MOBIE! DICK!

Chronicle

2012-02-11T14:58:00.002+08:00

SHAZAMM! That’s the sound I’d make if I was a superhero… or maybe a pimp in the early 1970s. Today I’m going to be looking at Chronicle, a story of 3 guys getting some super powers and recording every minute of their adventure.

These aren't the droids you're looking for

I’ve always felt movies with simple plots needs to have that little bit extra to keep you enticed. Chronicle is shot via amateur steadicam (Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, Paranormal Activities) and instantly you feel this movie has a different feel to it. It’s a simple story, but I’ve always liked the story beneath the story. In this one you see the bond and relationship between the 3 of them mostly because they share one common similarity, which is getting some kick-ass powers from a strange rock. I know that might pretty basic but keep in mind that the story of what they do with their powers is probably a lot more interesting then how they got their powers.

Food is always better shared

“Things get heavy but I like it!”

Wow Wow. What can I say about this film? Absolutely surpassed all my expectations! I’m not sure what exactly impressed me so much about this film, but dare to be different might be one of it. Sure you can make a movie about people with powers and just follow the same old yellow brick road down to boredom, or you can take chance and see how things come out. I was always going to be curious about how this movie would end and it sure did not disappoint.

Ratings – 3.5/5 (M!D! Fav)

Chronicle is a smart, fun action adventure film which hits the spot for me. Only opened recently and is getting rave reviews everywhere. From your popcorn fan to your intellect fan, everyone should be able to enjoy this one. SHAZAMMM!

Haywire

2012-02-03T02:07:00.004+08:00

Haywire, absolutely Haywire. An intriguing action packed movie filled with lies, more lies and statistics tells the tale of Mallory (Gino Carano) as she’s being hunted down by the authorities who believe she is a rogue hired killer after being set up and betrayed. Goodness that felt painful even to write.

Chivalry is truly dead

I think it’s safe to say that this film is used as a platform to introduce Gina Carano to the world. I suppose you could say she is somewhat the next female Steven Seagal (ugh that’s quite a sight) and expect her to be in a few more action roles in the future.

Up x + square + o = Death move

“Why I Hate This Film”

Yeah it’s a negative review. It starts out in typical fashion. Not much talking but images to show some pretty sneaky stuffs about to happen (rescuing a hostage). You get pretty used to the style of the movie thinking “hey this feels different, I don’t mind a bit of this” until you realize it’s like this THE WHOLE TIME. Accompanied by some strange-ass jazz porno fueled music during fight scenes, the movie preaches crazy insane action but slowly dies of a terrible miserable slow-mo death. If you’re an action junky you’re going to think it’s slow and cliché. Even suicide might be faster than some scenes.

Lady got Kiwi on face.. HU-AH

The Verdict = 2/5

Haywire is terribly slow action paced film. It tries to be different but ends up being the same as any other espionage “I’ve been double-crossed” movie. Fight scenes are good but if that was the case I’d rather watch UFC. Now where is my Warrior Blue-Ray?

Contraband

2012-01-24T16:51:00.005+08:00

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

2012-01-09T01:11:00.006+08:00

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

2011-12-18T13:43:00.006+08:00

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

2010-12-29T13:00:00.007+08:00

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

2010-11-14T15:47:00.002+08:00

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

2010-10-23T15:19:00.002+08:00

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

2010-08-26T11:28:00.007+08:00

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..

M!D! SUPACHOICE : 500 Days Of Summer

2010-08-10T13:21:00.006+08:00

There’s absolutely nothing to watch. That’s it. I’ve declared it for the rest of the month that you’ll end up sitting alone at home going through every single HBO movie you can find just because it’s in High Def. Well there might be some good offerings at the cinemas but highly doubt it’s The Last Air “Gender” Bender (if anyone has actually see this movie, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors). So for now I’ve decide to write up on some past movies, golden gems and diamonds in the rough which you might or might not have heard of. First up is the romantic love tale staring Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel entitled 500 Days of Summer.

Hallmark moment no. 235

The story revolves around Tom who works in a greeting card company. Naturally this hasn’t always been Tom’s ambition as he is secretly inspiring to be an architect. One day however, the company hires a new administrative staff that goes by the name of Summer. Not too long soon, Tom starts to find himself drawn to the ever quirky and attractive Summer and decides to pursue her. But as most love stories, nothing is ever really that easy.

Is your father a baker?

Firstly, I think both actors fit their roles perfectly though I did have some reservations for JGL but all that has been clearly justified with the film’s success at the Sundance Film Festival. JGL plays the nearly man (the one who is struggling to make it but hasn’t quite got that inner belief to make it, which probably quite a huge representation of the male population) while Zooey plays the girl next door (the one that you easily fall in love with but you just know will never be able to hold on to). The story looks back at the love between them and it is told without a timeline (i.e not from start to finish but more like jumping from back and forth just like the Delorean in Back to the Future). The style to which the movie was shot was refreshing, fun, young, quirky, artistic and full of life (which is what love is basically all about). By doing the jumping timeline, it keeps moviegoers at the edge of their seat and excited to try and figure out what went on between Tom and Summer during those 500 days.

Deep down Tom knew those weren't ordinary brownies

Well I just have to say that I absolutely loved this film. There have been quite a lot of movies depicting romance and relationships but this is definitely one of the few movies which I think most guys can relate to. In most cases you’d go to watch a love film and half the time it is told from the girl’s point of view, but this isn’t the case with 500 days of Summer. It is bursting with male sensitivity with a touch of realism. HU-AH. We tend to watch sappy love films to have this dosage of falling in love and getting the girl and they all live happily ever after. 500 days of Summer takes you back to a time where we have all loved and lost and tried to make sense of everything. It’s funny how re-living the moments where things didn’t work out is something we cherish and think about more than a happy ending itself.

JiGerJag Speaks : The Sorcerer's Apprentice

2010-07-26T21:03:00.010+08:00

Fresh from "She's Out of My League" and the voice of Hiccup in HTTYD, Jay Baruchel is set to be 2010's Michael Cera. To seal his status transition from an Apatow film B Lister to "A" Lister, Baruchel stars as David Stutler in this summer's "distraction from Inception" film, The Sorceror's Apprentice.

Helmed by Disney and guided by a stringy haired Nicolas "My Uncle is a Coppola" Cage and Alfred "Couldn't Find Work" Molina, Baruchel plays the underdog-geek-who-gets-the-blonde with aplomb. The story starts with a climatic fight scene backflash ala Xena the Warrior Princess, Hercules and other made-for-TV Greco myth-legend types, or in this case, the Middle Ages, with Merlin and his 3 apprentices at the crux of the story.

HODOUKEN!!

Nic Cage, plays Balthazar Blake, who along with Alfred Molina (Maxim Horvath) and Monica Bellucci (say wut??) who plays the beautiful Veronica, gets embroiled in a 1000 year battle between good and evil (Morgana). Balthazar and Maxim both falls in love with Veronica, which is a no-no for any practitioner of the ART. I refer to sorcery and not self-pleasure. Maxim then switches alliance to Morgana who kills Merlin. To thwart her evil plan of the destruction of the human race (which is no big deal really in the Middle Ages, imho), Veronica sacrifices herself by trapping Morgana in her body and then imprisoning both of them, along with all of Morgana's apprentices in a magical Russian Doll type prison. Balthazar has to scour the earth for centuries to find THE ONE who will wear Merlin's Dragon Ring, the ultimate Merlinite, front page material of Sorcery World digest.... who turns out to be the geeky, never-gonna-look-at-you-twice-in-real-life-ain't-dissing-just-keeping-it-real-yo Physics major student, Baruchel. Balthazar and David must then embark on a quest to destroy Morgana for good. Along the way, they meet Maxim, Becky (David's childhood crush) and Drake Stone, a celebrity magician who becomes Maxim's aide, undoubtedly, a jibe at modern day "illusionists".

Day 1 and he's already forgotten his owl

It's a simple enough story, with predictable one-liners (surely, you saw that one coming) and 2 dimensional characters. There were classic master-apprentice moments between Balthazar and David, though the chemistry between them was like watching Nic Cage make out with Angelina Jolie... or anyone for that matter. There was so much that could have been done given the expanse of technology when it comes to magic and sorcery (case in point, Harry Potter types) that the film came across as being lazy with the laughs and cheap with the gimmicks. Of course there was a love interest for David. And of course she was blonde and hot. And of course if David was not a sorceror, she would NEVER look twice at him. And of course there's a pivotal scene where she goes "You seem different." after David undergoes training and gains self-confidence. No hints how it's all going to end. Did Spain win the World Cup? Uh-huh.

Excusez-moi

If you are hungry for kul es ais magic tricks and effects, this film did have its finer moments. Being a Disney studio production, a nostalgic scene of the original Sorceror's Apprentice,does make an appearance. Also, look out for the Hungarian Mirror Trap which is pretty kul es ais in my books. Other than that, waiting for The Sorceror's Apprentice to astound you is like trying to find that elusive sweet kernel of popcorn that somehow made its way into your large bag of salted.

JiGerJag's rating - 2.5/5

Special MobieDick thanks to JiGerJag for her contribution. Some of her other reviews can also be found on this site and when entering the state of Limbo.

Trailer : Tron Legacy

2010-07-26T20:31:00.005+08:00

Been an exciting month with the mind blowing Inception confusing everyone across the world. A masterpiece but where does this leave us for the rest of the year? It can only be downhill from here folks. Or is it?

Here's the latest trailer of Tron Legacy and it really is a visual delight. The movie will be in 3D and some may have already caught the trailer during some Disney 3D cartoons. Expected out in the States around December this year so i suppose it'll be a while till we see it here.

Special shoutout to Aprilsky who is the REAL trailer king. Nice.

A Mel Melons Moment : Inception

2010-07-22T15:25:00.007+08:00

Need not hold your breath any longer movie fanatics coz “The” summer blockbuster of the year and arrived and is set to knock the socks off your feet. Christopher Nolan’s latest brainchild, ‘Inception’ promises everything you’d expect; a fast-paced action thriller boosted by a strong yet simple storyline that tackles basic human emotions.

TOTEM-ham Hotspurs

The movie is about protagonist Dom Cobb (Leo), a man who makes a living by extracting information from a subject’s subconscious on the premise that the reality as you know it can be easily replicated in your dreams. Cobb is tasked by power mogul Saito (Ken Watanabe) to plant an idea in his rival, Robert Fisher Jr.’s (Cillian Murphy) mind that would see the Fisher empire collapse and in return Cobb would be reunited with his children. Cobb seeks assistance from several ‘industry’ talents including dream architect, Ariadne (Ellen Page) and Jack-of-all-trades Eames (Tom Hardy) and alongside good friend and partner, Arthur (JGL), they devise an extremely complicated but subtle con ala ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ but stumble across many obstacles along the way.

Like... OMG..

Now, if you’re the kind of person who would rather not know much about a movie before catching it, you might feel slightly lost in the beginning as we are immediately thrown a scene where the movie introduces us to the concept of ‘entering dream world’ but you are eased into it when Cobb (Nolan) introduces Ariadne (audience) to the idea.

Special Scenes requires Special People

No obstacle was larger than Mal (Marion Cotillard), Cobb’s dead wife and main antagonist in the movie. Cobb’s overbearing guilt for her death has manifested into the group’s worst nightmare and only Cobb can stop her – signifying parallelism of man’s struggle to overcome his greatest fear. While it is very easy to find that the movie is centered around Cobb, Mal and to a certain extent, Ariadne, the other supporting cast plays a significant role that helped shape the movie. Pay close attention to Saito, whose role is somewhat marginalised midway through the movie as just the benefactor of the con becomes questionable at the end of the movie. Makes you think whether Cobb was really the mastermind behind the whole plot.

Everybody knew you started with the salad fork first

With a budget of 180m buckaroos, don’t expect Avatar-like special effects but that’s not to say it was insufficient, rather anymore added effect would distract the audience from the Nolan’s intentions.

‘Inception’, unlike most sci-fi movies, eases us to accept the possibility of an alternate world(s) without impairing men’s tendency to be rationale. The 2hour Freudian adventure ends in a classic open-ended interpretation that never gets old. You might find it easy to draw similarities from movies like ‘The Butterfly Effect’ or Christopher Nolan’s own 2000 psychological thriller, ‘Memento’, I think a cross between Cameron Crowe’s 2001 ‘Vanilla Sky’ with a little edge is a snugger fit.

One thing that is still bugging me though is, why was Ariadne portrayed as Cobb’s voice of reason rather than good bud, Arthur. I don’t buy the idea that Ariadne’s naïveté made her a suitable candidate. To be honest, she kinda annoyed me after awhile; wouldn’t JGL be a better choice? I think he should’ve played a much bigger role instead of the much cooler version of himself in ‘3^rd Rock from the Sun’ – unjustified. The anti-gravity fight scene was off the hook! Just something about that guy that makes you wanna have a closet full of suits. Anyways, any views or comments are most welcomed; I would love to hear them.

Rating 4.8/5 - a freakin’ MUST WATCH!

Mel Melons is a progressive writer and is known for his stinging attacks on popcorn films, the diminishing state of the country and the yellow fruit - the banana.

A special MobieDick thanks for his contribution.

Trailer : Inception

2010-07-17T12:21:00.003+08:00

If you didn't know already, Inception is latest Summer Blockbuster for this year and it promises to be out of the ordinary. It tells the tale of Cobb who is in the business of stealing information in dreams. In his latest project Cobb has to put together a team but not to steal information but to plant an idea in a dream. Strange? Weird? The Heimlich Maneuver? Inception will test your mind on what you think is a dream or reality.

We saw the movie on Thursday night and strongly urge everyone to see it! This has to be our movie pick of the year so far. Watch it as soon as you can before people start to blurt out things or decide to post spoilers on their social networking site. A review of the movie and Q&A will come up not too soon from this post.

Ratings - 4.5/5

Trailer : Predators

2010-07-06T22:05:00.009+08:00

The latest installment in the Predator series tells of a gang of mercenaries brought to the Predator world for some more fun filled cat and mouse game. Loving the fact that it returns to some classic Man vs Predator environment just like how it was in the first film. We'll be catching it this Thursday so hopefully it starts with a high and ends with a high.

MobieDick Pre-rating = 3/5

Robin Hood

2010-05-22T00:24:00.006+08:00

This tale of Robin Hood is told from the Crusaders version of Richard the Lionheart and his dubby brother named John. Robin is at the fore-front of midevil warfare with King Richard battling the french and doing the normal war-mongering duty when Richard is unfortunately wounded and killed in battle. With this Robin (who is also a fantastic archer) must take his crown back to England for the new king to be crowned. Of course not everything goes as planned and things aren't as plain and sailing as expected. Meanwhile Robin decides to take up a quest where he has to return a sword to royalties in Nottingham as he feels he is indebted to a dead knight. And so the legend begins..

Father to a murdered son, Husband to a..

Aye my horse is bigger than yours..

Gripping? Astonishment? Thrills? Screams? These are just a few emotions that I didn't experience while watching this movie. Ridley Scott goes for the same tried and tested formula of Russell Crowe screaming something inspiring hoping it draws attention away from a poorly disjointed movie filled with cheesey one liners and occasional slap-stick humour. On one hand it tries to recreate the brilliance of Gladiator but falls way short of that target and probably being something slightly better than Clash of the Titans. You wait and wait for a hours for people to stop talking and start fighting but it rarely happens and just when you can get comfortable enough to fall asleep, WHAM! it hits you like a new George Micheal song straight in the face.

The Moneyshot

Of course it can't be all that bad right? Well I suppose if you just wanted a movie to entertain you and won't be too bothered with storyline and all then maybe you might find this movie slightly interesting. That is until you realise the talking continues for another 2 hours! Robin Hood is a long winded movie and if anyone wanted to really watch it, it would be because of the brand name and nothing else. Desperately poor on what could have been a good blockbuster movie for this summer.

Ratings - 2.5/5

Clash of the Titans

2010-04-02T19:59:00.004+08:00

Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 smash hit and offers a new and revamp look to the ground breaking film. The story revolves around a Demi-god (Half mortal half god) named Perseus (played by Sam Worthington) who upon witnessing the death of his family (well adopted) at the hands of the god of the underworld - Hades. With the help of a handful Greek soldiers, Perseus and his marry men embark on a journey of which he will encounter Giant demons, the legendary Medusa in his quest to avenge the death of his family.

I AM BEOWULF

If you're a fan of sea monsters, greek mythology and beardy looking warriors, then you've come the right place cause this movie does deliver that up front. The action is fast paced and you get the sense of an adventure movie ala Lord Of the Rings as they proceed on their quest. As the story progresses our hero encounters more foes and more problems but being the son of Zeus he occasionally gets a special handout from dad to which he rejects at first but we all know he'll use his gifts sooner or later.

Perseus always felt safe with his friend from Fraggel Rock

Not that I want to be overly critical, but this movie for me was a bit of a letdown. I'm a big Sam Worthington fan (especially after Terminator 4) but Perseus just transforms from an anti-hero character to just being plain annoying really takes the cake. The movie is fairly disjointed (if you actually care about the storyline) and what starts out as a journey to meet and destroy the god of the underworld slowly turns into National Lampoon's Vacation series. I think 15 minutes into the film I was already half bored and having flashbacks when I had to sit through Twilight: New Moon constantly reminding myself I would never let this happen again. I'm sure some people will slate me for not knowing my greek mythology or not seeing that it's just an action film, but to put it plain and simple I thought it kinda sucked.

Also another thing to note :- Being there all excited for this film and especially it being in 3D, I can only hope that you don't experience the same disappointment as I did when I discovered that there were HUGE ASS subtitles across the movie screen blocking half of my view and also being in 3D!

Beware of this movie young man...

So if I'm going to give an honest a opinion, if you have no disregard for storylines and where it's going then I'm sure you'll be fine with this movie. You probably should just settle for a 2D movie cause I don't really think 3D is worth your money. If you're none of the above then stay far away from it.

Ratings - 2/5

JiGerJag Speaks : How to Train Your Dragon

2010-03-30T14:22:00.009+08:00

It is the kind of movie that warrants a "first thing in the morning" review.

Churned out by the same studio who brought us Shrek (WIN), Madagascar (too camp) and Kungfu Panda (animated Jack Black was surprisingly bearable, don't mind the pun), this juggernaut of a movie hit the sweet spots in all the right places and brought fresh life to an overused cinematic character: DRAGONS

Me Grimlock

Based on a children's book by Cressida Cowell, where others have failed, what HTTYD has done so well was quite simple: It told a great story with rich characters with a well brewed storyline and a lot of heart.

The acquaintance was a juxtapositional one. Hiccup, given his physical limitations but ingenuity, managed to capture the most fearsome and "deadly" of all dragons, the Night Fury, hence setting in motion perhaps the most endearing of relationships where we see this awesome creature play pet, learn new tricks and of course FLY.

Landings were usually the hard part

The animated movie is a treat to watch in 3D and the training sequences could rival big budget (maybe USD350 million?) films of the same genre. Be prepared for the incredible audio and visual details while you feel your heart soar through the clouds and away from the almost harsh and limiting landscape of Hiccup's world. It is a fitting metaphor for a boy who never really could fit in the world of burly Vikings (with Scottish accents though) but used his intellect as a tipping point to provide the Vikings with a fresh new perspectives of their much dreaded enemies. To quote GI Joe, "Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.."

I also liked the fact that I was not distracted by the "stars behind the voice". The characters were rich and engaging enough to mask the fact that there was Gerard Butler behind Stoick, Jay Baruchel behind Hiccup and America Ferrera behind Astrid. Bet you didn't even notice Jonah Hill... (wut wut who?)

Teenage angst at its very best

Kudos to Chris Sanders, whose previous work was Lilo & Stitch, for bringing to life Toothless, who has undoubtedly, won the hearts of audiences. Contrast Toothless vs. Eddie Murphy's Mushu in Mulan. Mushu must now mean "DRAGON FAIL" in Chinese.

All in all, a 4.3/5 for me and an epic WIN for Dreamworks for giving us an animated movie which doesn't try to be anything else but a great story. And as far as 3D animation movies go, this definitely set the bar high for 2010. I jump in excitement at next year's Oscar's Animated Feature nominees who would undoubtedly have a tough act to follow.

-This is a JiGerJag approved movie-

Special MobieDick thanks to JiGerJag for her contribution.

It's Oscar Night!

2010-03-08T01:06:00.009+08:00

Hello hello boys and girls! Thought it might be fun if we have a little pick on who might be eventual winners or Epic Win for the upcoming 82nd Academy Awards for 2010. We won't take all the categories but just a few to wet your appetite. Let's see how many we can get right!

The Panel

Dahlia - Philosophical movie critic but was once overheard saying G.I Joe was "rather good".

Aprilsky - Self-confessed X-Files fan and still believes the truth might still be somewhere out there.

Shen - Movie reviewing ability has improved supremely since the discovery of spell-checker.

Best Picture

1) An Education

2) Avatar

3) The Blind Side

4) District 9

5) The Hurt Locker

6) Inglorious Basterds

7) Up

8) Serious Man

9) Up in the Air

10) Precious

Dahlia : Hurt Locker... but then again Box Office Juggernaut Avatar may just take this

Aprilsky : Hurt Locker – really want this one to win

Shen : Avatar though we all know it's going to be Hurt Locker

MOBIEDICK SUPERCHOICE - HURT LOCKER

Best Director

1) Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker"

2) James Cameron for "Avatar"

3) Lee Daniels for "Precious"

4) Jason Reitman for "Up in the Air"

5) Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds"

D :Bigelow/Cameron, depending on who won Best Picture.. don't think they'd split Best Picture and Best Director up like how Bigelow and Cameron split... (score)

A : You're right – don’t see them splitting this one up hahaha

S : I take Bigelow because of the emails he sent

MOBIEDICK SUPERCHOICE - Whoever wins Best Picture will win Best Director

Best Actor

1) Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart"

2) George Clooney for "Up in the Air"
3) Colin Firth for "A Single Man"
4) Morgan Freeman for "Invictus"
5) Jeremy Renner for "The Hurt Locker"

D : ??? - No comment/Don't Care

A : JEREMY RENNER !!! (boring la, sure jeff bridges menang)

S : Jeff Bridges for me. Didn't he win a Golden Globe?

MOBIEDICK SUPERCHOICE - JEFF BRIDGES because he's a nice guy.

Best Actress

1) Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side"
2) Helen Mirren for "The Last Station"
3) Carey Mulligan for "An Education"
4) Gabourey Sidibe for "Precious"
5) Meryl Streep for "Julie & Julia"

D: Meryl Streep.. simply because its time b*tches.. though Sandra might just win.. but it'd leave a sour taste...

A : I haven’t seen a single one of those movies they got nominated for.. don’t really care.

S : Last year it was Kate Winslet and all she did was get naked...

MOBIEDICK SUPERCHOICE - Meryl Streep or the first to get naked..

Best Supporting Actor

1) Matt Damon for "Invictus"

2) Woody Harrelson for "The Messenger"
3) Christopher Plummer for "The Last Station"
4) Stanley Tucci for "The Lovely Bones"
5) Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds"

D : HANS LANDA ftw! I'll name my first born HANS LANDA if he doesn't.

A : Looking forward to see you name your first born Hans Lada.. AHAHAHAHa

S : Everyone's favourite baddie!

MOBIEDICK SUPERCHOICE - Christoph Waltz

Best Supporting Actress

1) Penelope Cruz for "Nine"
2) Vera Farmiga for "Up in the Air"
3) Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart"
4) Anna Kendrick for "Up in the Air"
5) Mo'Nique for "Precious"

D : ?? No Comment/ Don't Care

A : I'm guessing it's going to be that Mo'Nique chick from "Precious"

S : Think I should watch some of these movies first..

MOBIEDICK SUPERCHOICE - That Mo'Nique chick from Precious

Animated Feature Film

1) "Coraline"
2) "Fantastic Mr. Fox"
3) "The Princess and the Frog"
4) "The Secret of Kells"
5) "Up"

D : Do we even care? "Up" if you must..

A : FANTASTIC MR FOX!!

S : I want Mr Fox to win but they'd probably take "Up"

MOBIEDICK SUPERCHOICE : UP up and away....

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards is live at 9am on Star Movies on 8th March 2010 (repeat at 8pm later at night).

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2010-02-16T12:41:00.009+08:00

Cartoon, animations, you got to love the sight of children fantasy books with all the imagination filled in between the spaces. Up next we have the Academy Award nominated The Fantastic Mr. Fox up for its breakdown here at MobieDick. Have we found a jewel in the rough or a downer compared to Disney’s Up?

The storyline is pretty basic and simple. It tells the tale of Mr. Fox (George Clooney) who lives in the woods and leads a pretty interesting life of stealing poultry from the nearby farm. Things however take a drastic turn as Mr. Fox discovers that Mrs. Fox is pregnant and hopes he leaves his carefree life (Hakuna Ma-ta-ta anyone?) for a steady job and starts providing for his family. Fast forward a couple of years (fox years to be exact) Mr. Fox is staring down a path of boredom and living underground but at least in the comfort of a stable family institution. That is till they move upstairs to a tree and discover that they are living between 3 very alluring farms.

Jammy night took a turn for the worse

The filmaker uses stop motion animation to bring to life the wonderful world of Roald Dahl in this tale about a cheeky fox named Mr. Fox. Though slightly unconventional (with 3D and other animatronic technology) in this day of age, I have to admit that it is an excellent touch and really engulfs you in the film. The dialogue between the characters in the woods is funny and has a touch of adult humor. Half the time you are looking out for something witty and clever conversations to be heard by the any of the animals on show (a beaver, a weasel, rabbit, mouse, you get the picture).

German motorbikes were the preferred choice

On another level, if you do suffer from short attention span then maybe Mr. Fox might not be for you. The storyline is fast but the anticipation for some action might take a while. Others might complained that it is slightly dreggy in today’s fast paced world of animation but I think you need it to really get into the right mood to experience the world of Mr. Fox. The movie also looks at the social impact of life in a community and that though we might all be different, we can be brilliant together due to our uniqueness.

Though it is a children's book, I feel in this day of age children might find it a tad boring. Adults would definitely welcome a feature animated film with a grown up jokes but I’m afraid the humor would be loss with children. Highly recommended for grown-ups but might be a miss for kids.

Ratings - 4/5

Avatar

2010-01-12T23:59:00.006+08:00

Approximately 14 years in the making, you just know that something like this has to be worth the wait. The movie tells of a simple tale of an alien tribe fighting to defend what they feel is rightfully theirs, their land.

True blue baby I love you

When his brother is killed in battle, paraplegic Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) decides to take his place in a mission on the distant world of Pandora. Upon arriving at Pandora, Jake is then introduced to his body suit or better known as Avatar which the company uses to study and learns about the local alien inhabitants known as the Na’vi. Jake also humbly carries out a covert operation to spy on the Na’vi but soon discovers all is not what it seems with the company that brought him to Pandora.

You don't want to know how they deal with jellyfish stings

Just for starters let me just tell you how visually amazing Avatar looks like on the big screen. Not only does is this movie revolutionary in terms of visual effects, but it also allows you to embrace the surroundings of Pandora. The idea is simple, to make the viewers feel as if they are actually there. After 10 minutes of watching and haven’t stopped for a blink or some liquid refreshment I knew that I was in for a treat. You can see the characters jumping through trees, climbing rocks, flying through the sky, riding a horse; anything to show off the visual effects in this movie. The 3-D effects can only be touted as genius or in simple terms the “why didn’t I think of that before” by James Cameron. It isn’t the sort of 3D effect that makes you hurl some leftover Burger King to the floor (please see Christmas Carol 3D) but more like a 3D painting where you need to stare real hard and let your friend know – dude it’s a hammer, can’t you see it?

Lock, Stock and a Kickass suit

As mentioned before the plot is relatively easy and it deals with relatively real matters, invaders taking over other people’s land. In a way it might be the core reason to why and how people end up fighting. For the humans they don’t see why the Na’vi can’t relocate themselves another place to live, and for the Na’vi they don’t understand why the humans (sky people) can’t respect their wishes and just leave them alone. Probably just movie talk but there’s probably a much deeper meaning to it than just humans versus some blue aliens.

Some may complain about the actual length of the film but I caught this film on a Friday night then continued to watch for the 2nd time on a Saturday afternoon. That’s almost 6 hours of some non stop hardcore 3-D Mania and a one way ticket to exploding bladder land. But let me tell you it was well worth my money and my time and am currently considering watching it for the 3rd time. So if you haven’t seen it yet, please do watch it in 3D for full effects while it’s still out now.

Ratings – 4.5/5 (My pick for 2009)

Zombieland

2009-12-10T14:21:00.004+08:00

GRRRR AARRGGHHH AHHHH. These are common noises which you usually get from slasher/ gore-fest/ zombie-killing movies. From past experience, most movie goers to zombie-killing-fest are into one thing and one thing only. The violent gore which is described somewhere on the box. Well I have to admit I’m not much of a zombie-fan (unless you’re talking about Evil Dead Trilogy) but this one really came out with a few surprises.

Swing Away

The horror comedy Zombieland focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus is a big wuss -- but when you're afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee is an AK-toting, zombie-slaying' bad ass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita and Little Rock, who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies. -IMBD

...could really do with a ninja now

Despite my obvious insecurities on watching a movie genre which isn’t my favourite, Zombieland really did come out tops. As the movie starts out, you get the general feel that this isn’t your normal zombie movie. Indeed it did have an indie-comedic feel to it. After about 20 minutes or so, you do become quite interested with the character’s life even though like most zombie film you can’t really runaway from the plot of killing zombies. In a way you can’t really classify this movie as a zombie film as for some strange reason the zombies were actually a side issue. As the film goes from one situation to another, it really starts to be sort of an adventure which is why I feel most people will be quite entertained. There isn’t that much repetitiveness to it so you really do get hooked from the start to finish.

Just another visit to Dude Ranch

Overall I think the movie was looking at a different issue pertaining to the lives we lead. As we follow our hero who makes up his own rules on how to survive, we do sometimes forget that we create rules and boundaries to give meaning to our lives. It’s so easy to fall into a cycle of life and just abide by the same rules which will eventually turn us into Zombies (okay that’s as philosophical as I get). So get some popcorn out and do go watch this film!

Ratings – 3.5/5

Ninja Assassin

2009-12-05T20:11:00.005+08:00

We’re approaching the back end of the year so it’s pretty much now that there will be an influx of so many random movies available for your viewing pleasure. December promises to be a month of hope with titles such as Avatar and Sherlock Holmes hoping to end the year with a blast. For now however, let’s turn our attention to Rain’s debut and breakthrough Hollywood film (perhaps?) entitled Ninja Assassin.

Not team Jacob

Ninja Assassin follows Raizo (Rain), one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge. – IMBD

Suprise! Ninjas!

The action in this movie is gory and violent to say the least. As we dive into the world of ninjas we also experience the intensity in their training and lifestyle. The movie does try to give it the cool factor whilst whispering the word ninja but unfortunately this is unable to save the movie from its doom. The training that the Rain has to go through is vigorous and at no point does it become relatively interesting to the viewer. Most would come for the violence but is so unrealistic that it would leave some grasping for a decent amount of logic, while those who came for the plot will soon discover that there is none. There are times when one might argue that this is the beauty of the movies or movie magic as they may call it, but surely 1 million ninjas versus Rain has to amount in some fatality against our hero? Even the martial arts for this movie can only be considered as average.

It's RAINing

My take is that this is trying to give Rain a bit of appeal towards Hollywood. Though many would not like to accept it but if you’re Asian and you’re trying to break into Hollywood, you better be either one damn fine actor or at least be able to bust the move like Jackie Chan. As it is, Rain is probably desperate to appeal to a much wider audience besides those in Asia. I’m sure if there are anymore roles coming for him later, it would probably be him speaking in his Native Korean in an action film where he plays a kung fu cop on the search of a Korean killer in California (wait a minute..) or a romantic comedy where he plays an Oriental struggling to make ends meet but turns to dancing and conquers the streets! Huu-Raa!

Ratings – 2/5

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs

2009-11-03T12:01:00.007+08:00

Saw this movie about a week ago and I think it was right after dinner. Watching this movie actually makes you more hungry than before so hopefully you have at least a popcorn in hand when you’re at the cinema.

Two all beef patties, special sauce, and a sesame seed bun.

Movie is about a would be investor named Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) (you might remember him as the brother in Forgetting Sarah Marshall) who plans to take the world by storm would crazy inventions which will not only help the world we live in but be seen as a hero to his little town. However not all of his inventions go to plan (things like rat-bird and no laces shoe come to mind) and as time progress he is sort of known as the town screw up. But little do they know that his latest experiment (invention) will not only give variety of food to his town (they’re stuck eating only sardines!) but to put their little town on the map and be known to the world.

really it's not you, it's me

As would most animated film nowadays, they come in a special 3D version. I have to say that I didn’t actually take up that option with fear of hurling exactly what I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the cinema floor. Of course now looking back, with the outstanding animation, it might have been worth the trouble. The visual effects are actually pretty amazing. Though that’s probably what you should expect from a featured animated film, there were parts of it that was super impressive.

So just to table things up, if you’re into all these animated movies do give this one a chance cause its bound to surprise and entertain you. It’s one big rollercoaster ride and should have you giggling all the way to the sequel. Well if there is one.

Rating – 3/5

Trailer : Avatar

2009-08-31T16:48:00.005+08:00

Aprilsky sent me the link for this upcoming awesome movie called Avatar. Directed by James Cameroon (Terminator 1&2, Aliens) and starring Sam Worthington (Terminator 4; he was Marcus Wright) this sci-fi movie should be out around December so that gives us something to look forward to towards the end of the year.

District 9

2009-08-26T13:21:00.005+08:00

Venue - GSC Tropicana City

Just for this year, think back to when was the last time you went to the movies and really felt awesome after it? For me there were only a few to pick from. I can’t say that movies this year have been terrible but expectations levels have just not reach its usual blistering high. Up next is a film by Neill Bloomkap and produced Peter Jackson entitled District 9 which tells the tale of an alien society stranded here on Earth.

Age. Sex. Location please.

The movie starts out with a mock documentary style and follows the life of Wikus van de Merwe who works at Multinational United (MNU), a private military contractor that police the aliens. He is in charge of the relocation of all the aliens (which they call prawns) in District 9. Basically these aliens have been stranded on earth for the last 20 years and now the citizens of Johannesburg (yup they are stuck in South Africa) want them out. He has to get all the aliens within District 9 to agree to move to the new refugee place by signing agreement forms on the relocation plan. However, not everything as you can guess goes to plan and Wikus gets a bit more than what he hoped for.

Guns don't kill people. Alien guns do.

When I first saw ads for this film, I have to admit that I wasn’t exactly sure if it was worth watching. There were a few promos here and there but everything seemed to be pointing to the likely event of this movie being on HBO in a few months time. Needless to say, I was dead wrong. This film is absolutely worth the watch! I might be a bit bias since I had zero expectations and emerged with high fives all around once the movie concluded but this movie is a catch. Okay so maybe when it first starts off, you get this eerie feeling that this might be leaning towards B-grade cheapo movie but the storyline is strong enough to keep you in tune straight till the end. I have to warn you that the strong point for this movie is the storyline and if you’re expecting wham bam ala Independence Day shoot-em-up then you will be deeply disappointed. The character development is also another factor to keep your taste bud going. I would like to give a special shoutout to Sharlto Copley who plays Wikus van de Merwe for some pretty kickass acting.

You thought your job sucks..

Also worth noting is that the film is inspired by historical events that took place in District Six, an inner-city residential area in Cape Town in South Africa under apartheid. In 1966, District 6 was declared a "whites only" area by the apartheid government and for the next several decades, 60,000 people were forcibly removed and relocated to Cape Flats, 25 kilometres away.

So on a final note guys, watch it. I have a feeling however that some girls might not really enjoy this film since its lacking any leading male (sorry no Ryan Reynolds here ladies) or even a feel good factor. Think this film will be a cult classic and should definitely be there with your other dvd collection.

Rating – 4/5 Stars

I would like to have – A Prawn Vindaloo

Transformers : Revenge of The Fallen

2009-07-07T18:47:00.004+08:00

Place - Signature The Gardens

This year blockbusters have started with a bang and although was quite disappointed by Terminator 4, here’s another one to wet your appetites. Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen. Will this shoot right pass expectations and deliver and unbelievable knockout? Autobots, prepare to roll out.

A few years after the last battle with Megatron, the remaining Autobots form an alliance with the army to form NEST, a corporative team between humans and Autobots to hunt down remaining Decepticons who are either in hiding on generally still causing a ruckus.
It is at this point during one of the hunts that the Decepticons tell Optimus to beware of “THE FALLEN” who from the looks of it, sounds like a badass. Meanwhile, human friend Sam Witwicky is preparing to broaden his horizon by enrolling in college. However luck has it that, bits of the now destroyed all spark seemed to stuck to parts of his apparel. So as you may have guessed it, the Decepticons pick up on this and start to track down our talkative hero.

Big Robot equals Bad News

This movie had unbelievable action and non stop shooting that should have you drooling for more. You sense the testosterone in the air as you start watching the first few scenes and even female viewers were slowly whispering to themselves “OMG THIS IS AWESOME”. Action is the name of the game and with that Transformers 2 delivers that 100%. You get more robots and more explosions for the same price you would pay for Zack Efron’s 17 Again. Sweet deal eh?

It was a foggy day in winter

Okay I’ve gotten quite a few complaints about how some of the synopsis are either too short or aren’t informative enough. I think the key to a good review isn’t to reveal too much. But believe me, this time around that’s basically the plot! Transformers 2 doesn’t really pick up from where it left off. You could say in a way that this movie can be viewed independently from the first. Most good sequels come from good continuity and good storytelling. Unfortunately Transformers 2 did lack in the story telling department. If you feel slightly confused from the synopsis, trust me you’ll feel like the story was all over the place in this movie. It was as if at the start he wanted pure action, then all of a sudden he wanted the human touch, then suddenly we were whisked away to some alternate transformers universe.

Bumblebee with some really annoying Autobots

BEWARE SPOILERS
If you have watched the movie then you might have been disappointed by a few scenes. Namely The Fallen which did nothing but sat around and waited to be come down to Earth just to get his ass kicked. They build him up to be really scary but realised that he is nothing more than an oldtimer (Chillis!) robot bent on getting his hands on more energon cubes which he needs to stay alive. And since when does Megatron bow down to anyone? I really think the director doesn’t stay true to anything in the Transformers world. WHAT’S UP WITH THE SPECIES LADY ROBOT? Its one thing to not stay true to the story, but it’s another making up your own stuff man.

Better than a Catalina Wine Mixer

On that note, Transformers 2 is still a highly enjoyable film and you should believe the hype and watch it. But for the millions of fans of the original storyline, lower your expectations or risk not watching this film ever again.

Stars – 3/5

Next time give me more of – Soundwave & Devastator

Angels & Demons

2009-05-30T18:36:00.005+08:00

Venue - Cineleisure

If you feel like lately most the movies on showing aren’t enough to fill your intellectual mind and satisfy your curiosity, well look no further as we have the latest installment from the Dan Brown franchise of ever epic religious treasure hunts entitled Angels and Demons. Will this be enough to pull in the crowd and leave fans of the book thirsty for more?

Big Holes equal Bad News

"Despite his notorious relationship with the Church, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is once again called upon to decipher the clues to a catastrophic conspiracy. The Pope has died, and before conclave can begin to determine his successor, the four preferitti (primary hopefuls for the papacy) are kidnapped. An ominous threat of their hourly demise, along with the complete annihilation of Vatican City, is issued as an elaborate revenge scheme for a persecuted group known as the Illuminati. With their meager time limit steadily counting down, Langdon, accompanied by beautiful physicist Vittoria Vetra, must travel throughout Rome to unravel the carefully hidden signs that will lead them to a terrifying adversary, a harrowing discovery, and the shocking truth." - IMBD

If in doubt send the girl in first

I’d have to say that I actually enjoyed this film. It was like a big puzzle which had action, suspense and drama all bundled into one. The flow of the movie had a bit of a Die Hard feel to it, in a sense that there was a time factor to consider. He had to try to solve each of the following to save the Cardinals. This setting gave it more of an edge which would really keep you on the edge of your seat. Unfortunately I’ve never read the book so I don’t really have anything to compare it with, but I definitely felt more interested in this one compared to Da Vinci Code (which was a bit overrated).

Obi Wan as Ewan McGregor

Storyline was good and the scenes or puzzles weren’t too over complicated that needed too long of an explanation, which I think was rampant in the Da Vinci Code. It’s probably a bit more light hearted and much easily acceptable which will probably be a lot more appealing to those who don’t really follow the franchise. If you’re looking for a night out or quite possibly going on a date, then this movie is for you. Should be able to impress your date with such interesting topics such as “I like this but the book explained a lot more” or “This beats Wolverine!” So finally the first thumbs up from me in quite a while.

Ratings – 3.7/5

Star Trek

2009-05-23T13:24:00.003+08:00

Location - GSC Pavilion THX Screen

“Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Howdy MobieFans! Growing up, and being a sci-fi fan, you’d usually be pushed into 2 pretty specific categories. A Star Wars fan, or a Trekkie. As you might not have guessed, I have always been a Star Wars fan and found most Trekkies deeply uninteresting and ironically enough, a lot dorkier than myself. So will this new self titled Star Trek movie change my perception of the majority of Trekkies all over the world?

Deep thinking was always a favourite pastime on the Enterprise

Without trying to give too much away, the movie revolves around the origins of the crew of the starship Enterprise which we have become so accustomed to over the years. This movie also gives a little bit of twist, in the sense that it’s a prequel and a new movie altogether. Movie starts off with a Starfleet ship being attacked by a very very big Vessel. The leader of this big Vessel is in search of a certain Mr. Spock, of which the captain of the Starfleet ship has no idea of what he is talking about. From this you start to deduce that this ship doesn’t seem to be from the present but from a different time frame. The first officer of the Starfleet ship, George Kirk evacuates the ship after being repeatedly shot at by the Vessel. Without any hesitation he decides to stay aboard the ship and attack the Vessel just so that the escape pods would be able to get to safety. It is from this that the pod carrying his wife and his son are able to escape and later own his son will grow up to be the legendary James T. Kirk (played by Chris Pine).

Going outdoors never included matching outfits

I’d have to say that finally this was the first movie in a long time that I actually enjoyed watching. Not that the other months were filled with dire and gut-inducing movies, but it has just been a while since I’ve gone to the films and just came out smiling. The movie had such a good flow to it, it never over emphasised too much on the origins of each and every character. Whenever a crew was introduced, you’d take it, put it on the board, look at it and carry on. Unlike some films where they try too hard to explain origins and ended up dominating the whole film with character biographies like a secondary school history book. More action less talking please.

Not everybody found "your mama jokes" amusing

Also it definitely had more outside action scenes which didn’t make it look too much like a management meeting like in every other Star Trek episode. Visually it looked outstanding which is far cry from my previous review of Wolverine. But its probably because u tend to associate sci-fi films with visually stimulating shots and therefore there’s more need for CGI as compared to other types of films. Without doubt this is probably the benchmark for this summer blockbusters.

I’m not such a Trekkie fan but I can assure you that if you’re a fan of Sci-fi, action and general wholesome entertainment then this is a movie you have to catch on the big screen. I think it’s worth emphasizing that you can save money from watching all the dramas, comedies and romantic films in the comfort of your home, but when it comes to the big movies this year, please by all means watch it at a THX screen and a combo popcorn meal in hand.

Ratings - 4/5

X-Men Origins : Wolverine

2009-05-09T17:11:00.004+08:00

Venue - GSC Midvalley

Walking about nowadays, I’ve noticed the lack of anything good in the cinema. I suppose its spring or pre summer so therefore the big movies are all being postponed until the summer blockbusters. Think at one point you had an array of chick flicks such as Confession of a Shopaholic and He’s just not that into you. So what exactly do we have for the men then? You’re not going to believe this.

My Endless Love

Story starts by trying to explain Wolverine’s origin as a small child and his relationship with Victor Creed or as we will come to know him as Sabertooth. It seems as though they are related or something and seemed to have outlast all kinds of wars (this probably shows that they are immortal or something). If you follow comic books you would know that Wolverine isn’t immortal but he has a self healing mechanism as well as some boney claws which was quite amusingly depicted during the film. What exactly is Sabertooth’s mutant powers besides unkept fingernails is anybody’s guess. Besides I’m far too lazy and couldn’t really care if his secret to eternal youth is a healthy diet, lots of sleep and regular exercise. Okay, back to the story. As the years go by Sabertooth starts to be a bit of a lose cannon. During the Vietnam War, he and Wolverine are then sentenced to death for breaking the code of war (harming innocent civilians). But as you probably can guess, they don’t die. Along comes general Ryker who sees an immense opportunity to draft these two highly vicious mutants into his special squad. They go along but Wolverine then realises that this “new” squad isn’t really very nice and they too are into killing civilians. He then packs up and leaves the team and Victor behind forever. But little does he realise that his past will catching up with him real soon.

Spa treatment tends to bring out the tiger in you

In terms of action sequence I would be fair and have to say that it brings out the mutant action element for all to see and enjoy. But besides that this was a terrible terrible terrible movie. Most of us already knew that this wasn’t going to be a very good movie what more a tribute to the Wolverine character from the X-Men 1 and 2 (not 3 cause that was crap). This just had such a cheap B-grade element to it and effects were so dire you could even pick out poorly edited scenes in the movie (watch out for the toilet scene where he’s checking out his new claws). On top of that, the story really couldn’t expand to anywhere else. Yes he has claws, yes he lost his memory, yes he smokes cigars. As much as I do like Wolverine, I’d have to say his background in this movie really isn’t that interesting. It just looked like another way to milk the whole Hugh Jackman phenomena while it still lasts. For fans of Ryan Reynolds (who plays Deadpool in this film) may have been slightly disappointed for of his lack of screen time over the course of the movie. Fret not girls (I’m assuming that’s why you came to watch this movie) for a spinoff of Deadpool is already in progress so you should be seeing more of him when the movie comes out.

So what exactly have we got to look forward to now? Well at least I’d have to say the worst is over (kind of like the recession I suppose). So now only good things should be coming out for the month of May, June and July. Brilliant.

Ratings – 1.5 / 5

Countdown to the Oscars

2009-02-17T17:39:00.004+08:00

GLITZ! GLAM! SHAZAM! The Oscar’s are just around the corner! Howdy movie fans! Here at MobieDick, we’d like to give you the run down of all the movies for this year’s Academy Awards. As I’ve been fairly busy lately due to other obligations (mainly earning a living) I’ve decided to knick a few hours off from work to focus on what could be a night full of surprises. Though it might be a bit difficult to focus on all the categories, we will try to review most of the movies in the Best Picture category. And in case you haven’t been to the cinema in a while, the nominations are:

Slumdog Millionaire

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

In case you’re thinking of catching the Oscars, you can tune in to Starmovies on the 23 of February at 9 am and catch the action live as it unfolds.

Bedtime Stories

2009-01-28T01:55:00.005+08:00

Venue - Cineleisure

Food - I had a hotdog dammit

A new year is here and here we have a new Adam Sandler movie lurking in the bushes. But what’s this we see? It’s a joint production with Disney? Are kids really ready for barf, fart and loser jokes all at the same time? Are adults ready for a cross eyed hamster and laugh machine galore? Either way, you’d better buy some hot dogs before you get into the cinema.

Most of the film's budget went towards animating a crappy pet

The movie revolves around Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) who works in a hotel and aspires to one day run an actual hotel of his own. The only problem is, he’s only a handyman. One day, Skeeter’s sister has to go out of town for job interviews. He is then entrust to take care of his lil’ nephew and his lil’ niece while their mother is out of town. Being the loser uncle that he is, taking care of children does seem like a chore and the only form of entertainment he can come up with are his Bedtime Stories. But what starts out as merely tall tales and fantasy, soon start to turn into reality as Skeeter realises that the very stories he tells them the night before, come to life the very next day! ZOIKS!

Multicoloured gumballs were always popular at Gay Pride Parades

Putting aside the fact that it’s a Disney movie, there are loads of trademark Adam Sandler type of humour in this film. You’ve got the typical “I am a loser” type of jokes as well as “the moral of the story is..”type of Disney feel to it. It is a good mix and its not surprising that this isn’t the first time Adam Sandler had dived into the children genre (he did a cartoon a while back called 8 crazy nights). Most of his friends are in this film as well so do expect a lot of trademark jokes. On the hindsight, this probably isn’t his best work but with other crappy movies out now, this doesn’t seem like such a bad pick. I would recommend you to at least watch it and you should come out smiling and feeling a bit hungry.

Rating – 3/5

Is nothing like - Bedtime Stories by Madonna

The Spirit

2009-01-01T12:22:00.006+08:00

Location – Berjaya Time Square

Been a while since I last went to the movies to watch anything worth reviewing. Think during the past month or so I’ve been more likely to watch a couple of animated features (some even in 3-D) than to have a go at anything remotely serious. So what better way to welcome the New Year then with Frank Miller’s version of an old comic classic by Will Eisner entitled The Spirit.

My City. My Soul. My Vi.

The story is fairly simple. The Spirit is a mask crime fighter in Central City and is hell bent in keeping the city safe from evil. You won’t actually know much about this red neck tie crime fighter except that he is a vigilante who works very closely with the police commissioner. And just to spice things up a bit, the Spirit has an arch-nemesis named The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson). As the story progresses, you will learn that most evilness that is going on is quite closely related to The Octopus and his daily activities. TA-DA!

Low cut dresses usually invited some form of ass grabbing

I know what you’re thinking. Was that really the bulk of the story summarised in 2 minutes? Actually, I wouldn’t say that’s the whole story but unfortunately, that’s pretty much all you need to know if you decide to spend your hard earned cash on this movie. The movie does start out with a bang but slowly falters into the abyss of nowhere. The Spirit doesn’t really have a 24 hour battle with various baddies, but more of decent conversations with them. I guess in a way this movie is like going on a date with that hot chick you’re really into but come date night, you realise that she doesn’t really talk much, has very little knowledge about current affairs, and doesn’t seem to get most of your well rehearsed jokes which you have so conveniently googled the night before.

The casting is alright (Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson) but for a Frank Miller movie (Sin City, 300) you’d really expect a better storyline. Most people were leaving just before the movie crossed the halfway mark. Think everyone felt that the movie wasn’t really going anywhere and I suppose sneaking into another movie (Bedtime Stories, Beverley Hills Chihuahua, Brainscan : Aku Dan Topi Ajaib) seemed like a better option.

Ratings – 1.5/5

Quantum of Solace

2008-12-12T12:44:00.007+08:00

Quantum of Solace
Location: Cathay Cineleisure

Hey guys, it's been a while since our last review on Mobiedick, I guess all our 'writers' has been either been busy with work, work-related activities, or parties to attend to :P. So I guess a film review has been long overdue - what better way to start off with a James Bond film ey. Anyways I would like to personally thank our guest reviewer for this film - jigerjag who is kind enough to write up her thoughts on this film when all the other mobiedickers are busy doin' shit. So here's the review for Quantum of Solace courtesy of jigerjag.

Bond, James Bond. Still angry as hell.

Anyone spending any time with Mr 007 must agree that along with the impeccable Armani suits come our high expectations. And this "sequel" to Casino Royale has left me muttering like any date that ended too soon or too horribly, "Is this it?" While initially entertained by the Aston chase, a Bond trademark, which started just 2 hours after when we last left Mr 007, the attempt was simply a mashed up series of more of the same. From cars, to boats, to airplanes, to foot, the inexhaustible 007 however, never found the same conviction towards character or plot development.

Things were definitely looking up for 007 after Casino Royale

The result is a legacy lost after Casino Royale, with little to look forward to in the next movie. This started as a unique opportunity, having a follow up to Casino was atypical of a Bond flick and held the final touches to a full revival of the Bond franchise, excel and you will win more fans, screw this and expect to be parodied in a Wayan brothers movie. This was to be a Bond relevant to 2008, no longer to be compared to other Bond franchises. It was to stand on its own.

Taking a wrong turn on the way to a ball proved to be a disaster

Unfortunately, the plot was lacking, characters were forgettable, with the exception of M, who fleshed out her motherly instinct towards Bond, (Dame Judi was the saving grace). Our thirst for Vesper, which has truly successfully mimicked the void that 007 himself carried with him with into outing, was left unquenched and instead distracted by theatrics. Oh yes, anyone who spends any time with 007 should have high expectations; and those who did on QOS probably left wishing the bar had not been left so high .

Stars: 3/5
Watch this if you obviously liked: Casino Royale, Other Bond movies, Bourne Trilogy

Max Payne

2008-10-21T19:05:00.004+08:00

Location – GSC Pavilion

After having watched a few movies with mixed feelings, I was well hyped up for this one. Roughly after the success of the Matrix, came a shoot-em-up game called Max Payne which used Matrix type of slow-mo shots (which was called bullet time in the game) to great effect delighting millions and creating a rather large fan base. Already feeling down in terms of movie picking, I was sure that my luck would change with Max Payne. It’s got guns, dark storyline, flying bat like creatures and Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch! Surely I’ve picked a winner here?

Not the Funky Bunch

The movie revolves around a cop named Max Payne (Mark Whalberg) who found his wife and child murdered a few years back and hasn’t been the same since. He decides to transfer himself from the homicide department to the unsolved cases department hoping to find clues on the person who had killed his family. As the story progresses, we learn more about the shady underworld Max lives in, which involves unexplained murders and hard drugs.

[SPOILER ALERT]

Max then gets caught up in a murder case involving a girl he meets at a party. Unknowingly to him however, this murder is also related to his family’s murder case. With Max being the last person seen with her, the police start to name Max as the prime suspect in the murder case. Max then goes all out to prove his innocence as well as picking up more clues on the mystery that surrounds the killing of his family.

Red bull gives you wings apparently

I’d have to say from a fan’s point of view, this movie is deeply disappointing. If you’ve played the game, you’d realized the fast paced action right from the start which is non existence in the movie. The action takes too long too start and only after 15-20 minutes, do you get a hint of action (I think Max wiped his nose or something). It is also amazingly frustrating everytime Max has a flashback about his family. This doesn’t happen once or twice, but more times than somebody actually getting shot in this film. Storyline is obviously important in any movie and I understand that the game had a fantastic one too, but in no way do we want to be reminded of Max’s feelings everytime he thinks about his love ones. Less love more guns please. Even the appearance of Mila Kunis was so limited in the movie that you even wondered what she was doing there in the first place. If they had just stayed with the normal format of endless violent I’m sure a lot more people would have been entertained. Instead, everybody now feels a little bit more depressed about everything. SIGH.

Rating – 2.5/5

Is Nothing Like - T-Pain

Disaster Movie

2008-10-15T17:03:00.006+08:00

Location – One Borneo Kota Kinabalu

Food – Popcorn, coke and some waffles

Looking at the screen above I had 2 choices to make, fun filled excitement on the right, or unsure future on the left? This is the general feeling when it comes to actually paying money for spoofs. The uncertainty far exceeds any other type of genres you might be more familiar with. Either way, I knew from the title that the next 75 minutes of my life would past right before my very eyes and would be just as it said it would; a disaster.

As always Kanye West was never fully accepted by his peers

The movie is a spoof of recent disaster films and other assorted films such as The Hulk, Ironman, The Dark Knight, Juno and High School Musical (which is probably a disaster movie as well). The film revolves around Will (Matt Lanter) who dreams of the world ending on a very specific date which has something to do with returning a crystal skull (Indiana Jones 4) to its rightful place. His girlfriend Amy (Vanessa Minnillo) thinks he is making it up and just has a fear of committing to their relationship. Fast forward to his birthday party, Will breaks up with Amy not knowing that only a in few minutes the world would be hit by all kinds of various disasters citing the coming of Armageddon.

This is the only reason to watch this film

Watching Disaster Movie was a terrible pain but probably not as bad as watching Superhero Movie. It reminds of the time you used to date a girl who you ended up breaking up with because she had a strange after taste every time you kissed her, for a girl who generally has a strange smelling after taste every time you stood next to her. The negative similarities are right there for you to see. The movie in no particular way brought me any joy whatsoever and I am still nowhere closer to eternal happiness. There were times when punching myself in the knee felt like a better situation than enduring one bad joke after the other. After watching this movie you can almost say that good Spoof Movies are almost truly dead.

Ratings – 1/5

Highs – I AM BEOWULF, Vanessa Minnillo and Kim Kardashian

Lows – The jokes are too long

Trailer: Max Payne

2008-10-01T23:47:00.007+08:00

Here’s the trailer of Max Payne which should be out in KL on the 16th of October. I’m a big fan of the game and Mark Wahlberg (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch) will be playing Max in this shoot-em-up from hell. Don’t think this movie is going to be classic but looks quite sweet from the trailer. So what do you guys think?

Eagle Eye

2008-09-26T16:06:00.013+08:00

Location: Hoyts Melbourne Central

Last month or so, we were treated with a superbly cool trailer that was “Eagle Eye”. The trailer was thrilling, full with action sequences but most of all, it left the viewers with one question “what the hell is goin on?!”

So anyways, Eagle Eye just got it’s worldwide premiere yesterday, and coz it’s been a while for us hitting the cinemas we thought we might give it a go. Hey, it’s executively produced by Steven Spielberg anyways, so it can’t be that bad right?

Jerry couldn't let go of his new Blackberry

Eagle Eye stars Shia LaBeouf (Transformers, Indiana Jones 4) and Michelle Monaghan (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Mission Impossible 3). It also has a lot of other known faces such as Billy Bob Thornton, Rosario Dawson, and Michael Chiklis among others. So yeah if you’re a fan of Shia (probably the most prominent up and coming young actor) you’re in for a treat.

It’s best if you come into the movie having no idea nor expectation on what the movie is gonna be about. The film banks on the whole action-mystery-thriller genre that hasn’t been around for quite a while now. That being said, there’s not much stuff I can say about the plot that could probably spoil (or even ruin) the whole movie.

Just to make things simple to you first time viewers out there – basically Jerry Shaw (Shia) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) have both been contacted by an enigmatic caller known only to give them specific directions on what to do next. Both of them are on the run from the FBI and government agents and it seems that the “caller” can see them wherever they go.

"Run Shia, Run!"

Part of they joy on watching this film is to slowly learn what’s really going on. In between that you are treated with one of the most ridiculously entertaining car chase scenes that could be on par with Die Hard 3 or Bad Boys 2. Also, the movie is downright INTENSE – it is basically non-stop from start to finish. The action scenes are frenetic – expect a lot of running, chasing, jumping and ‘shit’ happening.

However, this movie has a lot of downers that made it less enjoyable. For one, was the plot – once you know what’s going on you’d either be dully satisfied or utterly disappointed. Some of the scenes were quite implausible and over the top it could probably turn you off because of the ‘serious’ nature of the film. Also, not to spoil the show or anything, but I thought the ending should have (and could have) ended on a better note. It sounds truly vague now, but when you watch it you’d know exactly what I mean.

Overall I thought the movie wasn’t all that bad. It was pretty enjoyable especially at the start. It has a lot of action scenes and drama to keep you entertained. And based solely on that I’m gonna have to recommend this. Just bear in mind this movie has its flaws and ridiculous moments – but I do believe the good slightly outweighs the bad here. So check it out in the cinemas soon, there isn’t much choice this month anyways :P

Stars: In between 3 and 3.5/5

Watch this if you liked: Enemy of the State, Phone Booth

You Don't Mess With The Zohan

2008-09-25T17:45:00.005+08:00

Location - KLCC

Food- Just some drinks i think

Mezeltov movie fans! Guess here’s the mandatory one movie a year Adam Sandler experience. Though I’m sure most of us won’t admit to being an Adam Sandler fan, he has thrilled us over the years with his repertoire of zany comedy and toilet humour. Will this latest Adam Sandler character thrill us to bits or strikeout at first base?

Riding on cars with Israelis

Movie revolves around Zohan Dvir (Adam Sandler) who is a Black Ops Israeli counter-terrorist who yearns for something more than what he is currently doing. Zohan has for years been thwarting every single attempt a terrorist has made in on his country with fantastic counter terrorist skills and a slice of Disco Disco. He then decides to give all the killing up and pursue his one true passion in the Hair and Beauty Industry; namely to be a hair stylist. He subsequently fakes his own death at the hands of one of the notorious terrorist (The Phantom) and journeys off to the land of the free. In America, Zohan finds that Israelis and Palestinians can freely co-exist with one another. He thinks nothing of it at first until he slowly starts develop feelings for his boss Dalia (Emmanuelle Chriqui) who is a Palestinian woman.

Park stalking was always popular during the summer of 95

The movie is a lighter view of the current political instability in the Middle East. It also pokes fun at various cultural differences between the two countries. There are numerous gags such as the fizzy cola Zohan drinks, as well as the number of times he uses homous on everything he eats. Either way, the movie is almost a throwback to old style slapstick comedy and is possibly very different to other Adam Sandler movies. Having said that, there are quite a few scenes which should definitely draw laughs from most moviegoers in the cinema. The magic formula of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” tends to come to my mind for most of the jokes. It is still a tried and tested formula that most moviegoers would fall over laughing over the same slipping over a banana peel skin gag. I don’t want to be over critical over a movie which shows the main character doing splits and professing his love for Mariah Carey (touch ma body), but we’ve had better from him and after a while it just doesn’t seem like he cared how this movie finished.

All and all You Don’t Mess With The Zohan is still good fun to watch and should entertain most Adam Sandler fans. However, the possibility of it being a classic is far from none and you’re probably better off checking out his older stuffs like Billy Madison or Happy Gilmore, which is one of my favourites.

Ratings – 2.8/5

Pineapple Express

2008-08-21T23:31:00.009+08:00

Location: Hoyts Melbourne Central
Date: Sometime Last Week...

Hello again peeps. It's been a long time since I last wrote a review on comedies, and since I just saw one last week (yeah sorry for posting it late) I thought this might be a good time to introduce you to... Pineapple Express!

Again, it's from the same guys who brought you Knocked Up, Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. This time around, instead of dealing with pregnant chicks, fake-id's or shameful breakups - it focuses on... Weed! (or pot, ganja, reefa, marijuana, spliff, or whatever you wanna call it) Billed as a "stoner-action-comedy", you probably can expect what you're gonna get when watching this movie. The story revolves around 2 potheads, Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) and his dealer Saul (James Franco). One day, Dale witnesses a murder while smoking up outside a house... the perpetrators realized that Dale saw the whole thing, and so.. the chase begins.

Stoner-friend to the rescueeeeeeeee!

This movie is a departure from the "realism" approach that a lot of the previous Apatow-produced comedies have been. (eg: 40-year old virgin, Knocked Up) This one feels more like a b-movie comedy - intentionally being over-the-top and cheesy in a lot of their scenes. Not to mention, the action scenes are a bit jarring and it feels a little bit out of place at times. However, I guess you gotta throw logic out of the window to really enjoy this one.

Surprisingly, James Franco was the livewire of the show. His scenes and dialogues are genuinely funny - it really is cool watching him play a pothead since you're so used to see him in the Spiderman movies. On the other hand, Seth Rogen's Dale is borderline funny/annoying to me. Also, lookout for Dale's girlfriend played by Amber Heard. She was also in "Never Back Down" not too long ago. I'm telling you, she's gonna be the next big thing! :D

Getting high in the woods was way too freaky for Dale

This show is certainly not bad, but definitely not great either. There are a lot of pot-related jokes in here, so in all honesty, it could either be really-really-really funny to you, or just plain annoying. I'm on the fence in this one. However, I did find some scenes really hilarious, and there are a couple of quirky characters that's worth a mention even after the show has ended.

To sum-up this movie, it's really like hanging out with a bunch of stoner-friends. It's cool and fun, but if you don't get high together with them, you probably won't enjoy it as much. And so, do smoke-up if you can before watching this movie, it'll definitely be way funnier than it seems. :)

Stars: 3/5 (Add one more star if you like to get hiiiiigghhhh)

WALL-E

2008-08-20T14:28:00.004+08:00

Location – Cineleisure

Food – Absolutely Nothing

After having weeks and weeks of mind numbing, action splitting, body aching, dragon breathing, car exploding action and fun filled adventures, its time to slow everything down with a Walt Disney Animated Feature courtesy of Pixar. Once you hear the opening of any Disney film (“when you wish upon a star”) you’re automatically transported to a world of make believe with endless joy and fun. There’s always something magical about Walt Disney films as it brings out the child in most of us. Is this latest instalment worth our magical time or not?

Rubbish game from the 80’s

The movie revolves around a robot named Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter-Earth-class) who by the looks of it is the last remaining robot on Earth. Few 100 years into the future, Earth is in a complete mess and is littered with rubbish. Mankind has decided to go into space while these Wall-E robots start the massive cleanup operation. In the first few opening scenes, we see our robot hero single handily clean up all the garbage that is lying around. He is completely alone (he does have a pet cockroach though) and goes about his daily job diligently day after day. The fun starts however when he starts to fancy a robot named Eve (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) that lands on Earth in search of something deemed classified.

Getting to 3rd base was always going to be difficult

Wall-E pushes the boundaries in terms of animation as well as social humour interaction (is there such a thing?). As there is very little dialogue involved, the bulk of the humour comes from Wall-E’s interaction with his surroundings. This is the same type of humour that you can probably get from a Mr Bean boxset. There really doesn’t need to be any dialogue for slapstick and visual humour. In that sense, I’m pretty sure most people would enjoy this movie.

Every thug needs a lady

From watching his favourite movie to staring at the sky, we start to feel more compelled to follow Wall-E’s journey into the unknown as the movie progresses. After a while, we start to develop a soft spot to Wall-E’s situation, in the sense that nobody really wants to be alone. In some respect, it is almost a naïve and youthful way to how most people view love and social acceptance. Cue Aww machine now. Awwww.

Is it any better than previous Pixar movies? It might not be able to surpass Finding Nemo or Ratatouille in terms of humour and story telling, however the lovable character that is Wall-E is a good enough reason for watching this movie. This robot is probably more memorable and a lot more charming compared to a lot of other Disney characters in recent time.

Ratings – 3.5/5

Is kinda like – Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. Remember that film?

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

2008-08-03T21:25:00.006+08:00

Venue: The Mall Cinema, Gadong

Show: 9.40 pm screening

Snacks: Orbit whitening chewing gum?

The third instalment of "The Mummy" franchise opened this week, to be honest i wouldn't say that i'm a big fan, but i will admit that the first two movies and the "Scorpion King" spin-off were fun and pretty enjoyable. I do have to say say that this movie is THE type of family movie to bring the kids to go and watch as was evident by the number of toddlers and little kids in the cinema during the movie, but thankfully, they weren't being restless and noisy, which i guess goes to show you that kids will be entertained by this movie, thankfully for the duration of the entire movie.

The movie still stars Brendan Fraser (in his second family adventure movie of the summer) as Rick O'Connell, Jet Li as the Emperor, Maria Bello as Evelyn O'Connell (Yup it sucks not having Rachel Weisz, (Dato) Michelle Yeoh as Zi Juan, John Hannah as Jonathan, Luke Ford as Alex O'Connell (the son all grown up now!), Isabella Leong as Lin (Hot!) and Anthony Wong as General Yang (Hong Kong Heavyweight Legend from Infernal Affairs and Initial D among other movies). The movie was directed by Rob Cohen (he of "The Fast and the Furious" and "Stealth" fame).

Honestly, when i saw the trailer for this movie, i wasn't too impressed, firstly i don't really dig Rob Cohen as a director (more style than substance), secondly i was a bit put off by the whole "China" theme, i guess i'm a bit bored of "Chinese Epics" and anything vaguely similar, and lastly, NO RACHEL WEISZ!, she dropped out of the movie apparently due to problems with the script.... Haha, i guess that tells you something else about the movie eh?

The movie opens up with Rick and Evy enjoying their 'settled' life, away from all the action and adventure, peaceful and homely, but evidently boring and lacking excitement. I'm not quite sure how old they're meant to be in this movie, but by the looks of the son, who's supposed to be 20ish?, i'm guessing they're supposed to be at least on the wrong side of 40?. I have to point out that the dude playing the kid looked a bit too old for the part, and everytime he was on screen and spoke, i kept thinking of how much he reminded me of Johnny Knoxville!. Anyway, the O'Connells are 'persuaded' into going on one last 'mission' to return an artifact to the Chinese Government, where they bump into their son, who's dropped out of yet another college and seems to have followed in his parents footsteps as an archaeologist/tomb raider. As you can guess things don't go according to plan, and somehow a mummy is raised, this time in the form of Jet Li. The rest of the movie is basically about how they have to stop Jet Li from gaining his full strength and raising his army.

George of the Jungle was still trying to get used to swinging without vines

I thought the movie was so-so, i didn't think it was rubbish but i don't believe that it will leave viewers with a lasting memory of the movie, the storyline was alright, i guess that since the winning 'formula' of the first two movies worked, "why fix it when it ain't broke" right?. Wrong. I believe that they really should've tried to introduce something new to this movie and the franchise, i'm not quite sure what, but it all seemed a bit 'too formulaic'. I guess the problem is that with the recent summer blockbusters like "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" blowing my (and i'm sure most viewers) expectations, i guess this movie was always gonna be a downer in comparison. However, having said that i guess it is unfair to compare this movie to the other movies this summer, so viewers should just compare it to the previous "Mummy" movies.

Some people have said that there was too much CGI in this movie, but i have to argue that it's a movie about mummies, how can there NOT be enough CGI? But i guess what they really meant is that it all looked TOO CGI, and i guess that some people may have wanted it to look more 'realistic'?. I think that yes, perhaps they could have made the movie look more 'real', somehow the CGI gave the movie a too 'cartoony' feel, especially when Jet Li transforms into all the different creatures. That said, i do have to say, you'd think that a guy with all this power, who could transform into any creature or monster that he wanted, could he really get beaten by a bunch of adventurers?. The movie did have its enjoyable moments, fight scenes with Jet Li do always kick ass. Another plus point for the movie was that despite the lack of Rachel Weisz (and her chemistry with Brendan Fraser in the movie), we do get Isabella Leong.

Isabella Leong = Yummy in "The Mummy: Tomb yada yada yada....

Rating: 3/5

Last Say:

Not bad, not great either, a movie that you should just enjoy for the whole adventure theme, i'd say that this movie was probably as good as Indie 4, thank god that this movie didn't have aliens in it, or the rating would have dropped to 1/5.

Switch off and enjoy.

TDK Special : Top 5 Rachel Dawes

2008-07-30T17:12:00.002+08:00

Most critics locally, internationally and across the internet have given rave reviews and standing ovations to probably one of the most celebrated comic book movie adaptation of the year. There is however, a tiny flaw in the whole masterpiece. Rachel Dawes. As we all know the role of Rachel could not be played by Katie Holmes because of “scheduling conflicts” or in other words “I’m married to a strange man who wants to send me to outerspace”. Maggie Gyllenhaal gave a fairly decent performance but her own persona brought very little to the girl both Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent long to be with. So since there aren’t any movies worth watching right now and just like all those old “What If’s….?” comic books, have a look at my Top 5 Rachel Dawes.

5. Kate Bosworth

This is probably quite a far off possibility but I think she would have done a fairly decent job as Rachel Dawes. She would bring confidence to the character and make her scenes with Harvey Dent more believable. She’s also a bit of a fighter which means she wouldn’t have been scared of the Joker’s threats on her own life. The only downside would be that she’s a bit thin and probably looks more like Poison Ivy than Rachel.

4. Kristin Kreuk

Smallville fans would definitely support me with this. What is there that we don’t like about Lana Lane? She’s smart, beautiful and can handle herself in a fight. She also has the look that a billionaire like Bruce Wayne would want to be with and would suit the glitz and glamour of being a billionaire’s love interest.

3. Natalie Portman

Brains, elegant and fairly witty, Natalie would have definitely been in contention to play Rachel. She would have brought much needed guile and fearlessness as she battles against the underworld of Gotham. The same way she brought leadership qualities to Queen Amidala, her character would be able to compete with Harvey Dent as a no nonsense district attorney.

2. Jessica Alba

She was going to be the number 1 choice till I figured that she’s just too beautiful to play that part. If anything it would probably be her downfall. Smart, outgoing, fun, cute, beautiful, Jessica Alba would be the most sort-after woman in Gotham. It would make it very believable to why both Bruce and Harvey seem so intent in making her theirs. She’s even been in a few action films so she’s not actually a pushover. It would have been more believable if she was in Batman Begins and continued the role in The Dark Knight. But to come and just replace Katie Holmes would have been a major shock for most fans as she is much better looking compared to Katie.

1. Rachel McAdams

It was rumoured that Rachel McAdams was to replace Katie Holmes for the part of Rachel Dawes before it was subsequently offered to Maggie Gyllenhaal. Not much is known about the character of Rachel except that she and Bruce were almost childhood sweethearts before the unfortunate death of his parents. If anything the character of Rachel Dawes would have a girl-next-door kind of look. Not disregarding the fact that both have the same first name, Rachel McAdams would have fit the bill perfectly. Oozing with confidence, intelligence, personality and good looks, she would have been the perfect partner to Bruce Wayne. This has to be someone that isn’t a supermodel or amazingly beautiful, but has the trustworthy look that Bruce seems to be craving for. Moviegoers would be able to relate to the chemistry between the two and thus find it heartbreaking that both she and Bruce can never be together as long as he is still Batman.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe

2008-07-25T01:15:00.014+08:00

Venue: GSC One-Utama
Time: 915 pm

Another week, another new movie. This week, it's "The X-Files: I Want to Believe". Catchy title huh? Well, for all of you who doesn't know by now - this is the 2nd X-Files movie based on the hit 90's TV series of the same name that's been released on the silver screen. The first movie - The X-Files: Fight the Future, was released 10 years ago (1998) at the peak of the series' lifespan. After the series ended in 2002 with 9 seasons glorifying our TV screens - a new X-Files movie is back - but does it promise to be as great as the TV series? or is it another ploy to please it's die hard fans?

I have always been a die-hard fan of The X-Files - that I have to say. Since the first show started airing in 1993 (I think it only came about in Malaysia in '95) til it ended in 2002 - I practically grew up watching the X-Files. For as long as I can remember, I have not missed a single episode of the X-Files since it started showing in Malaysia (yes, I know I'm a geek). Because of that, I am fairly thrilled about this new movie.

David Duchovny reprising his role as Fox Mulder

So why did they decide to do another X-Files movie one might ask? Didn't they explain everything about aliens and government conspiracies and tied up all the loose ends on the final season? Well yeah they did, but that's the thing - this movie isn't about the aliens and E.T mumbo-jumbo.

Remember when you watched X-Files there were 2 types of storyline in the episodes? One involves the 'mythology' of the series - in which there are aliens, conspiracies and a certain Cigarette-smoking-man. The other: the 'monster-of-the-week' type of episodes where Mulder and Scully investigates cases of the 'supernatural' - dealing with monsters, vampires, weird creatures and other things that go 'bump' in the night.

While the first movie revolves around the whole 'alien mythology' arc, this one - as you might have guessed - deals with the 'monster-of-the-week' scenario. So, no aliens in this one.

"There's something bout tonight that's giving me the shivers..."

X-Files: I Want to Believe takes place roughly 5-6 years after the events of the series finale, where Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) have realized the truth that Earth is going to be attacked by aliens in the near future. Both of them, no longer working for the FBI, has been on the run and been keeping it low ever since. An unexpected event involving a missing FBI agent and a psychic by the name of Father Joe - has led Scully and Mulder out of hiatus - and so - a new case of the X-Files has begun...

Sad to say, this movie is quite disappointing. If you're not a fan, then probably you won't even like it a single bit. As far as I'm concerned, I'm quite thrilled just watching Mulder and Scully pairing up together for one last time. It's really great too see them together on the big screen again!
Chemistry just oozes from both of them, they look really natural on screen with each other - I guess being in a TV show for almost a decade certainly helps.

Back together once again.

If you have followed X-Files then you would probably understand a lot of the dialogues in the movie - a lot of them relates to what have happened in the series, so it's kinda cool that they touch abit on those issues (eg: Mulder's missing sister, Scully's skepticism, their relationship etc.)
Also, the re-appearance of a fan-favourite is a nice touch to spice up the show.

However, that's mostly all that's good about the movie. The story could have been much better - I totally dislike the whole hunting for a serial killer using a psychic theme. The only thing supernatural about the plot is the psychic. Lame. Chris Carter (the director) could and should have come out with a better script/plot than this! But I guess the major theme in the movie is very much rooted in the title of the movie - "I want to believe". This movie explores more on the characters' motivation and beliefs, questioning their faith and how they should go on with their lives when all seems lost.

Intimacy is always the best policy for these guys.

So yeah, to sum it up... if you're familiar with the whole X-Files universe, you definitely have to watch this. But if you're not - I honestly think you can skip this or just wait for the DVD to come out. As for me, 'I want to believe' that there's gonna be another X-Files movie to wrap everything up. But until then, the truth is out there. :D

Stars:
For believers = 3/5
For non-believers = 2/5

One for the fans: Wait 'til after the end credits and you can see Mulder and Scully (in a bikini) on a boat.. waving back to us. Sweet.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

2008-07-24T16:35:00.004+08:00

Location – Pavilion

Food – Popcorn Sweet n Lite

The last time anybody heard of a 3D! film, people were running for their lives in the classic JAWS 3D! Now, a decade on, the same formula is repeated in JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D! I have to admit that I ended up watching the film in a typical oldskool 2D technology, but would it have been better watching it in 3D!?

Boys night out was doomed after the inclusion of a third member

Movie revolves around Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser) who is a scientist in the science department of a university. Trevor is haunted by the lost of his brother Max, in a expedition to study seismic volcanic movement of plates 10 years ago. He then finds himself babysitter to his nephew of whom he hasn’t met for quite sometime. Coinciding with the arrival of his nephew, new and active movement of plates in Iceland suddenly trigger and forces Trevor to go there for a closer look. He then discovers that his brother Max was on the same trail which ultimately led to his disappearance. Thus begins the adventure of the JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D!

Women were always treated as equals

As you can probably guess I had ultimately fallen asleep writing the synopsis of the movie up there. Having said that the movie plot is quite decent. It makes numerous references to Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth which inevitably became a movie. So in a way it is a movie within a movie, or as you could also say, a book within a book. The movie was obviously made to fully maximise its 3D! capability and watching it in 2D might not bring the same desired effect. In a way you can’t really think of it as a movie, but more like a ride with a story behind it. As long as you expect to be entertained that way, then you might actually end up having a good time.

So look out for 3D! camera angles, fast paced 3D! scenes and eye popping 3D! effects to satisfy your 3D! lust you naughty little monkey.

Ratings – 2/5

The Dark Knight

2008-07-19T04:21:00.009+08:00

Location: IMAX KL
Time: 9 pm July 17

Believe the hype boys and girls, THE most anticipated movie event of the year is finally here - and it's majestic. Premiered in public cinemas last Wednesday here in KL and all over the world on July 17 - this was the movie to watch! I have to admit, I have been waiting for this movie to hit cinemas for nearly a year now.. thankfully, it was well worth the wait. The hype for this movie was huge, I've never seen a movie so heavily talked about even BEFORE the actual movie was released. And the fact that Heath Ledger (God bless his soul) died before the movie was out, made The Dark Knight even more engrossing to the public. So how would Heath Ledger leave his screen legacy by portraying the villain Joker? Would he leave a significant mark to the people? Would his last performance be worthy of an Oscar nod?

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are tonight's entertainment!"

You have to watch it to believe it. This movie is far from being disappointing - all the hype in the world could not stop this movie from being an instant classic. If ever there was a need to choose a single movie for our generation, this would definitely be it. It is history in the making folks, it is THAT good.

I'm pretty sure by the time i finish writing my review for this movie, 99% of you out there would have already watch it. So, even if I try to keep this Spoiler free, I hope you wouldn't mind me discussing the details on some of the scenes - just because it'd be so uncool not to talk about it. So lets not be too serious, ok? :D

"And here we...go!"

The Dark Knight starts off where the last movie (Batman Begins) left us. Gotham City now is getting better thanks to Batman (Christian Bale) and also particularly because of the rise of Gotham's new District Attorney - Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). With the help of Liutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman), Batman and Harvey Dent tries to get rid of the mob that controls the crime syndicate of Gotham. Until suddenly, the emergence of a new force only known as 'The Joker' (Heath Ledger) sets into play. Mayhem ensues.

So what's so damn good about this movie? Simply put - everything. This movie kicks ass from start to finish. With it's 2 and a half hour running time, the movie zips through without you even noticing it has already been nearly 3 hours in the theaters. A lot of material is crammed through the movie -new characters are being introduced, several key plot points, notable action sequences and also some tragic moments. But the beauty of it is, it does not convolute - it never feels as though too many things are happening at once (point in case = Spiderman 3) and so it leaves the viewers feeling satisfied sitting through a considerably long amount of time in the show.

Some men just want to watch the world burn.

The main attraction for this movie is none other than The Joker. Played to perfection by the late Heath Ledger, his personification of The Joker is as amazing as any classic screen characters to date. He is demented, crazy, creepy and funny all at the same time. I've never seen a villain so brutal and deranged having so much fun doing what he does. Almost all of his lines and dialogue in the movie is memorable - when he's not on the screen, you kinda miss him and can't wait for him to come back. And the pencil dissapearing trick? SICK! hahaha

"Want to know how I got my scar?"

However, the director smartly brings back its focus on Batman/Bruce Wayne. It is a Batman movie after all. I like how Christopher Nolan manages the weight of the three integral characters in the movie. All three of them have equal screen time, and brings much relevance and grit to the whole story arc of the movie. The character development of all these important figures in the movie makes the story so much more interesting - especially about the rise and fall of Harvey Dent. The transformation to Two-Face is nothing less than tragic.

"Let's leave it to chance, shall we?"

There are a lot more things to talk about about this movie. The action scenes are superb and well choreographed. Seriously there's more than 5 scenes that can make you go "whoahh" and "oooh" in the movie. My favourite scene, is the one where (spoiler alert) Batman gives chase to save Harvey Dent from the Joker. That scene was so excellently crafted, by the time you get to see the Batpod, you'll be like "how the hell did that come about!?" Awesome! But yeah, even the other minor action scenes are fantastic. You really have to see it to believe it :)

Batpod 2.0

Christopher Nolan has created a masterpiece. Just like Michael Mann did for Heat, and Scorsese did for The Departed, Nolan has created a crime saga based in the world of comic book mythology in epic proportions. Never have I seen a superhero movie this dark, this deranged, this massive, this deep, while keeping it realistically grounded AND super-entertaining at the same time. The only problem I have now after watching this movie is - how the hell are they gonna top this one? Well I guess that's a problem I can't wait to see. But for now, I'm gonna catch the movie again. Anyone for seconds?

Stars: 5/5 - The best movie of the year for me. Period. It can't get any better than this.

Look out for: Cameos by Cillian Murphy and Mr. Hong Kong bad boy - Edison Chen :P

Hancock

2008-07-15T17:33:00.005+08:00

Venue – KLCC

Food – I don’t actually remember

More comic book adaptation fun for the month of July and up next is the anti-hero homeless guy they call Hancock Though presumably tired of watching more superhero movies, the theme for this summer blockbusters seem to be “anything you can do I can do better”. But does Hancock really make you feel that way?

Most Hobos preferred Nike to Addidas

The movie focuses on Hancock (Will Smith) of whom is a superhero living in Los Angeles. But unlike most superhero’s who have cool mansions and adored by the public, Hancock is quite the opposite. No home, no money and badly in need of a shower, Hancock goes about his business fighting crime and saving people in the most unconventional of ways (mostly because he’s drunk half the time). He then comes across Ray (Jason Bateman of Arrested Development) whom he saves from almost certain death-by-train-accident. Feeling in debt to Hancock, Ray decides to help Hancock improve his public persona by tutoring him in the art of Public Relations. Giving it shot, Hancock then decides to let himself be locked up in prison which would then increase crime rate in LA as he is not around to help. Brilliant eh?

B.U.M Equipment

Apart from some pretty supernatural fighting scenes, Hancock just drags on and on. Hancock seems to be able to do pretty much anything, though never really specifying what his actual powers are. Although it might be refreshing to see a superhero that doesn’t really know what he’s doing half the time fight crime, the commodity does ware-off after a while. Most people would end up watching this movie by default as the choices would be either Hancock or Made of Honor (unless you’re a girl). There’s even Charlize Theron in this one and she even looked too good to be in this film. Being a Will Smith movie, at least you’ll know that fun and laughs are up for grabs. Sadly in terms of superhero hall of fame, Hancock would be sitting on the bench outside the hall. The movie is a fun filled rollercoaster to nowhere and you would probably watch it then sneak into Made of Honor in cinema hall 2.

Rating – 3.2/5

It kinda made me – wanna watch more Charlize Theron movies. Meooww.

Top 5 Let-Down Comic Adaptation Movies

2008-07-04T11:44:00.005+08:00

5. Daredevil

I think most people would disagree with me putting this on my list but in the end, it was a letdown. I have to admit that I’m not such a follower of The Daredevil comics but the movie hardly moved a pulse in my body. It was roughly around this period that the comic book phenomena was really booming and you could tell that Movie Studios were trying to cash in as much as they could. In the end, moviegoers were treated to senseless action of a blind superhero (who can see more than others because of his radioactive eyesight) defeating oddly named villains such as Eightball and Kingpin. Again casting was a let down with Ben Affleck in the main role. Somehow I just don’t feel like the Daredevil brand was strong enough to keep most movie fans excited until the end of the movie.

4. X-Men 3

How oh how did they manage to mess up this movie? If you decide to change the original director with a subsequent less popular and less talented director, the outcome would be the very unmemorable X-Men 3. After the success of X-Men 2, there was a lot of hype surrounding the third and final instalment. The trilogy then started plummeting from a team of mutant warriors to a one-man show. The Wolverine character was over-used and was depicted as if he was the saviour of all mutantkind when in truth his character was nothing more than an anti-hero. Add on to the fact that Superman was actually a fairly decent movie, the X-Men trilogy would have never known what a good ending it might have had.

3. Spiderman 3

All good things come in 3? Another example of no matter how good the first two movies were, nobody will end up buying the boxset because of the third movie. In this one, Peter Parker not only has to deal with 2 new villains in The Sandman and Venom, but even the recurring problem of the Green Goblin. Sounds like one big supervillain party right? The movie was too jam packed of this sudden obsession to fit all of Spiderman’s enemies into one single movie. Venom was wrongly casted as every moment with Topher Grace felt like a scene where they share a smoke in the basement in That 70’s Show. Spiderman 3 gave and gave and gave and didn’t stop giving. Whether or not there will be another Spiderman movie remains to be seen considering they’ve used up Spiderman’s arch Nemesis in this one.

2. Ghost Rider

Just thinking about this movie is like reliving the time your parents used to hit you for something you didn’t do. This movie narrowly misses out on the top spot and I cringe just thinking about it again. From start to finish there were endless corny moments and offered no signs that this was a movie aged 18 and above. The Ghost Rider brand was extremely tainted after this movie adaptation as it not only showed Nicholas Cage’s awkwardness at playing the Devil’s servant, but also some bizarre country music as the Ghost Rider rides off into the night.

And now, the number 1 let-down comic book adaptation movie is……

1. Hulk

It has to be this one. I’ve yet to come across a normal sound thinking human being that actually enjoyed and cherished this movie. Ang Lee not only destroyed the Hulk, he also turned him into a gay cowboy. The movie offered no memorable moments and sent movie viewers on a wild ride to absolutely nowhere. When Eric Bana eventually changes into the Hulk, he was fighting with a pack of wild mutated dogs. It was as if this was all that we had paid for and we needed to top up an extra RM10 just to see a better baddie. If you weren’t trying to kill yourself slowly with the straw from your coke drink, you were probably trying to swallow as much popcorn as you can which you will then choke to death. The only shame from this is that they would discover your body in the cinema watching the Hulk.

Wanted

2008-07-01T16:56:00.007+08:00

Venue - KLCC on the weekends

Food - Popcorn in a bucket

Oddly enough there was a lot of hype for this movie in Hollywood. There’s Angie, there’s action, there’s Morgan and his merry killing men. Surely this is enough for any moviegoer to start ogling over the prospects of slow motion shooting scenes?

Training was always poorly financed at The Fraternity

The story revolves around Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) who leads a mundane life in a random financial firm. Like most of us, he has an extreme dislike to his job and starts to wonder if there was more to life than this. Things change drastically when Wesley discovers that he isn’t just a boring person, but indeed the son to the most lethal assassin that ever lived. His father, who had left him as a child, was recently assassinated by an equally as good assassin named Cross and is now coming after Wesley. Enter Fox (Angelina Jolie), who is a trained assassin and persuades Wesley to join The Fraternity (a special organisation of assassins) to bring balance to the world and avenge his father’s death.

Last time anybody stereotyped a lady driver

The movie has a fantastic opening scene where Fox is there to save Wesley from being killed by Cross. What follows is a full action car chase scene which is inclusive of hard hitting assassin type of skills as well as some moaning from Angelina (bet you think I’m making this up). You get the sense of how it might feel like to be a hitman from the training that Wesley gets and just at that moment you might actually start to think that this wasn’t such a bad movie to pay for. It is a known fact that most action movies put very little effort into plots and story development. Wanted had none of the above.

Wesley was never a desk person

At no point whatsoever does the movie give any space to reasoning and the natural laws of physics. Terms such as the curve bullet and flying out of buildings onto other buildings should be clearly left in science fiction movies or the next Harry Potter film. Our hero was clearly build up to be Luke Skywalker with ability in this film, but nowhere are we even convinced that he seems to have any muscle bound talent. Wesley might probably have been played by the wrong actor who hardly looks like an action hero and more like an awkward school teacher. Wanted is a complete mess and even the bonus of seeing the bare back of Angelina Jolie isn’t enough to cover the shame of watching a crappy action flick.

It should be noted that Wanted was actually based on a comic book. That would explain most of the action scenes and some of the death defying moments our hero encounters.

Ratings – 2/5

Is Nothing Like – The Bourne Trilogy.

In Bruges

2008-06-26T01:28:00.015+08:00

Venue: At Home
Food: Kaya Toast

Hey guys, I've got a great movie to recommend this week. It's called In Bruges (pronounced as "broojhs"). If some of you guys need a change from the brainless action and slapstick comedy in the cinemas right now, this just might be for you. It stars Colin Farrell (S.W.A.T, Miami Vice) Brendan Gleeson (The Village, Kingdom of Heaven) and also Ralph Fiennes (English Patient, Constant Gardener). I guess it might not be that star studded, but trust me - the acting, plot and story is definitely worth the watch.

Ken and Ray - in fookin' Bruges

'In Bruges' tells the story of two Irish contract killers (hitmen) who did a 'messy' job back home in London and has to 'lay-low' til' the dust settles - in the serene yet beautiful city of Bruges (it's in Belgium, btw). Basically it's a story about the relationship of the 2 hitmens. Both of them has a peculiar yet interesting personalities. Ray (Collin Farrell) is a young, brash, and edgy Irishmen who has a knack of swearing f-words at any instance, all the time. The other, the cool personified Ken (Brendan Gleeson) is sort of the father figure; he looks after Ray while he goes sightseeing in the quaint and historical city of Bruges. They both wait for further instructions from their wicked and bad-ass boss, Harry (Ralph Fiennes).

It's hard to write anything about the movie's plot coz it would actually really spoil the show, so I will refrain from revealing any major plot points in the movie. However, watching through the movie is a blast. This is the most original and refreshing piece of cinema that I've seen in years. The dialogue between the characters are sharp, witty, edgy and most important of all funny.
This movie is hilarious - it's actually very entertaining just to listen to them talk. The most notable scenes in the movie involves a midget (yes, a midget), an annoying Canadian, and also a pretty Belgian and her ex-bf. It's seriously entertaining. Also, there's A LOT of swearing going on in the movie - expect a barrage of "fuck!" "cunt!" and other profanities you could think of, it's all here - and it's used to great effect too.

"Do you have any Harry Potter wands, by any chance?"

However, this movie is not just about the dark humour and sharp dialogues, the involving storyline keeps you interested as well. Towards the later half of the movie, the big-boss will eventually come to Bruges to settle a 'problem'. From there the movie changes its pace from being humorous to being serious - leaning abit on the 'gangta' side of the scale. It gets a bit violent too - so be warned, there will be blood. :D

I was quite surprised as how good this movie was to be honest. I watched this at 3 a.m in the morning and had my final paper in a few hours time, so I told myself "shit I shouldnt be watching this, I should be sleeping!" But this movie kept me going and I just had to watch it til' the end, which was really quite satisfying. The plot is not cliched, there are some parts where you're SURE one thing is gonna happen, but in the end it didn't. If you're one for non-predictability - you'll definitely like this show.

"Have you seen my home video? It's better than Belgian waffles"

Seriously, just try and watch this movie if possible. It's definitely not gonna be in cinemas in KL and I doubt if it's gonna be released here in Melbourne anytime soon, so try and get it on DVD or just do the good-old-downloading thingy. It's well worth it. You know why? Coz it's in "Fookin' Bruges!"

Stars: I'm givin this a fookin' 4/5 ! One of my favourite shows this year.

Reminds me a bit of : Samuel L. Jackson's and John Travolta's character in 'Pulp Fiction'

Amount of times they say the f-word in the movie: I lost count. Sorry.

Get Smart

2008-06-20T17:29:00.008+08:00

Venue – KLCC

Ate – Popcorn was on form!

The last time I watched an episode of Get Smart I must have been around the age of 14. Back then there were only 3 channels and you’d have to wait forever until a decent show actually came on. It would usually be Get Smart first, followed by Maero Attack, a series about a high school women’s volleyball team in Japan that are able to do amazing moves such as the summersault smash and the dreaded dizzying serve. Now that was entertainment at its best. So would this movie be a blast from the past or a dump in the present?

TopShop suits were always a cut above the others

The story revolves around Max (Steve Carell), who works at CONTROL, a secret organisation which opposes the work of KAOS, working as an analytical data provider. He does however have dreams of being a field agent, running around catching baddies and basically leading the secret agent life. Each year his hopes being promoted to a field agent are dashed as his boss would rather prefer him to stay exactly where he is. This is however, until CONTROL’s main base is breached and all its field agents identities are revealed. CONTROL then has no choice but to promote Max to a field agent or better known as Agent 86 in an attempt of uncovering KAOS main plan. Max must then go after the baddies of KAOS along with Agent 99 (Anne Hattaway) and stop their master plan of [insert evil plan here] before it is too late.

Comedy action would never be complete without some trademark cleavage

The movie is a rollercoaster of laughs from start to finish. I’ve always been a big fan of the Get Smart series so I was expecting a bit. Steve Carell is perfectly casted for the role of Agent 86 with his off-beat type of humour (The Office, USA). Although some of the scenes were fairly predictable, you should probably be watching it because of Steve Carell. Like most comedic actors, they tend to bring in their own style to the whole movie. The lead man in an action comedy is so important as choosing the wrong comedian for your movie would turn rapturous applause, to undesirable pants (see Drillbit Taylor, RV, or any Chris Tucker film). There is enough slapstick humour lurking in this film to keep even the most easily amused moviegoer satisfied. The action is pretty decent but almost all your attention will be towards Anne Hattaway who is looking mighty fine in this film. She’s probably best known for her work in The Princess Diaries, and she’s come a long way in terms of physical beauty in this film. She shows a bit more than usual in this film and should shock most of her Disney channel followers.

Phonebooth to CONTROL. Nice.

For a barrel of laughs, this movie is for you. The movie does just enough to stay along the lines of tolerable comedy and doesn’t go overboard which then turns into annoying comedy. Even if you aren’t a Steve Carell fan there are still other likeable characters for you to laugh and scream at till your shoes fall off.

Ratings – 3.6/5

Is Nothing Like - Rush Hour 3 . Thank God.

The Incredible Hulk

2008-06-15T22:10:00.011+08:00

Venue: Hoyts Melbourne Central

Here we go again. The Incredible Hulk? Wasn't there a hulk movie not too long ago? The one where there's a certain Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly in it? The one where it's directed by the famed director Ang Lee? Which in all honesty, sucked big time?

Well yeah, I don't know if you guys are excited or not - but there's a new Hulk in town. Now played by Edward Norton - and co stars Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, and William Hurt - it's a total revamp from the old movie. It has a totally new cast, new production crew and even a new director (Louis Leterrier). Fortunately, this one is waaaayyy better than the Ang Lee version 5 years ago. So much better.

Does this shirt make me look gay?

What's the deal with this one then? Apparently the first one sucked so bad (it didn't do well in the box office, and also didn't get the praises from the fans) The studio execs and the Marvel directors felt compelled to make a better version of The Hulk. One which stayed true to the comics, the old television series and above all, more action!

This movie is essentially a remake of the first one, although chronologically it happens after the first movie, where our tortured hero Bruce Banner is on the run from the U.S military. So you're not wrong if you wanna call this a sequel of sorts. If you have seen the first movie, as sucky as it is, it works as a strong foundation for this one. Now, there's not much explanation on how he became The Hulk - the viewers are assumed to know roughly how he came to be. I mean come on, who doesnt know The Hulk? The new movie smartly focuses on what Bruce Banner already is, and how he tries to search for an antidote to cure his 'condition'. Although of course, that doesn't come off easy.

There is so much to like about this movie. First off, it is perfectly casted. Just like Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, I thought Edward Norton as The Hulk is spot-on. He plays the tormented, brooding, and lonely Bruce Banner character to perfection. And his love interest - Betty Ross, played by Liv Tyler is superb as well. Ok, maybe she's just gorgeous, but i thought the chemistry between those two were there, and it showed throughout the movie. You could actually feel the connection between them. Tim Roth plays Emil Blonsky - a British special operations expert - brought in to capture Bruce Banner by the evil General Ross (played by William Hurt). He then becomes The Abomination, an amped-up, mutated and uglier version of The Hulk.

Blonsky never knew Tetanus shots were quite painful..

Another thing to point out about this movie is it's pace. It's fast and filled with action scenes. There are two memorable scenes in the movie, first is the one that takes place in the university, and the other, the climactic scene when The Hulk inevitably squares off with The Abomination. These 2 scenes alone are well worth the price of the ticket. One other thing that i really like about the movie is how it made it feel believable and relevant. I know there might be two CGI monsters bashing each other towards the end but how the movie explains the situation and tells the story is excellent.

Beauty and The Hulk

I'm glad to say that the movie wasn't boring at all. There's a good mix of action, romance and abit of drama that makes this movie a hella entertaining. Im giving this movie a lot of praise maybe because this year there hasn't been a lot of movies that's just crazy good - some were a tad bit dissapointing too. Iron Man was the best movie so far - I know a lot of you dig that show, but for me this one just nicks it by a bit. There are a couple of releases in the movies this week, but by all means, skip the rest and catch this one! Highly recommended!

p/s: A super cool billionaire will appear at the end of the movie, signalling an upcoming Avengers movie. Superb!

Stars: A solid 4/5

Things not to say to The Hulk: Is that all you've got?

Look out for: Other "Hulks" in the movie :)

The Happening

2008-06-13T10:28:00.005+08:00

Venue: The Mall Cinema, Gadong

Show: 11.20pm Screening

Snacks: Bottle of mineral water and scabbed some of Adi's popcorn

I decided very last minute to catch a movie last night, it was either 'The Incredible Hulk' or 'The Happening', decided on 'The Happening' based on the fact that I hadn't watched an M. Night movie since 'Lady in the Water' when it came out, and since there had been so many "superhero" movies, i thought it would be a nice change of pace.

'The Happening' is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and stars Mark Wahlberg (i know he's a pretty good actor, and he's been in some really good movies like boogie nights and the departed, but he will forever be remembered as Marky Mark, and the CK underwear model! haha), it also stars, Zooey Deschanel (i do have a thing for zooey deschanel even though i do think she's a bit weird, but i think it's her eyes that kill me), John "Luigi" Leguizamo, and i guess you could say "cameos" by Spencer "Spy Kids/The Kid" Breslin and Alan "Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller" Ruck.

"Weird hot" (shout-out to DKD who also happens

to appreciate the hot eccentricity of Zooey Deschanel)

[ *SPOILER ALERT (POSSIBLY)*

The Movie is basically set around a series of events (or "happenings") that start in New York, and seem to start to spread around America, these events involve people suddenly seeming to go crazy and start offing themselves in the most convenient way for them at that moment in time. The rest of the movie is basically about Marky Mark and his funky bunch, trying to get away from the North-East and try and distance themselves from the "happenings". ]

I was kinda hyped about this movie, i'd seen the trailers and thought that it looked pretty good, i was a bit disappointed by 'Lady in the Water' (I thought it was a bit "wishy-washy"), and i was looking forward to a decent flick from M. Night. I would'nt say that this is his best flick, but i'd definitely rate it higher than 'Lady in the Water' just because i preferred the x-files element of this movie, and maybe M. Night doing fantasy just isn't for me (I still think that no one does fantasy better than Guillermo Del Toro at the moment).

[*SPOILER ALERT*

I was 'pleasantly shocked' by the brutality and gore of the suicide scenes, particularly the earlier ones, like the construction workers walking off the scaffolding and plummeting to their deaths, actually now that i think more about it, the movie was dammmnnnn brutal! haha, epsecially with Spencer Breslin getting blown away by a shotgun!.]

I watched the movie with some friends, and some of em walked out of the movie going "wtf" thinking that the ending had something to do with "the power of love" hahahaha, i guess they were expecting more, but i thought it was pretty good, i suppose at some point the movie does go a lil' "B-grade" due to the gore of the suicides, and i did find myself squirming a bit, haha, but if anything, i wasn't too impressed by the overall "environmental" message of the movie, i'm guessing that's what M. Night's message is from the movie, but hey give the guy credit for coming up with another unique and original plot.

Rating: 3/5

Last say:

Aprilsky will probably dig this movie because of the x-files element, but he might be a bit disappointed due to the lack of aliens... (See i can do x-files, i am not an alien hater! haha, so long as the genres don't get spliced!), and word of caution for people watching with Aprilsky, beware of spoilers! especially in drawings! haha...

King Shen, let's watch another movie, something better than superhero gayvie please... haha...

Superhero Movie

2008-06-11T16:17:00.006+08:00

Venue - GSC Pavilion

Ate - Free 'Freaking' Popcorn Yeahhh

Just looking at the movie poster, you know that things are off to a bad start. There hasn’t really been a good spoof movie for quite sometime. But hey, its not supposed to be heavy, only light hearted right?

Dating was never easy for Vertical man

The essence of the movie follows Spiderman’s storyline with a few insertions from Batman as well as the Fantastic Four. The main dude, Rick Riker (played by Drake Bell, you may know him from Nickelodeon’s The Drake and Josh Show) is on a science project tour where instead of being bitten by a spider, he’s bitten by a dragonfly. Not long after he starts to develop supernatural powers such as super strength, moving faster than a speeding bullet and being able to breakdance on walls. His enemy for this movie is a super villain named Hour Glass, who needs to suck the living soul out of people in order to prolong his own life.

The only good thing that came out of this movie was the free popcorn coupon that I got from this random guy. I have to admit that I was expecting quite a bit from this movie (namely humour) but it is sadly a very big letdown. Not since the days of The Naked Gun trilogy, Hot Shots! or more recently the Scary Movie phenomena has there really been a good spoof movie. The movie contains a lot of fart jokes, toilet humour and funny name characters but fails to impress. Perhaps it’s the fact that making fun of superhero movies isn’t really as funny as making fun of horror theme movies or slasher movies. In those films we tend to be scared and are at the edge of our seats hence making fun of movies such as The Ring, War of the Worlds and Scream would offer a light hearted experience. It came to a point when I was actually counting the funny moments and that can only be bad news. They didn’t really need to go out of their way to insert every single movie in this film but more or less just concentrate on actually making it funny. It got a bit congested after a while, of which my mind was deliberating on what I could have done with my money instead.

mmmm.. this movie sucks

The movie is a joke, but not a good joke. At one point you would be screaming for the humour to stop as you try your best to hold back your tears (not joy). Superhero Movie can be safely put into the category of movies which you won’t admit to watching.

Sling bags are always trendy at the movies

Still, was lucky enough to be graced with the presence of resident mobiedick contributor Zaki Abdul Rahman aka ZKZ. Look forward to seeing you back here again man.

Rating – 0.5/5

As bad as – A Lucky Pierre.

The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian

2008-06-03T15:20:00.009+08:00

Place - Pavilion

Ate- Crappy popcorn

Looking at the movie poster, you get the sense of ohhh and ahhh’s! The title still reminds you of the previous Narnia of which you had desperately tried to stop yourself from committing suicide in a public area. Still, one thought about the 2nd film is that how and why would anybody make a film where one army has blades and swords and the other has felines, bears and rodents.

Movie starts out with Prince Caspian (being the next heir to the throne), running for his life as an assassination attempt is being made on his life by his uncle. Caspian is then handed a golden horn by his teacher (who oddly enough looks like Santa Claus) and is told to only use it if things start to get a little desperate. The prince then runs into the woods where the people of Narnia stay. Once inside and predictably cornered by the murderers who were sent to kill him, Prince Caspian takes the horn and blows it. Fast forward to another dimension, Peter and his siblings are then suddenly transported back to Narnia. However, all is far from rosey. Narnia is a far cry from the world from which they were hailed as Kings and Queens 200 years ago. They eventually meet Prince Caspian and start to plot on how to take back his Kingdom as well as restoring order to their fellow Narnians against the armies who had taken their land from them.

Where's wally?

If you’re going on the basis of “please let this be better than the first one” then you’re actually in for a treat. The movie does have an added dark side to it (you actually see various Narnians dying) and will probably keep you on the edge of your seat till the end. That should first and foremost be the criteria of any would be action or fantasy movies. They should be keeping you on the edge of your seat. Fight scenes are pretty much average but are probably better than Harry Potter and his little stick. You will also start to see different sides of the Kings and Queens as they show their fears and insecurities in the film.

I laugh in the face of danger. Jolly good.

The movie was trying to bring over the kiddy fantasy element into a LOTR type of scenario. However the only problem with that is that LOTR was actually cool. It would be hard to believe that unless you are aged 8 and under, you would be aspiring to be King Peter, one of the horse people or other assorted fantasy animals. Every scene involving the heros was a corny moment waiting to happen. Throughout the whole movie, you’d be hoping that one of the mystical creatures would suddenly get hungry and start eating its human foes. It is a kid’s fantasy book so I don’t think anyone should expect too much from Narnia especially after the first one.

So if you’re gonna watch this for the first time it’s not really gonna be that good. However if you actually survived after watching the first one, then you’ll probably be quite entertained with this one. However bear in mind that if you can’t stand the fact that children are beating the crap out of older men, then skip it and go watch LOTR trilogy all over again.

Stars – 2.9/5

Most common quote – “FOR NARNIA!!!” …. good grief…

Is Nothing Like – Gimli from LOTR. Now that’s a badass dwarf.

The So-So Reviews

2008-05-27T17:09:00.012+08:00

DRILLBIT TAYLOR

Genre - Action, Comedy, Fat Boy Jokes

Is Like - Daddy's Day Care, RV, The Pacifier

Thumbs Up - 1 Hour 45 mins of Owen Wilson Hysteria

Boo! - As the movie title says, You Get What You Pay For. Sigh.

Magical Moment - Fat Kid and Skinny Boy punching each other.

Rating - 1.8/5

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS

Genre - Romantic Comedy

Is like - 27 Dresses, How to lose a guy in 10 days

Thumbs Up - Easy going, fun filled ride with Cameron Diaz

Boo! - No chemistry between the leads. But I suppose that's the point.

Magical Moment - Ashton's bald friend. His character is actually funnier than him.

Rating - 2.7/5

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

Genre - Slow Depressing Romantic Comedy

Is Like - Juno, Indie Movies

Thumbs Up - After a while you will actually start to like the doll.

Boo! - Unless you've fallen asleep. Very very slow.

Magical Moment - The doll goes out without him. HaHa.

Rating - 3.2/5

Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull

2008-05-23T08:59:00.000+08:00

Venue: Seri Q-lap Cinema
Show: 9.30pm screening
Snacks: Bottle of mineral water and some gum

Hmmmmm.... where do i begin?... Let's start off with WTF? Haha.... Oh mannnn, i'm gonna be honest with you guys, i was really looking forward to this movie,i mean as soon as i heard that they were gonna make a 4th Indy(ie?) movie, i was stoked! I didn't care that Harrison Ford would probably be 70 or whatever he is now, (he's like 66 now btw), I mean c'mon the last Indy movie was in 1989! That's like Star Wars the prequels style anticipation for me!... Haha, which obviously was another George Lucas/Harrison Ford partnership (plus since the Indy movies are directed by a certain Mr. Spielberg, one could argue that Indy movies are better than Star Wars movies, hahaha, but i didn't say that and i don't wanna make trouble!)

Anyway, back to the movie, it stars Harrison Ford as Indy (obviously), Cate Blanchett as Spalko the 80s Russian baddie, Shia LaBeouf as Mutt the hotheaded sidekick/offspring/future Indy, Ray Winstone as Mac the friend/traitor/friend again/traitor again/friend again?, and other acting heavyweights like John Hurt and Jim Broadbent. The movie basically starts off with Indy being "forced" into a new adventure to look for his friends and the treasure (i.e. The Crystal Skull).

The Director with the cast... note the lack of eye candy

Somehow, the premise seems a bit formulaic, the storyline is basically the same, Indy is "forced into looking for the treasure by the bad guys, but also at the same time try and rescue his friends, they discover the treasure and treasure turns out to be pandora's box... to see what i mean watch the other Indy movies, and also see the recent pretenders to the Indy throne such as Sahara and National Treasure, but hey why mess with such a tried and tested formula eh?...

Indy and Indy Jr.

Mr. Spielberg please leave your aliens out of the Indy series,I mean you've had them in E.T., Close Encounters and War of the Worlds, did you really need them in Indy? I mean sure, you could have hinted that aliens were involved or whatever, but did you really have to actually show them?... Damnnnnnn..... and thanks to Aprilsky for reminding me, what's with the 13 crystal skeletons combining to form the alien? Whattttt?.... :-p

I honestly love the Indy movies, i mean, what's not to love right?, adventure, treasure, awesome hero, etc, and this 4th instalment has all those things AND MORE!... but let me just say this, Mr. Spielberg/Lucas, sometimes less really is more...

"If Willis and Stallone can still do it, so can I!"

Please don't think that i'm saying that i didn't like the movie, because i did like it, but it could have been so much more, if only it didn't have so much "extra" (haha, geddit?) in it... The action sequences were still pretty awesome, Harrison Ford can still kick ass, though i would have liked to have seen more of his trademark sense of humour and one liners, although maybe there could have been a bit more action in the movie, but i can understand, as Harrison Ford really isn't as young as he used to be! but the fedora hat and whip are still iconic aspects of the movie... Shia LaBeouf was pretty good too, i'm definitely thinking there's more to Even Stevens than Meets the Eye (hahaha... i did it again!), Cate Blanchett was good as usual, but i couldn't help thinking that the Cold War was over, and so i had to remind myself that the movie was set way back then, poor russians, hahaha... but hey at least the baddies aren't muslim extremists this time eh?

Indy Icons - This picture got all the fanboys giddy with excitement

Personally i'd like to give this movie 2 ratings:

Rating before all the "extras" - 4.5/5

Rating after all the "extras" - 2.5-3/5 (Did they get the endings for Indiana Jones 4 and X-Files 2 mixed up?)

21

2008-05-19T18:05:00.000+08:00

Venue: Hoyts Melbourne Central
Snacks: None (no cash at the time haha)

Ok, it's been awhile since i wrote my last review. After king shen decided to write both the reviews for Iron Man and then Speed Racer (it only comes out in Melbourne-land next month) so i'm left with this movie called 21. Sigh. This movie has been out in the states for awhile now but it just reached Aussie shores last week. While waiting for Indy Jones 4 that'll be out this Thursday (22nd), me and my mates decide to watch 21! How fun! A movie about blackjack! and there's Kate Bosworth too! Cant go wrong with that right? Think again...

Obviously, if you've heard abit about this movie you'll probably know that it's mainly about blackjack. If you dont even know what blackjack is then probably this movie is not for you. So yeah, the premise of the movie is simple - it's about a group of students from MIT who "counts" cards in blackjack tables all across Vegas. Apparently counting cards is not illegal, it's a beatable system in casinos although you need to be a super genius to pull it off. Heh.

The movie starts off pretty well i guess. It introduces the lead guy who's a MIT student trying to get into Harvard Med school. He's short of cash, and the only way he's gonna get in Harvard is via scholarship. So, being a geek that he is, he impresses his professor in math class and soon after, he gets an invite to become a member of the MIT "Secret Blackjack Society" team! Led by none other than Kevin "keyser soze" Spacey - he then goes off on a thrill ride to Vegas to win loads of cash on blackjack tables. Oh, and you also get to know stuff on how they count cards and how they 'work' tables which is quite interesting.

"mmm-hmmh you smell just like Lois Lane.."

Sadly, it all goes downhill from there. After about half and hour i'm pretty much bored of the movie. There's seriously nothing new going on. The scenes are repetitive throughout the movie and you can sort of tell what's going to happen next. Plus, this movie tries to steal alot of ideas from other movies (Ocean's 11 is a good example) but the execution just falls flat. Cliche after cliche's are apparent in the movie, and soon after you can't be bothered any more. My friend CK said "theyre counting cards in the movie, we're pretty much 'counting' the movie's plot" which is quite spot on since we were able to predict what's gonna happen next. Haha!

All in all, its a super average movie. I know some of you might kinda like this movie, but I didnt. This is the sort of movie you wouldn't mind catching it on TV when it comes out on HBO. Skip this, watch Indy Jones 4 instead.

Stars: 21+4 divided by 10 = 2.5 / 5 stars

Speed Racer

2008-05-12T15:07:00.000+08:00

Location - Cineleisure

Drink - Coke

So I got in pretty much on time for this movie, being a Sunday and about 5 hours till the Man Utd vs Wigan game (ITS LEGENDARY). Expectations for this film was pretty low cause after all, it was a kids cartoon show back when I was 10 and only followed it cause I thought it was quite similar to Whacky Racers.

Story starts off with the main character Speed and his attachment to his brother Rex, who is a racing driver and pretty much his idol in life. Things start to change when Rex decides not to drive for his father’s team and switches to another. Tragically Rex dies in a car accident racing in a very dangerous cross country rally circuit. Fast-forward and Speed has taken over where his brother left off except this time he stays true to his father’s team. This is until the whole family gets a pretty generous offer from Royalton Motors.

Taejo's Halloween parties were usually under strict invites only

You get heck of a lot of Matrix type shots (the slow-mo kung style) in this movie for starters. Then you feel it’s starting to turn into bit of an adult film but wait, there’s that annoying kid with the monkey again. I suppose that is exactly the problem with this movie. It’s almost half kid and half grown up. You can feel that the makers were trying to stretch out of the kiddies’ genre and venture into the middle age youth market with its effects and general awesome camera shots. Do constantly remind yourself that it is a FAMILY film. You can’t go in thinking, “nah wait that don’t make sense man”, it never will especially since our hero does wear a male scarf.

Mach 5 - a very fast car

Still, the movie was pretty well done. It’s almost kind of like a Cat in the Hat meets the Matrix kind of movie. Most people will actually like this film cause its immensely light hearted. Plus, there’s even Rain in this movie. Good thing he didn’t sing the theme though.

Stars – 3.8/5

Non-shock of the hour – Rain can't speak Engrish.

Nothing Like – RV starring Robin Williams.

TRAILER UPDATE: The Dark Knight

2008-05-05T00:54:00.000+08:00

a

The latest trailer for The Dark Knight is officially online.

Check it out at http://www.whysoserious.com/happytrails/trailer.htm !!
or you could just youtube it at a lower quality. (boo for that)

While watching the super-kick-ass trailer, here are some latest posters for THE movie of 2008. Enjoy guys! :D

IRONMAN

2008-05-02T00:04:00.001+08:00

Venue - GSC Pavilion

Food - Popcorn and Coke

My dear movie fans.... THE BLOCKBUSTERS ARE HERE. Like most things in life, good things come to those who wait. Or in this case, it comes in an Iron suit. As excited as i was about this movie, i was definitely cautious not to over hype my own expectations. Most movies just fail to deliver after much promise and only and handful stand out among the rest.

Story revolves around a billionaire playboy scientist named Tony Starkes (sounds like a pro skater huh?) whose company manufactures weapons to the US army so that it can fight for freedom on behalf of the whole world. Tony's life takes a turn for the worse when his convoy is ambushed and he is taken a prisoner while on a routine sales presentation in Afghanistan. His captors demand he make a missile for them and will pretty much kill him if he doesn't. So being the genius weapons inventor that he is, he decides to bugger it and make a pretty awesome metal suit instead to escape. While escaping, he notices that the militants have in their possession weapons that have been manufactured from his company. Upon arriving back in the US, Tony is a changed man and doesn't want to have anything to do with weapons technology. He then starts to work on a new project using the suit that he made to escape as his outline. Needless to say, the story starts to get very very interesting from then on.

By the power of greyskull...

Just where most movies fail to pounce on the cool factor from comic book adaptations, Ironman excels at it. The selling factor of this superhero is that he wasn't bitten by anything radioactive or born with superhuman strength, he is marely a smart guy who has alot of money and time to make a really cool body armor suit. Anybody can be like Tony Starks. Plus the sight of Ironman powering up during the first few scenes will have you drooling more than Scooby Doo begging for Scooby snacks.

When the going gets rough, the tough looks good in gold and red

Overall this movie delivers on all fronts, action, women, explosions, militants, fancy camera shots and flying super sonic. Whenever we start to wonder where this movie is going, they ultimately swing into another scene with Ironman in it. Hurahhh.. Like all comic book adaptations, it takes up quite a bit of time to explain the origins of Ironman. With all that time there could have been more shots of Ironman blowing things up or showing off his capabilities. For 2/3 of the 2nd part of the movie to be taken up with how Tony constructs his Iron suit while only 1/3 is spent kicking ass is fairly dissapointing. I suppose this is where the hype for the movie plays its role. You can't promise the audience steaks but only serve out cheeseburgers. But i suppose that's one way in getting the studios to agree on a sequel.

Stars - 4/5 (Revised)

Cool as - ZKZ's shoe collection.

Is Nothing like - a G2000 suit.

Teeth

2008-04-30T22:07:00.000+08:00

Venue: At home again
Food: Some crackers this time with no-pulp orange juice

Okay, here's another fairly unknown movie which u guys have probably not heard about. I saw the trailer a couple of months ago and it seemed pretty interesting. I was like, whoaa i've never heard of a movie like this before! Teeth? No, not that set of teeth - this is about teeth 'down under'! :D Caught your attention now?

This movie was released last year and apparently it was a hit with the Sundance (festival) viewers. Hmmm I wonder whyy. It's a sort of dark comedy / indie movie about Dawn, a high school girl who's a bit geeky; she gives talks about 'chastinence' and 'purity' at her local chastity group while not surprisingly, still being a virgin. She tries reeeeaaal hard to suppress her sexual feelings towards this guy she likes and when they finally get on some action.. TRAGEDY strikes! haha i bet u can roughly imagine what's gonna happen. :P

My first impression of this movie was alright, i mean, i have to say its quite original - with the theme of the movie exploring about the vagina dentata myth (in english it means TOOTHED VAGINA). This movie has that whole "indie" feel to it, while its such a trend now i guess its only a matter of time before they release an indie horror movie.

"say, that's a nice set of teeth you have there"

The whole show is pretty dark, but some scenes are laughable - i'm not sure whether its intentional or not, maybe it is, but the scene (spoiler ahead!) when the gynaecologist checks out her nether regions and discovering she has teeth down there and screams out VAGINA DENTATAAA!! was quite funny. haha anyways this movie also addresses the dangers of rape and some other sexual offences quite graphically. Careful guys, u just might get your dick cut off!

So i guess this is a so-so sorta movie with a practically unknown cast, although i have to say the lead actress is quite pretty :) Give this one a try if u wanna see something totally different from the norm. If not, just wait for Iron Man, Indy Jones or The Dark Knight which is coming out sooner than you can imagine! It's May and the summer blockbuster season has officially started! Wooot!

Stars: Stuck between 2.5-3/5

Amount of times u see the leading girl nekkid: 2

Food not to eat while watching this movie: Sausages & Hot Dogs

El Orfanato (The Orphanage)

2008-04-27T21:54:00.001+08:00

Venue: At home (DVD)
Food: Bite-size Twix and Ribena

If you're sick with crappy horror movies and lousy asian horror remakes but still want to watch a decent horror movie with good storyline, well this one might be for you. The Orphanage is a spanish movie, yes, so expect to read subtitles - unless of course you can understand Spanish like DKD hehe. This movie is executively produced by Guillermo Del Toro, if you don't know him he is the dude that did the marvellous Pan's Labyrinth late last year.

So basically, this show is about a haunted orphanage right? Yes! Are there any long haired female ghosts in the movie? Fortunately, no.

This show tells the story of Laura, who was in the orphanage when she was a child. Later on in her life, she returns to the orphanage to change it into a home for disabled children with his husband Carlos and their son, Simon. (pronounced as See-mon like timun ahaha) During her stay there in the orphanage, her son starts to play with "new friends" and Laura suspects something is not right.

To tell you more about this show would actually spoil it. Although the plot might sound cliched, it actually is very intriguing. When the story unfolds, secrets about the orphanage begin to unravel and more mysteries appear. An "incident" happens in the movie and the horror starts from there...

However, this movie is not frighteningly scary. There are some shock jolt moments, and some disturbing scenes.. but its not very "boo!" horror unlike the typical Hollywood movies. It works best as an engaging thriller. That being said, the story and drama in this show is its strongest point - and towards the end, everything fits in like a well made puzzle.

I'd definitely recommend this movie for horror junkies who's in need of a change from all the typecast horror movies out there. This is something different, it's a good movie with horror elements in it.

Stars : 3.5/5

Watch this if you liked : The Others, Dark Water, Pan's Labyrinth

The Forbidden Kingdom

2008-04-27T21:42:00.000+08:00

My first post!. EVER!. (Thanks to King Shen and Aprilsky)

Ok let's see, honestly, me and a few friends decided to watch a late showing of a movie, and it was either this or Pucong 3! Haha... Don't even ask me what that's about! I was a bit skeptical, seeing as i don't really consider myself a fan of "Chinese Epics", cos honestly, i see "JET LI" and i immediately think, kung-fu, subtitles, period costumes, but maybe i should've paid more attention to "JACKIE CHAN". Apart from the two Js, it also starred the kid from Sky High, Michael Angarano, and cos i've been watching Will & Grace on DVDs, i know that he also played Jack's son in the show. Haha. One of the definite highlights of the movie were the 2 female leads, Sparrow played by Yifei Liu, is awesome, i was literally saying "she's so hot" everytime she appeared on screen, and for those who like their girls a bit "dirtier", the witch played by Bingbing Li, was also quite nice to look at.

Yifei Liu, "Hot"

Bingbing Li, "Dirty"

Movie starts off with the Monkey King fighting, and then Michael Angarano's character wakes up, and goes n visits his local chinese pawn shop/dvd supplier, and somehow, he ends up in this different world, i suppose you could probably classify this movie as a fantasy flick, cos of the shift from earth to the "Forbidden Kingdom". Basically, Michael Angarano's character is on a mission to return this "magic staff" to free the Monkey King who was turned into stone by the Jade Warlord played by Colin Chou, who also played Seraph in The Matrix (shout out to Aprlisky! Haha). On this mission he bumps into Jet Li and Jackie Chan's characters and ends up being trained and changes from a loser to a loser who now knows kung-fu. Hahaha...

I was quite surprised with this movie, i suppose going in thinking it was an epic had something to do with that. But i like the whole Monkey King story, i liked that it was actually in english, because if i had to read substitles at midnight after a long day, i would probably have fallen asleep, i liked that it really was quite a funny movie, Jackie Chan and Michael Angarano played off each other quite well, I really thought that the fighting scenes especially the ones at the beginning of the movie of the Monkey King fighting above the clouds were pretty cool. I did think that Michael Angarano was a bit weedy to pull of kung-fu moves but he surprised me, and i did end up giving the guy credit for being able to pull of some decent moves. For those of you, who know more about Jackie Chan's Drunken Master, personally i don't know that much about those movies, (my first exposure to Drunken Master was Lei in Tekken!), i don't know how the Drunken Master character in this movie fits in with the other Drunken Master movies, but in any case, seeing Jet Li and Jackie Chan sparring is always gonna be good fun.

However, i did doze off during one scene which had too much talking and no action, but thankfully it was just one scene, apart from that, i still had to strain my ears and really listen everytime Jet Li spoke, cos i still have difficulty understanding the dude! Overall, i'd say go and watch the movie if you love any of the stars, or if you're looking for something fun to watch, maybe with the family.

Stars: 2.5-3/5 (mind you Aprilsky will say that i'm too generous with my stars and that i'm easily pleased, but what can i say?... i do like to switch off and just enjoy what's on the big screen)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2008-04-17T22:29:00.000+08:00

wow, my first movie review. sorry king shen for not writing up any reviews coz there's really no new movies to watch. and also the fact that goin to the movies will cost me $16Aud doesnt really help either (that's RM45 back home, jeez)

so anyways, i went down to watch 'forgetting sarah marshall' today at the local cinema - i had to say i was waiting for this one. you could say its coz of two leading ladies in the film - kristen bell (the girl from veronica mars) and mila kunis (err the girl from that 70's show). they're really hot in this movieee woo i really can't choose between them! and oh this is another movie from the makers of knocked up and the uber-funny superbad which i thought was awesome. so i had quite high expectations for this one.

so yeah, the movie starts off with this dude Peter who just got dumped by his (hot/cuteee!) girlfriend Sarah Marshall. This Peter dude is practically ur typical American guy, only thing is - her girlfriend is a TV star. When he got dumped, he decides to go to Hawaii to take his mind off things, and thats where the fun starts. This movie is rated R in the States, and the chances of it showing in Malaysian cinemas without being censored is very unlikely. There's a couple of funny scenes that involves 'nudity' so i suggest u guys go and buy the DVD when its out.

"that 70's show was waaaay better than veronica mars, honey"

well i dont wanna spoil the movie too much. if you liked superbad or knocked up, you're definitely gonna like this. while its still early in 2008, this could easily be the best comedy ive seen so far this year.

Stars: 3.5/5 (can't beat superbad but better than knocked up)

Be Kind Rewind

2008-04-07T19:55:00.000+08:00

Venue - GSC Pavilion
Food - Some bread, pizza and assorted chips

Ahh its that time of the year again boys and girls, another Jack Black movie! Just when you thought it was safe to start taking Jack seriously he goes off and does another 100% Jack Black approved movie for your viewing pleasure.

Movie starts off by introducing our 2 heroes of the movie Jack and Mos Def. The latter is taking care of a video store while the owner is off on a short break. Things start to get a bit tricky when Jack's character accidentally erases most (if not all) of the tapes in the video store much to the dismay of Mos Def. They then start re-shooting most of the movies in a desperate attempt to fool some of their customers into thinking that the original was shot the exact same way.

Step 1 Hire Jack Black, Step 2 Dont give him pants

If you're into an evening of overdose Jack Black jokes, then this movie is for you. If not please by all means avoid it. You will get a headache. On the positive side, Jack's and Mos Def's remake of the movies (they call em sweded) are hugely entertaining and is the saving grace of this film. If you have the time, do check out their sweded movies which are placed online.

Stars -2.8/5

Is Nothing like - Lethal Weapon movies despite having Danny Glover in it.

2 Days In Paris

2008-03-24T19:39:00.001+08:00

Venue : Cineleisure

Expectation : Not much cause i just had dinner

Yeah this is a movie which you should watch with someone you've currently been dating (preferbly more than 2 days) as this movie clearly shows that before you wanna get even more serious with her, please go on a holiday with her.

Have to admit that i was a bit late for this movie so movie starts off with the couple already in Paris and the narration is done by Julie Delpy. Adam and Julie are in Paris as Julie (by the way her character is french) introduces Adam to her life, family, friends and pretty much her french side. The fun starts when he realises there is more to Julie than just that french chick i know back in New York. Everybody's different when they go home. C'mon everyone knows that.

When Hairy met Sally

It is a pretty nicely thought-out story with pleasant scenarios for everyone to laugh and cheer at. Its worth a watch either on film or even dvd or any other means. Got that indie cinematography for all you fans of indie movies or really really underground Al-Qaeda films.

Stars - 3.5 on the luv meter. HU-AH.

Nothing like - 1 Night in Paris by Paris Hilton. HU-AH!

OMG? Like, Seriously?

2008-03-11T02:24:00.000+08:00

Well, okay, since King Shen has written his review of The Mist im just gonna give my 2 cents.
First of all, this movie.. DOESNT SUCK!!
Seriously.. 1.5/5 ? jeez dude thats for shit like Narnia or 10,000 BC (dont get me started on that lol)
Well to make it short, its not as bad as it seems. For a Stephen King movie adaptation, this was pretty good. From start to finish i was quite interested on what's happening in the movie, there were a lot of characters that were introduced, and all of them are interesting playing their own roles. The monsters are pretty cool and errr... tentacle-y too. The story was tight even though it's all happening in a supermarket (yes, something like Giant) and the story arc continues well. Not giving too much away for the ending, i thought it was really good, not the fairy tale ending we are used to in a lot of movies nowadays, it's quite dark and tragic. King Shen finds this a joke but wait till he sees 10,000 BC! Anyways, i'm totally recommending this. Two thumbs way up for me!

Stars : 4/5

Amount of dismembered torso's in the movie : 1 (plus many others we can only imagine)

The Mist

2008-03-07T12:17:00.001+08:00

Venue - Cineleisure The Curve

Ate - Popcorn, Corn, Pepsi

Its definitely one of those film where u didn't even plan to catch a movie and you naturally have no expectation and in the end, you kinda wish you caught the romantic comedy one instead of this one.

Movie starts off with a town being "invaded" by a big ass mist after the storm the night before. Everything seems ok till they get into town, where the big ass mist has transformed into a pretty HUGE big kick ass mist. People start running for their lives claiming there are things in the mist. The movie is shot in the town's supermarket, where everyone is afraid to go outside as whatever is inside the mist, wants to have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Billy always thought his job kinda bites

If anything this movie should be avoided but i have to add that its from a Stephen King novel and like most adaptation, the movie version usually sucks.

Stars - 1.5/5

Is Like - "the mist"-ake...