Videodrome - Season Five
Previously in the Season Four of Videodrome, the more memorable movies are ...
4 Little Girls (1997); Divorce American Style (1967) And Divorce Italian Style (Divorzio All'italiana) (1961); The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (2005); The China Syndrome (1979); Control Room (2004); The Bad And The Beautiful (1952); 12 Angry Men (1957); Rope (1948); The King Of Comedy (1983); Birdman Of Alcatraz (1962); All The King’s Men (1949); Capturing The Friedmans; The Deer Hunter (1978); Roman Holiday (1953); Mississippi Burning (1988); The Phantom Of The Opera (2004); Somewhere In Time (1980); The Champ (1931); The Body (2001); 老莫的第二个春天 (1984); The Sound Of Music (1965); "The American Experience"The Battle Over Citizen Kane (1996); 家在台北 (1970); 父子关系 (1986); One Day In September (1999)
Screening on Thursday, October 19, 2006
91 Comments:
SLEUTH (1972)
viewed on 2/12/06 (Sat)
The first hour of the movie was only interlude to a thicker plot. It is so talky that it can put me to sleep. Alan Bates was offered a part but when he was brought to see the play. He thought his character was killed off after the first hour and turned down the role.
Well, there are only two actors in the entire movie. If one is killed off then what happens to the other actor in the rest of the 138-minute long film?
Ah, as they say, the plot thickens. To reveal more is to spoil the fun. SLEUTH was mentioned when I was reading a review of THE PRESTIGE. Coincidentally, SLEUTH was also mentioned in the making-of documentary of CLEOPATRA, which I just saw very recently.
Besides being a great psychodrama with a clever twist, SLEUTH also says something about class differences.
SLEUTH would have intrigued Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock. In the interview with the writer, Anthony Shaffer, Agatha Christie requested to see the play after hearing about it.
In Anthony Shaffer's interview, Michael Caine was reported to be overwhelmed with fear before working with the great Laurence Olivier. There was an incident when Michael Caine innocently offended Laurence Olivier by praising Leslie Howard.
A check at imdb.com reveals that Kenneth Branagh is directing a remake. This time round, Michael Caine will play Laurence Olivier's character in the original movie and Jude Law will play Caine's. What a brilliant arrangement.
Rating: B+
Sunday, December 03, 2006 12:13:00 AM
GEORGE WASHINGTON (2000)
viewed on 3/12/06 (Sun)
Nope. It is not a biopic of America's first president. The director named his debut feature because the name reminds him the age of innocence when in school, he has to know this great man before learning his ABC.
The movie is about innocence lost. But told in a very unconventional way. While watching this, STAND BY ME comes to my mind. There is a dead body involved. Then there is a subplot a character saves the life of a boy and goes on a mission to save the world ... by directing traffic.
GEORGE WASHINGTON is full of such quirkly subplots. You can call it a style but I prefer to call it 'haphazard story-telling', something that never goes down well on me. WONG KAR WAI's movies quickly come to mind. Never the story, it is the mood that matters. Argh...
Rating: D
Sunday, December 03, 2006 11:28:00 PM
THE PERFECT CATCH (2005)
Viewed on 5/12/06 (Tues)
When the movie was released in the theatres, I wasn't keen to see this at all but the reviews had been rather positive. I mean I like the Farrelly brothers' SHALLOW HAL but STUCK ON YOU was kind of losing the trademark ultra-goofy touch.
Also, this is a remake of FEVER PITCH, a British movie I watch several years back. Cannot recall much about the movie but I remembered hating it.
THE PERFECT CATCH, or otherwise known as FEVER PITCH in the States, is definitely one of those few remakes that surpasses the original.
Yes. I have heard of the romance storyline but the movie really takes me by surprise by sharing really some truths about life.
How far one will go for your loved ones for the love of your life, like baseball and ... your work? Sounds corny already? This movie makes you think over those the question again.
Romance movies are hardly my cup of tea but there are a few scenes are really touching. My favourite scene is Drew Barrymore running across the field to stop her boyfriend from selling the season tickets away so as to win her back.
THE PERFECT CATCH is thoroughly enjoyable and absolutely hilarious. Not small help from Jimmy Fallon though. Give him time, he is going to join the ranks of Tom Hanks.
This has to be my second favourite movie by the Faralley brothers. My first will also be the oh-so-sweet SHALLOW HAL.
Rating: A-
Monday, February 05, 2007 9:49:00 PM
PAPER MOON (1973)
Viewed on 22/12/06 (Fri)
A very young Tatum O'Neal, at the age of 10, remains the youngest Oscar recipient. Her acting is as mature as her older co-stars. Plus she is really lovable without being too cutesy.
At the heart of the road movie is a very bittersweet coming-of-age story about a conman and his petite partner in crime. The ending is very moving. Watch out for the last line.
There are many such tearjerkers about an adult and a small kid, like KRAMER VS. KRAMER, KOYLA, THE BICYLCE THIEF and the recent AFTER THIS OUR EXILE. PAPER MOON is easily one of the best.
Rating: B+
Monday, February 05, 2007 9:58:00 PM
ANOTHER COUNTRY (1984)
Viewed on 25/12/06 (Mon)
Utterly shocked to see such a controversial movie in the public Esplanade library. The back of the DVD shows a young man resting in the arms of a very young-looking Rupert Everett. Then the word "homosexuality" in the synopsis.
Being a fan of controversial fan, I need to borrow this.
Nah. A lot of politics talk and a couple of homoerotic scenes. That is all.
Half the time, I am not making sense of what I am watching. Too 'cheam'. Or too boring.
Rating: D
Monday, February 05, 2007 10:03:00 PM
ANOTHER COUNTRY (1984)
Viewed on 25/12/06 (Mon)
Utterly shocked to see such a controversial movie in the public Esplanade library. The back of the DVD shows a young man resting in the arms of a very young-looking Rupert Everett. Then the word "homosexuality" in the synopsis.
Being a fan of controversial fan, I need to borrow this.
Nah. A lot of politics talk and a couple of homoerotic scenes. That is all.
Half the time, I am not making sense of what I am watching. Too 'cheam'. Or too boring.
Rating: D
Monday, February 05, 2007 10:03:00 PM
新警察故事
Viewed on 26/12/06 (Tues)
I had this conclusion to make after watching NEW POLICE STORY. Hong Kong has abundance of terrific actors but a terrible shortage of good directors and scripwriters to match up with their talents.
I would never expect myself to say this but I have to admit that I believe Jackie Chan deserves an acting award for his heartwrenching performance in this one. He has already established himself as an action star but he has to yet to let more audience see his tender sensitive side. NEW POLICE STORY is one good example.
Daniel Wu has the looks of a dashing leading man and he definitely is a hardworking actor too. He has improved tremendously in this one. Watch his last scene on the rooftop.
NEW POLICE STORY has lots of action not to disappoint Jackie Chan's followers and more surprisingly it has the audience feeling for his character.
Sometimes, I really hope good Hong Kong actors deserve a shot at international movie arena. Maybe be invited to make a movie or two in Hollywood. With more Asian people being recognised at the Oscars, Hong Kong actors deserve their own breakout too. It is a pity they have to work with sub-standard directors and scripwriters.
Sadly, for Jackie Chan, it seems like after NEW POLICE STORY, he has no such promising offering anymore. THE MYTH has bad reviews. ROB-B-HOOD comes and goes without much hoo-ha. Oh, he is lending his voice in an animated movie called KUNG FU PANDA. But another comedy?
I would to love to see one day Jackie Chan being more recognised as a serious drama actor. He can. He definitely can.
Rating: B
Monday, February 05, 2007 10:20:00 PM
SKY HIGH (2005)
viewed on 6/1/07 (Sat)
Heard a couple of good reviews about this being a great family entertainment movie. It is great fun watching this.
Showed this to my new form class on the first day of school. They love it too. A lot of funny gags, heartstopping action, lame humour, poking fun at superheroes and a message. That is do not look down on others because anyone can save the day. It doesn't necessarily take a superhero to do that.
My new form class is a Normal (Academic) class. They love the message. I asked them, "Do you want to be sidekick in a superhero or a superhero in a sidekick?" Hee... I have digressed.
SKY HIGH may not be as well-made and original. It feels very much an X-MEN movie for juniors. However, it is very entertaining, as what they say. For me, I am just very grateful that I found this in Esplanade library and show it to my new form class on the first day of school. Definitely a very appropriate movie.
Rating: B-
Monday, February 05, 2007 10:28:00 PM
THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE (2004)
viewed on 6/1/07 (Sat)
Have not seen a single episode of Spongebob Sqaurepants but I do hear something like Spongebob Squarepants and his starfish are gay icons. How strange. For a cartoon.
There is nothing gay about them in this full-length animation of the yellow sponge and his starfish friend.
In fact, the story is rather heartwarming. Definitely a good choice if you want to show toddlers a "message movie" about what truly friends are for. I am a bit embarrassed to say that the part when Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick star (name of the starfish friend) are about to die together is rather moving.
The lame humour is meant for the toddlers. Adults should not be too quick to be critical. The fighting sequence on David 's back is very silly but darn hilarious.
The DVD also comes with a short "documentary" on the amazing world of starfish. Wow. Even I am amazed that starfish can come in so many forms. Definitely another plus point to show this DVD to kids.
When the movie was released, reviews of it were rather positive. That really aroused my interest in this movie. Indeed, it is not another lame stupid animation. Okay. Let's face it. It IS lame and stupid BUT thoroughly enjoyable (my niece watched this twice) and (hee hee) I am sure I do not mind having a friend like Spongebob Squarepants.
Rating: B+
Thursday, February 08, 2007 10:34:00 PM
BUGSY (1991)
viewed on 12/1/07 (Fri)
I do not have a good impression of this movie even though I have not seen it. Years ago, BUGSY was the movie with the most number of Oscar nominations. That year, the sleeper hit SILENCE OF THE LAMBS took home the most number of the Oscars instead.
BUGSY looks like a fancy star vehicle for Warren Beatty. Don't ask me but I just do not like Warren Beatty.
BUGSY changes all that.
True. Warren Beatty looks fabulous and he is aptly casted as Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel, the man who single-handedly created Las Vegas with a hotel called THE FLAMINGO.
Bugsy (he hates his nickname a lot) has this vision of transforming a desert into a casino paradise where gambling and similar vices can be legalised and glamourised. He pumped in all his money and the mafia's to make his dream come true. While others have serious doubts his vision, he pursued his dream like a little boy so bent on getting that he wants. When the extravagant hotel, The Flamingo, opens with lousy attendance and has to close down two weeks later, the mafia kills him in cold blood. Little do they know that in the near future, Bugsy's vision becomes a phenomenal success and Las Vegas is born. The Flamingo of course remainds standing still to this day.
BUGSY is beautifully lensed. It is a good story and a very interesting complex character study of a flamboyant, eccentric, egoistic and psychotic gangster. Warren Beatty fits the role like a glove and it makes me wonder if he is really like that in real life. My sixth sense tells me he is.
Rating: A-
Thursday, February 08, 2007 10:53:00 PM
BRICK (2006)
viewed on 14/1/07 (Sun)
There is a movie term called film noir as I found out after reading a few reviews about BRICK. Apparently, it is a film genre facing extinction.
The mood is often very dark. The pace is glacial slow. The characters mumble a lot and their talk is really really 'cheam'. A lot of talk sounds like some profound philosophy and can make no sense at times. The characters are complex and talk very slowly. No big action and comedy is a big no-no. The music soundtrack has a lot of acid jazz. Narration is almost a must. There is always a femme fatale seducing and distracting the hero who walks around like a wounded animal.
Could I be wrong about this genre which I read is inspired by hard-boiled crime novels written by Dashiell Hammett between 1929 and 1934? Don't ask me who and what.
The marriage of this genre and teen movies is a bold move. It earns praises for its originality and the spirit of experimentation.
I cannot appreciate anything more than that.
I applaud the effort but I sure would not want to sit through this movie again. Even though there is a big cloud of doubts over my head. Uncle Roger aptly puts it this way. Because we are not expected to believe the characters and the story, we do not care for both.
Rating: D
Saturday, February 10, 2007 7:01:00 AM
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT! (1974)
Viewed on 25/1/07 (Thurs)
Back when documentary films were still unheard of, MGM made this movie merely to celebrate the golden era of musicals from 1929 to 1958. Various stars made appearances to reminisce the era's highlights. There are Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Mickey Rooney, Liza Minnelli, Elizabeth Taylor, James Stewart and Donald O'Connor. And what legendary stars they are. Their musical talents are enormous and eye-popping.
Fred Astaire is most memorable and he has this tap-dancing sequence with his co-star in this black-and-white film that left me and my Mum dumbfounded. She was busy with her own things in the living room but she could not help stopping what she was doing to see this.
And what a wonderful, grand and gay era it was. I can see why musicals were so popular. The joyous mood is highly contagious.
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT (so aptly named!)vreally opens my eyes to those classic musicals. Immensely entertaining, larger than life, eternally hopeful, child-like joyful and wholesomeness that is out of this world. That is truly entertainment, my friend, that's entertainment.
Rating: A-
Saturday, February 10, 2007 7:23:00 AM
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959)
Viewed on 27/1/07 (Sat)
Worst movie ever made. Really? I rented this sometime back but as the DVD doesn't come with subtitles and the sound quality is rather bad, I returned the DVD soon after. While watching an episode of SEINFELD, this movie was mentioned. Ok. I need to see this. The worst movie ever made. Is it really that bad?
Like what an interviewee said in the two-hour making-of documentary, "It is so bad, it is so good." PLAN 9 actually has a cult following that cannot be easily dismissed. The original posters fetch thousands of dollars and so are the other movie memorabilia. Not bad at all for the worst movie ever made.
A film teacher in the documentary says he plays PLAN 9 to his students to illustrate mistakes that cannot be made in movies. He will ask his students to list down the mistakes and over the time, he has a pretty good list of their answers. Easily over 100 items on the list and he goes on to rattle off the mistakes in PLAN 9. It is quite hilarious to watch as he goes on and on, flipping pages on his notebook.
Sure. Many would love to hate PLAN 9. It is indeed horrible. Silly plot. Cheap special effects. Laughable dialogue. Cheap looking sets. Lousy acting. And there is a woman vampire in the story who is played by an actress called Vampira! No kidding.
Could it meant to be a spoof of sci-fi and monster movie? You know, something like EPIC MOVIE and the SCARY MOVIES.
No. Edward D. Wood Jr., the director, did not have that in mind at all. He was all serious about making PLAN 9. He wasn't kidding around. Was he so naive that he could not see what a bad movie he was making? Was he mad? Too self-indulgent?
No, confirmed the actors in PLAN 9. Edward D. Wood Jr. really thought it would be a great movie. He was always seen ever so enthusiastic about making this movie. There was a short film footage of him eagerly directing his actors, always wearing a big silly grin.
For many years, many believe the flying saucers were made sloppily from cardboard but the fact is Ed Wood was serious in making the flying saucers look real and had bought many models from a store. It is sad to know all his effort had gone to utter waste.
When PLAN 9 became a flop, Ed Wood went into decline. He even resorted to directing pornography to make ends meet. He was so poor to afford a place of his own that he had to live in his friend's house where he passed away later.
According to the interviewees in the documentary, Ed Wood aspired to be Orson Welles. He had a handsome face and could have acted in films but he chose to be a director. It was a very failed attempt but nevertheless he was brave enough to pursue his dreams. For that, we have to respect him. He was like a little boy who tried so had to put on a hat too big for his head. We laughed at him but we had to be moved by his earnestness and wide-eyed innocence.
Rating: C
Saturday, February 17, 2007 5:05:00 PM
MISSING (1982)
Viewed on 3/2/07 (Sat)
I rented Costa-Gavras's Z but I could sit through even the first half an hour. I couldn't get anything out of it. I am prepared to try to see Z again but before that I stumbled upon this one in Esplanade library. MISSING was nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture in 1982. A must-see then.
MISSING is more approachable. I could follow the storyline though I cannot say I know what all the politics talk is all about. It is not the central part of the movie anyway.
MISSING is about the exasperation of looking for a missing person. I like how the mystery is slowly unraveled and be drawn nearer to the truth. Its nail-biting last half an hour works almost like a pyschological actioner. The feverish pacing is impeccable.
I like MISSING as a gripping drama and not a movie with a political message. I am not sure if this what the director wants us to look at it. I think not.
Rating: B
Sunday, February 18, 2007 1:41:00 AM
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA (1958)
Viewed on 8/2/07 (Thurs)
Heard a lot about Ernest Hemingway but never read his books. THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA is one of his more popular books. I have not read the book but watching the movie adaptation should not be too far off from reading the real thing. Because the movie is so heavy on narration, it can double up as an audio book.
Am I complaining? Not a bit. I guess it is a perfect movie to show students during a Literature class to get them to appreciate lyrical vivid descriptive writing. Much of the story takes place on the sea where Spencer Tracy has a lot of scenes either talking to himself or displaying an array of facial expressions. The narration really comes in handy to explain what his thoughts.
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA should represent that kind of old-school literature where less is more. To some, it is boring as hell but to others, it is a very vivid character study. Sadly, they do not make this kind of movies anymore but who knows, with recent movies like NOTES ON A SCANDAL, STRANGER THAN FICTION and LITTLE CHILDREN who are also use a lot of narration, movies like THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA may make a comeback. I am all for it.
Rating: B
Sunday, February 18, 2007 2:02:00 AM
KING KONG (1933)
Viewed on 19/2/2007 (Mon)
When Peter Jackson's KING KONG hit town last year, I rented the original from Hollywoodclicks.com. (And nope, I am not referring to the one starring Jessica Lange and I heard it is a lousy remake.) The sound quality was very bad and no subtitles were avaialable. I had to return it the next day. So, you can imagine my joy when I saw this latest edition in the esplanade DVD library. This was released shortly after KING KONG became a hit last year.
The inspiration of Peter Jackson's KING KONG goes all the way back to 1933 when special effects were very very painstakingly created using stop-motion animation.
Before the phenomenal success of THE LORD OF THE KINGS, Peter Jackson was already fascinated with KING KONG. In the DVD's interview, Peter Jackson is utterly transfixed by KING KONG. So fascinated by it, he and other film enthusiastcs studied KING KONG for years. They collected valuable models used in the original movie, the original scripts etc.
They even recreated a sequence, using techniques only available back in 1933. This sequence is the famous "Spider Pit Sequence" which is still missing. You see, a few cuts were made over the years in the original release and re-release of KING KONG. All the edited scenes are eventually restored, except the "Spider Pit Sequence". Thankfully, in the remake, Peter Jackson includes this in.
I heard friend gripe, in Peter Jackson's KING KONG, the fighting sequences with the various dinosaurs were irrelevant to the main story. If you have seen the original KING KONG, you will understand that Peter Jackson wants to stay very loyal to the original. While many remakes think they are better than the originals (For those who have been living on MARS, THE DEPARTED owes a lot of its success to INFERNAL AFFAIRS), Peter Jackson's KING KONG is a labour of love and respect for the supposedly first ground-breaking special-effects movie.
The DVD also includes a lot of information of the director and creator of KING KONG - Merian C. Cooper. A man who loved adventures, fought in both world wars and hungered for risks. He dreamt up a beauty-and-the-beast sci-fi and mesmerised the world for generations. It is said in the DVD documentary that KING KONG came out in The Great Depression era and yet many commoners forked out money to see this great escapade. And the main character is not even real.
The special effects are still closely studied by contemporary filmmakers. It is unimaginable. Even Peter Jackson is dumbfounded by how tedious process was and how much time and patience were invested. The great man behind the special effects is Willis H. O'Brien. Without him as the pioneer, there will be no birth of special effects.
They may look very cheapskate to us but back in 1933 when special effects were unheard of, these pioneers already dare to dream big and were ingeniously creative to realise their vision and dream.
KING KONG remains an inspiration to many filmmakers and moviegoers. Its legacy is larger than life. Come to think about it, what an accomplishment by a fictional monkey.
Rating: B+
Sunday, March 04, 2007 12:19:00 AM
Z (1969)
Viewed on 27/2/2007 (Tues)
In this year's Oscar's tribute to foreign films, Z is one of the movies mentioned.
This is the plot summary provided by imdb.com
"Costa-Gavras chronicles the overthrow of the democratic government in Greece. When a liberal politician is murdered in an attack during a peace demonstration, the right wing established figures in the military and the police try and hide not only their parts in it, but try to cover up the murder as well. The prosecutor must act as a detective in order to go through the cover up. While historically accurate, it is told as a combination mystery and thriller."
In the DVD interview, the director mentions to the authour, whose book is adapted into Z, he purposedly did not specify the name of the place and the era the story takes place in the movie. So, when it was shown in some countries, the various governments became paranoid and thought Z was inferring them.
Nevetheless, Z is an enjoyable fast-paced political thriller.
Rating: B
Sunday, March 04, 2007 12:35:00 AM
THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER (2000)
viewed on 2/3/2007 (Fri)
This could be the film that Robert Altman would love to direct. An ensemble piece weaving stories of lonely unhappy women. And what delicious these roles are.
In "This is Dr. Keener", Glenn Close is a female doctor who just got ditched by her boyfriend from work and stuck with taking care of her ailing mother. One day, she hires a tarot reader who is eeriely accurate in describing her miserable existence.
In "Fantasies About Rebecca", Holly Hunter is a career woman who gives up her last chance of having a child when she aborts her baby. Her last scene of her walking on and bursting into tears is priceless.
In "Someone For Rose", Kathy Baker is a desperate housewife who finds herself falling in love with a charismatic dwarf.
In "Goodnight Lilly, Goodnight Christine", Calista Flockhart and HOT SHOT!'s Valeria Golino put up their possibly best performances in their career as a pair of star-crossed lesbian couple.
Lastly, in "Love Waits for Kathy", Cameron Diaz gives her best performance ever as an optimistic independent blind girl. JUDGING AMY's Amy Brenneman is her older cop sister.
THINGS is a TV movie directed by first-time director Rodrigo García. If this is a movie eligible for Oscars, it will be a blast. Easily, one of the best feministic movies I have ever seen. I wish more people can see this. Anyway, don't you simply love the title too?
Rating: A-
Friday, March 09, 2007 11:06:00 PM
THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1939)
viewed 11/3/07 (Sun)
This is old-school suspense thriller. Don't expect too much. Predictable and over-the-top acting. This ain't Agatha Christine or CSI.
For those who have not heard of THE HOUND OF BASKERVILLES, like myself, it is about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. This old movie also sees the first casting of Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson. From the trailers included in the DVD, apparently, they share screen time in a couple more of movies like DRESSED TO KILL, THE HOUSE OF FEARS and THE PEARL OF DEATH.
Years back when I was tiny, I received an abridged kiddy version of this Arthur Conan Doyle's classic. I was too young to want to read what seems to be a boring story book. Nevertheless, rented this DVD to find out what I have missed.
Arthur Conan Doyle doesn't impress many people, like me, these days. But who knows he is the godfather of suspense thrillers and he invented the genre. Maybe back then the story's twist was deemed as impressively head-turning.
Or maybe I should blame the director for his poor execution of the story and choice of actors with mediocre acting.
Rating: C
Thursday, March 15, 2007 11:36:00 PM
PATTON (1970)
viewed 14/3/07 (Wed)
I see PATTON as over-rated. Winner of Best Picture? I have no qualms however that George C. Scott was named Best Actor that year. He is really good in PATTON. He also made history by refusing to receive the award, calling the Oscars a meat parade. Ha. He really has some guts, much like the famous general he plays.
Running too long, PATTON has too much military talk that I guess it may only interest the army people and Americans who know their history well.
I find it rather unbelievable that a big-shot general saw his career plummet and had to eat humble pie after an incident of slapping a soldier. Dear. Isn't this the story of a particular local principal who slaps a wayward girl with a softcover book?
Well, all said, PATTON doesn't excite me. Winning 8 Academy awards, including Best Picture, only goes on to show how patriotic Americans can be. They are also big suckers for grand-looking big big pictures.
It is interesting to note that M*A*S*H was also made that year. When I was watching the DVD, Robert Altman mentioned that the studio was so busy overseeing PATTON, knowing it would be really huge and important, that a small controversial black comedy was being made in their own backlot. Both movies were nominated for Best Picutre that year. Ha. Give me M*A*S*H anytime. PATTON is too high-brow for me.
Rating: C
Saturday, March 17, 2007 12:00:00 AM
DATE MOVIE (2006)
viewed on 27/3/07 (Tues)
The only fun watching this madcap romantic comedy is to see how many movies fall victim to the writers of the two of the six writers of THE SCARY MOVIE.
Let's see. There are BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING, THE WEDDING PLANNER, MEET THE PARENTS, MEET THE FOCKERS and ... KING KONG. Yes, and that.
I smiled a lot not because it is particularly funny but how sarcastic it can be at poking fun at the movie industry.
Other for the purpose of 'spot the movie references', this date movie is a bomb. Watch it with your date only if you want to show her how shallow you can be.
Rating: D
Friday, April 06, 2007 11:20:00 PM
RUNAWAY JURY (2003)
viewed on 27/3/07 (Tues)
The only movie that stars Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman, though both knew each other since acting school days. That explains the extensive coverage of the two major stars sharing a much anticipated scene in the DVD. Actually, that scene almost did not materialise. It was written and shot only after the whole movie was wrapped.
RUNAWAY JURY may receive lower profile, compared to the other John Grishman's movies like THE CLIENT, THE PELICAN BRIEF and THE FIRM but that doesn't mean it is not any good.
RUNAWAY JURY is one hell of a courtroom potboiler. Riveting and totally entertaining. I have to say that there are some subplots which are very far-fetched and it doesn't take a lawyer to notice them.
Not many may buy the twist in the coda but it is a satisfying viewing experience on the whole. The movie is not great but neither it is all bad.
Still, I think Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman should share the screen again in a better-made movie.
Rating: B
Friday, April 06, 2007 11:37:00 PM
AS TEARS GO BY (1988)
viewed on 3/4/07 (Tues)
The directorial debut of Wong Kar Wai. In one review posted on the Internet, Wong Kar Wai said that the producer then hindered so much of his artistic expression that he insisted on being his own movies' producer.
True enough. AS TEARS GO BY is nothing similar to Wong Kar Wai's other mood pieces. Okay, to be fair, there are some camera techniques which are trademark of Wong. Remember the chase sequence in CHUNGKING EXPRESS? AS TEARS GO BY has some of that.
AS TEARS GO BY stars a young dashing Andy Lau, a very slim and fit Jacky Cheung and a chubby-faced Maggie Cheung. The story is forgettable so I just sat back to reminisce the fashin trends and hairdos back in the late 80s.
Jacky Cheung acted very well in this movie. His transformation from a playful arrogant gangster into a hard-bitten antihero is heart-rendering. But this kind of acting does not exist in Wong's movies anymore.
Wong Kar Wai's latest movies will be MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, starring Jude Law, and THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI, starring Rachel Weisz.
After the disastrous 2046, I am not really keen to see anymore of Wong Kar Wai's movies. My only concern is how in the world Wong Kar Wai shoot the movies with a complete and proper script.
Rating: C
Friday, April 06, 2007 11:55:00 PM
THE KING OF MASKS (1996)
viewed on 8/4/07 (Sun)
Many years ago, I saw on the news that Andy Lau was so fascinated with this age-old performing art that he wanted to learn it. Indeed, it is fascinating. How a performer put on so many masks faster than a blink of the eye?
THE KING OF THE MASKS is not about the art but it is a touching story of an old performer and his adopted daughter. Worried that his art will be lost forever after his death (you see, it is said that the art can only be taught to a proper heir, a son), he buys a son in the black market, thinking she is a he.
Imagine the devastation when the old man finds out that he is conned. Feeling bad and trying to make amends, the little girl one night secretly gives the old man a long-awaited "son", a rich man's son who is recently being kidnapped.
Little does she know that it only makes matter worse. The court marshal believes that the old man is the one who kidnaps the boy and hence, has to be executed.
The story is very engaging up to this point. The final 15 minutes play out more like a manipulative melodrama. A shame. I would have given a distinction for THE KING OF MASKS.
Rating: B+
Saturday, April 28, 2007 11:32:00 PM
THIRTEEN (2003)
viewed on 12/4/07 (Thurs)
While watching this movie, I was planning to screen this for my form class during the next CME lesson. Alas. The vulgar language and a nude scene spoil my plan.
The 'R' rating aside, I encourage all teenagers to see THIRTEEN. How it eeriely portrays the self-destruction of a young girl. It is not surprising that the story is based on the memoirs of a young actress, Nikki Reed, who plays a major supporting role in the movie too.
I told a colleague the next day about this movie and I said, "It is a must-see horror movie for all parents." I like the way I put it.
THIRTEEN is very disturbing to watch. Very disturbing. It will scare the s*** out of parents who think their little girls will always be their little girls.
It is a bitter pill to swallow but it is definitely a must-see for all parents, especially those with teenage daughter. Young female audience should see this too!
Damn. Maybe I should send an email to MCYS to highly recommend this movie.
Rating: A-
Saturday, April 28, 2007 11:43:00 PM
THE KING AND THE CLOWN (2005)
viewed on 28/4/07 (Sat)
Read about the good reviews of this Korean movie. The first hour of THE KING AND THE CLOWN is indeed very engaging. My viewing was disrupted with the arrival of my little niece who loves to watch cartoon. But, once she got to sleep, I played the movie. It was already near midnight.
The premise of the story is very intriguing. A troupe of comedians make big bucks from mocking their treacherous king. They are apprehended and sentenced to be beheaded. The comedians plead for mercy and make a deal. If they can make the hard-to-please king laugh, they shall be pardoned.
The second hour of the movie is about life after the troup wins the heart of the king and gets to stay in the palace to be the regular entertainers for the king.
That is when we get to know the king's pitiful past. The movie quickly turns from a comedy into a palace melodrama that could have borrowed an idea or two from the Cantonese operas my mother loves to watch.
The movie's double identity does not really sit well with me. Hate the ending. It is way over-the-top. I want the movie to be a comedy but why everything must be so morbid and bloody in the end.
Oh, yes. THE KING AND THE CLOWN is so heavy on the gay undertones that it can easily be labelled a gay movie. The longing stares and that kissing scene. Ha. And yes. I bet everyone also goes ga-ga over Lee Jun-gi who plays Gong-gil, including the straight guys. Hey, since when effeminate men can become so hot! Only the Koreans know how.
Rating: C
Sunday, April 29, 2007 12:02:00 AM
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006)
viewed on 26/5/07 (Sat)
Gave this movie a miss when it came to the cinemas last year. The reviews were good but I was trying to save a few good bucks. Hail DVD rental!
Trust Meryl Streep to give depth to a woman boss from hell, an editor-in-chief called Miranda. There is a scene when she appears with no make-up. That is her suggestion to give us a glimpse of Miranda's vulnerabiltiy.
But that is not my favourite scene. My favourite part is when Miranda rattles off a whole theory of how decisions over seemingly trivial details made in the editor's office will have a butterfly effect in the fashion industry.
Like many, we tend to belittle the fashion magazine and brush it aside as just pretty people pouting and posing. For all we know, the magazines has a big say in what is hot and what's not, and hence altering our taste in fashion too.
I like THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA for this. I learn something from it while being immensely entertained by the whole send-up of fashion industry and its quirky arty-farty people.
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA should go down in film history as a great chick flick. Great performances. Wonderful woman roles. Dazzling clothes. Funny and coming-of-age. Witty dialogue. Satan should be proud, devil never looks this good.
Rating: B+
Friday, June 01, 2007 2:44:00 PM
ROCK SCHOOL (2005)
viewed on 31/5/07 (Thurs)
ROCK SCHOOL doesn't rock me. Could this be made following the success of THE SCHOOL OF ROCK? THE SCHOOL OF ROCK rocks! but ROCK SCHOOL sucks.
First of all, I simply loathe the main subject matter, Paul Green, the founder of the rock school. He is obnoxious and very self-centered. He abuses his students verbally and puts them down in the name of 'pushing them to realise their potential'. Paul Green uses the f-word so freely and as a teacher myself, there is no excuse to propagate profanity, especially when his students can be as young as seven. Paul Green gives all kinds of big talk about his teaching and none really makes sense to me. He may be great at music but his teaching method is very questionable.
That is main failure of the documenatry. The main character is already such a put-off. Paul Green is nothing great and certainly doesn't deserve a whole documentary to himself.
It would be a better film if we get to know more about some of his students. I want to know more about this mother who raises three children as rock stars in the making. Then there is this cute small boy who can play the electric guitar so well, he is hailed as a Guitar God already. I also know want to get to know more about William, a retarded boy who lives with his mother with one arm. He gains self-respect in music but enrolling in Paul Green's rock school is a mistake. Paul Green betrays William's trust when he divulges in a magazine interview that William attempted suicide three times before. William was so upset that he quit rock rock and swears never to return. What a way to destory a young man, eh, Paul Green?
I believe learning to play rock at a young age is nothing wrong. Learning music, of any kind, should be encouraged at a young age. But I seriously doubt if any kid can come out of Paul Green's rock school, feeling better about themselves. Even if they do, it is the power of music and the credit should not go to Paul Green.
Rating: C-
Friday, June 01, 2007 3:25:00 PM
ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968)
viewed on 1/6/07 (Fri)
Named as one of the best horror movies ever made. ROSEMARY'S BABY is unlike many horror movies. As mentioned by someone in the making-of, there are no jump scenes, no straight-in-your-face horror and none of the titular baby. Yet, already, it can really scare you.
There is a dream sequence which suggests ... ahem ... a sex scene of Mia Farrow's Rosemary and the Satan himself. The thought is disturbing enough. Yes. ROSEMARY'S BABY is not a scary-scary horror movie but a disturbing-scary kind. You know, when less can be more and what you don't see can scare you the most.
We are never told the story straight. The occurences are coincidences or as Rosemary suspects ... acts of witchcraft? If we take the side of the heroine, then why no one believes her side of the story? And hence we are led to believe that it could be just her hallucinations afterall. That, is the brilliance of the story.
The ending is kind of disappointing to me. There is nothing like the heroine saving the day and serves justice. As Rosemary rocks the cradle of the son of Satan, the movie is suggesting the truimph of evil. Much like the ending of THE EXORCIST.
I suspect not many horror fans like ROSEMARY'S MARY. It is more a pyschological thriller than a scare fest. This should put the movie a notch above its counterparts.
Rating: B+
Sunday, June 17, 2007 10:35:00 PM
SINGAPORE GAGA (2005)
viewed on 2/6/07 (Sat)
I know I am supposed to be patriotic and support local films. Given a documentary film fan, the more I should be supportive to SINGAPORE GAGA.
Alas. But SINGAPORE GAGA is nothing more than a din!
Tan Pin Pin, the director, says in her interview that she wants to capture the sounds that are representative of Singapore.
I think she should do her research more thoroughly instead. I agree Victor Khoo and his Charlee should be featured. Also enduring is the woman in wheelchair selling her tissue papers with her "one-dollar" song. Also like the coverage of the humble Mr. Yew Hong Chow, a world-renowed harmonica player.
I have always wondered where they get people to read dialect news over the radio in Singapore. It is great to feature them and their thoughts on the dying profession.
They also feature this weird old man who juggles, plays the harmonica and 'tap dances' with his wooden clogs. He claims he is very famous overseas too and that he is a national treasure!
The segment on Margaret Leng Tan is total crap. I say she is a nut case with a her tiny piano. There is a scene when she did nothing for like four minutes sitting infront of that 'toy'! Later she says that is art and she wants us to use that time to listen to the sounds in our surrounding. Did you hear me fart? If that is art, then this is my fart. Big deal she performed overseas.
Big deal the documentary is earning praises everywhere. I think it is a sympathetic vote of approval more than anything else. The documentary is incoherent and lacks focus. Why drag in the backlash of Singapore policies in the interviews?
I think it is a shame to use this film to showcase Singapore. I'll vote for Jack Neo's HOMERUN and I NOT STUPID anytime.
Rating: D
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 9:49:00 AM
光阴的故事 (1982)
viewed on 3/6/07(Sun)
Voted as one of the greatest Chinese movies among works from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This movie is indeed important in the chapter of Taiwanese movie-making history. It is made up of four shorts directed by then-unknown Edward Yang, Ko I-Cheng, Zhang Yi and Tao Te-chen (actually the last name did not ring a bell).
The sequence of the four shorts is supposed to mirror life of the growth of Taiwan from the 50s to 80s, each with the age of protagonists going from a child to a teenager, then a youth and finally, an adult.
The first segment, 'Little Dragon Head', is about a misunderstood boy's growing-up pains. The second, 'Expectation', (my favourite) is about a teenage girl's first crush and sexual awakening. Next is 'Leapfrog' which is about a youth's frustration coping with his dreams in the harsh reality. The last one is a send-up of Taipei's city life, 'Say Your Name', and the story happens on an unlucky day of a young married couple who just moved into a new apartment.
The end result may not be entirely satisfactory. Don't forget the directors are still very green but the experimental spirit should be encouraged.
As I finished watching this, I text-messaged my movie buddy, Alan, that Singapore should makeg a movie directed by our very own budding directors. We decided on Jack Neo, Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong and Colin Goh. We have to leave out Eric Khoo for commerical reasons. Hee hee!
Having said that, maybe I should relay our wild thought to the Singapore Film Commissions?
Rating: C+
Sunday, July 01, 2007 10:20:00 PM
BABY DOLL (1956)
viewed on 17/6/07 (Sun)
Read this which is taken from imdb.com
"When the film was released in 1956, it was enormously controversial for its extremely risqué subject matter. The Legion of Decency condemned the film for its "carnal suggestiveness". Francis Cardinal Spellman condemned the film in a stunning attack from the pulpit of St. Patrick's Cathedral two days before the film opened, saying that the film had been "responsibly judged to be evil in concept" and was certain that it would "exert an immoral and corrupting influence on those who see it", and exhorted all Catholics to refrain from patronizing the film "under pain of sin". Cardinal Spellman's condemnation of the film led to the Legion of Decency's first-ever nationwide boycott of an American-made film produced by a major studio. All over the country, almost 20 million Catholics protested the film and picketed theaters that showed it. The Catholic boycott nearly killed the film; it was cancelled by 77% of theaters scheduled to show it, and it only made a meager $600,000 at the box office. The film was also condemned by Time Magazine, which called it the dirtiest American-made motion picture that had ever been legally exhibited. Surprisingly, despite the film's sordid elements, the Production Code Administration gave it a seal of approval, but only after nearly a year of arguments. This was one of many examples of how the lax attitude of new Code official Geoffrey Shurlock, the successor at the PCA to the strict Catholic militant Joseph Breen, would lead to a schism with the Legon of Decency and the PCA's own downfall over the next few years. After this film, the PCA drifted farther and farther away from its traditional guidelines until it was replaced by the MPAA ratings system in 1968."
Wow. That is some mind-blowing controversy. If you ask me, they were making a mountain out of a molehill. BABY DOLL may have its very strong sexual undertones which I believe must have made many feel very uncomfortable in that conservative era but to condemn it like that is like saying it is also a porn film.
BABY DOLL is characterised by strong acting and vividly sketched characters, which is usually the case in an Elia Kazan- Tennessee Williams collaboration.
Taking place in one day, the story of is about frustrated individuals caught up in their lust and revenge. It is a great character study and nothing short of brilliance. Like what Oscar nominee Carroll Baker says in the interview, BABY DOLL is a small movie with no ulterior motives. Oscar bestowed the movie with 4 Oscar nominations though - including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Cinematography
Rating: B
Sunday, July 01, 2007 11:30:00 PM
HOLLYWOOD ENDING (2002)
viewed on 20/6/07 (Wed)
Sounds like a great career move. Woody Allen making a send-up of Hollywood. Being a veteran comedian, who is in a better position than him?
Alas, HOLLYWOOD ENDING doesn't quite deliver. Woody Allen fans will know he can do much more.
There is a big loophole. Though we should not be too picky about the plot of an outrageous comedy like this one, but do you really believe a blind director can direct a movie till completion without raising any suspicion? I don't buy that.
The ending ties everything very nicely and some parts are really very funny but again as I said, HOLLYWOOD ENDING deserves a better treatment since it is a Woody Allen movie.
I hope this doesn't spell the end of Woody Allen. His MATCH POINT was well-received but SCOOP went almost unnoticed.
Rating: B
Thursday, July 05, 2007 10:21:00 PM
SINGAPORE DREAMING (2006)
viewed on 20/6/07 (Wed)
Otherwise known as 美满人生 in Chinese.
This has to be the best local movie I have ever seen and nope, it doesn't come from Jack Neo or Eric Khoo.
A film debut by Colin Goh and his wife, Woo Yen Yen. Colin Goh has a bi-weekly column in the Straits Times' Sunday Times and his writings reflect the stlye of the movie. Humourous but not outrageously funny. Pensive but not ham-fisted.
SINGAPORE DREAMING strikes a chord in me, and will definitely strike a chord in all Singaporeans, because the dreams of the protagonists are also mine. Or what my elders want me to achieve. A wife. A condominum. A degree. A well-paid job. The list goes on.
Now, the title doesn't appeal to me much. When the movie was first released, I was very skeptical about local movies who claim to know a lot about Singaporeans. I mean even Jack Neo hit the right buttons sometimes only, let alone a first-time director. And do we really need a Jack Neo copycat?
Yes, Singaporeans can be perceived as very cold go-getters but it doesn't mean we do not have dreams. We have dreams and scarily, we share more or less the same dreams on our congested little island. SINGAPORE DREAMING captures all of that through the story of a very typical Singaporean family but I don't feel the movie is hackneyed in any way. The movie feels 'real' and very down-to-earth. The characters are familiar with us and their stories resonate with ours.
While Jack Neo's presentation of Singapore can be a bit too crass sometimes and Eric Khoo's and Royston Tan's can be too arty-farty, Mr and Mrs' Goh's SINGAPORE DREAMING is pitch-perfect.
Heard Colin Goh's previous movie, TALKING COCK THE MOVIE, was a disaster but SINGAPORE DREAMING shows that Colin Goh has something to give the veteral local movie-makers a run for money. As far as I know, Colin Goh has no plans of making another movie. I think he should! And he must. There is always room for another local talented director.
Rating: A+
Thursday, July 05, 2007 11:01:00 PM
BUSTER (1988)
viewed on 1/7/07 (Sun)
Have always known Phil Collins, the singing sensation but this is the first time I get to see Phil Collins, the actor. How did he fare? Pretty much okay though I don't think he is any keener to make movies than making music.
I was curious to see BUSTER because of the Oscar-nominated "Two Hearts". And of course who can forget his rendition of "A Groovy Kind of Love"?
BUSTER is a romantic comedy using "The Great Train Robbery" of 1963 as the story background. Apparently, the movie is based on the actual events and it is the love story of one of the thieves, Buster Edwards (played by Phil Collins) and his wife June (played by Julie Waters).
While Phil Collins is great with his easygoing charm, it is Julie Waters who steals the show. She is the emotional core of the movie, complimentaring Phil Collin's performance perfectly.
BUSTER can be at times too slow and too heavyhanded. It is actually a rather serious drama. Guess there is a slight difference from Hollywood run-of-the-mill romantic comedies when it is made by the British.
Rating: B
Saturday, July 07, 2007 10:11:00 AM
宅变 (2005)
viewed on 1/7/07 (Sun)
The sole reason I watched this movie is because I love Leste Chan's ETERNAL SUMMER and THE HEIRLOOM is his directorial debut.
There are hardly no similarities between the two movies except both are beautifully lensed. Leste Chan's eye for beauty is better employed in the bittersweet story of ETERNAL SUMMER.
Here, in THE HEIRLOOM, it is the only much needed distraction from the otherwise horrifyingly messy story.
THE HEIRLOOM's story is so air-headed and I wondered why it got the greenlight in the first place. Maybe, the Taiwanese studio want to ride on the success of Asian horror fares and make a sure-fire box office hit. Apparently, the plan worked. Leste Chan said in his interview in the ETERNAL SUMMER DVD that he was able to make SUMMER because of THE HEIRLOOM's success.
I say everyone, please, don't let your curiosity kill the cat. Avoid THE HEIRLOOM like a ghost, see ETERNAL SUMMER and hope Leste Chan can offer something more like the latter.
Rating: C-
Saturday, July 07, 2007 9:53:00 PM
TEA WITH MUSSOLINI (1999)
viewed on 2/7/07 (Mon)
I have a thing for movies with an all-woman cast. TEA WITH MUSSOLINI gives you a loadful of mesmerising performances from Joan Plowright, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Lily Tomlin and (my favorite) Cher.
TEA WITH MUSSOLINI is widely believed to be the semi-autography of the early life of the director Franco Zeffirelli. I just wonder which part is made-up and which actual took place.
But there is no denial that TEA WITH MUSSOLINI feels intimate. There is a dreamy quality to it. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and CINEMA PARADISO quickly come to mind.
Okay now, for people who are as clueless as me about who Mussolini is. A check at Wikipedia shows that he was the prime minister and dictator of Italy from 1922 until 1943. He was an ally of Adolf Hitler in World War II. It was him who brought Italy into the war.
The title refers to one part in the film when Maggie Smith's character meets Mussolini for tea. It is not a pivotal scene. Then why the choice of the title? I believe it has got to do with the tone of story. In face of adversity, sometimes, it helps to see things in a light-hearted way. Much like putting a cube of sugar in a cup of bitter tea.
Rating: B
Saturday, July 07, 2007 10:29:00 PM
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
viewed on 5/7/07 (Thurs)
Thank god, I gave the movie a miss when it was showing in the cinemas. Heard a couple of great reviews about this British oddity but decided to wait for the release of the DVD instead.
HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE is not a comedy for everyone's taste. Could it be the British sense of humour that I do not get it? The word, 'bizzare', doesn't even begin to describe it.
I hardly laughed while watching this. I gave up following the story halfway. I am not sure if joining the dots will get me anywhere. Don't think the movie wants us to think that hard too.
The special effects are really awe-inspiring. And the stellar cast includes cameos from Alan Rickman (voicing the depressed big-headed robot), Stephen Fry (the narrator and voice of the titular guide), John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Bill Nighy and Helen Mirren.
Apparently, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY is quite a big thing in Britian. It was originated from a popular radio show and was even considered to be made into a movie starting back in 1982 with big Hollywood names attached to the project on-and-off. Big names like Jim Carrey, Ivan Reitman, Dan Aykroyd and Jay Roach.
The movie reminds me of MONTY PYTHON'S THE MEANING OF LIFE, a supposedly well-acclaimed British movie I watched donkey years back. Totally outrageous and supposedly very very funny.
Brit humour? I just don't get it. Maybe I need a guide to that.
Rating: C
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 10:52:00 PM
MR. & MRS. SMITH (2005)
viewed on 7/7/07 (Sat)
For a long time, I refuse to watch this movie. This is the one that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie started an affair behind the scenes and behind the backs of Jennifer Aniston and Billy Bob Thornton. Ironically, Vince Vaughn, who has a supporting role, is seeing Brad Pitt's ex-wife now.
Now, all of that has nothing got to do with what a smart and funny action comedy this is.
The action sequences can be a tag over-the-top. I notice how many times the couple can fire without reloading and without aiming! I don't mind a bit, this being an action comedy.
The movie could jolly be an ultimate fantasy for couples who are always at each other's throats. Love the big gunfight in the house. Many disgruntled married couples would kill to reenact in their own backyard. Not?
MR. AND MRS. SMITH is not only very fun to watch but also very smart too, chock-full of witty dialogue and a clever plot twist near the end.
Damn. This has to be a must-see for couples going through separation or divorce. Maybe, all the fighting is actually a manifestation of their hidden mad sexual passion for each other.
Rating: B+
Wednesday, July 11, 2007 10:55:00 PM
MO’ BETTER BLUES (1990)
viewed on 11/7/07 (Wed)
This has to be Spike Lee's mildest projects. No talk of racial discrimination but all jazz blues and a carefree mood. Even bickering among the musicians don't escalate into a shoot-'em-up in the hood.
MO' BETTER BLUES is best described as a musical mood piece, much like an ode to modern jazz and the players. It plays out like an autobiography but my suspicion is wrong. The story is simply written and gracefully told. It can be rather uneventful but for mood pieces, understandably, the mood matters more than anything. Yup, the soundtrack is nothing but great. Jazz lovers would love to own it.
But for someone like me, who goes for a good story, MO' BETTER BLUES is not really my cup of tea. Also, I prefer lounge jazz to noisy acid jazz.
Rating: B-
Tuesday, July 24, 2007 9:49:00 AM
DUNE (1984)
viewed on 20/7/07 (Fri)
Coming from David Lynch, director of LOST HIGHWAY, WILD AT HEART, EASERHEAD, BLUE VELVET etc, you can expect DUNE to be one sci-fi movie you will never forget.
Told in David Lynch style, DUNE has a story, like his other movies, that can only drive you nuts when you try to follow or analyse the plot. I check my brains out after a first few chapters of the DVD.
Like his other movies, DUNE, strangely employs voiceover to convey thoughts of the characters, whether it is fitting or not.
Like his other movies, DUNE has images that are haunting to the extent you can say even nightmarish.
See DUNE as a visionary spectacle and you are less likely to go bogus. Just like all his other movies.
Never know how to appreciate David Lynch's movies but it is interesting to see what twisted ideas he has.
Rating: C
Wednesday, August 01, 2007 9:44:00 PM
CHASING LIBERTY (2004)
viewed on 24/7/07 (Tues)
For a while, I thought I was watching a remake of ROMAN HOLIDAY. The First Daughter has a time of her life, touring Europe, with a young dashing photographer.
Read about CHASING LIBERTY being one of the best date movies around. I have to agree. Much of the movie's charm comes from Mandy Moore whom had me smitten back in A WALK TO REMEMBER.
There is chemistry between the two good-looking leads too. Matthew Goode did not become really big after this movie but his next-door-boy appeal can bring him places someday.
CHASING LIBERTY serves also like a tour guide, chasing picturesque spots in Prague, Berlin, Vienna etc, as we follow the romantic getaway of the couple. The DVD understandably has a short introduction to the locations of the movie, courtesy of Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.
CHASING LIBERTY also has a sweet romance sublpot between two agents (played by Annabella Sciorra and Jeremy Piven) who are assigned to protect the First Daughter.
They are right. CHASING LIBERTY is one fine date movie. Everything is picture-perfect. The story. The acting. The locations. It is an adult fairy tale but one we would sure like to visit every now and then.
Rating: B+
Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:04:00 PM
HANGING UP (2000)
viewed on 29/7/07 (Sun)
Diane Keaton is at the helm of this movie about three daughters (but more like one of them only) coping with the inevitable fact that their father may die anytime.
Though you see Diane Keaton, Lisa Kudrow and Meg Ryan on the cover, it is really a show which belongs to Meg Ryan. And Meg Ryan has to be one of those actresses who can do comedy and drama very well and simultaneously too. Well, that said, Diane Keaton and Lisa Kudrow are well-casted as her sisters.
HANGING UP didn't excite critics and audience alike when it was released. Diane Keaton's directorial debut, UNSTRUNG HEROES, is a slightly better movie, being a more heartfelt weeper. HANGING UP can be rather uneven at some parts.
HANGING UP is adapted from a novel written Delia Ephorn, sister of Nora Ephorn, who co-write the screenplay and produce the movie. I suspect the book will give a more rounded story of the three sisters while the movie has streamlined the plot to focus more on Meg Ryan's character. The bond between the sisters is not well-developed.
Yes. I know I am picking too much. Diane Keaton is not a lousy director at all. HANGING UP is not as bad as they say and I like it quite a bit too. Like I said when I reviewed UNSTRUNG HEROES, Diane Keaton should direct more movies. Hollywood will never mind one more female director.
Rating: B
Wednesday, August 01, 2007 10:17:00 PM
I NOT STUPID TOO (2006)
viewed on 7/8/07 (Tues)
I watched I NOT STUPID TOO with the same skepticism when I first watched I NOT STUPID.
I like Jack Neo's works because of the heartland problems he dares to discuss and always, with so much heart. But a sequel to one of his hits? You know what they say about sequels. They usually do not do as well as the first one. Jack Neo, in the DVD interview, also agrees, he was very against the idea of making a sequel to I NOT STUPID. He had said all he wanted to 'say' about the education system in I NOT STUPID.
Turns out I NOT STUPID TOO is one of the rare sequels that is better than the first one. Being a local movie, this is really a feat because not even Hollywood can guarantee sequels always work. Now, now, I am not saying that I NOT STUPID is inferior to the sequel. They touch on very different aspects of the local education, even though, both movies are speaking up for students who ... (well, as we say in Singlish) "cannot make it".
Though many of the actors here also appear in I NOT STUPID but the two movies are not related. Huang Yiliang easily stands out among the cast as a boorish father who wants to love his son but just don't know how. His death scene can easily wring tears from the driest eyes. I was watching this movie with my class and true enough, many students had tears in their eyes. I like one of his lines so much I wrote it on the whiteboard - "There is no such thing as kids who cannot be taught right. There are only parents who don't know how to teach." I was telling my class how much their parents can blame themselves when their children fail. You tell me. How can anyone not like I NOT STUPID TOO? Corny and manipulative but oh my gosh, hit it right at your heart.
Like I NOT STUPID, the sequel also speaks up a few faults in the local education system. For example, the hot topic of corporal punishment. To cane or not to cane? As a teacher myself, this is even closer to my heart. I am also in this dilemma many a time.
I told my students, I NOT STUPID TOO is made to tell parents, teachers and students to try to understand one another's stand. We all meant well for one another. When students turn wayward, it is really nobody's fault and everybody's fault too.
I am glad Jack Neo made this movie and for sure, a perfect movie to be screened in schools. It doesn't take sides but just to tell us, we are all in it together and there is definitely a way we can work things out.
If I am the minister of education, I insist all schools to buy this movie and show it during CME lessons.
Rating: A-
Monday, September 03, 2007 7:37:00 AM
CRYING OUT LOVE, IN THE CENTRE OF THE WORLD (2004)
viewed on 11/8/07 (Sat)
Came out right after the success of BE WITH YOU, another Japanese romance tearjerker. I was so disappointed by it that this movie did not appeal to me at all although, reviewers were saying how touching it was. I love LOVE LETTER and I know how touching a romance tearjerker can be.
CRYING OUT LOVE is a far cry from LOVE LETTER and I hate it as much as I hate BE WITH YOU. Both are predictable, manipulative and far-fetched.
Don't say I am hardened, movies like this give romance tearjerkers a bad name.
Rating: C
Monday, September 03, 2007 7:48:00 AM
GRAND HOTEL (1932)
viewed on 12/8/07 (Sun)
This remains as the only film in Oscar history which won Best Picture but not nominated in any other category.
GRAND HOTEL is grand in set (how in the world they created a multi-storey hotel in a film set back then without the aid of the special effects unit?) and so are the stars. This is also my first Greta Garbo movie. The ensemble stellar cast apparently was something very refreshing back then. Wonder how they would react to Robert Atlman's movies.
It is fun watching the making-of documentary. Ha. Catfights between the leading ladies already started back then. Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo were always at loggerheads. Joan Crawford would play Dietrich records to irk Greta Garbo, knowing very well she hated Marlene Dietrich.
Interesting trivia and an eye-opening experience for a film buff to see a very young Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo in a very very old black-and-white movie, however, blame it on generation gap, GRAND HOTEL is not as Best Picture-worthy as I thought. Everything about it is so stagey that it feels very unreal. But then again, it could be just me.
Still, there is no denying that GRAND HOTEL is a must-see for all hardcore movie buffs. It is indeed a very valuable history lesson for us.
Rating: B-
Monday, September 03, 2007 12:35:00 PM
GABBEH (1996)
viewed on 16/8/07 (Thurs)
Really. I cannot remember whether I have seen this movie and wrote my review here or I saw this a long long time ago on videotape.
That really says something about this movie. Though critically-acclaimed and considered as one important movie in Iran, this movie is sleep-inducing to me more than anything else.
Bizzare film editing and a story that has no head nor tail. A docudrama or a fantasy tale? I switched on the audio commentary and found it more interesting to listen to than watching the movie alone.
Rating: D
Monday, September 03, 2007 12:55:00 PM
HOLY MAN (1998)
viewed on 23/8/07 (Thurs)
Generally, this is one Eddie Murphy movie many would hardly remember. Yes, and indeed, the Eddie Murphy we see here is different from the motor-mouthed Eddie Murphy we have grown accustomed to.
HOLY MAN is not exactly an Eddie Murphy star vehicle. He has to play the underdog this time, getting pushed around by corporate bullies who are using him to sell anything, literally, off a TV shopping network.
Known simply as G (later we learn what it may stand for), he speaks truths of life and people begin to pause to listen to him. Then, brutally, the network people snudge in their commercial messages. Being an upbeat comedy, HOLY MAN ends with a life-affirming note.
I guess that is when people complain it can be too schmaltzy. Hee... but I buy the story. Pun intended.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, September 04, 2007 8:10:00 PM
I, ROBOT (2004)
viewed on 23/8/07 (Thurs)
I always think this is a Will Smith vanity project, after his success with ALI. To my surprise, browsing imdb reveals that the role was first offered to Denzel Washington.
Anyway, I, ROBOT, is more than just another SFX-laden sci-fi thriller. It is more than just about robots destroying humans. I, ROBOT is smarter than all that.
The story starts with Three Laws of Robotics (developed by Asimov and John Campbell) as its foundation. They state: (1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm, (2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law, and (3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Read the laws carefully.
When the robots carry out their plans to annihilate the human race, and you think they have violated the laws, read the laws carefully again. If we, humans, made those laws, then we have actually written our own death sentences.
Spend time analysing the plot and it is not at all mindless. And I am not going to tell you the mastermind of the massacre. But you can make a clever guess.
One thing I like about I, ROBOT is it shows a lot of brutal violence with robots. No, I am not pro-violence. Let me explain further. The robots look so human-like that when they are crushed under a moving heavy vehicle or get so a shot in the face, it actually makes me cring a little. Imagine there will come a day when violence can be CGI-ed to look like scenes from FACES OF DEATH. Can you say it should be cut, since the violence is not real at all? You see what I mean?
I say I, ROBOT deserves a place in the list of important sci-fi movies.
Rating: A-
Tuesday, September 04, 2007 10:15:00 PM
MILDRED PIERCE (1945)
viewed on 1/9/07 (Sat)
A high drama that is not seen anymore in today's cinema. It is forgettable. Saucy, I can say, when the story speaks of incest and sexual manipulation. Back then, weren't these taboo topics?
Joan Crawford won her only Oscar for her leading role in this one. And the DVD comes with a lengthy documentary about the actress and her life story is even more arresting than the movie per se.
Joan Crawford's legendary existence deserves a whole movie by itself. Her very humble background as a chorus girl. Her rise and fall and rise and fall of her acting career. Her affairs and marriages. Her roots of her abusive nature as a mother. Her constant craving for the limelight, even if it means negative publicity. Her utmost loyalty to her fans. Her sick desire to win at all costs, even if it means taking away a role offered to her own adopted daugther. The list goes on.
Rating: C+
Tuesday, September 04, 2007 10:31:00 PM
THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960)
viewed on 2/9/07 (Sun)
For a while, it looks like Ed Wood directed this movie.
THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS is a good bad movie. If you have seen enough movies, you will know what I mean.
It has a ridiculous plot but there are sparkles of smart wit.
The set looks shabby but that man-eating flower looks like a piece of art.
The actors cannot act for nuts but Jack Nicholson's cameo as a sadomasochisticis dental patient is fun to watch. And my, he looked so so different back then. I have not seen such a young Jack Nicholson before. Trust me, back then, he had that sinister-looking grin already.
Many may remember better the 1986 movie of the same title. It is actually a remake of this very original black-and-white B-grade horror. Oh, the DVD comes with a colour version too.
I don't think I am interested to see the 1986 remake. I like THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS as bad as this. Tell me. Who would want to see a remake of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE? We want to keep them as bad as they already are. They are the cult heritage of cinema.
Rating: B
Tuesday, September 04, 2007 10:49:00 PM
JUST MARRIED (2003)
viewed on 9/9/07 (Sun)
It takes more than a pair of pretty faces to make a romantic comedy a runaway hit. Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher are comedians with great timing and chemistry. Their antics are not painfully exaggerating but just goofy cute.
I do not really dig slapstick comedies but JUST MARRIED hits the right notes.
The movie also manages to snudge in a few tips to sustain a marriage. A must-see for newly weds.
Rating: B+
Saturday, December 01, 2007 1:29:00 PM
3:10 TO YUMA (1957)
viewed on 16/9/07 (Sun)
Before the remake hits our local screens, I chanced upon the original black-and-white Western which was made more than half a decade ago.
3:10 to Yuma refers to the arrival time of the train to this place called Yuma. To earn a few fast bucks, a destitute rancher is given the dangerous mission to escort a notorious criminal to a train station so that the train can take him to Yuma where he will be sentenced.
Before that, the rancher has to face the fast advances of the criminal's gang members who are coming to save their chief.
Don't expect a lot of shooting because this classic is more interested in the emotional conflicts of the characters. How two men who have nothing against with each other are forced to face a confrontation.
It is the kind of Western with hardly any action scene and the so-called villian is not so unkind and the so-called hero is just a desperate poor man.
I am not surprised that with such good dramatic materials, James Mangold's version can hardly go wrong. With Christian Bale and Russell Crowe playing the leads, two of our generation's greatest actors, it should be a hit.
Rating: A
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 12:38:00 AM
DALTRY CALHOUN (2005)
viewed on 24/11/07 (Sat)
The comedy wants to be a quirky offbeat heartwarmer but somehow, it doesn’t have what it takes to be a hit.
I do not feel for the characters and naturally do not care for them. Their stories are mundane, to say the least.
I have a soft spot for movies from this genre but I am simply not moved at all.
Rating: D
Wednesday, December 12, 2007 12:42:00 AM
HENRY V (1944) and HENRY V (1989)
viewed on 5/12/07 (Wed) and 13/12/2007 (Thurs) respectively
The former is a.k.a THE CHRONICLE HISTORY OF KING HENRY THE FIFT WITH HIS BATTELL FOUGHT AT AGINCOURT IN FRANCE and that makes it the only film nominated for the Best Picture Oscar with the longest title. FYI, THE BEST OF OUR LIVES won instead.
HENRY V was meant to be made as a morale booster for the British soldiers fighting in the World War II. From the imdb trivia, metal was scarce during the war. Hence the armour were knitted from grey wool and the weaponry was wood painted silver! That is interesting to know.
Of course, the 1989's HENRY V is much more fortunate. Kenneth Branagh has the luxury of a bigger budget and better filming techniques to present a grander version of HENRY V.
Now, both Kenneth Branagh and Laurence Olivier, who directed the 1944's HENRY V, share a couple of similarities. First of all, both were very young and talented when they made the movies; both were in their 30s only. Then, both were nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars.
If we have to compare, Kenneth Branagh's version is more accessible and engaging.
Alas, I have the misfortune to watch Laurence Olivier's version first and I was scratching my head throughout. I blamed it on my incapability to understand Shakespeare. Note that I have never studied HENRY V or any Shakespearean literature at all. But, when I watched Kenneth Branagh's version and I can actually follow.
As shallow as I may sound, it is very very fascinating to see how the important lines remained unchanged in both movies, given they were made half a decade apart. That shows how good literature can be passed down from generation after generation. Though the lines are the same, the interpretation by the actors can be very different.
It is the school holiday and I was thinking of watching something long and heavy to pass time. After watching both movies, I came to realise why Shakespearean literature is so widely read and studied. The characters and stories are so dramatically colourful. The birth of melodrama! And the Shakespearean language. It is damn difficult to understand but I have to admit it is very poetic.
I am actually for once very interested in Shakespeare! So, to engage your students in Shakespeare, make them ditch their literature text and skip their literature classes. Watch the film adaptations instead!
Rating: B- and B+ respectively
Monday, December 17, 2007 11:10:00 PM
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW (1967)
viewed on 9/12/07 (Sun)
Compared to HENRY V, this Shakespearean comedy is much less mind-boggling. It is playful, humourous and wonderfully witty. It definitely helps that real life married couple (well, back when they were married) played Katharina and Petruchio. The comical sparks are remarkable.
I wonder if Hollywood ever considers remaking this. Maybe another married celebrity couple can play the lead. Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher? Just kidding but then again, it may work.
It is very surprising that Shakespeare can write both comedies and tragies equally efficiently. Oh, what I am saying? This is the Bard we are talking about. There is a reason why we still enjoy his works centuries after his death.
I believe I have mentioned this before but it is always good to dish out good advices again.
Ditch the textbook and skip the literature classes. Watch the film adaptation instead. And then you read the play and attend the class. Right not?
Rating: B+
Tuesday, December 18, 2007 12:07:00 AM
THE MISSION (1986)
viewed on 11/12/07 (Tues)
I saw the trailer in the cinema when I was very small. It gave me a very creepy feeling, what with the Indians and the scene when someone falls over the waterwall on a crucifix.
Turns out, the movie is haunting but beautifully haunting. The sweeping score by Ennio Morricone is top-notch and the cinematography is simply breath-taking.
The two leads, Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons, are at their usual best. They both play missionaries bent on freeing the native Indians from slavery and converting them to Christians. When their mission faces violent objection from the colonial governors, both men take different approaches to tackle their adversary, to a bloody end.
The movie tells a very moving story. It is solemn and heartbreaking. Directed by Roland Joffe, of THE KILLING FIELDS fame, now I am more keen to see THE KILLING FIELDS.
Rating: A
Sunday, June 08, 2008 12:59:00 AM
WRITTEN ON THE WIND (1956)
viewed on 17/12/07 (Mon)
An out-and-out Douglas Sirk melodrama. Incredibly good-looking actors, sweeping music, emotions running high and all that jazz.
Playing supporting roles, Dorothy Malone (an Oscar winner for this film) and Robert Stack should have a good time with their juicy roles.
WRITTEN ON THE WIND has all the trademarks but none leave a deep impression. Standard good soap opera material.
Best gone with the wind, perhaps?
Rating: B
Monday, June 09, 2008 9:47:00 PM
IN COLD BLOOD (1967)
viewed on 29/12/07 (Sat)
If you have seen the Oscar-winning CAPOTE, this movie should not be unfamiliar with you. Yes, it is the adaptation of the book that brought Capote fame and also his destruction.
IN COLD BLOOD may be an old movie but it is still very controversial even by today's standards. It doesn't make us hate the killers and somehow suspiciously wants us to feel for them.
Yes, the crime they committed is hideous, unforgivable and surely inexcusable. It is not an act of folly but somehow someway the circumstances trigger something deeply buried in them and they have to kill.
I am beginning to understand why writing the book broke Truman Capote down. It is about the hidden demons in all of us who may strike us sometime to commit the unthinkable crime. It is like there is a devil in everyone.
The movie sends a chill down your spine.
Rating: A-
Monday, June 09, 2008 10:03:00 PM
BILL & TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989)
viewed on 1/5/08 (Thurs)
No one will really take this movie but I believe no one will really hate this movie too.
It is DUMD AND DUMBER meets BACK TO THE FUTURE.
Quite a likeable no-brainer no less.
Rating: C+
Monday, June 09, 2008 10:07:00 PM
MEET THE ROBINSONS (2007)
viewed on 2/5/08 (Fri)
Just when you think this kid movie is strictly meant for the kids (which is why I borrowed it for my niece in the first place), MEET THE ROBINSONS surprises me with a heartwarming story.
Nevermind the story is not really that original but it is nevertheless a story well-told.
The visuals are eye-popping and the colours are so resplendent. The humour is not lame but rather wacky and smart. I like the T-Rex the most and that Bowler Hat Guy. Ha!
Frankly, I would rather meet the Robinsons than the Fockers.
Rating: A-
Monday, July 21, 2008 11:49:00 PM
CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY (1995)
viewed on 30/5/08 (Fri)
Love the title and I would love to see some seriously good performances from James Earl Jones and the late Richard Harris.
It is very obvious that the movie is an adaptation of a novel. The lyrical flow and glacial pace give it away.
I guess for people who has a deeper understanding and appreciation of South Africa's modern history and the novel by Alan Paton. But for people who want to know more from the movie, the story and the emotional core may feel a tad distant. I can only sit back and enjoy the strong performances and the breath-taking cinematography of the beautiful country.
Rating: B
Friday, August 01, 2008 10:45:00 PM
SPARTACUS (1960)
viewed on 7/6/08 (Sat)
The talking point of this classic has to be deleted-and-then-restored homoerotic scene of Marcus Licinius (played by Laurence Olivier) attempts to seduce Antoninus (Tony Curtis). Though directed by the late maverick director Stanley Kubrick, there is as much controversy you are going to get.
The story of a slave leading a revolt against the Roman empire sounds very much like Oscar winning picture GLADIATOR.
SPARTACUS is not much of an epic movie although it is obvious it aspires to be, what with the long running time and grand production.
If Hollywood would want to make remake SPARTACUS, it should look something like GLADIATOR or was it?
Rating: B
Wednesday, August 06, 2008 11:39:00 PM
DRAGONFLY (2002)
viewed on 7/6/08 (Sat)
Read from somewhere or heard from someone, this movie is recommendable.
Gosh. Not likely. This sappy tearkjerker will go into the bin of "Kevin Costner's worse movies", together with his other flops like WATERWORLD and THE POSTMAN, whose notoriety actually greatly arouse my curiosity.
Uninspiring and un-clever, the plot twist in the ending can best described as ludicrous. I cannot even remember what it was. That goes on to prove how forgettable this movie is.
Rating: C-
Wednesday, August 06, 2008 11:53:00 PM
HAPPILY N’EVER AFTER (2006)
viewed on 22/6/08 (Sun)
What a waste of time trying to emulate SHREK.
Never funny and never smart.
That is some parental advice. Even toddlers want this cheapskate imitation crash and burn.
Rating: D
Wednesday, August 06, 2008 11:59:00 PM
THREE FACES OF EVE (1957)
viewed on 22/6/08 (Sun)
So serious is this movie that it can even be presented as a case study video for psychiatrists.
This is said as a compliment to the movie. The movie makes me believe this is not a dramatization of true events but retold as earnestly and honestly as it possibly can. Hence, I cannot say it scored high on entertainment and engagement.
THREE FACES OF EVE is based on the true case of Chris Costner Sizemore who had her multiple personality problem.
The making-of documentary short revealed that the real McCoy actually had not only three personalities, but approximately 20!
Playing the very challenging role is a very young Joanne Woodward, later married to Paul Newman, who went on to win an Oscar for her performance.
Rating: B-
Thursday, August 07, 2008 11:05:00 PM
POLTERGAY (2006)
viewed on 22/6/08 (Sun)
Another comedy satirizing gays and further stereotyping them as loud drag queens.
With a lame story plot and a lamer title, I wonder who is in the right mind to greenlight this project.
I think gays and lesbians would want to walk out of this movie not because they are being so badly represented but it is simply a dull, dull, dull comedy.
Rating: D
Thursday, August 07, 2008 11:09:00 PM
JUST FOLLOW LAW (2007)
viewed on 23/6/08 (Mon)
As a civil servant, JUST FOLLOW LAW should strike a chord in my heart. It did the job very well in its first 30 minutes or so. The arrows flying in the office torpedo style and the danger of mass-emailing.
I enjoy through and through until the body-switching bit. The movie takes a drastic turn and delves into slapstick comedy. It feels like Jack Neo either runs out of ideas or is afraid to offend the authorities.
Fann Wong is at her personal best when she ditches her pretty-girl image to act all boorish. Gurmit Singh, on the other hand, simply overacts. It is a national shame to see him put alongside Tony Leung (for LUST, CAUTION) in the running for Best Actor at the Golden Horse.
Rating: D
Saturday, August 30, 2008 11:19:00 AM
MR.SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
viewed on 28/6/08 (Sat)
Not to be confused with MR DEEDS GOES TO TOWN but I read that this black-and-white classic is reminiscent of this other classic. Both directed by Frank Capra.
Loaded with Oscar nominations (but only won for Best Screenplay), this is one vintage movie I cannot miss.
The movie is long but the emotional rewards are great. Your spirits will be uplifted and you may even shed a tear or two seeing how hard Mr Smith, a wide-eyed idealist, fought to his death, literally, for his faith in the American dream. It is a dream where corruption doesn't exist and righteousness prevails, much like what ... Presidents Lincoln and Jefferson wanted. They would be dead disappointed (pun intended) that politics has been reduced to a dirty power struggle.
Definitely a must-see for all politicians, especially those who are green in the playing field. We still need more idealistic people like Mr. Smith to continue to believe that they making this world a better place to live in. A better place where we guide our actions with simple good intentions and not run on greed and power.
Rating: A
Saturday, August 30, 2008 11:26:00 PM
BLADES OF GLORY (2007)
viewed on 29/6/08 (Sun)
You have to give it to Will Ferrell to be able to play any comedic role with such pitch-perfectness.
Here, he plays an ice skater with a sex addiction. Funny already. He is Steve Tyler on skates. An apt description given by the movie's costume designer in her interview.
Part of the reason this sports comedy works is Will Ferrell. Watch out for his awkward expression when he has to invert his male skating partner and have his crotch in his face.
Thoroughly enjoyable and not looking stupid at all, BLADES OF GLORY will be remembered as one of the more enjoyable sports movies.
Rating: B+
Saturday, August 30, 2008 11:43:00 PM
FUNNY FACE (1957)
viewed on 19/7/08 (Sun)
Not to be mistaken for FUNNY GIRL the Barbra Streisand movie in 1968.
For fans of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and the reality TV series, Project Runway and America's Next Top Model, FUNNY FACE should be interesting to watch.
Audrey Hepburn is the bookshop salesgirl who is groomed into a runaway hit on the runway. On the way to the top, she sings and dances to Gershwin’s music and even has a May-December romance with a fashion photographer. (It is a very odd casting, if you have to ask) Sorry to disappoint but there will be no bitching, catfights, lies, schemes and all that jazz.
I bet models in real life will scoff at this fantasy love comedy. Yeah, right, if only being a model is that simple and smooth-sailing.
FUNNY FACE has stunningly gorgeous visuals but it is also too airy-fairy and irritatingly optimistic. And the songs are not really nice to begin with.
Rating: C
Saturday, September 06, 2008 8:57:00 AM
GIGI (1958)
viewed on 19/7/08 (Sun)
Though a big winner of 9 Oscars, I am not impressed by GIGI. It is not like I do not like muscials but GIGI is plain.
The numbers are not catchy and of course I am not keen to see another uninspired coming-of-age story of a tomboy blooming into a fair lady. That is pun intended as it has a similar plot to MY FAIR LADY, which I remember I enjoyed quite a lot.
Rating: C
Sunday, September 07, 2008 11:59:00 PM
ANNA KARENINA (1935) and ANNA KARENINA (1948)
viewed on 27/7/08 (Sun) and 31/7/08 (Thurs) respectively
In the DVD of ANNA KARENINA (1948), there is a documentary made about Tolstoy. Though a legendary influential writer, Tolstoy's life was a life of full of contradictions and he had to spend his last years battling domestic troubles. His days as a soldier inspired him to write WAR AND PEACE and if I did not get it wrong, ANNA KARENINA was a result of his own political views that did not see eye to eye with the masses.
More widely mentioned in the documentary was Tolstoy’s The Kingdom of God is Within You, which very much inspired Gandhi’s passive resistance and non-violent strikes.
A search at Wikipedia reveals that ANNA KARENINA was an influential literature masterpiece but alas, the poor movie adaptations must not have done justice to it.
The 1935’s ANNA KARENINA is a no more than a star vehicle for Greta Garbo. She was not acting; she was merely posing for the camera. The 1948's counterpart is a more sincere movie but it feels distant. Maybe it is so chokeful of clichés, it is too soap operatic to be taken seriously.
One major difference between the two movies is while Garbo's ANNA KARENINA revolves around the heroine and her love, Vivien Leigh's focuses more on the relationship with her cuckold husband.
A check with imdb.com shows that there were more than 20 adaptations of the book and I am wondering which is the one that did most justice to the source.
Rating: C and C+
Monday, September 22, 2008 11:55:00 PM
AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER (1957)
viewed on 2/8/08 (Sun)
Saw the remake about a decade ago, starring the real-life Hollywood couple, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty. It was apparently an unsuccessful remake because the reviews and box-office takings were disappointing.
But this classic, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, is truly a romantic movie to remember.
It is essentially about an affair, in another sense, since both the romantic leads are bound to marry someone else before they meet. But you will not find yourselves condemning their acts because it is obvious they are a match made in heaven.
Being sensible and level-headed adults, they make a pact to meet at the top of the Empire State Building after six months. If they still feel strongly for each other, then they will meet. And if not, then they will not turn up.
Somehow a good romantic story will really work when tragedy strikes. Something really bad happened and they do not meet eventually. Now, you may think you will reaching for the Kleenex but the movie doesn't slide into schmaltz.
The movie remains chirpy. The characters moved on with their lives until fate reunites them. There is a spoiler I do not wish to give away. (I think you can call it a spoiler) In the last scene, you will shed tears. Not only because the lovers are finally together but you learn a little what true love is all about.
Rating: A-
Saturday, October 25, 2008 12:02:00 AM
最想念的季节
MY FAVOURITE SEASON (1985)
viewed on 13/8/08 (Wed)
This is my second attempt at writing this review. I find it hard to tell why I like the movie so much.
Starring a very young Sylvia Chang and famous songwriter Jonathan Lee, MY FAVOURITE SEASON is a bittersweet coming-of-age romance movie. But it is not really one of those coming-of-age story that happens one season and see the main characters change dramatically.
The story is very simple and there seems nothing much has happened. Details are paid more to the seemingly mundane daily affairs of the two leads. They bicker like some old married couple most of the times.
Almost effortlessly, before the final scene, I have already feel attached to the two romantic leads and sighed that they may never be together.
This is the charm of the movie. It doesn't try hard to endear itself on you. A story so simply told and yet so quietly stirring.
Rating: A-
Friday, October 31, 2008 10:14:00 AM
OSTRE SLEDOVANÉ VLAKY (1966)
(CLOSELY OBSERVED TRAINS)
viewed on 13/8/08 (Wed)
Seriously, this 1968 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film simply leaves me scratching my head.
The reviews on the internet reveal much about the political statments the movie strives to make but I guess only a history person can enlighten me.
Rating: D
Friday, October 31, 2008 10:18:00 AM
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE (2005)
viewed on 19/9/08 (Fri)
This is one of the few DVDs I saw the entire movie and the movie extras all in one go. When I was done, it was already 3 am in the morning.
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE scares the hell out of me not because of the jump scenes and horrifying gore but the fact that it is (loosely) based on actual facts. I found myself scrambling to my laptop to go into wikiepedia and learn more about the real story.
The original inspiration for the movie was a book titled "The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel" by Dr. Felicitas Goodman. She was the anthropologist called in as an expert on possession. And there was a German movie called REQUIEM which was also based on the events and much more accurate.
Emily Rose is played by a relatively unknown actress, Jennifer Carpenter. She holds her own against Oscar nominees, Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson, and gives one hell of performance. Pun intended. And one can only imagine the bodily torture she has to endure in doing the stunts of possession.
THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE, unlike many other contemporary horror movies, was made with minimal special effects. The whole deal looks very real and hence scarier.
Though presented as a horror movie slash courtroom drama, the story is so riveting that we forget we are watching action mainly taken place in a small courtroom.
At the end of the day, the movie is more than just another scary movie. It is also more than just another “based-on-actual-events” exploitation. It is about religious faith and a girl choosing her sacrifice to renew our faith. That scene when Emily Rose chooses to stay instead of salvation moves me deeply. And I am not even a religious person.
Rating: A
Sunday, November 09, 2008 10:18:00 PM
FLUSHED AWAY (2006)
viewed on 20/9/08 (Sat)
Seriously, I borrowed this movie for my niece who is crazy over all cartoon.
I was certain it is going to be another run-of-the-mill animated feature but I truly underestimated the story-telling prowess of Aardman.
FLUSHED AWAY overflows with very clever wit. It has slapstick comedy, highbrow jokes and cheeky references.
It is a fish-of-the-water comedy. (Or should I say "rat-in-the-sewers"?) But surprisingly, the story has some clever plot twists involving half-time at soccer matches and flushing; hence the title.
The voice talents are amazing too - Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Bill Nighy, Jean Reno and even Sir Ian Ian McKellen.
I find myself grinning like a little boy amazed by what I was watching. Much like how my niece would have been.
Rating: A-
Sunday, November 09, 2008 10:30:00 PM
PATCH ADAMS (1998)
viewed on 24/9/08 (Wed)
I have read many reviews how PATCH ADAMS sucks at trying too hard to be a feel-good crowd pleaser.
Yes. Some supposedly moving uplifting moments give me the goosebumps. It is a feel-good movie that kind of makes me sick in the stomach. Talking about overkill.
If only the movie will downplay the corniness but I guess being a crowd-pleaser, everyone is not really expecting something subtle.
The DVD includes video footage of the real Patch Adams. Robin Williams does not look a bit like him. And in his short fleeting interviews, I can feel his earnest belief that laughter is indeed the best medicine.
Alas, if only the movie can truly capture that.
Rating: C
Tuesday, November 11, 2008 11:08:00 PM
THE SINKING OF JAPAN (2006)
viewed on 17/10/08 (Fri)
When I was a small boy, I remembered I was both fascinated and terrified by the Japanese TV series of the same name. The idea of a country sinking part by part into the ocean seemed very real to a very gullible boy like me.
Of course, we all know it is no more than a fictional story and yes even though Japan is more prone to earthquakes than any part of the world, it will not sink.
THE SINKING OF JAPAN sets to be a special effects-laden blockbuster. Yes, the special effects are impressive but the story department really needs some shaking-up. I am not asking for an award-winning script but at least it can do better without a TV-trite script and over-the-top drama.
THE SINKING OF JAPAN doesn't sink but it can barely float too.
Rating: B-
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 12:57:00 AM
CROSSROADS (2002)
viewed on 19/10/08 (Sun)
I find that critics and audience alike like to hate movies starring singing divas. Let's see. They hate Mariah Carey's GLITTER, Whitney Houston's THE BODYGUARD and this Britney Spears vehicle.
Well, I have to admit I did not watch these movies with high expectations. I cannot exactly explain. It is like Tom Hanks cut a singing album and I won’t be as excited as anticipating his movies. Name me one artiste who can do well in both singing and acting. Jennifer Lopez came to mind but she ain’t exactly I call big in neither her singing career nor her acting one.
Okay, so let’s back to CROSSROADS. I would say CROSSROADS may not be Oscar material but it certainly doesn’t deserve the rotten tomatoes hurled at it.
I am just glad that even though it is very obvious is made for the teenage fans of Britney Spears, the supporting cast is not reduced to wall flowers.
Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning play childhood friends of Britney's character and their scenes show great chemistry. They are credible as friends and people we care about.
The on-screen camaraderie renders the movie enduring and not just a cheap excuse to cash on Britney Spears' fan base.
Britney herself puts up a heartfelt performance and she surely doesn't deserve the Razzie award! Her performance of the song, "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" is really the highlight of the show. There seems to be so much of herself in the role.
I would definitely like to see her in more movies. If Mandy Moore can do it so can Britney.
Rating: B
Friday, November 14, 2008 10:36:00 PM
BUBBLE BOY (2001)
viewed on 21/10/08 (Tues)
Before Jake Gyllenhaal is an Oscar nominee, he had a starring role in this small screwball comedy.
He plays the titular character who has no immune system and hence has to live in a "bubble". Things start to take a nasty turn when he falls for a girl and has to venture into the outside world in his bubble suit to stop her from getting married.
There, an interesting road trip adventure ensues that is chock-full of funny oddballs like an Indian selling ice cream and curry in a truck, a freak circus and a cult group who thinks the bubble boy is their saviour.
Though along the way, the movie pokes fun at anything from Christians to Chinese, the finale scene with the message that love can conquer all is rather touching.
I will not highly recommend this movie but if you are looking for a nice date movie, BUBBLE BOY should not disappoint.
Rating: B-
Friday, November 14, 2008 11:05:00 PM
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL (2006) and HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 (2007)
viewed on 23/10/08 (Thurs) and 27/10/08 (Monday)
Being a fan of musicals, naturally, I am curious to see this musical that kids as young as Primary One are talking about. Damn, even my niece who is attending kindergarten loves HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL.
For me, I am interested to know if the songs are nice. Yup. Some songs are really very catchy and quick to get your feet tapping. In HSM, I like "Getcha Head in the Game", "Start of Something New" and "We're All In This Together" and in HSM2, "Bet On It", "Everyday" and "You Are The Music In Me".
The young cast is very easy on the eyes, especially Zac Efron, who appeared in HAIRSPRAY and set to star in the remake of FOOTLOOSE. It is no wonder that the youngsters go goo-goo ga-ga over the musicals. They are so phenomenally big that they earn the opportunity to jump onto the big screen with HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR.
It is currently running in the theatres but I guess I can wait for the DVD to come out and then rent it.
While watching the musicals, at some point, I am actually quite embarrassed that I was watching some kiddie show. I cannot blame the musicals since they were shown at Disney Channel and what do I expect the target audience to be? But come to think about it, I will not be exactly embarrassed to be caught watching THE LITTLE MERMAID, ALADDIN and ... You get the idea.
The plots are a tad shallow, corny and predictable. The performances a little too amateurish. I am still quite shocked that the the musicals are directed by Kenny Ortega, a grey-haired man who can be passed off as the cast's grandfather.
I am seriously wondering if the final instalment on the big screen has finally come of age. It will be good that it does and judging from the good word-of-mouth from critics and audience alike, I think it has. And isn't that a nice way to end the HSM trilogy. And God forbids a Part 4.
Rating: B and C+ respectively
Saturday, November 15, 2008 2:03:00 AM
P2 (2007)
viewed on 24/10/08 (Fri)
P2 will make you fearful of underground carpark as much as JAWS will make you fearful of the open sea and PYSHCO, shower curtains.
P2 reminds me of PANIC ROOM though. In both thrillers, most of the action takes place in a confined building. Both creatively make use of the restricted space to create claustrophobic tension. I will put both thrillers in the same class, except P2 will have more gore, given it is directed by Franck Khalfoun who is famous for his cult hit, HAUTE TENSION.
P2 grips you from the very beginning because we believe it can really happen in real life, being the last one to leave the office building and trapped within by a pyscho.
So what is the moral of the story? Well, do not work so late. It is not worth working your ass off.
Of course, P2 doesn't set out to make a statement or come with a message. It is simply a thriller who wants to make us jump. Made by fans of thrillers and for fans of thrillers. Boo!
Rating: B+
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 12:12:00 AM
DEEP BLUE SEA (1999)
viewed on 29/10/08 (Wed)
It's JURASSIC PARK meets JAWS, as Entertainment Weekly once aptly put it.
And indeed DEEP BLUE SEA seems very much inspired by the two movies.
Renny Harlin said in his interview that, unlike in JAWS, the audience will see the sharks in their full glory. I don't know but they still look fake to me. It is still all right by me because there is plentiful of heart-stopping moments.
Though the sharks in the movie are said to have bigger brains and hence smarter but can they actually know how to set an oven to 500 degrees? It is rather laughable.
JAWS is considered a classic because the shark is Hitchcockian. It builds a scary mystery aura around the fish. JURASSIC PARK functions as a message movie as well, warning us about the dire consequences of meddling in the affairs of God.
DEEP BLUE SEA fail to emulate what its predecessors and hence not a great movie. It is only a satisfactory popcorn thriller.
Rating: B
Friday, November 21, 2008 5:12:00 AM
VERA DRAKE (2004)
viewed on 31/10/08 (Fri)
I am simply very surprised that the movie was filmed practically without a script. The entire script was improvised. I still find it hard to believe and what is harder to believe is the non-existing script was even nominated for an Oscar!
Suspending the disbelief, it is without a doubt that VERA DRAKE is a great movie largely because Imelda Staunton, deserving for an Oscar nominationr, puts up such a riveting performance. Beneath the chirpy exterior, she has a dark secret. She helps young girls perform illegal abortions, a job she doesn't gain profit from but out of goodwill. Also, it is a chore she is not proud of and does it with a detached concern. A scene suggests she was once upon a time a girl in their shoes.
It is more than just a movie about "back alley" abortion in 1951's England. Quoting from imdb.com, VERA DRAKE is "kitchen-sink slice-of-life drama". Much attention is given to the characters living with Vera Drake and of course how her arrest shock and divide the family.
Above all, I have to say this again. Imelda Staunton is the soul of the movie. What a wonderful actress she is and such a delight, her performance.
Rating: B+
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 11:28:00 PM
BALLS OF FURY (2007)
viewed on 2/11/08 (Sun)
It is with a tad of Asian pride that I borrowed this movie. Ping Pong is a very Chinese sport and Hollywood is making a comedy based on it. It doesn't matter it is a screwball comedy no less. Pun intended.
BALLS OF FURY made me laugh out loud at several very funny lines, especially quips from the Blind Master played with perfect comic timing by James Hong. I remember seeing him in this very famous SEINFELD episode about Seinfeld and co. running into reservation problems at a Chinese restuarant.
While some comedies are too silly to be funny, BALLS OF FURY can do the balance quite well.
If you are looking for a few good laughs, BALLS OF FURY is highly recommended.
Rating: B
Tuesday, December 16, 2008 5:09:00 AM
THE CHANGELING (1980)
viewed on 2/11/08 (Sun)
Not to be confused with Clint Eastwood's CHANGELING. And nope, these two movies are not related.
This is run-of-the-mill ghost house horror movie.
Reputable actor, George C. Scott plays recently bereaved family man being terrorised by a ghost of a small boy. Yes, you guess it right. The ghost needs some kind of help to seek a closure to his horrifying death.
Well, let's just say the twist in the story is quite poignant and a salvation to this otherwise rather standard horror movie.
Rating: B
Friday, December 19, 2008 11:29:00 PM
TO WHOM THE BELLS TOLL (1943)
viewed on 9/11/08 (Sun)
This long long Oscar winner puts me to sleep.
I guess I know why the Oscars love it. The I-will-sacrifice-for-all ending makes your heart swell.
Other than that, it is a lot of talk, very little action and many closeups of Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman.
Rating: C
Friday, December 19, 2008 11:33:00 PM
RUNAWAY BRIDE (1999)
viewed on 9/11/08 (Sun)
This is no PRETTY WOMAN sequel.
RUNAWAY BRIDE is painful to watch because it is so saccharine-sweet, it is actually cornball. I cringed a lot when I was watching this.
This is one movie Julia Roberts is guilty of doing her Julia Roberts things and not getting away with it. Her look-I-am-so-pretty gazes and teary stares wear off their charm pretty soon. Damn, even the usually charismatic Richard Gere is irritating to watch. Together, the duo’s act-cute antics are too forced and trying so hard to please.
Seriously, I do not take pity on Julia Roberts’ character. She should go straight to hell for jilting so many grooms at the altar. The pre-wedding jitters do not apply to her and what a lousy excuse it will be. Warning posters should be pasted all over her town and a cover story is definitely necessary.
Damn. Might as well, warn whoever is going to see this that they should not be expecting anything like PRETTY WOMAN.
Rating: D
Monday, December 22, 2008 11:16:00 PM
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966)
viewed on 11/11/08 (Mon)
A big winner at the Oscars in 1967, including winning Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.
If you are expecting a slow-moving historical drama, you are not far off but there are emotional rewards towards the end. It is one of those "boring" classics that should still resonate with today's audience.
It is a simple story of a man who will not bow to anything but to his principles and righteousness. Even if that means he has to end up being beheaded by the king.
It has been a while since I saw the movie, and I cannot really point out what happened in the court scene in the coda but I remember it was very riveting to watch. It moves me a great deal.
The protagonist held fast to his beliefs and never once lost his cool. He refuses to give in, in his own quiet manner, even to the last minute. Death is not at all scary if you know you are only doing the right thing. Indeed, a man for all seasons and a movie for any era.
Rating: A
Thursday, March 19, 2009 3:00:00 AM
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