Classics and Movies are Forever

Mindhunters

2005-10-28T19:04:00.000+08:00

Ah, it has been a very long while since I updated this thing, no? Well, here is the next instalment of my movie reviews. My first review since I last stopped shall be... Mindhunters.

Intro: Mindhunters is a thriller which keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. Combine it with mystery, murder, suspense and action, you get one heck of a ride. Think "Final Destination", only without the 'supernatural' force there. Starring Kathryn Morris, Jonny Lee Miller, LL Cool J, with Val Kilmer and Christian Slater.

Summary: Seven FBI trainee profilers are on an isolated island in the middle of no-where. Here, in order to make profiler, they have to complete the challenge set by their eccentric trainer (Val Kilmer) by solving a 'murder' committed by a 'serial killer'. Of course, this is only training, and their 'serial killer' is not really there and the mangled corpse they find is only a dummy. But things soon become terrifyingly real when one of the agents is killed and the team soon realizes that they have a killer in their midst. The question is, who? Plus, the killer keeps leaving behind watches after each kill, telling the time he will take his next victim. With no escape from the island, the team must play the killer's twisted mindgame and solve the clues he leaves behind before they are all killed. And time is running out. "Iny, miny, mino, mo. Who's the next mother****er to go?"

Comment: I honestly have no idea why the local movie magazine criticized this movie so much. I read the review and decided to watch it anyway, just for Val Kilmer, and the gore. I was surprised! Though there isn't much gore at all, the movie is actually good! It keeps making you ask questions and each time you think you know who the killer is, something creeps up which totally makes you change your mind. Throughout the whole movie, there is suspense. You just don't know who'll be the next to go and how! You'll be guessing throughout and I'll bet your guesses will be wrong for the most part. An edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller you sure have to watch! It is a combination of the freaky thrills of "Final Destination" and the clever mystery of the "Scream" trilogy.

Favorite character: Don't have one, but I'd say Jake Harris, because he's eccentric, his trainees think he's crazy and well, he's played by Val Kilmer! "Are you havin' fun yet?"

Personal Opinion: I love this show! Not one of my favourite movies, but one of my recommended ones to the light-hearted thrill lovers. In this kind of psychological thriller movies, what impresses me most is the mystery. The most intricate, the more impressed I am. So far, I like the mysteries in "Scream" and "Saw" best. "Mindhunter", though not a favourite, is clever enough. It's one heck of a thrill ride. C'mon, who's next?
My Rating: 3.5/5*

Curse of the Ring

2005-08-10T16:35:00.000+08:00

Intro: "Curse of the Ring" is also known as "Curse of the Nibelungs", a small Norse epic movie made for television. This Nordic legend inspired J. R. R. Tolkein to write his famous "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Summary: A young blacksmith, Eric (Benno Fürmann), is disturbed by an obscure past - he does not know that he is actually Siegfried, heir to the conquered kingdom of Xanten. He travels with his adoptive father to Burgundy, ruled by King Gunther, and there single-handedly slays the kingdom's bane - the dragon, Fafnir. For years, Fafnir kept a huge treasure in his cave - the treasure of the Nibelungs, a mystic race. Now, having been slain, Eric claims the treasure for himself. However, the treasure comes with a deadly curse which Eric stubbornly ignores, and for that, the curse endangers him and his love to the beautiful warrior queen, Brunhild (Kristanna Løken ).

Comment: A small and simply movie. I was left dumbfounded at the end, since I expected it to be longer. My reaction right when it ended was, "That's it?" I had expected it to be three hours long, but it ended at two. Still, I find that it really is quite a nice movie. Not the best I have seen but it definitely is not one of the worsts. In fact, it was really entertaining. I recommend this to all those period and epic lovers like me. Especially love the twisted love story in it. Pretty cool! I love the theme song. Sounds like something out of 'The Celtic Circle' type. Really, it's a pretty good show. Gotta catch it.

Favorite character: My favorite character is Brunhild, queen of Iceland. She is strong-hearted, fierce, proud, intimidating, beautiful and has got this 'no shit' kind of personality. Plus, she makes all men cower at her feet! I love seeing her in her armour with her swords and war paint on her forehead. In fact, the main reason I watched the movie was to see Kristanna Løken appear as this warrior queen. She is awesome!

Personel Opinion: Seriously, I wish it had gone on longer. Still, it turned out quite well. One thing that kind of bugged me though, was the design of Fafnir. He's a fire-breathing dragon, for goodness sake, not a giant comodo dragon. I don't think they even gave him wings! He looked more like an iguana-godzilla or, the best resemblence, a comodo. You know, with those short, stumpy legs. Oh yea, Siegfried bathed in Fafnir's blood which made his skin invulnerable to harm except for a spot on his back which he failed to wash. Kindda reminds you of Achilles and that furshluginner heel of his, eh? Yea, he was a loser (personel opinion!). Well, all in all, it was a good show.
My Rating: 3.5/5*

Cursed

2005-06-06T21:34:00.000+08:00

Intro: Today, Calista and I went to Tampinese Mall with the intention to catch "Amityville Horror", but since it was no longer showing, she talked me into seeing "Cursed". At first I was reluctant, but I am pretty glad I went in. After all, it is by Wes Craven, the director of the awesome "Sream" trilogy! "Cursed" is just so thrilling, and just so Wes Craven.

Summary: Driving home, brother and elder sister, Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) and Ellie (Christina Ricci) meet with an accident and are bitten by a huge animal which the police pass of as a bear or mountain lion. Ellie does not seem to pay much mind to what animal is was, but Jimmy goes on to investigate and comes to a possibility of a werewolf, which he soon discovers to be true. Now no matter how Ellie will not believe his claim, she begins to experience new things, such as an extremely good sense of hearing and a particularly good sense of smell for blood. Jimmy, the nerdy loser of high school also experiences things like animal-like agility, a sudden rush of confidence and great strength. They begin to show signs of the creatures they will change into if they do not break the curse, the only way being to kill the werewolf which gave them the curse.

Comment: Storyline is simple, as you can see. At first glance, it may look kind of like the dumb old traditional werewolf story - man gets bitten, goes to seek a cure. Well, the movie it just about as such, but what of the content? The movie takes you on a wild thrill ride, distinctively Wes Craven style. I saw a lot of "Scream" tricks in the movie, such as the killer (supposedly dead) coming back for one last scare, or from silence to a sudden burst of music or sound. It was very difficult for me to not cover my ears. Although the ending is rather... uh... hmm... you know, the werewolf death where the cheezy finale 'Praise the Lord' type music playing. But overall it was really quite good. Maybe you'll not find it nice the second time you watch it, as you already know what's around the corner and who's the mysterious werewolf etc, but if it is your first time, you'd love it.

Favorite Character: Hmm... I would have to pick Jimmy. He's adorable, always gets pushed around by the big boys and called names like homosexual. That is, until he beats three of them at wrestling using his new wolf-like powers. And check him out playing Spiderman! Way cool. He is the small, meek kind of guy who finds it difficult standing up for himself. Also he is hilarious, like when he wakes up one morning naked in the bushes with his old neighbour staring at him while watering his plants, and he even gets pummeled by a girl. Funny guy, and look forward to his 'new relationship' with his number 1 bully, Bo. You'll see what I mean... :D

Personel Opinion: Although I really liked the movie and recommend it to those who are looking to catch a light-hearted yet shocking thriller, I really do not like the design of the werewolf. It doesn't really look like a wolf, more like a wombat/koala or a killer teddy bear with sharp beaver teeth. They might have taken some details (especially facial details) from the Lycans in "Underworld". The werewolves in "Van Helsing" are much nicer. Personally, though, I liked it!
My Rating: 3.5/5

Interview with the Vampire

2005-05-12T19:56:00.000+08:00

Intro: I was in the mood for vampires and so I rented "Interview With the Vampire", which I heard it to be a very good movie and hailed one of the best vampire movies. Also, there are good stars like Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas! I love vampires, and I would have never imagined Brad Pitt as a vampire!
This movie is based on a novel from the vampire series written by Anne Rice. It is more or less a vampire’s biography.

Summary: Daniel Malloy is a journalist, a collector of stories of people’s lives by interviewing them. In one interview, he discovers that his interviewee is a vampire with indeed a story to tell. This vampire, Louis (Brad Pitt), tells his story starting at the point he becomes a vampire, 200 years ago.
The young Louis has lost his wife and child and sees no reason to live on. However, he is lured by lonely vampire longing for a companion - the evil, dashing, charismatic vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise) - who bites him and turns him into a vampire. Now Louis has to learn to survive this way and accept unalterable the truth of vampire life: to survive, he must kill. Though Lestat teaches him the way of the vampire, how to move and how to hunt, Louis refuses to take a human life and constantly feeds off the blood of animals and the blood of those whom Lestat kills. At first, Lestat tolerates this, but soon he loses patience. Louis decides to leave his side, but the clever fiend turns an orphan girl, Claudia (Kristen Dunst), into a vampire to make him stay. The three becomes a sort of family and travel together, seeking for more of their kind. Dark events occur as Lestat’s intolerance grows for both Louis’ and Claudia’ habits – one refuses to kill while the other over-kills. Hatred grows within the vampires; they are no more one happy family…
Louis continues his haunting story – his meeting with other vampires, his acts of vengeance – telling it to the eager journalist. His story is truly one not to forget.

Comment: I really, really liked it a lot. A great film, truly lives up to the rumor of it being one of the greatest vampire movies out there. Simply makes me long to be a vampire, lol! No, despite my wishing, Louis advices strongly against it. Well, watch and you’ll get what I mean. Antonio Banderas looks creepy in this movie, I mean dead creepy. Brad Pitt looks alright, he always does. They both give a very fine performance, really very well done! Brad Pitt was indeed impressive, but I was most impressed by Tom Cruise. You know, every character of Lestat in Hollywood should be played by Cruise! Stuart Townsend did make a good Lestat in "Queen of the Damned", but I really find that Cruise gives the character the X-factor.
Story-wise, it is very fresh and just juicy. I have never seen anything like it. An experienced, lonely vampire finding – or making – a companion and then teaches this newborn vampire the ways of survival. They express in the movie the cunning, the passion and the fury of vampires. Brad Pitt’s character, Louis, is the vampire with the most emotion, his struggling battle between his damned, immortal side and his mortal emotions. If you are someone who loves vampires, you will be very, very impressed by this movie and I strongly recommend it.

Favorite Character: Definitely Lestat. Clever, street-smart, practical, cunning, dashing, charismatic and with a strong sense of humor, Cruise’s Lestat differs from the other Lestats that have appeared on screen in that he is much fresher and more light hearted instead of the usual going about using his good looks to seduce young women then drink their blood. I mean, I honestly love this Lestat! Although evil and cold blooded, he’s a good teacher (in an evil way) and a fun companion.
Tom Cruise looks so dashing with blonde hair. Well, he looks strange at first, but then I got used to his new look, and now I find him so ‘princey’! He certainly looks sexy in that 1700s suit. And those fangs, wow!
What I love most about Lestat is his great sense of humor and his charisma. Here are some quotes from him during one of his humorous moments:

(Louis, in his depression, has set his rich house on fire and is lying helplessly on the floor as the house burns around him. Lestat bursts in through the window.)
Lestat: Perfect! Just perfect! Just burn the place! Burn everything we own! Have us sleeping in the field like cattle!
Louis: You thought you could have it all...
Lestat: Oh, shut up, Louis! Mon Dieu (My God)! Come here.
(Louis has passed out. Lestat picks him up and pulls him out of the burning house.)
(After the burning. Louis comes around.)
Louis: Where are we?
Lestat: Where do you think, my idiot friend? We're in a nice, filthy cemetery. Does this make you happy? Is this fitting, proper enough?

(Seeing Louis finally taking his first bite, Lestat rejoices and picks up a corpse and dances around with it.)
Lestat: Aha! There's still life in the old lady yet!

(Walking through the streets of a young America.)
Lestat: Lord, what I wouldn't give for a drop of good old-fashioned Creole blood.
Louis: Yankees are not to your taste?
Lestat: Their democratic flavor doesn't suit my palate, Louis.

(Daniel plays the tape which has recorded Louis’ story.)
Lestat: Oh Louis, Louis. Still whining Louis.
(Lestat ejects the tape and turns to Daniel.)
Lestat: Have you heard enough? I've had to listen to *that* for centuries!

Also, Lestat’s favorite quote seems to be "I'm going to give you the choice I never had." and you might grin when you see when he uses that phrase. A ferocious killer yet a fun character, Cruise’s Lestat is truly is unlike any other vampire you would ever come across.

Personal Opinion: Although a good movie, a very good movie, it started going kind of down-hill when Lestat left the picture. It wasn’t a wreck though, just wasn’t as interesting as when Lestat was around, coz after him there was no one who delivered any funny dialog or had the same charisma as he did. But to me, this movie has one of the best endings. It left me grinning broadly.
My Rating: 4/5*

Racing Stripes

2005-05-12T18:38:00.000+08:00

Intro: Racing Stripes is a very entertaining movie. Complete with a fun storyline, cheesy inspirational music and dialog, meaningful moral, cute talking animals, truly a movie for the whole family!

Summary: The movie is about a zebra who, when young, is accidentally left behind and found by a farmer – who was actually a great race-horse trainer until his wife died and he lost his will to train – who takes him home to his farm and allows his daughter to keep him. (You can only guess what name she gave him.) On the farm, Stripes (Frankie Muniz) meets the barnyard animals – a cranky Shetland Pony named Tucker (Dustin Hoffman), a wise old goat named Franny (Whoopi Goldberg), a simple-minded rooster named Reggie, and the deranged newcomer gangster-pelican named Goose who’s really a chicken who ducks. Well, Stripes grows up believing he’s a race-horse. He dreams to run on the track and take on the track’s famous champion’s cocky son, Sir Trenton’s Pride. With the help of his barnyard friends, the jumper filly, Sandy (Mandy Moore), his personal coach, Tucker and the farmer’s daughter, Channing, not to mention helping the broken farmer himself return to training horses and train Stripes, this spunky zebra sets his sights on the finish line to beat Pride and show the other race-horses once and for all. But the ruthless Sir Trenton won’t be taking that chance of letting his son be beaten by a zebra. After all, he was a champion, just like his father, and his father, and his father, for a hundred years since the founding of the track.

Comment: A fun movie to watch, keeps you entertained. Well, in my opinion, they put a little too much human emotions into the animals (like the horses’ private Blue Moon Races, and how the heck can a filly and a zebra hook up?), but still, it is fun to see the animals do what they do. The dialog will itch out from you a giggle or two. And the animals are very well trained, sometimes their movements actually go along with the dialog! I think Dustin Hoffman was perfect for Tucker. I love Tucker, he is so small and cute, I want him! The one I really love the most, though, has to be Sir Trenton.

Favorite character: Although Fred Dalton Thompson did put up a good performance as the fierce, jet black 1500 pound champion stallion, it is the horse which really gave the character THE factor. Beautiful, big, strong, majestic, the stallion used to play Sir Trenton is truly an absolutely amazing animal. See how he whinnies furiously and rears up in rage, the whipping of his ebon tail and the trashing of his hooves, the flaring of his nostrils and the glare of his eyes. When he gallops, just listen to the mighty beating of his hooves, you may even feel his hot breath at the back of your neck. Absolutely gorgeous! When this ruthless monster rears his handsome head, you’d better run for cover, coz he’s the boss of his very own gang of fearsome stallions, each one of them professional racers, bred to compete. If I were to ever get a horse, a horse like Sir Trenton would be my choice! You know, apart from Tornado (The Mask of Zorro), Sir Trenton is the most gorgeous black stallion I have ever seen on screen.

*Spoiler* Personal Opinion: Like every family movie, the star of the show always wins, thus Stripes does beat Sir Trenton’s Pride in the end and comes out first. Well, it is after all a movie, but had it been real life, a young zebra like that would never have beaten a whole track of pro race-horses. Beating one of two might be possibly, but not all! Especially not a stallion who’s been trained to hard and is descended from a long line of champions while this zebra is son of circus performers descended from a line of wild zebras in the plains of Africa, and all he has for training is a cleared dirt track through a corn field and a make-shift gate.
Okay, sure, he’s also got the greatest race-horse trainer in Kentucky and a Shetland Pony who’s trained his own share of host of champions, including Sir Trenton himself! But put Stripes beside even Sandy the filly whose affections he wins, even she stands taller than he does! And his jockey is a 16-year-old girl. In addition, he got pummeled by Sir Trenton and his entire gang only the night before the race. No way he would have recovered and run in such a short period of time.
Also, in my view, although some of the other horses cheated in the race, Stripes himself kind of cheated too, in a way. Those horses, well, Ruffshodd, to be precise, pushed him towards the rail. And Sir Trenton’s Pride’s jockey whipped out at him. (Pride didn’t do anything, though. He’s a meanie, but a fair-player.) Anyway, I say Stripes cheated too because he had off-track help. He had Goose in the air looking out for him, he had the two flies deliver messages from the air to Tucker, who then got them to pass advice, directions and instructions to Stripes to help him win the race. Also, those flies bit Ruffshodd on the buttocks, making the stallion rear painfully and throw his jockey off, thus getting disqualified – one competition for Stripes out of the way.
So although Stripes’ heart, will, training and perseverance did help him win the race, the win wasn’t totally 100% honest. The other horses never had any advice from anyone off the track, they had to think for themselves and follow their jockeys. Honestly, I do wish that Pride had won the race. He deserved it, seeing the training he put in and that mean lady (president of that track) made the trainers push him twice as hard and double his training. Also seeing how hard and tough Sir Trenton was on him and Pride’s defeat meant a hundred-year line of champions broken by a zebra. A real disgrace to Pride, I can’t see why he took it so lightly and even became nice to Stripes. Sure, he’s not a sore loser, that’s good, but I think he should have felt some anger and shame. After all, his father’s been drumming into his head since he was a colt that he has to win the championship. But that’s my view.
My Rating: 3/5*

Finding Neverland (Miramax)

2005-04-10T19:49:00.000+08:00

Once again, I am so glad to have listened to my father and watched this movie instead of going out. I do not recommend this movie to literal people, like my friend Jamie, as it takes imagination and 'looking beyond what is there' to get this film. It is a drama, a film genre which I like least apart from Sci-fi. But there is something 'special' about it. I cannot explain, but I would certainly love to watch this drama again... and again.

The film tells the story of of how J.M. Barrie (Sir James Matthew Barrie) came up with the famous children's classic "Peter Pan". Here is the story:

James' (Johnny Depp) last play was a disaster, but he is intent on writing a new and much better play. One day, while taking a stroll in the park with his Saint Bernard, Porthos, he meets the Llewelyn Davies family - four young fatherless boys, Michael, George, Jack and Peter, and their beautiful mother, Sylvia (Kate Winslet), recently widowed. In them, he finds the inspiration for his next play. He befriends the boys by playing along in their pretend-games and teaching them how to let their imagination wander. Against the wills of Sylvia's mother, Mrs. Emma du Maurier (Julie Christie), and his own wife's, he comes to the Davies' house everyday to play with the boys in their backyard, imagining they are pirates on board a ship in stormy weather, or in a town in dark Africa with cowboys and Indians. He turns sticks into swords, dogs into bears, kites into fairies. But soon the whole town is talking about him and the Davies family, which causes some rough waters in his marriage. "They say you spend more time at Mrs. Davies' than you do with your wife."
However, he continues his daily visits, gaining more inspiration every moment he spends with them. Slowly, he begins to write his play about his experience with this family, entitled "Peter Pan", after one of the boys. But as the days go by, Sylvia seems to grow weaker. She refuses to talk to anyone about it and claims it to be a mere chest cold and will not go to the hospital as the doctor ordered. *Warning: Spoiler* On the opening night of James' play, she collapses and only Peter turns up for the play. It is a huge success. James and Peter rush back and they surprise the weak Sylvia by bringing the play to her own home - the actors, the musicians, the props (only the play is performed on a smaller scale, of course). And in this way, James takes her to the place she has always wanted see. "That... is Neverland." Sadly, she passes on, leaving behind her four boys and her will, in which she states that they be in the care of their grandmother, and James. And thus, he takes on the role of the father they lost and teaches them still to believe... *End of spoiler*
"You can visit Neverland any time you like."
"How?"
"By believing, Peter. Just believe."

A wonderful story. Johnny Depp puts up an absolutely remarkable performance, throwing in a thick English accent. And I say that he looks best in this movie, simply gorgeous! And Kate Winslet, the most beautiful actress on my list (second comes Angelina Jolie followed by Kate Beckinsale). She is just wonderful in her role and I do love the producers for casting her beside Johnny Depp. They make such a pair on screen! But I am slightly disappointed about the story though.
I was looking forward to a bit of a love story emerging between James and Sylvia, mainly because I wanted to see how Depp and Winslet would do it. Oh, but drat! Although there is a love which emerges, it isn't really 'concentrated on'. Like, the only words from Sylvia which I am sure expresses her feelings for James are: "You've come to mean so much to us all that now, it doesn't matter if it's true. And even if it isn't true, even if that can never be... I need to go on pretending... until the end... with you.” That's as close as "I love you" the movie ever got. And in James' part, he said to Emma, "I love your daughter very much..." And that was after Sylvia had gone! What's the point of the love story if one of the lovers (if you could even call them that) is not around? There's no kiss, no hug, no intimate or close to intimate scenes between them! The only hand-holding I saw between them was when she was resting in bed after her first collapse. Oh well, at least it was better than no love story. At first, after watching 'TITANIC', I thought Leonardo DiCaprio was perfect with Kate Winslet, that they were the ultimate screen couple. But now I see that Johnny Depp is a better choice. They should seriously act in a romance movie one day.
Although 'Finding Neverland' only won the Oscar for 'Best Score', I say it sure beats 'The Aviator' which snatched away so many more Oscars from better movies like 'The Phantom of the Opera' and 'TROY'.
My Rating: 4/5*

The Lion King II (Disney)

2005-03-30T21:57:00.000+08:00

Ah! The sequel to the Disney hit, "The Lion King", completed 4 years after the first. Here, the circle of life continues.

Simba (Matthew Broderick) and Nala have a daughter, Kiara, who runs off into the Outlands (the dry and hard kingdom where Scar's pride has been exiled to). There she meets and befriends Kovu, another mischievous young cub. But he is the son of Zira, leader of the Outsiders and mate of Scar (though Kovu is not Scar's son), and chosen one to walk in Scar's paw prints to become King. The arrival of both Simba and Zira tears their new-found friendship apart as the parents take their foals away. But Zira comes up with a plan. She raises Kovu and trains him to become the ultimate key to Simba's undoing - use his friendship with Kiara to get to Simba. Kovu grows up with this blackness in his soul, led to believe that Simba did them wrong for the death of Scar.
After the first step of the plan succeeds, Simba reluctantly takes Kovu into the pride - a debt to be repaid as Kovu had saved Kiara's life. But needless to say, Kovu and Kiara fall in love and he experiences things which he had never felt before while in the 'care' of the Outsiders. Finally, Kovu decides that he does not want to be part of the plot any longer. However, after Simba is ambushed and merely escapes, he blames Kovu and passes him to exile. But Kiara slips away to reunite with her loved one. While they are gone, the Outsiders, led by Zira, cross into the Pridelands and they meet the Pridelanders, led by Simba, in a war for the kingdom. But Kiara and Kovu come in time to stop this war and unite the two prides as one, and help Simba see that Kovu is one of them after all.

Hmm... well, this movie is obviously not as good as the first. Then again, Disney's sequels are rarely (or never) are. But I would classify this as one of the best sequels yet. Have you seen sequels like "Hunchback of Notre Dame 2" or "Mulan 2"? If you haven't, don't. They are terrible and simply off-topic. They ruin the beauty of their well-done originals. But then again, "The Lion King" is an original story by Disney, thus I think they have the right to make a sequel however they think fit. And it turned out to be really not bad at all. Not as good as the first, but truly quite good.
As usual, the songs are absolutely wonderful! Hans Zimmer, I love you! He composed the opening song 'He Lives In You'. But my favorite song in the whole movie is 'One Of Us', when all the gathered animals sing about Kovu's exile.
Most of the original voice actors have returned, but sadly, Rowan Atkinson did not do the voice for Zazu. But no matter, this sequel is good. Perhaps try and catch "The Lion King 3"! Laugh out loud hilarious, though does somewhat disgrace and destroy the majesty of the original.
My rating: 3.5/5*

The Lion King (Disney)

2005-03-29T21:04:00.000+08:00

The (in my opinion) only original story by Disney which made its way to becoming one of Disney's bigger successes. But it does not only appeal to the kids, but it wonders teenagers and adults just as much. In case you have not watched it, this is the story:

The setting is the vast plains of wild Africa. Here, the mighty lion king, Mufasa (James Earl-Jones), rules the Pridelands - his kingdom or "everything the light touches". He lives with his pride and his queen, Sarabi, in a great and majestic rock called Pride Rock. He has a new son, Simba, who will be the future king. This is much to his evil brother, Scar's (Jeremy Irons), disdain, as he wants to be king. He consorts with the hyenas, old enemies of the lions, to set up a plot to make himself king. The plan works perfectly and Scar succeeds in the murder of Mufasa. He manages to make young Simba believe that it was he who caused his father's death, and tells him to "run away and never return". Scar orders three hyenas to kill him, but Simba escapes, and the hyenas never spoke of their failure to remove this cub to anyone. Thus, Scar's cruel reign over the Pridelands begins.
On his own, Simba meets an unlikely pair - Timon and Pumbaa - a meerkat and a warthog. Living with them, Simba picks up their 'Hakuna Matata' way of life, taking one day at a time without a care in the world. And with them, he grows up into a fine adult lion (Matthew Broderick). On one occasion, Pumbaa falls prey to a hungry lioness and Simba comes to his rescue, only to discover that this lioness is his cub-hood best friend, Nala. They fall in love, much to Timon and Pumbaa's dismay. But soon they seperate after a small argument - Simba secretly still holds himself responsible for Mufasa's death and does not wish to return, while Nala insists that he does. But after the vision of Mufasa's spirit, telling Simba to "remember who you are", Simba returns to reclaim his rightful place as King. Nala, Timon and Pumbaa even catch up.
After returning, Simba finally realizes that Mufasa's death is not his fault and that Scar is the true murderer. With the help of his friends and pride, Simba defeats Scar and his army of hyenas, finally reclaiming his father's kingdom and rises as the new and rightful king, making it official with a majestic stand at the top of Pride Rock and realeasing two powerful roars.
The movie ends with Rafiki, the good mandrill-shaman, raising up Simba's new cub for the kingdom to see. And thus, a new generation begins...

An astounding movie, I never knew Disney was capable of making such an original story. They make wonderful and unrivalled adaptations, but this movie is a great original tale. Well, the affairs in this movie are all human-type, kings and murder and rivalry etc. But, well, no one would be very interested in seeing humans engaged in these affairs in some medieval castle in England or Scotland or something. So they made these characters animals, and what animal better to play a mighty king than a lion?
I find some parts a little bit hurried though. Like, in the case of the reunion of Simba and Nala, first they are talking joyfully and friendly, next they are walking off into the sunset and the love song plays, then they are in love, 2 minutes later they are at each other's throats. But it is not something to really notice, Disney planned the story out very well.
Also stars Rowan Atkinson, Jim Cummings and Whoopi Goldberg.

The music is wonderful! But, it is no surprise, it being composed by Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, The Prince of Egypt) and all. And one of the most loved songs comes from this movie: 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight', more famously performed by Sir Elton John, music also by him. 5 memorable songs have been composed for this movie, and one new one for the extended version.
The animation and the backgrounds of wild Africa are simply breathtaking. And I simply love the way they design and animate the animals! I love how the lions are done, Mufasa especially. Now that is one handsome beast, seriously. I find that he somewhat outshines Simba, who is very well done by the way. They gave him an absolutely lovely mane!
In the special edition, although the extension is really not as good as in "Beauty and the Beast", it is acceptable and fits in rather well with the movie (though it is not very significant). If you love animation, you cannot miss this!
My rating: 4/5*

Ladder 49 (Touchstone)

2005-03-27T20:17:00.000+08:00

Ladder 49 is a really very good movie, I am so glad I listened to my father and watched it when I at first wanted to leave the house for lunch right away. Although the story, acting and effects are awesome, I really must commend the music. I never knew a modern-day movie, especially one about fire-fighting, could posses such haunting music - beautiful, moving, inspiring.

The story sequence jumps from present to past and back to the present, then to the past again. But don't worry, it's not confusing one bit. You see, the movie begins with a huge building on fire. The flames are huge and the situation is very dangerous. The fire-fighters of Ladder 49 are sent into the burning building to the 12th floor to rescue some people. The lead character is Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix), who separates from his group to save a civilian. He manages to save the man, but the floor beneath him collapses, causing him to fall and busts him up.
Right then the movie jumps to when he first starts out as a rookie fire-fighter, new to Ladder 49, how he meets the captain, Mike Kennedy (John Travolta) and the rest of the friendly crew. Then to his first fire-fight which he comes out of successfully.
Then we are sent to the present again, where Jack struggles to communicate with Mike over the walkie-talkie, and his friends fight to find him and get him out.
Then it's back to the past. Now Jack has made a best friend at the station, Dennis Gauquin, and thanks to him, meets Linda (Jacinda Barrett). Needless to say, they fall in love and he introduces her to his pals at the station. Immediately, she makes a good impression.
Then it's back to the present where the situation gets much more dangerous and Jack's friends struggle to find him.
Then back to the past when Jack marries Linda, saves more people, puts out more fires, has a baby on the way! Everyone is overjoyed to hear the news. But things are dampened when Dennis is killed in a fire and Linda gets scared that Jack might die one day, especially now that they are having a family. But he still continues his job and takes over Dennis' place - the front line.
Present - the race continues.
Back again, now Jack celebrates his second kid's 5th birthday. He's got a son and a daughter now. And just when Linda is starting to calm down over Jack's job, he comes home with both hands bandaged from burns, and with news of his friend, Tommy Drake, who had his entire face burnt off by hot steam.
The whole movies travels back and forth, back and forth, but the main situation is Jack being trapped inside the burning building with his friends trying to reach him.
*Warning: Major spoiler* Jack manages to reach the place which Mike has directed him to. There, his friends would find him and get him out. However, there is a huge wall of flames between him and the door. Putting his friends before himself as always, he tells Mike to call them back. Sadly, the rescue was a failure and Jack dies in the flames. But he is given a hero's funeral, reminding everyone that fire-fighters do give their lives for strangers, that courage is how they do it. *End of spoiler*

I love this movie, one of the best modern-day action flicks out there. As you can see, it surrounds the life of fire-fighter Jack Morrison and his life in the job and his brotherly bond with the men of Ladder 49. You will love the humor as well! My favorite quote in the movie is when Jack is latched onto a frantic and panic-stricken man while hanging from a rope, and he yells, "Calm down! Sir, you need to calm down! I swear to God I'll drop you!" And their 'traditional welcome' to all rookies. Hilarity! They show the bond which stations, or families, of fire-fighters have and their bravery and courage in the line of duty.
My rating: 4/5*

The Mummy

2005-03-25T15:57:00.000+08:00

If I had to describe this movie in one simple word, it would have to be: 'Fun'! It is not epic, it is not just alright, it can only be described as fun! IMDB categorizes it under horror, but I find that it can also be categorized under comedy! There are quite a few freaky/creepy moments and sudden surprises which can make one jump in shock. But there are many parts which will just make you laugh out loud! For example, 4 guys had only one two-seater airplane and they had to all go together. So while the pilot and the hero take the seats, the other two are strapped to the wings. And then there's the significance of screaming. The screaming in this movie does not only represent fear or shock, but also competition. Like at the beginning, when the mummy roars at Rick, he screams right back at him. And towards the end, Rick screams long and loud fiercely at the 4 mummies before him. And together they roar even louder and fiercer back at him, and he goes, "Uh-uh (as in, 'no, I don't think I wanna take these guys.')" and then takes off. Anyway, here is a story:

In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh’s high priest, Imhotep, falls in love with his mistress, Princess Anck Su Namun. They murder the pharaoh in his chambers and Anck Su Namun then kills herself. Imhotep then steals her body and attempts to resurrect her, but the ritual is interrupted by the pharaoh’s bodyguards who condemn Imhotep to the HomDai, the worst of all ancient curses, that if he should rise again, he would bring with him the 10 plagues of Egypt. He is sealed with a key inside his sarcophagus and buried in Hamutaptra, city of the dead where the descendants of the bodyguards stand guard to make sure he does not rise.
3000 years later, British siblings Evelyn & Jonathan Carnahan, find that very key. They then seek out the American adventurer, Rick O'Connell to lead them to Hamutaptra, since he has been there before. With a competition group of wild Americans, they race to Hamunaptra. There, they meet Ardeth Bey, leader of the bodyguards. His attempts to make them leave fail and after reading from an ancient book, Imhotep walks again. Although it has been 3000 years, his love for Anck Su Namun has not died and he aims to resurrect her still. His chosen sacrifice - Evelyn (whom he mistakes for Anck Su Namun at first). Then it is a race against time for Rick, Jonathan and Ardeth to save Evelyn and return Imhotep to his grave and save the world. They battle huge sandstorms, slaves of Imhotep, plagues and more mummies and then race to get out of the city before it crumbles.

My analysis on the story:
In life, Imhotep betrayed the pharaoh who trusted him so. He seduced his mistress and murdered him. He then tried to resurrect her. Then he is cursed and goes on a killing spree as the curse states, thus is labeled the evil villain in this story. But from what I see, I would not call Imhotep 'evil'. He was a naughty man in life, doing the things he did. He should not have murdered the pharaoh, but trying to resurrect her and all, he did in the name of love. After all, they say love can make one do things they never thought they would do. And him coming back from the dead, killing people and endangering the world, I do not really blame him. It's the curse. In order for him to resurrect Anck Su Namun, he had to regenerate by sucking the living dry. So I doubt he had a choice, driven by love, thus not thinking one bit. You really have got to admire this guy, this kind of lover is hard to find. After 3000 years, his love is still so strong, he goes to great lengths and stops at nothing to bring his girl back and even risks his life for it. How many guys would do that, I ask you?
But I really really really feel so sorry for him after watching the sequel. He sacrifices so much for her, loves her so much and gives his soul for her. And how does she repay him? Runs for her life when he calls for her to help him while Evelyn risks her own life to save Rick, who is in the same situation as Imhotep at that moment. Only then does he realize the kind of 'love' they share. His eyes become soaked and... I'll let you watch for yourself.
I would say, although if I were Rick or Evelyn or civilian, I would definitely want Imhotep killed and sent back to the underworld. But as a viewer, as the audience, I really find that Imhotep is the victim here.

A very thrilling and entertaining movie. You should definitely not miss it. Prepare to get shocked, prepare to get creeped out, prepare to laugh! A good movie, very mysterious, very nice. Tall, handsome, heroic, professional yet humorous, Brendan Fraser is perfect for the role of Rick. Sweet, beautiful, stubborn, smart, brave, Rachel Weisz portrayed an excellent Evelyn with a touch of her own humor to the character. This movie is, I say again, just so fun!
My rating: 4/5*

Beauty and the Beast (Disney)

2005-03-24T15:38:00.000+08:00

It has been three days since I watched the Disney On Ice: Princess Classics. I have repeatedly watched the clips I recorded of the performance, especially the “Beauty and the Beast” sequence, where the Beast transforms into the handsome Prince. The pitch blackness to the tensed music along with small sparkling lights in the background, then the burst of fire and the enchanted boom and all the lights come on at once, and the cloak of the Beast is lifted to reveal a man! Very grand moment! I even watched it in slow-mo, how the guy got out of that cloak.
And thanks to Gina from 4/4, I now know how he changes so quickly. When Gaston stabs the Beast, a lot of smoke is produced and the lights around the doorway are switched off, then the actor as Gaston pushes the guy in the Beast costume into the door who quickly, switches with the actor in the Prince costume who comes out under an identical purple cloak that is on the Beast costume. He is hidden in the smoke and the darkness gives him better cover. Plus, attention is pulled away by Gaston as he climbs to the top of the ‘castle’ and falls to his death. Then everything goes dark, the tragic drama, then the description I stated from the pitch blackness, the music, the lights, the fire, the boom, and there we have the prince! Thank you for your keen observation, Gina! I did not catch that since I was video taping and there was a lot of smoke. But I was thinking it.

Well, that exquisite performance had refreshed my love for “Beauty and the Beast”. And after three days, the urge was too overwhelming to ignore, thus tonight, I watched “Beauty and the Beast” after about three months! Ooh, what a great movie. Well, I just realized that some parts do not make sense. But it is a really really really damn good movie! In case you do not know what the movie is about, here is the story:

A spoiled and selfish young prince(Robby Benson) is turned into a monstrous Beast as punishment and is given a magic mirror which shows anything and an enchanted rose. He has to learn to love and be loved in return before the last petal falls on his 21st birthday, then the spell would be broken, or he would have to remain a beast forever. Belle(Paige O'Hara) is a beautiful girl who lives in a small village which she calls a provincial town. She loves reading and longs for adventure and wants more than what her simple village has to offer. She is constantly pursued by Gaston(Richard White), a handsome, strong, conceited man who is the most wanted man in the town. And he will stop at nothing to have the most beautiful girl in town as his bride. Belle’s father, Maurice, is an old inventor who intends to reap the success of his latest invention at the fair. On his way, he gets lost deep in the woods and comes upon the Beast’s castle. He enters and is welcomed by the servants – humans who had been turned into knick-knacks (e.g. clocks, furniture, candlesticks). But he is imprisoned by the Beast, who takes him for a trespasser. Belle sets out to find her father and trades herself for her father – Maurice is released and Belle has to stay with the Beast forever. At first, she hates him and shuns him, be being brutish, rude and unkind. But eventually, she becomes very fond of him as he learns to be kind and gentle, winning her affections. But when it is discovered that Maurice is severely ill and possibly dying, the Beast sacrifices his chance to become human and sets Belle free, giving her his magic mirror to remember him always. “I let her go. I had to. Because, I love her.” Belle returns to her father, but Gaston has a plan – he claims Maurice is crazy (since he went about town asking for help, that Belle has been captured by a beast and all) and has him thrown into an asylum and will have him released only if Belle chooses to marry him. Belle refuses and reveals to the gathered mob the Beast in the magic mirror. Gaston realizes that Belle might have feelings for the Beast and thus plays on the people’s fear for this creature and declares that the Beast must be killed. They storm the castle and Gaston attacks the broken and dejected Beast on the roofs. But Belle races back to the castle and when the Beast sees her, he fights back, seeing that there is still a ray of hope. Finally, Gaston inflicts a fatal wound on the Beast just before he loses his grip and falls to his death. Belle manages to pull the Beast back onto the balcony where they exchange comforting words before he dies. She weeps and whispers, “I love you” just before the last petal falls (one big and lucky coincidence). Dead or alive, the Beast had learned to love and won the love of another before the last petal fell. Thus the spell breathed life back into him and turned him back into a man – a handsome Prince at that! The spell was lifted off all the servants who turned back into humans as well. Belle married the Prince and lived happily ever after. Her own fantasies have come true and the happy endings in the books she reads come true in her life.

You know what? I noticed that “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Phantom of the Opera” have a lot in common! The following are proofs:
- Story: The point that an ugly guy falls in love with a pretty girl
- Homes: Both the Beast’s and the Phantom’s realms are dark and gloomy
- Love: They both fall in love with beautiful girls (Emmy Rossum was pretty, but hardly beautiful. I’m referring to Sarah Brightman! Belle, however, is undeniably beautiful.)
- Significant objects: Shattered mirrors, roses, chandeliers! (Plus, in a “Lilo & Stitch” trailer, when Belle and the Beast were dancing, the chandelier did crash! Just like the Phantom’s.)
- Age: Both Belle and Christine are 16 (Belle being 16 is an assumption, since the other princesses like Sleeping Beauty and the Little Mermaid are 16 too.)
- Culture: Both are French
- History: Both go more than a century back

Am I not observant? And I am sure I might be able to find some more. Well, I doubt I have anything more to say. Only that you should go watch “Beauty and the Beast”. I hope they do make a live-action version of this movie. Change the cast if they see fit, (sadly, Paige O’Hara (Belle) cannot play Belle in the live-action one since she is not really a beauty. I suggest Diane Kruger, but dye her hair brown for the role, please.) but keep Robby Benson to provide the voice for the Beast (assuming that the Beast will be animated). Have a young guy to play the prince, but have Robby Benson be the Beast! No one can provide such a deep and coarse and fearsome voice which can be gentle and kind and sympathetic at the same time!
My rating: 4.5/5*

Hamlet

2005-03-14T15:49:00.001+08:00

This morning, I watched "Hamlet", starring Mel Gibson. Now you might know that I detest Mel Gibson, mainly because I hate "Passion of the Christ" and I find him totally unattractive. But I do not know why, I am puzzled, but I totally got me in "Hamlet". He's bearded and he has a nice haircut and he looks awesome in that movie! And does he look quite sexy in his medieval-Denmark costume. And the best thing about him - his voice. Oh I love that voice!!! "Hamlet" is a classic play written by Shakespeare and is one of his many plays to be made into a movie.

The movie is about the prince of Denmark, Hamlet(Mel Gibson), whose discovers that his father's death is caused by his uncle (who now takes the crown and has married his mother), and his mother herself, Queen Gertrude(Glenn Close). At first, Hamlet buys the story, about his father dying of a serpent bite while he slept in the garden. But when his father's ghost appears to him, he tells him of his "murder most foul". Thus Hamlet vows to have his revenge. He acts mad before people. (Which is quite tickling actually. Like how he threw a paper ball at the priest's head and tipped the ladder when the priest was on it etc.) Well, he lays in wait for the perfect time. A few events occur and the final scene is a duel between Hamlet and Laertes(Nathaniel Parker). Laertes blames Hamlet for the death of his sister, Ophelia, whom Hamlet loves and had gone mad in his absence and drowned in the brook. So he dips the tip of his sword in a deadly venom, and when Hamlet is not looking, slashes his arm, thus injecting the poison. Laertes is then stabbed by Hamlet with his own venomed sword. Laertes then tells Hamlet about the poison, the king's schemes and asks for forgiveness for killing Hamlet, before dying. Hamlet forgives him. In that same scene, Hamlet's mother dies of poisoning. Hamlet is pissed off and finally runs his sword through the king, before addressing his best friend, Horatio, and himself dying.
It is a drama, all talk and no real fighting. The duel between Hamlet and Laertes is not exactly a fight, it's more like fencing kind of fight, where there's a 'referee' and rules. This movie will be loved by drama-lovers and the acting is awesome! I have never seen Mel Gibson in a better performance!
My rating: 3.5/10*

Les Misérables (Play)

2005-03-14T15:49:00.000+08:00

Now, I do not know much (or you could say anything) about Les Misérables, but I would just like to give a very basic look on the story. For any fans of the play, if you spot a mistake, please do not hesitate to post a comment. :)

Les Misérables was originally a novel written by Victor Hugo, more famously known for writing The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was then made into a play (not by Andrew Lloyd Webber though) and into a movie. The movie was not very successful as it was adapted to some extent, but I am sure it was fine and I look forward to watching it. I only know the very basics of the story, so bear with me.
Les Misérables stars prisoner 24601, a man named Jean Valjean. He is thrown into prison after breaking into a house to steal a loaf of bread for his starving sister, niece and self. After 19 years of slavery, he is put on parole. 5 years for what he did, the rest because he tried to run. But now he's out and looks for a place to stay and work, but no one will welcome him because he is a criminal. But a kind bishop welcomes him into his house, gives him the largest share of food and lets him spend the night. But upon leaving, Jean steals the bishop's silverware. The bishop discovers this but does not report him, instead he gives him his silver candlesticks. Moved by this, Jean wishes to turn over a new leaf. He escapes the law, but his old prison guard, Javert, will not rest until he finds Jean and locks him up again. 10 years later, Javert arrives in a small town. In the factory, an accident happens - an old man has been trapped underneath a heavy runaway cart and is caught in a deadly situation and no one dares go near to help in fear for their own life. However, le mayor, the owner of this business goes to help, despite the warnings for him to stay away, and saves the old man. Javert sees all this and is shocked at le mayor's selflessness, and that he can only recall one man who would do something like that - prisoner 24601. "How can you be sure that I am not your man?" le mayor asks. Javert tells him that Valjean has been found. Unmistakably, Javert has had Valjean arrested and is to be put on trial that very day and sent to a lifetime of slavery. Later that day, le mayor surprisingly appears at the trial, and to everyone's shock, declares, "Who am I? Who am I? I'm Jean Valjean! And so, Javert, you see, it's true. This man (the accused) bears no more guilt than you! Who am I? 2-4-6-0-1!"
The events after that are rather vague to me. These are what I know:
An employee of Valjean's, Fantine, had given birth in wedlock. Now she is in the hospital for lung cancer. After his confession at the trial, Valjean comes to the hospital where he accompanies Fantine until she dies. Before that, she gives her young daughter, Cosset, to his safekeeping. After she dies, Javert comes and demands Valjean follow him back to the prison. But in a struggle, Valjean escapes - he had promised to take care of Cosset and so he will. Then, all I know is that there is a group of revolutionaries, one in particular named Marius who falls in love with Cosset and Valjean is pulled into the revolutionaries etc. Finally, Javert lets Valjan go and takes his own life by jumping into the river, then Valjean dies of old age and meet Fantine again. At Marius and Cosset's wedding, the ghosts of Valjean, Fantine and Eponine(another co-lead character) and the revolutionaries who died all come to visit the married couple and the play ends with an inspirational song, the theme song of Les Misérables - 'Do You Hear The People Sing?' Oh, I hope I get to see the play!

The Odyssey

2005-03-10T13:45:00.000+08:00

Today, the new show I watched was "The Odyssey", a made-for-TV movie. It was nice, 3 hours, very interesting. It is based on another famous poem written by Homer, the writer of 'The Iliad' which tells of Troy.

The movie follows the hero, Odysseus(Armand Assante), the wise king of Ithaca in Greece. His wife, Queen Penelope(Greta Scacchi) has just given birth to a son, Telemachus. But Odysseus cannot enjoy the birth of his son because Kings Agamemnon and Menelaos of Mycenae and Sparta have come to Ithaca to summon him to fight at Troy. Odysseus goes and spends 10 years not seeing his home and family fighting the war. After he comes up with the Trojan Horse which leads to the fall of Troy, he unknowingly angers the God of the Seas, Poseidon, who keeps him from returning home, sending him towards untold dangers. While Odysseus and his men struggle to return home, Penelope is forced to hole off unscrupulous suitors trying to claim her and his property thinking that Odysseus is dead. They even plan on removing the fast-growing Telemachus.
Meanwhile, Odysseus is bent on seeing home again. He runs into many misadventures, battles deadly creatures(Cyclops, Scylla, Charybdis), meets a few gods(Aeolus, Circe, Calypso), even runs into a few Olympians(Athena, Poseidon, Hermes)! He travels to unknown places, one of which being the Underworld itself, seeking help wherever he can. It takes him another 10 years to return home. And if you have read 'The Odyssey', you would know that Odysseus is the last hero to make it home, where he slays all the suitors and reclaims his dear wife and throne.

Indeed, an interesting movie, rather fun. But one thing I absolutely despise about it - during the small sequence of the Trojan War, how they disregarded the greatness of the Trojans, and how they completely dismissed the honor of Prince Hector! They made Hector seem like such a stuck-up, cocky, simple-minded asshole who thought too greatly of himself and got so overconfident that he got killed swiftly! He never was like that, much, and he was not that bloody easy to kill! (Love the shiny golden armor he wore though.) And Achilles, that dickless son of a bitch, was turned into a topless deranged kleptomaniac. And when Achilles drags Hector behind his chariot by the coast, he shouts gloriously, "I killed Hector!!!!!" and the music is the cheerful, triumphant and lively type, not sad, mourning and sympathetic like in "TROY". This show made Hector look like the villain and Achilles the fucking hero! Screw Achilles, he'll never have more honor that Hector did. But at least they got a good looking actor to play Hector. Well, throughout the battle, he was wearing his helmet so his face was hidden. I only got two slight glimpses of his face when his helmet fell of when he was killed. :'( But he was handsome, yes, with shoulder-length blonde hair. The rest of the movie was entertaining, however, I would not strongly recommend "The Odyssey", but I do say that you should just watch it and there is an 80% chance that you will like it. I still stand by my belief - Hector is the true mightiest on both sides. Achilles only beat him because he was a demi-god and Hector is just a mortal man. Hector forever! Troy forever! (Okay, I know I might sound as if I don't know anything to you Achilles-lovers, but I assure you I know the details. Simply going "Hector forever! Troy forever!" is the only fastest way I can get my point through.)
My rating: 3.5/5*

George and the Dragon

2005-03-09T13:45:00.000+08:00

George(James Purefoy) is an English knight who has had enough of battles and wishes to settle down. But he has a final quest to complete - rescue the good king's daughter, Princess Luuna(Piper Perabo), who has disappeared. He is to take her home to marry the unscrupulous Lord Garth(Patrick Swayze) who will thus rule the kingdom. With help from old Elmendorf and young Wryn, they set out on their quest. They find Luuna alone in a cave deep in the woods, and it appears she does not want to be found. It also appears that she is protecting a dragon's egg, ready to hatch any day now. The mother dragon, which watched over Luuna during her time in the dragon's keep, had crawled into the lake 3 days earlier and had not returned. She had died from her wounds and now Luuna wishes to save the very last dragon. She stops George's numerous attempts to destroy the egg (particularly with a club to his head) and finally gets him to agree to help her protect it until it hatches. Finally, Garth captures Luuna to force her to be his bride. George battles him and another fearsome group of villains while the baby dragon emerges out of the shell. And it appears that the mother did not die, but returned for her baby. Well, as we all know, the villain dies, the hero gets the girl and as for the dragon, she disappeared with her baby into the lake, never to emerge again. The dragons keep their secret only to become legends.

A short movie, 85 minutes only, but pretty good and serves well as entertainment. Although the special effects are not at all the best, they are acceptable and the acting is awesome! And the humor! *laughs* This is no epic or a large-scale movie, but a small and simple and good one. Did I mention that James Purefoy looks absolutely delicious in that knight's armor?
My rating: 3/5* (I'd consider 3.5 though)

Shakespeare In Love (Miramax)

2005-03-04T14:08:00.000+08:00

A dramatic comedy about the young and poor writer, William Shakespeare(Joseph Fiennes), who falls in love with Viola de Lesseps(Gwyeneth Paltrow), a rich noblewoman. The movie begins with one of my favorite actors, Geoffery Rush (who's always acting the villain but for the first time I see him as the good guy).

Rush is Philip Henslowe, the owner of the theatre - the Rose, and Will is his writer. Unfortunately, Henslowe is running low on cash and the gangster-ish money lender is moving in. The cash in not coming in because lately, the plays have not been good. And the plays have not been good because Will is suffering from a serious case of writers block. His latest play: Romeo and Ethel the Pirate's Daughter'. (It's supposed to sound lame. He's got writer's block, remember?) Now, this is a time when women are not allowed on stage, but Viola wishes to become an actor so she disguises herself as Thomas Kent. She comes to an audition and captivates Will who casts her, or, as the case might be, him, as Romeo. Soon enough though, Will discovers this Thomas to be the woman he loves, but she is to marry cold-hearted Lord Wessex(Colin Firth). So this and that happen, some funny, some dramatic, their love-life faces many obstacles, and as this happens, Will writes his play as an adaptation of his own love-life with Viola. Then one day, Ned Alleyn(Ben Affleck), an attention-seeking and proud friend of Will who is cast as Mercutio, suggests a new title for the play: Romeo and Juliet. After Viola's identity is revealed, she returns again to play Juliet after the actor loses his voice. Will plays Romeo and the play ends with a thundering applause. But sadly, Viola sails off to America with her husband, Lord Wessex, leaving Will in London to write more plays. Basically, the movie revolves around the completion of "Romeo and Juliet". But it ends with the beginning of "Twelfth Night", thus he named the heroine after his beloved. And you can guess what happened to her after sailing to America if you have read Twelfth Night...

The movie is awesome! Simply beautifully made. Geoffery Rush is hilarious! Gwyneth Paltrow is stunning as Viola, apart from those uncensored nude scenes she was in with Joseph Fiennes, who was spectacular in the role of Will. The story is very original, never seen anything like it before. Watch it if you can. But know that it is M18.
My rating: 4/5*

Jesus Christ Superstar (Really Useful Company)

2005-02-13T09:21:00.000+08:00

It is good – for a christian-ish film. Well, it is a musical retelling of the Jesus story, much like the “Passion of the Christ”, which I condemn by the way because it is so boring and they dare call that gore? Watch “Gladiator” man, then you will know the true definition of gore!

Anyway, “JCS” as I said, is the retelling, every aspect is the same like the Romans and the silver coins etc. The only thing is, they moved the time into the 20th century! So there are guns and discos and tight leather and shades etc. The first character to appear is Judas – wearing a tight red T-shirt with a pair of long black pants and black leather jacket, to give that punk-ish touch. Next to come out of the smoke is Jesus, long wavy blonde hair, white singlet, beige cargo-pants and white sneakers. Hip eh? There are also the disciples, only they are young teen-looking punk-looking kids. Simon, for example, wears a pair of army-patterned pants with biker gloves, and totally spiky hair dyed blonde at the tips, and Peter is a black guy who dresses almost similar to Simon. There are Asians among them too. And Mary Magdalene is the girl Jesus falls practically in love with who is a black prostitute. And the Romans, if they can be called Romans in this case, look more like the guys from “The Matrix”. You know, long black leather coats – the lead Roman of the lot looks like Morpheus. Pontius Pilate is a big muscular guy, but his face looks like a turtle’s, and his costume makes him look like Bison from “Street Fighter”.
Oh yes, and the singing. It is very… colorful. All the voices are very different and each has its own ‘uniqueness’. Judas, when he sings the higher and longer notes, sounds like he’s a wire gone short-circuit. And Jesus, when he sings the higher notes, sounds gay… and I mean very gay. The song, ‘Gethsemane’, which I was looking forward to hear in this show since I have heard Michael Crawford and Michael Ball sing it very very well, was turned into a gay song when it was sung by this Jesus guy. The way he sang the high notes sounded like a girl squealing while getting violated. And caught how he threw that television across the floor? And Judas hanging himself part was quite… interesting. I feel sorry for the guy.
There is also the part when Jesus carried the cross to where he was to be crucified. That is my favorite part. Because that is when they sing the theme song ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, which is a nice song. And whoa! That was after Judas hanged himself, but here he is in a cool, shiny red suit leading the song and singing into a microphone, “Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Ooooooooooooh, Je-esus!” There are red disco lights about too, and even the press comes with their cameras to film Jesus dragging the cross across! Then the angels descend from behind – women in tight red leather minis with red hats and high leather boots wearing dark shades and white sings attached to their backs. It was cool, something new and apart from all those other shows where whenever they come to this scene, the background music and people are all sad and solemn and pitiful. This one gives a whole new touch, I could even call it original!
My rating: 3/5*

Evita

2005-02-06T13:42:00.000+08:00

It is a drama musical, and like "The Phantom of the Opera", it is a stage-musical-turned-movie by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Unlike "The Phantom of the Opera", it was not a great success. Majority (including the FiRST magazine) called it a disaster vehicle. To me, it was alright. It is a drama musical and I am not a person for drama coz I find drama slow and draggy and boring. I like classics, epics! But it is considered a real compliment that I label it 'not bad'. I love some of the songs!

The movie stars Madonna as Eva Perón, aka Eva Duarte or more famously: Evita, a B-picture Argentinean actress who eventually became the wife of Argentinean president and dictator Juan Perón, and the most beloved and hated woman in Argentina. She was diagnosed with cancer and died in the 1950s.
They say that the movie was a wreck mainly because of Madonna, that she was a result of bad casting. I say, "Nay". Madonna was great for her role as Eva. The movie was wrecked due to bad direction. They had less than 10 lines of dialog in the whole entire 2-hour movie! Everything was sing sing sing. Sure, it is a musical, but you must know where to draw the line! Turned out to be like one hell of a long music video. It was quite boring, got me wanting to sleep. But I do intend on watching it again within the week. Antonio Banderas was amazing in that movie, and he sings! His voice is brilliant, love it! Believe me when I say he can sing. He could have been a great Phantom if it weren't for his accent. Sorry he didn't get the role. In my opinion, I think it was he who saved the entire movie. I doubt I would have sat through it if it weren't for his outstanding performance. He is in the male supporting role of Ché, a personification of Eva's conscience or some sort. A guy who is there but not exactly there. One minute he's the bar tender, the next he's the reporter or the waiter or the tenant or the detective or an upper-crust gentleman or someone from a hostile mob. He's just wherever Eva is or in a place which concerns Eva.
My favorite songs are 'Oh! What a Circus' (during the beginning which shows Evita's funeral), 'High flying, Adored' (during the middle when Eva is enjoying her success) and the famous 'Don't Cry For Me, Argentina' (when Eva address the crowd(Argentina) from her balcony).

Yes, a fairly good drama-musical. Watch it when you have the time. The music is real good (like all of Andrew Lloyd Webber's works). "Sing for me!" - the Phantom.

You let down your people, Evita.
You were supposed to have been immortal.
That's all they wanted, not much to ask for.
But in the end you could not deliver.
- Ché (Antonio Banderas)

My rating: 3.5/5*

Alexander (Warner Bros.)

2004-12-02T17:02:00.000+08:00

I really do not know why that Safra magazine claimed that it would be far greater than "TROY". It was not! "Alexander" does not stand a chance against "TROY", much less even rival it. The movie was nothing I haven't really seen before.

The movie follows the life of Alexander(Colin Farrell) the Great (but I sometimes call him Alexander the Bitch) when he is a little boy to the moment of his death, then on the aged Ptolemy(Anthony Hopkins), an old friend of Alexander, who narrates the story. The movies tells of him with the love-hate relationship between his parents, King Philip(Val Kilmer) and Queen Olympias(Angelina Jolie), his life as a boy and the schemes of his mother to put him on the throne after Philip (I love this quote he said, "Why do I need a horse for? I already have a wife!"). Then of Alexander's conquests and his marriage and his relationship with his closest companion, Hephaistion(Jared Leto). And then after that, his death and a slight aftermath.

It was 3 hours long and only contained two big battle scenes (one against the Persian army and the other against the Indian army), the rest was all drama of Alexander's life. At some parts I hardly could hear what the actors were saying because of the war noise. And the story was difficult for me to understand. I left the cinema with these questions: Who or what killed Alexander? Who or what killed Hephaistion? And one or two more which I cannot recall at the moment. The movie got me rather confused, didn't Alexander die of malaria?
But on the whole, it was not a complete wreck. I gave it an 8/10 stars in the IMDB voting. The camera direction was so-so, but the music was entrancing. They played the same tune during the inspirational moments, like when young Alexander tamed Bucephalas (almost cried at that part. Bucephalas was so beautiful!), when Alexander spoke words of courage to his army, and especially during the end credits. I will say that the movie is rather worth watching.
Oh yes, in the movie (and in fact), Alexander was gay. I was shocked! He kissed a sissy male Indian dancer, and got too close for comfort with Hephaistion. When Hephaiston was poisoned, Alexander suspected his wife to be the culprit (she being jealous that Alexander loves Hephaiston more than her), so he furiously confronts her and says, "You took away the one person I ever loved!" May I stress the words 'one' and 'loved'. No wonder Brad Pitt turned the role of Hephaiston down when it was offered to him! I researched and found this statement: Brad Pitt was considered for the role of Hephaestion, but turned down the role due to personal concerns with the character. 'Personal concerns', code for 'he did not feel comfortable playing gay'.
The movie was rated M18, but I managed to get in without being questioned. I thought it would be M18 because of the war violence as I think I read somewhere. Sure, the war was bloody like when the enemy was going to kill Alexander who was down on the ground, but a friend came and cut off the man's arm which fell onto Alexander. And they show the man with his leg freshly chopped off and they slice off the elephant's trunk and the blood here and there. Well, to me, it isn't much since I'm pretty used to seeing gore. I was pretty disappointed as I expected it to have lots of gore. But no, the M18 rating was for the nudity. Alexander's wife was shown bare during the scene where Alexander was forcing himself onto her. By the way, I think they 'stole' that scene from the one in "TROY" where Achilles and Briseis made out that first night. Colin Farrell also striped down - in front of that sissy Indian guy! When he removed his robes, the camera was behind him, so it only showed his bare butt. But then Colin raises his leg to climb into his bed, thus 'it' was quite visible. But that was the end of the nudity parts. Another reason for it being rated M18 is for the mature content. You know, gayism here and there, men kissing men and passing each other gay looks and gestures.
Now I have never really liked Colin Farrell that much. But after seeing him in "Alexander", I really like him! He worked out good for the role and looked really hot as Alexander. Love those biceps (but still not as nice as Eric Bana's). After watching this movie, I realize that Colin Farrell has a very sympathetic look on his face (like Eric Bana, only more sympathetic). He's got puppy-dog eyes. And I never realized how good looking he really is, especially with long and blonde hair!

Well, I think I have said enough. The verdict, watch it, it is really rather worth it. I will not say that you will not regret it, but watch it. It is good!

My rating: 4/5*

Timeline

2004-10-17T12:57:00.000+08:00

A group of young archeologists excavate a medieval site where a citadel called Castlegard stood, a place of history which impacted the French and English nations. It was at Castlegard 600 years ago that the French defeated the English in a long struggle for power over France. There, these archeologists discover a message, written with ink dating 600 years back, from their very own professor who disappeared only a few days ago! It is later discovered that their professor had gone back in time to see Castlegard itself in its prime, but was captured by the English and accused of being a spy. Thus, the archeologists and sent back in time in order to retrieve their professor. One of those going back is his son, Chris Johnston (Paul Walker). And another two of the group are Kate Ericson and Andre Marek (Gerard Butler). So using this machine which uh... accidentally discovered time travel, they are transported back to 14th century France where the French and English are at war. And they are transported to the very day when the English will be defeated.
On their search for the professor, they run into a lot of trouble and action and adventure, narrowly escaping the English several times but eventually manage to find the professor. But sadly, of the 7 who came to rescue the professor, only 3 survive in the end. But after falling in love with Lady Claire, the sister of the French captain, Lord Arnaut, Marek stays behind while Chris, Kate and the professor return back to their time. Ooh, and the best part is, they, being archeologists digging at the ruins of Castlegard, find Marek's sarcophagus and read the inscriptions on it: Died 1382. And Kate says aloud, "Born 1971."! Gerard Butler played a guy who was born in 1971 and died in 1382. How cool is that?!
The main storyline is simple, but the details are very interesting. This is no epic movie, but is something nice to watch if you are bored at home with nothing to do. It will entertain you and turn you away from your boredom.
My rating: 3.5/5*

Two Weeks Notice

2004-09-20T11:18:00.001+08:00

I love Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant in this movie, they were awesome and hilarious. At first, when I saw that Hugh Grant would be co-starring in this movie, I thought it would surely be a rip-off and did not feel like watching it. But now, I cannot think of any other actor to co-star with Sandra Bullock, who makes the whole thing come together. I find she is one of the only female comedians worth admiring, since she naturally is funny. And are you sure Hugh Grant is 44 this year? He looks like he is in his mid-30s! Though not as young as Brad Pitt does for a man in his 40s, but Grant is 4 years older than Pitt. Anyway, this is a great movie to watch, and Bullock and Grant perform great together.

This movie is a romance comedy about Lucy Kelson, a woman with a Harvard law degree who speaks English, German and Japanese, is rough around the edges, demanding, persistent, someone who puts 1000% effort when she is on the job, uptight, has practically never been in love, is uninterested in money and would rather help and aid the needy, and spends her life fighting against people like George Wade. Wade is her billionaire boss who heads an extremely successful and big company (like Trump) which tears down old buildings to make room for new ones, and is selfish, eccentric(walks around his office in only a bath towel), silly, handsome, reputably attractive who has married and divorced many times and known to sleep with his assistants(the reason why he prefers to hire female ones), and is the boss from hell. He hires Lucy as his newest assistant and brilliant chief counsel and thus constantly relies on her to make his decisions and is driving her to the edge, like calling her a 2:15AM when she's sleeping to simply chat, shows her little respect and expects her to help him pick out a wife and clothes - to the extent of calling her from her best friend's wedding so she could rush over to his place and help him pick out a suit. And since she is such a good employee, when she wants to quit, he calls all the big companies and tells them not to hire her (the extent of his eccentricity).

Alright, that's the introduction of the characters and I leave you to decide if you want to watch it or not. Because believe me, it is very good and funny. The best Sandra Bullock movie yet.

My rating: 3.5/5*