Sunday, July 27, 2008
The Dark Knight
Heath Ledger did a fantastic job with The Joker, I’m impressed!
This movie was very enjoyable and worth my time and money, perhaps even better than Iron Man.
Must see on big screen, the bigger the better!
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Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Incredible Hulk
I like this version with Edward Norton and Liv Tyler much better. Great action. More interesting plot. And you catch a few good lines here and there too. I think when Marvel does their own comic hero movies, it's much better.
Great movie to destress to. Crashing, banging, fighting, destruction and all that.
Robert Downey Jr appears in a very short cameo at the end... alluding to more excitement to be expected in the future. :)
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Friday, May 23, 2008
Iron Man
I liked Robert Downey Jr but now I like him even more. Totally believable as Tony Sparks. As my bro said, in most superhero shows, the actor takes on the superhero’s character/persona, but in this case, the actor is the superhero. He brought his character to Tony Sparks. And he looked really good too.
Great effects. Great dialogue. Very entertaining. Gwyneth Paltrow works as Pepper Potts too - she does the nerdy/pretty/hot pretty well.
And as per Jukebox's request, I shall now rate my movies with a watch-on-big-screen or wait-for-dvd indicator as well. Iron Man, for it's special effects, should be watched on the big screen. Don't wait till it goes to dvd. But when the dvd comes out, it's a keeper.
I heart RDJ. :p
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Juno
Great movie starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman.
Nice simple story, funny when you're not expecting it, lovely cast. It's a keeper.
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Monday, January 21, 2008
Reign Over Me
I really liked this movie starring Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. It’s about 2 men who don’t have anybody to talk to in their lives, struggle with communication, and also about dealing with the post 9/11 trauma.
The story was good (touching yet with its bouts of funniness), the dialogue was meaningful, and the acting and chemistry were solid.
Among all of Adam Sandler’s movies, I like this one the most.
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Saturday, January 19, 2008
Eastern Promises
Lord of the Rings didn’t make me a Viggo Mortenson fan, but I think I’m one now. He did a great job in this movie.
This movie also has a pretty interesting story about the Russian mafia in London. If you can, get the DVD to see the special features to see the interviews with the director David Cronenberg and understand the background of the movie better.
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Monday, January 14, 2008
The Bucket List
This movie stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two men who have told by the doctor that they have very limited time to live. Morgan Freeman’s character makes this thing called “The Bucket List” which is defined as a list of things to do before kicking the bucket. The two main characters then form a combined bucket list and start doing the tasks together.
Apart from the strong cast, good acting and storyline, the sights are also pretty nice. I recommend that you watch it.
It made me wonder why we should put all the things that we really want to do till the end rather than spreading them through out our lives.
Do you have a bucket list?
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Sunday, January 06, 2008
Charlie Wilson’s War
I like Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks, that’s why I picked up the movie. The acting and the story were good and I enjoyed watching both.
It’s basically about how this congressman and socialite exercise their influence in the States secure funding for weapons for the Afghans to fight off the Russians. These two quotes came from the movie:
“A boy is given a horse on his 14th birthday. Everyone in the village says, “Oh how wonderful.” But a Zen master who lives in the village says, “We’ll see.” The boy falls off the horse and breaks his foot. Everyone in the village says, “Oh how awful.” The Zen master says, “We’ll see.” The village is thrown into war and all the young men have to go to war. But, because of the broken foot, the boy stays behind. Everyone says, “Oh, how wonderful.” The Zen master says, “We’ll see.” – Zen master story
“These things really happened. We changed the world, then we [blew] the end game.” – Charlie Wilson
At the end of the movie, Charlie Wilson had requested a 1 million budget (in relation to the 500 million war budget) to build schools to educate the young Afghan people who had been roped in the war effort. Otherwise they’d come back and see the damage inflicted on their towns and have no way of dealing with it, and nothing to keep them occupied.
The committee turned down the proposal and the movie ends there. The movie implies that this lack of closure of the war effort directly or indirectly turned on America. In equipping the Afghans to fight the Russians, these same weapons were eventually used to equip the terrorist group which eventually attacked the States on 9/11.
While we may not be in a place to affect so many people, I think it is still true that our actions and decisions may have ripple effects beyond our perception and imagination. I can only hope the positive effects superset the negative effects. We’ll just have to see.
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Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Nanny Diaries
I’ve not read the book but this is not the type of movie that requires pre-reading to appreciate it more either I think. I liked the movie, and there was lotsa eye candy (Scarlett Johannson, the cute little boy Nicholas Art and "Harvard Hottie" Chris Evans) too.
Just like The Devil Wears Prada (which incidentally also has lotsa eye candy but in the form of nice clothes), I like this movie because it’s about stepping into another world completely different from where you came from, not knowing really who you are or what you want, and then finally coming out from it better and happier.
Movies like this make me think that it’s really ok to make detours in life. That while the stuff you do may not be what you really thought it out to be, or what people expect of you, it will all work out. That there will be people around to help you find your way, that events will play out to get you where you should be.
These movies give me hope. Ahh.
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Saturday, November 10, 2007
Ratatouille
I’ve been hearing about this movie and finally got to watch it. Can I just say it was even better than what I expected and totally enjoyed it?
Personally, I’m not a big fan of rats but the story was great, the lines were great and maybe it’s just something about the setting being Paris and all that just made it a wonderful experience.
WOOT!
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Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Hot Fuzz
This British movie is about some super achiever cop in London who wins awards for everything, and his colleagues (including his supers, and the top guy) want him out because he makes them look bad. So he gets sent to this very sleepy town in the boonies with apparently no crime in the last 20 years.
Anyway, he gets to this town and uncovers a series of accidents which gets him suspicious and it’s funny how he unravels things. If you don’t get British humor, don’t worry, you don't need to get British humor in order to enjoy this movie. Check it out!
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Monday, July 16, 2007
Breach
This movie stars Ryan Phillipe and Chris Cooper. Chris Cooper is a very senior FBI agent who is suspected of being a leak and Ryan Phillipe has been assigned to be his assistant and spy on him.
I thought Chris Cooper acted pretty well. Ryan Phillipe was ok, I mean, he usually takes all these surly roles anyway. And it has ex-President David Palmer (I don’t know his real name) as the head of FBI too – although he doesn’t have too many scenes.
Anyway, I liked the movie.
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Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Casino Royale
I think Daniel Craig makes a really good James Bond. And he's got these piercing blue eyes too. Nice to not have so many OTT (over the top) gadgets.
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Sunday, January 28, 2007
The Prestige
This movie certainly took its time to make its way to China. I had read the synopsis a while back and thought the story would make an excellent movie. Great cast (Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine) and acting too.
Its about magic and what it takes to make good magic. Really engaging movie. You should watch it!
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Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Devil Wears Prada
My friend strongly recommended the movie and I decided to get the book when i was at the airport one day. I just watched the movie tonight. The movie is much better than the book.
Maybe it's because this is a very visual story... clothes, handbags, accessories, shoes, glamour and all that kinda stuff. Looks better than it reads kinda thing.
Am glad that it didn't stick entirely to the book. Meryl Streep looks great and acted well, and it's nice that Anne Hathaway isn't acting some girly part like Princess Diaries and Ice Princess type deal.
I did enjoy the movie quite a bit. Hope you like it too.
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Thursday, January 18, 2007
Apocalypto
I liked this movie. Good acting, good story. And a different setting altogether. A refreshing different and attention-holding movie.
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Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Oldies but goodies
I find myself coming back to the same movies time and time again.
Here are the top 3, in no particular order: You've Got Mail, While You Were Sleeping and Serendipity.
Yeah, they're all romantic comedies. Usually involves some fortunate twist in fate (or serendipity , for that matter). I can't help it, I'm a sucker for such story lines.
Yes yes, I just watched You've Got Mail. Again.
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Tuesday, October 31, 2006
24
I have finally finished the first five seasons of 24 that I can get my hands on here. The last three seasons were definitely better. Can't wait for the next one.
In the meantime, the DVD shop girl is trying to convince me to buy other TV series like Lost, Prison Break and such.
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Sunday, August 06, 2006
Winter Sonata
This post goes to Mug-mug who visited me three weeks ago and was such great company. Above all because we both barely slept so that we could stay up to watch Winter Sonata.
Winter Sonata is the only Korean drama series I know of, and have watched. In fact, it is the only drama series whose DVD I have purchased and it is also the only one that I have watched four times end to end. Even my favorite Chinese kungfu drama series only clocks three complete views and I did not even buy the DVDs.
Winter Sonata is also one of those supremely bittersweet sappy love stories. Completely fits the Korean drama stereotype where there is always tragedy - someone has to die - and cruel twists of fate - somebody always has to go blind, get some horrible disease, or that the main characters are related in some unfortunate way. Makes you cry and cry and cry. Well, maybe it will not make you shed a tear but it certainly gets me going. Even on the fourth viewing, damn it.
Winter Sonata also has an excellent looking cast. Everybody dresses well. The girl is pretty. The guy is cute. The supporting cast does not look too bad either. There are faithful sidekicks who provide humor and fluff to the main plot. Just that once you realize you only want to watch scenes with the main cast in them, you start finding scenes with them (but without the main characters) in them as time-wasters and start fast-forwarding.
(FYI – Winter Sonata runs for about 30 hours end to end, thanks to the power of the Fast Forward button, I managed to watch everything in 6 hours yesterday.)
Winter Sonata also has the perfect guy. Good looking (with and without glasses), dresses well, gentlemanly, really sweet, great character, pretty well off, established in his career, skilled in his line of work. Says the right stuff, knows how to apologize, cry and is very in touch with his emotions. Loves the girl deeply. Just wants the girl to be happy. Is a good son.
Winter Sonata also brings you to very beautiful places. It is set in the winter and a significant part of the movie is at a ski resort, and I am watching it in my air-conditioned apartment, so that totally makes me forget how it is sweltering hot outside. In the drama, you also get to visit a lake, hear birds chirp, see lots of greenery, spend lots of time in coffee restaurants, pubs, hotels and other people’s houses.
If there is one thing I took away from the drama, it is how to tie a really nice scarf knot. Mug-mug and I actually spent time analyzing the knot to figure out how to tie it. I managed to reverse-engineer it, so my Penn education did pay off afterall. And they were right, watching TV can be educational.
I cannot wait for winter to come because I want to start wearing scarves and tie that knot. So you see, I will have to keep watching Winter Sonata to keep my memory of the scarf knot fresh and then I will be ready when winter comes to Chengdu. :)
Yeah right. Hahahahahahaha.
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Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Bee Season
This movie is about this girl who is all set to be the youngest Spelling Bee champion in the States. But as she progresses in the competition, she watches her family fall apart and she has no idea what to do. Finally on the eve of the finals, she is so desperate to talk to God to save her family and she makes a breakthrough. And she knows what she must do to get her family back together.
What I liked about this movie was the girl’s (Flora Cross) acting. She makes spelling almost like such a divine experience. Makes me wonder how come I never saw words like that. Took me a while to figure out what the Mom was doing, but I finally saw how it was connected to the girl. Interesting.
Not too bad.
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Thursday, April 20, 2006
Keeping Mum
I liked this movie because the story was good and funny. It is about this pastor (Rowan Atkinson) and his family – about how the family members are very “removed” from each other and how this nanny (Maggie Smith) they hire brings the family back together.
It is not your usual Mr. Bean slapstick funny, but bears a slightly more serious note to it. Nonetheless, it is quite amusing and I enjoyed it a lot. Also liked the fact that there was a mini-sermon message in it.
Here is another movie review about it. Go watch it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/12/01/keeping_mum_2005_re...
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Monday, December 19, 2005
The Jacket
One of the better movies I have seen in a while. As with all time travel movies, there are some loopholes in the plot. But I enjoyed the story, the acting and the use of color. And you decide how it ends. Quite worth watching.
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Saturday, October 22, 2005
The Myth
This is the latest movie by Jackie Chan. He is an archaeologist who has dreams of a time and love from the Qin Dynasty. The movie is about his exploration of this mystery and the other historical myths.
This movie was better than I expected. But what I really like about it is the theme song (title: 《无尽的爱》 or “Endless Love”) from the movie. You will not believe how many times I have played this song over and over again all in one sitting. It is incredibly beautiful. The lyrics are in Chinese and Korean and sung by Jackie Chan and the Korean lead actress from the movie.
When I first heard the song, I did not understand the words, but I was fascinated by the tenderness conveyed in the melody, the singers’ voices, and the blend of Chinese and Korean language. It makes me feel so sad for the lead characters, and it makes me crave the feeling of being in love. I do not know why. Maybe I am slightly homesick and am missing people I love. I do not think I have been this affected by a Chinese movie (much less a Chinese song) before. Amazing.
I am putting the music up now on this blog. As I am streaming the song from another website, it might be a little choppy, sorry about that. Here are the lyrics in Chinese. I would totally spoil the song if I tried to translate the lyrics, so I will not. So if you cannot read the words, just listen. All you really need to know is that this is a love song.
(Guy, in Chinese)
解开我
最神秘的等待
星星坠落风在吹动
终于再将你融入怀中
两颗心颤抖
相信我
不变的真心
千年等待有我承诺
无论经过多少的寒冬
我绝不放松
(Girl, in Korean)
现在紧抓紧我的双手
闭上了眼睛
请你回想起我们过去恋爱的日子
我们因为太相爱，所以更使我们痛苦
我们连爱你这一句话都无法说
(Guy, in Chinese)
每一夜
被心痛穿越
思念永没有终点
早习惯了孤独相随
我微笑面对
相信我
你选择等待
再多苦痛也不闪躲
只有你的温柔能解救
无边的冷漠
(Girl, in Korean)
现在紧抓紧我的双手
闭上了眼睛
请你回想起我们过去恋爱的日子
我们因为太相爱
所以更使我们痛苦
我们连爱你一句话都无法讲
(Together, in Chinese)
让爱成为你我心中那永远盛开的花
穿越时空决不低头
永不放弃的梦
(Girl, in Korean)
我们因为太相爱
所以更使我们痛苦
我们连爱你一句都无法讲
(Together, in Chinese)
让爱成为你我心中那永远盛开的花
(Girl, in Korean)
我们千万不要忘记我们的爱，那永远的约定
(Together, in Chinese)
唯有真爱追随你我
穿越无劲的时空
(Girl, in Korean)
我们连爱你一句都无法讲
(Guy, in Chinese)
爱是心中唯一不变美丽的神话
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Friday, October 14, 2005
La Meglio Gioventù - The Best of Youth
I just finished this six hour italian movie over the course of two nights. It is such a wonderful movie you have to watch it.
This movie is about 2 Italian brothers who grow up between 1966 and 2000. The story starts with them at 18 and then follows them as they take different paths to find themselves. During this time, the movie covers significant events in Italys history, but is mostly about the two brothers and the people who revolve around them.
I love the character development in this movie. You get to know each member of the family more. I love the father for being such a sensitive and loving person, trying his best to understand what people need in their lives. I love the mother for being such a quiet supporter of her children and the ones they love. I love each brother for the strength they find to make it through each phase of their life, for their courage to find their way and pursue their passions. Even the other characters that do not get as much air time find their foothold in the movie and plant themselves in your memory.
This movie may be six hours long, but it did not feel like it at all. After all, to cover the lives of so many people over 50 years in a few hours of movie time is really quite easy. The scenery is beautiful, the music provides such good accompaniment, and the movie brings you through a wonderful range of emotions we rarely get in entertainment these days.
A must see.
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Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Maria Full of Grace
This is about how Maria, a pregnant Columbian girl, becomes a mule smuggling heroin into America in order to get away from her sweatshop-type florist job and life.
There were no fancy twists as many films usually have. This one just let the subject speak for itself, documenting what happens during the process of smuggling. Nice to have a simple movie without the fluff, yet teach you a little something more about what goes on in the world.
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Monday, October 10, 2005
Girl with a Pearl Earring
I am not one who usually appreciates art, but this movie about the how this famous painting by Johannes Vermeer came about mesmerized me from start till finish. It was beautiful. The music also helped weave the story as it complemented each scene and helped make you feel the emotion simmering behind each scene more.
I thought this was a good movie. Makes me want to read the book.
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Saturday, August 27, 2005
Million Dollar Baby
I am so glad I watched this movie. I can see why it won the major oscars - Best Movie, Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hilary Swank) and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). I enjoyed the story, the chemistry between the two old men, and the resilence that Hilary Swank channeled through Maggie Fitzgerald - the 33 year old who might just have been to old to fight for the Championship title.
Go watch it. Really.
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Saturday, August 20, 2005
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
I love this movie. It is the third of the Indiana Jones series. The one with the Holy Grail. The one where Sean Connery is his Dad.
The lines are great, the chemistry is excellent and the stunts are pretty good for that time too. I thought this plot was the best of the series. Laughed myself silly. And of course, Harrison Ford looked so cool.
It is still so entertaining, even on repeat viewings. Definitely home-video worthy.
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Monday, July 18, 2005
Crash
A Brentwood housewife and her District Attorney husband. A Persian store owner. Two police detectives. An African-American television director and his wife. A Mexican locksmith. Two car-jackers. A rookie cop and his racist police partner. They all live in Los Angeles. And during the next 36 hours, they will all collide…
While this movie is primarily about racial and ethnic struggles, stereotypes and tolerance, I thought it showed up the fact that EVERYBODY has issues of their own, no matter what you actually see on the surface.
There are many characters and story lines going on in the story, but by the end you see all the connection between them, and that is cool. My favorite connection was that between the Mexican locksmith and the Persian store owner.
The movie does not give any answers. It is up to you to figure those out. Good material for discussion.
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Monday, June 27, 2005
Batman Begins
Heh, I just realized this picture on the left is so dark I wonder if anyone can make out what it is.
Was somewhat skeptical about the quality of this movie but I decided that I had to watch it after reading good reviews about it. Until I watched Christian Bale take the leading role, I always thought Michael Keaton channeled Batman's tortured soul best. I appreciate how the movie built up the Batman's history - which is much more than what you can say for most super hero movies - AND gave equal attention to his saving the world (or rather Gotham City). The scenes with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine were excellent!
This movie totally exceded my expectations. Good stuff!
Official movie website
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Monday, June 06, 2005
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I read the book when I was really young - I think it was my brother's seventh grade (Sec 1) literature text or something like that.
Was not quite sure what to expect going into the theatre. I did like the movie though. It is a British movie, so the humor is not quite the run-of-the-mill kind. It was also kinda loopy and random - really silly sometimes! There were bouts of serious-ness here and there, which was a nice touch. A very nice change from regular movies that we watch. Go see it!
Official movie website
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Saturday, May 14, 2005
Serendipity
serendipity (n.) The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. Also known as "fate" or "destiny".
Not feeling particularly social on a Friday night, I decided to watch one of my favorite movies again. Two people, wanting to know if it was meant to be, find themselves on the road, searching for clues, signs and answers... right before they get married.
I know, i know... it is so predictable (and some might add tacky too). But it gets better everytime I watch it! Totally cracked me up. You really want these guys to win. The dialogue and chemistry between John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale is great, the supporting cast is awesome, and Manhattan is so beautiful in this movie. I actually read "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez because of Serendipity. I wanted to know how it fit into the whole thing. The soundtrack is lovely as well :)
If you want to see it and would like company, let me know. I will be happy to oblige!
(Sorry, the movie website has been taken off)
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Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Millions
This movie was so good! You tag along with Damian and you really feel his struggle - having just lost his mom, moving to a new area, and now trying to use quarter million quid which literally fell from the sky (which incidentally will become worthless because Britain is about to convert to the Euro) to help the poor - despite what everybody else says. His innocence is so heart warming that you leave feeling like you wish you could be like that, or just feeling kinda crappy that you are the way you are (and that at his age, you were not like him at all). His brother Anthony is really funny too. The director Danny Boyle has a wonderful way of capturing perspective, and the cinematography is lovely. Wonderful from get go. WOW.
Official movie website
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Saturday, March 26, 2005
Robots
Watched "Robots" today. The movie was alright, and even quite funny at some parts. What I was reminded of though, was the power of great expectations.
Rodney Copperbottom wanted to make the world a better place; and though the path he took was not quite what he envisioned, it was nonetheless an eventful one that led him to the same destination. And it all started because his papa had great expectations for him, and he encouraged and enabled his son to meet them.
Sometimes we just need people to believe in us to launch us onto the path of achievement. Official movie website
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Saturday, March 12, 2005
Finding Neverland
The acting and the story were excellent! I was totally enchanted by the movie and just went along with the whole thing. It reminded me of how as we grow up, we become jaded and cynical, and we lose the sense of imagination, innocence and wonder that we had as kids.
By far one of the best I have seen in a long time.
"Boys should never be allowed to go to sleep, because they wake up one day older."
Official movie website
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