[Movie review filler] And the 100th movie is . .
( Yes and no. No, this isn't going to become a review blog. Yes, for this month, it will be. :) )
Reviewed: The Da Vinci Code, The Pursuit of Happyness, Borat, The Rundown, Curse of the Golden Flower (CHINA)
96. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
There wasn't much thrill in this thriller. It may be because I found the plot confusing with my lack of religious background. Or that I had a hard time understanding the French accents. Or that I kept getting distracted by "Hey, it's that Magneto dude!" and "Hey, it's Doc Ock!" Or maybe it was because it just wasn't that great a story. The numerous plot twists were pretty predictable and many downright ludicrous. And I've seen better puzzles in The Legend of Zelda.
Still, it's an important film because it got people talking about religion and faith. Personally, I think that the further back you go in history, the harder it is to prove or disprove anything. So when conservative critics of this film claimed that they knew the truth about the real Jesus . . um, 2000 years of word-of-mouth isn't that reliable either. ^_^ Look, you don't know the real Jesus, Dan Brown sure doesn't, no one does . . that's alive anyway. The whole controversy over this film was silly; what the critics should've been angry about was that something so subpar actually made more money than Cast Away and Forrest Gump!! >_<
On the other hand, Ron Howard shows-off some nifty directing tricks, and I thought it improved in the last 20 minutes. There's a resonating message near the end that I felt was a nice answer to the whole controversy: "What matters is what you believe." Too bad most people don't have a choice. :P
In short: Convoluted and predictable movie that isn't counter-religious enough. Religion remains a feared and taboo topic among filmmakers. 5 out of 10 Wow, I sure went on a tangent on this one. There really isn't much to write home about it.
97. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Oprah and I are on different wavelengths. Everytime she's going on and on about how emotional she got over some movie, I'm usually going, "Yaaaaahuh?" This is one of those "Yaaaaahuh?" movies. I just wasn't feeling it. I've seen movies where drug addicts lose their limbs and spouses lose their entire family, so maybe PG-13 homelessness with a happy ending isn't so bad. ;) Honestly, I think the scariest thing is this movie was Christ Gardner's workplace . . the stock market scares the bejesus outta me. x_x
Feelings aside, the movie itself is pretty good, and improves A LOT in the second half when it starts focussing more on the father-son relationship than work. The ending was anticlimatic and could've used a few more minutes of wrap-up. Also needing some extra time was the homeless issue . . it's the selling point of the story, it's compelling, it's provocative, aaaand it only lasts about 20 minutes. I mean, I hear the real Chris Gardner was on the streets for several years? o_O
Still, I think this would be a great film to show in high school Career Preparation classes because it gives some good examples on how to find a job. And it's waaay better than that Secret of My Success video I had to endure in my Career Prep class. That was seriously the worst movie ever. >_<
In short: This Oprah classic is just good, IMO. It could've been great if it was given more time. *shakes DVD for deleted scenes* 7 out of 10
98. Borat (2006)
Strange that I couldn't make out the French accents in DaVinci nor the British accents in Pirates, but I could understand Borat's Kazakh accent just fine. ^_^
This was a giant leap for Reality TV because it's jaw-dropping how far they push the envelope. It was like Candid Camera: The Movie, except with more crack and no debriefing. Sure, I wasn't laughing as much as the critics on the DVD cover did ("Pee in your pants funny?" WTF?); but instead, the comedy bits left me more in shock. That Borat actor is a crazy man, and I'm surprised he didn't land in jail during this film. Actually, I'm surprised he's not dead. ^_^ Then again, some of the people he met were just as crazy . . I'm (somewhat) surprised that they were real people. This film introduced me to some really backwards people in our society, and they AREN'T acting. Yikes.
Oh, and just have to slip in some praise for the DVD production, which may be the most creative I've ever seen. Good job, Fox, you've finally redeemed yourself after the X-Men 3 DVD. ;)
In short: My only regret is that it was a bit short at 80 minutes. Otherwise, an very entertaining social experiment that exposes the irrational fears and ignorance that still persist in our society. I was about to call Sasha Baron Cohen an improv genius, but I've now watched a few Borat clips on Youtube and he's pretty bland outside of this film. His Ali G stuff is pretty funny though -- love that Beckham interview! 10 out of 10
99. The Rundown (2003)
While I love The Rock as a wrestler, I still don't think he's a good actor like most critics claim he is. Then again, most critics aren't wrestling fans like myself. I just have a hard time getting used to the smiling happy-go-lucky Dwayne Johnson after watching him for years portraying the loud-mouth, egotistic stone-faced bully, The Rock. But since I've never seen The Rock in a starring role before and The Rundown is the ONE movie of his that was popular with critics, I thought I'd take a look.
.
.
.
Stupid, very stupid. Sorry, but "stupid" is the only word I can think of, and if you watch it, you'll see what I mean. Though it's better that you don't. The director seems high on video games, with The Rock always having to defend himself with guys that look the same and have the same weapons. The comedy is at the bottom of the bottomless pit of unfunny. The plot makes little sense. I still don't get the beginning which introduces all these characters in flashy ESPN-style graphics, only to disappear after The Rock beats them all up a minute later. And what an anticlimatic, convoluted ending. Though I guess at Christopher Walken's age, it's probably not a good idea for him to be involved in a climatic brawl with a 6-time WWF Champion. ;)
To be fair, there's a few new things here and there that I haven't seen done in action movies before. (But just because they're new, doesn't mean that they're not stupid either. :P)
In short: If this is The Rock's best film, I shudder to see the rest. 3 out of 10
100. Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
Heyy, ancient China! Haven't seen you in a Chinese movie in awhile. :P
Golden Flower is the most beautiful Chinese film I've ever seen, coupled with one of the most amazing and exciting battles I've seen in ALL FILM near the ending. Though you have to really suspend your disbelief for it to work because it does get a tad ludicrous. I mean, how the heck do they fit that many people in a palace?? Where are they hanging out when they're not fighting??? XD
This film also has one of the most dysfunctional families I've seen. Yikes, and I thought my family had problems. ^_^
However, Golden Flower loses a point because I'm starting to get a bit bored with ancient China. My parents have been watching ancient China movies and TV series every day for as long as I can remember. Megalomanic ruler, hundreds of deaths, bleak outlook -- been there, done that. Then there's the abrupt ending which is one of those "draw your own conclusions" types. But arg, I've been drawing conclusions at the end of nearly every Asian movie I've seen. Can someone just finish writing their entire conclusion for a change and give me a break? ;_;
In short: Even if you're not a fan of ancient China, the beauty and the battle will likely win you over. 9 out of 10
Hey, I just realized that I had completely forgot to include Nobody Knows in my Foreign List all these months! Thanks for the head's up, myself. :P
English films
1. Stranger than Fiction . . . 10
2. Cast Away
3. Kill Bill Vol. 2
4. Spider-Man 2
5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
6. Scarface
7. Borat
8. Dreamgirls
9. The Usual Suspects
10. Hustle & Flow . . . 9
Bye-Bye: A History of Violence
Foreign Language Films
1. Ima Ai ni Yukimasu . . . 10
2. Old Boy
3. CASSHERN
4. My Sassy Girl . . . 9
5. Curse of the Golden Flower
6. Densha Otoko
7. Linda, Linda, Linda
8. Nobody Knows . . . 8
9. TRICK 2
10. Water
Bye-Bye: 2046, Kamen Rider Blade
P.S. A lot of people on my f-list have been writing about the new Cucumber Pepsi this month and I feel kinda left out. So: CUCUMBER PEPSI CUCUMBER PEPSI CUCUMBER PEPSI!!! Much better.
Reviewed: The Da Vinci Code, The Pursuit of Happyness, Borat, The Rundown, Curse of the Golden Flower (CHINA)
96. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
There wasn't much thrill in this thriller. It may be because I found the plot confusing with my lack of religious background. Or that I had a hard time understanding the French accents. Or that I kept getting distracted by "Hey, it's that Magneto dude!" and "Hey, it's Doc Ock!" Or maybe it was because it just wasn't that great a story. The numerous plot twists were pretty predictable and many downright ludicrous. And I've seen better puzzles in The Legend of Zelda.
Still, it's an important film because it got people talking about religion and faith. Personally, I think that the further back you go in history, the harder it is to prove or disprove anything. So when conservative critics of this film claimed that they knew the truth about the real Jesus . . um, 2000 years of word-of-mouth isn't that reliable either. ^_^ Look, you don't know the real Jesus, Dan Brown sure doesn't, no one does . . that's alive anyway. The whole controversy over this film was silly; what the critics should've been angry about was that something so subpar actually made more money than Cast Away and Forrest Gump!! >_<
On the other hand, Ron Howard shows-off some nifty directing tricks, and I thought it improved in the last 20 minutes. There's a resonating message near the end that I felt was a nice answer to the whole controversy: "What matters is what you believe." Too bad most people don't have a choice. :P
In short: Convoluted and predictable movie that isn't counter-religious enough. Religion remains a feared and taboo topic among filmmakers. 5 out of 10 Wow, I sure went on a tangent on this one. There really isn't much to write home about it.
97. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Oprah and I are on different wavelengths. Everytime she's going on and on about how emotional she got over some movie, I'm usually going, "Yaaaaahuh?" This is one of those "Yaaaaahuh?" movies. I just wasn't feeling it. I've seen movies where drug addicts lose their limbs and spouses lose their entire family, so maybe PG-13 homelessness with a happy ending isn't so bad. ;) Honestly, I think the scariest thing is this movie was Christ Gardner's workplace . . the stock market scares the bejesus outta me. x_x
Feelings aside, the movie itself is pretty good, and improves A LOT in the second half when it starts focussing more on the father-son relationship than work. The ending was anticlimatic and could've used a few more minutes of wrap-up. Also needing some extra time was the homeless issue . . it's the selling point of the story, it's compelling, it's provocative, aaaand it only lasts about 20 minutes. I mean, I hear the real Chris Gardner was on the streets for several years? o_O
Still, I think this would be a great film to show in high school Career Preparation classes because it gives some good examples on how to find a job. And it's waaay better than that Secret of My Success video I had to endure in my Career Prep class. That was seriously the worst movie ever. >_<
In short: This Oprah classic is just good, IMO. It could've been great if it was given more time. *shakes DVD for deleted scenes* 7 out of 10
98. Borat (2006)
Strange that I couldn't make out the French accents in DaVinci nor the British accents in Pirates, but I could understand Borat's Kazakh accent just fine. ^_^
This was a giant leap for Reality TV because it's jaw-dropping how far they push the envelope. It was like Candid Camera: The Movie, except with more crack and no debriefing. Sure, I wasn't laughing as much as the critics on the DVD cover did ("Pee in your pants funny?" WTF?); but instead, the comedy bits left me more in shock. That Borat actor is a crazy man, and I'm surprised he didn't land in jail during this film. Actually, I'm surprised he's not dead. ^_^ Then again, some of the people he met were just as crazy . . I'm (somewhat) surprised that they were real people. This film introduced me to some really backwards people in our society, and they AREN'T acting. Yikes.
Oh, and just have to slip in some praise for the DVD production, which may be the most creative I've ever seen. Good job, Fox, you've finally redeemed yourself after the X-Men 3 DVD. ;)
In short: My only regret is that it was a bit short at 80 minutes. Otherwise, an very entertaining social experiment that exposes the irrational fears and ignorance that still persist in our society. I was about to call Sasha Baron Cohen an improv genius, but I've now watched a few Borat clips on Youtube and he's pretty bland outside of this film. His Ali G stuff is pretty funny though -- love that Beckham interview! 10 out of 10
99. The Rundown (2003)
While I love The Rock as a wrestler, I still don't think he's a good actor like most critics claim he is. Then again, most critics aren't wrestling fans like myself. I just have a hard time getting used to the smiling happy-go-lucky Dwayne Johnson after watching him for years portraying the loud-mouth, egotistic stone-faced bully, The Rock. But since I've never seen The Rock in a starring role before and The Rundown is the ONE movie of his that was popular with critics, I thought I'd take a look.
.
.
.
Stupid, very stupid. Sorry, but "stupid" is the only word I can think of, and if you watch it, you'll see what I mean. Though it's better that you don't. The director seems high on video games, with The Rock always having to defend himself with guys that look the same and have the same weapons. The comedy is at the bottom of the bottomless pit of unfunny. The plot makes little sense. I still don't get the beginning which introduces all these characters in flashy ESPN-style graphics, only to disappear after The Rock beats them all up a minute later. And what an anticlimatic, convoluted ending. Though I guess at Christopher Walken's age, it's probably not a good idea for him to be involved in a climatic brawl with a 6-time WWF Champion. ;)
To be fair, there's a few new things here and there that I haven't seen done in action movies before. (But just because they're new, doesn't mean that they're not stupid either. :P)
In short: If this is The Rock's best film, I shudder to see the rest. 3 out of 10
100. Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
Heyy, ancient China! Haven't seen you in a Chinese movie in awhile. :P
Golden Flower is the most beautiful Chinese film I've ever seen, coupled with one of the most amazing and exciting battles I've seen in ALL FILM near the ending. Though you have to really suspend your disbelief for it to work because it does get a tad ludicrous. I mean, how the heck do they fit that many people in a palace?? Where are they hanging out when they're not fighting??? XD
This film also has one of the most dysfunctional families I've seen. Yikes, and I thought my family had problems. ^_^
However, Golden Flower loses a point because I'm starting to get a bit bored with ancient China. My parents have been watching ancient China movies and TV series every day for as long as I can remember. Megalomanic ruler, hundreds of deaths, bleak outlook -- been there, done that. Then there's the abrupt ending which is one of those "draw your own conclusions" types. But arg, I've been drawing conclusions at the end of nearly every Asian movie I've seen. Can someone just finish writing their entire conclusion for a change and give me a break? ;_;
In short: Even if you're not a fan of ancient China, the beauty and the battle will likely win you over. 9 out of 10
Hey, I just realized that I had completely forgot to include Nobody Knows in my Foreign List all these months! Thanks for the head's up, myself. :P
English films
1. Stranger than Fiction . . . 10
2. Cast Away
3. Kill Bill Vol. 2
4. Spider-Man 2
5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
6. Scarface
7. Borat
8. Dreamgirls
9. The Usual Suspects
10. Hustle & Flow . . . 9
Bye-Bye: A History of Violence
Foreign Language Films
1. Ima Ai ni Yukimasu . . . 10
2. Old Boy
3. CASSHERN
4. My Sassy Girl . . . 9
5. Curse of the Golden Flower
6. Densha Otoko
7. Linda, Linda, Linda
8. Nobody Knows . . . 8
9. TRICK 2
10. Water
Bye-Bye: 2046, Kamen Rider Blade
P.S. A lot of people on my f-list have been writing about the new Cucumber Pepsi this month and I feel kinda left out. So: CUCUMBER PEPSI CUCUMBER PEPSI CUCUMBER PEPSI!!! Much better.