Dogville

Ratings: 9.3/10
Film Class: B-

Genre: Drama

Wow... Wow... Wow... I haven't seen such an abtract movie for a long long time. It wasn't like Watchmen or Inception, where apart from storyline, the CG played an important role. Wasn't like Unknown, where the biggest twist in the plot overshadowed everything else. Wasn't like Black Swan, artistic yet dark. Dogville is in its own league. Nothing like I have ever seen before. I was put off by the movie title and the poster, as well as the 178 mins runtime. I have lost count of how many times I've picked this movie up at a local video store but never went past the stage of watching it... until now. I can hardly forgive myself for missing this 8-year-old movie gem.

A beautiful fugitive (Nichole Kidman) on the run from the mob seeks refuge in a small town called Dogville. With only 2 weeks to gain acceptance from the townfolks, she opens herself up to the locals and gradually plays an important role in their lives.

The setting is unlike what I've ever seen. It's like watching a live play on the big screens. No elaborate CG, no elaborate props, just a simple concept of chalk lines and spare scenery. The entire movie takes place in a studio-like place with an open concept. The narrative is the most profound yet which dominated the majority of the movie. It was like an abstract novel, being read out by a professional bookreader and the characters simply came to life in your mind.

Beautiful language of narration, provocative study on human sociology and an unsettling view on human psychology. It would be an understatement to say how emotionally disturbed I was, there was such a twisted storyline it was repugnantly tormenting to carry on watching. Thankfully, I managed to see through to the end and the ending was satisfyingly fitting. That's as much as I will disclose for this movie. Take my word for it, this movie will open your mind in every possible manner thinkable. Controversial director Lars von Tier has earned his way to my list of favourite directors with this deeply haunting movie on humanity.

Source Code

Ratings: 7.7/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Action Thriller

Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up to find himself in another man's body and must discover for himself why he's there and what mission awaits him. From the trailer, possibly the part which attracted you to catch this movie in the first place discloses that the train was bound for destruction and that Captain Colter Stevens has to keep reliving the last 8 minutes before it's explosion to uncover the identity of the terrorist bomber.

Packaged as an action thriller, it sure delivered what is to be expected and lived up to its expectations. Novel and interesting concept, with a twist at the end to inject that "intellectual" aspect of it. However, as much as I would love to award Source Code with an exceptional 8-9 rating, it falls slightly short of it because the twist at the end didn't tie up loose ends, instead it gave rise to an implausible explanation.

*spoilers ahead* A movie which revolves around concepts on quantum physics should be given room for errors, and I can totally accept it if it were bits and pieces throughout the film. But the biggest problem with that is that the huge "error" came at the end. After a discussion with my girlfriend who first brought it up, I tried to reason it out but ended up seconding her opinion.

*major spoilers ahead* The ending twist would come across as fresh and unpredictable to most, but for someone who analyzes the logic of "intellectual" plots, the ending wouldn't make sense since ... once again, DO NOT READ ON if you still haven't caught it (cause the ending really adds that element of awe to it), it states that there is possibly an alternate universe/reality or some sort and that the ability to change the past which has already happened was possible based on a dead man's 8 minute memory and an almost dead man's snyching brain frequency. Also, Captain Colter Stevens was able to have "flashforwards" of the future which he would have created. How in the world was all of that possible when the main concept of Source Code was based on a false reality? Ans: Source Code is based on an alternate reality which affects the current reality's outcomes. But then again, dead man's 8 minute capture, almost dead man's brain waves, doesn't make sense. Plus the ending, it implies an almost dead man's brain waves can trottle between the past and the future and has the ability to change them?

The "hallucinations" Captain Colter Stevens experienced such as oozing blood and coldness could be attributed to how he died, though wouldn't make that much sense since he died in Afghanistan... don't think it was cold there. But then again, maybe when a person is on the verge of dead, he/she would feel cold? Who knows? Either way, it's a plausible explanation. And somehow, the main concept of Source Code was convenient summarized in 2 minutes during screen time, chucked aside and never revisited again. The director must have felt the concept wasn't strong so decided to veer the focus of his audience away from it.

In essence, great idea, great story plot, great execution, great acting, but not so great logic. I love the movie even though it didn't quite meet my own expectations (I had very high hopes for it) and personally, this is definitely Jake Gyllenhaal's top performing movie of all time. He nailed his role and I believe no Hollywood star could've done it better than he did.

After.Life

Ratings: 5.7/10
Film Class: C
Genre: Horror Mystery

A young woman (Christina Ricci) wakes up in a mortuary to find herself being "prepared" by a funeral director (Liam Neeson) for her funeral in a few days time. The movie title creates that additional sense of suspense, and the movie poster's provocative's attraction was eminent throughout the movie... basically, it's Christina Ricci's debut bare-it-all movie.

Though it was quite the experience, Christina Ricci's body speaks louder than her words and expressions. Haven't caught any of her movies but this movie has put her in the same category as Tara Reid, Hollywood actresses who can't act, who can only bare.

Liam Neeson was exceptional as always, and Justin Long was the only "normal" aspect of the movie, acting wise as well. I have to do this movie that little bit of justice but mentioning the well use of color visuals every now and then. But apart from that, its greatest demerit, was its script. Didn't know what it was driving at, and though it had so much potential to be something more, the director didn't seem clear about the script. Too many redundant scenes, built up that horror genre when it fact, it would have been better brought across as a suspense thriller.

And because of those scenes, created too many loopholes in the movie. *major spoilers ahead* If you really think about it, this movie really has nothing to do with the after life. It's a suspense thriller for sure, and those horror scenes of scary looking old women talking to Christina Ricci were just uncalled for. The little boy who could supposedly see dead people... holy... love the irony, but hated the connections.

However, though almost flop-like, it was a movie I didn't regret watching. Wasn't sure if it was due to the cast, the nudity, the striking and interesting takes, or the half a**ed script, but when put together, everything seemed forgivable.

Hereafter

Ratings: 8.1/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Drama

Hereafter revolves around 3 main characters, an American pyschic who's able to communicate with the dead, a French woman who had a near-death experience and a young British boy who had just lost his twin brother. There has been so much talk about how this movie is inferior to The Sixth Sense and quite frankly, anyone who compares this movie to the latter is utterly clueless about what he or she is talking about.

First off, the only similarity between the two are that the characters were able to communicate with the dead. And secondly, this movie is on a totally different genre and a totally different class compared to M. Night Shyamalan's work. Hereafter is possibly the most heartwarming Hollywood movie about death there is right now.

No scares, no exaggerations and no boring moments amidst the massive loads of dialogues. This movie was beautiful, elegant and has won its way to one of my top movies of all time. Somehow, my sentiments towards Clint Eastwood's movies are an exact opposite to the general audience. Whilst many have favored his Gran Torino and Million Dollar Baby, I think this is his best piece till date. Haven't caught Invictus or Letters from Iwo Jima, and Changeling and Mystic River though good, didn't engage me as much as this movie.

I'm sure everyone has lost someone important in their life who holds that special place in their hearts. This is a movie which made me reminiscence about that one important person, and had me thinking what I would do if I knew there truly was a pyshic who was able to communicate with the dead. Clint Eastwood delivered a commendable job for addressing pyschics without making it too cliche.

*major spoilers ahead* I'm sceptical about the real credibility of psychics, and there was a particular scene in the movie which addresses that important issue. So many self-proclaimed psyhics out there are masquerading as such just to rip off heartbroken individuals of their money, and the real ones (if any) are actually trying to lead a normal life because of their "gift" or in this case, he first need to help himself. Note that throughout the movie, though mention was made in the past where Matt Damon did it for money, there wasn't a single time in "real time" that showed him collecting any cash for what he did. He did them purely for unselfish reasons.

There's an exceptional good feel to it. And though I would have loved for the lady he met during his cooking class to end up with him, it just reiterated how difficult it was for a person like him to lead a normal life. I liked how the 3 unseemingly related characters were able to come together at the end, though not an original idea about linking characters together at the end, still felt it tied up "loose" ends very well.

There was another scene which blew me away. The scene where the little boy finally met up with Matt Damon to do a reading. The initial scene about his brother's cap falling off felt like his deceased brother did that just to save him. But from the reading scene, there seemed to be some abiguity in it. It would appear that his deceased brother did that just because he didn't want his twin brother to be holding onto him, but it coincidentally saved his life. So in other words, his deceased brother couldn't predict the future, which would have sounded a little far-fetched. The latter explanation was actually more plausible.

It was that same scene, however, that re-emphasized the only flaw about this movie... the not-so-convincing acting by the little boy. Matt Damon, on the other hand showed just how great an actor he was. Just by the look in his eyes, his facial expressions and tone of his voice, he was able to bring out the pain he was suffering inside.

In addition, subplots like how Matt Damon's brother was trying to make use of him to make money seemed very applicable in today's world, and that after finally being able to "speak" to his deceased brother, the young boy was able to move on with his life, all of which made the movie more "complete" than it already was. His relationship (their relationship) with his mother was an endearing episode and the ending scene signed the movie off with a beautiful feel.

I wouldn't say this movie is a deep movie. It's a serious one for sure. Moving, absorbing and unexpectedly elegant. With strong quotes and ideology like "It's not a gift, it's a curse" and about the afterlife, together with excellent scripting and a melancholic yet captivating score to go along with it, Hereafter is a gem not to be missed!!!

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

Ratings: 5.4/10
Film Class: C
Genre: Drama

This movie just didn't work for me. The sound was its greatest demerit because it felt like a dubbed movie. Not sure if it's due to their muffled voices, the theatre's bad sound system or the subconscious split-second detachment of words to lips visuals, but it made the movie distant and drew me away from empathizing with the characters.

A stepmother, haunted by the lost of her child tries to make ends meet for her relationships with her stepson, her husband, her husband's ex-wife and her father. There were so many issues in her life, and the way she handled them were too extreme. I believe it was the scriptwriter's intention to bring across the realism of the characters, that "real life" characters had their own flaws, but the end result was undesirable. It felt as if the characters could wilfully hurl nasty remarks at one another because they knew it wouldn't matter as long as they apologise in the next scene.

The only scene I liked was the ending sequence. *spoilers ahead* I felt it was apt to discuss religion, in a crooked sense, to bring that glimmer of hope to address the main issue in the film. It was really sweet in a way. The rest just felt like a re-enactment of the mood I felt during Revolutionary Road, just not as well scripted and well acted compared to the latter. Contrary to the movie's testimonials, I think this was one of the worst performances by Natalie Portman. During this sudden influx of Natalie Portman's onscreen appearances, I sure hope she'll be able to deliver a more outstanding performance in the upcoming movie Thor, comparable to what she was able to accomplish in Black Swan and Star Wars.

Too much dialogue, boring pace of story development, horrible sound production, disappointing performances, chalky and unnatural scripting. This movie premiere experience at Serangoon Nex was classy and good, but not the movie itself.

Spy Game

Ratings: 7.3/10
Film Class: B+
Genre: Action Thriller

A top CIA operative Tom Bishop (Brad Pitt) went rogue and was captured during his own mission in China, and it's up to his retiring mentor (Robert Redford) to recount his training days to the higher ups for them to determine if Tom Bishop is worth saving.

Capturing this 2001 classic really reminded me of how much Hollywood has evolved over the last decade. I have given this movie a much higher rating now than I would have years ago. The film style emphasizes mostly on flashbacks, the starting sequence, the scenes progression as well as the ending all made the movie experience a highly memorable one.

I was surprised to see Adrian Pang, Singapore's very own Medicorp artist acting in this movie, alongside Brad Pitt and Ken Leung (from the Hollywood drama Lost). Haven't seen any of Robert Redford's movies but this movie alone was enough to showcase his impressive performance.

Engaging, Intelligent, Explosive and definitely one of the more stylo milo blockbuster spy movies out there. That was the Tony Scott I knew, not the same Tony Scott who directed Unstoppable. A good watch for me.

Unstoppable

Ratings: 5.7/10
Film Class: B-
Genre: Drama

Inspired by actual events, an unmanned train carrying toxic chemicals is headed for a town, threatening a large scale catastrophe. It's up to the train company to try to derail it, or a couple of employees who believes otherwise, that the only solution is to stop the train from its rear.

Denzel Washington delivers another The Taking of Pelham 123's performance, this time as a veteran engineer. Chris Pine stars as the unconvincing conductor who puts his life on the line to save a town from disaster. Although this film is directed by one of the top directors of Hollywood Tony Scott, this movie turned out to be quite dull and unengaging. The camerawork was grainy and felt like a low budget movie.

There wasn't a heightened climax in the movie and at the end of its screening, I felt I had lost 98 mins of my life. Can't blame the director for a bad movie every once in a while, because we all know that movies based on actual events will never be that intense compared to fictional stories... If you can name me one such movie, then you've probably been taken down the eden path of exaggeration and publicity stunts. Kudos to the director for taking the challenge to direct a movie without overplaying it.

Hello Stranger

Ratings: 6.7/10
Film Class: B-
Genre: Romantic Comedy

A thai movie about 2 individual strangers travelling to Korea and falling in love with each other. That basically sums up the entire movie. Simple plot, lotsa romantic scenes, but due to bad scripting was downplayed.

Korean drama fans might have appreciated the jokes more but overall it just didn't appeal to me, before or after the movie. Refreshing though, since most Thai movies are either under the Horror or Action genres and it's not that bad a movie. However, the story progression felt a little rough at times and logic wise, wasn't that well covered.

Wanted to shed a tear or two, but only managed to raise my eyebrows from time to time. This film is like a compilation of romantic concepts forced into a 130 min long movie. Might have worked better if it was a movie about different short stories revolving around different concepts.

Little Fockers

Ratings: 5.8/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Comedy

The best bits are all in the trailer. Despite the title Little Fockers, there's not much about them. The main movie still spans around Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) and Greg Focker (Ben Stiller). Actually even more so than the rest of the prequels. Maybe a little more of Owen Wilson this time round. There's more screen time for Greg Focker's twins but in my frank opinion, it's just a catchy title for publicity purposes. They should have named this movie, The God Focker instead.

Not anymore refreshing other than the typical Meet The Fockers storyline. Getting recognition from his Father-In-Law, being the devoted husband, threatened by his best buddy's perpertual crush on his wife and handling his now grown up kids. Jokes were overplayed and unrefreshing. Despite all that, there's still the saving grace from the star-studded cast.

Entertaining, but quite the timewaster.

The Tourist

Ratings: 6.6/10
Film Class: B+
Genre: Romantic Drama

Alright, before I even start, here's some advice... I wouldn't term this an action movie because the action sure is minimal. I had thought it would be some intense spy movie but it turned out that that storyline was secondary to the primary love gist.

A mistaken identity about an American tourist in Venice results in undesirable consequences for him. Meant initially as a decoy, approached by an attractive and mysterious woman, the American tourist gradually falls in love with her.

It's no Salt, no Mrs Smith and no Captain Jack Sparrow. It's similar to Before Sunset, where two strangers meet up on a train and the entire movie revolves around them. The scripting wasn't good and the pickup of the plot was slow paced as well. However, the setting compensates for all that. In essence, it felt like a movie made just to display Venice's beauty and based on an important twist in the movie, the director hoped to deliver a more than mediocre experience to his audience. He failed for the latter.

Well, not a perfect trip, not a perfect trap, I guess the only perfect thing about the movie was the astounding beauty of Venice.

Confessions

Ratings: 8.2/10
Film Class: B+
Genre: Suspense Thriller (Japanese)

A grieving teacher who lost her daughter discovered that those responsible for her death are in her class. Spiking their milk packets with HIV, she develops a diabolical plan to bring justice to her daughter's murderers who are protected by the juvenile law in Japan.

One of the best Japanese films I've seen and it ranks top as the most artistic Japanese film I've laid eyes on. The trailer delivered an apt sense of what the film promises, and it turned out way better than my expectations. From the trailer, it felt like a non-serious serious movie, which threatens its acceptability to the general public. Light-hearted music incorporated into a serious movie about juvenile murders, the way I see it, it either makes a movie, or breaks it. In this case, it not only makes it but delivers an extraordinary feel to this seemingly solemn movie. This movie is proof of history in the making, it sets a whole new genre, a whole new class of screenplay.

The cinematography and the choreography were exceptional in bringing out the artistic mood of the storyline. I loved every minute of the film despite it being a dialogue driven movie, narrative style. Compared to the recently viewed Hollywood movie Limitless, the narration of the various characters' confessions were engaging and pleasantly disturbing.

The direction of the movie shifted towards multiple climaxes, defying convention and predictability. And the director was able to fully bring out the most forgivable aspect of an artistic film, absurdity amidst realism. It reminded me of the ending of Black Swan, where everything was still realistic until the very end, there was a drastic change in the perception of realism because the absurdity was merely a metaphoric depiction of what the protagonist was going through.

A mix of Eden Lake (juvenile crimes), Black Swan (artistic) and Death Note (Kira-like characters). The aptly melancholy and shrieking score, the occasional vintage-colored shots, the every once in a while establishing shots of the gloomy sky... everything was beautifully executed to enhance and bring out the mood of the movie. A great watch, a great experience and definitely a great movie to check out if you love deep and artistic movies.

Disturbing, thought-provoking and provocative Japanese movie which may "haunt" your senses for a long, long time...

Limitless

Ratings: 6.9/10
Film Class: B-
Genre: Suspense Thriller

A degenerating writer's life changes when his ex brother-in-law introduces to him a pill that is able to unlock 100% of his brain. The movie was exactly what you would expect from watching the trailer.

It doesn't guarantee a blockbuster movie experience, with the almost grainy-like cinematography, it feels like a lower budget movie. It reminded me of Push. However, there was a good storyline and a handful of interesting camera techniques incorporated. I have not seen that many "fast forward" scenes in a single movie. It gave a refreshing feeling into what the main lead might have encountered (which I believe was the director's intention) and how he's moving so quickly ahead of time.

This definitely isn't one of the best narrative-style like movie as well. The narration wasn't engaging (possibly Bradley Cooper's voice lacked the capacity to mesmerize his audience) and there were loads of unexplained events in the storyline. *spoilers ahead* There was no mention of whether what he did during the 72 hours he lost, and the ending was a gigantic cliffhanger. The definition of a cliffhanger isn't about the lack of explanation of an obvious scenario, but the absence of an explanation in a scenario with many possibilities.

I'm uncertain if that was the true intention of the director but because of the lack of revisitation, it made the movie irritatingly incomplete. The movie turned out as I had expected, no standing ovation, no applause, no gasping for breaths and no "wow"s in my head, just an "ok, wasn't a complete waste of time" kinda movie.

*major spoilers ahead* When the credits rolled, it almost made me think that the director was indirectly saying that taking drugs is good. Of course I don't think he meant that, but from the way things progressed, who wouldn't wanna stand in the protagonist's shoes? But, but... I liked one particular part of the movie. It created a interesting view on how the rich and powerful individuals up there got to where they were... because they were all dependent on that one miracle pill. There's possibly no such thing as true capabilities.

Bottomline, pretty good, nothing fantastic. Seen better.

Season of the Witch

Ratings: 7.0/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Action Thriller

Decent movie which flutters between the action thriller genre and the horror genre. Managed to sit through it without jumping up in my seat so the action thriller genre preveils. The movie plays with your expectations and throws a totally new direction towards the end. I'm fond of the storyline, as well as the castings.

Nicholas Cage and Ron Perlman make quite the exceptional duo, almost like the Ghost Rider meets Hellboy teaming up to battle against a common evil. Was an overall watchable movie about 2 outcast crusader knights escorting a priest, a swindler and a young wannabe knight to meet the monks of a faraway abbey. "Conveniently", their final destination is like most others movies such as the Lord of the Rings, tucked away amongst the most remote part of the country, filled with dark obstacles and life threatening encounters.

It didn't feel like a low budget movie because of the CG (though not fantastic but was decent) as well as the 2 main leads. In fact, I kinda liked the ending. Enjoyed how Nicholas Cage was able to get out of his seemingly hopeless situation despite all odds. And like most other Nicholas Cage movies... hmm... then again, I shan't spoil it for you. If you're a follower of his movies, you know what I mean. And this movie is no exception.

Recommended.

Eden Lake

Ratings: 8.0/10
Film Class: B-
Genre: Suspense Thriller

Eden Lake is possibly one of the most provocative and disturbing films I've seen. This doesn't really categorize as a slasher movie, but has elements of it. The gore wasn't extreme, and was kept to one particularly squeamish scene. There are many films of such genre, but not one whereby a group of kids are the ones doing the terrorizing. Kudos for this intense and mind-stretching film which defies convention and brings juvenile crimes to a level no movie has ever been before.

A couple's peaceful weekend retreat at Eden Lake is disrupted by a group of teenage kids. An unfortunate incident flared things up and pushes the limits of the juveniles. Though the ending wasn't entirely original, it was highly apt for such a movie. Its not an ending that may be well received by the general public, but its refreshing to witness harsh realities come to life on the big screens every once in a while.

Highly recommended, but prepare yourself for an intensely hardcore film that perpetually spikes that adrenaline level or yours. The story development and progression were unpredictable and I was gasping for air countless times throughout the movie. And the best part of it, it's not an exaggeration! Eden Lake really pulls you in and creates a comparable sense of fear and helplessness that the protagonists were experiencing. All of these could be due to cinematography, acting and scripting. But regardless of which it was, one or all, this movie is certain to be one of the most memorable suspense thriller because it outstandingly brings out the ugliness of human nature and ironically the beauty of nature all in a single package.

Stone

Ratings: 6.4/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Drama Thriller

An arsonist uses his wife to seduce and manipulate his parole officer in hope of getting him out of jail. The movie started with a disturbing tone, which set a misleading pace to the movie. The opening felt detached from the rest of the movie, but gave us a short insight into the background of the parole officer, Robert De Niro.

The casting was excellent, Edward Norton once again brings out a raw uncouth character since his role from American History X. This time, there's some "Zen-ness" in it. Robert De Niro never fails to deliver. Milla Jovovich made good as the eye candy in this dark film about deception, temptation and redemption. There's some twist in the storyline, and though the scripting wasn't fantastic, it was really nice seeing the cast in action.

Wasn't much climax in the movie, but it's a movie that will leave you thinking when the credits roll. An unconventional abstract film that isn't everyone's cup of tea.

Time Traveller: The Girl who Leapt Through Time

Ratings: 5.0/10
Film Class: B
Genre: Drama

A school girl, Akari leaps through time to find her mum's first love, believing that it was the only way to bring her mum out from her coma. Back in time, aided by another school boy Ryota to search for her mum's first love, she also experiences what it's like to fall in love.

I had hoped so long to catch this movie on DVD since I missed it in the theatres. Got it, watched it, and was utterly disappointed. Adapted from a manga series, the movie should have been of decent viewing. But it was just boring, confusing, and rather redundant. Didn't learn anything out of this movie, didn't receive any satisfaction from it and I didn't know why in the world was I even so hyped up about it in the first place.

The title and the poster are the most marketable items of this movie, the trailer would have shed insight into what this movie would have promised which I unfortunately didn't catch. Slow paced, weak script and story. Decent performance by the cast but it's barely enough to salvage this movie. Time wasted watching it and I shan't waste any more time on my reviews as well.

Devil

Ratings: 7.0/10
Film Class: B

Genre: Thriller

Five people stuck in an elavator turn on each other after realising that the devil is one of them and is slowly wiping them. From this movie, M. Night Shyamalan has shown that he still has got it in him... prolly not as a director but more as a writer. His past few movies haven't been the best of his works, but I think with Devil he has redeemed himself.

For one, you don't have to worry that it'll be boring after a while nor is it a cheap budget movie because it doesn't just span around in the elevator. There's other complementary scenes about various characters contributing to the storyline. The way the devil wipes out the passengers in the elevator is rather well thought of, the director was able to keep the suspense tight with each black out event and it becomes a much feared moment not just for the characters but for the audience as well.

Seat gripping, intense and an ending well worth waiting for. Though the acting wasn't fantastic, the story was able to atone for it. This isn't a horror scary movie just thriller scary so you don't have to garner that much courage to watch it. Isn't the best of films, but with time to spare, this is a movie not to be missed.