april movie rundown
the forbidden kingdom
(lionsgate, the weinstein company, 2008)
direction | rob minkoff
cast | jackie chan, jet li, michael angarano, liu yi fei, collin chou, li bingbing
the forbidden kingdom is primarily interesting because it stars the two most prominent kung fu actors for the very first time: jackie chan and jet li. that alone is what the film needed to catapult it to box-office victory but it is also has a massive entertainment value from visually orgasmic kung fu scenes and witty comedy from both jackie and jet li. although, the story is quite a let-down. linear and predictable.
the forbidden kingdom is historically important as it is jackie chan and jet li's first collaboration. and it is interesting to see how much homage this film has given to kung fu films which are also called as wu xia. it's opening billboard included images from old wu xia films. i can only distinguish and recall come drink with me as one of them. the characters also refer to popular wu xia characters: jet li is the monkey king, reminiscent of the monkey king film. jackie chan is a drunken master, reminiscent of one of his former movies with the same title. other wu xia themes such as the battle of good and bad inside an inn are also shown in the movie.
all in all, the movie is highly entertaining. definitely worth of a jackie chan-jet li starrer. it follows the traditional way of wu xia filmmaking but given a light comedic treatment and a hollywood point of view.
favorite scenes:
*jackie chan and jet li's kung fu exhibition inside a temple: a very looooong sequence but in fairness, is tastefully and flawlessly made. definitely the movie's crowning glory.
*jet li peeing on jackie chan. yes, literally.
heart-o-meter:
7 out of 10
shutter
(20th century fox, 2008)
direction | masayuki ochiai
cast | joshua jackson, rachael taylor
i'll just go straight to the point: this hollywood remake puts all the logic to the fright and weaves the film into a cohesive story. but the original thai movie is scarier.
what somehow saved this movie are its good cinematography, editing, and special effects.
and the rest, as simon cowell puts it, is forgettable.
favorite scene:
*i don't recall any
heart-o-meter:
3 out of 10
superhero movie
(dimension films, metro goldwyn mayer, 2008)
direction | craig mazin
cast | drake bell, sara paxton, christopher mcdonald, leslie nielsen, pamela anderson
superhero movie is brainlessly hilarious. but i think that the trailer was more fun than the real movie. it was nice to see superhero movies spoofed this time. a break from the horror and teen comedy spoofs. i wonder what's next in the hollywood menu. period dramas, perhaps?
quite interesting is that the closing billboard consists of what are supposed to be bloopers. but they are actually not. they are intentionally shot so as to parody the movie itself.
one more thing i noticed about the film are its implied thoughts of anti-feminism and racist comments. which worries me.
favorite scene:
*the tom cruise impersonation at the movie's end.
heart-o-meter:
3 out of 10
the other boleyn girl
(columbia pictures, focus features, 2008)
direction | justine chadwick
cast | natalie portman, scarlett johansson, eric bana, jim sturgess
i must say that natalie portman and scarlett johansson gave a very impressive, outstanding, and believable performance in the other boleyn girl. i bow down to the boleyn girls.
the story of the other boleyn girl is actually simple and can be deduced to your usual family drama. only it is set in a historical context. the movie is fast-paced and it leaves the audience to catch up only in scenes where heavy drama is heightened by slow music.
the end is really depressing. and i remember covering my wide-open mouth in awe from the end sequence until the credits are midway through.
what i really liked about the movie is the rawness and reality of the emotions from almost every character. from natalie's ambition and envy, to scarlett's affection, jim sturgess' vulnerability, and eric bana's strength and weakness, they all felt real.
favorite scenes:
*natalie portman and jim sturgess' breakdown-in-bed scene: emotionally charged.
*natalie's court trial
*natalie at the stake, her sentence to be carried out: shock and awe.
*queen catherine of aragon's court trial
*scarlett's first night with king henry
*juxtaposition of scarlett giving birth and natalie seducing eric bana
heart-o-meter:
6 out of 10