Alise_shenle Reviews

The Boy and the Heron (2023)

Disappointing, confused, contrived.

[1/10 · 14 January 2024]

The Boy and the Heron manages to disappoint on multiple fronts, weaving a tale that feels more like a mishmash of random ideas than a coherent narrative. Strap in for a rollercoaster of confusion and frustration.

Let's start with the family dynamics - the main character's mom dies in a fire, and the grieving dad decides to marry his dead wife's sister. Seriously? Talk about cringe-worthy and a definite "eew" factor that sets the tone for the rest of the film.

The storyline takes a nosedive when the pregnant aunt mysteriously goes missing, prompting our hero to embark on a quest that leads him into a so-called "fantasy world." This fantastical realm, however, is nothing short of a chaotic nightmare filled with giant parrots and pelicans hell-bent on devouring our protagonist. It's like a bad acid trip that never seems to end.

Enter the bizarre twist of the protagonist stumbling upon a girl with fire powers who turns out to be his own mother. This revelation, instead of adding depth, feels forced and contrived, leaving the audience scratching their heads in confusion.

As the characters eventually return to the real world, the movie attempts to tie up loose ends with the collapse of the building that served as the gateway to the fantasy realm. Unfortunately, instead of delivering a satisfying conclusion, it only leaves viewers wondering why they invested time in such a convoluted mess.

In the end, The Boy and the Heron fails to deliver a cohesive storyline, leaving audiences with a headache and a sense of wasted potential. It's a fantasy adventure gone awry, with disjointed elements that never come together to form a compelling narrative. Save yourself the agony and steer clear of this cinematic letdown.

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)

Boring, Illogical, Dreadful characters.

[1/10 · 14 January 2024]

So, I just watched Princess Kaguya, and let me tell you, it wasn't exactly the fairy tale experience I was hoping for. First off, the male characters - ugh! The dad's constant "thank the heavens" got on my nerves, and all he seems to care about is finding a man for his daughter. Totally not the protective figure from the legend, which was a major letdown.

And the emperor? Talk about cringe. His creepy eagerness to snatch up Princess Kaguya for himself felt more like a poorly written romance novel than a classic folklore adaptation. Plus, that childhood crush guy? Turns out he's got a whole family already. Seriously? Couldn't he have figured that out before trying to run off with the princess?

The movie felt like it went on for ages. Two hours that felt more like four. And don't even get me started on those awkward scenes - breastfeeding, naked kids, crying babies. I signed up for a folklore-based animation, not a documentary on awkward family moments.

But the most frustrating character has to be Princess Kaguya herself. She throws tantrums left and right, wrecking her garden like a spoiled brat. And when her childhood crush is getting beat up because of her, she just stands there? Not cool, Kaguya, not cool.

Honestly, I'm not one to usually rate movies poorly, but this one left a sour taste. I'm giving it a solid "meh" on IMDb. It might be a unique take on the legend, but it's just not my cup of tea.

La La Land (2016)

The worst musical I ever seen

[1/10 · 15 November 2020]

Watched this online and was so happy that I didn't spend money on this garbage.

1) Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are unattractive, incompetent singers or dancers.

2) Their plot has no logic. Suddenly they love each other when previously they were trading insults.

3) Emma Stone is a cheater! What happened with Greg? I still don't know when she broke up with him at all.

4) Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling's characters are whiny and useless at their jobs. Yeah, Ryan gets fired because he didn't follow the rules, and he vandalises the restaurant in retaliation. Emma Stone wants to be an actress but she is so disinterested and not paying attention to her job. No basic professionalism. I was hoping that they both will not succeed at their careers due to their work ethics.

5) The jazz part kept being forced down our throat. People like jazz, just because they don't appreciate Ryan's music, doesn't mean they don't like jazz, it just means Ryan's not as good as he thinks he is. Ryan just wants to play music to fulfil his own satisfaction, and not what the audience likes.

6) The music was not catchy at all. Very repetitive.

7) Horrible ending. Ryan didn't progress as a character for 5 years. Emma marries a random dude (doesn't look like Greg), did she give a clean breakup? And they both hallucinate of a dream happy ending.

Aladdin (2019)

Modern Feminist and Value Adding to the original

[10/10 · 26 May 2019]

Aladdin is what Beauty and the Beast should have been like. Aladdin and Jasmine had great chemistry and Jasmine's singing voice is the best out of all the female leads in previous movies. People often wonder why they should watch a live-action remake when the cartoon version is already so good. And Disney's live action were often disappointments, copy the original scene by scene. Not this one. Aladdin is the first and only disney princess movie to be named after a male lead, but it is also the most feminist and empowering one. I was surprised to see that Jasmine is not a damsel in distress but she actually do something. She is the true star of the movie. Aladdin was a lost poor boy until he met her and unlocked his true potential. The movie is exciting, both visually and in terms of action.

Life (I) (2017)

Worst Movie of 2017

[1/10 · 8 April 2017]

My mom told me that she had free tickets for this tonight, and I asked all my friends to see who can make it at such short notice. Firstly, the movie was very boring. You hardly care about any of the characters. So when they die, nobody cares. Secondly, the astronauts are stupid and unprofessional. The spaceship is also very stupid for a $200 billion vehicle. A lot of the things are manual and doesn't work and you cannot press the buttons all at once. Thirdly, the alien is very lucky. It just wouldn't die and it eats everything. It is also impossibly smart like figure out how to use the controls. Lastly, the film is very gory. Why is there a need for so much blood again? Am I watching Saw IX: Space Edition? I couldn't wait for the movie to end. Halfway through I was apologising to my friend for making her watch this movie. We were both hiding in our seats covering our eyes. When Dr North said there was 39 minutes until the spaceship reaches earth, I said: "There's 39 minutes until the end of this movie?!" And the whole cinema chuckled.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (2015)

Anti-climax

[8/10 · 29 November 2015]

Let's see, this movie is not as good as Catching Fire. To be perfectly honest, I didn't care for the Mockingjay book so I only briefly skimmed through. But this movie is still bad in a different way. 1. Yeah it's not boring, instead it's filled with JUMP SCARES! I find myself asking: "Am I watching a horror movie?" 2. Katniss is too lucky. Every time someone else dies except for her. I also find her obsession to kill Snow ridiculous. Yeah he's sick and not gonna last. Why not wait? 3. Snow is dumb. He thought Katniss was dead from the explosion without even bothering to count the number of bodies? 4. Excessive acting by Peeta and Katniss. Both spat saliva when shouting/crying. Wow. 5. The awkward/weird love triangle. Katniss seems like she is flirting with both guys. 6. Katniss' arrows never run out. She's like Legolas. However, I admit I like the death scenes. Finnick, Primrose had the audience in tears. The movie is epic because it is the end of HG, but in it's own right, it's quite whatever.

Spectre (I) (2015)

Just ignore plot holes and sexist characters, it will be spectacular.

[6/10 · 29 November 2015]

Let's have the good first: 1. Spectre is not boring, unlike the other James Bond films. 2. It is thrilling. From walking on high buildings to fighting in a helicopter to watching the bad guy dig someone's eyes. And Bond in bondage "heh". 3. The song was nice. 4. I like the side characters, Q, M and Moneypenny. 5. The movie is very funny! Especially Q, and M. C stands for careless. The bad: 1. Weird octopus. So, Spectre has more in common with skeletons and ghosts (hence Day of the Dead) than octopi. 2. James Bond has to sleep with every girl he sees. 3. I hate Madeleine "Swann"--how come she's not named after her father? Like her predecessors with the same sappy surname Bella and Elizabeth, she is a Mary Sue. Smart, beautiful, and still likes a guy old enough to be her father. Oh, and a hypocrite as well, since I thought she hated James. The more I watch, the uglier she looks with her gap teeth, far-distanced brows, eye bags and high forehead. 4. Monica looks old, but at least she has more chemistry with James... 5. James Bond is too lucky. He fell and landed on a sofa--where did that come from? He found Madeleine at the last second--yeah right.

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

Great

[10/10 · 30 June 2015]

I saw some families bringing small kids for the movie, they kept screaming throughout. My friend was scared too. The "ghosts" or whatever was a lot freakier than I thought. And the movie was funny too! Lastly, I find it amazing that both the director and the composer acted in the movie. You have to watch this, this is better than all the other horror movies this year. It is better than Insidious 1 and 2 because it had none of the irritating parents. I liked the dysfunctional family and touching drama. And the actors who were really good and young--these are real teenagers portraying teens. So all in all, well done directors!

Spy (2015)

Hilarious

[10/10 · 26 June 2015]

So I didn't like Melissa McCartney, I thought she was crazy. I watched The Heat and I didn't like it despite the fact that I'm a fan of Sandra Bullock. But the trailer looked funny so here I am. The whole cinema is empty (I sneaked in during office lunch hour). Most of the audience were Caucasians, which was weird for Singapore. However, when the movie starts, I couldn't stop laughing. Everything was so funny and not even in a stupid way--they are genuinely funny. Melissa was not over-the-top. And she's pretty good at fighting! I like Rose Byrne ever since she became pretty and acted in Insidious. Didn't like Jude Law because I couldn't buy him acting handsome. One complaint is that I dislike the guy characters. Susan was a strong heroine and somehow she couldn't stop men from making advances? And why did she sleep with her enemy in the post-credits scene? That was unthinkable.

Jurassic World (2015)

I'm an armchair dinosaur expert and I loved it

[10/10 · 15 June 2015]

Firstly, I would like to establish my credentials. I've been to all the ancient paleozoological museums and dinosaur exhibitions in my country, and I know about the difference between dinosaurs, names ending in -suchus are reptiles and mammal-like reptiles like ischigualastia and chaliminia. I also know that most of the dinosaurs including T-Rex is in the cretaceous period and not Jurassic. And most recently, the dinosaur that appeared in the first scene in Transformers 4 is a scaphonyx, and thus, herbivorous, not eating meat as shown. 1. So we need to get aside the problem of dinosaurs not looking "realistic". Well, as long as there is some rational explanation, such as "filling up the gaps of DNA", then it's OK. So not a big problem. 2. The irritating children. As a 21 year old, I find myself getting touched by the interaction between the boys. The younger one is familiar from Insidious and Iron Man 3--he's cute. I think their sibling dynamic is realistic. I've got a really young sister and I also act like Zack, jerk and rebel. 3. There is hot chemistry between the leads. I spent 15 minutes trying to figure out who Claire was--I kept on thinking Emma Stone then I realized it's the other Gwen Stacy. Chris Pratt looked like Patrick Wilson and Jensen Ackles. They would have made a hot couple. Only problem is how did Claire survive in high heels? And why did her hair suddenly turn curly. 4. The movie is very funny. From helicopter hijinks to flirting dialogue. 5. A lot of foreshadowing. We're shown the mosasaur 3 times, I'm sure there's a reason and not just for the cool factor. It's not a deux ex machina if you're aware of it. Overall, this is an unexpected summer box office hit--don't miss it. You will not be disappointed, as long as you have a sibling, loved Guardians of the Galaxy, or dinosaurs.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Disappointed

[7/10 · 15 June 2015]

Let's start with the good. 1. Unintentional Taylor Swift easter eggs. Dialogue feature Captain America saying: "So we're just supposed to SHAKE IT OFF?" And then "run and hide...". And finally, Black Widow says "Nothing lasts forever". And then Captain says "except for TROUBLE TROUBLE". 2. Cool characters like the twins. But weird that they kept on saying "enhanced" instead of "mutant". The bad. 1. WHY?! did Black Widow like Hulk? Since when?! I thought she and Hawkeye were a thing! And suddenly Hawkeye is out of the picture with a family? And I can't believe Black Widow would be so vulnerable about her feelings, or care that she can't have children. She's tough, it's such a 180. 2. No Loki. The villain Ultron was lame and not a threat. He's just a machine. 3. Less funny from Iron Man, who seems like a douche. Overall, I feel that only Captain America and Thor acted as expected. It's OK but too long, too action.

Demonic (2015)

Unexpected and Not Bad

[8/10 · 12 April 2015]

If you come to this movie hoping to be scared like the Conjuring, well this is not it. John (played by the guy who died in Supernatural, Ghostfacers) reprises his role as a stupid teenager who goes to a haunted house to catch ghosts on film, except now he's the MAIN LEAD instead of the guy who dies first. Bad thing is, he still can't act. The other teenagers also have personality as flat as cardboard--a weird pretty girl who think by proving ghosts exist she will not be mocked; an Asian; a guy who thinks he's the leader; and the girlfriend. The only interesting people are the old detective and psychologist. They acted well and believable. Oh, and the ending, that was unexpected, because it was too convoluted. To be frank, there is not much scares. This is more of a mystery movie than horror. Plot holes abound and you will find yourself cursing as the teenagers make stupid mistakes. But it has a few nice scary scenes. Do watch this while waiting for Insidious 3!

Lucy (I) (2014)

Not as good as I imagined

[5/10 · 31 August 2014]

I wanted to watch Lucy purely because of Scarlett Johansson and the Kimberley Perry hairstyle. Pros: Exciting film Can be funny Scarlett Johansson Korean guys who speak in Korean so we feel the same confusion that Lucy do. It would be good to put in subs when Lucy can understand Korean though.

Cons: The director treats us like idiots. Eg when Morgan Freeman talked about disaster, the movie shows clips of hurricanes and earthquakes, like we don't know what is disaster. Nothing is ever explained There is no motivation for the bad guy Lucy suddenly change from wimpish to brave instantaneously without explaining that the drug will cause her to be immune to pain etc. Movie is too short

Overall, just watch if you want to look at pretty images for 1.5 hours.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Funny and cute turtles

[8/10 · 26 August 2014]

Don't worry, guys, Megan Fox shows real emotions this time. She is surprisingly bearable and this movie did not have a lot of her, if you dislike her. There is only 3 scenes in which she showed off her body. I am more interested in the turtles part. At first you think they are quite ugly, but later they look cute. Leonardo is the polite leader, Raphael the angsty rebel, and clown Michelangelo who has a crush on April, and lastly genius Donatello. The story might be a tad clichéd, but it is fast-paced and fun. You feel the real emotions and love that the turtles feel for their daddy Splinter, as well as April and her father. Some parts which can be improved is make the turtles stronger because they go inconsistently from super weak to invincible. Also no explanations were given as to what was Foot Clan and how did Shredder get so powerful, so it was confusing for people who did not read the comics.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

It's a different kind of marvel

[10/10 · 31 July 2014]

So I watched this movie because it's Marvel, but I don't know a single thing about the backstory. And also for the good-looking Karen Gillan and Lee Pace (who definitely do not look good here but more like unrecognizable). At first, it is really confusing. Not until halfway through the movie did things start to fall into place. Here are the few reasons why you should watch this movie. 1. Groot. He is really cute but also good at fighting. I reckon he will be as popular as Minions soon. 2. Rocket. He is also cute and really funny with all his puns. 3. Drax. At first you find him irritating. I think he looks like Jeremy Renner (hawkeye). He deadpans a lot. But then he became funnier when he's interacting with Groot. 4. The visuals. I think the city of Zandar look great and all their gadgets is like "Men in Black". 5. Karen Gillan. She sounds really smooth and she looks so eerie. Somehow I think Peter's mother look like her. 6. The violence. Although this movie is supposed to be lighter and not so serious, the violence is more than other Marvel movies. Want to see a "pen" stabbing in and out of people? How about impalements? You can see them here. 7. Anti-heroes. If that's your thing, you can have your fill of them. Only Groot and Peter seems the most heroic. 8. The plot is simple. Just break out of prison and run from the bad guys and get the orb. No multi-layers of intricate plot. Things I did not really like: 1. The alien makeup kind of restricts the emotions of the face? You can't tell from looking at them. 2. Zoe Saldana always plays the stoic action girl like Colombiana etc so it gets really boring. And no idea when did Peter fall in "love" with her. I'm like in Avengers there is no obvious "love". To conclude, if you like simple, funny movies, just watch this. This is the best kind of simple, funny movies. I like these kinds of movies too so I'm quite satisfied with it.

Hercules (I) (2014)

Better Watch This than the Legend of Hercules

[8/10 · 24 July 2014]

First of all, I didn't watch this movie in 3D, because it was not filmed in 3D, so I expected the 3D version to look dark and hard-to-see. Anyway, you all know the Rock is not well-known for his acting prowess, but luckily his Hercules did not take himself too seriously. Hercules is thus a funny and normal guy character. The supporting cast is full of people who look alike--the prophet like a stoned Iron Man; the Princess look like Keri Russell. The Rock also look believable, his body is exactly how you imagined Hercules to look, unlike Kellan Lutz who is entirely too pale and "pudgy". The plot is fairly straightforward. We're told from the start that this Hercules is mortal, so you will feel anxious about Hercules' life. This movie then follows the standard formula for Summer blockbusters: A special team (A Team, GI Joe etc) finds they were betrayed by the government (king) and then break into jail (prison) to clear their names. Expect lots of modern jargon and humour. Special mention to Atalanta who is like Legolas but prettier. Although sometimes Hercules do stupid things, in the end he redeems himself by performing some pretty smart moves, such as some modern weaponry and marketing interludes (not to mention some FBI-like training montages). In conclusion, the unpredictable, action-packed movie is family-friendly and there are no romantic scenes to slow down the pace.

Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)

Really Good

[9/10 · 20 July 2014]

I, for one, am not ashamed to admit that I find this movie really good. Without the talentless Megan Fox and ugly Shia Labeouf, finally the movie focuses more on the titular Transformers than the boring wimpy characters. This moving might be confusing because it is too long and there are way too many human characters, even I mixed up the 3 bad guys. That is why I didn't put 10 out of 10. However, it has many good points. 1)Mark Wahlberg might be old and not good-looking anymore, but he can act. He is believable as a father (Look at Brad Pitt, he didn't really seem to care about his World War Z family) from the way he keep on harping about his daughter, his dead wife and the daughter's boyfriend. 2)James Bond formula which took place in many different countries. From Texas to Beijing to Hongkong, this international platform gave us many surprises like "Kungfu pole-fighting" by Li Bing Bing (Ada from Resident Evil Retribution) and Han Geng (KPop Super Junior), with funny fake parkour scenes by Cade. 3)Dinobots. Did you know that the first dinosaur in the film is Scaphonyx (I'm an armchair expert on dinosaurs), which is supposed to be herbivore by the way, not carnivorous, and the period is Triassic, not Cretaceous. The movie provides an alternative explanation for the extinction of dinosaurs. 4)Optimus Prime gets more screen time as we see how noble he is. He did not blame Cade for what humans did, unlike the way the humans blamed Autobots for what Decepticons did. So Optimus Prime is not racist. 5)The lessons. Cade said that just because you made a mistake does not mean that nothing good will come out of it. By learning from his mistake (of getting a baby before marriage), Cade became very responsible. 6)Sacrifice. Cade gave up his house and almost his life to save some "random strangers" from Hong Kong. It is not his problem, but he's a hero. Unlike Sam Witwicky, what did he give up exactly? 7)Explosions. Always wanted to see giant vehicles getting sucked up and thrown back then exploding? Well now you can. 8)Beautiful girl and handsome man is available in the forms of Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor (looks like Jensen Ackles). 9)Hi-tech science fiction. Unlike some movies where it does not seem so Hi-tech (I, Frankenstein, anyone?), this movie shows the corporation in its glory just like Amazing Spiderman 2. So in conclusion, just watch this movie. You will not regret it. Money well-spent.

Maleficent (2014)

Better Than Expected

[6/10 · 31 May 2014]

I watched this movie twice, and I think it is still pretty entertaining the second time round, so this shows that it is a good movie. We can't blame the plot for its "loopholes" or things that don't make sense, because it is based on the stupid fairytale, after all. So Maleficent already tried to build a story based on the really simple original. Firstly, I really like all the actors. Despite Elle Fanning's not really being a stunning beauty (perhaps she has not grown up enough yet), she has this smile that shows she's naive and innocent. Brendon Thwaites (I just saw him in Oculus) was really just acting like a lovestruck boy so he doesn't do much. Diaval was cute, and Angelina Jolie acted really well, both as the innocent fairy, evil witch and loving mother. It was also really satisfying seeing Dolores Umbridge being the old fairy who was bullied by the two younger ones. However, some things are problematic. The ending was also not a plagiarism of Frozen, because Anna and Elsa are sisters so of course they truly love each other, but you don't have to love your enemy's child. 1. Why on earth are the 3 fairies traitors? They suddenly decided to help the King, despite knowing that the King did wrong first, and somemore they still obey his every move and are scared of him? Where are their loyalties? 2. The tyrant King Stefan. Since he is of lowly birth and not even a good King, why doesn't anyone rebel? Hell, even mediocre Kings got overthrown, just look at China's emperors who were birthed by concubines and not the Queen, they had to listen to the ministers. He didn't even love his wife, so why didn't she rebel? 3. The iron part was not really utilised. Why doesn't Maleficent become more wary since she knew Stefan knew iron hurts her? Why didn't Stefan told the old King? 4. Why did the soldiers catapult fire into the trees all at once? A better way would be to experiment using just one. The humans appear to be stupid, they have no advanced weaponry yet still dare to fight against FAIRIES! 5. Why did Stefan become obsessed with killing Malefcent? He didn't even like his own daughter that much, or his wife. So he shouldn't care about his daughter's survival. I think Stefan had a low self-esteem, he is secretly jealous of Maleficent's power. He is also ambitious. However, he should be smarter than that, like remain on Maleficent's good side to ask her to use her magic to help him get the throne or something. Not fight against her, because she will lose. Overall, just watch for Angelina Jolie. She is a good actor and not to mention good-looking. Everyone else is not important.

Oculus (2013)

Only visually stunning

[7/10 · 13 May 2014]

Oculus has a few tricks up its sleeves, but at the end of the day it is nothing impressive. 1. Fail safes doesn't work. Dude, they are rich. Hire a SWAT team to bomb the whole house. 2. You know, if you want to kill demons/ghosts, watch Supernatural. That means research, training how to fight instead of balancing on your 3 inch hills... 3. Don't eat or drink. Come fully prepared. So you won't accidentally eat anything. In fact, throw all furniture so you won't accidentally hurt yourself. 4. Ask your fiancé to bring along other people to search the house. 5. Don't be so tall. Crouch and walk along so the anchor OBVIOUSLY can't hit you. Or hang the mirror higher. Better yet, kick it off a cliff so it will obviously shatter. 6. Don't let the mirror know what you're gonna do. 7. Don't bring the mirror to your old, abandoned house. 8. If you can't fight, then run. 9. Don't ever hug your mom especially if she appears in the mirror. 10. If your phone cameras work, why not use it? Hello, Supernatural?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Let The Bromance Begin!!

[7/10 · 6 May 2014]

I was very reluctant to watch this movie because I was disappointed with the 1st movie. But since it was the only movie showing, I decided to watch it. I did not regret my choice. The pros: The villains were really good at their portrayal. Harry not only looked like an emo teenager who whispers and sport a goth haircut, he had a real reason to save his own skin. Max Dillon was very pitiful as a villain and he seems to reflect all the teenagers who want to be seen on social media. Max is like a stalker who had a crush on his hero Peter. But when Peter scorned him, Max turned to Harry, because Harry said he needed him, and all that mushy stuff. Gwen Stacy grew a backbone and became a perfect woman who is smart AND beautiful. The movie was also very action-packed and long. Cons: Am I the only one who thinks Gwen is a hypocrite? If she want to be successful so much, why did she lead Peter on when she''s going to England? She seems very indecisive about whether she want to be with Peter or not, and her death, is purely caused by her wilfulness. She is also dressed really unrealistically like for her interview, which made this movie less realistic. Peter also looked uglier than ever, and selfish as always, because he thinks he is doing what he thinks is best for Harry. Well, what can you expect from these "non best friends" who didn't talk for 8 years? Overall, if you try to ignore Peter and his whole self-righteousness thing, then focus on the handsome Harry and the pitiful Max, then you will enjoy the movie.

Rio 2 (2014)

Inherently funny

[10/10 · 23 April 2014]

As someone who hasn't watched Rio 1, Rio 2 was not confusing so I was able to understand what is happening in just the first few minutes. This movie features really amazing animation, check out the opening carnival and the bird dance. Secondly, with stellar casts, this is like a Disney musical except it's funnier. Kristin Chenoweth is over the top as a lovelorn stalker. Seems like a role she always plays. Expect lots of Shakespeare soliloquies parodying the classic Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and many more. Thirdly, the amazon rainforest setting really enables us to be introduced to many new characters. From rapping sloths (Ke$ha anyone?) to taichi fighting old ninja turtles, Rio 2 does not rely on low-brow dirty jokes unlike some other movie I could mention (Madagascar? It also is named after a place). This movie is funny, exciting, and slightly touching, the perfect thing to watch with friends, family and partners alike.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America Is My New Hero

[10/10 · 4 April 2014]

When I first saw the first Captain America movie on DVD, I thought it was OK, slightly boring with the over-the-top Hugo Weaving as Hydra and the mad scientist. Only the last scene had me in tears. So when I said I wanted to watch this movie, many of my friends said it was quite boring, comparing it to Man of Steel. But I was glad that I watched it, because I think it's comparable to Avengers! First of all, the acting. All the good guys can act, Samuel L Jackson (How can he even emote with 1 eye? Marvelous), Sam, Chris Evans, Agent Hill etc. I liked how that the women were given more prominent roles, with Black Widow being the brains of the operation. Although she did have to be romantic with Steve and keep on talking about dates. Luckily, Steve kind of rejected that. He is just the type to love one woman forever! I think that kind of devotion is really the norm back in the 40s, and that is so rare, nowadays movies have a lot of kisses and hugs, more doesn't mean that it is meaningful. Another thing I really like about the movie is how Steve showed us to be true to ourselves. Just because he is a soldier doesn't mean he had to follow orders. It's what we do that matters, not who we are. Lastly, I am so shipping Captain America and Winter Soldier. Well, at the end Steve face a dilemma, whether to kill his friend or be killed. If it were me, I think I'd just save myself. But that is not his style. He just has so much faith in everyone that it just blows me away. He values teamwork and is a really transformational leader. Talking about the movie, it was really funny and the action scenes were great. The plot was really complicated for a superhero movie, but just stick it out and it pays off.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)

This is not Twilight

[8/10 · 27 August 2013]

Having read the books, I was expecting the movie to be like Twilight--slow and boring. However, I was wrong. 1. Lily Collins had to go through many disgusting and harrowing escapes as Clary. Soaking wet, wearing torn clothes and braving burns, she is the ultimate hero, seeing as how she cleverly used fire to burn a demon in the first scene. 2. Jace is surprisingly more handsome in film than in pictures. The way he movie is very graceful, something like Edward Cullen couldn't show. 3. The CGI werewolves are much better. Cringing at Twilight werewolves. 4. Of course, the clever cameras. For example, the first scene where they purposely don't show Clary's face to make us curious. 5. It is action-packed. And intense. Never a boring moment. 6. Although not much is explained about the Clave, this feels like a "Harry Potter" movie whereby only the main characters are any good and the others don't believe them. 7. While Valentine looks too young to be Clary's father, he is very good at oscillating between a loving father and a monster. All in all, just watch this film, you will be pleasantly surprised. Not to mention Clary is much prettier than Bella too.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)

Really interesting

[8/10 · 1 March 2013]

I like how recent fairytale adaptations are more darker and violent then we expected, going back to the middle ages. However, there were 2 flaws. 1 is that nothing is really explained to us leaving us to wonder about the whole mythology of witches in their world. Etc if your blood is supposed to be a witch, then you can choose not to be one? Or is it the other way round? 2 is how the movie is too realistic which doesn't feel like fantasy but more like an action movie with a superpowered villain. Other than that, there were great points. 1. Gemma was the perfect Gretel. She was vicious and smart from the beginning, seeing as how she yelled at the witch in the gingerbread house since she was young. She is also kind, seeing as how she cared more about the children's lives than her own, asking Hansel to save them instead. She also cared for Edward despite his ugly appearance. Finally, she was not afraid to get a little dirty during fights. 2. Hansel is more like the shy, quiet brother. He gets distracted easily by women, but at least he fights well with Gemma. 3. I don't see the point of white witches since they can't even protect themselves or others. 4. The witches are ugly, making it easy for you to hate them. Muriel was really powerful and cunning, a worthy opponent. But I am still confused as to what is a grand witch and how to become one? Finally, just watch this movie. It's really exciting, and it trolls Twilight, as in there is literally a troll called Edward and Hansel is like who the **** is Edward?

Jack the Giant Slayer (2013)

Incredible

[28 February 2013]

After my friend made me watch Red Riding Hood. I was almost convinced that fairytale adaptations could never be great. I was wrong. Jack and the beanstalk was a suitable fairytale to be adapted on the big screen. It had giants, heights, and monstrous plants. The whole theater was laughing nonstop, and below are the reasons why. 1. The parallels between Jack and Isabel (the most clichéd name for a girl, btw. Remember Twilight?) when they were young children and then grown-ups.it showed that people who come from different backgrounds can be similar, and that they didn't just end up together because they went through some adventures, they were fated from the beginning. 2. I like the tie-in from every random scene. Etc when Jack was giving a pompous speech and everyone kneeled down and he said, "there's someone behind me, right?", it wasn't just some random thing, but it was repeated later to show how Jack had grown from a commoner to a prince. 3. The action! The movie isn't afraid to be gory and scary, what with human torture, murder, the last stand, and giants. 4. They purposely made the bad guys ugly and stupid, easy to hate. Especially the sidekick who died such an ironic death. 5. I like how Jack was portrayed as a brave and smart guy. He didn't just trade a horse for 5 beans--he was supposed to exchange the beans for 10 copper coins! He figured out how to kill giant in an ingenious way. Also he is nice to everyone, and handsome to boot. 6. And I love how the movie ends up being related to the modern world, shows how smart is film is. It doesn't need to be in a "fantasy" because it makes sense and is realistic! Just don't go in with low expectations, you will be pleasantly surprised!