Thursday, April 29, 2010

Kick-Ass

Rating: 6.7/10
Genre: Action Comedy
Overall value for money and time: 6.8/10

Coolness: 3.5/5
Comedy: 3/5
Story: 2/5
Action: 3/5
Lameness: 3/5
Soundtrack: 4/5

With taglines like "Shut up. Kick-ass." and "I can't fly, but I can kick you ass.", one would expect something good out of this possibly kick-ass movie. That was what I thought, and it sure did turn me off initially, with the amateurish poster plastered with fugly looking costumes which makes any superhero look bad... and which reminded me of some no-brainer slapstick superhero movie which would probably fall in the same category as parodies. Imdb rates it 8.4/10, and the top #123 /250 movies of all time. Nuff said... this movie was anything but kick ass.

In fact, the only ass I wanted to kick after the show was my own, for going against my low expectations of the movie and still dragging myself to catch it after all the convincing online reviews about it... And fortunately for me, I didn't expect much out of it. It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't all that bad either.

A teenage boy who fantasizes about becoming a superhero indeed try turning into one someday and a coincidental twist of events shot him to fame, only to realise that its not easy being a superhero. He doesnt have powers, and he was indeed joined by other "superheroes" as quoted from online synopsis about it but as a matter of fact, no one in this movie had super powers. They're just pretty ordinary folks who either fantasized, had some motives or were well-trained in assassination. So if you're wondering how far-fetched this movie would lead you, it won't blow logic out of proportions, but it does have a good load of exaggerated moments in it.

Its really refreshing to see Nicholas Cage as a "comedy" superhero since he rarely does such genre of movies and his previous superhero cast as The Ghost Rider was anything but light-hearted. The little girl, who goes by the superhero name of Hit Girl was probably the coolest element in the entire movie. Mark Strong delivered an equally strong performance as the mafia boss but his son... well, its personally, I never liked his acting.

It has a mix of the Matrix, 2 particular scenes would remind you of that, The Forbidden Kingdom, about some kid's/director's fantasy to become a kung fu expert/superhero and taking it to the big screens. I think one of the major reasons why this film doesnt feel all parody-like could be due to the director's appropriate choices for the soundtracks for this movie. It really synchs well with the scenes and gives that additional "booster" to them. Started strong and ended strong but the content went downhill in the middle was but saved by the "kick ass" ending.

This movie receives such good critiques probably because most male viewers are able to live out their fantasies about becoming a superhero and getting the girl of his dreams... and this movie somewhat promises that. It doesnt matter if you kick ass, or get your ass kicked, as long as you try to be an altruistic vigilante, you're sure to be "loved" and reap good returns. The story didn't quite work for me. The ending message was anything but "inspiring" or "refreshing". A flop superhero movie, a decent action film and a pretty cool movie. Worth the watch on dvd but you can give it a pass at the big screens.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Shutter Island

Rating: 9.0/10
Genre: Suspense Thriller
Overall value for time and money: 9.2/10

Story: 4/5
Twist: 4/5
Cast: 4/5
Mood: 4/5 (a mix of intense suspense and malancholy)
Soundtrack: 3/5 (the score was the scariest element of the movie, making the movie feel scarier than it actually was)
Script: 4/5
Logic: 2.5/5

A U.S marshal lands on a deserted island for the criminally insane, Shutter Island to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a psychotic mother who killed her 3 children. Scary as it sounds, and true to some extend, I wouldn't exactly call this a horror film.

It has the "Alfred Hitchcock" feel to it, though I haven't caught any such films but its quite the melancholy, dark, detective film noir type movie. After the low budget Bounty Hunter, this movie is evidence of what a professional, seemingly high budget movie should feel like. Great scripts, great cast, great story. The shocks in this movie are pretty predictable so you won't have to worry about having nightmares.

Even though it sounds almost perfect, putting additional thought into it for the past few days after viewing it made it less perfect than it actually felt at the time of viewing. So, don't commit the same mistake as I did, watch it for its entirety and just savor the "grandeur" of such a sophiscated detective thriller. I mean afterall, what less can we expect from the grandmaster of such movies, Martin Scorsese? There's lotsa of his trademark directing which featured confortations of 2 characters in the same frame of the movie, one in the background focused, and in the foreground who is usually off-focused. And these confrontations were usually intense, well-scripted and didn't add any "drag" to the film.

The twist in the story might come to some in the midst of the movie, but its actually more complicated than it seemed. When everything came to light, while the impact might differ for different viewers, I'm positive that all... would feel a sense of awe at the very end. The ending line which Leonardo Dicaprio made was one of the most powerful lines I've heard, in the context of the movie that is. I'm not sure if its another director's trademark which leaves one thinking or almost "hanging" at the end because the ending wasn't "definite", but it really leaves a lingering yet pleasant afterthought about the movie. Impressive, is the one word to sum this movie up. And for those of you who haven't caught it, don't miss this one-of-its kind film on the big screens, and stop reading here. But for those who have caught it, here's the most "exciting" part of my critique... the spoilers. *spoilers ahead*

The reason why I felt that the film wasn't quite complete was because after thinking back, there were lots of scenes which didn't make sense. True, the twist in the ending did create that "awe" but upon deeper thinking, well... not all of it linked. Knowing how some of you might still read on even though you haven't caught the film, I will not include major spoilers in my critique. In the context of unrevealing the mystery behind shutter island, the starting scene which featured Leonardo and his partner on a ferry to their destination didn't make sense. Where does that scene fall into place through all that "investigation?" chronologically? And the supposed reappearance of the insane mother, and her confrontation with Leonardo Dicaprio. The way she reacted... was it real? Or was it a role-play? Either way, both scenarios doesn't make sense. Also, why was there a bald insane woman putting her fingers to her lips and asking Leonardo Dicaprio to "shhhh"? There must be a reason behind that scene.... but it seemed... it really was a random scene after all.

I'm sure there are many other "loop holes" in the movie but those mentioned were the most pressing issues which made me stop thinking because I knew as solid as the plot might have been, I don't believe the entire plot and development was "beautifully" and throughly planned. There were too many scenes to throw you off that path, but those alternative routes seemed only to have 1 purpose, to deter you from uncovering the "truth". Once again, one of the better films I've caught this month and probably this year so far, so don't miss it!!

The Bounty Hunter

Rating: 6.2/10
Genre: Action Comedy
Overall value for time and money: 5.5/10

Romance: 1.5/5
Comedy: 2.5/5
Action: 2/5
Production: 1/5 (low budget film)
Story: 2/5
Cast: 2.5/5 (props to Jennifer Aniston)
Intelligence: 1/5 (a no brainer movie)

A bounty hunter, ex-cop, ex-husband is estastic when he finds out his ex-wife is his next target. Vent on bringing his wife to jail because she jumped bail, he hunts her down easily but gradually comes to terms with the divorce and the rekindling of feelings... only to find out that its the least of their problems because a greater conspiracy awaits them.

The first few minutes of the movie made this movie seemed like a low budget film. The somewhat grainy resolution, off contrast colors and loud pop music with amatuerish scripting all contributed to the "cheap" feel. However, things got a little better as the movie progressed but overall, it still felt like your average pop corn movie. Casting wasn't bad, but Jennifer Aniston stole the limelight. I've overheard conversations of movie-goers who were so disappointed with the movie but what saved this movie was none other the female lead herself.

Well, frankly, I thought the entire cast did a great job, Gerard Butler didn't perform as well as his previous few films probably because the scripts made him feel somewhat "unintellectual". Though the movie almost made me vomit out blood at the start, I had a neutral feel about the movie when the credits rolled. A major complain I have about the movie is the lack of character development and no "follow-up". *spoilers ahead* There was this group of vicious loansharks who were after Gerard Butler but after a particular scene near the end of the movie, there was no mention of them anymore. Pretty decent ending, but extremely bad lead-up. Don't waste your time catching it in the theatres, just wait for mediacorp to screen it on TV in about 2 years time. Trust me, its "worth" the wait.

Monday, April 19, 2010

How to Train Your Dragon

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

Story: 3/5
Comedy: 2.5/5
Light-heartedness: 3/5 (with a couple of shocks)
Soundtrack: 3.5/5
Cuteness: 4/5
Plot development: 3.5/5

After the disappointing 3D experience of Clash of the Titans, I wasn't expecting much from this movie. But I didn't have much of a choice because when I caught it, there were no more 2D versions of it on screen. For once, in a long while of movie-viewings, I was not disappointed. It wasn't fantastic though, I felt that the story links and flow could have been better, but it definitely was one of the better animations I've caught.

Hiccup, the son of the Viking village leader, is a young and timid Viking hoping to slay his first dragon so that his dad will take him seriously. Things took on a twist of events when he befriends the most elusive and scariest dragon the Vikings have known to fear... The Night Fury, only to find out that his people have greatly misjudged dragons. Slowly, he starts to train the night fury, which he calls toothless, and builds a bond of friendship which may forever change the ties between humans and dragons.

The dragons were cute and the characters each had a unique quality about them. It was a light hearted movie with a couple of shock scenes, and had a good handful of funny moments in it. The character development could have been better, *spoilers ahead* especially the part where Hiccup's father apologised to him felt too un-relating. I didn't feel much for the characters and some parts of the movie was too convenient and rushed. There were also a couple of points which didn't make sense to me... one of which being how did Hiccup know the way to kill the Dragon Boss at the end?

The soundtrack didn't go well with the movie, it was good, but felt "adult-like" even though the animation was more "child-like". All in all, I liked the movie as a whole and personally, I think this is one of the few breakthrough movies of Dreamworks. I'm so glad they're gearing it up to compete with Pixar to bring us better animations in hope that in the future, their movies will only go one way... Up.

[Rec] 2

Rating: 7.0/10
Genre: Horror
Overall value for time and money: 7.2/10

Horror: 4/5
Nauseating: 3.5/5
Story: 3/5
Twist: 3/5
Gore: 3/5
Realism: 2.5/5

Yet another disappointing movie. But, although this movie might have disappointed me, it's not a bad movie, only so because I compare it to its first movie, Rec. [Rec]2 is the sequel which featured a swat team entering the quarentined building in the hopes of controlling the situation. While Rec. was gave a more realistic and professional feel, [Rec]2 gave a more movie-like and amateurish feel.

This movie feels like Resident Evil and Blaire Witch combined, into this new video game called [Rec]2, and you're playing it in first person mode. The state of the art camera lens, whereby the swat team memebers each had a camera mounted on their helmets was an interesting and refreshing element to the movie. But the "zombie rushing to vid cams" and "vid cams dropping onto the floor" scenes were an overkill. It was so overplayed that it kinda felt irritating because it kills the predictably of it, and felt like a cheap trick to get you all hyped up about the cast being attacked by dashing zombies.

I guess the best parts about this movie was the suspense because of the way the movie was being filmed. There were no music scares, and the one camera shot technique showing the actors walking around that classic Rec.-type corridors and opening the doors one at a time was simply intense. *spoilers ahead* The best scene in this movie had to be the first minute of the movie, which showed the swat team entering the building with a health inspector via a plastic tubing. There was so much suspense to that scene... The other memorable scene would be the one with the desperate swat team member all alone and running along that zombie-infested corridor.

Once in the house, everything felt game-like, because the swat team was trained in combat. Unlike the first, which featured helpless television crew members and tenants of that building, you don't really feel that much of the cast from this sequel. Everytime one of the swat team restrains a zombie, you know there's no chance for a counterattack scare because the swat team members are trained in that.

The plot for this sequel took on a more far-fetched content... it no longer became a "zombie" movie, it changed the genre from a zombie horror movie into a demonic horror movie. I, for one, wasn't fond of that. The directors tried to explain more of the story behind the building and added a handful of seemingly relevant side stories.

There was a 2nd scene that showed teenagers who playfully entered the building just to find out that that was the greatest mistake of their lives. The quality of the shots were bad... reminiscence of Blaire Witch Project. I can understand why the directors thought it would be interesting to add that in, but it worked like a double-edged sword. The roller-coster ride from the shaky camera shots was nauseating and highly exaggerated. I don't believe amateur video cam users are that bad with taking videos...

Throughout the entire movie, there was a change of 3 different video cams (exclusive of the state-of-the-art mini cams). That part, didn't make sense to me. This movie felt more haphazardly made and felt as if the director made a sequel just to cash in more $$$ without putting much thought into it. Even the alternative route into the building and the convenient blockade after the 2nd team went in was a little absurd. The reason for the movie-like feel is that it even offers explanation at the end of the movie even though it just doesn't make sense to replay the vid again... And it would seem that there might just be another sequel to this movie.

Once again, like I've said, disappointing movie, but not a bad one. It makes a fairly decent stand-alone movie and is definitely not for the faint-hearted, or the stomach-filled individuals. Worth the watch, not worth the thought.

Funny People

Rating: 4.9/10
Genre: Drama
Overall value for time and money: 4.8/10

Story: 1/5
Comedy: 0.5/5
Crude Humor: 1/5 (crude jokes, without the humor)
Logic: 1/5
Cast: 3/5 (there's even Eric Bana!)

The movie title is highly misleading. Funny people... it would be more apt to name it "Weird People". I just didn't get the story. I didn't get what the director was trying to put across, this movie not only didn't work for me, it highly disappointed me. A 2hr+ movie... 2 hours of my time wasted. The movie title and the cast made me feel extremely cheated. You can't blame me to expect something good from a movie with the title "Funny People", starring famous comedy actors like Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen can you?

There wasn't anything I liked about this movie... it got weirder as the story developed... even developed even is a right term for it. The story felt like it was all over the place, with no rationale and most of the time... doesn't even make sense. One would have no idea what the director was trying to put across... weak, weak, weak plot...

I shan't waste anymore time on giving my critiques for this movie, but before I end off, I still ened to include a synopsis for it, hoping to save your 2 hours of time. A rich and famous comedian discovered that he had an untreatable blood disorder and has less than half a year to live. He decided to take in a struggling stand-up comedian as his assistant, and as his only friend.

Beware folks, this is not a sob story, not a comedy, not an eye-opening, life changing, makes you wanna reflect on your life kinda movie... this is a movie that fails on every level. Watch it only if you do not know what a bad movie is.

Elergy

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

Story: 2/5
Erotism: 2.5/5
Cast: 2/5
Twist: 1/5
Melancholy: 3/5

A movie about an intellectual and charismatic professor whose "perfect" life was turned topsy turvy when he set eyes for his student, 30 years younger than he is. Divorced, single and living an almost perfect life which does not require him to have any commitments, he gradually sinks deeper into a relationship, awaking the side of him he never knew existed.

An art-house type movie, but although the synopsis of the movie at the back of the dvd somewhat "promises" a twist to the story, it was overplayed. Bottomline is, the relationship didn't work out, but 2 years later, the female protagonist came back to him asking the Prof for a huge favor. The "favor" was not leaked... but it wasn't even... touching or surprising to me.

It bears similarities to The Reader, while The Reader featured an older woman having a sexual relationship with a boy much younger than she was, this movie was the opposite: an older man having a sexual relationship with a lady much younger than he was. Though the former felt more like a "softcore" movie, it was way better than this movie. Elergy is quite like The Reader meets Titanic (you've got to catch this movie to understand what I mean).

But... I wouldn't reccommend this movie though. Story was predictable, nothing fantastic, mandane, even boring at times... and the cast... The male lead, Ben Kingsley wasn't even charismatic to me in the 1st place (could be because I'm a guy though). Penelope Cruz gave another top notch performance, and in my opinion, I find her one of the most comfortable on-screen actress I've seen so far. She makes acting out the roles of her characters look so effortlessly... And the ending mood of the movie... Rather melancholy. It's not mainly due to the portrayal of the characters and the way the movie was supposed to be played out... but the lack of peaks throughout the movie contributed to the ending feel as well.

To sum it up; a notch down softporn, a notch down arty farty, a notch down your typical average movie. In my opinion, not worth your time.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Clash of the Titans

Rating: 8.2/10
Genre: Fantasy
Overall value for money and time: 8.7/10 (applicable to non-3D only)

CG: 4.5/5
Fantasy: 4.5/5
Script: 3/5
Cast: 4/5
Story: 4/5

Highly underrated film. There was such a huge hype about it before it came out on the big screens and even though I was one of the first few to catch it (just 3 days after it's official opening), I've already heard critiques about how "disappointing" it was. Well, the only 2 disappointments I have was that the 3D version was a total rip off (the majority of the effect was simply the chinese subtitles popping out) and I was disappointed... with the disappointing critiques.

For heaven's sake, what were viewers expecting when they were watching this movie? Clash of the titans is a remake of the 1981 (though I don't recall much of it), about how the mortal son of Zeus embarks on a journey to save man kind for offending the Gods. Hades, had gained permission from his brother, Zeus to "punish" humans for their atrocities, but with an ulterior motive in mind.

I've always been extremely fascinated by Greek Gods and its mythological creatures, such as Medusa, Pegasus, Hydras (though it was only mentioned but not featured) and many others. The Kraken, on the other hand, was rather unfamiliar to me (the name only rings a bell way back when I came across it while playing the card game... "Magic the Gathering".) But it was just.. awesome.... awesomeness of Greek mythology coming to "Life" on the big screens.

I'm so grateful to the director for remaking this movie, with the current state of the art effects, it was able to bring that additional "awe" to the Gods and the creatures. I really liked the cast in this film, with veteran actors such as Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades, and the newly popular Sam Worthington (though I thought he did a better job in Terminator Salvation), nothing could go wrong. With the strong performances by the supporting cast, the movie took on a totally new level.

I had a rather bad experience with the 3D effects, my neck was stiff when the credits rolled, and I had a throbbing headache after... still all of that didn't dampen my movie experience one bit, and that's how good the movie was. Though it might seem rather... awkward at the start, a movie about Gods and how they have "human" forms, the motivation of the "war" between the Gods and the humans... the end really tied everything up... and created an ideal closure for such a scenario... leading to where our world is right now, the take on Religions. *spoilers ahead* I liked their take on how God's strengths come from our prayers, and how the Devil's strength comes from our fears; and also how a lack of faith will cause one to fall to the other side. It's similar to Da Vinci Code in some sense... where the closing scripts really made it for me.

And though the Kraken experience was rather shortlived, the whole experience of being in a "time" where Gods roam the earth and where creatures habitated earth together with mankind, was an experience only exclusive in theatres nowdays. I do hope there will be a sequel in future (though there was no promise of it), to bring the other mythological creatures to life!! HooHA!!

Bad Habits

Rating: 6.4/10
Genre: Drama
Overall value for money and time: 6.2/10

"Dark": 4/5
Cast: 3.5/5
Soundtrack: 3/5
Twist: 3/5
Story: 3.5/5

A dark drama about the eating habits of a single family, a rather diversified one. There's the mother who's obsessed with being thin, forcing her chubby-looking daughter to exact the same path as her; there's the architect husband, who's had it with his wife's constant nagging about him filling his stomach at night and "escaping" by engaging into an affair with a buxom female student; and there's matilda, a nun driven by faith and who believes that a food fast will have her prayers answered...

This movie is on a similar track as the dark movie "Requeim for a Dream", a movie about drug addiction, and Bad Habits being about eating disorders... both extremes. Seems like there's a lot food can do to us, too little of it will lead us to a critical level of "weakness", and too much of it "a social stigma". Though this movie has had it's "weird" moments... as there's some parts of it which I didn't understand; I'm not even sure whose daughter Matilda is... this movie has had it's fair share of twists of turns.

My definition of dark movies would be moody, thought-provoking and literally, dark cinematography most of the time... dullness of the setting and the colors. And this movie is one of the top few I've caught so far. Casting was excellent, convincing and engaging performances especially to the anorexic mum. There's an unexpected twist, make that 2 in the story and I liked how there's the irony of the line said by the chubby daughter at the end *spoilers ahead*
"Papa, do you think God will forgive all sins?"

The 2nd twist in the story was the first of it's kind, an ironic twist... you'll have to catch the movie to understand it, and appreciate it. Even though I might be singing much praises of this movie, generally, I'm not one too fond of dark movies. But it's definitely gonna be a movie to stick around in your head for a long time, "haunting" you whenever you start feasting on food again. You won't regret watching it, but don't be obsessed about watching it either...

Couples Retreat

Rating: 6.0/10
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Overall value for time and money: 6.5/10

Comedy: 3/5
Romance: 2.5/5
Story: 2/5
Cast: 2.5/5

A movie on 4 middle-aged couples who decided to go to a tropical-island resort for a vacation, after much persuasion from one particular couple who were on the verge of divorce. 4 couples, all trying to either save, rekindle or find some time away from their mandane lives, settle on "paradise" island just to find out that there's a catch... a compulsory "couple therapy session".

It's quite like your temptation island, with one side of the island for couples, where couples will spend more time together and address the issues of their marriage... while on the the other side, for singles... where they basically... just party and have sex, yup, crudely put.

What I didn't like about the movie was that that the story was weak, everything was too conveniently pieced up at the end. The closure was too abrupt and didn't make much sense... Also, though the casting was good, great performances by each and everyone of them, it acted like a double edged sword because there was little character development. There were too many couples to focused on and while the director did give a fair share of screen time for each of them, it still lacked the "understanding the characters" element, we simply don't feel that much for them.

But, that's about all the complains I have for this movie. It was surprisingly better than I had expected, in terms of comedy and romance. It was pretty refreshing, ironically, to see 4 of the possible scenarios of how relationships would turn out in future. There's the loving kind, there's the lusting kind, there's the trying to make things work kind, and the still can't move on without you kind; 4 contrasting and rather eye-opening situations.

It was pretty romantic towards the end, but the abrupt closure still dominated the film, it was like watching the movie in fast forward at the very end. Still, a decent couple movie to catch, a movie to allow yourself to go, relax, laugh about it, then sit back, spend 5 minutes thinking about it... and then getting on with your life.