Contraband

Contraband is a fast paced action thriller movie starring Marky Mark and Kate Beckinsale. It tells the tale of one time scoundrel and small time Hustler Chris Farraday (Marky Mark) who is forced into the trade again to save his lil-brother in law from the hands of gangsters. Needless to say, nothing is ever a clear cut deal, when you’re a smuggler and Marky Mark.

Everyday I'm smuggling..

Movie starts out pretty basic and the scenes are quite predictable. Half way through you’re already second guessing if somebody is gonna get caught or fall off some boat. But the pace does pick up pretty quickly once the smuggling is underway and add some twist (twist and shout) here and there, it does make up a fairly entertaining film.

Chris knew he should have brought a bigger wallet

Probably isn’t a classic or something you’re gonna replay in your head again and again, Contraband is entertaining enough given that there really isn’t anything to watch nowadays. Sigh April and summer just couldn’t come any sooner.

I actually thought the movie was based on this

Verdict

Worth the watch but is never gonna stand out in the crowd. Unless you like Marky Mark’s pecs. 3/5

We Bought A Zoo

An enjoyable movie as it tells the tale of a father’s struggle (Matt Damon) in trying to keep everything together while coming to terms with the death of his beloved wife. He feels stuck and needs a change, and what better way to do this then moving and running away from your problems by buying a neglected property which comes with it’s very own set of wildlife features. Toss a few other likely scenarios (son hates father for neglecting him) and you have the very loveable film that is We Bought a Zoo. Yes the Zoo is real and so is Matt Damon.

Besides the running cost, Ben had to deal with the Circle of Life too

Have to say I probably even doubted the entertainment value when I was dragged to watch this film. It looks and sounds way to family orientated for my liking and fixing a run down zoo just might not be my thing. I was way surprised when after 20 minutes of the film I was still hooked! Okay sure I wasn’t screaming with excitement but you really wanted to see how this movie would turn out. Hooray for animals!

Growl? Purr? Woof? Hi?

Verdict
We bought a Zoo is an enjoyable light hearted drama even if it deals with topics such as father-son relationship, buying crappy properties and the passing of a loved one. In the end it celebrates the human spirit and that itself will draw out most people to watch it.


Rating
Thumbs up! 3/5 Stars.

Top 10 Mobies of 2011 - A Letter from Aprilsky

Dear Mobiedickians,

Please find below MY humble TOP 10 Mobies of 2011 :-

1) DRIVE – once in a while a cool-ass movie comes along.. Nicholas Winding Refn’s “DRIVE” is this year’s ESSENTIAL uber cool movie..

2) WARRIOR – better than ‘The Fighter’, more epic , more soul , more heart , more kicks , more bruises , more heartbreak , more everything.. best gila..

3) THOR – best marvel film I’ve seen in years ! EPIC SPACE OPERA !

4) FAST FIVE – true popcorn action entertainment, Fast Five is arguably the best in the FF series

5) MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – if you haven’t watched this, watch it, and you will learn to love Woody Allen’s touch of charm and magic ...

6) SOURCE CODE – surprise inclusion! It’s like groundhog day meets sci-fi speed.. best !

7) HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS : PART 2 – fitting finale to a long running series.. loved it even tho am not a fan..

8) SUPER 8 – pure sentimental value here, JJ Abrams / Spielberg brings back the good old movie grandeur. Goonies + Aliens :D

9) HANNA – another stylish indie movie here with a kick-ass soundtrack. Gotta love Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan as Father-Daughter combo..

10) 50/50 – 500 days with Cancer. JGL does it again.

Honourable Mention: X-Men: First Class Great Reboot and expecting bigger things!
Worst Film of the year: 1) Green Lantern 2) Transformers: Yawn of the Moon

Dahlia's Top 10 of 2010

Might seem shocking; but this year wasn't exactly a bumper crop of OMG moments at the movies, memorable mentions:

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Grown up, mature, engaging coming of age with MAGIC!)

4. How to Train Your Dragon (watched it in 3D? You deserve your own Nightfury!)

Everything looks better with folded sleeves

1. The Social Network (Jesse Eisenberg for best actor, can't say it enough! *poke poke*)

3. Inception (For the most hyped and anticipated Nolan vehicle of the summer)

5. Heartbreaker (Vanessa Paradis... Funny, well scripted French rom-com)

Blue Valentine (Must watch. Pre-emptive strike because I'm smug like that..)

Somewhere (If SoFoCo is sleeping with Phoenix, you must expect some "So sentimental.. not sentimental..")

Jackass-3D (what could have been..)

Black Swan (girl on girl, plus a Winona comeback? WIN!)

Otherwise, 2010 was a tad disappointing.. Summer wut?

In other news: FAIL MOVIES OF 2010 aka how technology and Hollywood studios with mega budgets have raped us all.

In west Philly, born and raised..

The Karate Kid - I know the Smiths are whipping their hair and what not, but all because your parents are faymos, don't mean you got to have your face on the screen for 120 minutes to "Wax on, wax off" the hairs off a classic. RIP Mr Miyagi and his bonsai.

Clash of the Titans - It's like throwing kitchen utensils down a flight of stairs...and then falling down after them.. FAIL. <- I didn't watch, just wanna diss those who did... ahem ahem.

The Last Airbender - M Night is now a genre for FAIL movies. "What kind of movie is it?" "Oh, it's an M Night.. as in FAIL" <- I didn't watch, the Fail-dar is strong with me.

Sex and the City 2 - Lust fest for menopausal women everywhere, the designers who have died for this movie the year it was made... RIP Alexander McQueen.

Prince of Persia - Srsly? What was even RIGHT about this movie. Sir Ben Kingsley in eyeliner, anyone?

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Watched this after yoga, felt very angry after the movie. Took it out on a legless midget.

The Sorceror's Apprentice - Refer to earlier review. Even typing the title feels like a travesty.

Gonna save the motherf**king day Yeah!

The Expendables - If only time was expendable, then I can get back the life I lost watching this pubescent boy, NRA lobbyist, Lockheed Martin vehicle on steroids.

I am upset that I've watched more bad movies than good ones this year...

Here's to 2011!

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World

Bad news Mobie fans. The release of Scott Pilgrim vs The World in Malaysia has either been postponed or just isn’t going to be shown. So are we just going to sit around and let others dictate what we can or can’t watch? Will we be ruled? NO! Will we go silently in the night? NO! Do we have a point? NO!

This isn't a story about love. It's about getting your ass kicked

The movie tells the tale of Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) who is 22, plays bass in a band and is the loveable loser in a remote town in Canada. Scott’s life is pretty average until he meets the very mysterious Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and immediately starts pursuing her like a Scud missile in the Gulf War. As Scott starts to play all the right cards in winning her heart, he encounters a very serious problem. Well to be honest, 7 serious problems in her Exes who are all hell bent in stopping Scott Pilgrim from being with Ramona. Oh and did I mentioned Scott already has a girlfriend?

From start to finish, the movie is an absolute rollercoaster of a ride. There’s a lot of influence from pop culture and 80s video games within the film so expect something slightly different from what’s usually on offer. There are tons of laughter from every scene as each character brings something different to the table. That way there isn’t an over expectation from one single person to just carry the movie through. You should feel quite entertained given it is pretty much a teen bop type of film.

Dude he's on fire

I might not agree whole heartedly with the casting of Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim as every scene looks like another episode of Arrested Development with him in it. I think his best contribution so far has been Youth in Revolt and him staring opposite Jack Black in Year One. Besides that, most people who are Micheal Cera fans will watch the film for him or just find other bits of the movie enough to keep you on the couch. Mary Elizabeth is amazingly stunning in this film and pulls off Ramona fairly well and should have quite a large male following after this film. The typical punk rocker type of girlfriend springs to mind.

Excitement? Adventures? A Jedi craves not these things..

So this is definitely one movie that I think a majority of people would enjoy watching. It’s got a lil bit for the popcorn movie fan club and stimulates enough neurons for those movie critics to pretty much stand as and all rounder for everyone. Mind you I don’t think it was better than Kickass but probably can stand on its own two feet given the chance.

Ratings – 3.8/5

Buried

Suspense. Thriller. A phone. 94 minutes.

The story is pretty basic but slowly blossoms into endless possibility as it shows the highly unfortunate circumstances truck driver Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) has gotten himself into. Working as a contractor in Iraq, Paul’s convoy is attacked by local insurgents. He wakes up to find himself buried underground with only a mobile phone as his coffin-mate. With time against him, Paul must try to figure how to free himself from his situation before it is too late.

Hi can I make a collect call to GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE?

Without trying to give too much away, Paul himself will start to fill in the blanks of the storyline by making a few strategic calls such as to his company, his love ones and basically anyone he can think of who can get him out of there. From a single linear storyline, it then progresses to other parts as he discovers who is actually willing to help him and who just doesn’t seem to care about him. Throughout the whole film we are seeing everything from Paul’s point of view and this really captures the essence of the film. It isn’t guns blazing action or explosions via through someone’s arse but just a simple predicament of what would you do if you were in his position.

F**k you Angry Birds

The movie may start off slightly slow but it does pick up at least by the quarter mark so any of you who might think “is this really how it’s going to be throughout the movie”, fret not because it really does grip you all the way to the end. I was a bit critical with casting Ryan Reynolds in the main role, but changed my mind as he did just about enough to play a regular guy who really can’t believe this is happening to him. Recommended for non popcorn movie goers.

Ratings – 3.5/5

Mobie Line up for End of 2010

August

Ewah says we will make more money from special edition

Avatar (Special Edition)
Aprilsky - EEYYWAAAAAA (fark I don’t think I can withstand another viewing of this)
Dahlia - I'd watch it
Shen - I hope this edition comes with smell-o-vision (remember MAD Magazine?)

Grown ups –
A - Don’t mind watching this just to kill time during Ramadonz..
D - I'd watch it
S - I've seen it and it's like a stand-ups weekend away together

September

Well this bites

Going the Distance –
A -I wanna watch this just because it relates to me in some sense.. :P (but I no likey Drew Barrymore)
D - Uh Huh... totes mte. *clears throat*
S - The title reminds me of a Michael Bolton song

Piranha 3-D –
A - KELLY BROOK IN 3-DD’S !! (I wanna see the dvd coz got nekkid scenes woot!!)
D - They are already making a sequel. Seriously, watch it la.
S - I agree.. if i'm paying double the price, i'd expect something naked..

Resident Evil : Afterlife (3-D)
A – Am a fan.. gonna watch it first night out..
D - Don't think i'm watching it
S - Yeah watching it especially since it's the same tech as Avatar

Devil (Night Chronicles) –
A - M.Night Syamalalan produce.. Sure Fail ?
D - ???
S - YAWN Chronicles

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps –
A- not interested, but probably will watch it because there aren’t any shows out that week
D - even if this is a potential smells like FAIL movie, will watch it for legacy sake. Gordon Gekko!
S - was interested till found out it's Shia Lebeouf..

Eat Pray Love –
A - Will watch J
D - because i've contributed so much to Bali's GDP
S - Hahaha

October

Not an M.Night Syamalan movie

Dinner for Schmucks –
A - Hazry (a common friend) sure suka gila cite ni..
D - No Comment
S - Doesn't look appealing

The Town –
A - Blake Lively, Don Draper and Hurt Locker goodness.. must watch.. D
D - Casey Affleck is directing this. So gonna watch
S - This sounds serious.. isn't there anything light hearted to watch?

Buried –
A - Ryan Reynolds? Confirm girls tgk cite ni..
D - No comment
S - HAHA I'm sure he'll get naked

The Other Guys –
A - Shen, u will love this one coz got ur fave Will Ferrell.. :S
D - Hahaha, Will Ferrell. Shen, you and me both!
S - Shouldn't there be like a lifetime achievement award for him?

November

Arrested Development

Scott Pilgrim vs The World
D - confirmed this will try to one up Kick Ass, even if they are not exactly the same genre. Michael Cera *yawnz*
S - Popcorn movie for me but I can foresee Michael Cera OVERLOAD on the horizon..

The Social Network
A - No Comment
D - No Comment
S - Don't care

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows : Part 1
D - Totes. THE movie for fall man..
S - It's getting better and better and i don't mind the silly lil sticks now

Rapunzel
A,D,S - Ahh?

December

Screaming was always associated with male bonding

The Chronicles of Narnia
D – Voyage of the Dawn Treader
S - FARK ME

Tron Legacy
D - Farking EPIC.

Little Fockers
A – TRIVIA : guess who Robert De Niro met during lunch on his visit in KL couple of weeks back ?
D - What the hell was De Niro doing in KL? Let me guess... paling bodoh nyer answer...... ELLA!!! hahahahahahahh
S - It's like a Trilogy now..

Comments? Are there any movies we might have missed out? Do let us know and may the force be with you always..