Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)

Honestly, I did not mean to go watched this in the cinema.

I went to the cinema hoping to watch something else altogether, and unfortunately, I had chosen poorly and the cinema I had patroned did not screen the movie I wanted...

Lemon, lemonade, I pick this movie... and I did not regret my decision.

All in all, it encapsulates all the Resident Evil movies quite nice. So in short, they got the "story" right.

Basically,

First act, story, story, story
Second act kill, maim destroy, zombies
Third act story, kill, maim destroy, zombies and then a little more story

In my opinion, if they had made the first one, and then a second (to introduce all the characters) and then this, it would have been a really good trilogy...

But alas....

My only criticism about this movie is that... too little horror... I think the issue lays with there is only so much "horror" one can do with the same material...

Eg.

Resident Evil (2002)
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)
Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

I still think the middle 4 movies are a little overkill

So much so, by the 5th, it was mainly kill, maim destroy, zombies!!!

Will they make another after this?

It really depends on how much this one make. If it makes a bundle, you bet your bottom dollar!!

Speaking about dollars, this is just my humble two sen.

Arrival (2016)

Yeah yeah yeah, slow poker.

I admit watching it today is like it's soooooo 2016, but I can live with that.

I cannot believe that Denis Villeneuve did a "time travel" so elegantly, it makes Christopher Nolan's Interstellar (2014) rendition looks like a sledgehammer.

Nicely done.

While the movie is about our world spiraling out of control, there is a certain stillness (Louise Banks [Amy Adam's character] Point of view).

This movie has an independent feel to it, with a budget of USD 49 million, but boy. story wise, it run rings around alot of movies with much much bigger budgets. Hats off to Ted Chiang (book author) and Eric Heisserer (screenplay writer)

It respects it's audience's intelligence.

Thank you so much for that.

I really do not want to spoil this for you.

You want smart Sci Fi, this is it ladies and gentlemen.

My Two Sen

SILENCE by Martin Scorsese



Definitely one of Martin's best work, and definitely his best since The Departed.

Silence might not have the fast blaze editing style that is prominent in most of his gangster films, but the slow, harrowing depiction of the christian missionaries as well as the local japs in the film definitely suck the soul out of you (in a good way lol).

However, due to the slow pacing and the subject/topic of the movie (religious theme), this movie is definitely NOT for everyone.

Also, this film does not use any music score, which is a nice touch.

Dare I say, this is my personal fav film of 2016, beating out my previous fav La La Land.

My tiny gripe is with the inconsistent use of accents by the actors in the film, especially by the lead actor Andrew Garfield. He has an accent at one point, but suddenly sounded like a modern american in the next scene, which is a bummer because apart from that, his overall acting is pretty good, better than in Hacksaw Ridge in which he was nominated for.

Overall, i would give this a 9.5/10

This post has been edited by G_KeN: Jan 29 2017, 08:57 PM

Damm no single academy nomination 4 marty

Kung Fu Yoga 4/10

Production problem during production...
JC no longer capable to one man show, prefer to he stick to his retirement word during Chinese Zodiac.... but he really loves his job.
Despite yoga title there's no single kungfu yoga at all.
The villain is meh....

This post has been edited by whatever06: Jan 29 2017, 12:14 AM

Hell or High Water

Finally manage to watch this after months and months of procrastination. Great movie with terrific acting and compelling story and directing. A big two middle finger to big corporate who prey on those poor innocent people. Everyone is doing a great job in this with special shout out to Ben Foster. Is this the same person who played wizard or something in Warcraft? Mann, a turn around. Good for him! Recommended to watch for to fan of good old western movies or great movie in general

Lion (Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman) is a tearjerker from start to finish. Eyes were leaking so much. There's not much dialogue in the first hour, just focusing on the child version of Dev Patel, his relationship with brother and mother on the streets of India. Just the sequence alone is powerful enough to showcase the child's misfortune and the reason why he got adopted. Heartbreaking through and through. Child actor is amazing (reminds me of Room's Jacob Tremblay). A very well done retelling of a man's journey to trace his family and home while struggling and coming to terms with the past and present.

Tried La La Land, the musical part is sweet and all but it's just not my cup of tea. I do like how most of the musical scenes look as if they were taken in one shot (not sure if they really were) but that's pretty cool to watch. Or how spontaneous everyone is as they burst into musical mode. I can understand the huge number of nominations. It's just not for me.

Split is a slow-burner psychological thriller and you need patience. James McAvoy is brilliant and deserves recognition. The final confrontation when he switches between several personalities are amazing. I like the ending. There's a particular quote that gets to me "The broken are the evolved." Or something that goes along that line from the confrontation with the girl. Plot is so-so but it's really the performance of James McAvoy that makes this worth watching (most likely his best).

This post has been edited by avanpiper: Jan 29 2017, 11:35 AM

Manchester by the Sea - idk what's the hype of this movie, since it's widely regarded as one of the best films of 2016 by many. IMO the movie was okay. Didn't like Casey Affleck's acting in this one. He showed no emotion. Maybe because of his brothers death and the whole story being the guardian of Patrick makes him become mood-less all the time.. maybe he was being subtle with his acting. But sorry his acting in this one didn't do it for me. I would gladly see other nominees in the category win over him. Michelle Williams acting on the other hand... when is this woman gonna win her oscar statue because she needs to win one asap. Her scene at the end broke my heart.

Moonlight - what can I say about this. I LOVED everything in this movie. The acting in this one by everyone was superb! I love that though Chiron has become tougher, he still has his soft side, from forgiving his mom to reconciling with Kevin. Story was brilliantly told and I'm really happy with the ending.

Grown Ups (2010) - what a party.....
The Transporter Refueled (2015) - I miss Jason....
Drag Me to Hell (2009) - Not bad..

This post has been edited by Mickey C: Jan 30 2017, 02:47 PM

I saw The Kung Fu Yoga and The Journey To The West 2, I prefer the Jackie Chan's one. He had to play kung fu and dancing, actually the whole movie's crew had to kick-butt and dancing, really not an easy tasks. I urge everyone to support the Kung Fu Yoga because I think they put in a lot of efforts into making this movie. The whole movie consists of breathtaking scenes, beautiful people and luxury cars. The car chase scene are just adrenaline rush.

This film really shows the doubt and frustration of unanswered prayers when facing tough times. The characters are not black and white, even the Japanese inquisitor has his justifications. In a way, the priests can also be shown as prideful when they compare their sufferings to of Jesus.

And the nomination for cinematography is rightly deserved as the film is beautifully shot. For example the camera panning away from Kichijiro as his family is burnt alive. All in all the film is great and it's a shame I can't watch this on the big screen.

Hacksaw Ridge - Highly recommended. Felt like watching Saving Private Ryan again, realistic war sequences and great acting all around. Andrew Garfield was splendid, he's at the top of my Best Actor list atm (though it seems Casey Affleck is the fav to win Oscars). Even Vince Vaughn was convincing as a sergeant without making me laugh. Worth watching, regardless of its religious theme.

Hidden Figures - Had more humor than I expected, quite a few laughs A look at segregation in 1961 where even bathrooms are separated into white and colored. I almost cheered out loud when Katherine gave her piece of mind to her racist colleagues. The 3 actresses did very well. A nice surprise to see Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons there.

Hackshaw Ridge - He still got it!
All I can say be patient to stick through the first hour. When the boots on the ground begins, get ready to be vowed by symphony of carnage expertly orchestrated. Granted some janky cgi but the brutal battle is as good as it gonna gets. It make me realized how inadequate of Michael Bay as a film director. Mel Gibson is doing all the Bayhem signature moves that not shy of slomo, things that go kaboom, bloated patriotism and even corny boy meets girl. It's day and night who is better at engaging audience. The only criticsm I had is the first hour very by the book and very rooted in made for TV quality but all the money they had being put into the hardcore stuffs of people shooting each other. So beware of cuts when this hits local cinemas.
Edge of Seventeen - More of dramedy than comedy.
Always thought Hailee Steinfeld gonna be the next big time child actor after her impressive debut in True Grit. Here you still can see that glimpse of good acting chop in her. Her sparring with Woody Harrelson is a joy to watch while the movie on a whole still your typical coming of age story. The perky and awkward dork will charm you over with her quest to discover herself. The trailer again mislead everyone thinking this is a Seth Rogen type of sex comedy but it's more grounded with a heart that does not forego harsh reality.

Paterson - A very "zen" film.

If you are into Jim Jamursh films, there are plenty to like otherwise you will be a little lost with what the hell is going on. There's no specific plotline per say, just capturing moments to moments. The basic idea of observing day to day conversations that inspire a bus driver to write poetry. It sounds lame but Jim Jarmush makes it a rich cinematic soothing experience with enough smart humor to get things interesting. The dialogues are rich and the poetry scenes have a therapeutic quality to it. Marvin is one awesome bulldog that keep stealing scenes from Adam Driver over and over. It's a soul enriching film that you least expected. One of the best films of last year in my book.

Journey to West 2: Demon Strike Back 6/10

Not as fun as SC directed part 1.

Mission Milano (2016)

Well, have you pretended to be something you are not and you come acrossed as not yourself?

Well, this movie suffers from that in spades...

Story predictable.

It copied from Hollywood shamelessly and unapologetically (Mission Impossible, Resident Evil, Italian Job and on and on and on and on.....

Really REALLY sad and disappointing...

Do Andy Lau and Huan Xiao Ming really need the money?

The fact that they agree to be in this means the answer is yes...

Sad...

My Two Sen

Captain Fantastic (2016)

I confess

I do not have patience for Drama movies at this point in time.

I have too much to do, and drama movies are slow pace...

It was Chinese Net Years, and I had a little time so I gave this a go and boy am I glad I did.

Would you consider to "go back to nature" and give or receive education that emphasize independent thinking rather the reiterating what you have read...

Well, this movie actually answers that and does make very persuasive argument for the above.

In the end, the family remains a family thru strong interpersonal bonds and by Jove, it is a privilege to witness.

There is alot of... nudity in this (not sexual) so please be advised.

If you want something different, well, I would say this is VERY different.

My Two Sen

Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back 西遊伏妖篇 (2017)

Well, been a busy Chinese New Year, so only managed to watched this today...

I cannot say this enough, I am a big fan of Tsui Hark.

I have missed this work and to get two works of his (the other is Sword Master [2016]) so close to each other... *Bliss*

I will make this short

This is Stephen Chow's P.O.V. of the classic tale, (my louse translation) "Fighting the Bone Demon Three Times".

It really is a unique take on the story.

Also, because it is Tsui Hark, the CGI is mostly well done.

My only complain is
which is surprising, because I thought that my main issue would be with Kenny Lin, for screwing Wukong up, and he did not!!

So, if you are a Tsui Hark/Stephen Chow fan, watch this.

You would anyway, whatever I had stated here.

My Two Sen

Hidden Figures - yes yes yesssss! deserved its Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. it frustrated me to see the way the colleagues treated Katherine. just from the movie itself, I could feel the pain black people suffered back in the days (and still a bit today). Taraji did a fantastic job, the scene where she confronted her boss about the toilet and her colleagues was SO good, that was an Oscar worthy performance right there. Unfortunately, the Best Actress race was so tight this year. Not quite sure how Octavia Spencer got nominated though, would rather prefer Janell Monae.

The Girl on the Train (2016)

This is first and foremost a drama and then a thriller.

If you can get past that and with a little patience, the payback at the end is pretty good.

Rachel (played by Emily Blunt) is a wreck. And she (the actress) is brave and confident enough to appear in most of the movie without makeup. I was shock when she first appear in the movie and then it was later revealed that she is an alcoholic!

She is estrange from her ex-husband, and because of her addiction (to alcohol) she has issue connecting to... life...

I know I am not doing this movie any justice and have to add the payback at the end was actually rewarding.

Emily Blunt playes a good drunk!!

My Two Sen.