Er... which one? The 1953 or 2005 version?

Kick-Ass

First movie to start off the 2010 season. Really kicks major ass. I love about everything in this movie. Action, swears and Nicholas Cage + Chloe Moretz. Amazing cast, btw. (McLovin? lolwut). Only gripe is the ending could've been more climatic (c'mon? a deus ex machina?!). A-



Prince of Persia

I believe the subtitle has Sands of Time in it but I've only seen the dagger usage like 2 or 3 times. lrn2market. Anyway, thin plot as always for a video game movie and that sadly destroys the movie for me. But I like the black guy and the guy who owns the ostrich racing syndicate. C+



Iron Man 2

Disappointing. Nothing much to say except I still have faith for a beter third film. :|



Hot Tub Time Machine

Guilty pleasure movie of 2010 for sure. I can summarize the movie in a sentence: 4 dudes found a hot tub time machine and went back to the 80s. Totally hilarious especially the part with how the bagboy lost his arm. The chemistry between the four guys are great as you can really feel like they're best buds since ages ago. B-



Toy Story 3

Amazing, amazing, amazing. I've watched the first two films a day before i watch TS3 to experience the nostalgia beforehand. Pixar can never do wrong. Great plot, great animation, great characters and most of all great emotions. Makes me teared at the end. Very few films can do that to me. Farewell, Toy Story. A+



Predators

Oh look, the aliens from Jamaica (j/k) are back! After the stinkbombs of AvP and AvP2, I can finally see the light at the other end of the tunnel with this film. Humans vs predators ftw! A few badass death scenes here and there makes it great. I also like the cast as well (Yakuza guy was badass, Adrian Brody was unexpectedly good but he hast that Batman voice in him for some reason, Topher Grace/Venom/Eric Forman was hilarious in this flick). There's also an unexpected twist at the end. Nice summer movie.B+


Inception

Nolan can do no wrong. He's like the human version of Pixar studios. When the entire audience are at the edge of the seat all the way to the ending, you know you have done something right. The acting in this film is phenomenal (big props to JGL and Cillian Murphy). Visually stunning, some of the shots in this film has what it takes to enter my top 10 fav. shots of all time. I'm still digesting the plot and I have to go see it again to fully absorb everything. A+



Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Visually impressive and funny most of the times, it's safe to say Edgar Wright still has a perfect score card in directing movies. A



Machete

The first half is just so fun to watch cuz of DAT VIOLENCE. Fortunately, it's enough to keep me entertained over a timid 2nd half. B-



Buried

Nobody should decline an offer to watch 90 minutes of Ryan Reynolds in a coffin. Without a great performance by RR and innovative cinematography, this movie would be boring as hell. A-



The Social Network

Great acting by the entire ensemble. Flawless writing. Beautifully handled by David Fincher. Amazing soundtrack. A modern masterpiece right here. A+



Red

How can a movie with so many talented actors be so dull? I can't even watch this in its entirety. Most disappointed movie of the year. D+



Unstoppable

Funnest movie of 2010. CHOO! CHOO! B+



Due Date

It's really funny but somehow this movie lacks soul. Might be due to pacing issues and poor character development. C+



Get Him To The Greek

It has the funniest scene and the most WTF performance (I'm looking at you, Diddy) of 2010. But I really wish some of the other characters from Forgetting Sarah Marshall were in this movie. In comparison, FSM is a better movie but GHTTG is funnier. B+



Enter The Void

One of the best cinematography I've ever seen, it has a really interesting premise. Unfortunately, new wave french cinema isn't my thing as it can get pretty distasteful. Pacing is also another issue but the journey is still worth it. A really spiritual film. B-



Macgruber

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS CRAP? D-



The Kids Are All Right

Family-in-crisis movies don't do much to me. But this movie is somewhat considered more original because it features a lesbian couple with kids. A lot of Oscar buzz but I don't get the hype. C+



Black Swan

If you think Inception was a mindf*** experience, go watch Black Swan. It'll f*** your mind until your mind gets paralyzed from its amazing orgasm. If my description makes you cringe, the movie will practically have the same effect to you. A



The Town

Crime movie of the decade so far. Intensely shot and confidently directed by actor/director Ben Affleck, it'll be unfair for the movie to not get nominated for Best Picture during Oscar season. A-



Tron:Legacy

Basically the Avatar of 2010: Amazing special effects but boring plot. I really wish the characters and story were written better but the visuals made up for it. B-


Somewhere

This movie follows an A-list actor whose life seems monotonous. The first 30 minutes of the movie basically drones on and on until it makes me bored of the movie and I was really disappointed because I'd high expectations of somewhere. And then all the scenes with his daughter came and his mundane life was turned upside down. The hour and so of these scenes really made the main character so lively that I've finally understood why the director chose to make the first 30 minutes to be that. A



Exit Through The Gift Shop

This has to be my fav. documentary I've ever watched. Smart and creative throughout the film, the film does a fine job as a documentary: educating us while still being entertaining. A



127 Hours

James Franco has proven himself with this film that he's finally joined the Premiere League of actors. Some people compare Buried with this but I don't think there's much to compare as the context of both films are different. Basic plot is about a guy who got trapped in a cave and the only way to escape is by amputating his arm with a made in China pocket knife. The amputation scene is unexpectedly gruesome but I can understand why Danny Boyle made it that way. And the best part of the movie for me is the use of a Sigur Ros song during the ending. A-

2005 ones of course! haha..
i love all those bloody gory movies..
something like SAW I... VII, the hill have eyes, human centipede.. etc..
u have any others to intro? =)

Painted Skin I (2008) & II (2012)

Looks like I am a sucker for fantasy-romance tale. Here is my review on another Chinese fantasy romance tale that is also adapted from the Tales of Liao Zhai.

I will regard the 2 movies as one tale in this review but let it be known that one need not see part 1 in order to understand part 2. So on with the cast list:

Painted Skin I has Zhao Wei, Zhou Xun, Chen Kun and Donnie Yen as the leads. It's directed by Gordon Chan.

Painted Skin II sees Zhou Xun reprising her role also playing opposite Zhao Wei and Chen Kun. Donnie Yen did not appear in this one. Directed by one called Wuershan and don't ask me who he is.

In Painted Skin I we are introduced to a fox spirit called Xiao Wei (Zhou Xun). She has cultivated enough magical energy over the centuries to appear as a beautiful and seductive damsel. Although she looks ravishing she needs to periodically devour human hearts to keep appearing young and beautiful. One day while she is out to seduce men, Xiao Wei comes across General Wang Sheng (Chen Kun) who saves her from a bunch of bandits and takes her back with him to his fortress/outpost. Xiao Wei's demonic energies alerts a rookie demon hunter, Xia Bing (Betty Sun) of her presence and Xia Bing sets out to capture or eliminate her.

Intrigued by this General, Xiao Wei decides to stay and learn about this human emotion called love. She then plots her way into his heart although she knows that the general is already married to Pei Rong (Zhao Wei). Sensing a change in her husband's behavior ever since Xiao Wei's arrival, Pei Rong seeks the help of her ex-lover Pang Yong (Donnie Yen). Talk about complicating an already complicated problem. Pei Rong suspects that Xiao Wei is a demon spirit but Pang Yong initially brushes it off. Later with Xia Bing's help, Pang Yong is finally able to unmask Xiao Wei but Xiao Wei is not going to surrender without a fight.

Painted Skin I ends with Xiao Wei finally understanding what love really means but not all who loves get their happy endings.

Painted Skin II aka Painted Skin : The Resurrection picks up the tale 500 years later. We are told that due to her transgressions into the human world, Xiao Wei the fox spirit is imprisoned in a dungeon of eternal ice as punishment. A bird spirit, Qu Er (Yang Mi) however, comes across Xiao Wei's prison and inadvertently sets her free. Having being freed from her icy dungeon does not mean Xiao Wei is liberated however. She is persistently being pursued by forces unseen and unnamed that endeavors to trap her under the ice again.

Xiao Wei now plans to escape her fate by becoming human. To do so she must seek a mortal that has a strong and warm heart. The catch is that the human must be willing to give Xiao Wei her heart. She must not grab it by force.

Xiao Wei finds a suitable candidate in Princess Jing (Zhao Wei) who is on her way to the White City a border outpost. Unbeknownst to them, Princess Jing is also targeted by a the Tianlang kingdom (who practices black magic) for her strong heart. The Tianlang kingdom has offered an alliance with the king (Princess Jing's father) of the middle kingdom by way of marriage between the Tianlang's crown prince and Princess Jing.

Princess Jing, unwilling to be married off to a distant kingdom, goes AWOL to seek her one and only love Huo Xin (Chen Kun) who is the general in White City. Huo Xin is also in love with Princesss Jing but he blames himself for causing her disfigurement and believing that he is not worthy of being together with Princess Jing, exiles himself to the border outpost White City. In the same city lives a bungling demon hunter Pang Lang (Feng Shaofeng) who makes a living selling herbal medicine more than actual demon hunting. In fact Pang Lang has never even encountered a real demon before but the surname Pang seems to suggest that he is the descendant of Pang Yong and Xia Bing. Pang Lang finally gets his chance to meet demons when Xiao Wei and Qu Er comes to the city. He ends up making friends with Qu Er.

Xiao Wei takes advantage of the situation between Huo Xin and Jing to persuade Jing into giving Xiao Wei her heart willingly. Xiao Wei tricks Jing into believing that Hou Xin left Jing because of her now disfigured face. Xiao Wei offers a trade in which Jing has to offer Xiao Wei her heart for Xiao Wei's flawless looks. Jing agrees and the trade is made. Xiao Wei is now human with Jing's body while Jing gets Xiao Wei's body minus her heart.

Xiao Wei goes off for the arranged marriage while Jing (in Xiao Wei's body) remains with Huo Xin. When Xiao Wei reaches the Tianlang kingdom, she finds out too late that the marriage is a ruse and that she is now helpless as she no longer has her magical powers to help her escape. Qu Er however finds out about the swap and rushes off to tell Pang Lang who informs Hou Xin and they set off to rescue both Xiao Wei and Jing.
Both movies has great acting on the part of the leads. They also offer some slick action scenes but Painted Skin I comes out on top due to Donnie Yen's presence. The story is also pretty entertaining and is well worth a viewing but bear in mind that at the core, this is a tale about love and sacrifice in a fantasy setting. Sensual and beautiful. I'd recommend watching them.

Wow.

Have  you watched the 1980s Chinese Ghost Story Series??

(Please note that the original Enchanting Shadow a 1959 Shaw Brothers movie has the same Chinese name. Tsui Hark asked Mona Fong [Shaw Brothers] for permission to use the same name when he and Ching Siu-Tung was working on the 1987 version)

You mean the 'Siin Lui Yau Wan' (in Cantonese) series? Starring Leslie Cheung as scholar Ning Choi San and Joey Wong as Siu Siin?

If the above is the series you are talking about then yes. I've watched all 3 in the series.

The first in the series : A Chinese Ghost Story 1 or 'Siin Lui Yau Wan' starring Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong is the best of the 3. Tells the tale of how an innocent scholar ends up in a haunted temple controlled by a thousand year old tree demon. Siu Siin is a female ghost under the tree demon's control and her job is to seduce the men keeping them in the temple until the tree demon comes and devour them. Lucky for Ning Choi San, Siu Siin takes a liking to him as he's innocent, honest and naive. The 2 them teams up with Yin Chek Ha, a taoist exorcist to defeat the tree demon.
The second in the series : A Chinese Ghost Story 2 or 'Siin Lui Yau Wan II : Yan Kan Dou' is the worst of the lot. Deals with Ning Choi San coming across a girl that is the spitting image of Siu Siin but she is apparently human and not a ghost. Can't remember much after that but Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong reprises their roles and Lee Kar Yan also stars. This one lost the clever humor of the first movie and the story not as interesting.
The third in the series : A Chinese Ghost Story 3 or 'Siin Lui Yau Wan III : Dou Dou Dou' is also quite good. This one regained the humorous moments that the first movie had. This one stars Joey Wong as Siu Cheok rather than Siu Xiin. She is another ghost under the tree demon's control. It is said that the tree demon is too strong to be vanquished forever and has regained its strength and presides once again in the old abandoned temple in the first movie after a passing of 500 years. Tony Leung Chui Wai stars as Sap Fong a novice monk that travels with his master and ends up spending a night in the haunted temple. Also stars Jacky Cheung as a taoist exorcist also called Yin Chek Ha.

Given the time, the special effects look cheesy by today's standards but they were quite good back then. The acting was top notch from both Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung as well as Wu Ma and Jacky Cheung as Yin Chek Ha. Joey Wong is more eye candy than anything but she held her own too in the acting department. I guess the role of an lonely emo ghost suited her.

Entertaining stuff that's hard to come by in today's Hong Kong fares.

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

With 84 episodes of Star Trek The original Series, 178 episodes of Star Trek The Next Generation, 172 episodes of Star Trek Voyager, 176 episodes of Star Trek Deep Space Nine, 98 episodes of Star Trek Enterprise and NOT TO MENTION 12 theatrical films (phew, what a mouth full), can J.J. Abrams and gang pull of the impossible??!

Another fresh, original and fanboy pleasing Star Trek movie??

I believe the answer is YES!!

Story - fresh, original, entertaining, brilliant and there are themes that are revisited (I believe the Hollywood term is "re-imagine")
Pacing - Unbelievable
Cast - Perfect!
Action - Non stop
Picture Quality - Eye Popping Imax 3D
Sound Quality - Is the Enterprise chasing my A$$??!!

Downside??

You betcha. Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy I believe had since become fast friends. I believe Chris Pine had very cockily stated that he was to make Kirk his own character... I believe they are both channeling their predecessors... They are both developing... a pot belly...!  (Damn you form fitting Star Trek uniforms... Damn you...)

It have been more then 3 years since we last saw Chris as Kirk, and all the new found fame and wealth and my assumption partying is taking their toll on Chris... he has AGED!!

But I digress and I'm nitpicking...

I really hope that they make another Star Trek movie, WAY BEFORE fours years from now.

This movie is gonna make Paramount ALOT of money. The question is whether Paramount is willing to give all players their share so everyone will come back.

Another concern would be J.J Abrams had since sign on to another monster project, Star Wars VII...

Do I LOVE this movie?

If I wasn't being clear, HELL YES!!

DO I want more???

YES PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP.

As always...

My two Sen.

P.S. Please note that our Censorship board had decided to make 3 VERY OBVIOUS CUTS from the movie...

After watching thousand of Space-Science Fiction,

The Latest Star-Trek really to have grade A CG Effects.
But its story plot is really childish. At a unreasonable level.
( Consider the wrath of Khan, the movie has its dark side, but the plot are really childish, too much loophole )
Should make this a comedy better. Not action movie.

All the character inside think like Cartoon. Not well-trained Military.
Children would love it much. But an adult movie fans would found it too... unacceptable.

If its a comedy, it would be better.