Videodrome - Season Three
In the previous season, these are the memorable titles:
Bring It On, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Fisher King, All the President's Men, Superman II, Searching For Bobby Fischer, The Mosquito Coast, Ordinary People, A Cry in the Dark, Project A, Truimph of the Will, 50 First Dates, Dial M for Murder, The Towering Inferno, The Producers, Along Came Polly, American Graffiti, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde, Justice, My Foot, The Candidate, The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Sex In A Cold Climate.
A new chapter is about to begin...
Screening on Monday, March 14, 2005
100 Comments:
TANGUY (2001)
viewed on 14/3/05 (Mon)
It is certain. French movies are goners. This French comedy is entertaining but to a big extent, very disturbing to watch.
A pair of parents are tired of their son living off them so they perform pranks on him so that he will move out on his own. Pranks like turning on the vacuum cleaner at 5 am, throwing away his favourite shirts, putting rotten fish in his room etc. There is one particular prank which is very mean. The father unscrew a screw midway at the doorstep of the bathroom so that when his son walks over, it will cut his sole.
Why can't the parents just have a heart-to-heart talk? Beats me. Maybe then the comedy will not arise.
Did the son know about it? Sure eventually and he is smarter than them by using legal rights to keep him in the house. The parents go berserk. The father cuts up all his son's clothes and the mother out of confusion sleeps with his son's student! How morbid!!
It is interesting however to note that ironically the son teaches Chinese and most probably Chinese literature and history. And Chinese, being us, believe alot in family ties. Here, the parents value their precious personal space so much that they do not seem to realise that they are trying to get rid of their own flesh and blood. A comedy with bad taste.
On the other hand, I read in the papers, and also mentioned in the movie, that the latest generation of youngsters in European countries and Korea prefer to live off their parents. Some even stay with and depend on their parents until their mid-30s. Knowing this, you will understand how the comedy may come about in the first place. The Eurpoean parents may relate very well to this comedy.
But for Asians, it is a weird comedy. How can you laugh when see parents trying to drive their child out of the house like some kind of a mouse?
Wait, TANGUY is actually moving along the line of MOUSEHUNT and DUPLEX... But give me the latter two anytime.
Rating: C-
Monday, March 14, 2005 10:58:00 PM
THE TIGGER MOVIE (2000)
viewed on 17/3/05 (Thurs)
It is very very difficult to dislike the movie. Not that I love it but I am just grateful that this tiny-ly cutetey (that's a bit of Tigger talk, by the way) animated film will make it to the big screens dominated by violence, SFX and vulgarity.
It is a good move to make Tigger the main character because I am just a tad tired of seeing Winnie the Pooh getting all the limelight. Here he plays not even the second fiddle. The next more important charatcer is actually Roo, the son of Kanga. Got the pun?
I think if the kids watch too much of Winnie the Pooh, they will be confused in their spelling. Better turn off the subtitles. No, I am not complaining. I like the movie. The front part feels a bit long but the climax is affecting no less. We get alot of talk of bouncing and we know Tigger has this most wonderful bounce which Roo likes to learn too. Well there is a reason why so much talk revolves around Tigger's bounce. It comes in handy in an avalanche later.
Yes, the story comes with a very old moral and that is good friends can be our family too. I feel for the characters and I find myself like a little boy wanting to see them be happy again. Maybe they look so cuddly-cute. Maybe Winnie and friends remind me so much of those sweet memories of waking up to Sunday episodes of cartoons and Wind In The Willow.
Rating: B+
Friday, March 18, 2005 12:08:00 AM
SELENA (1997)
viewed on 19/3/05 (Sat)
It is not a great autobiographical movie but it somehow follows a safe formula of filmmaking to come up with something that is affecting. Kind of predictable, so to speak. The saving grace is the last 15 minutes. But the credit goes to the true story that actually happened.
Before that, we see how Selena slowly becoming a singing sensation on a very smooth career path. She is the inspiration to many as a Mexican-American living the American dream. If you know that she was eventually shot dead by her fan-club president, you'll feel sad and pity for her that all these beautiful things happening to her now are going to end very very abruptly.
The pre-stardom J.Lo is not really great. Her figure too, in this movie. You'll know why they say her ass was big. However, she is still easily likeable, just like in THE WEDDING PLANNER and MAID IN MANHATTAN.
Back to the saving grace of the last 15 minutes. Selena is shot dead and then there is a sequence of video footages of the real Selena performing. It is really a pity to see a young promising singer passes away at such a young age (she was only 23 when she died) and at the climax of her career. She was even planning to have a baby with her husband...
Rating: B
Saturday, March 19, 2005 12:44:00 AM
ONE FINE DAY (1996)
viewed on 21/3/05 (Mon)
What impress me most is the adroitness of the scriptwriting, and probably directing, in this romantic drama. It is never come across as overplotting but simply interestingly eventful.
Just the title implies, and herein the irony, that one day everything just went wrong for two single working parents. It is total madness, keeping to a very tight schedule, watching out for the children and keeping their jobs together. And yet they can still find time to bicker, make up and fall in love. Is it too fairytale-like? Maybe but sure convinces me that it may happen. That is the magic of the script, and the directing too. Everything is like in one whirlpool and yet they all fall into places. It calls for very meticulous work from the scriptwriters and the director.
I like in particular the last scene at Michelle Pfeiffer's apartment. At first, it feels like an unnecessary extension to the story which happened at daytime. But it is a nice touch. After all the mad rush, Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney just fall asleep on the sofa. They did not even have the energy to kiss anymore.
I do not like the choice of songs in the soundtrack. Doesn't really fit in but the theme song by Kenny Loggins is perfect.
Oh, by the way, watch this movie after a long tired day. It will make you feel better thinking your day will never be not as bad as theirs and there is always time for some romance. Hee hee.
Rating: B+
Monday, March 21, 2005 11:30:00 PM
SOMEONE LIKE YOU (2001)
viewed on 23/3/05 (Wed)
I don't think Ashley Judd is good at this kind of fluffy romantic comedies. I mean I like her alot but there are moments in the movie when she is better in making you weep than making cute faces. Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts are few who shine in romantic comedies but that doesn't mean they are great actresses. I think Ashley is great and she will win on Oscar one day.
Hugh Jackman looks eeriely like a young version of Clint Eastwood.
There a few sparkles here and there in the lines but on the whole the movie feels strange. Maybe just uninspired and uneven.
Rating: C+
Friday, March 25, 2005 11:26:00 PM
THE RING (2002)
viewed on 24/3/05 (Thurs)
To fans of the original Japanese horror movie THE RING, I am sorry to say that the main plot is really as dumb as it sounds. After watching the videotape, receives a phone call and then dies in 7 days. In this remake, apparently, the ghost can even leave message on your recording machine should you refuse to pick up the call.
I think Hollywood wants to do a remake because it wants to cash on the immense popularity of the original movie and to make the story seems more sense. Here lies the difference between the original and the remake. The original wants just to scare us to bits with horrid images but the remake is more interested in beefing up the story and turns it into a mystery.
I prefer the remake slightly more. Although as much as I like to complain about the plot, both really do have their strengths. At least they take themselves very seriously and not some dumb movies.
In the original, the title refers to the phone call but in the remake it is just one of the images on the videotape. Talking about the images, while ones in the original are made to add to the creepy eeriness, the ones in the remake serve as missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
There are bound to be many loopholes in the story. The Brian Cox character is one big question mark. The recorded interview with Samara should explain things but it does not. Why does she kill? What does she really want? And also the horses? Why do they go berserk and drown themselves? And the death of the four youth? Why isn't anyone keen to know why the faces of the dead are badly distorted and twisted? Yes, most probably, fans are all ready to defend for all that but .... nevermind. However, I don't mind the loopholes in the original because it is simply a less ambitious B-grade horror flick.
I think it is a bad move to re-create the scene of the ghost crawling out of the TV. The one in the original is so damn scary that nobody can ever surpass that.
I hate the ending in the original. What do you mean if you make a copy of the videotape and you'll not die? Worst kind of excuse. And how in the hell does the mother know? The remake keeps that (!) and in the last line, promises sequels. For me, give me the SCARY MOVIE sequels anytime.
Rating: C+
Friday, March 25, 2005 11:54:00 PM
xXx (2002)
viewed on 25/3/05 (Fri)
It is a clever move to combine extreme sports in a spy movie. There are tons of stunts which should make a teenage skateboarder and a playstation lover scream. In fact, a character in the movie says Xander Cage should have his own video game.
Vin Diesel is perfectly casted. Strangely, the trivia says Eric Bana was the original choice. Surprisingly still is Vin Diesel first gets noticed directing a short named "Strays" showcased at Sundance Film Festival.
I feel that the movie is made to appeal to mostly teenagers and young adults who worship videogames and extreme sports. For that, I will say it is a rather original spy action thriller.
Rating: B-
Saturday, March 26, 2005 12:25:00 AM
LASSIE (1994)
viewed on 27/3/05 (Sun)
This is the kind of movies which I think I can call an afternoon matinee. A simple heartwarmer about a simple boy and his simple dog. There are adversities but expect no death. It may bring a tear or two to your eyes because the plot twists and sweeping soundtrack are so manipulative.
The acting is competent (including Lassie's) and the countryside background is very eye-pleasing.
A very good choice if you're thinking of choosing a movie to show toddlers and teach them to love their pets, step-parents and their family. For me, a dog lover, can I say I just want to ogle at the bitch? Literally.
Rating: B-
Sunday, March 27, 2005 10:28:00 PM
ANGER MANAGEMENT (2003)
viewed on 29/3/05 (Tues)
The trailer on the airplane has a very interersting suggestion. People with a bad temper sometimes don't realise they are loud and rude even when they are not upset. I would think this is going to be a rather smart comedy.
Alas, the twist in the end utterly puts me off. You mean almost everyone in the movie is playing along. Kind of a bit too exaggerated for a therapy, right? I mean Adam Sandler's character isn't even that angry to deserve a therapy in the first place.
Now I am angry I've wasted time on this movie. Not even the very comical Adam and Jack Nicholson can appease me.
Rating: C
Friday, April 01, 2005 10:40:00 PM
SHOWTIME (2002)
viewed on 1/4/05 (Fri)
From the trailer, I didn't think too highly of this movie. It doesn't look that funny. It is true. The movie is not really funny but it is more than just want to milk a few laughs from you. It cleverly blends spoofs of TV cop series and reality shows with the right ingredients of a good buddy cop movie to come up with something like a smart satire on chessy contemporary TV entertainment.
Rating: B+
Friday, April 01, 2005 10:50:00 PM
A FISH CALLED WANDA (1988)
viewed on 2/4/05 (Sat)
I watched this many years back in the old Cathay cinema. A few scenes were censored and somehow I am still curious what those scenes are. Nothing much really, just some hilarious sex antics courtesy of Kevin Kline. He got an Oscar for that role.
Well in fact the ensemble acting is equally great too. It is so much fun already playing the eccentrically comical characters. A gunman who stutters loves animals but when he is assigned to assasinate an old lady, he keeps killing her dogs one by one instead. Then there is the sexy Jamie Lee Curtis playing a scheming conwoman who is funniest when she gets high listening to spoken foreign language and seducing her men. John Cleese plays a uptight lawyer who has a sexual awakening with Jamie's character. Then, there is Kevin Kline's thief who has rather strange idiosyncrasies like smelling his own armpits, hates people who call him stupid and dares to swallow fishes alive.
A FISH CALLED WANDA was named one of the top 10 heist movies by Entertainment Weekly. It is not neither that kind which is laugh-out-loud nor smart-alecky. It is a gem packed with pitch-perfect comic timing and silly slapstick antics.
Rating: B+
Wednesday, April 06, 2005 10:31:00 PM
SINGLES (1992)
viewed on 2/4/05(Sat)
After the well-received JERRY MAGUIRE and ALMOST FAMOUS, Cameron Crowe's earlier films came into the limelight, including this one. Apparently, SINGLES was hailed as one of those good little-seen movies.
Sorry, SINGLES is forgettable. The story-telling is haphazard. The pace is slow and the editing is very uneven. And why are there instances the characters talk to the camera? Experimental debut films can be good but this is totally uninspired.
Imagine going on a blind date and she talks with disconnected thoughts and about mundane stuff. That's the frustration I felt.
Rating: C
Wednesday, April 06, 2005 10:44:00 PM
WHITE OLEANDER
viewed on 4/4/05 (Mon)
This should be a dream project for most actresses. All the important roles are such juicy parts to play. Now only that, the actresses here are casted against type and their performances are a breakthrough.
Michelle Pfieffer plays a quietly mean and damaging mother who will ask her daughter to wait in the car while she kills her lover and then drives off calmly. Not since BATMAN RETURNS had Michelle Pfieffer plays a villainess.
Renée Zellweger plays a depressed forgotten TV star and I think it should be the saddest character she ever plays. Sweet-faced Robin Wright Penn plays a hot wild white trash chick.
Of course not forgetting Alison Lohman in her impressive film debut. She can hold her own infront of the veteran actresses. She has this rebellious and yet tender look in her eyes. She is not the pretty type but definitely a solid actress. Oh and Patrick Fugit from ALMOST FAMOUS is easily one of the ugliest teenagers.
WHITE OLEANDER is obviously adapted from a novel. The very complex love-hate mother-daughter relationship has more room to develop and doesn't deserve a half-hearted conclusion. Nevertheless, to see Oscar-worhty acting, WHITE OLEANDER will not disappoint.
Rating: B
Wednesday, April 06, 2005 11:05:00 PM
PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (1986)
viewed on 7/4/05 (Thurs)
THE GODFATHER's Francis Ford Coppola directed this? A woman goes back in time and comes back to the present to rekindle her relationship with her husband? It is so not THE GODFATHER. I am just curious to see how the great director will fare in this ridiculous-sounding love comedy?
Kathleen Turner was nominated for an Oscar nomination playing Peggy Sue. Wow. Was she really great given the movie is not the standard serious Oscar material?
Well, both fail to impress me. The movie offers some interesting scenarios if we can ever go back in time, like hearing your dead grandma on the phone and telling a friend how to be rich inventing things from the future. It was never meant to be a sci-fi movie but I feel it wants to use that time-travelling main plot to examine a woman's loss of dreams and ideals but given a chance to relive them again. It did not acheive that effect. I think BACK TO THE FUTURE is better when Michael J. Fox's time-travelling adventure actually lets him appreciate and understand his parents better.
Oh, the movie also features a very young Helen Hunt, Jim Carrey and Joan Allen. It is funny seeing they were once upon a time in such desperate need for an image consultant.
Rating: C-
Thursday, April 07, 2005 11:00:00 PM
DOWN WITH LOVE (2003)
viewed on 8/4/05 (Fri)
Director Peyton Reed has only a few movies under his belt and already I give his two movies a distinction.
DOWN WITH LOVE is a very original movie. It mimics a 60s' love comedy. From the exaggerated flamboyant costumes, the furniture, the decor and down to the slang from that era. Oh the shooting style too. There are many uses of split screens which in one cleverly juxtaposes the two leads in suggestive sexual positions while talking on the phone. The use of puns and some tongue-twisting dialogue should belong to that era too. Another trait is the use of soundtrack to complement the actions on the screen, like twinkling sounds to flashing of the eyelashes and a sharp note for a twitch of the eyebrow.
The story is a tad far-fetched but it has the charm to make you keep watching. It is a rollercoaster ride indeed. Renee Zellweger has outdone herself again this time. Her long long long monologue in which she reveals the story's twist is a jaw-dropping performance.
DOWN WITH LOVE is a stream of endless visual delights and delightful wit. I will not say,"Down with love" but I want to be down with love. Wink. Wink.
Rating: A-
Friday, April 08, 2005 10:11:00 PM
BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE (2003)
viewed on 11/4/05 (Mon)
Queen Latifah can make it big as a comedianne. I got a feeling even if the movie is a bomb, she will still survive the critics. There is something so warm in her smile and presence.
Yes, she upstaged Steven Martin in this comedy but it is not to say Steve Martin is not good. He is hilarious when he needs to be, like the sequence in the white people-unfriendly club.
BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE lacks something. Is it a bit boastful to imply the laughs from the comedy will bring down the house? Funny but can be funnier and there are funnier madcap comedies with a better storytelling. Hmmm then why the title?
Oh, love the black lingo too. The cool points out the window and you got me all twisted up in the game. And that is the nicest thing you can say to a black gal?
Rating: C
Tuesday, April 12, 2005 10:56:00 PM
SHUTTER (2004)
viewed on 13/4/05 (Wed)
For a very long time, this movie has been sitting at the no.1 spot of my DVD online to-rent list. I am that eager to see this movie. Why? You see my friend, Alan, a horror fan adores the Jap RINGU for years until he saw this Thai movie. I am just very curious to see what it has to make Alan dethrone RINGU.
SHUTTER reminds me alot of THE EYE. Both are exemplary Asian horror films. Both are smart in their scary tactics and both have a well-written story. They have characters you care for and have meaningful takeaways. I also think remaking Asian horror fares into Hollywood blockbusters will make them lose all its simplistic allure.
SHUTTER begins with a very familiar setting. A couple suspect they kill a girl one night but choose to run away from the scene. They are later haunted by their guilt and of course strange sightings. Apparently, the girl is not killed. Apparently, the girl is not human and 'appears' in their photos. Apparently, the ghost is seeking revenge but who did her wrong?
I have to say the intrigue is gripping but unspooling the mystery requires a bit more dexterity. For example, the scene in the room with the decomposed corpse. Why won't they detect the stench? How does the female lead know something is amiss about the room in the background of the ghostly photos? Why doesn't the male lead alert his neighbours or his girlfriend before climbing out of the building? But, the movie is not all that dumb. I like the part female lead flips the photos and discovers the stashed negatives. Also, in one scene, a tabloid employee is shown using computer to manipluate the photos so that they appear to have a ghost captured on film. The directors must have known people are saying all these 'ghost' photos are fake and that is just a clever 'self-depreciating' humour. But later on in the sequence, the editor shows the two leads a personal 'ghost' photo and tells them that some ghosts choose to stay with their loved ones after death. Note that this is linking to the twist in the coda.
The movie's true strength comes in the last fifteen minutes. There is a darker secret about the male lead. You will feel all for the ghost and you understand her rage and the rampage. Then comes the most disturbing head-turning twist. I would say it is even more haunting than the one in THE SIXTH SENSE. The image alone will etch in your head for a long time. I would love to tell you what happened but ... that will make me the ultimate party-pooper.
But I can tell you two scenes which I find them very scary. The one in which the ghost perches on your boot grinning and the one in which the ghost pulls away a blanket and peers from the bed end, revealing only her angry eyes.
I believe SHUTTER will not be the sole critically successful box office hit. There will be more aspired horror movies from the Asian region. It shows that when it comes scaring people, Asian can do much better than Hollywood. In Hollywood, a ghost is always something Satanic and it is their 'nature' to be evil. In Asian horror movies, like RINGU, NANG NAK, SHUTTER etc., the ghost does not choose to be evil. They are made evil because they suffer a great deal as nice innocent people before they die horribly. Their vengeance is sorrowful, unstoppable and all raging. That makes them really really scary. Now, I think this, Hollywood has to learn.
Rating: A-
Friday, April 15, 2005 11:45:00 PM
Absolutely loved your review. It resonated with me. Now, if you would allow me to dig into my dusty chest of reviews, here's what I wrote about the movie last year...
SHUTTER ***1/2
No horror film in recent memory – not even Japan’s “Ringu” – has had such an impact on the viewer as this superlative Thai shocker that deservedly broke box office records back home. A hit-and-run couple begin to descry unworldly presence all around them, which often manifest on ghostly polaroids. Starts off like a rip-off of “The Eye”, with several stock scenarios, but slowly (and steadily) builds toward a menacing maelstrom of terror; once it grabs you by the jugular, it doesn’t let go. Less stylish than “The Ring”, but just as ominous and – truth be told – twice as scary; if you thought Sadako was frightening, you haven’t seen anything yet. Kudos to the two directors (Banjong Pisonthanakun and Parkpoon Wongpoom) for wringing new chills out of age old clichés. If anything else, worth the full admission price just to bear witness to the all-too petrifying postlude – a flawless mélange of fear and foreboding likely to haunt one to perpetuity; this is, quite possibly, the finest and scariest horror offering in the last decade. Distributed by GMM.
GRADE: A
Saturday, April 16, 2005 2:45:00 AM
PIRATES OF CARRIBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL
viewed on 21/4/05 (Thurs)
The only reason I want to watch this is: How the hell did Johnny Depp got his very first Oscar nomination in the Best Actor category playing a less-than-serious pirate in a blockbuster?
Sadly I did not find the answer. This could be an uncalled-for overdue recognition to his body of work. Just like how Russell Crowe was named Best Actor in THE GLADIATOR to make up for his loss in the previous year for a much much praiseworthy work in THE INSIDER.
Wait. I am not saying Johnny Depp doesn't deserve to be nominated. I am saying he is nominated for the wrong film. This is hardly his best work! Same goes to his nomination in FINDING NEVERLAND. I just hope when it is rightful to nominate him again, they will pass him for being nominated one too many times.
The story? What can I say? Entertaining. In fact, rather good since it is only based on a theme park in Disneyland. This is a Jerry Bruckheimer production. To fall asleep and not be entertained is almost impossible. This is his another typical popcorn blockbuster. Expensive. Grand. Lots of action. Lots of SFX. To him, too many is never too many. A money-making epic Hollywood will be very proud of. Still, this doesn't justify a nomination in the acting category...
Rating: B
Sunday, April 24, 2005 11:04:00 PM
BLUE CRUSH
viewed on 23/4/05 (Sat)
Read rather good reviews about this small movie about surfer girls. In fact, the movie puts more focus on the surfing culture above the story and the performance. It features breathtaking cameraworks where we can go under and out of the waves and there are close-ups of the surfers surfing stylishly under the wave. For that credit, the movie has made itself memorable.
It is a perfect movie to introduce surfing and even made us respect the sport. There is even a fashion culture pertaining to surfers. The idyllic landscape and all the fun-filling moments and the carefree care-less attitude somehow give the movie an indie feel. It is not really that mainstream. Like I said, it is more about surfing. A typical movie will made us sit through melodrama of the surfer girls but no, they just surf and surf and all they care about is surf. It is kinda cool actually. A great escapade sports movie.
Rating: B
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 10:20:00 PM
WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON!
viewed on 27/4/05 (Wed)
Hmm... I didn't realise that one of the surfer girls in BLUE CRUSH appears as the female lead in this teenage romantic comedy too. Her name is Kate Bosworth. A sweet-faced young actress who is very easily likeable. She is tough-looking in BLUE CRUSH but she is so girly here playing a fan. Her role requires her to look cute and wholesome. She did it well without much cringing from me.
Topher Grace is well-casted here as a jealous secret admirer. His role needs him to be goofy and sympathy-inducing. He did a good job because a poorer actor will overdo the antics making it painful to watch. The same goes to relatively-unknown Josh Duhamel who plays the hunky movie star who wants to set his priorities right and learns values from his more down-to-earth fan.
The three leads are great finds. They really have the potential to go a long way in Hollywood. They have the looks and the acting talents.
Too bad they are stuck in bad script and a bad romantic comedy. It is a shame given that romantic comedies hardly go wrong. The lines surprisingly are very shallow and unfunny, given the cast is talented. The plot and the ending are so unoriginal that it should warrant a straight-to-video pass. Nathan Lane and Sean Hayes are also irritating as the movie's comic relief.
Rating: C-
Wednesday, April 27, 2005 10:45:00 PM
JERSEY GIRL (2004)
viewed on 28/4/05 (Thurs)
I love Kevin Smith's CLERKS, hate his JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKES BACK, love his CHASING AMY and DOGMA and hate this one.
Now, I am feeling a bit guilty for saying that. This is afterall a heartwarmer, a must-see for single working dads with daughters.
There are some traits strictly Kevin Smith-style. The no-holds-barred intellectually sounding dialogue is his trademark. But Kevin Smith has a bad hand at writing mushy dialogue. Those coming-of-age daddy-and-daughter moments are kinda stiff and run-of-the-mill.
Still, I am not disapproving Kevin Smith but this movie genre is not really his cup of tea.
Rating: C
Thursday, April 28, 2005 10:02:00 PM
THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (1988)
viewed on 30/4/05 (Sat)
The only thing I like about this movie is the title. The rest of it? Don't ask. It is boring. The pace is glacial and the story doesn't go anywhere. The emotional core doesn't exist; I see only the William Hurt's character always sour-faced most of the times. The subplots are only there to make the movie longer longer and longer. A complete wishy-washy whiner.
Rating: D-
Saturday, April 30, 2005 9:37:00 PM
BRUCE ALMIGHTY (2003)
viewed on 1/5/05 (Sun)
If you are feeling bored and restless, A Jim Carrey movie can be a cure. He never fails to make me laugh, even in those days I do not like him. I like the movie largely because of his antics. To an extent, I nearly forget the story does feel a bit stupid. Jim Carrey playing God? The blasphemy is outright. He has to make fun of everything, including the creator?
Yes. I agree if I am a church-goer, I will frown and cringe. But wait, don't we all want God to answer and explain when really bad things happen to us? Why our prayers never answered no matter how much and how hard we pray? We do. All the time. It is on the premise the story builds itself on. I like the idea already.
I like the scene when God explains to Jim Carrey's Bruce that we have powers in our hands to change things and we have to be the miracle or change we want to see. You kind of heard that from somewhere but when uttered by the stately Morgan Freeman, he just makes it sound so insightful again. Now, this is the part when if I am God-believer, I will be nodding away and gain new respect for this movie. I may even show this in church to reinforce the people's faith in God. Ok, that is a bit too far.
Yes, there are many glaring loopholes in the story and the Bruce's change-of-heart scene before he is knocked down by a truck lacks credibility, but still it is not just another laugh-out-loud comedy after all. It says something which is very life-affirming.
In times when we are putting lesser and lesser emphasis on values and things truly important, it is good to watch a life-affirmer like BRUCE ALMIGHTY. Well, in a sort-of way.
Rating: B+
Monday, May 02, 2005 12:16:00 AM
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953)
viewed on 1/5/05 (Sun)
I am just glad that there will be a remake. This original version is as dull as the Martians who knows nothing besides spraying heat rays everywhere they go. The effects are chessy. Okay, I cannot blame them for that. Then how about the story? It is so sloppy and filmsy. Funny to see such a thin storyline for such a grand title.
Rating: D
Monday, May 02, 2005 12:20:00 AM
ELF (2003)
viewed on 7/5/05 (Sat)
This is exactly the kind of movie that kills off the Christmas spirit. Hard-selling it with a dumb story which is basically a children's story. No, it doesn't feel a bit it is a children's movie either. Even Will Ferrell is not a bit abnoxious as a child-man who is raised by elves. I wonder why the movie receives such good reviews. For a better movie about Christmas spirit, see HOW THE GRINCH STOLE THE CHRISTMAS.
Rating: D (immediate failure if not for Mr Ferrell)
Saturday, May 07, 2005 1:05:00 AM
NUTS (1987)
viewed on 7/5/05 (Sat)
NUTS has a very interesting story setup. A high-class callgirl (a well-controlled performance by Ms Streisand) is arrested for murdering a client and she is denied of a chance to stand trial. The reason given by the shrink is she is crazy and for that she will escape a death sentence but will remain forever in a mental hospital. A good bargain? She says 'no' and demands a fair trial. She refuses to submit to lies, even though that means having a death sentence eventually.
The courtroom scenes, which made up 90% of the film, are constructed to convince the judge that the callgirl is not nuts. Sounds boring? Not quite. The scenes are gripping and as melodramatic as it may sound, the performances are hardly guilty of being exaggerated or over-the-top. As the trial reveals a dirty family secret, I am are drawn deeper. It turns out the movie is never about the sanity of the callgirl(it is not hard to see that she is clearly not mad), but about her last dignity and integrity she fights to hold on to, after being nearly destroyed by the family shame.
The movie never really asks us for our sympathy. I think that is what makes the movie work. The ending scene is very ironical. The callgirl hears the verdict that she is going to have a fair trail, runs out of the courtroom and roams into the streets like a totally free woman. Then the end notes say that she is acquitted and she is given a death sentence. She is really free actually. She dies as a woman who fights for her rights to the end. It is better to live in denial and lies.
Rating: A-
Friday, May 13, 2005 8:11:00 PM
DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY (2004)
viewed on 8/5/05 (Sun)
I think nowadays to make a really funny comedy, you have to push the envelope. The talk in DODGEBALL is highly not advisable for children. I am not saying it is not hilarious though. And I think gay gags are out now. There is even mention of bisexuality! In one of the deleted scenes, Vince Vaugh shares a three-way kiss with two other girls.
It is typically a sports comedy. The formula can be spelt out even by a toddler. Underdogs face a an impossible challenge. Underdogs will press on no matter how much they say they want to give up. There will be a final showdown but you do not need to fast forward to know that the underdogs will be the champion, by hook or by crook.
In the section of the alternative ending, the director wants the underdogs to lose afterall. What was he thinking? He said that would be a true reflection of real life. But get bent, this is reel life. Nobody wants to pay to see the underdogs lose. The audience needs to go home smiling. That ending is going to dash that bit of fantasy in all of us. Of course, the studio and test audience protested and the ending was changed to make it a happy one.
Now, I have to say Ben Stiller has outdone himself again this time. The comedy works mainly because of him. For once, he breaks the mould and plays the bully and not a victim. His performance is a knee-slapping satire of those ultra-egoistic vain pots. Look out for his "milkshake" dance after the end credits.
I wonder how the comedy can work if that role of Ben Stiller is given to less accomplished comedian. I am not even talking about parts of the comedy which feel that they are inserted out of impulse. The sudden death of the coach and the cheerleadign competition segment.
In short, replace Ben Stiller and DODGEBALL will really be a true underdog movie about underdogs.
Rating: C
Thursday, May 26, 2005 10:23:00 PM
A PERFECT MURDER (1998)
viewed on 8/5/05 (Sun)
Having seen DIAL M FOR MURDER, A PERFECT MURDER comes across as an attempt at flirting with disaster. DIAL M FOR MURDER is a masterpiece.
I seriously think if you are going to watch the Alfred Hitchcock's classic over and over again, you cannot find any loophole. It is that meticulously written.
A PERFECT MURDER is not strictly a remake. It borrows only the story setup from DIAL M FOR MURDER and changes course after the murder. I suspect the makers ambitiously want to make a smarter movie than DIAL M FOR MURDER, changing some of the development of events and the ending. The result is a mess of ridiculous coincidences and huge loopholes in logic.
Rating: C
Thursday, May 26, 2005 10:24:00 PM
HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE (2004)
Viewed on 11/5/05 (Wed)
I secretly love this gross-out comedy. It makes me double up in hilarity. I take my hat off to the film for pushing once again the envelope, conjuring up humour from Asian racism and marijuana.
Yes, the story is stupid. It is all about the detours from a journey to the titular burger restuarant. But the gags are so funny, I forget I am watching a stupid movie. Well, come to think about, as explained in a scene, the story may have a point to make after all. It is a reference to the American dream of Asian immigrants - to end their hungry days once and for all in this land of opportunities. But ... nah! Don't take it too seriously. That is the last thing the comedy want to be.
The leads are very affable. Their skin colour doesn't really make an awkward difference in an American comedy. The stars could be two ang-mohs but that will take away all the fun out of it.
Rating: B+
Thursday, May 26, 2005 10:26:00 PM
CHEAPER BY DOZEN (2003)
viewed on 13/5/05 (Fri)
Seeing so many kids on the poster, all the time, I thought the movie is about a childcare centre or a pair of adults coaching children. It was only when I was five minutes into the movie did I realise that all the kids in the poster are children of Bonnie Hunt and Steve Martin. Of course, the children of their characters lah.
It is already a very refreshing change in family comedy. A family of 12 kids! Fleshing out each child is already a problem but somehow at the end of the movie, every kid seems to have made a reasonably deep impression. The casting of the kids is a wonder.
Now, amidst the laughs from seeing the kids squabble, fight, cry, scream, getting into wall-to-wall mischief, lies a kind of warmth that melts my heart. Bonnie Hunt never really impresses me but she puts up a wonderful performance playing Super Mum. Super Dad is Steve Martin and he fairs well too. He downplays his funny antics and is convincing as a down-to-earth caring Dad. I do question their parenting and wonder they have indeed pampered their kids too much. But I think it is just their great great love for every single one of the kids.
It is predictable that a family crisis will occur and their family ties will be strained. The parents,with their unlimited tolerance level, will break down. The happy kids will begin to really snap at one another and ... hate their family. It is also predictable that they will reconcile in the end and they become an even happier family.
Yes. The family comedy follows a tired formula but this one is a tad different. The family warmth comes on me so much that I may consider a big family afterall.
Rating: B+
Thursday, May 26, 2005 10:48:00 PM
FREAKY FRIDAY (2003)
viewed on 17/5/05 (Tues)
This is a remake of an old movie starring a young Jodie Foster. I haven't seen it but I am confident the remake is better than the original. I will come to that.
For most of the screen time, Jamie Lee Curtis will play a teenage rock chick and Lindsay Lohan will play a no-nonsense working mother. I can immediately myself cringing in disgust watching Ms Lee Curtis pouting and 'acting cute' and Lindsay Lohan looking like a small girl wearing her mother's power suit. Imagine Lisa Simpson. Sounds like this comedy is going to be a bomb.
Gladly, it is not. It is not a bomb but even manages to pull it off as one fine family comedy. The lead actresses give a well-balanced performance. They turn, what seems to be, a silly comical role into a sensitive and touching portrayal of a pair of coming-of-age mother and daughter.
Mothers and daughters who are always fighting will find insights in this movie. They not only can relate to this but also can learn a thing or two from the story. For this, I can forgive the ridiculous idea of the fortune cookies.
Yes, FREAKY FRIDAY follows a formula. Mother and daughter are always fighting. Mother and daughter switch role. Roll out the barrels of laughter! After appreciating what the other has gone through, the role-switching crisis is solved. Mother and daughter will surely hug and whisper lots of I love yous.
Well. Shrug shoulders. I don't mind it is formulaic. Why not? There are moments I am touched. A definite must-see for all mothers and daughters.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, May 31, 2005 11:17:00 PM
CITY OF ANGELS (1998)
viewed on 21/5/05 (Sat)
Heard good things about this movie. I borrowed this title from the Esplanade but the disc was faulty. I couldn't finish the movie but the movie looked so promising that I loaned it again, this time from hollywoodclicks.com.
I wish I can love this movie more.
I am untouched by the angel, played by deadpan Nicholas Cage. His wide-eyed curious look and slowly-muttered words get on my nerves.
The film is beautifully shot and there are images rather awesome, like the assembly of angels on the beach watching the sunset and lurking in a public library reading the minds of readers reading their books.
I like the first half of the movie. In one scene, Meg Ryan's doctor asks if doctors know who they are fighting lives with. The sombre pensive mood it creates promises something more than just a mushy romance,... until it reveals that it is happier being another mushy romance.
The ending is life-affirming but comes right Meg Ryan dies? Not to mention she dies beautifully and bloodlessly, in what seems to be a terrible accident. Ha!
Inspired by Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire, which I got a feeling I don't like it either.
Rating: C
Saturday, June 04, 2005 1:43:00 AM
STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN (2002)
viewed sometime near end of May
It could be my lack of passion and knowledge in music, especially Motown music, that distances myself from it.
The music documentary is a tribute to The Funk Brothers who were the musical geniuses behind many a great hit, like My Girl, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted, Ain't No Mountain High Enough and many which I have not heard of. Surprisingly, many people, including self-proclaimed music freaks in the interviews, don't know about the existence of the extremely talented musicians behind these hits. This documentary is about these unsung heroes and giving them credits long long overdue.
The musicians (they are not brothers really) take turns to recount unforgettable tales and legendary playing of their fellow members. There are forlorn tales of how some of the members died of alcholicism, drug overdose and with the declining demand of their music.
But the atmosphere is always hopeful. There are inserts of live performances of contemporary singers belting out the hits with the reunited musicians (after almost a decade). The ending performance has the surviving musicians placing placards of pictures of their deceased friends on stage before performing as a gesture of respect and remembrance. It's touching.
I hope I can love this documentary more and I think music fans will relate better to this. They should be able to give a better review it deserves.
Rating: B
Sunday, June 05, 2005 2:46:00 AM
THE ALAMO (1960)and THE ALAMO (2004)
viewed on 29/5/05 (Sun) and 2/6/05(Thurs)
THE ALAMO (2004) was once upon a time coming to Singapore theatres but it didn't. I knew it was a remake and though it is little-seen, receives good word of mouth. When I successfully loaned it, I went to library@esplanade to borrow the original made in 1960. It will be interesting to view the two back-to-back.
Before I begin, I think to be polite, I need to provide the history bit lest, like me, knows nothing about it. Taken from imdb.com: Historical drama detailing the 1835-36 Texas revolution before, during, and after the famous siege of the Alamo (February 23-March 6, 1836) where 183 Texans (American-born Texans) and Tejanos (Mexican-born Texans) commanded by Colonel Travis, along with Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie, were besieged in an abandoned mission outside San Antonio by a Mexican army of nearly 2,000 men under the personal command of the dictator of Mexico, General Santa Anna, as well as detailing the Battle of San Jacinto (April 21, 1836) where General Sam Houston's rag-tag army of Texans took on and defeated Santa Anna's army which led to the indepedence of Texas.
I started watching THE ALAMO (2004) and I caught no ball. It assumes we have the prior knowledge of the story of Alamo. I switched to watching THE ALAMO (1960) instead. Good. Old movies prefer to take their time to tell their story. The characters are 'properly' introduced with more information on their background and the roles they play. And well, they sure do take their time with the film running at 167 minutes. It is an epic most will respect. It is close the hearts of Americans, especially the Texans. John Wayne, the director, was so determined to see the project through, he chipped in his own money and succeeded in his mammoth task of being the film's director, producer and actor. The movie received 7 Oscar noms, including Best Picture. With all respect, there are too many subplots which should be left out, like the romance between John Wayne's Davy Crockett and a Mexican girl, the buffalo-chasing scene etc. Give us the battle quick and leave out the mundane details which add up to nothing much really. The battle finally came but for not even more than, like, 20 minutes. The heroes all died but I was too exhausted to react.
The new version does a better job at keeping the pace tight. The battle scenes are well-choreographed and the anticipation of death by the characters is more palpable. The heroes all go down in glory. It is a typical Hollywood treatment but at least, in this version, I find myself feeling sorry for them. I read from the internet forum that the new version is also more accurate in depicting the history.
There is a touching scene which I believe many viewers will remember. Billy Bob Thornton's David Crockett plays his violin with the Mexican military band, standing off at their respective defence lines. For a short-lived moment, their music soothes the fatigue and sorrow of soldiers from both sides.
While the original left out the part that Sam Houston returned to arrest General Santa Anna and forced him to give up Texas, the new version restore this neglected part.
The ending of the new version is also better. It returns to the short-lived truce which I mentioned earlier and David Crockett (it's implied in the new version that the man himself actually preferred to be called David instead of Davy) says, " It's amazing what a little harmony will do. "
Rating: C- for THE ALAMO(1960) and B+ for THE ALAMO(2004)
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 12:27:00 AM
LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE (1946)
Viewed on 30/5/05 (Mon)
For goodness sake, give me the cartoon version anytime. This arty-farty black-and-white version has no heart at all. It bores me to tears. One of the greatest films of all time? Sorry. Is it my French hatred thingy going on? Imaginative in some ways, even inspiring the cartoon version to have dancing teacups, and showcases clothes made under the supervision by Pierre Cardin. But... give me a good story first.
Rating: D
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 12:33:00 AM
LOVE FIELD (1992)
viewed on 4/6/05 (Sat)
Michelle Pfeiffer is possibly one of the most beautiful and incredibly talented actresses alive. Her teary eyes are absolutely gorgeous. I am however more curious to see how good she is in this very small movie that Oscar singled her to run for Best Actress.
She is not exceptionally good but the story instead makes me sit up. I just like the bigger meaning behind a story about a housewife's road journey to see the funeral of JFK.
Lurene Hallett (played by Ms Pfeiffer) idolises the couple of Mr and Mrs Kennedy. They represent a loving couple which she and her boorish husband can never be. When she wants him to come see the funeral, he refuses and asks her to wake up her ideas. She goes ahead with her plan and befriends a black man (Paul Carter) and his daughter, Jonell, on the bus. She gleefully reminds him that JFK did alot for the black people. He appears to be skeptical. Truth is he has to be because at a point of the journey, he is beaten up badly by three white men who simply cannot stand the sight of a black man, especially when he is with a white woman. Carter beats the men up and instead becomes a wanted man. The three have to be on the run from the police. The police even insists that when a black man is with a white woman, she must have done it against her will.
They are finally caught up by the police and as Lurene Hallett sits in the police car, ironically she finally gets to see Jacqueline Kennedy face to face in her limo driving away from the funeral.
I do not see this as a road movie or an inter-racial romance or a feministic expression. The movie is all of the above but I like to see it from one direction. JFK was assasinated but the most mournful thing is as the nation cried for their lost leader, they failed to see his ideal of uniting the nation as one people.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 1:09:00 PM
CAPE FEAR (1962)
viewed on 5/6/05 (Sun)
This is the original before Martin Scosese's 1991 remake which is scarier and darker. Robert De Niro makes a meaner Max Cady with scary tattoos all over his body.
The story is nothing really exciting. The baddie easily steals the whole show. In the original, he is played by this actor called Robert Mitchum. In the interviews, he is said to have such a bad temper that even the director is fearful of him.
The director of the original, J. Lee Thompson, had to be very careful in dealing with the hint of rape and child rape. He mentioned that while he toned down many scenes, the censors surprisingly frowned more on a scene Robert Mitchum looking down at Gregory Peck's young daughter scrubbing a boat deck. He lamented that in the remake, much liberty is given and, yes, I still remember a disturbing scene when the daughter (played by Juliette Lewis in the remake) sucking briefly Max Cady's thumb.
CAPE FEAR has influences of Alfred Hitchcock and J. Lee Thompson openly admitted that he studied all of his movies. It doesn't come across to me as a wannabe though.
I like the old CAPE FEAR as it still makes a passable thriller but I prefer the remake which is a very gripping thriller and remains one of Marty's best movies. But the highest credit has to go to composer,Bernard Herrmann, whose haunting majestic music is used in both films.
Rating: B-
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 2:02:00 PM
THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN (1987)
viewed on 6/6/05 (Mon)
Anne Ramsey was nominated for her performance in this comedy. From the look of it, it is a performance that is overrated. The sad thing is she died a few months after her Oscar nomination and of course, she didn't win. It could be a gesture of respect for the veteran thespian.
There is more actually which doesn't live up to expectations. Danny DeVito's comedy tries too hard to be smart and witty. Billy Crystal is painful to watch with his look-I-am-a-smart-alecky-funny-man antics.
The comedy honestly admits that it borrows ideas from Alfred Hitchcock's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN. Damn, there is even a scene of Danny DeVito's character sitting in a cinema watching the classic and gets inspired to use the "crisscross" murder ploys. I say it is a not a remake or a re-imagination of the classic. It is so painfully unfunny, it is almost a spoof.
Well, like what Uncle Rogert Ebert mentioned in his review of this movie. I would like to give credit to one single scene which stands out from the rest of the movie. It is a poignant scene when Danny DeVito shows Billy Crystal his coin collection. They are change his dead father gives him to keep and each coin represents a memorable moment they spend together...
Rating: D+
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 10:30:00 PM
13 GOING ON 30 (2004)
viewed on 6/6/05 (Mon)
Entertainment Weekly magazine gives this body switch comedy an honourable A- while the rest of us lambast it. It arouses my curiosity... Which side will I be on? I am with the majority.
It has a cock-and-bull story! The story outline sounds dumb and it is dumb. Sorry. I said the same thing for FREAKY FRIDAY's plot but it has a bigger purpose to cleverly slip in a touching message for all mothers and daughters.
13 GOING ON 30 has so many missed opportunities. Jennifer Garner's once a scheming bitch returns to her 13-year-old innocence and has a change of heart. You see, you don't have to be mean and lose yourself to climb up the corporate ladder and in this dog-eat-dog competitive working world. This, is not developed further and instead the comedy has no ambition bigger than a safe crowd pleaser's.
13 GOING ON 30 doesn't see it is missing the whole point. It goes haywired. It spins off-track. The ending scenes, aiming just to please, sink lower. What is this slipshod time-hopping sequence?!
Watching the interviews in the special features irk me further. My oh my. The actors and the director are so 'plastic'. "Oh, he is like the most amazing actor I've worked with.""He is the greatest.""She is the best. She is so funny.""He is so so so talented." I had to turn the TV off before I choked on my own vomit.
Rating: D
Tuesday, June 07, 2005 10:55:00 PM
CELLULAR (2004)
viewed on 8/6/05 (Wed)
CELLULAR wasted no time at all. Right from the beginning, it steps on the accelerator and never lets go. It is SPEED meets PHONE BOOTH. I mean not even a single second you'll be checking the time.
There is always the danger of packing the actions like that wall-to-wall and ended up losing sight of the story. But, this one has the brawn and the brain. The main plot itself is already a brilliant gimmick, the story is almost airtight (until I checked out the goofs) and the turns of events are believable. The multiple functions of a cellphone have major roles to play in the twists. There are instances of low signal and low battery and you can imagine the audience going, "oh no...". Then there are functions like redial and video-recording that will save the day. I can imagine the cellphone makers grinning proudly.
Also, Kim Basinger's knowledge of science put to good use in dire situations will inspire kids to pay more attention during Science lessons.
I found myself eager to watch the film from the beginning again when it ended. I know the 'redial' is going to guarantee another awesome spin of giddy thrill.
Rating: A-
Wednesday, June 08, 2005 9:13:00 PM
AROUND THE BEND (2004)
viewed on 9/6/05 (Thurs)
They all say this could be the movie that Christopher Walken will be nominated for Best Actor. The buzz is rather strong. Well, he did turn in a touching performance. He deserves a nomination, I say.
The story is rather interesting. Three generation of men go on a road trip to scatter ashes of the great-grandfather at various spots indicated in his will. They are given instructions at each spot and the final destination will have a closure to the strained relationship of Christopher Walken's father and Josh Lucas's son.
I expected more from the coda. The secret is not a big secret. Sadly, it is a letdown and more or less weaken the emotional impact of the movie. It has some nice touches though. The short running time somehow comes as a blessing. The longer it is, the more flaws it is going to show.
Rating: B
Thursday, June 09, 2005 12:54:00 AM
MEET THE FOCKERS (2004)
viewed on 14/6/05 (Tues)
I enjoy MEET THE PARENTS but I cannot really pinpoint why I didn't like its sequel, even with addition of two solid actors like Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. Oh, not forgetting a puppy (ahem)with an overactive sex drive and a baby who has a liking to a certain a-word. They add on much comic relief. Still, I didn't find myself a bit amused.
Is it because the film is treading on familiar territory? Is it because too many cooks spoil the broth? Too foul-mouthed and crude? Read the title and yes they do prononce the surname as the F-word. By the way, the movie trivia says that there is really a family by that surname. If not, MPAA will never greenlight the film title.
I have a feeling MEET THE FOCKERS does not want to do the same things that clicked in MEET THE PARENTS but don't really have a clue what to do next. There are not so many slapstick laugh-out-loud moments. Immediately, some scenes from MEET THE PARENTS come to mind. Ben Stiller on the roof trying to save Mr Jinx, the water volleyball disaster, the De Niro's famous line,"Do you want to milk me?", the lie detector machine sequence etc. I can hardly think of one memorably hilarious scene in MEET THE FOCKERS.
MEET THE PARENTS has a nice message in the end. No matter how bizzare bad luck will bring you when you meet your girlfriend's parents, as long as you truly love her, your sincerity will pull you through. MEET THE FOCKERS seems just want to be goofy.
Rating: C+
Tuesday, June 14, 2005 2:57:00 PM
CONSPIRACY (2001)
viewed on 15/6/05 (Wed)
A telemovie with such historical importance should be given a better name. It refers to a secret meeting 15 Nazi officials had to decide the fate of all Jews. It is disturbing to see how the meeting is carried out like some money-making business meeting, planning to terminate some kind of pests. It is even more shocking to see that the massacre is planned within only a few hours one afternoon and over good food in a very beautiful mansion.
The actors do not speak with a German accent, as I expected. Why not, they are playing Germans afterall? This quickly reminds me of a movie called AMEN in which Germans speak heavily-accented English to up its market appeal. It is a disaster. I soon realise it is a wise choice afterall. Imagine the actors sprouting heavy, long and fast-paced lines with an accent. It is already hard to follow without the subtitles.
The entire movie is shot almost entirely within the meeting room, with only a few scenes outside the mansion. It doesn't mean it will be boring to sit through. The tension is taut and the pace is urgent, making the drama very gripping from start to end.
There is a very thought-provoking story attached towards the end. It is told to Kenneth Branagh's Reinhard Heydrich, the mastermind, by a more humane Nazi official. A man loves his mother but hates his father fiercely. He cannot cry at his mother's funeral but cries inconsolably when his father dies. The reason is his hatred finds no object and he feels his life has become fast meaningless. Reinhard Heydrich says it is a warning given to him.
Rating: A-
Wednesday, June 15, 2005 2:25:00 AM
SAVE THE LAST DANCE (2001)
viewed on 20/6/05 (Mon)
Read rather good reviews for this small movie when it was released here. But I was so tired that while waiting to take the bus to watch it, I returned back home to rest instead. After 4 years, the curiosity has finally come to an end.
Thomas Carter, the director of this movie, of course has moved on to make other movies, like this year's COACH CARTER. Another movie which gets good word of mouth.
SAVE THE LAST DANCE deals with issues which are thought-provoking, not just asking questions of racial compatibility in a romance. It is no doubt the centre of attraction is the interracial romance of the two leads but Thomas Carter has a bigger canvas in mind. He wants to paint a picture of the struggles of the black community has to confront in the ghetto.
Sean Patick Thomas' Derek has just received a letter to go to a medical school, his ticket out of the ghetto, but his good friend wants him to seek a bloody revenge with him. Derek refuses and in a rather touching moment, his good friend tells him while he has a bright future ahead, he himself has only some decent respect to hold on to and that necessitates the revenge.
Kerry Washington, who receives critical acclaim in this year's RAY, shines in this movie too. She plays a schooling single mother. It is a shame that, to make room for the interracial romance, two of her scenes are deleted. In those two scenes, her story becomes fuller and her acting is the best in them.
I am not forgetting the interracial romance. It is just that I really want to point out that this movie is not only about two youngsters from two different races falling in love and going through the clichés. There are also two subplots of Julia Stiles (another very good young actress) fulfilling her ballet dream and about her strained relationship with her father. They are well-told too.
SAVE THE LAST DANCE does have its flaws. The audition in the final reel comes out a bit too "feel-good". But it is a small earnest movie. Like the leads in the story, it has ambitions but always keep its two feet on the ground.
Rating: B+
Wednesday, June 22, 2005 10:45:00 PM
THX 1138 (1970)
Viewed on 22/6/05 (Wed)
This indie movie is, in every sense, a difficult labour of love from George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola. It is the first movie produced by their company called American Zoetrope.
Its initial rejection by the big studios could prove so upsetting for George Lucas that I suspect his STAR WARS trilogies are an answer he wants to satisfy Hollywood and be back in the ball game as a victor. THX 1138 was disliked by Hollywood. They did not know how to market the offbeat movie and its little-known existence is a sign that it has been dumped in cold storage for a long time.
THX 1138 is very un-STAR WARS. It has minimal dialogue, very atmospheric, artistically filmed, very subtle in storytelling, visionary and imaginative. In short, as what George Lucas intended it to be, a student film. He also wanted it to look like a documentary from the future. By the way, George Lucas made a short film of the same name when he was a film student. His short won the school's film festival and was talent-spotted by Francis Ford Coppola, who was at that time from the rival film school of George Lucas.
George Lucas' vision of a future is consistent both in THX 1138 and in the STAR WARS trilogies. There is a set which is all glaring white; its floor and wall blend into one. There is also a robot which looks like C3P0. In one particular scene, the lead character (played by a young Robert Duvall) is climbing up in a long tunnel. In the making-of documentary, it is actually shot with the actor climbing on fours on metal rungs on the floor of an unfinished subway tunnel. How creative!
Talking about the special features of the DVD, it contains a documentary which chronicles the uneasy path Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and their film school buddies had to undertake to fulfill their dreams. I am touched by their determination to make uncompromising movies. They started off as poor filmmakers with nothing to their name. They were scoffed at by the big Hollywood players but slowly built their names by making movies, staying true to their belief and vision. They are now world's renowed directors. Both Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas have a film legacy of their own and in many ways shape American movie history.
Oh, by the way, Francis Ford Coppola didn't want to make THE GODFATHER but George Lucas asked him to take up the project to save their film company from finanical difficulties.
THX 1138 is more than just a brilliantly visionary sci-fi movie that will stand the test of time. Steven Spielberg said it was one of the best sci-fi movies ever. I agree. And I think it is more than that. It is a labour of love from an aspiring idealistic filmmaker who rejects the mainstream and dares to be different. The success story is an inspiration to all budding filmmakers.
Rating: A
Saturday, July 02, 2005 1:09:00 AM
THE CELLULOID CLOSET (1995)
viewed on 23/6/05 (Thurs)
I have a gay friend who happens to have this VCD. I jumped for joy when I heard that. If I didn't tell them I like controversial stuff, he might be thinking I am gay too. Haaa... anyway, this documentary is very interesting to watch, whether you are gay or not. It chronicles the representation of homosexuals througout the entire film history. Not a single moment is dull and how I wish I can cover everything here in my review. Okay, here are some of the highlights.
For a start, screenwriters had to make major adjustments to please censors and the conservative majority. Only hints were allowed. Gay characters were only suggested in movies like REBECCA, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, Alfred Hitchcock's ROPE, SPARTACUS, THE CHILDREN's HOUR, BEN-HUR, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF etc. Apparently, the 'dumb' censors did not see anything amiss and sometimes the actors too. Shirley MacLaine, in her interview, said she and Audrey Hepburn didn't know anything was suggestive about their dialogue in one scene. Charlton Heston sure didn't realise he was portraying an object of a gay's affection when in one scene his co-star looked lovingly at him. His co-star was told the scene had gay implications but not to the gay-phobic Charlton Heston. Interestingly, in PILLOW TALK, a gay actor called Rock Hudson plays a straight man pretending to be a gay man to fend off advances from a girl.
Then, the Catholic Church stepped in to impose the Legend of Decency which forbidded scenes of open-mouth kissing, nudity, racism, homosexuality etc. It is interesting to know that over the years, all the taboo scenes were eventually given the green light, except the portrayal of homosexuality. It remains underground. Words like 'nigger' were forbidden but equally demeaning words like 'faggot' and 'fags' were allowed as expletives. To prove the point, there is a sequence of clips showing numerous movie characters using the words. It is quite funny actually.
In many earlier movies, gay characters, interestingly, will suffer a tragic death. In a very funny sequence, we are shown clips of how these characters are killed in a fire, get crashed by a tree, stabbed to death etc. They all send a signal that being gay will only end in suffering and maybe a horrible death. In SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER, an implied gay character was killed by crowd much like how the monster was killed in FRANKENSTEIN. Scenes from both movies juxtaposed to make that point.
While the Americans were shunning the subject matter, their counterparts, the British, dealt with the gay characters more openly. A movie called VICTIM openly tells the audience the main character is gay. Soon, the Americans also showed they could make a movie which will overturn the image of gays in movies. They made a merry comedy called THE BOYS IN THE BAND in which the gays are truly gay about their sexuality. That was in the late 60s and early 70s.
Then in the 80s came a movie called CRUISING which shows gay characters being killed brutally by a serial killer. There was an outcry and protestors complained the movie fanned hatred for gays. As if to appease the rage, Hollywood had an about-turn. They produced a movie called MAKING LOVE in which the gay characters kissed romantically and made love. Susan Saradon and Catherine Deneuve also once shared a passionate lesbian lovemaking scene in THE HUNGER. As one interviewee cheerfully reminisced, her lesbian friends urged her to see this movie for the lesbian scene even though it was actually about vampires. Scenes like this in a Hollywood movie are considered 'precious'.
There is so much more I would to say about this very entertaining documentary. I am thinking of ordering the DVD from amazon.com. It contains an interview with the author whose book was used as a source for this movie. I am sure juicier movie trivia would be revealed.
Rating: A
Monday, July 04, 2005 1:31:00 AM
HEAVEN CAN WAIT (1978)
viewed on 26/6/05 (Sun)
This is a vanity star vehicle for Warren Beatty. It amazes me how a simple-minded movie about an athlete returning from death in another body so that he can play football again be a multi-Oscar nominee. And even strangely bagged the Art Direction award. It is a form of obscenity indeed.
Rating: D
Saturday, July 16, 2005 9:58:00 PM
THE STEPFORD WIVES (2004)
viewed on 29/6/05 (Wed)
Saw the original first and then I heard the remake has taken comedic turn. That makes me keen to see this. The end product is not that bad. With all that Hollywood gloss, it is an eye candy. Damn, even Glenn Close looks so fetching.
It is surprising to know that Frank Oz, director of gay-themed IN & OUT, has a gay man as one of the Stepford wives. Well, it should not be surprising given more accpetance of gays these days. Like the implication. In all relationships, gay or straight, there is always this battle of the sexes to see who is stronger and more successful than the other.
There is a twist in the end. Like every other movie these days. A bit elaborated but I buy it anyway.
I am surprised to know that in the director's interview, Frank Oz has always wanted to downplay the comedy. Hence, a SFX-laden scene of Bette Midler, embodying various household applicances, is deleted. I say bring it on the wackiness. Maybe then I will like it more. Satisfying popcorn entertainment but like one of the Stepford wives, it makes a good first impression and then fades into oblivion.
Rating: B-
Saturday, July 23, 2005 11:34:00 PM
CONNIE AND CARLA (2004)
viewed on 2/7/05 (Sat)
Prefer this one to MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. Maybe the ever so gay musical numbers are so hard to resist. It is like watching the best of musical numbers. Yes, there are schmaltzy moments when we are asked to look at transvestites as human beings. But they are not over-the-top melodrama. I can make do with that.
I find the movie very funny and witty. Some may say the same for MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING but I prefer CONNIE & CARLA anytime. Most people and critics will not agree with me. Maybe like I said before, I just can't resist those gay gay gay musical numbers!
Rating: B+
Saturday, July 23, 2005 11:42:00 PM
STARSKY & HUTCH (2004)
viewed on 4/7/05 (Mon)
I kind of respect this buddy cop comedy. I think the director really embraces and respects the 70s culture. Some of the moments in the film are not merely reenactments of the clichéd 70s TV scenes but as a tribute, in some kind of reverence even. For that, I respect and like this comedy.
Rating: B+
Saturday, July 23, 2005 11:51:00 PM
MY TEACHER, MR KIM (2003)
viewed on 7/7/05 (Thurs)
A teacher colleague recommended this movie and after expressing interest in it, she shoved it to me one day. I didn't have the time to watch yet but she kept asking me what I thought of the movie. I relented one day and what a pleasant surprise to find that it is such a wonderful heartwarmer.
Mr Kim is a black sheep in my profession. He accepts bribe from students’ parents and, in fact, makes it a point to call them for it. If they don’t oblige, their children will be punished.
As a form of punishment, Mr. Kim is sent to a school at the countryside. Actually more like teaching a class of five children. All of them like him instantly. Partly because he is tall and handsome like an actor and partly because they want so much to be liked and to be taught.
Mr Kim never mends his ways. To have a better lunch for himself in the school, he asks the villagers, in the name of doing something good for the kids, to cook for him and his students.
He wants badly to get out of the countryside but he can't unless the school shuts down, which is very possible given the authorities have plans for it but not yet finalise them. To quicken things up, he has a plan and that is to 'chase away' all the students to Seoul so that the school will shut down for sure.
He makes home visits to the parents to persuade them to send their children to better schools in Seoul. “If you don’t give your children the best education, they will grow up hating you” say he with a very serious look. During one of the visits, he discovers that his student's mother is actually a mad woman. She apparently goes mad when her husband leaves home. Of course, all the students do not realise that their idol is such a downright despicable scum.
Mr Kim's plans fail. The students don’t want to leave because they simply like him too much to part with him.
Once, a new student from the city joins the class. Through an unfortunate event, the children learn that giving bribe to Mr Kim is the way to prevent him from leaving them. But what can they give when they are so poor? Well, the parents have ginseng and herbal medicine to offer. Those are what most precious to them...
One boy doesn’t want Mr Kim to go so he skips school to earn money. This time, Mr Kim, who has always been cold and calculative, is finally touched. To do his duty, with tears, he canes the boy for skipping school... This is the part when the floodgates of my tears are open.
Mr Kim remembers an episode when he asks the children what they can do for him and gives them each an envelope to put in something for him. He means bribe but the naive chidlren each gives him a letter instead. One even puts in what seems to be a sweet potato. When he finally gets to read the letters, he is even more moved. In all their letters, they mention that their teacher looks very tired but they really want to be happier. They have nothing much to offer except being obedient and maybe their home cooked meals. There is also a time when Mr Kim is scolded by an unreasonable parent. They defend him and even blame themselves for making so much noise and make him angry!
Mr Kim soon comes to realise that he has the most wonderful students in the world who probably don't deserve him.
It turns out that Mr Kim has a rather sad past too. When he is schooling, Mr Kim's father is a janitor in the school. It is suggested in one scene that his father can’t afford brides for the teachers and as a result, he is always caned.
At last, the bad news of the school closing down for good comes. At graduation ceremony, after a very teary farewell, Mr Kim unexpectedly receives a sum of money from an old student. He is an overaged student who in earlier scenes want to learn from Mr Kim so that he can read all those letters written by his son, most of them backdated to three years ago! And the silly reason Mr Kim is willing to teach him in the first place is he wants branded cigarettes from him. The old student says the money is not a bribe but a simple token for a job well-done. Tears roll down Mr Kim's face. This is the best 'bribe' ever. He is now a respected and well-liked teacher afterall. The joy of recognition is far more overwhelming than any of the bribe can give.
Rating: A+
Monday, July 25, 2005 10:26:00 PM
A TALE OF TWO SISTERS (2003)
viewed on 9/7/05 (Sat)
Heard that the story has a very shocking twist in the coda. A colleague spoils the fun when he tells me that there is all the while only one sister and not two. Well, that is not all to it...
A TALE OF TWO SISTERS should be one of those rare artistically filmed Korean horror movie. The pace can be quite slow and deceivingly plotless. But when the skeletons start falling out of the family closet, the revelations can be very shocking. I find myself having an urge to watch the movie from the start again.
It has an open ending, leaving you to discuss more with your friends after the show. Is there a hint of incest? Is the ghost real or another hallucaination? Does the younger sister imagine her mum comes to her room when she is already dead in the closet? What about the sack-hitting sequence? Was she smashed by the statue or she smashed it? Are the scenes of protecting the younger sister a way of lessening the pain of her guilt?
I would not really say the twist is brilliant and believable and somehow I am quite certain that if I watch this movie again closely, I may find some loopholes. But, to say this horror movie is all nonsense is not true. It sets you to think and discuss more after the show is all over. Theories will be exchanged and scenes interpreted differently. If a film makes us do just that, I think it is a success.
Rating: B+
Wednesday, July 27, 2005 9:51:00 PM
SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER (1959)
viewed on 10/7/05 (Sun)
This classic is mentioned in THE CELLULOID CLOSET, a documentary chronicling the gay undertones throughout the history of tones. When I saw this at the library, it was curiosity that made me wanted to borrow this. Another one is THE CHILDREN'S HOUR.
The young man who is already dead at the beginning of the movie is written to suggest he is gay. But the implication is so subtle, I wonder are we reading too much into the lines?
Anyway, the story revolves more around the characters of Elizabeth Taylor and Katherine Hepburn; both nominated that year for their performances in this movie.
The movie is based on a play by Tennessee Williams who also writes THE STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. I do not like both movies. Too stagey, I can still take it. Watching these two movies is akin to watching Qiong Yao movies. The acting is over-the-top dramatic and the lines too flowery and heavy-going. I can't appreciate it or take it.
Rating: C
Wednesday, August 03, 2005 9:54:00 PM
HOUSE OF FURY (2005)
viewed on 16/7/05 (Sat)
The reviews are very encouraging. That prompts me to take a look at this Hong Kong kungfu comedy. It is directed by pretty boy Stephen Fung and it seems to be a take on Stephen Chow's KUNG Fu HUSTLE. Is it really that good?
Well.
No.
A copycat of THE INCREDIBLES. The only redemption point is the marvellous fighting sequences courtesy of Yuen Woo-ping. The other redemption is the sweet-looking sister of Stephen Fung's character. She is one of the singing duo THE TWINS. Surely an eye-candy who looks like she can really kick some serious ass.
Rating: D+
Wednesday, August 03, 2005 10:09:00 PM
FROM HELL (2001)
Viewed on 22/7/05 (Fri)
The period pyschological horror thriller attempts to put a face on Jack the Ripper and explains what leads to his gruesome killings. Its implications even involve the royal family and the Queen of England. Of course, it is all fictional and based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. Still, it is not really a far-fetched spin.
A very atmospheric horror gem, complete with superb art direction and shocking dark visuals.
Rating: B+
Saturday, August 06, 2005 11:38:00 PM
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13
Viewed on 28/7/05 (Thurs)
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 reminds me alot of THE NEGOTIATOR. Both are 'talky' actioners. There is alot of action going on but the dialogue is nowhere close to being mindless. Both of brilliant psychological action thrillers.
ASSAULT is a remake of John Carpenter's 1976 movie of the same name. I was looking forward to see snippets of it in the interviews or the making-of but it is only briefly mentioned. I read from the reviews that the remake is much superior version. I am not in any doubt.
The setup is rather simple. A bunch of convicts locked up in a precinct and its policemen have to work hand in hand to avoid being annihilated by highly professional assassins encircling the police precinct.
Sacrifices have to be made. There is a rat among them who is someone we least expected. There is the question of survival and no one can really be a good friend of another. People from both sides of the law have to work together to avoid being killed, but only up to what extent will they honour this cooperation? Then, there is also the question of how the hell are they going to get out of the dilapidated precinct without being detected and killed?
The tension is taut from beginning to end. The scenarios are plausible. The ending is very satisfactory. I am surprised how low the profile this actioner has. A must-see for those seeking action thrills and be enthralled by a damn good story.
Rating: A-
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 10:50:00 AM
PITCH BLACK
2/8/05 (Tues)
When this movie was screening in Singapore, I didn't pay much attention to it. It looks like another B-grade horror sci-fi flick. But I read from somewhere a couple of times that this is a B-grade horror sci-fi flick with a difference.
Fact is PITCH BLACK is totally a B-grade horror sci-fi flick but this is no kill-'em-all mindless entertainment.
For a start, the so-called hero is a villian too. It is evil combating evil. Vin Diesel plays Riddick, a jailbird, who has eyes of night vision and he is the only one who can lead a bunch of hapless survivors to safety in exchange for his freedom. But the question is up to which point will he break his vow? He is afterall, evidently from previous scenes, can be very ruthless and selfish. Even the survivors doubt one another's leadership and accusations are hurled.
They are all left stranded, after a crash, on a strange planet full of dragon-looking aliens which feed on flesh and fear only the light. Then there is an eclipse! Hence, the title. There is tons of tension as the survivors have to fend off these aliens while one by one they are being dismembered in the most horrifying ways. Of course, tons of gore too, given this is the director's cut.
Rating: B+
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 11:11:00 AM
ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY
viewed on 4/8/05 (Thurs)
There are moments I find the movie is crappy but ... very hilarious.
My favourite scene is the one when the Ron Burgundy and his company breaks into a a cappella of Afternoon Delight. In the DVD extras, there is even a very funny MTV satiring those happy boyband MTVs. It is actually very catchy and I think it is an original song written for this comedy.
There is also a gang fight scene which is like a reunion of the best comedians around, like Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson and Tim Robbins. The scene makes no sense but the unexpected cameos really tickle us hard. Jack Black also cameos as a road bully.
Can always trust Will Farrell to deliver loads of laughter. Some comedians try very hard to make us laugh, with witty funny one liners and slapstick antics but Mr Farrell does it effortlessly. He doesn't need to rely on the script to be funny. He is a comedy genius.
You cannot be too critical about a comedy which made you laugh so hard.
Rating: B
Sunday, August 21, 2005 8:54:00 PM
The Forgotten (2004)
6/8/05 (Sat)
The title says it all about the movie. It is best forgotten. A very intriguing premise crumbles to nothingness in the final reel. What a lame story. I pity Julianna Moore has to work with such a lousy script for her first movie as the main female lead. Here's a hint of the story. Skip this and watch X-files instead.
Rating: F
Sunday, August 21, 2005 8:59:00 PM
AUSTIN POWERS : INTERNATIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY (1997), AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME (1999) and AUSTIN POWERS: GOLDMEMBER (2002)
viewed on 8/8/05 (Mon) and 11/8/05 (Thurs)
If you see Mike Myers and Jay Roach in person, you will never realise that this is the duo who created the Austin Powers franchise and made it such a worldwide hit. They look so 'square' in their interviews that if you mute the TV, you thought they are talking about something totally unfunny.
Mike Myers, especially. He is so serious in discussing about his Austin Powers movies, you have to look hard to imagine he is Austin Powers, all goofy and eccentric. Not only he plays the main character, he plays three other characters in the franchise too - Dr. Evil, Fat Bastard and Goldmember. For all the four characters, his disguises are totally unrecognisable. Damn. The team deserves an Oscar for makeup. For all four characters, Mike Myers also have four different accents, Queen English for Austin Powers, American for Dr. Evil, Scottish for Fat Bastard and German for Goldmember. He is a master of accents! With the makeup and accents, you cannot tell they are actually the same person. Eddie Murphy in THE NUTTY PROFESSOR immediately comes to mind. But I have to say Mike Myers is one notch higher than Eddie. He is the male version of Meryl Streep!
I watched all three in one stretch. It is admirable that over the years, the style is very consistent. It is even admirable that Jay and Mike have the whole winning formula in place from the very first movie. Do they expect a hit? I doubt so but they have this unwavering vision how Austin Powers movies should look like.
It is all crappy and nobody will follow the storylines. There is even a scene in part two when the characters speak to the audience to tell us to forget about the story and enjoy the fun ride. Knowing a logical script is never in their agenda, the franchise builds its success on many good redeeming points. Mike Myers and his goofy Austin Powers alumni. The resplendent costumes. The sets splashed with loud bright colours. The Oscar-worthy makeup. The retro songs. The sleek retro cars. Those retro hairdos. The foxy female sidekicks, namely Elizabeth Hurley, Heather Graham and Beyoncé Knowles, made Bond girls look pale and boring in comparison.
I have gained newfound respect for Mike Myers. This time I am convinced, he is one hell of talented comic genius. Will always be remembered as one of the greatest comedian ever.
Rating: B (for all three)
Sunday, August 21, 2005 9:42:00 PM
CYRANO DE BERGERAC (1990)
viewed on 14/8/05 (Sun)
While I always condemn French movies, this is one which I highly recommend to hardcore romance literature readers.
It is beautifully shot. The lines uttered (that shows how good the subtitles are) are as poetic as the scenes. Whoever wrote the script and whoever translates it so efficiently into English deserve an award each.
But these lines meant nothing much if they are not uttered by Oscar nominee, Gérard Depardieu. Watch out for the final scene, it is heartbreaking in a very subtle way. The closing scene is also one of the best I have seen. It has this tranquility that seems to mourn for the death of a requited love that comes way way too late.
Rating: A-
Sunday, August 21, 2005 9:52:00 PM
I HEART HUCKABEES (2004)
viewed on 15/8/05 (Mon)
This has to be the most disgusting waste of talents in a single movie. With a cast made up of either award-winning actors and respectable actors (yes, Mark Wahlberg aka Marky Mark too), the script is downright crap. It could be the first philosophical comedy but going by this movie, nobody will get it and nobody will ever like it.
I cannot imagine sitting through this movie in a cinema. The plots don't link and for goodness' sake, the lines do not even link. I simply wonder how the actors can put up a straight face saying those lines, with some kind of emotions, which mean nothing and nothing.
The director directed the widely critically acclaimed THREE KINGS and I am sure the actors sign on the project because of that. I say fire all their agents for making their clients look utterly silly in this mountainload of crap. Damn. I have never use the 'crap' word so many times in a single review. For the last time. It is nothing but crap and more crap. Crap.
Rating: F
Sunday, August 21, 2005 10:05:00 PM
Looks like you are failing a lot of movies lately, huh? :-)
Sunday, August 21, 2005 11:41:00 PM
ME, MYSELF & IRENE (2000)
viewed on 23/8/05 (Tues)
Did I lose my humour today? I find watching this movie a chore. I do find some parts funny but I find that I watched on frowning, not amused at all. Was it the dirty humour? The dildo. The sick scene of a beautiful white woman doing french-kissing a black midget. Poking fun at an albino man. A chicken's head in the ass?! (You heard me right) Or Renée Zellweger seems all too innocent and clean to be in a Farrelly brothers' movie? It feels like a JERRY MAGUIRE that goes all wrong and gross-out. I've got a feeling I am watching THE MASK too.
While the other Farrelly brothers' movies kind of have a sweet story, this romantic comedy goes really off tangent. I still prefer the goofily sweet THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, the sensitive SHALLOW HAL and the bittersweet and well-acted STUCK ON YOU. I am yet to see KINGPIN which I heard is not really a bad movie.
Rating: C
Tuesday, August 23, 2005 8:01:00 PM
MAN OF THE HOUSE (2005)
viewed on 29/8/05 (Mon)
The trailer looks promisingly hilarious. An uptight Texas Ranger has to babysit five cheerleaders who witness an assissination.
Starring Oscar-winner Tommy Lee Jones but the show is stolen under his nose by the cheerleaders. My favourite scene is them giving the ex-convicts hottie rating while screening photos of the usual suspects.
Tommy Lee Jones however is a killjoy in the movie. Yes, he has to play uptight and all serious but he constantly displays this tell-me-again-why-must-I-do-this-movie tiredness. His romance subplot fails miserably and poor Anne Archer's glamourous prescene is uncalled for.
I say give us more of the cheerleaders. And more of Cedric the Entertainer too whose short screen time promises more fun than seeing Tommy Lee Jones dozing through the film.
The comedy falls apart too without Tommy Lee Jones doing much. It has its fair share of laugh-out-loud moments but they come and go very fast. Other times, the humour is far from bringing down the house.
Rating: C
Saturday, September 03, 2005 9:26:00 PM
THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (2004)
viewed on 31/8/05 (Wed)
It is an offbeat comedy just like the director's previous films, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and RUSHMORE. I find RUSHMORE a drag and THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS overrated. Either the humour is way too subtle for me to appreciate or what.
I also do not know whether I am now more accustomed to Wes Anderson's style or his latest film is more approachable and funnier. I do not find myself hating this movie.
I think Bill Murray gives his best performance in this one. Owen Wilson surprises me too when he puts aside his trademark goofiness to play a rather serious role of a possible long lost son of Bill Murray's Steve Zissou.
The set production is awesome. They had this three-storey set which is a cross-section of a sea vessel and very much like a set in a threatre production. The camera will follow the characters as they move from one compartment to another. It is rather neat.
I like the costume design too. It goes well with the tone of the comedy. Very zany.
It has some sort of a plot but the turn of events rather unconventional. Sometimes, it is amusing and sometimes I just don't see what it is trying to convey. But when a character dies and a evasive legendary shark is spotted, giving an emotional closure within Steve Zissou, it is rather touching.
Rating: B-
Saturday, September 03, 2005 9:48:00 PM
THE FIREMEN’S BALL (Horí, má panenko) (1967)
viewed on 3/9/05 (Sat)
This is Milo Forman's first movie and already it has stirred up quite a bit of riot. For those who are not familiar with the director, he is a two-time Oscar winner for directing AMADEUS and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. The latter share some similarities with his first movie.
Because it satirises the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in 1968, it is banned permanently and forever. It was never meant to see the light of the day again. Then French director Francois Truffaut came to the rescue. He not only financed the film, after the investors were angry and pulled the plug, he also brought the film overseas. That was how the film gained instant popularity with the critics and it was even nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film category.
Frankly speaking, if I don't do some reading-up on the net or see the interview with Milos Forman, I will be scratching my head watching the movie. It seems to be going on about some of the most trivial things.
It makes more sense when I continued watching after expecting it to be a satire. Every happening at the ball is a mockery of the Communist system back in the 60s.
The pilfering of the prizes at the ball is a parody of the open secret that everyone in the country was stealing. There was even a saying, "One who doesn't steal, steal from the family".
Then there is this beauty contest that goes out of hand. When the contestants chicken out, the firemen simply grab any girl in sight to make up the number. Anyone. And all the fuss is to find someone to give a simple retirement gift to an ex-chief. Ironically, even the gift is stolen.
I bet a Czech citizen who lived through the 60s will understand and appreciate this satire better. If not, we can always see this as a satire on any pathetic management run by clueless morons. Hey, that does sound very familiar to me.
Rating: A-
Friday, September 09, 2005 9:04:00 PM
K-PAX (2001)
viewed on 4/9/05 (Sun)
K-PAX reminds me of CONTACT but of course, the latter is a far superior movie.
Kevin Spacey is endearing as a man who claims to be an alien and proves that he is indeed from another the titular planet.
There are also signs that the movie might as well be inspired by STARMAN, also starring Jeff Bridges.
I am not going to give away anything. It has a twist in the end, although it is not as satisfying and smart as THE USUAL SUSPECTS, also starring Kevin Spacey. Rather affecting no less. To an extent, I may forgive some loopholes which can be as big as the black holes.
Rating: B-
Friday, September 09, 2005 9:13:00 PM
DONNIE DARKO (2001)
viewed on 4/9/05 (Sun)
Don't try to explain the movie.
Uncle Ebert hates the movie initially after watching it for the first time. Then he saw the director's cut and he likes the style of the storytelling better than the ending.
Indeed, the ending sucks big time. I recall the same sentiment when I read a student's essay and the concluding paragraph is it is all but a dream. Ooppsss.... that is not exactly what happens in the movie but something like that. You may feel cheated after sitting through the whole movie.
As for me, by then, I was so drawn in the story, I somehow forgive the head-scratching coda. Sometimes, the style does win over the substance. Marginally, in this case. Plus Drew Barrymore is really good in this one.
Rating: C+
Friday, September 09, 2005 9:20:00 PM
TURN LEFT, TURN RIGHT (2003)
viewed on 5/9/05 (Mon)
In a romantic comedy, coincidences are sporadic. If the romantic leads are meant for each other, and as if fate would have it, they will meet again and again.
But in this Hong Kong romantic comedy, based on an illustrated novel by Jimmy Liao, is packed wall to wall with coincidences. Pun intended. Oh, the leads don't share alot of screen time together. Hong Kong's answer to SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.
You have to suspend any relation to reality when you want to enjoy this movie. It is really a very fluffy fairy-tale for grownups. I smile throughout the movie. Something rather rare for me to do.
I like the innocent simplicity of the movie. The movie can most definitely be made into another hopelessly hopeful romantic comedy. But, I got a feeling the directors want to keep it very guileless, much like the style of Jimmy Liao's illustrated novel.
In a market chockful of formulaic romantic comedies, TURN LEFT TURN RIGHT comes as a breath of fresh air. Sometimes, less means more.
Rating: B+
Friday, September 09, 2005 9:47:00 PM
THE WEDDING DATE (2005)
viewed on 9/9/05 (Fri)
The biggest discovery while watching this DVD is not to know that Debra Messing is allergic to flowers or Dermot Mulroney rejects the offer to wear a modesty patch and indeed naked throughout that scene.
The biggest discovery is I fell in love instantly with one of the featured songs. I was so determined to find out the title and the singer that I sat through the end credits. I was also very determined to buy the singer's album. It is called "Home" and sung by Michael Buble. And guess what, I have the album all along! I bought it sometime back together with other albums but somehow always fail to have time with this album. What a pleasant surprise! I popped the CD into my hi-fi and played the song non-stop.
Oh. The movie? Very quickly before I go back to "Home".
Debra Messing looks like a cheaper alternative if they cannot get Jennifer Aniston to be in a romantic comedy.
Dermot Mulroney is inspiring. If only I have half the suaveness. He plays a hooker, a similar role which his co-star, Julia Roberts, in MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING plays in PRETTY WOMAN.
There is a twist in the end but it is really PRETTY WOMAN meets FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL.
Rating: C
Friday, September 09, 2005 10:06:00 PM
HOMERUN (2003)
viewed on 10/9/05 (Sat)
HOMERUN is a pleasant surprise. Many told me it is a good movie but I kind of brush off these praises as a gesutre of patriotism. When I finally see it for myself, I am impressed by Jack Neo. This is my second time watching his movie. My first is I NOT STUPID. I have to say, he is getting better, man. Better take him more seriously than a successful comedian. In the making of, he is well-respected by his actors. They are also very afraid of him because he can scold you on the set. There is a part that shows him shouting very fiercely at the children at the country race scene.
It is very clear that Jack Neo is a very sincere and serious filmmaker. It is not really his another shot at fame or putting on a hat too big for his own good. He learns and he grows.
Well, as usual, Jack will have something to say about this and that. This time round is the tense bilateral ties between us and Malaysia. When I first heard of that, I was not very pleased. If Jack has to remake CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, why must he always try to slip in his own personal political statements? I have to say. In this movie, he did it without compromising on the main story. It fits in rather well. Furthermore, he expresses a very hopeful opinion on the thorny issue.
For many people who have not seen the Irani movie, HOMERUN should move them to tears. For those who have seen it, don't be too skeptical about this movie. It remains loyal in the adaptation and adds in alot of local flavour to make it as good as it can be. Oh, by the way. There is no ambigious ending like the one in the original movie. In fact, I prefer Jack's ending. It is very meaningful.
Others may also be impressed by the Golden Horse award-winning child actress, Megan Zheng. But for me, my newfound gem is Jack Neo. It amuses me to say that. But Mr Neo, you earn yourself an admirer now.
Rating: B+
Saturday, September 10, 2005 1:18:00 AM
INITIAL D (2005)
viewed on 14/9/05 (Wed)
It is very obvious INITIAL D is a very ambitious demonstration that Chinese movies want to give its Hollywood counterparts a run of their money. Strangely, the rights of the Japanese comic are given to the Hong Kongers instead. I think the Japs will do a better job.
Its desire to please all crowds is also its downfall. The dubbing is horrendous! It seriously mars the viewing pleasure. It is said that INITIAL D is also supposedly made to break into the China market. I said, then spend some serious in brushing up the dubbing.
Though directed by INFERNAL AFFAIRS' Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, I am not expecting the same high standard of the movie. Still, I am pleasantly surprised by some of the nice touches in the story. Some lines from Anthony Wong’s character are rather thought-provoking and the heartbreaking coda to the romance subplot is rather affecting.
But the selling point of the movie is not all these. The car racing scenes would definitely make a Hollywood producer very jealous. I believe the movie adaptation captures the comic's adrenalin rush. In the interview, the makers are surprised that the impossible car stunts are actually possible in real life. It is indeed magical to see the cars thundering down the winding mountain roads.
The actors are also specially selected to maximise mass appeal, especially from the teenage girls. However, from the making-of, you will be surprised that it could be a mere coincidence. The comic characters' personalities and image somehow really fit Jay Chou, Shawn Yue, Edison Chen, Anthony Wong, Chapman To and Jordan Chan.
Do I think INITIAL D is a success? I think not so really. It is easily forgettable. I don’t even think fans of the dashing actors or the comic fans are impressed. But like I always like to tell my students. A good try anyway.
Rating: B-
Thursday, October 06, 2005 10:00:00 PM
GLITTER (2001)
Both INITIAL D and GLITTER have a very glaring similarity. Both star immensely popular singer having their first stint at acting. Both did a modest job. Both may not have a great story to tell. But GLITTER's rags-to-riches success story still plays on all the right notes.
Mariah Carey blows me away again in this movie. No. Not by her acting, even though she is not at all hopeless a thespian. Her powerful voice is enough to please all her fans who flock to see this movie.
I am not a fan of Mariah Carey but always her admirer. A few very radio-friendly songs prompted me to buy the soundtrack even before the movie arrived in town. When the movie finally arrived and received bad reviews, I dropped the idea of watching the movie. But I listen to the soundtrack many times. It is kind of weird when you hear the familiar songs in the movie and can finally attach some images to them.
I read from the trivia that Mariah Carey was the one who kept pushing for this vanity project of hers. While waiting for interested party to pick this up, which turned out to be quite a long wait, she wrote a few songs for the soundtrack already. Do I hate her for being so self-indulgent? Not really. Mariah Carey is really the star of the show. You should see her in the last scene when she finally meets her long estranged mother. My heart weeps with her.
Rating: B
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 8:29:00 PM
NATIONAL TREASURE (2004)
viewed on 16/9/05 (Fri)
I bet NATIONAL TREASURE brings out a lof the Indiana Jones in its audience.
It advocates the sheer thrill of adventure-hunting. We understand now that treasure-hunting is not about daydreaming of getting rich. It is about the cerebral challenges, a test of willpower and at one point, it is even all about retrieving lost civilisation and historical heritage.
NATIONAL TREASURE is not a short movie but I watched it from start to finish on a tired day. It pulls me into one intrigue into another. It is like picking up clues and going down the trail of the characters. I do not want to stop the movie. I want to know what the treasure is all about and whether it will be found in the end. It is not as simply as I put it. You have to watch it to really know how I felt.
The treasure-hunting spirit overflows to the DVD features too. After watching each featurette, there will be a number you have to remember. To see the secret featurette, you have to key in the numbers in sequence. Do I get to watch the secret featurette?
No, man. I didn't pay much attention to the numbers and I failed to key in the secret code! I tried to search for it on the internet and found none. I also tried my luck and keyed in any possible numbers but still failed. Gee... I have failed my first test as a treasure-hunter...
Rating: B+
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 8:44:00 PM
THE GENERAL (1998)
viewed on 18/9/05 (Sun)
Brendan Gleeson in an Oscar-worthy performance as the titular criminal. A criminal who steals from the rich but he is no ordinary petty thief. He enjoys stealing but he enjoys more to see how he can outwit the police and make them look like fools. He plots and schemes like a professor.
I mean he steals into the library to read up on law and finds loopholes in it to get away from the long arm of law. He understands that if a robbery victim is not in fear, it is not considered as a robbery and hence the crime is not established. The law doesn't state that explicitly but can be argued to be translated in that way. He is released.
In another heist, his gang attempts to steal from an art gallery. They set off the alarm on purpose, run to hide and secretly assess the security reinforcement. After that, they go back in to steal for real.
At this point, I almost forget to tell you that the movie is based on a true story. Martin Cahill is the name. And strange as it sounds, the real McCoy actually stole something from the director's home once. Haaa... imagine the wide grin on the old man.
In the end, Martin Cahill is brought down. Not by his mistakes but by his sheer bad luck.
There is an inspector, played by Jon Voight, who wants to nab The General but doesn't hate him. In an earlier scene when the news of him being killed, the police department cheer but he looks on as if he has lost someone great. Martin Cahill earns admiration from the way he steals. If he is to command an army, this General is bound to win many battles.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 9:26:00 PM
REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000)
viewed on 22/9/05 (Thurs)
Read somewhere on the Internet that this is a very good movie. Heard from two persons that they saw it and love it alot.
Another sports movie. Never into sports, let alone football. But given the recommendations, worth seeing for sure.
For one thing, REMEMBER THE TITANS doesn't shy away from the touchy racial issues. The characters bare all how to feel about the other race. Yes, the movie is based on actual events in 1971 when the racial tension was very high.
It is a perfect movie to teach kids about racial harmony, as one one of my friends rightly points out. Even more so when the story happens in a school football team.
Being a Disney-distributed movie, the movie score goals when it comes to aspiring to be an outstanding family entertainment.
From the trivia, the script actually called for many vulgarities but Walt Disney wanted all these out. By doing so, it also takes away its edge. Hardcore football fanatics will choose to watch ANY GIVEN SUNDAY instead.
I am always a firm believer that a movie can educate. REMEMBER THE TITANS is one good example.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 9:53:00 PM
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE (1999)
viewed on 1/10/05 (Sat)
This is an Emmy-winning telemovie. Based on the book of the same title. Heard so many good things about the book but never knew what it was all about.
TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE is chockfull of wonderful motivational quotes. Damn. Imdb has none of the great lines!?
Jack Lemmon puts in a good performance playing a dying patient. Many great actors play dying patients before and Jack Lemmon still shines. For movies like this one, there is bound to be a few scenes when the camera will zoom in on the face and we will expect to see tears. But the way Jack Lemmon does it is so ... how should I put it? ... simply very affecting. He makes these tired old storytelling techniques pull at your heartstring again.
It is a small movie which is not at all preachy and yet not as clichéd as we expect from an ordinary life-affirmer. Not many of that succeed really in affirming our lives but this one does. Watch this on a day when you are feeling down, it can be very therapeutic.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:09:00 PM
BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD (2002)
viewed on 6/10/05 (Thurs)
Living up to the title, it is indeed a movie assembling all the success formulae of movies from both film industries.
The song-and-dance numbers are definitely a tribute to all Bollywood musicals. In one scene, there are even ang mohs as backup dancers.
The comedy is a rip-off of a very successful Hollywood romantic comedy, PRETTY WOMAN. The last scene when the male lead climbs on top of the car to give flowers to the female lead at the balcony is similar to the one in PRETTY WOMAN. At certain points, the movie seems like a nod to other movies like THE WEDDING BANQUET and THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT.
A copycat or a tribute? I will not say it is a copycat because by then, this romantic comedy has won my heart. It is funny and witty. It still gets to me even though I can recognise all the clichés. I think the language does alot of wonder.
It is like listening to an Indian teacher telling you a familiar story all over again. It can be very refreshing.
Rating: B
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:27:00 PM
HOW TO MAKE AN AMERICAN QUILT (1995)
viewed on 8/10/05 (Sat)
Like the love quilt at the central of the story, the movie is segmented into a few stories told by the quilt makers. It moves from one story to another, much like moving from a patch to another on a quilt. It is a movie built on the idea of observing a story quilt and true enough there is really one in the movie.
Funnily, when you see Winona Ryder's character alone with one of the ladies, you know there will be flashbacks of how each of them finds the one true love of their lives. All of their stories touching but nothing close to being heartbreaking.
For a better similar movie, I will recommend THE JOY LUCK CLUB.
The cast is unusually impressive. Among them, there are five Oscar nominees and two wins.
I can see this is a very good movie for all mothers and daughters. And in that respect, I recommend DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD too.
Rating: B
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:42:00 PM
40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS (2002)
viewed on 14/10/05 (Fri)
I watched this before catching THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN in the cinema.
Both movies have the climax built around whether the main character is going to have sex.
40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS may seem to be a comedy wanting to run on the success of AMERICAN PIE. But this comedy comes with a heart too.
Heartthrob Josh Hartnett surprisingly gives a very heartfelt performance as a broken-hearted dude who gives up sex for 40 days to get over his ex-girlfriend. At the meantime, he has to put up with teasing, discouragement from his absolutely unsupportive flatmate, seduction from his female colleagues and his feelings for a new girl.
His love interest played by Shannyn Sossamon is a knocker. Her husky voice, tough sweetness and aplomb do not reduce her character to just another sexpot. At a closer look, she looks like Angelina Jolie.
Though the DVD is coded region-3, which means it is supposed to be censored, there are scenes of bare breasts and lesbians kissing. So grateful it is not censored. Not that I am sex-hungry but an uncensored movie is always a plus point.
Talking about censorship, it could be my first time watching a woman reaches orgasm in a way that is not at all suggestive and lewd but sweetly erotic. Josh Hartnett blows petals over the upheaving torso of Shannyn Sossamon. What a way to have sex without touching at all!
I expected the movie to be another gross-out sex comedy but it surprises me that above all the audacious sex jokes, it tells a very nice love story with sex as the central theme. I really admire how love stories can be written in this way.
By the way, the movie boasts a very radio-friendly soundtrack.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:12:00 PM
PHENOMENON (1996)
viewed on 15/10/05 (Sat)
Loved THE KID which is directed by the same director. Heard good things about this movie. I missed it when it was screened in Singapore many years ago. Still remember it was showing at THE PICTUREHOUSE.
If you ask me which is the worst John Travolta movie, I will name this one.
He is totally not likeable. He is supposed to play a gullible man-child but he is playing the character like a spoilt smart-aleck brat. His I-dunno-why-I-am-so-smart puppy looks do not evoke any sympathy. In layman terms, he is acting cute.
Much of the film's failure attributes to his bad performance. It doesn't help that the twist is as gullible as the main character. It is totally way off the tangent of logic.
One saving grace. Kyra Sedgwick's moving performance.
Rating: C
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:23:00 PM
SCENES FROM A MALL (1991)
viewed on 16/10/05 (Sun)
The usual hilarious performances from Woody Allen and Bette Midler are totally muted in this film.
What a waste. Imagine two of the greatest comedians pairing up.
SCENES FROM A MALL never sets out to be just a comedy. It wants to be a reflective study on the ups and downs of a couple married for 16 years.
Bette Midler and Woody Allen are famous for sprouting side-splitting one-liners one after another in their movies. In this one, they talk alot too. Still, the so-called comedy falls flat. In fact, the whole movie is about them yakking away. There are no supporting roles at all.
They quarrel and patch up and quarrel and patch up. Hey, I know it happens in real life but it actually becomes like a clockwork routine in this movie.
Do I blame my two idols? No, of course. They are restrained by a director who doesn't seem to know why his stars are so huge and funny in the first place.
Rating: D
Monday, October 24, 2005 6:58:00 PM
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2004)
viewed on 19/10/04 (Wed)
Found the director's name very familiar. Is it that the same guy who directed the very violent but very funny comedy VERY BAD THINGS? Yup. Checked and positive.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS plays out like a docudrama which means the camera is always restless. Sometimes such camerawork may put the viewers off but here it not only brings out the documentary feel but the adrenaline rush. In many moments, it even feels like a soft rock MTV.
Though Billy Bob Thornton is the only major star, the young cast provides very solid performances. They are not the regular air-headed football jocks.
I am not a sports fan and I know nothing about football. I have seen many sports movies and they always have this greatest-game-ever-played coda. Formulaic but never seems to fail to make me glue to the screen.
There is no victory for the protagonists even though they put up a very good fight. That is very unusual for sports movies but I like that. Why must sports movies always end with a victory?
I like FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS for that. It is not your typical sports movie. It reminds me so much of ANY GIVEN SUNDAY but sans the feverish pacing and over-the-top acting.
Rating: B+
Monday, October 24, 2005 6:58:00 PM
BIG BUSINESS (1988)
viewed on 20/10/05 (Thurs)
When I was in Secondary Three, our Geography teacher, Ms Alice Tan, organised an night tour for us. It was a very exciting night. I could still it was a Saturday night. We met in the school at 8 pm and boarded the school bus to visit various places all the way until dawn. One of the programmes was a show at the old Orchard or Cathay cinema. It was a midnight show and the ta-ta it was BIG BUSINESS. As I was too sleepy, I could not remember much of what I saw, except the beginning and ending of it. This movie will always bring me back to one of the memorable nights in my life.
Back to business, so to speak. BIG BUSINESS is one fine comedy. I mean we have seen many comedies about mistaken identities but BIG BUSINESS has to be one of the best. You may be too busy laughing to realise that the script is actually very very meticulously written.
Yes, comedies like this one require us to suspend our belief and believe that coincidences can come one after another, at precise timings. But BIG BUSINESS, is a notch superior than them all. The characters run into each other with a convincing reason. The whole show is practically all about the wrong people meeting the wrong people over and over again. The barrels of laughter just keep rolling rolling rolling.
Not only that, imagine the challenge of the script writer and the director when two pairs of twins with four different personalities are to bang together in the coda. The special effects is awesome. And once again, you will be busy laughing to realise that there are a few scenes when you see doubles of Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin! Talking at the same time and reacting and having a tussle. That was the late 80s. Even by today's standard, it is one hell of visuals feats.
Bette and Midler and Lily Tomlin are the greatest comediennes of all time. Their acting is not slapstick and over-the-top. Their four personalities are very different and yet they do not overact. There are no special effects and makeup to make the transformations more distinct.
Comedies such as this are hard to come by in our time. If I were to be a Hollywood producer, I would like to update and remake BIG BUSINESS.
Rating: B+
Monday, October 24, 2005 6:59:00 PM
HIDE AND SEEK (2005)
viewed on 21/10/05 (Fri)
It is very obvious the movie belongs to Dakota Fanning. Mark my words. She is going to be an Oscar winner someday. Could be even in the near future, given such a brilliant performance at such a young age.
Yes. She plays yet another troubled kid who is suspected of hallucinating things. THE SIXTH SENSE comes to mind. But. Dakota is far superior compared to Haley Joel Osment. She makes him look like a crybaby. Dakota's Emily is tough. Her steely stares and subtle changes in her facial expressions show so much emotional depth. It feels like Meryl Streep is acting underneath.
The twist in the story reminds me so much of another Korean pyschological thriller. Can't tell you which one lest the fun is spoilt. I find the twist ridiculous until the final final shot. I am surprised how that shot can solve many of the doubts I have. Nah. I am not saying that I am impressed by the story. Still find the twist a bit too far-fetched. Shocking but not smart.
In the DVD, there are three more alternate endings, all implying the same thing but I have to say they make a very wise choice is choosing the one we all see in the final cut.
For a rather small movie, it is surprisingly star-studded. The cast has three Oscar alumni. Plus Dylan Baker and Famke Janssen, whose performances are consistently commendable. All of them did their jobs just fine. But as I said, Dakota single-handedly thumb all them down.
Rating: C
Monday, October 24, 2005 10:07:00 PM
CHARLIE'S ANGELS (2000)
viewed on 23/10/05 (Sun)
I can still remember I was so wowed by the trailer of CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE that I caught the show even though I did not see CHARLIE'S ANGELS.
There are many things I am really impressed. The very cool slo-mo action sequences, the wardrobe of the angels, the non-stop adrenalin rush, the jokes, the angels' kick-ass attitude, high kicks and girlish smiles.
I remembered I was telling Alan, my movie companion, after the show that I love it but he nonchalantly said it was the same as part one. Wow. That means I have to see CHARLIE ANGELS.
They are many more action movies with hot sexy babes who do not kick ass. Charlie's do! And I am looking forward to see the trio again in the third instalment. And who should follow the footsteps of Kelly Lynch and Demi Moore? May I recommend Madonna?
Rating: B+ (same as CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE)
Monday, October 24, 2005 10:08:00 PM
GODSEND (2004)
viewed 24/10/05 (Mon)
Think one film critic says this movie is god-awful. Hee... I would say the same.
It is a copycat of OMEN. The suspense is built up 'decently' until it runs out of steam and everything falls apart. It feels like the writer was forced to write anything when he was having a writer's block. Like I always like to say. My students can write a better ending than this.
The ending! Ha! Uncle Roger mentions in his review that he was told that there were 7 alternate endings! I saw four of them in the DVD. Trust me, none of them works! Ironically, the director said in one of the alternate endings that it felt ludicrous. Haaa... so much about knowing oneself.
I have nothing much to say about the actors here, besides that I feel sorry for them and they should fire their agents.
Rating: D-
Monday, October 24, 2005 11:12:00 PM
THE LAST OF THE BLONDE BOMBSHELLS (2000)
viewed on 28/10/05
Olympia Dukakis, Ian Holm and Dame Judi Dench. All Oscar nominees and not to mentioned that Dame Judi Dench is a winner for a six-minute performance in SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. What a cast. When I saw them on the DVD cover, I decided to rent it to have a look. With three acting veterans starring alongside, it must be a treat. Plus, I have never seen Judi Dench smiles so widely before. Indeed, she smiles and laughs an awful lot in this movie.
But alas, it is turns out not to be half as good as I expected. I do not blame the veterans. The dialogue reeks of smart-alecky wit.
The telemovie reminds me of STILL CRAZY and STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN. All three are about aged musicians coming together for a final gig to relive their glorious days. But in this one, the final gig is at a school dance for ... small children!?
I have nothing against small children but isn't it a funny choice of audience? It looks odd to see a bunch of, what looks like, eight-year-olds listening to the jazzy blues as if they appreciate the music.
In a movie reminiscing the past, it is surprising to realise that the flashbacks are so few. The actresses, playing the characters in their youth, look so yummy and yet they are not given enough screen time. Talking about screen time, Olympia Dukakis doesn't appear until the last thirty minutes of the movie. Strange.
It goes on to show THE LAST OF THE BLONDE BOMBSHELLS is as clueless as a blonde in terms of stretching its bestowed assets.
Rating: C
Saturday, October 29, 2005 11:44:00 AM
101 DALMATIANS (1996) and 102 DALMATIANS (2000)
viewed on 29/10/05 (Sat) and 30/10/05 (Sun) respectively
It is very clear that the two movies belong to nothing else except Glenn Close and her Cruella's wardrobe. Not even the many many dogs can upstage her at anytime and this comes from a point of view of a dog-lover.
I got a feeling that only Glenn Close and the costume designer are the only ones who really contribute to the two very serviceable comedies. Yes. I agree the animal trainers did a wonderful job but the animals are made to be overbearingly cutesy. Where is their natural cuteness?
In 101 DALMATIANS, all the good lines come from Cruella De Vil. I mean her lines are the best while the rest of the lines seem to be written by another person altogether. Unfunny and clichéd. Oh, I almost forget to mention that I kind of like the character, Mr Skinner. He is a man who skins animals for their fur because he lost his voice when he was small in a dog attack and hence a big scar on his throat. An interesting villian but he is reduced to doing slapstick antics only.
In 102, the best lines go to the talking parrot. Quite a cute touch. A parrot who thinks he is a dog. Inspiration from BABE? And also taking centrestage is a dalmatian with no spots.
All in all, nothing can really save these two lacklustre comedies. Some may argue that 101 is a better movie than 102. Yes, I do agree. Like I said before, when it comes to this genre, Chris Columbus is a better person.
I bet when you mention the Dalmatians movies, all they can remember is Cruella De Vil and her wardrobe. In both the movies, Glenn Close gamely goes on a torture spree with mud, manure, flour, dough etc. What a sporting bitch.
Rating: C- (101) and D+ (102)
Sunday, October 30, 2005 8:41:00 PM
I agree both these movies suck.
Monday, October 31, 2005 12:06:00 PM
GUESS WHO (2005)
viewed on 30/10/05 (Sun)
From the title, it is no secret that this comedy gets its inspiration from the classic, GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967). This movie updates the emotional and domestic conflicts in a racially mixed relationship. There is a poignant scene when the black girlfriend pours out to her father how some people display to her and her white boyfriend unwelcomed disapproval.
Unlike the former, this, being a comedy, doesn't go heavy on the dramatics. It conjures up very funny situations based on racial stereotypes. When the girlfriend's sister sees a white man in the house, she asks if he is here to audit the house. There is also a very hilarious dinner scene when the white boyfriend is challenged by the future father-in-law to tell racist jokes at the table!
Frankly speaking, to say GUESS WHO is an update of the classic is not quite fair too. GUESS WHO has more to tell. It is also about trust and compromising differences in a relationship, married or not, racially mixed or not. That is what I like about GUESS WHO. It makes me laugh hard and yet it surprises me with a few nice touches.
Oh. Just a trivia to share. Remember the part the father sleeps with his daughter's boyfriend so that he will not have any hanky panky with her? In the interview with the director, he reveals that Bernie Mac did just that when his daughter brought back home her boyfriend!
Rating: B+
Tuesday, November 01, 2005 9:43:00 PM
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE (2005)
viewed on 30/10/05 (Sun)
Entertainment Weekly gives this movie a B+. For a reputable magazine that is always very stingy with good grades, I am very curious to know how another movie about a kid and a dog can win them over.
While watching the movie, I got a strong feeling that the material must have come from a children's book. I am right. In the making-of featurette, it is indeed based on a children's book. The director also says that he takes great pains to look for a girl and a dog that resemble the ones illustrated on the book cover.
Now, how do I guess it is based on children's book? It contains some magical elements which can only be found in a children's book. There is a blind so-called witch named Gloria Dump and her tree tied with many glass bottles, each representing a mistake she made in her life. There is a story about a bear who runs away with a book on an uninvited trip to the town library. There is also a can of candies going around which will let you have a taste your deepest sorrow in your mouth! Above all, the centre of the story is merely about a lonely girl looking for friends in her new neighbourhood while coping with the loss of her mother and the denial of her father to share any information on her.
Then of course, there is a dog who comes into her life and changes everything. Hence the title. Surprisingly, the dog (named after a supermarket) is not the main focus of the story. It is the girl; and the dog has more like a supporting role to bring the story together. We are not 'forced' to see how cute the dog is and how sensible it can be. Think 101 DALMATIANS.
Nothing feels forced in this movie even though it follows a formulaic story arc. What impresses me? Its simplicity. The spirit of a friendly small town fellowship. The charming imagination and bittersweetness of a typical coming-of-age children's book. Not forgetting the tranquilness of the soundtrack.
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE reminds me of one of those wholesome children movies which you may still find them showing in the quiet afternoons. Nothing over-the-top. As warm and calming as a hot cup of afternoon tea with cookies.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, November 01, 2005 10:15:00 PM
CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (2004)
viewed on 1/11/05 (Tues)
I don't get it!
Your daughter is not home celebrating Christmas with you and you plan not to celebrate Christmas?
You go to an extent even to refuse to decorate your house? To reject the Christmas carollers? To refuse to buy any festive food? To not even saying "Merry Christmas"?
And...
the neighbours have to force you to decorate? Write about your plans not to celebrate Christmas in the papers? Made prank calls to you? Put up a picket at your lawn to pressurise you to "free Frosty". Apparently, it is a snow man decoration that every household has.
I am not done.
Then the daughter is coming home for Christmas afterall so the whole town comes together to put up a dinner party in the last minute. They also have to make sure she doesn't know about her parents' initial decision to skip Christmas. They also have to send two policemen to escort her from the airport and stall time when the party is not ready.
And they are willingly to help out because the daughter is so nice and she used to babysit all the children in the neighbourhood?
What kind of crappy story is this?
More surprisingly is somebody actually wrote the novel and someone is stupid enough to make it into a movie. Even more surprisingly is John Grishman, the man who wrote THE FIRM, THE PELICAN BRIEF etc, wrote the novel!
Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis are fantastic comedians and I will enjoy the comedy better if all the above questions can be answered.
Before that, I have to say this is one creepy freakish town!
Rating: D
Wednesday, November 02, 2005 11:06:00 PM
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
viewed on 2/11/05 (Wed)
It is said the Mr Alfred Hitchcock has four masterpieces. PYSCHO, REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO and NORTH BY NORTHWEST. I have seen all four now. My favourite is REAR WINDOW. PYSCHO is disturbing. VERTIGO is still fine with me but this one has to be the worst of the four.
I am shocked to realise the cat is out of the bag about 30 minutes into the movie! From that moment on, the suspense is all gone and what we are left with is a series of cat and mouse games. At one point, it even reminds me vaguely of BASIC INSTINCT.
Cary Grant is annoying to watch. For a man on the run, it is totally weird to see him to have the mood to be cheeky and the time to flirt with a blonde. And weirdest thing is, for a man whose photo is splashed on the front page and wanted for a murder, he can still run around in the city without fearing that he will be noticed. There are a few other goofs in the story too. I mean really glaring goofs. For a suspense master, this is unforgivable!
Sure, sure. There are two classic sequences. Cary Grant fleeing from a cropdusting airplane and the chase across the faces of Mount Rushmore. They are really nothing memorable.
Am I expecting too much from a Hitchcock movie? Maybe, but at the very least, it is too straightforward for a Hitchcock movie.
Rating: C
Thursday, November 03, 2005 12:10:00 AM
HAMLET (2000)
viewed on 5/11/05 (Sat)
I have not read "Hamlet" but I am positive anyone can see that in this film, by modernizing it is a true-blue bastardisation of the great literary work. It takes a long while to adjust to the Shakespearean language spoken in modern settings. They might as well speak French.
Well, Baz Luhrmann did it with "ROMEO + JULIET" and gets away with it. So did RICHARD III, remade in 1995 and starring Sir Ian McKellen. HAMLET is the bad scenario when tampering with the material with lesser dexterity.
The lines are uttered clumsily by the actors. Are they less competent? As much as I like the actors, the lines come out so mouthful and void of emotions. And pardon me, at some point, I even think Shakespearean language is too much on the heavy side and did this guy also said, "Brevity is the soul of wit"?
The adaptation is clumsy. How can I tell? I do not get this feeling when I watch ROMEO + JULIET and RICHARD III ('95). One more oddity. The modern gadgets like the cellphones, fax machine and handycam turn out to be very out-of-place ploy devices.
I always like mass tragdies and HAMLET is one class example of the genre. The ending is indeed powerful and herein lies the storytelling prowess of William Shakespeare. But by then, I have pronounced the movie adaptation poisoned and dead.
Rating: C-
Monday, November 07, 2005 11:22:00 AM
ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
viewed on 6/11/05 (Sun)
"Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night" This line by Bette Davis' character is one of the all-time famous movie quotes. And yes, indeed it is a bumpy ride.
I am always very afraid of talky classic but my fear is unfounded. The melodramatic twists and turns glue me to the screen. One big credit has to go to the great lines too. It must be a dream for any actor to read them.
For those who have not seen this movie, I will keep mum about the development of the characters. There is a surprise in the second half. Not that you will never guess it but what brilliant performances, all of them, that really blow you away harder than the turns of events.
I always have this idea that Bette Davis is the titular character. She plays an aging stage actress and when she accepts to play the role, Bette Davis was an aging movie actress whose career had seen better days already. It could be mainly the reason why her performance is pitch-perfect. Oscar should go to her that year if not because of Anne Baxter who plays Eve. Still an up-and-comer back then, she successfully persuaded the powers to be nominated in the Best Actress category, instead of the Best Supporting Actress one. If you asked me, I think both should run for Best Actress since they share almost the same screen time. Unfortunately, neither of them won anything and rumor had it that their chances cancelled out each other when running in the same category. Talking about life imitating art and art imitating life. This movie has to be a classic example.
The movie itself is also a mirror image of Hollywood itself, where divas and dirty politics rule the day. It still is, after half a century. Just a footnote, before TITANIC, this movie is the only movie that holds the record of the most number of nominations. A whooping 14 nominations.
Rating: A
Tuesday, November 08, 2005 12:03:00 AM
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
viewed on 7/11/05 (Mon)
It may take me an eternity to figure out why this movie managed to clinch 13 Oscar nominations, winning Best Picture, Director and Screenplay etc.
It is better entitled "The Idle Life Before the Attack on Pearl Harbour". Strangely, the attack has only about five minutes of appearance. Before that, you get to know all about a new recruit being bullied into agreeing to take part in a boxing championship. You'll get to see him romancing a dance hostess. You also get to know about the illict affair between his sergeant and his superior's wife. Their love scene at the beach goes down as one of the greatest romantic moments in film history. Not forgetting you'll get to witness Frank Sinatra's Oscar-winning performance as a hot-headed soldier. A piece of trivia about Mr Sinatra; his career was going down at that time and he had to literally beg for the role. Good thing he won an Oscar.
I hope I am wrong but FROM HERE TO ETERNITY will be in my list of forgettable classics.
Rating: C
Wednesday, November 09, 2005 12:37:00 AM
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
viewed on 9/11/05 (Wed)
Before THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, this is the only movie that swept all five major Oscars - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Screenplay.
Now this is not a big Hollywood picture. It is a small romantic road comedy. The couple is easily likeable and their chemistry is great. The lines are wonderfully written, absolutely rich with wit. The love story has to be one of the best romance told on the screen. I am sure it inspires many other romantic comedies.
Talking about the classics is never really quite complete if you leave out the trivia.
It is hard to imagine that Claudette Colbert who plays the female lead complained every day on the set and even exclaimed that it was her worst movie ever made. Well, what an irony when she won an Oscar that year!
There are two memorable scenes. One is Clark Gable's character bragging about three foolproof ways to hitch a hike with a thumb. When he fails repeatedly, Claudette Colbert does it just by showing her leg. Another one is Clark Gable's removing his shirt and not wearing an undershirt. This scene prompted a trend of not wearing the undershirt.
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT. I feel obliged to tell you what happened that night. Nothing much. "It" refers to a night's sleep in the arms of the leading man, on the bus. From then on, the love grows between the two quarrelsome strangers.
Oh, leave you with another trivia. This movie was made in just four short weeks. For a Best Picture, I guess it happened only to one movie. (What a lame pun...)
Rating: A-
Wednesday, November 09, 2005 1:07:00 AM
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