Now this is rare, am actually reviewing a movie I watched on TV. But how can I miss Ong Bak when Tom Yum Goong is around the corner, and I'd actually missed this movie during it's run at the local theatres!
I'm not going to go through the details of the story - it's a simple plot about an ancient Buddha statue called Ong Bak, whose head is stolen by artifact hunters, and it's up to local village folk hero Ting who volunteers to retrieve it back from Bangkok. There, he meets up with some friends and embarks on a fight-laden journey to the bowels of the city in order to fulfill his mission.
What's appealing is that the main lead, played by Tony Jaa, impresses with his brand of real kung-fu. Make that Muay-Thai boxing, the real deal. He's today's Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, the latter being older and wanting to move on to drama. So Tony Jaa should claim the mantle of Asia's kung-fu king from Jackie Chan, and perhaps Jet Li too. Jaa's reflexes is lightning fast, and martial arts moves, lethal and deadly. I can never forget the strong punches, knees, elbows, and the feints with the kicks. Awesome, violent stuff there. No holds barred.
But that's not all, besides martial arts, he's quite nimble and shows off his skills with some acrobatics during a chase scene along the back streets of Bangkok. The runs, squeezes, side splits, jumping side splits, under and sliding splits. Wow. The scenes get repeated in slow motion and in different angles, but I'm not a bit disturbed by the "show-offy" sequences. It's the real - no wires, no stunt doubles, all Jaa!
And as if to emulate a typical Jackie Chan movie, there's always that bit of humour some of the acrobatic scenes, the tuk-tuk chase, and also courtesy of a sidekick. But when it comes down to the fighting arena, it's all dead serious action, which many action fans will definitely enjoy.
Tom Yum Goong, I'm already in the queue!
Monday, October 31, 2005
[DVD] Das Boot: The Director's Cut (1981)
This is touted as one of the best WWII submarine films of all time, and it's not difficult to understand why. From the story to the cast, from the cinematography to the sound, everything's top notch on this German film directed by Wolfgang Petersen (who's now helming more Hollywood flicks). I'd rate it above U-571, K19: The Widowmaker, Crimson Tide, and The Hunt for Red October.
We follow the exploits of the crew of German U-boat U-96, as it gets sent on its mission to destroy Allied convoys. We learn of the frustrations of inaction, having no targets, and living the lonely life aboard a submarine. We experience the claustrophobic environment, one which is shared amongst crew, where maintaining hygiene and tolerable living conditions is of the utmost importance of staying well. We pick up on the fear of the Captain about his inexperienced crew, most of whom were in their early twenties, and haven't seen much action in the high seas.
What's gripping in this film is when things start to pick up. Technology those days aren't as advanced, and we see that U-boats are more likely to be sitting ducks when Allied destroyers hover above them on the water's surface, dropping multiple depth charges to rattle and hopefully destroy their underwater prey. The U-boat is the hunter, but once it has hunted, it becomes the prey.
And such is the marvellous depiction of Fear in the crew's eyes, as they huddle in silence each time the enemy lurks above. The suspense literally keeps you at the edge of your seat, the silence, deafening. Many set action pieces bring out the different scenarios and challenges that the crew face in their voyage on the seas, and all these capped by the beautiful soundtrack which accompanies each scene. My favourite was the charge through Gilbratar.
Although this movie takes on an Axis power's point of view, one can discard the political aspect of this film, and understand that lives on both ends are similar - each are fathers, brothers, husbands, and are thrown into a senseless political war. It doesn't go preachy on who's right and wrong, but touches on more human and basic issues of survival. Boys become men, and it is this transformation that is most obvious throughout the story.
If you've got the chance, you must see the Director's Cut, running at about 209 minutes, just as Wolfgang Petersen envisioned it to be. Excellent stuff!
Code 1 DVD extras: The Making Of / Behind the Scenes, Director's commentary, choice of English or German dialogue in 5.1 Dolby Digital (I'd go for the latter, and read off the English subtitles)
We follow the exploits of the crew of German U-boat U-96, as it gets sent on its mission to destroy Allied convoys. We learn of the frustrations of inaction, having no targets, and living the lonely life aboard a submarine. We experience the claustrophobic environment, one which is shared amongst crew, where maintaining hygiene and tolerable living conditions is of the utmost importance of staying well. We pick up on the fear of the Captain about his inexperienced crew, most of whom were in their early twenties, and haven't seen much action in the high seas.
What's gripping in this film is when things start to pick up. Technology those days aren't as advanced, and we see that U-boats are more likely to be sitting ducks when Allied destroyers hover above them on the water's surface, dropping multiple depth charges to rattle and hopefully destroy their underwater prey. The U-boat is the hunter, but once it has hunted, it becomes the prey.
And such is the marvellous depiction of Fear in the crew's eyes, as they huddle in silence each time the enemy lurks above. The suspense literally keeps you at the edge of your seat, the silence, deafening. Many set action pieces bring out the different scenarios and challenges that the crew face in their voyage on the seas, and all these capped by the beautiful soundtrack which accompanies each scene. My favourite was the charge through Gilbratar.
Although this movie takes on an Axis power's point of view, one can discard the political aspect of this film, and understand that lives on both ends are similar - each are fathers, brothers, husbands, and are thrown into a senseless political war. It doesn't go preachy on who's right and wrong, but touches on more human and basic issues of survival. Boys become men, and it is this transformation that is most obvious throughout the story.
If you've got the chance, you must see the Director's Cut, running at about 209 minutes, just as Wolfgang Petersen envisioned it to be. Excellent stuff!
Code 1 DVD extras: The Making Of / Behind the Scenes, Director's commentary, choice of English or German dialogue in 5.1 Dolby Digital (I'd go for the latter, and read off the English subtitles)
Sunday, October 30, 2005
[DVD] King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)
One's an American monster created in the 1930s. The other, a Japanese counterpart created in the 1950s. One an oversized ape which scaled the Empire State Building in New York, the other an oversized lizard which trampled the streets of Tokyo. What do you get when you put the two together? An animal slugfest which forgets about human characterization. I mean, who would care?
This is the first movie which combined two well known monster icons, and unleashed them against each other in Japan. And the first time that both creatures appear in colour too. While the plot is secondary, it takes you almost an hour before the two finally meet, and treated to a short fight with Kong walking away scratching his head. Not a good start to a fight, but naturally, Godzilla would win given his fire-breath. Initially that is, until Kong gets upped in strength by electricity.
Fans of both Kong and Godzilla will naturally be pleased with director Ishiro Honda for keeping in some iconic moments which defined both characters. For Kong, a television crew sets out to Faroe Island (a departure for Skull Island) in search of a mysterious beast whom the local island inhabitants worship. They ship him to Japan, until they're ordered by the government to not bring Kong to their shores. At the same time, Godzilla gets thawed from some iceberg, and instinctively makes its way to Japan, first stop being Hokkaido, before journeying southwards to Tokyo.
Kong gets a nod with its short stint scaling a building, while kidnapping a Japanese lady along the way. However, he seemed short of ideas in tackling Godzilla, only be throwing huge boulders at the lizard. I'd give Godzilla one-up in its creativity in trying to take Kong down.
It's kinda tacky watching this film now, with both monsters given the CG treatment (Godzilla by Hollywood, and the upcoming King Kong by Peter Jackson). Men in rubber suits are obvious, and the closeups are kinda funny, especially Kong's rubber face. But like most Japanese monster movies, the miniatures are a sight to marvel at. Must have been a chore building them, and having them torn down with such ease by Kong and Godzilla must have been painful.
So who wins in the end? It depends on which version you're watching. The version I'd watched from a DVD from the library@esplanade, Kong defeats Godzilla offscreen, and swam for home. In my opinion, Godzilla should've roasted Kong, but that's another story for another day.
Code 1 DVD (English Version): No bells and whistles besides scene selection, text based production notes, and the usual subtitles support.
This is the first movie which combined two well known monster icons, and unleashed them against each other in Japan. And the first time that both creatures appear in colour too. While the plot is secondary, it takes you almost an hour before the two finally meet, and treated to a short fight with Kong walking away scratching his head. Not a good start to a fight, but naturally, Godzilla would win given his fire-breath. Initially that is, until Kong gets upped in strength by electricity.
Fans of both Kong and Godzilla will naturally be pleased with director Ishiro Honda for keeping in some iconic moments which defined both characters. For Kong, a television crew sets out to Faroe Island (a departure for Skull Island) in search of a mysterious beast whom the local island inhabitants worship. They ship him to Japan, until they're ordered by the government to not bring Kong to their shores. At the same time, Godzilla gets thawed from some iceberg, and instinctively makes its way to Japan, first stop being Hokkaido, before journeying southwards to Tokyo.
Kong gets a nod with its short stint scaling a building, while kidnapping a Japanese lady along the way. However, he seemed short of ideas in tackling Godzilla, only be throwing huge boulders at the lizard. I'd give Godzilla one-up in its creativity in trying to take Kong down.
It's kinda tacky watching this film now, with both monsters given the CG treatment (Godzilla by Hollywood, and the upcoming King Kong by Peter Jackson). Men in rubber suits are obvious, and the closeups are kinda funny, especially Kong's rubber face. But like most Japanese monster movies, the miniatures are a sight to marvel at. Must have been a chore building them, and having them torn down with such ease by Kong and Godzilla must have been painful.
So who wins in the end? It depends on which version you're watching. The version I'd watched from a DVD from the library@esplanade, Kong defeats Godzilla offscreen, and swam for home. In my opinion, Godzilla should've roasted Kong, but that's another story for another day.
Code 1 DVD (English Version): No bells and whistles besides scene selection, text based production notes, and the usual subtitles support.
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Doom
You are in the wrong movie if you ask for a plot in Doom. If there's any, it stays true to the game - shoot anything that breathes, which is uttered many times in the latest movie adapted from computer games, off the heels of Resident Evil and Tomb Raider.
I might try - a group of RRTS troops (read: Universal Soldier type, it even plays out that way) gets sent to Mars to uncover some weird occurences in some high tech lab dealing with genetics. Soon, the victims become mutations of various kinds and all hell breaks loose as we follow the crew into the labyrinth of an underground lab full of dark skanky corridors right off the set of Aliens.
It's nothing fancy, but it works. The filmmakers try to up both the intelligence and babe factor by introducing Bond Girl Rosamund Pike (she's a distraction alright) to the plot, but her *ahem* assets fail to maximise the thin plot. With mercenary soldiers, we see the typical sterotyped characters like the rookie, the maverick, the questionable orders, and the hero with a buried past.
One major gripe I had with this movie, is the language. If the scripts says to swear, then please swear using as much colourful and vulgar words. Don't have it filmed, then decide during post production to tone it down, which means to re-record the audio and dub it over. So The Rock might mouth an "F-word", doesn't take a genius to realize that the word finally heard - "idiot" is two-syllable, and makes the movie like one of the old Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. Plenty of moments like this. Worse, while Rosamund Pike was uttering a slew of scientific mumbo-jumbo, her mouth doesn't even move!!! The editors need to be shot up the rear by the BFG.
Speaking of BFG, it's disappointing. For fans, this is THE weapon to use as you blast away anything that moves. In the film, the buildup, fanfare and respect given to the Big Fat Gun (as The Rock calls it. I know you fans have a more impolite name for it) doesn't justify its short life-span on screen. Worse, there's only ONE BFG used in the entire movie, for a total of like, 2 shots?
The much touted first-person shooter (FPS) view, adapted straight from the game, turned out to be no longer than 5 minutes. So for all you viewers who are worrying that the FPS view will get you all nauseous, you might want to reconsider. I thought it could be longer, and earlier, but it wasn't. Pity.
However, the special effects, for what it's worth, is pretty nifty. Well, this area isn't much of a challenge, having source material come from a computer game, you couldn't and shouldn't do much wrong here.
Strictly for fans of the game to see how it's played out on screen, and for those who like a dose of some mindless action, led by The Rock. Hmm... did I just see him raise his eyebrow?
I might try - a group of RRTS troops (read: Universal Soldier type, it even plays out that way) gets sent to Mars to uncover some weird occurences in some high tech lab dealing with genetics. Soon, the victims become mutations of various kinds and all hell breaks loose as we follow the crew into the labyrinth of an underground lab full of dark skanky corridors right off the set of Aliens.
It's nothing fancy, but it works. The filmmakers try to up both the intelligence and babe factor by introducing Bond Girl Rosamund Pike (she's a distraction alright) to the plot, but her *ahem* assets fail to maximise the thin plot. With mercenary soldiers, we see the typical sterotyped characters like the rookie, the maverick, the questionable orders, and the hero with a buried past.
One major gripe I had with this movie, is the language. If the scripts says to swear, then please swear using as much colourful and vulgar words. Don't have it filmed, then decide during post production to tone it down, which means to re-record the audio and dub it over. So The Rock might mouth an "F-word", doesn't take a genius to realize that the word finally heard - "idiot" is two-syllable, and makes the movie like one of the old Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns. Plenty of moments like this. Worse, while Rosamund Pike was uttering a slew of scientific mumbo-jumbo, her mouth doesn't even move!!! The editors need to be shot up the rear by the BFG.
Speaking of BFG, it's disappointing. For fans, this is THE weapon to use as you blast away anything that moves. In the film, the buildup, fanfare and respect given to the Big Fat Gun (as The Rock calls it. I know you fans have a more impolite name for it) doesn't justify its short life-span on screen. Worse, there's only ONE BFG used in the entire movie, for a total of like, 2 shots?
The much touted first-person shooter (FPS) view, adapted straight from the game, turned out to be no longer than 5 minutes. So for all you viewers who are worrying that the FPS view will get you all nauseous, you might want to reconsider. I thought it could be longer, and earlier, but it wasn't. Pity.
However, the special effects, for what it's worth, is pretty nifty. Well, this area isn't much of a challenge, having source material come from a computer game, you couldn't and shouldn't do much wrong here.
Strictly for fans of the game to see how it's played out on screen, and for those who like a dose of some mindless action, led by The Rock. Hmm... did I just see him raise his eyebrow?
Saving Face
The first thing that hits you in this movie, is the realization of how accurate its portrayal of traditional Chinese values are, and the spot on capture of the various stereotypes amongst the Chinese people. Hence the title about Face (literally translated from the chinese language for respectability). Face is something that can be lost if you've done something shameful and not the norm, and to the traditionalist, Face must be preserved at all cost.
But lo and behold, the two main protagonists, Wil (Michelle Krusiec) and her mother (played by Joan Chen), are anything but traditionalists. While on the surface, the mother might seem like your typical neighbourhood auntie, she became the family outcast when she's pregnant with a child whose father's identity she refused to reveal, and is driven out of the home by Grandpa, Chinese values personified.
She starts to intrude into the life of her daughter Wil, a doctor, who's more westernized. And Wil too develops a lesbian relationship with her boss' daughter Vivian, a dancer. Wil has her hands full as she struggles with the demands and expectations of her new found relationship, trying hard to keep her relationship under wraps as she doesn't know how her loved ones would react, and taking care of her mom. For the conservative folks out there, don't mind the lesbian love; it's the themes behind this movie that are universal, and appealing.
Little nuances were very much welcomed in the movie, like filial piety (yes you may not like what your mom is doing to your life, but you respect her anyhow), the congregation of Chinese people in western lands for their weekly dinner-and-dance matchmaking sessions, the malicious gossips and the spreading of rumours like wildfire amongst a close-knit community. Many of these led to natural humour at seeing cultural values, misconceptions (like the Soy Sauce joke) and prejudices played out on screen.
It's also a story about coming out of the dark with controversial relationships (single parenthood, lesbian love), having the courage to stand up for who you are and love, and the acceptance of the only constant in life - change. We see the dominating fatherly figure in the movie come to realize this fact as he resigns to the fate about his lost of face.
I have two favourite scenes in this movie (no, it's not the lesbian sex in case you're wondering, and even that has been edited too, despite its R21 rating). The first scene is something that plays like a small homage to The Graduate, with the interrupting of a wedding scene and running away only to end up in a bus. They sit in silence, before wondering what the next step should be. Just as the Graduate dealt with an unconventional relationship, so does this movie, and I found it somehow apt to have adopted it in this film.
The other is the statement it made about relationships. It's personal, between two persons, and it doesn't matter what others think. Conditioning and culture might have made us conservative in the declaration of our true feelings, but the message in the movie is to let these inhibitions go.
Some might not like the movie's use of both Mandarin and English in the same conversation, especially when trying to figure out why Wil speaks English to her mom, while she replies in Mandarin (yes, she knows a little English, but doesn't seem to suffice her understanding of Wil's more complete sentences). But hey, put that aside, and you'll enjoy other conversational pieces where the characters break into, and uses the other language's words as substitutes, kinda like how we bilinguals speak sometimes.
It's a clash of western's open and asian's conservative cultural values in an earnest tale of traditional and modern relationships and love, packaged with an excellent soundtrack selection. This is going into my books as one of the contenders for my movie of this year. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that the female leads are attractive eye candy too? Highly recommended!
But lo and behold, the two main protagonists, Wil (Michelle Krusiec) and her mother (played by Joan Chen), are anything but traditionalists. While on the surface, the mother might seem like your typical neighbourhood auntie, she became the family outcast when she's pregnant with a child whose father's identity she refused to reveal, and is driven out of the home by Grandpa, Chinese values personified.
She starts to intrude into the life of her daughter Wil, a doctor, who's more westernized. And Wil too develops a lesbian relationship with her boss' daughter Vivian, a dancer. Wil has her hands full as she struggles with the demands and expectations of her new found relationship, trying hard to keep her relationship under wraps as she doesn't know how her loved ones would react, and taking care of her mom. For the conservative folks out there, don't mind the lesbian love; it's the themes behind this movie that are universal, and appealing.
Little nuances were very much welcomed in the movie, like filial piety (yes you may not like what your mom is doing to your life, but you respect her anyhow), the congregation of Chinese people in western lands for their weekly dinner-and-dance matchmaking sessions, the malicious gossips and the spreading of rumours like wildfire amongst a close-knit community. Many of these led to natural humour at seeing cultural values, misconceptions (like the Soy Sauce joke) and prejudices played out on screen.
It's also a story about coming out of the dark with controversial relationships (single parenthood, lesbian love), having the courage to stand up for who you are and love, and the acceptance of the only constant in life - change. We see the dominating fatherly figure in the movie come to realize this fact as he resigns to the fate about his lost of face.
I have two favourite scenes in this movie (no, it's not the lesbian sex in case you're wondering, and even that has been edited too, despite its R21 rating). The first scene is something that plays like a small homage to The Graduate, with the interrupting of a wedding scene and running away only to end up in a bus. They sit in silence, before wondering what the next step should be. Just as the Graduate dealt with an unconventional relationship, so does this movie, and I found it somehow apt to have adopted it in this film.
The other is the statement it made about relationships. It's personal, between two persons, and it doesn't matter what others think. Conditioning and culture might have made us conservative in the declaration of our true feelings, but the message in the movie is to let these inhibitions go.
Some might not like the movie's use of both Mandarin and English in the same conversation, especially when trying to figure out why Wil speaks English to her mom, while she replies in Mandarin (yes, she knows a little English, but doesn't seem to suffice her understanding of Wil's more complete sentences). But hey, put that aside, and you'll enjoy other conversational pieces where the characters break into, and uses the other language's words as substitutes, kinda like how we bilinguals speak sometimes.
It's a clash of western's open and asian's conservative cultural values in an earnest tale of traditional and modern relationships and love, packaged with an excellent soundtrack selection. This is going into my books as one of the contenders for my movie of this year. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that the female leads are attractive eye candy too? Highly recommended!
Friday, October 28, 2005
[DVD] Batman (1966)
*BAM* *POW* *ZAP* Who can forget the letters splashed across the screen each time Batman and Robin sucker-punch villains in the 60s Batman television serial?
Forget Christian Bale's accurate portrayal of the Dark Knight. This is Adam West's camp version of the character in the 1960s, and together with "holy-spewing" Robin, they ham it up with their classic chemistry on screen as the dynamic duo. Taking on a total of four villains, The Joker (Cesar Romero), Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Catwoman (Lee Meriwether taking the place of Julie Newmar) and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin), the dynamic duo battles their evil plans, on world domination by capturing the Security Council of the UN. But getting there and having their diabolical plot materialize is a test of patience, as the plot seemed to beat about the bush.
With a bigger budget to work with, we actually get to see various inane gadgets (which are dated nonetheless), and vehicles like the well-known Batmobile, Batboat, Batcopter, and Batcycle. Certain aspects of the series are migrated to the movie as well, like the weird camera angles, and the walk-up-the-side-of-the-building-with-a-batrope sequence.
Corny dialogue delivered with straight laced faces, perhaps this movie is strictly for bat-fans (to watch for the sake of completion), and fans of the 60s serial.
The true gems in the DVD are the documentaries and the audio commentary by Adam West and Burt Ward. It's amazing how they've aged gracefully, with Ward putting on visible pounds in his cheeks. They share various anecdotes on the casting and shooting of the film, which any bat-trivia enthusiast will lap up with glee.
Code 1 DVD extras: Audio commentary, trailer, and various documentaries like the Tour of the Batmobile, and Batman Featurette.
Forget Christian Bale's accurate portrayal of the Dark Knight. This is Adam West's camp version of the character in the 1960s, and together with "holy-spewing" Robin, they ham it up with their classic chemistry on screen as the dynamic duo. Taking on a total of four villains, The Joker (Cesar Romero), Penguin (Burgess Meredith), Catwoman (Lee Meriwether taking the place of Julie Newmar) and The Riddler (Frank Gorshin), the dynamic duo battles their evil plans, on world domination by capturing the Security Council of the UN. But getting there and having their diabolical plot materialize is a test of patience, as the plot seemed to beat about the bush.
With a bigger budget to work with, we actually get to see various inane gadgets (which are dated nonetheless), and vehicles like the well-known Batmobile, Batboat, Batcopter, and Batcycle. Certain aspects of the series are migrated to the movie as well, like the weird camera angles, and the walk-up-the-side-of-the-building-with-a-batrope sequence.
Corny dialogue delivered with straight laced faces, perhaps this movie is strictly for bat-fans (to watch for the sake of completion), and fans of the 60s serial.
The true gems in the DVD are the documentaries and the audio commentary by Adam West and Burt Ward. It's amazing how they've aged gracefully, with Ward putting on visible pounds in his cheeks. They share various anecdotes on the casting and shooting of the film, which any bat-trivia enthusiast will lap up with glee.
Code 1 DVD extras: Audio commentary, trailer, and various documentaries like the Tour of the Batmobile, and Batman Featurette.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The Legend of Zorro
Finally, after 7 years since the last Hollywood Zorro movie hit the big screen, director Martin Campbell is back with his original cast of Antonio Banderas in the title role, and Catherine Zeta Jones as his wife Elena de la Vega. Set 10 years after the last movie, The Legend of Zorro wastes no time in plunging the audience thick into trademarked action pieces that many associate with the Spanish Fox - the acrobatic lunges, flips, swordfights, whip action and horseback riding.
It's all familiar territory with the romanticized Old California, now at a crossroads where the state is in decision to join the rest of America. Things have changed for the de la Vega family too, as they have a new addition to the family, a son named Joaquin, who takes on traits of his father, but not knowing his father's secret identity.
Naturally, family takes the central theme in this movie. Why do vigilantes wear masks - simply to protect their loved ones as they enroll in the crusade for justice. This film explores the dilemma of the avenger as he struggles to be there for the general public in their hour of need, and the balance of spending enough quality time with his own family.
Relationships aren't rosy with husband and wife, and it's no surprise, they bicker again on screen. And when this concealment and protection of identity is compromised, what could be exploited from it?
Plenty of action in this movie to keep Zorro fans happy, and it's a marked improvement from the predecessor too. Zorro moves with guile and swift agility that will raise your eyebrow at the style of his acrobats, befitting his name "the fox". The use of the whip has increased, and so is the intensity of the swordfights.
However, the plot might be a bit of a letdown. It's the usual James Bondish storyline of some Euro-knight baddie in some highly secret underground organization trying to achieve the total destruction of America. One forgot to remind him that he'll need a lot more smarter accomplices in order to fulfill his desire for world domination. With 4 writers credited for the story, it does seem convoluted somewhat to include too many scenes which clocked the movie slightly longer than 2 hours. Some comedy was injected, but those with Tornado seemed a bit contrived (a horse that smokes and drinks? Come on...)
The pacing too is somewhat erratic, dragging some scenes unnecessarily and introducing subplots that in my opinion, went against the motivation of characters. There's a stab at the high-handed tactics of a certain government agency, and it's like watching a precursor of spy-versus-spy games. The soundtrack seemed to rehash the love them from the earlier movie too, playing it each time Elenor comes on screen, and the camera still soft-focuses her a lot too.
But what could have been given longer screen time is the on-screen banter between Banderas and Zeta Jones. That was what made the first film likeable and popular, and while this movie had flashes and moments of it, we could have had more. One could have also expected the effects to be seemless given today's technology, and nothing new presented on screen, but while the end result was impressive, there are certain frames that were obviously blue-screened and superimposed.
Despite its drawbacks, this is still a worthy Zorro movie, and with the signature shot of Zorro on Tornado hoisting its legs high in the sky in an all-ready posture ready to strike, with sword drawn, all can be forgiven.
It's all familiar territory with the romanticized Old California, now at a crossroads where the state is in decision to join the rest of America. Things have changed for the de la Vega family too, as they have a new addition to the family, a son named Joaquin, who takes on traits of his father, but not knowing his father's secret identity.
Naturally, family takes the central theme in this movie. Why do vigilantes wear masks - simply to protect their loved ones as they enroll in the crusade for justice. This film explores the dilemma of the avenger as he struggles to be there for the general public in their hour of need, and the balance of spending enough quality time with his own family.
Relationships aren't rosy with husband and wife, and it's no surprise, they bicker again on screen. And when this concealment and protection of identity is compromised, what could be exploited from it?
Plenty of action in this movie to keep Zorro fans happy, and it's a marked improvement from the predecessor too. Zorro moves with guile and swift agility that will raise your eyebrow at the style of his acrobats, befitting his name "the fox". The use of the whip has increased, and so is the intensity of the swordfights.
However, the plot might be a bit of a letdown. It's the usual James Bondish storyline of some Euro-knight baddie in some highly secret underground organization trying to achieve the total destruction of America. One forgot to remind him that he'll need a lot more smarter accomplices in order to fulfill his desire for world domination. With 4 writers credited for the story, it does seem convoluted somewhat to include too many scenes which clocked the movie slightly longer than 2 hours. Some comedy was injected, but those with Tornado seemed a bit contrived (a horse that smokes and drinks? Come on...)
The pacing too is somewhat erratic, dragging some scenes unnecessarily and introducing subplots that in my opinion, went against the motivation of characters. There's a stab at the high-handed tactics of a certain government agency, and it's like watching a precursor of spy-versus-spy games. The soundtrack seemed to rehash the love them from the earlier movie too, playing it each time Elenor comes on screen, and the camera still soft-focuses her a lot too.
But what could have been given longer screen time is the on-screen banter between Banderas and Zeta Jones. That was what made the first film likeable and popular, and while this movie had flashes and moments of it, we could have had more. One could have also expected the effects to be seemless given today's technology, and nothing new presented on screen, but while the end result was impressive, there are certain frames that were obviously blue-screened and superimposed.
Despite its drawbacks, this is still a worthy Zorro movie, and with the signature shot of Zorro on Tornado hoisting its legs high in the sky in an all-ready posture ready to strike, with sword drawn, all can be forgiven.
Domino
Heads you live. Tails you die. Her name is Domino Harvey. She is a bounty hunter. This unconventional film is based very loosely on the true unconventional life of the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey. Losing her father at an early age, Domino grew up with her mother and lived the good life as a rich girl, becoming a Ford model at one point. But she has always been the aloof social outcast, and tend to loathe the high life (Beverly Hills brat-packers) she has been brought up in. She doesn't mince her words, and packs a wallop of a punch too.
Chancing upon a Bounty Hunter job, she signs up with one of the best in the business, Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke) and his partner Choco (Edgar Ramirez). It's a totally different life from one in which she grew up in, but as she explained to Ed, she's in it for the fun and thrills. She's skilled with various weapons like automatic weapons, knives and the Nun-chaks, and fast transforms into an asset to her team, with "bra and panties on". Soon, the trio become famous in the bounty hunting arena (who wouldn't with 2 hunks and a gorgeous babe), as we follow them through their various exploits. They even have their own reality TV show Bounty Squad, which plays an integral part of the story.
The film starts off very intensely and jumps right into the action, before the audience is brought back to the beginning, and chronicles her life from the start. At times, this movie is deliberately filmed in 70-ish television series style, especially the classic opening credits with theme song, character titles, and plenty of images with scenes from the movie. Some in the audience, however, will not appreciate the characteristic MTV styled quick cuts used by director Tony Scott, and I do see him making more films using this style, with his previous films Man on Fire and Spy Game. The soundtrack for this film is vulgarly kinky too.
That aside, there might be many not comfortable with the narrative style used, with constant flashbacks, and even "reversing" what had been shown on screen, making it a tad confusing at times. For those who somehow not manage to stay attentive to the plot, you may get lost halfway through, as it involves many characters with various personal motivations, which culminates in an explosive ending. Satisfying at the end, but only if you're patient with the build up, just like one of Tony Scott's earlier movies (which I shall not mention, as it is similar in narrative structure).
A number of actors make their appearance in this movie, like Christopher Walken as a reality show producer, Mena Suvari as his mousy secretary, Lucy Liu as an FBI interrogator, even singer Macy Gray and veteran Jacqueline Bisset as Domino's mother. Take note however, that major comedic moments are provided in Jerry Springer's Show, and the early 90s TV series Beverly Hills 90210 contributing 2 actors Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green to be has-been parodies of themselves.
Keira Knightley swears a lot in this film. A whole lot, different from when she first burst into the scene with Bend It Like Beckham. What's amazing is her ability to handle a tough-as-nails character, and the expressing of her emotions in totally different scenes, some sentimental, some sarcastic, some totally kicking rear. It's an eye opener too to watch her handle various deadly weapons with ease. She could well be on her way to marquee a film, though I felt in this one, she had the assistance of Mickey Rourke, and a good supporting cast, to carry this film through.
This film is dedicated in memory of the real Domino Harvey, who passed away earlier this year before the movie is released. The real her is seen at the end credits, where they feature the cast, and she makes an appearance as the last character, simply titled "Domino".
Such is the fictional story of an extraordinary life of an unconventional lady.
Chancing upon a Bounty Hunter job, she signs up with one of the best in the business, Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke) and his partner Choco (Edgar Ramirez). It's a totally different life from one in which she grew up in, but as she explained to Ed, she's in it for the fun and thrills. She's skilled with various weapons like automatic weapons, knives and the Nun-chaks, and fast transforms into an asset to her team, with "bra and panties on". Soon, the trio become famous in the bounty hunting arena (who wouldn't with 2 hunks and a gorgeous babe), as we follow them through their various exploits. They even have their own reality TV show Bounty Squad, which plays an integral part of the story.
The film starts off very intensely and jumps right into the action, before the audience is brought back to the beginning, and chronicles her life from the start. At times, this movie is deliberately filmed in 70-ish television series style, especially the classic opening credits with theme song, character titles, and plenty of images with scenes from the movie. Some in the audience, however, will not appreciate the characteristic MTV styled quick cuts used by director Tony Scott, and I do see him making more films using this style, with his previous films Man on Fire and Spy Game. The soundtrack for this film is vulgarly kinky too.
That aside, there might be many not comfortable with the narrative style used, with constant flashbacks, and even "reversing" what had been shown on screen, making it a tad confusing at times. For those who somehow not manage to stay attentive to the plot, you may get lost halfway through, as it involves many characters with various personal motivations, which culminates in an explosive ending. Satisfying at the end, but only if you're patient with the build up, just like one of Tony Scott's earlier movies (which I shall not mention, as it is similar in narrative structure).
A number of actors make their appearance in this movie, like Christopher Walken as a reality show producer, Mena Suvari as his mousy secretary, Lucy Liu as an FBI interrogator, even singer Macy Gray and veteran Jacqueline Bisset as Domino's mother. Take note however, that major comedic moments are provided in Jerry Springer's Show, and the early 90s TV series Beverly Hills 90210 contributing 2 actors Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green to be has-been parodies of themselves.
Keira Knightley swears a lot in this film. A whole lot, different from when she first burst into the scene with Bend It Like Beckham. What's amazing is her ability to handle a tough-as-nails character, and the expressing of her emotions in totally different scenes, some sentimental, some sarcastic, some totally kicking rear. It's an eye opener too to watch her handle various deadly weapons with ease. She could well be on her way to marquee a film, though I felt in this one, she had the assistance of Mickey Rourke, and a good supporting cast, to carry this film through.
This film is dedicated in memory of the real Domino Harvey, who passed away earlier this year before the movie is released. The real her is seen at the end credits, where they feature the cast, and she makes an appearance as the last character, simply titled "Domino".
Such is the fictional story of an extraordinary life of an unconventional lady.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
The History of Zorro
The Legend of Zorro, sequel to the fondly remembered The Mask of Zorro, hits the local theatres this Thursday. Who can forget the cheeky scene between Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones, and the latter having the movie catapult her into the A-list.
For those who want to know a bit more of the history behind the legendary character, you can click on an article I contributed to movieXclusive by clicking on the logo below
Enjoy!
For those who want to know a bit more of the history behind the legendary character, you can click on an article I contributed to movieXclusive by clicking on the logo below
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 23, 2005
[DVD] The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Alexandre Dumas is probably more famous for his The Three Muskateers, and in the last decade, that movie has been remade in its latest incantation starring Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platt and Kiefer Sutherland in the title roles, with Chris O'Donnell as D'artagnan. Hollywood followed that up with The Man in the Iron Mask, with strong character actors like Jeremy Irons, Gabriel Byrne, John Malkovich, Gerard Depardieu flanking Leonardo DiCaprio as King Louis XIV/Philippe.
Adapting from yet another Dumas story, The Count of Monte Cristo continues the tradition of a strong cast in the likes of Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce in lead roles, with Michael Wincott and Richard Harris in bit roles.
Set in the era of Napoleon's exile from France, this movie tells the story of good friends Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) and Fernand Mondego (Pearce). The former is an ordinary lad with no status and of simple mind, but has incredible luck shining upon him, while the latter is the son of a Count, and harbours a great envy for his friend.
And the worst enemy would always be your best friend, so the saying goes, as Mondego plots with fellow collaborators and frames Dantes for treason, and gets him imprisoned on an island, and makes Dantes' fiance his wife.
For 13 years, Dantes becomes disillusion while whipped on the anniversary of his imprisonment (yes, even before his Passion of the Christ role), but chance would have that he befriends a fellow prisoner, a priest who teaches him how to read, write, fight, fence, and various subjects of the world, for the return favour of helping him dig a tunnel to escape. A miraculous escape opportunity presented itself, and the priest reveals to Dante the map of secret treasure on the island of Monte Cristo.
Naturally, everything has changed since the last he stepped foot on Marseille, and Dantes plots revenge, to take away everything from his enemies, like what they did to him. Hence, the Count of Monte Cristo is born, and so begins the meticulous execution of his plan. Weaved into the plot is the love story between Dantes and Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk), with a now familiar revelation that countless other movies and books have adapted from.
If you've read Dumas' classic, you would already know the details of the plot. But what delivers here is the excellent acting, and beautiful sets. Definitely a must watch. My only regret was not being able to watch it in the local theatres when it was released, because of its short run. A real pity.
Code 1 DVD Extras: Audio commentary by the director, 4 deleted scenes, and plenty of making-of featurettes.
Adapting from yet another Dumas story, The Count of Monte Cristo continues the tradition of a strong cast in the likes of Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce in lead roles, with Michael Wincott and Richard Harris in bit roles.
Set in the era of Napoleon's exile from France, this movie tells the story of good friends Edmond Dantes (Caviezel) and Fernand Mondego (Pearce). The former is an ordinary lad with no status and of simple mind, but has incredible luck shining upon him, while the latter is the son of a Count, and harbours a great envy for his friend.
And the worst enemy would always be your best friend, so the saying goes, as Mondego plots with fellow collaborators and frames Dantes for treason, and gets him imprisoned on an island, and makes Dantes' fiance his wife.
For 13 years, Dantes becomes disillusion while whipped on the anniversary of his imprisonment (yes, even before his Passion of the Christ role), but chance would have that he befriends a fellow prisoner, a priest who teaches him how to read, write, fight, fence, and various subjects of the world, for the return favour of helping him dig a tunnel to escape. A miraculous escape opportunity presented itself, and the priest reveals to Dante the map of secret treasure on the island of Monte Cristo.
Naturally, everything has changed since the last he stepped foot on Marseille, and Dantes plots revenge, to take away everything from his enemies, like what they did to him. Hence, the Count of Monte Cristo is born, and so begins the meticulous execution of his plan. Weaved into the plot is the love story between Dantes and Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk), with a now familiar revelation that countless other movies and books have adapted from.
If you've read Dumas' classic, you would already know the details of the plot. But what delivers here is the excellent acting, and beautiful sets. Definitely a must watch. My only regret was not being able to watch it in the local theatres when it was released, because of its short run. A real pity.
Code 1 DVD Extras: Audio commentary by the director, 4 deleted scenes, and plenty of making-of featurettes.
[DVD] Bangkok Dangerous (1999)
I picked up this DVD because I've been to Bangkok couple of times, and wanted to see how the filmmakers Oxide and Danny Pang manage to capture the more sleazy side of the city, and combine it with gangster noir to come up with Bangkok Dangerous. I've heard about the movie, and was surprised that our National Library actually had this DVD in its collection.
Bangkok Dangerous tells the story of a deaf mute assassin Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit). His is a life of mission after mission, a cold and professional, though small time, killer. Growing up being bullied because of his disability, he finds work at a gun range as a cleaner, until he chances upon Joe (Pisek Intrakanchit) and his girlfriend Aom (Patharawarin Timkul). Kong learns his skills from Joe (in an excellent montage), and together, form a tag-team partnership.
During the course of work, Kong chances upon the beautiful Fon (Premsinee Ratanasopha) who works at a drugstore, and in between missions, he romances Fon, who doesn't shun him in spite of being a deaf mute. The killer has finally known what it is to develop feelings and to love.
However, if you live by the gun, chances are there will be those who are after you. Things change for the worse when Aom offends one of the gang's ranked member, and gets raped. Joe goes for revenge, but ultimately gets literally betrayed by the hand that feeds. Kong has to decide - to finish what had started and avenge his friends, or to try and begin life anew with the woman he loves, even after she has started to avoid him, knowing what he does for a living.
In a cosmopolitan city like Bangkok, this film manages to capture a kaleidoscope of colours, mood, and use various camera angles to its advantage. It contrasts the shady underworld and strip bars, and its pulsating music, with the silent, kind world of love that Kong for the first time experiences when he's with Fon.
It's a story of finding one's own morality when living in the midst of violence and sleaze, and the seeking of redemption from a life of sin.
Code 3 DVD extras: Filmography of filmmakers and inspiration for the film.
Bangkok Dangerous tells the story of a deaf mute assassin Kong (Pawalit Mongkolpisit). His is a life of mission after mission, a cold and professional, though small time, killer. Growing up being bullied because of his disability, he finds work at a gun range as a cleaner, until he chances upon Joe (Pisek Intrakanchit) and his girlfriend Aom (Patharawarin Timkul). Kong learns his skills from Joe (in an excellent montage), and together, form a tag-team partnership.
During the course of work, Kong chances upon the beautiful Fon (Premsinee Ratanasopha) who works at a drugstore, and in between missions, he romances Fon, who doesn't shun him in spite of being a deaf mute. The killer has finally known what it is to develop feelings and to love.
However, if you live by the gun, chances are there will be those who are after you. Things change for the worse when Aom offends one of the gang's ranked member, and gets raped. Joe goes for revenge, but ultimately gets literally betrayed by the hand that feeds. Kong has to decide - to finish what had started and avenge his friends, or to try and begin life anew with the woman he loves, even after she has started to avoid him, knowing what he does for a living.
In a cosmopolitan city like Bangkok, this film manages to capture a kaleidoscope of colours, mood, and use various camera angles to its advantage. It contrasts the shady underworld and strip bars, and its pulsating music, with the silent, kind world of love that Kong for the first time experiences when he's with Fon.
It's a story of finding one's own morality when living in the midst of violence and sleaze, and the seeking of redemption from a life of sin.
Code 3 DVD extras: Filmography of filmmakers and inspiration for the film.
[DVD] Roger & Me (1989)
Before Farenheit 9/11 and the award winning Bowling For Columbine, this is the movie that filmmaker (director, writer, producer) Michael Moore started off with. Filmed in his hometown of Flint, Michigan, we follow the chronicles of (what he wants you to believe) the town's love-hate relationship with General Motors.
General Motors started off in that town, before it became the automotive giant that it is today. Michael Moore's from that town too, and start off the documentary fusing together his family's career (most were GM staff) together with the rise of GM. That is, until massive layoffs were made.
At some points in the movie, you can't help but feel that that is the way corporations go about, worrying about their bottom line, and outsourcing jobs to the cheaper alternative. But from Moore's point of view in the movie, he's taking it from an everyday working class person's, who naturally, will not be happy with being laid off.
We follow him, in his now familiar guerilla styled interviews, to various families in Flint, to see the conditions they live in, and following the deputy sheriff to evict those who are too poor to pay their rent. His main motive in this movie, besides showing us the working class America, is actually to interview the General Motors chairman Roger Smith, and get him to go down to Flint to take a look at the situation himself.
Naturally, being a new independent filmmaker with no credentials, he's being turned away each time he's at the GM head office attempting to make his way to the 14th floor. Staking out the chairman's regular haunts did not rake in any results, but it's kinda hilarious in the canned response that he gets each time he engages with a spokesperson.
State officials and their seemingly enthusiastic attempts in lifting Flint out of its depression, like getting evangelists to bless the town out of its current mood, and trying to build its tourism industry, while in good faith, somehow became ineffective, and of course, subtly laughed at.
It's seriously not a bad first attempt, sprinkled with the style, humour and satire that you'd come to expect from a Michael Moore movie.
Code 3 DVD extras: Commentary by Moore (not to be missed), and trailer.
General Motors started off in that town, before it became the automotive giant that it is today. Michael Moore's from that town too, and start off the documentary fusing together his family's career (most were GM staff) together with the rise of GM. That is, until massive layoffs were made.
At some points in the movie, you can't help but feel that that is the way corporations go about, worrying about their bottom line, and outsourcing jobs to the cheaper alternative. But from Moore's point of view in the movie, he's taking it from an everyday working class person's, who naturally, will not be happy with being laid off.
We follow him, in his now familiar guerilla styled interviews, to various families in Flint, to see the conditions they live in, and following the deputy sheriff to evict those who are too poor to pay their rent. His main motive in this movie, besides showing us the working class America, is actually to interview the General Motors chairman Roger Smith, and get him to go down to Flint to take a look at the situation himself.
Naturally, being a new independent filmmaker with no credentials, he's being turned away each time he's at the GM head office attempting to make his way to the 14th floor. Staking out the chairman's regular haunts did not rake in any results, but it's kinda hilarious in the canned response that he gets each time he engages with a spokesperson.
State officials and their seemingly enthusiastic attempts in lifting Flint out of its depression, like getting evangelists to bless the town out of its current mood, and trying to build its tourism industry, while in good faith, somehow became ineffective, and of course, subtly laughed at.
It's seriously not a bad first attempt, sprinkled with the style, humour and satire that you'd come to expect from a Michael Moore movie.
Code 3 DVD extras: Commentary by Moore (not to be missed), and trailer.
High Tension (Haute Tension)
This film has finally made its way to our shores, uncut. For a slasher flick, it's bloody good, pun intended. If you've read me enough, you know that I'm a sucker for revenge films and zombie flicks. The occasional slasher flick appeals to me too, and this one doesn't disappoint, in the delivery of the material that is.
Two friends Marie (a very buff Cécile De France) and Alex (Maïwenn Le Besco) spend the weekend in the latter's farm home, to keep away from distractions to study for their exams. We are briefly introduced to the family members of Alex - the parents, the toddler brother and the family St Bernard, before the horror starts to set in the very same night.
As with slasher flicks, there would always be the lumbering and unstoppable psycho killer. In this film, it's a huge unkempt man in baseball cap and dirty overalls, armed with only a switchblade, bulldozing his way into the family home and slaughtering everyone in sight. We share in Marie's fear and attempts to conceal herself, which makes you wonder, in desperate moments like these life and death situations, what will you really do? The confusion and fear makes it all easy for Marie to think selfishly, but I suppose it's only human nature, and what more can you do, really?
In playing cat-and-mouse with the killer, we see the decapitations of various forms, stabs, creative use of improvised weapons, all soaked in tons of blood. If the film was edited, then a lot would have been lost, especially the impact of such senseless violence on defenseless persons. If one should compare with the recent release Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, the latter would be a leisurely stroll in the park in the violence and gore department. Perhaps it's closest cousin might be The Devil's Rejects.
Cécile De France shines in her role, as many in the audience could feel her fear, desperation, and new found courage. The film easily relied on her to pull the movie through its highly disturbing material.
The filmmakers could have left this as it was - brutal, senseless killings (hey, slasher flick, remember?), but in trying to have a one-up in making this a more psychological film with the slight twist at the end, somehow exposed a lot of gaping loopholes in the narrative storyline in retrospect.
So be forewarned, this film is not for the squemish and faint at heart. It's bloody brutal, the way slasher films are made out to be, and make no apologies for.
Two friends Marie (a very buff Cécile De France) and Alex (Maïwenn Le Besco) spend the weekend in the latter's farm home, to keep away from distractions to study for their exams. We are briefly introduced to the family members of Alex - the parents, the toddler brother and the family St Bernard, before the horror starts to set in the very same night.
As with slasher flicks, there would always be the lumbering and unstoppable psycho killer. In this film, it's a huge unkempt man in baseball cap and dirty overalls, armed with only a switchblade, bulldozing his way into the family home and slaughtering everyone in sight. We share in Marie's fear and attempts to conceal herself, which makes you wonder, in desperate moments like these life and death situations, what will you really do? The confusion and fear makes it all easy for Marie to think selfishly, but I suppose it's only human nature, and what more can you do, really?
In playing cat-and-mouse with the killer, we see the decapitations of various forms, stabs, creative use of improvised weapons, all soaked in tons of blood. If the film was edited, then a lot would have been lost, especially the impact of such senseless violence on defenseless persons. If one should compare with the recent release Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, the latter would be a leisurely stroll in the park in the violence and gore department. Perhaps it's closest cousin might be The Devil's Rejects.
Cécile De France shines in her role, as many in the audience could feel her fear, desperation, and new found courage. The film easily relied on her to pull the movie through its highly disturbing material.
The filmmakers could have left this as it was - brutal, senseless killings (hey, slasher flick, remember?), but in trying to have a one-up in making this a more psychological film with the slight twist at the end, somehow exposed a lot of gaping loopholes in the narrative storyline in retrospect.
So be forewarned, this film is not for the squemish and faint at heart. It's bloody brutal, the way slasher films are made out to be, and make no apologies for.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
Dreamship Surprise (Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 1)
This movie is so insanely gay! And I mean it in both sense of the word. No wonder this comedy broke the German box office with its madcap, low-brow, at times, crass humour. But it's all in good fun.
If you're looking for a plot, be reminded that a spoof-fest only has an outline of what resembles a story. The story's not award winning material to begin with, and it was never the intention of doing so.
In the future, Earth has colonized Mars, and some aliens aren't happy with it, so war is declared on the Earthlings. Somehow, Earth's last hope lies in the hands of Dreamship Surprise and its crew of merry men, led by the gayish Captain Kork, and equally feminine-like officers Mr Spuck and Schrotty. Needless to say, the crew of Dreamship Surprise is a complete spoof of Star Trek's Starship Enterprise crew, right down to the uniform, the multi-racial crew, and the technology available on board. Serious Trekkies might not take this too kindly though, to see their beloved franchise taken to "new" heights.
To save Earth from the aliens, the team has to travel back in time to prevent the discovery of alien lifeforms in Area 51. But it's made more difficult when Kork and crew are more interested in their rehearsals for an upcoming Miss Waikiki competition (don't ask). Which is crazy I tell you. If you think that the Chicken Little ad now showing in theatres is cute, you haven't seen nothing yet!
Spoofing obvious movies like Star Wars - pod-racing, battleships hovering in orbit, the Jedi Council, Coruscant, Queen Amidala, Han Solo, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, the list goes on, and Star Trek - the main leads, there are also numerous references to movies like Austin Powers (the phallic-shaped starship), Back to the Future (time travel), Minority Report and even A Knight's Tale. Spoofing and combining key characters from Star Wars and Star Trek have been attempted before in Hollywood comedies, but definitely not in the manner that Dreamship Enterprise had.
Stay tuned during the credits, where some blooper scenes are shown, and if you stay until the end of the credits, you'll be rewarded with yet another short hilarious scene.
Definitely recommended for an evening after a hard day's work.
If you're looking for a plot, be reminded that a spoof-fest only has an outline of what resembles a story. The story's not award winning material to begin with, and it was never the intention of doing so.
In the future, Earth has colonized Mars, and some aliens aren't happy with it, so war is declared on the Earthlings. Somehow, Earth's last hope lies in the hands of Dreamship Surprise and its crew of merry men, led by the gayish Captain Kork, and equally feminine-like officers Mr Spuck and Schrotty. Needless to say, the crew of Dreamship Surprise is a complete spoof of Star Trek's Starship Enterprise crew, right down to the uniform, the multi-racial crew, and the technology available on board. Serious Trekkies might not take this too kindly though, to see their beloved franchise taken to "new" heights.
To save Earth from the aliens, the team has to travel back in time to prevent the discovery of alien lifeforms in Area 51. But it's made more difficult when Kork and crew are more interested in their rehearsals for an upcoming Miss Waikiki competition (don't ask). Which is crazy I tell you. If you think that the Chicken Little ad now showing in theatres is cute, you haven't seen nothing yet!
Spoofing obvious movies like Star Wars - pod-racing, battleships hovering in orbit, the Jedi Council, Coruscant, Queen Amidala, Han Solo, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, the list goes on, and Star Trek - the main leads, there are also numerous references to movies like Austin Powers (the phallic-shaped starship), Back to the Future (time travel), Minority Report and even A Knight's Tale. Spoofing and combining key characters from Star Wars and Star Trek have been attempted before in Hollywood comedies, but definitely not in the manner that Dreamship Enterprise had.
Stay tuned during the credits, where some blooper scenes are shown, and if you stay until the end of the credits, you'll be rewarded with yet another short hilarious scene.
Definitely recommended for an evening after a hard day's work.
All About Love
I haven't been watching a lot of Andy Lau's recent releases, and was surprised to have been able to review this for movieXclusive earlier this week.
It turned out to be a romance with 2 pretty co-stars Charlene Choi and Charlie Young, and who would have known that this movie turned out to be beautifully done.
You can click on the logo below to read my review, and take my word for it, it's good.
It turned out to be a romance with 2 pretty co-stars Charlene Choi and Charlie Young, and who would have known that this movie turned out to be beautifully done.
You can click on the logo below to read my review, and take my word for it, it's good.
[DVD] Twilight Samurai (2004)
This film chronicles the life of Seibei Iguchi, as told through the eyes of one his daughters. The film starts off with the unfortunate death of his wife, and he's left alone to bring up 2 young daughters, and a senile mother, much to the neglect of his own welfare.
Despite being a lowly-ranked samurai, life is adequately comfortable, in an era of change and the coming of the end of the Meiji era. His life takes a turn when childhood sweetheart, and recent divorcee Tomoe Iinuma, re-enters his life. Protecting her from her violent ex-husband, love is rekindled between the two again, but Seibei, conscious of his low ranking status, is reluctant to declare his true feelings for Tomoe.
It's a love story weaved into a Yoki Yamada samurai movie, and somehow I can't help but to compare and noticed some similarities between this movie, and The Hidden Blade. Politics also feature strongly in both movies, as do typical samurai themes of honour, and clan hierarchy and orders.
If you're expecting to see many swordplay from the Twilight Samurai, you might be a tad disappointed. There are only 2 fight scenes in this film, one with Seibei using a wooden sword to teach Tomoe's ex-husband a lesson, and the other, a fight to the death with a clan rebel in the confines of an old house. But violence has never been Seibei's character, and fights are only seen as either a last resort (using a non-lethal weapon), or only when loathing and reluctantly carrying out orders from his clan.
This is a simple story of a man struggling with providing for his family, and the coming to terms within himself to be honest with his feelings. Only when faced with his own mortality, does he find the courage to do so. It is beautifully filmed, and is no wonder that it was garnered many awards in Japan's Academy Awards in 2004, and nominated to be in competition at the Oscars as Japan's entry.
Despite being a lowly-ranked samurai, life is adequately comfortable, in an era of change and the coming of the end of the Meiji era. His life takes a turn when childhood sweetheart, and recent divorcee Tomoe Iinuma, re-enters his life. Protecting her from her violent ex-husband, love is rekindled between the two again, but Seibei, conscious of his low ranking status, is reluctant to declare his true feelings for Tomoe.
It's a love story weaved into a Yoki Yamada samurai movie, and somehow I can't help but to compare and noticed some similarities between this movie, and The Hidden Blade. Politics also feature strongly in both movies, as do typical samurai themes of honour, and clan hierarchy and orders.
If you're expecting to see many swordplay from the Twilight Samurai, you might be a tad disappointed. There are only 2 fight scenes in this film, one with Seibei using a wooden sword to teach Tomoe's ex-husband a lesson, and the other, a fight to the death with a clan rebel in the confines of an old house. But violence has never been Seibei's character, and fights are only seen as either a last resort (using a non-lethal weapon), or only when loathing and reluctantly carrying out orders from his clan.
This is a simple story of a man struggling with providing for his family, and the coming to terms within himself to be honest with his feelings. Only when faced with his own mortality, does he find the courage to do so. It is beautifully filmed, and is no wonder that it was garnered many awards in Japan's Academy Awards in 2004, and nominated to be in competition at the Oscars as Japan's entry.
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
I won't be surprised to see hordes of housewives watching Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, given the Korean drama penetration into Asian households, especially the wildly popular Jewel In The Palace starring the same lead actress Lee Young-ae. Then again, given the theme on revenge, filled with its fair share of blood and gore, this new movie by Park Chan-wook might appeal to just a select few.
It's easy to draw comparisons with Hollywood's recent revenge movie, Quetin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Both stars hot actresses, both movies focus on the same theme, both have children playing an integral part of the protagonist's motivation, and both were essentially screwed (both sense of the word) by a male baddie. However, Sympathy plays up the stylistic factor, as well as little arthouse nuances in delivering sweet revenge.
Lee Young-ae plays Lee Geum-ja, whom we see leaving prison after serving a sentence of 13 years for kidnap and murder. Or is it? Framed and blackmailed by her collaborators, she bears the brunt of the responsiblity and blame, which sent her packing to jail. Naturally she swears vengeance upon the mastermind of the dastardly deeds, as hell as knoweth no fury like a woman who's really pissed.
Playing up biblical moments in the movie by symbolizing Geum-ja as a devil in angel's clothing (or vice versa, depending on how you want to look at it), the movie intersperses narrative moments with essential flashbacks to her life in prison. On one hand, she's the angel to newcomers who protects them from the bad prison cell mama-san, while on the other, she's the devil who's plotting murder on the sly. She gains respect from these inmates, who play important roles when Geum-ja is released, to exact her 13 year revenge plan. One of the best scenes in demonstrating this was the making of her twin-trigger handgun, translating poetic justice straight from the pages of a sutra.
The final showdown is different from Kill Bill's, without the monotonous monologue, and the imaginary Five Point Exploding Heart Palm technique. Here, it's brutal, it's violent, and somehow, satisfactory. Revenge is a dish best served cold, but only enjoyable when share with a group of like-minded diners, to classical Vivaldi music. The final 20 minutes of the show makes an interesting conversation and analytical piece, so I would not spoil anything here.
While at times the movie does plod along, it depended heavily on Young-ae to shoulder this film through its slower moments. I'm not sure why, but somehow through the many close-ups, I find she has aged quite a lot from her JSA days.
Make no mistake, this film might not be for all to bear. Those who are expecting numerous gunfights and explosions will be disappointed, as Geum-ja does not roar and rampage like what Beatrix did. But when she finally does, in artistic style, all can be forgiven.
It's easy to draw comparisons with Hollywood's recent revenge movie, Quetin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Both stars hot actresses, both movies focus on the same theme, both have children playing an integral part of the protagonist's motivation, and both were essentially screwed (both sense of the word) by a male baddie. However, Sympathy plays up the stylistic factor, as well as little arthouse nuances in delivering sweet revenge.
Lee Young-ae plays Lee Geum-ja, whom we see leaving prison after serving a sentence of 13 years for kidnap and murder. Or is it? Framed and blackmailed by her collaborators, she bears the brunt of the responsiblity and blame, which sent her packing to jail. Naturally she swears vengeance upon the mastermind of the dastardly deeds, as hell as knoweth no fury like a woman who's really pissed.
Playing up biblical moments in the movie by symbolizing Geum-ja as a devil in angel's clothing (or vice versa, depending on how you want to look at it), the movie intersperses narrative moments with essential flashbacks to her life in prison. On one hand, she's the angel to newcomers who protects them from the bad prison cell mama-san, while on the other, she's the devil who's plotting murder on the sly. She gains respect from these inmates, who play important roles when Geum-ja is released, to exact her 13 year revenge plan. One of the best scenes in demonstrating this was the making of her twin-trigger handgun, translating poetic justice straight from the pages of a sutra.
The final showdown is different from Kill Bill's, without the monotonous monologue, and the imaginary Five Point Exploding Heart Palm technique. Here, it's brutal, it's violent, and somehow, satisfactory. Revenge is a dish best served cold, but only enjoyable when share with a group of like-minded diners, to classical Vivaldi music. The final 20 minutes of the show makes an interesting conversation and analytical piece, so I would not spoil anything here.
While at times the movie does plod along, it depended heavily on Young-ae to shoulder this film through its slower moments. I'm not sure why, but somehow through the many close-ups, I find she has aged quite a lot from her JSA days.
Make no mistake, this film might not be for all to bear. Those who are expecting numerous gunfights and explosions will be disappointed, as Geum-ja does not roar and rampage like what Beatrix did. But when she finally does, in artistic style, all can be forgiven.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Transporter 2
Jason Statham is back as Frank Martin, a man who lives by his own rules, a man with a military past who now works as a transporter, a man of few words, a man of action. Little has changed since the end of the first movie, he still drives a cool car, though the BMW has been traded for an Audi A8L W12, and ploughing the streets of Miami, girls still find him irresistable (who can forget Shu Qi appearing at his doorstep and throwing herself at him? Here, Amber Valletta does the same. Lucky dude), and the men can't wait to sock his face.
Many were surprised that the Transporter managed to gear up a sequel, but as far as I'm concerned, they can do a movie series with various cool cars waiting in line to be driven by Statham. Mercedes next?
But the plot for Transporter 2 had showed some shades of Denzel Washington's Man on Fire, especially in the beginning, only that the kidnap victim is a boy whose relationship with his protector isn't as drawn out or touching as that between Washington and Dakota Fanning. Thrown into what seems like a plot (in an action flick, who cares anyway?) is bioterrorism, as a group of baddies orchestrate an elaborate plan to kill loads with a carefully manufactured virus.
Flimsy plot aside, Statham delivers his punches well in action choreographed by Corey Yuen. Probably following the "Jackie Chan" style of using almost everything in a particular setting to wrestle with his opponents, Statham proved more menacing without the deliberate comedic acts that Jackie fuses into his brand of action. He might look a bit awkward with the metal pole, but the action sequence with the hosereel was fun, though short.
As with Hollywood action flicks, don't expect the hero to be busted up too much, and he's always blessed with incredible luck and faced with enemies who are never marksmen. There are some obvious action flaws that might border on the line of absurdity, but heck, one's not gonna analyze beyond the belief that Lady Luck is smiling on Statham's Frank. The actions were left unscathed by the censors, only a lingering shot of the baddie's girl (the one on the poster) was snipped when the camera reached the upper torso.
Have been a fan of Statham ever since his Snatch days, and it's a pretty decent action movie. Sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Many were surprised that the Transporter managed to gear up a sequel, but as far as I'm concerned, they can do a movie series with various cool cars waiting in line to be driven by Statham. Mercedes next?
But the plot for Transporter 2 had showed some shades of Denzel Washington's Man on Fire, especially in the beginning, only that the kidnap victim is a boy whose relationship with his protector isn't as drawn out or touching as that between Washington and Dakota Fanning. Thrown into what seems like a plot (in an action flick, who cares anyway?) is bioterrorism, as a group of baddies orchestrate an elaborate plan to kill loads with a carefully manufactured virus.
Flimsy plot aside, Statham delivers his punches well in action choreographed by Corey Yuen. Probably following the "Jackie Chan" style of using almost everything in a particular setting to wrestle with his opponents, Statham proved more menacing without the deliberate comedic acts that Jackie fuses into his brand of action. He might look a bit awkward with the metal pole, but the action sequence with the hosereel was fun, though short.
As with Hollywood action flicks, don't expect the hero to be busted up too much, and he's always blessed with incredible luck and faced with enemies who are never marksmen. There are some obvious action flaws that might border on the line of absurdity, but heck, one's not gonna analyze beyond the belief that Lady Luck is smiling on Statham's Frank. The actions were left unscathed by the censors, only a lingering shot of the baddie's girl (the one on the poster) was snipped when the camera reached the upper torso.
Have been a fan of Statham ever since his Snatch days, and it's a pretty decent action movie. Sit back, buckle up and enjoy the ride!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Election
Election is the latest film on the Hong Kong Triads, starring veteran actors like Simon Yam and Tony "The Lover' Leung, with younger actors like Louis Koo thrown into the fray.
Is it good? Check out my movieXclusive review by clicking on the logo below
Is it good? Check out my movieXclusive review by clicking on the logo below
Sunday, October 16, 2005
[DVD] Runaway Jury (2003)
This was the last John Grisham book I've read in chronological order, starting from The Firm, and all of them thus far have been made into relatively successful movies with big names attached to the projects. While most of them have stuck fairly accurately to the source material (The Chamber by far was the most accurate, but therefore least interesting in my opinion), this one took a lot of liberty by swinging the main "baddies" from tobacco companies, to gun companies.
Not that it would have mattered a lot, given that both have the propensity to kill people. This film lends itself to some serious pondering on the jury system over the powers of the judge to determine the fate of the case. But with the jury system open to possible manipulation and tampering, like what was shown, perhaps there could never be a 100% foolproof way of ensuring that crime pays accurately. Justice is blind?
It's the third outing for Gene Hackman in a movie adapted from Grisham. He started off opposite Tom Cruise in The Firm, then opposite Chris O'Donnell in The Chamber, and now, stars as jury consultant cum manipulator Rankin Fitch, who has a team of upbeat high tech investigators in the game of ensuring that the jury is handpicked by them, for a particular case. It's highly interesting to see the way they apply assumptions, surveillance and various digging of skeletons of potential jurors, for the defence lawyer played by Bruce Davison, best known as Senator Kelly in the X-Men series.
Up against the defence is another powerhouse actor, Dustin Hoffman, as lawyer Wendell Rohr. Having Hoffman and Hackman pair up, for the very first time, is cinematic history in the making. Watch out for the washroom scene where these 2 share some very intense, argumentative moment together.
John Cusack and Rachel Weisz stars as Nicholas Easter and Marlee respectively, a team whose motive doesn't get revealed initially, other than to blackmail Rohr and Fitch into guaranteeing the jury's verdict in the favour of the one who can pay their 10 million dollars. To Fitch, they're small time players in this cat-and-mouse game, but he realizes that having an inside guy, in this case, Easter, who's on the jury, may prove to be just that guarantee he needs. Rohr, on the other hand, being more morally upright, struggles to come to terms with probably losing his case to a pair of hustlers.
While you may have read Grisham's novel, Runaway Jury will still keep you guessing, at least the motives of Easter and Marlee, up until the very last scene.
My favourite adaptation until now has always been A Time To Kill, starring Matthew McConaughey in his first lead role, with Samuel L Jackson. But Runaway Jury has air-dropped itself into joint number one spot, as I eagerly anticipate the next John Grisham adaptation. Any news, anyone?
Not that it would have mattered a lot, given that both have the propensity to kill people. This film lends itself to some serious pondering on the jury system over the powers of the judge to determine the fate of the case. But with the jury system open to possible manipulation and tampering, like what was shown, perhaps there could never be a 100% foolproof way of ensuring that crime pays accurately. Justice is blind?
It's the third outing for Gene Hackman in a movie adapted from Grisham. He started off opposite Tom Cruise in The Firm, then opposite Chris O'Donnell in The Chamber, and now, stars as jury consultant cum manipulator Rankin Fitch, who has a team of upbeat high tech investigators in the game of ensuring that the jury is handpicked by them, for a particular case. It's highly interesting to see the way they apply assumptions, surveillance and various digging of skeletons of potential jurors, for the defence lawyer played by Bruce Davison, best known as Senator Kelly in the X-Men series.
Up against the defence is another powerhouse actor, Dustin Hoffman, as lawyer Wendell Rohr. Having Hoffman and Hackman pair up, for the very first time, is cinematic history in the making. Watch out for the washroom scene where these 2 share some very intense, argumentative moment together.
John Cusack and Rachel Weisz stars as Nicholas Easter and Marlee respectively, a team whose motive doesn't get revealed initially, other than to blackmail Rohr and Fitch into guaranteeing the jury's verdict in the favour of the one who can pay their 10 million dollars. To Fitch, they're small time players in this cat-and-mouse game, but he realizes that having an inside guy, in this case, Easter, who's on the jury, may prove to be just that guarantee he needs. Rohr, on the other hand, being more morally upright, struggles to come to terms with probably losing his case to a pair of hustlers.
While you may have read Grisham's novel, Runaway Jury will still keep you guessing, at least the motives of Easter and Marlee, up until the very last scene.
My favourite adaptation until now has always been A Time To Kill, starring Matthew McConaughey in his first lead role, with Samuel L Jackson. But Runaway Jury has air-dropped itself into joint number one spot, as I eagerly anticipate the next John Grisham adaptation. Any news, anyone?
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