Category: Movie Reviews

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

X-Men: First Class – Not My Cup Of Tea

I have a few issues with the installment of this new trilogy.  Considering the fact that “First Class” is a prequel, I am unable to reconcile how, say, McAvoy and Fassbender’s characters are going to grow up and become Professor X and Magneto that we are familiar with on a big screen.  I took a look at McAvoy and compared him with Patrick Stewart.  Nah.  I took another look at Fassbender and thought about Ian McKellen.  No way.  Is it important that the casting should somewhat reconcile with our mental expectation?  I would think so.  Star Trek has done a pretty good job in choosing their casting when the prequel was made.  McAvoy and Fassbender are good actors.  But the disconnection with the existing X-Men films is a bit too much for me to take.

From the story point of view, after the climatic ending of “X-Men: The Last Stand”, I doubt a prequel could top that.  And it does not.  The ideas of mutants against the humans, teaching the mutants to control their power and one super mutant wanting to take over the world – these ideas begin to sound old to me.  Who cares about the ability of creating whirlwinds when we have already seen what Storm can do?  Who cares about a stripper with wings of a housefly when we have seen a human boy with angelic wings?  Havok shoots beams from his chest but hey, we have already seen how Cyclops shoots beams from his eyes.  A boy who screams that enables him to glide in mid air with artificial wings?  Maybe the movie is not doing the comic books justice.  Or maybe it is what it is.

If I am to look at “First Class” as a standalone movie and to remove most of the mutants who are unimportant to the story, the film does offer more background on the friendship between Professor X and Magneto and who they are.  The linguistic ability of Magneto (or rather Fassbender) is charming.  Seeing a younger version of Professor X flirting and chatting up with girls is unexpected, but refreshing.  Hence, it is the drama bit that I enjoy watching.  What is disappointingly missing – besides more depth in Professor X’s romance would be nice – is the transformation of Magneto: the transformation from a mission of personal vendetta to a mission of one mutant (and his recruits) against the world and the disintegration of a friendship.  In one scene, a man was down on the beach.  Magneto could have had him teleported out for medical care.  Why the hurry to disappear from the screen?  That emotional part of a human, or rather a mutant, is missing.  And I am left with an empty feeling wondering if I still want to see more.

The good news is, “Second Class” and “Third Class” – if at all the rest of the installments are so called – are likely going to beat “First Class”.  It is likely that I will get to continue watching this trilogy, because Cynthia is a X-Men fan.

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

BECK – Something Is Best Left To Our Imagination

Judging by the observation that almost all the audiences in the albeit small movie theater stayed till the very end of the credits – which by the way is rare in the movie going scene here in Singapore – this Japanese production BECK has certainly touched the audiences’ hearts.  BECK is a story about the birth of a rock band, a genre that Cynthia and I in particularly love.  I was expecting BECK to be somewhat similar to Nana, another famous Japanese manga that has turned into a TV series and a movie title.  BECK is somewhat similar to Nana.  The band rivalry is there.  Romance too.  BECK, I would say, is more on music and raw edges such as danger and violence than Nana.  Even though we are a big fan of the Nana franchise, BECK is so much better as a movie.

If you are a music lover, BECK is not to be missed.  The music talent these young actors have exhibited is simply sick.  Jaw-droppingly sick.  A young guitarist returned from US has a vision to form a band, to create music that moves people.  Soon, more talents have joined.  However, like in real life, chemistry, progress, and opportunity has its dramatic cycles of ups and downs.

There is something unique in the artistic setup of BECK.  The second vocalist’s voice that is supposed to move people’s heart is muted.  Instead, the camera is focused on the audiences’ reaction and the dramatic mood change that has undergone in the audiences’ mind.  I think this is brilliant.  Because, something is best left to our imagination.

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

Fast & Furious 5 – Very Entertaining!

You know for sure when Vin Diesel and Paul Walker return for another Fast & Furious, it is going to be fantastic.  This franchise collection would have been great had they appeared in every installment.  They must have their reasons for not doing so.  Omy.sg’s review invite could not have come in a better timing.  Cynthia has been begging me to take her to watch this new Fast & Furious when it’s out in Singapore.  I thought fast cars and hot babes are the guys’ things?  As for me, before I entered into the theater, I was hoping and praying that the Israeli goddess Gal Gadot would be back for this movie.

My
prayer
was
answered!

In fact, Fast & Furious 5 is – if I may quote Cynthia – a Fast & Furious All-Stars.  Most of our favorite characters from previous episodes have made a return to this movie.  I know local viewers have this habit of rushing out of the theater the moment the end credit rolls.  For the love of Fast & Furious, resist your urge and stay on.  Like Thor, there is something extra beyond those credits.

In this installment, the backdrop is Brazil.  The feel of episode 5 is pretty much consistent with the previous ones.  Love of the family, love of the brotherhood, love of money, and love of fast driving.  Not to spoil your viewing pleasure, some of the car scenes – the anchor of this franchise – are original and a delight to watch.  Much of the racing bits are shorten because we have had quite a bit in the past.  There is also less driving (relatively speaking) and more dramas and gunfights.  It is exciting and at the same time, heart warming to watch.  Introduced to this franchise are Dwayne Johnson “The Rock” and the Spanish actress Elsa Pataky who is married to Chris Hemsworth from Thor (now talk about back-to-back movie review)!  I am sure we will see them again in future installments.

Thoroughly entertaining.  The running time is 130 minutes.  And you would want more when the credit rolls.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi

Thor – You’ve Been Expecting It, Haven’t You?

Frankly speaking, the best 3D viewing experience thus far.  I was about to give up on 3D technology wondering why I would want to spend extra dollars to watch a show with color less than vivid, edges at times blurry.  Thor has restored my faith on 3D movies.  They have done right this time.

I vaguely remember some of the audiences upon watching the promotional clip at the end of Iron Man 2 screamed “Thor!”  It was a hammer discovered on a dessert.  Now that I have watched Thor, the hammer is called Mjolnir.  And my geek-o-meter in the universe of Marvel has just shot up by one knot.  At the end of this movie, there too was another promotional clip.  This time, the audiences screamed “Avenger!”  I have been watching Avenger’s promotional clips for what seems like ages.  I wonder when Avenger will be out.

Thor is the god of thunder (played by Hemsworth), cast down from his celestial realm to our world due to some classic family politics.  The fantasy realm is a beauty to look at, especially with those 3D glasses.  And to help us to connect to to these celestial beings, we have Natalie Portman and her two science team members who witness Thor falling from the sky.  The encounters between them are lighthearted and hilarious.  And it was fun to see Natalie and her girl friend swooning towards Chris Hemsorth’s look and body.  Gosh, I so want to have a body like that!

Girlfriends (or love subjects?) of the superheroes are usually quite useless or powerless in the stories.  Thor is no exception.  I really wish that something could have happened between Thor and that warrior princess lookalike character.  If I was the story writer, I would find a way, one way or another, to let the girl wields some massive power towards the end, to save the dude who saves the world or to save the world herself.  Better still, sacrifice herself in the process.

I like it that in Thor, the story flips between the celestial realm and our present realm.  I am unsure if there will be a sequel.  Judging at the positive reception, I reckon there should be one.

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

Norwegian Wood – A Film Adaptation Of Haruki Murakami’s Novel

Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite writers.  I do not think it is possible to bring any of his books into a big screen.  Because much of the content is based on the characters’ observation and their state of emotion, or even the writer’s observation on the world he creates.  His story tends to get more and more surreal towards the end.  But if anyone would want to make a film out of his books, “Norwegian Wood” is a good candidate.  It is a rather straightforward love story.  I am a huge fan of Murakami and I was curious on how “Norwegian Wood” would look like as an adaption.

I can imagine how lost one may feel watching “Norwegian Wood”.  I have read the book and you may wish to read the review I have written.  I feel that the movie is by and large faithful to the literature, down to the dialog level.  As someone who is familiar with the written content, it seems to me that some of the key essences may have been lost in the adaptation.  A 133 minutes film may sound long to you.  When I told Cynthia and TK at the end of the show that the film felt too rush, they were shocked.  The foundation of the storyline lies in a subplot structure of a trio – be it as 2 boys and 1 girl or 2 girls and 1 boy.  These subplots are linked through a common theme – love and death.  That, I do not think the filmmakers have explicitly brought out.  Some of the subplots have so little air time that I think they may have been overlooked.  I do not blame the filmmakers though.  I even think that the way the subplots are segmented in terms of air time is proportionate to how the book is written (the first subplot has ended on page 31 of 386).  A clearly demarcation of the different segments of the film like a text on timeline and location would have helped the audience in digesting the story’s structure.

The leading actor and actress have done a phenomenal work in bringing the characters alive.  It is heart wrenching to see them cry in pain.  On one hand, this movie thrills me down my spine when some of the key scenes stay so faithfully to the book.  On the other hand, the omission of many of the side dialogs and observations has made part of the film looks like a silly chain of sex scenes.  This film summarizes the book essentially, but not perfectly.  If you have taken the effort to watch the movie – a very slow moving one by the way – you ought to read the book.  If you have not read the book, I strongly recommend you to pick up a copy and finish it in the weekend before watching “Norwegian Wood” on screen.  All in all, I am still thrilled that one of Murakami’s book has made it to the theater.  And I would challenge more filmmakers in the future to adapt his other books.

Related Entry: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami – A Structured Love Story So Dark, So Beautiful

Categories
Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

The Lincoln Lawyer – Now, That Lawyer Has Style

I am usually not a big fan of crime movies that involves lawyers.  I don’t even watch CSI on TV.  Lately, or rather for the longest history in time, TK and Cynthia are pretty much in sync when it comes down to the choice of movie.  So when they picked “The Lincoln Lawyer”, I tugged along.

Matthew McConaughey plays a criminal defense attorney who drives a Lincoln with a number plate NTGUILTY.  Does he believe that his clients are innocent?  Does he merely go through the justice process and make sure that his clients get the best of it?  Or does he negotiate settlement for his presumed innocence clients thinking that most probably, that is what they deserve?  In the movie, Matthew is well networked with either side of the law and that seems to have made him one effective lawyer.  Even a cool one.  The story is pretty straightforward, a good one no doubt.  While I do not practice law – and I often wonder what if I do – this movie got me thinking about work in general.

At work, I facilitate a process.  Internal “clients” would come to me with work requests and we have to work together, package the ideas up, and present them to the management team as business cases.  If these cases are not being shot down, it is a green light to move ahead to the next stage.  Some cases go into KIV mode.  Others get thrown out of the window.  Not all the approved cases get everything they have asked for.  At times, we have to settle for less.  And hence, I do rounds and rounds of negotiations on behalf on my internal “clients”.  Having good networks from all sorts of sources aids the process, of course.  I have colleagues who more often than not form their opinions on these requests that affect their actions.  This is not wrong, I suppose, although in our job scope, we are not here to judge the cases.  We push these cases through a process that presents them in the best possible light.  I, for one, am trying very hard to be impartial to whether some of these ideas deserve a hearing or what they ask for.  Sure, looking back, there are cases whereby I wish I had not given away hope before they have a chance to go through the proper process.  But I am only human, still learning my way.  In that sense, I can relate to some aspects of “The Lincoln Lawyer”.

Categories
Comedy Drama Movie Reviews

Morning Glory – She Really Loves Her Job!

Cynthia knows me well.  I think Rachel McAdams is the most beautiful actress on earth.  So when she suggested watching “Morning Glory”, she just needed to say: It has your favorite actress in it, the one you think most beautiful.  Cynthia also likes Rachel McAdams in this movie.  She thinks Rachel is perky.  I like Rachel’s cheerfulness and her being so natural in front of a camera.  I don’t feel like watching a movie.  I feel like watching a part of her life.

In “Morning Glory”, Rachel is an aspiring news producer who gets laid off, finds another job that requires her to save the show.  It is an early morning show and she wakes up at 1.30 am everyday to go to work.  For Cynthia and I who are finding it difficult to even get up at 7 am in the morning, that is an heroic act.  Looking at how happy Rachel goes to work, we can’t help but to wish that we could be that enthusiastic.  Perhaps happiness at work is made of this: fully immersed with what you do, view every obstacle as a new challenge, and reach out to make friends.  In this story, Rachel is a doer and not a talker – a quality I admire in real life.  The downside of Rachel’s enthusiasm to work is that she is a workaholic.  That I do not endorse.

“Morning Glory” is a funny and lively show.  While I have my doubt on how well this movie depicts the media industry, it is more about how people go about doing their jobs and living their lives.  That I can relate.

Categories
Foreign Movie Reviews Romance

Natali – The Korean Erotic Film In 3D, And What Could’ve Been

When asked, my replied to Cynthia was, “Too much talking, not enough drama.”  She laughed, in broad daylight, “Not enough sex you mean?”  It was my turn to laugh, “No, no, no.  I really mean not enough drama.”  It was a beautiful Thursday afternoon.  I could have felt much happier, if not for that sad, sad Korean movie.  I am a big fan of Korean movies though.  Natali is Korean’s first in 3D.  I have watched all sorts of movies in 3D, but not in the genre of erotica.  Was I curious?  Of course.

Natali is a sculpture created by a maestro sculptor.  For ten years, Natali remains unsold and as part of the sculptor’s private collection.  One fine day, one of his students turns up at his exhibition and wants to know more about Natali.  Thereafter are a series of flashbacks told from two men who were both in love with Mi-Ran – the girl who modeled for Natali.  Memory, as we know, is inaccurate.  In that sense, this setup does provide interesting opportunities for the story to develop.  This also explains why the second part of the movie is so much more enjoyable to watch.  More drama oriented, which I wish the story writer could have expanded upon.  And less on the dull debate between two men on the topics of realism and fantasy, the role of an art critic, and etc.  Does any of these topics contribute to the central theme of the story – Natali / Mi-Ran?  Unfortunately no.  The film could have focused more on the questions of: Can two people love each other while one of them has another person in his or her heart?  Do people often settle down in marriage with someone they have been passionately in love with?  What is eternal love?  The film touches onto these questions a bit too little, a little too late.

The sex scenes, I must admit, are beautifully made, tastefully filmed.  The music, it draws emotion.  On one hand, the film satisfies my curiosity of how this genre looks like on 3D.  On the other hand, I wish there was a non-3D version instead.  Are these scenes lifelike?  You bet.  However, the color is awful in 3D.  And for this particular movie, there is a heavy ghost shadowing effect on the edges that makes the subjects look blurry.  Take the subtitles as an example.  The words pop out from the screen, yes.  But there is a ghost image behind the subtitles that I seldom see in other 3D movies.  I am not sure what has gone wrong.  The filmmakers may have overdone the 3D effect.  Or there is something not right about those 3D glasses.

While Natali will not stop me from watching another Korean movie, I will likely to think twice before watching another movie in 3D.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

The Adjustment Bureau – Who Writes Your Fate?

I suppose I should count myself lucky that whoever Cynthia thinks is pretty is not that pretty to my eyes.  And vice versa.  That way, she would feel happy that I am not looking at all the women whom she think are pretty on the street and she would not notice all the pretty women who I actually am … erm … OK …

Cynthia thinks that Emily Blunt is pretty.  I think the most attractive aspect of Emily is her accent.  TK and Cynthia picked “The Adjustment Bureau”.  I did not mind to tuck along.  Because Matt Damon is my hero.  To be honest, I often confuse Matt Damon with Mark Wahlberg.  Both are my heroes.

“The Adjustment Bureau” is advertised as a mix between sci-fi and romance.  The bits on sci-fi are surprisingly light.  If not for the paperback notebook with pages filled with ever changing circuit diagrams by the second, I would not be able to associate this movie with sci-fi.  Matt Damon plays a promising young politician.  One fine day, a mysterious girl appears that threatens to alter Matt’s destiny.  Hence the intervention by the Adjustment Bureau.  No matter how hard the bureau intervenes, Matt and Emily manages to find ways to defy the system of fate.  Now, looking at the state of the world today, is free will a bad thing?  Do we really have free will?  What if we do not possess free will and our fates have already been written?  If we have to fight for the right to our free will, would that make us treasuring it even more?  These are some of the questions the movie intends to prompt the audiences to ponder upon.

I enjoy watching the on-screen chemistry between Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.  I wish Emily has more airtime because I like the romance bits in this movie more than the sci-fi bits.  Some bits of the script seem a bit far-fetched.  It is the same old background of God and Angels.  The story is not as profound as Matrix (that questions along the same line), nor as refresh as Inception.  The pace does appear slow.  I went into the theater with the desire to watch Matt Damon’s performance.  It is exactly that and that only this movie has given me.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Red Riding Hood

From the director who brought you “Twilight“, we now have a new saga called “Red Ridding Hood”.  Cynthia and I adore “Twilight”, despite what the critics said.  I was so excited in booking the tickets online so much so that I booked yesterday’s session, instead of today’s.  So, we had an early weekend celebration.

There are striking similarities between “Twilight” and “Red Ridding Hood”.  The narration, the rather helpless leading female actress, and even the fathers of Valerie of “Red Ridding Hood” and Bella of “Twilight” are acted by the same person.  There are werewolves in “Hood”, but there is no vampires (yet?)  In “Twilight”, we see Bella falling in love while in “Hood”, Valerie has already fallen in love since the beginning.  Hence, in a way, “Hood” is more a suspense type of movie than a romance type drawing us to the center of the plot: Who and where is the big bad wolf?  Looking from that perspective, the story is full of twists.  It got me hooked all the way to the end guessing who is what and with what motive.  The two opposing forces appear to be well matched.  At some point, I really had no idea which way the story would go.  Gary Oldman plays the Witchfinder General who takes over the village and volunteers to hunt the big bad wolf.  I love his acting (since the Fifth Element days).  And you may think, how cool if he is a big bad vampire eh?

Amanda Seyfried is beautiful.  She is perfect for this role.  I cannot say much about the two boys who are suppose to romance her.  The chemistry seems missing.  Perhaps since the part on falling in love is not there, there is hardly any opportunity for relationship development.  If there is a sequel (sure hope there is), I bet these boys could be replaced with someone more suitable for Amanda.