HudAkim200905moviereviews

100203: Movie Review: Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

2010-02-04T00:33:00.003+08:00

It has been a long time coming and when it ended, I wondered what if Heath Ledger continues to live. His posthumous Oscar win for his role as the enigmatic and twisted Joker in 'Batman: The Dark Knight' has obviously magnified his star quality, which in turn, had increased expectations on his future roles. Ever recall the memorable roles portrayed by the versatile and charming Johnny Depp? Heath Ledger gave glimpses of how he could have done pretty much the same in his brief appearance in 'Imaginarium'. What a huge pity.

The death of Heath Ledger must have surely disrupted productions in the film and I felt it was a little jerky in some parts anyway. Nevertheless, director Terry Gilliam did a remarkable work in tightening up those jerky moments.

In this visually stunning extravaganza, imagination plays such a crucial role. The cast is extremely likable too. Look out for Johnny Depp's turn as Tony (Ledger).

Rated 3.5 out of 5. Apart from those jerky moments, it is worth it.

akim

100203: Movie Review: Legion

2010-02-04T00:20:00.003+08:00

I had great expectations for this movie. The title itself sounds so delicious on the tongue. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a recycled plot in the mould of so many similar movies. The smaller ideas are highly promising though. The thought that God has lost faith in humanity. That there is a fallen angel while other Angels seem evil to humankind.

However, there is not much positive. There is little scare and only in the beginning with the sweet old lady scene. Leading men Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid have had their run of good movies and I do wonder why they chose to act in this.

Rated 0 out of 5. Not worth your money at all.

akim

091230: Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes

2010-01-09T08:40:00.002+08:00

An entertaining film based on characters created by author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. As a child, I fancied the stories that revolved around investigative sleuth Sherlock Holmes from the time he took up residence at Baker Street to his death following an episode with his arch-nemesis, which was written by the author as a means to end Sherlock Holmes' story, only to be brought back to life following public outcry over his death.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr Watson (Jude Law) stopped a criminal, Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) who deals with magic, and was about to perform a ritual. The subsequent conviction means that Lord Blackwood must hang for his crimes. However, he seems to have power beyond imagining when he seemingly came back to life instead and goes on to incite fear as he attempts to take control of Britain.

Sherlock Holmes and the reluctant-at-times Dr Watson investigated into the matter and, classic style, managed to solve the case of Lord Blackwood, with a brilliant storyline, fresh cast of minor supporting characters and high dose of wit and humour even if the accent does seem strong to understand sometimes. The closing of the movie only conjured expectations of a sequel, which might only mean the resurrection of Holmes main nemesis, Professor Moriarty.

RDJ and Jude Law proved to be a great team, adding depth to the characters I have only read about in the books. Rated 4 out of 5.

akim

Selected Movies in 2010

2010-01-08T08:40:00.000+08:00

Daybreakers - Jan / Feb
Tooth Fairy - Jan / Feb
Warrior - Jan / Feb

I Love You Phillip Morris - Feb / Mar
Night of the Demons - Feb / Mar
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief - Feb / Mar
Secret Sunday - Feb / Mar
Shutter Island - Feb / Mar
Valentine's Day - Feb / Mar
The Wolfman - Feb / Mar

Clash of the Titans - Mar / Apr
Alice In Wonderland - Mar / Apr
Greenberg - Mar / Apr
Remember Me - Mar / Apr
Season of the Witch - Mar / Apr
Tell Me - Mar / Apr

Kick-Ass - Apr / May

Iron Man 2 - May / Jun
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time - May / Jun
Robin Hood - May / Jun
Shrek Forever After - May / Jun

Grown Ups - Jun / Jul
Jonah Hex - Jun / Jul
The Karate Kid - Jun / Jul
Toy Story 3 - Jun / Jul
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse - Jun / Jul

Inception - Jul / Aug
The Last Airbender - Jul / Aug
Little Fockers - Jul / Aug
Predators - Jul / Aug
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Jul / Aug

The Expendables - Aug / Sep
Priest - Aug / Sep

Going the Distance - Oct / Nov
Your Highness - Oct / Nov
Zookeeper - Oct / Nov

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - Nov / Dec
MegaMind - Nov / Dec

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - Dec / Jan 2011
The Green Hornet - Dec / Jan 2011
Gulliver's Travels - Dec / Jan 2011
Hereafter - Dec / Jan 2011

Unknown release
The Eagle of the Ninth
Highlander
Ironclad
Little Murder
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
Outcast
Solomon Kane
Stone
The New Shaolin Temple
The Ward
Web Cam 3D
Zombie Massacre
More here

091218: Movie Review: Avatar

2009-12-19T10:19:00.004+08:00

I love the different movie experience that Avatar provided which was sensational, thrilling and most importantly, gave me a cheerful lift after so long feeling in the down. I will gloss over the specific details as Avatar is really worth watching.

Sam Worthington stars as Jack Sully, a wheelchair-bound paralyzed ex-Marine, who is provided with an opportunity to replace his dead twin scientist brother on an Avatar programme on an earth-like planet that is more hostile and still in its primitive stage. The Avatar programme fuses science to allow the human mind to be transposed to another body (an Avatar) and to live on that planet as though the Avatar belongs to that world. The Avatar itself is based on the genetics of the indigenous people of that planet.

With the Avatar programme, Jack is able to walk again and he is rejuvenated enough to enjoy his life in a different body. The Avatar programme however is more than a mere science project and with military backing, the two bodies, led by administrator Parker Selfridge (Giovani Ribisi), were working together to obtain an insanely valuable resource that is worth 20millions a kilogram. That resource can be found on a particular part of that planet where a tribe currently resides.

With Jack's background as an ex-Marine, Colonel Miles Quaritch (the impressive Stephen Lang) being the military guy he is, assigned Jack to be his eyes for information on the tribe so that he need not resort to military hostility to obtain that resource.

Capitalizing on the opportunity presented to him to be on the Avatar programme, Jack live and grew with the tribe to eventually gain acceptance but not before being swayed with the potential of being in love with his mentor. Jack is eventually caught in conflict between choosing sides, who are soon on the verge of war.

Avatar is a captivating cinematic experience that is a welcome change for the audience seeking for a fresh twist of warfare story. In 3-D, which was the option I opted for, and being my first time watching a 3-D movie, the feeling is perhaps enhanced even more. I rate Avatar a worthy 4.5 out of 5.

akim

090716: Movie Review: Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-16T21:49:00.000+08:00

This is the first time that Im very excited to review a movie! Hehe.

Warning: If you have not watch it and you are planning to, then I suggest you don't read this coz it's gonna spoil the surprise. Hehe.

First of all, the movie was great but compared to the book, it's incomplete. Of course they had to cut some parts, well alot of parts actually, if not the movie would have lasted for five hours I think. (And I don't mind watching Harry Potter for five hours...) =p It was full of romance, now that they are all grown ups, and comedy too. And of course some sad parts.

In the book, the story started out with the Prime Minister of the muggle community receiving bad news from the Ministry of Magic. News that Lord Voldemort has returned and now he and his Deatheaters are not just killing wizards and witches but the muggles too. In the movie, they cut off this part totally, maybe it's not really necessary. But when I read the book, I kinda had a picture in my mind of how the scene would look like. Hehe. Sometimes, reading the book shows a clearer picture. And you enjoy it more. =)

So this movie started out with Harry and Dumbledore making their way to Slughorn's house. The purpose of their visit was for Dumbledore to persuade him to come back to Hogwarts and teach Potions. And by bringing Harry along, it made it harder for Slughorn to decline. So after not much persuasion, Slughorn agreed to come back to Hogwarts if he was given a pay raise.

Harry and Dumbledore then used side apparation back to The Burrows where the Weasleys and Hermione were surprised and delighted to see Harry. Harry couldn't be much more happier and especially when he saw Ginny grown up to be a beautiful young lady. Harry was clearly having a big crush on Ginny, and Ron and Hermione, well, their story was a little complicated but they too had feelings for each other. And I like it. Hehe. =)

Far from them, Professor Snape, appearing to have rejoined the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort, is visited by Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange. A terrified Narcissa tells Snape that her son Draco has received orders from Lord Voldemort, and asks Snape to make an Unbreakable Vow with her to protect her son and do the job for him, should Draco fail. Snape agrees, and the vow is sealed.
At Hogwarts, Snape is unexpectedly announced as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, with Slughorn becoming the Potions teacher. Harry and Ron’s O.W.L.s are good enough to enrol in Slughorn’s class, which has lower its standards, but neither had purchased a textbook, so Slughorn lends them old Potions textbooks. Harry found a book that has notes and corrections scribbled all over the pages. Harry discovers that these corrections yield better results than the textbook's instructions, and that the book is inscribed as having previously belonged to the "Half-Blood Prince".
As the year continues, Ron dates Lavender Brown but eventually realises his feelings for Hermione and breaks up with Lavender. Harry realises that he has feelings (that are conflicting with his friendship with Ron) for Ginny, who has stopped pursuing him and is dating Dean Thomas. At this point of time, like Dear said, the story was concentrating too much on the love scenes. Ron and Lavender,and Hermione getting all jealous. And Ginny and Dean, and Harry getting all jealous. But anyways, it was still sweet and cute the way they felt jealous about one another.

During the school year at Hogwarts, Dumbledore privately tutors Harry, using his Pensieve to show Harry collected memories about Voldemort's past. Dumbledore asks Harry to retrieve a key memory from Slughorn that Slughorn has resisted providing, regarding Slughorn's conversation with a sixth-year Tom Riddle. After disappointing Dumbledore once by not getting the memory from Slughorn, Harry uses Felix Felicis potion (which bestows luck on its drinker) that he had been rewarded with for his newfound "skill" (derived almost entirely from written hints from the Half-Blood Prince) in potion making to gain the memory. In the book, it had showed more scenes where Dumbledore showed Harry memories from Riddle's past but however, in the movie, they only showed two specific memories. Well, I felt that they could have added more on this part rather than the love parts. Like I say, the book tells a clearer picture. So that made it a little disappointing.

They soon found out that in the memory, Tom Riddle was questioning Slughorn about Horcruxes and how exactly does it work. That was when Tom figured out that to attain immortality, he has to split his soul (through committing murders) into six fragments attached to objects, called Horcruxes. As long as any of the Horcruxes exist, Voldemort cannot be killed. Two Horcruxes have been destroyed: Tom Riddle's Diary by Harry in the Chamber of Secrets and Marvolo Gaunt's ring by Dumbledore (the ring Harry noticed on his hand earlier).

Dumbledore locates another Horcrux and asks Harry to accompany him to destroy it. They travel to a secret cave to retrieve Slytherin's locket. Harry and Dumbledore find the entrance, present a blood offering to a secret door, and row in a small boat across an Inferi-infested lake. To acquire the locket, Dumbledore must drink a mysterious potion. After drinking the potion, Dumbledore faints, and while attempting to minister to him, Harry provokes the Inferi which attack him and Dumbledore. Harry retrieves the Horcrux and guides Dumbledore to safety back in Hogwarts, but as they arrive they see the Dark Mark hovering over the school.

That was when Dumbledore told Harry to find Snape and when he did, Draco turned up, his wand pointed towards Dumbledore. He was sent by Lord Voldemort to kill
Dumbledore, but he couldn't do it and at last, Snape was the one who used the Avada Kedavra cursed on Dumbledore, killing the greatest wizard of all. I cried at this part, not surprisingly. Although I knew it was going to happen, I still couldn't control myself. Hehe. If you had read the book, you will know that killing Dumbledore was a plan between Snape and Dumbledore himself.

Harry, enraged by Dumbledore's death, pursues Snape, who reveals that he is the Half-Blood Prince and duels Harry until he gets outside Hogwarts grounds and disapparates. If only Harry knew. Snape is not the bad guy.

Harry recovers the locket from Dumbledore's body, only to discover it is a fake left by someone with the initials R. A. B. who had apparently stolen the real Horcrux and left a note about his opposition to Voldemort.

The school year ends abruptly with Dumbledore's funeral. The fate of the school is uncertain, but Harry vows not to return to school and to hunt for the remaining Horcruxes and Ron and Hermione pledge to accompany him.

I definitely can't wait for the next movie to come out. I can't wait to see Voldemort destroyed. But of course, more deaths are seen. I hope they don't cut off too much.
Deathly Hallows! I'll be waiting... =)

I shall rate this movie 4.5 out of 5 coz they cut too much.

~huda~

090622: Movie Review: Drag Me to Hell

2009-06-22T21:01:00.000+08:00

I din watch this movie with Dear. Watched with Hajar instead, on our usual date. =)

A what a good choice of movie for me as I wanted to watch a horror one. We actually couldn't decide on which movie to watch at first, and in the end, Hajar actually asked a comment of the ushering girl, and she said 'Drag me to Hell' was pretty scary. So we went for it.

And true enough it was pretty scary in a disgusting, full of suspense, kinda way. By disgusting I mean, vomitting in your face kinda thing and I absolutely can't stop picturing those scenes. Urgh! =p

The movie is about Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), a loan officer at a local bank who hopes to be promoted to assistant manager over her conniving co-worker, Stu Rubin (Reggie Lee).

Christine's boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), advises her that she needs to demonstrate that she can make tough decisions when she needs to.

That day, Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver), an elderly gypsy woman, asks for a third extension on her mortgage because she is struggling with economic problems due to an illness. To prove herself to Mr. Jacks, Christine, against her better judgment, denies Mrs. Ganush the extension. In desperation, Mrs. Ganush prostrates herself before Christine, begging and kissing the hem of her skirt. Christine panics and shoves the woman away, shaming her in public. As security guards escort Mrs. Ganush out, Mr. Jacks compliments Christine on how she handled the situation and implies that if she can close another big loan, the assistant manager position will be hers.

That night Christine is attacked in her car by Mrs. Ganush. After a violent struggle, Mrs. Ganush removes a button from Christine's jacket and uses it to place a curse on her. Mrs. Ganush disappears, leaving the cursed button with Christine.

Later, Christine's boyfriend, college professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long), takes her to a coffee shop to comfort her. On the way home, they pass a fortune teller's store, and Christine insists they go in. There, they meet the fortune teller Rham Jas (Dileep Rao), who tells Christine that she has a dark spirit upon her...

I felt that Alison Lohman and Lorna Raver acted well in their character, and I wonder, did she really vomit into her mouth? Urgh! =p

And I am starting to like Justin Long, only found him in Ed, and I din really like his character there, as he was still immature and very irritating I felt.

So you should watch this movie and find out what happens to Christine in the end... Did she manage to destroy the curse?

I would rate it a 4.5 out 5 for it's scary contents. =)

~huda~

090606: Movie Review: Terminator Salvation

2009-06-06T23:38:00.000+08:00

Terminator Salvation is the 4th film in the Terminator franchise and takes place in 2018, where humanity is battling Skynet. As narrated early in the film, the Resistance leaders are growing desperate.

Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington) is a death-row inmate in 2003 who has signed a consent form to donate his body to science after his execution. He will later resurface in 2018 alive and believes himself still to be human.

Christian Bale is Resistance leader John Connor. who led the Resistance attack against a Skynet base and discovered human prisoners, including the then-unconscious and chained-up Marcus Wright. He also found out about plans for a new hybrid protoype for the Terminator that infused human tissue with technology that makes the Terminator what it is.

When Marcus Wright found John Connor's father, it took me awhile to finally realise who Kyle Reese was even though his name had rung a bell, they moved on with a child to meet John Connor.

Along the way, Kyle Reese and the child was taken away by Skynet and Marcus Wright, having grown attached to the young man, wanted to rescue them. He later rescued a female pilot of the Resistance who led him to John Connor. At the Resistance's base, John Connor and co. discovered who Marcus Wright really is, his role setting the tone for the rest of the film.

Terminator Salvation is an all-action movie from start till finish. While Bale (his portrayal as Batman, in the revived and revised franchise, is heavily laudable) was roped in to provide fresh impetus as the star character John Connor, it is Sam Worthington who steal the show as a man caught in past and present. It was his humanity, addressed on a minor, but signifcant, scale, that underlined the movie's recurring theme of human versus machine.

Questions will be asked of where the Terminator franchise will next take its course but audience will probably be disappointed that Marcus Wright.....

Terminator Salvation carried enough punch to make this a good blockbuster film. While not really matching the intensity and the tension of the first two films, which will forever be hard to match, this latest instalment is a neat stepping stone to close down some loose ends from the previous movies while simultaneously giving enough space for the storyline to be expanded further.

Rated 3 out of 5.

akim

090606: Movie Review: Angels & Demons

2009-06-06T23:37:00.000+08:00

I had high hopes for A&D after the fascinating 1st Dan Brown movie adaptation of the Da Vinci Code. Unfortunately A&D fell way short of my expectations.

Entertainment-wise, it was good for audience and there is also plenty of drama led by the main villain who is a cold-hearted assassin (Nikolaj Lie Kaas). But I recommend that viewers read the book for a much more fulfilling adventure.

Perhaps it cannot be blamed that A&D had too much pace for its own good, the storyline in the book itself would probably have taken 3 movies to finish. So I will be fair and judge the movie on its own merit though the non-reader of the book will perhaps be in a better position to rate it.

Tom Hanks reprised his role as professor Robert Langdon, who is activated by Cern, the world's leading authority of aspects of science, after the discovery of a murdered renowned scientist at Cern's facility. The death happened just moments after the scientist had created anti-matter (Google it).

The scientist's partner, Vittoria Vitra (the lovely Ayelet Zurer) gets into the fold as well, obviously enraged by her partner's death, and also very much concerned about the anti-matter falling into the wrong hands.

The circumstances of the death was also interesting, ironic vocab perhaps, given that a death had just occured. It seems to have unexpectedly re-introduced the mythical secret society known as the Illuminati after more than 500 years out of the spotlight.

Robert Langdon, a learned symbologist, was faxed the Illuminati symbol, which had been stamped on the dead scientist's chest, and he claimed that no known person has managed to replicate that symbol, and though he was still sceptical of the Illuminati's revival, he gradually got himself excited with the possibility of finally unearthing the Illuminati.

At roughly the same time, the Vatican City was in the midst of electing a new Pope, the previous Pope seemingly having just died of natural causes. When Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra partnered each other at Vatican City, the Holy Place where the Pope election is taking place, so began the entertainment aspect where more clue-solving, mystery-discovering and crime-busting which tries its best to keep the audience glued to the screen.

As mentioned earlier, the movie certainly provided good entertainment value. The storyline revolving around the Illuminati, and the supposed leaders of the society, will have made many googled it on online. As with the novels (both The Da Vinci Code & A&D), the movies also provided much lessons for the audience.

I, for one, as a young kid, used to devour pages of encyclopedia and such knowledge provided in the movies, though some are purely fictional (maybe...), still provided some interesting insight and what-if questions as well.

But at the heart of it all, A&D was just another investigative movie with a decent enough twist at the end. Do not expect your mind to be blown away too much as well but Tom Hanks did carry enough charisma, as did Ewan McGregor, to keep the movie enjoyable to watch.

Rated 3 of 5.

akim

090601: Movie Review: Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian

2009-06-01T22:28:00.000+08:00

Ben Stiller (Larry Daley) returns with more comedies in Night at the Museuam 2, this time more action and more interesting artefacts in the famous Washington Museums. =)

Larry, who now works as an inventor at Daley Services, just found out that the Museum of Natural History where he worked previously as a night guard was going to be renovated and so most of the museum pieces are shifted into federal storage at Washington Museums. Knowing this, he felt that he was at fault because he had left his job.

Dexter, the monkey, mischieviously stole the tablet that gave life to the museum's pieces and brought it over to Washington Museums which caused all the chaos when it's pieces came to life. And one of those pieces was the evil Pharoah, Kahmunrah who wanted to steal the tablet to bring his army of eagle-headed soldiers back to life.

Larry then tries to save the day, and more so when Kahmunrah had captured Jedediah (Owen Wilson), the tiny cowboy. With the help of Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams), the woman who flew solo across the Atlantic, Larry tries to put everything back in order. Somewhere in the process, they developed a romantic interest in one another. =) And in the process too, Larry found out what truly makes him happy and that is to be a night guard and be with his museum pieces friends. =)

I found this movie to be very enjoyable and hilarious. You can ask Dear as I laughed the loudest in the cinema. Hehe. It was more action this time, with the planes and rockets, Abraham Lincoln, the pictures on the walls. Really cool! =) And I believe you can learn some things from this movie. =p

Maybe a part 3? ;)

Worth to be watched in cinemas.

I shall rate it 4 out 5. =)

~huda~

090509: Movie Review:Horsemen

2009-05-09T14:47:00.000+08:00

A good investigation thriller movie based on the Biblical story of the 4 Horsemen of Death, War, Pestilence and Famine.

Dennis Quaid is detective Breslin, a single parent of 2, but heavily caught up at work with many cases to be solved.

When a death classified as homicide got Breslin working yet again, the nature of the death was grisly to say the least. Another homicide, this time as unnatural as it can get involving large fish-hooks used to hang the body on an improvised rig, seems to link the two deaths with the words 'Come And See Me' painted on four corners, 4 trees for the 1st death and 4 walls at the 2nd, being the common denominator.

A serial killer, or killers as the sharp-minded Breslin noted, are on the loose.

A 3rd similar death introduced Zhang Ziyi, as Kristen Spitz, the adopted daughter of the victim, her mother. Kristen is seemingly traumatized by her mother's death obviously but her revelation sparked a wild chain of events which culminated in a not-so-subtle twist.

The movie carries a strong message and does not end with the twist. Although the deaths in the movie were orchestrated by a faction of 'The 4 Horsemen', this faction is indeed only one of millions in the world.

I enjoyed this movie. I had watched Dennis Quaid acted before in the excellent 'Frequency' movie and also liked his potrayal of a very busy father who had no time for his sons. The twist was easily caught halfway through but it lingered on long enough for the audience (I think) to realize who was the main perpetrator of the deaths.

I rate Horsemen a really watchable 3.5 out of 5.

akim

090503: Movie Review: Wolverine: Origins

2009-05-03T21:55:00.000+08:00

An awesome must see movie! At first, I thought I might not like it coz it's like a boy's show but I really enjoyed it. And mind you, it was a past midnight movie, and my eyes managed to half open throughout the whole movie. =) So that just shows how good this movie is. Hehe.

Watched it with a couple of good friends from soccer, Rahman, Shy, Fazli, Ezan, Syafiq and Firul and of course Dear and myself. And that makes it even better! =p
We were celebrating somebody's birthday in advance (hehe) and it was the birthday boy who suggested watching Wolverine. (I'll let Dear talk more about that... =p)

Anyways, the midnight movie was already full, can you believe it, so we had to watch the 1am show. And while waiting, we took some crazy pictures which will be uploaded soon, and did some other crazy stuffs as well. Hehe, it was a fun night! And just before the movie started, me and Dear actually fell asleep on each other's shoulder. Hehe, we must have been real shagged. =)

The movie was about Logan a.k.a Wolverine and how he came about with that name and how he became very powerful. It started when he was still a young boy and he found out that he is a mutant. (How cool is that!) He grew up with his brother, Victor (Sabretooth).

Disapproving of his mutant life, Logan separated from the pack and lived his own life, trying to be normal, got married and lived happily ever after, but not quite. His happy life was soon destroyed and from then on was when Wolverine was born.
I found that the storyline was smooth and really falls into place. (I dunno if you get that) If you had watched X-Men, then you'd probably understand what Im saying.
Anyways, Dear got really excited when he saw Gambit, his favourite X-Men. =) Actually I kinda like Gambit too, I've always wanted Gambit to fall for Rogue. Hehe.
In the movie, Gambit played a very cool and funny kinda character. =) He was cute, and he reminded me of Willy Wonka. Hehe. Maybe it was the haircut. =p

So this movie totally rocks! =D Definitely rated 5 out of 5!

~huda~

090430: Movie Review: Jangan Tegur

2009-04-30T01:38:00.000+08:00

Back to Malay horror!

Not bad show this, and a good movie for its genre, but Pierre Andre sure made me cringe with his acting.

Pretty sensible plot as well and good scary moments spoiled by the audience (mostly Malays) who laughed out loud when their girlfriends had to scream.

One such girl caused the most rapturous laughter towards the end of the movie when the tension reached its climax.

Plot-wise, it is nothing new for a horror movie with a decent twist, re-shaped yet again.

I think this movie did scare myself silly at some level and because I did want to catch a good horror movie, which this movie certainly is, I rate it a 3.5 out of 5.

akim

090429: Movie Review: House

2009-04-29T01:40:00.000+08:00

I was just hoping that this is one of those cult horror movies that is actually enjoyable but at the end it was more of a torture.

Plot-wise, it hovers close to the maniacal and if it is really to be understood, think Angel and Death playing a game with 4 human beings who are at the point of either continue to live their lives on Earth or to certainly embark on a new journey in the afterlife.

The game itself is quite troubling. These 4 human beings have deep dark secrets kept inside them. While on some trips of one kind or another, they stumbled into the House, which is a bed-and-breakfast inn, managed by strange people.

But the House has a history in the form of Tin-Man. This horror combination manages to force these 4 human beings come to terms with these secrets and made them perhaps realise they could live their lives better, which ultimately is the objective of the game perhaps, those who live through the ordeal the House presented to them can continue their lives while those who cannot go on to the afterlife.

The movie is barely watchable. So I rate it 2.5 of 5.

akim

080331: Movie Review: Rule No. 1

2008-03-31T20:35:00.003+08:00

Rule No. 1

A story about a rookie sergeant called Lee who got injured in a shoot - out. After that incident, he was transferred to the Miscellaneous Affairs Department (MAD) where he met his partner Inspector Wong.

At his new job, he found out that he had to deal with mysterious phone calls. Wong explains to him about Rule Number One - There are no ghosts.
So for whatever weird things that happened, he always had a scientific and rational explanation behind.

They began dealing with a couple of bizarre teenage suicides. These suicides are really impossible unless the victims are being possessed.

In the end, all that had happened actually...find out the twist in the story.

You gotta watch the movie to understand better. So go watch it! =p

I rate this movie 3 out of 5! =)

~huda~
edited by ~AKIM~

080331: Movie Review: Horton

2008-03-31T20:35:00.001+08:00

A cute animated story about two different worlds.
One very BIG and one very very tiny. =p
Starring Jim Carrey as Horton and Steve Carrell as Mayor of Whoville.

The story begins with a little speck of dust. While Horton the elephant was having his bath in the Jungle of Nool, he saw the little speck of dust and heard what he thought was the tiniest voice calling out for help. Horton believed that there was someone on that tiny little speck calling out for help and he tried to prove it to his friends but nobody could hear it. But what they dont know is, Horton's belief is right! On that tiny little speck lives a village called Whoville and in it live the Whos (from Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas).

The Mayor of Whoville has 99 daughters and a son.
One day, he noticed something odd happening to his village. The ground was shaking, the clouds are twirling and he could hear a voice coming from the pipes. And that voice belonged to no other than Horton himself. So Horton and the mayor started connecting and soon they became friends.
Watch the movie and find out how Horton rescued the mayor and Whoville from destruction by the evil Kangaroo. =p

For those looking for a little comedy and animation, this will be a great movie for you!

Movie rated 3 out of 5! =p

~huda~
edited by ~AKIM~

080323: Movie Review: Be Kind/Rewind

2008-03-23T20:06:00.000+08:00

This movie is about a video store which was going to be demolished soon. The owner had left Mike (Mos Def) in charged while he was out of town. Trouble begins when Jerry (Jack Black) had accidentally been magnetized. (Gotta watch to find out...) When he touched the videos, he erased all the movies by accident! So without knowing it, all the movies in the store were erased!

Mike then, came out with a ridiculous idea of re-creating the movies with Jerry starring in everyone of them. I found it kinda 'cool' when they re-created the movies. They came out with their own props and special effects. And they even hired an actress from the streets to be the villain from Rush Hour. =) It was pretty hilarious.

Their movies however, became successful. More and more customers came to rent their videos. Some of these re-created or rather 'sweded' videos includes Ghostbusters, Robocop, The Lion King (this one is cute), Rush Hour and Back to the Future. =)
Watch the movie and find out what happen in the end... =p

Movie rated 2.5 out of 5.

~huda~

080321: Movie Review: The Orphanage

2008-03-21T01:08:00.000+08:00

I had watch the trailer and I told dear and myself that I want to catch this one.

However, the movie (in Spanish) did not end satisfactorily but then again, I did not even think of how the movie will end.

The premise itself is different from the usual horror movie concept and I recall the movie "the Nun" being as equally different.

As the title suggests (not the Spanish sounding one), the plot revolves around an orphanage which housed a certain event that cruelly and fatefully took place a long time ago. In the present timeline, a lonely boy has no friends and he fell in with imaginary ones and therein lies the story; are the friends real or not?

It is worth noting that this movie actually outsold the widely acclaimed Pan's Labyrinth in terms of gross income in Spain, so it is worth watching for the hype, although I am a little disappointed with the ending.

I rate this movie 3.5 out of 5, but I will have given it more if the ending was equally overwhelming as the premise of the movie.

~AkiM~

080316: Movie Review: The Spiderwick Chronicles

2008-03-16T23:30:00.001+08:00

Feeling the effects of the exertion from soccer, it was little wonder I slept 40 winks and missed a good 15 minutes in the earlier part of the movie.

On the whole, the movie turned out exactly what I imagined it to be, as fantasy fiction is my cup of tea. I also like the child actor Freddy Highmore who acted in the movie adaptation of my childhood read-book 'Charlie and The Chocolate Factory'.

Based on a novel, Freddy Highmore plays twins of two opposite nature. The more adventurous and naughtier twin (Jared) found a book that was written about 3 generations ago (80 years) by Arthur Spiderwick. The book chronicles the invisible world that co-exist the human world and contain tales of living things no human being knows other than the Spiderwick family, and now after being found, Jared, Simon (the other twin), Mallory (elder sister) and later in the movie, the children's mum. The book itself is the main source of most knowledge of that other world and all little and large details associated with that world, and as a result, is desired so voraciuosly by the antagonist of the movie.
Eventually... watch the movie...
I rate this movie 4 out of 5, though dear gave it a 3.5.

~Akim~

080309: Movie Review: The Water Horse

2008-03-09T22:00:00.006+08:00

A lovely story about a young Scottish boy named Angus who found an unusual egg on the beach. He brought it home not knowing that it is an egg. Then that night, the egg hatched and out came a cute little creature that he has never seen before. It has a skin like a frog, a tail like an alligator, a body like a horse and it swims somewhat like a turtle. A beautiful, amazing creature known as the mythical Water Horse. Angus raises the creature as his pet Crusoe. There were troubles along the way. Firstly, he has to hide it from his mum who strictly does not allow pets in the house. Secondly, Crusoe seems to be hungry all the time and it grows really fast. Luckily for Angus, Lewis, the house handyman helped him find Crusoe a place to live in. But it does not stop there, more troubles came ahead of them. A really great movie to watch if you feel like an adventure! =)I enjoyed this one part when Angus rode on Crusoe's back. Looks like fun! Keke. Dear, I want a water horse! =p

Rated 3.5 out of 5.

~huda~

080124: Movie Review: The House

2008-01-26T23:40:00.004+08:00

Ok, the movie was about this lady whom I think is a reporter, I'm not sure what that job is called. =s So this lady just got herself a new case which she has to do research on..And it was about these 3 murder cases which had something in common about them. All 3 murders happened in the same house! (What a coincidence...)
The house really looks scary even in the day. I guess because it's like a deserted kampung house. (I don't like kampung houses because of that)
So one day she went to investigate the house and she had a bad experience. (Gotta watch the movie to find out =p) She fainted in the house.
After that day, weird things began to happen her. And her relationship with her sweet husband became more and more shaky.
In the end, without knowing that something was happening to her, she killed her own husband. (I didn't see it coming!) It was really sad, her husband was so innocent.
She managed to solve the mystery to the house but she became one of the victims.
Pretty cool story. =)
Would give 4 out of 5!
So go watch it people!

~huda~

071227: Movie Review: I Am Legend

2007-12-28T12:23:00.002+08:00

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

2007-12-20T08:58:00.002+08:00

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

2007-12-13T22:16:00.001+08:00

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

2007-11-18T12:02:00.003+08:00

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!

2007-09-29T21:52:00.001+08:00

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

2007-08-20T00:37:00.000+08:00

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

2007-08-14T00:03:00.001+08:00

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.