Real Steel is the Real Deal!

It's been way too long since I blogged. My last movie blog post was in February...OMG!

That just come to show how long it was since I last watch a good movie and had time to blog about a lousy one!

Must really get into the practice of movie blog writing more often. :)

Last month, October, introduced me to what I would term as 2011's best movie! 

Seriously unexpected, and totally enjoyed it! 

So, let me show you some 'Real Steel'!

Got a call from a friend and asked if I'd like a free movie.

Knowing me, I can never reject a FREE MOVIE! 

So off I went without any idea what I've signed up for but was a happy girl when I walked out of the cinema.

So many lessons and themes define "Real Steel" - that is why it is awesome for me.

Credits to the writer and producers for being able to incorporate fun, excitement and emotions into a 2-hour movie, while still being able to present all key messages effectively.

Entering the first 20 minutes of the movie, we were awed by the exciting Robot and Bull fight scene! I kinda felt that it was very violent but it was AWESOME on the huge screen!

As the film rolled, I got a better idea of what the story is about - but not in a way that is too predictable, and that is why I love it. I hate watching for the sake of proving my predictions are wrong. I am glad that with Real Steel, I do not feel the need to guess because I was busy enjoying every bit of it!

From the little boy's funny antics to the awesome Robo-fights, to every beat of the soundtrack, I feel myself laughing, cheering and dancing to almost every minute of the movie ; and that's what  I like - a connection with the movie.

Well let's discuss the important themes and messages in the movie shall we?

Atom vs Zeus

Atom represents something small...perhaps, not really powerful in fact if it stands alone.

Zeus on the other hand represents MIGHT and POWER. 

To be honest, to put something small against something that mighty is really a tad ridiculous. As cliche it may be, the movie highlights that size does not matter. And your chances of winning does not depend on size.

More importantly, no one stays in power for so long - no one can rest on their laurels, not even Zeus.

Know your strengths, overcome your weakness

The Kid started off testing the waters during his first fight; taking hits but at the same time observing the opponent's tactics and weaknesses and later, strategically planned his strengths to win over the other robot.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and I guess it is how we position our strength and weakness that makes us unique. Not easy to do in real life, but of course, good to have a reminder every other time in the form of a movie.

Atom's weakness is that he is small. 

But our little hero trained him to be a boxer, a fighter...and thus, different and unique! 

And Atom's biggest strength is also that he is made of steel and he can take hits!

Which lead me to the next message...

Take the hits!

I think in life, I always want to win and I always think that we need to stand up and fight for what I believe is right.

I guess, sometimes, we also need learn to take b***crap...., the hits.

Those are what make us stronger, and one of the key lessons learned from Atom. 

To be honest, I doubt if I can take that plenty hits but let me remind myself that I need to. I'm a LEO for God's sake - almost like a 'Zeus' in the world of starsign....sigh hahaha. 

Power and Unfairness

The World Robot Boxing League (WRB) is 'owned' by the rich Farra Lemcova because she has money (and I believe, Power too!) .

When Lemcova tries to buy over Atom, it indicated that she is not a fair player, she threatens her opponents, using money and power because she is afraid of losing. And perhaps the reason she always win is because she has the power and money to buy other's integrity or uses her power and money to influence the results of the competition. 

We can say that the ring is monopolized by the rich because she has the money and she sponsors Zeus - the best robot in the league. Naturally, WRB needs to protect their big sponsor. Zeus's victory, in my opinion at the end is a symbol of how those big boys ALWAYS win because they have the power and the money, and the small boys, well, just can't offend them although the honest fact is that we might have won.

There is no justice or fairness in the world because sadly, our world is 'owned' by those with power and by those who have the moos. That's the fact...

Which again lead me to the next message in the movie:

It is NOT ABOUT WINNING, but just making a statement!

We can't win, but we can always make a statement , which could lead to a difference.

It's like our Bersih rally: many say that us parading around town for a fair election will not help us get what we want. However, if nobody stands up for it, to make a statement, it will not change anything.

Yes, we might not win - the election will still be dominating by crappy idiots up there, but at least, the Rakyat (the people) made a statement and who knows, a difference had been made. 

Just like Atom - he did not win WRB, but he was crowned "The People's Champion" because even if he loses in terms of Judges points, he won in the hearts of many. 

Perhaps that's more important - to be able to make a difference and not just winning per se. Besides, there is so many ways of defining the term 'win'.

To me, Atom was the winner that night because he managed to make his statement - fair competition for all! :)

Lastly, lesson learned : DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD DRINK TOO MUCH SODA hahaha...they'll outwit you!  oh well, another way of putting it is to LISTEN and NEVER UNDERESTIMATE those younger than you! 

Dakota Goyo's performance in the movie impresses me a lot. He played his character with the right amount of wit, making his character a very very likable one. To be honest, wasn't sure why they cast a blond boy as Hugh Jackman's son - no similarities but I guess they managed to pull it off.

The movie is very entertaining because the script was written very well. The whole storyline flows very well - not easy to cramp SO MANY messages and still make the movie work. So like I said, kudos to the team!

My favourite part of the movie is towards the end, when Hugh Jackman's character, Charlie Kenton found his boxing moves again...that moment was so beautiful that it moved me to tears. What's special is that when you found that feeling, that great thing in life that you live for, once again - it is that magical moment that moved me so deeply.

To be honest, I'd die  to be able to find that moment where I'm doing the thing that I love and want to so badly - to be able to passionately love something and be able to do it meaningfully.

For me, I guess I didn't work too hard for something so far, because at the back of my mind, things will always work out.

Perhaps it is time to rethink my life and follow my heart and passion.

My blog post tonight is an act of igniting the fire and my passion for movies.

It has been too long and like Hugh Jackman, I need to 'relight my fire'. More movies to be reviewed and I soon seriously consider active movie blogging again.

Well unless my passion is for my current job, which takes up most of my time...hahaha...

I do love my job, but I think I need to find room for other loves too.

Till the next time...

Steels are steels and rocks are rocks.

But Real Steel really rocks! 

TC-My Ratings: 

(Most Probably Movie of the year - but then again, didn't watch much movies this year haha...time to catch up)

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

A "BURLESQUE"-TIC EXPERIENCE

People say that "Burlesque" is not a great watch.

So yes, I went in with no expectations.

I wasn't impressed too actually; to be honest, I came out feeling unsure about what I feel about the movie.

I mean, if I were to comment on the storyline, it would be quite stupid because it is pretty obvious that one doesn't buy tickets to watch Burlesque for the story. But yes, you can expect that the storyline is not something you haven't seen before - a small town girl chasing her dreams to be a star (erm, Save the Last Dance? and some other movies revolving sports), girl meets guy, guy loves girl but can't, then he gets jealous when the girl starts seeing someone else (well, in some Korean drama somewhere on Earth),  and the main characters almost lost the Burlesque Bar to the bank if they don't pay their debt on time...if it doesn't sound familiar, it is still predictable as to how it will end right?

If the movie is based solely on the storyline, I'd cast the film into the incinerator to be converted into ashes, carried far away by the wind to outer space and if aliens can actually piece ashes together, well, I just hope they find this piece of humankind 'art' worth watching. 

But if you enter the cinema expecting to be blown away by grade one vocals, top-notch performances by the casts and not to mention an array of butts and boobs, I think you will actually like Burlesque.

I think the reason they selected Christina and Cher for this movie is because it needs some star power to set it apart from the rest of the similar cabaret films. I have not many comments about the casts; Christina Aguilera has the talent to play the lead. However, if I were to really share my two-cents, I think Cher and Christina did not own the characters.  This is because, I can see someone else playing their characters. Example, Madonna as Tess. Britney as Ali. In fact, if Dianna Argon shares the pipes of Christina Aguilera, she might be perfect for the role. 

Still, I think a good actor/actress would have given a performance that is so strong that it's almost difficult to be replaceable because of the way the character is played. A simple example - Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean. Can you think of anyone else who can play Mr. Bean? Okay, if that's not a fair comparison, since it's a comedy series, I'll go with Johnny Depp in Pirates of Caribbean. The first time after you saw Johnny Depp, do you think the is character Captain Jack is replaceable with another actor? I don't think so because he owns it. Like how Reese Witherspoon owns her character Elle in "Legally Blonde"....I mean, if I put Nicole Kidman, Dianna Argon, Blake Lively in the role (well, they are all blonde, aren't they?), do you think it would be the same? 

However, I have to give credit to the performances and songs written for the movie because the only thing that captured my attention throughout the film were some of the performances and the songs. But the problem is, if you watch a movie just because of the performances, one might feel that movie is too draggy and you wish you could just fast forward all the unnecessary scenes revolving human interactions. I think I'll be better off watching a concert with Burlesque performances rather than sit through the whole movie.

In mind, I have 3 favourite performances, although generally, all were really good songs.

Below are the 3 performances that awed me.

The song is "I'm A Good Girl". Excellent camera panning at the beginning! Awesome!

Love how they play with the lights and Christina Aguilera's expressions here are good.

The part where she climbs the stairs, the music reminds me a lot of Chicago...the "Nowadays" performance. I also love how she went behind the mirrored doors and came out from the other doors. That was brilliant.

The next performance is "Haven't Seen The Last of Me" by Cher.

I can't find a nice clip of this performance. 

But below is a preview.

Beautifully shot in a very simple manner. I think the dark scene, with a very dim spotlight is metaphorical to the situation that Tess is in - hopeless, as if there is no way out. And she sat down at the beginning, indicating that she is weaken in spirit, almost giving up hope. And then she stood up when it came to the climatic part of the song. I wish at that moment the lights would lit up to indicate the hope and to maximize the impact, but well, it didn't happen. But this song is really great, heartfelt and moved me in the cinema. And great to know that the song won a few awards for 'The Best Original Song'. I truly believe this song should win because it is really really good and really nicely shot in the movie. I mean, I feel it. 

Last but not least, another one performance that had me gaping in awe is "Express" by Christina Aguilera. Now this one is a true performance as it is fun to watch and I believe this is one performance that can be done live on stage for audience.  

Unlike "I'm A Good Girl" that is really interesting because of how the camera played with the panning, I think "Express" is one that can be very very nice to watch even without camera tricks. The dances are hot, the music is fun. Awesome!

"Bound to You", sang by Christina during the scene which shows she's madly in love is also a great song. 

However it is sad that the final song for the movie, which should be the highlight of the show, like Randy Jackson would say "The Bomb", failed in comparison to other more powerful tracks. 

I think if "Express" were to end the show, it would be nice but then I guess "Show Me How To Burlesque" has room for the whole cast to perform together, and thus, "Express" doesn't work as the final curtain song. 

My conclusion is, Burlesque is a musical film, and it is good from the musical point of view. However, the storyline could be better, somewhat like "Hairspray" and "Moulin Roulin", it would have been a better watch and more impressive. 

TC-My Rating:

(3 stars for performances)

STUNG BY THE HORNET

"The Green Hornet" is definitely not what I thought I would be watching. Come on, Jay Chou???? And to be honest, I wasn't impressed with Seth Rogen in "Knocked Up" either (I didn't even bother finishing the movie halfway through).

But I came out of the cinema quite pleased. It's either because I'm too bored, or the movie did has qualities that made the watch enjoyable. I think it's 50-50 situation...I'm kinda bored and so, I find the movie quite an interesting watch.

What I was surprised to find out was that Seth Rogen actually produced the movie and even co-wrote the script. And after some reading about the movie, I found out that Stephen Chow was initially the director (and Kato), but he left, succeeded by the current director, Michel Gondry. Kind of sad that Stephen Chow did not make his American debut but, I really can't picture Stephen Chow in the shoes of Kato, especially now that I have seen Jay Chou playing....hmmm...what do you think? But one person I thought would be cool to play Kato is Jason Scott Lee...wonder why he wasn't casted. 

I'm no "Green Hornet" fan,  I don't watch the TV series, read the comics or listened to the radio shows; but from what I 'researched', there have been some twists in the characters.

For one thing, Kato is not from "SHANGHAI".

Erm hello? Which part of the name Kato sounds like Chinese? It's clearly Japanese, and I believe the original Kato is Japanese, until later the character has developed into Filipino-Jap and even Korean. It has something to do with the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbour and how it was sensitive to portray a Japanese as a side-kick to an American during/after 1945 (Interesting read from Wikipedia, the world's best encyclopedia). So now, Kato has evolved into a Chinese? It amazes me but well, that's beside the point.

Okay, as much as I love a good laugh watching Jay Chou act (because seriously, EVERYONE knows he can't act, even his fans have to admit that), I actually like him in the movie. Okay, let me put it this way; I like the character Kato and it wasn't a pain to watch because Jay Chou didn't really butcher the character, but seriously... he is still unable to provide the necessary expressions (or what we call 'act') in the movie. 

I can't help but picture the many N.G. shots during production hahahahahhaha...it would definitely be a good laugh!!! I remembered last time when I was part of a production crew, and one of the actors was new in acting in movies, and he had so many N.G. shots that the other casts and crew members feared the nights where he was involved in the shooting (because it meant that we can't finish work early). Ya, I imagine that would be what it's like with Jay Chou in the shoot...and I pictured that they'll be having a hard time choosing the best footages as well. Hmmm....oh alright, maybe it's not that bad. The fighting scenes were pretty awesome. And another positive way to see it is that perhaps Jay Chou's consistent stiffness made Kato's character stiff and expressionless. 

Britt Reid's character has also been altered...he is more of a 'jerk' now. 

I  went to check out the TV series on Youtube, actually, to see how good Bruce Lee's English is hehehe....and also to see how the characters are previously. The Green Hornet is more matured, less goofy and can actually fight quite decently without the need to use his 'gas' gun. Perhaps if there's a Green Hornet 2 (which I can foresee coming), Britt Reid will be a more 'serious' character but if it's Seth Rogen, I do not see how that works yet. 

So the new Britt Reid is very irresponsible, a jerk who loves to take ALL the credit, I'd say a lousy partner, selfish friend...what did I miss?...Ya basically I just hated him all the way through the movie until the last 15 minutes when he finally showed some integrity. I give credits to Seth Rogen for being able to portray such an (pardon me) a**. He did a good job playing the character because I hated him in the show...hahaha....

I also like the fact that this movie had promoted Kato's status as The Green Hornet's partner, instead of being referred to as the driver/chauffeur who drives "The Black Beauty", like in the character description in the comics and the earlier series. I mean, there's no doubt that Kato's character has been also very prominent previously, but then again, being referred to as the 'driver' seems a bit degrading for the character because Kato is part of all the battles, and in my humble opinion, maybe contributes even more than the Green Hornet in the movie and even in the TV series (else Bruce Lee wouldn't be that famous, would he?).

When Christoph Waltz appeared in the opening scene, I thought, this face is familiar...

Oh yes!!!!!!!!! The dude who won an award playing the villain in The Inglorious Basterds!

And yes, he is casted for the role as yet another villain in this movie. Personally, not as excellent as his portrayal of Colonel Hans Landa but still great. He still maintains a bit of wit in his deviousness, but not as clever and sly as the cruel Colonel though, in my opinion. But honestly, I preferred James Franco at the beginning...His lines were in a weird way, delightful to the ears hahaha! 

Cameron Diaz was also not really a pain to watch in this movie...although I would have casted another actress instead, someone with a stronger presence, like Jennifer Garner,  Hilary Swank or even Sandra Bullock. I see Lenore like Lois Lane, but not as dependent, and perhaps that's why I don't see Cameron Diaz filling the shoes of the role but she did play it well. But then again, I personally feel that Jennifer Garner would be better able to pull out a more assertive and outstanding Lenore, while remaining comedic to fit the mood of the movie. 

In terms of storyline, you know I have to say this; yes, it is pretty predictable.

From the moment Britt Reid was highlighted as the selfish fool who mistreats his friend/partner, I knew that Kato would be unhappy with the partnership and later run off as most shows involving partnership take the same storyline passage.

I also half predicted that Kato, after reading the email will go to save his friend...although I did thought at first that he would actually want to kill Britt. The rest of the storyline of the show is like I said, predictable, went as per the picture in my head (yep, I knew both of them are going to fall for Lenore and I knew Lenore would prefer Kato more) ...

But this is a superhero movie, what can we expect right?

"Good guy vs bad guy"...that's the ingredient, but oh well, at least the Green Hornet tries to give it a twist "good guy that pretends to be bad guys vs bad guys".

And the car racing scenes, the fighting scenes...well those are pretty fun to watch...

My favourite scenes:

- James Franco was awesome at the beginning - his 'speech', where he made fun of Chudnofsky was HILARIOUS!

- During the 1st police chase scene, and the police said "Show me your hands!" and Seth Rogen exhibited his middle finger 

- When Chudnofsky asked his men to spread the words to kill the Green Hornet, which led to a multiple split screen scene of the people spreading the word...NOW THAT IS AN AWESOME TECHNIQUE! Gives you the feel that words spread across to many people, in the multiple splits of the screen....awesome! 

I can see kids enjoying this movie - fast cars, punching action scenes, good comedic acts, a 'twist' in the storyline that can awe any kid...(Woah, Kato is going to kill Britt....Woah!!! Oh No...Kato holds Britt at gunpoint...wow.....phew apparently Kato has forgive Britt, what a twist!!!!!) To a kid, ACTION is the essence to a great superhero movie....seriously, I've been there. I can't remember half the storyline of the movies I watched when I was little.  

What I can summarize about the movie is that it contains all the right ingredients to make the movie an enjoyable Superhero movie for the kids, and for some adults who just want a dose of superhero fantasy. 

TC-My Rating:

With Love

TC

TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART

It's somewhat like Harry Potter and Lord of the Ring.

You are either a fan, or dread the time of the year when the "Twilight Saga" season comes around because basically every corner of every store is filled with promotional posters and merchandises with the face of 2 pale looking couple and one brownish (but hot) werewolf.

While "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Ring" carry mystical and magical themes, which bring audiences to out of the world fantasy-lands, "The Twilight Saga" indulges in a sad, pathetic love story between two souls who have nothing better to do in life.

I remember writing a review on "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" for my job interview.

Oh well, I guess I didn't get the job because the editor loves Twilight hahaha....or perhaps, I'm just not objective enough. I was a bit too harsh in my comments and a bit too crazy about Lautner, highlighting a lot of him. Maybe the editor is a vampire....

But nothing is going to stop me from being real honest about "The Twilight Saga".

I admit that I once enjoyed it because I love the unity of the Cullen clan - I love the fight scenes and I love watching the Cullens as a family.

I hate watching Bella and Edward. I do not get why they look at each other awkwardly, although some might argue that they look at each other with love...Sadly, we clearly have a very different feeling about love.

Frankly speaking, Bella is one of the most painful character to watch and it makes me not really adore Kristen Stewart. Perhaps she is good because of her strong, accurate portrayal of an over-emo girl, who is different, truly different.

Many had said that the movie butchered the book, because the book is very much better than the movie. I believe that's true. I mean, Harry Potter movies did not live up to the books standards, so I think the same would apply to the Twilight Saga. I think to be fair to the author and the whole story, once has got to read the book and sadly, I have yet to do so. Thus, I can only comment on the story portrayed in the movie.

I know Twilight is mainly on the theme of forbidden love, but I find that part the killer of the movie. It is a bore to watch the love triangle between a vampire, a mortal and a werewolf. Thus, New Moon was a complete waste of time and money for me because it centered around just the three of them mainly.

I went into the cinema expecting the worst for Eclipse but it was surprisingly okay. 

This has definitely got to do with the fact that half the movie is more about the Cullens and the werewolves working together to protect Bella and defeat the army of Vampire.

The CGIs were amazing, one of the least fake ones I've seen so far. Technology has definitely gone a long way since those good old days where those created monsters look ridiculously stupid because of the weakly embedded images using not so advanced blue/green screen techniques. 

I particularly love the huge werewolves, they are lovely and beautiful.

They blend in in the movie as if they are real creatures. I also love the action scenes between the Cullens. The action scenes were enhanced by face-paced camera movements, which could be annoying but brilliant at the same time - really depends on how you look at it. The fast paced panning of the camera, shifting focus from the various characters during battle scenes do make audience kinda dizzy but at the same time, in my opinion, did manage to create hype and excitement.

The only reason Eclipse is to a certain extent entertaining is the fact the the other Cullens have more screen time and their history one how some of them became vampires were mentioned. That makes the whole movie more interesting, rather than just LOVE LOVE LOVE! By offering the background story of some of the other Cullens, we get to see some other character developments, rather than just Bella and Edward, whose character are as stagnant as the drain water behind any local hawker stalls. I mean, from the 1st movie until the 3rd, we are still looking at both of them look at each other...so tell me, besides the fact that they can't live without each other, what else is there?

Annoying to watch is how Bella can't seem to choose between Jacob and Edward. 

Oh well, it's just me because I really dislike watching girls being fickle-minded when it comes to love. As if in life there is nothing else more important than to choose between two guys. Like I've stressed over and over, I am not a fan of the character Bella. I think it is mainly because we think very differently - she would give up everything for the love of her life, including her parents...I mean, I can't imagine not seeing my parents for the rest of my life. It's funny that she is only 17 and all she can think about is spending the rest of her life with a guy when other normal teens would be thinking about which education path to follow. Again, like she said, she is different. 

Jacob is as hot as usual but I find his persistence in courting Bella a bit annoying. I am biased however since I am so madly into Taylor Lautner and therefore, I am less critical about his character. But if another dude was portraying Jacob's character, I'd really give him one tight slap in the face and say, "Aiyo, enough la! People got boyfriend already. You move on and find other hot girls lar!" But I believe some girls find Jacob's persistence and love for Bella admirable. 

As for Edward, I just don't get skinny vampires. However, one of my friend adores the way he looks at Bella - she claims that he looks at her as if he would give her the world. All I can say is, I failed to notice the sincerity in his eyes but if someone else felt it, I believe Robert Pattinson did a great job in portraying his character and love for Bella. 

One may argue that the most striking thing about the vampires in the movie are their eyes. You should notice that throughout the movie, their paleness highlights the intensity of their eyes and thus, I believe that if you play the role of a vampire in the movie, you must at least be good in conveying messages using your eyes. If you are a werewolf however, you'll have to make sure you have a tonned body, which hot abs and hot chocolate coloured skin. That's about it haha.

But it is cool that they managed to include some humour into the movie. There are funny moments that got me laughing at little - my favourite was when Taylor Lautner said, "Besides, I am hotter than you". Watch it in the context of the movie, and you'll get why it's funny haha.

So basically the third installment of the Twilight Saga presents 2 main story: 

1. Vittoria trying to create an army of vampire to kill Bella and Bella sought protection from the 2 guys who love her like mad, and indirectly creating a pact between the disputing Vampire clan and the werewolf clan.

2. Bella trying to choose between the vampire or the werewolf, which metaphorically means choosing to be different or normal. While she do so, we see many moments where Jacob and Edward taunt each other and Bella standing in between...so...ya..

Basically that sums up what Eclipse is all about.

Whether you like it or not, it is still a phenomenon. But this 3rd movie is considered bearable (if you limit it to one-time watch only).

TC-My Ratings:

HUNTING FOR LOVE

Sometimes I forgot what feel good rom-coms (romantic comedies) are for.

When you are stressed like hell and you just need to watch something without the need to get your brain neurons to work, you select a romantic comedy for the purpose of catharsis.

Watching "Bounty Hunter" was a pleasure for me although one any other sane day, I'd not enjoyed it as much. For your information, this is the movie that united Jennifer Aniston and Gerrard Butler, and their love blossomed from reel-life to real-life. (I'm not sure if their love has withered yet though because it's been quite some time since I follow celebrity gossips.)

I squeezed "Bounty Hunter" into my life last weekend. I sort of promised myself that I must watch at least one movie just to keep the drought away from my blog.

Reading the synopsis of the movie, you really wouldn't expect much.

To wrap up the whole movie in one sentence, let's just say it's about a guy who's named after one of my favourite drinks, Milo who is paid to bring his ex-wife, Nikki to jail.

The movie is made interesting because it incorporated an element of crime solving, in which we see Nikki trying to solve a murder case. Although the main focus wasn't the case, but it did make the movie a more interesting watch, besides the dry humour presently reasonably well by Jennifer Aniston and Gerrard Butler. Perhaps I'm biased because I love both of them. Truth be told, I'm more awed by the gorgeousness of Jennifer Aniston's body and tan and Gerrard Butler's hunky manly looks that I wasn't really paying attention much to their acting per se. Then again, both of them are established actor/actress, so why do even bring up their acting skills.

Another fun part of watching the movie is seeing their funny antiques in trying to outwit one another. Though it is generally predictable since we all know that they will end up rejoicing in a happy fairytale ending, there were also moments that came across as quite fresh. I mean a bounty hunter hunting down his ex-wife...hmmm not bad for an idea...

It's hard to be analytical with romantic comedies because generally, the follow the same story structure that has to involve a guy and a girl. I have yet to watch a rom-com with 2 guys ending up together, and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" doesn't count since Chuck & Larry didn't really end up together. No matter how their play around with the guy and girl in the movie, the lead characters will eventually end up together...romantic comedies and I'm not talking about love stories ya. Love stories could take a drastic turn and try to make things painful by sometimes killing off one of the characters or purposely separating the two leads for one reason or another.

But Gerrard Butler's manly character made this movie a tad less girly for a rom-com. Added some X-man factor in it which I love. Personally, it toughen the movie and made it strike out more compare to other romantic comedies.

At the end of the day, I still think it is a good watch although I wouldn't classify it as my all-time favourite. Although the scene in which Jen Aniston described the tattoo she planned to get is friggin' hilarious and left an impression, generally the movie is kinda forgettable. Gerrard Butler is charming but his spells didn't work in making the movie one that gets me wanting an encore. So ya, I'm really watching "Bounty Hunter" for a one-time laugh.

I'll leave this post short and sweet, because that is basically what romantic comedies are like.

So I'll leave you with a K.I.S.S!

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Love,

TammyC

THE NEW KARATE KID WHO LEARNED KUNG FU

I had a bad feeling about "The Karate Kid" even before I watch it.

That is why I planned NOT to watch it but then was deceived and lured by 'kiasuness' (fear of losing out on something good and the mentality that you want everything, especially when it's free). Oh well, my bro said he will pay for the movie, just so I can watch it and then review it. 

I told him that I can just watch it at home and review it anyway but then he reasoned me out.

So there I was, sitting just 5 rows away from the huge cinema screen, craning my neck due to the lousy seats we got (That is another story; let's just say that that particular cinema has a weird ticketing system which indicates the wrong seats), and watching a movie that got even its title wrong. Why is the movie "Karate Kid" when the kid is obviously learning Kung Fu? Enlighten me...

I predicted that this movie will be a blueprint of many other Kung Fu, boxing, street-fighting, you-name-it kinda movies. It takes on the "underdogs-will-prevail-in-the-end" format. 

If you haven't already know, the movie would start with a boy/girl who at first is bullied or knocked down by the antagonist of the movie. Meanwhile, there'll be someone, who usually is an outcast of the society, bittered by something bad that has happened in his/her life and this person would be the one with experience in that particular field. And the underdog would then learn from this expert and continue on succeeding at the end. Hooray!! Happy ending. 

No matter how we dislike such recycled storyline, we still can't help but want to watch them and witness again and again that moment of victory because, who are we kidding, seeing the underdog's victory does makes one feel better about life. It is therapeutic as it kinda helps us forget the reality that the chances of an average joe or juliet succeeding is sometimes impossible. Oh excuse me for being negative. In the movie's defense, I guess it is movies like these that lifts people's spirits up again and get people to start believing again. 

"Karate Kid" sees the more grown up Jaden Smith (son of Will Smith) taking on the role of Dre, a Detroit kid who was forced to move to China. China sees him struggling with the new cultures and people. He got off the wrong foot with Cheng, a bully in school, resulting in him being constantly bullied until Mr. Han saved him from Cheng's gang. Mr. Han later trained Dre for the Kung Fu tournament in order to challenge Cheng and his merciless coach.

For such a simple movie, with such simple storyline, it's amazing that it can be dragged across 2 and a half hours of my life. 

Half of the movie can be chopped off and the films can be saved for other more noble causes. The beginning of the movie whereby Dre was beaten up over and over again is redundant. We get it - he is going through living hell because he was being beaten up by a Chinese kid and his gang who knows Kung Fu. And we know you are going to learn Kung Fu later so please proceed to the part where you actually learn Kung Fu and start fighting already. 

I'm not a fan of the character Mei Ling, although she seems to be a sweet girl. I would actually erase her character and develop Cheng's character further. I mean there is always an interesting story behind the antagonist and it would be even better to see the friendship develop between Cheng and Dre, rather than another cute puppy love story, which is quite plain. In my humblest opinion, a story about two rivals learning about each other's culture is definitely better than another love story between two souls of different culture. The latter has been shot over and over before, albeit different couples showcasing different cultural background.

Jackie Chan's character, Mr. Han, on the other hand, was not well developed. The few minutes in which he cried in the car, regretting the fact that his negligent driving led to the deaths of two people he loved just wasn't good enough to accentuate his character. It was just a few teary minutes, and though very touching and sad, didn't make him intriguing enough as a character, so it fell back to being predictable, if not boring.

And just so you know, there were no surprise during the tournament. Again it all turned out as expected. A little drama before the end, you know, how Dre got seriously injured but then managed to fight back, that sort of thing. Yep...all there.

However, I would credit how the punches and kicks, through sound effects and certain camera movements (slow motion techniques mainly) emphasizes pain and anguish, and effectively created something pretty surreal. The facial expression of Jaden Smith also deserved a point, as he made the scenes believable. I felt his pain just by watching and I find myself squirming with every hit targeted on the face and the stomach. The last part in which the boy crunched Dre's knee...I felt my own knee breaking man.  

On top of that, there were certain moments in which I believed that they played with colours and music to create certain moods, which described the character of that particular group of society. For example, the first bunch of Kung Fu students were dressed in red, backed by strong music, symbolizing vigour, strength and power.

But they are so cute

Cheng's character was clad in black - representing evil, but during the tournament, he wore red to symbolize domination and power and a force to be reckoned with.

Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) however told Dre that Cheng is not practicing real Kung Fu as the real martial art is about generating peace and harmony, and not hurting others. Mr. Han brought Dre to this place high above the mountains and we spot people dressed in gentle colours of grey and whites - depicting harmony. The music used as background is peaceful in contrast to the earlier scenes of Kung Fu that was full of energy.


I guess it also helped that there were one or two quite funny moments in the movie that did get one or two of my funny nerves tickling me.

In a nutshell, 3 things that made this movie weak - the drrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaggggggyyyyyyyyyyy introduction which somehow killed the climax because the agonizing wait drained off whatever it has to offer, the weak characters whose characteristics were mostly predictable and lastly a storyline that doesn't make one go shouting "freaking awesome!!!!" in the end.

So perhaps one would only enjoy Jackie Chan's hilarious signature Kung Fu moves and also the little cute tyke Jaden Smith's funny facial expressions. Besides that.....I think it failed to live up to expectations...but wait, I wasn't really expecting anything anyway and yet, was let down.

All I can say is, this movie is overrated. 

I've never seen Leisure Mall's cinema this pack and it was packed when Karate Kid is on. But then again, if a film is generating ka-chings, who am I to say that it is lousy.

But looking at the positive, it is a feel good movie which reminds us to stand up when things knock us down. Now that is good advice and that, we shall bring home.

This movie is like a family project. I say so because it is basically a film Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith funded to provide his son an avenue to act. So they flew everyone to China and got Jackie Chan, every child's super hero to star in the movie and then Jackie taught Jaden some Kung Fu, pads up a 12-year-old with muscles.... and "BAMMMM!!!!"...Karate Kid was produced....


I don't know why, although the name of this movie is Karate Kid, I do not feel it related to the previous Karate Kid. Now I have really vague memory of the previous Karate Kid movies but the feel those films gave me is definitely different from this one. This movie is like...oh well, a stand-alone Western mixed Chinese Kung Fu movie (or you might say comedy) that was wrongly categorized under the "Karate Kid" family. 

Whatever I say doesn't matter because you already know if you are going to watch it.

But perhaps with World Cup fever, many of you will be too ill to pay attention to a 12-year-old practicing Kung Fu on the Great Wall of China. I mean, obviously 20 men chasing 1 ball is much more entertaining...;P

TC-My Rating:

With Lotsa Love

TammyC

SHUDDER ISLAND

It has taken me forever to write this but I'll start this piece by complimenting Leo DiCaprio again for his versatility in portraying the various characters he sets out to carry.

His playing Jack in Titanic wasn't what got me gaga over him. I mean, I wasn't crazy over his then Nick Carter boyish hairstyle and the cheeky charms and I certainly wasn't thrilled about him spitting in the sea, although in the movie, it seemed oh-so-romantic (to a certain level) for some. Although an adventurous artist who draws nude pictures of women around the world certainly sounds attractive, but no, I wasn't in Leo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson. 

The once-upon-a-time boyish charms that failed to infatuate me...

Or perhaps I just grew out of the Jack-Rose thing...

Leo DiCaprio secured himself as one of my favourite actors ever since his portrayal as a mercenary in "Blood Diamond". He then made me realize how excellent he is again by blowing me away when he played Roger Ferris in "Body of Lies", with his super awesome Middle East accent. By the way, I also really love the film because it keeps the romance element sweet and innocent.

The two acclaimed movies responsible for making me crazy over Leo DiCaprio's acting...

Naturally, I'm now crazy over any films of substance that star Leo DiCaprio.

When Shutter Island's trailer flashed by in front of me in the cinema, I knew that movie has gained top spot on my must-watch list  of movies.

I could be wrong, but in my own humble opinion, Shutter Island takes on the style of Secret Window, which stars Johnny Depp.

There were mixed reviews on this movie.

Some said it is good but there were some who deemed it lousy. I however, have to agree with the former.

I think Leo DiCaprio did great as usual, captivating audiences with his glaring stares, portraying the sense of anxiety and mystery which encapsulates the movie's mood. But I'll have to admit that this is not one of his best films.

Shutter Island gives audiences a weird sense of fear. It is a thriller that really gives one the creeps. I do not know why films always have to present mental institutions as a freaky and  scary place, but ya, they always do. But Shutter Island gives mental institutions a double dose of creepiness. The mood is set that way although towards the end, you'd realize that it is not really that scary.

The mood is also cleverly created through the music, flashbacks and weird characters.

There is a quite creative twist to the film, in which different people had interpreted differently. Some argue that he is sane while some thinks that he is still cuckoo in the head. I'm going with the former. 

The film is basically about a bunch of shrinks who played along with the fantasy of Teddy in hopes of curing his insanity. Teddy was stricken with insanity as he tries to escape the harsh reality of himself  killing his wife after she murdered their 3 children due to her mental illness.

I do not want to give away too much but I personally think that the film is very creative. The twist in the story is quite unique, though arguably, it can be deemed as forced and ridiculous. 

But true, this wasn't Leo DiCaprio's best like I said. You see, there just wasn't a 'moment' for him in this movie, unlike 'Blood Diamond' (the ending when he died and called the girl) and 'Body of Lies' (the part where is hand was almost chopped off).  But with "Shutter Island", I can't really name an exceptional moment for him.

The movie is filled with puzzling maze of queries and thus, some claims that the film is a bore since it drags people through 2 hour headache figuring out what's going on and why. But personally, I think it is not as bad as Benjamin Button. For Benjamin Button, it's like, you know what's going but you're just begging for it to end. Brad Pitt's good-looks also failed to make the movie bearable. No offense, I know many appreciates the meaning of Benjamin Button. Sorry that I only judge it on the surface.

But as the story unravel and you know the explanation to certain flashbacks and scenes, you will find the walls of the maze slowly shattering, revealing a clear path, although some find the end of that path most ridiculous. Some people just doesn't like the fact that the 120-minute worth of footages they have been watching are a whole load of psychotic fantasy. I mean, I agree, which mental institution would act to play along with a patient's illusions? But arguably, it's quite a creative twist.

Generally, not a bad movie. However, the fact that I'm finding it hard to write about it is an indication that I'm not exactly feeling the movie much. 

I anticipated it and I wouldn't say I was let down but I don't love it to bits either. However, I'd actually recommend it to everyone actually because it is a very interesting movie. It's a kinda movie that freaks you out and sends chill to your spine although it is has no mutated ghostly figures. And I think if you are studying film, you would appreciate the fact that you could use this movie to study its mood, the costumes, setting and characters. Oh and if Mr. Alan is here, he would be able to tell you also the hidden meaning behind each scenes - the positioning of the characters, the lighting etc. I mean, this is a Martin Scorsese film, it has got to contain some crafty cinematography. And if you are multimedia/graphic student, you'd also witness some awesome graphical elements in the movie.

TC-Rating:

With Lotsa Love

TammyC