Thursday, June 30, 2005
WAR OF THE WORLDS
Featuring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin
Brief Synopsis: Aliens come and invade planet Earth. We follow one man's journey as he battles against them to keep his family safe.
Comments: The film is fairly engaging as we follow Ray Ferrier's (Cruise) journey. The audience is always kept in suspense as to what happen next and the characters are developed enough that we care what happens to them. It's quite jumpy - the lightning strikes, the ripples through the concrete road and so on so expect to be kept on the edge of your seats! The special effects are great (as befits someone of Spielberg's directoral ability) - the explosions and the robots are very realistic indeed. For this reason, I think it is worth watching in the cinema.
I guess the director could have gone either way with re: the plotline. 1. Independence Day where Will Smith saves the world or 2. Signs where it details of Mel Gibson's stuggle as he defends his backyard. He goes for character development and it pays off - helped no doubt by the fact that Tom Cruise is headlining the cast. Dakota Fanning does well as frightened little girl (I was trying not to think of what I would do with Ben in such a situation). Yin Ping wondered why Tim Robbins got such a small part though!
If you watch the film expecting a great military campaign and details thereof, you will be sadly disappointed. However so many other films kept coming to my mind as I was watching it. The alien invasion, I couldn't help compare to Independence Day (where the aliens have a plan). The scene in the basement of the barn with Ogilivy (Tim Robbins) reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 film; Signs. The way the aliens scooped up the humans as fuel reminded me of the machines using humans as batteries in The Matrix. I really wanted to discuss it with other people but I don't think Yin Ping would have appreciated such a discussion in the middle of the film & cinema!
However the ending is terrible. It seemed like the director had just run out of ideas by the end of the film and decided to tie up because of well I don't know. Time? Expenses? Why wasn't Boston in pieces? How come his ex-wife's family survived? How did Robbie get out of being blown up to bits?!? Aren't the aliens a bit dumb? What did they want with the planet? So so many loose ends, it was (Dez shakes head)...
Things to learn from this film: Learning about cars might one day save your life from advancing aliens.
Rating: 6 /10
Featuring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin
Brief Synopsis: Aliens come and invade planet Earth. We follow one man's journey as he battles against them to keep his family safe.
Comments: The film is fairly engaging as we follow Ray Ferrier's (Cruise) journey. The audience is always kept in suspense as to what happen next and the characters are developed enough that we care what happens to them. It's quite jumpy - the lightning strikes, the ripples through the concrete road and so on so expect to be kept on the edge of your seats! The special effects are great (as befits someone of Spielberg's directoral ability) - the explosions and the robots are very realistic indeed. For this reason, I think it is worth watching in the cinema.
I guess the director could have gone either way with re: the plotline. 1. Independence Day where Will Smith saves the world or 2. Signs where it details of Mel Gibson's stuggle as he defends his backyard. He goes for character development and it pays off - helped no doubt by the fact that Tom Cruise is headlining the cast. Dakota Fanning does well as frightened little girl (I was trying not to think of what I would do with Ben in such a situation). Yin Ping wondered why Tim Robbins got such a small part though!
If you watch the film expecting a great military campaign and details thereof, you will be sadly disappointed. However so many other films kept coming to my mind as I was watching it. The alien invasion, I couldn't help compare to Independence Day (where the aliens have a plan). The scene in the basement of the barn with Ogilivy (Tim Robbins) reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 film; Signs. The way the aliens scooped up the humans as fuel reminded me of the machines using humans as batteries in The Matrix. I really wanted to discuss it with other people but I don't think Yin Ping would have appreciated such a discussion in the middle of the film & cinema!
However the ending is terrible. It seemed like the director had just run out of ideas by the end of the film and decided to tie up because of well I don't know. Time? Expenses? Why wasn't Boston in pieces? How come his ex-wife's family survived? How did Robbie get out of being blown up to bits?!? Aren't the aliens a bit dumb? What did they want with the planet? So so many loose ends, it was (Dez shakes head)...
Things to learn from this film: Learning about cars might one day save your life from advancing aliens.
Rating: 6 /10
Monday, June 27, 2005
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
Featuring: Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel
Brief Synopsis: Earth gets blown up to make way for a highway and the last human finds out his best friend is an alien and they hitch a ride on an alien spaceship together. Cue lots of adventures.
Comments: Ok, I've read the book but it was years ago and I've forgotten most (well all) of it. And I read many reviews and opinions of this film which vaguely went along two lines. People who read the book hated it. The Americans loved it.
For sure, it's definitely original. There are some very amusing scenes (my favourites: when all the characters turn into cotton toys and the planet of the spades) but ultimately it was all pretty disjointed and it failed to captivate me. I really struggled to figure out why (lack of an engaging plot? lack of engaging characters?) but I just wanted to fall asleep about half-way through but was prevented by the very cold air conditioning. The characters are ok - Arthur Dent (Freeman) is fine as an ordinary docile human being but Trillion (Deschanel) is such a waste of space as his love interest. She is just so one dimensional.
Ultimately the ideas were good but the execution really wasn't there. I love the beaucratic aliens being the most bad guys though. I can imagine why the Americans like it - they don't come across this sort of humour much and so if they just have a little bit, they are ecstatic - and now they have a whole film! Or else its just the British accents.
Things to learn from this film: Towels are very important in intergalactic space travel.
Rating: 4 /10
Featuring: Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel
Brief Synopsis: Earth gets blown up to make way for a highway and the last human finds out his best friend is an alien and they hitch a ride on an alien spaceship together. Cue lots of adventures.
Comments: Ok, I've read the book but it was years ago and I've forgotten most (well all) of it. And I read many reviews and opinions of this film which vaguely went along two lines. People who read the book hated it. The Americans loved it.
For sure, it's definitely original. There are some very amusing scenes (my favourites: when all the characters turn into cotton toys and the planet of the spades) but ultimately it was all pretty disjointed and it failed to captivate me. I really struggled to figure out why (lack of an engaging plot? lack of engaging characters?) but I just wanted to fall asleep about half-way through but was prevented by the very cold air conditioning. The characters are ok - Arthur Dent (Freeman) is fine as an ordinary docile human being but Trillion (Deschanel) is such a waste of space as his love interest. She is just so one dimensional.
Ultimately the ideas were good but the execution really wasn't there. I love the beaucratic aliens being the most bad guys though. I can imagine why the Americans like it - they don't come across this sort of humour much and so if they just have a little bit, they are ecstatic - and now they have a whole film! Or else its just the British accents.
Things to learn from this film: Towels are very important in intergalactic space travel.
Rating: 4 /10
Sunday, June 26, 2005
BATMAN BEGINS
Featuring: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes
Brief Synopsis: Errr as you can guess from the title, it is about how Batman began. In other words this all happens before the first Batman movie...
Comments: Anything had to be better than that last tragic franchise, Batman & Robin. That was really, really terrible and possibly the only movie that I ever wanted to walk out of. Fortunately this one brings it back to the original darker theme that the first Batman film portrays. Gotham City is really dark, dirty and gritty - as is the film.
It really is a film of 2 halves - the first part is one of Ducard (Neeson) mentoring Bruce Wayne (Bale) in a role that is very similar to his role as mentor in Star Wars! It's all very cliched (training centre high up in the mountains anyone?) but I found it interesting enough. The second half of the film is where the action picks up in Gotham City and where Bale becomes Batman proper. The development of the Batcave, weapons and Batmobile held my attention unlike the romance between Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) and Bruce Wayne which just seemed like an something that the director was forced to have in the film ("must have obligatory romance partner!" say Warner Bros).
It's a fairly watchable film, not great for me but it is fittingly dark with its tongue in cheek humour. I thought the plot was ridiciously unbelievable (or at least unbelievable if you are watching the midnight showing). The secondary characters came across strongly but in Dr. Jonathon Crane a.k.a. The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) - he was a pretty convincing, psychotic baddie!
Things to learn from this film: Why do we fall? (watch the film to find out Why?)
Rating: 5.5 /10
Featuring: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes
Brief Synopsis: Errr as you can guess from the title, it is about how Batman began. In other words this all happens before the first Batman movie...
Comments: Anything had to be better than that last tragic franchise, Batman & Robin. That was really, really terrible and possibly the only movie that I ever wanted to walk out of. Fortunately this one brings it back to the original darker theme that the first Batman film portrays. Gotham City is really dark, dirty and gritty - as is the film.
It really is a film of 2 halves - the first part is one of Ducard (Neeson) mentoring Bruce Wayne (Bale) in a role that is very similar to his role as mentor in Star Wars! It's all very cliched (training centre high up in the mountains anyone?) but I found it interesting enough. The second half of the film is where the action picks up in Gotham City and where Bale becomes Batman proper. The development of the Batcave, weapons and Batmobile held my attention unlike the romance between Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes) and Bruce Wayne which just seemed like an something that the director was forced to have in the film ("must have obligatory romance partner!" say Warner Bros).
It's a fairly watchable film, not great for me but it is fittingly dark with its tongue in cheek humour. I thought the plot was ridiciously unbelievable (or at least unbelievable if you are watching the midnight showing). The secondary characters came across strongly but in Dr. Jonathon Crane a.k.a. The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) - he was a pretty convincing, psychotic baddie!
Things to learn from this film: Why do we fall? (watch the film to find out Why?)
Rating: 5.5 /10
Saturday, June 25, 2005
AHHH, IF I WERE A RICH MAN!
(French: AH! SI J'ETAIS RICHE)
Featuring: Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Richard Berry
Brief Synopsis: A married couple are on the verge of divorce when the husband strikes big on the lottery. However in order not to lose the money in the settlement, he keeps his win secret from her.
Comments: It's always interesting to watch a foreign film to see how they approach old topics in this case; a comedy based on marital problems & winning the lottery. There are number of seperate explorations - the experiences of a poor man becoming rich but pretending to be poor, the exploration of different paths by the husband (Aldo) and wife (Alice) as they drift away from each other (for the man - obviously the money, for the woman - an affair with her husband's boss!) and the eternal question: does money bring happiness?
Despite this many topics, the film is straightforward in its plot with its subtle and humourous way of looking at marital difficulties. It was quite interesting as a married man and also for the fact that I had just seen Mr. & Mrs. Smith the previous week which also dealt with this topic. There is little in terms of plot complexity (although a few loose ends) and the characters are fairly straightforward but there were quite a few scenes that you could laugh aloud at; one where Aldo and his friend go to the rich man's toilet and the effects of weed on 'the never smoked it in his life before' Aldo. Quite a gentle relaxing film to watch in general.
However the most interesting aspect of watching the film was the way that the Malaysian board censored it. As it was a foreign film that was loaned out at the weekend, they obviously couldn't cut the film so when any steamy scenes came up, the man in the projector room put up a sheet of paper in front of the projector! So we could hear what was going on but we couldn't see anything! It was a bit stupid really but obviously seeing breasts or whatever would obviously pollute the Malaysian mind and cause them to do stupid things...
Thing to learn from this film: In your haste to leave to see another woman/man (that your partner doesn't know about), don't forget your mobile phone!
Rating: 6 /10
(French: AH! SI J'ETAIS RICHE)
Featuring: Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Richard Berry
Brief Synopsis: A married couple are on the verge of divorce when the husband strikes big on the lottery. However in order not to lose the money in the settlement, he keeps his win secret from her.
Comments: It's always interesting to watch a foreign film to see how they approach old topics in this case; a comedy based on marital problems & winning the lottery. There are number of seperate explorations - the experiences of a poor man becoming rich but pretending to be poor, the exploration of different paths by the husband (Aldo) and wife (Alice) as they drift away from each other (for the man - obviously the money, for the woman - an affair with her husband's boss!) and the eternal question: does money bring happiness?
Despite this many topics, the film is straightforward in its plot with its subtle and humourous way of looking at marital difficulties. It was quite interesting as a married man and also for the fact that I had just seen Mr. & Mrs. Smith the previous week which also dealt with this topic. There is little in terms of plot complexity (although a few loose ends) and the characters are fairly straightforward but there were quite a few scenes that you could laugh aloud at; one where Aldo and his friend go to the rich man's toilet and the effects of weed on 'the never smoked it in his life before' Aldo. Quite a gentle relaxing film to watch in general.
However the most interesting aspect of watching the film was the way that the Malaysian board censored it. As it was a foreign film that was loaned out at the weekend, they obviously couldn't cut the film so when any steamy scenes came up, the man in the projector room put up a sheet of paper in front of the projector! So we could hear what was going on but we couldn't see anything! It was a bit stupid really but obviously seeing breasts or whatever would obviously pollute the Malaysian mind and cause them to do stupid things...
Thing to learn from this film: In your haste to leave to see another woman/man (that your partner doesn't know about), don't forget your mobile phone!
Rating: 6 /10
Thursday, June 23, 2005
I can't believe I've missed STAR WARS Episode 3: RETURN OF THE SITH!! They've pulled it out of the cinemas already!!! Arghhhhhhhhh
Friday, June 10, 2005
MR. AND MRS. SMITH
Featuring: Brad Pitt, Angeline Jolie
Brief Synopsis: Husband and wife work as assassins but don't know that the other half are working in the same field. What happens when they find out?
Comments: The premise of the film is that a married couple are having a difficult time and work through their marital difficulties. But as they are both trained killers, there are a lot of umm explosions, bullet holes, fights interdispersed amongst the forced counselling. The plotline of the film is rather secondary to the new relationship between the married couple who were finding things very sedentary at the start of the film. And the chemistry does fly between Brad and Angeline as they pull of their respective roles of laid back husband and control freak wife in a realistic manner (well as far as you can get with them being both top notch assassins).
Obviously as part of a married couple (in the right range of marriage in relation to the film as it turns out!), it was even more interesting for my wife and I. There was even a scene where Angeline asks Brad what he thinks of the curtains and he gives a non commital answer - at which point my wife leaned over to me and said, "that's you." I would like to say that is by far the closest anyone has ever said when comparing me to the hunky Brad! The exploration of the marriage is quite unique in an action genre, especially with the film aimed at the young adult market - who more and more believe less in working through problems and more interested in divorce as a solution.
As a big fan of the Bourne Identity, I was also interested to see how the director of that film, Doug Liman, would handle a BIG multi million dollar project like this. There are some trademark Doug shots with the hand-held cameras, the close range fighting, some semblance of real life weapon control and big explosions when you least expect them. And there are some brilliantly crafted scenes where the humour is laced with pepper.
Things to learn from this film: For passionate sex, have a fight with the wife. Err...
Rating: 7 /10
Featuring: Brad Pitt, Angeline Jolie
Brief Synopsis: Husband and wife work as assassins but don't know that the other half are working in the same field. What happens when they find out?
Comments: The premise of the film is that a married couple are having a difficult time and work through their marital difficulties. But as they are both trained killers, there are a lot of umm explosions, bullet holes, fights interdispersed amongst the forced counselling. The plotline of the film is rather secondary to the new relationship between the married couple who were finding things very sedentary at the start of the film. And the chemistry does fly between Brad and Angeline as they pull of their respective roles of laid back husband and control freak wife in a realistic manner (well as far as you can get with them being both top notch assassins).
Obviously as part of a married couple (in the right range of marriage in relation to the film as it turns out!), it was even more interesting for my wife and I. There was even a scene where Angeline asks Brad what he thinks of the curtains and he gives a non commital answer - at which point my wife leaned over to me and said, "that's you." I would like to say that is by far the closest anyone has ever said when comparing me to the hunky Brad! The exploration of the marriage is quite unique in an action genre, especially with the film aimed at the young adult market - who more and more believe less in working through problems and more interested in divorce as a solution.
As a big fan of the Bourne Identity, I was also interested to see how the director of that film, Doug Liman, would handle a BIG multi million dollar project like this. There are some trademark Doug shots with the hand-held cameras, the close range fighting, some semblance of real life weapon control and big explosions when you least expect them. And there are some brilliantly crafted scenes where the humour is laced with pepper.
Things to learn from this film: For passionate sex, have a fight with the wife. Err...
Rating: 7 /10
Thursday, June 09, 2005
THE INTERPRETER
Featuring: Sean Penn, Nicole Kidman
Brief Synopsis: An interpreter working at the United Nations hears a plot to assassinate an African head of state. A secret service agent has to work out if she is telling the truth.
Comments: What a week. Again another film with strong character performances! Yet again the plot takes a backseat, and although it is of course necessary to drive the film onwards, it is the South African accented Nicole and the strong, fairly silent Sean who will burn most brightly in the memory when you step out of the cinema. Whilst Nicole changes from an initially strong to vulnerable character, I feel that Sean Penn does an even better job as he slowly reveals his humane side to her after questioning her story and motives at the beginning.
Whilst the plot is slightly ropy (you always know this is the case when the person you watched it with asks, "why did that person do that" or "how did that person know that" and you have to pause and think for a long time before coming up with a reply), the setting of The Interpreter in the United Nations actual building helps to add realism to the whole setting. Of course, the various difficult situations in certain African countries (no, I can't name them!) also add a element of realism to the plot - although not wholly convincing (surely the said country is in a bit of bother if all the main prospective leaders are dead/in prison!). But the tension does build up nicely and when it gets to the bus scene - don't tell me, you weren't getting twitchy at that moment!
Things to learn from this film: Always check to see if there are light bulbs before you switch press the light switch. Bathrooms seem to be ideal places to hide guns too.
Rating: 6.5 /10
Featuring: Sean Penn, Nicole Kidman
Brief Synopsis: An interpreter working at the United Nations hears a plot to assassinate an African head of state. A secret service agent has to work out if she is telling the truth.
Comments: What a week. Again another film with strong character performances! Yet again the plot takes a backseat, and although it is of course necessary to drive the film onwards, it is the South African accented Nicole and the strong, fairly silent Sean who will burn most brightly in the memory when you step out of the cinema. Whilst Nicole changes from an initially strong to vulnerable character, I feel that Sean Penn does an even better job as he slowly reveals his humane side to her after questioning her story and motives at the beginning.
Whilst the plot is slightly ropy (you always know this is the case when the person you watched it with asks, "why did that person do that" or "how did that person know that" and you have to pause and think for a long time before coming up with a reply), the setting of The Interpreter in the United Nations actual building helps to add realism to the whole setting. Of course, the various difficult situations in certain African countries (no, I can't name them!) also add a element of realism to the plot - although not wholly convincing (surely the said country is in a bit of bother if all the main prospective leaders are dead/in prison!). But the tension does build up nicely and when it gets to the bus scene - don't tell me, you weren't getting twitchy at that moment!
Things to learn from this film: Always check to see if there are light bulbs before you switch press the light switch. Bathrooms seem to be ideal places to hide guns too.
Rating: 6.5 /10
Saturday, June 04, 2005
A LOT LIKE LOVE
Featuring: Ashton Kutcher, Amanda Peet
Brief Synopsis: Will the 2 people ever fall in love or just drift in and out of each other's lives forever?
Comments: These are slightly reworked comments of my friend, Grace, after we watched the film.
The film touched the heart so much so that she used the same part of the body again in describing the film as heart warming. At one point in the film, it made her cry! As romantic comedies go, it was a decent effort with the main characters having good screen chemistry together and the plot was not at all complicated. Straight forward plots are sometimes a good thing if only for the fact that they are easy to follow and most especially if you are catching the midnight showing! Ashton Kutcher is also cute (not my words!) in his gangly, boyish way whilst Amanda Peet is not to be sniffed at (err that might sound wrong but I'm running out of time as I have to go out soon). My musically inclined friend also pointed out that the soundtrack might be worth buying although if you don't like Bon Jovi, you might want to reconsider that statement.
Things to learn from this film: The musical instrument that most impresses the girls is the guitar. Must remember to tell Ben when he is older.
Rating: 6.5 /10
Featuring: Ashton Kutcher, Amanda Peet
Brief Synopsis: Will the 2 people ever fall in love or just drift in and out of each other's lives forever?
Comments: These are slightly reworked comments of my friend, Grace, after we watched the film.
The film touched the heart so much so that she used the same part of the body again in describing the film as heart warming. At one point in the film, it made her cry! As romantic comedies go, it was a decent effort with the main characters having good screen chemistry together and the plot was not at all complicated. Straight forward plots are sometimes a good thing if only for the fact that they are easy to follow and most especially if you are catching the midnight showing! Ashton Kutcher is also cute (not my words!) in his gangly, boyish way whilst Amanda Peet is not to be sniffed at (err that might sound wrong but I'm running out of time as I have to go out soon). My musically inclined friend also pointed out that the soundtrack might be worth buying although if you don't like Bon Jovi, you might want to reconsider that statement.
Things to learn from this film: The musical instrument that most impresses the girls is the guitar. Must remember to tell Ben when he is older.
Rating: 6.5 /10
