Movie Review: Johnny English: Reborn

It's been a while since an entry. It's an even longer while since a review. But somehow I feel obligated to write a review for this movie, since our country had the privilege to see the movie well over a month before the US audience.

Heck, we get to see it 3 weeks before it's even released on its home turf!
(P/s: Malaysian release date of the movie is 15th Sep 2011, just like Singapore)

Here be the review of Johnny English: Reborn.

Look at that funny face that leave people in stitches. In this movie; literally.

Before I begin, let me start with a bit of history. This movie is a sequel to the original Johnny English that is about a clumsy and hopeless secret agent of the British Intelligence named MI7. The original movie was released way back in 2003. The movie was very mediocre and received an average score of 5.8 on IMDb.

The main draw of the movie then and even now is the Rowan Atkinson, or better known throughout the world as the incompetent Mr. Bean. In the real world he's a highly educated professor who has a great understanding of people. He is also a motorhead to certain extent, which explains the presence of a sweet Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe with a V16. The only kind in the world. On related news, he was also involved in a motor accident recently with a freaking McLaren F1. Oh it's just a small little car that only is one of the most exotic car...... in the world (read in Jeremy Clarkson's style).

This is very hard to watch... At least he survives. So he can buy another one.

On to the actual movie review. After his failure of maintaining the security of the Prime Minister of Mozambique that was assassinated earlier when it was under his eyes, his knighthood was revoked together with his status as a secret agent. After a rehabilitation with the Chinese monk in the Himalayas, he was reassigned as a secret agent for another critical job. The second movie follows the (mis)adventure of secret agent Johnny English through his mission to foil the plan to assassinate the Prime Minister of China.

I thought they were supposed to be bald

The usual incompetency of the character is present and it's back in full force. He is now paired with an assistant named Agent Tucker played by Daniel Kaluuya. Personally I think he played his part brilliantly and is a very suitable pair to be with Johnny English. Through further investigation, English found out that the plot of the murder was backed by a criminal organization called Vortex.

o_o

The rest of the movie is riddled with the usual elements of an action flick. You have the on-foot chase scene, vehicle chase scene, dramatic fight scene, so on and so forth. Of course sprinkled with comedy throughout of the speech and slapstick variation.


Now, the first way to look at the movie is to compare it to the first movie, naturally. Personally, I think it is a huge step up from it. The movie seemed to be far better directed with significant increase in production quality as compared to the 2003 prequel. The plot, although still not very believable, is stronger and more acceptable against the predecessor. The action scenes are better, the dialogues are better, the cinematography is better; an overall improvement.

Check out my kicks! Literally and figuratively!

That being said, the first movie didn't set a high bar itself. It's the kind of movie that does not take itself seriously. What can we expect anyway? Although imperfect, it has a good amount of both action and comedy for you to keep on watching until the end of the movie.

There was a running gag of a killer cleaning lady that was funny the first couple of times but gets tiring and too unrealistic that pulls me back from the movie a bit. It might be entertaining for the little kids though.

I think the movie is being safe. It does not take any risk from any angle and provides the audience with more of the same Johnny English. Not an entirely bad thing to begin with. It's a good movie to watch and have a laugh or two but it's forgettable and doesn't have much to it. Except if you're a motorhead then the V16 Phantom Coupe is sure going to make you wipe your mouth afterwards. I take it for what it is, but it is NOT a perfect god-send movie that some people might take it as.

Well, not much to be said for a movie that does not bring much new to the plate to begin with. By no means however, that it is a bad movie.

Good laugh. Especially with good friends. Go see it. I give it a 7/10.

Image source: IMDb.com

The Genius of Mamat Khalid

Before treading any further, know that this is an opinion blog. I am entitled to my own opinion and so does all of you.

To me and some of my peers, the Malaysian film industry isn't too terribly interesting. I don't call gossip interesting. There's nothing to look forward to much. Lots of the stuff churned out are all of the same thing for quite some time. Fresh ideas are something that don't come along the industry much. As we can see much of the films are love story, senseless comedy, films with messages, ghost stories and pure drama; maybe a mix of more than one element. But that's it. Many of the movies in one genre is typically the same with little variation on character, time settings and storyline. The turns and twists of most movies are so tried and exhaustive that, really, it's not surprising nor entertaining anymore. Everything is so predictable its funny. In fact, all of the movies in any genre can become so predictable that all movies are pretty much a comedy in my book. Some saving grace may come from good acting from a few select actors but rarely that ever happens. Having said all of the former, there are a few directors that are well known in the industry. Albeit, name is fame. By no means popularity measures the ability and creativity of a director. All these mundane movies makes me sick and I don't really go to the movies to watch Malaysian movies. I mostly wait until its officially out on DVD and borrow from friends.

The Malaysian movie industry however, have a few gems of its own. Enter; Mamat Khalid.

Award winning Malaysian film director

Commercial name: Mamat Khalid

Real name: Mohamad bin Mohamad Khalid
Date of Birth: 6 April 1963

Place of Birth: Ipoh, Perak

A confession, I have only seen 3 of his movies, namely Man Laksa, Zombi Kampung Pisang and Hantu Kak Limah Balik Rumah. That said, I have heard good things about his other works. Although I have only seen 3 of his work, it was enough for me to leave an impression to him. Quickly, name me just one other director that would some how and some when at any point think of making a movie about zombies? In Malaysia? Exactly. It was completely uncalled for.

Mixing up tried formulas with fresh ideas 

Where other Malaysian movies is busy milking the safe and uninspired formula of movies in Malaysia, he took the risk and went out of the way to create something completely new and unproven. He risks of being alienated with ideas so radical and somewhat weird; something that Malaysia audience might not be ready for within the local scene. He also did something else; not underestimate the Malaysian audience. Where other directors only did safe work to guarantee a controlled amount of profit, he puts aside profit for love of the art. He did such movies because he wants to, not because he wants the maximum amount of guaranteed income. To the typical audience that are not ready for such insane idea, they shun it. Calling it a piece of crap. Calling it  bonkers and illogical. But hey, for me you go to the cinema to get entertained, not to nitpick about how unrealistic stuff becomes in movies. I watch movies to escape from my daily mundane life. For as long as I had fun with the movie, it's a good movie for me. It does not necessarily need to make sense. And Mamat Khalid's movie did just so. Owh and let me get into his kind of humor because it ain't run of the mill.

Who would've thought we would have our own zombie movie one day?

When we talk about comedy there's a few kinds of them. There's the slapstick comedy where the humor comes from ridiculous physical acts. This is the kind of comedy that is done by the 3 Stooges. There's also the word comedy where hilarity ensues from the stuff that is said and implied. Another is the situational comedy, where the condition that the characters are placed sums up to something funny. Mamat Khalid however, is different. He may have the other types of comedy in his movie but he also have one other comedy that I don't see all that often; cultural comedy. That said, it might be lost in translation if the movie is viewed by foreigners or even Malaysian that are not well devised in their own culture. Frankly, I'm not big on local culture myself but I know enough for me to still call myself a Malay. Enough for me to understand and appreciate the cultural humor in his movies. A kind of humor where not many director has guts doing probably due to their mindset of underestimating the audience and mostly just to play it safe. Where many local movie stray away from cultural values of Malaysia to maximize marketability, Mamat Khalid celebrates it. He even dare to incorporate Malaysian cultural values to what seemed to be a western idea. This is apparent in his movie Rock, where even though it is about a bunch of guys trying to chase their dreams being a rockstar, which is typically only portrayed in the west. This movie tells a story of being a rockstar from a Malaysian point of view and is not ashamed to do so. Zombies came from the west. It was popularized by George A. Romero and even Resident Evil video game. It came here to our shores in the form of our movie and was lovingly crafted with our own culture for us to call our own movie. The common value of togetherness among Malay people is portrayed well in this movie, where the local villagers are seen to be gathered together at a community center for safety in numbers. This element is largely played in his movie Man Laksa. This movie does not shy away from celebrating the Malay culture of togetherness by throwing a carnival in order to raise funds for someone from the village hit with an unfortunate luck. The movie successfully portrays how Malaysians improvise with the many hurdles along the carnival. Some of the improvisation technically is not funny, but when we watch it, we laugh at ourselves because of how much it reflects our moderate people. I may not be a kampung boy that are much familiar with such local mindsets, but I appreciate them always. 

Showcasing the spirit of togetherness in rural Malaysia

I hail from the city. I like electronica and house music. I surround myself with gadget and technology. Honestly I don't go to the cinema to watch Malaysian movies. I think it's a waste of money because there's nothing much to be look forward to. Compared to western movies, you are bound to see something cool due to their high budget. Big stars fill the name and movies entertain us with modern-ness and current trends. That said however, Mamat Khalid's movies brings out the Malaysian in me. I am humbled by my origins. I learn to love it. I look at it from a different perspective. Appreciate how unique and even beautiful my country is. His movies speak to me in a way no movie does. His movie does not pull away stuff that it think I might not be familiar with, but rather asks me to give it a chance. Try to see why its done as such. Try to understand the mindset of these characters with given limitation as a rural citizen in his works. His movies asks me to appreciate and be grateful with all that I have. His movies are the kind of movies that brings identity. He's not trying to copy anyone. His movie is being itself. His movies portray Malaysia in a way few movies has ever succeeded. His movies make me, a city boy, actually appreciate -- even love my own culture.

To director Mamat Khalid, I don't think you'll ever come across this insignificant entry of mine, but if you do, I want you to know that I love your work. You actually make me feel like the local film scene actually have something going for itself. Keep doing what you do best, and to you sir, I salute. 

Sincerely,A fan.

All images property of their rightful owner. 

2012 Review

Again, my mom got some free tickets to watch this movie. If not, I don't think I'm going to watch it because I'm not keen to really watching it at the first place. It's not that I don't like Roland Emmerich's work, it's just not my cup of tea. Anyway, my movie starts at 10.30am which happens to be the first show of the day. So I had to wake up early to go to 1 Utama which is pretty far from my house in Kajang. Prior to leaving the house, I saw a review on the movie so I had my expectations set for me. Actually it's the same expectations that I had even before I saw the review. I also knew that the movie was 2 and a half hours so I prepared myself for that stretch of time without being able to go to the loo.

So for those of you not in the know, the movie is based on the Mayan myth that the world is going to end on the 21st of December 2012. That date was speculated because it happened to be the last date on the Mayan calendar. Whether it's true or not, nobody knows except our God almighty. And just a fact to slip in here, the Muslim believes that End of Days will happen on a Friday, and the 21st of December 2012 IS a Friday. The movie starts with some scientists in the year 2009 predicting a massive solar explosion that will disrupt the gravitational balance of the Earth, causing drastic movements of the tectonic plate hence utter catastrophe. In simple English, its a bad thing to us. But of course, who would believe them. As the year goes by, the theory gets more true and the superpowers of the world gets ready for it. Fast forward to the year 2012 and the catastrophe strikes and chaos is everywhere. The story is not very heavy on story although its 2 hours and 30 minutes, but for the story it has, it touches all of the moralities that we expect to see during a mass chaos. Directed by Roland Emmerich, which is the guy who also did the American version of Godzilla, or known by the Japanese just by the name of Zilla. He also did Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. See the similarities? Yes, he likes destroying stuffs. Therefore expect to see top notch world destruction effects in this movie.

In my opinion, the movie was a big ride. Huge effects and there's lots of em. All of the famous places in the world gets destroyed except for the holy land in Arab because the director was smart enough not to anger the Muslim community who takes serious respect to our religion. But the places which got destroyed really got destroyed good. The usual suspense you would come to expect from this kind of movie is also present. Overall, a good movie although I think 2 and a half hours was pretty long. Go with your friends, this is a friend flick for the destruction parts. Owh it's actually a family flick too. Some family values slipped inside it. And a pinch of humanity lessons. Nothing really groundbreaking although there literally are (pun intended). For a feast of top notch Hollywood visual effects, have at it. If you're a fan of Roland Emmerich, you would instantly be familiar with this work of his.

End of the world is rated 7 out of 10

Compensating for lost times

Ok

I know it's been a long while since I've added a new post. If you think I was being lazy, well, that's because I am. I have a new problem now; the inability to do anything productive. Haha. Anyways, I saw 2 movies while my blog was in vacation, therefore I will review those movies as brief as I can. Sorry to keep you waiting. Well a handful of you anyway. People don't read my blog.

Hello? Hello....?? Echo.. echo.. echo.. echo..

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Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

To cut to the chase, I don't really find this movie as engaging as the previous movies. Keep in mind that I didn't read the novel so throughout this movie I was struggling to relate and figure out what am I really looking at. The actors were tremendous don't get me wrong and the post effects were top notch. It's just because I didn't read the book. The previous movies were lighter but because Harry's getting older and so does everyone else, the story gets heavier and a lot more people kept dying. Not a bad movie for the readers I guess, but for the non-readers, I guess you'll be in the same boat as I am, dazed, confused and wondering. Owh the movie was almost 3 hours too. So, go to toilet and empty your bladder and bowels before hand ;-)

For me, it's just a 6/10

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The Proposal

Ryan Reynolds, gotta love him. He plays Deadpool in the recent X-Men movie and he have a great sense of humor too. I loved the movie, so much that I went to watch it twice. The movie was intellectually funny and it was very interesting to watch the progress between these two unlikely couple. The movie was not over 2 hours and is just nice for people with weak bladder such as yours truly. A great romance/comedy movie.

The odd couple gets 9/10 from me

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Those are the two movies that I've saw before this. Sorry for the short reviews. I will do full fledged reviews after this. And non-review blogs are also coming. Maybe later. Right now I'm pretty busy with my games. Wow, Rayza you're a student, you should be studying. Ouch. I know.

Later peeps.

Public Enemies Review

This was an unplanned movie experience. I was actually going to college to get the results for my previous semester but thanks to the effectiveness of the college, we had to wait for the schedule to be released after lunch which is after 2pm. I got at the college around 11.30am so after taking my results and registering for my next semester (which is Pre-Degree finally!), I still have a lot of time to kill. Luckily I was with a few of my friends. Went to a restaurant and had lunch there and went into the hostel area to hang out with some other friends while waiting for after lunch. There, one of my friend invited us to go watch this movie so lacking of a better thing to do anyway later this day, we agreed. After taking my schedule at 2 something and taking my cheque at 3.30pm, we head for KL. There were 6 0f us including me, going by 3 cars with 2 peeps in each. Parked the car at Berjaya Times Square and then walking to Pavilion for the movie. Since I bought the ticket late, I had to sit on the third row from the screen with Anas. Bought a large popcorn & a couple of soft drinks since we were starving anyway.

The story is about John Dilinger, played by Johnny Depp who is a head honcho of a notorious bank robbing crew who are John Hamilton, Baby Face Nelson, just to name a few. There are very good at what they are doing and they will only rob the bank's money and put away the customers' money. But of course no crime is without it's fighter. With the rise of crimes in the 1920's pf Chicago, a talented police is extracted on the case for Dilinger named Melvin Purvis, played by Christian Bale. Earlier through the movie, Dilinger has also a love interest in a girl in which I don't remember her name in the film nor her name in real life. But she's a big part in the film. Through the course of the film, we see Purvis and his Investigation Bureau chase down Dilinger who is very hard to locate due to his strong influence around his company. I was told that it was based on a true story, and that this particular John Dilinger is the reason why there is FBI today.

I'll tell you earlier, this movie is not for people with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder - the disability to concentrate on something for an extended amount of time) since it is full of story and it is 2 hours and 15 minutes. Yes I know movies nowadays are mostly around 2 hours. Nothing in this movie is improbable as it was based on true story anyway. Therefore for people who's looking for some fabulous hollywood post-effects won't find it here. It's pure movie all the way. The first half of the movie is honestly pretty slow and I admit I am struggling to try to understand what is happening. It's the second half where the first half of the movie really make sense and things becomes interesting. As the law enforcers gets closer to Dilinger the drama heats up and becomes more personal on both side of the party. Gangster life has never been portrayed like this before -- well not this proper at least. And to my favourite part of the movie, the gunfights. They are nothing like you've ever seen in a movie before. If you think you know how a gunfight looks like well watch this movie and get it redefined. They were nothing short of astonishing. it really steals the show. Both sides weren't just spraying bullets as it was absolutely free of charge but rather with a very realistic kind of gunfight. The gun sounds were loud, which is how they supposed to be. And usually during these firearms engagements, there are no background music to give the fake environment. It is pure environmental ambiance in the background. It's the movie with one of the best gunfights I've ever seen anywhere. Every single shot fired in this movie has one thing in which I don't see in many movies, existence. In most movie, they put more attention onto the quantity of shots fired, but in this movie, it's quality, and sometimes both. Johnny Depp was great, Christian Bale too. Great actors as they are. Keep in mind though this movie is not for everyone. It's not the normal action flick you see out there. This is not an action film, it's a gangster drama. And I kinda like it.

Gunshots still ringing in my head, 7.5/10.

Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen Review

Just for the record, at the date of writing, I've already saw this movie twice. Initially at the Berjaya Times Square and the next at KLCC. My review will be based on my first experience since the second time I saw it, I fell asleep for 10 minutes not because the movie was boring but because I had a long and exhausting day before.

This movie was waited by everyone. Waited so much that the GSC website that offers earlier bookings crashed that they had to divert it to another simplified site for reservations. Even then you will be lucky to be able to book anything before midnight. Holding to that fact, I've decided to book the one on the 10th floor of the Berjaya Times Square. Thank goodness there were still an ample amount of seats available. Probably because not many people know about the place. It is actually a better experience there compared to the conventional cinema because the screens are bigger and all the seats hand rest are retractable. The sounds were also blasting loud but the right kind of loud. Bought the ticket one day earlier. I got a nice view of the movie. Unfortunately I came in about 10 minutes late. So I missed the opening but I could only hope that I didn't miss out much. Since I was kind of thirsty, though I had breakfast at Old Town White Coffee Cafe at Pavilion, I bought a large Coke. The place is big so it is a while before I reach my seat.

The movie, from the beginning should be concluded with one word, colossal. Right from the beginning you could see them getting the bad guys with no excuse to the environment around them, blowing up with anything that is possible to be blown up. The movie is mainly about the hunt for the last shard of the Allspark and the Decepticon's attempt to revive the ancient Prime that went rogue in search of Energon (power source), The Fallen. The quest was littered with battles among them in the most flexible battle I've seen between hundreds of tons of metal. It is kinda hard for me to follow to since most of the Decepticons have very dull colours compared to the Autobots. All the Transformers stay true to the first movie except for Megatron (and another one in which I will not enclose here) in which as we seen in the first movie was terribly damaged, in which he got his spare parts from another Decepticon. This time he's a semi-tank-semi-jet but still pretty much the same. There were also a few goofy Transformers thrown in the movie to slow the movie down since when it is not slowing down, something is blowing up or metals are clashing. The Transformers were so big of a part of this movie that the rest of the human characters that are not Sam & Mikaela seems so puny. And should I say the designs of these Transformers were astonishing. Looking at made me wonder how long did it take to do all that. The details were just eye popping. If you really want to see what they did, it's either you see it at the movies a lot of times or wait for the High Definition version of it is sold to actually see it. There are also a lot of Transformers now and some in which is a lot bigger that the Transformes themselves. Always a sight to behold. There were also so many Transformes that it is not very easy to keep track of. Not that it's a bad thing, I'm just mentioning it.

Well, what more can I ask. Great action, incredible effects, long duration. Great. Just what the doctor ordered, a real action CG movie. Aside from the fact that there is one Decepticon that shifts into a human female that I do not agree as it is already been done by The Terminators, the rest were just beyond words. As a kid, most of us love Transformers, boys especially. Having to see them duke it out on the silver screen with over the top effects is just a dream come true. It's like a little kid walking into toy land. It's that kind of feeling that you get when you this movie. An incredibly tall recommendation from me for those who haven't seen it. Wonder what was all the craze about this movie? Well because it is good and people know it. If you haven't seen it, well you better be soon. Epic.

0.5 shy of a perfect score due to the cameo of a Terminator. [9.5/10]

Night At The Museum 2 Review

Since I watched the first movie, I have always wanted to see more of this movie. And now it's out, and I went to watch it of course. I actually saw this movie last Monday (01/06) with my regular movie partner. It was the starting of the school holiday and as expected the line for the movie tickets were long and it's coiling. Having to be one step ahead, I've reserved some tickets, which require us not to queue at all, only for an additional RM 1. I haven't got my lunch and since it was just quarter past 2, we went to the nearest food court to have lunch. I had the Dory Fish Pasta at the western corner there and guess what, it was pretty good. The fish were succulent and the pasta was moist and flavorful. You should give it a try if you want a breath of fresh air of all of the usual chicken rice, hot plate, claypot, mixed rice affair of many food courts. Window shopped around the area to kill some more time before the movie starts at 4pm. Weird thing though the only kind of window shopping I enjoy are games, computers & gadgets. Hehe.

The movie starts with Tim Daly the (once) guard of the Museum of Natural History now off having his own career of inventing stuffs such as a glow in the dark torchlight. Long story short, some events made him required to present at the museum as the artifacts in the museum he used to work in recognizes him. Some artifacts needed to be moved to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, which is the new "playground" for Tim. He's not an official guard of the museum but as the story goes, it doesn't really matter. The Tablet of Akhmenrah, the artifact that brings the creatures to life after sunset was unintentionally moved to the Smithsonian which happened to be the largest museum in the world. With some of the artifacts from the Museum of Natural History meeting the Smithsonian artifact should produce some interesting meet ups, and that's pretty much what the rest of the movie is about. Artifacts with attitude.

Simply put it, it's just like the first movie. If you have saw the first one, this is a very similar movie with the difference only being the setting and the repertoire of living artifacts. If you liked the first movie at all and wanted for more, this movie should fix you up, but if you're looking for something fresh and innovative, you're not gonna find any in this. This movie is like a haunted train ride; the first time you get on it, all the scares worked and you did get scared for your money, and this movie is like taking the same ride, albeit a little more variation. This movie was very average for me, probably because I was expecting too much from it. Probably because there were so many characters that they want to feature, the focus of story-telling has really suffered from that. If you haven't watched the first one, don't be afraid to straight ahead and jump into this movie. Past knowledge from earlier movie will only give you some neat things to pick out but nothing crucial to the story. The jokes were average, best be watched with your closest peeps so that you can laugh along with it. This is probably because during the first movie, you really had no idea what was going to happen but in here everything were quite predictable. All and all, this movie is not to be taken seriously. If you have some time to kill with your friends and you really can't come up with anything ingenious to do, maybe you should watch this. For the peeps who've watched the first one, be prepared to ride the same ride again. Not a bad movie, just very average. For me.

This movie scores a low 7/10 for me.

Star Trek Review

Yes at first glance, even I thought this is not a good idea to watch Star Trek. I've watched Star Trek: Nemesis before (Google it). The movie was Boring with a capital B. I tried so hard to like it because Star Trek is a big franchise but I failed to and fell asleep almost halfway through. But that was Star Trek: Nemesis which was still in the original canon of Star Trek. This movie however is a reboot to the canon. Hollywood tries to make it accessible not only for nerds, but also normal people alike. And the movie reviews I saw all over the internet says it was unexpectedly good. This time around, I watched the movie with my regular movie companion at Pavilion in KL, just for a change. We've been to other places before. Our movie starts at 12.15pm. Had our breakfast at Oldtown White Coffee: Signature there and their toast are one of a kind. The price was reasonable too. You should try it once in a while instead of the normal fast food restaurant breakfast. Walked around the Pavilion a little before going to the cinema for the movie. And I must say the air-conditioning in GSC Cinemas has been less cold. Probably because there has been complaints. Anyway at least it's cozy.

Being someone who never saw or liked the actual movie, my hopes wasn't really high for this one. The movie starts with the U.S.S Kelvin, which is one of the mega-spaceships like the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars. It stumbled upon one of the Romulan (a race in the Star Trek universe) ships and it started attacking. The captain of each ship decided to make truce with the captain of the U.S.S Kelvin boarding the Romulan ship. George Kirk was appointed as the captain of the ship while the original captain went and board the Romulan ship. The U.S.S Kelvin lost and also does George Kirk but he got the chance to name his son, Jim Kirk. The story then proceeds about the story of Jim Kirk and also Spock, a half human half vulcan and their story in the institute and the U.S.S Enterprise.

I know this is weird for a Star Trek movie but everything is understandable. Yes. Everything is! Including all of the intergalactic warp space time travelling thingys. The movie was action-packed, sprinkled with some comedy and drama. In one word, it was Epic! This movie has changed my whole perception of the Star Trek universe and if they decided to make a sequel for this, I'll definitely watch it. The new actors are nothing short of amazing. Kirk with his rebellious nature, Spock with it's logical explanations, have them as a team and you got yourself one heck of a duo. Much like Starsky & Hutch but they're in space. A very very good movie. If someone invites me to watch it again, I might just accept it because it was really good. Nothing short of amazing. "Dif-tor heh smusma" (which is "live long and prosper" in vulcan).

This epic movie is worthy of a solid 9/10

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review

As usual, my reviews are not usually up at the same day I watched it but better late than never. Saw this movie at Mid Valley (again! I know I'm getting bored myself) with a friend of mine. Saw the first show of the day. Had my breakfast first at the nearby McDonald's while waiting for the ticket counter to open. Oh I forgot to mention that I got at Mid Valley around 9.30am. I just like being early for no particular reason. Had some good ol' Big Breakfast. Did you know that Big Breakfast is the MOST unhealthy menu in McDonald's? Yikes. I can't eat them often. We had booked for it at the first place but since my partner has conveniently forgot to copy it and the line was still fairly short anyway (because it's still very early) we decided to just queue. The lines here move rather quickly despite of its length so I wasn't really complaining. Plus we save RM1 on the booking surcharge. Ehem. Got the tickets, killed some time by window shopping and entered the cinema 5 minutes before 11am. The theatre was only half full though. Or was it half empty? Hurm. You decide.

The movie started with the child life of Wolverine and his elder brother Sabretooth. Living in a family full of conflict he Wolverine eventually killed his real father after his real father shot his fake father. The claws coming out of his hands at first were made of his own bones and he used them to stab his pops. Starting from this moment on they lived as vagrants, trying to survive by using their best skills, killing. The opening montage shows that they have participated in various combats in history from the American Revolution until The Vietnam War and they haven't aged a bit. This is to show that these brothers are practically invulnerable and that they had a very long lifespan. This movie also feature some of the other heroes from the X-Men canon such as The Blob, Bolt, Deadpool, Gambit and some other early appearances from the juvenile X-Men heroes to be. The movie was action packed, the story was easy to understand, the plot was straight forward, and there was very little dull moments along the movie. I love watching the double katana wielding Wade Wilson or later Deadpool in action and I'm really interested to see more of him. Heard news that there is going to be X-Men Origins: Deadpool too but I don't know because I also heard about X-Men Origins: Magneto. So whichever comes out I'm still going to go watch it nonetheless. But he is probably my favourite character in the movie after Wolverine and just like Stryker said, "If it weren't for his mouth, he'd be the perfect soldier". And also Hugh Jackman is incredible as Wolverine and I really can't see anyone who can do it better. He has the charms and the looks. Very good lines and very convincing and quality acting. I was also very eager to see Gambit actually since this is the first time that he ever appeared on the big screen. Sadly there were very little scenes with him and few of which is key to the story. I want to see him fight more. Maybe against Deadpool. That'll be awesome. And as everybody knows, Wolverine has adamantium skeleton which are ores from outer space. And he has regenerative properties. He is just entertaining to watch because his fighting style is so different than most superheroes that evade from attacks, Wolverine just goes to it head on. Sheer excitement and a sight to behold. He's someone you'll never want to mess with I'll tell you that.

Overall, it was a great movie. Better than my expectations actually. I was thinking I aws going to see another comic book franchise going to milked and rehashed but certainly I was wrong. My partner loves it too, and this partner of mine don't like films easily. That's good I guess. At least this partner of mine is happy and thinks it's worth it. Well so do I. I give you high recommendations to go see it. It's an entertaining movie and whether you like X-Men or not, just give it a try. You might like it afterwards.

This movie deserves 9/10

He's Just Not That Into You Review

By the time of writing, I saw this movie yesterday (29/4) at Mid Valley with some of my friends. This movie has been out for a while now, about a month I guess. But only recently that I had a chance (and a group of friends that are willing to watch it). This day was a normal day with classes until afternoon but I headed for Mid Valley right after. The movie started 10 minutes after I arrived, and thanks to my friend who have bought it for me, I don't need to queue. Bought a small pop corn and a medium coke before heading in since I haven't got my lunch yet. According to the internet, the movie was 2 hours long. Probably that's the reason it took me a while to decide whether to watch this too long because I'm not a fan of sitting in a refrigerator for 2 hours. And since I'm kinda too thin, I get real cold real fast.

For those of you who didn't know, this movie was based on a 2005 self-help book of the same name by Greg Behrendt, Liz Tuccillo, and Lauren Monchik. Due to that, the movie was separated into 4 subtle parts if I'm not mistaken, started by the interview of some people on the topic. And this movie was star-studded. The idea of the movie came from Drew Barrymore herself after reading the book, and she stars in it as well as some hollywood hot shots which are Ben Affleck, Jennifer Anniston, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly, Bradley Cooper, Ginnifer Goodwin, Scarlett Johanson and Justin Long. That's a combination that comes once in a blue moon. The movie actually revolves around a few people which are connected indirectly. There's a desperate woman, a married couple with problems, and a happy couple with problems of getting married. This is mainly a chic flick but anybody that are even remotely interested in this movie from all fuss you heard about it should go and check it out. Especially those with relationship problems or not, or a woman who's having difficulties getting a men. This movie has a lot of messages for the ladies but mens, go watch it too and see what hollywood has to say about us. Characters in this movie was predictable again, but then again it's not easy to make it not. Convincing deliveries of the characters by the actors and actresses in this movie made it a worthwhile too

Overall, it was a great movie. There's nothing much I can say about it because there's nothing that you haven't seen but why fix something that is not broken anyway. Since the movie has been out for quite a while already, the showtimes for this movie is not much anyway. For those who haven't got a chance to watch it, go ahead do yourself a favour and go watch it. Higher recommendations from me to people that is going to be, still, and was in a relationship. This movie had messages so subtle that some people that might be in some situations might get influenced by this movie too. But hey its hollywood peeps. You do the judgement. Great movie. That's what I think. I don't think it's going to be shown any longer than another two weeks from now at most. Go ahead.

This movie gets 8/10 from me.

Confessions of a Shopaholic Movie Review

I saw this movie at Mid Valley on the 19th of March. I was really lazy to put this up early for some reason. But better late then never. This movie has been out for a while by the time I saw it, I know, but it wasn't on my movie checklist anyway because none of them are currently viewing. The film had quite a promotion I see. It was also based on the book with the same name by the famous chic lit novelist, Sophie Kinsella. Many movies nowadays are adaptations of something, books, comics videogames, even anime & manga. Not many new ideas get through. Maybe it's because of the recession in which they were trying to play it safe by makinga movie that already had followers from the material it was based on therefore they know that it will be watched by some people no matter how bad the reviews are. Or maybe even if it wasn't adapted, the original movie was made a sequel. Playing it safe all the time. Even hollywood is not recession-proof.

Ok enough about my rants on the recession topic, going on to the movie. Since I had a friend that had read the whole Shopaholic books, I had this person to accompany me to watch it. We saw the first show of the day which was at 11.30am. The movie was 1 hour and 45 minutes. The movie was about Rebecca Bloomwood also known as Becky among her friends, who had an unhealthy obesession towards shopping (thus the name shopaholic) until one day she had her debts getting back to her. Up to a point that even a debt named Derek Smeath was chasing her around to get her to pay her debts. She was living with her friends who are getting married later. She came to New York to work as a journalist. Having her expertise in shopping, she applied for a spot in the infamous Allete magazine only to be turned down and later working on another magazine that was under the same publisher. She works in Succesful Savings magazine which is the complete opposite of what she's capable of doing. Here is also where she met her benevolent editor Luke Brandon. The story goes on as she's trying to learn to overcome her shopping habits and at the same time trying to avoid the debt collector. A chic flick that everyone can enjoy.

Now, having someone who has actually read the book to accompany me, this person told me that the movie was loosely based on the book. For example in this movie, Becky stumbled upon Brandon for the first time at a hot dog stand which he payed for Becky's hot dog, instead in the book, they met for the first time on a plane, where Becky exposed her unhealthy shopping habits to Brandon, which will be her future editor of Succesful Savings. But even when the movie was loosely based on it, and this person being a true follower of the series, this person still says the movie was pretty good, which was saying much since usually people who had read the book would detest againts changing so much from the original material. That was a good sign. Personally, I think movie makers had to change it because if they had to take everything, or a major part of the book onto the screen, it would be a very lengthy movie and it wasn't suitable for movie goers. This movie I think was made this way so that it was suitable for both the novel readers and the movie goers. The movie goers had another chic flick and the novel readers get a rough idea of what Rebecca Bloomwood is in real life. No clever twist whatsoever in this film but that was ok and not necessary. The film was pretty ok. I don't really watch chic flicks but this movie made me think twice if I should shun the genre upon view. It was pretty good for a chic flick. Everything is in order and nothing is not understandable. The comedy was ok too. You should go see it if you haven't.

I give this movie an 8/10

Fast and Furious 4 Review

As you see, this movie is in my list of movies to watch this year, so naturally I have expectations towards it. Planned to go watch this with my friends or something similar but since my mom got a hold of some free tickets (don't ask), of course I grabbed it. There's not many free things that I refuse. Who does?

Anyway, the movie was going to be in Mid Valley, on a Saturday (11/04/08). Coincidentally, I have class going on earlier that morning. So no choice, I had to attend it. The class ended about 30 minutes earlier and thanks to a friend of mine, I got sent to the nearest Komuter station without having to take a taxi. He saved me RM10. Thanks dude. The movie was a 4pm but I arrived in Mid Valley at about 11.30am. There are a lot of things I can do here of course to kill time. Had my lunch at McD's having the McValue Lunch of Double Cheeseburger. Walked around the mall, stopped by computer shops, stopped by MPH, before my mom called me to join the family for a meal before the movie. Guess what my mom got me? A McValue Lunch of Double Cheeseburger of course. My body must've been screaming like crazy if it could with the amount of fat and sugar I take in today. As you know, the movie is 18+ so my mom only got 2 tickets for this movie in which I had to watch it with my dad while the rest of the family get to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic. My movie starts at 4pm while the other one starts half an hour later. Got into the theatre and it was freezing cold. After the Transformers 2 movie trailer which was an eye candy and some booze commercials, the movie starts.

The movie starts and one of the company that works in this movie is Dreamworks, which specializes in digital special effects, which made me think, oh boy this isn't good. They're relying on some animated cars rather than the real ones. Unlike the earlier 3 movies to this series which starts with a race, this movie doesn't. This could be wrong or might be right. It's good to see Vin Diesel reprising his role as Dominic Toretto but Paul Walker hasn't yet to be seen. As in the trailer, it starts with stealing some oils and at the end of this scene was some obvious digital effects. Which was very cheesy and corny. Paul Walker appears later as the Brian O'Conner which is now working with the feds again. The movie mainly revolves around revenge that Dom was seeking to people who murdered her girl, Letty. And Brian was looking to bust the head honco of a drug smuggling gang. And coincidentally for both of the characters to reach their goals, they had to do some driving. Yeah nothing innovative but nothing wrong with that. Ok, now. What is it that made us so attracted to watch this movie franchise? Of course for the hot cars and racing action. Well, here's some spoiler for you, triple click in the white space to view it:
[Spoiler start]
there are only 2 races if I'm not mistaken throughout the whole movie and the rest of car scenes were just driving dangerously.
[End of spoiler]
There were only a handful of cars and even they don't appear much and even if they do only for a brief amount of time. This was not the Fast and Furious we have learned to like. Driving in this movie was just something that the characters had to do instead of what they like to do. Unlike in the first movie where there were drag races, races around the town in the second movie, races around a construction site in the third, all of which was done entirely by the protagonist's will purely for some good time. In this movie, such driving scene doesn't exist. It was either driving for someone or something. And there were also quite a number of death in this movie too, some which are very intense, which is not very fast & furios, which only have some deaths. This movie was more about a drama of revenge and gang busting starring Vin Diesel and Paul Walker with some hot cars in it. I don't think it deserves to be called the 4th movie because this one has so much less than what I expected because it's losing it's fast and furious factor. There are too little cars and too many dramas for a Fast & Furios movie. Still can't believe what I said? Go watch all of the previous 3 movies and then watch this one. Be honest with yourself. Newer doesn't automatically makes it better. I would say this as the worse entry of the franchise so far and if you have saw the first 3 movies, go watch it if you want to see a story progress. For newcomers to the movie, I suggest you watch any of the first 3 movies. And for movie goers and that doesn't have a problem with watching anything in the cinema, I think there could be other movies but you could still watch it if you're curious. For me personally though, I was kind of a let down. It wasn't a bad movie but it was ok. Just ok. There might be a sequel but I don't know.

I give it 6.5/10

Watchmen Movie Review

Actually I have watched this movie back on Friday the 13th of this month but it is only now that I have the mood to finally write this down. It's been a while since the last entry. Here is my review.

Prior to watching this movie, I have been trying to catch up with the graphic novel which consists of 12 issue of graphic goodness by Alan Moore. It is one of the most celebrated comic book of all times and the only comic book to have made it in the Times Magazine 100 Best Book of All Time. Sadly I have only read up to book 4 to the day of the movie. I went with someone else to Seremban's Terminal 1. The movie was 6pm and my last class was supposed to end at 4.30pm. Luckily my class ends at 4pm and I called a right away which arrived around 15 minutes after which is still late considering I have a train to catch which is usually also late and someone to meet to tag along which will also cost valuable time. Thankfully by the time I got on the train, so does someone arrive at the station. By the time we got to Seremban, it was already 5.40pm. Got to the cinema, bought our ticket, and we had 10 minutes to spare. As usual I buy some popcorn and coke. The movie started as soon as we got the seat. Well, what can I say, one of my most anticipated movie of this year. And just like in the book, The Comedian gets murdered initially, which the story revolves around who did it. Watchmen are a group of people in costumes that controls the peace of New York City having that it had no police. The story is about the second generation of Watchmens which the first generation is known as the Minutemen. Some of the the Watchmens are continuation from the previous Minutemen bearing the the initials "II" which is two in roman characters in thier name. The rest of story is very complicated yet very rewarding if you really get a hold of it. I recommend you to read the book first before watching the movie as it will leave you jaw dropping to the floor with how much similarity it had with the book. Even if you haven't read the book, just go see it for a great cinema experience. The story unfolds very neatly and sticks very nearly to the book. Almost everything about the book is portrayed in this movie except for some smaller scenes and the ending of the movie was changed too but that just gives you the reason to experience both the book and the movie. All and all, I really have nothing to say about the movie aside that although it was 2 hours and 30 minutes long, there wasn't a single dull moment. The highest recommendation for this movie from me. If you have the time, go see it. Don't think twice.

Keep in mind that the comic book was more than a decade ago and it was told by many comic experts as a comic that is impossible to be filmed. Zack Snyder hit the homerun. Also thanks to David Hayter (voice of Solid Snake!!!) and another guy for making this movie on the dot. And just for fun, I want to show you some similarities from the comic to the screen. And these are just from the final trailer, not the whole movie. The movie is like a Deja Vu if you've read the comic. But a good Deja Vu of course.


For more small details and similarity of the movie go to the official website of the studio here or some other guy's research here.


Oh for the rating, I'll give it a full 10/10.

Movie Checklist 2009: Part 1

These are the movies that are confirmed for this year and I am looking forward to watch them all if I had the time. Even if I don't have time, I'll maybe wait for the DVD and buy it. All the movies listed here is released in the first half of 2009. The next half, I will do later. In order or release:

Inkheart (didn't watch)

















Synopsis: Based on the book by Cornelia Funke, "Inkheart" is a timeless adventure tale of imagination that centers on Meggie, a young girl whose father has a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud. But when a power-hungry villain from a rare children's fable kidnaps Meggie's father to bring others out of the boundaries of fiction, she and a disparate group of friends both real and magic embark on the kind of adventure she has only read about in books to save him and set things right.
Why yes?: The ability to bring up any characters from any book is very interesting. And I know in the real world, if a girl has this power, she will surely bring up Edward Cullen.
Why not?: Brendan Frasier is famous for starring in B grade movies so this most probably will be a B grade movie.


Street Fighter: Legend of Chun-Li (had bad reviews, didn't watch)

















Synopsis: Chun-Li is in the quest of his father's murderer by joining the interpol. And of course working her way up the criminal world she has to confront various criminals that features some of the other Street Fighter characters. Played by Kristin Kreuk, the star of Smallville.
Why yes?: Well, I love videogames. And Street Fighter was one of the first game I'm exposed too. And all time favourite fighting game of the world too. I'm also a big fan of Smallville. And Lana Lang @ Kristin Kreuk is in. I don't care is Chun-Li doesn't look chinese but Kristin Kreuk could just be the reason why I want to watch it
Why not?: This is a videogame movie. There hasn't been a single videogame movie that really settles as a real movie. And eventhough it's cool to have Kristin Kreuk as Chun-Li, there are more chinese hollywood actress out there they could choose.


Watchmen(watched, 10/10!!!)


















Synopsis: It all begins with the paranoid delusions of a half-insane hero called Rorschach. But is Rorschach really insane or has he in fact uncovered a plot to murder super-heroes and, even worse, millions of innocent civilians? On the run from the law, Rorschach reunites with his former teammates in a desperate attempt to save the world and their lives, but what they uncover will shock them to their very core and change the face of the planet! Following two generations of masked superheroes from the close of World War II to the icy shadow of the Cold War comes this groundbreaking comic story - the story of The Watchmen.
Why yes?: David Hayter is the writer of this movie. And it's deemed as one of the most accurate rewriting of the movie based on the comic so far.
Why not?: Well, my expectations might be too high and if the movie doesn't perform I wouldn't like it. Hopefully it doesn't. I've been waiting for this movie for a year.


Race to Witch Mountain(no time, didn't watch)

















Synopsis: For years, stories have circulated about a secret place in the middle of the Nevada desert, known for unexplained phenomena and strange sightings. It is called Witch Mountain, and when a Las Vegas cab driver (Dwayne Johnson) finds two teens with supernatural powers in his cab, he suddenly finds himself in the middle of an adventure he can't explain. When they discover that the only chance to save the world lies in unraveling the secrets of Witch Mountain, the race begins, as the government, mobsters and even extraterrestrials try to stop them. "Race to Witch Mountain" is a fun and thrilling adventure featuring incredible special effects.
Why yes?: I've always been fond of the movie played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. And it's a Disney movie too so it is usually interesting.
Why not?: The story might be not interesting and they're just looking for an excuse for action scenes.


Monsters Vs. Aliens


















Synopsis: When California girl Susan Murphy is unexpectedly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall and is instantly labeled a "monster" named Ginormica. The military jumps into action, and she is captured and held in a secret government compound. The world learns that the military has been quietly rounding up other monsters over the years. This ragtag group consists of the brilliant but insect-headed Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D.; the macho half-ape, half-fish The Missing Link; the gelatinous and indestructible B.O.B.; and the 350-foot grub called Insectosaurus. Their confinement time is cut short however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country.
Why yes?: Dreamworks so far has been prducing splendid animated movies and I haven't saw one that's not good one. An easy pick
Why not?: I have no idea why not. Maybe time constraint if it came. Or maybe even nobody to watch with.


Dragonball: Evolution(bad reviews, didn't watch)


















Synopsis: "Dragonball is adapted from the manga created by Akira Toriyama; the work was also turned into a Japanese anime series that played all over the world. It tells the story of an alien sent to destroy Earth, who has a change of heart and decides to join the humans in their fight against various aliens and bad guys. Justin Chatwin is starring as the hero Goku, while James Marsters will play the villain Piccolo in the sci-fi adventure.
Why yes?: Who does not know Dragonball? With over the top fighting and humor, this one gives me all the reason to watch it, solely based on the manga and anime.
Why not?: You have seen the trailers and screenshots haven't you? And we all aren't impressed with it and it wasn't what we were expecting to get. This movie almost is surely to suck and adding Evolution to the title is like adding an excuse for it when it doesn't make sense.


X-Men Origins: Wolverine(watched, 9/10)

















Synopsis: Leading up to the events of "X-Men," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" tells the story of Wolverine's epically violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters many mutants, both familiar and new, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.
Why yes?: Undoubtedly, Wolverine is one of the more interesting character in X-Men. Regeneration and adamantium claws. What more can you ask for. And the trailer is pretty cool too that finally has Gambit in it!
Why not?: This may just be another X-Men movie if the focus wasn't given enough to Wolverine. Not that it will be bad, it will just be inappropriately titled.


Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian(watched, 7/10)


















Synopsis: In the sequel, the Museum of Natural History is closed down for upgrading and the exhibits are put into storage at the Federal Archives in Washington, D.C. Amy Adams will play an undetermined historical figure who has a crush on security guard Larry (Stiller).
Why yes?: I saw the original Night at the Museum and it was pretty fun. I kinda like Ben Stiller too.
Why not?: This might be too giberrish and plotless as they try to balance the actual story of Night at the Musem with the battle of the smithsonians.


Terminator Salvation(had average reviews, maybe not)



















Synopsis: In the highly anticipated new installment of "The Terminator" film franchise, set in post-apocalyptic 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.
Why yes?: Christian Bale is The Terminator now taking over place of the Californian Governor. Terminator was a great movie back then and it will be great to see another one, especially how it will look without Schwarzenegger.
Why not?: Christian Bale may not be as good as a Terminator as Schwarzenegger was and the thing with sequel is, it usually doen't get any better.


Fast & Furious 4(watched, 6.5/10)

















Synopsis: Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed— "Fast & Furious." Heading back to the streets where it all began, they rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller.
Why yes?: I love cars. Especially those which are tuned. Which is what this movie contains. What else can I say? Owh and Vin Diesel & Paul Walker are both in this movie. That's going to be sweet.
Why not?: They have done tuned, drift, what else could there be? Muscles? I don't know what's in now. They might be doing some tunes that might not be interesting to me. Who knows. Let's just wait and see.


Trasformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

















Synopsis: Continuation of war on Earth between two robotic clans, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, leaving the fate of mankind hanging in the balance.
Why yes?: The movie in 2007 left me hanging for more Transformers. With all of the Decepticons dead except for Starscream, it would be interesting to see how he comes up with further plans to get rid of the Autobots. I can expect more effects and more robotic brawls with the word awesome written all over it
Why not?: Well, you know how sequels tend to be less good than the original. Other than that I've practically no reason to not watch this.