mov'n on up
this was a good start, but have moved on to http://blackthir13en.andablog.com check it out.
September 11, 2007
March 5, 2007
Kung Fu Hustle
THE BAD :
- If you don't like subtitles, then you better check to see if Shanghai Knights is available at your local video store.
- If you don't feel like seeing extended shots of -- the ass crack of a Flaming Hairdresser, then might I suggest Rush Hour 2.
- If you have horrible childhood memories about Asian kids beating you up and then pissing on you, then might I suggest picking up a copy of Around the World in 80 Days.
- If you like long, incoherent opening sequences, then buddy pick this puppy up!
- If you want to see some mind blowing plot, may I suggest The Tuxedo.
THE GOOD :
- The chain smoking landlord lady, by herself, is justification enough to watch the movie.
- The fight scenes are epic in feel and in style. The brilliance of the musician assassins shooting out melodies of death is by far one of my favorite fight scenes.
- If you like Super Heroes or Loony Toons, then you'll like this film.
- I personally have some difficulty in foreign films separating out which characters are which. However with this film and it's brilliant characterization of each individual I could easily follow who was who in this film.
- While the special effects are not top notch, they are well used and only further enhance the plot/characters.
Final Thoughts: 8/10
The introduction actually almost made me turn off the movie, because it was so slow/bizarre. It's like West-Side Story, but with straight white boi dancing with axes. But just give it some time...it will be worth it.
Labels: 8/10, Kung Fu Hustle
March 1, 2007
The Invicible Iron Man
To try something new. I'm going to try a new way to review showing The Good and The Bad. People can then make their own opinions about a movie via the lists.
THE BAD :
- It's one of those botched origin stories, do you really have to change the origin of the character every time it's addressed.
- Ho-hum Chinese plot, hrms....that sounds familiar...
- Voice actor for the main character never sold me on his character type, he seams like he's just a whiny bitch who just happens to have cash.
- The film starts off way to slow, and then never stops, ending everything abruptly and closing lose ends in mere seconds, leaving you unsatisfied.
- The "big-bad" is a ghost, not as cool as the "mini-bosses".
- Why is the Iron Man using a sword?
- They totally ignored the character type of Tony Stark. Where is the intelligence? Where is the wit? Where are the one-liners and critical thinking from the past? He's a genius (except when it comes to women)...treat him as one.
- Characterization is often flat, particularly with Wong Chu, whose emot-o-meter is stuck on jerk-face.
THE GOOD :
- Naked Comicbook Ladies! (Almost)
- It's a follow-up for Marvel Comics, "Ultimate Avengers 1/2".
- Fight Scenes are entertaining.
- There's an interesting Mystical vs Technology theme present.
- I found Stark's secretary very amusing for her one-liners.
- You get a small sample of some various suits that he's been working on.
- Best of all, though, is a 7-minute preview of "Doctor Strange."
Final Thoughts: 6/10
This movie is not my favorite, nor is it really bad. I'll give it a ratings boost for the battle sequences, which are at least entertaining, but the rest is boring, almost painful in some places. Hopefully the 2008 live-action film will fare much better.
Labels: 6/10, Marvel, The Invincible Iron Man
February 27, 2007
The Prestige
The Prestige is a "magic trick" transformed to theatrical form. The closest film of which it could be compared to is "The Sixth Sense", however it isn't a "twist". The entire film is created exactly as a magic trick is created. There is misdirection, "Hey look over here" while in fact the truth is much different. Some may say that the film failed in this effect, and even though I did "figure it" out before the film was about half way through....seeing the director Nolan pull it off, was still worth the effort.
The film stars Christian Bale an aspiring illusionist with tricks to spare, but hardly enough charisma to sustain an audience's attention. Meanwhile, his colleague, Hugh Jackman, has plenty of stage presence, but doesn't take enough risks to make it as a prime time magician. The two quickly become embroiled in a battle of wills for domination of London's stages. To give more plot wouldn't do the movie justice, so at that I shall leave it.
The most astonishing magic trick of them all was not even realized by me, until after beginning to write the review. It involves the role of Nickola Tesla, a scientist consumed with his rival, Thomas Edison. The reason why I suggests that this is the most astonishing trick, is the fact that it was played by David Bowie, yeah the singer/Labyrinth guy. I so didn't see it!@!@ I crapped myself later when I noticed it.
I ultimately enjoyed the movie, and yet will not give it a 10 rating. The only reason why it does not get this rating is that the diary reading got to me...not in a oh my god, i'm showing someone read a diary....but because the audio was very difficult to interpret. In fact, for part of the film a group of friends and I agreed to turn on subtitles just so we could tell what the fuck they were saying....I don't even think we actually ever took them off...oh well.
Final Thoughts: 9/10
No matter what anyone says about this film, it still shows that Chris Nolan (the director) is one of the most brilliant directors in Hollywood. It shows him returning to more intimate filmmaking after helming Batman Begins, the director manages to make this complex story as easily understandable and effective as he made the outwardly straightforward comic book adaptation dense and sophisticated. But that may be the filmmaker's greatest trick: to make the simple ones look complicated and the complicated ones look simple. Because any truly great performance is almost as much showmanship as it is actual talent, and Nolan possesses both in spades -- which means that as brilliant as it is, The Prestige is not "just" a convincing trick perpetrated on a willing audience. Rather, it's a sign that more, bigger and better ones are sure to come.
Labels: 9/10, Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, The Prestige
Marie Antoinette
Let me start of with congratulating the movie for its Oscar. Bravo, you made excellent costumes. I'd hope so, you’re a period piece. Now why wasn't it looked for other Oscars? Well mainly because it sucked. And when I mean sucked....
IRRELEVENT PAUSE
It failed in many angles. Not do to the cinematography, set design, or makeup, ect.... it had no plot...yes it's a biography, but besides the fact that in a 3 second sequence we find out a child of hers died....there was nothing shown. Just extravagance and overspending. If I’d want that I'd just find a rerun of sex and the city at least that had sex in it that wasn't forced.
IRRELEVENT PAUSE
We are supposed to accept the idea that teenagers have behaved the same in all eras? (Hardly true. Royals took on adult responsibilities as teens back then and were trained and educated differently.) Should we have special sympathy for this vacuous creature that stood by her equally clueless husband en route to disaster? The movie's not particularly kind to either: She comes off as a gluttonous airhead, he a pussy in bed.
IRRELEVENT PAUSE
The ultimate irony of the project is that Marie and Louis' main crime was self-indulgence: They had too little awareness of the discrepancy between themselves and their people, and they paid for ignorance with their lives. Yet when they are arrested the only thing your feeling is thank god the movie has to be ending soon.
IRRELEVENT PAUSE
On and you may be wondering about those IRRELEVENT PAUSES, well those are riddled throughout the movie. Hey look we're in a carriage, lets spend 10 mins of the movie with no dialog...just showing us in a carriage....still us in a carriage...and still moving....ok plot moves on.....and now we're showing Marie walking....and she's walking....and she's still walking....oh my god...slits wrists.
Final Thoughts: 2/10
No need to describe the 2/10, it’s only there cuz the film has good eye-candy. That’s it.
Labels: 2/10, Kristen Dunst, Marie Antoinette
February 23, 2007
The Quiet
If you love movies with incest, pill popping parents, vicious Bitchy teenagers, and catatonic deaf-mutes.....then Oh baby this is the movie for you!!!!! "The Quiet" may or may not keep you interested, may make you shy away from the screen by it's depravity, but ultimately does show some new-upcomming young talent.
Camilla Belle, stars as Dot, the deaf-mute orphan, who ends up in a mighty peculiar household, turned on its ears regularly by its resident and reigning teen, the cute-and-deadly Elisha Cuthbert.
Belle has an impossible task: she has to hold center stage, in constant close-ups, looking blank and bland and shut off from the world. There is no emotion more difficult to convey than the complete lack of (visible) emotions, and Belle makes a splendid run at it.
Cuthbert's task is daunting too: her role is that of both a victim and a perpetrator, a character both sympathetic and repulsive. In the lead of a large and fine cast - including Edie Falco, Katy Mixon, Martin Donovan, and Shawn Ashmore (Ice Man from Xmen) - Cuthbert and Belle make "The Quiet" work.
"The Quiet," however much it may hold you through most of the story, will leave you at the end stunned by the realization: you have just wasted 96 precious minutes of your presumably not unlimited lifespan.
Final Thoughts: 4/10
Seldom have I uttered the expression of "what the hell?" at a film when the credits started rollinge. For the end has kids going to "a dance" after fataly killing people, people taking responsibility for the death for no apparent reason, and completely glosses over all character flaws, then goes to credits.
Still, if the "end result" is not of great importance to you, "The Quiet" may just be the ticket for a lonely Saturday night, although definitely not as a date movie. For men, it's a major turnoff vis a vis young women; for women, it may cause lasting incertitude about men, old (especially) and young.
Labels: 4/10, Camilla Belle, Elisha Cuthbert, Shawn Ashmore, The Quiet
February 20, 2007
The Night Listener
This film is an adaption of an Armistead Maupin novel, in which Robin Williams plays radio host whose long-term male partner is leaving him. You get the general jist that Robin's partner was diagnosed with AIDS, and has cared for him throughout all the trials both good and bad. And when I say you get the jist, it is never officially stated by any characters that it is the case with certainty. I'm not sure why they pussy foot around the topic, I mean the author of the book is fucking gay and it's supposidly an autobiographical story. But somehow they go all after school special with the mention of AIDS. I mean in this day an age, who doesn't know what it is.
Anyways, that's not the story. Robin's agent, asks him to read a "well written" manuscript written by an abused 14 year old boy and begins to the boy on the phone and eventually decides he wants to meet him.
However, when Gabriel travels to Wisconsin to meet the boy, he finds only the childs guardian, who fobs him off with a number of reasons as to why Pete's not available. And as his relationship with Donna develops, Gabriel begins to suspect that something strange may be going on.
To mention any more about this phychological thriller would give away to much plot and the "not-twist" twist.
Final Thoughts: 6/10
Personally, the film felt a little short, glossed over the gay issues, and with 80ish mins long, came up a little short. The film wasn't awful though. Toni Collette is the main reason to see this, giving a performance that is probably better than the film deserves. Sandra Oh, get all the best lines, since her character seems to be the only one with a sense of humour. While Robin gets the shaft, no pun intended. It's not that he gives a bad performance it's just that the depth of his character doesn't provide for any real range in the film.
In point, i'd suggest giving the film a shot. It definately isn't the best adaption of an Armistead Maupin novel. I also cannot imagine anyone going out to buy this DVD.
Labels: 6/10, Robin Williams, The Night Listener, Toni Collette
February 12, 2007
The Gudge 2
The Grudge 2 is the second film in the series for American audiences, and was directed by Takashi Shimizu (director of the original series) so there should be some of the original elements from Juon (the original Japanese version) in this film. I will tell you we as Americans got lucky with our sequel in comparisons to Japans. Their sequel follows a "TV Entertainment Ghosthunter"-esk show entering the house to find out what really happened. Thankfully we get to skip over that crap, maybe they'll save it for the Grudge 4.
But before we get into The Grudge, we need a little Grudge refresher. In The Grudge, Kayako Saeki was a young Japanese woman who developed an unhealthy obsession with an American professor working in Japan. She chronicled her obsession in her diary, which was found by her husband Takeo. Takeo broke his wife's neck, drowned their son Toshio in the bathtub, and cut their cat's throat. As he attempted to place his wife in an upstairs closet, her hair came down and strangled him. Kayako's vengeful spirit haunted the house, using Toshio and their cat to destroy anyone who came into contact with them, except for a young American social worker named Karen Davis (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
The Grudge 2 finds Karen in a hospital after attempting to burn down the house following the death of her boyfriend. It then starts three different story lines that follow the lives of Karen's sister Aubrey, three schoolgirls living in Japan, and a family living in Chicago in different time periods. This is actually the most irritating part of the film, as it is unfortunately not done well. Throughout half the movie your trying to figure out if you are supposed to know that the stories are connected or not via the characters, but you haven’t been exposed to them long enough to even tell them apart. I wasn’t sure if people were in Japan, then in Chicago, then in California. It generally lost me.
It could have been better by joining the 3 storylines more obviously or more distinctly separate out the styles either through “character acting” or by creating visual distinctions between the 3 story lines somehow. Just saying 3 different locations, doesn’t mean crap. This is actually my only true pet peeve of the film. To be honest, this film should have been sliced together with the first film for 1 cohesive horror masterpiece, which would have been a slightly longer horror movie which would have probably made more money if they did.
Another grudge I had with the original flick was that I never understood how the people were attacked when they weren't in the house anymore. And why the hell she would attack when the husband is the crazy guy that killed them. It really seemed like a poor storyline for someone to follow, but in the Grudge 2 I had all the answers and it started to make complete sense with why she, Kayako, was murdering people. Of which I won’t spoil, just incase you do decide to rent it.
Final Thoughts: Grudge 1: 5/10, Grudge 2: 4/10, Together, 7/10
Let me explain the rating for today, I have individually given a rating for each movie. As if you would have just decided to pick it up without necessarily seeing the other. Then the third rating, as it suggests is if you happen to watch them both together, as what I would suggest if your going to invest your time in the Grudge 2.
Ultimately, I prefer The Grudge 2, only in the fact that everything I hated about the original was solved in the sequel. I wouldn’t suggest the grudge 2 unless you have seen the original.
I’m not a big fan of the 3 separate storylines, I think it would have worked just as well to do it linearly, and then it allowed for the Chicago storyline to be utilized for “the true sequel”.
Labels: 4/10, 5/10, 7/10, Japan, The Grudge, The Grudge 2