible. It progressed well enough as it recounted the numerous "ways" by which the trio realized their goal, rallied by Mr. Wilson's battle cry, "We have to shoot down their helicopters". But, right at the get go, it was clear that the story, despite how good it admittedly was, wasn't the main selling point of the film. It were the terrific performances and dynamic onscreen chemistry of Hanks, Roberts, and Seymour-Hoffman that really made this movie shine. All three actors successfully and splendidly breathed believable life to their designated onscreen characters. Not only that, they were able to work with and against each other so well, it was clear that they were having fun the whole time. Because of this, the film had an air of sophisticated gaiety that made it such a treat to watch. I personally couldn't stop laughing during the scenes when Mr. Avrakatos meets Mr. Wilson for the first time, unfortunately for the latter, when he almost got indicted for his earlier Vegas shenanigans. Sure, the film was marred with some hilariously awful special effects and old, misplaced - looking scenes from documentaries spliced into scenes from time to time. But, these weren't able to ruin the film one bit. It was the seemingly hurried ending that, for me, sent this movie slightly off kilter. Being that Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Herring, and Mr. Avrakatos were successful in enabling the Afghans to kick-out the Soviets from their country, I personally couldn't understand why Mike Nichols, the director of this film, seemingly shoved this success under the proverbial table by suddenly highlighting Mr. Wilson's doubt in the lasting effect of his enterprise for the Afghans in the long run. I respect his decision to stay true to the historical context from which this film was based. But, I personally would've preferred it if Mr. Nichols ended this film on a lighter note. Nonetheless, I still highly recommend this film. |
February 25, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Valkyrie - PG-13 |
Being that I only know very basic general knowledge about the late Adolf Hitler, I can't honestly gauge how historically accurate Valkyrie was in painting the picture of how the battle between the Axis and the Allied Forces impacted and ultimately shaped Germany back in World War 2. But, as far as I'm concerned, irregardless of how faithful it was to the facts, I feel that Valkyrie was just superb. The film opens in a pretty summarized manner, with the screen first displaying the SS oath to Hitler which then segues to the films focal character, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (played by Tom Cruise) , in a military tent, recounting his utmost disgust and utter disenchanment towards the entire Nazi regime which he documents in an unassuming military notebook. Right at the get go, it's already made clear what the movie was all about and where it was heading; effectively evoking the viewers interest. But Bryan Singer, the brilliant director of the film, takes this tastefully a notch higher. A few scenes later, the pacing of the film explodes when Stauffenberg's convoy is ambushed in the desert by two Allied fighter planes. Stauffenberg doesn't die. But the ambush takes his right hand, left eye, and a couple of fingers from his other hand. Despite the injuries, Stauffenberg remains with the Nazis. It is then, after he is cleared from the hospital, that he is recruited by a sizable group of internal Nazi rebels to aid them in their goal to ultimately rid Germany of Adolf Hitler through any means necessary. The desperation of the rebels is made clear not only since the Allies draw ever so closer to finally conquering the Axis, but also since an earlier attempt to booby trap a plane ridden by Hitler in the film failed miserably. After some brief squabbling between the political and military factions within the rebel group regarding how to ultimately realize their goal, Stauffenberg finally comes up with a winning solution. Operation Valkyrie: an intricate ploy that will result in the seizure of the SS headquarters in Berlin by Hitler's own reserve army; enabling the rebels to overthrow the SS and take hold of Germany's government . From here on, the film recounts the painstaking steps Stauffenberg and the rebels took to mobilize Operation Valkrie. What I loved about this film was its laudable pacing. After it successfully grabs your attention right at the very beginning, Valkyrie literally takes you on an emotional journey; evoking fear, sadness, and excitement during the most perfect moments in the film. Not only that, the progression of its entire storyline from planning to actualization of Operation Valkyrie's was just flawless. Probably owing to the historical context of the story, there were still numerous instances in the film during which the viewer felt that the rebels might fail. But, personally, I felt these instances only added not only to the film's credibilty, but also to how damn exhilirating it was to watch. Not only that, it was the perfect approach, story wise, to set up the viewer for the film's sobering end. Sadly, it is the very solid story structure of Valkyrie that hinders it from being perfect. Sure, the film was impeccably comprehensible. Yet, by focusing far too much on making the storyline perfect Singer left the cast proverbially out in the cold. I don't know about the other critics, but I think that Valkyrie would've been even more successful if more attention was given during the film to allowing the cast to develop their onscreens personas a bit more. Don't get me wrong. How Valykrie was told onscreen, as a story, was perfect. I would've just personally enjoyed it even more if the movie was done with balance towards its humane/character aspect. Nonetheless, chalk this one up as another gem among 09's onscreen masterpieces. |
February 21, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Seven Pounds - PG-13 |
When I first started hearing about 7 Pounds on TV last month, I was already intrigued by it, especially since Will Smith was cast to play it's lead role. Despite hearing about much positive media buzz and glimpsing a number of advertisements about it by the streets prior to it's opening day, I honestly wasn't able to surmise what it's plot was actually about. So, I basically went and saw it when it was finally shown here, not really expecting nor anticipating anything. After seeing it, I'll have to admit I was utterly blown away. The entire plot of 7 Pounds revolves around Ben Thomas: Will Smith's character who, after tragically losing his wife and killing 6 other unfortunate strangers in a car crash of his own fault, completely leaves his life behind as a spacecraft engineer to devote redeeming himself for the deaths he accidentally caused. To achieve this, Ben masterminds a complicated plan with his childhood friend Dan (played by Barry Pepper) that will ultimately end in him sacrificing his life and exchanging it for the betterment of 7 down trodden strangers he choose at random. He managed this by impersonating his IRS agent brother, the real Ben Thomas (played by Michael Ealy), which enabled him to do background checks on them. The film starts off pretty fragmented and progresses this way half way into it. During this time, the story slowly unravels, revealing who Ben Thomas is prior to the tragedy and what happens in the 2 week long climax of his grand plan as he lays out the needed elements for the 7 individuals he had ended up choosing to help. How Ben ended up killing his wife and the 6 other strangers were also revealed in bits and pieces during this time. Here, a few tense moments transpire as Ben brings himself ever so closer to his "chosen ones". Yet, his plan develops well enough. Aside from that, though the film progresses "enigmatically" at this point, such a plot progression actually served to benefit it since the film kept the viewer well interested the whole time. If the film didn't develop in this manner, I personally think it would've suffered by being too sentimental in it's approach. For me, the point in which the film's storyline really picked up pace is right in the middle, when he finally meets Emily Posa (played by Rosario Dawson): a kind soul who sadly suffers from a congenital heart disease. Among all the people Ben chose, Emily is the most special because it she whom Ben falls in love with during the time he was secretly getting to know her as he audited her. Though it was clear then that Ben could have started a new and promising life with Emily, it tore my heart out that he still chose to give up his life by donating his very heart to Emily, along with his other internal organs to the other chosen ones. Personally, I loved this film. It really took me by surprise by how it took the idea of charity and elevated it to such a glorious level and interjecting it with very modern issues and morals as well. Moreover, it featured good cinematography and THE BEST SOUNDTRACK I've ever heard used in a film. Ironically, the only thing that can make this film suffer is the plot, which could be subject to misinterpretations by overly critical move-goers whom may find the film "too sappy". Aside from that, I personally think that the performances of the cast weren't all that great. If Will Smith isn't careful, people will eventually get bored of the type of acting he employed in this film that I've already seen in his other movies such as In Pursuit of Happyness and the more recent I Am Legend. Despite these, I highly recommend 7 Pounds. Trust me, you'll never forget it. |
February 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| American Gangster - R |
It's basically been two years since the movie, American Gangster, was shown in the bigscreen. Back then, I was far too busy with both academic and extra-curricular endeavors to find the time to see it and have only fortunately chanced upon the film on HBO just last night.
American Gangster pits both Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe against each other at forefront roles as it breaths back to celluloid life, in all it's pain-stakingly exacting detail, the cold and calculated rise to power of Frank Lucas (played by Denzel Washington): protege turned replacement to the infamous Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (played by Clarence Williams the 3rd) after the later dies to take conrol of the 70's Harlem drug trade. The only hinderance to Lucas' ultimate success as he skyrockets to the peak of the then gang/mob hierarchy and enact his total control is a cop named Ritchie Roberts (played by Russel Crowe): a New Jersery detective who's ironically shunned by his "crooked" peers for an obstinate righteous streak. Basically, the entire movie revolves around the lives of Lucas and Roberts at the time. The brilliant and acclaimed director that he is, Ridley Scott is able to create a detailled yet comprehensive, well-paced and engaging tale of two intricately interwoven and colorful lives. I especially liked the way Scott expertly delientad the character contrasts of Denzel and Crowe's roles; framing the former as a cold, frightening, yet eerily magnetic individual while the former as an honest, socially-upright, yet long suffering and flawed guy. Sadly, this film doesn't really leave any lasting impression for me for "the whole gangster thing" has been done so many times already, such film's unfolds so predictebly right at the get go. In fact, Scott utilizes numerous "stark and in-your-face" scenes in this film very reminiscent of Martin Scorsese. Nonetheless, this film is still great and concludes at a climax that is both unexpected, yet utterly appropriate. |
February 2, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Inkheart - PG |
In Inkheart, Good ol' Brendan Frasier reprises yet another "fantasy heroic" onscreen performance as he plays Mo, a seemingly average guy with the ability to "bring" storybook characters and things into the real world by simply reading about them out loud. The hitch? When Mo reads out loud from a book and characters come out, someone with him has to take the place of the "summoned" characters from the book, something he has no control over. Too bad Mo discovers about this late in his life for, one fateful night, while "reading out loud" to his baby daughter Maggie and wife Teresa from a book entitled Inkheart, he unwittingly calls forth the book's villainous Capricorn and his equally evil sidekick Basta along with the bewildered sideshow fire weilding charlatan named Dustfinger. To his dismay, Mo realizes that his wife Theresa has disappeared into Inkheart to take the place of Capricorn, Basta, and Dustfinger. Mo is given no time to wrestle with this incredible occurrence for Capricorn and Basta, in their utter confusion with what just happened, suddenly threatens Mo and Maggie. Thus, Mo escapes with Maggie and has been on the run since, trying to keep free of Capricorn's clutches as well as to find a way to bring Theresa back from Inkheart. All the while, Dustfinger pursues them the whole time, desperately trying to catch up to them with the hope that Mo can "read" him back into Inkheart. For you to know, I have read the novel Inkheart from which this film was based and named after. As far as I know, when one decides to make a film adaptation of a book, one should follow the book's original storyline. Surprisingly, Inkheart's adaptation brazenly took this cardinal rule and threw out out the proverbial window. For, to me, this film seemed to be a summarized version of all the "good" parts of the Inkheart novel which was put back together in a way that, I'm assuming, the director thought would make this film significantly more exciting than the book and, by doing so, would make it more "palatable" to the viewing audience. If that wasn't going far enough, the director also decided to interject some "new parts" of his own devising into the story which, I'm assuming once again, he thought would make the movie "so much better". Honestly, I'm quite torn with whether or not the director was, indeed, successful in doing such. 1/3 into it, the Inkheart film was just an awkward jumble to me. Thankfully though, it became pretty interesting and "digestible" right at the middle, marked by the scene when Dustfinger discovers that Theresa has been "read" out from Inkheart long ago by Darius, a stuttering clod of a man who has the same ability as Mo and has been forced to work for Capricorn. All this time, Theresa has been imprisoned by Capricorn in his castle as a lowly maid. From then on, the film proceeds at a well enough pace. Yet, it remained jarring to me the whole time how removed the film was from the novel, especially since I was familiar with the story. Nonetheless, there were still memorable moments in the film for me which was obviously dreamed up by the director; like when the grown - up Maggie saves everyone in the movie's climax. But, I have to admit that I really didn't like how this film came out as a whole. I especially didn't like the way the director haphazardly ecked-out a weak happy ending, expecting the viewer to blithely take this out right. Maybe he can fool the more uninformed move - goer. But certainly not me. That's why I wasn't really that concerned when there wasn't any implication during the film that there was going to be a sequel, especially since Cornelia Funke, the author of Inkheart wrote a sequel to her novel entitled Inkworld. Too make things worse, the film's cinematography was pretty messy and the cast obviously didn't work well with the film and with each other. All in all, I leave the decision of whether or not you decide to see Inkheart for yourself. Maybe you'll enjoy more than I did. |
January 29, 2009 | N/A | |||
| Paprika - R |
To me, this film is a testament to how the Japanese have established themselves as THE BEST in producing animated onscreen masterpieces with fathomless depth. With Paprika, the viewer is served a tale of how man, in the not so distant future, discovered and created the technological means to literally explore dreams. Initially for the the advancement of psychological therapy, the fantastic invention is suddenly stolen. Thus, all hell breaks loose. Only a motley crew of a disturbed cop, an overweight genius, an unwitting scientist and a seemingly schizophrenic detective stands in the way of a megalomaniac who aims to remake the very fabric of reality and reign over humanity through the world of dreams. Visually, Paprika is stunningly mind-blowing. The director's technique of combining splendidly rendered 2D animation with cutting - edge CGI animation was an absolute stroke of genius. Pixar nor Dreamworks, to me, has nothing on this movie. Storywise, this film was very engaging and forwarded morals with taste. But, obviously, Paprika isn't for everyone. The "Alice in Wonderland meets The Matrix" visual "trip" of this film might be interpreted as disturbing, overwhelming, even offensive by more conservative movie - goers. Personally. I think this movie had far too many things left hanging regarding it's storyline that were never explained to me 'till the end. Still, I do highly recommend this. It's far from besting Hayao Miyazaki movies. But, it's still definitely merits two-thumbs-up. |
January 24, 2009 | N/A | |||
| The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - PG-13 | January 12, 2009 | N/A | ||||
| The Spirit - PG-13 |
To be totally blunt, this movie was an absolute mess which disappointed me to no end. On one hand, I have no idea what so ever about the original storyline of The Spirit's past comic book series. So, I will not pretend to know anything about it beyond what was forced unto me as I watched it's film adaptation. On the other, based on what I was able to conclude once the credits finally came rolling, The Spirit is an implied period film set seemingly in the US' raucus 1920's era during which gangsters of all sorts reigned. But, in the alternate universe of the film, the tale of The Spirit is centered on the story of a super - heroic crime fighter who goes by the name of, well, The Spirit, who has the mysterious ability to heal himself from any injury in mere moments. As The Spirit criss - crosses Central City, his home, as he fights crime, he constantly pursues The Octupus; his arch nemesis who, oddly enough, has the same ability as he. Through out it's nearly 2 hour duration, the film recounts The Spirit's life as the young Danny Colt, his rise and demise as a resolute police officer, his mysterious return from death to his transformation into The Spirit. Moreover, it reveals how The Spirit and The Octupus' existence are intertwined, the scheme of The Octopus to gain complete immortality to be able to lord it over Central City and the world, how the Spirit valiantly tries to stop him, to their inevitable climactic stand - off in the end. From a storyline stand point, the whole thing is just weak: lacking any depth nor cohesion what so ever which was made worse by how awkward the whole thing progressed right from the very beginning along with how poorly it was all translated on screen. I don't even want to talk about how AWFUL the script was which seemed to only be made up entirely of cheesy one-liners. From a technical stand point, the film had no decent pacing what so ever, had terrible scene transitions and was severely handicapped by poor cinematography which couldn't even be saved by the trite and ho-hum visual special effects which EVERYONE has already seen before. Personally, I HATED the hammy performances of nearly the entire cast and sat in awe, trying to comprehend why there were many unnecessary scenes in this film. The only light within the depths of the abyss of how terrible this film was occurred to me during the scenes when The Spirit flashes back to his childhood with the young Sand Seref who, as it turned out, was his childhood flame. For me, this short period was the only time that the The Spirit became engaging. The actress who played the young Sand Seref was great. I really think she'll go far in the industry and I would personally love to see her in GOOD movies very soon. As a whole, this film isn't worth anybody's time. Why Frank Miller? Why?... I pray to God that this movie doesn't serve as the death knell of graphic novel film adaptations. |
January 10, 2009 | N/A | |||
| City of Ember - PG |
To begin with, I've only recently discovered that City of Ember is actually an adaptation of a fantasy book of the same title. So, I won't pretend to know exactly how accurate it was to the book's original storyline or if the movie was as good as the book or vice-versa. But, I do know for sure that comparing it to the Harry Potter movie franchise is, personally, going a bit too far. With City of Ember, the viewer is served a tale of how a girl and a boy ultimately solve the mystery of the City of Ember to enable it's people to finally escape the deteriorating metropolis and live once again on the Earth's surface after residing underground for the past 200 years to survive an implied cataclysm. Technically, this movie was a treat to watch. Every scene was beautifully shot with creative and mesmerizing cinematography; effectively highlighting the awesome and expertly rendered backgrounds through out the film. As a whole, City of Ember translated well the feel of fantasy to the viewer visually, made the more convincing by well-chosen musical scores. But, story-wise, City of Ember falls a bit short. I don't know if it was because it was adapted from a childrens book, but the plot progression of City of Ember were either slightly predictable or was undeniably childish. Aside from that, most of the cast's performances were either stereotypical of fantasy films or left much to be desired. Even though, I enjoyed this film well enough, not to consider it an equal to the Harry Potter nor the Lord of the Rings franchises, but enough nonetheless to deserve merit and recommendation. On a personal note: I'm so happy to once again see Saoirse Ronan in this film after relishing her great performance as Keira Knightley's younger sister in Atonement. She didn't exactly give a great performance in City of Ember to equal her last performance in Atonement. But, I'm still happy to see that her career's progressing. May she continue on her well-chosen path and hope that she only gets better. |
October 29, 2008 | N/A | |||
| The Strangers - R |
For me, this is definitely the most terrifying, heart-attack inducing movie of 2008. With The Strangers, the viewer is served a straight-forward, no-nonsense adaptation of the murder of a tragically unlucky couple in the hands of three teenage thrill-killers. Technically, the director utilized effective and appropriate cinematography with convincingly eerie musical score and sound effects from the very onset to establish the "feel" of the film which was sustained well 'till the grisly end. Aside from that, smooth plot progression buoyed the viewer through every tense, nail - biting minute that concluded in a sobering, yet equally unnerving climax and end. Strategically, it was pure genius of the director to use the horror movie "screaming factor" only during key scenes; effectively heightening the film's terrifying quality. Moreover, not being able to see the faces of the killers through out made their presence more evil, inhuman, and permeating. Lastly, the lack of dialogue from most of the actors served this film well since it was able to focus the movie not on distracting, frivolous banter, but on the movie's storyline instead. Sure, there were still a few lull moments in this film. But, since I'm assessing this movie as a whole, I'd still give The Strangers two thumbs up. ^_^ |
October 17, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Max Payne - PG-13 |
After having watched this movie, I really felt that I wasted my money. For me,Max Payne was only a glorified, overly-stylized story of a man trying desperately to avenge the brutal murder of his wife and child. Admittedly, the core premise of the film was okey, sentimentally speaking. But, by over-complicating it with the addition of such far-fetched twists the director failed miserably to unify with the movie's entire plot; Max Payne was sadly rendered insubstantial and difficult to digest. Not only that, this film started-out vague and awkward at first. Moreover, it was rife with moments of poor cinematography and jarringly abrupt scene transitions. Still, Max Payne had scenes of mesmerizing CGI and exhilirating action sequences. But, personally, I'd rather you wait for it's release on DVD instead to save yourself from inevitable disappointment and aggravation. On a personal note: I really liked the performance of Mila Kunis in this film. She didn't exactly give an Oscar - winning effort for Max Payne. But, she has definately improved from her bland and lack-luster antics from the comedy hit series, That 70's Show. I really hope she continues to progress. |
October 17, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Smokin' Aces - R |
I was so pissed-off by this movie after seeing it. Why? Since I'm a huge fan of movies of the same ilk, like Domino, Snatch, and Ocean's 11,12 and 13, I just couldn't accept how utterly disappointing this film was. With Smokin' Aces, the viewer is served a flick with a poorly developed and haphazardly put-together storyline that progressed almost aimlessly from start to finish. Which is sad since the movie had such a great story plot with so much potential. Obviously, Joe Carnahan, the director of this ill-conceived film, didn't know what the hell he was doing. Even though, admittedly, I still loved this film's fresh and engaging visuals and cinematography. Aside from that, well-deserved kudos goes to Jeremy Piven and Ryan Reynolds for great performances which, for me, were the only saving graces of Smokin' Aces. |
October 5, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Mirrors - R |
Personally, I feel that Hollywood's horror movie genre is running out of fresh ideas. And after seeing Mirrors, this theory of mine was just supported even more. Basically, this film was very much like a child's puzzle put together, with basic and trite horror movie plot parts (such as: lead actor believing he's going insane once he starts seeing "things", most of supporting actors offering little or no help to plight of lead actor, lead actor driven to protect his family to go against ghost in film, predictable stand off between lead actor and ghost in end.) serving as the puzzle pieces. Because of this, Mirrors failed to bring anything fresh to the big screen to progress the already languishing state of Western horror movies. To make matters worse, this movie started out shakily at first and was rife with lack-luster performances as well as scenes and visual effects clearly ripped-off from Asian horror gems such as The Ring and The Grudge. Still, the film's storyline began to thankfully pick up pace halfway into the movie and was able to effectively hold the viewer's attention well into the end. Moreover, cool twists emerged at this point as well. If you're still planning to see this movie in the big screen, I personally suggest you rent it instead. |
October 4, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Freedom Writers - PG-13 |
This movie was such a "Johnny Come-Lately" flick for me, specifically since the idea of a movie focused on the story about a teacher making a huge difference in the lives of racially disparate and belligerent students isn't exactly such a novel idea and has been rehashed countless of times before. Not only that, I felt that this film was chock-full of cliches too reminiscent of other movies of the same nature, such as Dangerous Minds and Higher Learning. More over, I didn't savor Hilary Swank's take on the real life character of the teacher this movie was actually centered on. Still, I'll have to admit that I'm a sucker for movies that fight for the under dogs. Not only that, there were quite a few memorable scenes and lines that really "tugged at my heart strings", so to speak. All in all, this movie wasn't really something to rave about. But it was far from being a total bust either. Surely, a good enough film that's worth enough to sit through |
September 22, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Hellboy II: The Golden Army (Hellboy 2) - PG-13 |
What a step up this movie was from it's predecesor.
To begin with, I just have to mention first how spectacular Hellboy 2's cinematography was. Visually, there was never a dull moment while I was watching. The way this movie was shot, it felt to me like the entire film was constantly in motion. Not only that, the movie was visually well paced and had great transition into every scene. Aside from that, I really liked the way Guillermo delToro spun the narrative of the Hellboy franchise completely on its head. In the first Hellboy flick, the viewer was served a very dark and gritty story, filled with secular and wican symbolism. But in Hellboy 2, I found it very refreshing that the sequal embodied a very fairytale like persona, deviating well away from the the first instalments brooding and slightly gloomy narrative. Moreover, it was a good decision for Guillermo to focus the story not only on Hellboy, but also on the other characters of the Hellboy universe, such as Abe Sapien, aswell as on Hellboy's re;ationship with the love of his life, pyrokinetic Liz, and the rest of the Hellboy cast. And the creatures!As he has already proved in Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo delToro proves once again in this film how adept he is in dreaming up fantastic and awesome creatures for the bigscreen. Among all of them, it was The Angel of Death that I really liked the most. Still, Hellboy 2 is far from being perfect. I have to admit, by becoming too much of a fairytale, the film's storyline got a bit cheesy at times. Secondly, I'm night really sure if Hellboy 2's musical score suited well, which was very reminiscent of Nightmare Before Christmas. Aside from that, though he gave it a good effort, by trying to sow together too many storylines at once, Guillermo delToro muddeled the narrative a few times through the movie. Thank God the whole movie was still comprehensive enough as a whole. If you liked Hellboy 1, trust me, you'll love Hellboy 2. On a personal note: Though I have nothing against Guillermo DelToro's style of directing, I personally think that Hellboy 2's introduction was awful. >_< |
September 11, 2008 | N/A | |||
| WALL-E - G |
To be quite honest, I didn't want to see this movie at first. I guess I was going against my better judgement despite all the hype, mistakenly assuming that this film would turn-out to be another sappy love story. But having seen it, I'm now so happy that I did. Being that this is a Pixar movie, the visuals, of course, were utterly mind-blowing. Past Pixar jewels like Finding Nemo, Cars, and even Monster Inc have nothing on Wall-E. But, personally, I feel that the top-notch computer animation was just icing on the cake that was the movie Wall-E. And what a scrumptious cake it was! Underneath all the mesmerizing visuals, the viewer was served a seamlessly-paced, well-structured and comprehensive story. The lack of dialouge from the two main characters, namely WALL-E and EVE, didn't even hinder the storyline from being translated smoothly on the big screen. In fact, it even made the movie more humane and also made it the more poignant. Aside from that, this movie had a great sense of realism. Though fictional, the "reality" of it wasn't so far-fetched from actual truth, making it more engaging. I know it's been a quite a while since it came out, but if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor a go see Wall-E. ^_^ |
September 6, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Babylon A.D. - PG-13 |
What a disappointment, to say the least.. I have nothing against Vin Diesel. But Hollywood should already realize by now that the guy just can not act. As for the movie, it was shot poorly, had awful cinematography, progressed awkwardly from start to finish, had little or no story structure and had unbelievably vague story background for what miniscule story "meat" it had. As for the actors, all of them were painfully miss cast and had absolutely no chemistry with one another at all. And what's worst, the ending of this movie was THE WORST I've seen in a long time. Don't even bother wasting your money on this one. But on a personal note, I did love Melanie Thienny on screen who played the lead female role, Aurora. Aside from being absolutely beautiful and arresting in the big screen, she gave a good enough performance for a fledgling actress and exuded engaging stage presence. I pray that this awful movie doesn't mar her chance on making it big in the movie industry. |
September 4, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle - R | As nearly invisible supporting cast members in corny teen cliche' flicks, John Cho and Kal Penn are pretty okey. But I think they were banking too much on their assumed popularity by going ahead and making an actual movie that centered on themselves. I honestly believe that their funny. But I feel that they have to work on their credentials more to finally be accepted as real actors. | August 23, 2008 | N/A | |||
| The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - PG-13 |
To put it bluntly, I personally think that I have to seriously reconsider my tendency to get all excited about movies when they're corresponding trailers look great. Because, with The Mummy 3, I was once again served with a film that certainly failed to deliver what the trailer made me think it would. Sure, the framework for the story line was pretty comprehensive enough, the pacing was quite engaging to some extent, and there were admittedly a number of impressive special-effects scenes here and there. But Rob Cohen was wrong too assume that is all it takes to make a good movie. First off, I'm not sure if it was a right decision to summarize the entire back story of this movie right at the very beginning. By doing so, this film felt like a dragging roller coaster ride that inevitably got tedious and boring with out the needed interjections of story in between; not only to give movies well-balanced pacing, but to serve as further explanation for the storyline . Aside from that, I just didn't like this movie's cinematography. To me, the whole film just looked messy due to shaky and poor-angled camera shots. Moreover, the performances by majority of the cast were quite terrible. The only one whom I felt gave a good performance in this movie was, of course, Gong Li. Lastly, this whole movie felt like it was filmed in a hurried manner. What a way to go for a movie that almost garnered a pretty solid following. On a personal note: It was quite awkward for me that Rachel Weisz was replaced by Maria Bello to play Evelyn "Evee" Carnahan. It just didn't sit well with me while I was watching. |
July 31, 2008 | N/A | |||
| Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny - R | July 27, 2008 | N/A |
593 ratings
541 reviews
