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Reviews
Meteor (1979)
The Scientist Who Love Me
This film will keep you waiting~~waiting~~waiting for the big bang to come for 100 minutes, but at least make the most use out of Connery. When Connery arrives at Nasa, before meeting the genreals, there is a scene 100% resembles a Moneypenny scene. The US-Soviet joint hands resemble The Spy Who Loves Me. And Hollywood is smart enough to take the opportunity to revenge Pearl Harbor. The missile strike takes place on Sunday December 7.
Because Sir Run Run Shaw also invest in this film, and produced the Hong Kong segment, the film was dubbed in Cantonese to release in Shaw Brother circuit in Hong Kong in addition to English version. Other films received such treatment was King Kong (1976). As a piece of trivia, Shaw circuit also showed Year Of The Dragon in Nov 1985 (not dubbed), half month before the whole cinema circuit was rented to D&B Films, and Shaw shut down production.
Agent Game (2022)
No wonder I have an headache with Modern Cinema
This is the film that defines The Modern Cinema of the 21st Century. The Lighting Department has been permenately dismissed. Ditto to Director Of Photography. You shoot the whole movie in your HwaHei, when battery is running very low. The phone/camera is always set in the Portrait mode and certain filters added which only brings you "big heads" with wrong color. No need to pay for a composer, when music/noise effect is required (almost every second), re-edit the soundtrack album of Tenet. Coherent story, character development is now in the trash bin; you just need twists and more twists, and when the film can't add up, cut to the end credits.
No wonder I always have an headache with Modern Cinema. I'll rather search for another 1970's C-grade production. The only single merit of this film is that it is very short at 80 minutes, half the length of NTTD or Drive my car. At least we enjoyed a faster death.
Also I have problem to locate when Mel Gibson is on screen. I saw Rowan Atkinson is in this movie instead.
No Time to Die (2021)
with Wrong approach you only get the Wrong Film
Ten years ago I walked out Skyfail (such an epic failure) with great anger--- something you won't expect in a Bond film. Who wants to see James Bong (Craig is Not Bond he is just Bong; I heard it all night in a certain Oscar, and I never watch the Oscar again) cries for his Mom, or M in short? And I was alone, solitude and helpless. All 7 billions people on earth praised that piece of trash, as if you didn't praise Skyfail, you don't know how to appreciate movies.
Now, nearly first "anniversary" of this trash, I have Proved Myself CORRECT. Barbara took Bong to the WRONG approach ; and with Wrong approach you only get the Wrong Film.
During past 12 months the World spilt into two sides with the stupid decision to kill off Bong. If you really plans to do so, give us 2.5 hours of non stop actions that keep us wow before that. Also the only person qualified to kill Bong is Blofeld. Barbara even killed Blofeld halfway through the film, and you tell us a third rate bad guy, even no match with Max Zorin and May Day (in a film widely recognised as the weakest, though I disagree), can kill Bong? Eon has been very fortunate, and audiences have been gentle, given what happened to Kotyo Animation, simply because an anime fans was dissatified with the conclusion of a certain anime.
Please Please stop "Re-Inventing" Bong again. Formula and character that work need no re-invention. Bong 26 will only be worst, even Worst that certain film called Drive my car...
Interstellar (2014)
Interstellar = Gundam 00 The Movie + Elysium!!?? (heavy spoilers alert)
(Warning: This article contains plenty of spoilers and reveal the conclusion of the film) Interstellar contains high production value, a beautiful score by Mr. Zimmer, and as least as breathtaking as Gravity. This time Mr. Nolan tells the story without the need of multiple layers (a la Inception), making stupid person like me easy to grasp the plot. But something is not very good with the last 10 or 15 min. of the film. A man flies through 50 years or more, make his return only to see the woman (girl) he loves become an old lady? C'mon, this is EXACTLY THE SAME with a Japanese cartoon movie, Gekijouban Kidou senshi Gandamu 00: A wakening of the trailblazer (Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: Awakening of the Trailblazer, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1726286/). In that Gundam movie, the rendezvous takes place at the 3-minutes extra scenes after the end credit roll. Even bigger issue, I guessed this dated back to Oct. 16th, and no one shook the bookshelf to fore- tell. (you'll know this line after seeing this film) In addition, the space colony at the end of the film is 90% copycat from Elysium, earth surfaces are curved. And I'm quite sure design concept of space colony in Elysium is influenced to some extend from the space colonies in the Gundam universe. (in face, Interstellar can be view as the prequel to the Gundam universe!) Maybe that's why all space station scenes take place in the interior and ext. of space station never shown. Lots of audience fear this film is even more difficult to understand than "Inception". This is because they want to gain 100% scientifically correct explanation on what happens if someone falls into the Black Hole. My strategy is, disregard all the hard science terms and enjoy the ride. p.s. Disney may have real problem if they really plans to remake "The Black Hole".
E tan qun ying hui (1976)
Where else to find a feature film that Queen Elizabeth II actually stars?
A Queen's Ransom was offered 2 shows at HK Film Archive's Golden Harvest Cinema Matrix festival at Spring 2013. While the film is about average with other GH films, one thing outstanding is that it contains plenty of footages actually shot during Queen Elizabeth II's visit of Hong Kong at May 1975, including the arrival and departure of British Airways at Kai Tak Airport, official reception at Town Hall at Central, parades at Tsuen Wan and Nathan Road, dragon boat race at Aberdeen and the floating restaurant. These footages now become historical documents and are more interesting than the plot itself. Actually, HK film-makers adore Her Majesty too, so there is a plot twist at final 15 minutes that will keep the Queen unharmed. Unfortunately, the film does not have a chance of digital restoration, and the prints shown contains several traces, especially "straight lines" during the last 5-10 minutes. Where else to find a feature film that Queen Elizabeth II actually stars? (except documentary films) Quite interesting to see if Her Majesty know the existence of this film.
Shinpi no hou (2012)
Think twice, this is a religion anime movie
(This review have plenty of spoilers) In the near future, an empire using a logo similar with the nazi swastika invaded Taiwan, USA, Japan and all countries. Only a small organisation, disguise as medical service, attempted resistance. A young guy was named its leader, and in order to win the war, He went into a spiritual journey. He learnt the secret of the empire, and was caught and to be executed live at global audience... This film (English title "The Mystrical Law") is not the kind of entertaining Japanese animation you expect. In fact, it is the story of how an everyman guy become religious saviour. The first 30 minutes pretends as an action-packed movie, but once the spiritual journey begins, people started to exit from the cinema (and the film last for whole 120 minutes). Religious teachings are thrown straight to the audience, the male lead preach for almost 10 minutes near the end. The good side of this movie is that it do not sell "cute" as seen in most Japanese anime today, and is filmed in 1:2.35 widescreen, some visual effects are nice.
Quantum of Solace (2008)
In-depth study of the mind of someone called James Bond
The first time I saw QofS in cinema, I just thought, "this time there isn't a daring stunt that I'll recall several times for years to come". Watching it again when it finally arrived at free TV, I start to know what the film is actually about. We used to rate this film so low because we carried wrong expectation (2 hours of top-class escapist entertainment), and rate it with wrong standards (the classic Bond formula and elements from previous 20 films).
QofS is actually a in-depth study of the mind of someone called James Bond. He is in great sorrow because his girlfriend from the last movie was killed. The desert symbolize how dry his mind is. As he is unhappy, we audiences are also forbidden to have fun. Secondly, this film is about the relationship between Mr. Bond and a woman suppose to be his mother, or M. in short. Holy god!! what wrong approach is this!! if we want character study, we'll see an Oscar best picture. Also, a Bond who torture himself for losing a woman simply violate his own character.
Bond films should always make the impossible believable, we believe the oil tanker in THE SPY WHO LOVE ME swallows three submarines. But in QofS, even if the final climax take place at a real hotel in the middle of desert, I just think it is CGI for exterior plus interior done in studios. And not to say the dullest brownish title sequence ever, shown with a song that sounds more like quarrel than singing. Even worse, viewing it again I know what's wrong with Dominic Greene, he recalls me of... Howard the Duck!!
Maybe the saving grace of QofS for me is outside the movie. I attended the ceremony part of the charity premiere at HK, raising fund for the Wai Yin Association, a charity organization consists of former Miss Hong Kong. The ceremony took place at an open area next to the box office of the cinema, even people just pass-by could witness the ceremony. I could not afford the premiere ticket, but managed to collect one or two from the audiences (this was the only merit of the brief 106 minutes duration, if this is another ROYALE we had to wait for half hour longer). I will always refer QofS as "Wai Yin James Bond".
QofS has become the top three "chicken bone" Bond films ever (a Chinese saying: tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away), joining LICENCE TO KILL and MAN WITH GOLDEN GUN. The filmmakers spent two movies to do the "realistic" Bond experiment, and I join the majority of the 100 reviews read here: please return us the normal and traditional Bond in Bond 23 which celebrate golden anniversary. (however, if Sam Menders really sign up to direct, maybe the worst is yet to come...)