Tag: Movie Review

Movies: Hancock & Wanted

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As I was on leave today, I went to watch “Hancock” at GV Marina. I would have watched it at GV Jurong Point, but the first show clash with my meet up with my friend (who is also my insurance agent), and the second one is at 10pm.

As we already know from watching the trailers, Hancock (Will Smith) is this drunkard, bad ass hero that goes around Los Angeles dealing with the crime and the problems. Unfortunately, when getting the job done, Hancock’s methods usually caused the city a large amount of money in damage. As a result, the people of LA are very upset with his vigilantism even though Hancock participation has kept the crime rate in check. The story revolves around how PR Executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), in gratitude of being saved from certain death by Hancock, take it upon himself to help Hancock remake his image.

To do so, Ray set up for Hancock a series of steps to take in order regain the trust and appreciation of the very people he is saving and protecting, and as a result also led Hancock to re-discover something about his true self.

How do I like the movie? Well, just like any movie where you get Morgan Freeman, most Will Smith movies can never be too bad. While I did enjoy the early part of the movie very much as it was quite funny looking, especially that part where the criminals Hancock put in jail confronted him when he went to prison. However, I felt it to be a little dry at the middle part when he became our usual prim and proper hero and I definitely didn’t quite like the ending.

On a scale of 1 – 5, I’ll give 4 for entertainment, 3.5 for story and 3 for ending. And yes, there’s a short “after credits”… if it can be called that as it is shown before the names of the cast.

And by the way, even though in the end Ray did achieve his objective into remaking Hancock, I doubt a real life Ray would have any luck in remaking the image of certain Community Managers Manglers. But what can be learn from the movie is Hancock’s moral courage – his willingness to listen to criticisms even when he didn’t like to hear them – and bravely do what is necessary to change for the better.

I watched “Wanted” two or three weeks ago, also at GV Marina with an old friend who didn’t have much time to meet up with friends ever since he has gotten married.

The story revolves around Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), the rare mega-loser you probably won’t find among your acquaintance or in your office. Wesley’s life begin to change when he met Fox (Angelina Jolie), who inducted him into a Fraternity of assassins with special powers run by Sloan (Morgan Freeman).

Wesley was told of his real ‘identity’ and was subjected to a series of devilish training to succeed the position of and to avenge his father he never knew. As you have seen in the trailers, Wesley would ultimately learn the special skill – curve the bullet (sort of like Obi-Wan and Yoda training Luke Skywalker in the Force kinda stuff). He would then go on to meet his destiny – getting the mission to kill his father’s killer – Cross (Thomas Kretschmann), a former member of the Fraternity.

What do I think of the movie? Well, grossly over-hyped and too much blasted computer graphics! The only redeeming quality of the show, as I jokingly told chaosdingo some time back, is the view of Angelina Jolie’s back and butt crack as she comes out the bath (though I think the freaking tattoo sucks but I am not Brad Pitt so what the heck.).

Anyway, Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie more than make up in acting what is lacking in substance and it is not too often I see Morgan Freeman in the kind of role he plays in this movie.

On a scale of 1 – 5, I’ll give 3.5 for entertainment, 3.5 for storyline and 3 for ending. While there is an unexpected twist almost near the end of the movie, it wasn’t so much of a shock or a novelty. If you won’t consider it spoilers, I would like to say I considered it a tribute to Star Wars.

On thinking back, if there is anything to learn from this movie, it would be not to be too trusting to what is apparent or circumstantial and unverifiable. You won’t know when you might end up getting stabbed in the back or being used to further another person’s agenda.

Anyway, when one considers that tragic ending (watch it to find out!), it is certainly wiser for one to leave and to stand on one’s own principles, even if that means facing and fighting the very Fraternity he once believed in and is a part of.

Movie: 10000B.C., 江山美人 & 卧虎

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10,000 B.C.
No regrets or disappointments watching this since I wasn’t expecting much from it anyway. Downloaded it to test if SingNet was blocking WebThunder as it didn’t seem to connect the whole evening. Left the computer running and when I woke up and download has completed so what the heck…

Nothing spectacular in this movie either: Prophecy & mysticism, raiders that goes far and wide to raid and capture slaves, velociraptors that looks like berserk ostriches, unlikely hero against impossible odds, allies and friends from unexpected places, stigma the son bears of a father’s unexplained departure, pyramids and slaves that requires freeing (Moses!), deformed men living behind veils claiming to be Gods, and the hero in the movie winning the beauty at the end after all his trials. The same old plot we see all too often. The only thing missing was T-Rex or Godzilla rampaging around at the end of the movie, but in their place were rampaging mammoths… and many of them.

The story ended with a large scale rebellion or uprising and a good spear throw. You are not missing anything if you had given this a miss.

The Empress and Her Warriors [江山美人]
There used to be another movie going by the same name a long time ago, a tragic story about an Emperor taking a vacation from his palace to Jiangnan [江南] and discovering a beauty. After some flirting in songs, the beauty and the Emperor fell in love. Unfortunately, upon bringing her back to his palace, she was rejected by the Dowager for her commoner status and she ultimately died of loneliness, sickness and sadness.

This is not that story. Instead this was the story of an outcast (黎明 Leon Lai), an orphan whose parents are unknown (甄子丹 Donnie Yan) and a princess (陈慧琳 Kelly Chen), who became the successor upon the murder of her own injured father, and the support of the orphan who became a general in the kingdom’s army. The ending was quite tragic as well, though I’ll prefer not to reveal more details on that.

Of course, in a setting like this, there is palace intrigue and conspiracies, leading to an attempted assassination of the Empress-to-be, and her fated meeting with the outcast. Near the end of the movie, the Empress-to-be finally discovering who the murderer is and avenged her father. So ultimately, the good guys did win, but at a tremendously high cost in lives.

As to the costume, the armor is outlandish even though it appears to be set in some medieval age in China. I do not really like the movie, because some parts of the plot was unrealistic. If it was the intention of the script writers and directors of the movie to encourage the people to see beyond their petty international squabbles and put aside their hatred, that isn’t going to happen at all. You aren’t losing much, if you give this movie a miss.


10,000 B.C.


江山美人


卧虎

Operation Undercover [卧虎]
This was Wang Jing’s [王晶] attempt around 2006 at a undercover story riding on the coattails of The Infernal Affairs [无间道] Trilogy, allegedly based on real undercover stories and an operation by the HK Police’s Organised Crime and Triads Bureau [aka O 记].

In fact, it is of no surprise that in the movie, several of the actors were from the cast of Infernal Affairs II [无间道 II]. While I normally write off movies directed by Wang, this movie was atypical. In fact, I would say it is quite well done in some places where the agony of the undercover policemen and the hazards they faced are vividly portrayed. Some of these involved the killing of fellow policemen in the course of undercover work, getting killed in the course of duty, and finding it hard to return to normal life after long periods as a triad member.

Meantime, it also portrays the power struggles within the Triads, of members vying to be the next leader and their plots to oust and discredit their fellow rivals. Of course, you also see the ‘good’ guys within the Triad itself, one who honors his vows of brotherhood to his fellow members, and did everything for the unity of the Triad itself.

While it was nothing as dramatic as The Infernal Affairs [无间道] itself, I would say it is a pretty good movie. I didn’t regret watching it.