Thursday, December 03, 2009
The Twilight Saga New Moon (2009)
First and foremost, let me make things clear. I am not envious of Robert Pattinson's "blue steel" stare and I am not insulted by the ridiculously ripped body of Taylor Lautner. No, these are not the reasons for giving this movie a pathetic one star. No, I will not let these reasons get into my head. I refuse to. Like how the film makers refuse to make this into a movie. Who can blame them? They already know that this movie will be a monster hit regardless of the bad acting, cheesy dialogue, slow pacing and a nonexistent direction. Girls will still be wooed and they will still sink their teeth into the next sequel. So why do I still watch this movie? Let’s just say that I’m an obedient boyfriend.
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Informant! (2009)
'!' included.
The Informant! stars Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, a toupee wearing employee of agriculture company, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Vice president of ADM by elect, whisteblower by choice, this movie tells the tale of illegal of price fixing and (many) other dirty little secrets.
Ok, what can be so interesting with such a straightforward story of commercial fraud? Well, if you include a campy soundtrack, interesting character development (Well done Matt Damon, from Bourne to bumble with ease), an excellent supporting cast (never knew the FBI can be funny), great cinematography (Kudos to Steven Soderbergh) and tight pacing, The Informant! is indeed an engaging and humourous film. And not to mention the nitty gritty details like the bubblegum inspired typeface and Whitacre's monologue that , while being inane, adds a critical facet to his character and an extra dimension to this movie.
That's it for the review.But there's something else you should know.
I seldom give 4 stars to a movie.
The Informant! stars Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre, a toupee wearing employee of agriculture company, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Vice president of ADM by elect, whisteblower by choice, this movie tells the tale of illegal of price fixing and (many) other dirty little secrets.
Ok, what can be so interesting with such a straightforward story of commercial fraud? Well, if you include a campy soundtrack, interesting character development (Well done Matt Damon, from Bourne to bumble with ease), an excellent supporting cast (never knew the FBI can be funny), great cinematography (Kudos to Steven Soderbergh) and tight pacing, The Informant! is indeed an engaging and humourous film. And not to mention the nitty gritty details like the bubblegum inspired typeface and Whitacre's monologue that , while being inane, adds a critical facet to his character and an extra dimension to this movie.
That's it for the review.But there's something else you should know.
I seldom give 4 stars to a movie.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Paranormal Activity (2009)
What happens when you sleep?
It’s a rare occurrence that I find it hard to open my eyes in the theatre. I’m a self-proclaimed movie buff. It should be in my ability to embrace all movies right? I’m afraid not this time.
You should know what I’m talking about. No, it’s not Darah (that made my eyes roll though). Yes, it’s Paranormal Activity-the most anticipated horror flick of 2009. This Blair Witch inspired movie brings us closer to the protagonists, Micah and Katie, who unfortunately had a brush with some evil entity. Convinced that she was being harassed by a demon, Micah, her loving but sometimes insensitive (aren’t we all?) boyfriend, bought a video camera to record what happened while they were sleeping. Results aren’t satisfying, to say the least.
The tension plays an integral part in this highly profitable movie. Once night falls, all hell breaks loose and the suspense is unbearable; is the door going to slam? What the hell is that? Throughout the show, you will feel that you are right there in the room, beside Katie, experiencing the terror. After 86 minutes, I’m thinking which will be worse; the ability to see ‘it’ or just getting freaked out by the invisible. All I can say is that the power of our imagination is not to be trifled with.
What happens when you sleep? You wouldn’t want to know.
It’s a rare occurrence that I find it hard to open my eyes in the theatre. I’m a self-proclaimed movie buff. It should be in my ability to embrace all movies right? I’m afraid not this time.
You should know what I’m talking about. No, it’s not Darah (that made my eyes roll though). Yes, it’s Paranormal Activity-the most anticipated horror flick of 2009. This Blair Witch inspired movie brings us closer to the protagonists, Micah and Katie, who unfortunately had a brush with some evil entity. Convinced that she was being harassed by a demon, Micah, her loving but sometimes insensitive (aren’t we all?) boyfriend, bought a video camera to record what happened while they were sleeping. Results aren’t satisfying, to say the least.
The tension plays an integral part in this highly profitable movie. Once night falls, all hell breaks loose and the suspense is unbearable; is the door going to slam? What the hell is that? Throughout the show, you will feel that you are right there in the room, beside Katie, experiencing the terror. After 86 minutes, I’m thinking which will be worse; the ability to see ‘it’ or just getting freaked out by the invisible. All I can say is that the power of our imagination is not to be trifled with.
What happens when you sleep? You wouldn’t want to know.
Monday, October 05, 2009
Inglorious Basterds (2009)
Two scenes did it for me.
Opening scene and the strudel scene.
Watch it now, you basterds.
Opening scene and the strudel scene.
Watch it now, you basterds.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Ugly Truth (2009)
THIS IS THE UGLY TRUTH:
That I hate women raving about Mr. He Man (Gerard Butler, the guy with the ripped body).
The truth is, I'm not jealous and neither do I envy his torso.
The one truth I really want to say is: he can act. And he ain't that bad as Mike Chadway, an obnoxious or hilarious (this depends on your gender) guy who preaches that there is no true love in this world, only the ugly truth. His frank and curt comments on TV raised a few eyebrows and ruffled some feathers. Among those affected is Abby Richter, played by Katherine Heigl. Well, I guess you guys out there will roughly know what happens next. C'mon it's a romcom!
Okay, I will make the truth simple and less painful. To put it in football's terms, this is a movie of 2 halfs; an interesting and entertaining first half and a boring and predictable second half. Yeah, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments but somehow I don't seem to recall them now. Entertaining but doesn't connect enough (at least for me). Or perhaps the ladies will feel more connected? To Mr. He Man perhaps?
Now for the final truth: sorry ladies, you won't see any washboard abs from Gerard Butler. But there is always another washboard to connect your eyes to.
3/5
That I hate women raving about Mr. He Man (Gerard Butler, the guy with the ripped body).
The truth is, I'm not jealous and neither do I envy his torso.
The one truth I really want to say is: he can act. And he ain't that bad as Mike Chadway, an obnoxious or hilarious (this depends on your gender) guy who preaches that there is no true love in this world, only the ugly truth. His frank and curt comments on TV raised a few eyebrows and ruffled some feathers. Among those affected is Abby Richter, played by Katherine Heigl. Well, I guess you guys out there will roughly know what happens next. C'mon it's a romcom!
Okay, I will make the truth simple and less painful. To put it in football's terms, this is a movie of 2 halfs; an interesting and entertaining first half and a boring and predictable second half. Yeah, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments but somehow I don't seem to recall them now. Entertaining but doesn't connect enough (at least for me). Or perhaps the ladies will feel more connected? To Mr. He Man perhaps?
Now for the final truth: sorry ladies, you won't see any washboard abs from Gerard Butler. But there is always another washboard to connect your eyes to.
3/5
Friday, September 04, 2009
The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
It is said that the greatest love transcends age, race, religion and even gender. As much as I respect the breaking of those social and numerical boundaries, I beg to differ. The greatest love of all time transcends time itself; beating the second by a millisecond, being able to see past the person's history and look forward to the person's future.
That being said, you have to admire the strength and resilience of the protagonist, Clare Abshire played by Rachel McAdams. Not many ladies, in fact none, are able to tolerate a constantly away man as their husband. A vagrant he is certainly not and his abnormality, of constantly traveling back and forth through time is not his choice but his fate.
Eric Bana, once the mean green monster is now a time traveler. Henry DeTamble began to suffer from this condition after a fatal car accident involving himself and his mother. Before being struck by an on coming vehicle, Henry had an epilepsy and experienced his maiden trip back in time. Since then, he has been traveling back and forth uncontrollably and subsequently sees his future lifestyle and, of course, Clare.
Besides the confusing chronologically altered storyline, the audiences will have to settle for, in my own words, a 'crossover'. This is when 2 Henrys (1 of them older) exist in parallel on the same timeline. Audiences will definitely need some time digesting all the time lags but at least this isn't one of those watch and forget movies. You will need to burn some brain cells.
Essentially, this is a simple love story with a sci-fi twist. Time traveling is always an interesting subject for novels and movie alike, think Rant and The Curious Case of Benjain Button. It certainly makes the love more tragic and even to the point of being perverse. Is it fate or a man-made coincidence? It is hard to fathom. Despite the several plot holes (I didn't read the book but I'm surely the movie didn't do the book justice), this story drives home the point that you might be able to turn back time but emotions, memories and love travels back with you. You just can't live and leave without them.
3/5
That being said, you have to admire the strength and resilience of the protagonist, Clare Abshire played by Rachel McAdams. Not many ladies, in fact none, are able to tolerate a constantly away man as their husband. A vagrant he is certainly not and his abnormality, of constantly traveling back and forth through time is not his choice but his fate.
Eric Bana, once the mean green monster is now a time traveler. Henry DeTamble began to suffer from this condition after a fatal car accident involving himself and his mother. Before being struck by an on coming vehicle, Henry had an epilepsy and experienced his maiden trip back in time. Since then, he has been traveling back and forth uncontrollably and subsequently sees his future lifestyle and, of course, Clare.
Besides the confusing chronologically altered storyline, the audiences will have to settle for, in my own words, a 'crossover'. This is when 2 Henrys (1 of them older) exist in parallel on the same timeline. Audiences will definitely need some time digesting all the time lags but at least this isn't one of those watch and forget movies. You will need to burn some brain cells.
Essentially, this is a simple love story with a sci-fi twist. Time traveling is always an interesting subject for novels and movie alike, think Rant and The Curious Case of Benjain Button. It certainly makes the love more tragic and even to the point of being perverse. Is it fate or a man-made coincidence? It is hard to fathom. Despite the several plot holes (I didn't read the book but I'm surely the movie didn't do the book justice), this story drives home the point that you might be able to turn back time but emotions, memories and love travels back with you. You just can't live and leave without them.
3/5
Monday, August 31, 2009
Moon (2009)
You talking to me?
Before you head to the theatre, you might want to indulge yourself in some IQ quizzes. Try these:
1. 4, 8, 16, X, 64, 128
Find X.
2. What comes first? Chicken or egg?
Well, question number two might come across as slightly tougher for some and a tad challenging for many. A valid question, no doubt about that, but why is that even relevant to the movie I'm reviewing? Beats me, my reflection in the mirror just posed me this question a second ago.
Moon, directed by Duncan Jones, is a simple story about an astronaut serving his time on the moon harvesting energy so that the inhabitants of Earth can benefit from it. The time has come for his departure from the moon and back to the home he spent 3 years away from. That is, until, he meets himself.
No no no. This is not a case of Schizophrenia. This is something more colorful, controversial in fact. I am talking about cloning. You do remember Dolly, do you? Now, let me introduce to Sam Bell.
Sam Rockwell stars convincingly as Sam Bell, Sam Bell and more Sam Bells. Yes you are right, the clones have been on the moon for god knows how long, until Sam Bell 1 met Sam Bell 2. So how did Sam Bell 1 become Sam Bell 1 (same question for Sam Bell 2)? Who is the chicken and who is the egg? It's not that difficult to decipher, all you need is to pay a little more attention.
A thoroughly interesting take on the Sci-Fi genre, Moon prompts you to look at the ethical issue of cloning and its consequences. For a mind stimulating ball of a time, there can only be one Moon.
4/5
Before you head to the theatre, you might want to indulge yourself in some IQ quizzes. Try these:
1. 4, 8, 16, X, 64, 128
Find X.
2. What comes first? Chicken or egg?
Well, question number two might come across as slightly tougher for some and a tad challenging for many. A valid question, no doubt about that, but why is that even relevant to the movie I'm reviewing? Beats me, my reflection in the mirror just posed me this question a second ago.
Moon, directed by Duncan Jones, is a simple story about an astronaut serving his time on the moon harvesting energy so that the inhabitants of Earth can benefit from it. The time has come for his departure from the moon and back to the home he spent 3 years away from. That is, until, he meets himself.
No no no. This is not a case of Schizophrenia. This is something more colorful, controversial in fact. I am talking about cloning. You do remember Dolly, do you? Now, let me introduce to Sam Bell.
Sam Rockwell stars convincingly as Sam Bell, Sam Bell and more Sam Bells. Yes you are right, the clones have been on the moon for god knows how long, until Sam Bell 1 met Sam Bell 2. So how did Sam Bell 1 become Sam Bell 1 (same question for Sam Bell 2)? Who is the chicken and who is the egg? It's not that difficult to decipher, all you need is to pay a little more attention.
A thoroughly interesting take on the Sci-Fi genre, Moon prompts you to look at the ethical issue of cloning and its consequences. For a mind stimulating ball of a time, there can only be one Moon.
4/5
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