127 Hours

Ratings: 7.0/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Drama

Overated. I realise if a movie is inspired by true events and it features a real person who endured great hardships to be where he is today, most reviewers would normally give it a high rating. Reason being very simple, if you don't, you're either someone heartless, or someone who has bad taste and "can't appreciate" such movies. Well, I don't really care how people would see my review but honestly speaking, 127 hours wasn't fantastic.

Aron Ralston, a carefree mountaineer and canyoneer who has always explored places by himself lands up in a life and death situation whereby his hand was trapped by a huge boulder and all he had was 2 days worth of food and water. If you do the maths, that's 48 hours, but as the movie title suggests, 127 hours. So you can expect that's not the end of the story.

Whether he lives or dies, guess you'll have to watch it for yourself. Just a few words of spoiler for you, the storyline is predictable. It's the process which makes the movie interesting to watch. And of course, the one scene you can expect to linger in your mind is the one already seen in the trailer... where the girl drops into an azure pool of water. One of the most beautiful movie scenes I've seen. The last scene might be unforgettable for some as well, but not for me.

The camera work was unique and intimate, in most cases we get to view stuff from either the first person's point of view or from unexpected places. But I didn't really know what to feel throughout the movie. Danny Boyle's movies always have such "feel-good" music that I suffered from .... some dissonance (a psychology term used to describe what you feel inside and what you express are two extreme opposites). I know I should feel sad for the main lead because of his predicament but the music didn't allow me to do so... and most of the time I was wondering why I didn't even feel sad for the lead... Tsk*

I thought that was why this movie failed for me. I had high expectations of it. But the director should have compromise his style for a different genre type of movie... His style worked tremendously well for SlumDog Millionnaire but in my honest opinion, not for this movie. His premonition about his future wife and his kid appeared too confusing when they first appeared because his future wife looked too similar to the girl he met along the way. Didn't quite understand his premonition initially (could be done on purpose, the way the real Aron Ralston experienced it). But I thought it would have been clearer if both female supporting leads didn't look that identical...

Love and Other Drugs

Ratings: 7.5/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Romantic Drama

Love and other drugs is more than just your average romantic comedy with a considerable amount of nudity. The extra 0.5 ratings definitely goes to all the stripping Anne Hathaway had to undergo (prolly just my testosterone talking), but it also enabled us to better understand her character in the movie.

Jamie (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a casanova sales person working for Pfizer and a chance meeting had him falling in love with Maggie (Anne Hathaway), a carefree woman who suffers from early stage Parkinson's disease and who's a nymphomania. Although Maggie doesn't want their relationship to be serious, Jamie manages to break down that wall, only to build it up again when he started to fear what their future holds.

*spoilers ahead* This movie is actually more abstract than what it looks on the surface. Though I demerited the movie cos of the story development, the scripting was good, and backed with excellent acting on both the main leads, the characters in the movie were brought to life. Anne Hathaway stole the limelight not just for baring it all this film, but was also able to deliver the internal struggles a person suffering from Parkinson's was enduring. Her illness caused her to be what she is, having casual sex to ease that loneliness and her self-pity manifested uncontrollably. The part which featured different individuals plagued by the disease was highly endearing and tear wrenching.

One could literally "break" down this movie into 2 parts, the sex and character development during the first half, and character engagement during the second. Thought the main focus of the movie wasn't the romance or the drugs, but more on the internal struggles of an individual suffering from Parkinson's. That's why I demerited this movie. Felt that there were too many concepts that the director was trying to bring across, which made the flow a little too chunky and detached. But all in all, a movie definitely not to be missed. Quite the wholesome romantic drama movie one can expect.

Saw 3D (VII)

Ratings: 6.2/10

Film Class: C

Genre: Slasher Thriller

Saw 7, the final chapter to the long-standing "lord of the gore" franchise. Sadly, it's a disappointing closure for such a highly awaited series. Of course, it would be unreasonable for one to expect all 7 chapters of it to be fantastic, but the least the creators could do was to give it a memorable ending, which they failed to deliver. For the die-hard fans of the Saw franchise, be prepared to be disappointed.

For "plot" fans (like me), the storyline was extremely weak in this particularly movie, and there was practically no twist in the movie (it's too predictable). As for "gore" fans, well... you're in for another "life-changing" experience. The gore's still on par, if not better than the previous few episodes. The director prolly focused more on the gory part of it so expect lotsa blood splatters and flying organs.

Caught this movie in 2D, not sure if the 3D would be better in terms of effects but from what I had to sit through... it was more than enough for me. Got me squirmish at several scenes, which had me thinking if I'd grown more timid or was the gore level brought up by a couple of notches. Either way, another Saw marathon prolly wouldn't work for me this time. Don't see how watching the previous few episodes will make the final chapter any better.

You see, for those of you not familiar with the Saw franchise, there's always a twist at the end of each installment. And frankly, the twists have always been awe-striking. The gore adds that element of "elevated adrenaline" which may or may not enhance the movie experience, but the storyline never failed to sweep me off my feet... not until now. This time around, the ending felt too forced... which gave me the impression that the directors ended it off too hastily and without much thought. Didn't bring justice to its prequels...

Most of the sequels (Saw 2-6) managed to piece up the different bits and "loopholes" along the way, but this final chapter whilst did piece up 1 minor loophole, it just conveniently, and seemingly patched everything up. Weak cast this time round as well, and the only person I was cheering on was Hoffman (Jigsaw's successor). For the rest of the cast, I didn't even empathize them because 90% of them were all new characters. Just realised Jigsaw's wife can't really act... And for the main "subject" in this movie... utterly no closure. *spoilers ahead* So... what happened to him after that?

Not a bad movie, but considering someone who has avidly followed the Saw franchise from the very start, this is the weakest installment yet. Reminiscence of the game played in Saw 3... very similar actually, so it kinda lacks that originality ironically. I'm disappointed it had to end in this manner, but I guess better sooner than later. Jigsaw, I'm gonna miss you... and for all you folks out there, this time, it's really... Gamer Over.

17 Again

Rating: 7.3/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Comedy Drama

Mike O'Donnell (Zac Efron) was the basketball star of his high school but gave his future career all up just to marry his gf. That was when he was 17. Many years later into their marriage, they're on the brink of divorce and Mike wishes he could change his earlier years so that things won't turn out as bad as the current state he's in. He got his wish, wasn't teleported back but was transformed into his 17-year old self where he is given the opportunity to "pursue" what was truly missing in his life.

Zac Efron delivered an outstanding performance in this movie, and he proved to be more than just a pretty face, he indeed has the potential to become a great actor in future. Initially, I had thought this to be a chick flick kinda movie. I mean who wouldn't thought so of the way the film is publicized? Even the poster looks a little "high school musical-ish". But it proved to be more than that. There were humor, story, eye candies, and though it was fairly awkward to see 17 year old Mike O'Donnel flirting with his wife, as long as we're in the psyche of the plot, everything was bearable. Matthew Perry (from Friends) wasn't given much screen time, but I guess the movie wasn't so much about him, it was 80% dedicated to the fans of Zac Efron.

17 again is a light-hearted teenage flick which was able to put more than a smile on my face, it prepared me for one hard possibility of marriage and instead of thinking of the "what ifs", we should be thinking of the "what is to be."

Piranha (3D)

Ratings: 6.5/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Thriller

A sudden underwater earthquake unleashed an extinct species of the infamous piranhas. And in this "remake" of the classic piranha movies, an artistic film director and his team seek the service of a local boy whose mum is working as a sheriff of that town to bring them out to sea. It's that time of the year again where the town attracts lotsa tourists for one of the biggest and most havoc beach parties out there.

Despite the overly exaggerated gore, it was actually pretty entertaining. It wasn't your sadistic Saw or Hostel-type gore, but more of Final Destination and Planet Terror-type of gore. Several nude scenes to raise the testosterone level of guys, at the same time raising that adrenaline level for all. It's almost like a semi-erotic rollercoaster ride with the possibility of your coaster derailing type of feel.

Hated the abrupt ending, and how conveniently the school of piranhas were wiped out towards the end but overall, an entertaining movie which guarantees cheap thrills.

Grown Ups

Ratings: 6.2/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Comedy

Star-studded cast of how 5 high school basketball teammates meet up after they are all grown ups to relive their passion and to fix the issues in their lives. Jokes weren't too funny, little too adult, too sleezy personally but overall, was a light-hearted film which didn't require too much attention on.

Each individual cast complemented one another very well and had their own characteristics. There isn't much to talk about this movie, so to sum it up, love the cast, wasn't too much of a plot, didn't really like the movie, but time spent watching it, wasn't wasted, nor was it that worth it.

Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler

Ratings: 7.1/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Drama Thriller

Nope, Kaiji isn't the ultimate gambler in this movie. He's your average Joe, quite the loser who dreams of a better life out there. When coerced and doped into entering a gambling contest, he went into a huge debt and had to live his remaining days sloughing and working underground to build an empire with many others... a diabolical plan orchestrated by an organization to build a kingdom, whereby there is only one ultimate ruler and the rest would merely be his slaves.

This movie didn't turn out as I had expected, I thought Kaiji was an ingenious gambler who went on board a ship and took down the corporation with his wits. However, all he had, were great determination and a sharp mind when forced into the corner. The character didn't bring justice to the movie title, either that, or that movie title was greatly misleading.

The film touched on the human spirit and even what it means to be truly human. Aside from the exaggeration of the acting and the possibility of such a scenario, I thought the underlying meaning behind the movie was an inspiring one. And of course, if you're not aware of it yet, it's the next movie after Death Note that featured not only "Light" from Death Note, but "L" as well. See if you can "find" him in this movie.

Liar Game: The Final Stage

Ratings: 6.8/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Drama Thriller

Caught this movie after watching all the season episodes. Although the series were somewhat predictable because I've followed the manga so far, it's still slightly better than the movie. The series' more or less similar to the manga, except for the final episode, which gave it a closure. As for the final stage, it felt like an extended version, refreshing, yet not as awifying (I know, this word doesn't exist).

Followed the main characters from the liar game once more, Nao Kanzaki and Akiyama as they are "forced" to enter the final stage of the liar game. The liar game is a game forcing everyday people to participate in it, whereby they have to cheat or lie their way to get "money" from their opponents. They themselves are given a million yen each round (4 rounds in total - based on the series) and they have to try to seize their opponents millions. If they fail to do so, and are deceived or too dimwitted to keep their own, they will owe the corporation a million yen in debt. In other words, it's a vicious cycle... but thankfully, that vicious cycle ended in the drama series.

For the final stage, the director has brought back a couple of familiar faces from the past "battles" and introduced many new ones, to play a game of the Garden of Eden. It's a game whereby the participants are given a chance to win millions of yen by casting "apple" votes. There are 3 different kinds of apples, golden, sliver and the normal red ones. The game works similar to a "majority vote", and the majority will get to win a million yen for every round... However, if either of them were to cast sliver or gold apples, there will always be a loser. But if all were to cast red apples, they would each get a million. The tough part lies in another ideal opportunity for an individual, whereby if he/she were to cast the only gold or sliver apple, and the others red, he will get billions out of it, and everyone else will lose $$.

Sounds complicated? It's easier to just watch the movie because if there's one thing commendable about the entire series or movie, it makes understanding of the games so much easier than just reading it. The game isn't that ingenious, the twists weren't well developed or well played and the introduction of another "X" individual just backfired at the end because it doesn't make sense (*spoilers ahead* How did the corporation plant "X" when "X" was just another individual and not working for the corporation?)

Apart from these major flaws, the entire movie was pretty smooth and worked out quite fine. Too much of it reminded me of The Gamer and Saw, which diminished the entire ingenuity of the plot. Worth a go.

Black Swan

Ratings: 8.2/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Thriller

Creepy, disturbing and thought-provokingly eerie. Darren Aronofsky has once again delivered a raw and unsettling artistic film to his audience. A ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) managed to clinch the lead role in the classic ballet piece "Swan Lake", where she is to play both the innocent and pure white swan as well as the evil twin sister, the black swan. The story tells of a woman who became a swan and the only way to break the curse was to have a man fall in love with her. However, her evil twin sister managed to win his heart instead and out of desperation, the white swan jumps off a cliff to her death.

Natalie Portman's lead role is threatened by her inability to bring out the "dark" side of her character and her artistic director is contemplating of using a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis) as her dark alternate. There are only 4 main leads in this movie, Natalie Portman, her mother, Mila Kunis and the artistic director, of which everyone plays a seemingly important role.

Despite the moody and dark feel this film embodies its audience with, I'm actually quite fond of it. Though I don't fully understand this abstract film, all I can say is that it's really one of the better artistic films I've caught so far. Highly recommended, not for the faint hearted since it's creepy and gruesome at times (has a hint of horror and gore) but overall it should suit the likes of the majority. And once again, like all other arty farty movies out there, I shall attempt to explain my interpretation of the movie. So for those of you who still haven't caught, I wouldn'y suggest reading on... *Major spoilers ahead*

To cut the story short, I think the movie is highly commendable because it brings forth a concept I have yet to come across. Somewhere in the midst of the movie, I felt that Mila Kunis (Lily) was probably the alternate ego of Natalie Portman (Nina). That's something I'm sure most avid movie-goers would have thought of. And there's the real "twist".

Most thought-provoking movies touched on concepts of schizophrenia, but this movie worked in reverse order. Nina started out as a normal, idealistic ballet dancer who like all others yearned for the opportunity to play a lead role in a performance. Then she gradually falls prey to the dark side within herself, as provoked by her artistic director, Thomas Leroy. He was the trigger who brought out the sensual and dark side of the innocent Nina. It wasn't till her last line that I think I managed to grasp the underlying meaning the movie... Her last words were "I felt it, perfect. I was perfect."

Nina had always wanted to be "perfect", and at the very end when she realised there was no real threat but herself, she came to understand what perfect was because she became two different persons... the white swan and the black swan. In other words, though technically wrong but in layman's terms it might be appropriate, Nina became schizophrenic. Every human has a good and dark side of themselves. Nina was no exception. However, she was able to surpress the dark side until there were too many "triggers" around her. This lead to her "unleashing" the dark side, but with undesirable consequences but she literally let her dark side "out". So much so that she started to hallucinate the very existence of "her". This is the reason why I mentioned this movie worked in reverse order.

We see someone normal, then at the end of the movie, she became schizo... Lily was never a threat to her and she was a real person... whilst Thomas Leroy is indeed a pervert but ironically also did an excellent job in bringing the "dark" side of a person out. The main puzzle of the entire movie is Nina's mother. There were many awkwardly creepy scenes in the movie which till now sends question marks hovering around my head. I believe her mother was the cranky and overly possessive one, which made Nina look as if she had a problem with herself. But then again, the possibility of the scratches behind her back are highly caused by herself, which in other words means that Nina is somewhat unstable in the first place.

To put everything into perspective, Nina was the 2nd most normal character in the movie, Lily being the first. She could have some compulsive disorder about scratching herself but everything was kept in check. Then as Nina got the lead role, she was overwhelmed by obsession to keep her lead role in the swan lake, thus seemingly saw the "dark" side of Lily. To make matters worst, Thomas Leroy further brought the dark side of Nina out and her mother agitated the process. The scratches on her back worsened without her realisation possibly because she started to lose herself. Then everything that happened to her, as she "saw" it, black fur coming out from her scratches, Winona Ryder (the former lead for the swan lake, whom Nina is replacing) stabbing herself with a pair of scissors, and how Nina manifested into a black swan were all a hallucination and symbolises the process of how Nina losing herself and when she finally turned into a black swan, was where she "drove the dark side of her out into another entity", ie. she transformed into 2 personas.

Well, that's my interpretation of the movie to my understanding. For those of you who beg to differ, this review is not to prove theories because I'm sure after much debate, no one will really know the answer apart from the director himself. All I'm hoping is that this review clears some doubts and at least provides an explanation for those lost watching this movie.