Movie Recap!
This post is mostly just for myself. I sort of would like to keep track of the movies I've watched over winter break, and I guess remind myself what they were about. The movies aren't listed in any particular order (as I can't remember the order I watched them in).
Lost and Found
Girl searches for what she believes is hope in her grave condition (she has leukemia), and finds love along the way. Although not the best movie I've ever seen, there was something about it that really struck me. Perhaps this can be considered the Chinese equivalent of a chick flick? It was wonderfully sad and depressing. At the same time though, it was quite a touching sort of love story. Can it truly be considered a love story though? I'm not entirely sure. I don't even know what about this movie I liked, aside from the fact it had Takeshi Kaneshiro in it. This guy seems to love doing quirky movies, playing quirky characters. While the movie definitely didn't have to be almost 2 hours long, it was still a nice story. Hm, I'm not sure if I liked this movie more than I think. Maybe it's too late at night to tell. Have you ever noticed that movies watched late at night seem better?
Too Tired to Die
This was a pretty weird movie. I'm not entirely sure what the point was supposed to be. About a young Japanese man named Kenji who is a completely aimless and lazy person. He doesn't have a job (and doesn't seem to be intent on getting one anytime soon), lives off money sent by his parents, and spends most of the day sleeping. He has a chance meeting with Death, and she informs him he has 12 hours left to live, so he should spend those hours wisely. In the end though, I can't really tell you what he accomplished. I guess that was the point? Aimless people will be aimless forever? Not sure. While the idea is intriguing, the plot and script of this movie were really too disjointed to be a good movie, unfortunately. For example, in this movie alone, there are people speaking Arabic, Japanese, English, German, French, Cantonese, and Mandarin. WTF? And for some reason, quite a few of the characters are obsessed with France/Paris. But it's never pointed out why. WHY?! There were a few interesting tidbits of the movie regarding Death. It was pointed out she doesn't necessarily like her job, and only does what she's told. She dislikes taking away the young people, because they have such grand futures planned out for themselves. And, from what I could tell, I think she wants to be more human. She wants to be able to sleep, to dream, and to feel. But alas, she is Death. Side note: Takeshi Kaneshiro's haircut is absolutely ridiculous in the movie.
Sherlock Holmes
WHEE!! This was a pretty darn good movie! I sort of like Robert Downey, Jr, from Iron Man. I haven't seen him in anything else. But I felt played a pretty likable hero. In Sherlock Holmes, he does a good job, once again. Also, he and Jude Law hit it off pretty well. The chemistry between Holmes and Watson was very believable, and even quite cute at times. I loved Holmes's narration of his fight scenes. They just made them that more epic. I wish I could see the movie again, just so can catch all the jokes too. They were speaking quite fast at times, and with that British deadpan, it's sometimes hard to tell if they're saying something funny. The soundtrack is amazingly catchy too, and I had it stuck in my head for a day. It completely fits the tone of the movie though.
Hero
The cinematography in this film was AMAZING. So amazing in fact, it almost doesn't matter what the plot is. It's about the Qin Emperor and his quest to unite all the kingdoms of China, and those who stand in defiance of him. The fight choreography was stunning, especially the fight between Jet Li (Nameless), and Donnie Yen (Sky). Even more memorable than the fights though was the scenery. GORGEOUS. I could have sworn that the scenery was digitally altered, because there is no way places that like exist on Earth. But they really did film in these places! And now I want to travel the world even more. My favorite scenes? The leaves and the still lake. Pure beauty. Don't let the prettiness take too much away from the plot though. It is quite intriguing, in a very classic Chinese movie sort of way. I like how you don't know the truth until the very end. And even then, it's still sort of hard to figure out.
The Incredible Hulk
Even though I really really really don't like the Hulk (I think he's just revolting and nasty), I actually liked this movie quite a bit. I owe it to Edward Norton playing Bruce Banner. Even though I've only ever seen Ed Norton in Fight Club, I think the man is amazing. I always totally and completely believe his performance! Anyway, he was what I consider to be a very sympathetic Bruce Banner. I really felt sorry for the man. And while the Hulk was still pretty gross to me, the Abomination was 100 times worse. Ewwie!
Eragon
AAAAHH!! The most boring movie I have ever seen!! It really was a drag!! Bad acting, bad script, bad everything! 40 minutes into the movie, I could have sworn that it was about to over. But then I realized that there hadn't been a battle yet, and they weren't even close to battling, so I still had quite a bit more of the movie to watch. I looked back at the clock at what seemed to be an eternity later, only to realize that a mere 10 minutes had passed. Horrible!! I'm so glad the dude who played Eragon was also an idiot, otherwise, I would have felt sorry for him playing such a lame character. What was with John Malkovich playing the evil king too? I burst out laughing every time he appeared on screen. It was ridiculous!
Eat a Bowl of Tea
I thought this movie was sad, even though it had a fairly happy ending. It's about the arranged, but love-filled marriage between an Chinese-American man, and his Chinese wife. When he brings his wife back to the U.S. from China, they are presented with many challenges and situations that threaten their marriage. Even though I felt sorry for the main character man, Ben Loy, I have to admit he was a bit of an idiot and sort of lame. Also, Russell Wong just is not a good actor--at all. As for the wife? Bah. I didn't like what she did to her husband. Maybe a bit exaggerated, I thought the movie was a poignant depiction of life for Chinese immigrants in America.
The Proposal
Teehee. I am a bit ashamed to admit this, but this was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. And it was truly funny, not corny or so horrible it was funny. Sandra Bullock did a good job in the movie, but I thought Ryan Reynolds made the most ridiculous faces!! Heehee! Just thinking about his funny face makes me laugh. Admittedly, some parts of this movie were put in for unneeded laughs (an eagle stealing the puppy?), but overall, I liked it.
The Blind Side
Another Sandra Bullock movie. About the story of Michael Oher and his rise to the NFL. Definitely a touching, feel-good movie. Not usually my type of thing (especially since I know ZERO about football), but I liked it. Some parts were ridiculous, like Oher scoring a "98% in protective instincts" on a standardized school test. That's complete BS if you ask me!! Now, I don't know about you, but none of the tests I took in school ever tested me on something like "protective instincts"! What kind of schools do they have in Tennessee?!! While Sandra Bullock received a lot of praise for her role, I quite liked the kid playing Michael Oher. And surprisingly, Tim McGraw did a good job too.
Chungking Express
All I can say is: WTF? This was a frickin' weird movie. I watched it just for some Takeshi Kaneshiro action (I was quite obsessed with him for quite a while, as you can tell by the movies on this list), but he wasn't even in the second half of the movie! He just like, disappeared off the face of the planet! Quite possibly one of the oddest movies I've ever seen. I'd try to explain the plot, but there really wasn't one. As described by Netflix, " Hong Kong director Kar Wai Wong established a unique style with this cerebral film that presents two somewhat similar but ultimately unrelated stories about loneliness and disconnection in the big city. In the first story, a policeman pines after his former girlfriend and gives himself 30 days to find another woman; in the second story, another policeman catches the eye of an attractive waitress, who's intent on completely rearranging his life." I think these stories were more unrelated and dissimilar than the summation makes it out to be. This really could have been two separate movies. There were definitely some odd stalker behaviors( this girl went to this dude's apartment everyday during lunch and just like... lived in there, and the guy didn't even notice), and even odder characters. I simply don't know what to say. Highlights: Takeshi Kaneshiro played a depressed guy who ate 30 cans of pineapple all in one night, and Tony Leung Chiu Wai plays a cop who considers himself observant, but really isn't. He also talks to his household items, like his towel and soap. If anything, you should see the movie just for that. (I can't figure out why this movie is called Chungking Express.)
Once Upon a Time in China
Um. Wow. A really bad Chinese kung-fu film. The only redeeming factor was the fight scene in the end with the ladders. Jet Li is amazing. I don't really understand what the plot was, because the beginning made it out to seem like I was about to watch something epic, but it really wasn't. Jet Li is Wong Fei-Hung, a famous Chinese war hero. However, he is followed by idiots and extremely bad fighters in the movie. I'm not really sure why such a powerful man surrounded himself with such numbskulls. I HATED Aunt 13, as she was incapable of doing anything at all. I think they tried to throw everything into this movie--gangs, a love story, war, invading foreigners, prostitution ring, and evil rival swordsman-- in an attempt to appeal to people. It just ended up being a jumble of too much though.
What Dreams May Come
*sob sob* Super sad movie. It feature Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra, and Cuba Gooding Jr. About a man who dies in a car accident, and goes heaven. His wife, stricken with grief, kills herself, and ends up in Hell. So he sets out to save her. The visual effects are amazing in this film, especially considering the movie was made in 1998. (Heaven is depicted as a painting). Will definitely pull at your heartstrings.
The Great Gatsby
This is probably one of my favorite books, although I couldn't really tell you why. I love Gatsby (but who doesn't), and I especially like Nick. There's something about his narration that I find very appealing. Anyway, despite the fact I love the book, I didn't really like the movie. Which is somewhat of a blasphemous remark, because the movie is a classic with greats like Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, and Bruce Dern in it. However, I felt like Robert Redford was too much of a manly man to be Gatsby. In my head, I sort of always imagined Gatbsy to be a bit pathetic, although still charming and endearing. And when I think "Robert Redford", I think "dashing action star", not "love-struck pining man". Ashamedly, I fell asleep near the end of the movie. I think the whining just got to be too much for me. I don't think I really missed anything though, as I filled in the rest with my head. In my opinion, the book was still way better.
The Departed
Holy. Moly. I don't think I've ever head the F-word said so many times in a movie. Seriously? Could they have dropped the F-bomb any more? It was almost ridiculous. Mark Wahlberg's character was the worst offender, so I really didn't like him. (In the end though, he turned out to be a "good guy", but it didn't really matter to me). Anyways, this was a crime drama flick about the Boston police, corruption, and it was darn intense. It was a good movie, but I'm a bit paranoid now, I think. The police are all corrupt! Either that, or they have a personal agenda! Or both! (Or, as in Mark Wahlberg's case, they're just idiots). After seeing this movie, I think I will just have to comfort myself with the fact that I do not live in Boston.
Paranormal Activity
Bad horror movie. Boring. Not scary. Not really funny either. Just.. bad. The film is supposed to be footage shot by a couple haunted by a demon. I really didn't like Katie or Micah, because they were just both freakin' stupid. The whole time, they were just antagonizing the demon thing, and they didn't really have any common sense. 40 minutes into the movie, and all that happened was a door that moved an inch in the middle of the night and a swinging chandelier. Big whoop. Also, what the heck is scary about Katie getting up in the middle of the night and standing next to the bed for 3 hours. Actually, more importantly, what was the point of that scene? It happened more than once, but as far as I can tell, it really didn't serve any purpose. It was just stupid. The movie as a whole was not really believable. Mostly because their house was unrealistic!! They are supposed to be a young couple, and Katie is going to college still, so Micah is the only one working. But their house was still amazingly huge, and exquisitely furnished. KATIE FRICKIN' DROVE UP IN A CONVERTIBLE IN THE FIRST SCENE!! Not believable at all. The most believable part was the way it was filmed. It sort of did look like a home movie. I would say, not really a horror movie worth your time unless you want to watch a boring one.
Lost and Found
Girl searches for what she believes is hope in her grave condition (she has leukemia), and finds love along the way. Although not the best movie I've ever seen, there was something about it that really struck me. Perhaps this can be considered the Chinese equivalent of a chick flick? It was wonderfully sad and depressing. At the same time though, it was quite a touching sort of love story. Can it truly be considered a love story though? I'm not entirely sure. I don't even know what about this movie I liked, aside from the fact it had Takeshi Kaneshiro in it. This guy seems to love doing quirky movies, playing quirky characters. While the movie definitely didn't have to be almost 2 hours long, it was still a nice story. Hm, I'm not sure if I liked this movie more than I think. Maybe it's too late at night to tell. Have you ever noticed that movies watched late at night seem better?
Too Tired to Die
This was a pretty weird movie. I'm not entirely sure what the point was supposed to be. About a young Japanese man named Kenji who is a completely aimless and lazy person. He doesn't have a job (and doesn't seem to be intent on getting one anytime soon), lives off money sent by his parents, and spends most of the day sleeping. He has a chance meeting with Death, and she informs him he has 12 hours left to live, so he should spend those hours wisely. In the end though, I can't really tell you what he accomplished. I guess that was the point? Aimless people will be aimless forever? Not sure. While the idea is intriguing, the plot and script of this movie were really too disjointed to be a good movie, unfortunately. For example, in this movie alone, there are people speaking Arabic, Japanese, English, German, French, Cantonese, and Mandarin. WTF? And for some reason, quite a few of the characters are obsessed with France/Paris. But it's never pointed out why. WHY?! There were a few interesting tidbits of the movie regarding Death. It was pointed out she doesn't necessarily like her job, and only does what she's told. She dislikes taking away the young people, because they have such grand futures planned out for themselves. And, from what I could tell, I think she wants to be more human. She wants to be able to sleep, to dream, and to feel. But alas, she is Death. Side note: Takeshi Kaneshiro's haircut is absolutely ridiculous in the movie.
Sherlock Holmes
WHEE!! This was a pretty darn good movie! I sort of like Robert Downey, Jr, from Iron Man. I haven't seen him in anything else. But I felt played a pretty likable hero. In Sherlock Holmes, he does a good job, once again. Also, he and Jude Law hit it off pretty well. The chemistry between Holmes and Watson was very believable, and even quite cute at times. I loved Holmes's narration of his fight scenes. They just made them that more epic. I wish I could see the movie again, just so can catch all the jokes too. They were speaking quite fast at times, and with that British deadpan, it's sometimes hard to tell if they're saying something funny. The soundtrack is amazingly catchy too, and I had it stuck in my head for a day. It completely fits the tone of the movie though.
Hero
The cinematography in this film was AMAZING. So amazing in fact, it almost doesn't matter what the plot is. It's about the Qin Emperor and his quest to unite all the kingdoms of China, and those who stand in defiance of him. The fight choreography was stunning, especially the fight between Jet Li (Nameless), and Donnie Yen (Sky). Even more memorable than the fights though was the scenery. GORGEOUS. I could have sworn that the scenery was digitally altered, because there is no way places that like exist on Earth. But they really did film in these places! And now I want to travel the world even more. My favorite scenes? The leaves and the still lake. Pure beauty. Don't let the prettiness take too much away from the plot though. It is quite intriguing, in a very classic Chinese movie sort of way. I like how you don't know the truth until the very end. And even then, it's still sort of hard to figure out.
The Incredible Hulk
Even though I really really really don't like the Hulk (I think he's just revolting and nasty), I actually liked this movie quite a bit. I owe it to Edward Norton playing Bruce Banner. Even though I've only ever seen Ed Norton in Fight Club, I think the man is amazing. I always totally and completely believe his performance! Anyway, he was what I consider to be a very sympathetic Bruce Banner. I really felt sorry for the man. And while the Hulk was still pretty gross to me, the Abomination was 100 times worse. Ewwie!
Eragon
AAAAHH!! The most boring movie I have ever seen!! It really was a drag!! Bad acting, bad script, bad everything! 40 minutes into the movie, I could have sworn that it was about to over. But then I realized that there hadn't been a battle yet, and they weren't even close to battling, so I still had quite a bit more of the movie to watch. I looked back at the clock at what seemed to be an eternity later, only to realize that a mere 10 minutes had passed. Horrible!! I'm so glad the dude who played Eragon was also an idiot, otherwise, I would have felt sorry for him playing such a lame character. What was with John Malkovich playing the evil king too? I burst out laughing every time he appeared on screen. It was ridiculous!
Eat a Bowl of Tea
I thought this movie was sad, even though it had a fairly happy ending. It's about the arranged, but love-filled marriage between an Chinese-American man, and his Chinese wife. When he brings his wife back to the U.S. from China, they are presented with many challenges and situations that threaten their marriage. Even though I felt sorry for the main character man, Ben Loy, I have to admit he was a bit of an idiot and sort of lame. Also, Russell Wong just is not a good actor--at all. As for the wife? Bah. I didn't like what she did to her husband. Maybe a bit exaggerated, I thought the movie was a poignant depiction of life for Chinese immigrants in America.
The Proposal
Teehee. I am a bit ashamed to admit this, but this was one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. And it was truly funny, not corny or so horrible it was funny. Sandra Bullock did a good job in the movie, but I thought Ryan Reynolds made the most ridiculous faces!! Heehee! Just thinking about his funny face makes me laugh. Admittedly, some parts of this movie were put in for unneeded laughs (an eagle stealing the puppy?), but overall, I liked it.
The Blind Side
Another Sandra Bullock movie. About the story of Michael Oher and his rise to the NFL. Definitely a touching, feel-good movie. Not usually my type of thing (especially since I know ZERO about football), but I liked it. Some parts were ridiculous, like Oher scoring a "98% in protective instincts" on a standardized school test. That's complete BS if you ask me!! Now, I don't know about you, but none of the tests I took in school ever tested me on something like "protective instincts"! What kind of schools do they have in Tennessee?!! While Sandra Bullock received a lot of praise for her role, I quite liked the kid playing Michael Oher. And surprisingly, Tim McGraw did a good job too.
Chungking Express
All I can say is: WTF? This was a frickin' weird movie. I watched it just for some Takeshi Kaneshiro action (I was quite obsessed with him for quite a while, as you can tell by the movies on this list), but he wasn't even in the second half of the movie! He just like, disappeared off the face of the planet! Quite possibly one of the oddest movies I've ever seen. I'd try to explain the plot, but there really wasn't one. As described by Netflix, " Hong Kong director Kar Wai Wong established a unique style with this cerebral film that presents two somewhat similar but ultimately unrelated stories about loneliness and disconnection in the big city. In the first story, a policeman pines after his former girlfriend and gives himself 30 days to find another woman; in the second story, another policeman catches the eye of an attractive waitress, who's intent on completely rearranging his life." I think these stories were more unrelated and dissimilar than the summation makes it out to be. This really could have been two separate movies. There were definitely some odd stalker behaviors( this girl went to this dude's apartment everyday during lunch and just like... lived in there, and the guy didn't even notice), and even odder characters. I simply don't know what to say. Highlights: Takeshi Kaneshiro played a depressed guy who ate 30 cans of pineapple all in one night, and Tony Leung Chiu Wai plays a cop who considers himself observant, but really isn't. He also talks to his household items, like his towel and soap. If anything, you should see the movie just for that. (I can't figure out why this movie is called Chungking Express.)
Once Upon a Time in China
Um. Wow. A really bad Chinese kung-fu film. The only redeeming factor was the fight scene in the end with the ladders. Jet Li is amazing. I don't really understand what the plot was, because the beginning made it out to seem like I was about to watch something epic, but it really wasn't. Jet Li is Wong Fei-Hung, a famous Chinese war hero. However, he is followed by idiots and extremely bad fighters in the movie. I'm not really sure why such a powerful man surrounded himself with such numbskulls. I HATED Aunt 13, as she was incapable of doing anything at all. I think they tried to throw everything into this movie--gangs, a love story, war, invading foreigners, prostitution ring, and evil rival swordsman-- in an attempt to appeal to people. It just ended up being a jumble of too much though.
What Dreams May Come
*sob sob* Super sad movie. It feature Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra, and Cuba Gooding Jr. About a man who dies in a car accident, and goes heaven. His wife, stricken with grief, kills herself, and ends up in Hell. So he sets out to save her. The visual effects are amazing in this film, especially considering the movie was made in 1998. (Heaven is depicted as a painting). Will definitely pull at your heartstrings.
The Great Gatsby
This is probably one of my favorite books, although I couldn't really tell you why. I love Gatsby (but who doesn't), and I especially like Nick. There's something about his narration that I find very appealing. Anyway, despite the fact I love the book, I didn't really like the movie. Which is somewhat of a blasphemous remark, because the movie is a classic with greats like Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, and Bruce Dern in it. However, I felt like Robert Redford was too much of a manly man to be Gatsby. In my head, I sort of always imagined Gatbsy to be a bit pathetic, although still charming and endearing. And when I think "Robert Redford", I think "dashing action star", not "love-struck pining man". Ashamedly, I fell asleep near the end of the movie. I think the whining just got to be too much for me. I don't think I really missed anything though, as I filled in the rest with my head. In my opinion, the book was still way better.
The Departed
Holy. Moly. I don't think I've ever head the F-word said so many times in a movie. Seriously? Could they have dropped the F-bomb any more? It was almost ridiculous. Mark Wahlberg's character was the worst offender, so I really didn't like him. (In the end though, he turned out to be a "good guy", but it didn't really matter to me). Anyways, this was a crime drama flick about the Boston police, corruption, and it was darn intense. It was a good movie, but I'm a bit paranoid now, I think. The police are all corrupt! Either that, or they have a personal agenda! Or both! (Or, as in Mark Wahlberg's case, they're just idiots). After seeing this movie, I think I will just have to comfort myself with the fact that I do not live in Boston.
Paranormal Activity
Bad horror movie. Boring. Not scary. Not really funny either. Just.. bad. The film is supposed to be footage shot by a couple haunted by a demon. I really didn't like Katie or Micah, because they were just both freakin' stupid. The whole time, they were just antagonizing the demon thing, and they didn't really have any common sense. 40 minutes into the movie, and all that happened was a door that moved an inch in the middle of the night and a swinging chandelier. Big whoop. Also, what the heck is scary about Katie getting up in the middle of the night and standing next to the bed for 3 hours. Actually, more importantly, what was the point of that scene? It happened more than once, but as far as I can tell, it really didn't serve any purpose. It was just stupid. The movie as a whole was not really believable. Mostly because their house was unrealistic!! They are supposed to be a young couple, and Katie is going to college still, so Micah is the only one working. But their house was still amazingly huge, and exquisitely furnished. KATIE FRICKIN' DROVE UP IN A CONVERTIBLE IN THE FIRST SCENE!! Not believable at all. The most believable part was the way it was filmed. It sort of did look like a home movie. I would say, not really a horror movie worth your time unless you want to watch a boring one.