The MOVIE REVIEW Thread

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: Sicko (Michael Moore, 2007)

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: Segurista (Tikoy Aguiluz, 1995)

 

 

Movie Review: Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag (Lino Brocka, 1975)

Edited July 19, 2008 by rcsikat

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: Batman Returns (Tim Burton, 1992)

[gift_of_game]

^

you did this stuff for college or something?

kinda felt that you missed the point of Stardust btw...but that's just me.

 

some unsolicited advice: if you intend to get better at this, reading won't hurt your chances at all.

for one thing, you'd probably lose the amateurish tone and at least appear to have a better grip on what you're reviewing.

for another, you can finally stop apologizing to your readers for not reading enough.

[rcsikat]

^

you did this stuff for college or something?

kinda felt that you missed the point of Stardust btw...but that's just me.

 

some unsolicited advice: if you intend to get better at this, reading won't hurt your chances at all.

for one thing, you'd probably lose the amateurish tone and at least appear to have a better grip on what you're reviewing.

for another, you can finally stop apologizing to your readers for not reading enough.

 

It's just a hobby sir. Thanks for your suggestions. They are very helpful for a novice like me. :thumbsupsmiley:

[sickness]

The Dark Knight - The movie was great and Heath is brilliant!

[Anaheim]

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o441/pinoybiscuits7009/070620081157.jpg

 

We saw the film today at the San Miguel-Coca Cola IMAX theater in SM Mall of Asia, the film is in 2D. Oh man, I have been a Batman fan ever since I read the DC comic book when I was in grade school in the late 1960s. The Adam West TV series Batman became one of my favorite TV shows during my childhood years courtesy of Uncle Bob's Channel 7 of the 1960s. Having outgrown the TV series my adoration shifted to Tim Burton's Batman and its 2nd sequel but I found the Joel Schumacher sequels too cartoony just like the TV series (Jim Carrey's Riddler looks stupider than Frank Gorshin's). Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins was several notches higher and made the Batman franchise more than just a kid's film.

 

Lo and behold! The Dark Knight made the Marvel movie franchise (Spider-man, X-men, Ironman, Hulk) too cartoony ! The complex intricacies of the human morals are made into play in the Dark Knight. The Joker (Heath Ledger) is not your ordinary villain here, he doesn't care for money which is the main goal of other villains in moviedom and he doesn't care for his life either. He's a meshed-up schizophrenic with a convoluted personality disorder made courtesy of his sadistic father, he is a fine study to undertake by psychiatrists and can be the subject of numerous debates inside a psychology or psychiatry classroom. The Joker stood on par with Hannibal Lecter in Movie morphology. Heath Ledger's performance shines to greater heights and made the so-called 'method acting' into a new level. He made me laugh when he sarcastically applauded Lt. James Gordon as the new Comissioner. I felt pity for the Joker on what he has become. I won't be surprise if Heath Ledger gets nominated next year for a posthumous Oscar. The more I admire Heath Ledger's superb performance the sadder I become because we won't be seeing his performance again (*sniff*).

 

The performance of Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent aka Two-Face is also outstanding. Harvey Dent's dilemma crosses the boundary between heroic and evil deeds and to decide for those by means of flipping the coin, a case of a complex study in emotional instability courtesy of the Joker's power of persuasion. Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox (like James Bond's Gadget man Q), maker of Batman's hi-tech gadgets also crosses a moral dilemma in the film of which I won't elaborate. Shades of James Bond antics borrowed by Bruce when he presses a button on a gadget without reading the instructions first. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman also crosses the moral sea of dilemmas.

 

Hong Kong locale specifically Hong Kong island is one of the majestic backdrops in the film made more majestic by the size of an 8 storey building which is the IMAX screen located at the SM Mall of Asia. The Dark Knight is meant to be seen in IMAX format not in some minuscule size cinema you're used to or on your high definition big screen TV with a pirated DVD of a bootlegged The Dark Knight playing on your awesome Blu-Ray player, and that my friend also crosses the boundary of morality hehehe.

 

What's really sad about the film is the part when Joker uttered the lines, something like 'We are meant to be mortal nemesis for life that's why I can't k*ll you and you can't k*ll me', sad because a different actor will play the Joker if ever the Joker will appear again in future sequels. Batman completes the Joker but a Joker without Heath Ledger won't be completed even with the Batman around. Heath Ledger, you are sorely missed

 

My Ratings : 5/5 BISCUITS !

 

http://bp2.blogger.com/_-QLGkX4WoQQ/SINOTNZRqxI/AAAAAAAAAKk/iK1FELaEwIc/s400/joker.jpg

 

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o441/pinoybiscuits7009/072020081227.jpg

[[TWO]RERO]

DARK KNIGHT the best movie for 2008!!!

if only i watched in IMAX.. (i could only watch a movie in theaters at late night.)

Heath No.1 baby!

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: Keka (Quark Henares, 2003)

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, 2005)

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008)

[TheButcher]

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

 

- hindi ko amsyadong nagustuhan yung movie, konti lang magandang parts eh pero ganda nung special effects

- 3/5

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: Bayaning Third World (Mike de Leon, 2000)

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: Tanging Yaman (Laurice Guillen, 2000)

[rcsikat]

Movie Review: Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (Auraeus Solis, 2005)

[extrarice3]

Downloaded and watched the following movies lately:

 

1. Wall-E

2. The Bucket List

3. Citizen Kane

4. V for Vendetta

 

Just short comments:

(with li'l spoilers)

 

Wall-E

-Great funny movie about a robot trash compactor (that seem to be the last robot AI on an abandoned Earth) that learned the notion of love, from an old movie he always watch. So when Eve, a comparatively high-tech robot, arrived, Wall-E came attracted to her immediately. Thats all about I can tell for now.

 

Great also is their talk:

 

Wall-E: Evah!

Eve: Wall-E?

Wall-E: Evah?

Eve: Wall-E !!

 

:thumbsupsmiley: Their actions and eye movement really make up the rest of their conversation.

 

Have seen it thrice. And will definitely get the DVD as soon as it's release for the full 5.1ch experience.

 

 

The Bucket List

-Imagine Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson paired up on a movie. The bucket list happens to be a list of the things you want to do before you die. So after finding out that both have incurable diseases, they decided to go on an adventure of doing things they really want to do before their life expires. These incude sky diving, racing old cars, seeing the wonders of the world, etc. Dunno why critics hate this movie. When I watch this movie, I imagine myself being part Morgans character (a simple guy, who wants to see the the luxury of the world without worrying about money) and part Jacks character (the grumpy horny guy who'l get a quickie with a stewardess if the chance allow him). I mean, theyre just being human.

 

Seen it twice. Wont get the DVD though coz stereo is just fine for this one.

 

Citizen Kane

-How come again this became one of the best movies of all time? At time 47:00 minutes in the running of this movie I have to shut the PC down and do other things. Continued watching it after 3 days. Still Im not impressed. Maybe I would be, if I got to watch it when I was young at 1941. Story is simple and can be summed in a sentence. After having all the wealth in the world, Kain painfully preffered to live a simple life (thus the "Rosebud").

 

If your a fan of Unicron, you will try to enjoy this film.

 

V for Vendetta

-The plot is really heavy to be compressed in a movie. Itd be better if done in a mini-series to introduce more characters because some powerful scenes looked lame, like the conversations with the Chancellor in a sort of audio/video conference room. This lightened up version of VfV, shows a piece of literature from the graphic novelist, Allan Moore.

[Kurtsky Keigee]

Zohan - I really liked it one of adam sandlers best

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Dont let the name decieve you. Its teen "guys" romantic comedy about a guy whos lost about relationships and how to find the perfect woman. Well thats based on what ive understood after watching it. Its not so funny, there are also lots of memorable and cry moments in this film

It shows what a guy should look for in a woman, how to treat them and such. You should check it out. Starring Kristen Bell

[Marshall Bruce]

The Love Guru - Typical Mike Myers movie. Same old stuff. If you're expecting something different, you would be disappointed with this movie.

[Kurtsky Keigee]

Deception. A Really nice thriller starring Hugh Jackman And Ewan Mcgregor

Nice hot scenes too. Good story.

Must watch!

 

http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/p/I/R/deceptionposter.jpg

Edited August 26, 2008 by kUrTsKY

[puretuts]

Taken ---> Starring Liam Nieson and Directed by Luc Besson

 

Very good movie. Fast pace... Didn't really expect to like the movie. But was surprised. maganada siya... the daughter of a former cia operative (liam) was kidnapped by albanian sex slavers in paris... Hito si matandang tatay to the rescue.... go watch it...

 

Liam can still do the moves....

[LYCHEE]

RIGHTEOUS k*ll (r. de niro & a. pacino)...another cop movie with a twist...aging nypd cops bosom buddies clash in the last 15 mins of the film..as usual, both de niro and pacino show their acting prowess that have made them iconic to movie fans...my rating 3 stars :thumbsupsmiley:

[simpatiko]

The Shawshank Redemption 10 STAR!!!

[dragonei]

Bangkok Dangerous (2008)

 

The original Bangkok Dangerous by the Pang brothers featured a story about a deaf hitman who was deatched with the world and his own humanity. This made him an effective killing machine, beaing deaf, the main protagonist was able to focus more on his target rather than being distracted by gun fire, it also made him detached with the world around him. Untill he one day meets a pharmacist who shows him a genuine act of compassion, and he then reawakens his own humanity and realizes that life can be meaningfull even for a beat up deaf killer like him. It was a critically acclaimed movie that introduced the pang brothers to the international market. Back then it was fresh, it was stylistic, and most of all the acting was genuine.

 

This remake has somewhat failed in so many ways. I mean in my opinion this is not a bad movie, its just not a good one. Definetely not the kind of movie that will be appreciated with people who are very difficult to please. Luckily I was during that time. If you are looking for adrenalin pumping action, this is not the movie for you, if you are looking for character development and story, this movie falls short. But If you are someone who already knew the essentials of the original films and was willing to watch a different way of telling the story and in effect k*ll time, then this movie might just work for you.

 

What went wrong? lets see

 

1.) The title itself is wrong, its like a for a travel advisory from a thai taxi driver who can barely speak a word of english (which they are no offense), I mean the movie does take place in bangkok, but it really plays no relevance to the story. I mean the movie was about a character not a city

 

2.) Ok we are not expecting too much story in an action movie, that is why movies like Die Hard, and Face off do work. because the story is kept at minimal so that we can have more action. I mean not that the movie does not have a good storuy, in fact if this movie was a book I was reading, I might have apprecaited it. The problem is that the story was lousily executed. Its a good story told by a bad story teller. anyway heres the summary of the plot (WARNING SPOILER AHEAD)

 

Joe (Nicolas Cage) is a gun for hire who geos places to perform several hits from unknown clients. Like in the original film, the main protagonist is a very detached person. Not because of his deafness, but simply because his profession necessitates it. He goes to Bangkok to perform a hit on 4 people, he hires a street hustler named kong (surprisingly the name of the main protagonist in the original film) to be his errand boy. He originally planned to k*ll Kong to erase his links when the job was doen, but ends up being his mentor. He also becomes romantically interested to a deaf and mute pharmacist (in the original the main protagonist was deaf), who offers her perhaps his rare experience of human compassion. He slowly then reawakens his humanity and begins to be attached with the people around him. Unfortunately all this will somehow take a toll on him when his love interest realizes who he really is, when he hesistates shooting his last target, and when his employers make him a target.

(SPOILER ENDS)

 

Well its a good premise to start with, I do not know what went wrong and how you mess up a good sense of story telling. I also thought that the main reason why the first film was suscessful was because the protagonist became the center of empathy. Its somehow diminished in this remake. I mean you one minute do begin to care about the characters, but because the movie is so slow paced, the cinematography is so blah (the orginal was quite good actually), and Nicolas Cage's hairdo so ridiculous, that most of the time you can see a good movie slowly slipping away.

 

3.) We all know Nicolas cage can act, even in an action movie. Face/off anyone? But his hairstylist defintely needs to be shot in the face. I mean what were they thinking? Any genuine acting can be ruined with a ridiculous mullet haircut worn by a guy with a receeding hairline. Couldn't you have picked a better wig?

 

Ok seriously though. There were several acting momements that I did like. But most of them were too short to be enjoyed. The one scene though that I liked the most was the part when the deaf love interest begins to see Joe as a cold blooded killer, when he kills two muggers, and Joe could not even find the best way to explain to her what was going on. You could feel Joe's remorse of his past present and future actions, as the person who reawakens his humanity begins to slip away from her.

 

4.) Action this is what this movie should have been about. But sorry folks the action and shoot out scenes are already those you have seen before. Its just ho hum. Nothing really here to jolt you out of your seats and go "Wow that was cool". or "wow this guy can kick some ass". Not like the first film was action packed, but the strength of it was that the movie enabled to audience to give complete empathy to the main protagonist. In this remake? It fails bothways

 

In the end you just have to be objective here. There arte some good parts in this movie. In totality I did like the story just not in the way that it was executed. Its definetely a movie worth sitting trough if you are looking for something to k*ll time, and have very low expectation. And oh yes, you must have been somebody who already knew the story of the original. But hey at least Im not yet asking for my money back. In the end even remakes of good foreign films can actually be spoiled by a lousy execution. Its all in the execution. And how can it go wrong when you have the original directors behind the camera, and an acclaimed actor in fron of it.

 

My final grade?

 

C

[DJTranz]

EAGLE EYE ni shia

 

 

corny

 

 

sayang lang 150 ko badtrip !$#@$%!!!@#$^$#^$^

[Wyld]

Burn After Reading

 

 

A seemingly pointless movie made up of seemingly random and unrelated events, it is actually a dark tale of human misery. Its a movie with a star studded, powerful cast. So powerful that the actors impress us even if they portray characters who dont have much substance.

 

The movie starts off with a gym manager wanting plastic surgery she cannot afford. Together with her co worker, they try to extort money from a CIA bigwig who had already been fired from his job. Whats even more amusing is the "data" they claim to have is actually worthless. The adventures and misadventures after this inauspicious start is funny. This movie is a funny movie.

 

In the end though, one realizes that this funny movie is all about a bunch of very sad people - dissatisfied with their lives, their looks, and their spouses. Inspite of the hilarious twists and turns the movie takes, it is all about lonely and aimless people, trying their best to make something out of their meaningless lives, in all the very wrong ways.