Revolutionary Road

Rating: 7.5/10
Genre: Drama
Overall value for money and time: 7.2/10

Though the poster gives you the impression that this movie is probably one of the most romantic movies of all time, it's not. That's why I deem it more suitable to be categorised under the genre of "drama". It has a depressing story in essence and with the aid of great casting, makes it even more convincingly depressing. Despite some truth portrayed in everyday marriages, watching this film will only make one give up the idea of settling down.

Journey through the film with the degenerating lives of a young couple as they come to terms with their personal problems. What I didn't like about the film was that there was insufficient development of their 2 kids. They felt like calefares to the film. There were a handful of cheesy and humurous lines along the way to liven up the mood but the promise of a happy ending seemed bleaker as the story progressed.

It should be a film that deserves more than a rating of "7.5" but it's just not my cup of tea. Might work for you though. The story started out by portraying Leonardo Dicaprio as the "bad" husband, but later twisted perceptions by showing that he was actually the "maker" of the relationship. Kate Winslet had a reversal of roles. At the ultimate end, everything unfolds and brings in the harsh reality of life - that no one is genuinely real. Lots of mature theme for the young audience to comprehend. Last of all, I also want to comment on the mentally unstable landlady's son. Many would view him as being the person with the clearest perspective (misled by the suggestive conversation between Leonardo and Winslet), but I would insist he was the instigator of the problem, the true "villian".

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Rating: 7.7/10
Genre: Action
Overall value for money and time: 7.7/10

This is the best installment for the X-Men series but it lacked something which I cannot identify. Perhaps the plot is too superficial, or perhaps the lines are too cheesy and to some extend "pertaining to the younger generation". Still, it was a good movie with good casting (Sabretooth did a better job in this movie than the rest of the X-Men installments). It could work as a stand alone movie for those with no prior knowledge about Wolverine.

James Logan (wolverine) is a mutant born with the ability to extrude claws from his fist. His half brother, Sabretooth, is able to extend his claw-like fingernails. They grew up side by side but eventually landed on different sides of morality. Blinded by vengence for his dead lover, he volunteers for an experiment to inject an alien materia called "adamantium" to reconstruct his bones. Deemed indestructible, Logan hunts down his brother to unveil a greater conspiracy.

It's a cool movie with an "uncool" ending, but it sticks true to the origins of Wolverine. While Red Cliff 2 had an altered ending to suit the likings of the audience, this movie stayed true to its course, even though there was a high risk of disappointment for its viewers. Hugh Jackman is still the all-charming protagonist but I'm not fond of how the director makes Scott Summers, aka "Cyclops" so vulnerable and weak. A movie worth the watch but will probably not make it as the "Blockbuster Event of the Year".

In Bruges

Rating: 9.2/10
Genre: Drama
Overall value for money and time: 9.5/10

Witty and humorous dialogues, star studded cast, intelligent plot, beautiful cinematography. What do you get when all these factors come together? One of the top movies of all time! A truly hidden gem! When it comes to castings, I'm a little biased because there are a few actors or actresses which I'm not particularly fond of. A handful of those include Russell Crowe, Jack Black and Colin Farrell. Though I have to admit, there are some break through movies for these actors. Gladiator was a breakthrough movie for Russell Crowe, Nacho Libre for Jack Black and as for Colin Farrell, this is that movie. He couldn't be more convincing, utterly irreplacable.

But it wasn't just him that contributed to the huge success of this film, much credit have to go to Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes. This movie had a sufficient amount of character development for each of the leads. One would get to understand and feel for each of them, and each showed distinct characteristics and realistic character flaws. There are some seemingly "random" chain of events throughout the movie but they all piece together like a jigsaw puzzle at the very end. Though it might be commonly used for most of my reviews, this film is simply... Beautiful. It doesn't touch superficially on the characters but brings into view different perspectives. Life, Death, Forgiveness, Principles and Love.

Two hitmen are sent to Bruges (Belgium) to await their next mission. Through the course of waiting, they are exposed to the "missing" elements in their lives and starts to view life in a different manner. It's a totally different kind of movie experience that's worth every minute of your time. You can't hate this movie, either you love it, or you love it more. This movie falls under the category of "top 50 must-see movies before you die".

The Horsemen

Rating: 5.8/10
Genre: Thriller
Overall value for money and time: 5.5/10

A disturbing pyschological thriller about a widowed detective tracking down a group of serial killers who murders in the name of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It's a dark movie which is not for the squeamish or the faint hearted. Feels like a low budget film with unconvincing acting and using Zhang Ziyi in this film was a big mistake. She felt more suited for a horror film and Dennis Quaid couldn't deliver as the main lead. All in all, the plot wasn't as simple as it seemed but the ending wasn't enough to boost my impression of this movie. Passable.