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Juno (2007)

Boring, annoying, morally wrong

I saw this film due to all the hype and I like Ellen Page in X-men, so I decided to give it a go. But this film is slow and boring, and annoys me how it portrays teens getting pregnant like it's no big deal:

• Juno is too fake: she takes her pregnancy too lightly. When she calls her friend, Juno says she is expecting a big reaction from her friend like it is some sort of a joke.

• When her parents find out her pregnancy, her mother is like, 'I don't even know you are sexually active.' It shows how they really know or care about her and then even support her to give the their grandchild up to somebody else.

• Juno doesn't care about the baby's future. When she talks to the adoptive parents, she goes, 'Can I just have the kid, then like hand it to you?' like it's some sort of gift and not a human being. When asked if she wants to know of any news how the baby's doing, she just shrugs off and doesn't want anything to do with it.

I don't get how this could get a 7.9 rating. Also, the guitar music played by Juno's boyfriend is annoying as hell. Can Michael Cera act? No, plus he's damn ugly and geeky, unconvincing as the guy who fathers the child. When he knows Juno is pregnant, his only reaction is 'So, what are you going to do?', showing he's just as responsible as Juno.

The Fugitive (1993)

One of Ford's best movies!

Richard Kimble (Ford) is wrongly accused of his wife's murder and is being relentlessly pursued by the police (led by Tommy Lee Jones) who will do anything to capture Ford, but who is even more hell-bent on clearing his name and bringing the real murderer to justice.

It is classic police's chase as Ford escapes from the bus on its way to prison, relying on his doctor's smarts to outwit the vigilance of a veteran detective, always staying one step ahead and at the same time, trying to get the police on his side and using what they know to assist him to investigate his wife's murder. The surprise comes when the real murderer is actually his good friend. When Samuel (Jones) realizes the police is chasing the wrong man, he quits being the 'bad' guy and pretty much teams up with Ford in the end to catch the real culprit.

The director wins my praise by not wasting time on long and meaningless dialog unrelated to the story, but rather lets the action to speak for itself from the desperate measures a man can go to clear his name. This is a smart movie reminiscent of the Bourne Trilogy, also about a man pursuing the truth about his real identity.

I bought the VCD for S$3 after renting the DVD. To me this movie is for keeps!

The Dark Knight (2008)

Great....but #10 of top 250? Slightly Overrated

I saw this before Batman Begins so I have no idea if it is a continuation from the previous one or is a totally new chapter of the story. I just heard everybody say how great it is so I want to witness myself if it is true. Frankly I think everyone praises it because Heath Ledger is in it and he is dead. Dead actors usually draw more people to the cinema, sadly.

The film is very long almost three hours. I feel Christian Bale is not quite suited as Batman, something about his looks I can not explain. The villains are better cast. I like Gary Oldman as Inpsector Gordon. I love Aaron Eckhart as two-faced. I sympathize his character as he turns against Batman only as he loves Rachel so much and he blames Batman for her death. He is still a good person even after he becomes two-faced.

Heath Ledger is great as the Joker but I think Jack Nicholson is better. At least the make-up is done very well and Heath looks great. I don't really feel the hatred between him and Batman (over the dead girl reporter? Seems silly. Why is she so important? I don't really see her play a significant part in the movie) in the interrogation room. The annoying music in the scene continues to drone insides my head and makes more impact to me but in the irritating kind of way.

I feel the atmosphere is very dark. Batman only appears at night in his dark suit so half the action happens at night and I can't quite well see it in 'proper light', lost interest after a while.

The day scenes is all talks in suits and no action. Nice scenery from the tall building with big windows. I feel bored in some parts and wish they could just talk faster.

It is an okay movie but I fail to see how it can make it to #10 spot in the top 250 films. Nolan is good but obviously over-rated. Maybe due to lack of capable directors discovered in this generation. Feel movies are all about the same. Maybe all the good movies have already been made before 2000. Will wait for Batman 3 and see.

Air Force One (1997)

Like Ford, Love Gary :)

Harrison Ford is the President. Sounds a bit silly and impossible. Then even more impossible, the President's plane, Air Force One, got hijacked by a group of terrorists led by Gary Oldman. Did they pass the security really that easy? They held the passengers hostages and it is up to Ford to save the day.

The action is a bit dramatic and over the top but I gotta love the rivalry between Ford and Oldman, who is so great and cute cute in a weird and non-threatening way, don't find him convincing as an villain. I admit sometimes I see movies only as my favorite actors are in them. Air Force One happens to be a good movie though.

Feel some of the action's excitement wears off after Oldman leaves the scene as then it is mainly about the people getting off the plane in safety and of course they do eventually.

Besides AFO, the Ford's movies that I also like are Firewall, The Fugitive, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Bladed Runner.

Batman Returns (1992)

Good but not better than the first. Missing The Joker.

I saw this film when I was still very young. I have no idea who Tim Burton was then. I was quite surprised to finally know he actually managed to direct films with no Johnny Depp in it.

This is a good film with introduction to new villain like the Penguin (brillantly acted by Danny DeVito as he really irks and makes me just want to bash his head with his pointy umbrella), Batman's love interest- The Catwoman, who was also a villain at first but turns out to be good in the end.

Somehow, no other Batman villain seems to match the evil genius and a sort of magnetic presence like The Joker, who can make any actor who plays him famous (Jack Nicholson, Heath Ledger). Mention Batman and I immediately think of The Joker, with his famed purple suit and wild fuzzy green hair and that crazed smile. I actually love him more than the Batman. He is such a colorful and unpredictable character, the No.1 match to Batman's troubled and dark one.

This film is good, but without the Joker the film seems incomplete and hollow. Something just makes me uncomfortable watching the film. The ending is not explosive and very stale. Everyone knows Batman always wins.

I hate the Penguin, wish more can be said about the love between Batman and Catwoman. The film is only okay, mostly uninteresting, a bit below my expectation from a Tim Burton film. It is good enough for me with only one viewing. I like the first one more.

Stuck on You (2003)

Silly but fun, Not to be taken seriously

It is a fun film between two brothers who were born with their bodies adjoined at the waist. They lead a simple life till one brother wants to pursue his career as an actor. They decide to have an operation as they have different interests and want to date without dragging the other along. But after they have their own bodies, they realize they can not live without each other as they were so used to doing everything together since kids.

It is a touching film with some funny episodes at the expense of having the convenience being attached to another person and can not do anything about it, quarrels between the two brothers who have very different personalities but their kinship triumphs in the end and the film has a happy ending. Matt and Greg have great chemistry. After seeing the film, I wish I had a friend that could be that close to me :)

4: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Could be better, but still better than the first.

This one is better than the first because of the intriguing character silver surfer. I like the effects that is done around him. But the story is empty.

I still like Chris Evans and Jessica Alba but that is it. I don't really have much good things to say about the film. The two actors are the reason why I watched it.

I hope if they ever thought of making a third outing they would do something about the story.

The silver surfer has a great body. I wish they had shown more of his face.

Fantastic Four (2005)

Boring After a While

I sat through this whole film to ogle at Chris Evan (A bit young for me) in his tight suit. Is Jessica Alba hot? As a girl I find her body is hot but her face is nothing to wow about. At least she is also in a tight suit. Two eye-candies to feast my eyes on.

The above two reasons are the only highlights of the film. The story starts off as okay, then descends to nothingness till I don't really care if the bad guy wins and the whole world got squashed by evil freaks, as if they are that scary. Jessica and Chris save the movie for me.

Poor film to start off with if they are thinking of making sequels but OK if they are just making some quick bucks. Throw in more beautiful people in tight suits and they can make my money any day.

Hairspray (2007)

A Treat for High School fans!

It is a very colorful film with all characters dressed up in colorful costumes, which suits the film's very light and bubbly atmosphere set in the 60s. It is like High School Musical with many catchy songs and flashy dance moves from all the stars, including those I don't know can actually dance.

I like John Travolta dressing up as a woman. He looks very motherly, wish I had a mother who looks like that. Christopher Walken is great as well as a supporting actor who always steals the scene. Zac Efron is cool but he is really not handsome, just sings and dances very well. The fat girl sings well too but I doubt anyone would use her again as a main cast unless maybe when there is singing involved. She comes along just because the producers happen to look for a fat girl. I may never see her again in another movie.

The songs are okay. I saw all the 3 HSMs and this one doesn't have much difference. Overall it is a good film.

Love Wrecked (2005)

Funny and charming!

Somehow, Amanda Bynes is always good in comedies, and this one does not disappoint. I love the parts where she and Jamie-Lynn Sigler fight over the rock star guy. Really funny. Bynes is not pretty but looks great in a bikini and convincing as an island-type of girl, which suits the story as it has an island resort setting.

Jonathan Bennett looks handsome and very likable as the shy and nervous lovable guy who has a crush on his best friend. Chris Carmack is cool as the vain and spoilt rock star. Both guys and the girls look great on camera. Even with no story, it is great to see beautiful people running around the beach :) It is a happy movie that keeps you smiling out of the cinema. The songs aren't great but the story is sweet and light-hearted. I'm surprised by the PG-13 rating. To me it is definitely a PG movie, great for tween.

She's the Man (2006)

Let's kick some ball!

I didn't even know this movie exists till I saw the trailer on the advertisement. The trailer is really very funny so I wanted to watch this movie, and the trailer is right, it is really funny.

Viola (Bynes) replaces her twin brother Sebestian to enroll to new school to get into the boys' soccer team by dressing up as boy. A girl develops a crush on her as a boy and she has a crush on a boy who thinks she is a boy. She fights off ex-boyfriend Justin as a girl and her brother's ex-girlfriend as a boy who thinks she is Sebestian.

The movie is funny from start to finish. All the cast did very well. It is a funny comedy. I watched it twice on DVD and loved it.

Van Wilder: Freshman Year (2009)

Not as great as American Pie, but still fun

This is the first Van Wilder film I saw. It is like American Pie but not as dirty.

Seeing him in Lovewrecked, Mean Girls I was surprised to see Jonathan here. His looks is too clean-cut to be convincing as horny desperate to sleep with any girl, fun-loving party sort of guy. He did try his best but he just comes across to me as a sweet and adorable guy. With a body like that, he could get any girl he wants.

The girls are nothing much to look at except when they go topless. No girl looks pretty enough to me except they all have big tits and are willing to strip. Or maybe I just don't get it as I'm not a guy.

It is nice to see Steven Talley who is a really funny and talented comedian but not as good-looking as the first time I saw him (in American Pie Beta House), can't explain why :)

Nothing much happens in the film. The jokes are lame to OK funny. It is nice to see Jonathan gets his girl in the happy ending. A good rental.

Bride Wars (2009)

Happy harmless chick movie.

The trailer looks interesting, I have never seen Kate Hudson in any film before and she looks fun, so I decided to see the film.

Two girls want their dream weddings at the same place same date so they tried to sabotage each other to make her wedding better than the other.

I expected some bitchy fights but their tricks to each other is like watching two 5-year-olds fighting over a doll in kindergarten.

It is nice to see them friends again in the end but thought I'd get to more drama. The film also feels a bit short to me. The girls make up too quickly. I'd have liked to see them fight dirty, ripped off clothes, some cropping but I guess you can't see that on PG-13.

I like Kate Hudson's tough look. Hathaway looks a bit too harmless. If the story was real life Kate would have won the battle of the brides.

It is a fun DVD I rented but I wouldn't buy it as I don't see it a great movie (it's just a chick flick) to add to my collection. I'll only pay rental price to see this film on DVD.

Seen this once and might see it again in future only long after I have forgotten half the scenes.

UKM: The Ultimate Killing Machine (2006)

Not bad, not good, cheap fun

Seeing the reviews here, I expected a bad film but decided to watch it as Michael Madsen is in it, like him since Reservoir Dogs.

There is some violence but nothing gross, the usual language, not much plot(could have done better) as it has an OK setting; I don't really care for the characters but I like girl who plays Zoe the best. She's quite spunky and I like her attitude and is convincing as the heroine.

Madsen doesn't have a big role in it like I thought, since his name is right in the middle of the DVD cover.

It's not a bad film. Good rental but not a good buy. I'm glad I didn't buy it.

Still, I wasn't bored sitting through the whole film. Overall still feel it doesn't deserve a 3.2/10 rating, maybe just 5-6.

Astro Boy (2009)

Fun And Action-packed- For the Kids

I enjoy this film to my own surprise.While I'm not a child or a fan,I find the animation simple and easy on the eyes.You feel sorry for him when his own father can't look at him the same way now that he's a robot.After he leaves Metro City, he finds his human friends and through them,he gets to find and learn about love and companionship.Then he takes on the evil President Stone,who has become a huge monster himself,threatens to destroy Metro City and everyone else in it.My brother claps in delight as Astro Boy discovers his hands can turn into cannons and guns stick out of his butts.The touching scene where he sacrifices his life is enough to even brought a tear to my eyes.Luckily,he is saved and finally finds his destiny,and it's to help protects the world.It's a movie with a lot of heart and hope.Definitely a kid's film.For an adult,the cartoon characters may be a little childish.Overall it's a great animated film,good efforts on the voice overs and entertaining awesome sequences.

Con Air (1997)

Con Air and Steve Busemi both rocks! ^-^

I saw this movie a couple of times in the 90s. Seeing it again recently, it has lost none if it's shine and appeal as a fun popcorn action flick, with an all star cast, standing the test of time well with its pretty original story. Special kudos to Steve Busemi, who is been one of my favorite actors since Reservoir Dogs, for upping the humor factor in this movie.

Cameron Poe (Nic Cage) is a prison parolee hitching a ride to freedom after 8 years in prison to reunite with his wife and meet the daughter whom he's never seen before. He boards the known maximum security plane, Con Air, which also transports some of the worst criminals in the state. Trouble brews when guards are killed mid-air and the place is skyjacked, led by Cyrus 'The Virus' Crissom, (convincingly played by John Malkovich) and it's up to Poe to save the day.

There are the usual action film ingredients: lots of guns blasting off, staggering body counts, explosions reminiscent of Michael Bay's Bad Boys, that makes it so much fun to watch.

There' re a few heart-stopping moments which includes when Poe is nearly caught writing the plane's destination- Lerner Airfield- on a corpse before throwing it off the plane, alerting good US Marshal Vince Larkin (John Cusack) who seems to be only one on Poe's side in the law enforcement.

The film has its bits of humor like a car is tied behind the flying plane, then comes crashing down in front of its confused then dismayed owner Duncan Malloy (Colm Meany). The action mounts as the plane spins out of control, crashes into Las Vegas, creating chaos and plenty of room for spectacular destruction scenes where cars explode and horrified passer-by scream and scuttle in all direction for safety.

There are also some cheesy but fun lines from Cyrus: 'If you say a word about this, the next wings you see will belong to the flies buzzing over your rotting corpse.' And to Poe: 'Before I kill you, I just want to know that the last thing little Casey ever gets to smell will be my stinking breath'.

I practically enjoy the cameo from Steve Busemi, and only wish he'd have more screen time. My friend thinks I'm crazy, but I just find him cute and attractive in his weird, funny, fast-talking way. Here he portrays Garland 'The Marietta Mangler' Greene, who has butchered over 30 people in various gruesome ways, thus considered as a 'national treasure' by Cyrus. His pale composition, lanky frame and haunting eyes stood him out amidst the tough and muscular criminals. I love the part where he sings 'He's got the whole world in his hands' with the little girl and as the plane is crashing down. He also has some witty lines:

'Define Irony. Bunch of idiots dancing on a plane to a song (Sweet Home Alabama) made famous by a band that dies in a plane crash.' 'One girl…I drove through 3 states wearing her head as a hat.' I don't care what my friend thinks, Steve Busemi rocks! To me he outshines Nic Cage here.

This film makes a good rental and a great buy, especially on a Saturday night. If you haven't already seen it, do it now. You won't regret it!

The Terminator (1984)

Classic film from James Cameron!

I have seen this film a few times over the course of my life. The first time happened when I was still in lower primary; the second time from a heavily edited videotape in a library. By now, I have lost count of how many times I've viewed this horror science fiction classic. But one thing is sure, it will never fail to amaze and shock (especially for new viewers it would make a real treat), standing the test of time as one of the cinema's most popular and successful trilogies, and for me, most favorite! I have to confess I enjoy T2 Judgment Day as well, but it kind of drags in the middle and the violence isn't as ferocious, partly maybe because John Conner is still a kid then. But in T1, it's a roller coaster, full-blown ride of non-stop action with not a single boring moment, every scene is crucial to the story and the violence is bared for all to see the kind of urgent and desperate situation our heroes are in.

Everybody who goes to cinema and not living under the rock all these years will know the storyline in their sleep: Skynet, a computer system, nearly wiped out the entire human population in 1997. It has found a way to send its cyborg- Cyberdyne system model 101, a T800, also called the Terminator, back to 1984 to search and terminate the mother of John Conner, who would ultimately lead the human's victory against the machines, before she could give birth. In return, the Resistance sends a warrior, Kyle Reese, to protect her.

'The machines rose from the ashes of the nuclear fire. Their war to exterminate mankind had raged for decades, but the final battle would not be fought in the future. It would be fought here, in our present. Tonight....'

You get to see the bleak, skull-littered future landscape, army of terminators armed with lethal machine guns as their heads swirl and red laser-beamed eyes scour for any Resistance soldiers.

'Don't you understand? It can't be bargained with; it can't feel pain or mercy, and it will stop at absolutely nothing until you are dead.' I still get the chills down my spine every time I hear Kyle Reese (Michael Biehn) seethes, 'Come with me if you want to live.' As Sarah Connor (Linda Hamiliton) looks on, feeling the impact of the serious danger she is in.

Both Kyle and Sarah are tough characters who also brings out the vulnerability as human beings, where most people can relate to, a couple of refugees on the run from a deadly, sophisticated machine programmed to destroy them. They have no other help, only finding strength and comfort in their love for each other, burden from the pressure of carrying the weight of the future on their shoulders.

And let's not forget the brilliant killing machine itself- the T800- Arnold Schwarzenegger's most iconic role in his career. He may have only uttered 74 words (including the unforgettable catchy phase: I'll be back) in the entire film, but his presence more than compensates for it. The scene where he self-repairs facing a mirror definitely leaves an impression on me. Plucking out and dropping his human eyeball, with blood dispersing the sink's clear water, is fascinating to see. Then, before you can even hold your breathe, he cuts open his skin as if it is merely made of rubber, and you get to see the complicated endoskeleton underneath.

The last climax mounts after Kyle sacrifices himself to save Sarah, but the Terminator isn't dead. So it is man, or woman, versus machine, as she crawls in her injured leg, struggles not only for her life, but for the entire human race. With a 'You are terminated, f**ker,' it is crushed to a lump of scrap metal. The nightmare is over, for now. And you just know that there's got to be a sequence, because this is one cyborg/machine/terminator that no one will ever get tired of.

The Terminator succeeds and excels in action, horror, romance, adventure and in every way any science fiction fan could possibly ask for. And it will definitely remain as one of my most favorite movies of all time.

Yuen Chun Hap (1993)

One of the best HK series ever by some of the HK's biggest stars

I'm very surprised to not see a single review for this wonderful Hong Kong Drama's series The Legendary Ranger (1993). I watched only parts of some episodes when I was about 9 years old but some of the memorable parts stay with me till I bought the whole series in vcds when there was this sale 3 years ago. It's part science fiction and part romance. The songs are also among Leon Lai's best.

Perhaps it lacks foreign audience mainly as I can't find this series in DVDs anywhere. For the vcds that I have, it only has Chinese subtitles. It's much better to watch it in Cantonese audio than the awful Manadrin voice over, which totally spoils the series.

Worth watching but have to set aside a whole day for it as the story is so good, once you watch the first episode, you will just have to keep watching till the end! Leon Lai is so handsome and Michelle Reis is so beautiful! Worth your money just to watch this pair of beautiful couples, both in their prime!

Rain Man (1988)

Surprised by all the praise, even if it's a decent movie

I watched this movie without knowing whatever the story is about except that Dustin Hoffman is in it and so expect this film to be of some standard after seeing many other Dustin's films: Marathon Man, The Graduate, Papillon.

It's also because the DVD was on sale at S$9.95 so I just bought it out of curiosity after seeing other people buying it.

Dustin does not disappoint; his acting is amazing. He plays the autistic older brother very well, funny and charming. But the story is only average.

You can only put so much humor between 2 people as they start a journey of self-discovery. I watched it only once and that is enough. I'd have to put this film aside for a while before I can watch it again and find it interesting.

The conversation between the brothers get boring after a while. The film is too long- over 2 hours. I'm tired of Tom Cruise's grumbling after a while and Dustin, playing autistic, can only say those few lines and interesting as they are, it's once too many times.

I can't believe it's rated so high at 8.0/10. I'd rate it only 3/5. Good rental, but not worth keeping.

Do lok tin si (1995)

Not even half as good as I have expected...

**Very Little Spoilers** Knowing that Shirley Kwan's 'Forget Me', which I absolutely love, is in the soundtrack of this movie with an interesting title like 'Fallen Angels', I kind of expected this to be quite a masterpiece, especially with the good reviews I read in both Amazon and IMDb but alas, it's one of those over-rated movies again.

I wasted S$20 of my money on this DVD since I can't rent it anywhere, and the Code 1 DVD cost S$63, almost a robbery.

I like seeing Leon Lai, who plays a hired assassin, at the start even when he starts shooting at people with no purpose as who hired him and why. Then there's Michelle Reis, with fringes so long I can hardly see her face at all, no thanks to the shaky camera, which is very irritating.

Just when some bits may get interesting like the guy massages the dead pig, the camera switch to a new scene and there's literally no story.

It has a feeling that it's trying to be a cool movie but there's no story and character development and I don't care about all the people in it but I'm just waiting for the movie to end since I've already paid for this DVD.

Rated 4/10 due to: one of my favorite song in the soundtrack- Forget Me Both Leon Lai and Michelle Reis are among my favorite stars. I was anxious to see them both together again after watching the TV series 'The Legendary Rangers'.

But even with this 2 gorgeous actors, the film is wasted because it has not made full use of the enormous potential from the main title and only worth one viewing for the factors mentioned above. It could have been made like Leon The Professional but it's just a piece of crap. Rent it if you must, but not to buy at all. I regret buying the DVD.

Transporter 3 (2008)

Watch Out For Jason!!

**Very little Spoilers!!** After seeing the first 2 Transporters, I think it's only natural to watch this third outing.

Some scenes are repetitive like the fight scene in the garage. It's the same as the first one, which is actually better. It's like they can't think of any more place for Jason to fight and since he drives a car why not a garage, again? The chick is not really as ugly as people say she is (She has great legs) but I'm really tired of those freckles and heavy eye shadow. I can't see her real face properly and after a while I lost interest and focus on Jason instead.

Overall I enjoy this film. Not worth to watch in cinema but makes a good rental especially if you are a JS fan.

Love Actually (2003)

Watch Out For Alan Rickman!!

I admit I watched this film mainly because Alan Rickman is in it and being his huge fan, I'd watch anything he's in.

It's a decent film but there are too many characters and not much screen time for each character to have a particular strong impact to me. Some parts are quite silly. I like the soundtrack more than the movie.

Alan Rickman looks real handsome especially when he dances at the party! He's the only character that strikes me. He doesn't have much screen time but he dominates in every scene. Emma Thompson plays his wife and man, I'm real jealous.

Transporter 2 (2005)

Good, fun movie better than the first.

I really enjoyed this film and it's definitely better than the first.

There are more action and the girl is, in my opinion, the best one among the 3 transporters. She looks great with abs and have moves that are almost as good as Jason's. She's not the damsel in distress unlike Shu Qi ( who is very annoying) in the first one. She's really cool besides JS. There are many unrealistic actions that can never happen in real life but are okay here as it's not a serious movie.

As usual Jason did well in all the action scenes. He looks great in a suit. I also like the police inspector who is like a father to JS.

After watching all the 3 transporters, I like this one the best.

The Transporter (2002)

Okay film

I quite like this film over all. Jason was a bit young then for me to find him hot in this film but I think he did very well here. The action is quick and entertaining. No lengthy dialog, watchable film from start to finish.

The only complaint here is Shu Qi. It's okay if her English is a bit broken but she screams in many many parts of the film like she's trying to act cute and makes Jason wants to protect her or what. I think she's not hot enough to be Jason's chick. I like the girl in T2 the best, and the third one is by far the worst.

If they ever did Transporter 4 I hope they would find a better chick as JS definitely deserves one.