071227: Movie Review: I Am Legend

Great movie!!! I totally love it!
This movie is about Robert Neville (Will Smith), a brilliant scientist who became the last man in New York. It all happened because of some virus that broke out and wipe out the whole city. Robert however was immune to the virus, and so was his dog, Samantha, given to him by his daughter. But the dog is immune only to the airborne virus. In the end the dog died too, I almost cried at this part.
Robert tried to live his life normally, trying to keep his sanctity. In the day he goes out hunting and at night he is being hunt. This is the scary part, he is not alone after all.

I wont go much further, you really have to watch it! =)

It is quite a sad story. Imagine yourself being alone in a big city and your only friend is a dog... =p Robert Neville is a HERO!

Rated 5 out of 5! Watch it people!

~huda~

071219: Movie Review: National Treasure: Book of Secrets

National_Treasure:_Book_of_Secrets on wiki
If you are looking for a dash of Indiana Jones's swashbuckling adventure and a little dose of the Da Vinci Code's "other truth" revelation/myth, then this is the movie that will appeal to you.

Picking up from where the first movie left off, Ben Gates' personal life is somewhat messy until an hitherto unknown truth threatened to smear the name of Gates' forefather, a Civil War Hero, around the time before the assasination of Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest US presidents.

This truth enraged and upset Gates' father and Gates, upon seeing the expression on his father's face, decides to clear his forefather's name.

Thus, Gates, together with the original members of the first adventure, embarked on a second one filled with more puzzles and mysteries which revolved around the ancient City of Gold, that may have made the difference in the result of the Civil War.

Gates (Nicholas Cage) and his sidekick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) provided much humour throughout. The lovely Abigail (Diane Kruger) was the eye candy while the conveniently incidental addition of Gates' mother, Emily (Helen Miller), provided a side-story to the movie.

The antagonist this time around is Jeb Wilkinson (Ed Harris), who very much impressed with a cool potrayal of a greedy and fame-seeking villain.

On the minus side, however, I felt that the movie delved into the realm of the fantastical and far-fetched-ness when the adventure leads to the City itself.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this movie and felt it was worth the ticket price.

~Akim~

071213: Movie Review: Alvin and The Chipmunks

My favourite is Theodore! =)
This cute story is about 3 little talking & singing chipmunks who ended up in this guy, David Seville, a songwriter's house. David was having a tough time with his job and life and when he met the 3, they sort of helped him. He became their manager and started writing songs for them. Other than a manager, he was also like a father and friend to them. Soon, Alvin and the Chipmunks became the most popular band around.
Everything went fine till the bad guy, Uncle Ian, tried to break them apart. He always said " I never lose". Well, he lost in the end. =p
Alvin, Simon and Theodore loves to watch Spongebob! Hehe! Like me! =p

Its a cute movie la. But I wouldn't say that its the best I've watched. I would give it a 2 out of 5. =) Watch if you love cute stuffs!

~huda~

071117: Movie Review: Beowulf

Prologue
I am just such a sucker for fantasy.

I wasn't really expecting to watch this movie. Why? I don't know. When I met Huda that day (16 Nov), I was thinking how we were going to spend the time. As it was a Friday, and since I had such a rough week at work, I thought I needed to relax and watch a movie and BEOWULF came to mind.

Chapter 1
I AM KING!
was the intro scene as Anthony Hopkins starred as King Hrothgar, ruler of the great hall of Heorot. His people was merry making and singing.

The King also has a draught (beautiful item) from which he drinks found-only-in-Heorot mead. He lavished praise on a brave warrior, Unferth (John Malkovich).
Meanwhile, his wife, the not-so-lovely Queen Wealtheow (Robin Wright Penn, is not a happy woman. She hasn't got laid yet because she knows her husband...

I won't spoil it.

Then Grendel (Crispin Glover), the first monster to appear in the movie, hideous-looking and all, decides to ravage Heorot because... Unferth chickened out and is not the brave warrior I thought he was.
Grendel then went back to the cave, with two (dead) men in his jaws, and starts talking gibberish (Old English) with his "MOTHOR" (a tentacle suggests an octopus-like monster)before he rests.
King Hrothgar, seeing the destruction, declares half his kingdom to the hero who will slay Grendel. Cue for...

Chapter 2
I AM BEOWULF!
was the next scene, as our hero (Ray Winstone) makes his way by sea together with his 14(?) men including trusted sidekick and advisor, Wiglaf, charmingly and wittingly potrayed by Brendan Gleeson.
Upon arrival, he was challenged by the jealous Unferth, who recounted a story of how the great Beowulf lost a swimming contest. Beowulf admits losing but it was only because he had slain 9 sea monsters (Wiglaf - "Last time it was 3"). Beowulf then slyly discloses a humiliating life story about Unferth, which he didn't dispute.
Beowulf then brought the main matter (Grendel) to the fore and the King was pleased that a hero has come to slain Grendel.
Later that night, a pre-celebration took place and Grendel wreaked havoc again. Beowulf's men died but ultimately, the (naked) hero prevailed and managed to heavily wound Grendel, who went back to his cave and "MOTHOR".
News was brought to King Hrothgar that Grendel was dead and more merry-making takes place. The Queen, on the King's instructions, presented Beowulf with the draught "Dragon-horn", which had a ruby on its neck where lay the soft spot of a dragon.
Wiglaf isn't pleased his fellow warriors had died and advised Beowulf that they must set sail at first tide on the morn. Beowulf understood and slept that night, haunted with visions of the Queen, whom he is in love with.

Chapter 3
I AM GRENDEL'S "MOTHOR" (Angelina Jolie, woof!! woof!!)
intro to next scene, as she wasn't at all pleased that Grendel was dead. She sent a message to Beowulf and the hall of Heorot, and toyed with Beowulf's dream by sending an hologram of the Queen in his sleep.
Wiglaf was on the way back to Heorot and discovered the hall hanging with the bodies Beowulf warriors. He saw Beowulf and both furiously met the King.
The King explained that he had thought that the mother will have long been gone but apparently she was still around. (Beowulf - "How many monsters do I have to kill? The mother, the father!") The King's reply to the last word was a sign...
Beowulf then decided to take on the mother. Unferth, apologetic at his previous unsightly conduct, gave him his heirloom sword "Hrunting" which Beowulf had at first deny but accepted after persuasion.


Chapter 4
BEOWULF vs MOTHER
as Beowulf and Wiglaf made their way to the Mother's lair with Hrunthing as company. After a comedic exchange of words, Beowulf proceeded to the lair alone. Upon entering the lair, his torch was snuffed out but Dragon-horn imbued the lair with light.
Beowulf issued a challenge and the Mother (Woof!! Woof!!) appeared. She then seduced Beowulf who succumbed and fornicated (this part is not in movie) with her and promised with ethereal promises, left Dragon-horn and the lair back to Heorot.
Falsely announcing the Mother was dead, the people of Heorot were delighted and again another celebration. The Queen had doubts. The King even more so, but he had devised a plan. He approached Beowulf about the true nature of the battle and with a smile, proclaimed that since has no heir, Beowulf will be King after his passing, and that the Queen and all people of Heorot will be his.
The King then carried out the last part of his plan...

Chapter 5

BEOWULF IS KING
and now sits commanding instead of battling. The Queen loves him but still does not want to get laid. So, Beowulf got someone else, quite cute girl.
Suddenly,the Dragon-horn returns and a new cycle of destruction takes place as a new monster menaced Heorot.

EPILOGUE
Beowulf told the Queen he has always loved her. Now, he battles the new monster. Being the hero, he will triumph, or did he?

REVIEW
I totally enjoyed the movie. I enjoyed the cast (and Jolie). It is one-dimensional and lacks depth and complexity but imagination really takes flight. Last words, the money spent on the ticket is worth it.

Sources:
Wikipedia: Beowulf
Wikipedia: Beowulf (movie)

070927: Movie Review: I Now Pronounce You, Chuck & Larry!

starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel & Steve Buscemi

One of the best movies that we've watched in awhile! And we got to watch it for free because Dear redeemed his M1 sunperk points and got a voucher for 2 free tickets at any Cathay cinema. There is no doubt that we both are totally nuts about the movie and will definitely grab the VCD! Totally satisfying! Here is our review.

See this website for summary of the movie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_and_larry

Expectations and how we got to know about the movie

Akim: We were actually thinking of watching Ratatouille but Cathay @ AMK Hub did not screen the movie. Huda baby then decided to watch Chuck and Larry, and in my mind, I wanted to watch it too. I have read the preview somewhat recently and got an idea more or less what the movie was going to be about. The thing is, though I am not a fan of Kevin James but am a huge fan of Adam Sandler. As such, I expected to laugh a lot. I also had initially thought that Sandler's character, Chuck, was the one who wanted to get married to James' Larry but as it turned out, it was Larry who proposed to Chuck.

Huda: As for me, I love the actors in the movie, Adam Sandler especially! And that guy Kevin James, I started liking him when I he starred in the movie Hitch and also the comedy King Of Queens. I actually din expect us to watch this movie because we were quite tight on the budget. Then Dear got the tix for free, sort of. Alhamdulillah... =) I've also seen the poster with Dear at Jubilee, I knew it was going to be hilarious straight away. =) I din imagine the movie to be about gays. I actually thought the story goes that Chuck and Larry accidentally got married, I dunno how and that's what I wanted to find out. =p But the movie turned out better than what I expected!

When the movie started screening

Akim: We were at the arcade nearby and went in later. I thought there will be some trailers before the movie started like they do at GV. Or maybe they did show trailers and that the time stated on the tix is the time the actual movie started. People were already laughing and unfortunately, our seats were smacked in the middle, so we had to bypass two couples. The first thing I watched was Chuck and Larry being involved in a rescue mission and were wearing their firefighters uniforms. As the movie wore on, the laughs just kept on coming. We simply couldn't stop. There were such great slapstick jokes and great cameos from David Spade and Rob Schneider (whom I recognised but just couldn't figure out who until Huda baby told me his name later!) . The most impressive aspect was the great on-screen chemistry between the two protagonists who really pulled off a superb movie.

There was also this Jessica Biel scene, who acted as lawyer Alex McDonough, that made me cringe somewhat because I have always found her attractive and innocent. I won't describe the scene but males testosterone will run haywire!! But I don't feel that good about Jessica Biel anymore.

Huda: We actually missed the first five minutes of the movie because Dear was too engrossed finishing up his Virtua Striker 2002 game at the nearby arcade. =p Like Dear said, it was laughter, laughter and more laughter when the show started. But I din expect there to be such obscene scenes too. I din really like Adam Sandler's character in the first place, he was like a whore...he was a whore. It reminded me of Will Ferell in Wedding Crashers. I love Kevin's character, he is a single parent of two kids. I thought he made a good father.

One of my favourite scenes was when Chuck and Larry's friends from the fire department came to support them during the court hearing. I remember Larry saying something like "When you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us" to the judge, but they all ended up in the same cell. =D That scene was really sweet, it's like 'One for all, all for one' kinda thing.

And I also like the part when Chuck and Larry was getting married, and the priest was Rob Schneider! Haha! That was so cute! "Love is like a circle..not a triangle..."

Akim: And he keeps saying it throughout...

Huda: That was really cute, I really love it. Rob and Adam always appear in the same movie, if you notice. They make a great pair!

Akim: For me, I did not have a particular favourite scene as almost each scene brings so much laughter, but I did enjoy the Court Room scene towards the end of the movie as that was when the true spirit of friendship and loyalty bears itself out. To know your best friend inside out, to recall the most poignant, sweet, sad memories right to the details, to have spent so long working with each other..... That was the climax of the show.

I also found it hilarious that Chuck was viewed by the rest of the characters as the 'female' of the two.

Huda: Haha! Yeah I love that too!

I rate this movie as a must-watch movie and it is even more worth it knowing I watch it without coughing out any money. Definitely 5 out of 5!

Huda: Yes, I agree! 5 out of 5!

Akim: If you are in need of a laugh, and enjoy a good storyline that really touches a lot on reality (in this movie, the gay community, friendship) then this is a movie for you.

070818: Movie Review: Bourne Ultimatum

I love this series, which started with the Bourne Identity. Being a fan of Matt Damon, it was just a matter of time before I watch this final (maybe) installment and it did not disappoint.

Mission Impossible was great with Tom Cruise in action and I really have to say without it, I probably won't be interested in the Bourne Series.

The Bourne series, though, feature a reluctant and more human protagonist as compared to the razmatazz that is the feature of Mission Impossible.

Bourne Ultimatum picked up where Bourne Supremacy left off as Jason Bourne looks for revenge for the murder of his beloved Marie who was sniped in Goa, India. He also wants to take out the chief perpetrator who made him who he is, which ultimately backfired on him.

The movie takes us to a few locations starting with Moscow and on to Paris, London, Madrid, Tangier and finally, New York City, where it all began.

For me, it was the best movie of the year, though it was a close fight with Spider-Man 3 really.

The revelation (ultimatum) shocked me, though to think of it, it wasn't unexpected given Bourne's ability and skills.

The best scene for me was when Bourne and the Moroccan assasin, Desh, had this superb fight sequence that will ranked to me as one of the best fight sequence ever.

The closing scene is a classic with Moby's theme music "Extreme Ways", which kickstarted Bourne Identity, ending (probably) the Bourne series.

I rate this movie 5/5. Definitely, a must watch and now I only need to buy the VCD to round off my (original) Bourne series so I can watch all the movies again in marathon mode!

070812: Movie Review: Rush Hour 3

As Huda had mentioned, we watched Rush Hour 3 @ Cathay Cineleisure. I am sure some might know but I'll inform anyway that you can get 2nd tix at half the price if you are an M1 customer.

I did not really expect from the movie other than to get loads of laugh. I regretted watching it in the end because Huda was laughing the loudest in the almost packed theatre! In fact, I wanted very much to watch the finale to the Bourne series starring Matt Damon.

But seriously, I did not really catch Rush Hour 2 in full, so I thought I will watch it first before watching the latest installment.

As it turned out, it was a recycle of the previous two Rush Hour movies with Chris Tucker providing his usual dose of motormouth quotes and speeches and remarks and..... Jackie Chan provided predictable yet enjoyable stunts with the usual dose of comic action sequence.

There were lots of Tucker motormouthing and the particular scene I liked was when he was sparring a conversation with a Gongfu Master earlier on.

If you are looking for a lot of laughs, and is/are fan/fans of the main protagonists, then this is a movie to watch.

However, if you are watching it for the plot, then be sorely disappointed. The acting from Ambassador Han's daughter, "Su Yuan?", was woeful and there were many times when I felt like rolling my eyes at some of the scenes where the villains had chances to kill the main actors but they absolutely refused to do so.

I will not advise to watch it in the movie and wait for the VCD or DVD instead. If you can spare the cash, though, throw in the dough.