She's Out of My League

Rating: 6.8/10

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Overall value for time and money: 6.5/10

Though seemingly far-fetched, the movie does touch on a few solemn and reflecting issues on us guys. Not sure how true it applies to all average joes, but what I do know is that whenever we get into relationships, most people will think they are not good enough for the other party. And this movie addresses just that.

A less than attractive skinny but kind hearted young lad manages to hook up with an almost perfect girl... only to have their relationship compromised but his low self-esteem and those around him. That's about all you need to know about the movie because there are no twists in the movie or any changes in plot development later in the film.

The jokes are not that fantastic, pretty cold, lame and dirty at times, but it still delivers a good tickle, slightly better than the movie in my previous post, the tooth fairy. But don't expect too much out of it. It's not super funny, or super thought provoking. Kinda like a guy flick movie which gives hope to all average joes out there that someday, maybe some fine day they might get their lucky break.

It's quite the "Hope" film but still shouldn't be overlooked because of its lack of realism (not particularly referring to the fact that an average joe can hook up with a perfect girl but the way the plot unfolded and the things his friends did for him etc.). Worth a go at this popcorn movie only if you love light hearted movies and don't mind sitting through 1h 40 mins for a movie with a highly predictable storyline.

Tooth Fairy

Rating: 6.4/10

Genre: Comedy

Overall value for time and money: 6.0/10

Rather entertaining movie about an egoistic hockey player who was nicknamed toothfairy because he would always ram his opponents till their tooth came out. Other than that, he hasn't taken a shot for ages and is threatened when an arrogant but skilful new kid on the team is taken under his wing. After almost shattering the dream of his girlfriend's little girl who believes that the tooth fairy will come and claim her fallen tooth that night, he was "abducted" to tooth fairy land where he would "serve" time as a tooth fairy.

Though having a ridiculous plot, the idea was simple and straight to the point. What was refreshing was seeing Ashley Judd back to the big screens and that Dwayne Johnson was as entertaining as ever when it came to such movies. Kinda reminded me of Race to Witch Mountain. I sure hope he gets a serious role in future where his potential can further be released because in the meantime, I think he's stuck with no brainer kid flicks (no offence to kids).

Did tickle me a couple of times with the lame jokes and I thought it was pretty heartfelt at the end, though the buildup was there. At least after watching this movie, you'll get to believe in tooth fairies and that fairies are indeed living amongst us in the real world... or not.

Legion

Rating: 6.5/10

Genre: Action Horror

Overall value for time and money: 6.0/10

A twisted scenario whereby God gave up his love on humans and send his trusted angels to wipe them out. However, the angel Michael defied his orders and carried on protecting them. The main plot sounded interesting, but its full potential wasn't brought up. Loopholes greeted me along the way, some minor, and a handful of major ones which "cheapened" the movie.

*spoilers ahead* They didn't quite explain why the baby was so important? Giving birth to new life? Is there only 1 pregnant woman in the entire world? And the "tattoos" which appeared on the whimpy 2nd lead's arms towards the end of the movie. So... was he... did he... transform into an angel? Also, it didn't quite explain the last scene, the revival of Michael. Everything was just too... well-placed and convenient, without explanations.

The best parts of this movie, only a few movies deserve such an "honor" is the trailer. All the good scenes were already featured in the trailer... probably only 1... the "Chucky" like possessed child. I can understand that this movie might come under negative critiques for its portrayal of angels and God, but the last few lines did bring some justice to it. There were a couple of substantial and impressive scripting but apart from that, everything was close to... rubbish. The character development was exceptionally bad, leaving me little or no feeling towards them.

There were a good handful of scary scenes which did make me cringe a little but apart from the scariest buildup of the possessed old woman we've all already seen in the trailers, everything else came second. Not a bad film, a dark one, literally, where most of the scenes are shot at night, but I wouldn't exactly say it deserves more than just being an average movie.

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Rating: 7.4/10

Genre: Comedy Drama

Overall value for time and money: 7.2/10

The movie is centered on a young reporter who uncovers a group of confidential unit employed to harness the supernatural powers of the universe. Such powers include the ability to kill animals with their stares (which explains the title), walk through concrete, mind control etc. Wanting to get his next big story in his failed life, he embarks on a journey with the seemingly elite member of the ex-New Earth Army unit, who is on a secret mission.

Far-fetched as it might sound, cheesy even to the highest level, there was a claim at the start of the movie which said there's some truth behind it. Still, as ridiculously stupid as this movie might sound, thanks to the title, its a "parody" movie which guarantees a handful of good laughs and take home messages at the end of it. Excellent acting by the casts and the story development was at no time boring or slowpaced.

The entire movie felt like a real joke, and for that, it brings that feel-good, no-brainer, light-heartedness into it. I truly enjoyed it, for it opened my eyes not to the "truth", but to how much more "impressive" impressive things could become.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Rating: 7.6/10

Genre: Animation

Overall value for time and money: 7.6/10

Inspired from the children's novel, the movie spans around a gifted and inquisitive scientist who have been inventing the weirdest stuff... from spray on socks to flying rats to of course... a machine devised to absorb water droplets and make food. Food on requests!!

However the machine didn't work as it needed more power but before he could get it to work, it blew up into the sky... and not long after... food started raining down on a once dying town which depended hugely on their tuna imports.

The characters in this film are awesomely hilarious, especially the flexible police officer and the male leads's "eyeless" father. There's a good deal of character development and the ending did quite make it for me. Intelligent solution to an almost hopeless problem. I liked how the director tied everything up in the end, kinda reminded me of Meet The Robinsons.

Light-hearted, fun-filled rollercoaster ride into a world of deliciously raining food. As the tagline goes... "Prepare to get served!"

The Princess and the Frog

Rating: 7.4/10

Genre: Animation

Overall value for time and money: 7.0/10

For centuries... ok, I might be exaggerating here, but for the longest time, fairy tales were *pardon my bluntness*... never included african-americans in them. This movie dared to challenge convention but not only having a couple of them, but made the 2 leads african-americans as well. I believe there's more to it when reviews talk about "returning to the 2D era", I believe they loved it because of the racial issues it brought up.

But, I will critique this movie objectively. Overall, it wasn't a fantastic film. Good nonetheless, for the heart-felt and cheery feel it gives to its audience but not quite... superior. A mediocre plot with a slight twist about how a kiss from the princess does the reverse is about all the twist you can expect to get from this animation.

A fairy tale about a poor and hardworking girl working in New Orleans and trying to make ends meet when she comes across a talking frog. The talking frog turned out to be a prince and a supposed kiss from her would change him back to a prince... but alas, as the title and the trailer already disclosed, you get not 1, but 2 froggies in this film. Cute characters, such as the musically inclined aligator and the delusional firefly do indeed make the viewing more pleasurable.

All in all, just a pretty good fairy tale story about a princess... and a frog... and an aligator... and a firefly...

The Book of Eli

Rating: 7.7/10

Genre: Action Drama

Overall value for time and money: 8.0/10

A melancholy, dark, ironically beautiful post-apocalytic tale of a man headed west to deliver a sacred book, in hope of saving humanity. Kinda reminded me of I Am Legend. The male protagonist's name was not disclosed only until the last few moments of it, which almost left me wondering if the director was going to leave him nameless... and so were the contents of the book (if you think its obvious, then you're in for a pleasant surprise, though it might not totally make sense mind you...).

I really loved the twists in the story, and the interpretation and presentation of the plot. It was much better than I had expected, with the cool fighting scenes, and ingenuity of the plot development. I loved the cinematography, about the glimmer of "light" against the "darkness" of the backdrops. Though the CG looks plastered on, it didn't affect the quality of the film. It probably also has one of the most artistic fight scenes I've seen, a silhouette scene of the male protagonist taking out several renegades.

Slow moving as it may feel, but it adds to the suspense, and mood of the entire film. What more do you expect from a dark tale about a man walking around in a "broken" world trying to "fix" things? Though the trailer didn't give too much away, the posters might... still... the ending packs more than just a punch. It packs a warm feeling guaranteed to heal a stressful day. I might be asking you to take a huge risk here, by catching this rather unpublicized movie and assuring you it wouldn't be a waste of your time considering its close to a 2 hour-long movie... but afterall, like this movie, its all about taking that leap of faith...

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Rating: 7.7/10

Genre: Action Fantasy

Overall value for time and money: 7.5/10

Considering its a remake from a video game, this movie is probably one of the best of its kind. Similar movies include Resident Evil Trilogy, Tomb Raider and Silent Hill. The CG looked rather "add-on" but impressive nonetheless and the action was breathtaking. Felt like a mix of Indiana Jones, Romance of the 3 Kingdoms and Troy.

A brave young boy was adopted by the King of Persia as one of his three sons. With no royal blood and reckless on every level, the King dotes on him the most and believes that he will not via for his throne. Everything changed years later when the King was supposedly poisoned by that young man, Dastan and he became an wanted man. Hunted by his own race, and on the run together with Princess Tamina, the Princess of the Holy town which he invaded, he must prove his innocence and bring to light the greater conspiracy behind his betrayal.

Though the story isn't one of too much substance, it's a feel good movie that lets one enter a magically and "sandy" world. The plot isn't weak per se, with several twists in the movie which did enhance the viewing pleasure of it. The villians in this movie were awesome, and were the good guys. It had a balanced mix of action, humor and story in it. A major flaw of the movie was the romance. *spoilers ahead* The "kissing" scenes were overplayed (inverted commas because though there were a few, only 1 scene featured the 2 leads actually kissing) which made them feel redundant.

The best fight scene was the one with flying daggers and the concept of it all was greatly impressionable. None of the fight scenes were underplayed, which I thought is one strong point of this movie and of course, the casting did also contributed to the success of this movie. Overall, it was a good movie experience that's definitely worth anyone's busy schedule!!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Rating: 7.3/10

Genre: Animation

Overall value for time and money: 7.0/10

I finally overcame the obstacle in my mind and decided to give this movie a go. First off, the animation was a turn-off for me and even the dubbing felt off. Considering its from a Roald Dahl novel, and the high ratings from imdb, it shouldn't be too bad a movie.

During the first few minutes of the movie, I felt queasy and rather "fan gan" about it but decided to persevere... and it did pay off. The jokes were crude, witty and almost subtle. Reminded me of Spongebob squarepants, where the jokes are an oxy moron by themselves, rather "no-brainer", rather "witty". Even though Mr. Fox promised his wife to do away with his farm raiding days after being caught and being told that she was pregnant, he cannot keep to his promise 2 years later. Wanting a "better" life to massage his ego, he decided to challenge himself by moving to a tree house opposite the top 3 most vicious farmers with plans to raid their farms.

Every went smoothly until the farmers retaliated and were vent on destroying Mr. Fox. The rest of the animals had to suffer for his actions as they borrow underground but Mr. Fox has a fantastic plan... This animation is on par with The Spongebob Squarepants Movie and Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, with much talk-about humor points in it, such as *spoilers ahead* bandit hats, the psychotic rat, and many cheesy lines. It was pretty cute the way the animals moved about and their actions really tickled me whole.

Not fantastic, but good enough for me.

Planet 51

Rating: 5.5/10

Genre: Animation

Overall value for time and money: 5.2/10

Welcome to Planet 51, which looks pretty much like Saturn and where green planetlings inhabit. Everything was going well for the protagonist, Lem until a spacecraft lands on their planet and everyone on the planet thinks its an alien invasion. The clueless American astronaut must seek the help of Lem to re-secure his spacecraft so that he can return to earth.

The best parts of the movie are already shown in the trailer. The story development was weak and slow and lacked any engagement. There was little or superficial character development and it felt like a cheap animation in all. Together with the what-seemed-like "crappy" lines and the no-brainer plot, this movie is not worth your time. There are better movies out there and even better animations out there for the viewing. This falls under the "Over the hedge" and "Hoodwinked" category of time-wasters.

I didn't feel anything for the characters and the links were so convenient and abrupt which really disappointed me. Errr.... 4 fingers down I guess?

Ip Man 2

Rating: 7.6/10

Genre: Action

Overall value for time and money: 8.0/10

The long awaited.... wait a min... there wasn't much publicity done on Ip Man 2 in the first place and it wasn't until a month before its official opening that it started its publicity. But considering what an impressionable and "impactful" movie Ip Man was, it got me bursting with excitement. After a failed attempt at his assasination in part 1, he fled with his family to Hong Kong to start a new life, to introduce the martial arts of Wing Chun to those interested to learn.

However, the different martial arts masters didn't make it easy for him under the influence of the reign of the British. Similar to its prequel, the story gradually turned into a battle between the union of the Chinese against the bullying British. What I didn't like about the movie was the extreme portrayal of how bad the British were, and how predictable and similar the storyline of Ip Man 2 was to its first. What I loved about the movie was the action, action and action. The first half of the movie was really intense, while the ending fight scene was kinda disappointing, but still pretty good.

Overall, I liked the cinematography, where the setting really brings me back to the olden days and was touched by how magnanimous the Wing Chun master was. *spoilers ahead* The last scene with Bruce Lee coming to "bai" Ip Man as a teacher was a complete joke. Felt redundant and totally off. Though this movie is inferior to its first, its still one of the better chinese movies I've caught so far.

500 days of Summer

Rating: 6.6/10

Genre: Drama

Overall value for time and money: 6.5/10

It's not hard to figure that this movie is not a romantic one but more of a drama since it was already laid out through the narration by the lead star at the start of the movie. Well... I would say it does have a hint of romance in it, but generally, while some might insists that this movie is pretty good because of its "honesty", I say it's just riding on the main concept of fate and the entire movie simply revolves around it. Nothing too fantastic about it.

The movie is about a girl who doesn't believe in true love and a boy who falls in love with her.. thinking that she's the one for him. Her name is... Summer. And wa la, 500 days of Summer. The movie is chronologically screwed up because it trottles to and fro in their relationship. On one scene we have how they met, the next they broke up 300+ days later and it returns back to their Honeymoon period again.... It's pretty novel, but kinda messy I thought. Didn't quite work for me.

I thought they could have build up more on the ending where *spoilers ahead* Summer told the lead that everything was right except him being the right one for her. Could have been more touching but the lines were too vague, weak and confusing. Well, the very last scene did save it a little, was sweet but ironic... It's half of a feel-good movie, half of a thought-provoking movie. Good movie, not a strong film that would convince me to have a 2nd go at it.