Review - A Good Day to Die Hard

Bruce Willis is too old for this shit... and he mentioned it a few times in the movie... in fact, it's like there's a resurgence in older action stars these days, with The Expendables, and Tom Cruise... apparently, there are no younger stars who can carry a movie yet...

Anyway, A Good Day to Die Hard is the fifth installment of the Die Hard series... Willis returns as John McClane, the gung-ho New York cop who gets into trouble a lot...

The last Die Hard movie, Live Free or Die Hard, showed us McClane's daughter, Lucy (played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead). This time, it's his son, Jack (Jai Courtney), who gets the spotlight, working as an undercover CIA agent in Russia.

The movie's fine as an action movie. It even has a red herring or a surprise twist close to the end, which I almost figured out, right before it was revealed, so that's a good thing. :)

However, the movie has too much destruction, for destruction's sake. And there was just way too much shouting in the beginning. After a third of the movie went by, then it goes on to become a pretty decent movie. 

And don't get me started on the plot holes... the most glaring one would be the one involving Chernobyl and explosion... not gonna say what it is as it will spoil the scene/movie, but watch out for that... bugs the hell out of me...

Bruce Willis is in his element here, and is matched well with Jai Courtney. Hopefully the next Die Hard movie will allow the daughter to kick ass...

In other news, Bryan Singer donates money to USC...

http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/bryan-singer-donates-5m-usc-school-cinematic-arts-76686

 And... the guy responsible for Yoda has died...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/feb/07/stuart-freeborn-yoda-maker-dies

Review - Flat 3A

Flat 3A tells the story of Fiqah (Intan Ladyana), a factory worker who is pregnant. Anas (Adey Shafrien), the boyfriend, forces Fiqah to undergo abortion. After that, Fiqah is overwhelmed by guilt and remorse that she moved to another flat with her friend Ratna (Shasha).

Unknown to her, the house she's moving in was the base of a black magic shaman, Kang Suman (Zaidi Omar) and people there suspected Kang Suman was responsible for the disappearance of a little girl named Fatin.

Fiqah is then haunted by a little girl in the house, who she says looks like Fatin. But Ratna dismisses her claims because Fiqah is still traumatised.

Meanwhile, Fatin's mom (Kathy Azean) and uncle, Wahyu, who is an exorcist, carry on searching for her.

Yet another horror movie... this one's from Azhari Mohd Zain, who brought us Santau and Mantra. Flat 3A's slightly different from the other two, but still kinda the same... especially the whole shaman/bomoh theme... guess he really can't run away from those elements...

For me, this was an entertaining movie... not too scary, but it has its moments... unfortunately, the whole experience was marred by the storytelling... although I loved that the story had layers and it was told separately but was united at the end by one common thread... but there were things that did not work...

For example... Fiqah... where did she fit into all this... it was just too coincidental for her involvement in this... why was she haunted by Fatin? Why doesn't Fatin just haunt someone else into solving the mystery of her disappearance? Why did she show up at her mom's place that night and not the nights before? And why doesn't the people around the flat do something about her and Kang Suman's disappearance? Plus, dead body? Would've reeked right? The entire flat would've smelled like, well, rotting flesh...

Anyway, even after all that, I still liked this movie... mostly because how every character and storylines eventually link to one another... it's like an onion, multilayered and delicious... hehe...

Acting-wise... not too bad... I've never really liked Intan Ladyana coz she was not too good an actress plus her voice is a bit too shrill... but she was not bad in this movie... suited her... Ery Zukhairi and Adey Shafrien looked like they could be twins or brothers... faces are too similar... they did not do a bad job but kinda stiff in a couple of scenes...

All in all, enjoyable... not too bad...

Review - Thor

I am a comic geek, but I have to admit that I don’t read nearly enough comics. Mostly I stick to the X-Men. And Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. Maybe I am just a comic fan or comic reader?

But I do know a thing or two about comic superheroes. This summer, we’re getting a bunch of superhero movies, beginning with Thor, followed by the Green Lantern, X-Men (First Class) and Captain America.

So the first one out in cinemas is Thor, the Norse God of Thunder.

You know, this movie was foreshadowed in Iron Man 2. After the credits, there was a short clip of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, being discovered.

The cast of this movie consists of Chris Hemsworth (A Perfect Getaway) as Thor, Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) as Odin, Tom Hiddleton as Loki and a barely recognizable Rene Russo as Odin’s mother.

The human cast consists of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Stellan Skasgard as Dr Selvig, Kat Dennings as Darcy and Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson.

Kenneth Brannagh, who is notable as an actor and director of a bunch of Shakespearean movies, directed this movie. At first I thought it was John Favreau, directing because it had touches of Iron Man in it but I suppose there’s not much leeway when it comes to superhero movies, especially two from the same stable. And it is not necessarily a bad thing. Iron Man was a delicious movie that was full of heart and action and was anchored by a great leading man who is charming, sexy and a bit dark. J

Chris Hemsworth is definitely not Robert Downey Jr but he did not do a bad job with Thor. He is charismatic and tall and blonde and hot and sexy… and cocky … just like Thor.

Natalie Portman’s role as Jane Foster should be a walk in the park for an actress of her caliber, especially after Black Swan.

The supporting casts is quite good here, bringing a level of humor and lightheartedness to the movie that would not have been there because Thor and Jane are far too serious here.

So… was the movie good enough for a summer blockbuster? For a superhero movie? For a Marvel movie? Yes definitely.

But I do think it’s missing a bit more action. Like for example… when Thor, Sif and the Warriors Three rushed back to Asgard to thwart off Loki, there was no fighting left, other than the inevitable fight between Thor and Loki. What of the Frost Giants? There should be a big final battle at the end. But I guess that was wishful thinking on my part.

The ending of this movie did not really suggest Thor 2 but of course, much was left hanging and since this movie was quite good, I am thinking that there might be more Thor after this. But we’ll have to wait and see for the box-office figures yes? But definitely more Thor in the upcoming Avengers movie.

Ooh, ooh, speaking of the Avengers… Hawkman has a cameo in this movie. When I saw Jeremy Renner’s face, I was deliriously happy and clapping like a loony. Unfortunately, I wished he’d do more than just stand around.

Like every other Marvel superhero movie, there is a post-credits scene where Dr Selvig is taken to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where he meets Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) and was asked to study a recently discovered Cosmic Cube. It was also revealed that Selvig was under the control of Loki, who had been transported to Earth.

In case you had to leave before the credits end… :)

Review - Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch tells the story of a young woman in the 1950s, who was sent to an insane asylum by her stepdad in a bid to get her inheritance. At the asylum, she meets a bunch of characters who are willing to escape with her, before she gets lobotomized.

Emily Browning plays Baby Doll, the young woman in question. Her fragile mind coped with the harshness of her reality by turning the asylum into a dance hall that fronts for a brothel. When asked to dance, Baby Doll’s mind goes into a fantasy world where she (and her new friends) are fighting German zombie soldiers, dragons and mechanical killers.

Her asylum friends are played by Abbie Cornish (Sweet Pea), Jena Malone (Rocket), Jamie Chung (Amber) and Vanessa Hudgens (Blondie). Rounding up the cast are Carla Gugino as Dr Gorski and Oscar Isaac as Blue, the orderly who had a hand in Baby Doll’s lobotomy.

So basically we’re watching three layers of reality… the actual one where Baby Doll’s family life shattered and she was sent to the asylum, the second one where her mind copes with the harsh reality and turns the asylum into a dance club/brothel and the third reality where she is handy with a katana and handgun. But there would be times where you would not be sure which reality you're watching...

Yes, I loved it. As predicted. Right up my alley and Zack Snyder did not do a bad job with it. Just as he gave us the fun cock flick 300 starring Gerard Butler and his abs, he is giving us the female version of 300 with Sucker Punch. It's stylish and fun.

Anyway, since this is Snyder we’re talking about, the whole movie’s got the 300 vibe, definitely. Especially the slow-motion fighting bit. I don’t know… a lot of movies have done this, and I guess for me the slow-mo thing has been done to death. Wish it was just a straight up fight instead of the fast forward/slow motion combo… would’ve made this movie that much sweeter.

The opening sequence needs a shout out I think. It was done in complete silence, like the Hush episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was great and really sets up the mood for the rest of the movie.

By the way, Sucker Punch was beaten out by the second Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie at the box office. Guess we’ll have to wait and see if business will pick up in the following week.

For the full plot/storylines, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucker_Punch_(film)

Reviews

These past couple of weeks have been eventful for me... was sooooo busy with stuff that I did not really have a chance to catch a movie... I think the last one I saw was either I Am Number Four or Sini Ada Hantu... both of which I had yet to write a review...

Then comes this week... it's been two days in, well, two and a half, and I've been to two previews/premieres... three counting the one tonite... So will work on getting the reviews out some time this week...

I was fortunate enough to be invited... okay, okay, I tagged along with my colleague who was invited... the first one, on Monday was Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa, at Cineleisure... the second was was Cun!, at Times Square... tonite, Anu Dalam Botol at The Gardens... or is it Dalam Botol now...

Anyway, will be dedicating tomorrow to finish up scripts for work and also this blog's reviews...

And for those who follow American Idol, the song set for the Top 13 has been leaked...

http://www.rickey.org/?p=59830

Review - Devil

M Night Shyamalan has been getting a lot of flak lately, especially for that blunder that is The Last Airbender.



He first exploded onto the scene with the kick-ass The Sixth Sense, even though he had made a couple of movies before that. And he was always wearing at least two hats: Writer and Director. Sometimes Producer as well...



Unfortunately for him, his movies are not as good as The Sixth Sense but not that bad either. Unbreakable. Signs. The Village. But then again, the quality seemed to have been dropping since Unbreakable. Either he peaked too soon or The Sixth Sense was just a fluke.



We kept hoping his next movie would be half as good as The Sixth Sense but he had never been able to deliver. Lady in the Water clearly showed that he had lost his touch, although the movie had a pretty decent storyline. The Happening was just too weird and/or not really able to be made sense of...



Then he decided to tackle The Last Airbender. Hmm, maybe it'd work out well since the material has already been laid out in front of him. But noooo, he had to poo-poo all over that. Yup, I am an avid Avatar fan. He got a lot of it wrong and he took the life, soul and fun out of everything we hold dear about Team Avatar.



MNS really should stick to just writing and not direct. That way he could concentrate on making the script kick-ass instead of having his attention diverted into a million different ways.



But I am not a M Night Shyamalan hater. I am just disappointed. He had a lot of talent and potential to pull off The Sixth Sense. Of course, I also know that he is not the only one to be blamed for all those lacking movies coz there are other producers in charge and the studio execs... they could have easily forced him to make something better... or not... I guess we'd never know...



Anyway, with Devil... once I saw his name is on it... I was simultaneously excited and nervous. Rolling my eyes and clapping giddily.



MNS is back to The Sixth Sense territory. And he's only writing the script. So he won't be helming it lazily like he did The Last Airbender.



Watching the trailer, Devil does seem pretty interesting. And it totally was. As I have said many times before... what you don't see is genuinely scarier than something you can see on screen... it's like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity... scary shit right there... Devil also employs the same technique and it's all done within that one elevator car...



The tension and suspense... wow... the acting was also pretty good, featuring mostly unknown actors...



And the writing was excellent... I normally would have caught the red herring a mile away but this time, I did not see it until the pivotal moments before the unveiling of the red herring... MNS did such an amazing job tying everything together... kudos... hopefully, he'll stick to what he does best from now on... not directing, not acting... just writing scary movies...



Although I did find some storylines unnecessary but I guess it was a bit to throw us off the scent of the real killer behind it... excellent horror movie! :)

Review - Going the Distance

I haven't even heard of this movie until an ex-colleague of mine asked me to accompany her for a sneak preview. Boy, it was soooo sneaky that there were only a handful of people in the cinema hall. Like 10 people... which was good coz we were seated so far away that we could sit comfortably... hehehe...

Anyways, I have always liked Drew Barrymore so I thought why not... plus, Justin Long and Barrymore have been the talk of the town in regards to their relationship... whether it's on or it's off...

Either way, this movie is a romantic comedy about two people who met and got it on famously... but the problem is the girl's leaving to the other side of the country.

It's a nice enough movie. The two leads have excellent chemistry together and the acting was not too bad.

Drew Barrymore's forte is lightweight comedies so she's pretty good here. Justin Long is also good as the guy who has to deal with the long distance relationship. He sidestepped his normal roles AKA quirky and annoying and made the guy somewhat likeable. The scene when he had to make a difficult decision was kinda heartbreaking. Proves how good he actually is...

They're supported by a few interesting and hilarious characters. Guess that's the norm when it comes to quirky romantic comedies. The wacky sidekicks.

Christina Applegate is especially hilarious and the tough as nails and no nonsense older sister. She's excelling in this kind of role, especially after carving out a name for herself in Samantha Who? and her Emmy winning scene stealing role as Rachel's sister on FRIENDS.

Review - Planet 51

Over the Raya break, I went back to hometown... the qurban activity was scheduled for Saturday so I decided to go out with them kids to the mall and watch a movie. They wanted to watch 2012 or Astro Boy but I've seen them already.

They haven't seen New Moon but haven't seen Twilight as well... so Planet 51 is the only other option left. We went to East Coast Mall, which has a GSC there... which happens to be my fave cineplex...

Planet 51... Area 51... Get it?

The movie starts out showing a couple getting attacked by aliens. It turned out to be a movie that people are watching. But in fact, these people are aliens... um, guess in their own planet, they would not be considered aliens huh?

Anyway, as with our people, some of them are obsessed with aliens and alien invasions...

One day, an actual alien came down to their planet... only it's not an alien... it's a human... okay, alien to them I guess... so pandemonium erupted and everybody panicked... etc etc etc...

Except for Lem, the main character, who befriended the human and wants to help him go back to his spaceship so that he could return home...

There is also a cute robot who acts like a dog... called Rover, who has an obsession with rocks... I think he was modelled after Wall-E...

Anyway, the movie's entertaining enough... some of the jokes are adult-oriented... the kids did not get it while I was laughing out loud... most animations are like that... the kids only saw pretty fish while we laugh like crazy for the jokes in Finding Nemo...

A decent enough movie to take the kids to during the school holidays... :)