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  • 1 month later...

http://peteswrite.blogspot.com/2012/05/avengers-movie-review.html

Avengers - movie review

I shall get to the conclusion first for this movie since it is becoming obvious to most who have come across the movie or even the trailer that The Avengers has got the ABCs of moving making right.

But The Avengers has done more than well at the box office due to a serious of factors which give it the ability, IMO to become as memorable as some of the top box office hits like Indiana Jones due to it’s ability to include these few critical essentials.

One of the fun parts of recent movies has been the sustained revival of one actor, who went through early success, then dove into drugs and other vices, only to emerge like a phoenix from the ashes to propel himself back into the A-list and his attitude and swagger in this movie was one of the important reasons why Avengers has also risen above the typical summer blockbuster. Robert Downing Jr has the attitude.

And you know that a movie with half a dozen superheroes will have the obligatory Bangs, Booms and Boobs too. Here you have characters from four recent movies that have trounced almost everything else at the recent box office, so putting these characters into one movie will give anticipative fans plenty of the three Bs and more.

But the critical ingredient why I feel Avengers has risen high above the usual Micheal Bay-esque all action and little plot is in the Cast and the time spent on Characters, allowing for a wonderful mix of Chemistry between the various babes and beefcakes that populate this show. Now you can have many big action heroes in one show and it can all fail terrible if the director is unable to place a coherent story together without making it all too schizophrenic with so little time to devote to so many superheroes. But Joss Wheldon has applied the same magic he gave to Firefly and other shows and this show rocks.

Robert Downing behaves like the world revolves around him and there is no other person to play Ironman. His ego is suitably supersized to match his superhero status, and he has the ability to carry this movie. However I feel he has given himself the right balance of over the top mannerisms, and yet restrained himself sufficiently to give the rest adequate screen time to bond.

With that in mind, despite the relatively long running length of this show, it is always a challenge to showcase so many heroes without cramping their style, yet the director has been able to successfully throw even the uninitiated into the deep end of the movie and yet give screen time for most of the heroes such that you don’t need a whole lesson in the Marvel comics world to get into the groove of the action and plot. It helps that only the Black Widow and Hawkeye are the relatively new players in the game, and you will still benefit from having followed the previous Marvel movies, but this dearth of new players allows the viewer to concentrate on the play of the plot, instead of having to sit through an introductory session where you have to know how the various heroes came to be.

As for the plot, it’s quite simple: bad guys from other space led by the Nefarious trickster demi-god Loki seeks to invade and destroy Earth, and only the Avengers stand in their way. The only trick is that these Avengers need to understand the concept of teamwork and face the challenge of suppressing their urge to bash each other and instead concentrate on beating the daylights out of the aliens.

But in between the incredible action sequences is a lot of human play and plot. You will enjoy seeing Agent Coulsen, and for the guys, Agent Maria Hill, who IMO was way hotter than Scarlett J in her cat suit like outfit and her hair in a sheer bun. Despite limited screen time, Cobie Smulders was a smoldering beauty, who increased the temperature in the room by 10 degrees each time she was on screen. And how is it that EVERY female crew member in the SHIELD force looked like beauty contestants. Only in the movies, will you have supermodels, to match superheroes.

And you have moments of humor, the extra component that simply gives the movie more than muscle and explosions, and it’s seamless fit into the movie gives it the extra zing that will make this movie worth many repeated viewings. When Hulk flicks Thor away playfully and nonchalantly, this sent the entire theater into stitches. Brilliant comic timing. Ironman reciting Shakespeare whilst taking on a Norse god? Only in Avengers….

And you have the moments of fatality hitting the good guys, that scene didn’t feel contrived and gave a moment of real emotion between the action sequences and again allowed this movie to rise up above the typical action fodder.

For the action aficionados, rest assured, this was no Oscar material character movie devoid of action and you will get your money’s worth of huge action scenes, and you also get excellent surround effects.

Plot: 5/5

Chick factor in this movie is way off the charts…. 6/5

I can’t tell you in a more explicit way that you should run to the nearest good quality cinema and watch this. You will still want to own the DVD / BR disc. I can’t wait for part II.

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  • 1 month later...

Flying Swords of Dragon Gate

This is a Tsui Hark remake of another remake of the original Dragon Gate Inn, which was a landmark movie from 1967.

The original remake, with Donnie Yen, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung was a Wu Xia classic, and got Maggie an acting award, and this was a well anticipated movie. It was also the first 3D movie from Hong Kong to the main stream, if you exclude "Sex and the Zen". Any kung fu movie with Jet Li is usually highly anticipated, and this is no except. So with potentially eye popping 3D effects, plus the spectacle of Jet Li lightning fast moves, was this a success?

While, although I did not watch this in 3D, for me, any movie that relies on CGI to beef up the action, is a lost cause... CGI is a sweetener that when used sparingly, adds flavor to an action movie, but if it is the sole provider of taste, you can see the fakeness of the action like fake boobs...

Age catches up with all the actors, and just as with Jackie Chan, who relied on CGI in his latter movies, this one blows, from the start, when you see that most of the fighting scenes takes place between Jet Li and some newbies who have no martial art skills. Once you take away the fighting scenes, relying on the acting is a tough thing in kung fu shows, and despite some cloak and dagger twists, the characters are mainly two dimensional, and there is little depth to the acting. Despite some promising young actors / actresses, this movie doesn't quite hit the spot, in action or acting. 2/5

You get some babes, and there is that CGI enhanced action, and the sound effects are no slouch, but that makes this ultimately a rental, unless it really comes cheap and you can put aside all other considerations and enjoy the sound.

It is yet another testimony to the old adage that the original shows remain superior to the remakes, and in this case, the remake of the remake, just isn't as good as the remake. Now try and say that 10 times...

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Edited by petetherock
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  • 2 weeks later...

Contraband

How many times has this theme been done?

A smooth criminal retires only to be forced back for one last caper because he is forced to as his loved one is in danger? And how many times has Mark Wharlberg been in such crime jobs? The by the books movie features some rather solid actors, who seem to be waltzing through here just for their pay checks and adds little depth or dimension. There are indeed enough thrills and spills, but you will be best served with a rental or try before you buy for this one.

Plot 2.5/5

Chick Factor 3/5

Action 3/5

Recommendation: rental

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Journey to the centre of the earth II

When the first franchise succeeds despite a hammy plot and a mostly kiddie sort of movie, what else can you you do? Well bring in The Rock.

Also invite Micheal Caine for some acting gravitas and throw in the Hispanic with the hot daughter and the geekie kid and blend in some father son relationship mush... then add some outrageous animals, inversion of sizes and a little literary interpretation of some classic novels from Robert Louis Stevenson and just hope it all works...

So does it?

This show definitely belongs in the "suspend your disbelief" category, and so long as you keep your mind stowed away in the fridge, and let the visual cortex of your brain remain the only part that is working, then it's all good, and your kids will be eternally grateful... well if eternity lasts for two hours or so...

No complaints about the action, don't ask too much about the acting, and one Hispanic girl for the love interest and away you go...

Recommended for those who need to score points with the kids, and even the wife, lots of thrills and spills without any blood, death or disembowelment, and everyone gets to go home...

Rental or even a buy for the family.

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A long plane ride allows you to catch up on movies, especially those you won't really go out of the way to buy...

This Means War - movie review

This is a bromance, cum spy thriller with some comedy thrown in, and employs three rather A-list actors to help things along, but somehow it doesn't quite come together. And the fact that I am telling you this in the first paragraph of my review kind of sums up this show...

Two successful CIA agents who are buddies in the field and go through thick and thin together, fall in love with the same woman and they battle it out with all they and CIA have, whilst trying to stop a German terrorist...

Nothing new here, and the two adopt stereotypes of a playboy type and the other the man with a broken family who thinks he is a travel agent... throw in the girl who is out to have a relationship and toss in a German accent chap (I guess he was cheaper to hire than Arnie), and you have some semblance of a plot.

They use everything at their disposal, including CIA assets to win over the girl, bed her and prove they are the better man.

Plot 2.5/5

Action - not bad to be honest, but nothing memorable and definitely no famous lines... 3/5

Chick Factor - ok Witherspoon still counts as a moderate hottie 3/5

Definitely a rental for the third winter night, when you hit rock bottom at the local Blockbuster rental agency...

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Guest PLG1962

Sorry for trolling but I thought this thread was

Movies You Watched Recently And Felt Strongly About

It appears to just be reviews of ANY film regardless if you liked it or hated it

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Safe House movie review

Denzel Washington is the go to person for anything to do with intrigue, espionage, and action. Ryan Reynolds has begun establishing himself as a man with more than just good looks. The plot is pretty generic. A rogue agent turns himself in, with a black list of rogue agents, from a variety of agencies, who have turned bad.

He is transported to a safe house, and here is where staid and bored Ryan comes in. He plays the housekeeper of such CIA safe houses. And before he knows, the team who has come to interrogate Denzel is eliminated, and they are on the run. They soon discover that it is a CIA agent who wants to kill them, and they need to keep alive, and also make sure the list doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

The action is decent, although there isn’t much suspense, but if you don’t examine the plot too much, you will enjoy the ride.

Forget chick factor, enjoy the plot and both Ryan and Denzel turn in their usual good performances to save a generic plot from turning this into another by the books movie.

Worth a rental at least, and plenty of action scenes to enjoy on the home theatre system.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Amazing Spider-Man movie review

Movie makers have become fond of using a franchise reboot to get a popular movie juggernaut on track and from recent efforts, this has largely worked. Sam Raimi and Tobey MaGuire have done a tremendous trilogy recently and in particular, Spiderman II has shown that sequels can be better than the original, but producers have deemed it necessary to reboot the series anyway, and introduce Andrew Garfield as the new Spiderman and bring the storyline a little further back to when Spidey was a teenager in high school.

Does the rehash work? Well, this story has it’s strengths and weakness. First, I will venture to suggest what could have made it better. IMO, they should have just gone for Spiderman IV, and continued where Tobey/Raimi left over. Thn intrdocue Lizard Man as a nasty villain, and he was indeed a formidable opponent in this show. Instead, they had to re-tell the story of how Spidey came to be, and the loss of Uncle Ben, who, was pretty well played by Martin Sheen.

You don’t get the line about responsibility and power, but you get the spider bite, the transition from a shy retiring teenager to a powerful superhero, and this time the love interest is Gwen instead of MJ. Gwen is a tad too old, and the romance doesn’t quite take off, but if you want to know if a woman is keen on you, watch this show, and see the words and body language of Gwen.. I mean, she says ‘yes’ to Peter Parker, even without knowing what he was asking for… and shoves her address and phone into his hands, and she has obviously told her family about him, which is always a good sign… none of that ‘keep in touch’ crap… this girl could donate her kidneys to ol’ Spidey if he asked…

Even so, Kirsten was a better MJ than Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy, and you don’t get any upside down acrobatic kisses. And I guess that is the main issue. With the memory of Tobey’s Spiderman still fresh in the minds of the paying audience, comparisons are bound to happen. Garfield does a good Spidey, and he does try to make the character his own, and the supporting cast are working hard too, but you get the feel that it’s same old same old. That is not a bad thing, and you get emotional scenes interspersed with the action. However for the action buffs, you really only get two big action sequences here, as they have to build up the history and how Spiderman came to be part again in the first half of the story, so things only start to get hot in the latter half.

Lizard Man is a pretty well played villain and he does look capable of beating Spiderman, and you see that Spidey need some help in beating the Lizard. Marc Webb the director steers the action well enough, but he comes from a romance story background and tries to give this reboot an emotional feel, and perhaps he tries a tad hard, with dad, girlfriend and other issues thrown in for good measure. Fans will need to have patience, and see this as a first of many movies so they don’t get restless with the dearth of big fight scenes. This is of course dependant on box office receipts, and with pretty decent returns so far, this reboot of a reboot will probably see Spiderman swinging in for a few more movies.

Plot 3.5/5

Action 3/5 – good surround use, and bass was used for ambience as well as explosions, this has potential for a good Blu Ray despite the scarcity of action scenes.

Chick Factor 3/5

Definitely worth a rental, and I would like to buy the movie on Blu Ray when it comes out.

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Red Tails

Took my time on this one, since the initial moviegoer's reviews weren't sterling.

The Tuskeegee Airmen have a legendary status, proving black men could fly, fight and flourish under pressure. This movie attempts to bring this piece of WWII to the big screen, and despite a number of award winning stars, plenty of help from George Lucas, the whole glorious struggle of these brave men somehow does not take flight..

There is plenty of action, which is clearly CGI, for practical logistics, since few WWII planes exist. But the acting is wooden, the dialogue is cliched, the characters are rather two dimensional. HBO made a short series prior to this and that manages to shot down this blockbuster despite a more modest budget and if you want a WWII air battle story with a gripping human element, look no further than the older Memphis Belle, made in more than 10 years ago, with real planes and much better acting.

However, if you are just an action buff, there is plenty of aerial jousts, and very decent surround effects to keep you happy.

Try before you buy will be my advice. I will keep this for a few demos for it's superior surround effects, but watch the HBO version for better acting.

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Goonies - movie review

It's the 25th Anniversary of this show, which is summed up as a Indiana Lite (in fact the kid "data" in it was Short Round in Indiana II). But the lightweight PG 13 kind of feel suits the mood of the show well and gives it an uplifting atmosphere.

Sean Astin in days long before he was Samwise 'Sam' Gamgee in LOTR, was already involved in adventures down the West Coast of Oregon, in Astoria. Their homes are about to be demolished, and Mike aka Sean stumbles onto a map of hidden treasure. The rest of the movie involves them trying to find it, whilst evading the desperate Fratelli family hot on their tails.

Stephen Spielberg knows how to spin such an adventure yarn, being fresh from his Indy creations and makes this a pleasure trip down memory lane as you see the childhood versions of some famous stars.

The BR discs offers pretty decent quality for an old show, and the sound isn't half bad too.

Worth a watch and a keeper for me, and makes me watch to go to Oregon again..

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  • 1 month later...

A Simple Life

I would like to thank my friends for recommending me this movie. And indeed, it's a hard movie to watch if you are post night call, and even harder to watch if you have been exposed to a recent diet of Transformers, Battle LA or even Blade.

Andy Lau outdoes himself and Ann Hui is a brilliant director, but Deanie Ip is the standout in her role as a domestic "Ah Mah" who has lived in Andy's family for 4 generations spanning 63 years, and in her winter years, gets as stroke and turns from caregiver to patient. Andy shows a wide range of emotions, and Deanie's portrayal of the Jiao Jie is sublime, poignant and heart-warming. There is a stellar cast of actors, and watching life in the old folks home is quite heart rendering.

This movie should be recommended viewing for all healthcare workers, and also for All Singaporeans, and in particular all those who have dumped their parents or relatives in an old folks home and never visited them.

The portrayal of the all suffering old lady is such an accurate view, with her self-sacrificing nature, is realistic, and the environment in the old folks home and their plight is so true to life, it's almost too painful to watch. I have seen for myself how it is there, and this movie with all the big stars, allows a bigger outreach and hopefully change our attitude to our old folks.

The scene where the daughter yells at her mother, who has given her flat to the son, only for the son to dump the old at the home, is something I have seen for myself so many times. Then the old lady who keeps wanting to go home, that is something we have seen so many times, that it digs into your heart..

However, Ann Hui, like many great directors, manages to add an element of humor, and through this, allows a message of how to treat our old folk well to come through nicely and yet retain the thrust of the message well. Andy secures the services of many big Hong Kong stars who add a sense of both levity and balance of humor and seriousness.

When Andy Lau gets mistaken for an air con repairman, that's priceless.

Combined with the elements of cooking, you become hungry, and hungry for a sense of grace, humanness, and immediately you feel like reaching out for your father and mother right there.

I seldom give full marks for the plot, but this comes close to perfection, and deserves all the accolades.

The minus is the rather shaky camera work, which pretends to add realism but actually detracts from the movie.

Chick Factor: Deanie Ip compensates for the lack of action, the usual hottie and in her simple portrayal of Ah Jie, she scores on all fronts.

In a world where money talks, and wealth is prized more than human relationship, this is a show which says so much with so little..

What can I can say, run out, rent this, and then buy it and share it with anyone who has parents.

Footnote:

I have spent some time in orphanages, and the start of the show, where one old man bullies the other, and the other tries not to let others steal his food, are so typical. And the scene of the helper going from old person to old person, feeding each one is classic stuff.

Edited by petetherock
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Sparrow-%5BBlu-ray%5D-(2008).jpg

Had a chance to re-visit this show recently after I got the disc back from a bro (I had lent him the brand new unopened disc) and it was a sonic treat...

Not in terms of bombs, bangs and booms... but a superb plot accompanied by some really solid ambiance and a really fine babe:

http://peteswrite.blogspot.sg/2012/08/parrow-movie-review.html

One great camera work scene is how she shares a cigarette with Simon and stains the white filer with her bright red lipstick and time slows down as she returns the stained cigarette to Simon, who relishes the next draw on the cigarette, which he fully realises will have his lips wrapped around the lipstick stained filter tip. If there a greater demonstration of how to use a cigarette to make love, I know not of it...

Did I mention that Kelly Lin is so hot?

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  • 1 month later...

Just saw Fringe Season Three "Firefly"...

This has to be one of the quietest episodes in Season three, with less bass and explosions, but the story is gripping and builds up to a moment where you really feel they are pulling your heartstrings as both Walter and Roscoe Joyce share about the loss of their sons...

Fabulous and for those who have not watched Fringe, it's more than just a newer X Files. Highly recommended and get it on Blu Ray.

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  • 3 weeks later...


  • 2 weeks later...

To Rome with Love – movie review

Red Light – movie review

The Odd Life of Timothy Green – movie review

Finding A Friend For The End Of The World

My favorite of 2012 - Timothy Green...
Edited by petetherock
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  • 2 weeks later...
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  • 1 month later...

Wreck-It Ralph

Disney has gone from strength to strength, and this is their latest offering, which is about a 'bad guy' in a computer game at an arcade, who wants to turn and be one of the 'good guys'...

The story describes his journey and this animation has much more adult themes than the usual Disney offerings, although the violence is still kid friendly and no one dies, until Pixar's "Up". However the storyline is a little too complex for kids, who will sporadically drift off during the more dialogue heavy moments.

I had expected more of this after reading some reviews, it's not bad, but it's no classic, and the action and story are middling at best and I am not confident the kids will lap it up either.

Best to rent first and decide.

There are plenty of action scenes which should excellent on BR, but I do know if it's a keeper..

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ARGO

Now this was a much better show than the last movie I saw, and it's a suspense thriller based on a true story of how six Americans were rescued from Iran during the hostage crisis in 1979-80.

Ben Affleck directs and stars as a CIA agent who fakes a film called ARGO to rescue these six, and it's a simple enough plot, with good performances turned in and some real suspense.

It deserves to be a contender for an Oscar, and with the flag waving scenes, it looks mildly patriotic too for a nation starved of bravado moments recently.

Not a lot of real action, but there is decent ambient noises, although it won't be a demo disc.

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Fairy Tale Killer

Sean Lau stars in this by the books murder crime thriller, and usually he is a top performer, but IMO, he doesn't really extend himself in this, and barely rises out of a coma for this movie in which he plays a less than charismatic cop trying to solve a series of murders based on a bunch of fairy tales.

The main kicker for me was the fact that it highlighted autism, and gave it some publicity.

Otherwise, strictly a rental for me.

433ftk%20poster.jpg

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Resident Evil Retribution - movie review

All I can say is, oh dear...

Whilst I can be confident the subsequent BR disc will likely be demo quality, this is little more than an attempt to cash in on the franchise and give the tired series one last spin.. or perhaps the director / producer will keep milking this already dried up cash cow..

How do you revive a flagging movie franchise? A reboot is too complex for Paul Anderson, so he brings back a bunch of actors who starred in one of the previous 5 shows, and place them in a 'first player role' perspective kind of a movie in which some are good guys and others turned bad by the Hive. Then make them blast their way out of an old Russian submarine facility.

Plot holes? Well seriously where is the plot?

In any case, action thirsty fans lusting to see good ol' Milla J in a skin tight leather S&M outfit will not be disappointed. Add a few more hot chicks and dudes and arm them with never ending ammo, and watch the shakes, rattles and booms as they battle their way out of the underground base, whilst working for the same Wesker. Throw in an Asian perspective with Li Bing Bing who is probably there because Paul Anderson realised the size of the China market and needs to place one of them in a movie to sell tickets. Make sure there is a slit in her outfit which stretches for miles right up to her armpits and make it red in color for hotness and for socialism I guess?

The 3D another cash milking excercise, so your viewing pleasure will vary... of course hot ladies in 3D might be reason enough to watch this stuff...

So 1/5 for plot

3.5 / 5 for chick factor

4/5 for action

Snooze job unless you are a really big fan of the franchise and can't get enough of Milla J.

On a more interesting note... I would like to see Ms Selena aka Kate Beckinsale slug it out with Milla J whilst both wear those tight leather outfits which have made them famous... and throw in Jessica Biel or Alba for good measure, and call it the Resident Evil Vs Vampires - Total Recall or whatever...

220px-Resident_evil_retribution_poster.jpg

Edited by petetherock
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