‘BEEN DOING SOME CATCHING UP on our growing pile of DVDs at home in the past six to eight weeks. ‘Just thought of making a short note for each movie I’ve seen before some of them disappear in my consciousness forever.
21 – Good plot. Very entertaining. Kevin Spacey is just awesome.
88 Minutes (Al Pacino) – great plot, spellbinding suspense, kept me guessing to the very end.
American Gangsters – another great period movie. Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe are a powerhouse tandem.
A Mighty Heart – heart-breaking.† But a must-see movie.
Bucket List – Depressing at first but it turned out to be a great movie. Movie is quite emotionally charged.
Deception (Ewan MacGregor and Hugh Jackman) – Shrewed plot but pace is rather slow and boring. Forgettable.
Flood – Good natural calamity movie. That it is set in London instead of the usual Manhattan (or even Japan) is a welcome relief.† The effects are great though they are not as dramatic as the movie’s trailer wove it to be. The plot focused on the relationship dynamics among the lead roles which I find to be another welcome change from the typical disaster movies.
Heartbreak Kid.† Sick movie.† I didn’t find it funny at all.† Ben Stiller must start choosing his movies else his legions of fans will start to leave in droves.
Horton Hears a Who? - clean and pure entertainment. Great screenplay based on a great Dr. Seuss story. Lovable cartoon characters.
King Solomon’s Mines – this is a rather old movie we found from a VCD sale in Shopwise, starting Richard Chamberlain and guess who? Sharon Stone. It’s quite entertaining and perhaps even comparable to Indiana Jones’ Temple of Doom and Raider’s of the Lost Ark, which seem like its contemporaries. Made me wonder why there weren’t any sequel to it. It’s interesting to see Sharon Stone screaming and fumbling, and still very young and fresh-looking. †She was quite a looker even way back then.
Street Kings - I expected more from Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker in this movie. Good enough story but quite forgettable.
Sex and the City – I didn’t really watch it.† I was working while my roommate was watching it (I swear!). I guess the story wasn’t that interesting for I wasn’t tempted enough to drop what I was doing to watch it.† I’ll be fair. There were a number of great dialogues, alright — oohs, aahs, moans and screams. Guys, leave this to the ladies. You’ll be better off with your “scandals.”
The Art of War, Betrayal - completely forgettable. Wesley Snipes hasn’t have a good movie for years. His tax troubles must be taking its toll.
The Bee Movie – great entertainment. Enjoyed it immensely although I was skeptical at first.
The Brave One – Jodie Foster managed to surprise me with some sexy scenes, showing some nips and quite a lot of skin. The movie itself is quite forgettable though so I wonder whether Jodie’s daring gamble may have been put to naught.
The Cleaners – Another of Samuel Jackson’s rather ordinary movies. Good thing he is such a good and versatile actor he easily recovers from†forgettable movies like this.
The Eye – Good plot. Some really creepy scenes. Nice twist. †Jessica Alba looks good even when she’s blind.
The Golden Compass – the movie has an engaging plot. Being the first of another book-based trilogy its ending is anticlimactic as expected. At the very least I was curious considering the supposed outrage it created among the highest echelon of power in the Catholic Church. I did find some somewhat disturbing notions suggested, quite subliminally, by the author. A person’s soul, for instance, is referred to as “demon,” which I suspect, is a subtle suggestion that the term “demon” is not necessarily bad.† Hollywood has a track record of successfully altering people’s perception of certain concepts. Take witches for example. A few decades ago, witches are clearly and unequivocally bad. Now tell that to the generation saturated with Sabrina, Charmed, Bewitched, and of course Harry Potter.
The Great Debaters – very good period movie. Powerful performances by Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker.
The Happening (Mark Wahlberg, John Leguizamo) – Title should have been “What Happened?” Completely forgettable. I’ll take that back. you don’t really forget stupid movies like this. M. Night Shyamalan‘s downward spiral is unstoppable.
The Road to Terabithia – Depressing. Not a movie to watch if you are looking for some relaxation.
The Simpsons Movie†- Yes I just watched the Simpsons and I enjoyed it a lot. I guess I am quite biased because Bart has always been my favorite cartoon character so let’s get other people’s opinions. Marielle, my 5-yr old sweetheart slept within 15 minutes so I guess it’s safe to say she didn’t like it. Three-year old Johan intently watched with me ’til the very end, so it’s 2-to-1 in favor of Homer and family. My ex-girlfriend didn’t like it, never liked the dysfunctional Simpsons family ever since (which sort of like she is missing the point, don’t you think?). So it’s an even score.† Apparently, boys like it, girls don’t.
Untraceable – Diane Lane still has the sex appeal she’s been always famous for. Good detective-mystery movie.
Wanted – Great effects. Great stunts. Lots of blood and gore, just the way I like it. Be forewarned though. It is not an Angelina Jolie movie as what the movie poster and trailer lead people to believe. Not even a Morgan Freeman movie.† Old Hollywood dirty trick and it works all the time, capitalizing on big-name stars even when the big stars are not in the lead role. Still Angelina is stunningly sexy even in a supporting role.
Warlords – Jet Li gave a superb acting performance in this movie. But I had a headache tying to understand the hideous English subtitle (the movie is in Chinese). Damn pirated DVDs!
You don’t mess with the Zohan – Hilarious. Vulgar. Obscene. If you are just looking for a laugh, this is it. Don’t watch with your kids, though.
†
