John Carter

Ratings: 8.2/10
Film Class: B+
Genre: Action

John Carter is a civil war hero who has lost his purpose in life after the death of his wife. Roaming around from place to place, he gets himself into trouble and ends up being locked up for the night. He manages to escape, using his wits and never-say die attitude, only to come across an ancient cave which is able to transport an individual from Earth to planet Mars. 

There, John Carter faces massively tall barbarian-like Martians and is further implicated in a supernatural war between the races/groups in Mars. It is there that he finds himself again, and his new purpose in life...

The far-fetched fantasty-like storyline might turn off many supposedly more mature audience, but rest assure, this movie is a hidden gem. I would think it falls under the sci-fi genre, but the sci-fi films I know are always serious and thought-provoking. "John Carter" is not a serious movie, nor is it abstract in any sense, but it sure is in its class of its own.

Disney has once again showed the world that its more than capable of producing "adult quality" movies by venturing out of its usual teenage films. 

It was downright entertaining and the story was simple, yet engaging. *spoilers ahead* The ending was the deal breaker for me, with the twist I never saw coming. It packs good action, good laughs and good casts, and it's just simple maths, 3 "good"s make it "great". 

The Bourne Legacy

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

The Bourne Legacy felt more like an "action movie" than an "action-packed movie". It's not a bad thing, especially for those who hated the action scenes of Bourne Ultimatum (part 3) which were shaky and fleeting... most of the time I recalled that I couldn't figure out what or where the action scenes were about amidst all that "flashing".

There's storyline, there's build-up, there's action, there's another Jason Bourne... Aaron Cross (Jeremy Renner). Though there were flashbacks of the story of Bourne, and several "cut and paste" scenes from the Trilogy, it would be better for its audience to watch/re-watch the previous few films before catching this one so that you'll be able to better piece the story together, and hence appreciate it more. 

There were lots which I had forgotten, and though my much-awaited meetup between the 2 leads (Matt Damon and Jeremy Renner) was not fulfilled, this sequel (or rather mi-quel? since the story is supposed to be happening concurrently with the first 3 films) left me wanting more yet again. I was sitting throughout the credits, hoping to catch a glimpse of any possible hints of a sequel, but was disappointed that there wasn't any. 

The ending was a little abrupt... the villians weren't that many and there weren't many fist-fights this time round. Recalled that the first few films always had a few professional "zai" assasins to hunt down Bourne... but there was only 1 for The Bourne Legacy. Like I said before, since it's the introduction of a new character, the focus was more on the story and his development. 

Unlike the rest, I felt this film was more emotionally intense. There were a lot of unseen buildup of suspense... similar to when you watch a horror movie, because you never know when Aaron Cross will get "crossed". 

*Spoilers ahead* There was a scene, reminiscence of a mass shooting, in the lab where Rachel Weisz was working at which was extremely disturbing. However, it wasn't really explained only by a few assumptions about the chemicals that the lab was working on in affecting the mad shooter's sanity. 

The last bike-chase action scene was one of the best I've seen, even though I was a little puzzled why Aaron Cross couldn't hold a gun in one hand and ride with the other hand... so that he was able to shoot down his adversary, considering he was so pro. But when I was told that most of the stuns in the movie was done by Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz... I decided not to "fault" the movie for such a trivial matter. 

The Bourne Legacy obviously lives on with this 4th instalment, and I really hope I won't have to wait another 5 years for the next sequel to be up. 

The Three Stooges

Ratings: 6.8/10

Film Class: C+

Genre: Slapstick Comedy

The Three Stooges is about 3 obnoxious orphan kids, Moe, Larry and Curly who grew up in the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage. In time to come, the orphanage was forced to close down, unless they were able to raise $830,000. Hence, begins the quest of the 3 stooges into the "real" world to help raise the funds to save their orphanage. 

The movie is composed of 3 episodes, lasting 92 mins. Think of it as a 3-episode mini series lumped into 1 big movie. I'm sure you know by now that The Three Stooges is a remake of the classic short films back in our Grandpop's days. I'm not a granddad but I've heard of it, though I haven't seen any clips of it. 

The genre falls under Slapstick Comedy, which means you won't have to bring your brains along to catch it. The level of intellect required is on par with Austin Powers and Dude Where's My Car, and the  senseless "violence" was rather unnecessary for that few moments of laughters - it wasn't even that funny. 

However, the movie did give me several (3 parts I think) pretty good laughs, with a rather touching scene at the end of episode 2. Thank God I left my brains at home, and I was kinda prepared for the lame and forceful humor. I'm sure you'll feel ripped off if you caught it in the cinemas, but it's a decent comedy if you're looking to throw away your long list of to-do stuff at work for a good 1.5hrs. 

And before I end off, I must say, the 3 actors were seriously awesome as Moe, Larry and Curly whom I was never acquainted with. Moe reminded me of Dumb and Dumber, a little hint of Jim Carrey, and Larry and Curly were spastically funny as the main supporting characters.