The Dilemma

Ratings: 7.5/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Comedy Drama

Things get dilemmic when Ronny Valentine (Vince Vaughn) finds out his best friend's wife is cheating on him. Finding the best way to resolve the situation for his best friend, he takes matters into his own hands, only to result in disastrous circumstances.

Once again, there's a slight biasness since yet another 2 of, wait, no 3 of my favourite Hollywood stars are starring in this movie... Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly and Kevin James. I'm not a fan of Vince Vaughn, but have to admit, this movie coerced me to have a second opinion of him. I've known of his glib tongue from previous movies, but this time, he nailed his role exceptionally. He's the best friend anyone could ever wish for, the silent hero in this movie. I think it's only fitting to give additional credit and acknowledgement to Channing Tatum who added several comedic moments as the aggressive and emotional insecure "affairee", and to Queen Latifah as the horny liaison officer for the leads' careers.

It was a joy ride for me. Regardless of it's less than complimenting reviews and ratings on imdb, this is one movie I would beg to differ. I think there's more to it than just slap stick humor which I believe most viewers were expecting. There was this crazy and subtle point on friendship, and bragged of how friendship was far superior than relationships. In times of turmoil, sometimes, your best friends are the true heroes in your life.

It worked both ways in this movie, and the support and understanding of Ronny's girlfriend (fiancee to be) was also very sweet and heart warming. There's an irony in the genre, usually a comedy wouldn't be termed under the same category as a drama, since dramas in general are slow paced and more dialogue driven, whilst comedies would usually pack fast-paced hard hitting humor.

And this is where I believe one of the top directors of all time, Ron Howard was able to portray impeccably. It felt unrealistic, yet realistic at the same time, it felt like if a tear or two would roll down anyone's cheeks, it would be a tear mixed with laughter and sadness. I believe that's the true dilemma in this movie, how it leaves it's audience feeling when the credits start rolling...

Your Highness

Ratings: 7.3/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Action Comedy

There was a Newpaper review about Natalie Portman being a super hot archer in this movie... well, for her fans out there, it's t-r-u-e, true!! Hot is not just about being sexy, but also holds an element of coolness to it. She was sexy in one screen, and cool for the rest.

I may have to warn you though, the movie is pretty lame, the jokes included, but still stands out as an entertaining B class movie. Shoot me, I'm biased, since 2 of my all-time favourite actresses Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel are in it. This movie possibly features James Franco in his stupidest role till date and the rather unknown lead actor, Danny McBride was simply detestably hilarious.

The honorable Prince Fabious's bride has been kidnapped by an evil magician, and it's up to him and his useless brother, Prince Thadeous to save her before it's too late. Typical storyline, impressive casting even though roles were lame, and the CG was rather impressive.

To some, waste of time, maybe, but entertainment value was certainly there.

Something Borrowed

Ratings: 5.9/10

Film Class: B

Genre: RomCom

Just before her best friend Darcy's wedding, Rachel's suppressed love for Darcy's fiance Dex, surfaces again and by a slip of her tongue, opened up hidden emotions between the both of them. They must come to terms with their feelings before the wedding, or risk their love for each other forever being silenced.

There's a rather interesting cast behind Something Borrowed, and Kate Hudson excels in her role as being the possessive, everything-has-to-be-her-way best friend. She's really good at obnoxious roles like these and audience are not left with much of a choice than to hate her character. Unfortunately, there's really not many characters to love in this movie, other than the main lead herself, Rachel, and perhaps her best friend, Ethan, who has always been there for her.

*spoilers ahead* I didn't like how the script writer made Dex's role so wishy-washy like, and over the span of the movie, you almost wished they didn't end up together (even though it's no surprise they would). It's your average chick flick movie, girl falls in love with guy, guy falls in love with girl, but under circumstances, their love cannot fruition... blah blah blah... then love triumphs all and they end up happily ever after?

Was fairly entertaining, and was thankful I caught this movie at the comforts of my bedroom and not in the movie theaters because it's sure not worth the $6.5-$10. Good for a weekend rental movie.

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil

Ratings: 8.2/10

Film Class: C+

Genre: Comedy Slasher

If anyone's looking for a yet another slapstick "hidden gem" that hasn't found it's way to the local theaters, Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil is the 2011 movie for you. Tucker & Dale, two innocent and kindhearted hillbillies mistaken for being hardcore killers have to save themselves from the mindless attacks from a group of college kids.

Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil packs a s***load of laughter and gore. Don't mind my language, there's really no other way to say it for this crude and "vulgar" movie. It's like a top class parody style-like movie, not your average no brainer Scary Movie. There's a slight twist at the end, and though the chronological order doesn't seem to make sense logically, it's easily overlooked since by then, you would probably be laughing your brains out anyways.

Do expect lotsa blood and gore, intended for comedic effects and not for squeamish ones, and do expect a fair dose of insults to your intelligence. But nonetheless, it's the perfect movie to offer that destressing therapy for anyone who's game for it. Look no further, Tucker and Dale will show you that Evil is no match for 2 hillbillies after all.

Never Let Me Go

Ratings: 6.0/10

Film Class: C+

Genre: Drama

Though the poster will almost certainly catch anyone's attention, and with a title like Never Let Me Go, one would think this is a heart warming movie about love. At least from the looks of it, a love triangle perhaps.

Well, if you thought like me, you are only 1/2 right. There's a disturbing plot behind the movie, which doesn't seem to be exposed in any synopsis. I believe the intention was to create suspense, but I would rather "spoil" the suspense for you than to have you go on a ride which may potentially turn you off if you didn't know what it has installed for you. *spoilers ahead*

The movie is vaguely divided into 3 acts. Reminiscence of the movie Full Metal Jacket with 2. It's slow, dialogue driven, and not at all about love. It's about being human. The first scene with the text information might divulge the "true" contents of the movie, but it's not until the end of the first act that you actually know what this movie is truly about.

Narrative style, Carey Mulligan is one of the many kids who was brought up in an English Boarding School, together with Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield (from The Social Network). She brings you from the start of her life, till the end. Though sublimely acted, the movie development and styles were rather dull-like. I might have appreciated it more if I were to read the novel, if I ever bothered to even pick it up in the first place.

I seek the forgiveness of its' fans, but in all defense and honesty, this movie just didn't make it for me. Considering my tolerance for slow-moving movies, and those with subtle contents, this movie falls short compared to most others I've watched. There's really not much to "learn" from this movie or "thought-provoking" about it. It's a watch it, feel it, forget it, kinda movie. Sorry Never Me Go, but I may have to let you go for now.

The Beaver

Ratings: 5.8/10

Film Class: C+

Genre: Drama

The Beaver lost me in the middle of the movie, don't get me wrong, everything made sense, just that the story development was rather stale. With a cast like Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster, I would think that the movie wouldn't have failed that terribly, but it seemed their performances weren't enough to spice up the perpetually slow and melodramatic pace.

You would think "hiding" behind a Beaver puppet would have created humor and interesting bits to the movie, but it just felt too "weird" and awkward for me. *major spoilers ahead* Even the climax, where Mel Gibson was finally able to detach himself from his puppet, the scene wasn't enough to get me at the edge of my seat. His son, whom have hated him all these while, acted rather badly. The final speech he gave, had great potential for wrenching a tear or two, but it turned out to be rather disappointing as well.

The movie did feel like it was a waste of time for me, but I'm not condemning it. I believe there's a few "soul searching" moments in it, but none too liberating. If you can stand seeing some schizo behavior about a suicidal man, about him hiding behind a beaver to find a new life, but turns out to do worse than better, than this movie should find its way into your library of viewed movies. If not, don't bother giving this beaver a chance.

Final Destination 5

Ratings: 6.8/10

Film Class: C+

Genre: Horror Thriller

Ok, so what does Final Destination 5 have which its prequels doesn't have? It wouldn't be fair for me to say much since I've only ever remembered bits and pieces of 1-3 and which I never bothered to catch the 4th. I mean afterall, they're all the same... Final Destination's 5-episode long franchise is all about death, and about seeing how every one dies one after another. So, what's new?

For you fans out there, good news. Nothing. It's still the same Final Destination from day 1, and I would think after all these years, the CG would have at least kept itself up to modern standards. Boohoo, ain't the case for this one as well. The opening sequence was excruciatingly long, scenes of broken glass, shattered glass, glass fragments over and over again. The director must have had some glass fetish. There were some stuff here and there, but really... nothing much to see.

The cast was pretty amateurish. Not many familiar faces, and it really did feel like a C grade movie. Low budget, if not for the rather decent "fake" scene of the bridge falling apart at the start.

The buildup wasn't as strong as I remembered its prequels to be, this time round, it was kinda cut to the chase, wipe them out, in the goriest way possible. There's a slight twist this time round though, and I shan't spoil it for you since that's about the most interesting it could get (*hint* about avoiding death).

Surviving the collapse of a massive suspense bridge, 8 survivors must once again figure out how to beat Death, before Death finds its way to them again. I thought the scene seconds before the closing credit was just too ironically lame, but it's forgivable considering the nature of the theme. However, I have to bring up an important point just before the ending scene (pre-ending scene). For those who are unfamiliar with the Final Destination (me included), this trivia might win some brownie points.

*major spoilers ahead* The final scene in which both leads took the plane to Paris was actually the very first scene in Final Destination 1. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember much of it, but according to my friend who's an avid fan of the Final Destination franchise, the guy in the white shirt shouting that he needs to get off the plane was the same person/cast in the very first installment. So, do lookout for him. With that scene, it kinda made it for me. Even though I was never fond of the plot, and the development, I thought the way the director "tied" everything up was pretty clever.

Final Destination is almost certainly the last of its franchise (from the looks of the ending). So, even though you know it's not gonna be a blockbuster of any sorts, and would like a movie to get you at the edge of your seat, this movie might just make your day. The death scenes were rather interesting and one particular scene, about "lasik", got me squirming a little since I've gone through that myself. I think the thing about movies like these, in cases where you've been "through" them one way or another, there's certainly gonna be an elevated surge of cortisol (fear hormones). If not, it's still worth a scare or two, or maybe even 5.

Contagion

Ratings: 7.8/10

Film Class: B

Genre: Drama Suspense

Heard about this movie some time back from imdb, and it seems that in the recent weeks, there has been a lot of publicity done on it in Singapore. It could be due to many reasons, two of which I believe to be more likely could be because Singapore's prone to such diseases (almost the same category as H1N1 and SARS, awareness campaign maybe?) and because it features a star-studded cast and includes one of our very own local talent Chin Han (also featured in The Dark Knight, but this time got a more decent screentime). From previous marketing campaigns, movie trailers were released way before the movie.. to create the anticipation. But it would seemed Contagion sprouted out rather "abruptly" in the Singapore theatres.

Contagion is about the global outbreak of a deadly new virus, causing panic to the public and it's a race against time for the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the intervention of WHO (World Health Organisation) to find a vaccine for it. I can't help but compare this movie to one of my top favourite all time movies, Outbreak. To be honest, Outbreak was a more superior film in terms of suspense and audience engagement. Contagion lacked the much awaited climax (there was supposed to a climatic-like scene but still lacked the punch), and there were just too many subplots which made the film more like a documentary than a blockbuster.

Still, what I liked about Contagion was that it featured a star-studded cast (*slight spoilers* though their screentime were short-lived) and being an individual with a Science background, I felt "one" with the film. I was able to grasps the technical terms in the movie and was able to catch the hasty explanations (which I believe will be a turn-off for those audiences with different specializations). I believe the director did try to keep the technicalities as minimal as he could, and scripted the explanations to cater to laymen.

It was an interesting watch for me and being fond of the main casts, this movie wouldn't have gone wrong for me. *spoilers ahead* Even though the subplot of the WHO doctor (Marion Cotillard) and our very own Chin Han was a little "calefare-like" and that there wasn't a definite closure for that, I liked the subplots of the CDC specialist (Laurence Fishburne) and the difficult but realistic situation he was put in. Judd Law (a rogue journalist) brought out a very interesting point about humanity during the showdown interview with Laurence Fishburne, yet, it's a redundant statement made to only to demonstrate how humans are all selfish (don't get me wrong, I'm siding Laurence Fishburne). If Judd Law was put in that situation, or anyone else, I'm sure everyone would have done the same as Laurence Fishburne... to notify their loved ones to exit the country knowing that the country would soon be "quarantined". Hated Judd Law's role... still it only meant one thing... he did an excellent job in portraying his character.

I too liked the "rawness" of the scripting on Matt Damon's part. There were pause fillers in one scene, which brought out the realism of the characters and the predicament they were facing. Subtle point, but it did add extra points for me. Kate Winslet's role was one of the more heart-wrenching ones to watch. And though the scenes on how panic brought out the "ugly" side of humans were a little too extreme, yet, one can only imagine what others would do in situations like that (I wish never to know).

Predictable plot, scary thought, stellar cast, Contagion is guaranteed to flabbergast!