Enchanted - 75%

I am enchanted by this silly fairy tale in a modern world love story. Although nothing in this movie make much sense, it gives some hope to this divorce-stricken world with it's whacky fairy tale concept of love.

A mixture of Bollywood, Snow White/Cinderella, Roger Rabbit, King Kong, Adam Sandler's kind of silly love movie, this show truly packs some good humour...

If you have read my blogs often, you'd see I am not a fan of love stories, especially not love comedies... but this one is pretty creative and worth watching.

(Source: http://www.imdb.com)

Kingdom-80%

I like this show because I felt scared. I mean this show actually brings out the fear, the anxiousness, the agony of losing a love one brutally, of the people who lived in the middle east during the war. It has lots of gun fire and bombings but don't expect action pack from starting till the end as it's a little bit prone to drama side.

Nevertheless, this show is an eye opener for me as it shows the feelings of both parties in the war... i.e. it's not lob-sided as to who is right and who is wrong in a war. And it teaches us not to stereotype - the same team of people can have good and bad nuts, so we shouldn't generalise that all the people in the team is bad if one is caught to be a bad nut.

Worth watching, just to experience it....

Source: http://www.imdb.com

Stardust - 75%

Haven't seen such an enjoyable semi fairy tale love story, semi fantasy adventure kinda movie in a long time, so it's a welcome change for me.

Like it very much... especially the meaningful concept of love...

Source: http://www.imdb.com

Beowulf - Temptation is the curse (80%~B+)

Not sure how to rate this movie. It’s done a very good job in surprising me with new techniques in cinematography, but I just cant help but think I am watching Shrek. Anyhow, this movie must be watched in the theaters or it’ll lose its novelty. I have just given the outline in order not to spoil the surprise and special effects… (Note that I have changed my rating method to be based on percentage for easier reference.)

Storyboard (25 of 25):
Very good plot. Based on an ancient Anglo-Saxon (AD700) heroic epic poem by an anonymous author, this story goes about weaving stories of demons and monsters, both real and nightmares that haunts the consciences of Kings of the olden days. A very violent yet enlightening movie that touches the hearts of people who greeds fame, power and wealth. It’s a reminder to those who are currently on their journey seeking for these elements, as these are the people who will easily and unwittingly fall into the traps of evil dark demonic forces – traps which are set by their very own seeds, seeds which were sowed by their very own hands.

Story is set in a small kingdom in Denmark, just a few hundred years After Christ, when modern civilization just started to bloom and folklore and witchcraft was still largely practiced and believed. The royal family (King Hrothgar and Queen Wealthow) and their people are plague by occasional violent monster attacks by a troll called Grendel who launches attacks every time the human celebrates. Beowulf, a great Geat (Scandinavian) warrior, decided to take up King Hrothgar's challenge to defeat Grendel in the name of glory. In those days, peoples’ lives become meaningful if their deaths are talked about in stories and poems for generations and across nations. As such, everyone fights hard to die gloriously in battle. And the person who can stay alive after many victorious battles with both mortals and demons will be honored as King. In his quest to eliminate Grendel, Beowulf finds himself entangled in a demonic curse; cast by Grendel’s evil but seductive mother, which have sentenced many Kings and their Kingdoms into great misery.

Cinematography (15 of 25):
This movie uses a new filming technique, called motion capture. As such, the computer generated imagery (CGI) was good, but too much for me. Director Robert Zemeckis couldn’t have made this movie with all its stunts without CGI but too much of it just leave a bland aftertaste. My logical mind kept telling me that it isn’t real. I mean, I can watch a real person do weird stunts with CGI and still believe they are doable as I am seeing the real person doing it with my own eyes . However, seeing an animated character doing it, no matter how real, just doesn’t cut it to make it believable! Although the animation was really, really good, I don’t think this movie can win awards in the normal category. Maybe the best animated movie category.

Issues (20 of 25):
This ancient tale addresses most of the crossroads we encounter in life.
1) Love
2) Courage
3) Loyalty
4) Betrayal
5) Religion
6) Honesty
7) Greed
8) Disillusion

Casting (20 of 25):
Good casting as it uses the right people for the right characters. Angelina Jolie fits perfectly as the temptress witch mother with her irresistible beauty and seductive voice. Anthony Hopkins plays the mighty but drunk King Hrothgar very well. Robin Wright Penn character displayed the inner sorrows very well through her eyes. Ray Winstone was casted for the Beowulf character because of his outstanding performance in television as King Henry VIII.

Overall Score: 80 B+

A 81-100 Highly recommended, must go to Theaters
B 61-80 Recommended Watch
C 41-60 Give it a try
D 21-40 Wait for the DVD
E 0-20 You can give this a miss

Note: all pictures are sourced from http://www.imdb.com

Babel: If you want to be understood... Listen

An interesting movie where 4 stories are cleverly interweaved into one big movie. You will have to watch this movie to see how a rich troubled American couple who are having a holiday in Morocco can be linked to a shepherd and his 2 sons, and also connected to a Mexican lady who is working as a live-in maid in America for 16 years but had to attend her son's wedding in Mexico for just 1 day. And somehow these 2 persons' stories are linked all the way to Japan, to a troubled Japanese deaf-mute teenager who cannot cope with the lost of her mother and her adolescence problems.

The writer Guillermo Arriaga and director Alejandro González Iñárritu have cleverly included all the ingredients to make a great movie:

a) Famous actors: Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett

b) Location, location, location: There are people and stories from countries spanding across 4 continents, Asia, Africa, and North and South America

c) Storyline that deals with various world issues such as:

1. Terrorism (there's a scene I like where Brad Pitt gave money to a Moroccan for helping and the Moroccan refused. Brad Pitt was truly touched by this Moroccan stranger who helped him unconditionally while his American compatriates have left him and his wife to fend for themselves. In this terrorist and war-torn world which have inevitably changed our perception on strangers causing stereotyping and suspicion, this movie tends to help put things back to perspective.)


2. Family issues (Brad Pitt and wife were having a difficult time in their marriage after the death of their young child but things are put into perspective when the wife is facing a near death situation.)


3. Maid issues (Rich couples put their child care entirely into the hands of maids which can be dangerous sometimes irregardless of how much the maid loves the kids)


4. Guns (Nowadays, guns are easily available and thus, irresponsible or uneducated usage of these powerful weapons can lead to deadly consequences)


5. Single parent/Lost of parent problems (Single parents must try to listen to their children and vice versa as both are trying hard to cope with their individual problems)


6. Adolescence problems (this show highlights the many teenage problems such as drugs, alcohol, sex, rejection, generation gaps, self-consciousness etc).


7. Handicap (this movie touches on how a deaf-mute cope with everday life)

d) A naked japanese girl. (need I say more? haha)

Actually, I like these kind of movies which tend to create awareness on various issues in life. It gives us a different perspective on how connected we all are as we watch all these somewhat random people in the world but yet somehow all connected to each other.

I'd rate this movie an A-, given the good cinematography and the whole story telling and connection is so seamlessly done.

Picture Source: http://www.imdb.com

28 Weeks Later And Resident Evil 3: Extinction

Never had been a fan of zombie movies. (I think I mentioned that when I wrote about Resident Evil 2: The Apocalypse) . However, here are 2 zombie movies which I managed to sit through the entire show without cursing or falling asleep.

Resident Evil 3: Extinction

Well, this year there's just so many sequels to a sequel that you have to get used to it. I have to say that this episode (it has turned into a series I suppose...) is better than its predecessor. The fighting scenes are superbed and of course the body counts are aplenty and they didn't censor the dreadful bloody scenes in the theaters so please don't bring children.

The CGI used are really good to support the storyline which is adapted from a computer game (Capcom's Resident Evil). Basically, the story talks about a group of evil scientists and opportunist who tries to genetically alter the genes of a human being to create a superior species and eliminate the others weaker ones. Don't try to decipher deeply into the movie as the bottomline of any zombie movie is that this is a dog-eat-dog or human-eat-human world and we've gotta stay tough and kill the rest to survive.

Usually in zombie movies, we don't even want to talk about casting.... but this one has Milla Jovovich as Alice the main character. Also, this chapter offers a bonus: Ali Carter (of Heroes fame) as a strong supporting actress. After watching this show, you cant help but feel some "Girl Power".

Overall, I'd give this show a B, mostly for the body counts (and stunts) and good cinematography on the fighting scenes. Milla Jovovich is of course a plus point.

28 Weeks Later

Another Girl power movie whereby the lead is an actress, Catherine McCormack, and the child actress Amanda Walker, are very much the heroins of the movie.

Movie is about a virus epidemic which spread all over UK and caused everyone to turn into zombies.

As any zombie movie goes, it doesn't really make much sense but it makes good entertainment. Lots of body counts and gory, bloody scenes - just the kind of movie a zombie-movie lover would love to watch.

Would give it a C, as it's already a B movie to start with.

Note: Pictures Source: http://www.imdb.com

Death Proof

Finally watched Death Proof by Quentin Tarantino.

Quentin is definitely an extraordinary director/filmmaker. He can see things through his camera which is different from others and he tries to make us see those special angles which we seldom see on the big screen. As this is his tribute to the 70s B-grade Grindhouse movie, he started the show with lots of psychedelics and corresponding 70s large fonts and 70s “High Chaperal” type of music. I like those scratches that he made purposely to make it look like a film, or something you get to watch at a ‘Drive-In’ theater. I also like the way he shows us the vast difference if he showed us the film in black & white and then in color.

There are some “out of your imagination” action, so please ask your children to steer clear of this movie. You can be sure Quetins show has lots of blood and body count. Well, this one won’t fail you.

There are no real moral in this movie but the storyline is ok for a B grade movie. Kurt Russell definitely made this movie a little more interesting with his witty pick up lines…

Pity the version I watched doesn’t comes with Planet Terror, else I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

I would rate it B+ for overall content, directorship, castings etc……

Oh, and btw, the name of the show is such because the car driven by Kurt Russell (Stuntman Mike) is death proof... i.e. the car was used for stunts and thus is built to keep whoever in the car safe (from death).... And guess what, the car is a dear old Chevrolet.. :) a 1970 Chevy Nova... :) Chevrolets are featured in many movies lately, Transformers, Wild Hogs, and now Death Proof.. :)

Grindhouse 2007

Saw an interesting preview on Astro during the weekend... calledGrindhouse.

This movie is a 2 in 1,with 2 horror flicks; "Death Proof" which is written by Quentin Tarantino, and "Planet Terror",which is written byRobert Rodriguez, merged together cleverly with fake movie trailers.

Death Proof is about a psychopath/serial killer (Kurt Russell) who goes around stalking and killing beautiful women with his "death proof" car. On the other hand, Planet Terror is about a sheriff couple who has to deal with a zombie infested town.

Expect lots of saucy scenes and brutal attacks as this is Quentin's tribute to the 70s Grindhouse Cinemas aka B-Grade Movie Theaters aka Drive in theaters or Exploitation films as they call it in US.

Black Sheep - Violence of the Lambs

Now this is a bizarre comedy thriller that have washed up our shores from New Zealand. The casts are unknown to me, and even the director/writer Jonathan King doesnt seem familiar to me. Usually, I wont even go near such zombie-animal type of movies even with a 3 feet pole but since there's a demand for a review of this gory, stomach turning, B-grade movie, I relented and decided to give this movie a try.

Storyboarding is not bad, really. Storyboard is full and complete and tries to justify every scenes it projected.

The story is about 2 sheperd brothers, the Oldfields, who grew up in their father's New Zealand sheep farm. The older brother Angus, who has deep seeded insecurity due to his handicap, is the bully and killed younger brother Henry's pet sheep causing Henry to develop a phobia of sheeps.

15 years later, Angus, who stayed on to take over their father's farm offers USD2 Million to buy over Henry's share of the farm. Henry returned to the farm to accept the offer from Angus, who is now an established sheep farmer and researcher. As Henry was about to leave, 2 environmentalist, Grant and Experience, accidentally released a mutant sheep foetus while investigating Angus' genetic experiment on sheeps.

Weird experience with deadly meat-eating sheeps and face-to-face battles with violent man-killing sheeps follows. Get ready to be surprised by deadly Were-Sheeps transformation and gory "shot-guns-bursting-sheep-heads" scenes and expect lots of wild, murderous sheeps on a killing rampage.

I think you would like this one if you are a fan of those "zombie" movies or if you tend to "flock" to those "genetically modified mutants that goes on a killing frenzy" kind of movies. For me, I think there are better movies to watch than this "shear terror". BaaHahaha.

Preview : Shoot Em Up

Watched the preview on Astro Behind the scenes and thought it's worth mentioning and worth waiting for. What caught my eye was the abundance of action and gun shots and also the love story in the background.... kinda make it a movie for the boys (who goes for the action) and girls (love story maniacs, obviously) and family (baby and all)..... Also boasts some high class casts which the director and writer Michael Davis handpicked namely, Clive Owen (of Derailed, Pink Panther, Sin City and King Arthur fame), Paul Giamatti (2005 Oscar winner for best supporting actor in Cinderella Man) and Monica Bellucci (Oscar nominated for Matrix Reloaded, and The Passion Of the Christ) .

Will be waiting eagerly for its release in Malaysia... meanwhile, here's the plot sypnosis (source: imdb.com):

Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) is waiting for a bus when a pregnant woman runs by, chased by a group of thugs. Smith kills them and delivers the baby, but the mother is killed. Chased by the evil Mr. Hertz (Paul Giamatti) and an army of goons, Smith enlists DQ (Monica Bellucci), a lactating prostitute, to help him care for the baby.After a series of gun fights, Smith discovers the truth. A Democratic presidential candidate and supporter of draconian gun control measures is dying, but had several supporters impregnanted from his sperm so he could harvest the children. The women were killed by Mr. Hertz who was working for a wealthy firearms executive. However, Mr. Hertz and the Democratic politican cut a deal to work together. Smith kills every one of them personally, and in the end he reunites with DQ and the baby to start a new family.

Ratatouille - Rat-Ta-Too-Ee (Everyone can cook)

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more."

I was really moved by these words used by the food critic Anton Ego in the movie. And the geniuses at Pixar, in this critic's opinion, are nothing less than the finest animation producers in the world. I'd definitely be waiting for the DVD version of this movie, squeaking with excitment...

Storyboard (10 out of 10)
Very entertaining story which develops at the right pace to introduce each of the characters well. The rats, albeit lovable, are still protrayed as pesky rodents and even though ended up being one man's best friend, was not acceptable by humans at large. So it's highly educational and highly entertaining. However, I would think the subliminal moral of the story, i.e. "live your dreams", and "everyone can do anything if they set their mind to it", can only be grasped by older kids. Younger kids should be able to grasp the simple yet often reiterated message which is, "Don't STEAL!"

And I think the director and writer, Brad Bird, have done a good job in introducing France, the French and of course the art of fine French cuisine. Adults, like me, stand to be "inspired" to cook even though I have not cooked a proper meal in my life.

Overall, it's an extremely exciting and fun-filled movie and I hardly felt the 110 minutes of the movie. And very good for educating/inspiring children/chefs wannabes. Can't say the same for Bryan (5 years old) though. He was quite afraid of all the violent attempts at killing the lovable rat.

Special effects/Graphics/Cinematography (9 out of 10)
Pixar never fails to impress me with their near-to-reality animation but yet preserving the "cartoonish" elements in their characters. A extremely creative production, which introduces to us a different perspective to this world;a mouse-eye-view so to squeak, err.. speak.

Lessons/Issues (9 out of 10)

1) Dont steal, no matter what, not even if you are hungry. Even if you are hungry or there'll be devastating consequences i.e. losing your job and losing the trust of others.

2) You can be whoever you aspire to be, despite your size or your origin or what everyone else is doing or says you should be doing..... Follow your dreams and you are what your heart and soul wants you to be.

3) Change is nature. You can change the future or how things are working naturally now, if you set your heart and soul to it. If you believe you can do it, you can. (In conjunction with hte upcoming Independence or Merdeka Day, Malaysia Boleh!)

4) There are certain forces of nature which are difficult to change, i.e. relationships between human and rats. As such, in order to implement the change, a forceful massive implementation, which disregard the forces of nature, often does not work (as seen in the closure of Gusteau Restaurant after rats infestation). A more subtle change tactic; a slow introduction and convincing the right people (the critic perhaps), should be employed.

5) Rat killing can be quite brutal, and humans are quite capable of such brutality. However, not all humans subject to such brutality and we can even try to trust our worse enemies and perhaps strike a harmonius and fruitful joint venture, by tapping on each other's strength.

6) Everyone can cook. (But that doesn't mean, everyone should).

7) It's difficult for women to earn a place in the "real" kitchen due to sex discrimination, and we should respect the women chefs.

8) Do not be a villian and try to cheat others. Villians never wins. Heroes and hard work prevails.

9) You can never stay on top for very long by taking other's credit. Sooner or later, people will find out and you'd be happier if you come clean and tell the truth. (Courage shown by Linguini in owning up that it was the Rat who possess the cooking talent and not him.)

Casting (NA)
Understandably, it's a cartoon and I can't rate the casts based on their animated representatives. So this category is not applicable this time. But I must say, the voices brings a lot of live to the ever lovable characters. Very good soundtrack too. I just love French songs, they sound very romantic.

Overall grading = B+ (28 out of 40)
A very fun and entertaining movie for all ages. Catch it on the big screen to enjoy the rich colour, sights and sounds. Be inspired by all the fine foods and art of fine culinary... Excuse me now, I am popping over to my French friend's house to satisfy my hunger for some Ratatouille...

Scoring Guide:
31-40 A
21-30 B
11-20 C
1-10 D

Note: all pictures are sourced from http://www.imdb.com

Die Hard 4.0 - Live Free or Die Hard (Cont)

Turned out i didnt have the time to do Die Hard 4.0.

But it's a good and fun movie which depicts some "family" issues, and introduces a lot of high tech gizmos and is one for the computer techies...

A little out of context and hard to believe but hey, that's what Die Hard is made of ever since it debuts 2 decades ago.

Rating - A-

Die Hard 4.0 - Live Free or Die Hard

Absolutely Awesome Stuff. Adrenalin pumping... Action packed... Heartstrings tugging... Death Defying stunts... Great contender for the movie of the year.

Another A class movie... Bruce Willis haven't lost his witty charming character one bit since 20 years ago when he first started his Die Hard career as smartmouth, witty but "being at the wrong place at the wrong time" cop, John McClane in 1988.

Will update more later....

Definitely entertaining and hilarious.... worth every penny of the RM11 you fork out for this movie.

Btw, you can also catch Huge Trucks (ala Optimus Prime) fighting with Fighter Jets (ala Megatron) in this movie. I bet Director Les Wiseman added this scene on purpose to poke fun at Transformers. Hmmm looks like Wiseman and Bay are already trying to outdo each other even way before the Oscars.. Anyhow, this two blockbuster Directors deserve standing ovations for bringing us so much entertainment this year... :)

Transformers - Their War, Our World - Freedom is the right of all sentient beings

Michael Bay deserves every bit of my respect and love... he definitely have delivered in this movie... more than I have expected in fact. Definitely an A class film... I just fell in love with this movie right after Blackout transformed (the first Transformer to appear). Bryan (5 year old) went "wow,.... Wow,..... WOWW" at the sight of Blackout's transformation. That's what I thought about this show too... Wow! (but of course I didn't shout it out like Bryan)

I was thinking of just writing, "Just watch this movie, it's definitely "MOVIE OF THE YEAR" if you ask me but then I wont be doing justice to my blog... hahaha. I am no Transformer freak nor fan... but this movie definitely took my breath away - one of the most impressive CGI driven movie.

The only drawback for the die hard Transformers fans is the lack of the signature "E-u-e-u-e-ak" sound whenever they transform.


Storyboard (9 out of 10)

Extremely entertaining with the right blend of humour, action - fist fight, gun shots, air borne fight scenes, car chase, underground fight sequence, you-name-it-they-got-it action, suspense, terror, human issues (family, friendship, society, country), etc. The storyline have been outlined in the previous installment and Michael have done justice for the movie pacing the movie just right to strike a balance between robots and human interaction and a palatable storyline. Even though the movie is 2.5 hour long, Bay doesn't bore you with too much technical explaination of each robot and you dont get too much unnecessary conversation. Never a dull moment except for my afternoon-nap-deprived 5 year old friend whose only interest is watching the robots and asked me "Where did the Transformers go?" the moment a Transformer wasnt given screen time. Having been able to enjoy the movie, shows that there wasn't many chances for him to ask me that question... :D

Ummm, it's actually rated PG-13 in the US but I didn't do my homework thoroughly enough and allowed a 5-year-old to watch it with me (In Malaysia, it's rated "U"). However, the really violent scenes (including decapitation) are Robot-vs-Robot and not human so that reduced my guilt substantially :P)

Special effects/Graphics/Cinematography (10 out of 10)

Best special effects I have ever witness, and I know I am not alone in quoting this. Seemless transformation and blends in wonderfully with the rest of the casts.

Lessons/Issues (8 out of 10)

To name a few:

1) Humans are highly evolved beings but still have much weakness such as greed, wrath and envy. If they don't control their greed, they might fall into the dark side due to their hungry quest for power. Decepticons are actually representation of the future of these kind of humans, extremely advanced, smart but evil in nature. There are, however, still good people around as represented by Autobots and it's up to us to choose to become Autobots and Decepticons.

2) Greed for power will lead to major disastrous events for self (Megatron) and others (earth). War does not solve any problems either and will lead to even more disastrous events.

3) Friendship/comradeship is important in winning (as shown in the weaker Autobots being able to win with teamwork). Strategy is also an importan element. (The weaker Autobots must depend on strategy to win the more advance Decepticons)

4) Loyalty as shown by Bumblebee in serving it's earth assignment.

5) Responsibility (As shown by Optimus Prime in his willingness to risk his life to save the Earth as he felt responsible for bringing their Cybertronian war to earth.)

6) We may be very advance but dont underestimate others and be aware that there are other's more advance than us out there.



Casting (6 out of 10)

There aren't many big stars in this movies which is understandable as their main strength doesn't lie in casting but in their CGI robots. But their leads, Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky) and Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes) are young and upcoming stars and works hard for their salary, all USD500K of it for Shia... And sexiness or "foxiness" works to pull in the crowd with Fox being voted #18 in the Top 100 sexiest woman list by Maxim Magazine (2007), and #68 by FHM in 2006.

Overall grading = A (33 out of 4o)

A definite must watch and I am sure it's worth every penny of the RM11 you dish out for the movie ticket considering it cost USD150 million to make this movie. Highly entertaining material and fun for the whole family. One of the best visuals I have ever seen. Do your homework prior to watching this movie as you may get a little confused over who's who as there's not much explanation of the robots in the movie, but rest assured that even without knowing who each of the giant robots are, you won't miss a thing. However, be reminded that it's rated PG13 in the US, and thus, remind your child that they are robots and not humans to avoid having to deal with extreme violence around the house later. Visit the loo before the movie as it's hard to enjoy the 2.5 hour long movie on a full bladder.

Scoring Guide:
31-40 A
21-30 B
11-20 C
1-10 D

Note: all pictures are sourced from http://www.imdb.com

Transformer 7-4-7

Can't wait till the Transformers movie come to our shores. It seems that we'll be getting this treat on the 28th June (from GSC advertisements) even though the official site says it'll premier on the 4th of July.

Anyway, this anticipation means I am expecting qutie a lot from Michael Bay (director) and Steven Spielberg (executive producer). I really hope that they will present some good family entertainment instead of some cheap "Ultraman/Mask Rider/Power Ranger vs Rubbery Monster" type. Also, hopefully their robots are much better than those of Astro Stadium ads.

Having said that, from the trailers and teasers (all 6 of them), I think that we won't be disappointed. :)

Here's a refresher in case we get confused with who's who in the movie:

Autobots (the good guys)
1) Optimus Prime (leader) - 18th wheeler
2) Bumblebee - Cheverolet Camaro
3) Jazz - Pontiac Solstice Sports
4) Ironhide - GMC Topkick Pickup Truck

5) Rachet - Search and Rescue Hummer (Ambulance)

Decepticons (the high tech villians)
1) Megatron (leader) - Cybertronian Jet (actually can turn into Walther P33 Pistol too)
2) Barricade - Police Car - Saleen 5281 Mustang
3) Starscream - Lockheed Martin F22 Raptor Jet
4) Blackout - Skirkovsky MH53 Pave Low III Helicopter

5) Brawn - M1 Abrams tank

6) Frenzy - 2 speaker CD player mini compo

7) Scorponok - mechanical scorpion

8) Bonecrusher - Buffalo Armoured Mine-Protected Bulldozer

Short Sypnosis: Sometime in 1850, War between Autobots and Decepticons in Cybertron planet have spill over to Earth over the control of Allspark, a cube that will give the owner super powers. The Allspark has been "exported" to Earth by some Autobots but Megatron managed to track and chase after them to Earth. During his "visit" to earth, Megatron, fell into the Arctic Ocean and was freezed to paralysis (note: all robotics can be overcomed by freezing it's mechanical parts). Captain Archibald Witwicky, a scientist, was on an Artic expedition and chance upon Megatron. Megatron enscribed a map leading to the Allspark location into Captain Archibald Witwicky spectacles.

Over time, other Decepticons roam to earth in search of the Allspark and their leader. While the US government want to study and controlthe robots, the Decepticons also want to learn from the US government the location of Allspark.

Meanwhile, the other autobots arrives on Earth to protect the Allspark and the earth (as the leader Optimus Prime believes that "Freedom is the right for all santient beings".

For the rest of the story, well... go watch the movie in the theaters... :)

Source: http://www.transformersmovie.com

Ocean's Thirteen

Full of star-studded A-class casts but can't really say I enjoyed the movie as I get this been there done that kinda feeling. Another sequel to a sequel. Hmm... a lot of sequel's sequels being done this year.

Storyboard (5 out of 10)

Refresher -

Ocean's Eleven 2001: Freshly out of jail, gangster/con-artist Danny Ocean (George Clooney) rounds up 10 professional "theives" to rob 3 Las Vegas casinos owned by unscrupulous entrepreneur, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), simultaneously during a boxing event. Rueben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), a rich casino owner who have a personal score to settle after losing a casino to Benedict, provided funding to the whole sophisticately planned "project".

Ocean's Twelve 2004: Terry Benedict seeks vengence after losing USD150 million to Ocean and his 11 accomplice (plus his wife, Julia Roberts as Tess) and demanded repayment with interest - USD190million in two weeks or they will all be killed. To raise the funds, they planned 3 large scale robberies in 3 European countries but their plans are 1-up by another theif, named Night Fox. With Europol hot on their heels, and challenges from Night Fox, they race against time to take on the biggest heist to claim the world greatest theives title.

Ocean's Thirteen 2007: Reuben Tishkoff's (Elliot Gould) was unscrupulously cheated of a hotel and casino by Willie Bank (Al Pacino) and suffered a heart attack and paralysis which almost took his life. Ocean's team (the 13th member being Terry Benedict who hated rival hotelier Bank) gathered and schemed to settle the score for their friend by helping other's to win the casino's money and sabotage Bank's new hotel.

All 3 story lines are almost the same, and it really grounds to a bore after some time as the director Steven Soderbergh recycled the same cinematography and ideas for all 3 installments.

Special effects/Graphics/Cinematography (4 out of 10)

No special effects. The conventional cinematograhy made me felt like I was watching an 80s show with the music, the colours, the zooming in on objects and spliting of the screen (like an old James Bond movie).

Lessons/Issues (3 out of 10)

Not a very "moral" movie as it condones stealing and put theft on a padestal. I guess lessons learnt are mostly friendship, and trusting the right people. Another lesson projected here, especially for the management level, is that we must always pay/repay people for their hardwork (as shown in the very last part where Brad Pitt repays the hotel reviewer (David Paymer) - interesting way to repay someone (I wish someone would repay me this way!), especially when reviewer didn't even know he's part of the scheme.)

Casting (8 out of 10)

Overall casting in this star-studed installment is good as they have used all original casts and thus, immediate association with the previous episodes are possible. And there's no direct linkage to the previous episodes, so those who have missed the previous 2 installments wont be lost. Brad Pitt and Matt Damon's good looks and dashing smiles are there to increase ratings but I didn't really feel their presence as I did in Ocean's Eleven.

Overall grading = C+ (20 out of 4o)
An intellectual scheming movie but the ideas have run dry. A-class stars, but C-Class presentation. It's always hard to do sequels, and harder to do sequels to sequels... so Director Steven Soderbergh need some breakthrough ideas to break out from the shadow that Ocean's 11 casted out 6 years ago (A little trivia: O11 was a remake of a 1960 movie with the same name). Watchable movie, but I think you can wait for the DVD.

Scoring Guide:

31-40 A

21-30 B

11-20 C

1-10 D

(note: all pictures are quoted from http://www.imdb.com)

Fantastic 4 (Rise of the silver surfer)

Just watched it. But really have no feelings for this movie despite it being a very entertaining show.

Storyboard (6 out of 10)
Refresher - Fantastic 4 (2005) :
Fantastic 4 consists of 4 superheros (humans turned into super powered beings after being hit by Gamma rays while on a science project in outer space), namely Reed (Plasticman), Susan (Invisible Girl), Johnny (Torch) and Ben (The Thing). They are scientists who have dedicated their own lives to the science of saving the lives of others.

Current episode: Rise of the Silversurfer:

This second installment of the movie mainly shows an insight to their busy lives as Fantastic 4, where they research for ways to understand the molecular substance of their own body to somehow reverse the effects of the gamma rays, and try to return to "normal". Reed and Susan also tries to lead "normal" lives by getting married but their plans have always been interrupted by Reed's commitment to work. Reed's commitment to saving the world is always put to the test by trouble makers aka paranormal super villians such as Victor von Doom(Dr. Doom), Norrin Radd (Silver surfer) and Galactus (an earth eating alien).

The movie does develop each character equally, providing ample explanation on each of their powers and ability and their purpose in the story. Overall story flow is very good for a comic flick (and their jokes were extremely witty and hilarious) but as I mentioned earlier, it's just an entertaining movie, with not much subliminal message.

Special effects/Graphics (10 out of 10)
The best part of the movie. This is a movie made from comics, so you can expect a lot of CGI and special effects. The CGI in this movie is very seemless and it gives live to all the comic characters especially, Silversurfer and Torch. My favourite scene is the part where Torch chased after Silversurfer until Torch ran out of oxigen to burn.... (very good way to teach the youngster to be interested in science.)

Lessons/Issues: (6 out of 10)
Not very significant but the most important issues highlighted would be:

1) Friendship (The 4 friends stay through thick and thin - even though Ben and Johnny may seem to have big differences, but deep inside, they love each other as best friends.)

2) Understanding in a relationship which is highlighted when Susan and Reed's wedding have been postponed and ruined for 4 times, the time Susan caught Reed dancing with other sexy women on his bachelor's night and the time Susan caught Reed hiding his research from her.

3) Making choices in life. The movie highlights that there's always a chance for you to make the right choice in life for the greater good of everyone. It reinforces the idea that we should all take the courage to make that choice....

Casting (9 out of 10)

Overall casting is good as they have used all original casts to avoid confusion and for easier recognition and refresher of the first episode. I guess everyone is waiting to see Jessica Alba (Susan), especially the part where she lost her "Invisible" powers after burning her clothes. Ioan Gruffudd (Reed) have more screen time this time as the leader of F4 and brings out the "kayu" (nerdy) role of a scientist very well. I thought Christ Evans (Torch) wasn't good looking enough to fit in the vain character of Torch but his acting was good to bring out the childish and irrational side of Torch. The combination of Doug Jones and Laurence Fishbone (voice) was excellent in depicting the mysterious and strong character of the Silversurfer.

Overall grading = A- (31 out of 4o)
A very fun and entertaining movie for the whole family (parent guidance needed for childen below 12 due to the fighting, flying, choking, and killing scenes.) A must watch (and worthy watch) at the THX cinemas.

Scoring Guide:
31-40 A
21-30 B
11-20 C
1-10 D

(note: all pictures are quoted from http://www.imdb.com)

Muzikal Cheng Lock

Apa Khabar, Buat Bertenang.... :)

You can't believe that I went for a musical, eh? Neither can I. Not because I don't like all these arty farty stuffs, but I just can't believe that I can ever find someone to watch them with me. Most think that they are a torture and so I spare them the agony....

Anyway, I didn't know my sister (yeah, I don't even know my own sister, how terrible of me!) was interested in works of art until today when she asked me if I wanted to go for Muzical Cheng Lock. Amazingly surprised at the sudden invitation, but I immediately jumped at the opportunity, even though the show was 8:30pm tonight.

This historical musical is extremely good in making the boring history subject an interesting one. Filled with catchy music and nicely choreographed dances coupled with experienced dancers and singers, this musical makes a very good entertainment composition with educational contents.

Muzikal Cheng Lock is an autobiography of Tun Tan Cheng Lock's life and his contributions to MCA and the Chinese in Malaysia. The musical takes the audience from his birth into a Peranakan family, to the rise of the Chinese baba and nyonyas in Malacca, right into his courtship, marriage, and indulgence into politics and finally his self sacrificial fights for Malaysian Independence.

For those who are not sure who Tun Tan Cheng Lock is, he is one of the Malaysian forefathers who was responsible for :

1) helping Chinese immigrants to achieve the Malaysian Citizenship,

2) setting up MCA (he became the first President of MCA)

3) helping Malaysia to achieve Independence (Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!)

I've not see many musicals, but this one is quite elaborate with cleverly designed props and lightings, very well rehearsed dancers (who was very good at expressing their feelings through their songs and body movements. I was especially amazed at the "pause and resume" movements, and their slow motion dances...), and very well researched actors and actresses. Veteren actors such as Kenji Sawahii, Louisa Chong, and Jalaludin Hasan, completes the fun yet historical presentation (note: although I recognised these people from local dramas, this production really surpasses any local drama that I have seen) . And of course, they were so good at singing that I thought it was lip-synced at first... Oh, and not forgetting, the 5-star, state-of-the-art theatre/stage that Istana Budaya houses makes this musical a completely enjoyable and fulfilling experience.

You have got to watch this musical to really appreciate the quality of the performance. Catch it before it draws its curtains for good. There are 2 shows left, tomorrow (Saturday, 2 June 2007 at 8:30pm and Sunday, 3 June at 8:30pm. Prices of tickets are extremely reasonable at RM20, RM30 and RM50. (And, you may get a free upgrade if you are lucky.... guess we were very lucky.. :-))

Oh, I am not sure if refreshments are served everyday, but there was a party thrown by MCA tonight and they served us nasi lemak, some kuihs, some fruits and very good Nescafe.... burpp..... hehehe...

Have a nice weekend at this meaningful historical musical ....

Note: Pictures courtesy of Istana Budaya (from www.istanabudaya.gov.my)

Spiderman 3: the greatest battle lies... within.

Friday, May 4, 2007.
Before I watched Spiderman 3, I already told my friends that I will be biased when writing this review. And true to my words, I liked it already when the movie started with the roll call credits. I liked the way the movie presented refresher scenes during the roll call scenes to jolt the viewer’s memory of the first and second installment of the trilogy. However, there’s some slight deviation from the real story presented in the comic books. Gwen Stacy, who was supposed to be the first true love of Spiderman in the comics and later died tragically, has become “just a girl in his class” in the movies. However, the directors showed a glimpse of Captain George Stacy (Gwen’s father, who, in the comics, is supposed to be heroically killed by falling debris while saving a baby during a battle between Dr Octopus and Spiderman), so I suppose they are going to stir in more complicated plots for Spiderman 4.

Besides that, this movie is really intense. It discusses a lot of issues.

1) Every villain is not totally bad. Inside every bad person, there’s some element of good in him. (like sandman, hob-goblin or the new goblin)

2) Every hero is not totally good. Inside every good man, there’s a bad person/child, waiting to be released. (like spidey himself under the influence of venom)

3) Not everyone is born a villain or wants to be a villian. Circumstances will decide the path of a person. However, a person must choose wisely which path to take because once chosen, there could be no turning back. (i.e. sandman, venom)

4) We must control our greed, our lust, our powers or it’ll consume us. (Peter Parker, and Eddie Brock’s greed with their new found powers when they were assumed by Venom and Flint Marko’s confusion with his new found powers as the sandman)

5) Young adults intoxicated by love will think of marriage and children but forgot the many issues that come with the territory, i.e. protecting the spouse, putting your spouse before you, sharing both the ups and the downs, listening to each other, etc.

6) Friendship founded on the grounds of love, honesty, sincerity will stand the test of time.

7) How old folks deal with old age and lost of a loved one without going senile. (Aunt May hold out hope for Parker while leading a lonely life. You can see her loneliness through her eyes but she’s not giving up on life yet for the sake of Parker.)

8) How to deal with retrenchment while your spouse is riding high on his career. (Mary Jane Watson on a downhill slide after losing her job, and her boyfriend but still managed to move on without losing herself).



9) How to deal with hate and revenge before it consumes us and push us away from real life and our loved ones. (Peter Parker on his quest to avenge his Uncle Ben’s injustice death)

10) How to deal with office rivalry and the perils of using dirty tricks instead of hardwork. (Eddie Brock and Parker’s tussle over the permanent position in the Daily Bugle)


Now I remember why I endorse this comic book for adolescence. It discusses a wide spectrum of issues that a young adult will face and how to be responsible and how to handle them. I recall learning a lot from this comic book when I read it during my teenage years. It gives an insight to young adults to all the problems one might face at every stage of growing up and how to handle them if they happens to you, like a sudden lost of a loved one, revenge, friendship, love rivalry, world injustice, and how to handle great power and great responsibilities when they are handed to you without proper preparation.

No one warned me about Director and Scriptwriters Sam Raimi and Ivan Raimi excerpting these qualities from the comic book into this installment of Spiderman. I thought it would be one of those insane power thumping, glass shattering, violent blood shedding action-packed animated movies which are so popular nowadays. Well, it’s all that, plus some really good real life issues as mentioned above. That’s why I wouldn’t recommend kids below the age of 13 to watch it without parent guidance as they might just be too mesmerized and mimic the violent parts and forget the moral to the story.

And also bring tissues. Spidey is famous for his humour as he takes on his rivals, so I thought it’ll be a fun and exciting movie. And thus, I was caught without tissues. Yes, it has a very touching storyline but it’s not a soppy love story. It’s full of action right from the beginning. A great movie that stirs your emotions, cracks your head, test your neurons, and fills your heart. Casting is good as they used the original casts to avoid confusion and in my opinion, all the casts, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and Tobey Maguire (Mary Jane Watson, Harry Osborn/New Goblin and Peter Parker respectively) has grown together with their characters, especially Tobey Maguire, which displays such an apt transition from the silly teen that he was when he first discover his superpowers to the more responsible and matured Peter Parker. Rosemary Harris plays Aunt May well with passion coming out through her eyes and clear voice.

The CGI for the villains, Sandman and Venom, was seamless and blends nicely to the movie. This is a must watch considering it’s one of the most expensive movie ever made with a budget of USD$250 million (surpassing King Kong’s USD $207 million). Catch it in the theaters if you can find yourself a babysitter. I see people bringing their children in their prams, which I really find inappropriate. The scary scenes and loud noises may make or break a child at such a tender age. Leave the kids at home so that you can fully enjoy the movie.

Oh, a little trivia which I found out on the E! channel on Astro. According to gossips, James Franco (the cute Harry Osborne) is actually gay and there was a scene which was censored from the film. The censored scene shows Peter parker was giving him (as the new goblin) mouth to mouth resuscitation after Harry fell hard after a battle with Parker/Spiderman. He was blushing when he claims that there's no real lip touching, but the real answer.... you figure it out.. :)

(All photos are courtesy of imdb.com)

Cars and 300

Cars, it’s more of an adult movie. The kids will be captured for the first half hour due to the new concept where the cars can talk and have eyes and mouth and feelings….And there are a lot of different models of cars to make a very colourful screen. But the story is just too adult… and boring… about saving a city because they want to build a highway and thus taking away the traffic (and subsequently income) from an already dead small town. This kind of Sami Velu / Politician type of movie is too boring or too much for kids to digest… and after some time, they will get easily distracted and not want to continue watching…. That’s what happened to Bryan. He still likes to read the books on the Sally and McQueen, but when I asked him if he would like to watch Cars, he’d rather watch Power Rangers…. (even though Power rangers is in Japanese, he don’t care coz there’s lots of ACTION and dinosaurs!!)

Even I didn’t manage to finish the whole movie… so I can’t comment…

But I can comment on something else. On Friday I watched something that kept me glued to the screen till the end. 300. This is a gory movie about 300 brave Spartan soldiers, led by King Leonidas, making a last stand against all odds to set the path for Spartan victory against the Persians. Interesting story and somewhat a good movie as it invokes interest in the ancient Rome empire history and also induce some sort of patriotism, strength, brotherhood, friendship, pride and bravery which is so lacking nowadays.

The movie touches on the surface on how a Spartan soldier is made and also gives an insight on how heartbreaking and brutal “Agoge” is for the Spartan combat community. Agoge is the brutal training that a young Spartan has to go through to prove himself worthy of being a Spartan warrior. Also shows the structured and systematic fighting techniques that Spartans soldiers used. And best of all, this movie has lots of blood, lots of flesh (yes uncensored), lots of battle, and lots of limbs and body count. Not for children and not for the faint hearted… but definitely for Loke Wee. Hahaha…. Zack Synder, who previously did justice to Land of the Dead, is bringing his style of gory directorship into a combat movie and have successfully created an interesting movie that bridges the generation gap. It’s not as expensive as Gladiator, which was filmed in 5 countries, because most of the filming was done in the studio with plenty of CGI. It’s not as complicated as Troy, but still show off the strength of the Spartan army. Unlike Helen of Sparta, 300 reminds us that women counts too in modern civilization, instead of being just mere beauties that’s only good for sacrifice purposes. Also show men are capable of betrayal and return to their beasty nature when lost, or lured by greed.

All in all a good movie to watch. It’s a highly entertaining and thought provoking. It’s interesting to know that Greece which once produced the highest of human civilization and the most elite and feared army, have now reduced to an economic slum in Europe. Now how did that happen, go figure… meanwhile, try not to buy too much popcorn if you can’t eat at the sight of blood.

*Note: A friend of mine noticed that this movie is highly stereotyping. Asians are shown to be weak and small size and ugly beings, while, the Spartans are all good looking, fit and muscular beings. So try to keep an open mind to enjoy this partial animation (which is probably why it was sprared from the "chopping board").

Raising Helen and Count Olaf

18 July 2005 14:59

I would love to be able to hang out with my kids but no matter how cool or how hot you are, if you hang out with your kids, it's just plain silly when you come to their teenage years. They just want to live their own lives and want you OUT of their lives. And that leaves you wondering what you did wrong during their infant years. Well, I guess it's normal, and everyone just love to break the rules and not listen to adults.

I just watched Raising Helen y'day night and I cried my eyeballs out (gosh, my eyes are still swollen. Ppl might think I am a battered wife!!) Anyway, it's not that the show was soo good, but it's because the nail hits me so hard. Your kids grow up so fast and you don't know how to handle them. You're as new to adolescence years just as much as they are discovering puberty. And you have to manage it for them... gosh... Well, all we can do, really, is just TRY our best and leave the rest to God. That is why I am sooo afraid to have another child. It's so much pressure to be responsible for a live.

I also watched "A series of unfortunate events" y'day and what the little boy said when their parents died in a fire was so heart breaking. The well-learned little boy, Klaus, said, "I hate our parents. Didn't they have plans for us? How could they do this to us?" You see, the disappointed orphaned kids were left in the care of a cruel and greedy distance relative (Count Olaf played Jim Carrey) and they hated their parents for that.

It makes me realize how big the responsibility is. You CAN'T even die. It is your responsibility to keep yourself alive, healthy and wealthy to ensure the kids grow up well ad healthy. Both the shows have one thing in common. The kids' parents died in an accident and the kids are left in the care of a relative. It's a really scary thought... I am not pushing insurance nor will writing here, but just planning for the "future". Your dependents are depending on you to at least have some plans for them. Even I don't have much plans ... Talk about working for an insurance company and having a lawyer bro ahahaha.

Ok, sorry to have scare you. Having kids is not that scary. Only scary for scardy-cats like me (and Aunt Josephine)... fear of the unknown. I wonder who I am to leave Bryan to if anything happens...

Some thoughts for you: Have you made plans yet?

(note: all photos are courtesy of imdb.com)

King Kong - The 8th Wonder Of The World

I have watched King Kong since Friday but I am still speechless. How do I write a review that befits a King? Oh, incidentally, the King and I share the same surname. But that’s about all we have in common because the silly, lovesick and bad-tempered beast has totally opposite characteristics from this fair maiden. Peter Jackson really did justice to this 1933 remake and lived up to a standard which he himself has set. If you haven’t watched a single movie this year, then this is the ONE. In fact, I am not sure I’ll ever watch another movie with the same perspective again. Well worth watching in the theater and you will leave the cinema wanting more even after 3 hours. Plus, the THX will definitely blow you away!

Well, if you have watched the trailer (which I have watched more than 20 times now thanks to little Bryan), then you already have an idea what to look forward to. The story line is all there, a desperate director (Jack Black of Shallow Hal fame) cons his ignorant film crew to make a movie on an uncharted island, where King Kong and other huge strange creatures lives. The crew were “greeted” with extreme adventures when their lead actress was captured and presented to the giant ape as a sacrificial offering. How King Kong ended up on top of the Empire States building (the ever popular scene), fighting off what he thought was strange flying creatures, is what you need to find out yourself… :)

However, to really enjoy the show, you have to throw your logic out of the window. Seriously, I had a hard time accepting the illogical sequence of the movie that I wasn’t able to totally lose myself and enjoy the non-stop “monstrous” adventures. While I was kept on edge of my seat most of the time by the superb special effects (well, also partially because of a dilated bladder), I couldn’t really accept how these people manage to find each other let alone rescue Miss Ann Darrow (played nicely by Naomi Watts) in that massive Skull Island. I also couldn’t feel the love/romance between beauty and the beast which Peter Jackson said is the most touching scene he has ever made. Maybe it’s because I am not an animal lover (please don’t throw red paint at me). Or maybe Peter Jackson made comparison with his other films which were mostly horror flicks (The Frighteners) or adventure epics (LOTR). The fact that my movie partner was sobbing her eyeballs out right beside me didn’t move me. Even the droopy-eyed ever-so-kind Andrien Brody (of The Pianist, The Village and The Jacket fame), who played The screenwriter Jack Driscoll that Ann Darrow fell in love with before the interception of the huge mammal, didn’t manage to set even a tiny tug to my heartstrings.

Kudos to the Weta Workshop Team (who created special effects for Narnia – now that explains why King Kong cameo in Narnia) for generating screen-magic again in this mega-movie by making all the spectacular CGIs seamless. Of course Andy Serkis (Gollum in LOTR) made King Kong very much “alive” and projected King Kong’s character (childish, infatuated, playful, lonely and hot-tempered all in one big gigantic furry suit) very appropriately with “virtual reality” technology.

Oh, a funny thing happened after the movie. It really wasn’t a day for the Kongs. First King Kong died, and then later I couldn’t find my car in the midst of the hundreds who throng 1 Utama’s new wing for a glimpse of the “8th Wonder of the World”. I was so sure I parked near Parkson and it was my friend who was the panicky one as she thought she will never find her car after they closed all the shop entrances after 11pm. Ends up, Miss Fret found her car easily while Miss Confident had to go from floor to floor and had to summon Miss Fret (who was already out of the parking lot and happily driving to her next destination) back into the car park to help me find my car. Took me 45 minutes to find my car and by then, my car park ticket has already expired and I couldn’t get out. Later, I found out that all I needed to do was to reinsert the ticket back into the Autopay machine for a reprint (no extra charges) to reinstate the expired ticket. Oh well, at least I learnt something out of this. “It wasn’t the over-crowding of cars that camouflage my car, it was over-confidence” (as opposed to Jack Black's final line, “It wasn’t the airplane that killed the beast, it was Beauty!”) Ha ha. Incidentally, I just found out that Fay Wray (the original actress in King Kong 1933) was supposed to cameo in this movie and deliver that particular last line but she passed away before the negotiations were finalized.

Have a Merry Xmas & Happy New Year.

Kelly Rivers.

(note: all pictures are courtesy of imdb.com)

Narnia: Kingdom of Boredom

I never thought I would say this as I have been waiting to watch Narnia since June, but here goes, Narnia is a tat too slow moving…almost crossing the boundaries to the Kingdom of Boredom … Yes, I remember looking at my watch 3 times during the first hour. This is another 2.5 hour movie which is a Value-For-Money type of film. Lately, directors are fond of long winded shows (perhaps thinking LOTR’s success is measured by the length of film used) without realizing that paying too much to details is the major downfall of a great epic. Or maybe the price of film has dropped due to digital filming. Well, maybe New Zealand directors are long winded (Both Narnia’s director Andrew Adamson (also directed Shrek and Shrek2) and LOTR’s Peter Jackson are New Zealanders). King Kong is another 3 hour movie! More value for your money to go to the theater!

However, I must give fair compliments to Richard Taylor and his US Weta Workshop Team for his special effects work in creating 60 different species of Narnia inhabitants. The CGI effects are almost flawless as he breathes live into all the characters he produced. Perhaps film makers nowadays are willing to spend a bomb on making detailed film sets and real-life props and costumes with the realization that these film locations and items can be used as a tourist attraction after the movie release.

The casts are good too especially the child actor Georgie Henley as little Lucy Pevensie who is full of emotions in her face and Tilda Swinton (of Constantine fame) as the witch queen, Jadis. The creatures/animals (especial the lion) are also good in showing their emotions too….

The storyline is good too. I have never read the Narnia book series but as the title reveals, the story tells you about The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. In layman’s terms, The Good, The Bad and The Link. As it meant for children viewing (and as per the normal Disney deal), it’s full of good elements such as moral, friendship, family, love, respect, doing the right thing, good triumphs over evil, truth over lies, all the good stuffs. There are body counts (thus it is rated PG for battle scenes) but don’t expect gory blood splashing. Even the dead can come back to live (to encourage doing good and heroic deeds)…. Well, Narnia is indeed a large scale, Christmas movie to spread some magical spirit and cheer to warm our hearts.

The action of this movie starts after 1 hour of boring introduction. After that, the characters of Narnia make fun viewing. Try and see if you can spot King Kong in the set. Yes, King Kong made a cameo appearance in the movie. So more value for money ha ha…

Notice that I mentioned King Kong a lot in my reviews lately. I can’t help it as I am expecting a lot with all the hype about the remake of a 1933 classic. Let’s hope Peter, after spending USD207 million, would carefully paced the much anticipated film and not make the same mistake as Narnia (USD200 million) and Harry Potter(USD150 million).

I will stop here for fear that this will turn into a long-winded review….

Another "long-winded" week ahead?

Kelly Rivers

(note: all pictures are courtesy of imdb.com)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and Goblet of fire….

I remember last year I gave a stupendous review on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I remember being truly entertained by the cleverly directed and produced movie where Harry and friends manipulated time traveling in their adventures and magical quests to save everyone from evil. This time, however, I must say I wasn’t too impressed. Yes the graphics were great. Of course, getting to watch it in THX is even more breathtaking as the experience is truly different. I am not telling a lie when I say I can FEEL the movie. The THX effects were even greater during the King Kong trailer where I could feel the whole cinema shake when King Kong roared, thumped his chest and boy did the cinema rock when T-rex came charging. No kidding, King Kong rocks man…. I can particularly feel the difference as I have watched the trailer like more than 10 times through my 17 inch monitor (thanks to little Bryan who threatens to starve himself if I don’t give in to his request - “I want to watch King Kong again!”). So believe me when I say that it’s a totally different experience watching it in a THX theater.

Ok back to Harry Potter. I am impressed, but 2.5 hours later (yes this movie is longggg), somehow I have forgotten its greatness. I can hardly remember what amazed me in the first place. When I think back, I remember being awed in the beginning. The stadium scenes where the Quidditch World Cup was held, was amazing. And the dragon. That was spectacular too. Don’t worry, I am not giving anything away as all these are already depicted in the trailer. And then the arrival of special guests from other parts of the world. Now all these are already in the trailer but still it was magical. What was not in the trailer is the fact that I somehow associate the Burly Bulgarians (representatives from other parts of the world in the TriWizard Tournament) with Russians coming in a “submarine”. And of course the French Girls (ala Madeline, the little girl in the French convent school) came from the skies in their “planes”. Of course, their transports are not just plane submarines or planes. They are magical. You have to watch the movie to know where the magic is.

Alright, notice that I deliberated on the special effects and diverted entirely from the real movie plot. In fact, I can’t really remember what the movie is really about after 2.5 hours. There are a lot of elements about growing up like friendship, love, helping others, and other morally right stuffs to do. This is a good movie for the youth. Parents should bring their children but note that the movie is rated PG13 in the United States.

Maybe because there are deaths and ghosts involved in this movie but it’s not morbid or bloody or gory. I just found out that Mike Newell is the first English director employed in this Harry Potter series, but that’s not the entire reason why this movie is so long winded. The actual book is long winded with 734 pages so the director actually did a good job in squeezing it into one movie instead of breaking into 2 parts.

Note that there are some parts which may have been censored in the Malaysian theaters. I can’t understand why Hermione cried and scolded Ron during the ball. It seems (I use the word seems as I am not sure) she was upset with Ron for not dating her but there was no love tension between them all along and if it was mentioned in the book, the director certainly did not dwell on that point.

Alright, enough of cheap wizardry talk about the movie. It’s time for you to go and feel the magical THX experience for yourself. It’s the experience that counts…