aka-valkra Reviews

Hancock (2008)

It was great.. and then it wasn't

[6/10 · 17 August 2014]

The movie was great and entertaining in the beginning because it mixed super powers with the real world. It showed what someone with super powers might actually be like in real life. The "hero" had good in intentions but he was clumsy, reckless, an asshole. There were no super villains or mad scientists bent on world domination, just bad guys with guns which was refreshing to see. In real life, there is no Superman, someone who's 100% good. People aren't perfect and having superpowers doesn't change that. That was the good part. The movie took a turn for the worse when they introduced the superwoman. The writers felt that they had to give Hancock a weakness which was a mistake. The movie went downhill from there with its cheesiness and crappy plot. The only good part was the beginning when Hancock was trying to win the city over. If they had just stuck with that for the entire movie, it would've been fantastic. It would have shown a journey, from loser to hero; something everyone loves to see. This movie had potential but the writers screwed it.

Masquerade (2012)

Amazing. Absolutely Amazing.

[10/10 · 12 August 2014]

This movie is the reason why I love cinema so much. A beautiful film that conveys so much emotion from you, I cried so much during this movie. Every actor did an amazing job but the main character showed some serious acting chops with his performance. When the scenes switch between the impostor and the real king, you don't for a single second think "Oh it's the same guy". It's two completely different and separate people despite being played by the same actor, now that takes some serious acting skills to pull off. The cinematography, sets, costumes, script, and everything was perfect. I hoped that the ending would have turned out different but being that it's a historical movie, it can't be helped. I don't usually like historical movies aside from WW2 movies, but this one is now my absolute favorite. Before watching, I knew literally nothing about Korean history but this movie has definitely made me a fan. Would recommend to anyone who likes inspiring, beautiful, funny, and emotional films.. so basically everyone. An easy 10/10.

New World (2013)

The Departed + The Godfather

[10/10 · 12 August 2014]

If you liked the departed or the godfather, you'll love this mob movie. The acting and writing was fantastic for all characters, which is rare. If you're turned off by the fact that it's a korean/foreign movie, don't be because you'd be missing out on great cinema. It's not a super fast paced action movie that western audiences might expect because there are very few guns in this movie. Even so, it was tense and suspenseful because you're fearing for the main character due to his undercover nature. This movie is filled with twists and turns, coupled with a good plot. The ending was absolutely perfect if somewhat predictable. The entire movie, I kept thinking to myself "I really hope the main character does so and so for the ending" and he did, which was pretty satisfying. Overall a great movie that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys mob/crime films.

Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014 Video)

Mature and Amazing

[10/10 · 8 August 2014]

Love this movie. Watch this if you are a fan of Batman and his villains. Even if you don't play the Arkham games (why wouldn't you?) and just like the shows and comics, this is still a must watch. This film took a more mature route which I absolutely love. There's cursing, innocent people die, main characters die, tasteful sex scene, etc. Batman is a secondary focus in this movie after the suicide squad, which worried me at first but then I loved it. At some points, you even start rooting for some of the bad guys. Showed an interesting perspective from the villains side, always worried about Batman popping up and ruining everything. The animation was fantastic, the character designs were awesome, the dialogue was great. Would recommend to anyone who's a Batman fan.

Superman vs. The Elite (2012 Video)

Awesome

[10/10 · 8 August 2014]

I'm not a huge Superman fan, I lean more towards Batman but wow this movie was epic. What a lot of people don't realize is that Superman holds back in almost every fight because he knows he could easily accidentally kill someone. This is shown towards the end when Superman pretends to lose it, he was so fast, he was teleporting. Sucking oxygen out of the air but flying super fast, creating a vortex. Zooming bad guys into orbit. Destroying parts of brain with laser vision. There's not doubting it, Superman is practically a god and this movie showed that perfectly. It's refreshing to see how Superman would fight if he gave it his all. It's also refreshing that this movie deals with real life issues and politics, like wars between countries rather than mad scientists, super villains, aliens, etc. It gives you a glimpse at how super heroes might react to world problems in real life, if super heroes existed. The animation quality was good and all the technical details of this movie were good. the dialogue was decent, not too corny. If you like Superman at all, give this a watch.

Justice League: War (2014 Video)

Entertaining

[10/10 · 5 August 2014]

A lot of people seem to be displeased with the personality changes of some of the heroes like Superman and Wonder Woman but they don't realize that this movie is based off of the New 52 universe, not the Justice League/Unlimited universe. Superman has a shorter temper in this variant and there are some other changes too.

That aside, this movie was very entertaining. The dialogue was funny and quick witted, especially Batman. Some of the heroes through a few curse words and such which gave it a realistic feel. There weren't any corny cheesy moments which is a plus. The animation and character design was great, especially Wonder Woman's new outfit. I'm not a tough critic, movies are meant to be enjoyable and after watching this, I was happy with it. I only reserve a 10 rating for movies that I continue to think about long after I'm done watching so this movie gets a 9. Fantastic and would recommend to anyone who enjoys the DC universe.

Ghost World (2001)

Slow and Boring

[5/10 · 2 August 2014]

This is the first film I've ever seen where I'd give it a rating lower than IMDb's rating (7.5). The movie was slow, from start to finish and there weren't any particularly funny moments. I didn't smile, not even once during the entire movie let alone laugh. None of the characters are likable at all and you don't really care what happens to any of them. The only exception to this would be Steve Buscemi's character. By the end of the movie, I didn't even know any of the character's names besides Buscemi's Seymour. It is obvious that the two female leads are suppose to contrast each other, each representing a different approach to the American lifestyle but both end up being unrelatable and unlikable. I give this movie a 5 based solely on Buscemi's performance. Every scene he was in made the movie more bearable. Would not watch again and would not recommend to anyone, there are far better coming of age movies.

The Signal (2014)

Cool and interesting movie!

[7/10 · 27 July 2014]

the movie was definitely interesting to say the least. The entire movie has a strange feel surrounding it. The weird "government" scientists, the alien technology, the lab environment. The movie keeps you on edge and makes you ask yourself what the hell is going on. The plot twist was somewhat predictable as I thought the same exact thing the entire movie. "What if they were never rescued and are actually still being observed by the aliens" Turns out I was right. The tone of the movie changed at the very end when it was revealed that they're still with the aliens, it got a little bit more "sci-fi" and it was actually a shame that more of the movie wasn't like that. They never really showed what the aliens looked like which was a shame. The last shot of the alien construct in space was breathtaking though. A good movie for sci-fi fans. It's a slow paced movie with more thought provoking situations rather than laser gun fights, etc.

Snowpiercer (2013)

A very bizarre movie

[7/10 · 26 July 2014]

I'm going to be honest, I did not like this movie that much until about halfway through. At first, it just seemed like bad acting but you slowly realize that it's just a very bizarre movie. A lot of the characters are weird, the dialogue is weird, the premise is weird, the different carts are weird. Some scenes like the club cart scene had me laughing out loud as the girl struts down the walkway with a bottle of champagne like a boss. Once you realize that it's just a deliberately bizarre movie, you'll start to enjoy it more. The movie's a roller coaster ride, one moment it's very serious and then it changes into a wacky thing in an instant. Not the best movie I've ever seen but it's definitely unique and original. The characters and cast were also very diverse which was very refreshing to see. A movie everyone must see at least once because there's simply nothing else like it.

Europa Report (2013)

Tense and Believable

[8/10 · 26 July 2014]

Considering the movie's relatively low rating on IMDb, I was expecting this movie to kind of suck. I was dead wrong. The acting was surprisingly very good considering I've never seen any of these actors before. This movie is definitely not an action packed, aliens invading the ship, laser guns, etc kind of sci-fi. It's a slower paced but very tense movie. There was not a lot of character development but it does not really detract away from the movie. The alien monster in this movie is less of what you'd might consider to be an alien but more of an animal, a predator. It is a pretty believable movie and it shows what might actually happen if we were to discover aliens/predators on another planet. Overall a very good slow paced, tense, sci-fi movie.

The Kings of Summer (2013)

A slow paced (in a good way), relaxing, realistic movie

[7/10 · 12 May 2014]

The acting from almost every character was very good, despite none of the actors are very well known with the exception of Alison Brie. The interactions between characters, especially Joe and his father felt very real and not over done. Even the ending where Joe reunites with his father was very real and not over dramatic. This made for a very convincing movie about the experiences of teenagers and their want of freedom. Almost all teens can relate to this movie as it portrays something that we all want, freedom from our parents. Would not say this is a feel good movie except the ending due to all the drama but it was a chill movie to watch on a quiet Sunday afternoon. Would recommend to all teenagers who appreciate slower movies that have a good story, rather than action. Adults may appreciate this movie too and might learn something about parenting from watching Joe and Patrick's parents. Overall an enjoyable movie.

Flyboys (2006)

An enjoyable film

[8/10 · 3 May 2014]

Despite the low rating this movie got, I rented a DVD because I love aerial combat films. I went into this movie not expecting much but was pleasantly surprised throughout the entire film. Yes, it is a bit cliché at certain points but it did not take away much from the overall experience. The characters were decently done for their roles although I did not connect with most of them with the exception of the main character, his love interest, and the African American pilot. The acting was well done although not amazing by any standard. Although I rolled my eyes when the film introduced the romantic interest of the main character, it turned out pretty well. The romantic connection between the two characters was cute due to their language differences. Overall, I would recommend this movie to anyone as it was very entertaining.