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Reviews
The Village (2004)
Joaquin and M. Night rocks
The movie was really awesome! I have long since learned not to expect anything before watching any movies so as to not meet disappointment. But this has not stopped me from expecting a world of surprises from Joaquin and M. Night and disappoint me they did not. I was literally gripping my seat for the inevitable twists and turns in the plot and whatever was going to pop up! I went into the theatre giddy with anticipation of a great time and my $10.25 put to good use. I left the theatre knowing I can always count on Joaquin and M. Night to make my day. The other actors were amazing as well. Bryce Dallas Howard was truly a bright light in the shroud of mysticism. I HIGHLY recommend this movie to EVERYONE!!!
Elephant (2003)
simple
Elephant was a new way of looking at the Columbine shooting a few years ago. This wasn't a very in-depth look at the details or anything. This was like a superficial view of the inside. Nonetheless it is another great piece by Gus Van Sant. The directing was pretty good and the visionary behind the camera work is great. This is more so because it is the writer that is direction so it usually means that this is truer to what Van Sant wanted to convey. I enjoyed the upfront yet minimal look at the kids' lives. It very much mirrors the media frenzy that occured after the shooting but in a much calmer way.
The Last Samurai (2003)
The Best Movie This Year
Having seen the sneak preview two days ago I am still in awe of The Last Samurai. This is by far the best movie I have seen this year. I believe this to be Tom Cruise at his best. The foreign actors are superb down to the last child. The script and concept is great. I would not be surprised if The Last Samurai will be up for an Oscar or 10. As the Asian presence in mass media is slowly growing, this is by far the truest to Asian culture yet. The actors all carry on an air of importance and regality that is admirable in film today. I recommend this film to any lover of epic movies. The message is clear but still makes you think. Each battle scene, whether it is one-on-one or clash of the cultures, is choreographed superbly. The script is written just as elegantly. Indeed a movie for the lovers of real cinematic art.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Massacre of the Silver Screen
The remake of the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre is absolutely horrid. The actors are pretty good; convincing in their own characters. The problem with the movie is its overall teen thriller syndrome: flailing breasts, dumb heroics, wrong turns galore, and a supposed completing-the-circle ending. The only thing I found worthwhile was having laughs with my pseudo-date. I have not seen the original but I have no desire to watch it unless I'm craving for humor and have an uncanny desire to throw popcorn.
28 Days Later... (2002)
SCARY!
oh my god...this movie is ingenious on so many levels. some of the little details are what makes this movie great. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. the fact that is was filmed on tape instead of on digital film definitely adds a certain depth to it. excellent excellent film. i can't wait to see the alternate ending
Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
EXCELLENT movie
This is by far one of the best asian american film out there. there are so many isses addressed in that movie that i can defintely relate to being as i am asian american. perhaps some of the thigns in there were kind of extreme but i know what it's like to be a hard core student and needing and outlet...excellent film for all races.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Matrix Upgraded
the movie was amazing. the audience turnout was spectacular. i have never been to a movie where there was a line to get inside the theatre!! The Matrix series is the sci-fi trilogy of our times! the audience aura and reaction was beyond unbelievable.
The Matrix Reloaded was not as mindbending nor philosophically sophisticated as The Matrix (the first one) but this was a visual feat to be reckoned with. The first one was amazing visually too but this second one was a visual feat for the digital artists.
the storyline in this one is intricate. what you thought was essential no longer seems so important and what you thought the point of the story was becomes only a leg of the journey to the end.
the anticipation for the conclusion due out in november of this same year is almost too much to bear. i am lucky enough to catch it onthe day it opens...to keep me busy til november i will watch it again ...and again and again...
Spider (2002)
not exactly the feel-good movie of the year...
This film was superbly made. It only makes you wonder how difficult the book must have been to write. As far as the movie is concerned, it was mindblowing. It kept me guessing as to which part of what was reality and what was just in Spider's mind. The ending was quite odd. It gave me the feeling of a complete end to a story but at the same time so much is still left to the imagination. The storyline can become slow at serveral points but in the movie there is nothing that you want to miss.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
what are you trying to do?!
i am really surprised at this movie. this was a whole lot worse than i had anticipated. yea sure it was pretty cool what with all the races and the heist and all but theatrically it wasn't there. maybe it was just me watching it on a tiny bus tv system but i definitely didn't enjoy it as much as i thought i would. i love action movies. i love movies with race cars. but somehow this really didn't cut it for me. i mean i kinda got what the storyline was. it wasn't a big secret or anything but it was so superficial that i had absolutely no incentive to follow it. even with romantic comedies i know the guy always gets the girl but somehow i find it so relieving when he does! but with the fast and the furious there was absolutely no satisfaction at the end. the people who made the trailer definitely did the wise thing by not putting in the "plot" into the trailer. leaving it out probably did more good than harm. i would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to just sit and watch a movie. no thinking involved. just sit back, relax, and watch it.
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
saving the human psyche
this movie is amazing. not only is it a great war movie but it is also a great window on the human psyche. i can say that it's a movie about honor but it's so much more than that. it's about everything else as well. there really are no words to explain what this movie is about except that it is a lesson on honor and...everything else. this is a really bad review but i would be dumbfounded if an adequate description of the underlying lesson existed. it's a feeling you get when you watch the movie. it makes you rethink the rules of war versus basic survival instincts. and war reflects everything that happens in life. i take that back. war magnifies every human emotion and human reaction. this movie does a magnificent job at portraying it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
pure movie critique
i for one did not read any of the LOTR books. what i know about the series is what little i read of The Hobbit four long years ago. so going into the movie theatre i had the benefit of not knowing anything other than jrr tolkien had written the original story! i had the best time watching it. compared to my friends who had read FOTR recently i enjoyed it better. i didn't nitpick about details because it's really hard to nitpick about something i didn't know anything about. my only complaint is that i didn't really follow the story what with the names and such. actually that's not entirely true. the visual FX of the movie just really blew me away. the middle part of the movie was a little less exciting compared to the rest of the movie. i was by no means bored but it was definitely less action packed. but the last scene just drew my right back. i couldn't believe the movie was over! but then again the movie wasn't exactly over...there are just 2 one-year intermissions!
Black Hawk Down (2001)
that's a go go go!!
BHD is not like any other war movie i've ever seen. this is a great MICROCOSMIC look at warfare.
i loved the gore and the raw look at war. normally war movies show just the combat or over emphasize the honor part. but somehow BHD manages to smoothly spread both elements evenly throughout the entire movie.
the actors were amazing and the cinematography was crazzy!
this is a must-see for war buffs!
Le Cinquième Élément (1997)
interesting....
indeed it was! the movie 's plot is not the most original but some of the dialogue was great. chris tucker was really funny. milla jovovich was really awesome in this movie. bruce willis...well he's bruce willis. it's got some of the classic bruce willis butt-kicking action and some of the romance that almost always appears in his movies. this was a good movie. i've watched it 6 times and i still find it extremely enjoyable everytime. the "diva" session was unbelievable. the graphics and costumes were cool too. it's a fun movie!
Legally Blonde (2001)
like, yea!
this movie was a blast to watch at 4 in the morning! it's funny and the entire idea of a total airhead gettin into harvard law was just hilarious!! it's great for people who have serious insecurities when it comes to waiting for college and grad school acceptance. this is just a really fun movie to watch. this is good to watch by yourself or with a bunch of your friends at 4 in the morning. this is really on the "chick flick" side of the movie spectrum but i guess guys can have a fun night watching it too; reese and ali aren't bad to look at either. and there's a good lesson for them to learn too!
The Matrix (1999)
The Matrix...More Than Meets the Eye...
the first time i saw the movie i saw it for the sake of watching the movie. there was a lot of hype so i watched it to see what the hype was all about. it was ultra mindboggling but it was totally awesome. at that time i would've given the movie 8 stars.
that was then..this is now...
i recently saw the movie for my philosophy class. if it wasn't for that class and my supercool teacher i would never have realized that The Matrix is one large piece of collective philosophy. every single line (besides "WHOA!" of course) has a very strong link to certain philosophies including buddhism and such. i was utterly amazed at the dialogue and weeklong discussion the class had about it. i kid you not when i say that the class was extremely saddened to leave that discussion behind. there is so much to discuss.
this movie is for the action lovers AND the philosophy buffs! a double whammy for me!!
Pulp Fiction (1994)
royale wit cheese...
yes...this movie was something cool just like the royale wit cheese. ok so that didn't make any sense at all but i do have a point i want to make with that. in the beginning the not much of the movie made much sense. it just seemed like an endless string of ministories. but boy was i wrong! it all makes sense one way or the the other by the end of the movie.
the dialogue was amazing. the script could not have been written better for this kind of movie. it was funny and inventive, especially samuel l. jackson's soliloquy towards the end. all in all, this movie is a must see. i saw it 4 times myself. enjoy!!
Gangs of New York (2002)
this is one amazing movie!
Gangs of New York was a fabulous movie. The historical accuracy was astounding! I am proud to say that from the movie i found that i live in the Five Points district glorified in this movie. This movie was so awe inspiring that it urged me to take a NYC History course at school.
The plot was direct but well delivered by all the actors. Leonardo DiCaprio's performance was surprisingly good after his acting disapointment in Titanic. Cameron Diaz's acting was a surprise as well. It was a pleasure to see older faces in there as well as new faces working together so finely to make this movie. Though quite gorey as times, the battles were exhilerting and the tension between the characters really shone through making Gangs of New York the amazing movie that is it. Although the plot's ending was touching, the movie's own conclusion really makes one think about the meaning of and the point to life.
All in all, i would recommend anyone to see Gangs of New York and to take me with you as i would gladly sit there for another three hours for this movie!
Gangs of New York (2002)
this is one amazing movie!
Gangs of New York was a fabulous movie. The historical accuracy was astounding! I am proud to say that from the movie i found that i live in the Five Points district glorified in this movie. This movie was so awe inspiring that it urged me to take a NYC History course at school.
The plot was direct but well delivered by all the actors. Leonardo DiCaprio's performance was surprisingly good after his acting disapointment in Titanic. Cameron Diaz's acting was a surprise as well. It was a pleasure to see older faces in there as well as new faces working together so finely to make this movie. Though quite gorey as times, the battles were exhilerting and the tension between the characters really shone through making Gangs of New York the amazing movie that is it. Although the plot's ending was touching, the movie's own conclusion really makes one think about the meaning of and the point to life.
All in all, i would recommend anyone to see Gangs of New York and to take me with you as i would gladly sit there for another three hours for this movie!
Quills (2000)
Phoenix and Rush were ROBBED!
That's right! Joaquin Phoenix and Geoffrey Rush were definitely robbed of their Oscars for their performance in Quills.
Historically accurate, this movie really shows the inner workings of the demons during the French Revolution and the eternally twisted mind of the Marquis de Sade. Phoenix's portrayal of the Abbe is simply excellent. While his nomination for Gladiator that year was well earned, i think that his performance in Quills would have been a more competitive candidate for the best supporting actor category. While Rush was nominated for the best actor category, he definitely did not get the recognition that he should have gotten even if it was just a nomination. Russell Crowe's Oscar was hard earned but i think that his performance compared to Rush's was enhanced only by the hype. Rush's portrayal of the Marquis was uncannily awesome. By no means do i think that Crowe was not deserving of his award but i feel that Rush was more deserving of it.
Othello (1995)
shakespeare rules
shakespeare's plays have a way of transcending time. The language somehow breaks the time barrier. but perhaps it is the actors who really do that.
after the disappointment in Romeo and Juliet (the version with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio), was hesitant take on another modern rendition of Shakespeare. To my surprise Othello was great!
Iago's character was played so well by the Kenneth fellow! even thoough Iago is really evil and despicable, the character was played so well that it does what shakespeare intended for the charater to be, a pleasure for the audience to hate. i have to say that fishburne's performance here was really good as well.
i recommend this for shakespeare scholars and lazy students (who refuse to read the book) alike.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
i saw it THREE times!!
The movie was amazing! Granted that i have never read the books, the script comes together very well for the most part! The action sequences were elegant and extremely fun to watch. The computer graphics were amazing too! i like this one a more than the first one but i would pay to watch either one again! i can't wait til the next one comes out!
Moonlight Mile (2002)
more than i had expected!!
the tagline,"in life and love, expect the unexpected," was extremely cliche but the movie was anything but. the movie was full of surprises both with the plotline and the script. the comic relief was great to cut the tension in the movie. the movie was extraordinary. this is deserving of at least 4 or 5 oscars for whatever an oscar is worth..let's not get into that discussion...but this film is definitely worth some sort of recognition. the movie was simple but oh so complicated. this film is by no means a "chick flick". go see it. you will be blown away...
xXx (2002)
decent film!!
XXX wasn't a bad film. it was pretty good! vin isn't in his acting prime here but the action pretty much compensated for that. the movie was a little predictable but it's all good! this type of movie is usually what is expected of guys to go see but surprisingly there were 5 times as many girls as guys in the theatre and that's no exaggeration!! the soundtrack is killer!
Signs (2002)
this is an amazing film!!!
Wow!! This movie was a lot more than I had expected it to be. This entire movie was filled with surprises...comedic, horrific..the whole deal. wow!! This might not seem to the usual Shyamalan movie but when you listen to the dialogue you'll see that is it every bit of it! GO SEE IT!!! HURRY!!!!