Category: Movie Reviews

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Action & Thriller Movie Reviews

The Incredible Hulk – Reload

It’s been a crazy time at work these days so I wanted some solid entertainment.  For the lack of choices, I proposed watching “The Incredible Hulk” to my Movie Review Squad and unanimously, both TK and Cynthia loved my choice because of Edward Norton.

Edward Norton as the Hulk?!  What happens to my Hector of Troy?!

OK, I will get to that in just a moment.  I must admit that I am not really a big fan of the concept of Hulk.  However, I am a big fan of Edward Norton and Liv Taylor (the casting of Arwen of LOTR was another surprise to me).

It is hard not to compare “The Incredible Hulk” with “Iron Man”.  Both are recent superhero films that contain a battle between two relatively huge mechanical beings in “Iron Man” and two equally huge greenish blob of beings in “The Incredible Hulk”.  I would say although Edward Norton is a brilliant actor, Robert Downey Jr. has put more heart into the story.  And it is hard not to compare this film with “The Hulk” (2003) as well.  Let’s not debate if Ang Lee has done a better job or the French director Louis Leterrier has because it is a matter of a personal preference between art and entertainment.  I personally would think Eric Bana (Hector of Troy) has put more angst into the character.  After all, we are not suppose to make the Hulk angry, are we?

In a way, “The Incredible Hulk” has two parts to it: the drama and the computer generated coupled with motion captured actions.  The drama may not be as memorable as I wish it to be but I love those special effects with a capital L.  So realistic, so full of energy.  Is it just me as I feel that the Hulk is a bit smaller than the previous film.  Now, those stretchable pants make sense.  Also, one scene did remind me of the film “King Kong”.  Perhaps the metaphor of “the beast within a man and the one true love who is able to tame it” is a popular one.

Again, like “Iron Man”, “The Incredible Hulk” comes with a bunch of in-film advertisements.  The one I recognize and can remember are: Norton 360 (how appropriate), SanDisk, Panasonic Lumix camera (I think), and Cynthia picked up the Givenchy cosmetics. Some advertisements I question the relevancy to the plot.  After the show, Cynthia has the urge to buy some Givenchy products.  Uh-huh … I think that works in some sense.

Unlike “Iron Man”, the stealer scene is not being put after the end credits.  And there is a high possibility that the Hulk will be featured in the upcoming film “The Avengers”.

Cynthia and TK both enjoyed the film.  I still miss my Hector of Troy.  But that’s all good to have different opinions within the squad.  Certainly this reloaded version has more lively scripts and a more likeable green monster.

And it is meaner and angrier than Shrek.

Categories
Comedy Diary Movie Reviews Romance

If the Birthday Girl Wants Made of Honour, the Birthday Girl Gets Made of Honour

Couple of weeks ago, my friendly boss dropped by my workplace – like he always does in an intraday manner to go through a checklist of 101 items with me – and he talked about “Made of Honour” instead.  He even gave a two thumbs up on that movie.  That was scary.  Was I being Googled and he learned that I love watching movies?

Perhaps not.  Hopefully not.

This week has been an eventful week for me, or rather for Cynthia and I.  Besides the one thing that now is not a good time to share (I will, I promise), my work has been action packed (though I still managed to keep it within 9 to 5, thank god for that) and Cynthia has just started working in a new environment so I needed to hunt for another precious parking lot within CBD.  The good news is that my good old friend RC passes me his tenant lot because he has decided not to drive a few years ago.  The not so good news?  Well, the car park at Prudential Tower is probably the most scary car park I have seen in Singapore.  RC joked that I shall practice my Tokyo Drift technique at those tight corners and curves.

Very funny.

Fortunately, by now I can go up and down of the Tower with one eye closed.  In fact, an entertainment I genuinely look forward to every day.

And Friday was Cynthia’s birthday too.  How amazing!  Since my credit card has intercepted hers during her first purchase at the Great Singapore Sales just a few days ago, the birthday gift is settled.  Hooray!  I know she has been talking about “Made of Honour” a while back, “Made of Honour” it is then.

When the main actor first appeared on the big screen, I whispered to Cynthia, “Who is this guy?!”.  “He is Patrick Dempsey,” Cynthia replied.  “What damp sea?” I inquired as the name didn’t ring a bell.  “The movie ‘Enchanted’?” she replied.

Ah … OK, I still couldn’t remember.  When the main actress (Michelle Monaghan) appeared, I whispered, “I know this girl!”  “Who is she?” Cynthia’s turn to ask me.  “I don’t know,” I said and I continued, “but I remember seeing her on TV.”

OK,  I may not have seen her on TV.  But she does have that TV soap opera kind of look and indeed she was involved in the TV series “Boston Public” as I found out later.  In fact, Patrick Dempsey is also from a TV series, “Grey’s Anatomy”.

In fact, the second main actor has also acted in a TV series that I love – a HDO Original Series.  When the Scottish actor actor Kevin McKidd first appeared, I nearly screamed, “I know this guy!”  Cynthia replied knowing that I didn’t really know who this guy was, “Ya, the ‘Rome’ guy”.

I don’t think I have laughed so hard this year.  OK, it’s not about the story and we all know about that.  I would probably forget the whole story before this weekend ends.  However, with such an eventful week, a good laughter is all I need right now.  I will definitely catch this movie again on cable to have a good laugh about it.  Not sure if some sexual references would be censored though.

Perhaps not.  Hopefully not.

Categories
Movie Reviews Romance

So This is Sex and the City (A Guy’s Perspective)

Believe me, a hundred and one plans have flown over my head on how not to get myself into “Sex and the City”.  In a last-ditch attempt, I asked Cynthia in all feebleness, “Shall we check out the reviews on this movie just in case?”  Her response was, “It’s Sex and the City.”  Cool as a cucumber, just like her.

Look, a bunch of actresses in their mid-forties (and one in fifties) is not exactly sexy; nor can I relate to New York City.  I have not watched even one single episode since the season began in 1988 so I didn’t really know what to expect.

I was not surprised that the female audience inside the theater outnumbered the male species by a great mile.  I was (still am) immensely annoyed that the editing of the sex scenes is so poorly done, probably due to the film censorship restriction.  And I was surprised that I did enjoy watching this movie.

I need to see a therapist, to fix my manhood, today.

I often think that it is no easy task to bring a successful TV series onto the big screen.  A TV episode is usually short (20 to 40 minutes each); it has a certain repetitive pattern for each episode with an overarching story that spans the entire season; each episode has a constant stream of valued entertainment throughout taking in consideration of the commercial breaks.  And I often have a lot of respect for the actors and actresses in a long running TV series.  Why?  It is hard work and they get to practice their craft day in day out.  I do admire people who work hard for their passion.

Movies, on the other hand, is a totally different ball game.  The storyline does not get resolved within 20 to 40 minutes, nor it stretches to a duration of one season worth of materials.  So, what is a good strategy in bringing a successful TV series onto the big screen?

In “Sex and the City”, it is more or less a movie with four love stories evolving around the four main characters.  You may say that a 145 minutes long movie is a bit too long, even for the fans (in US, it is advertised as 135 minutes and I wonder why).  But if you look at it as four separate stories mashed into one, I think it is about right.

The movies does watch like a long TV drama program with pockets of humor from beginning till end.  The girls on screen do seem like having lots of fun with a certain female bonding that only girls can understand.  At times I hanged out with a group of female friends and when I turned invisible (believe me, it is easy when you were me), it seemed as though I have stepped into a whole new world of female aura.  The things that girls like to talk about and the little things they do, I am truly amazed.

Truly amazed I was as I watched this bunch of rather mature actresses still able to bring out the sexiness and strong female attributes within.  Sure, for the fans, the storyline may not be as strong as what it was 10 years ago.  And to glamorize the faces and bodies of what-you-see-is-what-you-get (again, these actresses are not exactly young) comes the over-the-top fashion and even a huge golden necklace the main character of Sarah Jessica Parker wears on the bed.  I am OK with that, seriously.  I need some occasional visual stimulation.  And I think “Sex and the City” portrays the emotion of the actresses well too.

Now, since I am probably an overly sensitive hopelessly romantic new age kind of guy who incidentally loves the chick-lit genre so naturally, whatever I say is discounted by half if you are a guy reading this blog entry.  Judging from the laughter I heard in the theatre by the guys behind me, I would suppose guys love “Sex and the City” too.  I read that during the filming, multiple endings were shot in public due to the constant presence of the paparazzi.  I wonder if these endings will be featured in the DVD.  The uncensored version would be so much better to watch, in my opinion.

“Sex and the City (the TV series)” is meant to be a realistic portrayal of the sexual behavior and lifestyles of many urban Americans.  Have they achieved their goals in this movie?  Only girls can tell.

Categories
Action & Thriller Foreign Movie Reviews

Black Book – Great Plot Filmed with a Convincing Sense of Realism

Gosh, it was the first time I saw an actress sitting (gracefully) in front of a mirror dyeing her pubic hair blond and I wasn’t even shy watching it.  It was so artistically filmed.  If you enjoy watching an espionage type of movie packed with high entertainment value of suspense, thriller, and seduction, this Dutch and German production with a hint of Hebrew and English may thrill you.

The time line of the story is set towards the end of World War II.  It was the rising of the Dutch Resistance versus the Nazi stationed in Holland.  “Black Book” is the most expensive Dutch film ever made (doesn’t it sound familiar with the foreign films these days?) and I can certainly see where all the money has gone into.  Every single detail is being attended to.  I felt as though I was being transported back to year of 1944.  I could almost smell the scent of the antiquity.  Details that are beyond the surface, some are historical, some are just “making sense” (like the stinging after effect of the dyeing of … erm … pubic hair). 

There is much character development in this 145 minutes foreign film and the entire plot is very much entwined with human emotions (love and family) as well as human flaws (greed and betrayal).  It watched like reading a good thick wartime novel, except the element of war is perhaps not the focus of this movie.  Are all Nazis bad and all members of the Dutch Resistance heroes?  According to the film director Paul Verhoeven, a shade of greyness on moral ground is simply what real life is.  Too bad, I don’t know the languages and I found it hard at times to follow the subtitles while distracted by the scenes and the acting.

“Black Book” may have received a mixed review within the Dutch community but the International markets love it.  Perhaps we are in need of something fresh with an age old formula of the Holocaust; perhaps we are not Dutch enough to feel for the lack of moral black and white between the Nazis and the rest.  This film has been nominated and has won a few awards.  The real gem of the movie, I think, is the beautiful Dutch stage and film actress Carice van Houten.  The plot has provided her a wide spectrum of emotions and opportunity to shine.  You will get to love our heroine.  And her real life relationship with her co-star Sebastian Koch (for those who have seen the film, it’s Ludwig Müntze, the German SD Officer) explains the chemistry on the big screen.

Do bring along a friend or two to watch to show.  It will be fun pasting the pieces together after the show.

On a side note – especially when I opened this blog entry with such a hot scene – the director Paul Verhoeven has worked on (besides “RoboCop” and “Total Recall”) “Basic Instinct”, “Showgirls”, “Starship Troopers”, and “Hollow Man” – all of which have elements that bring out the beauty of the female sexuality in forms of art.  I would say I love them all (except “RoboCop”).

Gosh, I have watched so many movies over the years!

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

Accuracy of Death, Sweet Rain, 死神の精度 – Whatever the Title is, It’s Takeshi Kaneshiro

OK.  I have to make this movie the final stop of my Asian Movie Marathon, take a break, and blog about something else.  This morning, I asked Cynthia who is not a big fan of Japanese movies, “Why pick this?”  Her answer was “Takeshi Kaneshiro” together with a isn’t-that-obvious look.

Isn’t that obvious that all the girls love Takeshi?  The sound of exhilaration from the female audience at those heart-melting moments makes me wonder if “Accuracy of Death” (literal translation) or “Sweet Rain” (alternative International title) is indeed a chick-flick (it’s probably not).

It’s not a tear jerking movie for sure.  “Accuracy of Death” is divided into 3 parts with each part tells a story of its own.  The “Death God” or better known as “Grim Reaper” in English talks to his targets (or contracts?) in human form and judges them for a week.  On the 8th day, he then makes a decision to “proceed” (i.e. death) or “suspend”.  What is special about this film is that by and large, the three sub-plots are unpredictable.  With such a high degree of unpredictability comes a price of a lack of anticipation of something dramatic.  At times, both Cynthia and I wondered where the story was heading.  It is also one of those movies that when the ending hits you, it really hits you and makes you go “ah-ha”.  Perhaps not as deep as I personally wish it to be.  But it is good for a change and have something challenges our minds a bit.

From my close to non-existing understanding of the Japanese language with lots of help from the online translator, the movie appears to be inspired by part 1, 2, and 6 of a 6-book series written by 伊坂幸太郎 between 2003 to 2005 – 「死神の精度」「死神と藤田」and「死神対老女」.  I wonder what happens to the rest of the stories.  Perhaps time for me to learn Japanese.

An unusual mystery Japanese movie uplifted by a good sense of humor.  All three sub-stories have different themes and since my favorite one is the first one, the rest of the stories seem to fall flat just a tiny bit.  After some research, I found the music video clip (featured below) sung by the main actress from the first story, 小西真奈美 (Manami Konishi), titled “Sunny Day”. 

Out of the four Asian films that I have recently watched – “Dance of a Dragon”, “Ayat-Ayat Cinta”, “Chocolate”, and “Accuracy of Death” – and if we could have time for only one movie, Cynthia would pick “Ayat-Ayat Cinta”.  I would probably pick “Chocolate”.  It is quite a rare moment that there are so many good Asian films showing at the same time.  And hence this crazy marathon.

Categories
Action & Thriller Foreign Movie Reviews

Chocolate – That Thai Girl Can Fight!

Why is this Thai film so named as “Chocolate”?  I still have no clue.  Maybe I was too absorbed into the hot, explosive, fast paced, bone cracking, humanly impossible fighting sequence, I walked out of the theatre (at 1.30am) feeling shocked and awed unable to process anything like: Where or who is the chocolate?  And our Asian movie marathon continues.

“Chocolate” does put something new onto the table.  The most obvious of all is to have a young sweet heroine (“Jeeja” Yanin Vismistananda) as the main character fighting (and cracking) against gozillian men.  I personally welcome this aspect of femininity in a popular Thai action genre because it draws emotion and feeling and sympathy towards the heroine.  Besides, a heroine is allowed to cry when the plot calls for.  With a male main actor, the action is usually coupled with a dose of humor (like the Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan’s movies or the Thai actor Tony Jaa’s “Ong-Bak” and “Tom Yum Goong”).  With a female actress, it opens up doors of vulnerability that seldom seen in a genre dominated by men.

Collaboration with a Japanese counterpart in a Thai movie, I think, is pretty fresh (don’t you love the hot pair of Thai-Japanese couple?).  And it does expand the mode of combat to include the long Japanese sword as well.

“Chocolate” has devoted the first 30 minutes to develop the character of an autistic girl from conception to discovering this awesome fighting skill of hers.  The next 1 hour is packed with intensive fight scenes that made the audience screaming “ouch” all the way.

“Chocolate” does not have the old-fashioned scene repeat in different angles as the same pair of director choreographer did for “Ong-Bak” and “Tom Yum Goong”, which to me is good.  It is still what it is: a Thai action film that won’t satisfy your intellectual mind but will certainly get your adrenalin flowing.  I personally would love to see more of “Jeeja” in the future.  Perhaps a pair up between her and Tony Jaa.  Here is the trailer.

PS. I read from a Thai that in Thailand, it is darn hard to collect money from those who owe you.  They will have no problem relating to this film.

Categories
Drama Foreign Movie Reviews

Ayat-Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love) – More Than Just A Romance Drama

With close to a quarter of a billion population, you would have thought the filmmaker would pick a better looking Indonesian actor who is worthy of having four girls falling head over heels in love with and ends up marrying two.  Well, at least the filmmaker picks the right pair of drop dead gorgeous actresses for “Ayat-Ayat Cinta” – officially translated as “Signs of Love” and literally means “Verses of Love”.

I have such a high anticipation for “Ayat-Ayat Cinta” because an Indonesian film worthy of the International market is rare and I do have a certain affection towards Indonesia.  Besides, I thought Cynthia would love to watch a film in her mother tongue.  On top of that, I did take language lessons back in Indonesia donkey years ago so I am not 100% clueless on the dialogues like other foreign films.

Let’s put things in perspective here.  According to Cynthia, majority of the Indonesia productions are either in the genres of horror or slapstick comedy or teen comedy.  To take on a romance drama that explores such a wide range of topics even with a budget that well exceeds the average cost of an Indonesian film (I read it’s double) is an admirable effort.  I can certainly imagine that if I was an Indonesian, I too would feel proud watching this movie.  With a script of “Long Live Indonesia” in the foreign land of Egypt, who wouldn’t?

A few feel good factors and a few really good eye candies aside, “Ayat-Ayat Cinta” has attempted to shine a more balanced light on Islamic as a religion of patience and sincerity.  This 126 minutes film, I believe, is a timely answer to the 16 minutes controversial short film “Fitna” by Geert Wilders that portrays Islam as a religion of terrorism (shocking images, avoid if you have a weak stomach).  It is a balanced view because while the traditions are observed – such as the prayers, Islamic teaching, and how men and women should not touch each other unless they are related – it does tackle the social issues such as domestic violence, rape as well as the challenge of a polygamy marriage.

There are parts of the movie that move me a great deal.  It portrays the emotional aspect really well, certainly believable.  As someone who is a non-Indonesian, I found myself talking to Cynthia a lot during the show to seek clarification.  For instance, I did not know that during an Islamic wedding, the bride’s father holds the hand of the groom over the Quran with the bride sitting on the side and that signifies a transfer of “responsibility”.  I was quite shocked to see that as an equivalent to the Western “exchange of wedding vow”.  Also, because the dialogues have a mix of Arabic and Bahasa Indonesia and the characters who are supposed to be Arabians speak in Bahasa Indonesia, it could be quite confusing for those who does more than reading the subtitles.

An extremely slow moving movie (I think this one is even slower than “Dance of the Dragon”), what it lacks is the quality of production and a tighter and more realistic storyline.  However, for those who are into foreign movies that expose human emotions and are original – in the sense of an Indonesian student in Egypt and eventually marries a Muslim and a Christian – “Ayat-Ayat Cinta” may satisfy a different taste bud of yours.

On a lighter note, I don’t think any guy on earth would mind the headache of having Carissa Putri and Rianti Cartwright as wives.  I personally …

OK, I have watched the Fann Wong’s “Dance of the Dragon” follows by “Ayat-Ayat Cinta”.  Can you guess which one I am going to watch next?  It’s so obvious!

PS. For those who are interested to read more on Islam, check out my book review of “Islam By Karen Armstrong – A Short History”.

Categories
Drama Movie Reviews

Dance of the Dragon = 1/2 Star?! What Are You Smoking? Shoot the Scriptwriter If You Must

Com’on people.  Half-a-star and you buy that?  If someone is sending a DVD of this movie to me as a Christmas gift, I promise I will watch it before Easter (got to love that one critic I heard using cold turkey analogy though).  Putting “Dance of the Dragon” just half-a-star above Paris Hilton’s “Hottie and Nottie” is just wrong.  You hear that “The Straits Times”?  You’ve got to review your movie review framework.

Because this film has such a bad publicity in Singapore, none of my friends wish to watch this “trash”.  But from what I read in the Internet, there are people who enjoy watching this film.  People who are not just from Singapore, but Australia, Japan, and Korea.

So, why do the Singaporeans and the media dislike this production so much?  And what do I think of this film after watching it alone?  Here are some thoughts of mine.

  1. Cinematography – “Dance of the Dragon” is an art-house type of production.  It is meant to be a slow moving film.  The cinematography is beautiful.  Pay attention to the vibrant colors, the angles, and the composition of each frame.  That is art.  One scene, there is an old man practicing Tai Chi on a rooftop.  The fluidity of motion and contrasts with the lines against the backdrop.  Observe how his hands almost touch the lines in the background and never quite cross them.  There are scenes that are juxtaposed with independent plots that happen in different locations at the same time.  The dance scenes especially the one towards the ending, albeit a tad too short, move me.
  2. Soundtrack – The symphonic soundtrack, I think, supports the film and the scene development really well.  I am actually surprised by the quality as it is something that often overlooked in a non-Hollywood production.  For those who think that the music is too slow and boring, well, it is a slow moving film to start with.
  3. Script – If someone’s head needs to roll, that would be the scriptwriter.  What are you thinking?!  I think a lot of negativity stems from a poorly written script with poorly written dialogues and poorly written storyline.  It is an immature, unrealistic, and unnecessary piece of work.  Boo!
  4. Chemistry – The neither-here-nor-there love relationship between the characters can be quite frustrating to watch, especially for those of us who are so used to the dramas of the Korean, the Japanese, and the Hollywood.  Maybe Singaporeans are just not dramatic enough?  None of my Singaporean friends do seem to engage in some deeply passionate love affairs even to the extend of a suicidal love-me-or-I-will-die mentality like in Hong Kong (where I was born).  If it was up to me, I would totally rewrite the love story and put more at stake.  I would have the characters furiously kissing each other, being caught cheating, and being caught in a downward spiral fall into a love so strong that … you are going to cry.  That’s right.  Hire me, you hear me?
  5. A Theme – Horrible scriptwriting aside, “Dance of the Dragon” does have a consistent theme and it runs in parallel both with Jang Hyuk’s as well as Fann Wong’s character.  It is about dare to dream, pursue your dream, and it is not about wining but becoming the person you want to be.  Cool, no?
  6. The Cast (The Korean) – The Korean (heart-throb?) actor Jang Hyuk who made famous in the romance drama film Windstruck (2004) is certainly my favorite actor in this film.  He acts well in both the Korea portion as well as the Singapore portion of the story.  And he is charming!  OK, to be frank, I find his dance moves really stiff.  But then again, if you follow the storyline (at least the horrible scriptwriter gets this one right), it just says that he loves to dance and he dreams to be a dancer.  It never says that he is born with this natural talent that without any formal training, he is going to conquer the world.  Can I relate to this aspect of his character?  Certainly I can.  Certainly many people can.
  7. The Cast (The Singaporean) – OK.  Fann Wong speaks English can sound a bit odd.  Perhaps we are so used to Singaporeans speaking Singlish with the accents mixed with Chinese words and the lah.  I thought she has done better than what I have expected – proper English at least (again, refer to point 3 for bad lines).  Surely she would have done a much better job in Mandarin.  But her language aside, she looks celestial on the big screen.  Those dresses, and shoes, and even her hairstyling and make-up – immaculate.  Look, Fann Wong is not exactly a 18 years old and at her age, she is really stunning.  Do her tears move me?  Sure they do.  Does she look elegant?  Without a doubt.  Do I love her?  Absolutely!
  8. The Cast (The Chinese-American and Hawaiian descent) – Trained in Bruce Lee’s signature martial art Jeet Kune Do, I think Jason Scott Lee has added a dimension of authenticity to the film.  Granted that he should show more facets to his acting (again, please blame the scriptwriter) and you may only get to see a different side of him towards the end of the film, he has a role to play and given the circumstances, he plays it well.
  9. Authenticity – I didn’t know that dance moves can be documented and the film does provide me with a peep into the dancer’s world.  I read somewhere (from a Korean) that the Korean village scenes shot in Singapore is pretty authentic.  And how about the Singapore scenes?  Well, I must say there is a certain level of disconnection between the Central Business District outdoor shots (together with a sparkling new Comfort taxi) and the shots from the film set.  It is as though they are of a different decade.  I am OK with that.  Actually I am quite happy to see some local culture and traditions that unfortunately in a worldwide scale are giving way to the post-modernization and, to some countries, post-colonial era.

OK.  Now I feel a lot better.  Although “Dance of the Dragon” is far from being a classic, it is even further from that miserable unfounded 1/2 star rating.  I suspect that this film is going to do better in overseas, which is rather sad.  Seeing Singapore and a Singaporean actress on a big screen does give a lift to my heart.  Shouldn’t we all be just a tiny bit lenient on “Dance of the Dragon” rather than wearing our “not-bad-equals-to-pretty good” hats?

It’s an art-house movie.  Rate it as one if you must.

Categories
Fantasy & Sci-fi Movie Reviews

Iron Man – Quite Possibly My Favorite Superhero

For the short attention span readers of my site, if you wish to watch a tiny extra clip of the movie that most people may miss, defy the urge to leave the theatre when the end credits start rolling.  Stay till the very end for a tiny reward.  Now, that’s all you need to know.  Go book the movie and enjoy because I know you want to.

Singaporean viewers (or Asians in general) don’t seem to have the patience to stay for the end credits.  We are in such a hurry to go somewhere else.  Same thing happens for the concerts.  Even before the cheering is over, some will start to leave the seats.  (And dare I say same thing happens in Churches as well?)  In UK and France – where I spent quite some time there watching movies – most audience sit back and stay till the very end of the show.  I do enjoy this “unwinding” process – to listen to the theme songs, to pick up some trivia, or even to find out who sing or play a particular song, and to be reassured that no animals were harmed during the filming process.  If you have already invested 2 hours watching “Iron Man”, what’s another 5 to 10 minutes to you?

I had no clue what “Iron Man” is as I seldom read Western comic books.  Turns out that Iron Man is not as far fetched as some other superheroes nor the story is as stupid as: now I wear my spectacles so you can’t recognise me.  In fact, what I really like is that the main character Tony Stark makes no effort to hide who he is, or what he does.

Nearly all whom I talked to were (or still are?) unhappy with the casting.  Why Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow?  Gwyneth Paltrow only has a small part to play in this first installment of a trilogy so I wouldn’t want to over-analyse on “Why Gwyneth?”.  I personally think she fits quite well comic-book-wise as the blonde slender assistant who is efficient and sort of indifference to her billionaire boss’s rather colorful dating life.  I mean, I can so see her living inside a comic book.

But why Robert Downey Jr.?  As an audience, I have this love and hate relationship with Downey Jr.  I first noticed him in my favorite TV drama Ally McBeal.  Love his acting performance and that particular scene when he played the piano and sang – still lives vividly in my mind.  He did release an album that he wrote and I was tempted to buy (maybe I shall).  I hate that such a talented actor and musician’s career has to be interrupted by his lapses due to substance abuse.  This history of substance abuse, I believe, is also one of the reason why he is chosen as the Iron Man – a plot that will unfold in this trilogy.

Iron Man/Tony Stark does have a somewhat complex character mix.  A billionaire who carries himself well in front of the public media, a charmer to the ladies, a humorous geek (or technology freak, I mean genius), and a very tough guy – with or without his Iron Man suit.  To me, Robert Downey Jr. scores well in all departments.  From what I read, he has added his personal touch to carry the character well beyond the scripts given with added humors.

Special effects are stunningly and realistically beautiful.  From the holographic computer screens (reminds me of the film “Minority Report”), to that sickly detailed Iron Man suit that has equally sick animated moving parts, to the flying motion, explosion, and hand going into the human body (how?!) – all these effects and more guarantee to make you go wow.  “Iron Man” has tons of in-film advertisements as well such as Audi, LG, and even Bvlgari.  The same S$500,000 car that Tony Stark drives is the exact same model (and color I think) as the one now on display right in front of the UOB Centre in Singapore.

The world audience is raving about “Iron Man”.  You may too.  I am eager to see what the other two installments will be like.  Perhaps Tony Stark and his assistance Pepper finally falls in love in the next episode and he dies saving the world (or Pepper) in the last episode?  We shall see.

PS. Daredevil is quite possibly another superhero of my favorite.

Categories
Foreign Movie Reviews

The Forbidden Kingdom – “Gate Of No Gate” Cracks Me Up Big Time

The Forbidden Kingdom

Just a couple of days ago, a friend of mine at work sent me an Outlook invite titled “Girlie Lunch” and she has extended the invite to a few other guys.  In the end, I was the only guy who turned up.  Last evening might as well be qualified as a “Girlie Dinner” as my guy friend couldn’t make it for dinner and joined us for movie later instead.  I must say not often I am privileged for such outings and it is rather interesting to observe the topics that girls like to talk about and things they do on a dining table.  The “Girlie Bonding” is somewhat as strong as the binding of the neutrons and protons in the semi-absence of men.  The phrase the table has turned has a whole new meaning to me.

The story of the Monkey King or better known as Sun Wukong (孫悟空) in Chinese is based on an epic literature Journey to the West (西遊記) that I have read a couple of times when I was young (100 chapters!).  Ever since it was published in the 1950s, the story has been told and retold, packaged and repackaged in a hundred million ways on TV and on big screens.  And now, we get to see the Monkey King once again in “The Forbidden Kingdom”.

From a purist viewpoint, “The Forbidden Kingdom” watched almost like a blasphemy to the legendary characters so well known to those who have a deep Chinese background.  At times I find it hard to watch how some characters are teamed up against one another.  Also, having a bunch of well respected Chinese actors grouped together speaking in not-too-fluent English with an acting delivery less than conviction, to me, is hard to watch too.  The action sequence though is pleasant to our senses certainly not as artistic and original as some of the other Chinese films such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “House of Flying Daggers”, or “Hero”.

These aside, I can also understand why some (strangely all the girls in our group) found the movie entertaining – especially so with Jackie Chan’s hilarious performance.  The scripts can be humorous to both with Chinese background and the ones without.  Just like the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique in “Kill Bill” – a direct word-by-word translation so hilariously strange to the foreigner and yet so funnily ridiculous to the Chinese – “The Forbidden Kingdom” has tons of references that when directly translated, are pure madness.  My favorite is certainly the translated phrase of “Gate of No Gate” and some of those odd English dialogues like “you bitch!” meets with a “you orphan bitch!” reply.  A fellowship of a Westerner, a monk, a drunken scholar, and an orphan girl on a mission to return the magical staff to the Monkey King surely invokes some kind of resemblance to the “Lord of the Ring”.  Some may like the familiarity (and what’s up with the must-have cat fight scenes like “Charlie’s Angels” or “James Bond”?).

I was actually quite intrigued by the actress Liu Yifei who has quite an achievement prior to this film.  I was once tempted by her Japanese album back in 2006 (she has a Chinese album too) but I gave it a miss.  Also, in the same year, I resisted borrowing her highly recommended TV drama “The Return of the Condor Heroes (神雕侠侣)” from my buddy.  Perhaps I shall reconsider the offer.

Fortunately, the storyline is not too unbelievable (which ironically the traditional Cantonese movies usually are when it comes down to this genre).  You may probably have to read the subtitles to make out the strange English accents.  And if you are not too much of a purist, some of those absurd dialogues may stick onto your mind for days to come.