BUT they forgot to animate emotions unfortunately. It's just like watching 2 hours of voice over.
Reviews
21 Reviews
Bumblebee
(I) (2018)
A girl and her pet - with hearts all over.
14 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Being an 80s kid and having grown up watching the original Transformers, I must say that this recent Bumblebee film is very reminiscent to the G1 era. However for me, the original Transformers film in 2007 holds a very special place - as it was the very first live-action film that depicted them on the big screen. I remembered feeling so elated, seeing them then for the very first time after so long. Unfortunately for all of us, we know how that went with every subsequent sequels after that, the Transformers live-action film franchise could not sustain themselves in terms of storytelling. It was still a spectacle though. Sigh...
So...where does Bumblebee stand? As a film, as a story - it is very enjoyable. It reminds me of ET, Batteries Not Included or any other types of story about a girl and her pet dog etc. Ala the coming of age type of stories. Ones that makes you feel good, and knows how to pull on your heartstrings during tender moments. Hailee Steinfeld is incredible - charismatic and unbelievably talented, being our anchor for us to feel what she feels - does one hell of a job. This is definitely her story, as she carries this film on her prowess.
Other than her, there are some characters that I can do without. As they are very reminiscent about the recent tropes, humor, trends in recent movies that reminds me of the 2007-2017 era of the franchise.
Besides the human aspects - how about the Transformers themselves? Well...they are good, mostly great, to a certain point of give or take.
For the great - the Decepticons here finally showcase personalities just like the cartoons. They are no more mindless, all silvery husk of parts, just for cannon fodder like those of their 2007-2017 predecessors. That's the great thing about it for me. I really hope that they can sustain this aspect for the future of the franchise. Seeing the Decepticons as characters after oh so long, instead of one-liner spewing piece of furniture is a welcome betterment.
As for the good - Bumblebee is good. Or at times even great as he is animated so convincingly almost like a lost puppy of some kind. However, he is still that Bumblebee that we know from its past predecessors - which somehow makes me wish that this film should had been a whole new start instead of a er..."soft reboot"??? Ahh well...at least for the most parts of the movie, I found him good enough. Except for one scene that happens entirely in the house. It became very slapsticky (that's just me).
And finally to that certain point of give or take - hmm...how should I put this? Film opens on Cybertron. The wow factor is definitely there. We see The Autobots, and The Decepticons. Finally. No humans. Great. Yes...it is very nice to see the G1 designs...however...as that opening scene progresses, it somehow makes me feel as if I was watching an in-game-cinematic instead of a live-action film. Why? Because of the absence of human or any natural or realistic stuff to ground them in. It felt as if I was watching Fall of Cybertron game cinematic after awhile with all those easter eggs galore and such. But when the scene finally shifted to Earth, with natural elements as a point of reference, Bumblebee became very much believably realistic.
And the reveal of Optimus Prime during Cybertron scene - somehow also felt lackluster (probably because we have seen Prime for the last 10 years in the 2007-2017 franchise). That magic was gone. I recall seeing Prime for that very first time in 2007 gave me goosebumps then (sigh).
So...that's my take. Having just caught a preview of the film...it is still a great, good film, to a certain point (for me at least) - I had a blast and I did laugh out loud too. Have fun watching it for yourselves. Cheers...
So...where does Bumblebee stand? As a film, as a story - it is very enjoyable. It reminds me of ET, Batteries Not Included or any other types of story about a girl and her pet dog etc. Ala the coming of age type of stories. Ones that makes you feel good, and knows how to pull on your heartstrings during tender moments. Hailee Steinfeld is incredible - charismatic and unbelievably talented, being our anchor for us to feel what she feels - does one hell of a job. This is definitely her story, as she carries this film on her prowess.
Other than her, there are some characters that I can do without. As they are very reminiscent about the recent tropes, humor, trends in recent movies that reminds me of the 2007-2017 era of the franchise.
Besides the human aspects - how about the Transformers themselves? Well...they are good, mostly great, to a certain point of give or take.
For the great - the Decepticons here finally showcase personalities just like the cartoons. They are no more mindless, all silvery husk of parts, just for cannon fodder like those of their 2007-2017 predecessors. That's the great thing about it for me. I really hope that they can sustain this aspect for the future of the franchise. Seeing the Decepticons as characters after oh so long, instead of one-liner spewing piece of furniture is a welcome betterment.
As for the good - Bumblebee is good. Or at times even great as he is animated so convincingly almost like a lost puppy of some kind. However, he is still that Bumblebee that we know from its past predecessors - which somehow makes me wish that this film should had been a whole new start instead of a er..."soft reboot"??? Ahh well...at least for the most parts of the movie, I found him good enough. Except for one scene that happens entirely in the house. It became very slapsticky (that's just me).
And finally to that certain point of give or take - hmm...how should I put this? Film opens on Cybertron. The wow factor is definitely there. We see The Autobots, and The Decepticons. Finally. No humans. Great. Yes...it is very nice to see the G1 designs...however...as that opening scene progresses, it somehow makes me feel as if I was watching an in-game-cinematic instead of a live-action film. Why? Because of the absence of human or any natural or realistic stuff to ground them in. It felt as if I was watching Fall of Cybertron game cinematic after awhile with all those easter eggs galore and such. But when the scene finally shifted to Earth, with natural elements as a point of reference, Bumblebee became very much believably realistic.
And the reveal of Optimus Prime during Cybertron scene - somehow also felt lackluster (probably because we have seen Prime for the last 10 years in the 2007-2017 franchise). That magic was gone. I recall seeing Prime for that very first time in 2007 gave me goosebumps then (sigh).
So...that's my take. Having just caught a preview of the film...it is still a great, good film, to a certain point (for me at least) - I had a blast and I did laugh out loud too. Have fun watching it for yourselves. Cheers...
Aquaman
(2018)
Look...He's talking to fish...
13 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
...That shark scene in the aquarium is just the best.
Aquaman...he used to be a joke, way before mainstream comic book movies became the norm. But to make his comic book suit work on film, is just an astounding feat. Those orange scales and green leggings, fit perfectly and does not look cheesy at all. For that - I applaud the team for not shying away from the character's roots.
As to the movie itself. I admittedly enjoyed the second half, way way more than the first half. First half (after the linear introduction of his origin to that of present day - which was great) was well...full of expositions that was somewhat weirdly edited to intertwine both present and past. It happens kinda often that it really took me out of the storytelling. Being able to mentally recall the last time it did that, it just felt repetitive and overuse.
And speaking of repetitiveness - that Michael Bay 360 camera rotation technique is just er...not good at all. If I recall correctly - it is used like three times for first half of the movie. And then there are those character building time scenes that was suddenly disrupted to lead into the action scenes - that got very repetitive too. Basically - it feels like the rhythm of the edit was very jarring.
Even the sounds got abruptly cut off, as the camera pans up from the drumming octopus to those in the "lobby deck" - was a very weird choice, instead of having it naturally fade out. And there is that one scene with Black Manta and a song playing full on, that felt so out of pace and out of place.
Besides all the technicalities above, after all the setups, once Arthur and Mera finally went on their expedition - that was when the movie kicked into another gear. It became a story that I found interest in. That was more enjoyable. Both Jason Momoa and Amber Heard exudes a believable chemistry. And Black Manta was comic book perfection - to make his look work on-screen too. And I felt the heart of the movie - when he met with his mom, his brother meeting his mom, and lastly his dad meeting his wife - those were very nice touches.
Anyways, this film makes it cool to want to talk to a fish.
Aquaman...he used to be a joke, way before mainstream comic book movies became the norm. But to make his comic book suit work on film, is just an astounding feat. Those orange scales and green leggings, fit perfectly and does not look cheesy at all. For that - I applaud the team for not shying away from the character's roots.
As to the movie itself. I admittedly enjoyed the second half, way way more than the first half. First half (after the linear introduction of his origin to that of present day - which was great) was well...full of expositions that was somewhat weirdly edited to intertwine both present and past. It happens kinda often that it really took me out of the storytelling. Being able to mentally recall the last time it did that, it just felt repetitive and overuse.
And speaking of repetitiveness - that Michael Bay 360 camera rotation technique is just er...not good at all. If I recall correctly - it is used like three times for first half of the movie. And then there are those character building time scenes that was suddenly disrupted to lead into the action scenes - that got very repetitive too. Basically - it feels like the rhythm of the edit was very jarring.
Even the sounds got abruptly cut off, as the camera pans up from the drumming octopus to those in the "lobby deck" - was a very weird choice, instead of having it naturally fade out. And there is that one scene with Black Manta and a song playing full on, that felt so out of pace and out of place.
Besides all the technicalities above, after all the setups, once Arthur and Mera finally went on their expedition - that was when the movie kicked into another gear. It became a story that I found interest in. That was more enjoyable. Both Jason Momoa and Amber Heard exudes a believable chemistry. And Black Manta was comic book perfection - to make his look work on-screen too. And I felt the heart of the movie - when he met with his mom, his brother meeting his mom, and lastly his dad meeting his wife - those were very nice touches.
Anyways, this film makes it cool to want to talk to a fish.
Batman Ninja
(2018)
1 star for art style alone - 0 stars for everything else.
28 April 2018
Had to fight to keep awake in watching this snooze fest. Other than the art style (which was great)...nothing else mattered in terms of everything else. Do not understand why wasn't this set as a total elseworld story - something like Batman Shanghai maybe (even though those are just shorts, they are way more credible). The script reminds me of an 80s saturday morning cartoon. So does everything else. Nothing much else to add...just so disappointed...
The Last Jedi is definitely not The Empire Strikes Back
14 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Is it still a Star Wars story? I guess. I don't really know what to feel about it. Having just seen it a few hours ago...I think phrasing it in a nutshell is that: Star Wars is now just a franchise norm, unable to live up to the hype that it had all those years.
Well...SPOILERS after this line. Here goes...
----------------------------------
I thought we would be exploring on the characters Rey, Finn, Poe and the legends like Luke & Leia Skywalker. But it turns out that they are all very two-dimensional now, unfortunately.
First off, lets start with Rey. The Force Awakens established her as the main protagonist. So here I thought we would dwell on her more - about her character. But it doesn't seem to go anywhere, other than the fact that her heritage is just from a "nobody". A nobody that is able to wield The Force to such extend, that without showing any real "training" from Luke...she is able to just do what she does in The Last Jedi. It begs to make me question - even if she does not meet Luke at the end of The Force Awakens, she would eventually know how to do what she does with The Force in all of its aspects that are shown in The Last Jedi because her plot requires her to do so. Like communicating with Kylo Ren light years away or lifting multiple boulders all at once, that could be just as heavy as one single X-Wing, yet she does it with such ease. And the fight she had with Kylo Ren - we did not see Luke train her, but we saw her training herself as Luke looks on. So...I guess her "training" happens by being close proximity to a real Jedi Master like Luke Skywalker. Makes me wonder, if she is close to Master Yoda while he was alive, will she be able to command the atmosphere at will too? Since Master Yoda did that in ghost form (I do not want to get started on that Jedi Ghost ability that we witnessed).
Next, we have Finn and Poe. One of which is delegated to being the humor relieved character, whom is inexperience and aspiring to be the hero that he should be, while the other is just a hot-headed leader-wannabe. I'll let you guess who is who. Since both are just the same when we were introduced to them in The Force Awakens. Nothing more. Nothing less. As for their stories that they partake in the film...I kept wishing that their subplots would just disappear - so that we can get more screen time for Rey & Luke. That is how disinterested I was.
Luke Skywalker. The Jedi Master. Whom now can project himself through galaxies because the plot requires him to do so. I would had think that the writers would actually think of something plausible...but no...they just went with the simple - power of projection. It also makes me wonder, all those while with Master Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda...why didn't they do that in Prequels or in the original trilogy at all?
And Leia Skywalker-Solo (bless her soul. RIP Carrie Fisher). The Jedi power that they showed her do...wow...I am sorry...but it does boggle my mind. After all these years of trilogies...I am beginning to ask myself, when did the Star Wars script ever devolves into a Mary Sue state? Oh well...
As for the others...I didn't care about the asian ethnicity characters that were introduced. One lived and died in the introduction, and served as a motivation for the other? Whom by the end of the film was just gone, and I do not feel anything at all for that character. But I guess they did it, because China will appreciate it a lot.
Supreme Leader Snoke? Whom is supposedly to be so powerful and yet killed off by the middle of the film? WOW....bo-ring. zzz. And Captain Phasma....makes me wonder why they even bother introducing this character in the first place?
As for the story itself - well...i guess it is passable. Oh-Kay. So-So. If we treated Star Wars like any other franchise norm. There are dramatic moments. There are easter eggs. There are humor of all kinds that some are almost slapsticky. There are porgs here and there....and everywhere PORGS! I guess toy sales are more important.
Well, that is the gist of it all. Just my opinion. My reaction. Will I rewatch it ever again? Probably - only when it is on tele. Maybe others will enjoy The Last Jedi tremendously. And that is good. Go and enjoy yourselves with it. Or just go and check it out for yourselves. After all...It is Star Wars yah.
Well...SPOILERS after this line. Here goes...
----------------------------------
I thought we would be exploring on the characters Rey, Finn, Poe and the legends like Luke & Leia Skywalker. But it turns out that they are all very two-dimensional now, unfortunately.
First off, lets start with Rey. The Force Awakens established her as the main protagonist. So here I thought we would dwell on her more - about her character. But it doesn't seem to go anywhere, other than the fact that her heritage is just from a "nobody". A nobody that is able to wield The Force to such extend, that without showing any real "training" from Luke...she is able to just do what she does in The Last Jedi. It begs to make me question - even if she does not meet Luke at the end of The Force Awakens, she would eventually know how to do what she does with The Force in all of its aspects that are shown in The Last Jedi because her plot requires her to do so. Like communicating with Kylo Ren light years away or lifting multiple boulders all at once, that could be just as heavy as one single X-Wing, yet she does it with such ease. And the fight she had with Kylo Ren - we did not see Luke train her, but we saw her training herself as Luke looks on. So...I guess her "training" happens by being close proximity to a real Jedi Master like Luke Skywalker. Makes me wonder, if she is close to Master Yoda while he was alive, will she be able to command the atmosphere at will too? Since Master Yoda did that in ghost form (I do not want to get started on that Jedi Ghost ability that we witnessed).
Next, we have Finn and Poe. One of which is delegated to being the humor relieved character, whom is inexperience and aspiring to be the hero that he should be, while the other is just a hot-headed leader-wannabe. I'll let you guess who is who. Since both are just the same when we were introduced to them in The Force Awakens. Nothing more. Nothing less. As for their stories that they partake in the film...I kept wishing that their subplots would just disappear - so that we can get more screen time for Rey & Luke. That is how disinterested I was.
Luke Skywalker. The Jedi Master. Whom now can project himself through galaxies because the plot requires him to do so. I would had think that the writers would actually think of something plausible...but no...they just went with the simple - power of projection. It also makes me wonder, all those while with Master Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda...why didn't they do that in Prequels or in the original trilogy at all?
And Leia Skywalker-Solo (bless her soul. RIP Carrie Fisher). The Jedi power that they showed her do...wow...I am sorry...but it does boggle my mind. After all these years of trilogies...I am beginning to ask myself, when did the Star Wars script ever devolves into a Mary Sue state? Oh well...
As for the others...I didn't care about the asian ethnicity characters that were introduced. One lived and died in the introduction, and served as a motivation for the other? Whom by the end of the film was just gone, and I do not feel anything at all for that character. But I guess they did it, because China will appreciate it a lot.
Supreme Leader Snoke? Whom is supposedly to be so powerful and yet killed off by the middle of the film? WOW....bo-ring. zzz. And Captain Phasma....makes me wonder why they even bother introducing this character in the first place?
As for the story itself - well...i guess it is passable. Oh-Kay. So-So. If we treated Star Wars like any other franchise norm. There are dramatic moments. There are easter eggs. There are humor of all kinds that some are almost slapsticky. There are porgs here and there....and everywhere PORGS! I guess toy sales are more important.
Well, that is the gist of it all. Just my opinion. My reaction. Will I rewatch it ever again? Probably - only when it is on tele. Maybe others will enjoy The Last Jedi tremendously. And that is good. Go and enjoy yourselves with it. Or just go and check it out for yourselves. After all...It is Star Wars yah.
Justice League
(2017)
Peppered with enough doses of fun
15 November 2017
As it stands, I am one of the very few whom appreciates Man of Steel for its somber tone. I am also one of the many that enjoyed Wonder Woman a lot. So the question is, where does Justice League rate amongst these? It comes in close. Not beyond. Not on par either.
Foremost, Justice League is a fun watch. The chemistry exuded by all the casts, especially Gal Gadot and Ezra Miller, are contagious. The shift of tone to somewhat "lightheartedness" is definitely something for me to get accustomed to. However, the humor is peppered with the right amounts. Sparingly used, at its right times; rather than it becoming quips to transition into the next scene. Serious moments remained serious, as it should be. Each hero have their own distinctive personality & trait; whereby, not everyone turns out to be the same wise cracking sarcastic narcissists. Which was great.
Secondly, the story that the League found themselves in...well it is coherent storytelling. Passable at best. It does feel epic only at certain points. Would I want it to be better? To be a masterpiece throughout? Definitely. But it does feel like a ride. From start to finish, even during its supposedly "downtimes", it moves along at a pretty fast pace.
Now my only hatred for this film. I had my fears when it was announced that Junkie XL was replaced. And that fear materialized into reality. Danny Elfman's score is so generic. Bland. I don't really hear a theme that I care for. OR is there even a theme to begin with? The so- called Batman, Superman theme of the past, were just meh. All I heard was generic music in the background, constantly gyrating annoyingly throughout the impressive visuals.
The one thing that the DC films had, which were emotionally charged, goosebump inducing scores, are now gone. Sigh...
Foremost, Justice League is a fun watch. The chemistry exuded by all the casts, especially Gal Gadot and Ezra Miller, are contagious. The shift of tone to somewhat "lightheartedness" is definitely something for me to get accustomed to. However, the humor is peppered with the right amounts. Sparingly used, at its right times; rather than it becoming quips to transition into the next scene. Serious moments remained serious, as it should be. Each hero have their own distinctive personality & trait; whereby, not everyone turns out to be the same wise cracking sarcastic narcissists. Which was great.
Secondly, the story that the League found themselves in...well it is coherent storytelling. Passable at best. It does feel epic only at certain points. Would I want it to be better? To be a masterpiece throughout? Definitely. But it does feel like a ride. From start to finish, even during its supposedly "downtimes", it moves along at a pretty fast pace.
Now my only hatred for this film. I had my fears when it was announced that Junkie XL was replaced. And that fear materialized into reality. Danny Elfman's score is so generic. Bland. I don't really hear a theme that I care for. OR is there even a theme to begin with? The so- called Batman, Superman theme of the past, were just meh. All I heard was generic music in the background, constantly gyrating annoyingly throughout the impressive visuals.
The one thing that the DC films had, which were emotionally charged, goosebump inducing scores, are now gone. Sigh...
Blade of the Immortal
(2017)
Remarkable effort. Compressing 30 volumes into film.
11 November 2017
Having read the manga for close to 20 years. The live adaptation of the film is a fulfillment to witness. As a fan of the original, I have preconceived notions as to how the characters behaved and voiced in between panels.
Therefore the performances for bringing Manji, Rin, Anotsu and all the other casts to life were satisfactory. Compressing 30 volumes into film, means that there were major trimmings made in order to fit this medium. Most notably are the back stories and developments for all characters depicted. Some characters in film are relegated to cameos, while others lack the motivational complexity of their respective arc that were spanned across the years. And yet, I still found myself intrigued by the story presented to me here on film.
The actions are brutal. Not as gory as how I would like it to be though. The original format was way more gorier in certain aspects. But I can understand why it was needed to be toned down for live adaptation.
If one is into cinematography, feudal Edo era, a story of revenge, filled with action sequences of samurai swordplay - this is a film that I would recommend. It fulfills on all those aspects. It had heartfelt moments and dashes of fun sprinkled perfectly into its pacing.
However if one is into enriching character developments, motivations for all their arcs and more; I would suggest to visit the original manga instead.
Overall, it is still a very remarkable effort from everyone involved.
Therefore the performances for bringing Manji, Rin, Anotsu and all the other casts to life were satisfactory. Compressing 30 volumes into film, means that there were major trimmings made in order to fit this medium. Most notably are the back stories and developments for all characters depicted. Some characters in film are relegated to cameos, while others lack the motivational complexity of their respective arc that were spanned across the years. And yet, I still found myself intrigued by the story presented to me here on film.
The actions are brutal. Not as gory as how I would like it to be though. The original format was way more gorier in certain aspects. But I can understand why it was needed to be toned down for live adaptation.
If one is into cinematography, feudal Edo era, a story of revenge, filled with action sequences of samurai swordplay - this is a film that I would recommend. It fulfills on all those aspects. It had heartfelt moments and dashes of fun sprinkled perfectly into its pacing.
However if one is into enriching character developments, motivations for all their arcs and more; I would suggest to visit the original manga instead.
Overall, it is still a very remarkable effort from everyone involved.
Logan
(2017)
Thank you Hugh Jackman for your 17 years
2 March 2017
Growing up, i was and still is, an X-Men fan since the age of seven through comics. In truth, Wolverine was never a character that I had gravitated to. But I had a sense of sentiment for the character via association to the X-Men.
In the year 2000, the first X-Men movie was released on the big screen. Again, Wolverine was never a character that I had any inclination for. But it was through Hugh Jackman's portrayal of him, that the story was told from his perspective about the X-Men.
Fast forward 17 years later, this movie is not about the Wolverine, the superhero who seemed immortal, without any weaknesses, that goes on a rampage whenever to save the day by being the best at what he does. No....and i am thankful for that.
This movie is about the man named Logan. A character driven piece that hides a superhero beneath it. It is almost like an independent film that explores the flaws and tribulations of who the character is. We get to see his vulnerability and delves into his code of honor & loyalty to those he cares for. The telling of this story brought forth the man behind the superhero.
All the cast were great and a special shout-out to Dafne Keen, whom plays Laura very convincingly; amidst beloved characters that had years of history on the big screen.
The movie is not without flaws, but it made me care for the story of the man named Logan, whom defines him as the best at what he does.
If this really is Hugh Jackman's last run as the character, it is a perfect send off and thank you for playing Logan/Wolverine for all these years.
In the year 2000, the first X-Men movie was released on the big screen. Again, Wolverine was never a character that I had any inclination for. But it was through Hugh Jackman's portrayal of him, that the story was told from his perspective about the X-Men.
Fast forward 17 years later, this movie is not about the Wolverine, the superhero who seemed immortal, without any weaknesses, that goes on a rampage whenever to save the day by being the best at what he does. No....and i am thankful for that.
This movie is about the man named Logan. A character driven piece that hides a superhero beneath it. It is almost like an independent film that explores the flaws and tribulations of who the character is. We get to see his vulnerability and delves into his code of honor & loyalty to those he cares for. The telling of this story brought forth the man behind the superhero.
All the cast were great and a special shout-out to Dafne Keen, whom plays Laura very convincingly; amidst beloved characters that had years of history on the big screen.
The movie is not without flaws, but it made me care for the story of the man named Logan, whom defines him as the best at what he does.
If this really is Hugh Jackman's last run as the character, it is a perfect send off and thank you for playing Logan/Wolverine for all these years.
Suicide Squad
(2016)
Borderline fun. With too much burdens of expectations for it to bear alone.
5 August 2016
Was anticipating this for so long and now it has finally arrived. Keyword here is: anticipation. We must all first do this - check our own anticipation for this movie and whatever baggage of expectations that we want out the door, before the lights to the theater dims.
If not, you will probably end up feeling like i did. I had my own expectations and hope for the movie - wanting it to be a dark somber exploration of gray moral characters. Continuing the dark themed of the DCEU. In which this movie is definitely not.
This movie is bright, fun, chirpy to a certain extent. At times, it reminded me of the game franchise Borderlands in its execution.
The humor for each character portrayed are pretty convincing. It belongs to each individual personality. It never felt like everyone is a carbon copy of a one-note-sarcastic-spewing-one-liner. Never. Each of them had their own voice and sense of humor. And for that, i am really grateful.
Even though there are missteps in its execution of its story and pacing - the most annoying thing for me, was really about the songs that got way too annoyingly repetitive.
All in all...i really enjoyed the chemistry that the Squad had. Each cast was believable as their characters too.
As for the Joker, it is unfair to judge if this is as good as the late Heath Ledger's masterpiece of a performance; since the Joker isn't the main focus here. I will refrain judging Jared Leto's Joker, until the next installment of him being that character again (either the solo Batman film, or that of Harley Quinn's; who knows?) But for now, he does seem very very unsettling. Captivating yet scary.
Currently it is on a borderline ratings for me. It varies a lot. At times good, at times bad. I found myself really enjoying it for the most times, yet i can't deny that i was equally annoyed by that constant music.
Was it worth the wait? Definitely. Did it live up to what i want? No - and it is unfair for me to expect any movie to live up to my own expectations that i had built while anticipating.
Will it address the problems of what BvS theatrical cut did? The most unfair judgment for this film if one was expecting it to. As the production of this Suicide Squad was well ahead before that said film was ever released to the public. No matter how much was done to "fix" it (i do not mind about the prior's dark humorless tone), one can not totally change a film that was already well underway. To be fair, I will leave it to the Justice League to bear that said burden.
Most importantly was to ask myself: Did i enjoy it? Some what. I definitely like the Squad a lot, and wish for a sequel after this. Will i recommend it? Yes. Judge it for yourself. Movies are subjective. So is the Squad.
Overall, I found this film to be "O" "Kay", some what enjoyable. At least (to me) its positivity outweighs its negativity.
If not, you will probably end up feeling like i did. I had my own expectations and hope for the movie - wanting it to be a dark somber exploration of gray moral characters. Continuing the dark themed of the DCEU. In which this movie is definitely not.
This movie is bright, fun, chirpy to a certain extent. At times, it reminded me of the game franchise Borderlands in its execution.
The humor for each character portrayed are pretty convincing. It belongs to each individual personality. It never felt like everyone is a carbon copy of a one-note-sarcastic-spewing-one-liner. Never. Each of them had their own voice and sense of humor. And for that, i am really grateful.
Even though there are missteps in its execution of its story and pacing - the most annoying thing for me, was really about the songs that got way too annoyingly repetitive.
All in all...i really enjoyed the chemistry that the Squad had. Each cast was believable as their characters too.
As for the Joker, it is unfair to judge if this is as good as the late Heath Ledger's masterpiece of a performance; since the Joker isn't the main focus here. I will refrain judging Jared Leto's Joker, until the next installment of him being that character again (either the solo Batman film, or that of Harley Quinn's; who knows?) But for now, he does seem very very unsettling. Captivating yet scary.
Currently it is on a borderline ratings for me. It varies a lot. At times good, at times bad. I found myself really enjoying it for the most times, yet i can't deny that i was equally annoyed by that constant music.
Was it worth the wait? Definitely. Did it live up to what i want? No - and it is unfair for me to expect any movie to live up to my own expectations that i had built while anticipating.
Will it address the problems of what BvS theatrical cut did? The most unfair judgment for this film if one was expecting it to. As the production of this Suicide Squad was well ahead before that said film was ever released to the public. No matter how much was done to "fix" it (i do not mind about the prior's dark humorless tone), one can not totally change a film that was already well underway. To be fair, I will leave it to the Justice League to bear that said burden.
Most importantly was to ask myself: Did i enjoy it? Some what. I definitely like the Squad a lot, and wish for a sequel after this. Will i recommend it? Yes. Judge it for yourself. Movies are subjective. So is the Squad.
Overall, I found this film to be "O" "Kay", some what enjoyable. At least (to me) its positivity outweighs its negativity.
Attack on Titan
(2013–2023)
A 2016 perspective
6 July 2016
Originally saw this series back in 2013 when it was released weekly, and only had English subs available. During then, this anime lost me around episodes 6-7. No, it was not because it wasn't good. It was good even back then. Really. But having so much back stories and characters involved, and needing to read the subs and waiting for weekly installments, i guess it got too confusing for me to follow. I always knew that i would return once the series had completed.
Three years later, having put it on hold for so long, i chose to watch English dub now as i just wanted to enjoy the series for what it was and not be worried about reading subs. Binge watched this in its entirety in just 2 days. It was that compelling.
One of the best anime series that i have ever seen. The characters had compelling back stories, and most importantly, i found myself caring, cheering, smiling, at their antics as the series went on. From start to finish, being able to watch the three main protagonist grew, and watching the class of recruits grew together was the best aspects that this series had given me.
The animation was fluid. Fight scenes were seen clearly, although fast - very fast at times - but it was animated and does not rely on cuts and "use your imagination cheats" like some animes do. And i really like animes that does not have the usual "cute" "nose bleed" moments. Ones that is almost serious and realistic in tone like those of Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ergo Proxy type to name a few.
Now to patiently wait for season 2...
Three years later, having put it on hold for so long, i chose to watch English dub now as i just wanted to enjoy the series for what it was and not be worried about reading subs. Binge watched this in its entirety in just 2 days. It was that compelling.
One of the best anime series that i have ever seen. The characters had compelling back stories, and most importantly, i found myself caring, cheering, smiling, at their antics as the series went on. From start to finish, being able to watch the three main protagonist grew, and watching the class of recruits grew together was the best aspects that this series had given me.
The animation was fluid. Fight scenes were seen clearly, although fast - very fast at times - but it was animated and does not rely on cuts and "use your imagination cheats" like some animes do. And i really like animes that does not have the usual "cute" "nose bleed" moments. Ones that is almost serious and realistic in tone like those of Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ergo Proxy type to name a few.
Now to patiently wait for season 2...
Theatrical and Ultimate Edition
28 June 2016
I've been putting off this review ever since the movie was released, as i knew that there was an Ultimate Edition for it. Having seen both versions, this review comes in two parts.
THEATRICAL VERSION: I am sure by now, all the things that made this film divisive has been said by both camps, so i won't really go into it.
As for me, i had always like the tone that they had given, aka. dark, serious, and to some "humorless". Seeing how it is at an end of a spectrum that is not found in any superhero genre ever since Watchmen, and The Nolan Trilogy; I found this tone refreshing to continue what Man Of Steel had set up.
However that is not to say that i don't recognize it's flaws. There were many (that "M incident" included) and yet i found myself being interested and intrigue throughout its run-time. I enjoyed the film too. There were interesting story elements to me, unfortunately, the bad does weigh in on my experiences too.
My main disgruntled judgment for the theatrical version was that it was edited so poorly that i found myself being very frustrated. Every time the scene changes, it created such a bad pacing for its storytelling.
Just when one scene was about to get interesting, they cut it off. Just as one scene had finished its purpose and message, it abruptly changes. Transitioning from scenes to scenes felt so jumpy. It was as if they had no confidence to let a scene breathe a little longer.
It reminded me so much of the "Godzilla" cuts that were in that film. Using it to tease, that got way too repetitive that it frustrated me as a viewer then. Same thing happened here. However this wasn't teasing. It was just a very horrendous editing that made the film a real mess.
The other major negativity i had was that the trailers basically had shown way too much. It seemed to me that every scene was represented in the trailers in one form or another. Making the film felt like a checklist at the back of my mind instead of a journey. I guess they exposed like 80%-90% of Alfred's lines in the trailer. So much so, that there was nothing left for me to be surprised by. What an unfortunate marketing it had. sigh...
I felt that the movie's positivity outweighs the negativity, and it was to me a 6.5/10 for the theatrical version. Since there were no decimals in IMDb, i had rated it as 7/10.
ULTIMATE EDITION VERSION: Having just seen this, if you had any liking to the movie before, this will definitely make the experience much better. If you were the ones that hated it before, because of tone and lack of humor, this version is definitely going to make you hate it more.
The main gripe i had about its editing in theatrical version is so much better in ultimate edition, when they added back that few minutes of time that they had taken out. The few extra scenes that were missing then made the film so much more coherent.
I felt that this should be the version to be released. But i can understand that it wasn't. Obviously the studio's original vision for the film was definitely not 3 hours and definitely not R rated. But i appreciate that they released this publicly to us viewers.
Overall, i feel it rates comfortably as a 7/10.
THEATRICAL VERSION: I am sure by now, all the things that made this film divisive has been said by both camps, so i won't really go into it.
As for me, i had always like the tone that they had given, aka. dark, serious, and to some "humorless". Seeing how it is at an end of a spectrum that is not found in any superhero genre ever since Watchmen, and The Nolan Trilogy; I found this tone refreshing to continue what Man Of Steel had set up.
However that is not to say that i don't recognize it's flaws. There were many (that "M incident" included) and yet i found myself being interested and intrigue throughout its run-time. I enjoyed the film too. There were interesting story elements to me, unfortunately, the bad does weigh in on my experiences too.
My main disgruntled judgment for the theatrical version was that it was edited so poorly that i found myself being very frustrated. Every time the scene changes, it created such a bad pacing for its storytelling.
Just when one scene was about to get interesting, they cut it off. Just as one scene had finished its purpose and message, it abruptly changes. Transitioning from scenes to scenes felt so jumpy. It was as if they had no confidence to let a scene breathe a little longer.
It reminded me so much of the "Godzilla" cuts that were in that film. Using it to tease, that got way too repetitive that it frustrated me as a viewer then. Same thing happened here. However this wasn't teasing. It was just a very horrendous editing that made the film a real mess.
The other major negativity i had was that the trailers basically had shown way too much. It seemed to me that every scene was represented in the trailers in one form or another. Making the film felt like a checklist at the back of my mind instead of a journey. I guess they exposed like 80%-90% of Alfred's lines in the trailer. So much so, that there was nothing left for me to be surprised by. What an unfortunate marketing it had. sigh...
I felt that the movie's positivity outweighs the negativity, and it was to me a 6.5/10 for the theatrical version. Since there were no decimals in IMDb, i had rated it as 7/10.
ULTIMATE EDITION VERSION: Having just seen this, if you had any liking to the movie before, this will definitely make the experience much better. If you were the ones that hated it before, because of tone and lack of humor, this version is definitely going to make you hate it more.
The main gripe i had about its editing in theatrical version is so much better in ultimate edition, when they added back that few minutes of time that they had taken out. The few extra scenes that were missing then made the film so much more coherent.
I felt that this should be the version to be released. But i can understand that it wasn't. Obviously the studio's original vision for the film was definitely not 3 hours and definitely not R rated. But i appreciate that they released this publicly to us viewers.
Overall, i feel it rates comfortably as a 7/10.
Preacher
(2016–2019)
5 episodes in and...er...
27 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Am an avid comic reader, and i know how much this series is beloved in its original format. However i have not read this series at all. So i was hoping to finally watch this and be exposed to what was great about the comics instead.
I will usually give new series 3 episodes to hook me in with their storyline. However, for Preacher, its been 5 episodes in and i still have no idea what the hell is this show trying to tell me.
Yes i get the following. MINOR SPOILERS: Its about this preacher, who gets this "power", and has a vampire friend, and an ex from his past whom is "waiting" for him to go after "someone", and a girl whom helps him run this church, and 2 boring uncharismatic "angels" are supposedly after the vampire, but now are actually after the preacher for said "power". And then out of nowhere there is this western story set in the past for no reasons at all that has nothing to do with said episodes that they appear in. And the cast of 1 boring "ahole", 1 comatose girl, a couple who loves rough sex, a typical cop like any other cops minus the doughnut, and sprinkle in with cast that received the "word" just like a typical villain-of- the-week-vibe of storytelling. I guess that's the gist of it.
5 episodes in...and that's it??? 5 episodes in and they are still trying to set-up??? What the hell...oh...oh yes. urination and poop. and nothing more. I have no idea where or what this story is trying to tell me. Guess i am giving up hope to see if this series could interest me. Oh well...
Moving on. 3 stars to the team for even trying to tell a story (if any). Guess i'll go explore its original format instead.
I will usually give new series 3 episodes to hook me in with their storyline. However, for Preacher, its been 5 episodes in and i still have no idea what the hell is this show trying to tell me.
Yes i get the following. MINOR SPOILERS: Its about this preacher, who gets this "power", and has a vampire friend, and an ex from his past whom is "waiting" for him to go after "someone", and a girl whom helps him run this church, and 2 boring uncharismatic "angels" are supposedly after the vampire, but now are actually after the preacher for said "power". And then out of nowhere there is this western story set in the past for no reasons at all that has nothing to do with said episodes that they appear in. And the cast of 1 boring "ahole", 1 comatose girl, a couple who loves rough sex, a typical cop like any other cops minus the doughnut, and sprinkle in with cast that received the "word" just like a typical villain-of- the-week-vibe of storytelling. I guess that's the gist of it.
5 episodes in...and that's it??? 5 episodes in and they are still trying to set-up??? What the hell...oh...oh yes. urination and poop. and nothing more. I have no idea where or what this story is trying to tell me. Guess i am giving up hope to see if this series could interest me. Oh well...
Moving on. 3 stars to the team for even trying to tell a story (if any). Guess i'll go explore its original format instead.
Fantastic Four
(2015)
Went without expectations...and boy...that chimp looks fake
7 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Was hoping Josh Trank would at least gives us something along the lines of Chronicle where it was about a bunch of teens stumbling upon powers. If Avatar could so easily ripped off other movie plot lines without batting an eyelid, why not follow the formula of his past hit? These teens would then goof ball around with their powers in second act, followed by its final act of Victor Von Doom just going nuts. Why oh why? It would had been a better quality story in comparison to this gawd knows what...dud... ><
I do not mind the first act of this movie, setting it up realistically. There was a chemistry there for Reed and Ben. However, when they decided to edit Ben out half way through that, I was optimistically hopeful. Then the set up continues with Reed and Sue (add a little sprinkling of Johnny into that mix for the hell of it just because the mythos called for it - not story, but the mythos of Fantastic Four)...i was like ooo-kay.
They then introduced Victor into the mix, i was like uh huh. All the while enjoying the set up that they had in this first act. But the problem was, while watching the movie, i felt that this first act was going on for way too long. When were they ever getting powers?
It appears that it took them half the time to get to the gist of THE Fantastic Four. By then, i was already tired of prodding along the first act, and it does not help that the Negative Zone (or whatever Planet Zero) was one boring unimpressive wasted-barren-land. zzz. Not to mention the reintroduction of Ben (just because of the mythos yet again. Not because the story needed it but because he needed to be in it again. How convenient).
Finally the second act. And boy...by the first few minutes of the second act, i sensed my interest for the film was already dwindling. Second act to me was just a montage. It wasn't even story driven. It was just a montage of scenes put together to show their training (this has been done to death by all superhero movies ever since Spider Man. It is really a chore to sit through it all over again). A montage to also serve as a reason to get Reed Richards back into the story, after they so dumbfounded-ly cut him out at the start of second act. And er...the scene where Ben head butted Reed in the forest...that felt like a tangent being forced into it. yawn.
And finally there was the third act. Boy oh boy...they reintroduced Doom. But the look of Doom was what distracted me from it most of the time. He looks like a walking mushroom with his hood on. At least Mario's mushrooms were cute. This Doom, to me, was just a cheap CGI or whatever. At least do a lip sync for him, for crying out loud. It doesn't help that he looks like a crash test dummy that has a voice- over. It was majority because of this Doom, that basically took me out of the movie by this time.
They set Doom up as an omni-powered villain with powers that could explode heads just by his thoughts and also blocking lots of bullets by a force field of some kind. And yet...i beg to question why doesn't he just explode the heads of Reed, Ben and Johnny when they fought? Granted Sue may be able to prevent her head from exploding because she had a force field throughout. Obviously Doom knows how to control his powers in that short amount of time when he exhibited it. So why doesn't he?
As an analogy, its like: We all know that a cat when confronted will always bite, hiss and scratch. But no cat will suddenly forget about those and tries to use its tail instead as a whiplash fighting mechanism. That was what Doom was to me. He forgot about his omni powers and decided otherwise. He could had easily just gaze upon each of them and exploded our heroes' head.
And the final fight - it took place in the boring barren whatever land. That quickly ended as it began. Borefest.
And for the love of all movie gods out there. Please do not attempt a Marvel humor at the end just because Marvel did it well, so you have to do it too. That is just following a trend rather than to set out to be innovative. And just because of that one scene alone at the end with its tacky humor...it suddenly came about much more jarring because no where in the whole run time of this movie was there such a display of cheap humor. And suddenly we had this out of place attempt to close the movie out. Sigh.
My rating can only be for the first act. End rant >.<
I do not mind the first act of this movie, setting it up realistically. There was a chemistry there for Reed and Ben. However, when they decided to edit Ben out half way through that, I was optimistically hopeful. Then the set up continues with Reed and Sue (add a little sprinkling of Johnny into that mix for the hell of it just because the mythos called for it - not story, but the mythos of Fantastic Four)...i was like ooo-kay.
They then introduced Victor into the mix, i was like uh huh. All the while enjoying the set up that they had in this first act. But the problem was, while watching the movie, i felt that this first act was going on for way too long. When were they ever getting powers?
It appears that it took them half the time to get to the gist of THE Fantastic Four. By then, i was already tired of prodding along the first act, and it does not help that the Negative Zone (or whatever Planet Zero) was one boring unimpressive wasted-barren-land. zzz. Not to mention the reintroduction of Ben (just because of the mythos yet again. Not because the story needed it but because he needed to be in it again. How convenient).
Finally the second act. And boy...by the first few minutes of the second act, i sensed my interest for the film was already dwindling. Second act to me was just a montage. It wasn't even story driven. It was just a montage of scenes put together to show their training (this has been done to death by all superhero movies ever since Spider Man. It is really a chore to sit through it all over again). A montage to also serve as a reason to get Reed Richards back into the story, after they so dumbfounded-ly cut him out at the start of second act. And er...the scene where Ben head butted Reed in the forest...that felt like a tangent being forced into it. yawn.
And finally there was the third act. Boy oh boy...they reintroduced Doom. But the look of Doom was what distracted me from it most of the time. He looks like a walking mushroom with his hood on. At least Mario's mushrooms were cute. This Doom, to me, was just a cheap CGI or whatever. At least do a lip sync for him, for crying out loud. It doesn't help that he looks like a crash test dummy that has a voice- over. It was majority because of this Doom, that basically took me out of the movie by this time.
They set Doom up as an omni-powered villain with powers that could explode heads just by his thoughts and also blocking lots of bullets by a force field of some kind. And yet...i beg to question why doesn't he just explode the heads of Reed, Ben and Johnny when they fought? Granted Sue may be able to prevent her head from exploding because she had a force field throughout. Obviously Doom knows how to control his powers in that short amount of time when he exhibited it. So why doesn't he?
As an analogy, its like: We all know that a cat when confronted will always bite, hiss and scratch. But no cat will suddenly forget about those and tries to use its tail instead as a whiplash fighting mechanism. That was what Doom was to me. He forgot about his omni powers and decided otherwise. He could had easily just gaze upon each of them and exploded our heroes' head.
And the final fight - it took place in the boring barren whatever land. That quickly ended as it began. Borefest.
And for the love of all movie gods out there. Please do not attempt a Marvel humor at the end just because Marvel did it well, so you have to do it too. That is just following a trend rather than to set out to be innovative. And just because of that one scene alone at the end with its tacky humor...it suddenly came about much more jarring because no where in the whole run time of this movie was there such a display of cheap humor. And suddenly we had this out of place attempt to close the movie out. Sigh.
My rating can only be for the first act. End rant >.<
Ant-Man
(2015)
Kinda enjoyable watch
19 July 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This was definitely much better than Age of Ultron, but it was no where close to what Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy had - those were fresh without relying on "proven" formula.
Reasons being, there were so much clichés and predictability in the 1st half of it: Such as the compliment given to him before he was fired from his job. The montages of training. The result of the keyhole training. The rejection of the sugar cube from the ants. The almost identical 1-dimensional-alter-ego-villain from Iron Man 1. The heist gone wrong towards the final arc - to name a few.
Then there were situations that boggles my mind during the Falcon fight. Granted the fight was done well, but i kept asking myself, where are the other shield employees in the Avengers HQ throughout that scene? Not that of the Avengers themselves, but the agents, workers of any kind. It was just him and Falcon fighting on an empty area of a warehouse-like-parking-lot-feel with an "A" painted on its roof. And yet that scene had Falcon constantly reporting the situation to someone. But no one bothered to come help when there was a breech in Avengers HQ.
It seemed like Marvels so-called cinematic universe only serves as a cinematic universe on certain areas when they deem necessary. And they ignore other aspects of it that were establish from other past films (most of these inconsistencies were started after IM3).
With that said, it was still an enjoyable film amidst some of my negativity towards it. There were aspects that were creative such as the "flashbacks of news" that were narrated by Michael Pena. The fighting in his daughter's room, where it felt like it hurts but were actually plastic toys being thrown. And of course the ants.
I doubt i would give it multiple viewings though.
Reasons being, there were so much clichés and predictability in the 1st half of it: Such as the compliment given to him before he was fired from his job. The montages of training. The result of the keyhole training. The rejection of the sugar cube from the ants. The almost identical 1-dimensional-alter-ego-villain from Iron Man 1. The heist gone wrong towards the final arc - to name a few.
Then there were situations that boggles my mind during the Falcon fight. Granted the fight was done well, but i kept asking myself, where are the other shield employees in the Avengers HQ throughout that scene? Not that of the Avengers themselves, but the agents, workers of any kind. It was just him and Falcon fighting on an empty area of a warehouse-like-parking-lot-feel with an "A" painted on its roof. And yet that scene had Falcon constantly reporting the situation to someone. But no one bothered to come help when there was a breech in Avengers HQ.
It seemed like Marvels so-called cinematic universe only serves as a cinematic universe on certain areas when they deem necessary. And they ignore other aspects of it that were establish from other past films (most of these inconsistencies were started after IM3).
With that said, it was still an enjoyable film amidst some of my negativity towards it. There were aspects that were creative such as the "flashbacks of news" that were narrated by Michael Pena. The fighting in his daughter's room, where it felt like it hurts but were actually plastic toys being thrown. And of course the ants.
I doubt i would give it multiple viewings though.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
(2015)
Felt so bland
23 April 2015
Everything seems so bland. The constant jibe of who gets the last word in seems forced, predictable and acts like an edit for the next scene. Coming out of the screening, there is not one scene or moment that i feel that i can walk away with in awe.
The romantic angle that was introduced lack chemistry. From out of nowhere, the characters involved suddenly had an interest for one another? Without any build up of it in past movies nor in this one, it just felt empty.
Camera angles that were purposefully shot for the intentional thrill of 3D is like any other angles used in any other 3D-movie-going-experience. I wonder when will this gimmick/trend go away.
All in all...it is still watchable. It just left a disdain taste of yet another repetition of the Marvel formula. Age of Ultron neither has the quality and magic of both Guardians of the Galaxy or Captain America Winter Soldier had.
The romantic angle that was introduced lack chemistry. From out of nowhere, the characters involved suddenly had an interest for one another? Without any build up of it in past movies nor in this one, it just felt empty.
Camera angles that were purposefully shot for the intentional thrill of 3D is like any other angles used in any other 3D-movie-going-experience. I wonder when will this gimmick/trend go away.
All in all...it is still watchable. It just left a disdain taste of yet another repetition of the Marvel formula. Age of Ultron neither has the quality and magic of both Guardians of the Galaxy or Captain America Winter Soldier had.
Cloud Atlas
(2012)
Everything is connected....GEEZ
25 December 2012
"Everything is connected"
Here I thought that this story is along the likes of Crash etc where it is different stories that intertwine, in the end making sense of it all.
But the only thing that Cloud Atlas did was (to me) present different stories that is perfectly edited together. Yes...EDITED together, that does not relate nor reveal anything at all. It is just different stories being spliced together and held under the same banner with a narrative that preaches that things are connected. The past, present, future, so on so forth, even when we die, every kindness, every crime is interrelated to the other.
What a load of garbage.
Best analogy is that, we can have a movie with the tagline "Every movie is connected". We just have to take Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, and Avatar and edit them along their similar setups in between one another, and add a narrative that forces them to relate, and we will just as well have a complete story.
This is just a time waster if you have three hours to waste. It is just different stories with the same cast presented in different roles which have nothing to do with the previous character incarnations that they had played. What a waste....
Here I thought that this story is along the likes of Crash etc where it is different stories that intertwine, in the end making sense of it all.
But the only thing that Cloud Atlas did was (to me) present different stories that is perfectly edited together. Yes...EDITED together, that does not relate nor reveal anything at all. It is just different stories being spliced together and held under the same banner with a narrative that preaches that things are connected. The past, present, future, so on so forth, even when we die, every kindness, every crime is interrelated to the other.
What a load of garbage.
Best analogy is that, we can have a movie with the tagline "Every movie is connected". We just have to take Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, and Avatar and edit them along their similar setups in between one another, and add a narrative that forces them to relate, and we will just as well have a complete story.
This is just a time waster if you have three hours to waste. It is just different stories with the same cast presented in different roles which have nothing to do with the previous character incarnations that they had played. What a waste....
The Dark Knight Rises
(2012)
From a Trilogy standpoint
25 August 2012
It has been a month...everything about this film as it is on its own, has been said and reviewed by many. My opinion of it is from a trilogy standpoint.
After watching the trilogy again from Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and now Rises, all in all... it is to me, the greatest trilogy i had ever seen. Never was there a moment in all three films, that i felt bored, that the story wasn't moving along.
Eg. LOTR - The Two Towers, i dreaded the hobbit parts or SW looking at it as a whole episode from 1 to 6, there are many arcs of the story that was uninteresting.
Having said that, my only gripe with The Dark Knight Rises as a trilogy, was with the 3 principal characters of Blake, Serena and Miranda. If these 3 characters were introduced much earlier either during Batman Begins or The Dark Knight, their impact on the overall trilogy would had been much greater. And if only Katie Holmes reprises her role as Rachel in The Dark Knight, or Maggie Gyllenhaal was the one portraying her in Batman Begins, everything would had been perfect.
Either way, the choice of the actors & actresses portraying their respective characters was the perfect cast. They did great. Never was there a time that i watched these characters as their actors & actresses. Each of them made me forget and believed in the characters themselves. I am saddened that it has finally come to a fitting end unfortunately.
With Christopher Nolan's Batman...it is the closest and the best comic book adaptation i had ever seen.
Thank you for making it possible for me (as a fan of the comics) to be able to watch this in my life time.
After watching the trilogy again from Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and now Rises, all in all... it is to me, the greatest trilogy i had ever seen. Never was there a moment in all three films, that i felt bored, that the story wasn't moving along.
Eg. LOTR - The Two Towers, i dreaded the hobbit parts or SW looking at it as a whole episode from 1 to 6, there are many arcs of the story that was uninteresting.
Having said that, my only gripe with The Dark Knight Rises as a trilogy, was with the 3 principal characters of Blake, Serena and Miranda. If these 3 characters were introduced much earlier either during Batman Begins or The Dark Knight, their impact on the overall trilogy would had been much greater. And if only Katie Holmes reprises her role as Rachel in The Dark Knight, or Maggie Gyllenhaal was the one portraying her in Batman Begins, everything would had been perfect.
Either way, the choice of the actors & actresses portraying their respective characters was the perfect cast. They did great. Never was there a time that i watched these characters as their actors & actresses. Each of them made me forget and believed in the characters themselves. I am saddened that it has finally come to a fitting end unfortunately.
With Christopher Nolan's Batman...it is the closest and the best comic book adaptation i had ever seen.
Thank you for making it possible for me (as a fan of the comics) to be able to watch this in my life time.
Horsemen
(2009)
Se7en it isn't but here's my vote
11 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I had just seen it, and i must say... Se7en it is not... but i did enjoy this movie though. However like many had posted, the so-called twist could be seen a mile away as well and given that fact, i think it was what made me watch the whole show entirely. To get an explanation as to the whys (??)
Was the explanation given at the end, good enough for me? Er....it does feel distasteful but that does not mean that i didn't enjoy the movie though. The reason being that most of the scenes that I'd questioned are filmed and established to lead us towards the end. And that in turn makes it somewhat enjoyable to appreciate it...unfortunately, it is a double edged sword in return. That is probably why many could had seen the so-called twist that was in place.
The scene where they introduced "Famine" to me seemed forced. Out of the blue, walked in another character who had somehow materialized halfway through the movie when he was not even established beforehand. That to me was another weak point of the movie. If "Famine" was handled like "Pestilence"...it would had generally still been tied into the scenes that had came before it. But yea...it was one of the major gripes i have with this film.
Having said these, I really found that both Dennis Quaid and Zhang Ziyi was able to draw me in as a viewer interested in their stories. They did great, convincing me that their characters were real. Especially Ziyi whom was able to play polar opposites, like a switch being flicked on.
In closing, i must remind that i thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Given the 2 major gripes i have with it. Somehow disappointed that it couldn't live up to Se7en (one of my favorites of all time), but otherwise...Kudos for keeping me enthralled until the very end.
PS. Though i dislike the explanation given. Could have been better. Cheers....
Was the explanation given at the end, good enough for me? Er....it does feel distasteful but that does not mean that i didn't enjoy the movie though. The reason being that most of the scenes that I'd questioned are filmed and established to lead us towards the end. And that in turn makes it somewhat enjoyable to appreciate it...unfortunately, it is a double edged sword in return. That is probably why many could had seen the so-called twist that was in place.
The scene where they introduced "Famine" to me seemed forced. Out of the blue, walked in another character who had somehow materialized halfway through the movie when he was not even established beforehand. That to me was another weak point of the movie. If "Famine" was handled like "Pestilence"...it would had generally still been tied into the scenes that had came before it. But yea...it was one of the major gripes i have with this film.
Having said these, I really found that both Dennis Quaid and Zhang Ziyi was able to draw me in as a viewer interested in their stories. They did great, convincing me that their characters were real. Especially Ziyi whom was able to play polar opposites, like a switch being flicked on.
In closing, i must remind that i thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Given the 2 major gripes i have with it. Somehow disappointed that it couldn't live up to Se7en (one of my favorites of all time), but otherwise...Kudos for keeping me enthralled until the very end.
PS. Though i dislike the explanation given. Could have been better. Cheers....
Mulan: Rise of a Warrior
(2009)
Gladiator it isn't, but has merits of its own
8 December 2009
Having just caught it not too long ago, the memories of it is still fresh in my mind. I remembered as the lights to the cinemas brightened as the credits start to roll, it felt breathtaking to had partake in this film as an audience of it.
Do NOT, and i repeat, do NOT, go into this film wanting it to be one of those battle-like army type of films one generally associates with the genre of epic at its core. For if you do, you will be disappointed for this is NOT one of those films that had been over-populated due to other greats like Braveheart, Gladiator etc. Those are epic genre all to their own merits...
...and so is this depiction of the legend of Hua Mulan. I would still classify it as an Epic to some degree, but leaning it more towards the genre of Drama and Romance, more akin to the likes of Tau Ming Chong (aka. Warlords that was released in 2007 starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro).
There are battlefield scenes, Yes...but they are of minimal depiction based on the context of this film, that are used to carry the characterization of Hua Mulan that was perfectly casted with Vicki Zhao at the helm.
There is a plot, and that plot is to drive the main theme of this film that is to showcase to us about how she grew into the character in legends. Whereas the subplot to it is that of her feelings. These feelings are then broken down into different categories, showcasing the main obvious emotional parts of her for the affection that she has for another. While concepts based on being a filial daughter to her father, and loyalty to the fellow troops that she commands and finally patriotism that drives her to do what she does for twelve years are all being explored, minimally but it is enough to drive her overall characterization in just under 2 hours (even though it may seemed longer than that).
Having said this, there is no need for me to summarize the film for you readers as that is one of the beauties of storytelling, where it is for the viewers to partake for themselves to let the story be told to you by the story's presentation. And definitely not by me.
Overall, if one is into a movie that is emotional (depending on individual's views upon what is regarded as emotional), and does not showcase violence for violence's sake, then i guess one can do themselves the favor of partaking on this trip of 2 hours into another era.
Again i must stress, do NOT go into this film hoping to see the likes of battlefield scenes.
For me, i would classify this film like the other greats of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; The House of Flying Daggers; Warlords; Musa, and the very recent Red Cliff saga. Jingle Ma's depiction of Mulan has merits all to its own to make it stand among these others.
Do NOT, and i repeat, do NOT, go into this film wanting it to be one of those battle-like army type of films one generally associates with the genre of epic at its core. For if you do, you will be disappointed for this is NOT one of those films that had been over-populated due to other greats like Braveheart, Gladiator etc. Those are epic genre all to their own merits...
...and so is this depiction of the legend of Hua Mulan. I would still classify it as an Epic to some degree, but leaning it more towards the genre of Drama and Romance, more akin to the likes of Tau Ming Chong (aka. Warlords that was released in 2007 starring Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro).
There are battlefield scenes, Yes...but they are of minimal depiction based on the context of this film, that are used to carry the characterization of Hua Mulan that was perfectly casted with Vicki Zhao at the helm.
There is a plot, and that plot is to drive the main theme of this film that is to showcase to us about how she grew into the character in legends. Whereas the subplot to it is that of her feelings. These feelings are then broken down into different categories, showcasing the main obvious emotional parts of her for the affection that she has for another. While concepts based on being a filial daughter to her father, and loyalty to the fellow troops that she commands and finally patriotism that drives her to do what she does for twelve years are all being explored, minimally but it is enough to drive her overall characterization in just under 2 hours (even though it may seemed longer than that).
Having said this, there is no need for me to summarize the film for you readers as that is one of the beauties of storytelling, where it is for the viewers to partake for themselves to let the story be told to you by the story's presentation. And definitely not by me.
Overall, if one is into a movie that is emotional (depending on individual's views upon what is regarded as emotional), and does not showcase violence for violence's sake, then i guess one can do themselves the favor of partaking on this trip of 2 hours into another era.
Again i must stress, do NOT go into this film hoping to see the likes of battlefield scenes.
For me, i would classify this film like the other greats of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; The House of Flying Daggers; Warlords; Musa, and the very recent Red Cliff saga. Jingle Ma's depiction of Mulan has merits all to its own to make it stand among these others.
Jennifer's Body
(2009)
Surprisingly Good (with an open mind)
6 December 2009
This movie really caught me by surprise too. I am one of those that tries to keep away from trailers or critiques comments (since nowadays at this age of time, most of these so-called critiques just spoils everything for the viewer - describing the plot that leaves little to the storytelling.zzz...anyhow, thats another subject altogether) back to the topic at hand, Jeniffer's Body is great if you want a movie that is not afraid for presenting it to you without any pretense of what it wants to be.
All these negative comments that i'd read seems to be that the viewers wanted or had a vision of what they expected the movie to be and in the end, it does not live up to the individual hypes that was brought forth among themselves. Just because it was helmed by a creator of previous hit, tends to elevate those viewers expectations.
But if one were to be like me, whom watch it without any self expectations of what the movie is nor have any inkling about the plot other than those general interviews by the stars themselves, all i knew about Jennifer's Body then was that it was a black comedy.
And for that point alone, this movie actually delivers more. I can see how certain context of the film or script/speech/portrayal of character(s), sometimes they are not afraid to take themselves seriously too. And that is a bonus on my part for watching this movie. Besides, i find that the character(s) were well represented and acted as well. Cheesy at times, and certain aspects of Megan Fox just oozes out creepiness.
Anyhow, try to enjoy the movie for what it is. A black satire of a comedy that does not take itself seriously. To me, Jennifer's Body is the horror version of Mean Girls. If you'd enjoyed the latter, you will enjoy this. Cheerzzzz
All these negative comments that i'd read seems to be that the viewers wanted or had a vision of what they expected the movie to be and in the end, it does not live up to the individual hypes that was brought forth among themselves. Just because it was helmed by a creator of previous hit, tends to elevate those viewers expectations.
But if one were to be like me, whom watch it without any self expectations of what the movie is nor have any inkling about the plot other than those general interviews by the stars themselves, all i knew about Jennifer's Body then was that it was a black comedy.
And for that point alone, this movie actually delivers more. I can see how certain context of the film or script/speech/portrayal of character(s), sometimes they are not afraid to take themselves seriously too. And that is a bonus on my part for watching this movie. Besides, i find that the character(s) were well represented and acted as well. Cheesy at times, and certain aspects of Megan Fox just oozes out creepiness.
Anyhow, try to enjoy the movie for what it is. A black satire of a comedy that does not take itself seriously. To me, Jennifer's Body is the horror version of Mean Girls. If you'd enjoyed the latter, you will enjoy this. Cheerzzzz
A Perfect Getaway
(2009)
I was really surprise
26 November 2009
I just caught this movie without knowing what it is about other than a thriller, survivor-type genre. I never even caught the trailer before, and boy...i was surprised. i didn't see it coming.
I believed that nowadays, trailers tend to give a lot away or even critiques do, and giving credit to this film, if one were like me, this is one of the best movie experienced.
The characters were all likable and believable and the pacing of the story was handled extremely well. I was neither bored during the slow scenes as it constantly kept the characters growing as individuals. I'd be recommending it as much as other films that i do enjoy
I believed that nowadays, trailers tend to give a lot away or even critiques do, and giving credit to this film, if one were like me, this is one of the best movie experienced.
The characters were all likable and believable and the pacing of the story was handled extremely well. I was neither bored during the slow scenes as it constantly kept the characters growing as individuals. I'd be recommending it as much as other films that i do enjoy
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