Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 5
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: Kevin Spacey as an MIT professor leads a team of bright students (Jim Sturgess as the leading actor and Kate Bosworth as his team member) counting cards and making money on blackjack tables in Las Vegas with Laurence Fishburne hot on their trail.
What's good: Cinematography was good. Kate Bosworth was very attractive, and definitely adds much needed flavor to this movie.
What's bad: Other than the above mentioned good points, it's hard to mention any other good points. The stand-out weakness of this movie is its lack of story development and climax. I feel a monotone from the beginning to the end.
Bottom line: The movie had little to offer. It's not a bad movie but just mediocre.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
We Own the Night
Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 5
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix as sons of Police Chief (Robert Duvall), Mark as the police captain and Joaquin on the other side. But events brought Joaquin to the same side of the Law to go against the drug dealers.
What's good: Joaquin is the leading actor of this movie and he depicts the character well.
What's bad: The movie, filmed under a rather typical gloomy overtone trying to depict 70/80s era, is rather dark. Action is minimum. If you want to see Mark Wahlberg kick some ass, there is not much, or at all to see.
Bottom line: If you are Joaquin Phoenix or Eva Mendez (as his girlfriend) fan, you need to watch this movie. Otherwise, if you want to see some police/drug bust movie from the same era, I think Denzel Washington's American Gangster is a better choice.
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix as sons of Police Chief (Robert Duvall), Mark as the police captain and Joaquin on the other side. But events brought Joaquin to the same side of the Law to go against the drug dealers.
What's good: Joaquin is the leading actor of this movie and he depicts the character well.
What's bad: The movie, filmed under a rather typical gloomy overtone trying to depict 70/80s era, is rather dark. Action is minimum. If you want to see Mark Wahlberg kick some ass, there is not much, or at all to see.
Bottom line: If you are Joaquin Phoenix or Eva Mendez (as his girlfriend) fan, you need to watch this movie. Otherwise, if you want to see some police/drug bust movie from the same era, I think Denzel Washington's American Gangster is a better choice.
The Bank Job
Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 5
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: Jason Statham again gets involved in a bank heist, this time digging a tunnel into a London bank's safe deposit box vault.
What's good: The movie is based on a true story in Britain in the 70s. As a typical Jason Statham bank/money heist movie, the heist is the easy part, it is all the parties get involved afterwards make the story interesting. So the storyline is the strong part of the movie.
What's bad: Minimal action. Maybe we can call it the British version of Ocean's 11, only the American version is more lavish and more star filled.
Bottom line: I thought Jason Statham did not shine in this movie. Good storyline, but not much entertainment or excitement.
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: Jason Statham again gets involved in a bank heist, this time digging a tunnel into a London bank's safe deposit box vault.
What's good: The movie is based on a true story in Britain in the 70s. As a typical Jason Statham bank/money heist movie, the heist is the easy part, it is all the parties get involved afterwards make the story interesting. So the storyline is the strong part of the movie.
What's bad: Minimal action. Maybe we can call it the British version of Ocean's 11, only the American version is more lavish and more star filled.
Bottom line: I thought Jason Statham did not shine in this movie. Good storyline, but not much entertainment or excitement.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets
Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 5
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: Nicolas Cage as Ben Gates, this time finds his way to Buckinham Palace and White House, tracing clues that will lead to a stash of treasure and proof that his great grandfather is a patriot instead of plotter of Lincoln's assassination.
What's good: The movie continues the cleverness of the first installment, as Cage explores famous landmarks.
What's bad: The movie is clever, but it is not intense or dramatic enough. Indiana Jones series is a better treasure hunt series.
Bottom line: Overall a good pop-corn movie. Not much action but if you like the first National Treasure, this one will not disappoint by too much.
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: Nicolas Cage as Ben Gates, this time finds his way to Buckinham Palace and White House, tracing clues that will lead to a stash of treasure and proof that his great grandfather is a patriot instead of plotter of Lincoln's assassination.
What's good: The movie continues the cleverness of the first installment, as Cage explores famous landmarks.
What's bad: The movie is clever, but it is not intense or dramatic enough. Indiana Jones series is a better treasure hunt series.
Bottom line: Overall a good pop-corn movie. Not much action but if you like the first National Treasure, this one will not disappoint by too much.
Timber Falls
Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 4
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Skip
Story Line: A young couple hikes in where else, West Virginia, and got kidnapped by a maniac family, actually under the wrap of God's ardent servants.
What's good: The bad guys are actually not tooth loosing, eye popping, ugly back country in-breds. They want to kidnap and torture the victims for religious reasons. So that is fresh. The lead actress Beth Broderick is pretty and show a little skin.
What's bad: The movie falls short in intensity, scaricity, or gority.
Bottom line:
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Skip
Story Line: A young couple hikes in where else, West Virginia, and got kidnapped by a maniac family, actually under the wrap of God's ardent servants.
What's good: The bad guys are actually not tooth loosing, eye popping, ugly back country in-breds. They want to kidnap and torture the victims for religious reasons. So that is fresh. The lead actress Beth Broderick is pretty and show a little skin.
What's bad: The movie falls short in intensity, scaricity, or gority.
Bottom line:
Vantage Point
Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 6
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch
Story Line: Dennis Quaid as a secret service agent on hot trail against terrorists who just assassinated and kidnapped the US president.
What's good: The movie has good car chase sequence. Storyline is not bad with some good twisting plots. Honorable mention: Forest Whitaker, as a tourist with a latest model of Sony HD video camera.
What's bad: To satisfy the "Vantage Point" title, the movie goes back and forth of the assassination from different people's vatange points. It makes you feel yet another Ground Hog Day, and the back and forth do get a little old after a couple ones already.
Bottom line: Overall a good action movie. A typical pop-corn weekend movie.
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch
Story Line: Dennis Quaid as a secret service agent on hot trail against terrorists who just assassinated and kidnapped the US president.
What's good: The movie has good car chase sequence. Storyline is not bad with some good twisting plots. Honorable mention: Forest Whitaker, as a tourist with a latest model of Sony HD video camera.
What's bad: To satisfy the "Vantage Point" title, the movie goes back and forth of the assassination from different people's vatange points. It makes you feel yet another Ground Hog Day, and the back and forth do get a little old after a couple ones already.
Bottom line: Overall a good action movie. A typical pop-corn weekend movie.
Invasion
Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 3
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Skip
Story Line: Nicole Kidman is a psychologist and finds her fighting her own life and her son's while everyone is getting infected with an alien virus, not a deadly virus, but a virus making everyone a robotic emotionless former self.
What's good: Nicole Kidman is a good looking and fine actress, and she again carries the movie.
What's bad: Other than Nicole Kidman, nothing is good in this movie, including Daniel Craig (as Nicole Kidman's new boy friend).
Bottom line: If you are a Nicole Kidman fan, watch this movie. Invasion is a good title, but the movie should be renamed "Yet Another Lame Zombie movie."
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Skip
Story Line: Nicole Kidman is a psychologist and finds her fighting her own life and her son's while everyone is getting infected with an alien virus, not a deadly virus, but a virus making everyone a robotic emotionless former self.
What's good: Nicole Kidman is a good looking and fine actress, and she again carries the movie.
What's bad: Other than Nicole Kidman, nothing is good in this movie, including Daniel Craig (as Nicole Kidman's new boy friend).
Bottom line: If you are a Nicole Kidman fan, watch this movie. Invasion is a good title, but the movie should be renamed "Yet Another Lame Zombie movie."
Stop-Loss
Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 6
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch it
Story Line: Three army veterans coming back to Texas from Iraq to face life back home, and their unit leader (Ryan Phillippe) tries to escape his new "stop-loss" call back to duty.
What's good: I was expecting yet another Iraq veteran coming back to home and facing difficulties story. However, this movie was directed well (by Kimberly Peirce) into a good story-telling movie, as you watch Ryan Phillipe's character fights on against the US government.
What's bad: Action is limited - the only shooting action is in the beginning of the movie, when they are in Iraq.
Bottom line: A good story telling movie. Not your big gun war action movie - falls more on the drama genre. Real not much action, from any angle after the open scene, but if you are looking for some good movie drama, this is your choice.
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch it
Story Line: Three army veterans coming back to Texas from Iraq to face life back home, and their unit leader (Ryan Phillippe) tries to escape his new "stop-loss" call back to duty.
What's good: I was expecting yet another Iraq veteran coming back to home and facing difficulties story. However, this movie was directed well (by Kimberly Peirce) into a good story-telling movie, as you watch Ryan Phillipe's character fights on against the US government.
What's bad: Action is limited - the only shooting action is in the beginning of the movie, when they are in Iraq.
Bottom line: A good story telling movie. Not your big gun war action movie - falls more on the drama genre. Real not much action, from any angle after the open scene, but if you are looking for some good movie drama, this is your choice.
10,000 BC
Rating (1-10, 10 being highest): 4
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: A young hunter (Steven Strait) in a tribe sets out to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend (Camilla Belle) and villagers and unite other tribes rise against a mighty enemy.
What's good: An early scene of big elephant stampede.
What's bad: The story is an old and tired story, which you have probably seen in many other movies, Mel Gibson's Apocalypto coming to mind first. The movie wants to rise to prehistoric level, only to fail to a historical proportion. The main hunter group is dressed like Jamaican with long hair braids - come on, give me a break.
Bottom line: The movie does have a couple big scenes that make it big screen worthwhile, but overall, a tired story with no climax, no acting, so so cinematography and very few action, which is a death spell for a typical guy.
Quick Rating: (skip, watch, watch when no other choice): Watch when no other choice
Story Line: A young hunter (Steven Strait) in a tribe sets out to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend (Camilla Belle) and villagers and unite other tribes rise against a mighty enemy.
What's good: An early scene of big elephant stampede.
What's bad: The story is an old and tired story, which you have probably seen in many other movies, Mel Gibson's Apocalypto coming to mind first. The movie wants to rise to prehistoric level, only to fail to a historical proportion. The main hunter group is dressed like Jamaican with long hair braids - come on, give me a break.
Bottom line: The movie does have a couple big scenes that make it big screen worthwhile, but overall, a tired story with no climax, no acting, so so cinematography and very few action, which is a death spell for a typical guy.
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