Reviews Written by alex
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August 1, 2007
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April 15, 2007
London in chaos
Pros: fast paced, lots of war action
Cons: brutality, extreme violence, and a few gory scenes
This futuristic film presents a very chaotic scenario in London. There is anarchy, filth, garbage, motorized tricycle cabs, and even slums in the streets of London in the year 2027. All immigrants and foreign nationals are declared illegal by the state. And they are actually caged in the streets. Urban terrorists/
rebels/ ...extremists abound in the city and the government acts like a totalitarian or fascist regime. The last known living infant in 18 years, Baby Diego, is reportedly killed. And everyone is saddened by it because everyone is infertile.
And we see a seemingly unaffected, but vulnerable-looking bureaucrat as the leading character named Theo played by Clive Owens. And he wears rubber flip-flops.
And so Theo was somewhat forced to undertake a "mission" requested by his estranged wife to "smuggle" Kee, a pregnant african woman out of the city for delivery to "The Human Project." What this project is, is quite vague and unclear to us. We also wonder why the rebels or extremists (headed by Kee's rebel boyfriend) would want to kill the baby!
The brutal fights scenes or war/combat scenes and the destruction remind us of the movies BlackHawk Down and The Pianist.
Overall, we appreciate this film giving us a glimpse of a what-if worst case scenario even though some of the scenes may seem improbable or highly unlikely to happen.
The story ends in Theo's tragic fate but we liked how the film ended with a bright hope for Kee and her baby, the last known living baby survivor as they are successfully brought to safety. -
April 4, 2007
A Fairytale for Adults
Pros: magical, excellent cinematography and special effects
Cons: graphic violence, brutality and gore
We are real suckers for strange fairytales! Not just the ordinary ones, that is. And when we first start watching Pan's Labyrinth, I knew right then and there that this film would totally drawn us in to a very intense, riveting plot and yes, we were in for quite a surprise.
Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del fauno) is an enchanting, magical tale for grownups and at the same time a realistic story of people living under the regime of spanish dictator Franco in the 1940s. It depicted a political power struggle against the fascist government that resulted in a civil war. However, Pan's Labyrinth is mainly a story about a young girl who has a magical world of her own, and how in this world, she would escape the harsh reality of her life.
Although some may perceive this to be a tragic fairy tale, it can also be seen as a triumph of will and right discretion in the life of an innocent girl. And there is redemption, at last.
Quite moving, in the end. ... -
March 30, 2007
Kolya is lovable!
Pros: heartwarming story amidst a political turmoil in Prague
Cons: some naughty scenes, subtitled
This film managed to captivate our attention in its entirety. We found this film to be really engaging.
And so we see Kolya is a story of a bachelor celloist who became an unwilling surrogate dad to an abandoned 5 year old russian boy, named Kolya, amidst the political upheaval in Prague in the late 80s. And that political turmoil is now referred to in Czech history as The Velvet Revolution.
That boy Kolya, (derived from Nikolai) is a picture of innocence. And as the film progresses you just can't help but feel pity and concern for the little tyke. You'ld fall into a guilt trap and experience emotional attachment as what actually happened to the bachelor in the story.
We liked the musical scoring of this film. Stringed instruments with haunting melodies really soften our hearts and stir our emotions.
This film not only won us, it won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, as well. ... -
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
by Larry Charles | VideoMarch 21, 2007
Playing tricks on everyone
Pros: stupidly funny, adult/toilet humor, laugh-out-loud cheap situational comedy with drama
Cons: subversive, irreverent, twisted, and insulting,
We pity the people whom Borat encountered in this movie. Sasha Cohen as Borat played a convincing con role as a Kazakh reporter who has successfully played tricks on everyone he meet on his US tour. What this movie does is basically capitalize on people's innocence and good intentions as we observe Borat twist every situation to make it look funny and ridiculous. We see it as the movie version of Ashton Kutcher's Are You Punk'd or The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.
This movie is highly offensive. So if you have fine sensibilites, stay away. It is like enjoying the humour derive in Jackass or in one of the Jerry Springer shows.
One saving grace though, it exposes american and kazakh culture, at its best (or its worst, depending on how you look at it). ... -
March 3, 2007
Lord of Darkness meets Jack
Pros: Excellent memorable fantasy characters
Cons: An hour and a half is not enough. We want more of it actually.
This is one of those memorable movies that legends, myths, and fantasy fairy tales are made of. It is quite surprising for us to learn that Ridley Scott (of Gladiator and Alien fame) directed a wonderful fantasy love story in "Legend". And in this movie, you will meet Oona, a Tinkerbell type fairy, who fell in love with the handsome forest lad named Jack played by Tom Cruise,(who really looked boyish at that time). And there are other memorable characters too in this film rivaling that of those in the Lord of the Rings. Hobbits, elves, unicorns, and a damsel in distress are brought to life in this tale which depicits an immortal battle between good and evil. Lord of Darkness played by Tim Curry is such an imposing, scary character.
And we liked the musical scoring of this film played by Tangerine Dream, one of our faves.
And so we rate this movie as one of our favorite fantasy movie of all time. ... -
February 12, 2007
Vittorio de Sica's classic masterpiece
Pros: an intense emotional rollercoaster ride
Cons: none
Excellent film! Bravo, Mr. De Sica!
This film indeed is a very moving depiction of man's dark nature and the intense drama of human survival.
Set in post-war Rome, a father and his son must find their bicycle, the only means of livelihood, after it was stolen on his first day on the job. And what follows in the process of searching is an emotional journey for both father and son.
It is interesting to note also the signs of those times and how society acted under such conditons.
We are so carried away by the film and this is mainly due to the excellent musical scoring of the film.
This is a must-see film as it has so much depth. ... -
February 12, 2007
Fixated on Drew Barrymore
Pros: funny, hilarious, and inspiring
Cons: whimsical, capricious, and neurotically obsessed
This doc film is all about an ordinary, simple guy named Brian Herzlinger who, jobless at that time, tried to get a date with Drew Barrymore with the aid of his friends. This relentless guy would do anything to accomplish it.
The story started off in pathetic mode where he told his audience of his intense wish and desire to be with Drew and meet her face to face. And among his plans was to do a video proposal for Drew to see by filming himself with the use of a "borrowed" video camera from Circuit City and 1000 dollar price he won on a gameshow.
You'll be surprised at the lengths this guy and his friends will go through to succeed. And there are lots of funny moments along the way.
So we enjoyed the film. The end was inspiring and uplifitng. ... -
December 30, 2006
a fresh take on an old samurai film
Pros: samurai action, comedy, and drama
Cons: gory special effects
Back in the 70s, countless samurai movies were being shown worldwide. And one of them that is being given a fresh, new adaptation is Takeshi Kitano9;s "Zatoichi: the Blind Swordsman". Mr. Kitano is both the director and the principal actor of the film and we admire his portrayal of the main character, his presentation of the story imbued with suspenseful samurai action and unexpected comedy.Different character studies were presented in the story like the geishas seeking revenge, the village idiot, Zatoichi's comedic friend in gambling, and Zatocihi himself, a skilled samurai, masquerading as a masseur.
We liked this story for its unexpected twists and surprises.
If you don't mind seeing the goriness of cutting limbs and spilling blood, and if you liked Kill Bill, see this one. The outcome can be over the top and will seem fantastic but we liked how the story flowed. ... -
December 26, 2006
Lost and Claustrophobic
Pros: really scary scenes, excellent acting
Cons: not for kids, they'll get nightmares for sure
This is one those horror films that we rate highly. So yes, it is no ordinary horror story because the makers have succeeded in scaring us.
It is all about recovering from a loss and being lost. This film tells about a group of women cave explorers who went on a planned weekend retreat and tragically ended up being lost. So if you can deal with tragedy, this one is it.
And we see award-winning acting, specially by the lead actor Shauna MacDonald. Take note of filipina, australia-based actor, Natalie Mendoza. we're quite impressed with her acting too. very realistic. they'll bring you to an emotional roller-coaster ride.
And yes, this fim will bring you to the edge of your seat and make you hold your breath. ...
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A Sad Revelation
0 of 1 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: highly informative and educational
Cons: a bit of information overload
Imagine a vast lake disappearing in the heart of Africa, snow peaks and glaciers disappearing in the americas, europe, and antartica, super typhoons and severe flooding in china and the rest of asia....all these are shown in Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth. Mr. Gore is on a mission and in this movie he is quite clear in imparting that. Yes, it is all about saving our planet. And he urges everyone to do his/part. Heavy CO2 and GHGs (green house gasses) emissions are the culprit and they are converting our dear earth into one giant oven! This claim is backed up by loads of scientific evidence and the outcome/side effects on nature are very obvious to all of us.
This documentary is a must-see. Watch this movie and BE ENLIGHTENED. ...