Vampire Academy (2014)

Once upon a time, a bunch of big shots at Reliance Entertainment got together.

They brainstormed for a bit, and this is what happened in the meeting...

Bigshot: So, any ideas as to what we can make for cheap and reap a ga-zillion dollars?

Executive #1: What's this I hear about sparkling vampires that kids are crazy about nowadays?

Executive #2: I believe you are think of Twilight. Yes, that made alot of money. But if we produce something similar, the public would think we are cashing in on the franchises...

Writer #1: Well... Not necessarily. We can come up with something similar and actually makes fun of the said franchise, should the movie can appear smart, trend and edgy! And at the same time give the general teenagers the same old, same old.

Writer #2: Well... serving the same thing and giving it a different name might backfire on us, we have to give it a different spin...

Executive #1: Wasn't there another franchise about a wizard kid that made Warner alot of dough??

Writer #1: Harry Potter.

Executive #1: Yes, yes that. It;s been awhile now, can we not do something similar to that instead?!

Executive #2: Well, we could try and do an original script, ...

Bigshot: Too expensive, to big a risk!! We have to watch the bottom line now.

Executive #1: Well, are there any other young adult novels that is doing well?

Executive #2: Or we can buy the right to the Narnia franchise and do a number 4?

Bigshot: No, no, no, Fox had already done that and the returns was poor!! We need something new, something fresh and we can get alot of unknowns to play the key roles inexpensively and maybe convincingly!

Executive #2: We might need SOME veteran actors to give this some weight. No one expensive. Just, you know... Known!! Well, Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy seem to have a large following...

Executive #1: Can we get the film rights cheaply?

Executive #2: Maybe... We'll see.

Writer #1: Vampires and magic...

Writer #2: Hmph... and maybe a dash of Juno in the lead...

Bigshot: Okay it is decided, get it done guys, and I want the product out by 2014!

The above is what I think happened which leads to this disastrous movie.

It is a dash better then the first Twilight, but not by much!

I watched this, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO...

You've been warned kiddies, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

My Two Sen...

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: Apr 28 2014, 02:55 PM

A History of Violence (2005)

For some odd reason, this is one movie that I keep revisiting.

David Cronenberg brilliant directing. He took a page out of Hitchcock, and manage to put the audience at the edge of their seat!!

Josh Olson clever adaptation of the graphic novel.

Viggo Mortensen hands on approach to the character (in this case Maria Bello...) is quite something to see!!!

How David Cronenberg quietly broach the topic of VIOLENCE in this movie is really SPECTACULAR!!

There is NO wrong to this movie.

Direction, Script, Cinematographer, Cast, everything is SPOT ON!!

If you have never watch this, and you like to see MASTERS at work, watch this.

My Two Sen

Police Story 2013 警察故事2013

Not many people in Hong Kong can claim to have been in the movie industry for as long as Jackie Chan and as successful!!

Many a people know that he is a risk taker and had done alot of his stunts himself and had paid the price many a times.

As you get to his age, how to you maintain THAT!!!

The answer is you cannot.

So what can he offer in this movie?

Well, it is one of the most "Chinese" movie he is ever in (eg. Chinese as in China Chinese. This movie is definitely made largely with the China Chinese market in mind)

Bare in mind China has a firm quota of only 34 US movie a year allowed into the Chinese Cinema market a year. So one can hypothesize that the China Chinese are not, shall we say, heavily saturate by the US movies so, tailoring your storyline to emulate US storyline with China as a back drop, maybe a good idea.

It is obvious which franchise this movie attempted to emulate, and I am sure it is well receive in China, being someone who is a self confess movie freak, I assure you are am so saturated by the US movie it is basically at toxin levels... What I'm trying to say it that this movie really did nothing for me...

Don't get me wrong, as usual, jackie give it his all.

Good try Jackie, but unfortunately for me, no dice...

My Two Sen

Grown Ups 2 (2013)

As mildly amusing as Grown Up was and ending was actually touching. If anyone needs a reason why a sequel should not be attempted, please, please note that THIS is it an EXCELLENT example.

It is PAINFUL to watch. REALLY REALLY painful.

You have been warned kiddies, YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!

My Two Sen.

Kiss the Girls (1997)

I miss movies like this.

Decent storyline (Mystery/Thriller).

Good cast (Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd & Cary Elwes).

And the film is well executed!!

If you are into sick serial killer, this movie is for you!

I would have to say Ashley Judd probably looked her best here!!

If that is not motivation enough to watch this movie, I don't know what will!!

My Two Sen.

Q: The Winged Serpent (1982)

For me this is a blast from the past!!

I watched this when it was first release (not at the cinema, but VHS tapes).

This movie is influenced by many movie, namely, King Kong (1933), The French Connection (1971), and many other B movies.

This is an instance that a movie can be so bad that is actually becomes good!!

Cast wise, it has David Carradine (Kung Fu anyone??), Michael Moriarty & Richard Roundtree.

They did not have much (story wise) to work with and by Jove, they worked their[COLOR=black] ass off for this movie!!

For those of you who is familiar with Aztec myth, this movie takes a stab at the Quetzalcoatl myth.

So you know what that means, A Feathered Wing Serpent, in GLORIOUS STOP MOTION!!!

Good luck finding this if you are interested.

My Two Sen

Body Heat (1981)

I am on an 80s binge!!

This movie is interesting.

It is very heavily influence by Film Noir!!

Script is clever!

Every censorship that was imposed on Film Noir are broken, and broken thoroughly in this movie.

William Hurt oozes sleaze!

And Kathleen Turner just oozes...

There is even a young Ted Danson & Mickey Rourke here!!

It is my personal belief that this kinda spearhead other movies like, with mix success rate:

Angel Heart (1987)
Two Moon Junction (1988)
Night Eyes (1990)
Wild Things (1998)

One word best describe this movie. Sultry.... Very VERY Sultry.

Not suitable to view with young kids!!

My Two Sen.

I was gonna say Double Jeopardy (1999) also, but it turns out that was Ashley Judd & Tommy Lee Jones!!

Turbo (2013)

How do you lose USD 52 million dollar at the box office?

Easy, you make a CGI movie about about a snail who can out run an F1 car...

Even on paper the concept look weak.

How the movie got made is really beyond me...

Poor Ryan Reynold, he had had made several big budget doo doos...

There really isn't much else to say about this movie...

Just... weak...

My Two Sen

She's All That (1999)

A teenage RomCom.

There are two thing that I have to say about this movie.

1) So many names in this one, Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Anna Paquin & Usher Raymond and they were ALL so young...

2) I forgot Paul Walker was in this one. It is still sad to see him...

A simple, light, mildly amusing and predictable movie.

There is a market for this kind of movies.

My Two Sen.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Okay, no one is more surprise than me about what I'm going to say next...

This movie is actually... GOOD! It is far superior compared to the first one.

Initially, I planned on, going on and on about how AMAZING Spidey's web-swinging is, in this movie. But as I was typing this, it occurred to me that a big portion of this 2 hours 22 mins movie, was him web-swinging, which means during that period I was staring at Andrew Garfield's butt... So, I'm not going to do that... (It is the FREAKING IMAX theater. As his is web-swing, his butt is always in the middle of the screen... What else is one suppose to look at!!)

And then there is Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). She is very good at this role! But... Again, I better not go there.

Which leaves Electro / Max Dillon (Jamie Foxx), you know what, I like him better in this role compared to President Sawyer (White House Down)!! A good villian, is someone you despise. A great villain is someone you despise and yet you are able to relate to... I believe he managed the later!

Wait, there's more, Green Goblin / Harry Osborn (Dane DeHaan of Chronicles fame) is pretty good too!

The script was actually quite straight forward.

Marc Webb seems more comfortable in the directors shoes and have found his groove in this one!!

I watched this at 1 Utama's TGV Imax theater.

One complain, why do cinema operators in Malaysia thinks that good sound is equals to LOUD sound. Is it REALLY that expensive to properly calibrate your sound system? Come on, it is an IMAX cinema for Pete's Sake... (No pun intended!! )

Okay, need sleepy time now.

When you can, run to watch this movie.

My Two Sen.

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: May 8 2014, 11:29 AM

Frantic (1988)

After 1983 and 1984 (3rd Star Wars and 2nd Indiana Jones) I believe Harrison Ford, tried alot of things to prove that he is a worthy thespian, and this I believe is a very good movie!

Director Roman Polanski having gotten into legal troubles in the States, made States movie in Europe.

It is MY firm believe that this is actually Roman Polanski's love letter to Alfred Hitchcock!!

So I dare say this is the most Hitchcock movie not made by Hitchcock!!

The script, the direction and subject matter, amazingly Hitchcockian!!

American doctor and his wife is in France to attend a conference.

They are making it into a working holiday.

There was a screw up at the airport, and the doctor's wife ended up with the wrong luggage...

The doctor calls the airport to report the screw up, and then takes a shower.

The wife receives a call and went down the lobby... The plot thickens!!

Hitchcock lovers, go watch this. You know you want to...

Oh! I do believe Liam Neeson's Unknown (2011) did copy the first one third of the movie!!

As always, My Two Sen.

This post has been edited by Mov_freak: May 9 2014, 01:31 PM

The Ninth Gate (1999)

There was alot of buzz around this movie.

Roman Polanski's second venture into the supernatural (the first being Rosemary's Baby (1968)).

Roman Polanski also wrote the script for this movie, based on Arturo Pérez-Reverte's 1993 novel The Club Dumas.

This movie had a budget of $38 million and made $58.4, although, from a box office point of view, it flopped in the States.

While writing the script Polanski envision Johnny Depp as the lead, and in later interview stated that Johnny gave him a very flat delivery, nothing like how he had imagined it...

Interesting movie. It is more like a detective movie rather then a supernatural movie, and have to add, it works!

Revolved around three 300 years old books that supposedly able to call on the Devil himself!!

Also interesting how Polanski depicts the rich in Europe, bored and jaded!!

One other point I like to make here, the transfer to High Def is not the best I have seen. Color looks washed and the movie on the whole was grainy...

Movie itself is very well made.

If you like Roman Polanski, you know what to do.

My Two Sen.

I, Frankenstein (2014)

With Vampires and Werewolves subject matter all tapped out, what other monster can Hollywood exploit?

As far as this movie is concern, the Frankenstein Monster...

Supposedly based on a Graphic Novel, and The Director and Script writer is the same person, Stuart Beattie...

There is an attempt to emulate what had been done on Underworld (2003), so much so that Bill Nigh and Kevin Grevioux are in it!!

I was expecting any minute now, Kate Beckinsale to appear in head to toe leather outfit!!

What we end up with instead is Miranda Otto (Eowyn anyone??) who plays the Queen of Gargoyle, Leonore.

There are many Australian actors in this as well... (Jai Courtney)

Style over substance.

I'll leave it at that...

My Two Sen

Rain Man (1988)

Probably one of my all time favorite movie.

Dustin Hoffman had won an Oscar for his performance here, and I seriously believe that Tom Cruise and Dustin should have won the award together.

Tom Cruise is very committed to all his roles, I do believe there is and intangible something he put into this character (Charlie Babbitt)!!

If you like action movie, this is NOT a movie for you.

If you like drama and human interest movie, this is definitely one for you.

This movie also lifted the fog on the mental condition known as artistic autism.

One more point of interest about this movie is, the first week box office for the movie was 7 million, nothing to shout about, the second 8 million, the week after that 11 etc, etc. The box office kept growing and grown and the movie stay at the theaters for a long long time. The final box office in 1988 is $172,825,435 which in today's term is $341,552,243.08. Not bad for a movie that had a budget of 25 Million.

I strongly recommend this to people who like drama.

My Two Sen

Pompeii (2014)

Director Paul W.S. Anderson (who gave us The Three Musketeers (2011)) lavish ancient Rome disaster movie.

The issue is

My Two Sen

Hey you. Post this at my Horror thread when you can.

Yes, The House Of The Devil is pretty good. The slow burn is reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby. Are you looking forward to the remake?

Yes. Also, have you watched Roman Polanski's The Ninth Gate?

Sorry to have misled you, they are not making a new Rosemary's Baby movie, but a new TV Series that had just started... My bad...