Friday, May 27, 2005
MADAGASCAR
Featuring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer
Brief Synopsis: A bunch of animals from New York City end up on a ship hijacked by penguins then stranded on the said island off the coast of Africa.
Comments: People around me were laughing like crazy. The guys behind me were laughing so hard that it was difficult to tell if they were serious or they were taking the micky (the people with me assured me it was not fake). But the most the film got out of me was a smile or a knowing nod. Is it because I'm a miserable git? It might be because we were on the second row of the cinema (although admittedly there was a still a bit of distance between the screen and our feet). Or I could have had, at the back of my mind, the fact that somehow I had bought one extra ticket without noticing when collecting them (I asked for six, I inexplicably received and paid for seven). And I was constantly thinking of the book, The Life of Pi, and its stand on animals in zoos.
Oh the film? ;)
It's a fast flowing film. The pace moves along quickly which helps you because how much can you really develop the characters of zoo animals? The film is likeable but it wasn't as impressive as The Incredibles, for example. It's fluidity is somehow too fast but it makes up for this with lots of little cameo ideas which satisfy our instant appetite ("welcome the New York Giants!"). The friendship between Alex and Marty is the main crux of the film with other animals having their own agendas to add to the Madagascar mixer. Sasha Baron Cohen deserves a mention as King Julian because he really does bring his lively personality to his even more charismatic, dancing character which make the rest of them rather pale by comparison. And it's a short film because I was quite surprised when the guy came down the stairs to open the exit doors (which is something that really irritates me about Malaysian cinemas). Generally it's a nice enough film to put a grin on your face when you come out but it isn't going to make someone write a thesis on it (unless it's on the Dreamworks technology that makes the water look so darned realistic).
After this one showing, I can't say I would recommend it wholeheartedly but it might worth a second viewing (in a higher seating position!) to see if my opinion would change. Sadly though, I can't see this happening any time soon - especially with Return of the Sith not being scrutinized by my eyes yet! - so you might have to go with this review. What was also going through my mind was - should I take Ben for a viewing sometime before it gets shelved? The answer was meandering across the line of positive and negativeness until there was a scene where EVERY SINGLE animal started spitting water! Yeah, that's really not the sort of thing you want to encourage in a five year old and it's exactly the sort of thing that they would pick up and hold on to once they walk out of the auditorium!
Things to learn from this film: Never underestimate a penguin. And all the animals that like the cold are on the North Pole.
Rating: 5 /10
Featuring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer
Brief Synopsis: A bunch of animals from New York City end up on a ship hijacked by penguins then stranded on the said island off the coast of Africa.
Comments: People around me were laughing like crazy. The guys behind me were laughing so hard that it was difficult to tell if they were serious or they were taking the micky (the people with me assured me it was not fake). But the most the film got out of me was a smile or a knowing nod. Is it because I'm a miserable git? It might be because we were on the second row of the cinema (although admittedly there was a still a bit of distance between the screen and our feet). Or I could have had, at the back of my mind, the fact that somehow I had bought one extra ticket without noticing when collecting them (I asked for six, I inexplicably received and paid for seven). And I was constantly thinking of the book, The Life of Pi, and its stand on animals in zoos.
Oh the film? ;)
It's a fast flowing film. The pace moves along quickly which helps you because how much can you really develop the characters of zoo animals? The film is likeable but it wasn't as impressive as The Incredibles, for example. It's fluidity is somehow too fast but it makes up for this with lots of little cameo ideas which satisfy our instant appetite ("welcome the New York Giants!"). The friendship between Alex and Marty is the main crux of the film with other animals having their own agendas to add to the Madagascar mixer. Sasha Baron Cohen deserves a mention as King Julian because he really does bring his lively personality to his even more charismatic, dancing character which make the rest of them rather pale by comparison. And it's a short film because I was quite surprised when the guy came down the stairs to open the exit doors (which is something that really irritates me about Malaysian cinemas). Generally it's a nice enough film to put a grin on your face when you come out but it isn't going to make someone write a thesis on it (unless it's on the Dreamworks technology that makes the water look so darned realistic).
After this one showing, I can't say I would recommend it wholeheartedly but it might worth a second viewing (in a higher seating position!) to see if my opinion would change. Sadly though, I can't see this happening any time soon - especially with Return of the Sith not being scrutinized by my eyes yet! - so you might have to go with this review. What was also going through my mind was - should I take Ben for a viewing sometime before it gets shelved? The answer was meandering across the line of positive and negativeness until there was a scene where EVERY SINGLE animal started spitting water! Yeah, that's really not the sort of thing you want to encourage in a five year old and it's exactly the sort of thing that they would pick up and hold on to once they walk out of the auditorium!
Things to learn from this film: Never underestimate a penguin. And all the animals that like the cold are on the North Pole.
Rating: 5 /10
Sunday, May 15, 2005
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
Featuring: Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Eva Green, Edward Norton
Brief Synopsis: Set in the time of the Crusades, a man goes to the city of Jerusalem seeking forgiveness, ends up defending it.
Comments: It was a film that I wasn't desperate to see so I went to this film with no expectations. I knew little about it except for two things; it involved the Crusades and the Holy City + it had the rather dashing Orlando Bloom.
When I came out of the cinema, I wasn't unhappy with the film nor was I raving about it. It was quite an average film which is why I have struggled with this review from the start. On the positive points, there are some exciting battle scenes with lots of blood and gore due to the swords prevalent in that period as well as some interesting tactical manouveres in defending the walls. Historically it was a portrayal of a period that I knew little about so it was slightly educational for me too. It was easy to relate to the strong male cast as they struggled through and worked through their respective male roles. The flip side of the coin was that it was very well normal with nothing outstanding to recommend it. The respective male roles were very predictable (the hero, the greedy villain, the wise king, the gallant father etc.) and in all honesty so was the storyline. However it kept me intrigued enough to stay until the end as I had thought about leaving early for football practice. There's lots of Orlando Bloom to keep the ladies satisfied and enough swordplay for the men but unless you are really into either of these issues, you might want to watch it as a last resort.
Thing to learn from this film: To get your point across; give your big, eloquent speech and then slap the recipient across the face.
Rating: 5 /10
Featuring: Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Eva Green, Edward Norton
Brief Synopsis: Set in the time of the Crusades, a man goes to the city of Jerusalem seeking forgiveness, ends up defending it.
Comments: It was a film that I wasn't desperate to see so I went to this film with no expectations. I knew little about it except for two things; it involved the Crusades and the Holy City + it had the rather dashing Orlando Bloom.
When I came out of the cinema, I wasn't unhappy with the film nor was I raving about it. It was quite an average film which is why I have struggled with this review from the start. On the positive points, there are some exciting battle scenes with lots of blood and gore due to the swords prevalent in that period as well as some interesting tactical manouveres in defending the walls. Historically it was a portrayal of a period that I knew little about so it was slightly educational for me too. It was easy to relate to the strong male cast as they struggled through and worked through their respective male roles. The flip side of the coin was that it was very well normal with nothing outstanding to recommend it. The respective male roles were very predictable (the hero, the greedy villain, the wise king, the gallant father etc.) and in all honesty so was the storyline. However it kept me intrigued enough to stay until the end as I had thought about leaving early for football practice. There's lots of Orlando Bloom to keep the ladies satisfied and enough swordplay for the men but unless you are really into either of these issues, you might want to watch it as a last resort.
Thing to learn from this film: To get your point across; give your big, eloquent speech and then slap the recipient across the face.
Rating: 5 /10
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
XXX2
Featuring: Ice Cube, Samuel L. Jackson, William Defoe
Brief Synopsis: A power play within the U.S. government to bring down the president results in a lot of fighting, shootings and chases by a special ops deep undercover agent.
Comments: Don't go to this film with high expectations and you won't be disappointed. After viewing the trailer on the internet (ahh the wonders of high speed internet access), it looked like a film with little to no plot but with excess amounts of testosterone in the form of well fighting, shooting and chases. A film staring Ice Cube is hardly going to be gunning for the Oscars, is it? If your expectations are set to the appropriate level, the film is actually ok (although if you are a girl, it will not be your thing - trust me) as it moves fairly quickly without too much dialogue but has a few twists to surprise the viewer and keep him interested.
The performances are respectable. Ice Cube is all moody, hard and cool like the dream black guy with Scott Speedman being the funny, science geek in tow. William Defoe does a pretty good impression of the Green Goblin (Spiderman) as the political protagonist (technically not an impression if he played the Green Goblin in the first place, right?). Samuel L. Jackson is obviously in it just for the ride and looks happy to be hanging with the rapping crowd. Sunny Mabrey does look very good in some of the dresses she wears but her counterpart, Nona Gayle has the flimest part in the film as Ice Cube's old flame. Really all she does is parade around in some tight clothing, look lustfully at Ice Cube and talk about technical bits of cars. Poor girl, can hardly have been a strain on her acting skills.
Impressively there are no nude scenes although there are lots of innuendos. However there are a lot of bullets but not a lot of blood. It had with a very poor showing in the U.S. market which either shows how poor the film was or how saturated the market is with this sort of thing. There was some fairly outlandish things happening such as a car driving on railway tracks, a helicopter somehow making its way into a prison courtyard, a tank get tank-jacked. Innovative but probably too much for even today's youth culture to believe. Perhaps the strangest thing is that I never saw the first XXX films...
Thing to learn from this film: A man in prison would kill for a hamburger and fries. Or is that just a black man?
Rating: 5 /10
Featuring: Ice Cube, Samuel L. Jackson, William Defoe
Brief Synopsis: A power play within the U.S. government to bring down the president results in a lot of fighting, shootings and chases by a special ops deep undercover agent.
Comments: Don't go to this film with high expectations and you won't be disappointed. After viewing the trailer on the internet (ahh the wonders of high speed internet access), it looked like a film with little to no plot but with excess amounts of testosterone in the form of well fighting, shooting and chases. A film staring Ice Cube is hardly going to be gunning for the Oscars, is it? If your expectations are set to the appropriate level, the film is actually ok (although if you are a girl, it will not be your thing - trust me) as it moves fairly quickly without too much dialogue but has a few twists to surprise the viewer and keep him interested.
The performances are respectable. Ice Cube is all moody, hard and cool like the dream black guy with Scott Speedman being the funny, science geek in tow. William Defoe does a pretty good impression of the Green Goblin (Spiderman) as the political protagonist (technically not an impression if he played the Green Goblin in the first place, right?). Samuel L. Jackson is obviously in it just for the ride and looks happy to be hanging with the rapping crowd. Sunny Mabrey does look very good in some of the dresses she wears but her counterpart, Nona Gayle has the flimest part in the film as Ice Cube's old flame. Really all she does is parade around in some tight clothing, look lustfully at Ice Cube and talk about technical bits of cars. Poor girl, can hardly have been a strain on her acting skills.
Impressively there are no nude scenes although there are lots of innuendos. However there are a lot of bullets but not a lot of blood. It had with a very poor showing in the U.S. market which either shows how poor the film was or how saturated the market is with this sort of thing. There was some fairly outlandish things happening such as a car driving on railway tracks, a helicopter somehow making its way into a prison courtyard, a tank get tank-jacked. Innovative but probably too much for even today's youth culture to believe. Perhaps the strangest thing is that I never saw the first XXX films...
Thing to learn from this film: A man in prison would kill for a hamburger and fries. Or is that just a black man?
Rating: 5 /10
