hiroyukiwu Reviews

88 Minutes (2007)

torrid

[1/10 · 9 July 2007]

easily the worst film released in its respective year.

a complete rip off from 24, al looking silly with his goatee and completely out of whack in this film.

everything is contrived from the fact al's character has a huge amount of wealth and resource available to him, nothing stretching for a top Hollywood actor, poor film, and the music and soundtrack....horrible barely any fade outs, far too loud, misplace, poorly produced like listening to Satan pulling his eye out whilst sitting on the crapper, the film sucked and the music is THE worst i have ever been subjected to from a film.

Lonely Hearts (2006)

leto shines

[7/10 · 4 December 2006]

two detectives, 'buster'Elmer C. Robinson (travolta) and Charles Hildebrandt (gandolfini) hunt two killers Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez played by salma hayek and jared leto.

basically the story is of two policemen chasing after two killers who, by posing as a single man and sister, enlist in finding their victims through the lonely hearts columns within newspapers and magazines.

on the acting side we'll start with the policemen first, travolta as essentially the lead cop in this movie is a somewhat torn man in his duty as a cop and in the loss of his wife, travolta soon finds a new lease,to speak of, by trying to capture the two killers, he is helped in this matter by gandolfini as his straight thinking,talking friend, but though the acting between the two is of an OK standing (gandolfini coming off stronger) the pairing doesn't come off as one would hope and it is slightly stale, more so within their dialog together.

the hunted pair,hayek and leto, have a better chemistry, despite what many have seen of hayek in this film, being wooden and poorly acted out, i'd give her a little more credit than the naysayers, mainly because the person she is portraying is of that type of person, soulless and wholeheartedly callous. her dominance shows through in her interpretation of a jealous and highly possessive person. but the real star who shines in this movie is leto, from his smile right down to the unsteadiness of his actions, movements,gestures are perfect and really shows us what his is capable of, could well be we are witnessing him in his prime, his ending is very well shot (credit to the director there, Todd Robinson).

a long and somewhat violent film, yet it leaves enough subject for conversation and reply value. in terms of what director robinson has achieve,well thats not much, mainly a wasted cast on a somewhat unfair choice in director (The director's grandfather was Elmer C. Robinson, the cop who investigated the Lonely Hearts murders). but still a film to watch.

Miami Vice (2006)

looks good, yet is empty

[6/10 · 13 August 2006]

to be honest straight from the off, it looks like foxx and farrell never got on, their chemistry is non-existent, and uneasy looking.

while this film has the title of a well known home TV series, yet this film bares no resemblance what so ever.

but its not always going to be a bad thing, i mean, a new story fresh faces and action, yet this film fails on almost every level, it is surprising it isn't a straight to DVD release.

while farrell and foxx do look good, i won't call it a cool look, more of an attempt to look organized, yet again, it just looks like they wear the same clothes. the whole story is confusing, yet this is how i see it, two cops, two women on either side of the law, guns, sex, bad dialog, bad accents,boats,misunderstanding (mainly on michael bays side) and thats it.

farrell did okish, foxx sucked on such a level it was unbelievable to my Chinese girlfriend that this man once won a Oscar (and even then he never should have got it), terrible, and sucky, a man who can clearly ruin a film with just his name attached. farrell deserves a better side kick.

New Police Story (2004)

At last Jackie back to from

[8/10 · 4 May 2006]

Jackie basically plays a cop who loses his team because of his arrogance and bad planning to what he believe's are standard criminals, but he gets owned. So everything is his fault in his mind and turns to the bottle, Nic Tse is a cop assigned to be his partner and helps Jackie to come out of his slum and to beat the case.

It says New Police Story but that;s all in the title it is a completely different movie but don't let that put you off. Jackie act's the best he ever has and fights great, Nic Tse doesn't get much moves but he is funny, Daniel Wu as the bad guy doesn't get to show off his Wushu (big shame), but interestingly Andy On as the long blonde haired gang member show's off some stunning kick and fights, seeing as Andy is not a martial artist and seeing his fights I'm guessing that Andy Cheng doubled for him.

A really good film with great intensive fights and an emotionally acted turn from Jackie add to complete a cool and new film, forget the trash he has done in Hollywood, I.E The Tuxedo, Around The A World etc, here he shines a true comeback for Chan

Dolryeochagi (2004)

Gangster or ass kicker? Ass kicker!!

[7/10 · 1 March 2006]

A good Korean film about not just Taekwondo but what its takes to be good, like a thugs way of fighting cannot beat a taekwondo guy in his sport because there are rules, just as there are to life and school and this film has undertones of this notion.

The martial arts in the film isn't that good but it is passable and enjoyable. Friends who go on to achieve something they once would mock become stronger through the mind and heart. This film isn't meant to be taken too seriously as it does have slapstick, but it also carries a message.

A good film again from Korea.

The Aviator (2004)

Flying high in the sky!

[9/10 · 1 March 2006]

A great film! It does have its faults but they are few and far between. After working with Martin Scoresse on Gangs Of New York I was a little skeptical on whether this would be the same fare, Leo being out acted and not really achieving much of a sensible story, but here it all comes together and why Leo never got that Oscar is beyond me, the boy is marvelous!

Playing Howard Hughes, an aviator and film director/producer and rampant womanizer with a passion and obsession leo pulls it off and truly shows he is not just a pretty face!

Direction is what truly makes this film and Scoresse shows his love of the old days and their films, its like watching a fan of golden oldies talk about the old films and industry. Fulid camera work, a mesmerizing score and nods the stars of old and still telling a story of obstacles and victory, of happiness and sadness and with tragic under tones makes the Aviator a film not only to watch but to own!

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Shakespeare for toady

[9/10 · 28 February 2006]

I would say that this film is made for the MTV generation except for the fact that any generation can easily sit through a couple of hours to watch this triumphant film. The story is old and well known to most. The actors seem like hotties with experienced actors, and on paper this would have been hard to argue against, but solid acting all around with great innovation (guns for swords, set in modern day) it holds up well and creates reputations for actors otherwise considered 'eye candy'. Two people come off very well in my opinion, Leonardo Dicaprio (as Romeo) and John Leguizamo (as Tybalt). With Leo playing the part of someone who thinks he's is in love to actually falling in love and Leguizamo as the relative with hatred and anger which is channeled greatly towards his foe. Well thought through and some times cool, Baz Luhrmann (director) pulls out all the stops and defies expectation, truly spectacular!

Ten Tigers of Kwangtung (1980)

kicks galore.....

[8/10 · 16 February 2006]

Forget the previous comment by the inknowleagible reviewer, this film is a classic on many levels. Ti Lung,Alex Fusheng,Chiang Sheng,Lo Meng, Lu Feng, Sun Chien,Wang Li, Wei Pai,Dick Wei(!),Wang Lungwei,Chin Siuho (!),Tien Shenglung, Ku Feng. This is one hell of a stellar cast, 1979, hong Kong! You even got the five venom's in there for Christs sake!

The story is a basic one, with Wang Li hiding a government wanted man, for trying to bring down the Ching, Wang Li believes that he alone cannont protect and deliver this man to mainland China and so enlists the help of many kung fu masters to execute his plan. there is a sub plot also, that which is of revenge, a nice new thing for kung fu films! The fight scenes are bar none, with kicks aplenty and somersaults in every scene, highly recommended!