Me Before You (2016)

This kind of movie will not be my first pick when you see me at the box office queue. It will not be my second or third pick either but heck, there comes a time when it would be your only pick. So pick it I did. And, surprise, surprise it wasn't all that bad. In fact it did leave me with some real world questions at the end and not many movies could do that.

Me Before You is a movie adaptation of a novel with the same name with the screenplay done by the author. It's a romantic tear-jerker and well, I would say that the ladies won't stand a chance against this one.

This movie does not end like the typical romance flicks but I thought that was part of the charm. Emilia Clarke was lovable as Louisa Clark and Sam Calflin is much too handsome for Will Traynor. Their performances are what carries the movie and the cinematography is beautiful.

Go watch this with your girlfriend and surprise her for once for not picking the usual fare. Afterwards the both of you could sit in a cafe and debate the ending. Nice way to spend a Sunday, right?


Rating : 2.5 stars out of 5 and remember to bring a pack of tissues for the girlfriend.

Ghostbusters (2016)

30 years ago, the Ghostbusters were introduced to the world in a movie that became a classic. Those of us who saw that movie in the cinemas then are now, well, how shall I put it? Let's just say we are not that young anymore. So how is this new Ghostbusters? I am glad to say that it is quite ok.

The new Ghostbusters is a reboot. It is meant for a whole new generation of movie viewers who were not around when the original came out. It's a new millenium's reboot and I must say the story do parallel that of the original with a few tweaks here and there. Most notably is the team is now all female.

For those of you who have watched and loved the original, go in with no expectations and you will be entertained. The jokes are there and they can get a few laughs out of you. The one to watch out for is Holtzman played by Kate McKinnon. She's a riot.

The pacing is good and the story flows along smoothly. The special effects are great even if the ghosts do lean more towards looking a little cartoonish but it's fine.

There are also plenty of tributes to the original classic thus those of you who saw the original do keep an eye out, ya?

The one thing that grates on my nerves is perhaps Chris Hemsworth's character. They made him a ditzy blonde dude instead of a bimbo who got the job as the receptionist for the Ghostbusters. Thing is I do not buy his act for one second! The gals don't seem to mind though.

So, what are you waiting for? The Ghostbusters are back and it's worth the admission price!


Rating : 3 stars out of 5 (0.5 stars added for nostalgia)

Jason Bourne (2016)

Two words : SHAKY CAM.

Yup. That ruined it for me. So shaky you can't even see what is what and who is hitting who. Just plenty of action but no real impact, much like the plot. You can safely give this a miss.

Ratings : 2 out of 5 stars



Star Trek : Beyond (2016)

A fun movie. Gives you a feel that it is a long episode of the 70's TV series. Not that it's bad but it's just an episode in the series or franchise. Not one you'll really remember but far from being the worst.

Ratings : 3 out of 5 stars

Suicide Squad (2016)

The cinematography is fine. The cast is doing the best they could. The SFX is good. All seems well but something is very obviously missing and the missing ingredient is affecting the movie greatly.

DC has to really get it together. If you don't know yet, the missing vital ingredient is a good story to wrap the cast, cinematography and SFX around.

Off the bat, Suicide Squad is better than Batman v Superman but it still suffers from a weak plot.

Will Smith and Margot Robbie are great to watch but the story falls apart after the character intro.

Whatever this review says, people will still go watch this. It's fine to kill a couple of hours but I don't think this is the magic bullet Warner Bros and DC is hoping for.

Rating : 2.5 stars out of 5

This post has been edited by shootkk: Aug 5 2016, 10:10 AM

Kingsglaive : Final Fantasy XV (2016)


So I caught this movie the other day. The Final Fantasy(FF) label caught my eye and the trailer convinced me to get the ticket.
This movie was directed by the same person that directed Final Fantasy VII : Advent Children. That movie was quite good. The last FF movie I caught in the cinema was FF : The Spirits Within. I also liked that one but most people did not.

There are lots of big names in this animated movie. The cast of voice actors include Lena Headey and Sean Bean (yup, that Sean Bean in yet another medieval flick and yes, he is a king that gets iced during the show). But for all that star power Kingsglaive was just OK. For those uninitiated, this movie is one of the parts that will make up the Final Fantasy XV franchise. The game will come out next year and pick up where the movie ended or so I'm told. There is also an anime short series on the net but I haven't seen that one. In short, I am not the movie's target audience.

Briefly, the movie deals with 2 kingdoms; Lucis and Niflheim. Niflheim is the evil empire and goes on a world domination spree. Only Lucis and its capital, Insomnia stands in the way. Lucis is protected by a magical crystal that powers a shield around it. The crystal also grants the king of Lucis, King Regis, magical powers. The king in turn channel this power to the Kingsglaive, a battalion of elite royal guards, to fight for the king.

The movie deals with Nyx Ulric, one of the Glaives, and the events that happen in and around Insomnia. The animation is great to look at. The SFX is also equally well done. The world is a curious mix of modern tech and ancient mystical magic architecture. Everything looks great but the plot feels kind of lacking. I am afraid that the problem that plagues Hollywood is no stranger for Japanese film makers also. When you stop gaping at the big action set pieces and the frantic action, you often find yourself questioning why the characters are doing what they are doing. Sadly, the answers don't quite make sense. This is true especially for Princess Lunafreya, the female lead, of the movie. She is supposed to be the driving force for those who believe in all that is fair and just but her actions are often plain dumb and senseless.

The questions of why she is there in the first place and what actual role she has to play in all the conflict do not get answered satisfactorily at all even when the credits started to roll. And in there is where Kingsglaive as a movie fails.

I guess this one is purely for the fans of the game who intends to play the game.

Rating : 2 stars out of 5

Pete's Dragon (2016)

This is one old fashioned fairy tale. The ones similar to those your parents read for your bedtime way back then.

Yes. It is that kind of fairy tale for that kind of demographics. Pete's Dragon is a family movie aimed at kids around 6 to 8 years old.

It's all about a magical, mythical creature that befriends a young boy. One that you will not see unless you believe and where love and friendship will see you through.

Take the kids and let the kid in you out and enjoy the ride.

I am so glad they did not try to make it 'more realistic' like what the other movies did. This one is for the kids. Almost no one makes fairy tales like this anymore.


Rating : 3 out of 5 stars.

Train to Busan (2016)

This movie is completely entertaining. It's fast paced and relentless. It shocks and the action is top notch but best of all it gives you characters you can root for and cringe at when the danger mounts.

If you don't already know, this is a Korean take on the zombie genre. All on a bullet train no less!

Get the tickets and board this train!

Ratings : 3 out of 5 stars