Eagle vs Shark

Rating: 6.8/10
Genre: Comedy
Overall value for money and time: 7.2/10

Don't let the title of this movie turn you off. It's actually much better than expected. This movie revolves around a group of very weird people and the main focus is on the couple you can see in the poster. It's pretty hilarious at times but the oddity of the entire setting makes me a little uncomfortable. The lady falls head over heels with the guy and soon love blossoms for the both of them. It's not your typical or average chick flick movie. This movie shows just how blind love is as well as vengence. The guy is obsessed with taking revenge on his high school bully that he fails to see the "beauty" around him. While it's not my cup of tea, it does hold more meaning than senseless comedy movies like "Dude, Where's My Car". The ending really made it for me in this one.

Invasion

Rating: 7.7/10
Genre: Suspense

Overall value for money and time: 7.6/10

This movie is about an alien invasion and a mother who tries to save her son from being infected. The entire movie is pretty intense and Nichole Kidman is such an eye candy despite her aging years. If you're hoping to see alien beings with big eyes or probably state of the art CG animation, you'll truly be disappointed. The only "aliens" you see in this movie are humans who have been infected acting emotionless and diabolical. The ending quite spoilt it for me but apart from that, the built up was good and the pyschological fear was genuine. One hell of an alien flick movie.

The Kingdom

Rating: 7.5/10

Genre: Suspense
Overall value for money and time: 7.5/10

A group of US agents are sent to Saudi Arabia for a week to investigate a terrorist bombing. This movie is similar to "Rendition" but I feel that the latter is a better movie. I've watched "The Kingdom" only 2 days back and I can't seem to remember much of it already. It's a good movie but a forgettable one. Though there's Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Gartner in this movie, the emphasis isn't on them. The most outstanding cast in this movie must go to Ashraf Barhom - an unheard of actor in the movie industry. His role is to protect and look over the US agents and his performance should be well applauded for. If you're not one who likes terrorist warlike movies, I suppose you could choose "Rendition" over this movie.

Gridiron Gang

Rating: 6.8/10

Genre: Crime
Overall value for money and time: 6.7/10

Based on true events, juvenile delinquents at a detention centre are inspired by their counselor to form a rugby team. Guess who their counselor is? Can you smell what the rock is cooking?!! His first serious role in a Hollywood movie. This movie is pretty long, about 2 hrs + and since we're all familiar with "based on true events" movies being a little draggy with dialogue, this movie is no exception. There are real footages of the coach at the end of the movie which I found was what made it for me. The entire movie doesn't have too much a peak in it and I found it to be a little monotone for me. Still, it's up to individuals. If you're one who doesn't like rugby, or thinks "The Rock" has bad acting skills, then this movie is not for you. This movie doesn't have excellent casting, the plot is the emphasis.

Death Sentence

Rating: 8.2/10

Genre: Action Thriller
Overall value for money and time: 8.0/10

If you're not already familiar with Kevin Bacon's top class acting, this movie will further clarify that. Kevin Bacon is one of the most versatile Hollywood actors there is and together with the director of "SAW", you can only imagine how good this movie will be. It doesn't have the usual "SAW" unpredictably in this movie, what it does have, is coolness, and humorous gore. This movie has one of the best takes I've seen in movie cinematography, the part at the carpark. It is truly an intense scene not to be missed. A wealthy father loses his son to a gang of thugs robbing a convenience store and is driven up the wall when he accidentally kills his son's murderer. The gang wants payback and his whole family is in danger. What can a helpless desperate man do against a gang of ruthless killers? You'll have to find it out yourself. Seat gripping and intense movie that has some similarities of empathy and "imperfectness" of the characters with the movie "The Brave One".

The Brave One

Rating: 8.7/10
Genre: Crime

Overall value for money and time: 8.9/10

After declining to continue her role as "Clarice Starling" the FBI agent in "Silence of the Lambs" for "Hannibal", I didn't have such a good impression of Jodie Foster ever since. However, this movie has really made me fall in love with her once again. I really think this is Jodie Foster's breakthrough movie even though she's already getting on age. A woman struggles to move on with her life after she and her fiance were beaten by a gang of thugs. Her fiance was beaten to death but she narrowly escaped death. Life isn't the same for her and her fear and sense of injustice drove her to take matters into her own hands. She is quite the "superhero" in this movie where she brings bad guys to justice while the cops can't. However, her sense of justice is to kill them off, usually not because she wants to but because she's forced to. This movie really drives you into a moral dilemma. It draws a faint line between right and wrong and this movie brings you to the grey side of justice. While it may have quite the typical plot, this movie will have you leave the cinema at a loss of words. It has an unexpected ending and a good cast to enhance this movie. I truly recommend this movie to everyone out there.

Alien Vs. Predator Duology

Rating: 7.4/10
Genre: Action Thriller

Overall value for money and time: 7.2/10

1. Alien Vs. Predator (AVP)

Fans of the video game would not be too disappointed with this movie. There are loads of cool fighting scenes and everything was considerably cool until one part of the movie that made it pretty lame - the part that the lead actress got "geared" up. The storyline doesnt make total sense at the back but the CG both predators and aliens were a job well done. Unlike blockbuster movies like "Transformers" and "King Kong", this movie has a second class feel to it, somewhat like the movie "Starship Troopers" where it feels somewhat like a cheap production movie. I'm not sure what exactly it is but it could be due to the settings and the cast. Predators are the hunters in this movie and worshipped like God back in the ancient days. Every few hundred or thousand years or so, they would come back to hunt the prey, the aliens, to prove them worthy of being worshipped.

2. AVP2 : Requeim

After recapping the first movie, it doesn't make sense once again at the start of this sequel. Spoilers would be included in this critique so do catch the first one before reading on. At the beginning of the movie, the aliens infested one of the predator casualty shown in the first movie. However, logically speaking, the predator king should be on board the ship and where did all the other predators go at the start of this sequel? I saw like 10 predators at the ending for part 1 but only about 3 were on board the ship in part 2. Also, unlike 3 predators who came down to earth to hunt in the first movie, there's only 1 "hero" in this one. Since the alien queen was already "used up" in the 1st, the elite enemy in this movie is the predator turned alien hybrid. Overall, the lighting for this movie was bad. It was dark almost throughout the movie and it felt like they were running low on budget for the aliens. You can't really see a clear, entire alien figure, unlike in part 1. The casts are all unknown actors and actresses and once again, this feels like a 2nd class movie. However, for fans of AVP like I am, I'm still rather satisfied with it for giving me the opportunity to see both the aliens and predators, predator in this case, battle it out once more. After the infestation, the predator's spaceship crashes on earth and the aliens run loose. One elite predator knows about it and comes to earth to "save" the day, or night in this case. Be forewarned, my rating is a little overrated as I'm an avid fan of the video game. Unless you think "Starship Troopers 2" is an avergae movie instead of being a total flop, I'll advice you to go this duology a miss.

M. Night Shyamalan Productions

1. The Sixth Sense

Rating: 8.6/10
Genre: Suspense

Overall value for money and time: 8.8/10

A boy has the ability to communicate with apparitions but is afraid to use his gift. A child psychologist, Bruce Willis, decides to help him out. This movie has a good blend of horror and suspense in it. Unlike most horror movies, there is a better thought of reason for the boy to be encountering the apparitions. The apparitions are not there for revenge or for the purpose of just frightening the boy or the audiences, they are subconsiousness drawn to him for help because they do not know that they're dead. The plot works for me, and the ending, priceless. A stunning ending that's very much unpredictable but not impossible to cross one's mind. When I watch movies like these, I tend to have a bad habit of trying to figure the movie out. I think of all possibilities and perhaps this was a notch lower than the movie "The Others" because the ending did cross my mind in this movie. The best movie of M. Night Shyamalan and one would know why this was his breakthrough movie after watching it.

2. Unbreakable

Rating: 7.2/10

Genre: Suspense
Overall value for money and time: 7.1/10

After such a successful movie like "The Sixth Sense", one shouldn't expect Shyamalan's subsequent productions to top his first. Hardly has there ever been any directors who produces better movies each time. Perhaps that was why the expectations of the audiences were high for this movie. An unpredictable ending would be Shyamalan's trademark, as well as him guest starring in a few scenes, but the plot itself was considerably attractive. A man manages to survive a train crash unhurt and unscratched. Soon, he discovers the truth about himself and the drawback of such a "gift". Wasn't all too exciting for me but at least it makes me wonder at the end of the movie. A good thought provoking movie.

3. Signs

Rating: 6.9/10
Genre: Suspense

Overall value for money and time: 6.8/10

Crop circles have been sighted all around the world and rumoured to be the work of extra-terrestial beings. Finally, a movie has been made about it. A family of 3 living in a farm experiences such a phenomenen but soon discovers that it is not something worth celebrating. The aliens do actually have a good 10 minutes of screentime in this movie so fans of the supernatural would not be disappointed unlike some suspense alien movies that never really showed the aliens. The ending wasn't such a stunning one as compared to the first 2 but being a fan of Mel Gibson, he kinda saved the movie a little.

4. The Village

Rating: 7.9/10
Genre: Suspense

Overall value for money and time: 7.2/10

The trend of Shyamalan's productions seems to be going from good to average. However, this movie is finally one that makes it for me. Many have negative feedbacks about this movie but I loved the irony in it (you would understand only after watching the movie). A village is being barricaded to prevent creatures from entering their peaceful home. However, their alliance seems to be threatened when medical supplies is needed beyond the village. It is up to a brave, blind woman to cross the boundaries and seek help for the village. The "creatures" in this movie will disappoint you but do not give up halfway, the ending might just be able to save this movie.

5. Lady In the Water

Rating: 7.1/10
Genre: Suspense

Overall value for money and time: 6.8/10

The title gives you a freaky expectation for the movie, but it's not so if you've caught the trailer. It doesnt take a genius to figure out that the lady in the water isn't bad simply from the trailers. So, who's the villian in this movie? I wouldn't want to spoil the story for you, but I can tell you the way to defeat "it" is quite well thought of. An apartment superintendent rescues a drowning lady in the swimming pool and soon discovers she is actually a mythological character in a bedtime story. He and the tenants in the apartment must do what they can to save her. Isn't a bad movie, but it seems the novelty of Shymalan's productions are plunging like a bad day in the stock market.

Little Miss Sunshine

Rating: 7.4/10

Genre: Comedy

Overall value for money and time: 7.1/10

This movie isn't as good as what the reviews say, the only memorable part of the movie was the score, which was simply breathtaking. One of the best scores in movie history I've heard so far. The film feels very raw, almost like it's unscripted and the casting was good. However, the situation which they were in was a little too exaggerated and unrealistic. This movie is like chicken essence for the soul but it isn't a movie that will send you to tears with laughter or compassion. A family goes on a trip to take their daughter to a beauty pageant contest and they will not let anything come between them. The family will take you on a trip to happy events, sad ones as well as real funny ones. Makes a perfect weekend movie.

Little Children

Rating: 8.1/10

Genre: Romance
Overall value for money and time: 8.2/10

This movie is about a married woman who has an affair with a househusband. Sounds pretty typical so far right? Well, that is just the main movie plot. It also covers issues on marriage and what keeps a marriage going, aspirations and the outcome of supressing one's dreams, the courage to break out from one's boring life and trying out something adventurous, the biased stereotyping and condemnmation of the condemned and many other issues. It's quite similar to the movie "American Beauty", where there's a lot of ways to interpret the movie and to appreciate it. The title fits the movie like a charm and the movie left me lost for words when the credits started to roll. I was silent not for the ridiculous plot or outrageous ending some movies offered, instead, my mind was literally blown away. I don't know how else to describe this movie but through one word. Beautiful.

Eastern Promises

Rating: 8.0/10
Genre: Crime

Overall value for money and time: 7.8/10

The movie revolves around a midwife and one of the top crime families in London. The mother of a baby died during childbirth and Naomi Watts, the midwife, seeks the closest relative for the orphaned child. The orphaned child is linked to the family and Naomi Watts gets herself deeper and deeper into its dark secrets. The plot of the movie is unexpected and is unlike any crimelord movies I've watched so far. I like Naomi Watts for her role in "King Kong" and once again, she gives a memorable impression. However, most of the credit for the success of this movie goes to Viggo Mortensen for his ruthless yet compassionate role as the new member of the family. I do recall seeing him somewhere before and after checking it out, he's actually Aragorn from "The Lord of the Rings"! Though the title isn't too attractive, be assured that it's the most unattractive part of the movie. Everything else is just great!!

Hostel Duology

Overall Rating: 7.1/10
Genre: Slasher

Overall value for money and time: 7.0/10

1. Hostel

This duology has a very disturbing plot. It's almost similar to another slasher movie "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" with a little spice of "Death Proof" in it. For those who knows about Quentin Tarantino's works and appreciates it, this is one of his best. If you haven already realised, he has a thing for taking shots of feets and there will either be a scene or music in the movie that reminds you of his other productions. The plot for the front half of the movie always strays away from the main plot - it doesn't jump straight into the main storyline only until much later. This movie is about 3 american guys who go on a backpacking trip to a Slovakian city, hearing how beautiful the babes are over there. However, the hostel that they stay in has "great" plans for its victims. Don't mind me saying but there's a lot of boobs shown in this movie. For one uncomfortable with nudity and gore, please stay away from this film. The first half is almost all about boobs, the 2nd, mostly gore. Tarantino's productions do not deal with the usual gore, it's highly exaggerated just for sick humour. Quite a handful to stomach, but overall, the movie has the usual Tarantino's twist in it. Decent movie.

2. Hostel

Many have said that this sequel is inferior to the first. Personally, I feel that they have somewhat of a different storyline altogether, though they revolve around in the same Slovakian City. For those who have not caught the first, please do not proceed as there are spoilers in what to come. The first part of it does a follow up on the sole survivor from the first series, but that's as far as he gets. It's a new cast with a new plot. It's the usual trio, not males but females being conned into going to Slovakian City. Instead of just the victims, this time, almost half of the screen time goes to the background of the torturers. It shows both sides of the story and yes, the usual Tarantino twist is still prevalent in this sequel. How? You have to watch to find it out yourself. I thought both films were unique in their own sense, though linked in some sense, it's pretty independent as well. For those who haven caught the first movie, you wouldn't be that lost in this sequel because of flashbacks at the start of the film. Pretty well thought of I must say, and though there's less boobs shown in this movie, the gore is on par with the first.

I Am Legend

Rating: 7.8/10

Genre: Horror
Overall value for money and time: 7.5/10

Despite negative feedbacks from my friends who have watched this movie, I came out of the cinema feeling satisfied. The movie do have a few loopholes in it, and while not everything makes perfect sense, the build up of the movie is rather organised and the plot has some appeal in it. A military scientist is the sole survivor of New York City which was hit by a virus epidemic caused by a cancer cure. The supposed cure mutated and created vampire like monsters. Now, it is up to the scientist to come up with a cure so that he can save mankind and revert them to their original state. Although generally, the movie may have a typical zombie movie plot, it also does have a few unexpected twists in it. Will Smith takes on a more serious role in this movie but there are still mild humour here and there. It has been a long while since a horror movie sends some "genuine" scares and this movie is finally it. What I mean by "genuine" is that the movie really does build up the suspense along the way and should you jump in your seat, it's not because of some loose electric wire (like in "Resident Evil Extinction") or someone else just creeping up behind the lead star (like in "Covenant"). It's either you expect a scare that doesn't come or when it does, it's worth running for. This is one movie worth watching.